TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



innumerable quantity of seeds shoot at the same 

 time, and unfold themselves with incredible ra- 

 pidity. The images of death and of the most 

 vigorous life pass here in rapid succession before 

 the eye of the wanderer. The few uncultivated 

 spots of these fertile islands, which are clear of 

 forests, are real marsh lands or savannahs. The 

 grass grows extremely thick, and attains a surpris- 

 ing height and juiciness. Yet the inhabitants of 

 this and the two larger islands, Ilha grande and 

 Marambaya, which lie in the Angra dos Reys^ and ' 

 appear to be of the same nature, have hitherto paid 

 but little attention to the breeding of cattle ; and 

 have rather employed themselves in cultivating 

 maize, indigo, sugar, and tobacco. On the shore 

 where the sea has here and there bared the granite 

 rocks of their covering of good mould, these islands 

 frequently produce thick groups of aloe and of 

 prickly cactus, the stiff leafless stems of which make 

 a singular contrast with the varied forms of the 

 forest. The huts of the country people are, for 

 the most part, situated along the coast, and sur- 

 rounded with plantations of Spanish potatoes and 

 water-melons, and with acaju, guava, pisang, 

 oranges, jessamines, and roses. 



When we left Rio de Janeiro in the afternoon, 

 we hoped that we should be able to reach the 

 opposite coast of the bay, though at a late hour, in 

 the evening; but when we were nearly in the 

 middle of the bay the wind suddenly subsided, and 



