114 A CONGENIAL RETREAT.

1775, after a visit to the western coast of Africa,
he returned to Cayenne ; and during the two years
he remained there, occupied himself almost wholly
with researches into the natural history of that
region. The journal he kept was not published,
but is frequently referred to in the works of Buffon.
At length Sonnini’s health became impaired. He
suffered from an obstinate fever, which preyed
upon his spirits and strength, and compelled him
to repair to his native country. He found a con-
genial retreat at Montbard, where his great friend
Buffon gladly welcomed him, and for a short time
Sonnini was content to remain tranquil. He tells
us, “I spent nearly six months there; and that
time, which fled too rapidly, is certainly the period
of my life that has left behind it the most grateful
recollection. It is to my stay in that abode of the
sciences and of taste that I am indebted for the
little Lam worth. It was winter, and the severity
of the season kept away troublesome visitors. Day
succeeded day in delightful succession, while I was
aiding the great man in his labours and enjoying
his society—a society highly agrecable, and which
was never disturbed py the smallest inequality of
temper, and which I have never met with anywhere
else. Buffon was not one of those men of letters
whom Erasmus whimsically compared to the tapcs-
try of Flanders, with great figures, which, to pro-