86 A NATURALIST ON THE "CHALLENGER," 



windows. They rise one above another on the hill- side, with a 

 large number of convents and churches interspersed amongst 

 the houses. The churches have all two towers at the west ends, 

 as at Lisbon, and usually an open plateau or square in front. 

 The architecture is thoroughly Portuguese. 



The bright green tropical vegetation, the palms and banana 

 plants, interspersed between the buildings, give the town in 

 reality a different look from that of a home Portuguese town. A 

 small strip of flat land intervening between the foot of the ridge 

 occupied by the main town, and the harbour, affords space for 

 wharves and warehouses for the mail steamers and general 

 shipping. There were a large number of small trading vessels 

 at anchor in the harbour, and two Brazilian vessels of war, a 

 gun brig, and a small iron ram, which had conspicuous shot 

 marks on its hull, received in the Paraguayan war. 



The usual mode of ascent from the lower shipping district to 

 the higher town is by means of sedan chairs of the old European 

 pattern, which are painted black, with yellow beading, and are 

 carried up the hill, each by a pair of negroes. A mechanical 

 lift was being constructed to take the place of this primitive 

 arrangement. 



I preferred walking, and made my way through steep narrow 

 stinking streets, where slops were being constantly emptied from 

 upper stories without any warning or " Garde de i'eau." After 

 a stiff climb, I reached the main street of the town, which runs 

 all along the top of the ridge, and was just in time to see a 

 religious procession, held in commemoration of the day of the 

 saint of one of the churches. 



The bells of the church were clanging and tinkling, sound- 

 ing something like Swiss cow-bells, a regular jangle, "tinkle, 

 tinkle, tinkle, cling, cling, clang," and the procession was pouring 

 itself from the church door. First came men in blue cassocks 

 with white surplices over them, carrying lighted paper lanterns 

 on poles. They marched on and then formed line on each side 

 of the street for the rest of the procession to pass. 



Then came men with white cassocks and black surplice-like 

 vestments, also bearing lanterns, and at intervals amongst them 

 were borne silver crosses with bunches of artificial flowers on 



