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Friday 13.

July, 1764. been given them from their barren and defolate appearance: the next day we ftood in for the road of Funchiale, where, about three o'clock in the afternoon, we Saturd. 14. came to an anchor. In the morning of Saturday the 14th, I waited upon the Governor, who received me with great politenefs, and faluted me with eleven guns, Sunday 15. which I returned from the fhip. The next day, he returned my vifit at the houfe of the Conful, upon which I faluted him with eleven guns, which he returned from the fort. I found here his Majesty's ship the Crown, and the Ferret floop, who alfo faluted the broad pendant.

Having completed our water, and procured all the refreshment I was able for the companies of both the fhips, every man having twenty pounds weight of Thurfd. 19. onions for his fea flock, we weighed anchor on ThurfSaturd. 21. day the 19th, and proceeded on our voyage. On Saturday the 21ft, we made the island of Palma, one of the Canaries, and foon after examining our water, we found it would be neceffary to touch at one of the Cape de Verd islands for a fresh supply. During the whole of our course from the Lizard, we observed that no fish followed the fhip, which I judged to be owing to her Thurfd. 26. being sheathed with copper. By the 26th, our water was become foul, and flunk intolerably, but we purified it with a machine, which had been put on board for that purpose: it was a kind of ventilator, by which air was forced through the water in a continued stream, as long as it was neceffary.

Friday 27.

Sunday 29.

In the morning of the 27th, we made the island of Sal, one of the Cape de Verds, and seeing several turtle upon the water, we hoifted out our jolly boat, and attempted to ftrike them, but they all went down before our people could come within reach of them. Saturd. 28. On the morning of the 28th, we were very near the inland of Bona Vista, the next day of the ifle of May, and on Monday the 30th, we came to an anchor in Mond. 30. Port Praya bay. The rainy feafon was already fet in, which renders this place very unfafe: a large fwell that rolls in from the fouthward, makes a frightful furf upon the fhore, and there is reafon every hour to expec a tornado, of which, as it is very violent, and blows directly in, the confequences are likely to be fatal; so that after the 15th of Auguft no fhip comes hither till

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the rainy season is over, which happens in November; for this reason I made all poffible haste to fill my water and get away. I procured three bullocks for the people, but they were little better than carrion, and the weather was fo hot, that the flesh stunk in a few hours after they were killed.

1764.

Auguft.

On Thursday the 2d of Auguft, we got again under Thurfd. 2. fail, with a large cargo of fowls, lean goats, and monkies, which the people contrived to procure for old fhirts, jackets, and other articles of the like kind. The intolerable heat, and almost inceffant rain, very foon affected our health, and the men began to fall down in fevers, notwithstanding all my attention and diligence to make them fhift themselves before they flept, when they were wet.

Ón Wednesday the 8th, the Tamar fired a gun, Wednef. 8. upon which we shortened fail till fhe came up: we found that he had fuffered no damage but the carrying away of her top-fail-yard; however, as we were obliged to make an eafy fail till she got up another, and the wind seemed to be coming again to the fouthward, we loft a good deal of way. We continued, to our great mortification, to observe that no fish would come near enough to our copper bottom for us to ftrike, though we saw the fea as it were quickened with them at a little distance. Ships in these hot latitudes generally take fish in plenty, but, except sharks, we were not able to catch one.

Tuesd. 11.

No event worthy of notice happened till Tuesday Septem. the 11th of September, when, about three o'clock the afternoon, we saw Cape Frio, on the coaft of Brazil; and about noon, on Thursday the 13th, we an- Thursd. 13. chored in eighteen fathom, in the great Road of Rio de Janeiro. The city, which is large, and makes a handsome appearance, is governed by the Viceroy of Brazil, who is perhaps, in fact, as abfolute a Sovereign as any upon earth. When I vifited him, he received me in great form; above fixty officers were drawn up before the palace, as well as a captain's guard, who were men of a good appearance, and extremely well cloathed his excellency, with a number of perfons of the first diftinction, belonging to the place, met me at the head of the ftairs, upon which fifteen guns were fired from the nearest port: we then entered the room

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1764. of ftate, and after converfing about a quarter of an September. hour, in French, I took my leave, and was difmiffed with the fame form that had been used at my reception. He offered to return my vifit at a house which I had hired on fhore, but this I declined, and foon after he returned it on board.

October. Tuefd. 16.

The people in my own fhip, who had as much fresh meat and greens as they could eat every day, were very healthy, but there being many fick on board the Tamar, I procured a place for them on fhore, where they foon recovered. I also engaged a number of Portuguese caulkers, as the feams of both the ships were very open, who, after having worked fome time, rendered them perfectly tight.

