Hiftory of AJlronomy for 1798. gSj 



about to engage the attention of our aftronomers. I was de- 

 firous of preparing for them the only afliftance which was 

 wanting, bv giving them the pofkions of the ftars in every 

 part of the heavens. They will never be able to obferve co- 

 mets without being obliged to have recourfe to our 50,000 

 ftars, and without being certain of finding there every thing 

 they could with : I know this by the experience of feveral 

 years. 



But detractors will never be wanting to every great and 

 important work ; they will fay it would be much better to 

 have fewer ftars, and to have their pofitions afcertained with 

 more accuracy. They are however miftaken; it is the gneal. 

 number of ftars that lupplies the data requifite for this labour: 

 a greater precifion is ufelefs at prefent, and will be fo for a 

 \on<z time. Comets are never obferved nearer than 30 fe- 

 conds, and yet they with to have the pofitions of the ftars to 

 one feeond ; this is an evident abfurdity, and a manifeft im- 

 poffibility. We have then done every thing that was necef- 

 fary and poflible to be done ; and I confider myfelf happy ia 

 having terminated my career, by procuring for aftronomy a 

 inonument which, on account of its magnitude, might have 

 been thought impoflible. To fhew the utility of C. Lefran- 

 cais' labour, it will be fufficient to fay, that in a zone of three 

 hours, having two degrees of breadth, there were thirty new 

 ftars of the fifth and fixth, and between the fixth and the feventh 

 magnitudes, yet no more than three of them were known. 

 On the 10th of December 1789, of one hundred ftars, thir- 

 teen of which were of the fixth magnitude, there was only 

 one known : the other twelve arc new to us. This is enough 

 to prove how far we were from being acquainted with thc 

 ftarry heavens, and from knowing how many ftars were vi- 

 fiblc to the naked eye. For that reafon I was induced to em- 

 ploy myfelf in this labour as foon as I was able to procure a 

 good inltrumcut. M. Herfehel has alfo undertaken a review 

 <>i the heavens with his twenty-feet tclcfcope, but onlv for 

 the purpoic of fijuiin, n 1>oJ.", <r okfcQa difficult to be fesa. 



