172 FRESNEL. 



ties arose on all sides. " If you execute your project," 

 they said to me, " the Institute will be abolished ; now, 

 have you, the youngest member of the Academy, any 

 right to provoke such a catastrophe ? " And to support 

 this remark, they pointed out to me several savants whose 

 sole livelihood lay in their appointment as members of 

 the Institute. These observations, strongly represented, 

 shook my determination. The strife nevertheless became 

 hotter ; I could consent to read Fresnel's eloge, but I ob- 

 stinately refused to cut out the passages which just before 

 had appeared to be irreproachable, on the necessity to 

 comply with the charter strictly, if it was not wished 

 to open again the career of revolutions. Cuvier, from 

 friendship for me, and also from interest in the Academy, 

 was especially eager to obtain these suppressions. I 

 communicated this circumstance to Villemain, who, with- 

 out perceiving that the great naturalist was within hear- 

 ing, exclaimed : " That is signal cowardice." From 

 thence quarrels and personalities arose, of which I should 

 feel scruples in depositing the remembrance here. The 

 result, at the time of this lamentable circumstance, was, 

 that the passages in question were preserved in the read- 

 ing, and became the object, on the part of the public, of 

 enthusiastic applause, which did not appear'to be merited 

 either by the matter or the form. I must own that I was 

 much surprised when, on coming out of the meeting, the 

 Duke of Ragusa whispered to me, "God grant that I 

 may not have to go to-morrow to seek for you at Vin- 

 cennes." 



