Insects. 2791 



"Para, August 81, 1849. 

 " On the day the ' George Glen ' started from here (June 8th) with 

 my collections and letters for England, I embarked for the town of 

 Cameta, on the Tocantins. The great sea-ship glided gently down the 

 smooth river, seeking the ocean which was to lead it to my home, the 

 land of civilization, cheerfulness, and activity ; whilst the little canoe 

 I was in turned its prow upwards to thread narrow channels, in the 

 midst of dense melancholy forests, farther into this land of ignorance 

 and barbarism. It was the pleasantest passage, however, I had yet 

 made on these rivers ; the crew was cheerful, the weather fine, and 

 the boat a good sailer. On arriving at the mouth of the Tocantins, 

 which is like the sea, in extent and movement of the waters, we had 

 several squalls of wind ; the first caught us with all sail set, and nearly 

 brought us on our ' beam ends.'' The night after was the loveliest I 

 had ever witnessed ; we anchored at Ave Maria, under the bank of a 

 lovely island, clothed with forest. The men sang : we had a wire- 

 stringed guitar, and the pilot was a capital hand at extemporaneous 

 versifying, — to each verse a chorus, in which all the dusky crew 

 joined, — he put a good deal of humour into the chorus, which would 

 sometimes set all the crew laughing, the musician himself letting fall 

 his instrument and shrieking with delight. The allusions were local ; 

 something like this : — 



' Nos ramos para o Cameta carrejade de cal, 



Larguemos ferro a pe de Jaguarari. 



Ora pa na tara pa na. 

 [Senor Joao Augusto le bonite & home en pimpao, 



Mais Senhor Pedro he feio & muite ladrao.' 



The allusions being local, you cannot understand this. The trans- 

 lation is : — 



' We are going to Cameta, loaded with lime, 

 We let go the anchor at Jaguarari. 



Chorus. — Oh ! para pa na, &c. 

 John Augustus is a handsome man and a very good fellow, 

 But Mister Peter is ugly and a devil of a thief.' 



We fell asleep shortly : I awoke at 1 a.m., and crawled out of the 

 hole called the cabin, — we were under weigh, with a spanking breeze 

 dead astern, — the moon full, shedding a light almost like day, but 

 softened and mellow, — the air mild and limpid as crystal, and the 

 tossing waters of dark blue foamed about the prow of the vessel : the 



