| Chapter 1: | A Brief Introductory Survey of Dupin’s Life |
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being commonly attributed to the British Lord Guilford in 1824.2 Dupin himself was apparently something of an enigma to the inhabitants of the island; it seemed to them impossible that one man could give lessons in mechanics and physics, hold his post as a naval engineer, direct an academy, and at the same time, demonstrate his prowess on the dance floor.
In 1811, Dupin fell ill and was repatriated and sent to Toulon. There, he made his mark by founding a naval library and participating in the creation of a naval museum. This was to inspire the subsequent establishment, in 1827, of the Paris naval museum, the Musée Dauphin, the forerunner of the Musée de la Marine3 in Paris. Dupin continued with his work in naval construction, but he was much attracted by Great Britain; his future travels to those islands were to have a profound influence on him. During his visits, he observed the economic conditions then prevailing in England and Scotland, feeling that they could provide a lesson for France.
In 1818, Dupin was received into the Institut de France (Académie des sciences),4 of which he had been a corresponding member since 1813. In support of his candidature, he wrote, ‘I make so bold as to submit myself for the possible vacancy in the mécanique section’. (His predecessor had been J. C. Périer [1742–1814], an industrialist and inventor. A brilliant engineer, Périer was mainly responsible for the introduction of Watt’s steam engines into France.) Dupin continued,
Dupin was very soon elected into the Institut, as the Académie des sciences had become. The ballot gave him an absolute majority on 30 September 1818.
The ensuing years would see more and more honours for Dupin. In 1824, he was promoted to officier de la Légion d’honneur and