1070 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



5borc liave no oflicr alternative than 

 tiiking the whole or part of a hou'-e, 

 and furnishing it thcmselTCS : which, 

 however, is easily done: a few chairs, 

 trunks, and a table, being amply 

 i-ulliciont, and in character. I'he 

 eatinf^-liouses are distingusiied by a 

 fri-coloiired (lag over the cioor, but 

 they arepo inconceivably dirty, and 

 the cooking is so horrible, that a 

 St. Giles's cellar is far preferable. 

 Coffcc-hoiiECS abound in every 

 street, if you can dignify by that 

 name a dirty shop, where a few 

 fabii's and benc'ies arc ranged in 

 front, ^\it(la kind of bar in the 

 back-ground : Avhcr.cc a filthy li- 

 quid, called cofiec, is distributed, 

 which is rendered still niore disgust- 

 ing to the oyc by being served in 

 glasses. These places are every 

 morning crowded with persons of 

 dili'crent classes, the respc(^fab!cand 

 the vulgar, who, for four vinlins, 

 procure a breakfast, consisting of a 

 glass of coflVit, and a roll spread 

 ^r\th rancid Irish butter, the refuse 

 of the Lisbon market. 



" The city nnd country are alike 

 too much infested with beggars; a 

 iiibiect of real or afi'ccted distress 

 presenting itself every moment. The 

 probable reason of this is, the want 

 of public charities for the relief of 

 the poor, the aged, and the dis- 

 tressed ; together with a weak po- 

 lice, inattentive to the idleness and 

 tricking practices of vagabonds, who 

 are here impv.dent to an excess, and 

 intrude themselves every-where. 

 'i'he monasteries and convents occa- 

 sionally distribute donations both of 

 money and jirovision, as do weal- 

 thy individuals, on recovery from 

 sickness and other occasior.s. I have 

 ■witnessed several assemblages of 

 tliese mendicaufs thus reciiving be- 

 nefactious, and the nurabcr seldom 



fell short of five hundred miserable 

 objects. 



" The slaves of Brasil arc chiefly 

 from the Portuguese colonies of An- 

 gola and Bengut'Ia ; a sturdy kiud 

 of negroes, docile to a degree, and 

 very active, and lively, particularly 

 the Benguelese ; but these good 

 qualities arc spoiled by the habit of 

 familiarity and idleness which they 

 contract after their arrival. 



" An edict was passed by the late 

 kitig of Portugal, that the slaves 

 should only continue in bondage for 

 the term of ten years, and should 

 ininiediately on their arrival in LJra- 

 sil be instructed in the Catholic faith. 

 The first part of this law met with 

 immediate opposition on the part of 

 the planters, who ventured to re- 

 ijionstrate and petition, but received 

 no answer : they have nevertheless 

 continued to evade it, which the 

 government pretends not to sec. 

 The other injunction of the cdictvvas 

 nearly nniiecessary, as it had long 

 been customary to baptize the slaves, 

 and the custom is still universally 

 continued. 



" This participation in the religion 

 of the country, and the inconsistent 

 familiarity to which the slaves arc 

 admitted, render them impudent 

 and licentious to a degree : and the 

 negro feels his consequence increas- 

 ed by the great numbers that are 

 emancipated through service, fa- 

 vour, or purchase ; who are of 

 course Sen/iors, and frequently as- 

 sume the character, and act it with 

 full as much propriety as their late 

 possessors. 



" The male inhal)i(ants generally 

 dress as in Lisbon ; following the 

 English modes ; except when visit- 

 ing, or on a holiday, they have an 

 excess of embroidery and spangles 

 on their waictcoats, and lace to their 



linen. 



