SOUTH AMERICA. 



105 



stance of sufficient importance to produce any altera- 

 tion in their feelings. 



The wind continued baffling, with occasional squalls 

 and a great deal of rain; and as it continued to hang 

 to the east and north-east, we were delayed in getting 

 our easting until about the 37th. In the latitude of 

 twenty-four degrees north, and longitude thirty-three 

 degrees thirty minutes west, we took a fresh trade 

 from the east. We now fell into the track of vessels 

 bound from Europe to the West Indies. Several of 

 these vessels were spoken by us; one of them had been 

 sixty-three days from Bremen and was bound to Ha- 

 vanna. The extraordinary length of this passage, is 

 to be attributed to the excessive caution of Dutch na- 

 vigators, who lay to on the slightest occasion, and 

 always carry but little sail. The Americans are pro- 

 bably the boldest navigators in the world, and yet are 

 universally admitted to be the most fortunate. A timid 

 precaution in avoiding every visible danger, very 

 often exposes us to still greajter dangers which we do 

 not foresee. 



On the 2d of January, we found ourselves by the 

 chronometer within sixty miles of the island of Brava, 

 one of the Cape de Verds. An indication still more 

 certain, was the great number of birds flying about us, 

 principally the species called the man of war bird, 

 which is rarely seen at a greater distance than a de- 

 gree from land. For an account of these islands I 

 must refer the reader to Macartney's embassy to 

 China. To many persons it is not known why ves- 

 sels bound to parts of South America beyond the 

 equator, should thus be compelled to stretch over tp 

 the coast of Africa, although the subject is very fa- 

 VOL. I. 14< 



