496 LAPLACE. 



a reference to the page of the work will in general suffice for 

 any of these editions : accordingly we shall adopt this mode of 

 reference. 



An edition of the works of Laplace was published in France 

 at the national expense. The seventh volume consists of the 

 Theorie...des Proh.; it is dated 1847. This volume is a reprint of 

 the third edition. The title, advertisement, introduction, and 

 table of contents occupy cxcv. pages ; the text occupies 532 

 pages, and the four supplements occupy pages 533 — 691. 



It will be found that in the text a page n of the editions pub- 



lished by Laplace himself will correspond nearly to the page ^ + tt; 



of the national edition : thus our references will be easily available 

 for the national edition. We do not think that the national 

 edition is so good as it ought to have been ; we found, for example, 

 that in the second supplement the misprints of the original were 

 generally reproduced. 



931. We shall now proceed to analyse the work. We take the 

 third edition, and we shall notice the places in which the introduc- 

 tion differs from the introduction to the second edition. 



The dedication was not continued after the first edition, so that 

 it may be interesting to reproduce it here. 



A Napoleon-le-Grand. Sire, La bienveillance avec laquelle Yotre 

 Majeste a daigne accueillir rhommage de mon Traite de Mecanique 

 Celeste, m'a inspire le desir de Lui dedier cet Ouvrage sur le Calcul des 

 Prohabilites. Ce calcul delicat s'etend anx questions les plus impor- 

 taiites de la vie, qui ne sout en effet, pour la plupart, que des j^roblemes 

 de probabilite. 11 doit, sous ce rapport, interesser Yotre Majeste dont 

 le genie sait si bien apprecier et si dignement encourager tout ce qui 

 peut contribuer au progres des lumieres, et de la prosperite publique. 

 J'ose La supplier d'agreer ce nouvel hommage dicte par la plus vive 

 reconnaissance, et par les sentimens profonds d'adiniration et de respect, 

 avec lesquels je suis, Sire, de Votre Majeste, Le tres-liumble et tres- 

 obeissant serviteur et fidele sujet, Laplace. 



Laplace has been censured for suppressing this dedication after 

 the fall of Napoleon ; I do not concur in this censure. The dedi- 

 cation appears to me to be mere adulation ; and it would have 



