H.M.S. Erebus. At Sea. Lat[itude]: S.26.40. Long: W.25 Christmas Day, 1839.
My dear Elizabeth*1 and Mary*2, My thoughts this day are so inseparably connected with home and all its comforts, that I feel it a great pleasure to date a letter to you on this occasion, though there is no chance of my putting it into the post except at St Helena, where we shall probably arrive in the course of another month. My last letter was written from Madeira, and. though addressed to my Father, was a very hurried one, owing to our having to put to sea at a moment's warning, the Bay of Funchal being very dangerous when particular gales set in, on which occasions the vessels must all stand out to sea, or run the chance of being cast ashore. As you may probably not see the journal I send home, I shall proceed to give you a short account of the three last months of my life. After leaving the Channel, we soon fell into our places on board ship, and by the time Madeira was made, everything was as comfortable as we could expect. You have always heard of Madeira as a most lovely island; and so it is, although its beauties are much enhanced by being the first land seen after bidding goodbye to home. At the present season it does not look so inviting; the whole island is conposed of high mountains, which were of a rusty brown from the autumnal tints of the leaves, not, however, of the lovely rich russet hue which our Heath and Fern assume, and perhaps caused most by the exposure of the red earth of which the soil is composed.

We slowly rounded a fine Cape (Braga) when the Bay of Funchal opened upon us, the town is rather large and built along the sea-side; the houses are, of course, without chimneys and whitewashed, with large windows. At the back of the town are situated the gentlemen's country houses (Quintas) built up the steep sides of the hill, among rocks (like the villas at Row), often having hanging gardens, which are planted with Oranges, Bananas, Figs, besides Apples and other fruit. The mountains on all sides are very high; about half way up a broad belt of Chestnut trees runs all along; their peaks are broken and rugged, often covered with clouds. The Vineyards are very numerous, and covered with festoons of the Vine. We lay at anchor in very deep water about half a mile from shore, and enjoyed the view beyond anything. Delicious perfumes came often across the water, wafted from the gardens, which our noses, whetted by the scent of brine, presently detected and enjoyed. Boats soon came, loaded with fruit of the most inviting appearance, and all hands were soon busy with it. Bananas were spread for butter on our bread, and grapes were much more to our taste than tea; a bunch of grapes which cost 6d was so big as to serve three persons. On the following day I landed alone and wandered about the town; it is considered very clean for a Portuguese place, but I can by no means praise it in this respect. The inhabitants, a dark looking race, appeared very idle; I recognised a few English faces as I passed along. The Gardens were numerous and beautiful; Vines, Daturas and Fuchsias, China roses,

Hibiscus and Heliotrope grew in profusion and hung over the walls. Many were the vain attempts I made, before I found Mr Muir's house, of which I was in quest. You surely, dear sisters, remember this gentleman, who had a warehouse in Ingram Street; he was a great friend of Granpapa's, who had charged me particularly to call upon him. Well, being no Portuguese scholar, I commenced by accosting everybody I met, with the words, "Duomo Senor Muir"? accompanying them with a tone of interrogation, but failing completely in this plan, I adopted another and going up to every respectable-looking person asked if he were English; this was invariably answered by a shrug of the shoulders when I would say "Ah! you no Inglese", and turn off, giving the individual to understand that had I at all known he was Portuguese I would have addressed him as such. At last, fortune favoured me by throwing a fellow-country-man in my way, close, too, as it happened, to Mr Muir's door. I entered the house, and ascending, found that gentleman in all the confusion of a mass of cotton goods. I told him who I was and apologised for intruding, as I called to acquaint him with the welfare of my Grandfather; but this kind gentleman cordially grasped my hand in both his, and welcoming me to Madeira, invited me to take up my abode with his family during my stay on the island. I gladly agreed to accompany him home when business should be over, at 4.p.m., and went in the interim to get my hair cut. At 5 o'clock I accompanied a little German Doctor, of whom I had previously some knowledge, to Mr Muir's Quinta. We proceeded towards the back of the town, and kept ascending very steep

