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irorn those of the San Francisco, the Paraguay, and tlie Parana. None of its summits reach to 

 a great elevation. 



3. Rivers. The Marahon, or Amazon., is the largest river in the world, both in regard to 

 the length of its course, which is upwards of 4,000 miles, and its volume of water. It rises in 

 the Andes of Bolivia, under the name of the Paro or Ucayali, and flowing northerly through 

 Peru into Quito, receives the waters of tlie Timguraguay, which descends from the Andes of 

 Peru and Quito ; thence it runs in an easterly direction across the continent, emptying the ac- 

 cumulated waters of its 200 tributaries into the ocean, under the equator, by a mouth 175 miles 

 wide. The tide is perceptible at the distance of 600 miles from the sea, and the river is navi- 

 gable several times that distance for large ships. The principal tributaries from the south, are 

 the Javary, Jutay, Jurua, and Madeira, which rise in the lofty regions of Bolivia, and the To- 

 payos and Xingu, which have their whole course in Brazil. From the north, it receives the 

 Caqueta or Yapura, the Ica or Putumayo, and the JYegro, the largest of its confluents. The 

 Cassiquiare, a branch of the Negro, is an arm of the Orinoco, and presents the singular spec- 

 tacle of one great river sending off a part of its waters into the basin of another. The Amazon 

 drains an area of upwards of 2,000,000 of square miles. 



The other principal rivers are the Para, formed by the junction of the two great streams, the 

 Tocantin and the Araguaya ; the Sa7i Francisco, and the Parnahiba, which flow into the At- 

 lantic Ocean. 



4. Plain. The whole central part of South America, comprised within the Andes of Bo- 

 livia, Peru, and New Grenada, the Parima Mountains in Venezuela, and the Serra dos Ver- 

 tentes of Brazil, including nearly the whole of the latter country, the northern part of Bolivia, 

 the eastern part of Peru, and the southeastern districts of New Grenada, forms a vast plain, 

 whose area exceeds 3,000,000 of square miles. It is covered with a luxuriant and gigantic 

 vegetation, to which the hot and humid climate gives an astonishing vigor. The immense and 

 impenetrable forests and mighty streams of this great plain, swarm with animal life in all its 

 forms ; ferocious beasts of prey, huge serpents, alligators, troops of monkeys, flocks of gaudily 

 colored and loquacious birds, and clouds of insects, are here yet undisturbed by the arts of man. 



5. Islands. At the mouth of the Amazon, lies the JWarajo or Joannes, belonging to Brazil ; 

 it is little more than a vast swamp, 150 miles in length, by 110 in breadth. About 70 leagues 

 northeast of Cape St. Roque, is the barren island of Fernando de J^oronha, which has become 

 known from its being used as a place of confinement for transported convicts. 



6. Lakes. Several lakes are found in various parts of Brazil, but none by any means com- 

 mensurate with the magnitude of the country. The lake of Patos, situated towards the southern 

 extremity, is the largest ; it is 150 miles in length, and about 35 at its greatest breadth. Lake 

 jytirim lies south of Patos, and like it runs parallel to the coast for about 90 miles, being 25 in 

 extreme breadth. 



7. Climate. In the vicinity of the Maranon, and in the northern parts, great tropical heats 

 prevail ; but these are considerably tempered by the excessive humidity of the atmosphere and 

 the copious dews. In the southern parts, the climate is mild and temperate, and frequently 

 cold. The west wind, passing over vast marshy forests, is found to be unhealthy in the interior 

 parts. From March to August is the rainy season upon the coast. During the rest of the 

 year, there is almost constant dry^veather, the wind blowing from the north with litde inter- 

 ruption. 



8. Soil and JVatural Productions. The soil is very fertile in a large portion of this country. 

 The forests produce trees of a great variety, and of a remarkable size, suited for ship-building 

 and other purposes. They are of a remarkably rapid growth. There are, besides, lighter 

 species of wood, similar to fir, not to speak of logwood, mahogany, and an infinity of ornamental 

 and dyeing woods. There are three kinds of Brazil-tcood, which is an important article of 

 export. Melons, bananas, lemons, guavas, and oranges, grow along the coast ; and aromatic 

 and medicinal plants are very abundant. The forests of Brazil are noted for the gigantic growth 

 and great variety of the trees, the profusion and beauty of the flowering shrubs, hanging under a 

 load of blossoms, the strange shapes and enormous strength and size of the creepers and para- 

 sitic plants, and the clouds of gayly-colored birds and splendid insects, that everywhere abound. 

 The silk cotton tree (Bombax), armed with strong thorns, spreads its fingered leaves in fight 

 and airy masses ; the luxuriant Iccythis, with its singular fruit resembling a pitcher, shoots out 

 numerous branches profusely covered with foliage ; the jacaranda, so well known, and so ex- 

 pensively employed as an ornamental material for furniture, under the name of rosewood, attracts 



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