the naturalist on the river amazons-第44部分

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hese　were　the　Manaos；　who　were　continually　at　war　with　the　neighbouring　tribes；　and　had　the　custom　of　enslaving　the　prisoners　made　during　their　predatory　expeditions。　The　Portuguese　disguised　their　slave…dealing　motives　under　the　pretext　of　ransoming　（resgatando）　these　captives；　indeed；　the　term　resgatar　（to　ransom）　is　still　applied　by　the　traders　on　the　Upper　Amazons　to　the　very　general；　but　illegal；　practice　of　purchasing　Indian　children　of　the　wild　tribes。　The　older　inhabitants　of　the　place　remember　the　time　when　many　hundreds　of　these　captives　were　brought　down　by　a　single　expedition。　In　1809；　Barra　became　the　chief　town　of　the　Rio　Negro　district；　many　Portuguese　and　Brazilians　from　other　provinces　then　settled　here；　spacious　houses　were　built；　and　it　grew；　in　the　course　of　thirty　or　forty　years；　to　be；　next　to　Santarem；　the　principal　settlement　on　the　banks　of　the　Amazons。　At　the　time　of　my　visit　it　was　on　the　decline；　in　consequence　of　the　growing　distrust；　or　increased　cunning；　of　the　Indians；　who　once　formed　a　numerous　and　the　sole　labouring　class；　but　having　got　to　know　that　the　laws　protected　them　against　forced　servitude；　were　rapidly　withdrawing　themselves　from　the　place。　When　the　new　province　of　the　Amazons　was　established；　in　1852；　Barra　was　chosen　as　the　capital；　and　was　then　invested　with　the　appropriate　name　of　the　city　of　Manaos。

The　situation　of　the　town　has　many　advantages；　the　climate　is　healthy；　there　are　no　insect　pests；　the　soil　is　fertile　and　capable　of　growing　all　kinds　of　tropical　produce　（the　coffee　of　the　Rio　Negro；　especially；　being　of　very　superior　quality）；　and　it　is　near　the　fork　of　two　great　navigable　rivers。　The　imagination　becomes　excited　when　one　reflects　on　the　possible　future　of　this　place；　situated　near　the　centre　of　the　equatorial　part　of　South　America；　in　the　midst　of　a　region　almost　as　large　as　Europe；　every　inch　of　whose　soil　is　of　the　most　exuberant　fertility；　and　having　water　communication　on　one　side　with　the　Atlantic；　and　on　the　other　with　the　Spanish　republics　of　Venezuela；　New　Granada；　Ecuador；　Peru；　and　Bolivia。　Barra　is　now　the　principal　station　for　the　lines　of　steamers　which　were　established　in　1853；　and　passengers　and　goods　are　transhipped　here　for　the　Solimoens　and　Peru。　A　steamer　runs　once　a　fortnight　between　Para　and　Barra；　and　a　bi…monthly　one　plies　between　this　place　and　Nauta　in　the　Peruvian　territory。　The　steam…boat　company　is　supported　by　a　large　annual　grant；　about　？0；000　sterling；　from　the　imperial　government。　Barra　was　formerly　a　pleasant　place　of　residence；　but　it　is　now　in　a　most　wretched　plight；　suffering　from　a　chronic　scarcity　of　the　most　necessary　articles　of　food。　The　attention　of　the　settlers　was　formerly　devoted　almost　entirely　to　the　collection　of　the　spontaneous　produce　of　the　forests　and　rivers；　agriculture　was　consequently　neglected；　and　now　the　neighbourhood　does　not　produce　even　mandioca…meal　sufficient　for　its　own　consumption。　Many　of　the　most　necessary　articles　of　food；　besides　all　luxuries；　come　from　Portugal；　England；　and　North　America。　A　few　bullocks　are　brought　now　and　then　from　Obydos；　500　miles　off；　the　nearest　place　where　cattle　are　reared　in　any　numbers；　and　these　furnish　at　long　intervals　a　supply　of　fresh　beef；　but　this　is　generally　monopolised　by　the　families　of　government　officials。　Fowls；　eggs；　fresh　fish；　turtles；　vegetables；　and　fruit　were　excessively　scarce　and　dear　in　1859；　when　I　again　visited　the　place；　for　instance；　six　or　seven　shillings　were　asked　for　a　poor　lean　fowl；　and　eggs　were　twopence…halfpenny　a　piece。　In　fact；　the　neighbourhood　produces　scarcely　anything；　the　provincial　government　is　supplied　with　the　greater　part　of　its　funds　from　the　treasury　of　Para；　its　revenue；　which　amounts　to　about　fifty　contos　of　reis　（？600）；　derived　from　export　taxes　on　the　produce　of　the　entire　province；　not　sufficing　for　more　than　about　one…fifth　of　its　expenditure。

