DUTENS, JOSEPH-MICHEL, the son of Michel-Francois, was born at Tours on October 15, 1765. He was entered when eighteen at the keole des Pont* at Chaussdes, and at twenty-two years of ago he left it with the brevet of engineer. In 1800 be printed his first work at Evreux, 'Des Moyene de Naturaliser l'Instruction et la Doctrine,' and in the same year published a topographical description of the arrondisse ment of Louviera, in the department of Euro. Iu 1804 he gave to the world his first work on political economy, an analytical exposition of its fundamental principles. In 1818 he was commissioned by the government to travel in England in order to obtain a knowledge of the canal system there, and he extended his labours to all the great commercial works of the country, the results of which were pub lished at Paris is 1819 in 'Memoirs on the I'ublie Works of England.' The work is divided into two parts ; the first is devoted to engineering, describing the canals, the works of art employed in their construction, the coat of making, the expense of maintaining, and the system of workiug; the secoud is principally to develop the mode of coucession of public works in England, and its advantages in a country whero the energies of association are in almost all cases employed instead of the interveutiou of the government.
Desirous of enabling his country to profit by his studies in England, Dutens published In 1829 a 'History of the Interior Navigation of France,' In which he gives a detailed description of the geographical features of France, and an account of its rivers and canals; with an analysis of the agricultural and iudustrial products of Franoe, showing their value if made available by a net-work of canals, sketching n scheme of what should be the principal branches, and discussing the financial condition which would ensure its success. In 1835 Details
published his greatest work, the ' Philosophy of Political Economy ; or a new Exposition of the Principles of this Science,' in 2 vols. 8vo. It was an expansion with considerable modificatious of his previous work, and occasioned much opposition from the economists of the school of Adam Smith. Blanqul says, "it is only a new edition of the doctrines of Queanay, but with less of advancement In respect to com mercial freedom and duties." The severe criticisms occasioned M. Dutens to publish in 1837 a defence of his work, and a second in 1839 ; and the contest was still going on when the Acadoinie des Sciences elected him a member of their body. He then published in 1842 his 'Essai comparatif sur la formation et la distribution du Revenu de Is France en 1815 et 1335,' a work which contains the best statistical resume of the productive riches of France, and has received and deserves high praise. In his last issued work, 'Des pretendues erreura dans lesquelles, au jugement des modernes economistes, seraient tombs les anciens economistes relativement an priucipe de la richesse nationale,' in which be defends the theory of Quesnay, Turgot, and their followers, that manufactures and commerce do not constitute the wealth of a country, but that this advantage is only due to agriculture. M. Dutens died in 1848.
(Nouvelle Biographic Generale.)