VOL. I.] PHILOSOPHIC AI. TRANSACTIONS. 15 



places its perigee, March 27, in about 15° of Pisces, a little more westerly 

 than Marchab, or the wing of Pegasus ; and that it would be in conjunction 

 with the sun April 9. But he concludes by recommending farther observations, 

 to settle these particulars more accurately. 



T/?c Advice given by Monsieur Petit* Intendant of the Fortijications 

 of Normandy y touching the Conjunction of the Ocean and Mediter- 

 ranean. iV" 3, />. 41. 



This intelligent gentleman. Monsieur Petit, having been consulted, touch- 

 ing the conjunction of the Ocean and Mediterranean, delivers first the pro- 

 position, and then gives his thoughts upon it. 



Having stated the proposition, or the business to be effected, the artist re- 

 marks that the data, or circumstances given him, are not sufficient for deter- 

 mining the question, which therefore he declines for the present. The paper 

 then concludes as follows : — 



This artist having thus prudently waved this proposition, diverts himself with 

 reflecting upon several others of the like nature ; among which he insists chiefly 

 upon two, whereof one is that so much celebrated in Egypt ; the other, of 

 Gennany. And he is of opinion, that the most important of all is that of 

 conjoining the Red Sea by the Nile with the Mediterranean, which he looks 

 upon as the most excellent conveniency to go into the East Indies, without 

 doubling the Cape of Good Hope ; and yet it could not be executed by those 

 great kings of Egypt, who raised so many stupendous pyramids ; although in 

 his opinion the reasons alleged by historians to justify them, for having aban- 

 doned that undertaking, are of no validity ; and that the Red Sea cannot 

 be, as they feared, higher than the Nile, and therefore cannot endanger the in- 

 undation of Egypt. 



The other proposition was made to Charlemagne, anno 793, for joining 

 the Euxine Sea and the Ocean together, by a channel, which was begun for 

 that end, and designed to be 2000 paces long, and 100 paces broad, between 

 the river Altmull, falling into the Danube above Ratisbon, and the river Rott, 

 passing at Nuremberg, and thence running into the Maine, and so into the 

 Rhine. But yet this also proved abortive, though at first there was great ap- 

 pearance of success. 



* Peter Petit, a French mathematician, was bom at Montlu9on, about 1598. By the favour of 

 Cardinal Richelieu he was made engineer to tlie king, upon whose concerns he was sent into 

 Italy. — He was the author of several works on physical and astronomical subjects, and died in 

 1677. 



