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318 OUT HIER’s JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO THE NORTH.
the twenty-ninth it fnowed a little, M. de Maupertuis arrived, and told us that M.
Camus was ill, and would remain at Torneo, with M. Herbelot. Saturday the thirtieth,
we placed the fextant on the mountain, and the pendulum of Mr. Graham in the apart-
ment of the ftone fhaft, that is to fay, the apartment of Corten Niemi, where we had
conftructed a ftone fhaft. We faw a large number of Laplanders arrive in their
pulkas, followed by many fledges full of merchandize ; the following days fome of them
came into our rooms; they entered without knocking, and placed themfelves on their
knees to afk alms, making a long fpeech, of which we comprehended nothing but the
word Jefou Chriftou. Asfoon as we had given them a piece of money, they immedi-
ately afked the mafter of the houfe for brandy, and after drinking fome, danced and
fung with all their might in the court ; there was no harmony in their finging. They
have dogs who make fuch a fingular noife, that we miftook it firft for the catterwauling
of grimalkins.
It continued to fnew occafionally ; on Wednefday the third of April, it fnowed while
the thermometer was at 5° below o. M. Le Monnier and myfelf faftened the fixed
telefcope to the fhaft, and obferved the paflage of Regulus for the experiments of the
fimple pendulum ; Meflrs. de Maupertuis, Clairaut, and Celfius were upon the moun-
tain, difpofing properly the fextant for obferving the paflage of the ftar a of the dragon,
They began to make their obfervation on Thuriday morning the fourth, and continued
it the fucceeding days.
The balls which M. Camus had made of different metals were finifhed, and M. de
Maupertuis had brought them. ‘The pendulum of M. Julien Le Roi, was placed in
the {tone fhaft room, its rod was fplit, and was feparable into two pieces; the different
balls were fucceflively fitted to it, to obferve the length, or the number of their vibra-
tions ina determined time, which was known. by the pendulum of Mr. Graham, regu-
lated by the obfervation of Regulus, keeping the temperature of the apartment always
the fame, by increafing the fire, or fuffering the admiffion of cold air at the door.
Thurfday night, the thermometer out of the room was 9° belowo. And Friday
morning the fifth, it was 17°; the night was fine, we made the obfervation with the
fextant. MM. de Maupertuis had his bed placed in the apartment of the {tone fhaft where
the pendulums were, in order to be more within reach of preferving a regular heat.
That day the Annunication of the Virgin was celebrated with great folemnity: We
continued our obfervation on the fimple pendulums; we made that of the paflage of
Regulus by the fixed telefcope, afterwards M. Le Monnier and myfelf, went to. obferve
the ftar a of the dragon with the fextant; we were very well fatisfied with this obferva-
tion : a little after we took the elevation of Venus, at its paflage to the meridian towards
the north; fhe was.1° 15’ above the horizon. We defcended from the mountain and
entered our apartments on Saturday the fixth, at three in the morning. ‘The twilight
finifhed at eleven o’clock at night, and the dawn began at one in the morning. ‘The
thermometers yefterday were in the evening at 12° below o, and this morning they
were at 16°. The wood of the houfes cracked, as it had done in the months of De-
cember and January ; M. de Maupertuis was all the morning obferving the balls, and I
all the afternoon.
Again it was exceeding cold during the night. Sunday the feventh, at five o’clock
in the morning the thermometer of {pirits of wine was at 20°, and Monday morning the
eighth at 18°. Thefe two days we continued the obfervations of the balls and pendulums.
We went to the mountain on Monday to take down and pack up thefextant, and the
other inftruments, to be ready to return the’fooner to Torneo. ‘The cold {till continued,
and Tuefday morning the njnth, the thermometers of fpirits of wine were 174° below o:
there
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