52 
American port of call. A run of about twenty-six hours from 
Pernambuco brought them to Bahia. As seen from the sea 
Bahia is a beautiful spot. On landing one is struck by the 
business-like air of the place; the streets are full of life and 
colour and interest. Of the 200,000 inhabitants ninety per 
cent are coloured. From Bahia it is 749 miles to Rio de 
Janeiro. At dawn on the third day after leaving Bahia they 
were entering its superb harbour. It is the most beautiful 
harbour in the world, dotted here and there with lovely little 
islands. On the left, in three distinct patches, with hills in 
between, is the town, and in the background are jagged peaks 
of mountains and curiously formed hills. One in particular, 
the Sugar Loaf, stands out boldly in the foreground ; behind 
it, an inaccessible looking peak, with just a discernible round 
building on its very top, is Corcovado, rising sheer from the 
plain to a height of 2,272 feet. Further away on the right is 
Tejuca, which is 3,316 feet high. The view from the summit 
of Corcovado, which is easily reached by funicular railway, is 
glorious ; in three valleys, nearly 2,300 feet below, lies the 
town of Rio, and beyond is the magnificent harbour with its 
islands, so numerous that an island can be visited every day 
for a whole year without going to the same island twice. 
Next morning the ship enters the winding river leading up 
to Santos, where she runs alongside a quay, for the first time 
since leaving Southampton. Montevideo is reached on the 
morning of the third day after leaving Santos. On account 
of the shallow water the steamer has to anchor at some dis- 
tance from the town. The water at the mouth of the River 
Plate is often so choppy as to make landing a disagreeable 
business, but a visit to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, 
is well worth the trouble. It is a beautifully clean, well- 
drained town, with some fine squares, handsome streets, and 
elegant buildings. The climate is delightful and healthy. 
One hundred and nine miles from Montevideo, on the right 
bank of the River Plate, lies the beautiful city of Buenos 
Aires, the Paris of South America. On the fourth Saturday 
morning since leaving Southampton they are alongside the 
dock. They are now in Argentina. Something of everything 
is to be found in Buenos Aires ; it is a handsome city, with 
streets running at right angles to one another, cutting the 
town into squares. Its main thoroughfares are modelled on 
those of Paris, and its water and drainage system on that of 
London. Electric and horse tramways are in every street, 
except in Florida, the principal shopping street. The town 
is brilliantly lighted. by electricity, and there are fine theatres 
and parks, 
