633 
PERNAMBUCO. 
winding up as far as Olinda, which is feated on a hill; on 
either bank beautiful white cottages, intermixed with 
mangrove and cocoa trees, and fruitful vineyards; the 
Indians paddling down the river with their unwieldy 
canoes, the filliermen on tHe beach drying their nets, and 
nature difplaying her gayeft verdure, form altogether a 
amp d'ceil, which it is impoffible to conceive, much more 
to defcribe. The other is a very long wooden bridge, in 
which there is nothing at all remarkable, more than being 
quite open to the breeze which comes down the river. 
It is on that account much reforted to in the evening. 
Mod of the houfes in Pernambuco are lofty, and, in- 
ftead of glafs windows, have green lattices, which has a 
pretty effeCt, efpecially as all their houfes are white, and 
frequently furrounded with beautiful evergreens. All 
thefe windows are prominent, not unlike the Elizabethan 
windows feen in fome of our old country towns. During 
the morning, the better fort of Portuguefe are feen lean¬ 
ing out of them, muffled up in their long cloaks, and ex¬ 
hibiting a genuine picture of indolence. They never 
live on the ground-floor, which is commonly ufed for 
cellars or (hops. The ladies are only feen towards the 
evening, peeping through the lattices; very few ever ap¬ 
pearing in the flreets, and then clofely veiled, and in a 
kind of hammock with curtains, carried by two Haves on 
a long pole. 
There are a good many cofree-houfes here, which are 
known by a fmall round board, with Co fa de Caffe written 
upon it. The principal one is kept by a pried, and is the 
common refort of the merchants, ferving them as an ex¬ 
change. Good wine, fangaree, and a tolerable breakfaft, 
can be procured here at all hours of the day : here is alfo 
an excellent billiard-table, and feveral back-gammon 
tables, well frequented, efpecially on a Sunday, the day' 
thefe amufements are moftiy followed, according to the 
cuftom of the Roman-catholic religion. About eleven 
in the morning, the merchants make a tolerable fliow at 
this place, and a good deal of bufinefs is tranfaCted. 
Alter tlie Prince Regent came to the Brazils, the trade 
increafed greatly. Before this period it was carried on 
with Europe in large (hips, limilar to our Eaft Indiamen; 
but it was then thrown open to all nations. The Portu¬ 
guefe merchants are rich and refpectable. 
The harbour of Pernambuco is formed by a natural 
pier, extending in a direCt line many miles : this is a coral 
reef, fo exaCtly ftraight and even, that one would almoft 
imagine it the work of art. The vefiels lie alongfide each 
other in tiers, moored head and ftern, about half-piftol- 
fliot from the (hore, and clofe to this reef, which at high- 
water fpring-tides is nearly on a level with the furface of 
the fea, and forms an excellent barrier. This place is in 
latitude 8° S. confequently the heat is exceflive, the ther¬ 
mometer frequently being at 90 0 in the (hade. During 
the night it is always calm, with a good deal of lightning. 
About nine in the morning the fea-breeze comes gradu¬ 
ally, and is Arongeft about noon, when by degrees it dies 
away into a calm that generally takes place towards fun- 
fet.. 
The churches at Pernambuco are large buildings. 
■They contain fome excellent paintings, and each of them 
has a number of chancels, or more properly chapels, dedi¬ 
cated to particular faints, which on certain days are fhown 
ornamented with flowers. They are quite open, having 
no pews ; and the people either ftand or kneel. All are 
very richly furnilhed; in fltorf, no one can conceive the 
grandeur the infides fome of them exhibit. They are 
generally very large, with a great number of pillars, 
which gives them the appearance of cathedrals. One 
large confecrated lamp is continually burning over the 
high altar, and alfo a great number of tapers in candle- 
flicks about feveri- or eight feet high, fome of them of 
mafly filver. The glimmering of thefe candles, at noon¬ 
day, has a curious, and rather folemn, effeCt. The doors 
are generally open, and a good many people are feen 
on their knees at prayers before the different faints; 
others receiving the facrament, fome confefflng, and pa¬ 
dres (priefts) gliding from one door to another, or tra- 
verfing with a (ilent fanCtified deportment the different 
parts of the church. Thefe confpire to give a ftranger 
an idea, that they have enough to do. A confeffional 
chair, of which there are generally fix or eight in a church, 
is made very large and high, fo that the pried, who is in 
it, is not feen. Thofe who wifi) to confefs (moftiy women) 
go fingly, and, kneeling down oppofite a lattice-work in 
the fide of it, eafe their burthened confciences, and get 
abfolution. Befides the church itfelf, there is always 
under the fame roof apartments for the padres, or fathers, 
(as the Portuguefe ffyle the priefts,) in which they live 
much in the fame manner as our monks of old, having 
their cells, and a large room where they dine together. 
