History of Astronomy for the Year 1803. 209 



air. His dyspepsia had existed two years :-t-" From the 

 first day inhahng the vital air, found every thing stay on 

 my stomach: before I vomited every thing up; before, ani- 

 mal food took such an effect upon me, that I was obliged 

 to leave the room where any joint was ; now I eat every 

 thing with an appetite, and, after returning from inhaling 

 the vital air, am disposed to devour even the victuals in the 

 street." — This patient has left off" the vital air, as consider- 

 ing himself cured. 



I have the honour to remain, yours, &c. 



Robert John Thornton. 



XXXVII. History of Astro fwnii/ for the Year 1803. Real 

 at the College de France by Jeuomk de Lalande*. 



-L HIS year will not appear so remarkable as the two pre- 

 ceding ones, in which new planets and comets were disco- 

 vered; but it presents a series of important labours under- 

 taken for the improvement of the science, either terminated 

 or bea:un. 



INI. Piazzi has published at Palermo a very valuable work ; 

 a catalogue of ncarlv 7000 stars, each observed several times 

 with excellent instruments calculated and reduced to the 

 vear 1800. It was at the College de France that the author, 

 fifteen vears ago, made preparations for this immense la- 

 bour. We have received the catalogue of 500 stars by 

 AI. Cagnoli, with their right ascensions and declinations, 

 which are very correct : on this work he has been emploved 

 twenty years. 



Lalande my nephew, with his new aids and an iamiense 

 number of his own observations, has entirely reconstructed 

 the catalogue of 600 new stars, which for many years he 

 has inserted in the Connoissance des Temps, and \\hich 

 serves as a foundation for the calculations of the greater 

 part of our astronomers. 



As the stars are the foundation of all our astronomical 

 determinations, Dr. Maskelvne has carefully revised the 

 thirty-four stars which he announced as having the utmost 

 degree of precision, and which we have all employed, as 

 being entitled to full confidence : he found in them an error 

 of4^ 



The interruption of our correspondence with England 

 during the war has induced me to undertake a very consi- 

 derable labour. 



* From the Mapazin EnijchJ'tUlique, no. 15, Nivosc, an 12. 



Vol. XVIII. No.' 71. O I have 



