CHAPTERV。
FromtheArrivaloftheFleetatRiodeJaneiro,tillitsDeparturefortheCapeofGoodHope;withsomeRemarksontheBrazils。
BrazilisacountryveryimperfectlyknowninEurope。ThePortugueze,frompoliticalmotives,havebeensparingintheiraccountsofit。
Whenceourdescriptionsofit,inthegeographicalpublicationsinEngland,aredrawn,Iknownot:thattheyaremiserablyerroneousanddefective,iscertain。
ThecityofSt。Sebastianstandsonthewestsideoftheharbour,inalowunhealthysituation,surroundedonallsidesbyhills,whichstopthefreecirculationofair,andsubjectitsinhabitantstointermittentsandputriddiseases。Itisofconsiderableextent:Mr。CookmakesitaslargeasLiverpool;butLiverpool,in1767,whenMr。Cookwrote,wasnottwo—thirdsofitspresentsize。PerhapsitequalsChester,orExeter,intheshareofgrounditoccupies,andisinfinitelymorepopulousthaneitherofthem。
Thestreetsintersecteachotheratrightangles,aretolerablywellbuilt,andexcellentlypaved,aboundingwithshopsofeverykind,inwhichthewantsofastranger,ifmoneyisnotoneofthem,canhardlyremainunsatisfied。
Aboutthecentreofthecity,andatalittledistancefromthebeach,thePalaceoftheViceroystands,along,lowbuilding,nowiseremarkableinitsexteriorappearance;thoughwithinaresomespaciousandhandsomeapartments。Thechurchesandconventsarenumerous,andrichlydecorated;
hardlyanightpasseswithoutsomeofthelatterbeingilluminatedinhonouroftheirpatronsaints,whichhasaverybrillianteffectwhenviewedfromthewater,andwasatfirstmistakenbyusforpublicrejoicings。
AtthecornerofalmosteverystreetstandsalittleimageoftheVirgin,stuckroundwithlightsinanevening,beforewhichpassengersfrequentlystoptoprayandsingveryloudly。Indeed,theheighttowhichreligiouszealiscarriedinthisplace,cannotfailofcreatingastonishmentinastranger。
Thegreatestpartoftheinhabitantsseemtohavenootheroccupation,thanthatofpayingvisitsandgoingtochurch,atwhichtimesyouseethemsallyforthrichlydressed,enchapeaubras,withtheappendagesofabagforthehair,andasmallsword:evenboysofsixyearsoldareseenparadingabout,furnishedwiththeseindispensablerequisites。Exceptwhenattheirdevotions,itisnoteasytogetasightofthewomen,andwhenobtained,thecomparisonsdrawnbyatraveller,latelyarrivedfromEngland,arelittleflatteringtoPortuguezebeauty。Injustice,however,totheladiesofSt。Sebastian,Imustobserve,thatthecustomofthrowingnosegaysatstrangers,forthepurposeofbringingonanassignation,whichDoctorSolander,andanothergentlemanofMr。Cook’sship,metwithwhenhere,wasneverseenbyanyofusinasingleinstance。Weweresodeplorablyunfortunateastowalkeveryeveningbeforetheirwindowsandbalconies,withoutbeinghonouredwithasinglebouquet,thoughnymphsandflowerswereinequalandgreatabundance。
Amongotherpublicbuildings,Ihadalmostforgottomentionanobservatory,whichstandsnearthemiddleofthetown,andistolerablywellfurnishedwithastronomicalinstruments。Duringourstayhere,someSpanishandPortuguesemathematicianswereendeavouringtodeterminetheboundariesoftheterritoriesbelongingtotheirrespectivecrowns。Unhappily,however,forthecauseofscience,thesegentlemanhavenothithertobeenabletocoincideintheiraccounts,sothatverylittleinformationonthishead,tobedependedupon,couldbegained。Howfarpoliticalmotivesmayhavecausedthisdisagreement,Idonotpresumetodecide;thoughitdeservesnotice,thatthePortugueseaccusetheAbbeedelaCaille,whoobservedherebyorderoftheKingofFrance,ofhavinglaiddownthelongitudeofthisplaceforty—fivemilestoomuchtotheeastward。
Untiltheyear1770,alltheflourinthesettlementwasbroughtfromEurope;
butsincethattimetheinhabitantshavemadesorapidaprogressinraisinggrain,astobeabletosupplythemselveswithitabundantly。
