116 = Accaunt of the Public Schools in the French Republic. [Feb. 
at three hundred and fixty. They muft 
give proot of their talents previous to ad- 
miffion, and none are admitted under the 
age of fixteen or above that of twenty 
years. 
This eftablifhment is the nurfery of 
artillerifts and engineers for the land and 
fea fervice. Whoever wifhes to be ad- 
mitted into either of thefe bodies, muft be 
prefented to the polytechnic fchool, and 
undergo an examination. ‘The cafe is 
the fame with thofe who ‘are defirous of 
being employed on the bridges and roads, 
in the confruction of fhips, or the direc- 
tion of mines. The youths who are 
found to poffefs the requifite abilities, 
are, after having pailed through the gra- 
dations of the fchools and completed their 
courfe, admitted to the places vacant in 
thofe different departments, each in that 
line which he has particularly made the 
object of his ftudies. 
The great, and we might fay eccentric, 
luxury, in which the direétory, through a 
peculiar and well-founded predilection, 
fupports this new eftablifhment, appears 
dangerous to its duration. Already, from 
various quarters, complaints have been 
heard againft the exceflive and unneceflary 
expenfes; and the government has even 
already begun to retrench fuperfluities, 
©@f this kind were the twenty-four la- 
boratories deftined for the private labours 
of the pupils, where confiderable fums 
were diffipated in fmoke without any 
effential utility, before thofe young men 
had acquired a fufficient portion of fub- 
ftantial knowledge to derive any great be- 
nefit from their coftly experiments. The 
number of thofe laboratcries has been re- 
duced to eight—a reform which has al- 
ready produced a confiderable faving. 
he apparatus of the inftruments of 
natural philofophy is rich, and thofe in- 
struments are perfeétly well executed. 
One remarkable circumftance attending 
this colle&tion, is, that it contains the 
identical inftruments which were employed 
in the great difcoveries of Lavoifier, Cou- 
Jon, and others, who have created an zra 
in natural philofophy: precious reliques 
of the {ciences, and of thofe great men! 
Ain equal fhare of admiration is due to 
the colle€tions of models, of moulds in 
plafter of Paris, and of drawings, which 
are expofed in great halls finely erna- 
riented, for the inftruétion of the pupils, 
The fyftematic arrangement of the mo- 
dels is difpofed in chronologic grada- 
tion, from the firft and coarteft invention 
of machines, to their lateft flage of per- 
iegiion, The great auditory is an am- 
4 
«a 
9. 
a ” 
5 
phitheatre capable of containing above 
fifteen hundred auditors; and the en- 
trance is free to whoever choofes to attend 
the public meetings. 
Here follow the names and rank of the 
teachers and their affiltants, according to 
the plan of a three years” courfe. 
Firft Year. 
Geometry—Monge, Hachette. 
Chymifiry—Fourcroy, Vauquelin. 
Phyfics—Haflentfratz, Barnel. 
Second Year. 
Bridges and roads—Lambardie, Griffet. 
Architeflure and decoration — Battard, 
Durand, Gaucher. 
Mechanics—Profny, Fourier. 
Chymiftry —Bertholet, Chauffier. 
: Third Year. 
Fortification—Catonare, Say. 
Mechenics-—Profny, Fourier. 
Chymifiry—-Guiton-Morveau, Pelletier. 
Art of drawing, for the three years—— 
Neveu, Merimée, Genou, __ 
Mathematics, for the three years—La 
Grange. 
SCHOOL OF MINES. 
_ Next to the polytechnic {chool, that of 
the mines is one of the moft remarkable 
of the newly-organifed inftitutions. It 
was founded by the committee of public 
fafety, by a law pafled in July 1794, but 
has been fince reformed in every particu- 
lar, and entirely re-organifed, by a new 
ordinance of the dire€tory, of the 24th of 
October, 1795. Its objeé&t is a fubter- 
raneous knowledge of the republic with | 
refpect to its mineral produtions, the ar- 
rangement and improvement of the labours 
of the mines, and of the different pro- 
feffions engaged in colleéting and working 
the minerals adapted to various ufes, in 
order to procure to the nation all the ad- 
vantages which fhe can expect: to derive. 
from her own foil. 
For the labours of this inftitution, 
there has been appointed a certain num- 
ber of agents, in{pectors, engineers, and 
pupils. It is directed by a council efta- 
blifhed at Paris; and the whole of the 
eftablifhment includes the following ar- 
rangements : , 
x. A praétical fchool, eftablifhed in the 
Vicinity of a mine already wrought with 
fuccefs, to inftruét the pupils in the mode 
of fearching for mines, and fubjeéting 
mineral fubftances to the ufual procefles. 
2. A public and gratuitous courfe or 
lectures on the art of fearching for mines, 
3. A colleétion of mineral produétions, 
arranged in fyftematic order, and com- 
poted, principally, of indigenous minerals, 
belides the foreign {pecies, “ 
. Ae A 
