Ch, XL SOUTH AMERIC/V. 293 



pleailng, as it wa? acco npanied with a confcioufntrs 

 that ro inconveniences had occafioned us co omit the 

 IcaiR- part of our duty. 



During our ftay at Mira, Don George Juan applied 

 himfelf to obferve the variation of the magnetic needle, 

 and by four obfervations nearly coincident, he concluded 

 to be nearly 8°, 4;', eafterly. 



We now llegan to deliberate on our return upon 

 the favourabl'^ ■p[)ortunlty of the ahove-menrionei 

 French ihips, whch were preparing to fail for Spain; 

 as we íh")uíd then país round Cape Horn, and not only 

 complete from our own experience, an account of the 

 South-iea, but be enabled to make obiei vations on the 

 whole courfc. Another, and indcec* on- principa! mo* 

 tive was, the fatety of our pape rs, concluding there 

 could be no danger in a neutral ihip, as we then 

 imagined thofe to be. The concurrence of fo many 

 advantages immediately determined usj and leaving 

 Quito we ftt out for Lima, ;herc I arrived firft, 

 Don George Juan having fome days bctn detained at 

 Guayaquil by a freih commiffion by the vice-roy. 

 Thefe ftiips, not faijmg fo ; foon as cxpeded, I em- 

 ployed the interval in drawing up an extrad of all 

 interefting obfervations and rci.iarks, and preicnted it 

 to the vice-roy, who was pleafcd to ordt^r the papers to 

 be prefer ved in the fccretary's office, that if any misfor- 

 tune 'hould happen to us in the voyage, our fovcreign 

 might not be totally difappointed m his generous views 

 of promoting the uieful fcicnces of geography and 

 navigation. 



Wi-iiLE we were employed in finifliing our obfe'r- 

 vations at Mira, the univerfuy of Liina gave a 

 remarkable teftimony of the'ir fenfe of Mr. Gv Jm's 

 enánent talents, by chufing him profciTor of mathe- 

 matics, in the room of Don Pedro d- Peralta, 

 deceafedj which he accepted of with the greater fa- 

 tisfaélion, as fome indifpenfable affairs of his C"fnp..ny 

 would not permit him to gratiiy his defires of rcturn- 

 U 3 ing 



