THE ARCHBISHOP OF VALENCIA. 33 



was safe for the robber, it would not be so long for us. 

 We retired at once, deploring that, in a country calling 

 itself civilized, there should still exist such crying, such 

 monstrous abuses. 



In order to succeed in our geodesic operations, to ob 

 tain the cooperation of the inhabitants of the villages 

 near our stations, it was desirable for us to be recom 

 mended to the priests. We went, therefore, M. La- 

 nusse, the French Vice-Consul, M. Biot, and I, to pay 

 a visit to the Archbishop of Valencia, to solicit his pro 

 tection. This archbishop, a man of very tall figure, was 

 then chief of the Franciscans ; his costume more than 

 negligent, his gray robe, covered with tobacco, contrasted 

 with the magnificence of the archiepiscopal palace. He 

 received us with kindness, and promised us all the re 

 commendations we desired ; but, at the moment of taking 

 leave of him, the whole affair seemed to be spoiled. 

 M. Lanusse and M. Biot went out of the reception 

 room without kissing the hand of his grace, although he 

 had presented it to each of them very graciously. The 

 archbishop indemnified himself on my poor person. A 

 movement, which was very near breaking my teeth, a 

 gesture which I might justly call a blow of the fist, 

 proved to me that the chief of the Franciscans, notwith 

 standing his vow of humility, had taken offence at the 

 want of ceremony in my fellow visitors. I was going to 

 complain of the abrupt way in which he had treated me, 

 but I had the necessities of our trigonometrical operations 

 before my eyes, and I was silent. 



Besides this, at the instant when the closed fist of the 

 archbishop was applied to my lips, I was still thinking 

 of the beautiful optical experiments which it would have 

 been possible to make with the magnificent stone which 



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