humiliating picture
of the inconsistency of human nature.--E.]

We stood off and on along the shore till the 12th, and successively saw
a remarkable hill near Santo Espirito, then Cape St Thomas, and then an
island just without Cape Frio, which in some maps is called the island
of Frio, and which being high, with a hollow in the middle, has the
appearance of two islands when seen at a distance. On this day we stood
along the shore for Rio de Janeiro, and at nine the next morning made
sail for the harbour. I then sent Mr Hicks, my first lieutenant, before
us in the pinnace, up to the city, to acquaint the governor, that we put
in there to procure water and refreshments; and to desire the
assistance of a pilot to bring us into proper anchoring-ground. I
continued to stand up the river, trusting to Mr Bellisle's draught,
published in the _Petit Atlas Maritime_, vol. ii. N0. 54, which we found
very good, till five o'clock in the evening, expecting the return of my
lieutenant; and just as I was about to anchor, above the island of
Cobras, which lies before the city, the pinnace came back without him,
having on board a Portuguese officer, but no pilot. The people in the
boat told me, that my lieutenant was detained by the viceroy till I
should go on shore.[72] We came immediately to an anchor; and, almost at
the same time, a ten-oared boat, full of soldiers, came up, and kept
rowing round the ship, without exchanging a word: In less than a quarter
of an hour, another boat came on board with several of the viceroy's
officers, who asked, whence we came; what was our cargo; the number of
men and guns on board; the object of our voyage, and several other
questions, which we directly and truly answered: They then told me, as a
kind of apology for detaining my lieutenant, and putting an officer on
board my pinnace, that it was the invariable custom of the place, to
detain the first officer who came on shore from any ship on her arrival,
till a boat from the viceroy had visited her, and to suffer no boat to
go either from or to a ship, while she lay there, without having a
soldier on board. They said that I might go on shore when I pleased; but
wished that every other person might remain on board till the paper
which they should draw up had been delivered to the viceroy, promising
that, immediately upon their return, the lieutenant should be sent on
board.

[Footnote 72: There is no reason for supposing that this viceroy had any
g