ever they ai* 







to the end of March. Frequently bow- 

 by a drier aeatan in January and February, 

 (for* qmm.r), and then thy continue more 

 to April and May. The eaet wind U by far the mo*t 

 Tb tree* arc never without leave* ; for while they are 

 the old OM% new ones are alraady forming. Mart of the 

 Ittlthlfr tbow which are peculiar to a tropical 

 itwem November and March, and bear fruit between 



BRAX.II. 





the plain Inundate the adjacent low tract* 

 doe* not take place in all of them 



Jaae and September. 

 All the riven trav, 

 of manhy had. bat the 

 at the *ame *eeeon 

 Oa tb. north of the Rio da* Amaaona*. the plain extend* to Macapa, 

 the ielaad of Caviana, which He* in the principal embouchure 

 ar; oa the couth it include, the lower ooune of the Rio 

 . and extend* to the aerie* of hill* which run at a distance 

 of aboot SO mile* from it* bank* on the eart parallel to it* course. 

 To the *a* of the** hOle lie* another and more uneven plain named 

 alter the Parnahyba, the large* of the numerous riven by which it n 

 aalerrt It measure* from north to aouth upward* of 800 mile*, and 

 from we* to a* more than 400 milea. It* (urface riae* frequently 

 to hill* of enme hundred (eat elevation, which spread out into upaciou* 

 table-lend*. The aouth portion of the plain, which i* more level, i* 

 covered with One soft grass, intenperaed here and there with bushes 

 and a few high tree*. Thi* district i* well adapted for the rearing of 

 cattle. The north part ha* a much greater portion of high tree*, 

 : they form forert* of only umall extent, which are separated from 



er by Urn plain* deatitute of tree*, overgrown with grayish 

 high frae and a few baahea. The lower districts of this part are 

 favourable to the growth of cotton, the soil being rather dry and 

 aaily. The climate of this plain i* hot ; the thermometer rises in 

 minar above 100* and aometime* to 110*. The rams begin in 

 October, and increase gradually to February, when they are most 

 abundant ; they terminate early in May. 



The Punmkjka originate* in the most southern angle of the plain, 

 10* 8. lal, and traverses it in a diagonal line from south-west to 

 and north. Having no falls and only a few rapids, it i> 



navinted by vends of from 19 to 40 ton* to it* junction with the Rio 

 da* Balax, up to which place the European settlements on its banks 

 are anmeroo*. It emptie* itaelf into the aea by five mouths, the most 

 remote of .which are SO mile* apart But as these mouth* are not 

 more than S to 4 fathom* deep, only vessels of moderate lixe can 

 OOBM op to the town of 8. Joao de Parnahyba. It* whole course is 

 Marty 600 mile* ; and, with the exception of the Francesco, it is the 

 large* river that eaten the aea between the Rio de la Plata and the 



The eastern boundary of this plain is formed by the Serra Ibiapaba 

 or Hybiappaba, from which extend* east the mountainous country that 

 form* the projection of Brazil and terminates with the cape* of St. 

 KoqiM and Auguftinho. 



1 1 resembles, in tome respect*, the table-land 



of Brazil ; bat the mountain plains are of leas extent, and the valley* 

 ocoopy proportionally a much greater part of the surface. Besides 

 thi*, the top* of the mountains and their declivities are clothed n it h 

 tree*, while the low tract* are covered only with coarae grass and low 

 rmahej Numerous riven traverse thi* country, but their course is 

 comparatively abort ; they have alto very little water, and are, conse- 

 quently, not well adapted for navigation. Though the weath.r ,- 

 more changeable ben than in other part* of Brazil, it rains less; the 

 rainy eeaaon begins only in January and terminate* in April. In thi* 

 naioa vajaWluB i* vigormuand rapid, but from August to December 

 the nniiatry nattnbU* a dusty desert. Sometime*, and as it appears 

 in davaamal period*, then i* no rain at all, and then both men and 

 animal, die of hunger aad thirst 



Cape AufoHmho (Auguttin) in 8' 20' 41' H. lat, and 84* 58' 

 r. lone., i* on* of the mo* eastern point* of Brazil About 800 mile* 

 from thi* cape, the treat equatorial current, which travenes the 

 Atlantic new the line, divide* into two branches, of which the northern 

 aad bv far the larger part run* along the north coa*t of Brazil t<> t!,. 

 month of the Rfc da* Amazon**, and hence along Guyana to the 

 We* ladiM. Thia, caOed the Guyana current, combined with the 

 trade-wind*, which along the** shore* constantly blow from the eaat, 

 randan the voyage from the northern part* of Brazil along this shore to 

 ke province* aooth of Cape Augustinbom tedious, that it wu- 

 the a*abUaamaat of the mail iteamera, more eaav for the inha 

 of thi* part to oomca<e with F.nropa and North America than 

 wHa the tuilhtii provUtue* of the empire. The aouth branch of the 

 eytatorkl current U called the Braail current; the character of theee 

 cwrrvatt and of the moatoon oooneBtod with them i* fully deeeribed 

 Mar ATLAJTTK Oou>. 



JVMjaotfaii*, eV. The climate and soil have been 

 rlbiag the Mveral gnat natural divinon* of thi. vast 

 TWeuhlvtArfUacamBraaflbsaravery roull ,-. 



r h. ta. et rfMrtrt of the tabMand of the PMmna, about R 

 la th. -Wn, dMritt Mar VOJ. Rka, K| do7the riv 



Paraahyba in Ib* province* of Piauhy ami Maranhio. Agriculture 

 u nll gi-iirrally carried on in a very rude manner. 



