176 



TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



like mundubi bean (Arachis hypogcea\ seem to 

 have been chiefly imported from the African co- 

 lonies. * Divers kinds of Spanish potatoes, and 

 yam t, the mandiocca and Aypim roots J, a mild 

 and not poisonous variety of the first, and lastly, 

 maize, maize flour, and mandiocca flour, as being 

 the principal articles of food from the vegetable 

 kingdom, are always to be found here in very large 

 quantities. Fresh grass (caapirn), which is grown 

 in gardens in the neighbourhood, is brought to 

 market as fodder for the cattle, especially for 

 horses and mules. The Guinea grass is considered 

 as the best for fodder; many quite different species 

 however are known by this name in the several 

 provinces of Brazil. § 



A few days after our arrival, we were invited 

 by one of our countrymen to attend a religious 

 festival which is celebrated by the negroes in ho- 

 nour of their patroness Nossa Senhora do Rosario, 

 A chapel on a slip of land running into the bay, 

 not far from the royal country -seat of S. Cristovao, 

 to which we repaired, was filled towards the even- 

 ing with a countless multitude of brown and black 

 people, and the band of negroes from S. Cris- 

 tovao struck up a lively and almost merry strain, 

 which was succeeded by a very pathetic sermon. 



* See Note 2. page 200; 



-j- Convolvulus Batatas, Dioscorea alata, L. 



X Jatropha Manihot et var. L. 



§ Panicum jumentorum, Pers. Paspalum stoloniferum, con- 

 jugatum, decumbens, virgatum, &c. 



