Well known early entomologist who was not specifically interested in Coleoptera but included them in his publications. As a young man he trained to be a bookseller and joined the firm of Longman, Green. At about this time he became interested in insects and in 1819 published The Entomologist’s Useful Compendium or an introduction to the knowledge of British Insects, the volume for which he is best known, and A nomenclature of British entomology, or a catalogue of above 4,000 species of the classes Crustacea, Myriopoda, Spiders, Mites and Insects, intended as labels for cabinets of Insects, etc. alphabetically arranged (both published by Longman). In 1821 he was appointed assistant to William Elford Leach, who had helped him with the Compendium, in the Natural History Department at the British Museum but here he ran into trouble. William Stearn, The Natural History Museum at South Kensington (1981) p. 206, states: ‘Samouelle was appointed as an assistant in 1821 but was sacked in 1841, because he had taken to drink, neglected his duties, addressed his superiors with insulting language, and spited his fellow worker Adam White (1817-1879) by deliberately removing the registration numbers affixed to the specimens, thereby creating utter confusion’. In spite of suffering these set backs he kept careful notes and preserved relevant manuscripts about the collections, which are now bound in three volumes entitled Entomological Memorandums, which provide important information not available elsewhere. Details of the contents of these volumes are quoted in full by Harvey et.al. (1996) pp.180-84. He also saw through the press two further publications General Directions for collecting and preserving Exotic Insects and Crustacea (1826) and began the Entomological Cabinet, being a natural history of British Insects, two (octavo) volumes of which were completed in 1833-34 with 156 coloured plates including beetles, before it closed. An attempt to revive it several years later failed. He also founded the Entomological Club in 1826 in partnership with Edward Newman. Stephens (1828) refers to ‘Messrs Samouelle, Chant and Bentley’ from p.7. There is a fragment of a ms in the HDO titled by Westwood: ‘Samouelle’s MSS attempt to edit Drury 2nd edition’ (Smith (1986) p.86). There is an obituary in Proc.LSL., 1, 1846, pp.304-05. (MD 11/04)