RIO JANEIRO, BRAZIL. 3 J 



spacious and airy, and furnished with regal splendor. Rio 

 is indebted for many of its public buildings to Don Pedro 

 I. It was his ambition to make the capital of Brazil a 

 second Lisbon. 



The appearance of the city on Sundays is very much 

 the same as on week days ; the stores do business, and the 

 workshops are kept open. A few of the inhabitants may 

 be seen to attend divine service on that day, but the greater 

 number spend their time at the billiard-rooms and thea- 

 tres. Religion, which is Roman Catholic, according to the 

 latest statistical accounts, is in a very depressed condition. 

 The revenues of the church are so small that few respect- 

 able persons will undertake its duties ; and those who do 

 officiate are generally ill-instructed. 



Another circumstance which struck me very forcibly 

 was the immense number of slaves* employed about the 

 streets as carriers of coffee and sugar. They go about al- 

 most naked, and bear upon their bodies the distinctive 

 mark of their tribe. They appear to work with cheerful- 

 ness, and generally go about in gangs with a leader, who 

 sings while they are carrying their loads. The song usu- 

 ally relates to their native country, and they all join in 

 the chorus. They constitute a large proportion of the 

 population of the city. In general, they are kindly treated 

 by their masters, and may purchase their freedom. Their 

 color operates less to their prejudice than with us. When 

 free they vote, and are eligible to a seat in the national 

 legislature, or to any situation in the army and navy. 



The aqueduct which supplies Rio with water, is a splen- 

 did and substantial work. It extends from the city to a 

 reservoir on the summit of Corcovada mountain, distant 



* Previous to 1830, the number of slaves annually imported into Brazil amounted tc 

 40,000. Since the prohibition of their importation the numbers have fallen off 11,000. 



