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LAMARCK, CHEVALIER DE. 



LAMARCK, CHEVALIER DE. 



779 



IB 1764 be published his large treatise on astronomy, which ba 

 fterwsrds extended to four volumes 4to. Before the appearance of 

 this work tbrre existed Mveral able treatises on the theory of 

 astronomy by Lacaille, Casaiui, and Lemonnier ; but these contained 

 little or no information as to the practice of astronomy. To supply 

 this omission was the main object of Lalande. The work contains 

 auy biographical and historical notes, which will always be inter- 

 esting, and the results of numerous observations to which it will 

 always be useful to recur. 



In 1772 he published bis 'Account of the Transit of Venus," 

 obs-rved on the 3rd of June 1709, which waa drawn up with con- 

 siderable labour from the communications of those persons who, at 

 his recommendation, had been sent by several of the European 

 governments to different parts of the globe, in order to observe the 

 phenomenon. 



Lalande died at Paris, 4th of April 1S07, in his seventy-fifth year. 

 As an observer, an author, and a tutor, he undoubtedly did much 

 for the promotion of astronomy; but looking to the state of the 

 mathematics at the time in which he lived, his knowledge of them 

 appears to have been very limited. The candour and the warmth of 

 his disposition gave full relief both to bis virtues and his defects. 

 He regarded concealment of any kind and under any circumstances as 

 disreputable to an honourable man ; and acting up to this opinion, 

 he invariably express 'd his sentiments without the slightest reserve, 

 even when by so doing he prejudiced his own interests and those of 

 his dearest friends. His love of truth, and the boldness with which 

 he attempted to subvert all systems and opinions which did not accord 

 with his own, and which sometimes partook rather of a spirit of 

 fanaticism than of pure philosophy, excited against him a crowd of 

 detractors and enemies. The extreme irritability of his temper led 

 him on several occasions to acts of ingratitude towards Lemonnier, 

 bis early tutor and friend, who, to use Lalaude's own expression, 

 " refused to see him during an entire revolution of the moon's nodes." 

 His attachment to his native town was such that he mode a point of 

 vi-iting it every alternate year during the college vacation ; and upon 

 these occasions he gave public lectures, founded an Academical 

 Society, and neglected nothing which might in.-pire a love of science 

 and of letters. His filial affection induced him frequently to attend 

 the devotions of his mother, although the cread which she bad so 

 zealously endeavoured to inculcate haJ been greatly modified, if not 

 altogether eradicated, by his intercourse with Voltaire and others 

 while at Berlin. 



To conclude, although his moral character is not altogether irre- 

 proachable, be was always ready to patronise the needy votary of 

 science, and he would advocate the cause of a friend at the ri.-k of 

 his own personal safety. 



The following is a list of his principal publications : 



' Navigation, its History, Theory, and Practice,' 4to, Paris, 1793; 

 ' The Physician's Almanack,' Paris, 1800; 'The Geographical and 

 Chronological Almanack,' 1799-80; 'Astronomy,' 1st edition, 2 vols. 

 4to, 1764 ; 2nd ed., 4 vols. 4to, 1771-81 ; 3rd ed., 3 vols. 4to, 1792; 

 the same work abridged, Amsterdam, 1774; 8vo, Paris, 1775-95; 

 'Astronomy for Ladies,' last edition, 1824; 'Astronomical Biography, 1 

 4to, 1803 ; ' Treatise on Canals in general, and in particular of the 

 Canal of Languedoc,' Paris, fol., 177S ; ' Transit of Venus,' 4to, 1764 ; 

 1 Description of a Machine for dividing Mathematical Instruments, 

 translated from the English of Ramsden,' 1790; 'A Discourse tending 

 to prove " That the spirit of justice constitutes the glory and security 

 of empires,'" to which the Academy of Marseille awarded thtir 



Africa,' 1795; 'Reflections upon Comets which may approach the 

 Earth,' 1773; 'Astronomical Tables for the Meridian of Paris,' 1770; 

 ' Portable Logarithms,' 1802 ; ' Treatise on the Tides, 1 1781 ;' Journey 

 to Mont Blanc,' 1796. 



The whole of the papers of Lalande in the 'Memoirs of the Institute' 

 were contributed between the years 1751 and 1806. Of these the 

 most important are : ' On the Parallax of the Moon, and its Distance 

 from the Erth,' 1752-53-56-87; 'On Secular Equations, and on the 



1789-90. He likewise superintended an edition of the 'Astronomy' 

 of Lacaille, Bouguer's ' Navigation,' Flamsteed's 'Celestial Atlac,' 

 h onU-nelle's ' Plurality of Worlds,' and in conjunction with Laplace 

 and others he edited the latter volumes of Moutucla's ' History of 

 the Mathematics.' 



