Part 29

We have some disaffection on board among passengers of different races and tastes, as to the supplies, and a committee was formed to wait upon the commander, who is a worthy and excellent person. But the system of the West India and South American Steam Co. which allows the captain equal to one dollar and eighty-seven and a half cents per day per head, wines, sodas, and other refreshments being ticketed, and settled for weekly, is found obnoxious by many passengers, who pay monopoly fares, and is entirely different from the liberality displayed by the Peninsula and Oriental Company, who, notwithstanding the mail contract and monopoly systems, are much more liberal in their provisions and accommodations. But with the increase of American steamers, their influence will be felt, not only in this respect, but more particularly in point of speed. The English mail contract throughout the East exacts only eight knots running time, and the West India and South America nine knots per hour, which is slow work for one accustomed to American steamers. Necessity is driving the English to a higher rate of speed, and the company is now constructing new and faster boats to run to Chagres, in order to prevent the tide of travel from setting to New York. We found two American whalers in quarantine at Pernambuco, which had touched at St. Vincent, and had some fever on board; we had obtained a clean bill of health, and having no sickness, we were permitted to pass. It was a great relief to get a drive of six miles, in the country where nature appears so beautiful even during the heat of this, their summer, with the thermometer at eighty-five, passing through groves of cocoas, palms, breadfruits, tamarinds, oranges, and other tropical trees, with melons and other fruits to satisfy thirst. We first learned here that war had been actually declared between Brazil and Buenos Ayres, and that the government had granted a loan and part of the fleet to blockade the port of the latter, while the Banda Oriental attack with the land forces. The son of Gen. Manzilla, and nephew of Rosas, the Dictator of the Argentine republic, is a fellow passenger; he promised to accompany me in the interior of Buenos Ayres, but the shock is rather astounding, and we can only learn the facts at Rio Janeiro.

The entrance to Bahia, or Bay of All Saints, is really beautiful; it lies four hundred miles south of Pernambuco, and the entrance is seven miles broad; its fine harbor is protected from all winds, and the rich country about it receives the waters of several small rivers. Americus Vespucius discovered it in 1503, under the patronage of the King of Portugal, and his carrying home a species of dye-wood, which, when cut, resembled coals of fire, gave Brazil its name, from Brazas, or coals. Bahia owes its foundation to the fact of the captain of a shipwrecked vessel in 1510 having his life spared by the Indians, after most of the crew were killed. The town is divided into two parts, the Praya, or Citada Baxa, under the hill, and Citada Alta, above, which appears quite antique. The descent is difficult, but by well paved roads and cadeiras or ornamented chairs supported by two negroes, which are in general use, it is quite practicable. The streets are clean, as Yellow Jack has improved the habits of the filthy Portuguese. New Year’s day is kept here as holiday, and our passengers enjoyed themselves in visiting the public gardens and riding about the suburbs, while a party of sixteen dined together at the hotel on the summit of the hill, with a fine view of this magnificent bay, which in some respects recalls the harbor and site of Naples in miniature. The hedges are of lime trees; grapes are in season, bananas and melons abound; the seedless orange here is superior to that of any other part of the world. The public garden is situated on the boldest and most commanding height of the old town, one side looking upon the ocean, and the other upon the bay, with iron railings to prevent falling down the precipice.

The large Jaca tree which furnishes fruit larger than the cocoa, and affords fine shade, is found here. Formerly the privilege of the whale fishery was sold for a considerable sum, but at present it is reduced. The island of Itaporica, in the bay, has some oil establishments, and whales are occasionally killed; the flesh is much admired by the negroes, and is found in the market for sale. There are extensive plantations in the country, with two or three hundred slaves, and large quantities of sugar, cotton, and tobacco are produced. It is the Havana of Brazil for the manufacture of cigars. Large quantities of American flour are imported, but the food of the common people is farina made from the root of the mandioca. There is a fine race of negroes here, and they appear better dressed than I had expected to find them; but from what I can learn, their condition will not compare favorably with the negroes of our Southern States, whose enhanced value in the absence of the slave-trade induces kind treatment aside from motives of humanity.

LXXIII.

RIO JANEIRO, BRAZIL, _Jan. 13, 1852_.

