SOUTH AMERICA. 



Ill 



phere, are thought by some to be more brilliant than 

 those of the northern; the sight of so many new stars 

 which I had never expected to behold, and the disap- 

 pearance of the greater part of those I had gazed on 

 from infancy, naturally inspired a variety of strange 

 sensations. The brilliant phosphoric light which 

 marked at night the track of the ship, resembling that 

 of the comet, very frequently amused us, and caused 

 our wonder when we reflected that it was produced by 

 myriads of small insects possessing the properties of 

 the glow worm, or fire fly. ^he flying fish was occa- 

 sionally seen darting through the air for a few hun- 

 dred yards, and then plunging again into a more con- 

 genial element. They often fall on board merchant 

 vessels, but the height of the frigate above the water, 

 prevented them from passing over us. In latitude nine 

 degrees south, we ran over a turtle of prodigious size, 

 which appeared to have been lying asleep on the 

 surface of the water; the nearest land was the island 

 of Fernando de Noronha, distant at least four hun- 

 dred miles. 



As we drew up with the coast of Brazil, the lead 

 was kept continually going. On the S6th, we passed 

 over a bed of coral rock, much farther out than is laid 

 down by any chart, and kept soundings in thirty-five 

 fathoms for five or six leagues, steering south-west, 

 and suddenly fell off into very deep water. This spot 

 was determined to be in south latitude twenty de- 

 grees thirty minutes, and in longitude thirty-seven 

 degrees thirty minutes, by a very good chronome- 

 ter. 



The hope of soon approaching land awakened a 

 new interest in our breasts. Even the hardy sons of 



