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some little inland town or village. Some of these towns 

 (or rather cities) are places of considerable pretension ; but 

 the large houses and fine churches and well-paved streets 

 and public fountains seem out of keeping with the stagnation 

 which exists in whatever concerns human interests; and 

 the stillness which prevails there as we wander through 

 them, occasions a sensation of oppression and loneliness 

 which we never felt in the silence of the forests. 



Even the City of Diamonds itself (Cidade Diamantina] has 

 few attractions for us, in spite of its imposing appearance 

 from a distance ; being built on the acclivity of a serra, its 

 "handsome churches and fine stone-built houses" are all 

 displayed to the eye at once, " rising gradually one above 

 the other along the steep mountain-side." "The most 

 elevated portion of the city is about 4000 feet above the 

 level of the sea, and the climate is consequently mild, the 

 thermometer ranging in July (which is one of the coldest 

 months) between 54 and 60 Fahr. at noon. The hottest 

 months are November, January, and February, during 

 which period the thermometer varies from 74 to 88, but 

 mostly only reaches 84." 



The streets, like those of Rio de Janeiro, are narrow and 

 badly paved, though abounding in gay shops ; we are not 



