Masterpiece

Sold on alibris.com
( 4.6/5.0 ★ | 134 downloads )
-- Click the link to download --

https://click.linksynergy.com/link?id=*C/UgjGtUZ8&offerid=1494105.26
539780199536917&type=15&murl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alibris.com%2Fsearch%2
Fbooks%2Fisbn%2F9780199536917
Masterpiece

ISBN: 9780199536917
Category: Media > Books > Non-Fiction > Education Books
File Fomat: PDF, EPUB, DOC...
File Details: 14.1 MB
Language: English
Website: alibris.com
Short description: The book is in good condition with all pages and
cover intact including the dust jacket if originally issued. The spine
may show light wear. Pages may contain some notes or highlighting and
there might be a From the library of label. Boxed set packaging shrink
wrap or included media like CDs may be missing.

DOWNLOAD: https://click.linksynergy.com/link?id=*C/UgjGtUZ8&
offerid=1494105.26539780199536917&type=15&murl=http%3A%2F%2F
www.alibris.com%2Fsearch%2Fbooks%2Fisbn%2F9780199536917
 Masterpiece

• Click the link: https://click.linksynergy.com/link?id=*C/UgjGtUZ8&offerid=1494105.2653978019953691

7&type=15&murl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alibris.com%2Fsearch%2Fbooks%2Fisbn%2F9780199536917 to do
latest version of Masterpiece in multiple formats such as PDF, EPUB, and more.