There are numbers of helplefs old women, who live con- 
ftantly in the churches, and are fubfilted by what.is left 
at their tables. Great numbers of the religious are al¬ 
ways feen in the flreets, drefled in their robes, foliciting 
alms; for which purpofe they carry a fmall fquare box, 
with the figure of Chrift, or fome particular faint, paint¬ 
ed upon it. Notwithftanding they conlider the Englifh 
as heretics, they do not fcruple to receive their money', 
for which they bellow in return a benediction ; and fo 
well are they aware of the liberality of our countrymen, 
that, if a Portuguefe and an Englifhman are (landing to¬ 
gether in the ftreet, they will never fail to accoft the En¬ 
glishman firft. 
In every ftreet there are different images of the Virgin 
Mary and the faints, which on particular days are ex- 
pofed to view, fuperbly illuminated with a number of 
large candles. About eight in the evening the children 
in the neighbourhood affemble round them, and fing 
hymns. This lias a pleafing effeCt, efpecially as they keep 
time with great exaCtnefs, and have a perfon to direCt 
them, who rings a little bell whilft they are finging par¬ 
ticular parts. Another cuftom feems remarkablyftrange. 
Twice every day, about ten in the morning and feven in 
the evening, at the tolling of a bell every thing in an 
inftant is at a ftand. Men, women, or children, whether 
in the flreets or the houfes, inftantly pull off their hats, 
crofs themfelves, and lay a fltort prayer. This continues 
about a minute. At the fecond tolling every thing goes 
on again as ufual. During this time a particular part 
of the mafs is being performed in the grand church. 
Although this has a ftriking effeCt, the politions people 
are femetimes caught in are very ludicrous. It appears 
ajmoft the effeCt of magic. Lent is moft rigidly ob- 
ferved. The illuminations on the churches,as w'ell as the 
fire-works and proceffions, during Eafter, are very grand. 
It is impoffible to avoid fmiling at fuch a combination of 
fuperftition and folly, and at the fame time being fenfibly 
Itruck with the irr.menle value of the images difplayed on 
the occafion. As the procelfion pafles along, the people 
fall on their knees with uplifted hands. Thefe Ihows 
are often repeated, and, as may be conceived, have a won¬ 
derful effeCt on the lower clalfes, efpecially the Haves.. 
Indeed the Portuguefe take every method of imprefling 
on the minds of the latter the importance of religion; 
and, whenever a Have happens to die before -he is bap¬ 
tized, they do not allow him burial; but his body is 
thrown dowm on the fea-lhore, a little below the town, 
where it is left a prey for bnftards and wild beads. 
As Pernambuco is feated on low ground, and quite 
furrounded by water, intermittent fevers are very com¬ 
mon. There is only one hofpital, which confifts of a very 
large room with about thirty beds on each fide, filled with 
wretches fullering under the moft loathfome difeafes. A 
man ftands at the door to folicit the charity of paffengers, 
which helps to defray the expenfes. When a patient 
dies, he is laid on a table at the entrance with a plate on 
his bread, to raife in a fimilar way money to bury him. 
It often happens four or five bodies are thus expofed. 
Great numbers of Haves die of the fmall-pox on their firft 
importation, and ftill more from the fever and dyfeutery. 
The country a few miles from the town is full of thick 
impenetrable woods, dreadfully infefted with wild beads 
3 ar.d 
