l4 HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM. 



through several provinces of France , and among 

 the Alps and Pyrenees, and sent the fruit of his re- 

 searches to the garden. At the same time he pro- 

 cured plants from foreign countries ; so that in 

 1 665, the number of species and varieties amount- 

 ed to 4,000. To reward the zeal of Fagon , Yallot 

 first named him professor of chemistry , and then 

 professor of botany, after the death of Jonquet, 

 in 1671 , thus uniting the two chairs of botany and 

 chemistry. 



Gaston of Orleans , not satisfied with assem- 

 bling plants of every country in his garden atBlois, 

 had them described by learned botanists, and the 

 most remarkable species drawn on vellum by the 

 painter Robert eminent for his skill in that branch 

 of the art. After the death of Gaston in 1660. 

 Colbert persuaded the king to purchase these 

 drawings, and to attach to the Museum a painter 

 who should be obliged to add a certain number 

 every year. Robert was appointed to this place ; 

 and his works, continued till his death in 1684 , 

 possess a degree of truth and finish which none 

 of his successors have been able to surpass. He was 

 followed by J. Joubert , a landscape painter des- 

 titute of the talent suited to subjects of natural 

 history, who called in the assistance of Aubriet;and 

 this very able artist , thus attached to the garden 

 in a subordinate capacity, afterwards succeeded 



