Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

80 FUEGIANS — CLIMATE LIGHTNING. July ready to leave, finally, in July, little Fuegia was staying on shore, at the house of an Englishwoman, near Botalbgo bay and it is worth noticing, that while there, she was supposed by strangers to be one of the aboriginal natives of Brazil : and that I went with York and Jemmy to see a person (who had been many years resident in the interior of Brazil) who remarked, directly he saw them, " they are extremely like the Brazilian aborigines !" At this time of year (July) the climate of Rio is compara- tively cool and pleasant. Cloudy skies, southerly winds, and rain, are frequent ; but there is less thunder and lightning than in summer, when not only thunder-storms occur often, but every night there is a continual flashing or reflection of light- ning over the distant Org-an mountains. Many ships and buildings have been struck, during late years, still there are but a very few protected by lightning conductors. I was a lieutenant on board the Thetis, when her foremast was shattered by lightning, in Rio Harbour, and shall not easily forget the sensation. Some of the officers were sitting in the gun-room, one very dark evening, while the hea- vens were absolutely black, and the air hot and close, to an oppressive degree, but not a drop of rain falling, when a rattling crash shook the ship. Some thought several guns had been fired together — others, that an explosion of powder had taken place ; but one said — " The ship is struck by lightning !" and that was the case. The top-gallant masts were not aloft but the fore-topmast was shivered into a mere collection of splinters ; the hoops on the foremast were burst, and the inte- rior, as well as outside of the mast, irreparably injured. From the foremast the electric fluid seemed to have escaped by some conductor, without doing further damage ; yet it filled the fore part of the sliip with a sulphureous smell, and the men who were there thought something full of gunpowder was blown up. No person received injury : the foremast was taken out afterwards, and replaced by another, purchased from the Brazi- lian government at a great expense, and made by the carpen-