• Don’t miss the chance to explore our extensive collection of high-quality resources, books, and guides on
our website. Visit us regularly to stay updated with new titles and gain access to even more valuable
materials.
.
States. There was not an image, in all that gave animation to the
picture, to break the illusion of having been suddenly
transported from Brazil, and set down in some manufacturing
glen at home.
Mr. M——’s house is situated on a natural terrace, twenty feet
above the level of a beautiful meadow of alfalfa or Peruvian
grass, which lies between it and the factory. A road on the bank
of the river runs beside this, in front of the house and lawn; and
is a perfect specimen of the “green lane,” in the English
landscape. Smooth, straight, and turf-covered, with a hedge of
mimosa on the meadow side, and embowering thickets of
bushes and trees overhanging the river on the other, it forms a
striking object in the scene: one harmonizing well with the rural
quietude and simplicity of the whole. In the lawn, which is on a
level with the meadow and lane, there is a fountain and fine jet
d’eau, and upon the terrace above, another between the
drawing-room windows and the grove of acacias. A garden of
fruit and flowers on the opposite side of the house, is separated
from it by an artificial stream, whose bed is so paved with rough
stones as to produce a constant murmur of soft sounds, as the
water glides over and around them. Every thing in sight, indeed,
though the place is new, presents a picture of taste and rural
beauty, that makes me think of the “happy valley” in Rasselas.
It is unnecessary to say that I was most cordially received by my
friend, whom I found in all the freshness and bloom of American
beauty, and that I felt at once at home in her neat and tasteful
abode.
Dec. 16th.—At the end of three days even, I cannot resist a
feeling of having been transported from Brazil to some mountain
region at home. There is nothing in the general foliage, except
here and there the tufted top of a palm, or the broad leaf of the
banana, to forbid the illusion. The place, in its quietude, its
bright meadow and green lane, edged with hedges, its river
whispering over a stony bed, beneath thicket-covered and tree-
embowered banks, reminds me of Landsdown; while the house,
an importation in all its parts from the United States; the factory,
of which the same is true; and the distant hum of its busy looms
and spindles, present a picture as strikingly characteristic of New
England.
The weather is charming: clear and bright, with an occasional
cloud of snowy whiteness floating against the deep blue of the
sky, while breezes of grateful elasticity fan down from the
mountain tops in the mornings and evenings, and sweep back
through the valley with coolness from the distant sea at
noonday. The nights, in their utter silence, are in wide contrast
with those to which I have of late been accustomed: not a sound
is heard but the plashings of the fountains and the murmurings
of many waters.
The Sabbath was a day of rest indeed. I officiated at a service
held in the hall at 11 o’clock, and would most gladly have
attempted to make the day one of spiritual good to the
operatives of the factory, and the numerous dependants of the
establishment, by public worship with them. With the exception
of the foreman and one or two assistants, however, all these are
foreigners—Portuguese and Germans, whose languages I do not
speak, and who, moreover, are chiefly Romanists, not accessible
to a Protestant by preaching. The greatest number of those who
are employed in the factory are females—Germans from the
Imperial colony of Petropolis: the male portion are Portuguese
from Oporto and the islands of Madeira and Terceira. The house-
servants, the waiter, coachman, gardener and under-gardener,
are Portuguese; the chambermaid, cook, and laundress, free
negresses.
There is a Romish chapel within three miles of the valley; but it
is closed for the most of the year, and is not frequented by the
work-people here. The parish priest, like most others in the
country, is living in a state of open concubinage, and is in other
ways unpopular as to his morals. In passing through Majé, we
met a fine-looking young man, handsomely mounted, followed
by two negroes on mules. I was struck with his appearance, and,
remarking it, learned that he was a son of the padre of the
place, the eldest of a large family. We saw the father shortly
afterwards, and received a bow from him at a door, as he was
about to mount his mule. This animal I observed to be one of
the finest of the kind I had seen; and I was struck with the
peculiar fashion of the stirrups of the saddle; they were of
polished brass, richly wrought, and in the form of a Turkish
slipper.
December 18th.—On Tuesday I took a ride of two miles or more
on horseback, to the head of the little valley. This presents a
most wild and romantic scene: making one feel, in gazing upon
it,—while mountain piled upon mountain, and pinnacled rock
rising above pinnacled rock, tower, almost perpendicularly,
thousands of feet overhead,—as if you had not only passed
beyond civilization, but had arrived at the outer edge of the
world itself, where, by the inaccessible barriers in front and on
either hand, it is more impressively said than even by the waves
of the sea-shore, “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further.”
After passing Mr. M——’s place, the only road is a mule-path,
wide enough for a single animal, and in all respects, excepting
the tracks of repeated use, in the state in which nature formed it
—not a stone removed, and not an ascent or descent, however
abrupt and precipitous, smoothed or graded. A few scattered
habitations formed of wattled sticks, plastered with mud, and
thatched with grass, are seen here and there; but less
comfortable, apparently, and less attractive as dwellings, than
the meanest log cabins on the outskirts of pioneer life in the
United States. A few patches of mandioca, and one or two of
Indian corn, alone indicated any cultivation of the soil, or gave
evidence of a pursuit of industry.
The course of the principal stream is a broad bed of wild and
massive rocks, from one to another of which, ordinarily, you may
step dry-shod; but, in rains, these are covered by rushing and
foaming torrents, and the stream is impassable. The next
morning Mr. M—— accompanied me in a second ride, up a valley
branching to the west from this, called the Peak Valley, from a
remarkable peak of granite, which rises at its head: one of those
sugar-loaf shafts, so common in the geological formation of this
region. This valley, too, is exceedingly wild, in its chief features;
and is watered by a rapid stream called the Peak River, tributary
to that on which the factory stands.
The only drawback to the entire satisfaction of my visit, for the
first three days, was the concealment by thick clouds, of the
pikes or fingers as named by some, and all the higher ranges of
the Organ Mountains which immediately overhang San Aliexo.
These had so often been the object of admiration at a distance,
when visible from Rio, that I was impatient to behold them close
at hand; but had been tantalized only, by an occasional,
indistinct, and momentary glimpse, through the mist of an
opening cloud, of a fantastic peak or shelving precipice, standing
high in the heavens above us. Just at nightfall, last evening,
however, the veil was entirely lifted, and I charmed beyond
expectation by the scene thus disclosed: and not without reason,
as even the imperfect sketch accompanying this will show.
I was up with the dawn this morning, and, finding the whole
range to be still uncovered, hastened to a part of the lawn which
commands the best view of it. The rising sun was just beginning
to illuminate the loftiest peaks with a bright and golden light;
and I stood for an hour riveted to the spot, in the study and
untiring admiration of a scene, gorgeous in coloring, and of
unrivalled sublimity in its outlines. By nine o’clock the mists from
the valleys had again enshrouded the whole in clouds.
Though the present is the rainy season of the year, till yesterday
the weather was bright as that of June at home: but then, while
we were at dinner, it began suddenly to pour down in torrents;
presenting every thing out of doors in a new phase. At the end
of a couple of hours the rain ceased; and the paths in the lawn
and the road soon became sufficiently dry to allow our taking a
walk. Mr. M—— and I went to observe the effect upon the river.
This was surprising. From a bed of rocks, among which a shallow
stream was lazily flowing, it had become a swollen and
irresistible torrent: wide and deep, roaring like a tornado, and
foaming like the sea. As we approached a venda, or retail store
and grocery, a quarter of a mile up the valley, there was a shout
and call for us, by several persons collected there, to hurry on,
as if something unusual was to be seen. These, at the same
time, set off on a run towards a point near by them, which
commands an unobstructed view of the river above. Mr. M——
told me, as we hastened forward, that the sight was the
approach of an additional flood of water from the mountain.
This, though not now so remarkable in its appearance as it
sometimes is, was very singular. The mass of water tumbled by
such showers down the precipices which hedge in the little
valley, is so great, and rushes so suddenly into the bed of the
