264 
For the Monthly Magazine, 
Hiftory of Aftronomy for the fifth year of the - 
French Republic, read at the opening of 
the fitting of the College of France, Nov. 
15th, 1797, by JEROME DE LALANDE, 
Dire&or of the Obfervatory, and Infpec- 
tor of the College of France. 
Fo the laft ten years it has devolved 
A” upon me to entertain the company 
every year with the fucceffive progrefs of 
aftronomy ;. it is much to be wifhed that 
each of us were to do the fame thing in his 
own particular province. Yourindulgence, 
citizens, encourages me to proceed in my 
labours, and you will fee, with the fame 
fatisfaction as myfelf, the happy refult of 
the combined efforts of all the Aftrono- 
mers in the world. 
The great labour of the Meridian of 
France, commenced in 1792, has been 
continued with extreme rapidity ; Citizen 
De LaMBRE, who pafied the winter at 
Evaux, (in the ci-devant Aubergne) has 
made thirteen ftations as far as Rhodez, 
and on Auguft 27th he terminated the 
part which had been affigned tohim. Ci- 
tizen Mecuain had fet out from Car- 
caffone to meet his colleague; Citizen 
TRANCHOT had placed the fignals, but 
the bad weather and health of citizen Me- 
chain prevented him from terminating his 
labour this feafon, which he propofed to 
do in the firft fine days of fpring. You 
will hardly conceive how laborious this 
work has been; Citizen De Lambre 
wrote to me about it from Puy Violan. 
The work which I was to execute in 
fix hours, I could not finifh in lefs than 
ten days. In the morning I mounted the 
fignal not to defcend till fun-fet; the 
neareft auberge was at Salers; it was 
three hours walk to reach it, and as much 
to return; and the way was the roughett 
and moft difficult I ever yet paffed. 
I took a refolution to ledge in a neigh- 
bouring cow-ftable; I call it neighbour- 
ing, becaufe it was only an hour’s walk, 
both at morning and night. During the 
ten days that this labour lafted, I could 
not undrefs myfelf: I lay on fome 
bundles of hay, lived’ on. milk and 
cheefe, and could fearcely ever cifcern 
two objects at one time. During the ob- 
fervation as well as during the long inter- 
vals which it left me, I was fucceflively 
burnt by the fun, chilled by the wind, 
and foaked in rain. I paffed thus twelye 
hours of the day expofed to all the con- 
‘trarieties of the atmoiphere, but nothing 
gave me fo much concern 2s inaction. 
= 
The bafe from Lieurfaint to Melun 
Fliftory of Aftronomy for 3707. 
will be meafured in the fpring, and we 
fhall have an extent of 9 degrees 39 mi- 
nutes, or 250 leagues, from Dunkirk 
to Barcelonz, which will give us the - 
fize of the earth, the quantum of its 
flat furface, and the exaét rate of the 
metre, which is the foundation of our 
new meafures, as it is the ten-millionth 
part of the quarter of the meridian, or 
36 inches, 11 lines, 44 of our meafure. 
Perhaps there will be a tenth of a line te - 
add, when the labour thal! be finithed ; 
but that is an obje& of no import for 
commerce. ‘This eftablifhment of new 
eafures is fo important and fo glorious, 
that the learned cannot exert themfelves 
tco much to fpread it, and the public 
to adopt it: we are not a little furprifed 
at their indifference. 
They are continuing, at the national 
printing-office, the tables of fines, for 
the decimal degrees, or the hundredths 
and ten thoufandth parts of the quarter 
of the circle, which Citizen Borpa has 
calculated, and which will procure us the 
means of introducing to all other mathe- 
maticians this mode of calculating more 
fimple than ancient. The new progrefs 
of aftronomy had added fo much length 
to our calculations, that our firft care 
fhould be to adopt a method of abridging 
them. 
The immenfe labour which I had un- 
dertaken with Citizen LE FRANCOIS LA 
LANDE, my nephew, for the defcription 
of the ftarry heavens, has been continued 
by that young and able aftronomer with 
the fame zeal; he has already down 42,700 
ftars; only yefterday he returned from 
the Ecole Militaire, where he had paffed 
a part of the night ; and what is as extra- 
ordinary, feeing it is unexampled, he 
was aflifted by his young fpoxig, in {pite 
of the delicacy of her fex, with*as much 
intelligence as-courage. 
This year has been one of the leaft fa- 
vourable to aftronomy: I had no idea of 
being fo retarded by the winter mifts and 
fummer rains, which we have had this 
year. A year ago I announced to you 
36,400 ftars ; thus we have obtained only 
6000 in one year. But what may appear 
little for citizen LE FRANCOIS, would be 
thought extraordinary in any other aftro- 
nomer; noneof us durft have undertaken 
a fimilar labour with any hope of fuc- 
cefs. ‘There are yet fome zones want- 
ing, which may produce 8000 flars; thus 
in one year citizen LE FRancojs will be 
very near the end of 50,000 ftars, which 
the tour of the heavens will furnifh him 
with, by making zones of two degrees, 
in 72 Se 
fod 
iSigiy! 
