THE ARCHBISHOP OF VALENCIA. 83 
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 céoperation 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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