Page:Imperial Dictionary of Universal Biography Volume 1.pdf/749

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the amusement of the duchess and her friends, when engaged in the then fashionable occupation of embroidery. After her marriage with the count de Bouflers-Rouvrel, she spent her life in intercourse with the most celebrated literary characters of the time, by whom she was highly esteemed for the refinement of her taste, the elegance of her manners, and the amiability of her disposition. She lived on terms of intimacy with Rousseau, who makes frequent allusion to her in more than one of his writings; and she carried on a correspondence for a time with David Hume. She died in 1800.—W. M.

BOUGAINVILLE, Louis Antoine de, was celebrated both as a military commander and as a navigator. He was born in Paris in 1729, and was destined by his parents for the bar; but finding a military life more congenial to his taste, he entered the army in 1754. He served throughout the war in America, and took an active part under Montcalm in the defence of Quebec. He remained in the army till 1763, and it was in that year that he first turned his attention to navigation. After making a voyage to the Falkland Islands, in order to plant a French colony among them, he was intrusted with the command of an expedition fitted out by the government at Paris for the purpose of circumnavigating the globe. On his return he published, under the title of "Voyage autour du Monde," a full account of his voyage, and of the discoveries made in it. During the war of independence in America, Bougainville commanded a division of the French navy. On the re-establishment of peace, he returned to Paris, when he was elected an associate of the Academy of Sciences in 1796. His death took place in 1811.—W. M.

BOUGEANT, Guillaume-Hyacinthe, a French historian, born at Quimper in 1690; died in 1743. He entered the jesuit order, and became professor of humanity at Caen and Nevers. He afterwards came to the college of Louis-le-Grand, Paris, and left it only for a short temporary exile in Flèche, occasioned by his work entitled "Amusement philosophique sur le langage des betes." This work, addressed to a lady, and interspersed with madrigals, gave offence to the religious world, and proved that the author was versed as well in the language of gallantry as in that of beasts. He published a great number of historical and other works.—J. G.

BOUGUER, Pierre, a distinguished French physicist, born in Lower Brittany in 1694; died in 1758. Bouguer devoted himself to perfecting the practical portions of science, especially of astronomy. He wrote much on the application of that science to the purposes of navigation; and he took part in the famous expedition sent by the French government to Peru, with a view to aid, by the measurement of a degree in these regions, in determining the figure of the Earth. His account of that expedition is interesting, although inferior to La Condamine's.—Bouguer also assisted to advance our knowledge of optics. He determined much more accurately than had ever been done before, the relations between light incident and light reflected., in so far as these are dependent on the angle of incidence. We owe likewise to this physicist the first conception of the Heliometer.—J. P. N.

BOUHIER, Jean, a French lawyer and litterateur, president au mortier to the parliament of Dijon, member of the French Academy, born at Dijon in 1673; died in 1746. In his youth he acquired, besides the classical languages, an acquaintance with several modern tongues. Such was his reputation for science and erudition, that in 1727 he was called to the office of president of the academy, left vacant by the death of Malezieu. He has been eulogized by Voltaire, his successor, and the Abbé Olivet; nor have their praises been unmerited. Jurisprudence, philology, criticism, ancient and modern history, literary history, translations, eloquence, poetry, all were within the grasp of his capacious intellect, and have, most of them, been illustrated by his own writings, which are voluminous and important.—J. G.

BOUHOURS, Dominique, born at Paris in 1628, and died in 1702. At sixteen he entered into the order of jesuits. He taught Latin at Paris and rhetoric at Tours. He became tutor of the young princes of Longueville. He published several works on the French language, one of which led to a controversy with Ménage. When Bouhours was on his deathbed, he is reported to have said—"Je vais ou je vas mourier, car l'un et l'autre se disent." He published several professional works, and translated the New Testament from the Vulgate into French.

