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 Mecanique Celeste 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’Isere 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.