454 POPULAR LECTURES AND ADDRESSES. 



Why not convert and re-convert continually 

 into motion of the fly-wheel, or energy of the 

 spring, or weight wound up, all the heat generated 

 by the friction in the machine ? To this question 

 Carnot, 1 in 1824, in his Reflexions sur la Puissance 

 Motrice du Feu, showed how to find a negative 

 answer, to be founded, not on any then known 



1 Sadi Carnot, born in 1796, son of the Republican War- 

 Minister, and uncle of the present President of the French 

 Republic. He inherited from his father a chivalrous motivity of 

 disposition, which was prettily illustrated by a little piece of his- 

 tory of the year 1800 told by his brother Hippolyte, in the 

 biographical sketch referred to below. 



The Directory had been superseded by the Consulate. Carnot 

 having returned to his country after two years of exile, was called to 

 be War Minister. . . . When the Minister went to the Malmaison 

 for his official work with the first Consul he often brought with 

 him his son, about four years old. The boy on these occasions 

 lived with Madame Bonaparte, who had a great affection for him. 

 ( )ne day she was rowing about in a boat with some of her ladies. 

 Bonaparte came and amused himself by throwing stones into the 

 water round the boat, so as to splash the fresh dresses of the rowers. 

 The ladies did not dare to show their displeasure openly. The 

 little boy, after having watched for some time what was going on, 

 came suddenly and squared up to the conqueror of Marengo, 

 threatening him with his fist, and cried out, "Animal dc Premier 

 Consul, vt'u.\-lu ne pas taquiner ces dames !" Bonaparte at this 

 unexpected attack stopped, looked with astonishment at the child, 

 and then fell into a hearty fit of laughter which spread to all the 

 spectators of the scene. 



