Janeiro, who informed us that we were sixty-four leagues from Cape St.
Thomas, and forty leagues from Cape Frio.

DISEASE.

We now began to grow impatient for a sight of land, both for the recovery
of our sick and for the refreshment and security of those who as yet
continued healthier. When we departed from St. Helens, we were in so good
a condition that we lost but two men on board the Centurion in our long
passage to Madeira. But in this present run between Madeira and St.
Catherine's we had been very sickly, so that many died, and great numbers
were confined to their hammocks, both in our own ship and in the rest of
the squadron; and several of these past all hopes of recovery. By our
continuance at sea all our complaints were every day increasin, so that
it was with great joy that we discovered the coast of Brazil on the 18th
of December, at seven in the morning.

We moored at the island of St. Catherine's on Sunday, the 21st of
December, the whole squadron being sickly and in great want of
refreshments: both which inconveniences we hoped to have soon removed at
this settlement, celebrated by former navigators for its healthiness and
its provisions, and for the freedom, indulgence, and friendly assistance
there given to the ships of all European nations in amity with the Crown
of Portugal.

Our first care, after having moored our ships, was to send our sick men
on shore. We sent about eighty sick from the Centurion, and the other
ships I believe, sent nearly as many in proportion to the number of their
hands. As soon as we had performed this necessary duty, we scraped our
decks, and gave our ship a thorough cleansing; then smoked it between