4 A VOYAGE TO Book I. 



intention of our voyage. His majefly's wife refolu- 

 iion of fending us to this continent, was principally 

 owing to a more elevated and important defign. 



The literary world are no flrangers to the cele- 

 brated quefíion that has lately produced fo many 

 treatifes on the figure and magnitude of the earth ; 

 which had hitherto been thought perfe6tly fpherical. 

 The prolixity of later obfervations had given rife to 

 two oppoiite opinions among philoibphers. Both 

 fuppofed it to be elliptical ; but one affirmed its tranf- 

 verfe diameter was that of the poles, and the other 

 that it was that of the equator. The folution of this 

 problem, in which not only geography and cofmo- 

 graphy are interefted, but alio navigation, aflrono- 

 my, and other arts and fciences of public utility., was 

 what gave rife to our expedition. Who would have 

 imagined that thefe countries, lately dilbovered, 

 would have proved the means of our attaining a per- 

 fe¿l knowledge of the old world ; and that, if the 

 former owed its difcovery to the latter, it would make 

 it ample amends by determining its real figure, which 

 had hitherto been unknown or controverted ? who, I 

 fay, would have fufpecled that the fciences Ibould, in 

 that country, meet with treafures, not Icfs valuable 

 than the gold of its mines, which has fo greatly en- 

 riched other countries } How many difficulties were 

 to be furmountcd in the execution ! what a feries of 

 obftacles were to be overcome in fuch long opera- 

 tions, flowing from the inclemency of the climates ; 

 thedifadvantageous iituation of the places where they 

 were to be made, and in fine, from the very nature of 

 the enterprife ! All thefe circumfiances infinitely height- 

 en the glory of the monarch, under whofe aulpiccs 

 the enterprile has been fo happily accomplilhed. 

 This difcovery was referved for the prefent age, and 

 for the twoSpanifh monarchs, the late Philip V. and 

 Ferdinand VI. The former can fed the enterprife to 

 be carried into execution, the latter honoured it with 



his 



