AUSUST I, 1 89 1.] 
THE TROPIOAL ACTRflCrtJLTURIST. 
Id f 
The great Empeior was now banished the country. 
He who scarcely a year before — when on his return 
from J3urop6 in improvec. health — was received in Rio 
de Jauciro in a manner quite surpassing the recep- 
tion, ill European capitals, given to the greatest heroes 
of modern times. Triuoiphal arches were placed in 
all the principal streets. Life-size portraits in oil 
of him and the Empress adorned the fronts of insny 
commercial buildings, liose leaves covered the ground 
wherever he net bis foot. Deputations from all asso- 
ciations, guilds, societies and clubs gave congratu- 
lations The populace half-mid with excitement 
and freusy, rent the air with their boisterous 
acclaim. Belis rang from all the church spirep, cannon 
salutes shook the city. Fireworks of all descriptions 
were let off, even during daylight, and at night 
the city was publicly illuminated, and windows 
were hung with Chinese lautenis, and coloured- 
glass devices. Nest day the newspapers and tele- 
graph' lines carried the nevs to the interior, 
and 6 milar rejoicing took place in all the principal 
populated centres throughout the vast Empire. Could 
ever a monarch be moie popular than Dom Pedro 
Segundo ? But what a change was in the near future ! 
A few months passed during which the country was 
most prosperous, household ueotssities were much re- 
duaed in price, and exchange had risen higher than 
ever it was known before — the milreis was above par, 
which is twenty-seven pence, and for over two months 
it was 28j pence, and the minimum during 1889 was 
26gd. European capitalist were seLiding arge sums into 
the country for investment such as loans tj railway 
and other public companies, slavery was a thing of 
the past, everything showed that an era of prosperity 
and conteotmeut had dawned in tliia new country, and 
the Government to all appearance was a popular one. 
The unexpected always happeus. About the begiu- 
ing of November 18S9, whispers began to be heard 
by some, who were half afraid to repeat them, about 
the discontent in the two services and on the 15th 
of the same mouth the army were all paraded in 
one of the large squares o£ ttie city and the Republic 
proclaimed. The Navy also joining, people s.iw 
that any opposition could be put down by force. 
Thus happened the bloodless revolution. The Em- 
peror was told to depart for Europe, a steamer being 
at once chartered for him. The Prime Minister, his 
relations and some of the supporters of the deposed 
Government were banished the country. 
The republican form of Government had existed 
for some five monlhs when I returned from the wlid 
west. My return to Rio de Janeiro had to be by the 
Province of Silo Paulo, Civilized life was met with 
first in the town of Mocooa, for in the interval since 
I left Rio the branch of the Mogyana hnd been opened 
to that town. Some fine fre«h looking coffee estates 
were passed through before Moooca was reached, and 
mo^t of them with small villages of houses for colonists, 
but most of the olonists were nationals, that is to 
say h ilf-breeds between Indian and Portuguese. 
I ca iiiot leave the Estado of Minas without noti- 
cing a,' d noting the hospuality, which these simple 
although many people deal out to strangers. How- 
ever small the farm may be, if you c^ll at it, you have 
what they can give you with good-will. There is 
food supplied in abundance for .nan and beast and 
if you arrive about " Ave Maria " time you are given 
supper and a bed and your animals are well cared 
for. I have lively recollections of the jugfuls of milk 
drawn from the cow in the morning, as soo" as one 
got out of bed, and if you expressed a wisi th 1 night 
befbre to start at daylight, the animals w<retiiways 
ready. In some parts winged game was plentiful, 
and if the day promised to be cool, cloudy, I would 
spend a day shooting snipe, wild duob, and a sort of 
grouse they call partridge (" perdice"). Deeris plen- 
tiful, as also wild-b ar, but it requires some days to 
get up a pack of dogs, and a party of huntsmen. 
