The Life and Writings of Francis Hub&f\ S95 



how to love/'' Thus had he the good sense justly to appre- 

 ciate and enjoy the balance of advantages which were fur- 

 nished him, by the very condition in which he was placed. He 

 appeared to be afraid either of the loss of many of his illu- 

 sions, or of the excitement of hopes in which he might be de- 

 ceived, for he always repelled the proposition of having a por- 

 tion of his sight restored by an operation on one of his eyes, 

 which appeared to be affected only by simple cataract ; the other 

 was blinded from gutta screna, which rendered it incurable. 



Far be it from me, nevertheless, to attach too high a value to 

 the compensations which he himself found in his infirmity, and 

 for not having put into requisition the nobility and courage of 

 his philosophy. He never was the first to speak of his misfor- 

 tune, and was disposed to avoid the idea of it. He never com- 

 plained, and his strong and enlightened mind ranked courage 

 and resignation, and cheerfulness among his primary duties. 



His conversation was generally amiable and gracious ; he was 

 easily led into the humorous ; he was a stranger to no kind of 

 knowledge ; he loved to elevate his thoughts to the gravest and 

 most important subjects, as well as to descend to the most fami- 

 liar sportiveness. He was learned, in the ordinary sense of the 

 word, but, like a skilful diver, he went to the bottom of each 

 question by a kind of tact and a sagacity of perception, which 

 supplied the place of knowledge. When a^ny one spoke to him 

 on subjects which interested his head or heart, his noble figure 

 became strikingly animated, and the vavacity of his countenance 

 seemed, by a mysterious magic, to animate even his eyes, which 

 had so long been condemned to darkness. The sound of his 

 voice had always something of the solemn. I now understand, 

 said a man of wit to me one day, who had just seen him for the 

 first time, — I understand how young people willingly grant to 

 the blind the reputation of supernatural inspiration. 



fiuber spent the last years of his life at Lausanne, under tlie 

 care of his daughter, Madame de Molin. He continued to 

 make additions at intervals to his former labours. The disco- 

 very of bees without stings, made in the environs of Tampico, 

 by Captain Hall, excited his curiosity, and it was a high satis- 

 faction to him, when his friend, Professor Prcvost, procured for 

 him at first a few individuals, and then a hive of these insects- 



