10 



City of San Salvador. 



RIO JANEIRO. 



Improvement. 

 Impression on landing. 



diately, agreeably to his orders, followed the vessel, 

 and continued after her until morning, when, to 

 his surprise, he discovered that it was a large 

 Dutch ship. Fortunately I had perceived the ship 

 pass, and conjectured, when we found the Porpoise 

 was not in sight at daylight, the nature of the mis- 

 take. I therefore retraced my steps, and in an 

 hour or two we again came in sight of her, then 

 tacked and proceeded on our course. On the next 

 day, the time being very favourable, we hove-to, to 

 get a deep-sea sounding with the wire line, and ran 

 out one thousand six hundred fathoms of it. On 

 reeling it up, the wire parted, and we lost nine 

 hundred and sixty fathoms of line, with our sound- 

 ing apparatus, including one of Six's self-register- 

 ing thermometers. The wire was badly prepared 

 and ill adapted to the purpose. 



On the llth we found ourselves near the loca- 

 tion of Krusenstern's supposed shoal, ran over the 

 position in parallel lines, and satisfied ourselves of 

 its non-existence. 



On the afternoon of the 23rd of November, we 

 took a light wind from the south-east, and with all 

 sail set stood in for the magnificent harbour of Rio 

 Janeiro. Our attention was drawn first to the high, 

 fantastic, and abrupt peaks of Gavia, the Sugar 

 Loaf, and Corcovado on our left; whilst on our 

 right we had the bold point of Santa Cruz; then 

 before us the city of San Salvador, and the towns 

 of San Domingo, with Praya Grande opposite, and 

 the islands and fleet that lay between them deck- 

 ing this beautiful expanse of water. These objects, 

 with the pinnacles of the Organ Mountains for a 

 background, form such a scene that it would be 

 difficult to point out in what manner it could be 

 improved. The life and stir created by the number 

 of vessels, boats, and steamers of various forms and 

 of all sizes passing to and fro, give great animation 

 to the whole. 



The mountains present a very peculiar appear- 

 ance. Their tops and sides have a rounded or worn 

 surface, destitute of verdure, with the exception of 

 here and there a yellowish patch, produced by the 

 Tillandsias, which in places covers the rocks. The 

 abruptness of the Sugar Loaf mountain, and those 

 immediately behind Santa Cruz, strikes the spec- 

 tator very forcibly. 



The shipping do not form as in other places a 

 dense forest of masts. There being no wharves, 

 they are obliged to lie at anchor, exhibiting their 

 proportions and symmetry to great advantage. 

 They are usually seen grouped together, with their 

 different flags flying, forming a picture that a 

 painter would delight in. 



There is a feeling of security on entering the 

 harbour of Rio, that I have seldom experienced 

 elsewhere, not even in our own waters. The 

 mountains seem as it were to afford complete pro- 

 tection from the winds and ocean. We anchored 

 near Euxados or Hospital Island, and found the 

 Peacock had arrived here three days before us, and 

 that she was proceeding with her repairs rapidly. 

 The vessels being altogether unfit for the southern 

 cruise, it became necessary to effect the requisite 

 repairs as speedily as possible. 



We are indebted to the Hon. William Hunter, 

 our charge" d'affaires, and our consul, William Sla- 

 cum, esq., for many kindnesses and attentions 

 received during our stay at Rio. Through their 

 intercession, I obtained the use of the small island 

 of Enxados, which was well adapted to our pur- 

 poses. The instruments and stores were allowed 

 to be landed there free of inspection, and every as- 

 sistance we could desire was afforded us by the 

 government and its officers. How different a policy 

 and treatment from that pursued towards captain 

 Cook some seventy years before, under an ignorant 

 and jealous colonial government ! 



CHAPTER III. 



RIO DE JANEIRO. 



RIO DE JANEIRO ITS IMPROVEMENT ITS PRESENT CONDITION CHURCHES THE MISERICORDIA FUNERALS 

 EMPEROR'S BIRTHDAY AOUEDUCTS PUBLIC GARDEN MUSEUM BAY AND HARBOUR VEGETATION BOTANIC 

 GARDEN SLAVE POPULATION COFFEE-CARRIERS STREETS OF THE CITY SOCIETY WHITE-JACKET BALL 

 ARRIVAL OF THE RELIEF SURVEYS DEFECTS IN THE EO.UIPMENT OF THE SOUADRON TRIP TO THE ORGAN 

 MOUNTAINS ASCENT OF THE CORCOVADO. 



THE city of San Salvador, better known as Rio de 

 Janeiro , has been often described. At the time of 

 our visit, a great change appeared to have taken 

 place within a few years, as well in its outward 

 appearance as in its government and institutions, 

 thus giving to the whole a different aspect from 

 that it formerly wore. Under its former monarch, 

 Don Pedro the First, it had all the aspect of a 

 court residence; now it is the very reverse. I 

 shall therefore give my own impressions, and sketch 

 a picture of its state as we found it in the latter part 

 of the year 1838. 



Republican forms, habits, and customs, are gra- 

 dually creeping in under its new and reformed con- 

 stitution. It is not to be denied that the people 



now appear to be much better off than formerly, 

 and more at liberty to carry on their lawful pur- 

 suits. Commerce and intercourse with foreigners 

 are every day making liberal advances. Every one, 

 on his first landing at Rio, will be struck with the 

 indiscriminate mingling of all classes, in every 

 place, all appearing on terms of the utmost equa- 

 lity; officers, soldiers, and priests, both black and 

 white, mixing and performing their respective 

 duties, without regard to colour or appearance. The 

 only distinction seems to be that of freedom and 

 slavery. There are many wealthy free blacks, 

 highly respectable, who amalgamate with the white 

 families, and are apparently received on a footing 

 of perfect equality. The police, too, consisting of a 



