young's TRAVEL9 IN FRANCE.

205

Even in nis eventful moment of revolution, the converfation turned almoft entirelyon chvmical fubjedts. I urged him, as I have done Dr. Prieftley more than once,and Monf. La Voifier alfo, to turn his enquiries a little to the application of his fcienceto agriculture; that there was a fine field for experiments in that line, which couldfcarcely fail of making difcoveries ; to which he aflented ; but added, that he had notime for fuch enquiries : it is clear, f;-om his converfation, that his views are entirelyoccupied by the non-exiltence of phlogifton, except a little on the means of efiablifhingand enforcing the new nomenclature. While we were at dinner a proof of the NewEncyclopaedia was brought, the chymical part of which work is printed at Dijon ,for the convenience of Monf. de Morveau. I took the liberty of telling him, that aman who can devife the experiments which fhal! be moil conclufive in afcertaining thequefiions of a fcience, and has talents to draw all the ufeful conclufions from them,fhould be entirely employed in experiments, and their regifter; and if I were kingor minifter of France , I would make that employment fo profitable to him, that hefhould do nothing elfe. He laughed, and afked me, if 1 were fuch an advocate forworking, and fuch an enemy to writing, what I thought of my friend Dr. Prieftley ?And he then explained to the two other gentlemen that great philofopher’s attentionto metaphyfics, and polemic divinity. If an hundred had been at table, the fenti-ment would have been the fame in every bofom. Monf. M. fpoke, however, with greatregard for the experimental talents of the Dodtor, as indeed who in Europe does not ?I afterwards reflected on Monf. de Morveau’s not having time to make experimentsthat fhould apply chymiftry to agriculture, yet having plenty of it for writing in fovoluminous a work as Pankouck’s. I lay it down as a maxim, that no man caneftablifh or fupport a reputation in any branch of experimental philofophy, fuch as{hall really defcend to pofterity, otherwife than by experiment; and that commonlythe more a man works, and the lefs he writes the better, at leaft the more valuablewill be his reputation The profit of writing has ruined that of many (thofe w'hoknow Monf. de Morveau will be very fure I am far enough from having him in my eye ;his fituation in life puts it out of the queftion) ; that compreflion of materials, whichis luminous; that brevity which appropriates fadts to their deftined points, are alikeinconfiftent with the principles that govern all compilations ; there are able and refpec.table men now in every country for compiling; experimenters of genius fhould rangethemfelves in another clafs. If I were a fovereign, and capable confequently of re-warding merit, the moment I heard of a man of real genius engaged in fuch a workI would give him double the bookfeller’s price to let it alone, and to employ hirnfelfin paths that did not admit a rival at every door. There are who will think that thisopinion comes oddly from one who has publifhed fo many books as I have; but 1 hope itwill be admitted, to come naturally at leaft from one who is writing a work fromwhich he does iiol expect to make one penny, who, therefore, has ftronger motivesto brevity than temptations to prolixity. The view of this great chymift’s laboratorywill fhew that he is not idle : — it confifts of two large rooms, admirably furnifhed in-deed. There are fix or feven different furnaces, (of which Macquer’sis the molt pow-erful,) and fuch a variety and extent of apparatus, as I have feen no where elfe, with afurniture of fpecimens from the three kingdom, as looks truly like bufinefs. Thereare little writing delks, with pens and paper, fcattered every where, and in his libra-ry alfo, which is convenient. He has a large courfe of eudiometrical experimentsgoing on at prefent, particularly with Fontana’s and Volta’s eudiometers. He feemsto think, that eudiometrical trials are to be depended on : keeps his nitrous air inquart bottles, flopped with common corks, but reverfed; and that the air is always