The Shasta courier., 1866-01-06
SHASTA COURIER.
The Empire of Brazil.


toI N its prosperity. So difficult is it to trav
el in the interior of the empire that very
long time is occupied in the transmission OF
dispatch from the seat of government to the
more distant provinces and the return of th'
messenger. Practically all communication
between tie capital and the immense basin
of the Amazon is by SEA. and until recently
there was immense difficulty in passing from
the cities on the coast to the dwellers on the
higher plateaux, and good deal of danger.
the forests which intervene being occupied by
wild beasts and Indians.
Don Pedro ii D'Alcantra is the second
Emperor of Brazil, and was born at the pal
ace of San Christovao, in the outskirts of Rio,
December 2, 1925. His early studies were
directed by the venerable joe Bonfacio
D'Andrada, often called the Franklin of
Brazil, wise and learned statesman and
scholar. He found in young Pedro an apt
scholar, and to him Brazil is in part IN
debted for her present liberal government
Very early in life the Emperor showed signs
of uncommon ability and that rare discern.
ment which characterzes his later years.
In 1910 he was called upon to ascend the
throne and assume his full prerogative. He
was then only ii years of age.
1t must be admitted that Don Pedro III,
fully comprehends the vastness Of the resour-
ces of the country he governs, and that he
has set to work in the right way to develop
them. The great purpose ofhis life seems to
be to elevate the Brazilians to the position Of
a free people, During his reign Brazil
has taken gigantic strides in material pro-
gress She has already six important rail
roads and among them some master pieces of
engineering many fine macadamised turn
pixies; semi-monthly line of first class sea
going steamers running from the Amazon
and the La Plata. touching at numerous
small coast lines, and the steamers running
the entire length of the navigable Amazon !;
also steamboats, on most every navi igable
river of the Empire. Nearly all these enter
prises are subsidized. The capital-Rio Jan
eiro-possesses much of the Improvements to
be found in European or North American
cities The literary and scientific institutions
of Brazil rank very high. Throughout the en-
tire length and breadth of the Empire the
rights of individuals are guaranteed; there
is perfect liberty Of speech the press is free !;
all religions are tolerated; nearly all the
officers selected by the people; and though
the form of government is monarchial, the
people are as free as it is possible to be with
safety to themselves.
Don Pedro is considerably over SIX feet in
hight, muscular and well developed, with
handsome German features and a fine eye
In his habits he is simple and utiringly indus
trious. He is fine scholar, and cultivates
assiduousy the arts and sciences. and is a
warm patron Of scientific and literary insti-
tutions. Brazil owes to him system of free
public schools, which has equal in Amer
lea outside of the United States. He is a
warm friend of religious toleratioh. and has
given his personal aid to erect Protestant
chapels fer the German colonists. He is an
admrer of American writer's and is thor
oughly acquainted with our literature. Last
year he sent to Whit er an autograph tran
station of the "Cry of the Lost Soul"
The Emperor is a fine conversationalist, and
speaks fuently six languages; is thorough
classical scholar. and typographical engi
neer. The latter ordered transportation to be
furnished to him and his party over all the
Government lines in the empire, and placed
at his disposition steamer to explore the
Amazon. The Emperor's ideas of the aboli
tion of slavery are we'll known. On the
occasion of the marriage of the Imperial
Princess he liberated a large number oi
slaves. Within the last ten years the nun
ber of slaves has decreased more than one
million by reason of the very liberal laws
so that to day, at the highest calculation
there are not more than two millions o.
slaves in the empire.
Brazilian slaves are of every hue, from the
deep black of the imported African to the sal
low complexion of the planter himself, and
and but for the suppression of the slave trade
they would have soon outnumbered Their
masters-as indeed they do already in the
coast provinces-and then we might have
expected servle war and repetition of the
horrors of st. Domingo and Hayti. The Bra
zilians are said not have the slightest idea
that there is anything wrong in holding a
felow-man in ndage. The State ITSELF we
are told, possesses slaves from whose labor
it derives portion of its revenues; converts
have them, and hold them as the property OF
the particular saint to whom the establishment
is dedicated; the Founding Hospital occa-
sionally buys slaves as wet nurses and spec.
ulative doctors are said to buy those who are
sick, on the chance of restoring them and
making profit by their sale. 1t must be
said none of these treat the slaves with ami
mostly. They regard them with the same
kind of feeling as that which we look upon
a horse or an OK, and treat him With so much
indulgence that in some respects his condi-
ton is better than that of the European labor
er. Besides the Sunday, he has several days
N-S NNiSS "a ehO year 10 ENJOY ulmSei1 ana
in many cases he gets in addition, to enable
him to cultivate his own little piece of land.
the Saturday also. The cities are full Of
slaves and free colored men. WALKING in
the neighborhood of the quays YOU meet With
troops of these, headed by one of their nurn.
Der rafting calabash containing pebbles or
shells, carrying immense loads. singing and
moving with surprising ease and elasticity
SO general is the noise that it is a nuisance
even Brazilians who have been accustomed r.
it all their lives complain of it, and tn,
Legislature once ordered it to be put down
but strange to say, the effect of this edic
was so injurious to the slaves that it had to b.
repealed They lost their animation an,
their strength. moved about like dusky spec
ters, and wasted so rapidly as to make i
quite painful to look at them. The restora
alton of their music and permission to sin
operated like miracle, and gave the phys
iologist an opportunity of arriving at som
wonderful conclusions respecting the powe
of the nervous system over the physical.
very large proportion of the colored popula
ton of the cities are free; those who ar
slaves being for the most part at liberty t
employ themselves as they please, subject t
the payment of fixed sum per day to thei
owners, the rest of their earnings being a
their own disposal, as the value of an able
bodied slave seldom exceeds 81 900, it is in tn
power of almost all of them to purchase thei
freedom at some time or other. Meanwhile