mandiocca,
upon which we made our dinners. On the stems of the trees in the
forest, I met with many fine orchideous plants, one of the most
abundant, and certainly the most beautiful, being the Cattleya labiata. The
country between Sapucaya and Porto d'Anta, which we reached about dusk,
was somewhat similar to that observed lower down the river, but not so
well wooded. At this place we were at length enabled to cross the
river, there being a regular ferry-boat established for horses,
consisting of three large canoes lashed together, planked over, and
railed round. The river here was about the breadth of the Clyde at
Erskine Ferry, but the current was much more rapid. The Barca, as the
ferryboat is called, was rowed across, but, in consequence of the
current, the boatmen were first obliged to ascend the river a
considerable way before they began to cross. We found a very good venda
on the opposite side of the stream, where we put up for the night, and
where we had in a short time a very excellent supper, and were provided
with tolerable beds.
Next
morning after breakfast, we went on to a fazenda, called Barra de
Lourical, belonging to Colonel Custodio Leite, whom I have before
alluded to, as superintending the construction of the new road, and
whom I had frequently met at Mr. March's during my former stay there;
this place is about a league and a half distant from Porto D'Anta, and
we had again to descend along the banks of the river about a league, by
a very romantic road that leads through a fine forest abounding in
objects of great interest to the botanist, as well as the zoologist; we
observed numerous monkeys passing along the branches of trees over our
heads, particularly a large black howler {Mycetes), the females
of which were carrying their young upon their backs. We then struck off
to the north, and reached the fazenda early in the forenoon ; we did
not find the Colonel at home, but one of his sons received us very
kindly. This is a very fine estate yielding annually about 10,000
arrobas of coffee. On the following day we went to pay a visit to
Captain Francisco Leite, a brother of the Colonel, whose fazenda is
about a league and a half farther north. We were fortunate enough to
find him at home, when he showed
