5IO EXCURSIONS BEYOND EGA 



unpaved or strewn with loose stones and sand, were 

 now laid with concrete in a most complete manner ; 

 all the projecting masonry of the irregularly-built houses 

 had been cleared away, and the buildings made more 

 uniform. Most of the dilapidated houses were replaced 

 by handsome new edifices, having long and elegant 

 balconies fronting the first floors, at an elevation of 

 several feet above the roadway. The large, swampy 

 squares had been drained, weeded, and planted with 

 rows of almond and casuarina trees, so that they were 

 now a great ornament to the city, instead of an eyesore 

 as they formerly were. My old favourite road, the 

 Monguba avenue, had. been renovated and joined to 

 many other magnificent rides lined with trees, which in 

 a very few years had grown to a height sufficient to afford 

 agreeable shade ; one of these, the Estrada de Sao Jose, 

 had been planted with coco-nut palms. Sixty public 

 vehicles, light cabriolets (some of them built in Para), 

 now plied in the streets, increasing much the animation 

 of the beautified squares, streets, and avenues. 



I found also the habits of the people considerably 

 changed. Many of the old religious holidays had de- 

 clined in importance and given way to secular amuse- 

 ments ; social parties, balls, music, billiards, and so 

 forth. There was quite as much pleasure-seeking as 

 formerly, but it was turned in a more rational direction, 

 and the Paraenses seemed now to copy rather the customs 



1 8 to 80 per cent, ad valorem ; export duties from 5 to 10 

 per cent., the most productive article being india-rubber. 



The total value of exports for 1858 was ;^355,905, 4^-. od., 

 employing 104 vessels of 29,493 total tonnage. More than 

 half the foreign trade was done with Great Britain ; the 

 principal nations in order of amount of import trade ranking 

 as follows: 



1. Great Britain. 4. Portugal. 



2. United States. 5. Hanse Towns, 



3. France. 



As most of the articles of consumption are imported and 

 most of those produced exported, the foreign trade of Para 

 is larger, compared with the internal trade, than it is in 

 most countries. The insignificance of the trade of a country 

 of such vast extent and resources becomes very apparent from 

 the totals here quoted. 