While we lay here, Lord Clive, in the Kent Indiaman, came to the port. This fhip had failed from England a month before us, and had not touched any where, yet fhe came in a month after us; so that her paffage was just two months longer than ours, nowithftanding the time we loft in waiting for the Tamar, which, though the Dolphin was by no means a good failer, failed fo much worse, that we feldom fpread more than half our canvas. The Kent had many of her people down in the fcurvy.

On Tuesday the 16th of October, we weighed anchor, being impatient to get to fea, for the heat here was intolerable; but we lay four or five days about the bar, waiting for the land breeze to carry us'out, for there is no getting out with the fea breeze, and the entrance between the two first forts is fo narrow, and fo great a fea breaks in upon them, that it was not without much danger and difficulty we got out at last, and if we had followed the advice of the Portuguese pilot, we had certainly loft the fhip. As this narrative is publifhed for the advantage of future navigators, particularly those of our own nation, it is also neceffary I fhould obferve, that the Portuguefe here, carrying on a great trade, make it their business to attend every time a boat comes on shore, and practise every artifice in their power to entice away the crew: if other methods do not fucceed, they make them drunk, and immediately fend them up the country, taking effectual care to prevent their return, till the ship to which they

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belong has left the place; by this practice I loft five of my men, and the Tamar nine: mine I never recovered, but the Tamar had the good fortune to learn where her's were detained, and by fending out a party in the night, furprised them, and brought them back.

CHA P. II.

Paffage from Rio de Janeiro to Port Defire; with fome Defcription of that Place.

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1764.

October.

N Monday the 22d, being now once more at fea, Monday 22. I called all hands upon deck, and informed them, that I was not, as they imagined, bound immediately to the East Indies, but upon certain difcoveries, which it was thought might be of great importance to our country, in confideration of which, the Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty had been pleafed to promise them double pay, and several other advantages, if during the voyage they should behave to my fatiffaction. They all expreffed the greatest joy imaginable upon the occafion, and affured me that there was no danger or difficulty that they would not with the utmost cheerfulness undergo in the fervice of their country, nor any order that I could give them which they would not implicitly and zealously obey.

We continued our courfe till Monday the 29th, Monday 29, having frequently hard gales with fudden gufts, which obliged us to strike our top-gallant-mafts, and get up our ftumps; but this day it blew a ftorm, with a terrible sea, and the ship laboured fo much, that, to cafe her, I ordered the two foremost, and two aftermoft guns to be thrown overboard: the gale continued with nearly equal violence all the reft of the day, and all night, fo that we were obliged to lie under a doublereefed main-fail; but in the morning, it being more Tuesd, 30. moderate, and veering from N. W. to S. by W. we made fail again, and stood to the weftward. We were now in latitude 35° 50' S. and found the weather as cold as it is at the fame feafon in England, although the month of November here is a fpring month, anfwering to our May, and we were near twenty degrees

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1764. October.

November.
Friday 2.

nearer the line: to us, who within little more than a week had fuffered intolerable heat, this change was most feverely felt: and the men, who fuppofing they were to continue in a hot climate during the whole voyage, had contrived to fell not only all their warm clothes, but their bedding, at the different ports where we had touched, now applied in great distress for flops, and were all furnished for the climate.

On Friday the 2d of November, after adminiftering the proper oath to the Lieutenants of both fhips, I delivered them their commiffions; for till this time they acted only under verbal orders from me, and expected to receive their commiffions in India, whither they imagined we were bound. We now began to fee a great number of birds about the ship, many of them very large, of which fome were brown and white, and fome black there were among them large flocks of pintadoes, which are fomewhat larger than a pigeon, and Sunday 4. fpotted with black and white. On the 4th we saw a great quantity of rock weed, and feveral feals: our latitude was 38° 53′ S. longitude 51° W. the variation 13° E. the prevailing winds here were westerly; fo that being continually driven to the eastward, we forefaw, that it would not be easy to get in Saturd. 10. with the coaft of Patagonia. On the 10th, we obferved the water to change colour, but we had no ground with one hundred and forty fathom; our latitude was now 41° 16' S. our longitude 55° 17′ W. the variation was 18° 20' E. The next day we stood in for the land till eight in the evening, when we had ground of red fand with forty five fathom. We fteered S. W. Sunday 11. by W. all night, and the next morning had fifty-two fathom with the fame ground; our latitude was 420 34' S. longitude 58° 17' W, the variation 11° E.

Monday 12.

On Monday the 12th, about four o'clock in the afternoon, as I was walking on the quarter-deck, all the people upon the forecastle called out at once, "Land right a-head;" it was then very black almoft round the horizon, and we had had much thunder and lightning; I looked forward under the forefail, and upon the lee bow, and faw what at first appeared to be an ifland, rifing in two rude craggy hills, but upon looking to leeward I faw land adjoining to it, and running a long way to the

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