TRAVELS IN BRAZlt^ 



have from it the name of Caryocas, which they 

 give themselves with pride, but with which the in- 

 habitants of the other provinces combine a satirical, 

 accessory meaning. Ingenious poets of Rio de 

 Janeiro, inspired by the beauties that surround 

 this spring, have exerted themselves to celebrate 

 by their songs the naiad who brings so beneficial a 

 present to their native city. When exhausted by 

 exertion and fatigue we often refreshed ourselves 

 here with the cool water, and, over-shadowed by the 

 trees swarming with life, in sight of the distant sea, 

 examined our ample booty in birds, insects, and 

 plants. We can never forget the feelings which 

 were excited in us here ; and only the man of a 

 tranquil mind, who feels himself happy in the en- 

 joyment of the beauties of nature, can appreciate 

 the extent of the bliss, which we pilgrims from the 

 north experienced amidst such magnificent profu- 

 sion. Not far from the source, the valley declines 

 from Laranjeiras towards the suburb of Catete. 

 The wanderer is charmed by the gay variety in 

 which gardens, new plantations, ancient forests, 

 and scattered country-houses alternately engage 

 the eye. In the middle of the slope and near the 

 road we remarked a solitary hut among the bushes. 



ings of stone which the Portuguese built, as a protection against 

 the fiery arrows of the natives. (Ensaio economico sobre o 

 commercio de Portugal, por Azeredo Coutinho, edit. 2. Lisb. 

 1815, p. 6.) 



