1804.] 
M. Goudin has given a new edition of 
his Aftronomical Memoirs. 
On the 17th of March, the Board of 
Longitude publifhsd the Connoiffance des 
Temps for the year 13, which contains 
every thing relating to aftrenomy, that 
has been done in the countries where it is 
| Eiiftory of Afironomy for the Year 18038. ls 
29 
Captain Baudin, who fet out on the 
13th of Oftober, 1800, from Havre-des 
Grace, wrote on the 12th of November, 
3802, that he had fufficiently explored, 
for the fecurity of navigation, Lewin’s- 
Land, Concordia, and De Whtt’s Land, 
d’Entrecatieaux’s Channel, the ifland Ma- 
cultivated ; the hiftory and obfervations of ria, the eaftern coait of the large ifland of 
the new planets and of the Jaft comets; a 
new catalogue, which makes the number 
of the ftars known to be 13,0003 me- 
moirs and obfervations by baron von Zach 
and M. Ciccolini, Delambre, Mechain, 
Vidal, Flauguergues, Goudin, Sorlin, La- 
lande, uncle and nephew, Burckhardt, 
Nouet, Chabrol de Murol, and Tiulis ; 
with the Hitory of Aftronomy for the 
years 8 and g, to ferve as a continuation 
of that given for thé preceding years fince 
1782. 
The Counoifance des Temps for the year 
14, 1s on the point of appearing: it con- 
tains all the calculations of the moan, 
made from our new tables for the ule of 
the navy, with a great number of obfer- 
vations, tables, and memoirs, by Laplace, 
Delambre, Vidal, Herfchel, Meffier, Burck- 
hardt, Lalande, uncle and nephew, Olbers, 
Thulis, Flauguergues, and Duc-la-Cha- 
pelle; the Hiftery of Aftronomy for 
1802; fupplements tomy Bzbliozraphie ; 
tables of aberration for 140 ftars, a twelfth 
catalogue of new ftars, a table of the 
changes in longitude and latitude for 600 
principal ftars, the meafurement of the 
degree in Lapland, and a table of all the 
articles contained in the forty-five laft vo- 
lumes of the Coznoiffance des Temps fince 
3760, when i began to keepa regifter of 
the annual progrefs of afronomy. 
Hitherto we have feen no native of Ruf. 
fia diftinguith himlelf in that country by 
aflronomy. But I have experienced an 
agreeable furprife, and entertain confoling 
hopes, in feeing young Alexander Ou- 
libifheff, at the age of ten, converfe with 
.me on aftronomy in a manner I mever be- 
fore witneffed, even in France, fromm per- 
fons of twenty years of age. He was 
born at Mofcow, on the 27th of Novem- 
ber, 1793. 
Afironomical geography this year has 
made fome progrefs, particularly at New 
Holland. This immente part ofthe world, 
which contains almott five hundred thou- 
fand {quare leagues of iurface, might alone 
maintain four hundred and fifty millions 
ot inhabitants, which is more than half 
the number on the whole earth: this is 
foficient to fhow the importance of the 
voyage. +3 | 
Van Diemen, Bafle’s and Banks’s Straits, 
and the whole of the fouth welt coal of 
New Holland, from Cape Wilfon to the 
iflands of St. Peter and St. Francis. He 
propofed to direct his courfe through 
Baffe’s Straits, in order to explore a large 
ifland ‘difeovered by Englifh fithermen, 
King’s Ifland, Kangaroo Iflands, on the 
fouth-weft coalt of New Holland, the 
fouthern part of which neither he nor cap- 
tain Flinders were able to examine, and 
he expected to go thence to the iflands of 
St. Peter and St. Francis, to afcertain the 
direction of the continent in that part 
which is unknown to him; then to proceed 
to Lewin’s Ifland, to terminate the iabour 
of the large bay De Geographe, and thea 
to De Wirt’s Land, the northern coat of 
New Holland, and Carpentaria. They 
hope to return in a year. If all this is 
not performed, it will not be the fauit ef 
the aftronomer Bernier ; for he pofleffes all 
the zeal and ability which I announced 
when I propofed him for the expedition, 
which I did with great regret. 
The French have admired the immenfe 
labours performed by thé Englih, duria 
the twelve years they have been eftablifh- 
ed in Port Jackfon; and the fplendour 
and opulence of this colony, formed near 
our antipodes, which is the fruitofa large, 
navy, by which they can eafily unite the 
extremities of the univerfe, and which will 
long be wanting tothe profperity of France. 
The obfervations of Bernier at New Hol- 
land, frem the 271h of May, 1802, are in- 
dicated in the Moniteur of Auguit 15, 
1803. The examination .of the whole 
fouthern coaft, which is owing entirely to 
France, has been completed. . 
Captain Hamelin fet out from Port 
Jackfon on the 19th of November, 1802. 
Oa the 9th of December he feparated from 
captain Baudin to return to France, witha 
‘colle€tion of natural hiftory and curious 
-animals, an account of which has been 
given to the Inftitute by M. Lacepede. 
This philofopher is of opivion, that there 
mutt be in the midft of this immenie coun. 
try a fea like the Cafpian; but no infor- 
mation has yet been obtained in regaid to 
the interior parts of it. 
Bernier has fent me aa obfervation of 
gee aes the 
