180 THE UPPER AMAZONS. Chap. III. 



man (also somewhat of a mulatto), always merry and 

 fond of practical jokes. His wife, Donna Anna, a dressy 

 dame from Santarem, was the leader of fashion in the 

 settlement. The vicar, Father Luiz Gon salvo Gomez, 

 was a nearly pure-blood Indian, a native of one of 

 the neighbouring villages, but educated in Maranham, 

 a city on the Atlantic seaboard. I afterwards saw a 

 good deal of him, as he was an agreeable, sociable fel- 

 low, fond of reading and hearing about foreign countries, 

 and quite free from the prejudices which might be 

 expected in a man of his profession. I found him, 

 moreover, a thoroughly upright, sincere, and virtuous 

 man. He supported his aged mother and unmarried 

 sisters in a very creditable way out of his small salary 

 and emoluments. It is a pleasure to be able to speak 

 in these terms of a Brazilian priest, for the opportunity 

 occurs rarely enough. 



Leaving these agreeable new acquaintances to finish 

 their breakfast, we next called on the Director of the 

 Indians of the Japura, Senhor Jose Chrysostomo Mon- 

 teiro, a thin wiry Mameluco, the most enterprising per- 

 son in the settlement. Each of the neighbouring rivers 

 with its numerous wild tribes is under the control of a 

 Director, who is nominated by the Imperial Govern- 

 ment. There are now no missions in the region of the 

 Upper Amazons : the " gentios " (heathens, or unbap- 

 tized Indians) being considered under the management 

 and protection of these despots, who, like the captains 

 of Trabalhadores, before mentioned, use the natives for 

 their own private ends ; Senhor Chrysostomo had, at 

 this time, 200 of the Japura Indians in his employ. He 





