32 
VOYAGE OF THE POTOMAC. 
[October, 
There were lying in the harbour at this time, his Britannic 
majesty's ship Dublin, a razee of fifty guns, thirty-two-pounders, 
Lord James Townsend in command ; the Druid frigate. Captain 
Hamilton, and two sloops of war ; a small Swedish frigate, and 
the French commodore, in a double banked frigate. Also, the 
Brazilian frigate Constitution, the only one in commission, bear- 
ing the broad pennant of Commodore Jewett. 
From each of these vessels, officers were sent to the Potomac, 
offering to Commodore Downes, in the name of their command- 
ers, such assistance as he might stand in need of. The Brazilian 
government, through an officer despatched to the proper authori- 
ties, immediately on the Potomac coming to anchor, congratulated 
the commodore on his safe arrival, and expressed their willingness 
to return the salute customary to be interchanged between 
nations at peace with each other. For the seventeen guns of the 
Potomac, nineteen were retm-ned from the Brazilian fort. This 
was probably an error ; if not, it was highly complimentary to 
our flag. Be this as it may, instances are not wanting, where the 
friendly feeling of these people has been made manifest towards 
the star-spangled banner of the United States. So far as our 
country had been represented at Rio by the lamented Tudor, the 
Brazilians could not be at a loss for a motive to pay the highest 
respect to our national flag. In the successor to this worthy 
man, we have been fortunate in having secured the services of 
the Honourable E. A. Brown, a ripe scholar, possessing every 
requisite qualification for usefulness in such a station. 
Mr. Brown visited the Potomac during her stay at Rio, and 
was received with the salute usually given to the foreign repre- 
sentatives of our country. The hospitality of our consul, Mr. 
Wright, and of other American citizens resident in Rio, is grate- 
fully recollected'by the officers of the Potomac ; and Mr. Brown, 
our charge d'affaires, seems to have made many friends by his 
urbanity and gentlemanly deportment. With these, the house of 
the Messrs. Burkitts was often visited with pleasure, and added not 
a little to the enjoyment of our ofiicers during their stay at 
Rio. 
The United States ship Lexington, Master-commandant Dun- 
can, had arrived at Rio some time before the Potomac, in sixty- 
two days from Norfolk. Like the frigate, she had been disap- 
