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A WOMAN’S JOURNEY ROUND THE WORLD, from Vienna to Brazil,
Chili, Tahiti, China, Hindostan, Persia, and Asia Minor.

BY IDA PFEIFFER.

An unabridged translation from the German.

PREFACE.

I have been called, in many of the public journals, a “professed
tourist;” but I am sorry to say that I have no title to the appellation
in its usual sense.  On the one hand I possess too little wit and
humour to render my writings amusing; and, on the other, too little
knowledge to judge rightly of what I have gone through.  The only
gift to which I can lay claim is that of narrating in a simple manner
the different scenes in which I have played a part, and the different
objects I have beheld; if I ever pronounce an opinion, I do so merely
on my own personal experience.

Many will perhaps believe that I undertook so long a journey from
vanity.  I can only say in answer to this—whoever thinks
so should make such a trip himself, in order to gain the conviction,
that nothing but a natural wish for travel, a boundless desire of acquiring
knowledge, could ever enable a person to overcome the hardships, privations,
and dangers to which I have been exposed.

In exactly the same manner as the artist feels an invincible desire
to paint, and the poet to give free course to his thoughts, so was I
hurried away with an unconquerable wish to see the world.  In my
youth I dreamed of travelling—in my old age I find amusement in
reflecting on what I have beheld.

The public received very favourably my plain unvarnished account
of “A Voyage to the Holy Land, and to Iceland and Scandinavia.” 
Emboldened by their kindness, I once more step forward with the journal
of my last and most considerable voyage, and I shall feel content if
the narration of my adventures procures for my readers only a portion
of the immense fund of pleasure derived from the voyage by

                                         THE
AUTHORESS.

Vienna, March 16, 1850.

With the hope that we may forward the views of the authoress, and
be the means of exciting the public attention to her position and wants,
we append the following statement by Mr. A. Petermann, which appeared
in the Athenæum of the 6th of December, 1851:

“Madame Pfeiffer came to London last April, with the intention
of undertaking a fresh journey; her love of travelling appearing not
only unabated, but even augmented by the success of her journey round
the world.  She had planned, as her fourth undertaking, a journey
to some of those portions of the globe which she had not yet visited—namely,
Australia and the islands of the Asiatic Archipelago; intending to proceed
thither by the usual route round the Cape.  Her purpose was, however,
changed while in London.  The recently discovered Lake Ngami, in
Southern Africa, and the interesting region to the north, towards the
equator—the reflection how successfully she had travelled among
savage tribes, where armed men hesitated to penetrate, how well she
had borne alike the cold of Iceland and the heat of Babylonia—and
lastly, the suggestion that she might be destined to raise the veil
from some of the totally unknown portions of the interior of Africa—made
her determine on stopping at the Cape, and trying to proceed thence,
if possible, northwards into the equatorial regions of the African Continent.

“Madame Pfeiffer left for the Cape, on the 22nd of May last,
in a sailing vessel—her usual mode of travelling by sea, steamboats
being too expensive.  She arrived safely at Cape Town on the 11th
of August, as I learned from a letter which I received from her last
week, dated the 20th of August.  From that letter the following
are extracts:—

“‘The impression which this place (Cape Town) made on
me, was not an agreeable one.  The mountains surrounding the town
are bare, the town itself (London being still fresh in my recollection)
resembles a village.  The houses are of only one story, with terraces
instead of roofs.  From the deck of the vessel a single tree was
visible, standing on a hill.  In short, on my arrival I was at
once much disappointed, and this disappointment rather increases than
otherwise.  In the town the European mode of living is entirely
prevalent—more so than in any other place abroad that I have seen. 
I have made a good many inquiries as to travelling into the interior;
and have been, throughout, assured that the natives are everywhere kindly
disposed to travellers, and that as a woman I should be able to penetrate
much farther than a man,—and I have been strongly advised to undertake
a journey as far as the unknown lakes, and even beyond.  Still,
with all these splendid prospects and hopes, I fear I shall travel less
in this country than in any other.  Here, the first thing you are
told is, that you must purchase waggons, oxen, horses, asses,—hire
expensive guides, etc., etc.  How far should I reach in this way
with my £100 sterling?  I will give you an example of the
charges in this country:—for the carriage of my little luggage
to my lodgings I had to pay 10s. 6d.!  I had previously landed
in what I thought the most expensive places in the world—London,
Calcutta, Canton, etc.—had everywhere a much greater distance
to go from the vessel to my lodgings, and nowhere had I paid half of
what they charged me here.  Board and lodging I have also found
very dear.  Fortunately, I have been very kindly received into
the house of Mr. Thaewitzer, the Hamburgh consul, where I live, very
agreeably, but do not much advance the object which brought me here. 
I shall, in the course of the month, undertake a short journey with
some Dutch boers to Klein Williams; and I fear that this will form the
beginning and the end of my travels in this country.’

“From these extracts it will be seen that the resolute lady
has at her command but very slender means for the performance of her
journeys.  The sum of £100, which was granted to her by the
Austrian government, forms the whole of her funds.  Private resources
she has none.  It took her twenty years to save enough money to
perform her first journey!—namely, that to the Holy Land. 
While in London, she received scarcely any encouragement; and her works
were not appreciated by the public, or indeed known, till she had left
this country.  It is to be regretted that the want of a little
pecuniary assistance should deter the enterprising lady from carrying
out her projected journey in Southern Africa.  Though not a scientific
traveller, she is a faithful recorder of what she sees and hears; and
she is prepared to note the bearings and distances of the journey, make
meteorological observations, and keep a careful diary—so that
the results of her projected journey would perhaps be of as much interest
as those of other travellers of greater pretensions.”

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.    THE VOYAGE TO THE BRAZILS.

CHAPTER II.    ARRIVAL AND SOJOURN IN RIO JANEIRO.

CHAPTER III.  EXCURSIONS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF RIO JANEIRO.

CHAPTER IV.    JOURNEY INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE BRAZILS.

CHAPTER V.    THE VOYAGE ROUND CAPE HORN.

CHAPTER VI.    ARRIVAL AND RESIDENCE IN VALPARAISO.

CHAPTER VII.  THE VOYAGE FROM VALPARAISO TO CANTON, VIA TAHITI.

CHAPTER VIII.  CHINA.

CHAPTER IX.    THE EAST INDIES—SINGAPORE.

CHAPTER X.    THE EAST INDIES—CEYLON.

CHAPTER XI.    MADRAS AND CALCUTTA.

CHAPTER XII.  BENARES.

CHAPTER XIII.  ALLAHABAD, AGRA, AND DELHI.

CHAPTER XIV.  JOURNEY FROM DELHI TO BOMBAY.

CHAPTER XV.    JOURNEY FROM DELHI TO BOMBAY, CONTINUED.

CHAPTER XVI.  CONTINUATION OF JOURNEY AND SOJOURN.

CHAPTER XVII.  FROM BOMBAY TO BAGHDAD.

CHAPTER XVIII. MESOPOTAMIA, BAGHDAD, AND BABYLON.

CHAPTER XIX.  MOSUL AND NINEVEH.

CHAPTER XX.    PERSIA.

CHAPTER XXI.  SOJOURN IN TEBRIS.

CHAPTER XXII.  ASIATIC RUSSIA—ARMENIA, GEORGIA, AND MINGRELIA.

CHAPTER XXIII. EUROPEAN RUSSIA.

CHAPTER XXIV.  CONSTANTINOPLE AND ATHENS.

CHAPTER I.  THE VOYAGE TO THE BRAZILS.

DEPARTURE FROM VIENNA—STAY IN HAMBURGH—STEAMERS AND
SAILING VESSELS—DEPARTURE FROM HAMBURGH—CUXHAVEN—THE
BRITISH CHANNEL—FLYING-FISH—THE PHISOLIDA—CONSTELLATIONS—PASSING
THE LINE—THE “VAMPEROS”—A GALE AND STORM—CAPE
FRIO—ARRIVAL IN THE PORT OF RIO JANEIRO.

On the first of May, 1846, I left Vienna, and, with the exception
of slight stoppages at Prague, Dresden, and Leipsic, proceeded directly
to Hamburgh, there to embark for the Brazils.  In Prague I had
the pleasure of meeting Count Berchthold, who had accompanied me during
a portion of my journey in the East.  He informed me that he should
like to be my companion in the voyage to the Brazils, and I promised
to wait for him in Hamburgh.

I had a second most interesting meeting on the steamer from Prague
to Dresden, namely, with the widow of Professor Mikan.  In the
year 1817, this lady had, on the occasion of the marriage of the Austrian
Princess Leopaldine with Don Pedro I., followed her husband to the Brazils,
and afterwards made with him a scientific journey into the interior
of the country.

I had often heard this lady’s name mentioned, and my joy at
making her personal acquaintance was very great.  In the kindest
and most amiable manner she communicated to me the results of her long
experience, and added advice and rules of conduct, which proved afterwards
highly useful.

I arrived in Hamburgh on the 12th of May; and, as early as the 13th,
might have embarked on board a fine fast-sailing brig, which, besides,
was christened the “Ida,” like myself.  With a heavy
heart I saw this fine vessel set sail.  I was obliged to remain
behind, as I had promised my travelling companion to await his arrival. 
Week after week elapsed, with nothing but the fact of my staying with
my relatives to lighten the dreariness of suspense; at last, about the
middle of June, the Count came, and shortly afterwards we found a vessel—a
Danish brig, the “Caroline,” Captain Bock, bound for Rio
Janeiro.

I had now before me a long voyage, which could not be made under
two months at the least, and which, possibly, might last three or four. 
Luckily I had already lived for a considerable period on board sailing
vessels during my former travels, and was therefore acquainted with
their arrangements, which are very different from those of steamers. 
On board a steamer everything is agreeable and luxurious; the vessel
pursues her rapid course independent of the wind, and the passengers
enjoy good and fresh provisions, spacious cabins, and excellent society.

In sailing vessels all this is very different, as, with the exception
of the large East Indiamen, they are not fitted up for passengers. 
In them the cargo is looked upon as the principal thing, and in the
eyes of the crew passengers are a troublesome addition, whose comfort
is generally very little studied.  The captain is the only person
who takes any interest in them, since a third or even the half of the
passage-money falls to his share.

The space, too, is so confined, that you can hardly turn yourself
round in the sleeping cabins, while it is quite impossible to stand
upright in the berths.  Besides this, the motion of a sailing vessel
is much stronger than that of a steamer; on the latter, however, many
affirm that the eternal vibration, and the disagreeable odour of the
oil and coals, are totally insupportable.  For my own part, I never
found this to be the case; it certainly is unpleasant, but much easier
to bear than the many inconveniences always existing on board a sailing
vessel.  The passenger is there a complete slave to every whim
or caprice of the captain, who is an absolute sovereign and holds uncontrolled
sway over everything.  Even the food depends upon his generosity,
and although it is generally not absolutely bad, in the best instances,
it is not equal to that on board a steamer.

The following form the ordinary diet: tea and coffee without milk,
bacon and junk, soup made with pease or cabbage, potatoes, hard dumplings,
salted cod, and ship-biscuit.  On rare occasions, ham, eggs, fish,
pancakes, or even skinny fowls, are served out.  It is very seldom,
in small ships, that bread can be procured.

To render the living more palatable, especially on a long voyage,
passengers would do well to take with them a few additions to the ship’s
fare.  The most suitable are: portable soup and captain’s
biscuit—both of which should be kept in tin canisters to preserve
them from mouldiness and insects—a good quantity of eggs, which,
when the vessel is bound for a southern climate, should first be dipped
in strong lime-water or packed in coal-dust; rice, potatoes, sugar,
butter, and all the ingredients for making sangaree and potato-salad,
the former being very strengthening and the latter very cooling. 
I would strongly recommend those who have children with them to take
a goat as well.

As regards wine, passengers should take especial care to ask the
captain whether this is included in the passage-money, otherwise it
will have to be purchased from him at a very high rate.

There are also other objects which must not be forgotten, and above
all a mattress, bolster, and counterpane, as the berths are generally
unfurnished.  These can be purchased very cheaply in any seaport
town.

Besides this, it is likewise advisable to take a stock of coloured
linen.  The office of washerwoman is filled by a sailor, so that
it may easily be imagined that the linen does not return from the wash
in the best possible condition.

When the sailors are employed in shifting the sails, great care must
be taken to avoid injury by the falling of any of the ropes.  But
all these inconveniences are comparatively trifling; the greatest amount
of annoyance begins towards the end of the voyage.  The captain’s
mistress is his ship.  At sea he allows her to wear an easy negligé,
but in port she must appear in full dress.  Not a sign of the long
voyage, of the storms, of the glowing heat she has suffered, must be
visible.  Then begins an incessant hammering, planing, and sawing;
every flaw, every crack or injury is made good, and, to wind up, the
whole vessel is painted afresh.  The worst of all, however, is
the hammering when the cracks in the deck are being repaired and filled
up with pitch.  This is almost unbearable.

But enough of annoyances.  I have described them merely to prepare,
in some degree, those who have never been to sea.  Persons residing
in sea-port towns do not, perhaps, stand in need of this, for they hear
these matters mentioned every day; but such is not the case with us
poor souls, who have lived all our lives in inland cities.  Very
often we hardly know how a steamer or a sailing vessel looks, much less
the mode of life on board them.  I speak from experience, and know
too well what I myself suffered on my first voyage, simply because,
not having been warned beforehand, I took nothing with me save a small
stock of linen and clothes.

At present I will proceed with the progress of my voyage.  We
embarked on the evening of the 28th of June, and weighed anchor before
daybreak of the 29th.  The voyage did not commence in any very
encouraging manner; we had very little, in fact almost no wind at all,
and compared to us every pedestrian appeared to be running a race: we
made the nine miles to Blankenese in seven hours.

Luckily the slow rate at which we proceeded was not so disagreeable,
as, at first, for a considerable period we beheld the magnificent port,
and afterwards could admire, on the Holstein side, the beautiful country
houses of the rich Hamburghers, situated upon charming eminences and
surrounded by lovely gardens.  The opposite side, belonging to
Hanover, is as flat and monotonous as the other is beautiful. 
About here the Elbe, in many places, is from three to four miles broad.

Before reaching Blankenese the ships take in their stock of water
from the Elbe.  This water, although of a dirty and thick appearance,
is said to possess the valuable quality of resisting putridity for years.

We did not reach Glückstadt (37 miles from Hamburgh) before
the morning of the 30th.  As there was not now a breath of wind,
we were entirely at the mercy of the stream, and began drifting back. 
The captain, therefore, ordered the men to cast anchor, and profited
by the leisure thus forced upon him to have the chests and boxes made
fast on the deck and in the hold.  We idlers had permission granted
us to land and visit the town, in which, however, we found but little
to admire.

There were eight passengers on board.  The four cabin places
were taken by Count B—, myself, and two young people who hoped
to make their fortune sooner in the Brazils than in Europe.  The
price of a passage in the first cabin was 100 dollars (£20 16s.
8d.), and in the steerage 50 dollars (£10 8s. 4d.).

In the steerage, besides two worthy tradesmen, was a poor old woman
who was going, in compliance with the wish of her only son, who had
settled in the Brazils, to join him there, and a married woman whose
husband had been working as a tailor for the last six years in Rio Janeiro. 
People soon become acquainted on board ship, and generally endeavour
to agree as well as possible, in order to render the monotony of a long
voyage at all supportable.

On the 1st of July we again set sail in rather stormy weather. 
We made a few miles, but were soon obliged to cast anchor once more. 
The Elbe is here so wide, that we could hardly see its banks, and the
swell so strong, that sea-sickness began to manifest itself among our
company.  On the 2nd of July, we again attempted to weigh anchor,
but with no better success than the day before.  Towards evening
we saw some dolphins, called also tummler, or tumblers, as well
as several gulls, which announced to us that we were fast nearing the
sea.

A great many vessels passed quickly by us.  Ah! they could turn
to account the storm and wind which swelled out their sails, and drove
them rapidly towards the neighbouring port.  We grudged them their
good fortune; and perhaps we had to thank this specimen of Christian
love on our part, that on the 3rd of July, we had not got further than
Cuxhaven, seventy-four miles from Hamburgh.

The 4th of July was a beautifully fine day, for those who could remain
quietly on shore; but for those on board ship it was bad enough, as
there was not the slightest breath of wind stirring.  To get rid
of our lamentations, the captain launched out in praises of the charming
little town, and had us conveyed to land.  We visited the town,
as well as the bathing establishment and the lighthouse, and afterwards
actually proceeded as far as a place called the “Bush,”
where, as we were told, we should find a great abundance of strawberries. 
After wandering about, over fields and meadows, for a good hour in the
glowing heat, we found the Bush, it is true, but instead of strawberries,
discovered only frogs and adders there.

We now proceeded into the scanty wood, where we saw about twenty
tents erected.  A bustling landlord came up, and offering us some
glasses of bad milk, said that every year a fair is held in the Bush
for three weeks, or rather, on three successive Sundays, for during
the week days the booths are closed.  The landlady also came tripping
towards us, and invited us, in a very friendly manner, to spend the
next Sunday with them.  She assured us that we should “amuse
ourselves charmingly;” that we elder members of the company should
find entertainment in the wonderful performances of the tumblers and
jugglers, and the younger gentlemen find spruce young girls for partners
in the dance.

We expressed ourselves much pleased at this invitation, promised
to be sure to come, and then extended our walk to Ritzebüttel,
where we admired a small castle and a miniature park.

5th July.  Nothing is so changeable as the weather: yesterday
we were revelling in sunshine, and today we were surrounded by a thick,
dark fog; and yet this, bad as it was, we found more agreeable than
the fine weather of the day before, for a slight breeze sprang up, and
at nine o’clock in the morning, we heard the rattling of the capstan,
as the anchor was being weighed.  In consequence of this, the young
people were obliged to give up the idea of an excursion to the Bush,
and defer all dancing with pretty girls until their arrival in another
hemisphere, for it was fated that they should not set foot in Europe
again.

The transition from the Elbe to the North Sea is scarcely perceptible,
as the Elbe is not divided into different channels, but is eight or
ten miles broad at its mouth.  It almost forms a small sea of itself,
and has even the green hue of one.  We were, consequently, very
much surprised, on hearing the captain exclaim, in a joyful tone, “We
are out of the river at last.”  We imagined that we had long
since been sailing upon the wide ocean.

In the afternoon, we bore in sight of the island of Heligoland, which
belongs to the English, and presented really a magical appearance, as
it rose out from the sea.  It is a barren, colossal rock; and had
I not learned, from one of the newest works on geography, that it was
peopled by about 2,500 souls, I should have supposed the whole island
to have been uninhabited.  On three sides, the cliffs rise so precipitously
from the waves, that all access is impossible.

We sailed by the place at a considerable distance, and saw only the
towers of the church and lighthouse, in addition to the so-called “Monk,”
a solitary, perpendicular rock, that is separated from the main body,
between which and it there sparkles a small strip of sea.

The inhabitants are very poor.  The only sources of their livelihood
are fishing and bathing visitors.  A great number of the latter
come every year, as the bathing, on account of the extraordinary swell,
is reckoned extremely efficacious.  Unfortunately, great fears
are entertained that this watering-place cannot exist much longer, as
every year the island decreases in size, from the continual falling
away of large masses of rock, so that some day the whole place may disappear
into the sea.

From the 5th to the 10th of July, we had continued stormy and cold
weather, with a heavy sea, and great rolling of the ship.  All
we poor “land-lubbers” were suffering from sea sickness. 
We first entered the British Channel, also called “La Manche”
(420 miles from Cuxhaven) in the night of the 10-11th.

