NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



481* 



inconvenience on my account, when he replied, that he should feel 

 himself dishonoured in his own eyes, and should be really so in those 

 of his townsmen, it he permitted me to leave his house without his 

 company. My baggage, guide, and servant, had already left the town, 

 or I should certainly have felt it a duty to wait, on his account, for finer 

 weather, and proposed sending to recall them. This, however, was 

 over-ruled, and when on the point of mounting, I was further surprised 

 by the appearance of a number of gentlemen, on excellent well caparisoned 

 horses, who joined us for the purpose of making a cavalcade. These 

 people a^e not at all aware that a person may be ungratified by parade, 

 or incommoded by the well meant officiousness of friends to push them 

 into public notice. They laughed at my entreaties for permission to go 

 out of the town quietly, and, if in their company, without making the 

 circuit of the streets. They said, " No, Sir, when you entered St. John 

 you prevented our meeting you by being earlier than we expected, — you 

 cannot deprive us of the pleasure of going out with you. Passing along 

 I received the friendly adieus of all with whom I had formed the 

 slightest acquaintance, and in vain endeavoured to dismiss my compa- 

 nions, who were already drenched with rain, until we had passed the 

 Rio dos Mortes. 



I had seen a few of the inhabitants of St. John at my own Brazilian 

 home, and had long esteemed the character of the place, for, generally 

 speaking, they were men of judgment, prudence, integrity, and enter- 

 prise, possessed of local knowledge and temperate habits; but it is 

 impossible to state the number of marked attentions received from them 

 without great appearance of vanity and egotism. That such attentions 

 pleased me I frankly own ; they were public testimonials of mutual satis- 

 faction between a British Merchant and tliose with whom he had traded, 

 after a series of transactions which had occupied ten years, and were 

 bestowed at the moment when their connection Avas about to cease, 

 perhaps for ever. They were demonstrations that both parties had acted 

 on honourable principles, such as ought to influence the conduct of every 



