to attain. His life was marked by an undeviating pursuit of science; and
to him was Buffon indebted for instruction and example. Naturally of a
mild and conciliatory disposition, and gifted with cool and
dispassionate consideration, he was just such a preceptor as was
calculated to curb the imagination of Buffon, whose fiery and ardent
genius was apt to substitute theory for proof, and fancy for fact; and
often did the 'biting smile' of M. Daubenton check the ardency of
Buffon, and his well-weighed words arrest him in his headlong progress."
What more noble picture of scientific devotion can we imagine than the
feeble and aged Daubenton, shut up for whole days in his cabinet of
natural history, ardently exerting himself in the complex and weary task
of arranging the objects according to their several relations? But
Buffon, with the wayward negligence which clings to genius, did wrong to
his friend in publishing an edition of his "Histoire Naturelle" without
the dissections. Yet such a step, discountenanced by all the liberal
body of science, was forgiven by the philosophic and gentle Daubenton;
and Buffon made atonement for his aberration, by re-uniting himself to
the companion of his childhood, the participator in his studies, and the
preceptor of his genius.

H.

* * * * *


STORY ON A MARCH.


An officer in India, whose stock of table-linen had been completely
exhausted during the campaign,--either by wear or tear or accident,--had