422 



NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



speak more correctly, had not grown in proportion to his body, and 

 was rendered soft by his fat. He was caught while asleep, and with great 

 difficulty could be kept awake. Our companions for the night are a 

 rough class of people from a distant part of the country, whose manners 

 are such as to forbid any familiar intercourse with them ; and to add to 

 our discomforts, my guide is ill from a plethoric complaint, brought on 

 perhaps by living better than he is accustomed to do on his journeys, 

 while I can account for a slight indisposition, which has hung upon 

 me for several days, on no other principle than having lived lower 

 than usual. 



As early as possible we left this miserable place, and descended into 

 a fine valley, crossed its Southern end, and wound up its Western side, to 

 the height of more than seven hundred feet, whence we looked down upon 

 a broad and extensive plot of Sugar-cane, which surrounded a large house 

 and offices. Having missed my way at the head of the vale, when 

 returning from the Mines, I met at this Fazenda with another instance 

 of the abundant civility with which I was treated in this delightful 

 country. From the summit just mentioned, we enter upon a very dif- 

 ferent scene, where a poor hungry soil is surrounded by rough-headed 

 rocks, and covered with a thin and stunted forest. A few miles further 

 on, the land resumes its wonted richness, and contained, besides a 

 whitish sort of clay, some patches of Fuller's-earth. During this part of 

 our ride, the scenery has been chiefly English, resembling the woody 

 country near to Sheffield, but without its blackness, forges, and smoke. 

 Two kinds of Heath, first noticed yesterday, flourish here in abundance ; 

 one of them has a leaf somewhat like that of the Jasmine, the other 

 a rounder one, both thickly set upon the stalk. Among the trees we 

 found the Tata, or Pine, extending its horizontal branches in great luxuri- 

 ance ; and the common box, growing to the height of more than twelve 

 feet. We met with great numbers of Toucans and Paroquets, the 

 former always flying singly, the latter in flocks ; and nearly a hundred 

 mules have passed toward the city loaded with bacon. We noted the 

 thermometer in the morning 60°, at noon 65°, and in the evening ten 



