Biographies of Distinguished Scientific Men. First Series

Part 1

Produced by Bill Tozier, Barbara Tozier, Martin Pettit and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

BIOGRAPHIES

DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIFIC MEN.

BY FRANCOIS ARAGO,

MEMBER OF THE INSTITUTE.

TRANSLATED BY

ADMIRAL W.H. SMYTH, D.C.L., F.R.S., &c.

THE REV. BADEN POWELL, M.A., F.R.S., &c.

AND

ROBERT GRANT, Esq., M.A., F.R.A.S.

FIRST SERIES.

BOSTON:

TICKNOR AND FIELDS.

M DCCC LIX.

RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE:

PRINTED BY H.O. HOUGHTON AND COMPANY.

TRANSLATORS' PREFACE.

The present volume of the series of English translations of M. Arago's works consists of his own autobiography and a selection of some of his memoirs of eminent scientific men, both continental and British.

It does not distinctly appear at what period of his life Arago composed the autobiography, but it bears throughout the characteristic stamp of his ardent and energetic disposition. The reader will, perhaps, hardly suppress a smile at the indications of self-satisfaction with which several of the incidents are brought forward, while the air of romance which invests some of the adventures may possibly give rise to some suspicion of occasional embellishment; on these points, however, we leave each reader to judge for himself. In relation to the history of science, this memoir gives some interesting particulars, which disclose to us much of the interior spirit of the Academy of Sciences, not always of a kind the most creditable to some of Arago's former contemporaries.

But a far higher interest will be found to belong to those eloquent memoirs, or eloges of eminent departed men of science, who had attained the distinction of being members of the Academy.

In these the reader will find a luminous, eminently simple, and popular account of the discoveries of each of those distinguished individuals, of a kind constituting in fact a brief history of the particular branch of science to which he was devoted. And in the selection included in the present volume, which constitutes but a portion of the entire series, we have comprised the accounts of men of such varied pursuits as to convey no inadequate impression of the progress of discovery throughout a considerable range of the whole field of the physical sciences within the last half century.

The account given by the author, of the principal discoveries made by the illustrious subjects of his memoirs, is in general very luminous, but at the same time presupposes a familiarity with some parts of science which may not really be possessed by all readers. For the sake of a considerable class, then, we have taken occasion, wherever the use of new technical terms or other like circumstances seemed to require it, to introduce original notes and commentaries, sometimes of considerable extent, by the aid of which we trust the scientific principles adverted to in the text will be rendered easily intelligible to the general reader.

In some few instances also we have found ourselves called upon to adopt a more critical tone; where we were disposed to dissent from the view taken by the author on particular questions of a controversial kind, or when he is arguing in support, or in refutation, of opposing theories on some points of science not yet satisfactorily cleared up.

We could have wished that our duty as translators and editors had not extended beyond such mere occasional scientific or literary criticism. But there unfortunately seemed to be one or two points where, in pronouncing on the claims of distinguished individuals, or criticizing their inventions, a doubt could not but be felt as to the perfect fairness of Arago's judgment, and in which we were constrained to express an unfavourable opinion on the manner in which the relative pretensions of men of the highest eminence seemed to be decided, involving what might sometimes be fairly regarded as undue prejudice, or possibly a feeling of personal or even national jealousy. Much as we should deprecate the excitement of any feeling of hostility of this kind, yet we could not, in our editorial capacity, shrink from the plain duty of endeavouring to advocate what appeared to us right and true; and we trust that whatever opinion may be entertained as to the conclusions to which we have come on such points, we shall not have given ground for any complaint that we have violated any due courtesy or propriety in our mode of expressing those conclusions, or the reasons on which they are founded.

CONTENTS.

PAGE THE HISTORY OF MY YOUTH.

An Autobiography of Francis Arago 1

BAILLY.

