ITijhry of AJlranomy fcr \'^Cf^. 33 



XHonnoi/Jances des Temps, and the fccond edition of my 

 Aftronomy. He publillicd feveral memoirs in the Con- 

 ■noiffanccs des Temps; and a few days before his death he 

 delivered to me tables for calculating the phafes of the moon, 

 better than thofe which are in Boaguer's and La Caille's 

 Elements of Navigation. They are in the Conno'ijfanccs des 

 Temps for 1801. He was exceedingly poor v/hen he was 

 appointed admimjlrateur general des pojles on account of 

 the elleem which Reveilliere-Lepaux, the direfhor, had for 

 his merit. His new appointment did not prevent him 

 from applying to aftronomy : talents rarely conduft to for- 

 tune ; this only happens when power is united with know- 

 ledge. 



Alexis John Peter Pauclon died on the 15th of June, He 

 was born on the loth of February 1732, near Luffan, and 

 is known by his Metrolog y, an immcnfe colle6lion of the 

 meafures of all countries, which appeared in 1780. I pro- 

 pofed that labour, and furniflied him with the greater part 

 of the foreign meafures ; but he added many refearches, dif- 

 fertations, and calculations rcfpecling the ancient meafures, 

 population and agricultvne. He employed himfelf on other 

 parts of the mathematics, fuch as the Screw of Archimedes. 

 In the year 1781 he publiHied a Theory of the Laws of 

 Nature, in which he refuted Newton and NoUet, and efta- 

 blidicd a new geometrical foot of 1235. lines. In that work 

 h;- fpoke of the pyramids of Egypt, &:c. He was fo fully 

 pcrfuaded of the importance of his difcoveries, that he af- 

 fumcd this motto : E puteo Veritas. In the laft place, he 

 was employed in reducing into decimal meafures the im- 

 menfe number of foreign meafures, when the economy of 

 government fupprefTed his falary, and plunged him into 

 wrctchednefs and defpair, which terminated in his death. 

 The Inftitute is juft now foliciting government to grant 

 fome relief to his widow and children, 



Beauchamp wrote tome, from Aries, that he had led his 

 Vol,. I\'. D brother. 



