BRAZIL. A Visit to Rio Janeiro. A Remarkable and Little-Known Country. (SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT AUCKLAND STAR.)

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 103, 23 May 1885, Page 5

BRAZIL. A Visit to Rio Janeiro. A Remarkable and Little -Known Country. (SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT AUCKLAND STAR. )

That the world knows more about England than England knows about the world is a fact, which, although it may be disputed by many at home, nevertheless is one of the hrat things that strike the tra volleys attention on leaving his native shores. This is to be accounted for in a variety of ways, for while England is largely absorbed m her own affairs, the eyes of the world are fixed on the centres of civilisation, foremost among which is England, and whose intercourse with the world at large exceeds that of any other nation. And if we find wellinformed men falling into incredible mistakes concerning such colonies as those of Australasia, we must not expect to find but a very vague and visionary conception indeed on the public mind of such a place as Rio de Janeiro, where the sources and reasons for information are considerably

]aqq A Mixed Population. Let me therefore state that the capital of the Brazilian Empire lies in latitude 23deg. S. on the very boundary of the tropic of Capricorn, and has a population of 500,000 people, speaking the Portuguese language, composed of Europeans, Negroes, and Indians, and these races intermixed. Brazil is the only civilised country where slavery still exists. Mere mention of the incongruous.looking elements which compose Brazilian society conveys at once, to many, the idea that Rio must be a lawless, if not a semi-barbarous, place. Take first the Portuguese, who hare a great name for cruelty and treachery; add to this the instincts of the untaught black, and lastly the influence of the tierce Indian. These characters are put together, and leave anything but a favourable or satisfactory inference concerning the people of Brazil. A couple of years' residence, however, among the Brazilians has confirmed me in a widely different conception of their character. Brazil, also, is too often thought to be a great theatre of volcanoes and earthquakes, and is made to share in the South American reputation for revolutions. Lot it therefore bestatodthat it is entirely free from both the terrestrial and political eruptions that seem to form the leading features of the other countries and peoples of South America.

The First Glimpse of Rio. The year ISS2 was in her second half when we first caught sight of the shores ot Brazil. Among rocks and inlands, and between steep hills, lightly clad with a picturesque vegetation, we entorod and passed up the bay of Rio de Janeiro. The southern summer had just commenced, and nothing could have been moro exhilarating after leaving the clouded skies of England than the first view of the tropical landscape. Hills and valleys covered with their deeplytinted evergreens, and boldly relieved^ by towering palni3, appeared in every direction. Overhead shone a clear and cloudless bUy, and beneath, a soft cooling breeze breathed through the bay. From the harbour, Rio has an extremely picturesque appearance. The city lies half hidden among steep hills that rise in every part of the town ; these hills are dotted with gay - coloured houses half covered by surrounding trees and shrubs. Bordering the line of vision, rises a high range of hills by which the city is almost entirely landlocked. The style of architecture, turrets of the churches, and general aspect of the city are strongly suggestive of the Peninsula. The houses are all painted some light tint, while trees and green spaces modify the scene even in the heart of the city. Not a chimney can be seen, nor any of that ascending smoke that eternally begrimes the great towns of England. .

A Motley Crowd. Arriving on shore, one is confronted with a somewhat striking mixture of people. Every ethnological variety passes before one, from the intellectual, fair-bkinned Circassian, down through a hundred varied shades of Mulatto to the lowest negro specimen. The centre of the city pre33nts an enlivened and business -like aspect. Busy foreign merchants (among whom the familiar English language will strike the ear among a babel of others) throng the streets around the banks, exchange, post-office, and the large commercial houses. Lusty negroes pa°s along the wharves and docks shouldering sacks^of coffee. The sun burnt Portuguese lie at every landing stage jvith their boats, and share with the negro the busy coffee lighter trad© for the ships in the harbour. The streets are narrow, but cleanly kept, and generally meet at right angles. Light trams drawn by one or a pair of mules traverse nearly all the runs. One is agreeably surprised to find such a number of fashionably stocked shops in all the principal streets ; indeed, most of the novelties and fashions of Europe find their way here within a month or so after their appearance in Paris or London. Quite a number of English names encounter the eye in many of the streets ; indeed, about the very first words to be seen on landing will be an all-known English motto, " Live and lot live," over an establishment devoted to the accomodation of British sailorb, and further ominously labellod "All kindb of English drinks .sold here." The day after arrival my fir3t movement was to visit the market, held daily, and which can be seen to its best advantage at 5 o'clock in the morning. This is the coolest and most pleasant hour of the day in the tropics. In a strange country, there is no place where one may learn so much at once about the character and products of the place as in the market, and no visitor can fail to be richly rewarded and interested for his trouble. At the above-mentioned hour the market was in a state of great activity. Nearly all the business was carried on by negro women, many of whom were of astonishing proportions. Few stood less than 6 feet, and all were attired in the grandest hues— blue and yellow stripes, red, speckled pink, peacock-green, etc., forming a very lively contrast to their dusky features. Somo were shouting in Portuguese, others in their native African dialect, and with the screeching of the parrots and birds, the noise became one of indescribable confusion. Fruits were in great abundance. Among others, I noticed bananas, oranges, bread-fruits, watermelons, sweet and sour lemons, limes, peaches, tomatoes, peppers, pineapples, and «ugar-canes. The oranges were both large and sweet, exceeding in these qualities those of Europe. There is also a kind with thin skins and a somewhat aciduous but very pleasant taste, called taiujerinas. These I have never seen before. The bananas are rich ilavoured, and were both cheap and abundant. Some of the watermelons were at least a foot and a-half in diameter. Passing to the live stock quarter, here mustered an almost perplexing variety of strange and curious looking birds and animals. Parrot' were in great numbers, and of many different kinds. A species called arara has an extraordinary plumage ; its tail, more than two feet in length, is of a dazzling red. Some of the tiny blue black humming birds— the smallest of the bird ■pecies— aeemed no larger, than

