1 SI 1.1 Account of Pernambucoi by a late PesidehL 
133 
stowing his blessings as he passed, by lifting 
up his hands and frequent ejaculations. 
A priest carrying a cross of solid gold. 
Forty priests, two and two, singing hynans 
it intervals. 
An officer and twelve soldiers, six abreast, 
with arms reversed. 
A band of music, playing at Intervals so¬ 
lemn airs. 
Forty Grey Friars in their robes, two and 
tv/o. 
Black officer and twelve black soldiers, six 
abreast, with arms reversed. 
Uarge oblong square pedestal, representing 
the nativity of Christ in figures of silver, 
as large as life, carried by twelve slaves. 
Twenty Carthusian monks with lighted 
tapers, two and two. 
.Another pedestal shewing Christ's preach¬ 
ing in the wilderness, in figures of silver, car¬ 
ried by twelve slaves. 
Twenty Carmelite monks ia their robes, 
carrying tapers, two and two. 
Another pedestal shewing Christ’s transfi¬ 
guration, in figures of silver, earned by 
twelve slaves. 
Twenty choristers singing hymns. 
Pedestal shewing the Last Supper, carried 
by twelve slaves. 
Twenty Grey Friars with tapers. 
Pedestal shewing Christ being scourged, 
iarrifed by twelve men, 
A priest carrying a black flag. 
Thirty priests with lighted tapers, two 
and two. 
A pedestal with the crucifixion in gold, 
tlve rays round Christ’s head set with precious 
stones j carried by twelve slaves. 
Fifty poor black women, two abreast, 
weeping. 
Pedestal shewing the tomb with the Vir¬ 
gin Mary weeping over it, in figures of silver, 
carried by twelve slaves. 
Fifty black women weeping. 
Pedestal shew'ing the ascension of Christ 
into Heaven, in silver, carried by twelve 
slaves, 
fifty choristers singing hymns. 
About two hundred priests and monks in 
their different orders, six abreast, each order 
with a gold or silver cross 
An officer and twenty four black soldiers, 
shouldered arms. 
Band of music. 
About five hundred soldiers, six deep. 
Royal standard of Portugal. 
The governor with his aides-du-camp. 
Band of music. 
About five hundred black soldiers, part of 
the militia. 
Every one seemed sensibly affected with 
the solernnit-y of the scene. As the 
procession passed along, the people fell 
on their knees with uplifted hands, and 
when tlie crucifixion came by I observed 
mgst of them wept. From the fifst 
2 
image, as far as the govenor, w'as a rovr 
on each side, consisting of all the gen¬ 
tlemen in the town in long black cloaks, 
carrying white rods, who walked in a di- ' 
rect line, about three yards distant from 
it. These shows are often repeated, and, 
as may be conceived, have a wonderful 
effect on the lower classes, especially the 
slaves. 
The Portuguese take every method 
of impressing on the minds of tha 
latter the importance of religion, of which 
the following cannot fail of striking them 
forcibly. Whenever a slave happens to 
die before he is baptized, they do not 
allow him burial; but his body is thrown 
down on the sea shore, a little below the 
town, where it is left a prey for bustards 
and wild beasts. In a walk along th® 
beach to Olinda, I saw no less than fiva 
of these bodies lying a little above high 
water mark. It is impossible to con¬ 
ceive more disgusting objects; iiowever I 
look special care afterwards to avoid 
them, which was easily done, as the birds 
(who flock round them like the crows in 
England round a dead horse) pointed 
out where they lay. 
The Portuguese have but few amuse¬ 
ments. The principal one I saw 
was the theatre, which was only 
opened one night, when the- govern 
nor was present. A number of soldiers 
patroled the different parts of the house 
to preserve order. Every thing passed 
on very well until about the middle, when 
a song being feeblv encored by two or 
three Portuguese in the pit, an officer- 
ordered silence m a ve;y peremptory 
voice; which nor. according with the ideas 
of some Sngiisli captains, the^- "esumed 
the cry of encore, in whicli most of ths 
Portuguese (tlnis encouraged) ventured 
to join. A commotion took place, the 
play finished, the guard was called in, 
througfi wiiich our countrymen effected 
a safe retreat, leaving cheir allies in the 
pit, who were at last surrounded and 
made prisoners, amd after some resistance 
carried to tiie g'lard-house. The next 
day they were released by the governor, 
avho graciously condescended to pardon 
them. The theatre vvas never re-opeoed. 
' Whilst here, I witnessed an instance 
of the effect it would have on a man 
to be estranged from Ins native country in 
his youth, in the person of one of the go* 
vernor’s aides-du camp. This young man, 
who is a native of Cornvvall, and i.s now 
about thirty years of age, was taken pri* 
souer more than sixteen years ago, in a 
small English vessel smuggling on the 
coast, 
