7798. ] 
are extinguifhed, or the catalogues are 
faulty, or whether there may be planets, we 
are not acquainted with, like that which 
HERsCHEL difcovered in 1781. 
We find alfo in it a feries of twenty 
years obfervations by Citizen MESsIER. 
Some obfervations of Mercury, made at 
Mirepoix by Citizen ViDAL, who has had 
the good fortune to fee Mercury nearer 
the fun thin any other perfon. This 
planet, fo ditficult to be feen, which the 
great Copernicus had never obferved, and 
the tables of which were conftantly falfifi- 
ed by the obfervations, is now known with 
greater precifion than any ef the other 
lanets, and the tables which I prefented 
jatt year are completely verified by thete 
new ob{ervations. 
Duc LacHaPELLE, of Montauban, 
has likewile fent us a confiderable number 
of them; and young Citizen BERNIER, 
who labours with him, has fent us fome ob- 
fervations and calculations which evince 
both his patience and ability: he will 
prove a fortunate acquifition to aftro- 
nomy. 
Citizen Prony, direétor of the Ca- 
daitre, is already at work on the volume 
of ** Connoiffance des tems” for the roth 
year, 1802, 
Citizen QUENOT, a marine officer, has 
employed the feifure which his refidence 
in Paris allowed him, in making witha 
‘wehecting circle fome obfervations on 
Jupiter; he has calculated them, in fpite 
of the extreme length of the work, and 
thefe calculations have, ferved to verify 
our obfervations of Jupiter’s oppofition : 
he has alfo calculated fome eclipfes, and 
fome places of Mercury obierved at Mon- 
tauban. ‘This courageous navigator has 
fhewn us, that our labours will not be 
loft to the marine, fince there are tound 
in it obfervers fo experienced, poflefled of 
as much emulation and order as intelli- 
gence and facility for obfervations and 
calculations. 
Citizen MarTIN, profeffor of hydrogra- 
hy at Calais, has allo taken apart in this 
bi aur which requires 1o many obferva- 
tions, and he has calculated a great num- 
ber ; 2 Jaborious employment which calls 
for grateful acknowledgement. 
The Board of Longitude has under- 
faken to reftore the obfervatory: Rami- 
den, the moft fkilrul artift in England, 
promifed us 10 years ago a large paflage 
infrument ; when Lord Malmfbury was 
in Paris negotiating fora peace, I requef- 
ted him to negotiate at London in behalf 
ef our French aftronemers, and he pro- 
muied his good offices; we hope however 
Hiftory of Aftronomy for 797. 
o77 
that Citizen LENorR will fupply the fail- 
ure of Ramfden ; he is already very for- 
ward with a meridian telefcope wanted in 
the obfervatory, and he has fupplied us 
-with an entire circle invented by Citizen 
Borpa, with which Lerrancais has 
already determined the height of the pole, 
48 deg. 50 min. 15 fec. ; as alfo the ob- 
liquity of the ecliptic, with a precifion 
which furpaffes every thing of the kind 
obtained hitherto. The Board of Longi- 
tude has alfo acquired the ufe of a large 
mural 7% feet in length, the property of 
Citizen Le MonnizER, and effentially 
wanted by the obfervatory. I have given 
in the Magazin Eucyclopedique a notice of 
the labours of the Citizens LENoir, Ca- 
ROCHE, and FORTIN, who in France 
maintain a competition with the moft ce- 
lebrated artifts of England. 
The Board of Longitude has named 
Citizens RocHon and ANCELIN to the 
obfervatory of Breft, and Citizen FLav~ 
GERGUES to that of Toulon; but the 
war has not yet permitted government to 
put thefe eftablifhments in activity. 
Citizen ‘THALIS (JACQUES JOSEPH) 
born June 6th 1748, has completed the 
reparation of the obfervatory of Mar- 
feilles, and has refumed the courfe of 
his ufeful obfervations. Citizen GuIL- 
LAUME DE St. JACQUES DE SYLVA- 
BELLE, born January 38th 1722, direc- 
tor of the fame obfervatory, is employed in 
putting in order fome interefting memoirs, 
and he has already fent us fome plans for 
an obfervatory. 
Citizen FERDINAND BERTHOUD prin- 
ted in 1792 a treatife on longitude 
watches, and in 1797 finifhed the print- 
ing the {equel of the fame treatife. Thefe 
two works have not yet been rendered 
public, but he prefented them to the In- 
ftitute on November 1ft. with a memoir 
iy which he demands that clocks be regu- 
lated by the mean time, and that the me- 
ridian ot the mean time be traced in the 
Palais royal. Y alfo on November | 1ft 
made a motion in the Iaftitute to demand 
of the Directory that the town clock be 
fet at mean time, in the fame manner as 
that of the Thuilleries which Citizen LE- 
PAUTE is now conftructing. This is 
done in England; at Geneva alfo there 
is 2 man employed to ftrike on the bells 
of St. Peter at the inftant of mean noon, 
fince it is acknowledged that the true fun 
only gives. an imperfect and irregular 
meafure of time. 
On the fame day one of the watches 
prefented at the competition for prizes 
propoled by the Inititute was put mto 
my 
