Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-11-25
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Special Correspondence.

traveller who has visited Rio Dc Janelro
hnds many things In Oporto TO remind
him of that Portuguese city on the
other side Of the world. Brazil, the
former colony Of Portugal and peopled
10y the same race-though Just now
playing at being a republlc--remalns
as like the mother country In Ian.
Guage, architecture and habits Of life.
as IN the days Of King Joa and the lat.
est Dom Pedro. And then the
money-the same mil-reis, so lnani.
tessmal In value that Il going shop.
ping you need servant with wheel
barrow. rather than a pocket book.
On landing at oporto. about the first
thing You do e to seek some money.
changers establishment, there are sew
eral along the Quay) and Set your
American greenbacks converted into
Portuguese coin, with which to pay
porters fees, carriage hire and other
lncidentals You hand out ten dollars
az starter, and are amazed at the
am,dnt OF metal-copper iron. brass
ana nickel-whlch is piled upon the
counter In return. II looks like old
lunk-stoVe-lid pewter plates, and the
brass tags which landlords attach 10
their door Keys TO prevent them from
being carried of IN the pockets OF their
patrons. If ten dollars is such an
EMBARRASSMENT OF RICHES,
It would surely require a cart to get
away with hundred. Book.keepers
ana bankers must have hard time Of
1t In this country, with the long rows
OF figures that represent the ordinary
transactions OF banking and mercan-
tle nrms In the financial enumeration
OF Portugal, one thousand refs represent
what we call "a quarter" The word,
"reis Is the plural OF real, and the lat
Yer unit OF The monetary system equals
one twentieth OF the American penny,
ana Is written .0O0l. Fortunately. there
Is no such coin, the smallest being ten
lels. The pieces In circulation are a
nickel OF 200 refs, which answers for
our hVe-cent piece; another nickel Of
100 reis and a copper coin Of 40 refs.
whenever you buy anything In Portu-
gal, a certain ungainly copper coin is
sure 10 be returned In change; and not
knowing what to do with il. you say.
Keep the change" with an air OF a
John Jacob Astor. The truth Is. 1t Is
worth less than half a cent. and be-
ing too large to put into the pocket, is
only nj Tor a paper weight. or to drive
nails with.
The paper money Is lighter. OF course.
but equally absurd In values: and there
Is more danger In handling It. in this
plague-smtten city. The dirty scrip.
which nothing could induce YOU To-
touch, runs from two mil refs to a max
lmum Of 800, Fancy a proportional
bank note worth five cents! II takes
twenty bills, each worth 100 mil rels.
TO pay for the carriage In which you
ride from the landing, or railway sta
ton, 10 hotel. II IL a long. uphill
drive, and the Jehu may turn a few
more honest refs by picking
up another customer en- route
You observe that the breast
OF his checkered linen blouse. which
serves the triple purpose OF coat, vest
and shlrt-bulges more and more as
the journey progresses. until al It's end
be looks like a "bloated bondholder."
or a carelessly stuffed scarecrow. hav-
ing perhaps as much as two dollars
and a half In his clothes! one OF these
deceptive Portuguese bills closely re-
sembles the
OLD GREENBACKS
Of home. and has the satisfying figures
oVO, engraved upon It's back and sides
and Tour corners together with the
high sounding words, "Quinentos Refs"
! The feeling OF wealth which the possess
sion Of a few of these produce in the
mind OF a stranger, is speedily dis
! PEELED, however, when he finds how lit
tie they vii buy On inquinng the
! price OF living az hotel, you are at
INST astounded 10 learn that II is sew
eral hundred thousand reis per diem,
and are positively frightened when the
laundry bill Is presented In six figures
until you come 10 reckon II over In
Uncle Samuel's money and realize that
the charge is very moderate, after all.
You are delighted TO note In Oport0,
as In Brazil, the entire absence Of the
female hat. and anything that remotely
| resembles a flower decked or feather
trimmed bonnet Neither are there
any tailor-made women or bachelor
eirls, or old maid men, or bicycles, or
automobiles, OF other fin de steele in
ventlons IN this happy kingdom While
the peasants array themselves IN the
dull blues and reds and puppies and
yellOws Of nearby Africa, displayed IN
fantastic combination. black appears to
be the fayorite color OF the upper
classes, at least for street weaL Ac-
cOrdlng 20 the universal Latin fashion,
whether met IN Europe, America, or
the isles OF the sea, the gowns OF the
ladies tip up In front 10 the shoe tops
and sweep the dirty streets IN the rear,
while their wearers ssunter gracefully
along the promenade. but the black
lace mantilla--last remnant Of the
Moorish veil Of their ancestors-en-
hances dark-eyed beauty as no modern
headgear could do. | am told that
not always was there such a dearth OF
bOnnets in Oporto; il came about with
King .Amadeos reign In Spain, whose
eSueme appropriately banshed every
thing even remotely French from the
whole Iberian peninsula.
Oporlo Is said to be the cleanest city
In Portugal. and IL that Is true heay-
en- save the dirtiest The people as
a rule, seem 10 have no idea OF that
virtue which Is said 10 be akin TO god
illness, and uunamable denominations 10
sight and smell everywhere abound.
But II Is a city Of marked contradic-
tons, OF
LIGHTS AND SHADOWS.
riches and poverty sharply contrasted.
The streets rise In terraces. directly
nom and parallel with the quay. IN
some places appearing 10 oyerhang one
another, crossed at right angles by
other streets, climbing the hills so
stecply that few can be traversed by
wheeled vehicles Two or three streets
near the waters edge. and those Oh the
summit. are wide. well built up and
comparatively clean bu, the heart OF
the old city Is composed OF dark and
crooked alleys, filthy beyond compare.
some Of the houses built on activities
50 nearly perpendicular that they are
reached by steps cut into the rock.
Buildings OF six or more stories ris-
Ing close above each other. shut out the
sky. aud being set back. allow no ven
tllation. In this pestlferous labyrinth
the poorest classes are packed, as
closely as the sardnes that form their
staple diet. As FOR sanitation, as We
know Il, there Is absolutely none In this