The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1870-03-12
Letter from Pcrnambnc0, Brazil.

: MI. MONT was resident OF Elkto2 Tor wv
years before his appointment as Consul t.
Pemambuco:
left New York on the Esd of July last
and made very pleasant run to st. Thomas
Danish West India Island, fourteen hun
dred miles from our point of startn..-
The monotony of the voyage was somewha
relieved by sight of the sea monsters
whales. porpoises. etc, and the storm
petralS, called by sailors Mother Carey.
Chickens,' which followed the ship five d
SIX hundred miles from land.
St. Thomas is the island which Score
tary Seward was negotiating with the Dan
ish Government for the purchase Of 10y the
United States when the earthquake, whicl
happened two years ago, threatened tl
shake the island to the bottom Of the sceal
,gain, and stopped negotiations. Traces
Of the dreadful earthquake are still visbl,
IN the island. in the wrecks of vesscl'
>nnkcn ia the harbor and washed up OF
he sides of the mountains. The town wa,
not much damaged by the earthquake
some of the houses were cracked, requiring
pasterns up. but, believe none of the
| buildings were thrown down. The city i,
tuilt on the side of a mountain. TIL.
| houses are of stone or brick one and two
stories, and all painted red. The porula-
ion is about fourteen thousand. The har-
hor is 4 splt pdid one, entered from the
| Caribbean Sea. south of the island. betty
twa mountains 1t is about three miles
rom the entrance to the town. The waite,
IS very deep. and vessels Of the largest siz,
lie with perfect safety, unless one of thos.
big shakes occurs, which are impossible t.
.uard against.
half point East, and did not change oui
curse. The first land we saw after leav-
| my New York. was St. Thomas. Til,
| Captain told lis VIC would sight land at day
light. on Friday mernins. the 30th of July
md we were all up early, eager once more
20 catch a glimpse of terra .frma. Abou
io'clock A. NJ. the coast doomed up like a
ne cloud in the distance, and all the pas
>engers made ready to 90 on shore.
At 10 o'clock, our brave steamer Mem
mach had dropped anchor about half u
nile from town, and the small row-boat.
came ont to the ship, and for 81 cents il
silver. agreed to take us to town and brin.
rs back to the vessel again. We fount
he sun very hot in the streets. Every
hing sells cheap in St. Thomas, which is;
free port. AS soon as the people found on
| we were Americans. they wanted to know
what our Government was going to do
They all wished to be annexed to the Uni
tod States. Spanish is their native tsnguc.
but they all understand English and spea!
it very well. We had a lunch at the hetel
where we were served with asses mill
cheese. 1t tSmelled so loud" that coul,
not 60 it, but the rest of the c@mpan,
seemed to relish this tropical product o
TIE dairy.
We had quite plumber Of dignitarics OF
board; among the number Mr.. II. F. Blow
Envoy Extra Ordinary and Minister Plcni
rotentiary of the United States to Rio d
j. .. l. -.
TO Pcrnambuce: Mr.. J. 3. Bond. L. s
Consul to Para the Danish Consul Gen
C al to all TIC West India Islands: Carl d,
Roso, Secretary of Legation and Charge d
Affairs for Portugal to Rio de Janerio. ant
Col. -, from Peru, as Consul to Para.
We left St. Thomas that afternoon, an,
sailed two days and nights in TIE Caril
bean Sea. in sight Of many beautiful islands
ter the birth place of the Empress Eugene.
Dur course was southeast. without chang
ing, until we reached the mouth of the
great river Of South America, the Amazon
1t its mouth. Eighty miles up the rive.
Para, is the city by that name, in Brazil
seventeen hundred miles from ST. Thomas
Here VIC found things different; the psopl.
speaking Portuguese, not understanding
word of English. and of all shades color.
md complexions; Indians, negroes, mulat
toes and Brazilians, the majority of thu
latter copper-colored. There is no distinc
The men go naked to the waist. wearin.
nothng but short pants, and the children
run naked in the streets. Most of the
women also. are naked to the waist Til.
measer s,ume is the dress of the slave,
and poorer class; the rich dress very hand
Somcly, in the latest Partisan styles.
Para is large town, the buildings higl
and streets narrow. Unlike the West Indi.
Towns. where red is the universal color "
the houses here they are all white. will
tile roofs-tllere are no wooden roofs il
tropical countries. Some of the building;
have porcelain fronts, and arc very hand
some. We remained on shore all day
where everything appeared to our Yankc,
eyes exceeding strange. Four of us hire,
horses and went to Nayarll, two miles ON
of town, and found the place very pleasant.
The streets are lined on either sid. will
lately palms i'll all their tropical beau
~. Para is nearly under the Equator.
but not so hot as you might suppose. Ii
was Sunday when we reached there. The
people de- not observe tie Sabbath as We
10 in the United States. The churches
were all oren-so were all the stores and
places of business, Sunday being the
great market and fair day. saw church
IA enc side of the street, and gambling
>aloon on the opposite side, both open and
in "full blast The city is lighted with
gas, but has no water-works; the supply of
water being brought in OH horses and i'll OK
carts. We lett on Sunday night, at 10
o'clock, and the next day were rolling on
Did ocean again. We sailed East until we
passed Cape st. Roqhe, then South four
seen hundred miles from Para, arriving al
Pernamhuco, on Sunday morning, the 18th
If August, % days On the passage from
New York.
1t is quite hot here in the sun, but cool
and pleasant in the shade. My tkermeme-
ter stanas all the time at So in the shade:
although the 18th of December, it does no,
seem like Christmas was so near.