IX VARIOUS TAUTS OF THE GLOBE. 169 



Joao. The banks of the Tocantiiis are not nearly so wooded as 

 those of the Araguay ; a narrow strip of forest alone separates 

 them from the Campos, and even that is not to be met with 

 everywhere. Near its mouth the river is jammed in by immense 

 tabular blocks, or rather mountains of red sandstone, which have 

 a remarkable appeaiance. 



On the 12th of August we reached San Pedro d'Alcantara, 

 and on the 31st of the same month we disposed of our canoes at 

 Porto Imperial, from whence we proceeded across the country 

 to Goyaz, from which town we liad started upon our expedition. 

 The country between Porto Imperial and Goyaz, and which 

 bears the name of Sertao (desert) de Amaroleite, was rich 

 many years ago, when slaves abounded and worked its number- 

 less mines, but is now poor, and the prey of the Canoeiros 

 Indians, who are the daily dread of the few wretched inhabitants 

 still remaining there. The character of the country we crossed 

 was not unlike that of the province in general ; two Myrtle- 

 blooms wit!) eatable fruit, the Cagateira {Eugenia dysenterica, 

 St. Hilaire), the Puca {Motiriria pusa, Gard.), a Qualea with 

 purple flowers, encroached upon by a large Loranthus, a Cura- 

 tella, and many species of Anacardmm were most remarkable. 

 After a six months' absence, on the 17th of October we re- 

 entered Goyaz. 



On the 28th of the same month we again left the town and 

 took the road leading to the province of Matto-Grosso. A four 

 days' journey brouglit us to the Rio Claro, which rolls diamonds 

 as well as flints along its bed. On the 8th of November we 

 passed the Serra da Rapadura, owing its name to the colour 

 of its rocks, which resembles crude sugar or rapadura. On the 

 ] 6th we crossed the Serra de Taquara. Between these two low 

 chains, which form, the one the western boundary of the table- 

 land of Goyaz, the other the eastern boundary of that of Matto- 

 Grosso, the valley of Rio Grande is situate, dividing the two 

 provinces. 



The table-land which originates in the Serra de Taquara 

 differs considerably in a geological point of view from that of 

 Goyaz and Minas-Geraes. ^Ye here saw, for the first time in this 

 direction, the red sandstone rocks which we had before noticed 

 on the banks of the Tocantins ; the vast masses of these rocks 

 resemble immense fortifications. A little Vellozia grows there 

 in abundance, just as the wallflower does upon our own old walls. 



At a place called As-Lages the road is for many miles natur- 

 ally paved with slabs of this same rock, and in its cavities may 

 be found little pools of water fringed with a fine turf of Eriocau- 

 lons. From this place the Eriocaulons become more and more 

 scarce, and they are not to be found at all on the western frontier 

 of Brazil. 



VOL. VI. K 



