373 



iv. Vindication of the Connaissance des Terns, for 1812. 



It appears from an Article in the Annales de Chimie for 

 April, that the error of the Table of Corrections of the places 

 of the stars, in the Connaissance des Terns for 1812, consists 

 only in the omission of the character at the head of the 

 second column. This omission had led two astronomers of 

 considerable reputation in London to point out the whole table 

 to the Editor of these Collections as erroneous ; and he is 

 obliged to confess, that although he suspected tlie nature of 

 the error, he had not the sagacity to discover how simply it 

 might be reinedied, as perhaps he ought to have done. 



He had himself been put to great trouble and inconvenience 

 for want of the errata page of the Connaissance des Terns for 

 1823, having received the volume without it : and he thought it 

 due to the Editors to endeavour to supply the deficiency of their 

 Booksellers or their Binders : never imagining that they could 

 have supposed him so mean spirited, as to mention the circum- 

 stance from jealousy or ill nature, or that they could have attri- 

 . buted to him the silly vanity of seeking to claim reputation from 

 having been the humble instrument of correcting a few errors of 

 the press. That he was not deficient in sincere respect for the 

 author of the table, or in gratitude for the labours of the French 

 Astronomers, is sufficiently demonstrated by his remarks subjoined 

 to the Lunar Observations computed and compared : and the 

 many marks of friendship and kindness, which he has received 

 from the Editors of the Annales de Chimie, have rendered it im- 

 possible that he should voluntarily have made any observations, 

 that he could have supposed likely to wound their feelings un- 

 necessarily. He might indeed have fancied, that he had some 

 little reason to complain, that no acknowledgment was made, in 

 the errata page in question, of the source from which it had been 

 derived : and still more that no return had been made for the com- 

 munication, by a private indication of a similar nature. He has 

 now, however, for the first time, to acknowledge a favour of 

 this kind, in a public denunciation of no less than " 60 errors'' 

 at once; to which he must himself add, extempore, 180 

 Vol. XI. 2 C 



