14 Brief Chronological Sketch of the Life of Laplace. 



1776 1783.* — Succeeded Be'zout as examiner of the Royal Corps of Artillery. 



1782. — Demonstrated " d'une maniire Men plus ginirale," that the flattened ellip- 

 soid was the only body that satisfied the previously discussed equilibrium 

 of the Planets. Demonstration published in 1784 as below. 



1784. — Published his work through De Saron, entitled, " Theory of the motion and 

 Elliptical Figure of the Planets." 



1784 1 — June 24. Sat up four days with Lavoisier in forming water with oxygen 

 and hydrogen. These experiments were repeated before the Academy in 

 January and February, 1785, and subsequently and decisively confirmed 

 by a series of experiments begun on the 23rd of May, and ended on the 

 7th of June 1788, at the Royal College, by M. Lefevre de Geneau. 



1785. — ^Theory of the attractions of spheroids and of the figure of the Planets — pub- 

 lished, 4to. 



1787. — Dec. 19. Announced the cause of the moon's acceleration. 



1788. — Announced his theory of Jupiter's satellites, in the M6moires de VAcade- 

 mie, which appeared in 1791. 



1789 and 1790. — Continued his Theorie des Maries. 



1796. — Dedicated to the council of Five Hundred his "Exposition du Systeme du 

 Monde." 



1799. — Published Vols. I and II of the Micanique Celeste. 



1799. — Appointed by the Consular Government on the 18th of Brumaire, (9th of 

 November,) Minister of the Interior. 



1799. — Transferred again to the Conservative Senate. 



1803.— Published Vol. Ill of the Mdcanique Cileste. 



1803. — Chosen Vice President of the Sinat Conservateur. 



1803.— do. Chancellor " do. with the title of Grand 



Cordon of the Legion of Honor. 



1805.— Published Vol. IV of the Micanique Cileste. 



1811. — Nominated Counsellor to the Maternal Society, and President of the same. 



1812. — Theorie Analytique des Probabilites. 



1813. — Grand Cordon of the Re-union. 



1814. — After having been Count of the Empire from 1806, and received great favors 

 from the throne, he deserted his Imperial Master, and obtained a Peerage 

 from Louis XVIII, at the Restoration. 



1814. — Essai Philosophique des Probabilitds. 



1816. — Nominated a member of the French Academy and President of the commit- 

 tee for the reorganization of the " Ecole Polytechnique." 



1817. — President of French Academy. 



1821. — Prtfds of the History of Astronomy, 8vo. 



1825. — Fourth supplement to the Theorie des Probabilites. 



1825. — Mecanique Celeste, Vol. V.t 



1827.— Died May 5th. 



• « » » * » » 



1827. — Supplement au 5e volume du Traite de Meeanique Cileste. (Imprime sur 

 le manuscrit trouv6 dans ses papiers.) 



* Bezout died in 1783. 



t The four first volumes of this work, were translated and made ready for the press, by the 

 Hon. Nathaniel Bowditch of Boston, between 1815 and 1817 ; but the publication was delayed in 

 the hope, that the revered author might make some essential changes and modifications. The 

 appearance of the fifth volume, in 1825, and the death of the author, in 1827, having however, 

 extinguished this hope, the learned and indefatigable translator, determined to publish the work 

 at his own expense, and to decline the proffered aid of the American Academy. To the honor of 

 the country, two volumes have seen the light: the third will probably appear in the course of 

 next year, and we may hope that the two remaining volumes will follow at intervals of two years. 

 This time being rendered necessary on account of tlie translator's laborious occupation. 



