Cuap. I. ARRIVAL THERE. 3 
length, and about ten miles in breadth at its mouth. The estuary 
forms, then, a magnificent body of water 160 miles in length, and 
eight miles in breadth at its abrupt commencement, where it receives 
the channels just described. ‘There is a great contrast in general 
appearance between the Para and the main Amazons. In the former 
the flow of the tide always creates a strong current upwards, whilst 
in the Amazons the turbid flow of the mighty stream overpowers 
all tides, and produces a constant downward current. The colour of 
the water is different, that of the Parad being of a dingy orange-brown, 
whilst the Amazons has an ochreous or yellowish clay tint. The 
forests on their banks have a different aspect. On the Para the 
infinitely diversified trees seem to rise directly out of the water; the 
forest frontage is covered with greenery, and wears a placid aspect, 
whilst the shores of the main Amazons are encumbered with fallen 
trunks, and are fringed with a belt of broad-leaved grasses. The differ- 
ence is partly owing to the currents, which on the main river tear away 
the banks, and float out to sea an almost continuous line of dead trees 
and other débris of its shores. 
We may, however, regard the combined mouths of the Para and the 
Amazons with their archipelago of islands as forming one immense 
river delta, each side of which measures 180 miles—an area about 
equal to the southern half of England and Wales. In the middle of 
it lies the island of Marajo, which is as large as Sicily. The land is 
low and flat, but it does not consist entirely of alluvium or river deposit ; 
in many parts the surface is rocky; rocks also form reefs in the middle 
of the Para river. The immense volumes of fresh water which are 
poured through these broad embouchures, the united contributions of 
innumerable streams, fed by drenching tropical rains, prevent them 
from becoming salt-water estuaries. The water is only occasionally a 
little brackish near Para, at high spring tides. Indeed, the fresh water 
tinges the sea along the shores of Guiana to a distance of nearly 200 
miles from the mouth of the river. 
On the morning of the 28th of May we arrived at Parad. The 
appearance of the city at sunrise was pleasing in the highest degree. 
It is built on a low tract of land having only one small rocky elevation 
at its southern extremity ; it therefore affords no amphitheatral view 
from the river; but the white buildings roofed with red tiles, the 
numerous towers and cupolas of churches and convents, the crowds of 
palm trees reared above the buildings, all sharply defined against the 
clear blue sky, give an appearance of lightness and cheerfulness which is 
most exhilarating. ‘The perpetual forest hems the city in on all sides 
landwards ; and towards the suburbs, picturesque country houses are 
seen scattered about, half buried in luxuriant foliage. The port was full 
of native canoes and other vessels, large and small; and the ringing 
of bells and firing of rockets, announcing the dawn of some Roman 
Catholic festival day, showed that the population was astir at that early 
hour. 
We went ashore in due time, and were kindly received by Mr. Miller, 
the consignee of the vessel, who invited us to make his house our home 
until we could obtain a suitable residence. On landing, the hot moist 