The　population　of　the　province　of　the　Amazons；　according　to　a　census　taken　in　1858；　is　55；000　souls；　the　municipal　district　of　Barra；　which　comprises　a　large　area　around　the　capital；　containing　only　4500　inhabitants。　For　the　government；　however；　of　this　small　number　of　people；　an　immense　staff　of　officials　is　gathered　together　in　the　capital；　and；　notwithstanding　the　endless　number　of　trivial　formalities　which　Brazilians　employ　in　every　small　detail　of　administration；　these　have　nothing　to　do　the　greater　part　of　their　time。　None　of　the　people　who　flocked　to　Barra　on　the　establishment　of　the　new　government　seemed　to　care　about　the　cultivation　of　the　soil　and　the　raising　of　food；　although　these　would　have　been　most　profitable　speculations。　The　class　of　Portuguese　who　emigrate　to　Brazil　seem　to　prefer　petty　trading　to　the　honourable　pursuit　of　agriculture。　If　the　English　are　a　nation　of　shopkeepers；　what　are　we　to　say　of　the　Portuguese？　I　counted　in　Barra　one　store　for　every　five　dwelling…　houses。　These　stores；　or　tavernas；　have　often　not　more　than　fifty　pounds'　worth　of　goods　for　their　whole　stock；　and　the　Portuguese　owners；　big　lusty　fellows；　stand　all　day　behind　their　dirty　counters　for　the　sake　of　selling　a　few　coppers'　worth　of　liquors；　or　small　wares。　These　men　all　give　the　same　excuse　for　not　applying　themselves　to　agriculture；　namely；　that　no　hands　can　be　obtained　to　work　on　the　soil。　Nothing　can　be　done　with　Indians；　indeed；　they　are　fast　leaving　the　neighbourhood　altogether；　and　the　importation　of　negro　slaves；　in　the　present　praiseworthy　temper　of　the　Brazilian　mind；　is　out　of　the　question。　The　problem；　how　to　obtain　a　labouring　class　for　a　new　and　tropical　country；　without　slavery；　has　to　be　solved　before　this　glorious　region　can　become　what　its　delightful　climate　and　exuberant　fertility　fit　it　forthe　abode　of　a　numerous；　civilised；　and　happy　people。

I　found　at　Barra　my　companion；　Mr。　Wallace；　who；　since　our　joint　Tocantins　expedition；　had　been　exploring；　partly　with　his　brother；　lately　arrived　from　England；　the　northeastern　coast　of　Marajo；　the　river　Capim　（a　branch　of　the　Guama；　near　Para）；　Monte　Alegre；　and　Santarem。　He　had　passed　us　by　night　below　Serpa；　on　his　way　to　Barra；　and　so　had　arrived　about　three　weeks　before　me。　Besides　ourselves；　there　were　half…a…dozen　other　foreigners　here　congregatedEnglishmen；　Germans；　and　Americans；　one　of　them　a　Natural　History　collector；　the　rest　traders　on　the　rivers。　In　the　pleasant　society　of　these；　and　of　the　family　of　Senor　Henriques；　we　passed　a　delightful　time；　the　miseries　of　our　long　river　voyages　were　soon　forgotten；　and　in　two　or　three　weeks　we　began　to　talk　of　further　explorations。

