soon out of sight: Far indeed we could not see
at that time in the evening, but the distance was
enough to convince us that they were not under command,
which gave us great uneasiness, as we knew they must
drive directly upon a reef of rocks which ran out just
to leeward of where we lay: After waiting some
hours in the utmost anxiety, we gave them over for
lost, but about three o’clock the next morning
had the satisfaction to see all the people come on
board in the yawl. From them we learnt, that
the long-boat having filled with water, they had brought
her to a grappling and left her; and that, having fallen
in with the reef of rocks in their return to the ship,
they had been obliged to cut Mr Banks’s little
boat adrift. As the loss of our long-boat, which
we had now too much reason to apprehend, 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.