416 



FOWLER, RICHARD. 



FRANCE. 



ted at the religious anniversary meetings in 

 New York and elsewhere. While in command 

 of the Western flotilla, he framed and enforced 

 strict rules for the proper observance of Sun- 

 day, and for the prevention of profane swear- 

 ing and intemperance. He had also some rep- 

 utation as a writer, and in connection with his 

 African cruise published "Africa and the Amer- 

 ican Flag," containing a general survey of the 

 African continent, with remarks on the slave 

 trade; beside a series of letters on Japan, 

 which country he visited in 1857. 



FOWLER, RICHABD, M. D., born in London, 

 November 28th, 1765, died at his residence, Mil- 

 ford, near Salisbury, April 13th, 1863. He was 

 educated in Edinburgh, and afterward went to 

 Paris, where he was a witness of the strife and 

 excitement of the first French revolution. He 

 was personally acquainted with many of the 

 actors in that political struggle, and was well 

 known to Count Mirabeau. In November, 1790, 

 he was admitted a member of the Speculative 

 Society of Edinburgh, an institution which was 

 founded in that city in 1764, and which has num- 

 bered among its members many of the most emi- 

 nent men in Scotland and England. During his 

 connection with this society he contributed 

 essays on " Population and the Causes which 

 Promote or Obstruct it ; " on the " Effects of 

 Grief and Fear upon the Human Frame ; " and 

 on " Belief." He took his degree of Doctor of 

 Medicine at the university of Edinburgh, on the 

 12th of September, 1793, was admitted a licen- 

 tiate of the Royal College of Physicians on the 

 21st of March, 1776, and settled at Salisbury. 

 The same year he was elected physician to the 

 infirmary, and continued to discharge the duties 

 of that office with great zeal and ability up to 

 1847, when advancing years induced him to re- 

 sign. The governors, however, did him the 

 honor of electing him consulting physician to 

 the institution, an appointment which he held 

 up to the time of his death. Dr. Fowler was 

 admitted a fellow of the College of Physicians 

 in July, 1837; he was also a fellow of the 

 Royal and Antiquarian Societies, and a mem- 

 ber of the Zoological and Edinburgh Medical 

 Societies. On the establishment of the British 

 Association for the Advancement of Science, in 

 1831, he became a member, and for several 

 years took a leading part at the annual gather- 

 ings of that body, giving particular attention to 

 investigations connected with the mental state 

 of the deaf, dumb, and blind, and many of his 

 communications to the association are upon 

 such subjects. During his long life he was on 

 friendly terms with most of the political, lit- 

 erary, and scientific men of his time. In poli- 

 tics and religion his sentiments were of the 

 most liberal nature. In early life he was the 

 friend of progress and the enemy of oppression, 

 and he lived to see most of the great principles 

 which he espoused in the ardor of youth, car- 

 ried into practice during his long and eventful 

 life. His published works, beside those already 

 mentioned, are : " Experiments and Observa- 



tions on Animal Electricity," on " Galvanism," 

 and " Inflammation," published in 1793 ; on 

 " Literary and Scientific Pursuits as Conducive 

 to Longevity," 1855 ; on the " Influences of 

 Man's Instinct on his intellectual and Moral 

 Powers;" "The State of the Mind during 

 Sleep," and " Second Attempts to Unravel some 

 of the Perplexities of the Berkeleyan Hypo- 

 thesis." 



FRANCE. The term of the second Legisla- 

 ture of the Empire, which had been elected in 

 1857, expired in 1863, and it was accordingly 

 dissolved on May 7th. Three weeks later, on 

 May 31st and June 1st, the third Legislature, 

 which, unless previously dissolved, will serve 

 until 1869, was elected. The last session of the 

 second Legislature was brief, and it confined 

 itself almost entirely to voting the address and 

 the budget. It was opened by the Emperor, 

 on January 12th, by a speech, which briefly 

 reviewed the progress made from 1857 to 1863. 

 The achievements abroad were thus summed 

 up by the Emperor: 



In the East the national wish of the Danubian Prin- 

 cipalities to form only one people could not find us un- 

 concerned, and our support has contributed to cement 

 their union. 



We have given our support to what we thought jus- 

 tifiable in the grievances of Syria and of Montenegro, 

 and of the Christians of Syria, without disavowing the 

 rights of the Ottoman Porte. 



Our arms have defended the independence of Italy 

 without tampering with revolution without altering 

 after the day of battle our friendly relations with our 

 adversaries, even for a day without abandoning the 

 Holy Father, whom our honor and our past engage- 

 ments bound us to support. 



We have suppressed the causes of misunderstanding 

 which might have arisen with Spain, either from the 

 non-delimination of the frontier line, or from the old 

 debt of 1823 ; and with Switzerland the difference re- 

 specting the Valley of the Danube. 



Commercial treaties have been, or are on the eve of 

 being concluded with England, Belgium, Prussia, 

 Italy, and Switzerland. 



Finally, expeditions to China, Cochin China, and 

 Mexico prove that there are not any countries, no mat- 

 ter how far distant, where any attempt against the 

 honor of France remains unpunished. Such lacts could 

 not be accomplished without complication. Duty al- 

 ways advances through danger. ISevertheless, France 

 has been increased oy two provinces. The barriers 

 which separated us from our neighbors have been re- 

 moved ; a vast territory has been thrown open to our 

 activity in the far East; and what is better than con- 

 quest, we have acquired claims to the sympathy of the 

 inhabitants, without losing the confidence and the es- 

 teem of the Government. 



Of the internal policy of the Government 

 and its relations to the war in the United 

 States, the Emperor spoke as follows : 



I have called you to take a more direct part in th 

 Government. I have given to your deliberations all tlxi 

 guarantees which freedom of discussion could claim. . 

 have relinquished a prerogative, hitherto deemed in- 

 dispensable, so as to allow the Legislative body to con- 

 trol the expenses in a more absolute manner, and ID 

 give more solidity to the bases upon which public credit 

 rests. 



To reduce our expenses, the army and navy esti- 

 mates have been considerably diminished. The float- 

 ing debt has been reduced, and by the success achiev- 

 ed by the conversion of the Rentes a great step htn 

 been taken toward the settlement (unification) o( that 



