the sea, or the
lake, formed part of the scene. Here and there the huge gamela tree[64]
stands like a tower, adorned, besides its own leaves, with numberless
parasite plants, from the stiff cactus, to the swinging air plant[65];
and the frequent tower of church and monastery soften and improve the
features of the country.

[Note 64: The gamela, like the banyan, easily takes root in other
trees, and its branches meet together in the same manner. It is the tree
of which the canoes of Brazil are made, and serves besides for troughs
of various kinds.]

[Note 65: Air-plant or Tillandsia, of which there are several sorts.
The Tillandsia Lingulata is the largest, and agrees with Jaquin's plate;
the others are different from those described by him, and are much more
beautiful.].

Mr. Pennell has most kindly given our young men a general invitation to
his house; and accordingly, to-day several of them dined with him, and
we had a party in the evening, when some of the ladies played
quadrilles, while others danced.

_Friday, 19th._--I accompanied Miss Pennell in a tour of visits to her
Portuguese friends. As it is not their custom to visit or be visited in
the forenoon, it was hardly fair to take a stranger to see them.
However, my curiosity, at least, was gratified. In the first place, the
houses, for the most part, are disgustingly dirty: the lower story
usually consists of cells for the slaves, stabling &c.; the staircases
are narrow and dark; and, at more than one house, we waited in a passage
while the servants ran to open the doors and windows of the
sitting-rooms, and to call their mistresses, who were enjoying their
undress in their own apartments. When they appeared, I could scarcely
believe that one half were gentlewomen. As they wear neither stay nor
bodice, the figure becomes almost indecently slovenly, after very early
youth; and this is the more disgusting, as they are very thinly clad,
wear no neck-handkerchiefs, and scarcely any sleeves. Then, in this hot
climate, it is unpleasant to see dark cottons and stuffs, without any
white linen, near the skin. Hair black, ill combed, and dishevelled, or
knotted unbecomingly, or still worse, _en papillote_, and the whole
person having an unwashed appearance. When at any of the houses the
bustle of opening the cobwebbed windows, and assembling the family was
over, in two or three instances, the servants had to remove dishes of
sugar, mandioc, and other provisions, whic