_Some Excursions from Rio_
The vast territories which amalgamated to form the United States of
Brazil suffer more than anything else from the lack of that railway
communication which has opened up the beauties and resources of the
country immediately surrounding the Federal capital.
The first railway in Brazil was due to the enterprise of the Viscount de
Maua, and the line was originally named after him, as was the town at
the northern end of the Bay of Rio from which it started. Originally
this line extended only from Maua to the foot of the mountain below
Petropolis, but to-day it passes through that town, and extends far
beyond it, having developed into the vast railway system known as the
Leopoldina. No longer need intending passengers travel by boat across
the extreme length of the bay, for the line from Entroncamento to Maua
is now a mere branch of the main line which, starting from the capital
itself, extends northwards far into the interior. At a distance of about
thirty miles from the terminus in Rio and at an elevation of three
thousand feet above the sea-level but backed by higher hills and
mountains covered with dense woods, stands the picturesquely beautiful
city of Petropolis. Many years ago this place was a mere colony of
agricultural Germans, but its ideal situation marked it out as a summer
resort for the wealthiest Brazilians, and when the capital was ravaged
by continual epidemics of yellow fever it gained in popularity by the
permission granted to the foreign Legations by their home Governments to
take up their residence in this salubrious spot. Ever since for six
months of the year it has been the centre of the social life of the
republic, for society and fashion invariably follow the Diplomatic
Corps. The Emperor built himself a magnificent palace in the place,
setting an example which was speedily followed, until to-day it is a
collection of noble and imposing mansions, surrounded by the most
exquisite gardens and grounds.
The route to this garden-like mountain city discloses a continual
panorama of tropical scenery, and the profusion of the vegetation on the
mountain slopes is indescribable. As the train climbs the steep
gradients, endless and ever changing prospects meet the eye, and the
comparatively short journey furnishes an excellent idea of the
characteristic scenery of the environs of the finest harbour in the
world. With the improved health conditions in Rio the season in
Petropolis is gradually becoming shorter and shorter, and there is a
probability that the Legations may again take up permanent residence in
the capital, but the mountain city will never fail to attract lovers of
the beautiful. Another important branch of the Leopoldina Railway has
its terminus in the State capital Nictheroy, on the opposite side of the
harbour from Rio. This line branches at Porto das Gaixas into two great
arms, which embrace the whole of the eastern portion of the State, and
connect it with Victoria, the capital of the adjoining State of Espirito
Santo.
[Illustration: AT THE BACK OF THE ORGAN MOUNTAINS.]
On one branch of this line is situated the important city of Nova
Friburgo, the oldest immigrant settlement in Brazil; for as far back as
the beginning of the last century this well-chosen spot was colonised by
a party of 1700 Swiss refugees from Fribourg.
The town stands on the northern slope of the Mar mountain, known as the
Boa Vista, on account of the sweeping view which is obtained from this
point. Although not so elaborate as Petropolis in respect of buildings,
nor so favoured by the aristocratic element, Fribourg has, if anything,
a finer climate, and is blessed with a rich and fertile soil that has
brought it much prosperity. Again the difficulties of the steep ascents
have been overcome by enterprising engineering feats which have linked
up this coffee district with the capital some four thousand feet lower
in level.
[Illustration: A ROAD AMONGST THE HILLS. PETROPOLIS.]
Perhaps the most extraordinary enterprise of modern times is that
undertaken by the State of Minas-Geracs in the building of their new
capital of Bello Horizonte. The State of Minas is the greatest mineral
district in Brazil; it has been said of it that “what doesn’t hide gold
contains iron, what doesn’t
[Illustration: THE SQUARE OF TIRADENTES, OURO PRETO.]
contain coal spreads diamonds.” The journey through the country, which
is accomplished over the Great Central Railway, is singularly
interesting, and the nights spent in the sleeping cars are pleasantly
cool after the heat of the day. The hilly country is well covered with
trees and watered with rivers, and is admirably adapted for colonies of
European settlers. Gold and diamond mines have already yielded vast
riches, and with the increasing facilities for travelling that the
railway systems are opening up, still greater are in store for the
State. Ouro Preto, the old capital, the famous Villa Rica of former
times, lies on a hill-side at an elevation of one thousand feet above
sea-level. It is a picturesque, rambling old city, with tortuous streets
running down its steep inclines, and many old churches and convents
built in the old colonial style. In striking contrast with the ancient
capital is Bello
[Illustration: NEAR THE SAN FRANCISCO RIVER.]
