Most are negroes here. The governor is a negro. The free negroes all bear the title of captain: Capt. Jack, Capt. Jim, &c. Waited on the governor according to custom. He treated us with watermelon and spirits. This is a poor place. Plenty of hogs, goats and pumpkins and watermelons. We got no other fruit or vegetables Goats were one to two dollars each. Fowls (not plenty) at five for a dollar. We bought two bullocks at twelve dollars each, which we took on board alive. We took on board eight and one-half moy of salt, each moy sixty bushels, at five dollars, which is about eighteen cents per bushel. We pay a duty of half a dollar per moy and twelve dollars anchorage. The salt ponds are about two miles from the landing, and the salt brought down on jackasses. A ship from Nantucket arrived, Captain Fordish, bound around Cape Horn on a whaling voyage, had as well as ourselves very rough weather off the coast, came in to refit, having stove his try works and one boat. Capt. French also came down from Bonavista. We lay here four days only. When we started to go on board, Turner, our boatswain, was missing. We went in different directions to find him. Soon found him coming down, half shaved at least, no jacket, a pig in one hand, a bottle of rum and a handkerchief of eggs in the other, which was all he got for his pea jacket, which was worth twelve dollars at home, and three times as much to him. We could not stop to go back to get it. When we got down to the boat in which were two of our men, about fifteen feet below the rock from which we got down by a rope, he first lost the pig which he did not kill; he then lost his eggs, telling the hands in the boat to hitch; he then motioned with the rum, but it was his darling and he thought better of it. The proceeds of his jacket did not last long. The eggs and rum his shipmates helped him to finish as soon as he got on board. The pig lasted longer. A thoughtless fellow, going into cold weather without a loose

coat.

January 5th. In the evening got under way in company. with Capt. French. He gave us an invitation to sup with him. Wind very light. Capt. Fordish accompanied us for about a

dozen miles, to return in his whaleboat, which he thought nothing of. Good music on board. Drum, fife, a very fine barrel-organ. We had a very jovial dance. Drank plenty of excellent port wine; so much that the captain, whom we thought on the whole at the close a very scurvy fellow, was very glad to get rid of us. The wind springing up we thought prudent to return on board. The "Neptune's" boat came for us. Going along side we had a very near upset by getting under the ship's bows, Capt. Greene, Doctor Forbes and myself. We stood along under easy sail through the night, and in the morning we were off St. Jago. Ships standing off and on. Capt. French having a letter for the governor, as we wanted some few refreshments we concluded to so manage it as not to be subject to the port charges, although they were trifling. We went on shore with Capt. French, one passing for boat steerer, another for doctor, &c. We loaded one boat with poultry, eggs, limes, oranges, bananas. Oranges very plenty and half a dollar per hundred, very sweet. All cheaper than at the Isle of May. We saw no whites but the Governor's family and a few officers who were stationed here by the Portuguese government. The capital was about three miles from the harbor where we landed. It is said to be very pleasant in the country, but here there were but a few thatched huts. At four P. M. went on board and bore away with a good fresh trade. French, in the division of our poultry, cheated us of a couple of turkeys in a very little manner, and promising to keep company with us, varied his course in the night, and although in sight of us for four or five days, did not speak us. We would say good bye to the Friends, as that was the name of the ship. On recurring to my journal, I find she was in sight for ten days.

Sunday, January 15th. Caught two sharks and killed a hog, all eaten, nothing lost. Being near the equator, winds very light. We caught many sharks and dolphins. The latter are very good. Sharks, unless they are small, are not good. Some days we caught plenty of bonitas, which are better than either of the others. They are rather larger than a mackerel, meat black but tolerably sweet. We crossed the equator on the 18th

of January, when we killed a bullock. Our longitude on crossing was 24° 30' W. of Greenwich. Doctor Forbes was rather unwell; every one else in good spirits. A sow which we got at St. Jago's brought us a litter of six pigs. They are growing for a pot-pie, finely. Immediately on crossing the line we observed to the southward two and finally three bright spots in the sky, what the sailors call "Magellan clouds," which we raised as we made to the southward; they bore from us a little to the westward of south. We found the weather very comfortable, crossing the line; the thermometer from 79° to 82° and about the same from the Cape de Verds to where we are, say 24° south; one or two days only at 84°. Our blacksmith has got his forge up and at work; the carpenter stocking anchors for our shallop, which we have in frame. Our ship at this time appears very finely. Yesterday morning we found it a short time squally with rain, caused by our passing near the island of Trinidad, in latitude 20° 30′ south. Last night a noddy flew on board, which is about the size of a crow, black with a white crown, web-footed, a long bill, not eatable, and we let it go again. Whaleman on board says we are now on good whaling ground, he judges, from seeing for about ten leagues a line on the water of fine stuff like ground cayenne pepper, which appeared also oily, which he says is produced by the whale feeding on squids. It had a singular appearance, ranging to windward like gulf-weed. This is feed for the spermaceti whale.

