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Show fo - Editor's Note. This account of a sev-enteetli sev-enteetli century scientific expedition was published in the Auburn (111.) Citizen, March IS, 1886, as an item of local interest, in-terest, there living at that place at that time many descendants of Pauly, the en-rineer en-rineer the Poleys, Parkses, Fosters, and Dther families being represented in the list. The original manuscript in French was in the possession of John Pauley of Kansas, who was at the time of the publication pub-lication visiting his Illinois kinsmen. This account is particularly interesting interest-ing at this time, as it describes the con-litions con-litions prevailing on the coast of California, Cali-fornia, in 1769, an event fittingly celebrated celebrat-ed by the Golden Gate City. The malady described by Pauly, which Jecimated the ranks of the French expedition, expe-dition, occurred at the same time as several sev-eral other writers mention a very severe prevalence of scurvy in California, and was probably the same. - HE observation of the tran-sit tran-sit of Venus on the 3d of June, 1796, was an objfft of interest to all the "() learned. The Royal Acad-tL Acad-tL emy of Sciences proposed to the king, Louis XV., to make the necessary outlay to send to California for this purpose. The late M. L'Abbe Chappe undertook this voyage voy-age with a courage worthy of his zeal for the progress of science. I was se- lected to accompany him and we set sail for Mexico Mex-ico in the mouth of September, 1768. After a perilous voyage of about 3,000 leagues, we arrived in Mexico on Easter day, 1769. Time was passing; we stopped but eight days to refresh re-fresh ourselves. The viceroy procured us mules ind provisions, and we undertook to perform by land a part of the remainder of our travels, which was about 300 leagues. Amid lofty mountains, dreadful precipices and arid deserts, we encountered encoun-tered new dangers every day. We failed from fear a thousand times. We were also oppressed by the excessive heat, which left us hardly stT-ontrfVi annno-h tn H t-q tr nurcoluoo A thfiiicfinH agreed with the Abbe Chappe that if we perished per-ished he might find other means to land elsewhere else-where with the rest, which would be sufficient for making his observations. I embarked then in the long boat with my four sailors, steering directly di-rectly for the coast; the nearer we approached it the more we were sensible of the difficulty of landing. We were constantly thrown .back by the accumulated accu-mulated waves, and our boat threatened all the while to ship water. When on the point of losing courage, one of the sailors discovered, at a distance, dis-tance, the mouth of an unknown river. This dis- nvnVT, on!,nfita1 no- lira vcnhoH HlO (iiaet hv thlQ object of the voyage. I placed them in a caskel I 1 with an address to the viceroy of Mexico. 1 earnestly begged some Indian chiefs who were P" about me to make this casket safe in case we should all die, and to transmit it to the vessel which ought to arrive in the month of September to take us. My intenti'on in this was to secure to my country this valuable depot. I remained in my condition of sickness, pain and wretchedness until the twenty-ninth of September. At last the captain of the vessel arrived; he had landed at the island of Ceralvo, whiih is situ- i ated some 30 leagues from San Jose. My joy waa c r mn rh t Vi c crr-o n toi in c-Qoinir hi m tli i ft Vio nraocnil insects of every species gave us no rest by day or night, and we had constantly to be on our guard against the very ferocious beasts with which the country is covered. Moreover, we lacked the necessaries nec-essaries of life, for the provisions that we "got in Mexico had been spoiled by the heat. We were obliged to live on wild cattle and whatever fruits we could find here and there. We made our halts ear some river or spring, that we might slake the burning thirst with which we were constantly consumed; to find one it was often necessary to march a whole day's journey. Arrived in the evening in some valley, or on the side of some hill, we would endeavor to take upon the ground (et a la belle etoille), the repose which our cruel fatigue rendered so necessary. When scarcely asi-dp we were often aroused by i storm, and then by the Impetuous torrents that came down upon us from the heights of the mountains. moun-tains. Many a dark night we had to save ourselves our-selves and our equipage, fearful at every step of tumbling down some of the precipices. After running a thousand risks we arrived at last at the port of San Bias, on the Pacific ocean; thence we embarked for California on a brigan-tine brigan-tine which the viceroy of Mexico had had prepared. pre-pared. The Pacific ocean, although very tranquil, tran-quil, is not the less dangerous on account of the (vigies) with which it is filled. The great calm which prevailed at that time caused us to despair of arriving in time to accomplish accom-plish the object of our voyage. After six weeks' sailing, during which we made but 150 leagues, on the greatest breadth of the sea, the shortness of the time caused us to risk a hazardous exploit. The part of California near which we found ourselves our-selves was the port of San Jose so dangerous that no one had ever landed there. The access to it is guarded by the incessant waves that break Impetuously against the rocks. The Spanish astronomers who were of our