Heroes of science

by P. Martin Duncan

There is no doubt that a singular political position which was thrust upon this young man of twenty-two years of age, decided his future career, for it brought him under the eye of Napoleon Bonaparte, the First Consul of France. Geneva nominated him as a “notable” to whom the consul might apply for information about the requirements of the town. De Candolle wrote in his memoirs: “I was not much of a partisan. Born a republican, a friend of peace, I saw with anxiety Napoleon’s evident love of war and desire for monarchy, but I was obliged to look favourably on him, for he had destroyed anarchy, and possessed great abilities.” Napoleon and the young man had two interviews, one a peaceable one, which did good to the town of Geneva, and a second and stormy one, during which the simple student of the truth stood up, like a man, against the angry despot, and quailed not beneath that eye which most men feared. He was not forgotten, however, and after a while he was nominated on a commission to investigate the teaching given in the schools of Paris, under the charge of laymen. This commission was necessary, for the Roman Catholic authorities were anxious to put down lay teaching. De Candolle, a firm Protestant, took great care in making his report, and he decided that although there was much to be desired, still the lay schools were doing their duty.

Pursuing his studies, De Candolle began to form an herbarium, and his time was divided between science and philanthropy—for he was a visitor at the hospitals and prisons of Paris—and his Fanny, whom he married in 1802. Immediately afterwards he began to write his description of the plants of France, and Cuvier asked him to lecture for him during a term. The subject chosen was the physiology of plants; it was well managed, and it tempted De Candolle to head his new book with some chapters on it. Grief came in due time; De Candolle and his wife lost their firstborn, a pretty little girl, and a long absence from Paris was necessary. On their return, De Candolle recommenced his work on his book, and after its completion he began a series of excursions in different parts of France, studying the botany and geology. After a while a son was born, and De Candolle was offered the professorship of Botany at Montpellier.

He visited the city to see how he liked it, and he took this opportunity, also, to go to the Pyrenees for a botanical trip, collecting at the time many interesting plants. A difficulty existed about the acceptance of the position, for there was much teaching required, and there would not be much time for these excursions about France, which were absolutely necessary for the knowledge of the different local assemblages of plants or floras. De Candolle had a salary of about £160 a year, which enabled him to start from Paris and to botanize. If he went to Montpellier, all his original work might cease, and he could not earn this money and teach at the same time. So, loving real work, he determined not to accept the position. A great endeavour was being made, however, to restore the teaching of natural history at Montpellier, and the friends of the young man called on the then Minister of the Interior, M. Cretet, and urged him to see the rising botanist. At the interview Mr. Cretet, who had no botanical tastes, was wonderfully amused at a man’s giving up a good place for the sake of running about France picking up plants, and said, in a good-humoured manner, “Now, young man, if you don’t take both the situations you shan’t have either.” The professorship at Montpellier was accepted, and the necessary journeys were to be allowed. This M. Cretet seems to have been a man of great sense, and quite upset M. de Laplace, the great mathematician, about De Candolle. Laplace wanted to pay a compliment to the minister, and also to bring the young botanist before his notice, so he said, “Sir, you have done us a doubtful service in sending M. de Candolle to Montpellier, for we expected soon to have him as a member of the Institute.” M. Cretet turned on him with an angry air and said, “Your institute! Do you know what I should like to do with your institute?” “What?” said Laplace, rather astonished at the tone of voice. “I should like to fire a cannon well into the middle of it.” M. de Laplace seemed as if he would sink. “Yes,” continued the minister, “I would fire a cannon at you all, and disperse you all over France. It is frightful to concentrate all the lights of the age in Paris, and to leave the departments in ignorance and idleness! I have sent M. de Candolle to Montpellier to stimulate others to activity.” Considering that the members of the Institute of France have always considered themselves the very cream of the cream of science, this was very shocking.

The new professor started with his wife, little boy, his library and herbarium, and with many a regret at leaving such friends as those who enlightened Paris as anatomists and botanists. It was a great position for a man of thirty years of age, however, and it gave him sufficient to live upon; and this was welcome, for hitherto he had been poor.

When he was settled in his new establishment his father, then seventy-two years of age, came to see him, and, after a short sojourn, took his leave, accompanied by his daughter-in-law and grandson. Whilst they all went to Geneva, De Candolle prepared for and went on an excursion into Italy. During the visit to Italy, in 1808, politics came in the way of botany, and nothing was heard of De Candolle for a month, his letters having gone astray; but he turned up at Geneva, well, and in good spirits, for he heard that he had a chance of being made a member of the Institute. But he found that even great scientific men have their little foibles and favourites, and he did not get elected. In fact, he never was elected a member, although he was the most distinguished botanist of the age. Years afterwards, when he was in Geneva, he was made one of the eight foreign members, and that has always been considered a great honour. Nevertheless, politics, social position, and agreement with the authorities of the day, on all subjects, are of very considerable moment in these elections.

