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LIX. — Historical Eloge of the Marquis De Laplace*. — By 

 M. Le Baron Fourier. 



T^HE name of Laplace has been heard in every part of the 

 -*- world where the sciences are honoured ; but his memory 

 could not receive a more worthy homage than the unanimous 

 tribute of the admiration and sorrow of that illustrious body 

 who shared in his laboui's and in his glory. He consecrated 

 his life to the study of the grandest objects which can occupy 

 the human mind. 



The wonders of the heavens, — the lofty questions of 

 natural philosophy, — the ingenious and profound combina- 

 tions of mathematical analysis, — all the laws of the universe 

 have been presented to his thoughts during more than sixty 

 years, and his efforts have been crowned with immortal dis- 

 coveries. 



From the time of his first studies it was remarked that he 

 possessed a prodigious memory : all the occupations of the 

 mind were easy to him. He acquired rapidly a very exten- 

 sive knowledge of the ancient languages, and he cultivated 

 different branches of literature. — Every thing interests rising 

 genius ; every thing is capable of revealing it. His earliest 

 success was in theological studies ; and he treated with talent 

 and with extraordinary sagacity the most difficult controver- 

 sial questions. 



We do not know by what fortunate event Laplace passed 

 from the stutly of scholastics to that of the higher geometry. 

 This last science, which scarcely admits of a divided attention, 

 attracted and fixed his thoughts. Henceforth he abandoned 

 himself without reserve to the impulse of his genius, and he 

 was impressed with the conviction that a residence in the ca- 

 pital had now become necessary. D'Alembert was then in 

 the zenith of his fame. It was he who informed the court of 

 Turin that its Royal Academy possessed a geometer of the 

 first order — Lagrange, who, without this noble testimony to 

 his merits, might have remained long unknown. D'Alembert 

 had announced to the king of Prussia that there was only one 

 man in Europe who could replace at Berlin the illustrious 

 Euler, who, iiaving been recalled by the Russian government, 

 had consented to return to St. Petersburg. I find in the 

 unpublished letters possessed by the Institute of France the 

 details of this glorious negociation, which fixed the residence 

 of Lagrange at Berlin. 



♦ Pronounced at the public sitting of the Royal Academy of Sciences 

 on the 15th Jimc 1821). 



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