1768. December. The river, and indeed the whole coaft, abounds with a greater variety of fish than we had ever seen; a day seldom paffed in which one or more of a new fpecies were not brought to Mr. Banks: the bay alfo is as well adapted for catching these fish as can be conceived; for it is full of fmall islands, between which there is fhallow water, and proper beaches for drawing the feine. The fea, without the bay, abounds with dolphins, and large mackrel of different kinds, which readily bite at a hook, and the inhabitants always tow one after their boats for that purpose. Though the climate is hot, the fituation of this place is certainly wholefome; while we stayed here the thermometer never rofe higher than 83. degrees. We had frequent rains, and once a very hard gale of wind. Ships water here at the fountain in the great fquare, though, as I have obferved, the water is hot good; they land their cafks upon a smooth fandy beach, which is not more than a hundred yards distant from the fountain, and upon application to the viceroy, a centinel will be appointed to look after them, and clear the way to the fountain where they are to be filled. Upon the whole, Rio de Janeiro is a very good place for ships to put in at that want refreshment: the harbour is fafe and commodious; and provifions, except wheaten bread and flour, may be easily procured: as a fuccedaneum for bread, there are yams and caffada in plenty; beef, both fresh and jerked, may be, bought at about two pence farthing a pound; though, as I have before remarked, it is very lean. The people here jerk their beef by taking out the bones, cutting it into large but thin flices, then curing it with falt, and drying it in the fhade: it eats very well, and, if kept dry, will remain good a long time at fea. Mutton is fcarcely to be procured, and hogs and poultry are dear; of garden stuff and fruit-trees there is abundance, of which, however, none can be preserved at sea but the pumpkin, rum, fugar, and molaffes, all excellent in their kind, may be had at a reasonable price; tobacco alfo is cheap, but it is not good. Here is a yard for building shipping, and a small hulk to heave down by; for, as the tide never rises above fix or feven feet, there is no other way of coming at a fhip's bottom. When the boat which had been fent on fhore returned, we hoisted her on board, and stood out to fea, 1768. December. CHAP. 1768. December. Friday 9. Sunday II. CHA P. III. The Paffage from Rio de Janeiro to the Entrance of the Streight of Le Maire, with a Description of fome of the Inhabitants of Terra del Fuego. Ο N the 9th of December, we obferved the fea to be covered with broad ftreaks of a yellowish colour, feveral of them a mile long, and three or four hundred yards wide: fome of the water thus coloured was taken up, and found to be full of innumerable atoms pointed at the end, of a yellowish colour, and none more than a quarter of a line, or the fortieth part of an inch long: in the microfcope they appeared to be Fafciculi of fmall fibres interwoven with each other, not unlike the nidus of fome of the Phyganeas, called Caddices; but whether they were animal or vegetable fubftances, whence they came, or for what they were defigned, neither Mr. Banks nor Dr. Solander could guess. The fame appearance had been observed before, when we first discovered the continent of South America. On the 11th we hooked a fhark, and while we were playing it under the cabbin window, it threw out, and drew in again feveral times what appeared December. appeared to be its ftomach: it proved to be a 1768. female, and upon being opened fix young ones r were taken out of it; five of them were alive, Sunday 11. and fwam brifkly in a tub of water, but the fixth appeared to have been dead fome time. Nothing remarkable happened till the 30th, Friday 30. except that we prepared for the bad weather, which we were shortly to expect, by bending a new fuit of fails; but on this day we ran a course of one hundred and fixty miles by the log, through innumerable land infects of various kinds, fome upon the wing, and more upon the water, many of which were alive; they appeared to be exactly the fame with the Carabi, the Grylli, the Phalana, Aranea, and other flies that are feen in England, though at this time we could not be less than thirty leagues from land; and some of these infects, particularly the Grylli Aranea, never voluntarily leave it at a greater distance than twenty yards. We judged ourfelves to be now nearly opposite to Baye fans fond, where Mr. Dalrymple fuppofes there is a paffage quite through the continent of America; and we thought from the infects that there might be at least a very large river, and that it had overflowed its banks. On the 3d of January, 1769, being in latitude 47° 17′ S. and longitude 61° 29′ 45′′ W. we were all looking out for Pepys' inland, and for fome 1769. January. Tuesday 3. 1769. January. Tuesday 3. time an appearance was feen in the east which fo much resembled land, that we bore away for it; and it was more than two hours and an half before we were convinced that it was nothing but what failors call a Fog-bank. The people now beginning to complain of cold, each of them received what is called a Magellanic jacket, and a pair of trowfers. The jacket is made of a thick woollen-stuff, called Fearnought, which is provided by the government. We faw, from time to time, a great number of penguins, albatroffes, and fheerwaters, feals, whales, and porpoifes: and on Wednef.11. the 11th, having paffed Falkland's islands, we discovered the coaft of Terra del Fuego, at the diftance of about four leagues, extending from the W. to S. E. by S. We had here five and thirty fathom, the ground foft, fmall flate ftones. As we ranged along the fhore to the S. E. at the diftance of two or three leagues, we perceived smoke in several places, which was made by the natives, probably as a fignal, for they did not continue it after we had paffed by. This day we difcovered that the ship had got near a degree of longitude to the weftward of the log, which, in this latitude, is 35 minutes of a degree on the equator: probably there is a fmall current fetting to the weftward, which may be caused by the westerly current coming round Cape Horn, and through the |