VOYAGE TO NEW SOUTH WALES. 
the Portugueze are a jealous people ; a difpofition I never 
could perceive among any of thofe w^ith whom I had the 
pleafure of forming an acquaintance ; on the contrary, they 
feemed fenfible of, and pleafed with, every kind of attention 
paid to their wives or daughters. 
The current coin here is the fame as that in Portugal, but 
filver as well as gold is coined at this place, where they have 
an eftabliilied mint. The pieces of gold are of various fizes, 
and have marked on them the number of thoufand rees they 
are worth. The mofl: common coin is a 4000 ree piece, 
which paffes for i. 2. 6, though not fo heavy as an 
Englifh guinea. The filver pieces, called petacks, value two 
{hillings, are alfo marked with the number of rees they are 
worth. You get ten of thefe in exchange for a guinea ; 
and for a Spanifh dollar two petacks, five vintins and a half, 
which is about four fhillings and eight-pence. Here, as in 
Portugal, they have five, ten, and twenty thoufand ree 
pieces. A ree is a nominal coin ; twenty make a vintin, 
value about three half-pence ; eight vintins make one (hil- 
ling ; a petack is worth two (hillings, and of thefe there are 
fome double pieces, value four (hillings fterling. 
One morning, as I attended Mr. II de Fonfo, furgeon ge- 
I neral 
