400 



NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



room which he showed me. When announced as ready, my friend 

 positively refused to enter the man's house, good naturedly chided my 

 extravagance, and said that he had ordered dinner to be cooked and 

 served, in the usual manner, out of doors, leaving me at a loss to 

 conjecture what were his motives. I therefore ordered what had been 

 provided to be brought to the enclosure of packages, where it was neatly 

 set out with clean cloths and napkins, silver spoons and forks; and other 

 suitable appendages. As an article of extraordinary luxury, a dish of 

 green peas was introduced,' and instead of fruit, which I believe was 

 scarce, a dessert of sweetmeats. 



After this refreshment I solicited and obtained a favour, which is 

 very seldom granted, permission to return across the water, to take a 

 sketch of the Register, and, besides my principal purpose, found leisure 

 to examine the bed of the river. It is about two hundred yards wide, 

 with a beach of fifty yards on one side and twenty on the other ; the 

 stream divides itself into three connected parts ; about forty yards adjoin- 

 ing to each bank it is shallow, the intermediate space becomes at once, 

 and witht)ut any gradual declension, very deep ; so that it flows in a sort 

 of trough, with perpendicular sides, to the formation of which the 

 laminae of the rock have contributed. In this stony canal the water is 

 singularly clear, though the current boils and whirls in wild commotion, 

 showing that the under current is the quickest, and that it is pressed for 

 room. Hence it is also that the two shallovt^ sides of the river are filled 

 by an eddy water, and that, in crossing, the boat is hauled up the stream 

 as far as the rocks will admit, it is then pulled into the m.ain bed by oars, 

 where it is hurried down by the current, and, having crossed this part, is 

 again set upwards, and arrives at the landing-place. That the river is subject 

 to heavy floods is evident from the marks which they have left, full ten 

 feet above its present level ; and the people speak of one, which covered 

 every building except the Register, and prevented travellers from passing 

 for three successive days. Now I had an opportunity of traversing the 

 rocks, and found the sands, lying between them and the huts, to be 

 composed of feldspar, frittered into very small particles, and mica. 



