Puysegur, Antoine Hyacinthe, Count de Chastener de, French naval officer, born in Paris, 14 February, 1752; died there, 20 February, 1809. He entered the navy as midshipman in 1766, and during a journey to Teneriffe in 1772 discovered, in caverns that had been used by the Guanchos as cemeteries, well-preserved mummies which afforded to anthropologists the means of determining the relationship between the extinct Guanchos and the Indians of South America. During the war for American independence he served under D'Estaing in 1778-'9, was present at the siege of Savannah, held afterward an important post in Tobago, and served for the remainder of the campaign in the West Indies. After the conclusion of peace in 1783 he was attached to the station of Santo Domingo, and in 1786, at the instance of Marshal de Castries, secretary of the navy, he made a survey of the coast of Santo Domingo, and of the currents around the island. He emigrated to Germany in 1791, served for some time in the army of the Prince of Conde, joined the Portuguese navy in 1795 with the rank of vice-admiral, and in 1798 saved King Ferdinand, of Naples, and conveyed him safely to Sicily. In 1803 he returned to France and recovered his former estates, but refused the offers of Napoleon to reinstate him in the French service. He published "Ddtail sur la navigation aux cotes de Saint Domingue, et dans ses debouquements" (Paris, 1787; revised ed., 1821).