301 



VAUQHAN, REV. ROBERT, D.D. 



VAUVILLIERS, JEAN FRANgOIS. 



302 



his day. For although subsequent algologists have added greatly to 

 the lists of species of Algro, they have done much less towards the 

 elucidation of their functions. Vaucher subsequently pursued his 

 researches on the structure and functions of several of the genera 

 and species of Cryptogamic plants. The result of his observations 

 was published in several papers in the 'Memoirs of the Society of 

 Natural History and Physics of Geneva.' He also published at Paris, 

 in 1827, a work on the structure and functions of the Orobanches, 

 which was illustrated with 15 lithographs of dissections of these 

 plants. In 1828 he published a monograph on the natural order 

 Eijuisetaceee. Although his published observations on plants up to 

 this time had been for the most part confined to the lower orders, 

 he had all his life been more or less preparing for a great work on 

 the physiology of plants in general. The first part of this work was 

 published in 1830, but finding that the plan on which he had com- 

 menced it was too extensive, he deferred any further publication of 

 the work till it was completed in 1841, when it appeared in Paris, in 

 4 vols. 8vo, entitled ' Histoire Physiologique des Plantes d'Europe, 

 ou Exposition des Phenomenes qu'elles prdsentent dans les diverses 

 Pe'riodes de leur Doveloppemeut.' He received the first complete 

 copy of this work on bis death-bed, and he employed the few 

 remaining days that his strength permitted in sending some copies to 

 his friends. The work was dedicated to Charles Albert, Prince of Carig- 

 nano, afterwards king of Sardinia, who was one of his former pupils. 



The design and execution of this work are novel. In describing 

 the structure and functions of plant?, species, or small groups of 

 species are taken, and are studied independently of other plants, for 

 the purpose of arriving at their individual peculiarities. His leading 

 idea in the observations contained in this work is, that the species, 

 genera, and families of plants have distinctive physiological as well 

 as structural characters. The labour required for this work was 

 immense, and only a long life could have enabled him to do it ; but 

 it was with Vaucher a labour of lovo, and he appears to have pursued 

 it without regard to fame or reward. His observations are of course 

 confined to plants which he had observed in a living state, and 

 which could only comprehend a small portion of the vegetable 

 kingdom. His general views in this work are not always free from 

 error, nor is his terminology so correct as is required at the present 

 day ; but whatever may be the faultiness of his generalisations, or 

 want of accuracy in the use of terms, his observations are entitled 

 to the confidence of the botanist. Many parts of the work however 

 were finished when botany was much less advanced than at the time 

 of its publication, and consequently display deficient knowledge of 

 modern observation. Vaucher, with De Saussure and others, was one 

 of the founders of the Geneva Society of Natural History and Physics. 

 He died at a very advanced age in the year 1841, beloved and respected 

 by all who knew him. A genus of confervoid plants was named in 

 honour of him ' Vaucheria,' by De Candolle. 



(Bischoff, Lehrbuch de Botanik ; Alphonse de Candolle, On the Life 

 and Writings of Vaucher, translated in the ' Annals of Nat. Hist.,' 

 vol. x., from the Bibliotheque Universelle.) 



*VAUQHAN, REV. ROBERT, D.D., a leading minister of the 

 Congregationalists or Independents, was born near the close of the 

 last century, and was educated for the ministry at Bristol. For some 

 years he was Professor of History in London University (now Univer- 

 sity College), and while minister of the Independent Chapel at Ken- 

 sington occupied a prominent position among the dissenting ministers 

 of the metropolis, his pulpit oratory being regarded as of a more 

 than commonly intellectual chaaacter. His historical works had also 

 secured him a considerable reputation in literary circles and with the 

 general public. On the removal, in 1842, of the Lancashire Inde- 

 pendent College from Blackburn to Manchester, where a spacious and 

 handsome building was erected for it, Dr. Vaughau. was invited to 

 become president of the extended establishment, and having accepted 

 the invitation, he removed to Manchester. He has continued to fill 

 the office of president of the college in conjunction with the chair of 

 theology up to the present time with great advantage to the institu- 

 tion; but in consequence of failing health he has recently (August 

 1857) tendered his resignation. 



Omitting single sermons, lectures, and addresses, of which he bas 

 published several, the following is a tolerably complete list of Dr. 

 Vaughan's literary works published with his name : ' The Life and 

 Opinions of John de Wycliffe, D.D., illustrated principally from his 

 unpublished manuscripts. With a preliminary view of the Papal 

 System,' 2 vols. 8vo, 1828, of which a 2nd edition was published ; but 

 some twenty years later he recurred to the work, recast the old and 

 added new materials, and published in one vol. in 1853 ' John de 

 Wycliffe, D.D., A Monograph : with some account of the Wycliffe 

 MSS ; ' ' Memorials of the Stuart Dynasty, including the Constitutional 

 and Ecclesiastical History of England from the Decease of Elizabeth 

 to the Abdication of James II..' 2 vols. 8vo, 1831 ; 'The Causes of the 

 Corruption of Christianity,' 8vo, 1834; 'Thoughts on the past and 

 present State of Religious Parties in England,' 12mo, 1838; 'The 

 Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, and the State of Europe during the 

 early Part of the Reign of Louis XIV.,' 2 vols. 8vo, 1838 ; _' History 

 of England under the House of Stuart,' published in the ' Library of 

 Useful Knowledge,' 2 vols. 8vo, 1840; 'Congregationalism, or the 

 Polity of Independent Churches, viewed in relation to the State, and 



tho tendencies of Modern Society,' 12mo, 1842; 'The Modern Pulpit 

 viewed in its relation to the State of Society,' 12mo, 1842; 'The 

 Age of Great Cities, or Modern Society viewed in its relation to 

 Intelligence, Morals, and Religion,' 12mo, 1843 ; 'The Age and Chris- 

 tianity,' 12tno, 1849. Several of these works have passed through 

 more than one edition. Shortly after his settlement at Manchester 

 Dr. Vaughan projected the ' British Quarterly Review,' and since its 

 establishment in 1844 to the present time he has been its editor; and 

 during these thirteen years he has enriched its pages with a large 

 number of essays on historical, political, theological, social, and educa- 

 tional subjects. A selection from his essays was published in two 

 volumes in 1849. 



