60 CULTIVATION OF COFFEE IN VARIOUS COUNTRIES. 



earthquakes, anacondas, alligators, with luxuriant fruits and 

 flowers, palms, with gayly plumaged birds and monkeys. 

 But it is all this and much more besides, for its climate 

 is perpetual summer, and its scenery the most beautiful 

 known even to tropical regions. The empire of Brazil, 

 although stretching over a territory nearly equal to one- 

 half of the entire South American Continent, with a 

 soil unsurpassed by any other in the world, yet num- 

 bers only about ten millions of inhabitants. Like most 

 tropical countries, it does not evince the enterprise and 

 energy so characteristic of the dwellers in higher lati- 

 tudes. The Emperor, Dom Pedro, is, however, undoubtedly 

 inspired with progressive ideas, although his subjects seem 

 as decidedly opposed to them; an apathetic indifference to 

 all kinds of innovation or improvement holds them spell- 

 bound to antiquated usages and obsolete forms. With a 

 soil so fertile and a climate so genial, all that seems requisite 

 is the enterprise of capitalists, and the application of the 

 improved industrial arts, to render Brazil a centre of greatly 

 increased and increasing commercial importance. The 

 recent abolition of slavery by the Emperor in all Government 

 or State works, by the substitution of free labor, is of itself 

 a great advance in the right direction; and the ultimate 

 extinction of slavery generally will be accomplished when the 

 existing slaves shall have passed away, since their children 

 are born free. When the swift railroad shall have wholly 

 superseded the slow mule conveyance, commerce will pro- 

 portion ably increase, because capitalists and free labor will 

 yield a more profitable return. Rio de Janeiro is distant from 

 New York about four thousand eight hundred miles ; that 

 distance, however, might be virtually much reduced by the 

 establishment of more frequent intercourse with it by 

 steamers. Railroads are already in operation, to some extent, 



