Of whose beauties my pen, unfortunately, can never convey an
adequate idea.
It rarely happens that a person is so lucky as to enjoy, immediately
on his arrival, so beautiful and extensive a view as fell to my lot;
fogs, clouds, or a hazy state of the atmosphere, very often conceal
certain portions, and thus disturb the wonderful impression of the
whole. Whenever this is the case, I would advise every one, who
intends stopping any time in Rio Janeiro, to take a boat, on a
perfectly clear day, as far as Santa Cruz, in order to behold this
peculiarly beautiful prospect.
It was almost dark before we reached the place of anchorage. We
were first obliged to stop at Santa Cruz to have the ship's papers
examined, and then appear before an officer, who took from us our
passports and sealed letters; then before a surgeon, who inspected
us to see that we had not brought the plague or yellow fever; and
lastly, before another officer, who took possession of different
packets and boxes, and assigned us the spot to anchor in.
It was now too late for us to land, and the captain alone proceeded
on shore. We, however, remained for a long time on deck,
contemplating the magnificent picture before us, until both land and
sea lay shrouded in night.
With a light heart did we all retire to rest; the goal of our long
voyage had been attained without any misfortune worthy of being
mentioned. A cruel piece of intelligence was in store for the poor
tailor's wife alone; but the good captain did not break it to her
today, in order to let her enjoy an undisturbed night's rest. As
soon as the tailor heard that his wife was really on her passage
out, he ran off with a negress, and left nought behind but - debts.
The poor woman had given up a sure means of subsistence in her
native land (she supported herself by cleaning lace and ladies'
apparel), and had devoted her little savings to pay the expenses of
her voyage, and all to find herself deserted and helpless in a
strange hemisphere. {14}
From Hamburgh to Rio Janeiro is about 8,750 miles.
CHAPTER II. ARRIVAL AND SOJOURN IN RIO JANEIRO.
INTRODUCTION - ARRIVAL - DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN - THE BLACKS AND THEIR
RELATIONS TO THE WHITES - ARTS AND SCIENCES - FESTIVALS OF THE CHURCH -
BAPTISM OF THE IMPERIAL PRINCESS - FETE IN THE BARRACKS - CLIMATE AND
VEGETATION - MANNERS AND CUSTOMS - A FEW WORDS TO EMIGRANTS.
I remained in Rio Janeiro above two months, exclusive of the time
devoted to my different excursions into the interior of the country;
it is very far from my intention, however, to tire the reader with a
regular catalogue of every trifling and ordinary occurrence. I
shall content myself with describing the most striking features in
the town, and likewise in the manners and customs of the
inhabitants, according to the opportunities I possessed during my
stay to form an opinion of them. I shall then give an account of my
various excursions in an Appendix, and afterwards resume the thread
of my journal.
It was on the morning of the 17th of September that, after the lapse
of nearly two months and a half, I first set foot upon dry land.
The captain himself accompanied the passengers on shore, after
having earnestly advised each one separately to be sure and smuggle
nothing, more especially sealed letters. "In no part of the world,"
he assured us, "were the Custom-house officers so strict, and the
penalties so heavy."
On coming in sight of the guard ship, we began to feel quite
frightened from this description, and made up our minds that we
should be examined from top to toe. The captain begged permission
to accompany us on shore; this was immediately granted, and the
whole ceremony was completed. During the entire period that we
lived on board the ship, and were continually going and coming to
and from the town, we never were subjected to any search; it was
only when we took chests and boxes with us that we were obliged to
proceed to the Custom-house, where all effects are strictly
examined, and a heavy duty levied upon merchandise, books, etc.,
etc.
We landed at the Praya dos Mineiros, a disgusting and dirty sort of
square, inhabited by a few dozen blacks, equally disgusting and
dirty, who were squatted on the ground, and praising at the top of
their voices the fruits and sweetmeats which they were offering for
sale. Thence we proceeded directly into the principal street (Rua
Direita), whose only beauty consists in its breadth. It contains
several public buildings, such as the Post-office, the Custom-house,
the Exchange, the Guard-house, etc.; all of which, however, are so
insignificant in appearance, that any one would pass them by
unnoticed, if there were not always a number of people loitering
before them.
At the end of this street stands the Imperial Palace, a commonplace,
large building, exactly resembling a private house, without the
least pretensions to taste or architectural beauty. The square
before it (Largo do Paco), whose only ornament, a plain fountain, is
extremely dirty, and serves at night as a sleeping place for a
number of poor free negroes, who, on getting up in the morning,
perform the various duties of their toilet in public with the most
supreme indifference. A part of the square is walled off and
employed as a market for fish, fruit, vegetables, and poultry.
Of the remaining streets the Rua Misericorda and the Rua Ouvidor are
the most interesting. The latter contains the finest and largest
shops; but we must not expect the magnificent establishments we
behold in the cities of Europe - in fact, we meet with little that is
beautiful or costly.
