I825.J of Claude-Louis Bert hollet^ HJ 



gels of their former instructor ; while at the same time they 

 should be readily supplied with the means of conducting those 

 experiments in which an expensive apparatus was requisite. 



Among the most assiduous and successful of these young men 

 was A. V). BerthoUet, the son of the illustrious chemist. He 

 had already rendered no small service to his countrymen, by the 

 zeal and assiduity with which he had co-operated with his father 

 in preparing and publishing a new and greatly improved edition 

 of that valuable work, the Elemens de I'Art dela Teinture. The 

 names of the father and son stand together on the title-page as 

 joint authors, and the natural affection which must ever subsist 

 between two persons connected by so intimate a degree of rela- 

 tionship was in their case strengthened and exalted by a com- 

 munity of feeling, and by kindred pursuits. To the chemical 

 world in general the younger BerthoUet is Avell known, by his 

 discussion with Proust respecting the constitution of hydrates 

 and metallic oxides ; by his memoir on ammonia, in which he 

 combated successfully an opinion of Davy's, and established 

 the general accuracy of his father's previous analysis ; by his 

 essays on the chloride of sulphur, and Lampadius's alcohol of 

 sulphur. 



Surrounded by a company of youthful philosophers like these, 

 it occurred to BerthoUet that their organisation into a Society 

 would introduce a method and regularity into their researches, 

 which, whilst it must be delightful to the individuals themselves, 

 could not fail to advance materially the cause of science. This 

 was the origin of the celebrated Societe d'Arcueil, which unfor- 

 tunately was as short lived as it was illustrious. M. BerthoUet 

 was himself the President, and the other original members were 

 La Place, Biot, Gay-Lussac, Thenard, Collet-Descostils, Decaii- 

 dolle, Humboldt, and A. B. BerthoUet. In this class, we find 

 respectively the most distinguished men in astronomy, mecha- 

 nical philosophy, chemistry, and botany, which France or 

 Europe could boast of, and the traveller Humboldt, belonging to 

 no class in particular, but whose profoundness equals the univer- 

 sality of his knowledge. 



This Society in a {aw years published so many as three 

 volumes of the most interestino; memoirs, in which we find the 

 President, notwithstanding his advanced age, still one of the 

 most active and able contributors. It is worth while to make 

 an extract from the Introduction to the first \'olume, in order 

 the more clearly to show the plan and the design of the Insti- 

 tution. " There has been formed an association of a few persons, 

 the votaries of natural philosophy in all its branches, with a 

 view to the improvement of the powers of each individual, by the 

 aid derived from an union of which the basis is mutual esteem 

 and similarity of taste. It has been inrjtituied with the addi- 



New Series, vol. ix. N 



