1800.] 
collection of the Stadtholder at the Hague. 
The library contains 10,000 volumes. 
In the menagery are kept many rare ani- 
mais; and among them the bears from 
Bern, and the elephants from Holland. 
Jufieu is head-director, Twenty-four 
profeffors and other attendants dwell in 
the buildings belonging to the mufeum. 
A. number of chefts filled with valuable 
natural curiofities, from the conquered 
countries, lie yet unopened. Additional 
buildings mult be erected before their con- 
tents can be arranged. 
LETTER 1X. Of the CENTRAL MUSEUM 
of the ARTS im PARIS, and of the Mu- 
SEUM of the FRENCH SCHOOL ai VER- 
SAILLES. 
All the foreign works of art, and all 
fuch as were brought from the conquered 
countries, are placed in the ceztral mujfe- 
1m, where they are zealoufly employed in 
putting them in order. Mr. B. gives 
us a lift of the Italian paintings, as they 
were at two different times publicly exhi- 
bited ; but, according to the report of the 
adminiftrators, many of the mafter-pieces 
were much damaged ; which muit like- 
wife be the cafe with many of the ftatues 
brought from Italy. The number of Ita- 
Jian pictures amounts to 223. In the 
Jarge hall of the central mufeum, there is 
Now an annual exhibition of the produc-, 
tions of living artifts and their pupils. 
‘The mufeum of the paintings of the 
French fchool at Verfailles is formed from 
the f{poils of the monafteries, churches, 
and the colleétions of the kings and emi- 
prants. It fills eight large aparments, 
and is well arranged. Asal 
LETTERS x. Xt, and Xi14 Of the, NaTI- 
ONAL OBSERVATORY at PARIS. 
The Danes were the firft nation in Eu- 
rope who erected obfervatories for aftro- 
nomical purpofes. The obfervatory at 
Copenhagen was finiflied in 16375 and it 
was not till thirty years after, that the ob- 
fervatories of Parts and Greenwich were 
built almoft at the fame time. The ar- 
ehiteét of that of Paris was the celebrated 
Perrault ; but he paid more regard to the 
beauty of the edifice, and to his architec- 
tonic whims, than to the wants of aftro- 
nomy. ‘Towards the end of the French 
monarchy, the obfervatory had been fuf- 
fered to fall much to decay; the infru- 
ments were in part fo old, that it was be- 
come abfolutely neceflary to procure new 
and more perfect ones. Count Caffini de 
Thury, at that time director of the obfer- 
. vatory, had reprefented this to the go- 
Vvernment, and began to fupply the defici- 
@aces, But the revolution drove him from 
from 1671 to 1680. 
Abfira&t of Profefar Buggé’s Fourney to Paris. 45t° 
the obfervatory; and the edifice and in- 
ftruments fuffered much during the reign 
of terrorifm. After that period of fury 
was pat, they began to give the neceflary 
repairs to the obfervatory, and fuch inftru- 
ments. are how to be placed in it as are 
fuitable ro the prefent perfeétion of «he f{ci- 
ence. When Mr. B. firft vifited the 
obfervatory, he found below in a kind of 
roomy and well furnifhed cellar a door 
open, and an old man fitting at a table in the 
cellar. He took him for the porter; and 
inquired: after Mechain, Delambre, and 
Bouvard. The anfwer was, that the for~ 
mer two were gone to Perpignan. In 
the mean time, Mr. B. obferved that 
the old man had papers with geometrical 
figures and algebraical calculations ly- 
ing before him. He afked him, therefore, 
if he amufed himfelf with geometry and 
algebra??? ‘* Yes, in part,”* replied the 
old man, ** but aftronomy chiefly engages 
my attention. I was formerly attronomer 
of the obfervatory: but you fee they have 
hunted me down into this cellar!”’ <* Your 
name?” 
Bugegé from Copenhagen, your colleague, 
who highly efteem you, and am well ac- 
quainted with your former Jabours.”’ Ie 
gave Mr. B. great pleafure to have be- 
come perfonally acquainted with this de- 
ferving man, who, as well as others, had 
during the revolution been fupplanted by 
younger rivals,ot fupertor faculties, though 
not always by thofe beft qualified. This 
fenior of 72 years of age has nothing to 
fubfift on but the falary of the younget 
member of the National Inftitute, which 
amounts to 1200 francs, two {mall apart- 
ments on the ground floor, and a {mall 
garden. He declined thewing the obler- 
vatory to Mr. B. who has given a circum- 
ftantial and accurate defcription of it, and 
of all the inftruments in it. The obfer- 
vatory is now under the dire&tion of the 
Board of Longitude, by whofe order Bou- 
vard gave Mr. B.a oreat ctniofity, viz. a 
copy of the large chart of the moon, twen. 
ty inches in diameter, which James Do- 
minic Caffini caufed to be engraved after a 
feries of obljervations during nine years, 
His detcendant, the 
Caffini now living, reduced this chart, in 
1788, to a diameter of eight inches, and 
had impreflions of it taken with colours. 
Both thefe maps are much more like the 
moon, than thatof Tobias Mayer. Me- 
chain and Bouvard dwell at the obferva- 
tory, and make the obfervations, which 
are faithfully recorded in well regulated 
protocols. Meffier and Delambre do not 
refide there: but have fmall obfervatories 
cpa eae Aa at 
‘6 Feaurat.’—¢ And I am 
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