INTRODUCTION--ARRIVAL--DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN--THE BLACKS AND THEIR
RELATIONS TO THE WHITES--ARTS AND SCIENCES--FESTIVALS OF THE CHURCH--
BAPTISM OF THE IMPERIAL PRINCESS--FETE IN THE BARRACKS--CLIMATE AND
VEGETATION--MANNERS AND CUSTOMS--A FEW WORDS TO EMIGRANTS.
I remained in Rio Janeiro above two months, exclusive of the time
devoted to my different excursions into the interior of the country;
it is very far from my intention, however, to tire the reader with a
regular catalogue of every trifling and ordinary occurrence. I
shall content myself with describing the most striking features in
the town, and likewise in the manners and customs of the
inhabitants, according to the opportunities I possessed during my
stay to form an opinion of them. I shall then give an account of my
various excursions in an Appendix, and afterwards resume the thread
of my journal.
It was on the morning of the 17th of September that, after the lapse
of nearly two months and a half, I first set foot upon dry land.
The captain himself accompanied the passengers on shore, after
having earnestly advised each one separately to be sure and smuggle
nothing, more especially sealed letters. "In no part of the world,"
he assured us, "were the Custom-house officers so strict, and the
penalties so heavy."
On coming in sight of the guard ship, we began to feel quite
frightened from this description, and made up our minds that we
should be examined from top to toe. The captain begged permission
to accompany us on shore; this was immediately granted, and the
whole ceremony was completed. During the entire period that we
lived on board the ship, and were continually going and coming to
and from the town, we never were subjected to any search; it was
only when we took chests and boxes with us that we were obliged to
proceed to the Custom-house, where all effects are strictly
examined, and a heavy duty levied upon merchandise, books, etc.,
etc.
We landed at the Praya dos Mineiros, a disgusting and dirty sort of
square, inhabited by a few dozen blacks, equally disgusting and
dirty, who were squatted on the ground, and praising at the top of
their voices the fruits and sweetmeats which they were offering for
sale. Thence we proceeded directly into the principal street (Rua
Direita), whose only beauty consists in its breadth. It contains
several public buildings, such as the Post-office, the Custom-house,
the Exchange, the Guard-house, etc.; all of which, however, are so
insignificant in appearance, that any one would pass them by
unnoticed, if there were not always a number of people loitering
before them.
At the end of this street stands the Imperial Palace, a commonplace,
large building, exactly resembling a private house, without the
least pretensions to taste or architectural beauty. The square
before it (Largo do Paco), whose only ornament, a plain fountain, is
extremely dirty, and serves at night as a sleeping place for a
number of poor free negroes, who, on getting up in the morning,
perform the various duties of their toilet in public with the most
supreme indifference. A part of the square is walled off and
employed as a market for fish, fruit, vegetables, and poultry.
Of the remaining streets the Rua Misericorda and the Rua Ouvidor are
the most interesting. The latter contains the finest and largest
shops; but we must not expect the magnificent establishments we
behold in the cities of Europe--in fact, we meet with little that is
beautiful or costly. The flower-shops were the only objects of
particular attraction for me. In these shops are exposed for sale
the most lovely artificial flowers, made of birds' feathers, fishes'
scales, and beetles' wings.
Of the squares, the finest is the Largo do Rocio; the largest, the
Largo St. Anna. In the first, which is always kept tolerably clean,
stand the Opera-house, the Government-house, the Police-office, etc.
This, too, is the starting-place for most of the omnibuses, which
traverse the town in all directions.
The last-named square is the dirtiest in the whole town. On
crossing it for the first time, I perceived lying about me half
putrid cats and dogs--and even a mule in the same state. The only
ornament of this square is a fountain, and I almost think I should
prefer it if the fountain were, in this case, taken away; for, as
soft water is not very abundant in Rio Janeiro, the washerwoman's
noble art pitches its tent wherever it finds any, and most willingly
of all when, at the same time, it meets with a good drying ground.
The consequence is, that in the Largo St. Anna there is always such
an amount of washing and drying, of squalling and screaming, that
you are glad to get away as quickly as possible.
There is nothing remarkable in the appearance of the churches,
either inside or out. The Church and Cloister of St. Bento and the
Church of St. Candelaria are the most deceptive; from a distance
they have a very imposing look.
