The Portland daily press., 1871-06-23

A gentleman has kindly allowed us to pub.
lish the following entertaining account of So
ciety in Para, Brazil.
PARA (Brazil) June, 1871.
MY DEAR,--"H you have ever read Her
bert spencers' "First Principles you will
clearly understand the maxim that all knowl-
edge, in this world, is relative and not absolute.
The knowledge which 1 possessed Of-led
me, short time ago, to the conclusions that
the said--was very inferior, and altogeth-
err an Objectionable locality. But the knowl-
edge since acquired of Para has entirely al
tered that opinion and convinced me that it is
relatively, most delightful town, with deli
cous climate and most re fined and friendly
popul alton. .. ...
Did you ever try vapor bath? Ii you did,
you have experienced the precise atmosphere
of Para, and the agreeable sensations it SUPER
induces. Only you must exert your imagina-
ton to picture your vapor. bath as permanent
fact and your sensations as persisting through
the whole revolving "a hours without any res
pite from weeks end to weeks end, and having
achieved this conception, you must add to it
buzzing cloud of mosquitoes 10 constant attend
ance upon your waking as well as your Sleep
ing hours. Verify, in the sweat of thy brow
must thou eat thy daily bread, if hiher thou
contest. ......
Now, one would imagine that the '.demned
demp unpleasant body" condition was not that
state in which man would greatly rejoice ha-
bitually to find himself. But here, again, we
have tbe'''relativity" doctrine confirming it.
self you ar enot that state in Para you
may safely conclude that you are in the first
stage of the yellow fever and two ounces of
Castor oil must be imbibed without a moments
delay! One learns therefore to glory in the
unpleasant demp condition" and to make os-
tentation of the little rivulets which under 9TH
er circumstances are privately absorbed in the
"Bird's eye" --.... ......f.
Such my friend, is humanity in the tropics
from which Heaven preserve you. Para is
wretched collection Of shanties disposed along
very narrow streets with an open sewer run.
ming down either side. In sloppy weather, that
is 10 say 800 Gays out of the 365-naked chill
dren disport themselves IN said sewers, whose
objectionable contents are then sufficiently d.
luted tor the young Ethiopian idea; although
scarcely enough so for the natural Caucasian.
The general effect is however novel; if not
pleasing, and it is astonishing how readily
Darwin theories on the Descent of Man" are
accepted as probable after brief acquaintance
with the Savage system of Para AT the age
10 or so shirts and chemises are conferred up
on our juvenile friends, but as the tails OF these
garments supply the place of the pocket hand
kerchief-decency profits very little indeed by
their adoption. In fact should say that De-
cency is conventional notion altogether I'M
known to the mass of the population of this
lown,-that mass consisting entirely of niggers
and Indians and party cOlOred crosses between
fvn 10 Irrs v.f he rros
town along the river, that white faces have the
majority-and very seedy sort Of white it is,
rather OF the Whitley brown shade than any
other.
White ladies, however, never stir out of the
house in this part of the world. They live il
the true Oriental style. spending their lives be-
hind latticed window, through which they
gaze dreamiy upon the minute fracture of
Para which lies within the range of their Wis
ion. IN well conducted houses no books are
allowed to the wOmankind except missals, and
II on any exceptional occasion the young
ladies' are taken out on foot, they are sent
slightly in advance OF mamma, in order that
vlgliant eye may be kept upon every turn of
the mead and every gesture of the hands.
We went the other night to a ball in order to
have look at the fair Paraenses, who are not
otherwise visible. The percentage of beauty
was uncOmmonly small, owing to their indo.
lent indoor life, the girls seem fat, and have no
freshness of complexion whatever What
cult to divine, and as for their virtues, their
own mothers estimate may probably be taken
as not at any rate too severe
One of the worst features of Para is the
frightiul expense OF living here The prices of
the bare necessities OF life are fabuleusly nigh.
MIX half dollar quart, butter, (salt, i'm
ported from England) a dollar a pound. Our
hired slave who does nothing bat boil water
Tor breakfast and sweep the rooms, costs $500
year, and my washing bill is 10 dollars
week. Clothing of all kinds is enormous, and
the floor of six rooms which we inhabit costs
me $500 year for the bare walls. We are en-
tlrely cut Oft here from the civilized world and
its proceedings. News fortnight old is the
most recent attainable and that only once
menth by American steamers. What comes
direct from Europe is three weeks old. No
books but Portuguese translatiOns of French
novels are to be purchased here, and no con-
ception OF the intellectual movements of the
age seems to have reached the place. Now
pray let me have a line from you to cheer me
up. Something in your own style, humorous
gossipy and genial-and relieve me.