1825.] of Claude-Louis Berthultet. 95 



probable too, that it was intended to be a powerful instrument in 

 diffusing and establishing the principles of the modern system of 

 chemistry. The original authors were Lavoisier, Bertholiet, 

 Monge, Fourcroy, Guyton do Morveau, Dietrich, Hassenfratz, 

 and Adet. 



In 1795, at the organization of the Institute, which now 

 embraces every man of any talent or celebrity in France, we 

 find M. Bertholiet taking the most active lead, and the records 

 of that Institute afford abundant evidence of the perseverance 

 and assiduity with which he laboured for its interests. Of the 

 committees, to which, as is the custom, all original memoirs are 

 in the first place referred, we find Bertholiet oftener than almost 

 every other person, a member, and his signature to the Report of 

 each work stands generally first. 



But indeed the zeal of M. Bertholiet in the interests of science, 

 and his anxiety to diffuse widely the truest principles by means 

 of the press, seem to have been wholly unremitting ; for we find 

 him not only connected, as we have just mentioned, with the 

 estabhshraent of journals for that end, but even looking into 

 foreign nations, whose scientific works he always read, to select 

 those publications among them, the translation of which into 

 the French tongue might most advance science and benefit his 

 country. Accordingly we find him in 1788 engaged in the tran- 

 slation of Kirwan's Essay on Phlogiston, and supplying it with 

 notes of his own, in the sole view of correcting those errors 

 which that work without such an antidote might spread. And 

 in the same spirit, though from a different motive, we again find 

 him, so late as 1808, superintending M, Riffault's translation of 

 the third edition of Dr. Thomson's Chemistry, adding his own 

 notes to the whole of it, and bringing the work under the imme- 

 diate notice of his countrymen by prefixing to it an Introduction. 

 That Bertholiet expected this translation to prove of eminent 

 service to the chemists of France, is a great compliment to our 

 countryman, and that he was right in so expecting is well proved 

 by the same gentleman, M. Ritfault, once more translating, 

 according to its new arrangement, the fifth edition of the Doc- 

 tor's work, in 1818. 



The translation of each of these works was eminently useful 

 to science, although they were ushered into the notice of French 

 philosophers under very different auspices. The first waa 

 accompanied by notes, refuting every one of its doctrines, and 

 was translated that it might be overthrown : the second was 

 accompanied by notes and an introduction, elucidating the 

 system and supplying whatever seemed defective ; and this work 

 was translated that it might become the manual of the French 

 chemist. Kirwan was a man who had made many chemical 

 discoveries, some of them of considerable importance, and he 

 was besides possessed of the power of arguing most ingeuiouslyi 



