Gums, Eesins, 



202 



[October, 1910, 



polished, dignified gentleman, and the 

 next day sent his aide-de-camp around 

 to my hotel to return the call, and, 

 before I left the city sent me a score 

 of beautifully illustrated books and some 

 marvellous maps for souvenirs of my 

 visit. His word als3 placed everything 

 in the beautiful public library at my 

 disposal. 



The Mayor also Visited. 

 We also made a formal call on the 

 Intendente (mayor). According to his 

 enemies he is another Richard Oroker. 

 He received us at 8 o'clock in the morn- 

 ing at his home, a fine big palace of a 

 house with broad verandahs and magni- 

 ficent apartments opening one into the 

 other, He had with him the secretary 

 of the municipality, a huge, intellectual, 

 coal black negro, who is probably the 

 finest orator in northern Brazil, and is 

 called the " Booker Washington of South 

 America." I asked the Intendente why 

 instead of shading the streets of the city 

 with mango trees, he had not planted 

 Hevea Brasiliensisl He answered prompt- 

 ly that years ago there was much tuber- 

 culosis in the city, that the mango 

 gives off an aromatic balsam that is 

 very healing, and that consumption had 

 practically disappeared since the trees 

 had matured. Besides, the poor people 

 practically lived upon the fruits of the 

 tree for weeks at a time. 



The Visiting Manufacturer who evi- 

 dently had been picking out the wrong 

 cabs, said to the Intendente :— 



" Why don't you fine cab drivers who 

 do not use rubber tyres?" The reply 

 came : — 



" I have done better than that, I 

 have taken the tax off the rubber tyred 

 vehicles and kept it on the steel shod 

 ones. Now it's up to you to make better 

 tyres so that our drivers will all be 

 able to use them." 



After that we retired, the Intendente 

 wearing the honours. 



Para has a number of daily news- 



{>apers. Two of them, however, are 

 eaders. One is owned by the Inten- 

 dente, who edits it vigorously and 

 wisely. The other, the Opposition Paper, 

 with just as much vigour and great 

 plainness disagrees with everything the 

 government does, whatever it is. Both 

 nave large circulations and both are ex- 

 cellent papers. I understand that the 

 opposition paper said some very spicy 

 things about me because I "bowed the 

 knee to Baal." But I cculdn't read 

 them, so was able to preserve the even 

 tenor of my self- conceit. 



There are a number of good clubs. 

 The Yankee Consul put me up at the 

 Para Club, where I met the bankers and 

 steamship and rubber men — American 

 German, and English— and had some 

 really good exercise at billiards in spite 

 of the sultriness that evening often 

 developed. Then a rubber importer in 

 New York had written the president 

 of the Sport's Club, who invited me to 

 their functions. I also went to a ball 

 at the Universal Club, which must have 

 been a very swell affair, for the streets 

 were lined with people who got their 

 reward by seeing us go in and out. 



The resident head of "Casa Alden" 

 also asked me to soap my legs and come 

 out to the Golf Club with him. The 

 saponaceous preliminary that he advised 

 is for the purpose of amusing " mo- 

 queens," small and active red bugs that 

 live in the grass, outside of the city 

 limits, particularly on golf links. If 

 one's legs are soaped the bugs get so 

 engrossed with climbing up as far as the 

 knee, then coasting down to the instep, 

 that they all forget about biting. 



The People of Para. 



More interesting than a city are its 

 inhabitants The people Of Para are 

 Brazilians and Portuguese. Although 

 the former come largely from Portuguese 

 stock they do not like to be mistaken 

 for natives of the mother country, so 

 proud are they of their own. They are 

 a sensitive, hospitable, enthusiastic race, 

 with a very decided genius for and 

 appreciation of the fine arts. Many of the 

 substantial business men are Portuguese, 

 and one often sees exactly the same 

 types as once made the men of Portugal 

 the foremost explorers of the world. 

 The better class in Para are exceedingly 

 well dressed, and no politer people are 

 to be found anywhere. 



It was " carnival week " while we were 

 there, and there was ample opportunity 

 to see the whole city at play. As the 

 beautiful floats passed, the showers of 

 confetti were constant and the flower 

 fights vigorous. Then in the afternoon, 

 when the rain drove the revellers in- 

 doors and the cafes were packed to 

 suffocation, a little glass atomizer made 

 its appearance. It was filled with per- 

 fume and sold for 4 milreis. How many 

 thousands were emptied in the course of 

 a few hours who can say? No one 

 escaped who came within range, and 

 for twenty-four hours every food pro- 

 duct in the city tasted of perfumery. 

 Through all the festivities I saw nothing 

 but good humoured fun, and was 

 wonderfully impressed with the graceful, 

 unconscious courtsey of the people of, 

 this tropical city , 