The Mineiros are a kind, contented, bravo and patriotic 
people; 
I spent a day and a night at Moooca, a rising town 
of some 3,(00 inhabitants mostly Iioljan. More than 
half of the town seems not more than a year old, 
A small river runs through the middle of it, and the 
ground rises on each side of the river at a slope of 
ab jut one in fifteen. The stream runs towards the 
west, the public buildings, such as churches, the mu- 
nicipal chamber, court-house, jai), &c. are on the Itft 
biiik on elevated ground. The railway station is on 
the right or umth side, also on high ground, and near 
it is a comfortable hotel kept by one Julio dos Saotcs. 
The hotel was full of railway engineers, contractors, 
and the usual complement of "comets." 
I enjoyed very much the short time 1 stayed there, 
and made a few frionde, who pressed me to stay a 
few days, and if I had known boforehand that I could 
uot get my own favourite mule on the sume train 
along with me I might have accepted some of the invi- 
tations, I bad ilospatcl3ed niy attendants to their homes 
had packed np for Riheii Prelo, had written to a' 
friend to expect me there on a certain day, bo I bade 
good-bye to Mocooa. 
Tbe train starts at 6 o'clock; the line is a new one and 
trains have to move slowly, and for these special time- 
tables are arranged ami calculation is mado for acci- 
dental delays, but it is seldom that the train arrives 
at the junction with the main line after the express 
h a passed. 
At Sao Jose doRioPardo our old friend Ananias 
was on the platform : from him I had a cup of black 
coffee. I also noticed that the kangaroo horse and 
the one horse trolly were in the station yard. Ana- 
nias was quite bright, be had realized the dream of 
his life. Brazil was now a Republic, and he liked to 
be remindod that he had prophesied the near advent of 
it, when I passed up this way some six months ago. 
San Jose had increased iu size; the Republican Muni- 
cipality were to pave the streets, colonists were flow- 
ing fast into the district, the crop which was nearly 
all despatched was a large one, and amongst the late 
unruly citizens of Sin Jose all wds contentment. 
Cttsabranca was reachod abont 9-30 a. m. I knew 
I had to wait here until 3 p. m. for the express from 
S. Paulo to take me on to the town of Ribeirao Preto 
Having made the aocquaintance of an engineer in the 
inteiior the members of whose family were located in 
Oasabrancn and who was now on a visit to them to 
fulfil a promise I made some time before, I went to 
breakfast to their house, where I was kindly enter- 
tained until the afternoon. From Oasabrauca passing 
by the important town of Sao Simon there are many 
very fine coffee estates. The railway passes rifht 
through the Fazenda of Santa Veridiama, the property 
oil Conselheiro Antonio Pado, which 1 gave some 
particulars of in my last. Tue heat had been suffocat- 
ing for the most of the day, but at 4 o'clock came 
on a heavy thunderstorm, and rain continued to fall 
the rest of the evening. It was quite dark before the 
train arrived at Oravinhos. This is a small town next 
station to Ribeirao Preto, and completely surrourded 
by valuable coffee plantations, which I could not see 
until my return. 
It was past seven when Ribeirao Preto was reached • 
the rain had ceased for a short interval, and the town 
was well lighted, not as yet with gas, but with kerosene- 
BO there w«s no difficulty in reaching the hotel with 
my friend who was expecting me. 
Here 1 was to spead fifteen days, and include in these 
the Holy Week, which here, as in all parts of Brazil 
indeed in all countries where the Roman Catholic is 
the ouly religion beliered in, is a very important season 
of the year. My visits to some important coffee 
plantations I must leave for the second part of this 
letter. A. SCOTT BLACKLAW 
Coffee Drinkers.— The following curious calcula- 
tion has been made .--The Dutchman drinks 
on an average 16^ lb. of cofiea per year • the 
^u^*^? ^^^^ quantity ; the Norwegian 
about 6| lb ; the German about 4^ lb. per head 
being about 2 lb. more than the Frenchman' 
who has the reputation of being a great ooSea 
drinker, whereas, according to statistics lately taken 
the Englishman consumes only i lb. a year and the 
itussian only l-Sth lb.— English MeGluiaic, ' 