We awaited with impatience the rising of the sun, which would display
to our gaze two of the mightiest powers in Europe.  Luckily, the
day was fine and clear, and the two kingdoms lay before us, in such
magnificence and proximity, that the beholder was almost inclined to
believe that a sister people inhabited both countries.

On the coast of England, we saw the North Foreland, the Castle of
Sandown, and the town of Deal, stretching out at the foot of the cliffs,
which extend for many miles, and are about 150 feet high.  Further
on, we came in sight of the South Foreland; and lastly, the ancient
castle of Dover, that sits right bravely enthroned upon an eminence,
and overlooks the surrounding country, far and wide.  The town
itself lies upon the sea-shore.

Opposite Dover, at the narrowest part of the channel, we distinguished,
on the French coast, Cape Grisnez, where Napoleon erected a small building,
in order, it is said, to be at least able to see England; and, further
on, the obelisk raised in memory of the camp at Boulogne, by Napoleon,
but completed under Louis Philippe.

The wind being unfavourable, we were obliged, during the night, to
tack in the neighbourhood of Dover.  The great darkness which covered
both land and sea rendered this maneuvre a very dangerous one; firstly,
on account of the proximity of the coast; and, secondly, on account
of the number of vessels passing up and down the channel.  To avoid
a collision, we hung out a lantern on the foremast, while, from time
to time, a torch was lighted, and held over the side, and the bell frequently
kept sounding: all very alarming occurrences to a person unused to the
sea.

For fourteen days were we prisoners in the 360 miles of the Channel,
remaining very often two or three days, as if spell-bound, in the same
place, while we were frequently obliged to cruise for whole days to
make merely a few miles; and near Start we were overtaken by a tolerably
violent storm.  During the night I was suddenly called upon deck. 
I imagined that some misfortune had happened, and hastily throwing a
few clothes on, hurried up—to enjoy the astonishing spectacle
of a “sea-fire.”  In the wake of the vessel I behold
a streak of fire so strong that it would have been easy to read by its
light; the water round the ship looked like a glowing stream of lava,
and every wave, as it rose up, threw out sparks of fire.  The track
of the fish was surrounded by dazzling inimitable brilliancy, and far
and wide everything was one dazzling coruscation.

This extraordinary illumination of the sea is of very unfrequent
occurrence, and rarely happens after long-continued, violent storms. 
The captain told me that he had never yet beheld the sea so lighted
up.  For my part, I shall never forget the sight.

A second, and hardly less beautiful, spectacle came under our observation
at another time, when, after a storm, the clouds, gilt by the rays of
the sun, were reflected as in a mirror on the bosom of the sea. 
They glittered and shone with an intensity of colour which surpassed
even those of the rainbow.

We had full leisure to contemplate Eddystone Lighthouse, which is
the most celebrated building of the kind in Europe, as we were cruising
about for two days in sight of it.  Its height, and the boldness
and strength with which it is built, are truly wonderful; but still
more wonderful is its position upon a dangerous reef, situated ten miles
from the coast; at a distance, it seems to be founded in the sea itself.

We often sailed so near the coast of Cornwall, that not only could
we plainly perceive every village, but even the people in the streets
and in the open country.  The land is hilly and luxuriant, and
appears carefully cultivated.

During the whole time of our cruising in the Channel, the temperature
was cold and raw, the thermometer seldom being higher than 65° to
75° Fah.

At last, on the 24th of July, we came to the end of the Channel,
and attained the open sea; the wind was tolerably favourable, and on
the 2nd of August we were off Gibraltar, where we were becalmed for
twenty-four hours.  The captain threw several pieces of white crockeryware,
as well as a number of large bones overboard, to show how beautifully
green such objects appeared as they slowly sank down beneath the sea;
of course this can only be seen in a perfect calm.

In the evening we were greatly delighted by numbers of moluscæ
shining through the water; they looked exactly like so many floating
stars, about the size of a man’s hand; even by day we could perceive
them beneath the waves.  They are of a brownish red, and in form
resemble a toadstool; many had a thick pedicle, somewhat fimbriated
on the under part; others, instead of the pedicle, had a number of threads
hanging down from them.

4th August.  This was the first day that it was announced by
the heat that we were in a southern latitude; but, as was also the case
the following day, the clear dark blue sky that generally overarches
the Mediterranean in such exceeding loveliness, was still wanting. 
We found, however, some slight compensation for this in the rising and
setting of the sun, as these were often accompanied by unusual forms
and colours of the clouds.

We were now off Morocco, and were fortunate enough today to perceive
a great number of bonitos.  Every one on board bestirred himself,
and on every side fish hooks were cast overboard; unluckily only one
bonito allowed himself to be entrapped by our friendly invitations;
he made a dart at the bait, and his good-natured confidence procured
us a fresh meal, of which we had long been deprived.

On the 5th of August we saw land for the first time for twelve days. 
The sun was rising as the little island of Porto Santo greeted our sight. 
It is formed of peaked mountains, which, by their shape, betray their
volcanic origin.  A few miles in advance of the island stands the
beautiful Falcon Rock, like a sentinel upon the look-out.  We sailed
past Madeira (23 miles from Porto Santo) the same day, but unluckily
at such a distance that we could only perceive the long mountain chains
by which the island is intersected.  Near Madeira lie the rocky
Deserta Islands, which are reckoned as forming part of Africa.

Near these islands we passed a vessel running under reefed sails
before the wind, whence the captain concluded that she was a cruiser
looking after slavers.

On the 6th of August we beheld, for the first time, flying fish,
but at such a distance that we could scarcely distinguish them.

On the 7th of August we neared the Canary Isles, but unfortunately,
on account of the thick fog, we could not see them.  We now caught
the trade wind, that blows from the east, and is anxiously desired by
all sailors.

In the night of the 9-10th we entered the tropics.  We were
now in daily expectation of greater heat and a clearer sky, but met
with neither.  The atmosphere was dull and hazy, and even in our
own raw fatherland the sky could not have been so overcast, except upon
some days in November.  Every evening the clouds were piled upon
one another in such a way that we were continually expecting to see
a water-spout; it was generally not before midnight that the heavens
would gradually clear up, and allow us to admire the beautiful and dazzling
constellations of the South.

The captain told us that this was the fourteenth voyage he had made
to the Brazils, during which time he had always found the heat very
easily borne, and had never seen the sky otherwise than dull and lowering. 
He said that this was occasioned by the damp, unhealthy coast of Guinea,
the ill effects of which were perceptible much further than where we
then were, although the distance between us was 350 miles.

In the tropics the quick transition from day to night is already
very perceptible; 35 or 40 minutes after the setting of the sun the
deepest darkness reigns around.  The difference in the length of
day and night decreases more and more the nearer you approach the Equator. 
At the Equator itself the day and night are of equal duration.

All the 14th and 15th of August we sailed parallel with the Cape
de Verde Islands, from which we were not more than 23 miles distant,
but which, on account of the hazy state of the weather, we could not
see.

During this period we used to be much amused by small flocks of flying-fish,
which very often rose from the water so near the ship’s side that
we were enabled to examine them minutely.  They are generally of
the size and colour of a herring; their side fins, however, are longer
and broader, and they have the power of spreading and closing them like
little wings.  They raise themselves about twelve or fifteen feet
above the water, and then, after flying more than a distance of a hundred
feet, dive down again for a moment beneath the waves, to recommence
directly afterwards: this occurs most frequently when they are pursued
by bonitos or other foes.  When they were flying at some distance
from the ship they really looked like elegant birds.  We very frequently
saw the bonitos also, who were pursuing them, endeavour to raise themselves
above the water, but they seldom succeeded in raising more than their
head.

It is very difficult to catch one of these little denizens of the
air, as they are to be secured neither by nets or hooks; but sometimes
the wind will drive them, during the night, upon the deck, where they
are discovered, in the morning, dead, not having sufficient strength
to raise themselves from dry places; in this way I obtained a few specimens.

Today, August 15th, we enjoyed a most interesting sight.  We
happened, exactly at 12 o’clock, to be in the sun’s zenith,
and the sunbeams fell so perpendicularly that every object was perfectly
shadowless.  We put books, chairs, ourselves in the sun, and were
highly delighted with this unusual kind of amusement.  Luckily
we had chanced to be at the right spot at the right time; had we, at
the same hour, been only one degree nearer or one degree further, we
should have lost the entire sight; when we saw it we were 14° 6’
(a minute is equal to a nautical mile).

All observations with the sextant {9}
were out of the question until we were once more some degrees from the
zenith.

17th August.  Shoals of tunny-fish, (fish four and five feet
long, and belonging to the dolphin tribe,) were seen tumbling about
the ship.  A harpoon was quickly procured, and one of the sailors
sent out with it on the bowsprit; but whether he had bad luck, or was
unskilled in the art of harpooning, he missed his mark.  The most
wonderful part of the story, though, was that all the fish disappeared
as if by magic, and did not appear again for some days; it seemed as
if they had whispered and warned each other of the threatened danger.

All the oftener, however, did we see another inhabitant of the sea,
namely, that beautiful mollusca, the physolida, called by the sailors
Portugiesisches Segel-schiff; (Portuguese sailing-ship.) 
When floating upon the surface of the sea, with its long crest, which
it can elevate or depress at pleasure, it really resembles a delicate
tiny little sailing vessel.  I was very desirous of catching one
of these little creatures, but this could only be effected by means
of a net, which I had not got, nor had I either needle or twine to make
one.  Necessity, however, is the mother of invention; so I manufactured
a knitting needle of wood, unravelled some thick string, and in a few
hours possessed a net.  Very soon afterwards a mollusca had been
captured, and placed in a tub filled with sea water.  The little
creature’s body is about six inches long and two inches high;
the crest extends over the whole of the back, and in the middle, where
it is highest, measures about an inch and a half.  Both the crest
and body are transparent, and appear as if tinged with rose colour;
from the belly, which is violet, are suspended a number of threads or
arms of the same colour.

I hung the little thing up to dry at the stern, outside the ship;
some of the threads reached down into the water (a depth of at least
twelve feet), but most of them fell off.  After the animal was
dead, the crest remained erect, and the body perfectly filled out, but
the beautiful rose colour gradually changed to white.

18th August.  Today we had a heavy thunder-storm, for which
we were very grateful, as it cooled the air considerably.  Between
1° and 2°, or 3° North latitude, frequent changes in the
weather are very common.  For instance, on the morning of the 20th
we were overtaken by a strong wind, which lashed up the sea to a great
height, and continued until evening, when it gave way to a tropical
shower, which we at home should call a perfect water-spout.  The
deck was instantaneously transformed into a lake, while at the same
time the wind had so completely fallen that even the rudder enjoyed
a holiday.

This rain cost me a night’s rest, for when I went to take possession
of my berth, I found the bed-clothes drenched through and through, and
was fain to content myself with a wooden bench for a couch.

On the 27th of August we got beyond these hostile latitudes, and
were received by the anxiously desired south-east trade wind, which
hurried us quickly on our voyage.

We were now very near the Equator, and, like all other travellers,
wished very much to see the celebrated constellations of the south. 
I myself was most interested in the Southern Cross; and, as I could
not find it among the stars, I begged the captain to point it out to
me.  Both he and the first mate, however, said that they had never
heard of it, and the second mate was the only one to whom it did not
appear entirely unknown.  With his help, we really did discover
in the spangled firmament four stars, which had something of the form
of a somewhat crooked cross, but were certainly not remarkable in themselves,
nor did they excite the least enthusiasm amongst us.  A most magnificent
spectacle was, on the contrary, formed by Orion, Jupiter, and Venus;
the latter, indeed, shone so brilliantly that her gleams formed a silver
furrow across the waves.

The great frequency of falling stars is another fact that I cannot
corroborate.  They are, perhaps, more frequent than in cold climates,
but are far from being as common as is said: and as for their size,
I saw only one which surpassed ours; and this appeared about three times
as large as an ordinary star.

For some days also we had now seen the Cape, or Magellan’s
Clouds, and also the so-called Black Cloud.  The first are bright,
and, like the Milky Way, are formed of numberless small stars, invisible
to the naked eye; the latter presents a black appearance, and is said
to be produced by the absence of all stars whatever from this part of
the heavens.

All these different signs prepared us for the most interesting moment
of our voyage—namely, passing the line.

On the 29th of August, at 10 o’clock P.M., we saluted the southern
hemisphere for the first time.  A feeling nearly allied to pride
excited every one, but more especially those who crossed the line for
the first time.  We shook each other by the hand, and congratulated
one another mutually, as if we had done some great and heroic deed. 
One of the passengers had brought with him a bottle or two of champagne
to celebrate the event: the corks sprang gaily in the air, and with
a joyful “huzza,” the health of the new hemisphere was drunk.

No festivities took place among the crew.  This is at present
the case in most vessels, as such amusements seldom end without drunkenness
and disorder.  The sailors, however, could not let the cabin-boy,
who passed the line for the first time, go quite scot-free; so he was
well christened in a few buckets of salt water.

Long before passing the line, we passengers had frequently spoken
of all the sufferings and tortures we should be subjected to at the
Equator.  Every one had read or heard something exceedingly horrible,
which he duly communicated to all the rest.  One expected headache
or colic; a second had pictured to himself the sailors falling down
from exhaustion; a third dreaded such a fearful degree of heat, that
it would not only melt the pitch, {11}
but would so dry up the ship, that nothing but continual throwing water
over it could prevent its catching fire; while a fourth feared that
all the provisions would be spoilt, and ourselves nearly starved to
death.

For my own part, I had already congratulated myself on the tragical
stories I should be able to present to my readers; I beheld them shedding
tears at the narration of the sufferings we had experienced, and I already
appeared to myself half a martyr.  Alas! I was sadly deceived. 
We all remained in perfectly good health; not a sailor sank exhausted;
the ship did not catch fire; and the provisions were not spoilt—they
were just as bad as before.

3rd September.  From 2° to 3° South latitude the wind
is very irregular, and frequently excessively violent.  Today we
passed the 8° South latitude, without seeing land, which put the
captain in the best of humours.  He explained to us, that if we
had seen land, we should have been obliged to retrace our course almost
to the line, because the current sets in with such violence towards
the land, that the voyage could only be made at a proper distance.

7th September.  Between 10° and 20° South latitude we
again met with very peculiar prevalent winds.  They are called
vamperos; and oblige the sailor to be always on his guard, as
they spring up very suddenly, and are often extremely violent. 
We were overtaken by one during the night, but, luckily, it was not
of the worst kind.  In a few hours it had entirely passed over,
but the sea did not become calm again for a considerable time.

On the 9th and 11th of September, we encountered some short gusts
of the vamperos, the most violent being the last.

12th and 13th of September.  The first was termed by the captain
merely “a stiffish breeze;” but the second was entered in
the log {12} as “a
storm.”  The stiffish breeze cost us one sail; the storm,
two.  During the time it lasted, the sea ran so high, that it was
with the greatest difficulty we could eat.  With one hand we were
obliged to grasp the plate, and at the same time to hold fast on to
the table, while, with the other, we managed, with considerable difficulty,
to convey the food to our mouth.  At night, I was obliged to “stow”
myself firmly in my berth with my cloaks and dresses, to protect my
body from being bruised black and blue.

On the morning of the 13th, I was on deck at break of day. 
The helmsman led me to the side of the vessel, and told me to hold my
head overboard, and inhale the air.  I breathed a most beautiful
perfume of flowers.  I looked round in astonishment, and imagined
that I must already be able to see the land: it was, however, still
far distant, the soft perfume being merely drifted to us by the wind. 
It was very remarkable that inside the ship this perfume was not at
all perceptible.

The sea itself was covered with innumerable dead butterflies and
moths, which had been carried out to sea by the storm.  Two pretty
little birds, quite exhausted by their long flight, were resting upon
one of the yards.

For us, who, during two months and a half, had seen nothing but sky
and water, all these things were most satisfactory; and we looked out
anxiously for Cape Frio, which we were very near.  The horizon,
however, was lowering and hazy, and the sun had not force enough to
tear the murky veil asunder.  We looked forward with joy to the
next morning, but during the night were overtaken by another storm,
which lasted until 2 o’clock.  The ship’s course was
changed, and she was driven as far as possible into the open sea; so
that, in the end, we were glad enough to reach, the next day, the same
position we had occupied the morning before.

Today we caught no glimpse of land; but a few gulls and albatrosses
from Cape Frio warned us that we were near it, and afforded us some
little amusement.  They swam close up to the ship’s side,
and eagerly swallowed every morsel of bread or meat that was thrown
to them.  The sailors tried to catch some with a hook and line,
and were fortunate enough to succeed.  They were placed upon the
deck, and, to my great surprise, I perceived that they were unable to
raise themselves from it.  If we touched them, they merely dragged
themselves, with great difficulty, a few paces further, although they
could rise very easily from the surface of the water, and fly extremely
high.

One of the gentlemen was exceedingly anxious to kill and stuff one
of them, but the superstition of the sailors was opposed to this. 
They said that if birds were killed on board ship, their death would
be followed by long calms.  We yielded to their wishes and restored
the little creatures to the air and waves, their native elements.

This was another proof that superstition is still deep-rooted in
the minds of sailors.  Of this we had afterwards many other instances. 
The captain, for example, was always very averse to the passengers amusing
themselves with cards or any other game of chance; in another vessel,
as I was informed, no one was allowed to write on Sunday, etc. 
Empty casks or logs of wood were also very frequently thrown overboard
during a calm—probably as sacrifices to the deities of the winds.

On the morning of the 16th of September we at last had the good fortune
to perceive the mountains before Rio Janeiro, and soon singled out the
Sugarloaf.  At 2 o’clock, P.M., we entered the bay
and port of Rio Janeiro.

Immediately at the entrance of the bay are several conical rocks,
some of which, like the Sugarloaf, rise singly from the sea, while others
are joined at the base, and are almost inaccessible. {13} 
Between these “ocean mountains,” if I may be allowed the
expression, are seen the most remarkably beautiful views; now extraordinary
ravines, then some charmingly situated quarter of the town, presently
the open sea, and the moment after some delightful bay.  From the
bay itself, at the end of which the capital is built, rise masses of
rock, serving as foundations to different fortifications.  On some
of these eminences are chapels and fortresses.  Ships are obliged
to pass as near as possible to one of the largest of the latter, namely,
Santa Cruz, in order that their papers may be examined.

From this fortress, to the right, stretches the beautiful mountain
range of the Serados-Orgõas, which, in conjunction with other
mountains and hills, fringes a lovely bay, on the shores of which lie
the little town of Praya-grande, some few villages and detached farmhouses.

At the extremity of the principal bay, stands Rio Janeiro, surrounded
by a tolerably high chain of mountains (among which is the Corcovado,
2,100 feet high), behind which, more inland, is the Organ Mountain,
which owes its name to its many gigantic peaks placed upright one against
the other like the pipes of an organ.  The highest peak is 5,000
feet high.

