Professional Documents
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Journey Brazil Agassiz
Journey Brazil Agassiz
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A
JOURNEY IN BRAZ I L.
BY
BOSTON:
TICKNOR AND FIELDS.
I 868.
Entered accord ing to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by
TICKNOR AND FIELDS,
I
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.
JS CRATEFULLY INSCRJBED.
PREFACE.
* There is but one sud record I huvc to make connccted with this journey.
My friend anel companion of mnny years, Mr. Burkhard t, dicd about ten
months aftcr his r~ turn, of a disease which, though not contracted in Brazil,
since it wns of some ycars' stancling, wns no floubt aggrnvatcd by the hot
climate. His g reat dcsire to accompany me lcd him, agninst my advice,
to nndertake a journey which, in bis case, wns a dangcrons one. He sufTered
very much during our stay on the Amazons, but I could not persuade him to
lcave his work; and in the following pnges it will be scen thnt his industry
was nnfiuggi ng.
PREFACE. ix
diary. I soon fell into tbe habit of giving her dailr the
more general results of my scientific observations, knowing
that she would allow nothing to be lost which was worth
prcserving. In consequence of this mode of working,
our separate contributions have become so closely inter-
woven that we should haidly know how to disconnect
them, and our .J ommon journal is therefore published,
with the exception of a few unimportant changes, almost
as it was originally written. In this volume I have at-
tempted only to give such an account of my scientific
work and its results as would explain to the public what
were the aims of the expedition, and how far they havc
been accomplished. It is my hope to complete a work,
already begun, 'on the Natural History, and especially on
the Fishes of Brazil, in which will be recorded not only
my investigatior s dnring the journey and those of my
assistants in their independent excursions, but also the
researches now regularly carried on in connection with
the immense Brazilian collections stored in the Museum
at Cambridge. This must, however, be the slow labor
of many years, and can only be pub ished ~ery gradually . .
In the mean tirpe I hope that this for~runner of the more
special reports may serve to show that our y~ar in Brazil,
full as it was of enjoyment for all the party, WU{l also rich
in permanent re~ults for science.
r.. AG.A.ssiz.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
VOYAGE FROM NEW YORK TO RIO DE JANEIRO.
P.lGB
First Sunday at Sea.- Gnlf Stream.- Gulf-Weed. -Lectures proposed.-
First Lecture: On the Gulf Strenm in the Gulf Stream.- Aqnarium
establishecl on board.- Seconcl Lecture- Rough Sea. -Peculiar Tint of
Wnter. -Third Lectnre: Lf!ying out Work of Expedition in Brazil; Dis-
tribution of Fishes in Brazilian Rivers ; its Bearing on Origin of Spccies;
Collecting of Eggs.- Tropical Sunset.- Fourth Lecture: Plan of Geologi-
cnl Investigations wi~h special reference to Glacial Phenomena iu South
America. - Flying-Fish: - Fifth Lecture: Glacial Phenomena, continued.
- Second Sundny at Sea.- Rough Water.- Sixth Lecture: Embryo-
logicnl Investigations as a Guiclc to sound Clnssification.- Seventh Lec-
tme.- ~foonlight Nights.- Trncle- Winds.- Eighth Lecture: Importance
of Precision in Loe>tlizing Specimens.-Southern Cross.- Ninth Lecture:
Fresh-water Fisbes of Brnzil. - Enster Sunday.- First Sight of South
Americnn Shore.- Olinda.- Pernambuco. - Catamarans. - Tenth Lec-
ture: Methocls of Cqllecting.- Eleventh Lecture: Clnssification of Fishes
as illustrat.ed by Embryology.- Preparntions for Arrival.- Twelfth Lec-
ture: Practical Lesson in Embryology.- Closing Lecture: Transmu-
tation Th eory; Intellectual anel Politicnl Independence.- Resolutions nnd
Speeches.- Singular Red Patches on the Surfnce of the Sea. 1- 4li
CHAP.TER II.
RIO DE JANEIRO ANJ? ITS ENVIRONS.- JUIZ DE FORA.
CHAPTER III.
LIFE IN RIO CONTINUED.- FAZENDA LIFE.
CHAPTER IV.
VOYAGEl UP THE COAST TO PAR.
CHAPTER V. \
FROM PAR TO M\ AOS. \
CHAPTER VI.
LIFE AT MANAOS.- VOYAGE FROM MANA OS TO TABATINGA.
Arrival at Manaos.- Meeting of the Solimoens with the Rio Negro. -Do-
mesticated at Mau aos.- Returno f Party from the Tapajoz.- Generosity of
Government.- Walks.- Water-Carriers.- Indian School.- Leave Ma-
naos.- Life ou board the Steamer.- Barreira das Cudajas.- Coari.-
Wooding. -Appearance of Banks.- Geological Constitution.- Forest.-
Sumaumeira-Tree.- Arrow-Grass.- Red Drift C!iffs. - Sand-Beaches.-
lndian Huts.- Turtle-Hunting. - Dryiug Fish.- Teff.- Doubts about
the Journey.- Unexpected Adviser. - Fonte Ba. - Geo!ogical Char-
acter of Banks.- Lakes.- Flocks of Water Birds.- Tonantins.- Pic-
tnresque Grouping of Indians. - San Paolo.- Land-Slides.- Charncter
of Sceuery.- Scanty Population.- Animal Life.- Tab:ttinga. - Aspect
of the Settlement.- Mosquitoes. - Leave one of the Party to make Col-
lections.- On our Way down the River.- Party to the Rivers Ia and
Hyutahy.- Aground in the Amazons.- Arrival at Teff. 186-211
CHAPTER VII.
LIFE IN TEFE.
CHAPTER VIII.
RETURN TO MANAOS. - AMAZON!AN PICNIC.
CHAPTER IX.
MANAOS AND ITS NEIGHBORHOOD.
CHAPTER X.
EXCURSION TO MAUHES AND ITS NEIGHBORHOOD.
Leave Manaos.- <j)n board the lbicuhy.- Nnvigation of the River Ra-
mos.- Aspect of the Banks.- Anival at Manhes.- Situation of Muu-
hes.- Tupinamb:tranas.- Charncter of Population.- Appearnnce of the
Villages of Mauhes.- Bolivian Indians.- Guamn.- Excursion to .Mn-
caja-Tnba.- Mupdurucn Indinns.- Aspect of Villnge.- Chnrch.- Dis-
tribntion of Presents. - Generosity of tbe Indians. -->Their Indltrerence.-
Visit to another ~ettlernent. - Return to Mauhes.- Anivnl of\ Mundnru-
cus in the Village.- Description of Tnttooing.- Collection.-Boto.-
Jndinn Superstitic>ns.- Paim Collection.- Walk in the Forest. \- Lenve
Mauhes.- Mundnrucu Indian anel his Wife.- Their Manners aud Ap-
pearance. -Indian Tradition.-Distinctions of Caste. .\ 301-321
1
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CHAPTER XI. \
\
RETURN TO MANAOS.- EXCURSION ON THEr iO NEGRO.
CHAPTER XII.
DOWN THE RIVER TO PAR. - EXCURSIONS ON THE COAST.
CHAPTER XIII.
PHYSICAL HISTORY OF THE AMAZONS.
CHAPTER XIV.
CEAR.
CHAPTER XV.
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF RIO.- ORGAN MOUNTAINS.
CHAPTER XVI.
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS OF BRAZIL.
APPENDIX.
I. The Gulf Str~am . 519
TI. Flying-Fishe~ 522
TI!. Resolutions pnssed on board tbe Colorado 525
IV. Dom Pedro Segundo Railroad 527
V. Permanence of Characteristics in different Human Species 529
VI. Sketcb of Separate Journeys undertaken by different Members of the
Expedition 688
\t
C
OF WOODCUTS.
BoTAFOGo BAY , 81
The great southeastern bay in the harbor of Rio de Jttneiro. The highest
peak in the cent1e is the Corcovado, at the foot of which stand the Insane
Asylum and the Militnry School. On the left are tbe Gavht and the Snga.r-
Loaf; on the right, Tijuca. A beach runs ali round the bay.
From a photograph by G. Leuzinger.
b
xvi LIST OF WOODCUTS.
MINA NEGRESS 88
From a photograph by Messrs. Stahl & Wahnscbaffe.
8UMAUMEIRA 391
This colossal tree is known to botanists under the name of Eriodendrum
Sumauma, and may be seen everywhere in the basiu of the Amazous.
From a photograph presented by Senhor Pimenta Bueno.
CHAPTER I.
VOY AGE FRO~I NEW YORK TO RIO DE JANEIRO.
than the western one, for the latter is chilled by the Arctic
currents, which form a band of cold water all alo~g the
Atlantic shore. Their iufiuence is felt nearly to the lati-
tude of Florida. On co ing out of the Gulf Stream the
temperature of the water was 68, and so it contiuued for
an hour longer, after which Mr. Agassiz ceased his obser-
vations. To-day some of the gulf-weed was gathercd by a
sailor, and we found it ctowded with life. Hydroids, in
numbers, had their home upon it ; the delicate branching
plumularia and a pretty campanularia, very like some of
our New England species; beside these, bryozoa, tiny com-
ponnd mollusks, crusted its stem, and barnacles were abun-
dant upon it. These are all the wonders tbat the deep has
yielded us to-day, though the pretty Portuguese men-of-war
go fioating by the vessel, out of reach thus far. Such are
the events of our life : we eat and drink and sleep, read,
study Portuguese, and write up our jourpals.
April 4th. - It has occurred to Mr. Agassiz, as a means
of preparing the young men who accompany him for the
work before them, to give a course of lectm;es on ship-
board. Some preparation of the kind is the more necessary,
since much of the work must be done independently of
'him, as it will be impossible for so large a party. to travei
together ; and the instructions needed will be more easily
given in a daily lecture to all, than in separate conversa-
tions with each one singly. The idea finds general favor.
The large saloon makes an excellent lecture-room ; a couple
of leaves from the dining-table with a black oil-cloth
stretched across them serve as a blackboard. The audi-
ence consists, not only of our own company, but includes
the few ladies who are on board, Mr. Bradbury, the captain
of our steamer, Bishop Potter, some of the ship's officers,
4 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
VOYAGE FROM NEW YORK TO RIO DE JANEIRO. 7
W e are now fairly in the tropics. " The trad es " blow
heavily, and yesterday was a dreary day for those unused to
tbe ocean; the beautiful blue water, of a peculiar metallic
tint, as remarkable in color, it seemed to me, as the water
of the Lake of Geneva, did not console us for the heavy
moral and physical depression of sea-sick mortais. To-day
the world looks brighter; there is a good deal of motion,
but we are more accustomed to it. This morning the lec-
ture had, for the first time, a direct bearing upon the work
of the expedition. The subject was, " How to observe,
and what are the objects of scientific explorations in mod-
era times."
" My companions and myself have come together so sud-
denly and so unexpectedly on our present errand, that we
have had little time to organize our work. The laying out
of a general scheme of operations is, therefore, the first and
one of the most important points to be discussed between
us. The time for great discoveries is passed. No student
of nature goes out now expecting to find a new world, or
looks in the heavens for any new theory of the solar system.
The work of the naturalist, in our day, is to explore worlds
the existence of which is already lmown; to investigate,
not to discover. The first explorers, in this modern sense,
were Humboldt in the physical world, Cuvier in natural
history, Lavoisier in chemistry, La Place in astronomy.
They have been the pioneers in the kind of scientific work
characteristic of our century. W e who have chosen Brazil
as our field must seek to make ourselves familiar with its
physical features, its mountains and its rivers, its animais
and plants. There is a change, however, to be introduced
force of the currcnt, thc density und calor of the wnter, nnd the animal and
vegetnblc produr.tions contaiued in it. (Soe Appcndix No. I .) -L. A.
f
8 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
"Our next aim, and with the same object, namely, its
bearing upon the question of origin, will be the stndy of the
yonng, the collecting of eggs and embryos. This is the
more important, since museums generally show on1y adnlt
specimens. A.s far as I know, the Zoological Musenm at
Oambridge is the only one conta.ining large collections of
embryological specimens from ali the classes of the ani-
mal kingdom. One significant fact, however, is already
known. In their earliest stages of growth all anim ais of
the same class are much more alike than in th eir adult
condition, and sometimes so nearly alike as hardly to be
distinguished. Indeed, there is an early period when the
resemblances greatly outweigh the differences. How far
the representatives of different classes resemble one another
remains to be ascertained with precision. There are two
possible interpretations of these facts. One is that animais
so nearly identical in the beginning must 'have been origi-
nally derived from one germ, and are bnt modifications or
transmutations, under various physical conditions, of this
primitive unit. The other interpretation, founded on the
same facts, is, that since, notwithstanding this material iden-
tity in the beginning, no germ ever grows to be different
from its parent, or diverges from the pattern imposed upon
it at its birth, therefore some other cause besides a material
one must control its development; and if this be so, we bave
to seek an explanation of the differences between animais
ou tside of physical influences. Thus far both these views
rest chiefly upon personal convictions and opinions. The
true solution of the problem must be sought in the study
of the development of the animais themselves, and embry-
ology is still in its infancy ; for, though a very complete
study of the embryology of a few animais has beeu made,
14 A JOUR:t\'EY IN llRAZU.
ore
m- th" iurdi-
he will work out the whole; and so I believe when the laws
of embryological development are better understood, natu- -
ralists will bave a key to the limits of these cycles of growth,
and be ablc to appoint them their natural boundaries even
from partial data.
"Next in importanc~ I would place the Tapirs. This is
one of a family whose geological antecedents are very
important and interesting. The Mastodons, the Palrnothe-
rium, the Dinotherium, and other large Mammalia of the
Tertiaries, are closcly related to the Tapir. The elephant,
rbiuoceros, aud the likc, are of the same family. From its
structural standing next to the elephant, which is placed
highest in the group, the embryology of the Tapir would
give us a very complete series of changes. It would seem
from some of1 the fossil remains of this family that the
Pachyderms ;yere formerly more nearly related to the
Ruminants and Rodents than they now are. Therefore it
would be well to study the embryology of thc Capivari, the
Paca, and the Peccary, in connection with that of the Tapir.
Lastly, it will be important to learn something of the em-
bryology of the Manatee or Sea-Cow of the Amazons. It is
sorriething like a porpoise in outline, and seems to be the
modern representative of the ancient Dinotherium."
