We carried with us two or three letters of introduction, and the first we delivered obtained us quarters. The name of our host was Alexander Alcantará, the proprietor of a large salt-work, of which there are several on the island. His house, like nearly all the others we saw, was of one story, the walls consisting of a frame-work of wood, the interstices of which were filled up with a kind of clay, and the roof was covered with tiles; there were four good rooms in it, all floored with boards; it was delightfully situated near the sea, and surrounded by cocoa-nut trees. In the afternoon we were taken by our host to see his salt-works, which were established in a valley into which the tide flows at high water. The water from which the salt is made, is kept in large reservoirs, whence it is from time to time made to flow into pits, where it is allowed to evaporate. At this place, which is called Jaguaribe, there are twenty-four distinct manufactories, belonging to as many individuals. The place where the water is evaporated is divided into small compartments, measuring sixteen feet by twelve. In that belonging to Senhor Alcantará, there are one hundred and twenty such compartments; into each of these, two inches of water is allowed to flow from the large reservoir, and in eight days this is completely evaporated. It yields him, altogether, annually, about four hundred alqueires of salt, each alqueire weighing eight arrobas, and each arroba thirty-two pounds. Three qualities are produced, the best being used for domestic purposes, a middle sort for curing fish and an inferior kind used principally to salt hides. On an average it brings about 2_s._ 6_d._ an alqueire, so that his whole income from this source is only about 50_l._ a year. Besides the manufactories at this place, there are others in different parts of the island.