Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1875-09-08
4 south American City.

Para, the emporium of the Amazon !:
Para juts out little into the river, Civ
ing us an admirable view as we ap-
prOach. 1t looks like city of the past,
the mildew on its white walls and
church towers making it look older
than it is even. Here, for the first time
i'm this part of the world, we see towers
and high buildings. We cast anchor
just in front of the city, and have
plenty of time to examine its appear
ance from the distance,-to study the
steamboats, (second-class river boats
from the United States, all of them),
sloops from all parts of the world,-
plenty of time while we are waiting for
health officers and custom-house people.
We are ready to go ashore and impatient
to do so, but the Brazilians take their
own time and everybody else's. At last
we land, and no sooner have we done so
than l feel that Para may be good
place 10 visit but not to live in. The
streets are wretched, unpaved, and
when il rains become regular mud
puddles, and it rains every day in the
tropics. We see some gentlemen in the
streets, an umbrella being part of their
toilet. No one stirs without one; if it
is not raining, the sun shines fiercely.
But here again, strange to say the ther-
m0meter never goes over SO degrees,
and they have a cool breeze in the even
ing. Not single lady to be seen in the
street. They seldom go out i'm the day
time, not even TO shop, everything being
sent to them. They seem to pass much
of their time i'm looking out of the win
dows- We drive through several stree :
where the houses look cool and delight
ful-one story high, but deep, large
windows anG doors; garden filled
with tropical plants and flowers around
each, and line of Mango trees running
all down the street. The aspect made
is delightful. Floors of two kinds of
wool. cane chairs, light tables-all cool
and pleasant to look at. At short dis
tance from these houses you come upon
uncultivated plots of land, where fruit
trees, large-leafed plants, and low brush
give you an idea of luxuriant growth.
The avenue of palms is beautiful. These
palms come from Guiana, and are, of all
palm species, the handsOmest. A row
of them stands on the wharf. CocOanut,
banana, and orange trees grow on every
side. We pass the theatre-an immense
building of brick, plastered and painted
white; it will hold from 1900 to 1900
people. "Do you ever have entertain
ments to justify this ?" l ask. "NO," /
am answered. ''Then, why was it
built?'' ''rO satisfy the ambitions of a
certain president who wanted to make
monument for himself" 1t has not
been used at all yet, and may never be,
as it is considered unsafe by some.
There are several churches, and some
bushes are growing on the roofs, and
the mildew discolors the walls. The
cathedral is 200 years old. There are
no seats of any kind i'm the body of the
church. A few of the pictures are
gems Another church is literally COW
cred with carving and gilt the most
and coolest-lOoking place imaginable
many altars and immense space. This
church, from its appearance, might be
1000 years old, but cannot, l suppose,
be more than 2J0 years, if that. How
delightful to hear the church bells ring
ing once more, and to see them swing
ing outward from their towers. The
business streets are very narrow, and
the roofs of old tiles overgrown with
leaves rather unsightly. The stores are
smaller and the walls thinner than in
St. Thomas; but there are few French
stores, where goods are both good and
cheap. though. for the most part, Para
is considered the dearest place in this
part of the world. Many of the down.
town houses have tiled fronts. Tiles
are manufactured here. They make
their own furniture and their own car
riages, of which rows are always stand
ing in the streets. They are very heavy
and clumsy, but most roomy and COM
Portable, like our oldest-fashioned hacks.
The harness is of the poorest, and the
horses the worst you could see any
where. They are kept in a gallop all
the time, which gives an appearance of
haste where no such thing is known.
The streets are filled with negroes, old
and young, most of them slaves. They
are not so well dressed nor so clean
looking as i'm St. Thomas, but they look
as if they had something to do, and
were doing it. If the women have a
flower in the side Of their heads they
seem satisfied, be their dress ever so
dirty. Almost every one wore flower.
there The Para children are, for the
most part, handsome. The streets, as
we returned, and the open spaces were