96 ELIZABETH CARY AGASSIZ 



great beautiful river for purposes of commerce only 

 and stop only at the regular stations along the main 

 stream; they don't go off into the byways and know 

 little of the life of the "Setios" and the forest popula- 

 tion. I was telling Donna Maria and a young friend 

 some of my experiences last evening, and they really 

 seemed as much interested as you would be at home, 

 and said over and over again, "You have seen more 

 and know more about these things than we do, though 

 we've lived all our lives on the Amazons." Next 

 week Agassiz is going on another excursion farther 

 down on the coast. I am not quite sure whether I shall 

 go with him. As I am going to have quite as much 

 of sea voyages in the next three months as I care 

 for (between our journey to Rio and our return to 

 the States), I am rather inclined to stay quietly. In- 

 deed after so many months of travelling, quiet is very 

 grateful and if it were not that I feel bound as the 

 Scribe of the expedition to gather all the material that 

 offers for the journal, I should be rather inclined to be 

 pusillanimous and rest on my oars for a little while. 

 Of my longings for home I say nothing what's the 

 use? But I must say the idea of next summer at 

 Nahant is a vision of rapture I hardly dare to think 

 about. 



Ceard, April 1, 1866 



IT is just a year today since we sailed from New York. 

 My heart would have sunk if I had thought I should 

 still have been writing to you from Brazil it seems 

 such a long time to be away. But I know that God 

 is leading us wisely and it is my daily prayer that 