The houses are built in the European fashion, but are small and
insignificant; most of them have only a ground-floor or single
story,--two stories are rarely met with. Neither are there any
terraces and verandahs adorned with elegant trellis-work and
flowers, as there are in other warm countries. Ugly little
balconies hang from the walls, while clumsy wooden shutters close up
the windows, and prevent the smallest sunbeam from penetrating into
the rooms, where everything is enveloped in almost perfect darkness.
This, however, is a matter of the greatest indifference to the
Brazilian ladies, who certainly never over-fatigue themselves with
reading or working.
The town offers, therefore, very little in the way of squares,
streets, and buildings, which, for a stranger, can prove in the
least attractive; while the people that he meets are truly shocking--
nearly all being negroes and negresses, with flat, ugly noses,
thick lips, and short woolly hair. They are, too, generally half
naked, with only a few miserable rags on their backs, or else they
are thrust into the worn-out European-cut clothes of their masters.
To every four or five blacks may be reckoned a mulatto, and it is
only here and there that a white man is to be seen.
This horrible picture is rendered still more revolting by the
frequent bodily infirmities which everywhere meet the eye: among
these elephantiasis, causing horrible club-feet, is especially
conspicuous; there is, too, no scarcity of persons afflicted with
blindness and other ills. Even the cats and dogs, that run about
the gutters in great numbers, partake of the universal ugliness:
most of them are covered with the mange, or are full of wounds and
sores. I should like to be endowed with the magic power of
transporting hither every traveller who starts back with affright
from the lanes of Constantinople, and asserts that the sight of the
interior of this city destroys the effect produced by it when viewed
at a distance.
It is true that the interior of Constantinople is exceedingly dirty,
and that the number of small houses, the narrow streets, the
unevenness of the pavement, the filthy dogs, etc., do not strike the
beholder as excessively picturesque; but then he soon comes upon
some magnificent edifice of the time of the Moors or Romans, some
wondrous mosque or majestic palace, and can continue his walk
through endless cemeteries and forests of dreamy cypresses. He
steps aside before a pasha or priest of high rank, who rides by on
his noble steed, surrounded by a brilliant retinue; he encounters
Turks in splendid costumes, and Turkish women with eyes that flash
through their veils like fire; he beholds Persians with their high
caps, Arabs with their nobly-formed features, dervises in fools'-
caps and plaited petticoats like women, and, now and then, some
carriage, beautifully painted and gilt, drawn by superbly
caparisoned oxen. All these different objects fully make up for
whatever amount of dirtiness may occasionally be met with. In Rio
Janeiro, however, there is nothing that can in any way amuse, or
atone for the horrible and disgusting sights which everywhere meet
the eye.
It was not until I had been here several weeks that I became
somewhat accustomed to the appearance of the negroes and mulattoes.
I then discovered many very pretty figures among the young
negresses, and handsome, expressive countenances among the somewhat
dark-complexioned Brazilian and Portuguese women; the men seem, as
regards beauty, to be less favoured.
The bustle in the streets is far less than what I had been led to
expect from the many descriptions I had heard, and is certainly not
to be compared to that at Naples or Messina. The greatest amount of
noise is made by those negroes who carry burdens, and especially by
such as convey the sacks full of coffee on board the different
vessels; they strike up a monotonous sort of song, to the tune of
which they keep step, but which sounds very disagreeable. It
possesses, however, one advantage; it warns the foot passenger, and
affords him time to get out of the way.
In the Brazils, every kind of dirty or hard work, whether in doors
or out, is performed by the blacks, who here, in fact, replace the
lower classes. Many, however, learn trades, and frequently are to
be compared to the most skilful Europeans. I have seen blacks in
the most elegant workshops, making wearing apparel, shoes, tapestry,
gold or silver articles, and met many a nattily dressed negro maiden
working at the finest ladies' dresses, or the most delicate
embroidery. I often thought I must be dreaming when I beheld these
poor creatures, whom I had pictured to myself as roaming free
through their native forests, exercising such occupations in shops
and rooms! Yet they do not appear to feel it as much as might be
supposed--they were always merry, and joking over their work.
Among the so-called educated class of the place, there are many who,
in spite of all the proofs of mechanical skill, as well as general
intelligence which the blacks often display, persist in asserting
that they are so far inferior to the whites in mental power, that
they can only be looked upon as a link between the monkey tribe and
the human race. I allow that they are somewhat behind the whites in
intellectual culture; but I believe that this is not because they
are deficient in understanding, but because their education is
totally neglected. No schools are erected for them, no instruction
given them--in a word, not the least thing is done to develop the
capabilities of their minds. As was the case in old despotic
countries, their minds are purposely kept enchained; for, were they
once to awake from their present condition, the consequences to the
whites might be fearful. They are four times as numerous as the
latter, and if they ever become conscious of this superiority, the
whites might probably be placed in the position that the unhappy
blacks have hitherto occupied.
