Political state of Brazil. 



THE BRAZILS. 



Political state of Brazil. 



15 



nected with the vessels and observations, made it 

 impossible for me to spare any officers to make the 

 measurement of their height, or to go myself. 

 These gentlemen set out, having taken passage in 

 the usual freight-boat (felucca rigged), for Es- 

 trella, embarking their horses and mules in an- 

 other. These boats are not decked, and are of 

 sufficient tonnage to make them safe and conve- 

 nient freight-boats. They generally have four or 

 five slaves with a padron to manage them. 



A little incident that occurred to these gentle- 

 men will show the difficulties to be encountered in 

 obtaining specimens. They had observed for a 

 few days a beautiful yellow flowering tree, that was 

 very conspicuous in the forest. Believing that it 

 could be easily come at, they made the attempt to 

 reach it, but without success, finding it, instead of 

 being low, a high and inaccessible tree. They then 

 directed their steps to others, but were disap- 

 pointed again. Determined not to be foiled in 

 their pursuit, they again went off in search of 

 others in sight; these, to their surprise, were on 

 the opposite side of a river. Nothing daunted, 

 Mr. Brackenridge crossed it, though deep, and 

 endeavoured to scale the tree. What had ap- 

 peared near the ground, now proved a tree of some 

 sixty feet in height, with a smooth and slippery 

 bark; and he returned to his companion empty- 

 handed. Dr. Pickering next made the attempt. 

 After crossing the stream with difficulty, he 

 reached the desired object, and endeavoured to 

 climb, but after reaching some forty feet, was 

 obliged to acknowledge himself vanquished. 



A few days before our departure, we made atrip 

 to the top of the Corcovado. The naturalists who 

 were of our party observed that almost a total 

 change had taken place in the plants since their 

 last visit, about a fortnight before. I took with me 

 the necessary instruments to measure its height, 

 and we all amused ourselves with collecting plants, 



insects, lizards, &c. We took the road that turns 

 off near Gloria, and even before we began to 

 emerge from the city, several novel kinds of ferns 

 were observed growing on the house-tops and walls. 

 We soon entered coffee plantations, groves of bana- 

 nas, tamarinds, mangroves, and orange trees. A 

 vast variety of plants were pointed out to me by 

 Mr. Brackenridge, among them the beautiful 

 vochysia, with its splendid yellow blossoms, show- 

 ing conspicuous among the rest. After a fatiguing 

 walk we reached the top. The last quarter of a 

 mile, or the last rise to its summit, causes one to 

 become somewhat breathless in a hot day; but 

 when the top is gained, it is worth all the labour of 

 climbing, and amply repays for the exertion. 



The whole of the magnificent harbour, the city 

 and environs, lay beneath our feet. A bird's-eye 

 view is had of every thing, grouped in the most 

 pleasing variety; and nothing strikes one so for- 

 cibly as the white sandy beaches of Botofogo and 

 Praya Grande, with the beautiful blue of the sea 

 washing on them. The many lakes, the castellated 

 peaks, and the variously -shaped, craggy, and broken 

 hills, are all softened by the light and airy green 

 vegetation, creeping up their sides so as to melt 

 them almost into one. The day was beautifully 

 clear, and the refreshing sea-breeze just what we 

 could desire. To form an idea of the beauty of Rio 

 and its environs, it is necessary to mount to the top 

 of the Corcovado, or some high peak in its neigh- 

 bourhood. 



After finishing our observations, and fully satis- 

 fying ourselves with the beautiful scene, we de- 

 scended to the Belle Rue, where we enjoyed a rest 

 and lunch. We returned to the city by the way of 

 the aqueduct late in the afternoon, all greatly de- 

 lighted with our day's jaunt, which, beside the 

 amusement, had proved a profitable one in the way 

 of collections. 



CHAPTER IV. 

 THE BRAZILS RIO NEGRO, TERRA DEL FUEGO. 



CHARACTER OF THE BRAZILIANS CONSTITUTION OP THE EMPIRE RULING PARTY ELECTIVE REGENCY ADMINIS- 

 TRATION OF JUSTICE ELECTIVE FRANCHISE ARMY NAVY SCHOOLS SLAVERY FEELING TOWARDS FOREIGNERS 

 POPULATION NATIONAL DEBT, REVENUE, AND EXPENDITURES COMMERCE EVENTS IN THE SQUADRON 

 DEPARTURE FROM RIO PASSAGE TO RIO NEGRO ARRIVAL THERE GUACHOS DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY 

 RIVER AND TIDES CLIMATE VEGETATION TRADE HARBOUR SQUADRON DRIVEN TO SEA DANGERS IN SUR- 

 VEYING CONVICT SETTLEMENT COMMUNICATION WITH BUENOS AYRES DEPARTURE FROM RIO NEGRO STATEN 

 LAND STRAITS OF LE MA1RE APPEARANCE OF TERRA DEL FUEGO ITS HARBOUR MEETING WITH THE 

 RELIEF CAPTAIN KING'S SAILING DIRECTIONS NATIVES INTERCOURSE WITH THEM ARRIVAL AT ORANGE 

 HARBOUR. 



DURING my stay at Rio, I had an opportunity of 

 seeing several intelligent gentlemen who had long 

 been residents of the country; I am indebted to 

 them for much information relative to the political 

 state of this empire. Brazil, though quiet at the 

 time of our visit, will long be destined to outbreaks 

 and alarms, either from local oppression or some 

 slight political movements. The people, for the 

 most part, take very little interest in politics, or in 

 the general welfare of the state. As yet, their habits 



make them averse to mental exertions, and they 

 generally prefer their own ease, which precludes 

 them from engaging in political excitement. They 

 are not yet sufficiently advanced in civilization and 

 education, so far as regards the mass of the popu- 

 lation, to rise from the mental degradation which 

 the policy of the mother country entailed upon 

 them. 



The Brazilians, from the character I have re- 

 ceived of them, are very ceremonious and punc- 



