1768. -whom I had on board might refide on fhore during our Hay,
November. t]lat jy[r> Banks might go up the country to gather plants;
but this he abfolutely refufed. I judged from his extreme
caution, and the feverity of thefe reftrictions, that he fuf-
pefted we were come to trade; I therefore took fome pains
to.convince him of the contrary. I told him, that we were
bound to the fouthward, by the order of his Britannic Ma-
jefty, to obferve a tranfit of the planet Venus over the Sun,
an aftronomical phenomenon of great importance to navigation.
Of the tranfit of Venus, however, he could form no
other conception, than that it was the palling of the North
Star through the South Pole ; for thefe are thé very words
of his interpreter, who was a Swede, and fpoke Englilh very
well. I did not think it neceffary to alk pel-million for the
Gentlemen to come on fhore during the day, of that, when
I was on fhore myfelf, I might be at liberty, taking for
granted that nothing was intended to the contrary ; but in
this I was unfortunately miftaken. As foon as I toók leave
of his Excellency, I found an officer who had orders to attend
me wherever I went: of this I defi.red an explanation,
and was told that it was meant as a compliment; I earneftly
defired to be excufed from accepting fuch an honour,'but
the good Viceroy would by no means fuffer it to be difpenfed
with.
With this officer, therefore, I returned on board, about
twelve o’clock, where I was impatiently expefted by Mr.
Banks and Dr. Solander, who made no doubt but that a fail-
account of us having been given by the officers who had
been on board the evening before, in their paper called a
Praflica, and every fcruple of thé Viceroy removed in my
conference with his. Excellency, they'lhould immediately be
at liberty to go on Ihore, and difpofe of themfelves as they
pleafed. Their difappointment at receiving my report may
2 1 eafily
eafily be conceived ; and it was Hill increafed by an account,
that it had been refolved, not only to prevent their refiding
on Ihore, and going up the country, but even their leaving
the Ihip; orders having been given, that no perfon except
the Captain, and fuch common failors as were required to
be upon duty, lhould be permitted to land ; and that theie
was probably a particular view to the paffengers in this prohibition,
as they were reported to be Gentlemen fent abroad
to make obfervations and difcoveries, and were uncommonly
qualified for that purpofe. In the evening, however, Mr.
Banks and Dr. Solander dreffed themfelves, and attempted to
go on Ihore, in order to make a vifit to the Viceroy; but
they were flopped by the guard-boat which had come off
with our pinnace, and which kept hovering round the fhip
all the while ffie lay here, for that purpofe; the’ officer on
board faying, that he had particular orders, which he could
not difobey, to fuffer no paffenger, nor any officer, except
the Captain, to pafs the boat. After much expoftulation to
no purpofe, they were obliged, with whatever reluftancs
and mortification, to return on board. I then went on fhore
myfelf, but found the Viceroy inflexible; he had one an-
fwer ready for every thing I could fay, That the reftridlions
under which he had laid us, were in obedience to the King
of Portugal’s commands, and therefore indifpenfible.
In this fituation I determined, rather than be made a pri-
foner in my own boat, to-go on fhore no more; for the officer
who, under pretence of a compliment, attended me when
I was afhore, infifted alfo upon going with me to and from
the fhip: but Hill imagining, that the fcrupulous vigilance
of the Viceroy muff proceed from fome miftaken notion
about us, which might more eafily be removed by writing
than in converfation, I drew up a memorial, and Mr. Banks
.ffiew up another, which we lent on fhore. Thefe memorials
D 2 ' “ • ' '---- wcfe