24 MEMOIRS OF 



to see him in Soho Square, but the entertainment given to 

 the whole party to Spring Grove, resembled a fete cham- 

 petre. The only thing to which M. Cuvier could not recon- 

 cile himself in England was, the formality and length of 

 our great dinners, the long sittings after which were always 

 mentioned by him with an expression of ennui, even in his 

 countenance. At one of these sittings, at Sir Everard 

 Home's, the conversation turned upon some poUtical ques- 

 tion. In the course of the discussion M. Cuvier said, — "But 

 it w^ould be very easy to clear up this point, if Sir Everard 

 would send to his library for the first volume of Blackstone's 

 Commentaries." Upon this Sir Everard, with great em- 

 phasis, exclaimed, '-Know, Monsieur, that I have not such 

 a book in my library, which, thank God, only contains 

 works of science." To this M. Cuvier quietly replied, " The 

 one does not prevent the other ; " but never could recollect 

 this, to him extraordinary boast, withouta mixture of amuse- 

 ment and astonishment. While in England, M. Cuvier 

 was appointed to the Academic Frangaise, chiefly in conse- 

 quence of the brilliant eioges he had read in the Academic 

 of Sciences on its deceased members. His discourse upon 

 his reception is a beautiful instance of his classical style of 

 writing. Towards the end of 1818, he was offered the Mi- 

 nistry of the Interior, but the political conditions attached to 

 it being such as he could not conscientiously accept, he de- 

 clined the honour. 



In 1819, M. Cuvier was appointed President of the Co- 

 mite de rinterieur, belonging to the Council of State, an 

 office which he held under all changes of ministry ; because, 

 notwithstanding its importance, it is beyond the reach of 

 political intrigue, and only demands order, unremitting ac- 

 tivity, strict impartiality, and an exact knowledge of the 

 laws and principles of administration. In this same year, 

 Louis XVIII., as a mark of a personal esteem created him 

 a Baron, * and repeatedly summoned him to assist in the 

 cabinet councils. 



* A week after M. Cuvier received this title he went to the theatre, and 

 in the course of the evening one of the actors exclaimed, in his part, " and 

 for all these services, the King lias only created him a Baron." The audi- 

 ence gaily appUed the sentence to M. Cuvier, who was as much amused 

 as any of them at the coincidence. 



