1824.] ( 
145) 
~ PROCEEDINGS OF PUBLIC SOCIETIES. 
ACADEMY OF LAUSANNE. 
Mownarp, Evangelical Minis- 
-@ ter and Professor of French 
Literature, in a discourse pronounced 
November 10th 1823, thus. points, out 
the difference of general. character re- 
sulting from the baneful influence of 
despotism,.and. the, principles. of free- 
dom, considered as, the source of. that 
superiority which a government con- 
ducted om them exemplifies. What a 
comparison may be drawn between two 
civilized nations, attached by proximity 
of situation, but exhibiting so great a 
disproportion between the internal con- 
ditions of the people, that by minds not 
well stored and cultivated with political 
philosophy, it might be accounted an 
extraordinary, phenomenon. On:the op- 
posite banks of the Leman Lake, Switz- 
erland and Sayoy, multiplied causes 
unite to accelerate the dissimilarity in 
an extreme degree. In the latter na- 
tion, how much to be deplored is the 
scourge of ignorance, which has con- 
stantly had a, devastating influence on 
society, contributing to exterminate 
such alterations and. improvements. as 
would diffuse beneficial effects! Expe- 
rience proves that. absolute power is 
mostly indifferent te human woes. ._ The 
miseries of a constrained policy, in Sa- 
voy, are well,described in its history 
and present. state, though the inhabi- 
tants, on all occasions, evidence the 
merit of performing their duties. Tra- 
vellers of the, most common and un- 
thinking class,may feel and judge from 
the curious impressions, a first bird’s 
eye sketch’ of ‘the opposite countries 
will hold out... But the man of sense 
and reflection will see, at once, that 
though Switzerland has. undergone, ma- 
terial changes, from having been in pos- 
session of the Revolutionary, French, 
and other strangers, that liberty still has 
a pretty extensive ‘circulation, and that 
it contains a collection of excellent: and 
ardent patriots, “of enlightened and 
meritorious, citizens. Dull, or rather 
tiresome and disagreeable are the daily 
intrusions with which the miserable and 
needy plague the adventurous sojourner 
in Savoy. In our humble but quiet 
retreat we are. not disturbed by a mass 
of imposture, wants and lamentations, 
Here the .corporeal and, intellectual 
faculties may find the time necessary for 
business, and. spare leisure for recrear 
tion, or reviving amusements requisite 
Monruty Mac. No. 400, 
to the purposes.of innocent. pleasure. 
In Savoy, the inhabitants are indisposed 
and enervated,..depressed and . often 
wretched, without hopes of, being bless- 
ed with» consolation... Theignorant 
despise the worth..of knowledge, . as 
having. none. themselves, . At Geneva, 
Lausanne, and the road to Bern, strewed 
with roses. ' 
INSTITUTE Of FRANCE... 
_ The first project of the great. work, 
the Geodesic. Operations; in France, was 
conceived, in the depot-général of war, 
or war-office; the ultimate object bemg 
to construct a comprehensive chart of 
the kingdom. »The advantages of such 
a measure, carefully executed, had been 
fully shewn to ministers by the author 
of ‘ La Mécanique céleste,’ inthe Cham- 
ber of Peers, during the session of 1816, 
The basis and mode of execution of 
this new chart were agreed on, by a 
special commission, created by a royal 
ordonnance of June 11, 1817... M.de la 
Place was at the head of this commis- 
sion, which consisted of members be- 
longing to the departments, or officers 
of the interior; of war, of the marine, 
and of the. finances.” In 1818, they 
were to proceed to the measurement of 
several principal chains of. triangles, 
formed in the direction of the meridian, 
and of the perpendiculars to that direc- 
tion, and thus lay downa rough draught 
of that immense net-work which was to 
be spread over Franee, and to connect 
with the meridian measured by Da- 
lambre and. Mechain. : 
It.is intended to. procure a trigono- 
metrical level of a number of remark- 
able points on thé surface, also to cal- 
“culate..their elevation above the sea, 
.and to mark out their position by limits. 
Assisted by these labours, different pub- 
lic services, whether connected with the 
departments, or undertaken by private 
associations, will have reddy. before 
hand, fixed for the bases for the con- 
struetion of any plans hereafter to be 
decidedon. ~ 
The astronomical observations are 
made with, mstruments of the largest 
dimensions. No other office but. the 
dépot of war was in possession of such 
a collection, so complete for all geode- 
sical purposes. The circles and theo- 
dolites have been finished by the most 
skilful artists. . aeieataall 
This geometrical. description, of ‘the 
U kingdom, 
