14 



The streets of Rio. The amusements 

 of Rio. White jacket ball. 



RIO JANEIRO. 



Arrival of the Relief. 



The Peacock found unseaworthy. 



The streets of the city generally cross each other 

 at right angles. Some few of them have side-walks, 

 but they are narrow and badly paved. The gutters 

 are in the middle of the streets, with a stream of 

 water which emits a smell by no means agreeable. 

 Those most frequented are the Rua Direita and 

 Ouvidor. The former, containing the palace and 

 cathedral, is the broadest in the city. In the latter 

 are the principal shops, and it is the gayest. The 

 streets are paved with blocks of stone. What 

 gives Rio its principal charm, are its suburbs and 

 the small quintas around it. Nothing can exceed 

 the beauty of those around Gloria and Botofogo. 



The amusements of riding and fishing, with 

 water excursions, are frequent, and of the most 

 agreeable kind. These and other advantages of 

 so fine a climate soon render a residence at Rio 

 quite desirable. There is much pleasant foreign 

 society, composed of the diplomatic corps, many 

 retired gentlemen, and generally the officers of the 

 several men-of-war of different nations. 



There appears to be but little intercourse between 

 the Brazilians and the foreign society. The female 

 sex particularly is still much restricted in this re- 

 spect; and although great improvement has taken 

 place, yet they seldom mix in social intercourse 

 with foreigners; I am told that even among them- 

 selves they are seldom seen except at ceremonious 

 parties. They are very much as one would expect 

 them to be, reserved, retiring, and wanting in 

 education. They dress after the French fashion, 

 and are usually covered with finery, often dis- 

 playing splendid jewels, without taste. There is 

 none of that ease and gaiety which exists where 

 the fair sex is considered on an equality with the 

 other, and there is a total absence of that tone 

 which a consciousness of their value gives to 

 society. Their usual place of resort during the 

 afternoon and evening is the balconies of their 

 houses; some of them are occasionally seen at 

 church. It is said they soon lose their beauty, an 

 early age being considered as their prime. 



Among the many places to which we had the 

 honour of an invitation was one of their monthly 

 balls, the white-jacket ball, at Praya Grande ; so 

 called in consequence of a request being made on 

 the card of invitation, that the gentlemen would 

 come in white jackets, and the ladies appear with- 

 out brilliants or other jewels. We gladly accepted 

 the invitation. 



On reaching the anteroom we were met by the 

 committee of gentlemen or managers, and kindly 

 greeted without ceremony, making us at once feel 

 at our ease. We were shortly after ushered into 

 one of the most splendid ball-rooms I ever saw. 

 There were upwards of three hundred present, all 

 dressed in pure white, without any finery whatever. 

 The room was brilliantly lighted. We were shown 

 around, and introduced to a great many persons of 

 both sexes, who all seemed bent on amusement. 

 It was truly a sans souci meeting. Seldom have I 

 seen so much good taste as was displayed in the 

 arrangements, or so good a tone of society. A 

 good band of music, all Brazilians, played waltzes 

 and marches alternately. I was told there were 

 many distinguished persons, senators, representa- 

 tives of the congress, &c., present. 



The language generally spoken was Portuguese, 

 though some few of the ladies, and many of the gen- 

 tlemen, spoke French. I was not much struck with 



the beauty of the ladies. The great charm thrown 

 over the whole was the unaffected manners and 

 naivete exhibited by the whole company. 



On the 27th of November the Relief arrived, 

 after a passage of one hundred days, from the 

 United States, the longest ever made. On requi- 

 sitions being made for her stores, I was greatly 

 and vexatiously disappointed to receive a report 

 that they required a survey, as all were considered 

 defective, including even the bread and flour. This 

 report, after a careful survey by seven officers, 

 proved to be true. I had been informed before 

 taking command of the squadron that these provi- 

 sions had been inspected, and understood them to 

 be in good order, and that they would last over a 

 year. 



We redoubled our exertions, and the Relief was 

 despatched at the earliest day possible, the 14th of 

 December, in order to enable her to reach Orange 

 Harbour, in Terra del Fuego, the place I had 

 fixed upon as a rendezvous, supposing she would 

 take at least fifteen days more than the other 

 vessels to reach the place at the same time. The 

 boats towed her down the harbour, and gave her a 

 fair start. 



Our repairs in Rio were extensive, particularly 

 those on the Peacock. Among other things, the 

 head of the mizzen-mast had to be cut off eighteen 

 inches, in consequence of a defect in it, which it 

 appeared had been filled up with rope-yarns and 

 putty, and painted over, at her outfit. The defects 

 about the vessel were so glaring, that in going to 

 the high latitudes, it would have been impossible 

 to secure the crew from great suffering and ex- 

 posure. Even iirthe state in which the squadron 

 was now put, I had every apprehension of the 

 greatest disasters. The Peacock, particularly, was 

 wholly unseaworthy with respect to such a cruise. 



My object in giving these details is not to im- 

 pute blame to any one, however satisfied I may be 

 of the great neglect in all the outfits, but to let the 

 country know what were the difficulties we had to 

 encounter. 



It is always difficult to calculate upon the delays 

 that may occur in a foreign port, particularly when 

 it is necessary to employ foreign workmen. Their 

 hours, habits, and manner of working are so dif- 

 ferent from our own, that great patience is required 

 in those who employ them. The manner in which 

 the calkers of Rio work, would draw crowds around 

 them in one of our own cities; to see many of them 

 engaged on a single seam on the outside of the 

 vessel, striking the mallet at a signal given by their 

 leader or overseer with his whistle, is amusing. 

 They are generally blacks (probably slaves), and 

 the leader a white man. The impression made 

 upon us all was, that they were an indolent set ; 

 yet they are said to understand their business well. 

 I cannot, however, bear favourable testimony to 

 their work; the calking of my ship was certainly 

 badly done. 



The uncertainty of the length of time I should 

 be detained, rendered it impossible for me to allow 

 long absences from the ship. I was anxious to 

 have made some measurements of the Organ moun- 

 tains, and that our parties should extend their re- 

 searches beyond them to the Campos. 



Dr. Pickering and Mr. Brackenridge succeeded 

 in making the trip to the Organ mountains on a 

 botanical excursion ; but the outfits and duties con- 



