Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1890-02-28
RIO FOLKS EAND SCENES.
WHAT 4 VISITOR SAW IN THE
BRAZILIAN CAPITAL.
Extraordinary Money Variety or
CompleSfons-Gorgcous Birds for
Snlc-PoisOnous Rcptilcs.

L
| Complexions-Gorgc Birds TOR
| Salc-PoisOnous Reptiles.
| Wo landed at the market place in Rio
dc ,Ianciro, Brazil, says II correspondent
of the New York Times. and for hours
strollcd through thick set ranks of bas.
kcts of fruit, crates of fish, and tables of
flowers and vegetables, all presided over
by stalwart ncgresscs, or by half-brccd
Portuguese. The fruits were smooth,
ridgcd, knobbcd, or set with spincs, aud
oil every possible color-rcd, green, pur-
pie and yellow; the fish glittcrcd in piles
OF scaly and Shiny glistcr, which showed
all the lines of gold, ruby, opal aud
pearl the vegetables were queer in shape
and form, and suggested complicated
colics 20 any ono who should venture to
eat them; the flowers wcrc heavy and
languorous in smcll--thc nogrcssos
adorned themselves with more glory OF
color in tunics and turbnns than Solomon
himself ever dreamed of. As for the
Portuguese, they exposed nll sorts of
compilations, from nearly black to the
color shown by II saddle TINT hnd been
much ridden upon, aud filled the air with
smoke, loud talk and profuso brachial and
digital gcsticulntion. Birds with plumngc
that looked us il il had been dipped in
melted jewels hoppcd about and twittcrcd
! III cages, skins Of toucans and othor gor-
gcous dcnizcns of the tropical forests
hung on door-posts, monkeys chartered
and gibbcred from countless pcrchcs, and
in the mir above hundreds of frigatc
binds, with wings like those which the
urI, It.,1..
Bcclzcbub nn,l his attendants, gave added
bcwildcrmcnt of movement and confused
outcry To the scene.
Tho market was full Of customers,
mostly women, tottcring about in high
heclcd shoes and wearing lncc mnntilns,
and recalling wildly experiences in Sc
vile and Cadiz Like most of the Span-
ish women, too, the scnorns and scnoritns
whom we saw were generally plain, short,
and swnrthy, and manifested strong ten
dcncics, soon nftcr twenty-five, to dc.
vclop mustachcs and whisllcrs like grcnn.
dicrs. We cssayed TO purchase certain
fruits and curiosities ourselves, and were
warmly encouraged thereto by the squat
ting merchants ut basket nnd counter.
These sccnting the presence of foreigners,
who as foreigners and travellers must have
plenty Of money, nnivcly and promptly
advanced their prices some thousand per
cent for our benefit. Oranges, figs, nj.
ligator pears, and other small fruits
which were being sold on our arrival nj
four or five for IL penny were Mt once
quoted nj II shilling apiece, and no nbatc-
ment by the quantity. We found the
same condition Of affarB all through the
city; nor did we succeed in taking any
fruit to the boat savc few bananns
which we bought Of an old woman, who.
from deafness, ignorance or stupidity,
had evidently not learned of the provi.
DENTAL arrival Of opulcnt strangers.
We spent IN hour or more i'm the many.
colorcd and sleepy market, and were much
ediiicd on reaching the Cafe dc Qlobo-
one of the principal institutions of Rio dc
Janciro--to learn that We had been run
ming some risks, AS yellow fever had re-
Gently been prevalent. Breakfast was
ordered and VIC took ii ON II balcony over
looking the picturesque street, set with
quaint Spanish architecture aud throngcd
with brilliantly dressed loitcrs, diminu.
tive soldiers, and priests in long bnck
'''S' "hNs ohbNNt DuiS. IL NCTV ECOU
breakfast, too, of curricd pawns, cold
game, Spanish wines, and pungent Rio
coffee. Tho meal dispatched, the bill,
formidable document, with imposing
rows of figures and toinl ut the bottom
OF seventeen thousand rcis. Prodipiousl
M Dominic Sampson would exclaim, until
we remembered that Brazil adhcrcs TO the
absurd Portuguese system of financial
enumeration, in which it needs thousand
rcis TO make II half dollar. So the cirht
OF 'S who sat Mt meat joyously plankcd
down upon the table our dollars worth
or so of stovclids, pewter plates, and
pondcrols disks OF brass, copper, nickel,
and other base metals which constitute
the Brazilian coinage, and saw the waiter
staggcr away under the weight of the
spoil. Just MS we were departing he re-
turned. "Would we kindly remember
the waiter3" We gave him another
pound or two Of old iron and our bless
ing and left.
We then went TO money changers
and inquired for Brazilian paper cur
rcncY; the day was warm, VIC had far to
go, and all this weight of coin was |
"e"i "'hc--uhhBcrous, zoo, IOr III we |
should slip and fall in the streets VIC
should be like the knights in armor
made to resist muslset bullets, who,
when they were upset in iicnt, could by |
no mcans get upon their legs again.
Currency there was, truly, and in de-
nominations from 100 rcis upward-1OO
rcis being about five cents in American
money, as near as you can figure it.
Fancy full-proportioncd bank-notc
worth five cents! We spent eight of these
hundred-reis bills each in going by horse
car to the Botanical Gardens and back.
The conducto: was so swclled out with
bank-notcs at the end Of the trip that
he looked like scarccrow carelcssly
stuifed---money bulging out of his
pockets and the breast of his coat like
straw. Hc must have had at least
dollar and half on his person.
"A on af |