A museum of natural history was established, and eleven professors appointed in mineralogy, botany, two courses of zoology, human and animal anatomy, geology, chemistry, etc. A library was formed in the museum. On the death of the Duc d’Orleans in 1660, Colbert bought for the library the celebrated paintings of flowers on vellum by Robert. In 1730 the Garden became neglected, but in 1732 M. Buffon became Director, and from that moment success was assured for them. He was well backed by M. Daubenton. Every year the Garden was improved, the old houses were demolished and new ones built. The whole of the ground was put under cultivation. Trees were planted, and the Garden extended to the bank of the Seine. Valuable gifts of plants, minerals and zoological specimens were received from the Academy of Sciences, Comte d’Angevilliers, Chinese missionaries, the King of Poland and M. Bougainville, who brought back from his voyage round the world a magnificent collection of animals and birds. Whilst Director of the Garden, Buffon wrote his _chef-d’œuvre_--a natural history--and after a splendid career he died in 1788. Bernardin de Saint-Pierre was the next Director. In 1794 the large and valuable collection of the Palais de Versailles was offered to the Jardin des Plantes, and accepted on its behalf by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. This collection contained five specimens which had never been seen in Paris before--namely, a quagga, now unhappily extinct, a hartebeest, a crested pigeon from the Isle of Banga, an Indian rhinoceros and a lion from Senegal, which latter had as a companion a dog, with which it lived on terms of the greatest friendship. The remainder of the collection at Versailles had been pillaged by the mob in the French Revolution. In 1796 the Jardin des Plantes received a letter from Captain Baudin asking for a ship and men to convey to France a rich collection of animals and plants which he had gathered together in the island of Trinidad. A vessel was sent out, and, after being shipwrecked on the Canaries, the collection was finally brought home the next year. It was augmented by a collection of birds made by M. le Vaillant in Africa, and a collection brought back from La Guiana by M. Bragton. The Emperor Napoleon added several animals which he bought in England, and among which were a pair of tigers, two lynx, a mandril, a leopard, a hyæna, and a handsome panther, or hunting leopard, besides several birds and plants.