266 
BLANCPAIN, and near Rhodez by M. 
MECHAIN. : ‘ 
The 17th it was feen at Berne by M. 
*YRALLER, the 18th in England by M. 
WALKER; it had gained in three days 
more than 60 degrees; it has paffed to five 
egrees of the pole of the world and of the 
pole of the ecliptic ; it was 11 times nearer 
she earth than the fun, which was the caufe 
of the rapidity of its appareat motion ; 
st was however but fmall. It exhibited 
2 feeble whitencfs, without the appearance 
efatail: the diameter of this nebulotity 
was 24 minutes. 
From the rgth its motion flackened ; 
3t was no longer vilible to the naked eye, 
and its diftance from the earth was judged 
@o have much increafed. 
Citizen MEssIER obferved it with: his 
ufal afliduity and accuracy till the 30th 
ef Ausuft, when it became invifible, 
€itizen Bouyarp has calculated the 
elements of its orbit in the following 
manner, as publifhed Otober 14th ina 
journal: perihelion 1 s. 29 deg. 36 min. 
Paflage, july 9th, at 2 o’clock, 54 min. 
moderate time, diftance 0, 525 nodes tos. 
zg°. 16 min, inclination 50 deg, 36 min. 
retrograde motion. 
Citizen DE La Pxiace, who caleu- 
dated them at the fame time by his me- 
thod, has found almoft the fame refult, 
Citizen FRancors LALANDE has fur- 
‘nifhed fome pofitions of {tars which were 
unknown, but waich could not eicape 
him in that immenfe labour wherein he 
has already furnifhed more than 42 thon- 
tand itars. 
Of the four eclipfes of Saturn by the 
moon which were to take place this year, 
two only were obferved, January 1oth 
and April 2nd. ‘The eclipie of the fun, 
Jone 24th, was obferved in a great numi- 
ber of places; we faw at Paris only the 
entrance, but citizen MeEssIZR agreed 
with me as to the demi-fecond, an un- 
gommon circumfiance for the commence- 
ment of an eclipfe. I calculated’ it the 
game day as I have done for 40 years patft, 
whenever I had the {atisfa&tion to ob- 
ferve an eclipfe of the fun or of a ftar of 
the firft magnitude. 
On March 2nd, 1767, Citizen CAROCHE 
faw the volcano in the moon, (number 
zz In my chart of the moon) like a can- 
dle on the point of extinétion; if was 
# lnminous fpot, Jefs vifible than the 
largett of Jupiter’s fatellites, but greater ; 
it perfectly confirms what has been al- 
ready feen three or four times relative to 
the volcano in the moon, 
The tour of citizen BEAUCHAMP in 
Fitficry of Aftronomy for 1797+ 
fog, 
Afia is one of the important purfuits jn 
which France may pride herfelf. He 
found much difficulty in procuring a fir- 
man from the Ottoman Porte; but at 
length he arrived at Trebizond, (June 
26th) and returned to Conitantinople 
Sept. 9th. He has coafted along the 
principal points of the Black Sea as far 
as the mouth of the Phafis: the ignorance 
and jealoufy of the Turks have hitherto 
ftrangely disiigured this fea. He found 
the latitude of Sinope at 42 deg. 2 min. 
inftead of 41 degrees, as it has been {et 
down in our beit charts; fo that the 
breadth of the Black Sea between Cape 
Haradzé and Cape Indé, which was 
thought to he 62 leagues, is only 37: an 
error fo con&fiderable that it well deferved 
the labours of fo zealous an aftronomer, 
Mithidrates, who rendered the kingdom 
of Pontus fo famous, had no aftrono- 
mers, 
General Caton, then direé&tor of the 
depot, procured me from BEAUCHAMP, 
as from all the other literati, every affift- 
ance which zeal, knowledge, and autho- 
rity, enabled him to furnifh; and I ren- 
der him here this new teftimony of ac- 
knowledgment, in the name of all the 
learned men whom he has encouraged, 
favoured, patronized, in every poflible 
way, and even in circumftances wherein 
the other deputies feem afraid te commit 
themfelves, and not to know them. 
Citizen BEAUCHAMP takes great me- 
rit to himfelf on account of his pupil 
CHARLES HyYACINTHE RECEVEUR, 
who, at the age of 18, calculates and 
cbferves in a furprifing manner. They 
were to fet out Nov. 1th for Bagdad; 
from whence they will proceed to Maf- 
cata in Arabia, where citizen Brau- 
CHAMP is appointed conful. He fends 
to the Mulfeum plants, grains, and in- 
fe&ts; he copies Greek inferiptions for 
the literary clais of the Inftitute, and for- 
gets nothing which may render his tour 
ufeful, 
The geographical pofitions will be in- 
ferted in the Connoiffance des tems for the 
year 1800, together with his new chart 
of the Black Sea fent to the Minifter of 
Marine, I have received only a firit 
rough draught to fatisfy the impatience 
which BEAUCHAMP well knew I felt. 
He has obferved the declination of the 
needle at Conftantinople 12° 33 minutes; 
at Trebizond 8° 34 minutes. He was on 
the point ef embarking for Aleppo; 
from whence he will crois the defart, at 
the rifk of being attacked by the plunder- 
ing Arabs; but. BeaucuHampP has the 
goed 
