Seas, I believed it to be my duty to indraft my countrymen in the
hitherto unfufpefted inconveniences which attend that place. And
as the Brazilian gold and diamonds are lubjedls, about which, from
their novelty, very few particulars have been hitherto publifhed, I
conceived this account I had colle&ed of them, would appear to the
reader toUe neither a trifling nor a ufelefs digreflion. Thefe fub-
jefts being thus dilpatched, I lhall now return to the feries of our
own proceedings.
When we firft arrived at St. Catherine s, we were employed in
refrelhing our lick on Ihore, in wooding and watering the fqua-
dron, cleanling ourlhips, and examining and fecuring our marts and
rigging, as I have already obierved in the foregoing chapter. At
the fame time Mr. Anfon gave directions, that the Ihips companies
fhould be fupplied with frelh meat; and that they Ihould be
victualed with whole allowance, of all the kinds of provilions. In
confequence of thefe orders, we had frelh beef fent on board us
continually for our daily expence j and what was wanting to make
up our allowance, we received from our ViCtualer the Anna Pink,
in order to preferve the provilions on board our fquadron entire for
our future lervice. The feafon of the year growing each day iefs
favourable for our paflage round Cape Horn, Mr. Anfon was very
delirous of leaving this place as foon as poflible; and we were at
firft in hopes that our whole bufinefs would be done, and we Ihould
be in a readinefs to fail, in about a fortnight from our arrival; but
on examining the Pryal's marts, we, to our no fmall vexation, found
inevitable employment for twice that time. For, on a furvey, it
was found that the main mart was fprung at the. upper woulding,
though it was thought capable o f being fecured by a couple o f
filhes; but the fore-mart; was reported to be unfit for fervice, and
thereupon the Carpenters were fent into the woods, to endeavour
to find a flick proper for a fore-mart. But after a fearch of four
days, they returned without having been able to meet with any tree
fit for the purpofe. This obliged them to come to a fecond con-
l'ultation about the old fore-mart, when it was agreed to endeavour-
to lecure it by cafing it with three filhes: and in this work the
Carpenters
R O U N D T H E W O R L D . 55
Carpenters were’employed, till within a day or two of our failing.
In the mean time, the Commodore, thinking it neceflary to have a
clean velfel in our arrival in the South-Seas, ordered the Pry a l to
be hove dou n, as this would not occafion any lofs of time, but
might be compleated while the Carpenters were refitting her marts,
.which was done on Ihore.
On the 27th of December we difcovered a fail in the offing; and
not knowing but Hie might be a Spaniard, the eighteen-oared boat
was manned and armed, and fent under the command of our fecond
Lieutenant, to examine her before Ihe arrived within the protection
of the forts. She proved to be a Partuguefe Brigantine
from Rio Grande: and though our Officer, as it appeared on inquiry,
had behaved with the utmoft civility to the Mailer, and
had refufed to accept a calf, which the Mailer would have forced
.on him as a prelent; yet the Governor took great offence at our
fending our boat; and talked o f it in a high ftrain, as a violation
of the peace fublifting between the Crowns of Great-Britain and
Portugal. We at .firft imputed this ridiculous blufterjng to no
deeper a caufe than Don Jofe's infolence; but as we found he proceeded
fo far as to charge our Officer with behaving rudely, and
opening letters, and particularly with an attempt to takeout o f the
vefiel, by violence, the very ca lf which we knew he had refufed
to receive as a prefect (a circumftance which we were fatisfied the
Governor was well acquainted with}, we had hence reafon to
fufpeCt, that he purpofely fought this quarrel; and had more important
motives for engaging in it, than the mere captious biafs o f
his temper. What thefe motives-were, it was not fo eafy for us to
determine at that time; but as we afterwards found by letters,
which fell into our hands in the South Seas, that he had dilpatched
an exprefs to Buenos Ayres, where P iza rn then lay, with an account
of our fquadron’s arrival at St. Catherine's, together with the
mod ample and circumftautial intelligence o f our forge and condition,
we thence conjedlured that Don Jofe had raifed this ground-
lefs clamour, only to prevent our viliting the Brigantine when fhe
Ihould