24 R10 DE JANEIRO. [cuar. 1. 
light to admire the solemn stillness of the scene; at last, the 
silence was broken by the morning hymn, raised on high by the 
whole body of the blacks; and in this manner their daily work 
is generally begun. On such fazéndas as these, I have no doubt 
the slaves pass happy and contented lives. On Saturday and 
Sunday they work for themselves, and in this fertile climate the 
labour of two days is sufficient to support a man and his family 
for the whole week. 
April 14th.—Leaving Socégo, we rode to another estate on 
the Rio Maciae, which was the last patch of cultivated ground in 
that direction. The estate was two and a half miles long, and 
the owner had forgotten how many broad. Only a very small 
piece had been cleared, yet almost every acre was capable of 
yielding all the various rich productions of a tropical land. 
Considering the enormous area of Brazil, the proportion of cul- 
tivated ground can scarcely be considered as any thing, compared 
to that which is left in the state of nature: at some future age, 
Low vast a population it will support! During the second day’s 
journey we found the road so shut up, that it was necessary that 
a man should go ahead with a sword to cut away the creepers. 
The forest abounded with beautiful objects; among which the 
tree ferns, though not large, were, from their bright green 
foliage, and the elegant curvature of their fronds, most worthy 
of admiration. In the evening it rained very heavily, and 
although the thermometer stood at 65°, I felt very cold. As 
soon as the rain ceased, it was curious to observe the extraordi- 
nary evaporation which commenced over the whole extent of the 
forest. At the height of a hundred feet the hills were buried in 
a dense white vapour, which rgse like columns of smoke from the 
most thickly-wooded parts, and especially from the valleys. I 
observed this phenomenon on several occasions: I suppose it is 
‘owing to the large surface of foliage, previously heated by the 
sun’s rays. 
While staying at this estate, I was very nearly being an eye- 
witness to one of those atrocious acts which can only take place 
ina slave country. Owing to a quarrel and a Jaw-suit, the 
owner was on the point of taking all the women and children 
from the male slaves, and selling them separately at the public 
auction at Rio. Interest, and not any feeling of compassion, 
