162 



TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



miration to the stars, which, glowing in solemn 

 silence in the firmament above the continent and 

 ocean, fill the soul with a presentiment of still sub- 

 limer wonders. In the enjoyment of the peaceful 

 and magic influence of such nights, the newly ar- 

 rived European remembers with tender longings 

 his native home, till the luxuriant scenery of the 

 tropics has become to him a second country. 



These - fine nights may be enjoyed at Rio de 

 Janeiro without any fear of those disorders, which, 

 in many tropical countries, for instance, in Guinea, 

 are almost inevitable consequences of the effects of 

 the evening dew, or of the land breeze that then 

 sets in ; yet even here it is advisable not to pass 

 in the open air those moments when, after sunset, 

 the atmosphere is suddenly cooled, and the first 

 dew falls. In general, the earlier hours of the 

 morning seem to be less injurious to the healtli 

 than the evening, because with the return of the 

 sun, the suppressed perspiration is restored. Rio 

 de Janeiro, it is true, has the reputation, though it 

 should seem without reason, of being one of the 

 more unhealthy cities of Brazil. The climate is 

 hot and moist, which chiefly depends on the situa- 

 tion, as high and thickly wooded mountains, the 

 narrow entrance of the bay, and the numerous 

 islands, impede the free passage of the winds : but 

 there are none of those very rapid changes of tem- 

 perature which are so injurious to the health. 

 Moist cold winds, which produce slight rheuma- 



14 