.April 12th. - The lecturc to-day was addressed espeDially
to the ornithqlogists of the party, its object being to show
how the same method of study,- that of testing the classifi-
cation by the phascs of growth in the different geoups,-
might be applfcd to the birds as profitably as to other types.
W c have mp,de good progress in the last forty-eight hours,
and are fast leaving onr friends "the trades" behind. The
captain promises us smooth waters in a day or two. With
the dy~g away of the wind will come grcatcr heat, but as
VOYAGE FROM NEW YORK TO RIO DE JANEIRO. 27
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VOYAGE FROM NEW YORK TO RIO DE JANEIRO. 29
Old W orld, and in ali the rivers and lakes of the temperate
zone, communicating with the Atlantic Ocean. Thcy occur
in smaller numbers in most tribntaries of the Mecliterra-
nean, but are common in the Volga anel Dannbe, as well
as in the Mississippi, in some of the rivers on our north-
ern Atlantic and Pacific coasts, anel in China. This fam-
ily has no representativos in Africa, Southern Asia, Anstra-
lia, or South America, but there is a group corresponding
in a certain way to it in South America,- that o f the Go
niodonts. Though some ichthyologist~ place them widcly
apart in their classifications, there is, on the whole, a
striking resemblauce between the Sturgeons anel Gonio-
douts. Gronps of this kind, reproducing certaiu features
common to both, but differing by spccial structural modifica-
tions, are called 'representativo types.' This narne applies
1
impor :ant
3
34 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
ence, and are not yet very extensively known in the com-
munity; but when the facts are more fully understood, they
cannot fail to affect the fundamental principies of zoology.
I have been astonished to see how little weight Darwin
himself gives to this series of transformations ; he hardly
alludes to it, and yet it has a very direct bearing on his
theory, since it shows that, however great the divergence
from the starting-point in any process of development, it
ever retnrns to the road of its normal destiny; the cycie
may be wide, but the boundaries are as impassable as if it
were narrower. However these processes of development
may approach, or even cross each other, they never end in
making any living being different from' the one which gave
it birth, though in reaching that point it may pass through
phases rcsembling other animais.
"In considering these questions we shouid remember how
slight are most of those specific differences, the origin of
which gives rise to so much controversy, in comparison with
the cycle of changes undergone by every individual in the
conrse of its development. There are numerous genera,
including many very closely allied species, distinguished by
differences which, were it not for the fact that they have
remained unchanged and invariable through ages, might be
termed insignificant. Such, for instance, are the various
species of corais found in the everglades of Florida, where
they lived and died ages ago, and had the identical
specifi.c differences by which we distinguish their succes-
sors in the present Florida reefs. The whole science of
zoology in its present condition is hased upon tbe fact that
these slight differences are maintained generation after gen-
eration. And yet every individual on such a coral stock,-
and the same is true of 'ny individual in any class whatso-
42 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
CHAPTER II.
RIO DE JANEIRO AND ITS ENVIRONS. - JUIZ DE FORA.
I
A.p1il 23d. -- Yesterday at early dawn we made Cape
Frio light, and at seven o'clock were aroused by the wel-
come informatton that the Organ Mountains were in sight.
The coast range here, thongh not very lofty, (its highcst
summits ranging only from two to three thousancl feet,) is .
bold and prec:ipitous. The peaks are very conical, and
thc sides slop~ steeply to the water's edge, where, in many
places, a wide beach runs along their base. The scenery
grew more picturesque as we approachecl the entrance of
the bay, which is guardcd by heights risiug sentinel-1ike
on either side. Once within this narrow rocky portal,
the immense harbor, stretching northward for more than
twenty miles, seems rather like a vast lake enclosed by
mountains th2fn like a bay. On one side extends the
ridge which shuts it from the sea, broken by the sharp
peaks of the Corcovado, the Tijuca, and the fl.at-topped
Gavia; on the other side, and more inlaud, tbe Organ
RIO DE JANEIRO AND ITS ENVIRONS.
ing tbeir summits bere and there, and they glimmer all
along the shore .for two or three miles on either side of
the central, business part of the town.
Soon after our arrival Mr. Agassiz received an official
visit from a custom-house agent, saying that he had
orders to land all our baggage without examination, and
that a boat would be sent at any day and hour convenient
to him to bring his effects on shore. This was a great
relief, as the scientific apparatus, added to the personal
luggage of so large a party, makes a fearful array of boxes,
cases, &c. It would be a long business to pass it ali
through the cumbrous ceremonies of a custom-house.
Tbis afternoon, while Mr. Agassiz had gone to San Chris-
tovo * to acknw'ledge this courtesy and to pay his respects
to the Emperor, we were wandering over a little island
(Ilha das Enxa das) near which our ship lies, and from
1
dancing, while the upper part of the body and the arms
had that swaying, rhythmical movement from side to side
so characteristic of all the Spauish dances. After looking
on for a while we went into the garden, where there
were cocoanut and banana trees in fruit, passion-vines
climbing over the house, with here and there a dark
crimson flower gleaming between the leaves. The effect
was pretty, and the whole scene had, to my eye, an aspect
half Southern, half Oriental. It was nearly dark when
we returned to tbe boat, but the negroes were continuing
their dance under the glow of a bonfire. From time to
time, as the dance reached its culminating point, they
stirrecl their fire, and lighted up the wild group with
its vivid blaze. The dance and the song had, like the
amusements of the negroes in all lands, an endless mo-
notonous repetition. Looking at their half-naked figures
and unintelligent faces, the question arose, so coustantly
suggested when we come in contact with this race,
" What will they do with this great gift of freeclom ? "
The only corrective for the half doubt is to consider the
whites side by side with them: whatever one may think
of the condition of slavery for the blacks, there can be
no question as to its evil e.ffects on their masters. Oaptain
Bradbury asked the proprietor of the island whet~1er he
hired. or owned his slaves. "Own them, - a hundred and
more ; but it will finish soon," he answered in bis broken
English. "Finish soon ! how do you mean?" "It fini h
with you; and when it finish with you, it finish hore, it
finish everywhere." He said it not in any tone of regret
or complaint, but as an inevitable fact. The death-note
of slavery in the Uriitcd State wa its death-note every-
where. We thought this ignificant and cheering.
4
50 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
are four cssentially diffcrent forms mong the palms : the tal! ones, with a
slcnder and erect stem, terminating with a crown of Jong fcathery !caves,
or with broau fan-shapeu leavcs; fhe bushy oncs, the !caves of which rise
as it were in tufts from the ground, the stem rcmaining hid,!en unuer the
foliage; the brushlike ones, with a small stem, and a few rnther large !caves;
anu the winding, crecping, slcnder spccies. Their flowers anu fruits are as
varied as their stock. Some of these fruits may be compared to )urge woody
nms, with a flcshy mnss inside; others have u scaly covering; others resemble
peaches or apricots, while othcrs still are like pluma or grapcs. Most of them
are e:ttable and rather pleasunt to the tnste. It is a thousnnr! pitics tlmt so
mnny of these mnjestic trces should bave been deprived o f thcir souorous native
names, to bcnr henceforth, in ,the nnnuls of sr.ience, the nnmcs of some unknown
princes, whom flattery ulonc could rescue fiom oulivion. The Innju ha bccome
a Maximiliann, thc Jara a Lcopoldinia, the Pupnnha a Gnili elma, the Pachiuba
an Irinrtca, thc Cnranu a Mauritia. Thc changes from Inrlinn to Greck names
havc not becn more felicitons. I would certainly hnvc prefcrred Jacitara to
D esmoncbus, lvincaja to Acrocomiu, Baccaba to CEnocarpus, Tncuma to
Astroraryum. Even Eutcrpe for Assui is hanlly an im.provcmcnt.- L . A.
70 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
ing, while the orange orchards are golde11 with fruit, and
flowers are everywhere. We had little time to become
acquainted with the beauty of the place, which we hope to
explore more at our leisure on some future visit, for sunrise
tbe next morning saw us 011 om road again. The soft
clouds hanging over tbe tops of the mountaius were just
tinged with the first rays of the sun whe11 we drove out
of the town on the top of the diligence, the mules at
full gallop, the guard sounding a gay reveille as we rattled
over the little bridge and past the pretty houses where
closed windows and doors showed that the inhabitants were
hardly yet astir.
The first part of our road lay through the lovely valley of
the Piabanha, the river whose acquaintance we had already
made in Petropolis, and which accompanied us for the first
forty or fifty miles of our jonrney, sometimes a restless
stream broken into rapids and cascades, sometimes spread-
ing into a broad, placid river, but always enclosed between
mouutains rising occasionally to the height of a few thou-
sand feet, lifting here and there a bare rocky face seamed
with a thousand scars of time aud studded with Bromelias
and Orchids, but more often clothed with ali the glory of
the Southern forest, or covered from base to summit with
coffee shrubs. A thriving coffee plantati.on is a very pretty
sight; the rounded, regular outli11e of the shrubs gives a
wfted look. to the hillside 011 which they grow, and their
gli ttering foliage contrasts strikingly at this season with
theit bright red berries. One often passes coffee planta-
tions, however, which look ragged and thin; in this case
the trees are either suffering from the peculiar insect so
iujurious to them, (a kind of Tinea,) or have run out
and become exhausted. As we drove along, the scenes
72 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
along the weary road, d?es not tell me what the hungry
RIO DE JANEIRO AND ITS ENVIRONS. 73
* This observation was confirmcd by our ycar's traYel. Thc Brazilians cara
little for a varicty of vegetahles, and do not give much attention to their culti-
vation. Those they do use are cluefly imported in cans from Europe.
t On our rcturn from the Amnzons a ycar !ater we hcmd with grea.t regret
of the death o f Mr. Taylor For many months he took an . active part in the
objects of the Expedition, being himself a good naturalist, and not only rnade
valuablo collections for Mr. Agassiz, but also some adm irablc colored draw-
ings of fishes and insects, which it is hoped may be published at a future time
with the other scientific results of this journcy.
4
74 A JOURNEY IN BRAZ~.
CHAPTER III.
LIFE IN RIO CONTINUED. - FAZENDA LIFE.
Mina Nogress.
and then ca ting one end of her long drapery over her
shoulder talked away with the air of a tragedy queen.
It ~ rTe llS a cradle also for, tying it loosely round their
1p they lip th(il baby into the folds behind, and therc
it han 0~ rock:ed tq sleep by the mother's movement as she
walks on wi h her long, swinging tread. 'l'he Mina ne-
gre is almost in>ariably remarkable for her beautiful
hand a.nd arm. ~11e seems to be conscions of this, and
usually wears clo~:e-fitting bra.celets at the wrist, made of
LIFE IN RIO CONTINUED. 85
some bright-colored beads, which set off the form of the
hand and are exceedingly becoming on her dark, shining
skin. These negroes are Mohammedans, and are suid to
remain faithful to their prophet, though surrounded by the
observances of the Oatholic Ohurch. They do not seem
to me so affable and responsive as the Coligo negroes, but
are, on the contrary, rather haughty. One morning I carne
upon a cluster of them in the market breakfasting after
their work was done, and I stopped to talk with them, ask-
ing wbat they had for breakfast, and trying various subjects
on wbich to open an acquaintance. But they looked at
me coldly and suspiciously, barely answering my questions,
and were evidently relieved when I walked away.
May 26th.- Tijnca. In the pleasant environs of Rio
there is no resort more frequented than the establishment
of Mr. Bennett at Tijuca, and we were not sorry the day
before yesterday to leave the hot, dusty city, with a pleasant
party of friends, for this cluster of mountains, some eigh-
teen hundred feet above the sea levei and about eight miles
from Rio. It takes its uame from the peak of Tijuca, so
conspicuous an object in thc coast range. On our arrival
we were very cordially welcomed by our host himself, who
was not quite a stranger to us, for Mr. Agassiz has been
already indebted to him for valuable collections. Mr. Ben-
nett has an Englishman's love of nature, and is very fa-
miliar with the botany and zoology of the beautiful region
which has been bis home for many years. Under bis guid-
ance, we have taken a number of pleasant rambles and
rides, regretting only that we cannot avail ourselves for a
longer time of bis intimate knowledge of the locality and
its productions.
I have alluded before to the perplexing character of the
86 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
should now entertain the idea that the surface rocks are
everywhere decomposed, and that there is no erratic forma-
tion or drift here . But upon close examination it is easy
to perceive that, while the decomposed rocks onsist of
small particles of the primitive rocks which they represent,
with their dikes and all other characteristic features, there
is nota trace of larger or smallcr boulders in them; while
the superincumbent drift, consisting of a similar paste,
does not show the slightest sign of the indistinct stratifica-
tion characteristic of the decomposed metamorphic roclcs
below it, nor any of the decomposed dikes, but is full of
various kinds of boulders of various dimensions. I have
not yet traced the boulders to tbeir origin ; but the majority
consist of a kind of greenstone composed of equal amounts
of a greenish bl~ck hornblende and feldspar. In Entre
Rios on the Parahyba, I was told by an engineer on the
road that in Mi9as Geraes iron mines are workcd in a
rock like these bpulders. This week I propose to explore
the Serra da Maptiqueira,* which separates the province
of Rio from Minas, and may advance the question further.
But you see th ~t I need not go to the Andes to find
erratics, though it may yet be necessary for me to go,
in order to trace the evidence of glacier action in the
accumulation of this drift ; for you will notice that I
have only given you the evidence of extensve accumu-
lations of drift ~imilar in its characteristics to Northern
drift. But I haye not yet seen a trace of glacial action
properly speaking, if polished surfaces and scratches and
furrows are espec~ally to be considered as such.
"The decomposition of the surface rocks to the extent
to which it takes place here is very remarkable, and p~nts
* Mr. Agassiz was prevented from making this excursion.
LIFE IN RIO CONTINUED. 89
* Though a residcnt of the United States for nearly twenty ycars, Mr.
A gnssiz was only Ifnturalized in 1863. At the moment when a general
distrust of our institrtions prevai\ed in Enrope, it wus a satistitction to him
to testify by some personal and pnblie act his confidence in them.
