18 



VOYAGE FROM ENGLAND 



perspiration. The nights, on the other hand, were of an agreeable 

 temperature ; the moon shone bright, and the stars ghstened with pe- 

 cuhar splendour. The signs of the neighbourhood of land were now 

 more numerous ; sea-weed, plants, wood, and other indications, were 

 seen in abundance, till on the afternoon of the 14th we again descried 

 the coast, and plainly recognised before us the promontory of Cabo 

 Frio, with a small rocky island lying in front of it. The general joy 

 was lively and loud ; for we had been seventy days at sea, since we 

 embarked at Gravesend, and had now but a short voyage to make, 

 to reach Rio de Janeiro. Towards morning the Janus doubled Cabo 

 Frio with a favourable fresh breeze ; and on the 15th of July we had 

 a near view of the South coast of Brazil, as this promontory divides 

 the East from the South coast. 



The brisk wind produced a considerable agitation in the sea, which 

 had here the same light green colour as on the coasts of Europe. 

 The mountains of Brazil, of the finest and most varied forms, all 

 covered with beautiful verdant woods, illumined by the most diver- 

 sified play of light, and stretching in an unbroken chain along the 

 coast, made us all feel uncommonly cheerful ; we painted in our 

 minds those new and unexplored scenes, and impatiently longed for 

 the moment of our arrival. The primaeval mountains, past which we 

 sailed, are of the greatest variety of shapes ; many are conical or 

 pyramidal ; clouds rested upon them, and a light mist or vapour 

 gave them a soft and agreeable hue. At noon we had, with a very 

 faint wind, a temperature of 19° of Reaumur (74| of Fahrenheit) in 

 the shade Soon after it fell a dead calm, which continued till the 

 evening, when the thermometer at 9 o'clock was at 17"; during the 

 night the wind freshened, the ship made good way, and the next 

 morning we found ourselves before the entrance of the great bay of 

 Rio de Janeiro. 



As it again fell calm, we lay for some time in one and the same 



