The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1892-10-13

deck, on which the sailor may perform
his labors, while the steersman sits perch
! ed on the roof of the round house. The
whole thing looks so topheavy that one
| expects to see it capsiZe in the first gale
of wind; but am told that such a catas-
/ trophy seldom occurs. One special adj
vantage Of the round house is that it furn-
ishes room for the swinging of ham,
mocks, which saves the anoemen the
trouble of going ashore to sleep, where
they would have to suspend their beds
from the trees The whole waterfront
of Para is perpetually lined with the queer
est crafts, from under whose awnings OF
thatch the shy, brown faces of Indian
women on the bold black ones of negresses
peer out, while naked children tumble all
| over it and parrots. macawS and monkeys
scream and chatter among the rigging.
Many of these boats have come down from
| the distant interior 10 market their wares
at Para few gaily painted gourds, dec
grated clay pots Brazil nuts, fish, cocao
| and annatto The latter is a pigment
made from seeds of Il burr, which grows in
| great abundance on a wild bush called
ulucu in Brazil and achote in Peru. Each
bush gives two crops yeal OF seeds which
are about the size of No. ; shot, contain
ed in a pricllly burr which looks like Il
cllinquapin The bul1s are picked Just be
| fore they open and are laid in the sun to
dry. when the seeds are trodden out The
coloring matter is red powder covering
| the seeds, the principal OF winch is OBJ
tanned by soaking twenty-four hours in
water and then beating the seeds to pulp.
| The pulp is put into a Sieve made Of coarse
cotton and water poured through it Two
or three times This liquor is then boiled
to the consistency OF putty little salt is
added. and it is packed in baskets lined
and covered with leaves. 1t is really one
of the best of pigments and brings in Para
| five dollars the arroba. OF thirty pounds.
Many small island. all densely wooded
are clustered around Maraio and the lat
ter is easily mistaken for the main land.
since from Para it extends both ways be
yond the limits of vision. There are no
villages along this part OF the Amazon
but occasionally the isolated hut of a fish
erlnan or rubber hunter is seen, its sides
of families live along the shore in their
canoes, which are drawn up in the slime
and floating debris. The river looks thick
with yellow mud and its current, running
about four miles an hour, carries along
huge logs, floating trees, fruits. and a
great many islands Of tangled weeds and
grass. 50 re OF them forty and fifty feet
square, like the Floating islands on the
Vega near the City OF Mexico, and in the
Paraguay river. There are several vii
lagos on the coast OF Maraio, but none.
believe. inland. The most important are
BreNes Corlalinho. Boayista, Auana,
SQUIRE and salNatena The two latter
being nearest to Para. are the Newport
and Long Branch of the region where the
wealthy Paranese come TO spend the
cheated term between September and
March. The tide brings i'll fine flow of
sea water something as at Old Point Com
fort. and the bleczes blow much coulel
than IN the Capital city At both resorts
there are cottages and passahle hotel
and the fine beach presents an animated
scene, not tn mention a fine oppor-
tunity for the study OF anatomy at all
hours of the day and evening After the
hours in which fashionable people dispor1
themselves. los D0ires flock down Ell
mt,se and literally blacken the waters
men. women and children together. with
out amy folmalities i'll the way OF bathing
suits, (or amy other way, for that matterl
with as much enjoyment and absence o.
shame as So many amphibious animals.
The bank, of the island are lined Will
market gardens. from which vegetables
are sent To Para Farther back are small
farms, where sugar-cane. cocoa, cotton
rice and maudiUca are grown. But the
great industry Of Marajo is the exporta
ton Of cattle the trade reaching twenty
thousand head a year, furnishing beef TO
Para and other Amazonian towns Th,
butchering and selling is all done in Para
under municipal directions. and the pric,
of beef is regulated by law-usuallv abou
six cents per pound. The cattle ar,
brought over in small vessels fitted for the
purpose and landed AT the wliaryes of tn,
government slaughter houses whose loca
ton you may easily determine by til,
great number nf zipalotes, (vultues)
which are always lowering like a blacl
pail above it.
Another thing which the government
now wisely regulates is the turtle-egg liar
vest which otherwise would soon becom,
extinct. Everybody las heard OF the IA
) nous Iartaruga. or AmaZonan turtle
which abounds by millions all along TIN
river and its at1luents. and of the nantei9;
da taltaruga, (tultie-egg butter-a sub
stance peculiar to this quarter OF the globe
At certain seasons of the year they com,
ashore and deposit their eggs in the sand
Then the streams will be fairly speckle,
al Al, 4 I.l.