Abstract
THE death of Napoleon occurred one hundred years ago to-day, and the celebration of his centenary now taking place in France will doubtless include some recognition of the encouragement and patronage given by Napoleon to scientific discovery and mechanical invention. Many rulers have availed themselves of the services of mathematicians at their courts, and not a few learned societies owe their existence to the support of kings and princes. An Academy of Sciences at St. Petersburg was the dream of Peter the Great; the golden era of the Prussian Academy was the reign of Frederick the Great. Napoleon, as keen in his appreciation of the value of science as either Peter or Frederick, had not, like them, to seek abroad for men of talent. More than fortunate in this respect, his accession to power coincided with the rise of such institutions as the Ecole Poly technique, the Ecole Normale, and the Institut de France, and he found among his contemporaries astronomers, physicists, chemists, and naturalists of the highest rank. Distinguished at school for his mathematical ability, he became a member of the Institute, attended altogether thirty-eight of its sittings, rearranged the various classes, and designed the uniform of its members. It was he who housed the Institute in the Palais des Quatre Nations. During the Egyptian campaign he was wont to sign his proclamations “Member of the Institute, General-in-Chief of the Army of the East.”
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SMITH, E. The Centenary of Napoleon. Nature 107, 302–303 (1921). https://doi.org/10.1038/107302a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/107302a0