The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1886-07-29
THE EMPIRE OF BRAZIL.
THE LAND OF GOVERNOR JARVIS
AND DOM PEDRO.
Some Things that Impressed "a CORES
pOndent of the Chronicle on IL Recent
Trip to the Equator.


Hearing some months ago that "A prom
ncnt North Carolinian was going to take a
trip to Brazil We requested him to furnish
the readers Of the CHRONICLE an account Of
the trip. and his Impressions Of the country.
He has kindly done and we trust all
our readers will receive as much pleasure
from ii pcrtlS.,l as has THE EDITOR.
Leaving Washington, ID. c., on April
the goth, embarked on the next day at
New Port News, Va, for Rio de Janiero
L. s and Brazil Mail :. 5. Co. | was in
time for lunch, as | generally am, and
upon the arrival of the mails from New
York we weighed anchor and began our
long voyage.
The weather was pleasant, as We're my
surroundings on board, and on May 2nd
we touched at Saint Thomas, one of the
West Indies, belonging to Denmark. The
island, which is about 400 miles from
New York, has a population Of 40, 600 and
a city Of 16, 900 inhabitants, mostly ne
groeS. This is one of most beautiful OF
the West Indies. The language generally
spoken is Spanish, though many of the in
tclligent inhabitants speak English. We
spent a day very pleasantly and on May
Bird we resumed cur voyage. | was amused
at the deXterity with which the native ne
grOes who came in great numbers around
the ship in small canoes dived, in water
twenty feet deep, for silver thrown to them
by the crew and passengers, never failing
in a single instance to secure the cash.
We had a pleasant party aboard and,
barring the usual quantum of sea sickness,
we passed away the time delightfully."-, sail
ing 400 miles by the evening Of the 9th,
when we reached Barbados, another of
the West Indies, a British possession, where
we spent a few hours. The island has a
population Of $50, 900. The chief product
is sugar, though pine apples and oranges
are raised to Il considerable extent. | rode
through some of the large sugar planta
tions. The cane grows luxurantly to
enormous size. | saw many of the negroes
eating the cane and was informed that it
constitutes very largely the food Of the
negro laborers.
Leaving Barbados we passed the island
of Martinique, the most beautiful of them
all, SO far as we could Judge from the deck
of our steamer and we saw very distinctly
the monument erected to the memory of
the Empress Josephine, who was native
of the island.
We arrived, on the 10Th, at the city of
Para, situated in the northern part of
Brazil almost under the Equator, on the
river Para, a branch of the Amazon, hav-
ing a population of $4,000. Para is a
large rubber market probably the largest
in the world. The rubber is gotten from
the trees in much the same manner that
our turpentine farmers employ in getting
turpentine from the pine. 1t is exported
thence to all parts of the world, great
deal of it going to New York Another
chief article of the export trade is the Bra
lillian nut, known with us as the butter
nut. A steamer left as we arrived laden
with 20 tons of these nuts to be distributed
from New York over the Union. The heat
was so intense that we We're glad to put
to sea again and leave behind US the city
of rubber and nuts.
After sailing along the coast some 300
miles we arrived off Maranham, on the
northern coast of Brazil, and waiting for
the tide to take US into the port, in drop
ping anchor, it was broken upon a rock.
On our return trip we lost an anchor here
and ran upon sand bank where for some
time we We're in danger, but were saved
from Inconvenience and a ducking by the
coolness and skill of our captain. In con-
sequence of these mishaps we were not
favOrably impressed with the city which
has a population of 81, 900. We anchored
in the harbor of Pernambuco May 18th, a
beautiful city of 1870, 600 inhabitants. A
natural reef running along the coast about
half a mile from the city, with the waves
breaking over 1t, Is one of the attract ions
of the place. Here we found the finest
pine apples in the world They were large
and we'll favored and as dear as in the
States.
The city of Bohia, at which we next
touched, has population of about 140,-
900. The country around BOhla produces
the sweetest seedless oranges grown, but
they decay SO rapidly as to make exporta-
ton profitless.
Proceeding on our way we arrived at
Rio de Janiero, the Capital of the Brazi-
liam Empire, on the evening of May 23rd.
AS | looked around me upon the magnifi-
cent harbor, second only in the world to
that of Constantinople, and tropical sur
roundlngs, and reflected that | was just
about 5000 miles from our old North Car
olina, feeling of loneliness stole over me
and realized what it was to be stranger in
strange land. The strange Portuguese ac-
| cents fell upon my uuaccustomed ears and
no familiar scene or face greeted my eyes.
| But | remembered that Governor Jarvis
and his excellent wife resided in the city
and that | should be welcome guest at
what we would in this country call their
| tiresde, not only because citizen of the
| United States always knows he will find a
| friend III the person of the minister of his
| country upon whatsoever foreign soil he
may set his foot, but because the further
consolation Of rejecting that citizen of
| Tar heel extraction would be sure to re-
ceive an hospitable tar heel greeting.
The morning after my arrival set out
to find Governor and Mrs. Jarvis learned
| that they resided at the Hotel Candido,
| No. 157 Ruodas Laraugeiras, whatever all
| that may mean. In city of 500, 900 inhab-
itants speaking a language unintelligible
to the understanding of free American
citizens, with a pronunciation wholly at
variance with its photography, it was no
tritiing matter to find the Hotel Candido.
No. 157 Ruodas Laraugeiras However,
after performing many signs and wonders
in the presence of street car conductors,
found the place and the genuine North
Carolina greeting | had anticipated ]
was kept busy answering questions about
the many friends of the Governor and
Mrs Jarvis in the old North State | be-
leve they regarded me as a benefactor OF
very high order and they drank in with
eager gladness the tidings of friends and
home The Governor said that no place
seemed like home to him except North
Carolina and Mrs Jarvis endorsed the sen
timent in way that would have done YOU
heart good to have heard it. The Cover
nor-I suppose l ought to say the Minis
ter but l can't get rid of 'Carliny ways
told me that he expected to get leave o
absence and come home to see us in De
| cember. | told him he would receive