MEMOIR OF DAUBENTON. 209 



Daubenton was likewise the first who had perceived 

 in the bark the trachea, or shining elcstic vessels, often 

 filled with air, which others had discovered in the 

 wood. 



Mineralogy has made such rapid progress of late 

 years, that the labours of Daubenton in this department 

 of Natural History are almost now eclipsed, and there 

 only remains for him the reputation of having given to 

 the science the individual who advanced it further. It 

 is he who was the master of Haiiy, He published, how- 

 ever, some ingenious notions respecting the formation 

 of alabasters and stalactites, on the causes of herboriza- 

 tion on stones and figured marbles ; and descriptions of 

 minerals little known at the time when he noticed them. 

 It is true, that his arrangement of precious stones is not 

 conformable to their ?real mature ; but he at least renders 

 the nomenclature of their ..colours more precise. 



We find, more or less, in all these works of Dau- 

 benton on physical subjects, that kind of talent which 

 was peculiar to him, a patience which would not fail to 

 try to divine Nature, because it never despaired of 

 forcing Nature to explain herself, by means of repeated 

 interrogations, and that skilful sagacity in seizing the 

 slightest signs that might indicate a response. 



We perceive, in his works on agriculture, another 

 quality besides ; namely, anxiety for public usefulness. 

 What he did for the improvement of our wools deserves 

 for ever the gratitude of the state, to which he opened 

 up a new source of prosperity. 