Horizonte, the new one, planned, laid out, and built within the last few
years. The new capital is about a six-hours’ railway journey from Rio,
and is laid out on an ambitious scale on a beautiful site surrounded by
gently rising hills with broad avenues and streets, parks and gardens,
Senate Houses, Government buildings, a splendid presidential palace, a
fine theatre, hospitals, schools, and every possible requirement for a
prosperous and flourishing city. Rows of trees line the broad avenues.
Houses, mostly of one story, await the population that has not yet
arrived to occupy all the vast accommodation that has been provided.
Such is Bello Horizonte, the new capital of Minas-Geraes, a State which
occupies an area of over 220,000 square miles without a seaboard, but
which is perhaps greater in natural wealth than any other State in the
Brazilian Federation. Its development has been marked by all those
characteristics that pertain to the history of countries where the
discovery of the precious metals has attracted adventurous spirits upon
fortune bent. From the earliest days of Portuguese exploration
exaggerated rumours of the fabulous wealth of the interior of the South
American continent have been in circulation, and have stimulated the
organisation of expeditions for the purpose of exploring and
prospecting the high tableland which lies beyond the Serra do Mar. In
one respect the early history of Minas-Geraes resembles that of the
State of São Paulo, inasmuch as it is connected with the story of a
marooned sailor who penetrated to the interior, mated with the daughter
of an Indian chief, and reached high position and power in the tribe.
[Illustration: ABOVE THE FALLS AT TOMBOS.
The Carangola River about 4300 miles from Rio.]
The Indians themselves set little store upon the gold and precious
stones, but finding they were so much prized by their white masters, did
not hesitate to please these latter by painting in most glowing terms
the richness of the country in these treasures. Further, their own
internal feuds prompted them to encourage the expeditions of the
new-comers, the native tribes thinking thereby to regain possession of
territories from which they
[Illustration: WATERFALL NEAR MATILDE, ON THE LINE TO VICTORIA ESPIRITO
SANTO.]
had been expelled by enemies, and little realising that they were merely
placing on their necks a fresh yoke, and paving the way to occupation of
their country by white invaders. One of the earliest organised
expeditions was that in 1674, under the leadership of Fernão Dias, who
had been rewarded in advance by the Portuguese Government by being
created Governor of a district which he was still to discover. Dias, of
Portuguese extraction and noble birth, had already distinguished himself
by conquering and subjecting as his slaves the Goianás, one of the most
powerful of the Indian tribes. Feared but not disliked by his slaves, he
could always command a large following, and set out from Taubaté with a
considerable army, crossing the Mantiqueira and establishing at Serra
Negra the first regular settlement in the territory, which was
afterwards to be known as Minas-Geraes. A second settlement was founded
at St. Anna; and pushing still further, in spite of difficulties and
dangers, this intrepid leader reached St. João do Sumidouro, which
became the central point for future operations. For three years he held
his own against opposition and intrigue, prospecting the region of Rio
das Vellias, where he ultimately succumbed to fever. But it was with the
discovery of gold at Ribeirãs Carmo and Ouro Preto that the real
development of the State commenced, and by the year 1700 a large number
of mines, the property of their discoverers, were in working order. The
system of
[Illustration: THE RAPIDS AT PIRAPORA, ON SAN FRANCISCO RIVER.]
mine-owning was now changed to that of claims, the objecting Paulistas
being promised that they should lose nothing by the change, and entrance
to the territory by way of Bahia was interdicted. This, however, only
led to the opening up of the new road from the coast by way of Espirito
Santo, and five years later the futile prohibition was withdrawn. By
this time the wealth of the territory had become known, and large
numbers of all classes, old and young, rich and poor, flocked in from
all parts of Brazil and from lands beyond the seas. Miners and their
following have never been a class easily governed, and the arrogant
claims of the Paulistas were resented by the rest of the community, who
united in opposing them, and thus commenced the welding together of the
elements which have gone to make up the population of the State as one
finds it to-day. But it was long ere anything like civilised order was
established, for the cruelty of the white taskmasters towards the
natives and the negroes imported from Africa led continually to bitter
feelings of unrest and revolt, whilst the ruling classes, unrestrained
by a licentious and unruly priesthood, were themselves demoralised and
dissolute, and stern, almost tyrannical, measures were necessary before
[Illustration: OLD HOUSES, BAHIA.]
the foundations of government were laid. Much of the State is still
unknown save to the wild Indians who roam its forests, but it is
gradually being opened up. In addition to the mining industry, which has
been carried on for over two hundred years, Minas does a considerable
trade in cattle, coffee, tobacco, and other agricultural products. The
dairy industry has recently become prominent, and offers a good field
for the investment of capital and experience, whilst a fresh source of
wealth exists in the manganese discovered in the State when a cutting
was being made for the Central Railway. This latter is not only the
means of direct communication with the Federal capital, but is pushing
out its branches and extensions in all directions. Known originally as
the Dom Pedro II Railway, this line is now a Government concern, and
aims at bringing all the States of the Union into direct communication
with the capital, linking up with other lines, and taking advantage of
river transit until inland connection shall be established even with the
Amazon, the greatest waterway in the world.
