482 
Portuguese on this point is as prover- 
bial as it is selfish and ridiculous,) 
facilities from the government for our 
future researches, which will be a good 
deal in the neighbourhood of several of 
their settlements. Without such per- 
mission we might perhaps be annoyed 
in many ways; such as being refused 
' provisions, water, and other necessa- 
ries; besides being interdicted exa- 
mining the rivers and bays within their 
territorial line, though we are too 
strong to be openly thwarted or inter- 
rupted. 
Madeira was our next destination, 
which, besides supplying us with some 
good wine, also furnished employment 
to our astronomers. Thence to the 
islands of ‘Teneriffe, Sal, St. Nicholas, 
St. Vincent, St. Antonio, St. Jago, 
and J do not know how many more 
Saints of the popish calendar. At all 
these places we made observations: 
my time, indeed, was so wholly occu- 
pied during the day, in the endless 
mazes of astronomical calculation, and 
so full was my head of chronometers, 
lunars, sextants, and artificial hori- 
zons; Of sun, moon, and stars; of the 
numberless and varied machinery of 
marine surveying,—that, literally, I 
can dream of nothing else at night. 
From St. Jago we made a long 
stretch to the Martin Vas rocks, and 
the solitary island of Trinidad, of 
which we made a running survey. 
The latter is a remarkable island, 
presenting a high and rugged surface, 
and an iron-bound coast, with. some 
singular rocks; one of which is in the 
sugar-loaf form, another like a nine- 
pin, from which it is named, both very 
striking and lofty: but a greater cu- 
riosity than either is a conspicuous na- 
tural arch, running through abluffmass 
of rock and earth, into which the 
ocean rushes with considerable noise 
and violence. ‘The island is little more 
than eight miles in circumference ; 
towards the centre is a fresh-water 
lake, containing some fish, round 
its banks some European and African 
vegetables run wild from want of cul- 
tivation; and in the vicinity a few hogs 
and goats, also wild, are occasionally 
shot by those who can once get on 
shore: but this is commonly a work of 
no small difficulty, on account of the 
violence of the surf. Tew attempt 
this, except the weather is very fine, 
the sea still, and likely to remain so, 
—for, otherwise, it would be impossi- 
ble for any but a courageous and very 
. Expedition to the Eastern Coast of Africa. 
[Jan. 1, 
dextrous swimmer to get off: I have, 
however, met with some friends and 
several seamen who have passed many 
days on the island. American whalers, 
or skinning-ships, as they are called, 
were formerly accustomed to leave 
part of their crews here to kill seals, 
while the ships, for weeks and months 
together, proceeded elsewhere to com- 
plete their cargoes; and these hardy 
residents were often reduced to the 
extremity of distress, by bad weather, 
or other causes, preventing their asso- 
ciates from arriving at the stipulated 
time. During a cruize of Sir James 
Yeo off this island, some years ago, 
in the Confiance, he observed three 
men in this forlorn condition on the 
rocks, and lost no time in proceeding 
himself in one of the cutters to their 
relief; but found it impossible to effect 
@landing, or even to approach tole- 
rably near the shore. ‘Phe men were 
elad wholly in skins, and seemed, as 
well as they could distinguish signs, to 
be in great distress. One oftheir most 
expressive indications was holding up 
a musket with the muzzle toward the 
ground, which Sir James aptly inter- 
preted to signify want of ammunition, 
and returned on board for some small 
barrels of gunpowder,—two of which, 
being attempted to be floated on 
shore, were dashed to pieces against 
the rocks; the third fortunately suc- 
ceeded, and thus supplied the greatest 
wants of these miserable Crusoes. 
Rio de Janeiro formed our next 
resting-place ; a beautiful harbour,— 
a large and populous city (about 
120,000 inhabitants),—the seat of go- 
vernment of Brazil,—a fine country 
—great trade,—and an infinite variety 
of all the richest productions of nature, 
mineral, vegetable, and animal. I 
Was sometimes lost in surprise here at 
the expanse of fresh water, the num- 
bers of little green islands with which 
it is studded, and the picturesque 
beauty of the scenery. Such a coun- 
try never was made to be subservient 
to another; and I am much mistaken 
if it will long be so. Portugal has 
always treated her, not like a mother, 
but a most ungracious step-mother ; 
compared with which, the behaviour 
of England to her American colonies, 
was extreme kindness, indulgence, 
and affection. ‘The Prince Regent, it 
was generally whispered among the 
English merchants with whom we 
were intimate, is irrevocably linked 
with the destinies of the country: he 
is 
