34G THE SOCIETY OF ARCUEIL. 



Gay-Lnssac, Thenarcl, Decandolle, Collet, Dcscotils, ^falus, 

 A. B. Berthollet, and Humboldt. They met once a fort- 

 nigbt at the house of Berthollet, and spent the day to- 

 gether, giving each other the results of their studies and 

 experiments, reading the scientific papers that they had 

 composed since their last meeting, or in pleasant rambles 

 about the neighbourhood. Most of these men were 

 members of the Institute of France, and the papers that 

 thev read at Arcueil, were delivered before that ausrust 

 body, and afterwards published in the " Memoirs" of the 

 society. To this work, which extended to several 

 volumes, Humboldt was a constant contributor. In con- 

 j unction with Biot, he wrote the opening paper of the 

 first volume — (published in 1807) — a treatise on magnetic 

 observations, to the second (published in 1809) he con- 

 tributed a curious paper, on the respiration of fishes, the 

 result of a great number of experiments, made by him- 

 self and Provengal. 



It is a happy thing for a busy man, whose days are 

 passed in the noise and dust of cities, to have a pleasant 

 neighbourhood within reach, " a city of refuge," as it 

 were, to which he can retreat now and then, and meet a 

 few friends, and refresh his jaded spirit. Such was 

 Arcueil to the busy Humboldt, who spent many delight- 

 ful days in its quiet shades. The friends that he met 

 there were the most congenial that he could have chosen, 

 the world over ; each distinguished for some pursuit with 

 which he sympathized, and all united in the interests of 

 science. It was a pleasure to him to read his papers to 

 them, and what is not always the case in these matters, 

 a pleasure to listen to theirs in turn. They met, as we 

 have said, at the house of Berthollet; but, as the house 



