At Florence, Father Ximenes erected an observatory at the College of Jesuits, which contains a quadrant by Toscanelli, larger than any other known, with which he made observations to prove the secular diminution of the obliquity of the ecliptic. At his death he be queathed the whole to the college. In 1772 the Grand Duke Leopold built an observatory, which was super intended by Fontana ; and several fine instruments, by Ramsden, were added to it in 1786.
At Turin, Father Beccaria erected a small observa tory for his bwn use : but in 1790 a large one was built, at a very considerable expense, by the King of Sardinia, at the Royal College of Nobles, and the direction of it given to the Abbe Caluso.
At Venice an observatory was constructed by Father Panigai, and a small one near the town by M. Miotti. One was also built at Parma by Father Belgrado, and another at Brescia by Father Cavalli.
At Verona, Cagnoli, eminent both as a mathemati cian and an astronomer, erected an observatory at his own expense, in 1787, and placed in it thc best instru ments, with which he has made very accuratc and im portant observations, particularly on the precession of the equinoxes, and on the places of 473 northern stars, and 28 southern, of which he has made a catalogue. In these determinations he has been perhaps morc attentive than any other astronomer, to the minute changes of re fraction. and to the aberration of light.
At Padua there is an observatory, which, in 1778, was futnished with instruments, chiefly made by Rams den. It has been many years under the direction of Toaldo, who has published several useful works, espe cially a Treatise on Meteorology, which gained him a prize at the Academy of Montpellier.
At Naples there is an observatory, executed accord ing to the directions of AI. Piazzi, of which a plan is given in Plate CCCCXXV. Fig 3 It has stone pil lars for supporting the transit, meridian circle, repeating circle, clock, Er..c. together with convenient apartments for equatorials, telescopes, &cc. and is very complete.
In some of the islands of the AIediterranean, observa tories have been established.
To Malta, in 1783, the Grand Master, Emmanuel de Rolla!), an amateur, and enlightened protector of science, invited the Chevalier d'Angos, a skilful astronomer.
He converted a tower of the palace into an observa tory, which was furnished with the finest instruments which could be procured. In a fcw years he made a great number of valuable observations, which he in tended to publish ; but in NIarcli, 1789, the observa tory having caught fire, thc instruments were destroyed, and thc papers burnt ; a serious loss to astronomy, par denial ly as this was the most southern observatory in Europe.
At Palermo, in Sicily., an observatory was constructed in the palace of the Viceroy, under the direction of Fa ther Plazzi, who, in 1787, went to Paris to study as tronomy, and afterwards visited England, to consult the principal artists on the proper construction of instru ments. In 1789, he returned to Palermo, and added to the apparatus a fine transit instrument, and a com plete circle, by Ramsden. His first labours were di rected to the formation of a correct catalogue of stars ; and, as a foundation, he chose Wollaston's Catalogue, and particularly, as his chief points of reference, Mas kelyne's 36 stars. The positions of some of the larger stars he verified by nearly a hundred observations, and, in the prosecution of this task, in 1801, he discovered a new planet, which he named Ceres, in honour of Si cily, as that island was, on account of its fertility, an ciently consecrated to the goddess Ceres. This disco very was the more important, as it excited the curiosity and research of other astronomers, by which three more planets have been since discovered.
Observatories in -various parts of _Europe.
In Hungary, there are observatories at Buda, Tyrnau, and Evian. There are also similar establishments at Grieffswaldc, in Ponaerania, and at Alittan in Courland.
In Poland, there is an observatory at Cracow, and another at \Vilna. The latter was built and richly en dowed hy the Countess of Puzynina, a lady of finc genius as well as liberality. It was finished in 1753, and the instruments with which it was furnished were of great variety and value. In 1765, the king of Po land, by letters patent, gave it the title of Royal Ob servatory, and appointed the learned Jesuit Poezobut, astronomer-royal, who in 1788, added another observa tory, which he furnished with new instruments, chiefly made by Ramsdcn.