LIFE IN RIO CONTINUED. 93
given after the true New England fashion. I must say that,
if the absolutely uninterrupted attention of an audience is
any test of its intelligence, no man could ask a better one
thau that which Mr. Agassiz has had the pleasure of ad-
dressing in Rio de Janeiro. It has also been a great pleasure
to him, after teaching for nearly twenty years in English, to
throw off the fetters of a foreign tongue and speak again in
French. After all, with a few exceptions, a man's native
language remains for him the best ; it is the elcment in
which he always moves most at ease.
The Emperor, with his family, has been present at ali
these lectures, and it is worthy of note, as showing the
simplicity of his character, tbat, instead of occupying the
raised platform intended for them, he caused the chairs
to be placed on a level with the others, as if to show that
in science at least there is no distinction of rank.*
June 11th.- To-day has been a festa, but one the sig-
nificance of which it is somewhat difficult to understand,
so singularly is the religious element mingled with the
grotesque and quaint. In the Church it is the feast of
Corpus Christi, but it happens to fall on the same date as
another festival in honor of St. George, which is kept with
all sorts of antique ceremonies. I went in the morning
with our young friend, Mr. T--, to the Imperial chapel,
where high mass was celebrated, and at the close of the
services we had some difficulty in finding our way back
to the hotel, before which the procession was to pass, for
the street was already draped with all sorts of gay colors
\
FAZENDA LIFE. 103
after all, this afternoon, but some birds which were valuable
as specimens. W c rode home in the evening to a late
dinner, after which an enormous bonfire, built by the
negroes in honor of the Eve of St. Joo, was lightcd in
front of the house. The scene was exceedingly pictu-
resque, the whole establishment, the neighboring negro
huts, and the distant forest being illuminated by the
blaze, around which the blacks were dancing, accompa-
nying their wild gestures with song and drum. Every
now and then a burst of fireworks adde4 new brightness
to the picture.
The next day, the 24th, began with a long ride on horse-
back before breakfast, after which I accompanied Mr. Agassiz
on a sort of exploration among the Cupim nests (the nests
of the Termites) These are mounds some times three or
four or eveu six feet high, and from two to three or four
feet in diameter, of an extraordinary solidity, almost as
hard as rock. Senhor Lage sent with us several negroes
carrying axes tq split them open, which, with all their
strength, proved no easy task. These nests appear usually
to have been built around some old trunk or root as a
foundation; the interior, with its endless serpentine pas-
sages, looked not unlike the convolutions of a meandrina or
brain coral ; the walls of the passages seemed to be bnilt of
earth that had been chewed or kneaded in some way, giv-
ing them somewhat the consistency of paper. The interior
was quite soft and brittle, so that as soou as the negroes
could break through the outer envelope, ahout six inches
in thickness, the whole structure readily fell to pieces.
It had no opening outside, hut we found, on uprooting
one of these edifices from the hottom, that the wl\ole
base was perfor~ted with boles leading into the ground
FAZENDA LIFE. 105
beneath. The interior of all of them swarmed with the
different kinds of inhabitants ; the little white ones, the
larger black ones with brown heads and powerful forceps,
and in each were found one or two very large swollen
white ones, quite different in dimensions and appearance
from the rest, probably the queens. With the assistance
of the negroes, Mr. Agassiz made, for future examination,
a large collection of all the different kinds of individuais
thus living together in various numeric proportions, and
he would gladly have carried away one of the nests, but
they are too cumbersome for transportation. The Cupim
nests are very different from the dwellings of the Sauba
ants, which have large externai openings. 'l'be latter
make houses by excavating, and sometimes undermine a
hill so extensively, with their long galleries, tbat when
a fire is lighted at one of the entmnces .to extermina te
them, the smoke issues at numerous openings, distant per-
haps a quarter of a mile from each other, showing in how
many directions they have tunnelled out the hill, and
that tbeir winding passages communicate with each other
throughout. So many travellers have given accounts of
these ant-houses, and of the activity of thcir inhabitants
in stripping and carrying off the leaves of trecs to deposit
them in tbeir habitations, that it hardly seems worth while
to repeat the story. Y et no one can see withou t aston-
ishment one of these ant-armies travelling along the road
they have worn so neatly for themselves, those who aro
coming from the trees looking like a green procession, al-
most hidden by the fragments of lcaves they carry on thcir
backs, while the returning troops, who have already de
posited their burden, are hurrying back for more. There
seems to be another set of individuais rnnning to and fro,
5*
106 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
tbe bngles long before the dawn, twanging the guitar and
whistling on the peculiar instrument used here to call the
garne. .A.ltogether it is the rnost novel and iuteresting
collection of social elements, mingling after a kind of pic-
nic fashion without the least formality, and we feel every
day how rnnch we owe to our kind hosts for adrnitting
us to an occasion where one sees so mnch of what is
national and charaeteristic. The next day we went to
breakfast at a smaller fazenda belonging also to Senhor
Lage, higher up on the Serra da Bauylonia. .A.gain, start-
ing before sunrise, we went slow1y up the mountain, the
surnrnit of which is over 3,000 feet above the sea level.
W e were preceded by the "liteira," a queer kind of car
slung between two rnules, in which rode the grandrnarnma
and the baby; as carriages are impossible on these moun-
tain roads, some such conveyance is necessary for those
who are too old or too young for horseback travelling.
The view was lovely, the morning cool and beautiful, and
aftet a two hours' rido we arrived at the upper fazenda.
Here we left our horses and went on foot into the forest,
wbere the ladies and children wandered about, gathering
fiowers and exploring the wood walks, while the gentle-
men occupied themselves with fishing and hunting till
midday, when we returned to the honse to breakfast.
Tbe result of the chase was a monkey, two eaitit (wild
pigs), and a great variety of birds, all of whieh went to
swell the scientifie eollections. * We returned to dine at
* I was espccially intcrcsted in examining the vegetuhle productions of a
littlc Jakc, hardly Jarger than a mill-pond, ncar this fazenda. It wus strange
to see Potmnogo ton anel Myriophyllum, plan ts which wc associatc cxclusivcly
witb thc frcsh wntcrs of thc tempcrnte zone, growing in the shadow of tropical
forcsts whcrc monkeys hnYe thcit home. Such combinations are very puzzling
to the studcrrt of the laws of gcographicnl distribution. -L. A.
108 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
the lower fazenda, and all retired soon aftei, for the next
day the great hunt of the week would take place, and we
were to be early astir.
At dawn the horses were at the door, and we were mount-
ing the Serra before sunrise. W e were bound to a fazenda
on the Serra da Babylonia, some two leagues from the one
at which we were stayiug, and on hi gher ground, too high
indeed for the cnlture of coffee, and devoted to pasture
land. It is here that Senhor Lage has his horses and
cattle. The ride along the zigzag road winding ltp the
Serra was delightful in the early morning. The clouds
were ilushed with the dawn; the distant hills and the for-
est, spreading endlessly beneath us, glowed in the sunrise.
The latter part of the road lay mostly through the woods,
and brought us out, after some two hours' ride, on the
brow of a hill verlooking a small lake, sunk in a cup-
like depression of the mountain, just beyond which was
the fazenda. The scenic effect was very pretty, for the
border of the lake was ornamented with ilags, and on
its waters iloated a little miniature steamer with the
.American ilag at; one end and the Brazilian at the other.
Our host invited us to ride in at the gate of the fazenda,
in advance of the rest of our cavalcade, a request which
we understood when, as we passed the entrance, the little
steamer pnt intq shore, and, firing a salute in our houor,
showed its name, GA SSrz, in full. It was a pleasant sur-
prise very successfully managed. After the little excite-
ment of this inciflent was over, we went to the house to tie
up our riding-habits and prepare for the woods. We then
embarked in the pewly-christened boat and crossed the lake
to a forest on the other side. Here were rustic tables and
seats arranged Ujlder a tent where we were to breakfast;
FAZENDA LIFE. 109
but while the meal was making ready and a fire building
for the boiling of coffee, the stewing of chicken, rice, and
other creatur.e comforts, we . wandered at will in the wood.
This was the most beautiful, because the wildest and most
primitive, specimen of tropical forest we have yet seen.
I thiuk no description prepares one for the diffcrence
between this forest and our own, even though the latter
be the " forest primeval." It is not merely the difference
of the vegetation, but the impenetrability of the mass here
that makes tbe density, darkness, and solemnity of the
woods so impressive. It seems as if the mode of growth -
many of the trees shooting up to an immense height, , but
branching only toward the top- were mcant to give room
to the legion of parasites, sipos, lianas, anel climbing plants
of all kinds which fill the intervening spaces. There is one
fact which makes the study of the tropical forest as inter-
esting to the geologist as to the botanist, namely, its rela-
tion to the vegetable world of past ages hidden in the
rocks. The tree-ferns, thc Chammrops, the Pandanus, the
Araucarias, are all modern representativos of past types,
and this walk in the forest was an important one to Mr.
Agassiz, because he made out one of those laws of growth
which unite the past and the present. The Chammrops is a
palro belonging to the ancieut vegetable world, but having
its represeutati ves in our days. The modern Chammrops,
with its fan-likc leaves spreading on one levei, stands struc-
turally lower than the Palms with pinnate leaves, which
belong almost exclusively to our geological age, and have
numerous lea:fiets arranged along either side of a central
axis. The young Palms were exceedingly numerous, spring-
ing up at every step upon our path, some of them not more
than two inches high, while their elders towered fifty feet
110 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
why these men will wait motionless for hours, and think
themselves repaid (as I heard one of them declare) if tbey
only hear the cry of the dogs and know they have roused
the game, even if there be no other result. However, in
this ii1stance, we had plenty of other booty. The A.nta lost,
the hunters, who had carefully avoided firing hitherto, lest
the sounds of their gnns should give him warning, now
turned their attention to lesser garoe, and we rode home
in the afternoon rich in spoils, though without a Tapir.
The next day was that of our dcparture. Before leav-
ing, we rode with Mr. Lage through bis plantation, that
we might understand something of the process of coffee
culture in this country. I am not sure that, in giving
an account of this model fazenda, we give a just idea
of fazenda~ in general. Its owner carries the same large
1
..
120 .A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
CHAPTER IV.
VOY AGE UP THE COAST TO PAR.
straint upon the free blacks, the fact that they are eligible
to office, and that all professional careers are open to them,
without prejudice on the ground of color , enables one to
form some opinion as to their ability and capacity for
development. Mr. Sinimbu tells us th'at here the result
is on the whole in their favor ; he says that the free
blacks compare well in intelligence and activity with the
Brazilians and Portuguese. But it must be remembered,
in making the comparison with reference to our own coun-
try, that bere tbey are brought into contact with a less
energetic and powerful race than the- ..nglo-Saxon. Mr.
Sinimbu believes that emancipation is to be accomplished
in Brazil by a gradual process which has already begun .
.. large number of slaves are freed every year by the
wills of their masters ; a still larger number buy their
own freedom annually; and as there is no longer any
importation of blacks, the inevitable result of th is must
be the natural deatb of slavery. Unhappily, the process
is a slow one, and in the mean while slavery is doiug its
evil work, debasing and enfeeblin g alike whites and blacks.
The Brazilians themselves do not deny this, and one con-
stantly hears them lament th e necessity of sending their
children away to be educated, on account of tb e injurious
association with the house-servants. In fact, al thongh
politically slavery bas a more hopeful aspect hcre than
elsewhere, the institution from a moral point of ; iew has
some of its most revolting characters in this country, aud
looks, if possible, more odious tb an it did in th e States.
The other day, in the neighborhood of Rio, I bad an
opportunity of seeing a marriage between t wo negroes,
whose owner made the r eligious, a r, as it appeared to
me on this occasion, irreligious ceremony, obligutory. Tbe
6*
130 ' A JOURNEY IN llRAZIL.
trying to escape into the air and light. The palm cannot
long survive, however, and with its death it seals the doom
of its murderer also. There is another evidence, and a
more pleasing one, of the luxnriance of nature on this
same road. The skeloton of a house stands by the way-
side; whether a ruiu or unfinished, I am unable to say,
but at all evcnts only the walls are standing, with thc
openings for doors and windows. Nature has completed
this imperfect d welling ; - she h as covered it over with
a green roof, she has planted the empty enclosure with
a gardcn of her own choosing, she has trained vines around
the open doors and windows; and the deserted house, if it
has no other inmates, is at least a home for the birds.
It makes a very pretty pictnre. I never pass it without
wishing for a sketch of it. On our arrival in town we
went at once to the market. It is very near the water,
and we werc much amused in watching the Indian canoes
at the landing.' The "montaria," as the Indian calls his
canoe, is a long, narrow boat, covered at one end with
a thatched roof, under which is tbe li vin g-room of the
family. Hcre the Indian has his horne ; wife anel children,
hammock, cooking u tensils,- all his household goods, in
fact. In some of the boats the women were preparing break-
fast, cooking the coffee or the tapioca over a pan of coals.
In others they 'Nere selling the coarse . pottery, which they
make into all kinds of utensils, sometimes of qite grace-
ful, pretty forms. W e afterwards weilt through the mar-
ket. It is quite large and neatly kept; bnt the Brazilian
markets are only good as compared with each other.
The meats are generally poor; there is little game to be
seen; they have no variety of vegetables, which might be
so easily cultivated here, anel even the display of fruit
142 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
* This mu~h room bclongs to the gcnus Phnllus, and sqcms to be an unde-
scribed spccies. I pre~ er vcd it in alcoho l, but was unable to have any drnw-
ing mndc from it bcfor~ its beauty and frcshncss wcre quite gonc. In thc carly
morning, whilc the grass was still damp, wc oftcn fouml a peculiar snnil, a spe-
cies of Bulimus, creeping by the road side. Tho f'orm of thc anterior part of
thc foot was nnlik c that of any species known thus far from this group. Snch
facts show the cles irableness of making clrawings from tho soft parts of thcse
animais as wcll as from thcir solid envelopes. -L. A.
