In the interim, in a sudden gust of wind, the long-boat, with four pipes of rum (by the rope breaking that was thrown her from the ship) went a-drift windward of her, with a small skift of Mr. Banks’s that was fastened to her. The misfortune was still greater as the pinnace was on shore. The yawl was manned immediately, but did not return till next morning, when she brought all the people on board. From them Captain Cook learnt, that the long-boat having filled with water, they had brought her to a grappling, and quitted her, and falling in with a reef of rocks on their return, they were compelled to cut a-drift the little boat belonging to Mr. Banks. In this situation the Captain dispatched another letter to the Viceroy, acquainting him with the accident, at the same time desiring he would assist them with a boat to recover their own: this was accompanied with a fresh demand of the pinnace and her crew. His Excellency at length complied with both the request and demand; and the same day they fortunately recovered the long-boat and skift. In the Viceroy’s answer to the Captain’s remonstrance, he expressed some doubts of the Endeavour being a King’s ship, and accused the crew of smuggling. Mr. Banks’s servants had, its true, by stratagem, got on shore (the 22d) early in the morning, and remained till night, but brought on board only plants and insects. In Mr. Cook’s reply, he said he was willing to shew his Excellency his commission again, the Viceroy having already seen it; and that if any attempt to carry on a contraband trade should be repeated, desired his Excellency would take the offender into custody. Thus terminated the dispute.
Mr. Banks (on the 26th in the morning) artfully eluded the vigilance of the guard, and went on shore: he avoided the town, and passed the day in the fields, where the chief objects of his curiosity lay. The people behaved with civility, invited him to their habitations, and he purchased a young pig for eleven shillings, and some other things. But the next day it was reported, that search was making for him and Dr. Solander, which induced them to lay aside all thoughts of going again on shore.
Being prepared for sea, with water and provisions, they took on board a pilot the 1st of December, but the wind being contrary, they were prevented getting out. The next day a Spanish packet arrived from Buenos Ayres, for Spain, when the Captain politely offered to take Mr. Cook’s dispatches to Europe; and he accordingly sent, by that conveyance, all the papers that had passed between him and the Viceroy, leaving duplicates with his Excellency for his court.
The Endeavour did not get under sail till the 7th, when having passed the Fort the pilot was discharged, and the guard-boat quitted them at the same time. During the last three or four days of their remaining at Rio de Janeiro, the air was covered with butterflies, chiefly of one kind.
From the observations of the writer of the first account of this voyage, we have the following description of the town and country. Rio de Janeiro, is supposed to have been thus named on account of its being discovered on the festival of saint Januarius. The town, which is the capital of the dominions of the Portuguese, in America, borrows its name from the river Januarius.
It is situated on the west side of the river, from which it extends itself about three quarters of a mile. The ground on which it stands is a level plain; it is defended on the north side by a hill that extends from the river, leaving a small plain, which contains the suburbs and the King’s dock. On the south side is another hill, running towards the mountains which are behind the town. Some of its streets run parallel from north to south, and are intersected by others at right angles. The principal street is near an hundred feet in width, and extends from St. Benedict to the foot of Castle-hill; the other streets are commonly twenty or thirty feet wide. The houses adjoining to the principal street have three stories, but in other places they are very irregular, though built after the same manner as in Lisbon. In the town are four convents; the first is that of the Benedictines, situated near its northern extremity; this structure affords an agreeable prospect, and contains an elegant chapel, which is ornamented with several valuable paintings. The second is that of the Carmelites, which forms the centre angle of the royal square, and fronts the harbour; its church had fallen some time before, but it is again rebuilding in a very elegant manner, with fine free-stone brought thither from Lisbon. The third is that of St. Anthony, situated on the point of a hill on the south side of the town; before this convent stands a large bason of brown granite, in the form of a parallelogram, which is employed in washing. The fourth is situated at the eastern extremity of the town, and was formerly the Jesuits convent, but is now converted into a military hospital.
The Viceroy’s palace forms the right angle of the royal square: the palace, mint, stables, goal, &c. compose but one large building, which has two stories, and is ninety feet from the water. In passing through the palace, the first entrance is to a large hall or guard-room, to which there is an ascent of three or four steps. In the guard-room are stationed the body guards who attend the Viceroy, and are relieved every morning between eight and nine. Adjoining to the hall are the stables, the prison being in the back part of the building. Within the guard-room is a flight of stairs for ascending to the upper story; this divides at a landing-place about half way, and forms two branches, one leading to the right, and the other to the left. The former enters a saloon, where there are two officers in constant attendance; the Viceroy’s aid-du-camp at the same time waiting in an anti-chamber to receive messages and deliver orders.
The left wing of the royal square is an irregular building, which consists chiefly of shops occupied by trading people. In the center of the square is a fountain supplied with water from a spring at the distance of three miles, from which it is brought by an aqueduct. From this fountain both the shipping and inhabitants are supplied with water, the place being continually crowded with negroes of both sexes waiting to fill their jars. At every corner of the streets is an altar. The market-place extends from the north-east end of the square along the shore; and this situation is very convenient for the fishing-boats, and those who bring vegetables from the other side of the river to market. Negroes are almost the only people employed in selling the different commodities exposed in the market, and they employ their leisure time in spinning of cotton.
Without the Jesuits college on the shore is a village called Neustra Seignora del Gloria, which is joined to the town by a very few intervening houses. Three or four hundred yards within the Jesuits convent stands a very high castle, but it is falling to decay. The bishop’s palace is about three hundred yards behind the Benedictine convent, and contiguous to it is a magazine of arms, surrounded by a rampart.
The gentry here keep their chaises, which are drawn by mules; the ladies however use a sedan chair, boarded before and behind, with curtains on each side, which is carried by two negroes, depending from a pole connected to the top of the chair by two iron rods coming from under its bottom, one on each side, and resting at the top. The inhabitants likewise use hammocks or rajas, supported in the same manner, and surrounded with curtains.
In this town the apothecaries shops commonly serve the purposes of a coffee-house, people meeting in them to drink capillaire, and play at back-gammon. The gentry when seen abroad are well dressed, though at home they are but loosely covered: the shopkeepers have commonly short hair, and wear linen jackets with sleeves. Beggars, who infest the streets of most European cities, are not to be found in this.
With regard to the women, it is on all hands agreed, that the females of the Portuguese and Spanish settlements in South America, are less averse to granting amorous favours, than those of any other civilized part of the globe. According to Dr. Solander’s account, as soon as the evening began, females appeared on all sides in every window, and particularized those of the male sex they liked by giving them nosegays; the Doctor and two other gentlemen received so many of these bouquets, that they threw handfuls away.
The climate of Rio de Janeiro is both agreeable and healthy, being free from many inconveniencies that are incident to other tropical countries. The air is but seldom immoderately hot, as the sea breeze constantly begins to blow about ten o’clock in the morning, and continues until night, when it is generally succeeded by a land wind, though this does not always happen. The seasons are divided into rainy and dry; though their stationary periods have lately become very irregular and uncertain: indeed the rainy seasons had almost entirely failed the four years preceding their arrival, at which time the rains had just begun, and they fell in large quantities during their stay: formerly the streets have been overflowed by the rain, and rendered impassable except with canoes.