ng the Consul to his grave, and very shortly
after, of laying the widow by her husband's side. These melancholy
duties being performed, he took upon himself the office of Vice Consul,
until a reply to his report of the Consul's death could be received from
the British Government; but, in the meanwhile, he was himself taken so
ill with the endemic fever, and found it so impossible to regain health
at St. Jago, that it was deemed necessary to send him to the island of
Mayo for change of air; where he attained convalescence, but still
continued much debilitated when we met on board the galliot. The
Consul's sister at St. Jago, a most accomplished and attractive young
lady, and whose acquaintance I had had the pleasure of making there at
her brother's house, had also been, I learned, taken ill at the same
time; I had, however, the gratification of meeting her afterwards at the
Brazils, as a married lady, both happy and healthful, after she had
surmounted a variety of difficult adventures, and many severe trials of
fortitude, and presence of mind.

One of my first inquiries, was respecting the manner of preparing the
salt at Mayo, for exportation. I learned, that during the summer a
portion of low-land, near the sea, was inundated, between which and the
sea, the communication being subsequently cut off, the water rapidly
exhaled, leaving the salt in chrystals on the surface of the earth;
these, in due time, were collected in heaps; but as, of course, the
longer they remain, the more concentrated the chrystals become, it is
necessary to observe considerable caution in loading vessels, to select
that portion which has been the longest exposed to evaporation.

They procure water for the town and shipping at Mayo, by digging a
number of pits (too shallow to deserve the name of wells), near the
beach, between the salt-pan plain, and the sea: they thus collect a
stock of brackish water, in small quantities from each pit: however, in
the interior of the island, they are well supplied with good spring
water.

_Wednesday, 2_.--We had a fresh trade-wind to-day, which made me feel
the difference between H.M.S. Eden, and this pile-driving galliot: my
sleeping-place too, happened to be at the furthest end of the vessel,
which might be compared to one of the horns of a crescent, and while I
was dancing in the air, others in the centre of the concavity, were
scarcely out of the horizontal line. Fortunately, a very short repose is
suffic