Pass: J)C £& Rook 3 9 3 ^> y / ' / Front espies /'n.;h,t p., A' /'/<>//>/> <.. I ' -/. S'ftuUi Clunk AW . TRAVELS IN THE FRENCH REPUBLIC: CONTAINING A CIRCUMSTANTIAL VIEW OF THE PRESENT ST4TE OF LEARNING, THE ARTS, MANUFACTUPwES, LEARNED SOCIETIES, MANNERS, &C. IN THAT COUNTRY, ^ f>, / BY THOMAS BYGGE, PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICAL ASTRONOxMY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN, LATE COMMIS- SIONER FROxM DENMARK TO THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE, AND MEMBER OF SEVERAL- LEARNED SOCIETIES AND ACA- DEMIES OF SCIENCES. TRANSLATED FROM THE DANISH BY JOHN JONES, LL.D. Urnifccn: Printed by T. Gi'.let, Saliibury-Square, FOR R.PHILLIPS, NO. 71, ST. paul'3-church-yard$ SOLD BY T. HURST, PATER NOSTER- ROW } BY CARPENTER AND CO. OLD BOND-STREETj AND BY ALL KOOKSELLERS. 1801. [Price Six Shillings in Boards. ] THE RANSLATOR'S PREFACE. &©*X-®< THE internal ftate of France is fo- little known in this country, that any work which offers candid information on that fubject, cannot fail to be acceptable to the public. In this view, it is prefumed, that a tranflation of Professor Bygge's late performance will meet with that fa- vourable reception, which the tranflator will venture to fay it deferves, from the ge- nerality of Englifh readers. The Situation of the author as a public comrnilSoner A 2- from IV TRANSLATORS PREFACE. from a neutral ftate, afforded him ample opportunities of information, and his ability to improve thofe opportunities will, it is be- lieved, be apparent to every ordinary reader of the following pages; while the fidelity^ or at leaf! the confiftency. of his defcrip- lions, and the candour of his remarks, will be abundantly evident to the more attentive and intelligent. His reflections appear to be dictated by penetration, impartiality, and rational difcrimination. He approves, cen- fures, or fufpends his judgment, like an honeft, enlightened, and cautious man, who is a flranger to oftentation, and ac- cuftomed to profound views of fcience and of human nature ; and his work, though written in a popular ftyle, and for general perufal, exhibits evident traces of the hand of a mailer. The TRANSLATOR S PREFACE. V The manner in which the tranflation has been executed,- muft be left to the deciiion of thofe who are acquainted with the fub- jects of the work, and with the language in which it was written. The translator can only fay,, that he has done his utmoft to convey the fenfe of the original in a pure Englifh idiom. As his diftance from town rendered the CorredHon of the work extremely inconve- nient to him, that tafk has been performed, with obvious ability, by Dr. William Dickson*, to whom the work is alio in- debted for the notes, marked Trari/lator^ * Author of Letters en Slavery, and other per- formances, and well known for his early and perfe- vering exertions ia favour of the abolition of rJp in Obfervatorio Regio Haunienfi" &c. A 5 Thomas X TRANSLATOR S PREFACE, Thomas Bygge holds a diftinguifhed rank, not only among the moft ufeful aftronomers of Europe-, but likewife among the molt active promoters of the fcience of geography. He took an a&ive eflential' part in compiling the excellent and beau- tiful maps, pubii fhed by the royal aca- demy of fciences at Copenhagen. — When* the defign of preparing thefe maps was formed, ProfeiLr Bygge was appointed the tiril trigonometrical and aftronomicaF obferver. But thefe are not the only fer- vices he has rendered to geography, in: a more extenfive degree has he contri- buted to the advancement of that fcience, by forming under his care a number of young men. Soeberg, the brothers Wibe, D'Aubert, Rich, Piht, Fievog, Ginge, En- gclhart, &c names eminent in the annals of aftronomy, emerged from the fchool of %ge. TRANSLATORS PREFACE. Xl Bygge. A number of young officers in theDanifh navy and army enjoyed Bygge's, inftructions in practical aftronomy, and under him acquired that knpwledge which enabled them to furnifh many ufeful and valuable obfervations from Norway, Ice- land, Greenland, and the Eaft and Weft Indies and thereby improved the defective geography of thofe regions, None of Bygge's predecefibrs, fo imme- diately and directly as he, applied aftronomy to the benefit of his country, and to the advancement of navigation. By his very accurate menfurations, . a fairer bafis j of contribution, .new calculations, and jufter fifcal regulations were eftabli(hec!, : which, being more accurately proportioned to the poffeiiions of the different contributors,, many errors and defers in political oeco- A 6 noaiy ^_ . » Xil TRANSLATOR S PREFACE. nomy, and innumerable litigations con- cerning landed property were thereby pre- vented. He alfo determined and laid down with the greateft care, the true po- rtion of all the coafts, harbours, iflands, rocks, and fand-banks in the Belts, and the Categate, which are very dangerous to fhips, and were before partly unknown; and thus he rendered the navigation of the Danifh feas more fecure. Yarmouth, JOHN JONES. January 1801, CONTENTS. se-54-e« LETTER I. JOURNEY from Copenhagen to Ahona.—The Author's Objeft to confer with the French Com* miffaries at Paris, on the Uniformity of Weights and Meajures — Excellent Roads and Bridges — • Colony of Moravians — Excellent Regulations— Altona thrives by the War — Villas, Pleafure Grounds^ &c. — Pointed and blunt cleclric Con- duclors compared — Curious Tide-Machine—* Surprifng Chemical Difcovery — Agricultural Improvements — Philofophical Apparatus Page I LETTER II. Journey from Altona, through Ofnaburg and Munfter, to Wefel. — Sluices — Roads — Cottages of the Boors — Soil — Difagreeable Travelling in the Hanoverian Territory — Interrogations of the PruJJian Guard— Plantations of Wood in Hanover — PruJJian Soldier very feverely ^unified for begging— Peaf ants uncomfortably Jituated XIV CONTENTS. Jitiuited — Ofnaburg a dirty Place — Hanover little Improved for the lafi T went y -two Years* i — Denmark very viuch> owing to the excellent Meafures of its Government — The Bonds of Servitude relaxed—Yet agricultural Improve- ments not complete — Recapitulation of them — Manufacture of Linen and Tobacco — Coal- Pits worked by the Crown — Fine Valley from Lengerick' to Murtjler—Mzoijler a neat Town — Super ftltl on of the Inhabitants — Feudal Syj- tern fill opprcjfcs Ofnaburg and Munfler — Boors inferable Slaves — Feeble Manufactures at Dorfteln — Convcrfation with Emigrants of' Hank - - Page -16 • LETTER III.. Journey from Wefcl acrofs the Rhine, and through Part of Belgium to BruJJels. — JVefel, a neat Town — Pafs demanded — Fly Boat on the Rhine, defcribcd — French Officers reported to be rude, but found civil — Guelder n, a fmall genteel Town, opprcjfed by the French — Prlcfts forbidden to hep the ufeful rcgifer of Births> &c. — Fine Plantations of wood, and other Improvements — Curious Sluice uniting the Mat* with two other Rivers — Clei/icrs • at Maa.fyk fold or converted into Barracks — ■ Crucifix CONTENTS. XT ■ Crucifixes^ &c. carried off— Fine Chimes, efpe- tially at Tirlemont — Country fill exhibits- re- mains of Profpcrity> and why — Louvain Uni- verfty, &c. diffolved — Bitter Complaints there of French Imp of s, which are not attended to —Caufezvays, or paved Boa as , defcribed. Page 36- LETTER IV. Stay in BruJJels, and Journey thence to Paris ;— BruJJels defcribed — The Confeil Souverain plun- dered — The Viceroy's Palace convened into a Central School — Its Claffes — Public Library — Churches defp oiled — Manufactures — Travel- ling Carriages drawn by Dogs — Belgians dif- like the New Gov eminent , and why — At Mens . an Altar expofedto Sale— Coal Pits — Jemappe — Good, Cultivation — Boads neglecled — Valen- ciennes not repaired fine e the Siege — Ilofi- of Beggars there, and why — A Shoemaker the Chief of the Municipality at Valenciennes- French Villages mean- and poor — Boys and Girls reaping the Harvef, and why — Three and four wheeled Carts compared — Ilorfes cruelly treated in-. France — Roads negleclecU though Tolls high — BoucJiain afrong but mean Place — Cambray mat and clean — French Pofs properly £Vl CONTENTS. . properly regulated — Chantilly plundered — Ap- . preach to Paris charming - 51 LETTER V. Courfe of Injlruclion in the Primary ', Central, and Polytechnic Schools. — Primary Schools vjell conduced in Paris, but not in the Country— The Revolution fubverted the bejl old Inflitu- lions — Normal Schools — Fault in conducting them — Sciences taught in them — Journal of the Letlures and Debates in them — Dijfolution of them- — Regulations of the Central Schools — School of the Four Nations — Scientific Courfes- in it — Second and third Cmtral Schools* — Lift of Departments with and without Central Schools — Defecls in thofe already ejlablijlied — The French JJiew no Wifh to learn foreign Lan- guages — Morality and Geography not taught in' the Central Schools — Ancient Literature little attended to in them — The Pupils in them but fuperficially inftrucled — Some of the Teachers ill qualified — Polytechnic School — Courfe of Study in it — Philofophical Apparatus, Library, and Collection of Models belonging to it— Pub « lie Examination of the Students Page 10 CONTENTS. XVII LETTER VI. Schools for Public Services, viz, for the Gonjlruc* tion of Roads and Bridges, for Miner alogy y Geography, Ship Building? Artillery \ Fortifi- cation, Navigation, &c. — School Houfe for* me fly a Palace — Col legion of Models — Li- brary — Courfe of Study and Salary of the Stu- dents — Miner a logical School and Colleclion-— Profejfors— -Laboratory — Learned Ladies, not always pretty and neat — Gravimeter, not equal to a good Hydrofiatic Balance — Infirument for meafuring the Angles of Cryftals—~Inftrument for afcertaining fmall -Degrees of Magnet ij ni and Eledrichy — Geographical School — School for Naval Architecture — Marine JDepofitory— Artillery Schools — Fortification School— Marine School. - - Page 112 LETTER VII. Schools for Medicine, Pharmacy, and the Fine Arts — The French College — Medical School — • Colleclions of anatomical Preparations, &c— Philofophical Apparatus- — Library — Amphi- theatre — Letlures — Students from one Thoufand to one Thoufand two Hundred — Free School for. XVUl CONTENTS. for Pharmacy — Military Hofpital — Leclure: there — Free School for Painting — National School for Architecture — French College — Lec- tures there — Public AJfembly of it, and Pro- cee dings on the Occafon—Hint to Ladies to make themfelves ufsful, by vifting and attend^ ing the Sick - - Page 132 LETTER VIII. The National Mufcum of Natural Hi/lory. — Li* brary, Menagerie, tsfc. of this Mufcum-*-Its Botanic Garden — Engl ft faid to have feized Baudouin } s Collection, which their Government had promifed to protecl — Gallery for Natural Hijlory — Vaillant's frugal Prefeni to the Mu- fcum — Diamond Jlolen from ih — Collection of Quadrupedes, Zebra, Elephant, &c. — Direc- torial Palace — Collection of Skeletons — Library . of Botany, isfc. — Paintings and Drawings of' Animals and Plants — -Menagerie for wild and' tame Animals — Leclure Room, a real Amphi- theatre — Lc ^hirers a fid Officers— Statues of lAnntvus and Bujjon — fVatiton Outrages of the Zlob at the Revolution* — Dead dag kj^— Body of Turennei ft ill und&ayed; jliamsfnlly expofed — Chefs fill unpacked, fll:d with Gu- 7i fiics from the conqutjr.d Gpu&fri ~>\ l ; it CONTENTS* XIX LETTER IX. The Central Mu [cum for Arts at Paris, and the Mu f cum for the French School at V erf allies. — The Central Mufeum, a general Colletlioyi of Statues, Paintings, &c. — Entrance — Gallery $f Apollo — Pitlure Gallery five hundred Feet long — Piclures and Statues from Italy, greatly injured on the Journey — Catalogues of Paint- ings brought from Italy,' &c. zvhich greatly exceeded the Author's Expeclations — Saloon of Lacoon to be prepared — Exhibition of the Works of French Painters, Statuaries, Draught f men, and Engravers now living — General Mu- feum for French Painting.. Page 161 LETTER X; Of the National Obfcrvatory at Paris — The Danes firjl erecled an Obfervatory — The Parifan Obfervatory, as a Building — Was decaying before the Revolution — Injured dur- ing the Reign of Terrorifm — J/. Jeaurat y _ an old and able Aflronomes, nozv t/iruft down into a Cellar, and 111 provided for — The Obfervax v under Repair — Aftronomical Inftruments, by Dolhnd, fsfc — The French have, but lately- ufed jUt CONTENTS- ufed tranfii Infiruments — Large Tele-cope, a mean Inftrumepf % and ahnoft f clefs. — Tele* /cope with Specula of Platina — An Achromatic, by Rcckcttc, far inferior to one of the fame Di- men/ions, by Nairne and Blunt — "The Paris Ob~ fervatory infei tor to thofe of Greemuich, Edin- burgh, Copenhagen, &V. - Page 23 x LETTER XL Account of the National Gb fervatory continued. — A Time Piece, by Berthoud, goes well, as do twelve or fourteen by Arnould — Platina well pu- rified, makes excellent Specula — Story of a Rem fieclor of fixty Feet, with Platina Specula, a mere Rhodomontade — Inftruments of De la Hire, &C difufed, but preferved — Obfervaiions interrupted by the Revolution — Caffinis large Lunar Chart and Drawings of Lunar Macula, recovered after being long lofi — His reduced Lunar Chart — The befi is in KciW s Leftures> as improved by Lc- monnicr — Improvements in the Ob fervatory — Le Noir sTravfit hjirument defcribed — Mural S>ua- drants by Bird and S'fon — Agronomical Seflor, by Graham. - 19S CONTENTS. XXI LETTER XII. National Ohfervatory continued — Obfervatories of the Military School, or the French College, and of Private Perfons — Inflruments for afcertain- iig the magnetical Variation — Caves of the' Oh- fervatory defcribed— Magnetical Variation and Temperature in them — Searched for Arms and Ariftocrats — Ohfervatory advertifed for Sale — Caffini driven from it, and novj in poor Circum- fiances — P latin a Specula ', by Carroche—His ex- cellent Achromatic— Pillars fgr the tranfit Inflru- ment too low — Wall of the Mural Quadrant fpoiled by the capricious Builder — Me chain s Aflronomical Labours — Bouvard's Comparifon of Arabian Obfervations with later ones — Defec- tive Organization of the National Ohfervatory — Telegraphs in Paris — Obfervatories at the Mili- tary School^ and the French College — Lalande's Merits not fufficiently acknowledged — Obfervato- ries of Mcjfier and Delambre. 231 LETTER XIII. The Board of Longitude, the Board cf Geography^ the Rational Library, and the Libraries of the Afenaland the Pantheon. — The Bureau des Lon \ gitwln SXU CONTENTS. gitudes, injlituted in Imitation of the Britl/h Board of Longitude, but with ampler Powers — Of whom compofed — Fleurieu's large Marine At- las — BuJInefs of the Board of Geography — Ex- cellent mathematical Tables— The War deprives France of Men and Money— Large Maps of France and Denmark — Cajjini fufpccled, and his v Maps, &c. locked up — National Library and Its Regulations — Pair of Globes thirty Feet in Dia- - meter, an ufelefs agronomical Luxury — MS* Letters of Colbert , tsfc— Prints — Antiques — Egyptian Curiojities — Shields of Scipio and Han- nibal — Intaglios— Antiquities defpifed in France — Schools for oriental Languages— Libraries of the Arfenal and Pantheon — Libraries, Paintings, isfc. of thofe bani/hed, &c. partly dejlroyed, partly formed into new Collections* Page 258 LETTER XIV. The National hiflitute, with an Account of its Meet- ings. — Academy of Sciences, &c. founded by Louis XIV. and Colbert— Re f pea able at the Revolution — National Injtitutc, founded on their Ruins j more comprchenfive — Its Members, Clajfes % Seflions, and Times of Meeting— Propofes Priz? £>ucftions—its Members and Pupils to travel for CONTENTS. XX1U for Information, at the Public Expence — Is the firjl learned Body in Europe — National Palace $f the Arts and Sciences defcribed — Fire Ej capes, which did not anfwer the End— -Meetings of the Injlitute, and Memoirs read — Minijlerial Imper- tinence and Partiality, in the Cafe of Bralle — Nu- merical Telegraph propofed — Majkelyrfs Name partially omitted in a Report concerning the Longi- tude — Excellent Pun — Mercury frozen— Severe Frojls at Paris — Reviews of the Injlitute, impar- tial and well written — Minijiers often afk the Opinion of the Injlitute — Its folemn Meetings — Artijls rewarded and crowned. — Arts and Manu- factures — New Animal — Bougainville' ) $ Eulogy of Cook, &c. — Memoirs, Publications, and Purfuits of the Members of the National Injlitute — The Author falfely acetified of calumniating that learned Body 285 LETTER XV. The Aeroftatic School in Meudon — French Mo- numents — EjlablifiJiment, Officers, Pupils — De- fign of this Injlitution — Conte, his Invention — Aerojlatic Soldiers — Materials of which thoje Air Balloons are compofed — Mode of filling them — French Monuments — Such as efcaped the Fury *f the Populace, ordered to be collected and depo- and X xiv CONTENTS. fited in the/mail Augufline-Monaflery—Sahons Jet apart for that Purpofe—Claffification, Tajle, and Induftry of LeNoir — Monuments of Kings, Queens, State/men, Warriors, Men of Letters t &c. — Statues in Marble, Bronze, &c. — Names oftheArtiJls who- defigned and executed them— Some of them the boldejl and happiefl Efforts of Genius— Infcriptions-— Annealed Glafs-Paint- ing on Glafs— Churches, &£. whence they were ta ken — Several mutilated Pieces of Art rejlored — Refleclions on the Whole . 350 LETTER XVI. Prefent State of the Manufaclures of France— Ex- hibition of various French Manufaclures, Arts, i£ c .—Watchwork— Artificial Black Lead Pen- cils— Files— Economic Stoves— Locks— Chemical ProduBions— Woven and Printed Tapejlry— Earthenware— Steel-work— Silk, Cotton, Linen, Leather, Sealing-wax, Chryjlal Glafs— Weights and Meafures—Stcrectypic Printing— Porcelain —Spinning Machines— Mechanical Engravings fie. 382 TRAVELS TO PARIS. ^©►^•0- LETTER L JOURNEY FROM COPENHAGEN TO ALTONA. The Author s Object to confer with the French Commiffaries at Paris, on the Uniformity of Weights and Meafures — Excellent Roads and Bridges — Colony of Moravians — Ex- cellent Regulations — Altona thrives by the War — Villas, Pleafure- Grounds, &c. — ■ Pointed and blunt eleflric Conductors com- pared — CuriousTide-Machine — Surprifing chemical Difcovery Agricultural Im ~ frovemenU — Phdofophical Apparatus. I Take up my pen to fulfil my promife. that I would occafionally communicate fuch particulars as arretted my attention in the courfe of my travels. You know the obje6l was, in purfuance of the invitation B held 2 PROM COPENHAGEN held out by the French government to the allied and neutral powers, to confer witk the commiflaries of the Parifian National Inftitute, and the foreign commiflaries af- fembled, with a view to eflablifh a ftandard for the uniformity of weights and meafures. I do not recoiled that I (hewed my pafs, which I received from the French legation pn the occafion, through Defaugers the Charge d'affaires, in the abfence of the minifter Grouvelle. It was drawn up in the new French manner, and differed in two things from the ufual Danifh paflcs; for my whole perfon was minutely defrribccL and I was obliged to fubferibe it. Thefe pre- cautions were neceflary, in order to pre- vent the transfer of it, which is frequently the cafe with the ufual paflcs. The objects of my journey were alio fet forth in a man- ner honourable to myfclf, the benefit of which I experienced in France, where I was not confidercd as an ordinary traveller, but as one invefted with a refpe&able million. The TO ALTONA. $ The French Embaffy fent feveral notes to Count Bernftorff, the Secretary of State* to haften my departure; as it was fupp'ofed that the courfe of experiments had already commenced: I foon found, however, that this was not the cafe. On the 21 ft of July, 1798, I received the royal mandate relative to my journey, and on the 2ptb, I fet out from Copen- hagen : I took my way through Fiihnen to Middelfart. A great part of the new road is already completed, and the caufeway is excellent. Such is the fkill and experience of the engineers and overfeers, the abun- dance of good materials which offer them- felves on all hands in Ftihnen and the na- natural difpofition of the foil, that the roads may be rendered very durable, and eafily re- paired. Where they?^nzta/?nsgravelorfand, or fand lightly mixed with clay or mould, the road is in general good, but when the foundation is pure and ftrong clay, the froft or bad weather injure it, and when it thaws, the pavements fuffer very much. We have B2 a n 4 FROM COPENHAGEN an inftanceof this on the road between Co- penhagen and Roeikilde Inn which is the word part; but the road from Copenhagen to Rorsoer is very good : yet it might be made better by being raifed a little higher, and fomewhat rounded. The bridges in Fiihnen over the Bekke and the Aaer, (of which fome are worthy of notice) are ex- cellently defigned and well built. Our new roads in Denmark are fandy, and caufe- ways properly fo called, that is, the foun- dation is compofed of fquarc flones, each in the form of a cheft, from one to two feet thick, placed at a proper diftance ; the in- terftices are filled up with (tones, gradually diminifhing in fizc as they advance ; up- wards; fo that the nppermott does not ex- ceed two inches in thicknefs. When all thefe have funk with their own weight, they are covered with gravel, to the depth uf from fix to eight inches. Thefe roads are as even as a parlour floor, and may be pitted with the greateft cafe and convenience. Moft of the roads which I have travelled through TO ALTONAi 3 through Germany, Belgium and France, cannot be properly called caufeways. In moft places, however, bridges are very ju-r dicioufly erected, the want of which was formerly very much felt. The burgomafter Dickman Kolding, in my opinion, cle- ferves the preference in works of this kind, I ihould not have dwelt fo long^on this fub- ject, were it not that our roads in Denmark are generally good, and under proper regula- tions: Snoghoy is the only exception in the whole route to Hamburgh. At the former place, the traveller is obliged to take boat to crois the little belt to Kolding. I flattered myfelf that I (hould have an opportunity of feeing the colony of the Herrenhuters,or Moravians, in Ghriftians- feldt, which is become confiderable, through their induftry and manufactures, and above all, by their morality and prudent condudi; but I travelled through it by night, fo that I was deprived of that plcafure. I did not proceed entirely by the com- mon pod through Apenrade, Flenfborg, B 3 Slelwick, 6 FKOM COPENHAGEN Slefwick, Renfborg, Remmels, Itzeboe, Elmfhorn, and Pinneberg. There are many good regulations in Holftein; and the traveller is called on at every poft-houfe, to tell in what manner he was treated by the pod-boy. I arrived in Altona in the afternoon of the 3d of Anguft. I had a letter of introduction to Mr. Lawaets, one of the Senators, who, with his worthy lady, received me with the utmoft polite- nefs. I formed an acquaintance in his houfe with many of the profeflbrs of the Gymnafium. Altona has profited very much by the prefent war, particularly during the laft year, infomuch that the buildings are ra- pidly extending to the village of Ottenfee, which, in refpedt to police, is fubjedt to the magiftrate of Altona, the reft being under the magiftracy of Fenneberg. The harbour has been rendered {o capacious, that it can now contain double the number of veflels which it formerly did ; the expence of the improvements having been defrayed by the town TO ALTONA. / town itfelf. It is well fituated for trade, and I hope will at all times be crowded with ihipping, and one day cope with its rich neighbour and powerful rival. The free exercife of public worfhip is permitted in Altona: the Lutherans, Catholics, Mem- nonifts, Jews, &o, build churches wherever they pleafe, and fome of them are neat enough. Luxury, however, has pervaded almoft every rank in Hamburgh, and Al- tona begins to be infected with the example. The Altonifh ladies, generally fpeaking, drefs with great elegance and tafte, and at the fame time with fuch prudence and oeconomy, as not to be very chargeable to their parents. It is not furprizing that the rich Ham- burgh merchant, whofe mind is wholly oc- cupied fix days in the week with mercan- tile fpeculations, fhould be glad on the feventh to efcape from his counting- houfe to breathe the free air, and enjoy the beauties of nature. The charming fituation of the Danifh bank of the Elbe, has in- B 4 duced 8 FROM COPENHAGEN duced many of thofe opulent perfons to prefer it to. any other part of the country; and accordingly the plain from Altona to .Blaukenefe is lprinkled with villas, plea- fure-grounds, handfome buildings, plan- tations, and Englifh Gardens. That part of the ground which is not thus oc- cupied by rich individuals, is left open for the amufement of the middling clafs. On mod of thofe country - houfes and pleafure - grounds, electrical con- ductors have been erected. You know that Reimarus, in his laft publication on this fubject, has exprefsly written againfl: the pointed conductor, affirming that it was only neceflary to encompafs the build- ing with metallic particles fufpended or connected together, and that he did not fee the ufe of infcrting the condudtor into the : ground, it being fufficient, according to 4 bim> if it touched thefurface. It is certain .that a houfc, inclofed in a cage of metal wire, plates, or bars, would be entirely fecure from all the effects of lightning. According TO ALTONA. Q According to this theory, "the conductor would then be rendered defenfive, and not offenfive: but I am not yet quite certain that the new fyftem fhould be preferred to the old one. It feems that fome are alarmed left the fharp pointed one fhould invite the electric current, which otherwife might pafs over the houfe without injury. Should the electric cloud, however, be charged with fuch a mafs, that the paffive one cannot convey it off, the confequence will be an explofion; but in fuch a cafe, the (harp pointed one would not be at- tended with an explofion more ftrong or dangerous; fo that if it did not diminifh, it would not increafe, the danger. A3 to the reft, long and certain experience can alone determine, which of the two ought to obtain the preference. All the, con- ductors, which I have feen in and near Hamburgh and Altona, are fharp pointed, and are inferted a few inches into the earth. In Hamburgh, the lightning ftruck the B 5 bottom 10 FEOM CO'PEftEtA&ESf bottom of a houfe, which was furnifhed with a conductor; but from the account* I cannot afcertain whether or not it was local. It appears to me, that there mufi have been fome defedi in the erection of the condu&or, or that the houfe muft have been very large ; for the fecurity arif- ing from the pointed one, does not extend beyond a circle of 60 or 80 feet at fartheit. I next went to fee the Senator Voght's extenfive farm in Flothek, which is laid out with the grfcateft rural tafte. The proprietor received me with the utmoffc politenefs. and I was accompanied through the grounds by a young German, who re- fides under his hofpitable roof. The houfe is built and furnifhed with great elegance. There I found many choice fpecimens in natural hiftory, and feveral mathematical inftruments; among which was a machine, the only one of the kind I ever faw, calcu- lated to illuftrate experimentally the phce^ nomena of the tide in any place, when the rnoon TO ALTONA. 11 moon is in the oppofite meridian of that place. So far it may be ufeful, as there are many things which may be rendered more clear and certain by an appeal to the fenfes, than to the underftanding; and per- haps the theory of the flux and reflux of the fea is one of them. M. Voght has erecSted a large chemical laboratory, which has been well arranged by M. Schmeifler, already known to the world by his experiments. This young chemift has travelled in many countries, and has even foared into the airy regions in a balloon, from the aeroftatic fchool at Meudon. I was forry that I had not the pleafure of meeting him, as he had been from home fome days. I found, however, many traces of his induftry and ingenuity in the laboratory; where things were dif- tinguifhed by the new fcientific terms and fignatures, according to the antiphlogiftic fyftem. I was told that he had difcovered a new chemical preparation, which kindled B 6 into 12 FROM COPENHAGEN into a flame the inftant it was thrown into water. Mr. Voght has annexed a large quantity of land to his country houfe, which is placed under the fuperintendence of a Scotch farmer; he has alfo a large collec- tion of agricultural implements, with fta- bles, ftalls, &c. all in the Englifh manner. He has a fine breed of cattle : their dung and urine are collected in a large hole or pit in the ground, and afterwards fpread upon the meadows and fields. Drains are formed on the fides of the fields, which are cut very deep, filled with ftones and covered with earth. As the water runs off between the ftones, the furface can be ploughed and fowed without any lofs of foil. This prac- tice appeared entirely new to fome ; but when the good effe&s of it were perceived, it began to be univerfally followed. Where the quantity of water, which ought to be conveyed away in this mode, is great, or whereit runs with remarkable rapidity, an open TO ALTONA. 13 open cut ought to be made, of a width and declivity proportioned to the body of water to be difcharged. Amongft many other improvements in Flotbek, may be reckoned the introduction of a threftiing machine; but I cannot fay that it is the beft I have feen : a winnowing machine was placed under the threfhrng one. In the courfe of the laft five or fix years, threfliing machines have been intro- duced into many places in Zeeland, with a much better effedt than thofe in Flotbek. Among others which I have feen, 1 need only mention Senator Brink Seidelins' machine in Crikfholm, which threfhes from fix to eight tons of corn in an hour, and the grain is feparated from the chaff, at the fame time, without the leaii injury to the ft raw. Wheat, rye, barley, and oats, are threfhed with equal perfection and dis- patch. The large threfhing machines are very good of their kind ; but they take great force (commonly four horfes) to work them, occupy much room, and require 14 FROM COPENHAGEN* require a large and ftrong houfe, coft from five to feven hundred rix-do!lars, and in fhort, are calculated only for large farms. To render them ufeful to fmall farmers fhould be the great object ; fo that they take up lefs room, coft lefs money, and be worked with lefs force. Some fmaller machines have been already intro- duced with fuccefs; and the fociety of rural ceconomy has held out" a handfome premium for the beft invention of this lat- ter kind. Mr. Vaght has alfo laid out an excellent nurfery, of fuch kind of trees, &c. as may be ufeful to the country people, and of fuch foreign ones as he thought would bear our climate. This plantation is found to be extremely ufeful ; as it furnifhes the farmers with plants. There are many other extenfivc farms and plantations throughout the country, befides feveral plantations and copfes, with agreeable walks in the Englifh tafte. I was not lucky enough to meet with Senator TO ALTONA. 15 Senator Kirckhoff in Hamburgh; he has an excellent collection of philofophical in- ftruments, executed by the beft Englifti artifts, and which were formerly u-fed in courfes of lectures in experimental phi- lofophy, the difFufion of which he is anxious to promote. I alfo found that Do6k>f Reimarus and Profeflbr Bufch> during my ftay in Altona, had fet (Jut on a vifit to their friends in Holftein, LETTER l6 FROM ALTONA LETTER II. JOURNEY FROM ALTONA, THROUGH OSNA- BURG AND MUNSTER, TO WESEL. Sluices — Roads — Cottages of the Boors — Soil — Difagreeable travelling in the Ha- noverian territory — Interrogations of the Prujjian Guard— Plantations of Wood in Hanover — Prujfian Soldier very feverely punifhed for begging — Peafants uncom- fortably Jituated — Ofnaburg a dirty Place — Hanover little improved for the I aft Twenty -Hvo Years — Denmark very much, owing to the excellent Meafures of its Go- vernment—The Bonds of Servitude re- laxed — Yet agricultural Improvements not complete — Recapitulation of them — Manu- facture of Linen and Tobacco — Coal-Pits worked by the Crown — Fine Valley from Lengerick TO WESEL* 17 Lengerick to Munjier — Munfier a neat Town — Superjiition of the Inhabitants- — Feudal Syfiem Jlill opprejfes Ofnaburgh arid Munjier — Boors miferable Slaves — Feeble Manufactures at Dorjlen — Cot> verfation with Emigrants of Rank. ON the 6th of Auguft, I left Altotra, and eroded the Elbe to Harbourg. This fbort paflTage is very pleafant; as it affords a profpe6i of many fruitful, highly cultivated and , populous iilands, lying in this majeftic river, which flows from the Elbe to Harbourg, (a well fortified town) through feveral ftonefluices, placed in very proper lituations, and well constructed. A fluice forms before the town an excellent bafon, which would make a very conve- nient harbour ; but Hamburg, Bremen, and Altona are its fuperiors in point of fhipping, and are likely to continue fo 5 as this great river glides away in a number of collateral cuts or canals. I intended to take the (horteft road to Paris, 18 FROM ALTON A Paris, through Ofnaburg, Munfter, and BrufTels. From Harbourg the ufual route is through Welle, Wiifeihoven, Rehde, and Nienburg. The great roads run through fand and heath, and are worfe than any of the highways in Jutland. The cottages of the boors are built like thofe in Holftein ; the doors being in the gable-end, the barn is in the middle, and the fides are partitioned off for the cattle ; and one of the ends is fet apart for the ufe of the family. Very few of thofe cottages are furnifhed with a funnel or chimney, fo that the fmoke diffufes itfelf ©ver the whole houfe. Mo ft of the farm houfes are encircled with neat plantations of oaks, which thrive very well in fandy ground, a circumftance which induces me to think that there is good earth a little deeper, or that at Icaft that it is not fuch a ftony mafs as is found beneath the furface of fuch grounds in Jutland. — Thofe little oak plantations ex- tend almoit overall the plains to the Rhine, and TO WESEL. IQ and add very much to the rural charms of the peaiant's habitations. A poftmafter refides at every ftage, and is always prepared to forward you in your journey. But, although the expence is moderate, the way feems very tedious ;— fo that to travel a Danifh or a German mile requires at leaft two hours. The poft- boys are fo furly and avaricious, that if you were to give them three or four marks for drink-money, as it is called, at the end of every ftage, which feldom exceeds three miles, yet they would fcarcely think it worth while to thank you. It is of no ufe to complain to the poftmafter ; — -fo that I would advife every traveller,, who is con- demned to pafs through the Hanoverian dominions, to lay in a large quantity of pa- tience and Jang froid. I rejoiced when I was told that we had pafted through the worit part of the road r and that we fhould foon come to a eaufe- way, which was neither more nor lefs than a road cut through, fand, and covered at in- tervals- 20 PROM ALT0STA lervats with ftone and gravely which of courfe rendered it more heavy. — The only advantage it could boaft over the heathy which we had paffed, was, that there was lefs danger of breaking a leg or an arm, Notwithftanding all this, the cxpence of the carriage is very high. Sometimes the unruly poft-boy will quit the caufe-way to drive over the heath, and is only to be brought back by good words or money, and fometimes both fail of the defired effect. At Rehde, we pafled over the river^Vller, in a very convenient ferry-boat, which con- veyed horfes and waggons at the fame time, like thofe at Jaegerfprus and Frederick's- fund. The line of demarcation now com- menced ; and here for the firft time we met the Pruffian centinels or guard, to whom we were obliged to give up our names, to tell whence wc came, and whither we in- tended to go. I paffed through a long line of demarcation, which was alternately guarded by Pruffian and Hanoverian troop- ers. The officers treat travellers with great politenefs, TO WESEL. 21 . politenefs, and fcarcely detain them a mo- ment. Nienburch is an inland town, which carries on fome trade in provisions and gin. Here I law large herds of young fwine, the flefh of which is transported to Lower Bremen, by the Wefer. The fandy foil is fruitful, and very well cultivated for about a mile round the town. Then the heath again makes its appearance. Both roads, for about a mile, are planted on each fide with young tir, birch, beech, and fome oak. Thefe plantations are very well laid out, and the trees are all of a promising growth, fo that we fee the regulations for this purpofe, in Hanover^ have been planned with good effect. The road to Solingen and Diepholtz is covered with ftunted heath, and a kind of flying or drift fand. A battalion of Pruffians is quartered in Solingen ; and juft as I en- tered the town a foldier was punifhed, on a charge of having begged in the neigh- bouring villages. The officer himfelf, who had 22 FROM ALTONA had all the appearance of a gen tleman, feem-* ed to think the punifhment too fevere ; but the articles of war would not permit him to mitigate it. Though this law may appear very hard, yet it is founded in neceffity ; as begging is often found to be a mere pretext for defcrtio • In thofe parts, the houfes of the boors are very indifferently built, and worfe furnifh- ed ; whence it is eafy to conclude, that the fituation of this ufeful clafs of men is far from being comfortable. The flying fand runs to Diepholtz, where fome Hanoverian troops lay, as well as on the fide of Diep- holtz. on the road to Boomte. About a mile from Oinaburg there is a (lone caufe- way, which is far from being good, though it is undoubtedly preferable to the fandy road. This town has very little to invite the eye of a vifitant, the ftreets being nar- row, crooked, and dirty. There is only one houfe built in the modern tafte. It contains a garrifon, with two battalions of Pruffians, and one of Hanoverians. Do&or TO WESJEL. 