£14 A VOYAGE TO Book V 



were not pursued, the form and disposition of the 

 series being afterwards altered to very great advan- 

 tage. In order to tiiis, M. Verguin, with some 

 others, was sent to draw a geographical map of the 

 parts south of Quito; whilst M. Bouguerdid the same 

 with regard to the northern parts; a task we found 

 absolutely necessary, in order to determine the 

 points where the signals should be placed, so -¿.s ta 

 form the most regular triangles, and whose sides 

 should net be intercepted by higher mountains. 



During these operations, M. de la Condamin6 

 went to Lima, in order to procure money on recom- 

 mendatory letters of credit, which he had brought 

 from France, for defraying the expences of the com- 

 pany, till remittances arrivedl\and Don George Juan 

 ibllowed him, in order to confer with the viceroy of 

 Peru, for amicably determining some differences 

 which had arisen with the new president. 



These two gentlemen, having happily terminated 

 their respective aflairs, returned to Quito about the 

 middle of June, when both M. Bouguer and those 

 who surveyed the southern parts had finished their 

 plans. It was now determined to continue the series 

 of triangles to the south ofQuitoj and the company 

 accordingly divided themselves into tv/o bodies, con- 

 sisting of French and Spaniards, and each retired to 

 the part assigned him; Don George Juan and M. 

 Godin, who were at the head of one party, went to 

 the mountain of Pambamarca; while M. Bouguer, 

 de la Condamine, and myself, togeiher with our as- 

 si^^tants, climbed uo lo the hiirhest summit of Pichin-r 

 cha. Both parties suffered nota little, both from tjie 

 severity of the cold, and the impetuosity of the winds, 

 which on the-e heights blew with incessant violence j 

 and these ciifliculties were the more painful to us, as 

 we h;:d beeniittle used to such sensa'tions. Thus in 

 the torrid zone, nearly under the equinoctial, where 

 it is natural to suppose we iiad most to fear from the , 



hear, 



