288 THE LOWER AMAZONS. Chap. VIL 



nant. The cool and invigorating east wind becomes 

 neutralised before reaching the Rio Negro, but at Villa 

 Nova, in average seasons, it blows daily, with the ex- 

 ception of a few weeks' interval in November, from the 

 beginning of September to the end of January. The 

 river, here about two and a half miles broad, makes a 

 bold sweep of ten or twelve miles free of islands, the 

 blue ridge of the Parentins terminating the prospect 

 down stream. The broad, rapidly-flowing current, with 

 the brisk counter-movement of the atmosphere, are no 

 doubt the chief causes of the salubrity of the district. 

 The seasons vary very considerably. Thus, in 1849, as 

 already mentioned, the period of dryness and strong 

 breezes was unusually short, and the river, in conse- 

 quence, did not sink to its usual level. In 1854 I 

 witnessed the opposite extreme. The wet season, from 

 February to June, had been very severe, and the waters 

 had risen to their highest point. It took us, in the 

 months of June and July, in a well-manned vessel, 

 fourteen days to ascend from Santarem, a distance of 

 only 110 miles. The currents were very strong ; all 

 the low lands were flooded, and great portions of land 

 planted with cacao on the coast of Obydos were swept 

 away. At Villa Nova it was very hot, gleamy, and 

 showery up to the end of August. The welcome dry 

 winds then set in, and lasted until the 20th of No- 

 vember, by which time the river had receded to its 

 lowest level. At that date commenced a series of heavy 

 rains, which continued, however, only nine days ; but the 

 weather remained showery to the end of the year. On 

 the 3rd of January a kind of second summer began, 



