LAPLACE. 321 



revolution of the 18th Brumaire, made the victorious 

 general first consul, and led him to assume the title of 

 President of the Institute. This made him acquainted 

 with Cuvier, who vacated the post of secretary for the 

 chair of Natural History. Wishing, in 1802, to remodel 

 the system of public instruction, Napoleon named him 

 one of the six inspectors, who were directed to establish 

 lyceums in the principal towns in France. His commis- 

 sion directed him to Bordeaux and Marseilles. He esta- 

 blished lyceums in these cities, and returned to Paris, 

 shortly before Humboldt made it his permanent abode. 



Pierre Simon Laplace, the world-renowned mathemati- 

 cian, was born in Normandy on the 23d of March, 1749. 

 Of his youth nothing is related, except that he was re- 

 markable for his talents. He achieved his first success in 

 theology, which he soon abandoned for the study of geo- 

 metry. To perfect himself in the science, he came to 

 Paris, with letters of recommendation to D'Alembert. He 

 presented himself at the house of this philosopher, but 

 could not succeed in reaching him. Finding his recom- 

 mendations useless he sat down and wrote D'Alembert a 

 letter on the general principles of mechanics. Astonished 

 at its profundity, D'Alembert in his turn waited upon La- 

 place. "Sir," said he to the young geometrician, "you 

 see that I pay little attention to recommendations. You 

 have no need of them. You have made yourself better 

 known ; that is sufficient for me. You may command 

 my support." In a few days he had Laplace appointed 

 Professor of Mathematics to the Military School of Paris. 



The wind of good luck, blowing from the 18th of 

 Brumaire, made Laplace Minister of the Interior. His 

 talent for statesmanship not being equal to his talent for 



