M. DE LAPLACE. 89 
cessary delay, they proceeded to fill his place. The situ- 
ation of Perpetual Secretary is not one which can long 
be left vacant. The Academy named a commission to 
present it with candidates; it was composed of Messrs. 
de Laplace, Arago, Legendre, Rossel, Prony, and La- 
croix. The list presented was composed of the names of 
Messrs. Biot, Fourier, and Arago. It is not necessary 
for me to say with what obstinacy I opposed the inscrip- 
tion of my name on this list; I was compelled to give 
way to the will of my colleagues, but I seized the first 
opportunity of declaring publicly that I had neither the 
expectation nor the wish to obtain a single vote; that, 
moreover, I had on my hands already as much work as I 
could get through; that in this respect M. Biot was in 
the same position; and that, in short, I should vote for 
the nomination of M. Fourier. 
It was supposed, but I dare not flatter myself that’ it 
was the fact, that my declaration exercised a certain in- 
fluence on the result of the ballot. The result was as 
follows: M. Fourier received thirty-eight votes, and M. 
Biot ten. Ina case of this nature each man carefully 
conceals his vote, in order not to run the risk of future 
_ disagreement with him who may be invested with the 
authority which the Academy gives to the perpetual 
secretary. I do not know whether I shall be pardoned 
if I recount an incident which amused the Academy at 
the time. 
M. de Laplace, at the moment of voting, took two 
plain pieces of paper; his neighbour was guilty of the 
indiscretion of looking, and saw distinctly that the illus- 
trious geometer wrote the name of Fourier on both of 
them. After quietly folding them up, M. de Laplace put 
the papers into his hat, shook it, and said to this same 
