BONPLAND, an eminent botanist, was born at La Rochelle. France, Ang. 22, 1773. Having studied medicine and botany at Paris, he accompanied Alexander von Humboldt in 1799 to America. where they traveled nearly five years, mostly in Mexico and the Andes, during which time 13. collected 6000 new species of plants After 1118 return, he was appointed, in 1801, director of the gardens at Navarre and Malmaison, and published several splendid and valuable botanical works. Plantes Eguinn.rzales Reeueillies au ifezigve, etc. (2 vols., Par. 1808-16, with 140 copper plates); Munogrophk deg ..1Plastomees, etc. (2 vols., Par. 1809-16. with 120 copper-plates): and Deeeription des Planks cares de Nararre et de In .11almaivon (11 numbers, Par. 1813-17, with 64 copper plates). He went to Buenos Ayres in 1816, with a collection of European plants and fruit-trees, was favorably received by the government. and named professor of natural history. After remaining at Buenos Ayres about five years, 13. undertook an expedition of scientific discovery up the Parana, .with the view of prosecuting his investig,ations to the Andes, across the Gran Chaco Dr. Francia, then dictator of Paraguay, instead of giving him permission to cross the country, arrested him. after killing some
of his men, and kept Min prisoner for about nine years, notwithstanding the efforts of the British government, at the instigation of Ilmnboldt, to obtain bis release. While detained by Dr. Francia, lie acted as physician of a garrison. On the 2d of Feb.. 1S31, he obtained his liberty, and traveling southward, settled on the southern boundary of Brazil, near the eastern bank of the river Uruguay, and in the vicinity of the small town of San Borja. Here he resided until 1853. taking great interest in cultivating and pm moting the cultivation' of Paraguay tea, and with no desire to return to Europe. In 18.4, he removed to a larger estate at Santa Anna, where he busied himself in cultivating orange-trees of his own planting,. In 1857, he wrote to Humboldt that he was about to carry his collections and manuscripts to Paris, to deposit them in the museum there, and that after a short stay in France, he intended to return to Santa Anna. That voyage. his death in 1858 prevented him front accomplishing. His remarks on the herbarium collected in his travels with Humboldt, have been given to the world by Knuth in his .Nora Genera et Specks Pinntarum (12 vols., Par. 1815-25, with 700 plates).