streets, through Gardens and Villas, till we reached the banks of a small stream which waters the neighbourhood, and here the view we obtained of the town, lying at our feet, was truly splendid. After passing a great many gentlemen's houses, we came to the gate of Mr Muir's which is beautifully situated on a steep bank and so constructed that the windows of the drawing room (on the 2nd story) open out into the garden behind, where there is a verandah and a trellised walk, the latter leading to a sort of look out house, also festooned by vines. We went thither by moonlight, and the night was so clear that I could distinguish the ships in the Bay, a mile and a half distant. I afterwards introduced some of my Brother Officers to Mr Muir, and we spent several delightful evenings there. Mr M. has two sons and a daughter, the latter a nice girl, about your age, dear Elizabeth; and when we went there to tea, one or two persons were generally asked to come and meet us; for no ceremony seems to be used among the British families who reside at Funchal. Conversation and music made the evening pass away too quickly, and after a supper of the fine fruit and the best wines of the island, we returned on board ship, often serenaded by guitars, of which the Natives make a very small and pretty kind. I fell so much in love with one of them, that I agreed to purchase it, hoping you might like it, but our hurried departure obliged me to leave it behind. These instruments are about the size of a small fiddle, very neatly made, full-toned and not 'tinklers". I was also in quest of another island curiosity which I had destined, if I could procure it, for Mamma. It was a gold ring with two clasped hands in front; on touching a

check it opened out into three rings, with a heart at the union of one with another. Two days after our arrival, we formed a party to go and visit a very beautiful spot in the island, situated high up the mountains. We procured ponies which took us over the most dangerous roads and up the steepest hills, accompanied by our guides, who, when we came to a particularly steep place, held on by our horses' tails, and no exertions on our part could make the faithful and sure-footed animals kick them off. After a hard ride of 12 miles, we came to the brink of a tremendous valley, with precipitous sides covered with a deep green foliage. After over-heating myself, I incautiously lay down on some damp grass to take my luncheon, and thus contracted a rheumatic fever not uncommon in hot climates, which laid me up for more than a week. Even when I got well Capt[ain] Ross's anxiety for me was so great that he would not let me leave the ship. Mr Muir and his family came off several times to see me, urging me to spend my first day on shore with them, and being determined to see those kind friends once more, I took a boat, the day before our sailing, and while the Captain had himself gone ashore, and being afraid of encountering him, desired my men to pull hard, when lo! just as we were rounding a steep rock, what should appear full in view but the cocked hat and epaulettes of our Captain! Escape was impossible, and I did not like the idea of hiding myself from him, so I put on a bold face, and when he rowed alongside I stood up and saluted him; still, as he did not hail me, I passed on, expecting every moment a recall. But this did not take place, and the matter was

overlooked, though I heard on my return that the First Lieutenant was reprimanded for allowing me to go. I felt very weak when first landed; but having sent for a horse, I soon recovered and first paid a visit to a lady you may remember as Mrs Montgomery Hamilton; she has married a Dr Renton here, one of the first gentlemen of the island, and lives in very good style. I had dined at Dr R.'s house once before and met two or three Glasgow people, among others a brother of Miss Shortridge, with whom I had a dispute concerning Mr Almond and Mr Montgomery. Afterwards I proceeded to Mr Muir's and, escorted my Miss M. and two other young ladies, I visited the nunneries at Funchal; there are two of these edifices, much alike, gloomy buildings with emblems of the crucifixion on many parts of them, and generally one or two shaven and well fed looking Friars standing near them. On entering the first yard you come to a piazza, with a grating beneath it, behind which the Nuns stand and speak to strangers; but not relishing the idea of remaining in the open air, particularly with two young ladies under my care, I signified that if not admitted withinside[sic] the building, I should depart. The Nuns reluctantly consented and gave me a key, with which we gained entrance to a room upstairs furnished with chairs, &c. There was a broad grating between us and the Nuns and a small turning box in which the money was deposited for our little purchases of sweetmeats and artificial flowers; the conversation being carried on in broken French; I was glad to praise whatever there was that could be praised and thus gained the hearts of the poor Nuns old

and unromantic looking beings they were, and who salivated most shockingly, but they invited us to return on one of the public days, when strangers are occasionally, as a special favour, permitted to inspect the buildings, and positively refused to accept any payment for all the preserved Citrons, Peaches, Plums and Pears which we had eaten. The artificial flowers which I purchased are made of duck's feathers, stained of the suitable colours. One of these Convents is that of St Clara, whence you may remember that a Nun, called Clementina, was carried off by the Captain of a British Frigate; the other was called the Convent of the Incarnacion. The only other objects worthy of attention in Funchal are the Cathedral, an ugly building, full of plate; and the English burying ground, a very pretty plantation, where so many of my consumptive country people lie interred. Among other persons whom I saw in Madeira was my poor tutor, Mr Halley, who is dying fast of a decline; he received me most affectionately and sent me on board some books and a long letter as his dying gift. You may easily suppose that I regretted quitting Madeira, where I had seen the only friends since leaving Campden House; and then the lovely climate, with enough of foreign manners and appearance to supply novelty, and a counter-balancing mixture of English people to make me think myself at home, I felt as if I could have lived always in that beautiful island. As you may see, I staid[sic] there already too long and was too well treated, for the voyage on which I am embarked. The next place at which we touched was Teneriffe[sic]: its Peak

