186 | BRAZILIANS. Aug.—Sept. 1828. 
Cape Virgins was passed soon after sunset, and we proceeded 
on our course with rapidity. 
The timely supply of guanaco meat had certainly checked the 
scurvy, for we had no new cases added to the number of the 
sick, now amounting to twenty. The Beagle was not so sickly’; 
but, during the last cruise, upwards of forty cases, principally 
pulmonic, had occurred, and several were not yet recovered. On 
the passage, a man fell overboard from the Beagle, at night, 
and was drowned. 
In latitude 45° S. we were delayed three days, by northerly 
winds and damp foggy weather, after which a fresh 8.W. gale 
carried us into the River Plata. Having obtained good chro- 
nometer sights in the afternoon, we steered on through the 
night, intending to pass to the westward of the Archimedes 
Shoal; which would have been rather a rash step, had we not 
been well assured of the correctness of our chronometrical 
reckoning. At this time Brazil and Buenos Ayres were at war, 
and some of the blockading squadron of the former were 
generally to be met with in the mouth of ‘the river; but we 
saw none, until half-past two in the morning, when several 
vessels were observed at anchor to leeward, and we were soon 
close to a squadron of brigs and schooners, whose number was 
evident by a confusion of lights, rockets, and musketry, on 
board every vessel. I bore down to pass within hail of the 
nearest, which proved to be the Commodore’s, the Maranao of 
eighteen guns; and on approaching, explained who and what 
we were; but they were so confused, I could not even make 
myself understood. The breeze, at the time, had fallen so light, 
that, fearing to get foul of the brig, the ship was hove up in 
the wind, and the anchor ordered to be let go. Unluckily a 
stopper was foul, and before another bower could drop, the 
Brazilians had fired several muskets into us, happily without 
doing any mischief; and threatened us, if we did not imme- 
diately anchor, with a broadside, which, in their utter con- 
fusion, I am astonished they did not fire. Having anchored, and 
lowered the topsails, I sent a boat to inform the Brazilian who 
we were, and to request, that in consequence of the number of 