* BOUILLAUD, Jean Baptiste, clinical professor to the faculty of Paris, and a distinguished medical writer, born at Angoulême in 1796. His principal works are—"Traité clinique et physiologique de l'encephalité et de ses suites," 1825; "Traité clinique et experimental des fièvres pretendues essentielles," 1826; "Dissertation sur les generalités de la clinique medicale, et sur le plan et la methode à suivre dans l'enseignement de cette science," 1831; "Nouvelles recherches sur le rhumatisme articulaire aigu en general," 1835; and "Traité clinique du rhumatisme articulaire, et de la loi de coincidence des inflammations du cœur avec cette maladie," 1840.—J. S., G.

BOUILLAUD, Ismael, born in London in 1605; died in Paris in 1694; a very laborious and useful writer on astronomical and mathematical subjects. He was a learned man, skilled in ancient science, and therefore well fitted to promote the reception of the Copernican system. He is the author also of a few historical and topographical treatises that are now forgotten. His scientific works are still useful to the student of the annals of Astronomy, and of the phenomena attending the reception by mankind of the cardinal truths proclaimed at the epoch of its reformation.—J. P. N.

BOUILLÉ, François Claude Amour, marquis de, a French general, was born in 1739. He is well known for his connection with the massacre of the garrison of Nancy at the commencement of the Revolution, and for the exertions he made at a later date on behalf of the royal cause. He was privy to the king's unsuccessful attempt at flight; and one of the charges brought against the king at his trial was, that he remitted money to Bouillé and others to be used in order to bring about the restoration of the old state of affairs. Bouillé died in England in 1800.—W. M.

BOUILLET, Jean, a French physician, born at Servian, near Béziers, on the 14th May, 1690, became surgeon to the hospital, and permanent secretary to the Academy of Béziers, where he died on the 13th August, 1777. His principal work is a "Mémoire sur l'huile de pétrole et les eaux minérales de Gabian," published at Béziers in 1752; and he was also the author of some scattered papers, principally connected with physics.—W. S. D.

* BOUILLET, Jean Baptiste, a living French geologist, born at Cluny in 1799. He is now a banker at Clermont-Ferrand, where he has formed an extensive collection of the minerals and terrestrial and fluviatile shells of the Auvergne. He has published numerous important memoirs and independent works upon the geology of his district, and especially upon the interesting volcanic group of the Puy-de-Dôme.—W. S. D.

BOUILLON, Emanuel-Théodose de la Tour d'Auvergne, cardinal de, was born in 1644. He was the son of Frederic-Maurice, duke of Bouillon. He was at first a great favourite at the court of Louis XII., who secured his nomination to the rank of cardinal in 1669; but he appears gradually to have forfeited the regard of that king. Cardinal Bouillon was French ambassador at the court of Rome at the time of the celebrated controversy between Fenelon and Bossuet; and notwithstanding the instructions he received to do all in his power to secure the condemnation of Fenelon, he favoured his cause rather than that of Bossuet. In 1710 he was obliged to leave France on account of the disclosure of his correspondence with the duke of Marlborough and others. He died at Rome in 1715.—W. M.

BOUILLON, Frederic-Maurice de la Tour d'Auvergne, duc de, son of Henri by his marriage with Elizabeth of Orange, was born at Sedan in 1605. In 1629 he joined the army of the prince of Orange in Holland, and fought with success against the Spaniards on more than one occasion, he afterwards entered the French service, and in 1642 he commanded the French troops in Italy. He was arrested at the time of the Cinq-Mars conspiracy on a charge of being privy to it, but the exertions of the duchess of Bouillon speedily procured his restoration to liberty. In the civil war of the Fronde, he was one of the leaders of the rebel party; and a proclamation was issued, declaring him a traitor, and confiscating all his property in France. In 1651 he entered into an agreement with the French government, by which the principality of Sedan and Raucourt was ceded to France, and several duchies were given up to him in exchange. He died in 1652.—W. M.

BOUILLON, Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, duc de, marshal of France, was born towards the end of the year 1555. After serving for some time under the duke of Anjou, he embraced the reformed faith, and became one of the most distinguished of the protestant leaders. In this capacity he is better