228 THE VOYAGE. ^TAT. 23. [1832. 



not make the attempt. From Teneriffe to St. Jago the voy- 

 age was extremely pleasant. I had a net astern the vessel 

 which caught great numbers of curious animals, and fully 

 occupied my time in my cabin, and on deck the weather was 

 so delightful and clear, that the sky and water together 

 made a picture. On the i6th we arrived at Port Praya, the 

 capital of the Cape de Verds, and there we remained twenty- 

 three days, viz. till yesterday, the 7th of February. The 

 time has flown away most delightfully, indeed nothing can be 

 pleasanter ; exceedingly busy, and that business both a duty 

 and a great delight. I do not believe I have spent one half- 

 hour idly since leaving Teneriffe. St. Jago has afforded me 

 an exceedingly rich harvest in several branches of Natural 

 History. I find the descriptions scarcely worth anything of 

 many of the commoner animals that inhabit the Tropics. I 

 allude, of course, to those of the lower classes. 



Geologising in a volcanic country is most delightful ; 

 besides the interest attached to itself, it leads you into most 

 beautiful and retired spots. Nobody but a person fond of 

 Natural History can imagine the pleasure of strolling under 

 cocoa-nuts in a thicket of bananas and coffee-plants, and an 

 endless number of wild flowers. And this island, that has 

 given me so much instruction and delight, is reckoned the 

 most uninteresting place that we perhaps shall touch at during 

 our voyage. It certainly is generally very barren, but the 

 valleys are more exquisitely beautiful, from the very contrast. 

 It is utterly useless to say anything about the scenery ; it 

 would be as profitable to explain to a blind man colours, as 

 to a person who has not been out of Europe, the total dis- 

 similarity of a tropical view. Whenever I enjoy anything, I 

 always either look forward to writing it down, either in my 

 log-book (which increases in bulk), or in a letter ; so you must 

 excuse raptures, and those raptures badly expressed. I find 

 my collections are increasing wonderfully, and from Rio I 

 think I shall be obliged to send a cargo home. 



