SYLVIE, Edouard (sil-vee), French naturalist, born in Riom, Auvergne, in 1670; died in Lyons in 1739. He studied in the College Louis ]e Grand at Paris, entered the church, and was appointed by the king to a rich abbey in Lyons. Devoting his leisure time to the study of mathematics and natural history, he presented several valuable memoirs to the Academy of sciences, which induced that body to propose him to the king for a mission to South America. Louis XIV. placed a man-of-war at Sylvie's disposal in order to facilitate his work, and from 1701 till 1703 he visited Santo Domingo and several ports of the Caribbean sea, prepared a chart of the Gulf of Mexico, and made valuable observations. In the following year he visited Guiana, Brazil, Montevideo, and Buenos Ayres, landed on Staten island, and made the ascent of its snowy range of mountains. Doubling Cape Horn, he coasted Chili and Peru to Callao, and, penetrating into the interior, explored the Andes. Sylvie afterward returned to the West Indies, and sojourned several months in Santo Domingo, occupied in drawing a map of the French part of the island. His vessel arrived at La Rochelle, 15 October, 1710, and Sylvie's valuable collections were presented to the Academy of sciences, which elected him a corresponding member. His works include "Explications de l'herbier et des collections rapportees d'Amerique par l'Abbe Edouard Sylvie" (3 vols., Paris. 1711-'13); " Relation d'un voyage de la met du Sad aux cotes de la Guiane, du Brasil, de la Terre des Etats, du Chili et du Perou, avec une description de la cote septentrionale du detroit de Le Maire" (3 vols., 1714-'16) ; "Voyage a~ travers le Golfe du Mexique, suivi d'une description des iles Antilles de l'Amerique, et en particulier de l'ile de Saint Domingue" (2 vols., 1720-'1); and "Journal des observations d'un voyage au Perou et au Chili" (5 vols., 1726-'8).