TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



151 



confined to the intercourse with a few distant 

 neighbours, concerns hmiself very Httle with tlie 

 events of the political world, and is satisfied with 

 hearing the principal circumstances once a year, 

 from the conductors of the caravans who return 

 from the coast. In general, in the interior as well 

 as in the sea-port towns, it is rather commercial 

 relations than any regard to the interests of the 

 world in general, that determine their participation 

 in great political events. There is, however, no 

 want of quick and accurate intelligence from Eu- 

 rope ; the Lisbon newspapers being circulated by 

 the Portuguese emigrants, and the London journals 

 by the English. 



The education of youth is provided for, in the 

 capital, by many licensed academies. Persons of 

 fortune have their children prepared by private 

 tutors, to visit the university of Coimbra ; which, 

 from the scarcity of good teachers, is very expen- 

 sive. In the Seminario de S. Joaquim, the elements 

 of latin and church-singing (canto chdo) are taught: 

 but the best academy is the Lyceum, or Seminario 

 de S. Joze, where, besides Latin, Greek, French, 

 and English, rhetoric, geography, and mathema- 

 tics, likewise philosophy and divinity are taught. 

 Most of the teachers are ecclesiastics, who have, 

 however, now much less influence on the education 

 of the people than formerly ; particularly during the 

 times of the Jesuits. A very useful establishment 

 of later years is the School of Surgery (Aula de Ci- 



L 4 



