THE INDIANS. 



183 



in which Englishmen are held. About thirty 

 persons were present at the table, of which 

 more than half wore uniforms ; indeed the 

 whole display was much more brilliant than I 

 had expected ; every thing was good and hand- 

 some. 



I had opportunities of seeing the Indian vil- 

 lages of Aronxas and Masangana, and there is 

 a third in this neighbourhood, of which I have 

 forgotten the name ; each is distant from Seara 

 between two and three leagues, in different di- 

 rections ; they are built in the form of a square, 

 and each contains about three hundred inhabi- 

 tants. One of my usual companions on these 

 occasions was acquainted with the vicar of 

 Aronxas, and we therefore made him a visit. 

 He resided in a building which had formerly 

 belonged to the Jesuits ; it is attached to the 

 church, and has balconies from the principal 

 corridor, which look into it. 



The Indians of these villages, and indeed of 

 all those which I passed through, are Christians ; 

 though it is said that some few of them follow 

 in secret their own heathenish rites, paying 

 adoration to the maracd, and practising all the 

 customs of their religion, if I may use this word, 

 of which so exact a description is given in Mr. 

 Southey's History of Brazil. When the Roman 

 Catholic religion does take root in them, it of 

 necessity degenerates into the most abject super- 



n 4 



