[3] The travels of La Condamine in Peru and of Maupertuis in Lapland.

[4] Buffon, “Théorie de la terre,” 1749; “Epoques de la Nature,” 1788. — “Carte géologique de l’Auvergne,” by Desmarets, 1766.

[5] See a lecture by M. Lacaze-Duthier on Lamarck, “Revue Scientifique,” III. 276-311.

[6] Buffon, “Histoire Naturelle, II. 340:  “All living beings contain a vast quantity of living and active molecules.  Vegetal and animal life seem to be only the result of the actions of all the small lives peculiar to each of the active molecules whose life is primitive.”  Cf.  Diderot, “Revue d’Alembert.”

[8] “Philosophie de Newton,” 1738, and “Physique,” by Voltaire. — Cf. du Bois-Raymond, “Voltaire physician,” (Revue des Cours Scientifique, V. 539), and Saigey, “la Physique de Voltaire,” — “Had Voltaire,” writes Lord Brougham, “continued to devote himself to experimental physics he would undoubtedly have inscribed his name among those of the greatest discoverers of his age.”

[9] See his “Langue des Calculs,” and his “Art de Raisonner.”

[10] For a popular exposition of these ideas see Voltaire, passim, and particularly the “Micromégas” and “Les Oreilles du Comte de Chesterfield.”

[11] Cf.  Buffon, ibid..  I. 31:  “Those who imagine a reply with final causes do not reflect that they take the effect for the cause.  The relationship which things bear to us having no influence whatever on their origin, moral convenience can never become a physical explanation.” — Voltaire, “Candide”:  “When His High Mightiness sends a vessel to Egypt is he in any respect embarrassed about the comfort of the mice that happen to be aboard of it?”

[12] Buffon, ibid. .  “Supplement,” II. 513; IV. ("Epoques de la Nature"), 65, 167.  According to his experiments with the cooling of a cannon ball he based the following periods:  From the glowing fluid mass of the planet to the fall of rain 35,000 years.  From the beginning of life to its actual condition 40,000 years.  From its actual condition to the entire congealing of it and the extinction of life 93,000 years.  He gives these figures simply as the minima.  We now know that they are much too limited.

[13] Buffon, Histoire Naturelle, ib.  I. 12:  “The first truth derived from this patient investigation of nature is, perhaps, a humiliating truth for man, that of taking his place in the order of animals.”

[14] Voltaire, “Philosophie, Du principe d’action:”  “All beings, without exception, are subject to invariable laws.”

[15] Voltaire “Essay sur les Mœurs,”, chap.  CXLVII., the summary; “The intelligent reader readily perceives that he must believe only in those great events which appear plausible, and view with pity the fables with which fanaticism, romantic taste and credulity have at all times filled the world.”

[16] Note this expression,” exegetical methods”. (Chambers defines an exegetist as one who interprets or expounds.) Taine refers to methods which should allow the Jacobins, socialists, communists, and other ideologists to, from an irrefutable idea or expression, to deduct, infer, conclude and draw firm and, to them, irrefutable conclusions. (Sr.)