ROBERT PAUL, a celebrated naturalist, was born at Salon in Provence, in the year 1752, of a respectable family. He was destined for the church, and sent to Paris to study divinity; but the acquaintance of philosophers soon made him relinquish his theological pursuits, and he turned his attention to chemistry and mineralogy. Yet he afterwards became a canon in the church; but the death of his father and elder brother caused him to resign an office to which he was never attached, and he now possessed the power of directing his own future exertions. One amiable trait in the character of Lamanon is highly worthy of notice, and that is, that he refused to accept of his paternal inheritance, but as an equal sharer with his brothers and sisters. When offered a considerable sum to resign his office of canon in favour of a certain individual, he replied, "the chapter of Arles did not tell me my benefice; I shall therefore refuse it in the same manner that I received it," which was a conduct undoubtedly meritorious. Anxious to remove the veil which conceals the secrets of nature from mortal eyes, he travelled through Provence and Dauphiné, and scaled the Alps and Pyrenees. He reached the summit of rocks, and explored the abyss of caverns, weighed the air, analy-

ed specimens, and in short conferred himself qualified Lamoon, Lamb.

After some time he returned to Paris, and from thence went over to England; and although he was in imminent danger of being overwhelmed by the un- governable fury of the waves, he ordered himself to be tied to the main-mast, that he might be enabled to contemplate more at leisure this grand and terrific spectacle. Instead of being dismayed, he was transported with the tremendous roar of thunder, the vivid flashes of lightning, the glancing spray with which he was almost incessantly covered; and in his own estimation this was the most exquisite day which he ever enjoyed.

During the time which Lamanon afterwards spent at Paris, he became one of the founders of the museum. Again resolving to revisit Switzerland and Italy, he went first to Turin, where he joined himself to the learned of that country. From Piedmont he went to Italy, returning by the way of Switzerland, where he explored the Alps, and ascended to the top of Mont Blanc; and on his return to Provence with the spoils of the countries which he had visited, he properly arranged the interesting fruits of his journey. While Lamanon was preparing for the press his interesting work on the Theory of the Earth, the French government conceived the design of completing the discoveries of Captain Cook, and the academy of sciences was charged with the selection of men qualified to rectify our notions of the southern hemisphere. Condorcet therefore made choice of Lamanon for advancing the progress of natural history connected with this great enterprise, and he received the invitation of that philosopher with the most eager transports. He set out for Paris, refused the salary offered him, took leave of his friends, and went directly for Breil. The armament under the command of the justly celebrated but unfortunate La Perouse, set sail on the 1st of August 1785; and having reached the island of Maoona, Lamanon went ashore with the crew of two boats, where he fell a sacrifice to the fury of the savages, bravely fighting in self-defence.

In the estimation of his eulogist M. Ponce, Lamanon seemed destined to effect some great revolution in science. His ideas were profound, his character energetic, his mind sagacious, and he possessed that lively curiosity which can draw instruction out of anything, and which might have led him in time to the most interesting discoveries. His person was tall, his countenance highly expressive, his strength and activity almost incredible. His style as a writer is nervous, and he was eminently endowed with the precision of logical reasoning, which cannot fail to command attention and enforce persuasion.