131 
ISn.] Account of PernamhucOy hy a late ResuUnt^y 
1 have observed thesarae in many foreign 
asations; a circumstance for which I can¬ 
not account, unless it is that the English 
are more handsome than any other peo¬ 
ple. 
There are a good many coffee-houses 
be re, which are known by a small 
round board, with Casa de Caffe written 
upon it. The principal one is kept by a 
priest, and is the common resort of all 
the merchants, serving them as an ex¬ 
change. Good wine, saiigaree, and a 
tolerable breakfast, can be procurer! here 
at all hours of the day. Here is also an 
excellent billiard table, and several back¬ 
gammon tables, well frequented, espe¬ 
cially on a Sunday, the day these amuse¬ 
ments are mostly followed, according to 
the custom of the Koman Catholic reli¬ 
gion. About eleven in the morning, the 
merchants make a tolerable shew at this 
place, and a good deal of business is 
transacted. 
Since the Prince Regent came to 
the Brazils, the trade has increased 
greatly. Before this period it was carried 
on with Europe in large ships, similar to 
ciurEastIndiamen ; but it is of course now 
thrown open to ail nations. The Por¬ 
tuguese merchants are rich and respect¬ 
able. In all their transactions, payment 
is hiade at the time of purchase; they 
have no idea of credit. Most of our 
English merchants are young men, sent 
out as agents from houses in England ; 
they are a very wild set. It always ap¬ 
peared a mystery to me, how they con¬ 
trived to live in such a gay style on a 
trifling commission ; but I have invariably 
remarked, that English agents abroad 
live much superior to their employers at 
home; and while the latter become bank¬ 
rupts, they in general get rich. The rea¬ 
son is obvious. A Mr. Pinches and a 
3Hr* Bowen, ^vere the only two I should 
have had sufficient confidence in to have 
entrusted with any concern of impor¬ 
tance. I am convinced, the highest trust 
might be reposed in these worthy gen¬ 
tlemen. 
The harbour of Pernambuco is won¬ 
derfully convenient. It is formed by 
a natural pier, extending in a direct line 
many miles. This is a coral reef, so ex- 
ajStly straight and even, that one would 
almost imagine it the work of art. The 
■vessels lie alongside each other in tiers, 
moored head and stern, about half-pistol- 
shot from the shore, and close to this reef, 
which at Ingh-water spring tides is 
nearly-on a level with the surface of the 
sea, and forms an excellent barrier. 
This place is in htitude S° south^ conse« 
quently the heat is excessive, the ther¬ 
mometer frequently being at 90^ in the 
shade. During the niglit it is always 
calm, with a good deal of lightning. 
About nine in ibe morning the sea 
breeze comes gradually, and is strongest 
about noon, when by degrees it dies 
away into a calm, that generally takes 
place towards sunset, 
Pernambuco is very w'ell fortified in 
appearance, but it wmuld make a poor 
resistance. Tlie carriages of their guns are 
decayed, and no one can conceive such 
a set of raofged fellovvs as their soldiecs, 
no two of whom are diessed in t4ie same 
uniform. An officer on duty, with his 
guard, would form an admh'able gioup 
for such a pencil as Hogarth s. All ves¬ 
sels on arriving in the harbour are obliged 
to land their powder, which is conveyed 
by proper officers to a Magazine, and 
returned on departure. However, whilst 
deposited here, it is in general well 
tithed. They can raise about 5000 mi¬ 
litary, comprising the militia; iiowever, 
the greatest part of these are Blacks. 
The governor of Pernambuco is gene¬ 
rally a Portuguese nobleman, and lives 
in great state. On passing through the 
streets, every respect is shewn him. 
Ttiis office is by no means permanent, for 
a new one comes every two or three 
years from Rio Janeiro. The present 
governor, who is an enterprising man® 
came by land from Bahia, escorted bj 
five hundred troops. They had, in tlrerr 
journey, some very severe skirmislies with 
the natives, who are called tlie Japayos, 
and are Cannibals. By disease, wild 
beasts, enemies, and other evils, very 
little more than half of them arrived safe. 
The churches at Pernambuco nre 
large buildings. They contain some ex¬ 
cellent paintings, and each of them has a 
number of chancels, or more properly 
chapels, dedicated to particular saints, 
which on certain days are shewn, orna¬ 
mented with flowers. They are quite 
open, having no pews, and the people 
either stand or kneel. All are very 
richly furnished; in short, no one can 
conceive the grandeur the insides some 
of them exhibit. They are generally 
very large, with a great number of pil¬ 
lars, which gives them the appearance of 
cathedrals. One large consecrated lamo 
is continually burning over the high 
altar, and also a great number of tapers, 
in candlesticks, about seven or eight feet 
high, some of them of massy silver. The 
glimmering of these candles, at noon 
has a curious and rather solemn effect. 
The doors are generally open, and a good 
many 