One portion of the town is concealed by the Telegraph Mountain, and
several hills, on which, besides the Telegraph, there is a monastery
of Capuchin monks and other smaller buildings.  Of the town itself
are seen several rows of houses and open squares, the Great Hospital,
the Monasteries of St. Luzia and Moro do Castello, the Convent of St.
Bento, the fine Church of St. Candelaria, and some portions of the really
magnificent aqueduct.  Close to the sea is the Public Garden (passeo
publico) of the town, which, from its fine palm trees, and elegant
stone gallery, with two summer-houses, forms a striking object. 
To the left, upon eminences, stand some isolated churches and monasteries,
such as St. Gloria, St. Theresa, etc.  Near these are the Praya
Flamingo and Botafogo, large villages with beautiful villas, pretty
buildings, and gardens, which stretch far away until lost in the neighbourhood
of the Sugarloaf, and thus close this most wonderful panorama. 
In addition to all this, the many vessels, partly in the harbour before
the town, partly anchored in the different bays, the rich and luxuriant
vegetation, and the foreign and novel appearance of the whole, help
to form a picture, of whose beauties my pen, unfortunately, can never
convey an adequate idea.

It rarely happens that a person is so lucky as to enjoy, immediately
on his arrival, so beautiful and extensive a view as fell to my lot;
fogs, clouds, or a hazy state of the atmosphere, very often conceal
certain portions, and thus disturb the wonderful impression of the whole. 
Whenever this is the case, I would advise every one, who intends stopping
any time in Rio Janeiro, to take a boat, on a perfectly clear day, as
far as Santa Cruz, in order to behold this peculiarly beautiful prospect.

It was almost dark before we reached the place of anchorage. 
We were first obliged to stop at Santa Cruz to have the ship’s
papers examined, and then appear before an officer, who took from us
our passports and sealed letters; then before a surgeon, who inspected
us to see that we had not brought the plague or yellow fever; and lastly,
before another officer, who took possession of different packets and
boxes, and assigned us the spot to anchor in.

It was now too late for us to land, and the captain alone proceeded
on shore.  We, however, remained for a long time on deck, contemplating
the magnificent picture before us, until both land and sea lay shrouded
in night.

With a light heart did we all retire to rest; the goal of our long
voyage had been attained without any misfortune worthy of being mentioned. 
A cruel piece of intelligence was in store for the poor tailor’s
wife alone; but the good captain did not break it to her today, in order
to let her enjoy an undisturbed night’s rest.  As soon as
the tailor heard that his wife was really on her passage out, he ran
off with a negress, and left nought behind but—debts.

The poor woman had given up a sure means of subsistence in her native
land (she supported herself by cleaning lace and ladies’ apparel),
and had devoted her little savings to pay the expenses of her voyage,
and all to find herself deserted and helpless in a strange hemisphere.
{14}

From Hamburgh to Rio Janeiro is about 8,750 miles.

CHAPTER II.  ARRIVAL AND SOJOURN IN RIO JANEIRO.

INTRODUCTION—ARRIVAL—DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN—THE
BLACKS AND THEIR RELATIONS TO THE WHITES—ARTS AND SCIENCES—FESTIVALS
OF THE CHURCH—BAPTISM OF THE IMPERIAL PRINCESS—FETE IN THE
BARRACKS—CLIMATE AND VEGETATION—MANNERS AND CUSTOMS—A
FEW WORDS TO EMIGRANTS.

I remained in Rio Janeiro above two months, exclusive of the time
devoted to my different excursions into the interior of the country;
it is very far from my intention, however, to tire the reader with a
regular catalogue of every trifling and ordinary occurrence.  I
shall content myself with describing the most striking features in the
town, and likewise in the manners and customs of the inhabitants, according
to the opportunities I possessed during my stay to form an opinion of
them.  I shall then give an account of my various excursions in
an Appendix, and afterwards resume the thread of my journal.

It was on the morning of the 17th of September that, after the lapse
of nearly two months and a half, I first set foot upon dry land. 
The captain himself accompanied the passengers on shore, after having
earnestly advised each one separately to be sure and smuggle nothing,
more especially sealed letters.  “In no part of the world,”
he assured us, “were the Custom-house officers so strict, and
the penalties so heavy.”

On coming in sight of the guard ship, we began to feel quite frightened
from this description, and made up our minds that we should be examined
from top to toe.  The captain begged permission to accompany us
on shore; this was immediately granted, and the whole ceremony was completed. 
During the entire period that we lived on board the ship, and were continually
going and coming to and from the town, we never were subjected to any
search; it was only when we took chests and boxes with us that we were
obliged to proceed to the Custom-house, where all effects are strictly
examined, and a heavy duty levied upon merchandise, books, etc., etc.

We landed at the Praya dos Mineiros, a disgusting and dirty sort
of square, inhabited by a few dozen blacks, equally disgusting and dirty,
who were squatted on the ground, and praising at the top of their voices
the fruits and sweetmeats which they were offering for sale.  Thence
we proceeded directly into the principal street (Rua Direita),
whose only beauty consists in its breadth.  It contains several
public buildings, such as the Post-office, the Custom-house, the Exchange,
the Guard-house, etc.; all of which, however, are so insignificant in
appearance, that any one would pass them by unnoticed, if there were
not always a number of people loitering before them.

At the end of this street stands the Imperial Palace, a commonplace,
large building, exactly resembling a private house, without the least
pretensions to taste or architectural beauty.  The square before
it (Largo do Paco), whose only ornament, a plain fountain, is
extremely dirty, and serves at night as a sleeping place for a number
of poor free negroes, who, on getting up in the morning, perform the
various duties of their toilet in public with the most supreme indifference. 
A part of the square is walled off and employed as a market for fish,
fruit, vegetables, and poultry.

Of the remaining streets the Rua Misericorda and the Rua Ouvidor
are the most interesting.  The latter contains the finest and largest
shops; but we must not expect the magnificent establishments we behold
in the cities of Europe—in fact, we meet with little that is beautiful
or costly.  The flower-shops were the only objects of particular
attraction for me.  In these shops are exposed for sale the most
lovely artificial flowers, made of birds’ feathers, fishes’
scales, and beetles’ wings.

Of the squares, the finest is the Largo do Rocio; the largest, the
Largo St. Anna.  In the first, which is always kept tolerably clean,
stand the Opera-house, the Government-house, the Police-office, etc. 
This, too, is the starting-place for most of the omnibuses, which traverse
the town in all directions.

The last-named square is the dirtiest in the whole town.  On
crossing it for the first time, I perceived lying about me half putrid
cats and dogs—and even a mule in the same state.  The only
ornament of this square is a fountain, and I almost think I should prefer
it if the fountain were, in this case, taken away; for, as soft water
is not very abundant in Rio Janeiro, the washerwoman’s noble art
pitches its tent wherever it finds any, and most willingly of all when,
at the same time, it meets with a good drying ground.  The consequence
is, that in the Largo St. Anna there is always such an amount of washing
and drying, of squalling and screaming, that you are glad to get away
as quickly as possible.

There is nothing remarkable in the appearance of the churches, either
inside or out.  The Church and Cloister of St. Bento and the Church
of St. Candelaria are the most deceptive; from a distance they have
a very imposing look.

The houses are built in the European fashion, but are small and insignificant;
most of them have only a ground-floor or single story,—two stories
are rarely met with.  Neither are there any terraces and verandahs
adorned with elegant trellis-work and flowers, as there are in other
warm countries.  Ugly little balconies hang from the walls, while
clumsy wooden shutters close up the windows, and prevent the smallest
sunbeam from penetrating into the rooms, where everything is enveloped
in almost perfect darkness.  This, however, is a matter of the
greatest indifference to the Brazilian ladies, who certainly never over-fatigue
themselves with reading or working.

The town offers, therefore, very little in the way of squares, streets,
and buildings, which, for a stranger, can prove in the least attractive;
while the people that he meets are truly shocking—nearly all being
negroes and negresses, with flat, ugly noses, thick lips, and short
woolly hair.  They are, too, generally half naked, with only a
few miserable rags on their backs, or else they are thrust into the
worn-out European-cut clothes of their masters.  To every four
or five blacks may be reckoned a mulatto, and it is only here and there
that a white man is to be seen.

This horrible picture is rendered still more revolting by the frequent
bodily infirmities which everywhere meet the eye: among these elephantiasis,
causing horrible club-feet, is especially conspicuous; there is, too,
no scarcity of persons afflicted with blindness and other ills. 
Even the cats and dogs, that run about the gutters in great numbers,
partake of the universal ugliness: most of them are covered with the
mange, or are full of wounds and sores.  I should like to be endowed
with the magic power of transporting hither every traveller who starts
back with affright from the lanes of Constantinople, and asserts that
the sight of the interior of this city destroys the effect produced
by it when viewed at a distance.

It is true that the interior of Constantinople is exceedingly dirty,
and that the number of small houses, the narrow streets, the unevenness
of the pavement, the filthy dogs, etc., do not strike the beholder as
excessively picturesque; but then he soon comes upon some magnificent
edifice of the time of the Moors or Romans, some wondrous mosque or
majestic palace, and can continue his walk through endless cemeteries
and forests of dreamy cypresses.  He steps aside before a pasha
or priest of high rank, who rides by on his noble steed, surrounded
by a brilliant retinue; he encounters Turks in splendid costumes, and
Turkish women with eyes that flash through their veils like fire; he
beholds Persians with their high caps, Arabs with their nobly-formed
features, dervises in fools’-caps and plaited petticoats like
women, and, now and then, some carriage, beautifully painted and gilt,
drawn by superbly caparisoned oxen.  All these different objects
fully make up for whatever amount of dirtiness may occasionally be met
with.  In Rio Janeiro, however, there is nothing that can in any
way amuse, or atone for the horrible and disgusting sights which everywhere
meet the eye.

It was not until I had been here several weeks that I became somewhat
accustomed to the appearance of the negroes and mulattoes.  I then
discovered many very pretty figures among the young negresses, and handsome,
expressive countenances among the somewhat dark-complexioned Brazilian
and Portuguese women; the men seem, as regards beauty, to be less favoured.

The bustle in the streets is far less than what I had been led to
expect from the many descriptions I had heard, and is certainly not
to be compared to that at Naples or Messina.  The greatest amount
of noise is made by those negroes who carry burdens, and especially
by such as convey the sacks full of coffee on board the different vessels;
they strike up a monotonous sort of song, to the tune of which they
keep step, but which sounds very disagreeable.  It possesses, however,
one advantage; it warns the foot passenger, and affords him time to
get out of the way.

In the Brazils, every kind of dirty or hard work, whether in doors
or out, is performed by the blacks, who here, in fact, replace the lower
classes.  Many, however, learn trades, and frequently are to be
compared to the most skilful Europeans.  I have seen blacks in
the most elegant workshops, making wearing apparel, shoes, tapestry,
gold or silver articles, and met many a nattily dressed negro maiden
working at the finest ladies’ dresses, or the most delicate embroidery. 
I often thought I must be dreaming when I beheld these poor creatures,
whom I had pictured to myself as roaming free through their native forests,
exercising such occupations in shops and rooms!  Yet they do not
appear to feel it as much as might be supposed—they were always
merry, and joking over their work.

Among the so-called educated class of the place, there are many who,
in spite of all the proofs of mechanical skill, as well as general intelligence
which the blacks often display, persist in asserting that they are so
far inferior to the whites in mental power, that they can only be looked
upon as a link between the monkey tribe and the human race.  I
allow that they are somewhat behind the whites in intellectual culture;
but I believe that this is not because they are deficient in understanding,
but because their education is totally neglected.  No schools are
erected for them, no instruction given them—in a word, not the
least thing is done to develop the capabilities of their minds. 
As was the case in old despotic countries, their minds are purposely
kept enchained; for, were they once to awake from their present condition,
the consequences to the whites might be fearful.  They are four
times as numerous as the latter, and if they ever become conscious of
this superiority, the whites might probably be placed in the position
that the unhappy blacks have hitherto occupied.

But I am losing myself in conjectures and reasonings which may, perhaps,
become the pen of a learned man, but certainly not mine, since I assuredly
do not possess the necessary amount of education to decide upon such
questions; my object is merely to give a plain description of what I
have seen.

Although the number of slaves in the Brazils is very great, there
is nowhere such a thing as a slave-market.  The importation of
them is publicly prohibited, yet thousands are smuggled in every year,
and disposed of in some underhand manner, which every one knows, and
every one employs.  It is true, that English ships are constantly
cruising off the coasts of Brazil and Africa, but even if a slaver happen
to fall into their hands, the poor blacks, I was told, were no more
free than if they had come to the Brazils.  They are all transported
to the English colonies, where, at the expiration of ten years, they
are supposed to be set at liberty.  But during this period, their
owners allow the greater number to die—of course, in the returns
only—and the poor slaves remain slaves still; but I repeat that
I only know this from hearsay.

After all, slaves are far from being as badly off as many Europeans
imagine.  In the Brazils they are generally pretty well treated;
they are not overworked, their food is good and nutritious, and the
punishments are neither particularly frequent nor heavy.  The crime
of running away is the only one which is visited with great rigour. 
Besides a severe beating, they have fetters placed round their neck
and feet; these they have to wear for a considerable period.  Another
manner of punishment consists in making them wear a tin mask, which
is fastened with a lock behind.  This is the mode of punishment
adopted for those who drink, or are in the habit of eating earth or
lime.  During my long stay in the Brazils, I only saw one negro
who had got on a mask of this description.  I very much doubt whether,
on the whole, the lot of these slaves is not less wretched than that
of the peasants of Russia, Poland, or Egypt, who are not called
slaves.

I was one day very much amused at being asked to stand godmother
to a negro, which I did, although I was not present at either baptism
or confirmation.  There is a certain custom here, that when a slave
has done anything for which he expects to be punished, he endeavours
to fly to some friend of his owner, and obtain a note, asking for the
remission of his punishment.  The writer of such a letter has the
title of godfather bestowed on him, and it would be accounted an act
of the greatest impoliteness not to grant the godfather’s request. 
In this way, I myself was fortunate enough to save a slave from punishment.

The town is tolerably well lighted, and the lighting is continued
to a considerable distance, on all sides, beyond the town itself; this
measure was introduced on account of the great number of blacks. 
No slave dare be seen in the streets later than 9 o’clock in the
evening, without having a pass from his master, certifying that he is
going on business for him.  If a slave is ever caught without a
pass, he is immediately conveyed to the House of Correction, where his
head is shaved, and he himself obliged to remain until his master buys
his freedom for four or five milreis.  (8s. 8d., or 10s. 10d.) 
In consequence of this regulation, the streets may be traversed with
safety at any hour of the night.

One of the most disagreeable things in Rio Janeiro is the total absence
of sewers.  In a heavy shower, every street becomes a regular stream,
which it is impossible to pass on foot; in order to traverse them, it
is requisite to be carried over by negroes.  At such times, all
intercourse generally ceases, the streets are deserted, parties are
put off, and even the payment of bills of exchange deferred.  It
is very seldom that people will hire a carriage, for it is an absurd
custom here, to pay as much for a short drive, as if the carriage were
required for the whole day; in both cases the charge is six milreis
(13s.)  The carriages are half-covered ones, with seats for two,
and are drawn by a pair of mules, on one of which the driver rides. 
Carriages and horses like the English are very seldom to be met with.

As regards the arts and sciences, I may mention the Academy of Fine
Arts, the Museum, Theatre, etc.  In the Academy of Fine Arts is
something of everything, and not much of anything—a few figures
and busts, most in plaster, a few architectural plans and pencil drawings,
and a collection of very old oil paintings.  It really seemed to
me as if some private picture gallery had been carefully weeded of all
the rubbish in it, which had then been put here out of the way. 
Most of the oil paintings are so injured, that it is scarcely possible
to make out what they are intended to represent, which, after all, is
no great loss.  The only thing respectable about them is their
venerable antiquity.  A startling contrast is produced by the copies
of them made by the students.  If the colours in the old pictures
are faded, in the modern ones they blaze with a superfluity of vividness;
red, yellow, green, etc., are there in all their force; such a thing
as mixing, softening, or blending them, has evidently never been thought
of.  Even at the present moment, I really am at a loss to determine
whether the worthy students intended to found a new school for colouring,
or whether they merely desired to make up in the copies for the damage
time had done the originals.

There were as many blacks and mulattoes among the students as whites,
but the number of them altogether was inconsiderable.

Music, especially singing and the pianoforte, is almost in a more
degraded position than painting.  In every family the young ladies
play and sing; but of tact, style, arrangement, time, etc., the innocent
creatures have not the remotest idea, so that the easiest and most taking
melodies are often not recognisable.  The sacred music is a shade
better, although even the arrangements of the Imperial Chapel itself
are susceptible of many improvements.  The military bands are certainly
the best, and these are generally composed of negroes and mulattoes.

The exterior of the Opera-house does not promise anything very beautiful
or astonishing, and the stranger is, consequently, much surprised to
find, on entering, a large and magnificent house with a deep stage. 
I should say it could contain more than 2,000 persons.  There are
four tiers of spacious boxes rising one above the other, the balustrades
of which, formed of delicately-wrought iron trellis-work, give the theatre
a very tasty appearance.  The pit is only for men.  I was
present at a tolerably good representation, by an Italian company, of
the opera of Lucrezia Borgia; the scenery and costumes are not
amiss.

If, however, I was agreeably surprised by my visit to the theatre,
I experienced quite a contrary feeling on going to the Museum. 
In a land so richly and luxuriously endowed by Nature, I expected an
equally rich and magnificent museum, and found a number of very fine
rooms, it is true, which one day or other may be filled, but which at
present are empty.  The collection of birds, which is the most
complete of all, is really fine; that of the minerals is very defective;
and those of the quadrupeds and insects poor in the extreme.  The
objects which most excited my curiosity, were the heads of four savages,
in excellent preservation; two of them belonged to the Malay, and two
to the New Zealand tribes.  The latter especially I could not sufficiently
contemplate, completely covered as they were with tattooing of the most
beautiful and elegant design, and so well preserved that they seemed
only to have just ceased to live.

During the period of my stay in Rio Janeiro, the rooms of the Museum
were undergoing repairs, and a new classification of the different objects
was also talked of.  In consequence of this, the building was not
open to the public, and I have to thank the kindness of Herr Riedl,
the director, for allowing me to view it.  He acted himself as
my guide; and, like me, regretted that in a country where the formation
of a rich museum would be so easy a task, so little had been done.

I likewise visited the studio of the sculptor Petrich, a native of
Dresden, who came over at the unsolicited command of the court, to execute
a statue of the emperor in Carrara marble.  The emperor is represented
the size of life, in a standing position, and arrayed in his imperial
robes, with the ermine cloak thrown over his shoulder.  The head
is strikingly like, and the whole figure worked out of the stone with
great artistic skill.  I believe this statue was destined for some
public building.

I was fortunate enough during my stay in Rio Janeiro to witness several
different public festivals.

The first was on the 21st of September, in the Church of St. Cruz,
on the occasion of celebrating the anniversary of the patron saint of
the country.  Early in the morning several hundred soldiers were
drawn up before the church, with an excellent band, which played a number
of lively airs.  Between ten and eleven, the military and civil
officers began gradually to arrive, the subordinate ones, as I was told,
coming first.  On their entrance into the church, a brownish-red
silk cloak, which concealed the whole of the uniform, was presented
to each.  Every time that another of a higher rank appeared, all
those already in the church rose from their seats, and advancing towards
the new comer as far as the church door, accompanied him respectfully
to his place.  The emperor and his wife arrived the last of all. 
The emperor is extremely young—not quite one and twenty—but
six feet tall, and very corpulent; his features are those of the Hapsburg-Lothering
family.  The empress, a Neapolitan princess, is small and slim,
and forms a strange contrast when standing beside the athletic figure
of her husband.

