M. LE COMTE DE LACEPEDE. 27 



voluminous and pleasing account of cetaceous animals 

 that has ever appeared from the press." He adds, 

 " the style is animated and poetical, and his history 

 is a most interesting work ; but the interest, in. 

 many cases, is augmented at the expense of truth ; 

 it is by no means accurate." (Artie, reg. i. 447 — 9.) 

 Perfectly agreeing in this criticism, and ascribing the 

 many inaccuracies to the imperfect state of this very 

 difficult branch of science at the time of the publi- 

 cation, we deem these few words sufficient to put 

 our readers on their guard, in their perusal of this 

 interesting production. 



After this time M. Lacepede undertook a work 

 somewhat different in its character ; more philoso- 

 phical, and less liable to become antiquated by the 

 rapid progress of science. He designated it a 

 Histori/ of the Ages of Natitre^ in which he com- 

 prehended that of man, — considered in his indivi- 

 dual developement, and in that of the race. The 

 article Homme, in the Diet, des Sciences Naturelle.^, 

 is a sort of programme of what he contemplated on 

 the physical history of our race. The romances 

 which he \>Tote, — Ellival and Caroline, and Charles 

 d'Ellival et Alphonsine de Florentino," — and pubhshed 

 about this time, were considered by him as studies 

 upon man's moral history. But it was soon ap- 

 parent that in the midst of these meditations the 

 gradual developement of social life had the most 

 especial charms for him, and the naturalist gradu- 

 ftlly merged into the historian ; he dAvelt chiefly 

 upon the political and religious establishments 