VOYAGE UP THE COAST TO PAR. 145
thc superficial material ~ which, hcre as in the North of Europe und Amcricu,
may be elcs ignateel as elrift, cannot be thc r esult of the decomposition of
unelel'!ying rocks, since tbc Jatter are sometimes granito, somctimes gnciss,
sometimcs mica or talcqse slute, somctimes sundstone, whilc thc drift presents
the same composition evcrywhere. I am as far us ever from being able to
point out the origin of thcse materiais and the direction of their tmnsporta-
tion. Now that Major Coutinho has lertrned to disti ng uish the drift fmm
tbe decomposed rocks, he rrssures me thut wc shall find it .throughout the
valley of the Amazons. The bolelcst im agination shrinks from any general-
izatiou on this subject, and yet we must gruclually familiarize onrselves with
the ielea that the canse which has dispersed thcse materiais, whatever it be,,
has actcd on the lurgcst scale, sin ce they are probably to be fou nd ali over
the continent. Already I learn that my young travelling compunions have
obscrved the drift in the environs of Barbacena anel Ouro-Preto, und in the
val!ey of the Rio das Y!)!has. My zoological results are not less satisfactory;
and to spcak o f the fishes nlouc, I have founel at Par during onc week more
species thrrn hrrve as Y\lt been dcscribed from the whole bnsin of the Ama-
zona, - sixty-three in 1111. This study ,vi]] be usefnl, I hope, to ichthyology,
for I have alreaely succeeded in elisting uishing five new f<milies and eighteen
new gcncra, while the unpubli shed species do not ntunber less thrrn forty-rtine.
It is a gu!,lranty of tlje rich harvcst I shall make when I enter upon the
VOYAGE UP THE COAST TO PAR. 151
domain of the Amazons propcrly so called ; for I have sccn as yet but a tcnth
part of the fhtviatilc spccics kno\vn from this basin, and some of the mnrine
species which come up to Par. Unhappily, Mr. Burkhardt is ill, and has been
able to paint but four of the new species we have procured; and of nearly
half the number, only single specimens havc been secured. On my rcturn
I must make a longcr stay in Par in arder to fill thesc dcfi ciencies. I am
enchanted wi th the grandeu r of nature here. Y ou r Majesty cer tainly reigns
ovcr the most beautiful empire of the world; and, personal as are thc atten-
tions which I rcceive wherever I stop, I cannot but believe that, were it not for
tbe gencrous and hospitable character of the Brazilians and the interest of the
bigher classes in thc progress of science nnd civi lization, I sho uld not have
met with thc facilities which crowd my path. Thus, in arder to render the
exploration of the ri ver from Par to Manaos more easy, Mr. Pimenta Bueno,
instead of allo wing m~ to take the regular stcamer, hns p ut at my disposition,
for a month or six weeks, onc of tho finest boats of the company, where I am
install ed as conveniently as in my Museum at Cambridgc. Mr. Coutinho is
full of attent.ion, and renclers my work doubly light by procuring, in advance,
all the iuformation possiblo. But I will not fnrthor abuse your Mn.josty's
leisuTe, ouly begging yon to believe in the complete dcvotion and 1ospectful
affection of
Your humblc and obedient ser vant,
L. AGASSIZ.
152 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
CHAPTER V.
FROM PAR TO MANAOS.
of Chrotodonts, and I may now add that it is a near relative of the Chromidrs,
anel should stancl by the sido of Pterophyllum in a natural system. Monocir-
rus of Heckel, which I consider as the typc of a smA!l family undcr the namc
of Folhidre, is also closely allied to these, though providcd with a barbcl;
and should be placed with Polycentrus side by side with the Chromides and
H elichthyoids. Th e manner in which Pterophyllum moves is quite peculiur.
The profile of the head and the extended unterior margin of tbe high dorsal
are brought on a levei, parallel to the surfnce of the water, when the long
ventrnls and high anal hang down vertically, and the fish progressos slowly by
the lateral bcating of the tail. - L. A.
K
162 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
slopes abruptly down, and from its brow one looks across
a wide plu.in covered with low forest, to the mountain on
the other side, from which the town takes its name. Look-
ing southward, the foreground is filled with lakes divided
from each other by low alluvial lands, formin g the levei
fl.ats alluded to above. Though one of the earliest settle-
ments on the .Amazons, this town is, by all accounts,
rather decreasing than increasing in population. In the
midst of its public square stands what seems at first to
be the ruiu of a large stone church, but which is, in fact,
the framework of a cathcdral begun forty years ago, and
standing unfinished to this day. Cows were pastured in
its grass-grown aisles, and it seemed a rather sad memorial,
bespeaking a want of prosperity in the place. W e were
roost kindly ent~rtaine d in the house of Senhor Manuel,
who, finding tl1'tt the mosquitoes were likely to be very
thick ou board f:he steamer, invited us to pass the night
under his roof. This morning we are sailing about in.
the neigbborhooq, partly for the sake of getting fish, but
passing also a couple of hours at a cattle-farm near by,
in order to briug ou board a number of cows and oxen
for the Manaos market. It seems tbat one of the chief
occupations here is the raising of cattle. This, with the
sale of fish, caco, and lndia-rubber, constitu.tes the co~
roerce of the pla,ce. \
.Aug~tst 26th. -- This morniug found us again ou the
southern side of t 1ue river, o:f:f Santarem, at the mouth of one
of the great brartches of t~1e .A.mazons, the Ta.pajoz. Here
we leave a numbr r of our party. Mr. Dexter, Mr. James,
and Mr. Talisman, a young Brazilian who joined our party
at Par, go ou a collectiug expedition up the Tapajoz.
Mr. Bourget and Mr. Hunnewell remain at Santarem, the
k
FROM PAR TO MANA OS. 169
* I soou became convinccd aftcr leaving P ar that the faun m o f our different
stations were not repctitions of each other. On the contrary, at Breves, Taj a-
pur, Gurup,- in short, at each stopping-place, as has been seen, - we found
another set of inhabitants in the rivcr, if not wholly differcnt from the last,
nt least proscnting so many new species that thc combiuation was no longer
tho same. It became at once vcry important to ascertain whether these dif-
fercnccs wcre permanent anel stationary, or were, in part at least, an effect
of migration. I thcrcforc dctcrmined to distribute onr forces in such a way as
to keep collecting parties at distant points, and to repeat collections fmm the
same localities at different scasons. I pursuecl this mcthod of investigation
during our whole stay in the Amazons, dividing the party for thc first time at
Santarem, where Messrs. D exter, James, anel Talisman separated from us to
ascend the Tapajoz, whilc Mr. Bourget remain ed at Santarcm, and I, with the
rest of my companions, kept on to Obydos and Villa Bel!a.- L. A.
8
170 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
roof~d in with wood ; the other has also one end covered
in, l:mt with thatch instead of wood. In the larger boat
we have our luggage, compressed to the utmost, the live
stock,- a small sbeep, a turkey, and several fowls,- be-
sides a number of brrels and kegs, containing alcohol, for
specimens. The Oaptain has supplied us not only with all
the necessaries, but, so far as is possible, with every luxury,
for a week's voyage. All our preparations being made, and
no prospect of clear weather, at nine o'clock we betook our-
selves to our hammocks, - or those of us who had stowed
their hammocks out of reach,- to chairs and benches, and
had a broken sleep till three o'clock. The stars were then
shining, and everything looked fair for our voyage. The
wind had gone down, the river was smooth ~P glass when
we paddled awax from the side of the steamer, and,
though we had no moon, one or two planets threw a
. bright r efl.ection across the water to cheer our way. After
keeping for some time down the river, we turned, just at
dawn, into a very nariow channel leading through the
forest. It was hardly day, but perhaps the scene was
none the less imtwessive for the di.m half-light in which
we saw it. From the verdant walls, which rose on either
side . and shut us in, lofty trees, clothed from base to sum-
mit in vines, sto,od out here and there like huge green
columns, in bold relief against the morning sky ; hidden
fl.owers filled the ai.r with fragrance, great roots stretched
out into the water, and now and then a fl.oating log narrowed
tbe passage so as just to leave room for the cn,noe to pass.
After a while a broader, fuller light shone uuder the boughs,
and we issued fro:m this narrow pathway into an exteusive
1
lake. Here it wa~ found that the larg net, which was to
have made a part of the outfit of the canoe, had been left
FROM PAR TO MANA OS. 173
behind, and, after calling at two or three Indian houses
to see if we could supply the deficiency, we were obliged
to send back to Villa Bella for it. In the mean time
we moored our boats at the foot of a little hill, on which
stands an Indian house, where we stoppe_d to breakfast,
and where we are still waiting for the return of our
messengers. I must say, that a near view of Arcadia tends
to dispel illusions; but it should be added, that this speci-
men is by no means a favorable one. The houses at 'I'aja-
pur were far more attractive, and the appeara.nce of .their
inhabitants much neater and more respectable, tlum those
of our friends here. Yet at this moment the scene is
not altogether uninviting. Some of the party are loung-
ing in the hammocks, which we have slung under the
great porch, as we are to pass several honrs herc ; an
improviscd rustic table, consisting of a board rcsting on
forked sticks, stands at one side ; the boatmen are clearing
away the remains of our late repast ; the Indian women,
dirty, half clad, with their hair hanging nncombed around
their faces, are tending their naked children, or kneading
the mandioca in a huge trough. The men of the house
have just returned from fishing, the morning having been
more successfnl in that respect than was expected, and
are now fitting up a rough forge, in which they are re-
pairing some of their iron instruments. In the mean
time Science has its sacred corner, where Mr. Agassiz is
investigating new species, the result of the morning's fish-
ing, while Mr. Burkhardt is drawing them.
August 29th. - Finding yesterday that our shelter grew
more uncomfortable as the day wore on, anel being obliged
to wait for the night fishing, we determined to cross the
lake to a" Sitio" (as the inhabitants call their plantations)
174 A JOURNEY m BRAZIL.
'
FROM PAR TO MANA OS. 177
Esperana's Cottage.
l
good-by, unng their pretty picturcsque home with
:reM ~re . Tp uight before we left, they got together
me of their p ighbors in our honor, and renewed the
kill of e p1-evio u evening. Like things of the same
kin in othro ciln es, the second occasion, got up with a
little more pte~Jaration than the first, which was wholly
impromptu i>U'' neither so ga.y nor so pretty. Frequent
potation of ca.,chaa made the gucsts rather noisy, and
their da.ncing, l(llder this infinence, became far more ~~i
mated and by no means so serious a.nd dignified as the
veuing before. One thing which occurred early in the
entertainment, f1owever, was interesting, as sbowing some-
thing of their religions observances. In the morning Es-
perana's mother, a hideous old Indian woman, had come
iuto my roam to make me a visit. Before leaving, I was
rather surpri e~ to see her kneel down by a little trunk
FROM PAR TO MANA OS. 181
aad for her services to have her taught to read and write.
The man has a bright, intelligent face, and speaks with
genuine feeling of his desire to give an ed~cation to his
children.
September 3d. - Y esterday we started on our return,
and after a warm and wearisome row of four hours reached
onr steamer at five o'clock in the afternoon. The scien-
tific results of this expedition have been most satisfactory.
The collections, differing greatly from each other in char-
acter, are very large from both our stations, and Mr.
Burkhardt has been indefatigable in making colored draw-
ings of the specimens while their tints were yet fresh.
This is no easy task, for tbe mosquitoes buzz about him
and sometimes make work almost intolerable. This morn-
ing Maia brought in a superb Pirarara (fish parrot). This
fish is already well known to science; it is a heavy, broad-
headed hornpout, with a bony shield over the whole head;
its general color is jet black, but it has bright yellow sides,
deepening into orange here and there. Its systematic name
is Phractocephalus bicolor. The yellow fat of this fish has
a curious property ; the Indians tell us that when po.rrots
are fed upon it they become tinged with yellow, and they
often use it to render their "papagaios" more variegated.*
* I was especially intercsted in seeing living Gymnotini. I do not here
allude to thc electric Gymnotus, abcady so fully describcd by Humboldt that
nothing remains to be said about it; but to the smaller represcntatives of that
curious family, known as Carupus, Sternopygus, Sternarchus anel Rhamphich-
thys. The Carapus, called Sarapos tbroughout Brazil, are vcry numerous,
und the most lively of the whole group. Their motions are winding and
rapid like those of the Eel, but yet different, in11sm uch as thcy do not glide
quickly forward, but, like Cobitis and Petromyzon, turu freqncnt somersets and
change their dircction constantly. This is also the case with the Stcrnopygus
and Sternarchus, and cven the larger and more slender Rhamphichthys have a
kind of rolling motion. Thongh I bad expected to find many Cyprinodonts,
184 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
CHAPTER VI.
LIFE AT MANA OS. - VOYAGE FROM MANAOS TO TABATINGA.
gro enters it from tbe north, so that the two form a sbarp
angle.
W e landed at Manaos and went at once to the h ouse
which Major Coutinho, with bis usual foresigM, has pro-
vided for us. ~s the day of our arrival was uncertain,
the arrangemen~s were not completed, and the house was
entirely empty when we entered it. In about ten minutes,
however, chairs and tables- brought, I believe, from the
house of a friend- made their appearance, the rooms were
promptly furnished, and presently assumed a very cosey and \
comfortable look, notwithstanding their brick floors and bare
walls. We have some pleasant neighbors in a family liviug
alinost next doqr to us, old and intimate fri ends of Major
Coutinho, who receive us for bis sake as if we also had
a claim on their affectiou. Here we rest from ou'r wander-
ings, for a week at least, until the steamer sails for lraba-
tinga.
LIFE AT MANAOS. 187
Septembet 9th. - W e h ave passed such quiet days here, so
far as any variety of incident is concerned, that there is little
to record. W ork has gone on as usual ; the whole collec-
tion of fishes, made since we left Par, has been so re-
packed as to leave it in readiness to be shippecl for that port.
Our companions have rejoinecl us on their return from the
Tapajoz, bringing with them considerable collections from
that river also. They seem to have enjoyed their excursion
greatly, and describe the river as scarcely inferior to tbe
.A..mazons itself in breadth anel grandeur, having wide sand-
beaches where the waves roll in, when the wind is high,
almost as upon a sea-shore. Mr . .A..gassiz has clone nothing
in the way of collecting here, with the exception of securing
such fi.shes as are to be had in the immediate neighborhood;
he reserves his voyage on the Rio Negro for our return .
.A..nd, by the way, we are met here by another practical
evidence of the good-will of the Brazilian government.
On leaving Rio, the Emperor had offered Mr . .A..gassiz the
use of a small government steamer to make explorations
on the Negro and Madeira rivers. On our arrival at Par
he was tld that the steamer had been found to be so much
out of repair that she was considered unsafe. Under these
circumstances, he supposed that we should be obliged to
resort to the small boats generally used. But to-day an
official communication informs him that, as the Piraja is
found not to be serviceable, another steamer will be fur-
nishe, which will _m eet us at Manaos on our return from
the Upper .A..mazons. The following letter, acknowledging
this favor, to the President of Par, through whom it was
received, contains some account of the scientifi.c results thus
far, anel may not be uninteresting.