High mass, which was listened to with great reverence by every one,
began immediately after the entrance of the court, and after this was
concluded the imperial pair proceeded to their carriage, presenting
the crowd, who were waiting in the church, their hands to kiss as they
went along.  This mark of distinction was bestowed not only on
the officers and officials of superior rank, but on every one who pressed
forward to obtain it.

A second, and more brilliant festival occurred on the 19th of October;
it was the emperor’s birth-day, and was celebrated by high mass
in the Imperial Chapel.  This chapel is situated near the Imperial
Palace, to which it is connected by means of a covered gallery. 
Besides the imperial family, all the general officers, as well as the
first officials of the state, were present at the mass, but in full
uniform, without the ugly silk cloaks.  Surrounding all was a row
of Lancers (the body-guard).  It is impossible for any but an eye-witness
to form an idea of the richness and profusion of the gold embroidery,
the splendid epaulets, and beautifully set orders, etc., displayed on
the occasion, and I hardly believe that anything approaching it could
be seen at any European court.

During high mass, the foreign ambassadors, and the ladies and gentlemen
admitted to court, assembled in the palace, where, on the emperor’s
return, every one was admitted to kiss his hand.

The ambassadors, however, took no part in this proceeding, but merely
made a simple bow.

This edifying ceremony could easily be seen from the square, as the
windows are very near the ground, and were also open.  On such
occasions continual salutes are fired from the imperial ships, and sometimes
from others in the harbour.

On the 2nd of November I saw a festival of another description—namely,
a religious one.  During this and the following days, old and young
proceed from one church to another, to pray for the souls of the departed.

They have a singular custom here of not burying all their dead in
the church-yard, many bodies being placed, at an additional expense,
in the church itself.  For this purpose, there are, in every church,
particular chambers, with catacombs formed in the walls.  The corpse
is strewed with lime, and laid in a catacomb of this description, where,
after a lapse of eight or ten months, the flesh is completely eaten
away.  The bones are then taken out, cleaned by boiling, and collected
in an urn, on which is engraved the name, birth-day, etc., of the deceased. 
These urns are afterwards set up in the passages of the church, or sometimes
even taken home by the relations.

On All-souls’ day, the walls of the chambers are hung with
black cloth, gold lace, and other ornaments, and the urns are richly
decorated with flowers and ribbons, and are lighted up by a great number
of tapers in silver candelabra and chandeliers, placed upon high stands. 
From an early hour in the morning until noon, the women and young girls
begin praying very fervently for the souls of their deceased relations,
and the young gentlemen, who are quite as curious as those in Europe,
go to see the young girls pray.

Females on this day are dressed in mourning, and often wear, to the
great disgust of the curious young gentlemen before mentioned, a black
veil over their head and face.  No one, by the way, is allowed
to wear a bonnet at any festival of the church.

But the most brilliant of the public festivals I saw here, was the
christening of the imperial princess, which took place on the 15th of
November, in the Imperial Chapel, which is connected with the palace.

Towards 3 o’clock in the afternoon a number of troops were
drawn up in the court-yard of the palace, the guards were distributed
in the corridors and the church, while the bands played a series of
pleasing melodies, frequently repeating the National Anthem, which the
late emperor, Peter I., is said to have composed.  Equipage after
equipage began to roll up to the palace, and set down the most brilliantly
attired company of both sexes.

At 4 o’clock the procession began to leave the palace. 
First, came the court band, clothed in red velvet, and followed by three
heralds, in old Spanish costume, magnificently decorated hats and feathers,
and black velvet suits.  Next walked the officers of the law, and
the authorities of every rank, chamberlains, court physicians, senators,
deputies, generals, and ecclesiastics, privy councillors and secretaries;
and, lastly, after this long line of different personages, came the
lord steward of the young princess, whom he bore upon a magnificent
white velvet cushion, edged with gold lace.  Immediately behind
him followed the emperor, and the little princess’s nurse, surrounded
by the principal nobles and ladies of the court.  On passing through
the triumphal arch of the gallery, and coming before the pallium of
the church, the emperor took his little daughter {23a}
into his own arms, and presented her to the people; an act which pleased
me exceedingly, and which I considered extremely appropriate.

The empress, with her ladies, had likewise already arrived in the
church through the inner corridors, and the ceremony commenced forthwith. 
The instant the princess was baptized, the event was announced to the
whole town by salvos of artillery, volleys of musketry, and the discharge
of rockets. {23b} 
At the conclusion of the ceremony, which lasted above an hour, the procession
returned in the same order in which it had arrived, and the chapel was
then opened to the people.  I was curious enough to enter with
the rest, and, I must own, I was quite surprised at the magnificence
and taste with which the building was decorated.  The walls were
covered with silk and velvet hangings, ornamented with gold fringe,
while rich carpets were spread underfoot.  On large tables, in
the middle of the nave, were displayed the most valuable specimens of
the church plate, gold and silver vases, immense dishes, plates, and
goblets, artistically engraved, and ornamented with embossed or open
work; while magnificent vessels of crystal, containing the most beautiful
flowers, and massive candelabra, with innumerable lights, sparkled in
the midst.  On a separate table, near the high altar, were all
the costly vessels and furniture which had been employed at the christening;
and, in one of the side chapels, the princess’s cradle, covered
with white satin, and ornamented with gold lace.  In the evening,
the town, or rather, the public buildings, were illuminated.  The
proprietors of private houses are not required to light up; and they
either avail themselves of their privilege, or at most, hang out a few
lanterns—a fact which will be readily understood, when it is known
that such illuminations last for six or eight days.  The public
buildings, on the contrary, are covered from top to bottom with countless
lamps, which look exactly like a sea of fire.

The most original and really amusing fêtes to celebrate the
christening of the princess, were those given on several evenings in
some of the barracks: even the emperor himself made his appearance there
for a few moments on different occasions.  They were also the only
fêtes I saw here which were not mixed up with religious solemnities. 
The sole actors in them were the soldiers themselves, of whom the handsomest
and most active had previously been selected, and exercised in the various
evolutions and dances.  The most brilliant of these fêtes
took place in the barracks of the Rua Barbone.  A semicircular
and very tasty gallery was erected in the spacious court-yard, and in
the middle of the gallery were busts of the imperial couple.  This
gallery was set apart for the ladies invited, who made their appearance
as if dressed for the most splendid ball: at the entrance of the court-yard
they were received by the officers, and conducted to their places. 
Before the gallery stood the stage, and at each side of the latter were
ranged rows of seats for the less fashionable females; beyond these
seats was standing-room for the men.

At eight o’clock the band commenced playing, and shortly afterwards
the representation began.  The soldiers appeared, dressed in various
costumes, as Highlanders, Poles, Spaniards, etc.; nor was there any
scarcity of danseuses, who, of course, were likewise private
soldiers.  What pleased me most was, that both the dress and behaviour
of the military young ladies were highly becoming.  I had expected
at least some little exaggeration, or at best no very elegant spectacle;
and was therefore greatly astonished, not only with the correctness
of the dances and evolutions, but also with the perfect propriety with
which the whole affair was conducted.

The last fête that I saw took place on the 2nd of December,
in celebration of the emperor’s birth-day.  After high mass,
the different dignitaries again waited on the emperor, to offer their
congratulations, and were admitted to the honour of kissing his hand,
etc.  The imperial couple then placed themselves at a window of
the palace, while the troops defiled before them, with their bands playing
the most lively airs.  It would be difficult to find better dressed
soldiers than those here: every private might easily be mistaken for
a lieutenant, or at least a non-commissioned officer; but unluckily,
their bearing, size, and colour, are greatly out of keeping with the
splendour of their uniform—a mere boy of fourteen standing next
to a full-grown, well-made man, a white coming after a black, and so
on.

The men are pressed into the service; the time of serving is from
four to six years.

I had heard and read a great deal in Europe of the natural magnificence
and luxury of the Brazils—of the ever clear and smiling sky, and
the extraordinary charm of the continual spring; but though it is true
that the vegetation is perhaps richer, and the fruitfulness of the soil
more luxuriant and vigorous than in any other part of the world, and
that every one who desires to see the working of nature in its greatest
force and incessant activity, must come to Brazil; still it must not
be thought that all is good and beautiful, and that there is nothing
which will not weaken the magical effect of the first impression.

Although every one begins by praising the continual verdure and the
uninterrupted splendour of spring met with in this country, he is, in
the end, but too willing to allow, that even this, in time, loses its
charm.  A little winter would be preferable, as the reawakening
of nature, the resuscitation of the slumbering plants, the return of
the sweet perfume of spring, enchants us all the more, simply because
during a short period we have been deprived of it.

I found the climate and the air exceedingly oppressive; and the heat,
although at that period hardly above 86° in the shade, very weakening. 
During the warm months, which last from the end of December to May,
the heat rises in the shade to 99°, and in the sun to above 122°. 
In Egypt, I bore a greater amount of heat with far greater ease; a circumstance
which may perhaps be accounted for by the fact, that the climate is
there drier, while here there is always an immense degree of moisture. 
Fogs and mists are very common; the hills and eminences, nay, even whole
tracts of country, are often enveloped in impenetrable gloom, and the
whole atmosphere loaded with damp vapours.

In the month of November I was seriously indisposed for a considerable
period.  I suffered, especially in the town, from an oppressive
feeling of fatigue and weakness; and to the kindness and friendship
of Herr Geiger, the Secretary to the Austrian Consulate, and his wife,
who took me with them into the country, and showed me the greatest attention,
do I alone owe my recovery.  I ascribed my illness altogether to
the unusual dampness of the atmosphere.

The most agreeable season is said to be the winter (from June to
October); that, with a temperature of from 63° to 72°, is mostly
dry and clear.  This period is generally selected by the inhabitants
for travelling.  During the summer, violent thunder-storms are
of frequent occurrence: I myself only saw three during my stay in the
Brazils, all of which were over in an hour and a half.  The lightning
was almost incessant, and spread like a sheet of fire over the greater
portion of the horizon; the thunder, on the other hand, was inconsiderable.

Clear, cloudless days (from 16th September to 9th December) were
so rare, that I really could have counted them; and I am at a loss to
understand how so many travellers have spoken of the ever beautiful,
smiling, and blue sky of the Brazils.  This must be true of some
other portion of the year.

A fine evening and long twilight is another source of enjoyment which
may be said to be unknown: at sunset every one hastens home, as it is
immediately followed by darkness and damp.

In the height of summer the sun sets at about a quarter past 6, and
all the rest of the year at 6 o’clock; twenty or thirty minutes
afterwards, night sets in.

The mosquitoes, ants, baraten, and sand-fleas are another source
of annoyance; many a night have I been obliged to sit up, tormented
and tortured by the bite of these insects.  It is hardly possible
to protect provisions from the attacks of the baraten and ants. 
The latter, in fact, often appear in long trains of immeasureable length,
pursuing their course over every obstacle which stands in the way. 
During my stay in the country at Herr Geiger’s, I beheld a swarm
of this description traverse a portion of the house.  It was really
most interesting to see what a regular line they formed; nothing could
make them deviate from the direction they had first determined on. 
Madame Geiger told me that she was one night awoke by a horrible itching;
she sprang immediately out of bed, and beheld a swarm of ants of the
above description pass over her bed.  There is no remedy for this;
the end of the procession, which often lasts four or six hours, must
be waited for with patience.  Provisions are to some extent protected
from them, by placing the legs of the tables and presses in plates filled
with water.  Clothes and linen are laid in tightly-fitting tin
canisters, to protect them, not only from the ants, but also from the
baraten and the damp.

The worst plague of all, however, are the sand-fleas, which attach
themselves to one’s toes, underneath the nails, or sometimes to
the soles of the feet.  The moment a person feels an itching in
these parts he must immediately look at the place; if he sees a small
black point surrounded by a small white ring, the former is the flea,
and the latter the eggs which it has laid in the flesh.  The first
thing done is to loosen the skin all round as far as the white ring
is visible; the whole deposit is then extracted, and a little snuff
strewed in the empty space.  The best plan is to call in the first
black you may happen to see, as they all perform this operation very
skilfully.

As regards the natural products of the Brazils, a great many of the
most necessary articles are wanting in the list.  It is true that
there are sugar and coffee, but no corn, no potatoes, and none of our
delicious varieties of fruit.  The flour of manioc, which is mixed
up with the other materials of which the dishes are composed, supplies
the place of bread, but is far from being so nutritious and strengthening,
while the different kinds of sweet-tasting roots are certainly not to
be compared to our potatoes.  The only fruit, which are really
excellent, are the oranges, bananas and mangoes.  Their celebrated
pine-apples are neither very fragrant nor remarkably sweet; I certainly
have eaten much finer flavoured ones that had been grown in a European
hot-house.  The other kinds of fruit are not worth mentioning. 
Lastly, with the two very necessary articles of consumption, milk and
meat, the former is very watery, and the latter very dry.

On instituting a comparison between the Brazils and Europe, both
with respect to the impression produced by the whole, as also to the
separate advantages and disadvantages of each, we shall, perhaps, at
first find the scale incline towards the former country, but only to
turn ultimately with greater certainty in favour of the latter.

The Brazils is, perhaps, the most interesting country in the world
for travellers; but for a place of permanent residence I should most
decidedly prefer Europe.

I saw too little of the manners and customs of the country to be
qualified to pronounce judgment upon them, and I shall therefore, on
this head, confine myself to a few remarks.  The manners seem,
on the whole, to differ but little from those of Europe.  The present
possessors of the country, as is well known, derive their descent from
Portugal, and the Brazilians might very aptly be termed “Europeans
translated into Americans;” and it is very natural, that in this
“translation” many peculiarities have been lost, while others
have stood forth in greater relief.  The strongest feature in the
character of the European-American is the greed for gold; this often
becomes a passion, and transforms the most faint-hearted white into
a hero, for it certainly requires the courage of one to live alone,
as planter, on a plantation with perhaps some hundred slaves, far removed
from all assistance, and with the prospect of being irrevocably lost
in the event of any revolt.

This grasping feeling is not confined to the men alone; it is found
among the women as well, and is greatly encouraged by a common custom
here, agreeably to which, a husband never assigns his wife so much for
pin-money, but, according to his means, makes her a present of one or
more male or female slaves, whom she can dispose of as she chooses. 
She generally has them taught how to cook, sew, embroider, or even instructed
in some trade, and then lets them out, by the day, week, or month, {27}
to people who possess no slaves of their own; or she lets them take
in washing at home, or employs them in the manufacture of various ornamental
objects, fine pastry, etc, which she sends them out to sell.  The
money for these things belongs to her, and is generally spent in dress
and amusement.

In the case of tradesmen, and professional men, the wife is always
paid for whatever assistance she may lend her husband in his business.

Morality, unfortunately, is not very general in the Brazils; one
cause of this may be traced to the manner in which the children are
first brought up.  They are confided entirely to the care of blacks. 
Negresses suckle them when they are infants, their nurses are negresses,
their attendants are negresses—and I have often seen girls of
eight or ten years of age taken to school, or any other place, by young
negroes.  The sensuality of the blacks is too well known for us
to be surprised, with such a state of things, at the general and early
demoralization.  In no other place did I ever behold so many children
with such pale and worn faces as in the streets of Rio Janeiro. 
The second cause of immorality here is, without doubt, the want of religion. 
The Brazils are thoroughly Catholic—perhaps there are no countries
save Spain and Italy, that can be compared to them.  Almost every
day there is some procession, service, or church-festival; but these
are attended merely for the sake of amusement, while the true religious
feeling is entirely wanting.

We may also ascribe to this deep demoralization and want of religion
the frequent occurrence of murders, committed not for the sake of robbery
or theft, but from motives of revenge and hatred.  The murderer
either commits the deed himself, or has it perpetrated by one of his
slaves, who is ready to lend himself for the purpose, in consideration
of a mere trifle.  The discovery of the crime need cause the assassin
no anxiety, provided he is rich; for in this country everything, I was
assured, can be arranged or achieved with money.  I saw several
men in Rio Janeiro who had, according to report, committed either themselves,
or by the means of others, not one, but several murders, and yet they
not only enjoyed perfect liberty, but were received in every society.

In conclusion, I beg leave to address a few words to those of my
countrymen who think of leaving their native land, to seek their fortune
on the distant coast of Brazil—a few words which I could desire
to see as far spread and as well known as possible.

There are people in Europe not a whit better than the African slave-dealers,
and such people are those who delude poor wretches with exaggerated
accounts of the richness of America and her beautiful territories, of
the over-abundance of the products of the soil, and the lack of hands
to take advantage of them.  These people, however, care little
about the poor dupes; their object is to freight the vessels belonging
to them, and to effect this they take from their deluded victim the
last penny he possesses.

During my stay here, several vessels arrived with unfortunate emigrants
of this description; the government had not sent for them, and therefore
would afford them no relief; money they had none, and, consequently,
could not purchase land, neither could they find employment in working
on the plantations, as no one will engage Europeans for this purpose,
because, being unused to the warm climate, they would soon succumb beneath
the work.  The unhappy wretches had thus no resource left; they
were obliged to beg about the town, and, in the end, were fain to content
themselves with the most miserable occupations.  A different fate
awaits those who are sent for by the Brazilian government to cultivate
the land or colonize the country: these persons receive a piece of uncleared
ground, with provisions and other help; but if they come over without
any money at all, even their lot is no enviable one.  Want, hunger,
and sickness destroy most of them, and but a very small number succeed,
by unceasing activity and an iron constitution, in gaining a better
means of livelihood than what they left behind them in their native
land.  Those only who exercise some trade find speedy employment
and an easy competency; but even this will, in all probability, soon
be otherwise, for great numbers are pouring in ever year, and latterly
the negroes themselves have been, and are still being, more frequently
taught every kind of trade.

Let every one, therefore, obtain trustworthy information before leaving
his native land; let him weigh calmly and deliberately the step he is
about to take, and not allow himself to be carried away by deceptive
hopes.  The poor creature’s misery on being undeceived is
so much the more dreadful, because he does not learn the truth until
it is too late—until he has already fallen a victim to poverty
and want.

CHAPTER III.  EXCURSIONS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF RIO JANEIRO.

THE WATERFALLS NEAR TESCHUKA—BOA VISTA—THE BOTANICAL
GARDENS AND THEIR ENVIRONS—THE CORCOVADO MOUNTAINS, 2,253 FEET
ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE SEA—PALACES OF THE IMPERIAL FAMILY—THE
NEWLY-FOUNDED GERMAN COLONY OF PETROPOLIS—ATTEMPT AT MURDER, BY
A MARROON NEGRO.

An excursion to the waterfalls near Teschuka, to Boa Vista, and the
Botanical Gardens, is one of the most interesting near the city; but
it requires two days, as it takes a long time to see the Botanical Gardens
alone.

Count Berchthold and myself proceeded as far as Andaracky (four miles)
in an omnibus, and then continued our journey on foot, between patches
of wood and low hills.  Elegant country houses are situated upon
the eminences and along the high road, at short distances from each
other.

When we had walked four miles, a path to the right conducted us to
a small waterfall, neither very high nor well supplied, but still the
most considerable one in the vicinity of Rio Janeiro.  We then
returned to the high road, and in half an hour reached a little elevated
plain, whence the eye ranged over a valley of the most remarkable description,
one portion of it being in a state of wild chaotic confusion, and the
other resembling a blooming garden.  In the former were strewed
masses of broken granite, from which, in some places, larger blocks
reared their heads, like so many Collossi; while in others large fragments
of rocks lay towering one above the other; in the second portion stood
the finest fruit trees in the midst of luxuriant pastures.  This
romantic valley is enclosed on three sides by noble mountains, the fourth
being open, and disclosing a full view of the sea.

