18 RIO DE JANEIRO. 



painted yellow^ is relieved by the varied beauty of 

 the suburbs and g"ardens^ and the numerous wooded 

 eminences crowned b}^ churches and other conspi- 

 cuous public edifices. Beyond the city the harbour 

 ag*ain widens out to form an immense basin^ studded 

 with g'reen islands^ extending* backwards some seven- 

 teen or eio-hteen miles further towards the foot of 

 the Org*an mountains^ remarkable for their pin- 

 nacled summits^ the hig-hest of which attains an 

 elevation of 7800 feet above the sea. 



The harbour presented a busy scene from our 

 anchorao-e. The water was alive with small craft 

 of every description^ from the larg*e felucca-rig'g'ed 

 boat doAvn to the fishing' canoe simply constructed 

 of a hollowed out log'^ and steamers crowded with 

 passeng'ers plied between the city and the opposite 

 shore. The sea breeze died away^ and was suc- 

 ceeded by a sultry calm • after a short interval^ the 

 g'rateful land wind^ laden with sweet odours^ ad- 

 vanced as a dark line slowly stealing* along* the 

 surface of the water^ and the deep boom of the 

 evening* g*un echoing* from hill to hill may be said 

 appropriately to have closed the scene. 



Landing* at the Larg'o do Pa^o^ or palace square^ 

 my first favourable impressions of the cit}^ of Rio 

 de Janeiro were somewhat lessened by the stench 

 arising* from oifal on the beach^ and the vicinity of 

 the market_, under the conjoined influence of a per- 

 fect calm and a temperature of 90*^ in the shade. 

 The palace^ now used by the emperor onl}^ on court 



