boat returning to Chapada, the crew often composed of young Indians, generally in a state of nudity. It is fearfully laborious work poling these heavy craft up against the strong current.

This journey on the Grajahú proved to be the most unpleasant I have made in Brazil; for after we had quitted the highlands we passed through a vast extent of lowland and morass, through which the river flowed in the most circuitous manner. Here by day the heat was terrific, and the sand-flies (pihuyn) in dense clouds, with their irritating bites, soon brought us to fever-heat. At night mosquitoes, in myriads, effectually killed all thoughts of sleep, with their tantalising humming and stinging. The men, tired out, slept through it all; but with the pilot and myself it was hard times.

One day, whilst the men were preparing dinner, I strolled into the forest. These virgin forests are different from anything of the kind I have seen before; for a little way from the river the ground, covered deep with the decaying leaves of centuries, is perfectly free from bush, and I could sometimes see so far into the forest that the distant trees looked blue with the distance; but overhead, branches and foliage were interlaced together in one entangled mass of creeper and vine: from the branches the creepers dropped their air-roots like ropes, to take fresh life from the ground. These forests abound in joó, or quail, whose melancholy notes alone disturb the solemn silence of the woods.

In the river we caught several excellent fish; but the prevalence, in immense shoals, of the ferocious piranhas, similar to the piranhas of the Rio St. Francisco, effectually prevented any bathing. On one occasion I was shown an electric eel, tremétremé, or peixe-d'anguia, or poraqué, as it is variously termed.

June 12th. This morning we passed a village of the Itambeira Indians, but unfortunately they were away collecting oil of copaiba: we saw their encampment a few days afterwards. The banks of the river are very picturesque, bordered as they are by all the beauties and wealth of a tropical vegetation-palms of several kinds, tree-ferns and graceful bamboos, and trees festooned in flowers; amongst which gamboled several varieties of monkeys and marmosets. Macaws, parrots, toucans, and other birds, flashed their gaudy plumage everywhere; long-necked white herons and other aquatic birds flew ahead, almost skimming

the water.

As we were favoured with a bright moon, we took advantage of its light to continue our journey until late into the night. The only danger one is exposed to by this travelling at night is the snags, or submerged fallen trees; we ran on to several, and one occasion had to cut up the tree with axes before we could get free: however, no serious accident occurred. It is unfortu

nate that this river is so very winding, as it almost trebles the actual distance. A road has lately been cut through the forest from Chapada to Victoria on the Mearim; but as a good part of it is through land subject to inundation, and the traffic is almost nil, in a very short time it will be all grown over and useless. It was intended as a means of bringing down cattle from the grazing plains near Chapada; but one or two men tried it and found that it did not answer their purpose, as they lost 80 per cent. of the cattle on the march, through insects, starvation, poisonous plants, and boggy land. Near the mouth of the Grajahú the water of the river assumed a tint like weak coffee, owing to the overflow of the neighbouring lakes and swamps; we had to travel for two days and nights continuously, as we could find no dry land anywhere-all the adjoining land of the Grajahú and of the River Mearim being under water. From this point to the coast we saw no more forests worthy of the name, the whole of the land being a low plain, the greater part subject to inundations. We travelled down the River Mearim almost to the town or villa of Victoria, before we saw dry land.

June 17th.-Landed at Victoria, a town of about 2000 souls, on the north bank of the Rio Mearim. It carries on a considerable trade with the coast and the interior; it is built on slightly rising ground, but the country around is very low and flat, so much so that in the rains, it becomes a series of lakes connected by channels, enabling people to cross from the Rio Mearim to the Rio Pinaré in canoes. Intermittent fevers and agues are not so prevalent as one would be inclined to think, on looking at this vast extent of stagnant water in a tropical climate. The climate is warm and moist, and not unhealthy. I proceeded the same day on to Arary, a village a few miles down the river: here I waited a few days, and on the 20th of June I took a passage in a sailing vessel, loaded with oranges, bananas, fowls, &c., for the capital.

Steamers now ply between the coast and ascend the Rio Mearim as far as Corda, an eight days' journey. Another line ascends the Rio Pinaré. A small tug-steamer on the Rio Grajahú might pay well.

Soon after passing the confluence of the Pinaré with the Mearim, the river widened out to a mile or more in breadth. Here we had to await every change of tide, as at low-water the greater part of the bed of the river is exposed in long shoals of soft black mud. We had to wait here amidst myriads of mosquitoes and a burning sun. The scenery was most melancholy; the banks were of mud, like London clay, topped by the weird roots of mangroves, amongst which flocks of red flamingoes

disported themselves. On this river, at the commencement of the flow of the tide, a huge tidal wave, 6 to 10 feet high, comes rolling along, and woe to the boatman who has not placed his vessel in safety. Even where we were, generally at the mouth of some creek or behind a bank, the commotion of the water was very great, and the water returned with the force of a mill-race.

On the 25th of June I landed at Maranhão, and the same day embarked on a coast-steamer for Bahia. The change was very great, and at sea I gave in at last to a severe attack of fever.

XII.-Journey of Exploration from South to Western Australia, in 1875. By ERNEST GILES.*

ON arriving at Youldeh, a point which we reached after a troublesome and difficult march from Beltana, the main body of the expedition remained in depôt, whilst I visited Fowler's Bay to the south, at the same time despatching my two officers, Mr. Tietkens and Mr. Young, with my black boy Tommy, to endeavour to discover a new depôt to the north, at or as near to the 29th parallel of latitude as possible. When I returned from Fowler's Bay they also had returned from the north, having discovered two native wells, a small native dam, and some clay pans, each having water in, and at different places. This was exceedingly good news, and I wasted no time before I departed from Youldeh, giving my letters to Richard Dorey, who had accompanied me back from Fowler's Bay. I will now give a condensation of Mr. Tietkens's report of his journey with Mr. Young.

On leaving Youldeh, which is situated in lat. 30° 24' 10", and long. 131° 46', they went first to a small rock waterhole I had visited when here previously in the summer; it was 15 miles away, and lay about N. 74° w., and called Paring. The black boy Tommy followed my old horsetracks to it, but on reaching it they found it dry. The following day they travelled north, and passed through a country of heavy sandhills and thick scrubs, with occasional open patches with limestone, and camped at 24 miles. Continuing their journey the next day, they went over better country and more open, and made 24 or 25 miles of northing. Some more good country was seen the following day, but no water, though they saw native huts and native tracks. On the following day they sighted two small flat-topped hills, and

Being the substance of a Report furnished by Mr. Giles to the Hon. Thomas Elder, of Adelaide, who fitted out the Expedition.