644 JOACHIM BARRANDE. 



that the primordial fauna occupies in America to-day, and its true 

 positiou in the scale of strata, are due to him. The late Dr. Emmons 

 had recognized a special fauna in his "Taconic System," but there 

 were neither enough species, nor siilficiently good specimens to show 

 the principal characters, especially in the great family of Trilobites. 

 Besides, a passionate and unjust opposition had arisen against the 

 discoveries of this pioneer in American stratigraphy. Barrande, with 

 great impartiality and loyalty, declares: " Dr. Enunous first announced 

 the existence of a fauna anterior to that which had been established 

 in the Silurian System, as characterizing the Lower Silurian division, 

 which I have named the second fauna. It is then just to recognize 

 this priority, and I think it all the more proper to state it at this mo- 

 ment, that it has remained unclaimed until now." * 



Another great service rendered to geology by Barrande is his dis- 

 covery and " Doctrine des Colonies." Like all new observations and 

 facts that arise and overturn admitted conclusions, this has caused a 

 vigorous and persistent opposition, first by paleontologists and then by 

 geologists; but Barrande always replied victoriously, by facts, to this 

 opposition, and several geologists of great experience in the field, not 

 only admit the " doctrine of colonies," but consider it the greatest 

 discovery that has been made in stratigraphy since " Strata Smith " 

 discovered in 1799 that strata could be identified by their fossils. 



Barrande, like Agassiz, was a pupil of Cuvier ; and both have ex- 

 celled all their contemporaries in the exactness of their descriptions, 

 the delicacy of their observations, and above all in the multiple com- 

 parison of all the forms, of all the characters, which was the chief 

 glory of their illustrious master, and it may be said that both remained 

 faithful through life to the doctrines professed by the great French 

 naturalist. 



It is impossible in a limited article to do justice to a savant and a 

 man whose life was so full and so prolonged. So courteous, gener- 

 ous, benevolent, and full of goodness, — of a wide toleration, although 

 immovable in his convictions, whether of politics, science, or re- 

 ligion, — Barrande remained always true to himself. He was during 

 his last years the most ancient household member of the eldest branch 

 o* the Bourbons: having lived faithfully through the few good and 

 many evil days of the oldest kingly dynasty that remains in our time, 

 he could not long outlive the last male representative ot tliat royal Ime : 

 and SIX weeks after tlie death of h.s king, who was also his pupil and 



* Documents Anciens ct Nouveaux sur la iaune Priniordiaie er le Systume 

 Taconique en Anicrique, p -*25, Pans. February, 18G1. 