river, as in itself to exhibit the appearance from bank to bank, of
passing over a dam. The perpendicular elevation of this new
body of water above that previously forming the surface of the
stream, was a couple or more feet.
We were standing at the time, near a rude mill for grinding the
root of the mandioca, and the conversion of it into farina—the
“staff of life” in Brazil; it was in operation, and the process in the
manufacture going on, under the management of a half-dozen
nearly naked negroes. The mandioca is every where seen
growing in plantations of greater or less extent, in all the tropical
parts of Brazil. It resembles the palma christi, or castor oil plant,
in its general appearance, more than any other growth that
occurs to me. The leaves, though smaller and of a darker green,
are in like manner digitated or finger-shaped, and the stem and
branches irregular and scraggy. It grows to the height of four
and five feet, and attains maturity at the end of eighteen or
twenty months after being planted. The roots produce the farina.
These, at full growth, are of the size and general appearance of
a large irregularly-formed parsnip. After being brought from the
field in wide, shallow baskets, carried by the negroes on their
heads, the first operation is to scrape off the outer skin with a
knife. In this state the root is very white and pure in looks, but
poisonous in acrid juices. A rasp or coarse grater is so arranged
as to be turned by a water-wheel; against this the root is held,
and becoming finely grated, falls into a trough or tub of water,
prepared to receive it, and is reduced to a pulp. In this state, it is
placed in baskets and pressed with heavy weights, till freed from
the water and its own juices. It is then dried, broken up or
powdered, sifted through a coarse sieve, and placed in a very
large flat iron pan, having a furnace with slow heat beneath. In
this it is thoroughly dried, without being allowed to scorch or
burn. It is then put in bags for use or sale.
One of the effects of the rain, was the appearance of numerous
cascades and temporary waterfalls on the tops and sides of the
mountains. I dare not venture to guess even, at the extent of
some of these. They foam down their courses, white as drifting
snow, and look beautiful, amid the deep green of the forests,
and the dark precipices over which they pour.
The history of Mr. M——’s enterprise in the introduction of
cotton-spinning and weaving, here, is quite interesting, and has
caused me to look upon him as a pioneer in such business, well
worthy the reputation of our countrymen for energy, invention,
and indomitable perseverance; and an instructive example of the
importance of a fixed purpose for the accomplishment of an end.
He met, at first, with a succession of disappointments and
unexpected obstacles, which would have utterly disheartened
and broken down a spirit less determined, and less elastic than
his own. Brought up in mercantile pursuits without practical
knowledge in mechanics or manufacture, he determined, in
1846, to attempt the establishment of a cotton factory in Brazil.
A gentleman from Rio, then in New York, encouraged him in the
project, by the assurance that the vicinity of Rio furnished ample
water-power for the object; that, abounding in hills and
mountains, streams of water in sufficient volume, were in
various places poured down. The Brazilian minister at
Washington, also expressed great interest in the subject, and by
way of encouragement to Mr. M——, gave him a copy of an act,
passed by the Imperial Legislature in 1842, by which all
machinery for manufacturing purposes of the kind, was
exempted from duty. Under these auspices, he expended capital
to a large amount, in the necessary machinery, in materials for
the large structure in which it was to be put up, and in the
freight of both to Rio. Mr. M—— hastened in advance to Brazil, to
make choice of a site for the establishment, and secure it by
purchase: but only to meet a first disappointment. The streams
on which his Brazilian friend had relied, as abundantly ample in
water-power, would have scarcely sufficed, as Mr. M——
expressed it, to water the mules necessary in the work. An
exploration of the entire region within thirty miles of Rio became
necessary, for the discovery of an unfailing stream, with water
sufficient to turn a large wheel, and in a situation to be available.
He could gain no information on the point upon which he could
rely, and was obliged to make the search in person, through
woods and wilds, and over marshes and moors, and in
ignorance, at the time, of the language of the country. A month
thus occupied, brought to his knowledge two supplies of water
only, that would answer his purpose: one at Tejuca, nine or ten
miles from Rio, and another in the direction of Petropolis, a
colony of Germans in the mountains. That at Tejuca, besides
being already leased for other purposes, was inaccessible except
by mules as means of transportation, and therefore, not to be
thought of; the other was the private property of the Emperor,
and not obtainable in any way.
Such were the prospects of Mr. M——, with fifty thousand dollars
worth of material on its way to Rio, accompanied by several
workmen under high pay, for the erection of the necessary
buildings, and to put the machinery into an available condition.
After all other search had proved in vain, he was accidentally led
to this valley, and unexpectedly here found much, if not all, he
was looking for. About the same time, the shipment from the
United States arrived; but, notwithstanding the decree furnished
him by the Brazilian minister, declaring such articles free, the
officials at the Custom House pertinaciously demanded the duty
upon them. This, according to the tariff, like most of the imposts
here on any thing foreign, was high, and would have materially
increased his expenditure. The only alternative was an
application for relief in the case, to the minister having
cognizance of such affairs. Those in official position in Brazil,
from the Minister of State to the most insignificant employé of a
bureau, hold the dignity conferred in high estimation, and are
inaccessible in proportion to their rank. Three months elapsed
before Mr. M—— could gain the audience sought; and then, only
to be told, that the exemption referred to in the decree of the
Imperial legislature, was exclusively for the benefit of persons
who had already established factories and needed additional
machinery; not for those who were introducing machinery for a
new establishment. The decision, therefore, was that the duties
must be paid; but, for the law in the case, he was referred to the
attorney-general of the empire. This dignitary condescended to
grant Mr. M—— an audience at the end of an additional six
weeks; but decided with the minister, that the duties must be
paid, or at least, deposited with the collector of customs till the
factory should be in operation. Thus, though the enterprise was
one of great importance to the interests of the country, and such
as should at once have secured the favor and aid of the
government, the entire material necessary for carrying it into
execution, was kept for nine months in the hands of the custom-
house officers, greatly exposed to rust and injury, and only
released on the payment of several thousands of dollars. It
would occupy too much time to pursue the history of the
enterprise in detail: in the construction of a dam across the river
at a great outlay of money and labor, only to have it swept away
by a flood from the mountains; in the consequent necessity of
digging a long race-way along the base of the hills, without the
possibility of securing the adequate number of laborers, white or
black; and also, of making the road of five miles to the turnpike.
Over this last work, when finished, the whole of the material for
the factory building and the machinery, among which a single
piece—the shaft of the great wheel—weighed 7000 lbs., was to
be transported, without any of the facilities, so common with us,
for accomplishing it.
The mechanics and artisans, brought from the United States for
the erection of the building, were found to be incompetent in
many respects; and the result was, that Mr. M—— was obliged
himself to perform much of the manual labor even, and instead
of planning, devising, and superintending only, to become
practically a carpenter, mason, machinist; and even
freightmaster and carter, as no one around him, whose aid he
could secure, knew what course to pursue in an emergency, or
even in any common difficulty that might occur: he was obliged
first to discover how a thing was to be done, and then do it
himself. Still he persevered through every discouragement and
disaster, till his efforts were crowned with full success, and the
factory was early in operation.
Though it is only in the more common fabrics in cotton that the
manufacturer here can yet compete with British and American
goods; and the article chiefly produced, thus far, is a coarse cloth
for coffee bagging and the clothes of slaves, he deserves a
medal of honor from the government, and the patronage of the
empire, not only for the establishment of the manufactory, but
for the living example set before a whole Province of the indolent
and sluggish natives, of Yankee energy, ingenuity, indefatigable
industry, and unyielding perseverance.
 CHAPTER XXIV.

