1768, October. Saturday 8. Monday 10. substance, that will not eafily part with its contents; the animal is oviparous, and these bubbles serve also as a nidus for its eggs. It is probable that it never goes down to the bottom, nor willingly approaches any fhore; for the thell is exceedingly brittle, and that of few fresh water snails is fo thin: every fhell contains about a teafpoonful of liquor, which it easily discharges upon being touched, and which is of the most beautiful red purple that can be conceived. It dies linnen cloth, and it may perhaps be worth enquiry, as the fhell is certainly found in the Mediterranean, whether it be not the Purpura of the ancients. On the 8th, in latitude 8° 25' North, longitude 220 4' Weft, we found a current fetting to the fouthward, which the next day in latitude 7° 58′ longitude 220 fhifted to the N. N. W. W. at the rate of one mile 14 and a furlong an hour. The variation here, by the mean of feveral azimuths, appeared to be 8° 39' Weft. On the tenth, Mr. Banks shot the black-toed gull, not yet defcribed according to Linnæus's fyftem; he gave it the name of Larus crepidatus: it is remarkable that the dung of this bird is of a lively red, fomewhat like that of the liquor procured from the shells, only not fo full; its principal food therefore is probably the Helix juft mentioned. A current to the N. W. Monday 24. prevailed more or lefs till Monday the 24th, when we were in latitude 10 7 N. and longitude 28° 50'. Tuesday 25. Friday 28. Saturday 29. On the 25th, we croffed the line with the usual ceremonies in longitude 29° 30', when, by the refult of feveral very good azimuths, the variation was 2° 24'. On the 28th, at noon, being in the latitude of Ferdinand Noronha, and, by the mean of feveral obfervations by Mr. Green and myfelf, in longitude 32° 5' 16" W. which is to the weftward of it by fome charts, and to the eastward by others, we expected to fee the ifland, or fome of the fhoals that are laid down in the charts between it and the main, but we faw neither one nor the other. In the evening of the 29th, we obferved that luminous appearance of the fea which has been so often mentioned by navigators, and of which fuch various caufes 1768. October. causes have been affigned; fome fuppofing it to be occafioned by fish, which agitated the water by darting at their prey, fome by the putrefaction of fish and other marine animals, fome by electricity, and others referring it into a great variety of different caufes. It appeared to emit flashes of light exactly resembling those of lightning, only not fo confiderable, but they were fo frequent that fometimes eight or ten were visible almost at the fame moment. We were of opinion that they proceeded from fome luminous animal, and upon throwing out the cafting net our opinion was confirmed: it brought up a species of the Medufa, which when it came on board had the appearance of metal violently heated, and emitted a white light: with these animals were taken fome very small crabs, of three different fpecies, each of which gave as much light as a glowworm, though the creature was not fo large by nine tenths: upon examination of these animals, Mr. Banks had the fatisfaction to find that they were all entirely new. On Wednesday the 2d of November, about noon, November. being in the latitude of 10° 38' S. and longitude 32° 13' 43" W. we paffed the line in which the needle at this time would have pointed due north and fouth, without any variation: for in the morning, having decreased gradually in its deviation for some days, it was no more than 18' W. and in the afternoon it was 34' East. Wednef. 2. On the 6th, being in latitude 19° 3' South, longitude Sunday 6. 35° 50' Weft, the colour of the water was observed to change, upon which we founded, and found ground at the depth of 32 fathoms; the lead was caft three times within about four hours, without a foot difference in the depth or quality of the bottom, which was coral rock, fine fand, and shells; we therefore fuppofed that we had paffed over the tail of the great fhoal which is laid down in all our charts by the name of Abrothos, on which Lord Anfon truck foundings in his paffage outwards: at four the next morning we had no ground Monday 7. with 100 fathoms. As feveral articles of our stock and provifions now began to fall short, I determined to put into Rio de Janeiro, rather than at any other port in Brazil or Falkland's Iflands, knowing that it could better fupply us with what we wanted, and making no doubt but that we fhould be well received. On 1768. November. On the 8th at day-break, we faw the coaft of Brazil, and about ten o'clock we brought to, and spoke Tuesd. 8. - with a fishing boat; the people on board told us that the land which we faw, lay to the fouthward of Santo Efperito, but belonged to the captainship of that place. Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander went on board this veffet, in which they found eleven men, nine of whom were Blacks; they all fished with lines, and their fresh cargo, the chief part of which Mr. Banks bought, confifted of dolphins, large pelagiac fcombers of two kinds, fea bream, and fome of the fish which in the West Indies are called Welshmen. Mr. Banks had taken Spanish filver with him, which he imagined to be the currency of the continent, but to his great surprise the people asked him for English fhillings; he gave them two which he happened to have about him, and it was not without fome dispute they took the rest of the money in piftereens. Their bufinefs feemed to be to catch large fish at a good distance from the shore, which they falted in bulk, in a place made for that purpofe in the middle of the boat: of this merchandize they had about two quintals on board, which they