Biographical Notice of M. Le Chevalier Delambre. 21 P 
tute ; and accordingly that learned body decreed to him in 1810 
one of the decennial prizes which had been instituted by Bona- 
parte. But as the Emperor refused to deliver the prizes * which 
he had himself established, Delambre obtained only the honour 
of its adjudication. 
Previous to this measurement, the French academicians had 
not distinguished themselves in the practical parts of astronomy. 
Among the members of the Academy which were sent to mea- 
sure an arc of the meridian in Lapland, the Abbe Outhier is 
said to have been the only one of them who understood the me- 
thod of taking corresponding altitudes with the quadrant which 
was then used. The results of the measurement were such as 
might have been expected, under such circumstances. Even 
Lagrange, whom Bonaparte used to call le Racine de la Geo - 
metrie , was so little acquainted with the practical part of astro- 
nomy, that he requested Lalande to explain to him the use of 
the Zenith Sector and the Mural Quadrant *j\ 
Delambre had therefore peculiar merit in executing, in so 
superior a manner, the great trigonometrical operations which 
were entrusted to him ; and he is entitled also to the still higher 
praise of having set an example which has been followed by so- 
many of the other nations of Europe. 
In the year 1795, M. Delambre was appointed one of the 
Members of the Board of Longitude, and a Member of the 
First Class of the Institute of France. When Bonaparte be- 
came First Consul, Delambre was appointed Inspector- General 
of Studies ; and, in this capacity, he organised the Lyceum of 
Moulins in 1802, and that of Lyons in 1803, in a manner which 
reflected the highest credit on his intelligence and good feel- 
ings. 
In the year 1807, upon the death of his preceptor and friend 
Lalande, Delambre was appointed Professor of Astronomy 
* 16 Napoleon,” says M. Dupin, “ apres avoir annonce les prix decennaux 
avec un faste imposteur, refusa de les delivrer, lorsque le choix qu’il avait demandes 
eurent ete faits par l’Instii'ut, et publie a la face de toute la France. II montra 
de lors que ses pensees s’etaient tournees vers un autre but que celui de progres de 
la civilisation des peuples ; ce fut un pas dans la route qui le menait a sa chute.'’ 
■f* These anecdotes are given on the authority of Professor Moll, who had the 
last from Delambre himself. 
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