20 MEMOIR OF LAMARCK. 



attack was made by the combined troops of tlie 

 marshal de Broglie and the prince of Soubise, on the 

 army commanded by Prince Ferdinand of Bruns- 

 wick. Cuvier relates*, that in the vicissitudes of 

 the contest, the company to which M. Lamarck 

 was attached happened to be thrown into such a 

 position as completely exposed it to the fire of the 

 enemy's artillery, and that, owing to the confusion 

 which took place in the French army, it was entirely 

 forgotten and left in that perilous situation. All 

 the officers were soon killed, as well as the greater 

 number of privates, when an old grenadier, perceiv- 

 ing that there were no longer any of the French 

 within sight, proposed to the young volunteer, who 

 by the death of the officers had unexpectedly 

 acquired the temporary command, that the little 

 troop should be withdrawn. This, however, he 

 resolutely refused to do until he received regular 

 orders to that effect, which at last were dispatched, 

 when the troop were discovered to be missing, and 

 reached him with the utmost difficulty, owing to the 

 rapid advance of the enemy. This instance of 

 intrepidity and vigorous adherence to orders gave 

 so much satisfaction to the commander-in-chief, 

 that he instantly issued an order for Lamarck's 

 promotion. Some time afterwards, he was nomi- 

 nated to a lieutenancy, and his warmest anticipation;* 



* See his eloge on Lamarck, of which a translation will be 

 found in the Thirty-ninth Number of the Edinburgh New 

 Philosophical Journal. To this memoir we have been chiefly 

 indebted for the particulars of Lamarck's life. 