Part 2

Introduction 91

Infancy of Bailly.--His Youth.--His Literary Essays.--His Mathematical Studies 93

Bailly becomes the Pupil of Lacaille.--He is associated with him in his Astronomical Labours 97

Bailly a Member of the Academy of Sciences.--His Researches on Jupiter's Satellites 103

Bailly's Literary Works.--His Biographies of Charles V.--of Leibnitz--of Peter Corneille--of Moliere 106

Debates relative to the Post of Perpetual Secretary of the Academy of Sciences 110

History of Astronomy.--Letters on the Atlantis of Plato and on the Ancient History of Asia 114

First Interview of Bailly with Franklin.--His Entrance into the French Academy in 1783.--His Reception.--Discourse.--His Rupture with Buffon 121

Report on Animal Magnetism 127

Election of Bailly into the Academy of Inscriptions 155

Report on the Hospitals 157

Report on the Slaughter-Houses 165

Biographies of Cook and of Gresset 167

Assembly of the Notables.--Bailly is named First Deputy of Paris; and soon after Dean or Senior of the Deputies of the Communes 169

Bailly becomes Mayor of Paris.--Scarcity.--Marat declares himself inimical to the Mayor.--Events of the 6th of October 179

A Glance at the Posthumous Memoir of Bailly 193

Examination of Bailly's Administration as Mayor 195

The King's Flight.--Events on the Champ de Mars 206

Bailly quits the Mayoralty the 12th of November, 1791.--The Eschevins.--Examination of the Reproaches that might be addressed to the Mayor 211

Bailly's Journey from Paris to Nantes, and then from Nantes to Melun.--His Arrest in this last Town.--He is transferred to Paris 217

Bailly is called as a Witness in the Trial of the Queen.--His own Trial before the Revolutionary Tribunal.--His Condemnation to Death.--His Execution.--Imaginary Details added by ill-informed Historians to what that odious and frightful Event already presented 225

Portrait of Bailly.--His Wife 250

HERSCHEL.

Personal History 258

Chronological Table of the Memoirs of William Herschel 266

Improvements in the Means of Observation 271

Labours in Sidereal Astronomy 285

Labours relative to the Solar System 289

Part 3

Optical Labours 301

LAPLACE.

Preliminary Notice 303

APPENDIX.

(A.) Brief Notice of some other interesting Results of the Researches of Laplace which have not been mentioned in the Text 368

(B.) The Mecanique Celeste 372

JOSEPH FOURIER.

Preliminary Notice 374

Birth of Fourier.--His Youth 377

Memoir on the Resolution of Numerical Equations 380

Part played by Fourier in our Revolution.--His Entrance into the Corps of Professors of the Normal School and the Polytechnic School.--Expedition to Egypt 384

Fourier Prefect of L'Isere 405

Mathematical Theory of Heat 408

Central Heat of the Terrestrial Globe 419

Return of Napoleon from Elba.--Fourier Prefect of the Rhone.--His Nomination to the Office of Director of the Board of Statistics of the Seine 430

Entrance of Fourier into the Academy of Sciences.--His Election to the Office of Perpetual Secretary.--His Admission to the French Academy 437

Character of Fourier.--His Death 438

LIVES

DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIFIC MEN.

THE HISTORY OF MY YOUTH:

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS ARAGO.

I have not the foolish vanity to imagine that any one, even a short time hence, will have the curiosity to find out how my first education was given, and how my mind was developed; but some biographers, writing off hand and without authority, having given details on this subject utterly incorrect, and of a nature to imply negligence on the part of my parents, I consider myself bound to put them right.

I was born on the 26th of February, 1786, in the commune of Estagel, an ancient province of Roussillon (department of the Eastern Pyrenees). My father, a licentiate in law, had some little property in arable land, in vineyards, and in plantations of olive-trees, the income from which supported his numerous family.

I was thus three years old in 1789, four years old in 1790, five years in 1791, six years in 1792, and seven years old in 1793, &c.

The reader has now himself the means of judging whether, as has been said, and even stated in print, I had a hand in the excesses of our first revolution.

My parents sent me to the primary school in Estagel, where I learnt the rudiments of reading and writing. I received, besides, in my father's house, some private lessons in vocal music. I was not otherwise either more or less advanced than other children of my age. I enter into these details merely to show how much mistaken are those who have printed that at the age of fourteen or fifteen years I had not yet learnt to read.

Estagel was a halting-place for a portion of the troops who, coming from the interior, either went on to Perpignan, or repaired direct to the army of the Pyrenees. My parents' house was therefore constantly full of officers and soldiers. This, joined to the lively excitement which the Spanish invasion had produced within me, inspired me with such decided military tastes, that my family was obliged to have me narrowly watched to prevent my joining by stealth the soldiers who left Estagel. It often happened that they caught me at a league's distance from the village, already on my way with the troops.

Continue reading Biographies of Distinguished Scientific Men. First Series free in the Wunder reader →