ALONG THE COAST TO THE CAPITAL
It is a delightful journey of a little more than two weeks from New York
to the capital of Brazil. In a little more than twenty-four hours after
leaving that metropolis, even in the middle of the winter, the vessel
is ploughing through balmy seas, and the passengers are sitting on the
spacious decks of the comfortable steamers with all wraps discarded.
As the route of these steamers is east of that of vessels bound for
the Caribbean seas, few boats are sighted, and day after day is passed
without the sight of a sail. For thirteen days our ship, the _Vasari_,
sailed through stormless waters, with only one full-rigged schooner
coming within our horizon, and no land to be seen.
It was not until near the equator that even a rain storm clouded the
skies, and then fleeting showers chased each other across the skies,
and peals of thunder and flashes of lightning occasionally created a
diversion. The sunsets were wonderful. As evening approached, dark
clouds seemed to gather near the horizon; the sun slowly approached them,
and then dropped suddenly out of sight. Streaks of red and crimson,
silver and gold shot out, and these diffused and melted into each other
with the constant variations of the kaleidoscope. The contrast of bright
hues with the dark, ominous-looking clouds was striking. There was no
twilight, and darkness immediately followed. It was the time of the full
moon also. Just a little while after the setting of the sun the moon
would rise on the opposite side of the boat. An immense and luminous ball
the Queen of the Night appeared, and rapidly climbed up over the bank of
clouds; and then, as it dwindled in size, it increased in brilliancy,
until the dancing waves were covered with a silvery sheen. Never have I
seen such beautiful scenes as we witnessed for several nights when near
the equatorial line.
Watches were changed each day since we were constantly travelling
eastward, as one will see by consulting a map. New York is situated in
longitude seventy-four degrees west, while the easternmost coast of
Brazil is in longitude thirty-five degrees west. At last the sandy
shores of Rio Grande do Norte are sighted, and the vessel rounds Cape San
Roque. Far out at sea little sails appear in considerable numbers, and
when near enough to see them it is found that they are simply rafts made
of logs fastened together. These are the “catamaran” fishing boats, from
the port of Pernambuco. The adventurous boatmen will sometimes venture
out a hundred miles to sea in these simple and frail-looking crafts, and
they are seldom lost.
Pernambuco, or Recife, is the first port at which the transatlantic
steamers stop, and it is either here, or at Bahia, that the American
traveller down the east coast first sets his foot on Brazilian soil. It
is the second city of importance in northeastern Brazil, and the state
of Pernambuco, of which it is the capital, is second in importance only
to Bahia. Recife is nearer to Europe than any other South American port,
and it is usually made the first port of call by the many steamers which
ply to that continent. A coral reef extends along the shore, and at a
distance of a few hundred feet from it, thus making a natural harbour for
vessels that are not of too deep draught; and it is this reef that gives
the name to the city, for Recife means a reef. It is a natural wall
rising straight up out of the water, on the top of which has been built
a low wall of stone. At high tide this wall is generally high enough to
keep out the sea. Recife is a busy port and a great shipping port for
sugar, as that is the particular product of this state. The influence of
the early Dutch colonists here can still be traced in the old buildings.
One finds in travelling through Brazil that each state has only one
principal production, which supports the people, and the export tax on
which provides the government with funds. At one time this state had a
monopoly in sugar production and Pernambuco sugar was known the world
over.
[Illustration: THE MUNICIPAL THEATRE, PERNAMBUCO.]
Recife is divided into three parts by streams of water or lagoons, and
there are many bridges connecting the various parts. In fact it is cut
up so much by these arms of the ocean that it has been called the South
American Venice. The city is fifth in size in the republic, and is quite
a pretty little city with plazas and parks after the usual style. In the
oldest part of the city the streets are narrow and crooked, but on the
other and larger peninsula, the blocks of houses are larger, the streets
wider, and there are some good stores as well as tram cars. The colour
of the inhabitants is rather marked, but there is, possibly, not so large
a percentage of the negro element as in the larger city lower down on the
coast.
