294 MAKCKL LANDUIKU. 



Bashford Dean a récemment publié (1 ) une lettre officielle des 

 professeurs-administrateurs du Muséum, à Peale (2), trouvée 

 dans les papiers de ce dernier : cette lettre, datée du 30 juin 

 1796 et sig-née par Lamarck et Geoffroy, contient quelques 

 phrases qui montrent que la question de l'espèce était déjà à 

 1 ordre du jour : en voici les passages les plus intéressants : 



AL Paris, 30junyl796. 



Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité. 



Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. 



The professor^-directors of the National Muséum of Natural History 

 to M. Peales at Phiiadelpliia. 



SlR 



« Beauvois bas transmitted us the letter which you directed to hira, 

 by wbichyon propose yourselfto enter into a correspondance with ibe 

 Muséum of Natural History of the French Nation. We are pleased 

 to seize an opportunity wbich can afford us some communication with 

 a Naluralist of your merit 



« Give us leave. Sir, to call your attentionon the subjects which we 

 désire to receive first. Those enormous bones which arefoundin great 

 quaniily in the borders ot the Ohio, the exact knowledge of those 

 objects is more important toward the theory of the earth, than is 

 generally thought of. We ardently wish some couples of alive animais 

 a bourses (Marsupialia, opossums). Their génération is too hypothetical. 



« We aiso désire some species of quadrupeds of your climate, they 

 bave some conformity with tbose of the ancient continent, they bave 

 even been confounded with one another. Nevertheless we think they 

 differ as to their species; and to be assured of it positively we should 

 be pleased to receive indistinctly ail those you could hâve gathered. 

 We are about to prove ihat no species of ihe ancient continent exists 

 in the new et vice versa and that great proof founded in the contrary 

 opinion by which both continents were formerly uniled towards the 

 north would fall as groundless. 



«Therefore it would be bighly important to us to knowthe Bears of 

 the Illinois, the stags andBoe-bucks of Canada, the stairs, the mountain 

 Rats (Marmottes) the weasels (Belettes) the Bats (Chauve-Souris) the 

 moles (taupes) the maries ( les M artes) the beavers (les Castors oubièvres) 

 etc. We should he grateful if you would join to thèse the animais of 



(1) Science, XIX, 1904, no 490, p. 79S-S00. 



(2) M. Peale, peintre, avait établi à Philadelphie un cabinet de curiosités et fut 

 bien aise de le laire mettre en ordre par un naturaliste européen, M. de Beauvois, 

 qui, après 10 ans d'aventureux voyages, venait d'écliouer à Philadelphie. (Éloge de 

 de Beauvois par Guvier, loc. cil. 11^ p. 490.) 



