LAST DAYS IN BRAZIL. 209 



lesque, entitled " Ali Baba," * which were very well ren- 

 dered. The house was full of English, who applauded 

 vociferously, as did also the Brazilians who were present. 

 I met all the people I am acquainted with in Rio, and 

 spent a very pleasant evening, though I do not favour 

 theatres much as a rule, finally reaching Botafogo about 

 1.45 a.m., as the theatre was not over till long past mid- 

 night. 



July 11. Our good old ship, the Cotopaxi, came in 

 to-day, and some of us rowed out to it this afternoon. 

 Captain Hayes was, unfortunately for us, on shore, and 

 some of the officers are changed ; but we saw the first 

 officer, also the first and third engineers, and had an en- 

 joyable talk with them, telling them some few details of 

 our experiences in the wilds of Minas Geraes. I played 

 a joke on one of the saloon stewards, pulling out a roll of 

 Brazilian notes and asking for change, which of course he 

 would not give. I then begged him to explain to me the 

 English coinage, which he proceeded to do, taking me for 

 a Brazilian. My companions were much amused. 



July 14. To-day is the anniversary of the taking of 

 the Bastile, and there was a great meeting of the French 

 residents, who are very numerous, in one of the large 

 Institutions in the city, which was decorated lavishly with 

 palms and plants outside, and brilliantly illuminated by 

 festoons of lamps across the street in every direction. By 

 a most curious coincidence I was only reading last night 

 the history of the event quite forgetful that the anniver- 

 sary was so near at hand in Percy St. John's " Miranda." 

 As I sat in my room in the New World, reading once 

 again the story of that most awful revolution in the Old, 



* The Brazilians insist on saying "Ali Baba and the Thirty-nine Thieves," 

 which I cannot understand, as Ali Baba was not one of them. 



