90 



WANDERINGS IN 



Second tliG vcssel, and tlie ti'opic bird comes near enough to let 



Journey. 



you have a fair view of the long feathers in his tail. On 



the line, when it is calm, sharks of a tremendous size 

 make their appearance. They are descried from the ship 

 by means of the dorsal fin, which is above the water. 



Frigate Pe- On entering the bay of Pernambuco, the Frigate Peli- 



lican. 



can is seen watchmg the shoals of fish from a prodigious 

 height. It seldom descends without a successful attack 

 on its numerous prey below. 



Scenery, As you approach the shore the view is charming. The 

 hills are clothed with wood, gradually rising towards the 

 interior, none of them of any considerable height. A 

 singular reef of rocks runs parallel to the coast, and 

 forms the harbour of Pernambuco. The vessels are 

 moored betwixt it and the town, safe from every storm. 

 You enter the harbour through a very narrow passage, 

 close by a fort built on the reef. The hill of Olinda, 

 studded with houses and convents, is on your right hand^ 

 and an island thickly planted with cocoa-nut trees, adds 

 considerably to the scene on your left. There are two 

 strong forts on the isthmus, betwixt Olinda and Pernam- 

 buco, and a pillar midway to aid the pilot. 



Pernam- Pernambuco probably contains upwards of fifty thou- 

 sand souls. It stands on a flat, and is divided into three 

 parts ; a peninsula, an island, and the continent. Though 

 within a few degrees of the line, its climate is remarkably 

 salubrious, and rendered almost temperate by the refresh- 

 ing sea breeze. H^id art and judgment contributed their 



