The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1843-11-16

lllllhS OF weights, 10 convince himself oil
their bodily strength and activity. What
is mostly 10 be feared in these purchases,
is the frequent subject 10 blindness, or any
hidden corporeal defects. The bargain be-
ing agreed TO, and the purchase money paid
down, the slave is then taken away, TO
undergo the various vicissitudes of his new
mode Of life, and ,he whims and c~ap.ices
of, perhaps, an unleelins and cruel task
master. But for any unnecessary cruelty
exercised towards them, the police are bound
TO take cognizance of the fact: yet, it is in
most instances, little taken notice Of by
them. Here, as elsewhere, a pecuniarY fee
has a talismanic effect, easuring the seal OF
silence, and consigning many a aagranl act
10 oblivion.
The city of Rio is tolerably well laid oul;
the streets, for the most part, intersecting
each other at RICH! angles. But, with the
exception of the churches and public build
ings, the houses are very plain and irregu-
lar. They are chiefly built of blocks of
granite, and the door posts and window
frames Of what is called Felt Spar, which
is brought from the Bay of All Saints, in a
state ready for use. The houses are gen.
orally of but two stories high, and have "a
dull, heavy appearance; glass windows are
liitle in use, jalousies being substituted in
their place. These ja!ousies are not unlike
Venetian blinds, and are contrived so as TO
open out from the top, where they are Sc
cured BY hinges, and enable the persons
inside TO notice everything going on in the
streets without being perceived by The pass
ers by. They are we'll calculated TO afford
a lurking place 10 the assassin, from whence
he may, without fear Of being seen, plunge
the fatal poiaayd into the breast Of his un-
.suspectins victim. For this last reason, an.
Imperial edic! was passed in 1929, ordering
them to be done away, but the law was
never fully enforced. The Emperor's town
palace, which is located at the lower part
Of the city, ironing the bay, and within
fifty yards Of the landing place, is a plain,
unostentatious affair, destitute of any exle.
rior ornament. 1t is only three stories high,
and takes up two sides of a square, at one
side Of which is the Imperial Chapel; be,
tween which and the Palace, there is a
communication in the interior. The Palace
Of ST. Chrisliove, three miles from the city,
where the Emperor resides. is a magnificent
structure, ornamented by numerous pleasure
grounds, &C., laid out in very handsome
style. The Bishops Palace is also a hand.
ediice, seated on an eminence over
looking the city, and affording a most pic,
turesque view Of the bay, with its congEe
gated mass OF men-of-War, merchant ships.
and the flags Of all nations nuttering in The
breeze: the city, with its crowd of churches,
and steeples, glistening in the mid
day sun and the numerous boats and small
craft continually fitting about the harbor,
add life and animation to the scene.
There are several small islands scattered
the vast eXpanse Of water, and every
little etninence is crowned by its church or
Fort, while numberless neatly white. washed
cottages, scattered along the shores of the
bay /; or peering through the Orange groves
wind along the hills, like spangles
IN the CLEAN of sunshine, give an interest
aud beauty to the landscape, which no Ian
can describe; and which seems, as
I were, circumscribed within lis limits, BY
he towering SUBMITS of the Corcovado aud
Fable Mountains, which rear their heads in
ROWING grandeur in the immediate back
round. From the former of those, for a
of several miles, the water which
the population Of the city, is con
eyed by one Of the finest squeducts in the
world, which winds its way along the chain
f rugged hills, untiI it reaches the city,
where it is Terminated at a place called The
Clarioca, in the upper part Of the city, by a
ong succession of arches and pillars Of tie
)orlc order, which give a very pleasing
10 several handsome streets over which
hey are thrown. Throughout the city are
number Of fountains and jets de eau sup.
lied by the aqueduct, which ale eternally
1roheed with crowds of negroes procuring
'ater. AT each of those fountains a Cor
guard Of Infantry or Gems d'Armes
always stationed to preserve order, which
ley con'rive efectually to maintain, tho s
ometimes c~ocrciye measures are resorled
for The purpose. S
OF all the buildings in Rio de J%anerio, |
are none that can compete with the q
lurches and other religious institutions, =,
N beauty of architecture, grandeur Of de. +;
and Costliness of ornament. Same of -,