2^8 French l^ational hijl'ilule. 



the evening, when the planet wasilifenoaged from the vapours 

 of the horizon, I obfervcd it with a paialla&ic inltruuicnt, 

 and followed it for fix liours without interruption to aflure 

 m\ft!f of its motion. By a great deal of attention I was able 

 to fee it on the meridian, where I miffed it the preceding even- 

 ing in confcquence of foreign circumftances. After that pe- 

 riod we followed it clofely, and always obferved it when the 

 weather would admit; that is to fay, about five limes in 

 thirteen davs ; for from the 25th of January to the 3111 of 

 March, I could fee it only twentv-fix times on the meridian. 

 It now pafles a few minutes before the Georgium Sidus ; and 

 this proximity fuciiilates a comparifon of the two planets 

 with which alironomy has been enriched in our time. That 

 of Herfchcl appears as a beautiful ftar of the fifth or fixth 

 magnitude, and niay he eafiiy diftinguiflicd by the naked eye. 

 That of Piazzi efcapes the beft eye, even when it attempts to 

 find it in the place indicated by the telefcope, in which it has 

 been obferved. It is indeed only of the feventh magnitude: 

 owing, however, to an union of circuuillances in this leafon, 

 it appears in all its fplendour ; for it is at its nearefi: didance 

 to the earth, and at a fmal! diftance Irom its perihelion. It 

 was much lefs brilHant when found : it can never now be lofl. 



C. Flaguergues, aflbciate, has fcnt us obfervations he made 

 at Viviers. Among thcfe is a new determination of the la- 

 titude of that place, vvhich he has found to be 18" further 

 north than marked in the Corinoiljance des Terns; alfo, ob- 

 fervations of feveral fpots, and particularly two which have 

 reappeared at the famfe place after one or two revolutions of 

 the fun around his axis. 



C. Laplace has communicated to the-clafs hi.^ labours for 

 improving the theory of the moon, tie has announced that, 

 intiead of one equation of a long period, of which there was 

 ibme reafon to fuppofe the exigence, he has difcovcrcd two. 

 This complication rendered the labour more difficult. Be- 

 lides, thefe analytical calculations are fo em bar ruffing, and 

 depend on fubftitutions ky delicate, that it is proper to call in 

 the aid of obfefvation to fix the prccifc value. But as the pe- 

 riod of ihcfe new equations is more than iSo vears, we cannot 

 flatter ourfelves with the hope of knowing both with com- 

 plete accuracy until one or more periods have been obferved. 



FiXperimenls 'which prove thiit all bodies^ of ivhaiever na~ 

 iiire, are fuhjeB to the magnetic injiiience, by C. Coulomb. 

 The new experiments undertaken by Coulomb, and which 

 he repeated before the Inilitutc, induce us to believe that the 

 aftlon of inagnelifm extends throughout all nature, fince of 

 ;ill the bodies hitherto tried none of ihcm has efcapcd the in- 

 fluence 