VAUQUELIN, NICOLAS-LOUIS, a distinguished French analy- 

 tical chemist, was born about the middle of the last century, of 

 parents in an humble station in Normandy. Fourcroy, accidentally 

 meeting with him, was so much pleased with his quickness and inte- 

 grity, that he took him to Paris and made him superintendent of hia 

 laboratory, in which he speedily became an expert experimenter, and 

 on many occasions which were acknowledged, and probably on some 

 which were not, he performed experiments published by Fourcroy. 



He was a professor of chemistry in Paris, and eventually became 

 chemist to the School of Mines, and a member of the Institute. He 

 was extremely industrious, and has published many memoirs on 

 mineral, vegetable, and animal analysis : in performing his varied 

 researches, ho not only improved the methods of analysis previously 

 in use, but also discovered some elementary bodies, of which the chief 

 and most remarkable were chromium, existing in the red lead of 

 Siberia, as an acid combined with oxide of lead, and glucina, a new 

 earth, or rather metallic oxide, which he found in the emerald and 

 beryl. The discovery of chromium has been of vast importance to 

 the arts; for having been since found in enormous quantity combined 

 with iron, and in various parts of the earth, it has been extensively 

 used in the state of oxide for giving a green colour to porcelain, and 

 chromic acid combined with oxide of lead, forming chromate of lead, 

 is a fine yellow pigment. 



Vauquelin died in 1829, at an advanced age: his character and 

 conduct were most excellent and exemplary, and he passed through 

 the bloody stages of the French revolution uncontaminated by its 

 violence or vices. 



VAUVILLIERS, JEAN FRANCOIS, a French scholar, was born, 

 in 1737, at Noyers in Burgundy, and received a careful education from 

 his father Jean Vauvilliers, a scholar of considerable merit. Jean 

 Frangois had scarcely finished his studies when he was appointed one 

 of the librarians of the Royal library at Paris, and in 1766 he became 

 professor of Greek in the College de France. After having distin- 

 guished himself by several works on Greek' literature and history, he 

 was elected, in 1782, a member of the Academy of Inscriptions. The 

 storm of the Revolution carried him away from his learned pursuits. 

 He was successively president of the quarter of St. Genevieve at Paris, 

 first ' de'pute' suppleant' of Paris in the assembly of the etats ge"ne'- 

 raux, president of the communautd, lieutenant to the maire of Paris, 

 and lastly, ' prevot des marchands,' in which capacity he had the care 

 of the provisions necessary for the supply of the capital. The people 

 of Paris at that time believed that it was the secret intention of the 

 court to starve them, and they opposed by armed force the export of 

 provisions from the capital into the provinces. Vauvilliers acted in 

 these cases with great energy, and he more than once succeeded in 

 making the mob desist from their predatory disturbances. In his 

 political opinions he was rather royalist ; he supported the proposition 

 of Brissot for the abolition of slavery in the colonies, but he also 

 defended the rights of the Roman Catholic church. When he was 

 summoned to take the oath of allegiance to the new democratic 

 system, Vauvilliers declined taking it, laid down bis professorship in 

 the College de France, and afterwards justified himself in a pamphlet, 

 ' Questions sur les Sermens, en particulier sur celui de Haine a la 

 RoyauteV He was arrested by order of the revolutionary committee, 

 but he obtained his liberation, and then became a member of the 

 council of the Five Hundred. He published several pamphlets on 

 political questions, and expressed his opinions with so little reserve, 

 that he was at last sentenced to deportation, in September, 1797. 

 However he escaped to Switzerland, and afterwards went to Russia, 

 whither he was invited by the emperor Paul. The Academy of Sciences 

 of St. Petersburg elected Vauvilliers a member. He died at St. 

 Petersburg on the 23rd of July, 1801. 



Vauvilliers is the author of numerous works and treatises, partly on 

 Greek literature, and partly on modern politics, legislation, and ad- 

 ministration. The most important among them are, 1, ' Essais sur 

 Pindare, contenant une Traduction de quelques Odes de ce Poete,' 

 c., Paris, 12mo, 1772; 2, ' Examen Historique et Politique du Gou- 

 vernement de Sparte,' Paris, 12mo, 1769 ; 3, A number of papers 

 concerning the Manuscripts of Pindar, ^Eschylus, and Sophocles, in 

 the ' Notices et Extraits ;' 4, An edition of Sophocles, which had been 

 prepared by Capperonnier. It contains some notes and a preface by 

 Vauvilliers, Paris, 2 vols. 4to, 1781. His notes are severely attacked 

 by Brunck ; but Harless, in Fabricius's ' Bibliotheca Gneca,' speaks 

 highly of their merit. 



(Qudrard, La France Litteraire, where a complete list of his works is 

 given ; Biographic Universelle ; Fabricius, Biblioth. Qrccc. ii., p. 224.) 



