BARON CUVIEU. 11 



there taught, even including rhetoric. He had 

 no difficulty in acquiring Latin and Greek, and 

 he was constantly at the head of the classes of 

 history, geography, and mathematics. The his- 

 tory of mankind was, from the earliest period of 

 his life, a subject of the most indefatigable ap- 

 plication ; and long lists of sovereigns, princes, 

 and the driest chronological facts, once arranged 

 in his memory, were never ibigotten. He also 

 delighted in reducing maps to a very small 

 scale, which, when done, were given to his com- 

 panions ; and his love of reading was so great, 

 that his mother, fearing the effect of so much 

 application to sedentary pursuits, frequently 

 forced him to seek other employments. When 

 thus driven, as it were, from study, he entered 

 into boyish sports with equal ardour, and was 

 foremost in all youthful recreations. It was at 

 this age that his taste for natural history was 

 brought to light by the sight of a Gesner, with 

 coloured plates, in the library of tlie Gymnase, 

 and by the frequent visits which he paid at the 

 house of a relation who possessed a complete 

 copy of Buffbn. Blessed with a memory that 

 retained every thing he saw and read, and which 

 never failed him in any part of his career, when 

 twelve years old he was as familiar witli qua- 



