well worked.
The people are lazy, many of them, and have not much enterprise. Much
is done, no doubt; but very much more _might_ be done.

"The empire of Brazil occupies nearly one half of the whole continent of
South America. It is 2600 miles long, and 2500 miles broad; which, as
you know perhaps, is a little larger than all Europe. The surface of
the country is beautiful and varied. The hilly regions are very wild,
although none of the mountains are very high, and the woods are
magnificent; but a great part of the land consists of vast grassy
plains, which are called llanos, or campos, or silvas. The campos along
the banks of the River Amazon are equal to six times the size of France;
and there is one great plain which lies between the Sierra Ibiapaba and
the River Tocantins which is 600 miles long by 400 miles broad. There
are very few lakes in Brazil, and only one worth speaking of--the Lagoa
dos Platos--which is 150 miles long. But our rivers are the finest in
the whole world, being so long, and wide, and deep, and free from falls,
that they afford splendid communication with the interior of the land.
But alas! there are few ships on these rivers yet, very few. The rivers
in the north part of Brazil are so numerous and interlaced that they are
much like the veins in the human body; and the great River Amazon and a
few of its chief tributaries resemble the arteries.

"Then as to our produce," continued the hermit, "who can tell it all?
We export sugar, and coffee, and cotton, and gold, silver, lead, zinc,
quicksilver, and amethysts, and we have diamond mines--"

"Di'mond mines!" echoed Barney; "och, but I would like for to see them.
Sure they would sparkle most beautiful. Are they far off, Mr
Carrymooroo?"

"Yes, very far off. Then we export dye-woods, and cabinet-woods, and
drugs, and gums, and hides,--a great many hides, for the campos are full
of wild cattle, and men hunt them on horseback, and catch them with a
long rope called the _lasso_."

"How I should like to have a gallop over these great plains," murmured
Martin.

"Then we have," continued the hermit, "rice, tapioca, cocoa, maize,
wheat, mandioca, beans, bananas, pepper, cinnamon, oranges, figs,
ginger, pine-apples, yams, lemons, mangoes, and many other fruits and
vegetables. The mandioca you have eaten in the shape of farina. It is
very good food; one acre gives as much nutriment as six acres of wheat.

"Of the trees you have seen so