' SCIENTIFIC LABOURS IN SPAIN. 19 
the mountain, and who came in secret, infringing the rule 
of their order. 
At the time when I write these lines, old and infirm, 
my legs scarcely able to sustain. me, my thoughts revert 
involuntarily to that epoch of my life when, young and 
vigorous, I bore the greatest fatigues, and walked day 
and night, in the mountainous countries which separate 
the kingdoms of Valencia and Catalonia from the king- 
dom of Aragon, in order to reéstablish our geodesic sig- 
nals which the storms had overset. 
I was at Valencia towards the middle of October, 1806. 
One morning early the French consul entered my room 
quite alarmed: “ Here is sad news,” said M. Lanusse to 
me; “make preparations for your departure ; the whole 
town is in agitation; a declaration of war against France 
has just been published ; it appears that we have experi- 
enced a great disaster in Prussia. The Queen, we are 
assured, has put herself at the head of the cavalry and of 
the royal guard; a part of the French army has been cut 
to pieces; the rest is completely routed. Our lives would 
not be in safety if we remained here; the French am- 
bassador at Madrid will inform me as soon as an Ameri- 
can vessel now at anchor in the ‘ Grao’ of Valencia can 
take us on board, and I will let you know as soon as the 
moment is come.” This moment never came; for a few 
days afterwards the false news, which one must suppose 
had dictated the proclamation of the Prince of the Peaee, 
was replaced by the bulletin of the battle of Jéna. Peo- 
ple who at first played the braggart and threatened to 
root us out, suddenly became disgracefully cast down; we 
could walk in the town, holding up our heads, without 
fear henceforth of being insulted. 
This proclamation, in which they spoke of the critical 
