The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1896-01-23

leather and brass. There is a hummer,
connected with the church of San Francis
CO, that of Nossa Senhora Esperanza (Oul
Lady of Hope,) one of the few that since
the establishment of 1884 have been al
| lowed to expire by limitation. It's win
dows are guarded by massive iron graf
ings, as if criminals of deepest dye were
Gagged inside, instead of few innocent
and happy old women, who are some
times seen in black, their costumes and
white head dresses. The sojourner at
that the house of Our Lady of Hope had
gone with the rest, when disturbed by the
gruesome sound of it's midnight and early
morning bells calling the aged devotees to
prayer. The chapel connected with the
convent has some antique floral frescoing,
as bright and fresh as if painted yester-
day. And here, behind framework of
golden bars, is the celebrated Santa
Christie, an image of Christ which is re-
garded by the Azoreans with the utmost
reverence and has been richly endowed
with real estate and personal property.
Around its waist is rope OF gold and sill
ver, pearls and diamonds; and on it's
diadtm, breast plate, bracelets and other
attyInments and jewels estimated to value
several million dollars. While the wealthy
continue to bring their richer offerings
and devotees who have emigrated to
Brazil, OF elsewhere, send over Jewels.
rich stutfs, cargoes of coffee. sugar and
every conceivable commodity, the poor
pile its shrine every day with bread. wine
and fruit from their own scanty stores.
Returning from our tour Of the churches
to ten o'clock breakfast at the Inn, we
We're served upon a table bare of covering,
but beautifully polished by countless
scrubbings, with plates of brown earther-
ware, such as Northern housewives use
for baking pies, and a very large glass
tlagon with pewter gobiets, suggesting
the lost glories of Azorean vineyards. As
for the menu, there were the inevitable
eggs and chicken, with a lump of conger
eel, big as your head, served steaming
hot toward the close of the repast, las in
all Spanish and Portuguese countries fish
comes last corn bread, hot, hard and
heavy, coffee and fruit enough to gen
erously ration regiment. One ceremony
must never be neglected. The host comes
in, fills a pewter mug for each person
present with the passado, {native sweet
wine lifts another to his own lips and
gravely gives this toast or blessing;
''May the peace of God rest upon this
house for you, strangers and friends -
In the afternoon we followed the fash
ionable world of Ponta Deglada in
a long drive along the old Carminho
Grande, great road,) which leads to
Povoacao, one of the oldest towns in the
Azores, in the southeast part of the island.
The road is 40 feet wide, some of the way
cut in the rocky side of the mountain at
an elevation of 3. 600 feet, to which it
gradually ascends with occasional level
stretches, along which cool springs from
the upper heights empty into marble
basins. Farther on. you pass extensive
forests, and look down into deep ravines
and chasmS, with white Gotta ges and cul-
tivated lands in the valley below; YOU
finally reach the top of the mountain
ridge. when a scene of grandeur electrites
You with wonder and admiration. A vast
view of the ocean breaks upon the vision,
while beneath your feet, far, far below, lies
a tiny bay, guarded on either side by high
cliffs, off which the sails of fisher boats
look like aphrodites of the sea Away
to the south the indented mountains on
st. Mary's island are wrapped in silvery
mist; to the north, the slopes of the hills
are green with corn: to the west, the great
mountain, Pico da Nara, looms skyward
., 900 feet; and turning to the east, you
gaze down long slopes into the exquisite
valley which holds the town of Povoacao,
with its pretty villas and churches extend
ing to the seashore. FANNIE B. WARD.