t day-break the next morning an officer was dispatched from the _Sirius_
to inform the viceroy of the arrival of the fleet; and he most readily
and politely promised us every assistance in his power. A ship bound to
Lisbon passing us about noon, that opportunity was taken of sending an
account to England of the fortunate progress which we had so far made in
the long voyage before us; soon after which the port-officer, or
harbour-master, came on board, and, the seabreeze beginning to blow, the
fleet got under sail. About five in the afternoon we crossed the bar, and
soon after passing the fort of Santa Cruz, saluted it with thirteen guns,
which were returned by an equal number of guns from the fort. While
saluting, it fell calm; but by the assistance of a light breeze which
afterwards sprung up, and the tide of flood, the _Sirius_ was enabled to
reach far enough in by seven o'clock to come to an anchor in the harbour
of Rio de Janeiro; the convoy also anchored as they came up, at the
distance of about a mile and a half from the landing-place, which was
found very commodious.

Our passage from Teneriffe, although rather a long one, had fortunately
been unattended with any disease, and the surgeon reported that we had
brought in only ninety-five persons sick, comprehending every description
of people in the fleet. Many, however, of this number were bending only
under the pressure of age and its attendant infirmities, having no other
complaints among them.

On the morning after our arrival the intendant of the port, with the
usual officers, repaired on board the _Sirius_, requiring the customary
certificates to be given, as to what nation she belonged to, whither
bound, the name of her commander, and his reason for coming into that
port; to all which satisfactory answers were given; and at eleven o'clock
the day following Captain Phillip, accompanied by the officers of the
settlement, civil and military, waited upon Don Louis Vasconcellos, the
viceroy of the Brazils, at his excellency's palace, who received them
with much politeness, readily assenting to a tent being pitched on shore
for the purpose of an observatory; as well as to the drawing of the Seine
in different parts of the bay for fish; only pointing out the
restrictions that would be necessary to prevent the sailors from
straggling into the country. On their taking leave, it was most politely
intimated, that no restraint would be imposed upon the officers, wheneve