TheprincipalcorncountryliesaroundRioGrande,inthelatitudeof32degsouth,wherewheatflourishessoluxuriantly,astoyieldfromseventytoeightybushelsforone。Coffeealso,whichtheyformerlyreceivedfromPortugal,nowgrowsinsuchplentyastoenablethemtoexportconsiderablequantitiesofit。Butthestaplecommodityofthecountryissugar。Thattheyhavenot,however,learnttheartofmakingpalatablerum,theEnglishtroopsinNewSouthWalescanbeartestimony;alargequantity,veryillflavoured,havingbeenboughtandshippedherefortheuseofthegarrisonofPortJackson。
Itwasin1771thatSt。Salvador,whichhadformorethanacenturybeenthecapitalofBrazil,ceasedtobeso;andthattheseatofGovernmentwasremovedtoSt。Sebastian。Thechangetookplaceonaccountofthecolonialwar,atthattimecarriedonbytheCourtsofLisbonandMadrid。
And,indeed,weretheobjectofsecurityalonetodeterminetheseatofGovernment,IknowbutfewplacesbettersituatedinthatrespectthantheoneIamdescribing;thenaturalstrengthofthecountry,joinedtothedifficultieswhichwouldattendanattackonthefortifications,beingsuchastorenderitveryformidable。
ItmaybepresumedthatthePortugueseGovernmentiswellapprizedofthiscircumstanceandofthelittlerisquetheyruninbeingdeprivedofsoimportantapossession,elseitwillnotbeeasytopenetratethereasonswhichinducethemtotreatthetroopswhocomposethegarrisonwithsuchcruelnegligence。Theirregimentswereorderedoutwithapromiseofbeingrelieved,andsentbacktoEuropeattheendofthreeyears,inconformitytowhichtheysettledalltheirdomesticarrangements。
ButthefaithofGovernmenthasbeenbroken,andattheexpirationoftwentyyears,allthatislefttotheremnantoftheseunfortunatemen,istosufferinsubmissivesilence。IwasoneeveningwalkingwithaPortugueseofficer,whenthissubjectwasstarted,andonmytellinghim,thatsuchabreachofpublichonourtoEnglishtroopswouldbecomeasubjectofparliamentaryenquiry,heseizedmyhandwithgreateagerness,"Ah,Sir!"
exclaimedhe,"yoursisafreecountry——we"!————Hisemotionsspokewhathistonguerefused。
AsIammentioningthearmy,Icannothelpobserving,thatIsawnothingheretoconfirmtheremarkofMr。Cook,thattheinhabitantsoftheplace,whenevertheymeetanofficerofthegarrison,bowtohimwiththegreatestobsequiousness;andbyomittingsuchaceremony,wouldsubjectthemselvestobeknockeddown,thoughtheotherseldomdeignstoreturnthecompliment。
Theinterchangeofcivilitiesisgeneralbetweenthem,andseemsbynomeansextorted。Thepeoplewhocouldsubmittosuchinsolentsuperiority,would,indeed,deservetobetreatedasslaves。
Thepoliceofthecityisverygood。Soldierspatrolethestreetsfrequently,andriotsareseldomheardof。Thedreadfulcustomofstabbing,frommotivesofprivateresentment,isnearlyatanend,sincethechurchhasceasedtoaffordanasylumtomurderers。Inotherrespects,theprogressofimprovementappearsslow,andfetteredbyobstaclesalmostinsurmountable,whosebanefulinfluencewillcontinue,untilamoreenlightenedsystemofpolicyshallbeadopted。Frommorningtonighttheearsofastrangeraregreetedbythetinklingoftheconventbells,andhiseyessalutedbyprocessionsofdevotees,whoseadorationandlevityseemtokeepequalpace,andsucceedeachotherinturns。"Doyouwanttomakeyoursonsickofsoldiering?ShewhimtheTrainbandsofLondononafield—day。"
LethimwhowouldwishtogivehissonadistastetoPopery,pointouttohimthesloth,theignorance,andthebigotryofthisplace。
Beingnearlyreadytodepartbythe1stofSeptember,asmanyofficersaspossiblewentonthatdaytothepalacetotakeleaveofhisExcellency,theViceroyoftheBrazils,towhomwehadbeenpreviouslyintroduced;
whoonthis,andeveryotheroccasion,waspleasedtohonouruswiththemostdistinguishedmarksofregardandattention。Somepart,indeed,ofthenumerousindulgenciesweexperiencedduringourstayhere,mustdoubtlessbeattributedtothehighrespectinwhichthePortugueseheldGovernorPhillip,whowasformanyyearsacaptainintheirnavy,andcommandedashipofwaronthisstation:inconsequenceofwhich,manyprivilegeswereextendedtous,veryunusualtobegrantedtostrangers。
