, a learned Italian mathe. matician, was born at Milan, Nov. 17,
, a learned Italian mathe.
matician, was born at Milan, Nov. 17, 1702. He was
educated among the Jesuits, and entered into their order in
1718. He afterwards taught the belles-lettres at Vercelli
and Pavia, and was appointed rhetoric- professor in the university of Brera, in Milan. In 1733 the senate of Milan
appointed him professor of mathematics at Pavia, and afterwards removed him to the same office at Milan, the duties of which he executed with reputation for twenty years.
In F75J) his fame procured him an invitation to Vienna
from the empress Maria Teresa, who honoured him with
her esteem, and appointed him mathematician to the court,
with a pension of 500 florins. What rendered him most
celebrated, was the skill he displayed as superintendant
and chief director of the processes for measuring the bed
of the Reno and other less considerable rivers belonging
to Bologna, Ferrara, and Ravenna. On this he was employed for six years, under Clement XIII.; and Clement
XIV. ordered that these experiments should be continued
upon Leccln’s plans. He died August 24, 1776, aged
seventy-three years. Fabroni, who has given an excellent
personal character of Lecchi, and celebrates his skill in
hydraulics, has, contrary to his usual practice, mentioned
his works only in a general way; and for the following list
we have therefore been obliged to have recourse to a less
accurate authority: 1. “Theoria lucis,
” Milan, Arithmetica universalis Jsaaci Newton, sive de compositione, et resolutione arithmetica perpetuis commentariis
illustrata et aucta,
” Milan, Elementa geometrise theoricx et practices,
” ibid. Elementa Trigonometric,
” &c. ibid. De sectionibus conicis,
” ibid. Idrostatica
csaaiinata,
” &c. ibid. Relazione della
visita alle terre dannegiate dalle acque di Bologna, Ferrara, e Ravenna,
” &c. Rome, 17G7, 4to. 8. “Memorie
idrostatico-storiche delle operazioni esequite nella inalveazione del Reno di Bologna, e degli altri minori torrenti
per la linea di primaro al mare dalP anno 1765 al 1772,
”
Modena, Trattato de' canali navigabili,
” Milan,