Bie. ty 
M. Lacepéde duly appreciated the new 
system, and his later works prove that he 
profited by it. His Natural History of 
Fishes, 5 vols. 4to., 1798, is a proof of this. 
But the events of the Revolution distracted 
his attention from science. Of a mild dis- 
position, but firm in principle, he attached 
‘himself to no party: loving the Revolution 
from principle, as the grave of absolute 
power, but lamenting its excesses. He 
was elected, in 1791, president of the 
National Assembly ; and it was in this cha- 
racter that he received the address of the 
Whig club, with which the Assembly agreed 
in political sentiment, and he proposed that 
“ Letters of Naturalization should be grant- 
ed to Dr. Priestley’s son, on account of 
his father’s house being burnt by the English 
fanaties for his known attachment to the 
French Revolution.”” During the suc- 
ceeding horrors of the Revolution, M. La- 
cepéde did well to renounce politics and 
attend to natural history. Onthe creation 
of the Institute he was elected one of 
its first members. He afterwards became 
member of the Institute of Bologna. 
Charged by government to giye the neces- 
sary instructions to Captain Baudin, on his 
voyage of discovery, Lacepéde selected two 
young men of great merit, Bory de St. 
Vincent, and Peron, to accompany him. 
Buonaparte again tore M. Lacepéde from 
his peaceful occupations, and we see him, 
successively—in 1799, Member of the Con- 
servative Senate; in 1801, President of the 
Senate; in 1803, Grand Chancellor of the 
Legion of Honour; in 1804, Senator of 
Paris ; in 1805, decorated with the Grand 
Eagle of the Legion. As president, it was 
Count Lacepéde’s duty to address Napoleon 
on all occasions ; devoted entirely to him, 
his eloquence sought new expressions to 
conyey his admiration, and make it pass 
as the organ of the whole empire. In 
January 1814, when the crisis of the new 
monarch was approaching with rapid strides, 
he dared to utter the word peace at the 
head of the senate. His words are re- 
markable :—‘‘.We combat between the 
tombs of our fathers and the cradles of our 
infants. Obtain peace, Sire, and let your 
hand, so often victorious, drop your arms, 
after having signed the peace of the world.” 
The political career of M. Lacepéde ended 
with that of his master, and he returned 
again to his studies. In private life, M. 
Lacepéde was esteemed and respected by 
all who knew him: passionately fond of 
the fine arts, and especially of music, he 
‘composed several. symphonies and sonatas, 
which display considerable taste. He also 
published two noyels—Ellival and Caroline, 
2vols.; and Charles D’ Ellival and Caroline 
de Florentino, in 3 yols. He rarely touches 
the chords of the stronger passions, but 
excels in scenes of gentleness and love. - 
His lectures at the Garden of Plants were 
numerously attended: the openingaddresses 
of each course were particularly admired. 
Obituary of the Month. 
(Nov. I, 
He published several dissertations, and 
composed part of the articles in the dnnales 
du Muséum d’ Histoire Naturelle, and con- 
tributed to several periodicals; but we 
have no scientific works of magnitude from 
him since 1804, when he published his 
Histpire Nat urélle des Céteecées. 
His opinion of vaccination, as a preserva- 
tive from the small- -pox, Was not in conso- 
nance with the general doctrine, and he 
unfortunately fell a victim to his error : he. 
took the infection some few weeks since ; 
it was of a very malignant kind, and 
carried him off on Wednesday the 6th 
October, at the age of 68. His funeral was 
attended by deputations of the Peers of 
France, the members of the Institute, and 
an immense concourse ef persons in the 
first ranks of society. 
JAMES TAYLOR, ESQ. 
Origin of Steam-Boats. 
Died, at hishouse in Cumnock, on the 
18thSeptember 1825, after a severe illness, 
and in the 67th year of his age, James 
Taylor, Esq., proprietor of the extensive 
pottery establishment of that place. _ 
The death of this gentleman is more a 
public loss than is generally imagined. 
He was aman of no ordinary. powers and 
acquirements, and, had it been his fortune 
to be placed where he might have had full ° 
scope and employment for his genius, he 
would, long ago, have held a distinguished 
rank among the benefactors of his country. 
But adverse circumstances, during the 
greater part of his life, shed a withering 
influence over all his projects ; 3 chilling his 
ardour, discouraging his exertions, -and 
confining his usefulness within a very nat- 
row sphere. 
Mr. Taylor received the rudiments of — 
his education at the celebrated school of 
Closeburn, and afterwards prosecuted it, 
during several years, at the university of 
Edinburgh. Having turned his attention 
both to medicine and divinity, and gone 
through a course of studies calculated to fit 
him for either profession, he might have 
been comfortably established in the church, 
as he had more than one living offered to 
his acceptance: but he was passionately 
fond of philosophical pursuits; particularly 
geology, mineralogy, chemistry, and me- 
chanics. He had paid much attention to 
the steam-engine, and was the first who 
suggested, and (in conjunction with the late 
Mr. Miller of Dalswinton) carried into 
effect, the application of that power to the - 
propelling of vessels. The original experi- 
ment was performed on the lake at Dals- 
winton, in the year 1788. It was com- | 
pletely successful—for though on a small 
scale (being with a four-inch cylinder) and 
with a vessel not calculated for rapid mo- 
tion, they went at the rate of five miles an 
hour with.ease. In the following year’ 
the experiment was repeated on the Forth — 
and Clyde canals; and, as it was on a 
larger scale, the motion was ak chat } 
y. 
