Bureau des Longitudes

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The Bureau des Longitudes (French:

The Bureau was founded by the National Convention after it heard a report drawn up jointly by the Committee of Navy, the Committee of Finances and the Committee of State education. Henri Grégoire had brought to the attention of the National Convention France's failing maritime power and the naval mastery of England, proposing that improvements in navigation would lay the foundations for a renaissance in naval strength. As a result, the Bureau was established with authority over the Paris Observatory and all other astronomical establishments throughout France. The Bureau was charged with taking control of the seas away from the English and improving accuracy when tracking the longitudes of ships through astronomical observations and reliable clocks.

The ten original members of its founding board were:

• Joseph-Louis Lagrange, geometer;
• Pierre-Simon Laplace, geometer;
• Joseph Jérôme Lefrançais de Lalande
  , astronomer;
• Pierre Méchain, astronomer;
• Jean Baptiste Joseph Delambre, astronomer;
• Dominique, comte de Cassini, astronomer;
• Jean-Charles de Borda, Navy officer;
• Jean-Nicolas Buache, geographer;
• Louis Antoine de Bougainville, Navy officer;
• Noël Simon Caroché,
  telescopes
  .

By a decree of 30 January 1854, the Bureau's mission was extended to embrace geodesy, time standardisation and astronomical measurements. This decree granted independence to the

• ephemerides
  , published annually since 1679;
• Annuaire du Bureau des longitudes, almanac and calendar for public and civil use, published annually since 1795;
• Éphémérides nautiques, (from 1889) for marine navigation;
• Éphémérides aéronautiques, (from 1938) for civil and military aerial navigation.
• Procès-verbaux du Bureau des longitudes