442 



Biographical Memoirs of Eminent Persons. 



[APRIL, 



duction was entitled " Advice to my Con- 

 temporaries." 



In the year 1803, M Pestalozzi was one 

 of the deputation which Buonaparte sum- 

 moned from (he Swiss Cantons to deliberate 

 on the means of restoring tranquillity to 

 Switzerland ; but he returned home before 

 uy arrangement could be effected. This 

 worthy man died at Brugg on the J7th of 

 February, after a few days' illness. 



M. FELLENBERG. 



M. Fellenberg, the friend and countryman 

 of Pestalozzi, was born at Bern, in the year 

 1771. His mother, a great grand-daughter 

 of the celebrated Dutch Admiral, Van Tromp, 

 was accustomed to repeat to him, in his early 

 youth, this excellent advice : " The great 

 have friends in abundance ; be you, my son, 

 the friend of the poor, the support of the un- 

 fortunate and oppressed. " The early part 

 of his education was conducted with great 

 care at home ; subsequently, he was sent to 

 the public establishment at Colmar, in Al- 

 sace, in France ; but his ill health obliged 

 him to return, some years afterwards, into 

 Switzerland. There he accustomed himself 

 to live upon bread and water ; and, in all re- 

 spects, to adhere to the severest regimen. 

 In his travels through Switzerland, France, 

 and Germany, commenced soon after his re- 

 turn, it was usual for him to stop some time 

 in the villages, assuming the appearance of 

 an artizan, or of a labourer, that he might 

 with more facility be enabled to study the 

 characters of men, and the nature of their 

 wants. Once he was solicited by a young 

 woman, to undertake the religious instruc- 

 tion of her uncle, who was deaf. M. Fellen- 

 berg, by means of gestures, succeeded in 

 making himself understood ; but his zeal 

 produced no other effect than that of gaining 

 his pupil's good-will, although he actually 

 resided with him in solitude for a whole year, 

 near the lake of Zurich. From that period, 

 forming an intimacy with Pestalozzi, he de- 

 voted his time and attention to the education 

 of youth. Submitting to the new order of 

 things in Switzerland, in 1798, M. Fellen- 

 berg exerted his influence amongst the 

 peasants with the happiest effect. However, 

 as the government refused to perform what 

 he had promised in their name, he withdrew 

 his interference in public affairs. 



Of an exceedingly speculative turn, M. 

 Fellenberg now purchased the estate of 

 Hofwyl, of which all the world has heard, 

 two leagues northward from Berne ; and 

 there he formed,; -first, a farm, which was 

 intended to serve as a model to the neigh- 

 bourhood, in all that might be useful in agri- 

 culture, cultivating it under his own care, 

 and actually increasing its customary pro- 

 duce five-fold; secondly, an experimental 

 farm, for the instruction of pupils who re- 

 sorted to it from various parts of Europe ; 

 thirdly^ a manufactory of agricultural im- 

 plements, farming utensils, &c., with which 

 was connected a school of industry for the 



poor, who were taught the business of the 

 various handicrafts ; fourthly, a boarding- 

 school for young gentlemen; and, fifthly, 

 an institution for instruction in agriculture, 

 theoretical and practical. He also established 

 a school for the instruction of teachers be- 

 longing to the surrounding country ; but that 

 scheme was, after some years, abandoned. 



Of M. Fellenberg's establishment at Hof- 

 wyl the entire business of which was con- 

 ducted by the founder, and thirteen assistants 

 full accounts have b? j en published in the 

 Eibliotheque Britannique, and other conti- 

 nental works. To enable him to examine 

 every part of the institution, and to observe 

 what was going forward, in even the re- 

 motest corners, M. Fellenberg constructed a 

 lofty tower in the centre, from which, by 

 means of a glass, and a speaking trumpet, 

 he conducted the several operations. It must 

 be admitted, however, that the establishment 

 has not been productive of all the advantage 

 that was anticipated. 



Amongst the pupils who were sent to study 

 at Hofwyl, were several young men of the 

 first rank in Germany. The late Emperor 

 Alexander of Russia employed a confiden- 

 tial person to examine, and report on the in- 

 stitution ; and his Imperial Majesty was 

 pleased to accompany the insignia of an 

 order of knighthood to M. Fellenberg, with 

 a handsome letter, in autograph. M. Fel- 

 lenberg died early in the present year ; hav- 

 ing left a standing committee entrusted with 

 the execution of his testementary regulations, 

 with regard to the schools for the poor. 



COUNT GIRARDIN. 



Count Stanislaus Girardin, who died early 

 in March, was the son of the Count de Girar- 

 din, the friend and protector of Rousseau, 

 and generally considered to have been the 

 original of that author's Emilius. He was 

 born in the year 1768 ; and his education was 

 conducted upon the principles laid down by 

 the Genevese philosopher. Early in life he 

 entered the army. He was a member of the 

 Legislative Assembly, and a strenuous sup- 

 porter of the constitution of 1 79 1 . After the 

 deposition of Louis XVI., he took no part 

 in public affairs ; yet, during the tyranny of 

 Robespierre, he was subjected to imprison- 

 ment for a considerable period. After Buona- 

 parte had been raised to the Consulship, he 

 became a member of the Tribunate ; in which 

 office he bad violent altercations with Ben- 

 jamin Constant, relative to the project for 

 the reduction of justices of the peace ; and 

 with Carion de Nisa>, who made an attack 

 upon the character of Rousseau. At the 

 time that the army, raised for the invasion of 

 England, was encamped at Boulogne, Count 

 Girardin returned to his original profession, 

 in the capacity of Captain in the 4th regi- 

 ment of the line. He served in Italy ob- 

 tained there the rank of Colonel was raised 

 to be a Brigadier-general in 1808 -and took 

 a part in the first Spanish campaigns. In 

 1809, he was elected a member of the Legis- 



