NOTE BY THE EDITOR. 



" Je me suis propose de grands desseins dans ce 

 petit ouvrage" as Bernardin de Saint-Pierre says in 

 the preface to his pathetic story of Paulet Virginie. 

 I have sought to present to the great English- 

 speaking world the work of a genius hitherto only 

 known to a few men of science, and not well known, 

 even among the people of France, for whose credit 

 he has done so much. In placing before the read- 

 ers of this translation his book small of size but 

 great in matter as it is I feel that I have accom- 

 plished an easy task, but one of real importance. 

 I have been asked, as Corresponding Member for 

 the United States of the Societe des Ingenieurs 

 Civils de France, to communicate to my colleagues 

 scientific and professional memoirs and whatever 

 may be of interest to them "en un mot,que nous 

 resserrions les liens qui font des ingenieurs en ge- 

 neral une seule famille." That were a pleasant 

 task; but a grander and a more agreeable one still 

 is that of bringing " nearer in heart and thought " 

 the members of that still larger community, the 

 men of science of the world, and of weaving still 



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