23 Do6lor Olbers of Ofnaburg is in fome rneafure known as an aftronomer, having made different obfervations on comets, and written a large treatife on the fubje6t, with a very ufeful abridgment of the whole work. It is now two and twenty years fince I travelled through Hanover and Ofnaburg ; and, as far as falls within the view of a tra* veller, it does not appear to me that the progrefs in agriculture has been great, at leaft not in thofe parts through which the road is carried. It is, however, poffible, that in other parts, efpecially thofe which are more fertile, the plough has been more attended to. I only fpeak of what I have feen. I found very little improvement in the caufeways or fand ways, as they are called, for the convenience of the travelle. or the waggoner. When a perfon compares the condition between Sealand, Fuhnen, Falfters, Laa- lands, Langelands, and J) Hand, 22 years ago, with the prefent ftate of thefe provinces, it muft 24 FROM ALTONA mufi: yield the higheft pleafure to every be* nevolent mind, to mark the progrefs which Denmark has made in the intervening pe- riod. The roads were icarcely paffable. Bar- ren waftes prefented themfelves in every direction. The little fpots of land which were cultivated, after lying fallow for a year, Icarcely produced a moderate crop of corn; and meadows and pafture grounds were in the fame ilate. At prefent, the roads interfeft the country in almoft every direction ; the fcattered cottages are col- le6led into hamlets ; and the face of the country is entirely changed for the better. In many places, it is true, bond fervice prevented the peafant from devoting the fmalleft time or labour to his own little field ; and fome acted on that falfe and miferable maxim, That it mas better to en- creaje than to diminijh the number of large farms. The boors were localized, and con- fined to the very fpot on which they fir It drew breath. The government faw and lamented the impolicy TO WKSEL, 25 impolicy and inhumanity of fuch a fyftem ; and, in 17^8, the miniftry began to re- move thefe impediments, by the improve- ment of the commons, which the very law itfelf impeded. The government publifhed an ordinance, in which the advantage of inclofures, and the cultivation of the foil were fet forth ; but this had not the force of law. Proper land furveyors and land in- fpe£tors were appointed, to make allotments of the different parcels of the commons, fome of which were fcattered here and there. But prejudice and feififhneis pre- fented difficulties which gave rile to fuch difcontents and ill-will, as. threatened to fruftrate the beft digefted plans, and to ren- der every attempt of the kind abortive. It required the ilrongeft arguments and exam- ples, particularly on Bernftorff's manor and Kolding houfe, to convince the peafants of the utility of the meafure, and that it was much better that each fhould have have his lot to himfelf^than in common with others. As the advantages of the meafure began to C be l6 FROM ALTONA be discovered, mod of the peafants wtfhed that their portions fhould be meafured off; fo that each might be put in poffeffion of his own. By an order on the 23d of April l/8i, his majefly, through the exchequer, com- manded an entire abrogation of the part- nerfhip in commons and wafte lands ; fo that as foon as the allotment defired by any one (hould be made out, the reft fhould not be allowed to object to it, but that a general plan fhould be laid down, which fhould include the whole, a meafure which became afterwards generally agreeable. — This difficult tafk was impofed in too great hafte. It required the greateil confidera- tion to form rules for the furveys and taxa- tion, and for the arrangement of the whole fcheme. Many land furveyors and land in- fpectors were employed, and each was pre- vioufly obliged to give a fpecimen of his qualifications for his department. From the moment that this important meafure was adopted, it was carried on with the greateil TO WESEIi. 2? greateft Zealand with unabating induftry; Co that about two-thirds of the peafants of Denmark at this moment feel its beneficial effe&s. A number of thefe little farms are now in good heart, and many of the peafants enjoy them rent free. Government itfelf, in Copenhagen, Fre- derickfbourg and Kronbourg, has fet a laudable example. The bonds of fervitude are now relaxed ; and bond fervice is li- mited in every part of the kingdom. In feveral provinces, particularly in Jylland, many of the great landed proprietors have let their eftates in fmall farms, to the pea- fants, at an eafy rent. The pleating refult is vifible in almoft every place you fee, and in every countenance you meet. Whatever road you take through Denmark, you fee commodious and well built cottages, gar- dens, cultivated grounds, rich meadows, fine cattle grazing in clover fields, and, above all, a hale, healthy peafantry. Yet, after all, agriculture is far from being brought to that height of profperity it is C 2 capable 23 FROM ALTONA capable of in Denmark ; of which, however, there is every profped: that it will one day arrive. When we reflect that all this was begun in the aufpicious reign of Chriitian the Se- venth, who had the power and the will to promote fuch ufeful regulations, and when we alfo refle<% on the prejudice and obfti- nacy of the peafants, who (hut their eyes to their own intereft, and feemed to hug their chains, it is furprizing that even the pa- tience, prudence and wifdom of the go- vernment could furmount all thefe difficul- ties, the removal of which has produced the happieft effedis over all Denmark. Such another inftance is not to* be met with in the ceconomic hifiory of any other ftate. That in the fpaee of forty years, barren waftes fhould be divided and converted into fertile fields; that every peafant fhould have his own farm, and build his own houfe ; that bond fervice fhould be li- mited, or altogether abolifhed ; that large farms fhould be divided into fmall ones ; that TO WESEL. 2Q that the chains of fervitude (hould be re- laxed ; and that fome peafants are become the lords of that foil which they formerly cultivated as bondmen ! — It is with plea- sure that 1 look back to my youthful days, when, from 17(55 to lj67 9 as bead fur- veyor of the exchequer, I had fome final! (hare in the original execution of this im- portant work. After this -digreffion, to which I was na- turally led by a pfeafing companion, I beg leave to refume my journey. From Ofna- burgh to Lengerick are tw r o miles of the worft road I ever travelled, part of it being through a flat clay, and the red rugged bills and hollows ; and the way itfelf fo narrow, that it is with difficulty one car- riage can pafs another. The firft of thefe two miles belongs to Ofnaburgb, and the other to Pruffia. Mod of the mountains are covered with fine plantations of birch, fir, and beech ; but it is only in fome places that the beech finds a congenial foil. One of the mountains near C 3 Lengerick 30 FROM ALTONA Lengerick commands a charming profpech This neat little town belongs to Pruffia, and is united to the province of Tecklen- burg. There are different manufactures of linen and tobacco eftablifhcd in it, fome of •which employ fixty hands. In the vicinity, the fabrication of linen is carried on to fome extent, the article being vended at Bre- men ; and the raw materials. Hemp and flax are growed in the furrounding coun- try. There are befides fome coal pits, which are worked by royal authority. A ton of good coals cofts four good grofchen (that is about fixtecn pence Danifh) at the pit. The carriage may amount to as much more for every half mile. Many ftrata of this valuable foffil have been difcovered, but have not yet been examined or worked. The road from Lengerick to Munftcr runs through one continued flat or valley, covered with rich verdure, enlivened with farms inclofed and well cultivated, and adorned with copfes of oak, beech, fir and pine. The roads are bad from the nature of TO WESEL. 31 of the materials ; and the mode of repair- ing them is ftill worfe. As foon as you enter Munfter, you per- ceive a number of crucifixes, fmall chapels, and holy images on the road fide. The town of Munfter is tolerably neat and well built. The pavement is very good, and many of the buildings are in the modern tafte ; but the churches are all Gothic. The cathedral is very fine, and decorated, in the catholic manner, with feveral little altars, and fmall chapels. In Saint Clara's church, I obferved a printed paper ftuck up; fetting forth that, on Sunday the 12th of Auguft, high mafs would be celebrated, to implore Heaven to move the hearts of po- tentates, for the prefervation and extenfion of the Catholic faith. There was alfo an aflb ranee held out, that the pope would remit all the fins, which the hearers of this mafs had committed, for the laft two months ! I favv another of thofe papers ported up in the cathedral. Hence it is eafy to perceive, that the fpirit of the church of Rome is C 4 the 32 PROM ALTONA the fame now that it formerly was, and that it is held no fin to commit any crime which tends to enlarge the boundaries of its em- pire. Munfter, during the feven years' war, was well fortified ; but the works are nearly linking into ruins ; the rampart is planted with feveral rows of trees. The glacis and the covered way, as well as the foffe, are now ornamented with gardens and fumraer houfes, for the enjoyment and recreation of the inhabitants ; fo that hereafter the fear of a fiege need not be apprehended, or any of the fatal confequences which fuch an event never fails to produce. The broad fhady walks, on the rampart and. about the town, are fo well laid out, that I know not of any place which can boaft fuch a num- ber of inviting promenades. The town be- longs to the line of demarcation, and bo- lides the troops which belong to Mu nfter, some Pruffian battalions are quartered in it. One of the generals of that notion gave, a jfhfendid ball to tlje ladies and gentlemen TO WESEL. 33 of Munfter, in return for the kind and pa- lite reception which the Pruffian officers had experienced. The feudal fyftem continues, in all its oppreffive rigour and extent, in Ofnaburgh and Mun iter.— The boors are flaves, and toil from morn till night. They are ob- liged to give an unufually high rent for a little fpot of ground. When one of them dies on the fame, the lord of the manor, or the be?iejuiarius y feizes on the half of his little property ; the fame happens if he ihoaki not die on it, unlefs he has fcraped as much together asTwili enable him to purchafe his freedom. It is eafy to fee what a drawback this muft be on thefpirits and induftry of thofe miferable beings, in-r dependent of the birth which it gives to perpetual vexations and heart-burnings. I left Munfter on the iOth of Auguft, and found the roads very bad ; ftumps and trunks of trees or faggots are thrown acrols each other in the miry places,, otherwile they would be impaflable. This road leads C 5 to 34 FftOM ALTONA to Dulmen, a poor village. The foil is very fandy and hungry all the way to Dorften \ then the land begins to be fomewhat more fertile, and produces a great deal of grafs. Dorften, like mofl trading towns of the kind, is peculiarly fortified in the old man- ner, with a wall, fquare, and round towers or baftions, and a fofse. In the feven years' war, the French took pofTeffion of it, and planted fix or feven pieces of cannon on it. Prince Ferdinand attacked it with about a thoufand men, and, after three attempts to ftorm it, was beat off. Th'e town was fet on fire in different places, the effe&s of which may be feen to this day : he took it, how- ever, at laft. There are fome cotton and linen manufactories ere6ted in the town, but they are ftill in a very feeble fiate. The pofi-houfe is the only inn in the place ; and bad enough it is. I dined with eight emigrants from Liege, amongft whom was an ex-canon, nephew of the late bifhop of Liege. He was drefled in a fhort green veft and flriped pantaloons, and had a kind of leather TO WESEL. 35 leather cap or cafket on his head. The reft were better equipped ; and it was eafy to fee that they had been perfons of fome rank. As it was a fall day, their dinner confifted of oil, fifti, eggs and meal, the whole fo bad, that I really thought the keeneft appetite would reject fuch fare. After dinner we began to converfe with greater cafe and freedom. We touched on the fate of the French princes. They faid that all ftates, kings, and princes ought to unite with weapons in their hands, to arreft the progrefs of the French revolution, to overturn the republic, and to reinftate the princes. It furprized me not a little, after what they had faid of the fplendour of their former days, that they could remain for a moment in fo miferable a village. C 6 LETTER 36 FROM WESSt LETTER III. JOURNEY FROM WESEL ACROSS THE RHINE., AND THROUGH PAKT OF BELGIUM TO BRUSSELS. Wefel, a neat Town — Pafs demanded — Fly Boat on the Rhine defcribed. — French Of- ficers reported to he rude, but found civil < — Gueldern, a [mall genteel Totvn, op- frejfed by the French — Priejh forbidden to keep the ufeful regijler of births, &c. — Fine plantations of wood, and other improve- ments—Curious Jluice uniting the' Maes with two other Rivers — Cloijiers at Maaf* fyk fold or converted into Barracks — Cru- fifixes, &c, carried ojf- — Fine Chimes, ef- pecially at Tirlemont — Country Jlill exhi- ■ bits remains of Profperity, and why — Lou- vain Univerfity, &c. diffolved — Bitter Complaints there of French impojk, which are TO BRUSSELS. 37 are -not- attended to — Caufeways, or paved roads, defcribed. 1CAME toWefel on the afternoon of the 1 1 th of Auguft. In this very neat and well fortified town, my pafs, for the firft time, was demanded by the officer on duty. Having caft his eye over it, he re- turned k to me immediately. -I was told fo many • dories of the rude : condtuS of the French officers to foreigners, in particular diftricts, that I was alrsoft afraid to fet my foot on the territory of the republic, which now began on the other fide of the Rhine, Though I am not fond of cockades, I was adviied to wear one ; as that badge was alledged to render travelling fafer than, it otherwife would be-. The next morning rather ea.ly, Icrofied the Rhine, on what is called a flying bridge. Perhaps you may form fome idea of the conftrudion and operation of it from the following defcription. In fig. 1, A, is a proje&ing wharf, on the Wefel fide, and B, a 38 PROM WESEL B, a fimilar one, on the other fide of the Rhine. F is a large boat, which rides by two anchors, in the middle of the Rhine ; E, D, and G, are boats which do not lie at anchor, but are fattened together by cables which run through their mails ; G is the large ferry-boat, of a peculiar ftrudlure,- which defcribes a circular arch, of which F is the centre, and which terminates at the wharfs A and B, When you would crofs from A to B, the direction of the water being from M to N, or from P to Q, the rudder muft be kept in the direction of G H, which, according to theory, fhould form with the keel of the veflel an angle of 54° 44'. The firength of the current re- prefented by H I is refolvable into two forces. The firft I K parallel to the plane of the rudder G H, and the other K H or IG perpendicular to it. The laft alone will turn the veflel, and caufe it to defcribe the circle Mnop. In this manner I eroded the Rhine in little more than a quarter of an hour. But the rudder muft be kept in an TO BRUSSELS. %Q an oppofite direction, in order to pafs from the French to the Pruffian fide. I have already obferved, that, on the Pruffian fide, they alarmed me very much with accounts of the infolence of the French Commiflaries, who, it was faid, not content with a long examination of one's pafs, examined your trunks, and tolled every thing about ; but, in juftice I muft declare, that I found their conduct quite the reverfe ; and that I never met with perfons in their fituation, who behaved with more politenefs and attention. On the banks of the Rhine, on the road to Geldern, not one of the French officers even fo much as defired to look at my pafs, though I offered to (hew it to them. When I came to Geldern, my trunks were examined. But I travelled through Bel- gium and France, without any vifitation of the kind, even at the barriers of Paris ; fo that I have not the lead caufe of com- plaint on that fcore. The next ftage is Geldern, a fmall gen- teel 40 FROM WESEL teel town ; the inhabitants of which had little reafon to be pleafed with their h&w mafters : for, independently of what t had fuffered from the fucceffive influx and billetting of foldiers, the French demanded 100,000 livres, which they promifed to take in proviiions, and contributions of an eafy nature ; but, contrary to all expectation, it Was demanded and paid in ready money, in addition to all the aids which were paid to the Pruffian Government. A new land tax w r as impofed, the prefTure of which was Very feverely felt. In Geldern there are two Catholic churches, two monafteries, and two nunneries. The reetors, or parifli priefts, were forbidden by the municipality, to regifter births, deaths and marriages, whith was confidered as a prelude to the extin&ion of the facerdotal office, and the Shutting up of the churches. Tontihes, life-rents and annuities, &c. ought to be regiftered, and properly attefted, and when thisoffice was taken away from the clergy, it is to be lamented that other per- fons TO BRUSSELS. 41 Tons were not appointed to fill it. In towns it would be eafy to find fuch perfons, but in the country it would be rather difficult. At an eafy diftance from Geldern there is a large grove, and a fine cloifter called Zante. On leaving Geldern, you meet with a large common covered with heath, about two miles in length and as much in breadth. There are many enclofures, how- ever, on this heath, each from forty to fixty acres. They are planted with fir, oak and. birch. Some of the plants are old, others younger, and fome very young, but all of promifing growth. It would be difficult, perhaps, to meet with fuch plantations and rifing woods in any other place. They re-, fleil a great deal of honour on the former Pruffian Foreft Board, and are fo many, proofs of its activity and penetration. • Befides thefe, there are many fpots from ten to twelve acres in extent, enclofed for the purpofe of building and forming fettle- ments, and which promife to repay the toil and induftry of the cultivators, They have already 4% FROM W'ESEL already begun to grub up the heath, to colled it into fmall heaps, and to reduce it to afhes, with which they manure the ground. Thefe little enclofures produce rye, buckwheat, and potatoes of an excel- lent quality. What delight muftfill the heart of the traveller as he pafles along, and to fee that the Pruflian adminiftration has turned its attention to the amelioration of the con- dition of the people ? This fine province, in a fhort time, will be fo highly improved as to vie with any other whatever* Thofe heaths juit mentioned, are encir- cled with many fertile plains, handfome farm houfes, and bufy trading towns, among which Venlo deferves to be diftinguiibed. The next ftage to Geldern is Degelin, which is followed by Ruremond, a large well built town, to reach which you inuft pafs the river Ruren, or Roer, and in a few minutes after, the river Maes. Thefe rivers are united by a curious fluice, very finely executed. The road ftrctches along the banks of the Maes to Muesfyk, an ill built TO BRUSSELS. ASr built town, in which, however, there were two cloifters. One of thofe fan6limonious erections was converted iato a barrack, and the other was fold for 100 louis-d'ors. The inhabitants are fuch good Catholics, thai; they folace themfelves with the hopes of better days ; that is, they expect the monks to return, and refume their former fitua- tions. The cloifters and churches in thofe conquered countries were generally fold for a mere trifle, and the republic has pro- fited very little by the fales. The roads, at a diftance from the Rhine^ are very good. No induftry feems to have been fpared by the former government to make them, and keep them in good repair. There are fmall chapels along the road> with holy images, but all the crucifixes were carried off. There is not a crofs to be feen on the fpires of the churches, either in town or country. Reekom, Tongeren, St. Tron, and Tide- mont, are the fucceffive ftages from Maes- fyk. Tongeren and St. Tron are rather neat. In 44 FBOM WESEL In almoft all the towns of any note, there are chimes, which play at leaft every hour. The beft that ever I heard are in Tirlemont ; the bells have a very line tone, and are always in good order. On this fide of the Rhine, it is not a little furprifing to fee thofe lands, which were formerly parcelled out to Pruffians and Auftrians, ftill exhibit Co many remains of opulence and profperity, in handfome trading towns, and well-cul- tivated farms. The caufe may be afcribed to the natural fertility of the foil, high cul- tivation, manufactures, the many rivers and canals which interfe6t it, the Dutch navi- gation, and the quantity of provifions which it confumes; all which have en- abled the farmer to difpofe of his produce to great advantage. From Tirlemont I came to Louvain, for- merly known by its univerfity, and the part which it a#ed under the redoubtable difpleafure of the Emperor Jofeph. The univerfity and the cloifters are now dif- folved; and the churches, in which the Ca- tholic. TO BRUSSELS* 45 tholic fervice ufed to be celebrated, are al- moil: all fold. They complain very bitterly in Louvain, of the high taxes which the French government has impofed. I bought a pamphlet the other day with this title, " Expose de la conduite^ qtic?it tenns les membres du jury d'equite, pour la contri- bution performelle du Canton de Louvain, dans la confe6lion de la mat rice des rules." In this piece I found copies of all the letters which were interchanged on the fubjedt of the perfonal impoft. No. 1. is a paper of the 24th Ventofe, 6th year of the Republic, or the 14th of March, 17 gs,. from the jury d'equite to the municipal adminiftration. It begins, by ftating, that the Canton of Louvaine was let down for 90,437 livres, perfonal tax; but that they inftantly faw the impoffibility of railing that fum in the <:ourfe of a year; in conference of which they were going to partition it. They in- tended to lay a yearly duty of from 40 to 50 livres on ale, vfellum, and Jace ; from 60 to 100 livres on brandies; from 100 to 150 46 FROM WESEL 150 livres on herb (hops and apothecaries \ and from 250 to 300 livres on other traders, and on the reft of the citizens, a propor- tionably larger tax. They acknowledged that, notwithfianding thefe new perfonal impofitions would exceed the ability of the people, yet that there would be a great de- ficit on the whole. The inhabitants, in re- ply to this fevere requiiition, reprefented that the number of troops quartered on them, the ftagnation of trade and the diffb- lution of the univerfity, by which three- fourths of the town's people lived, would render it impoffible for them to pay fo high 1 TO PARIS. 5Q Moris, which is a fortified town, but the works are falling into decay. Here I law an altar expofed to fale in the market place, with fome holy images, and fevea pictures. One of the foldiers itepped up, wrote on them, and explained the fubjeel of each to the fpeitators, who thronged around. In the plains, there are fevcral fine coal , The coals are conveyed by waggons, drawn by (\x or eight horfes, to the neigh- bouring villages, even as far as BrutTels, and thence conveyed by canals to Antwerp and Holland ; as the prefent war has pre- vented the importation of this necefifary ar- ticle from Engiand. The road runs to Ge- innppe, which will be long remembered for the bloody conflict, which tooJc place be- twixt the Aufirians and the French, in which the latter charged with the bayonet, and took the numerous Auftrian batteries raifed on the heights. Quivrain is the laft Belgic ftage. The land is fertile, and well cultivated; almoft D 6 all 60 FROM BRUSSELS all the fields were fown with clover ; and rye-grafs is cultivated with fuccefs in fome places. The roads are quite negledied, and if not fpeedily repaired, will foon become impaflable.-— The villages round Valenci- ennes have fuffered very much from the war: many of them, particularly the cot- tages, are quite deferted. Valenciennes is the firft ftage in Old France. I came in on that fide which was attacked by the Auftrians. In the part near the rampart, whole ftreets and lanes have been demolifhed, fome have been lef- veiled to the ground, and others burnt. They have not made the leaft attempt, fince the fiege, to rebuild or repair them. Co- penhagen has been more fortunate, in this refpe<5t. The third part of that city was confumed by fire, and in lefs than three years, the whole was rebuilt an an extenfive and improved plan, far fuperior to the for- mer. Fire engines are found to be of great ufe in Denmark, even in villages. I am not certain that fire engines are ufed in France, fO PARIS. 6 1 Prance, or in what manner they are regu- lated and kept up fince the revolution. The French villages will lofe, by compa- rifon, in the eye of the traveller, who has jufl pa{Ted through the neat and handfome ones of the Netherlands. The firft mo- ment you fet your foot in the environs of Valenciennes, yon are encircled with a hoft of beggars, fo importunate, that they rather demand than folicit charity. It feems that, fnortly after the revolution, a number of the youth of both fexes, engaged in the manufactures, were thrown out of employ- ment, and reduced to the neceffity of living on the cafual bounty of travellers. In order to (hew my pafs, it was necef- fary that I fhould go to the municipality, and thence to the police-office {bureau de police). As thefe two did not fit at the fame time of the day, I went to the houfeof one of the municipal officers, a fhoemaker, whom I found at work in his fhop. He did not detain me a moment, when I fhewed £itn the pafs I had from the French miriif- ter 62 FROM BRUSSELS ter in Copenhagen. On fhewing him th° royal Danifh pals, he fhook his head ; as much as to (ay, That is of no ufe. His drefs was not very fine, and yet he was the chief of the municipality. In all the other towns, In which there were barriers, or turnpikes, I was only defired to fhew my pafs, which the officer never took out of my hands ; but this was not the cafe in fortified or garrifoned places, where they examine them very attentively. Formerly they expected a final! douceur on thefe occasions, which was firi&iy forbidden by the laft French proclamation ; rlen de vot?e generofite. I am told they were very well latisficd with ten or twelve fous. It is not very far from Valenciennes to Frejus, where the French gained a remark- able victory. Here I faw a fmall monu- ment, erefted to the memory of General Dampierre. Douay lies farther off: a fe- vere battle was fought there in the reign of Louis the Fourteenth ; and the French, in order to perpetuate the day, raifed a monu- ment, TO PARIS. 63 inent on the road fide, which confided of a iquare pyramid, about thirty feet high, inferted in a fquare pedeftal, ornamented with pyramids of marble, in has relief, with infcriptions on each fide. The pyramid is now dripped of all thefe ornaments, which were broken down or carried away. Some fay that this was done by the Imperial ifts, who. could not bear that the defeat of their anceftors fhould be thus held out to the view of every paflenger. But others im- pute the dilapidation to jacobins and ter~ rorifts, who did not wifh that even the fplendid exploits of their fore- flit hers, tinder a monarch, fhould be tranfmitted to pos- terity. The French villages are inferior, in al- moft every refpe6i, to thofe of Belgium. Moil of the houfes are built of common clay, and the little furniture betrays evi- dent marks of poverty. Some of them 5 however, exhibit appearances g( profperitv and eafe. Bcfidcs common corn, clover, horfe-beans, and walnuts are produced in abundance, 64 PROM BRUSSELS abundance, from the kernels of which lad they exprefs oil. I faw a great number of boys and girls in the fields, gathering in the harveft, which led me to conclude, that thofe who ought to have been employed in that talk, were called to the field of battle. I ob- ferved that three- wheeled cars, or carts, were ufed inftead of four-wheeled ones, which in general are very large, and fometimes require from two to four, and even fix, horfes to draw them ; whilft one or two horfes will pull a greater load in the for- mer. But I muft declare, that in no country with which I am acquainted, are the poor working horfes treated with greater cruelty than in France. There can be no doubt, that, where the ground is even, and the roads good, thefe three-wheeled waggons, or carts, ought to be preferred to thole with four wheels. The roads in this part of France are paved, like thofe in Belgium. Some, how- ever, are better than the highways in that country ; TO PARIS, 65 country ; though there are many hollows and rough parts in feveral places, and al- though the tolls are very high, all idea of repairing them feems to have been aban- doned, iincethe revolution. Bouchain is a very firong fortification ; for, by means of the well-placed and finely conftrudlcd fluices, the greateft part of the adjoining country can be inundated at pleafure ; fo that it would be very difficult to befiege or take this fortrefs, if well fup- plied with provifions. As to the town it- ielf, its mean buildings have fallen into ruins. The inhabitants feem to fhare the fame fate, for you meet with poverty in every quarter of it. Along the whole tradt from Valenciennes to Paris, there is a flxa- tura of chalk-ftone, which is ufed in deco- rating the caft frames of the windows, doors, and gates, and, as you approach the capital, you meet with fome houfes built entirely with this ftone inftead of bricks. Cambray is well fortified, and is furnifhed with a citadel. The city is well built, neat, 66 FROM BRUSSELS neat, and clean. Throughout the whole, you fee the remains of wealth and profpe- rity, for which, no doubt, it is indebted to its famous manufactories of cambric. From Cambray the road runs through Bonavis, Fins, Peronne, (which is fortified) Marche le Pot, Pouches, Roye, Conchy les pots, Carilly,, Gournay, Bois le Liheu, and Pont St. Maxenze. The French pofls are under very proper regulations. The horfes belong to the poft- mafters themfelves, feme of whom have near 120, a number of which are always in the ftable ; fo that you are not detained a moment. The poft-boy rides on one of the horfes, and goes at a lmart trot over heights and hollows, rough places and fmooth, and it is in vain either to entreat him to quicken or flacken his pace. This road is a great thoroughfare for carriages of every kind, and at every poll houfe there is a black- fmith's (hop. As foon as you flop, thofe fons of Vulcan come out, and enquire if their affiftauce is wanted. The iron axle of TO PARIS. 67 of my carriage happened to be broken by a Ytoneon my way to Pont Maxenze. — They were glad to hear of it, took it out, welded it together, and, in about two hours, I was enabled to refume my journey. They a iked a louis-d'or, which was not unrea- sonable ; and it was fo well done, that it has not failed fince. From Pont Maxenze I preferred the road round Chantilly. Here I travelled through a fine grove of oak and beech, with much underwood of forward growth. This narrow way is bordered with lofty trees, whofe fpreading branches form the mod agreeable and grateful fhade, efpecially from the noon-tide fun. Chantilly belonged to the Prince of Conde, and is well known for the beauty of its architeflure, and the enchanting walks and plantations, parks, and pleafure grounds around it. The jacobins have nearly demolished the fine park walls^ and cut down the trees which fhadcd the walks. All the internal decorations of the caflle, the 68 FKOM BRUSSELS the paintings, looking-glafles, tapeftry, the valuable cabinet of natural hiftory, library and all, were plundered ; fo that the empty ihell is all that remains of its former fplen- dor. The mob cut and carried off the heads and arms of the ftatues, which the Prince had been fo many years in colle&ing. In many of the rooms are yet to be {ttn part of the fmall cells, in which thofe who were doomed to the guillotine were im- mured, during the bloody reign of the ter~ rorifts. The roads begin to improve, as you ap- proach Paris, The fucceffive profpedis on every fide, feem to vie with each other in richnefs and variety.- — They furpafs what- ever imagination can conceive. The mild- nefs of the climate, groupes of vineyards, highly cultivated orchards and kitchen- gardens, all contribute to render the fcene delightful; and peaches, apples, pears, plumbs, cherries and walnut trees flourifh in the open fields, in the greatefl abun- dance. From to paris* 6g From Chantilly I travelled through Lu- farche, Echouen, and St. Denis, and ar- rived in Paris, in the afternoon of the 18th of Auguft, LETTER 70 PRIMARY, CENTRAL, ANB LETTER V. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION IN THE PRI- MARY, CENTRAL, AND POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. Primary Schools w ell conduced in Paris y but not in the Country — The Revolution fub- verted the left old Injlitutions — Normal Schools — Fault in conducting them — Sci- ences taught in them— Journal of the Lee* tures and Debates in them — Dijfolution of them — Regulations of the Central Schools * — School of the Four Nations — Scientific Courfes in it—Second and third Central Schools — Lift of Departments with and without Central Schools — Defefls in thofe already efiablijhed — The French Jhew no *wijh to learn foreign Languages — Mora* lity and Geography not taught in the Cen- tral Schools — Ancient Literature little at- Hniid POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. ? 1 tended to in them — The Pupils in them but fuperficially inftrutttd—Some of the Teach- ers ill qualified — Polytechnic School— Courfe of Study in it — Philofophical Ap- paratus> Library^ and Collection of Models belonging to it- — Public Examination of the Students. IN the account of Paris which I intend to give, you muft not expeil rne to con- fine myfelf to chronological order ; but I fhall arrange in my journal all that I intend to fay on the different fubje6ts, under their proper heads — a method which, in fome meafure, will prevent repetition and difor- der. I fhall begin with public inftru<5Hon. Thefirft are called Primary Schools, which anfwer to our common ones, where read- ing, writing, and arithmetic are taught. There are many private inftitutions erected in Paris, the obje<5l of which is to prepare youth for the higher clafles ; fo that they may be tranfplanted from thofe nurferies to the ?2 PRIMARY, CENTRAL, AKJ5 the central feminaries. Thefe private in- ftitutions in Paris are in general conduced in a very proper manner ; but I cannot fay fo much of thofe in the provincial towns, and in the country. Formerly the clergy claimed the exclusive right of inftrudling youth. The parifh priefts were allowed lands and houfes, but being now deprived of thefe benefices, they are obliged, as their only means of fupport, to teach fmall fchools, where the country people pay for the edu- cation of their children ; but thofe fchools are fo little frequented, that the riling ge- neration may be faid to grow vip without any inftru&ion. We may conclude, that the primary fchools were very much neglected from the fpeech which Bitaube, the president of the National Inftitute, delivered in the Council of Five Hundred, and the Council of An- cients, on the fecond complementary day in the 6th year of the Republic, (or the 18th of September, 1798) I cannot in this place omit a paflage in it, which refle&s fo much POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. 73 much honour on the National Inftitute, and the orator who pronounced it. (Comte rendu et prefente an corps legiflatifje 'l&jour comple- ment aire de Van Q,par V Injlitut National des Sciences et Arts. Paris an*], pag. 186 et J 87.) "But, — citizens reprefentatives, when I laid before you the labours of the phyfical and mathematical claftes, I fhould not have departed from the principal object, if I had, in addition to thefe claiTes, fubmitted to your confideration the wifhes which imprefs the whole National Inftitute, and the whole nation, that the firft fchools for the inftruc- tion of youth fhould be thrown open, and that the Central Schools fhould not be de- prived of their firft and firmeft foundation^ the primary schools. I have already ac- knowledged, that this meafure is very dear to your hearts. The republic has caufe to lament, that this important work has been fufpended for a long time, from a feries of unfortunate circumftances. We truft, therefore, to your wifdom, that you will fix their exiftence on a firm and ^immutable E bafis. 