The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 3, June, 1851Various
History
The International Monthly, Volume 3, No. 3, June, 1851
Various
Art, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Science -- History -- Periodicals
MR. JOHN E. WARREN, whose pleasant letters from the south of Europe
were a chief attraction of some of the early numbers of the
_International_, has in the press of Putnam, to be published in a few
days, _Paria, or Scenes and Adventures on the Banks of the Amazon_. He
saw that magnificent but little known country under such peculiar
advantages, and he writes with such spirit and so natural a grace,
that we may promise the public one of the most delightful books of the
season in "Paria." Here is a specimen, from the opening chapter.
"The shades of evening were gathering fast upon the waters,
when the little bark, in which we had safely crossed the
wide expanse of ocean, now quietly anchored in the mighty
river of the Amazons. Through the rich twilight we were able
to discern the white sandy shore, skirting a dense forest of
perennial luxuriance and beauty. Gentle zephyrs, fraught
with the most delightful fragrance from the wilderness of
flowers, softly saluted our senses; while occasionally the
plaintive voices of southern nightingales came with mellowed
sweetness to our ears. The moon, unobscured by a single
cloud, threw an indescribable charm over the enchanting
scene, reflecting her brilliant rays upon the placid surface
of the river, and shrouding the beautiful foliage of the
forest in a drapery of gold. Innumerable stars brightly
glittered in the firmament, and the constellation of the
'Southern Cross' gleamed above us like a diadem. All around
seemed to be wrapped in the most profound repose. Not a
sound disturbed the silence of the interminable solitude
save the hushed and mournful notes of evening birds, the
distant howling of prowling jaguars, or the rustling of the
wind through the forest trees. Nature appeared to us, for
the first time, in her pristine loveliness, and seemed
indeed, to our excited imagination, to present but a dreamy
picture of fairy land.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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