INTRODUCTION. 47 



his success as a teacher. He rapidly lost the position 

 which he had held, and was thus compelled to retire into 

 obscurity. But, he was not the less devoted to his 

 favorite science, nor less industrious, and he poured 

 forth from his retreat a multitude of fl}ang leaves in 

 which, with harmless egotism, he magnified the impor- 

 tance of his o^^Ti discoveries. He ascribed his reverses 

 to the machinations of secret foes, and to the disposition 

 among mankind to " compel genius to slumber or to 

 crawl ; " and, to the end, considered himself to be a 

 most deserving, though unrequited laborer for the pro- 

 motion of human knowledge.' 



1 The character and works of M. Rafiiiesque have been here considered 

 only as connected with zoology. His whole life might however be cited 

 as a continuous example of per\-erted talent, and would afford materials for 

 a very amusing- and interesting' biography. In his last years he became a 

 dreaming schemer, and projector of various joint-stock iinanciEd, mercan- 

 tile, and literary undertakings. Li his retu-ement he meditated gigantic 

 labors, and projected voluminous works in various, branches of hterature 

 and science, which he had neither the intellectual ability, nor other means 

 to accomplish. He appears to have been entirely satisfied with himself, 

 and characterizes the younger men, who were puttmg themselves in ad- 

 vance, and bearing away the honors of science, as a " crowd of yoimg, un- 

 skilled, inexperienced or incompetent candidates, who push forward and 

 are preferred to the modest and able men who have labored for years with 

 skill and zeal." He entertained hopes that some of the various State sur- 

 veys which were commenced about the time he pubhshed his autobiography, 

 would, as he expresses it, " call him to another field of utihty," but in this 

 he was again doomed to disappointment, and to find that he was entirely 

 forgotten. The closing paragraph of his Life of Travels is an amusing 

 in-stance of his vanity, and presents a summary view of his own acquire- 

 ments and powers as imderstood by himself. " Versatility of talents and 

 of professions is not imcommon in America," says he ; " but those which 

 I have exhibited in these few pages may appear to exceed belief; and yet 



