LA FIGURE DE LA TERRE, DÉTÉRMINÉE PAR LES OBSERVATIONS DE MESSIEURS DE MAUPERTUIS, CLAIRAUT, CAMUS, LE MONNIER, DE L' ACCADÉMIE ROYALE DES SCIENCES. FAITES PAR ORDRE DU ROY AU CERCLE POLAIRE

IN- 8°, PIENA PELLE COEVA. XXIV, (4), 184 PP. CON 9 TAVOLE ED UNA CARTA GEOGRAFICA INCISE IN RAME RIPIEGATE F.T. ESEMPLARE BEN CONSERVATO DELLA RARA EDIZIONE ORIGINALE. IL MAPERTUIS, GEOFISICO FRANCESE, ESEGUÌ LA MISURA DI UN ARCO DI CIRCA 1° VICINO AL CIRCOLO POLARE ARTICO E DETERMINÒ LA MISURA DELLA TERRA. "ON Y TROUVE LA PREMIÉRE PREUVE DE L' APLATTISEMENT DE LA TERRE PAR LES OBSERVATIONS. CEST AUSSI DANS CE LIVRE QUE SE TROUVENT LES PREMIÈRES OBSERVATIONS DE PIERRE-CHARLES LE MONNIER, CÉLÈBRE EN ASTRONOMIE." (LALANDE, BIBLIOGRAPHIE ASTRONOMIQUE, P. 406). "IN 1733 LA CONDAMINE HAD PROPOSED AN EXPEDITION TO MEASURE A DEGREE OF ARC AT THE EQUATOR. NO SOONER WAS THE EXPEDITION TO THE EQUATOR READY TO DEPART IN 1735 THAN MAUPERTUIS PROPOSED AN EXPEDITION TO THE ARCTIC CIRCLE. THAT SUCH MEASUREMENTS WOULD SUPPLEMENT AND SERVE AS A CHECK ON THE MEASUREMENTS AT THE EQUATOR WAS A VERY COMPELLING ARGUMENT, AND ONCE AGAIN A ROYAL AUTHORIZATION WAS FORTHCOMING.AT LAST THE QUESTION OF THE FIGURE OF THE EARTH WAS GOING TO BE THROUGHLY INVESTIGATED. IF THERE WAS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE LENGTH OF A DEGREE OF LATITUDE AT THE EQUATOR AND ONE AT THE POLE, THE FACT WOULD FINALLY KNOWN." (JONES, THE FIGURE OF THE EARTH, PP. 59-62). POGGENDORFF, II, 84-85. D.S.B., IX, PP. 186-87. HONEYMAN, V, 2174. TODHUNTER, THEORIES OF ATTRACTION AND THE FIGURE OF THE EARTH, PP. 72-73. LA MISURA DEL GRADO POLARE.