ULLOa's voyage to south AMERICA. 32I 



them a great dignity and a more extenfive advantage ; and that the Spaniards might 

 owe only to themfelves the fruits and improvements expeded from them. His 

 Majefty alfo conceived that the French academicians, having thefe officers in their 

 company, would be more regarded by the natives, and, in the places through which 

 they were to pafs, all umbrage would be thus removed from perfons who might 

 not be fufficiently acquainted with the nature of the defign. Accordingly the com- 

 manders and directors of the academy of the Royal Guardas Marinas received orders 

 to recommend two perfons, whofe difpofitions not only promifed a perfefl: harmony 

 and correfpondence with the French academicians, but who were capable of making, 

 equally with them, the experiments and operations that might be neceflary in the 

 courfe of the enterprife. 



Don -iJeorge Juan, commander of Aliaga, of the order of Malta, fub-brigadier to 

 the Guardas Marinas, equally diftinguiihed by his application to the mathematics,. 

 ^ and his faithful fervices to the crown, was, with myfelf, propofed to His Majefty, 

 as qualified to contribute to the fuccefs of fuch an enterprife. We had commif- 

 fions given us as lieutenants of men of war, and, with all neceflary inftrudions, 

 were ordered to embark on board two fhips fitting out at Cadiz, for carrying to 

 Carthagena, and thence to Porto Bello, the Marquis de Villa Garcia, appointed vice- 

 roy of Peru. About the fame time, the French academicians were to fail in a fhip of" 

 their nation, and, by way of St. Domingo, to join us at Carthagena, in order to 

 proceed from thence in company. 



The two men of war, on board of which we had been ordered, were the Con- 

 quiftador of fixty-four guns, and the Incendio of fifty ; the former commanded by Don 

 Francifco de Liano, of the order of Malta, commodore ; and the latter by Don Au- 

 guftin de Iturriaga, by whom it was agreed that Don George Juan fhould go in the 

 Conquiftador, and myfelf in the Incendio. We failed from Cadiz bay. May 26, 1735 ; 

 but, the wind Ihifting, we were obliged to put back and come to an anchor about half 

 a league without Las Puercas. 



On the 28th, the wind coming about to north-eaft, we, again fet fail, and continued 

 our courfe in the manner related in the two following journals : 



Journal of Don George Juan, on board the Conquiftador, 



The 2d of June 1735, faw the Canary Iflands; and the winds, which are ufually 

 very variable in this paflage, were either north-weft by north, or north-eaft. Don 

 George Juan, by his reckoning, found the difference of longitude between Cadiz and 

 the Pico of Teneriffe 10*^ 30'. 



According to Father Feuillee*s obfervations, made at Loratava, fix minutes and a 

 half eaft of the Pico, the difference of the longitude betwixt the latter and the obfer- 

 vatory at Paris is 18^ 51'. Subtrading therefore 8° 27', which, according to the Con- 

 noiffance des Tems, is the difference of longitude between that obfervatory and Cadiz ; 

 the difference of longitude between that city and the Pico is 10° 24', and confequently 

 differs fix minutes from Don George's reckoning. 



On the 7th we loft fight of the Canaries, and continued our courfe towards Mar- 

 tinico, fteering fouth between forty-two and forty-five degrees wefterly, encreafing the 

 angle every day, till near the ifland, we fteered due weft under its parallel, and on the 

 26 th of June difcovered Martinico and Dominica. 



The difference of longitude between Cadiz and Martinico appeared from our 

 reckoning to be 59° 55', that is, 3° 55' more than the chart of Antonio de Matos 



VOL. XIV. T T 



makes 



