Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
There were also delicate non-scientific matters to deal with. La Condamine was
instructed by the Academy to leave an inscribed monument commemorating the
expedition, and near Quito he erected two pyramids, one at each end of the funda-
mental base, to mark it permanently. They were sizeable monuments, 4 meters
square rising to 5 meters high. The text of the inscription had been drafted by the
Academy before La Condamine left France and caused internal difficulties within
the party. The inscription identified the principal French participants but not the
Spanish officers in enough prominence, referring to their role (in the several ver-
sions) as “assistants” or “with the cooperation of…” It also did not mention the
Spanish institutions equally with the French and the Spanish officers were vocifer-
ously offended. Furthermore, the inscriptions on the pyramids were crowned by a
French royal symbol, the
fleur de lys
. This raised questions of sovereignty- were
the monuments a subtle claim of territory, or could they be used as such at some
future point? The incident escalated into one of national pride and injury “to the
Spanish nation and personally to the Catholic King.” Locals dubbed it the “war of
the pyramids” and sided with the French in order to humiliate the Spanish (since
Ulloa and Juan were representatives of the disliked colonial power). In due course,
however, and after three legal hearings, there was agreement within Quito about
what was inscribed on the pyramids but they were later destroyed by orders from
Spain. In 1836 though they were restored (not in the right places- their positions
have been lost- but at the Observatory in the capital of Ecuador).
The Spanish officers were repeatedly challenged by the colonists and Creole
inhabitants of Peru. They were derided as
caballeros del punto fijo
(gentlemen of
the fine point). This described them literally as gentlemen who had swords, but also
derided them as legalistic representatives of the colonial power. It was also a
double
entendre
undoubtedly intended and understood to be an insult to the Spanish offic-
ers' manhood. In another episode, the Spanish officers were accused of illicit trade
in Quito and avoidance of duty on imported items; it took La Condamine's skills in
diplomacy to solve this difficulty. Later the Spaniards were ordered from Spain to
interrupt their scientific work and walk the long road from Quito to Guayaquil
to help prepare the coasts and towns against the attacks of the English navy and to
build and command two frigates.
A SERIOUS INCIDENT occurred in Cuenca. The expedition doctor, Dr Jean
Senièrgues, had been busy both treating the townspeople, as was his custom, and
working at making a fortune in the New World. He treated a man in Cuenca,
Francisco Quesada, whose daughter, Manuela, had recently been jilted by her
fiancé, Diego de Leon. A condition for the separation was that her family should be
compensated by a monetary payment. Senièrgues was asked to negotiate the pay-
ment but unwisely moved into Quesada's house, calling into question whether he
was personally interested in Manuela. His morals were denounced from the pulpit
by a priest, Juan Jiménez Crespo.
Diego de Leon had local allies and when the doctor attended a public festival
with Manuela on his arm, a murmur of disbelief and disapproval arose from the
crowd of 3,000 people. He was reprimanded by the festival's director, who told him his
provocative behavior was disturbing the festival. The doctor retaliated by questioning
