sed a party to see
the botanic gardens, we set off soon after daylight; and drove to
their house on the bay of Boto Fogo, perhaps the most beautiful spot in
the neighbourhood of Rio, rich as it is in natural beauty; and its
beauty is increased by the numerous and pretty country-houses which now
surround it. These have all grown up since the arrival of the court from
Lisbon; before that time, this lovely spot was only inhabited by a few
fishermen and gipsies, with, it might be, a villa or two on the sloping
banks by the fruit gardens. Beyond the bay, we drove through a beautiful
lane to the Lake of Rodrigo de Freitas: it is nearly circular, and about
five miles in circumference; it is surrounded by mountains and forests,
except where a short sandy bar affords an occasional outlet to the sea,
when the lake rises so high as to threaten inconvenience to the
surrounding plantations. It is impossible to conceive any thing richer
than the vegetation down to the very water's edge around the lake.

[Illustration]

We were to breakfast at the gardens, but as the weather is now hot, we
resolved first to walk round them. They are laid out in convenient
squares, the alleys being planted on either side with a very
quick-growing nut tree, brought from Bencoolen originally, now
naturalised here. The nut is as good as the filbert, and larger than the
walnut, and yields abundance of oil; the leaf is about the size, and not
unlike the shape, of that of the sycamore. The timber also is useful.
The quick growth of this tree is unexampled among timber trees, and its
height and beauty distinguish it from all others. The hedges between the
compartments are of a shrub which I should have taken for myrtle, but
that the leaves though firm are not fragrant. This garden was destined
by the King for the cultivation of the oriental spices and fruits, and
above all, of the tea plant, which he obtained, together with several
families accustomed to its culture, from China. Nothing can be more
thriving than the whole of the plants. The cinnamon, camphor, nutmeg,
and clove, grow as well as in their native soil. The bread-fruit
produces its fruit in perfection, and such of the oriental fruits as
have been brought here ripen as well as in India. I particularly
remarked the jumbo malacca, from India, and the longona (_Euphoria
Longona_), a dark kind of lechee from China. I was disappointed to find
no collection of the indigenous plants. However, so much has