Page:The naturalist on the River Amazons 1863 v1.djvu/314

nant. The cool and invigorating east wind becomes neutralised before reaching the Rio Negro, but at Villa Nova, in average seasons, it blows daily, with the exception of a few weeks' interval in November, from the beginning of September to the end of January. The river, here about two and a half miles broad, makes a bold sweep of ten or twelve miles free of islands, the blue ridge of the Parentins terminating the prospect down stream. The broad, rapidly-flowing current, with the brisk counter-movement of the atmosphere, are no doubt the chief causes of the salubrity of the district. The seasons vary very considerably. Thus, in 1849, as already mentioned, the period of dryness and strong breezes was unusually short, and the river, in consequence, did not sink to its usual level. In 1854 I witnessed the opposite extreme. The wet season, from February to June, had been very severe, and the waters had risen to their highest point. It took us, in the months of June and July, in a well-manned vessel, fourteen days to ascend from Santarem, a distance of only 110 miles. The currents were very strong; all the low lands were flooded, and great portions of land planted with cacao on the coast of Obydos were swept away. At Villa Nova it was very hot, gleamy, and showery up to the end of August. The welcome dry winds then set in, and lasted until the 20th of November, by which time the river had receded to its lowest level. At that date commenced a series of heavy rains, which continued, however, only nine days; but the weather remained showery to the end of the year. On the 3rd of January a kind of second summer began,