Brazil, the Amazons and the coast .. . mountains, getting their liv-ing, we know not how, but getting it bravely and happily ;there comes back the old, childish instinct of faith, which ourponderous philosophies cannot utterly destroy ; the faith inworld-government and world-destiny ; the faith that looks forbrighter things to come out of these dark ones. This is only a cluster of mountains, set off from the loftierranges beyond ; none of them are very high. The Corco-vado and the Gavea rise two thousand five hundred feetabove the sea ; the Tres Irmaos are lower ; and the highest 48o BRAZIL. o
Brazil, the Amazons and the coast .. . mountains, getting their liv-ing, we know not how, but getting it bravely and happily ;there comes back the old, childish instinct of faith, which ourponderous philosophies cannot utterly destroy ; the faith inworld-government and world-destiny ; the faith that looks forbrighter things to come out of these dark ones. This is only a cluster of mountains, set off from the loftierranges beyond ; none of them are very high. The Corco-vado and the Gavea rise two thousand five hundred feetabove the sea ; the Tres Irmaos are lower ; and the highest 48o BRAZIL. of all, Tijuca, is nearly three thousand five hundred feet fromthe water. But their strange, abrupt forms, towering againstthe sky, make them wonderfully impressive ; the Tres the Gavea, will bear comparison with many mountains ofthree times their height. All through the cluster there are picturesque roads andby-paths. One magnificent, broad highway leads up to thevillage of Tijuca, five or six miles from the city—a charm-. ing retreat, among the cliffs and woods. There are finehouses and grounds there, and hotels, largely patronized byforeigners, and a waterfall, with a reputation for grandeurwhich is a libel on its quiet beauty. People come to livein Tijuca during the sickly season ; the place is alwayscooler and healthier than the city. Beyond Tijuca, we can follow a winding mountain-road,that leads down to the other side of the cluster, by the sea-shore ; here we are at the foot of the Gavea, a great, square-cut mass, inaccessible except to the hardiest climbers. The SOCIAL LIFE AT RIO. 481 white surf comes up gallantly almost to its base, and sets offthe dark rocks, like jet in ivory. I think this is the finestrock-mass I ever saw. Then there is the moss-grown, seventy-year-old aqueductthat brings water to the city from the Corcovado. For twoor three miles, where this aqueduct runs along the mountain-side, the government has built a carriage-road; a shady,quiet
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbrazild, bookyear1879
