Cm. XI. SOUTH AMERICA. 291 



The fquadron beincr fafely arrived at Callao, witii 

 the commander in c'lief oí the South-iea, a title given 

 to Don Jofeph Pizarro, and a fufficient number of 

 officers of fuch diftinguiilied zeal and experience, that 

 they might well fupply our place without detriment to 

 the fervice ; and, at the fame time, we being wiiling 

 to put the finiihing hand to our principal work, we 

 afked the vice-roy's leave to return to Qiiito ; but ifis 

 excellency was dcfirous that we ihould firft complete 

 fome particulars he had committed to our care. Ac- 

 cordingly we applied ourfelves afiiduoufly to our 

 work; and Don George Juan, having finiihed his 

 part firft, left Callao on the »4th of November, pro- 

 pofing to make all the nccefiary preparatives againft my 

 arrival, that the proper obiirrvadons might be made 

 without delay. On the a7th of January, 1744, 1 reached 

 Qiiito, where I found Don George Juan had, by his 

 extraordinary care, nearly finiihed every thing neceíTary 

 for the condnuation of our work; and whiUt the re- 

 mainder was performing, we had an opportunity, in 

 conjunction with iV'r. Godin, the only French acade- 

 mician now remaining in this province, of obferving 

 the comet which appeared this year. 



Though the comet might have been feen on the 

 ad and 3d of February, the atmofchere of "^ito being 

 fo unfavourable to aftronomical obfervacions on account 

 of the clouds, it was the 6th before we could obferve it. 

 The comet was then near the weftern part of the ho- 

 rizon, and being behind the mountain of Pichinca, its 

 altitude concealed it from our fight, fo that we could 

 not obferve it after feven or eight at night. On the 

 6th, at feven in the evening, we found its altitude 

 above the horizon to be 15 degrees, and its azimuth 

 from the N. 72 degrees i Mr. Godin and Don George 

 Juan judged its nucleus to be oblong, to me it ap- 

 peared perfeitly circular; but we all agreed that it 

 was larger than Jupiter. The tail, which we difcerned 

 through fome light clouds, feemed to extend two de- 

 U 2 gree€. 