If the traveller wishes for a more ambitious excursion, it will be quite
easy for him to voyage northwards towards Atlantic seaboard cities
almost as fair as Rio itself. But the selection of the steamship line is
of the greatest importance. The two lines to be recommended are the
Royal Mail Steamship Co. and the Lage Iramos, either of which is
preferable to the national line, Lloyd Brazileiro. The traveller will
find in Bahia or San Salvador a city of glamour and enchantment. It was
one of the earliest European settlements in Brazil, and it had for a
long time a chequered and turbulent history, what with Indian ravages
and the desperate conflicts between the Portuguese and the Dutch. But
to-day its lines are cast in more peaceful places; its inhabitants have
grown to 250,000, who, taking advantage of the lavish way in which
Nature yields her treasures in this district, seem quite contented and
prosperous. The city consists of an upper and a lower town, the former
of which is built on the cliffs. Here are the Governor’s palace, the
Senate building, the Public Library, and the cathedral. The last-named
edifice is one of the oldest buildings in South America, having been
founded as a Jesuit college away back in the sixteenth century. Its
interior, like the interior of all the other Bahian churches, is full of
florid embellishment, and exhibits the tendency of the Latin-American
people towards flamboyant expression in their architecture. Bahia is not
only one of the most picturesque of all the cities of Brazil; it is the
sea-gate of a large and fertile province, where the kindly fruits of the
earth grow and ripen with tropical rapidity. The palms of the district
yield a special form of nut, which is exported to the east. Tobacco is a
flourishing crop, and coffee cultivation an industry of prime
importance. Cotton is grown over an extensive area, and not all of it is
exported, for Bahia has many mills of its own. The State is also a great
producer of rubber, while the cultivation of cocoa increases year by
year. Cattle-raising forms yet another occupation of the Bahians. The
transport facilities are also good; several railway systems connect the
city with the producing districts, and fleets of coastwise vessels make
other ports on the Brazilian seaboard quite easy of access. A brisk
export trade is transacted with foreign countries, one of the best of
Bahia’s customers being the United Kingdom.
[Illustration: THE BARAS DE AQUINO.
The curious winding track of the Leopoldina Railway.]
Further up the coast lies Pernambuco, and this likewise will be found a
most desirable halting-place. It is a conglomeration of four towns,
Recife, the commercial quarter, Santo Antonio, which contains the
Government offices; San José, where the public works and railway
stations are situated; and Boa Vista, the fashionable residential
quarter. The several townships are connected by handsome bridges, a
feature which gives Pernambuco a distinct character of its own, and has
earned for it the sobriquet of the “Brazilian Venice”; a coral reef
about five hundred feet from the shore runs along the entire front of
the city, and forms a natural protection to the magnificent harbour.
This reef marches with the coast from Bahia to Maranhão, a distance of
nearly a thousand miles.
[Illustration: THE RAILWAY OVER THE CONFLUENCE OF THE PAQUEQUR AND
PARAHYBA RIVERS.]
One is charmed with the aspect of Pernambuco long before one sets foot
upon its quay. The palm groves and the red roofs of the houses compose
into a really charming picture. The population of the city verges upon
two hundred thousand. Its docks are spacious and well managed, and its
importance as a commercial centre is demonstrated by the fact that no
fewer than ten cable lines link it up with the great outer world.
Several railways, of which the most important are the Great Western of
Brazil, the Recife and San Francisco, and the Alagoas, connect it with
the interior, and bring down to the port supplies of sugar, cotton,
rice, tobacco, indigo, cinnamon, pineapples, grapes, oranges, bananas,
and other commodities. The shippers of Pernambuco are favourably placed
for despatching their merchandise to its destination, for the port
occupies a point on the American seaboard nearer to Europe than any
other.
If the traveller still pines for new worlds to conquer, the Lage Iramos
steamers will take him to the mouth of the mighty Amazon, known to every
schoolboy as the largest river in the world, and destined to become more
and more the great outlet for the trade of Brazil. The great estuary of
that stream is like a huge inland sea debouching into the ocean, for it
is not only the waters of the Amazon that are there discharged, but the
effluents of a dozen tributaries, many of them larger than any river
that Europe can boast. The trip up to Manáos, many miles inland, will be
more than sufficient to impress the voyager with the magnitude and
majesty of this noble stream.