CHAPTER IX 
THE CATARACTS AND MOUNTAIN-FORESTS AROUND 
SAO GABRIEL 
{January 15 to August 20, 1852) 
[This chapter is made up from parts of two letters 
to Mr. Bentham, mostly devoted to a description 
of the botanical features of the district, the diffi- 
culties of travelling and of procuring food, and other 
matters of interest as illustrating the obstructions 
in the way of a working naturalist in these remote 
regions. The remainder consists of such portions 
of the Journal as deal with subjects of general 
interest. These comprise a rather lengthy account 
of the ascent of one of the isolated rocky serras, 
which is given in full for two purposes. It gives 
a very interesting and readable account of the 
curious caatinga forests of the great granitic region, 
so strikingly different from the usual virgin forests 
of the Amazonian plains ; and, secondly, it shows 
clearly the great labour and loss of time, as well as 
expense, of making such ascents, and the extreme 
poverty of the results. Here, as in other cases, 
almost all the plants of novelty or special interest 
were found on the level ground at the foot of the 
mountain, hardly anything on the mountain itself, 
VOL. I 289 u 
