Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-01
INTERIOR OF PRIVATE HOUSE IN PARA


man psy double the price on the same thing at
q different time. Bribery IL universally prac-
ticed, with very little effort at concealment and
quite a a matter Of course. and by judiciously
"seeing the proper officials in advance an i'm
porter may reasonably expect to be highly
favored.
The Brazilian plan Of collecting revenues Is
full OF absurdite- Ready-rnade clothing, for
Instance. is taxed according TO its weight with
no reference 10 The value Of the material, SO
tha; the sho'iiiesi OF ''shOddy" garments paw
more than those % the finest Quality Shoes
pay according to she length Of the soles: and
therefore the lower ciasses are compelled to
peTampulate barefooted. for the immense bro
sans Of the negro foot. which has the ankle set
about In the middle OF IT, cost several times as
much ~ a lady's French kid slippers Aud
every petty of ciAl has thousand WAYS Of i'm
posing upon foreigners and making them pav a
heayy bonus 10 prevent conhscaiion Of their
goods for alleged false billing. Thus IL box of
stove bolts or screws come labeled bolts Z"
II NAV be held and the receiver compelled to
pay a heavy ine because it was not marked
''screus and vice versa, according 10 the
vhirns Of the customs officers. Dried fish and
dried meat of which enormous quantities are
received AZ this port. both for consumption in
Para and other towns farther up the Amazon
ars fruitful sources Of trouble. EVERYBODY
knows that fsh aud meat may be dried by
smoke or IN the sun or by the two processes
combined, and II the shipping bill does not eX-
pres-ly state these particulars any ignoramus
vested with n little authority concerning the
customs who has not been seen to his entire
satisfaction may not only refuse to deliver up
th~ goods ~ their rightful owner. but may
actually punish the latter by filming lin for
somebody else's sin OF onaission-
How IMMIGRANTS wEEE DECEIVED
A few wears ago . company OF twenty-five or
Shirty farmers and their families from the
United States were induced BY the lavish prom
ises Of some immigration bureau 10 settle in
Brazil. Many Of them invested all their money
IN farming implements and wagons. expecting
70 revolutionixe agriculture down here in n
hurry; but when arrived In the land Of promise
they found that thsre were enormous duties on
ell such personal property. in some instances
amounting % much more than the first cost Of
The articles. and that they would not be allowed
70 move one Of them from the custom house
al every cent had been paid This meant utter
ruin to the wOuld-be colonists, aud in most
eases the property would have remained to this
dAy in darinee but for the effort Of the United
States consul and a temporary modification Of
TIE Law In favor Of these emigrants-
A every school boy knows, Brazil has about
the same area the United States, but with
her something more than zoo. 900 square miles
of territory -he 10 land poor. having by the
largest estimate barely Il, 900 600 Inhabitants.
OnIy about one-third Of that number are
sArysn," or people with q considerable proper
Sipn Of white blood in their veins. and in this
snsrvsting climate 10 requires unauthorized