Page:Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London 40.djvu/56

 be ome Error: But at leat M. Caini eems certain, that there is a very coniderable Diminution in the Degrees of the Parallel of Paris, which confirms his Opinion of the Earth’s being longet at the Poles. This we are likely to have better Certitude of hereafter, eeing we are inform’d that this Meaurement of the Parallel of Paris, is carrying on in France by M. Caini’s Sons, M. Maraldi’s Nephew, and everal other young Mathematicians, intructed by M. Caini in this ort of Work.

I have already aid, that all thee Operations perform’d in France, for the Figure and Magnitude of the Earth, could not erve to determine the Earth’s Figure out of France, without the Aitance of certain Hypothees; unles the ame thing were undertaken and carried on in the other Regions of the Earth, more Northern and Southern than France. ’Tis upon this Conideration, that the Royal Academy of Sciences took up the Reolution of ending ome Atronomers to make the like Obervations as near the Equator and the Poles as poible, which are the Places where the difference of the Degrees on the Meridian ought to be the greatet, according to the different Hypothees.

In the Month of April 1735, et out from France three Mathematicians and Atronomers of the Academy, viz. Meieurs Godin, Bougher, and De la Condamine, for the Province of Quito, which is the mot Northern part of Peru in America; in order to oberve, just under the Equinoctial Line, the Magnitude of ome Degrees of the Meridian and Equator.

As to the other Mathematicians and Atronomers of the ame Academy, viz. Meieurs de Maupertuis, Camus,