ANTOINE-LAURENT LAVOISIER AND THE FRENCH REVOLUTION-111' DENIS I. DUVEEN Duveen Historical Library, Long Island City, New York
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Bureau de easultation des arts et metiers was created by a governmental decree of September 12, 1791. It was established by the authorities in order to report on various inventions and processes of a practical or technical nature and to award suitable financial payments in deserving cases. As originally set up it was composed of members of the Academy of Sciences, members of various other learned scientific societies, and representatives of certain associations of artisans. The original membership consisted of the following:
For previous articles see J. CHEM.EDUC.,31, 60-65 (1954); ibid., 34, 5 0 2 3 (1957).
VOLUME 35. NO. 5, MAY, 1958
From the Aeademu of Seimees Le Roy Bossut Lavoisier Desmarets Barda Vande~monde Coulomb Berthollet Meusnier Blisson Perrier Boehan Duhsmel Lagrange Laplace
From olhm bodies
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Bourru Faculty of Medecine Jumelin Louis, Academy of Surgery Parmentier, Society of Agriculture Pelletier, Sac. of Natural History Hassenfrate, Annals of Chemistry Silvestre, Philomatic Society De Servibres Guirsud inventors Leblanc Lucotte, S o c k y of United Artists SociBtd du point centrale
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To these members were later added BaumB, Fourcroy, Cousin from the Academy of Sciences, the physicians Dumas and HallB, the surgeon Desault, and the naturalist Milliu. The work for which the Bureau was brought into heing had previously been done by commissioners appointed by the Academy of Sciences and the composition of the new organization indicates a desire on the part of the authorities to broaden the base of the referees in such cases. I t may well have been done to meet the complaint of the artisians that inventions were treated in a condescending and unsympathetic manner by the haughty academician^.^ As was always the case whenever be was made the member of any committee or organization, Lavoisier took a very active part in the work done by the Bureau. Examples of the type of work he carried out are given by the routine consideration of monetary awards for such men as the artist Dupain-Triela or a careful and detailed study of the problems involved in producing special forgery-proof paper for the new assignat (papermoney). However Lavoisier's most important contribution to the work of the Bureau was undoubtedly his authorship of a lengthy, detailed, and praiseworthy proposal for the reformation of public education.& His sewices were evidently appreciated by his colleagues for on October 2, 1793, he was elected president of the organization. The minutebook shows that Lavoisier was regular in his attendance a t the meeting until his arrest on November 28 (8 Frimaire An 11). On the day following this latter event a t a meeting attended by Cousin, HallB, De SewiBres, Borda, Laplace, Silvestre, De Trouville, and Coulomb a letter was read from Lavoisier in which he set forth his present position and drew attention to the fact that this would render it impossible for him to attend the meetings; he therefore offered his resignation. The meeting decided officially t o record the Bureau's deep appreciation of his services and their regret that he would be prevented from continuing his work with them. These facts can all be extracted from the extant minute book of the Bureau and have been published by Grimaux5 who has also recorded the fact that the minutes continued t o be headed "Presidenee du Citoyen Lavoisier" until December 4 (NivBse 4). What has not previously been recorded is a letter that the vice-President, Cousin,6 wrote to Lavoisier on the day after the meeting. This touching communication 'This viewpoint has been brought to my attention by Dr. Charles Gillispie in a paper read at the University of Wisconsin (Madison) in September 1957. Dupsin-Triel(1722-1805) engraved the plates for Guettard's minersloeical mao of France on which Lavoisier had collrtborated early in his scientific career. He had also worked for Cassini on his famous maps of Franoe. ' "R6flexions sur I'instruction publique prBsent6es & la convention nationale par le bureau de consultation des arts et metiers." Paris, Dupont PBre et Fils, 1793. GRIUUX,Ed., "Lrwoisier," Paris, 1899, pp. 245-54. Jsoques Antoine Joseph Cousin (1739-1800), mathematician and politician.
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has recently come into my possession and is here, for the first time, reproduced in full.
A free translation of this letter in English might read as follows: Paris, November 30, 1793 Citizen, The bureau de consultation des a71 et metiers has heard your letter read with the keenest attention. I am instructed to write and advise you that it cannot accept your resignation and that election of a new president will not take place until the expiry of your term. The convention felt constrained to pass a broad measure which only affects you by its general nature. However, citizen, when one is certain of one's patriotism, as you are: when one has never far an instant ceased to show proof of this by devoting the mast outstanding abilities to the public weal; then one has nothing to worry about. The bureau hopes that your new work will not compel you to cease corresponding with it. COUSIN Vice President
The letter does not call for much comment; the general tone suggests that apart from being intended to give comfort to Lavoisier i t was hoped that it would be helpful to him in extricating himself from his present position; the reference to other work in the last paragraph relates t o the alleged purpose, a t that time, of the farmer's general arrest which was so that they could unintermptedly work on the completion of their accounts.
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