4 PARA. Chap. I. 



that the flow never overiDovvers the stream of water 

 coming from the mam river ; this would seem to favour 

 the opinion of those geographers who believe the Para 

 to be one of the mouths of the King of Rivers. 



The channels of which we are speaking, at least those 

 straighter ones which trading vessels follow in the 

 voyage from Para to the Amazons, are about 80 miles 

 in length ; but for many miles of their course they are 

 not more than 100 yards in breadth. They are of great 

 depth, and in many places are so straight and regular 

 that they aj^pear like artificial canals. The great river 

 steamers which now run regularly to the interior, in 

 some places brush the overhanging trees with their 

 paddle-boxes on each side as they pass. The whole of 

 the region is one vast wilderness of the most luxuriant 

 tropical vegetation, the strangest forms of palm trees 

 of some score of different species forming a great pro- 

 portion of the mass. I shall, howevei', have to allude 

 again to the wonderful beauty of these romantic chan- 

 nels, when I arrive at that part of my narrative. 



The Para river, on this view, may be looked upon as 

 the common fresh-water estuary of the numerous rivers 

 which flow into it from the south ; the chief of which is 

 the Tocantins, ^ stream 1600 miles in length, and about 

 10 miles in breadth at its mouth. The estuary forms, 

 then, a magnificent body of water IGO miles in length, 

 and eight miles in breadth at its abrupt commence- 

 ment, 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 uj^wards, 



