1768. October. November. Wednes. 2 Sunday 6. Monday 7. Tuesday 8. board had the appearance of metal violently heated, and cmitted 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 glow-worm, 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, 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 fome days, it was no more than 18′ W. and in the afternoon it was 34 Eaft. On the 6th, being in latitude 19° 3' South, longitude 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 fhells; 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 ftruck foundings in his paffage outwards: at four the next morning we had no ground with co fathom. As feveral articles of our stock and provisions now began to fall fhort, I determined to put into Rio de Janeiro, rather than at any port in Brazil or Falkland's lilands, knowing that it could better fupply us with what we wanted, and making no doubt but that we fhould be well received. On the 8th, at day-break, we faw the coaft of Brazil, and about ten o'clock we brought to, and spoke with a fishingboat; boat; the people on board told us that the land which we faw, lay to the fouthward of Sancto Espirito, but belonged to the captainship of that place. Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander went on board this veffel, in which they found eleven men, nine of whom were Blacks; they all fifhed with lines, and their fresh cargo, the chief part of which Mr. Banks bought, confifted of dolphins, large pelagic fcombers of two kinds, fea bream, and fome of the fifh 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 furprise the people asked him for English fhillings; he gave them two which he happened to have about him, and it was not without fome difpute that they took the rest of the money in piftereens. Their business feemed to be to catch large fish at a good distance from the fhore, which they falted in bulk, in a place made for that purpose in the middle of their boat: of this merchandize they had about two quintals on board, which they offered for about 16 fhillings, and would probably have fold for half the money. The fresh fish, which was bought for about nineteen fhillings and fix pence, ferved the whole fhip's company; the falt was not wanted. The fea provifion of these fishermen confifted of nothing more than a cafk of water, and a bag of Caffada flour, which they called Farinha de Pao, or wooden flour, which indeed is a name which very well fuits its tafte 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 inacceffible; neither could any be taken out by dipping a 1768. November. 1768. November. Saturday 12. Sunday 13. veffel in at the head, for an opening fufficiently wide for that purpose would have endangered the loss 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 cask with a hollow cane about three feet long, which was open at both ends; this he thrust into the cask through a small hole in the top, and then, stopping the upper end with the palm of his hand, drew it out; the pressure 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. We stood off and on along the fhore till the 12th, and fucceffively faw a remarkable hill near Santo Efpirito, then Cape St. Thomas, and then an island just without Cape Frio, which in fome maps is called the island of Frio, 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 shore for Rio de Janeiro, and at nine the next morning made fail for the harbour. I then fent Mr. Hicks, my First 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 affiftance of a pilot to bring us into proper anchoring-ground. I continued to ftand up the river, trufting to Mr. Bellifle's draught, published in the Petit Atlas maritime, Vol. II. N° 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 be fore fore 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, almost at the fame time, a ten oared boat, full of foldiers, came up and kept rowing round the ship, without exchanging a word: in lefs than a quarter of an hour, another boat came on board with feveral 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 several 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 pinnace, that it was the invariable custom of the place, to detain the first officer who came on shore from any ship on her arrival, till a boat from the Viceroy had vifited her, and to fuffer no boat to go either from or to a ship, while the lay there, without having a foldier on board. They said that I might go on shore when I pleased; but wished that every other perfon might remain on board till the paper which they should draw up had been delivered to the Viceroy, promising that, immediately upon their return, the Lieutenant should be sent on board. 1768. November. This promise was performed; and on the next morning, Monday the 14th, I went on fhore, and obtained leave of the Viceroy to purchase provifions and refreshments for the ship, 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 alfo against the putting a foldier into the boat every time she went between the fhip 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 VOL. II. D whom 1768. November. whom I had on board might refide on shore during our stay, and that Mr. Banks might go up the country to gather plants; but this he abfolutely refused. I judged from his extreme caution, and the feverity of these reftrictions, that he sufpected we were come to trade; I therefore took fome 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 aftronomical 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 mistaken. 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 it was meant as a compliment; I earnestly defired to be excused from accepting fuch an honour, but the good Viceroy would by no means fuffer it to be difpenfed with. With this officer, therefore, I returned on board, about twelve o'clock, where I was impatiently expected by Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander, who made no doubt but that a fair account of us having been given by the officers who had been on board the evening before, in their paper called a Practica, and every fcruple of the Viceroy removed in my conference with his Excellency, they should immediately be at liberty to go on fhore, and difpofe of themselves as they pleased. Their disappointment at receiving my report may eafily 2 |