322 TEE LOWEE AMAZONS. 



deposit, and are admirably adapted to the cultivation of 

 the cacao and banana ; the finest plantations of these wc 

 have observed stood iijjon ground laid deep under water 

 during the annual overflow of the river. Thus every thing 

 leads us to liope that, as soon as Brazil is sufficiently 

 awakened to her own interests to lift from these regions 

 tlie incubus of governmental restrictions, a foreign popu- 

 lation will spread itself over the shores of the great river, 

 and upon the banks of its tributaries, and secure to the 

 world the immense wealth of this tropical valley. 



A pleasant and unexpected event occurred toward 

 the close of our stay at Para. Upon the l6th of Janu- 

 ary, the guns of the fort announced the arrival of the 

 steamer from Manaos. Curiosity took us to the wharf, 

 whei-e we Avatched the little boats, loadel with passen- 

 gers, as they pushed from the vessel, that had dropped 

 anchor a short distance from the city, and pulled to the 

 shore. All had landed save one, and we had turned away, 

 when a familiar call directed our attention to the boat, 

 that had nov/ neared the whai"f There was the Caracas 

 party! That was a joyous meeting. Paraenses doubtless 

 thought us demonstrative. But that was what Para had 

 never seen before, and probably never will again — the 

 union of two expeditions across the continent, from the 

 north and west, and their arrival upon the Atlantic within 

 two Aveeks of the same date. But there Avere only two 

 of the Caracas division. Where was the third ? Attacked 

 by the fever of the loAvlands of Venezuela, he had been 

 obliged to return homoAvard. Then came inquiries for our 

 companions. One had sailed for Rio Janeiro, another for 

 New York. But where the artist ? Then Ave told them 

 of the lonely grave among the Andes. Was it strange 

 that the first night of our meeting Ave forgot to sleep, and 

 that the morning found us telling of adA^entures experi- 

 enced since our parting at Ncav York ? 



