ST. JAGO CAPE DE VERDE ISLANDS. 27 



The language spoken is a mixture of the Portuguese and 

 the negro dialects. Many of the blacks are slaves, brought 

 from the neighboring coast of Africa, and continue to speak 

 in their mother tongue. They dress in a loose shirt, and sel- 

 dom use a covering of any sort on their heads. Their chil- 

 dren go entirely naked. 



We have a Consul residing in the town. The climate is 

 not considered healthy for strangers ; it is subject to a fever, 

 similar to that which prevails on the coast of Africa. 



St. Jago, like the other Cape de Verde Islands, furnishes the 

 Portuguese government with a place of honorable exile for 

 distinguished subjects, whose political opinions may be adverse 

 to the existing institutions. They are advanced a step or two 

 in rank to repay them, and a poor compensation it is for six 

 years residence in such a miserable place, for they are not 

 allowed to return sooner. 



During the short time we remained at the Island, our natu- 

 ralists were actively employed, and many specimens were 

 added to our collections in botany, ornithology, and shells. 



On the 7th of October, we again spread our sails to the 

 breeze, and stood to sea. During the 9th we experienced 

 variable airs, with calms at intervals, At 10 A. M. on the 

 same day, we found ourselves in the midst of a very strong 

 tide-ripple. There can be no doubt that this agitation of the 

 water was caused by a current, for the sea was perfectly 

 smooth only a few minutes before. In the afternoon we were 

 in the position given to Pattey's Overfalls, represented as 

 being so alarming to navigators, but we could see nothing of 

 them. 



November 4th. The " Vincennes" saw ahead what she sup- 

 posed to be breakers, but upon examining the place it proved 

 to be an ocular deception, produced by the sun's rays throwing 



