150 MEMOIRS OP 



spect the treasures, and, after several visits, he, by means of 

 his pencil, that precious instrument of observation and me- 

 mory, became in his turn the possessor of the collection ; for. 

 in natural history, the faithful representation of an object 

 is the object itself. Nearly six years passed in this man- 

 ner, terribly, indeed, to France and Europe, but calmly and 

 profitably to M. Cuvier. Nevertheless, the Revolution insi- 

 nuated its jealousies and suspicions even as far as his abode ; 

 and, the impulse having- been given from the capital, one 

 of those societies, or unions, was about to be formed at Fe- 

 camp; which armed the people against themselves, and 

 were attended with the most injurious consequences. M. 

 Cuvier saw the danger, and represented to the owner of 

 Fiquainville. and the neighbouring landholders, that it was 

 to their interest to constitute the society themselves. This 

 wise counsel was adopted ; the society was formed : M. Cu- 

 vier was appointed secretary : and, instead of discussing 

 sanguinary politics at its meetings, it devoted itself solely 

 ' to agriculture.' I have already related how M. Tessier 

 happened to have taken refuge in the neighbourhood, and 

 how he was detected and accosted by M. Cuvier : I have 

 now to add, from M. Pariset's eloge, that, after this greeting, 

 they became the greatest friends : ' and that the perfect con- 

 fidence which existed between them, in a measure, render- 

 ed them necesssary to each other.' M. Tessier daily dis- 

 covered in his young friend new talents and perfections, and 

 was astonished at the sight of his numerous productions. 

 On the 11th of February he wrote as follows to M. de Jus- 

 tfieu : — ' At the sight of this young man, I felt the same de- 

 light as the philosopher who, when cast upon an unknown 

 shore, there saw tracings of geometrical figures. M. Cuvier 

 is a violet which has hidden itself under the grass ; he has 

 great acquirements, he makes plates for your work, and I 

 have urged him to give us lectures this year on botany. He 

 has promised to do so, and 1 congratulate my pupils at the 

 Hospital on his compliance. I question if you could find a 

 better comparative anatomist and he is a pearl worth your 

 picking up. I assisted in drawing M. Delambre from his 

 retreat, and I beg you to help me in taking M. Cuvier from 

 his, for he is made for science and the world.' Such were 

 the words of M. Tessier ; and I may be pardoned for intro 



