DUTENS, LOUIS, was born at Tours, of a Protestant family, January 16, 1730. When about eighteen years of age he wrote a tragedy, the 'Return of Ulysses,' which met with success at Orldans, where it was played after being rejected by the managers of Paris. But Dutens did not repeat his dramatic venture. About this time a sister some six or seven years younger than himself was taken by order of the Archbishop of Tours and was shut up in a convent in order to force her to become a Roman Catholic, and Dutens disgusted with this tyranny left his country and came to England, where he found patrons, studied the oriental languages and mathematics, and travelled with several noblemen in succession over the Continent Ho also acted for a time as secretary to the English minister at the court of Turin. On his return to England he was presented to the living of Eladon in Northumberland. He was made member of the Royal Society of London, and of the Acaddmie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres of Paris. Being well versed in ancient and modern philology, and in archmology and numismatics, he wrote many works, the prin cipal of which are :-1. 'Recherches sur l'Origine des D6couvertes attribu6es aux Moderns, oh l'on d6montra qua nos plus c6lebres Philosophes out puis6 la plupart de leurs Connoissances dans lee Ouvrages des Anciens, et qua plusieurs vdritds importantes sur la Religion out 6t6 connues des Sages du Paganisme,' 8vo, Paris, 1776. This work went through several editions, revised by the author, to the last of which, 1812, he added his Recherches sur le terns le plus recul6 do l'Usage des Votistes,' which he had previously published separately. In his zeal to vindicate the often-overlooked claims of the
ancients to several discoveries which have been reproduced in modern times, Dutens oversteps at times the boundaries of sound criticism, and seems to wish to attribute almost every invention to the nations of antiquity. 2. 'Explication de quelques 314o:taffies Greques et Ph6nicionnes, avec nne Palfographie Numismatique,' 4to, 1776, to which are added several previously-written dissertations on numis matics. 3. ' 1tin6raire des Routes lea plus fr6quent6es do l'Europe,' a work often reprinted. 4. Guide Moral, Physique, et Politique des Etrangera qui voyagent en Angleterre.' 5. `Appel an Bons Sens,' a defence of Christianity against Voltaire and the Encyclopedietes. 6. ' Des Pierree pr6cieuses et des Pierres fines, avec lee Moyeos de les connoltre et de les 6valuer,' Paris, 1776. 7. Histoire de ce qui s'est pass6 pour l'6tablissement dune REgence on Angleterre,' 8vo, 1789. 8. Nouveaux 'aerate de l'Europe depuia la Revolution Francaise,' 1798. 9. 'Considerations Th6ologiques cur lea Moyens de rdunir toutes lea Eglises Chrdtiennes,' 8vo, 1798, a well meaning speculation towards a hopeless object. 10. 3I6moires d'un Voyageur qui se repose,' 3 vols. 8vo, Paris, 1806, which contain anecdotes of Dutens's life and travels. Dutens died in London, May 23, 1812.