The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-10-30
TIE nvLLYs OF PAnA.

Thu BELLIES OF PARA.
The ladies Of Para are rs renowned for
their beauty as the bellies of Linn. but
one seldom gets n glimpse Of any female
members of the aristocracy on the streets.
for they live as secluded, almost. as their
Moorish great grandmothers. even taking
their airings in closed carriages. Only at
church, the theatre and cOrtejas may they
be seen; and then the curious stranger
is apt TO be disappointed. Though their
black eyes are beautiful and hair glossy
and abundant, their features are POrtu-
guese and compleNi0ns generally the color
Of an old shoe, while the majority show
unmistakable traces Of negro or Chinese
blood, or an unpleasant mixture Of many
natonalities. And, like their sisters I'm
all hot countries who lead lives of mac
tivity, they are inclined to excessive fat
and shapeiessness, TO the growing OF
mOustaches and a tendency TO greasiness
at an age when Northern women have
hardly reached their prime.
''BLAcE-AND-TaN."
Trarsplanted Portuguese civilization has
fourished well under the blue skies and
I'm the genial climate Of this portion Of
the New World; and the Brazilian In
dians-a more gentle and tractabie race
than the savagcs OF North America-toOlI
so kindly 10 their cOnquerors that a
gradual amalgamation Of the Latin and
aboriginal races has taken place. Had
the country been colonlzed with Anglo
Saxons instead such a fusion would not
have been possible. Portugal and Spain
had felt the influence OF the Arabs. and
their tawny skins and other personal
characteristics differed from the Indians
only in degree. So the mixed brown and
white mingled easily with the darker
shade Of brown. and having been since
largely adulterated with African blood.
not TO mention Monaghan and every
other nation under the sun, the term
"blaclI-and-tan" is no MISSIONER herea-
bouts
LFss THAN oNF-rHIBD CAUCAsIANs.
OF the 100000 people now occupying
Brazil not quite one-third are Caucasians,
and In the majority OF individual cases
they are so largely mixed as hardly 10
deserve the name. Another third are ne
grOes less than one-tenth are Indians.
and the rest come under the general head
Of Metis, or mixed beyond classification.
The nrst-the educated. generally wealthy
and comparatively white Portuguese.
Brazilians, Spanish-B razilians and Sax
on-BraZilians, whether planters, pOiti-
clans, merchants or gentlemen Of leisure
are naturally the ruling class. as In all
nations OF mixed races, the whitest,
though I'm ever so small minority, are
the controlling element. To these should
be added the soldiers; for, though the
rank and file shade from black-and-tan 20
ebony, they are Offered by white men.
OF commanding talent and influence. II
was they who wrought the recent revolu-
ton which overthrow an empire really
against the wishes Of the majority OF
BrazlIians outside the capitaD, who GUS
ted the first President I'm the beginning OF
his term, and are capable at any time OF
any sort OF political overturnlng.
OF the negroes there is not much 10 be
said. They came originally from the
same West African tribes as other Ameri-
can negroes; and as they have but lately
emerged from slavery. their capacity :or
self-goyernment under the Republican
system can easily be judged. There are
many names 10 designate the different
shades OF colored citizens. Scientifically,
the lighter ones are classed as mulattoes,
quadroons, octoroons. melarioids. leuco-
melanoids. etc. and locally those darker
than mulattoes are known as 'metifs."
and critics" They are found In every