386 The Andes and the Amazons. 



Paddles were of no use on the rapid Parana-pura, our 

 Indians — four in front, and the comical genius behind — 

 poling the whole distance ; and every night we camped 

 on the sandy beaches, called playas, under palna booths. 

 Nothing could surpass the astronomical splendor of the 

 nights. The only improvement I can suggest is an omis- 

 sion of the mosquitoes. I expected to be treated, as on 

 the Napo, to the horrible chorus of " the little men of the 

 woods ;" but not a howler howled. A few pueblos break 

 the solitude of this river. At Lemon is the spacious resi- 

 dence of Mons. Jules Juan, built of chonta slats, and sur- 

 rounded with a great variety of tropical fruit-trees. Here, 

 too, on the edge of the forest, we found another recluse 

 Frenchman, who amuses himself in tracing correspond- 

 ences between the Quichua and Sanscrit languages. He 

 is the author of Amerique Equatoriale, published in Paris, 

 in which he styles himself " Don Enrique Vte. Ouffroy de 

 Thoron, Ingenieur, Emir du Lihan jpar acclamation ge- 

 nerate en 1840, Ancien Commandant ou Chef des Maro- 

 nites, et Chef d''Etat, Major General de Varmee Turco- 

 Maronite sous le Grand Vizier Izzet Mahomet- Pacha, 

 Vice-roi de Syrie et d ''EgypteP 



Ascending the tributary Cachiyacu (" Salt River"), we 

 passed two large distilleries, provided with the finest appa- 

 ratus we have seen in the countrj'. On the sugar-mills we 

 saw the well-known names of "Mirelees, Tait, & Watson, 

 New York." We ari-ived at Balsa Puerto, six days from 

 Yurimaguas, about one hundred miles. This little village 

 of 400 Indians, dwelling in nailless bamboo huts, that went 

 up without the sound of a hammer, is the chief port of 

 Moyobamba.* It manufactures nothing, and the state of 



* There are a good many empty houses ; for Balsa Puerto was formerly a 

 more important place. I found here among the natives a Peruvian, a Chilian, 

 a Spaniard, a Frenchman, a representative from the Buckeye State, and an- 

 other of unknown nationality, who forty years ago lived in Nantucket. 