was recognised by the old hands 60 miles off, appearing like a triangular spot among the clouds; its height is said to be 13,000 feet or thereabouts. We lay a day off the island. There was hardly any opportunity of going ashore; but, embracing the only one that occurred, I afterwards heard that I had missed the means of writing home by so doing. The island is very bare and rugged. We lay to off Sta Cruz ans[sic], having rowed to the land about 3 miles distant, we walked thither. It is a Spanish town, the houses flat topped; the only thing that struck me as interesting was their Moorish construction, being built round an open court, in the centre of which were little fountains of water, and Bananas planted among them. Upstairs an open verandah looks on the court. We sat in one of these, in an Inn, and regaled ourselves with Teneriffe wine and grapes, &c. It was at this town that Lord Nelson lost his arm, when making an unsuccessful attack with Capt[ain] Troubridge. Two English flags (they are only Jacks) are still kept in the Parochia church as trophies; but another having been carried off by a party of young Midshipmen, they are now suspended high out of reach. We entered the town at noon and were heartily laughed at; only Englishmen and dogs being seen abroad at this hour, when all honest Spaniards are taking their Siesta. Immediately after my return on board, the Erebus set sail; and we stood away for the Cape de Verde Islands, which some of my companions dreaded, as they are notorious for coast fevers; however I was very glad of the opportunity of visiting them. We now entered the tropics and soon came among this group of islands, which are

generally flat, with high mountains towards the centre; they are all volcanic. One is called "Sal" from the immense quantity of natural salt it produces; another, "Fogo", contains a very lofty volcano, which is sometimes in activity and like those in Peru, Italy and Sicily, serves as a sort of safety valve to the internal fires of these islands. We anchored off St Jago, in the Roads of Porto Praya, a Portuguese town of the most wretched description. Far as the eye could reach, desolation seemed to reign. A few Cocoanut trees grew near the town; all else was withered grass; neither tree nor shrub; a worthy continuation of the great Sahara Desert. I made several excursions in the country for 12 miles round Porto Praya; there is hardly a tree to be seen, except in some few luxuriant valleys; and these were filled with tropical fruits; little Oases in the surrounding desolation. Grass and herbage were totally withered and dry, the very stones black and scorching from the heat of the sun. The Thermometer generally rises to 86o, or even higher, in the shade. I often walked about botanizing the whole day, unable to get a draught of water to slake my parching thirst, except from the poor Negroes (for the population consists of free Negroes and a few Portuguese) and they were invariably hospitable and kind, often following me with their offers of aid in collecting specimens and pressing me to accept Oranges, and Aqua ardiente, or helping me to pull out the sharp spines and thorns which stuck through my stockings and trousers into my flesh. These beings live in a state of wretched poverty, yet are invariably happy-minded and good natured.

The only curiosity I have to tell you of about Porto Praya is the Baobab, a solitary tree of the kind, about 60 feet high and with a trunk 38 feet in circumference. A very beautiful Kingfisher, which feeds upon insects, is common; there are few other birds, except the Gallina or Guinea fowl, which is seen here and there, and is extremely wild; it is about the size of a small turkey, and very good eating. To make amends for the general barrenness of this island, where fruits do grow they are very splendid. Oranges are thrice as large as those of St Michael and full of the richest juice, two of them weigh a lb [pound], and they are purchased at the rate of half a dollar (2/2) a hundred; you have no idea how we used to luxuriate upon them; Lemons, Limes, Bananas, Cocoa nuts and Dates are all good and cheap. One day, accompanied by two other officers, I penetrated to the mountainous interior of the island, about 12 miles off the coast; we passed over desert prairies of dried grass, with here and there a Negro's hut; the few trees we saw were leafless Acacias, all whose branches pointed one way, from the continued force of the Trade winds blowing in that direction, and a small kind of Castor Oil tree, from whose seeds the natives express an oil which they use in their lamps. Some of the cliffs we passed were tenanted by Hawks and wild Monkeys. The sun beat upon us with intense heat. One, a little Herb, bore a prickly seed, which stuck to our stockings in quantities and made our feet look like a pin-cushion and irritated them excessively. After ascending many barren slopes we came at length upon a small valley full of Castor Oil bushes, descending which we entered a much

