94 PARA. Chap. III. 



temporarily. On Good Fridciy the bells do not ring, all 

 musical sounds are interdicted, and the hours, night and 

 day, are announced by the dismal noise of wooden 

 clappers, wielded by negroes stationed near the different 

 churches. A sermon is delivered in each church. In 

 the middle of it, a scroll is suddenly unfolded from the 

 pulpit, on which is an exaggerated picture of the bleeding 

 Christ. This act is accompanied by loud groans, which 

 come from stout-lunged individuals concealed in the 

 vestry and engaged for the purpose. The priest becomes 

 greatly excited, and actually sheds tears. On one of these 

 occasions I squeezed myself into the crowd, and watched 

 the effect of the spectacle on the audience. Old Portu- 

 guese men and Brazilian women seemed very much 

 affected — sobbing, beating their breasts, and telling their 

 beads. The negi'oes behaved themselves with great pro- 

 priety, but seemed moved more particularly by the pomp, 

 the gilding, the dresses, and the general display. Young 

 Brazilians laughed. Several aborigines were there, 

 coolly looking on. One old Indian, who was standing 

 near me, said, in a derisive manner, when the sermon 

 was over, " It's all very good ; better it could not be " 

 (Esta todo bom ; melhor na5 pude ser). 



The negroes of Para are very devout. They have 

 built, by slow degi'ees, a fine church, as I was told, by 

 their own unaided exertions. It is called Nossa Senhora 

 do Rosario, or Our Lady of the Rosary. During the 

 first weeks of our residence at Para, I frequently 

 observed a line of negroes and negresses, late at night, 

 marching along the streets, singing a chorus. Each 

 carried on his or her head a quantity of building 



