With Respect to the Peak of St. George, situated in the Island called Pico, one of the Azòres; the Writer of this Account asserts, from the Mouth of an able and experienced Officer in his em some Weeks off those Islands; that the latter has frequently observed the Peak, at the Distance of 120 Miles, and coud then distinguish a third Part of its Height down the Mountain. Section 126, [Note [37]), see also [46] below.
4. Etna is 3877 Yards above the Mediterranean: (according to Brydone’s Tour throu’ Sicily and Malta, Vol. 1. Page 211) or 2 Miles and 357 Yards.
5. Blue Ridge, the highest Mountain in the Island of Jamaica, is, according to Dr. Clark, who measured it in November last, 3080 Yards, or 1 Mile and three Quarters, above the Level of the Ocean.
The distance to be seen is considered as terminating the Radius of a Circle, whose Center is the eye of the Observer, on each Mountain.
| Height of the Mountains. | distance to be seen from them in Miles. |
|---|---|
| Cotopàzy 3 Miles and a Half and 92 Yards, (for the Process, see Section 52, [Note [18] | 1671⁄2 and 405 Yards. |
| White Mountain 3 Miles within 60 Yards. | 1531⁄4 and 13 Yards. |
| Peak of Teneriffe 3 Miles within 148 Yards. | 152 within 72 Yards. |
| Mount Etna 2 Miles and 357 Yards. | 132 and 127 Yards. |
| Blue Ridge 1 Mile and 3 Quarters. | 1173⁄4 and 30 Yards. |
| Balloon 1 Mile and half within 33 Yards. | 1021⁄4 and 307 |
As it is well known that Objects of the greatest Magnitude appear but as blue air at even a less Distance than 100 Miles; to which add the Difficulty of Journies, and Ascent to the Summit of these astonishing Mounds of Earth; and all this for the Sake, not of a complete down prospect, subject to a perpetual Variety, but merely an imperfect Side-View: the pleasure and ease of attaining still more stupendous Heights at any Place and Time, by Means of the balloon, are strikingly in Favor of that Invention. And, notwithstanding the confessed Merit of Dr. Black’s Project with the Farciminàlis of a Calf, and Mr. Cavallo’s Soap Bubbles with inflammable Air; (see his History of Aerostation, Page 34;) if the Emperor had been alive who offered a Reward for the Invention of a NEW PLEASURE; the first Prize had been due to the Brothers Montgolfier, and a second to the Brothers Roberts.
[46] As therefore it may be supposed that the Peak of St. George, in receding from it, woud vanish at the Distance of 150 Miles; its Height may easily be ascertained geometrically thus:
See the Figure annexed.
Let M be the Summit of the Mountain: and let the Line M T drawn to the Circumference of the Circle at T, be the evanescent Distance of the Mountain in the Horizon, viz. 150 Miles.