FOURCROY, ANTOINE-FRANcOlS DE, an eminent French chemist, councillor of state, commander of the legion of honour, member of the Institute, and of most of the academies and scientific societies of Europe, professor of chemistry at the Museum of Natural History, at the Faculty of Medicine of Paris, and at the Polytechnic School, was born at Paris, on the 15th of Juue 1755, and was the son of Jean-Michel de Fourcroy, and Jeanne Laugier. His family had long resided in the capital, and several of his anceatco a had distinguished themselves at the bar. Antoine-Fraucois de Fourcroy sprung from a branch of the family that had gradually sunk into poverty; and his son, the subject of the present article, grew up in the midst of IL When seven years old, he lost his mother, and his sister preserved him with difficulty till he went to college ; and in consequence of the ill-treatment of a master he left it at fourteen years of age, some what lees Informed than when he went to it.
While uncertain what plan to follow, in order to obtain a livelihood, the *deice of ViceperAyr, who was a celebrated anatomist and a friend of his induced him to commence the study of medicine; and after socceesfully struggling against every kind of difficulty, he at list obtained the necessary qualification to practise in Paris. The Erg writings of Fourcroy did nut evince any peenliar predilection for any particular branch of science; he wrote upon natural history, anatomy, and chemistry; ho published an ' Abridgment of the History of Insects ; ' and a 'Description of the Bursas Mucosa) of the Tendons ; ' and in consequence of the celebrity which he acquired by the last mentioned performance, he was admitted as an Anatomist into the Academy of Sciences in 1785.
After the death of Macqner, which happened in 1734, he succeeded to the chair of professor of chemistry at the Jnr,lin du Roi, and he continued there till his death, which took place twenty-five years afterwards. He was greatly admired for the eloquence with which he delivered his lectures, and the writer of this article was a witness of his great flow of language during a sitting of the Institute in 1802.
In 1795 he was elected a member of the National Convention, but notwithstanding his reputation for eloquence, from prudential motives he never opened his mouth iu the Convention till after the death of Robespierre. After the 9th Thermidor, when the nation was wearied with destruction, and efforts were making to restore institutions which had been overturned, Fourcroy began to acquire influence, aud Lo took an active part in whatever related to the establishment of schools, whether of medicine, or for the purposes of general instruction. Among these was the PollOechnic School, at which, as already stated, he was professor of chemistry ; and both as a member of the Convention and of the Council of Ancients, ho was concerned in the establishment of the Institute and the Museum of Natural History.
The great xcrtions made by 31. do Fourcroy, cud the prodigious activity which he displayed in the numerous situations which he filled, gradually undermined his constitution ; he was sensible of his approaching death, and announced it to his friends as an event which would speedily take place. On the 16th of December 1809, after signing some despatches, ho suddenly exclaimed, "Je suis mort I" and fell lifeless on the ground.
In his 'History of Chemistry,' Dr. Thomson thus concludes his notice of the works of Fourcroy :—"Notwithstanding the vast quantity of papers which he published, it will be admitted, without dispute, that the prodigious reputation which bo enjoyed dining his lifetime was more owing to his eloquence than to his eminence as a chemist, though even as a chemist he was far above mediocrity, Ile must have possessed an uncommon facility of writing. Five successive editions of his 'System of Chemistry' appeared, each of them gradually increasing in size and value: the first being in two volumes and the last in ten. This last edition he wrote in sixteen months : it contaius much valuable information, and doubtless contributed considerably V; the genericl diffusion of chemical knowledge. Its style is perhaps toc diffuse, and the spirit of generalising from particular and often ill authenticated facts, is carried ton vicious length. Perhaps the best of all his productions is his Phileeophy of Chemistry.' It is remark able for its conciseness, its perspicuity, and the neatness of it: arrangement." Besides these works, and the periodical publication entitled '1.4 31Zdecin Eclaird, of which he was the editor, there arc above our hundred and sixty papers on chemical subjects, with his name attachee to them, which appeared in the ' Memoirs' of the Academy and of tie Institute; in the Annalea de Chiude,' or the 'Annales de Min& 41•11hitoirc Naturelle,' of which last work he was the original projector Many of these papers contained analyses, both animal, vegetable, an( mineral, of very considerable value. In most of them the name o Vauquelin is associated with his own as the author, and the genera opinion is that the experiments were all made by Vauqucliu, but tha the papers themselves were drawn up by Fuurcroy. There is on, merit at least to which Fourcroy is certainly entitled, and it is no amid one : he formed and brought. forward Vauquelin, and proved to Lin over after a most steady and indefatigable friend.