1847 FIRST WORK IN THE 'RATTLESNAKE' 47 



shall become soup if I do not go on deck. Temp, at noon 

 86 in shade, 139 in sun. N.B. It has been up to 89 

 in shade, 139 in sun since this. 



March 28. I see I concluded with a statement of 

 temp. Since then it has been considerably better 140 

 in sun ; however, in the shade it rarely rises above 86 or 

 so, and when the sea or land breezes are blowing this is 

 rather pleasant than otherwise. 



I have been ashore two or three times. The town is 

 like most Portuguese towns, hot and stinking, the odours 

 here being improved by a strong flavour of nigger from 

 the slaves, of whom there is an immense number. They 

 seem to do all the work, and their black skins shine in 

 the sun as though they had been touched up with Warren, 

 30 Strand. They are mostly in capital condition, and 

 on the whole look happier than the corresponding class 

 in England, the manufacturing and agricultural poor, I 

 mean. I have a much greater respect for them than for 

 their beastly Portuguese masters, than whom there is 

 not a more vile, ignorant, and besotted nation under the 

 sun. I only regret that such a glorious country as this 

 should be in such hands. Had Brazil been colonised by 

 Englishmen, it would by this time have rivalled our 

 Indian Empire. 



The naturalist Macgillivray and I have had several 

 excursions under pretence of catching butterflies, etc. On 

 the whole, however, I think we have been most successful 

 in imbibing sherry cobbler, which you get here in great 

 perfection. By the way, tell Cooke, 1 with my kindest 



regards, that is a lying old thief, many of the 



things he told me about Macgillivray, e.g., being an 

 ignoramus in natural history, etc. etc., having proved to 

 be lies. He is at any rate a very good ornithologist, and, 

 I can testify, is exceedingly zealous in his vocation as a 

 collector. As in these (points) Mr. 's statements 



1 His brother-in-law. 



