10 



NEPTUNE'S VISIT. 



nondescript amphibious animals; the usual cere- 

 mony of shaving was performed with all due 

 solemnity on those who had not before been in a 

 southern latitude ; and it may be singular to re- 

 cord^ that so great and interesting a traveller^ as 

 my friend. Captain Lyon, had never before 

 crossed the equator; he, therefore, came in for 

 his share of the delightful ablutions that were 

 most liberally bestowed on the occasion by the 

 grisly deity and his willing attendants. 



On the 26tky passed several large flocks of 

 birds, and numbers of the Portuguese Men- 

 of-war before mentioned. In the evening we 

 were nearly run on board by the George the 

 Fourth from Bahia, bound to Trieste ; so blind 

 was her look-out, that had we not luffed close up 

 in the wind, and hailed her to bear away, she 

 must have run us down. 



About the latitude 36^ S. experienced heavy 

 squalls of wind and rain. On the 6th of June saw 

 Cape Frio bearing W. by N. i N. forty miles: 

 ran all night with a fine NNE. breeze, and at 



