^14 A VOYAGE TO Book 1^. 



were not purfued, the form and difpofition of the feries 

 being afterwards altered to very great advantage. In 

 order to this, M. Verguin, vvjth fome others, was fent 

 to draw a geographical map of the parts fouth of 

 Quito i whilfl: M. Bougqcr did the fame with regard 

 to the northern parts a taflc we found abfolutely ne- 

 cefTary, in order to determine the points where the fig- 

 nals fhould be placed, fo as to fortn the mod regular 

 triangles, and whofe fides fhpuld not be intercepted by 

 higher mountains. 



During thefe operations, M. de la Cpndamine went 

 to Lima, in order to procure money on recommenda- 

 tory letters of credit, which he had brought frorn 

 France, for defraying the expences of the company, 

 till remittances arrived and Don George Juan fol- 

 lowed him, in order tq confer with the viceroy of 

 Peru, for amicably determining fome differences which 

 had arifen with the new prefident. 



These two gentlemen, having happily terminated 

 their refpedtive affairs, returned to Qtiito about the 

 middle of June, when both M. Bouguer and thofe 

 who furveyed the fouthern parts had finifbed their 

 plans. It was now determined to continue the feries 

 of triangles to the fouth of Quito; and the company 

 accordingly divided themfelves into two bodies, con- 

 iifiing of French and Spaniards, and each retired to 

 the part aiTigned him Don George Juan and M. 

 Godin, who were at the head of one party, went to 

 the mountain of Pambamarca ; while M. Bouguer, 

 de la Condamine, and myfelf, together with our af- 

 fiftants, climbed up to the higheft fummit of Pichin- 

 cha. Both parties fuffered not a little, both from the 

 feverity of the cold, and the impetuofity of the winds, 

 which on thefe heights blew with inceifani: violence; 

 and thefe difnculties were the more painful to us, as 

 W had been lictie ufed to fuch fenfations. Thus in 

 the torrid zone, nearly under the equinodial, where 

 it is natural to fuppofe we had mofi to fear from the 

 \ - ■■■ ' ^ ' ^ . . '.-^ ^ ■ • ' heat. 



