EULOGY ON ALEXANDER VOLTA. 141 



On this side of the Alps the feelin<;' excited was much less inteuse. 

 Those who luay thiuk this strauge, must remember that on the same 

 day, almost at the same hour, France lost the author of " La Mecanique 

 Celeste." Yolta, for six years, had lived solely in his family, llis active 

 mind was almost gone. The names electrophorus and condenser, and 

 even that of the pile, no longer possessed the power of njaking his 

 heart beat. Laplace, on the contrary, retained up to his last hour 

 that energy and activity of mind, that passionate love of scientitic dis- 

 coveries, which for more than half a century rendered him the soul of 

 your reunions. When death surprised bim, at the age of seventy-eight, 

 he was publishing a sequel to the fifth volume of his great work. On 

 reflecting on the immensity of such a loss, all will acknowledge, I doubt 

 not, that there is great injustice in reproaching the academy for hav- 

 ing at the first moment concentrated all its thoughts on the fatal blow 

 it had just received. As for myself, gentlemen, I have never misunder- 

 stood your sentiments, and my only fear now is my inability to do all 

 the justice you desire to the immeasurable services rendered to science 

 by the illustrious })rofessor of Pavia. I Hatter myself, however, it will 

 not be imputed to a want of conviction. In moments of pleasing rev- 

 ery, when passing in review all contemporary productions, any one can 

 select, according to his habits, tastes, and bent of mind, without much 

 discrimination, which one of these productions he would prefer to be 

 the author of, "La Mecanique Celeste" or the voltaic pile; at the same 

 time and always on the same level, they have presented themselves to 

 my mind. An academician devoted to the study of the stars could not 

 possibly give a more striking proof of the profound admiration which 

 the immortal discoveries of Volta always inspired. 



The place of foreign member, made vacant by Volta's death, was 

 filled by Br. Thomas Young. The academic corps is happy, gentlemen, 

 when forced to recruit its ranks, to be able to succeed genius to genius. 



