ALS to Cardinal Fleury?

GODIN (Louis).

Erscheinungsdatum: 1735

Beschreibung

The French astronomer, Louis Godin (1704-60), sought to resolve the dispute over whether the Earth was flattened at the Poles, as believed by Newton and Voltaire, or stretched, a theory posited by the astronomer Giovanni Cassini. His plan was to measure the exact length of one degree of longitude at the equator with a complementary expedition despatched to Lapland to take measurements near the North Pole. These would produce a more accurate measurement of the Earth?s circumference, which had obvious ramifications for navigation.   The proposal was submitted to Academy member Cardinal Fleury and, in May 1735, the expedition departed Rochfort under the leadership of Charles Marie de la Condamine. He and Godin were joined by Pierre Bougher and Jorge Juan y Santacilia and Antonio de Ulloa. Condamine and the two Spaniards would all publish accounts of the expedition. Godin did not and so this is a rare example of his point of view. While the recipient isn?t named, due to the nature of the content it is almost certainly Fleury.   Reporting on the sixteen-day journey from Petit Goave (Haiti), Godin maintains a sense of humour and he provides valuable insight into the day-to-day experience and travails of the expedition. ?If someone wanted to do a quick study of the sickness one develops at sea, he should have come with us from Petit Goave to Cartagena in a boat too little for the many people and the big load in it, with a powerful wind. a frightful sea and continuous rain, and not even a bed and worst of all, smelly water.?   Expeditions such as this one were almost always beset with shortages in equipment and ballooning expenses and this was no different. Here Godin tries to balance the request for additional supplies while trying not to overly concern his patron. Of real interest are his comments detailing contemporary methods of measuring longitude.   ?Our expenses grow at twice the rate of our distance. We already asked you for [my own] Les Connaissances des Temps, a copy of the memoirs of M De La Condamine, some thermometers and some simple barometers with curved piping. You would make us happy if you could add half a dozen hydrometers. We could receive all that by next May. I ask you once again to pass on my request to the gentlemen the astronomers to observe the moon as often as they possibly can. We will observe it here on our trip as well. By studying the parallax when the change of the moon as it declines is small in the tropic, it can still be useful for the longitudes as when it is close to the equator. It is only meant to give you, Monsieur, a glimpse of our situation.? Godin then closes by asking him to pass on his regards to his colleagues at the Academy.   The expedition made its way down to Quito and began measurements. Interference from the local population necessitated them obtaining permission from the viceroy to work unimpeded. However, the return of the Lapland expedition in 1737, proving Newton was correct, led to the withdrawal of government funding. The party decided to continue their measurements and Godin stayed with them until 1741 when he went to Lima and remained there for another nine years before returning to Europe. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 207041

Bibliografische Details

Titel: ALS to Cardinal Fleury?

Erscheinungsdatum: 1735