But I am losing myself in conjectures and reasonings which may,
perhaps, become the pen of a learned man, but certainly not mine,
since I assuredly do not possess the necessary amount of education
to decide upon such questions; my object is merely to give a plain
description of what I have seen.
Although the number of slaves in the Brazils is very great, there is
nowhere such a thing as a slave-market. The importation of them is
publicly prohibited, yet thousands are smuggled in every year, and
disposed of in some underhand manner, which every one knows, and
every one employs. It is true, that English ships are constantly
cruising off the coasts of Brazil and Africa, but even if a slaver
happen to fall into their hands, the poor blacks, I was told, were
no more free than if they had come to the Brazils. They are all
transported to the English colonies, where, at the expiration of ten
years, they are supposed to be set at liberty. But during this
period, their owners allow the greater number to die--of course, in
the returns only--and the poor slaves remain slaves still; but I
repeat that I only know this from hearsay.
After all, slaves are far from being as badly off as many Europeans
imagine. In the Brazils they are generally pretty well treated;
they are not overworked, their food is good and nutritious, and the
punishments are neither particularly frequent nor heavy. The crime
of running away is the only one which is visited with great rigour.
Besides a severe beating, they have fetters placed round their neck
and feet; these they have to wear for a considerable period.
Another manner of punishment consists in making them wear a tin
mask, which is fastened with a lock behind. This is the mode of
punishment adopted for those who drink, or are in the habit of
eating earth or lime. During my long stay in the Brazils, I only
saw one negro who had got on a mask of this description. I very
much doubt whether, on the whole, the lot of these slaves is not
less wretched than that of the peasants of Russia, Poland, or Egypt,
who are _not_ called slaves.
I was one day very much amused at being asked to stand godmother to
a negro, which I did, although I was not present at either baptism
or confirmation. There is a certain custom here, that when a slave
has done anything for which he expects to be punished, he endeavours
to fly to some friend of his owner, and obtain a note, asking for
the remission of his punishment. The writer of such a letter has
the title of godfather bestowed on him, and it would be accounted an
act of the greatest impoliteness not to grant the godfather's
request. In this way, I myself was fortunate enough to save a slave
from punishment.
The town is tolerably well lighted, and the lighting is continued to
a considerable distance, on all sides, beyond the town itself; this
measure was introduced on account of the great number of blacks. No
slave dare be seen in the streets later than 9 o'clock in the
evening, without having a pass from his master, certifying that he
is going on business for him. If a slave is ever caught without a
pass, he is immediately conveyed to the House of Correction, where
his head is shaved, and he himself obliged to remain until his
master buys his freedom for four or five milreis. (8s. 8d., or 10s.
10d.) In consequence of this regulation, the streets may be
traversed with safety at any hour of the night.
One of the most disagreeable things in Rio Janeiro is the total
absence of sewers. In a heavy shower, every street becomes a
regular stream, which it is impossible to pass on foot; in order to
traverse them, it is requisite to be carried over by negroes. At
such times, all intercourse generally ceases, the streets are
deserted, parties are put off, and even the payment of bills of
exchange deferred. It is very seldom that people will hire a
carriage, for it is an absurd custom here, to pay as much for a
short drive, as if the carriage were required for the whole day; in
both cases the charge is six milreis (13s.) The carriages are half-
covered ones, with seats for two, and are drawn by a pair of mules,
on one of which the driver rides. Carriages and horses like the
English are very seldom to be met with.
As regards the arts and sciences, I may mention the Academy of Fine
Arts, the Museum, Theatre, etc. In the Academy of Fine Arts is
something of everything, and not much of anything--a few figures and
busts, most in plaster, a few architectural plans and pencil
drawings, and a collection of very old oil paintings. It really
seemed to me as if some private picture gallery had been carefully
weeded of all the rubbish in it, which had then been put here out of
the way. Most of the oil paintings are so injured, that it is
scarcely possible to make out what they are intended to represent,
which, after all, is no great loss. The only thing respectable
about them is their venerable antiquity. A startling contrast is
produced by the copies of them made by the students. If the colours
in the old pictures are faded, in the modern ones they blaze with a
superfluity of vividness; red, yellow, green, etc., are there in all
their force; such a thing as mixing, softening, or blending them,
has evidently never been thought of. Even at the present moment, I
really am at a loss to determine whether the worthy students
intended to found a new school for colouring, or whether they merely
desired to make up in the copies for the damage time had done the
originals.
