About noon of the second day we passed Cape St. Roque, and in the evening came to anchor in a small bay inside the reef, within a short distance of a suspicious-looking schooner, which I have no doubt came in here to land a cargo of slaves, as there was no likelihood of her being in this solitary place for any other purpose. Early next morning we again got outside the reef, and continued our voyage, running before the S.E. trades which were blowing very freshly at the time. The weather now became much finer, and I could enjoy the cool fresh breeze, and observe the nature of the coast, to which we often approached so closely as to be within little more than gunshot of it; with the exception of a few white sand hills, destitute nearly of vegetation, it appeared extremely flat. About noon of the third day we made the bar of Aracaty, but as it was then low water, and too shallow to allow us to enter, we had to stand off till four P.M., when a pilot came on board who steered us into the smooth deep water in the mouth of the river inside the bar, where we came to anchor for the night, and were visited by a custom-house officer, who was more particular in examining my luggage than that of any other passenger. When this was finished, and I had exhibited my passport, I was allowed to hire a boat to convey me to the town, situated twelve miles farther up the river, as the vessel could not get up till the following day. The river on which the town of Aracaty stands is called the Rio Jaguaribe, and a little above the bar it is about a mile broad. For a considerable distance the western bank is comparatively high, but the eastern side is flat all the way up to the town. The lower part of the western bank is rather thickly wooded with small trees, but on both sides the shores are covered with mangroves. About a league and a half below the town, great numbers of the Carnahuba palm (_Corypha cerifera_, Mart.) makes its appearance. This palm, of which I afterwards passed through immense forests, reaches to the height of from twenty to forty feet, and besides being the most abundant, is one of the most beautiful of its size. The stems of the younger plants are generally covered all over with leaves, but as they get older the lower ones drop off, leaving only a tuft at the top, which is so arranged as to form a perfect ball. The leaves are fan-shaped, and not at all unlike those of the fan palm of the south of Europe.