(Delambre, Eloge dt Lalandt, in the 'Memoirs of the Institute,' 

 807, and notice of his life in the ' Biog. Uuivers. ; ' Hutton, JIatlie- 

 mutual Dictionary; Qucrard, Victionnaire HiUioyraphiquc ) 



LAMARCK, JEAN - BAI'TISTK - PIERRE . ANTOINE DE 

 MOKHBT. CHEVALIER DE, a celebrated botanist and zoologist, 

 member of the ancient Academy of Sciences, and afterwards of the 

 Institute, waa born on the 1st of August 1744 at Bazentiu, in Picardy, 

 of a noble family. He was originally destined for the Church, and 



received his education at the Jesuits' College at Amiens, where he was 

 noted for that assiduous application to study which had so great an 

 influence over his future career. Being desirous however at that time 

 to follow the profession of his ancestors, at the age of seventeen he left 

 college and entered the army, in which he served under Marshal Broglie 

 in the long war against the English and Dutch. Ho greatly distin- 

 guished himself by his bravery, but accident turned bis talents into 

 another channel ; for, being wounded and suffering from ill health, ho 

 was obliged to quit the military service. He then went to Paris to 

 study medicine, but it does not appear that he ever did anything in 

 that science, for we find him turning his attention to natural philosophy, 

 and in 1778 he communicated to the Academy of Sciences some obser- 

 vations on the laws which regulate the formation and dispersion of 

 clouds. Tho Academy engaged him to prosecute his researches on 

 this subject, but he now commenced another branch of science which 

 conducted him rapidly to celebrity, namely, botany. At this time 

 Bernard de Jussien was engaged in arranging the plants of the Jardin 

 du Roi, according to their natural affinities ; and at the same period 

 the ingenious but artificial system of Linnaeus was at its height of 

 popularity. M. Lamarck undertook to form a new arrangement, which 

 should be intermediate between the others, selecting the most easily- 

 reconciled parts of both ; he also borrowed from the older system of 

 Tournefort, who formed the principal characters of Lis classes and 

 orders on the modifications and form of the corolla. Lamarck thus 

 constructed a new method of classification, according to which he 

 arranged all tho known species of plants indigenous to France. II.- 

 named this work the ' Flore Franchise,' and presented it to the 

 Academy of Sciences, who were highly pleased with it. The work 

 particularly attracted the attention of Buflbu, who had sufficient 

 influence to get it published at the expense of government for the 

 benefit of the author, whose circumstances at that time were narrow. 

 The 'Flore Francaise' appeared in 1780, bearing the date of 177>, in 

 3 vols. 8vo. In 1779 Lamarck was elected a member of the ancient 

 Academy of Sciences. In his ' Flora ' he announced that it was his 

 intention to set about a general work on plants, and accordingly he 

 commenced collecting materials for that purpose, and chance threw in 

 his way several rich herbaria, among others that of Sonuerab, Having 

 a great wish to travel over France and Europe, he obtained an appoint- 

 ment, through the influence of Buffbn, to visit tho different botanic 

 gardens and celebrated collections of plants in Europe, for the purpose 

 of procuring curious and rare specimens for the Jardiu du Roi. 

 Buffon's sou accompanied him, and they travelled through the greater 

 part of Germany and tho Low Countries. Ou his return to Paris he 

 continued to cultivate botany with the same ardour as before, and 

 was admitted to the botanical excursions of J. J. Rousseau, on condition 

 that he should not appear to take any notice of either the person or 

 actions of that extraordinary man, whose temper was so irritable that 

 he was annoyed by the slightest circumstance. He now commenced 

 arranging the results of his researches, but instead of forming a separate 

 work they received another destination ; for Pankouko having formed 

 the plan of the ' Encyclopedia Mdthodique,' engaged the most learned 

 men in each department ; and Lamarck, who undertook the botany, 

 was one of the first contributors, and among the most active, for in 

 1783 his first volume wad ready for publication, containing a history 

 of botany, preceded by an introduction to the science : this composition, 

 though good in some respects, shows marks of the precipitation with 

 which it was written. A second volume appeared in 17>S and every- 

 thing promised a speedy completion of the subject, wluu the publi-hcr 

 proposed to M. Lamarck to execute a series of plates to illu-.tr.itu the 

 different genera of plants. These appeared arranged according to tho 

 Liuuiean system, though contrary to the wish of the author. It was 

 the original intention that each fasciculus of plates should have been 

 accompanied with explanatory letter-press, but this only appeared with 

 the first ; nine fasciculi of plates came out, but they were never com- 

 pleted. The publication of the ' Encyclopedia ' was now arrested by 

 the breaking out of the revolution, and with this event Lamarck's 

 botanical labours ceased. 



In 1788 Lamarck had been appointed assistant to Daubenton in the 

 ' Cabinet du Jardin du Roi,' where he was particularly intrusted with 

 the charge of the vegetable department. Here nothing could disturb 

 him from his peaceful occupations and studies, and he remained 

 unmolested amidst all tho troubles and horrors of the revolution. 

 During the reU'U of terror he proposed a plan for organising the 

 Museum, and though little attention was paid to it at the time, he 

 had afterwards tho satisfaction to see it realised in the establishment 

 of the institution of tho Muxourn iu 1793. But notwithstanding his 

 talents and labours, Lamarck waa ueur being forgotten among the 

 professors of the new institution. Botany was the only science which 

 he was well qualified to teach, and in this department De^foutaiues 

 and Jusaieu were appointed to tho new chairs. The subject of zoology 

 only remained, to which, with the exception of conchology, Lamarck 

 had paid little att.utiou. This branch was divided into several 

 sections : the vertebratcd animals were given to M. Etiuuue Geoll'roy, 

 since known as the illustrious Ueoffroy Saint-Uilaire, who afterwards 

 shared this department with M. Laccpcdc, who was then absent and 

 persecuted; the latter undertook the reptiles and fishes. The 

 remaining classes of the animal kingdom, comprising all the Invert* 

 brata, which were then considered of little interest, were left to 



