60 Proceedings of Philosophical Societies. [Jan. 



science and to his country. The only elementary work which 

 Monge published was his Traite de Statique ; and, with the 

 exception of a few passages in which greater ritrour might be 

 <lesirable, the Statique of Monge is a model of logic, clearness, 

 and simplicity." 



" At that period when the public distress called forth all the 

 useful talents and courage of the superior classes to the assist- 

 ance of their country menaced with invasion, Monge was created 

 Minister of the Marine. He did every thing he could to keep 

 those men who were distinguished for their merit or bravery in 

 France. He even descended to entreaties to procure the conti- 

 nuation of Borda's services, and he had the happiness to succeed. 

 He was one of the most active men in those scientific services 

 which the preservation of the state required. The construction 

 of the new grinding machines erected in the powder mills at 

 Grenoble v/as his, and also the drilling machines constructed 

 upon the barges of the Seine. He spent his days in giving 

 instructions and superintending the workmen, and his nights in 

 writing his treatise on the casting of artillery, a work designed 

 for the use of directors of foundries, and for workmen." 



" It was in his course at the Normal School that he first gave 

 his lectm-es of descriptive geometry, the secrets of which he had 

 not been able to reveal sooner. Another establishment, which 

 had been originally conceived before the Normal School, but 

 which, having had more attention paid to it by the inventors, 

 followed it in the order of execution, realized some part of the 

 hopes which had been looked for in vain on the establishment 

 of the first Encyclopedic School that had been opened in France. 

 Monge brought into it his long experience at Mezieres, and 

 joined to this new and profound views ; he drew up the plan of 

 study, marked out their succession, and proposed scientific 

 methods of execution. Out of 4U0 pupils originally placed ia 

 the Polytechnic School, 50 of the choicest were collected into a 

 preparatory school. Monge v/as almost the only one that taught 

 these pupils. He remained the whole of the day among them, 



giving them, in turn, lectures on gicrnetry and analysis 



exhorting them, encouraging them, inflaming them, with that 

 ardour, that kindness, that impetuosity of genius, which made 

 him explain to these pupils the truths of science with an irresist- 

 ible force and charm. In the evening, when these labours were 

 finished, Monge began others of a diflerent kind; he wrote the 

 sketches which were to serve as a text to his next lectures, and 

 the next day he was to be found along with his pupils at the very 

 moment of their meeting. The sood nature of Monge was 

 neither the cold calculation of the sage, nor even the effect of 

 education ; it was a simple benevolence which arose from his 

 happy organization. He was born to love and to admire. His 

 admiration was excessive like his love ; in consequence of which 

 he did not always keep within the hmits that cold and unfeehng 



