Public walks. 

 Houses in the city. 



RIO JANEIRO. 



Misericordia. 



Birthday of the emperor. 



11 



national guard, has taken away those forms of 

 military parade that formerly existed. An air of 

 independence is creeping in even among the work- 

 ing classes. Any little service that is required, 

 and for which they are well paid, they appear to 

 consider as a favour done you. The mechanical 

 arts are at least half a century behind those of our 

 own country. The churches, which are numerous, 

 are falling into decay, which gives a dilapidated 

 look to the city; its religious ceremonies are dis- 

 pensed with, and to crown all, the steps of the 

 churches are made a market-place for the sale of 

 sheep, pigeons, fruit, &c. To judge from appear- 

 ances, and the attendance on its services, there 

 exists little religious feeling towards the Roman 

 Church. It is true, the same constant ringing of 

 bells occurs that is to be heard in all Catholic coun- 

 tries, and other outward signs are still kept up ; but 

 the priesthood are not regarded with such awe as 

 they formerly were, and society seems to be break- 

 ing through the trammels that have so long en- 

 slaved the female portion of it. Religion is a mere 

 name among the youth of Brazil. The aged are 

 still observant of its ceremonies, but little or no 

 attention is paid to the Sabbath. The stores and 

 the workshops are open the same as on other days. 

 A few are seen going to worship in the morning of 

 that day, but a greater number attend the bil- 

 liard-tables in the afternoon, and the theatres at 

 night. 



We saw Rio de Janeiro under its most favour- 

 able aspect, that of the holidays, when the church 

 had put on all her finery and decorations, and every 

 one, slave as well as master, seemed intent upon 

 enjoying himself. The Christmas week or holidays 

 give a respite from all labour, and various are the 

 amusements. The churches are decked, and the 

 services extraordinary. 



The neglect of the public walks and roads shows 

 a want of proper attention, and strikes the visiter 

 as different from the usual order of things around a 

 court. So far as cleanliness goes, Rio, I am told, 

 is not much improved. It has every advantage to 

 make it a clean city, but the inclination appears to 

 be wanting. Although the government is doing 

 little, one sees the spirit of enterprise among the 

 citizens. Many private dwellings are being erected, 

 and I understood that many other improvements 

 were taking place. 



The houses of the city are strongly built of stone, 

 cemented together with clay; this is used in con- 

 sequence of the scarcity of lime, which is only ob- 

 tained by burning shells fished up from the bay. 

 The houses are plastered on the outside, and have 

 a pretty appearance and colour. The floors, beams, 

 and roofs are made of the hard wood of the coun- 

 try, of great size and strength, which are indeed 

 necessary from the heavy tile roof they have to 

 bear. Very few of the houses have yards, cellars, 

 or gardens; consequently the dwellers are still 

 greatly incommoded from the want of water-closets, 

 detrimental both to health and comfort, and not 

 only an annoyance and inconvenience to the inha- 

 bitants themselves, but shared by the stranger in 

 passing through the streets. 



We of course saw all that was to be seen in Rio. 

 The churches claimed our first attention. They 

 are richly decorated in the interior, with massive 

 gold and silver ornaments. On some of the altars 

 of the saints it is the practice to suspend the 



diseased parts of the body in wax, in honour of the 

 cure supposed to have been effected by the saints' 

 intercession. The sight of these is truly disgusting, 

 although they are far from being well executed. 



The Misericordia has now become much out of 

 repair, and I understood had fallen off in its 

 charitable usefulness, but it still shows the remains 

 of its former splendour. Few monks were seen 

 about, and dead bodies were laid out in the Green 

 House. At the time we visited it there were eight, 

 the greater part of whom were negroes. A monk 

 was seen saying a hasty prayer over the bodies, 

 which were at once thrown into the trench, when 

 they were sprinkled with lime, placing one layer 

 over the other, until the hole, about six feet square 

 and as many deep, is filled or level with the sur- 

 face. After one of the trenches is filled, another 

 is dug by the side of it. The crowded state of 

 this place of interment is but too evident from the 

 number of skulls and bones lying about, some still 

 with portions of flesh adhering to them. 



On the same evening, whilst this scene was still 

 fresh in our minds, and as if in strong contrast 

 with it, we met the funeral of a person of distinc- 

 tion. A black hearse, ornamented with black 

 plumes, was drawn by mules. The driver had a 

 cocked-hat and black plume. The coffin was 

 covered with a scarlet pall ornamented with silver. 

 About twenty altar-boys, in their church dress, 

 preceded the hearse, which was surrounded by 

 about the same number of black servants, in livery, 

 all carrying lighted wax candles. The body, on 

 arriving at the imperial chapel, was removed into 

 it, and all who entered the chapel were furnished 

 with lighted tapers. Mass and the funeral service 

 were performed by the priest, and some delightful 

 music by a full choir. The body was then taken 

 into the Campo Santo, a kind of amphitheatre, 

 with high walls, a short distance from the church. 

 About a thousand vaults are built in the wall. One 

 of them was opened, the body interred, and the 

 wall built up again. The centre of this sepulchre 

 is laid out in a flower-garden, and is about one 

 hundred feet in diameter. 



December 2d was the birthday of the emperor, 

 Don Pedro the Second, who then was thirteen 

 years old. It was celebrated with all due pomp. 

 Great preparations had been making for many 

 days. He was to pass into the city from St. Chris- 

 toval, his usual residence, in procession, and to 

 hold a levee at the city palace. The streets were 

 strewn with orange and other leaves, a triumphal 

 arch erected, &c. But a description of his pro- 

 gress will give a better idea of it. 



Having left St. Christoval, he entered the city 

 about noon, preceded by a large troop of horse. 

 He rode with his sisters, one sixteen, the other 

 fourteen years of age, in a splendid English car- 

 riage, with bronze and gold mountings, drawn by 

 eight cream-coloured horses, gaily caparisoned, 

 with silver-mounted harness, the servants in rich 

 liveries. Three carriages, drawn by six horses 

 each, followed, containing officers of state and his 

 household, the whole surrounded by the emperor's 

 guards, and above five thousand military follow- 

 ing. Great crowds of people had assembled to 

 witness this parade. As the carriages passed 

 under the balconies, garlands of flowers were thrown 

 upon them. They entered the principal street 

 through a triumphal arch, beautifully decorated 



