Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-07-26
MORE ABOUT BAHIA.
AN INTERESTING LETTER FROM Brazil
BAHIA, Brazil, June Is, 1885.

BAHIA, Brazil, June Is, 1885,
Editor Register IF remember, wien
my last letter was written this belt of
the earth was passing into the
-" autumn OF the year,
When forest leaves are brown and sere'
ETC., in northern climes. AT any rate he
sun at the time was on the equator, right
over the Amazon. Now, it is mid-win-
ter, or will be in two or three days moe
mid-winter, with perspiration at 76 G in
the shade standing on the brow and dnp-
ping from the chin at the least physical
exertion. And yet the nights are cool,
the evenings delightful, the sunsets belu-
tiful, though but very short time elap,es
after the "sober sum- has gone to res
he goes at 80 now-before darkness
settles on the earth and the stars sh ne
forth with soft and mellow light, he
Southern cross mounts the sky (and, by
the way, this Southern cross is a disip-
pointing affair; it certainly has a bigger
reputation than it deserves; Oron
moves proudly on his mighty round,
while away to the north Ursa Mapr.
grandest of all the skyey consultations,
holds kingly sway. OF course, such
nights as these don't come seven nights
every week. Sometimes the BLACKLIST
darkness reigns supreme, and while this
condition holds the night, often he
clouds let fall what people here call
-rain-accompanied neither with
lightning nor thunder. But such IA n
Why, the hardest, heaviest thunder
shower ! ever saw in the North seems
now to me but dreary, dripping drizlle
compared with these flood-falling dro)s
every one of which seems to spill water
sufficient to make stream large enough
to run mill. During the day, as well
as the night these tremendous cloud-fall
ing floods come, too, and so unexpected
ly at times one hardly has time to raise
his umbrella before he is soaking wet
and down the hills through every street
a roaring river tears, rushing to the sea
For Bahia has more hills than Rome il
all its ancient glory could boast of. In
stead of tropic winter nights, then, give nj
the Adirondack or Green Mountain win
ter night, with its clear and frosty sky
its chilly moon, its coldly twinkling stars
its icy air, its blizzard storms and it
cracking snow as over it to the Jingle
iangle of the bells the merry sleigher
go.
But before proceeding further, wore
or two about the Amazon. One cal
hardly appreciate what a mighty strean
it is till, on nearing it, he sees, some fou
or five hundred miles out to sea, ming
ling with old ocean, its waters, pushe,
to that great distance by the immens
volume that comes pouring from tn
Andes and stretching almost from tn
Pacific to the Atlantic, nearly across tn
South American continent in its wides
part. On our way to this city we entere
its mouth, going as far up as Para, som
80 miles from the sea. There are numer
Gus islands in the river that we observe,
in passing, all covered with tangled for
ests, huge creeping vines growing u
from or down to the waters edge an
foliage so thick and dense it seems tn
scorching sun-rays could scarcely pene
trate it. What tremendous mouth
has. 1t is one hundred and fifty mile
from Albany to New York. Take TWEEN
~ from this number and you have tn
width of the Amazon's mouth; so sal
our captain. A mouth one hundred am
thirty miles wide! just think of it am
you will be able to enlarge the idea yo
before had of the massy volume of waite
forever rolling through it to the sea.
Large ships go as far up the river a
Manaos, some 300 miles and were
not for the falls and the rapids at tina
place, they would be able to 60 nue.
farther. A German traveller who re
Gently went over the entire course of tn
Amazon says it has its source in LAX
Y'iticaca, in Bolivia, some-well, severa
thousand feet above sea level.
But something of the historically pick
ings of Bahia. How the city is locate
having been mentioned in some forme
letter, in order to give you little bette
idea of it, however, ! enclose very poo
'photo' of Bahia as it appears from tn
bay. In truth | can say the "photo
gives but very faint idea of the delight
fully picturesque appearance presente
to the eye of the traveller standing upo
the deck of the steamer beholding tn
city for the first time.
Bahia is said to be the oldest city i
South America. For aught | know,
may be as old as any in North America
| had reason to suppose, however, I'll
within a week, that San Domingo, | be
lieve there is such a town on the islam
of the same name, is the oldest. But a
article in one of the dailies, some fe,
days since, makes Santa Cruz, tow
few leagues south of this place, tn
| laI IN, I'll nj koh