From Bahia, I came down by steamer, a distance of seven hundred and twenty miles, under the most favorable circumstances, in three days, making the moderate average of ten miles per hour. The entrance or mouth of the harbor lies between two small islands, and is one mile wide and skirted on each side by immense masses of solid rock, six hundred feet high, if not higher; the hills are steep and fortified. The view of this splendid harbor is majestically grand, increasing in size to eight or ten miles, and in this gulf are many small islands distributed about and occupied by small villages: the sheet of water is fringed with green verdure, bright villas, and immense high craggy peaks of mountains, forming one of the most beautiful pictures. The city lies low in a valley, and appears from an elevated spot of a semicircular form; the streets run at right angles, with public squares without trees, but as the Brazilians and Portuguese idolize filth, don’t expect much in the way of cleanliness. The hotels are vile for a city of three hundred thousand people, even if one-half are negroes; in this warm climate, with the thermometer in the month of January at 92°, you can well imagine the annoyance from vermin in badly conducted dens. I was obliged to fight a bloody battle the first night with the bugs, who disputed possession, and the following morning I abandoned my quarters for better ones. There is a considerable French population here, and one street is supplied with every variety of Parisian fancy goods, so much so that one for the moment would almost imagine himself in Paris; but he would soon be undeceived on demanding prices, and finding them double or treble what they are in France, the Brazilian duties being from eighty to one hundred per cent. on many articles, which offers a premium for smuggling. It is said the customs are here ten million dollars, but the Emperor receives four hundred thousand per annum, and has now a war on hand with Buenos Ayres, and a force of from thirty to forty thousand men to be kept up. As some one must pay for this, it falls upon the consumers, and for the benefit of those who expect to reside here, I will state that the expenses and luxuries of life, inclusive of carriage hire, exceed those of Calcutta or London. The country is rich and fertile; sugar, coffee, and hides enter largely in the exports. Our people know how to appreciate Rio coffee, particularly along the valley of the Mississippi, and we have become for our population the largest consumers of coffee in the world.

I have escaped the odoriferous smells of the narrow streets and the heat of the city for a few days, in visiting the new city and private summer residence of the Emperor Pedro II. called after him, Pedropolis, where he has founded a colony of Germans, in the valley of the mountains, two thousand four hundred feet above the level of the sea and about twenty-seven miles from Rio, and where the temperature of the air is from 68° to 70° Fahrenheit, while in the city the thermometer ranges from 85° to 92°. We proceeded by a small steamer across the bay, winding among many little islands in a second bay, and thence up a small meandering river to the landing-place, where we took land-carriage to the base of the mountains, where our vehicle containing four persons was drawn by four mules, over a zigzag, well constructed road, with parapet walls and stone arches for the mountain torrents, built by government at heavy cost; the entire distance was accomplished in seven hours. The panorama of the bay and city in the distance from the crowning point is superb. There were some fourteen hundred families of Germans composing this colony, and they have employment upon the roads, in the erection of houses, and improvement of the town, which is well laid out, with streams of pure water passing through it. Many fine mansions have been erected by city gentlemen; the Emperor is building a palace of solid construction, which has already occupied four years, and cost two hundred thousand dollars, and will require two years more to complete it, as the work progresses slowly, and is a fat job for the builders. Many of the Germans have sold out their grants of town lots, and bought lands in the neighborhood, which they are cultivating, and I could almost imagine myself in parts of Switzerland, for the style of the dwellings, and the costume and figure of the German peasants carried me back to Faderland. As long as the Emperor spends money freely, all will work well, but if his patronage is withdrawn the place will decline, it being too expensive for the masses and too difficult of access.

I saw here a group of German girls in Bloomer costume, with a part of the palace band, who were playing from house to house. I met with an American on his way to the diamond mines, some five hundred miles in the interior--a persevering pioneer from old Kentucky, who had not been home in twenty-four years. He had married a Portuguese who had died, and he had his family with him, who had been educated in England, his second wife being an English lady. He had some two hundred hands engaged in his business--a profitable one, as Brazil exports some four million dollars’ worth of diamonds annually. Droves of mules were constantly passing to the different mines of gold, diamonds, and other precious stones in the interior. I was shown some handsome specimens said to be worth two thousand dollars per ounce in the rough. The Emperor and Empress are seen almost daily in their promenades about the suburbs or through the town, with a small escort, and sometimes quite alone; the people speak well of their kindness and liberality. The Emperor is only twenty-four years of age, and his consort, the sister of the King of Naples, is his senior by three years, and not at all remarkable for beauty. I saw them at the opera last evening, in full costume; they appeared to advantage, it being the close of a gala day, the Emperor having received at his palace all military officers of distinction. He was clad in full military dress; he is of good stature, with a well developed figure, a face of the Austrian or Russian type.

