TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 307 



is used at meals as well as on other occasions, are 

 the chief characteristics of a travelling Paulista. 

 The women wear long wide surtouts of cloth, and 

 round hats. All those that passed us upon mules 

 showed themselves to be admirable riders, especi- 

 ally in the speed with which they endeavoured to 

 avoid the thunder-storms which threatened them 

 on all sides. Our slowly moving train, on the con- 

 trary, was obliged to suffer three heavy showers to 

 pass over it, and came, just as it was getting dark, 

 to a wretched shed with a venda, called As Taibas, 

 where we could scarcely find room for our baffffae-e. 

 which was soaked through. It rained impetuously 

 the whole night ; and the frogs of the neighbouring 

 marshes, being quite in their element, croaked in 

 tiresome unison. Though the place was anything 

 but agreeable, yet, as it secured us from the fury of 

 the elements, we soon became cheerful and in good 

 spirits. Recalling pleasing recollections, we com- 

 pared the sufferings of this Christmas-eve in Brazil, 

 with the pleasures with which it is usually accom- 

 panied in civilised Europe, and even contrived 

 to see them in an agreeable light. 



Between Nossa Senhora Apparecida and As 

 Taibas large blocks of a pretty fine-grained red 

 granite, resembling that on Serra do Mar, stand 

 out. They are considerably rounded off by at- 

 trition, and put us in mind of the masses of rock 

 which are found here and there in the north of 

 Germany, in the valley of the Po in Italy, between 



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