36 



RIO DE JANEIRO. 



of windows in the shops. The light enters 

 each shop by the door only, and the interior is 

 kept cooler by presenting mere outside wall to 

 the sun. There is, also, greater security from 

 depredation or political disturbance; as, the 

 moment the massive door with its iron bars is 

 shut, each house is an impregnable fortress. 

 But on this account, the whole line of street 

 presents, below the upper stories, a sombre 

 view to the eye ; and there is nothing in the 

 architecture of the roof and walls to make up 

 for this defect : so that you have the appear- 

 ance (if I may use the expression) of a city 

 without eyes. 



The town winds along the beach, following 

 its sinuosities, and stretching back towards the 

 hills. The Rua-dirita is the largest and best 

 street. It is full of European, and especially 

 of French shops. A handsome aqueduct, in an 



