PREFACE. 



PJURING my residence in Brazil, I llad 

 no intention of publishing any account 

 of what I had seen and heard in that country. 

 Some time after my return to England, I 

 was encouraged to put together the infor- 

 mation which I might be able to impart. 

 The reader will be more disposed to excuse 

 what defects he may find, when he is in- 

 formed that I went out young, that I did 

 not gather any knowledge of the country in 

 a systematic manner with the idea of giving 

 it to the public, and that the idiom of a 

 foreign language is perhaps more familiar 

 to me than that of my own. But among 

 judicious readers the style of works of this 

 description will be regarded as of little 

 importance. I have had the advantage of 

 Mr. Southey's advice and extensive library. 

 T have to thank Dr. Traill for his aid in 

 preparing the Appendix ; though as he did 



