NOTICES OP BRAZIL. 



35 



Andrada, one of the most popular, as well as learned men 

 in the country, was named by the emperor ; which is an impe- 

 rial prerogative, granted by the constitution, on the vacation 

 of the throne, either by death or abdication."* 



At this moment the old gentleman returned. He was about 

 five feet high, broad across the shoulders, and rather corpulent. 

 His head was small, covered with a short stubborn growth of 

 black and gray hair — his forehead rather low, with bushy eye- 

 brows — small twinkling black eyes, well set into his head — 

 nose somewhat pug — and a large mouth filled with fine teeth. 

 A constant smile played over the old man's weather-beaten 

 countenance. Though near sixty years old, he displayed great 

 animation of manner — it might almost be called fidgetty — and 

 you at once conceded that he was a fine little old fellow. He 

 wore a short gray frock coat, with black velvet collar and trim- 

 mings — black vest — and blue pantaloons, over laced boots. 

 When he listened, he thrust his hands into his pockets, and 

 alternately raised and let himself down from his tiptoes, throw- 

 ing his head to one side, and seemed ready to laugh in your 

 face. His speech was generally broken, and he snapped his 

 fingers, threw up his eyebrows, and sometimes his shoulders 

 were raised so slowly and significantly, that you might very 

 reasonably entertain fears that his head would disappear be- 

 tween them, like a turtle's into its shell ; and this was all by 

 the way of punctuation. 



Brunner presented me to this gentleman as Dom Bento, his 

 father-in-law. He drew me by the hand, and turning his head, 

 said ^'come gentlemen, de soup is ready." He led me into a 

 dining room, and continued, " here we take our lunch, or soup, it 

 being too far from our dwelling to return to the counting-house 

 after dinner, and too long to fast from eight in the morning till 

 sunset." All the merchants, at least the foreign ones, adopt 

 this plan. About a dozen persons sat down, besides several 

 clerks. The repast consisted of soup and bouillie, with yams, 

 &c. and wine and fruit. 



• In December 1833, he became somewhat unpopular, and one party was 

 anxious that he should resign, but he positively refused. 



