396 Account of the Cassinis. 



of difforcncos between Feriara and return ; and 

 Holoj^na, relative to llio course of the 

 Po; (his was hy desire of Pope Alex- 

 ander VII. who was himself al variance 

 with ti)e Grand Duke of Tuscany, con- 

 cerning the waters of the Cliiana. This 

 liusiness was also entrusted to Cassini, 

 as tli(! most eminent liydropjrapjier of his 

 coinilry, ids merits being of a nature not 

 to be long nnoliserved. He was, suc- 

 cessively, snperiiitcudaut of the wsters 

 of Bologna, and of the whole ecclesi- 

 astical state, of the fortifications of 

 Urbino, and surveyor of the fortress of 

 Perusa, &c. He also collected much 

 curious and important matter, in a num- 

 lior of observations on insects; tliesc 

 were printed in (he works of Aldro- 

 vandus. Labours so very learned and 

 considerable should not be forgotten, 

 and they may be selected as marking the 

 early career of Cassini. 



His meridian of St. Petrona justly 

 demanded the respect and admiration of 

 scientific men; and Queen Chrisiinu, 

 just arrived in Italy, took all opportuni- 

 ties of noticing him, and showing lier 

 regard for bis chiiracter. His reputa- 

 tion, which might now be said to have 

 become £uro])ean, suggested to C(d- 

 bert, minister <if Louis XIV. the pro- 

 priety of inviting and receiving him 

 into their society. 



Colbert, who, by order of the king, 

 bad formed the Academy of Sciences in 

 1666, was anxious to have Cassini as a 

 corresponding member. But soon alter, 

 not content with this, he employed 

 Count Graziani, niir.i.stcr and secretary 

 of state to the Duke of Modena, to in- 

 vite him infoFiaiice, where he should 

 receive a ;iension, and such tlistinctions 

 as bis talents and honourable notoiiely 

 gave him a cL-dm to. 



Cassini's answer purported, that he 

 could not dispose of liiniself, nor accept 

 of the honour intended him by the king, 

 •without the pope's consent. Applica- 

 tion was then made to Pope Clement 

 IX. and to the senate of Bologna, by M. 

 the Abbe de Bourlemont, Auditor of 

 the Rota; but the reqrest was limite<l 

 for a term of years, as, v, ilhout sncli a 

 restriction, the negociation was looked 

 upon as hopeless. 



it is certain, however, ti;at, in 1G69, 

 this genuine and exalted genius quilted 

 Italy, to enlighten and adorn the sci- 

 ences of France ; just as Sosigenes, a 

 famous astronomer of Egypt, bad been 

 invited to Rome by Julius Ca?sar. The 

 king received him as one qualified to 

 make a brilliant part in the history of 

 the coinitry. Cassini's intention was to 



[June 1, 



the pope and city of 

 Bologna, who had preserved for him the 

 profits of liis employments, (le(nande(l 

 (!iis, with importunity; but Colbert, no 

 less eager in opposing it, was at last 

 successful. In 1073, Cassini received 

 letters of naturalization; and, in the 

 same year, he married Genevieve 

 Delaitre, daughter of M. Delaitre, 

 Lieut, -Gen. of Clermont, inBeau\oisis. 

 1'he king, expressing his approbation 

 of this matrimonial connexion, told him, 

 it was will) extreme satisfaction he saw 

 him married, as be would now become 

 a Frenchman in perpetuity. 



In 1695. iM. Cassini returned for a 

 time into Italy. He had refused very 

 pressing and advantageous oilers from 

 the Queen of Sweden, to recall him 

 thither, and no doubts were entertained 

 of bis fidelitj' to his adopted coinitry. 

 In visiting his Meridian of Petrona, be 

 repaired the injuries which it had sus- 

 tained, and (iiis work became a monu- 

 ment which he left to I'aly. 



But previous to tliis, in 1G70, Picard, 

 a member of the Academy of Sciences, 

 had determined tin; hingth of a degree 

 of the meridian, fioin Soardon, near 

 Amiens, (o Malvoisine, near E'ampes. 

 This measure being too small anil in- 

 compe(cn( (o serve as a rule for all the 

 other degrees not measured, whieii 

 Would be unequal, if the earth was not 

 perfectly spherical, a resolution was 

 taken to continue the meridian across 

 France, to the north as far as tiie Clian- 

 nel, and to the south as far as (he P3re- 

 nees ; that is, froin Dunkirk to Canigon, 

 near Perpignan. 'i'his operation com- 

 menced by order of the king, and Cas- 

 sini was charged witii the execution of 

 it ; for assistants, he had Jacques Cas- 

 sini, bis son, and Lahire. 



The meridian was so far determined, 

 but a perpendicular was wanting; 

 Jacques Cassini traced it from Paris, 

 westerly, as far as St. Malo, but this was 

 not till 1733; in 1734 be extended it, 

 easterly, to the Rhine, near Strashurgh. 



A beautiful marble statue has been 

 erected to the memory of the first Cas- 

 sini ; it is placed in tlie ball of the 

 Observatory. It «as due (o his obser- 

 vations, his astronomical discoveries, 

 his numerous works, &c. A detailed 

 account of these, and of tiie labours of 

 Jacques, his son, would occupy a ccm- 

 sidcrable space in a history of the 

 sciences. 



Colbert had demanded of the Aca- 

 demy of Seicnecs a Geometrical De- 

 scription of l''rance. This has been 

 completed by degrees. Cwsar Frangois 

 Cassini 



