Notice of the Atomic Hypothesis. 497 water or the salt. This law was known to Bergman, Cavendish, Lavoisier, and others; but was demonstrated by Wenzel, Richter, and Proust. The second law of the Atomic hypothesis is that of multiple proportion; a mode of combination in which the higher numbers are multiples of the lowest, that is, if 8 parts of oxygen combine with any body, 8 or 83 cannot combine with the same body: 16 parts of it, or 24 or 32, multiples of 8, must be combined with it before it is saturated. The five compounds of nitrogen and oxyafford a fine example of this law. gen Nitrous oxide consists of 14 nitrogen and 8 oxygen. Nitric oxide Hyponitrous acid This law of multiple proportion was certainly discovered by Mr Higgins, Professor of Chemistry in Dublin; but Dalton was not aware of what had been done by his predecessor, and had the merit of establishing the law by numerous analyses, and applying it to various theoretical and practical purposes. The third law of combination has received the name of reciprocal proportion,—that is, if 16 parts of sulphur combine with or saturate 8 of oxygen, and if 27 parts of iron saturate 8 of oxygen, 16 parts of sulphur will saturate 27 of iron. This law was discovered by Wenzel, and published in 1777, and was confirmed by numerous analyses by Richter. The fourth law of the Atomic hypothesis is that of compound proportion; according to which the combining number, or proportion, of the compound body is the sum of the combining numbers, or proportion, of its components. The combining number of water, for example, is 9; but 9 is the sum of the components of water, namely, 8 parts of oxygen and 1 of hydrogen. In like manner, the combining proportion of marble is 50, which is the sum of its components, viz., 22 of carbonic acid, and 28 of lime. These views of chemical combination presented themselves to Dalton in 1803. They were first adopted and explained by Dr Thomas Thomson, and afterwards cordially by Wollaston, and reluctantly by Davy. In France they were welcomed by Gay Lussac, who, in 1809, discovered the law of volumes according to which the gases combine in equal or multiple volumes; and wherever chemistry is studied, the Atomical hypothesis of Dalton, as we are entitled to call it, is universally received and admired "on the twofold ground," as Dr George Wilson remarks, "of its beauty as a method of expressing the order and symmetry of material nature, and its value as a means of apprehending and inculcating great chemical truths." ARTICLE VII.-1. Euvres Complètes de Béranger. Paris, Perrotin. 2. Mémoires sur Béranger, recueillis et mis en ordre par Savinien Lapointe. Paris, G. Havard. 3. Quarante-cinq lettres sur Béranger, et détails sur sa vie publiés par Madame Louise Collet. Paris, Librairie Nouvelle. ANECDOTE-MONGERS and collectors of gossip are already busy with Béranger. The French public is anxious to know as much as possible respecting a man with whom they all felt thoroughly identified; they are conscious that the great chansonnier was the true embodiment of their thoughts, their passions, and their sympathies; and they almost expect to discover in the secret of his every-day life the spell which made him so essentially, so exclusively-we might say-the poet of France. A few facts have already been collected in the brochures of Madame Louise Collet and M. Savinien Lapointe; a few more may be found scattered hither and thither in the feuilletons of the daily newspapers, and, without waiting for the publication of the posthumous works, which M. Perrotin, the bard's editor and friend, has now in the press, we think that we have before us elements enough from which we shall be able to draw, for the benefit of our readers, a sketch of Béranger's life and influence. Yes, "Béranger," and not "De Béranger"—although the latter appellation is the one sanctioned by the parish-register— but the singer of the French bourgeoisie dropped the aristocratic particle at a very early period. We have not been attracted to this article by any great love for, or by warm admiration of, Béranger. His works, however, will long continue to keep alive and to control one of the most powerful political forces now at work in France, which is as surely destined, in the future, to influence the moral condition of that great country, as it has done in the past. And even, as in the case of Burns, when the higher mind of France shall turn away from the loose and licentious effusions of the chansonnier, they will continue to influence the lower classes of society, which have ever played such an important part during crises in French politics. It seemed good, then, to devote a few pages to the works quoted above. The Boswells of the transcendental school are remarkably fond of discovering something symbolical, mysterious, and ominous in the least particulars of a great man's life. Thus they have endeavoured to form a Béranger according to their own pre-conceived notions, and to explain, after the approved formulas of 'Grand-papa' Champi. 499 their dim philosophy, a character than whom none was ever less qualified to discuss metaphysics. We shall not attempt such high-flown notions, but ask from the poet himself the plain truth respecting the year and place of his birth : Dans ce Paris plein d'or et de misère, En l'an du Christ mil sept cent quatre-vingt, Chez un tailleur mon pauvre et vieux grand-père, In plain prose, Pierre-Jean de Béranger was born in Paris, Rue Montorgueil, on August 19th, 1780. Whilst his father was engaged in financial speculations, which seem to have deadened even his parental feelings, the "grand-papa" Champi-a notable tailor by-the-bye-watched over the child, took charge of him entirely, and packed him off to Auxerre under the care of a Burgundy nurse. It has often been remarked, that the incidents of early childhood leave on our mind a deeper impression than the events of a comparatively later date. Béranger's recollections of his nurse were never very vivid; but, on the other hand, he always remembered his foster-father's care, and found in him the same generous, disinterested affection which characterized the old tailor of