The aborigine* of Bnuil were not entirely unacquainted with ngri- 

 culturF, but it was limited to a few article... They pi..- 

 Italian.*, aipU (Mnniliol aipi, 1'ohl.), mandioc, and capsicum, 

 the arrival of ricmu the cultivated ]>lonU have 



.11 th* cultivation of those which wore r 

 ly the aborigine* i* the inort extended. The DIM 

 different species are cultivate*! (lati grown i 



every province except that of Rio Grande do Stil. M ii/. is gruvvn nil 

 oxer the country. In low and hot place* tin- milho cadet*, a *\ 

 with smaller grain*, i* commonly cultivated ; it 

 The milho de serra, with larger whitish grain*, i grown u 

 vill.'j < of the table-land, especially in Min/u (leraes, autl 

 [old. Two crops are annually got, one in 



May : the first u the most abundant. Kioe is extet. . atwi 



on the plains as well as on the mountains, but especially ii, 

 provinces of Maranhfio and 1'ant. The cultivation ..f wheat h:i 

 kttempted in different districts, luit not with much succc.- 

 the table-land of the Parnnit and the plains of Kl<> (irande do Sul, 

 whence considerable quantities are brought to Kio Janeiro. 'I 

 i cultivated in the low plains and valleys along the coast and i 

 plain of the Amazonas. Potatoes succeed in Rio Grnn :< do :-;;! ami in 

 Minas Oeraee; and sweet potatoes succeed wi. re is a good 



sandy soil. Thecara, a root similar to the sweet potato, mul KHJ 

 In flavour, in lees productive. The inhaine (/'/, 

 Linn.) is likewise cultivated for its root, which, as well as its 1 

 it eaten by men and pigs. Various kinds of beans are also cult i 



The vegetables of Kurone do not generally succeed well, i 

 destroyed by the ante and other vermin ; leeks however ai 

 tion. None of the tree* or plants cultivated in Europe for oil are 

 found in Brazil. The inhabitants cultivate the sexamui 

 orientate), which was brought from the East Indies, an 

 kinds of the castor-oil plant. Lamp-oil is got from the fruit of a 

 forest-tree called andiroba (Carapa gnjamenii, Au!<l, .' 

 Schrcb.), which is common in some districts, espei : 

 of the Amazonaa, A species of palm i 



which gives an excellent oil for the kitchen, grows on the north coast. 

 The coca-plant (Erithojrylum coca), which is n-- ues as 



a narcotic, is cultivated on the banks of the Vupuri!, an in i 

 mate-plant, which produces the tea of Paraguay, is a sbnil> ! 

 cultivated in the provinces of Kio Grande do Sul anil of - 



Coffee, which was introduced into Brazil about seventy years ago, U 

 now grown in most of the maritime provinces, more especially . 

 Janeiro, the southern districts of Minas Geraes, and in Bahia, mul it- 

 culture is extending every year. The sugar-cane i 

 grown in Bahia and along the banks of the l:i.. s. Praneeaoo; in 

 other district* of Brazil the cultivation of the sugar-cane is lean 

 attended to, but from most of the maritime provinces a certain quan- 

 tity is exported. The growth of cotton has increased very lu- 

 ll nmy be grown as far as 31 8. lat., but is only cultivated to any 

 great extent from 15 S. lat. to the equator. In I 

 cotton is gathered in July and August, in Maranhao in < > 

 November, and December. On the banks of the Amazonas there are 



es, the mungaba and the samauma i /.'//>.. /,/,./,-., 

 Mart.), which produce a kind of cotton that is used t 

 mattrasses. Tobacco is less cultivated than formerly ; bu 

 able quantities are still exported to Africa anil 

 is grown in the Reconcave of Bahia, especially at Cachoeira :i 

 Amaru. Indigo was formerly much grown, but the cultivation ha* 

 almost entirely ceased; little is exported, and that is of i, ; 

 quality. Ginger and the curcuma were once cultivated and exported 

 from the north coast, but both articles are now neglected. In modern 

 time* the pepper-tree, the cinnamon-tree, the clove-tree, and the 

 muscat-tree have been planted near Rio Janeiro an<l l'.,i i, and the 

 three first seem to succeed at Pant. The first trial with 

 failed at Rio, but the plant is now cultivated successfully in the 

 Botanic Garden at Ouro Preto, where several acres are devoted to its 

 growth. A considerable quantity of tea ia manufactured, and .- 

 the market for about the same price as that imported from China, 

 Tea-plantation* have also been formed in several places in t i 

 of San Paulo. 



Tin- immense forests which cover the plain of tin Kio dan Amazonas 

 supply various articles of export. Cacao is gathered very 

 as well a* cloven, cinnamon, vanilla, sorsaparilla, c. 

 nut*, and different balms, as copaiba and copal. What most < 

 the attention of the imturalint in there vast forests is the great . 

 aity of Tcgrintioii wl,i, I, they contain. In the wo. 

 recent traveller, Mr. Wallace, " The forests of the Amazonas in 

 tinguishml from those of most other countries by the great van 

 specie* of tire* composing them. Instead of extensive tracts < . 



ne*, or oaks, or beeches, w< individuals 



of the lame species tor 

 the palms." (' Travels on tie 



-.rtM of timl-er, mid wood- |',, r the nml. 

 furniture and dyeing. Tho fruit* of K.u-ope \vlij. I 

 itrw.il are figs, nrangen, |K>mi>Krnnates, q 

 lemons. Vine* bear abundantly in the neighbourhood i 



