ON THE AMAZON. Sie 273 
lowish wooded ridge, called Os Parentins, running close by the right 
bank. We had still only light winds, and we did not reach Villa Nova 
before late on the 24th. It is a miserable-looking town, the houses 
going sadly to ruin, and we found but a single small vessel in the 
port. It is seated on a small bay, skirted by a lowish cliff, up which are 
piled blocks of apparently volcanic rock, glazed on the surface and 
quite honeycombed. A little before reaching the town we had rounded a 
rocky point, of nearly horizontally stratified slaty sandstone. We went 
on shore and visited the Vigario—the “ Padre Torquato ” celebrated 
in Prince Adalbert’s voyage up the Xingi—a young man, apparently 
under forty, good-looking and rosy. We found him exceedingly cour- 
teous in his manners, but delighting wonderfully to hear himself talk, 
and therefore not unlikely to be led into the relation of marvellous tales, 
as true, though himself sceptical respecting them. He seemed highly - 
flattered to hear that the Prince had made mention of him in his . 
travels. A 
We had now to leave the Amazon and enter the Paraná-mirí* dos 
Ramos, a furo which, commencing a little above the mouth of the 
Lago de Saracá, but on the opposite side of the river, joins the Amazon — 
again near Villa Nova, the principal mouth being a little below the town. 
We, however, entered it by a narrow channel called the Paraná-mirí 
dos Limoës, the mouth of which we reached in an hour and a half's 
rowing above Villa Nova. Our captain's object in following this route 
was to collect some debts left on by Mr. Gouzennes the preceding 
year, and we expected to be detained only a few days ; whereas, from 
entering the Ramos to again quitting it, we spent an entire month. — 
In this time I might have made many interesting observations re- —— 
specting the great country of guaraná and pirarucá, but I was unfor- - 
tunately taken ill almost immediately after entering it. At the first - 
sitio where we made any stay, I was wishful to obtain an astronomical 
observation, and for this purpose lay all night on deck, a thing which 
I had often done on the Amazon without feeling any inconvenience ; 
but the night was very cloudy and, what was worse, so strong a dew fell 
quer is, * iver")i eral term for w 
be Qui Ue de br eei or the Madeira jus. cher de rally ut 
season only or throughout the year. Above Villa Nova it is constantly heard instead - 
of furo—a term most in use In the lower part of the river. The Indian name for 
the Amazon is Parand-pitinga, or “the white river :” more rarely Parand-açu, “ the 
great river." KIM 
