posed. He bore the annoyance with his usual calm
temper. I have often thought what a valuable possession is a calm
temper, and how worthy of being cultivated.

The ship was consigned to an English firm--Messrs. Gleg and Robarts--who
rendered us every assistance in their power. Mr Robarts was on the
point of starting in a fast-sailing schooner on a trip along the coast
to the northward and west, as far as the mouth of the mighty river
Amazon. He invited Gerard and me, with Mr McRitchie, to accompany
him--not the last excursion of the sort we were destined to make. As he
undertook to be back before the ship could be ready for sea, the
captain, glad that we should see as much of the country as possible,
allowed us to go. I was amused at hearing the doctor charge the crew
not to fall sick, or tumble down and break their arms or legs, till his
return, at the risk of his high displeasure. The schooner--the
_Andorinha_--was built and manned by Portuguese, or rather Brazilians
and blacks. She was a very pretty little vessel, and a first-rate
sea-boat; indeed, the Portuguese models of vessels often used to put to
shame the crafts of the same class built in England. However, of late
years we have made a great stride in that respect. I speak of the
Portuguese, because the Brazils, it must be remembered, was colonised
from Portugal, and the greater part of the white inhabitants--if they
can be called white by courtesy--are of that nation originally. I am
sorry to say that I lost my notes made on this trip, so that I am unable
to describe it with the minuteness of the rest of my narrative.

Mr Robarts was a very merry, kind person, and we spent a very pleasant
life on board the little _Andorinha_. We put into several of the large
rivers, as the object of Mr Robarts was to collect some of the wildest
productions of the country from the natives inhabiting their banks.
When, we entered the Amazon, I could scarcely believe that we were in a
river, so wide and grand is the stream. The colour of the water,
however, showed us that it was really a river we were in. We had gone
up for some considerable distance, a strong breeze enabling us to battle
with the current, when at length we came to an anchor near the shore.
About a hundred and fifty miles up is the Brazilian town of Para--a
complete sea-port, though not equal in size to Pernambuco. We, however,
having a favourable breeze, went much further up the main stream, and
t