VOYAGE TO SANTAREM 65 
tinued for full five miles, following the sinuosities 
of the coast ; but when the Amazon became swollen 
by the rains to its winter level, its waters dammed 
back those of the Tapajoz, and not a bit of blue 
water or of sandy beach was to be seen in the 
mouth of the latter. The town of Santarem ex- 
tends up the Tapajoz about a mile, and fronts to 
north by west. The eastern half of this frontage, 
with two parallel streets at the back, constituted 
the town, properly so-called, and was occupied by 
the more aristocratic portion of the population : it 
contained a neat and spacious church, ornamented 
by two towers. The western half, called the aldea 
or village, was the residence of Indians and other 
free people of colour, who inhabited huts with mud 
walls — or with no walls at all, but bare posts in 
their stead — and roofs of palm-leaves. The popula- 
tion of both villa and aldea would at that time 
scarcely exceed 2000. 
Instead of the forest -clad plains and artificial 
pastures of Para, I found at Santarem natural 
campos or savannahs sloping gently upwards from 
the banks of the Tapajoz, and at the back rising 
into picturesque but not lofty hills — apparently of 
500 or 600 feet, but I had at that time no 
barometer to measure them. The soil is mostly 
a loose white sand, but the hills are strewed with 
volcanic scoriae, and towards their summits appear 
volcanic blocks of considerable size. A brook of 
remarkably clear water, the Igarape d' Irura, takes 
its rise at the foot of the most distant hills, among 
lofty forest, and runs along the eastern base of the 
nearer hills, where it is from 3 to 5 feet deep 
VOL. I F 
