112 A YEAR IN BRAZIL. 



send dozens of glimpses of our life, native life, the scenery 

 along our route, etc., which would be most interesting, and 

 I dare say the Graphic would publish them. They might, 

 perhaps, help to bring the railway before the subscribing 

 public in England, and might be useful. But, alas ! I 

 cannot. 



November 22. — I find the weather rather trying. 



The house that we live in v/ould amuse you to look into 

 occasionally. It has five or six rooms, but only one window 

 (at the back) ; the result is utter darkness when the doors 

 are shut. Mine host (Aleixo) has four children by his present 

 wife (the last, Maria, born when I was here last), and two 

 by his first wife. They are always in and out, the children 

 rushing in half a dozen times a day, taking off their hats 

 and stretching out their hands for a blessing (saying " Sua 

 bengao," or " Seu chrisma"). This is a form of respect repeated 

 by Aleixo whenever the "sogro," his father-in-law, comes. 

 The latter is a little old man, with a remarkably fine head 

 and sharp eyes. He has five daughters and three sons. 

 People mostly go in for large families hereabouts. 



Aleixo is tolerably well-to-do, as things go here — and, 

 in fact, I have not come across any abject poverty — but you 

 may remember, as our cook, he is not remarkable for clean- 

 liness ; however, I know no one in these parts who is. I 

 am in total ignorance of the Brazilian proverbs, but cer- 

 tainly " Cleanliness is next to godliness " cannot be one of 

 them. 



The only way of reputing wealth among the natives is 

 after the Abrahamic standard — slaves, cattle, oxen, horses, 

 mules, and pigs, with pasture to feed them on. Aleixo 

 has several horses, cows, and oxen, plenty of pigs and dogs 

 No one ever mentions money in talking over a man's 

 possessions. 



