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SNIADECl'l, JAN. 



SNYDERS, FRANCIS. 



638 



such a proficient in Latin that, when a few years after, he studied at 

 Gottingen, he found no one who could compete with him, and even 

 Professor Heyno was in conversation much his inferior. In 1777 the 

 merits of Sniadecki were noticed by Kollataj, or Kollontaj, the 

 reformer of education in Poland, who assigned to him the teaching 

 of statics, hydraulics, logic, and political economy, at the school of 

 Nowodwov in Cracow. It was the first time that the name of political 

 economy had been heard of in Poland, and the science was taught 

 according to the doctrines of Quesnay. Sniadecki, who, at the same 

 time, had the publication of an almanac allotted to him as part of 

 his duties, ventured to leave out the ' Astrological Prognostics," but 

 was compelled to insert them by Niegowicki, professor of mathematics 

 at the university. The prospect of farther improvements in the 

 Polish educational establishments, and the wish to qualify himself to 

 take part in them with effect led Sniadecki to travel abroad, with the 

 assistance of the Polish Board of Education. He arrived at Gottiugen 

 ignorant of German, supposing that the instruction was given in 

 Latin ; but in a few months acquired the German language, and after- 

 wards taught himself English to read the writings of Maclaurin and 

 Simson. Two years of study at the university, pursued with too little 

 relaxation, necessitated him to consult Baldinger, the eminent 

 physician, who told him to throw his books aside and travel as the 

 only means of recovery. An application to tha Polish Board of Educa- 

 tion brought for answer that they acknowledged his merits but had 

 no money to spare, and but for the generosity of Kollataj, who 

 advanced him two hundred ducats from his private purse, he would 

 have been at a loss what to do. 



After a short visit to Holland, he went to Paris, where, attracting 

 the notice of Professor Cousin, he was introduced by him to the friend- 

 ship of Delille the poet, and of Laplace the great mathematician, 

 whose fame was yet to come, and he enjoyed the patronage of Con- 

 dorcet and D'Alombert. The recommendation of D'Alembert to the 

 Spanish ambassador Aranda, procured him an offer of the superin- 

 tendence of the newly-erected observatory at Madrid ; but the offer of 

 the chair of mathematics and astronomy at Cracow at once obtained 

 the preference. He returned to Poland in 1781, and for nearly the 

 whole half century that followed was at the head of the sciences in 

 that country. In 1787 he paid a visit to England, more especially 

 with a view of acquainting himself with the powers of Herschel's 

 telescope ; and while he was one day engaged with Herschel in 

 examining it at Slough, King George III. was announced, and 

 Herschel presented to him the Polish astronomer. A few days after, 

 as Suiadecki was walking at Windsor, " on that celebrated terrace of 

 the castle," says Balinski, " from which he enjoyed a magnificent view 

 of all England," he met the king, who had a conversation with him on 

 the state of education in Poland, and invited him to his levees. Aft r 

 a prolonged residence in London, where his lodgings, as his biographer 

 informs us, were at "Conduit Street, Hanover-square, No. 13," he 

 returned home through France, and addressed a long letter in English 

 to Dr. Hornsby of the Oxford Observatory, on the state of the astro- 

 nomical establishments at Paris. With the exception of another tour 

 to Germany and Italy, Sniadecki's life was spent at home, at first in 

 the University of Cracow, which he did much to support, and after 

 1806 at the University of Wilna, founded by the Emperor Alexander, 

 which flourished for many years under his superintendence as rector, 

 and became eminent as a seat of the exact sciences, to which, in the 

 opinion of Lelewel and others, an undue preponderance was given. 

 Sniadecki's astronomical observations at Wilna from 1807 to 1824 are 

 printed in the 'Transactions of the Petersburg Academy,' and in 

 the Berlin ' Astronomische Jahrbiicher.' The prosperity of the Uni- 

 versity of Wilna came to an end in 1823 [LELEWEL ; MICKIEWICZ] 

 with the proceedings of the Russian government against the students. 

 In 1824 Sniadecki retired into private life; and he died in 3830, the 

 year in which the insurrection broke out, which led to the total 

 suppression of the University of Wilna. 



An edition of Sniadecki's miscellaneous writings, 'Pisma Rozmaite,' 

 appeared at Wilna in 4 vols. in 1822-24; an edition of his 'Works' 

 (' Dziela ') in 8 vols., with a life by Balinski, was published at Warsaw 

 in 1837-39. The most interesting portions of it are his lives of 

 Kollataj and of Poczobut, a Polish man of science, and above all his 

 discourse on Copernicus, in which he vindicates against the Germans 

 the claims of Poland to the honour of having produced the great 

 astronomer. This discourse, which was originally delivered before 

 the Society of Friends of Science at Warsaw, was translated into 

 French and published at Warsaw in 1803, but very incorrectly, and a 

 fresh translation by the author, published at Warsaw in 1818, has 

 entirely superseded it, and was reprinted at Paris in 1820. In some 

 dissertations in the Polish language, and in classical and romantic 

 writings, Sniadecki is a defender of the so-called classical school, and 

 though well acquainted with English, was no admirer of Shakspere, 

 "much of whose writings," he declares, "is at present unintelligible 

 even to educated Englishmen." The new school of Polish literature 

 founded by Mickiewicz had in Sniadecki a determined opponent ; but 

 the general voice of Poland has refused to ratify the sentence pro- 

 nounced in the case of poetry by a mathematician. In his 'Philosophy 

 of the Human Mind ' he is an uncompromising opponent of Kant. 

 His ' Physical and Mathematical Description of the Globe ' is a work 

 of scientific value. An abridgment of the works of Sniadecki in 



French by Jean Flaget appeared at Paris in 1823 ; and in 1804 some 

 remarks in the same language on the observations relative to Poland 

 in Villers' ' Essay on the Reformation ' were published by Sniadecki 

 himself. 



