Chapter 73 French Academy of Sciences

After discussing the establishment of the group with Coffett, Xiao Jie came to the French Academy of Sciences in Montreuil. He needed to carry out some cooperation with the Academy of Sciences to promote the rapid development of science and technology in this era.

The predecessor of the French Academy of Sciences was the Egyptian Academy of Sciences established by Napoleon during his expedition to Egypt. The president was Monge, a scholar who Napoleon respected very much. Later, after Napoleon failed in Egypt, he also returned to France with Monge and some important scientists when he left Egypt. Later, when Napoleon became the first in power, the French Academy of Sciences was established on this basis.

The Egyptian Academy of Sciences was established on August 22, 1798. This move was considered a good thing in the eyes of the governor and the French people at that time, both historically and in the impression of the Egyptians. But it was more than that, thanks to the active participation of Monge, Betole and their colleagues. In particular, Monge, who now meets Napoleon every day in Cairo, gradually influences Napoleon, making him realize that the establishment of the government is made by intellectuals rather than politicians and

The importance of the guiding power of the government's direction. Napoleon always likes to regard himself as a "public servant" - of course, a learned public servant (he even often signs the words "academician of the Academy" when issuing military orders), and in his spare time he is usually with archaeologists, historians and scientists, rather than with rude soldiers. The extraordinary creativity of these scientists allowed the French army to survive self-sufficiently in Egypt without relying on the rear of the native European country.

Strictly speaking, the Egyptian Academy of Sciences at that time had three major purposes: one was to spread knowledge and technology in Egypt; the second was to study Egypt's natural history, industry and humanistic history; the third was to "provide suggestions for the government" - the last one was actually its main function, it was Egypt's first fully organized scientific think tank.

The Academy of Sciences is divided into four departments: the Department of Mathematics (including Monge and Napoleon), the Ministry of Physics and Political Economy (including the former Governor Talyon who rescued Josephine) and the Department of Literature and Arts (including Denon, the future director of the Louvre Art Museum). Napoleon also personally selected qualified Academy members from his own officers and soldiers in Egypt, which lacked talent.

The Academy of Sciences is located in the confiscated Mamluk court, just a few miles from the Palace of Erfe. Monge, Betole and other academicians live in these two palaces. At the same time, there are laboratories of botany, physics and chemistry, scientific materials and libraries of Egyptian antiques, as well as Latin, Greek and Arabic.

The Academy held its inauguration ceremony under the auspices of President Monge on August 23, but its actual president was undoubtedly the Vice President Napoleon. The first topic Napoleon gave to the Academy was to immediately improve the bread oven for the French team to improve efficiency and production; to study possible alternatives to hops in order to provide beer to the army; to purify drinking water from the Nile River and wind mills and water mills suitable for Egypt; to establish foundries and nitrate factories to produce machines, tools and gunpowder. In addition, the Academy also studied the civil and criminal justice systems and educational systems suitable for Egypt. Napoleon visited the Academy several times a week and was always happy to get out of the headquarters. (At that time, due to the failure of the French Navy, Napoleon's expeditionary force was isolated and helpless, so he had to try his best to reliance on his own and solve the military's supply and ammunition problems.)

The establishment of the Academy of Sciences played an immeasurable role in helping Napoleon solve various technical difficulties faced by the army, and at the same time, it established Monge's irrefutable position in his mind. After returning to France, Monge continued to serve as the newly established French Academy of Sciences and presided over all scientific research work in this country.

It was already past 10 a.m. when Xiao Jie came to the Academy of Sciences, and the scientists of the Academy of Sciences had already started working. Since Monge had a very high status in Napoleon's heart, Xiao Jie did not show off the airs of the crown prince in front of him.

"Your Excellency, I don't know how many studies I have cooperated with the Academy of Sciences are doing?" Xiao Jie asked casually. Long before the war began, Xiao Jie entrusted the Academy of Sciences to conduct some research for him, including the study of the quality of steel. In order to make better performance cannons, he urgently needs steel with better quality. At the same time, he also entrusted the Academy of Sciences to improve the steam engine. It has been decades since the steam engine was put into industrial production, and the technology is comparable to Watt.

The improved steam engine has also made great progress. However, this is far from enough for the increasingly rapid railway transportation and the naval warships that Xiao Jie wants to build in the future to use steam engines. Therefore, he needs the Academy of Sciences to make further improvements to the steam engine, because it has a larger power and a lighter weight. The third cooperative project is the study of electricity. Xiao Jie put forward the view that magnetic energy produces electricity. After confirmation by scientists from the Academy of Sciences, he immediately started the research on generators.

In order to quickly carry out the second scientific and technological revolution. Japan was in the first scientific and technological revolution and the second scientific and technological revolution at the same time, with an amazing development speed. In order to accelerate the development of France, Xiao Jie set his mind on this. The last project was the research of communication science. Xiao Jie's purpose was to command troops to fight more effectively, so he urgently hoped that the wireless telegraph could be invented as soon as possible, so there would be no need for the highest commander of the army to stay with his own troops like now. If the telegraph machine was invented, then all the troops could be commanded in Paris to fight. But he also knew that some of these inventions might not have any results for a long time. After all, it would only cause qualitative changes and produce a scientific leap. Xiao Jie also knew that these were unhurried, but he believed that as long as they started researching in this area now, there would be a day of success in the end.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, I'm very sorry. In the four projects you and us have achieved some results in the first two, there is no progress in the latter two yet.

Xiao Jie was not surprised to hear Meng Ji's answer. All of this was expected. If he could study it so easily, he would not have to wait until the first scientific and technological revolution broke out before the second scientific and technological revolution began. "It's nothing? Scientific research is like this. I came here to provide another five million francs for those four projects in accordance with our agreement. This is a bank check, please hand it over." After saying that, Xiao Jie handed the check that had been prepared long ago to Meng Ji.
Chapter completed!