72 RIO JANEIRO. 
It is always difficult to calculate upon the delays that may occur 
in a foreign port, particularly when it is necessary to employ foreign 
workmen. Their hours, habits, and manner of working, are so 
different from our own, that great patience is required in those who 
employ them. The manner in which the calkers of Rio work, would 
draw crowds around them in one of our own cities ; to see many of 
them engaged on a single seam on the outside of the vessel, striking 
the mallet at a signal given by their leader or overseer with his 
whistle, is amusing. They are generally blacks, (probably slaves,) 
and the leader a white man. The impression made upon us all was, 
that they were an idle set, yet they are said to understand their 
business well. I cannot, however, bear testimony to their work 
myself; the calking of my ship was certainly badly done. 
The uncertainty of the length of time I should be detained, 
rendered it impossible for me to allow long absences from the ship. 
I was anxious to have made some measurements of the Organ 
Mountains, and that our parties should extend their researches 
beyond them to the Campos. 
Dr. Pickering and Mr. Brackenridge succeeded in making the 
trip to the Organ Mountains on a botanical excursion ; but the outfits 
and duties connected with the vessels and observations, made it 
impossible for me to spare any officers to make the measurement of 
their height, or to go myself. These gentlemen set out, having 
taken passage in the usual freight-boat, (felucca rigged,) for Estrella, 
embarking their horses and mules in another. These boats are not 
decked, and are of sufficient tonnage to make them safe and conve- 
nient freight-boats. They generally have four or five slaves with a 
padron to manage them. 
On leaving Rio they steered up the bay for the island of Gober- 
nador, round which it is necessary to pass, on their way towards the 
river Anhumirim, aided by a fair breeze and fine weather. They 
found the sail up the bay extremely beautiful, the islands offering a 
constant source of interest and novelty. The mouth of the Anhu- 
mirim river was reached in about three hours. It was found about 
forty yards wide and quite shallow. The banks are an extensive 
mangrove swamp. They passed up the river about eight miles, 
and reached the port of Estrella at midday, where they took their 
horses and pursued the main road to the mines, which crosses to the 
westward of the highest peak. The distance to the base of the 
mountain from Estrella, is about ten miles, due north. The country 