SNIADECKI, ANDRZEJ, brother of the preceding a distinguished 

 physiologist, was born on the 30th of November 1768, studied at the 

 University of Cracow, completed his studies at Pavia and Edinburgh, 

 and occupied for some time the post of professor of chemistry and 

 pharmacy at Wilna. " What John Sniadecki did for mathematics and 

 astronomy," says Stanislas Kozmian, in his valuable ' History of Polish 

 Literature in the Nineteenth Century,' published in the ' Athenaeum ' 

 for 1838, " his brother Andrew performed for chemistry and phy- 

 siology ; and whether or not there be bright days in store for the 

 University of Wilna, it has already lived one golden age that of the 

 two Sniadeckis." The most important work of Andrew Sniadecki is 

 his ' Teorya jestestw organicznych ' (' Theory of Organic Existences,' 

 2 vols., Warsaw, 1804-11; second edition in 1834), which was trans- 

 lat?d into German by Neubig in 1821, and attracted much attention 

 in Germany ; a French translation by Balard and Dessaix appeared in 

 1825. After the suppression of the Univeroiy of Wilna by the 

 Russians, Andrew Sniadecki still continued to officiate at a medical 

 academy which was founded in its place, and died there in 1833. 



SNORRI STURULSON, also called STDULESON or STURLASON, and 

 in Latin works SNORRO, was the son of Sturla, and was born in 

 Iceland in the year 1178, on an estate belonging to his father, called 

 Hoamms, whence the father is sometimes called Hoamms-Sturla. 

 When Snorri had scarcely attained his fourth year, his father died, 

 and he was thenceforth educated at Odi, in the house of Ion, the 

 most learned man of the age. His education was conducted with 

 great care, and his talents soon gave him distinction as a philosopher, 

 a mathematician^ a lawyer, a linguist, antiquary, and architect. At 

 the same time he acquired great reputation for the enchanting manner 

 in which he told the stories of former times, an art which is still 

 highly valued in Iceland. Although his father had been the chieftain 

 of an Icelandic tribe, the son appears to have been poor, until he 

 improved his circumstances by a marriage with a wealthy lady, whom 

 some years afterwards however ha deserted. He managed his newly- 

 acquired property so well, that he became no less distinguished for 

 his wealth than for his talents and learning. He was several times 

 invested with the office of Logsogumada, that is, interpreter of the 

 law, the highest official dignity in Iceland, and gradually rose to the 

 rank of Landur-madur and of Yarl, which was the highest title next 

 to that of duke. During this period of his greatest prosperity he 

 composed some of the most beautiful songs, tales (sagas) that exist in 

 the literature of Iceland, and also wrote some historical works. He 

 also spent considerable sums upon the building of splendid edifices, 

 especially at Reykiahollt. His character as a man however was by 

 no means in accordance with his great mental powers, for he was 

 avaricious, quarrelsome, inconstant, and full of cunning, though 

 wanting in active energy. A party was formed against him, which 

 was headed by his own brother Sighwat and his nephew Sturla ; and 

 his sone-in-law, enraged at Snorri having abandoned his wife, joined 

 his enemies. Snorri and his adherents were defeated and banished 

 from the island (1234). They went over to Norway, where Suorri's 

 patron, Duke Skuli, was preparing to revolt against King Hacou, and 

 was supported by the poetical powers of SuorrL In the meanwhile 

 however his enemies in Iceland were defeated, and Snorri dreading 

 the vengeance of King Hacon, returned to his native island. But the 

 king declared him an outlaw, and Snorri was murdered on the 22nd 

 of September, 1241, at Reykiahollt, by his own sons-in-law. 



Snorri is one of the greatest, and at the same time the last of the 

 northern Scalds. His most important work is the ' Heimskringla,' a 

 beautiful collection of sagas, consisting partly of Scaldic eougs by 

 Snorri himself, and partly of the poems of earlier Scalds, who were 

 contemporary with the events which they describe, and whose poems 

 are interwoven in the Sagas of Suorri himself. This collection was 

 first published by Peringskiold (Stockholm, 1697, fol.), with a Swedish 

 and Danish translation ; another edition, with a Danish and Latin 

 translation, appeared at Copenhagen from 1777 till 1826. Vols. 1 and 

 2 were edited by Schoning; vol. 3 by Sc. Th. Thorlacius; vols. 4, 5, 

 6, with the separate title of ' Noregs Konunga Sb'gor,' by Birg. 

 Thorlacius and E. Chr. Werlauf. The last Danish translation is that 

 by Grundtvig, Copenhagen, 3 vols. 4to, 1818-1822. It has also been 

 translated into German by Wachter, who has added a very valuable 

 historical and critical introduction. 



Among the other works ascribed to Snorri are, 1, ' The Gylfa- 

 Giuning,' which forms the first part of the ' Snorra-Edda ;' 2, ' The 

 Scaldic Songs called Kanuingar or Skalldskoparmal ;' 3, ' Hattalykill,' 

 or the Key of the Wise, consisting of two eulogies on Duke Skuli, 

 and three others which are partly written in praise of King Hacon. 

 All these poems form part of the ' Skallda,' which has been edited by 

 Rask (Stockholm, 1818), under the title of 'Snorra-Edda itsamt 

 Sksildu.' Another edition was published under the title of 'Edda 

 Snorronis Sturlsei,' 2 vols. 8vo, Havn, 1848-52. Besides several 

 other poems upon contemporary heroes, Snorri also wrote a number 

 of Fraedibaekur, i. e. manuals of science, which have been very much 

 used by his countrymen. 



SNYDERS, or SNEYDERS, FRANCIS, a painter, born at Antwerp 