longer and more beautiful one. We were now in the heart of the island, and all round us the mountains reared their peaked summits, which ended in the clouds. The scene was magnificent: to form an idea of it you must imagine yourself in a valley about twice as broad and three times as long as Glen Massan; the mountains far loftier and their tops split into all sorts of fantastic pyramids, cones and needles; the whole bottom of the valley to half way up the mountains, clad in the most refreshing vegetation, and a burn of water rumming[sic] at the bottom. It was evening when we reached this spot, and the air was deliciously cool. Beautiful flowers carpeted the ground; the Kingfisher was darting from tree to tree, and one little bird imitated the robin so delightfully, that we all called that we were at home in England! We hardly knew which to admire most, the stupendous cliffs, on which sat jabbering monkeys and tiger cats; the mountain Peaks, gilded by the setting sun; or the refreshing luxuriance of the valley. We descended the hollow for a long way down to the town of St Domingo; here we saw water and rushed to it like so many camels from a caravan. A cultivated tract extended for some distance around the town, which is only a wretched village of about 50 Negro huts, built on a steep wooded bank. The bottom of the valley is planted with Sugar cane, Maize, Oranges, Cassavas, and other tropical vegetables. On inquiry we found there was no Venda or Inn, but were invited by a Frenchman to partake of his hospitality. He had just recovered from fever, and had built a house here for the purpose of recruiting his health, the mountains here, as in every other unwholesome

climate, being considered the most salubrious part. He set before us a nice dinner of cold turkey. bread, Cassavas, Bananas and other fruits, and gave us a great deal of information about the island, telling us among other things, that it had only rained twice for a whole year, which was in September last, and that there would be no more rain till September again. During dinner, four little slaves, black as jet, stood behind our chairs; they were girls, very neat and clean, and who obeyed the signs of the mistress of the house; they were from 6 to 8 years of age. After dinner, each received an embrace from the mistress, and then came to us for the same, which I assure you was not withheld because of the swarthiness of their complexions, and was accompanied with a donation of fruit. Our hospitable Frenchman would accept of no compensation, so I gave him my powder flask, shot, powder and caps, with which he was highly delighted. Mr Hallett, the Purser of the Erebus, had to procure a horse to convey him home, and our host gave us a guide. The night was as beautiful as the day had been, and the moonlight so clear as to enable us to read a small printed book; we returned late to Porto Praya, and went on board highly delighted with the day's excursion. Two days afterwards I went again to the valley of St Domingo; and then we sailed away to the Southward. Our course was now for St Helena, and nearly a three months' voyage lay before us. To account for this, I must tell you that in the Tropics, to the North of the Line, a North-East Trade wind regularly blows. South of the Line an equally steady S[outh] E[ast] wind prevails; so that to get to

St Helena, one must cross the ocean to near Pernambuco, then go South, making as much Easting as the wind will allow, to the latitude of Rio; and when out of the Tropics, take the chance of a West wind, which will blow us to the longitude of St Helena, and run up to that island on the Trade wind. A glance at the map will show you what an out of the way cruise this is. On the Line we visited St Paul's Rocks, a wretched cluster, about as big as all the houses in the crescent put together, inhabited by nothing but wild fowl, Boobies, Noddies, &c. In Lat[itude] 20°S. we visited the little island of Trinidada, off the coast of Brazil; it is about 6 miles long and very barren. One lovely white Tern was very abundant and so tame as to fly about our heads within arm's length, fixing its black eyes upon us with a look of curiosity. We have now been for some time to the Southward of the Tropic and out of the Trade wind, looking out for one that will blow us so far East as that the Trade wind will take us up straight to St Helena. We shall spend a fortnight there; thence visit Tristan d'Acunha, then the Cape and Kerguelen's Land, Van Diemen's Land and New Zealand. By October next we shall be sheering South, to spend the winter on the Ice of an Antarctic climate. Now, my dear Sisters, I have nearly said my say. I am very happy and comfortable here and not very idle. As yet I have had "no particular quarrel" with any one. The Captain is excessively kind, and so is the Surgeon; the former has given me a table in his own cabin, where I sit and draw Sea Animals which we fish for every day. I always read and write in my own cabin. I often lie in my cot and dream of you all at home; my brother*3 and sisters I

particularly miss; accustomed as I have been to their society, it seems strange to me to be isolated by so many thousand miles from the only seven persons I have known to love. Farewell, my dear sisters, you may always think of me as very happy; more than content, I ought to be. Whether we return at the end of three years or six years is known only to our Captain; and he will probably be guided by circumstances. Till then and always, believe me[,] Your most affectionate brother, (signed) J. D. HOOKER.