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one river to the other. The famous discoverer, Joao de Souza Echeve- 

 dojin 1746 made this passage: he descended the river Cuiaba, and sail-, 

 ing up theSypotubato its very sources, he there passed his canoes over*^ 

 land into the Sumidouro, which he navigated, following the current^ 

 notwithstanding that the river runs for some distance under-ground, 

 and thence derives its appellation. After this, he passed into the 

 Arinos, and thence into the Tapajos, where he surmounted the falls, 

 though more difficult than those of the Madeira, and discovered 

 many symptoms of gold in the river of Tres Barras<, a western arm 

 of the Tapajos, a hundred leagues below the springs of the Arinos. 

 West of the Sumidouro, and in the plains of Parexis, the river Xacu- 

 rutina has its origin to the north of the river Jauru : it is famous for 

 a lake, situated in one of its branches, where every year is produced 

 a great quantity of salt, which is a constant cause of war among the 

 Indians. Some navigators make the Xacurutina an arm of the Ari^ 

 nos, and others of the Sumidouro. In these plains of Parexis, termi- 

 nating to the west in the high mountains so denominated, which, ex- 

 tending two hundred leagues in a north-north-west direction, front the 

 Guapore at a distance of fifteen or twenty leagues^ springs the 

 river Juruena, between the heads of the Sarare and the Guapore, a 

 league east of the former and two west of the latter. This river, the 

 largest and westermost branch of the Tapajos, rises in lat. 14° 42', 

 twenty leagues north-north-east of Villa Bella, and, running north 

 one hundred and twenty leagues, flows into the Arinos, and with it 

 forms the bed of the Tapajos. 



The Juruena receives on both sides many small rivers, those from 

 the Avest affording many practicable communications by short pas- 

 sages over-land with the Guapore and its confluent streams. The 

 uppermost of these, which is nearest to Villa Bella, is the Securiu, 

 navigable even there, and almost to its source. This is a league 

 north of the principal source of the river Sarare, which, a quarter of a 

 league from its head, is three yards deep and five broad. Thus sail- 

 ing up the Juruena into the Securiu, and making from its source the 