There were as many blacks and mulattoes among the students as
whites, but the number of them altogether was inconsiderable.
Music, especially singing and the pianoforte, is almost in a more
degraded position than painting. In every family the young ladies
play and sing; but of tact, style, arrangement, time, etc., the
innocent creatures have not the remotest idea, so that the easiest
and most taking melodies are often not recognisable. The sacred
music is a shade better, although even the arrangements of the
Imperial Chapel itself are susceptible of many improvements. The
military bands are certainly the best, and these are generally
composed of negroes and mulattoes.
The exterior of the Opera-house does not promise anything very
beautiful or astonishing, and the stranger is, consequently, much
surprised to find, on entering, a large and magnificent house with a
deep stage. I should say it could contain more than 2,000 persons.
There are four tiers of spacious boxes rising one above the other,
the balustrades of which, formed of delicately-wrought iron trellis-
work, give the theatre a very tasty appearance. The pit is only for
men. I was present at a tolerably good representation, by an
Italian company, of the opera of Lucrezia Borgia; the scenery and
costumes are not amiss.
If, however, I was agreeably surprised by my visit to the theatre, I
experienced quite a contrary feeling on going to the Museum. In a
land so richly and luxuriously endowed by Nature, I expected an
equally rich and magnificent museum, and found a number of very fine
rooms, it is true, which one day or other may be filled, but which
at present are empty. The collection of birds, which is the most
complete of all, is really fine; that of the minerals is very
defective; and those of the quadrupeds and insects poor in the
extreme. The objects which most excited my curiosity, were the
heads of four savages, in excellent preservation; two of them
belonged to the Malay, and two to the New Zealand tribes. The
latter especially I could not sufficiently contemplate, completely
covered as they were with tattooing of the most beautiful and
elegant design, and so well preserved that they seemed only to have
just ceased to live.
During the period of my stay in Rio Janeiro, the rooms of the Museum
were undergoing repairs, and a new classification of the different
objects was also talked of. In consequence of this, the building
was not open to the public, and I have to thank the kindness of Herr
Riedl, the director, for allowing me to view it. He acted himself
as my guide; and, like me, regretted that in a country where the
formation of a rich museum would be so easy a task, so little had
been done.
I likewise visited the studio of the sculptor Petrich, a native of
Dresden, who came over at the unsolicited command of the court, to
execute a statue of the emperor in Carrara marble. The emperor is
represented the size of life, in a standing position, and arrayed in
his imperial robes, with the ermine cloak thrown over his shoulder.
The head is strikingly like, and the whole figure worked out of the
stone with great artistic skill. I believe this statue was destined
for some public building.
I was fortunate enough during my stay in Rio Janeiro to witness
several different public festivals.
The first was on the 21st of September, in the Church of St. Cruz,
on the occasion of celebrating the anniversary of the patron saint
of the country. Early in the morning several hundred soldiers were
drawn up before the church, with an excellent band, which played a
number of lively airs. Between ten and eleven, the military and
civil officers began gradually to arrive, the subordinate ones, as I
was told, coming first. On their entrance into the church, a
brownish-red silk cloak, which concealed the whole of the uniform,
was presented to each. Every time that another of a higher rank
appeared, all those already in the church rose from their seats, and
advancing towards the new comer as far as the church door,
accompanied him respectfully to his place. The emperor and his wife
arrived the last of all. The emperor is extremely young--not quite
one and twenty--but six feet tall, and very corpulent; his features
are those of the Hapsburg-Lothering family. The empress, a
Neapolitan princess, is small and slim, and forms a strange contrast
when standing beside the athletic figure of her husband.
High mass, which was listened to with great reverence by every one,
began immediately after the entrance of the court, and after this
was concluded the imperial pair proceeded to their carriage,
presenting the crowd, who were waiting in the church, their hands to
kiss as they went along. This mark of distinction was bestowed not
only on the officers and officials of superior rank, but on every
one who pressed forward to obtain it.