/
188 A JOURNEY IN BRAZTL.
tbongh a small number of species h ave followed us sincc we left Par and others
bave a range more or less extensive. You remember, perh aps, that, when al-
luding to my hopes, I told you onc day that I bclievcd in the possibility of find-
ing from two hundred and fifty to thrcc hundred species of fi sh in the whole basin
of the Am azons ; even now, having passed over less than ono thinl of the main
strenm, and only diverged herc and there to some points bcyond its shores, I
hnve already obtained more than three bundred. It is incredible, above all, if
one considers that the total number known to natnralists does not reach one
third ofwhat I have alrcady coll ected. This result scarcely allows one to fillc-
see the discovmies to bc mude whenever thc affiuents of the great river are
explored with the same care. An explorntion of th e Aragnay for its whole
course, in arder to tcach us how many different combi nations of distinct species
occnr in succession, from its sources to its junction with the Tocantins and
lower down til! it meets the Amazons, wonld be an cnterprise worthy of you.
You havc alrcady a sort of scientific propcrry in this river, to which yon would
add new rights in furnishing science with this information.
Permit me to expres ~ to you all the grati tu de I feel for the in tcrcgt you takc
in my young travelling companion. Mr. Ward is worthy of it, alike from his
youtt, his comago, anl bis devotion to science. Mr. Epaminondas hus just
communicated to me your generous intentions towards mysclf, and your
ptu"pose of senc!ing a steamer to Manaos to take the place of the Pirnja,
and facilitate our exploration of the Hio Negro aud tbe Rio Madeira. I do
not know how to thaJtk you cnough; all that I cau say ir., that this fayo{
will nllow me to make an cxploration of thesc rivers which would bc other\
wise impossible. If thc resnlt of these researches be as favorable ltS my hopes,
the honor will be due, in the first instance, to thc libcral ity of the Bmzilian
government. Encourage"d by the results thus fa~ obtaincd, I think that, if the
eircumstanccs are tavorablc, on arriving at T abatinga, we shall make a push
into thc lower part of Bcru, while my companions will explore the ril,ers inter
medi ate between this town anel Teff; so that we shall probably not return to
Manaos bcfore the end of October.
Accept, my dear Sir, the assurance of my high rcgard, &c., &c.
L. GASSIZ.
LIFE AT MANAOS. 191
* Some English travellers have CI'iticised the position of the town; and re-
grettcd that it is not placed lowcr down, at the immediate junction of the Rio
Negro with the Solimoens. But its actual situation is much better, on account
of the more quiet port, removcd as it is from the violent currents caused by
the meeting of the two rivers. -L. A.
t When thi s was writtcn there was hardly any prospect of the early opening
of the Amazons to the free commerce of the world. The circumstance that
since the 7th of Scptember last this grcat frcsh-water ocean has been made
free to the mercnntile shipping of ali nations will, no donbt, immensely acceler
ate the devclopment of civilization in these dcsert rcgions. No act could have
exhibited more unequivocally the liberal policy whicb actuatcs the :)3razilian
government than this. To complete the g reat wo1k, two things are still want
ing, - a direct hig h road between the upper tributaries of the Rio Madeira
and Rio Pa1aguay, and the abolition of the subsidies granted to privileged com-
panies, that tbe colossal traffic of which the whole basin is susceptible may
truly be thrown open to a fair competition. -L. A.
192 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
most f.womble senson! I haYc resolved to mnkc more numcrous SLHtions in thc
npper pnrt of the ri.er and to stay ns loug as my strcugth aud menus will
nllow. Do uot think, howe,er thnt I lorget to whom I owo such a succcss.
It i you who hn.Ye ptl t me ou tbe path, b~ mnking kuo",l to me the resourccs
of th forest, nud, better still by furnishing me with the menus to profit by
them. Thnuks, a thons:tnd time , thnnks. I ought also to ncknowlcdge the
assistnnce aftordcd me by the n!!Cnts of the Company, nt nll the points wbere
we hnve tonched. Onr amiable commnnder has also cxe~ tcd himself, and
while I explored the lakes in the neighborhood of Villa BeiJa, he made a
very fine collec1ion i!} the mazons, especially of the numerous smnll spccics
ahrnys merlooked b{ fishermen. On the nrrival of the Bclcm I received
your kind lctter nnd a part of the nlcohol I hnd asked from Mr. Bond. I
am 'IITiting today to ask him to send me n part to Teff, anel, somewhat
later, more to i\11naos. 'l'hank you for the catalogue of Par fishes; I shall
gi>e it back on onr return, with the ndditions I shall make during the re-
mainder of tbe voyage. Adieu, my dear fliend.
Evcr yours,
L. AGASSIZ.
LIFE AT MANAOS. 197
* In the course of the investigation, I have ascertained that this slaty rock,
as well as the hard sandstone seen along the river-banks nt Manaos, forms part
of the great drift formation of the Amuzons, and that there is neither old red
sandstone, nor trias, bere, as older obsorvers supposed.- L . A.
200 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
and Mr. Talisman last evening at San Paolo, where they are
to get a canoe and Indians for their furth er journey to the
Ia. This morning, while stopping to wood at Fonte Ba,
Mr. Agassiz went ou shore and collected a very interesting
series of fossil plants in the lower mud deposit; be was also
very successfnl in making a small collection of fishes, con-
taining several new species, during the few hours we passed
at this place.
September 25th.- Teff. On Friday, the day after my last
date, we were within two or three hours of Teff ; we had
just finished packing our various effects, and were closig
our letters to be mailed from Manaos, when the steamer
carne to a sudden pause with that dead, sullen, instan-
taneous stop which means mischief. The order to reverse
the engines was given instantly, but we had driven with
all our force into the bed of tbe river, and tbere we
remained, motionless. This is sometimes rath er a serious
accident at the season when the waters are falliog, teamers
having been occasionally stranded for a number of weeks.
It is not ea ily guarded against, the ver bottom cbanging
so constantly and so uddenly tbat eYen the :mo~ experi-
enced pilots cannot alway a\oid disa ter. They may p ll:ss
with perfect safet in be"r upward YOJ2
where, ou tbeir retmn 1ey fiud .. formiflbTI]I~
During three bour~ the crew wor -lftd imuefffi" milllly" !Jryfumc m
back the steamer off or .,u . g 1the ruJtclnw t1liL ruAt.m'ill tio
drag her back upon it. A.t five o cl!l7fl): - ion. 1the ilffilllM'lllOOU e
sky began to look black an Ol're]:'mtg ~m ly Ti
lent sqnall, witb tlnmd r and Tbe
wind did, in an in tant wb. m
failed to do in hours. A the d}l n teamer on
her side, she vibrated, veered nn fi Tllere was
21 A JO RNEY IN BRAZIL.
CHAPTER VII.
LTFE IN TEFl<.
1~&\ "'H ... ~ -11H "1\.l H~ G .. Pl.. AES Ol" TonTLES, FrsJ-IES, ETC.- Anno rTNESS o F
1..~ 1 ...\ .... "' t~ l'i'l :-\ t HN O T nlt :'lt. - D1~SC JO PTION OF A '; Snro."- J~ n i AN LAY-
' , . i:fu' - m"nu-Tm4E. - l<'rsn 1-luNr.- Fo"Es-r LAKE. - WATE" BIHos.
11'.:;~ r~ (")t.t. . l<;-CTrx o . - EVENtN O SCENE IN SrTro. - ALEXA~DlUNA As
~ 1 .. l'l~tQ.n .. ' 1 - Ft:si-r AN EcnoTI!;. - RELATIONS BETWEEN FTSHES
~~ nY Tnmn E~t B RY O LO GY . -NoTto Ul'ON THil MARINil C HARA CTJm
a
and he has gathered good deal of information about its
habits. The fishermen here say that this mode of caring
dent manner by Hcckel and J. Mller. But, beside these, there are the genera
Enoplosus, Pomotis, Ccntrarchus, and some other neighboring gencra, classed
among the Percoids by ali Ichthyologists, which seem to me, from this distance
and without means of direct comparison, so near the Chromides that I do not
see how they can be separated, especially now th at I know the lowcr pharyn-
gials not to bc invariably soldcred in the Chromides. And thcn the embryol-
ogy and metamorphoses of the Chromidcs, which I have just beco studying,
h ave convinced me that the fishes with labyrinthic branchire, separatcd from ali
other fishes by Cuvier, as a family entirely isolated on account of the strange
structure of its respiratory organs, are closely related to the Chrornides. Thus
this group becomes, by its various affinities, one of the most iuteresting of the
class o f fi shes, and lhe basin o f the A mazons seems to be the true horne of this
family. I will not fatigue you with my ichthyological rescarches; Jet me only
add, that the . fi shes are not uniformly sp read ovcr this great basin. I havo
already ncquired the certainty that we must distinguish severa) ichthyological
faunre very clearly charncterized. Thus the spccics inhabiting the river of
Par, from the borders of thc sca to the mouth of the Tocantins, differ from
thosc which are met in the network o f anastomoses uniting the ri ver of Par
with the Amazons propor. The species of the Amazons below the Xingu
differ from those which occur highcr up ; those o f the lower course of the
Xingu diflcr from those of the Jower conr>e of the Tapajoz. Those of the
numerous igaraps and lakes of Manaos differ as much from those of the
principal rourse of the grent ri ver anel of its g rcat affiuents. It remains now
to stndy the chan gcs which mny tnke place in thi s di stribution in the course
o f the year, according to the hcigh t o f tbe waters, and pcrhaps also accord-
ing to the epoch at which the diflc rent specics lay their eggs. Thus far I
have met but a small numbcr of pccie hnving a very extensive arca of dis-
trihution. One of those is thc Sudis giga.s, founcl aJmost everywhere. It is
the most important fish of thc ri ver, that which, as food, corresponcls to cattle
for the population along the banks. Another problem to be solved is, how far
this phenomcnon of the local di,tribution of fishes is repeatecl in the great
affluents of the Amazons. I shull try to solve it in ascending the Rio Negro
and Rio Madeira, anel as I rcturn to Manaos I shall be able to compare my
first observntious in this locality with those of another season of the year.
Adieu, my clcar friend. Rcmembcr me to M. Elie ele Bcaumout and to those
of my colleagucs of the Acndcmy who are intercsted in my present studies.
My kind remcmbrnnce al so to your sou.
Always yours,
L. AGASSIZ
222 A JOURNRY IN BRAZIL.
"' It is a very generpl habit among tbe South American Indians to picrce
the nose, ears, and lips with boles, in which they hang pieces of wooc~ and
feathers, as ornamcnt1.
LIFE IN TEFFE. 225
Here one may wander at will, for there are a great many;
paths, worn by the Indians, through the trees ; and one
is constantly tempted on by the cool, pleasant shade, and
by the perfume of moss and fern and flower. 'l'he forest
here is full of life and sound. The buzz of insects, the
shrill cry of the cicadas, the chattering talk of the papagaios,
and occasionally busy voices of the monkeys, make the
woods eloquent. The monkeys are, however, very difficult
of approach, and though I hear them often, I have not yet
seen them on the trees ; but Mr. Hunnewell told me that
the other day, when shooting in tlris very wood, he carne
upon a family of small white monkeys sitting on a bough
together, and talking with much animation. One of the
prettiest of the paths, with which my daily walks made
me familiar, leads over an igarap to a house, or rather
to _a large thatched shed, in the forest, used for preparing
mandioca. It is supplied with four large clay ovens,
having immense shallow pans fitted on to the top, with
troughs for kneading, sieves for straining, and all the
apparatus for the various processes to which the mandioca
is subjected. One utensil is very characteristic ; the large,
empty turtle-shells, which may be seen in evcry kitchen,
used as basins, bowls, &c. I suppose this little establish-
ment is used by a number of persons, for in my morning
walks I always meet troops of Indians going to it, the
women with their deep working baskets, - something like
the Swiss " hotte," -in which they carry their tools,. on
their backs, supported by a 'straw band fastened acr.oss
the forehead, and their babies astride on their hips, so as
to leave their hands perfectly free. They always give me a
cordial morning greeting and stop to look at the plants and
fiowcrs with which I am usually laden. Some of the women
w o
226 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
This was the case with several of the family whose ac-
qnain tance we made last evening, though some of them
talkcd in Portugnese fluently enough, telling ns abont
their life in the forest, their success in disposing of their
fish and turtle, and inviting us to come to thcir house.
They pointed out to us one of the youngcr girls, who
they said had never been baptizcd, and thcy secmed to
wish to have the rite performed. Major Coutinho promised
to speak to the priest about it for thcm. So far as we can
learn, the white population do little to civilize the Indians
bcyond giving them the externai rites of religion. It is the
old sad story of oppression, duplicity, and license on the
part of the white man, which secms likely to last as long
as skins shall differ, and which necessarily ends in the
degradation of both races.
October 4th.- 11 Satmda.y morning at four o'clock, lVIa-
jor Continha, Mr. Agassiz, and myself Icft Teff in company
with our neighbor and landlord Major Estolano, 011 our way
to bis "sitio," a rough sort of Indian lodge 011 the other
side of the Solimoens, where he goes occasionally with
bis family to snperintcnd the drying and salting of fish,
a great article of commerce here. It had rained heavily
all night, but the stars were bright, and the morning was
cool and fresh when we pnt off in the canoe. When we
issued from Teff lake it was already broad day, and by
the time we entered the Solimoens we began to have
admonitions that breakfast-time was approaching. There
is something very pleasant in these improvised meals ; the
coffee tastes better when you have madc it yourself, setting
u p the coffec-machine under the straw-roof of the canoe,
dipping np the water from the river over the side of the
boat, and cooking yonr ow11 breakfast. Oue would think
228 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
by its own foliage, but the branches were covered with para-
sites, .and with soft, dark moss, in contrast with which the
lighter green, glossy fruit seemed to gain new lustre. I call
it a gourd-tree, simply from the use to which the fruit is
put. But it goes here by the name of the Ouieira-tree
(Orescentia Oajeput), the cup made from the fru it bcing
called a Cuia. The fruit is spherical, of a light green,
shiny surface, and grows from the size of an apple to that
of the largest melon. It is filled with a soft, white pulp,
easily removed when the fruit is cut in halves ; the rind is
then allowed to dry. V cry pretty cups and basins, of
many sizes, are made in this way ; and tbe Indians, who
understand how to prepare a variety of very brilliant colors,
are very skilful in painting them. It would seem tbat the
art of making colors is of ancient date among the Ama-
zonian Indians, for in the account of Francisco Orellana's
journey down the Amazons in 1541, " the two fathers of the
expedition declare that in this voyage they found all the
people to be both intelligent and ingenious, which was shown
by the works which they performed in sculpture and painting
in bright colors." '~ Their paints are prepared from a par-
ticular kind of clay and from the juices of several plants
which have coloring properties. In an Amazonian cottage
one hardly sees any utensils for the table except such as the
Indiaus have prepared and ornamented themselves from the
fruits of the Ouieira-tree. I lon ged to extend my walk into
the woods which surrounded us on all sides ; but the forest
is very tantalizing here, so tempting and so impenetrable.
