156 A YEAR IN BRAZIL. 



the outside of Joaquim Ribeiro's house, not even leaving 

 off during Mass ; and yet it was thought fearful of us to 

 work at the office on Lady Day ! 



March 31. To-night arrived intimation of the approval 

 of the plans of the first section by the President of the 

 Province, and there were great rejoicings. A crowd, headed 

 by the band, patrolled the street and went down to the 

 office, where a speech was made in honour of our chief. I 

 was in Joaquim Ribeiro's shop when the crowd arrived 

 there, and in one of the speeches my health was proposed. 

 Joaquim then responded, and threw open his shop for any 

 one to come in and have a drink, and I received many 

 congratulations. Padre Pinto, who has been staying with 

 his sister for some time, sent me over a special message to 

 go and see him about the railway through his land ; but I 

 was unable to do so till the next day. 



April 6, Palm Sunday. I was disappointed that here, 

 in the country of palms, no notice was taken of to-day in 

 the way of special devotions, the only differences being 

 that red vestments replaced the green and yellow which 

 have been in use during Lent, and the service was that 

 apology for a Missa Cantata which obtains here, viz. a series 

 of most disturbing voluntaries played on the harmonium 

 throughout the service, rendering it impossible to catch a 

 word. You know how lengthy is the Gospel for Palm 

 Sunday, and can imagine how edifying it must be to the 

 people when read by the priest in Latin, in a low voice, 

 turned towards the altar, during a loud performance on 

 the organ ! The only indication I had of how much had 

 been read was when the priest ceased for a minute and 

 prostrated himself before the altar at the words " Iterum 

 damans voce magna, emisit spiritum." * Certainly one of 

 * " When he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost." 



