Returning from Khartoum, whither he was led by a love of science and natural history, accompanied by his family, consisting of his wife, two sons, and one daughter, he was here attacked by fever, and died in his tent after five days.

This tomb was erected over his grave in 1851, with unsolicited courtesy, by Latif Pacha, then Governor of the Soudan ; and in November, 1859, this tablet was sent from Liverpool by Mr. Melly's family, who are indebted to the kindness of Mr. John Petherick for bringing and placing it here.

He traced his ancestry to a Jean Colombe whose son Matthieu changed his name to "Mesley ou Melly" in the 16th century.

[1] The family shield had a dove in a sky above a ship sailing towards the setting sun with the motto "a good name is better than a golden girdle.

"[2] Melly became interested in natural history at a young age following interactions with Louis Jurine and began to collect in the Swiss Alps.

During these years, he was influenced by the ideas of Voltaire and some of his remarks overheard at a cafe table led to the Government of the Kingdom of Naples placing a secret watch over him.

A year after the Pasha's death, in 1850 he made a trip to Egypt along with his wife, two sons and daughter with the aim also of collecting beetle and bird specimens in the region.

[9][10] A memorial tablet from the family was transported later from Liverpool by John Petherick and placed at his burial site in Sudan atop an older foundation built by 'Abd al-Latif Pasha but this was destroyed during the Mahdist period.

[2] Some of Melly's early collections of beetles were gifted to the Geneva Natural History Museum prior to his move to Italy.