lo5 Hi/lory of Ajlrommy for- the Year 1799. 



fitiun of which was not accurately known, an objeA of at-- 

 tention. M. CalTella fcnt me fcvcral obfervations of echpfes^, 

 which I have calculated ; and I have found the diftance of 

 Naples from the meridian of Paris, by the mean of feven 

 rcfults, .to be 47' 49". 



The labours of M. Piazzi, of Palermo, mud have been 

 interrupted this year by calamity and misfortunes ; for I 

 have received no letter frorn the beautiful obfcrvatory and 

 the able alironorner of Palermo. 



A Roman citizen has come to reinforce aftronomy in 

 France. C. Ciccolini rcquefted leave to lodge in the Col- 

 lege de France, in order to obfcrve and make calculations 

 along with us. Pic has difplaypd in this fituation as much 

 zeal as ability ; and we are indebted to him for the calcu- 

 lation of eclipfes of the fun obferved in this century, of 

 which there had before been no refults. He has affifted us 

 alfo to calculate 3 part of our immenfe colleftion of ftars. 



I announced laft j ear that Cjflini feemed difpofed to tread 

 in the ftcps of his anceftors. His father, who quitted the 

 obfcrvatory at the fatal period of 1793, '^'^^ announced his 

 intention of refiding at Paris j and the Inftitute has eleftcd 

 him a fecond time to a place in the department of agronomy, 

 vacant by the death of C. Lemonnier. 



C Soriin has joined us, and is calculating the longitudes, 

 latituclcf., and angles of pofition of fix hundred ftars, which 

 form the fundamental catalogue of the principal Itars which 

 C. Le Pran^ais is publiiliing in the Co7inoiJJh?ice chs Terns, 

 and which he has for feveral years been bringing to perfec- 

 tion. C. Soriin has calculated alfo a new table of the fphe- 

 icidal decrees according to tliu dimcnfions wc have adopted. 



C. Mougin has calculated the proceiTions of the i^co 

 flars in the Conno'i [J'tnizc des Terns for the year 7, in cen- 

 ticmes and feconds; and he is calculating for 1800 and 190^ 

 tlie proccliions of the 6co ftars of the fundamental catalogue. 



C. Btrnicr of Montauban has fent us calculations of ob- 

 fervations of Mercury and \'enus made by C. Duc-la-Cha- 

 pellc. 



■ Several diifcrtations have appeared in the public journ.Tls 

 on the qvxiftion, whether the year 1800 begins the nineteenth 



ccnturv. 



