pursue their instinctive habits as nature dictates. The smaller tribes are numerous, and are more distinguished for brilliancy of plumage than for sweetness of melody. Many varieties of parrots and paroquets are found in the woods, and the orange gardens are peopled with hummingbirds.

Of reptiles and insects peculiar to Brazil, the enumeration would be endless. Venomous snakes, together with toads and spiders of enormous magnitude, exist in formidable numbers; as also do scorpions, centipedes, scalopendras, &c. But the greatest pest of all is the ant, whose numbers are literally infinite, and whose depredations are so serious, that villages and hamlets have been nearly undermined by them. Mosquitoes, as we have seen and felt, are also numerous, and intolerably annoying; but the butterflies are beautiful beyond description, and of great variety.

With these brief, excursive, and somewhat desultory remarks, we will now return to the Potomac, on whose busy decks every preparation was on foot for resuming her course to the "far east." Wood, water, and other requisites for so long a voyage, were daily being received on board, where every thing presented diligence, activity, and order.

Nearly a fortnight had elapsed since the Potomac first came to anchor in the harbour of Rio, when her officers, in return for the civilities which they had received from a number of ladies and gentlemen on shore, determined to get up a fête for their entertainment on board the frigate. During her passage from NewYork, some encouragement had been given to the men in favour of forming a small Thespian corps, which might afford occasional amusement during the long cruise of circumnavigating the globe, To many, it might appear difficult to procure proper materials for such a company among a crew of hardy sailors. But such is not the fact. On board of a man-of-war of the size of the Potomac, there are perhaps more men of different avocations, than in any village of even twice the number of inhabitants. Indeed, when we consider that the crew of such a ship is mostly composed of persons who, from desperate circumstances, a roving inclination, or from a desire to see the world, as they term it, enlist in such an expedition, it is not to be wondered that they comprise men of almost every attainment. The profession of an actor is always one of doubtful success. Even with the most gifted

genius, years of toil and repeated efforts are necessary to attain eminence. In the many attempts some must fail, and are thrown out of the vocation by dissipation, and find themselves from necessity on board a man-of-war. On board the Potomac there were one or two rather above mediocrity; who, being well qualified to take the management, as a matter of course, entered into the subject with great spirit.

On Saturday, the twenty-ninth of October, the theatre was rigged on the quarterdeck, and invitations were sent on shore, to the ladies and gentlemen with whom the officers had become acquainted; and, among these, several natives of the country. The piece selected for the evening had been frequently rehearsed; and, as the performers improved and acquired confidence in every new attempt, it was hoped that the evening's amusement would pass off well. At eight o'clock, the deck was thronged with the officers of the Warren and Lexington, the former having just arrived. It was indeed pleasant to meet thus, on a foreign station, so many acquaintances and former shipmates; and memory, active in the reminiscences of other days and bygone times, brought up incidents again to be talked over and enjoyed anew.

But our brightest anticipations are often subject to disappointment, and the sunny smile of beauty was doomed to be lacking on this occasion. The weather suddenly changed, the heavens became overcast, and the prospect of the attendance of the ladies from on shore every moment grew more faint. The performance was finally opened without them; but still it contributed greatly to the amusement of all who were present.

Matters, however, were not allowed to terminate thus. Another evening was set apart for the purpose; the theatre was again opened; and all who had not been able to attend on the preceding evening, were now present. The performance went off with spirit; a dance followed, and the ladies and gentlemen from the city seemed much pleased with their visit on board, and the entertainments prepared for the occasion. But the time had now come for the Potomac to depart, and pursue the objects of her destination.

"Her massive anchors, near this Eden land,

For twenty days had bit the golden sand;

But duty calls, new perils to endure,

And the hoarse boatswain pipes- All hands, unmoor !"

CHAPTER IV.

Departure from Rio Janeiro-Glorious Sunset at Sea-A white Squall-A Man Overboard-A narrow Escape-Cape of Good Hope-Arrival of the Potomac at Cape-Town-Table Bay, with Sailing Directions-First Discovery of the Cape by Diaz-Origin of the Colony-Description of the Town-State of the Press, Literature, and Education-Climate, Clouds, and Vapours.

On Saturday, the fifth of November, the stores of the Potomac having been completely replenished, and time not permitting longer delay, orders were given to get under way early in the morning. The anchor was weighed at daylight; but as the breeze continued light and baffling, the harbour was not cleared until late in the forenoon.

In addition to the boats of the Potomac, which were sent ahead to tow the ship, others from the several men-of-war in the harbour were sent to proffer their assistance; and among these, one from his Britannic Majesty's frigate Druid. Her commander, Captain Hamilton, has been long known in naval life, in which he ranks high for nautical skill, and for his urbanity of manners and gentlemanly deportment.

