] 81K] Guyton de Morveaii^Fontannes — Paslorei — Lalande* 
power, the difficulties which embarrass 
all attempts upon the person of a mo¬ 
narch, and the certain death which would 
await even a successful assailant, to¬ 
gether with the variety of motives, which 
give no inconsiderable part of the popu¬ 
lation of France a direct interest in the 
prolongation of his life—all these fur¬ 
nish a solution to the question. Should 
he ever encounter any serious disaster in 
the field, he will afford another illustra¬ 
tion, of the well-known verses of the 
poet, 
Mais au moindre revers funeste, 
Le masque tomhe, Phomme reste, 
jEt le heros s’evanouic.” 
GUYTON DE MORVEAU. 
Guyton de Morveau is one of the 
most extraordinary men of the age, both 
for the prodigious extent of his acquire¬ 
ments, and the versatility of his powers. 
His history is exceedingly curious. Ke 
was, before the revolution, attorney- 
general in the parliament of Dijon, and 
at the head of the bar in his native pro¬ 
vince. He was sent to the legislative 
assembly in 1789, and became hrst the 
secretary, and then president of that 
body in 1792. Here he distinguished 
himself as a financier, and as a most in¬ 
furiate republican. In the convention, 
of which he was made a member, he 
co-operated zealously in all the views 
and atrocities of jacobinism, anil voted 
for the death of the king with marked 
asperity. He afterwards acted as se¬ 
cretary of the convention, and as a mem¬ 
ber of the committee of public safety. 
He was sent by the convention to the 
army of the Moselle, to superintend the 
aerostatic expeditions, and at tlic battle 
of Fleurus was seen hovering over the 
Frcticli army in a balloon. 
He became snbsequetitly a member of 
the council of five hundrerl, and was 
there conspicuous in the department of 
finance, and of internal navigation. He 
presented at the same time various and 
very able reports, on qiiestionsconnected 
with tlie physical sciences and the arts. 
In 1800 he was appointed administrator 
of the mint, and director of the Poly¬ 
technic school, and in 1804 an officer of 
the legion of honour, I saw him in 
1807 as president of the first class of tiie 
Institute, and ranking among the leading 
chemists of that body. Illsworks are 
voluminous and comprise—numerous 
Hssays upon Natural Piiilosophy, Natural 
II istory,and Chemistry; a copious breatise 
son practical and theoretic Chemistry, a 
Xficiionaiy of the same science; several 
volumes of forensic speeches, and of dis¬ 
courses upon jurisiirudence, and a col¬ 
lection of fugitive poems. All these 
possess unconamon excellence of their 
kind. 
The world owes to him tlie Important 
discovery of the mode of purifying air by 
the evaporation of muriatic acit). Guy¬ 
ton is a very small man, with a slmrp 
visage, and a most piercing eye. His 
elocution is sometimes brilliant, and al¬ 
ways dignified, easy, and energetic. 
M. DE Fontannes. 
M. dx' Fontatmes enjoyed the high- 
reputation as an orator when I was 
in Paris, and was in universal request at 
public exhibitions. He declaimed prize 
compositions at the sitting of the In¬ 
stitute; w’as the organ of the government 
in -the legislative body, and a sort of 
official eulogist of the emperor on all 
public occasions. M. de Fontannes 
w'as to be heard every-where, and seemed 
to give universal delight. He certainly 
possesses higher recommendations than 
any other public speaker., not belonging 
to the pulpit or the bar; but those re¬ 
commendations consist altogether in a 
good voice, a handsome person, a fluent 
elocution, and a spangled embroidered 
kind of oratory, full of neat turns and 
artificial prettinesses, and always ad¬ 
mirable for tiie refinement and extra¬ 
vagance of the flattery, with winch every 
phrase is seasoned, 
PASTORET. 
I was strongly attracted, as you may 
imagine, by the department of the law 
of nature and of nations, which was filled 
by a politician of no small note, in the 
annals of the revolution. I ntean Pas* 
loret, who was at one time historiogra¬ 
pher of France, and minister <>f tlie in¬ 
terior under Louis XVI. who, through¬ 
out I he revolution, ranked among the 
most enthusiastic of the republicans, and 
who is now one of the most distinguished 
favorites, and zealous devotees of the 
imperial court. I attended his lectures 
frequently, and had often occasion to 
admire his learning and his acuteness, 
hut never heard him comment upon 
Blackstonc,. and declaim against the 
jurisprudence and constitution of Eng¬ 
land, without being, disposed to smile at 
his egregious ignorance of the subject, 
and without feeling stiong emotions of 
disgust, for the venal spirit that dictated 
his anti-anglican episodes. 
LALANUE. 
The elder Lalande, the celebrated 
Piolessor of Astronomy and one of the 
most 
