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Scarce large format map of the Iberian Peninsula, published by famed French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Geneviève Marcellin Bory de Saint-Vincent.
The Notice accompanying the notes that Bory was a senior officer previously connected to the War Depot and served as an aide-de-camp to the Duke of Dalmatia during the war from 1808 to 1813. He is also a correspondent of the Academy of Sciences, among other distinctions.
Jean-Baptiste Geneviève Marcellin Bory de Saint-Vincent was a French naturalist, officer, and politician, who made significant contributions to biology and geography with a keen interest in volcanology, systematics, and botany.
Bory started his education in Agen, moving later to Bordeaux. During the Reign of Terror, his family sought refuge in the Landes. At 15, he played a pivotal role in freeing the entomologist Pierre André Latreille. He studied under geologist Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu and began publishing his research early.
In 1799, he became the chief botanist on a scientific expedition to Australia. He explored islands of the African seas, ascended the Piton de la Fournaise, and contributed to scientific literature upon his return. After Napoleon's fall, Bory faced political exile due to his liberal and Bonapartist views.
Joining the French Revolutionary armies in 1799, he rose through the ranks, influenced by Jean-Gérard Lacuée. Bory partook in various campaigns of Napoleon's Grande Armée from 1805 to 1814.During the Peninsular War, part of the Napoleonic Wars, Jean-Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent served in the French army and took part in military operations in Spain. His presence in the Iberian Peninsula is primarily noted for the period when he served under Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult, from 1809 onwards.
Bory's scientific pursuits continued with the direction of the Morea expedition's scientific commission in 1829, studying Greece's natural history and antiquities. He contributed to founding the Entomological Society of France in 1832.
During the July Monarchy, Bory resumed his military post and was honored in the Legion of Honor. He briefly served as a deputy but resigned due to the conservative majority.
Later, he led the scientific expedition of Algeria, enhancing understanding of its natural history. Despite declining health, Bory remained intellectually active until his death.
Bory was an advocate for the transmutation of species and a critic of slavery. He left behind a substantial body of work and a legacy in natural history and geography, remembered through places like the Bory crater on Réunion Island and schools named in his honor.
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