102 MEMOIRS OP 



and consequently imprisoned, during the revolution of 1793, 

 he every month carried to the wife of the sutferer the half 

 of his own income, leading her to suppose that the money 

 came from her husband, in order to prevent her from being 

 aware of the destitute state into which she was plunged, or 

 the danger incurred by one so dear. Full of hope, M. 

 Gilbert started on his mission to Spain with the most en- 

 thusiastic pleasure, little foreseeing the obstacles and diffi- 

 culties he should encounter. Badly supported by his go- 

 vernment, at times wholly neglected, he for two years was 

 unable even to make the proper purchases, and at length 

 was obliged to pledge his own property in order to extricate 

 himself from the embarrassments caused by the conduct of 

 those in whose promises he had confided. He had flatter- 

 ed himself that all would have been completed in three 

 months, but after two years of painful travelling, incredi- 

 ble fatigue, opposition, and even humiliation of every kind, 

 the flock he had assembled was scarcely by one-third equal 

 to w^hat it ought to have been. His bodily strength at last 

 yielded to all these suflerings, and he was carried off by a 

 malignant fever, after an illness of nine days. 



Darcet, the confidential friend of Montesquieu, his 

 assistant in collecting and arranging the immense mate- 

 rials for the " Esprit des Loix," and the preceptor of the 

 young Montesquieu, never lost sight of his chemical re- 

 searches amid these duties, and he discovered and caused 

 the execution of wonderful improvements in the porcelain 

 of France. 



The history of Dr. Priestley is too u^ell known to need 

 much detail here ; but as it is one of the most beautiful 

 pieces of biography W'hich has emanated from the pen of 

 M. Cuvier, I shall cite a passage, in his own words, con- 

 cerning the labours of this great chemist and natural phi- 

 losopher. " Priestley, comble de gloire, s'etonnait modeste- 

 ment de son bonheur, et de cette nniltitude de beaux faits 

 que la nature semblait n'avoir voulu reveler qu'a lui seul. 

 II oubliait que ses faveurs n'etaient pas gratuites, et que si 

 elie s'etait si bien expliquee, c'estqu'il avait su I'ycontrain- 

 dre par une perseverance infatigable a I'interroger, et par 

 miile moyens ingenien>r de lui arracher des reponses. 



^' Les autres cacheut soigneusement ce qu'ils doivent au 



