204 Baron Fourier's Historical Notice 



, tacle of so many various phenomena. The apparent course of 

 the sun is subject to very sensible inequalities. It is not the 

 motion of this star, but the daily revolution of the terrestrial 

 globe which can regulate time : it is the immoveable model of 

 an uniform motion. The most perfect time-piece, therefore, 

 would be that which gives us the precise representation of this 

 revolution. But this model is inimitable, and our art could 

 never attain that end, — for we are certain that in the course of 

 two thousand years the duration of the earth's revolution has 

 not varied the one-hundredth part of a second. 



M. Breguet has improved successively all the branches of 

 his art. The most important are those which owe to him the 

 greatest advancement ; and what is remarkable, they have re- 

 ceived from his hands almost always an unexpected simplicity. 

 He has suppressed that part of the wheel-work called the 



fusee^ a very ingenious mechanism, the origin of which is un- 

 known. It was impossible to preserve to this piece its primitive 

 simplicity. The chain which surrounds it is formed of several 

 thousand parts, and this is not the only cause of the multiplied 

 and inevitable accidents to which this very complicated appa- 

 ratus gives rise. M. Breguet replaces it by elastic forces, re- 

 gulated and constant, which act in a very simple manner. The 

 frictions are more equal, more gentle, and the number of pieces 

 much less. Experience has sanctioned this happy alteration, 

 and many eminent artists have imitated it. We may remark, 

 without a contradiction, that it required an ingenious talent to 

 invent that mechanism, and a perfect talent to suppress it. 



The method of elastic suspension is not less remarkable. 

 The object of it is to prevent the fracture of the most delicate 

 and important parts of the apparatus, viz. those which contain 

 the balance. This piece is sustained by pivots of extreme te- 

 nuity, and one would think that the least accidental shock 

 would break it. An ingenious contrivance is opposed to this 

 accident. M. Breguet has invented a method of suspension 

 which completely defends this principal part of the instrument 

 against the effect of a sudden percussion. If we allow the 

 piece to fall, or even if we throw it against an obstacle, we shall 

 be surprised to find the pivots unhurt, though their thickness is 

 that of the most delicate wire. It happens that during the 



