d, would have been an unspeakable
disadvantage to us, considering the nature of our expedition, I sent
another letter to the viceroy, as soon as I thought he could be seen,
acquainting him with our misfortune, and, requesting the assistance of a
boat from the shore for the recovery of our own; I also renewed my
demand that the pinnace and her crew should be no longer detained: After
some delay, his excellency thought fit to comply both with my request
and demand; and the same day we happily recovered both the long-boat and
the skiff, with the rum, but every thing else that was on board was
lost. On the 23d, the viceroy, in his answer to my remonstrance against
seizing my men and detaining the boat, acknowledged that I had been
treated with some incivility, but said that the resistance of my
officers, to what he had declared to be the king's orders, made it
absolutely necessary; he also expressed some doubts whether the
Endeavour, considering her structure and other circumstances, was in the
service of his majesty, though I had before shewed him my commission: To
this I answered in writing, That to remove all scruples, I was ready to
produce my commission again. His excellency's scruples however still
remained, and in his reply to my letter he not only expressed them in
still plainer terms, but accused my people of smuggling. This charge, I
am confident, was without the least foundation in truth. Mr Banks's
servants had indeed found means to go on shore on the 22d at day-break,
and stay till it was dark in the evening, but they brought on board only
plants and insects, having been sent for no other purpose. And I had the
greatest reason to believe that not a single article was smuggled by any
of our people who were admitted on shore, though many artful means were
used to tempt them, even by the very officers that were under his
excellency's roof, which made the charge still more injurious and
provoking. I have indeed some reason to suspect that one poor fellow
bought a single bottle of rum with some of the clothes upon his back;
and in my answer I requested of his excellency, that, if such an attempt
at illicit trade should be repeated, he would without scruple order the
offender to be taken into custody. And thus ended our altercation, both
by conference and writing, with the viceroy of Rio de Janeiro.

A friar in the town having requested the assistance of our surgeon, Dr
Solander easily got admittance in that character