THE 



ENGLISH CYCLOPEDIA. 



BIOGRAPHY. 



The nama of thote lining at tht time of the continuous publication of the ' Englith Cyclnpirdia of Biography,' are preceded by an aiterisk. 



CABALLERO, FERMIN. 



CABET, ETIENNE. 



* nABALLERO, FERMIN, a Spanish author, journalist, and states- 

 ^ man, was born in 1800, of poor labouring parents, who exerted 

 themselves to procure him a superior education. He showed very 

 early a predilection for geographical studies, and at the age of fourteen 

 had produced a plan of his native town, Barajas de Melo, in the pro- 

 vince of Cuenca. The first work that brought him into notice was a 

 series of criticisms on Minano's ' Geographical Dictionary of the 

 Peninsula,' a work of great extent (10 vols. 4to), and of apparent 

 value, but in reality compiled with inexcusable carelessness. Miiiano 

 was an especial favourite with King Ferdinand VII. ; and his book, 

 though expensive, was subscribed for, however unwillingly, by every 

 person who held an official post throughout the kingdom. The 

 attacks of Caballero, which began in 1829 and extended to as mauy 

 pamphlets as Minano's ' Dictionary ' counted volumes, were as witty 

 as they were just, and were productive of unexpected benefit to their 

 author. The minuter Calouiarde, who was undoubtedly jealous of 

 the influence of Miiiano over the king, bestowed substantial favours 

 on his antagonist ; and Caballero, who had hitherto been an obscure 

 lawyer, was soon known in the character of a landed proprietor. It 

 may be observed, that Mihano's work is now completely superseded by 

 Madoz's 'Diccionario de Espana,' in 16 closely-printed volumes -a 

 treasure of topographical information and research, which would do 

 honour to any country in Europe. In 1833 Caballero set on foot a 

 journal of note, the ' Boletin de Comercio,' and when that was sup- 

 pressed by the minister Burgos, followed it up with the ' Eco del 

 Comercio,' which, chiefly owing to the talent of his leading articles, 

 became and continued one of the moat influential journals in Spain. 

 After the peaceful revolution produced by the ' Estatuto Real,' he was 

 elected to the Cortes by the town of Cuenca, and was known as one 

 of its most decidedly radical members. While the contest between 

 Carlos and Christina was still doubtful, he voted that Carlos should 

 be put to death if taken ; and he afterwards voted that Christina 

 should be deprived of the guardianship of her children. On the 

 accession of bis friend Lopez to the ministry, in 1843, he formed one 

 of the cabinet, was expelled with Lopez by Espartero, and again 

 resumed office on Espartero's fall. Hia tenure of it on the second 

 occasion was but short, and his activity has since been mainly of a 

 literary kind. His reputation was materially injured by the publi- 

 cation of a work entitled ' Commentaries on AnquetiL' the French 

 historian, in which, to the astonishment of the public, the principles 

 of absolutism were avowed and defended. In reply to the attacks 

 upon him, Caballero made the singular defence, that though the book 

 was published in his name the objectionable passages had been inserted 

 without his consent by an old academician connected with the censor- 

 ship, Don Pedro Maria Olive. The friends of Olive indignantly denied 

 the charge, and the matter appears never to have been satisfactorily 

 cleared up. His other works are almost entirely of a geographical 

 character. The two most important arc, a quarto volume entitled 

 ' Manual geografico administrative de Espana,' a work of great and 

 varied information, and a small pamphlet on the ' Geographical 

 Learning of Cervantes,' which will supply some valuable notes to 

 future editors of ' Don Quixote.' 



CABANIS, PIEURE JKAN GEORGE, a distinguished physician 

 and philosopher, the ton of Jean Baptiste Cabanis, an able agricul- 

 turist, ws born at Conao in 1757. Hi* natural disposition appears to 

 have been somewhat violent, and the earlier period of his youth was 

 passed in continual struggles against the severity of the treatment 

 BIOO. DIT. VOL. II. 



which he seems to have received both from his father and his teachers. 

 During a short interval, in which he was under the care of a kind and 

 judicious instructor, he indicated a decided taste for classical litera- 

 ture; but being soon removed from a teacher who saw and endeavoured 

 to develop his latent talents, and being a^ain subjected to harshness, 

 he lapsed into such a state of idleness and obstinacy, that at the age of 

 fourteen his father in absolute despair sent him alone to Paris, where, 

 feeling he had no sort of influence over him, he abandoned him to his 

 own course. The moment he felt himself free, this youth, hitherto 

 eo indolent and intractable, became a diligent student, and for the 

 space of two years devoted himself with an intensity which has been 

 rarely exceeded to the study not only of the Greek, Latin, and French 

 classics, but also of the works of the metaphysical writers both of 

 England and France. His love of poetry was ardent, and he soon 

 acquired no inconsiderable celebrity for some poetical pieces of his 

 own ; but seeing nothing cheering in the prospect of the pursuit of 

 literature as a profession, he chose the study of medicine, chiefly, as 

 he himself states, on account of the varied sciences to which it 

 obliged him to direct his attention. Under the guidance of a friend, 

 an able physician, he applied himself for six years to the study of 

 medicine with so much intensity that his health began to fail him, 

 and being on this account obliged to leave Paris, ho went to reside at 

 Auteuil, where he became acquainted with the widow of Helvetius. 

 This acquaintance determined the character of his future life. At 

 the house of this lady, who in a manner adopted him as her sou, he 

 became intimate with the most celebrated men of that age, Turgot, 

 D'Holbach, Franklin, Jefferson, Condillac, and Thomas. Here too he 

 lived familiarly for many years with Diderot and D'Alembert, and 

 occasionally saw Voltaire. He appears to have formed a strong attach- 

 ment to Mirabeau, for which he was exposed to no little obloquy ; he 

 was the chosen friend of Condorcet, and he had the gratification of 

 being able to soothe the last moments of both these remarkable men. 

 He married Charlotte Grouchy, sister of General Grouchy and of 

 Madame Condorcet, with whom he lived happily until his death, 

 which happened somewhat suddenly on the 5th of May 1808, in the 

 fifty-second year of his age. He had borne no inconsiderable part in 

 the events of the revolution ; w8 one of the Council of Five Hun- 

 dred, and afterwards a member of the senate. He was the author of 

 several works of great celebrity in his day ; but that which has given 

 to his name a permanent distinction is his treatise on the relation 

 between the physical and moral nature of man. This work, entitled 

 ' Rapports du Physique et du Moral de 1'Homme,' is partly metaphy- 

 sical and partly physiological, and displays no ordinary power of 

 observation and analysis. It is remarkable too as being the first 

 attempt to treat, in a systematic form, the interesting but difficult 

 subject which it investigates. This work may still be read with 

 interest and instruction by the physician and metaphysician, and the 

 practical educator. 



* CABET, ETIENNE, leader of the French Communists, or 

 Icariens, was born at Dijon, January 2, 1788. His father, a cooper 

 in that city, give him a liberal education ; in due time he was admitted 

 a member of tho bar ; and he appears to have early acquired some 

 practice. In 1816 he defended General Veaux, who, with several 

 others, was tried for conspiring against the restored Bourbons; and 

 Cabet's ardour on that occasion drew down upon him so largo a 

 measure of official displeasure, that he found it necesssary shortly after 

 to quit Dijon. At Paris M. Cabet, failing to obtain distinction in his 



