s well
as Messrs. Luddington, Power, &c. in the course of the day.

_Thursday, 24_.--Captain Lyon most obligingly invited me to join a
party, consisting of Mr. Gordon, our Minister, Captains Beechy and
Forster, &c. &c. on a most interesting excursion to the Corcovada
Mountain on the following morning, for the purpose of measuring its
height; but I was most reluctantly obliged to decline it; first, because
it would have been too trying for my cough; and secondly, because I
wished to reserve all my strength for my journey into the interior.

_Saturday, 26_.--Captain Duntz paid me another visit, bringing his
friend Sir T. Thompson of the Cadmus with him. Captain Lyon and his
friend Mr. Edward Walker also favoured me in like manner.

_Monday, 28_.--The packet sailed for England to-day, calling at Bahia
and Pernambuco on her way. Captain Lyon's friend Mr. Edward Walker went
passenger in her. I heard that our journey into the interior was
fortunately deferred for a day or two. My friend Lieutenant E. Belcher
of H.M.S. Blossom, called on me to-day, as did several other gentlemen.

_Tuesday, 29_.--Captain Lyon called to inform me that he had determined
on proceeding to the interior the following day; I therefore busied
myself in preparing for the journey. Among the few articles of which I
stood in need, were a jacket and pantaloons, which I was obliged to
purchase, ready made, at a store of English slop-goods, the English
tailors here being too consequential to accommodate any one on an
emergency.

_Wednesday, 30_.--I took leave of my friend and fellow passenger Mr.
Fearon, to join Captain Lyon at Mr. Raynsford's in Rua Pescadores, from
whose house we were to set out. Every thing being ready about noon, we
mounted our mules, and formed a very respectable cavalcade, our party
for the interior consisting of Captain Lyon, Mr. Sharpe, Mr. A. Walker,
and myself, with a train of loaded mules, we were also favoured by the
escort of Messrs. Raynsford, and Lewis, on our first day's march. The
latter gentleman is a Prussian Jew, and has amassed a considerable
property in this country by dealing in precious stones, in addition to
which traffic, he has a general store at Gongo Soco. He has also a
brother a dealer in jewels who lives at Villa Rica. How is it that other
men cannot succeed so well as those of the Jewish persuasion? Is it that
their intelligence, penetration, and discrimination, are superior to
other men? Or is it solely