on the Subject of Heat. 237 



in regard to the ownership of our opinions. Nothing 

 is more certain than that, in this respect, we have not 

 borrowed one from the other in the slightest degree. 



Besides, I have every reason for believing that even 

 if I had not described so particularly the facts which I 

 have brought forward, still all those who will take the 

 trouble to consider impartially the numerous experi- 

 ments on the subject of heat which I have made dur- 

 ing more than twenty years, will be convinced that I 

 must have been led to the investigations and discoveries 

 in question by the entirely natural connection of ideas 

 caused by my opinions on the subject, without needing 

 to borrow, in the slightest degree, from any person 

 whomsoever. 



To close this historical review of my various re- 

 searches on the subject of heat, I will give a very brief 

 account of my labours in this connection, from my 

 arrival in Paris, until the close of the month of October 

 of the last year (1803). 



As I had brought with me two thermoscopes, I had 

 them adjusted, by Dumontier, with all possible care; I 

 also sent to Munich for several other instruments which 

 I had used, the year before, in my experiments on 

 heat. 



I also procured several new instruments, in order to 

 make new experiments ; among others, an apparatus 

 which I intended to use to determine the progress of 

 heat in a massive bar of metal, in glass, and in other 

 solid substances. All these instruments I showed to 

 several members of the National Institute, namely, to 

 MM. Laplace, Delambre, Prony, and Biot. 



To these philosophers, and at the same time to M. 

 Bertholet as well, I proposed to perform the now well- 