74 PRIMARY, CENTRAL, ANT5 bafis. The members of the Inftitute feel it their duty to declare the lively intereft, which they take in every part of your deli- berations and labours. The members of your Inftitute are deeply interefied in the fate of thefe feminaries, and they are anxious that fuch meafures may be adopted as will tend to multiply and fix them on a ground that willfhortly evince the wifdom and uti- lity of the meafure. — But, citizen reprefen- tatives, you know how important a thing it is for public order, the maintenance of the laws, and the correction and purity of mo- rals, that thofe, whole fathers you are, fhould be early iaftracted, and ufefully employed. You are called on to watch over a race of young plants, which are now drooping — and, if not fpeedily revived, will fadeaway. The happy effedts of the cen- tral fchools are already experienced in dif- ferent departments ; the happy confe- quences of other public inflitutions are daily diffuling themfelves. It is in your power to remove the misfortunes of which we POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. ?5 we complain ; fo that an a&ive, afpiring, and ingenious people will have the pleafure of feeing their youth return once more to in'ftrudrion, when it is held out to them/* The prefidents of both Councils in their anfwers, pronounced a panegyric on the Primary Schools. The prefident of the A-fiTembly of Ancients faid (Compfe rendu, p. 202.) 4i The Council participates in the ardent wifhes, which you exprefs for the advancement and regulation of the primary fchools. They are well worthy of the at- tention of the Legiflature, and we receive them with additional pleafure^ becaufe they come recommended by the Council of Five Hundred, which will not fail to watch over thefe young plants, which you have recommended with fo much folici- tude.^ Time will prove whether it would not redound more to the advantage of the French nation, that thefe patriotic views fhould be carried into execution, than the conqucft cf entire provinces. Without in- E 2 ftruc- 70 PRIMARY, CENTRAL, AND flru&ion, the rifing generation will have to lament the fatal confequences of ignorance, immortality, and unbridled licentioufnefs. In confequence of the Revolution, every thing was changed, and even the heft in- stitutions under the monarchy were fub- verted, or annulled, with the exception of the French College in Paris, which has un- dergone no change. It was found necef- fary, that other inftitutions fhould be fub- ftituted in the room of thofe that were abolifhed, and to which they gave the name of Normal Schools. In purfuance of the decree of the 24th Nivofe, 3d year of the Republic, or the 3 5th of January, 1795, the National Convention ordained, that profeffbrs and teachers fhould be eftab- lifhed, over all the Republic, and they gave the general name of Normal Schools to thofe nurferies, to which men of clear underftanding only were to be appointed, to prepare youth for the higher fchools. There was one fault however in them, the feme which was complained of in thofe in which POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS* 77 which lectures were read^ and that was, that the learner fhould write a quick hand to take down the lectures ; fo that it was necef- fary he fhould learn itenography,, cr fhort- hand, as thele lectures were to be immedi- ately printed in a journal. In the Firft Sitting, or Atlemblj% the proielibrs otily fpoke; in the fubfequent ones, tlye iubject was refervedj and all the pupils in fucceffion were at liberty to deliver their opinions on it. They could put questions to the pro- fefibr£, and the prcfeflbrSj in their turn, could queflion them ; fo that the fttbjeA of enquiry was generally fiftcd to the bot torn; as there was no reilraint on the free- dom of difcuffion, except what good man- ners and politenefs impoied. The teachers were chofen from a mono- men of the firft talents, known either by their difcoveries or -writings. On the firft and fixth day of each decade, La and Laplace taught mathematics Bauy phyfic, and Monge geometry. On the fe- cond and feventh days, Daubenton lectured E3 '?8 PRIMARY, CENTRAL, AND on natural hiftory, Berthollet on chemifuy, and Thouin on agriculture, On the third and eight days, Buache and Montelle read geography ; hiftory as written, by Volney, and the morality of Bernard Saint Pierre, The fourth and ninth days in each decade, were devoted to the principles of univerfal grammar by Sicard, logic by Gar&t, and ge- neral literature by Laharpe. The journal, which I have now before me, the National Convention ordered to be pub- lifhcd. It confifts of two grand divifions, lectures and debates, or conferences. Six odlavo volumes, of the lectures have already appeared [Seances des Ecoles Normales, re- cuelllies far Jlenographe, et revues par le pra- fejfeur. Lecons, torn. I — VL a Paris, Van 3,) Thefe fix volumes contain fixty-onc col- fedtions and lectures of the profcflbrs juft mentioned, in the head clafles, from the 20th of January to the 15th of May, 1795. In truth, whatever fell from the lips, or flowed from the pens of fuch enlightened men as Lagrange, Laplau, Hauy, Monge, Dauben- POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. 79 Daubenton, Berthollet, Thouin, Buache, Volney, Sicard, and Laharpe, had a claim on the public attention ; but they did not extend beyond the firft principles of the ibientes, which was as much as could be expected in four months, or twenty-four lectures of an hour each. In my opiniof), Hauy has been very fuccefsful in his phy- sical lectures. There is only one volume of the debates or conferences pnblifhed (Seances des Ecotes Normales. Debuts ', torn, I. a Paris, Tan 3.) it contains twenty-five col- lections ; but it feems far from being inte- rcfting (perhaps it could not be otherwife,) and it was very judiciouily comprefTed into one volume. The objedl which the Convention had rn view, in erecting the Normal Schools, was to introduce and explain the methodiftic mode of inftru&ion. as it is now called bv fome. On re-perufing the 6th volume of the works of the Normal Schools, I found nothing to complain of. It muft firikc the reader, however, that the Normal Schools E 4 can 80 PRIMARY^ CENTRAL, AND can have produced nothing remarkable. They were railed upon a hafty and unftable. foundation, and hence, in lefs than a yean they were diflblved. The fchools, which exift at prefent, are the Central Schools, the Polytechnic School, and the Schools for the Public Service {EcoJes de Service Fublique.) The law for the central fchool was en- acted on the 3d Brumaire, fourth year of the Republic, The regulations are as fol- low : There ihall be a central fchool in each department. The whole of the induc- tions fhall be divided into three parts or fe6lions; drawing, natural hiftory, the an- cient and modern languages, fhall be taught ift the firft ; mathematics, phyfics, and chemiftry, in the fecond ; and univer- fal grammar, the fine arts, hiftory, and le- giflation in the third. The pupils to be received into the firft at the age of twelve, into the fecond at fourteen, and into the third at fixteen. There fhall be a public library in each central fchool, with a bo- tanic POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. 81 tanic garden, and apparatus of chymical and philofophical inftruments. The pro- feflbrs to be examined and chofen by a Jury of Inftruction {Jury cT Inftru&iori) and the choice to be confirmed by the depart- mental adminiftration. Aprofeffbr cannot be difmifled by the aforefaid adminiftration, unlefs there be a complaint preferred againft him by the Jury of InftrudHon, which muft be well grounded ; as he is at liberty to defend himfelf, and there is a final appeal to the Directory. The falary of the profefTor is from 2400 to 3600 franks alfo to be paid by the departmental admi- niftration. They have befides, fuch a yearly gratuity from each pupil, as the de- partment thinks fit, which feldom exceeds twenty-five franks. The fourth part of the pupils are in general too poor to fpare any thing. It is eafy to remark, that the general rules or laws are very well digefted ; but the manner in which they are to be obeyed or maintained, fhould have been laid down at the fame time. It is to be lamented alfo, E 5 , that 82 PRIMARY^ CENTRAL^ AND that morality is pafled over ; efpeeially as the public exercife of religion is abolifhed. In the fecond fe£tion, the learner from fourteen to fixteen, is inftructed in the ab- ilrael fciences, which tend very much to fharpen the underftanding, and to call forth the latent powers of the mind ; and from fixteen to eighteen, he is taught to read the beft hiftorians, a ftudy peculiarly improving to the minds of youth at that period. From the Central Schools I fhall now proceed to that of the Four Nations {Ecgh centrak des Quatre Nations > etablie dans h ti-devant College des Quatre Nations). I (hall give you an account of the teachers and the hours of le&ure. FIRST SECTION. Le&ures every day, except the 5th and 10th days in the decade. Ancient Languages. Gueroult, the elder, reads from nine to half paft ten in the forenoon. Natural POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. 83 Natural Hlftory. Brongnard the younger, from half paft ten till twelve at noon. He is a lively young man, has a pleafing delivery, and I have liftened to him with a great deal of pleafure. All the pupils in this clafs have the after- noon to themfelves ; and it is entirely at their own option, to repeat or not, what they heard in the forenoon. Drawing. Moreau, the younger, teaches drawing from twelve tillhalf paft one. SECOND SECTION, Mathematics, Lacroix teaches arithmetic, algebra, geo- metry and trigonometry, from nine to ele- ven in the forenoon, on all the comple- mentary days, which are one, three, feven^- nine, Lacroix has a fine delivery, and is* a. very good mathematician, as is well EO knowi> 84 PRlMAftt, CENTRA!, AKB known by the following performances % Traite elementaire de Trigonometric refti- ligne et fpherique, et d? application de Valgebre a la Geometries Paris , an 7, 8. Elemens de Geometric defer iptive, Paris } 17Q5- Traite du Calcid differ entiel et integral, 2 torn. At o. Paris, an 7 ; and he has in the prefs, Traite des differences et jdes feries. Experimental Philofophy and Chemijlry. Briffbn reads all the non-complementary days, from half paft ten to eleven. He is an impreffive reader, and all his reafonings are \vell grounded, He is known by a work On the fpecifie gravity of bodies. He has betides, written three volumes on phyfics, two of which are already publifhed, and the third is impatiently looked for. I do not hefitate to fay, that this work contains the beft iyftem of phyfics in the French lan- guage. In this fe#ion there are only two hours each day fet apart for reading lec- tures ; fo that the pupils have time enough to learn mathematics and phyfics in the fecond POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. 85 fecond year, if they chufe to occupy their time in fuch ftudies. THIRD SECTIOST. General Grammar and Logic, Domergue reads all the complementary days, from nine to eleven, Hiftory. Montille, all the even days, from nme to eleven. Legijlation. Grivel, all the non-complementary days, from nine to eleven. Fine Arts. Fontanes, all the non-complementary days, from eleven to o>e. This fchool has befides an agent and fe- cretary, C. Lepine. This fchool has a handfome library, which formerly belonged to the College des 'Quatres Nations; a collection of philofophi- cal inftruments, which are rather old, but kept 86 PRIMARY, CENTRAL, AND kept in good order by Briffcn, on whicfr be makes experiments very fuccefsfull^, There is likewife a fmall botanic garden annexed to it. This fchool, when a col- Ibge, was mouldering fafi into ruins ; but it is now undergoing a thorough repair, and, when finifhed, will be found to he very' neat and convenient.. The fecond central fchool' in Paris is in the Pantheon, formerly the church of Saint Genevieves, The regulations are entirely the fame. Among the teachers in na- tural hiftory are Cuvier, . and Deparcieux, who is (till better known. The third cen- tral fchool is in. the fuburb of Saint An- thony,... in the former Jefuits' Coilegs, Among the teachers in thofe feminaries fome are known by their literary produc- tions, and thofe who are not, may yet be very well qualified to fill their refpe&ive fituations. Thefe two feminaries have good libraries, a collection of at leaft the mod ufefui POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. &7 ufeful philofophical inftruments, and each a lmall botanic garden. In thofe departments where univerfitie^ colleges, large cloifters, palaces of emi- grants, and libraries- were already efla^ blifhed, it was eafy to organize central ichools ; but where fuch univerfities, &c. were wanting, they are not even at this day furnifhed with central fchools. I (hall now give you a lift of thofe ferainaries, and the places in which they are eftablifhed. Thofe marked with an afterifm are not yet organized, or at lead their organization has not been publicly announced* Departement de Taifne - in Soiflbns. Dep. d'Allier .... - Moulins. Dep. des hautes Alpes . - Gap.* E)ep. de l'Ardeche . . - Tournon.* Dep. de l'Arriege ... - St. Girons. Dep. de PAude ... - Carcaflbnne. Dep. des Bouches du Rhone - Aix. # Dep. du Cantal ...» St. Flour. Depart- 88 PRIMARY, CENTRAL, AND Departement de la Cha- rente inferieure ♦ . in Sainted* Dep. de la Correze . . - Tulle. Dep. de Cotes du Nord - Guincamp.* Dep. delaDordogne - Perigueux. Dep. de Tain • . . - Bourg. Dep. des bafies Alpes - Digne.* Dep. des Alpes maritimes - Nice*. Dep. des Ardennes . . - Charleville. Dep. de l'Aube . . . >- Troyes. Dep. de l'Aveyron . • - Rhodez. Dep. de Calvados . . - Caen. Dep. de la Charente - Angouleme.* Dep. du Cher . . . - Bourges. Dep. de la Cote d'or - Divon. Dep. de la Creufe . . - Aubuflbn.* Dep. du Doubs . . , - Befanqon. Dep. de la Drome . . - Montelimart. Dep. d'Efcaut . . . - Gand.* Dep. de L'eure et Loire - Chartees. Dep. de la haute Garonne - Touloufe. Dep. du Gers \ . . • Auch. Dep. du Golo . . . * Dep. de Lille et Vilaie . - Rennes. Dep. POIA' TECHNIC SCHOOLS, 80 Department de l'lndre et Loire in Tours, pep. de Jura . . , - Dole,* Dep. de Liafmone . « * Dep. de Finiftere ' . , - Quimpes.*- Dep. de haute Loire - Pay. Dep. da Loiret . . « - Orleans. Dep. de la Lozere . - Mende. Dep. de la Manche . . - Avranches. Dep. de la haute Marnc ; - Chaumont. Dep. de Lot et Garonne - Agen. 5 * Dep. de la Mayenne. , - Laval* Dep. de la Meufe infcri eure ..... . - Maeftria.* Dep. du Mont blanc , r - Chamberry. Dep. de Morbitian • . - Vanner. Dep. de deux Nethes , - Anvers. Dep. du Nord . . ■ - Lille.* Dep. de l'Orne ♦ . , - Seez.* Dep. du Pas de Calais . - Arras. # Dep. de bafles Pyrenees . Pau. Dep. des Pyrennees orien tales - Perpignan. Dep. de haut Rhin . . - Col mar. Depart §0 PRIMARY, CENTRAL, AltV Departement de Dyle . in Bruxelles Dep. de FEure . . . Dep. dc Gard . . Dep. de Gemmape . ~ Dep^ de la Gironde . de l'Herault . • Dep. Dep, Dep, de I'lndre . . . de l'lfere . . . Dep. des Landes Dep. de la Loire • . Dep. des Forets • . . Dep. de la Loire inferieure Dep. du Lot .... Dep. de Maine et Loire Dep. de la Marne . . Dep. de la Meufe . . Dep. de la Lys . - • Dep. de la Meurthe Dep. de Loire et Cher ♦ Dep. du Mont terrible Dep. de la Mofelle . ♦ Dep. de la Nieve . . Dep. de TOife . . . Dep. de l ? Aurthe .. • - Evreux. - Nimes. - Mons.^ - Bourdeaux. - Montpellier.: - Chateau roux. - Grenoble. - Saint Sever. - Rouanne. - Luxembourg* - Nantes. - Cahor& - Angers. - Chalons, - Verdun. - Bruges.* w Nancy.* - Vendome. ~ Parentruy- - Mctz.* - Never*. - Bauvais,*' - Liege. * pegart- POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. Qsl Departement du Pay de Dome Dep. ucs Pyrennees Dep. de bas Rhin • * Dep. du Rhon . . . Dep. de Sambre et Meuie Dep. de Seine et Loire Dep. de la Seine et Marne Dep. de la Seine inferieure Dep. de la Somme . . Dep. du Vas .... Dep. de la Vendee . . Dep. de la haute Vienne Dep. de TYonne * • Dep. de la haute Saane Dep. de la Sarthe • ^ Dep. Seine et Oife . . Dep. de deux Sevres Dep. du Tarn . . . Dep. de Vauclufe . . Dep. la Vienne . . . Dep. de Vofges • . • in Clermont. - Tarbes. - Straibourg.- - Lyon.* - Namuiv* - Autun. - Melun. - Rouen. . - Amiens. - Toulon* - LucjonJ* - Limoges.* - Auxerres.* - Vefoul.* - Mans.* - Verfaillcs. - Niort.* - Alby.* - Carpcntrus*. - Poitiers. - Epinal.*- Befides the three central fcbools in Paris, uinetv 0'2 PRIMARY^ CEtfTKAL, AND ninety feven are intended for the depart- ments, of which fifty-one are organized^, and forty are yet unorganized. Different teachers are dill wanting in fame of the organized fchools ; for example, at St. Giron's, in mathematics and phyfics. In Tulli, all the teachers are wanting, except thofe of drawing and grammar. In Mon- telimart, there are only two, one in natural hiftory, and the other in mathematics. ■ In Chateauroux, there are none in phyfics, or in the whole third -fe&ion. In Puy, there are none at all in the firft clafs. In Porentrny, Anvers, Nevers, Pau,,Autun, phyfics and chemiftry are quite negledled, for want of profeflbrs. Collections of inflruments and libraries are wanting in many. There are no teachers of the foreign languages to be found in any. Lalande, fince his journey to Gotha, laft fummer, confefies that the knowledge of German literature would amply repay the trouble of acquiring the language of that country, even to be able to read the books which appear in it. He has POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. Q3 has written to the Minifter of the Interior on that fubjedt, and entreated that perfons ikilled in the German language, may be appointed to teach it in the central fchools. Yet we do not obferve the leaft inclination to learn the foreign languages. In the nar- row 7 circle of my acquaintance, however, I know fome who fpeak German with fluency. Among this number are Mr. Bourgoing, well known by his jufily admired writings on Spain ; Cuvier, Member of the National Inftitute, and profeflbr of natural hiftory; Coquebert, profeflbr of hiftory, and a member of the general department of weights and meafures, a young man of very genteel addrefs, and good education. He recommended the introduction of many foreign articles of utility ; but, in purfu- ance of the Minifter's advice, he went to Italy, where he exchanged his pen for a fword, and is now a good foldier. I have already remarked, that morality and geography are not ordered to be taught in the central fchools. One teacher is Q4 PRIMARY, CENTRAL, AND is only appointed for Latin and Greek, to which he devotes two hours each day, the age of the pupils being from twelve to fourteen. But in fo fhorta time, pupils of that age can- not be expcdledto make any great progrefs in the acquisition of thofe languages. I have heard many of the beft philologifts in Paris complain, that ancient literature is very little attended to, not to fay quite neg- lected. In fome countries, it is prized be- yond its value, and in others, it is depreffed beneath it. In my opinion, the lovers of fcience ought to know at leafi: as much Latin and Greek, as will enable them to trace the roots of thofe fcientific words, for which we are indebted to thofe .languages. Lectures are read in the central fchools ; but no books are prefcribed. to the pupils, nor are they called on to repeat what they have heard. I am not quite certain that a youth, from the age of fourteen to fixteen, can be well grounded in the principles of fcience, by this mode of inftrudion. I have been prefent at the public examina- tions, POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS, Q5 ti©ns, and found that moft of them knew fome things in a general way; but that very few were matters of the primary principles of fcience* Towards the clofe of the republican ' year, the Directory appointed commiflion- ers to travel through the departments, in order to examine, and to make a report of the ftate of the central fchools. Many of thofe were my friends and acquaintances, and they aflured me, that in moft places, they found thofe fchools in a very indiffer- ent ftate: even fome of the teachers knew very little of what they profefled. The commillioners faw that it was very necef- fary, that proper books fhould be written, for the ufe of thefe fchools. They la- mented, at the fame time, that, in moft of the departments, the central fchools were little fought and attended by very few. As foon, however, as defe&s can be fup- plied, and proper regulations adopted, with the means of carrying them into execu- tion, it is very probable that thofe central fchools, g6 PRIMARY, CENTRAL, AND fchools, fuch as they are, will be found to be of great utility. The next fchool, but of a higher order, is the Polytechnic School, in the former Palais de Bourbon, where the Aflembly of Five Hundred alfo hold their fittings in a large hall. The pupils are tranflated from the central fchools, after a preliminary exa- mination, in the elements of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, &c. The number of the pupils is fettled at 360, who are divided into brigades, twenty to each hall, under the infpe6iion of the teachers, and a vifltor, or chief infpedior, 'whom they alternately choofe from among themfelves. The common courfcs in thefe fchools re- quire three years, and the fchool is divided into three correfponding clafies. Defhauts- champs, the prefcnt dire£lor of the Poly- technic School, is a profound mathema- tician. Hfe is often prefent at the Te&urcs, and fpares no pains to keep the pupils in proper order. The laft year, he carried a decree that the teachers and pupils fhould wear POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. Q7 wear an uniform of buff-coloured waift- coats, and blue frocks with yellow buttons, on which are infcribed the words, " Ecole Poly technique" Befides the director, there are two adminiftrators, Le Brun and Ler- mina, who are very honeft men. Firji Year, or firjl CJafs. In this clafs, the higher algebra and analytic geometry are taught, together with that part of geometry which is particularly applicable to the pra&ice of ftone-cutting, carpenter's work, fciagraphy, orfhadowing, perfpe6live, and the conftrucftion of maps. The teachers are Monge, who is now in Egypt, and his affiftant Hachette. The chemiftry of Fourcroy is alfo explained in his clafs, by Salternes. Hafenfratz le6lures on general phyfics, including mechanics, and the other parts of phyfics, which are found neceflary in mechanical employments. Second Year, orfecond CJafs. The arts of laying out roads, ere&ing liridges, building, and all that relates to F houfe- Q8 -PRIMARY, CENTRAL, AND houfehold furniture, are taught by La- garde and Dubois, The fcience of building, or any peculiar fiyle of architecture is taught by Gay and Vernon. - Prony and Fourier, explain hydroftatics, hydraulics, and mechanics. The chemiftry of the organic, vegetable/ and animal fubitances, are taught by Ber- thollet and Chauffier. The former is at prefent in Egypt. Third Year, or third Clafs. Fortification is taught by two officers of the engineers. The cqnftru6Hon of fuch engines as re- late to mechanics, are explained by Prony and Fourier. The chemiftry of minerals, metallurgy, and mining, are taught by Guiton de Mor- veau. Lagrange befides, reads Iedlures on dif- ferents parts of the mathematics, particu- larly tl e analytic. There are three draw- i g mafters. The Polytechnic School is kept in very proper POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. QQ proper order ; it contains a good philoso- phical apparatus, in three rooms on the third ftory. In the firfi: room, are three ovens or ftoves, with glaftes, to make expe- riments on "the nutrition of plants by gafes, and many conveniences for the profecution of phyfical and chemical refearches. In the fecond room there is a large col- lection of mechanical and hydroftatical, op- tical, agronomical, electrical, and magne- tical inftruments ; moll of which belonged to Nollct, and Sigard de la Fond ; and they are kept in good order, and well ar- ranged. Among the few Englifh inftruments, I obferved there, was an excellent air pump on Smeaton's plan, improved by Nairn. This formerly belonged to Lavoifier; but, &s it had only one tube, he exchanged it for one with two, which, though more quick, does not evacuate the fame quantity of air in a given time. There is on the fecond floor, a hall highly decorated, which is filled with a great number of inftruments F 2 and 100 PRIMARY, CENTRAL, AND and models, many of which ought to be in the firft. A perfon is appointed to keep thofe inftrumefits in order, and to arrange the new ones. The pupils have accefs to them when they pleafe. This Polytechnic School has a very^neat and good library of about ten thoufand vo- lumes, of the chief works on the different fubje&s taught in this inftitution. It is open, for the ufe of the pupils, fome hours every day, and on the decades the whole day. It is constantly confulted by the ftu- dents, of whom I have often found from twenty to thirty in it at a time. In a room, fet apart for that purpofe folely, there are models of machines, fome of which are very interefting and ufeful ; but others are of little value, and indifferently executed. It may be only called the be- ginning of a collediion of that kind, which will be fupplied by degrees, with models of machines of more importance, and better work «{hip. AU thefe models, machines, and philofo- phical POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. lOl phicul inftruments, may be faid to have coft nothing, having been partly taken from the former public collections, and partly from the royal philofophical and mechanical cabinets, or from thofe of the emigrants. Three rooms are fet apart for architec- ture alone. In the firft, was ftereotomy, which, in the fcientific language of the Po- lytechnic School, fignifies that part of ftone- cutting, on which Frezier and De la Rue have written fo much. The theory and rules of proje&ion are firft ftudicd ; as when afolid body, of a given figure, is to be cut, according to plans or fchemes of a given pofition, fuch as a cylinder to be cut by another cylinder^ or by two cylinders; or when a body, of which one end is a circle, and the other an ellipfis, is to be cut by a given plane, there to define the curve lines of the projection ; or, on a kind of cone, the bafis of which is an ellipfis, to define the fedtion, which will be a circle. F 3 Thefe 102 PRIMARY, CENTBAL, AND Thefe, and many other ftich problems, are executed from models remarkably good. This ilereotomy, together with defcrip- ii'/e geometry, are cultivated with a great deal of zeal and induftry.* I will not fay that the pupils fliould be ignorant of thefe * In the fame fchool, defcriptive geometry is taught, ■as well as the art of reprefenting on paper, objects •which have three dimenfions by two, It were to be wifhed that the learned author had employed the art he here mentions, in explaining the above fedtions of folids, which 5 at the heir, are not very eafy of digefdon. It feerns fcarcely fair m him to expect ordinary, or, I may venture to fay, even mathematical readers, to underftand from mere words, a fnbject in which we fee the French geo- metricians very properly employ both figures and models, to affift the imagination. Csefar's, merely verbal, defcription of his bridge over the Danube, is fcarcely intelligible. But when a man lees a figure, and itiil more a model of it, he is ready to defpifehhnfelf ibr not having underftood fo very fun pie a ftruclure, by a (ingle hint. In my opinion, the fblid fediions mentioned in the text, are far more difficult to be apprehended, without fuch affiiiance, than Csefar's bridge. But I have tranfiated the paffage literally, and mufl leave the reader to make the beft he can of it, as I have done« — Tra?iflatot\ things, POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. 103 things, nor will I deny that, the know- ledge of them may be found ufeful in many rcfpecls, particularly in the conitru6tion of charts and maps, defigns in architecture, and mechanics, &c; but I think I may venture to affert that they coft more time and application than they deferve. The fecond architectural room was en- tirely appropriated to ftone- cutting, or the determinative formation of certain figures. They make uie of a compofition of ftone to form models of portals, gates, bridges, &c. which the pupils mutt work themfelves. Mod of thofe models were very neat, and on the whole well executed. Their height was from eight to iixteen inches. The third room contained models of all the orders of architecture ; and of entire facades, buildings, palaces, and temples. There is a perfon in the fchool, who models with great exacftnefs and elegance. The drawing or defigning fchool is a fine long faloon, to which the light enters from above. It is divided into three clafles. F 4 Th* 104 PRIMARY, OENTXAL, AND The firft is confined to the drawing of heads, hands, feet, &c. ; in the fecond, whole figures are drawn after defigns ; and in the "la ft from the life, and from fine mo- dels in gypfirm, of which the fchool has a •-.remarkably, good collection. Some very ..fine defigns of tile pupils are hung up in -Jaoth. The Polytechnic School has two very large :and fine chemical laboratories, befides two of inferior extent, and fome mechanical workfhops. The director and adminiftra- tor have lodgings, at free coft, in the fchool. As . a ftrangef, I have attended feverai . le&ures, among which was the analytic, .by Lagrange. Whatever this great man fays, deferves the higheft degree of con- iideration ; but he is too abftraft for youth. In the examination of thefe lectures, it has been found, that he has difcovered a new demonstration of the firft principles of the , differential calculus; and his Solution des equations numhiques^de tons les degrts, Pa- ris, 17 Q7, merits attention. I have POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. 105 I have heard Prony's hydraulic le&ures, particularly on the motion of fluids through pipes, and on the undulation of water. This extraordinary man has the mod im- preffive and captivating delivery, which can poffibly be conceived. In the courfe of the laft year, he printed a text book of his ledtures, containing theorems and prob- lems, relating to his fubjedts, and a Iketch or Skeleton of the lectures themfelves. In the 7th year, Prony began a courfe, iiv which he propofed to demonstrate hydrau- lic theories in general. I bave heard fome of thofe lectures, which were excellent ; but I fear that few of his hearers (about twenty in all) will be able to keep pace with him. I have heard Fourcroy read on the fer- mentation of wines, and on the nature, quality, and preparation of alcohol. He made different experiments, to fhew that the flame of burning alcohol contains a variety of. colours, fuch as purple, violet, and green ; the laft of which appeared on F 5 mixing 10(5 PRIMARY, CENTRAL, AND mixing with it a folution of vitriol of cop- per. Fourcroy's delivery is fine, orderly, and emphatic ; but perhaps a little too rapid,, for fome youths beginning the ftudy. When he had finished, he proceeded, in purfuance of a certain order, to examine from eight to fixtecn pupils. I have heard Hafcnfratz ledlure on elec- tricity, lightning and thunder. He con- cluded with an hiftorical detail of all the fyftem s of electricity ; but paffed over Sytn- mer's theory, or the dualiftic fyftem en- tirely. He adopted the theory of Epinus, which was become prevalent in Paris. Hauy has fince attacked the fyftem of Epi- nus, relative to electricity and magnetifm. He denies that the peals or claps of thunder proceed from the eledric fpark, which flies from one cloud to another, and burfts or ftrikes through the interjacent air, and in- iifts that it comes from a vacuum, produced by the condenfation of exhalations, which are converted into rain : if fo, there never would be any peals or claps of thunder, which POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. 107 which would not be accompanied with rain. I have alfo heard Hafenfratz lecture on machines. The obje6t of thofe lectures ought to be whatever relates to machinery, pra&ical mechanics, and the different modes by which the motions of the machines can be made to produce the different effe<5ts, fo as to attain the obje6t. I have not heard enough of thofe lectures to enable me to fay, how far this object may be attained. Hafenfratz is deficient in delivery. Once in each decade, he conducts his pupils to fee the machines, the management of the ma- nufactures, the rooms where the arts are carried on, and where mechanics work. I accompanied him, in one of his mechanical excursions, which are exceedingly ufeful, and furnifh the pupils with ideas, which they could not obtain in le&ure-halls or li- braries. It was peculiarly enadted, that each of the pupils fhould have 1200 lines • vear, but this was decreed in the times of the F 6 affignats ; 108 PRIMARY, CENTRAL, AND affignats: fo that thofe 1200 livres ia paper yielded very little money, and not- vvithftanding the affignats are called in, the pupils received little more than 200 livres a year, which amounted in the whole to 72,000 livres a year annually. The Mi- nifter of thelnterior, in the feventh year, de- fired the fum of 394,.J33 franks, for the ufe of thePolytechnic School ; and certainly the pains and expence of the Government are -well beftowed on an inftitution, which wili fuFriifh the ftate with fo many public fer- vants, and ufeful fubje£is. When the le&ures are clofed, which happened this year in Brumaire, there is an examination of all the pupils who have finifhed their courfe, and who would wifh to enter into the fchools deftined for the .accomplifhment of candidates for the pub- lic fervice, in the conftm6lion of roads and bridges, (hip-building, &c. or of thofe who would wiih to become matters in other ufeful ans. For the prefent examination, the Dire&ory appointed Laplace and Bof- fut. POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. 1Q§< fut. The firft examined the ftudents in the analytic fciences, and the other in mecha- nics. Thofe who were to be examined were called up in order, and were obliged to demonstrate without book the propofed theorems, and to folve the problems on a black table ; which was conlideredat once as a proof of talents and readinefs. Laplace propofed queftions in feries, logarithms, and curve lines, in that part of algebra which is applicable to geometry and trigonome- try, and in the differential and integral cal- culi. He propofed tvery queftion with much perfpicuity and precifion, and gently recalled the pupil to the jright point, if he* happened to wander from it. BofTut, in another room, examined in mechanics^ ftatics, hydroftatics, hydraulics, &c. I found moft of the pupils anfwer very well, and J with great readinefs, diffi- cult problems of the higher mathematics. But it muft not be expe&ed, that amongft fo many, fome would not be found of mo- derate and fome of indifferent talents. Defhauts-^ 1 10 PRIMARY, CENTRAL, AND Befhautschamps, the dire&or, told me 3 that Laplace, on the whole, was not well fatisfied, and that fome of the pupils were not entitled to that atteftation, by which alone they could be admitted into the Schools for the Public Service. He la- mented, and not without reafon, that. in thofe examinations, the young men were left without any occasional affiftance to their memory or conception, efpecially when they found themfelves bewildered in algebraic calculations. It is certain, that a wink would often fet them right, pro- vided they had underftanding and know- ledge enough to avail themfelves of it, which in itfclf would be a proof that they had not mis-fpent their time. I informed Deshautschamps, that with us public exa- minations were held in gunnery, naviga- tion, land-furveying, &e.; that part of thefe examinations was by word of mouth, and part in writing, that all the abltrufe theo- rems and problems were propofed in writ- ing, to which the candidate was required. to POLYTECHNIC SCHOOLS. Ill to give written anfwers, and that this me- thod allowed him time to refledl on the fubjecft, to arrange it in his mind, and to rcvife and corre6l his piece as often as he pleafed. Defhautscharnps highly approved of this mode, and faid he would fpare no pains to have it introduced* Thefe exa- minations were public, though I very fel- dom found that foreigners, and thofe who were not in fome meafure connected with the Polytechnic School, were prefent. LETTER %\Qi SCHOOLS FOR LETTER VI. SCHOOLS FOR PUBLIC SERVICES, VIZ. FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS AND BRIDGES, FOR MINERALOGY, GEOGRA- PHY, SHIP-BUILDING, ARTILLERY, FOR- TIFICATION, NAVIGATION, &C. SchooLhoufe formerly a Vol ace — Colleftvm of Models — Library- — -Courfe of Study and Sa- lary of the Students— Mineralogical School and Collefiion — Profejfors — Laboratory — Learned Ladies^ not" always pretty and neat — Gravimeter, not equal to a good hy- drojiatlc Balance — hiftrument for meafuring the Angles of Cryftals — lnjlrument for afcertaining fmall Degrees of Magnetifm and Ele&ricity — Geographical School — School for Naval Architecture — Marine Depofitory — Artillery Schools—^ Fortifica- tion School — Marine Schools. IN the preceding letter, I have given an account of the Central Schools, and of the excellent management of thofe called the PUBLIC SERVICES. 