30 RIO DE JANEIRO CHAP, II 
The banks of the sea, and more remarkably all the edges 
of small brooks, were covered with innumerable quantities of 
small crabs (Cancer vocans, Linn.), one hand of which is very 
large. Among these were many whose two hands were 
remarkably small and of equal size; these my black servant 
told me were the females of the other, and indeed all I 
examined, which were many, proved to be females, but 
whether they were really of the same species as C. vocans, 
I cannot determine on so short an acquaintance. 
I saw but little cultivation, and small pains seemed to 
be taken with that. Most of it was grass land, on which 
were many lean cattle; and lean they might well be, for 
almost all the species of grass which I observed here were 
creepers, and consequently so close to the ground that 
though there might be upon them a sufficient bite for 
horses or sheep, yet how horned cattle could live at all 
appeared extraordinary to me. 
I also saw their gardens, or small patches in which they 
cultivate many sorts of European garden stuffs, such as 
cabbages, peas, beans, kidney beans, turnips, white radishes, 
pumpkins, ete., but all much inferior to ours, except perhaps 
the last. They also grow water-melons and pine-apples, 
the only fruits which I have seen them cultivate; the first 
are very good, but the pines were much inferior to those I 
have tasted in Europe; I have hardly had one which could 
be reckoned of average quality, many were worse than some 
I have seen sent away from table in England, where nobody 
would eat them. Though in general very sweet, they have 
not the least flavour. In these gardens grow also yams, 
and mandihoca or cassada, which supplies the place of bread, 
for as our European bread corn will not grow here, all the 
flour they have is brought from Portugal at great expense, 
too great even for the middle-class people to purchase, much 
less the poorer. 
27th. On the boats returning from watering, we were 
told that men had been sent out yesterday in search of some 
of our people who were ashore without leave; we concluded 
that this referred either to Dr. Solander or myself, which 
