LETTERS FROM BRAZIL 85 



who sat near the door in reserved seats, it was almost 

 impossible to breathe, the people were standing in 

 great part, and yet for an hour and a quarter there was 

 absolute silence; if any one made the least noise they 

 were hissed down at once. After the lecture we went 

 into an adjoining room where we had been received, 

 and where we passed nearly another hour, while the 

 Emperor rehearsed the lecture with Agassiz, question- 

 ing him on very many points. The man is greedy of 

 knowledge, and I suppose the fact that he has such rare 

 occasions for intercourse with scientific men makes 

 him the more anxious to profit by the chances that 

 fall in his way. Meantime I talked with his wife and 

 daughter. They asked me a great deal about my travels 

 and seemed to look with envy on any one who was 

 free to go about the world. The Empress cannot leave 

 the province of Rio Janeiro without permission from 

 the government. 



Monte Alegre, August 25, 1865 



WE arrived here yesterday in the heat of the day, 

 but I waited till nearly evening to go on shore, and then 

 as Agassiz was busy with his fishes I took one of the 

 young men (I have always plenty of beaux) and took 

 a walk. On my return I met Major Coutinho [an offi- 

 cer of the Brazilian engineer corps detailed to the ex- 

 pedition by the Emperor], who had been on shore all 

 day and who told me he had just sent out to the 

 steamer for Agassiz and myself to pass the night at 

 the house of a friend, as by all accounts the mosqui- 

 toes might be expected to swarm at the place where 



