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latter sense it was termed the ABSOLUTE. The philosophers of the Institute not being disposed to admit quite so freely their own entire ignorance, and being unable to understand and appreciate the discovery of the author, some coolness arose between them, which seems likely still to remain. M. Wronski, however, attached to his interest an eminent retired merchant of Paris; who, unwilling that the world should be deprived of that knowlege which the author professed to have acquired, took him under his roof, and furnished him with the necessary funds for publishing several of his learned works: among which were included his " Philosophie de la Technie Algorithmique;" (noticed by us in vol. lxxxii. p.543.) “Introduction à la Philosophie des Mathématiques et Technie de l'Algorithmie ;' Refutation de la Théorie des Fonctions Analytiques de La Grange," "Resolution générale des Equations de tous les Dégrés," and "Metaphysique du Calcul Infinitesimal." The profits of these works were of course to go towards defraying the expences of their publication: but the productions being, as the author himself states, much too refined to be comprehended by such men as La Place, La Grange, Zach, and others who had acquired some reputation in the mathematical sciences, it was not likely that the demand for them could be very extensive. The unfortunate merchant, however, if he was not likely to be reimbursed for his expences, was at least to acquire, as a recompence for his sacrifices, an entire possession of the ABSOLUTE, as soon as he should, by previous tuition, be qualified to receive so great a boon: moreover, this tuition not requiring the toilsome labor usually attending such pursuits, it was proposed that the instruction should be communicated during the pleasant occupation of a tour through a great part of France, and we believe Germany; and a considerable sum of money was thus expended in posting from place to place. Until this time, the merchant had enjoyed all the felicities of domestic retirement, surrounded by his wife and family, and partaking with them the pleasing reflection of possessing, if not an affluent, at least a competent fortune: but now he separated himself from those whom he had ever held most dear, or rather drove them from his house, where they had hitherto experienced the utmost affection; in order, as it would seem, that he might pursue uninterruptedly his search after the ABSOLUTE!-Returning from his tour, without the possession of the great object of his pursuit, and finding that, while the works to which we have allded had by no means realized the expectations of their author, they had nearly ruined his fortune, he demanded payment of certain notes, and the restoration of some deeds that

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had been transferred in the course of the acquaintance: the consequence was first that a quarrel took place between the master and the pupil, then a law-suit followed, and ultimately the ill-fated merchant found himself nearly a beggar, bereft of his family, a reproach to himself, and the ridicule of others.

It is scarcely possible to believe that any man of common understanding could allow himself to become such an unpardonable dupe; and we should not have ventured to state these facts as facts, except on the authority of the person himself, who afterward published a quarto pamphlet, exposing the whole of this foolish transaction, and his own weakness; with the laudable motive of guarding others from the fatal error which he had himself committed. We know not whether this work was ever intended for public sale: but the copy which we saw was sent directly from the author to this country, not long before M. Wronski's arrival. It was at this time that we read it; and not having it now at hand for immediate reference, we are unable to describe its contents more minutely. Indeed we might not perhaps even have mentioned it, had we not been informed, from unquestionable authority, that there is some danger of the Paris farce being reacted in this country, with an equally tragic termination. We hope that we have said enough to prevent it.

M. Wronski now presented himself to the British Board of Longitude, and demanded the reward of 20,000l. which had been formerly offered by an Act of Parliament, at that time repealed; founding his pretensions on certain instruments which he states that he had laid before them, and on certain tables and formulæ derived from his supreme mathematical law. By what means it happened we know not, but the author unquestionably detected an error in one of Dr. Young's papers on refraction, which the latter acknowleged; and this acknowlegement M. Wronski is desirous of producing as a proof that all which he laid before the Board is founded on truth, and that all which has been done by others is as certainly erroneous. He moreover directly charges Dr. Young with appropriating the principles of his (M. Wronski's) formula for the purpose of correcting his own errors, while he can obtain neither thanks nor reward for having performed the labor of producing it; and he even accuses Dr. Young, in another place, of obtaining from him a receipt for a certain sum of money which he was to have received, and afterward refusing to pay him. Lastly, if we rightly understand him, he seems to insinuate that the Board, as a body, kept from him the in-struments which he had submitted to them, and which he had ruined his fortune to get constructed. Dd 4

The

The accusation respecting the receipt, however, M. Wronski in another of his pamphlets acknowleges to be erroneous; stating that he was betrayed into the mistake in consequence of not clearly understanding the English lanand we believe that he has since exonerated the guage; Board from the charge of detaining his instruments: - but he still maintains the accusation of plagiarism on the part of the Secretary to the Board, and produces in proof of it the attestation of the Reverend Frederick Nolan, sworn at the Mansion-house, November 14. 1821. This attestation having made a serious impression on the minds of many persons, who are naturally anxious for and shocked at this direct impeachment of the national honor, we shall lay it verbatim before our readers:

Frederick Nolan, of Earl-Street, in the city of London, clerk, deposeth as follows, and declares upon oath, That, in making this deposition, he is not moved by favour or prejudice towards any of the parties mentioned, but influenced by the simple consideration of justice towards that which he believes to be aggrieved; and that he makes his deposition thus solemnly with the view of obtaining credit to a statement, which so wholly surpasses credibility, that, without such an attestation, he deems it not likely to be believed; viz.

1. That in "The Nautical Almanack*" for the year 1822, published by the authority, and under the licence (p.xvi.) of the Commissioners of Longitude, a Table of Refractions is given (p. 145. sqq.); and that it is declared, under the same licence and authority (p. i.), " to be computed by a simple formula, derived originally from theory," and more expressly (p. 148.), "to be computed upon principles, explained by Dr. Young, in the Philosophical Transactions for 1819."

