BORDA, JOHN CHARLES, .a French mathematician and: natural philosopher, was at Dax, in the department of the Landes, on the 4th of May 1733: His mother was Maria Theresa-de Lacroix, and his father was John Anthony Borda; whose ancestors had acquired considerable in the French army.
The subject of the following *article began his stu dies in' the college of the' Barnabites 'at Dar, where he gave early indications,of his future 'genius: ving reinained a considerable time at this seminary; he was put under the 'charge of the Jesuits of La Fleche ; and such was his ardour for study,•and his superiority of talents, that he very frequently carried off the prizes which were held out as the reward of youthful genius. 'The Jesuit's were not blind to the greatness of his talents; and their utmost endeavours to press hiin into their order ; but his at tachmentto geometry was.too powerful to be weak: ened by any allurements which the Jesuits could hold out.
The'ardour for mathematical research which Bor: da so early displayed; received an unfortunate check from his father, who was hostile to the prosecution of 'such 'unprofitable studies. Borda saw the oppo: sition With which he was to he assailed, and' endea voured to soften it by proposing to enter into the en gineer service of the army, where the objects of his profession would 'necessarily require a knowledge of geometry and physics; His father, however, having elevewchildren, and being obliged to support two of his sons who were already in the army, was anxious that Charles should look forward to some situation in the 'magistracy, Whichmight be obtained:without much expense and trouble.' To these views of-hil father Borda reluctantly submitted ; but, after ba ring thus' ost some of the most pr,ecious years of his youth, a friar, who was a particular friend of his fa ther, obtained, by earnest 'solicitation, the repeal of a sentence which had 'condemned to perpetual inactivity the genius and talents of his son. , When every restraint was removed, Borda devoted himself to his 'favourite science; -and, in the year 17.53, when he was only twenty years of age, he Was thought worthy being introduced to the celebra ted D'Alembert. Borda was at this time about to enter into the engineer _service, which would have carried-him to a distance from Paris;' but D'Alem bert, who felt an interest in his future progress, wrote to his friends, diSsuading 'them from such a step, and advising him to remain 'in the capital, and look for.
ward to a situation in the academy. Influenced by this advice, Borda entered the light horse, and con. tinuing his mathematical studies, he became professor to his comrades.
- Jn 1756, he laid before the academy a memoir on the motion of projectiles, which was particularly mentioned in the history of its 'proceedings ; and in the, same year he was appointed an associate of the academy.
In the following year he was called into active ser vice,-and was present at the'battle of Hastembeck, on the 26th-JulY- 1757, :as, did-de-camp to M. de willingly returned, however, from a species.of,duti which interrupted the progress of his studies ; and. upon his arrival at Paris, he became a candidate for a situation in the engineer service ; and was the estimation • in which, his talents were held, that he was received without examination, and immediately employed as an' inspector of the dock. yards.
This new appointment was particularly favourable for calling into 'action the peculiar talents of Borda. It inspired him with a fondness for every thing that related to 'the naval service'; and, what seldom hap Pens to the man of genius, he found himself in a si tuation in' which he was led both by his profession and by his inclination' to the same line of study. . The first subject of his research was an exami nation of the theories- of the resistance of fluids, a subject intimately connected with the advancement and' perfection of naval architecture. The experi ments upon -this subject made by the Academy of Sciences, were by no means fitted to determine the resistance of bodies that •were wholly immersed in the fluid. Borda, however, employed a method which was susceptible of great accuracy, and had also the advantage of ascertaining accurately the velocity of the motion. • The upon which his experi ments were of varierusforms, and the expe riments were made both in air and water. The results of these experiments are extremely interesting, and are given at great length in the Memoirs of the Aca demy for 1763 and 1767. • We are compelled, how ever, to say, that the-apparatus employed by Borda was not of, his invention. A machine of the same kind had been used sometime before by our inge nious countryman, Benjamin -Robins, in his admira ble experiments on the resistance of air.