BARON CUVIER. 289 



were arranged in their respective cases under 

 his superintendence. His carnage was gene- 

 rally punctual to the moment appointed, and no 

 one was allowed to keep him waiting ; and, in 

 fact, no one would do so, if possible to avoid it, 

 for it vexed him exceedingly ; though I used to 

 think sometimes that I saw a faint smile on his 

 countenance, when we flew down stairs, our 

 gloves in our hands, and our shawls streaming 

 after us. The instant he had given his orders, 

 he would thrust himself into a corner, and re- 

 sume his reading or writing, suffering us to talk 

 as much as we pleased. Many of his most bril- 

 liant memoirs were finished as he thus rode 

 through the streets of Paris ; and he had a lamp 

 fixed to the back of his carriage, that he might 

 read on his return home at night from his visits ; 

 but he found it so distressing to his eyes, that 

 he could not long make use of it. All others, 

 however, were delighted at the disappointment, 

 because he was by it cheated into a few more 

 moments of repose. 



Privileged as Mr. Bowdich and myself were 

 to inspect the vast treasures in his collections, 

 and in his library, at our leisure, we yet found it 

 much more agreeable to take the books home 

 with us J frequently we required the very vo- 



u 



