The Morning herald., 1878-06-29
,sTEI1 Brazil.
SOME ITEMS OF GENERAL INTEoEsT FROM
APHnADELPHIAN.

APHILADELPHIAN.
A young gentleman of Philadelphis, on
board the U. s. steamship Enterprise writes
home these items of general interest in Q
letter, which has been kindly furnished the
Star.
The day after I joined the ship, which
was Tuesday, April 80, she left the Norfolk
yard and dropped down stream and took in
powder, and early the next morning pro
ceeded down and out to sea. nv may !
AZ usual i was sea>sick for four or five
days, but after getting over felt all the bet
ter for it. We sailed to the eastward and
southwark until we got into the trades, and
then hauled fires and sailed down to within
four degrees of the equator, when We got
up steam and made our way to and up the
Para river to the city of the same name.
When we crossed the line, Neptune carae
aboard and exacted reckoning from all
whose opportunities had never enabled
them to cross said line before. All the
men who owed their respects to his Ma
iesty were treated to some new experience
famili ar to all old salts, being shaved with
large, heavy wooden razor an d finishing
up with an unexpected saltwater bath.
We came to anchor here last Friday
night, May %, 1he following Sunday
went ashore and found stores and shops
omen, and the theatre better p tronized
than any of the churches. This place is SO
far up with the times as to have q line OF
street cars in operation. Like most other
tropical towns1 have visited, 1t seems very
much affected by the climate, drowsy,
lazy sort of an appearance pervadfng every
thing. .....s.. 7. .-.s {
Children below certain age run through
the streets unadorned by even the much
mentioned fg-leaf, and their elders as
general thing wear no more than decency
requires. The better class OF folks, how
ever, follow the Partisan fashions, much to
their own discomfort, shepld judge, when
zee them wearing high silk hats In broil-
ing sun.
The houses are built one and two stories
in height, one generally, are furnished as
sparingly as possible. Hammocks are used
instead of beds on account OF insects. etc.
The building are rooted with tiles, and the
outer walls are entirely covered with square
figured glazed tiles. Several very pretty
residences of this description were seen sur
rounded by all the luxuriances of tropical
vegetation, and inhabited by ease-loving
hammock swingers "Tht is WEI light
ed with gas, is surface u .,ned, AL the
drinking water is brought around In carts
and sold for half cent or ten reis gal
lon.
The currency here strikes an American,
accustomed to "the best currency In the
world" in very RIDICULOUS way. For In
st lnce Tohave four shirts laundried costs
900 reis, or mil reis-pronounced meel
| ray which is equivalent to At cents; 80 my
| three weeks wash will cost me about Is, 900
reis or thereabouts' E-.aE -..
There are but one or two Americans here
and about as many English. All the rest OF
the $4,000 inhabitants are Brazilian, Por-
tuguese, negroes, Indians and half-breeds.
| These are all on the same footing, there
being no caste distinctions. This slave
country, but the offspring of slaves are BY
law free born. So the next generation will
see but few slaves.
We expect to leave here by the 1st Of
June and begin our work of making run
Ming survey of the River Amazon. We are
to locate the channel and prominent points
on the banks, and when we reach the Ma
deira river we are to turn in that river and
do the same as far up as the navigable
waters ruu. We will go about 900 miles
> up the Amazon and 600 or 700 up the Ma.
deira to the point where the Madeira and
Marmari Railroad begins. Oar work will
keep us probably three or four months, ano
the calculation is that We shall be back to
8 the States by November.
; Para affords very poor and very dear
market and It is much worse up the
river
This is now the end of the rainy season
winter now begins. $50 in the shade
4 Queer, amt 1t?