BARON CUVIER, 14& 



>ver, was one of the most beautiful parts of his character, for 

 .t proved his love of truth, and the ardour with which he 

 knew how to defend it, even at the expense of his own 

 tranquillity ; and he fearlessly exposed himself to personal 

 enmity, in order to turn students away from such views 

 the inevitable result of which was, to stop the progress of 

 science, by giving a false direction to the minds of those 

 engaged in her cause. Speaking of theories in general, 

 he said, a little before his death, " I have sought, I have 

 set up some myself, but I have not made them known, be- 

 cause I have ascertained that they were false, as are all 

 those which have been published up to this day. I affirm 

 still more ; for I say, that, in the present state of science, it 

 is impossible to discover any, and that is why I continue 

 to observe, and why I openly proclaim my observations. 

 This alone can lead an author to the discovery of that fact 

 on which he can build a true and general theory. . . . This 

 fact," added he, " is perhaps of little importance in itself ; 

 but, with regard to theory, it will become the principal 

 fact, the key-stone to the arch. Therefore it must be 

 sought, science must march ; but we must take care that 

 she does not march in a retrograde direction, as she has 

 sometimes done, and as some naturalists lead her at present. 

 We ought to labour, not with the object of supporting a 

 theory, because, then, the mind being pre-occupied, will 

 only perceive that which favours its own views, but with 

 the object of discovering the truth ; because the truth will 

 be deduced from true theories, and true philosophical prin- 

 ciples ; the truth being, in itself alone, the whole of philo- 

 sophy."* 



It seems that both the French and the Germans claim 

 M. Cuvier as their countryman ; and it would be difficult 

 to decide whether the place which gave him birth, or that 

 which was the scene of his labours, has the best title 

 to call him her own.t His family, as we see in the 



* M. Laurillard. 



t The year in which M. CuvUr was born was a remarkable one, for in 

 it Napoleon Buonaparte came into the world, who made as great a revolu- 

 tion in the political face of Europe, as M. Cuvier did in that of science, 

 though not equally lasting. The Duke of Wellington, Mr. Canning, M. 

 de Chateaubriand, Sir Walter Scott, Sir James Mackintosh, alike drew 

 their first breath in this year. 



N 



