30th April 1832

Rio de Janeiro
Dined with Mr Aston.

29th April 1832

Rio de Janeiro
Delightfully quiet day, employed in writing up my journal during the Macaè excursion.

28th April 1832

Rio de Janeiro
Breakfasted on board, and in the evening went to a pleasant dinner at the Admirals, Sir Thomas Baker.

27th April 1832

Rio de Janeiro
In the morning arranged my collections from the Interior, and after dinner went with the Captain to Mr Aston, the English minister. The evening passed away very pleasantly, and from the absence of all form almost resembled a Cambridge party. The Captain has informed me of the important fact that the Beagle will return to Bahia for a few days. There has been a long dispute about the longitude of Rio, and everybody thought that when that was settled the whole coast of S America would likewise be so. To the Captain’s astonishment he finds there is a difference between Bahia & Rio; that is, one side is right at the former place, the other at the latter. It is in order to verify this, that the second trip is undertaken. I have made up my mind quietly to remain here and be picked up on the Beagle’s return.

[image: Captain Fitroy]

26th April 1832

Rio de Janeiro
Employed all day in restoring the effects of yesterday's disaster.

25th April 1832

Rio de Janeiro
Moved all my things from the Beagle to Botofogo. Whilst landing on the beach I suffered on a small scale, sufficient however to paint some of the horrors of shipwreck. Two or three heavy seas swamped the boat, and before my affrighted eyes were floating books, instruments and gun cases and everything which was most useful to me. Nothing was lost and nothing completely spoiled, but most of them injured.

24th April 1832

Rio de Janeiro
To my joy I at last gained the Beagle. I found a days rest so delightful that I determined idly to remain on board. During my absence several political changes have taken place in our little world. Mr Maccormick has been invalided, and goes to England by the Tyne. Mr Derbyshire by his own request was discharged the service. In his place Mr Johnstone will be moved into the Beagle from the Warspite.

23rd April 1832

Rio de Janeiro
The number of pretty and gay houses showed our approach to the city. During the day we passed through a wood of Acacias, the finely pinnate foliage makes for the sky a most delicate veil. And casts on the ground a pleasing kind of shade; from the softness of the leaves, no rustling is heard when a breeze moves them. We arrived in the evening at Praia Grande, where owing to having lost our passports, we were plagued to prove that our horses were not stolen.

22nd April 1832

Rio de Janeiro
As usual started sometime before daylight and proceeded to Madre de Dios where we breakfasted, had it not been for the torrents of rain this would have been a very interesting ride; the country is richly cultivated, the Sugar Cane being the chief produce. The woods contained numbers of beautiful birds; the hedges were decorated by several species of passion flowers.

Madre de Dios, like all the villages is extremely foreign looking & picturesque. The houses are low and painted with gay colours; the tops of the windows and doors being arched, takes away the still effect so universal in an English town. One or two handsome Churches in the centre of the village completes the picture.

It continued to rain and we started for our sleeping place, Fregueria de Tabarai. This interior road is the best I have seen, but it is much inferior to the worst turnpike road. I do not think a gig could travel on it. Yet this is one of the principal passes in the Brazils. We met a good many people on horseback. The only vehicle is a most rude cart with almost solid wheels, it is drawn by eight oxen yoked together: as it moves it makes a most extraordinary creaking noise.

We did not pass over one stone bridge. Where any exist, they are made of logs of wood. They were sometimes in so bad a state that we were obliged to leave the road to avoid them. The distances are inaccurately known, no two people at all agreeing in their accounts. Instead of milestones, the roadside is often marked by crosses, to signify where human blood has been spilled. The evening was so cold that I fairly trembled with it yet the thermometer was 62½.

21st April 1832

Rio de Janeiro
Started at day-break & proceeded for some leagues on the former road; we then turned off, being determined to reach the city by the interior line. Our party was reduced to Mr Lennon, his nephew and myself. We arrived in the evening, almost without having rested our horses, at the Rio Combrata: this country was much more cultivated. he Venda was beyond anything miserable, we were obliged to sleep on the Indian corn.

19th & 20th April 1832

Rio de Janeiro
Left Socêgo, crossed the Rio Macaè and slept at the Venda de Matto: in the evening walked on the beach and enjoyed the sight of a high and violent surf.

Returned by the old route to Campos Novos; the ride was very tiresome, passing over a heavy and scorching sand. Whilst swimming our horses over the St Joâo, we had some danger and difficulty; the animals became exhausted and we had two drunken Mulattos in the boat.

17th & 18th April 1832

Rio de Janeiro
These two days were spent at Socêgo, and was the most enjoyable part of the whole expedition; the greater part of them was spent in the woods. I succeeded in collecting many insects and reptiles.

The woods are so thick and matted that I found it quite impossible to leave the path. The greater number of trees, although so lofty, are not more than from 3 to 4 feet in circumference. These are interspersed with others of a much greater size. Signor Manuel was making a canoe 70 feet long, and on the ground was left 40 feet, so that there were 110 feet of straight solid trunk. The contrast of the Palms amongst other trees never fails to give the scene a most truly tropical appearance: the forests here are ornamented by one of the most elegant, the Cabbage-Palm; with a stem so narrow, that with the two hands it may be clasped, it waves its most elegant head from 30 to 50 feet above the ground. The soft part, from which the leaves spring, affords a most excellent vegetable. The woody creepers, themselves covered by creepers, are of great thickness, varying from 1 to nearly 2 feet in circumference. Many of the older trees present a most curious spectacle, being covered with tresses of a liana, which much resembles bundles of hay.

If the eye is turned from the world of foliage above, to the ground, it is attracted by the extreme elegance of the leaves of numberless species of Ferns & Mimosas. Thus it is easy to specify individual objects of admiration; but it is nearly impossible to give an adequate idea of the higher feelings which are excited; wonder, astonishment and sublime devotion fill and elevate the mind.

16th April 1832

Rio de Janeiro
Started early in the morning to Signor Manuel at Socêgo, whom it was agreed upon should be arbitrator: Again I enjoyed the never failing delight of riding through the forests.

15th April 1832

Rio de Janeiro
We were obliged to have a black man to clear the way with a sword; the woods in this neighbourhead contain several forms of vegetation which I had not before seen — some species of most elegant tree ferns — a grass like the Papyrus; and the Bamboo, the circumference of the stems were 12 inches.

On arriving at the estate, there was a most violent & disagreeable quarrel between Mr Lennon and his agent, which quite prevented us from wishing to remain there. This Fazenda is the most interior piece of cleared ground, until you pass the mountains, its length is 2½ miles, Mr Lennon is not sure how many broad. It may be guessed what a state the country must be in when I believe every furlong of this might be cultivated.

In the evening it rained very hard, I suffered from the cold, although the thermometer was 75°. During Mr Lennons quarrel with his agent, he threatened to sell at the public auction an illegitimate mulatto child to whom Mr Cowper was much attached: also he nearly put into execution taking all the women & children from their husbands and selling them separately at the market at Rio. Can two more horrible & flagrant instances be imagined? And yet I will pledge myself that in humanity and good feeling Mr Lennon is above the common run of men. How strange and inexplicable is the effect of habit & interest! Against such facts how weak are the arguments of those who maintain that slavery is a tolerable evil!