40 MISSION OF COLLECTOR TO BRAZIL. 



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neither hire a man nor a mule at any price. The hotel people 

 have several mules, but \Till not let them to a strauger, having 

 had two or three talcen away altogether since the railway has been 

 opened to Belem. The rate at which mules are let hero is 5 

 milreis per day, the hirer having also to feed the animal while in 

 his possession, and he must pay for it until it is safely returned 

 to the place he had it from, and pay for a man to bring it back if 

 he is not returning himself. 



During the afternoon I met with a waggoner who is going up 

 the Serra to-morrow, and have agreed with him to take my things 

 up to the village of Mendes on the other side of the Serra. 



June 20^/t. — Started with the wajigons this forenoon at 10 

 o'clock. The road winds round the bottom of the range of hills 

 to the westward of the village, the range terminating at the 

 river Sta. Anna; here it takes a turn to the north, frequently 

 coming in contact with the river, which flows from the north-west. 

 Our progress was very slow, and we had not made more than 10 

 or 12 miles when w^e halted for the night. The bullocks were 

 fed with Indian corn, and turned into the ** mata" for the night* 



June 31sf. — At day-break one of the men kindled a fire and 

 set to preparing breakfast, while the others went to look for the 

 bullocks. This last was a work of some time, and it was nearly 

 10 o'clock before we were in motion again. 



We had slept just at the point where the road begins to ascend 

 the Serra, a mile or two from a place called Macacos, where the 

 railway now in progress also begins to ascend ; at its highest 

 point it is upwards of 2000 feet above the sea, and is to bo 

 carried through the Serra by a series of tunnels. 



Up in the Serra the road passes numerous cascades formed by 

 the river, which has now changed its sluggish character into that 

 of a mountain stream. 



At 3 o'clock in the afternoon we reached the village, Os Mendes, 

 about 22 miles from Belem. There is a hotel in the village 

 •where I have put up for the night, and in the morning will make 

 use of the letter so kindly given me by Mr. Miers- 



Jjine 22?itZ.— I learnt this morning that the residence of 

 Senhor Leao is distant from the village about 10 miles, and 

 that it was very doubtful whether I would find him at home ; jiot 

 being able to find a mule to-day, I have resolved to stay here for 

 a short time and look over the hills round the village. In the 

 ramble I took in the afternoon I met with a few plants of Cat- 

 tleyas, seemingly of the same species as those I saw at Tijuca. 



