"
Sir Jonas Moore, one of the influential friends whom Flamsteed's
talents had attracted, seems to have procured for him the position of
king's astronomer, with a salary of 100 pounds per annum. A larger
salary appears to have been designed at first for this office, which
was now being newly created, but as Flamsteed was resolved on taking
holy orders, a lesser salary was in his case deemed sufficient. The
building of the observatory, in which the first Astronomer Royal was
to be installed, seems to have been brought about, or, at all events,
its progress was accelerated, in a somewhat curious manner.
A Frenchman, named Le Sieur de S. Pierre, came over to London to
promulgate a scheme for discovering longitudes, then a question of
much importance. He brought with him introductions to distinguished
people, and his mission attracted a great deal of attention. The
proposals which he made came under Flamsteed's notice, who pointed
out that the Frenchman's projects were quite inapplicable in the
present state of astronomical science, inasmuch as the places of the
stars were not known with the degree of accuracy which would be
necessary if such methods were to be rendered available. Flamsteed
then goes on to say:--"I heard no more of the Frenchman after this;
but was told that my letters had been shown King Charles.
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