113 the Polytechnic. When any one has punc- tually attended the Polytechnic fchools for a term not lefs than one year, and under- gone an -examination, he is then admitted to fome of the " Schools for Public Ser- vices ;"" or, as they are fometimes called, " Schools of Application." The pupils, foon after their appointment, obtain a fmall emolument, and afterwards pafs from thence to the fervice of the ftate, when an opportunity occurs. Thele Schools of Ap- plication are for the confiru£iion of roads and bridges, for mineralogy, geography, Jhif- building, artillery, fortification, and nautical affairs. The School for conftfu&ing Roads and Bridges, is fituated in the Rue Grenelle, and was formerly a palace of the Duke de la Chatel. It is difpofed and embellifhed with confummate tafte and magnificence ; and contains a number 6f excellent apartments : theftyle, indeed, of the building, efpecially of the twofalodns in front, is not very con- fident with the mbdefty of a public fchool, but 114 SCHOOLS FOR but this congruity would be dearly pur-* chafed^ by reducing the grandeur of the edifice to a level with its prefent ufe. Fru- daine was, in the time of monarchy, the firft founder of this fehool. Peronnet, au- thor of an excellent work, entitled " De- fer ipt ion des Projets et de la ConjiruBion des Fonts * has finee greatly contributed to its improvement. The bulls of both thofe able men, the firft of bronzed platter, and the other of marble, are fet up in the fchool- room. Two of the apartments are appropriated to the mufeum, in which are not only draughts, but alfo models of buildings and machines, which relate in any refpedl, to the conftrudtion of roads and bridges, fuch as all ibrts of rammers for driving vertical and inclined piles, five different models for * The iirft edition of this work confuted of two volumes In folio ; the fecond ami improved edition is in quarto, and the -improvements have been printed in folio, for the accommodation of fuch as were in poifeiTion of the fiift edition. fa wing PUBLIC SERVICES. 115 (awing piles under water, in imitation of an Englifh machine, which is very iimple, cheap, and certain in its effects ; various models of machines for railing water, o{ forcing pumps, and of fluices for canals ; alfo models of the moft remarkable bridges on the large rivers of Europe, of bridges formerly built in France, chiefly by Peron~ net, and of the Pont Neuf 'at Paris, which is built very flat, and is uncommonly ftrong ; models of the bridges at Neuilly, Nantes, Orleans, Branoi, Nonnettes, Bicherot, &c. together with draughts and models of every thing that relates to nautical archi- tecture, fome of the moft remarkable of which are the caiflbns at Cherburgh. Thefe have not fulfilled the public expec- tation ; becaufe, as" Prony fuppofes, they have been badly executed. Though, how- ever, the bafons are fmall, and completely filled, yet the anchorage within the cones is tolerably fecure. All thefe models of thefchool for the conftructing of roads an d bridges are neat, accurate, and excellent ; they are placed in the moft beautitul order, and 11 6 SCHOOLS FOR and there is in no country whatever, a finer and more complete colle&ion. The fchocl has a fine- library of about two thoufand five hundred volumes of good mathematical treatifes, chiefly relating to hydroftatics, hydraulics, water- works, roads,, and bridges. In the four rooms for in- ftru&ion, the ftudents are taught the ele- ments of phyfics and mathematics ; and to draw plans and fketches of roads, bridges,, canals, harbours, and all kinds of buildings conne&ed with them. They alfo learn to fuperintend the a<£kial construction of buildings, to manage the expences, and take an account of the annual rents. The number of ftudents was fifty, thirty fix of whom had a penfion of feventy franks per month, or eight hundred and forty franks per annum. Their courfe of fludy is ufu- ally completed in two years £ before they quit the fchool, and frequently whilft they refide there, they undergo examinations, and are obliged to refolve problems and ^ueftions, relative to the practical part of their PUBLIC SERVICES. I \f their profeffion. Prony, fhewed me .Tome of thefe queftions; moil oT which were difficult, and related to roads, • bridges, fluices, &c. The folutions were acconv panied by excellent drawings of plans and Tedtions, and with exa6V calculations and circumstantial accounts of the expences at- tending them. The prefent managers are the directors Chezy and Prony, and the in- infpedfor Le Sage, who exert themfelves to the utmoft, in preferving every thing in a fiate of order and activity. The Mineralogical School, No. 2Q3, Univerfity -ftreet, has a large and rich col- lection of minerals difpofed in glazed cafes. The collection occupies fix different apart- ments, and is divided into the three follow- ing clafles : 1. The docimaftic colle&ion. 3. A geographic collection of French mi- nerals. 3. An oryclognoftic or fyftematic collection, illuftratcd by models in wood of the principal varieties of cryftallization, after the fyftem ;und difcoveries of Hauy. The geognoftic collection is; included ip the 1 18 SCHOOLS FOR the three former. There are alfo depofited here collections of draughts and models of mines, and of tools, inftruments, and machines for the ufe of miners. The ap- pointed number of ftudents is twenty, Hauy is keeper of the cabinet of minerals, and Vauquelin fuperintends the chemical department. Clouet is librarian and teacher of the German language. The lectures for the 7th year, or winter of Q8-Q9 are -the following : Baillet, infpc6tor of the fchools, 1 eft u res every firft and fixth day of the decade, on the art of mining. Hafenfratz, infpe<%or, .leisures every fe- cond and eighth day on mineralogy and metallurgy. Vauquelin, infpe&or, lecture^ every third and feventh day on docimacy. Brongmart, the younger, le&urcs every fecond and eighth day on mineralogy. Cloruet teaches drawing, Clouet the German language, And Lefroy defcriptive geometry. The PUBLIC SERVICES. 1\§ The celebrated and learned Dolomleu is both infpedlor and lecturer of the mineral fchool ; but he and two of the beft ftudenis are in Egypt, The lecturers deliver their iaftrudtions in winter only : the fummer being generally fpent in making experi- ments at the laboratory, or in making tours to the various mining diftricts. This fchool has an admirable laboratory belonging to it, under the infpeftion of Vauquelin ; the fame who, in conjunction with Fourcroy, has made fo many noble difcoveries in modern chemiftry. Vauquelin was- not prefent, the firft time I was there ; but two filters of Fourcroy, who live at Vauquclin's, were fo good as to (hew me this beautiful labora- tory. They feemed to be well informed of every thing there, and told me, that they often affifted their brother and Vauquelin in chemical operations ; but the old faying, that learned females are not always the hand'- fomejl and neat eft, was verified in the perfons £>f both thofe chemical ladies. The chearful, kind, and obliging, Hauy refides 120 SCHOOLS FOR refides at the Mineral School, as do alfo moft of the infpeflors and lecturers. On my firft vifit, I found him engaged in de- termining the fpecific gravity of a calcedon by means of Guiton's gravimeter. This in- ftrument is an improved areometer. The body, whofe weight is to be determined, is firft put into the upper fcale above water, and afterwards into the lower under water, and in both circumftances the areometer is introduced, and links to a certain mark, obferved on the glafs or flip of wood af- fixed. If my memory do not fail me, this inftrument is defcribed in Gren's Phy- sical Journal, and is very much like the areometer of Hauy and Nicholfon. It is made either of glafs only, or with a thin piece of metal, affixed by the ingenious glafs-worker Betaly. That of glafs, by which one can determine the weight of twenty gramma, or three-fourths of an ounce, cofts thirty-fix franks, or thirty {hil- lings. This inftrument has feveral defe&s. ], Small PUBLIC SERVICES. 121 1. Small articles cannot be weighed by it. 2. It is very difficult to determine whe- ther the mark is above or under the exa£t furface of the water, 3. The weight eaa fcarcely be determined, to any certainty, nearer than one-fixth or one eighth part of a grain. Jn my opinion, the fpecific gra- vity of bodies can be determined with greater accuracy, by means of a good hy- droftatic balance. The figures of cryftallized bodies were inveftigated, and in fome degree deter- mined by Deliile. Hauy has fince thrown much light on the fubjech He has con- 1 trived an inftrument for meafuring the an- gles of cryftals, which confiits of two fmall wires moveable about), a. fine pin. The one carries a finely graduated - feas- or anglc-meafurer, and the bthe£ extends - over the icale ; fo that when the angle .. of the cry ft al is included between thofq;two? wires, the fcale mealurcs a fpace equal to • the vertical angle. There is alio a mecha- I nic#l contrivance, which fixes the limbs till G the "122- SCHOOLS FOR the inftrument be taken off the body, in or- der to obferve the magnitude of the angle. Hauy has difcovered a method of deter- mining the forms and angles, not only of particular falts, but alfo of ftones, earths, and metals, and he has exhibited beautiful fpecimens of this method, as pra6tifed on fubje&s in his own colteflion. He took a regular piece of quartz:, and, from different examinations of the exa6l meafurement of the fpace it occupied, immediately derived the.cryftalline ftru6lure of the body, which is two oppofite pyramids, whofe common bafe is a redlangle differing little from a fquare. A man refides in the fchool, whole employment it is to cut in wood, the diffe- rent forms and figures of cryftals, under the diredion of Hauy. Thus has Hauy brought mineralogy, by the figures of its objedls, and his own cal- culations, under the dominion of geome- try. He has publifhed a Journal of mine- ralogy {Journal des Mines) and Coquebert has edited his Inftruffions to the Students at the HUBLIC SERVICES, 123 the School-, but thefe works have not yet reached the hands of the bookfellers. Hauy is at prefent engaged on an ex- tenfive and complete fyftem of mineralogy, in which he gives the character of every mineral as depending: 1, on external appearances ; 2, on the forms and figures of its cryftals ; and 3, on chemical analy- fis and fynthefis. He had feen fome letters and minerals from Profeflbr Abildgaard, in the hands of Mr. Ingverfeu. Both the gentlemen were particularly intereiting to him, and he often teftffied the grcateft re- ipedl for the merit of our countryman. I introduced to Hauy, Dr. Engelftoft, Mr # Horneman, and Mr. Bang; and he feemed very ready to render any fervice in his power to this promifing young man. The Danifh minerals prefented to him he b is already analyfed, and has determined not only their phyfical, but their geometrical, properties. Hauy had a pair of fmall inftruments for G 2 afcer- a 24 SCHOOLS FOR afcertaining minute degrees of magnetifm and elediricity. On a fmall round ftand is fixed a well turned fteel pin, an inch in height ; and on this point, or pin, is placed a moveable needle, repeatedly magnetifed, and about two inches in length. He took different iron ores, which he arranged in a flraight and apparently exa6l line, coincid- ing with the required polar line, making thereby, in fa£t, a collection of feveral final! and weak magnets. When, for inftance, the cryftallized iron ore from Norway is ufed, in order to afcertain the fmall degree of eledlricity, a brafs needle is put inftead of the magnetized one. Before the needle and in a line with it, muft be laid a piece of rofin barely electrified, and over it a ftick of fealing wax. This is a negative ele&ric; and, fince every body which corned into a negatively ele&ric atmofphere, be- comes pofitively ele&ric, the needle will be pofitive. Hauy fhewed me very clearly that different kinds of ftones, by being heated, PUBLIC SERVICES, 125 bcated ; become elccftric, fhowing the pofi- iive ele&ricity by repelling the needle, and the negative by attracting it. Before I clofe this account of the Mine- ralogical School, I muft obferve, that this was to be only a theoretic fchool ; that a practical fchool was to be eftablifhed in a mining diftrici ; and that Giromagny, in the department of the Upper Rhine, was the place fixed upon ; but this fchool has not been yet organized. The Mine- ralogical School at Paris has, in the mean time, been regulated and modified in fuch a manner, that it unites the objedls of a theoretic and a practical fchool. There is annually publifhed, by the profefibrs of this inflitution, a very important work, en- titled " Journal des Mines" The Geographical School, under the di- redlion and management of Prony, is at- tended by twenty ftudents, who are taken from among fuch as have completed their eourfe in the Polytechnic. Here they are taught every branch which relates to the G 3 meafurc- 126 SCHOOLS FOR measurement of land, the drawing of maps, and fuch problems as occur in trigonome- try, aftronomy, and. mathematical geogra- phy. The ftudents then proceed to a finifhed method of planning, and to make aftronomical obfervatioos, which they ap- ply to the determination of latitudes, lon- gitudes, and meridian lines ; and to the conftrudlion of geographical maps. The ftudents undergo an examination in all thefe fubje&s, before they quit the fchool. The School for Naval Architecture is in the Rue Dominique, No. 10l6. This in- ftitution exifted at Paris long before the Revolution, and the managers admitted whomfoever they pleafed. But this cuftom has been altered, and no one can be now admitted, who has not firft ftudied at the Polytechnic. The ftudents have each 3 500 francs pen annum, and are taught mechanics, hydroftatics and hydraulics, as far as they relate to naval affairs ; to draw plans and fcdlions of (hips of war, to give an exa& account of their expence, and even to PUBLIC SERVICES. 127 to fuperintend the building of them. This fchool is obliged to admit annually, from among the private merchants, five pupils who are alfo inftrudted in naval architec- ture. The fiudents had formerly their drawings at the Louvre, where the National Iniiitute is now held, and where is ftill to be feen a collection of naval models. But in lieu of this place, they have at prefent a General Marine Depofitory, in Rue Vendome. This fituation is a much finer ore, and the pre- fent depofitory contains a more elegant and ufeful collection of naval models and draw- ings. Borda and Dudin are diredlors of this fchool, and Laplace is the examiner, Tilts is profeffor of mathematics, and Po- met of architecture. Deparcieux ledlures on phyfics, and Fourcroy on chemiftry, and Daubenton teaches the itudents draw- ing. I muft confefs that there is too much of phyfics and chemiftry delivered here, when it is confidered, that the fludents are from twenty to twenty-four years of age, G 4 and 128 SCHOOLS TOT, and have attended to both fubjedls, not only in the Central School, but alfo in the Polytechnic ; fo that they rnaft have ne- cefiarily acquired liifficient knowledge of them 3 and their ftudies might now be more advantageoufly conducted, than in attend- ing to thefe fciences a third time. Artillery Schools. The great prepara- tory fchool, for ftudents in artillery, is at Chalons fur Marne. The directors of the fchool are a chef de brigade and a chef de haitaillon. There always refide in this fchool two captains of artillery, a lecturer on phy- fics and ehemiftry, two on mathematics, two on fortification, and a drawing matter, Laplace is the prefent examiner. Thofe fhidents who wifh to enter into the artil- lery fervice, are obliged to ftudy for at leaft two years at the Polytechnic. They th*n enter, after a clofe examination, into the regiment of artillery ; but muft ftill profe- cute a necefiary and extcnfive ftudy of drawings, fortifications, and the warlike preparations connected with the artillery fervice, PUBLIC SERVICES. 129 fervice, in the School of Application be- longing to their refpective regiments. The following is a lift of the Schools of Application, with the places where they are eflablilhed. The fir ft fchool is at La Fere, the fecond at Befanqon, the third at Gre- noble, the fourth at Mentz, the fifth at Strafbourg, thefixthat Bouai, and the fe- venth at Auxonne. In each are a teacher of the mathematics, a private teacher and a drawing mafter ; and every fchool is placed under the infpeclion of a general of bri- gade of the artillery. There are to be two more artillery fchools, one at Thouloufe and the other at Rennes, but they are not yet organized. The artillery fchool at Chalons is to continue in its prefcnt ftate till peace be concluded, when it will un- dergo a new regulation, and it is fuppofed that the preparatory fchool will be re- moved to Paris* The Fortification School] with which that of the Miners is united, is at Metz, and efta* blifhed in the ci-devant abbey of St. Ar- G 5 nould, 130 SCHOOLS FOR nould. The number of pupils is not to exceed twenty: they muft be all taken from the Polytechnic, and, when examined and admitted into this fchool, are imme- diately made fecond lieutenants, and re- ceive the pay due to that rank. Here they are taught to apply their theoretic know- ledge in founding, and actually building, works of defence and fortification, in min- ing and countermining, in defending and beiieging places, in drawing military plans and maps, and in every art and fcience which belongs to the bulinefs of an engi- neer, both in fortified places and in the field. The School at Metz is under the infpe&ion of a general and two chefs de brigade, who all three belong to the depart- ment of fortification. The Marine Schools are eftablifhed at Breft, Toulon, and Rochefort. The ftu- dents are admitted into them after previous examination in arithmetic, algebra, geo- metry, ftatics, and navigation. I have not been able to procure any certain account of the PUBLIC SERVICES. 131 the number of fcholars, or of their plan of ftudy. It was propofed and ordered, that a corvette fhould be annually equipped for different expeditions, with ftudents on board, who fhould be inftru6led in rigging and unrigging a veffel, and taught by prac- tical knowledge and experience, every thing which belongs to the duty of a mariner. But the war has in fome meafure obftru6led the execution of this commendable decree. The Navigation Schools are intended for teaching mathematics and hydrography both to officers in the navy, and thofe of merchant (hips. By a decree of the 30th of Vendemiaire, in the fourth year, " thefe fchools were to continue in the ftate in which they had hitherto been," and the Marine Minifter was directed to eftablifh two other fchools, one at Morlaix and the other at Aries. G 6 LETTER 132 SCHOOLS FOE MEDICINE, LETTER VII. Schools for medicine, pharmacy, ani* the fine arts the french col- LEGE* Medical School — Colle&ions of anatomical Preparations, &c. — Philofophical Appa- ratus — Library^ — Amphitheatre — Lectures * — Students from one Thoufand to one ' Thou fand two Hundred — Free School for Pharmacy — Military Hofpital — Lettures there — Free School for Painting — Na- tional School for Architecture — French College — Lectures there — Public Ajfembly of it, and Proceedings on the Occajion — Hint to Ladies to make themfelves vfeful y by vifiting and attending the Sick. THE Medical School is very beautifully fituated in Rue des Cordeliers. It contains — 1. A great number of excellent anatomical PHARMACY, AND THE FINE ARTS. 133 anatomical preparations, and imitations made of wax ; 2. A valuable col legion- of chirurgical inftruments ; 3. A ftnall philo- fophical apparatus ; 4. A Targe library, con- fitting of works on phyfiology, chennriftry, anatomy, furgery and medicine; 5. A truly magnificent le&ure room, or amphithe- atre ; and 6. A beautiful chemical labo- ratory and reading room. The lecturers are two in number to each of the following divifions: 1. Anatomy and phyfiology ; 2* Medical chemiftry and pharmacy ; 3* In- ternal pathology ; 4. External pathology ; 5. Natural hiftory and botany ; 6. Medi- cal operations; 7. Treatment of internal cli- nical cafes; 8. External clinical cafes; Q. Mo- dern improvements in treating fuch cafes ; 10. Midwifery; 11. Medlclna Florenfis. There is but one profeflbr in each of the remaining divifions. 12. Hiftory and de- fcription of rural accidents; 13. Medical bibliography; 14. Materia Medica and chi- rurgical inftruments. — There are befides, a draughtfman and modeller in wax. A room is 134 SCHOOLS FOR MEDICINE, is now building for the library ; in the place where the books now are, the anatomical preparations will be depofited, and more convenient apartments will be appointed for the chirurgical and philofophical inftru- ments, and for the objects of the Materia Medica. This fchool is carried on with great induftry, and the number of ftudents amount to from one thoufand to one thou- fand two hundred. The body of apothecaries of Paris, in the year 1777> were formed into a regular col- lege. They have a laboratory and a botanic garden in the Rue de T Arbaletre^ where lec- tures are publicly delivered on chemiflry, pharmacy, botany, and natural hiftory ; and at the annual clofe of thofe leclures, pre- miums are befiowed on the mod able and di- ligent ftudents. In the fourth year of the Re- public, the college formed itfelf into a free Society, for the cultivation of the fcientific purfuits connected with their profeffion, and admitted members from all the depart- ments of France, and even from hoftile countries. PHARMACY, AND THE FINE ARTS. 135 countries. By a decree of the 3d Prairiak, in the 5th year, the Directory, in a mefTage to the minifter of the interior, approved and confirmed its fyilem of public inftrudtion, and gave it the name of The Free School of Pharmacy. In this fchool are two lec- turers on pharmaceutic chemiftry, together with an honorary profeilbr and an adjunct % two on pharmaceutic natural hiftory, and the Materia Medica, with an adjundt ; and two on botany, with an adjundl. This free Pharmaceutic School confifts at prefent of one hundred and twenty-three regular, and fifty two correfponding, members. A journal is published by this fociety, under the title of " Journal de Pharmacies To the clafs of inftitutions for furgery and me- dicine, is to be annexed The Military Hofp- tal for Liftru&ion in Rue St. Jacques, not far from the National Obfervatory. It was formerly that well known and beautiful building Val de Grace. According to the Programma, or account of the inftitutions, the following lectures were 136 SCHOOLS FOR MEDICINE, were delivered there, in the 7th year, or from the 22d of September, 1798, to the 21ft of September, 1799. The firft, or winter courfe, confifted of, lft, Anatomy, with phyfiologieal obfervations, by Huttier; 2dly, Internal pathology, by Chairon; 3dly, PradHeal medicine, and particularly clinical cafes, by Gibbert ; 4thly. Pra&ical furgery, by Barbier ; 5thly, Natural hiftory, with reference to the Materia Medica and phar- macy, by Perinet. In the fummer half year were explained, lit, Pharmaceutic chemif- try, by Brougniart ; 2dly, Obfervations on gun- (hot wounds, by Dufouart ; 3dly, The difeafes andf fetting of the bones, by Hut- tier ; 4thly, Botany, by Barbier, who takes botanic excurfions with the pupils. Clinical le&ures are read by all the fix^ profeflbrs in medicine and furgery, with medical conferences and prefcriptions in the morning; and, in the afternoon, confu- tations are held, on clinical difeafes, in the amphitheatre. In the lad decade of Thermidor, or ' about T-HARMACY, AND THK FINE ARTS. 137 febout the middle of Auguft, a general exa- mination of the ftudents take place, in or- der to confer premiums on fuch as have diftinguifhed themfelves by affiduity in the fervice of the hofpital, or by attending the lectures and acquiring knowledge. The Free School for Painting is in Rue des Cordeliers. This patriotic inftitution was eilablifhed thirty years ago, and was at firft ■a private foundation for inftru6iing in the principles of drawing, one thoufand fire hundred children, intended for artifts or profeftbrs, but it is now rendered quite ge- neral. Every fir ft, fourth, and feventh day, of the decade, the ftudents are taught arith- metic, practical geometry, ftatuary, per- fpe&ive and architecture; every fecond, fifth, and eighth day, they paint men and animals ; and every third, fixth, and ninth day, they draw flowers and ornaments. Of this fchool there are two directors, who ma- nage its concerns, a cafhier and five lec- turers. The 138 SCHOOLS FOR MEDICINE, The National School for Architecture is at the Louvre, or National Palace for Arts and Sciences, and confifts of a profeflbr of geometry, who, at the fame time, fhowsthe application of that fcience to architecture, and of a profeflbr, whofe bufinefs it is to teach architecture in particular, with its fubfidiary arts. The French College is fituated in the Place de Cambray, clofe to Rue St. Jacques? and is a very ancient inftitution. Lewis the Twelfth, and Lewis theThirteenth enlarged it, and either repaired or new built moft of the prefent edifice. This college is the only inftitution of the kind which has not undergone fome change during the revolu- tion. To give you an accurate idea of what is taught here, I fhall fubjoin a lift of the le&urers for this year, 1799? in the or- der communicated to me by Lalande. Jerome de Lalande is infpe6tor of the Col- lege and profeflbr of aftronomy. All the parts of aftronomy, with their ufe in navi- gation, PHARMACY, AND THE FINE ARTS. 139 gation, are explained by that diftinguifhed in after, or in his abfence, by Francis de La- landc. Manduit, profeflbr of geometry, lectures on that fcience, and on trigonometry and algebra. Coufiriy profeflbr of theoretic phyfics, lectures on the Analyfis Infinitorum, with its applications, particularly to mechanics. Lefevre Gineau, profeflbr of experimental philofophy, gives a complete courfe on that fubject. Boer chart y profeflbr of medicine, explains StolPs aphorifms on fevers and feverifh difeafes. Portal, profeflbr of anatomy, le&ures on the caufes and feat of difeafes. Darcet, profeflbr of chemiftry, explains the chemical analyfis of different fub- ftances. Daubenton, profeflbr of natural hiftory, difcourfes on that fcience, at the mufeum in the botanic garden. Bouchard^ 14.0 CH COLLEGE. >f natural and popular 'itical rights. Levpjque, profeffor of hiftory and mora- 1 enures on the hif- , politicn.1, literary, and phi- uhical, ej profeffor of the Hebrew and Sy~ languagcs, expounds the text of the fourth and fifth books of Mofes. Cauffitt) profeffor of the Arabic, teaches hrs pupils to read and write that language, and to tranflate Lockman's fables, and a part of Bilpai's. moral and political work, Prnlk, profeffor of Turkifh and Per- fian, or in his abfence Sylvefire Lacy r explains the firft principles of the Perfiaa language, Hafez Oder, and the Expedi- tion of Diamis Behariftan. Bo/quillon, profeffor of Greek, delivers philological commentaries on the Prog- nofticon of Hippocrates ; and Gait, profef- for of the fame language, expounds the Co- rotia of Demofthencs*. Dupuh % THE FRENCH COLLEGE. 141 D'upuiSy profeflbr of Latin eloquence, and in his abfence, Guerouh, interprets Tacitus De Oratoribiis. Delijle, profeflbr of poetry, or in his ab- fence, Sells, explains the principles of poe- try in general, and of cpiitles in particular ; he expounds moft of Horace's epiftles, and compares that poet with Boiieau, Rofleau, Yoltaire and Pope. Conrand) profeflbr of French literature, treats of French literature, as compared with that of Greece and Rome, beginning with French fables. Each of the above- named profeflbrs delivers four ledlures in every decade. It is evident, from the nature of this in- fiitution, and of the leisures delivered, that in France the utmoft attention is ftill given to Grecian, Roman, and Oriental litera- ture. But as the youths are only initiated in the languages, at the Central Schools, the profeflbrs, at the French College, are under the neceffity of beginning with the firft principles of language, and of courfe can 142 THK FRENCH COLLEGE. can make but a flow progrefs. Of thefc feventeen profeflbrs, fix, together with the infpedior, live in the College. In the Cen- tral Schools alfo, feveral of the profeflbrs refide on the fpot. By an invitation of Lalande, 1 was prefent on the 26th Brumaire (l 6th November), at a public aflembly of the French College. A meeting of this kind is annually held at the commencement of the lectures. The Auditorium of the College is a large and elegant hall, beautifully painted. The del- ing, in particular, is covered with this fine fpecies of decoration. In the middle of the hall, is a very long table covered with cloth, about which are feats for the minifler, pro- feflbrs, and vifitors. On both fides of the table, there are forms for other hearers ;. but thefe are inconvenient, and rather too far diftant, fo that one cannot come fufficiently forwards. The hall was tolerably well illu- minated ; but fuch a ftrong and difagree- able current of air pafled through it, that the wax candles, both in the chande- lier* THE FRENCH COLLEGE. 143 lie^s and on the table, melted away before they were half burnt, and the meeting, near its clofe, was aimoft in the dark. About feven o'clock came Fraitcis de Neufchateau, Minifter for the Interior, at* tended by the profeftbrs of the college, and he took his feat at the head of the table, on the right of the infpeclor De Lalande. The minifter appeared in his public drefs, and was accompanied by his adjutants, officers, and other attendants. Lalande opened the meeting with an oration, or rather a pr^- le£lio 9 in which he briefly enumerated the le&ures on different branches of fcience, which were to be commenced. He then exhibited a few biographical Iketches of fome of the deceafed ledlurers of this col- lege ; and proceeded to give an account of his aftronomical labours, and of the many thoufands of telefcopic ftars which he had obferved, in conjunction with his nephew, Francis Lalande. Much of his difcourfe was taken up with feparate narrations, which unavoidably produced frequent and abrupt tranfitions. 144 THE FIIEKCH COLLEGE. tranfitions. The biftory of aftronomy can- Hot be unknown to thofe who read the Connoijfance des Temps^ much of the con- tents of which had already appeared in Zach's Geographical Ephemeris : as an inftance* we may mention the account that Dr. Burehardt, who refided a year with La~ lande as a ftudent in aftronomy, had calcu- lated to a day, the orbit of a comet. C. DepiuSy author of Origlne de Cultes, recited fome hiftorical accounts of the Pe- lafgi, in which he introduced rather violent fallies againft kings in general, and againft all ftates which were not republics, inter- larding, however, his philippic with fome ftrong eulogia on Bonaparte, and feveral compliments to Francis de Neufchateau. Molt of the gentlemen who fpoke offered to that minifter fome incenfe of commen- dation, which indeed the worthy man per- fectly merited. But, from what pafled, one might fee that the captatio Venevohntlte exifts in republics, as well as in monarchical governments. Bofquiloln THE FUETtfCH COLLEGE. 143 Bofquillon recited fome aphorifms of Hip- pocrates ; but his delivery was bad, and his voice fo indiftin6l, that I could not com- prehend the whole of bis meaning. Delifle recited part of a poem on Youth, a work on which he is at prefent engaged. The mathematician, Couffin, read a pleat- ing effay on Benevolence towards the Poor and Sick. He particularly wifhed that the Ladies would make themfelves ufefid by vijit- ir t g the fick, and even by attending the hofpi- tals. Gail, profeflbr of Greek literature, recited a tra£l on the Spartan Republic, being part of a work which he intends to publifh : he concluded with feveral tranflations from Anacreon. Gail's genius appeared to much better advantage, in hifiorical and profe composition, than in poetry. The whole hall was crouded with audi- tors, among whom was a party of ladies, who, by clapping of hands, affifted in ap- plauding the fpeakers, and particularly Couffin, who introduced into his difcourfe H fome 140 THIS FRENCH COLLEGE, &C. fome beautiful fketches^and admirable traits of the liberality and tenderncfs of the fair fex. The French College has a collection of philofophical inftruments, the greateit part of which formerly belonged to the old in- IHtution. This college has alfo an obfer- vatory ; but I rauft defer the defcription of it till another opportunity, when I fhall give an account of the great national obferva- tory, and others of lefs note, which I have vilited at Paris, LETTER NATIONAL MUSEUM. 14/ LETTER VIII. THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. Library, Menagerie, &c of this Mufeufn — Its Botanic Garden — Rnglijhfaid to have feized Baudouins Collection, v:hich their Government had promifed to pretext — Gal- lery for Natural Hi/lory — Vaillanfs fru- gal Prefent to the Mufeitm- — Diamond Jio- lenfrom it — Collection of Quadrupeds, Ze- bra, Elephant, &c. — Directorial Palace — Collection of Skeletons — Library of Bo- tany, &c» — Paintings and Drawings of Aiiimals and Plants — Menagerie for wild mid tame Animals — Leffure Room, a real Amphitheatre — Lecturers and Officers — Statues of Linnaus and Buffon—JVanton Outrages of the Mob, at the Revolution— Dead dug up— Body of Turenne, Jlill un- H 2 decay ed) j4 8 NATIONAL MUSEUM decayed, /harmfully expofed — CJtefis Jl'M unpacked, filled with Puriofities from the conquered Countries. rTlHE National Mufeum of Natural hi f- JL tory was formerly . called Jardin du Roi ; but received its prefent name by a de- cree of the National, Convention of the 10th qf June, 1793. One end of it extends to the Seine : it confifts of a botanic garden 5 library for natural hiftory, a menagerie, or colfcdion of foreign animals, and an am- phitheatre, or ledlure room. The botanic garden which belongs. to it is three hundred and twenty toifes, or fa- thoms, long, and one hundred »and ten in breadth. It is partitioned lengthways, thqt is, from its entrance down towards the Seine, by three very fine alleys ; ?nd interfe&ed acrofs by various others, which terminate in th e public promenades, or walfcs. The different fqu are divisions thus formec), are ~ufed for plantations, and are at prefent all uclofed with raiUvork. The grcen-houfe and OF NATURAL HISTORY. 14Q and orangerie were formerly in pretty good order, and feparated into rooms and fpaces. But a new grcen-houfe and orangerie are now additionally ere&ed, and they are very conveniently difpofed. Here is a great abundance of foreign plants and 'tree's, and from hence all the botanic gardens of the Central Schools are fupplied with feeds, and with trees, as foon as they can be tranf- planted. From the fame highly cultivated ipot, the cultivators of land can procure ceconomic and nurfery trees, and even the indigent poor can obtain plants, when they can be fpared. Captain Baudouin, in his travels into different parts of the world, had collected a great variety of natural curiofities ; and pre- iented the whole to the nation, on condi- tion that he fhould be furmfhed with a fhip to convey them to France. The En- gl i(h Government confented that this fhip fhould perform her voyage without molef- tation. Meanwhile the EngliQi had taken pofleflion of the ifland of Trinidad, where H 3 this J 50 NATIONAL MUSEUM this extenfive and famous colle&ion had been left. When Captain Baudouin arrived at Trinidad, in order to bring away his col- lection, the Englifh would not give it up, on pretence that their Government had con- fented to the fafety of the expedition by fea, and not by land. However, this and the former expeditions were not altogether frjLiitlefs; for Baudouin has brought into the botanic garden about one thoufand differ- ent kinds of live plants, befides affortments of feeds, and a confiderable herbarium. The gallery for natural hiflory is a build- ing fituated on the right hand, as you enter the botanic garden from the ftreet. On the fecond floor of this building are four large apartments, where fifhes,birds,{hells,infe6ts, minerals, earths and ftones. are deposited on fh elves, fumiilied with gla-fs fronts. The inner apartment is allotted to vegetables, and contains fpecimens of trees, together with the herbarium of Tournefort. Vaillant preferred, to the Mufeum a part OF NATURAL HISTORY. 151 ©f his birds. Bat feverai perfons, who had certain knowledge of the fa6t, affured me, that Vaillant referved for hirnfelf the molt lingular and curious. The gallery is open to the public the firlt, fourth, and feventh days of every de- cade, when it is crowded by all forts of people, who come there not for inftrudHon, but merely to view the place., by way of amufement. A certain number of veterans and invalids are then ftationed in different places about the rooms, in order to fee that the drawers are not broke open, or the cu- riofities in any manner injured or dcitroyecL Before this regulation took place, a diamond ftolen from thence, in the time of the revolution. Every fecond, third, fifth, fixth, eighth and ninth days of the decade, this gallery is open for fuch only as are deiirous offludying natural hiftory. The excellent Lacepede, who is not lefs .kind and obliging than eminent for erudi- tion, gave me a letter to Lucas, keeper of the gallery, who, with great civility, (hewed H 4 me 1 1 52 &Wtbd£i [ $&ikt I . , ■me every thing that was curious and ite* nWkable in this mufeurn, and particularly ■ the collection of quadrupeds,' which is ne- ver exhibited to the public. Here I had a lecond view of fome lingular objfeSs, which • £ had feen at the Hague one and twCtity .rs before, in : the StadtholderVcbllec- .-, fuch as the fea-horfe, zebra, elephant, outang, and a variety of monkeys. Th'ere are likewife to be feen in this rcru- feuiii, a lion, a tiger, a leopard, art'uncbtti- monly large dog from the Pyrenees, and a fine fkeleton of a camelopard, whofe height from his forefoot' to the top of his crown is fixteen feet. All thefe and many other quadrupeds, and fome large birds, are exhibited to view in an apartment on the third floor, or ira- ther on a part of the garret formed into an apartment. The remaining part of the floor has the appearance of a large hall ; above are fky-lights, and on each fide arc dens for wild beafts. The Directorial Palace, formerly Pahk de OF NATUKAL HISTORY. 