290 M. Quetelet's Memoir of Prof. Moll. 



attachment. The declining health of his father, who died soon 

 after, recalled him to his country in the month of February 

 1812. 



Prof. Van BeeckCalkoen had also deceased at Utrecht, and 

 the chair of mathematical and physical science had become va- 

 cant. A fear was entertained that it would be suppressed, 

 through the measures taken by the French government, which 

 had lowered the University of Utrecht to the rank of a second- 

 ary school. The influence of Delambre and Van Swinden, how- 

 ever, were powerful enough to obtain the nomination of our 

 colleague, first as director of the Observatory of Utrecht, and 

 some months after as professor of mathematical and physical 

 sciences. At the reorganization of the University, in 1815, 

 he obtained the chair of physical sciences that Professor 

 Rossyn had filled. 



The first care of Moll in his new office was given to 

 putting in oi'der the observatory, which was in a bad state in 

 consequence of the past misfortunes. The ruins of an old 

 isolated tower situated on one of the ramparts of the town 

 had been made use of for the construction of this scientific 

 establishment. The wisest plan no doubt would have been 

 to demolish this elevated building, which had neither the re- 

 quisite solidity, nor suitable conveniences ; but money was 

 wanting, and the success of this observatory was completely 

 compromised. In vain did the new director fix in succes- 

 sion a choice of the finest instruments which he had been 

 able to procure in the different visits he made to England 

 and Germany ; all his efforts failed before difficulties which 

 taken separately would have been of little importance, but 

 the combination of which could not but, in the long run, 

 operate most unfavourably. The first of these disadvantages, 

 and perhaps the most serious, was the distance from home 

 that the astronomer had to go to the place for his observa- 

 tions. A small and inconvenierit spot, elevated and by no 

 means firm bases, which would only admit of instruments of 

 inferior dimensions, and of taking in hand a restricted num- 

 ber of observations, presented obstacles which ended without 

 doubt in quite subduing the zeal which our colleague had 

 shown at the beginning of his enterprise. The number of his 

 astronomical labours were indeed few ; he published only 

 his observations of the comet of 1819*, and those of the 

 transit of Mercury over the sun in the month of May 1832f ; 



* Letterbode, 1819, i. 59. 



t T. iv. 71- of the Memoirs of the 1st class of the Institute of the Low 

 Countries. 