The state of Pernambuco is a state about the size of Ohio, and one of
the important states in the republic. Its population exceeds the million
mark. Because of its large black population, many of whom were formerly
slaves, education has not advanced here as much as in a number of the
states farther south. Its commerce is considerable, with sugar as the
leading item. Cotton is also an important production. At the port one can
see cotton coming in on wagons, ox-carts, the backs of mules and even on
the black shoulders of the inhabitants. The coast-line of Pernambuco is
only a little over a hundred miles in length, but the state runs inland
for several hundred miles.
It will probably be surprising to many people to know that the whaling
industry is quite an important one along this coast, for this sport is
supposed to be confined to polar waters. And yet I have personally seen
whales on the western coast of South America almost as far north as the
equator. On this coast they are caught up to within twelve degrees of
the line. Along the coast of Bahia there are several whaling stations,
most of which are in the vicinity of the city of Bahia. As soon as the
Antarctic winter sets in, the whales begin to migrate northward and reach
these waters in May. From then until November the whaling boats may be
seen at any time out on the Atlantic with all sails set, looking for a
“blow,” which marks the presence of the game. Passengers on the steamers
also watch for the same signs, as it is a novel sight to those making
their first trip, and the older travellers are also looking for any
diversion.
The whales caught are full of blubber, but the whalebone in the jaws of
the variety found here is too short to have much commercial value. The
whales generally average from thirty to fifty feet in length, but catches
are sometimes made of these marine monsters that will reach sixty feet
long. The longest one of which any record has been made was seventy feet
from its nose to the end of its tail, and yielded nearly six thousand
quarts of oil. The meat is also considered quite a delicacy by many of
the Bahians, who devour it eagerly. The methods pursued by the whaler are
primitive, and more than half the whales once harpooned finally escape.
And yet with all this primitiveness, the average annual catch is from
three to four hundred whales, which is not such a bad record.
A day’s run brings the traveller to the most important city in Brazil
north of Rio de Janeiro. It is situated on a bay which is generally
classed as one of the fine harbours of the world. When Americus Vespucius
entered this beautiful and commodious harbour with a fleet, he named it
Bahia da Todos os Santos, the Bay of All Saints, in honour of the feast
day on which it was first seen. When this discovery was reported to the
King of Portugal, he sent out an expedition with instructions to build
a city “strong enough not only to keep the natives in awe, but also to
resist the attack of any more formidable army.” The present city was
founded in 1549, so that the city has outgrown its swaddling clothes
long ago. It has also been a city of importance, as it was for almost
two centuries the seat of colonial power, and the residence of the
Governor-General representing the Crown. The city was originally named
São Salvador, and should be called that to-day, but the name of the state
clings to the capital as well.
The bay up which the vessel sails to its anchorage has sheltered many and
strange craft during the past four centuries since its first discovery.
It is a magnificent expanse of water, completely sheltered from the open
sea, and large enough to contain all the navies of the world, for it is
from ten to twenty miles wide and twenty-seven miles in length. There are
no docks, and the boat generally anchors about half a mile from shore.
As soon as the port officer has visited the ship, a gang of bandits in
the form of men of dark visage crowd around the gangway, and seek to take
the passengers ashore. It is necessary to bargain very carefully, and pay
nothing to the boatman until the round trip has been made; otherwise you
will be compelled to pay extra for your return to the ship.
The city is divided into an upper and a lower town, and is quite an
imposing place. The lower part is a narrow, sun-baked strip along the sea
front, and is devoted to the shipping and banking interests. One would
think that even they would want to get away from the foul-smelling odours
which prevail along the waterfront. As one writer has said, “there is a
distinct and separate bad smell to every house.”
[Illustration: THE BOAT LANDING, BAHIA.]
During the day this section is a busy place, but at night a funereal
quiet prevails. The upper city, or _Cidade Alta_, is reached by a long
winding road, or by means of the ascensors, or elevators, of which there
are several. The upper city is composed of broader streets, is in every
way more attractive, and the air seems much purer and sweeter than in the
lower town.
