i8o 



THE LOWER AMAZONS 



luxuries of a tropical country. They might plant orchards 

 of the choicest fruit-trees around their houses, grow 

 Indian corn, and rear cattle and hogs, as intelligent 

 settlers from Europe would certainly do, instead of in- 

 dolently relying solely on the produce of their small 

 plantations, and living on a meagre diet of fish and 

 farinha. In preparing the cacao they have not devised 

 any means of separating the seeds well from the pulp, 

 or drying it in a systematic way ; the consequence is 

 that, although naturally of good quality, it moulds before 

 reaching the merchants' stores, and does not fetch more 

 than half the price of the same article grown in other 

 parts of tropical America. The Amazons region is the 

 original home of the principal species of chocoiate tree, 

 the Theobroma cacao ; and it grows in abundance in 

 the forests of the upper river. The cultivated crop ap- 

 pears to be a precarious one ; little or no care, however, 

 is bestowed on the trees, and even weeding is done very 

 inefficiently. The plantations are generally old, and have 

 been made on the low ground near the river, which renders 

 them liable to inundation when this rises a few inches 

 more than the average. There is plenty of higher land 

 quite suitable to the tree, but it is uncleared, and the want 

 of labour and enterprise prevents the establishment of 

 new plantations^. 



We passed the last houses in the Obydos district on 

 the 20th, and the river scenery then resumed its usual 

 wild and solitary character, which the scattered human 

 habitations relieved, although in a small degree. We 

 soon fell into a regular mode of life on board our little 

 ark. Penna would not travel by night ; indeed, our small 

 crew, wearied by the day's labour, required rest, and we 

 very rarely had wind in the night. We used to moor the 

 vessel to a tree, giving out plenty of cable, so as to sleep 



^ Next to india-rubber, cacao is the chief article of exporta- 

 tion from Para. The yield, however, varies greatly in different 

 years. The price also fluctuates considerably, and does not 

 follow the abundance or scarcity of the crop. The following 

 valuation of exports of the article is taken from an official 

 statement of exports, given me by Mr. Bailey, U. S. Consul 

 at Para. In 1856, 2'99j247, 7s. gd. ; 1857, £208,^26; 1858, 

 ;^i33,oi3, Ss. The quantity in weight exported was in 1856, 

 4»343»i36 lb.; in 1857, 7,428,4801b. 