1 53 de Luxembourg^ is arranged with the utmofi conveniency and grandeur, and is now the reiidence of the Five Dire&ors. All the window glafs which the great manu- factory at Paris had made for fome time, was ordered for that building. But the Directory had fo much refpeit for fciencc, as to part with whatever glafs was wanted for the cafes of the gallery for natural hif- tory ; fo that this large hall was foon fitted up with all the ftate and magnificence in which it now appears. In the building where Cuvier now refides, is a choice col- lection of Ikeletons of men, quadrupeds, and birds. It mud be obfervecl, that as natural his- tory and botany are almoft unlimited, the defcriptions which I give of the natural treafures of the garden, green houfe, and gallery, cannot but be fuperficial. Two very promifing fiudents of natural hiftory now refide in Paris ; M. Neils Hoff- man Bang, and M.Wilken Horneman, who has publifiied, and received a premium for, his defcriptions of Danifh plants. Both H 5 the 1 54 NATIONAL MUSEUM the gentlemen attend the mufeum and gar- den, and are intimately acquainted with the French naturalifts, Juffieu, Lacepede, La- mark, Cuvier, Brogniart, Thouin, and others ; and they certainly intend to pub- lish their obfervations on the mufeum and the botanic garden. The library, which is on the fecond floor, by the tide of the gallery, contains from nine to ten thoufand volumes, relating to botany and feveral other branches of natu- ral hiftory. On the walls are hung feveral very mafterly paintings of plants and ani- mals, executed by the ftudents at the mu- feum. All remarkable plants and animals are drawn on vellum paper, and laid up in common bindings: the number of parcels of this kind is very confiderable. This li- brary was formed in the time of Lewis the Fifteenth, and has been continual 1)' increaf- ing. It is open every day, excepting decade days, from eleven till two o'clock. The menagerie feems to be feparated into two parts, the one for mild animals, and OF NATURAL HISTORY, 155 and the other for the wild and ferocious. Between two of the long alleys, on the right hand, as one enters from the city, and about the middle of the garden, are inclo- fures of very fine railing, within which arc the mild animals, fuch as camels, dromeda- ries, African oxen, Eaft Indian deer, feveral kinds of ilieep, Angora goats, &c. &a fome of which have even propagated their fpecies in this garden. The other part of the menagerie is for ferocious animals, which are kept on the left hand fide, in a low building with different apartments. Here are a lion, four llonefles, a white bear, and feveral Alpine bears (which formerly had free poffeffion of the ft ate den of Berne, but now inhabit that of Paris,) a wolf, an African porcupine, fea bears, &c. It is re- markable that there is a dog here which continually lives in company with a young lionefs. In a large cage are contained different birds of prey : fuch as eagles, griffins, hawks, ftorks, &c. On the left hand, on H 6 entering J 5t> NATIONAL MUSE-UM- entering the garden,- and .behind thegreea boufe, are feveral buildings. In one of them are two grey elephants from Holland ; and in another, two oftriches, a caflbwary, and fome antelopes. In other parts of the garden . ; are inelofures for land and fea fowls, and three ponds of fpring water for fifties.- The amphitheatre is a remarkable build- ing, whieh faces the garden on the left fide. This lecture room indeed is an amphithea- tre in its true acceptation, that is, the forms are all confh*u(5ted in femicircles, and rife regularly one above another. At the centre below ftands the lecturer. I attended a ledlnre on chemiftry, delivered in this am- phitheatre, by Brogniart. It was difficult to hear and underfiancl him.; but I cannot fay with certainty, whether the caufe was to be looked for in the voice of the fpeaker, or in the conftru&ion of the building. I was, however, rather inclined to afcribe it to the latter, as the voice muft necef- farily be confufed by reverberation. In the OF NATURAL HISTORY. 157 the fame building there is a chemical labo- ratory. The fuperintendants of this mufeum are Juitteu, who is principal diredlor and pro- feffor of rural botany, and the following managers, viz. Daubenton, profeflbr of mi- neralogy ; Fourcroy, of general chemiftry ; Brogniart, of technical chemiftry ; Des- fontaines, of botany ; Geoffroy, of the zoo- logy of quadrupeds and birds ; Lacepede^ of the zoology of reptiles and fifties ; La- mark, of the zoology of infefts, worms, and teftaceous animals ; Portal, of human anatomy ; Mertrud, of the anatomy of ani- mals : Thouin, of gardening ; Faujas, of geology; Vanfpaendonck, of ichnography, and who alfo teaches the ftudents to take iketches of animal and vegetable objects, &c. Cuvier is adjunct in the anatomy of animals. All thefe profeflbrs deliver their public lectures in rotation, and in the fum- rner months only. The other officers con- lift of a principal and tub librarians, two keepers of the gallery for natural hiftory, a gardener 158 NATIONAL MUSEUM gardener and a fecretary. The affiftant profeflbrs are, one In mineralogy, two in zoology, and one in botany. Two Cap- tains conftantly keep guard with their vete- rans at the mufeurn. "Molt of the profeflbrs and officers have a free refidence in. build- ings belonging to this mufeum. There formerly flood in the library of the mufeum a fiatue of the celebrated Bufrbn, of Parian marble^ and as large as life. Dur- ing the jacobin government, it was taken down, but preferved from damage. It is faid that it will be reftored to the former honourable fituation, defervedly due to the inanimate reprefentative of Buffbn, whom the French have generally named the fc- cond Plin} 7 . Juft below the entrance from the city into the botanical garden, and on the left hand, there is to be feen a plantation of trees and ftirabs, which rife up to a consi- derable height, and have a beautiful ap- pearance. In this fine grove formerly flood, under a noble cedar of Libanon, a marble buft OP NATURAL HISTORY. 15$ buft of Linnaeus, the Swedifli natural iff, and the inventor and founder of the modern fjftem of natural hi (lory. This buft was deftroyed, at the time when the peuple fou- verain amufed therafelves with fpi;eading ruin and devaluation. The cedar of Li- banon, either by a cannon ball or fome other violence, then loft its majeftic top. Thofe Vandals deftroyed every memorial and monument, without any difcrimination whatever. They even demolished the tombs, and dug up the bodies, of the moft merito- rious of their countrymen ; not exempting that of the great Turenne himfelf, who had been, more than once, the deliverer of France. His facred remains, in which was ftill vtfible the wound of the cannon ball by which he fell, in the fervice of his country, were treated by thofe barbarians in the mod inhuman and contemptible manner. The mortal part of that great General lay in the mufeum,fhamefully expofed among thefke- letons of quadrupeds and birds ; till it was removed by the orders of Francis de Neuf- chateau, 160 MUSEUMS AT chateau, and placed in an apartment of the amphitheatre, where it is fet upright in a glafs cafe. Before I take my leave of the Mufeum for Natural Hiftory, I mud obferve, that it contains a great number of chefts ftill un- packed, which are full of curious objects brought hither from conquered countries. I have been told by men, who had every opportunity of being well informed, that thofe chefts inclofe a collection as interefU ing and extenfive as that already depofited in the mufeum, in which there is no room for more objedts without additional build- ings. LETTER f ABIS AND VERSAILLES. l6i LETTER IX, THE CENTRAL MUSEUM FOR ARTS AT PA- RIS, AND THE MUSEUM FOR THE FRENCH SCHOOL AT VERSAILLES. The Central Mufe-um, a general Collection of Statues, Paintings, &c — Entrance — Gal- lery of Apollo — Pifture Gallery five hun- dred feet long — Pictures and Statues from Italy, greatly injured on the Journey — Ca- . talogues of Paintings brought from Italy, &c. which greatly exceeded the Author s Expectations — Saloon of La coon 4o be pre- pared — Exhibition of the Works of French Painters, Statuaries, Dr aught f men, and Engravers now living — General Mufeum for French Paintings. 1VTEAR the Louvre, or National Palace •*" for Arts and Sciences, is a building ap- propriated to collections in the fine arts of drawing, 1 62 MUSEUMS AT drawing, painting, and fculpture, under the name of the Central Mitfeum of Arts. All the foreign pieces of art formerly feen in France, together with the paintings and ftatues which have been fince acquired from Belgium, Lombardy, Venice! Rome., and other States, either by the force of con- queft, or by exprefs conditions in treaties of alliance and neutrality, are now formed into one general collection. The large and (Irong fqur-wheeled carriages which brought thofe fubjc&s of art from Italy, are now ftanding in the garden of the Louvre. The entrance to the Mufeum of Arts is from a large fquare in front cf the Lo\ivre, and clofe by a corner formed by this fquare and that palace. All- the way in entering, ftatues of bronze, and bulls of marble, are prefented to view in porticoes. In the frQut room, among other pieces of fculp- ture, are four beautiful eoloffal fluves, which once flood by the pedeftal o\ the flattie of Louis XV. in the Place des ■:;. Be- low FAKIS AND VERSAILLES. l()3 low the entrance into the ftair-cafe are fe- verai ftatutes, which have been brought from Italy, and on the different landing places of thefe noble ftairs, are various fine models of Gibs. On entering the fecond floor there is a large front room, or fa- loon, with fky-lights at top* On the left hand is the gallery of Apollo, containing only (ketches and fome crayon paintings, moft of which were brought from Holland, Belgium, and Italy. On the right hand, is an excellent and Angularly extenfive pic- ture gallery. It is a room of no lefs than five hundred feet in length, and was for- merly filled with paintings, fmall ftatues, bufts, idols, vafes, mechanical contrivances, mathematical and philosophical inftruments, models of buildings; and, in fhort, it was that kind of diibrderly jumble which fome virtuofos are fond of amaliing, in what they call a cabinet of curiofities. This great gal- lery is at prefent undergoing an alteration and new arrangement,. on which account it has been fhut up for the whole fummer. • The l64 MUSEUMS AT The managers of this mufeum announced) on the 18th Brumaire, in the feventh year, 66 that they had made confiderable progrefs H in arranging and putting into proper* " points of view, the paintings produced by " the Flemifh and French Schools, in a " part of the great Galiery, which they " intend opening as foon as poffible ; that iC they will then publifh a new catalogue or " explanation of the paintings in the gal - l6. 90. Death of Clarinda, from Modena. By Lanfranchl (Giovanni). 100. St. Peter and St. Paul taking leave of one another, from Verfailles. By Lelio Orji, of Nov ellar a, who died in 1587. 101. Virgin Mary, St. Jofeph, and St, Michael, from Parma. By Leonardo da Vinci, who died in 1 5 1 9. 102. Virgin Mary and St. Anne, from Verfailles. 103. Por- PARIS AND VERSAILLES. 175 103. Portrait of Jocund, do. 104. Portrait of a Woman, do. 105. Salome, with John's Head, do. By Licinio (Bernardino). 106. A Holy Family, from Milan. 107. John the Baptift, when a Child, do. By Mazzola (Girohmo) who fioarijhed ah oat 1550. 10S. The three Kings worfhipping the Child Jefus, from Parma. By Mola (Pietro Francifco) who died hi 1066/ 10Q, John preaching in the Wildernefs, from Verfailles. By More (Francefco Torbidojwho flour Ifhed about 1500. 110. Charles the Fifth in a pigmy form, from Verfailles. By Pahna (Giacomo) who died in 1596. 111. A Holy Family, from Verfailles. By Mazzuoli (Francefco Parmefano) whe died in 1 5 SO. 112. The Virgin Mary and Holy Mar- ,garetta, from Verfailles. I 4 113. Mary 176 MUSEUMS AT 113. Mary with ■ Jcfus and John the Baptift, when a Child, from Verfailles. 1 14. The Holy Family, do. My Per In del Vaga> called Buonacorji^ wh$ died in 1547- 115. The Mufes and Pierides challeng- ing one another, from Versailles. By Pietro Perufino V antic ci y who died in 1524. 116. Virgin Mary, St. Jerome, and St. Auguftine,.from Verfailles. (By Pietro Berettini d who died in 1588. 31. The Report at the houfe of Simon; This is one of the firft pieces of P. Vero- nefe, and was taken from St. Sebaftian's cloifter at Venice. 32. The Virgin, St. Jerome, and many Saints, from the Saerifty of St. Zechariah's nunnery at Venice. 33. The Marty rdom>of St. George. This piece has always been efteemfid one of. the beft of P. Veronefe, and was taken from the high altar of St. George's church of Ve- rona. 34. St- I ARIS AND VERSAILLES. 185 34. St. Barnabas recovered from his Sick- _ nefs, do. 35. The Rape of Europa, from the Doge's palace at Venice. 36. Jupiter punifhes Calumniators with his Thunder, do. 37. Juno pours out Riches over Ve- nice, do. 38. St. Mark crowns the Virtues, do. 39. St. Antonius's Temptation by De- vils, from the cathedral church of Mantua. 40. A Holy Family, from a private col- lection in the Bevilacqua palace of Verana, 41. Chrift lying in the Tomb, do. 42. Portrait of a Lady, do. By Pietro Vannucci, called Perrugin, wht> died in 1.024. 43. Afcenfion of Chrift ; held to be one of the beft productions of this artift. 44. The Three Kings worfhipping the Child Jefus. 45 The Baptifm of Chrift. 46. The Circumciiion of Chriflt The 186 MUSEUMS AT The four laft pieces were taken from the Benedictine church of Perufa. 47. The Family of the Holy Virgin, ta- ken from the hofpual church of Verona, and efteemed the very teft piece of this maf- ter. 48. ' Mary and fome Saints, who are pro- te&ors of the town of Perufa, from a chapel at Perufa. 49. Mary, St. Auguftine, and St. Je- rome, from an Auguftine Sacrijfty at Pe- rufa. 50. The Marriage of the Virgin Mary r from the cathedral church of Perufa. 51. The Eternal Father, from a Bene- didline church at Perufa. 52. St. Sebaftian and St. Agatha. 53. John the Evangelift. 54. The Apoftle St. James and a Bifhop. Thefe three paintings are from an Au- guftine Sacrifty of Perufa. 55. Michael, the Archangel. 56- St. Bartholomew, the Apoftle. 57. St. PARIS AND VERSAILLES. 18r 57. St. Apollius praying. Thefe three were alfo taken from the Au- guftine Sacrifty. 58. The Prophet Jeremiah. 59. The Prophet liaiah. The above two from the Benedidtine church of Perufa. By Llcinis da Perdon (Giov. Antonio) wh$ died in 1540. 60. St. Lawrence, Juftinran, and other Saints, from the church of Madonna del Orto at Venice : is held to be a mafter piece. By PouJJIn (Nicolai) who died in 1 66 5. 61. Martyrdom of St. Rafmus, from the^ Vatican. By Raphael Fanzio, who died in 1520, 62. Mary taken up to Heaven. 63. The Annunciation. 04. The Three Kings worfhipping thc^ Child Jefus. 65. The Three Kings prefented in the Temple. Thefe four paintings were taken from the Sacrift^ 183 MUSEUMS AT Sacrifty of St. Francis's church of Peru- fa. They sire Raphael's juvenile produc- tions, having been painted when he was but feventeen years of age. Loud Briftol bid for them 80,000 francs, or about 3,340L ilerling. i 66. St. Benedi&, St. Placide, and St. Cecilia, from the.Benedidline" church of Perufa. < 67. The Chriftian Virtues, Faith, Hope,, and Charity, do. 68. Mary crowned in Heaven, after her Afcenfion ; from the Nunnery of Monte- luce, near Perufa. 69. The Athenian School is drawn on grey paper, with white chalk, and ihaded with black. It was taken from the Am- brofian library at Milan, and was the firft iketch of the alFrefco painting at the Vati- can. This is without doubt the fined compofition of the greateft painter who ever appeared. 70 The Transfiguration of Chrift on Mount Tabor, taken from the high altar of St. PARIS AND VERSAILLES. 18$ St. Peter's church at Rome. This mafter- piece isthelaft and moft perfect: produ&ion of the extenfive and prolific talents of the great Raphad. The painter died foon after his entHng on the thirty-feventh year of his age. He executed this piece on the requeft of Julius de Mcdieis, then Cardinal and Vice Chancellor, and afterwards Pope Clement the Seventh. Raphael received for his labour 655 ducats. By Sacchi (Andrea) who died in l66l. 71. St. Remuald, taken from fhe high altar of the church of St. Remuald, was always efteemed one of the beft pieces in Rome. 72. St. Gregory's Miracle,, frbm the Vatican. Tintoret (Giacome Rohifti) who died in 1540, 73. St. Mark liberates a Slave. This is one of the artift's beft pieces ; and was ta- ken from the Fraternity of St. Marco at Venice, 74. Celeftial Blifs. This is only a fketcb : it I go MUSEUMS AT it is a draught of the Urge one at the Doge's palace in Venice, and was taken ^rom a collection of the Bevilacqua palace at Verona. w 75. St. Agnes raifes up the Ruler's Son, from the church of Madonna del Orto in Venice. By Tiziano Vecetti, who died in 1576. 76. Religion, from the Doge's palace at Venice. 77. The Afcenfion of Mary, from the cathedral church of Verona. 78. The Martyrdom of St. Laurence. This is one of the moii celebrated pieces of Tizian, and was taken from the Jefuit's church at Venice. By Mofes Valentin , who died in 1032. 79. The Martyrdom of St, Martinian* from the Vatican. The following are by various artifts : 80. The Three Prophets, by fome maf- ter of the Venetian fchool. It was pur- chafed at Aries. 81. Chrift PARIS AND VERSAILLES. 1Q1 81. Chrift laid in the Grave, painted by Tietro Vanmtcci Perrugino, and taken from the Auguftine church of Perufa. 82. The Eternal Father, painted by Gui- do Reni, and taken from the cathedral church of Pefaro. Eight bas-reliefs in bronze, reprefenting hiftorical circumftances refpe6iing Maufo- lus, King of Caria. 83. Maufolus feized with a dangerous Difeafe, in the midft of his Triumph. 84. His Queen, Artemifia, offers a Sacri- fice to the Gods, and fupplicates them for the Recovery of her Hufband. 85. Maufolus dies in the midfl of his difcorrfolate Family and People. 86. Artemifia gives him a fumptuous Fu- neral, and creels to his Memory a magni- ficent Monument. 87. Charon carries in his Boat the Shade of Maufolus to the Regions of the Dead. 88. Artemifia celebrates his Memory by Poems and Orations. 89. Artemifia reunited with Maufolus. 90. Fame I 92 MUSEUMS AT 90. Fame publifties their connubial Afc fe&ion and mutual Attachment. Thefe eight beautiful bas-reliefs, of fome* thing more than a foot in length, and ra- ttier lefs than a foot in height, were taken from the church of St. Ferrno Maggiore at Verona. They were applied to the maufo- leum belonging to the family of delta Torre. It is to be obferved, that they were exe- cuted by Guillo della Torre, whofe various medals and other productions in bronze are flow known, BUSTS. g\. Raphael's Bull, in marble. Q2. Hannibal Carraccio's Buit, in mar- ble. 93. Andrea Sacchi's Bufl, in burnt clay. 94. Andrea Mantegna's Bull, in bronze. This fecond collection I have vifited more than once. I went there the firft time poflefTed with the idea of feeing fome- thing great and beautiful in the enchant- ing art of painting ; but I muft fay that the works PARIS AS D VERSAILLES. 1 Q3 works of Raphael, Guido Reni, Paul Ve- ronefe, Andreas Sacchi, and other great mafters, exceeded my moft ardent expecta- tion s. Yet I cannot forbear mention ing, that I alfo faw fome pieces which were not at all pleafing to me : but they all exhibit authentic traits of the times, and ought to be there, as they form a hiftory of the art, its progrefs and perfection in defign, colon n, light, fhade, &c. With reipec\ to the ftatues brought from Italy, a plan has been drawn of the order in which they are to be fct up, in a number of adjoining rooms, which arc to be prepared -and embellifhed. In the middle of each, is to be erected a large ftatue of fuperior beau- ty, fuch as Lacoon, the Farnefian Her- cules, the Apollo Bclvidere, Sec. the rooms to derive their names from thefe ftatues, and to be called the Saloon of Lacoon, the Sa- loon of Hercules, &c. &c. the ftatues of lets fize and beauty are to be fet up in thofe faloons. Jn the Great Saloon, or Gallery of the K Central 1Q4 MUSEUMS AT Central Mufeum, where the Italian paint- ings juft noticed are hung up, are annually exhibited the performances of French ar- tifts now living, together with thofe of their pupils. Such a collection was exhibited in the fixth year, for four weeks, commencing on the l'ft of Thermidor, or the igth of July, 17Q8. It confiited of four hundred and forty-two pieces, fome drawn in oil co- lours, fome in water colours, and fome with Indian ink. A collection thus extenfive, and executed by fo many different young artifts, mud necefTarily poffels different de- grees of merit. General Angereau, on the Pont cTArcole, painted by Charles Theve- nin, is a large piece, wherein every thing is of its natural dimenfions, and feems to me to be very well done. Angereau, ob- ierving that the column which is to af- fault the bridge, does not proceed brifkly enough, mounts his horfe, and, with a ftandard in his hand, advances before the column, though oppofed by a hot fire from three Auftrian batteries. His flag and hat are PARIS AND VERSAILLES, 1Q5 are (hot through ; an inferior officer is (hot, and ;dies by his fide ; and a lad, who is a drummer, pulls Angereau back, fignifying his dread of the danger to which the Gene- ral expofes himfelf: the entrance of the bridge is feen, and fome of the wooden rails (hot in pieces. jlpoilo and Urania, very well painted by Charles Meinier. The Death of General Ma rceau, painted by Lejeune, an officer of the engineers, is alfo a good piece. The General was or- dered to poft himfeif in a wood near Hocft- bach : while reconnoitring the wood, he was fhot by an Auflrian chafleur from be- hind a large tree. The place and country around it are drawn from nature, and the whole is well executed. Among the portraits done with oil co- lours, and as large as life, that of Profefibr Charles teemed to me to be very happily de- figned, and well painted. He is drawn in a kind of grey iilk morning gown, in which, I am told, he ufed to ledlure on K 2 ele&ricity. 1q6 museums at ele&rity. In his hand is a folar microfcope, which is a very proper emblem, as he had a reinarkably fine apparatus for optical expe- riments, and his ledlures on that fcience, which he delivered in the fummer feafon, were particularly admired. The ftatuary performances confift of forty-nine pieces. Among them is a buft of the worthy Daubenton, at the age of eighty-three. There are eleven archi- tectural drawings, and twenty-fix copper- plate prints, among which is a fine por- trait of Gemrrti Mar ceau, engraved by his brother-in-law Serpent. This piece Is ex- tremely well coloured. I have to mention in this place/ that there is at this time prepared, at the uninhabited palace of Vcrfailles, €i A General Mufeum for the Paintings of the French School." This mufeum occupies eight large apart- ments, on the upper floor. The paintings have been all taken from cloifters, churches, and collections belonging to the emigrants, and to the former government. The whole is PARIS AND VERSAILLES. lQ7 is well arranged, and has a very good ef« fe6t. Itcontainga number of excellent paint- ings ; but there are alfo fome which have but a moderate appearance, when examined after one has feen the great mafter-pieces of painting which have been brought thithe ' from Italy. K & LETTER 1Q8 NATIONAL OBSERVATORY LETTER X. OP THE NATIONAL OBSERVATORY AT PARIS. The Danes firjl erected an Obfervatory — The Parifian Obfervatory, as a Building — Was decaying before the Revolution — Injured during the Reign of Terrorifm — M. Jeau- rat y an old and able Aflronomer, now thrtift down into a Cellar ' y and ill provided for — The Obfervatory under Repair — Af- tronomical Inftruments, by Dollond, &?£.- — The French have but lately ufed tranft In- Jlruments — Large Telefcope, a mean In- Jtrument, and almqft ifelefs. — Teltfcope with Specula of Platina — An Achromatic \> by Rochette^far inferior to one of the fame Dimenfions, by Nairne and Blunt — - The Pa- ' ris Obfervatory inferior to thofe of Green- : wich, Edinburgh, Copenhagen^ &c. YOU will readily believe that the Nati- onal Obfervatory appeared to me one of the mod interefting places that I had feen, It AT PARIS. 1Q9 It is fituated near the farther end of Rue St. Jacques. The length of this ftreet, from Pant Notre Dame . to the Barrier e, is ] 275 toifes. The obfervatory (lands loOtoifes from the Barrier, on an eminence, and, like the whole of Paris, on a chalky balls. This outlet of the city not being much built upon, there is much open fpace about the obfervatory. It is not incommoded by fmoke and damp, and poflefles a free air, and a fine profpedl. We Danes claim the honour of having been the firft nation in Europe who dedicated public temples to the. fervice of Urania, or, in other words, creeled folicl and durable obfervatories. Who has not heard of the immortal Tycho Brahe'i Uraniburg at Huen ? Who does not know that, after this great man's exile from Den- mark, Chriftian the Seventh, without do; lamenting this lofs to the fcienees. craned the round tower at Copenhagen to be built, and there fitted up an obfervatory for Chriftian Longomontanus, the molt famous K 4 difciple 200 NATIONAL OBSEHVATOAY difciple of Tycho ? The obfervatory at tfc penhagen was finished in 1&37 : and it was not till thirty yearsafter, that the obfervatories of Paris and Greenwich were built, almoft at the fame time. Theeftablifhmentof the Academy of Sciences, and of the obferva- tory at Paris, owe their origin to the anxiety which the great Colbert,* Minifter to Louis the Fourteenth, felt for the promotion of fciences. The obfervatory was erected by the celebrated French artiil Perrault, who has paid more attention to the beauty of the edifice, and to his own fancy as an architect, than to the accommodation of aftronomers. The building confifts of two very large and high ftories y all the floors are in good or- der, and on the roof is a platform or gallery. Under the building are caves of remarkable depth, and which I fhall hereafter particu- * Colbert was a cadet of the family of the Cuth- berts of Cattle Hill near Invernefs. See the Statiitical Account of Scotland, article /^w^r, larly , AT FABIS. 201- larly notice. The : fineft front is theleaft leery as it faces a garden belonging to one of the refiding afironomers, who at prefent is Me- chain ; fo that from the common entrance in Rue St. Jacques, the obfervatory appears to fome difadvantage. This efiablifhment was falling into decay daring the latter years of the monarch) : at leaft fome of the inftruments were fo old, that others, fuitable to the prefent improved ftate of aftronomy and mechanics, had become abfolutely ne- ceflary. Count Catlini, who was at that time Director of the Obfervatory, repre- fented to the Government the deficiencies complained of, and had actually begun to make them good^. But the revolution took place, Gaffini was obliged to quit the obfe.rr vatory, and. the building and inftruments were greatly injured in the times of ter- rorifm. When that direful period of frenzy was part, and the arts and fciences were again > thought of, aftronomy and the National Obfervatory were not forgotten. It is now undergoing a thorough repair, which it K 5 much 202 NATIONAL OBSERVATOEY much wanted; and it is to be fupplieci with inftruments correfponding to the pre- fent perfection of fcience. When I firit vifited the obfervatory, I found below, in a kind of roomy and well furnifhed cellar, a door open, and an old man fittting at a table. Suppofing him to be the porter, I enquired for Mechain, De- lambre, and Bouvard. He told me, that Mechain and Delambr.e were gone to Per- pignans, in order to meafure a bale line for determining a degree of the meridian. The fuppofed porter had papers before him, con- taining geometrical figures and algebraic calculations. I afked him, If he amufed himfelf with geometry and algebra ? "Yes, in part," replied the venerable man, " but chiefly with aftronomy. I was formerly af- tronomer of the obfervatory, but aril now, as you fee, thruft down into this cellar." " Your name ?" " Jeaurat" " And I am Bygge, (r\ m Copenhagen, who highly ef- teeiri you, and am well acquainted with your former labours," It gaye me great pleafure AT PARIS, 203 pleafure to become acquainted with this worthy man, who calculated the Con- yioijfance des Temps from 17/6 to 1787- Jeaurat, who is the oldeft of ail the prefent aftronomers of theParifian Obfervatory, ef- tablifhed and put in order a fimilar erec- tion at the military fchoo), and is the au- thor of thirty effays in the Memoirs of the Academy. It happened to him, as to many more, during the revolution, to be fup- planted by younger rivals of fuperior inte reft, though not always better qualified. This aftronomer,in his feventy-fecond year, has nothing to live upon but the falary of the youngeft member of the National In- fiitute, which is 1,200 francs, two fmall apartments on the ground floor, and a little garden. I requefted him to have the good- uefs to (hew me the obfervatory ; but he declined it, a«d deprived me of ,an oppor- tunity of thanking him. I was then obliged to enquire who fuperintended the obfer- vatory in the.abfence of Mechain and De- lambre ? And w#s anfwered,. Bouvard, ad~ K 4 jundt 20/f NATIONAL OBSERVATORY aftronomer, who lives in a fraall feparate building belonging to the obfervatory, and where Mechain formerly redded for twenty years. Bouvard again unluckily was not at home,, and I was obliged to content myfeJf with- the Citoyen Portier, a follower of St. Crifpin, who, for the laft eighteen months, had made fhoes, waited at the obfervatory, and Chewed it to ft rangers, and I had great reafon to be fatisfied with hisfervice. On the firft floor, apartments are fitting tip for Meehain, who lives at prefent in thofe which Caffini formerly occupied; and on the other fide of the principal paflage^ Meffier is to be accommodated in room?, which are now under repair. There is, on the fame floor, a fpacious apartment for the ufeof the obfervatory, from which is an en- trance to the fide building, where tranfit inftruments, and mural quadrants are fet up, of which I fhall give a more parti- cular account. The whole obfervatory being at this time under repair, the inftru- ments have been laid aiide wherever con- venience AT PARIS. 205 venience allowed. The following; are in a lower apartment : — 1. A brafs equatorial hjirument, made by Haupoir, in 1792* for meafuring the declination, having affixed on each fide a circle of two and a half feet in diameter. It mull: be acknowledged that Haupoir is a good workman, as the divi- fions appeared accurate, and the whole well finifhed : but the inftrument itlelf is by far too complex and troublefome to be ufed in obfervations. 2. A brafs quadrant, by Hau- poir, 1793, of eighteen inches radius, vtry well made : this is generally tried for taking eorrefponding alitudes. The ftand appeared to me to be very weak, and not Efficiently fteady. 3. An excellent agronomical time- piece, by Berthoud, with a pendulum to correal the errors ariling from the influx of heat, which is in fa6t nothing more than Harrifon's gridiron pendulum. 4. A reflect- ing telefcope of five feet, by Dollond. The ftand is exceedingly fteady and ftrong ; this telefcope is fet up like an equatorial inftrument, in order to affift in obferva- tions 205 NATIONAL OBSERVATORY tions taken off the meridian. It is a tho- roughly good internment, executed in fuch manner as might be expe&ed from an En- glifh artift of Dollond's abilities. I re- quefted leave to look through this tele- fcope, which the porter granted me, with greater readinefs than I expe&ed. I tried it on a very remote object, and found it exceedingly good, In this apartment are the bufts of Colbert, Jacob Caffini, Domi- nic Caffini and MaraJdi, all of gypfum. In a fmaller apartment adjoining the large one above defcribed, was a three foot quadrant, made by Langlois in the old French manner. This quadrant has over it a kind of moveable cap, or fha 213 LETTER XL ACCOUNT OF THE NATIONAL OBSERVA- TORY CONTINUED. A Time-piece, by Berthoud, goes welh as do twelve or fourteen by Arnold — Platina well purified, makes excellent fpecula — Story of a Reflector of Jixty Feet, with platina fpecida, a mere Rhodomontade — In- Jlmments of De la Hire, &c. difufed, but as improved by. Lenfonnier — Improvements in the Gbfervatory- — Le Noirs tranfit In- Jlrument defcribed — Mural Quadrants by Bird and Sijfon — Aflroitomical Sector, by Graham. IT was not long till I revifited the obfer- Vatory, though the neareft diftance to itj from the place where I redde, in Rue Honore 514 NATIONAL OBSERVATORY Honore. is half a Danifh mile. After I had paid my refpe&s to the father of the Pari- fian aftronomers, the aged Jeaurat, in his cellar, I enquired for Bouvard, whom I found at home. With all poffible good- nefs and complaifance, he (hewed me the obfervatory, and fuch curiofities as were inacceffible to my afironomical fhoemaker. Bouvard had in his apartment, J^afilver watch, or chronometer, made by Berthoud, and Which belonged to Borda. This had been on trial for fifteen months, and was found to keep time well : it coft one hun- dred louis-d'ors.* I wifhed to fee whe- * In jnilice to an artift whofe merit ought to be better known than it is, I muft obferve, that excellent chronometers have long been made by Mr. Alexander Hare, of Greville-ftreet, Hatton-garden, for lefs than half the price mentioned in the text. Mr. Hare has received letters from his employers in different parts of the world, expreffing the higheft fatisfa&ion with thofe productions of his ingenuity and experience. But fuch is his modefty, that his friends cannot pre- vail en him to make thofe letters public, or, indeed, to take any other method to make his performances known ; and of courfe this note is inferted without his knowledge. — Iranjlator. ther NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. 215 ther it was of the fame conftrudUoti as Ar- nold's chronometer, of which I have from twelve to fourteen upon trial at Copen- hagen, and have found them all keep time excellently; but Bouvard could not in- form me, as he was unacquainted with its internal ftru&ure. I T t1ien defired to have the piece opened, that I might fee the con- traction of it. But this again could not be done, as there was a cap fcrewed down over the w r ork. 2. Coulomb's declination compafs : to prevent fri6lion on the fup- porting pin, the needle, in this contriv- ance, is fufpended by a filk filament, as fpun by the worm. The idea is altogether excellent, but fiill it is not eafy to make the centre of the circle defcribed by the needle iteadily coincide with the centre of the graduated circumference. Befides what I had before feen, and now re-examined, at the obfervatory, Bouvard fnewed me, 1. the platina fpecula of Ko- chon's telefcope. The great fpeculum was very good, yet there were here and there 21 6 NATIONAL, QBSERV ATOXIC. there fome dark fpeckles oa the furfaee of ""it, which were undoubtedly owing to the platina not being perfectly purified before the fpcculum was caft ; as it ftill contained ibme fmall quantity of iron. The little fpeculum, however, was particularly excel- lent and clear, and of a beautiful polifh; fo that there are no doubts left, that excel- lent fpecula for refle I faw a traniit infirumcnt at Greenwich, a dj lifted in the fame man- ner. The only thing which appeared to me to claim the merit of novelty, in theParifian inftrument,was the manner of illumination, A and D (Fig. 2.) are bell-metal gudgeons on the axis A B C D. E F is a telefcope, the objecft-glafs being oppofite to E, and the eye-glafs facing F. At D is an aperture within the axis, half an inch in diameter, and at an angle of 45°, is fixed a metal plate G H, in the middle of which is a cir- cular aperture I, in a line with the axis ER M is a lamp, in a glafs lanthorn, to prevent the wind from blowing it out, in the time of obfervation, or at leaft to keep the flame from agitation, which would make the light changeable and unequal. The light produced by this lamp falls through the aperture D on the plate GH, by which it is reflected in the direction IF, towards NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. 225 towards the threads and eye-glafs at F, and thus the whole field of the telefcope be- comes enlightened. This illumination fhould be greater for "the larger and clearer planets and ftars, and lefs for thofe of an inferior magnitude and luftre, which, by a ftrong light, would become indiftindh To effe6t this, Le Noir has introduced a. triangular prifm of green glafs, refting on "one arm of a lever, the other arm of which is placed towards the obfcrver, and is io long, that he can lay hold of it, and there- by raife or lower the prifm. When the prifm NP is fo depreffed, that the thick part towards N comes between the lamp M and the aperture D, a number of rays are loft, and the light becomes weaker, and calculated for the more obfeure ftars. On the fame principle, if the prifm be raifed higher, the rays will have to pafs through a thin body of glafs, and the illumination will be ftronger, and adapted to the larger and more luminous celeftial objects. The ttarknefs of theglafs, and the intervening L.5 dimen- •'?" 