sed and went to mass, as on a holiday. One thing
contributed, however, in no small degree to the enjoyment of the day.
The troops, which lately arrived from Bahia, re-embarked in order to
return. Their whole behaviour had been disorderly, and their drunkenness
and riot, during the ten days they were here, had quite disgusted the
people; while the disposition they manifested to join the patriots, had
rendered them but suspicious auxiliaries to the governor.

_Saturday, 13th._--I took leave of my amiable friends at the palace.
Madame do Rego gave me several specimens of amethyst, and the stone
called minha nova (like aqua marine), and also a fine piece of gold ore
of the province. She told me that Luiz do Rego had sent home many fine
minerals from the captaincy, and also some fossils. She described some
enormous bones, which may have belonged to the elephant or the mammoth,
found at no great distance from Recife in digging a well, and, as far as
I could understand, in such soil as I had observed lay under the sand in
Cocoa-nut Island.[61]

[Note 61: The Sugar-loaf Hill, in the ridge of Priaca, about eight
leagues N.E. of the villa of Penedo, has a lake on its western
declivity, where enormous bones have been found; and on the north side
there is a fearful cavern.--_Chor. Brazil._]

A great dinner was given to-day, by the merchants, to the captain and
officers. The governor, and other persons of dignity in the town, met
them; I am told it was a very handsome dinner, that there was plenty of
every kind of wine, and that nothing could exceed the friendly
politeness of the governor and his party. I had remained at Mr. S.'s,
where most of the company visited me after tea; and then we took leave
of Pernambuco, where we had received much kindness, and had at least the
enjoyment of novelty. The scene at our embarking was very pretty. Our
friends went with us to the jetty, and our boats lying in the clear
moonshine beneath it, with sailors going up and down preparing for us,
the harbour and the shipping doubled by the clear reflection in the
still water, heightened and set off the sparkling of the breakers that
dashed against the outer fort and light-house. Through these we soon
made our way and reached the ship, where I have once more taken
possession of my cabin, and put it in order for sea.

We leave Pernambuco, with a firm persuasion that this part of Brazil at
least will never again tamely submit to Portugal. Where the fir