36 



THKEE YEARS IN THE PACIFIC. 



CHAPTER III. 



Museum — Aqueduct — Banana tree — Farinha — Policemen — Slave of a natural- 

 ist — Casa da Agua. 



The Museum is open daily to the public, from twelve until 

 two o'clock, and, as it should be every where with institutions 

 of the kind, the admission is free to every body. Brunner and 

 I visited it, however, early in the morning, by special favor. 

 The utility of a national museum, where access may be had at 

 all proper times, free of expense, is incalculable ; and particu- 

 larly to a country, which depends, like ours, upon the general 

 information of its inhabitants for the existence of its govern- 

 ment. Our optics collect much more rapidly, and preserve 

 more faithfully, information or knowledge, than any of our 

 senses, and what is thus once acquired is seldom forgotten. A 

 museum established under proper regulations, would create a 

 taste for natural science, and enable talent, in the most indigent 

 circumstances, to gain knowledge which could hardly fail to 

 make the possessor a better man, and a more useful member of 

 society. 



This collection occupies several rooms, communicating with 

 each other, in the second stor}^ of a building at the corner of 

 the Praga d'Acclamagao. The cabinet of minerals is certainly 

 a very good one ; probably equal to any one on this continent 

 in the metallic specimens and precious stones. The birds are 

 badly prepared, most of them being without eyes, and many 

 are lying on their sides. The curators are at present (1S31,) 

 arranging them according to the classification by Cuvier. The 

 native Indian curiosities are numerous ; some of the war dress- 

 es, which are composed of feathers of many brilliant colors, 

 are really beautiful. Besides these, which are of chief interest, 

 being of this country, there are many foreign curiosities and 

 specimens of natural history. In one of the apartments there 

 are several very good pictures, and two or three Sarcophagi. 



