PICARD, George Henry, American nov elist: b. Berea, Ohio, 3 Aug. 1850. He was graduated from Baldwin University, Berea, in 1869, and from the Cincinnati Medical College in 1877. He has published 'A Matter of Taste' (1:•:7)• ' 'A Mission Flower) (1887) • 'Old Bon iface) 0881) ; 'Madame Noel' (1400) ; 'The Bishop's (1902). He is also managing editor of the McClure Newspaper Syndicate.
PICARD, zlion pe-lcir, French as tronomer : b. La Fleche, 21 July 1620; d. Paris, 12 July 1682. He took orders and became prior of Rifle in Anjou. He aided Gassendi in the observation of the solar eclipse of 25 Aug. 1645, and in 1655 succeeded to Gassendi's chair in the College de France. In 1666 he became one of the original members of the Academy of Sci ences. He was the first to apply the telescope to the measurement of angles; improved instru ments and methods; founded the Connaissance des Temps, an astronomical annual; and by his efforts secured the establishment of the Univer sity of Paris. But his principal achievement
was the first exact measurement of a degree of the meridian, made in 1669-71 between Amiens and Malvoisine. In 1671 he made a voyage to the island of Uranienburg in connection with the astronomical observations of Tycho-Brahe. On 11 Jan. 1672 Oldenburg read before the Royal Society of London a letter from Paris describing Picard's method and the length of a degree as determined by him. It is probable that it was Newton's knowledge of this meas urement that led him to regard his original con jecture of gravitation as satisfactorily estab lished. (See NEWTON, SIR ISAAC). The follow ing of his works have been published sepa rately: 'Degre du Meridien, entre Paris et Amiens, etc.' (Paris 1740) ; 'Measure de la Terre' (Paris 1740) ; (Traite de Nivellernent, etc.' (Paris 1780). Others of his writings have been published in 'Memoires de l'Acadenue des Sciences, Institute de France.'