Meantime　we　had　almost　daily　rambles　in　the　neighbouring　forest。　The　whole　surface　of　the　land　down　to　the　water's　edge　is　covered　by　the　uniform　dark…green　rolling　forest；　the　caa…apoam　（convex　woods）　of　the　Indians；　characteristic　of　the　Rio　Negro。　This　clothes　also　the　extensive　areas　of　lowland；　which　are　flooded　by　the　river　in　the　rainy　season。　The　olive…brown　tinge　of　the　water　seems　to　be　derived　from　the　saturation　in　it　of　the　dark　green　foliage　during　these　annual　inundations。　The　great　contrast　in　form　and　colour　between　the　forest　of　the　Rio　Negro　and　those　of　the　Amazons　arises　from　the　predominance　in　each　of　different　families　of　plants。　On　the　main　river；　palms　of　twenty　or　thirty　different　species　form　a　great　proportion　of　the　mass　of　trees；　while　on　the　Rio　Negro；　they　play　a　very　subordinate　part。　The　characteristic　kind　in　the　latter　region　is　the　Jara　（Leopoldinia　pulchra）；　a　species　not　found　on　the　margins　of　the　Amazons；　which　has　a　scanty　head　of　fronds　with　narrow　leaflets　of　the　same　dark　green　hue　as　the　rest　of　the　forest。　The　stem　is　smooth；　and　about　two　inches　in　diameter；　its　height　is　not　more　than　twelve　to　fifteen　feet；　it　does　not；　therefore；　rise　amongst　the　masses　of　foliage　of　the　exogenous　trees；　so　as　to　form　a　feature　in　the　landscape；　like　the　broad…leaved　Murumuru　and　Urucuri；　the　slender　Assai；　the　tall　Jauari；　and　the　fan…leaved　Muriti　of　the　banks　of　the　Amazons。

On　the　shores　of　the　main　river　the　mass　of　the　forest　is　composed；　besides　palms；　of　Leguminosae；　or　trees　of　the　bean　family；　in　endless　variety　as　to　height；　shape　of　foliage；　flowers；　and　fruit；　of　silk…cotton　trees；　colossal　nut…trees　（Lecythideae）；　and　Cecropiae；　the　underwood　and　water…frontage　consisting　in　great　part　of　broad…leaved　Musaceae；　Marantaceae；　and　succulent　grasses　all　of　which　are　of　light　shades　of　green。　The　forests　of　the　Rio　Negro　are　almost　destitute　of　these　large…leaved　plants　and　grasses；　which　give　so　rich　an　appearance　to　the　vegetation　wherever　they　grow；　the　margins　of　the　stream　being　clothed　with　bushes　or　low　trees；　having　the　same　gloomy　monotonous　aspect　as　the　mangroves　of　the　shores　of　creeks　near　the　Atlantic。　The　uniformly　small　but　elegantly…leaved　exogenous　trees；　which　constitute　the　mass　of　the　forest；　consist　in　great　part　of　members　of　the　Laurel；　Myrtle；　Bignoniaceous；　and　Rubiaceous　orders。　The　soil　is　generally　a　stiff　loam；　whose　chief　component　part　is　the　Tabatinga　clay；　which　also　forms　low　cliffs　on　the　coast　in　some　places；　where　it　overlies　strata　of　coarse　sandstone。　This　kind　of　soil　and　the　same　geological　formation　prevail；　as　we　have　seen；　in　many　places　on　the　banks　of　the　Amazons；　so　that　the　great　contrast　in　the　forest…clothing　of　the　two　rivers　cannot　arise　from　this　cause。

The　forest　was　very　pleasant　for　rambling。　In　some　directions　broad　pathways　led　down　gentle　slopes；　through　what　one　might　fancy　were　interminable　shrubberies　of　evergreens；　to　moist　hollows　where　springs　of　water　bubbled　up；　or　shallowbrooks　ran　over　their　beds　of　clean　white　sand。　But　the　most　beautiful　road　was　one　that　ran　through　the　heart　of　the　forest　to　a　waterfall；　which　the　citizens　of　Barra　consider　as　the　chief　natural　curiosity　of　their　neighbourhood。　The　waters　of　one　of　the　larger　rivulets　which　traverse　the　gloomy　wilderness；　here　fall　over　a　ledge　of　rock　about　ten　feet　high。　It　is　not　the　cascade　itself；　but　the　noiseless　solitude；　and　the　marvellous　diversity　and　richness　of　trees；　foliage；　and　flowers　encircling　the　water　basin　that　form　the　attraction　of　the　place。　Families　make　picnic　excursions　to　this　spot；　and　the　gentlemenit　is　said　the　ladies　alsospend　the　sultry　h