In this valley we found a small venda, where we recruited
ourselves with bread and wine, and then continued our excursion to the
so-called “Great Waterfall,” with which we were less astonished
than we had been with the smaller one.  A very shallow sheet of
water flowed down over a broad but nowise precipitous ledge of rock
into the valley beneath.

After making our way through the valley, we came to the Porto Massalu,
where a number of trunks of trees, hollowed out and lying before the
few huts situated in the bay, apprized us that the inhabitants were
fishermen.  We hired one of these beautiful conveyances to carry
us across the little bay.  The passage did not take more than a
quarter of an hour at the most, and for this, as strangers, we were
compelled to pay two thousand reis (4s.).

We had now at one moment to wade through plains of sand, and the
next to clamber over the rocks by wretched paths.  In this laborious
fashion we proceeded for at least twelve miles, until we reached the
summit of a mountain, which rises like the party-wall of two mighty
valleys.  This peak is justly called the Boa Vista.  The view
extends over both valleys, with the mountain ranges and rows of hills
which intersect them, and embraces, among other high mountains, the
Corcovado and the “Two Brothers;” and, in the distance,
the capital, with the surrounding country-houses and villages, the various
bays and the open sea.

Unwillingly did we leave this beautiful position; but being unacquainted
with the distance we should have to go before reaching some hospitable
roof, we were obliged to hasten on; besides which negroes are the only
persons met with on these lonely roads, and a rencontre with
any of them by night is a thing not at all to be desired.  We descended,
therefore, into the valley, and resolved to sleep at the first inn we
came to.

More fortunate than most people in such cases, we not only found
an excellent hotel with clean rooms and good furniture, but fell in
with company which amused us in the highest degree.  It consisted
of a mulatto family, and attracted all my attention.  The wife,
a tolerably stout beauty of about thirty, was dressed out in a fashion
which, in my own country, no one, save a lady of an exceedingly vulgar
taste would ever think of adopting—all the valuables she possessed
in the world, she had got about her.  Wherever it was possible
to stick anything of gold or silver, there it was sure to be. 
A gown of heavy silk and a real cashmere enveloped her dark brown body,
and a charming little white silk bonnet looked very comical placed upon
her great heavy head.  The husband and five children were worthy
of their respective wife and mother; and, in fact, this excess of dress
extended even to the nurse, a real unadulterated negress, who was also
overloaded with ornaments.  On one arm she had five and on the
other six bracelets of stones, pearls, and coral, but which, as far
as I could judge, did not strike me as being particularly genuine.

When the family rose to depart, two landaus, each with four horses,
drove up to the door, and man and wife, children and nurse, all stepped
in with the same majestic gravity.

As I was still looking after the carriages, which were rolling rapidly
towards the town, I saw some one on horseback nodding to me: it was
my friend, Herr Geiger.  On hearing that we intended to remain
for the night where we were, he persuaded us to accompany him to the
estate of his father-in-law, which was situated close at hand. 
In the latter gentleman, we made the acquaintance of a most worthy and
cheerful old man of seventy years of age, who, at that period, was Directing
Architect and Superintendant of the Fine Arts under Government. 
We admired his beautiful garden and charming residence, built, with
great good taste, in the Italian style.

Early on the following morning, I accompanied Count Berchthold to
the botanical gardens.  Our curiosity to visit these gardens was
very great: we hoped to see there magnificent specimens of trees and
flowers from all parts of the world—but we were rather disappointed. 
The gardens have been founded too recently, and none of the large trees
have yet attained their full growth; there is no very great selection
of flowers or plants; and to the few that are there, not even tickets
are affixed, to acquaint the visitor with their names.  The most
interesting objects for us, were the monkey’s bread-tree, with
its gourds weighing ten or twenty-five pounds, and containing a number
of kernels, which are eaten, not only by monkeys, but also by men—the
clove, camphor, and cocoa-tree, the cinnamon and tea bush, etc. 
We also saw a very peculiar kind of palm-tree: the lower portion of
the trunk, to the height of two or three feet, was brown and smooth,
and shaped like a large tub or vat; the stems that sprang from this
were light green, and like the lower part, very smooth, and at the same
time shining, as if varnished; they were not very high, and the crest
of leaves, as is the case with other palms, only unfolded itself at
the top of the tree.  Unfortunately, we were unable to learn the
names of this kind of palm; and in the whole course of my voyage, I
never met with another specimen.

We did not leave the gardens before noon: we then proceeded on foot
four miles as far as Batafogo, and thence reached the city by omnibus.

Herr Geiger had invited Count Berchtholdt, Herr Rister, (a native
of Vienna), and myself to an excursion to the Corcovado mountains; and
accordingly, on the 1st November, at a time when we are often visited
by storms and snow, but when the sun is here in his full force, and
the sky without a cloud, at an early hour in the morning did we commence
our pilgrimage.

The splendid aqueduct was our guide as far as the springs from which
it derives the water, which point we reached in an hour and a half,
having been so effectually protected by the deep shade of lovely woods,
that even the intense heat of the sun, which reached during the day
more than 117°, (in the sun), scarcely annoyed us.

We stopped at the springs; and, on a sign from Herr Geiger, an athletic
negro made his appearance, loaded with a large hamper of provisions—everything
was soon prepared—a white cloth was spread out, and the eatables
and drinkables placed upon it.  Our meal was seasoned with jokes
and good humour; and when we started afresh on our journey, we felt
revived both in body and mind.

The last cone of the mountain gave us some trouble: the route was
very precipitous, and lay over bare, hot masses of rock.  But when
we did reach the top, we were more than repaid by seeing spread before
us such a panorama, as most assuredly is very seldom to be met with
in the world.  All that I had remarked on my entrance into the
port, lay there before me, only more clearly defined and more extended,
with innumerable additional objects.  We could see the whole town,
all the lower hills, which half hid it from my view on my arrival, the
large bay, reaching as far as the Organ mountain; and, on the other
side, the romantic valley, containing the botanical gardens, and a number
of beautiful country-houses.

I recommend every one who comes to Rio Janeiro, although it be only
for a few days, to make this excursion, since from this spot he can,
with one glance, perceive all the treasures which nature, with so truly
liberal a hand, has lavished upon the environs of this city.  He
will here see virgin forests, which, if not quite as thick and beautiful
as those farther inland, are still remarkable for their luxuriant vegetation. 
Mimosæ and Aarren bäume of a gigantic size, palms, wild coffee-trees,
orchidæn, parasites and creepers, blossoms and flowers, without
end; birds of the most brilliant plumage, immense butterflies, and sparkling
insects, flying in swarms from blossom to blossom, from branch to branch. 
A most wonderful effect also is produced by the millions of fire-flies,
which find their way into the very tops of the trees, and sparkle between
the foliage like so many brightly twinkling stars.

I had been informed that the ascent of this mountain was attended
with great difficulty.  I did not, however, find this to be the
case, since the summit may be reached with the greatest ease in three
hours and three quarters, while three parts of the way can also be performed
on horseback.

The regular residence of the imperial family may be said to be the
Palace of Christovao, about half an hour’s walk from the town. 
It is there that the emperor spends most of the year, and where also
all political councils are held, and state business transacted.

The palace is small, and is distinguished neither for taste nor architectural
beauty: its sole charm is its situation.  It is placed upon a hill,
and commands a view of the Organ mountain, and one of the bays. 
The palace garden itself is small, and is laid out in terraces right
down into the valley below: a larger garden, that serves as a nursery
for plants and trees, joins it.  Both these gardens are highly
interesting for Europeans, since they contain a great number of plants,
which either do not exist at all in Europe, or are only known from dwarf
specimens in hot-houses.  Herr Riedl, who has the management of
both gardens, was kind enough to conduct us over them himself, and to
draw my attention more especially to the tea and bamboo plantations.

Ponte de Cascher(four miles from the town) is another imperial garden. 
There are three mango trees here, which are very remarkable, from their
age and size.  Their branches describe a circle of more than eighty
feet in circumference, but they no longer bear fruit.  Among the
most agreeable walks in the immediate vicinity of the town, I may mention
the Telegraph mountain, the public garden (Jardin publico), the Praya
do Flamingo, and the Cloisters of St. Gloria and St. Theresia, etc.

I had heard so much in Rio Janeiro of the rapid rise of Petropolis,
a colony founded by Germans in the neighbourhood of Rio Janeiro, of
the beauty of the country where it was situated, and of the virgin forests
through which a part of the road ran—that I could not resist the
temptation of making an excursion thither.  My travelling companion,
Count Berchthold, accompanied me; and, on the 26th September, we took
two places on board one of the numerous barks which sail regularly every
day for the Porto d’Estrella, (a distance of twenty or twenty-two
nautical miles), from which place the journey is continued by land. 
We sailed through a bay remarkable for its extremely picturesque views,
and which often reminded me vividly of the peculiar character of the
lakes in Sweden.  It is surrounded by ranges of lovely hills, and
is dotted over with small islands, both separate and in groups, some
of which are so completely overgrown with palms, as well as other trees
and shrubs, that it seems impossible to land upon them, while others
either rear their solitary heads like huge rocks from the waves, or
are loosely piled one upon the other.  The round form of many of
the latter is especially remarkable: they almost seem to have been cut
out with a chisel.

Our bark was manned by four negroes and a white skipper.  At
first we ran before the wind with full sails, and the crew took advantage
of this favourable opportunity to make a meal, consisting of a considerable
quantity of flour of manioc, boiled fish, roasted mil, (Turkish corn),
oranges, cocoa-nuts, and other nuts of a smaller description; indeed,
there was even white bread, which for blacks is a luxury; and I was
greatly delighted to see them so well taken care of.  In two hours
the wind left us, and the crew were obliged to take to the oars, the
manner of using which struck me as very fatiguing.  At each dip
of the oar into the water, the rower mounts upon a bench before him,
and then, during the stroke, throws himself off again with his full
force.  In two hours more, we left the sea, and taking a left-hand
direction, entered the river Geromerim, at the mouth of which is an
inn, where we stopped half an hour, and where I saw a remarkable kind
of lighthouse, consisting of a lantern affixed to a rock.  The
beauty of the country is now at an end—that is, in the eyes of
the vulgar: a botanist would, at this point, find it more than usually
wonderful and magnificent; for the most beautiful aquatic plants, especially
the Nymphia, the Pontedera, and the Cyprian grass are spread out, both
in the water and all round it.  The two former twine themselves
to the very top of the nearest sapling, and the Cyprian grass attains
a height of from six to eight feet.  The banks of the river are
flat, and fringed with underwood and young trees; the background is
formed by ranges of hills.  The little houses, which are visible
now and then, are built of stone, and covered with tiles, yet, nevertheless,
they present a tolerably poverty-stricken appearance.

After sailing up the river for seven hours, we reached, without accident,
Porto d’Estrella, a place of some importance, since it is the
emporium for all the merchandise which is sent from the interior, and
then conveyed by water to the capital.  There are two good inns;
and, besides these, a large building (similar to a Turkish Khan) and
an immense tiled roof, supported on strong stone pillars.  The
first was appropriated to the merchandise, and the second to the donkey
drivers, who had arranged themselves very comfortably underneath it,
and were preparing their evening meal over various fires that were blazing
away very cheerfully.  Although fully admitting the charms of such
quarters for the night, we preferred retiring to the Star Inn, where
clean rooms and beds, and skilfully spiced dishes, possessed more attraction
for us.

27th September.  From Porto d’Estrella to Petropolis,
the distance is seven leagues.  This portion of the journey is
generally performed upon mules, the charge for which is four milreis
(8s. 8d.) each, but as we had been told in Rio Janeiro that the road
afforded a beautiful walk, parts of it traversing splendid woods, and
that it was besides much frequented, and perfectly safe, being the great
means of communication with Minas Gueras, we determined to go on foot,
and that the more willingly, as the Count wished to botanize, and I
to collect insects.  The first eight miles lay through a broad
valley, covered with thick brambles and young trees, and surrounded
with lofty mountains.  The wild pine-apples at the side of the
road presented a most beautiful appearance; they were not quite ripe,
and were tinged with the most delicate red.  Unfortunately, they
are far from being as agreeable to the taste as they are to the sight,
and consequently are very seldom gathered.  I was greatly amused
with the humming-birds, of which I saw a considerable number of the
smallest species.  Nothing can be more graceful and delicate than
these little creatures.  They obtain their food from the calyx
of the flowers, round which they flutter like butterflies, and indeed
are very often mistaken for them in their rapid flight.  It is
very seldom that they are seen on a branch or twig in a state of repose. 
After passing through the valley, we reached the Serra, as the Brazilians
term the summit of each mountain that they cross; the present one was
3,000 feet high.  A broad paved road, traversing virgin forests,
runs up the side of the mountain.

I had always imagined that in virgin forests the trees had uncommonly
thick and lofty trunks; I found that this was not here the case. 
The vegetation is probably too luxuriant, and the larger trunks are
suffocated and rot beneath the masses of smaller trees, bushes, creepers,
and parasites.  The two latter description of plants are so abundant,
and cover so completely the trees, that it is often impossible to see
even the leaves, much less the stems and branches.  Herr Schleierer,
a botanist, assured us that he once found upon one tree six and thirty
different kinds of creepers and parasites.

We gathered a rich harvest of flowers, plants, and insects, and loitered
along, enchanted with the magnificent woods and not less beautiful views,
which stretched over hill and dale, towards the sea and its bays, and
even as far as the capital itself.

Frequent truppas, {34a}
driven by negroes, as well as the number of pedestrians we met, eased
our minds of every fear, and prevented us from regarding it as at all
remarkable that we were being continually followed by a negro. 
As, however, we arrived at a somewhat lonely spot, he sprang suddenly
forward, holding in one hand a long knife and in the other a lasso,
{34b} rushed upon
us, and gave us to understand, more by gestures than words, that he
intended to murder, and then drag us into the forest.

We had no arms, as we had been told that the road was perfectly safe,
and the only weapons of defence we possessed were our parasols, if I
except a clasp knife, which I instantly drew out of my pocket and opened,
fully determined to sell my life as dearly as possible.  We parried
our adversary’s blows as long as we could with our parasols, but
these lasted but a short time; besides, he caught hold of mine, which,
as we were struggling for it, broke short off, leaving only a piece
of the handle in my hand.  In the struggle, however, he dropped
his knife, which rolled a few steps from him; I instantly made a dash,
and thought I had got it, when he, more quick than I, thrust me away
with his feet and hands, and once more obtained possession of it. 
He waved it furiously over my head, and dealt me two wounds, a thrust
and a deep gash, both in the upper part of the left arm; I thought I
was lost, and despair alone gave me the courage to use my own knife. 
I made a thrust at his breast; this he warded off, and I only succeeded
in wounding him severely in the hand.  The Count sprang forward,
and seized the fellow from behind, and thus afforded me an opportunity
of raising myself from the ground.  The whole affair had not taken
more than a few seconds.  The negro’s fury was now roused
to its highest pitch by the wounds he had received: he gnashed his teeth
at us like a wild beast, and flourished his knife with frightful rapidity. 
The Count, in his turn, had received a cut right across the hand, and
we had been irrevocably lost, had not Providence sent us assistance. 
We heard the tramp of horses’ hoofs upon the road, upon which
the negro instantly left us and sprang into the wood.  Immediately
afterwards two horsemen turned a corner of the road, and we hurried
towards them; our wounds, which were bleeding freely, and the way in
which our parasols were hacked, soon made them understand the state
of affairs.  They asked us which direction the fugitive had taken,
and, springing from their horses, hurried after him; their efforts,
however, would have been fruitless, if two negroes, who were coming
from the opposite side, had not helped them.  As it was, the fellow
was soon captured.  He was pinioned, and, as he would not walk,
severely beaten, most of the blows being dealt upon the head, so that
I feared the poor wretch’s skull would be broken.  In spite
of this he never moved a muscle, and lay, as if insensible to feeling,
upon the ground.  The two other negroes were obliged to seize hold
of him, when he endeavoured to bite every one within his reach, like
a wild beast, and carry him to the nearest house.  Our preservers,
as well as the Count and myself, accompanied them.  We then had
our wounds dressed, and afterwards continued our journey; not, it is
true, entirely devoid of fear, especially when we met one or more negroes
but without any further mishap, and with a continually increasing admiration
of the beautiful scenery.

The colony of Petropolis is situated in the midst of a virgin forest,
at an elevation of 2,500 feet above the level of the sea, and, at the
time of our visit, it had been founded about fourteen months, with the
especial purpose of furnishing the capital with certain kinds of fruit
and vegetables, which, in tropical climates, will thrive only in very
high situations.  A small row of houses already formed a street,
and on a large space that had been cleared away stood the wooden carcase
of a larger building—the Imperial Villa, which, however, would
have some difficulty in presenting anything like an imperial appearance,
on account of the low doors that contrasted strangely with the broad,
lofty windows.  The town is to be built around the villa, though
several detached houses are situated at some distance away in the woods. 
One portion of the colonists, such as mechanics, shop-keepers, etc.,
had been presented with small plots of ground for building upon, near
the villa; the cultivators of the soil had received larger patches,
although not more than two or three yokes.  What misery must not
these poor people have suffered in their native country to have sought
another hemisphere for the sake of a few yokes of land!

We here found the good old woman who had been our fellow passenger
from Germany to Rio Janeiro, in company with her son.  Her joy
at being once more able to share in the toils and labours of her favourite
had, in this short space of time, made her several years younger. 
Her son acted as our guide, and conducted us over the infant colony,
which is situated in broad ravines; the surrounding hills are so steep,
that when they are cleared of timber and converted into gardens, the
soft earth is easily washed away by heavy showers.

At a distance of four miles from the colony, a waterfall foams down
a chasm which it has worn away for itself.  It is more remarkable
for its valley-like enclosure of noble mountains, and the solemn gloom
of the surrounding woods, than for its height or body of water.

29th September.  In spite of the danger we had incurred in coming,
we returned to Porto d’Estrella on foot, went on board a bark,
sailed all night, and arrived safely in Rio Janeiro the next morning. 
Every one, both in Petropolis and the capital, was so astonished at
the manner in which our lives had been attempted, that if we had not
been able to show our wounds we should never have been believed. 
The fellow was at first thought to have been drunk or insane, and it
was not till later that we learned the real motives of his conduct. 
He had some time previously been punished by his master for an offence,
and on meeting us in the wood, he no doubt thought that it was a good
opportunity of satisfying, with impunity, his hatred against the whites.

CHAPTER IV.  JOURNEY INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE BRAZILS.

THE TOWNS OF MORROQUEIMADO (NOVO FRIBURGO) AND ALDEA DO PEDRO—PLANTATIONS
OF THE EUROPEANS—BURNING FORESTS—VIRGIN FORESTS—LAST
SETTLEMENT OF THE WHITES—VISIT TO THE INDIANS, ALSO CALLED PURIS
OR RABOCLES—RETURN TO RIO JANEIRO.

This second journey I also made in company of Count Berchthold, after
having resolved on penetrating into the interior of the country, and
paying a visit to the primitive inhabitants of the Brazils.

2nd October.  We left Rio Janeiro in the morning, and proceeded
in a steamer as far as the port of Sampajo, a distance of twenty-eight
miles.  This port lies at the mouth of the river Maccacu, but consists
of only one inn and two or three small houses.  We here hired mules
to take us to the town of Morroqueimado, eighty miles off.