226 NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. dimenfions of the prifm, muft be deter- mined by experience. This prifm was made of light green glafs, like the com- mon glafs for fpe&acles. The depth NP of the prifm was four inches, and itsgreateft thicknefs at N fomewhat more than an inch. This difpolition is undoubtedly well contrived, as well as fafe and accurate in practice. The common method, however, ufed at the obfervatories of Greenwich, Ox- ford, and Copenhagen, by an illumination plate, without the telefcope, which throws the light in through the objedt-glafs, and can be eafily fixed, fo as to caft a greater or lefs quantity of light, is equally good. A defcription and drawing of this method may be feen in my Obfervationes Hafnienfes y 1 7 8 J , 1784, Introduce, c. 2. feel. 18. In the Englifh and Danifh method of illumi- nation, the glafs is clofed and fhut up ; fo that not an atom can enter into it from without : on the contrary, in this French method, the duft enters through the aper- ture D, falls on the illuminating plate GH, and NATIONAL OBSERTATOHY. 22/ and through I, it proceeds to the threads,, and to the object and eye-glades. The fine particles of matter, floating in the air, are more numerous than is gene- rally fuppofed by thofe, who have not had an opportunity of making obfervations on this fubjecl. Thcfe particles will render the thread thick and uneven, and the giafs dull ; lo that annually, or biennially, the Inftrument muft be taken to pieces, and the glafles and thread cleaned. The in- convenience of having the inftrument to- let up again and adjuit, muft be a great obftruCtion, in conducting a feries of ob- fervations, which require an inftrument to be in a perfectly invariable condition. But, though thefe defects are not to be denied, this tranfit inftrument is well executed, and wilj be found a very fine one, when fet up on its proper pillars, which Bouvard told me. are to be of granite. 3d, The third apartment in the fide- building is intended for a mural q ladrant. In the middle of this apartment, a wall h L 6 -now 228 NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. now building, of the common calcareous ftone, generally ufed at Paris. When thia wall is completed, a mural quadrant of eight feet radius, by Bird, will be fufpendcd on its left fide. The limb of this quadrant has a two- fold divifion, namely, into ninety and ninety-fix degrees ; and is conftrufled in the manner described by Bird, in his " Method of eonfiru6ting mural qua- drants, London, 1768;" and on the fame plan with the Copenhagen mural quadrant, of fix Danifh feet radius.* See Obferv. AJiron. Hafnlens. IntrorfuH. p. 54. On the right fide of this wall, a mural quadrant of five feet radius by Siflbn, is to be fuf- pended. This was not in the obfervatory ; but under repair at Le Noir's, where I faw it. The inftrument on the whole was good, but of an old conftru6iion, and more weakly joined than the quadrant of Bird. Thus is this little building (the moft im- portant part of this colofial National Ob- fervatory) provided for the ufe of iome of * Nearly five feet nine and a half inches Engliflv. »— Tnm/lator. the NATIONAL OBSBRVAtOKY. 22Q the moft able and eminent aftronoiners of Europe, Mefiier, Delambre, and Mechain. Bouvard, the adjunct, who laft year difco- vcred a comet, will moft certainly contri- bute his lhare towards making a proper life of thofe inftruments. Mechain and Bou- vard,. who alone live at the obfervatory, make the obfervations, and record them in very exact and well arranged protocols. Mefiier and Delambre told trie, that not being inclined to change their abodes, they have each of them a frnail obfervatory at their own houfes. All the four gentlemen are as kind and obliging as they are emi- nent for their obfervations and mathe- matical abilities. It gave me great pleafure to become perfonally acquainted with C, Mechain,, after his return from meafuring degrees of the meridian, in executing which, he infti- tuted a feries of triangles from Barcelona to Rodes, and, with unwearied induftry, afcertained the height of the pole at differ- ent places, fituated nearly on the meridian of 230 NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. of Paris. Ever fince 1781, I have kept up a regular agronomical correfpondence with him, Lalande, and Caffini, who, before the Revolution, was Comte de Thury, and di- rector of the obfervatory. I obferved that there was one inftru- ment wanting at the national obfervatory, namely, an agronomical fecStor often or twelve feet radius. Lalande gave me to underftand, that there is at Paris an ex- cellent inftrument of this kind, being a twelve . foot fe£tor by Graham, ufed by Maupertius in meafuring a degree of the meridian, and that this famous inftrument will be brought to the obfervatory. LETTER NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. "231 LETTER XII. NATIONAL OBSERVATOE.Y CONTINUED OBSERVATORIES OP THE MILITARY SCHOOL, OF THE FRENCH COLLEGE, AND OF PRIVATE PERSONS. Inftruments for ascertaining the magnetical Variation — Caves of the Obfervatory de- fcribed— Magnetical Variation and Tem- perature in them — Searched for Arms and Ariflocrats — Obfervatory advertifed for Sale — Caffini driven from it, and now in poor Circumflances — Platina fpecula by Carroche — His excellent Achromatic — Pil- lars for the tranfit Inflrument too low — Wall of the Mural Quadrant fpoiled by the capricious Builder — Mechains Agro- nomical Labours — Bouvard*s Comparifon of Arabian Obfervations with later ones —Defective organization of the National Obfervatory — Telegraphs in Paris — Ob- fervatories 232 NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. Jcrvntor'ies at the Military School, and the . French College — Lalande's Merits nctfuf- jlciently acknowledged — Obfer-va tones of Mejfier and Delambre. ^N the 10th Brumaire, 6th year, or 31 ft of October, ] 7Q8, I was at the obfervatory, in company with Profeflbr van Swinden, and ^Enea, dire&or of navi- gation, both from Holland, and Profeflbr Tralles from Swifferland, who, like myfelf, were foreign Commifiioners for weights and meafurcs. Caffini met us there by ap- pointment, in order to fhew us the inftru- ments he had confirudted, and the methods he ufed for afcertaining the variation of the compafs. Before the principal door of the obfervatory, on a terrace, at the end of Mechain's garden, the inftruments of Cou- lomb and Caffini were eredted on a round pedeftal of ftone, on which a horizontal meridian line was drawn, a vertical fe&ion having been alfo raifed on the whole height of the building. Caffini's NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. 233 Caffini's inftrument is a circle of ten inches in diameter, furniihed with a needle of the fame lengthy fufpended by a -filk filament, after the method of Coulomb, and a Nonius at each end points outfingle minutes. Over the center is fixed a ver- tical Hand to receive a fmall tranfit inftru- ment with its level, the line of vifion of its telefcope being made to correfpond with the diameter of the inftrument at Zero. The principal diameter of the inftrument can be fet to the meridian by the telefcope, and the above mentioned vertical line, on the wall of the obfervatory, and by a mark on a wall on the other fide of the inftru- ment ; and its fuperficies can be fixed ho- rizontally by two fcrews below the circle. The angle of variation can be thus found, either directly or by doubling it, as with the circle of Borda, in order to obtain the minutes ftil-1 more accurately. With this inftrument of Caflini/ the variation was ob- fervcd on the 3 1 ft of October, 1708, by the following gentlemen : By 234 4 NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. By Bouvard —— . 22° 13'" Tralles _ 22° 11' Van Swinden _ 22° 11' Bygge n of the 22° itf Mean variatio needle - - . 22° 1 l' 45" C. Coulomb's in drum en t has a needle of twenty-four inches in length, and three- fourths of an inch in breadth, fufpended by a fmall wire. It is not a perfect circle, but has at both ends an arch of about thirty degrees, divided by tangents, and over each of the arches is a mtcrofcope. It was unanimoufly agreed, that there was ibme eccentricity, and that the needle was ac- curately fufpended. Bouvard, with this inftrument, obferved the variation to be 22°12 / ; fo that with both inftruments the obfervations agree v^ry well. Laftly, with a variation inftrument, of a conftrucHon fimilarto that of mine at Copenhagen, and which the meteorological focicty at Man- hcim NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. 235 heim had given to the celebrated Le Cotte r the variation was obferved to be 22° 24', and the excefs of twelve minutes might very well be accounted for from an error of the fiderial parallelifm with the meridional line, which is properly owing to the fudden fri&ion of the agate on the Heel. The juiinefs of the well known preference of Coulomb's method of fafpenfion to the common one, appeared on this oecafion very evident. Caffini went down with us to the caves of the obfervatory, which are very remark* able. The defcent is by one hundred fteps, to the depth of forty feet beneath the furface of the earth. The caves particularly con- fift of feveral labyrinth paflages of four feet in width, and five or fix in height. In mod places thofe fubterraneous paflages are walled ; but in feveral the natural ftone or rock forms the ceiling, in fome places the fides, and in ethers the floor. Thefe caves are in general very dry, but in fome places, either the ceiling or the floor are moift* '230 NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. moift. In feveral parts of the ceiling, drops' are cryftallized into ftone and ltala£tites,and the moifiure on the floor is covered with a flony fcum or membrane. I have feen at Stevens's Cliff, in Zealand, the water, iffu- ing in this manner out of a chalk rock, form a concretion, which fecmed to be flint covering foft chalk. When Caffini was director of the obfer- vatory, he caufed two apartments to be conftru6led, and feparated from the laby- rinth by a wall : one of thefe apartments was defigned for obferving the variation of the compafs under ground. In the years 1783 and 1784, Caffini found no fenflble difference between the variation above and under ground. See De la Declinaifon et des Variations de V aiguille aimantie, par CaJJim, a Paris, \7Ql,p. 24. In the other apartment was a Reaumur's thermometer, made by Bony, under the direction of Lavoifier. Every degree of this thermometer was four inches three lines. Caffini made ob- servations NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. 23/ fervations by it for three years, and found that the temperature of the earth, or heat of the air under ground, did not undergo a greater change than three tenths of a de- gree. Thefe labyrinth caves and large paflages under ground, lead to a grate or iron-doors from which there was, in ancient times, a. communication with the quarries : but no man knows how far, or in what precife di- rection, this paflage extends. This grate was fet up when the obfervatory w T as firft . built. In taking notice of it, Caffini re- lated to us fome of his hiftory in the time of the Revolution, when his going regu- larly every day down to thefe caves, in order to obferve the magnetic needle and thermometer, gave rife to a rumour among the then ruling jacobins and fans-culottes, and which, as ufual, acquired in its propa- gation, confiderable alterations and addi- tions, it was, in ihort, concluded, that provifions, arms, ammunition, and aristo- crats were concealed in the caves of the obfervatory, 238 NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. obfervatory. One morning Caffini was very early taken out of his bed, by three or four hundred jacobins and fans-culottes, armed with firelocks, fwords, pikes, and cudgels, and forced half naked to condudl them down to the caves of the obfervatory, in order to examine thofe fubterraneous re- cedes. Caffini told them that he obeyed them the more willingly, as he was certain the caves contained none of thofe ar- ticles which they expected to find in them; yet he muft tell them before-hand, that the caves of the obfervatory led to a fattened iron-door or grate, which opened into a hitherto unexplored fubterraneous paflage, which, for aught he knew, might communicate with places in the city ; that he was totally unacquainted with thofe paflages, and of courfe could not be an- fvverable for what might be found in them. Not half drafted, and furrounded with bay- onets, fwords and pikes, he was obliged to conduct them through all the caves, and the inextricable windings and meanders of NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. 239 of thofe caves ; and this brave band found them, as Caffini had predicted, totally empty. They finally approached the iron- door, which they found had been forced open, probably by fome mafons and fmiths belonging to the troop, while the reft went in quelt of Caffini. They demanded that he fhould conduct them down into the iiibterraneous paflages in the rock : but he reminded them of what he had before faid ; adding, that he was perfe&ly in their power, but. that he had rather fuffer death on the fpot, than .conduct them down into thofe unknown paiiages, for which he nei- ther would nor could be anfwerable, and that he coolly waited for their deciiion,.. even if his death fliould enfue. The moft.. important among this corps then held a council of war, the refult of which was, that Caffini, guarded by fix men armed with pikes, fliould return to his apartments, and that the reft fhould go down into the paflage or cavern. After they had proceeded a good way in, and found no- thing, <240 NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. thing, they became tired, returned back agfeinj; and fpared the obfervatory for that time. But that edifice has fince been often lecfrched, and the inftruments, aftro- norhical ' fconftruclioiis and apartments of the aflronomers very much injured by fuch vintations. C; Bonvard, though a ftaunch and zea- lous republican^ told, me, that thole van- dals once "took' it into their heads to fell the obfervatory, and actually wrote, in large characters, over the door, PROPRIETE NATIONALE A VENDRE.* The Caffini, whom I have fo often men- tioned, began, in 1784, to improve the ob- fervatory, to procure new and fuperior in- ftruments, and to conduct the obfervations on a better and more accurate plan. He publifhed yearly, from 1785 till 17 9U a number or volume of his agronomical ob- fervations, on the fixed ftars, fun, moon and planets, calculated and compared with * National property to fell. the NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. 241 the beil agronomical tables, in order to ascertain and correal the errors of thofe tables. He fent thofe numbers annually to other aftronomers, and he had the good- nefs not to forget me. He did every thing, in ihort, that could be reafonably expe&ed from an able, induftrious, and experienced aftronomer. In the midit of Caffini's celebrated career, the revolution took place. Hav- ing been fufpe<5led by the tjerrorifts, he was driven from the obfervatory, which he had fo honourably conducted, and not only deprived of his office and income, but confined in prifon above a year ; and he has faved nothing but his life, asd a fmall property, which he inherited from his an- cestors, where this worthy man, with his numerous family, exifts upon a fcanty in- come. In the o^mion of fomc people, the ambition, envy, and egotifm of certain other aftronomers, have greatly contributed to drive both Caffini and Jeaurat from the obfervatory. - M . Among 247 NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. Among other contrivances, Caffini had a foundery built for cafting the large aftro- nomical inftruments, which he intended to have had conftru6ted for the obfervatory. This foundery, when France w T as filled with manufactories of falt-petre, powder, and fire arms, was converted into a cannon foundery. As relics of that direful and alarming period, eight cannons, twelve pounders, ftill remain there. But the times are now fo much changed for the better, that the votaries of the beautiful and paci- fic Urania have now nothing to fear from thefe difpenfers of the thunder of Mars ; efpecially as they are not charged, or fo much as furnifhed with touch-holes. The beft French optician is the ableCar- roche, of whom I (hall on another occaiion give a fuller account. Carroche is the only man who has caft an ^ ground fpecula of platina, which he did for what is called the Hochon telefcope, of fix feet. He had the goodnefs to go with me to the obfervatory, and to (hew me the effccSt of this tele- fcope, NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. 243 fcope, and of one of his newly ground fix foot achromatics, belonging to Borda. The obje6l glafs confifts of a crown and a flint glafs, between which is a maftic effufion {Maftie en larmes). The aperture of thefe conglutinated objedl glafTes, called by the French colUs, is fomewhat more than five inches. The refle&or and achromatic were fuc- ceffively dire&ed towards a piece of paper fixed at the diftance of four or five hundred toifes. This could be very evidently dif- tinguifhed by both the inftruments ; but with this difference., that the reflector not only magnified much lefs, but gave a re- markably brown reflection, and an obfeure and confufed image : and the telefcopes made with the general compofition are found to caft a reflection more or lefs yel- low. Carroche's achromatic not only mag- nifies much more, but has at the fame time very great clearnefs. The paper has its true, and perfectly white colour, M2 On 244 NATIONAL OBSERAVTORY. On the laft day of January 179& I paid my final vifit to the obfervatory, partly with a view to take my leave of Mechain, Jeaurat, and Bouvard, and partly to fee how far they had proceeded with the apart- ments intended for the, traflfit inftrument and mural quadrant. The apartment for the former was completed, except that the pillars, or pyramidic fnijla, defigned to fupport the axis of the inftrument, were not finifhed. Bouvard had told me, that they were to be made of granite ; but, when I approached to view them more mi- nutely, I found that they were too low, and were to be heightened with a piece of marble. Of this joining I by no means approved, and endeavoured to perfuade my agronomical friends to have the pillars made of one piece of marble, or fomc other hard ftone. The ftone floor of this apart- ment had been laid the preceding fummer ; fo that holes were now to be made in it, to receive the pillars. It would have been more NATIONAL OBSERVATORY. 245 more proper either to have had the pillars in readinefs to be fixed when the floor was laid, or elfe to have deferred the laying of the floor till the pillars could have been provided. The apartment for the mural quadrant was alfo ready, and the muriis y or wall, was built. But this wall has three defers. 1. It is not broad enough at top ; fo that a part of the quadrant, from O to 30° in height, is without the wall ; nor is it fuffi- ciently fupported. 2. The pivots, by which the quad rant is to be hung, are fixed fo low, that the nethermoft edge of the inftru- ment would not be a foot from the floor. On this account, no obje Jim de Thury, pp. 200 — 207 : Brojet de N 3 Soufcription 2/0 BOARD OF LONGITUDE, Soufcrlpilon pour la Carte de France, en 1J0 feuilles, fropofe far M. Cajfim de Thuty. The work was begun about the year 1740, and is at this time continued. Thefe maps which, by the bed informed geographers, are called TheCaffinianMaps, arc one hundred and eighty-three in number, and form an atlas of France, fo ac- curate and beautiful, that no other ftate whatever can produce a fimilar work. In the fmall kingdom of Denmark, the Aca- demy of Sciences have at leaft imitated, if not furpafied', this excellent defign : and it is with pleafure I refledl, that thofe geo- graphical admeafurements were the princi- pal labours of my youth, and are ftill carried on under rny direction. The prefent Caf- fini and his aflbciates had almoii finifhed a general map of France, when the revolution took place. I have before obferved, that Caffini was fufpedled of royal ifm and ariftocracy. The ruling party fcized the draughts of the ad- meafurements, drawings, and copper-plates, and AND NATIONAL LIBRARIES. 271 and even the innocent white paper belong- ing to Caffini, and depofited them altoge- ther at the Board of Geography, where they ftill lie, and of which, for the prefent at leaft,- no impreffion can be obtained ; fo that the Caffinian maps will, in future times, be a rare and fcarce collection. Caffini com- plains bitterly on the fubjedl, and hasffiewn me copies of feveral petitions to the Govern ^ ment for reparation. It is poffible that go- vernment may have good and fufficient reafons for preventing the circulation of thefe charts, while internal commotions are apprehended ; but, on the other hand*- equity and juftice require that the property of Caffini and his affociates fhould not be- x injured, and that the lofs they have f at- tained fhould be made good. The Nat 'tonal 'Library , formerly the King's-- Library, is fituated in Rue de la Loi, for- merly Rue Richelieu, oppofite to the great Opera-houfe. The fouth fide faces the Rue Native des petit Champs, and its north fide is in the Rue Colbert. The building N4 of 27'2 BOARD OF LONGITUDE, of the library, with its appurtenances, 19 very large ; its length in Rue de la Loi be- ing no lefs than eighty-five toifcs, and its tread th between the two fireets abovemen- tioncd, twenty toifes. In the court of the National Library, is a fine ftatue of bronze, reprefenting a woman landing on one foot, in a \cvy eafy and natural attitude. The principal floor of the building, which fur- rounds this large court, is entirely filled with books, from the floor to the deling ; it is furrounded by a flight gallery, fr6?n which one can reach the books on the up- per fhclves. At the windows, and in dif- ferent parts of one of the wings, tables have been placed for the accommodation of read- ers. While the weather continued mild and fair, I always found from forty to fixty per- fons, fome of them ladies, reading at thofe tables. The library is open every day, ex- cept the decade days, from ten to two, for the accommodation of readers ; but no books are lent out. For fuch as only wifh to fee the library, it is open from ten to two AND NATIONAL LIBRARIES. 2/3 two, every third, fixth, and ninth day of the decade. In a fmall recefs of one of the four fides of the library, is a group of about five feet in height and fix in breadth, eredted in the time of Louis the Fourteenth. It repreients,* as far as I could collect, Parnafliis with Apollo and the Mufes, and feveral attri- butes applicable to the sera of that Monarch. There are alfo in the library fome buits of celebrated French literati, and of others, who have contributed to the improvement^ and augmentation of the library, . . In the other wing of the library, a very i' large perforation in the floor prefents two- large globes, the celeftial and the terref-. trial, which fhmd on the floor below, and their upper parts project above the floor of the library. Thefe globes are thirty feet in diameter. The Meridians and horary cir- cles are gilded. On the terfeftrial globe, - the water is coloured blue, and the land white. Cities are painted with red and gold colours, and the mountains -with a N 5 green 274 BOARD OF LONGITUDE, green ground, and (haded with brown. The ground colour of the celeftial globe is a light blue, and the figures of the conftella- tions of a darker blue ; the fixed ftars are inferted according to their right afcenfion, declination, and magnitude, and all very thickly gilt. Thefe globes are very well executed, and are the largeit I have ever feen. They are a piece of art characteriftic of the clofe of the laft century, when they x\ 7 ti'Q made, and when large globes were in great repute. Bat they are, in fact, nothing more than an aftronomical luxury, a piece of fcientific profusion, of no real effectual fervice ; though they mud have coft a very considerable ium of money. Caperronnier, the prefent librarian, fup- pofes the library to contain about 300,000 volumes. It is very incomplete in modern literature ; for, fince the year 1780, no new books have been added to it, not even French, and much lefs foreign productions. Of this laft defcription, feveral capital works fecm wanting ; fo that in the midft of this great AND NATIONAL LIBRARIES. 275 great opulence, a kind of literary penury is ftill felt. The national and other libraries have received considerable augmentations from the libraries of monafteries and emi- grants. This is an eafy, and a very cheap , method of increafing a flock of books. The manufcripts, to the number of 80,000, are in more retired apartments, The oriental mannfcripts are kept by Lan- gles ; thofe in Greek and Latin by Laporte Datheil ; and thofe in the modern Ian- - guages by Legrande. The' roanufcripts. are divided agreeably to this clarification, and are well arranged. Since thefe fubjedts ■ are foreign to my fphere of ftudy, I {hall < only relate fuch obfervations as I made, in a curfory manner. Here is a complete collection of Colbert's letters in about fixty,- volumes. A volume of letters, fome in. Englifh and others in French, written by Henry VHIth of England, in a good, le- gible hand. A volume of letters from King Henry IVth of France to one of his mif- treiles: his hand-writing is tolerably neat N 6 and 276 BOARD OF LONGITUDE, and legible, and he has exprefied 'hirnfelf with much vivacity and gallantry. To in- dicate the ardour of his amorous attach- ment, he fays, " Je vous aime plus, que vous aimez vous mente." I love you more than you love yourfelf. Here is a large colled ion of the French King's heares, or miflals, all written very beautifully on the finelt vel- lum, and embellifhed with elegant borders and fine drawings, m oft of them fcripture hiftories.On every leaf ofone of thofe miflals, is a beautiful drawing of a flower, with its name in Latin and French, fa that it forms a collection of botany as well as re- ligion. Vanquifhed Italy has been obliged to contribute her mite to the treafury of the national library ; for all the mod valu- able printed books. and the fcarceft manu- scripts, have been taken from the Italian li- braries. Among thofe Italian manufcripts, I particularly obfervcd two Codices in parchment, a Terence, and a Horace, from the library of the Vatican. I am no hun- ter after various readings ; yet it is poilible that AND NATIONAL LIEU ARIES. $?f thefe Codices have no critical merit, but are remarkable only for their external beauty and excellent prefervation. Two rooms belonging to the library are filled with a large collection of prints, which are under the fuperintendance of Joly. Some pieces are hung to the walls, but moft of them are in port-folios and cafes, Here in particular is a collection of about fixty volumes of prints of remarkable tranf- actions and events, in the hiftory of France, arranged according to the year, or reign, down to the time of Louis XV. The collection of antiques and coins is at the end of the library : the keepers are Barthelemy and Millin. The latter gen- tleman is remarkably attentive to ftrangers, and every feventh day of the decade has an agreeable party to drink tea at his houfe^ where he is glad to fee foreign travellers. Mr. Manthey, fecretary to the Danifh em- bafly, whofe civility and goodnefs I thank- fully acknowledge, firft introduced me to this fociety, in which I enjoyed much com- fort 278 BOARD OF LONGITUDE fort and fatisfa&ion during my ftay in Paris. Millin reads public lectures on archaeo- logy every fecond, fifths and eighth day of the decade. He is editor of the Magazin Encyclofiedique, and is well known by his other publications. The collection of an- tiques and coins is not open to the public, but is to be {ttn by particular permiffion. Millin had the goodnefs to (hew this col- lection to Captain Friboe, Mr. Wedege, Mr. Duncan, myfelf, and other travellers. Straight againft the entrance and over the chimney-piece, various Egyptian anti- quities meet the eye ; fuch as an altar of bafalt, an Ifis, Anubis, and feveral curiofi- ties of bronze, fione, and burnt clay. Here is a mummy taken to pieces, the upper covering having been taken off, and ex- tended upon the wall : it is remarkable for its fine colour and drawings, which without doubt were emblems of reli- gious ceremonies. Near the fire-place are drawers, containing French and other me- dals, AND NATIONAL LIBRARIES. 279 dais, chiefly of gold. On the wall to the right of the door, are hung up lamps, and facrificin^ knives and veifels of bronze, Between the windows, on the fame fide, are feveral large chefts with glafs-lids, con- taining antiquities ef the primitive times of Chriftianity, chiefly Greek. In the third and fourth divifioiis, are flones cut in bas- relief, faint of them Greek, and others. Roman productions, Almoft all of them have been executed in flones, which have their laminae of different colours, difpofed in fuch a manner, that the features of the figures had one colour, but the hair, hel-* met, clothes, &c. different ones. There , are among them many beautiful and excel- lent pieces. At one end of the room, are feveral warlike inftruments of different In- dian nations. On the floor, ftands a large » antique marble table, with a Latin inscrip- tion ; and the Walls are decorated with the Ihields of Scipio and Hannibal, which were once fufpended in temples. They are of filveiy and of very beautiful workmanfhip. By 2S0 BOABD OFL0NGITUDE, By the fide of them are placed the arms of Francis the Firft, fuch as his helmet, fhield, fword, -battle-ax, and fpurs, all of fteel, inlaid with gold, and mod exquifitely formed. On the fhield are Arabian draw- ings, executed with regularity and tafte. His ftirrups which are of filver, gilt and carved with open work, are placed under- neath. Between the Windows on the left hand fide, are feveral intaglios : In the fides of mofi: of them are incifions through which one can difcover their comparative beauty. At the end of this fide is a cafe which contains a very valuable ftone, with feveral figures projecting out of it. It is about twelve inches high and ten inches broad, and having been broken quite through, it has been joined with fuch art, that the fradture cannot be diftinguilhed. In this cafe are different vafes of ftone, one of which is of fardonyx, about feven inches high, and five in diameter. Miilin afliircd us, that the pieces in this cafe are the moll beautiful AND NATIONAL L1BRAEIES. 2S1 beautiful and curious of their kind in Europe. In the nuddle of this cabinet of antiqui- ties, is a long table covered with Hetru- rian vafes of fuperior beauty. Under the table are drawers, containing Greek and Roman coins, both of gold and filver, and a veflel of the former metal, about eight inches in diameter, in which are a great number of old gold coins. After having viewed this room, where every thing was arranged in the beft man- ner, Millin conduced us to the third floor, where are two apartments, which contain a very large and remarkable afiemblage of antiquities ; Hefrurian vafes of extraordi- nary magnitude ; a bathing veflel of por- phyry in good pcfervation ; figures in bronze ; facrificing knives, lamps, houfe- hold furniture, &c. not fufpended fepa- rately on the walls, but placed here and there along the floor, as convenience ad- mitted. Thofe apartments on the third floor, feemed to bo more diilmguifhed as antiqua- 282 BOARD OP LONGITUDE. antiquarian lumber rooms, than for any regular arrangement of the many valuable curiofities which they contain. Millin, for above three years, has been requefting mo* ney for conftruiting cafes and fhelves for arranging and containing this chaos of an- tiquities ; but his applications have not yet been attended to. He is full of zeal and activity in this his favourite purfuit: he complains that the ftudyof ancient litera^ ture and arts are not only negle&ed, but totally defpifed, as unneceffary for forming a good tafle and accurate ideas of the fine arts. On the firft of Vendemaire, or laft of September, none of the attendants be- longing to this collection had received any falary for the preceding eight months. By a decree of the 10th Germinal, in the third year, a fchool was infiituted, ad- joining to the National Library, for the mo- dern oriental languages, where public lec- tures are delivered by Langles, on the Per- fian and Malay languages ; by Silveilre Sacy.,_ on the common and learned Arabic ; and AND NATIONAL LIBRARIES. 283 and by Bohenam, on the Turkifh and Tar- tarian. While I was in Paris, my countrymen^ Dr. Mliller, Dr. Engleftofu and Dr. Thor- lacius were alfo in that city. As thofe gentlemen regularly vifited the National Library, they will be able to give very par- ticular accounts of that eftablifhment; nor is it to be doubted, that when opportunity ferves, they will favour the public with fome of their obfervations. Befides the public libraries mentioned in this and preceding letters^ there are the two following : 1. The library of the arfenal, which is fuppofed to contain 75,000 printed vo- lumes, and 6 } 000 manufcripts, and which formerly belonged to the Count d'Artois* It is open every firft, fixth, and eighth day of the decade, from ten tiil two. 2. The library of the Pantheon, formerly the library of St. Genevieve, which con- fills of about ] 00,000 printed volumes, and 2G00 maim- 284 BOARD OP LONGITUDE 2000 rfianufcripts, and is decorated witli different marble bufts of French Literati. Before I quit this fubjedt, I rnuft remark, that on the firft appearance of terrorifm, the libraries, paintings, natural curiofities, and inftruments of fuch as were banifhed or put to death, were partly deftroyed, and partly carried off. But the more prudent put a flop, as foon as poffible, to thofe robberies - and it was refolved, that all fuclr articles fhould be confidered as national property, and be collected and preferved, until farther orders. Of fuch colledliona of books, three depots have been formed one in Rue des Capucins y one in Rue des Cordeliers, near the Medical Sehool, and one near the Central School in Fcmxhourg St. Antoine y ou ci-de c xmut Jefuites. Thole books arc now arranged and diftributed among the libraries of other Inltitutes in Paris, and m the departments; and I Lave often feen cart loads of books taken froi-i thofc colledionso LETTER ^THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE. ^85 LETTER XIV. THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE, WITH AN AC- COUNT OF ITS MEETINGS. Academy of Sciences, Wc. founded by Louis XIV. and Colbert — Refpeciable at the Re- volution — National Inflitute, founded on their Ruins, more comprehenfive — Its Mem- bers, Claffes, Sections, and Times of Meet- ing — Propofes Prize Qjueflions — Its Mem- bers and Pupils to travel for Information, at the Public Expence — 'Is the firft learned Body in Europe — National Palace of the Arts and Sciences defer ibed — Fir e-ef capes, which did not anfwer the End — Meetings of the Iujiitute, and Memoirs read — Mi- niflerial Impertinence and Partiality, in the Cafe of Brail e — Numerical Telegraph propofed — Mafkelyne's Name partially emitted in a Report concerning the Longi- tude — Excellent Pun — Mercury frozen — Severe Frofi at Paris — Reviews of the Inflitute, impartial and well written — Mh- niflers often ajk the Opinion of the Inftitute —Its 1280 THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE ; —Itsfolemn Meetings — Artifls rewarded and crowned. — Arts and Manufactures — New Animal — Bougainville s Eulogy of Cook) &c. — Memoirs, Publications and Purfuits of the Members, of the National Inftitute — The Author falfely accufed of calumniating that learned Body. LOUIS XIV. and his minifier Colbert, were both favourable to the fciences. Seeing their happy influence on .naviga- tion, arts, manufactures and trade, they encouraged and patronized the cultivators of fcience and ufeful arts. In order to promote agriculture, and extend fcientific inquiries, Louis XIV. founded €i The Aca- demy of Sciences/' which comprehended mathematics in all their branches, phyfics, natural hiftory, chemiftry, and medicine : he alfo eftablithcd the Academy of Belles Lettres, the Academy of Infcriptions, the Academy of Surgery, and the Academy of Architecture. Thefc academies, as appeal's from their memoirs, have always confided of abfe and fkilful men, who have thrown new AND ITS MEETINGS. 287 new light on the arts and fciences, in their writings, and have enriched them by nu- merous and important difcoveries. At the commencement of the Revolution, the Academy of Sciences in particular, in- cluded fome of the greatefl men in Europe, in their refpective departments. To be convinced of this, we need only name the mathematicians Lagrange and Laplace ; the chemifts Lavoifier and Fourcroy ; the natural hiftorians and mineralogists Dau- benton, Lacepede, and Hauy ; the aftro- nomers Lalande, Meffier, and Delambre ; not to mention many others who have con- tributed more or lefs to the exten-fionr of fcientific inquiries. During the Revolution, all preceding mo- narchical inftitutions underwent a change, and even the free temples of the fciences were fubverted. Upon their ruins, was founded the National Inftitute, which not only comprehends all the branches into which the academies of fciences, and of the Belles LetPres, were formerly? fubdi- vided, 128B THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE. vided, but alfo includes logic, morals, and politics. The decree, which eftablifhed the Na- tional Inftitute, patTed the 3d Brumaire, 4th year, or the 24th of October, J 795. According to this decree, the Inftitute be- longs to the whole republic ; but is to be fituated in Paris. Its object is, to extend the limits of the arts and fciences, by difco- veries and inquiries, and by correfponding with learned focieties in foreign countries. By the refolution of the Directory, the Inftitute is to undertake and promote fuch fcientific labours as conduce to the general utility and honour of. the Republic. It confifts of 144 members, reftding in Paris, and of an equal number in other parts of the Republic, and it may additionally ad- mit eighty foreign aftbciates ; but they have not yet been chofem The National Inftitute confifts of three claffes : the firft, or mathematical and phyfical clafs, is di- vided into ten fcdlions, each of which has fix members. Tlie lft fedion. Mathematics; La- grange, AND ITS MEETINGS, 28Q grange, Laplace, Borda, Boffut, Legendre, and Delambre. 