Dr. Gregory* s Strictures on Don Rodriguez. 181 



<ii the operations of 173G, and sought anxiously for an 

 opportunity of repeating them ; but waited many years 

 before he could avail himself of a favourable conjuncture 

 of circumstances; although latterly he had found in 

 M. Svanberg, a young man of great talent and activity to 

 conduct the operative part. After hearing of the new 

 measure of a degree by MM. Delambre and Mechain, he 

 wrote to some of the French mathematicians on the sub- 

 ject, but with no intention of soliciting them to visit Lap- 

 land. Soon after this, Bonaparte, at the suggestion of the 

 then National Institute, unole a letter personally to the late 

 king of Sweden, requesting permission for some members 

 of that body to proceed to Lapland, in order to determine 

 an arc of the meridian. That high-spirited young monarch 

 replied, that he would consult his own Academy of Sciences 

 at Stockholm, whether such an operation was desirable 

 for the interests of science; and, if they were of that opi- 

 nion, he had no doubt he could find Swedish malhematii- 

 cians competent to the undertaking. Hence MM. Svan- 

 berg, Ofverbom, Holmquist, and Palandtjr were appointed 

 to examine and repeat the measure of the French acader 

 micians; and this is what Don Rodriguez terms the ex- 

 pedition of three of the Swedish academicians " to Lap- 

 land to verify their former measurement !" 



With the same spirit it is natural to suspect Don FJodrt- 

 quez speaks of Colonel Mudge as " a skilful oliservtr," and 

 merely such, adding that " one cannot but admire the 

 beauty and perfection of the instruments employed" by 

 him : while, when he characterizes the labours of the French 

 measurers, he assures us they " merit the highest degree of 

 confidence ;" and, " bv the sanction of such an union of 

 talents, give such a degree of credit and authenticity to their 

 conclusions, as could scarcely be acquired by other means." 

 I shall not animadvert upon this invidious contrast ; but 

 simply remark hert, that the Don adopts a strange method 

 of verifying his positions. He admits that Colonel Mudae 

 is a skilful observer, who knows very well how to employ 

 his instruments; and, that there may remain no doubt on 

 that head, publishes a long paper to prove, or at least to 

 show it probable, that he has made a. mistake of 4^ se- 

 conds in the determination of a zenith-distance. This 

 animadverter has, as he assures us, gone through all the 

 Colonel's computations by difl'erent processes, and found 

 them correct, or only evincing very trifling discrepancieSj 

 Buch as may naturally arise from the diversity of meltiods : 

 yet he cannot find in his heart to drop a single word of 

 Ms commcndaiiun 



