The Republican journal., 1892-06-30

motives are used, one at each end of the
train. The scenery is indescribably beau
tiful, especially in the neighborhood OF
Palmeiras, a little station overlooking the
Marcos valley, which has a high reputa-
ton as health resort. After leaving
enormous valley, full forty miles wide,
bordered by the coast range on one hand
and the Sierra da Mantiqueira on the other.
In the latter range, the splendid peak
''Itatiaia," (the highest in Brazil, about
5000 feet, is in full view; and immediate
ly west of the mountains are the most
city of San Paulo, with its so, 600 inhabi-
tants, lies between two small rivers, on an
elevated plain which is surrounded on all
sides by low green hills, half a days jour
ney from the heart Of the coffee district.
Its streets are narrow and rambling, laid
out regardless of system of general regu
larity, and have pavements OF red sand
stone. Near its center is pretty public
garden with 4 tall observation tower
something like the Washington monument
on "A small scale. Tramways rum to the
Suburbs where arc many charming coun-
try homes, a large portion Of them occll-
pied by English. American and German
families. The houses are mostly one
Storicd. some of them built OF stone but
more commonly of mother earth, slightly
moistened and then baked in the sun.
The modus opcrandi of constructing Il
palace from this cheap and plentiful ma
telal is as follows DIG down several feet,
as If you were to lay the foundation for a
mansion of stone or brick then commence
filling in with moistened earth, which
must be beaten hard as possible. As the
wall rises above the ground, frame of
planks is set up. to keep it within proper
dimensions, this clubing being moved up
wards as fast as required, until the whole
is completed. The walls are generally of
enormous thickness, and under the tropic
sun soon become ndurated. like one mas
sive brick OF stone, impervious alike to
fire and water. When covered by pro-
iecting roof of tiles to preserve the adobe
from the effect of rain, they have been
known to stand for three centuries; and
when handsomely finished, outside and
cement, they resemble polished marble,
and are far more imposing than the
great mass OF frail structures one sees in
the United States.
The roofs of san Paulo houses project
five or six feet over the street. attording
cooling shade to the interior and protect
ing passers-by from the sun and rain.
The CITY bears no resemblance to any 9th
er in Brazil-but with its white cottages
embowered in trees, its green prailes
dotted by herds, and it's background of
distant mountains, reminds one of Pied
mount and Burgundy; while the quantity
overhanging caves give it an appearance
not unlike NcVay on Lake Geneva, and
the immense plantations of genuine
Chinese tea that flourish in the neighbol-
hood. transport one III imag ination to the
interior OF the Flowery Kingdom. In 9TH
er respects, too, san Paulo differs from
the rest of Brazil, for its great Univer-
sity-the oldest and best in the country
has exercised a marked influence upon
the people. The word dinheiro, (moneyl
does not sound constantly in your ears
here as in Rio dc .Ianciro and society mas
less of A commercial and more of an intel
lectual ain
The history of this section dates back to
an early period in the settlement of the
New World by Europeans, to the year
1535, when some of the Jcsuits who ac-
companied Thome de Souza (thc first
Captain General of the Portuguese colonies
in BraziD found their way to this plain,
which they named Piratininga They
built mud hut here, in which they es-
tablished a school for instructing the In
dians; and from that humble beginning
sprang the famous college, which occu-
pies the same site. The early school hap
pened to be consecrated on Jan. 25th
Q354), ),-the day on which the conversion
of Saint Paul is everywhere celebrated by
the Romish Church-and SO they consider
ed The Apostle the special patron of the
place and gave his name to the town and
subsequently to the province. The Uni
Versity of San Paulo, with its Academy of
Laws, has long ranked first among all the
literary Institutions of South America
Its C,uso Jurdico, has upwards of five
hundred students and occupies the old
FRANCISCAN convent, the Government hay
ing compelled the Monks to abandon it to
its present more profitable use. The lee
ture and reception rooms are ON the first
floor, the professors room and library on
the second and there are ample court
yards wherein the students ramble and
memorize their lessons by reading them
aloud, and two great chapels with vaulted
roofs and many Monkish relics.
The library of the institution contains
some 10000 volumes, mostly the old
FRANCISCAN collection, added to by be-
quests of two OF three defunct Bishops
and AN occasional donation from the gov
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