Biographicai Notice of Haiiy. 367 
at the period when the place of an infant chorister was the 
object of his ambition. This poverty did not shield him 
from imminent dangers. Very ignorant of all that was 
passing around him, he saw one day his modest retreat in- 
vaded by men, who demanded of him whether he had any 
fire arms. “I have no other than this,” said he, drawing | 
a spark from his electric machine. They seized his papers, 
which contained nothing but mathematical calculations, 
overturned his collection, which was his only property ; 
and finally shut him up with other priests in the Seminary 
of St. Firmin, which had been converted into a prison. In 
thus exchanging one cell for another, he was not very un- 
easy in his new habitation. Calm under all circumstances, 
and seeing himself in company with many of his friends, 
he only though: of sending for his drawers, that he might 
put his crystals in order. Happily, -he had friends without 
who knew better than he what was preparing for those who 
had incurred the popular displeasure. One of his pupils, 
afterwards his colleague, Geoffroy de Saint Hilaire, member 
of the Academy of Sciences, lodged then in the College of 
Cardinal Lemoine. As soon as he was informed of the 
fate of his master, he ran instantly to implore all those who 
he thought might have some influence, to endeavour to 
save him. An order was at length obtained for his deliv- 
erance. M. Geoffroy ran with it to Saint Firmin; but he 
was late. Hatiy was so tranquil that nothing could induce 
him to go out on that day. The next day he was taken out 
almost by force,—and the day after was the 2d of Septem- 
ber! 
It is very remarkable that after the massacre from 
which Hatty had been so providentially rescued he met 
with no further disturbance. One day only he was com- 
pelled to appear at the review of his battallion, but he was 
soon dismissed on account of his bad figure. ‘This was 
nearly all that he knew, or at least all that he saw of the 
Revolution. At the time at which the convention was act- 
ing with the greatest violence, he was named one of the 
commissioners of weights and measures, and keeper of the 
cabinet of mines. When Lavoisier was arrested, when 
Borda and Delambre were deposed, Haiiy alone could 
write in their favour, and he hesitated not to do it: he, an 
unregistered priest, performing every day his ecclesiastical 
