210 Hijiory of Jfrrononiy for the Year 180I. 



pils ; and this circumftance makes me regret that I have not 

 a greater nun.ber. 



G-eneral Jourdan gives me reafon to hope that the obferva- 

 .tory of Turin will be put in a proper ftate ; and C. Vaffalli, 

 prefident of the academy, affords me hopes alfo. 



The minider of the marine has given orders that new ob- 

 fervations ihail be made at Breft on the tides, according to 

 mv requert, in order to complete my Trait- iii Flux et dit 

 Keflvx de la Mer, which I wrote to confirm the excellent 

 theory of Laplace in his Mcchariique Cclejlc, and to afccr- 

 tain what influence the wind has on the tides. 



We requefted the firft conful to procure us from Spain 

 two thoufand pounds weight of platina, to conftruft a tele- 

 fcope of 36 feet; and we have reafon to hope for it. Our 

 telefcope will, perhaps, furpafs that of Herfchel. 



The obfervatory o\ Paris has acquired C. Agouff'ene. The 

 minifter of the interior, C. Chaptal, has agreed that the 

 Board of Longitude may increafe its expenfes for this new 

 aflidant; and I have obtained C. Giroult, whofe youth and 

 afliduity give me new aid, and leave me no other regret 

 than that of not being able to procure a greater number. 



In my Hiftory of Aftronomy for i8co, I mentioned the 

 fofs which aftronomy had fu(tained on the 5th of November 

 that year by the death of Ramfden : to him we have been 

 indebted, during the courfe of twenty years, for the beft and 

 largeft inftruments, the moft perfeft telefcopes, and the moft 

 ingenious ideas, Troughton, at prefent, is the moft cele- 

 brated artift in England, and is preparing to indemnify us 

 for this lofs. He has already made excellent inftruments 5 

 and C. Pidlet, of Geneva, lately brought us fome of them. 



On the loth of Februarv wc loft C. St. Jacques de Sylva- 

 belle, direftor of the obfervatory of Marfeilles, who diftin- 

 guiflied hinifelf by theoretical relearches in 1753, as may be 

 fcen in the Philofophical Tranfaftions, and then by ufefi;! 

 obfervatic lis : he was 79 years of age, and was ftill ufefully 

 employed. His eulogy will appear in the journal of the Ly- 

 caeum of his department. 



He has been fucceeded by Thulis, who has long been af- 

 fiftant djrcdor of the obfervatorv. The latter made profclytes 

 and pupils C. Planpain and C. Dcgrand; but they have both 

 left us, to the great lofs of aftronomy. 



In the month of December 1800, Mattcucci died at Bo- 

 logna : to him we are indebted for the laft volumes of the 

 Ephcmerides of Bologna, which go as far as 1810. He has 

 been kicceeded by C. Cicc'olini and Guelielmini, who prq- 

 mife new activity in the obfervatory, wliich Manfredi, Za- 

 6 notti. 



