Bertholon, De St. Lazare

, a French philosopher, a native of Lyons, who died in 1799, was first distinguished at Montpelier, as professor of natural philosophy, an office established by the states of Languedoc, and afterwards as professor of history at Lyons. He was a man of mild manner, communicative and accommodating, and, of great industry. He was the friend of Dr. Franklin, and according to his plan, was employed to erect a great | number of conductors, to preserve buildings from lightning, in Paris and at Lyons. Few writers on subjects of natural philosophy, &c. have been so successful, scarce a year passing without two or three prizes being adjudged to him by the academy, for the best dissertation on the subject proposed. The month of August, in which the prizes are usually distributed, he used familiarly to call his harvest. His principal works are, 1. “Moyen de determiner ie moment ou le vin en fermentation a acquis toute sa force,” 1781, 4to, a prize essay at Montpelier. 2. “De l’electricité du corps humain en etat de sauté et de maladie,” 1781, 8vo, a prize dissertation at Lyons. 3. “De I’electricité des vegetaux,” Paris, 1783, 8vo whicii the Monthly Reviewer terms “a new conquest added to the empire which electricity is assuming over the natural world.” 4. “Preuves de l’efficacité des paratonneres,” 1783, 4to. 5. “Des avantages que la physique et les arts peuvent retirer des aerostats,” 1784, 8vo. 6. “Memoires sur les moyens qui ont fait prosperer les manufactures de Lyon,” c. 1782, 8vo. 7. “De l’electricité” des meteores,“1787. 8. Theorie des incendies, &c.” 1787, 4io. 9. “De l’eau la plus propre a la vegetation,” 1786, 4to. Bertholon was also for some years editor of the Journal of natural history, begun in 1787, and of the “Journal de sciences miles,” begun in 1791. ¹