BARON CUVIER. l?! 



peuples de I'Eiirope, a he suivi partout de la 

 richesse et du pouvoir ; les nations qui I'ont re- 

 cueilli sont devenues les maitresses du monde ; 

 celles qui I'ont neglig6 sont tomb^es dans la fai- 

 blesse et dans Pobscurit^." 



The first 61oge was read on the 5th of April, 

 1800, and is that of the venerable Daubenton, 

 who, it will be recollected, was the colleague of 

 M. de BufFon, born in the same town with him, 

 and chosen by him to aid his scientific labours. 

 The reasons of this choice are given by M. Cu- 

 vier, who first describes Buffon as a man of in- 

 dependent fortune, whose personal and mental 

 attractions, and violent thii'st for pleasure, 

 seemed to cast his destiny in any other mould 

 than that of science, but who nevertheless found 

 himself irresistibly drawn towards it, the surest 

 sign of his extraordinary talents. Long uncer- 

 tain to what object he should devote his genius, 

 he tried several pursuits, and at length fixed on 

 natural history. From the first he measured it 

 in its whole extent ; he, at one glance, perceived 

 what he had to do ; what was in his own power 

 to effect, and in what he required assistance. I 

 would fain quote all that M. Cuvier says of his 

 predecessor; but a few of the leading points of 

 the different ^loges are all that can be offered 



