330 EAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. 



France raised to him, in the Gallery of Geology at the 

 Museum, a statue which represents him holding in his 

 left hand the terrestrial globe, which appears to crumble 

 beneath the touch of his right hand, and opens to reveal 

 to him its secrets. 



These honours were well deserved ; for Cuvier pos- 

 sessed not only that instinct of divination which, in many 

 persons, constitutes their sole claim to genius — not only 

 inexhaustible patience — not only a mind of the most 

 comprehensive grasp — not only that marvellous good 

 sense which almost instinctively, as it were, separates 

 the true and the false ; but he possessed all these attri- 

 butes in their very highest degree ; and it is on this 

 account that he stands forth amongst his cotemporaries, 

 and appears to the eyes of posterity as a man of genius 

 in the full extent of the term — a truly great man. 



Cuvier appears to have had a passion for work as 

 other men have a passion for pleasure. Nothing short 

 of this necessity for labour, which was inherent in his 

 nature, would have sufficed for the accomplishment of 

 the works which he has left. Convinced that in the 

 natural sciences the clearest intelligence is apt to become 

 confused if it deviates for a moment from the path of 

 direct observation, Cuvier began by combining together 

 his facts ; and it was by means of separate monographs 

 that he intended to collect materials for a general com- 

 parative anatomy, which should comprehend the result 

 of all his inquiries respecting organisation. 



The number of independent works, notes, memoirs, 

 articles, scientific or administrative reports, and eloges 

 left by Cuvier is immense. It would be impossible to 

 enter into a detailed account of all his labours ; but we 

 cannot pass over in silence those three great works, 

 either of which would have been sufficient to give its 

 author immortality. These works are VAnatomie com- 



