Astronomical Societu. 2ft7 



state of knowledge, he appears to have relied entirely on his 

 own resources, and drawn little from others,) as less connected 

 with astronomy, it is not necessary here to speak. He died at 

 a premature age : his death being accelerated, it is said, by the 

 unwholesome nature of the processes employed in his glass- 

 house ; leaving behind him a reputation rarely if ever attained 

 by one so young. 



Of M. Piazzi and his labours, it will also be interesting to 

 the Society to receive a concise account, as this distinguished 

 indiviilual furnishes another example, in addition to the many 

 already upon record, of the power of genius to deliver a man 

 from pursuits for which he had no taste, and to carry him 

 successfully through others, to promote which he was richly 

 qualified *. Piazzi was born at Ponte in the Valteline, July 16th 

 1746, and died at Naples, July 22d 1826. Early in life he 

 was devoted to a religious order denominated the Theatins, at 

 Milan. But, after various changes, he in 1780 accepted the 

 appointment of Professor of the Higher Mathematics in the 

 Academy of Palermo : and from that time, entirely devoted 

 himself to science. 



In a {^vi years he obtained the confidence and favour of the 

 Prince of Caramanico, viceroy of Sicily, by whose permission 

 and assistance he founded an observatory at Palermo. With 

 a view to open an intercourse with astronomers, and to obtain 

 valuable instruments for his observatory, he visited England, 

 where he foiuned an intimacy with Maskelyne, Herschel,Vince, 

 and Ramsden. From the last of these he obtained some very 

 excellent instruments, and, amongst the rest, the Altitude and 

 Azimuth instrument, with which his principal observations 

 were made. From this time Piazzi cherished a warm attach- 

 ment both to the English and to their language ; and to the 

 latest period of his life continued to evince the same esteem. 

 While he was in England, Piazzi observed at Greenwich, 

 in conjunction with Maskelyne, the solar eclipse of June 3d 

 1788. He also collected the corresponding observations of 

 eighteen different astronomers in various parts of Europe, and 

 detluced from them the differences in longitude of the several 

 observatories from that of Greenwich. The results he pub- 

 lished in the Philosophical 2raiisactions for 1789 (vol. Ixxix); 

 and the circumstance is here recorded, as this paper is under- 

 stood to be M. Piazzi's earliest production as an astronomer. 

 In 1789 lie commenced with great activity, his labours in his 

 new observatory, then the most southern which existed in 

 Europe; that at Malta having been recently destroyed by fire. 



• A Memoir of this distinguished Astronomer will be found in our last 

 number.— Kuir. 



New Series. Vol. I. No, 4-. A/ir/l 1827. 2 Q On 