black beetles. Strikingly attractive were some cardinals of a deep unmixed red from beak to tail-tip. Besides there were toucans, storks, pomberolas and birds, great and small, aquatic^ and otherwise, and of all colours and kinds. Among the animals were several species of monkeys, some as large as a big dog, others as small at rats ; some suspending by their tails, and others with no tail at all. There were many huge tapirs ; a species of fox called gamba, only found in Brazil ; as also is another curious animal called paca. This is something between a large guineapig and a pig, and its food forms a favourite native dish. Among the many varieties of fish caught in the bay of Rio and exposed for sale, I noticed the curiously-shaped octopus with its eight long arras or legs. This fish is found in numbers among the rocks in the harbour, and if not sold fresh its food is sufficiently esteemed to cause it to be dried and salted. The Brazilians seem partial to reptiles. Large lizards were exposed for sale, and are s>o much sought after for food that they command a good price. Huge snails (about the size of an orange) were being sold, presumably for oating, but of this I am not quito

An Easy-Going Population. Rio presents, as a whole, a strikingly easy-going appearance. The people are uniformly cheerful, affable, and polite. Nothing suggestive of gloominess meets the eye anywhere. The houses are gaily coloured, the ladies gaily dressed. No Brazilian is ever seen to be in any hurry or to incommode himself by exertion of any kind. Hurry and worry are two qualities which seem incompatible to their temporament. A warm climate and favourable circumstances have reduced their mind to a condition of philosophical ease which, by whatever name it may be callod, is the reverse of activity. Not undemonstrative of this is the use of a little word, which by its frequent use, will bo about the very first to strike a stranger's attention, and which may be put down as the national motto of the Brazilians ; it is : "Espera, espera," or in English, "wait, wait." In England we hear nothing but 11 come on " or "go ahead, "but the Brazilian character finds expression in a series of sentences in just the opposite sentiment. The following are a few of what form the stock-in-trade of a native of Brazil from a minister of stato downwards :- " Mats loco " (by-and-bye) " espera urn pouco" (wait a little), "Sim Senhor vem amanha" (Yes, Six, come to-morrow), "paciencia" (patience), etc., etc. ihis often becomes trying to the patience of Englishmen, but I doubt whether the latter enjoy their activity more than the former does his easy-going indifference, and it must bo remembered that the Brazilian character is largely the mould of circumstanco?. . . J The wealth of Kio is sulhciently indicated by the numbers of costly suburban residences which ovtend in evory direction from tho city. The town is built in a pan at tho foot of the mountains, but tho surrounding wooded elevations are all dotted with private residences, and serve as a healthful retreat during the hot season. There is nothing of grandeur about Bri/ilian architecture, but much of the fanciful and beautiful. Private residences are seldom more than one stary high, but are exquisitely finished and decorated, generally with gilt relieved edges and corners. The outside walls are faced by gla/.ed tile? generally in Mosaic. Tho dining and reception rooms run through the middle, while the sides are tastefully laid out with acacias, bananas, divided off into row 3 of alcoves or small bedrooms. A double row of palms generally graces tho eutranco path to the house, which fa surrounded by a chacara (gardon or orchard) fern-palms, lemon, orange, and jack trees and other indigenous arborescence. The homo is not regarded with the same feeling as it is in England, nor are there any of the indoor amusements so much loved in England. The only species of recreation and diversion among a Brazilian family is music and dancing, of which they are passionately fond. Brazilian ladies are amiable, and their manners are very graceful, but arc seldom beautiful, and, as in all warm climates, they fade very early. Intellectual pursuits are entirely ignored, and never amongst them can a " blue stocking" or "strong-minded lady" be found. The only outdoor resorts are the theatres and public parks. Open-air concerts are given in the latter, and form a delightful species of recreation in the tropics. In the " Passcio Publico," for instance, which is a prettily laid out park, concerts are given nearly every evening from G. 30 to 9.30. These hours, it must be remembered, are the most pleasant of the day. A clear, azure sky peers through tho trees that overhang the walks. The air is always soft and cool, and the strains of the music can be heard until approaching the furthermost end of the grounds, where it is drowned by the beating of the sea. Thousand? resort eveningly to this spot ; but tho ladies form the prominent feature. They appear without any head- dress, and attired in white or some very delicate tints, generally attended by their black slaves, who also appear in white. Numbers of fireflies illume the sombre but noble-look-ing vegetation, and everything seems to have conspired to make this a very charming place of resort. In my next paper I shall give a few observations upon tho political institutions and industrial condition of Brazil, and the opening it affords for European enterprise. ROHERT H. ABBOTT.