2d Seel. — Mechanics; Monge, Prony, Leroy, Perier, &c. 3d Se6t. — Aftronomy ; Lalande, Me- chain, Meffier, Jaurat, &c. 4th Se6t. — Experimental philofophy ; Charles, Briflbn, Coulomb, Lefevre, &c. 5th Se6t.— Chemiftry ; Berthollet, Gui- ton Morveau, Fourcroy, Vauquelin, &c. 6th Sect.- — Natural hiftory and minera- logy ; Darcet, Hauy, Dolomieu, &c. 7th Sect. — Botany ; Lamarc, Adanfon, Juffieu, L'Heretier, &c. 8th. Sect. — Anatomy and Zoology ; Dau- benton, Lacepede, Cuvier, &c. gth Se6t. — Medicine and Surgery ; Def- farts, Sabatier, Portal, Laflus, &c. 10th Secft. — Agriculture and the Veteri- nary art ; Thouin, Cels, Parmentier, &c. There are, in all, in this clafs, 60 mem- bers at Paris, and an equal number in the departments,, where they are alfo di~ O vided 2Q0 THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE, vided into ten fe6tions, each confiding of fix members. The fecond clafs comprehends Moral and political fcience. and is divided into fix fe6Hons, each confifting of fix members ; in all thirty-fix members, and as many in the departments. lit Se6l. — The analyfis of fenfations and Ideas.— 2d Se Offixteen answers given to this queftion the year before, not one obtained the premium. The fame queftion was re- peated, with new conditions and limita- tions, in order to give the authors an idea of the necefiary reply, in which all the former candidates had failed. The celebrated Fourcroy read an extract of a memoir on the analyfis of human cal- culi, together with an account of Tome ex- periments made to folve them, after being extracted out of the bladder. The me- moir was excellent, and admirably deli- vered. Bitsube was to have read an account of the opinions of the philosophers of the ancient republics, but was . :ted by want of time, added to 1 sat age and low voice. Ducis delivered a beauu.Ui poem, abound- ing 332 THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE, Ing with enthufiaitic encomiums on fine arts, and the admirable performances of the French painters, Taillaflbn, Vincent, Eegnault, Vien, and David; and with this piece, concluded this truly great md inte- refting meeting, I was alfo prefent at another general meeting on the 15th of Nivofe, 7th year, or the 4th of January, 1 7 gg. Lainee then read an account of the labours of the mo- ral and political clafs, and Andrieux of the clafs of literature, and the fine arts. After mentioning the conqueft of Naples hd concluded with cxprefFing a wifh that it might not be long before the mufeums of Portici fhould be brought to Paris. Vil- lars dated the reafons why the fame clafs again propofed the prize cflay : M On the means of caufing the Latin and Greek lan- guages to be more affiduoufly cultivated hi France." Lcfevre-gineau read a report, of the ma- thematical, and LafFus of the phyfica!,. la- bours of the clafs devoted to thole purfuils, They AND ITS -MEETINGS. 333 They alfo gave an account of the National Inftitute at Cairo/ and of their meetings and tranfadlionSj according to the notices which had been communicated to the Na- tional Inftitute at Paris. The tranfactions of the phyfical clafs were particularly inte- refting. L'Heritier, who is acquainted with, and on many accounts highly efteems, the in- duftrious VViborg, prefented a defcription of two new genera of plants, namely, the Bruguiera, and the parafitical plant, Rhizo- dendrum. The firft was difcovered at Ma- dagafcarby Bruguiere. Michaut has feen a tree named the Roblnia vifcofa, from North America, which has on its branches, when in vegetation, a black and ftrongly gluti- nous fubftance. Vauquelin has examined it, and found it altogether different from every vegetable production hitherto known ; but it nevertheless approaches nearer to refin than to any other fubftance. Cels and Ventenat have (hewn, that this tree belongs to a genus, defcribed by Juffieit and 334 THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE, and Lamarck. Desfontaines has fent to the Inflitute a complete Flora of Mount Atlas. Broufibnnet, who has long refided in Africa, has particularly defcribed the procefles ufed at Fez and Tetuan, in pre- paring and dying Turkey leather, and has given an account of the plants employed for that purpofe. Lamarck has formed a claffification of fhells, after a new iyftera and chara&ers, Linnaeus had only fixty genera ; but Lamarck has extended them to one hundred and feventeen, by which he fuppofes the claffification of fhells will be more certain and better determined than formerly. Fourcroy and Vauquelin,- by fome experiments on urine, have difco- vered a particular animal fubftance which gives it the property of very readily form- ing ammonia; yet they look upon their inveftigation of the properties of that fluid, as very far from being complete. I now proceed to the memoirs which were read at this folemn meeting. Pallifot Beauvois . read a memoir concerning fer- pents AND ITS MEETINGS. 335 pents in general, and rnordaceous ones in particular. That gentleman has had nine fuch ferpents in his hand, without receiv- ing the leaft injury ; and he aftured us that they bite animals only when trodden upon. Peyre, the architect, fhewsd the danger' of fire to which the National Library was expofed, from its vicinity to the great French oper^ the National Treafury, and many .private houfes in Rue de -la Loi, formerly Richelieu, and other adjoining ftreets. He admitted that every .poffible precaution had been taken; but that the rnoft proper and certain method would be, to remove, if poffible, this incalculable trea.-? fure of literature to a building fitaated in an open and free fpace. Ducis read a poetical epiftle, (hewing that The Horrible and The Graceful -fhould never be united the fine arts. Buache, the geographer^ defcribed cer- tain difcoveries which ftill remain to be made in the ocean. He had taken extra&s from all the old voyages hitherto publifhed and 336 THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE, and known ; and he had compared the old one? w >fe of more modern date^ in whi odes and longitudes are ac- cm !, as they are in the voy- age- Carteret, Cook, Bou- gainville, Kcrgmlea, and La Peroufe. As the fituaiions of the coafts, countries, and iflands, defcribed in the old voyages, do not agree with the modern ones, Buache has been led to fuppofe that they are flill to be difcovered. Bat againfi: this opinion feveral objections may be made. Teffier, the phyfician, read a memoir wherein he attempted to determine the va- rious durations of pregnancy in certain animals ; for example, in the bitch, the mare, and the cow. He was of opinion, that the pregnancy of women could not continue longer than ten months ; a cir- cumftance which deferves the attention both of the phyiician and the legifiator. Colin d'Harville clofed the meeting with a very elegant poem on the travels of Mel- pomene and Thalia, or the hiftory of tra- gedy AND ITS MEETINGS. 337 gedy and comedy, among the Greeks, Ro- mans, and French, from the earlieft times. The only Englifhmen he noticed were Shakefpeare and Addifon ; but on the German, Spanifh, and Italian dramatic writers, he was totally filent. The ftile of his firft canto, the fubjedt of which was tragedy, was marked with appropriate gran- deur and dignity, and that of the fecond on comedy, with fuitable vivacity and eafe. Both were delivered with mafterly art, and received, efpecially by the ladies, with great approbation. I have already mentioned, that the clafs of literature and the fine arts had propofed for the eighth year the following fubje6i : €C To point out the means of caufing the Latin and Greek languages to be culti- vated in France, more zcaloufly than they are at prefent." The premium offered, is a medal of eight he&ograms, or about twenty ounces, of gold. The fame clafs have alfo propofed a premium, of the fame value, for folving this queftion : " To in- Q quire, 338 THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE, quire, To what degree, the French lan- guage has acquired perfpicuity and ele- gance, and loft its natural fimplicity and energy, from the time of Amyot to the pre- fentday?" The mathematical clafs have fele£ted the important and very difficult problem df the comet of 1770, which may be con- fidered as an aftrondmical enigma. The Academy of Sconces, in the year 1794, offered a premium for the calculation of this comet, and the aftronomers have at- tempted to bring their obfervations to cor- refpond with a parabolic curve. Profperin and Pingre have been particu- larly engaged on this fubje£t, which has alfo been profecuted by Du Sejour. But they could not bring a parabolic curve to agree with the obfervations nearer than within a degree, which is by far too wide of the truth. Lexell found that the ob- fervations could be represented with tole- rable exadhiefs by an ellipfis, which the comet might be fuppofed to defcribe in five ANU ITS MEETINGS. 33(J years and a half. Bat in this cafe, the fame comet muft have been often feen ; yet it has not appeared either before or fince 1770, In order to account for this remarkable phenomenon of our fyftem, the National Inftitute have propofed to aftro- nomers, 1. To examine all the ohfervations which can be found refpe&ing the comet of 1770. 2. To enquire minutely whether or not thofe oblervations can be reduced to a parabola, or any other curve, whofe ordi nates are referable to an immoveable axis. 3. If it be found that this is poffible^ then to determine the properties of the curve, which correfponds the neareft to the observations. Solutions muft be fent in before the 15th Mefficfor, eighth year,. or the 3d of July, 1S0O. The premium is a kilogram, or fomething more than 2lb. of gold. But the queftion is fo very diffi- cult, will require fo much penetration and iabour,and involves fuch an incredible nunir ber of calculations, that, upon the whole,, it deferves a greater premium ; fuppofe from 340 THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE, fix to feven hundred dollars, or from one hundred and fifty to one hundred and fe- venty-five pounds fterling.* The firft volume, of the Memoirs of the National Inftitute was published on the lit Vendemiaire, 7th year, or the 21 ft of Sep- tember 1798, and printed by Baudoin, un- der the title of •"' Memoires de TInJIUut Na~> * Certainly the laft would be a very moderate, not to fay an inadequate, reward for the mere time and trcu- lie, which the folution of fuch a problem would re- quire; even confidering the fuperior value of money in France, and the fmalJ price of fcientijic labour in this country. 1 fpeak from fome experience, having affifled my worthy friend, the truly learned and inge- nious Mr. W. Cruickfhank, formerly furgeon of the Naval Hofpital, Barbadoes, now of the Artillery Hof- pital, Woolwich, in obferving the path, and deter- mining the orbit, of a comet, which appeared in the weftern hemifphere, in the year 1784. Though then in .a climate and in fituations very unfavourable to fuch purfuits, we brought our calculations and con- flruclions to fuch fatisfaftory refults, that we had thoughts of offering them for publication in the Phi- lofophica-1 TVanfaclions. But, after our return to this country, in 17S6 we found that our defign had been anticipated, by an ingenious Frenchman, in the ConnoiJJance cfcs Temfs% Tray/later* AXV ITS MEETINGS. &4p Uonal des Sciences et Arts. Sciences Mathe- viatiques et Phyftques, 1 torn. — Sciences Mo- rales et Politiques, J torn. — Liiterature et Beaux Arts, 1 torn" In all, three quarto volumes, with twenty-four plates; price oiv common paper, thirty-nine francs, on ftrong paper, fixty francs, and on vellum paper, .feventy-two francs. It is lingular that Boudoin refufes to fell the memoirs of each clafs feparately ; but obliges the purchafers to take all the three volumes. I could not perfuade Him. that he lofL infteacT of gaining, by this method, The volumes of the mathematical and phy- fical clafles are chiefly confined to-nacural hiftory, chemiftry, and medicine. There are only two mathematical memoirs, one by Laplace, and the other by Lalande ; for: the mathematical members of the National Inftitute publifh their works themfelves. Thus Lagrange has lately given, the workL two important works, namely, his u "Theorie ties Fonffions Amhtiques" '.and f * BefoJution' des Equations Numgriques ;" nor is it long; iince Laplace publifned, (( Expp/Ition dw Q-3 Syjieme 342 THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE, Syjteme du Monde:' This work appears'*© be an introdu&ion to bis Traite de MSchk- nlque Celefte> in two volumes, which con- tains the difcoveries and opinions of this great mathematician, in the theoretic and higher parts of aftronomy. Newton laid the true foundation * of our * Newton not only " laid the foundation," but fo greatly advanced the noble fuperftruelure, as to have ieft his fuccefTers little more to do than to follow his rules, t! After all the cultivation of dynamics by the commentators and followers of Newton," fays one of the ableft of them, u after the Phoronomia of Her- mann, the Mechanic** of Euler, the Dynamique of D'Alembert, and the Mechanique Analytique of De la Grange, which are undoubtedly woiks of tranfcendant merit and utility, the Princifia of Newton frill remain the mofl pleaflng, perfpicuous, and elegant fpecimen of the application of mathematics to the fcience of Univerfal Mechanics, or what we call Dynamics " En- cycl. Britann. SuppJ. article Dynamics, § 103. .If this article came, as I believe it did, from the pen to which the Encyclopaedia Britannica owes many of its befl fcientific articles, the weight of the opinion juft cited, will be mucfy encreafed ; for the gentleman al- luded to paffed many years on the continent, in habits of intim; cy with mathematicians and ptirlofbpbers of the iirft order, and is not altogether free from a bias AND ITS MEETINGS* 34^ our knowledge concerning the order and difpofition of our fyftem, and the motion of the planets in their refpe&ive orbits. Laplace has finifhcd this beautiful fabric and, with infinite fagacity, has, by help of the higher analyfis, in which he is fo diftin- guifhed a mafter, clearly proved, that all the motions and phenomena in the pla- netary fyftem can be explained, deter- mined, and calculated by the principle of univerfal gravitation, which was not before, in every refpe6i, completely effected. Laplace is at prefent engaged on the mechanifm of the planetary fyftem, and I have feen about half of the firft part al- ready in print. Dr. Burchardt, of Gotha, who ftudied aftronomy under Lalande, translates every fheet, as faft as it is printed, into German ; fo that the German transla- tion will appear at the fame time with the French original. bias in their favour. Such at leaft was the general opinion, when I had the happinefs to attend his ad- mirable ledures in Edinburgh, Tranjlaur. ■ Boflut, 344 THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE, BofTut, already well known for bis me- chanics, ftatics, hydrodynamics, &c. has lately published; fe Traite de Calcul diffe- rentiely et de Calcul integral, en 2 torn. Svo.. Prony has jiift publiflied in 4to. " Expo- fit ion d?une Method e pour conftruire les Equa- tions indeterminees, qui fe rapport ent aux Sec- tions coniques" He is befides occupied on a third volume of his Very refpetTtable work, " Nouvelle Architecture Hydrauliquef and on the elements of the mechanical fciences. Legend re, who formerly wrote " Elemens de Geomeirie ;, Memoire fur hs tranfcend- antes elliptiques ; and Dffertation fur urih Quefiion de Baliftique, couronne par T Acade- mic de Berlin" has lately publiflied an ex- cellent work in quarto, intitled, •■' Effaifur la Theorie des Nombres. Lalande is engaged on a complete Bib- hographie Aftro7iornique. Befide the pro- found and enlarged views of this gentle- man in aftronomy and its kindred lciences, he is a great literary character. His exr tcnfive reading and correspondence have furnifhed him with details from every country • AND ITS MEETINGS. 343 country ; fo that a complete account of the aftronomical writers and literature, of all nations, may be expected from his pen. I have communicated to him all that I could collect on this fubjeft in Denmark. Meffier is continually occupied in clif- covering comets, and calculating their paths. Delambre and Mechain have mea- sured nine degrees and a half of the meri- dian of the obfervatory of Paris, and which ftretches quite through France, from Bar* celona to Dunkirk. Delambre has been employed on an important work, which he laid before the Commiffion for weights and meafures, under the title of " Methodes ana- Jytiques pour la Determination cTnn Arc du Meridien" and which is now in the prefs. Borda, though aged, infirm, and con- sumptive, ftill labours as much as his health will permit. He is now engaged on a manual of tables of logarithmic fines, after the new centefima! divifion. I faw at his houfe, feveral printed theets of thofe tables ; but he complained that, on account of the want of good and uniform paper in France, the. 346 THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE, the impreffion proceeds but flowly. The fines and tangents are to be found in the ilcreotypic edition of Callet's tables (Paris,. 17Q5) but not divided into centefimal mi- nutes. Borda's edition will be much more complete, and at the fame time more ufe- ful. He has alfo difcovered, this winter, fome improvements, and new conftrudtions of the barometer and dipping compafs. Both thefe instruments are to be executed by that able maker LeNoir. The principal improvement in thedipping needle is, that its axis turns in a glafe cylinder or tube. I had formed the fame idea many years ago, and have fince had a compafs fo cpnftrudted, which I have defcribed in the Memoirs of the Copenhagen Academy of Sciences, fourth part of the new feries, which con- tains a drawing of this inftrument, and an account of the obfervations made with it. As another probable caufe of the paucity of mathematical memoirs in the firfi vo- lume of the Traufadtions of the National Inftitute, it may be remarked, that moft of the members of this clafs are lecturers in the AND ITS MEETINGS. 347 the Polytechnic and Mineral Schools, and other inftitutions, and that the journals publifhed by thofe feminaries contain many of their memoirs, which is the cafe with Lagrange, Prony, Lefevre-gineau, Briflbn, Hauy, and others. The writings of the old Academy of Sciences were divided into two parts, Hif- toire and Memoires. The firft contained an hiftorical account of its proceedings, and extracts from the minutes ; and the other, the memoirs themfelves. Since the orga- nization of the prefent National Inftitute, no part of its hiftory is admitted into its writings ; but, in the general meeting at the clofe of the year, a particular account of its proceedings is delivered by the Pre- iident of the Inftitute, to the Preiidents of the Council of Five Hundred, and the Council of Ancients, who refpedtively reply to the fpeech made by the Prefident of the Inftitute. One of thefe reports, or ac- counts of the Inftitute, is in titled, " Compte rendu et prefent e au Corps Legijlatif^ le pre- mier jour 'complement aire Van 4, par Tlnftitut National, 348 THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE, National, contenant Tanalyfe des travaux pendant Tannee &me" Similar accounts have been publifhed, for the 5th and 6th years. In all that I have faid of the members of the National Inftitute, in this and the pre- ceding letters, my readers will obferve that I have always mentioned with warm com- mendation and becoming refpe£t, thofe who are eminent in their refpe£iive pur* fuits, and that I conilder the National In- ititute of France, as being one of the molt important learned focieties in Europe. If I fhould think or write otherwife, I fhould look upon myfelf as deftitute of all under- standing. Hence I was the more furprifed, when, after my return home, I found it fignified, in the Decade Philofophique littS- raire et politique, An. viii. 30me. Pluviofe, No. 15, p. 372, that in my letters to Co- penhagen, I had uniformly reviled the In- ftitute, held it up to ridicule, and depidted it in the darkeft colours. I need make no obfervation on the mean- nefs of flanderoufly mifreprefenting the corre- AND ITS MEETING?. 34Q correfpondencc of an individual with his friends, merely to find, or make, a pretence for complaint ; fince fuccefs in perfuading people to believe his afperiions ultimately fixes a ftigma on the calumniator himfelf. But I do hereby deny my having ever writ- ten a fyllable with which the members of the National Inftitute, either individually, or collectively, could be offended ; and I challenge any perlbn whatever to produce a letter from. my hand having that tendency. In compliance with the advice of my friends at Paris, I have made no reply to any of thofe libellers. My friends know that their afiertions are untrue, and thole who are not acquainted with me will be convinced of their falfhood by the publica- tion of my travels. On this difagreeable fubjecl I have been hitherto filent ; and have looked upon my puny aflailants in the Decade Phihfophique, with that con- tempt which they deferve. R CHAP. 350 AEROSTATIC SCHOOL CHAP. XV. 1FKJS AEROSTATIC SCHOOL IN MEUDON FRENCH MONUMENTS. The Aerojlatic School at Meudon — Efila- hlijhment, Officers, Pupils — Dejign of \ this. Injlitution — Conte, his Invention — Aero- jlatic Soldiers — Materials of which thofe Air Balloons are tompofed — Mode of fill- ing them — French Monuments—Such as efcaped the Fury of the Populace, ordered to be collected and depofited in the fmall Augujline . Monaflery — Saloons Jet apart for that Purpofe — Clarification, Tafle, and Indujlry of Lanoir — Monuments of Kings, Queens, Statefmen, Warriors, Men of Letters, &c. - — Statues in Marble, Bronze, &c. — Names of the Artifis zvho defigned and executed them — Some of them the boldejl and happiejl Efforts of Genius —Infcrip- IN MJSUDON. 351 — Infer iptions — Annealed Glafs— -Paint- ing on Glafs — Churches, &c. whence they were taken — Several mutilated Pieces of Art reft or eel— Reflections on the Whole. THE Aeroftatic School in Meudon was eftablifhed by a decree of the Committee of Public Safety, the. 31 ft. of October, 17(}4. This feminary confifts of director, fnh-direCtor, a fecretary, a maga- zine-keeper-, and fixty pupils, who are in- ftrufted in all that relates to the aeroftatic fcience, efpecially fuch parts of it as may be dire6led to military operations. There are two rooms fet apart in the old caftle, for the conftrudtion of the air balloons, with all the apparatus neceflary for that purpofe. The pupils, with Conte the director, lodge in the new cattle. M. Conte is an able phyfician as well as a chemift : he cannot be too highly praifed for his unremitting attention to the regulations and manage- ment of the School. He is well known R2 for 352 THE AEROSTATIC SCHOOL for his inventions, fuch as the aeroftatic te- legraph, and his factitious black lead pencils, which are brought to fuch a degree of per- fection, as to rival the beft in England: they are not prepared from the native ore, but a compofition which conillts, as far as I have learned, of iron and fulphur. The balloons in Meudon are made of a peculiar kind of thick taffety, wove for that purpofe. When fewed they are var- nifhed over : fo that the pores- are clofed in fuch a manner as to prevent the evapo- ration of the gas in a very confiderable de- gree, which is the reafon that thofe balloons hold the hydrogen, or inflammable air, many months ; whilit others that are not prepared in the fame manner are found to be exhausted in a few days. To the improve- ment of the gas, M. Conte has not a lit- tle contributed to. the manner of filling the air balloons. The mode is to erect a fmall furnace, through which feveral large iron pipes pafs (commonly from four to fix,) which which are filled with trim fTlings- The ends of thefe tubes extend ; ut of the fur- nace^ and are furnifhed with a cock, which may be opened or fhut at pleafure. A fmajler tube is joined to the end of thefe pipes, and is then inferted in the lid of the copper or veile!. half filled with water, and fo air tight that the fleam can only find its way through the red hot tubes in the fur- nace. From the oppofite end of thefe red hot tubes, which run out of the furnace, a fmall tube goes into the vefTel, which is filled with a folution of cauftic lye, or al- kali, and then it pafles to the tube which conveys, the hydrogen gas into the bal- loon. The whole apparatus, cauldron, furnace, occ. may be erecfted and worked in two days. A balloon af about thirty feet dia- meter may be filled in two or three days, When a balloon of this fize is newly filled, it will carry up a weight of 2000 pounds, and twenty men at lead. In two months it lofcs fo much by evaporation, that it will R 3 only 354 THE AEROSTATIC SCHOOL only bear 500 pounds, and ten men. I have feen the experiment tried in the Champ de Mars on the feaft of the New Year, in the feventh year of the Republic. Such balloons are always found ready filled on the terrace at Meudon, where they ftand in the open air without receiving any appa- rent injury, in confequence of the peculiar texture of the taffety, and the excellence of the varnifh. The upper part was co- vered with a coat or cafe of fine leather, from whence the ropes defcended, to which the car was attached. All thefe military balloons are tied together, and aeroftatic foldiers taught to manage them. In mild or ferene weather a number of thefe foldiers afcend, always accompanied by an officer or fubaltern. Two compa- nies of aeroftatic foldiers are always quar- tered ajt Meudon. Each confifts of one captain, two lieutenants, two ferjeants, two corporals, one drummer, and forty pri- vates. The little Auguftine monaftery, now fhut up, IN MEUDQN. 355 up, contains a collection of French monu- ments. The decree of the National Con- vention to abolifh every veftige of royalty, or any thing that might recal the days of feodality, was confidered as the iignal for defolation, plunder, and rapine over all the kingdom of France. The flatues of kings and others without diftindtion were hewed down and levelled with the daft. The no-- bleft and happieft efforts of the pencil were rent in pieces, and (battered in the air. Entire feries of the moft precious medals, the labour and refearch of ages, were ftolen or consigned to the crucible. AH the mo- numents and epitaphs within reach of the hand of fury, were broken to pieces. The greateft part of the labours of the firft artifts, collected in different parts of the world, fhared the fame fate. The Vandals and barbarians^ who rather refembled the furies let loofe from hell, than human be- ings, vented their ungovernable rage on the choiceft productions of tafte and ge- R 4 nius* 356 MUSEUM OP gius. In the Convention and Revolution- ary tribunals, the moft profligate and abandoned boafted of the revenge which they took on the arts. The enlightened Gregoire ventured at length, at the rifk of his life, (left he fhould be accufed of being attached to the old fyftem) to ftand for- ward as the advocate of the Mufes. On the 31ft. of Auguft, 1793, beaddrefled a letter to the Convention, in which he painted in the moft natural and lively co- lours, the irruption of this vandalic horde into the fanfluaries of fcience, and the ex^ cefles which they committed on monu- ments that lent immortality to mortals. This eloquent epiitle at firft had little effe<5t : at length, however, the Conven- tipn began to think of converting the pub- lic monuments to national property. For this purpofe they ordered them to be col- .levied and depofited in the fmall Auguftine cloifter. This injunction, however, was at- tended with little effe6l, as may be col- lected FRENCH MONUMENTS, 357 lecled from the commiffion of public in- ftrudtion, decreed, the' 20th of October,- 1795, which enadted, ift, that a mufeum fhould be erefled for the confervation of the French monuments; 2diy, that no perfon fhould dare to carry away or deftroy any of the public monuments; and, Sdly, that the propofal of Lanoir, infpeetor of the' mufeum, refpefting the erection of the faid mufeum fhould be taken into imme- diate confideration. The propofal of this ingenious gentle- man was acceded to, and the fums necef- fary to carry the fame into execution, were voted. Lanoir began without delay to arrange and repair the mutilated ftatr.es 5 &c. with unremitting induftry, at as little expence to the public as poffible; The general plan of claffincation is to arrange the ftatues,.&c. in cehtinies in -falocns decorated in the tafte of each age. Three faloons are already devoted to this purpofe, viz. the thirteenth, fifteenth, and feven- teenth centuries. Thefe falcons are ex-'' R 5 tremel. 358 MUSEUM OF treme'ly neat, fome of the ftatues are raifed on pedeftals, and others placed againft the wall. The monuments thus arranged, and erected in the three faloons, amount to up- wards of two hundred. I {hall now give a fhort defcription of thefe monuments. The firft collection is the Grecian antiques, twelve tomb-flones of fine marble, with Greek infcriptions and bas reliefs, fome ftatues taken from Hichelieu's garden, and amongit the reft a highly finifhed Bacchus, as large as life, with his thyrfis ,in one hand^ and a bunch of grapes in the other, and Meleaeger in the chace. They are fine ftatues of Parian marble, Thofe antiques in all amount to twenty-fix in number. Of Celtic monu- ments there are four altars, three fides are bas-reliefs, reprefenting an offering, on the fourth fide is the following infcriptioix Tib. Csefare Aug Jovi optumo Maximo - - - M, Nautae ParifiacL Publice poficrunt FRENCH MONUMENTS. 359 This infcription probably means, that the Parifian leamen who had failed down the Seine, raifed this altar to the honour of Tiberius. Of the monuments of the middle ago there is a ftone coffin, or farcophagus, of greyifh ftone, rudely hewn, which con- tains >he remains of King Dagobert, alfo a monument for Childebert, and another to the memory of Fredcgunde, Chilperic's queen, and another to Mary, in wood. The falcon fet apart for the monuments of the thirteenth century is already com* pleted. The dome is vaulted in the Go- thic ftyle, with a blue ground, ftudded with gilt ftars, the (harp pointed bows or arches fupport each other, ornamented with rofes according to the tafte of the day. Two of them reprefent the Evangelifh, which were taken from St. Victor's- church. Se- pulchral lamps are fufpended from thefe rofes, the doors and windows are rib formed., they are compofed of the remains of a.mo> • nument in St. Denis. The panes of the R.6. windows 360 MUSEUM OF windows are in the Gothic tafte, and taken from a cemetery which Montreau, the fa- mous architect, had raifed to himfelf in 1250. This faloon, in my opinion, is very properly lighted with feet>Ie rays. In this repofitory, whofe tout enfemble has a good effect, are contained twenty-eight monuments, Amongft others there are the cenotaphs brought from St. Denis for Clovis the Firft and Second. Martel, Pe- pin's father, Pepin and his queen Bertha, Charles the Bald, Hugh Capet, Philip the fon of Louis the Sixth, the queen of Louis the Seventh. Figures are placed over all thefe cenotaphs. The fon of Louis the Ninth, and a ? child a year old, have- a monument of wood, covered with ena- melled copper. There are different fta- tues befides, fuch as that .of Louis the Ninth, and Margaret his queen, Elizabeth, and fome bas-reliefs. The rudenefs of the age is vifible in all thefe monuments ; fome indeed evince a greater progrefs in tafte and FRENCH MONUMENTS. 36l and execution than could be expedled in thofe times. In the faloon, facred to the 14th century, there are thirty-eight monuments, raoft of which were erected in St. Denis to the memories of the Kings of France, fuch as Louis the Tenth, Philip the Fifth, Philip of Valois, Charles the Fifth- The figures are almoft all of marble. On the monument of William Chanac, Bifhop of Paris, taken from St. Victor's church, is the following infcription : Hie fitus eft Dominus G. de Chanac, patriarcha Alexandrians, juris dum viveret area. Mores ornatos ad culmen pietatis Adjungens gratos actus habuit pietatis, Plebis et Eccleiiae praelatus Parifienfis Cultor juvtitiae perverforum fuit enrls Sandlo die crueis in Majo moriens Anno milleno trecento quadrageno Octoque, cerYtenos annos peragens qvafi plenos Pro diieetoris anima tul dulciterora Sancti Vic tons conventus qvalibet hora. In the faloon for the fifteenth century there are fifteen monuments, confiding of Queens, Princes, Prin cedes, &c. taken from 362 MUSEUM OF from- the royal cemeteries In St. Denis. I flhall here tranfcribe a monumental infcrip- tion over Jean de la Port -, in what is called boms riiBes. Bonnes gens vous deveti - penfer Qvon doit fon terns bien dis Car la rnort bmme de — portc Temoing maiilre Jehan de la Concil-eatur pour le Au Chastelet et sous des- L'un des efchuiers en fa De Paris, fous d'autrui en Le quel en terre cy Gist comme la mortre Et laifTa ce monde hi roy cour Devant Deux Mil quatrecent qvarante. The faloon defigned for the fixteenth century is-fin.ifhed with great tafte. Two academic figures, executed by Barthelemy Prieur, are placed over the door. The joints of the door are of yellow ftreaked marble. The cieling is ornamented with arabefque, according to the tafte of the times. This hall contains fifty- three mo- numents, FPwENCH SfOSTimENTS, 303 mimenfs. The monument of Louis evinces that the art iy began to make a rapid progrefs towards perfection. The King's ue* as well as that of the Queen, (Anne) are of excellent workmanfhip. The twelve Apoftles are arranged in twd re richly or- namented arcades, in which the artift has exhibited considerable tafte in the ftyle and reprefemation. In corners there are the four cardinal virtues in a natural fize, the whole refts on a pediment of black marble, on whole edges there are bas-reliefe, reprefenting the victories of Louis the Twelfth. This fine hiftorical monument has fuffered much from Jacobinic rage. The heads, nofe. arms, and hands, are broken from the figures. The monument of Renee d'Orleans Lon- gueville has fix bas reliefs of alabalter/ finely executed. The monument to the memory of Louis Deponchier and his wire, is ornamented with the figures of both, with letter ones reprefenting the virtues. The whole is finely executed in alaoaiter, The 364 MUSEUM OF The monument of Francis the Firft is ere&ed in a particular chapel, fet apart for that purpofe. The King and his Queen Claudia are reprefented by two marble figures, fomewhat larger than the natural fize, extended as dead. The artifl may be faid to have difputed the prize with na- ture in the execution of this monument. The privation of life in the countenance and rnufcles is finely exprefled. The pedef- tal on which thefe figures lie is adorned with a bas-relief, repreienting the vi&ories of Francis^ different genii with extinguifhed torches, allegoric figures, he. The roof is fupported by fixteen fluted columns. Francis and his Queen are grouped on the ciding in their gala robes, together with the two Princes their fons, and their daughters, all of fine marble. The whole was defigm d by Primatice, and fculptured -by Jean Gougeon. This ^oftly monument, the firft perhaps in France for defign and execution, formerly flood in the church of' St. Denis. It fuffered very much in the paroxyfm FRENCH MONUMENTS. 305 paroxyfm of popular tumult ; but Lanoir has been very fuccefsful in re-inftating the fragments, according to "the original de- lign, which he had copied in his youth, whilft aftudent in works of this kind. The monument over Henry the Second and his Queen, Catharine of Medicis, is on the eve of being reftored in the fame man- ner, with the addition of four fine figures in bronze,, one in each corner, reprefenting the four cardinal virtues. This fine mo- nument is twelve feet and a half in length, ten in breadth, and fourteen in heighth. It was defignpd by Philibert de'Lorme* Sooa after the demife of the King, Catharine gave directions to Germain Pilon, her own fculptor, to execute it, which he did with great felicity, for it may be called the chef d'eeuvre of all the fine works with which he has enriched the empire of fcuipiure. The fame artift alfo executed the three Graces, four feet three inches high. They ftand on a triangular pedeftal, and bear an urn, which contains the hearts of Henr^ 366 MUSEUM OB* Henry and Catharine. The following in- fcriptions are cut in the three fides of the pedeftal. On the firft fide — Cor junctum amborum longum teftatu amorem. Ante hommes, junctus fpiritus ante Decern. On the fecond fide — Cor quondam cliaritum fedem cor fumma fecu* turn Tres Charites fumrao vertice jure ferunt» On the third fide — Hie Cor depofuit Regis Catharina mariti Id eupiens proprio condere porTe finu. Thofe three figures breathe all the charms of immortal youth and gaiety. They are ranked amongft the happieft ef- forts of Pilon's chifel. There are two ftatues at the feet of Henry the Fourth, both of marble. The firft was executed by Franchville, and the fecond by Prieur, In the fame Apartment there are twelve bas-reliefs, two bufis, fome in marble, and foroe in bronze, with a Madonna in Mofaic work, and two very large FRENCH MONUMENTS. 