offered for about fixteen fhillings, and would probably have fold for half the money. The fresh fish, which was bought for about nineteen shillings and fixpence, served the whole ship's company; the falt was not wanted. The fea provifions of these fishermen consisted of nothing more than a cask of water, and a bag of Caffada flour, which they called Furinha de Pao,or wooden flour, which indeed is a name which very well suits its taste and appearance. Their water-cafk was large, as wide as their boat, and exactly fitted a place that was made for it in the ballast; it was impoffible therefore to draw out any of its contents by a tap, the fides being, from the bottom to the top, wholly inacceffable; neither could any be taken out by dipping a veffel in at the head, for an opening fufficiently wide for that purpose would have endangered the lofs of great part of it by the rolling of the veffel: their expedient to get at their water fo fituated, was curious; when one of them wanted to drink, he applied to his neighbour, who accompanied him to the water-cafk with a hollow cane about three three feet long, which was open at both ends; this he thrust into the cafk through a small hole in the top, and then, stopping the upper end with the palm of his hand, drew it out; the preffure of the air against the other end keeping in the water which it contained; to this end the person who wanted to drink applied his mouth, and the affiftant then taking his hand from the other, and admitting the air above, the cane immediately parted with its contents, which the drinker drew off till he was fatisfied. 1768. November. We stood off and on along the shore till the 12th, Saturday 12. and fucceffively faw a remarkable hill near Santo Efperito, then Cape St. Thomas, and then an island just without Cape Trio, which in some maps is called the island of Trio, and which being high, with a hollow in the middle, has the appearance of two islands when seen at a distance. On this day we ftood along the fhore for Rio de Janeiro, and at nine the next morning Sunday 13. made fail for the harbour. I then fent Mr. Hicks, firft Lieutenant, before us in the pinnace, up to the city, to acquaint the Governor, that we put in there to procure water and refreshments; and to defire the af fiftance of a pilot to bring us into proper anchoring ground. I continued to stand up the river, trusting to Mr. Bellifle's draught, published in the Petit Atlas maritime, Vol. II. No. 54. which we found very good, till five o'clock in the evening, expecting the return of my Lieutenant; and just as I was about to anchor, above the island of Cobras, which lies before the city, the pinnace came back without him, having on board a Portuguese officer, but no pilot. The people in the boat told me, that my Lieutenant was detained by the Viceroy till I should go on fhore. We came immediately to an anchor; and almoft at the same time, a ten oared boat, full of foldiers, came up and kept rowing round the fhip, without exchanging a word: in less than a quarter of an hour, another boat came on board with several of the Viceroy's officers, who afked, Whence we came? what was our cargo? the number of men and guns on board? the object of our voyage? and feveral other questions, which we directly and truly answered. They then told me, as a kind of apology for detaining my Lieutenant, and putting an officer on board my 1768. Novembor. Monday 14. my pinnace, that it was the invariable cuftom of the place, to detain the, first officer who came on shore from any fhip on her arrival, till a boat from the Viceroy had vifited her, and to fuffer no boat to go either from or to a fhip, while fhe lay there, without having a foldier on board. They said that I might go on fhore when I pleafed; but wifhed that every other perfon might remain on board till the paper which they should draw up had been delivered to the Viceroy, promifing that, immediately upon their return, the Lieutenant fhould be fent on board. This promise was performed; and on the next morning, the 14th, I went on fhore, and obtained leave of the Viceroy to purchase provisions and refreshments for the fhip, provided I would employ one of their own people as a factor, but not otherwife. I made fome objections to this, but he infifted upon it as the custom of the place. I objected also against the putting a foldier into the boat every time she went between the ship and the fhore; but he told me, that this was done by the exprefs orders of his court, with which he could in no cafe difpenfe. I then requested, that the gentlemen whom I had on board might refide on fhore during our stay, and that Mr. Banks might go up the country to gather plants; but this he abfolutely refufed. I judged from his extreme caution, and the severity of these restrictions, that he suspected we were come to trade; I therefore took some pains to convince him of the contrary. I told him, that we were bound to the fouthward, by the order of his Britannic Majesty, to observe a tranfit of the planet Venus over the Sun, an astronomical phænomenon of great importance to navigation. Of the tranfit of Venus, however, he could form no other conception, than that it was the paffing of the North Star through the South Pole; for these are the very words of his interpreter, who was a Swede, and spoke English very well. I did not think it neceffary to afk permiffion for the Gentlemen to come on fhore during the day, or that, when I was on fhore myself, I might be at liberty, taking for granted that nothing was intended to the contrary; but in this I was unfortunately miftaken. As foon as I took leave of his Excellency, I found an officer who had orders to attend me wherever I went; of this I defired an explanation, and was told that |