bladder of fishes, from the bottom of which des. cend a number of strings, of a bright blue and red, some of them three or four feet in length, which upon being touched sting like a nettle, but with much more force. On the top of the bladder is a mem brane which is used as a sail, and turned so as to receive the wind which way soever it blows; this membrane is marked in fine pink coloured veins, and the animal is in every respect an object exquisitely curious and beautiful.

We also took several of the shell-fishes, or testaceous animals, which are always found floating upon the water, particularly the helix janthina and violacea; they are about the size of a snail, and are supported upon the surface of the water by a small cluster of bubbles, which are filled with air, and consist of a tenacious slimy substance that will not easily 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 shore; for the shell is exceedingly brittle, and that of few fresh water snails is so thin: every shell contains about a tea spoonful of liquor, which it easily discharges upon being touched, and which is of the most beautiful red purple that can be conceived. It dyes linen cloth, and it may perhaps be worth inquiry, as the shell is certainly fourd in the Mediterranean, whether it be not the purpura of the ancients.

On the 8th, in latitude 8° 25' North, longitude 22° 4' West, we found a current setting to the southward, which the next day in latitude 7° 58', longitude 22° 13′ shifted to the N.N.W. rate of one mile and a furlong an hour. tion here, by the mean of several azimuths, appeared to be 8° 39' W.

W. at the The varia

On the 10th, Mr. Banks shot the black-toed gull, not yet described according to Linnæus's

system; he gave it the name of larus crepidatus : it is remarkable that the dung of this bird is of a lively red, somewhat like that of the liquor procured from the shells, only not so full; its principal food, therefore, is probably the helix just mentioned. A current to the N.W. prevailed more or less till Monday, the 24th, when we were in latitude 1° 7′ N. and longitude 28° 50′.

On the 25th we crossed the line with the usual ceremonies in longitude 29° 30, when by the result of several 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 several observations by Mr. Green and myself, in longitude 32° 5' 16" W. which is to the westward of it by some charts, and to the eastward by others, we expected to see the island, or some of the shoals that are Jaid down in the charts, between it and the main, but we saw neither one nor the other.

In the evening of the 29th, we observed that lumiuous appearance of the sea which has been so often mentioned by navigators, and of which such various causes have been assigned; some supposing it to be oc casioned by fish, which agitated the water by darting at their prey, some by the putrefaction of fish and other marine animals, some by electricity, and others referring it into a great variety of different

causes.

It appeared to emit flashes of light, exactly resem bling those of lightning, only not so considerable; but they were so frequent that sometimes eight or ten were visible almost at the same moment. We were of opinion that they proceeded from some luminous animal, and upon throwing out the casting net our opinion was confirmed it brought up a species of the medusa, which when it came on board had the appearance of metal violently heated, and emitted a white light; with these animals were taken some very small crabs, of three different species, each of which gave as much light as a glow-worm, though the Criature was not so large by nine

tenths upon examination of these animals Mr. Banks had the satisfaction 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 passed the line in which the needle at this time would have pointed due north and south 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.

On the 6th, being in latitude 19° 3′ South, longitude 35° 50′ West, the colour of the water was ob served to change, upon which we sounded, and found ground at the depth of 32 fathoms; the lead was cast three times within about four hours without a foot difference in the depth or quality of the bottom, which was coral rock, fine sand, and shells; we therefore supposed that we had passed over the tail of the great shoal which is laid down in all our charts by the name of Abrothos, on which Lord Anson struck soundings in his passage outwards: at four the next morning we had no ground with 100 fathom.

As several articles of our stock and provisions now began to fall short, I determined to put into Rio de Janeiro, rather than at any port in Brazil, or Falkland's Islands, knowing that it could better supply us with what we wanted, and making no doubt but that we should be well received.

On the 8th at day break, we saw the coast of Brazil, and about ten o'clock we brought to, and spoke with a fishing boat; the people on board told us that the land which we saw lay to the southward of Sancto Espirito, but belonged to the captainship of that place.

Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander went on board this vessel, 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, consisted of dolphins, large pelagie scombers of two kinds, sea bream, and some of the fish, which in the West Indies are called Welshmen. Mr. Banks had taken Spanish silver with him, which he imagined to be the currency of the continent, but to his great surprize the people asked him for English shillings; he gave them two which he happened to have about him, and it was not without some dispute that they took the rest of the money in pistereens. Their business seemed to be to catch large fish at a good distance from the shore, which they salted 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 16s. and would probably have sold for half the money. The fresh fish, which was bought for about nineteen shillings and sixpence, served the whole ship's company; the salt was not wanted.

The sca provision of these fishermen consisted of nothing more than a cask of water, and a bag of Cassada flour, which they called farinha de pao, or wooden flour, which indeed is a name which Tery well suits its taste and appearance. Their water cask was large, as wide as their boat, and exactly fitted a place that was made for it in the ballast; it was impossible therefore to draw out any of its contents by a tap, the sides being from the bottom to the top, wholly inaccessible; neither Could any be taken out by dipping a vessel in at the head, for an opening sufficiently wide for that purpose, would have endangered the loss of great part of itby the rolling of the vessel: their expedient to get at their water so situated 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 pen at both ends; this he thrust into the cask Wrough 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 assistant then taking his hand from the other, and admitting the air above, the caue immediately parted with its contents, which the drinker drew off till he was satisfied.

We stood off and on along the shore till the 12th, and successively saw a remarkable hill near Santo Espirito, then Cape St. Thomas, and then an island just without Cape Frio, which in some 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 stood along the shore for Rio de Janeiro, and at nine the next morning made sail for the harbour. I then sent 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 desire the assistance of a pilot to bring us into proper anchoring-ground. I continued to stand up the river, trusting to Mr. BelJisle'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 Portugueze officer, but no pilot. people in the boat told me, that my lieutenant was detained by the viceroy till I should shore. We came immediately to an anchor; and almost at the same time, a ten-oared boat, full of soldiers came up and kept rowing round the ship, 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 asked, Whence we came; what was our cargo; the number of men

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