September. fingular curiofity of another kind; a finall chapel, the whole 1768. lining of which, both fides and ceiling, is compofed of human fculls and thigh bones; the thigh bones are laid across each other, and a fcull is placed in each of the four angles. Among the fculls one is very remarkable; the upper and the lower jaw, on one fide, perfectly and firmly cohere; how the oflification which unites them was formed, it is not perhaps very easy to conceive, but it is certain that the patient must have lived fome time without opening his mouth: what nourishment he received was conveyed through a hole which we difcovered to have been made on the other fide, by forcing out fome of the teeth, in doing which the jaw alfo feems to have been injured. We visited the good Fathers of this convent on a Thursday evening, just before fupper-time, and they received us with great politeness; "We will not ask you, said they, to fup "with us, because we are not prepared, but if you will come to-morrow, though it is a faft with us, we will have a turkey roafted for you." This invitation, which fhewed a liberality of fentiment not to have been expected in a convent of Portuguese Friars at this place, gratified us much, though it was not in our power to accept it. We vifited also a convent of nuns, dedicated to Santa Clara, and the Ladies did us the honour to exprefs a particular pleasure in feeing us there: they had heard that there were great philofophers among us, and not at all knowing what were the objects of philofophical knowlege, they asked us feveral questions that were abfurd and extravagant in the highest degree; one was, when it would thunder; and another, whether a fpring of fresh water was to be found any where within the walls of their convent, of which it feems they were in great want. It will naturally be supposed that our answers to fuch queftions were neither fatisfactory to VOL. II. C the 1768. September. the Ladies, nor, in their estimation, honourable to us; yet their disappointment did not in the leaft leffen their civility, and they talked, without ceafing, during the whole of our visit, which lasted about half an hour. The hills of this country are very high; the highest, Pico Ruivo, rifes 5,068 feet, near an English mile, perpendicularly from its bafe, which is much higher than any land that has been meafured in Great Britain. The fides of these hills are covered with vines to a certain height, above which there are woods of chefnut and pine of immense extent, and above them forefts of wild timber of various kinds not known in Europe; particularly two, called by the Portuguese Mirmulano and Paobranco, the leaves of both which, particularly the Paobranco, are fo beautiful, that these trees would be a great ornament to the gardens of Europe. The number of inhabitants in this island is supposed to be about 80,000, and the custom-houfe duties produce a revenue to the king of Portugal of 20,000 pounds a-year, clear of all expences, which might eafily be doubled by the product of the island, exclufive of the vines, if advantage was taken of the excellence of the climate, and the amazing fertility of the foil; but this object is utterly neglected by the Portuguese. In the trade of the inhabitants of Madeira with Lisbon the balance is against them, fo that all the Portuguese money naturally going thither, the currency of the island is Spanish; there are indeed a few Portuguese pieces of copper, but they are fo fcarce that we did not fee one of them: the Spanish coin is of three denominations; Piftereens, worth about a fhilling; Bitts, worth about fix pence; and Half-bitts, three pence. The tides at this place flow at the full and change of the moon, north and fouth; the spring tides rife feven feet per pendicular, pendicular, and the neap tides four. By Dr. Heberden's obfervation, the variation of the compass here is now 15° 30′ West, and decreafing; but I have fome doubt whether he is not mistaken with respect to its decrease: we found that the North point of the dipping needle belonging to the Royal Society dipped 77° 18". The refreshments to be had here, are water, wine, fruit of feveral forts, onions in plenty, and fome fweetmeats; fresh meat and poultry are not to be had without leave from the governor, and the payment of a very high price. 1768. September. We took in 270 lb. of fresh beef, and a live bullock, charged at 613 lb. 3,032 gallons of water, and ten tuns of wine; and in the night, between Sunday the 18th and Mon- Sunday 18. day the 19th of September, we fet fail in profecution of Monday 19. our voyage. When Funchiale bore North, 13 Eaft, at the distance of 76 miles, the variation appeared by feveral azimuths to be 16° 30′ Weft. 1768. September. CHA P. II. The Paffage from Madeira to Rio de Janeiro, with fome Ο ON account of the Country, and the Incidents that 2 happened there. N the 21ft of September we saw the islands called the Salvages, to the north of the Canaries; when the prinWednef. 21. cipal of these bore S. W. at the distance of about 5 leagues we found the variation of the compass by an azimuth to be 17° 50 ́. I make these islands to lie in latitude 30° 11' North, and distant 58 leagues from Funchiale in Madeira, in the direction of S. 16 E. Friday 23. 1 2 On Friday the 23d we faw the Peak of Teneriffe bearing W. by S. S. and found the variation of the compafs to be from 17° 22′ to 16° 30'. The height of this mountain, from which I took a new departure, has been determined by Dr. Heberden, who has been upon it, to be 15,396 feet, which is but 148 yards lefs than three miles, reckoning the mile at 1760 yards. Its appearance at funfet was very striking; when the fun was below the horizon, and the reft of the ifland appeared of a deep black, the mountain still reflected his rays, and glowed with a warmth of colour which no painting can exprefs. There is no eruption of vifible fire from it, but a heat iffues from the chinks near the top, too ftrong to be borne by the hand when it is held near them. We had received from Dr. Heberden, among other favours, fome falt which he collected on the top of the mountain, where it is found in large quantities, and which he supposes to be the true natrum or nitrum of the ancients: he gave us alfo also fome native fulphur exceedingly pure, which he had likewife found upon the furface in great plenty. 1768. September. Saturday 24. On the next day, Saturday the 24th, we came into the north-east trade wind, and on Friday the 30th faw Bona Vista, Friday 30. one of the Cape de Verd Islands; we ranged the east side of it, at the distance of three or four miles from the fhore, till we were obliged to haul off to avoid a ledge of rocks which ftretch out S. W. by W. from the body, or S. E. point of the island, to the extent of a league and an half. Bona Vista by our obfervation lies in latitude 16 N. and longitude 21° 51' Weft. Saturday 1. On the first of October, in latitude 14° 6′ N. and longitude October. 22° 10' W. we found the variation by a very good azimuth to be 10°37′ W. and the next morning it appeared to be 10°. Sunday 2. This day we found the ship five miles a-head of the log, and the next day feven. On the third, hoisted out the boat to Monday 3. discover whether there was a current, and found one to the eastward, at the rate of three quarters of a mile an hour. During our courfe from Teneriffe to Bona Vista we saw great numbers of flying fish, which from the cabbin windows appear beautiful beyond imagination, their fides having the colour and brightnefs of burnished filver; when they are feen from the deck they do not appear to fo much advantage, because their backs are of a dark colour. We alfo took a Shark, which proved to be the Squalus Chartarias of Linnæus. ch Having loft the trade wind on the third, in latitude 12° 14′ and longitude 22 10, the wind became fomewhat variable, and we had light airs and calms by turns. On the seventh, Mr. Banks went out in the boat and took Friday 7. what the feamen call a Portuguese man of war; it is the Holothuria Phyfalis of Linnæus, and a fpecies of the Mollusca.. It |