2. That by an act of Parliament (58 Geo. III. cap. 20.), which is published in the same Almanack, a reward is offered (ibid. § 8.) "to any person who may have made Proposals, Inventions, and Tables, or Corrections, and Amendments of former Inventions and Tables, ingenious in themselves, and useful to Navigation."

3. That, in reply to the above requisition of the legislature, and in compliance with both its conditions, a quarto manuscript, containing a Correction of " the theory" from whence the Tables of Refractions, published under the fore-mentioned licence and authority, are derived, and a Scientific Theory for a new set of Tables, founded on a general law, was presented to the Board of Longitude by M. Hoëné Wronski, and that the receipt of the manuscript, containing this Correction and Theory, is acknow ledged by letter of Lord Melville, President of the Board of

An official work, destined for the English marine.'

Longitude,

Longitude, and of Dr. Young, Secretary of the Board of Longitude, respectively dated April 18. 1820.*

4. That in this letter, in which the Secretary of the Board ́acknowledges the receipt of Mr. Wronski's manuscript, he likewise acknowledges the Correction made by that learned foreigner in his Theory of Refractions, and declares, that he would " acknowledge to the Board, that Mr. Wronski had detected a blunder in his hasty postscript + on Refractions," which is offered, under the licence of the Commissioners, as containing "the theory and principles" from whence the Tables of the Nautical Almanack "are originally derived."

5. That in the Journal of Science for July, 1821, (fifteen months after the presentation of the manuscript of Mr. Wronski,) the Secretary of the Board of Longitude, who, by his office, is conductor of the Nautical Almanack (act, uti sup. § 21.), republishes "the theory," offered under the fore-mentioned licence and authority, as containing "the principles" from whence the Tables licenced by the Commissioners are "originally derived;" and in a manner still more full and explicit, exposes its "blunders," and professes to rectify them in what he styles "a parenthetical correction ;" and that "the correction" proposed by the. Secretary of the Board of Longitude, and conductor of the Nautical Almanack, is IDENTICAL with that presented by Mr. Wronski to the Commissioners, and acknowledged to have been received by letter of the President and of the Secretary.

6. That in this republication of " the theory," from whence the Tables of Refractions are stated, under licence of the Com missioners, to be "originally derived," an entire new section (No. 5.) is introduced by its author (the Secretary), and under his name; and that it proposes new principles, as authority for the fore-mentioned Tables, which not only supersede those offered, under licence of the Commissioners, as authority for the Tables published under their sanction, but which are IDENTICAL with those presented by Mr. Wronski to the Board of Longitude (fifteen months before), as the foundation of his new Theory and Tables; inasmuch as they contain the general law under the same§ theo

*This manuscript was kept ten days by the Board of Longitude, not having been restored to the possession of M. Wronski, but by the official letter of the Secretary of this Board, dated the 28th April, 1820.'

+ It is under this title of Postscript, that we find produced in the Philosophical Transactions for 1819 Dr. T. Young's Theory of Refractions.'

An English periodical work, published under the auspices of the principal learned men in London.'

§ The Reverend Mr. Nolan could have said, "having literally the same expression," for in this publication of the law of M. Wronski, a publication really shameless, the Secretary of the Board has not even taken the trouble to change the form of the algebraic expressions, and satisfied himself with the simple finesse of putting the letter instead of the letter p.'

retical

retical expression, "which" (as that learned foreigner declares, in his Address to the Board, p. 70. 1.11.) "being once known, the determination of Refractions is reduced to a simple algorithmic question."

7. That, while "the correction" of the errors in "the theory" from whence the Tables of Refractions, licensed by the Commissioners, are "originally derived," stands thus acknowledged" " by its very author, not merely filling the capacity of compiler of the Nautical Almanack, but acting in the double capacity of annual Commissioner of Longitude and of Secretary to the Board; and while the Tables of Refractions, published under the licence and authority of the Commissioners, are left destitute of all authority, unless that which is deduced from the general law, under the theoretical expression, in which Mr. Wronski disclosed his new Theory of Refractions to the Commissioners, allured by the promise of a " reward for Proposals, Inventions, and Tables, or Corrections and Amendments of former Inventions and Tables;" this learned stranger not only finds the reward of the national service which he has rendered, on the faith of this offer of the legislature, withheld by the Commissioners, but his Corrections and Inventions appropriated by the Secretary of the Board, against whose interference respecting the "Proposals" made by him in reply to the act of the legislature, he had formerly protested, at the time of his entrusting his new Theory of Refractions to the President of the Board.

(Signed) FRED. NOLAN,

A Clergyman of the Church of England, established by Law.

Sworn before me, at the Mansion-House,

this 14th November, 1821,

⚫ (Signed)

MAGNAY, Lord Mayor.'

Certainly, we are not able to answer directly the several facts stated in this attestation, because M. Wronski (for reasons known we suppose to himself) has no where given us an investigation of the formula in question: but the most satisfactory way of proving the truth of such a charge, as that which he has brought, would have been to state openly the actual series or formula in question, and then to have given that of Dr. Young, and thus to have shewn their coincidence. It cannot, we presume, be questioned that Mr. Nolan conscientiously believes the facts to be as he has sworn to them in his depositions, or that he has been actuated by the purest motives: but is he able to aver, not as a matter of belief, but on his actual knowlege, that the statement he has made is correct? We put the question in this form because, in one of his pamphlets, M. Wronski says that such men as Biot, Poisson, Zach, Savoir, Young, Arago, and Herschel, not being able to comprehend what he has written, are not worthy of being mentioned