116 



A VOYAGE TO 



ting a few queries to the commodore, such as the name 

 of the ship^ the length of her voyage, her destination, 

 and her o'jject in touching at this port. Suitable an- 

 swers having been given to these he took his depar- 

 ture, expressing great admiration of what he had seen. 

 - We learned from him that the Ontario, captain Bid- 

 die, had sailed from this place about a month before 

 our arrival. A few days afterwards I saw this impor- 

 tant personage sitting very soberly in a room in front 

 of the palace, where he is employed I understand, as a 

 kind of messenger, or in some office to which we have 

 nothing analogous in our country. According to pre- 

 vious arrangement salutes were fired, first twenty-one 

 guns for the king, which were returned by one of the 

 forts, and afterwards fifteen guns for the admiral, 

 which he returned from his ship, a seventy-four, lying 

 between us and the shore, at the distance of a quarter 

 of a mile. The Portuguese appear to be extremely 

 fond of expending their powder; hardly an hour of 

 the day passed without the sound of cannon in some 

 direction or other. 



We were soon after waited on by the commander 

 and several officers from an Austrian frigate, which 

 had brought out the princess Leopoldina to espouse 

 the heir of the Brazilian throne. These officers spoke 

 French, and appeared to be extremely desirous of ex- 

 amining our vessel. The admiration with whidi they 

 saw every things could not but be highly gratifying to 

 our pri^e of country. The Congress is perhaps one 

 of the finest vessels in the world; she was at this time 

 in excellent order, her crew in fine health, and dress 

 ed in clean white shirts and trowsersj so that she ap 