A second, and more brilliant festival occurred on the 19th of
October; it was the emperor's birth-day, and was celebrated by high
mass in the Imperial Chapel. This chapel is situated near the
Imperial Palace, to which it is connected by means of a covered
gallery. Besides the imperial family, all the general officers, as
well as the first officials of the state, were present at the mass,
but in full uniform, without the ugly silk cloaks. Surrounding all
was a row of Lancers (the body-guard). It is impossible for any but
an eye-witness to form an idea of the richness and profusion of the
gold embroidery, the splendid epaulets, and beautifully set orders,
etc., displayed on the occasion, and I hardly believe that anything
approaching it could be seen at any European court.
During high mass, the foreign ambassadors, and the ladies and
gentlemen admitted to court, assembled in the palace, where, on the
emperor's return, every one was admitted to kiss his hand.
The ambassadors, however, took no part in this proceeding, but
merely made a simple bow.
This edifying ceremony could easily be seen from the square, as the
windows are very near the ground, and were also open. On such
occasions continual salutes are fired from the imperial ships, and
sometimes from others in the harbour.
On the 2nd of November I saw a festival of another description--
namely, a religious one. During this and the following days, old
and young proceed from one church to another, to pray for the souls
of the departed.
They have a singular custom here of not burying all their dead in
the church-yard, many bodies being placed, at an additional expense,
in the church itself. For this purpose, there are, in every church,
particular chambers, with catacombs formed in the walls. The corpse
is strewed with lime, and laid in a catacomb of this description,
where, after a lapse of eight or ten months, the flesh is completely
eaten away. The bones are then taken out, cleaned by boiling, and
collected in an urn, on which is engraved the name, birth-day, etc.,
of the deceased. These urns are afterwards set up in the passages
of the church, or sometimes even taken home by the relations.
On All-souls' day, the walls of the chambers are hung with black
cloth, gold lace, and other ornaments, and the urns are richly
decorated with flowers and ribbons, and are lighted up by a great
number of tapers in silver candelabra and chandeliers, placed upon
high stands. From an early hour in the morning until noon, the
women and young girls begin praying very fervently for the souls of
their deceased relations, and the young gentlemen, who are quite as
curious as those in Europe, go to see the young girls pray.
Females on this day are dressed in mourning, and often wear, to the
great disgust of the curious young gentlemen before mentioned, a
black veil over their head and face. No one, by the way, is allowed
to wear a bonnet at any festival of the church.
But the most brilliant of the public festivals I saw here, was the
christening of the imperial princess, which took place on the 15th
of November, in the Imperial Chapel, which is connected with the
palace.
Towards 3 o'clock in the afternoon a number of troops were drawn up
in the court-yard of the palace, the guards were distributed in the
corridors and the church, while the bands played a series of
pleasing melodies, frequently repeating the National Anthem, which
the late emperor, Peter I., is said to have composed. Equipage
after equipage began to roll up to the palace, and set down the most
brilliantly attired company of both sexes.
At 4 o'clock the procession began to leave the palace. First, came
the court band, clothed in red velvet, and followed by three
heralds, in old Spanish costume, magnificently decorated hats and
feathers, and black velvet suits. Next walked the officers of the
law, and the authorities of every rank, chamberlains, court
physicians, senators, deputies, generals, and ecclesiastics, privy
councillors and secretaries; and, lastly, after this long line of
different personages, came the lord steward of the young princess,
whom he bore upon a magnificent white velvet cushion, edged with
gold lace. Immediately behind him followed the emperor, and the
little princess's nurse, surrounded by the principal nobles and
ladies of the court. On passing through the triumphal arch of the
gallery, and coming before the pallium of the church, the emperor
took his little daughter {23a} into his own arms, and presented her
to the people; an act which pleased me exceedingly, and which I
considered extremely appropriate.
The empress, with her ladies, had likewise already arrived in the
church through the inner corridors, and the ceremony commenced
forthwith. The instant the princess was baptized, the event was
announced to the whole town by salvos of artillery, volleys of
musketry, and the discharge of rockets. {23b} At the conclusion of
the ceremony, which lasted above an hour, the procession returned in
the same order in which it had arrived, and the chapel was then
opened to the people. I was curious enough to enter with the rest,
and, I must own, I was quite surprised at the magnificence and taste
with which the building was decorated. The walls were covered with
silk and velvet hangings, ornamented with gold fringe, while rich
carpets were spread underfoot. On large tables, in the middle of
the nave, were displayed the most valuable specimens of the church
plate, gold and silver vases, immense dishes, plates, and goblets,
artistically engraved, and ornamented with embossed or open work;
while magnificent vessels of crystal, containing the most beautiful
flowers, and massive candelabra, with innumerable lights, sparkled
in the midst. On a separate table, near the high altar, were all
the costly vessels and furniture which had been employed at the
christening; and, in one of the side chapels, the princess's cradle,
covered with white satin, and ornamented with gold lace. In the
evening, the town, or rather, the public buildings, were
illuminated. The proprietors of private houses are not required to
light up; and they either avail themselves of their privilege, or at
most, hang out a few lanterns--a fact which will be readily
understood, when it is known that such illuminations last for six or
eight days. The public buildings, on the contrary, are covered from
top to bottom with countless lamps, which look exactly like a sea of
fire.
