B O S C O V I C H. 



745 



Boscovich. Under the influence of such excitements, Boscovich 

 /"""' directed his atte *ion to almost every branch of phy- 

 sical science. A new theory of the solar spots ; the 

 transit of Mercury over the sun ; the figure of the 

 earth ; the annual aberration of the fixed stars ; the 

 inequalities in terrestrial gravity ; the limits of cer- 

 tainty in astronomical observations ; the solid of 

 greatest attraction ; the comets; the flux and reflux 

 of the sea ; and the atmosphere of the moon, were 

 among the subjects of astronomy which he investiga- 

 ted. In pure mathematics, he wrote upon osculating 

 circles ; on infinitesimals ; on the cycloid ; on logistic 

 curve lines ; and on the calculation of fractions. His 

 optical dissertations were, on a new telescope for ce- 

 lestial objects ; on light ; on the rainbow ; on lenses 

 and dioptrical telescopes, and on the object glass mi- 

 crometer. Besides these various papers, he wrote on 

 the aurora borealis, on the motion of bodies in un- 

 resisting media, on the vires vine, on the centre of 

 gravity, on the law of continuity, and on the divisi- 

 bility of matter. In the course of these various in- 

 vestigations, the attention of Boscovich was neces- 

 sarily drawn to the constitution of matter; and he 

 appears, even at this early part of his life, to have 

 formed an outline of that Theory of Natural Philo- 

 sophy which has been so universally admired, and on 

 which his reputation as a philosopher principally 

 depends. 



Nor was the attention of Boscovich confined to 

 the physical and mathematical sciences. He had a 

 wonderful facility in the composition of Latin verses ; 

 and such was his love for this species of amusement, 

 that every incident, however trifling, called forth an 

 offering to the muses. With such talents and ac- 

 quirements, the company of Boscovich was assidu- 

 ously courted at Rome; and at every party to which 

 he was invited, he shone, by the liveliness and flu- 

 ency of his conversation. With a pardonable vanity, 

 which is not usual with men of profound genius, he 

 often led the conversation of the company to the 

 subject of his own studies, which he had a singular 

 faculty of explaining to the most common capacities ; 

 and he seemed to derive particular pleasure from the 

 recitation of long passages of his own poetry. This 

 happy talent of amusing a company with subjects of 

 science, though it may have been possessed by other 

 philosophers, was certainly exhibited for the first time 

 in the manners of Boscovich. The habits of abstract 

 thought and close reasoning, which a natural philoso- 

 pher must necessarily acquire, are utterly incompa- 

 tible with that quickness of association and versati- 

 lity of thought, which are the principal sources of 

 extemporaneous declamation. These antisocial ha- 

 bits, however, are less hostile to his colloquial efforts, 

 than the nature of the subjects with which the mind 

 of the natural philosopher is principally conversant. 

 While the study of history, poetry, and the belles 

 Iettres, furnish numerous and interesting topics of 

 general conversation, the man of science is prevent- 

 ed from introducing subjects which would be gene- 

 rally unintelligible, and is thus denied the opportu- 

 nity of displaying his knowledge and his talents, 

 which i6 granted to those wim cultivate literature 

 and the fine arts. In what manner Boscovich over- 



came these difficulties, it is not easy to discover ; but Boscovich. 

 he must have possessed no ordinary confidence in his /"""" 



talents, and no ordinary Influence over the minds of 

 others, who could fix the attention of a mixed com- 

 pany upon the abstract speculations of science and 

 philosophy. 



The fame which Boscovich now enjoyed was not 

 confined within the limits of his native country. He 

 was admitted, without solicitation, into most of the 

 learned societies of Europe, and, without enjoying any 

 of the substantial patronage of kings, he was ho- 

 noured with their invitations and their praise. Pope 

 Benedict XIV. consulted him on several subjects of 

 civil engineering, and appointed him a member of a 

 committee consisting of architects and mathemati- 

 cians, who were assembled from different parts of 

 Italy, to examine the cupola of St Peter's, in which 

 a rent had been perceived. The architects and the 

 mathematicians differed in their sentiments ; but the 

 latter, with Boscovich and the Marquis Poleni at 

 their head, finally prevailed. Boscovich proposed to 

 strengthen the cupola by enclosing it in a circle of 

 iron ; and this opinion being adopted, the Marquis 

 reported it to the Pope, but unfortunately neglected 

 to give Boscovich the merit of the suggestion. This 

 omission grievously offended the vanity of the ma- 

 thematician, and conspired, along with other causes 

 of mortification, to make him resolve on quitting 

 Rome. About this time, John V. of Portugal had 

 determined to survey Brazil, and to fix the boundaries 

 between that country and the territories belonging to 

 Spain. He applied to the general of the Jesuits for 

 ten mathematicians to execute this plan ; and no sooner 

 did Boscovich hear of the project, than he offered to 

 superintend the undertaking, and to measure, at the 

 same time, a degree of the meridian. The enlighten- 

 ed minister of Benedict XIV., unwilling that Italy 

 should lose one of her greatest ornaments, appointed 

 Boscovich to correct the maps of the papal territories, 

 and to measure a degree of the meridian in Italy. 

 Provided with excellent instruments, and assisted by 

 Christopher Maire, an English Jesuit, Boscovich 

 began the undertaking about the end of the year 

 1750; and after two years labour, he extended the 

 meridian from Rome to Rimini, across -the Apen- 

 nine chain, and found that the length of a degree in 

 the latitude of 43 was 56,979 toises. During the 

 intervals of this active employment, he was engaged 

 in completing his Elements of Conic Sections ; and 

 when travelling over the mountains, he is said to have 

 competed, on horse-back, his fine Latin poem, en- 

 titled, De Solis ac Lunce Defections, " on the Eclipses 

 of the Sun and Moon." An account of this survey 

 was publised by Boscovich at Rome and Paris, along 

 with some excellent dissertations on several subjects 

 connected with his undertaking. At the comple- 

 tion of a service so full of labour and anxiety, Bosco- 

 vich was entitled to expect some adequate remunera- 

 tion, or some office that would have freed him from 

 the drudgery of teaching. The Pope, however, who 

 seems to have undervalued the national work which he 

 had just completed, presented him with a gold box, 

 and the paltry sum of 100 sequins. * In consequence 

 of this blind parsimony, Boscovich was compelled to 



VOL. HI. PART IV. 



About forty-five pounds sterling. 



5a 



