1768. long-boat and fkiff, with the rum, but every thing elfe that November. j o
1----,---- ' was on board was loft. On the 23d, the Viceroy, in his ane
iie.33. £wer f0 remonftrance againft foizing my men and detaining
the boat, acknowledged that 1 had been treated with
fome incivility, but faid that the refiftance of my officers, to
what he had declared to be the King’s orders, made it ab-
folutely neceffary; he alfo expreffed fome doubts whether
the Endeavour, conlidering her ftru&ure and other circum-
ftances, was in the fervice of his Majefty, though I had before
fhewed him my commiffion: to this I anfwered in writing,
That, to remove all fcruples, I was ready to produce my
commiffion again. His Excellency’s fcruples however flill
remained, and in his reply to my letter he not only exprefled
them in flill plainer terms, but accufod my people of fmug-
gling. This charge, I am confident, was without the leaft
foundation in truth. Mr. Banks’s fervants had indeed found
means to go on fhore on the 22d at day-break, and flay till
it was dark in the evening, but they brought on board only
plants and infedts, having been fent for no other purpofe.
And I had the greateft reafon to believe that not a Angle article
was fmuggled by any of our people who were admitted
on fhore, though many artful means were ufed to tempt them
even by the very officers that were under his Excellency’s
roof, which made the charge flill more injurious and provoking.
I have indeed fome reafon to fufpedt that one poor
fellow bought a Angle bottle of rum with fome of the
clothes upon his back ; and in my anfwer I requefted of his
Excellency, that, if fuch an attempt at illicit trade ffiould be
repeated, he would without fcruple order the offender to be
taken into cuftody. And thus ended our altercation, both
by conference and writing, with the Viceroy of Rio de
Janeiro.
A friar
A friar in the town having requefted the affiftance of 1768.
our furgeon, Dr. Solander eafily got admittance in that , _ _ '■
character on the 25th, and received many marks of civility Friday 25.
from the people. On the 26th, before day-break, Mr. Saturday 26.
Banks alfo found means to elude the vigilance of the people
in the guard-boat, and got on fhore; he did not however go
into the town, for the principal objects of his curiofity were
to be found in the fields: to him alfo the people behaved
with great civility, many of them invited him to their
houfes, arid he bought a porker and fome other things of
them for the fliip’s company; the porker, which was by no
means lean, coft him eleven lhillings, and, he paid fome-
thing lefs than two for aMufcovy duck.
On the 37th, when the boats returned from watering, the Sunday zy i
people told us there was a report in town, that fearch was
making after fome perfons who had been on fhore from the
fhip without the Viceroy’s permiffion; thefe perfons we conjectured
to be Dr. Solander and Mr. Banks, and therefore
they determined to go on fhore no more.
On the 1 ft of December, having got our water and other December,
neceffaries on board, I font to the Viceroy for a pilot to carry ThurrdayI-
us to foa, who came off to u s ; but the wind preventing
us from getting out, we took On board a plentiful fup-
ply of frefh beef, yams and greens for the fhip’s company.
On the 2d, a Spanifh packet arrived, with letters from Friday a..
Buenos Ayres for Spain, commanded by Don Antonio de
Monte Negro y Velafco, who with great politenefs offered to
take our letters to Europe t I accepted the favour, and gave
him a packet for the Secretary of the Admiralty, containing
copies of all the papers that had paffe'd between me and the
Viceroy ; leaving alfo duplicates with the Viceroy, to be by
him forwarded to Lifbon.
Oa