76 SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



Letter from Lalande on the Meafure of a Degree of the Earth 

 in Lapland*. 

 Themeafurcof ASTRONOMERS have long fufpeaed, that there was 

 hnd^bjTMauper- ^'^"^^ ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ meafure of a degree of the earth taken in 

 tuis, &c. fufpcft 1736 in Lapland, by Maupertuis, Lemonnier, Outhier/and 

 e of enor. Celfius, becaufe this meafure was greater than it ought to 

 Re-mcafured have proved according to all others. Mr. Melanderhielm 

 berg^ &c. who*' '^^^ '^^'^ ^^^ 8°°^ fortune to obtain a repetition of this niea- 

 found it to be furement. He informs me, that Mr. Swanberg, and three 

 ^^elV^'^^^' °'^^^^^'' ^w^^^^"* aftronomers, have found the degree to meafure 



57209 toifes in the latitude of 66*^ 20', which are 196 toifes 

 Tht flattening lefs than by the French meafurement, and gives for the flat- 

 i^'inhT^ tening of the earth ^\^, This agrees better with the other 



comparifons, and teaches us, that the figure of the earth is 



not fo irregular as was fuppofed, from the degree meafured 



in the north. 

 Mechaingone to Mr. Mechain fet off on the 26th of April for Spain> whi- 

 meafure a til- ^.j^^j. ^^ -^ ^^^ ^^ meafure a triangle of 93000 toifes, terrai- 



angle terminat- _ * , ° , 



ing at the balea- nating at the Balearic iflands, which will complete the grand 

 ricifles. ^^^ important meafurement of the meridian, executed a few 



years ago by MefTrs. Mechain and Delambre. He is ac- 

 companied by Meflrs. Le Chevalier and Dezauche, and his 

 youngeft fon. This meafurement is very difficult, but no per- 

 fon is more capable of furmounting difficulties than Mr. Me- 

 chain, and we (hall have the 34th degree in the middle of thq 

 ■whole arc meafured by Frenchmen. 



New metal. DESCOTILS has difcovered a new metal in the ore of 



platina, it is prefumed that palladium may be an alloy of this 

 new metal with mercury. 



Abluc equal to Tbenard has difcovered a blue equally beautiful, and as fine 



u tramannc. ^^ ^^^^ ^^ j^p.^ lazuli, or ultramarine. 



Prize of gal- The National Inftitute has declared, that the galvanic prize 



vanifm deferred. n ^ i • ,i • o » 



Will not be given this year, 



Thefe three articles are from the Journal of VaU'Mons, 

 * Journal dePhyfique, May, 1803, p. 400- 



Letter 



