30 RIO JANFJIRO, BRAZIL. 



course of half an hour more arrived off " Rat Island," 

 where we let-go the anchor. 



We were much disappointed not to find the " Relief" 

 here. The usual passage for vessels bound to Rio from our 

 ports is fifty days, but she had already been out ninety 

 days ; we therefore began to feel anxious about her. 



There were a great many foreign vessels in the harbor, 

 and not less than fifty or sixty were American, belonging 

 to Baltimore and New York. The trade with the United 

 States has greatly increased. Within the last two or three 

 years from two to three hundred American vessels take 

 and bring cargoes to and from the United States. They 

 bring out flour and cotton goods, and return loaded with 

 sugar, coffee, India-rubber, medicines, and spices of every 

 kind. 



I visited the city as often as my duties would permit, but 

 it is too well known to require much to be said of it. It is 

 built on the west side of the bay formed by the debouche" 

 of the river of Janeiro, and has a very picturesque appear- 

 ance from the water. It is the largest and one of the 

 most flourishing cities in South America. At the last cen 

 sus Rio Janeiro had 250,000 inhabitants. It contains 

 many rich churches, two hospitals, besides a miserecordia, 

 a college, a museum open twice a week, two theatres, one 

 opera, and several public gardens. 



The population is perhaps more mixed than that of any 

 other city in the world. It consists of Europeans, mulattoes, 

 mamalucoes, or a mixed caste, between whites and aborigi- 

 nes, free negroes born in Brazil, manumitted Africans, mes- 

 tizoes or zamboes, between the mamalucoes and negroes, &c. 



The Imperial Palace fronts the Grand Plaza. It is a 

 large three-story, stone edifice, with a handsome portico in 

 front The apartments occupied by the royal family are 



