We arrived there on August 1st, and stayed four days, during which
I took several long walks. I was glad to find my enjoyment in
tropical scenery had not decreased from the want of novelty, even
in the slightest degree. The elements of the scenery are so simple
that they are worth mentioning, as a proof on what trifling
circumstances exquisite natural beauty depends.
The country may be described as a level plain of about three
hundred feet in elevation, which in all parts has been worn into
flat-bottomed valleys. This structure is remarkable in a granitic
land, but is nearly universal in all those softer formations of
which plains are usually composed. The whole surface is covered by
various kinds of stately trees, interspersed with patches of
cultivated ground, out of which houses, convents, and chapels
arise. It must be remembered that within the tropics the wild
luxuriance of nature is not lost even in the vicinity of large
cities: for the natural vegetation of the hedges and hill-sides
overpowers in picturesque effect the artificial labour of man.
Hence, there are only a few spots where the bright red soil affords
a strong contrast with the universal clothing of green.
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