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OUTHIER’S JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO THE NORTH. 299
large quantity of {now fell, which however began to thaw before night. The bad wea-
ther continued throughout Tuefday, the twenty-fifth : at times it {nmowed, at others it
rained ; all our attention was occupied in preventing the penetration of the fnow, which
the wind drifted through the fmalleft crevice, from being of any injury to the inftru-
ments upon the mountain.
When we left Torneo we did not expect to meet with fuch bad weather; and as
there was not any great likelihood of its changing, M. de Maupertuis fent two fervants
to Torneo for provifions, that is to fay, for flour and brandy, with bed-clothes and rein-
deers’ {kins, which the feverity of the cold began to render neceflary. We occupied
ourfelves varioufly during the bad weather; we got up barometers and proved them,
as well as the thermometers, and made places for our obfervations on gravity, with the
different fimple pendulums which we had brought from Paris.
There was fome appearance of fine weather during the night, and the next day, Wed-
nefday, the twenty-fixth. We were always anxioufly looking for fine weather, in order
to profit by it immediately : for this purpofe Mefirs. de Maupertuis and Celfius paffed
the night on the mountain; M. Le Monnier the following night ; but we had con-
{tantly cloudy weather, although it was ice-cold, and were unable to make any obfer-
vation with the fextant, or take the paflage of the bright part of the Eagle by the fixed
telefcope, to make ufe of in our experiments on the fimple pendulums.
The weather, fo continually adverfe, gave us much uneafinefs. We had chofen J of
the Dragon as the moft proper ftar for the obfervation of the fextant: it paffed the
meridian near enough to the zenith, at the moft fuitable hcur, to be again obferved at
Torneo ; but we were under continual apprehenfion of not finifhing our obfervations
at Kittis fufficiently in time: in the interval, we were approaching the period when we
fhould be ftopped, not only by our obfervations, but alfo by the ice in the river, which
in the beginning of winter, and frequently for a long time ferves as an impediment to
all navigation, but is not fufliciently {trong to bear fledges. This difficulty became fo
much the more ferious for us, from our having to tranfport thither the fextant, the foot
of which alone was extremely heavy.
Had the weather been tolerably favourable, and left us without inquietude
about the fuccefs of our operations, our refidence at Pello would have been pleafant
enough. We formed a fociety very much attached to eachother, had comfortable
apartments, confidering the country, and had on the banks of the river walks as plea-
fant as they were reclufe: beer, brandy, and water from the river, fupplied the place of
wine; and if fome things were wanting, we had a fuperfluity of others. To-day two
dozen of fat moor-game were brought us, which coft us no more than two fous each,
which was however much more than what the inhabitants of the country were wont to
pay 5 we frequently alfo had woodcocks and hares. M. Brunius came to fee us; and
fome days after, M. Antilius, chaplain of Kengis, who had been preceptor to M. Helant,
our interpreter ; he flaid two days with us at Pello: he fhewed us his Lapland almanac;
it was a piece of wood, two feet long, with different characters engraved on its four
faces; it was ornamented at top by a little plate of filver, and at bottom with a very
long iron ferrel, badly made : he gave to M. Camus a load{tone, armed, but very weak ;
he brought us in his boat from Kengis beer, poultry, and barley-bread {fpiced. M. de
Maupertuis prefented him with feveral bottles of excellent French brandy. We had
the comfort of receiving news from France almoft every week, for the poft arrives
weekly at Torneo ; and although we were thirty leagues diftant, our letters were quickly
delivered.
2Q2 Holy
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