ong for quotation in this place.--E.]

On Wednesday the 2d of November, about noon, being in the latitude of
10 deg. 38' S. and longitude 32 deg. 18' 43" W. we passed the Line, in which the
needle at this time would have pointed due north and south, without any
variation: For in the morning, having decreased gradually in its
deviation for some days, it was no more than 18' W. and in the afternoon
it was 34' east.

On the 6th, being in latitude 19 deg. 8' south, longitude 35 deg. 50' west, the
colour of the water was observed to change, upon which we sounded, and
found ground at the depth of thirty-two fathoms; the lead was cast three
times within about four hours, without a foot difference in the depth or
quality of the bottom, which was coral rock, fine sand, and shells; we
therefore supposed that we had passed over the tail of the great shoal
which is laid down in all our charts by the name of Abrothos, on which
Lord Anson struck soundings in his passage outwards: At four the next
morning we had no ground with 100 fathom.

As several articles of our stock and provisions now began to fall short,
I determined to put into Rio de Janeiro, rather than at any port in
Brazil or Falkland's Islands, knowing that it could better supply as
with what we wanted, and making no doubt but that we should be well
received.

On the 8th, at day-break, we saw the coast of Brazil, and about ten
o'clock we brought-to, and spoke with a fishing-boat; the people on
board told us that the land which we saw, lay to the southward of Santo
Espirito, but belonged to the captainship of that place.

Mr Banks and Dr Solander went on board this vessel; in which they found
eleven men, nine of whom were blacks; they all fished with lines, and
their fresh cargo, the chief part of which Mr Banks bought, consisted of
dolphins, large pelagic scombers of two kinds, sea-bream, and some of
the fish which in the West Indies are called Welshmen. Mr Banks had
taken Spanish silver with him, which he imagined to be the currency of
the continent, but to his great surprise the people asked him for
English shillings; he gave them two, which he happened to have about
him, and it was not without some dispute that they took the rest of the
money in pistereens. Their business seemed to be to catch large fish at
a good distance from the shore, which they salted in bulk, in a place
made for that purpose; in the middle of their boat: Of this merchandise
they had about tw