The ladies told n:e there were no paths cut in the neigh-
borhood of the house.
"' tice "Expeditions in to . the V alley of the Amazons," published by tha
Hakluyt Society.
'232 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
the fish which carries its young in its mouth, grows daily
more wonderful. This morning Mr. Agassiz was off before
sequeuce of heir sm
specimen , which wa:.
from the common ~ ore.
choice of specimens was
who kncw how to carch fi sh or fowl, wns ont at work, anel, with the assistance
of my young frieuds Dexter, Huunewell, and Thayer, and the co-operation
of Major Coutinho nnd Mr. Burkhardt, our daily progress was unmistakable.
They generally took care of the collections o f land animais, while I reserved the
fishes to mysclf, and Major Coutinho ws busy with geological and metcorologi-
cal observations. Even the servan ts helped in cleaning thc skclctons. I ma de
hcrc a very extensive collection of fish brains, embracing most gencra found
in thi s locality, but it was unfortunately lost on arriving ~t Manaos. Awarc
of the difficulty of trunsporting preparations so delica.te, I kept them always
l>y my side, simply packed in a.n open barre], in the hope of bringing them
safely home, and also 1 that I might, without difficulty, add to the number. In
an unguarded moment, however, while landing, one of our attcndants cap-
sized the whole into the Rio Negro. It is the only part of my collections
which was completely lost.
Mter setting my whole party well under way in Teff, I made the very
instruciive excursion with Major Estolano, of which an account is given in
the text, to the Lago; do Boto, a small sheet of water, by the side of bis sitio
on the bnnks o f the ';na in co ursc o f the Amazons, where I had a f ai r .opportu-
nity of ascertaining how widcly different the fishes may be that inhabit
adjoining fann re in p1e same hydrographic basin. To this day I have not
yet recoverccl from m:y surprise at finding that shores which, from a gcographic
point o f' view, mnst be considercd simply as opposite banks of the same strcam,
wcre, nevcrthclcss, thp abode of an essentially different ichthyologieal popula-
tion. Among thc mpst curious fishes obtained here, I would mention a new
genus, allied to Phr~ctocepha!ns, of which I know only a single very large
species, remarkable for its uniform cannry-yellow color. Doras, Acestra,
Ptcrygoplichthys, &c.1 werc part.icularly common. Small ns this lake is, the
largest animnls known in thc whole basin are found in it: such as Manatees.
Botos,- the Porpoise o f thc Amazons, which h as givcn its na me to the lake ;
Alligators, Pirarucus1 - the Sudis gigas o f systcmatic writers; Sorubims, the
large fla.t-headed Hornpouts ; Pacamums, thc large, yellow Siluroid abdve al-
:uded to, &c., &c. -L. A.
LIFE IN TEFF. 245
Renu of Alexandrina.
CHAPTER VIII.
RETURN TO MANA O S . - AMAZONIAN PICNIC.
airy room hang our bammocks, and here are di8posed our
trunks, boxes, &c.; in the other half are a couple of writing-
tables, a Yankee rocking-chair that looks as if it might have
come out of a Maine farmer's house, a lounging-chair, and
one or two other pieces of furnitme, which give it a do-
mestic look and make it serve very well as a parlor. There
are many other apartments in this rambling, rickety castle
of ours, with its brick floors and its rat-holes, its lofty, bare
walls, and rough rafters overhead; but this is the only one
we bave undertaken to make habitable, and to my eye it
presents a very happy combination of the cosey and the
picturesqne. We liave been already urged by some of
our hospitable friends here to take other lodgings; but we
are much pleased with our quarters, and prefer to retain
them, at least ~or the present.
On ot1r arrival we were greeted by the tidings that the
first steamer of the line recently opened between New
York and Bra;,\il had touched at Par on her way to
Rio. According to all accounts, this has been made the
occasion of great rejoicing ; and, indeed, there -appears to
be a strong d~sire throughrmt Brazil to strengthen in
every way her relations with the nited States. 'l'he
opening of this line ~eems to bring ns nearer home , and
its announcemel1t, in connection with excellent news, pub-
lic and private, from the United States, made the day of
our return to Manaos a very happy or~. A few hours
after our own ~ rrival the steamer "Ibicuhy," provided by
the government for our use, carne into port. To our great
pleasure, she brings Mr. Tavares Bastos, deputy from Ala-
goas, whose untform kindness to us personally ever since
our arrival in ~3razil, as well as his interest in the success
of the expeditiqn, make it a great pleasure to meet him
RETURN TO MANAOS. 253
barge with its white awning, the gay canoe, and two or
three Indian montarias. After breakfast our party dis-
persed, some to rest in their hammocks, others to lmnt
or fish, while Mr. Agassiz was fully engaged in examining
a large basket of fish, Tucanars (Cichla), Acaras (Heros
and other genera), Curimatas (Anodus), Surubims (Pla-
tystoma), &c., just brought up from the lake for his in-
spection, and showing again, what every investigation dem-
onstrates afresh, namely, the distinct localization of species
in each different water basin, be it river, lake, igarap, or
forest pool.
One does not see much of the world between one o'clock
and four, in this climate. These are the hottest hours of
the day., and there are few who can resist the temptation
of the cool, swinging hammock, slung in some shady spot
within doors or without. After a little talk with our
Indian hostess and her daughter, I found a quiet retreat
by the lake-shore, where, though I had a book in my
hand, the wind in the trees overhead, the water rippling
softly around the montarias moored at my side, lulled
me into that mood of mind when one may be lazy with-
out remorse or ennui. The highest .duty seems then to
be to do nothing. The monotonous notes of a " Viola"
carne to me from a group of trees at a little distance,
where Ol~r boatmen were resting in the shade, the red
fringes of their hammocks giving to the landscape just
the bit of color whi.ch it needed ; occasionally a rustling
fl.ight of parroquets or ciganas overhead startled me for
a moment, or a large pirarucu plashed out of the water,
but except for these sounds nature was still, and animais
as well as meu seemed to pause in the beat and seek
shelter. Dinner brought us all togetber again at tbe
260 A JOURNEY IN BHAZIL.
about their own way of life. They said the present gath-
ering of neighbors and friends was no unusual occurrence,
for they have a great many festas, which, though partly
religious in character, are also occasions of great festivity.
These festas are celebrated at different stios in turn, the
saint of the day being carried, with all his ornaments, can-
dles, bouqnets, &c., to the house where the ceremony is to
take place, and where all the people of the village congre-
. gate. Sometimes thc festa lasts for several days, and is
accompanied with processions, music, and dances in the
evening. But the women said the forest was very sad
now, because their men had all been taken as r ecruits,
or were seeking safety in the woods. The old Senhora
told me a sad story of the brutality exercised in recruit-
ing the Indians. She assured me that they wcre takcn
wherever found, without regard to age or circumstances,
women and children often being depe ndent upon them;
and if they made rcsistance, were carried off by force, and
frequently handcuffcd or had heavy weights attacbed to
their fect. Such proceedings are entircly illegal; bnt these
forest villages are so remote, that the men employed to
recruit may practice any cruclty without being called to
account for it. If tbe recruits are brought in in good
condition, no questions are askcd. These womcn said
that all tbe work of the stios - the making of farinha,
tbe fishing, the turtle-huntin g - was stopped for want of
hands. rrhe appearance of things certainly confinns this,
for we scarcely see any men in the villages, and the ca-
noes we meet are mostly rowed by women.
Yet I must say that the life of the Indian woman, so
far as we have seen it, seems enviable, in comparison with
that of the Brazilian lady in the .A.mazonian towns. The
270 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
music playing and fl.ags flying, the purple lake, dyed in the
sunset and smoqth as a mirror, gave back the picture.
Every tawny figure at the oars, every fl.utter of the crim-
son ad blue strep.mers, every fold of the green and yellow
national fl.ag at the prow, was as distinct below the surface as
above it. The fairy boat - for so i t loqked- floating be-
twcen glowing sky and water, and seeming to borrow color
from both, carne on apace; and as it approached, our friends
greeted us with many a Viva, to which we rcsponded as
heartily. Then the two canoes joined company and we
went on together, the guitar sometimes being taken into
one canoe and so+netimes into the other, while Brazilian and
Indian songs follqwed each other. Anything more national,
more completely imbued with tropical coloring and charac-.
ter than this evening scene on the lake, can hardly be
conceived. When we reached the landing, the gold and
RETURN TO MANAOS. 273
CHAPTER IX.
MANAOS AND ITS NEIGHBORHOOD.
the races which he has begun, and for which the circum-_
stances here are unusually favorable. In the mean time
the President has provided him with canoes and men for
three separate expeditions, on which he sends off three par-
ties this week: Mr. Talisman and Mr. Dexter to the Rio
Negro and Rio Branco, to be absent six weeks; Mr. Thayer
and Mr. Bourget to Lake Oudajas, to be gone ten days ;
Mr. James to Manacapnru, for about the same time.
We feel the generosity of 'this conduct the more, know-
ing how greatly the administration stands in need of men
and of all the resources at its c,ommand in the present
disturbed state of things.
Novembe1 18th.- One can hardly walk in any direction
out of the town without meeting something characteristic
of the pcople ~nd their ways of living. At seven o'c1ock,
\ to-day, I took my morning walk through the wood near
the house to an igarap, which is the scene of much of
the out-of-door:> life here,- fishing, waslling, bathing; turtle-
shooting. As I returned along the little path leading
by the side of the stream; two naked Indian 1Joys were
shooting fish with how and arrows from a fallen tree
which jutted out into the strearo. Like bronze stat.ues
they looked, as they stood quiet aud watchful, in attitudes
full of grace q,nd strength, their bows drawn ready to let
the arrow fly the moment they should catch sight of the
fish. The In,dian boys are wonderfully skilful in thiH
sport, and also in shooting arrows through long blow-pipes
(Sarabatanas) to kill birds. This is no bad way of shooting;
for the report of the gun startles the game so effectually in
these thick forests, that after a few shots the sportsman
. finds the woods in bis immediate neighborhood deserted ;
whereas the Indian boy creeps stealthily up to the spot
MANAOS AND ITS NEIGHBORHOOD. 283
CHAPTER X.
jaws and chin. His ears are pierced with very large
boles, from which, when bis costume is complete, pieces
of wood are suspended, and his whole body is covered
with a neat and intricate uctwork of tattooing. .A.t prcs-
ent, however, being in ci vilizcd regions, h e is dressed in
320 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
u
322 A ,J HNEY 1N I3RAZIL.
P:rER I!.
RETUR T .M AO'.- E.' CU! sro, ON T.I:IE RIO NEGRO. - LEAVE
fAl AOS.
ishment for all, and others so empty that there are none to
gather the harvest. W e long to see a vigorons emigra-
tion pour into this region so favored by Natnre, so bare of
inhabitants. But things go slowly in these latitudes; \J
great cities do not spring up in half a century,as with us.
Humboldt, in his account of bis South-American journey,
writes : " Since my departure from the banks of the Orinoco
and the Amazon, a new era has unfolded itself in the social
state of the nations of the W est. The fury of civil dis-
sensions has been succeeded by the blessings of peace, and
a freer development of the arts of industry. The bifurca-
tions of the Orinoco, the isthmus of Tuamini, so easy to
be made passable by an artificial canal, will erelong fix
the attention of commercial Europe. The Oassiquiare, as
broad as the Rh~ne, and the course of which is one hundred
and eighty mile~ in length, will no longer form uselessly a
navigable canal between two basins of rivers which have
a surface of one hundred and ninety thousand square
leagues. The grain of New Granada will be carried to
the banks of the Rio Negro; boats will descend from the
sources of the Napo and the Ucuyale, from the Andes of
Quito and of Upper Peru, to the mouths of t.he Orinof o,-
a distance which equals that from Timbuctoo to Marseilles."
Such were the anticipations of Humboldt more than s'xty
years ago ; and at this day the banks of the Rio Negro
and the Oassiquiare are still as luxuriant and as desolate,
as fertile ancl. as uninhabited, as they were then.
January 8th.-- Manaos. The necessity ~ r some days of
r'est, after so many months of unintermitted work, has
'detained Mr . .A.gassiz here for a week. It ha given us
an opportunity of renewing our walks in the neighbor-
hood of Manaos, of completing our collecti_on of plants,
LEAVE MANAOS. 343
CHAPTER XII.
DESCENDING THE RIVER TO PAR.- EXCURSIONS ON THE COAST.
dren un~er their charge ; and you may sometimes see the
large red jars standing under the mouth of the spring above,
while white babies and dark nurses splash about in the cool
water-basin below. .A.lthough in tbe campos the growth is
low, and the soil but scantily covered with coarse grass and
shrubs, yet, in some localities, and especially in the neighbor-
hood of the town, the forest is bea u tiful. W e h ave seen no-
where larger and more luxuriant mimosas , sometimes of a
green so rich and deep, and a foliage so close that it is dif-
ficult to believe, at a distance, that its dense mass is formed
by the light, pinnate leaves of a sensitive plant. The palms
are also very lofty and numerous, iucluding some kinds
which we have not met before.