The frigate Congress is now in port, proceeding to Monte Video, and our Minister, Mr. Schenck, whose health is somewhat feeble, accompanies her. If the city of Rio Janeiro is remarkable for its filth, and the depravity and immorality of its inhabitants, it can boast of the beauty of its suburbs, which extend for many miles. La Gloria and Botafogo, and other villages situated upon the little indentations and bays, are very pretty, and nature is very prolific in her supply of fruits and flowers. One of the most beautiful drives is to the botanical garden, some six miles from town, the road winding along the beautiful bays, the shores lined with the villas of foreigners and wealthy residents, and the gardens filled with a great variety of fruit trees and flowers peculiar to the climate. I found in the botanical garden avenues of stately palms, not unlike the cafetals in the island of Cuba; a bamboo labyrinth, and an acre or more of the tea plant, as a reminiscence of China; a grove of cinnamon trees of large size, equal to those of the island of Ceylon; and in fact, all the productions of the tropics except the cocoa-nut, which I have lost sight of since leaving Bahia. The city is supplied with water from the mountains by aqueduct, and some three hundred tanks have lately been placed at the corners of the streets; but I drink river water of an underground culvert in the city. The offal is carried in vessels upon the heads of the negroes at night, and thrown upon the beach and in the harbor.

It is only surprising that the yellow fever does not always exist here; it is a blessing instead of a curse, if it only improves the cleanliness of the people. The currency of the country is government paper, from one milreis upwards. Of gold there is considerable, of the value of twelve dollars each piece; there is no small silver, but the quantity of copper in circulation is enormous. It is not as bad as in China, where twelve hundred small coins go to the dollar; but here, if a milreis, valued at sixty cents, is exchanged, you obtain a thousand reis; the smallest coin is valued at ten reis, making it necessary to ballast equally well your pockets; but fortunately, however, ferry boat and omnibus tickets go well, and remind one of our own shin-plaster days.

LXXIV.

MONTE VIDEO, _Jan. 20, 1852_.

The continuation of the South American line of steamers is maintained by the Prince, of only four hundred tons burden, which takes the mails and passengers from Rio Janeiro to this place and Buenos Ayres, one hundred and twenty miles further up the river. It is always agreeable to meet with old acquaintances, and in this instance I was surprised to find that our captain had formerly been in command of a mail packet from St. Thomas to La Guayra, which had carried me down to Venezuela. Our passage, of something more than one thousand miles, was made in a little over four days.

Monte Video lies at the north of the Rio de la Plata, one of the largest rivers in South America after the Amazon; it was discovered in 1515 by Juan Diaz de Soles, who proceeded as far as 34° 23´ south latitude, but was killed, as were also his crew of four men. A few years later Sebastian Cabot, who went to discover the Straits of Magellan, and penetrated as high as the conflux of the Parana and Paraguay, some two hundred leagues, had a fight with the Indians, and succeeded in taking their treasures of silver from Peru; and supposing the supply inexhaustible gave the stream the name which it now bears, Silver River. It is over a hundred and fifty miles wide at the mouth, but at Buenos Ayres it is reduced to forty. The influence of this formidable river is seen by the water being colored more than four hundred miles at sea. The position of this port is desirable on account of its ready access and geographical position; it has a temperate climate, and moderately dry winds from the land to counteract the humidity of the sea air. It once had a population of seventy thousand, which has been reduced to twenty-five thousand by a nine years’ siege, which was successfully resisted with the aid of the French, who have paid for some years annually forty thousand dollars per month to sustain the place against the besieging army of Oribe, at the head of the Buenos Ayrean forces of the Dictator Rosas. I found that the town had suffered severely, particularly in the deserted houses and crumbling walls; the pavements of the streets are badly broken up, and everything had the appearance of desolation; but the siege being raised last October, much life and activity have since been displayed in repairs, and the blockade has been removed from vessels proceeding to Buenos Ayres.

Oribe, the tool of Rosas, has now retired to his quinta, or farm-house, and is said to be poor. His army was headed by General Urquizas, in connexion with the allied forces of Brazil, and those of the provinces of Entre Rios and Uruguay, and they are now proceeding to “beard the lion in his den,” having crossed the river Parana, on their way to Buenos Ayres by land, while the Brazilian fleet are occupying the river. The French have eleven vessels of war now in port, and in the town are quartered fifteen hundred troops, reminding one of a garrisoned town in France. Brazil has now taken upon herself the charges of the war, and relieved the French; she has a large number of German troops employed, and the Monte Videans feel sanguine that with an army of thirty thousand men on a good war footing, they will be able to overcome any force that the tyrant Rosas can produce, although his infantry and cavalry are estimated at from twenty-five to forty thousand, by far the greatest force ever brought together in South America.

