116 Correspondence of J. Nickles. 
. . 4 
the capacity of hydrographical engineer, in search of La Per 
on which voyage, he made a great step in the art of navigation, by 
substituting astronomical observations for the magnetic needle. He 
used the Reflecting Circle of Borda, and with much talent applied the 
problem relating to the angular capacity of a segment, which had beea 
long familiar to geometricians, but had not been brought into prac 
tical use. $ 
This long voyage was fertile in discoveries. To him is due the re 
connoissance of the Kermadec Islands, the Archipelago of Santa Cru, 
and of the Salomon Islands; of the coast of New Caledonia; of the 
island of Bougainville ; of Boughton straits; nearly 300 leagues along 
the south coast of New Holland, and a small-boat survey of the bays 
of Van Diemens land, &c. &c. 
hese operations were finished just before the two frigates were Cap 
tured by the Dutch. M. Beautems Beaupré was sent prisoner to we 
Cape of Good Hope, where he remained until! 1796. Upon his retura 
to France he resumed the continuation’ of the Neptune de la Baltiquty 
which he had commenced before his departure. He afterwards pub- 
lished a survey of the Scheldt, and demonstrated that the seaport of 
Antwerp was accessible for vessels of ithe line of the Jargest class. 
Among the other labors of M. Beautems Beaupré, we mention ouly 
one,—namely, the hydrographical exploration of the southern and 
eastern coasis of France, a work which has commanded the ad mira- 
for naval life; and in 1791 he went with Admiral d’Entrecasteaux in 
‘Ouse, 
the distinguished title of the Father of Hydrography. The volume 
rought 
together all the documents which might be useful hereafter in case of 
any new projects relative to navigation. This last labor comprises 
at present 527 volumes in 4to, and embraces all the documents neces 
sary for preparing upon a gigantic scale, a plan of all the coast of 
France. ~ 
Afier the completion of these great labors in 1838, and their publi- 
cation in 1848, the distinguished author aspired to a well merited Te 
pose, but he still continued to the end of his days to assist at the sittings 
of the Academy of Sciences, of which he had so long been one 
most assiduous members. He died in his 88th year, with the just 
nown of a good man 4 
Victor Mauvais, the astronomer, commenced life with the study of 
the law, but having an irresistible passion for the mathematica scien" 
ces, he renounced the duties of an advocate, and sought admissi®” 
to the Observatory of Paris, to which he was nominated in 1836 by ‘ 
M. Arago. From that moment he gave himself exclusively to scien 
He discovered, successively, four comets, whose path through the 
heavens he watched with great assiduity during the whole time of thet 
appearance. In the long series of observations which constitute the 
Archives of the Paris Observatory, the name of Mauvais is found 1 