Wewereallowedthelibertyofmakingshortexcursionsintothecountry,andontheseoccasions,aswellaswhenwalkinginthecity,themortifyingcustomofhavinganofficerofthegarrisonattendinguswasdispensedwithonourleavingournamesandranks,atthetimeoflanding,withtheadjutantofordersatthepalace。Ithappened,however,sometimes,thatthepresenceofamilitarymanwasnecessarytopreventimpositionintheshopkeepers,whofrequentlymadeapracticeofaskingmorefortheirgoodsthantheworthofthem。Inwhichcaseanofficer,whenappliedto,alwaystoldustheusualpriceofthecommoditywiththegreatestreadiness,andadjustedthetermsofthepurchase。
OnthemorningofthefourthofSeptemberweleftRiodeJaneiro,amplyfurnishedwiththegoodthingswhichitshappysoilandclimesoabundantlyproduce。Thefuturevoyagermaywithsecuritydependonthisplaceforlayinginmanypartsofhisstock。Amongthesemaybeenumeratedsugar,coffee,rum,portwine,rice,tapioca,andtobacco,besidesverybeautifulwoodforthepurposesofhouseholdfurniture。
Poultryisnotremarkablycheap,butmaybeprocuredinanyquantity;
asmayhopsatalowrate。Themarketsarewellsuppliedwithbutcher’smeat,andvegetablesofeverysortaretobeprocuredatapricenexttonothing;
theyamsareparticularlyexcellent。Orangesaboundsomuch,astobesoldforsixpenceahundred;andlimesaretobehadontermsequallymoderate。
Bananas,cocoanuts,andguavas,arecommon;butthefewpineapplesbroughttomarketarenotremarkableeitherforflavour,orcheapness。
Besidestheinducementstolayoutmoneyalreadymentioned,thenaturalistmayaddtohiscollectionbyanalmostendlessvarietyofbeautifulbirdsandcuriousinsects,whicharetobeboughtatareasonableprice,wellpreserved,andneatlyassorted。
Ishallclosemyaccountofthisplacebyinformingstrangers,whomaycomehere,thatthePortuguesereckontheirmoneyinrees,animaginarycoin,twentyofwhichmakeasmallcopperpiececalleda’vintin’,andsixteenoftheselasta’petack’。Everypieceismarkedwiththenumberofreesitisworth,sothatamistakecanhardlyhappen。Englishsilvercoinhaslostitsreputationhere,anddollarswillbefoundpreferabletoanyothermoney。
CHAPTERVI。
ThePassagefromtheBrazilstotheCapeofGoodHope;
withanAccountoftheTransactionsoftheFleetthere。
OurpassagefromRiodeJaneirototheCapeofGoodHopewasequallyprosperouswiththatwhichhadprecededit。Westeeredawaytothesouth—east,andlostsightoftheAmericancoastthedayafterourdeparture。
Fromthistimeuntilthe13thofOctober,whenwemadetheCape,nothingremarkableoccurred,exceptthelossofaconvictintheshipIwasonboard,whounfortunatelyfellintothesea,andperishedinspiteofoureffortstosavehim,bycuttingadriftalifebuoyandhoistingoutaboat。
Duringthepassage,aslightdysenteryprevailedinsomeoftheships,butwasinnoinstancemortal。WewereatfirstinclinedtoimputeittothewaterwetookonboardattheBrazils,butastheeffectwasverypartial,someothercausewasmoreprobablytheoccasionofit。
Atseveno’clockintheeveningofthe13thofOctober,wecastanchorinTableBay,andfoundmanyshipsofdifferentnationsintheharbour。
LittlecanbeaddedtothemanyaccountsalreadypublishedoftheCapeofGoodHope,though,ifanopiniononthesubjectmightberisqued,thedescriptionstheycontainaretooflattering。WhencontrastedwithRiodeJaneiro,itcertainlysuffersinthecomparison。Indeedwearrivedatatimeequallyunfavourableforjudgingoftheproduceofthesoilandthetemperofitscultivators,whohadsufferedconsiderablyfromadearththathadhappenedtheprecedingseason,andcreatedageneralscarcity。
Norwasthechagrinofthesedeprivationslessenedbythenewsdailyarrivingoftheconvulsionsthatshooktherepublic,whichcouldnotfailtomakeanimpressionevenonBatavianphlegm。
