24 BRAZILIAN CHARACTER. 



windows in the line of procession were hung- with 

 rich brocade in all the colours of the rainbow. 



A short stay^ such as ours^ afforded ver}^ limited 

 opportunities of judg-ing* of the national character ; 

 and my impressions on this jDoint were^ probably^ 

 often erroneous. The Brazilians and Engiish did 

 not then reciprocate yery cordially^ on account of 

 the existino- state of international relations. Of late 

 years g-reat advances appear to have been made 

 upon the mother-country^ judging* from the increas- 

 ing* liberality of their institutions, the establishment 

 of commercial relations abroad^ the freedom of dis- 

 cussion and influence of the press, the attention paid 

 to public education (especially of the middle classes)^ 

 the support granted to literature and science^ and 

 the declining* influence of the priesthood in secular 

 matters. The national character^ however^ can 

 scarcely be considered as fully formed : the Brazi- 

 lians haye been too recently emancipated from the 

 thraldom of a modified despotism to haye made^ as 

 yet^ an}' ver}' great progress in deyeloping the ele- 

 ments of national prosperity and greatness which the 

 vast empire of Brazil so abundantly possesses^ and 

 the foul blot of slavery^ with its debasing influence^ 

 still remains untouched. 



On February 2nd we sailed from Rio for the Cape 

 of Good Hope. The morning being* calm^ we were 

 towed out by the boats of the squadron until a light 

 air^ the precursor of the sea-breeze^ set in. While 

 hove-to outside the entrance, a haul of the dredge 



