70 FERNANDO NORONHA. 



hours daily on Government plantations. Some of these con- 

 victs go out fishing on small rafts made of three or four logs 

 lashed together, provided with a small stool for a seat. A 

 basket for the fish is placed on the raft in front of the seat, 

 and a small fishing-rod is stuck up behind. 



The men steer these rafts with great dexterity through the 

 surf with a paddle, usually standing up to paddle, and sitting 

 down to fish. At a distance, the raft being almost entirely 

 under water, the men look as if walking on the water. These 

 rafts were termed " catamarans " by the naval ofiicers. Sailors 

 are apt to apply this term to any out-of-the-way canoe or boat 

 for which they have no other name. I believe the word is of 

 South American origin. No boats of any kind are allowed on 

 Fernando Noronha, for fear the convicts should use them 

 to escape with. 



CONVICT ON FISHING EXPEDITION. 

 (From a sketch bj' Lieutenant II. Swire, R.N.) 



The huts of the convicts form a sort of small town round 

 the square. They have most of them a bit of garden enclosed. 

 I saw several women and children. There are plantations of 

 sugar-cane, maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, bananas, 

 and melons. The latter are remarkably fine in size and flavour, 

 both water and marsh melons ; we paid about three pence 

 each for them. 



We had to wade in up to our middle to reach our boats, 

 on account of the surf. A large shoal of dolphins {^Delphinus) 

 was feeding in the bay close to the shore. 



The governor having first given full permission for explora- 

 tion subsequently retracted it, and sent off a message to say 

 that he would allow no surveying or collecting. This was 

 most unfortunate, since very little is known of the fauna and 

 flora of Fernando Noronha. 



Next morning I landed with Captain Nares on St. Michael's 

 Mount, a conical outlying mass of phonolilh, 300 feet 



