178 HiJIory of Jjlronomy for t]?e Year i8c3. 



Coimbni, from which it appears that it is pretty well fui- 

 nifhed with inltruments : a lector ot 10 feet, a 5-feet meridian 

 telclcopc, a 3 '-feet quadrant divided bv Trou'Tlitmi of London. 



We have received the Aftrononiical Eplienierides offalh'T 

 ColVali, oF Parma : they are not deliined For ailronoiners Inch 

 as thole ot Berlin, Vienna, JNIilan, Bologna, and Paris; but 

 the author has added a very minute hilh)rv ot" the two new 

 planets, and he Follows tny example in giving iheni the names 

 ol Piazzi and Others; he alio employs that oF Herlchel, as a 

 mark ot liomage due to them bv altrononiers. 



On the 22d oF June 1802, M. Van Swinden fent us a 

 Dutch memoir on the new nseafures, which engaged him a 

 long time ; and he has obtained a decree for eltablilhing the 

 new meiilures in the Batavian republic. 



Mr. xMackay has publilhed a curious work, in England, on 

 the longitude, 



M. Van Swinden has fent us the fourth edition of his Dif- 

 fertation, in Dutch, on the Determination of tiie Longitude 

 by the Obfervation of the Moon's Diltancc from the Stars; 

 with a dillcrtalion, which he publiflied in 1788 conjointly 

 with IVL Nieuwhuid, on the Ule oF Sextants and Oftan'ts. Ik 

 propoles to iniblilh alfo a memoir on reflecting circles, which 

 he vvidies to introduce into the Dutch navy ; and alfo on ma- 

 rine time-keepers. So early as the year 1774 I went to Hol- 

 land to lolicit the introduction of allronomv into navigation, 

 and obtained a promife for that purpofe from the ttadtholder 

 and the grand pentionary. My Allronomv was even tranf- 

 lated into Dutch : but this circumllance was attended with 

 little advant.ige at that time, uolu ithftanding the need which 

 navigators had of it. At prelent, fmce the navy relumes new 

 aiStivity in the Batuvian republic, and that the learned pro- 

 feflbr enjoys there a well merited influence, we have reafon 

 to believe that aftronomy will be employed there in an cfl'ec- 

 lual manner. 



AL Van Swinden explains in this work all the methods, by 

 calculation, by graphic operations, and by inllruments; the 

 corrections made bv Mr. Mackay to ttie methods of Borda 

 and Dunthv)rn ; thole of ivraft and of Douwes de Steinltra. 

 He has added a collection of fuch tables as are neccflary in 

 navigation. 



AL Mendoza has already puliliihed two large coUec'^ions of 

 tables tor navigation : he has added a new method oFdeter- 

 niining the l.uitudc by iv(> altitudes taken out of the meri- 

 dian, the calculation of which is lliorter than the firlt ajjpro.v- 

 jmation, which is only the commencement of the method of 

 Douwes. 



t 



