1 



4 AVOYAGETO Book I. 



intention of our voyage. His majefty's wife refolu- 

 tion of fending us to this continent, was principally 

 owing to a more elevated and important defign. 



The literary world are no ftrangers to the cele- 

 brated queftion that has lately produced fo many 

 treatifes on the figure and magnitude of the earth; 

 which had hitherto been thought perfectly fpherical. 

 The prolixity of later obfervations had given rife to 

 two oppofite opinions among philofophers. Both 

 fuppofed it to be elliptical ; but one affirmed its tranf- 

 verie diameter was that of the poles, and the other 

 that it was that of the equator. The folution of this 

 problem, in which not only geography and cofmo- 

 graphy are interefted, but alfo navigation, aftrono- 

 my, and other arts and fciences of public utility, was 

 what gave rife to our expedition. Who would have 

 imagined that thefe countries, lately difcovered, 

 would have proved the means of our attaining a per- 

 fect knowledge of the old world ; and that, if the 

 former owed its difcovery to the latter, it would make 

 it ample amends by determining its real figure, which 

 had hitherto been unknown or controverted? who, I 

 fay, would have fufpeded that the fciences fhould, in 

 that country, meet with treafures, not lefs valuable 

 than the gold of its mines, which has fo greatly en- 

 riched other countries ? How many difficulties were 

 to be furmounted in the execution ! what a feries of 

 obttacles were to be overcorwe in fuch long opera- 

 tions, flowing from the inclemency of the climates ; 

 the dlfadvantageous fituation of the places where they 

 were to be made, and in fine, from the very nature of 

 theenterprize! All thefe circumftances infinitely height- 

 en the glory of the monarch, under whofe aufpices 

 the enterprize has been fo happily accompli Ihed. 

 This difcovery was referved for the preitnt age, and 

 ioi the two Spanilh monarchs, the late Philip V. and 

 Ferdinand VI. The former caufed the enterprize to 

 be carried into execution, the latter honoured it Vv'ith 



his 



