ANNALS 



OP 



PHILOSOPHY. 



APRIL, 1818. 



Article I. 



Biographical Account of M. Le Sage. 



.N OTHING can exhibit a more remarkable example of the 

 effect of certain forms of government, modes of education, and 

 states of society, than the condition in which the little Republic 

 of Geneva has been maintained for the last three centuries. A 

 territory smaller than the smallest county of England, and a 

 population less than -^ of the inhabitants of our metropolis, has 

 produced a succession of men of learning and science, which has 

 greatly exceeded that of some of the most extensive and power- 

 ful kingdoms of Europe. In the present number of the Atinah 

 we propose to give a brief account of one of the natives of that 

 city, who, although less known abroad than many of his country- 

 men, has considerable claims upon our attention, as well from 

 the extent of his abilities, as from some remarkable peculiarities 

 in his character and turn of mind. 



George Louis Le Sage* was born at Geneva, June 13, 1724. 

 His father was a native of Burgundy, but had for some years 

 before retired to Switzerland, where he supported himself by 

 teaching mathematics and natural philosophy. The elder Le 

 Sage appears to have been a man of talents, although not of the 



» In the biographical sketch of Lord Stanhope, which was inserted in our num- 

 ber for February, we inadvertently fell into an error, in confounding the works of 

 M. Le Suge, lij., Lordship's tutor, the lubject of our present memoir, with M. B. G. 

 Sage, of Paris, Professor of Chemistry and Mineralogy in " 1'Ecole des Mines de 

 la Monnoie." The error was pointed out to us by a friend, and we were induced, 

 from this circumstance, to examine the interesting; account of the life of Le Sage, 

 of Geneva, drawn up by Prof. Prevost, from which we have principally extracted 

 ilie materials of the present memoir. 



Voi. XI. N° IV. Q 