I may take this opportunity of remarking that it is the custom in
the Brazils to hire the mules without muleteers—a great mark of
confidence on the part of the owners towards travellers.  Arrived
at their destination the animals are delivered up at a certain place
fixed on by the proprietor.  We preferred, however, to take a muleteer
with us, as we were not acquainted with the road, a piece of precaution
we regretted the less, on finding the way frequently obstructed with
wooden gates, which had always to be opened and shut again.

The price for hiring a mule was twelve milreis (£1 6s.).

As we arrived at Porto Sampajo by 2 o’clock, we resolved on
going on as far as Ponte do Pinheiro, a distance of sixteen miles. 
The road lay mostly through valleys covered with large bushes and surrounded
by low rocks.  The country wore a general aspect of wildness, and
only here and there were a few scanty pasture-grounds and poverty-stricken
huts to be seen.

The little town of Ponte de Cairas, which we passed, consists of
a few shops and vendas, a number of smaller houses, an inconsiderable
church, and an apothecary’s; the principal square looked like
a meadow.  Ponte do Pinheiro is rather larger.  We experienced
here a very good reception, and had an excellent supper, consisting
of fowls stewed in rice, flour of manioc, and Portuguese wine; we had
also good beds and breakfasts; the whole cost us, however, four milreis
(8s. 8d.).

3rd October.  We did not set off till 7 o’clock: here,
as everywhere else in the country, there is no getting away early in
the morning.

The scenery was of the same character as that passed the day before,
except that we were approaching the more lofty mountains.  The
road was tolerably good, but the bridges across the streams and sloughs
execrable; we esteemed ourselves fortunate whenever we passed one without
being compelled to stop.  After a ride of three hours (nine miles),
we reached the great Sugar-Fazenda {38}
de Collegio, which in its arrangements is exactly like a large country
seat.  To the spacious residence is attached a chapel, with the
offices lying all around; the whole is enclosed by a high wall.

Far and wide stretched the fields and low eminences, covered with
sugar canes: unfortunately, we could not see the mode of preparing the
sugar, as the canes were not yet ripe.

A planter’s fortune in the Brazils is calculated by the number
of his slaves.  There were eight hundred of them on the plantation
we were viewing—a large property, since each male slave costs
from six to seven hundred milreis (£60 to £70).

Not far from this fazenda, to the right of the high road, lies another
very considerable one, called Papagais; besides these we saw several
smaller plantations, which lent a little animation to the uniformity
of the scene.

St. Anna (sixteen miles distance) is a small place, consisting of
only a few poor houses, a little church, and an apothecary’s;
the last is a necessary appendage to every Brazilian village, even though
it only contains twelve or fifteen huts.  We here made a repast
of eggs with a bottle of wine, and gave our mules a feed of mil, for
which a cheating landlord, Herr Gebhart, charged us three milreis (6s.
6d.)

Today we did not proceed further than Mendoza (twelve miles), a still
more insignificant place than St. Anna.  A small shop and a venda
were the only houses at the road-side, though in the background we perceived
a manioc-fazenda, to which we paid a visit.  The proprietor was
kind enough first to offer us some strong coffee, without milk (a customary
mark of attention in the Brazils), and then to conduct us over his plantation.

The manioc plant shoots out stalks from four to six feet in height,
with a number of large leaves at their upper extremities.  The
valuable portion of the plant is its bulbous root, which often weighs
two or three pounds, and supplies the place of corn all through the
Brazils.  It is washed, peeled, and held against the rough edge
of a millstone, turned by a negro, until it is completely ground away. 
The whole mass is then gathered into a basket, plentifully steeped in
water, and is afterwards pressed quite dry by means of a press. 
Lastly it is scattered upon large iron plates, and slowly dried by a
gentle fire kept up beneath.  It now resembles a very coarse kind
of flour; and is eaten in two ways—wet and dry.  In the first
case, it is mixed with hot water until it forms a kind of porridge;
in the second, it is handed round, under the form of coarse flour, in
little baskets, and every one at table takes as much as he chooses,
and sprinkles it over his plate.

4th October.  The mountain ranges continue drawing nearer and
nearer to each other, and the woods become thicker and more luxuriant. 
The various creeping plants are indescribably beautiful: not only do
they entirely cover the ground, but they are so intertwined with the
trees that their lovely flowers hang on the highest branches, and look
like the blossoms of the trees themselves.  But there are likewise
trees whose own yellow and red blossoms resemble the most beautiful
flowers; while there are others whose great white leaves stand out like
silver from the surrounding mass of flowery green.  Woods like
these might well be called “the giant gardens of the world.” 
The palm-trees have here almost disappeared.

We soon reached the mountain range we had to cross, and on our way
often ascended such elevated spots that we had a free view extending
as far back as the capital.  On the top of the mountain (Alta da
Serra, sixteen miles from Mendoza) we found a venda.  From this
spot the distance to Morroqueimado is sixteen miles, which took us a
long time, as the road is either up or down hill the whole way. 
We were continually surrounded by the most magnificent woodlands, and
were only rarely reminded by a small plantation of kabï,
{39} or mil, that
we were in the neighbourhood of men.  We did not perceive the little
town until we had surmounted the last eminence and were in its immediate
vicinity.  It lies in a large and picturesque hollow, surrounded
by mountains at an elevation of 3,200 feet above the level of the sea. 
As night was near at hand, we were glad enough to reach our lodgings,
which were situated on one side of the town, in the house of a German
named Linderoth; they were very comfortable, and, as we afterwards found,
exceedingly reasonable, seeing that for our rooms and three good meals
a-day we only paid one milreis (2s. 2d.).

5th October.  The small town of Novo Friburgo, or Morroqueimado,
was founded about fifteen years since by French, Swiss, and Germans. 
It contains not quite a hundred substantial houses, the greater part
of which form an extremely broad street, while the others lie scattered
about, here and there.

We had already heard, in Rio Janeiro, a great deal of the Messrs.
Beske and Freese, and been particularly recommended not to forget to
pay a visit to each.  Herr Beske is a naturalist, and resides here
with his wife, who is almost as scientific as himself.  We enjoyed
many an hour in their entertaining society, and were shown many interesting
collections of quadrupeds, birds, serpents, insects, etc.; the collection
of these last, indeed, was more rich and remarkable than that in the
Museum of Rio Janeiro.  Herr Beske has always a great many orders
from Europe to send over various objects of natural history.  Herr
Freese is the director and proprietor of an establishment for boys,
and preferred establishing his school in this cool climate than in the
hot town beneath.  He was kind enough to show us all his arrangements. 
As it was near evening when we paid our visit, school was already over;
but he presented all his scholars to us, made them perform a few gymnastic
exercises, and proposed several questions on geography, history, arithmetic,
etc., which, without exception, they answered very carefully and correctly. 
His establishment receives sixty boys, and was quite full, although
the annual charge for each boy is one thousand milreis (£108 6s.
8d.).

6th October.  We had at first intended to stop only one day
in Novo Friburgo, and then continue our journey.  Unfortunately,
however, the wound which the Count had received on our excursion to
Petropolis became, through the frequent use of the hand and the excessive
heat, much worse; inflammation set in, and he was consequently obliged
to give up all ideas of going any further.  With my wounds I was
more fortunate, for, as they were on the upper part of the arm, I had
been enabled to pay them a proper degree of care and attention; they
were now proceeding very favourably, and neither dangerous nor troublesome. 
I had, therefore, no resource left but either to pursue my journey alone,
or to give up the most interesting portion of it, namely, my visit to
the Indians.  To this last idea I could by no means reconcile myself;
I inquired, therefore, whether the journey could be made with any degree
of safety, and as I received a sort of half-satisfactory answer, and
Herr Lindenroth found me also a trusty guide, I procured a good double-barrelled
pistol and set out undaunted upon my trip.

We at first remained for some time in the midst of mountain ranges,
and then again descended into the warmer region beneath.  The valleys
were generally narrow, and the uniform appearance of the woods was often
broken by plantations.  The latter, however, did not always look
very promising, most of them being so choked up with weeds that it was
frequently impossible to perceive the plant itself, especially when
it was young and small.  It is only upon the sugar and coffee plantations
that any great care is bestowed.

The coffee-trees stand in rows upon tolerably steep hillocks. 
They attain a height of from six to twelve feet, and begin to bear sometimes
as soon as the second, but in no case later than the third year, and
are productive for ten years.  The leaf is long and slightly serrated,
the blossom white, while the fruit hangs down in the same manner as
a bunch of grapes, and resembles a longish cherry, which is first green,
then red, brown, and nearly black.  During the time it is red,
the outer shell is soft, but ultimately becomes perfectly hard, and
resembles a wooden capsule.  Blossoms and fruit in full maturity
are found upon the trees at the same time, and hence the harvest lasts
nearly the whole year.  The latter is conducted in two ways. 
The berries are either gathered by hand, or large straw mats are spread
underneath, and the trees well shaken.  The first method is the
more troublesome, but, without comparison, the better one.

Another novelty, which I saw here for the first time, were the frequent
burning forests, which had been set on fire to clear the ground for
cultivation.  In most cases I merely saw immense clouds of smoke
curling upwards in the distance, and desired nothing more earnestly
than to enjoy a nearer view of such a conflagration.  My wish was
destined to be fulfilled today, as my road lay between a burning forest
and a burning rost. {40} 
The intervening space was not, at the most, more than fifty paces broad,
and was completely enveloped in smoke.  I could hear the cracking
of the fire, and through the dense vapour perceive thick, forked columns
of flame shoot upwards towards the sky, while now and then loud reports,
like those of a cannon, announced the fall of the large trees. 
On seeing my guide enter this fiery gulf, I was, I must confess, rather
frightened; but I felt assured, on reflecting, that he would certainly
not foolishly risk his own life, and that he must know from experience
that such places were passable.

At the entrance sat two negroes, to point out the direction that
wayfarers had to follow, and to recommend them to make as much haste
as possible.  My guide translated for me what they said, and spurred
on his mule; I followed his example, and we both galloped at full speed
into the smoking pass.  The burning ashes now flew around us in
all directions, while the suffocating smoke was even more oppressive
than the heat; our beasts, too, seemed to have great difficulty in drawing
breath, and it was as much as we could do to keep them in a gallop. 
Fortunately we had not above 500 or 600 paces to ride, and consequently
succeeded in making our way safely through.

In the Brazils a conflagration of this kind never extends very far,
as the vegetation is too green and offers too much opposition. 
The wood has to be ignited in several places, and even then the fire
frequently goes out, and when most of the wood is burnt, many patches
are found unconsumed.  Soon after passing this dangerous spot,
we came to a magnificent rock, the sides of which must have risen almost
perpendicularly to a height of 600 or 800 feet.  A number of detached
fragments lay scattered about the road, forming picturesque groups.

To my great astonishment, I learned from my guide that our lodging
for the night was near at hand; we had scarcely ridden twenty miles,
but he affirmed that the next venda where we could stop, was too far
distant.  I afterwards discovered that his sole object was to spin
out the journey, which was a very profitable one for him, since, besides
good living for himself, and fodder for his two mules, he received four
milreis (8s. 8d.) a-day.  We put up, therefore, at a solitary venda,
erected in the middle of the forest, and kept by Herr Molasz.

During the day we had suffered greatly from the heat; the thermometer
standing, in the sun, at 119° 75’ Fah.

The circumstance which must strike a traveller most forcibly in the
habits of the colonists and inhabitants of the Brazils, is the contrast
between fear and courage.  On the one hand, every one you meet
upon the road is armed with pistols and long knives, as if the whole
country was overrun with robbers and murderers; while, on the other,
the proprietors live quite alone on their plantations, and without the
least apprehension, in the midst of their numerous slaves.  The
traveller, too, fearlessly passes the night in some venda, situated
in impenetrable woods, with neither shutters to the windows nor good
locks to the doors, besides which the owner’s room is a considerable
distance from the chambers of the guests, and it would be utterly impossible
to obtain any assistance from the servants, who are all slaves, as they
live either in some corner of the stable, or in the loft.  At first
I felt very frightened at thus passing the night alone, surrounded by
the wild gloom of the forest, and in a room that was only very insecurely
fastened; but, as I was everywhere assured that such a thing as a forcible
entry into a house had never been heard of, I soon dismissed my superfluous
anxiety, and enjoyed the most tranquil repose.

I know very few countries in Europe where I should like to traverse
vast forests, and pass the night in such awfully lonely houses, accompanied
by only a hired guide.

On the 7th of October, also, we made only a short day’s journey
of twenty miles, to the small town of Canto Gallo.  The scenery
was of the usual description, consisting of narrow, circumscribed valleys
and mountains covered with endless forests.  If little fazendas,
and the remains of woods which had been set on fire, had not, every
now and then, reminded us of the hand of man, I should have thought
that I was wandering through some yet undiscovered part of Brazil.

The monotony of our journey was rather romantically interrupted by
our straying for a short distance from the right road.  In order
to reach it again, we were obliged to penetrate, by untrodden paths,
through the woods; a task presenting difficulties of which a European
can scarcely form an idea.  We dismounted from our mules, and my
guide threw back, on either side, the low-hanging branches, and cut
through the thick web of creepers; while, one moment, we were obliged
to climb over broken trunks, or squeeze ourselves between others, at
the next we sank knee-deep among endless parasitical plants.  I
began almost to despair of ever effecting a passage, and, even up to
the present day, am at a loss to understand how we succeeded in escaping
from this inextricable mass.

The little town of Canto Gallo is situated in a narrow valley, and
contains about eighty houses.  The venda stands apart, the town
not being visible from it.  The temperature here is warm as in
Rio Janeiro.

On my return to the venda, after a short walk to the town, I applied
to my landlady, in order to obtain a near and really correct idea of
a Brazilian household.  The good woman, however, gave herself very
little trouble, either in looking after the house or the kitchen; as
is the case in Italy, this was her husband’s business.  A
negress and two young negroes cooked, the arrangements of the kitchen
being of the most primitive simplicity.  The salt was pressed fine
with a bottle; the potatoes, when boiled, underwent the same process—the
latter were also subsequently squeezed in the frying-pan with a plate,
to give them the form of a pancake; a pointed piece of wood served for
a fork, etc.  There was a large fire burning for every dish.

Every one whose complexion was white, sat down with us at table. 
All the dishes, consisting of cold roast beef, black beans with boiled
carna secca, {42}
potatoes, rice, manioc flour, and boiled manioc roots, were placed upon
the table at the same time, and every one helped himself as he pleased. 
At the conclusion of our meal, we had strong coffee without milk. 
The slaves had beans, carna secca, and manioc flour.

8th October.  Our goal today was the Fazenda Boa Esperanza,
twenty-four miles off.  Four miles beyond Canto Gallo, we crossed
a small waterfall, and then entered one of the most magnificent virgin
forests I had yet beheld.  A small path, on the bank of a little
brook conducted us through it.  Palms, with their majestic tops,
raised themselves proudly above the other trees, which, lovingly interlaced
together, formed the most beautiful bowers; orchids grew in wanton luxuriance
upon the branches and twigs; creepers and ferns climbed up the trees,
mingling with the boughs, and forming thick walls of blossoms and flowers,
which displayed the most brilliant colours, and exhaled the sweetest
perfume; delicate humming-birds twittered around our heads; the pepper-pecker,
with his brilliant plumage, soared shyly upwards; parrots and parroquets
were swinging themselves in the branches, and numberless beautifully
marked birds, which I only knew from having seen specimens in the Museum,
inhabited this fairy grove.  It seemed as if I was riding in some
fairy park, and I expected, every moment, to see sylphs and nymphs appear
before me.

I was so happy, that I felt richly recompensed for all the fatigue
of my journey.  One thought only obscured this beautiful picture;
and that was, that weak man should dare to enter the lists with the
giant nature of the place, and make it bend before his will.  How
soon, perhaps, may this profound and holy tranquillity be disturbed
by the blows of some daring settler’s axe, to make room for the
wants of men!

I saw no dangerous animals save a few dark green snakes, from five
to seven feet long; a dead ounce, that had been stripped of its skin;
and a lizard, three feet in length, which ran timidly across our path. 
I met with no apes; they appear to conceal themselves deeper in the
woods, where no human footstep is likely to disturb them in their sports
and gambols.

During the whole distance from Canto Gallo to the small village of
St. Ritta (sixteen miles), if it had not again been for a few coffee
plantations, I should have thought the place completely forgotten by
man.

Near St. Ritta are some gold-washings in the river of the same name,
and not far from them, diamonds also are found.  Since seeking
or digging for diamonds is no longer an imperial monopoly, every one
is at liberty to employ himself in this occupation, and yet it is exercised
as much as possible in secret.  No one will acknowledge looking
for them, in order to avoid paying the State its share as fixed by law. 
The precious stones are sought for and dug out at certain spots, from
heaps of sand, stones, and soil, which have been washed down by the
heavy rains.

I had found lodgings in a venda for the last time, the preceding
evening, at Canto Gallo.  I had now to rely upon the hospitality
of the proprietors of the fazendas.  Custom requires that, on reaching
a fazenda, any person who desires to stop the middle of the day or the
night there, should wait outside and ask, through the servant, permission
to do so.  It is not until his application is granted, which is
almost always the case, that the traveller dismounts from his mule,
and enters the building.

They received me at the Fazenda of Boa Esperanza in the most friendly
manner, and, as I happened to arrive exactly at dinner-time (it was
between 3 and 4 o’clock), covers were immediately laid for me
and my attendant.  The dishes were numerous, and prepared very
nearly in the European fashion.

Great astonishment was manifested in every venda and fazenda at seeing
a lady arrive accompanied only by a single servant.  The first
question was, whether I was not afraid thus to traverse the woods alone;
and my guide was invariably taken on one side, and questioned as to
way I travelled.  As he was in the habit of seeing me collect flowers
and insects, he supposed me to be a naturalist, and replied that my
journey had a scientific object.

After dinner, the amiable lady of the house proposed that I should
go and see the coffee-plantations, warehouses, etc.; and I willingly
accepted her offer, as affording me an opportunity of viewing the manner
in which the coffee was prepared, from beginning to end.

The mode of gathering it I have already described.  When this
is done, the coffee is spread out upon large plots of ground, trodden
down in a peculiar manner, and enclosed by low stone walls, scarcely
a foot high, with little drain-holes in them, to allow of the water
running off in case of rain.  On these places the coffee is dried
by the glowing heat of the sun, and then shaken in large stone mortars,
ten or twenty of which are placed beneath a wooden scaffolding, from
which wooden hammers, set in motion by water power, descend into the
mortars, and easily crush the husks.  The mass, thus crushed, is
then placed in wooden boxes, fastened in the middle of a long table,
and having small openings at each side, through which both the berry
itself and the husk fall slowly out.  At the table are seated negroes,
who separate the berry from the husk, and then cast it into shallow
copper cauldrons, which are easily heated.  In these it is carefully
turned, and remains until it is quite dried.  This last process
requires some degree of care, as the colour of the coffee depends upon
the degree of heat to which it is exposed; if dried too quickly, instead
of the usual greenish colour, it contracts a yellowish tinge.

On the whole, the preparation of coffee is not fatiguing, and even
the gathering of it is far from being as laborious as reaping is with
us.  The negro stands in an upright posture when gathering the
berry, and is protected by the tree itself against the great heat of
the sun.  The only danger he incurs is of being bitten by some
venomous snake or other—an accident, however, which, fortunately,
rarely happens.

