KOTES ON BRAZIL. 



289 



It is not unlike the pass over Penmaen-INlawr, in Wales ; and if such a 



simile may be allowed, conducts us over the instep of this giant of the 



Brazilian coast, against whose toes the tveighty Southern Ocean thunders 



with all its force. The scene is awfully grand. Through the deep green 



forests, which cover the impending mountain, numerous torrents pour 



their noisy waters ; the place was formerly the known abode of savages 



and beasts of prey ; the path narrow, winding, overhung with brushwood, 



and often intercepted, so that the passenger sees only a few yards before 



him ; on his left the sea tosses its foam to an amazing height ; he feels 



the difficulty of retreat,- the absolute impossibility of escape on either 



hand. When I fest passed through this scene, the effect was heightened 



by an utter ignorance of what was before me; and after acquaintance had 



rendered it familiar, I could not but consider it as providing food for a 



mind of the firmest construction. 



At the termination of this gloomy solitude, we came to a Lake 



known by different names, most commonly by that of Tejuca, i. e. clay 



or mud, formed like the rest, in a recess of the mountains, by a bar of 



sand, Avliich the sea has thrown up in front. It is about seven miles 



long, and three quarters of a mile broad. On its bank it is usual to strip 



the horses, and obhge them to swim by the side of the canoa. A 



circuitous route is necessary, but at length we find footing on a spacious 



plain, thickly planted with coffee trees. A ride of two miles farther 



brought us to the celebrated Fall of Tejuca, where a mountain torrent 



rattles down the broad face of a rock, worn into irregular channels and 



caldrons by the attrition of ages. The most singular feature perhaps, in 



the majestic scene, is a natin-al temple under the rock, where, during the 



French Invasion in 1711, the people offered their devotions to the God 



of Armies. Two altars then used, are still standing, and convey to most 



minds additional impressions of solemnity. It is hardly possible to 



conceive of a more secure retreat. As there is only one house near it, 



which then belonged to the Jesuits, and no traces of other erections, it 



seems as if the people must, have lodged under the shelter of the vast 



masses of stone. The cataract and its picturesque scenery now attract 



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