﻿XX 
  

  

  gaining 
  instruction. 
  In 
  these 
  various 
  journeys 
  De 
  Verneuil 
  collected 
  a 
  

   great 
  number 
  of 
  fossils, 
  and 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  Palaeontology 
  already 
  esta- 
  

   blished 
  received 
  striking 
  confirmation. 
  

  

  A 
  geological 
  map 
  of 
  Spain 
  was 
  published 
  after 
  these 
  laborious 
  ex- 
  

   cursions, 
  besides 
  some 
  memoirs 
  of 
  great 
  interest, 
  especially 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  

   Primordial 
  fauna. 
  

  

  Pe 
  Verneuil 
  had 
  been 
  elected 
  in 
  1854 
  free 
  Member 
  of 
  the 
  Academie 
  

   des 
  Sciences. 
  He 
  was 
  also 
  a 
  Member 
  of 
  the 
  Poyal 
  Society 
  and 
  of 
  

   other 
  foreign 
  Academies. 
  

  

  In 
  his 
  latter 
  years 
  he 
  suffered 
  from 
  a 
  weakness 
  of 
  sight. 
  

  

  He 
  possessed 
  singular 
  clearness 
  of 
  judgment 
  and 
  freedom 
  from 
  pre- 
  

   judice, 
  and 
  could 
  discuss 
  with 
  calmness 
  and 
  equanimity 
  opinions 
  directly 
  

   opposed 
  to 
  his 
  own. 
  

  

  In 
  character 
  he 
  was 
  extremely 
  benevolent, 
  and 
  many 
  acts 
  of 
  kindness 
  

   are 
  recorded 
  of 
  him. 
  His 
  modesty 
  of 
  disposition 
  inclined 
  him 
  to 
  prefer 
  

   dwelling 
  rather 
  on 
  the 
  discoveries 
  of 
  others 
  than 
  on 
  his 
  own 
  ; 
  and, 
  in 
  

   fact, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  improbable 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  his 
  fellow 
  workers 
  may 
  from 
  this 
  

   very 
  circumstance 
  have 
  failed 
  to 
  appreciate 
  his 
  full 
  merit. 
  

  

  During 
  his 
  last 
  illness, 
  which 
  was 
  of 
  three 
  months' 
  duration, 
  he 
  con- 
  

   tinued 
  to 
  take 
  a 
  lively 
  interest 
  in 
  scientific 
  and 
  other 
  questions. 
  His 
  

   cheerfulness 
  never 
  forsook 
  him 
  ; 
  and 
  he 
  died 
  calmly 
  on 
  the 
  29th 
  of 
  May, 
  

   1873, 
  at 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  68. 
  He 
  bequeathed 
  his 
  unique 
  collection 
  of 
  fossils 
  

   to 
  the 
  Gallery 
  of 
  the 
  Ecole 
  des 
  Mines. 
  

  

  