300 



NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



nious visits ; but they are, of course, conducted with greater decorum. 

 One afternoon a black boy arrived at the house, announcing the approach 

 of a party of ladies and gentlemen. They rode slowly, and were received 

 by the family in the front of the house, where the ladies seated them- 

 selves on the grass under a shady tree, and the men reclined at their side. 

 Fruit and water were handed, and, after an insignificant conversation of 

 half an hour, the visitors retired. The features of the party were, in. 

 general, coarse, and their sallow hue indicated the bilious and aguish 

 complaints, to which their part of the country is subject. Their persons 

 and clothes were clean ; the latter thin, showy, and loosely made ; but 

 little distinguished from the modes already described. In every point 

 they appeared to belong to the most respectable class of the neighbourhood. 



The owner of this estate, wishing to provide himself a better house, 

 consulted a few of his friends as to the choice of a spot for the purpose. 

 On our pointing out the summit of a small woody hill, as a place where, 

 we thought, he might enjoy pure air and pleasant scenery, a soore of 

 slaves were ordered to cut a narrow road through the wood, by which 

 we might-ascend and examine the sp9t more accurately. They imme- 

 diately went to work, but so far misunderstood their master's order as to 

 leave all the wood standing on the crown of the hill, by which we were 

 as effectually precluded from looking around us as if we had been 

 enclosed with a lofty wall. Almost three hours more were spent in 

 cutting down tree after tree, each of which, falling against its neighbour, 

 remained, for the most part, in an upright position. At length one 

 large and hard wooded tree giving way towards the South, the rest, 

 which had been upheld by it, followed. The effect was like drawing 

 aside a curtain. In an instant there lay before us a complete view of 

 the city of St. Sebastian, its bay, islands, shores, and surrounding moun- 

 tains, together with a wide expanse of ocean. The very slaves were 

 struck dumb with astonishment, feeling the effect of beauty beyond 

 description bursting' unexpectedly upon them. The silence and the 

 clamour which succeeded were both expressive ; in various languages, 

 used by natives of three different quarters of the globe, the same senti- 

 ment was heard ; — " surely this is a goodly world which we inhabit." 