Rio de Janeiro.

December 30th.—It was quite a trial to bid adieu to the charms

of San Aliexo. My kind host and hostess were earnest in their
persuasions to detain me through the holidays; and I would
most readily have yielded, but for an engagement to officiate, on
Christmas morning, at the marriage of Miss K——, the daughter
of the American consul, to Mr. R—— of the family of that name,
already so often mentioned. The groom, though a native of
Brazil, claims, through his father, the rights of a British subject;
and the civil contract took place, in conformity with an act of
parliament, in the presence of the British consul, at his office, at
an early hour of the day. The marriage was afterwards
solemnized by me, according to the Protestant service, in the
drawing-room of the American consulate; and, Mr. R—— being a
Romanist, a third ceremony occurred, as at the wedding of Miss
R——, his sister, last August, in the private chapel of the country
house of Mr. M——, his maternal grandfather.
The company assembled at the consulate was large, and the
retinue of carriages by which it was conveyed the long drive to
Mr. M——’s, quite imposing. Four-in-hand is the usual turn-out
here, for such a distance, and Mr. Schenck, the American
minister, led the way, next after the bride and groom, in an
elegant chariot drawn by four beautiful white horses.
Commodore McKeever’s carriage had four fine mules. I was of
his party. The sky was slightly overcast with fleecy clouds, and
the coachman’s box being so lofty as to overlook the walls and
hedges, which screen so much of the taste and beauty of the
suburbs from view on the level of the street, in defiance of every
Brazilian idea of dignity, I perched myself upon it, for the greater
enjoyment of the drive. The day being a general festival, the
whole population of the city was in the streets in holiday dress;
and in the extended suburbs through which we skirted our way,
the inhabitants—by whole families—were everywhere seen in the
verandahs and lawns and door-yards of the houses, in the
cheerful and quiet enjoyment of the fiesta. A fondness for
splendor and display of every kind—in dress, furniture and
equipage—is strikingly a characteristic of the people here; and
the showy procession, recognized as a bridal cortège, created
quite a sensation as it dashed onward—manifestly exciting the
admiration and lively sympathies of the observers.
From my elevated and unconfined position, I enjoyed the whole
much; and feasted, the entire distance, on the gorgeous display
of flowers, exhibited in the succession of tasteful gardens and
pleasure-grounds which I overlooked.
The mansion and grounds of Mr. M—— I described to you in
connection with the previous wedding. The religious ceremony
now, was the same in every particular, from the scattering of the
rose leaves and orange buds before the bride in the procession
from the drawing-room to the chapel, to the showering of the
same over her and the whole company, with the closing
benedictions at the altar. A concert in the music-room
immediately succeeded the ceremony, and continued till the
banquet was served at six o’clock. This was more luxurious, if
possible, in the variety and costliness of its delicacies, native and
foreign, in season and out of season, than on the former
occasion; and superb in its table-service and plate. The
decorations in flowers alone, would, in a less favored climate,
have formed no inconsiderable item of expense; while the fruits,
in the perfection of their kinds—all freshly gathered—pines, figs,
oranges, sweet-lemons, grapes in clusters like those of Eshcol,
bananas, mangoes, and melons, were most artistically arranged.
After coffee in the drawing-room, dancing was commenced; and,
taking our leave, we were safely on board ship shortly after ten
o’clock.
Thus passed my Christmas, and thus is our compatriot, Miss K
——, married; and, in the language of the world, “well married.”
But alas! married in Brazil: away from an American home; away
from the intelligence and high cultivation of American life; away
from the pure morals, spiritual aspirations, and religious
privileges of American Christianity; away from almost every thing
that I would wish an American girl to hold most dear!
January 7th, 1852.—This festive period of the year presents
constant opportunities of witnessing the slave and negro
population in holiday aspects. For many nights past, Gloria Hill,
at which the Commodore’s barge usually lands in our evening
visits to the shore, has echoed till a late hour with the songs, the
wild music, and the tread of the dance in their favorite
amusements; and yesterday afternoon, I accidentally became a
spectator of a grand gathering of the kind. It was “Twelfth” or
“King’s day,” as sometimes called,—being that commemorative of
the adoration of the Magi in the stable of Bethlehem; and is a
chief festival with the negroes.
I left the ship with the intention of taking, once more, the long
walk through the valley of the Larangeiras to the aqueduct, and
thence to the city by the hill of Santa Theresa. When about half
way up the Larangeiras, however, my attention was arrested by
a large gathering of negroes within an enclosure by the wayside,
engaged in their native, heathen dances, accompanied by the
wild and rude music brought with them from Africa. I stopped to
witness the scene: a counterpart, in most respects, to those
which, during the first period of my residence at the Sandwich
Islands, attended the orgies of pagan revelry there. Many of the
principal performers, both among the dancers and musicians,
were dressed in the most wild and grotesque manner—some, as
if in impersonation of the Prince of Evil himself, as pictured with
hoof and horns and demoniac mien. Many of the dances
surpassed in revolting licentiousness, any thing I recollect to
have witnessed in the South Seas; and filled my mind with
melancholy disgust: the more so, from the fact, that a majority,
if not all the performers, as was manifest from the crosses and
amulets they wore, were baptized members of the Romish
Church—Christians in name, but in habits and in heart heathens
still. Exhibitions of this kind are far from being limited here to
extraordinary holidays, or to the seclusion of by-places. I have
seen them in open daylight, in the most public corners of the
city, while young females even, of apparent respectability and
modesty, hung over the surrounding balconies as spectators.
I know not how long the revelry had now been going on; but
either from the free use of cacha, the vile rum of the country, or
from nervous excitement, many seemed fairly beside
themselves. These danced till ready to drop from exhaustion;
while shouts of encouragement and applause followed the
persevering efforts of those who were most enduring and most
frantic in muscular exertion. The performers on the African
drums and other rude instruments, who accompanied the
monotonous beating and thrumming upon these with loud
songs, in solo and chorus, of similar character, seemed especially
to enter into the spirit of the revelry, and labored with hands and
voice and a vehemence of action in their whole bodies, that
caused the sweat to roll down their naked limbs as if they had
just stepped from a bath of oil.
By the time I had finished these observations, the evening was
too far advanced for the walk upon which I had started, and I
retraced my steps to the Catete, the principal street, connecting
the city with the bay and suburbs of Botefogo. In it, toward
evening, the wealth and fashion of the city, especially in the
diplomatic and foreign circles, is generally met in carriages and
on horseback for the daily afternoon drive. Many of the
equipages equal in elegance those in New York and other of our
chief cities; while well-mounted riders, liveried coachmen,
footmen, and grooms, give to the whole quite the air of a
metropolis. That, however, which most struck me on the present
