hem, covered with the richest verdure, and villages
peeping forth here and there in beautiful little bays; while higher up
the bay the vast city appeared, extending for miles along its irregular
shore, and running back almost to the foot of the Tijuca Mountains, with
hills and heights in every direction. In the midst of this scene we
dropped our anchor under the frowning fortress of Villegagnon, the first
castle erected by Europeans in that region.

I cannot hope to convey by words a correct idea of the beauty of the
scenery or the magnificence of the harbour. All visitors agree that it
is one of the finest in the world. We went on shore, and were very
kindly received by an English merchant--the correspondent of the house
to which the _Inca_ belonged. John and I were anxious to help Tony and
Houlston as far as we had the power, but our new friend undertook to
supply their wants, and to enable them to reach Para by the first vessel
sailing for that port.

I will not attempt to describe Rio fully. It is a large city, with
heights rising about in various parts, covered with buildings. Most of
the streets are very narrow, the architecture very unlike anything I had
seen in England. Numbers of priests; gangs of slaves, carrying loads;
ladies in black hoods reaching to the feet, called mantilhas; gentlemen
in cloaks; soldiers on foot and on horseback, were moving about in all
directions. We made a few interesting excursions in the neighbourhood
of the city, and several expeditions about the bay.

Captain Byles was, of course, anxious to proceed on his voyage, and
therefore used all expedition in getting the ship ready for sea. We,
however, had time to make one long excursion with our new friend to the
Organ Mountains, which we could see from the bay in the far distance. I
was sorry that Ellen could not go, as it was considered that the trip
would be too fatiguing for her. We sailed up to the head of the bay for
many miles in a pleasure-vessel belonging to our friend, sleeping on
board the first night. Early the next morning we started on mules
towards the mountains. The air was most delicious, pure, though warm,
and the scenery very beautiful, as we made our way among heights covered
with a great variety of tropical trees and creepers bearing magnificent
flowers. Among them were the tall, gently-curved palmetto, elegant tree
ferns, unsurpassed by any of their neighbours in beauty, fuchsias in
their native glor