spite of all the efforts of the crew, the boats soon drifted out of sight. The yawl came back at two in the morning with the news that the other two boats were lost. We were, however, glad to find the men safe, for they had been in considerable danger.
20th. The yawl was sent ashore to seek assistance in recovering our long-boat: it returned with our pinnace and its crew, and a boat of the Viceroy, which had orders to assist us in searching for our boats.
The crew of the pinnace declared that they had been confined in a loathsome dungeon, where their company was chiefly blacks who were chained. The coxswain purchased a better apartment for seven petacks (about as many English shillings). At dark the pinnace returned with both the boats and all their contents.
21st. Letters arrived from the Viceroy; in mine he told me very politely that it was not in his power to permit me to go ashore. In the captain's he raises some doubts about our ship being a King's ship.[1]
23rd. An answer to the captain's last memorial accuses him of smuggling.
24th. Dr. Solander went into the town as surgeon of the ship to visit a friar who had desired that the surgeon might be sent to him: he received civilities from the people.
26th. I myself went ashore this morning before daybreak, and stayed until dark night. While I was ashore I met several of the inhabitants, who were very civil to me, taking me to their houses, where I bought of them stock for the ship tolerably cheap: a middlingly fat porker for eleven shillings, a Muscovy duck for something under two shillings, etc.
The country, where I saw it, abounded with vast variety of plants and animals, mostly such as had not been described by our naturalists, as so few have had an opportunity of coming here; indeed, no one even tolerably curious that I
