326 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 



profession, were obliged to attend a curriculum, which 

 included the following branches of knowledge: — 1. 

 Civil law ; 2. Botany ; 3. Geography in relation to 

 commerce ; 4. Practical geometry ; 5. The drawing of 

 plants ; 6. Theoretical and practical economy ; 7. The 

 knowledge of the economy of rivers, lakes, and forests ; 

 8. Zoology; 9. Mineralogy; 10. Chemistry; 11. The 

 science of police ; 12. The knowledge of mines; 13. 

 Hydraulics; 14. Numismatics; 15. Civil architecture; 

 16. Technology; 17. The commercial laws of nations ; 

 18. The principles of taxation ; 19. Book-keeping ; 

 20. Finances; 21. The practical details of the office. 

 We thus see that the smaller states of Germany exact 

 from those into whose hands they entrust the public 

 money, many more guarantees than are required in 

 France from the members of our government. 



The items in this list which relate to the natural 

 sciences, were not sufficient to satisfy Cuvier's inclina- 

 tion towards these studies. As a child he had admired 

 Buffon, as a young man he studied Linnaeus, and at a 

 later period of his life he drew a comparison between 

 these two great geniuses in so admirable a manner, that 

 it was easy to observe the degree of influence which 

 each of them had exercised over him. He first turned 

 his attention to botany, and discovered in the neighbour- 

 hood of Stutgard several plants which had escaped the 

 notice of his professor. He quickly communicated to 

 his fellow pupils the ardour with which he was himself 

 inspired, and he soon organised a natural history society 

 of a more serious character than that of Montbeliard. 

 Several of the members of this juvenile association have 

 left celebrated names ; among them we may instance the 

 botanist Marschall of Bieberstein, who afterwards became 

 Minister of State to the Duke of Nassau ; Autenrieth, 

 well known to all physiologists ; Jaeger, physician to 



