TO VILLA DE ST. SALVADOR. 



99 



Rooms with good beds were assigned to us in the long cool galleries 

 of the convent, where, from the large windows, which here too were 

 without glass, we enjoyed the finest prospect over the extensive plain. 

 In the lower story of the building were the kitchen and the mandi- 

 occa manufactory, where it was easy for us to dry our collections. 

 At the same time they had the politeness to clear as much cotton as 

 we wanted from the seeds ; for which purpose the small machine 

 described by Langsdorlf, in his account of St. Catherine's, is univer- 

 sally employed. We made the best use of the time that we passed 

 here, and amused ourselves with shooting the ducks, which dwell in 

 countless multitudes in the great marshes and lagoas. 



Proceeding on our journey, we had for our guide a mulatto, with a 

 stiletto in his button-hole, a sabre by his side, and spurs on his bare 

 feet, as is the fashion here. He led us through the great plain, 

 where the houses became every hour more numerous, and the tracks 

 of carriages indicated that we were approaching a more populous 

 country. On the road-side we saw hedges of agave and mimosa ; 

 behind them, orange and banana-trees in flower; and about the 

 dwellings cofFee-trees covered with their milk-white blossoms : a 

 most enchanting sight. The habitations and fazendas became more 

 and more numerous. All along the road the traveller finds vendas^ 

 the proprietors of which very politely salute passengers, but in 

 general only to entice them in,' and then to empty their pockets. The 

 sun was still high when we reached the town of St. Salvador, which 

 lies on the south bank of the beautiful river Paraiba, in a pleasant 

 fertile country, diversified with verdure of manifold hues. Our kind 

 host at St. Bento had assigned to us his own house for the time of 

 our stay in this town, where we met with the first newspapers we 

 had seen since our departure from Rio. They contained the im- 

 portant intelligence of the overthrow of the French army at Water- 

 loo, at which the inhabitants of the town had expressed the greatest 

 satisfaction. 