The most original and really amusing fetes to celebrate the
christening of the princess, were those given on several evenings in
some of the barracks: even the emperor himself made his appearance
there for a few moments on different occasions. They were also the
only fetes I saw here which were not mixed up with religious
solemnities. The sole actors in them were the soldiers themselves,
of whom the handsomest and most active had previously been selected,
and exercised in the various evolutions and dances. The most
brilliant of these fetes took place in the barracks of the Rua
Barbone. A semicircular and very tasty gallery was erected in the
spacious court-yard, and in the middle of the gallery were busts of
the imperial couple. This gallery was set apart for the ladies
invited, who made their appearance as if dressed for the most
splendid ball: at the entrance of the court-yard they were received
by the officers, and conducted to their places. Before the gallery
stood the stage, and at each side of the latter were ranged rows of
seats for the less fashionable females; beyond these seats was
standing-room for the men.
At eight o'clock the band commenced playing, and shortly afterwards
the representation began. The soldiers appeared, dressed in various
costumes, as Highlanders, Poles, Spaniards, etc.; nor was there any
scarcity of danseuses, who, of course, were likewise private
soldiers. What pleased me most was, that both the dress and
behaviour of the military young ladies were highly becoming. I had
expected at least some little exaggeration, or at best no very
elegant spectacle; and was therefore greatly astonished, not only
with the correctness of the dances and evolutions, but also with the
perfect propriety with which the whole affair was conducted.
The last fete that I saw took place on the 2nd of December, in
celebration of the emperor's birth-day. After high mass, the
different dignitaries again waited on the emperor, to offer their
congratulations, and were admitted to the honour of kissing his
hand, etc. The imperial couple then placed themselves at a window
of the palace, while the troops defiled before them, with their
bands playing the most lively airs. It would be difficult to find
better dressed soldiers than those here: every private might easily
be mistaken for a lieutenant, or at least a non-commissioned
officer; but unluckily, their bearing, size, and colour, are greatly
out of keeping with the splendour of their uniform--a mere boy of
fourteen standing next to a full-grown, well-made man, a white
coming after a black, and so on.
The men are pressed into the service; the time of serving is from
four to six years.
I had heard and read a great deal in Europe of the natural
magnificence and luxury of the Brazils--of the ever clear and
smiling sky, and the extraordinary charm of the continual spring;
but though it is true that the vegetation is perhaps richer, and the
fruitfulness of the soil more luxuriant and vigorous than in any
other part of the world, and that every one who desires to see the
working of nature in its greatest force and incessant activity, must
come to Brazil; still it must not be thought that all is good and
beautiful, and that there is nothing which will not weaken the
magical effect of the first impression.
Although every one begins by praising the continual verdure and the
uninterrupted splendour of spring met with in this country, he is,
in the end, but too willing to allow, that even this, in time, loses
its charm. A little winter would be preferable, as the reawakening
of nature, the resuscitation of the slumbering plants, the return of
the sweet perfume of spring, enchants us all the more, simply
because during a short period we have been deprived of it.
I found the climate and the air exceedingly oppressive; and the
heat, although at that period hardly above 86 degrees in the shade,
very weakening. During the warm months, which last from the end of
December to May, the heat rises in the shade to 99 degrees, and in
the sun to above 122 degrees. In Egypt, I bore a greater amount of
heat with far greater ease; a circumstance which may perhaps be
accounted for by the fact, that the climate is there drier, while
here there is always an immense degree of moisture. Fogs and mists
are very common; the hills and eminences, nay, even whole tracts of
country, are often enveloped in impenetrable gloom, and the whole
atmosphere loaded with damp vapours.
In the month of November I was seriously indisposed for a
considerable period. I suffered, especially in the town, from an
oppressive feeling of fatigue and weakness; and to the kindness and
friendship of Herr Geiger, the Secretary to the Austrian Consulate,
and his wife, who took me with them into the country, and showed me
the greatest attention, do I alone owe my recovery. I ascribed my
illness altogether to the unusual dampness of the atmosphere.
