Illjfory of Agronomy for the Year i8od. 1 15 



be attended. General Bougainville had the courage to fend 

 on board one of his fons, Hyacinth, born on the 26th of. 

 December 1781, who is beginning, in an honourable man- 

 ner, to tread in the Heps of his illuftrious father. We ex- 

 peded that Maingon and Quenot, well known as aftrono- 

 mers, would have had a (liare in the expedition; but the 

 former was prevented by indifpofition, and the latter would 

 not depart without him. 



The naturalifts fay, that the flax of New Zealand will bq 

 fufficient to indemnify the (late for the expenfe of this expe- 

 dition; and the aftronomers will find themfelves fufficlently 

 rewarded by fonie pofitions to the fouth of New Holland and 

 on the coafls of Africa. But a voyage of two or three years 

 cannot fall to furnifli fcience with a number of new fa6ls. 



A mod fingular meteorological phoenomenon is the hurri- 

 cane of the 9th of November, which ravaged the whole coun- 

 try from Brittany to Holland, and from Burgundy to Eng- 

 land ; it deftroyed a great number of veflels in the Channel, 

 but our navigators had got out of it long before that time. 



The lofs I fuftalned in C. Bernier has been repaired by 

 Michael Chabrol, born at Rrom on the i8th of November 

 1777. I^^ ^^^ month of May he came to Paris to reinforce 

 aftronomy, which had need of his afliftance. He has al- 

 ready calculated a great many eclipfes, portions of ftars, and 

 the longitudes, latitudes, and angles of pofition, of 600 of the 

 principal Itars, which form the fundamental catalogue in- 

 fcrted in the Connoiffance des Temps^ and which Le Fran^ois- 

 Lalande has further Improved by obferving the right afcenfion 

 and declination of thofe which before were not fully known. 



Confidering the fcarcity of aftronomers, we ought to ap- 

 plaud Lancelin, profelFor at Breft, who propagates nautical 

 aftronomy with wonderful zeal : he has formed pupils, who 

 will be of the utmoft utility to us when our marine ftiall 

 have acquired that a<Sllvlty which the French government 

 intends, and is preparing, to give it, 



C. Henri has left Peterfburgh to return to F/ance. The 

 decree in favour of the French emigrants exiled from their 

 country will procure us the return of this able aftronomer. 



.Slop, a celebrated aftronomer of Plfa, has been arrefted in 

 P 2 ■ confequence* 



