46 L O R D A N S O N ’ S V O Y A G E
fun gathers ftrength to diffipate if, or it is difperfed by a bnfk
fea-breeze. This renders the place clofe and humid, and probably
occafioned the many Fevers and fluxes we were there affliited
with. T o thefe exceptions I mud not omit to add, that all the
day we were peflered with great numbers of mufcatös, Which are
not much unlike the gnats in England, but more venomous m thetr
flings And at fun-Fet, when thé mùfcatos retired, they wtre fuc-
ceeded. by an infinity ö f Fand-flies, which, though foarce difcernibfe
to the naked eye, make a mighty buzZteg; and, wherever they
bite, raife a final! bump in the fleffi, which is foon 'attended With a
painful itching, like that arifing from the bite of an Enghjh harveft-
bug. But as the only light in which this place defervesmur COiift-
deration is its favourable fituation for fupplying and reffclhm'g our
cruizers intended for the South-Seas, in this view its gfeatJt inconveniences
remain 'flail to be related ; '/and, to do this more dï-
itinàly, it will not be amifs to confider the. changes which it hsfs
lately undergone, both in its inhabitants, its police, and its goIn
the time of Frezier and Shehocke, this place ferved only as a
retreat to vagabonds and outlaws, who fled thither from all part's Bf
Brazil. They did, indeed, acknowledge a fubjéètiön to the Crowii
of Portugal, and had a perfon among them, whom ’they called thetr
Captain who was uoufidered in fome fort as their Governor : bilt
both their allegiance to their King, and their obedience to then
Captain, feemed to be little more than verbal ; for as they had plenty
o f provifions, but no money, they were in a condition to fupport
themfelves, without the affiftance o f any neighbouring lettlements,
and had not amongft them the means o f tempting aiiy adjacent
Governor to -bufy his authority about them. In this fituation they
were extremely hofpitable and friendly to fuch ' foreign ffiiips as
came amongft them ; for thefe Ships wanting only provifions, of
which the natives had great-flore, and ihenatives wanting clothes
(for they often defpifed money, and refufed to take it), which the
' J Ihips
(bins furnifeed them with, in exchange for their provifions, both
fides found their account in this traffick; and their Captain or Governor
had neither power nor intereft to reftrain it, or to tax it.
But of late (for reafons which fha.ll be hereafter mentioned) thefe
honeft vagabonds have been obliged to receive amongft them a new
colony, and to fubmit to new laws and new forms of government.
Inftead of their former ragged hare-legged Captain (whom, however,
they took care to keep innocent), they have now the honour
to-be governed by Don Jofi Sy lva de Pa z, a Brigadier o f the armies
of Portugal. This Gentleman has with him a.garnfon of loldiers,
and has eonfequently a naore extepfive and a better-fupported power
than any of his .predeeeffors; and as "he wears better clothes, and
lives more fplendidly, and has betides a much better knowledge of
the .importance o f money than they could ever pretend to'; fp he
puts in practice certain methods o f procuring it, with which they
were utterly unacquainted. But it may be'much doubted, i f the
inhabitants confider thefe methods as tending to promote either
their interefts, or that o f their Sovereign the King of Portugal.
This is certain, that his behaviour cannot but be extremely em-
barraffing to fuch Britijb..fliips as touch-there,. in their way to the
South-Seas : for one,of his prafl ices was .placing centinels at all the
avenues, to prevent '.the people , from foiling us any refrefhments,
except at-fuch, exorbitant rates.as we .could not afford to give. His
pretence for this extraordinary firetch of power was, that he was
obliged .to:.'prefenie-,-their, provifions for .upwards ,of an hundred families,
which they daily expelled to reinforce their colony. Hence
he appears t o ibe .no novice in his profeffiou, by his readinefs at inventing.
a.piaufible-pretence for his .interefted management. However
this, - though fufficiently provoking, was far from being the
mofl exceptionable part of his conduit: for, by the 'neighbourhood
of the river Plate, a .confid.er.able.fmuggling traffick is carried
on between the Portugueje and the Spaniards, Specially in the exchanging...
gold ifor,filwer, by which both Princes are defrauded of
their fifths ; aijd.in this prohibited, commerce Don jo/i was fo deeply