30 RIO DE JANEIRO. 



masses of naked rock rising out of the most lux- 

 uriant vegetation. 



I was often interested by watching the clouds, 

 which, rolling in from seaward, formed a bank just 

 beneath the highest point of the Corcovado. This 

 mountain, like most others, when thus partly veil- 

 ed, appeared to rise to a far prouder elevation than 

 its real height of 2300 feet. Mr. Daniell has ob- 

 sei-ved, in his meteorological essays, that a cloud 

 sometimes appears fixed on a mountain summit, 

 while the wind continues to blow over it. The 

 same phenomenon here presented a slightly dif- 

 ferent appearance. In this case the cloud was 

 clearly seen to curl over, and rapidly pass by the 

 summit, and yet was neither diminished nor in- 

 creased in size. The sun was setting, and a gen- 

 tle southerly breeze, striking against the southern 

 side of the rock, mingled its current with the cold- 

 er air above ; and the vapour was thus condensed : 

 but as the light wreaths of cloud passed over the 

 ridge, and came within the influence of the warm- 

 er atmosphere of- the northern sloping bank, they 

 were immediately redissolved. . 



The climate, during the months of May and June, 

 or the beginning of winter, was delightful. The 

 mean temperature, from observations taken at nine 

 o'clock, both morning and evening, was only 72°. 

 It often rained heavily, but the drying southerly 

 winds soon again rendered the walks pleasant. One 

 morning, in the course of six hours, 1-6 inches of 

 rain fell. As this storm passed over the forests 

 which surround the Corcovado, the sound pro- 

 duced by the drops pattering on the countless mul- 

 titude of leaves was very remarkable ; it could be 

 heard at the distance of a quarter of a mile, and 

 was like the rushing of a great body of water. 

 After the hotter days, it was delicious to sit quietly 



