Cursory remarks on some parts of a work, entitled Studies of nature ; originally written by M. de Saint Pierre, and translated into English by ... Henry Hunter / [William Cole].

  • Cole, William, active 1807.
Date:
1807
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Cursory remarks on some parts of a work, entitled Studies of nature ; originally written by M. de Saint Pierre, and translated into English by ... Henry Hunter / [William Cole]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/80 (page 9)
    “ 1 here present a figure of the globe, which I have crot engraved, in order to render the mistake ©O' of our Astronomers perceptible to every eye.’T “ Let x [Fig, l] ££ be the unknown arch of the meridian comprehended above the arctic po¬ lar circle, ABC, and let D E F be the arch of the same meridian comprehended between the tropics. These two arches are, it is well known, each equal to 47 degrees. But though they both subtend equal angles A G C, and DG F, they are by no means of equal expansion, for accord¬ ing to our astronomers, a degree of the meridian at the polar circle is greater, by 674 fathoms, than a degree of the same meridian near the equator. It follows therefore, that the unknown polar arch x, of 47 degrees, exceeds, in extent, the equinoctial arch D E F, which likewise con¬ tains 47 degrees, by 47 times 674 fathoms, which amount to 31678 fathoms, or twelve leagues and two thirds. The question now to be deter¬ mined then is, whether this unknown polar arch x is contained within the circle, in the curve Ah C, or coincides with it as ABC, or falls without its circumference, in the direction A i C, “ The unknown polar arch x cannot be con¬ tained within the globe, as Ah C, as is pretend- c