result. He shows himself, on the contrary, deeply humili- 
ated. And he will not fail in future to oppose every 
undertaking that might turn out to the honour of 
science. Crowds of such incidents occur to the mind. 
Are we to infer thence, that we ought to be afraid of see- 
ing the administration of a town given up to the station- 
ary and exclusive spirit of the old Eschevinage—to 
people who have learnt nothing and studied nothing ? 
Such is not the result of these long reflections. I wished 
to enable people to foresee the struggle, not the defeat. I 
even hasten to add, that by the side of the surly, harsh, 
rude, positive Eschevin, the type of whom, to say the 
truth, is fortunately becoming rare, an honourable class 
of citizens exists, who, content with a moderate fortune 
laboriously acquired, live retired, charm their leisure with 
study, and magnanimously place themselves, without any 
interested views, at the service of the community. 
Everywhere similar auxiliaries fight courageously for 
truth as soon as they perceive it. Bailly constantly ob- 
tained their concurrence; as is proved by some touching 
testimonies of gratitude and sympathy. As to the coun- 
sellors who so often occasioned trouble, confusion, and 
anarchy in the Hotel de Ville in the years 89 and ’90, I 
am inclined to blame the virtuous magistrate for having 
so patiently, so diffidently endured their ridiculous preten- 
sions, their unbearable assumption of power. 
From the earliest steps in the important study of na- 
ture, it becomes evident that facts unveiled to us in the 
lapse of centuries, are but a very small fraction, if we 
compare them with those that still remain to be discov- 
ered. Placing ourselves in that point of view, deficiency 
in diffidence would just be the same as deficiency in 
judgment. But, by the side of positive diffidence, if I 
