BARON CUVIER. 17 



lerie *, — an honour which was only granted to 

 five or six out of four hundred pupils ; and nine 

 months after his arrival at Stuttgard, he bore off 

 the prize for the German language. 



The youthful Cuvier was destined solely to 

 fill the higher departments belonging to the go- 

 vernment of his country ; but the pecuniary 

 embarrassments of his parents rendered it impos- 

 sible for him to wait two or three years, till an 

 opportunity of appointing him should occur to 

 the Duke. The disordered state of the finances 

 in France was so great, that even the payment 

 of his father's pension had ceased, and he was 

 consequently forced to enter into a career wholly 

 different to his own wishes, or to the views of 

 his patron. Duke Frederick, who was governor 

 of Montbeliard, under his brother, Duke Charles, 

 retired to Germany, and in him M. Cuvier 

 lost one of his most able protectors j and every 



* The chevaliers dined at a separate table, and enjoyed 

 many advantages, as being under the immediate patronage of 

 the Duke. The lessons of M. Kielmeyer, afterwards called 

 the father of the philosophy of nature, a student much older 

 than himself, were of infinite service to M. Cuvier at this 

 time, as from him he learned to dissect, and with him, Messrs. 

 PfafF, Marschall, Hartmann, &c., a society of natural history 

 was formed ; and he who brought the best composition to the 

 meetings received an order, beautifully drawn by M. Cuvier, 



C 



