The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1892-04-21

Rua de Mise ricordia, occupying an angle
between the old Palace and the Depart
ment of Agriculture. In the colo NAL
times it was used for city hal | and jail
are the Post Office and government print
ing establishment. The first is a sub-de-
partment, under the general control of the
Minister of Agriculture, and is situated in
the Rua Primeiro de Marco, (Street of the
first of March), near the Custom House.
1t occupies only half a building, the
Gao, OF sinking fund and redemption bu-
reau of the Treasury The new and hand
some Photographer National, National
printing office was begun in the summer
OF "A. and finished within three years at
a cost of 81 900, 592, including it's new
machinery. The main building is a radi-
cal departure from the styles of architec-
ture most employed in Brazil, it's facade
being ornamented by symbolic designs in
relief. and the statues of Faust, Guten-
berg, Coster and Schoetfer. The commO-
dious offices are provided with machinery
for type founding and stereotyping; the
large halls on the upper floor are used for
lectures and exhibitions, and one on the
lower floor is given over to lottery draw
ings. Never was government printing
office 50 important in financial point of
view as this, because the infant Republic
| having little use for its presses, amuses
| itself with the costly toy by putting out
new issues of bank notes every day, with
truly infantile regardlessness of the pro-
portion of notes to coin reserves. When
| went to the money changers office, to get
some English sovereigns converted into
Brazilian paper, the obliging clerk ask
ed if the bills were for immediate use and
advised me to get rid OF them as quickly
as possible because counterfeits of notes
are so common that the government fire.
| uuently orders out of circulation certain is
sues that are found to be initiated thus
rendering valuelcss both the good notes
and the bad. The first printing press in
Brazil. after that imported by the Dutch
and used by them during their brief occu-
| pancy of PeInambuco-was set up in Rio
in the year 1908, by ID. .Joao VI. for the
publication of a Royal Gazette, OF Court
Journal \ few years later a second one
was set up in Bahia, and these two were
the only ones in the country until the
present century was one quarter gone.
| Now that the press en- Joys rather more
liberty than formerly, there are a larger
number of private printing offices. The
best newspaper in Rio, The News Vrinted
in English) is owned and edited by an
American, Mr. \. j. Lamorerlx, who halls
from ST. Louis, | think.
Though Rios streets are not much to
boast of in the way of width OF paving,
least There is the ''Street of Good Je-
sus, John the Baptist Street, ''Sev-
cnth Of September Street, ''>trect of
Sac Sebastiao, named i'll honor of the
young kin" of Portugal rather than the
Saint. and several :. Joaos (>aint .JohnS)
and d. .Ioaos. the first Portuguese en-
pcror OF Brazil, father Of Dtn Pedro |.
| The Wall Street OF Rio is the Rue Dincta,
and during the morning hours when the
coffee exchange is open it presents an
animated appearance. one may hear near
| ly all the languages of the world spoken
there, as merchants, planters. specula-
tors commission men and agents OF trans
tation lines wranglc over business >pecu-
ations are chiefly confined To coffee and
! the buying and selling Of exchange on
| London.
About three o'clock every afternoon,
and again in the evening, ''eveINbody rs
is anybody hicS to the Rua de Ouvoidor,
a narrow alleyway in which two meeting
carriages could not possibly pass, were
carriages allowed in that which
they are not. Like the Portalcs of Lima
the .\lemada of Santiago, the Plaza Vic
toria of Buenos -Ayres and La lndepen-
dencia of Montcvideo, it is the fashion
able promenade and beauty show of
| Rio, where hrtations are carried on
and matches made between the ''gilded
| youth and dark-eyed damsels of Portu-
guesc- Spanish Negro blood During fash
ionable hours the Ouvdos is literally
packed with people not only from end to
end, but from wall to wal-for the mid
die of the street is as frequently patroniz-
ed as the three foot wide idewaks Here
new dresses direct from Paris and ere
ations' in bonnets are displayed for the
first time to the admring populacc: while
officers of the army and navy, in all the
glory of gold lace and gaudy uniforms.
and officers from the ships of every ma
ton anchored in the harbol, add bril-
| liancy to the scene,--the whole watched
over by the mulatto eendarmes that con
stitute the police OF Rio. in their lud-
crously elaborate costumes. The diamond
dealers and other principal merchants
| have their establishments in the R,la GU
vidor, and SO have the curio collectors.
and the vendors of those exquisite feath-
er-tlowels made bv the Brazilian nuns