ANNALS 



OP 



PHILOSOPHY. 



JULY, 1813. 



Article I. 



Biographical Account of M. de Lagrange. 



M. DE LAGRANGE, the greatest mathematician of the 

 present age, having died about two months ago at Paris, the 

 British public will no doubt be eager to get some information 

 respecting the life and labour- of so celebrated a philosopher. 

 This has induced me to translate the following short sketch from 

 the Moniteur of the 4th of May. It contains a general outline, 

 which seems to be drawn with considerable accuracy and some 

 discrimination. As soon as a more complete biography of this 

 illustrious man is published, I shall not fail to make it known to 

 my readers. 



M. de Lagrange was born at Turin, on the 25th of January, 

 1736. He began his studies in that city, at a very early age; 

 and though he made a distinguished figure, he did not at first 

 display that strong predilection for mathematics which animated 

 him during the greatest part of his life. The elements of that 

 science were at that time, taught in what was called the Class of 

 Philosophy. M. de Lagrange attended it the first year without 

 pleasure, and without advantage. Literary pursuits were more 

 to his taste ; but finding himself under the necessity of attending 

 the Class a second year with more application, his mathematical 

 genius awoke, and he made, the most rapid progress. At the 

 age of lo he was mathematical professor to the School of Artil- 

 lerv. His first reset relic, were directed to the determinatipn of 

 the propagation of sound. They were published in the Memoirs 

 of the Turin Academy for 17 r, i' and \"JGO. Already he had 



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