company com-pany wished to wait for a favorable wind to land at Cape St. Lucas, which was distant but ten leagues. The landing there is indeed less dangerous, danger-ous, but we did not follow their advice because we were pressed to arrive at the place of our destination; des-tination; we resolved to attempt to disembark at the first land we should discover. While these gentlemen were yet deliberating, 'our Indian sailors and myself let down the long ooat; we took with us half of the Instruments. I mouth but with great difficulty. I sent back the loug boat for the Abbe Chappe and the Spanish astronomers, who arrived safely enough. Arrived on the peninsula the twenty-first of May, 1769, 13 days before the epoch of the transit tran-sit of Venus. We found no (azile a pouvoir nous mettre a lahir), the inclemency of the weather. The savages that repaired to us said that a contagion con-tagion was prevailing in this country which ravaged rav-aged it completely. The interpreter who translated trans-lated this added that they said that in order to withdraw ourselves from the influence of this terrible ter-rible malady, it was necessary to remove some hundred or more leagues farther to the north. The m'eans of undertaking this new journey, broken down with fatigue as we were; we had neither horses nor carriers to transport our baggage; bag-gage; it was impossible to march on foot, and we shrank from a journey through a desert. All these reasons decided us to occupy ourselves with no business but that which had brought us. We labored to construct an observatory, which was ready the twenty-eighth day of May, six days before the epoch when we would have need of it. We made our observations on the third of June, with the greatest exactness. The contagion made new progress every day; a general sorrow reigned in all this part of California; Cali-fornia; we were not long without participating in it in a distressing manner. This dreadful malady came upon us six or seven days after the observation. observa-tion. We were wholly without succor; we could not be useful to one anotht.', because we were attacked at-tacked almost all at once. The little medicine that we had brought from France was useless, from want of knowing how to apply it. Nevertheless, the abbe, all sick as he was, continued con-tinued his observations all the time. Alter observing ob-serving an eclipse of the moon, he at last yielded yield-ed to his faintness, the delirium of his disease left him but little time to examine himself; he died the first of August, 1769. We were all dying (I and the companions of our voyage), when I had the sorrow to close his eyelids. Our situation and oar want of strength induced us in this case to bury him without much cere-.nooy. cere-.nooy. 1 devoted some moments to regret for the loss I had suffered, and in the height of a disease from which I did not expect to recover, I took the precaution to collect all the papers relating to the 0J lilt f-, 1 V. I 1 ill O'.V.lllf, Ullil lUdl Ji ODCU me to quit I he fearful place where M. L'Abbe "nappe and all the rest had died. We were carried car-ried to Cei alvo. I forgot to say that this cruel conta-girn had taken from us the chaplain and nearb all the persons that formed our little company. com-pany. Although sick and oppressed with grief, I waa compelled to undertake the perilous route which I had followed in coming, sometimes upon mules, sometimes upon the backs of the Indians, when it was necessary to cross the streams. With all this trouble, I reached Mexico the twenty-third day of November, 1769. There I was received by monsieur the marquis of Croix, the viceroy of that country, with a compassion com-passion worthy of that good patriot. He had had the kindness to send to meet me a carriage and his physician. Arrived at the capital of Mexico, and having paid my respects to the viceroy I was lodged by his orders at the expense of the city. When I left Mexico the marquis de Croix recommended rec-ommended me cordially to the commander ol the Spanish fleet, in which I embarked. We landed land-ed at Cadiz the twenty-first of July, 1770. The i I court was at the Escurial. I had myself taJ-o thither, and presented myself to vhe marquis d'Os-sun, d'Os-sun, then French ambassador in Spain. He received re-ceived me with marks of kindnesB and consideration, consider-ation, and gave orders to show me whatever they have to show strangers in this royal house. He caused me to dispatch in advance of the party, the strictest orders through the minister of customs, that at no pass on my route must be searched either myself or the chests in which were the observations which I bore. I did not arrive in Paris till the fifth of the following fol-lowing December. I sent to the Academy the observations ob-servations that we made in California. This society so-ciety expressed the greatest satisfaction with my zeal and my services. They presented me to the jf , king, and to all his ministers. They solicited for me a recommendation of my labors. His majesty. J Louis XV. granted me a small pension of 8001. I The government is too equitable to leave me la n want in the flower of my ago, afllteted with the I evils which I have Incurred for the service, and I indispensably obliged to have a servant to lead I me. 1 hope, then, from his justice and from hl I goodness, that he will grant me an Increase of the pension sufficient to enable me to accomplish with decency the rest of my public caret. |