388 



NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



hypochondriac. They did not scruple to manifest towards him the most • 

 undisguised rancour, and therefore lowered themselves, in my opinion, 

 rather than the object of their spleen. 



It was generally allowed that this estate measured a league in front, 

 and as much in depth, containing, at least, twenty English square miles 

 of land. Some of the people maintained that its extent was twice, or 

 even thrice as much ; probably it reached to territories still possessed by 

 Indians, and if so, had, on that side, no actual limits whatever. Let 

 this be as it may, the place afforded an instance of what is very common 

 in Brazil, where a tract of land, naturally capable of supporting a large 

 population, leaves its single owner destitute of comforts, and of even 

 the common necessaries of life. There it may be considered as generally 

 true, that the owner of a large estate is poor in every other respect. 

 In this case the evil was increased by the possessor's own indolence, or 

 illness, or age, or incapacity of adapting his manners to the new circum' 

 stances of the times. 



During the afternoon a canoa, which I found upon the river, 

 furnished means for trying the current. The stream proceeds at the 

 rate of about six miles per hour, in places were it is most broad and 

 quiet. The bed in general is rough, and exhibits strong proofs of fre- 

 quent flushes of water, during which the canoa is useful for crossing 

 from one bank to the other. At the distance of twenty-five miles the 

 stream is discharged into the Parahyba, after having tumbled over a long 

 succession of rapids. Agreeable to the rule established for the whole of 

 this journey, of throwing together, at the close of every day, those 

 remarks which appear heterogeneous and isolated, I shall here state that we 

 noticed in the forests several large trees producing red flowers, in full 

 bloom Avhile the branches Avere entirely destitute of leaves. The people 

 here are so incurious that, when we inquired into the reason of this, 

 they could give us no account, and seemed not to have remarked the 

 circum,stance, or even seen it. The thermometer to-day, at half past 

 two p. m. was at 82°, at- seven o'clock nearly 74°, at six the next morning 

 59°. As we passed along, many granitic stones were observed, imbeded 



