& 
Obituary.—Duméril and Payer. 267 
debted to him for many curious observations, among which was the anal- 
ogy of structure existing between the vertebre and the bones of the cra- 
ium. He may be considered as one of the founders of those anatomical 
theories which four years later exercised a powerful influence upon the 
direction of the studies of naturalists. 
About the same time Duméril succeeded Cuvier as professor at the cen- 
tral school of the Pantheon, where he had for his colleague, Alexander 
Brongniart. In 1802, Lacépide entrusted to him, the course on herpetolo- 
- Payer.—Jzan Baprisrz Paver, died September 5th, 1860. Born 
February 8d, 1818, at Asfeld, (in the Department of Ardennes,) he was 
at an early age distinguished for the splendor of his oratory. He entered 
upon the study of law and the sciences and was made doctor in 1840. In 
the same year he was appointed Professor of mineralogy and logy at 
the Faculty of Science of Rennes. He did not long retain this position 
the pursuits of chemistry and lhistory. P there, th 
. ry and natural history. Payer passed there, th 
following year, his fourth examination, as did the chemist, Gerhardt, the 
hext subsequent year, and sustained with great honor a thesis upon the 
natural system of botany. me ors 
> 1848, after the revolution of February, he was a pointed Minister 
Foreign Affairs, by M. de Lamartine, chief of the ca | 
he belonged to the dem : : istractions, he did 
We ocratic party. Despite these dist oe 
not lose sight of his plans for fatiie, for they were realized in"1852, . 
mee * See this Journal, [2,] vol. xx, p. 105. 
