1832.] The Autobiography of St. Simon. 655 



to remain in garrison while the other four thousand were to labour at 

 the canal : the government to bear only the expence of their military 

 equipment, and hospitals, as the pay alone of the workmen would suffice 

 for all the expences of the corps. 



The breaking out of the French revolution prevented the execution of 

 this project. 



The revolution had commenced when I returned to France. I did not 

 wish to take any part in it, for reasons which I shall detail when I give 

 an account of my political opinions. I gave myself up to financial 

 speculations, and entered into partnership with a Prussian, the Count de 

 Redern. 



Fortune I desired only as a means to organise a large establishment 

 of industry, to found a scientific school of improvement ; to contribute, iii 

 one word, to the progress of intelligence, and to ameliorate the condition 

 of man : such were the real objects of my ambition. 



I followed, with ardour, confidence, and complete success, these finan- 

 cial operations until the year 1797. My speculations having succeeded, 

 I found myself in a condition to commence the establishment of industry. 

 A model of the constructions which I had undertaken may be seen in the 

 Rue du Bouloy. The arrival of M. Redern frustrated my projects. I 

 was deceived in the estimate I had formed of the character of this partner 

 of mine : I imagined him launched forward in the same career as myself; 

 but the routes we were following were widely opposite: he was running 

 after fortune whilst I was toiling up the rugged sides of the mountain 

 which bears on its top the temple of glory. 



M. Redern and I quarrelled in 1797: immediately after our rupture, 

 I conceived the plan of operating in a direct manner on the moral func- 

 tions of man. I undertook to advance science a step, and to give a 

 beginning to the French school. This enterprise required preliminary 

 labours: I was obliged to form a correct idea of the state of human 

 knowledge, and to study the history of its discoveries. 



To attain this end, I did not limit my researches to libraries ; I took 

 lodgings opposite the Polytechnique School, and I employed three years 

 in acquainting myself with the extent of the knowledge acquired upon the 

 physical properties of inorganic matter. 



The peace of Amiens enabled me to visit England. The object of my 

 journey was to ascertain if the English were occupied with Encyclo- 

 paedian labours. I returned to France with the certainty that labours of 

 this kind did not occupy their attention. 



A short time afterwards I went to Geneva, and made a tour of a part 

 of Germany. I obtained on this journey the certainty that general 

 science was yet in its infancy in this country, from its being founded upon 

 mystical principles ; but I conceived hopes of its progress on observing 

 the whole of this great nation eagerly assuming a scientific direction. 

 After having acquired and proved my scientific ideas in the manner I 

 have just detailed, I took up my pen. I first published two volumes 

 " Introduction to the Scientific Labours of the 19th century." I how- 

 ever abandoned this enterprize, perceiving that I had badly commenced 

 the exposition of my ideas. Convinced by experience that my judgment 

 was not yet sufficiently matured to arrange and digest the work which I 

 had conceived, 1 came to the resolution of publishing some letters, in 

 which I have separately treated the questions, the partial solutions of 



