M. Quetelet's Memoir of Prof. Moll. 289 



one of the commercial houses in his native city. His fre- 

 quent visits on ship-board, his intercourse with sailors, and 

 his natural curiosity, soon made him familiar with numerous 

 particulars connected with the art of navigation, and at the 

 same time created in him a taste for the mathematical sci- 

 ences. 



To the care of Professor Keyser he owed his initiation in 

 the secrets of geometry and algebra: in 1801 he began the 

 study of astronomy, which notwithstanding its utility was at 

 that time rather neglected in his country ; but it was not till 

 1 804 that his taste for this science decidedly showed itself. He 

 was then in a commercial house in London, but his inclina- 

 tion led him far less to the counting-houses of merchants 

 than to the workshop of the celebrated instrument-maker 

 Troughton, whose acquaintance he had succeeded in ob- 

 taining. After a time he had procured a sextant of ten-inch 

 radius ; and rich in this treasure, he thought henceforth he had 

 done enough for trade, and resolved to abandon its pursuits. 



He now went back to Holland ; it was at the time when the 

 conscriptions decimated the populations of the interior, in or- 

 der to supply abroad the armies of the empire, which fought in 

 different parts of Europe with incredible intrepidity and ac- 

 tivity, and loaded themselves at once with glory, with booty, 

 and with the curses of conquered nations. The father of 

 our young philosopher, who felt no ambition that his son 

 should take part in these conquests, sought for the means of 

 keeping him at his side, and by destining him for scientific 

 pursuits thought to find the expedient he wished for. He 

 caused him therefore to be entered as a student at the 

 Athenaeum of Amsterdam, where the young Gerard eagerly 

 attended the lectures of Cras and Van Lennep for literature, 

 and those of the celebrated Van Swinden for the sciences. 

 His connexion with this latter philosopher completely de- 

 cided his destination. Our colleague had also made ac- 

 quaintance with Professor Van Beeck Calkoen ; and at his 

 desire he took part with Professor Keyser in determining the 

 difference of the meridians of Amsterdam and Utreclit by 

 means of fire signals made on the top of the tower of Loene*. 



It was in 1809 that he took the degree of Candidate in 

 Philosophy at the University of Leyden. The following year, 

 in the month of June, he went to Paris, in order to pursue 

 his favourite studies with more activity, and upon a greater 

 theatre. He became acquainted with several distinguished 

 philosophers, and particularly with Delambre, for whom he 

 always professed sentiments of lively gratitude and of sincere 

 • Ldlcrbodc, J 807, i. 21. 



Phil. Mag. S. 3. Vol. 14-. No. 89. April 1839. U 



