LOUIS JEAN MARIE, a distinguished naturalist, was born at Montbar, in the department of the Côte d'Or, in France, on the 29th of May 1716. His father, Jean Daubenton, was a notary in that place, and his mother's name was Marie Picheton. In his youth he distinguished himself by the sweetness of his temper, and by his diligent application Daubenton's tuition to his studies. The Jesuits of Dijon, under whose tuition he was first placed, noticed him in a peculiar manner. Having gone through a course of what was called philosophy, under the Dominicans of Dijon, his father, who destined him for the church, and who had made him assume the ecclesiastical dress at the age of twelve, sent him to Paris to study theology. But his predilection for natural history induced him privately to study medicine. Accordingly he attended the lectures of Baron, Martineng, and Col de Villars, and likewise those of Winiflow, Hunault, and Antoine de Jussieu in the botanic garden. The death of his father in 1736 enabled him to follow his inclination without constraint. Accordingly he took a degree at Rheims in 1741, and returned to his own country with the intention of following the practice of medicine. But fortune destined him for a more brilliant career.

Montbar had given birth, about the same time, to another man of a very different character, who, though possessed of an independent fortune, a robust constitution, and actuated by a violent passion for pleasure, had determined notwithstanding to devote himself to the cultivation of the sciences. This man was Buffon. Hesitating for some time what branch of physics he should make his peculiar study, he tried by turns geometry, mechanical philosophy, and agriculture. At last his friend Dufay, who during his short superintendence had raised the botanic garden from that state of neglect in which former naturalists had left it, and who had procured for Buffon the reversion of his office, dying, and leaving him his place, Buffon's choice was fixed on natural history, and he saw before him that wide field which he afterwards traversed with so much reputation.

Natural history was at that time little else than a dry catalogue of names, destitute of that methodical arrangement, of that precision, of those interesting details which have since distinguished it. It occupied a very low station among the sciences, and instead of being a fashionable study, was degraded into the drudge of medicine and surgery. Buffon formed the bold plan of giving life to this dry and apparently sterile mass, of painting nature as she is, always young, always active; of painting out the harmony of all her parts, and the laws by which they are combined into one system, and of giving his picture all the glow, all the freshness, all the charms of nature herself. But to secure success it was necessary to make truth the basis of his system. Every thing must be collected, revised, and examined. The forms and dimensions of animals must be compared, and their internal structure ascertained. The ardent and impatient spirit of Buffon could ill brook a talk so tedious and painful, and the imperfection of his sight rendered him unqualified for it. He looked about, therefore, for a man possessed of sufficient judgment, patience, and neatness of hand for his purpose, and at the same time modest enough to submit willingly to act a secondary part. He found such a man in Daubenton, the companion of his infancy.

The character of these two philosophers was almost opposite in every respect. Buffon was violent, impatient, rash; Daubenton was all gentleness, patience, and caution: Buffon wished to define the truth rather than to discover it; Daubenton believed nothing which he had not himself seen and ascertained. Buffon suffered his imagination to lead him from nature; Daubenton, on the contrary, discarded from his writings every expression which was calculated to mislead. They were thus happily fitted to correct each other's faults. Accordingly the history of quadrupeds, which appeared while they laboured together, is the most exempt from error of any of the divisions which constitute Buffon's natural history.

Buffon drew Daubenton to Paris about 1742: procured for him the place of demonstrator of the cabinet of natural history, at first with a salary of only 500 francs, but which was gradually increased to 2000. He furnished him likewise with a lodging, and neglected nothing to secure his comfort and convenience. Daubenton on his side devoted himself to second the views of his benefactor. The cabinet of natural history, which was arranged, and in a great measure collected by his means, was of immense service. In the history of quadrupeds, he gave the description and distinction of 182 species of quadrupeds. These details contained a vast number of new facts, and arranged in such a manner that the most curious results are often obtained merely by comparing them together. This work procured for Daubenton a very high reputation, and drew upon him the envy of Reaumur, who at that time considered himself at the head of natural history. But the credit and reputation of Buffon was sufficient to prevent his friend from falling a victim to the attack of this formidable antagonist.

In the subsequent parts of his natural history, Buffon was persuaded to separate himself from Daubenton. This injured the precision and value of these parts excessively; while it deprived Daubenton of 12,000 francs a year. Afterwards the intimacy between them revived, and continued till the death of Buffon.

The number of dissertations on natural history which Daubenton published in the Memoirs of the French Academy, is so great, that even a list of them would be too long for this place. Descriptions of different animals, distinctions, comparisons between the forms of different animals, anatomical examinations of fossil bones, to determine the animals to which they had belonged, the physiology of vegetables, and different parts of mineralogy, successively occupied him; not to mention his experiments on agriculture and rural economy, which, however, were of more service to him afterwards than all the rest of his labours, on account of the reputation among the populace which they had procured him.

In the year 1794, when the dregs of the people were masters of France, Daubenton was under the necessity of applying to the section of Sans-culottes for a certificate of civilm, to enable him to retain his place in the garden of plants, which he had filled with honour for 52 years. A professor and academician would scarcely have obtained it; but it was readily granted to Shepherd Daubenton, under which title it had been fortunately presented. The following is a translation of this certificate:

SECTION OF THE SANS-CULOTTES.

Copy of the extract of the deliberations of the General Assembly of the sitting of the fifth of the first decade of the 3d month of the 2d year of the French Republic one and indivisible.

It appears, that after the report made to the fraternal society of the section of the fans-culottes concerning the good civism and acts of humanity which the Shepherd Daubenton has always testified, the General Assembly unanimously decree to give him a certificate of civism, and the president followed by several members of the said assembly give him the fraternal hug, with all the acclamations due to a true model of humanity, which has been testified by several renewals of the hug.

(Signed) R. G. DARDEL, President.

Besides his publications, Daubenton was of great service to science as a lecturer. From 1775 he gave lectures on natural history in the college of medicine. In 1783 he lectured on rural economy. He was appointed professor of mineralogy by the convention at the garden of plants, and he gave lectures during the ephemeral existence of the Normal school. He was likewise one of the editors of the Journal des Scavans, and contributed to both the Encyclopedias. As a lecturer he was extremely popular, and what is uncommon, he retained his popularity to the last.

Notwithstanding the feebleness of his constitution, he arrived at a very advanced age without much disease or loss of his faculties. This may be, in some measure, ascribed to the gentleness of his temper, and his remarkable resignation. He was temperate and moderate even in his studies. Part of his time was spent in reading romances with his wife.

In the year 1799 he was appointed one of the members of the conservative senate, and he resolved to attend the meeting of it. This obliged him to alter his regimen. The season was severe. At the first meeting that he attended he fell from his seat in an apoplectic fit. The most speedy assistance was procured, and by its means he was restored to his senses. With the utmost calmness he pointed out with his fingers the progress of the paralysis in different parts of his body, and died on the first of January 1800 without a struggle.