the Rue Montorgueil. "I was five years old," says the poet, "when I returned home. Grand-papa Champi owed several months' nursing; I even think it was more than one year. The foster-father did not ask for his money. On the day when he received the letter which apprised him of our separation, I remember that the intelligence threw the whole cottage into the greatest consternation. The girl cried. There was between the father and mother a rather long discussion on the subject of knowing who should take the child back to Paris. Both declined the task. At last the père nourricier accompanied me. John deposited me upon the tailor's work-table, shed a flood of tears as he gave me a parting embrace, and refused to pocket the money which was due to him -No,' said he to grand-papa Champi, 'it seems as if I were selling you the child.' It was very difficult to comfort the poor fellow."1 We are unable to ascertain what causes had lessened the receipts of Monsieur Champi, the maitre tailleur. Things in general were declining from bad to worse; gloomy forebodings had got possession of every mind; and it is highly probable that few people could go to the expense of providing a satin waistcoat, when famine, bankruptcy, and civil war were threatening France with utter destruction. The fact is, that young Pierre-Jean 1 Lapointe, p. 22. was left to do very much as he liked, that is to say, to neglect his books, cut school, and spend his time with the gamins of the neighbourhood, playing at marbles, commenting upon the latest pranks of Monsieur de Mirabeau, or gathering the intelligence about the approaching session of the States-General. "Papa Champi"-we quote from the same authority-" who had been unusually harsh with his own children, treated his grandson with the greatest weakness, or rather indulgence. He would not allow anybody to contradict me; every one was to be at my beck and call, ready to execute the commands of Monsieur son petit fils. The reason he alleged for such kindness was my extreme debility. The fact is, that I was weak, although a goodlooking child; therefore my grandfather had no difficulty in making the whole family acquiesce in his opinion. I was sent to a school in the cul-de-sac de la Bouteille. As my grandfather's house was opposite, I had only the street to cross. class was held on the first floor. I felt no inclination for books, and often pretended to be ill, in order that I might be kept away. My head aches,' I used to say, and that was enough; papa Champi, thoroughly frightened, made me stay with him, or perhaps sent me out for a walk, just as I felt inclined, and this infallibly brought about my cure."" The If history had not recorded for our benefit the experience of other lads who became illustrious men without going to school, we might well grieve over the truant dispositions of young Béranger. The lad, who was to be in after times Sir Walter Scott, used to spend his time in composing and relating to his companions tales of chivalry, not very long before the period when Champi's grandson roamed through the streets of Paris in quest of fun. Fun! there was not much of it to be had then; and one day, the rolling noise of artillery, the deafening shouts of the victorious Gardes Françaises, and the crash of the gates of the Bastille as they fell, never to rise again-such was the scene which the scholar of the cul-de-sac de la Bouteille was called upon to witness. Pour un captif, souvenir plein de charmes! The first step in the career of the French Revolution was 'Lapointe, pp. 23, 24. The Péronne Patriotic Institute. 501 soon followed by that well-known series of events which led to the "Reign of Terror." It had become rather unsafe for a child to run about the streets of Paris, when the cry of "à la lanterne” was the order of the day, and when summary execution was soon to be the lot of all those whose republican sentiments had not been thoroughly vouched for by competent sans-culottes. Rather than see his grandson swing from a lamp-post, M. Champi made up his mind to part once more with him; and accordingly the boy was despatched to Péronne, where lived an aunt of his, by name Madame Bouvet. This lady, although attached to the principles of the Revolution, was a woman of good principles. Her occupation (she was an aubergiste or inn-keeper) left her time to cultivate her taste for literature; and she had a small library, to which her nephew enjoyed free and unrestricted access. Unfortunately, together with the works of Racine, Fénelon, and Corneille, this collection contained the more objectionable productions of Voltaire; and young Béranger devoured these with all the avidity of a boy who had been taught to hail in the philosophe de Ferney, the regenerator of the human race. The now hackneyed anecdote of the storm proves how speedily freethinking principles can take root in the heart, and blight, under their withering effect, every sentiment of awe for the power of God. In the meanwhile, the doctrines of Voltaire and of the "Encyclopédie," reduced into practice by the Lycurgi and the Dracos of the French Republic, had given rise to a style of literature which was assiduously cultivated by all the young generation. "Patriotic institutes "-species of debating societies were springing up on all sides. In the "Patriotic Institute" of Péronne, the young alumni were taught the "Rights of Man," the "Republican Calendar," and the art of composition, illustrated by addresses to Tallien, Robespierre, and Collot d'Herbois. Béranger seems to have in a very short time qualified himself as an accomplished club-orator; and it is said that he was sadly annoyed when his aunt removed him from the patriotic care of citoyen Ballue-Bellanglise, the founder of the club, to the less noisy but more useful protection of a printer, M. Laisney, who, together with the means of earning an honest livelihood, gave him the opportunity of completing, or rather of carrying on, his education. J'ai fait ici plus d'un apprentissage, A la paresse, hélas! toujours enclin. Mais je me crus des droits au nom de sage, "I had," says Béranger, "such an idea of a printing-office, VOL. XXVII. NO. LIV. 2 K |