Ch. II. SOUTH AMERICA. 227 



ed with my name, though he had never feen me; 

 but obferving me drefled in the garb of the Meftizos, 

 and the lowed clafs of people, the only habit in 

 which we could perform our operations, he took me 

 for one of the fervants, and began to examine me ; 

 and I was determined not to undeceive him till he 

 had finiHied. Among other things, he told me, that 

 neither he nor any body elfe would believe, that the 

 afcertaining the figure and magnitude of the earth, as 

 we pretended, could ever induce us to lead fuch a 

 difmal and uncouth life ; that, hovvcver we might 

 deny it, wt had doubtlefs difcovered mjany rich mi- 

 nerals on thofe lofty deferts ; adding, that perfons in 

 his circumllances were not to be fatisfied with fine 

 words. Here I laboured to remove the prejudices he 

 entertained againil our ooerations •, but all I could 

 fay, only tended to confirm him in his notion j and, at 

 parting, he added, that, doubtlefs, by cur profound 

 knowledge in the magic art, we might make much 

 greater difcoveries than thofe who were ignorant of it. 

 Thefe opinions were blended with others, equally ab- 

 furd and ridiculous ; but I found it impoffible to 

 ^ undeceive him, and accordingly left him to enjoy his 

 own notions. 



Our feries of triangles in the fouth part being 

 finifhed, and a fecond bafe meafured by each com- 

 pany to prove the truth of our work, we began our 

 aftronoraical obfervations but, our inftruments not 

 being perfeClly adapted to that intention, we were 

 obliged, in the m.onth of December of the fam.e year, 

 to return to Quito, in order to confl:ru6i: another, on 

 whofe accuracy we could fafely rely and this em- 

 ployed us till the' firil of Auguft of the following 

 year 1740 ; when, without any farther lofs of time, 

 we again repaired to Cuen(;a, and immediately began 

 our obfervations : but thefe, being very tedious, were 

 not finiflied before the end of September,; the at- 

 mofphere of that country being very unfavourable to 



2 aftrono- 



