12 



SCENERY OF RIO JANEIRO. 



ation ; astern lay the entrance of the harbour, 

 strongly protected by Forts Santa Cruz, St. 

 Joao, and Lage. The lively and animated scene in 

 the bay, after forty-five days' monotony on board, 

 did not fail to give us all a desire to be among 

 the moving panorama which surrounded us. 



On landing at the palace stairs, the first ob- 

 ject that presented itself to our view, was eight 

 poor negroes chained neck to neck, carrying 

 water on their heads, guarded by a black police- 

 j man, with a sword for his emblem of office ; thus 

 at once reminding us we were far removed from 

 the land of liberty. The slave population ap- 

 pears enormous here : I should say, at least ten 

 to one. Groupes of poor negroes passed us, sing- 

 ing their native songs to lighten their burdens, 

 which they carried on their heads, and always at 

 a trot : one first sings a verse, then all the rest 

 join chorus. These groupes consisting of from 

 ten to twenty, are continually passing and re- 

 passing, which keeps the town in one continued 

 noise and uproar. I never saw a place so 