The work on a sugar-plantation, on the contrary, is said to be exceedingly
laborious, particularly that portion of it which relates to weeding
the ground and cutting the cane.  I have never yet witnessed a
sugar-harvest, but, perhaps, may do so in the course of my travels.

All work ceases at sunset, when the negroes are drawn up in front
of their master’s house for the purpose of being counted, and
then, after a short prayer, have their supper, consisting of boiled
beans, bacon, carna secca, and manioc flour, handed out to them.

At sunrise, they again assemble, are once more counted, and, after
prayers and breakfast, go to work.

I had an opportunity of convincing myself in this, as well as in
many other fazendas, vendas, and private houses, that the slaves are
by far not so harshly treated as we Europeans imagine.  They are
not overworked, perform all their duties very leisurely, and are well
kept.  Their children are frequently the playmates of their master’s
children, and knock each other about as if they were all equal. 
There may be cases in which certain slaves are cruelly and undeservedly
punished; but do not the like instances of injustice occur in Europe
also?

I am certainly very much opposed to slavery, and should greet its
abolition with the greatest delight, but, despite this, I again affirm
that the negro slave enjoys, under the protection of the law, a better
lot than the free fellah of Egypt, or many peasants in Europe, who still
groan under the right of soccage.  The principal reason of the
better lot of the slave, compared to that of the miserable peasant,
in the case in point, may perhaps partly be, that the purchase and keep
of the one is expensive, while the other costs nothing.

The arrangements in the houses belonging to the proprietors of the
fazendas are extremely simple.  The windows are unglazed, and are
closed at night with wooden shutters.  In many instances, the outer
roof is the common covering of all the rooms, which are merely separated
from one another by low partitions, so that you can hear every word
your neighbour says, and almost the breathing of the person sleeping
next to you.  The furniture is equally simple: a large table, a
few straw sofas, and a few chairs.  The wearing apparel is generally
hung up against the walls; the linen alone being kept in tin cases,
to protect it from the attacks of the ants.

In the country, the children of even the most opulent persons run
about frequently without shoes or stockings.  Before they go to
bed they have their feet examined to see whether any sand-fleas have
nestled in them; and if such be the case, they are extracted by the
elder negro children.

9th October.  Early in the morning I took leave of my kind hostess,
who, like a truly careful housewife, had wrapped up a roasted fowl,
manioc flour, and a cheese for me, so that I was well provisioned on
setting off.

The next station, Aldea do Pedro, on the banks of the Parahyby, was
situated at a distance of sixteen miles.  Our way lay through magnificent
woods, and before we had traversed half of it, we arrived at the river
Parahyby, one of the largest in the Brazils, and celebrated, moreover,
for the peculiar character of its bed, which is strewed with innumerable
cliffs and rocks; these, owing to the low state of the stream, were
more than usually conspicuous.  On every side rose little islands,
covered with small trees or underwood, lending a most magic appearance
to the river.  During the rainy season, most of these cliffs and
rocks are covered with water, and the river then appears more majestic. 
On account of the rocks it can only be navigated by small boats and
rafts.

As you proceed along the banks, the scenery gradually changes. 
The fore-part of the mountain ranges subside into low hills, the mountains
themselves retreat, and the nearer you approach Aldea do Pedro, the
wider and more open becomes the valley.  In the background alone
are still visible splendid mountain ranges, from which rises a mountain
higher than the rest, somewhat more naked, and almost isolated. 
To this my guide pointed, and gave me to understand that our way lay
over it, in order to reach the Puris, who lived beyond.

About noon I arrived at Aldea do Pedro, which I found to be a small
village with a stone church; the latter might, perhaps, contain 200
persons.  I had intended continuing my journey to the Puris the
same day, but my guide was attacked with pains in his knee, and could
not ride further.  I had, therefore, no resource but to alight
at the priest’s, who gave me a hearty welcome; he had a pretty
good house, immediately adjoining the church.

10th October.  As my guide was worse, the priest offered me
his negro to replace him.  I thankfully accepted his offer, but
could not set off before 1 o’clock, for which I was, in some respects,
not sorry, as it was Sunday, and I hoped to see a great number of the
country people flock to mass.  This, however, was not the case;
although it was a very fine day there were hardly thirty people at church. 
The men were dressed exactly in the European fashion; the women wore
long cloaks with collars, and had white handkerchiefs upon their heads,
partly falling over their faces as well; the latter they uncovered in
church.  Both men and women were barefooted.

As chance would have it, I witnessed a burial and a christening. 
Before mass commenced, a boat crossed over from the opposite bank of
the Parahyby, and on reaching the side, a hammock, in which was the
deceased, was lifted out.  He was then laid in a coffin which had
been prepared for the purpose in a house near the churchyard. 
The corpse was enveloped in a white cloth, with the feet and half the
head protruding beyond it; the latter was covered with a peaked cap
of shining black cloth.

The christening took place before the burial.  The person who
was to be christened was a young negro of fifteen, who stood with his
mother at the church door.  As the priest entered the church to
perform mass, he christened him, in passing by, without much ceremony
or solemnity, and even without sponsors; the boy, too, seemed to be
as little touched by the whole affair as a new born infant.  I
do not believe that either he or his mother had the least idea of the
importance of the rite.

The priest then hurriedly performed mass, and read the burial service
over the deceased, who had belonged to rather a wealthy family, and
therefore was respectably interred.  Unfortunately, when they wanted
to lower the corpse into its cold resting-place, the latter was found
to be too short and too narrow, and the poor wretch was so tossed about,
coffin and all, that I expected every moment to see him roll out. 
But all was of no avail, and after a great deal of useless exertion
no other course was left but to place the coffin on one side and enlarge
the grave, which was done with much unwillingness and amid an unceasing
volley of oaths.

This fatiguing work being at last finished, I returned to the house,
where I took a good déjeuner à la fourchette in
company with the priest, and then set out with my black guide.

We rode for some time through a broad valley between splendid woods,
and had to cross two rivers, the Parahyby and the Pomba, in trunks of
trees hollowed out.  For each of these wretched conveyances I was
obliged to pay one milreis (2s. 2d.), and to incur great danger into
the bargain; not so much on account of the stream and the small size
of the craft, as of our mules, which, fastened by their halter, swam
alongside, and frequently came so near that I was afraid that we should
be every moment capsized.

After riding twelve miles further, we reached the last settlement
of the whites. {47} 
On an open space, which had with difficulty been conquered from the
virgin forest, stood a largish wooden house, surrounded by a few miserable
huts, the house serving as the residence of the whites, and the huts
as that of the slaves.  A letter which I had brought from the priest
procured me a welcome.

The manner of living in this settlement was of such a description
that I was almost tempted to believe that I was already among savages.

The large house contained an entrance hall leading into four rooms,
each of which was inhabited by a white family.  The whole furniture
of these rooms consisted of a few hammocks and straw mats.  The
inhabitants were cowering upon the floor, playing with the children,
or assisting one another to get rid of their vermin.  The kitchen
was immediately adjoining the house, and resembled a very large barn
with openings in it; upon a hearth that took up nearly the entire length
of the barn, several fires were burning, over which hung small kettles,
and at each side were fastened wooden spits.  On these were fixed
several pieces of meat, some of which were being roasted by the fire
and some cured by the smoke.  The kitchen was full of people: whites,
Puris, and negroes, children whose parents were whites and Puris, or
Puris and negroes—in a word, the place was like a book of specimens
containing the most varied ramifications of the three principal races
of the country.

In the court-yard was an immense number of fowls, beautifully marked
ducks and geese; I also saw some extraordinarily fat pigs, and some
horribly ugly dogs.  Under some cocoa-palms and tamarind-trees,
were seated white and coloured people, separate and in groups, mostly
occupied in satisfying their hunger.  Some had got broken basins
or pumpkin-gourds before them, in which they kneaded up with their hands
boiled beans and manioc flour; this thick and disgusting-looking mess
they devoured with avidity.  Others were eating pieces of meat,
which they likewise tore with their hands, and threw into their mouths
alternately with handfuls of manioc flour.  The children, who also
had their gourds before them, were obliged to defend the contents valiantly;
for at one moment a hen would peck something out, and, at the next,
a dog would run off with a bit, or sometimes even a little pig would
waggle up, and invariably give a most contented grunt when it had not
performed the journey for nothing.

While I was making these observations, I suddenly heard a merry cry
outside the court-yard; I proceeded to the place from which it issued,
and saw two boys dragging towards me a large dark brown serpent; certainly
more than seven feet long, at the end of a bast-rope.  It was already
dead, and, as far as I could learn from the explanations of those about
me, it was of so venomous a kind, that if a person is bitten by it,
he immediately swells up and dies.

I was rather startled at what I heard, and determined at least not
to set out through the wood just as evening was closing in, as I might
have to take up my quarters for the night under some tree; I therefore
deferred my visit to the savages until the next morning.  The good
people imagined that I was afraid of the savages, and earnestly assured
me that they were a most harmless race, from whom I had not the least
to fear.  As my knowledge of Portuguese was limited to a few words,
I found it rather difficult to make myself understood, and it was only
by the help of gesticulations, with now and then a small sketch, that
I succeeded in enlightening them as to the real cause of my fear.

I passed the night, therefore, with these half savages, who constantly
showed me the greatest respect, and overwhelmed me with attention. 
A straw mat, which, at my request, was spread out under shelter in the
court-yard, was my bed.  They brought me for supper a roast fowl,
rice, and hard eggs, and for dessert, oranges and tamarind-pods; the
latter contain a brown, half sweet, half sour pulp, very agreeable to
the taste.  The women lay all round me, and by degrees we managed
to get on wonderfully together.

I showed them the different flowers and insects I had gathered during
the day.  This, doubtless, induced them to look upon me as a learned
person, and, as such, to impute to me a knowledge of medicine. 
They begged me to prescribe for different cases of illness: bad ears,
eruptions of the skin, and in the children, a considerable tendency
to scrofula, etc.  I ordered lukewarm baths, frequent fomentations,
and the use of oil and soap, applied externally and rubbed into the
body.  May Heaven grant that these remedies have really worked
some good!

On the 11th of October, I proceeded into the forest, in company with
a negress and a Puri, to find out the Indians.  At times, we had
to work our way laboriously through the thicket, and then again we would
find narrow paths, by which we pursued our journey with greater ease. 
After eight hours’ walking, we came upon a number of Puris, who
led us into their huts, situated in the immediate vicinity, where I
beheld a picture of the greatest misery and want: I had often met with
a great deal of wretchedness in my travels, but never so much as I saw
here!

On a small space, under lofty trees, five huts, or rather sheds,
formed of leaves, were erected, eighteen feet long, by twelve feet broad. 
The frames were formed of four poles stuck in the ground, with another
reaching across; and the roof, of palm-leaves, through which the rain
could penetrate with the utmost facility.  On three sides, these
bowers were entirely open.  In the interior hung a hammock or two;
and on the ground glimmered a little fire, under a heap of ashes, in
which a few roots, Indian corn, and bananas, were roasting.  In
one corner, under the roof, a small supply of provisions was hoarded
up, and a few gourds were scattered around: these are used by the savages
instead of plates, pots, water-jugs, etc.  The long bows and arrows,
which constitute their only weapons, were leaning in the background
against the wall.

I found the Indians still more ugly than the negroes.  Their
complexion is a light bronze, stunted in stature, well-knit, and about
the middle size.  They have broad and somewhat compressed features,
and thick, coal-black hair, hanging straight down, which the women sometimes
wear in plaits fastened to the back of the head, and sometimes falling
down loose about them.  Their forehead is broad and low, the nose
somewhat flattened, the eyes long and narrow, almost like those of the
Chinese, and the mouth large, with rather thick lips.  To give
a still greater effect to all these various charms, a peculiar look
of stupidity is spread over the whole face, and is more especially to
be attributed to the way in which their mouths are always kept opened.

Most of them, both men and women, were tattooed with a reddish or
blue colour, though only round the mouth, in the form of a moustache. 
Both sexes are passionately fond of smoking, and prefer brandy to everything. 
Their dress was composed of a few rags, which they had fastened round
their loins.

I had already heard, in Novo Friburgo, a few interesting particulars
concerning the Puris, which I will here relate.

The number of the Brazilian Indians at the present time is calculated
at about 500,000, who live scattered about the forests in the heart
of the country.  Not more than six or seven families ever settle
on the same spot, which they leave as soon as the game in the neighbourhood
has been killed, and all the fruit and roots consumed.  A large
number of these Indians have been christened.  They are always
ready, for a little brandy or tobacco, to undergo the ceremony at the
shortest notice, and only regret that it cannot be repeated more frequently,
as it is soon over.  The priest believes that he has only to perform
the rite in order to gain another soul for heaven, and afterwards gives
himself very little concern, either about the instruction or the manners
and morals of his converts.  These, it is true, are called Christians,
or tamed savages, but live in the same heathen manner that they
previously did.  Thus, for instance, they contract marriages for
indefinite periods; elect their Caciques (chiefs) from the strongest
and finest men; follow all their old customs on the occasion of marriages
and deaths, just the same as before baptism.

Their language is very poor: they are said, for example, only to
be able to count one and two, and are therefore obliged, when they desire
to express a larger number, to repeat these two figures continually. 
Furthermore, for today, to-morrow, and yesterday, they
possess only the word day, and express their more particular
meaning by signs; for today, they say day, and feel their
head, or point upwards; for to-morrow, they again use the word
day, and point their fingers in a straightforward direction;
and for yesterday, they use the same word, and point behind them.

The Puris are said to be peculiarly adapted for tracking runaway
negroes, as their organs of smell are very highly developed.  They
smell the trace of the fugitive on the leaves of the trees; and if the
negro does not succeed in reaching some stream, in which he can either
walk or swim for a considerable distance, it is asserted that he can
very seldom escape the Indian engaged in pursuit of him.  These
savages are also readily employed in felling timber, and cultivating
Indian corn, manioc, etc., as they are very industrious, and think themselves
well paid with a little tobacco, brandy, or coloured cloth.  But
on no account must they be compelled to do anything by force: they are
free men.  They seldom, however, come to offer their assistance
unless they are half-starved.

I visited the huts of all these savages; and as my guides had trumpeted
forth my praises as being a woman of great knowledge, I was here asked
my advice for the benefit of every one who was ill.

In one of the huts, I found an old woman groaning in her hammock. 
On my drawing nearer, they uncovered the poor creature, and I perceived
that all her breast was eaten up by cancer.  She seemed to have
no idea of a bandage, or any means of soothing the pain.  I advised
her to wash the wound frequently with a decoction of mallows, {50}
and, in addition to this, to cover it over with the leaves of the same
plant.  I only trust that my advice procured her some trifling
relief.

This horrible disease unfortunately does not appear to be at all
rare among the Puris, for I saw many of their women, some of whom had
large hard swellings, and others even small tumours on the breast.

After having sufficiently examined everything in the huts, I went
with some of the savages to shoot parrots and monkeys.  We had
not far to go in order to meet with both; and I had now an opportunity
of admiring the skill with which these people use their bows. 
They brought down the birds even when they were on the wing, and very
seldom missed their mark.  After shooting three parrots and an
ape, we returned to the huts.

The good creatures offered me the best hut they possessed, and invited
me to pass the night there.  Being rather fatigued by the toilsome
nature of my journey on foot, the heat, and the hunting excursion, I
very joyfully accepted their proposition: the day, too, was drawing
to a close, and I should not have been able to reach the settlement
of the whites before night.  I therefore spread out my cloak upon
the ground, arranged a log of wood so as to serve instead of a pillow,
and for the present seated myself upon my splendid couch.  In the
meanwhile, my hosts were preparing the monkey and the parrots, by sticking
them on wooden spits, and roasting them before the fire.  In order
to render the meal a peculiarly dainty one, they also buried some Indian
corn and roots in the cinders.  They then gathered a few large
fresh leaves off the trees, tore the roasted ape into several pieces
with their hands, and placing a large portion of it, as well as a parrot,
Indian corn, and some roots upon the leaves, put it before me. 
My appetite was tremendous, seeing that I had tasted nothing since the
morning.  I therefore immediately fell to on the roasted monkey,
which I found superlatively delicious: the flesh of the parrot was far
from being so tender and palatable.

After our meal, I begged the Indians to perform one of their dances
for me—a request with which they readily complied.  As it
was already dark, they brought a quantity of wood, which they formed
into a sort of funeral pile, and set on fire: the men then formed a
circle all round, and began the dance.  They threw their bodies
from side to side in a most remarkably awkward fashion, but always moving
the head forwards in a straight line.  The women then joined in,
remaining, however, at some little distance in the rear of the men,
and making the same awkward movements.  They now began a most horrible
noise, which was intended for a song, at the same time distorting their
features in a frightful manner.  One of them stood near, playing
upon a kind of stringed instrument, made out of the stem of a cabbage-palm,
and about two feet, or two feet and a half, in length.  A hole
was cut in it in a slanting direction, and six fibres of the stem had
been raised up, and kept in an elevated position at each end, by means
of a small bridge.  The fingers were then used for playing upon
these as upon a guitar: the tone was very low, disagreeable, and hoarse.

This first dance they named the Dance of Peace or Joy.  The
men then performed a much wilder one alone.  After providing themselves
for the purpose with bows, arrows, and stout clubs, they again formed
a circle, but their movements were much quicker and wilder than in the
first instance, and they likewise hit about them with their clubs in
a horrible fashion.  They then suddenly broke their rank, strung
their bows, placed their arrows ready, and went through the pantomime
of shooting after a flying foe, uttering at the same time the most piercing
cries, which echoed through the whole forest.  I started up in
affright, for I really believed that I was surrounded by enemies, and
that I was delivered up into their power, without any chance of help
or assistance.  I was heartily glad when this horrible war-dance
came to a conclusion.

After retiring to rest, and when all around had gradually become
hushed into silence, I was assailed by apprehensions of another description:
I thought of the number of wild beasts, and the horrible serpents that
might perhaps be concealed quite close to me, and then of the exposed
situation I was in.  This kept me awake a long time, and I often
fancied I heard a rustling among the leaves, as if one of the dreaded
animals were breaking through.  At length, however, my weary body
asserted its rights.  I laid my head upon my wooden pillow, and
consoled myself with the idea that the danger was, after all, not so
great as many of we travellers wish to have believed, otherwise how
would it be possible for the savages to live as they do, without any
precautions, in their open huts!

On the 12th of October, early in the morning, I took leave of the
savages, and made them a present of various bronze ornaments, with which
they were so delighted that they offered me everything they possessed. 
I took a bow with a couple of arrows, as mementos of my visit; returned
to the wooden house, and having also distributed similar presents there,
mounted my mule, and arrived late in the evening at Aldea do Pedro.

On the morning of the 13th of October, I bade the obliging priest
farewell, and with my attendant, who, by this time was quite recovered,
began my journey back to Novo Friburgo, and, in this instance, although
I pursued the same road, was only three days instead of four on the
way.

On arriving I found Count Berchthold, who was now quite well. 
We determined, therefore, before returning to Rio Janeiro, to make a
little excursion to a fine waterfall, about twelve miles from Novo Friburgo. 
By mere chance we learned that the christening of the Princess Isabella
would take place on the 19th, and, as we did not wish to miss this interesting
ceremony, we preferred returning directly.  We followed the same
road we had taken in coming, till about four miles before reaching Ponte
de Pinheiro, and then struck off towards Porto de Praja.  This
road was thirty-two miles longer by land, but so much shorter by sea,
that the passage is made by steamer from Porto de Praja to Rio Janeiro
in half an hour.  The scenery around Pinheiro was mostly dull and
tedious, almost like a desert, the monotony of which was only broken
here and there by a few scanty woods or low hills.  We were not
lucky enough to see the mountains again until we were near the capital.

