VOLTAIRE. 218 VOLTEBRA. tion of Pierre Corneille's works. Every person of note in Europe, from the ICing of France down, showed the greatest eagerness to subscribe. The romance Candide appeared in 1759 and the tragedy Tancrcdc in 1760. In the year 1778 his friends besought him to pay a visit to Paris. Louis XV. was dead and Louis XVI. had not energy enough to forbid what he disliked. In spite of the opinion of his physi- cian, the celebrated Tronchin, who told him that an oak cannot be transplanted when more than eighty years old, Voltaire yielded to the tempta- tion. The Parisians received him with every demonstration of the greatest enthusiasm. His bust was crowned in his own presence at the Theatre Frangais on the occasion of the first performance of his tragedy of Irene; the French Academy held a special meeting in which he heard nothing but eulogies of his own deeds and writings. He was visited by every person of note. Benjamin Franklin, then residing in Paris as the agent of the newly founded Republic of the United States, took to him his own grandson, on whom he asked Voltaire to pronounce a bless- ing. Voltaire placed his hand upon the young man's head, uttering at the same time in English, "God and Liberty." Voltaire has been repre- sented as an atheist, but witho,ut warrant as far as his written or spoken utterances are concerned. To the success of his fight for liberty a com- parison between the condition of things at the time of his death and at the time when he began to write bears sufficient witness. His exertions while in Paris had the effect which Tronchin had foreseen, and he died there on May .30. 1778. His body, which was first carried away from Paris by his "nephew, Abb6 Mignot, was afterwal-ds taken to the Pantheon, where, in spite of various state- ments that it had been disinterred, it is believed still to be resting. As a writer, Voltaire is not, perhaps, the au- thor of a single great masterpiece ; but every one of his productions, at least in prose, presents to us an unsurpassed example of clear- ness, perspicuity, and wit. He wrote in order to convince, and so far succeeded that many of his writings have to a certain extent lost their inter- est because of the very destruction of the abuses against which they were directed. One who wishes to appreciate his greatness must look upon him more as a man of action who used lit- erature as a weapon than as a mere literary man. The best editions of his works arc those pub- lished at Kehl (70 or 80 vols.. 1784-S!)) : the Beuckot edition (70 vols., Paris, 1830 et seq.) ; the Moland edition (50 vols., ib., 1875 et seq.). The best collection of selected works is the one edited by Georges Bengesco and published in Paris by the Librairie des Bibliophiles ( 13 vols.). Consult, especially: Desnoiresterres, Voltaire et In society- frantaise au XYJlJime sidcle (Paris, 1867-70); Bengesco, Voltaire; liUtVioqrnphie de ses wuvres (ib., 1882-90) ; and the biographies by Strauss ( ib., 1870), Morley (London, 1878), Parton (Boston, 1881), Schumacher (18!)8), Espinassp (London, 1802). and Faguet (Paris, 1897) : also Lounsbury, Shakespeare and Voltaire (New Vork. I!in2). VOLTAMETER ( from roUnir. from It. VoUa. name of the discoverer of the voltaic cell + Ok. M^rpoi'.metron, measure). An instrument desiirn- ed to compare the intensities of electric currents by means of their etlects when passed through elec- trolytes. (See Electkicity.) It has been shown by Faraday and others that when an electric current is passed through an electrolyte the quantity of matter liberated at either of the electrodes — anode or cathode — varies directly as the quantity of current carried, that is, as the product of the intensity of the current and the time. Therefore, if difierent currents arc passed through any one electrolyte, their intensities may be compared by noting the quantities (number of grams) of matter liberated in given intervals of time. It has been observed, however, that this law of Faraday is true only if the same speci- fications are followed in the use of the apparatus for containing the electrolyte and obtaining the liberation of the matter. Such an apparatus is called a 'voltameter.' There are various forms of voltameters in use: one is so arranged as to collect any gases that may Ije liberated at the electrodes, which in this case are made of plati- num, and the electrolyte is generally dilute sul- phuric acid; another consists of a solution of copper sulphate in water, having two copper plates as electrodes; in another the electrolyte is a solution of silver nitrate in water contained in a platinum bowl which serves as the cathode, the anode being a disk of silver. (For the speci- fications adopted by the National Academy of Sciences for the preparation and use of a silver voltameter, see Amp£;re.) There is an excellent ri5sum<i of our present knowledge of the subject in a paper by Leduc in the lieports of the Inter- national Congress of Physics, vol. ii., p. 440 (Paris, 1900). VOLTERRA, vfiltgr'rA. A town of the Prov- ince of Pisa, Italy, on a conspicuous hill, 51 miles by rail southeast of Leghorn (Map: Ital.y, E 4). The vicinity is of interest to the geologist and chemist. Volterra is very irregular in outline, the main portion being grouped on the southern side of the hill. It is surrounded by a high, massive, and remarkable wall, four and a half miles in cir- cumference. Outside this wall is the ancient necropolis. Tlic notable cathedral, consecrated in 1120, was enlarged and embellished bj' Niccola Pisano. The superb Palazzo Municipio, dating from 1208, contains a few good pictures. In the Palazzo Tagassi is the fine National Museum, founded in 1731 and including a library of more than 13,000 volumes, and the municipal archives. It contains, in addition, a wonderful collection of Etruscan cinerary urns, also sculptures, bronzes, gold ornaments, coins, etfc. The imposing citadel is now used as a prison. The leading industries are alabaster working — for which the town is famous — and the manu- facture of salt from the brine springs at Leo- poldo, five miles south of the town. The salt indus- try supplies all Tiiscany. The chemical products arc of imjiortance. There are also iron works. Populadon (connuune), in 1901. 14.433. Volterra, the Etriiscan Velathri (Roman Vola- terrip), was one of the twelve league cities of Etruria. During this period it was a large and important town. It was destroyed during the tenth century. It was for a time a free town. It came under the rule of Florence in 1301. VOLTERRA, D.wtkt.e Ricctarei.i.i n. (1509- 66). An Ihilian painter, born at Volterra, in
