348 THOMAS YOUNG. 



cists of Europe, will excuse me if I complete this indis- 

 cretion by stating the circumstances. 



In the year 1816 I made a tour in England with my 

 scientific friend M. Gay-Lussac. Fresnel had just then 

 entered on his scientific career in the most brilliant man- 

 ner, by the publication of his memoir on Diffraction. 

 This work which, in our opinion, contained a capital 

 experiment irreconcilable with the Newtonian theory of 

 light, became naturally the first subject of our discussion 

 with Dr. Young. We were astonished at the numerous 

 qualifications which he put upon our praises of it, until at 

 length he stated to us that the very experiment which we 

 so much commended had been published, so long since as 

 1807, in his treatise on Natural Philosophy. This asser- 

 tion did not seem to us well founded. It caused a long 

 and minute discussion. Mrs. Young was present, with- 

 out appearing to take any part in the conversation ; but 

 we imagined that the weak fear of being designated by 

 the ridiculous sobriquet of bas-bleu rendered the ladies 

 of England very reserved in the presence of foreigners ; 

 and our want of discernment did not strike us till the 

 moment when Mrs. Young quickly quitted her place ; we 

 then began to attempt excuses to her husband, until we 

 saw her reenter the room carrying under her arm a large 

 quarto volume. This was the first volume of the Natural 

 Philosophy. She placed it on the table, and without say- 

 ing a word opened it at page 787, and pointed with her 

 finger to a diagram in which the curvilinear route of the 

 diffracted bands, on which the discussion turned, was the- 

 oretically established. 



I trust I shall be pardoned these little details. Too 

 numerous examples may almost have habituated the pub- 

 lic to consider destitution, injustice, persecution, and 



