Frctich National InJI'itute. 281 



leave to fpeak, addreflcd the Inftitutc as follows : — " Citizens 

 colleagues, the Royal Society of London decrees every year 

 a pri/^e, founded by Copley, to the perfon who has written 

 the molt important work in reijard to the fciences. 



" I re(]uelt perniifliou from the Inltitute to place in the 

 ISIont de I'iete jo,ooo francs, the intereft of which (hall be 

 employed for givino; a gold medal, or the value of it, every 

 year to the perfon who ihall have made the nioft curious ob- 

 fervation or written the mofl: ufeful memoir relating to aliro- 

 nomy in France or elfewhere, whether belonging to the In- 

 flitute or not, according to a report of comnnUioners whom 

 the Inditute ihall choolb from the fe6lion of ailronomy or the 

 analogous feftions. 



" Failing an obfervation or memoir fufficiently remarkable, 

 the commiffion (hall have the right of decreeing the medal, 

 as an encouragement, to any pupil who fliall have givea 

 proofs of his zeal for aftronomy. They may alfo referve it 

 to be doubled the next year. 



" If the Inditute, before it accepts this foundation, thinks 

 it has need of the pernii(l:ion of government, I beg it may 

 rc.|ueft it. I (liall be indebted to it for being able to redore 

 to adrononiy a part of what I have received, and of what I 

 have been hitherto able to make." 



The Inditute received this propofal with great fatisfiiSlion, 

 and decreed that commlflioners (liould be nominated from 

 the three claffes to fee it carried into execution. 



We may here add, that there is at the fecretary's office 

 of the Inditute a will, dated February ^^, 1768, bv which 

 C. Lalande be(|ueathed to the Academy of Sciences the whole 

 of his property tor the purpofe of giving annual rewards for 

 the imjjrovemcnt of altronomy ; but at that time there was 

 no adr'Miomer in his family. 



In the public fitting of Germinal 15, (April 5lh,) C. La- 

 lande read a memoir on the ninth jjlanet. 



C. Toulongeon, a memoir on the edabiidiment and found- 

 ation of new colonies. 



C. Cham|)agne, an account of the life and writings of 

 C. Creuzti Li louche. 



C. Mongez, a memoir on the agricultural implements of 

 the antienls, and particularly their ploughs. 



C Cuvicr, an account of the life and works of C. Darcet. 



The following prize fubje(-'T:s have been propofed by the 

 Inditute : 



jfl, yliicicn/ Languages. — A critical examination of tiic 

 C/reck and Latin authors who have written on Lgvpt dncc 

 ihc curlicll ages to the time of the crufades. 



The 



