Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-02-13
Count Rumirrd.

"
Mons. Paul tc He,nu>a:> cIst s;o.s,.:>>Ns' ~
that Madame dc He,nu>ss:> "h>.>e tt'ei''.S;s
have been la,cl, published. :" Ms '":iN>
,luctiou IL the wIga >;SSA> =. = tTr.AIn VI
Runtcr,i, who MAS rc,tr 4 :t.t>! =: NN'-
ner psrty given hy .he Ecuu>s:>> lhI>
gentleman, NJ dc Rcmu>a; Describes a>
German s,vauI ~ NJ least \ tNInmeiri.'I
man with leanins> 10 science. As proved 10y
the fact that he invented i stove and a
Thermometers Ii is III this way
that a writer. who ought to he
well informed, dismisSeS one Of the
most distinguished men of his tlmes-a
man whose name ranks in science beside
the names of Davy and Farraday, and who
has claims to be considered the founder
of that great law of the persistence ana
equivalence of forces which is the basis OF
modern physical philosophy. 1t Is rather
remarkable that NJ. de Re musat speaks OF
this eminent man as Mr.. RumfOrd. In
fact he was not Mr.. RumfOrd, but Count
Rumford. His name was Benjamin lhomp-
son. lie was not a German sarant. lie was a
native of Salem, Mass, and, therefore, an
American. His title was conferred Oh him
i'm recognition of his distinguished services
to the government of Bavaria. For these
services he was raised succcssivcly to the
rank of major general in the army, men,
Der of the council of state, lieutenant gen
eral. commander-in-ch chief of the general
staff. minister of war; and count of the
holy Roman empire. His title was taken
from the name of the town in New lamp
shire (nOw ConcordD where he lived dur
ing his early life. At later period of
his life he was head of the council of
regency of Bavaria, in the absence
of the elector. TO speak of such a
man as if he were mere CONNER
cial traveller. with smattering of
science, seems little less than absurd.
To show the versatility, the energy and the
intelligence of the man, a very brief sum-
mary of few of his many achievements
will suffice. He rcOrganized the entire
military establishment of Bavaria, and in
troduced a simpler code of tactics, and Il
system of order, economy and discipline.
lie successfully suppressed beggary
throughout the country-at that time a
very laborious enterprise He established
a military school; improved the breed O
horses, and converted an old hunting
ground near Munich into magnificent
Dark, where the inhabitants erected the
Statue in his honor which now stands with
i'm the grounds He cured the great evi
uf smoky chimneys in England ant
established the leading principles OF
which fre-places and CRATES for Goa
are still constructed. He made great i'm
provements in artillery, and made many
important discoveries in the science o
heat and light. 1t was while superintend
ing the boring of a cannon at Munich tina
he made the famous experiment by whicl
he demonstrated the mechanical relation
existing between heat and force, OF AZ
rested motion, which is the basis of al
modern investigation of the subject, an
on which is founded, rs we have said, tn
law of persistence of force, as it is calle
by Herbert Spencer, and from which i
built up the grand doctrine of develop
ment and evolution. 1t was reserve
for Mayer, the profound philosopher {
Helibrunn, to demonstrate mathematical
and to express quantitatively the law {
the mechanical equivalent of heat, and ft
Joule, of Manchester, to prove it exper
mentally: but the doctrine was first sus
gestcd by ThompsOn's fine experiment
Finally. in affcctionate remembrance OF IN
own country, from which the Jealousy! {
enyious rivals had forced him to flee du
ing the war of the Revolution, he institute
prize for discoveries in light and heat,
he awarded by the American academy {
sciences and he bcqueathcd to HarVal
University the funds with which W;
founded its prefessorship of the applicatio
of science to the art Of living.