MEMOIR OF PALLAS. 35 
French government despatched the Abbé Chappe 
d Auteroche to Tobolsk to make the required ob- 
servations; and he, on his return, published an 
account of what he had seen, the sarcastic tone of 
which so irritated the Empress that she took the 
trouble, it is stated, to refute him herself. On this 
account, too, she was unwilling that foreigners should 
again undertake the examination of a similar transit 
of Venus in 1769, and she therefore appointed 
astronomers of the Imperial Academy to undertake 
it, conjoining with them naturalists also, who were to 
examine and report on the face of the country. To 
this latter project she was the more excited, from 
her recently having made a progress down the Volga 
and through the interior provinces of European 
Russia. She had then become aware of the great 
deficiencies of the existing topographical and geo- 
graphical information, and saw the advantages 
which would accrue from deputing learned and 
skilful men to visit the distant provinces of her 
extensive dominions, with a view to enlarge the 
boundaries of science and extend a knowledge of 
the useful arts among the natives. On being made 
acquainted with these plans, Pallas immediately 
offered to accompany the expedition, and was 
eagerly accepted. In consequence of the orders of 
the sovereign, the Academy amongst others named 
Messrs Pallas, Lépéchen, Gmelin the nephew, Gul- 
denstreedt, and Georgi as members of the commis- 
sion, which upon the whole consisted of these five 
naturalists and seven astronomers and mathemati- 