The bows of the Potomac were now laid close to the wind, to the east; and conjecture, even among the crew, as to her destination, seemed at an end. The Cape of Good Hope, Sumatra, East Indies, and round the world, to South America, were in the mouth of every one; while the prospect of passing through new scenes, and encountering new adventures, a little out of the beaten track, gave rise to feelings which seemed to pervade and animate all on board.

A passage from Rio Janeiro to the Cape of Good Hope, however, over a track of ocean which has for centuries been the common highway of nations, cannot be expected to abound with novelty or interest. The logbook tells of continued headwinds -irregular head and cross seas-and, south of latitude 29°, of falling in with whale-ships, and every day encountering the right, or black whale, so called in contradistinction to the spermaceti whale, which is so much more highly prized, on account of its

yielding the valuable article from which its name is derived. But, so changeable are the scenes of a sailor's life, so fickle and treacherous the elements above and beneath him, that even this passage was not without its soul-touching and heart-thrilling incidents, embracing in their extremes, and in the highest possible degree, the essential qualities of the beautiful and the sublime.

There are but few, perhaps, who have not experienced and felt the charms of evening, as the last golden beams of the setting sun cast a milder glow of mellowing light and shade on all around. It is not romance :-there is a high-wrought sympathy -a pure and holy feeling, which often passes over the mind in contemplation of such a scene. We had enjoyed it on shore; but never dreamed that the ocean-tossed mariner was favoured with aught so lovely. It was an evening when the troubled waters of the ocean had not wholly subsided from the effects produced by a heavy blow of several days. The sun was slowly declining in the west, making his passage through numerous silvery and golden clouds, which threw upon a bank of other dark vapours which were still hovering in the east, an appearance not unlike billows of fire, undulating like the sea beneath them.

"The sun's bright orb, declining all serene,

Now glanced obliquely o'er the watery scene:
Its heaving surface, lovely to behold,

Glows in the west, a sea of living gold."

FALCONER.

To the north and to the south rose masses of beautiful clouds of snowy whiteness, whose upper edges were tinged with gold; these changing into every form above, while the dark red tinge upon the water, or sparkling sea beneath, presented, altogether, a picture so beautiful, that language has not power to describe it; nor could the pencil command sufficiently varied colours, though dipped in the teints of the rainbow, and touched by the hand of a Raphael, to delineate the scene, or impart its beauties to the glowing canvass. None will call this language too strong except such as have not seen, and of course cannot appreciate, the grandeur of ocean's landscape, upon which the oldest and roughest sailor cannot look without a brighter countenance, and a silent but heartfelt acknowledgment of that Being "who stretcheth out the firmament, and holdeth the ocean in the hollow of his hand!"

In approaching the Cape of Good Hope, but more frequently to the south and east of that promontory, navigators have often to encounter storms from the northward, which rage with great violence. With these winds, the sea always runs high, and one of the most dangerous features in the character of such gales, is the sudden, and often instantaneous, change which occurs from the wind breaking out, with equal or even augmented fury, from another and nearly opposite quarter. The experienced navigator of these seas, therefore, always keeps a bright lookout during the prevalence of such gales, to the southwest. However strong the squall may be raging, however rough the sea may be rolling, or copiously the rain may be falling, yet, a bright spot in the west, or southwest, is a sure indication of a sudden change of wind.

It was on Tuesday, the fifteenth of November, in latitude 34° south, and longitude 30° east. The morning opened with strong gales from the northwest, which increased in violence until the afternoon. Sail after sail was taken in, or reefed, until the Potomac wore little else than a storm dress. The sea was exceedingly high, rough, and unpleasant; and the ship rolled and laboured heavily. The white spot was seen in the south, but experience alone could tell the power it contained. In an instant the gale from the north “ let go its hold;" the little canvass that remained spread flapped loosely on the yards; and, ere there was time for thought or action, a gale from the southwest struck the vessel with such power, and with a change so sudden, that it required the utmost exertion of professional skill to prepare her to meet the fierce encounter.

"It comes resistless, and with foaming sweep
Upturns the whit'ning surface of the deep;
In such a tempest, borne to deeds of death,
The wayward sisters scour the blasted heath."

FALCONER.

The high and combing waves, running quick from the northeast, thus met and arrested in their course by violent gusts from the southwest, created upon the whole extent of the ocean's surface, at least as far as the eye could reach, sheets of flying foam, as the water was carried from the cap of each rolling billow in masses to leeward. This sudden encounter of the