AIDS OF THE NEWTONIAN PERIOD. 289 



of observing the southern stars, was at his own ex- 

 pense; but at a later period (in 1698,) he was 

 appointed to the command of a small vessel by 

 King William the Third, in order that he might 

 make his magnetical observations in all parts of the 

 world. Lacaille was maintained by the French' 

 government four years at the Cape of Good Hope 

 (1750-4,) for the purpose of observing the stars 

 of the southern hemisphere. The two transits of 

 Venus in 1761 and 1769, occasioned expeditions to 

 be sent to Kamtschatka and Tobolsk by the Rus- 

 sians; to the Isle of France, and to Coromandel, 

 by the French 10 ; to the isles of St. Helena and 

 Otaheite by the English ; to Lapland and to Dron- 

 theim, by the Swedes and Danes. I shall not 

 here refer to the measures of degrees executed by 

 various nations, still less the innumerable surveys 

 by land and sea ; but I may just notice the suc- 

 cessive English expeditions of Captains Basil Hall, 

 Sabine, and Foster, for the purpose of determining 

 the length of the seconds' pendulum in different 

 latitudes ; and the voyages of M. Biot and others, 

 sent by the French government for the same purpose. 

 Much has been done in this way; but not more 

 than the progress of astronomy absolutely required; 

 and only a small portion of that which the com- 

 pletion of the subject calls for. 



10 Bailly, iii. 107. 



VOL. II. U 