Asaconsiderablequantityofflour,andtheprincipalpartofthelivestock,whichwastostoreourintendedsettlement,weremeanttobeprocuredhere,GovernorPhilliplostnotimeinwaitingonMynheerVanGraaffe,theDutchGovernor,torequestpermission(accordingtothecustomoftheplace)topurchaseallthatwestoodinneedof。Howfarthedemandextended,Iknownot,norMynheerVanGraaffe’sreasonsforcomplyingwithitinpartonly。Tothisgentleman’spoliticalsentimentsIconfessmyselfastranger;thoughIshoulddohispolitenessandliberalityathisowntableaninjustice,wereInottotakethispublicopportunityofacknowledgingthem;
norcanIresisttheopportunitywhichpresentsitself,toinformmyreaders,inhonorofM。VanGraaffe’shumanity,thathehasmaderepeatedeffortstorecovertheunfortunateremainsofthecrewoftheGrosvenorIndiaman,whichwaswreckedaboutfiveyearsagoonthecoastofCaffraria。
ThisinformationwasgivenmebyColonelGordon,commandantoftheDutchtroopsattheCape,whoseknowledgeoftheinteriorpartsofthiscountrysurpassesthatofanyotherman。AndIamsorrytosaythattheColoneladded,theseunhappypeoplewereirrecoverablylosttotheworldandtheirfriends,bybeingdetainedamongtheCaffres,themostsavagesetofbrutesonearth。
HisExcellencyresidesattheGovernmenthouse,intheEastIndiaCompany’sgarden。Thislastisofconsiderableextent,andisplantedchieflywithvegetablesfortheDutchIndiamenwhichmayhappentotouchattheport。
Someofthewalksareextremelypleasantfromtheshadetheyafford,andthewholegardenisveryneatlykept。Theregularlinesintersectingeachotheratrightangles,inwhichitislaidout,will,nevertheless,affordbutlittlegratificationtoanEnglishman,whohasbeenusedtocontemplatethenaturalstylewhichdistinguishesthepleasuregroundsofhisowncountry。Attheheadofthecentrewalksstandsamenagerie,onwhich,aswellasthegarden,manypompouseulogiumshavebeenpassed,thoughinmyownjudgment,consideringthelocaladvantagespossessedbytheCompany,itispoorlyfurnishedbothwithanimalsandbirds;atyger,azebra,somefineostriches,acassowary,andthelovelycrown—fowl,areamongthemostremarkable。
Thetableland,whichstandsatthebackofthetown,isablackdrearylookingmountain,apparentlyflatattop,andofmorethanelevenhundredyardsinheight。Thegustsofwindwhichblowfromitareviolenttoanexcess,andhaveaveryunpleasanteffect,byraisingthedustinsuchclouds,astorenderstirringoutofdoorsnexttoimpossible。Norcananyprecautionpreventtheinhabitantsfrombeingannoyedbyit,asmuchwithindoorsaswithout。
Atlengththewished—forday,onwhichthenexteffortforreachingtheplaceofourdestinationwastobemade,appeared。Themorningwascalm,butthelandwindgettingupaboutnoon,onthe12thofNovemberweweighedanchor,andsoonleftfarbehindeverysceneofcivilizationandhumanizedmanners,toexplorearemoteandbarbarousland;andplantinitthosehappyarts,whichaloneconstitutethepre—eminenceanddignityofothercountries。
TheliveanimalswetookonboardonthepublicaccountfromtheCape,forstockingourprojectedcolony,were,twobulls,threecows,threehorses,forty—foursheep,andthirty—twohogs,besidesgoats,andaverylargequantityofpoultryofeverykind。Aconsiderableadditiontothiswasmadebytheprivatestocksoftheofficers,whowere,however,underanecessityofcircumscribingtheiroriginalintentionsonthisheadverymuch,fromtheexcessivedearnessofmanyofthearticles。Itwillreadilybebelieved,thatfewofthemilitaryfounditconvenienttopurchasesheep,whenhaytofeedthemcostssixteenshillingsahundredweight。
Theboarding—housesonshore,towhichstrangershaverecourse,aremorereasonablethanmightbeexpected。Foradollarandahalfperdaywewerewelllodged,andpartookofatabletolerablysuppliedintheFrenchstyle。Shouldatraveller’sstockoftearunshort,itisathousandchancestoonethathewillbeabletoreplenishithereatacheaperratethaninEngland。Hemayprocureplentyofarrackandwhitewine;alsoraisins,anddriedfruitsofothersorts。Ifhedislikestoliveataboarding—house,hewillfindthemarketswellstored,andthepriceofbutcher’smeatandvegetablesfarfromexcessive。
