Aug.] CROSSING THE EQUATOR. 31 



of his trust. Our latitude this day at noon was 35° 55' N., long. 63° 

 45' W. — weather pleasant. 



July 22d. — Although we left New-York with a fair wind and pleasant 

 weather, experience had taught us not to expect a long continuance of 

 such favourable circumstances. We were not disappointed, therefore, 

 in meeting a due share of baffling winds and occasional foul weather. 

 Such, in fact, was the case with us until Monday, July 22d, when we 

 took the N.E. trade-winds, in latitude 28° N., long. 40° 30' W. On 

 the following day the sun entered the sign of Leo. 



July 23d. — We crossed the tropic of Cancer on Tuesday, the 23d, 

 at five o'clock, P. M., in long. 40° 11' W. — wind from E.N.E., and fair 

 weather. 



July 30th. — For about a week we were favoured with the N.E. trade- 

 wind, and were within two hundred leagues of the equator, when it 

 forsook us, on Tuesday, the 30th, in lat. 10° 10' N., long. 36° 15' W. 

 From this time, for twelve days, we had light variable winds from 

 S.S.W. to S.S.E. attended with heavy rains. 



August 1st. — Thursday, the first day of August, completed just 320 

 vears since Columbus first discovered the continent of South America, on 

 which he landed sixteen days afterward. This fact occurred to my 

 mind in association with an important item in my instructions — namely, 

 to make a critical survey of the South American coast, from Cape Cor- 

 rientes to Cape Horn ; and as far north on the Pacific side as circum- 

 stances would permit. It is a remarkable fact, that, after landing on 

 this vast continent, and surveying much of its coast, Columbus lived and 

 died under the impression that it was an island, and that all his new 

 discoveries were on the eastern coast of Asia ! Our latitude this day 

 at noon was 8° 27' N. 



August \2th. — On Monday, the 12th, we crossed the equator, in long. 

 26° 42' W. Agreeably to ancient usage on such occasions, we were 

 honoured by a visit from Father Neptune, who courteously bid us wel- 

 come into the southern hemisphere; in return for which civility, his health 

 was drunk, if not in ambrosial nectar, at least in beverage which sailors 

 are quite as fond of. The usual ceremony of shaving and ducking the 

 novitiates was then performed with the customary solemnities, conse- 

 crated by copious libations. Having by these indispensable rites pro- 

 pitiated the favour of our tutelar deity, he most graciously took his 

 leave, wishing us a prosperous voyage. We therefore advanced with 

 confidence into the southern section of his extensive domains. 



For nearly a fortnight previous to this date, we had light variable 

 winds from quarters not very favourable to our wishes ; from S.S.W. 

 to S.S.E. : but we now took the south-east trade-wind, in lat. 1° 

 IT S., long. 26° 42' W. This wind blew from S.S.E. to E.S.E., 

 and enabled us to lay our course S.W. for the islands of St. Ann's, 

 which lie off the coast of Brazil, near the mouth of the river Macae. 



We continued this S.W. course for about twenty days, wafted 

 gently along by the light trade-wind, attended with pleasant weather. 

 In this passage we frequently amused ourselves with catching dolphins, 

 porpoises, benotas, skipjacks, <fcc, besides some sharks, and pilot- 

 fish, Independent of the sport attending the capture of these inhab- 



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