544 
THOMPSON YATES LABORATORIES REPORT 
having to deal with childish interferences in the way of rules and regulations, formu- 
lated from time to time by the authorities. The hours of business are long, usually 
about eight or nine a.m. to four or five p.m., with a break for ' breakfast ' about 
mid-day. Frequently for the despatch of mails, the heads or principals return to the 
office again in the evening till a late hour. When the mail happens to be despatched 
on a Sunday the opportunity for a week end out of town becomes impossible. One 
week follows another, year in and year out, much in the same way, until leave of 
absence comes round. There does not appear to be any general rule of any sort of 
annual holiday for a few weeks as in cool climes. 
With sufficient wealth and independence, conditions of life are naturally much 
better ; also at the other extreme, the labouring classes are better off, for wages are 
sufficiently high, and labour sufficiently scarce to make them fairly independent ; 
moreover, they are not troubled with the wear and tear of exchange, the price 
of rubber and the like ; and they are inured to the climate. The better class 
Brazilians in general are not particularly energetic, and many of them endeavour to 
make visits to Europe and the north for a change. 
Diet. The food arrangements cannot be highly extolled, the chief difficulty being 
the scarcity and expensiveness of fresh vegetables. Beef forms the chief staple, and 
is raised on ranches in the neighbouring island of Marajo ; a better quality is now and 
again brought up by cattle boats from the Rio Plata, whence also occasionally some 
mutton is brought. Fish abounds in the rivers and many kinds are delicate for the 
table, but there is no proper organized scheme of transport, so that it is liable to suffer 
before or soon after it reaches the market ; I understand that an endeavour was made 
to start a reasonably conducted system of transport, but this was quashed by petty 
regulations. Fowls, ducks (' Muscovy ducks '), guineafowl, turkeys, etc., are also 
obtainable. Native animals, Paca gutia (agouti), tartaruga (water tortoises or 'turtle'), 
etc., are occasionally met with. A poor quality of bread is made from imported flour. 
Numerous kinds of vegetables for cooking or for salads are cultivable or native, such 
as sweet potatoes, mandiocca, beans, pumpkins, eggplant, mascisce (a small kind of 
cucumber), caruru (often used as a crisp salad), vineigreira (sorrel like), lettuce, etc ; 
but the importation of potatoes, cabbage, onions, carrots, etc., from Portugal or the 
United States, saves the trouble of growing things locally. Some attempt has been 
made to introduce the cultivation of various northern plants, but seemingly no 
endeavour to improve or enlarge the supply of native products or of plants known to 
thrive in the climate has been made. 
Of fruit also there is a considerable variety ; besides bananas, oranges, and pine- 
apples, which ripen all the year round, and the avacate (alligator pear) and mango, 
which have seasons, there are a number of native fruit, many of which are peculiar to 
the region. Cupuassu, Bacury, Genipapa, Sapotilha, Abiu (Sapotaceae), Ata Biriba 
(Anonaceae), Caju (Anacardiun), Maracuja (passion flower), may be mentioned, some 
