1 . with a letter, previous to our anchoring, they thought proper to fire at her from the shore, and obliged the officer to put back to the ship. After coming to an anchor and saluting the fort, which was returned, the British Consul came on board, in whose barge we went on shore, and proceeded to the Governor's residence to pay our respects to that gentleman. Here we waited nearly a quarter of an hour in the audience chamber, when at length the doors flew open, and there entered, with a profusion of bows, a splendidly dressed gentleman, to whom we made our obeisance, as well as a company of tars could be expected to do: but what was our surprise, after expending all our government bows, when the gentleman informed us, that the Governor would wait on us immediately! We stared at each other in silent confusion, in the midst of which the Governor actually entered, when a most ludicrous interview took place. Our captain could only speak English; the Governor only Portuguese! of course they stood making the most whimsical gesticulations at each other, until the English Consul (who, I believe, kept aloof to enjoy the joke) at length interfered, and enabled them to communicate their ideas to each other, while the aid-de-camp and we kept up the conversation as well as we could in French. FUNCHAL TOWN. We now separated in order to ramble through the town, which I could soon perceive to be like most other Portuguese cities, handsome enough outside, but disgusting within! The streets were narrow and dirty; the houses high and inconvenient; with the inhabitants corresponding, ragged though taudry, and dirty though proud. Englishmen in general, when they get into a Catholic country, immediately visit the convents, monasteries, and churches, not I believe through any particular veneration for religion, but sometimes to satisfy an idle curiosity, or perhaps (which is worse) to have a sneer at their superstition. However that may be, we left very few places of the above description unexplored. They are extremely glad at the convents, to see an Englishman, and immediately exhibit their artificial flowers, and other curiosities, which he buys at an exorbitant price: for, however the English may be excelled in gallantry by their more polite neighbours, yet, when pecuniary affairs are on the carpet, I'll answer for it they will have the preference even among the fair sex. 1803. June. DESCRIPTIVE SKETCHES 1803. June. 11. 13. EXCURSION TO THE MOUNTAIN. After seeing all we could in the town, a party of us set out on an excursion to the Mountain Church; but not having the precaution to take a guide with us, we followed a wrong route, and having to cross two deep ravines, it was with the utmost difficulty and danger that we got to the top of the mountain. The view from hence is extensive and picturesque; the town, the roads, Porto-Santo, and Desertas appearing all in distant prospect. We were allowed to go through the church, which, like other Catholic places of worship, is covered with paintings representing passages in scripture. Having got some calabashes of wine, we took leave of this beautiful situation, and the padres that occupy it, returning to town by the proper beaten track, which, however, is a very steep descent. On our arrival in town, we were invited to dine with the consul, where we met several of the principal merchants, who seemed to relish very much the society of British tars; so much so indeed, that in the evening, when a little elated with the juice of the grape, several of them jumped into the boats and came on board with us, where they sat sacrificing at the shrine of Bacchus, till the ship was some miles at sea. They gave us three cheers, when departing in their boats, which we returned from the quarter deck. The appearance of Funchal Bay is very singular by night, as well as beautiful by day: the lights rising one over another, up to the Mountain chapel, have a very pleasing effect. CLIMATE OF MADEIRA. The air of this island is so clear and salubrious, that there are always a great number of invalids from the northern parts of Europe residing here, especially those who have pulmonic complaints. It is not, however, exempted from fevers and other continental diseases: for I was told by an English physician, a resident on the island, that during the months of September and October, 1802, it had been visited by the same epidemic catarrhal fever which made such ravages in the months of December, January, and February following, in England and on the continent. We took leave of this beautiful island about eleven o'clock at night, and the next day found ourselves in the north-east trades. We this day discovered Palma, one of the Canary islands, which is so high, that it may be seen nearly 30 leagues off, and in the afternoon we passed close to its western side, with a fine 8-knot breeze. 1803. RUN DOWN THE N. E. TRADES. Nothing can be more pleasant, than running down the north- June. east trades, between Madeira and the Canaries, especially at this season, when the skies are so serene and clear, and the tempe-. rature of the air so moderate and healthy, that the sick and convalescents are sure to experience a renovation of health on this part of the passage.. SEE THE PEAK OF TENERIEF. We this day had a sight of the famous Peak of Tenerief, whose lofty summit soars far above the clouds." Crossed the tropic of Cancer, and about 1 P. M. the sound of some of Triton's shells, announced the approach of Neptune, who seldom fails to board such ships as cross this frontier line of his central dominions. At 2 P. M. he hailed us, and immediately came on board, attended by Amphitrite and a train of marine deities. SHAVING ON THE LINE. On this occasion, upwards of two-thirds of the officers and,, ship's company were introduced to his highness, when those who had not had the honour of seeing him before, most merrily drank his health in a bumper of his native element, going through the remainder of the ceremonies, such as ablution, shaving, &c. &c. with the greatest good humour, to the infinite satisfaction and amusement of the spectators, concluding the day with the utmost hilarity, from the contributions of the officers, novices, &c. As crossing the line" is a ceremony not very well known, I shall here give a sketch of that humorous process. 