Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-04-18
DOM PEDRO.

bOlhOOhAhS w ooJ "bOuD 0VW SNASI
the live, wide-awake Brazilian EN-
perOr who lately landed on our
shores. To call him Don is the
biggest kind of bigamy, and we
can prove it by DR.. White, Of the
Lebanon Herald, who is the SUI
premeSt authority upon questions
involving literary ethics in the
South. The title Don is peculiarly
Spanish. 1t was formerly applied
only to noblemen and gentlemen,
but is now applied to all classes.
The prevalent language in Brazil
is Portuguese, which perhaps more
nearly than any other language
spoken resembles the ancient Latin,
from which it is derived. The APP
pellation Dom evidently comes from
the Latin dOminuS, lord or master,
and signifies dominion, empire, etc.
Without going into a pathological
discussion of this question we may
consider the man and the great
country he rules so wisely
with profit and interest. The
Brazilian Empire is greater in
area than the United States,
if we omit Alaska. We buy from
Brazil every year about s44,OOO,OOO
of her products and she buys Of
our manufactured goods $7,5O0,0OO
and this trade is rapidly increasing.
The Emperor is a remarkable and
a progressive man. He has just
passed his fftieth year and is said
to be a splendid-loOking parsonage,
although as plain as an ordinary
well.to-do planter in his manners
and dress. He speaks English mod
erately well, as do all the educated
classes of Brazil who give especial
attention to the languages,and gene
rally speak five or six with 1uency.
Dom Pedro II was installed as EN-
perOr by the abdication Of his father,
in 1881, when he was only six years
old. He was declared of age July
%, 1s40, crowned July IS, 1S41,
and married September 4, 1s43, to
Theresa Christina Maria, a Sicilian
princess, three years his senior,
younger sister of Queen Christina,
of Spain. They have only one liv-
ing child, the Imperial Princess, Is
abella, born July 30, 1916, who
married at the age of eighteen a
grandson of Louis Philippe, Of
France. Dom Pedro is one of the
most accomplished and c~onscien-
tious rulers of the world and he is
believed to be of strong republican
tendencies, although Of Hapsburg
ancestry and intimate Bourbon
connections. From his youth up
he has ever been a hard student; he
not only speaks and writes French,
Spanish, English, German and Ital-
ian and his own native Portuguese,
but he is familiar with the exact
sciences, with military art, mechan-
les, natural history, political econ
omy and the current literature Of
the day, as well as the standard au.
thors Of nearly all countries and
times. 1t has long been his desire
to visit this country. At home hi
is loved and revered and rules in thu
hearts of his people with u~ndisputeC
sway. He thinks more of bette.
ing the condition of his country
men than in maintaining the POM
and ceremony of q court. Il
1S7l-72 he spent eight months il
Europe, and after he leaves thi
country will go there to spend
year. While there he devoted him
self to the investigation of every
thing that could tend to the adyan.
tage Of Brazil, and everywhere
made the most favorable impress.
sion. He will probably see more o.
this country than any foreigne,
who comes here this year. Tn,
coming Of such a sovereign to on
shores is an event of greater conse
quence than we are likely to admi
without understanding his charac
ter and motives. He has Away
taken a great interest in the affair
and institutions of the Unite,
States and is entitled to an enthusi
astic welcome, not because of hi
royal rank, but on account of hi
friendly feeling always manifestet
toward our people, and because h,
is one of the most iberal-mindec
and n~rooraes;va rulars NJ tL