Justbeforethesignalforweighingwasmade,aship,underAmericancolours,enteredtheroad,boundfromBoston,fromwhenceshehadsailedonehundredandfortydays,onatradingvoyagetotheEastIndies。
Inherroute,shehadbeenluckyenoughtopickupseveraloftheinferiorofficersandcrewoftheHarcourtEast—Indiaman,whichshiphadbeenwreckedononeoftheCapedeVerdIslands。Themaster,whoappearedtobeamanofsomeinformation,onbeingtoldthedestinationofourfleet,gaveitashisopinion,thatifareceptioncouldbesecured,emigrationswouldtakeplacetoNewSouthWales,notonlyfromtheoldcontinent,butthenewone,wherethespiritofadventureandthirstfornoveltywereexcessive。
CHAPTERVII。
ThePassagefromtheCapeofGoodHopetoBotanyBay。
Wehadhardlyclearedthelandwhenasouth—eastwindsetin,and,exceptatshortintervals,continuedtoblowuntilthe19thofthemonth;
whenwewereinthelatitudeof37deg40minsouth,andbythetime—keeper,inlongitude11deg30mineast,sothatourdistancefromBotanyBayhadincreasednearlyanhundredleaguessinceleavingtheCape。
Asnoappearanceofachangeinourfavourseemedlikelytotakeplace,GovernorPhillipatthistimesignifiedhisintentionofshiftinghispennantfromtheSiriustothe’Supply’,andproceedingonhisvoyagewithoutwaitingfortherestofthefleet,whichwasformedintwodivisions。Thefirstconsistingofthreetransports,knowntobethebestsailors,wasputunderthecommandofaLieutenantofthenavy;andtheremainingthree,withthevictuallers,leftinchargeofCaptainHunter,ofhisMajesty’sshipSirius。Inthelastdivisionwasthevessel,inwhichtheauthorofthisnarrativeserved。Variouscausespreventedtheseparationfromtakingplaceuntilthe25th,whenseveralsawyers,carpenters,blacksmiths,andothermechanics,wereshiftedfromdifferentshipsintothe’Supply’,inordertofacilitatehisExcellency’sintentionofforwardingthenecessarybuildingstobeerectedatBotanyBay,bythetimetherestofthefleetmightbeexpectedtoarrive。LieutenantGovernorRoss,andtheStaffofthemarinebattalion,alsoremovedfromtheSiriusintotheScarboroughtransport,oneoftheshipsofthefirstdivision,inordertoaffordeveryassistancewhichthepublicservicemightreceive,bytheirbeingearlyonthespotonwhichourfutureoperationsweretobeconducted。
Fromthistimeasuccessionoffairwindsandpleasantweathercorrespondedtooureagerdesires,andonthe7thofJanuary,1788,thelongwishedforshoreofVanDiemengratifiedoursight。Wemadethelandattwoo’clockintheafternoon,theveryhourweexpectedtoseeitfromthelunarobservationsofCaptainHunter,whoseaccuracy,asanastronomer,andconductasanofficer,hadinspireduswithequalgratitudeandadmiration。
Aftersolongaconfinement,onaservicesopeculiarlydisgustingandtroublesome,itcannotbematterofsurprisethatwewereoverjoyedatthenearprospectofachangeofscene。Bysunsetwehadpassedbetweentherocks,whichCaptainFurneauxnamedtheMewstoneandSwilly。
TheformerbearsaverycloseresemblancetothelittleislandnearPlymouth,whenceittookitsname:itslatitudeis43deg48minsouth,longitude146deg25mineastofGreenwich。
Inrunningalongshore,wecastmanyananxiouseyetowardstheland,onwhichsomuchofourfuturedestinydepended。Ourdistance,joinedtothehazinessoftheatmosphere,preventedus,however,frombeingabletodiscovermuch。Withourbestglasseswecouldseenothingbuthillsofamoderateheight,cloathedwithtrees,towhichsomelittlepatchesofwhitesandstonegavetheappearanceofbeingcoveredwithsnow。
Manyfireswereobservedonthehillsintheevening。
AsnopersonintheshipIwasonboardhadbeenonthiscoastbefore,weconsultedalittlechart,publishedbySteele,oftheMinories,London,andfoundit,ingeneral,verycorrect;itwouldbemoreso,werenottheMewstonelaiddownattoogreatadistancefromtheland,andoneobjectmadeoftheEddystoneandSwilly,when,infact,theyaredistinct。