Black, and where little clothes are required, or worn. Off the coast we saw what are called rattans, which are a sort of boat of three planks united together, with a thin iron rail round the gunwale, having a lateen sail with which to run close to the wind, sailing quickly, and carrying large loads of fish. We soon started for
BAHIA.
This city and port is 380 miles further; and I was astonished and delighted at the sight of the people and the place. The coast the whole way was lined as before with the cocoa-nut and the palm; and on rounding the hill fort at the entrance, we steamed straight up the harbour, which appeared to be about ten miles in length and breadth. The city of Bahia extended along our right side for four miles; and, as it faced the sea, it had a noble appearance. There were large quays and landing-places, lofty merchants' houses mixed with others of reater pre- tensions, continuing up the hill, surmounted with the towers of churches, for 250 feet above the water. We anchored a mile and a-quarter from the market- place; and, landing there, we beheld (a most striking scene) an assemblage of the finest blacks and mulattoes that, it is allowed, can be seen in any part of the world. They were almost entirely in Eden's dress costume. All of them were slaves, and as happy and merry as assible- magnificent specimens of humanity. I stood, and admired a black Hercules, who was loading some heavy iron,for ten minutes, and could hardly leave him. An anatomist would have been lost in admiration of the biceps, triceps, deltoides, latissimus dorsi, and all the rest of the.
