48 LAMARCK, HIS LIFE AND WORK 



in France than those I have already composed or un- 

 dertaken — a work, in short, which the National Con- 

 vention should without doubt order, and of which no 

 part could be written so advantageously as in Paris, 

 where are to be found abundant means for carrying 

 it to completion. 



" This is a Systeme de la Nature, a work analogous 

 to the Systema natures of Linnaeus, but written in 

 French, and presenting the picture complete, con- 

 cise, and methodical, of all the natural productions 

 observed up to this day. This important work (of 

 Linnaeus), which the young Frenchmen who intend 

 to devote themselves to the study of natural history 

 always require, is the object of speculations by foreign 

 authors, and has already passed through thirteen dif- 

 ferent editions. Moreover, their works, which, to our 

 shame, we have to use, because we have none written 

 expressly for us, are filled (especially the last edition 

 edited by Gmelin) with gross mistakes, omissions of 

 double and triple occurrence, and errors in synonymy, 

 and present many generic characters which are inex- 

 act or imperceptible and many series badly divided, 

 or genera too numerous in species, and difficulties in- 

 surmountable to students. 



" If the Committee of Public Instruction had the 

 time to devote any attention to the importance of my 

 project, to the utility of publishing such a work, and 

 perhaps to the duty prescribed by the national honor, 

 I would say to it that, after having for a long time 

 reflected and meditated and determined upon the 

 most feasible plan, finally after having seen amassed 

 and prepared the most essential materials, I offer to 

 put this beautiful project into execution. I have 

 not lost sight of the difficulties of this great en- 

 terprise. I am, I believe, as well aware of them, and 

 better, than any one else ; but I feel that I can over- 

 come them without descending to a simple and dis- 

 honorable compilation of what foreigners have writ- 



