EXPLANATION OF THE PLATES. XXXV 



Certaih celebrated Academicians have, h is true, laid it 

 down as a fundamental principle, that the Earth was flat- 

 tened at the Poles. Hear what the Academician, whom 

 I laft quoted, fays on this fubjed. He had been employed, 

 with fome others, to meafure a degree of the Meridian, 

 near the Equator, which they found to contain 56,748 fa- 

 thoms : *' But," continues he, " what is well worthy of 

 ** attention, the terreftrial degrees have not been found of 

 ^* the fame length, in otlier regions, where fimilar operations 

 *' have been performed, and the différence is too great to 

 *' be afcribed to the unavoidable errors in obfervation. The 

 *' degree upon the polar Circle is found to be 57,422 fa- 

 " thoms. Accordingly, it follows, beyond contradidtion, 

 ** that the Earth is not perfectly round, and that it muft be 

 *' higher toward the Equator, than toward the Poles, con- 

 ** formably to what other experiments indicate, which it Is 

 ** not neceffary here to detail. The curving of the Earth 

 ** is more fudden toward the Equato?- in the dire6lion of 

 *' North and South, as the degrees are fmaller there : and 

 *' the Earth, on the contrary, is flatter toward the Poles, 

 *' becaufe there the degrees are greater." Bonguers Ti'ea-^ 

 tife on Navlgatioiiy book ii. chap. 14. art. 29. 



I deduce, without hefitation, a conclufion diametricalh' 

 oppofite, from the obfervations of thefe Academicians, I 

 conclude that the Earth is lengthened out at the Poles, prc- 

 cifely for this reafon, that the degrees of the Meridian are 

 greater there than under the Equator. Here is my demon- 

 llration. If you place a degree of the Meridian, at ths 

 polar Circle, over a degree of the fame Meridian at tlie 

 Equator, the firft degree, which is 57,422 fathoms, would 

 exceed the fécond, which contains only 56,748 fathoms, 

 by 674 fathoms, conformably to the operations of the 

 c ^ Academicians 



