54 tiijhrj of JJlron07)tj for the Year 1 799. 



Tetns of the year 10, which has jufl appeared, and that Ot 

 the year 11, now printing, catalogues of 3000 iiars reduced 

 and calculated : flie has therefore given us in the whole 

 10,000. But C. Burckhardt has made tables of a new form, 

 which will enable him to calculate with eafe the whole 

 of the 50,000 liars which have been obferved. 



The obliquity of the ecliptic being one of the fundamental 

 objects of altronomy, we have continued to obferve it at the 

 two folfticcs of this year. We found it in the month of June 

 5 "more than what is given in my table; but C. Mechain, 

 in the month of December, found it ^" lefs than in my table. 

 This difference arifes probably from the refrattion in winter, 

 which is not yet fufficiently known. This queflion we hope 

 to refolve in the prefent year by comparing better the two 

 folftices. 



The obfervatory was in want of good inftruments, but we 

 have at length been able to obtain fome. The large mural 

 quadrant of C. Lemonnier, which General Bonaparte pro- 

 cured for us, has been erefted, as well as that of five feet, 

 which C. Lemonnier lent me in 1751 to obferve the moon 

 with at Berlin, and an excellent meridian tclcfcope executed 

 by C. Lenoir, with an objeft-glafs by C. Caroche. The 

 latter made alfo the l-arge fpeculum of the twenty-two feet 

 telefcope which was at La Muettc, and which was equal to 

 that of Hcrfchel of the fame length. The tclcfcope of pla- 

 tina, which they wilhed to take from us, has been fecurcd 

 to the obfervatory by a decifion of the minifter of the inte- 

 rior. Thus nothing is wanting to the moft beautiful obferv- 

 atory in the world, to render it at the fame time the njolt 

 ufeful. 



We hope at the Peace to have a telefcope of forty feet, 

 with fpccula of platina. On the 7th of Auguft, 7th year, 

 a decree was made by the Inftitute that the platina we ha\'e 

 Ihould be referved for the large telefcope until we obtain 

 from Spain a greater quantity. We have already 200 pounds, 

 but we mud procure at leaft 2coo for the fpeculum, which 

 the intimate connection between France and Spain gives us 

 reafon to hope will be the cafe. 



Mr. Brown, an ingenious optician of London, has made 



telefcopes. 