The most agreeable season is said to be the winter (from June to
October); that, with a temperature of from 63 to 72 degrees, is
mostly dry and clear. This period is generally selected by the
inhabitants for travelling. During the summer, violent thunder-
storms are of frequent occurrence: I myself only saw three during
my stay in the Brazils, all of which were over in an hour and a
half. The lightning was almost incessant, and spread like a sheet
of fire over the greater portion of the horizon; the thunder, on the
other hand, was inconsiderable.
Clear, cloudless days (from 16th September to 9th December) were so
rare, that I really could have counted them; and I am at a loss to
understand how so many travellers have spoken of the ever beautiful,
smiling, and blue sky of the Brazils. This must be true of some
other portion of the year.
A fine evening and long twilight is another source of enjoyment
which may be said to be unknown: at sunset every one hastens home,
as it is immediately followed by darkness and damp.
In the height of summer the sun sets at about a quarter past 6, and
all the rest of the year at 6 o'clock; twenty or thirty minutes
afterwards, night sets in.
The mosquitoes, ants, baraten, and sand-fleas are another source of
annoyance; many a night have I been obliged to sit up, tormented and
tortured by the bite of these insects. It is hardly possible to
protect provisions from the attacks of the baraten and ants. The
latter, in fact, often appear in long trains of immeasureable
length, pursuing their course over every obstacle which stands in
the way. During my stay in the country at Herr Geiger's, I beheld a
swarm of this description traverse a portion of the house. It was
really most interesting to see what a regular line they formed;
nothing could make them deviate from the direction they had first
determined on. Madame Geiger told me that she was one night awoke
by a horrible itching; she sprang immediately out of bed, and beheld
a swarm of ants of the above description pass over her bed. There
is no remedy for this; the end of the procession, which often lasts
four or six hours, must be waited for with patience. Provisions are
to some extent protected from them, by placing the legs of the
tables and presses in plates filled with water. Clothes and linen
are laid in tightly-fitting tin canisters, to protect them, not only
from the ants, but also from the baraten and the damp.
The worst plague of all, however, are the sand-fleas, which attach
themselves to one's toes, underneath the nails, or sometimes to the
soles of the feet. The moment a person feels an itching in these
parts he must immediately look at the place; if he sees a small
black point surrounded by a small white ring, the former is the
flea, and the latter the eggs which it has laid in the flesh. The
first thing done is to loosen the skin all round as far as the white
ring is visible; the whole deposit is then extracted, and a little
snuff strewed in the empty space. The best plan is to call in the
first black you may happen to see, as they all perform this
operation very skilfully.
As regards the natural products of the Brazils, a great many of the
most necessary articles are wanting in the list. It is true that
there are sugar and coffee, but no corn, no potatoes, and none of
our delicious varieties of fruit. The flour of manioc, which is
mixed up with the other materials of which the dishes are composed,
supplies the place of bread, but is far from being so nutritious and
strengthening, while the different kinds of sweet-tasting roots are
certainly not to be compared to our potatoes. The only fruit, which
are really excellent, are the oranges, bananas and mangoes. Their
celebrated pine-apples are neither very fragrant nor remarkably
sweet; I certainly have eaten much finer flavoured ones that had
been grown in a European hot-house. The other kinds of fruit are
not worth mentioning. Lastly, with the two very necessary articles
of consumption, milk and meat, the former is very watery, and the
latter very dry.
On instituting a comparison between the Brazils and Europe, both
with respect to the impression produced by the whole, as also to the
separate advantages and disadvantages of each, we shall, perhaps, at
first find the scale incline towards the former country, but only to
turn ultimately with greater certainty in favour of the latter.
The Brazils is, perhaps, the most interesting country in the world
for travellers; but for a place of permanent residence I should most
decidedly prefer Europe.
I saw too little of the manners and customs of the country to be
qualified to pronounce judgment upon them, and I shall therefore, on
this head, confine myself to a few remarks. The manners seem, on
the whole, to differ but little from those of Europe. The present
possessors of the country, as is well known, derive their descent
from Portugal, and the Brazilians might very aptly be termed
"Europeans translated into Americans;" and it is very natural, that
in this "translation" many peculiarities have been lost, while
others have stood forth in greater relief. The strongest feature in
the character of the European-American is the greed for gold; this
often becomes a passion, and transforms the most faint-hearted white
into a hero, for it certainly requires the courage of one to live
alone, as planter, on a plantation with perhaps some hundred slaves,
far removed from all assistance, and with the prospect of being
irrevocably lost in the event of any revolt.
