526 
BAHIA , BRAZIL 
CHAP. 
Brazil, in order to complete the chronometrical measurement of 
the world. We arrived there on August 1st, and stayed four 
days, during which I took several long walks. I was glad 
to find my enjoyment in tropical scenery had not decreased 
from the want of novelty, even in the slightest degree. The 
elements of the scenery are so simple that they are worth 
mentioning, as a proof on what trifling circumstances exquisite 
natural beauty depends. 
The country may be described as a level plain of about 
three hundred feet in elevation, which in all parts has been worn 
into flat-bottomed valleys. This structure is remarkable in a 
granitic land, but is nearly universal in all those softer formations 
of which plains are usually composed. The whole surface 
is covered by various kinds of stately trees, interspersed with 
patches of cultivated ground, out of which houses, convents, and 
chapels arise. It must be remembered that within the tropics 
the wild luxuriance of nature is not lost even in the vicinity 
of large cities ; for the natural vegetation of the hedges and hill¬ 
sides overpowers in picturesque effect the artificial labour of man. 
Hence, there are only a few spots where the bright red soil 
affords a strong contrast with the universal clothing of green. 
From the edges of the plain there are distant views either of 
the ocean, or of the great Bay with its low wooded shores, and 
on which numerous boats and canoes show their white sails. 
Excepting from these points, the scene is extremely limited ; 
following the level pathways, on each hand, only glimpses into 
the wooded valleys below can be obtained. The houses, I may 
add, and especially the sacred edifices, are built in a peculiar 
and rather fantastic style of architecture. They are all white¬ 
washed ; so that when illumined by the brilliant sun of mid-day, 
and as seen against the pale blue sky of the horizon, they stand 
out more like shadows than real buildings. 
Such are the elements of the scenery, but it is a hopeless 
attempt to paint the general effect. Learned naturalists 
describe these scenes of the tropics by naming a multitude of 
objects, and mentioning some characteristic feature of each. 
To a learned traveller this possibly may communicate some 
definite ideas ; but who else from seeing a plant in an 
herbarium can imagine its appearance when growing in its 
native soil ? Who from seeing choice plants in a hothouse can 
