286 



SOCIETY AT ST. LUIZ. 



and therefore as a matter of necessity we crept 

 into the hold, in which we could not stand up- 

 right, and the bilge water occasionally reached 

 our feet; but this produced much laughter, and 

 we ultimately arrived in safety. Not far from the 

 mouth of the port of Alcantara stands an island of 

 three miles in length and about one in breadth, 

 called the Ilha do Lhramento ; it is inhabited by 

 one man and woman, who have under their care 

 a chapel dedicated to our Lady of Deliverance, 

 which is visited by the inhabitants of the neigh- 

 bouring shores, once every year for the purpose 

 of celebrating by a festival this Invocation of the 

 Virgin. My departure from Maranham soonei 

 than I had purposed at first, prevented the ful- 

 filment of my intention of landing and spending 

 a day upon this spot. I know not what idea I 

 might have formed of the island if I had more 

 narrowly examined it, but the view I had of it 

 at a distance was extremely beautiful. From 

 what I heard of it, I think, that if any one was 

 about to settle at Maranham, here it is that he 

 should try to fix his residence. 



I was introduced by my friend to a respectable 

 family of St. Luiz. We made them a visit one 

 evening without invitation as is the custom, and 

 were ushered into a tolerably sized room, fur- 

 nished with a large bed, and three handsomely 

 worked hammocks, which were slung across in 

 different directions ; there were likewise in the 