January 28th. - Y esterday our kind host arranged an
excursion into the country, for my especial pleasure, that I
might see something of the characteristic amusements of
Monte Algre. One or two neighbors joined us, and the
children, a host of hap]_)J little folks, for whom anything
out of the common tenor of every-day life is ''festa," were
not left behind. W e started on foot to walk out in to a very
picturesque Indian village called Smubiju . Here we were
to breakfast, returning afterwards in one of the heavy carts
drawn by oxen, the only conveyance for women and chil-
dren in a country where a carriage-road and a side-saddle
are equally unknown . Our walk was very pleasant, partly
through the woods, partly through the campos; but as it was
early in the day, we did not miss the shade when we cbanced
to leave the trees. W e lingered by the wayside, the chil-
dren stopping to gather wild fruits, of which there were
a number on the road, and to help me in making a
collection of plants. It was about nine o'clock when we
reached the first straw-house, where we stopped to rest.
364 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
The prettiest of all these forest stios was one at the bot-
tom of a deep dell, reached by a steep, winding path through
a magnificent wood abounding in palms. But though the
situation was most picturesque, tbe sickly appearance of the
children and tbe accounts of prevailing illness showed that
the locality was too low and damp to be healthful. .A.fter a
very pleasant ramble we returned to breakfast at our first
resting-place, and at about one o'clock started for town in
two ox-carts which hd come out to meet us. They consist
only of a floor set ou very heavy, creaking wooden wheels,
which, from their primitive, clumsy character, would seem
to be the first wheels ever invented. On the floor a straw-
mat was spread, an awning was stretched over a light
scaffolding above, and we wcre soon stowed away in our
primitive vehicle, and had a very gay and pleasant ride back
to town. Yesterday evening Mr . .A.gassiz returned from bis
excursion to the Serra Erer. I add here a little account
of the journey, written out from his notes, and containing
some remarks on the general aspect of the country, its vege-
tation and animnJs. A summary of the geological results
of the excursion will be found in a separate chapter at the
close of our Amazonian journey.
"I started before daylight; but as the dawn began to
redden the sky large flocks of ducks, and of the small
Amazonian goose, might be seen flying towards the lakes.
Here and there a cormorant sat alone on the brancl1 of a
dead tree, or a kingfisher poised himself over the water,
watching for bis prey. Numerous gulls were gathered
in large companies on the trees along the river-shore;
alligators lay on its surface, diving with a sudden plash
at the approach of our canoe ; and occasionally a porpoise
emerged from the water, showing himself for a moment
366 A JOURI\TEY IN BRAZ!L.
pas que d'avoir une infiuence directe sur les ides qui
se rpandent de nos jours sur l'origine des tres vivants.
Que dans un fienve comme le Mississippi, qui, du Nord
au Sud, passe successivement par les zones froide, tem-
pre et chaude, qui roule ses eaux tantt sur une for-
mation gologique, tantt sur une autre, et traverse des
phines convertes au Nord d'une vgtation presque are-
tique et au Sud d'une flore subtropicale, - que dans un
pareil bassin on rencontre des espcces d'animaux aqua-
tiques diffrentes, sur diffrents points de son trajet, a
se comprend des qu'on s'est habitu 'envisager les con-
ditions gnrales d'cxistence et le climat en particulier
comme la cause premiere de la diversit que les ani-
maux et les plantes offrent entre eux, dans les diffrentes
localits ; mais que, de Tabatinga au Par, dans un fieuve
ou les eaux ne varient ni par leur temprature, ni par
la nature de leur lit, ni par la vgtation qui les borde,
que dans de pareilles circonstances on rencontre, de dis-
tance en distance, des assemblages de poissons completement
distincts les uns des autres, c'est ce qui a lieu d'tonncr.
Je dirai m&me que dornavant cette distribution, qui peut
tre vrifie par quiconque vondra s'en donner la peine,
doit jeter beal"coup de doute sur l'opinion qui attribue
la diversit eles &tres vivants aux infiuences locales.
Un autre ct de ce sujet, encore plns cu_rieux peut-&tre,
est l'intensit avec laquelle la vie s'est manifeste dans
ces eaux. Tous les fieuves de l'Enrope runis, depuis le
Tage jusqu'au Volga, ne nonrissent pas cent cinquante es-
peces de poissons d'eau douce; et cependant, dans un petit
lac des environs de Manaos, nomrn Lago Hyanuary, qui a
peine quatre ou cinq-cents metres carrs de surface,
nous avons dcouvert plus de deux-cents especes dis-
380 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
two or three days that I begin once moro to occupy mysclf' as usual. I con-
fess that nothing but the prcscntiment of rcgrcts which would havc pursucd
me to the cnd of my dnys has preventcd me from returning dircctly to the
Unitcrl Statcs. Evcn now I find it lliffi cult to take up tbe most simplc oc-
cupations. And yct I am not ill; I am only exhaustcd by in ccssant work,
and by the contemplation, each day more vivid anel imprcssive, of the grandeur
and bcauty of thi s trop ical nature. I need to look for a time upon the sombra
and monotonous aspect of a pine forcst.
How good you aro, Sire, to think of me in the midst of the vital affas
which a.bsorb your attention, and how considera to aro your acts ! The Ncw
Ycar's prcsent you announce enchants me.* The prospect of being able
to acld some comparisons of thc fi sbes from the ba.5in of the Uruguay to such
as I havc a!ready madc petween the Amazonian spccies :mel those of thc rivcrs
on tbc castern eoast of Brazil has a spccial nttraetion for me. It will be thc
first stcp toward s a knowledgo of th c types of tbe temperate zonc in Sou th
America. I wait with increasing impatien cc for thc moment whcn I shall be
ablc to examine thcm . In the menu wbilc allow me to give :rou a rapid
sketch of the rcsnlts thn s far obtaincd in my Yoyagc on th e Amazons.
I will ot rcturn to the su rpri sing vnricty of spceies of fi shcs contaiued in
this basin, though it is very difficult for me to familiarize myself with the
idea that the Amnzons nourishes nearly twice as many spceies as th e Med-
itenanean, anel a larger number than the A tlanLic, tnken frorn onc pole to
thc other. I can no lopger suy, howcver, with precision, whnt is the exnct
number of specics wbicj1 we h ave procnrcd from the A m"'zon s, bceause, on
retraeing my stcps as I clescendecl thc great river, I havc seen fi shes about
to lay their ' cggs which I had seen at first undcr other conditions, anel vice
vers; and without consul ting the collections matlc six months ago, anel whi ch
are not now acccssible tq me, it is often impossible for me to determin e from
memory whcther they are the same specics, or differen t oncs w hich cscapecl
my observation in my first examination. l-Iowcvcr, I estimnte the total
number of species which I actually posscss at eightecn hunclred, anel it may be
* The Empcror harl wri tten to Mr. Agassiz that, clnring the time when he
took command of the B1azi!ian army on the Rio Grande, he hacl caused col-
lcctions of fi shcs to be mttcle for him from se vera\ of thc so uthcrn rivcrs.
EXCURSIONS ON THE COAST. 383
two thousand.* But it is not only the number of species which will astonish
naturalists ; the fact that they are for thc most part circum scri bed within
dcfinite limits is still more surprising, and cannot but bave a clirect influence
on the ideas now prcvalcnt respecting the origin of !iYing beings. That in a
ri ver like the Mississippi, which from the north to the south passes successively
through cold, tcmpcrate, anel warm zones, - whose waters flow sometim es over
on e geolog ical formation, sometimcs ovcr another, anel across plains covered
at the north by an al most arctic vcgetation, anel at thc south by a sub-tropical
flora,- that in such a basin aquatic animais o f clifferent specics should bc met
at Yarious points of its course is easily unclcrstood by those who are ac-
customecl to consiclcr general conclitions of existence, anel of cl im ate especinlly,
as the first cause of the cliffercnce between animais artd pla nts inhabiting sepa-
ratc localitics. But that from Tabatinga to Pan, in a rivcr wherc the waters
differ neither in temp erature nor in the nature of their becl, nor in th c vcgcta-
tion along thcir borclers, - that uncler such circumstances thcre should be mct,
from distaucc to distance, asscmblnges of fi shcs c0mpletely di st inct from cach
othcr, is indccd nstonlshing. I woulcl eveu say that henccforth this distribution,
which muy be vcrified by m1y one who cures to take the trou ble, must throw
much doubt on thc opinion which attributes the cliversity of living beings to
local influences. Another side of this subject, still more cnrious pcrhaps, is the
intensity wi'th which li fc is mauifcstcd in these waters. Ali the rivers of
Europe unitcd, from the Tag us to thc Volga, do not nourish onc hundrecl and
fifty species of fresh-watcr fi shcs; anel yct, in a littlc lake near M:anaos, called
Lago Hyanuary, the surfacc of which covcrs harclly four or five hundred
square yarcls, wc have cliscovered more th an two hunclled distinct species, the
fVCater part of which have not been obscrved clsew hcre. What a contrast !
The study of the mixture of human mces in this region has ttlso occupicd
me much, anel I have procurccl num erous photographs of nll the types wbich
I have becn able to observe. The principal result at which I havc arri vccl is,
that the races bear themselves towarcls euch other as do di stin ct species; thnt is
to say, that the hybrids, which spring from the crossing of meu of diffcrcnt
during the last eighteen or twenty years, the _beach had re-
ceded considerably in some places; the high-water line being
many yards beyon,d ts former limit. The result of this ex-
cursion has shown that, with the exception of some low mud-
islands nearly level with the water, all the harbor islands
lying in the mouth of the Amazons are, geologically
speakiug, parts of the Amazonian Valley, having the same
structure. They were, no doubt, formerly continuous
with the shore, but are separated now, partly by the fresh
waters cutting their way through the land to the ocean,
partly by the progress of tlte sea itself.
11fareh 24th.- Our quiet life at Nazareth, thoug11 full of
enjoyment for tired travcllers, affords little material for a
journal. A second excursion along the coast has furnished
Mr. Agassiz with pew evidence of the rapid changes in the
outline of the sh01e, produced by the encroachment of the
sea. So fast is this going on that some of the public works
near the coast arfl already endaugered by the advance of
the ocean upon the land. During the past week he has
been especially oceu pied in directing the work of a photo-
graphist employed by Senhor Pimenta Bueno, who, with his
usualliberality to1vards the scientific objects of the expedi-
tion, is collecting jn this way the portraits of some rema k-
able palms and other trees about his house aJ d groun s.
One of the most striking is a huge Sumaumra, with but-
tressed trunk. These buttresses start at a distanc . of about
eight or ten feet from the ground, spreadng grad'nally to-
ward the base; they are from ten to twelve {eet id depth.
The lower part o_f the trunk is thus divided into o~en com-
partments, sometunes so large that two or three persons can
stand within them, This disposition to throw out\ fl.anks or
wings is not confined to one kind of tree, but occurs in
EXCURSIONS ON THE COAST. 391
\
EXCURSIONS ON THE COAST. 393
CHAPTER XIII.
PHYSICAL HISTORY OF THE AMAZONS.
and also the valley ofPiauhy, gives the same account, with
the exception that he found no erratic boulders in these
more northern regions. The rarity of erratic boulders, not
only in the deposits of the Amazons proper, but in those of
the whole region which may be considered as the Ama-
zonian basin, is accounted for, as we shall see hereafter, by
the mode of their formation. The observations of Mr.
Hartt and Mr. St. J ohn are the more valuable, because I
had employed them both, on our first arrival in Rio, in
making geological surveys of different sections 011 the Dom
Pedro Railroad, so that they had a great familiarity with
those formations before starting on their separate journeys.
Recently, Mr. St. John and myself met in Par on our re-
tnrn from our respective explorations, and I have had an
opportunity of comparing on the spot bis geological sections
from the valley of the Piauhy with the Amazonian deposits.
There can be no doubt of the absolute identitj of the for-
mations in these valleys.
Having ananged the work of my assistants, and sent
several of them to collect and make geological examinations
in other directions, I myself, with the rest of my compan-
ions, proceeded up the coast to Par. I was surprised to
fi.nd at every step of my progress the same geological phe-
nomena which had met me at Rio. It was my friend,
Major Coutinho, already an experienced .Amazonian
traveller, who first told me that this formation cntinued
through the whole valley of the Amazons, and was also to
be found on all of its affiuents which he had visited,
although he had never thought of referring it to so re-
cent a period. And here let me say that the facts I now
state are by no means exclusively the result of my own
investigations. Tbey are in great part due to Major
406 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
blue, and also black and white. It is from these beds that
the Indians prepare their paints. These clay deposits as-
sume occasionally a peculiar appearance, and oue which
might mislead the observer as to their true nature. When
their surface has been long e:xposed to the action of the
atmosphere and to the heat of the burning sun, they look
so much like clay-sla.tes of the oldcst geological epochs that,
at :first sight, I took them for primary slates, my attention
being attracted to them by a regular cleavage as distinct as
that of the most ancient clay-slates. .A.nd yet at Tonantins,
on the banks of the Solimoens, in a locality where their
exposed surfaces had this primordial appearance, I found in
these very beds a considerable amount of well-preserved
leaves, the character of which proves their recent origin.
These leaves do not even indicate as ancient a period as the
Tertiari es, but resemble so closely the vegetation of to-day
that I have no donbt, when examined by competent author-
ity, they will be identified with living plants. The pres-
encc of such an extensive clay formation, stretching over a
surface of more than three thousand miles in length and
about seven hundred in breadth, is not easily explained
under any ordinary circumstances. The fact that it is so
thoronghly laminated shows that, in thc basin in wb ich it
was formed, the waters mnst have been unusually quiet,
containing identical materiais throughout, and that tbese
materiais must bave bcen deposited over the whole bottom
in the same way. It is usually separated from the superin-
~umbent beds by a glazed crust of hard, compact sandstone ,
almost resembling a ferruginous quartzite.
U pon this follow beds of sand and sandstone, varying in
the regularity of their strata, reddish in color, often highly
ferruginous, and more or less nodulous or porous. They
414 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
*I would here remind the render of the terrnces of Glen Roy, wbich indicate
succcssive reductions of the burrier encasiog the lake, similar to those assumed
to havo taken pince at the mouth of the Amazons.
432 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
~~
442 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
CHAPTER XIV.
CEAR.
* For a very interesting treatise on this palm, and the various branches
of industry it may be made to subserve, see "Notice sur !c Palmier Carnauba,"
par M. A. de Macedo, Paris, 1867, 8.
