Life of Count Rumford. 469 



philosopher's " conclusion should be given in his own 

 words. 



" If, among barbarous nations, the fear of a God and the 

 practice of religious duties tend to soften savage dispositions 

 and to prepare the mind for all those sweet enjoyments which 

 result from peace, order, industry, and friendly intercourse, 

 a belief in the existence of a Supreme Intelligence, who rules and 

 governs the universe with wisdom and goodness, is not less 

 essential to the happiness of those who, by cultivating their 

 mental powers, HAVE LEARNED TO KNOW HOW LITTLE CAN BE 

 KNOWN." 



In continuing the subject of this Essay in a second 

 part, Count Rumford gives " An Account of several 

 New Experiments, with occasional Remarks and Obser- 

 vations, and Conjectures respecting Chemical Affinity 

 and Solution, and the Mechanical Principle of Animal 

 Life." 



The Count had sent a manuscript copy of the first 

 part of this Essay to his friend Pictet at Geneva, who 

 translated and published it. To a letter of acknowl- 

 edgment from Pictet, the Count had replied in a letter 

 dated June 9, 1797, which he designed simply as a 

 private one, and which Pictet inadvertently put in print. 

 It contained the following sentences: "I should have 

 been much surprised if my Seventh Essay had not 

 interested you, for in my life I never felt pleasure equal 

 to that I enjoyed in making the experiments of which I 

 have given an account in that performance. You will 

 perhaps be surprised when I tell you that I have sup- 

 pressed a whole chapter of interesting speculation, 

 merely with a view of leaving to others a tempting field 

 of curious investigation untouched" 



The Count, being apprehensive that these assertions, 



