The Earth and its Early History 



father he was educated by one of the religious orders first 

 at Troyes and afterwards at Paris. 



For a period of ten years he earned sufficient for a 

 bare livelihood by private teaching in geometry and 

 physics, but at the end of that time, when he was 

 twenty-eight years of age, he came into prominence by 

 winning a prize for an essay on the question as to 

 whether England and France had ever been joined 

 together. 



He reached his conclusion that the two countries had 

 been so joined by a careful examination of facts, and 

 would have nothing to do with speculation. He con- 

 firmed observations made by Guettard that the opposing 

 cliffs of the two countries were of similar materials, and 

 further called attention to the former existence in 

 England of certain wild animals which would have been 

 quite incapable of swimming the Channel. 



This essay was the means of bringing Demarest into 

 touch with the great men of his day, and he was eventu- 

 ally employed by the French Government to report 

 upon the state of the various industries of the country 

 a duty which necessitated much travelling from place 

 to place and consequently provided many opportunities 

 for geological research. 



He held his post of Inspector General of the Manu- 

 factures of France until the Revolution, when he was 

 imprisoned and barely escaped with his life. 



When order was once more restored he was again 

 employed by the Government in his former capacity. 



Often he would tramp about from place to place, 

 carrying some cheese for his sustenance and sleep- 

 ing in the huts of the herdsmen so that he might 



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