628 
This continues about a, minutes At, the 
second tolling, every thing goes. on again 
as.usual, _ During this time. a particular 
part of the mass is being performed. in 
the grand church. | Although this has a 
striking effect, the positions;, peaple are 
sometimes caught in, are very Judicrous: 
it appears alniost the instantaneous ef- 
fect of magic. It was my good fortune 
to be_ there during Lent, which is most 
rigidly observed. . The illuminations on 
the churches, fireworks and processions, 
during Easter, surpass any thing of the 
kind I ever -heard of: it is impossible 
not to be sensibly struck with the im- 
mense value of the images displayed on 
the occasion. 
‘Whenever a slave happens to die 
before he’is baptised, they do not allow 
him burial, but his body is thrown down 
on the sea shore, a little below the 
town, where it is left a prey to bustards 
and. wild beasts. In a walk along the 
beach to Olinda, I saw no less than five 
of these bodies laying a little above high 
water mark; the birds flock round 
them like the crows in England round 
a dead horse. 
The Portuguese have but few amuse- 
ments. The principal one I saw, was 
the theatre, which was only opened one 
night, when the Governor honoured it 
with his. presence. A number of sol- 
diers patroled the different parts of the 
house to preserve order. Every thing 
passed on very well, until about the 
middle, when a song being feebly en- 
cored by two or three Portuguese in 
the’ pit, an officer ordered silence in a 
very peremptory voice, which not ac- 
cording with the ideas of some English 
captains, they resumed the ery of encore, 
in which most of the Portuguese (thus 
encouraged) ventured to join, A com- 
motion took place—the play finished— 
the guard was called. in, through whieh 
_ our countrymen effected a safe retreat, 
leaving their allies in the pit to be sur- 
rounded, made prisoners, and carried to 
the enard-house. The next day they 
weré released by the Governer, who 
graciously condescended to pardon 
them. The theatre was never re- 
opened. 
Pernambuco is seated on very low 
ground, and quite surrounded by water, 
consequently intermittent rivers are very 
common. There is only one. hospital, 
which consists of a very large room, 
with about thirty beds on each side, 
filled with wretches suffering under. the 
midst loathsome diseases. A man stands. 
at the door to solicit the charity of pas- 
Original, Account, of Pernambucde coc 
sengers. .When.a, patient, dies he ds laid 
ona table, witha iplate on his breast, 
for money, te bury, him; there are efter, 
four or five-bodies at ya time,; Great 
numbers of slaves dies of, small-poxs 
on. their first importation, and still more, 
from the fever.;.'The. country;).a.fews 
miles from. the. town, .is,fu of .thiels 
impenetrable woods, dreadfully,infested, 
with, wild beasts and reptiles, especially, 
snakes, for the bite of which,there.is no, 
cure, but death inevitably follows. inia 
few hours. bynes ate ait saa 
This country also abounds with the 
most beautiful birds; some of which are 
as red-as scarlet, and -sing ;delightfully., 
Macaws and parrots are also very, comr. 
mon, nearly every house, haying one or. 
two-at the door, and as_ they often.set 
each other a chattering througl.a, whole, 
street, they. make such a, din that..an 
Englishman would think, he had got into, 
a Welch market... In regard. to, the; 
fishes on this, coast, they_ane very nu- 
merous. The riyer, near. Pernambueo,, 
abounds with alligators, which are often; 
very destructive; and that extraordinary, 
fish the’ torpedo is frequently caught: 
here. The electric power is so strong» 
in this fish, that even. the dine, that. 
catches him, conyeys.a slight shock,;. .; 
Olinda is seated on a small hill,,on; 
the summit of which is a large monas-. 
tery. The town is small, and though 
most of the merchants of Pernambuco; 
have seats here, it is nevertheless very; 
thinly peopled. The houses. are beaus 
tiful white buildings, interspersed, .with 
delightful gardens; rising as they do; 
one above another, on the side of the, 
hill, it is seen a great way off at. sea. 
Tt contains little more than two monas-- 
teries and a nunnery, with a few poor. 
people dependent on them. The church» 
of the monastery on the hill being open,, 
we entered to view its curiosities, . In, 
the middle of it lay the body of a black; 
woman for interment. The images and, 
gilt cornices were very grand., You. 
can have no possible. conception, of the; 
magnificence some of these places ex 
hibit. We observed a large curtain that 
concealed something—we wished:to see 
it—the slave who attended: us at.firsty 
hesitated, but on -looking round, ;and 
perceiving none of the padres near,,che 
ventured to draw it up. . _Itpwasaanest 
valuable crucifix of gold, as large,as lif: 
whilst describing its value, a priest-came., 
in—the slave, struck with terror, fell. on, 
his knees, and implored his pardon, 
perceived it was of;no avail, and there- 
fore had. recourse to; artifice Peneare” 
