HTTBODUCTIOK. 
TTI1 
science. ^ When a ship is condemned in a foreign port, boxes 
containing only dried plants or stones, instead of being sent to 
the scientific men to whom they are addressed, are put aside and 
forgotten. Some of our geological collections taken in the Pacific 
were, however, more fortunate. We were indebted for their pro- 
servation to the generous activity of Sir Joseph Banks, President 
of the Royal Sooiety of London, who, amidst the political agita- 
tions of Europe, unceasingly laboured to strengthen the bonds of 
union between scientific men of all nations. 
In our investigations we have considered each phenomenon 
under different aspects, and classed our remarks according to the 
relations they bear to each other. To afford an idea of the 
method we have followed, I will here add a succinct enumeration 
ot the materials with which we were furnished for describing 
the volcanos of Antisana and Pichincha, as well as that of 
JoruHo : the latter, during the night of the 20th of September, 
' L ose fr °™ the earth one thousand five hundred and seventy- 
eight 1 tench feet above the surrounding plains of Mexico. The 
position ot these singular mountains in longitude and latitude 
was ascertained by astronomical observations. We took the 
heights of the different parts by the aid of the barometer, and 
etermmed the dip of the needle and the intensity of the mag- 
netic forces. Our collections contain the plants which are spread 
over the Hanks of these volcanos, and specimens of different 
rooks which, superposed one upon another, constitute their ex- 
ternal coat. We are enabled to indicate, by measures sufficiently 
exact, the height above the level of the ocean, at which we found 
each group of plants, and each volcanic rock. Our journals 
turmsh us with a series of observations on the humidity, the 
temperature, the electricity, and the degree of transparency of 
the air on the brinks of the craters of Pichincha and Jorullo : they 
also contain topographica 1 plans and geological profiles of these 
mountains, founded in part on the measure of vertical bases and 
cordin^to^tbe'fw' EaC J' ° bsorvation has been calculated ac- 
most b CS a i nd the methods which are considered 
rfudve of tL ^ PI ' e6e r Sta i° ^ our knowledge ; and in order 
we J wf f th dc r r f e of confidence which the results may claim, 
we have preserved the whole detail of oar partial operations, 
in n Z i- i iaV ? -possible to blend these diiTerent material 
Pen, and • who1 & ]° T the description of the volcanos of 
a siniln S P ai "- Had I given the physical description of 
9 FZ™* P could have treated separately everything 
mineralogy, and botany; but bow could 
tnam^manf the narratl ve of a journey, a disquisition on the 
f a Hu ple ’ 0r , th< r K reat phenomena of nature, by an 
enumeration of the productions of the countiy, the description 
ot new species of animals and plants, or the detail of astrono- 
