CUVIER. 3 1 G 



French people towards the material for it. When the 

 Revolution had involved the country in war, saltpetre, 

 which at first was plentiful enough, finally became scarce, 

 owing to the difficulties of importation. To make up 

 the deficiency Berthollet travelled over France, and 

 showed its sanguinary citoyens how to extract and purify 

 the salt. Under his teaching any man who desired it, 

 might have had a private powder-manufactory of his own. 



In addition to his little lessons in the art of extempo- 

 rizing gunpowder, Berthollet was engaged, like many 

 other men of science at the time, in teaching the French 

 the art of smelting iron, and converting it into steel. 

 The swords of the citoyens were probably a little dinted 

 with hacking each other, so they wanted new ones. 



In 1792 we find Berthollet one of the Commissioners 

 of the Mint, and two years later a member of the Com- 

 mission of Agriculture and Arts, and Professor of Che- 

 mistry in the Polytechnic and Normal Schools. In 1796 

 the Directory, who began to think of returning to civili- 

 zation, sent him to Italy to select works of art and 

 science for the capital. Meeting General Bonaparte 

 there, he joined the expedition to Egypt, and helped to 

 form the Institute of Cairo. On his return to France 

 Napoleon, then first consul, made him a senator, and 

 grand officer of the Legion of Honour, and shortly after- 

 wards created him a count. 



George Leopold Christian Frederic Dagobert Cuvier, 

 the most celebrated anatomist of modern times, was born 

 at Montbeliard, on the 23d of August, 1769, twenty-two 

 days before Humboldt. From his earliest childhood he 

 gave indications of great talent. He learned to draw 

 from the works of Buffon, a copy of which, illustrated 



