Louis de Freycinet - papers relating to measurement of longitude, with particular reference to Joseph de Mendoza y Rios, ca. 1795-ca. 1820

MLMSS 9716

fonds

ca. 1795-ca. 1820

1337255

0.01 metres of textual and graphic material (1 folder), 5 manuscripts and loose drawings

Louis de Freycinet (1779-1842), French cartographer, surveyor and explorer who first visited Australia on the Baudin expedition in 1802. He returned to Sydney in 1819 on his voyage around the world aboard Uranie. This collection was probably compiled between these two voyages, while Freycinet was working in Paris on an account of the Baudin expedition and involved at the Ministry of Marine. It is possible this group of manuscripts travelled with Freycinet on the Uranie voyage, along with the astronomical instruments he references. Accurately measuring longitude was vital for navigation on extended ocean voyages and these papers focus on improvements made in measuring longitude at sea, including Freycinet's own translation from English to French of an essay by the Spanish astronomer Joseph de Mendoza y Rios, published in London in 1801.

Five manuscripts, ca. 1795-ca. 1820, of various lengths and sizes, with some loose sheets, held in a later file headed "Astronomie et Navigation" with Archive de Laage stamp and other notes, ca. 1802-ca. 1820

ITEM 1
Mémoire sur un Cercle de reflection perfectioné par Jh. De Mendoza Rios… (extrait des Transactions Philosophiques de 1801)

ITEM 2
Mémoire sur quelques methods nouvelles de Calculer la longitude… Don Joseph de Mendoza y Rios Capne. De Vau. & c., [undated]

ITEM 3
Méthode pour trouver la Latitude par deux hauteur du soleil… Pour Mr. de Freycinet, Capne. de frégate, Commandant de l’Uranie, ca. 1817-1820

ITEM 4
Théorie des Longitudes par P. Levêque Examinateur Hydrographie de la Marine, ca. 1799

ITEM 5
Nouvelle method de Calculer la longitude par les distances de la lune, 1795