Philippe Xavier LESCHEVIN carried out excavations in the bed of the Saone partially dried during the summer of the year X (1802), then conducted a second excavation in September 1807. These excavations were the subject of notices and a great part of the objects are to date at the archaeological museum of Dijon.
“Philippe Xavier LESCHEVIN de PRECOUR (1) was born in Versailles, on September 16, 1771, only son of Augustin Leschevin de Précour, clerk of the King’s house, officer of Monsieur, brother of the King, and Marie Françoise Sprote. He studied at Harcourt College. He works with his father, who was assigned, at his retirement, to the archives office of the King’s house, until the convulsions of the Revolution, to which this father does not survive. He thinks of emigrating, renounces it because of his mother, but, suspect in the eyes of the Convention, is arrested, thrown into prison and promised a probable death. Jeanne Elisabeth Delaporte, whom he had just married, succeeded in getting him out of Robespierre’s clutches. In 1794, he entered the Administration of Powder and Saltpetre as a student. After a few months, he was appointed Controller in Colmar, returned quickly to Paris to follow the courses of Sage, Darcet and Fourcroy, and also took lessons from Brisson and Daubenton. Assigned as Commissioner to Vincennes from 1795 to 1798, then to Luxembourg and Trier until 1801, he ended up in Dijon with the title of Chief Steward. He remained there until his death on June 6, 1814, at the age of 42, carried away by pulmonary phthisis, leaving four children, two girls and two boys. These will have no descendants. Of the two girls, one, Cornelia, will marry Charles Blancharde des Fages, whose descendants form the Mizzi families, and Bois the other, Caroline, will unite with Etienne Marie Bailly, and their descendants: a boy, without descent , and two daughters Elisabeth, married to Louis Lévêque de Vilmorin, and Isabelle. The latter, with her husband Hyppolite Chauvin, is one of the ancestors of the Chauvin family of Précourt.
Intelligent and methodical spirit, if not brilliant, eclectic, curious of all, as indeed many of his colleagues, at the dawn of a century of great technical developments, Philippe Xavier Leschevin was not satisfied with the study of minerals, its main activity, but has also been interested in many other areas; whether in science, fine arts (especially ancient) or belles-lettres. I will mention some of them, concerning sciences: engraving of the fine stones, culture of the vine and oenology, prevention of the hail, breeding of the sheep, preparation of the potash, industry of the beet sugar, paper making. He even inquired about using a black paper, like carbon, to make duplicates. Just browse the list of academies and societies of natural history, mineralogy, pharmacy, agriculture, but also literary and artistic, in France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, of which he was member or associate, to have a good illustration . In addition to the communications, reports, notices, memoirs he sent to these organizations or published in the journals of the time, such as the Journal des Mines or the Encyclopedic Store, he published in 1812 a book entitled “Voyage in Geneva and in the valley of Chamonix, in Savoy “which is a description” of sciences, arts, history and commerce “, of Geneva first, then of the cities and localities crossed on the road until in Chamonix. Critics of the time praised the clarity and accuracy of his descriptions, while reproaching an excess of meticulousness and a lack of heat. He also published “The masterpiece of a stranger”, on which I have no information. He even, because of his excellent knowledge of this language, translates works of German authors. And all this, in spite of a shaky health, undermined by a pulmonary fragility which will eventually get the better of him.”
Tanguy LEFEBVRE-DIBON, Paris
Les différents ouvrages de Ph. X. Leschevin
INTRODUCTION sur les nouveaux poids et mesures suivi d’un traité d’arithmétique décimale; 1798 – EXPOSITION des acides, alkalis, terres et minéraux, etc; traduit de l’allemand de Trommsdorff, avec notes; 1802 – LETTRE du C. Patrin, membre associé de l’Institut, sur les roches glandulleuses du Pays de Deux-Ponts; 1802 – RAPPORT lu à l’Académie de Dijon, sur la découverte du phénomène de l’inflammation par le choc du bois carbonisé; 1802 – RAPPORT lu à la même Académie, sur des questions dont la solution doit servir de base à la confection d’un code rural; 1803 – NOTICE sur la fabrication de l’espèce de potasse appelée dans le commerce du Nord, Potasse fondue; 1803 – Notice sur les antiquités trouvées dans la Saône à Pontailler, département de la Côte d’Or, pendant l’été de l’an X; 1803 – NOTICE sur les fouilles faites pour la seconde fois, dans le lit de la Saône à Pontailler, en septembre 1807; 1808 – SUR L’EMPLOI de la stéatite dans l’art du graveur en pierres fines, par Ch. de Dalberg; traduit de l’allemand; 1803 – DE L’USAGE de la fumée dans les vignes contre les gelées tardives du printemps; 1805 – NOTICE sur un procédé employé dans le ci-devant Maconnais, pour prévenir la grêle et les orages; 1806 – L’ECOLE du pharmacien, etc; traduit de l’allemand de Trommsdorff, avec des notes; 1807 – LE CHEF D’OEUVRE d’un inconnu, nouvelle édition avec des notes, et une notice sur la vie et les ouvrages de l’auteur; 1807 – NOTICE sur M. Philippe-Denis PIERRES, ancien premier imprimeur du Roi; 1808 – OBSERVATIONS sur la troisième classe du Système bibliographique de Debure, 1808 – NOTICE sur l’ouvrage singulier intitulé : Lithographia viceburgenis, et sur la mystification qui y a donné lieu; 1808 – MEMOIRE sur le chrôme oxidé natif du département de Saône et Loire; 1810 – NOTICE sur le présence du zinc et du plomb, dans quelques mines de fer en grains, des ci-devant provinces de Bourgogne et de Franche Comté; 1812 – LETTRE à M. Millin, sur un ouvrage d’Entomologie de M. le Docteur Vallot (de Dijon); 1812 – VOYAGE à Genève et dans la vallée de Chamouni, en Savoie, etc. ; 1812 – Mémoire sur la constitution géologique d’une portion du département de la Côte d’Or, etc; 1813 – RAPPORT lu à l’académie de Dijon le 19 mai 1813, sur une Machine à fabriquer le papier, inventée par le sieur Ferdinand Leistenschneider; 1813 – TABLE ANALYTIQUE des matières contenues dans les vingt huit premiers volumes du Journal des Mines; 1813.
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