American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-05-01
SOUTH AMERICAN CORRESPONDENTS.
RIO DE LANEIRO. Feb. u 1915.

Coffee, the great article of export, of course
occupies the exclusive attention Of a great ma
ority of the population, and every one is III
some degree interested in either its production,
or some ofthe many phases intermediate to be-
ing placed on shipboard. 1t begins to reach the
market in the month Of August, and continues
to come forward until December generally, and
is purchased by the merchant from an interme-
diate class of dealers. These traders are very
honest III their transactions, the buyer rarely
weighing the article, unless desired to do so.-
Every sack of Coffee for expectation has to be
transported from the place of storage to the
Consulate, often exceeding a mile in distance,
and rarely less than half that space, where it is
placed in parcels, aside ef a lighter; (under
shelter, of course;) counted by the proper Off
Ger of the revenue; despatch OF permit is gi
ven for it, and it is placed on board the master
being then required to send the despatch on
board the guarda NOR, who gives him a receipt
for, and retains it. This is the routine pursued
with each and every article exported. The Bra
zans are excessively careful and scrupulously
correct in their business transactions, and the
entire commerce of the place can be daily
known by referring to their journals: in their
columns you may learn precisely how many
sacks of Coffee were entered for expectation;
what number was despatched and embarked; a.
mount of receipts of customs at the Consulate
and Alfandega: the entire daily proceedings
are, in fact, summed up. The amount of COT
fee exported is enormous; the number of sacks
during the three first weeks Of December a.
mounting to $4,000, or some 5000 sacks dali
ly; but being very particular, regarding the APP
pearance of rain as sufficient cause to refuse
shipping, one may Calculate" that but little
short of 10, 900 sacks are placed on board each
l,,v I h,rn oh Iyn fhn
great distance that each parcel of Coffee must
be carried. Imagine, then, what task it must
be to transport great number. And in what
manner is it accomplished, think you? By ami
NAL power? By no means, unless like the Bra
zilians. YOU class the slaves among the brutes.
These wretched beings, whose ignorance is in
deed their only bliss, in gangs OF ten, having
each sack of Coffee on their head, run to and
from, without scarce a moments cessation, I'M
til the required amount is completed. The la
Dor is terrible, and on enquiry | ascertained,
what might be readily presumed from the seve-
rity of the task, that they do not fol any length
of time endure it, but become prematurely bro
ken in constitution. Fancy for an instant, a
human creature, more than half naked in con-
tinueds and steady exertion for four or five
hours under the rays of flaming and feryid
sun, carrying 1872 pounds weight! And yet so
strange and unaccountable being is man, in
all degrees and stations, so firmly mbued with
the spirit of vauting ambition, so DESTROYS of
excelling his fellow man, that even these mise
rable slaves, whose treatment is on level with
the very brutes, really appear ambitious of sur
passing their brother aborers in their hard
tasks. Each group or gang contains one or
more provided with rattle, very similar to
those Given to infants for amusement, with
which they Jingle an accompaniment, keeping
time to the song they are chanting, which
serves as stimulus and encouragement to their
onerous toll Those RuaS wherein the Coffee
warehouses are situated, present, on busy
day, scene defying description. To proceed
at all is nearly an impossblity, from the dense
throng of slaves who pour by; and to converse,
vain attempt, owing to the swelling sounds
of score of different dtties, shouted forth from
the stentorian lungs of hundreds on hundreds.
feel quite confident that there is at times
within the compass of three hundred yards of a
narrow avenue fully a thousand negroes, rush.
ing hitbsr and yon, singing, laughing, jabber-
ing, gesticulating, and shouting TO each other.
Elevated slightly, at the door of. each ware
house man is placed, who marks each sack,
whilst q little aside stands another, who ex-
tracts small portion to form the general sam
pie to each lot
Around these Consulados, and indeed in eve
ry spot where negroes most do congregate,
may be found any number of shops, purportlng
to be groceries, but retailing all sorts of liquids;
but the chief potatlons, or those most in re-
quest appeared to be arguadente and wine Of
Oporto, Pressed for time, gang Of coffee
carriers will rush in and swallow one or the
other of these drinks, and beat rapid retreat.
They could scarcely endure the tremendous
physical eXertion thew UNDERGO without stlmu-
liant of some description, and if they do not
become sufficiently SO by a draught of argua-
dente, more fiery and exciting than the tobacco
soaked whiskey dealt out to our Indians, their
case is q hopeless one. Goldfish in quntals
(l2s lbs is always carried on the head, and
also barrels of Flour, though the latter is not
q general custom. The coLcred Indies (auery-