Chap. I. FESTIVALS. 7 



a few days during the festivals. They have, however, 

 spacious town-houses, some of them two stories high, 

 with massive walls of stone or adobe. The principal citi- 

 zen, Senhor Miguel Pinto de Guimaraens, is a native of 

 the place, and is an example of the readiness with which 

 talent and industry meet with their reward under the 

 wise government of Brazil. He began life in a very 

 humble way ; I was told he was once a fisherman, and 

 retailed the produce of his hook and line or nets in the 

 port. He is now the chief merchant of the district ; 

 a large cattle and landed proprietor ; and owner of a 

 sugar estate and mills. When the new National Guard 

 was formed in Brazil in 1853, he received from the 

 Emperor the commission of colonel. He is a pale, grave, 

 and white-haired, though only middle-aged, man. I 

 saw a good deal of him, and liked his sincerity and 

 the' uprightness of his dealings. When I arrived in 

 Santarem he was the delegado of police. He is rather 

 unmerciful both in and out of office towards the short- 

 comings, in private and public morality, of his fellow- 

 countrymen ; but he is very much respected. The 

 nation cannot be a despicable one, whose best men are 

 thus able to work themselves up to positions of trust 

 and influence. 



The religious festivals were not so numerous here as 

 in other towns, and such as did take place were very 

 poor and ill attended. There is a handsome church, 

 but the vicar showed remarkably little zeal for re- 

 ligion, except for a few days now and then when 

 the Bishop came from Para, on his rounds through 

 the diocese. The people are as fond of holiday making 



