Frederic Cailliaud, a French traveller, born in Nantes in 1787, died there, May 1, 1869. In 1809 he was working as a goldsmith in Paris, and also attended the lectures at the museum, giving special attention to mineralogy. From 1813 to 1815 he travelled as a worker in gold through Belgium, Holland, and Italy, and then went through Asia Minor to Egypt, where he made large collections in natural history and antiquities. He was employed by Mehemet Ali to explore the deserts on both sides of the Nile and near the Red sea, and rediscovered the famous emerald mines of Mount Zabarah. He continued his researches in Nubia, visited Thebes, discovered one of the ancient lines of commerce from Egypt to India, and returned to France with a large collection of minerals, plants, and antiquities, which, with his journal, were purchased by the French government. From these materials M. Jomard prepared the Voyage d Voasis de Thebes, etc. (2 vols, fob, Paris, 1821). Cailliaud returned to Egypt under the patronage of the government, explored the eastern desert, reaching the city of Siwah and visiting the temple of Jupiter Ammon, and sent to France the materials for his Voyage d Voasis de Syouah (fob, Paris, 1823). He had remained in Egypt, and in 1821 accompanied Ismael Bey in an expedition to Upper Nubia, which penetrated the mountainous region as far as lat. 10° N. Returning to France in 1822, he published his most important work, the Voyage d Meroe, etc, de 1819 d 1822 (4 vols. 8vo, Paris, 1826-'7). His collection of more than 500 articles was purchased by the French government.

It included a mummy, inscribed with hieroglyphical characters, with a Greek translation side by side, which was of great service to Champol-lion the younger in his study of the phonetic alphabet and symbols. Cailliaud afterward became conservator of the museum of Nantes, and wrote Recherclies sur les arts et metiers, les mages de la vie civile et domestique des anciens peuples de VEgypte, de la Nubie et de VEthio-pie, etc. (2 vols. 4to, Paris, 1831-7). He also published several works upon natural history, especially in the department of conchology.