1602.} 
- fervations of this kind, and Citizen La- 
niarck, who has, urged on this eftablifh- 
ment, willturn it to the advancement of a 
{cience, which is but in its infancy. 
Citizen Burckhardt has alfo performed 
along and curious work on meteorology. 
He has examined fifteen theufand baro- 
metrical obfervations, in order to ealcuiate 
the influence of che winds, and he finds 
that the fouth wind gives for a mean 
height 27 in. 11.31, while an eaft- wind 
raifes the mercury to 28 in. 1.9 1. He 
has alfo found that its heicht on the bor- 
ders of the Mediterranean was 28 in. 2.2]. 
and on thofe of the Ocean 28 in. 2.8]. 
Weil-confiruted vanes are very rare at 
Paris; thereis none on the Obfervatory, 
although Trepeated!y wifted fer one when 
I was the direStor of that inttitution ; in 
the name of the obfervers, I acknowledged 
the gratitude due to Citizen Bois, a tin- 
man, who, having built a houfe en the 
Quay of the Auguitins, fixed upon it a 
very lofty and excellent weather.cock, 
with letters indicating the cardinal points. 
Aftronomers, as they go to the Inititute, 
or to the Board of Longitude, will have 
an opportunity of cbferving the dire&tion 
of the wind, as well as the imhabitants of 
that valt quay, the Louvre,-and the fur- 
rounding houles, who had not a fingle 
vane within the limits-of their obferva- 
tion. mh 
On the 3d of November, there was ia 
the Baltic a terrible hurricane, which de- 
ftroyed many fhips, and which was even 
felt at Breft. On the 7th, there was in 
Provence a ftorm, which produced in 
height more than fix inches of rain, in two 
hours and a half, the wind being S. S. E. 
ft occafioned extreme havock at Marfeilles 
and its environs, and many perfons were 
killed, and the damages fuftained amount- 
ed to feveral millions. ‘Citizen Thulis 
jas found the accounts of the ftorm of the 
72th of July, 1748: of that of the ath of 
September, 1764; and of oneon the «5th 
of September, 37725. but nobody has an 
idea, of any one like that experienced this 
‘ear. 
The clafs of phyfical and mathematical 
{ciences at the infticute elected three aftro- 
homers, who had been prefented by the 
general meeting for the place of an affo- 
ciate, vacant by the death of Citizen St. 
Jacques. 
Sepmanville, and Bernard. 
The firft is a man‘of deep refearch ; he 
has, as far as we know, made more ob- 
fervations on the planet Mercury alone, 
than all the aftronomers in the univerfe 
for thefe 2200 years. The feXion for 
The Hiftory of Aftronemy by C. Lalande, 
Thele were citizens Vidal, , 
205° 
aftronomy had prefented alfo Citizens 
Chabrol, Piétet ef Geneva, and Quenot. 
TI bad even made outa lit of afrcnomers 
known in France, which contains Citizen” 
Henry returning from Peterfbure, Nouet 
and Beauchamp, who were coming from 
the Levant ; Deratte and Poitevin, at 
Moostpelier ; Bernier and Biffy, who are 
gone out with Captain Baudin; Cheva- 
lier, engaged in foreign correlpondence 
Kramp, at Cologne; Duvancel, at Evreux 
Guerin, at Amboile ; Mongin, at Grand- 
Combe-des-bois ; Maingon and Lancelin; 
at Breft ; Jacotot, at Dijon; Blanpain and 
Degrand, at Marfeilles: if to thefe we 
add the'fix aftronomers affociated with the 
Inftitute, we fhall fee that this {cience, the 
moft unprofitable and negleéted, ftill finds 
many friends in France. As foon as the 
happy event of peace encouraged the hopes 
of men devoted to literature, I took ad- 
vantage of the propitious moment by fo~ 
liciting communications from all parts, fo 
that aitronomy might profit by peace. 
The academy of Peterfburg afforded me 
a fall gratification in what it has been 
accuftomed to fend for thefe thirty years 
pat, to promote the advancement of afro- 
nomy, and the Emperor of Ruffia has ap- 
proved the wifhes of the academy in this 
refpett. 
The King of Etruria has promifed to 
encourage the purfuir and fludy of aftrono- 
my at Florence. ‘There are already feve- 
ral fine inftruments in his obfervatory, 
and M. Fabroni aflures me, that an ob- 
we 
we 
1 
ferver fhall be appointed to it ; he requefts © 
that one of my pupils might be fent, and 
on this account ! exceedingly reoret that F 
have nota greater number of them, 
General Jourdan has Jed me to hope, 
that the obfervatory at Turin would be put 
into order; and Citizen Vaflalli, Prefident 
of the Academy, has excited the fame ex 
pectation. 
The Minifter of Marine has given ore 
ders for new obfervations to be made at 
Bret on the tides, of which I .fland in 
need to complete a Treatife on the Bb- 
bing and Flowing of the Sea, that I have 
printed in confirmation of Citizen La 
Place’s beautiful theory, contained ia his 
Mecanique Celeffe, and in order to afcertain 
the influence of the wind on the tides. 
We have requeited of the Chief Conful 
to. procure from Spain two thoufand pounds 
of platina, in order that we may make a 
teletcope of thirty-fix feet, and wa have 
reafon to expect that our requeft will be 
complied with. Our telefcope wil] then 
perhaps furpafg that belonging to Dr. 
Ker{chel, / 
At 
