112 FROM TENERTFFE TO BRAZIL. 



we had been a considerable time deprived of fresh 

 provisions, because our Rurick was so small that she 

 could not contain a large quantity. To make the 

 feast complete, I had a tub of sour-krout opened, 

 which was furnished us at St. Petersburg by the 

 American Company, and was very excellent. In 

 the evening we had a play, of which we gave 

 notice at noon by a play-bill put up at the mast, 

 announcing the Peasant's Marriage, The sailors 

 had composed the piece themselves, and acted 

 it to the entire satisfaction of the spectators ; 

 the whole concluded with a ballet, and the actors 

 received the applause they merited. Such amuse- 

 ments, on board a ship destined for discovery, 

 may appear foolish to many persons ; but, in my 

 opinion, every thing must be done to keep up the 

 spirits of the crew, and to make them less sen- 

 sible to the hardships of so tedious an enterprize j 

 besides, the disposition of the mind has a material 

 influence on the state of the body, and a cheerful- 

 minded man is in general the more healthy. On 

 Sundays, in particular, I usually undertook some- 

 thing new ; the sailors amused themselves several 

 days beforehand with their plans and preparations, 

 and afterwards they had ample matter for convers- 

 ation and joke. Besides this, we always had our 

 table better supplied on this day ; and likewise gave 

 out a double portion of brandy. 



The 6th. We were to-day in the neighbourhood 

 of Cape Frio, the latitude of which I was directed 