307 large and fine enamelled figures. Thefe two exhibit the paiTion of Chrift. The portraits of Francis the Firft and his Queen Claudia are added to the one, and thofe of Henry the Second and Diana of Poitiers to the other. They were executed in 1553, by Leonard Limoufm. The monument over Giu de Faus is Worthy of attention. He was Prefident of the Parliament, and employed in many embaffies under Charles the Second, and Henry the Third. A Latin epitaph fets forth the principal events of his life ; at the end of which are to be feen four French ftrophes or quatrains, which have, as it were, miraculoufly efcaped the fury of the Jacobins, when infcriptions leis calcu- lated to recal the days of royalty fell a fa- crifice to their deftruclive rage. Curiofity on Hihis" very account induced me to* tran- fcr'ibe them, and which I now prefent to the reader : II eft permis lbuhaiter un bon Prince, Mais tel qu'il eft, il le convient porter ; Car il vaut mieux un tyian iupporter 'Qve de troubler la paix de la province, 368 _ MUSEUM OV The falcon appropriated to the momi- ments of the fixteenth century is ready. It is ornamented in the tafte of thole days. it contains one hundred and three monu- ments. Cardinal Berulle's was executed by Jacob Sarrazin and Michael Anguier. This monument is juftly admired^ particularly the bas-reliefs. The maufoleum of Cardinal Richelieu was defigned by Lebrun, and executed by Girardon, and is confidered as his mafier- piece. The pedeftal is fourteen feet long, and five feet nine inches broad. The Car- dinal's figure is fix feet high, placed be- twixt two female figures, one reprefenting Religion, the other Hiftory, with two Genii, each two feet and a half high. This mau- foleum did not efcape in the war that was waged against the productions of genius. Under the medallion of Defeartes, fui- pended to a pyramid of black marble, there are two infciiptions, one in Latin and the other in French, » On Cardinal Mazarin's monument he is reprc- FRENCH MONUMENTS. 36() reprefented on his knees, with a genius he- hind him bearing leveral weapons of war. Three figures in bronze are raifed on the pedeftal, each fix feet in height, one repre- fents Faith, the fecond Prudence, and the third Plenty. There are fourteen fine bas-reliefs on the monument of Henry of Bourbon Conde, they were modelled by Sarrazin, and exe* cuted by Perlan and Duval. The monument of the famous Marfhal Turenne, was executed after a defign by Lebrun. The groupe in which the Mar- fhal is reprefented in arms, was executed by Tuby, and the two ereA figures, Wif- dom and Courage, by Marfy. Under- neath the figure of Turenne, in the centre of a cenotaph, is a bas-relief in bronze, reprefenting the glorious and fanguinary battle of Turckhum, o.n the 5th of Ja- nuary 1675. There are two very, neat monuments raifed to the memory of Colbert and Lou- vors; 370 MUSEUM Ob vois ; the two great ornaments and fupport of the reign* of Louis the Fourteenth. Thefe monuments were executed by Gi- rardon, Coyzevox, Tuby, and Desjardins. A bull of the celebrated painter Charles Lebrun is placed on a pyramid, with a figure reprefenting Piety. There are two figures, one on each fide, Piety and Painting : the fir ft looks up to the painter, and the other in a deje&ed at- titude deplores the lofs of her favourite. Coyzevox, the faithful friend of Lebrun, who exhaufted all his powers on thefe fine figures. An equeftrian model in bronze of Louis the Fourteenth, by Girardon, has found a place in this collection. The fta- tue from whence it was made flood in the Place de Vendome, the left foot of it only now remains, which lies by the fide of the model. Adjoining is a model in bronze, of the fiatue of Louis the Fourteenth, which flood in the Hotel dc Ville at Paris, exe- cuted by Coyzevox. There are two mgr- bh l£N<$H MjXUMKXTS, oji ble ftatues at the foot of this, as large as life, one was executed by Goyzevox, and the other by Michael Anguier. In addition to thefe, there are thirteen ftatues of Ghrift, and the Holy Family, of an extraordinary fize, they were all col- lected from the pillaged churches in Paris, with fixteen bas reliefs, fome in marble and fome in bronze. Of bufts, a great number has been faved and erected, fuch as I hole of Henry the Third, Louis the Fourteenth, and Louis the Fifteenth. Of ftatefinen and warriors there are fifteen, and amongit others thofe of Sully, Mazarin, Richelieu, Colbert, Turenne, and the great Conde, &c. Of learned men, St. Peyrefe, Regis, Quinault, Lafontaine, Moliere, Con Racing and Boileau. Of artiiis, Mignard Pouffin, and Lefue, painters; Lenoftre and Manfard, architects;, and Sarrazin and Paget, the fculptors. A few of thete baits are of bronze, and the reft marble. I alio ob- ferveda fmall piece c ic work, finely executed 37^ MUSEUM 09 executed, reprefenting Saint Hieronymous in the defert. There are thirteen monuments already colle&ed, the works of the eighteenth cen- tury, excelled by none in corre^tnefs of de- fign, and felicity of execution. Amongft thefe the following may be juftly ranked as thefineft. The monument of Cardinal Du- bois ; the figure is of marble; it is very fine, and fufficient of itfelf to immortalize the name of Conftou, the fculptor. An allegoric monument of the parifh prieft of St. Sulpice, Langnet de Gercy, claims at- tention ; it was executed by Michael An- •gelo Slodtz. — Death is here reprefented as a ikeleton in bronze. I cannot approve this mode of reprefenting Death, either in bronze or marble ; it is not, in my opinion, fan&ioned by good tafte. The Greeks and Romans never perfonified the King of Terrors in this frightful manner. Death is exhibited in this mode in an open coffin on the monument of Marfhal Harcourt. The Marfhal is endeavouring to caft his fhroud afide, FKENCH MONUMENTS, 373 in order to fpeak to his wife, who is on her knees by the fide of his tomb. Her coun- tenance is interefting, being filled with all that grief can infpire, brightened up how- ever with the mild ferenity and refignation of a pious Chriftian that looks for immor- tality, and the rewards of another life. This monument taken altogether is finely executed. The hand may be faid to have embodied the thoughts of the fculptor with a fidelity beyond exprefiion ; nor can I paint the impreffion arifmg from the view of it, a pleafing melancholy accompanied by a religious and philolbphic calm. Thefe monuments were all taken from the churches : they were executed by Coyze- vox, Van CJeve, Couftoq, Pigalle, Slodtz, Vafle, Lemoine, Falconet, and Monnot. There are thirteen bas reliefs in bronze, marble, and wood. The defigns were taken from fubje6ls in the fcriptures. The bufis and medallions confift of ftatefrnen and ge- nerals ; the Regent Philip, of Orleans, S Marflial 3/4 MUSEUM OP Marfhal Asfcld, Count of Saxony, D'Ar- genfon,and Montefquieu. In the learned •clafs are Deftouches, Fontenclie, Auruc, Helvxtius, Piron, Belloi, Voltaire, J. J.Rouf- fe.au, Birffon, Diderot, Cluck, Raynal, Bailly, the famous aftronomer and hiftorian, the firft Mayor of Paris, Vaucanfon, &c. Two neat pieces of mofaic work caught my eye ; the fmaller one reprelents a hand- ful of flowers upon a ground of black mar- ble. The larger is eleven feet long and feven broad, and is intended for the ground- floor of the fa-loon, which is not yet ready, but if finifhed according to the defign of Lanoir, it will be an additional proof of his refined taftc. I found here what I little expected, the epitaph of the immortal Window, my coun- tryman, which efcaped the indifcriminate fury of the mob. I thought it worth tranf- Jating: D. O. M. FRENCH MONUMENTS. " 0/5 D. O. M. Hicjacet « in fpem beats immortalitatis. Jacobus Benignus v/inslow, patria Danus; cpmmoratione Gallus, ortu et genere nobilis, nobilior virtute et do6trina, pa- rentibus lutheranis natus, hsresin, qvam infans im- biberat, vir ejurr.vit, et adnitente ill. Ilpiscopo Mel- densi Jacobo Benigno Bossuetio, cujus nomenBenig- ni in confirmatione suscepit, ad excelsiam catholi- cam evocatus, stetit in ejus fide, vixit sub ejus lege, obiit in ejus sinu ; vir save verax et plus, in pauperis summe misencors, nuilaque erroris aut vitu pravitate afflatus. Regius lin^varum teutonics- rum mterpres saluberirnae facuhatis Parisiensis Doc- tor Regens ; ilium maedics artis et praesertim anato- mies doctorem et professorem peritissimum regia eruditorum societas Berolihi, regi scientiarum aca- demise iutetis socium communi sufFrasrio ele-erunt, o o Vita excessitV Nonas Aprills anno S'alutisMDCCLX B5tatis XCI. Pio Conjugi et Parenti uxor et liberi hoc monument am posuerunt. I fhall now give you a fhort account of the ftained glafs. In the depot of the thirteenth century, there are three large church windows, with panes of painted glafs, the work of that age. They were S 2 taken 376 MUSEUM OF taken from the abbey of St. Germaine des Pres, and reprefent moral fubje6te, parti- cularly thofe of domeftic life. In the faloon, facred to the fixteenth century, there is a painting of Charles the Sixth, on his knees, upon a large pane, encompafTed with many fmaller ones,, on pious fubjects. In the faloon, dedicated to the fifteenth century, there are two very large paintings in glafs reprefenting paflages in the apoca- lypfe. They were painted by Johan Cou- fins, and another with the portrait of Fran- cis the Firfl, by the fame inimitable pen- cil, in the natural fize. Thefe fine pieces were taken from the chapel in Saint Vin- cennes : next follow the birth and circurn- cifion of Chrift, defigned by Parmafons. An Ecce Homo painted by Albert Durer. In the windows of the gallery or corridor there are two and twenty paintings on glafs, after the defigns of Raphael, repre- fenting the fable of Pfyche. The laft named FRENCH MONUMENTS. 377 named five-and-twenty-pieces were taken from the Caftle of Ecouen. In the faloon fet apart for the produc- tions of the fixteenth century, there are two panes with defigns founded on the hiftory of Saint Gervais and Saint Prolais^ Mary's flight to Egypt, two panes in morefque work. Thefe pieces were executed byPerrin, from the defigns of Lefucr, and were taken from Saint Gervais. The following paint- ings on glafs were taken from the cloifter of the Feuillants in the ftreet Honore. Don Jean de la Barriere, the founder of that cloifter, in which a chapter was once held, A reprefentation of De la Barriere, in prifon ; a precious fight for the fuper- ftitions. The entry of Henrv the Fourth into Paris. Thefe two pieces were exe- cuted by Simpy after the defigns of Elgcs. The faloons, which are reduced to order, namelv. thofe of the thirteenth, fixteenth arc! feventeenth centuries, are very neat nmodious ; the fourteenth and eigh* S 3 teenth, "7$ MUSEUM 0$ teenth, as yet lie negle&ed, unlefs \\\ cept thole that are creeled in the court, gardens, paiTages, and rooms of the afore- faid Auguftine cloiiler. This promifcuous heap of warriors, ftatefmen; knights, men e.f letters, faints, prelates, monks, and nuns, creates an agreeable furprize at firft view . bat the contemplative fpe&ator finds him- immediately difpofed to afk this quef- :, What right has the prefent genera- tion to deliroy thofe monuments which their forefathers eredted to perpetuate the nietnory of their relatives or friends. Have they not afforded maintenance and fupport to many artifts, and fanned the fparks of genius and emulation ? What muft the living artifts think when they fee the pre- cious works of their matters expefed to the caprice of a licentious mob ? Have they not ferious caufe'to be alarmed for the fu- ture fate of their own labours, and that a finglc day may cleitroy the labours of ages? What muft be their feelings when they enter PBENOH MONUMENTS. ?JQ enter any one of the churches which are fiijj open in Paris, flripped of tlicir orna- ments, the naked walls disfigured with holes, and the floors on which thole monu- ments ftood covered with dirt and gravel ;. what an awful fenfation, when Reafbn has refumed her throne., to behold the trophiei of the arts thus Scattered and annihilated ! The celebrated and Indefatigable Zvliilin, in the commencement of the year I: publifhed a collection of monuments in ibur volumes. He had been at great pai and expence in travelling over France, to collect the moil, remarkable either for dc- figo or execution that the kingdom could . bo?,ft. They were copied and engraved* with great accuracy. He had alio copied a great number of epitaphs and inferip- tioas, which he illuftrated with many hii'lo- rical remarks, fo as to render them very interesting to the hiftorian and antiouary. In the month of November 17Q3, he pub- lifhed the fifth volume under the tith> q£ Anliquites Nationalcs. S 4 Milling 380 MUSEUM OF Mimn s houfc is the refort of all men of genius and tafte. It is the only one in Paris where a traveller can form an immediate acquaintance with Frenchmen and Gran- gers. Every feventh day in each decade he gives what is called his literary tea. The company begin to aflemble about eight or nine o'clock. The table in the firft room is covered with French and foreign journals, and new publications of merit. The inner chamber is occupied by ladies, who play on the clavecin, and accompany it with their voice, which has a pleafing effe6t, efpecially in filling up the paufes of conversation. About eleven the com- pany is treated w r ith tea, punch and cakes, his good mother pays the utmoft attention to the guefts, and feems highly gratified in rendering them every courtefy in her power. About twelve they all retire. Tn thofe circles I have found thirty and forty perfonsat a time. Mr. Millinhasabook, in which every traveller writes down his name to FRENCH MONUMENTS, 381 to enable him to preferve the remembrance of each. I am glad of this opportunity to return Mr. Manthey, the Danifh fe- cretary of legation^ my fincere thanks for having introduced me to M. Millin, in whofe houfe I have pafled many agreeable even- ings, and where I had frequent opportuni- ties of forming many valuable acquaint- ances, which rendered my ftay in Paris at once amufing and inftru&ive. S 5 CHAP. 382 PRESENT STATE OP THE CHAPTER XVI, PRESENT STATE OF THE MANUFACTURES OF FRANCE. Exhibition of various French Manufa£liire$ f Aris, &c. — Watchwork — Artificial Black Lead Pencils* — Files— CEconomic fi eves- Locks— Chemical ProdiiStions—JVoven and printed Tapefiry — Earthenware — Steel- work — Silk 9 Cotton, Linen, Leather, Seal- ing-wax, Chryjlal Glafs.— Weights and Meajures — Stereotypic Printing- — Puree- • lam^.'Spnning Machines — Mechanical En~ gravings, &e. T, HE two laft of the complementary days of every year are devoted to an exhi- bition of the different fpecimens of French manufac- MAX IT. fiSj OF FEANCE. 383 manufactures, arts, and handicrafts, which, are expofed to public infpecStion, in a large building raifed on porticoes or arches, in the Champ de Mars, oppo- fite to the directorial amphitheatre. On the evening of the third complementary day, the minifter of the interior, with the officers of the central bureau, reported, the names of a jury appointed to examine^ felecl, and pronounce on the.beft fpecimens in manufactures, arts, &c. which are de-- pofited in thofe arcades for that purpofe.- As I have enjoyed a great deal of pfeafure in loitering through thofe arcades,- I (hall prcfent a fhort account of their contents : ift Arcade. A pendulum which ftrikes decimal feconds, and fhevvs the new divi- fions of time; the days are divided into ten hours, the hours into a hundred minutes^ and the minutes into a hundred feconds. This was executed by Conturier. On my return home, I chanced to alight on a watchmaker, in Colding, who had made a S 6 W3jch» 384 PRESENT STATE OF THE watch according to this new divifion of time. In the fame arcade I faw a group of figures in porcelain, reprefenting Me- leager and Atalante. I alfo few feveral fpecimens of plated work, executed by Pa- toulet, Andre, and Lebeau, in the depart- ment of the Seine and Oife. I cannot fay that I faw any thing in this arcade, that ltruck me as peculiarly excellent. 2d Arcade. Breguet, the famous watch- maker, has difcovered a new echapement which is propelled by a conftant and uni- form force. This is a very lucky inven- tion, and combines many advantages. Bruns, a carpenter^ furnifhed many pieces of beautiful inlaid work in the cabinet line. 3d Arcade. Fine razors, forged of fteel, made in Clouet's new manner. 4th Arcade. Black lead pencils of differ- ent kinds, for defigning and drawing lines, by Conte. They were of a peculiar com- pofition, and fuperior to thofe of Eng- land, 5th MANUFACTURES OF FRANCE. 385 • 5th 'Arcade. Different kinds of files, coarfe and fine : they appeared to be very \ve]l finiihed. 6th Arcade. Defarnod's healthy and economic ftoves, which are formed fo as to confume a fmall quantity of fuel, and yet warm the room Efficiently. The leaft clafs of thole ftoves or furnaces is twenty-four inches in height, twenty-one inches in breadth, eighteen inches long, and weigh four hundred and fifty pounds each. Themid- dle clafs is thirty inches in height, twen- ty-lix in breadth, and twenty-one in length, and weigh eight hundred pounds each. The largeft is thirty-fix inches in height, thir- ty-one in breadth, twenty-four in length, and weigh thirteen hundred and fifty pounds each. They were all of caft iron. 7 th Arcade. Different locks and fcales made in Rock, Tague, and Pont Londry. I could not difcover any peculiar excel- lence in them. | 8th Arcade. Some of the chemical and mineralogical productions of De la Place. A chemical 3 ; 6S PRESENT STATE OF Till A chemical furnace by BournmaicI, fore- man or melter to Saineuve ; neither ap- peared to be of any great value. 9th Arcade. Several plan etari urns by Huelle and Fortier ; indifferent. 10th Arcade.^ Specimens of woven and printed tapeftry, by Roby and Petit ; both- very fine, as well with refpe6l to defigns as colours. 11th Arcade. White earthenware manu- factured by Pattes, in the department of FOife ; extremely fine and good. 12th Arcade. The model of a monu- ment by Fouquet. Imitation of painting in feathers, the compofition of Bouiilard ; neither remarkable, 13th Arcade. Fine fpecimens of cotton, carded and fpun by the machines in De- laitre's manufactory in the department of Seine and Oifc. 14th Arcade. Fine woven cotten, the produce of the manufactory of Fonfredc in the department of the Haute Garonne. 15th Arcade. Plain and printed cottons, the MANUFACTURES OF FKANCE. 38f the manufactory ' of Gremont and Bane; very fine. ]6th Arcade. Different fpecimens of woven cotton, worth viewing. 17th and 18th Arcade. Excellent cloths of different colours, manufactured in Fere and Chateauroux. 10th Arcade. Pocket-handkerchiefs, the fir ft fpecimen of the kind from a large manufactory, ereCied for that article in the department of Maine and Loire. 20th Arcade. All kind of fmith-work, hatchets, fpades, pickaxes, files, &c. Hard- ware, fuch as knives, fciffbrs, fnuffers, watch-chains ; the polifh fine. 2lft Arcade. Specimens of woven cot- ton, the promife of improvement in that line. 22d, 23d, and 24th Arcades. Fine cloth called Draps de Louviers, manufactured in the department of d'Eure; not eafy to de- termine which of the three fhould bear away the prize. 2fith 388 PRESENT STATE OP THE 25th Arcade. Silk and cotton ftockings, manufactured in Befanqon. 26th Arcade, Cottons from Pont Au- deme. The colours and patterns not very fine. 27th Arcade. Very excellent linen cloths from the fame place. 28th Arcade. The fineft piftols, rifle- barrelled guns, fabres of the moft coftly workmanflhip, the pride of the national manufactory at Verfailles. Thefe fine fpe- cimens of tafte, invention, and execution, derived additional luftre from the manner in which they were grouped or arranged. 29th Arcade. Very fine patterns of tif- fany and gauze. 30th and 3 ill Arcade. Fine fpecimens of tanned leather, from two tanneries in Pont Audemer. 32d Arcade. Linen and pocket hand- kerchiefs from the fame place. 33d Arcade. Cotton ftockings, and muf- lins fron> a manufactory in Troyes. 34th Arcade. Copperfmith work, ex- cellent MANUFACTUKES OF FRANCE. 3SQ eellent, but ftill inferior to that of Eng- land. 35th, 36th, and 37th Arcades. Silk and cotton Ttockings, manufactured at Troyes. 38th Arcade. Sealing wax of different colours fcented. The flicks were very fine, and diffufed an agreeable fmell without being burned. I bought twelve flicks for thirty fous, each fix inches in length, and a quarter of an inch in thicknefs, of differ- ent colours, red white, green, blue, and brown. 3Qth Arcade. GlafTes of different kinds, blown at Gorra, near Paris. 40th Arcade. A complete fet of the new weights and meafures, executed by order of the Minifler of the Interior. 41ft Arcade. The. new weights and meafurcs, executed by Ciceri, and in the 42cl arcade, the machines by which the new weights and meafures are divided, by Kuts ; this artizan excels Ciceri in the execution of thole article?, 43d 390 PP.ESENT STATE OF THE 43c! Arcade. Books printed on velh: paper in the office of Didot, the younger ; name!} 7 , Contrat Social, Juvenal, le Tele- maque, Anacharfis, &c. They are all mat- ter-pieces in the typographic line. 44th, 45th, 46th, and 47th Arcades- Models of different machines. I could not find any marks of excellence in them, they were very clumfily executed. I was fur- prized to find that they fhould be offered as fpecimens of national ingenuity. 48th and 49th Arcade. Excellent fpeci- mens in general of cotten and woollen cloths, which did great credit to the manu- factory in Beauvais. 50th Arcade. A large aflbrtment of fa- bres, &c manufa&ured in Provoteaus. 51 ft Arcade. Plates of horn for lan- thorns ; very large, pure, and transparent. 52d Arcade. Several coftly articles of drefs fewed in fuch a manner, that the feam was not to be difcerncd. I had not the good fortune to fee them, as they were (ban tokeii awav. * IvlAXUFACTtJEES OF PRANCE. 3Q1 53d Arcade. Stoneware manufactured in Vauderanges iu imitation of the Eng- lifti. 54th Arcade. Excellent tin work, fuch as ink-ftands, flower-pots, &c. The form, was beautiful, painted in different colours-: fome ofthedefigns were very happily con- ceived and executed, they were done by , Deharme. 55th Arcade. A haudmill, well con-. ftru£ed, by Dtirarid, which ground and; fifted at the fame time. He has invented feveral mills on different conftrudlions : ha is a mill-wright. 56th and 57th Arcades. Several fpeei- mens of porcelain, the produce of the na- tional manufactory at Seve, fuch as tea urns, bafons, coffee-pots, plates, tureen's, and large and fmall vafes of all colours, figures, and groupes, in bifcuit, fo white and fine, that they might be eallly takea for gips. A round table of three feet ia diameter, compofed of many fmall pieces of blue ground, with white bas-relief, in imitation 3Q2 present state of the imitation of Wedgewood ware ; notwith- standing it was not free from blemifhes, yet on the whole it was very neat and fine. On the porcelain there were two beautiful landfcapes, fourteen inehes in length, and ten in heighth. The form, defigns, co- lours, and gilding of the porcelain at Seve are entitled to great praife. In the mean time it may be proper to ohferve, that two kinds of porcelain are manufactured at Seve, foft and hard, the firft is more fhowy, but the laft approaches Dearer to true and real porcelain. 58th Arcade. Pierre Didot, the printer, and Fermin Didot, and Louis Herhan, letter founders, or letter cutters, exhibited fome of the newly invented ftereotypic plates, in which each page of the book was cut or engraved^ fuch as was ufed in the infancy of printing, but of a compofition fo hard, that it will ferve to work off from eight to ten thousand copies. The expence is re- paid in the number of copies, though they are fold at a low price. In this ar- cade MANUFACTURES OF FRANCE. 3Q3 cade I law an edition of Virgil in I2mo. which fells for fifteen ions, Phaedrus for twelve fous, and Fables de Fontaine for fif- teen foils. There was likewife a fplendid edi- tion of Virgil on vellum paper, with cop- per plates, printed in this manner. A fte- reotypic edition of Callet's tables of loga- rithms, Sec. Some books have juit ifllied from the fame prefs, which do great honour to this new invention. 50th Arcade. All kinds of chryftal glafs from LeboiVs fabric in Creuzot, in the de- partment of Saone and Loire. Thefe glades are very beautiful in matter, form, and pplilh. 6oth Arcade. A complete fervice of por- celain and decorations, defigned for the ta- ble of a fagar-baker in Paris. 6l ft Arcade. The model of a threfhing machine, by a miller in Rouen, not equal to our threfhing machines in Denmark. 62d, 63d, and 64th Arcades. Spinning machines from a fabric in Luat, in the de- partment of Seine and Oifc, together with fome 3Q4 PRESENT STATE OF THE fome fweet-meats by a confe&ioner Ih Paris. 65th Arcade. Porcelain from Dehl's and Gerhard's manufactory, Rue de Tem- ple, Paris. This porcelain is better, and more durable than that of Seve ; it is called in general Porcelaine d'Augouleme. Amongft many other fine pieces, I law up- wards of twenty paintings on porcelain, the largeft of which was twelve inches long, and ten broad. The fubjecls flower and fruit pieces, a fcene by moonlight, a young woman fitting, two old heads, and differ- ent landieapes. The defigns were correal and natural, the colouring fine, the light and fhade happily blended, and thte execu- tion of the whole inimitable. All thefe fine pieces did not experienc any caft or ble- mifh in the burning, which is not the cafe in other fabrics. It muft be obferved, however, that Dehl and Gerhard excel in the colour line, and that their furnaces are conftru&ed in fuch a manner, that the co- lours do not melt or run into each other. The MANUFACTURES OF FRANCE. 3Q5 The (hades of the colours were much more delicate and clear than in thofe of Seve. In this arcade I alio found a number of things worthy of being named. A vafe of three feet in height, two fmailer ones, a foot in height each, two little blue and grey vafes of excellent workrnanfhip. Two groups of figures in bifcuit, two table-clock cafes, the bifcuit was beautiful, and of the pureit white. 66th Arcade. Many iandfeapes, defigns in architecture, vafes, and other figures en- graved on copper plates by Defrance, which he calls tahleaux en creux, graves autour. This curious and excellent artift engraves the whole by a mechanical lathe, which imparts all the innumerable motions of the hand, and in many inftances .with greater fucceis and perfection. With this inftru- rnent he can engrave plates after any de- fign. He has alio a manufactory of fnuff- boxes of tortoife-fhell, and other compo* fition, for which he has found a very great demand. I expreffed a wifh to fee his lathe 3Q y 6 PRESENT STATE OF THE lathe, which I fuppofe to be a mafter-piece in mechanifm ; he affured me that no one ever faw it, except his wife or children. 67th Arcade. Perrin's metallic linen and gauze, or linen interwoven with ftcel threads. The texture beautiful, and of different degrees of fineneis. I was vcuy much pleafed with this new effort of the fhuttle, and am perfuaded this metallic tiffue will be found extremely ufe- ful in many branches of manufacture, fuch as lifting in the porcelain, glafs, and line carthernware. It may alfobe employed in the making of vellum paper, and paper of different kinds, fo as to render the tranf- verfe lines fcarce vifible. It isonlv neccf- fary to fend the ingenious inventor the meafure, which he executes to any length, breadth, or fineneis, at a reafonable price. The only articles in this collection that merited, in my opinion, peculiar diitinclion were the following : Bruguet's watch-work, particularly his echapement in the fecond arcade ; Deiar- nod's MANUFACTURES OP PRANCE. 3Q7 nad's economical (loves and boilers, in the fixth arcade ; Berthier's fteel-work in the twentieth arcade ; fire-arms from Ver- faiiles, in the twenty-eighth arcade; Gre- mont's and Barre's printed cottons, in the fifteenth arcade ; Patte's white earthcrn or fione-ware, in the eleventh arcade ; fjie- cimens of the fiereotyne and ftereotvpic printing, by Pierre Didot, Fermin, Didot, and Louis Hcrhan, iri the fifty-eighth af- cade, Defranee's mechanical engravings in the fixty-fixth arcade, and finally, DehFs and Gerhard's porcelain, in the fixty-f arcade. The whole exhibition, however, is verf well worth viewing ■ be idea is new. Yon there fee many proofs of the tndaf- try and ingenuity of the nation. "Whoever views them with art impartial eye mufr, however, acknowledge that thev fall far fhort of that p n of which they are e ; but when c I with cifcurii- fiances, fuch as when lb manv artffts, rrfatiufadturers, &c; afe enrolled as con- T fqri] 3Q8 PRESENT STATE OF THE fcripts, or fent to the armies, the general fcarcity of money, the want of encourage- ment, in confequence of the total extinc- tion of trade and local convulfion, it is matter of furprife that any thing worthy of public attention could be offered. Let France once enjoy the bleffings of peace : let the hufbandman fteer the plough in quiet, and reap the fruits of his own in- duftry, then manufacturers, handicrafts, commerce, and the fine arts, will daily ga- ther tfrength, fhoot forth, and ekpand into luxuriancy. Peace, I know, is the general wifh of the people, a wifh that is founded on good fen fe, and patriotifm and induilry will then contribute more to their real happinefs, than the fpleridicl but illufivc ac- quifition of ftates and provinces, and the folly of difleminating the feeds of republi- canifm in other countries. On the fifth complementary day, about eight o'clock in the evening, there was a general difeharge of artillery, and at nine another from the cannon planted before the MANUFACTURES OF FRANCE. 3QQ the palace of the Directory, and along the banks of the Seine. This difcharge was immediately followed by fix hundred rock- ets from the Pont-neuf, which afcended to a confiderable height, and formed a beau- tiful appearance in the air. The public of- fices and telegraphs were hung wilh lamp- 3 , lighted up with different colours, which had a very pleafing effect, as they were ar- ranged to the belt advantage. Glafs lamps are not ufed in thefe illuminations, but flat lamps of potter's earth from three to four inches. They are not filled with oil, but a fubftance prepared from the offals of oxen, calves, and lambs, which are pur- chafed in the flaughter-houfes for that pur- pofe. In ferene weather they burn very clear, but wind or rain immediately extiu- guifhes them. The 22d of September, 1798, was a pe- culiar feftival. There were rowing matches on the Seine, and wreftling in the Champ de Mars, for fmall prizes, fuch as ribbons, T 2 kc. 400 TRESENT STATE OF THE &c. The victors were immediately le- velled with the prize, and fometimes car- ried off on the -fhuuklers of the populace in triumph, particularly if the conteft was long doubtful. In this lift I faw fourteen or fifteen young men, well formed by na- ture for fuch athletic excrcifes. This amufement was facceeded by the entrance of two chariots. Some of the victors of the 11th of July flood up- right in one, and fome of tbefe of the 14th of Auguft in the other. A party with lighted brands fet fire to two figures of wood, the one reprefenting Defpotifm, and the other Fanaticifm> and then danced round the blaze. In the afternoon the Directory, Minif- ters, &c. afiemhled in the Military School, from whence they moved in proccflion in the fame order which I have already men- tioned on the fcafl in commemoration of the foundation of the Republic. A group vlrcdedin the cofhunc of the ancient Gauls walked MANUFACTURES OP PRANCE. 401 walked before the Directory, with a banner containing the names of all the depart- ments. The following lines were written on the back of this fane : La Republique les a to us reunis, Cen'eft plus qu'un merae peuple. A trophy was borne on one fide of the de- partmental enfign, formed of the fhields of the Batavian, Cifalpine, Helvetic, and Ro- man Republics, with the following infcrip- tion : Que leur alliance avec le peuple Frangois foit eternelle. As foon as the proceffion had reached the altar, raifed to the genius of the coun- try, the departmental enfign, and the tro- phy of the allied republics, were placed at the foot of it, with great ceremony, accom- panied by a triumphal long. Treilhard, the prefident of the Directory, delivered a fpeech, in which he congratulated the French nation on the fuccefs of their arms, and the profpecl of returning peace. An ode was then fung, compofed for the oc- T 3 cafion, 402 PRESENT STATE OF THE cation, the words by Chenier, and the muiic by Martin : A nctre coeur fenfible et brave Rien ne peut inipirer 1'errVoi : Ce qu'il halt le plus, c'eit un Roi ; Apres un Roi, c'efl un efclave Si nos aYeux furent long temps Sujets des rois, jouets des pretres ; Nous vivrons, nous et nos enfans, Et fans prejuges et fans maitres. : The prefident then read over the names of the citizens who had contributed to the liability or happinefs of the Republic in the eourfe of the preceding year, either by their perfonal bravery, patriotic eflays, inven- tions, induiiry, &c. All thofe were dif- tinctly repeated by a herald, who diftri- buted printed Hfis of the names to the cir- cle around him. Horfe and chariot racing followed next. Two horfes were remarkably fleet, one came from Normandy , and the other from Limoges. Thofe two won the honours of the eourfe. • The chariot races afforded the highefl: amufeinjnt ; they were built in the man- ner MANUFACTURES" CF FP.A NCE. 403 net of the Roman triumphal cars/ with two wheels, and open behind. The charioteer ftood upright. Four ftarted; but the con- tention only lay betwixt two. One of the charioteers met with an accident. Lagrange, formerly an officer in the Huflars, who had fought with great gallantry againft thePrui- fians in Champagne, in attempting to reach the goal, he (truck his wheel again ft his ri- val's, by which he was pitched to a confider- able diftance, and received fo dangerous a wound in his head, that he was carried for dead out of the race ground. There were ten prizes diftributed, the large ft amounted to twelve hundred, and the leaft to eight hundred franks. Eight of thofe confifted of carabines, piftols, and fwords from the manufactory of Verfailles, one of porcelain manufactured m Seve, and the laft a ring and watch. The aeroftatic corps of Meudon, claimed a fli a re in the amufement of the day. An air balloon of thirty-one feet in diameter was launched, and afcended to the height of 404 PRESENT STATE OF THE of about one hundred and fifty feet in the air, an aeroftatic officer fat in the. boat or car, and directed its courfe. A kind of fort or redoubt, compofcd of wood, was raifed in the middle of the field, the aerial navigator failed for fome time round it, and when he came dire&ly over it, threw a globe filled with combuftible matter into the fort, which inftantly enveloped the whole in flames. A glafs globe filled with phofphorus would be fufficient for this purpofe. The Directory now returned to the place from whence they fet out. The day was fine, and the novelty of the fucceffive fports drew an immenfe crowd of fpedlators, not lefs, I am fure, than two hundred thoufand, if not more. Government feems to know the Parifians well, and how eafily they may be managed with fpe6lac)es of this kind, like the Ro- mans, who only wifhed for bread and (hows, (panem et ciricetifes). Through the friend- ihip of the Danifh miniftcr ; Mr. Dreyers, I received MANUFACTURES OP FRANCE. 405 received a ticket, by which I was admitted to the inner room in the Military School ; I had the good luck to get a place in one of the balconies where I found myfelf in company with the following ladies, Mef- dames Reubel, Treilhard, Bonaparte and her daughter, Simon, and Recamier. The two laft arc bankers' wives, and juftly famed for their beauty. Madame Bona- parte is very handfomc, more fo in my opi- nion than Madame Tallien. The accident which befel Lagrange affe<51ed Madame Tallien fo much, that (he almoft fainted as they carried him by the balcony. At night the illuminations were very general, and the lamps were difpofed in luch fymmetry, that the effedt was charming beyond what I have either time or language to defcribe. FINIS, v-.*»-~<>-»«:>-'-'« A NEW EDITION, Corrected ami reviled, in two Volumes duodecimo, Price its, in haftlst BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS OF TWO HUNT. tED OF THE Founders of [the French Hep\ Ai-,'D OF Other Perfons the roofl: diilinguKlieci in the • FROGKK8S OF THE RE Critical Opinions cf this V/crk. u We have only to obierve on the prefent Volume, that it is generally written with an elegar.ee and vivacity or ftyle which are peculiarly pleafing ; that the Anecdotes ^re ming- led with many judicious and feniiMe reflexions ; that the politics are free, hut temperate ; that the eftimate of cha- raclers is apparently impartial j and that it abounds with the mofr. interefting and entertaining matter. About a hundred and thirty characters are iketched in this popular Volume, and a very ufeful chart is prefixed of the prole no- tion* of parties in France from that of the BriiTotires in June, 1793, to that of the Royaliftsin September, 1797." Analytical Rwienv, Cl We can promife to our readers, whatever their political principles may be, confiderable amufement and information from this volume, which contains Anecdotes of above one hundred and thirty of the moll eminent perfona who *' ftrutted and fretted their d^y" upon the grand thratre < t Fiench politics. The author appears to have taken great pains to eolieel mateiials from the belt fburces."" Critical R11: ..<>«..<>... .<>.. ; o ''" <> ■ i»< Printed by T. Giilett, Saliioury-fquare. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS iliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinii*! 030 227 864 7