The pilot placed himself near to the ship’s windlass; a Portugueze sailor was sent to take the helm, but still the vociferation was extreme; the man seemed to think that, by speaking very loud, he would make the English seamen understand his language; and what with his bawling to them and to his own people, and their noise, the confusion was excessive; however, we doubled the fort in safety, and came to anchor in the upper harbour. The reef is very perpendicular near to the bar; and to one unacquainted with the port, there is every appearance of the vessel being about to drive upon it. I then accompanied my fellow-passenger; we left the ship and proceeded to the shore. Here was a new scene indeed. We had taken the letter-bag with us; the crowd of well-dressed persons upon the quay was great; they saw the bag, and soon their anxiety for news overcame their politeness; the letters were asked for, and at last we gave them up, and they were scrambled for, each man seeking his own. We had landed at the custom-house wharf upon a busy day, and the negroes too were all clamour and bustle. Their hideous noise when carrying any load, bawling out some ditty of their own language, or some distich of vulgar Portugueze rhyme; the numerous questions asked by many persons who met us, and the very circumstance of seeing a population consisting chiefly of individuals of a dark colour, added to the sound of a new language, with which, although I was acquainted, still I had not since very early youth been in a country where it was generally spoken; all combined to perplex and to confuse. I was led along by those who were accustomed to these scenes, and we proceeded to the house of one of the first merchants in the place. We were ushered up one pair of stairs into a room in which were several piles of piece-goods, a table covered with papers, and several chairs. There were four or five persons in the room besides the owner of the house. I delivered my letter of introduction to him, and was treated with the greatest civility. Our next visit was to a colonel, who is also a merchant, from whom I met with the same behaviour. As there are no inns or furnished lodgings at Recife, or at[2]Olinda, an acquaintance of my fellow-passenger obtained some temporary rooms for us, and supplied us with what we wanted. We are therefore at last quietly settled in our new habitation, if I may be allowed to call it quiet, whilst some twenty black women are under the windows bawling out, in almost all tones and keys of which the human voice is capable,—oranges, bananas, sweetmeats, and other commodities, for sale.