448 
particular flourifh ; and where, for many 
years, fome of the moft eminent aftro- 
fortification. | By means of well-contrived 
fluices, the greateft part of the circumja- 
cent tra€t of country may be Jaid under 
water: and, therefore, it would be very 
difficult to inveft and take this town. 
LETTER V. PRIMARY SCHOOLS, -CEN- 
TRAL SCHOOLS, azd POLYTECHNIC 
SCHOOLS. ; 
In the {mall towns and in the country, 
little has yet been done for the primary 
inftruction of youth; who, tor the mot 
part, grew up without any inftruction at 
all. As for the normal {chools, in which 
the future {choolmatters were to be formed, 
it was foon difcovered that they produced 
no confiderable advantages, and that the 
plan of them was wrong and defective. 
‘They were accordingly tupprefled, before 
they had exifted one year. The {chools 
which have hitherto been inftituted are the 
central {chools, the polytechnic ichools, and 
the {chodls for the public fervice. . Mr. B. 
has here inferted the eflential parts of the 
law, relative to the frft;. and thinks ita 
defect of the plan that ethics and_ geo- 
graphy are omitted, and that the {cholars 
are inftructed from the age of 14. to 16 in 
the abftraét fciences, and firft frem the age 
of 16 to 18 inhiftory.. In Paris there are 
three central {chools, which all have good 
libraries, collections of mathematical in- 
&ruments and philofophical apparatus’s, 
and botanic gardens. ‘The other central 
fchools, of which Mr. B. has given a 
lift, amount to973; of which, however, 
40 were not yet organifed. . In fome of 
them likewife fingle profeflors, libraries, 
and colleétions of inflruments, .were {til 
wanting. In none of them are teachers 
of foreign languages appointed. Lalande, 
on his return from his journey into Ger- 
many, recommended to the minifter of the 
interior the inftitution of profefferfhips 
for teaching the German language. The 
literati. of Paris apply now, mere than 
formerly, to the fludy of foreign lan- 
guages; and Mr. B. became acquainted 
with feveral learned men who spoke the 
German fluently :—as for inflance, Bour- 
going; Cuvier, profeflor of natural hiftory ; 
and Coquebert, profeflor of hiftory. In 
each central fchool there is only one pro- 
feffor for all-the ancient languages: and 
only two hours every day are devoted to 
giving inftruétions in them to the {cholars 
of from 12 to 14 years of age. Several 
of the moft celebrated philologers of Paris 
complained, that ancient literature was 
not only neglected but even delpited. In 
the central ichools the profeflors merely 
read leures ; they give no themes er taiks 
Ab frad of Profefjor Buggé’s Fourney to Paris. 
- knowled ge. 
[ June 5 
to the fcholars, norexaminé them. about 
their performance of them. Coniequently 
they cannot regularly and folidly learn 
the elements of the fciences. Mr. B. 
was prefent at the public probationary 
examinations, and found that the greatelt 
part had indeed learned fomething, but 
poffefied not much folid and well-grounded 
At the end of the year the 
Dire&tory nominated commiffioners to ex- 
amine into the ftate.of the central fchools 
in the departments... Thefe aflured Mr. 
_B. that m moft places they had found 
hem in amiddling condition. They held 
if to be of the utmof importance, that 
proper books of infiruétion fhould be com- - 
poled, and generally introduced ; and com- 
plained, that in feveral departments the 
{chools were but little frequented. Thefe 
imperfections may however be by de- 
grees removed; and it cannot be denied, - 
that the central {chools, even in their pre- 
fent:ftate, produce a great deal of good, 
The pupils of the polytechnic fchools are. 
taken from the central ichools, after haying, 
undergone a previous examination as to 
their progrefs in mathematics. -Others, 
_however are admitted, if they poffefs the 
requifite knowledge and qualifications. 
‘The number of pupils amount to about 
360. The ufual courfe of ftudies lafts 
three years, and the fchool is accord- 
ingly divided into three clafles. . Def, 
hautchamps is the direGtor, and Le Brun, 
and Lermina adminittrators. The {chool 
poflefies a well-ordered philofophical ap-. 
paratus, which is kept im repair and aug-, 
mented by three artifts, who receive a, 
falary for that purpofe. . The library, 
contains about 10,coo volumes, and is, 
diligently viGted by the pupils. There: 
are befides a large hell fitted up for a 
drawing-{chocl, two beautiful large che- 
mical laboratories, and fome mechanical 
workfhops. In the days of the affignats, 
12,000 livres were-allowed to each of the 
pupils, but now they receive only 200 
livres annually. For the year 7, the mi- 
nifter of the interior demanded 394,133 
francs, to defray: the expences of this 
{choo}: and that fum was defervedly be- 
fowed on an inflitution fo excellent in 
every refpeSt, which forms for the ftate 
fo many able and learned,men. At the 
clofe of the leQures, fuch of the pupils as 
have finifhed the courle of itudies, and 
wifh to be admitted into the fchool for 
the’public fervice, or to ‘exercife any art 
er profeflion which requires the know- 
ledge of mathematics and natural philoie- 
phy, are publicly examined. Mr. B. was 
prefent at fuch an examination :.Laplace 
and Bofflut were examiners ; and molt of © 
the 
