collection of the curious and beautiful plants, which are peculiar to the upland grassy campos of the interior of Brazil. The Villa de Arrayas is very pleasantly situated in a hollow on the table-land of the Serra; it is surrounded nearly on all sides by low grassy hills, which are but thinly-wooded with small trees and bushes. The highest of these hills are towards the N.E. side of the town, and from behind them flows a beautiful stream that at all seasons supplies it with water; the inhabitants have a saying, that the place has neither bad water nor good roads (em Arrayas não tem agoa roim, nem caminhos bons), and this is truly its characteristic. The town is of very small size, the population not exceeding three hundred inhabitants, great and small. Here, as in other towns in the interior, many of the houses belong to the fazendeiros, who only occupy them during the festas; they are nearly all arranged before a large square, on the east side of which the only church is situated. On our arrival I was surprised to observe a house with glazed windows, a rare sight in the interior of Brazil, but on nearer inspection, I found that the place of glass was supplied by plates of talc, which is found abundantly in this neighbourhood. During my stay among the people of this place I found them universally kind and obliging, so far as their limited means permitted, for the greater part are very poor; in most instances, however, this poverty is occasioned by their own indolence. It was with great difficulty that we could purchase any thing in the shape of provisions, and it is still a mystery to me, how the great mass of the inhabitants contrive to live; had it not been for the kindness of my good friend Senhor Lagoeira, who again sent me supplies of provisions, we should often have been in a state of starvation. Notwithstanding the smallness and the poverty of the place, it contains two priests, neither of whom seemed to be the worst fed of the community. There are three public schools, two of which are elementary, one for boys, the other for girls; in the third, Latin only is taught. Here, as in all the other towns and villages in the interior, the teachers are paid by government, and, consequently, the education of all classes is gratuitous; notwithstanding this, I was surprised to see the small number who take advantage of so favourable an opportunity for the education of their children. Those who live in the country, and who send their children to school, are obliged to board them in the town, which is generally looked upon as a great grievance. Here, as elsewhere, I met with very few who have a taste for reading, and, generally, the only books they possess are some small volumes of orisons. Even the libraries of the priests are confined to a few religious and classical works; and among these, a Bible is rarely to be met with, a mere abridgment of it supplying its place.