The houses here have mostly azoteas, or flat roofs, which afford a fine promenade for the ladies, who have the advantage of seeing all that passes over the parapet. Notwithstanding they have suffered so severely, and have made such sacrifices, many families having been beggared, they support an opera which is well attended, and the fair sex looks as graceful and charming as in most Spanish towns.

I am now proceeding to Buenos Ayres, where I will finish this epistle.

LXXV

BUENOS AYRES, _Feb. 1, 1852_.

My first impressions on approaching this city were highly favorable, the line of shore appearing fresh and verdant in comparison with Monte Video after its long and devastating siege. The city, built upon the banks of the river, some thirty feet high, with its forts, and public and private buildings and temples, as seen in approaching from the outer roadstead, looked quite imposing. The outer anchorage is five or six miles from the shore, and only vessels of a light draught of water can get to the inner anchorage, half a mile from town, where small boats carry you towards the shore, and you take large carts, drawn by a pair of mules, nearly up to their backs in water, from the many obstructions in the river. At the landing the son of General Mansilla and myself were met by the captain of the post and several other officers, dressed in the Rosas, or sanguinary costume, which every native is obliged to wear, viz. a red vest, a ribbon of the same color around the hat, and one at the button-hole, with the inscription, “_Viva la Confederacion! Mueren los salvages unitarios!_” (Long life to the Confederacion! Death to the savage Unitarians.) The offices of the Government, I noticed, were painted red, and everything indicated that I was in the country of a despot. The misnamed republic of Buenos Ayres extends along the Atlantic from the Rio Negro south to the Rio de la Plata, along the shores of its estuary to the southern bank of Parana, near to Santa Fè. Its soil is fertile, and affords the finest of pasturage for cattle. Millions of horned cattle and horses run upon the pampas, or plains, and its exports in hides, horns, jerked beef, and tallow, are immense. Its climate is most agreeable; we are now in midsummer, and the thermometer seldom goes higher than 85°; every variety of fruit found in warmer latitudes may be produced here; but the energies of the people are blunted from the excessive abuses of the tyrant Rosas, who has been for twenty years the governor, so styled, but really the modern Nero of the world. I had heard of his many acts of atrocity while at Montevideo and Rio, but was unprepared to believe the thousand charges alleged against him, until I learned from those who had passed through the reign of terror, and who are protected by their consuls, whereby they can express their minds, although not loudly, that half the wholesale butcheries which have occurred here for opinion’s sake, cannot be portrayed. I came here with the intention of crossing over the pampas and the Cordillera mountains to the west coast at Valparaiso, which is about twenty days’ travel on horseback; but I find that I cannot proceed ten leagues from the city without the strongest probability of being assassinated by stragglers or deserters from both camps; so I shall have to abandon my intention, and proceed to Rio Janeiro, retracing my steps twelve hundred miles in order to procure passage by a British steamer going through the Straits of Magellan to take her position on the west coast line from Chili to Panama. The most intense excitement prevails in the city. Levies are made of all the native forces, from boys of ten years of age up to old men of eighty, who are called out daily at three p.m. by bands of music for the purpose of drilling until sunset; all places of business are closed, and the poor people, who have no means of support, must work at night to keep from starving. Husbands and brothers are dragged off to the army, often leaving their families entirely destitute.

The residence of the dictator, called Palermos, a beautiful drive about three miles from town, where millions of dollars have been spent in reclaiming a marshy country near the river bank, is intersected by canals and lined with avenues of willows which grow in great profusion and afford a fine shade, as do also oranges and other fruit trees. The drives through the country are beautiful, and the whole arrangement is of a princely character. The review of the troops, whose barracks are within the inclosures, was an interesting spectacle; they were dressed in red cloth-caps, with coats of the same color; gaucho pantaloons of white, with heavy fringe at bottom, and as a finale the whole regiment, say three thousand strong, responded to the cry of “Viva la confederacion!” “Death to the fool and traitor Urquizas!” “Death to the savage Unitarians!” All of which I listened to with horror and disgust, and thought, “It will not be long before your tunes are changed,” and I have just had the satisfaction of seeing them flying to the city for safety, as an engagement has taken place several leagues from the city, in which two thousand of Urquizas’ cavalry put to flight some thousands of their opponents, who made good their escape as fast as their horses would carry them, throwing away all their accoutrements of war, even to their blankets.