878 - ASTRONOMY. Set of 2 documents:

ASTRONOMY. Set of 2 documents: - FLEURIAIS, Georges-Ernest (1840–1895), French admiral, inventor, and astronomer. Autograph letter addressed to the entomologist and naturalist Maurice MAINDRON (1857–1911). No place, no date. 3 pp. in-8. Fleuriais mentions his departure for Beijing in 1874 to carry out his astronomical mission: observing the transit of Venus across the Sun. “[…] I was leaving for Beijing with only two men. […] Today, Venus is like a small army. […] I will stop by tomorrow morning to request a copy of the regulations concerning military passengers. At 2:30 p.m., I will come in person to deliver the report to you, by then completed and guaranteed against external claims.” He announced, “I am pleased to inform you that, judging by an experiment conducted yesterday on the Sun, Sa Cruz’s camera is excellent. The 8-inch telescope has been packed (Mr. de Freycinet provided a case for Mr. Perrotin and for me). […] We have recovered: 1 still; 1 tuning fork; 2 alcohol lamps. The ‘silvering’ bill will be reduced accordingly […].” He goes on to discuss the expenses related to preparations for this expedition, etc. -BOUQUET DE LA GRYE, Anatole (1827–1909), hydrographic engineer. L.A.S. Paris, August 9, 1899. 1½ p. in-8. Letterhead of the Bureau des Longitudes. “[…] You know that for many years I have been calculating the parallax of the Sun using observations made in 1882.” The scholar is looking for a box of his papers sent to the Institute and some “lost observations.”