ULLOa's voyage to south AMERICA, 649 



Catholici Regis Nutu Auftoritate Impenfa ad ejufdem menfionis Negotium eodem 



allegati Communi Lahore, Induftria, Confenfu in hac Yaruquenfi 



Planitie diftantiam Horizontalem 6272 ^^^ Paris. 



Hexapedarum, 



In Linea a Borea Occidentem verfus grad. 19 min. 



25I intra hujus & alterius 



Obelifci Axes Excurrentem, 



Quasque ad Bafim primi Trianguli Latus Eliciendam & Fundamenti Toti Operi 



jaciendutn inferviret, ftatuere. 



Anno Christi MDCCXXXXVI. Menfe Novembri. 



Cujus Rei Memoriam duabus hinc inde Obelifcorum molibus extru£tis Alternum 



confecrari placuit, 



" In the reign of His Catholic Majefty, Philip V. King of Spain and the Indies ; 

 agreeable to the requeft of His Mofl Chriftian Majefty Lewis XV. King of France, and 

 in condefcenfion to the defire of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris, Lewis 

 Godin, Peter Bouguer, Charles Marie de la Condamine, members of that academy, 

 were, by the command and munificence of the Moft Chriftian King, fent into Peru, to 

 meafure the terreftrial degrees under the equinodlial, in order to obtain a more accurate 

 knowledge of the true figure of the earth. At the fame time, by the command, and 

 at the expence of His Catholic Majefty, were fent, George Juan, knight of the order 

 of St. John of Jerufalem, and Antonio de Ulloa, both lieutenants in the royal navy, 

 and well acquainted with all the branches of the mathematics : during the whole pro- 

 cefs of this menfuration they all equally ftiared in the fatigues, hardftiips, and opera- 

 tions ; and with an unanimous confent determined in this plain of Yaruqui a horizontal 

 diftance of 6272 -f-^-^ Paris toifes in a line whofe direction was north 19° 25' 30" 

 wefterly. and intercepted between the axes of this and the other obelifk, as the bafe 

 or fide of the firft triangle, and a foundation for the whole work. In the month of 

 November 1736. In the memory of which tranfadlion an obelifk has been ereded at 

 each extremity of the faid bafe." 



We had now been three months at Quito, waiting till Mr. Hugot, inftrument- 

 maker to the company, had finiftied fome indifpenfable works in which he was then 

 employed, that he might accompany us to the place where M. Godin, after finifhing 

 the obfervations, had left the inftrument, which required fome repairs in order for 

 our making ufe of it in finifhing our part of the work. But on the 5th of December 

 1 74 1, when we were animated with the hopes of concluding our talk in two or three 

 days, the melancholy news arrived at Quito, that Paita had been pillaged and burnt 

 by a fquadron of men of war, commanded by Commodore Anfon ; and was too foon 

 confirmed in all its circumftances, by letters from the corregidor and other officer^ 

 of Piura, giving an account that on the 24th of Novembers at two in the morning, 

 the Centurion "man of war, being the Commodore's fhip, had entered that harbour, 

 and fent her long-boat afhore with forty armed men, under the advantage of the night, 

 whereby the inhabitants and ftrangers who happened to be in the place, were 

 awaked from their fleep by the fhocking furprife of an invafion, the firft notice of 

 which were given by the cries of a negro ; fo that filled with confufion and terror, like 

 perfons unable to recoiled themfelves, moft of them had leaped from their beds, and 

 fled naked from their houfes, without knowing whether their enemies were in poflef- 

 fion of the town ; or whether, by a vigorous refiftance they might not be repelled ; 



VOL. XIV. 40 J^? 



