NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



411 



examining the river, I was led to suspect that its level above the Parahyba 

 is higher than T have stated, for the current is not only very strong, as 

 far as I could trace it, but in little more than half a mile, has a descent 

 of forty feet, and the distance to its junction with the Parahyba is about 

 fourteen leagues ; its general course is from N. W. to S. E. On its banks 

 are some fine points of view, and we met with some very civil people, 

 but their general aspect is not good. One man was very troublesome 

 during the whole of our stay, he was a noisy impertinent fellow, half 

 idiot, half drunkard, and I suspect much more of a villain than either. 

 He presented me with a small dark brown otter's skin, to cover the lock 

 of my fowling piece, and remarked that there were many animals of 

 that kind about Goyaz, a place by the bye, nearly a thousand miles 

 from us. 



St 2 



