VALLEY OF THE AMAZONS. 
165 
And here let me interrupt the course of my 
remarks to say, that the facts recorded in this 
article are by no means exclusively the result 
of my own investigations. They are in great 
part due to this able and intelligent young 
Brazilian, a member of the government corps 
of engineers, who, by the kindness of the 
Emperor, was associated with me in my Ama¬ 
zonian expedition. I can truly say that he 
has been my good genius throughout the whole 
journey, saving me, by his previous knowledge 
of the ground, from the futile and misdirected 
expenditure of means and time often inevita¬ 
ble in a new country, where one is imperfectly 
acquainted both with the people and their 
language. We have worked together in this 
investigation; my only advantage over him 
being my greater familiarity with like phenom¬ 
ena in Europe and North America, and conse¬ 
quent readiness in the practical handling of 
the facts, and in perceiving their connection. 
Major Coutinho’s assertion, that on the banks 
of the Amazons I should find the same red, 
unstratified clay as in Bio and along the south¬ 
ern coast, seemed to me at first almost incredi¬ 
ble, impressed as I was with the generally 
