SAUSSURE, HORACE BENEDICT DE Swiss physicist and Alpine traveller, was born at Geneva on Feb. 17, 174o. From 1762 to 1786 he was professor of philosophy at the academy of Geneva. He became F.R.S. in 1768, and in 1772 founded the Societe pour l'Avancement des Arts at Geneva. His health began to fail in 1791, but he was able to complete his great work in 1796. He died on Jan. 22, 1799.
His early devotion to botanical studies led him to undertake journeys among the Alps, and from 1773 onwards he devoted his attention to the geology and physics of that great chain. He applied chemistry and physics to his studies of the geology and meteorology of the district. He examined the strata, nature of the rocks, the fossils and minerals. De Saussure designed a number of new instruments, notably his hair hygrometer with which he examined atmospheric conditions; he also made observations on the temperature of the earth and of deep water. These observa
tions he published in Essai sur l'hygometrie (1783).
Among his most famous ascents were Mont Blanc (1787), Col du Geant (1788), Crammont (1784, 1788), St. Theodule pass to Zermatt (1789) Klein Matterhorn (1792).
The descriptions of seven of his Alpine journeys were pub lished as Voyages dans les Alpes (4 quarto vols. 1779-96 and 8 octavo vols. 1780-96). The non-scientific portions of the work were first published in 1834, and have often been republished, under the title of Partie pittoresque des ouvrages de M. de Saussure.
See Lives by J. Senebier (Geneva, 18o1), by Cuvier in the Biog raphie universelle, and by Candolle in Decade philosophique, No. xv. (trans. in the Philosophical Magazine, iv. p. 96) ; articles by E. Naville in the Bibliotheque universelle (March, April, May 1883), and chaps. v.—viii. of Ch. Durier's Le Mont-Blanc (various editions between i877 and 1897).