Gambar halaman
PDF
ePub

ever, for better success at Guidowald. They made several excursions into the forests, which are thus described:

"These intricate woods, in the interior of which almost eternal darkness prevails, are calculated to fill the soul with awe and terror; we never ventured to penetrate into them without being accompanied by soldiers, or at least being well-armed and keeping close together. Even near to the rossas there is danger, and the traveller has to defend himself from furious dogs that keep watch, almost as much as from the wild beasts of the forest."

Here the genuine ipecacuanha root is met with in considerable quantity, but, as it grows wild, is carefully sought for, and never planted; a future scarcity of it is very probable. One of the greatest ornaments of these woods is the sapacáya, or pot-tree:

"Its immense stem is above a hundred feet high, and spreads into a majestic and vaulted crown, which is extremely beautiful in the spring, when the rose-coloured leaves shoot out, and in the flowering season, by the large white blossoms. The nuts, which have a thick shell, are of the size of a child's head, with a lid which is loose all round, and which at length, when the weight of the fruit turns it downwards, separates, and lets the seed fall out. In a high wind it is dangerous to remain in the woods, on account of these heavy nuts falling from so great a height."

On the 10th of April they set out for Guidowald: the description of the way, and their interview with the Coroados, we cannot resist our inclination to extract.

"A dark forest covered us, and the most singular notes of various animals were heard in the distance. The magical solitude and the wonderful luxuriance of the forest, kept our mind balanced as it were between the feelings of fear and joy. We beheld with astonishment, on the summits of the trees, many birds of the gayest plumage, and bright garlands of the most beautiful climbing plants and parasites: but we were obliged to content ourselves with admiring them at the unattainable height at which they were placed.

Towards noon we were near the Aldea do Morro Grande, where several families of the Coroados reside, and by the advice of our soldier we entered a side path leading to them, having left our mules and arms at the neighbouring fazenda of a white colonist. Nothing but confidence in the experience of our guide, could have induced us to proceed in the narrow and intricate path, till we at length came out of a thicket to a rather lighter spot by the side of a stream, in which we perceived a naked Indian woman, painted with all kinds of figures of a dark blue colour. She was employed in pouring water over herself, and on our appearance she was as much astonished as we. Her black shining hair hung like a cloak over her reddish brown shoulders, and various drawings and figures, difficult to be explained, ornamented her face and breast. On the cheek she had a circle, and over that

two strokes; under the nose several marks, resembling an M; from the corners of the mouth, to the middle of the cheek, were two parallel lines; and below them, on both sides, many straight stripes; below and between her breasts there were some connected segments of circles, and down her arms the figure of a snake was depicted. This beauty wore no ornaments, except a necklace of monkey's teeth, Scarcely had she recovered from the surprise occasioned by our appearance, when she hastened with all speed back to her hut. We observed, that on the information given by her of our arrival, most of the Indians threw themselves into their hammocks, or hid themselves in their huts, and some others fled into the neighbouring wood.

When we reached the huts, no female was to be seen, except a few old women; the men lay silent, motionless, and with their backs turned to us, in their hammocks. Our military guide went first into their habitations, saluted the savages, and gave them to understand, as well as his knowledge of their language would permit, that we had come from a very distant country to visit them, and to employ ourselves in collecting birds, butterflies, and plants. This declaration seemed to make but little impression upon them, they swung, as before, silent in their hammocks, and looked at us only by stealth. Even good words and presents had no effect upon them; on our asking for a draught of water, one of them turned his head, and pouting out his mouth, and, with gestures indicating impatience, pointed to the neighbouring stream."

At Guidowald they met with a tribe of Coropos, who had brought dried ipecacuanha roots, to exchange for cottons and iron ware. They appear the most civilized Indians of the Minas. They are described as of a middling stature, and possessing a disagreeable Mongol countenance. The Coroados in the neighbourhood of Guidowald fled on the approach of our naturalists, imagining they intended to take them for soldiers; having convinced themselves of their peaceable intentions, by means of their spies, they gradually returned. Here they soon became familiar with the savages, and we have a full account of their habits and manners. Their dances are of a melancholy kind. This very interesting part of the work cannot be abridged, it exhibits a view of human nature in the highest degree gloomy and humiliating, irradiated only by the hope that these wretched sons of Adam (for we will confidently venture to call them so,) will ere long be in a train of physical and mental amelioration. Though healthy upon the whole, they are afflicted with liver complaints, ague, and a variety of diseases, owing to their residence in the damp atmosphere of the woods. They practise venesection by discharging at the vein, from a small bow, a little arrow headed with crystal. The philologist will derive much pleasure from perusing the work; great pains have been taken in investigating the languages of the various tribes, and procuring

