, one of the first French astronomers of the last century, was born
, one of the
first French astronomers of the last century, was born at
Paris Jan. 11, 1734, and appears to have been educated to
the profession of the law, as he became a counsellor of
parliament; but his fame is more solidly“established on his
astronomical pursuits. In the former capacity, however,
he was appointed a deputy from the noblesse of Paris as
one of their representatives in the constituent assembly.
His conduct here appears to have been moderate, and even
praiseworthy, as he incurred the displeasure of the succession of tyrants who ruined their country, and was obliged
to escape to some secure place of retirement, where he
died in August 1794. During his more prosperous career, he was chosen a member of the royal societies of
London (in 1775) and of Stockholm and Gottingen, and
contributed many papers to Memoirs of the academy of
sciences at Paris, of which he was also a member. His
principal works, all of high value, are, 1.
” Traite des
courbes algebraiques,“1756, 12mo. 2.
” Methode
generale et directe pour resoudre les problemes relatifs aux
eclipses,“read in the academy. 3.
” Recherches sur la
gnomonique et les retrogradations des Planetes,“1761,
8vo. 4.
” Traite“analytique des mouvemens apparens des
corps celestes,
” Essai sur les
Cometes en general, et en particulier sur celles qui peuvent approcher de l'orbite de la terre,
” 17“-
”, svo; a work,
says its reviewer, which deserves undoubtedly to be placed
among astronomical productions of the first rank, and in
which the learned author has omitted nothing that has the
least relation towards the general theory of comets. Accordingly the commissaries, who were appointed by the
royal academy of sciences at Paris to examine this work,
declared that it contained the most complete theory of
comets hitherto given. 6. “Essai sur les phenomenes relatifs aux disparitions periodiques del'anneaude Saturne,
”