248 Linnean Society. [May 24, 



vacated by the resignation of Lacepede ; and on the 10th of June in 

 the same year, when the Jardin des Plantes was re-organized in con- 

 formity with a decree of the Convention, Geoffroy, then only 21 years 

 old, was appointed to the Professorship of Zoology for the Verte- 

 brated Animals, the duties of which he afterwards shared with La- 

 cepede. From this period he devoted his whole attention to zoology, 

 and several valuable papers which he published in the ' Decade Phi- 

 losophique ' and ' Magazin Encyclopedique ' attest the rapidity of his 

 progress in his new pursuit. 



In 1798 he was appointed one of the scientific Commission which 

 accompanied the French army into Egypt, and whose labours have 

 added so much celebrity to that expedition. Of these labours M. 

 Geoffroy contributed an important share, and to his firmness science 

 in all probability owes their preservation. When the French army 

 were about to evacuate the country, the papers and drawings belong- 

 ing to the Commission were demanded by the English general ; but 

 a resolute intimation of their determination to commit the whole to 

 the flames, if the demand were persisted in, delivered through the 

 mouth of M. GeoiFroy, had its proper effect — Lord Hutchinson with- 

 drew his orders, and the Commission were left in possession of the 

 fniits of their researches. 



On his return to Paris from this expedition M. Geoffroy resumed 

 his lectures at the Jardin des Plantes, and occupied himself assi- 

 duously in adding to the zoological collections of the museum and 

 in improving their arrangement. He was elected a Member of the 

 Institute in 1807 ; and in 1810 was again despatched on a mission 

 to Portugal. After encountering great dangers on his road through 

 Spain, arising from the excited state of the country, he arrived in 

 Portugal, where he succeeded in accumulating large collections of 

 minerals and animals, chiefly obtained from the cabinets of the Palace 

 of Ajuda and of the Academy of Lisbon. In pursuance of the capi- 

 tulation for the evacuation of Portugal by the French, the restora- 

 tion of these collections was demanded by General Beresford and 

 Lord Proby ; but M. Geoffroy claiming them as his private property, 

 and the conser^'ators of the collections from which they were ob- 

 tained declaring that they had been given to him in exchange for 

 other specimens and in return for services, he was suffered to retain 

 them, and in 1815 they were not reclaimed by Portugal. In this 

 last-named year M. Geoffroy was elected Member of the Chamber of 

 Deputies for his native town. He had been a Member of the Legion 

 of Honour from the establishment of the order ; and became gra- 



