18 CARNOT. 



the ancient interests, if they have only this same anti- 

 quity to invoke in their favour, become excited, resist, 

 and struggle, and society is shaken to its foundations. 

 The tableau will be complete, Gentlemen, when I add 

 that, in these obstinate conflicts, it is never the principles 

 that succumb. 



Carnot, as I have already remarked, had but lightly 

 touched on the technical part of Vauban's works, in his 

 eloge ; yet, in the few sentences which he wrote on this 

 subject, he took occasion to say that " a certain vulgar, 

 ignorant, person " took an erroneous view of fortification 

 in reducing it to the art of tracing on paper lines sub- 

 jected to certain, more or less, systematic conditions. 

 These words, in their general sense, seemed as if they 

 might have passed unnoticed; but an unfortunate con-, 

 currence of circumstances gave to them an importance 

 which was not foreseen, and still less desired by their 

 author. In 1783, a general of infantry, member of this 

 Academy, M. le Marquis de Montalembert, published, 

 under the title of Perpendicular Fortification, an entirely 

 new system of defence of fortresses. This system was 

 outrageously opposed by almost the whole corps of mili- 

 tary engineers. The scion of an illustrious family, the 

 general officer of the French army, the academician, 

 might assuredly, without too much vanity, believe him- 

 self not included in the ignorant vulgar that the author 

 of the eulogy had lightly designated ; but M. de Mont- 

 alembert was determined to apply these expressions to 

 himself, and to revenge himself he published an edition 

 of Vauban's eloge accompanied by notes, in which offence 

 and gross affront were carried to the utmost. There was 

 enough in this pamphlet to upset the mind of a young 

 man a thousand times ; nevertheless, under these diffi- 



