3 2 A V O Y A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
»778.
A ug ust .
Tuefday 11
and in the fecond by gently bracing the habit of bodies
relaxed by a tropical heat, and moderating the too violent
perfpiration.
The infpiffated effence of beer, of which we had feveral
calks on board, was obferved to be in motion before we
left Madeira, and now began to burft the calks and run
out. The captain ordering it to be brought on deck, its
fermentation was encreafed by the addition of frelh air,
and feveral of the calks had their heads forced out by the-
fermenting liquor, with an explofion like that of a fowling
piece. A kind of vapour, like fmoke, always preceded
the eruption. A veffel, ftrongly fumigated with,
fulphur, was, by my father’s advice, filled' with this
effence, by which means the fermentation was Hopped for
a few days, but returned afterwards, efpecially in calks,
expofed to the free accefs of air. Some calks, which had.
been buried in the ballalt-lhingle, were preferved and
prevented from burfting. Perhaps the admixture of dou—
ble-diflilled fpirit, might have hindered the progrefs of:
fermentation in this effence. The beer made of it, by the.
fimple addition of warm water, was very good and palatable,
though it had a little empyreumatic tafte, caufed by
the infpifiation.
Auguft the n th , we difcovered Bonavifta, one of the.
Cape-Verd illands. The next morning, the weather cleared
up, after a thawer of rain, and prefented to our fight the
iflfe.
ille of Mayo. About noon we approached the ille of San august.
Jago, and anchored at three o’clock in the afternoon in
Porto-Praya.
Early the next morning we went on Ihore, and vifited Tturfday 1
the commandant of the fort, Don Jofeph de Sylva, a good-
natured man, who fpoke the French imperfectly, and introduced
us to the governor-general of the Cape-Verd
illands. This gentleman, whofe name was Don Joachim
Salama Saldanba de Lobos, commonly refides at St. Jago, the
capital of the illand ; but as he was very fickly, which his
complexion witneffed for him, he had retired hither about
two months ago, where the air is reckoned more falubri-
ous. He occupied the apartments of the commandant,
who was now obliged to dwell in a wretched cottage,
and who gave us fome information relative to thefe illands.
In 1449, Antonio Nolli, probably by others named Anto-
niotto, a Genoefe in the fervice of Don Henry, Infante of
Portugal, difcovered fome of the Cape-Verd illands, and
on the firft of May landed on one of them, which had its
name from thence. St. Jago was feen at the fame time.
In 1460, another voyage was undertaken in order to
fettle them; and on this occafion the remaining illands
were likewife difcovered. San Jago is the greateft of
them, and about feventeen leagues in length. The capital,
of the fame name, lies in the interior parts of the
country, and is the fee of the bilhop of all the Cape-
Von. I. F Verd