OPPOSED TO GOVERNMENT DICTATION. 87 



of my conduct ? Although in a third trial the majority 

 of the Academy was decided in favour of the same engi- 

 neer, I cannot regret that I supported up to the last 

 moment with conviction and warmth the election of his 

 competitor, M. Dulong. 



I do not suppose that, in the scientific world, any one 

 will be disposed to blame me for having preferred M. 

 Liouville to M. de Pontecoulant. 



Sometimes it happened that the Government wished to 

 influence the choice of the Academy; with a strong 

 sense of my rights I invariably resisted all dictation. 

 Once this resistance acted unfortunately on one of my 

 friends the venerable Legendre ; as to myself, I had 

 prepared myself beforehand for all the persecutions of 

 which I could be made the object. Having received 

 from the Minister of the Interior an invitation to vote for 

 M. Binet against M. Navier on the occurrence of a 

 vacant place in the section of mechanics, Legendre nobly 

 answered that he would vote according to his soul and 

 his conscience. He was immediately deprived of a pen- 

 sion which his great age and his long services rendered 

 due to him. The protege of the authorities failed ; and, 

 at the time, this result was attributed to the activity with 

 which I enlightened the members of the Academy as to 

 the impropriety of the Minister's proceedings. 



On another occasion the King wished the Academy to 

 name Dupuytren, the eminent surgeon, but whose char- 

 acter at the time lay under grave imputations. Dupuy- 

 tren was nominated, but several blanks protested against 

 the interference of the authorities in academic elections. 



I said above that I had saved the Academy from some 

 deplorable choices ; I will only cite a single instance, on 

 which occasion I had the sorrow of finding myself in 



