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an a dwelling full of cracks and air-holes, when a few dashes of mud 

 might render it comparatively comfortable ! 



From this place, which is an hundred miles from Porto da Estrella^ 

 we continued our route next day over a chain of mountains, among 

 which we encountered other falls of the Paraiba nearer its source, 

 and, traversing a tract of close wood-land, arrived at a station called 

 the Fazenda do Juez de Fuera. Here we procured fresh mules, and 

 proceeded for a considerable distance on the ascent, when we met with 

 two planters from Minas Novas, who were going to Rio de Janeiro with 

 forty-six mules loaded with cotton, packed in raw hides, each beast 

 carrying two packages. They had been nearly three months on the 

 road. We availed ourselves of their kind offers to carry intelligence 

 to our friends in the capital, and gave them letters for that purpose. 



The remainder of our day's journey afforded few incidents worth 

 notice. We observed several pines of a singular species, which 

 yielded abundance of resin. In one part of the road I shot a most 

 beautiful bird, the name of which I could not learn, but was informed 

 that it flew about much in the night. In another part, we noticed a 

 beast of prey, which was crossing the road before us, and fled at our 

 approach. I killed a small water-snake, with two fins near its vent. 



We arrived towards evening at the Fazenda of Antonio Ferrera, 

 formerly a good house, but now almost in ruins. The owner was not 

 at home ; but his old negro-servants provided as liandsomely for us 

 as we could have expected them to do if he had been present. We 

 made a tolerable supper of stewed fowls, with the addition of a fine 

 wild turkey, which I had killed in the vicinity. I may here observe 

 that a traveller in this country should neglect no opportunity of pro- 

 viding for himself with his gun, as he is never certain of palatable fare 

 at the places where he alights. 



The surface of the country is in general good strong clay ; all the 

 rocks are of primitive granite, in the composition of which hornblende 

 predominates. We this day passed the site of the first gold-wash- 

 ing, which is very small, and has been many years abandoned. The 



