DESCARTES'S SKULL MISSING.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1590, 6 November 1912, Page 8

DESCARTES'S SKULL MISSING.

■ Ales, poor Yorick! or still more. Alps, i poor Descartes'! whose..skull no one can' apos'iv-iihise,: for the simple reason that ■ no or.e knows where it is (writes the Paris ' ' corre.-i indent of the London "Dnily.Toje- ■ graph ';. M. Darboux, secretary. 01" the Freneli Academy of Science, told that body !ho story q'f the pit'ia'bl.G''■ Odyssey of ' this ri. iic of the. great philosoplieft' ■ Tho.'. secretary received from Stockholm a.pack- • ago containing the correspondence between Berzolius, the illustrious Swedish, and Uerthoiiet, tho hardly less illustrious : French chemist, dated between 1809 .and ' 1822. ■ lie camo upon ' this extraordinary -entr;'; "By the same post," wrote Bera?I'ius," "1 aiii sending you the skull of Descartes." A little later'in. the corro&noml--enco lisrthollel acknowledges' t.l)o receipt of tho strange consignment. "Many-' thanks for your gift. The Academy of '■ Science has received wit h deep emotion, the skull of Iho illustrious Descartes.'' On reading, this*} tettejs .M. Dnl'lioux finmediatclv requeued. Me ;l.l'en,ri Delieraiiu th.ft Curator of il 0 Library of the. Instir . tute, to inquire into the adventures .of ; tho philosopher's skull. This is the story that .M. Deherain has. pieced together, In. , 1650, Descartes died at Stockholm, and was ■ toried'"th;ere. Sixteen. instance of the Trench Ambassador in ' Sweden,, a 'captain of the Hoyal Guard, : named Plastron., Was charged with tho duty 'of dispaichincr Hie illustrious remains t<S...E;an.cei This lie did. and.tho- ' body of Descartes was buried. with littlfl noitip and cerein'onr. in n. vault 0:" Si. Ktienne-dn-Mont. 1.11 1821 Hei'zelius saw in the window of. a dealer in aniifluilrcs in a street: in SV.ot.lyhol lii a : skiil 1.-_l holloct iiie "skull of Descartes;" to which _ vas attached.t'lie .fol'low'.iii|; of Descartes, .-to'leii Ijv 1. I". m the year l.iHiGj wlieit IliO . to Franee..." . - ' .':if After makinr -. Dorzel ius. sat isfied of t lie :aiit ic.itv of/. . the relic, bo'usht i'i lor a smii rHisiderablv exceeding that which th'e dealer had paid, ■ viz.. 3!);., and sent it '.0 the French ,\.<?'ade:iiiy of Seienre. Clii'viprt."J^SS'.li'jJ":■ TOri'ft■ t'lio.ii li.ff. se'crejjairv.<jfjlieAeademy. (ra 11-. fori'ed it to -th«'tvlai^ifii*-f»S-, ?y*« tnr.v, There ft noiv 'tofbo ;.CojU(ifi .. " and it- is. ?cr,red iliat. i!. may ■' ■appeaVeslvas a; resii.lt. of .flie. floods iinflvropcdogirarsjiiHoir^E.tlife:uiukumVv