The return to Montpellier was sad, but the fine sunshine of the south, and cheerful society, soon made De Candolle forget his disappointment. After a botanical trip in Savoy, De Candolle wrote an important volume on geographical botany and agriculture. The first of these subjects infers a thorough knowledge of the names and kinds of plants, and it is of great importance in associating certain plants with soils, rocks, and climates.

By November, 1811, De Candolle had nearly completed his botanical tours, and he then considered that he was settled at Montpellier for a long time, and that his work would be more that of a teacher than investigator. He found that travelling and collecting had enlarged his mind, and he never regretted the six years of wandering about. About this time the young professor commenced a great work on the statistics of French vegetation. It did not deal with descriptions of species, or of the special localities where they could be found; but, first, with the general distribution of wild plants in France, and then with the relation of the plants of France to the different wants of mankind. This last part was eminently practical, and it dealt with food plants, medicinal plants, dye plants, and those which are used for clothing. It was a prodigious attempt, and it never came to a conclusion; only fragments of it were in his possession fourteen years afterwards, and he attributed much of the difficulty thrown in his way, to the alterations which occurred in the boundaries of France after the fall of Napoleon. Moreover, he had to complete his description of the plants of France, and that was not done until 1815.

De Candolle was always fond of society, and, after his labours of the day, was glad to go into or receive company. Being a Protestant, and a man of mark in his native town, he was well received by most of the families of Montpellier, and his wife also. Society consisted of good Protestant families of old, so-called nobles, and some who thought themselves nobles. It was split up like the society of most small towns, into cliques, but De Candolle escaped, for a long time, any discomforts or social antagonisms. They came at last, however.

De Candolle, like many active-minded men, was not popular with the officials who had “places” in their gift. He was intrigued against, and lost the rectorship of the University, but he had the pleasure of exposing the intrigue in 1813.

Napoleon had fought his last fight, and had gone to Elba, and the Bourbons had been restored. Disgusted with the military spirit of the Empire, De Candolle rejoiced at the restoration of the Bourbons, and even became a volunteer to keep the town in order. He began to change his mind soon, however, for the Count d’Artois, one of the royal family, received the professor with great haughtiness, and, by way of making amends, paid particular attention to a rascal of the first water who had returned from the galleys, where he had been sent for stealing, and not for devotion to the Bourbons, as he told the duke. Going to Geneva on a visit, to place his eldest son at school, De Candolle found the city just being received into the Confederation of the Swiss Republic. He returned to Montpellier, which was full of rejoicing at Napoleon’s exile, but shortly afterwards all was disorder during the hundred days in which Napoleon was, for the last time, ruler of France. Beyond the reach of direct politics, the professors of Montpellier had their little evenings, and even got up private theatricals. In the midst of a scene in one of these came the news that Napoleon had landed at Cannes, and was on his way to Paris. That was the last quiet hour that De Candolle had in the town. An unfriendly man, who was a royalist, began to set people against the professor, who resented their interference. He began to limit his circle of friends, left literature alone more and more, and plunged more deeply into science. He determined to leave Montpellier and its littlenesses. His principal care was to enlarge and utilize the botanic garden of the place, and then he devoted much time to teaching, and with great success. Civil war was imminent, and the defeat at Waterloo produced outbreaks at Montpellier. De Candolle had been elected Rector of the University during the Hundred Days, and was ordered to give up the title. This he did, and prepared to leave the place. He had sent his family to Geneva, and in travelling himself to join them, by way of Nimes, he saw traces of the horrible treatment the Protestants had received. Subsequently the family went to Paris, passing through the towns occupied by the allied troops. Having time, De Candolle visited England, and became the guest of Dr. Marcet, and was introduced to the best of the scientific world. He met and enjoyed the reticent Robert Brown, and went to a sitting of the Royal Society, which he said was dull. He was introduced to Hooker and Sir James Smith, the proprietor of the Herbarium of Linnæus, which he very properly said was the basis of botanical nomenclature. In 1816 De Candolle found himself settling down in his native town of Geneva, where he was well received, and became Professor of Natural History, and taught students of both sexes, and began to establish a botanic garden of some importance. There he was obliged to go into local politics, and for years was a representative of the town, doing good work for the poor, for liberty by receiving and protecting political fugitives and by insisting on the freedom of the press, which was considerably hated in France under the restored Bourbons. Nevertheless, year after year he taught well, and most of the great botanists of later years were either his students or his visitors and friends. As age crept on, De Candolle continued his researches, and got through the description and classification of a considerable number of known plants. These were published in a book which will always be his masterpiece. Honours crowded on him, the gifts of learned societies of all nations, and he visited most of the great cities of the Continent. In 1832 he published the second part of his work. He had great happiness with his wife, and his parents lived to great ages, content with the prosperity of their son, who was ever good and loving to them, and got his reward. He had a little estate, out of Geneva, at Saint Seine, and enjoyed it much; but, as years rolled on, the death of a son there, affected his tender heart, and he sold the place and bought another, called La Barrière, near Geneva. His eldest son, Alphonse, followed well in the father’s steps. Finally, when old age troubled De Candolle, he gave up his professorship.