Joseph Michaud, a French author, born at Albens, Savoy, June 19, 1767, died in Passv, Sept. 30, 1839. In 1791 he published a Voyage littjraire to Mont Blanc and the adjoining regions, followed by an oriental tale entitled Origine poetique des mines (Tor et d' argent, neither of which attracted much notice. He next became a defender of the monarchy; and for publishing an anti-revolutionary satire entitled Declaration des droits de rhomme, he was obliged for a time to conceal himself. In September, 1792, he established La Quotidienne, a daily journal in the royalist interest, the character of the articles in which caused him to be condemned to death, but the efforts of his friend Giguet preserved him from the guillotine. Adhering steadily to his opinions under the directory, he was banished after the 18th tructidor (Sept. 4, 1797), and took refuge among the Jura mountains, whence be returned to France m November, 1799. He opposed the consulate with no less acrimony than he bad shown toward the convention and the directory; and for an anonymous pamphlet, Admit a Bonaparte (Paris, 1800), he was con-nned for a short time in the Temple. In 1801 appeared his Histoire des progres et de la ch ute de l'empire de Mytore, sous le rtgne d'Hyder Alt et deippo Sath (2 vols. 8vo); followed by the Btographie moderne (4 vols. 8vo, Leipsic 1802), printed in Paris by the brothers Michaud, a publishing firm established at the commencement of the century by himself, his brother Louis Gabriel, and Giguet. This publication was the germ of the later and more elaborate work, the Biographic universelle, published by the same house.

In 1803 he published Le prin-temps d'un proscrit, a poem written during his exile, whicli passed through many editions. His royalist views changed, and in 1810 he addressed a congratulatory poem to Napoleon on occasion of bis marriage with Maria Louisa, under the title of Fragment d'un treizieme livre de l'Eneide, and another in 1811 commemorating the birth of the king of Rome. His most important work, Histoire des croisades (1811 et seq.) went through five editions in his lifetime, the last being in 1840-41 (6 vols. 8vo), and has been translated into the principal languages of Europe. He published an abridgment of it (2 vols. 12mo, 1838), and in further illustration of the subject produced the Bihlio-theque des croisades (4 vols.), and Gorrespon-dance d'Orient (7 vols.), the latter a record of his extensive travels in company with his pupil, Poujoulat, through those portions of the East traversed by the crusaders. After the overthrow of the empire Michaud reestablished the Quotidienne, but during the hundred days it became a mere vehicle of news. He published an account of the hundred days, of little historical value, which passed through 27 editions, and continued until the close of his life, in spite of feeble health, to devote himself to historical researches.

Among his last publications were an edition of Henault's Ahrege chro-nologique de l'histoire de France, with a continuation to July, 1830, and a Collection de memoires pour sernir d'lhistoire de France, which was commenced in 1836, in conjunction with Poujoulat, and published in 34 vols. 8vo. His name has been most popularly associated with the Biographie universelle, published between 1811 and 1828, which, with its supplement, 1834-'40, comprised 85 vols. 8vo. He was a member of the French academy and of the academy of belles-lettres, and held other positions of honor and emolument. - His brother Louis Gabriel, known as Michaud the younger (born in Bourg in 1773), had a large share in editing and writing the Biographic universelle, and commenced a new edition (vol. i., 1854), which was completed after his death (March 12,1858) in 45 volumes. He also wrote several historical and biographical works.