Prison-Theatre nities to get away, they are arrested and confined on Cobras Island, and are either put on board their own country ships that may touch here, or sent to Lisbon as prisoners. Besides the religious buildings, the other public edifices are the viceroy's palace, which forms one side of a flagged square, fronting the landing place contiguous to this, and nearly adjoining each other, are the opera house, the royal stables, the prison, and the mint. In passing the prison strangers are disgusted with the sight of half starved and naked prisoners, with iron chains extending from their necks to the prison door, sufficiently long to admit their coming to the footpath of the street, for the purpose of begging. The opera house, which holds about six hundred persons, is open on Thursdays, Sundays, and most holidays: the pieces performed are indifferently tragedies, comedies, or operas, with interludes and afterpieces: the dialogue is in Portuguese, but the words and music of the songs are in Italian. The house is wretchedly fitted up, the scenes miserably daubed, and where foliage is required branches of real trees are introduced; so that while the artificial scenery wears the gay livery of summer, the natural sometimes presents the appearance of autumnal decay. The viceroy is expected by the populace to show himself at the theatre every night on his entering the house, the audience rise, turn their faces towards his box, and then sit down. In private companies no person sits while he stands, unless at his request; thus universal formality is the price that greatness every where pays for vulgar admiration. 1803. July. Brasilian Manners. 1803. The town is supplied with water from a hill July by a lofty aqueduct, of two tier of brick arches, built in a light and not inelegant style. The public garden, which contains between three and four acres of ground, is situated on the sea side; the walks run in straight lines, and are shaded by mangoe trees, whose foliage is extremely luxuriant, and, by its dark hue, peculiarly calculated to refresh the eye pained by the constant glare of the sun. At the extremity of the garden, next the beach, is a flagged terrace, and a room hung with views of the country, and other curiosities: a fountain, which throws up a jet d'eau, waters the garden and cools the air. In the winter the garden is entirely deserted; the ladies then keep constantly in their houses; and the men, wanting that first inducement, the charms of female society, feel no inclination for a barren promenade, but, following the example of the fair sex, pass their time in listless indolence; and, like the swallow, remain in a state of torpidity till the return of spring. Those gradations of fortune, which exist in, and indeed appear to be the necessary consequences of, a well regulated society, are not to be found in the Brasils. The only distinction is the rich, and the poor; the former are proud, though ignorant, and ostentatious though avaricious; and the superabundance of all the mere necessaries of life, alone prevents the latter from being indigent beggars. Those who can acquire half a dozen slaves, live in idleness upon the wages of their labour, and stroll the streets in all the solemnity of self-importance. In their general expenses the rich are penuri ous, and the marriage of their children alone 1803, seems to thaw their frozen generosity. On these July. occasions they run into the contrary extreme, and ridiculous extravagance becomes the order of the day. I have seen a bridal chemise, the needle-work of which had cost fifty pounds; and the rest of the parapherna ia in proportional expense! Their entertainments are profuse in proportion as they are rare, but seldom possess any title to elegance, and sometimes want even cleanliness to recommend them to an English appetite The carriages in use among the rich, are cabriolets drawn by mules, and chairs curtained round, in which they are drawn through the streets by negro slaves: the latter are also female conveyances. Gaming, the peculiar vice of idleness, is prevalent among the men. Faro is their favourite game; and the fickle goddess is here pursued with as much avidity as at Brooks's or Almack's. It is but justice to the Brasilian ladies to say, that they bear no part in this destructive vice: but whether from want of inclination, or restraint, I cannot take upo me to say. The manners of the Brasilians are, however, gradually converging towards that liberal system which appears to be continually gaining ground throughout the world, and which will probably one day be universally established. in exact proportion to the peculiar physical and moral attributes of man in the climate he inhabits. The usual dress of both sexes is adopted from the French: swords and cocked hats are entirely out of fashion, and cloaks are now only worn by the vulgar. 1803. Bra ilian Women. The men who have had any intercourse with July the English adopt their customs even to minuteness; hence cropped heads, round hats, and half boots, have ceased to be considered as foreign costume. The women wear their waists very short, their bosoms much exposed, and their headdresses and naked arms covered with a profusion of sparkling stones, topazes, aqua marinas, ame, thysts, chrysolites, &c., which are of little value here: the ladies, however, as well as the men, seem to prefer attiring themselves à la mode d'Angleterre, when it is in their power. An English milliner, who stopped here on her of Among other habits of the Brasilian ladies, Convents. which, separately considered, are perhaps trif- 1803. ling, but when combined form a powerful opJuly, position to the empire of female charms, is that of continually spitting, without regard to either manner, time, or place. The young ladies who are educated in the convents, are permitted to converse even with strangers at the gate, and often shewed their partiality for our countrymen, by the interchange of pocket handkerchiefs and other trifles. There is something so interesting in the silvery tones of a secluded damsel, when two rows of iron bars intervene to prevent a near approach; something so Pyramus and Thesbé like, that the heart of a true born Englishman cannot fail being captivated,→ "Tis distance lends enchantment to the view.” And while he repeats the swelling names of Magdalina, Antonia, or Seraphina, he deprecates the hell-invented barrier, that precludes him from imprinting the impassioned kiss on the hand of the sweetly pensive recluse. For the encouragement of my enamoured countrymen, who might otherwise give way to despair, and pine in hopeless love, I cannot help informing him, that the iron bars of the convents are not quite so hard as adamant, nor the walls so high as to render an escalade impracticable; and that the watchful eye of the dragon, who guards the Hesperian fruit, has more than once been eluded by British ingenuity, or lulled to sleep by Brasilian gold. In music and singing, the Brasilians of both sexes may be said to excel. These are arts peculiarly congenial to luxurious climates; for there the wants of man being supplied by Nature al |