The city of Para was founded in 1615, and was a place of considerable importance towards the latter half of the eighteenth century, under the government of the brother of Pombal, the famous Portuguese statesman. The province was the last in Brazil to declare its independence of the mother country and acknowledge the authority of the first emperor, Don Pedro. ‘This was owing to the great numbers and influence of the

20 PARA. Cuap., I.

Portuguese; and the rage of the native party was so great in consequence, that immediately after independence was proclaimed, in 1823, a counter revolution broke out, during which many hundred lives were lost and much hatred engendered. ‘The antagonism continued for many years, partial insurrections taking place when the populace thought that the immigrants from Portugal were favoured by the governors sent from the capital of the empire. At length, in 1835, a serious revolt took place which in a short time involved the entire province. It began by the assassination of the President and the leading members of the government; the struggle was severe, and the native party in an evil hour called to their aid the ignorant and fanatic mongrel and Indian population. The cry of death to the Portuguese was soon changed to death to the freemasons, then a powerfully-organised society embracing the greater part of the male white inhabitants. The victorious native party endeavoured to establish a government of their own. After this state of things had endured six months, they accepted a new President sent from Rio Janeiro, who, however, again irritated them by imprisoning their favourite leader, Vinagre. ‘The revenge which followed was frightful. A vast host of half-savage coloured people assembled in the retired creeks behind Para, and on a day fixed, after Vinagre’s brother had sent a message three times to the President demanding, in vain, the release of their leader, the whole body poured into the city through the gloomy pathways of the forest which encircles it. A cruel battle, lasting nine days, was fought in the streets; an English, French, and Portuguese man-of-war, from the side of the river, assisting the legal authorities. Ali the latter, however, together with every friend of peace and order, were finally obliged to retire to an island a few miles distant. The city and province were given up to anarchy; the coloured people, elated with victory, proclaimed the slaughter of all whites except the English, French, and American residents. The mistaken principals, who had first aroused all this hatred of races, were obliged now to make their escape. In the interior the supporters of lawful authority, including, it must be stated, whole tribes of friendly Indians and numbers of the better disposed negroes and. mulattos, concentrated themselves in certain strong positions and defended themselves, until the re-conquest of the capital and large towns of the interior, in 1836, by a force sent from Rio Janeiro, after ten months of anarchy.

Years of conciliatory government, the lesson learnt by the native party, and the moderation of the Portuguese, aided by the natural indolence and passive goodness of the Paraenses of all classes and colours, were only beginning to produce their good effects about the time I am speaking of. Life, however, was now and had been for some time quite safe throughout the country. Some few of the worst characters had been transported or imprisoned, and the remainder after being pardoned were converted once more into quiet and peaceable citizens.

I resided at Parad nearly a year and a half altogether, returning thither and making a stay of a few months after each of my shorter excursions into the interior,* until the 6th of November, 1851, when I

The following were the excursions alluded to:—Aug. 26 to Sept. 30, 1848, I went to the Arroyos cataracts on the Tocantins. Dec. 8, 1848, to Feb. 11, 1849, I

started on my long voyage to the Tapajos and the Upper Amazons, which occupied me seven years and a half. I became during this time tolerably familiar with the capital of the Amazons region, and its inhabitants. Compared with other Brazilian seaport towns, I was always told, Para shone to great advantage. It was cleaner, the suburbs were fresher, more rural and much pleasanter on account of their verdure, shade, and magnificent vegetation. ‘The people were simpler, more peaceable and friendly in their manners and dispositions, and assassinations, which give the southern provinces so ill a reputation, were almost unknown. At the same time the Pard people were much inferior to Southern Brazilians in energy and industry. Provisions and house rents being cheap and the wants of the people few—for they were content with food and lodging of a quality which would be spurned by paupers in England—they spent the greater part of their time in sensual indulgences and in amusements which the government and wealthier citizens provided for them gratis. The trade, wholesale and retail, was in the hands of the Portuguese, of whom there were about 2500 in the place. Many handicrafts were exercised by coloured people, mulattos, mamelucos, free negroes and Indians. The better sort of Brazilians dislike the petty details of shopkeeping, and if they cannot be wholesale merchants prefer the life of planters in the country, however small may be the estate and the gains. The negroes constituted the class of field-labourers and porters; Indians were universally the watermen, and formed the crews of the numberless canoes of all sizes and shapes which traded between Para and the interior. The educated Brazilians, not many of whom are of pure Caucasian descent —for the immigration of Portuguese, for many years, has been almost exclusively of the male sex—are courteous, lively, and intelligent people. They were gradually weaning themselves of the ignorant, bigoted notions which they inherited from their Portuguese ancestors, especially those entertained with regard to the treatment of women. Formerly the Portuguese would not allow their wives to go into society, or their daughters to learn reading and writing. In 1848, Brazilian ladies were only just beginning to emerge from this inferior position, and Brazilian fathers were opening their eyes to the advantages of education for their daughters. Reforms of this kind are slow. It is, perhaps, in part owing to the degrading position always held by women, that the relations between the sexes were and are still on so unsatisfactory a footing, and private morality at so low an ebb in Brazil. In Para I believe that an improvement is now taking place, but formerly promiscuous intercourse seemed to be the general rule amongst all classes, and intrigue and love-making the serious business of the greater part of the population. That this state of things is a necessity depending on the climate and institutions I do not believe, as I have resided at small towns in the interior, where the habits, and the _ general standard of morality of the inhabitants, were as pure as they are in similar places in England.

visited Caripi on the Bahia of Marajo. June 8 to July 21, 1849, I visited Cameta and the lower part of the Tocantins. Lastly, from Sept. 22, 1849, to April 19, 1851, I made a preliminary voyage to Obydos, the Rio Negro, and Ega.

