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1768. September.

CHA P. II.

The Passage from Madeira to Rio de Janeiro, with fome account of the Country, and the Incidents that happened there.

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N the 21ft of September we saw the islands called the Salvages, to the north of the Canaries; when the prinWednef. 21. cipal of thefe bore S. W. at the distance of about five leagues we found the variation of the compass by an azimuth to be 17o 50'. I make these islands to lie in latitude 30° 11' North, and diftant 58 leagues from Funchiale in Madeira, in the direction of S. 16 E.

Friday 23.

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2

On Friday the 23d we faw the Peak of Teneriffe bearing W. by S. S. and found the variation of the compass 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 ftriking; when the fun was below the horizon, and the rest of the ifland appeared of a deep black, the mountain ftill reflected his rays, and glowed with a warmth of colour which no painting can exprefs. There is no eruption of visible 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 some salt 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 some native fulphur exceedingly pure, which he had likewise found upon the furface in great plenty.

1768.

September.

On the next day, Saturday the 24th, we came into the Saturday 24. north east trade wind, and on Friday the 30th saw Bona Visla, Friday 30. one of the Cape de Verd Islands; we ranged the cast 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.

October,

Saturday 1.

On the ift of October, in latitude 14° 6' N. and longitude 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, hoifted 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 Vifta we faw great numbers of flying fish, which from the cabbin windows appear beautiful beyond imagination, their fides having the colour and brightness of burnished filver; when they are seen from the deck they do not appear to so much advantage, because their backs are of a dark colour. We alfo took a fhark, which proved to be the Squalus Carcharias of Linnæus.

Having loft the trade wind on the 3d, in latitude 12° 14′ and longitude 22° 10, the wind became fomewhat variable, and we had light airs and calms by turns.

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On the 7th, Mr. Banks went out in the boat and took Friday 7.

what the feamen call a Portuguese man of war; it is the

Holuthuria Physalis of Linnæus, and a fpecies of the Mollufca.

1768. C&tober.

Friday 7.

Saturday 8.

It confifted of a small bladder about feven inches long, very
much resembling the air-bladder of fishes, from the bottom
of which defcended a number of ftrings, of a bright blue
and red, fome of them three or four feet in length, which
upon being touched fting like a nettle, but with much
more force.
On the top of the bladder is a membrane
which is used as a fail, and turned fo as to receive the wind
which way foever it blows: this membrane is marked in
fine pink coloured veins, and the animal is in every respect
an object exquifitely curious and beautiful.

We also took feveral of the fhell-fishes, or teftaceous animals, which are always found floating upon the water, particularly the Helix Janthina and Violacea; they are about thre fize of a fnail, and are fupported upon the furface of the water by a fmall cluster of bubbles, which are filled with air and consist of a tenacious flimy fubftance that will not eafily part with its contents; the animal is oviparous, and these bubbles ferve alfo as a nidus for its eggs. It is probable that it never goes down to the bottom, nor willingly approaches any fhore; for the fhell is exceedingly brittle, and that of few fresh water fnails is so thin: every shell contains about a tea-fpoonful of liquor, which it eafily discharges upon being touched, and which is of the most beautiful red purple that can be conceived. It dies linen 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 22° 4' Weft, we found a current fetting to the fouthward, which the next day in latitude 7° 58', longitude 22° 13' fhifted to the N. N.W. W. at the rate of one mile and a furlong an hour. The variation here, by the mean of several azimuths, appeared to be 8° 39′ W.

1768.

C&tober.

Monday 10.

On the roth, Mr. Banks fhot 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 fhells, only not fo full; its principal food therefore is probably the Helix just mentioned. A current to the N.W. prevailed more or lefs till Monday the 24th, Monday 24, when we were in latitude 1o 7 N.. and longitude 28° 50 ́.

On the 25th, we croffed the line with the ufual ceremonies Tuesday 25.in longitude 29° 30', when, by the refult of feveral very good. azimuths, the variation was 2o 24.

On the 28th, at noon, being in the latitude of Ferdinand' Friday 28. Noronha, and, by the mean of several observations by Mr. Green and myself, 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 Saturday 293 appearance of the fea which has been so often mentioned by navigators, and of which fuch various 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 causes. 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: vifible almoft 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.

1768. October.

November. Wednef. 2

Sunday 6.

Monday 7.

Tuesday 8.

board had the appearance of metal violently heated, and emitted a white light: with thefe animals were taken fomc 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 35o 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 ftruck foundings in his paffage outwards: at four the next morning we had no ground with co fathom.

As feveral articles of our ftock 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 Islands, knowing that it could better fupply us with what we wanted, and making no doubt but that we thould 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 fifhing

boat;

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