206 Biographical Memoir ofM. Hauy. 



Such was undoubtedly the fact with respect to the natural 

 sciences at the close of the eighteenth century. The laws of 

 motion reduced to a single formula, — the entire heavens sub- 

 mitted to geometrical measurement, — ^its spaces enlarged, and 

 peopled with new stars, — the orbits of planets fixed more rigo- 

 rously than ever, both in time and space, — the earth weighed as 

 in a balance, — ^man raising himself into the clouds, and traversing 

 the seas without the aid of the winds, — the complicated myste- 

 ries of chemistry reduced to a few simple and easily intelligible 

 facts, — the catalogue of natural beings extended in a tenfold 

 degree in all its departments, — their relations established in an 

 irrevocable manner, upon the basis of their internal and exter- 

 nal structure, — the very history of the earth in the remote ages 

 studied on monuments, and not less astonishing in its truth, 

 than it could have appeared in the conceptions of fancy : — Such 

 is the magnificent and unparalleled spectacle which it has been 

 given us to contemplate, but which also renders bitter to us the 

 disappearance of the great men to whom we are indebted for it. 

 A few years have seen descending to the grave the Lavoisiers, 

 the Priestleys, the Cavendishes, the Campers, the Saussures, 

 and the Lagranges ; and who will not be alarmed at the acce- 

 leration of our losses, when a few months have removed from us 

 Herschel and Delambre, Haiiy and BerthoUet, and our powers 

 are scarcely sufficient to render them, within the prescribed 

 time, the homage due to them from the societies of which they 

 were the ornaments ? 



We should be the more induced to believe that M. Haiiy ex- 

 perienced this irresistible influence of -his epoch, from the cir- 

 cumstance that it was almost without having thought of it that 

 he was impelled into a career for which, during forty years, he 

 had taken no care to prepare himself. In the midst of obscure 

 occupations, an idea struck him, — a single idea, but luminous 

 and fertile. Henceforth he pursued it without intermission: 

 his time, his faculties, his all, he devoted to it ; and his efforts 

 at length obtained the most magnificent recompence. Nor can 

 any example shew better than his, what great, I would almost 

 say miraculous results, may be elicited by the man who attaches 

 himself with obstinate perseverance to the profound study of one 

 object, and how true the proposition is, at least with reference 



