In the course of them no doubt he
studied other things than botany. It may be that he sowed some of
the wild oats with which youth is endowed; but not in the gardens
of others; nor with that cold self-indulgence which transforms
passionate impulse into sensual habit. He had a permanent and
regulative devotion to botanical research; and that is a study which
seems to promote modesty, tranquillity, and steadiness of mind in
its devotees, of whom the great Linnaeus is the shining exemplar.
Young Albert d'Azan sat at the feet of the best masters in Europe
and America. He crossed the western continent to observe the oldest
of living things, the giant Sequoias of California. He went to
Australasia and the Dutch East Indies and South America in search
of new ferns and orchids. He investigated the effect of ocean
currents and of tribal migrations in the distribution of trees.
His botanical monographs brought him renown among those who know,
and he was elected a corresponding member of many scientific
societies. After twenty years of voyaging he returned to port at
Azan, richly laden with observation and learning, and settled down
among his trees to pursue his studies and write his books.
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