OUR LIFE AT RIO DE JANEIRO. 201 



orbitant duties and warehouse dues charged by the 

 alfandega or custom house. It is a suicidal policy ; in fact, 

 as my informant remarked, it is " the system of a miserable 

 weak set of people, who want ready money at any price, 

 without thinking of to-morrow." It is opportune here to 

 remark that Exchange is now very low, \^d. per milreis 

 (par value being 27^.), which means, that as I leave by 

 the Valparaiso, P.S.N.C., on the 26th inst, and shall there- 

 fore have to convert my money, I shall lose about ten per 

 cent. I find it is the pleasing custom in this beautiful but 

 insolvent country to lower Exchange at the time of paying 

 dividends, in order, I suppose, to recoup themselves a 

 little for the same. 



I have heard a good deal lately about yellow fever 

 from a friend who, last summer, had six cases in his house, 

 one of which ended fatally. This was a very sad story of 

 a young American, who had taken his passage home and 

 sent off his luggage. He lived at Nichteroy, and was in 

 the habit of walking about in the mists of early morning 

 near the swampy lagoons without previously taking either 

 a cup of coffee or any other refreshment, which is not only 

 unwise but almost suicidal. Falling ill, he was treated 

 during three days for intermittent fever, and went out. 

 When his real malady was ascertained, he was put to bed, 

 but nothing could save him, as he was most imprudent. 

 One night, having told his attendant to fetch some iced 

 seltzer water, which the doctor had ordered, the man on 

 his return found the patient leaning with his body out of 

 the window in the pouring rain. Eighteen hours before his 

 death mortification set in, his back being all discoloured 

 from the throat downwards. He died at 9 a.m. the next 

 day, and the funeral was to be at 4 p.m. The coffin was 

 screwed down, but the gases generated so quickly that on 



