LAINIBERT, JOHN HENRY, an eminent German philo sopher, was born at slii lhauscn, in the Sundgau, on the 29th of August, 1728. He was descended from a family which had emigrated fiont France, during the religious peisccutions after the revocation of the edict of Nantes. Notwithstanding his early disposition fur study, and the testimony which his first teachers bore to the su periority of his talents, the limited circumstances of his parents precluded the possibility of their confer ring upon him the advantages of a liberal education, and he was destined to follow his tatlun's trade, which was that of a tailor. But the genius of Lambert soon enabled him to surmount all the difficulties of his si tuation. In order that he might not lose the knowledge of Latin, which he had acquired at school, he read all the Roman classics that came within his reach ; and he pro cured light for the prosecution of his nightly studies by selling to his companions small drawings, which he found the means of executing amidst his domestic occupations. A work on mathematics having accidentally fallen in his way, it laid open, at once, the richest vein of his genius; and from this book, without farther assistance or instruc tion, he taught himself the principles of arithmetic and geometry.
With such talents and industry, the uncommon scien tific attainments of a youth of fourteen, in his unfavour able circumstances, could not fail to attract notice; and as he had learnt to write an elegant hand, he was taken from the shop-board, and placed, as a copyist, in the chancery of his native town. Soon after, he went, as book-keeper, into the service of 111. de la Lampe, who possessed some iron-works in the neighbourhood of Aliihlhausen. here he learnt the French language. Two years afterwards, he was engaged by M. Iselin, at Basic, as his secretary or ama nuensis ; and in this situation he found opportunities of ac quiring instruction in philosophy and the belles &tires ; while, at the same time, he successfully prosecuted his fa vourite mathematical studies.
lit the year 1749, M. Iselin recommended Lambert to M. de Sails, president of the Swiss confederacy, as a proper person to superintend the education of his children ; and, during his residence in the house of the president, at Coire, his thirst for scientific information was amply gra tified, by the use of a large and valuable library. Here he
accordingly gathered in a store of useful knowledge in various sciences, and learnt several dead and living lan guages. Here, too, he began to exhibit some of the fruits of his mathematical attainments, by the invention of several machines for facilitating scientific operations; such as his mercurial chronometer, his arithmetical and logarithmic scales, and his machine for drawing in perspective. About this time lie was admitted a member of a learned society, instituted at Coire ; and he was also elected a member of the Helvetic Society, whose transactions he enriched with a number of mathematical and physical treatises. After a residence of several years at Coire, he accompanied his pupils on their travels through a great part of Germany, Holland, and France ; and had thus an opportunity of coil versing with a number of the most eminent cultivators of science in Europe. In the year 1758, he formed an in timate acquaintance with the celebrated philosophical me chanic Braude', at Augsburg]] ; and wrote his Treatise on Photometry, in which he set forth new principles upon this interesting, but hitherto neglected subject. During his re sidence at Augsburgh, he was chosen a member of the new ly established Bavarian academy of sciences, with a pension ; and, at the same time, with permission to reside abroad, provided he contributed to their transactions ; an engagement which he faithlully performed. In the year 1763, he was appointed one of a commission employed to settle the boundaries between the territoi lei of the \rake line and the duchy of Milan ; and, after the termination of this business, he repaired to Leipsic, where he published his New Organon, a comprehensive system of logic, con taining many original ideas, which procured for its author no small portion of celebrity. At length, on the invitation of the great Frederic of Prussia, woo fully appreciated his scientific attainments, he went to reside at Berlin, where he was appointed an ordinary member of the academy, and became a valuable contributor to its transactions. Ou the establishment of a college, for the purpose of superintend ing the general improvement of the Prussian state, Lam bert was appointed chief counsellor for buildings ; which situation he held until his death, on the 25th of September, 1777.