ITistory of Astronomij fur tJie Year 1803. 213 



t3ic 6th of September M. Bouvard observed the moon : he 

 observed the equiuox ; and these operations will not be in- 

 terrupted. 



The minister has purchased a dividins; machine for 1 2,000 

 francs, made by Samuel Rche : it is 43 inches, and was 

 bought by M. Andreossi after the death of that artist. It 

 has the same form as that of Kamsden, the description of 

 whicli I translated : it will probably be of use to our artists. 



The Jarge telescope of Caroche, which is 22 feet, and 

 equal to that of Herschel of the same length, has hitherto 

 been useless, because it wanted a stand to support it, and 

 a terrace to be placed on. M, Tremel, an able mechanist 

 who made the stand, died on the 13th of February, before 

 he could finish it. Caroche had a terrible fall in attempting 

 to use it; so thatj notwithstanding the great expense we 

 ha\-e been at, our enjoyment is still retarded!. 



M. de Narcv has made prisms of rock crvstal placed over 

 each other in such a manner, that the diameters of the sun 

 and moon can be measured bv the double refraction of 

 Kochon ; father Boseovich made use of it to measure small 

 angles. 



M. Lenoir has made a circle of 20 inches for M. Piazzl 

 of Palermo, who proposes to measure a degree; he has 

 added to it a powerful telescope. 



Gov^ernraent, by a decree of Vendcmiaire 1st, determined 

 that the standards of the metre and of the kilogramme, and 

 of all the rules which have served for the difi'erent measures 

 of the earth b\' the French astronomers, shall be deposited 

 at the national observatory, under the inspection of the 

 Board ot Longitude 



Tl"ie minister Chaptal has given a gratuity to M. Flau- 

 guergues, whose zeal for astronomy is still luaintaiued at 

 V'iviers in an exemplary manner. 



The minister, at my solicitation, caused also to be pur- 

 cliased, and deposited at the observatory, in the month 

 ■of August, the observations of JVL Lemonnier, which I 

 have not had an opportunity of seeing. They consist of 

 fourteen large volumes: the observations, which terminate 

 at the aoth of October 1791, have been printed up to the 

 fith of .June 1715 : but it is only siucc the Sth of April 17i5 

 that they were made with the mural of ll feet. As those 

 of Bradiev are printed only for 1 750 — 1755, and as those of 

 Dr. Maskelyne do not begin till the month of May 1765, 

 there is a gap of nearlv ten years j to supply which we have 

 Tfccourse to the observations of M. Lemonnier, though not 

 O 3 S.J 



