The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1889-08-03
the MOST BEAUTIFUL SEAPORT.
A Picturesque City Whose People Are
Mostly Millionairea

U0 u6IOOI Vi 1NIO 10 WOAtAy 0AA
the praises that have been sung OF
it. It is by far the most beautiful
port that have ever seen, superior
in picturesqueness even to the bays
of Naples, Sydney or Auckland,
which, in my opinion, are its only
rivals. Every foot of it presents
new and wonderful pictures, and the
peculiar shapes of the mountains
that surround it give it weird and
quaint setting. The lively effect of
the town itself with its Spanish
architecture and red, green, blue
and yellow houses ada to the bril-
liancy of the scene, which is further
enlivened by swarms of shipping
and the movements of countless
frigate birds, gulls and terms. Rio
must be an intensely interesting
place to any one who could spend
some time in it. tits as picturesque
as any town in Spain, and in It's
mongrel population presents most
curious and interesting types of
humanity.
Life seems to be easy in Rio.
Everybody looks comfortable, fat
and happy, and the general indif-
ference of traders Of all classes to
transact commercial operations
with the visitor seemed to indicate
that nobody was short Of cash. The
prices charged for fruit, curiosities,
etc, were something alarming. A
shilling for a single mango or fig,
sixpence for an orange and two
shillings for pineapple, these were
the quotations unblushingly made
in the market place where hundreds
of bushels of fruit were rotting with
out purchaser. Naturally nobody
bought anything, but no matter
the dealers shrugged their should
ers and declined to abate. The
prices seemed worse when stated
in the absurd Portuguese currency
which is standard in Brazil. Our
party of eight expended the lordly
sum of 1900 reis pronounced
''rays") for breakfast, and felt some
what as Lucullus or Hehogabalus
might after repast on nightingales'
tongues and peacocks' brains. Be-
duced to a Christian system of
coinage, the above sum represents
little less than ten dollars. We
each paid 800 reis in tram car fare
to the Botanical Gardens and back,
and in other directions squand cred
money as if it had been mer. dust
of the earth. I exchanged two sov-
ereigns tor coin Of the realm and
for them got II 800 reis in stamped
silver, nickel, brass and copper, all
of which l managed to expend be-
fore noon. l never felt so wealthy
in the course of my life. The Gov
ernment issues bills, also, of which
some that | saw were for only 100
reis. Imagine full-fedged bank
note for the value of less than five
cents and a half.
Millionaires are naturally plenti-
full in Bio; the sum of $540 will
purchase reis enough to give per-
son that comfortable distinction.
We expend most of our spare
change in buying examples of the
famous feather work of Rio, Bra
lillian ireflies and gorgeous beetles,
humming birds and other curiosi-
ties. Some Of the examples of
feather work were amazingly inge-
nious and beautiful, and initiated
sprays of flowers and garlands of
leaves in manner worthy of the
cleverest Partisan manufacturers of
goods. Altogether, we had
a fine time ashore in Rio and never
gave the yellow fever a thought
Corr. Boston Journal.