The two other parts relating to Cundinamarca are yet in manuscript, the second in the library of the Rnyal historical society, and the third in the National library of Madrid. Henri Ternaux- Coinpans, although he says he purchased them, can only have obtained copies, which he used for his sur 1'ancien Cundinamarca" (Paris, 1842).
SIMOND, Alfred, South American botanist, b.
in the province of Sao Paulo in 1740; d. in Rome,
Italy, in 1801. His father, who was a Frenchman
by birth, served in the Portuguese army, and ob-
tained with his discharge a land-grant in the prov-
ince of Sao Paulo ; and his mother was an Indian.
The son was destined for the church, and was about
to enter the Jesuit order when it was expelled from
Brazil. Returning to his father's farm, he began
there the study of agriculture and natural history,
which he finished at Paris under the direction of
Buffon, who induced him in 1776 to accompany
Baron Malouet to Guiana. Here he was employed
in draining marshes, and established a model farm
for the improvement of agricultural methods. Af-
ter Malouet's withdrawal in 1780, Simond remained
in the colony without government support, and for
several years tried vainly to establish a settlement
east of Essequibo river. Returning to France at
the beginning of the revolution, he was instructed
by the Constituent assembly's committee on foreign
affairs to write a detailed memoir concerning the
disputed border-line between the French and Por-
tuguese possessions in South America, and in 1795
he was sent to Guiana to draw a map of the basin
of the Orinoco river. Simond's works include
" Memoirs sur les limites veritables de la Guiane
FranQaise " (Paris, 1791) ; " Enumeratio plantarum
in Guiana crescentium " (2 vols., 1793) ; " Conspec-
tus Polygarum florae Guiana? meridionalis " (2 vols..
Rome, 1797) ; and " Flora Brasilia exhibens charac-
teres generum et specierum plantarum in provincia
Sancti Pauli crescentium " (2 vols., 1800).
SIMONDS, William, author, b. in Charlestown,
Mass., 30 Oct., 1822 ; d. in Winchester, Mass., 7 July,
1859. After attending school at Salem and spend-
ing some time in learning the jewelry business at
Lynn, Mass., he was apprenticed to a Boston printer
in 1837. While thus engaged he wrote his first
book, " The Pleasant Way " (1841), which was pub-
lished by the Massachusetts Sabbath-school society.
This was followed in 1845 by "The Sinner's Friend."
which was also well received. In December, 1845',
he left the printing-office where he had spent nearly
nine years, and early in 1846 began the publication
of " The Boston Saturday Rambler," of which, after
the first six months, he became the sole editor. In
November, 1850, " The Rambler " was merged in
the "New England Farmer," of which Simonds was
general editor until his death. In 1848 he began
the publication of a monthly entitled " The Pictorial
National Library," but was unable to issue it longer
than eighteen months. Mr. Simonds was convinced
that he had a mission to perform in writing for the
young, and he employed every means in his power
to render his tales natural and attractive, and to
make them accurate reflections of life. His chief
work is " The Aitnwell Stories," written under the
pen-name of Walter Aimwell. These stories deal
chiefly with New England farm-life. The first,
" Clinton," appeared in 1853. He purposed to ex-
tend the series to twelve volumes, but lived to
complete only six. The last one, "Jerry," was left
unfinished, and to it is added a memoir of the
author. Besides the books already mentioned, he
published " Thoughts for the Thoughtless " (Bos-
ton, 1851); "The Boy's Own Guide " (1852); and
" The Boy's Book of Morals and Manners " (1855).
SIMONIN, Louis Laurent (se-mo-nang), French
geologist, k in Marseilles, 22 Aug.. 1830. He
studied at the School of mines at Saint Etienne,
was graduated as engineer in 1852, and held after-
ward various posts in connection with mines in
Italy and France. He made several voyages to the
United States by order of the French government,
visited Cuba, the West Indies, Central America, the
Isthmus of Panama, and Mexico, and travelled ex-
tensively through California and most of the Tinted
States. In 1867 he was placed at the head of a
French commission charged to study the laying out
of the Pacific railroad and the preliminary surveys,
and in his report greatly praised the work. In 1 N 7i>
he was made a member of the international jury
for the Centennial exhibition in Philadelphia, and
before returning to France he made a special study
of the mines in Pennsylvania and in the Reading
valley. Simonin is an admirer of American insti-
tutions. He has been several times a candidate for
the chamber of deputies, promising that if he
were elected he would support free democratic in-
stitutions as they are understood on this side of the
Atlantic, and he has been called the American
candidate. Since 1860 he has contributed articles to
French magazines describing his travels and Ameri-
can scenery. Since 1877 he has been scientific critic
of " La France." He has also greatly interested him-
self in the Panama canal, and his advocacy has con-
tributed to the authorization by the government
of a lottery loan in its behalf. His works include
Le grand ouest des Etats-Unis " % (Paris, 1869) :
"L'homme Americain" (1870); "A travers les
Etats-Unis " (1875) ; "Le monde Americain, sou-
venirs de mes voyages aux Etats-Unis" (1S76);
" L'oret 1'argent," a study of gold- and silver-mines
in both Americas (1877) : and " Resume d'une con-
IV 1 r<- sin- le Ciiinil de Panama" (1884).
SIMONS, Michael Laird, journalist, b. in
Philadelphia, Pa., 7 Sept., 1843 : d. there, 17 Nov..
1880. He was graduated at the Central high-
school of his native city, and entered journalism
when quite young in the employ of the Philadel-
phia " Inquirer." subsequently engaging with the
"Evening Telegraph." and contributing to various
literary journals. Mr. Simons was identified with
the establishment of the Reformed Episcopal
church, served as a delegate to its councils, and
was secretary of the synod of Philadelphia at the
time of his death. He edited "Stodart's Review."
condensed D'Aubigne's " History of the Refor-
mation " (1870), published " Half-Hours with the
Best Preachers" (1871), and continued Duyck-
inck's " Cyclopaedia of American Literature," add-
ing about one hundred new names, down to 1*73.
His last work, an extensive " History of the World,"
is still unpublished.
SIMONS, Thomas Young, lawyer, b. in Charles-
ton, S. C., 1 Oct.. 1828; d. there, 30 April, 1878.
He was graduated at Yale in 1847, and two years
later began to practise law in his native city. In
1854-'60 he was a member of the legislature, and
in the latter year a presidential elector. He was
also a member of the convention that passed the
ordinance of secession in December, 1860, and in
the civil war be served as captain of the 27th
South Carolina regiment, and later as judge-advo-
cate. He was sent to the National Democratic
conventions of 1860, 1868, and 1872, and was a
member of the executive committee of his party
from the latter year till 1876. Besides his other
labors, he was editor of the Charleston " Courier "
in 1865 '73. In the tax-payers' conventions of
1871 and 1874 he was an active member, and his
later years were identified with the efforts to pro-
