Hi/lory of AJironomy for the Year 1799. ^^ 



to return to his ancient liabitation, which is more convenient 

 tor fearching out comets. 



To render this fearch more fuccefsRil, I have propofed to 

 mount a Newtonian telefcope in fuch a manner as to be 

 moveable around the cve-glafs, by means of a handle, 

 without changing the place of the eye. M. Von Zach has 

 caufed this machine to be engraved, and I hope that, at a 

 more favourable period, it will be executed, and be the means 

 of difcovering new comets. If, in the courfe of forty-three 

 years, the fame number has been difcovered by fearching for 

 them with plain teicfcopes without any lupport, how many 

 ought we not to find by the method I propofe, which will 

 not fuffer the leaft portion of the heavens to efcape obferva- 

 tion r 



C. PiAet, the celebrated profeiTor of natural philofophy at 

 Geneva, and director of the obfervatory, has fent us the draw'- 

 nigof an Englilh telefcope, which, with a hinge and fmall arch 

 of copper, becomes paralla6lic, and proper for following the 

 ftars, and for making the greater part of aftronomical obferv- 

 ations. I hope opticians, who make {lands for telefcopes, 

 will take advantage of this hint, fince mere amateurs, with an 

 achromatic telefcope, will thus be enabled, without farther 

 expence, to find out and to follow ftars in the open day, 

 and to fearch for comets, of which we at prefent Hand in 

 need. 



The great work on the ftars, which I began in 1789, has 

 been carried by C. Lefranqais to nearly 50,000, notwith- 

 ftar.ding the unfavourableneis of the feafons, which has ren- 

 dered this year one of the moft difagreeable and unfruitful 

 fcen at Paris. Thcfe ftars have been already printed in my 

 H'lJhAre Cehjlc, the firft volume of which, as well as my 

 Bibiiographie AJironomlqne, will appear as foon as the ftate 

 of the finances will admit of funds being applied to the 

 printing-houfe of the Republic. C. Burckhardt has continued 

 to make, with C. Lefrancais, a great number of important 

 obfervations on the planets and ftars; for, as there are two 

 excellent inftruments at the Maifon du Champ dc Mars, 

 thefc arc fufficient to employ thofe two able aflronomcrs. 



Madam Lefranijais has made for the Connoijfance des 

 Vol. \'I, F Tcms 



