He had neither been ambitious of riches nor honour ; but he had received both with respectful gratitude, and re joiced at the acquisition for the advantage of the sciences.
La Grange had not lost all hope of cure ; he believed only that his convalescence would be tedious. He offered, when he recovered his strength, to go and dine at M. La cepede's country house with MM. Monge and Chaptal, and proposed to give them details respecting his life which could be found nowhere else. These details are irretriev ably lost. We do not even know to what he alluded, nor what lie could have added to the second volume of the Mecanique Analytique, which was then in the press. We have just learned that the Countess Ia Grange has put into the hands of M. Prony the complete manuscript of the second volume, in winch will be found important additions, and sections entirely written anew. By the care of an edi tor so skilful, and so devoted to the memory of the author, the philosophical world is sure of obtaining with the great est accuracy and dispatch what is wanting to complete the work, and perhaps even memoirs entirely new.
" During.this conversation, which lasted more than two hours, lais memory often failed him ; he made vain efforts to recover names and dates, but his discourse was always connected, full of strong thoughts and bold expressions." This exercise of his faculties wasted the whole remains of his strength. Scarcely had his friends left him, when he fell into a fainting fit, and he died two days after, on the 10th of April, 1813, at three quarters past nine o'clock in the morning.* M. Ia Grange was of a delicate but good complexion. His tranquillity, his moderation, and austere and frugal re gimen, from which he rarely deviated, prolonged his life to the age of 77 years, two months, and ten days. He was twice married : first at Berlin, in order to be on a footing with the rest of the academicians, none of whom were bachelors. He brought from Turin one of his relations. He married her, and lost her after a long illness, during which he had bestowed on her the most tender and unre mitted care. When he afterwards married, in France,
Mademoiselle Lemonnier, daughter of the celebrated astro nomer of that name, he said to us, " I had no children by my first marriage ; I do not know if I shall have them by my second ; but I scarcely desire them." What he prin cipally wished was an amiable companion, whose soci ety might afford him some amusement during the inter vals of his studies, and in this respect he was very success ful. Madame la Grange, daughter, grand-daughter, and Deice, of members of the Academy of Sciences, was de serving of the name which he gave her. This advantage in her eyes making up for the difference of their ages, she soon felt for him the tenderest regard. He was so grate ful that he could scarcely bear to be separated from her, and it was on her account alone that he felt any regret at relinquishing this life ; and he was often heard to say, that of all his good fortune, that which lie prized the most was, having obtained a companion so tender and attached to him. During the ten days which his illness lasted, she never quitted him for a moment, and was constantly em ployed in recruiting his strength and prolonging his ex istence.
He loved retirement ; but did not insist upon his young wife following his example. On her account he went out more frequently, and indeed his high situations obliged him to shew himself in the world. It was often apparent that he continued the meditations in public which he had be gun in his cabinet. It has been said that he was not in sensible to the charms of music. In fact, in a numerous company he was not displeased at a concert. On one of those occasions I asked him what he thought of the music : " I love it," says he, " because it leaves me to myself. I listen to it during the first three measures, but I hear no more of it ; I give myself up to reflection, nothing inter rupts me, and in this way I have solved many a difficult problem." Hence the finest music must have been that during which he was inspired with the finest of his thou ghts.