Bonpland

Bonpland, AIMÉ, an eminent traveller and botanist, was born at Rochelle, France, August 22, 1773. Having studied medicine and botany at Paris, he accompanied Humboldt in 1799 to South America, where they travelled nearly five years, during which time Bonpland collected 6000 new species of plants. After his return, he published several splendid and valuable botanical works. He went to Buenos Ayres in 1816, and was named professor of Natural History. Bonpland undertook an expedition of scientific discovery up the Paraná; but Dr Francia, then dictator of Paraguay, arrested him, and kept him prisoner for about nine years. He subsequently settled near San Borje, in the province of Corrientes, and died at Santa Anna in 1858. Among his works are: Plantes Equinoxiales (2 vols. 1808-16); Monographie des Mélastomées, &c. (2 vols. 1809-16); and Description des Plantes rares de Navarre (1813-17). See his Life by Brunel (3d ed. Paris, 1872).