CORALLINES. 
129 
this pretended flower, in short, was the animal which advanced and 
issued out of its cell.” 
o- °^ ei va tions of Peyssonnel were calculated to put aside alto- 
5 ,'e ei theories which had lately attracted universal admiration, but they 
were coldly received by the naturalists, his contemporaries. Reaumur 
istinguished himself greatly in his opposition to the young innovator, 
^e wrote to Peyssonnel in an ironical tone: “I* think (he says) as 
3 eu do, that no one has hitherto been disposed to regard the coral as 
e work of insects. We cannot deny that this idea is both new and 
■mgular; but the coral, as it appears to me, never could have been 
s ructec by sea-nettles or polypes, if we may judge from the manner 
m which you make them labour.” 
What appeared impossible to Reaumur was, however, a fact which 
eyssonnel had demonstrated to hundreds by his experiments at 
arseilles. Nevertheless, Bernard de Jussieu did not find the reasons 
fie urged strong enough to induce him to abandon the opinions he 
iad formed as to their vegetable origin. Afflicted and disgusted at 
ie indifferent success with which his labours were received, Peyssonnel 
abandoned his investigations. He even abandoned science and society 
and sought an obscure retirement in the Antilles as a naval surgeon’ 
and his manuscripts, which he left in Prance, have never been printed! 
hese manuscripts, written in 1744, were preserved in the library of the 
Museum of Natural History at Paris. The title is comprehensive and 
sufficiently descriptive. It should be added, in order to complete the 
recital, that Reaumur and Bernard de Jussieu finally recognised the 
va ue of the discoveries and the validity of the reasoning of the 
naturalist of Marseilles. When these illustrious savants became 
acquainted with the experiments of Trembley upon the fresh-water 
ybae; when they had themselves repeated them; when they had 
made similar observations on the sea anemone and alcyonidm ; when 
oy in,! y discovered that on other so-called marine plants animat- 
es vvere found, similar to the hydra, so admirably described by 
i em j ey , they no longer hesitated to render full justice to the views 
°t their former adversary. 
W hile Peyssonnel still lived forgotten at the Antilles, his scientific 
abours were crowned with triumph at Paris; but it was a sterile 
riumph for him. R&aumur gave to the animalcules which construct 
16 Coral the name of Polypes, and Polypier to the product itself, for such 
