The Republican journal., 1904-10-13
exactly 100 years. Many of its original
features have disappeared. but it still

retains some or the TIC
beauties designed by its founder, the
Vlceroy LUZ de Vasconcellas. On its
side facing the bay-is an enormous mar
ble-paved terrace from which may be
obtained magnificent view of the bay
and its surrounding mountains. Its
garden is filled with the choicest native
and exotic trees and shrubs; and
whether strolling through it's shaded
paths in the daytime or by gaslight, or
listening to music upon its crowded
terrace in the evening, the Passeio
Publico is place to be long remember
ed. Opposite its entrance is a street
which was formerly named ''The Street
of Fine Nights" because on all moon
lit evenings Viceroy Vasconcellas used
to pass through it on his way to spend
an hour in the garden. Facing it is
also the Department of Justice, the
Casino and the National Library,
standing side by side. But if we stop
to describe all the interesting things on
our route we shall never reach the Bot
anical Gardens. By and by the city
street becomes a country road and we
come nearer and nearer to Corcovado,
the colossal 'IIunchback," till the
mountain seems to lean directly over
us-a sheer precipice of gray rock; tow
erlng skyward 1000 feet. Winding
around the edge of small salt lake,
which is separated from the Atlantic
only by narrow sandbank, we see on
the right hand many interesting old
| Portuguese estates, laid out in terraces
and winding paths up the hillside and
ornamented with statuary and tropical
| shrubs. Directly in front rises the dis
tant, square topped Gavia, lifting its
weather beaten face 5000 feet above
the valley; the seward looking peaks
of Dias 1ramos, and the green noun.
tains of Tijuca.
Soon the lake becomes a brackish
swamp where wild birds are padding;
then a jungle whose wild flowers per-
fume the air; then the country road
changes to lane barely wide enough
appears to be thicket of wild bamboo,
in the midst of which a little fondita
(reStaurant) is set on one side, and
very tall iron fence on the other Here
we alight, pass through a ponderous
gateway in the iron paling and find
ourselves at once in many pillared,
marble paved room, with marble bench
es ranged around its sides, where visit
ors may sit while waiting for the re-
turn car, which passes every twenty
minutes on the way back to town. This
is the entrance to the famous Jardin
Botanico. Passing through it one stops
amazed at the first sight of the world
renowned avenue of royal palms which
, begins at this gate and stretches across
the garden to the foot of the mountain,
a distance Of more than half mile. 1t
, is impossible to give in words any idea
Of the magniiicence of this living, al
barescent gallery, which surpasses any
thing of the kind on the globe and is
worth coming all the way to Brazil to
see, a colonnade of natural Corinthian
columns whose graceful bright green
capitals seem to support portion of
the blue dome that arches above As
one looks down the long vista of col
umns, all straight, firm and smooth as
though carved in stone, dim vision of
some Egyptian temple rises to his i'm
agination and one feels as if monarchs
had been drawn up in line to do him
homage, or as if he had been translated
to another sphere and this verdant gal
lery must lead to mansion of the gods.
The most blase traveller walks in 81
lence between the towering ranks, i'm
pressed too deeply for words, as at the
; first view Of Niagara, or of snow
topped mountain, or grand cathedral
and other sights which bring the souls
of impressionable people to their knees,
whatever may be the attitude of their
bodies
| To come down to figures, there are
$50 of those noble trees, the palma real
| (Oresdoxa regia1, planted thirty feet
apart in double rows inclosing wide
gravel path. The palms have an average
| height of so feet and an average diane
ter at the base of three feet; their
trunks have grown as straight as a
plumb line device could make them,
and high up in the air their enormous
feathery tufts are in perpetual tremor,
shaken by every breath of air. As an
! appropriate setting to these master
pieces of nature the garden is surround
ed by the widest of tropical scenery
] Between the giant trunks you look up
] ward to incomparably blue skies, to
nearby mountains, and ahead to the
sea, the murmur of whose surf you can
! family hear. A shorter alley of palm
! crosses the main one near its beginning,
the two forming gigantic cross. About
midway down the avenue is fountain,
/ on6 horo ofbor auonr1oc loco