MEMOIR OP CUVIER. 53 



chased from his private purse, or consisted of dona- 

 tions from his various friends. Those received in pre- 

 sents amounted to a very considerable number, and 



him this mark of respect, even if their works did not treat 

 of Natural History. Altogether, they amounted to more 

 than 19,000 volumes, besides pamphlets, atlasses, &c. many 

 of which contained his own notes. It was very desirable 

 that this library should remain entire, for the use of stu- 

 dents ; and such being Madame Cuvier's wish, the legatees, 

 consisting of M. F. Cuvier, his son, M. Valenciennes, and 

 M. Laurillard, accepted the value of their portions as mere 

 books, and the government agreed to purchase the whole. 

 The sum was voted at the same time as Madame Cuvier's 

 pension ; and much is it to be regretted that the value of 

 books has of late years so much diminished in France; how- 

 ever, it is much more vexatious that no building can be 

 found to contain this collection, where it might be consult- 

 ed in its entire state by the public ; and it is therefore to 

 be divided between the schools of Law and Medicine, the 

 National School, and the Jardin des Plantes, where many 

 volumes will enter as duplicates. The apartments in which 

 these treasures were contained, were a continuation of M. 

 Cuvier's own dwelling, and had been originally used for the 

 forage of the menagerie. On this being removed to the 

 building called the Rotonde, Baron Cuvier asked permis- 

 sion of the Board of Administration of the Garden, to take 

 these granaries into his own hands., and convert them, at 

 his own expense, into a suite of rooms. This cost him 

 1640, which gave him a right to ask for a dwelling for his 

 family after his death a right which was graciously con- 

 firmed by his present Majesty. In these rooms the great 

 savant carried on his vast labours and meditations, work- 

 ing in each according to the subject on which he was em- 

 ployed. They made his house appear large ; but in reality 

 the habitable part of it was scarcely of sufficient extent for 

 his comfort, when it is considered how many visitors he was 

 there obliged by his situation to entertain." 



