We found horses in waiting, and rode about a mile to the village and residence of the Governor--a Major in the Brazilian army; passing an immense sand-drift, which we had not expected to find on this volcanic rock.
We found the Governor at breakfast, and he insisted on our seating ourselves, and making a second breakfast with him in company with his wife--a sprightly, bright mulatto--and a pretty girl, quite white, of about sixteen, and the _padre_.

After breakfast we were introduced to a number of what appeared to be the gentry of the island, and who had assembled thus early to meet us.

Having smoked and chatted awhile, we remounted for a ride over the island.
We were not in the saddle more than twenty minutes when one of those showers, so sudden in this climate, overtook us, and gave us a complete drenching; we had other showers during the day, but were compensated by the sun hiding himself during the entire ride.

We passed under the shadow of the gigantic peak, and soon reached the summit of the island, which spreads out into a most beautiful and productive plain of some two or three hundred acres.

The soil is a ferruginous clay of the richest description, and covered with the choicest vegetation of wild grapes, Indian corn, the cotton plant, the castor bean, &c., &c.