The Republican journal., 1892-05-26
A Chatty Letter from Brazil.

->pecial Correspondence of the Journal. ]
RIO DE JANEIRo, Brazil, Apr. IA. Does
, not strike you as strange, considering the
.,,t that more than half the coffee con-
.,med in the world is grown in Brazil,
-,,t one seldom sees Brazilian coffee adj
,ertised? Should you ask your grocer for
hest Brazilian he would not know what
1--WE YOU. The reason why is because
he best coffee grown in Brazil is sold I'M
;., he name of Java and Mocha
,,1 large share of the inferior grades
~, marked '.Bourbon'' and Martin
.le. Yet now a days the latter island
.roduces hardly more than 800 sacks of
flee in year-a mere drop in the world S
bic bucket: and Bourbon yields perhaps
900 sacks per annum-just about enough
simply the markets of Rio for twenty
tur hours At least nine-tenths of all
t .'Mocha'' coffee that you drink with
.ich gusto because it cost an extra price,
.tlle small, round bean of the Brazilian
rlut. picked from the tips of the upper
.ncheS where the ropic sun has had
.~f chance to infuse richness into it,
,t afterwards carefully ''separated" by
..rN The Fazendeiros, coffee planters
yrazil. unlike those of Java, do not
.r their crops under any special trade
..1]z. and between the Fazendeiro and
-.. Exporter class of ''middle men, I'M
r.un elsewhere, intcrvene-half bank
half Enthusiastically designated as
Mumisalios; who lower the standard OF
"a. .rop by mixing different harvests,
relieving individual producers of all
uonsibilitv and depriving the product
u- true value.
nave often heard it remarked that
.re is no drunkenness in Brazil: but the
element is untrue not perhaps SO tar as
ohoIit drinks are concerned, but the
aolc country is perpetually in state Of
in1oXication on coffee; men, women
i .l,.hildrcn alike. and to babies in arms
4 IS fed from a spoon. 1t is a common
\ .Hiuo among Brazilians that coffee to be
Il and must be .'black as night, bitter as
ath and hot as hell" and at all hours
av and night. in season and out, every
d5 literally guzzles it--made according
the proverb. The effect is plainly ap-
lpnt in trembling hands, twitchlnS eye
mummy-hued skins and a chronic
-Itr If nervous eNcitability, worse than
at produced 10y whisky. Are you over
a,ed in the MONDAY sun or chilled by
}ews OF evening, are you weaned or
4 lue." on suffering from bodily pain or
uc,ickness. coffee is the Brazilian I'M
inc panacea. as the Chinese turns to
>,l,ium and the topper to his toddy. 1t
brought to your bedside the instant you
awake i'm the morning and just before
nj are expected to drop of in sleep at
at meals and between meals. and
ncyer a caller comes in always black
ught, bitter as death and hot as sheol.
injected with each of the theatres is Il
dcn or cafe. to which the people repair
u. every act, to partake OF ices. CON
-lnaty. WITHSTAND coffee, of course
vi >taking OF theatres. there are French,
vi ulsll and Portuguese performances, and
ug the winter season there IS Italian
t.l two OF three times week all very
ually patronizcd by the upper classes.
not by any means for sake of music
1 rama. for the performances are con-
od merely an adjunct to social con
yation and display OF fashionable at
Talking goes on unrestricted all
WI the house. and those on the stage see
4 ,.a Of the backs of the audience than
faces The most fashionable place
FN Ac treat theatre de Dom Pedro Segun-
50 vast that portion OF the audi
II could not hear much anyway, even
it considered good form to listen.
1 builders overdid it in the matter of size,
n it is capable of seating 800 besides
1 unusually wide corridors and prone
/ galleries and innumerahle dressing
lunch rooms. The Emperor had two
in this BIG theatre-one a small pri-
4 box, and the other the grand and
A -cpuS box of the State. Whenever the
1 cable old gentleman had been out din
4 somewhere and wished to look in Il
pailet a few moments before returning
is good wife i'll the country home al
hristavoa, he could slip into his pri-
box without attracting much atten-
WI But when the Grand Mogul $50
4 whose stern mandates even AZ
ba4 olur must obey. demanded that he
IN eu in state, he carried his jewcleC
N II anoeur and his family to the BIG pro
,dt4 mum box. ON each occasion he dashed
II 10 the theatre door with his uniformed
ldS, equerlieS and beiewelled gentle
groX l waiting: and as he entered the box
ana& play was instantly suspended the ac-
dud actresses and ballet dancers pauS-
L thrir tracks. the orchestra struck III
II soul stirring IIymno Nacional. ant
people sprang to their feet and made
ALTERS ring with ''Niva Dom Pedr,
udo. Then the kind old fogy smil
A"Ned took his seat and play, sona
lance proceeded am told that pre-
HAT performance took place on til,
Nitrl, 1,,