vocabularies. Having enriched their collections in the vicinity of the Xipoto, and prevailed upon a young Coroado, by a present of brandy and a handsome suit of clothes, to accompany them to Villa Rica, they commenced their journey on the 17th of April, and arrived (after meeting with an alarming adventure which ended happily) on the 21st at the capital in the neighbourhood of which they made several excursions; the first was to the top of Itacolumi, here the barometer at one o'clock in the afternoon was 23.6.75. the thermometer 68°. whereas, in Villa Rica the former was 23.2. and the latter 81°. According to De Luc, this gives for Villa Rica an elevation of 3760 English feet, and for Itacolumi 5710. This mountain is composed of quartz slate, traversed with scales of mica, and towards the center contains specular iron. They next directed their enquiry to the chromat of lead, hitherto found only in Brazil, and on the Ural in Siberia. On their way to Congonhas do Campo, where it is met with, they examined the mines of Senhor Monteiro de Barros, from which the gold is obtained, 22 carats fine; about a league further is the mine called Cujabeira, now abandoned, where the chromat of lead was discovered: with considerable difficulty they succeeded in collecting a great number of specimens of this extremely scarce mineral, with which they returned to Villa Rica. In a pleasant valley, not far from the gold mines of Antonio Pereira, a very compact light grey calcareous stone stands out in masses, and extends up the mountain a considerable distance. After visiting several mines, more or less rich in the precious metals, and paying their respects to the venerable founder of the Hospicio de Nossa Senhora Mâi dos Homens, they again returned to Villa Rica, where they packed their valuable collections, sending them to Rio Janeiro, while they prepared to leave the land of gold for that of diamonds.

In a work sanctioned by authority, and undertaken with peculiar advantages, we expect accuracy and skill; and in the travels of Von Spix and Martius, we meet with both, in a considerable degree. They set out with minds stored with the riches of science, and strong powers of observation, which they have brought to bear upon a great variety of subjects. The botanical information contained in the work is of the first description, and of considerable extent; geology has been enriched with an immense collection of facts. The primitive formation appears most conspicuous throughout the whole extent of country described. The various modifications of granite, quartz, and mica, indicate a strong resemblance to the central mountainous districts of Europe; while the almost total absence of lime and its numerous combinations, with the universal presence of gold, which is obtainable in a greater

VOL. I. PART I.

or less degree throughout the whole of Brazil, form a distinguishing characteristic of the new world. The vast abundance of rich iron ores will be of immense advantage to this portion of America, limited, however, by the total absence of coal. The processes of metallurgy have a character of simplicity arising from the nature of the substance so eagerly sought after. When the recently improved method of separating gold from its matrix by amalgamation, finds its way into the districts abandoned by the washers, they will probably again teem with life, and become the objects of hope and anxiety. We wish that meteorology had been enriched with more frequent observations; we are, however, fully aware of the difficulty of transporting delicate instruments on the back of a mule, over rivers, swamps, and mountains,-a difficulty which must be experienced before it can be properly appreciated. With the labours of the translator we have, little fault to find; the style is, upon the whole, easy and unaffected; and this in a work, the general character of which is scientific, we hold to be indispensible. But there are,

marks of haste, which our readers will observe in many of the passages extracted, which we have selected for the matter rather than the manner. We object to the use of the thermometric division of Reaumur in the translation, whose scale, though generally adopted on the continent, is scarcely ever used in England. We hope, in a second edition, which we have no doubt will soon be called for, that this will be corrected. With regard to the plates, the less that is said about them the better, the execution and design of the greater part of them is very inferior, we think they would be advantageously exchanged for a good map; which, as we understand the work is to be completed in four volumes, we hope will accompany the remaining two; indeed, we consider the object, as far as geography is concerned, to be very imperfectly attained without one. In dismissing the work before us, we have great satisfaction in pronouncing it to be at once valuable to the man of science, and interesting to the general reader.

2

The Deserted City; Eva, a Tale in two Cantos; and other Poems. By Joseph Bounden.-London: Longman. pp. 216. 12mo.

[ocr errors]

THIS poem, in its title and structure, bears resemblance to Goldsmith's "Deserted Village;" a comparison with which, will not injure it in the estimation of the reader, and may add to

his pleasure in the perusal, by associating it, in idea, with that master-piece of the "inspired idiot.

[ocr errors]

The geographical situation of Auburn has been a matter of dispute. The writer before us has not decided the locality of his Deserted City-Urburgh. We, however, have a shrewd guess upon the subject. The fancy of the poet is a bold one, which ventures to suggest that the extensive and extending capital of this our "father land," may be "destroyed by war and tyranny. His imaginations have moulded themselves into the scenes the most familiar to himself, and he has dared to embody the possibility which was the theme of his song, in a strain of prophecy which looks upon the future as the past,and expatiates upon the solitude of the once populous streets of Urburgh. The vast Cathedral,-the Senate House,-the Tavern, the Exchange, the Bank,-the Theatre,-the Palace, the Museum,-the Academy,-the Manufactory, the College, all pass in review before the poet, as the things that have been. There is much pathos in the following

sketch:

--

[ocr errors]

Here stood a home to shield the poor and old,

Where childhood played, and age long stories told—
Where some, who trod the busy paths of life,
In sorrow clos'd its round of care and strife;
Whose past bright days, in bitter contrast brought,
Form'd the last efforts of expiring thought!
Collected here the wreck of human kind-
The shattered frame, and the exhausted mind;
The hopeless spirit, and the sundered heart,
By anguish and misfortune wrench'd apart —
In every stage of slow or swift decay,
Past the dim hours of life's autumnal day;
Falling like dry and yellow leaves around,
And soon, like them, to mingle with the ground!
There musing melancholy silent sate
Pondering the dark vicissitudes of fate;
And brooding on the past, in maddening thought,
When life with hope and energy was fraught.
There nerveless palsy shook her trembling head,
And hoary childhood prest his constant bed-
There the half maniac mused his dreaming day,
And idiotism laughed its life away.

The energy of the following line is considerable :-
"And poems dashed from Genius' fiery pen."
The catastrophe is depicted in a spirited manner.
Yes! I remember well that fatal day,

When noble Urburgh fell, the despot's prey.

« SebelumnyaLanjutkan »