Jacques Cassini; Joseph-Bernard de Chabert-Cogolin

Suite des Memoires de l’Academie Royale des Sciences; de la Grandeur et de la Figure de la Terre
[bound with]
Relation du Voyage fait par ordre du Roi en 1750 et 1751 dans l’Amerique Septentrionale

Paris: L’imprimerie Royale, 1720 [Cassini]; 1753 [de Chabert]. Binding: Full contemporary cat’s paw calf. Blind framing on boards. Spine with 5 raised bands in 6 compartments ornamented with gilt florettes and rules. Bands with gilt scoring. Memoire de L’Academie in gilt on red label in 2, Grand. & Fig. de la Terre in gilt in 3. Gilt rules on board edges. Marbled paste-in and free endpapers. All edges red.

, Notes: Text in French.
Jacques Cassini (1677–1756) was a French astronomer, son of the famous Italian astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini. Jacques Cassini is most famous for extending the Paris meridian, a meridian line running through the Paris Observatory in Paris—now longitude 2°20′14.02500″ East. It was a long-standing rival to the Greenwich meridian as the prime meridian of the world.
Admitted at the age of seventeen to membership of the French Academy of Sciences, in 1696 Cassini was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London (the UK’s national academy of sciences). In 1718, Cassini extended the Paris meridian, measuring the arc of the meridian from Dunkirk to Perpignan, succeeding in this feat some 130 years before George Airy calculated the Greenwich meridian in 1851. Cassini presented this work in the Histoire de l’Academie des Sciences, and in 1722 he published his results in the important work De la Grandeur et de la Figure de la Terre included in the present volume, “in which he confirmed his support for the hypothesis of the elongation of the terrestrial ellipsoid and opposed that of its flattening, which was defended by the supporters of Newton and Huygens" (DSB). In 1884, the International Meridian Conference in Washington D.C. adopted the Greenwich meridian as the prime meridian of the world, although the French continued to use the Paris meridian until the early twentieth century.

Joseph-Bernard de Chabert-Cogolin (1724–1805) was a French naval officer, geographer, and astronomer, most noted for his contributions in correcting naval charts of America’s western coast and the coasts of the Mediterranean. Following family tradition, de Chabert-Cogolin joined the navy as a midshipman in 1741, “where he displayed an interest in science and a talent for drawing charts that brought him to the attention of the minister of Marine.” de Chabert-Cogolin gained experience in conducting surveys and geographical observations that helped improve and correct navigational charts. “In June 1751 he departed for Cape Sable at the southern extremity of Nova Scotia to determine its latitude and longitude and then coasted along the shore. At the conclusion of his survey, he discovered the length of Nova Scotia to be about 15 to 20 leagues shorter than was shown on contemporary charts. The following month he successfully located Sable Island, and in August he chartered the southern coast of Newfoundland from Cape Ray to Cape Race.” The results of de Chabert-Cogolin’s surveys of the coasts of Northern America were published in the work included in this volume.
“The work is [divided] in two parts: the first is an abridgement of his journal accompanied by charts; the second is devoted to his astronomical observations. It contained the most accurate hydrographic survey of the east coast that had yet been made, and the ministry of Marine subsidized publication by taking 200 copies for its own use. In 1754 de Chabert-Cogolin was made a knight of the order of Saint-Louis as a reward for his services and two years later he was promoted lieutenant.”
, Size: Quarto (253x197 mm). , Illustration: A fine example of this volume containing Cassini’s significant research the Paris meridian, considered for some time to be the prime meridian of the world; bound with de Chabert-Cogolin’s survey of the coasts of Northern America. de Chabert-Cogolin’s work is illustrated with a vignette on the title in addition to 8 folding copper-engraved maps and charts, including the important map entitled “Carte Reduite des Costes de l’Acadie de l’Isle Royale, et de la Partie Meridionale de l’Isle de Terre-Neuve,” which displays the coasts of Acadia (the Maritime provinces), where de Chabert-Cogolin was sent in the 1740s to conduct surveys with the purpose of correcting French navigational charts. Cassini: p. 22 misnumbered as 154; 165 as 163; 200 as 100; 213 as 193. , Volume: 2 volumes in 1, References: DSB 3, 104. , Pages: Blank (2). [Cassini]: title. Blank. Half title. Blank. Contents (5). Note. P. 1 – 306. [de Chabert]: title. Blank. P. i-iv. Contents (4). Folding map. P. 1 – 288. Index (10). Blank (2)., Category: Book Canada; Book Europe France; Book Science & Technology;. Slight chipping to headcap. Slight splitting of upper joint. Interior is clean and crisp.


. Item #B5191

Binding: Contemporary full catspaw calf. Spine in six compartments of raised bands with gilt ruling, decorative gilt devices, and red morocco label on 2 and 3. Edges dyed red. Gilt ruled dentelles on all edges. Marbled pasted and free endpapers., Notes: First work: Jacques Cassini was admitted at the age of seventeen to membership of the French Academy of Sciences; he was elected in 1696 a fellow of the Royal Society of London, and became maître des comptes in 1706. Having succeeded to his father's position at the observatory in 1712, he measured in 1713 the arc of the meridian from Dunkirk to Perpignan, and published the results in this present volume.
Title-page with vignette ‘Invenit et Perficit’ on a banner, with sun at head, measuring and scientific instruments, building tackle, a globe and three busy cherubs; plants and flowers burgeon at foot. In this major work on geodesy the Meridian is calculated to run through Paris - some 130 years before George Airy calculated the Greenwich Meridian in 1851. In 1884 the International Meridian Conference in Washington D.C. adopted the Greenwich Meridian as the prime Meridian of the world although the French continued to use the Paris Meridian until the early twentieth century. Exceptionally crisp, clean and tight.



Second work: Joseph Bernard, marquis de Chabert was a French sailor, geographer and astronomer. He marked himself out as a chef d'escadre during French involvement in the American War of Independence and was promoted to vice admiral in 1792. He was known above all for his scientific endeavors, notably in the rectification of naval charts of America's western coast and the coasts of the Mediterranean. He entered the Académie des sciences in 1758 and the Bureau des longitudes in 1803. In 1785, he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The work above is his principal publication, to improve the maps of the coasts of Eastern Canada and to designate the principal points by astronomical observations.
, Size: 4to (246mm x 178mm). , Illustration: Chabert illustrated with vignettes on titles and 8 folded copper-engraved maps and charts. , Volume: 2 volumes in 1, Category: Book Canada; Book Europe France; Book Science & Technology;.

Price: $3,750.00