m 



6'4 



PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. 



three exist. These are directed by elderly 

 females, who have not taken any vows, and who 

 educate young persons of their own sex, and re- 

 ceive individuals whose conduct has been incor- 

 rect, but whose characters are not notorious,, 

 and who are placed here by their relations to pre- 

 vent further shame. The number of churches, 

 chapels, and niches in the streets for saints, is 

 quite preposterous ; to these are attached a mul- 

 titude of religious lay brotherhoods, of which 

 the members are merchants, and other persons 

 in trade, and even some are composed of mulatto 

 and black free people. Some of these continu- 

 ally beg for a supply of wax, and other articles 

 to be consumed in honour of their patron. 

 Almost every day in the year, passengers are 

 importuned in the streets, and the inhabitants 

 in their houses, by some of these people, and 

 among others, by the lazy Franciscan friars. A 

 Portuguese gentleman refused to give money 

 for any of these purposes, but after each appli- 

 cation, threw into a bag, placed apart for the 

 purpose, a 5 reis coin, the smallest in use, and 

 in value the third part of a penny. At the end 

 of a twelvemonth, he counted his 5 reh pieces, 

 and found that they amounted to 30,000 rets, 

 about 8/. 6s. He then applied to the vicar of 

 his parish, requesting him to name some dis- 

 tressed person to whom he should give the 

 money. 



