IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE GLOBE. l7l 



Senegal. It is not uncommon for travellers to exaggerate the 

 size of the American trees: they state that to be the rule which 

 is the exception. It must be borne in mind too, that altliough 

 the trees which are exposed to the hot damp air of the equator 

 grow with astonishing vigour, they are exposed to many more 

 causes of destruction than are those of more temperate climates ; 

 and I am sure that, were the age of the oldest of the tropical 

 forest trees correctly ascertained, it would be found to be much 

 less than that of many of our hedgerow oaks. From this state- 

 ment we ought perhaps to except the Fig-trees, which are pre- 

 served from the attacks of insects by their acrid or milky sap. 



On the 27th of January, 1845, we left the capital of Matto- 

 Grosso, and made tlie best of our way down the Rio Cuyaba. 



The banks of this river were very unlike those of the Araguay ; 

 here were none of those barren tracts of white sand left dry by 

 the receding water ; the forest came close down to the water's 

 edge ; from the branches of every tree hung long festoons of 

 flowers and foliage which were rocked by tlie wind over a carpet 

 of Heliconias and Pontederas, with their orange and blue flowers; 

 or else there were large swamps covered with tall plants and 

 dotted with bushes, here and there overtopped by the immense 

 panicles of Gynerium saccharoides, or Uva, the peduncle of 

 which being 2 or 3 yards long, and without a single knot, is 

 used by all Indian tribes which dwell near the rivers of tropical 

 America for making arrows. 



The Rio San Lourenco, or dos Porrudos, which we reached on 

 the 2nd of February, and the Rio Paraguay, which we left on 

 the 4th of the same month, are on the whole like the Cuyaba ; 

 near the Paraguay the Pantanals or marshes are perhaps still more 

 numerous than near the latter river ; in the midst of the tall 

 grasses which constitute its vegetation, two Hibiscus and a large 

 pink flowered Bindweed attract especial attention, whilst on the 

 edges of the marshes are banks of Pontederas, often intermixed 

 with numerous yellow flowered species of Jussicea. Tlie roots 

 which hold these plants down sometimes break, and then masses 

 of flowers are floated along the stream and produce a very 

 pleasing effect. 



The village of Albuquerque, on the right bank of the Paraguay, 

 is remarkable for the great number of different Indian tribes 

 often congregated there. On the 11th of February we passed 

 before the Brazilian fortress of Nova Coimbra, and the next day 

 we entered the province of Paraguay, which, however, we soon 

 had to quit, no foreigners being allowed to enter it. We never- 

 theless were permitted to stay a fortnight at Fort Bourbon. 



Below Nova Coimbra the character of the vegetation had 

 completely changed ; instead of marshes or forests of Exogens. 



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