650 
come. But Bichat had no difficulties 
of this kind to vanquifh, for he had 
already practifed it under the roof of 
his father ; fuch, indeed, was his par- 
tiality to the fcience of anatomy, that 
he practifed diflection with as much 
fatisfaction as a botanilt would contem- 
plate a rare flower or an unknown 
plant. : 
«“* Confidering the capital as the afy- 
lum of men of genius, he repaired thi- 
ther in 1793, and fettled there, without 
any recommendation or acquaintance 
whatfoever. He now viited all the 
hofpitals; but it was the Hotel Dieu 
which he preferred, not only on ac- 
count of the celebrity of the furgeon 
who prefided, but becaufe the practice 
and the theory of the art are beft ftu- 
died there, in confequence of the mul- 
titude of patients. 
«At length, a fortunate accident 
drew this young ftudent from ob- 
{curity, and pointed out the path that 
leads to fortune and celebrity. 
«© Tt was an eftablifhed cuftom in the 
fchool of Default, that one of his 
chofen pupils fhould draw upa fumma- 
ry of the leéture of the preceding even- 
ing; this, which was always read in 
public, poffefled the double advantage 
of recalling to the recollection of the 
audience the precepts which had. been 
already delivered, and engraving them 
more ftrongly on the minds of the 
hearers. Default happened one day to 
deliver a differtation on the fracture of 
the clavicle, and feized upon this oc- 
cafion to demonftrate the iuperior uti- 
lity of the bandage which he had in- 
vented for this {pecies of fracture. The 
young man who had been fixed upon 
to draw out the report, owing to fome 
accident, happened to be abfent, on 
which Bichat offered to fupply his 
place, and was accepted. The extract 
prepared by him, and which he read on 
the fucceeding day, in prefence of the 
fecond furgeon, according to the efta- 
blifhed cuftom, excited the mof lively 
fenfation : the precifion and correétnefs 
of his ideas, the fcrupulous exactnefs 
of his analyfis, rather feemed to an- 
nounce the dictation of a profeffor 
than the mere repetition of a {cholar. 
«On retiring, he received plaudits 
of all prefent, and particularly of Citi- 
zen Manoury, who prefided upon this 
occafion, and who immediately com- 
municated to Default an anecdote fo 
honourable to the ftudent. On this, 
Retrofped? of French Literature. —Mifcellaneaus. - 
that celebrated man, who was not only. 
accuftomeéd to cultivate his own, but to 
encourage the talents of others, fent 
for Bichat, and from that moment be- 
came his friend. From that moment 
too he refided in the houfe with him, 
fat conftantly at his table, was treated 
hke a fon, and became an affociate i 
his labours. ; 
*¢ An ample career was thus opened 
to his ambition, and on the death of 
Default he attained the highef hoe 
nours of his profeffion.” 
We are told that ‘ Bichat did not 
poffefs the mania of withing to explain 
every thing; on the contrary, it was 
his ufual cuftom to doubt with Def- 
cartes, hefitate with Stahl, and affert 
nothing, like Boerhave. But when he 
had once acquired, either by his medi- 
tations or his experiments, the cer- 
tainty of any faét, hitherto confidered 
as hypothetical, he fuftained his opi- 
nion with zeal and perfeverance, and 
at length carried conviction home to 
the minds even: of thofe moft difpofed 
to incredulity. After having made many 
valuable difcoveries, he unfortunately 
perifhed in purfuit of fcience, having 
fallen a viétim, in Auguft laft, to the 
peftilential odours arifing from a lump 
of putrified flefh, on which he was 
making an experiment.” | 
“¢ Introduction a Etude de PArt?de 
la Guerre, &c.”’—An Introduétion te 
the Study of the Art of War ; by Cap- 
tain Count dela RocHEAYMON, Aide- 
de-Camp to his Royal Highnefs, the 
late Prince Henry of Prufiia, Brother 
to Frederick II. 
This work, the firft volume of which - 
has been publifhed at Weimar, accom- 
panied with many plates, is the produc- 
tion of an officer who has ferved for feve- 
ral campaigns in the wars of Frederic the 
Great. During the life of his patron, 
the late Prince Henry, he was enabled, 
by his daily intercourfe with that cele- 
brated officer, to imbibe many of his 
principles relative to the art of war ; 
and on the demife of his Royal High- 
nefs it was he who was entrufted with 
the diftinguifhed office of prefenting 
‘the fword of the deceafed hero to the 
reigning Monarch. 
In the preface M. dela Rocheaymon. 
details the motives which induced 
him to undertake this publication.—. 
He loudly profeffes his .difagreement 
with thoie who maintain that theknow- 
ledge of a few manceuvres Is fufficient 
te 
