The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-04-10
guns. was the sight of the first settlement
of Rio do JaneIro In 1855.

Hret olsen parked. and then the steamer
proceeds to the upper anchorage. where the
passengers and their luggage are dis
charged. Customs officials are at once put
on board, who remain night and day at
their posts until the steamer is again ready
for sea. All baggage IS sent directly to the
custom house. near the Caes dos Minerros,
where passengers can claim il at any time
between a. NJ. and P. VI. Moth
ing can be passed on board
without special permission. not even
your handbag or shawl-strap. 1t is wise
plan 10 pack the few things needed for
day or two into grip-sack. ana leave the
trunks to their fate until you are estaD-
hshed III hotel and equal TO engaging In
the customary wrestle at the Caes One
should remeinber that passports are re-
CURED both on entering and leaving Brazil,
and no steamship company is permitted TO
sell a ticket to foreigner until his pass
port has been properly vised at the central
police station. For that no charge Is made,
though the passport cOst dollar at the
Department of State in Washington, and
another dollar for an oath before q notary
that you are not somebody eise-a specimen
of red tape" equal to that which coInpels
needy females who are SO fortunate
as to secure a seventy fve-dollar clerkship
in Uncle SsmuePs treasury. to make oath
land pay for the sanlel that they have
never borne arms against the govern
ment.' Recently Rios police authorities
sular wise before their own and this in
wolves slight expense. There is also port
regulation which forbids any communion
ton with vessels in the harbor after 8 p. NJ.
without n special permit. Therefore, lfyou
are nDacquainted with the Portuguese Ian
guage aud have gone ashore merely for
look about town. you would better keep an
eye on your watch and not put faith in the
rosy lights that linger long on the mount
ain tops after the sun has disappeared
m Un w n m m N r
able hours in prison and require the serv-
ices of the United States consul In the
morning, and meanwhile the ship may sail
away without you.
PLUNDERED BY BOATMEN.
Passengers will find no difficulty IN find
ing boats TO take them ashore. for as soon
as steamer stops 1t is surrounded by them
like flies around q molasses barrel. The
RIo ooatmen drive q roaring trade at oil
seasons, and it is one of their numerous
practices to land passengers for o moderate
sum and then refuse to take them back
until the helpless travellers have, IN effect,
transferred TO them chattel mortgage of
all the worldly goods OF which they stand
al that moment possessed. The bOatmen
have the best of it every time, be-
ing In league with one another, espe-
clally when their victims have acted as
passengers generally do. and staid on shore
until the very last minute before the ship
Is to Gail. The common price each way is
2OO0 reis. though two passengers are ofte n
carried on the one fare. The law requires
all boats TO be numbered and registered,
as are all the public vehicles and carreg-
adores tporters) in the city; and 1t is we'll
TO make q note OF these in case any mis-
understanding shall arise.
While we fingered on the massive stone
dock that lines the water front of Rio, we
noticed curious steam yacht close By,
afxaNo u ME
strange flag flying. I'VE wondered with
languld interest what it could be- but aid
not inquire. there being none
but POrtuguese-speakng people at
dnove down to and litter with sics
man on 1t, was hauled out by some uni
formed persons and put on board. Every
body fell back with a most surprising show
of respect every body but ourselves. we
wanted to see what was going Onl; utter
silence fell for q moment upon the noisy
throng. and thought within myself that
had never seen wharf loafers display SO
little intrusive curiosity. Was it some
member of the royal fam,ly-some noble
Dom Pedro going out for an airing
in his private YACHT Just then the
purser. looking somewhat pale. came
harrying up" For heavens sake. be cried.
that thing went by" What thing" we
innocently asked. why, tho hospital
yacht. TO be- sure, loaded down TO the
guards with smallpox and yellow fever"
MONEY OF THE COUNTRY.
The first place on shore that foreigner
generally seeks is tho establishment Of
some money changer. in order to convert
his American gold or English sovereig ns.
or the coin of the last country he visited.
into the circulating medium" of Brazil
And very much astonished will he be when
the changer hands over q hugo pile of
metal-cOpper. brass, iron and nickel. that
looks like old pewter plates, stove-li0s
and the ponderOus brass tags that land
prevent them from being carried of in the
pockets of their patrons A very few
American dollars. exchange added, when
converted into to the currency of this
country. require cart. rather than q
pocket-book, In which to take it away.
Brazil still adheres 10 the absurd old Por-
tuguese system of financial enumeration.
in which 1t takes two thousand reis to
meke what We call half q dollar, the word
"reis" being the plural OF real. When reis
ore at par, one hundred of them are worth
about five cents American money. What a
hard time of 1t Brazilian book keepers mn st
have, with the long lines of figures
which represent the ordinary commercial
transactions of tho banking or mercantile
house. For example, real, the unit of the
monetary system. Is written OS00l and is
equal to the value of oue-twcntIeth of the
United States cent. There 10 no such coin
In circulation. the smallest being 10 reis
There is u copper coin of 40 reis. and nickel
coin OF 100 refs. and another of 200 refs.
Next comes the paper money in notes of ! 900
refs. called milreis. There are 2 milreis.
>. 10, 20. 80. 20 and 100, TO a maximum of
500 milreis. numerically expressed this
way-S500. 600. Then there is imaginary
denomination named n contO, which mean 8
thousand milreis. and Is expressed in pa
per 1:OO0S. The par value OF the paper mil
reis is equal 10 about 81 cents American
money; but. of course, 1t varies with the
times. On the day of the revolution. Nov.
ID, 1889, it was ut par. and has never been
since. A while ago it was down to " cen Is,
and to-day 1t is up to p cents.
1T TAKES LOTS OF MONEY.
A copper coin of the old monarchy, worth
half n cent. still circulates largely in
northern Brazil. which Is fit only TO use in
driving nails for paper weights. being
altogether too heavy 10 carry in any pock-
ct. Though they lay around ever SO care
lessly, nobody ever steals them, being too
burdensome TO got away with. On inquir-
ing the price of living at hotel. you are at
first amazed 10 lind that it is SO MANY mil
reis per diem; and absolutely staggered
when the laundry bill is present
ed in six figures. Fancy a
full proportioned bank note worth
cents. 1t takes eight of these hundred
milries bills TO pay for q horse car ride ont
TO the botanical gardens and back. In
course of that rather long drive Won will
observe that the conductors pockets and
more with these bank notes, till by the
time he ia oppressed with n dollar and n