66 Royal Society. 



periments on the elastic force of steam at high temperatures, and 

 Avhich were full of danger and difficulty, were undertaken at the re- 

 quest of the Institute, and furnish results of the highest practical 

 value ; and though the conclusions deduced from his " Researches 

 on the specific heat of gases" have not generally been admitted by 

 chemical and physical philosophers, the memoir which contains them 

 is replete with ingenious and novel speculations, which show a pro- 

 found knowledge and familiar command of almost every department 

 of physical science. 



M. Frederic Cuvier, the younger brother of the illustrious Baron 

 Cuvier, Professor of Animal Physiology to the Museum of Natural 

 History at Paris, and Inspector-general of the University, was born 

 at Mo'ntbelliard, in Alsace, in 1773 : he had from an early period 

 attached himself to those studies which his brother had cultivated 

 with so much success, and his appointment as keeper of the mena- 

 gerie at the Jardin des Plantes, furnished him witli the most favour- 

 able opportunities of studying the habits of animals, and of prose- 

 cuting his researches on their physiology and structure. The An- 

 nales d'Histoire Naturelle, and the Memoires du Museum, contain a 

 series of his memoirs on zoological subjects of great value and in- 

 terest, and his work " Stir les Densdes Manrmiferes considerees comme 

 Caracteres Zoologiques" is full of novel and original views and ob- 

 servations, and has always been considered as one of the most va- 

 luable contributions to the science of Zoology which has been made 

 in later times: the great work " Sur VHistoire des Mammiferes" of 

 Avhich seventy numbers have been published, was undertaken in con- 

 junction with GeofiVoy St. Hilaire, and is the most considerable and 

 most extensive publication on Zoology wliich has appeared since 

 the time of Buifon. He was likewise the author of many other 

 "Works and memoirs on zoological subjects in various scientific jour- 

 nals and collections. 



M. F. Cuvier, like his celebrated relative, combined a remarkable 

 dignity and elevation of eliaracter, Avith the most affectionate tem- 

 per and disposition. Like him, too, his acquisitions were not con- 

 fined to his professional pursuits, but comprehended a very exten- 

 sive range of literature and science. In his capacity of inspector 

 of the imiversity, he devoted himself witii extraordinary zeal to the 

 improvement of the national education of France in all its depart- 

 ments, from tlie highest to the lowest. It was in the course of one 

 of his tours of inspection that he Avas attacked at Strasburg with 

 paralysis ; the same disease which, under similar circumstances, had 

 proved fatal to his brother, and likewise in the same year of his age. 



Dr. Martin van Marum was secretary to the Batavian Society of 

 Sciences at Haarlem, and superintended the publication of their 

 Transactions for many years. He was also director of the Tey- 

 lerian Museum at the same place, and the noble librarv of natural 

 history and science \vhich adorns that establishment was chiefij"^ 

 collected by his exertions : it was under his directions also that the 

 great electrical maciiine belonging to the Teylcrian Museum was 

 constructed, and he published in 1795 and 1800 the results of a 