occasion, was an amusing side-scene. Though less generally the
custom than formerly, it is still the habit of some of the
bourgeoisie of Rio, at least on Sundays and great holidays, to
promenade to and from church, by whole families, parents and
children, from adults to infants, with a retinue of servants—in
their best dresses, and in formal procession of two and two. The
sight thus presented is interesting, and often amusing, from the
formality and stately solemnity with which they move along. The
servants bring up the rear, and, whether male or female, are
usually as elaborately, if not as expensively dressed as the rest
of the family: and often, in the case of the women, with an equal
display of laces, muslins, and showy jewelry. Apparently in
imitation of this usage of the white population—or rather of the
Portuguese and Brazilian, for there are no whites among the
native born here—two jet black African women, richly and
fashionably attired, came sauntering along with the most
conscious air of high-bred self-possession. They were followed
by a black female servant, also in full dress, carrying a black
baby three or four months old, and decked out in all the finery of
an aristocratic heir—an elaborately wrought, lace-frilled and
rosetted cap, and long flowing robe of thin muslin beautifully
embroidered, and ornamented with lace. Every one seemed
struck with this display; and I was at a loss to determine
whether it was a bona fide exhibition of the pride of life, or only
in burlesque of it, with the design of “shooting folly as it flies.”
The common blacks, crowding the doors and gateways, burst
into shouts of laughter as they passed; while the nurse, at least,
of the party showed evidence of a like disposition. Indeed, I
think I did not mistake, while looking back upon the group, in
seeing the fat sides and shoulders of the black ladies
themselves, notwithstanding their lofty bearing and stately step,
shake with merriment, under the slight drapery of their
fashionable and elegantly finished mantillas.
These may have been persons of wealth, and of respectable and
even fashionable position in society; for color does not fix the
social position here, as with us at home. It is a striking fact, that
in a country where slavery exists in its most stringent form, there
is little of the Anglo-Saxon prejudice in this respect, so universal
in the United States. Condition, not color, regulates the grades in
social life. A slave is a menial, not because he is black, but
because he is a slave. In Brazil, all the avenues to wealth and
office are open to the free man of color, if he has character and
talents, and the ability to advance in them. As I recollect to have
stated before, the officers of the standing army and of the
municipal guards and militia, exhibit every shade of color as they
stand side by side in their ranks; and I learn from Gov. Kent, that
the leading lawyer of Rio is a mulatto. Some of the members of
Congress, too, bear evidence of negro blood; and the Governor
says, that he has met at the Imperial balls in the palace the
“true ebony and topaz” in “ladies and gentlemen black as jet,”
yet glittering, like the rest, with diamonds.
As to the general treatment of slaves by their owners, it probably
does not differ in Brazil from that exhibited wherever there is
irresponsible power. House-servants in Rio are said to have easy
times, and to do very much as they please; but to judge by the
instances I have seen of field laborers, I fear such have but a
sad and wearisome life.
The eventual effect of the abolition of the slave trade, will
doubtless be to ameliorate the treatment of the slaves, and
particularly that of their children. In former years, when the price
of a slave was only a hundred and twenty milreis, or about sixty
dollars, it seemed to have passed into a settled principle, as a
mere matter of profit and pecuniary calculation, that it was
cheaper to “use up” the blacks by constant hard labor, and by
extorting from them the utmost profit, and when they sunk
under it to make new purchases, than to raise children or to
extend the term of service by more moderate labor; but now,
when the price of a slave has advanced to six and seven
hundred dollars, the estimates in the economy of the case will be
different; and both parents and children will fare better.
The incidental mention of the annoyance experienced by Mr. M
—— of San Aliexo, in getting admittance into the country of the
machinery requisite for the establishment of his factory, except
by the payment of enormous duties, reminds me of noting some
facts connected with the regulations of the Custom House here,
derived from authority on the subject so reliable as my friend,
the American Consul. These are a source of continual disgust to
foreigners, particularly to masters of vessels, and those engaged
in maritime matters. They are fifty years behind the age: reach
to every minute particular, and seem to be framed with especial
reference to fines and penalties. Indeed, one of the items in the
annual estimates of expected receipts by the government, is
fines on foreign vessels; and to seize and fine, appears to be a
fixed purpose of the officials. A few pounds of tea, a pig, cups
and saucers, and other small articles of the kind, not on the list
of stores, or in the judgment of the visiting inspector an extra
number for the size of the vessel, are at once seized and sold at
auction at the Custom House door, to swell the receipts of the
Imperial treasury. It is said that nothing but a metallic
substance, held before the eyes, or placed in the palm of the
hands, will prevent these petty seizures. Sometimes the articles
seized are of considerable worth, and, in addition to the loss of
their value, would lead to the imposition of a heavy fine. No
discrimination or distinction seems to be made between cases of
accident, ignorance, good faith and honest intentions, and those
of designed and evident attempts to smuggle or to evade the
law.
It makes no difference whether there is more or less in the
shipment than the manifest calls for; if too much, then it is
evidence of a design to smuggle the excess—if too little, it is
evidence of fraud on the other side. The bed they make is that
of Procrustes. If there is a barrel of flour—or any other article—
more or less in the cargo than in the manifest, a forfeiture and
fine follow with unyielding certainty. One regulation is, that a
master shall give in a list of his stores within twenty-four hours
after his arrival. This, it is expected, will include every thing. But
it is impossible to know to what extent at times the regulation
will be carried. In one instance, recently, a hawser—which had
been used, and was in a long coil on deck, ready for immediate
use again, and was necessary for the safe navigation of the ship,
—was seized, on the ground that it was not in the list rendered.
The master remonstrated, and set forth the facts—protesting
that he should as soon have included his masts and boats, his
anchors and cables, as this hawser; but all the authorities of the
Custom House refused to give it up, and the vessel sailed
without it. It was only after the question had been pending a
long time before the higher authorities, on the strong
representation of the American Minister, that restoration to the
proper owners was made.
No person is allowed to go on board any vessel, before the
discharge of the cargo, without a custom house permit. A poor
sailor, a Greek by birth, who came here in an American vessel,
and was discharged at his own request, was passing an English
vessel in a boat a few days afterwards, and being thirsty, asked
for a drink of water: the man on board told him to come up the
side and get it. He did so, and after drinking the water returned
to his boat. A guard-boat saw and arrested him. He pleaded
entire ignorance of the regulation of the port, but in vain: he was