LITTLE WEST POINT HARBOR, FALKLAND ISLANDS, March 1st, 1797. Lat. 51° 30' S.; long. 61° 35′ W.

My last left us about on the coast of Brazil on the first of February last. We had very pleasant weather in crossing the South-East Trades. We did not make the land, but colored our water off the River La Plata. On the 8th, at 6 P. M. we spoke the ship "Harlequin," of Nantucket, Capt. Clark, with eleven hundred barrels of oil. Left the Brazil Bank twelve days before; was bound home with a leaky ship. His crew

consisted of fifteen men. Had lost his boy overboard. She was quite a small whaleman. He had been out fourteen months. All hearty, had no appearance of scurvy; said if he should find an appearance of it he had a remedy in taking the grass from his ship's bottom, soak it in fresh water, after which put it in vinegar and give it to the invalid. He spent about two hours on board of us. The wind was very light. He asked for nothing but pump-tacks, which he was extremely in want of and short of many other things. We gave him some spirits, wood, potatoes, onions and pump-tacks. By this vessel I wrote father and mother as well as yourself. Capt. Clark informed us that he was in company with Capt. Cash, of Nantucket, a few days before, when in striking a whale she brought her tail over, which struck Capt. Cash in the head and killed him instantly, and what was very extraordinary it neither injured the boat or another man in it. On the 10th we had an addition of six more pigs. Doctor Forbes having been much sea-sick and other ways not well and withal rather hippish, Capt. Greene bled him about a fortnight ago. The blood settled under the skin and looking very dark alarmed us. The doctor has calculated to lose his arm but he is now in better spirits and all is doing well. Says he has a letter already written to his mother telling her he should not live to see her, which he now thinks best to tear up. He says he thinks his starboard yard arm will last him the voyage. In lat. 41° S. we had a very hard squall of thunder and lightning, the wind from the N.W., thermometer at 62°. Next day we had hard gales from the N.W. which brought us to our close reefs. Accidentally broke my thermometer which I regret very much.

On the 22d February we got round, being 85 days from New York. A good passage. At 6 A. M. made the land, bearing east eight leagues distant, being the Grand and Steeple Jason Islands. Got out our boats and all but nine of the crew went on shore and returned in the afternoon in high spirits. Mr. Griswold, our first officer, said the seal appeared very plenty and no crew there. We almost felt sure of our voyage. They soon packed up and went again on shore and we bore away

with the ship for this harbor and anchored at dark at the mouth of it. A brig in sight in another harbor about four miles from us. This we did not like. Next morning we warped into this harbor. The captain of the brig came on board. Proved to be an English brig, Capt. Morse, after a cargo of hair seal and oil from the sea elephant. As he did not interfere with our voyage we were glad to see him. Got our shallop's frame landed and we have her now building. The captain of the brig proves to be a very drunken fellow. A few mornings since he came on board of us at daylight; said his crew had mutinied. It appeared they were dissatisfied that he would give them no salt provisions, but made them hunt their provisions. They therefore hove their powder overboard. This was punishing themselves. They would have made the same noise if he had obliged them to live on salt provisions. Capt. Greene went down with a boat's crew and brought the brig up and anchored her near us. The geese are now plenty and fine. The weather is getting cold, frequented with squalls of hail. On the 3d instant Mr. Griswold came in from the Jason Islands with a boat's crew, and much to our disappointment says there are very few seals. We drove on with our shallop as fast as possible as she was much wanted to search the islands. Unfortunately the doctor, who is also a good carpenter, has not been well enough to help us, but is just beginning to work with us. Capt. Greene set off with Mr. Griswold in the whale boat for the Jasons. When within a mile of it a squall struck them and they were obliged to put before the wind and with much danger were drove back again.

It is a very dangerous country for boating on account of squalls and strong tide rips. I have commenced my attack on the seals. It is uncommon to see them in this harbor, but a hair seal swimming near where we were at work on the shallop, and as we had frequent opportunities to kill wild hogs, kept a musket loaded, I took it up and put the ball just through the back part of the head of the seal. He was so badly wounded that he could not well get under water, but flounced about at a great rate. I jumped into the yawl and attacked him with my