CHAP. III - BRINGING UP THE TELESCOPE

Summary

No very long residence at Alta Vista was needed to assure us, that this was the place, the centre as it were of the lava streams, defended by them from the winds, North, West, and South; but with a clear zenith view, and enjoying the most pellucid of atmospheres, or rather so little of any sort of atmosphere,—without question, this was the place, whereon to erect our friend, Mr. Pattinson's large Equatorial. True, that experienced local men had declared the bringing up of such a telescope to be impossible; but as the interests of science demanded that it should be brought up, I determined to descend the mountain, and see how the affair was to be managed.

There was plenty of useful work meanwhile for our men to accomplish at the station; the barewalled spaces having to be roofed in, and converted into habitable rooms. Towards this end, a large quantity of patent felt, and bundles of young fir poles had been procured in Teneriffe; in addition to certain beams, plates of glass, shutters, and door-hinges which had accompanied us from Edinburgh. With these materials, the sailors and Mr. Carpenter set zealously to work, on the morning of the 25th of August, just as my wife and I were leaving the station, with three Spaniards and three horses; of whom, one carried a portable meteorological observatory.