454 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
~
CEAR. 457
* But for the existence of a shrub al!ied to our hawthorn, and knoWR to
botanists as Zizyphus Joazeiro, the cattle would snffcr excessively during thc
drought. This shrub is one of the few plants common to this latitude which
does not lose its foliage during the dry scason, and, happily for the inhnbitants,
ali the herbivorous domesticated animais delight to feed upon it.-L. .
460 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
20. DD
466 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
CHAPTER XV.
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF RIO DE JANEIRO.- ORGAN MOUNTAINS.
not contract dampness, and look very cool and frcsh. The
floor is made of the dark Brazilian wood, partly inlaid, and
waxed carefully ; not a stain is to be seen an;ywhere on its
shining surface. The bedding consists of a well-stuffed
straw-mattress below:, with a thick hair-mattress above.
The sheets and pillow-cases are spotless. Indeed, every-
thing in this fresh, well-aired, spacious room bespeaks an
exquisite order and neatness. The bath-rooms are in con-
. venient relation to the wards, furnished with large marble
bath-tnbs, and with hot and cold water in abundance.
From the public wards we pass into large corridors, upo1.1
which open private apartments for the use of persons who,
not having convenient arrangements at home, or being
strangers in the city, prefer, in case of illness, to go to the
hospital. The ~ent of these chambers is exceedingly mod-
erate ; - for a room to one's self, $1 .50 a day; for a room
shared with onp other person, $1 a day; for a bed in a
larger room oceupied by half a dozen, but withdrawn from
the general throng, 75 eents. These eharges include medi-
cal attendanee, nursing, and food. From the wards de-
voted to ordinary diseases, fevers and the like, we went to
tbe surgical wards. It need not be said that here the same
neatness and care prevailed; the operating rooms, the sur-
gery lined with cases containing instrnments, lint, bandages,
&e. were all in faultless order.
From this building -looking, as we went, in to the kitchen,
where the contents of the great shiny copper kettles smelt
very invitingly -- we passed through a paved court to the
old hospital, in which are the wards for women and chil- ,,
dren. This gave us an opportunity of comparing, at least
in its general q,rrangement, the ancient establishment with
the modern one, The neatness and order prevailing through-
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 471
out make even this part of the hospital attractive and cheer-
ful; bnt one feels at once the difference between the bigh;
airy rooms and open corridors of the new building and
the more confined quarters of the old one. In both parts
of the hospital the mingling of color impresses the stranger.
Blacks and whites lie side by side, and the proportion of
negroes is considerable, both among the meu and women.
The charity of the Misericordia is a very comprehen-
sive one ; it includes not only maladies susceptible of
cure, but has also its ward for old anci. infirm persons,
who will never leave it except for their last home. The day
before our visit a very aged woman had been buried thence,
who had lived under this roof for seventeen years. There
is also a provision for children whose parents die in the
hospital, and who have no natural protector. They remain
there, receive an elementary education, being taught to
read, write, and cipher; and are not turned in to the world
until they are of age to marry or to enter into service.
TI-tere is a chapel connected with the hospital, and many of
the wards are furnished with an altar at one end, above
which is placed a statue of the Virgin, a crucifix, or a pic-
ture of some saint. I could not help asking myself if regu-
lar religious services would uot be a wise addition to all
charitable institutions of this kind, whether Protestant or
Qatholic. To the respectable poor, their church is a great
deal. Many a convalescant would be glad to hear the
Sunday hymn, to join in the prayer put up for his re-
covery ; and would think himself the better, body and
soul, because he bad listened to a sermon. To be sure,
in our country, where creeds are so various, and almost
avery patient might bave his own doctrinal speciality, there
might be some difficulties which do not exist where there
472 I '~ ' , ~ JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
r.ealm. The early part of his political career fell upon the
stot~ny times when Brazil was struggling for her national
existencc as an indepe1~dent Empim ; but during the more
tranquil close of his life he seems to have been chiefiy
occupicd in works of benevolence, in founding charitable
institutions, and even in personal attendance upon the sick
and suffering.
T)1e name of this benevolent Brazilian is associated not
only with the Misericordia hospital, but also with the ad-
mirable asylum for the insano at Botafogo, which bears
the name of the present Emperor. A great part of the
fund~ for this establishment were obtaihed in an original
way ,. .which shows that Pereira knew how to turn the
we[).knesses of bis countrymen to good account. The
Brazilians are addicted to titles, and the government of-
fered distinctions of this kind to wealthy citizens who
would endow the insane asylum. They were to be either
commendadores or barons, the importance of the title being
in proportion to the magnitude of their donations. Large
sums were actually obtained in this way, aJ}d several of
the titled men of Rio thus purchased their patents of
nobility. Wben I first arrived in Rio de Janeiro, mere
chan~e led me to visit this asylum. Entering as a stran-
ger, I s~~v only . the outer rooms, listened to the evening
service in the chapel fol' a few moments, and was struck
wit~1 the , order and quiet which seemed to prevail. It
certainly never would have occurred to me that I was
in an insano hospital. To-day Mr. Agassiz and mysclf,
a,ccompanied by om friend Dr. Pacheco da Silva, passed
s~vera~ hours there, and saw the whole establishment in
detaiL Thebuilding faces upon Botafogo Bay, having the
~each immediately before it; on its right the picturesquo
474 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
June 11th.- W e left the inn at half past seven this morn-
ing, to pass the day again in rambling. Following the main
road for a quarter of a mile or so beyond the village, we
presently turned to the left into a narrow, shady pathway.
It led us throuph the woods to the edge of a d.eep basin
rmnk between t.h e mountains, on the slopes of which were
strewn many irpmense boulders. A curious feature of the
Organ Mountai11s which we have observed repeatedly even
in this short erxcursion is, that between their strangely
fantastic forros the country sinks down into well-defined
basins, which u~ually have no outlet. Following the brink
of such a basin for a couple of miles, and crossing an in-
tervening ridge, we carne out upon a kind of plateau over-
hanging anothe;r depression of the saro e character, a.nd com-
manding a magnificent view of the chain, in the very centre
of which it seems to be, for the mountains rise tier upon
tier around it on every side. On this plateau stands the
ORGAN :MOUNTAINS. 489
Organ Monntains.
CHAPTER XVI.
GENERAL IMPRESSIONS OF BRAZIL.
...
504 A JOURNEY IN BRAZIL.
'
I.-THE GULF STREAM.
ocean to the east of it; while the still greater cold of the sca-water
on its western side, between the Gulf Stream and the continental
shore, is explained by the great Arctic current, pouring down from
Baffin's Bay, and skj.rting the shore of North America as far as the
Coast of Florida, until it is lost in that latitude under the Gulf
Stream. The object of Dr. Bache's investigation was to trace the
mutual relations of these two great currents of warm and cold
water, flowing side by side in opposite directions, and to discover
the conditions w.hich r egulate their movements and keep them
within definite limits.
The investigation is even now by no means complete, though it has
been going on for many years. It has, however, been ascertained
that, while the ocean-bed deepens more or less rapidly as we recede
from the shore, forming a trough in wbich the Gulf Stream flows,
this trough. is lirnited on its eastern side by a range of hills trend-
ing in the directibn of the current, outside of which is another de-
pression or valley. Indeed, the sea-bottom ~xhibits parallel ridges
and depressions, running like the shore of the continent itself, in a
northeasterly direction. The water presents differ ~nces of tem-
perature, not oqly on the surface, but at various depths below.
These inequalitjes have been determined by a succession of
thermometric o'Qservations along severa] !ines, crossing the Gulf
Stream from thfl shore to the ocean water on its eastem side, at
intervals of about a hundred miJes. "The observations have been
made first at th!l surface, and then at successively greater depths,
varying from teu to twenty, thirty, one hundred, two hundred, and
even three and four hundred fathoms. This sur vey has shown
that, while the Gulf Stream has a ternperature higher than that
of the waters on either side, it is also alternately warmer and
colder within itself, being made up as it were of distinct streaks
of water of diff!lrent temperature. These alternations continue to
as great a dept.h as the observations have been carried, and are
found to extend even to the very bottom of the sea, where this has
been reached. The most surprising part of this result is the
APPENDIX. 521
abruptness of the change along the line where the two great cur-
rents touch each other. So sharp is this division that the boundary
of the Arctic current is now technically designated as the " Cold
wall" of thc Gulf Stream. Of course as the Iatter fiows north-
ward and eastward it gradually widens, and its temperature is
lowered ; but even as far north as Sandy Hook the difference
between its temperature at the surface and that of the surround-
ing waters is still marked.
Off Cape Florida the width of the Gulf Stream is not over forty
miJes; off Charleston it is one hundred and fifty miles; while at
Sandy Hook it exceeds three hundred miJes.
The inequality of the bottom may be appreciated by the sound-
ings off Charleston, where, from the shore to a distance of two
hundred miJes, the following depth was successively measured:
10, 25, 100, 250, 300, 600, 350, 550, 450, 475, 450, and
400 fathoms.
The following table may give some idea of the temperature of
the stream in connection with its depth:-
Off Sandy Hook, at successive distances from the coast, of
100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, and 400 miles,
the temperature near the surface to a depth of thirty fatboms
averages:
80, and 75 Fahr.;
at a deptb of between forty and a bundred fatboms it averages :
The rapid rise of the temperature after the fourth column of fig-
ures indicates the position of the Cold wall.
For further details see the United States Coast Survey Repqrt
for 1860, page 16-5, and the accompanying maps,- which should
be copied into all our school atlases.
522 APPENDIX.
TI.- FLYING-FISHES.
J. :M:ller has shown that they differ greatly from the Herrings,
with which they were formerly associated, and should form a-.
distinct family, to which he has given the name of Scomberesoces.
The other flying-:fishes belong to the family of the Cottoids, of
which our common Sculpins are the chief reprcsentatives.
APPENDIX. 525
for tbe personal and political character of bim who presides over
this va.st Empire, and who may well be helll forth to ali rulcrs as
a model of intelligence, of virtue, and devotion to the public
weal.
Resolved, That' we cannot close this part of our voyage without
tendering to Captain Bradbury, and bis subordinate officera, our
special thanks, not only for the masterly manner with which their
vessel is handled, but for their unwearied devotion to the comfort
of their guests.
APPENDIX. 527
\
\
APPENDIX. 5'33
From Januaria Mr. St. John fol lowed the San Francisco to the
Villa do Barra, where be rnade a sllort stay; and thcn r esumcd
bis journey by land through the valley of tbe Rio Graolr. to the.
Villa da Santa Rita, thcnce to Mocambo anil across the table-land
separating tbc basin of tll'e Rio San Francisco from that of the Rio
Paranal1yba. At Paranagu he rernained severa] days, and made
a consiclerable collection from tbis vicinity. Thence he follow ed
the valley of tbe Rio Gurugucia to Manga, one hundred and twcnty
leagues from Paranagu. At Manga he embarked on one of the
singular river-boats made of the leafstalks of the Buriti palro, and
descended the Paranahyba to the villa of San Gonallo. H ere he
stayecl for some time to collect, and fonvarded from this vicin ity a
consiclerable number of spec imens, chietly reptiles, birds, and insects.
Bis next station was at Therezina, the capital of thc provincc of
Piauhy, where he made one of thc most interestng collections of
the whole journey from the waters of the Rio Poty. The Poty is a
tributary of the Paranahyba, into which it empties below Therezina.
In examining this collection, I was particularly struck witb the gen-
eral similarity of tbe fisbes contained in it to those of the Amazons.
They exhibit tlm)l~gbout the same kincl of com1>ioation of genera
and farnilies, althongh tbe species are entirely distinct. Thus, from
a zoological point of view, tbe basin of the Parahyba, though com-
pletely separated from it by the occao, would seem to belong to the
Amazonian basin, as it. unquestionably does fiom a geological point
of view. The character of the clrift deposits along the Rio Guru-
gueia and lhe Rio Paranahyba shows this are!l! to have been con-
tinuou ~ with the basin in whi'ch the Amazonian drift was deposited;
m~d thc similarity of their zoological featmres is but another evi-
dence, from an entirely different source, of the extensive denuclations
which bave isolated these regions from one another by removing
the tracts which form erly macle them a uuit.
From Therezina Mr. St. John ploccecled to Caxias, and finally
arrived in Mnrnham, by the way 0f the Rio Itapicur, on the 8th
January, 1866; having completcd a jomncy of m0re than seven
23 *
538 APPENDIX.
meira and at the Barra. Tbence they followed tbe coast to Victoria;
and it was their intention to have proceeded northward to the Rio
Doce, but, for want of mules and money (their supplies having given
out), they were obliged to make Nova Almeida, their farthest point.
Thence they returned by way of Victoria to Rio de Janeiro in a
sailing-vessel. In the comse of tbis journey they obtained valuable
collections both on the Rio Itapemrim and at Guarapary. Mr.
Hartt also made a careful study of tbe geology of the coast, the result
of which forros an interesting portion of his report.
On their return to Rio, Mr. Hartt and Mr. Copeland were detained
for some time by the failure of a steamer. They occupied them-
selves in the mean while in various work for the expedition, making
excursions in the vicinity, and collecting in the harbor of Rio. Dis-
appointed in the steamer, they started on board a sailing-vessel, and
had a slow and tedious voyage to San Matheos, collecting on their
way wherever the stopping of the vessel enabled them to do so.
Neither did Mr. Hartt neglect, on every such occasion, to examine
the coast, and the phenomena connected with its general rise, of
which he obtained unquestionable evidence. From San Matheos,
where they made considerable co1lections, they took conveyance to
the Rio Dqce, and ascended this river for ninety miles to the first
fa11, Porto de Souza. Descending its course again to Linhares, they
explored the river and lake of Juparana, and then returned to San
Matheos; making large marine collections at Barra Secea, half-way
between the Rio Doce and San Matheos. Thence they proceeded
to the Rio Mucury, stopping a few days at its moutb to collect, and
then ascending the river to Santa Clara. Here Mr. Copeland re-
mained, and secured a fine collection of fishes; while Mr. Hartt
crossed over the river Peruhype to the Colonia Leopoldina. On
hia return he was detained for some days by illness, but was soon
able to resume his journey ; and he and !vir. Copeland then w_e nt on
with Mr. Schleber * to Philadelphia, in the pro vince of Minas
* This gentleman, who is thoroughly familiar with thc whole conntry, was
untiring in his attcntions to Messrs. Hartt and Copeland, and gave them, so
far as he could, every facility for their rescarches.
540 APPENDIX.
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