304 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL. 



river system in any other country, but is here absolutely 

 lost in the world of waters of which it forms a part. In- 

 deed, the vastness of the Amazons is not felt chiefly when 

 following its main course, but rather on its lesser tribu- 

 taries, where streams to which a place on the map is 

 hardly accorded are found to be in fact large rivers. 



The region of Mauhes is comparatively little known, be- 

 cause it is off the line of steam navigation ; but, thanks 

 to the efforts of its most prominent citizen, Mr. Michelis, 

 who has made his home there for twenty-five years, and 

 contributed, by his energy, intelligence, and honorable 

 character, to raise the tone of the whole district, it is one of 

 the most prosperous in the province. It is melancholy to 

 see how little is done in other districts, when an instance 

 like this shows what one man can do to improve the forest 

 population along the banks of the Amazons. His example 

 and its successful results should be an encouragement to all 

 intelligent settlers on the Amazons. The little village of 

 Mauhes stands on a sort of terrace, in front of which, at 

 this season when the waters are still considerably below 

 high-water mark, runs a broad, white beach, rendered all 

 the prettier at the moment of our arrival by a large party 

 of Bolivian Indians, who had built their camp-fires on its 

 sands. We looked at these people with a kind of wonder, 

 thinking of the perilous voyages they constantly make in 

 their heavily-laden canoes, forced to unload their cargo 

 over and over again as they shoot the cataracts of the 

 Madeira on their way down, or drag their boats wearily 

 up them on their return. It seems strange, when this 

 river is the highway of commerce from Bolivia, Matto- 

 Grosso, and through Matto-Grosso from Paraguay to the 

 Amazons, that the suggestion made by Major Coutinho 



