The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-06-01
prepared by the National Geographic
Society. Washington. D. CO.

IN of the Western hemisphere
probably deserves to rank first
among all the great cities of the world
in beauty of setting.
Place your hands on the table,
fingers spread, wrists appraised. Each
finger represents one of Rios hills;
each space between, canyon up which
the city climbs. And each Of the
finger-hills dips into the great Bay of
Guanabara, or into the Atlantic it.
self; while at the mouths of the can
yons are crescent beaches, trimmed
with avenues.
Spain is the land of paintings, POr-
.tugal of gardens. In Brazil many
things Portuguese have persisted be-
sides the mother tongue Colorful in
deed are the gardens of Rio.
There are old walled gardens sur
rounding houses built in the days of
the empire. These houses usually
stand at the head Of a canyon, or on
the crest of hill. They are dignified
high ceilings, and many windows.
Their vivid color is what the Bra
zilians call Portuguese blue" crowned
by the reddish brown of weather-beat-
en- tiles.
In the gardens of these homes tower
royal palms, great jaqueira trees
heavy with fruit, wide-spreading man
Cos, and South Brazilian Parana pines
with straight betasseIed branches.
These noble trees, foreign to Rios
hills, tell us that the gardens were
planted back in the first Dom PedrO's
day, or perhaps in the time of his
father, Dom Joao the Sixth.
In 1908 Portuguese royalty fled from
NapoleOnic despotism in Europe to set
up its court in Brazil, and the follow
ing year the prince regent, afterward
Dom Joao vi, imported the royal palm
of the Antilles and planted it in the
botanical gardens OF Rio. Here the
original palm still stands.
sour Mother Palm was sick some
years ago." the visitor is told land
we were greatly alarmed lest she
should die. From this single speci-
palms which beautify our parks and
avenues. We treated our royal patient
witt care, giving her a medicinal bath,
and she recovered"
Near the palm is a bust of Dom
Joao, whose forethought and love of
Asiatic trees, such as the mango, jaque-
ira, breadfruit, and tamarind, and
many of the Old World Towering trees
which glorify Rios hills, then came
to Brazil through PortugaPs far-fung
colonies in Asia and Africa; or were
brought from Cayenne, in French Gui-
ana, then known as the Isle of France,
where the French maintained a botan-
icaI garden from a very early period.
Riot of Brilliant colors.
In the old gardens are other marks
of bygone days besides the venerable
trees. Here and there is wall faced
with blue and white Dutch tiles, which
found their way to Brazil when HOl-
land invaded its northern coast, in the
Seventeenth century. On some of the
tall gateposts stand big blue or yellow
porcelain ornaments in the form of
pineapples, imported from Portugal
one hundred or more years ago. "They
bring good luck to the household"
say the older natives.
Color runs riot. The purple bou-
gainvillea here grows to be tree; the
flaming poinsettia becomes a giant
rTL fe tho oil n
the hibiscus in red and in rose; the
violet and lavender manaca. Brilliant
yariegated crOtons border the paths.
Most conspicuous are the gorgeous
Towering trees, such as the native cas-
STA, or golden shower" whose yellow
West Indian salmon and red frangi-
PAM of fragrant memory; and the
fiamboyant, or royal pointiana of
Madagascar, the joy of the garden.
To the American observer the mod
ern architecture of the city seems too
ornate. Rio de Janeiro is like love-
ly woman, who needs little embellish-
ment Here buildings on simple lines
are best. All the houses, however,
have the redeefning quality of varied
and vivid coloring, which, combined
with terra-cotta earth and emerald
foliage, forms one of the most attrac-
tive features of the city. While terra
Gotta, In soil, roofs, and garden walls,
is the predominating tone. almost
| every shade is represented in this iri-
descent town.
Many of the new homes cling to the
hillside below the street and are en-
tered from the roof. Others of these
cliff-dwellings perch high above the
thoroughfare and are reached by a
long flight of steps or by elevator on
an inclined plane. Some bear the name