fined a hundred milreis, and being unable to pay, was sentenced
to be imprisoned one hundred days, or at the rate of a day for
each milreis of the fine. He was eventually released, however,
through the intervention of Gov. Kent.
Even the consul of a foreign nation must obtain a written permit
before he can visit a vessel of his own nation, till she is
discharged. The permit in any case is in force only for a single
day. It must, too, be stamped at a cost of eight cents. Indeed,
every paper of an official nature must be stamped. No note or
bill of exchange is valid, unless stamped within thirty days of its
date: the duty or the stamp being proportioned to the amount of
the note or bill. The revenue derived by the government from
this source, is, of course, large.
The want of confidence, indicated by the minuteness and rigid
exactment of these custom-house regulations, is said to be a
characteristic trait of the people. There is great external civility
towards each other; many bows are exchanged, and frequent
pinches of snuff, and there is an abundance of polite and
complimentary speech; but, full and frank confidence in the
intentions, purposes and words of those with whom they deal,
seems to be greatly wanting. Some light may be gained upon
this point from the fact that by public opinion, by the criminal
code, and by the actual administration of the law, offences
against the person are looked upon as of a higher grade than
the crimen falsi. To strike a man in the street with the open
palm, and even under extreme provocation, is the great crime
next to murder; and so of all offences against the person. An
assault is considered an insult and an indignity, as well as a
breach of the peace.
Direct stealing is visited with condign punishment; but all the
crimes coming under the charge of obtaining money or goods
under false pretences, and those involving forgery, lying,
deception and fraud of all kinds, seem to meet with more lenient
treatment. Convictions in cases of such crimes are not often
obtained, and when they are, the sentences are very light. A
short time ago, a very congratulatory article was inserted in the
newspapers intended in perfect seriousness as a warning to evil
doers, which called public attention to the gratifying fact, that
two men had been convicted of gross perjury in swearing in
court, and had each been sentenced to imprisonment for one
month!
It is but just, however, to say, that in no country is there greater
security for person and property. Though petty theft is not
uncommon, robbery is almost unknown; and offences involving
violence, daring, and courage of a reckless kind, are very
infrequent.
The recent trial of a foreigner on a charge of murder, gave me
an opportunity of observing the process in the criminal court.
The preliminary measures after an arrest for crime, are
somewhat similar to those which are taken in like cases, before a
magistrate at home. The party is arraigned and verbally
examined by the subdelegado, or justice of the district in which
the crime charged has been committed. This examination is
reduced to writing. The accused is asked his age, his business,
and other questions, more or less varied and minute, at the
discretion and pleasure of the justice. He is not compelled to
answer, but his silence may lead to unfavorable inferences
against him. After the examination of the prisoner himself,
witnesses are examined. If these are foreigners, the official
translator of the government attends, to translate the answers,
all of which are written down by the clerk. The witnesses are
sworn on the Evangelists, the open hand being placed on the
book, but this is not kissed as with us. One custom struck me
favorably, in comparison with the business-like and mere matter
of form mode of administering an oath in courts at home. In
every instance here, all rise—court, officers, bar and spectators,
and stand during the ceremony. All rise, too, and stand while the
jury retires.
After the preliminary examination is completed, the magistrate
decides whether or not the accused shall be held for trial; and
submits the papers with his decision to a superior officer, who
usually confirms it, and the accused is imprisoned, or released
on bail.
It is only in criminal cases that a jury forms a part of the judicial
administration. As with us, it consists of twelve men. Forty-eight
are summoned for the term; and the panel for each trial is
selected by lot, the names being drawn by a boy, who hands the
paper to the presiding judge. In capital cases, challenges are
allowed, without the demand of cause. The jury being sworn and
empanelled, the prisoner is again examined by the judge,
sometimes at great length and with great minuteness, not only
as to his acts, but to his motives. The record of the former
proceedings, including all the testimony, is then read. If either
party desire, the witnesses may be again examined, if present,
but they are not bound over, as with us, to appear at the trial.
Hence the examination of the accused and of the witnesses at
the preliminary process, is very important and material. In many
instances, the case is tried and determined entirely upon the
record, as it comes up.
After reading the record, the government introduces such
witnesses as it sees fit, and the prosecuting officer addresses the
jury. The defendant then introduces his witnesses, and his
advocate addresses the jury, sometimes at considerable length.
The prosecuting attorney, if he desires it again, speaks in reply;
and sometimes the argument becomes rather colloquial and tart,
the questions and answers being bandied rather sharply.
The judge charges the jury briefly, and gives them a series of
questions in writing, to be answered on the return of the verdict.
The decision of the case is by majority—unanimity not being
required, even in criminal cases. The questions put by the judge
relate not merely to acts, but to motives, character, and other
things, which may extenuate or aggravate the offence and
sentence, and cover usually the whole case in all direct and
remote accessories. A case begun, is always finished without an
adjournment of the court, though it should continue through the
day and entire night.
In the arrangement of the court-room, the judge with his clerk
sits on one side, and the prosecuting officer on the other; the
jury at semi-circular tables on either side. Two tribunes are
erected, one at the end of each table, for the lawyers engaged in
the case; these usually address the jury sitting. The lawyers not
engaged in the suit in hand, are accommodated in a kind of pew,
under the gallery, which a stranger would be likely, at first, to
take for the criminal’s box or bar.
Public executions very seldom occur. There seems to be a
repugnance to the taking of human life, if there is any possible
chance to substitute imprisonment for life, or a term of years.
Every point of excuse or mitigation is seized upon. One cannot
wonder at this, when he regards the mode of capital
punishment, the barbarous and revolting one of Portugal and
Spain—a relic of barbarism, in which the condemned is ordered
up a ladder under the gallows, and then forced to jump off,
when another man immediately ascending, mounts the
shoulders of the poor wretch, and jumps up and down upon him,
with his hand over his mouth till he is dead. Those who have
witnessed it, represent it as a most awful and revolting
spectacle. This executioner is usually a criminal condemned
himself to death, who is allowed to live by agreeing to perform
the savage act when required. The old Portuguese custom of
gratifying every wish of the condemned, as to food and clothing,
is still retained; and for the twenty-four hours preceding his
execution, the poorest black slave can order whatever in these
respects his fancy dictates: segars, and wine, and luxuries of
every kind are at his command.
Montevideo.

