Tenerife, perils óf this road, one of the attendants o f the party, an
èrti See# belonging tö-thé lEmbassy, desei^extohaiyfihis
name (ofThibafie, a native of Turin,) recorded, for the
instanëe^lhe afforded, of inflexible constancy, in adhering'tö;
the instructions he received, thó excessively
difficult tö êxècüte, in such a situation: ash mathematical
instrument maker,*and acquainted with the nature
of barometers, he1 Was charged with the care o f carrying
one, inteiSdid för thé purpose ofi observing/ by'thg'^-
psée bf^l^^nfóf the quicksilver/in th^tfihe freed from .
air, how much the height .qf the rcolumrrfp£ttke; atmo-
spfiete, over such part of the same fluid sas,{was* exposed
to it^prefsure,.was diminished*by.- the- elmnti®a-nfei.h^
mountain above-the horizon ; and, consequently* ascertaining
the exact - measure o f suche elevation^ g or thé
feountkih# fcflglrt. It wasindcessaryi-iniordeivta^pret
serve,- for this purpose, the barometer from ihjh&y^to
hold it in a 'steèdy, -uniform manner. -iThibaut,. ?wjfcb
his attention fixed-entirely, to this- óbject, holding*fefie -
instrument with one hand, against his -breast, and- the
bridle loosely with the other, suffered Ms mule tojoliow
her own pace, without changing hisI posture, ‘ or- moving
the barometer (whatever were his fears* or dafig^lfl'in
any alarm or accident that occurred, i |
In an account that ite-^iven 'of the last pBesfcdis§
journey up these hills, with a philosophical apparatus,-
mention is made of two barometers» which had suceessively
been provided/ having been- broken before they
could be used. -The^iÉséhlPp^i^-byiTli'ibaut’s steadi-.
ness, ^erejynabled/tocfind that they-had ascended, late
in rthe'afterno’onfinead'siX''t'housand’fiët*ahove th e town
they quitted in th'efmornmg-.5 E vefflp%*ch
tho thé weather then hazy,- eftlargëd|“èirföi'derablyrj
their .prospect, and -gave them, a'S-’fitF'were; a greater
command; of land-and sea.. Some little* time-1 before!
whendbe.sum was bright, and already''behind5 the Peak,
thé-shadow o f the latter’- perfectly formed^On the-'oceani
and gradually lengthèfièd; and extending-t'o> the horizon,-
formed picture, not'more uncommon than' grand-and
striking, to the :b©hpM,#s?t But *now the -mountain
be^n.-to be - oyïfe'rèfistë; with Glorias-; -from thè^höilo'wS
’jyhidbr intervened -between the basis ,of the-great/cMe
and the second mountain, on wbièbnÉSl travellers then
stood,-suroser, rapidlyj9aS' if bursgftg Trom déëp andva'éi
boiling cauldroaasr< various impetuous^gusts "Off- wind(
forcing and xombafcingnwithi each other,1 and • se'emiri^
t^Iferfiidi any approach-towards fchefa* On th iP ‘]^a¥É
df-theum&untain. theuaSöent- was -by no - means - steep;
but the. ground wasi strewed-with V'ólöami'è-’matter; hot,
however; $<b£ that spon^|J,,tekt»ure on whic#vdgetTf-ibn^
in the.form of a lichen, in so ffêw’’years,-appears'on the
sides o f‘Moun.t iMesuVius*^
Throughout this Second m o u n t in '/e x c a v a t io n s
resembling small craters óf-extinct volcarloes. -It became
Teneriffe.