The sights are novel enough, too, especially if it is the first Brazilian
city visited. Here one will also meet with that luxuriant growth of
flowers, which are seen in every plaza and private dooryard. The public
buildings, of which there are a number, for this city is the capital of a
state as large as California, are very creditable. The governor’s palace,
the senate building, the municipal and other buildings occupy conspicuous
sites. There are many churches, of which the Cathedral is the most
interesting, and is one of the oldest buildings in the country, having
originally been built as a Jesuit college. Clubs, theatres and bathing
resorts also add a liveliness to life in this city. Bahia has always been
known for its noted names in literature, and many of the brightest men in
Brazilian arts and letters were natives of this state.
The bright hues of the buildings add a brilliance of colour to the city
which some one has described as “mashed rainbows.” There are vivid
yellow, green, purple, sky blue, terra-cotta and many other equally
striking shades. Many of the buildings are covered with porcelain tiles,
which render them very attractive. Some of the windows are ornamented
with a lace work of wrought iron, and occasionally the decoration over
the doors is of the same metal, which is said to be of negro designing.
Some of these houses date back to colonial times, but others have more
cosmopolitan characteristics. The fronts of the yards are ornamented with
flowering trees and shrubs that harmonize (in some instances) with the
bright colours adorning the plaster covering of the adobe brick, which
is the basis of construction used here. Most of the houses are only
one story, although two stories are fairly common, and occasionally a
sky-scraper three stories in height may be encountered.
There is one thing that will impress itself upon the traveller, and that
is the colour of its inhabitants, for it is said that Bahia has a greater
proportion of negroes than any other Brazilian city, but it would be a
close race between that city and Pernambuco. One might think that he had
stepped into one of our southern states, except for the fact that none
of the kinky-haired inhabitants speak English. All of them jabber in the
guttural Portuguese. Everywhere one goes there are negroes, and negroes
of every hue from the aboriginal blackness to a chocolate brown and
saffron yellow. I counted fifty people as they passed by me on one of the
principal streets. Of this number forty-five were decidedly black, three
were surely white, and the remaining two I was not certain about. At the
same time a fellow-traveller counted thirty-five on the other side of the
street, and said that he was sure of only two white people out of that
number. This was about the middle of the day, when the white people were
probably taking their siesta, and the proportion would not hold good over
the whole city. It is certain, however, as statistics show, that at least
eighty per cent. of the population have a sprinkling of negro blood in
their veins. And yet, with all this preponderance of blacks, the attempt
of the United States to appoint a negro consul at this port almost raised
a tropical hurricane just a few years ago.
The shade of black does not mean social ostracism, and one will find
white and black side by side in every social circle. Along the docks, and
in the markets, one may see the negro men bearing heavy burdens on their
heads, after the manner of Mexican cargadors, while the women sit around
with a few articles for sale, and smoke huge, black cigars while waiting
for prospective customers. The women also have that peculiar stride,
which is characteristic of those who are accustomed to carry loads upon
their heads. Some of the negro women are monstrous in size, and weigh
from two hundred to two hundred and fifty pounds. Their dress, which
consists of a long, white sleeveless chemise cut low in the neck, is so
simple that it is easy to see that no padding is used. Nearly all wear
white, or brightly coloured turbans, some wear shawls folded across the
shoulders, and all are either barefooted or wear a heelless slipper.
The shacks made of lumps of clay thrust between slats like lath, and
roofed with thatch, which one may find on the edge of the city, are the
homes of many of these improvident blacks. In this climate there is
no need to lay up for to-morrow, and children are not expensive, for
clothing is not needed until several years after they become members
of the family. Some of the poor babies may wear a simple coin or chain
around the neck, but that will be all, except perhaps the innocent
smile of childhood. And yet most of these negroes seemed to be busy
at something, although the wages earned are no doubt very small. They
impressed me as being rather superior in type to many of our negroes,
such as one may find in some parts of Mississippi or Alabama.
It is not good policy for a white man to appear on the street without
a coat, as he will lay himself liable to insult by the negroes. One of
the men from the steamer took off his coat and carried it on his arm. A
white man warned him, but he did not understand the language. It was not
long until some negroes began to throw things at him. As soon as he put
his coat on again these insults stopped. Coatless comfort on hot days is
reserved by the negroes themselves.