January 30th.—Intelligence from the Plata led to the return of

the Congress to this place, on the 24th inst. Mr. Schenck,
American Minister at the court of Brazil, came passenger with us,
as the guest of Commodore McKeever.
During the three months of our absence, public interest, in
political and military affairs, has been gradually centering at
Buenos Ayres. The siege of Montevideo being raised, and the
Argentine troops which had so long invested her having become
part and parcel of the army of Urquiza, and been withdrawn by
him to the territory of which he is captain-general, preparations
have been in gradual process for a demonstration against Rosas,
by the combined forces of Entre Rios and Brazil. Aware of this,
every effort has been made by the wary Dictator, to rally his
partisans, to give fresh force to the prestige of his name, and to
excite the popular feeling in his favor. To aid in this, all the
winning power of his accomplished daughter, has been brought
forward. To afford better room for its exercise, a public ball of
great magnificence was given at the new opera-house in Buenos
Ayres. At this, Doña Manuelita held a kind of court; and, after
having received throughout its course the homage of a queen,
was, at its close, drawn in a triumphal car, by the young men of
the city, to the governmental mansion. New levies of troops had
been raised and drilled, and the whole city and country placed
under martial law.
A fortnight ago, Urquiza and the allied army of thirty thousand,
crossed the Parana without opposition; and, invading the
province of Buenos Ayres, advanced within twenty miles of the
city. It is now a week since Rosas, leaving Palermo at the head
of twenty thousand soldiers, took the field in person, to oppose
his further progress. It is said that previous to the march, Doña
Manuelita, attired in a riding-dress of scarlet velvet embroidered
with gold, and splendidly mounted, reviewed the troops; and,
like Queen Elizabeth on the approach of the Spanish Armada,
delivered to them an animated and inspiriting address.
A crisis, it is evident, is not far distant; and all is intense
expectation. The universal impression is, that Rosas must fall. It
is believed that there is treachery around him. An advance
guard, in command of Pachecho, one of his best generals, has
been defeated under circumstances which leads to the belief
that, like Oribe at Montevideo, this officer had a secret
understanding with Urquiza; and that the issue at Buenos Ayres
will speedily be the same as that which occurred here four
months ago—the triumph of Urquiza, through the desertion to
him of the opposing soldiery.
This state of affairs led Mr. Schenck and Commodore McKeever,
with Secretary G——, to proceed at once to Buenos Ayres.
Captain Taylor of the marines was of the party, a company from
the guard of the Congress under his command having, with
Lieut. Holmes, been ordered to Buenos Ayres by the Commodore
for the protection of American citizens and their property, in case
of the overthrow of the existing power. As the crew are to have
general liberty on shore here, during the passing fortnight—a
time when my vocation for good seems to be suspended, and
which, both on shipboard and on shore, is to me ever one of trial
—I was urged much to accompany the party. Two reasons,
however, forbade this—one, the still precarious state of a lad,
who, the day we entered the river, fell from a height of ninety-six
feet to the deck, without being killed outright; and the other, an
engagement to officiate at the marriage of Dr. W——, one of the
assistant surgeons of the Congress, to my friend, G—— H——, a
daughter of the American Consul. This is appointed for the 5th of
February, till when, at least, I must remain at Montevideo.
I have been twice only on shore—once with Captain Pearson, to
accompany him in an official call; and again, one afternoon for a
short walk. I had not intended being away from the ship more
than an hour; but, shortly after attempting to return, when not a
half mile from the shore, a furious tempest came rushing upon
us. There was no alternative but to return to the landing before
it. It was so sudden and so violent, that before the boat could
well be secured within the mole by the crew, the whole bay was
in a foam, and a heavy sea rolling over it. It was impossible to
communicate with the ship the next day; and the following night
was still more tempestuous. The hotels of the city afford but
indifferent accommodations; and I availed myself in the
detention of the ever free hospitality of Mr. F——. I improved the
opportunity, too, by calling on the various families of the British
Church before I should meet them again at the services of the
chapel on the Sabbath. The last day, however, was taken up
wholly in reading with absorbing and affecting interest, a
manuscript loaned me by Mr. Lafone, and recently received by
him from Terra del Fuego. I mentioned, under a date at Rio six
months or nine ago, the arrival there of H. B. M. ship Dido, on
her way to the Pacific, with orders from the admiralty to visit
Terra del Fuego and the adjacent small islands, in search of a
company of missionaries who had gone from England the year
previous, but from whom nothing had been heard. A schooner
chartered by Mr. Lafone, and sent by him about that time with
the same object, anticipated the errand of the man-of-war, with
melancholy result. The whole party, consisting of Captain
Gardiner of the Royal Navy, Mr. Williams, a physician, Mr.
Maidenant, a catechist, and four boatmen, perished from hunger
and exposure, in the inclemency of the last winter there. The
graves of some were found, and the unburied bodies of the rest.
Among the effects is the full journal of Mr. Williams, from the
time of his departure from England, till within a few days, as is
supposed, of the death of the whole.[3]

3. See Memoir of Richard Williams, published by the Messrs.

Carter.

Their object was the conversion and civilization of the poor

degraded savages of those dreary and forbidding regions.
Though Captain Gardiner, the projector and leader of the
enterprise, had navigated the waters of Cape Horn, and become
familiar with the region while on service in the navy, he was
ignorant of the language of the natives, and was without an
interpreter. Failing to establish friendly relations with the brutish
people, the whole party became impressed with the idea, either
with or without sufficient cause, that their lives were in jeopardy
from them; and, abandoning the shore, in a great measure, they
took to the water in frail and ill-appointed boats. In these they
fled from bay to bay, and from islet to islet, till worn out with
fatigue and exhausted from want of food, they fell victims to
sickness, starvation, and death. Mr. Williams, to whose journal
the remark I first made refers, abandoned, at very short notice,
a handsome practice in his profession, a choice circle of friends,
and a happy home in England, for the enterprise of philanthropy
in which he so soon perished. From the record he has left it is
evident that he was a deeply experienced and devout Christian:
simple-minded, frank, and pure in heart. In this faithful diary,
every thought and feeling of his inmost soul seems fully
unbosomed. His faith never failed him, under the most afflictive
and dispiriting trials; and his soul continued to be triumphantly
joyous amidst the most grievous destitution and suffering of the
body. I read the details of the journal as penned in the original
manuscript by such a man with intense interest; and came off to
the ship, deeply impressed in mind and heart, with the sadness
of the tragedy which put an end to the record.
 CHAPTER XXV.

Buenos Ayres.

