THE 
AMERICAN NATURALIST. 
VoL. xvi.—FULY, 1883.—No. 7. 
THE NATURALIST BRAZILIAN EXPEDITION. 
BY HERBERT H. SMITH. 
Seconp PAPER.—THE LOWER JACUHY AND SAO JERONYMO. 
A FEW days after our arrival at Porto Alegre we were in- 
vited by Mr. B., a German merchant, to visit his coal mine 
at Sao Jeronymo, fifty miles from the city ; berths were given us 
on a small steamer which our friend was about to despatch to the 
mine, and he himself finally consented to accompany us. 
Our course lay up the river Guahyba, which, above the city, is 
much widened, the channel being divided by several islands ; 
here it receives several branches, spreading out in different direc- 
tions like the fingers of a hand, whence the local name of Viamao, 
or handway, sometimes applied to this section. The upper con- 
tinuation of the Guahyba is properly the Jacuhy, which enters 
the Viamao from the west. This is the largest and much the 
Most important river of the province. It rises on the southern 
flank of the Serra Geral and takes a general southerly course as 
far as Cachoeira, where the rapids end ; from thence it flows east- 
ward, with few curves, to the Viamao. The whole length, in- 
: cluding the Guahyba, is not far from 400 miles, and it is naviga- 
ble for small steamers, except during droughts, as far as Cachoe- 
ita, 175 miles from the Lagoa dos Patos; large lake steamers 
sometimes run up to Sao Jeronymo, fifty miles from Porto 
Alegre 
For some time after we entered the Jacuhy we saw only low, 
Steeply-cut banks, lined in most places with forests of no great 
eight; willows and leguminous trees were abundant, but palms 
and woody climbers were almost wanting, so that the woods 
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