36 MISSION OP COLLECTOE TO BEAZIL. 



June 1th. — Mr. M. accompanied me to-day to the residence of 

 Seplior Negaeiras, to deliver the letter I had from the Brazilian 

 amhassador to hira. It w^as addressed to him as a minister of 

 the empire, and it seems he has recently become an ex-minister, 

 or at least has ceased to fill the particular office, in virtue of 

 which my letter was addressed to him ; he, however, promised to 

 hand over the letter to his successor, who would perhaps give me 

 letters to the presidents of San Paulo and Santa Catherina. 



By Mr. Miers' advice I have resolved to go out to Tijuca 

 to-morrow, for a few days, and look round that neighbourhood, 

 and then to proceed to Belem, and take a trip up the Serra, 

 beyond that place, and then examine the country in its vicinity. 

 Talking to Mr. M. about the best way of travelling, he tells me 

 that by far the best and cheapest is to buy mules of my o^Yn, as 

 the hire of mules is enormously high, and that in many places I 

 Would find it impossible to hire them at all. 



In the afternoon I delivered a letter I had to Senhor Mello ; 

 he was very kind, and promised to get me some letters for gentle- 

 men in San Paulo. 



June Sth, — I removed the heaviest of my baggage this morn- 

 ing to Mr. Fry*s store, where ho had given me permission to 

 leave it, and left for Tijuca. This place is a sort of sanitarium, 

 or country retreat for the Bio people, and is situated in the 

 higher parts of a valley, or opening in the mountains, running 

 from the low ground to the north-west of the city — on the one 

 end to a swampy plain, on the sea-shore immediately to the west 

 of the Gavea on the other. The village, or the highest part of the 

 valley (for there is no village properly speaking, the houses being 

 scattered about at considerable distances from each other), is 

 about 1000 or 1200 feet above the sea. The journey to the 

 bottom of the valley from the city is made by carriages or omni- 

 buses drawn on a tramway by mules. On arriving at this point 

 the passenger must either ride on mule-back or walk up the 

 valley, which rises very rapidly for three or four miles more, until 

 he arrives at Tijuca. 



Mr. Bennet, an Englishman, who has lived here for many years, 

 told me that he had had many a pleasant walk with Dr. Gar- 

 dener when he was here on his botanical mission, but he said the 

 locality had often been scoured by collectors since then. 



June dth. — Mr. Bennet last evening predicted a change, and 

 sure enough it began to rain last night about an hour before mid- 

 night, and has continued to rain heavily all day to-day wth but 



