The rocks which compose the mountain range on which the town of Arrayas stands, all belong to the primary strata; these are nearly vertical, the little inclination which they present, being towards the east, that being the direction of the highest part of the Serra. The most westerly of these rocks have an arenaceous schistose structure, and these overlay a very compact greyish-coloured stratified rock, very much resembling gneiss, in which are imbedded innumerable rounded pebbles of granite and quartz, of all sizes from one to three or four inches, and which is probably equivalent to the grauwacke rocks of the old world. The limestone of which the western side of the Serra is composed at Sapê and Natividade, is not found here, but I again met with it to the south; in none of the rocks did I observe any appearance of organic remains. From its elevated situation, the climate of Arrayas is much cooler than in the plains below, and the rains are both heavier and of longer duration; these always come from the N.E., beginning in October or November, and continuing till the month of April, or until a regular S.E. wind sets in, which is the first signal that the dry season has commenced. The rearing of cattle is the most ordinary occupation of the fazendeiros, their cattle meeting with a ready sale in the Bahia market; but they generally also cultivate a little sugar cane, principally for the manufacture of rum, which is extensively used among all classes of society, and of course meets with a good sale. Mandiocca, rice, and Indian corn, are also cultivated, both for family use and for sale in the Villa. All these productions, however, are grown in the low countries, principally along the foot of the Serra; around the Villa itself little or nothing is cultivated, notwithstanding that the soil in many places is favourable for small plantations. Both the climate and soil seem well adapted for the production of coffee, as the few small plantations that have been attempted yield good crops, without any care having been bestowed on them; in the garden belonging to the house in which I lived, there were about one hundred and fifty coffee plants, which in the end of April were loaded as heavily with fruit as any I have seen in the large plantations in the province of Rio de Janeiro. This article, however, can never be cultivated here to any extent, with a view to exportation, on account of its great distance from the coast. The Rio Tocantins offers the only water conveyance, and that as yet is only navigable for canoes of small burden. There are only two shopkeepers in the Villa, both of whom bring their goods from Rio de Janeiro. They go there once in two or three years, the entire journey generally occupying from six to nine months.