28 RIO DE JANEIRO CHAP, n 



spite of all the efforts of the crew, the boats soon drifted 

 out of sight. The yawl came back at two in the morning 

 with the news that the other two boats were lost. "We 

 were, however, glad to find the men safe, for they had been 

 in considerable danger. 



20th. The yawl was sent ashore to seek assistance in 

 recovering our long-boat : it returned with our pinnace and 

 its crew, and a boat of the Viceroy, which had orders to 

 assist us in searching for our boats. 



The crew of the pinnace declared that they had been 

 confined in a loathsome dungeon, where their company was 

 chiefly blacks who were chained. The coxswain purchased 

 a better apartment for seven petacks (about as many 

 English shillings). At dark the pinnace returned with both 

 the boats and all their contents. 



2 1st. Letters arrived from the Viceroy; in mine he told 

 me very politely that it was not in his power to permit me 

 to go ashore. In the captain's he raises some doubts about 

 our ship being a King's ship. 1 



23rd. An answer to the captain's last memorial accuses 

 him of smuggling. 



24th. Dr. Solander went into the town as surgeon of the 

 ship to visit a friar who had desired that the surgeon might 

 be sent to him : he received civilities from the people. 



2Qth. I myself went ashore this morning before day- 

 break, and stayed until dark night. While I was ashore I 

 met several of the inhabitants, who were very civil to me, 

 taking me to their houses, where I bought of them stock for 

 the ship tolerably cheap : a middlingly fat porker for eleven 

 shillings, a Muscovy duck for something under two shil- 

 lings, etc. 



The country, where I saw it, abounded with vast variety 

 of plants and animals, mostly such as had not been described 

 by our naturalists, as so few have had an opportunity of 

 coining here ; indeed, no one even tolerably curious that I 



1 "The build and general appearance of the Endeavour not being that of 

 a man-of-war, the Portuguese authorities entertained suspicions regarding her 

 true character, which is not altogether surprising, considering the times. " 

 "VVharton's Cook, p. 22, footnote. 



