Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1901-04-11
BRAZILIAN SCENES.
Extracts from Letters Of A. c. Smith
Of Tunbridge.

/ namDucO, Brazil. ana Viii write again and
mail at Santos or Sac PaulO, and hope il
will reach you before the end Of February,
Also as We left PernambucO a steamer OF
another line that left New York Jan. jth
came in, and hope there may be mail from
/ home for as.
! We reached Pernambuco the 18th and
| stayed four days and had time to see the
best part Of the city, which has a pOpula-
4 tiOn OF nearly 10000 inha bitants.
The mole, or breaSwater, is a coral reef
about two miles long and a width of six To
| ten feet Of masonry on top running at a
| small angle from below the city along the
water front and about 200 yards from it,.
| At the sea end is a lighthouse and vessels
| have to take a Curving course around IL
and are anchored in lines near to the
/ breakwater. We had to go ashore in a
| boat each time, but the bOatman was de
! lighted to take us for a few mllres-
! Imagine the city like the pictures you
| have seen Of Mexican or South American
lcities, for everything is stone or rubbish
and mortar faced up smoothly. Roofs are
| of earthern tiles and are of all cOlOrs, so
! they make a very picturesque scene. The
| finest buildings are the churches and ca
| thedrals.
The bridges over the river and numerous
canals are also very good, being Of English
/ construction.
sugar and cotton are the principal
! exports and PeruambuCO is the largest
/ sugar market In the world, most OF the
/ trade being in the hands OF the English
merchants, who have fine houses at Olinda.
Goods are handled ON land by OK leams'
one to a long narrow wagon. From wagon
| to warehouse trOt a line of negroes and
( half breeds, naked to the waist, and
seldom with shoes or slippers. The sacks
| of raw sugar are put on their heads and off
/ they go at shambllng trot, and the sacks
weigh from $50 TO 80 pounds. The negroes
are finely developed, but rather short from
| carrying such weight on their heads. They
are better featured and lighter m color
/ than the African uegroes,and a less vicious
I race Drinking its common ln all classes,
! but drunkenness ls almost unknown and
( pOlItenes- and good hum0r are far more IN
I evidence than in the States. The streets
and sidewalks are narrow crooked ana
/ badly paved. Street cars are open, poor
and old. drawn by two mules that Whl
not weigh more than 300 pounds each
more like donkey- than anything else, but
/ they will draw those cas-. with forty pas
! sengers on Inc trot or galiop, ana whipped
every minute, yet they say they will live
/ twenty years or more and are worth more
/ than horses. The horses even ON nice car
/ rIages are not much larger than shetland
/ ponies. and an imported Clydesdale led
| through the streets Dire" everybody TO
/ look at him.
| Everybody here smokes, men, women,
| children and even the priests, and in every
place except the churches. cigarettes
mostly, and different from those i'm the
States.
Imported goods are very high in price
and much priced. as the native goods are
all cotton and poor i'm quality. The gem
eral articles of footwear. except among the
upper class, are slippers without heels and
/ thew shuttle along any way.
Police and soldiers are everywhere in
their gaudv uniforms. and it was said they
could fight. but IN agree to take care Of
any three ! saw. for all classes are below
medium height. except the land workers.
There are three classes-the original Indi-
ans. Portuguese and halfbreeds, and rich
and moor in all classes, though the Portu-
guese are all in all the superior race
Generally speaking, / am getting along
quite well with the Portuguese language,
50 that understand enough to buy what
I wish. to take rides on the tramway and
trains and ask directions. / hope to have
a good mastery of the language in a few
months
| The smell of raw sugar and the other
Wholesale products here is UNPLEASANT till
any, one cots usad Ia n. but il is more than
Ia M, ,,,beT one r,ats ont into the conn