312 



THE WONDERS OF GEOLOGY. Lect. IV. 



to their astonishment, the jaws of an enormous animal 

 attached to the roof of the chasm. The discovery was 

 immediately made known to M. Hoffmann, who repaired 

 to the spot, and for weeks presided over the arduous task 

 of separating from the rock the mass of stone containing 

 these remains. His labours were at length repaid by the 

 successful extrication of the specimen, which he conveyed 

 in triumph to his house. Unfortunately, the Canon of the 

 Cathedral which stands on the mountain, claimed the fossil 

 in right of being lord of the manor, and succeeded, by a 

 most unjust and expensive law-suit, in obtaining this pre- 

 cious relic. It remained in his possession for years, and 

 Hoffmann died without regaining his treasure, or receiving 

 any compensation. The French Revolution broke out, and 

 the armies of the Republic advanced to the gates of Maes- 

 tricht ; the town was bombarded, but by desire of the 

 committee of savans, who accompanied the French troops, 

 the artillery was not allowed to play on that part of the 

 city in which the celebrated fossil was known to be con- 

 tained. In the meanwhile the Canon, shrewdly suspecting 

 why such peculiar favour was shown to his residence, 

 concealed the specimen in a secret vault ; but when the 

 city was taken, the French authorities compelled him to 

 give up his ill-gotten prize, which was immediately trans- 

 mitted to the Jardin des JPlantes t at Paris, where it still 

 forms one of the most striking objects in that magnificent 

 collection. 



The model of this specimen in my museum* was pre- 

 sented to me by Baron Cuvier ; it consists of the jaws, 

 teeth, palate-bones, vertebras, and os quadratum ; a bone 

 possessed by some reptiles, and in which the auditory cells 

 are contained. There are some fine portions of jaws with 

 teeth of the Mosasaurus in the British Museum. The 

 original was a reptile, holding an intermediate place between 

 * Now in the British Museum. 