66 A particular and careful list of all those who cannot give a satisfactory account of their having crossed the line, is made out; they are then confined in the 'tween decks, and brought up one by one into the waist, where the apparatus and performers are ready to receive them. The dresses of Neptune and his suite,,, on this occasion, are truly grotesque; long half wet swabs bespattered with flour, compose their flowing locks, while their faces are daubed with red ochre, and other colours, that make them appear like deities of a still lower region than the sea. A large tub of salt water is now placed under one of the gangways, with a stick crossing it, which may easily be made to slip into the water on this the man to be shaved, is placed; and the, barber, who has previously mixed up a pot full of tar, soot, blacking, dirty grease from the galley, and some other ingredients that shall be nameless; begins to ask him some question or other which he no sooner opens his mouth to answer, than he has the VOYAGE TO INDIA, &c.] 13. 14. 1803. brush thrust in, and in fact finds himself instantly lathered from ear to ear with this odious composition! A piece of iron hoop, June. notched with a file, and as rough as a saw, now serves the place of a razor; with which being shaved, or rather scraped, the signal is given, the seat gives way, and down he tumbles into the tub of water! when perhaps 30 or 40 buckets are kept baling on him from the booms, boats, gang-ways, &c. &c; this struggle continuing sometimes five or six minutes, before he gets clear from the watery ordeal! 16. 20. 23. As the sun was now near the tropic of Cancer, he was of course almost vertical at noon; and though to us it appeared tolerably warm, yet it was not near so hot as we afterwards felt it, when at a great distance from the meridian sun. MAKE THE CAPE DE VERD ISLANDS. We this morning saw the land, which proved to be the islan of St. Nicholas, one of the Cape Verds: we were of course considerably out in our reckoning; and as the winds then were, we thought it best to push through a narrow passage between St. Nicholas and St. Lucia, which we effected by 4 P. M. The weather here, as is generally the case in the vicinity of islands within the tropics, was very hazy, with drizzling rain, and sometimes heavy showers. At midnight passed the island of Brava, which we could scarcely discern, owing to the darkness of the night. In proportion as we receded from the sun, the weather appeared to get hotter, the thermometor generally ranging from 76 to 83 in the shade, which we considered as a very great degree of heat (having passed a very severe winter in England;) it was, however, trifling to what we were destined to feel afterwards. At 4 A. M. this morning, (it being a perfect calm,) it began to lighten, with loud peals of thunder; after which, the rain fell in such torrents, that in an instant almost every part of the ship was completely drenched. By spreading awnings, we turned this to very good advantage, the sailors by those means obtaining plenty of fresh water to wash their clothes: which, by the bye, was no unwelcome present from the clouds at that time, both to the officers and men; for the suddenness of our departure from Európe, prevented us having any thing like a sufficient stock for an East India voyage. Here we lost the north-east trade, though in 8° 30' north latitude, we could only account for this failure by the sun being so far north." COUPS DE SOLEIL, &C.. Between the 23d and 30th of June, we had nothing but calms, light airs, and hot sultry weather, during which time several of the people got sick, with bilious complaints, and what 1803. are called "Coups de Soleil," or strokes of the sun, from being June. exposed to the rays of that luminary, especially when asleep; one of the top men, therefore, who fell asleep in the middle of the day, when aloft, was taken extremely ill with this affection of the brain, which rendered him for a short time delirious, but by bleeding, and other evacuations, he recovered, as did all the others. It would, however, be advisable, I think, for people removing from a cold to a hot climate, to take certain opening medicines, which might be a great means of preventing many of those little illnesses that occur so frequently on this occasion. We now began to get the tail of the S. E. trades, though 5 or 6 degrees to the northward of the line: this, however, is not uncommon at this season of the year, when the sun is on the tropic of Cancer. CROSS THE EQUATOR, 30. Crossed the equator, with due respects to Neptune, who now July 6. took his final leave of us, the equinoctial franking all other lines on the globe. Between the parallels of 100 N. and 50 S. the evenings and mornings at this period were singularly beautiful in the afternoons, particularly as the sun approached the western horizon; the assemblage of fantastic clouds, tinged by the setting rays, that hovered round him as he dipt his orb in the ocean, brought to mind some of those beautiful descriptions of Thomson, in which he has painted the setting sun so inimitably. "His downward orb, "Shoots nothing now, but animating warmth, "And vital lustre, that with various ray, 66 Lights up the clouds, those beauteous robes of heaven, "Incessant roll'd into romantic shapes, "The dream of waking fancy!" "The shifting clouds, "Assembl'd gay, a richly gorgeous train, "In all their pomp attend his setting throne!" In running down the S. E. trades, the climate was so tempe rate, and the air so salubrious, that we had scarcely a sick man in the ship. |