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( 259 )
JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO THE NORTH IN THE YEARS, 1736 and 1437.
[By M. Ourtiser. Newly tranflated from the Original. Paris, 1744, 4to.]
IS the earth lengthened or oblate at the poles? This is the famous queftion fo long
agitated among the learned, which neither the ingenious fyftems conceived by different
perfons, nor geometrical and aftronomical obfervations up to 1735, have been fufficient
to decide.
The beft mode of terminating the difpute, was to meafure under the equator, and at the
polar circle, one or more degrees of the meridian, by trigonometrical and aftronomical
obfervations of the exacteft nicety.
M. Le Comte de Maurepas always bufied in contributing to the advancement of the
fciences, and the welfare of commerce and the {tate, obtained for the gentlemen of the
academy of fciences all the affiftance neceflary from his Majefty, towards making
obfervations ; the refult of which was important as well to the perfection of the fciences,
as the greater fecurity of navigation.
The academy received the orders of his Majefty; all the neceflary inftruments
were conftructed. Although at that time France had to fuftain a war of magnitude,
no expence was fpared : feveral members of the academy fet off in the month of May
1735, for Peru under the equator; M. de Maupertuis offered himfelf for the voyage
to the polar circle. Its length, the exceffive fatigue incident thereon, the ritks he had
to run; nothing leffened his zeal: Meflrs. Clairaut, Le Monnier, and Camus, of the
academy, were aflociated with him; he did me alfo the honour to afk for me to ac-
company him. = -
Although before-hand prejudiced againft the northern climates, I left immediately,
and without hefitation, the agreeable fociety of the Lord Bifhop of Bayeux, with whom
I] was, to join him. We were not to leave Paris before April 17365 neverthelefs I
went there in the beginning of December 1735: M. Celfius, profeflor of aftronomy at
Upfal, was to join us on the road. M. de Maupertuis requefted as well of M. Le
Comte de Maurepas, to have M. Sommereux for fecretary, and. M. d’Herbelot as
draughtfman, E
The four or five months preceding our departure, were paffed in overlooking the
conftruction of the inftruments which we required, and in providing whatever might
be ufeful to us on our voyage: We made alfo upon the fimple pendulum many ob-
fervations, the correfponding ones to which we were to make at the polar circle. It
sas there that M. de Maupertuis had refolved to go, to make his experiments for af-
certaining the figure of the earth ; but for a long while he was undetermined, whether
it fhould bein Iceland, on the coafts of Norway, or towards the bottom of the Gulph
of Bothnia. The beft maps have a great number of iflands defcribed along the coafts
of this gulph, which promifed to be advantageous to the work to be effected, in confe-
quence M. de Maupertuis gave it the preference; and requefted of M. Le Comte
de Maurepas, to obtain the orders of his Majefty, the neceflary recommendations, and
to caufe advice to be fent to Sweden.
The anfwer was fo fooner received than we immediately prepared for our departure.
All the inftruments were ready and packed with care. ‘The carrier which conveyed
them, was accompanied as far as Dunkirk, by a fervant which M. de Maupertuis took
with him; he as well had four others, one of whom had before been at Stockholm,
and underftood the Swedifh language. As foon as the day of our departure was {ettled,
LL 2 we
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