APPENDIX. 325 



his classical studies, and was, moreover, acquainted with 

 algebra, geometry, and surveying. The son of a brave 

 Protestant officer, who had no resources beyond his 

 small retiring pension, Cuvier was destined for the 

 ministry, and offered himself as a competitor for one of 

 the scholarships which his native town possessed at the 

 university of Tiibingen. It fortunately happened that 

 he was prevented from entering this profession in conse- 

 quence of the injustice of the examiner, whose duty it 

 was to assign their relative places to the respective can- 

 didates ; and Cuvier, finding himself third upon the list, 

 renounced his original intentions. Soon after this, he 

 was presented to the grand niece of Frederick the Great, 

 and to Charles, reigning Duke of Wurtemburg, to whom 

 the principality of Montbeliard then belonged; and his 

 precocious merit having procured him the favour of these 

 distinguished individuals, he was sent as a Bursar to the 

 Academy of Stutgard, where he replaced Schiller. 



In this remarkable institution, the pupils prepared 

 themselves for every kind of professional career, being first 

 obliged to attend a complete course of classics, and next 

 to devote two years to the study of philosophy, mathema- 

 tics, and the physical sciences. These different branches 

 of learning were, however, taught in the German lan- 

 guage, which was unknown to Cuvier, who could only 

 speak French. In a few months he had, however, over- 

 come so thoroughly this difficulty as to stand first in all 

 the examinations, and thus obtained the cross of honour, 

 which was to be awarded to the pupil who, in the course 

 of one year, had carried off eight prizes in the higher 

 departments of science. 



Cuvier, feeling that he must now choose a profession, 

 decided on entering the financial department of the go- 

 vernment service. According to the regulations of the 

 Academy, the candidates who wished to enter upon this 



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