Life of Count Rumford. 425 



Pictet expressed to the Count his surprise that in so 

 enlightened and advanced a country as England it had 

 not before occurred to some man of genius to anticipate 

 the plan. He reports- the reply of the Count. 



"No doubt others before myself had anticipated the benefits 

 which an association of men might draw from uniting their 

 efforts for a common good. But sad experience has generally 

 proved that enterprises designed for this apparent or real end 

 are not slow in degenerating and being perverted to the private 

 interests of a few individuals, so that most of the members have 

 been duped. The result has been such as to warrant distrust 

 grounded on facts very mischievous in their consequences. I 

 have sought to make sure of the good without leaving the door 

 open to abuses. That is the spirit and the whole tendency of our 

 Institution, as our rules manifest. If I succeed, as I am really 

 bound to hope, this auspicious enterprise in winning confidence 

 will increase my means and opportunities, and the Establish- 

 ment will acquire a consistency proportioned to its real utility." 



Pictet witnessed in the Institution the experiments 

 of Dr. Wollaston in galvanism, and the decomposi- 

 tion of water by two processes. It was during this 

 visit of his as an honored guest of Rumford's at his 

 famous model house at Brompton, that Pictet, making 

 use of his fair opportunities, held those confidential 

 interviews with his host, information obtained from 

 which was quoted on an early page of this memoir. 

 It is reasonable to infer that the Count was aware of his 

 friend's purpose to make him so prominent a subject of 

 the contributions made by him during his tour to the 

 excellent Geneva journal, of which he was, as has been 

 said, one of the originators and editors, the Biblio- 

 theque Britannique. It is here that we find a full de- 

 scription of the. Count at home, or, rather, of his home. 



I translate the following from his ninth letter (Vol. 



