SOUTH AMERICA. 



153 



the most outre imaginable; their appearance carried 

 me back a couple of centuries, at least, and led me to 

 reflect how much importance^ in monarchies^, is attached 

 to antiquities. Kings are very slow in adopting the 

 improvements of the age in which they live; they are 

 almost as hard to civilize, as our North American In- 

 dians. I saw a great many of the nobility running to 

 and fro, and from the richness of their decorations, I 

 judged of very high orders, such as gentlemen of the 

 bed chamber, grooms of the stole, royal rat-killers, 

 &c. &c. I wish I could speak with some respect of 

 these things, but for my soul I cannot; and I think it 

 my duty to give to my countrymen, a true copy of the 

 impressions left by them on my mind. Such is the first 

 coronation of a king in America — will it be the last? 

 Leaving the reader to make his own reflections on the 

 sovereign, I shall proceed to make some general ob- 

 servations on the country, whose future destinies are 

 to be so much affected by the ceremonies I have de- 

 scribed. 



We have in general, very inadequate conceptions 

 of the importance of the Brazilian empire. The books 

 of geography give extremely meagre and imperfect ac- 

 counts, of this wonderful country. While in its colo- 

 nial state, the Portuguese pursued nearly the same po- 

 licy with the Spaniards, in the zealous exclusion of 

 enlightened strangers; and they Were rather fearful of 

 exciting the cupidity of other nations, by permitting 

 descriptions of it to be published. But since the trans- 

 fer of the throne, this policy has ceased; and there- 

 fore, it is natural to expect, the prevailing wish or in- 

 clination, is to make a display of the greatness and 

 riches of the seat of empire. Within a few yearS; we 

 VOL. I. SO 



