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ON THE AMAZON. 203 
its mouth is the Lago lrurià, the entrance to which is by two short 
channels, separated by a small island of gently-swelling land, with 
green grassy margins. 
December 20.—Remained last night at the Sitio d'Iripixy, belonging 
to Senhor Manoel Bentes, a young man related to Major Da Gama. 
Here we had an order to add two men to our crew: by 10 o’clock we 
succeeded in getting one, a Mulatto, named Manoel, who proved a 
much more useful hand than the Tapuyas. Above lripixy the course 
of the river is north-west by north. An hour's pulling brought us to 
the mouth of the Furo Sapucuá, a wide channel which affords a 
passage for the waters of both the Amazon and the Nhamunda (or 
Jamundas). Above this no more Amazon water—no more carapanás. 
The unmixed waters of the Trombétas are perfectly pure and of a 
black colour—a sure index of the absence of all “ praga,” as carapanas, 
mutucas, and the whole tribe of bloodsuckers, are here significantly 
called. 
At the entrance of the Rio Sapucua there are two or three small 
islands, and at some distance up appears a long range of hills, called 
Serra de Sapueuá, or Cunuri. I was not aware, until my return to 
Santarem, that a short way within this river resides a very excellent 
boat and ship-builder, named Damiao, who has fixed himself there for 
the sake of being near suitable timber. He has turned out some very 
superior vessels, especially a schooner called the Leoa, belonging to my 
countryman Mr. E. Jeffreys, of Santarem, reputed the swiftest sailer 
on the Amazon, and another which now trades between Lisbon and 
Para. These are both built of ltaüba. I much regret not having 
known this at the time, as I should certainly have turned out of my 
way to inspect the establishment. On the Sapucua are, also, numerous 
cattle-farms, and some thousand head are said to be annually reared — 
here, and disposed of to merchants of Santarem and others. It was 
to this river that Senhor Tapajoz’s batelao was bound. 
Up to this point the average width of the Trombétas had seemed to 
be about three-quarters of a mile, but here it expanded io a mile and a 
half. A little higher is an island, perhaps three miles long, called 
Jacitara, in the middle of the river. Upon it we remarked numerous 
Jauari palms (Astrocaryum Jauarí, Mart.), which are unknown in the 
vicinity of Para. Above it are other two islands without names. 
Here the river opens out to from two to three miles wide, and preserves 
2'p 2 
