54 



PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 



arrived, after passing through a considerable part of the building, at the apart- 

 ment where the organ stood, which was also a place of devotion, and ornamented 

 with the figures of various saints. Creolean slaves soon came, to assist in the 

 operations upon the organ, in which I was an equally awkward performer. 

 Those slaves, unnaturally destined also to be here immured for life, were young 

 and some of them very handsome. At intervals many other nuns came to the 

 door and looked in by stealth. Some gradually overcame their shyness, entered 

 the room, offered up their devotions, repeated their " Avi Marias," and, by 

 degrees, approached the organ, with which our attention appeared to be 

 absorbed. Nature so triumphed over superstitious habits that many of them 

 became very familiar and lively. One of them sung part of an English song, 

 which my companion had translated into Portuguese, he playing upon the 

 organ as an accompaiiiment ; the others appeared quite delighted, and shouted 

 out " Viva, viva" Upon some of them perseveringly urging me for an air, I 

 gave them a verse of " God save the King," which, on others coming into the 

 room, 1 was obliged to repeat. The governesses joined in these occasional 

 bursts of vivacity, and at other times took their stations in different parts of the 

 room, apparently in the posture of devotion, and so situated that they could 

 observe all that was passing. Upon all occasions of their coming in or leaving 

 the room they bent the knee to the figure of Jesus. One of them directed my 

 attention to the beautiful quality of the silk Avhich constituted the vestments on 

 the figure of St. John, and observed, several times, that he appeared muito 

 triste (very sad) that morning. I did not think proper to dissent from this 

 romantic discovery; but I was a little astonished to find that she carried her 

 superstition so far as to imagine that an inanimate figure could actually change 

 its aspect, and, consequently, that it was endowed Avith vital feeling and 

 thought. She next showed me a menino Jesu, (child Jesus,) richly dressed, 

 with a silken band around the waist, from which was suspended an embroidered 

 bag, containing, she said, a piece of the real bone of our Saviour. I ventured 

 here not wholly to conceal my doubts ; but she assured me it was so, and that 

 the Queen, whose remains were deposited in the garden of the convent, brought 

 it from Lisbon, and presented it to them : this was conclusive. No doubt they 

 regarded us as pitiable heretics, one of them taking great pains to teach me 

 Padre Nosso, Avi Maria, Sainta Maria, all which I was instructed to write in 

 my book, and then compelled to repeat several times to the rest, who seemed 

 very much pleased at my promising symptoms of Catholicism. A very fine girl, 

 about ten years of age, had just entered the convent. I expressed my surprise 



