RIO DE JANEIRO. ici 
Ascending the heights to the westward we passed a most 
magnificent cascade, which, from the number of names that 
were cut on the sides of a cavern, and a long table within it 
that was hewn out of the solid rock, seemed to have once 
been the resort of numerous visitors. The stream of water 
fell into a rich and romantic vallej, through which it flowed 
into a small arm of the sea. We observed only two planta- 
tions in the whole valley, at the dwelling house of one of 
which we took up our lodging for the night. It had little or 
no furniture, was exceedingly dirty, and we had to endure 
almost insufferable torments from the swarms of mosquitoes, 
that attacked us as we lay exposed on wooden frames with 
cane bottoms, without bedding, mattras, or curtains. The 
plantations were worked entirely by slaves, and abounded with 
cotton, coffee, cocoa, sugar, fruits and other valuable pro- 
ductions. The proprietor had a hundred slaves on his plant- 
ation, was a considerable merchant in Rio, and esteemed to - 
be a very rich man ; but his manner of living, as far as we 
were capable of judging, was destitute of every kind of com- 
fort. SuiTounded Avith the greatest abundance of the neces- 
saries and even luxuries of life, he was a total stranger to any 
of its conveniencies. He complained most grievously of the 
oppression which the inhabitants of South America suffered 
from the mother country ; that the monopoUes, the prohibi- 
tions, and the taxes, had checked commerce, impeded agri- 
culture, and destroyed the spirit of enterprise : and he repre- 
sented the dissatisfaction to have become so general at the 
burdens imposed on them, and the restrictions they were 
obliged to submit to, that he should not be surprized, he 
