be obliged to make a round of several leagues, I renounced all idea of doing so, both on account of the fatigued condition of my horses, and of the great desire I now had to reach a place where my funds, which were in a very reduced state, could be renovated. The first evening, as I walked through the town, I was surprised to hear one or more fiddles playing in almost every house; this is the instrument almost exclusively used by the barbers in Rio de Janeiro, and the other large cities and towns along the coast, but in the interior it is very seldom met with, the guitar being a greater favourite, and generally used both by ladies and gentlemen. In San Romão, however, this usual fashion is departed from, no young lady’s education being considered complete unless she has learned to handle the bow. It being now the dry season, the river was many feet below its banks, and although of great breadth, appeared narrow when compared with what it was when I first beheld it, in 1838. It abounds in fish, which at this season are brought in canoes in great plenty, and sold in the Villa at a very cheap rate. During my residence there, I prepared specimens of most of the ordinary kinds, which are now in the British Museum. The following are the names of a few of those which are most esteemed. 1. _Surubím._[13]—This fish, which is a species of sturgeon, often reaches the length of six feet. It is taken most commonly in nets, but sometimes also, especially by the Indians, by being shot at with an arrow, to which a strong cord is attached. The flesh of this species dried is that principally sold in the Sertão; I have frequently tasted it, and found it excellent. 2. _Curumatám._—This, as well as the three following, belongs to the _Salmonidæ_; it is about two feet in length, and both in colour and taste its flesh has a very near approach to our common salmon. It inhabits the bottom of the river, and is generally taken with a drag-net, but never with the hook. During my stay in San Romão, several canoes came in every morning, nearly full of them, and sold at about a halfpenny each fish. The stomach is very thick and muscular, but in all those I examined, I never found anything but a large quantity of fine earth, in hard lumps. 3. _Dourádo._—A beautiful fish, from two to four feet in length; it is generally taken with the hook, but is not considered delicate food. We, nevertheless, relished the first we ate very much, it being this species I bought of the boy on the day we arrived at San Romão. 4. _Matrixám._—Somewhat similar to the _Dourádo_, but smaller, and considered a much superior fish. 5. _Piau branco._—From one to two feet long, and with much larger scales than any of the others; it is taken with the hook, and its flesh is much esteemed.