iS
^1768. velfel in at the head, for an opening fufficiently wide for
»— v—_> that purpofe would have endangered the lofs of great part
of it by the rolling of the vefiel: their expedient to get at
their water, fo fituated, was curious; when oiie of them
wanted to .drink, he applied to his neighbour, who accompanied
him to the water calk with a hollow cane about three
feet long, which was open at both ends ; this he thruft into
the calk through a fmall hole in the top, and then, flopping
the upper end with the palm of his hand, drew it ou t; the
preffure of the air againft the other end keeping in the water
which it contained; to this end the perfon who wanted
to drink applied his mouth, and the aJEftant then taking his
hand from the other, and admitting the air above, the cane
immediately parted with its contents, which the drinker
.drew off till he was fatisfied.
Sitwday u. We flood off and on along the Ihore till the iqth, and
fucceffively faw a remarkable hill near Santo Efpirito, th^r,
Uape St. Thomas, and then an ifland juft without Cape Frio,
which in fame maps is called the ifland of Frio, and which
being high, with a hollow in the middle has the appearance
o f two iflands when feen at a diftance. On this day
we flood along the ihore for hip de Janeiro, and at nine the
s»mi»y .13. next morning made fail for the harbour. I then fent Mr.
Hicks, my Firft Lieutenant, before us in the pinnace, up to
the city, to acquaint the Governor, that we put in there to
■ procure water .and refrefhments; and to defire the affiftance
o f a pilot to bring us into proper anchoring-ground. I
(Continued to Hand up the river, trailing to Mr. Bellifle’s
■ draught, publiffied in the Petit Atlas maritime, Vol. II. N° 54,
which we found very good, till five o’clock in the evening,
expecting the return of my Lieutenant; and juft as I was
about to anchor, above the ifland of Cobras, which lies before
fore the city, the pinnace came back without him, having
. •• ■ i ; li . November.
on board a Portuguefe officer, but no pilot. The people m > ■
the boat told tne, that my Lieutenant was detained by the
Viceroy till I lhould go on Ihore. We came immediately to
an anchor; and, almojil at the fame time, a ten oared boat,
full of foldiers, came up and kept rowing round the Ihip,
without exchanging a word: in left than a quarter of an
hour, another boat came on board with feveral of the Viceroy’s
officers, who alked, Whence we came; what was our
cargo; the number of men and guns on board $ the objeCt
o f our voyage, and feveral other queftionS, which we directly
and truly anfwered: they then told me, as a kind of
apology for detaining m y Lieutenant, and putting an officer
on board my pinnace, that it was the invariable cuftom of
the place, to detain the firft officer who came on Ihore from
any Ihip on her arrival, till a boat from the Viceroy had
vifited her, and to fuffer no boat to go either from or to a
Ihip, while ihe lay there, without having a foldier on board.
They faid that I might go on Ihore when I pleafed; but
wiffied that every other perfon might remain on board till
the paper which they lhould draw up had been delivered to
the Viceroy, promifing that, immediately upon their return,
the Lieutenant lhould be fent on board.
This promife was performed; and on the next morning, Monday 14.
the 14th, I went on Ihore, and obtained leave of the Viceroy
to purchafe provifions and refrefhments for the Ihip,
provided I would employ one of their own people as a
faCtor, but not otherwife. I made fome objections to this,
but he infilled upon it as the cuftom o f the place. I objected
alfo againft the putting a foldier into the boat every time Ihe
went between the Ihip and the Ihore; but he told me, that
this was done by the exprefs orders of his court, with which he
could in no cafe difpenfe. I then requefted, that the Gentlemen
V01.. II. ’ D whom