February 12th.—Public events here, for the last few days, have
been more exciting in their progress, and more important in their
issues, than any that have occurred on the Plata for many years.
On the evening of the 4th inst., the Hon. Mr. Schenck arrived
from Buenos Ayres on his return to Brazil. He boarded the
Congress from the steamer in which he came, announcing, as he
crossed the gangway, the utter overthrow of Rosas by Urquiza,
“foot, horse and dragoons!” as he expressed it. This had
occurred on the morning of the preceding day. He left the city
the same evening, when thousands of mounted troops were
pouring through it in rapid flight, before the victorious pursuers.
It was not yet known whether Rosas had fallen in battle, was a
prisoner, or had made a safe escape.
Before the arrival in Buenos Ayres of Mr. Schenck and
Commodore McKeever, he had left for the camp, ten miles
distant; and they did not see him. They were twice at Palermo,
however, on visits to Doña Manuelita; once before any collision
between the hostile forces had taken place; and again on the
evening of the 1st inst., when it was known that an advanced
guard of six thousand Buenos Ayrean troops, under General
Pachecho, had been routed the day previous, and the general
made prisoner: a foreboding shadow of the coming event. Till
then, Manuelita had sustained her position with great spirit and
energy; receiving all visitors—official, diplomatic, and private—as
usual, in the saloons of the Quinta, and conducting with ability
and despatch the affairs of the Home Department of the
government. Toward the close of the last named evening,
however, when surrounded by those only who were in her
immediate confidence, tears might occasionally be seen
trembling in her eye, or stealing down her cheek; but only to be
dashed away on the approach of any from whom she would
conceal the weakness. It was now well known to her that a
general and decisive battle might at any hour take place; and
that Palermo, immediately in the line of march from the point of
contest to the city, was no longer a place of safety for her. The
night was one of splendid moonlight in midsummer, and among
others, Commodore McKeever and Mr. Schenck remained with
her till a late hour of the evening. Before they left, a walk in the
flower-garden was proposed by her; and, taking the arm of Mr.
Schenck, she led the way to the rose-covered arbor mentioned in
my visit last year. Standing within it in silence for a few
moments, she said—“This is my choicest retreat at Palermo; it is
here that I come alone, to be alone; and I am here now for the
last time, perhaps forever!” adding, as the tears fell rapidly down
her face, upturned to the moon, as if in appeal to Heaven for her
sincerity, “I leave Palermo to-night! Whatever the issue of the
morrow is to be, I know our cause to be just, and believe that
God will give to it success!” In this, however, she was mistaken.
That cause, the next day but one, was utterly defeated; and the
following midnight witnessed her flight with her father disguised
as an English marine, and she in the dress of a sailor boy—not
from Palermo only, but from her city and country, without even a
change of clothes, to find safety and a conveyance to distant
exile, under the protection of the British flag.
But this is anticipating the order of events. Rumors of the defeat,
on the 1st instant, of the vanguard of the army of Rosas, or
some disaster of the kind, reached the city on Sunday evening,
the 2d inst.—the night on which Manuelita forsook Palermo. It
produced little impression on the public mind, however; and on
Monday the shops were open, and general business transacted
as usual. At daybreak on Tuesday, heavy cannonading was heard
for several hours in the direction of the opposing armies. Early
afterwards, whispers of a defeat were afloat; and a straggling
cavalry soldier here and there, soon followed by others, in
groups of three and four, began to enter the city. The excitement
spread rapidly, till three guns from the citadel—the signal for
martial law—confirmed the report of the overthrow, and led at
once to the shutting up of every shop, and the closing of every
door. The retreating cavalry now rushed through the town by
hundreds, and soon by thousands, hastening from harm’s way to
their homes in the pampas of the South. General Mancilla, the
brother-in-law of Rosas, and governor of the city, despatched
messengers to the foreign ambassadors, reporting the place to
be defenceless, and soliciting their intervention with the
approaching conqueror, for a halt in his march, till terms of
capitulation could be presented. Permission was at the same
time granted by him, for the landing of the marines attached to
the different foreign squadrons in the harbor, to protect the lives
and property of residents from their respective countries—
British, American, French, and Sardinian. Forty American
marines, including those from the Congress, were disembarked
from the Jamestown, under the command of Captain Taylor and
Lieut. Tatnall, and the crew of the captain’s gig, in charge of
Midshipman Walker. These were distributed in the central and
richest part of the town—at the Embassy and Consulate of the
United States; at the residence of Mr. Carlisle of the house of
Zimmerman, Frazer & Co., the head-quarters of Commodore
McKeever; and one or two other principal American mercantile
establishments. At the same time, a hasty consultation of the
diplomatic corps led to the sending of a deputation from their
number to the head-quarters of Urquiza, in behalf of the city.
The chief member of this was Mr. Pendleton. Mr. Glover, the
secretary of our commander-in-chief, an accomplished young
man, well fitted for the service by his talents, and the facility
with which he speaks the principal modern languages, formed
one of the mission. The special object was to solicit from the
victorious chieftain an order to restrain his troops from entering
the city, till the authorities could make a formal surrender to him,
and thus spare the inhabitants the violence and rapine they had
reason to fear. Happily the exhaustion of the victors rendered
such an order, for the time, unnecessary. The whole force of
thirty thousand men had been without refreshment of any kind,
except, perhaps, a little water, for forty-eight hours; and, after
having put their opponents to flight, they found it absolutely
necessary to come to a rest themselves, not far from the scene
of the principal conflict.
It was not till noon of the following day, that Urquiza reached
Palermo, and established his head-quarters there. Here the
deputation first met him, and readily secured the interposition of
his authority in the point of mercy craved. Notwithstanding this,
early the same morning—that immediately succeeding the battle
—before any thing had been heard from the deputation, the sack
of the city in one quarter was reported to have commenced;
and, in confirmation of the rumor, the alarm-bell of the Cabildo,
or town hall, sent forth an incessant peal. It appeared that a
large number of the routed cavalry of Rosas, finding the pursuit
by the victors given over, remained in the outskirts of the town
during the night; and at the dawn of the next day, commenced
breaking open the shops and houses in the more remote parts,
and stripping them of their contents, bore off the plunder;
alleging the authority of Mancilla himself, the governor of the
city, for the outrage. The dress of the troops of both armies is
the same; red flannel shirts, caps, and cheripas or swaddling
cloths. Those of Urquiza, that they might be distinguished by
each other in battle, had chosen for a badge a square piece of
white cotton cloth, placed on the shoulders by thrusting the
head through a hole in the centre, in the manner of a poncho.
This badge these marauders assumed that they might be
mistaken for the invading soldiery. Emboldened by success in the
outskirts, they began to penetrate the central parts of the place.