224 



CONDAMINE S TRAVELS 



river of Amazons. The memory of his expedition and the events which occalloned 

 "his lamentable end, is ftill preferved among the inhabitants of Lamas, a fmall place in the 

 neighbourhood of the port at which he embarked. I'he breadth of the Guallaga on 

 its influx into the Maraiion might, at this time, be 250 toifes. It is a river very infe- 

 rior in volume to the majority of thofe I fhall have occafion to notice as I proceed. 



At Laguna I made a number of obfervations on the fun and ftars, in order to determine 

 the latitude, which I found to be 5° 14'. I made a halt here of twenty- four hours, for 

 the purpofe of afcertaining the longitude, but I loft fight of Jupiter in the vapours of 

 the horizon, before I could diftinguifh its firft fatellite emerging from its Ihadow. 



On the 23d Mr. Maldonado and myfelf left Laguna in two canoes from forty-two to 

 forty-four feet long, by only three in breadth, each formed of the trunk of a fingle tree. 

 In thefe canoes the rowers are placed from the prow to the middle, the traveller and his 

 equipage at the poop, under fhelter from the fun and rain beneath a rounded canopy, 

 formed with much ingenuity by the natives, of matted palm leaves. This fpecies of 

 bower has a cavity in the middle of the roof, by which light is admitted, and it ferves 

 likewife to enter by ; in cafe of rain, or otherwife at the pleafure of the traveller, this 

 entrance is clofed by a Aiding roof of fimilar materials, which draws over that which 

 is fixed. 



We refolved on continuing our voyage by night as well as by day, in order to over- 

 take, if poflible, the brigantines, or large canoes difpatched annually by the Portuguefe 

 miffionaries to Para in queft of neceflaries. During the day our Americans paddled 

 along ; two only of their number kept watch during the night, the one at the prow, 

 the other at the ftern, to preferve the boat in the current. 



In undertaking a chart of the courfe of the river of Amazons, I provided myfelf a 

 refource againll the tirefomenefs of a weary though tranquil voyage through a country, 

 in which the continued famenefs of objeds, however novel in themfelves, tended to 

 fatigue rather than pleafe the eye. My attention was perpetually engrolTed by the com- 

 pafs, and the watch I held in my hand, in order to obferve the defledions of the courfe 

 of the river, and the time occupied between each bend ; to notice the varying breadth 

 of its bed, and that of the mouths of the different rivers it receives, with the angles 

 formed by them on delivering their waters ; the occurrence of iflands and the length 

 of them ; but efpecially to afcertain the degree of celerity with which the current flow- 

 ed, and the canoe proceeded along, ufmg for thefe laft purpofes various methods too 

 tedious to explain. Every. inftant of my time was employed : repeatedly I fathomed 

 the depth of the ftream ; almoft every day I took a meridianal altitude, and oftentimes , 

 obferved the amphtude of the fun at its rifmg and fetting : wherever I made a halt, 

 there likewife did I determine the height of the barometer. I fhall notice thefe obfer- 

 vations only in the moft remarkable fpots, referving a more minute detail for our pri- 

 vate meetings. 



On the 25 th we paflTed on the north fide the river Tiger, which pollibly exceeds in 

 fize the cognominal one in Afia, but which, for its celebrity lefs happily fituate, is 

 here loft, owing to the vaft fuperiority of a number of other rivers. This day at an 

 early hour, we halted on the fame fide of the river at a mifllon newly eftabliihed 

 among favages, denominated Tameos, who had recently been drawn from the woods^ y 

 The language of this people is indefcribably difficult, and their enunciation ftill more 

 extraordinary than their language. They draw their breath in fpeaking in fuch manner 

 that the found of fcarcely one vowel can be diftinguifhed. They have words which, 

 to defcribe, and then but imperfeftly, would require at leaft nine or ten fyllables, 

 though as pronounced by them they feem to confift of but three or four 5 Poettarraro- 



rincouroac 



