OBITUARY NOTICES OF FELLOWS DECEASED. 



Michel Chasles was born at Epernon, in the department of Eure- 

 et-Loire, on the 15th of November, 1793. 



He began his education at the Lycee Imperiale, and even in child- 

 hood showed a decided taste for geometry, and was in the habit of 

 communicating to the pupils of other schools the problems given him 

 by his teachers, obtaining their problems in exchange. 



In the year 1812 he began his studies at the ficole Poly technique. 

 In 1814 he assisted with his fellow-students in the defence of Paris, 

 and in that same year passed the engineering examination. After 

 considerable hesitation he decided to accept the appointment as officer 

 of engineers to which he was now entitled ; but just as he was about 

 to enter the service he was induced to surrender the appointment in 

 favour of a friend, who was next on the list to the successful candi- 

 dates, and to whom it was a great object. He spent a short time with 

 his mother at Chartres, and then resumed his studies at the ficole 

 Polytechnique. 



When, in 1814, all the students of the Ecole Polytechnique were 

 abruptly dismissed, Chasles gave hospitality in his home at Chartres to 

 his brilliant schoolfellow at the Lycee Imperiale, Gaetan Giordini, who 

 through his influence had been induced to study geometry, and who 

 had obtained the first prize at the Concours General over the head of 

 Chasles himself, and had afterwards obtained the first place in the 

 Ecole Polytechnique. 



On finally quitting the Ecole Polytechnique Chasles spent about 

 ten years in retirement at Chartres, devoting himself to geometry. 



In 1837 he published the first edition of his great work, " Apercu His- 

 torique sur l'Origine et le Developpement des Methodes en Geometrie," 

 which was characterised by De Morgan as a work of great importance 

 in the historical point of view, and described in the following words by 

 M. Bertrand : " L'admirable ' Apercu Historique,' qui sous ce titre plus 

 que modeste, restera l'ceuvre la plus savante, la plus profonde, et la 

 plus originale qu'ait jamais inspiree l'histoire de la science." 



In 1841 Chasles became Professeur de Machines et de Geodesie at 

 the ficole Polytechnique, which appointment he held for ten years, 

 when he resigned it in consequence of some radical alterations which 

 were being made, and of which he entirely disapproved. 



In 1846 he was appointed to a new chair of Modern Geometry at 



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