The breath of the tropics prevails at Bahia, as it is not far from the
equatorial line. A ride to the suburb of Rio Vermelho, which looks out
upon the sea, passes through avenues of tropical trees and past fields
of bananas. To me the palm is the most interesting tree of the tropics.
The mango with its dense foliage, the umbrella tree with its curious yet
graceful shape, and many flowering trees—all of these are beautiful; but
when I see the palm, I feel like saying with the poet:
“I love the Palm
With his leaves of beauty, his fruit of balm.”
Tropical fruits of many kinds grow in abundance. The Bahia oranges, which
are green in colour, have a fine flavour. The cajú is a peculiar fruit
about the size of a lemon, with the seed growing out at one end, as
though it was stuck on in some way. This fruit is sweet but astringent,
and is considered a great blood purifier. The kidney-shaped nut, when
raw, is dangerous to eat because of poisonous juice it contains; but a
roasting drives out the poisonous quality and the nut is then delicious.
The mango, which, to those who have cultivated a liking, is the most
delicious of fruits, grows to great size in Bahia, and has a most
excellent flavour. One feels like getting into a bathtub, however, after
eating one, in order to get rid of the muss made in eating it. I have
not yet learned to be fond of this tropical fruit for, like olives, the
taste is acquired, and it oftentimes requires many and repeated efforts
to cultivate a taste. There is a fruit that grows out of the side and
trunk of great trees, which much resembles an immense hedge apple, that
is peculiar to this district. It grows to an immense size, and the
natives are very fond of it. Then there are melons called the mammão,
that grow on trees, and which much resemble the cantaloupe in appearance,
but differ in flavour. This melon is said to have excellent digestive
properties because of the abundance of pepsin which it contains. All
of these, and many more novel things one will find in the markets. The
curious little marmosette monkeys, which are not much larger than a
good-sized rat, are very common. Then again, this is the home of talking
parrots, and their shrill screeches are heard from almost every doorway.
The first experience of the traveller with Brazilian money is rather
amusing. In New York I had obtained five thousand five hundred reis,
which seemed like a large sum of money, enough to pay for the whole
trip. Imagine my surprise when I found it lacked five hundred reis of
enough to pay for my first meal on shore! It cost three hundred reis
to mail a letter to the States, and a street car ride cost another four
hundred reis. My boatman cheated me out of one thousand reis without
moving an eyelid. All of these things caused me to put pencil to paper
in a little calculation. I found that I was a millionaire for the first
time in my life. At the rate of exchange then prevailing three hundred
and twenty-five dollars would buy one million reis, the money of the
country. You may feel like a millionaire when the bank clerk hands over
to you a package of bills, with thousands of reis printed all over
them; but the illusion soon vanishes when your hotel bill is presented
after a few days’ stay, for a million reis soon disappears. The reis
in an infinitesimal coin, so small that you could scarcely see it with
a magnifying glass, for one thousand of them are worth only thirty-one
cents. The milreis (one thousand reis) is used as the unit, and accounts
are thus carried in the decimal system, with the dollar mark at the end
of the thousand. Thus, one million reis, which is one thousand milreis,
or, as it is generally called, one conto, would be written 1,000$000. It
is the same as the Portuguese monetary system, although the Brazilian
milreis is only worth about half as much as that of Portugal. The money
is all paper, and the most of it is the dirtiest and filthiest money I
have ever handled. Some of the bills are so tattered, torn and greasy
that it is almost impossible for a stranger to tell what denomination
they are. The small denominations are large and awkward coins of several
different issues, and of several different sizes.
