* Memoirs of the Life and Works 
im France, and the English had the glory of first realizing 
ite This is an obligation which seamen and astronomers” 
of all ages and all nations will owe to Dr. Maskelyne ; 
to succeed in which required all his perseverance, and the 
high estimation he was universally so justly held in. Un- 
doubtedly we partly owe to bim the successive improve- 
ments of the theory of the moon, in which he was con- 
stantly occupied. He was the editor of Mayer’s Tables, 
and added to them tables of horary motion which were 
wanting to the copy which came from Gottenburgh: he 
compared these tables with his daily observations, and 
under his direction Mason gave a corrected and enlarged 
edition of those tables, which have since been improved by 
M. Burg, and lately by M. Burckhardt, who have been 
assisted partly by Dr. Maskelyne’s last observations, and 
partly by the analytical discoveries of M. de la Place, who 
furnished them with the equations which would have been 
difficult to discover among so many others, if they had not 
received other assistance than that of observations. 
The office of Astronomer Royal, to which Dr. Maskelyne 
was appointed in the beginning of 1765, enabled tim to 
render this great service to science. The Royal Observatory 
is situated in Greenwich Park, a few miles from London. 
Jn this retreat during forty-seven years, Dr. Maskelyne ob- 
served the heavens, and has in consequence left the most 
complete set of observations with which the world was 
ever presented, and thus Jaid the foundation for the im- 
provements of astronomical tables; for it is not sufficient 
for an astronomer to have zeal in the service, he must also 
possess the means of exerting it to the best advantage: those 
can only be met with in establishments founded by govern- 
ments, This acknowledged truth occasioned the observa- 
tories of Paris and Greenwich to be built nearly at the same 
time; but in these two establishments one essential cir- 
cumstance was equally forgotten. Dr. Maskelyne first 
thought of supplying this omission, and by so doing has 
rendered science a most important service, and constituted 
the principal difference in the two rival observatories. At 
Paris architecture was principally considered, and at a great 
expense a fine edifice was raised, but which was not well 
calculated for making observations. The astronomers, all 
academicians, there formed a sort of republic without ma- 
gistrates, where each emploved himself in works which 
certainly were useful, but without any general or connected 
plan. ‘The Cassinis, the La Hires, the Maraldis, published 
irom time to time their discoveries, or some interesting re- 
sult 3 
