[Manuscript] "Souvenirs de voyages géologiques et d'histoire naturelle"

Paris, Gavarnie, Mont-Cenis, Grenoble, Fontainebleau ..., 1838-1871. 8vo. 355 pp. Holopgrah manuscript in ink in French. Contemporary half gray cloth and marbled boards. Ex-libris manuscript of "Doctor Roussel" on ffep and small book ticket ("Henry D.") on front pastedown. Some scuffing to cloth spine “Le 7 juillet 1838, à 7 heures 20 minutes du soir, je parti de Paris …”A lengthy, nearly career-spanning record of Roussel’s botanical and geological observations and studies made in his travels throughout France. The unpublished manuscript, written in a small, neat hand, documents eighteen separate trips made from July of 1838 to September of 1871. Most of the voyages originate from Paris, with destinations including Mont-Cenis, Gavarnie, Grenoble, Fontainebleau and environs, Melun, Toulouse, Auxerre, Nantes, Le Creusot and Cherbourg. The manuscript includes Roussel’s identification of plant species and his abundant and minute observations on the geological and topographic details of the French landscape, interspersed with 87 small ink illustrations (generally geographical and architectural features) and three large figures (2 full-page drawings and 1 table). The full-page drawings include an illustration of Roussel’s route through the Pyrenees around Gavarnie and observations of sedimentary layers made in Toulouse. In one of his voyages Roussel is joined by the eminent Finnish botanist William Nylander.Born in Melun, Île-de-France, Alexandre-Victor Roussel (1795-1875) trained as a pharmacist and served in the French army at home as well as Algeria. Stationed at various garrisons in France and Algeria, he always took the opportunity to get to know the local flora. Roussel was guided in his early botanising by fellow officer and botanist Captain Pouzolz. The pair first collected plants together in Toulon and the surrounding area, at one point accompanied by Dumont D’Urville and Charles Gaudichaud in 1817. Roussel was then based at Thionville in Lorraine, where he continued his botanical excursions with Pouzolz. At this point he began to specialise in cryptogams, making many new discoveries, which he sent to J.B. Mougeot and J.B.H.J. Desmazières, who honoured him in species epithets. In 1837-1839 Roussel was attached to the French army in Algeria as chief pharmacist, taking the opportunity to scour the coast and area surrounding Algiers for novel cryptogams, which he sent on to M.C. Durieu and Camille Montagne. Following his return to France, Roussel was appointed principal pharmacist at the Parisian hospital of Val-de-Grâce, where he would see out the remainder of his career. His reputation in botanical circles grew and grew, meanwhile, and in 1862 he was named vice-president of the Société botanique de France. In his hometown of Melun he established a botanical garden, which was later gifted to the town. The genus Rousselia Gaudich. was named in his honour.Roussel was not prolific in his published writings and we find no record of any manuscript material at auction.