NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



145 



Our detention at Buenos Ayres gave me an opportunity of witness- 

 ing the commencement of one of those grand political events, which 

 occur only once in several ages, to change the structure of society, and 

 improve the destiny of man. The first shots which ushered in the South 

 American revolution were fired during this interval, and the yoke of 

 Spain, which had so long and so severely galled the necks of the native 

 inhabitants, was shattered by the stroke ; — so shattered as never to be 

 repaired, unless the land should become a desert, and man crawl on it 

 like a reptile. 



From the same untoward cause, I became better acquainted, than I 

 otherwise should have been, with the capricious and wonderful river in 

 which we were detained. The observations made during this season 

 enable me to record, with greater advantage, a few singular circum- 

 stances, which occurred in subsequent voyages up and down the river. 



In one trip we were obliged to pass Cape St. Mary five times, before 

 we could make good our passage upward. Wanting confidence in the 

 only seaman oh board, who was qualified to direct, we timidly came to 

 anchor every night, and by day were continually baffled by calms and 

 currents, until a Pampero placed us in the utmost danger on a lee-shore ; 

 which we cleared only b)^ carrying every stitch of canvas on the vessel 

 which she could bear. The presages of the blast, which came on from 

 the South-West, about five in the evening, and by ten blew a perfect 

 hurricane, veering to the Soutli-East, were very observable, but we did 

 not imderstand them. A small black cloud appeared, about four 

 o'clock, in the South- West, fifty degrees above the horizon, which looked 

 like a patch of ink ; the atmosphere was hazy, but not remarkably 

 obscure ; the air intolerably oppressive, and in me produced a violent 

 head-ache, which went off" as the wind increased. Had we tacked ship, 

 when the wind first became scanty we should have escaped some loss, as 

 well as great danger and anxiety. 



At another time we were caught off" the isle of Lobos, but, taught 



by experience, we laid the vessel to with her head to the South South- 



East, and suffered her to drift outward. In this state we continued 



t 