CHAP TE wey,

PARA (continued).

The swampy forests of Para—A Portuguese landed proprietor—Country house at

Nazareth—Life of a Naturalist under the Equator—The drier virgin forests—

Magoary—Retired creeks—Aborigines.

AFTER having resided about a fortnight at Mr. Miller’s rocinha, we heard of another similar country-house to be let, much better situated for our purpose, in the village of Nazareth, a mile anda half from the city, and close to the forest. The owner was an old Portuguese gentleman named Danin, who lived at his tile manufactory at the mouth of the Una, a small river lying two miles below Parad. We resolved to walk to his place through the forest, a distance of three miles, although the road was said to be scarcely passable at this season of the year, and the Una much more easily accessible by boat. We were glad, however, of this early opportunity of traversing the rich swampy forest, which we had admired so much from the deck of the ship; so, about eleven o’clock one sunny morning, after procuring the necessary information about the road, we set off in that direction. This part of the forest afterwards became one of my best hunting-grounds. I will narrate the incidents of the walk, giving my first impressions and some remarks on the wonderful vegetation. The forest is very similar on most of the low lands, and therefore one description will do for all.

On leaving the town, we walked along a straight suburban road, constructed above the level of the surrounding land. It had low swampy ground on each side, built upon, however, and containing several spacious rocinhas, which were embowered in magnificent foliage. Leaving the last of these, we arrived at a part where the lofty forest towered up like a wall, five or six yards from the edge of the path, to the height of probably too feet. The tree trunks were only seen partially here and there, nearly the whole frontage from ground to summit being covered with a diversified drapery of creeping plants, all of the most vivid shades of green; scarcely a flower to be seen, except in some places a solitary scarlet passion-flower, set in the green mantle like a star. The low ground on the borders, between the forest wall and the road, was encumbered with a tangled mass of bushy. and shrubby vegetation, amongst which prickly mimosas were very numerous, covering the other bushes in the same way as brambles do in England. Other dwarf mimosas trailed along the ground close to the edge of the road, shrinking at the slightest touch of the feet as

we passed by. Cassia trees, with their elegant pinnate foliage and conspicuous yellow flowers, formed a great proportion of the lower trees, and arborescent arums grew in groups around the swampy hollows. Over the whole fluttered a larger number of brilliantly coloured butterflies than we had yet seen; some wholly orange or yellow (Callidryas), others with excessively elongated wings, sailing horizontally through the air, coloured black, and varied with blue, red and yellow (Heliconii). One magnificent grassy-green species (Colzenis Dido) especially attracted our attention. Near the ground hovered many other smaller species, very similar in appearance to those found at home, attracted by the flowers of numerous leguminous and other shrubs. Besides butterflies, there were few other insects except dragonflies, which were in great numbers, similar in shape to English species, but some of them looking conspicuously different on account of their fiery red colours.

After stopping repeatedly to examine and admire, we at length walked onward. The road then ascended slightly, and the scil and vegetation became suddenly altered in character. The shrubs here were grasses, Cyperaceze and other plants, smailer in foliage than those growing in moist grounds. The forest was second growth, low, consisting of trees which had the general aspect of laurels and other evergreens in our gardens at home: the leaves glossy and dark green. Some of them were elegantly veined and hairy (Melastome), whilst many, scattered amongst the rest, had smaller foliage (Myrtles), but these were not sufficient to subtract much from the general character of the whole.

The sun, now—for we had loitered long on the road—was exceedingly powerful. The day was most brilliant; the sky without a cloud. In fact, it was one of those glorious days which announce the commencement of the dry season. ‘The radiation of heat from the sandy ground was visible by the quivering motion of the air above it. We saw or heard no mammals or birds; a few cattle belonging to an estate down a shady lane were congregated, panting, under a cluster of wide-spreading trees. The very soil was hot to our feet, and we hastened onward to the shade of the forest, which we could see not far ahead. At length, on entering it, whata relief! We found ourselves in a moderately broad pathway or alley, where the branches of the trees crossed overhead and produced a delightful shade. The woods were at first of second growth, dense, and utterly impenetrable; the ground, instead of being clothed with grass and shrubs, as in the woods of Europe, was everywhere carpeted with Lycopodiums (Selaginellz). Gradually the scene became changed. We descended slightly from an elevated, dry and sandy area to a low and swampy one; a cool air breathed on our faces, and a mouldy smell of rotting vegetation greeted us. The trees were now taller, the underwood less dense, and we could obtain glimpses into the wilderness on all sides. The leafy crowns of the trees, scarcely two of which could be seen together of the same kind, were now far away above us—in another world, as it were. We could only see at times, where there was a break above, the tracery of the foliage against the clear blue sky. Sometimes the leaves were palmate, or of the shape of large outstretched hands; at others, finely cut, or feathery, like the leaves of the Mimosz. Below, the tree trunks were everywhere linked

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