194 Baron Fourier's Historical Elogc of the 



and with extraordinary sagacity the most difficult controversial 

 questions. 



We do not know by what fortunate event Laplace passed 

 from the study of scholastics to that of the higher geometry. 

 This last science, which scarcely admits of a divided attention, 

 attracted and fixed his thoughts. Henceforth he abandoned 

 himself without reserve to the impulse of his genius, and he 

 was impressed with the conviction, that a residence in the ca- 

 pital had now become necessary. D'Alembert was then in 

 the zenith of his fame. It was he who informed the court of 

 Turin that its Royal Academy possessed a geometer of the 

 first order — Lagrange, who, without this noble testimony to 

 his merits, might have remained long unknown. D'Alembert 

 had announced to the King of Prussia that there was only one 

 man in Europe who could replace at Berlin the illustrious Eu- 

 ler, who, having been recalled by the Russian government, 

 had consented to return to St Petersburg. 1 find in the un- 

 published letters possessed by the Institute of France the de- 

 tails of this glorious negociation, which fixed the residence of 

 Lagrange at Berlin. 



It was about the same time that Laplace began that long 

 career which was destined to become so illustrious. 



He waited upon D'Alembert, preceded by numerous recom- 

 mendations, which might have been considered as very power- 

 ful. But his attempts were vain, for he was not even introdu- 

 ced. He then addressed to him whose suffrage he solicited a 

 very remarkable letter on the general principles of mechanics, 

 of which M. Laplace has frequently quoted to me different 

 fragments. It was impossible that a geometer hke D'Alem- 

 bert could fail to be struck with the singular profoundness 

 of this composition. On the same day, he invited the author 

 of the letter, and thus addressed him : — " You see, Sir, that I 

 hold recommendations as of very little value ; — you have no oc- 

 casion for them. You have made yourself better known ; — 

 this is sufficient for me : You are entitled to my support.'' 

 In a few days he succeeded in getting Laplace nominated 

 Professor of Mathematics in the Military School of Paris. 

 From that moment, devoted wholly to the science which he 

 had chosen, he gave to all his labours a fixed direction, from 



