- MEMOIRS OF THE CELEBRATED ASTRO- 
NOMER LE MONNIER, 
[From the German of F. Von Zach, Editor 
of the Allgemeine Geograph. Ephemeriden, 
Director of the Obfervatory at Seeberg, near 
Gotha *, &c.] 
(PFTER CHARLES LE MONNIER, 
the oldeft aftronomer in Europe, but 
who had long ceafed to exift for the {cience 
of aftronomy,. died on the 2nd of April 
1799, aged eighty-four years, at Lizieux 
in the cz-devazt province of Normandy. 
Hie was born at Paris on the zoth of No- 
vember 1715. From his earlieft years, 
he devoted himfelf to aftronomy: When a 
youth of fixteen, he made his firft obfer- 
vation, viz. of the oppofition of Saturn. 
At the age of twenty, he was nominated 
a Member of the Royal Academy of Sci- 
ences at Paris. In the year 1735, he ac- 
companied Maupertuis in the celebrated 
expedition to Lapland to meafure a degree 
of latitude. In 1748, he went to. Scot- 
Jand to Lord Macclesfield, to obferve the 
annular eclipfe of the fun, which was moft 
vifible in that country ; and he was the firft 
aftronomer who had the pleafure to mea- 
fure the diameter of the moon on the ditk 
of the fun. 
Lewis XV. it is well known, was ex-— 
tremely fond of aftronomy, and greatly 
honoured its profeffors; he loved and ef- 
teemed Le Monnier. - I have feen the King 
himfelt (fays Lalande) come out of his 
cabinet, and look around for Le Monnier ; 
and when his younger brother was pre- 
fented to him on his appointment to the 
othce of firft phyfician, his Maielty was 
pleated to wifh him the merit and reputa- 
tion of his brother the aftrenomer. All 
the remarkable celeftial phaenomena were 
always obferved by the king, in company 
with Le Monnier. Thus he obferyed 
with him, at his chateau of St. Hubert, 
the two celebrated tranfits of Venus 
through the difk of the fun in the years 
a761 and 17693; as appears -from the Me- 
moirs of the Royal Parifian Academy ‘of 
Sciences., It well deferves to be here re- 
corded in what manner, the King behaved 
a EE 
* Of this Obfervatory Lalande juftly re- 
marks, in the oration’ pronounced by him 
at the opening again of the Collége de 
France, p.o. ‘¢ L’Obfervatoire de Gotha eft Te 
plus beau BREE qwil y ait en Allemagne. Le 
Duc y a depenfé pk 200. mille francs : aucun 
prince, aucun roi, wa donnd dans ce frccle, ni fui 
cet exemple.” a 
7 
nie ies 
ee GO AOU 
| [ 626 ] 
ANECDOTES OF EMINENT PERSONS. 
[ Sept: 
during thefe important obfervations, and 
how little he difturbed his aftronomers 
(the celebrated La Condamine being like- 
wife permitted to obferve the tranfit in his 
prefence) in this occupation; 
could not be re-ealied. -Le Monnier re- 
lates inhis Differtation, that, ‘* his Majefty 
perceiving that we judged the laft contacts 
to be of the greateft importance, 2 pro- 
found filence at that. moment~ reigned 
around us.”’ At the tranfit of Venus in 
-1769, the King aliowed the Marquis de 
Chabert, an intelligent and expert naval 
officer, who was juft returned from a lite- 
rary voyage to the Levant, to affiit at-the 
obfervation. In a Court like that of 
Lewis XV. fo fcrupuloufly obfervant of 
etiquette, thefe will be allowed to have 
been moft diftinguifhed marks of ho- 
nour, and of royal favour and conde- 
{cenfion. . nas 
In the year +750, Ee Monnier was or- 
dered to draw a meridian at the royal cha- 
teau of Bellevue, where the King frequent- 
ly made obfervations: the monarch on 
this occafion rewarded him with a prefent 
of 15,000 livres; but Le Monnier ap- 
plied this fum of money likewile ina man- 
ner that redounded to the honour of his 
mounificent fovereign and of his country, 
by procuring new and accurate inftru- 
ments, with which he afterwards made his 
beft and moft remarkable obfervations. In 
1742, the King gave him in Paris, Rue de 
la Pofte, a beautiful free dwelling, where, 
till the breaking ont of the revolution, he 
refided, and purfued his aftronomical la- 
bours ; and where his inftruments in part 
yet remain: fome of them the prefent 
“French government has, at the inftance of 
Lalandé, purchafed for the National Ob- 
fervatory. In 1751, the King prefented 
him with a block of marble, eight feet in 
height, fix feet in breadth, and fifteen 
inches in thicknefs,.to be ufed for fixing 
his. mural quadrant of five feet: this 
marble wall, together with the inftruments 
appended to it, turns on-a large brafs ball 
and fecket, by which the quadrant may 
be directed from fouth to north; thus ferv- 
ing to rectify the large mural quadrant of 
eight feet, which is tmmoveably made falt 
to a wall, towards the fouth. 
With thefe quadrants Le Monnier ob-~ 
ferved, for the long period of-forty years, 
the moon with unwearied perfeverance at 
allLhours of the night. Tt is requifite to) 
be a diligent aftronomer, to be able to 
conceive, to what numberlefs inconveni- 
encés 
the proper — 
time for which, if permitted to pafs by, 
