34 LAMARCK, HIS LIFE AND WORK 
National Museum is for the future placed ;”’ though 
in general the assembly only reported to the Minister 
matters relating to. the expenses, the first annual 
grant of the Museum being 100,000 livres. 
Four days after, June 14th, the assembly met and 
adopted the name of the establishment in the follow- 
ing terms: Muséum ad’ Histoire Naturelle décrété par 
la Convention Nationale le 10 Juin, 1793; and at a 
meeting held on the oth of July the assembly defi- 
nitely organized the first bureau, with Daubenton 
as director, Thouin treasurer, and Desfontaines sec- 
retary. Lamarck, as the records show, was present 
at all these meetings, and at the first one, June 14th, 
Lamarck and Fourcroy were designated as commis- 
sioners for the formation of the Museum library. 
All this was done without the aid or presence of 
Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, the Intendant. The Min- 
ister of the Interior, meanwhile, had communicated 
to him the decision of the National Convention, and 
invited him to continue his duties up to the moment 
when the new organization should be established. 
After remaining in his office until July oth, he retired 
from the Museum August 7th following, and finally 
withdrew to the country at Essones. 
The organization of the Museum is the same now 
as in 1793, having for over a century been the chief 
biological centre of France, and with its magnificent 
collections was never more useful in the advancement 
of science than at this moment. 
Let us now look at the composition of the assémbly 
of professors, which formed the Board of Administra- 
tion of the Museum at the time of his appointment. 
