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muJe, which, being unable to keep pace with us, had been left in 

 charge of two of our men and the negro-boj. We were under 

 little apprehension for the safet}' of our property, though, as we 

 afterwards learnt, the poor animal was down above twenty times 

 in the course of the ascent. About eight o'clock we reached 

 Alto do Moro, our baggage arriving about an hour after. Here we 

 halted for the night in one of the best inns we had hitherto seen, 

 the hostess of which soon provided us with a comfortable supper, of 

 which we partook very heartily and passed an agreeable evening. 

 The good order and propriety which reigned in this inn confirmed an 

 observation we had often made, that of all houses on the road those 

 under the direction of females were managed with most ability, and 

 certainly afforded the best accommodations. I may add, that there 

 prevailed in them that evident disposition and wish to oblige which 

 generally makes up for any deficiency, and by appealing to a 

 stranger s liberality makes him satisfied with whatever is set before 

 him. 



The land, through which we this day passed, appeared much 

 burnt up, being in general very bare of vegetable soil, and having 

 few trees to defend it against the heat of the sun. In the mountains 

 we observed several slips or breaks which presented abrupt and sin- 

 gular masses lying in all directions like confused heaps of archi-* 

 tectural ruins, disclosing veins of soft talc, and some cascalhao poor 

 in gold. The stratum was argillaceous schistus, very ferruginous, 

 and friable. At the bottom of these slips, which appeared to be 

 caused by the disrupture of one part of the mountain from the other 

 (probably through the infiltration of water), there were small streams 

 which in rainy weather swell into torrents, and burst through their 

 channels with great velocity. 



The next day, it being our intention to reach Villa Rica before 

 night, we set out at an early hour, notwithstanding the cold cloudy 

 weather and the heavy dew which prevailed. We passed through a 

 bare and uneven tract of country, presenting similar characteristics to 



