Biographies of Distinguished Scientific Men | Page 2

YOUTH.
An Autobiography of Francis Arago 1
BAILLY.
Introduction 91
Infancy of Bailly.--His Youth.--His Literary Essays.--His Mathematical Studies 93
Bailly becomes the Pupil of Lacaille.--He is associated with him in his Astronomical Labours 97
Bailly a Member of the Academy of Sciences.--His Researches on Jupiter's Satellites 103
Bailly's Literary Works.--His Biographies of Charles V.--of Leibnitz--of Peter Corneille--of Moli��re 106
Debates relative to the Post of Perpetual Secretary of the Academy of Sciences 110
History of Astronomy.--Letters on the Atlantis of Plato and on the Ancient History of Asia 114
First Interview of Bailly with Franklin.--His Entrance into the French Academy in 1783.--His Reception.--Discourse.--His Rupture with Buffon 121
Report on Animal Magnetism 127
Election of Bailly into the Academy of Inscriptions 155
Report on the Hospitals 157
Report on the Slaughter-Houses 165
Biographies of Cook and of Gresset 167
Assembly of the Notables.--Bailly is named First Deputy of Paris; and soon after Dean or Senior of the Deputies of the Communes 169
Bailly becomes Mayor of Paris.--Scarcity.--Marat declares himself inimical to the Mayor.--Events of the 6th of October 179
A Glance at the Posthumous Memoir of Bailly 193
Examination of Bailly's Administration as Mayor 195
The King's Flight.--Events on the Champ de Mars 206
Bailly quits the Mayoralty the 12th of November, 1791.--The Eschevins.--Examination of the Reproaches that might be addressed to the Mayor 211
Bailly's Journey from Paris to Nantes, and then from Nantes to M��lun.--His Arrest in this last Town.--He is transferred to Paris 217
Bailly is called as a Witness in the Trial of the Queen.--His own Trial before the Revolutionary Tribunal.--His Condemnation to Death.--His Execution.--Imaginary Details added by ill-informed Historians to what that odious and frightful Event already presented 225
Portrait of Bailly.--His Wife 250
HERSCHEL.
Personal History 258
Chronological Table of the Memoirs of William Herschel 266
Improvements in the Means of Observation 271
Labours in Sidereal Astronomy 285
Labours relative to the Solar System 289
Optical Labours 301
LAPLACE.
Preliminary Notice 303
APPENDIX.
(A.) Brief Notice of some other interesting Results of the Researches of Laplace which have not been mentioned in the Text 368
(B.) The M��canique C��leste 372
JOSEPH FOURIER.
Preliminary Notice 374
Birth of Fourier.--His Youth 377
Memoir on the Resolution of Numerical Equations 380
Part played by Fourier in our Revolution.--His Entrance into the Corps of Professors of the Normal School and the Polytechnic School.--Expedition to Egypt 384
Fourier Prefect of L'Is��re 405
Mathematical Theory of Heat 408
Central Heat of the Terrestrial Globe 419
Return of Napoleon from Elba.--Fourier Prefect of the Rhone.--His Nomination to the Office of Director of the Board of Statistics of the Seine 430
Entrance of Fourier into the Academy of Sciences.--His Election to the Office of Perpetual Secretary.--His Admission to the French Academy 437
Character of Fourier.--His Death 438

LIVES
OF
DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIFIC MEN.

THE HISTORY OF MY YOUTH:
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS ARAGO.
I have not the foolish vanity to imagine that any one, even a short time hence, will have the curiosity to find out how my first education was given, and how my mind was developed; but some biographers, writing off hand and without authority, having given details on this subject utterly incorrect, and of a nature to imply negligence on the part of my parents, I consider myself bound to put them right.
I was born on the 26th of February, 1786, in the commune of Estagel, an ancient province of Roussillon (department of the Eastern Pyrenees). My father, a licentiate in law, had some little property in arable land, in vineyards, and in plantations of olive-trees, the income from which supported his numerous family.
I was thus three years old in 1789, four years old in 1790, five years in 1791, six years in 1792, and seven years old in 1793, &c.
The reader has now himself the means of judging whether, as has been said, and even stated in print, I had a hand in the excesses of our first revolution.
My parents sent me to the primary school in Estagel, where I learnt the rudiments of reading and writing. I received, besides, in my father's house, some private lessons in vocal music. I was not otherwise either more or less advanced than other children of my age. I enter into these details merely to show how much mistaken are those who have printed that at the age of fourteen or fifteen years I had not yet learnt to read.
Estagel was a halting-place for a portion of the troops who, coming from the interior, either went on to Perpignan, or repaired direct to the army of the Pyrenees. My parents' house was therefore constantly full of officers and soldiers. This, joined to the lively excitement which the Spanish invasion had produced within me, inspired me with such decided military tastes, that my family was obliged to have me narrowly watched to prevent my joining by stealth the soldiers who left Estagel. It often happened that they caught me at a league's distance from the village, already on my way with the troops.
On one occasion these warlike tastes had nearly cost me dear. It was the night