Alberto Cougnet

(edited by Peter John Mazzoglio)

Albert Cougnet was born in Nice (France) on 22^nd April 1823 from François and Geneviève Thaon [1]. Well-off, of a notable family of Nice, he set off very young to the clerical life [2]; he become a clergyman, he dedicated himself to religious teaching [3], and he engaged himself in naturalistic and agronomic matters, travelling a lot in Provence and in the Maritime Alps [4]. His father, the first secretary of the governor of Nice, was precious for him in this period. He was an intimate friend of Michele Garibaldi, the brother of the hero of the two worlds, for whom he wrote a funeral oration in the moment of the burial [5].

In 1870 he settled down in Savona [6] and, stirred by the experience he matured in France in agricultural practices, he became member of the Agriculturists’ association of Savona in 1874 [7].

The Savonese period of Albert Cougnet was characterized by a fervent interest for the improvement of peasants’ life and for rural progress. Elected auditor of accounts of the Association in 1875 [8], he took part in the 4^th Conference of Ligurian Agriculturists’ Associations in Massa and, as a delegate of the Savonese Association, in 1876 he took part in the 5^th Conference in Albenga [9], where he exposed a machine for selecting olives [10]. He was appointed substitute councilman [11] and member of the editorial commission of the Bulletin of the Agriculturists’ Association [12], in which several of his articles on agriculture appeared, among which the thick relation stands out on the conditions of agriculture in the district [13]. In 1876 he was also named delegate of the Association in the organizing committee of the agricultural exhibition of the district of Savona of 1878 [14]; in July he was welcomed as a new member of the Economic Society for the improvement of agriculture, arts and manufactures of Savona [15] and in September he was elected vice-president [16], maintaining such a charge for five years. In 1877 he became secretary of the Agriculturists’ Association [17] and was appointed delegate at the 7^th Conference of Agriculturists’ Associations in Sarzana [18]. Here he presented a plan of a rural house, that was approved by the congressists as the model to adopt for land owners of small estates [19]. In 1878 he participated actively in the organization of the agricultural exhibition [20]: he exposed an economic olive-press for olive oil extraction [21], a stove to produce dry and warm air [22] and, above all, a rational rabbit cage model, that worthed him a silver medal prize [23].

In 1879 he was part of the promoting committee for the adhesions to the competition between district producers at the agricultural exhibition of Genoa from the provinces of Liguria and Tuscany [24]. He wrote the “Cosmographic, climatic, fluvial and agricultural description of the district of Savona in the year 1879”, in which he put to good use his knowledge, accumulated in several years, during which he had visited villages and farms, collecting material useful for his job at the Agriculturists’ Association and that he had published a first time in 1877 [25]. Moreover, in 1879 his travels in the district increased, with the aim to update the data useful to edit the report for the agricultural inquiry, that he was invited to write by the commissioner for Liguria Agostino Bertani, and by the Economic Society of Savona [26]. At the end of the year he presented the results at the general assembly of the Economic Society, and in 1880 he wrote the summary of the arguments, following Bertani’s questionnaire, and some additional notes before the publication of this main work of his, to which he added the plans and drawings of the rural house and the rabbit cage [27].

For the endeavour he profused in favour of agricultural sciences he was conferred the title of Knight of the Order of the Saints Maurice and Lazarus [28] and of the Crown of Italy [29] and was named honorary member of the Economic Society by its president Paolo Boselli for the service offered and the skill shown [30].

In 1881 he went back to France. He became curate at La Roquette sur Var in 1883 [31] and in 1887 he was transferred to Gorbio, near Menton, where he remained until his death [32], on 19^th August 1891 [33].

[1] Copy of the register of baptisms conserved in the Archives des Alpes Maritimes in Nice (France).

[2] Letter of 18^th November 1845 of the bishop of Nice to the curate of the church of St. Martin in Nice, preserved in the historical Archives of the diocese of Nice.

[3] ALBERT COUGNET, Introductory talk to explain the Doctrine, i.e. the Christian Catechism. 8^th November 1858. Manuscript conserved in the Bibliothèque du Chevalier de Cessole of Nice.

[4] ALBERT COUGNET, Cosmographic, climatic, fluvial and agricultural description of the district of Savona in the year 1879, Savona (Italy) 1880, p. 191.

ALBERT COUGNET, Voyage de Nice à Menton, poésie. Manoscritto senza data conservato presso La Bibliothèque cit. a Nizza.

[5] ALBERT COUGNET, Last farewell said over the tomb of Rosa Garibaldi, mother of General Garibaldi, to Michele Garibaldi, dead on 22^nd July 1866. Sanremo (Italy) 1866.

[6] ALBERT COUGNET, mentioned Cosmographic..., p. 169.

[7] Bulletin of the Agriculturists’ Association of the District of Savona, year 6, no. 7, 1874, p. 116.

[8] mentioned Bulletin, year 7, no. 11, 1875, p. 178.

ALBERT COUGNET, Report of the auditors of the accounts of the fiscal year 1875 (in collaboration with Luigi Corsi), in mentioned "Bulletin", year 8, nos. 4 and 5, 1876.

[9] ALBERT COUGNET, mentioned Cosmographic..., p. 181.

[10] ALBERT COUGNET, mentioned Cosmographic..., p. 172.

[11] mentioned Bulletin, year 8, nos. 4 and 5, 1876, p. 56.

[12] mentioned Bulletin, year 8, nos. 7 and 8, 1876, p. 98.

[13] ALBERT COUGNET, On Dumas’ finding against Phylloxera, in mentioned "Bulletin", year 7, no. 7, 1875; Report and proposal for the protection of insectivorous birds and reptiles and the destruction of the injurious insects, in mentioned "Bulletin", year 8, no. 2, 1876; Report on the conditions of agriculture in the District of Savona in the year 1876, mentioned "Bulletin", year 9, nos. 3-5, 1877.

[14] mentioned Bulletin, year 8, nos. 11 and 12, 1876, p. 165.

[15] Session of 25^th July 1876. Register of the reports of the assemblies of the Society 1865-1899, conserved in Cassa di Risparmio di Savona

[16] Session of 4^th September 1876.

[17] mentioned Register. Mentioned Bulletin, year 9, no. 8, 1877, p. 117.

[18] mentioned Bulletin, year 9, nos. 9 and 10, 1877, p. 132.

[19] ALBERT COUGNET, mentioned Cosmographic..., p. 172.

[20] Agricultural exhibition of the District of Savona, August 1878, Savona 1878, p. 36.

[21] ALBERT COUGNET, mentioned Cosmographic..., p. 165.

[22] Ibid., p. 172.

[23] mentioned Agricultural exhibition, p. 17.

[24] mentioned Bulletin, year 11, no. 6, 1879, p. 108.

[25] Cfr. note 13.

[26] ALBERT COUGNET, mentioned Cosmographic..., p. 3.

[27] Ibid., pp. 225-235.

[28] Royal Decrees Decorations of the Mauritian Order, decree no. 128, 10^th June 1880.

[29] Annuaire du Diocèse di Nice pour 1891, p. 90.

[30] Letter of 27^th April 1885. Book of letter copies 1844-1893, preserved in Cassa di Risparmio di Savona.

[31] Kalendarium Sanctae Ecclesiae Niciensis, Anno MDCCCLXXXIV, Nice 1883, p. 91.

[32] mentioned Annuaire, 1891, p. 90.

[33] Death certificate conserved in the Municipality of Gorbio (France).