The state of Bahia is one of the larger states of Brazil, and has a coast
line of several hundred miles. It is traversed by mountains in every
direction, and that has perhaps been the cause of the tardy development
of the country through railroad construction, because of the difficulties
and expenses involved. There are a couple of railways which run inland
from Bahia, but no railroad connects it with the adjoining states. It is
always necessary to come back to the capital city, and take the steamer
again for whatever port one is bound for. The productions of the state
are varied, and a great deal of the products is exported. The tobacco
export from this port is greater than that of all the other productions
together. The leaf tobacco is exported in great quantities, but the
Bahia cigarettes and cigars have a great reputation in Brazil; and the
manufacture of them furnishes employment to thousands of the dusky-hued
Bahians. When you consider that the women aid the men in smoking, it will
be seen that the home consumption is no inconsiderable quantity.
A dusky boatman rowed me out to the vessel, just as the sun was setting
in a lurid glow behind the hills, which form the background of Bahia.
The dancing waves reflected the lurid colours of the retreating sun, and
the bright colours of the Bahia houses seemed to be borrowed from that
radiant orb. Then, as darkness fell, the electric lights were lighted
in the lower town and up on the hill; and Bahia looked like a city of
enchantment. Here and there moved streaks of light as the electric
cars dashed along; and again, similar streaks moved up and down as the
ascensors carried their loads. Rockets were going up in various parts of
the city, for some religious celebration was being held. It was amidst
such scenes that our good ship weighed anchor and we moved south, getting
farther and farther away from the fierce breath of the tropics at each
revolution of the rapidly revolving propeller.
[Illustration: RIO DE JANEIRO. LOOKING ACROSS THE BAY AT SUGAR LOAF.]
With land in sight about half the time, it was almost a three days’
journey to cover the intervening distance of seven hundred and fifty
miles to Rio de Janeiro. On the morning of the third day the passengers
were on deck early, for the capital was nearing. The sandy shores of the
mainland were visible, with their background of rugged peaks. Little
rocky islands with the surf dashing up against their jagged edges rose
out of the water, and were successively passed. Schools of fish that swam
so near to the surface, that they could be followed by the agitation
of the water which they caused, were chased by flocks of birds that
ever and anon dashed beneath the surface and came up with their prey.
As the morning fog lifted, curious forts with disappearing guns could
be outlined on the shore, and one imposing fort on a prominent peak
seemed to protect the city. Then old Sugar Loaf, which has been so much
pictured, lifted its lofty head out of the gloom, with Corcovado and the
other peaks in the background. Gradually the harbour of Rio de Janeiro,
which is said by all travellers to be one of the most beautiful, if not
the most beautiful bay in the world, unfolded itself; and back of the
blue waters of the bay were the white walls and red-tiled roofs of the
city, and above and beyond the city were the fantastic peaks of the many
oddly formed hills which form the background of this fascinating city.
There are a number of other states in this section of Brazil, each of
which deserves some mention. Between Pernambuco and Bahia lie two of
the smaller states, Alagoas and Sergipe. The former is a state almost
as large as Indiana, and is the most populous in the republic. It is a
rich agricultural state, with sugar and cotton as the principal crops.
The name, A-lagoas, means the lakes, and it is upon one of the principal
of these that the capital, Maceio, is situated. This is a pretty little
town of forty thousand or more inhabitants. The people of the state are
generally Portuguese, with more or less mixture of the native or negro
races. The two military presidents of Brazil were from this state.
Sergipe, the smallest state, is nearly twice as large as our own state
of Massachusetts, and has a population of about half a million. On the
coast it is low, hot and swampy, but in the interior the soil is higher,
and most of it very fertile. It has neither a railroad nor a good port,
so that the state is greatly handicapped in its commerce. The capital is
Aracajú, which is a pretty little tropical city of about twenty-five
thousand people. It is quite probable that Sergipe will one day be
absorbed by one of the larger states, as the financial problem is a
serious one.
Sections of each of the three states lying north of Pernambuco, Parahyba,
Rio Grande do Norte and Ceará lie within what is termed an arid belt.
This seems a very strange occurrence so near the equator. There are,
however, droughts there that last for several years, and so greatly
impoverish the people that government succour becomes necessary. When
I was in Brazil a government commission was just starting for that
section to study the question, and see what could be done to introduce
dry farming methods. Parahyba, which is a little larger than Alagoas, is
perhaps the least affected, but still its climate is generally hot and
dry. In the lowlands sugar and rice are cultivated, and in the uplands
cereals. Cotton is likewise one of the chief products, and a great many
cattle are raised in the interior. The capital city has the same name,
and is an interior town connected with the seaport, Cabedello, by rail.
