CON 



112 



CON 



Condamine. the academies of Petersburg!!, Berlin, Bologna, Cor- 

 <— - -y— — tona, and Nancy, and he was honorary secretary to the 

 Duke of Orleans. 



The personal appearance of Condamine was by no 

 means interesting. His face was greatly disfigured by the 

 ravages of the small-pox, but his vivacity and fluency in 

 conversation amply compensated for this defect in his bo- 

 dily appearance. Condamine does not seem to have pos- 

 sessed any of that inventive genius which enriches and 

 extends the sciences by great and original views. Though 

 he acquired a general knowledge of all the sciences, 

 yet he did not attach himself with sufficient attention 

 to any of them. The activity and ardour of his mind 

 were constantly hurrying him into labours which re- 

 quired the exercise of those great qualities. His mind 

 was of a texture too chivalrous for the peaceful pur- 

 suits of science ; and we are strongly impressed with 

 the opinion, that he forsook his own destiny when he 

 exchanged the sword for the level and the plumb-line. 

 In estimating therefore the claims of Condamine upon 

 posterity, we cannot deny him the praise of possessing 

 a bold, active, and intrepid mind, which was constant- 

 ly exerting itself for some great and important object, 

 and which surmounted every danger and difficulty that 

 obstructed its accomplishment. His knowledge was 

 extensive, and in some cases profound ,• and as a Avriter, 

 his style was easy, simple, and elegant. But he can 

 lay no claim to those higher qualities of the mind which 

 can alone conduct the philosopher into the Elysium of 

 invention and discovery. 



The following is a correct list of his papers, which 

 are published in the Memoirs of the Academy of Sci- 

 ences. 



Observations sur une nouvelle maniere de considerer 

 les sections coniques, 1731, p. 240. 



Observation sur une nouvelle espece de vegetation 

 metallique, 1731, p. 466, H. 31. 



Observations mathematiques et physiques, faites dans 

 un voyage du Levant en 1731 et 1732. 1732, p. 295. 



Description d'un instrument qui peut servir a de- 

 terminer sur la surface de la terre, tous les points d'un 

 eercle parallele a l'equateur, 1733, p. 294. H. 53. 



Nouvelle maniere d'observer en mer la declinaison 

 de l'aiguille aimantee, 1 733, p. 446. 



Recherches sur le tour, Premier memoire, 1734, p. 21 6. 



Second memoire, 1734. p. 295. 



Addition ou memoire qui a pour titre : Nouvelle 

 Maniere d'observer en mer la declinaison de l'aiguille 

 aimantee ; extrait d'une lettre de M. De La Condamine, 

 de Saint Domingue, le 15 Juillet 1735, 1734 p. 597. 



Maniere de determiner astronomiquement la dif- 

 ference en longitude de deux lieux peu eloignes l'un de 

 Vautre, 1735. p. 1. 



De la mesure du pendule a Saint Domingue, 1735. 

 p 529- 



Observations sur l'arbre du Qiunquina, 1738. p. 226. 



Relation abregee d'un voyage fait dans l'interieur de 

 lAmerique meridionale, depuis la cote de la mer du 

 Sud, jusqu'aux cotes du Bresil et de la Guiane, en de- 

 scendant la riviere des Amazones, 1745, p 391. H. 63. 



Extraits des operations trigonometriques, et des ob- 

 servations astronomiques, faites pour la mesure des 

 degres du meridien aux environs de l'equateur, 1746. 

 p. 618. 



Nouveau projet d'une mesure invariable, propre a 

 servir de mesure commune a toutes les nations, 1747, 

 o. 4^9. H. 82. 



Mcmoires sur une resine elastique, nouvellement 



decouverte a Cayenne, par M. Fresneau ; et sur l'usage 

 de divers sues laiteux d'arbres de la Guiane, ou France 

 equinoxiale, 1751. p. 319. H. 17. 



Memoires sur l'inoculation de la petit verole, 1754. 

 p. 615. 



Extrait d'un Journal de voyage en Italie, 1757- p. 

 336. H. 6. 



Second memoire sur l'inoculation de la petite verole 

 contenant la suite de l'histoire de cette methode et de 

 ses progres de 1754, a 1758, 1758. p. 439. ' 



Observations sur l'amiante tres-blanche, trouvee dans 

 les montagnes de la Tarentaire, 176l, H. 31. 



Suite de l'histoire de l'inoculation de la petite verole, 

 depuis 1758, jusqu' en 1765. Troisieme memoire, 1765. 

 p. 505. 



Observations de M. Spallanzani, sur des limacons a 

 qui on avoit coupe la tete, auxquels il en a pousse une 

 nouvelle, 1768, H. 34. 



Machine pour executer sur le tour toutes sortes de 

 contours reguliers et irreguliers, Mac. T. 5. p. 83. 



Machine pour tailler toutes sortes de Rosettes. Mac. 

 T. 5. p. 89. (0) 



CONDENSATION. See Expansion. 



CONDENSER. See Electricity and Pneuma- 

 tics. 



CONDENSER of Forces, is the name of a contri- 

 vance invented by M. Prony for obtaining from a first 

 mover the greatest possible effect. See Mechanics. 



CONDILLAC, Stephen Bonne* de, a celebrated 

 French metaphysician, whose writings throw around 

 his name a distinguished lustre, while his private his- 

 tory is involved in singular obscurity. He first became 

 known to the world as an author in 1 746, when he 

 published his " Essay on the Oigin of Human Know- 

 ledge." His object in this work is to develope the fa- 

 culties of the human mind, by tracing historically the 

 progress of its operations. In his next work, entitled, 

 " A Treatise on Sensations," he endeavours to account 

 for the origin of memory, judgment, and the mental 

 affections, and the gradual formation and correction of 

 sensible ideas, by imagining to himself a statue, pro- 

 vided at first with a single sense, and with the others 

 in succession. The fame of his writings had procured 

 him the honourable situation of preceptor to Don Fer- 

 dinand, Prince of Parma, for whose instruction he 

 drew up a "A Course of Study," &c. which he after- 

 wards published in 16 duodecimo volumes. In the in- 

 troduction to these volumes, he enters into a discussion 

 of the comparative advantages of the different modes 

 of instruction, judiciously giving a decided preference 

 to the mode of advancing gradually from particular 

 facts up to general principles. Logic, metaphysics, 

 and the philosophy of* the human mind, are compre- 

 hended among the earlier stages of this course of study; 

 from which he proceeds to the study of history, of 

 which he has given an ample and well-arranged abridg- 

 ment, in eleven volumes. Condillac likewise publish- 

 ed a " Treatise on Animals " in which he endeavours 

 to refute the notions of Descartes and Buffon, concern- 

 ing the mechanical nature of brutes, and to shew in 

 what manner their faculties are derived ; and a small 

 work, entitled, " Commerce and Government considered 

 relatively to each other." He died in 1780, leaving be- 

 hind him a splendid reputation, deservedly acquired 

 by the extent of his knowledge, the soundness of his 

 judgment, and the clear and comprehensive views which 

 he took of every subject towards which his mind was 

 directed, (k) 



Sondensa- 



lion 



II 

 Condillar. 



