AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS ARAGO. 195 



against young people; I acknowledge that tlie man who is called the 

 g^-eat elector of the Academy is more powerful than I am." 



" ISTo," replied I ; "M. Arago can only succeed in counterbalancing 

 the opinion justly preponderating for M. de Laplace, when the right is 

 found to be without possible contradiction on his side." 



I would warn those savants, who having early entered the Academy, 

 might be tempted to imitate my example, to expect nothing beyond the 

 satisfaction of their conscience. 1 warn them, with a knowledge of the 

 case, that gratitnde will almost always be found wanting. 



The elected Academician, whose merits you have sometimes ex- 

 alted beyond measure, x>retends that you have done no more than jus- 

 tice to him; that you have only fulfilled a duty, and that he therefore 

 owes you no thanks. 



Delambre died the 19th August, 1822. After the necessary delay, 

 they proceeded to fill his place. The situation of perpetual secretary is 

 not one which can long be left vacant. The Academy named a commis- 

 sion to present it with candidates ; it was composed of Messrs. de La- 

 place, Arago, Legendre, Eossel, Prony, and Lacroix. The list presented 

 was composed of the names of Messrs. Biot, Fourier, and Arago. It is 

 not necessary for me to say with what obstinacy I opposed the inscrip- 

 tion of my name on this list ; I was compelled to give way to the will of 

 my colleagues, but I seized the first opportunity of declaring publicly 

 that I had neither the exi)ectation nor the wish to obtain a single vote; 

 that, moreover, I had on my hands already as much w^ork as I could get 

 through ; that in this respect M. Biot was in the same position ; and 

 that, in short, I should vote for the nomination of M. Fourier. 



It was supposed, but I dare not flatter myself that it was the fact, 

 that my declaration exercised a certain influence on the result of the 

 ballot. The result was as follows : M. Fourier received thirty-eight 

 votes, and M. Biot ten. In a case of this nature each man carefully con- 

 ceals his vote, in order not to run the risk of future disagreement with 

 him who may be invested with the authority which the Academy gives 

 to the perpetual secretary. I do not know whether I shall be pardoned 

 if I recount an incident which amused the Academy at the time. 



M. de Laplace, at the moment of voting, took two plain pieces of pa- 

 per; his neighbor was guilty of the indiscretion of looking, and saw 

 distinctly that the illustrious geometer wrote the name of Fourier on 

 both of them. After quietly folding them up, M. de Laplace put the 

 papers into his hat, shook it, and said to this same curious neighbor : 

 " You see, I have written two papers ; I am going to tear up one; I shall 

 put the other into the urn ; I shall thus be myself ignorant for which 

 of the two candidates I have voted." 



All went on as the celebrated Academician had said ; only that every 

 one knew with certainty that his vote had been for Fourier; and "the 

 calculation of probabilities " was in no way necessary for arriving at 

 this result. 