Rio Grande do Norte is the most northeasterly state, and was the first
land sighted by Europeans on the shores of South America. Its area of
twenty-two thousand square miles includes much arid territory where rain
is very uncertain. Artesian wells have been tried without much success,
and dry farming seems to be the only hope, although the droughts only
come periodically. Premiums have been offered for the digging of these
wells, and the construction of dams or reservoirs. One of the chief
industries outside of agriculture is the production of salt, of which
thousands of tons are made each year from the rich saline deposits along
the northern shore. Natal is the capital and chief seaport. Although this
city is not large to-day, it is very old, having been founded in 1597.
Ceará is a progressive state despite famines which have come about every
eleven years, and at times have greatly reduced the population, for
fevers have generally followed the famines. The inhabitants are workers,
and from this state have been drawn the labourers to develop the rubber
industry. Ceará was the first state to emancipate the slaves, and in
many ways the people have shown themselves progressive. They stick to
the home land regardless of famines and droughts, and cultivate their
fields assiduously. The cacao of this state is very fine, and the cattle
industry is an important one. This state, the size of Illinois, supports
a population of nearly a million, of which about fifty thousand live in
the capital city of Fortaleza.
Piauhy is a large state about which little is known. It has a population
of less than two to the square mile, and has a coast line not exceeding
ten miles on the Atlantic. Only a very small portion of the land is
cultivated. The principal exports are a white wax, made from the scales
of a palm, and a rubber known as Maniçoba rubber. The towns are small,
the largest, Therizina, also the capital, having a population of only
twenty thousand. There is much fine timber in the state, and probably not
a saw-mill to cut it. With railroads, men of enterprise and money, Piauhy
might be developed into a great, prosperous and influential state.
About half-way between Bahia and Pernambuco is the mouth of the São
Francisco River, another of the great water-courses of Brazil. For a
thousand miles from its mouth this river is navigable for small vessels,
except for a distance of about one hundred miles, where there are some
wonderful rapids and inspiring falls. In April, when the dry season
sets in, the people from the hillsides and mountains move down to plant
their corn, beans, rice and mandioca. The freshets leave a deposit of
fine white sand, which enriches the soil. It is not necessary to break
the ground. The native makes a hole in the ground, with a sharp stick,
into which a seed is dropped and then covered. He then builds a shelter
of the palm branches and awaits the maturing of his crops. When they are
gathered he sells his surplus to the traders, and moves up again into
the hills and mountains, where he lives a life of comparative ease and
idleness until the next season.
[Illustration: THE PAULO AFFONSO FALLS.]
The principal falls of the São Francisco are called Paulo Alfonso, and
are a two days’ trip up the river from its mouth, through tropical
scenery. The average width of this river above the falls is two-thirds
of a mile, and the volume of water is great, for it drains an immense
territory. The rapids begin some distance above the falls proper. The
whirling and churning water is dashed along on its way toward the final
leap, where this immense volume of water is forced through a break in the
precipitous banks, not more than fifty feet wide. The falls are slightly
crescent shaped. As the main body of the water rushes, leaps and surges
down the steep incline of the last rapids, it is hurled against a steep
black wall with great momentum; broken into foam and spray, swishing,
swirling and churning, it then rebounds only to be pushed over the abyss
at a right angle to its original course. The waters then rush forward
for a few hundred feet, only to be hurled back by another rock wall
three hundred feet high, thus forming a whirlpool, from which it finally
escapes and passes through a narrow gorge for several miles, from which
it emerges in a little quieter mood. The total fall of the water is two
hundred and seventy feet. The view from a height of nearly one hundred
feet, as one looks down upon the final leap of one hundred and ninety
feet, is awe-inspiring. There is not only a wonderful view of the falls
from that point, but a bird’s-eye view of the rapids, and the roar of the
falls and rapids is something terrific.