This grasping feeling is not confined to the men alone; it is found
among the women as well, and is greatly encouraged by a common
custom here, agreeably to which, a husband never assigns his wife so
much for pin-money, but, according to his means, makes her a present
of one or more male or female slaves, whom she can dispose of as she
chooses. She generally has them taught how to cook, sew, embroider,
or even instructed in some trade, and then lets them out, by the
day, week, or month, {27} to people who possess no slaves of their
own; or she lets them take in washing at home, or employs them in
the manufacture of various ornamental objects, fine pastry, etc,
which she sends them out to sell. The money for these things
belongs to her, and is generally spent in dress and amusement.
In the case of tradesmen, and professional men, the wife is always
paid for whatever assistance she may lend her husband in his
business.
Morality, unfortunately, is not very general in the Brazils; one
cause of this may be traced to the manner in which the children are
first brought up. They are confided entirely to the care of blacks.
Negresses suckle them when they are infants, their nurses are
negresses, their attendants are negresses--and I have often seen
girls of eight or ten years of age taken to school, or any other
place, by young negroes. The sensuality of the blacks is too well
known for us to be surprised, with such a state of things, at the
general and early demoralization. In no other place did I ever
behold so many children with such pale and worn faces as in the
streets of Rio Janeiro. The second cause of immorality here is,
without doubt, the want of religion. The Brazils are thoroughly
Catholic--perhaps there are no countries save Spain and Italy, that
can be compared to them. Almost every day there is some procession,
service, or church-festival; but these are attended merely for the
sake of amusement, while the true religious feeling is entirely
wanting.
We may also ascribe to this deep demoralization and want of religion
the frequent occurrence of murders, committed not for the sake of
robbery or theft, but from motives of revenge and hatred. The
murderer either commits the deed himself, or has it perpetrated by
one of his slaves, who is ready to lend himself for the purpose, in
consideration of a mere trifle. The discovery of the crime need
cause the assassin no anxiety, provided he is rich; for in this
country everything, I was assured, can be arranged or achieved with
money. I saw several men in Rio Janeiro who had, according to
report, committed either themselves, or by the means of others, not
one, but several murders, and yet they not only enjoyed perfect
liberty, but were received in every society.
In conclusion, I beg leave to address a few words to those of my
countrymen who think of leaving their native land, to seek their
fortune on the distant coast of Brazil--a few words which I could
desire to see as far spread and as well known as possible.
There are people in Europe not a whit better than the African slave-
dealers, and such people are those who delude poor wretches with
exaggerated accounts of the richness of America and her beautiful
territories, of the over-abundance of the products of the soil, and
the lack of hands to take advantage of them. These people, however,
care little about the poor dupes; their object is to freight the
vessels belonging to them, and to effect this they take from their
deluded victim the last penny he possesses.
During my stay here, several vessels arrived with unfortunate
emigrants of this description; the government had not sent for them,
and therefore would afford them no relief; money they had none, and,
consequently, could not purchase land, neither could they find
employment in working on the plantations, as no one will engage
Europeans for this purpose, because, being unused to the warm
climate, they would soon succumb beneath the work. The unhappy
wretches had thus no resource left; they were obliged to beg about
the town, and, in the end, were fain to content themselves with the
most miserable occupations. A different fate awaits those who are
sent for by the Brazilian government to cultivate the land or
colonize the country: these persons receive a piece of uncleared
ground, with provisions and other help; but if they come over
without any money at all, even their lot is no enviable one. Want,
hunger, and sickness destroy most of them, and but a very small
number succeed, by unceasing activity and an iron constitution, in
gaining a better means of livelihood than what they left behind them
in their native land. Those only who exercise some trade find
speedy employment and an easy competency; but even this will, in all
probability, soon be otherwise, for great numbers are pouring in
ever year, and latterly the negroes themselves have been, and are
still being, more frequently taught every kind of trade.
Let every one, therefore, obtain trustworthy information before
leaving his native land; let him weigh calmly and deliberately the
step he is about to take, and not allow himself to be carried away
by deceptive hopes. The poor creature's misery on being undeceived
is so much the more dreadful, because he does not learn the truth
until it is too late--until he has already fallen a victim to
poverty and want.