10 VOYAGE TO THE 



chap, ed in consequence of his Imperial Highness requir- 



i 



ing certain forms on the occasion, with which his 

 July Britannic Majesty's government did not think it 

 right to comply. 



The ship being in want of caulking, and the rig- 

 ging of a refit, previous to encountering the bois- 

 terous latitude of Cape Horn, these repairs were im- 

 mediately commenced, and the few stores expended 

 on the passage were replaced. While these services 

 were going forward, and observations were in pro- 

 gress for determining the geographical position of 

 the port, and for other scientific purposes, excursions 

 were made to the various places of interest in which 

 Rio Janeiro abounds : — Bota-Fogo, Braganza, the 

 Falls of Tejuca, and the lofty Corcovado, were suc- 

 cessively visited, and afforded amusement to the na- 

 turalist, the traveller, and the artist. Few places are 

 more worthy the description that has been given of 

 them by various authors, than those above men- 

 tioned ; and they have been so frequently described 

 that they are familiar to every reader, and, as well as 

 the picturesque scenery of Rio Janeiro itself, are 

 quite proverbial. Indeed there is little left in the 

 vicinity of this magnificent port, of which the de- 

 scription will possess the merit of novelty. 



The observations which were made during our 

 stay in Rio Janeiro will be found in the Appendix 

 to the quarto edition. It may, however, be interest- 

 ing to insert here the height of the Peak of Corco- 

 vado, a singularly shaped mass of granite which over- 

 looks the placid waters of Bota-Fogo, as the measure- 

 ments hitherto given are at variance with each other, 

 and as it is a subject which has caused many discus- 

 sions among the good people who live in its vicinity. 



