Page:The lives of celebrated travellers (Volume 2).djvu/11

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his return to Astrabad—Beautiful scenery—Orange groves, &c.—Curse
of despotism—Loses himself in a forest—Attacked by an enormous
wolf—Deserted by his escort—Instances of ferocious cruelty—Receives
an offer of payment in female slaves—Refuses the offer—Regains
his property—Invests it in silks—Arrives at Moscow—Succeeds
to considerable property in England—Settles at St. Petersburg—Establishes
himself as a merchant there—Desire of visiting home
awakened—Peter I.—Dry dock of Cronstadt—Returns to England—Resides
in London—Compiles his travels—Visits the Continent—Opposes
the naturalization of the Jews—Promotes the paving of the
streets of London—Absurdity of the French invasion—Founds the
Marine Society—Discourages tea-drinking—Founds the Magdalene
Hospital—Ridicules the custom of vails giving—Ludicrous anecdotes
of this subject—Prince Eugene—Scheme for bettering the condition
of chimney-sweeps—Laughable story—Devil taking a holyday—Ridiculous
anecdote connected with Hanway's frontispieces—Death—Amiable
character 301

ANTONIO DE ULLOA.

Born 1716.—Died 1795.

Born at Seville—Enters into the Spanish navy—Intrusted with the
conduct of an expedition for measuring a degree of the meridian near
the equator—Sails from Cadiz—Arrives at Porto Bello—Rapid river
Chagre—Magnificent landscape—Curious trees, fruits, birds, insects,
&c.—Monkeys crossing a river—Arrives at Panama—Employs himself
in making astronomical observations—Sails for Guayaquil—Received
with distinguished politeness—Extraordinary sufferings
from mosquitoes—Arrives at the foot of the Andes—Mamarumi, or
"mother of stone"—Beautiful cascade—Dexterity of mules in descending
the mountain slopes—Chimborazo—Arrives at Quito—Pillars
of sand—Their fatal effects—Enormous caves—Singular
effects of the moon on the waters within them—Ascends Pichincha—Interesting
description of his encampment there—Extraordinary
manner of living—Intense cold—Delightful serenity of those lofty
regions—Storms and tempests beneath—Difficulty of respiration—Danger
of being blown down the precipices—Fall of enormous fragments
of rock—Violence of the wind—Snow-storms—Effects of the
climate on the limbs—Conversation painful from the state of their
lips—Curious effect of intense cold on ardent spirits—Deserted by
his attendants—Becomes reconciled to the hardships of his situation—Proceeds
with his astronomical observations—Recalled to Lima—War
between England and Spain—Commissioned to put the city in
a state of defence—Lord Anson the English admiral—Returns to
Quito—Resumes his scientific pursuits—Recalled to the coast—Sack
of Payta by the English fleet—Honoured with the command of a
frigate—Arrival of reinforcements—Returns to Quito—Comet of 1744—Impatient
to revisit Europe—Embarks at Callao—Attacked by two
English privateers—Escapes—Sails for North America—Arrives at
Louisburg—Compelled to surrender to the English—Humanity and
politeness of Commodore Warren—Sails for England as a prisoner
of war—Arrives at Portsmouth—Courtesy and generosity of Captain
Brett—Pretender—Is received with distinguished hospitality and
politeness by the Duke of Bedford, Lord Harrington, and the Com-*