Il6 HiJIory of AJlrononiy for the Year 1^00 » 



confcquence of the troubles in Tufcany ; but the French hav« 

 entered that country, and there is reafon to believe that this 

 altrononier will be reftared to his obfervatory. 



On the 14th of July the fire-works at Dijon, on account 

 of the feilival, having been placed on the top of the obferva* 

 tory, occafioned a conflagration, which damaged the inftru- 

 ments, and particularly the fpeculum of a Herfchel's tele- 

 fcope ', but profeflbr Jacotot has ftill a fufficiency to make 

 ufeful obfcrvations. 



Montucla, who died on the 19th of December 1799, after 

 having publifhed the Hiftory of the Mathematics up to 1700, 

 in two volumes, had prepared a continuation of that work, 

 comprehending the i8th century. Three hundred pages of 

 the third volume were even printed ; but the remainder of 

 the copy was not finiflied, and efpecially that part which re- 

 lates to mechanics and aflronomy. Defortia has taken upon 

 him the optical part, and I have engaged to revife the aftro- 

 nomical, and to complete and publilh the whole. I thought 

 this care due to one of my oldeft friends, whom I forced, as 

 I may fay, to give this new edition. 



C. Montjoye has publifhed an eulogy on the firll preiidcnt 

 Du Saron, who was an able aftronomer. He has added fomc 

 interefting details, furnifhed by Meffier and myfelf, and with 

 which I was unacquainted when I gave his eulogy in the 

 Hiftory of Afironomy for 1794, a year of crimes and mif- 

 fortunes. 



On the 20th of June 1800, we lofl at Gottingen Abraham 

 Kaftner, who was , born at Leipfic on the 27th of Septem- 

 ber 1719. He was direilor of the obfervatory after the death 

 of Mayer and Liehtcnberg. He was as celebiated as a ma- 

 thematician as a man of letters, and publifhed feveral memoirs 

 on aftronomy, both in German and Latin, in the Tranfac- 

 tions of the Society of Gottingen. Some details refpefting 

 him may be found in Von Zach's Journal for July*. His 

 life has been printed at Leipfic in an univerfity oration fpoken 

 in the fiftieth year of his reception. 



On the 28th of December i8oo, we loft alfo James 



^- Our readers will find them in the beginning of this number of the 

 Philofoijliical M<<gaziue. 



Anthony 



