LA31ARCK, JEAN - BAPTISTE - PIERRE • ANTOINE DE D1ONNET, CHEVALIER DE, a celebrated botanist and zoologist, member of the ancient Academy of Sciences, and afterwards of the Institute, was born on the let of August 1744 at hlazentin, in Picardy, of a family. lie was originally destined for the Church, and received his education at the Jesuits' College at Amiene, where he was noted for that assiduous application to chitty which had so great an influence over his future career. Being desirous however at that time to follow the profession of his ancestors, at the age of seventeen he left college and entered the army, In which he served under Marshal Broglie in the long war against the English and Dutch. lie greatly distin guished himself by his bravery, but accident turned his talents into soother channel ; for, being wounded and suffering from ill health, he was obliged to quit the military service. lie then went to Paris to study medicine, but it does not appear that he ever did anything in that science, for we find him turning his attention to natural philosophy, and in 1773 he communicated to the Academy of Sciauces some obser vations on the laws which regulate the formation and dispersion of clouds. The Academy engaged him to prosecute his researches on this subject, but he now commeuced another branch of science which conducted him rapidly to celebrity, namely, botany. At this time Bernard de Jussieu was engaged in nrrangiog the plants of the Jardin du Rol, according to their natural affinities ; and at the same period the ingenious but artificial system of Lionmus was at its height of popularity. 3L Lamarck undertook to form a new arrangement, which should be intermediate between the others, selecting the most easily reconciled parts of both; he also borrowed from the older system of Tourncfort, who formed the principal characters of his classes and orders an the modifications and form of the corolla. Lamarck thus constructed a new method of classification, according to which ho arranged all tho known species of plants indigenous to Erauce. lie named this work the Fiore Franc tise,' and presented it to the Academy of Sciences, who were highly pleased with it. The work particularly attracts I the attentiou of Buffon, who had sufficient influence to get it published at the expense of government for the benefit of the author, whose circumstances at that time were narrow. The 'Flora Francaise' appeared in 1730, bearing the date of 1778, in 3 vols. 8vo. In 1779 Lamarck was elected a member of the ancient
Academy of Sciences. lu his 'Flora' he announced that it was his inteotion to set about a general work on plants, and accordingly he commenced collecting materials for that purpose, and chance threw iu his way several rich herbaria, among others that of Sonnerat. Having a great wish to travel over France and Europe, he nbtaiued an appoint ment, through the influence of Buffoo, to visit the different botanic gardens and celebrated collections of plants in Europe, fur the purpose of procuring curious and rare specimens for the Jardiu du Rol Buffon's son accompanied him, and they travelled through the greater part of Germany nod the Low Countries. Ou his return to Paris he continued to cultivate botany with the same ardour as before, and was admitted to the botanical excursions of J. J. Rousseau, on condition that he should not appear to take any notice of either the person or actions of that extraordinary man, whose temper was so irritable that he was annoyed by the slightest circumstance. He now commenced arranging the results of his researches, hut instead of forming a separate work they received another destination ; for Pankouka having formed the plan of the ' Encyclopedic 3lethodique,' engaged the most learued men in each department ; and Lamarck, who undertook the botany, was one of the first contributors, and among the most active, for in 1783 his first volume was ready for publication, contaiuing a history of botany, preceded by an introduction to the science : this composition, though good in some respects, shows marks of the precipitation with which it was written. A second volume appeared in 17S8, and every thing promised a speedy completion of the subject, when the publisher proposed to M. Lamarck to execute a series of plates to illitqr.ite the different genera of plants. These appeared arranged according to the Liumean system, though contrary to the wish of the author. It. was the original intention that each taseiculus of plates should have been accompanied with explanatory letter-press, but this only appeared with the first; nine fasciculi of plates came out, but they were never com pleted. The publication of the Encyclopddie was now arrested by the breaking out of the revolution, and with this event Lamarck's botanical labours ceased.