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 reestablish 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 Peace, 

 was replaced by the bulletin of the battle of Jena. 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 



