Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1890-02-05
RIO FOLKS IND SCENES.
What a Visitor Saw Ia the Bra=ilidn
Capital.

/ UnUt ~ btSiIOf SUtf iU tHe DfU-utUH
Capital.
We landed at the market place in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil, says correspondent
of the New York Times, and for hours
strolled through ranks of baskets Of
fruit, crates of fish, and tables of flowers
and vegetables, all presided over by stall
wart negresses, or by halfbreed Portu
guese. The fruits were smooth, ridged,
knobbed, or set with spines, and of every
possible color-red, green, purple and
yellow the fish giitiered in piles Of scaly
and Shiny glister. which showed all the
lines of gold, ruby, opal and pearl the
vegetables were queer in shape and form,
and suggested complicated colics to any
one who should venture to eat them the
flowers were heavy and languorous in
smell-the negresses adorned themselves
with more glory of color in tunicS and
turbans than Solomon ever dreamed Of.
As for the Portuguese, they exposed all
sorts of compilations, from nearly black
to the color shown by saddle that had
been much ridden upon, and filled the
air with smoke, loud talk, and profuse
brachial and digital gesticulation. Birds
with plumage that looked as if it had
been dipped in melted jewels hoped
about and twittered in cages, skins of
toucans and other gorgeous denizens of
the tropical forests hung on door-posts,
monkeys chattered and gibbered from
countless perches, and in the air above
hundreds of frigate birds, with wings like
those which the early Italian painters be-
slowed upon Beelzebub and his attendants
gave added bewilderment of movement
and confused outcry to the scene.
The market was full of customers,
mostly women tottering about in high
heeled shoes and wearing lace mantillas,
and recalling vividly experiences in Sc
vile and Cadiz. Like most of the Span
ish women, too, the senoras and senoritas
whom we saw were generally plain, short
and swarthy, and manifested strong ten
denotes, soon after twenty-five, to develop
moustaches and whiskers like grenadiers.
We essayed to purchase certain fruits
and curioSities ourselves, and were warm
ly encouraged thereto by the squatting
merchants at baskets and counter. These
scenting the presence Of foreigners, who
as foreigners and travellers must have
plenty of money, naively and promptly
advanced their prices some thousand per
cent for our benefit. Oranges, figs, ALI
gator pears, and other small fruits which
were being sold on our arrival at four or
five for a penny were at once quoted at
shilling apiece, and no abatement by the
quantity. We found the same condition
of affairs all through the city nor did
we succeed in taking any fruit to the
boat save few bananas which we bought
of an old woman, who, from deafness, ig-
norance or stupidity, had evidently not
learned of the proyidential arrival of OPP
ulent strangers.
We spent an hour Or more in the many
colored and sleepy market, and were
much edited on reaching the Cafe de
| Globo-one of the principal institutions
of Rio de Janeiro-to learn that we had
been running some risks, as yellow fever
had recently been prevalent. Breakfast
was ordered and We took it on a balcony
overlooking the picturesque street, set
With quaint Spanish architecture and
thronged with brilliantly-dressed loierers,
diminutive soldiers, and priests in long
black robes and shovel hats A very
good breakfast, too, Of curried pawns,
cold game, Spanish wines, and pungent
coffee. The meal dispatched, the bill, a
formidable document, with imposing rows
of figures and a total at the bottom of
seventeen thousand reis ProdigiOus
as Dominic Sampson would exclaim, until
we remembered that Brazil adheres to the
absurd Portuguese system Of financial
enumeration, in which it needs thousand
reis to make half dollar. So the
eight of Us who sat at meat Joyously
planked down upon the table our dollars
worth or so of stovelids, pewter plates,
and ponderous disks of brass, copper,
nickle, and other base metals, which con-
stitute the Brazilian coinage, and saw the
waiter stagger away under the weight Of
the spoil. Just as we were departing he
returned. "Would we kindly remember
the waiter? p We gave him another