BARON VON

See also:

• FRANZ, ROBERT (1815-1892)

FRANZ XAVER

See also:

• BARON VON FRANZ XAVER ZACH (1754-1832)

ZACH (1754-1832)  , German astronomer, was born at Pesth on the 4th of June 1754 . He served for some time in the Austrian army, and afterwards lived in London from 1783 to 1786 as tutor in the house of the Saxon minister, Count Bruhl . In 1786 he was appointed by Ernest II. of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha director of the new observatory on the Seeberg at Gotha, which was finished in 1791 . From 18o6 Zach accompanied the duke's widow on her travels in the south of Europe . He died in Paris on the 2nd of September 1832 . Zach published Tables of the Sun (Gotha, 1792; new and improved edition, ibid .. 1804), and numerous papers on geographical subjects, particularly on the geographical positions of many towns and places, which he determined on his travels with a sextant . His principal importance was, however, as editor of three scientific journals of great value: Allgemeine Geographische Ephemeriden (4 vols., Gotha, 1798-99), Monatliche Correspondenz zur Beforderung der Erd- and Himmels-Kunde (28 vols., Gotha, 1800-13, from 1807 edited by B. von Lindenau), and Correspondance astronomique, geographique, hydrographique, et statistique (Genoa, 1818-26, 14 vols., and one number of the 15th suppressed at the instigation of the Jesuits) .