174 MEMOIRS OF 



ment :* he pointed out what remained for him to say respect- 

 ing the earth and its changes, and announced his intention 

 of unfolding his own manner of viewing the present state 

 of creation ; a sublime task, which was to lead us, indepen- 

 dent of narrow systems, back to that Supreme Intelligence, 

 which rules, enlightens, and vivifies, which gives to every 

 creature the especial conditions of its existence, to that in- 

 telligence, in short, which reveals all, and which all re- 

 veals, which contains every thing, and which every thing 

 contains. In the last part of this discourse, there was a 

 calmness, a clearness of perception, an unaffected and un- 

 restrained manifestation of the contemplative and religious 

 observer, which greatly added to its force, and w^hich invo- 

 luntarily recalled that book which speaks of the creation of 

 the earth and the human race. The similarity was 

 avoided rather than sought ; it was not to be found in the 

 words, but the ideas ; and at once flashed across the minds 

 of his auditors, when the great professor declared, that each 

 being contains in itself an infinite variety, an admirable 

 arrangement for the purposes for which it is intended ; 

 that each being is good, perfect, and capable of life, each 

 according to its order and species, and in its indivi- 

 duality. In the whole of this lecture there was an omni- 

 presence of the Omnipotent and Supreme Cause ; the ex- 

 amination of the visible world seemed to touch upon the 

 invisible ; the search into creation, necessarily invoked the 

 presence of the Creator ; it seemed as if the veil were to be 

 torn from before us, and science was about to reveal eter- 

 nal wisdom. Great then, was the effect produced by the 

 concluding sentences, which seemed to bear a prophetic 

 sense, and which were the last he ever addressed to his 

 audience. " These," said he, " will be the objects of our 

 future investigations, if time, health, and strength, are 

 given to me, to continue and to finish them with you." 

 Those who were versed in human destiny, seemed to feel 

 that his sphere of action was even then placed out of this 

 world, and that he had pronounced his farewell. So near 



* Alluding to the theory of unity of composition. This and tlie fol- 

 lowing citations are taken from a description of this admirable lecture, as 

 noted^by a distinguished auditor, the Baron de H- — -. 



