"I beg you will make known these dispositions to the President of the First Class of the National Institute, that it may give to these ideas such developement as may appear proper; my particular object being to encourage philosophers, and to direct their attention to this part of philosophy, which, in my opinion, may lead to great discoveries. "(Signed) BONAPARTE." [70] "À celui qui, par ses expériences et ses découvertes, _fera à faire à l'Electricité et au Galvanisme un pas comparable à celui qu'ont fait faire à ces Sciences Franklin et Volta_." My French correspondent adds, "Ces soixantes mille francs n'ont pas été adjugés, _le pas n'ayant point été fait_." Upon the presentation of this letter, a Committee was appointed to consider the means for accomplishing the intentions of the First Consul; and after expatiating upon the extensive agencies of Electricity, their Report concludes in the following manner:-- "To fulfill the intention of the First Consul, and to give to the competition all the solemnity which the importance of the object, the nature of the Prize, and the character of the Founder require, the Commissioners unanimously propose as follows: "The Class of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences of the National Institute opens the general competition required by the First Consul. "All the learned of Europe, and the Members and Associates of the Institute, are admitted to the competition. "The Class does not require that the Memoirs should be immediately addressed to it. Every year it will crown the author of the best experiments which shall come to its knowledge, and which shall have advanced the progress of the science. "The present report, containing the letter of the First Consul, shall be printed, and serve as a programme. "Done at the National Institute, Messidor 11, year 10. "(Signed) LAPLACE, HALLE, COULOMB, HAUY. BIOT, Reporter." It was not until twelve months after the publication of his first Bakerian Lecture, that Davy received the intelligence that the prize of three thousand francs had been awarded him by the Institute of France, for his discoveries announced in the Philosophical Transactions for the year 1807. Mr. Poole, in a late communication, informs me that he was in London soon after the letter communicating this gratifying intelligence had been received from France; and that Davy, upon showing it to him, observed, "Some people say I ought not to accept this prize; and there have been foolish paragraphs in the papers to that effect; but if the two countries or governments are at war, the men of science are not. That would, indeed, be a civil war of the worst description: we should rather, through the instrumentality of men of science, soften the asperities of national hostility."