ch. vi.] 1831-1836. 139 



green bananas, and oranges, loaded with fruit, generally 

 surround the more luxuriant villages. Whilst viewing such 

 scenes, one feels the impossibility that any description 

 should come near the mark, much less be overdrawn. 



March 1st. Bahia, or San Salvador. I arrived at this 

 place on the 28th of February, and am now writing this 

 letter after having in real earnest strolled in the forests of 

 the new world. No person could imagine anything so beau- 

 tiful as the ancient town of Bahia, it is fairly embosomed in 

 a luxuriant wood of beautiful trees, and situated on a steep 

 bank, and overlooks the calm waters of the great bay of All 

 Saints. The houses are white and lofty, and, from the 

 windows being narrow and long, have a very light and 

 elegant appearance. Convents, porticos, and public build- 

 ings, vary the uniformity of the houses ; the bay is scattered 

 over with large ships ; in short, and what can be said more, 

 it is one of the finest views in the Brazils. But the exquisite 

 glorious pleasure of walking amongst such flowers, and such 

 trees, cannot be comprehended but by those who have ex- 

 perienced it.* Although in so low a latitude the locality is 

 not disagreeably hot, but at present it is very damp, for it 

 is the rainy season. I find the climate as yet agrees admi- 

 rably with me ; it makes me long to live quietly for some 

 time in such a country. If you really want to have [an 

 idea] of tropical countries, study Humboldt. Skip the 

 scientific parts, and commence after leaving Tenerifte. My 

 feelings amount to admiration the more I read him. . . . 



This letter will go on the 5th, and I am afraid will be 

 some time before it reaches you ; it must be a warning how 

 in other parts of the world you may be a long time without 

 hearing. A year might by accident thus pass. About the 

 12th we start for Rio, but we remain some time on the way 

 in sounding the Albrolhos shoals. . . . 



We have beat all the ships in manoeuvring, so much so 

 that the commanding officer says we need not follow his 

 example ; because we do everything better than his great 

 ship. I begin to take great interest in naval points, more 

 especially now, as I find they all say we are the No. 1 in 

 South America. I suppose the Captain is a most excellent 

 officer. It w r as quite glorious to-day how we beat the 

 Samarang in furling sails. It is quite a new thing for a 



-. - ,, - . .- 



* '' My mind has been, since leaving England, in a perfect hurricane of 

 delight and astonishment." C. D. to Fox, May 1832, from Botofoge Bay. 



