EG 
tinuing the meridian to the Balearic ifles, ia the Mediter- 
ranean, when, overca d exhaufted by the extreme fa- 
tigue he had endured, this exccilent aftronomer expired at 
Caftellon de la Plana, in the kingdom of Valencia, in the 
autumn of the year 180 
The bafe originally ce by et and fo often remea+ 
fured, was now abandoned, as i of the neighbouring 
8 sa gon o dec eca Two new bafes 
een Mfelun and Lienrfaine, te other 
r Perpig irft meafured 6075.g0 toifes, ae: 
ie 6006.247 toifes. They were meafured with rods 
platina, their ends being placed near each other, and the at. 
y amicrometer; inftead of applying ther- 
rafs fc ale with a vernicr was affix - 
—s 
n the iene 
h 
other, it did net differ 12 
though the diftance between them was between four and 
five hundred miles. 
The latitudes of three intermediate points were obtained in 
the courfe of the furvey, befides the latitudes of Dunkirk and 
ontjouy. Thefe with the contained arcs expreffed in mo- 
dules were as follows : 
Modules. Metres. 
Dunkirk 51° 2 16” * 
DP 62472.59=243522-1 
Pantheon, Paris 48 50 49.7 
PE 76145.74==296821.9 
Evaux - 46 10 42 
EC 84424.53= 329093-2 
Carcaffone. 43 12 54 
CM 52749.48=205621.3 
Montjouy =» 41-21 45 
Total Are = 1075058.5 
The degrees derived: from thefe intermediate obfervations 
on different parts of the arc, varied almoft as much as in. 
Englith shel: and i ina foals equa’ y irregular, and con= 
trary to of the earth’s figure. 
The commiffioners themfelves drew up the 
from which the arc of the meridian was ultimately to be- 
computed. 
The. triangles are given by the French aftronomers in a: 
bak omar ag ap 
REE. 
form fomewhat different from thofe in the Englifh furvey. 
{fs 0 
above two right angles, applied the correCtion arifing from 
it, ther an i manner ie will be fully explained 
nel Mudge reduces his angles to chord 
d by 
mputation, d all give the 
fame refult,. as aa are all three rigoroufly exact, at lea 
in triangles of {mall extent comparcd with the whole 
earth. 
t would occupy more fpare than we could allow to in- 
fert ae la chain of triangles from Barcelona to Dun- 
kirk, but we fhail annex the 36 triangles which conncét 
Paris and “Dunk irk, which will compk te the feries from 
Greenwich to Paris, and at the fame time ae the inathema- 
tical reader a valua accurate methods 
of Oe geet ee triangles for connie 
The. duGtion that was obtained ae this laborious. 
et a was as follows. 
Ellipticity or compreffion ates 
Longer femi-axis-of the earth Paha a 
or 6375737 m 
ae Englith feet. 
Shorter femi-axis  -— = - 3261452 toifes, 
649 metres, 
35 
20855922 Englith feet. 
The quadrant ar the meridian contained 5130740 toifes, 
confequently the metre was equal to 443,295,956 lines. 
Table of ee fix Triangles, which conned the Tower of 
unkirk with the "Pantheon at Paris. 
ca firft two columns of this table require no explana- 
tio 
The third contains the obferved angles, fuch as were de- 
cided by the commiffion appointed to examine the obferv-- 
ations. 
The fourth contains,. under the title fpherical excefs, the 
difference betwe en the sae erical angle of the arcs, and the 
rectilinear angle of the chords. 
The fifth contains the Ipherical angles corrected for coms - 
_ putation. 
The .fixth contains the {pherical angles diminifhed by~ 
their fpherical excefs, and are the re&tilinear angles formed 
y the chor 
The laft column.contains the: mean angles or the fpherical ‘ 
angles correG&ted each by one-third of the-{pherical excefs : 
in this ftate they may a oe. ey the ond = hs 
ppea a very curious theo f Les 
gen ll thefe Lanes will be ful ly ilatrated es Wee 
Sane this fubjeét. . 
