322 TRAVELS IN 
*' determined a distance of 410814 feet from a place called 
" Klip fonteyn to the Cape, by means of a base of 38802 feet 
*' three times actually measured : whence he discovered a 
" new secret of nature, namely, that the radii of the parallels 
" in south latitude are not the same length as those of the 
" corresponding parallels in north latitude." 
If the observations of the Abbe be correct, and I believe 
they have never been called in question, the result of them, 
giving a larger bulk to the southern hemisphere of the earth 
than to the northern, may, perhaps, be sufficiently satisfac- 
tory to account for the equipoise of the globe Avithout hav- 
ing recourse to a southern continent^ which many learned and 
ingenious gentlemen imagined to exist, in order to counter- 
balance the great quantity of mountainous land in highr 
northern latitudes. 
The oxen for relays having followed the waggon alone^ 
without the Hottentot who had the charge of them, his com- 
panions began to grow uneasy about him. Having had a 
violent headach the preceding evening, occasioned by reple- 
tion, he had asked m.^ for an emetic. At first he took three 
grains of tartarized antimony, which produced no effect. In 
the course of half an hour, I gave him three more without 
success. The third time he swallowed a double dose, which 
answered the purpose. His companions concluded that he 
must have died on the road from the effect of the medicine, 
and were continually repeating in my hearing, that it was 
pity I had given him so much. Though perfectly at ease 
myself with respect to any harm that would come to the 
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