Ls — 
a 
1799) 
Vannes in 1793. According to a tradition in 
his family, he was defcended from that of 
Defcartes ; the author from whom this me- 
moir was tranflated has not been able to come 
at the genealogy, but he adds, it is fufficient 
for the glory of Callet, to have done honour 
toa name fo celebrated. 
At Padua, (November 18, year 5) Toaldo, 
a ufeful aftronomer ; he is fucceeded in the 
obfervatory at Padua, by his nephew M. Chia 
‘miniello. 
On March 29, year vi, Bertrand Auguftin 
Carrouge, a very celebrated aftronomer. He 
was born at Dol, in the ci-devant Bretagne, 
Otober 8, 1741; he had calculated a thou- 
fand ftars for the Celeftial Globe, publifhed by 
citizen Lamarche, fucceflor of Fortin; he had 
made many calculations for the Connciffance des 
zems, and forthe fecond editionof Lalande’s 
Aftronomy .Hehas printedfeveral memoirs in 
the Connoiffance des tems, and fome days before 
his death had fent him fome tables tocalculate 
the phafes of the moon, better than thofe 
which are inthe Elemens de Navigation of Bou- 
guer and La Caille ; they are in the Connoi/- 
fance des tems for the year 1801. Carrouge 
was very poor, when he became Adminiftra- 
tor General of the Pofts, from the confidera- 
tion which citizen director Reveilliere-Le- 
paux had for his merit; this elevation how- 
ever did not prevent him from ftill confecrat- 
img his time and talents to aftronomy. 
* June 15, Alexis-Jean Pierre Paucton, born 
near Luffan, February 10, 1732, and cele- 
brated for his Metrologic; a vatt collection of 
the meafures of all countries, which appeared 
in 1780. This undertaking was fuggefted to 
him by Lalande, the aftronomer, who alfo fur- 
set 

MONTHLY COM. 
BISA, ONES 
ERCIAL REPORT. 
+ a i { 
+ 
Monthly Commercial Report. mn) 259 
nifhed him with the greater part of the fo. 
reign meafures; but he added to it a number 
cf his own refearches, together with diflerta- 
tions and calculations on the ancient meafures, 
population and agriculture. He had alfo ex- 
ercifed himfelf in other parts of mathema- 
tics, as the fcrewof Archimedes. In 1781, 
he publifhed a Theory of the Laws of Nature, 
in which he refuted Newton and Nollet, and 
eftablifhed a new geometrical foot of 123 lines 
and a quarter (a line is the twelfth part of 
an inch); in this work he treated of the 
pyramids of Egypt, é&c. He was fo thoroughly 
convinced of the importance of his difcoyeries, 
that he took for his motto, E puteo veritas. He 
was laft of all employed in reducing the im- 
menfity of foreign meafures to decimal mea- 
fures, when the economy of government fup- 
prefled his ftipend, which plunged him in mi- 
fery and defpair and at length occafioned his 
death. The Inftitute is at prefent foliciting 
pecuniary aid of government for his widow 
and children. 
Beauchamp, brother of Beauchamp of Arles, 
whom he accompanied in the expedition to 
Arabia, together with Hyacinthe Receveur, 
pupil of the latter, who had already given 
very prompt indications of zeal and capacity. 
This lofs, whichis a very great one for aftro- 
nomy, had difgufted Beauchamp for the Ara-— 
bian voyageand even thrown him into defpair, 
fo that he had quitted the fame and returned 
to Arles; the minifter however has fent to 
him to rejoin General Buonaparte and the 
learned men with him in Egypt, and he will 
doubtlefs contribute to the fuccefs of that 
important expedition, in whatever relates to 
the geographical and aftronomical part .of it, 

Sa 
“| ite difcovery of a fuppofed illicit trade carried on from Bengal to Batavia, thence to Eu- 
rope; and alfo to Manilla, by a thip called the Helfingoer, has engaged much attention 
in the mercantile world; and in whatever light it is viewed, the matter certainly deferves 
inveftigation ; but as feveral refpectable names, particularly that of a’ dire€tor of the Eat 
India company, are implicated ina very great degree in the bufinefs, we decline entering 
into further particulars, till the publication of the papers moved for at the late general court 
at the India-houfe, fhall have enabled us to form an impartial opinion on the fubje&. 
From the report of a committee of the Houfe of Commons on the ftate of the Eaft India 
company’s affairs, itappears, that the debts owing by the company in Great Britain, amount- 
ed on the 1ft of March, 1798, to 7,284,6941.; that the effects of the company in England, 
and afloat outward, confifting of annuities, cash in their treafury, goods fold not paid for, 
goods unfold, cargoes afloat, and other articles in their commerce, amounted at the fame 
period to 13,211,370l.; and that the fales of the company’s goods, which in February, 
1793, were eftimated on an average to amount to 4,938,300l. amounted in the year 1797-3 
to the fum of 4,713,3221. 
! Some alteration is about to take place in the duties and drawbacks on Eaft India goods of 
different kinds. : 
An a& has been paffed to continue to the 24th of June, 1800, the a& paffed in the 
year 1755, for granting a bounty on certain f{pecies of Britifh and Irifh linens exported. 
A committee of the Houfe of Commons has been fome time engaged in confidering the 
mof efectual means for the improvement and extenfion of the Britith herring fifhery. 
It has been thought neceflary to fufpend the operation of the convoy aét of the laft feffiony 
with refpe& to a part of the Newfoundland trade, by permitting fhips to fail from certain ports 
in the ifland of Newfoundland without coavoy. 
® The prefent high price of copper has alfo been the fubject of parliamentary interference. 
Tt has lately rifen to 123]. and 1241. per ton, and as this unprecedented price, which is pro-~ 
bably occafioned, -in a lgreat meafure,; by the increafing export by the Balt India company, 
which 
