746 ANNUALREGISTER, 1805. 



memoir was returned with much 

 commendation, and very few mathe- 

 maticians, assuredly, would have 

 felt themselves lowered in yielding 

 the premium to the great Euler. 

 But Boscovich was piqued at what 

 he conceived to be an unfair decisi- 

 on, and would never afterwards 

 engage in any public competition. 



A philosopher, residing in Rome, 

 amidst the venerable remains of an. 

 cient splendour, was powerfully 

 drawn to examine these monuments. 

 Boscovich wrote several disserta- 

 tions on the subject of antiquities, 

 two of which were printed, and the 

 rest circulated in manuscript. His 

 zeal, activity, and fondness of ap- 

 plause, rendered him at all tim.cs ac- 

 cessible, and in a multitude of cases, 

 his advice was ardently sought by 

 individuals. Benedict XIV. a great 

 patron of learned men, and his en. 

 lightened minister, cardinal Valenti, 

 consulted him on various objects of 

 public oeconomy, the clearing of 

 harbours, and the constructing of 

 roads and canals. On one occasion 

 he was joined in a commission with 

 other mathematicians and architects, 

 invited from difl'ei ent parts of Italy, 

 to inspect the cupola of St. Peter's, 

 jn w Iiicli a crack had been discover, 

 id. They were divided in opinion, 

 but the sentiments of Boscovich, 

 and of the marquis Poleni, prevailed. 

 In stating, however, the result of 

 the consultation, which was to ap- 

 ply a circle of iron round the build- 

 ing, Poleni forgot to refer the idea 

 to its real author, and this omission 

 greatly oiiended the Ragusan geo- 

 meter. Other incidents had occur, 

 red tffl mortify his pride : he became 

 at last disgusted with his situation, 

 ^nd only looked for a convenient 

 opportunity of quitting Rome. 

 ^Vlule in tliis temper of mind, ai; 



application was made by the coHrt 

 of Portugal to the general of Jesuits, 

 for ten mathematicians of the society 

 to go out to Brazil, for the purpose 

 of surveying that settlement, and 

 ascertaining the boundaries which 

 divide it from the Spanish dominions 

 in America. Wishing to combine 

 with that object the mensuration of 

 a degree of latitude, Boscovich of« 

 fered to embark in the expedition, 

 and his proposition was readily ac- 

 cepted. But cardinal Valenti, un- 

 willing to forego the lustre rellectecl 

 by a man of such distinguished abi- 

 lities, commanded him, in the name 

 of the Pope, to dismiss the project, 

 and persuaded him to undertake the 

 same service at home in the papal 

 territory. In this fatiguing, and 

 often perilous operation, he was as- 

 sisted by the English Jesuit, Mayer, 

 an excellent mathematician, and was 

 amply provided with the requisite 

 instruments and attendants. They 

 began the work about the close of 

 the year 17.50, in the neighbourhood 

 of Rome, and extended the meridi- 

 an line northwards across the chain 

 of Appenines asfar as Rimini. Two, 

 whole years were spent in completing 

 tiie various measurements, which 

 were performed with the most scru- 

 pulous accuracy. In the intervals, 

 while this great work was carrying 

 on, the active disposition of Bo,sco- 

 vich sougiit amusement and occupa- 

 tion in other pursuits. At night he 

 was busy in drawing out his elements 

 of conic sections ; and in the morn, 

 ings and evenings, during his excur, , 

 sions to and from the remote sta- 

 tions among the mountains, he com^ 

 posed on horseback the greater part 

 of his elegant latin poem on eclipses. 

 This singular fact reminds us of 

 what is reported of the late Dr. Dar- 

 win, who is said to have framed, in 



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