Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/613

 CYCLOPAEDIA 609 cation in New York. It is in German, and in- tended especially for German- American read- ers. Besides these works a multitude of cyclo- paedias have been published, intended to impart information in special branches of knowledge, as London's "Encyclopaedia of Gardening " (Lon- don, 1822; various editions till 1850), and of "Agriculture, Gardening, Architecture, Plants, Trees," &c. (London, 1825); Todd's "Cyclo- paedia of Anatomy and Physiology " (5 vols., London, 1836-'56; new ed., 6 vols., 1859); Nichol's " Cyclopaedia of the Physical Sciences ;" Chambers's " Cyclopaedia of English Litera- ture" (latest eds., 2 vols. 8vo, London and Philadelphia, 1872); Duyckinck's "Cyclopae- dia of American Literature " (2 vols. 8vo, New York, 1855; 2d ed., 1866); Homans's "Cy- clopaedia of Commerce" (New York, 1858); Allibone's "Critical Dictionary of English Lit- erature " (3 vols. large 8vo, Philadelphia, 1858- '71) ; Tire's "Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines" (3 vols., London, last ed., 1867); Watts's "Dictionary of Chemistry" (5 vols., London, 1870; supplement, 1872) ; Woodward and Cates's " Encyclopaedia of Chronology " (1 vol., London, 1872) ; and many others. On the continent, as well as in England, the " Cyclo- paedia " of Ephraim Chambers gave an impulse to the desire for such publications. A second edition of the French translation having been proposed, it was resolved, upon the suggestion of the abbe Gua de Malves, to divide the man- uscript among several literati, in order to elab- orate the respective articles, that they might be combined into a cyclopaedia at once more original and more comprehensive than the English model. The abbe having disagreed with the bookseller in the outset, Diderot and D'Alembert became the principal managers. Thus originated the great French Encyclopedic, which, at first intended to consist of 10, was enlarged to 28 folio volumes. Its title is Ency- clopedic ou dictionnaire raisonne des sciences, des arts et des metiers, par une societe dc gens de lettres, mis en ordre et public par M. Diderot, et quant d la partie mathematique par M. d'Alembert. The first 7 vols. appeared in Paris (1751-'7) ; the remaining 10 vols. of text were published, according to the title page, at Neuf- chatel (1765); and there were 11 additional vols. of plates. A supplement of 4 vols., with 1 additional vol. of plates, was issued at Am- sterdam (1776-'7). A- Table analytique et raisonnee des matieres was added in 2 vols. (1780). The work, though several times in- terrupted by the government, was everywhere received with enthusiasm, and gave to the editors and principal collaborators a place in European history, and in the history of philos- ophy, under the name of the "Encyclopaedists." Around Diderot and D'Alembert were grouped Voltaire, Rousseau, Turgot, Helvetius, Duclos, Condillac, Mably, Buffon, La Harpe, Marmon- tel, Raynal, Morellet, Grimm, Saint-Lambert, and many others. Four new editions were rapidly issued, at Leghorn (33 vols., 1770), at Lucca (28 vols., 1771), at Geneva (39 vols., incorporating the supplements, 1777), and at Lausanne and Bern (36 vols., 1778). It was the basis also of the cyclopaedia of Felice (48 vols., with 10 additional vols. of plates, Yverdun, 1770-'80), among the collaborators of which were Euler, Lalande, and Haller. The Discours preliminaire, which is ranked among the chefs tfauvre of the age, was written by D'Alembert. Its style is severe and simple, adhering closely to the language proper to philosophy, yet ren- dering clear and palpable the most abstract ideas. The work itself exerted an immense influence in hastening the greatest political revolution of modern times. It was designed at once to reveal to the human mind the extent of its power by unfolding the picture of its riches, and to emancipate human thought by treating freely every science and doctrine ; and it was conceived in a spirit indifferent, if not antagonistic, to the institutions, usages, and faith of the time. It is the most complete expression of the philosophical, critical, irreli- gious, and reformatory tendencies of the 18th century. Its generally polished and correct style, and its blending of philosophy, elegance, and gayety, made it fashionable in courtly so- ciety, and contributed much to its authority and influence. To counteract the disorgan- izing tendencies of the Encyclopedic, and to apply a more methodical system, was the de- sign of the Encyclopedic methodique, the most elaborate work of the kind extant in France, ' published by Panckoucke and Agasse (201 vols., including 47 vols. of plates, Paris, 1781-1832). Its method consists in assigning to each science a special alphabetical dictionary, and the whole work is therefore a collection of 48 distinct cyclopaedias or dictionaries of science, litera- ture, and art, with dissertations interspersed throughout. Among the editors were Quatre- m&re de Quincy for architecture, Bergier for theology, Mongez for antiquities, Ginguene for music, Lamarck for natural history, and Vicq d'Azyr, Cassini, Latreille, Tessier, Nai- geon, Condorcet, and Lacretelle for other de- partments. A Spanish translation of it (vols. i.-xi., Madrid, 1780-1806) was commenced, but not completed. The following are the most important of recent French encyclopaedias: 1. Encyclopedic moderne : Dictionnaire dbrege des sciences, des lettres, des arts, de Vindustrie, de I 1 agriculture et du commerce, conducted by Courtin (24 vols. 8vo, Paris, 1823-'32 ; 2d ed., 1843 ; new ed., with additions, 27 vols., with 3 of plates and 12 of supplement, 1844-'63). 2. Dictionnaire de la conversation et de la lec- ture, directed by W. Duckett (52 vols., Paris, 1835-'9 ; 2d ed., revised and enlarged, 16 vols. large 8vo, 1852-'8 ; supplement, 1864 et seq.*). This cyclopaedia is very unequally executed, but many of its articles are unusually complete and entertaining. 3. Encyclopedic des gens du monde : Repertoire universel des sciences, des lettres et des arts, par une societe de savants, de litterateurs et d" 1 artistes (44 vols. 8vo, Paris,