Meeting tf Ajlronomers at Gotba. 327 



Hadley's fcxtant on the Infels Beige, one of the higheft 

 forefts of Thuringia, uhere the duchefs gave a fete to the 

 company, and where we took feveral correfponding altitude* 

 nf the fun with various ten-inch fextants by Troughton, 

 in order to determine the time and height of the pole. 



" Lalande had with him a chronometer by Berthoud the 

 elder at Paris. The duke of Gotha lias in his poffeffion four 

 Englifh chronometers, by Arnold, Emery, Mudge, &c. 

 Major von Zach has one by Emery, and M. Seiilert of 

 DrefJen one made by himfelf. All thefewere compared with 

 pendulum clocks, and with each other; and their rate of 

 going was found to be remarkably regular, which proved 

 that they were fit to be ufed in determining the longitude. 

 SeiflTert alfo fhewed, merely to give pleafure to Lalande, a 

 clock conftructed by himfelf, according to a new invention, 

 and having marked on the dial-plate the diurnal divifion of 

 the day propefed in France. He had likewife with him, of 

 his own workmanihip, a flop watch with the decimal divi- 

 fion, which he prefented to Madam le Francais. 



" Some new inftruments and maps were alfo exhibited and 

 examined. Among thefe were an ocular heliometer, to be 

 applied ^o a Herfchel's telcfeopc, invented by M. Kohler, 

 and conftructed by M. Seifiert; the diaphragms of the for- 

 mer, for determining the Itrength of the light of the ftars, 

 and his propofed veffel for an artificial water horizon; a map 

 of the Rhein Thais, laid down by means of a Hadley's fex- 

 tant, by M. Feer of Zurich ; fome flieets of the new map 

 of the duchy of Wurtemberg, by M. Bohnenberoxr of 

 Tubingen, meafured and delineated by means of like inftru- 

 ments. The beautiful inftruments on the ducal obfervatory 

 of Seeberge, near Gotha, and the convenient and proper 

 manner in which they are creeled, obliged Lalande to ac • 

 knowledge that he had never fcen any where an obfervatory 

 fo well furnifhecl. 



" Of the new French calendar, and their manner of rec^ 



koniii£ hy decades, as well as their propofed decimal divifion 



Y -\ of 



