80 FUEGIANS CLIMATE LIGHTNING. Ju\y 



ready to leave, finally, in July, little Fuegia was staying on 

 shore, at the house of an Englishwoman, near Botafogo bay ; 

 and it is worth noticing, that while there, she was supposed by 

 strangers to be one of the aboriginal natives of Brazil : and 

 that I went with York and Jemmy to see a person (who 

 had been many years resident in the interior of Brazil) who 

 remarked, directly he saw them, " they are extremely like the 

 Brazilian aborigines V 



At this time of year (July) the climate of Rio is compara- 

 tively cool and pleasant. Cloudy skies, southerly winds, and 

 rain, are frequent ; but there is less thunder and lightning than 

 in summer, when not only thunder-storms occur often, but 

 every night there is a continual flashing or reflection of light- 

 ning over the distant Organ mountains. 



Many ships and buildings have been struck, during late 

 years, still there are but a very few protected by lightning 

 conductors. I was a lieutenant on board the Thetis, when her 

 foremast was shattered by lightning, in Rio Harbour, and 

 shall not easily forget the sensation. Some of the ofiicers were 

 sitting in the gun-room, one very dark evening, while the hea- 

 vens were absolutely black, and the air hot and close, to an 

 oppressive degree, but not a drop of rain falling, when a 

 rattling crash shook the ship. Some thought several guns had 

 been fired together — others, that an explosion of powder had 

 taken place ; but one said — " The ship is struck by lightning l" 

 and that was the case. The top-gallant masts were not aloft ; 

 but the fore-topmast was shivered into a mere collection of 

 splinters ; the hoops on the foremast were burst, and the inte- 

 rior, as well as outside of the mast, irreparably injured. From 

 the foremast the electric fluid seemed to have escaped by some 

 conductor, without doing further damage ; yet it filled the 

 fore part of the ship with a sulphureous smell, and the men 

 who were there thought something full of gunpowder was 

 blown up. 



No person received injury : the foremast was taken out 

 afterwards, and replaced by another, purchased from the Brazi- 

 lian government at a great expense, and made by the carpen- 



