MEMOIR OF CUVIER. 23 



Duke, both entirely unknown to him, and who spoke 

 nothing but German the who)e way, of which the 

 poor child could not understand one word." On the 

 4th of May he entered the academy, and nine months 

 after, bore off the prize for the German language 

 from four or five hundred students. 



His progress in the other branches corresponded, 

 and he successfully devoted himself to the study of 

 administration, which embraced the various branches 

 of law and finance, as well as agriculture, and some 

 departments of mechanics. The hours of relaxation 

 were employed in the more direct study of Nature, 

 in perusing the works of some of his illustrious pre- 

 decessors, in making drawings, and in the formation 

 of a herbarium of the plants growing in the neigh- 

 bourhood. In these pursuits he found a willing as- 

 sistant in one of his teachers, M. Abbe, professor of 

 Natural History, who perceived his abilities and loved 

 to encourage them. At this Academy he finished his 

 career with as great honours as at Montbeliard, car- 

 rying off the highest prizes, and, with one or two 

 others of deserving abilities, having an order of Chi- 

 valry conferred upon him. 



Cuvier had now completed what is generally called 

 education. He however, daily studied with increas- 

 ing perseverance, and during his whole life never 

 willingly lost an opportunity of acquiring what he 

 previously did not know. Upon leaving the Acade- 

 mic Caroline, it had been intended that he shoul * 

 enter some branch of the administration, to be pro- 



