LALANDE, JOSEPH JEROME LE FRANCAIS, a cele brated French astruhonter, was horn at Bones; in Bresse, in the department of the Ain, on the 1 Ith July 1732. At the early age of six, he was anxious to know how the stars were attached to the firmament ; two years afterwards, his whole time was spent in writing sermons, which he preach ed in the habit of a Jesuit ; and in 1744, his time was oc cupied in observing the comet which then appeared. Hav ing been sent to the Jesuits at Lyons, he conceived a great taste for poetry and eloquence ; but an eclipse of the sun, which happened about that tithe, turned his views towards astronomy. His friends, however, had destined him for the bar, and in obedience to their wishes, he went to Paris to study law. A visit to the observatory, however, excited in young Lalande an ardent passion for astronomy, and from that moment he abandoned for ever his professional studies. Having placed himself under the tuition of De bbie, at that time one of the most celebrated of the French astionomers, and professor of astronomy in the College of France, he made rapid progress in his new studies, and endeared himself to his master by the goodness of his dis position, and by his ardent love of knowledge. Lalande also attended the lectures on natural philosophy delivered in the College of France, by Lemonnier, another celebrated astrohomet, who was much pleased with the progress of his pupil. The law studies of Lalande being now finished, he received the title of advocate at the age ol 18 ; and, but for an accidental event, he would have been for ever fixed in the profession which had been chosen for him. When Lacaille was about to set off for the Cape of Good Hope, for the purpose of determining the moon's parallax, and her distance from the earth, it was found necessary that corresponding observations should be made in the same meridian, and at the greatest distance from the Cape that could be conveniently obtained. Berlin was chosen as the fittest place for this purpose, being 85° distant from the Cape, and Lemonnier had indicated an intention of making the observations himself; but hen the time of his depar ture arrived, he contrived to get his pupil Lalande appoint ed in his stead, although he was then only 18 years of age.
When the young astronomer was presented to Frederick, he spewed some astonishment at his youth, and remarked, " the academy of sciences has, however, appointed you ; and you will justify their choice." From that moment he was admitted at Court, welcomed by the academy, and became acquainted with the most eminent persons of Berlin. The observations of Latitude were made at the observatory of Berlin in 1751 and 1752, and he has published an account ol them, and of the results deduced from a comparison of them with the observations of Lacaille, in three memoirs, which appeared in the memoirs of the academy for 1751, 1752, and 1753 Lalonde was elected adjunct astronomer in the academy of sciences, on the 7th of February, 1753. He was ad mitted associate on the 20th December, 1758, and pensioner on the 4111 March, 1772.
The first separate %%ork which he published, was entitled Etrennes historiques a l'usage de la province de Bresse. and d at Pans n, 1755.
In 1757. he published his discourse, entitled L'esprit de justice assure la gloire, et la duree des Empires which the prize offered by the the academy ol Marseilles I., 1757.
fits next work, which appeared in 1759, was a trans lation of the astronomical tables of Halley, enriched with several new tables, and the history of the comet of 1759.
. In 1760, he published the Oraison funebre de Maurice Comte de Saxe. In a discourse eur la douceur ; and in 1764, appeared the first edition of his Traire Astrono mique. The only French woe ks on iistronorny which then existed, were those of Cassini the younger, Lemonnier, and Lacaille, and there was guest room for a fuller and more correct system of astronomy. A second edition of this valuable work appeared in 1771. in three vols. 41o. and was followed in 1781 with a fourth volume, which contain ed a treatise on the titles, and a large memoir by Dupuis on the astronomical origin of Fables. A third edition was published in 1792, in three vols. 4to. and was regarded as the best work on the subject, till it was superseded by the masterly work of M Le Chevalier Delarnbre.