Account of M. Barruel. 



234 



the Institute ; in I8O3 he became pci • 

 petiial seciefary to the Mathematical De- 

 partment ; and, subsequenlly, tiie learned 

 academies of Europe and America, of 

 which he was not aheady an associate, ad- 

 mitted him to the rank of an honorary 

 member. — Having been nominated by the 

 First Consul, Inspector-general of Studies, 

 he organized the Lyceum of Moulins in 

 1802, and tliat of Lyons in 1803. In these 

 appointments M. D. displayed the gene- 

 rosity of his heart, no less than tlie supe- 

 riority of his talents. He impartially se- 

 lected such candidates as were distinguish- 

 ed for their talents, when these were 

 combined with private worth and sincere 

 philanthropy. Having thus made choice 

 of professors, he was admitted to the same 

 title of distinction. In 1807 he obtained, 

 in the College of France, the chair left 

 vacant by the death of Lalande, his patron 

 and friend. In 1808 he was made trea- 

 surer to the Imperial University ; and in 

 1814 a member of the Royal Council of 

 Public Instruction, but in 1815 lost tiiis 

 last appointment. When the order of the 

 Legion of Honour was created, M. De- 

 lambre was one of its first members. In 

 1817 he became a chevalier of the order 

 cf St. Michael ; and in 1821 an officer of 

 the Legion of Honour, — prior to which he 

 was made hereditary chevalier, with a 

 pension annexed, as a national remunera- 

 tion for his eminent sei vices. 



M. Uelambre was honoured and ad- 

 mired ; and in private he was endeared to 

 a numerous circle of friends, by his many 

 social virtues. The friendship of the wise 

 and good he could not fail to win. His 

 conversation and manners were inspired 

 by good sense and benevolence. Among 

 the gratifying events of his life, it should 

 not be forgotten, that his amiable and 

 estimable lady, with an ingenious mind, in 

 accordance with the philosopher's, took an 

 active part in those laborious investiija- 

 tions which engrossed his attentions. Tills 

 atiorded a fine fcope for the exercise of 

 those capabilities which she developed, 

 guided by the taste and science of her hus- 

 band. M. Delanibre may be said to have 

 passed the last twenty years of his life in 

 the enjoyment of those honourable dis- 

 tinctions which his unwearied talents and 

 assiduity had obtained for him ; and in the 

 inidisturbed repose of conjugal and do- 

 mestic comfort. His place of perpetual 

 secretary to the Academy of Sciences has 

 been assigned to M. Fourier, author of 

 the " Mathematical Theory of Heat," and 

 of the ingenious and elegant introduction 

 to the grand work on Egypt. 



Besides the works mentioned, Delambre 

 ■was the author of — " Decimal Trigonome- 

 trical Tables ;" " Bases of the Decimal 

 Metrical System;" "An Abridgment of 

 Astronomy;" "Theoretical and Practical 

 Astronomy," 3 vols. 4to. ; " Notes on the 



[April r, 



Mathematical Composition of Ptolemy ;" 

 and he has also furnished the lives of an- 

 cient astronomers in the " Universal Bio- 

 graphy," and several valuable communica- 

 tions to the most celebrated scientific 

 works of bis time. 



Jlccnunt of M. Barruel. 

 M. AiGusTiN Barrue/. was born 

 October 2, 1741, at Villeneuve de Berg, 

 a little town in the diocese of Viviers. 

 He made an excursion to Rome and Italy, 

 and entered France, again, about the 

 lime when the magistracy were under 

 disgrace, towards the end of the reign of 

 Louis XV. His literary career com- 

 menced in 1774, with an Ode on the 

 accession of Louis XVI. which was fol- 

 lowed, soon after, by a translation of the 

 Latin Poem on Eclipses, of the Jesuit 

 Boscovich. About this time he appears 

 to have been associated with Freron, in 

 the composition of the ' Ann^e Literaire.' 

 A subject of greater importance, and one 

 that made him more publicly known, 

 awaited him. In this work he established 

 such claims on public attention as could 

 not be defeated. His object was to make 

 a stand against the pliilosophers of his age, 

 as Pascal had done against the Jesuits. 

 He supposes a conversation between a 

 Chevalier, an admirer of the new sys- 

 tems, ami a Baroness whom the chevalier 

 wi.shes to proselyte, annexing thereto the 

 critical observations of a Provincial, who, 

 with a competency of talent and nervous 

 sentiments, resists the innovating and 

 leveliui; spirit. Such was the purport of 

 the ' Helviennes, ou Letties Provinciales 

 et Pliilosophiques.' 



As to tlie plan and mode of this work, 

 it has its merits, though we may refuse to 

 bestow on it that respectability of cha- 

 racter which distinguished the model he 

 professed to imitate. It wants the splen- 

 did and brilliant sallies of Pascal, hi.s 

 talent for pleasantries, repleje with grace 

 and Attic salt. This is the more observ- 

 able, as the letters between the Chevalier 

 and the Baroness are in the style of irony, 

 and argumentative discussion only takes 

 place in the observations of the Provincial. 

 They evince a clear and solid understand- 

 ing, but are not entitled to that accumu- 

 lation of praise so deservedly appropriated 

 to Pascal. The ecclesiastics, however, ad- 

 mired them, and would probably entertain 

 opinions of the author's ability different 

 from what is here expressed. 



The Abb6 Dinouart, who had conducted 

 Le Journal Ecclesiastique from the year 

 1760, (dying April 3, 1806,) was suc- 

 ceeded, for some time, by the Abb6 de 

 Montmignon; and, in 1788, by the Abb6 

 Barruel. This last well knew the diffi- 

 culties to which he was subjecting him- 

 self, but, conscious of his merit, he as- 

 sumed a high tone, aiid thereby occupied 

 advantage- 



