with a Description of a New Species. 95 



were the naturalists to the French exploring expedition 

 made in " Le Geographe" and in " Le Naturaliste," under 

 Admiral Baudin, in 1800. They visited the whole of the 

 south coast of Australia and Tasmania in 1801-2, and re- 

 turned to Europe with the largest collection of Australian 

 objects of natural history ever, perhaps, brought home. 

 They could not have come at a more opportune time. 

 Lamarck, Cuvier, Defrance, Delessert, Persoon, Risso, Labil- 

 larchiere, Desfointaines, Dumeril, and Lamouroux were, 

 some of them, in the midst, and others in the commence- 

 ment, of their labours ; and it is to their works we must 

 look for much information about the zoology of our continent. 

 Lamouroux speaks in warm terms of eulogy of Peron, who, 

 he said, was carried away by a mournful death just as he 

 was about to reap the fruits of his labours. He was not 

 long at home before he read to the Institute of France a 

 paper on some new facts in zoology, by which he strove 

 to prove by the difference between the people of Australia 

 and Tasmania that their separation must date back to a very 

 remote period. The fossil corals and shells which he found 

 on the southern portion of the continent seemed to him to 

 him to be analogous to those still existing in the neighbour- 

 ing seas. He regarded this as a proof of the long duration 

 of the waters of the Southern Ocean over this continent. 

 This fact is an interesting one in our scientific annals. I 

 believe this is one of the first records of any scientific 

 observations on our tertiary formations. Tertiary geology, as 

 such, was not known in those days. If it had been, Mons. 

 Peron would have been able, perhaps, to perceive that the 

 fossils he found were very different from any forms at pre- 

 sent existing in our seas. 



Peron, also, was the first to prove that no large species of 

 solid coral was found beyond the 34th degree of south lati- 

 tude. Further south than this he states that he found only 

 Gorgonia, sponges, Isis, &c. He says, moreover, that this 

 rule, noted first by him in the northern hemisphere, was 

 found to be equally applicable to the southern, which he 

 confirmed by bringing home a rich supply of specimens, and 

 about a hundred species of Polyzoa, mostly new to science. 



After the death of Mons. Peron, his work was in part 

 carried on by M. Lesueur, in conjunction with Mons. 

 Desmarets. The Polyzoa were handed to Lamarck for de- 

 scription, who allowed the fullest access to them to J. F. V. 

 Lamouroux. This illustrious naturalist was born at Agen, 



