On the 6th, being in latitude 19° 3ʹ South, longitude 35° 50ʹ West, the colour of the water was observed to change, upon which we sounded, and found ground at the depth of 32 fathoms: the lead was cast three times within about four hours, without a foot difference in the depth or quality of the bottom, which was coral rock, fine sand, and shells; we therefore supposed that we had passed over the tail of the great shoal which is laid down in all our charts by the name of _Abrothos_, on which Lord Anson struck soundings in his passage outwards: at four the next morning we had no ground with 100 fathom. As several articles of our stock and provisions now began to fall short, I determined to put into Rio de Janeiro, rather than at any port in Brazil or Falkland’s Islands, knowing that it could better supply us with what we wanted, and making no doubt but that we should be well received. On the 8th, at day-break, we saw the coast of Brazil, and about ten o’clock we brought to, and spoke with a fishing boat: the people on board told us that the land which we saw lay to the southward of _Sancto Espirito_, but belonging to the captainship of that place. Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander went on board this vessel, in which they found eleven men, nine of whom were blacks: they all fished with lines; and their fresh cargo, the chief part of which Mr. Banks bought, consisted of dolphins, large pelagic scombers of two kinds, sea-bream, and some of the fish which, in the West Indies, are called Welshmen. Mr. Banks had taken Spanish silver with him, which he imagined to be the currency of the Continent, but to his great surprise the people asked him for English shillings; he gave them two, which he happened to have about him, and it was not without some dispute that they took the rest of the money in pistereens. Their business seemed to be to catch large fish at a good distance from the shore, which they salted in bulk, in a place made for that purpose in the middle of their boat: of this merchandize they had about two quintals on board, which they offered for about 16 shillings, and would probably have sold for half the money. The fresh fish, which was bought for about nineteen shillings and sixpence, served the whole ship’s company: the salt was not wanted.