The Sun.
London, England, 1827-04-25 00:00:00

SKETCHES OF BRAZIL.

RIO DE JANEIRO.—Rio is estimated to con-
tain 200,000 inhabitants, including slaves, which
I have been informed are six to one freeman ;
10,000 are said to be imported here annually,
which is, no doubt, a very moderate estimate, as
four cargoes came in a day or two after our ar-
rival ; they are, of course, not all retained here,
but shipped along the coast. They have a regu--
lar slave market in the city, where may be found
negroes of all sizes. The streets here are all
very narrow, few of them exceeding twenty feet,
and most of them less ; this affords a partial pro-
tection from the sun, as there is generally a
shade on one side or the other. The city in
many parts bears the appearance of decay and
neglect, more particularly as regards their chapels
and convents, which are numerous. Many of
their churches present a very grand appearance,
being built of dark atone, which, in some in•
stances, is left in its natural state, and in others
rough-cast. The interior is generally hand-
somely ornamented with gold and silver, but the
architectural part is very rude, and needs a gcod
deal of ornament to screen its defects.

The Emperor's Palace
.is a very plain build-
ing with no deviation of style from the generality
of private buildings in Rio ; it faces the water,
and has an open space in front, and on one side,
wilich is called Palace-square, and is the fashion-
able promenade in the cool of the evening, and
the landing-place for all boats coming off from
the vessels in the harbour ; there are no wharfs
built out, but all vessels must lie in
.the stream:
It is quite an amusing sight to witness a hard
shower in Rio, the houses being all covered
with tile, caisses the water to run off very rapidly,
and it is thrown by the spouts to about the
middle of the street. The houses being very
compactly built, there is no outlet for the water
until it reaches the harbour ; so, in about ten
minutes, there is not a stone to be seen in the
street, all being completely under water, so that,
with a canoe, you could go to any part of the
city. The lower class of persons trudge through
the whole of it, up to their knees in water, in
crossing the sti Let, and ancle-deep on the flag-
stones allotted for foot passengers. The street:
Are all concave, and there is little or no diAinc-
tion between the foot-ways and carriage-ways, as
they are so narrow they drive over them with
their clumsy carriages and mules, without regard,
ing the foot-passengers, who must keep a good
look-out that they do not get run over. They
are driven by postilions, who ride a mule fastened
outside the shaft ; they are shaped pretty much
like our old-fashioned chairs, but have four
wheels. In walking through the streets you are,
almost at every 'turn, disgusted with the sight of
i'rom two to twelve negroes connected together
with heavy chains, and compelled to carry kegs
of water on their heads. '1 he larger droves are
convicts, sentenced to labour for the convents,
&c., during life ; the others are made to wear
Lhem for the commission of some offence. All
funerals take place here at night—the corpse is
conveyed through the streets in an uncovered.
hearse, and the body covered with a Mantle ; they
are buried in the churches. Those of a higher
order are deposited in niches in the wall, in which
the body is placed and covered with lime pre-
viously to being cemented or closed up. The
body of the Empress was deposited in a large
convent.

I this morning accidentally saw one of their
Sepulchres, as I bel:eve I have already mentioned
they- have no burial -grounds. I was passing
through a narrow alley, and in looking into a
a large gate or door, which was standing open, I
law what I took to be a beautiful little flower
garden, so walked in, in company with one of
our Portuguese passmigers; it was about forty
feet square, open in the centre ; over the little
garden of shrubs and flowers, which had at first
attracted my attention, there was a marble pave•
meat about eight feet wide, extending round the
building ; the ceiling or roof appeared to be
about ten feet high, with two rows of niches in
the wall, in which the bodies were deposited
without a coffin ; limo is thrown upon them to
destroy them soon, and prevent any disagreeable
smell ; we saw one or two which had just been
closed up, and only saw one that was vacant.

The Mongol, Hindoo, and Chinese Priests,
zre of opinion that the blood of animals does not
please the Gods, because they abhor destruction!

CHRIST CHURCH, NEWGATE-STREET.--A
,election of sacred music was performed yester-
day at Christ Church, Newgate-street, in aid of
the funds of the ward schools of Farringdon-
Within. It was patronized by the Members for,
the City of London, and we were much gratified
at seeing a very numerous and highly respectable.
auditory assembled on this benevolent occasion.
COUNT VILLA FLOR.--LISBON, APRIL 7.
—The Count has left his army on the frontiers;
Ind has been in Lisbon for the last four or five
days. He is a young man,:apparently not above
thirty, has a good countenance, a soldier-like
bpruboulgichtnfreowms otfhethfreonletiasertsimfor-
appearance, and altogether an air of intelligence
kb,eNebnout the general belief, whatever
ypee.retend, is that all goes on well, and
sunlessTartsome
and
nci
tei
ahvihtas
rebels are aided and abetted anew by
Spain or some other European power; there is
little probability that they can soon make an-
other attack. No plot, conspiracy, or attempt
at conspiracy, has been discovered at Lisbon.
The inhabitants remain quiet, and much less
anxious about the fate of the Constitution than
the people of London.

Le Rol le Vent is the Constitutional formula
;-or the King's signifying his assent to any measure
submitted for his approbation. A caricature
has just been published, in illustration of this
phrase, by Pores, at the corner of Sackville-street,
Piccadilly, representing a Noble and Learned
Lord being driven " out of Court" from
coin's Inn Hal., a coup tie point and a coup de
pied, by a lady belabouring him with a sceptre,
until he drops the mace and bag in his flight,
followed by her protc"ge, the Minister, bearing
a cross or crucifix, " sub hoc signo vinces,"
followed by his Secretary, or moustachied
Under-Secretary, with a pen (the insignia of
his office) behind his ear, flinging an inkstand
and its contents at the head of the fugitive
Chancellor, with the emphatic exclamation of
" Take that—and that—and that—Le Roi le
vent, the King wills it ;" but the word " Roi "
being struck out, her Ladyship vociferates, Je
le veux (It's me that so wills it) ; whilst a high
distinguished personage beholds the fracas from
a garret window, apologising, as it were, to his
faithful old servant, with " Necessitas non habet
loges," (necessity has no laws). But the pur-
suers pay no attention. The Noble and Learned
Lord ejaculates part of the speech of Cardinal
Wolsey in Shakspeare's Henry the Eighth,
" Had I but served my God with half the zeal .
I have served my King, he would not have suf-
fered me to be turned out for supporting his
cause."