I must here mention a comical mistake of Herr Beske, of Novo Friburgo,
which we at first could not understand, but which afterwards afforded
a good deal of amusement.  Herr Beske had recommended us a guide,
whom he described as a walking encyclopædia of knowledge, and
able to answer all our questions about trees, plants, scenery, etc.,
in the most complete manner.  We esteemed ourselves exceedingly
fortunate to obtain such a phœnix of a guide, and immediately
took advantage of every opportunity to put his powers to the test. 
He could, however, tell us nothing at all; if we asked him the name
of a river, he replied that it was too small, and had no name. 
The trees, likewise, were too insignificant, the plants too common. 
This ignorance was rather too much; we made inquiry, and found that
Herr Beske had not intended to send us the guide we had, but his brother,
who, however, had died six months previously—a circumstance which
Herr Beske must have forgotten.

On the evening of the 18th of October, we arrived safely in Rio Janeiro. 
We immediately inquired about the christening, and heard it had been
put off till the 15th of November, and that on the 19th of October only
the Emperor’s anniversary would be kept.  We had thus hurried
back to no purpose, without visiting the waterfall near Novo Friburgo,
which we might have admired very much at our leisure.

On our return we only came eight miles out of our way.

CHAPTER V.  THE VOYAGE ROUND CAPE HORN.

DEPARTURE FROM RIO JANEIRO—SANTOS AND ST. PAULO—CIRCUMNAVIGATION
OF CAPE HORN—THE STRAITS OF MAGELLAN—ARRIVAL IN VALPARAISO—8TH
DECEMBER, 1846, TO 2ND MARCH, 1847.

When I paid £25 for my place in the fine English barque, “John
Renwick,” Captain Bell, the latter promised me that he would be
ready to sail on the 25th of November at the latest, and would stop
at no intermediate port, but shape his course direct to Valparaiso. 
The first part of this promise I believed, because he assured me that
every day he stopped cost him £7; and the second, because, as
a general rule, I willingly believe every one, even ship captains. 
In both particulars, however, was I deceived; for it was not until the
8th of December that I received a notice to go on board that evening
and then for the first time the captain informed me that he must run
into Santos, to lay in a stock of provisions, which were there much
cheaper than in Rio Janeiro; that he also intended clearing out a cargo
of coal and taking in another of sugar.  He did not tell me till
we arrived in Santos itself, where he also assured me that all these
different matters would not take him more than three or four days.

I took leave of my friends and went on board in the evening; Count
Berchthold and Messrs. Geiger and Rister accompanying me to the ship.

Early in the morning of the 9th of December we weighed anchor, but
the wind was so unfavourable that we were obliged to tack the whole
day in order to gain the open sea, and it was not until about 10 A.M.
that we lost sight of land.

There were eight passengers besides myself; five Frenchmen, one Belgian,
and two citizens of Milan.  I looked upon the latter as half countrymen
of mine, and we were soon very good friends.

It was the second time this year that the two Italians were making
the voyage round Cape Horn.  Their first had not been fortunate;
they reached Cape Horn in winter, which in those cold southern latitudes
lasts from April till about November. {53} 
They were unable to circumnavigate the Cape, being driven back by violent
contrary winds and storms, against which they strove for fourteen weary
days without making the least progress.  The crew now lost courage,
and affirmed that it would be advisable to turn back and wait for more
favourable winds.  The captain, however, was not of this opinion,
and succeeded so well in working upon the pride of the crew that they
once more engaged in their conflict with the elements.  It was,
however, for the last time, for the very same night a tremendous sea
broke over the ship, tearing away all her upper works, and sweeping
the captain and six of the sailors overboard.  The water poured
in torrents into the cabins, and drove every one from the berths. 
The bulwarks, boats, and binnacle were carried clean off, and the mainmast
had to be cut away.  The sailors then turned the ship about, and
after a long and dangerous voyage, succeeded in bringing her, dismasted
as she was, into Rio Janeiro.

This story was not very encouraging, but the fine weather and our
good ship relieved us of all anxiety.  With regard to the vessel,
we could not have chosen a better.  It had large, comfortable cabins,
an exceedingly good-natured and obliging captain, and a bill of fare
which must have contented the most dainty palate.  Every day we
had roast or stewed fowls, ducks, or geese, fresh mutton or pork, eggs
variously prepared, plum-pudding and tarts; to all this were added side
dishes of ham, rice, potatoes, and other vegetables; and for dessert,
dried fruit, nuts, almonds, cheese, etc.  There was also plenty
of bread, fresh baked every day, and good wine.  We all unanimously
acknowledged that we had never been so well treated, or had so good
a table in any sailing vessel before; and we could, therefore, in this
respect, look forward to our voyage without any apprehension.

On the 12th of December we hove in sight of the mountain ranges of
Santos, and at 9 o’clock the same evening we reached a bay which
the captain took for that of the same name.  Lighted torches were
repeatedly held over the vessel’s side to summon a pilot; no pilot,
however, made his appearance, and we were therefore obliged to trust
to chance, and anchor at the mouth of the bay.

On the morning of the 13th a pilot came on board, and astonished
us with the intelligence that we had anchored before the wrong bay. 
We had some trouble in working our way out, and anchoring about noon
in the right one.  A pretty little chateau-like building immediately
attracted our attention.  We took it for some advanced building
of the town, and congratulated one another on having reached our temporary
destination so quickly.  On approaching nearer, however, we could
perceive no signs of the town, and learned that the building was a small
fort, and that Santos was situated in a second bay, communicating with
the first by a small arm of the sea.  Unluckily, the wind had by
this time fallen, and we were obliged to be at anchor all day, and it
was not until the 14th that a slight breeze sprang up and wafted us
into port.

Santos is most charmingly situated at the entrance of a large valley. 
Picturesque hills, adorned with chapels and detached houses, rise on
each side, and immediately beyond are considerable mountain ranges,
spreading in a semi-circle round the valley, while a lovely island forms
a most beautiful foreground to the whole.

We had scarcely landed before the captain informed us that we must
stop for at least five days.  The Italians, one of the Frenchmen,
and myself determined that we would take advantage of this delay to
make an excursion to St. Paulo, the largest inland town of the Brazils,
and about forty miles from Santos.  The same evening we hired mules,
for which we paid five milreis (10s. 10d.) each, and set out upon our
trip.

15th December.  Early in the morning, we armed ourselves with
well-charged double-barrelled pistols, having been alarmed by accounts
of the Maroon negroes, {55}
about a hundred of whom were said to be at that time lurking in the
mountains, and to be so daring that they extended their inroads as far
as the vicinity of Santos itself.

The first eight miles led through the valley to the lofty range of
mountains which we had to cross.  The road was good, and more frequented
than any I had yet seen in the Brazils.  Handsome wooden bridges
traverse the rivers Vicente and Cubatao; one of these bridges is actually
covered, but then every one is charged a pretty high toll.

In one of the vendas at the foot of the mountain we fortified ourselves
with some excellent pan-cakes, laid in a stock of sugar-canes, the juice
of which is excessively refreshing in the great heat, and then proceeded
to scale the Serra, 3,400 feet high.  The road was execrable; full
of holes, pits, and puddles, in which our poor beasts often sank above
their knees.  We had to skirt chasms and ravines, with torrents
rolling loudly beneath, yet not visible to us, on account of the thick
underwood which grew over them.  Some part of the way, too, lay
through virgin forests, which, however, were not nearly so beautiful
or thick as some I had traversed on my excursion to the Puris. 
There were hardly any palm-trees, and the few there were, reminded us,
from their thin stems and scanty foliage, of those of a colder climate.

The prospect from the Serra struck us all with astonishment. 
The entire valley with its woods and prairies was spread far and wide
before our sight as far as the bays, the little detached huts being
quite indistinguishable, while only a part of the town and a few masts
of ships were perceptible in the distance.

A turning in the road soon shut out this charming picture from our
gaze; we then left the Serra and entered upon a woody, uneven tract,
alternating with large level grass-plots, covered with low brushwood,
and innumerable mole-hills, two feet high.

Half way from Santos to St. Paulo is a place called Rio Grande, the
houses of which lie, after the Brazilian fashion, so far apart, that
no one would suppose they had any connection with each other. 
The owner of the mules used on this journey resides here, and here,
likewise, the money for their hire is paid.  If the traveller desires
to proceed immediately he has fresh mules given him, but, should he
prefer stopping the afternoon or night, he finds very good victual and
clean rooms, for which he has nothing to pay, as they are included in
the five milreis (10s. 10d.), charged for the mules.

We snatched a hasty morsel or two, and then hurried on, in order
to complete the second half of the road before sunset.  The plain
became broader and broader the nearer we approached the town; the beauty
of the scenery falls off very much, and for the first time since I left
Europe, did I see fields and hills of sand.  The town itself, situated
upon a hill, presents a tolerable appearance; it contains about 22,000
inhabitants, and is a place of considerable importance for the internal
commerce of the country.  In spite of this, however, it has neither
an inn nor any other place where strangers can alight.

After inquiring for a long time in vain for lodgings, we were directed
to a German and a Frenchman, with the remark that both received lodgers
out of pure politeness.  We first went to the German, who very
bluntly cut us short by saying that he had no room.  From him we
proceeded to the Frenchman, who sent us to a Portuguese, and on visiting
the latter we received the same answer we had obtained from the German.

We were now greatly embarrassed; the more so, because the wearisome
nature of our journey had so fatigued the Frenchman that he was hardly
able any longer to sit upright in his saddle.

In this critical position I thought of the letter of recommendation
that Herr Geiger had given me in Rio Janeiro, for a German gentleman
of the name of Loskiel, who had settled here.  I had intended not
to deliver this letter until the next day, but “necessity knows
no law,” and so I paid my visit the same evening.

He was kind enough to interest himself for us in the warmest manner
imaginable.  He gave one of the gentlemen and myself lodgings in
his own house, and our two companions in that of a neighbour of his,
inviting all of us to dine at his table.  We now learned that in
St. Paulo no one, not even an hotel-keeper, will receive a stranger
if he be not provided with a letter of recommendation.  It is certainly
a lucky thing for travellers that this strange custom is not prevalent
everywhere.

16th December.  After having completely recovered ourselves
from the fatigues of our yesterday’s ride, our first thought was
to view the curiosities of the town.  We asked our hospitable host
for information on this point, but he merely shrugged his shoulders,
and said, that he knew of no curiosities, unless, indeed, we chose to
look upon the Botanical Garden in the light of one.

We went out, therefore, after breakfast, and first of all viewed
the town: where we found that the number of large and well-built houses
was, in comparison to the size of the two places, greater than in Rio
Janeiro, although even here, there was nothing like taste or peculiar
architectural style.  The streets are tolerably wide, but present
an extraordinarily deserted appearance, the universal silence being
broken only by the insupportable creaking of the country people’s
carts.  These carts rest upon two wheels, or rather two wooden
disks, which are often not even hooped with iron to keep them together. 
The axle, which is likewise of wood, is never greased, and thus causes
the demoniacal kind of music to which I alluded.

A peculiarity of dress, very remarkable in this hot climate, is here
prevalent: all the men, with the exception of the slaves, wear large
cloth cloaks, one half of which they throw over their shoulder; I even
saw a great many women enveloped in long, broad cloth capes.

In St. Paulo there is a High School.  Those who study there,
and come from the country or the smaller towns, are exposed to the inconvenience
of being refused lodgings under any one’s roof.  They are
obliged to hire and furnish houses for themselves, and be their own
housekeepers.

We visited several churches which possess very little worth looking
at, either inside or out, and then concluded by proceeding to the Botanical
Garden, which also contains no object of any interest, with the exception
of a plantation of Chinese teas.

All our sight-seeing did not occupy us more than a few hours, and
we could very conveniently have begun our journey back to Santos the
next morning; but the Frenchman, who, on account of the great fatigue
he had suffered, had not accompanied us in our walk, begged us to put
off our return for half a day longer, and to arrange it in such a manner,
that we should pass the night in Rio Grande.  We willingly acceded
to his wish, and set out upon the afternoon of the 17th, after thanking
our kind host most cordially for his hospitable entertainment. 
In Rio Grande we found an excellent supper, convenient sleeping apartments,
and a good breakfast the next morning.  About 12 o’clock
on the 18th of December, we arrived safely in Santos, and the Frenchman
then confessed to us he had felt so fatigued on arriving at St. Paulo,
from his long ride, that he was afraid of being seriously ill. 
However, he recovered himself completely in a few days, but assured
us, that it would be some time before he again accompanied us on one
of our trips.

The first question we put to the captain was: “When do you
weigh anchor?” to which he very politely replied, that as soon
as he had cleared out 200 tons of coal, and shipped 6,000 sacks of sugar,
he should be ready to set sail, and in consequence of this we had to
remain three whole weary weeks in Santos.

We were still in Santos when we celebrated New-Year’s Day,
1847, and at last, on the 2nd of January, were lucky enough to bid the
town adieu; but did not proceed far, for in the first bay the wind fell,
and did not spring up again till after midnight.  It was now Sunday,
and no true Englishman will set sail on a Sunday; we remained, therefore,
lying at anchor the whole of the 3rd of January, looking with very melancholy
feelings after two ships, whose captains, in spite of the holiness of
the day, had profited by the fresh breeze, and sailed gaily past us.

On the same evening we saw a vessel, which our captain affirmed was
a slaver, run into the bay.  It kept as far as possible from the
fort, and cast anchor at the most outward extremity of the bay. 
As the night was clear and moonlight we walked late upon deck, when,
true enough, we saw little boats laden with negroes pulling in shore. 
An officer, indeed, came from the fort to inquire into the doings of
this suspicious craft; but the owner seemed to afford him a satisfactory
account, for he left the ship, and the slaves continued during the whole
night to be quietly and undisturbedly smuggled in as before.

On the morning of the 4th of January, as we sailed past the vessel,
we beheld a great number of the poor creatures still standing upon the
deck.  Our captain inquired of the slave-dealer how many slaves
he had had on board, and we learned with astonishment that the number
amounted to 670.  Much has already been said and written upon this
horrible trade; it is everywhere execrated, and looked upon as a blot
on the human race, and yet it still continues to flourish.

This day promised to turn out a very melancholy one in many respects. 
We had hardly lost sight of the slaver before one of our own crew had
nearly committed suicide.  The steward, a young mulatto, had contracted
the bad habit of indulging too much in liquor.  The captain had
often threatened to punish him severely, but all to no purpose; and
this morning he was so intoxicated that the sailors were obliged to
lay him in a corner of the forecastle, where he might sleep himself
sober.  Suddenly, however, he leapt up, clambered on to the forepart
of the ship, and threw himself into the sea.  Luckily, it was almost
a calm, the water was quite still, and we had hopes of saving him. 
He soon reappeared at the side of the vessel, and ropes were thrown
him from every side.  The love of life was awakened in his breast,
and caused him to grasp involuntarily at the ropes, but he had not strength
enough to hold on.  He again sank, and it was only after great
exertion that the brave sailors succeeded in rescuing him from a watery
grave.  Hardly had he recovered his senses ere he endeavoured to
throw himself in again, exclaiming that he had no wish to live. 
The man was raving mad, and the captain was obliged to have him bound
hand and foot, and chained to the mast.  On the following day he
was deprived of his office, and degraded to the rank of subordinate
to a new steward.

5th January.  Mostly calms.  Our cook caught, today, a
fish three feet long, and remarkable for the manner in which it changed
colour.  When it came out of the water it was a bright yellow,
to which colour it owes its name of Dorado.  At the expiration
of one or two minutes the brilliant yellow changed into a light sky-blue,
and after its death its belly again turned to a beautiful light yellow,
but the back was a brownish green.  It is reckoned a great delicacy,
but, for my own part, I found its flesh rather dry.

On the 9th of January we were off the Rio Grande.  In the evening
everything seemed to promise a violent storm; the captain consulted
his barometer every second almost, and issued his orders according to
its indications.  Black clouds now began to drive towards us, and
the wind increased to such a pitch that the captain had all the hatchways
carefully fastened down, and the crew ready to reef the sails at a moment’s
notice.  At a little past 8, the hurricane broke forth.  Flash
after flash of lightning darted across the horizon from every side,
and lighted the sailors in their work; the agitated waves being illuminated
with the most dazzling brilliancy.  The majestic rolling of the
thunder drowned the captain’s voice, and the white foaming billows
broke with such terrific force over the deck, that it appeared as if
they would carry everything with them into the depths of the ocean. 
Unless there had been ropes stretched on each side of the ship for the
sailors to catch hold of, the latter would most certainly have been
washed away.  Such a storm as this affords much food for reflection. 
You are alone upon the boundless ocean, far from all human help, and
feel more than ever that your life depends upon the Almighty alone. 
The man who, in such a dreadful and solemn moment, can still believe
there is no God, must indeed be irretrievably struck with mental blindness. 
A feeling of tranquil joy always comes over me during such great convulsions
of Nature. I very often had myself bound near the binnacle, and let
the tremendous waves break over me, in order to absorb, as it were,
as much of the spectacle before me as possible; on no occasion did I
ever feel alarmed, but always confident and resigned.

At the expiration of four hours the storm had worn itself out, and
was succeeded by a perfect calm.

On the 10th of January we caught sight of several sea-turtles and
a whale.  The latter was only a young one, about forty feet long.

11th January.  We were now off the Rio Plata, {59}
and found the temperature very perceptibly cooler.

Up to the present time we had seen no signs of sea-tangle or molluscæ,
but during the night we beheld some molluscæ for the first time,
shining like stars at a great depth below the surface of the water.

In these latitudes the constellation of the southern cross keeps
increasing in brilliancy and beauty, though it is far from being as
wonderful as it is said to be.  The stars in it, four in number,
and disposed somewhat in the following manner, **** are, it is true,
large and splendid; but they did not excite, either in myself or any
other person of our company, much more admiration than the other constellations.

As a general rule, many travellers exaggerate a great deal. 
On the one hand, they often describe things which they have never seen
themselves, and only know from hearsay; and, on the other, they adorn
what they really have seen with a little too much imagination.

16th January.  In 37° South lat. we fell in with a strong
current, running from south to north, and having a yellow streak down
the middle of it.  The captain said that this streak was caused
by a shoal of small fishes.  I had some water drawn up in a bucket,
and really found a few dozen living creatures, which, in my opinion,
however, belonged rather to some species of molluscæ than to any
kind of fish.  They were about three-quarters of an inch long,
and as transparent as the most delicate water-bubbles; they were marked
with white and light yellow spots on the forepart of their bodies, and
had a few feelers underneath.

In the night of the 20th to 21st of January we were overtaken by
a very violent storm, which so damaged our mainmast that the captain
determined on running into some haven on the first opportunity, and
putting in a new one.  For the present the old one was made fast
with cables, iron chains, and braces.

In 43° North lat. we saw the first sea-tangle.  The temperature
had by this time very perceptibly decreased in warmth, the glass often
standing no higher than 59° or 63° Fah.

23rd January.  We were so near Patagonia that we could distinctly
make out the outline of the coast.

26th January.  We still kept near the land.  In 50°
South lat. we saw the chalky mountains of Patagonia.  Today we
passed the Falkland Islands, which stretched from 51° to 52°
South lat.  We did not see them, however, as we kept as near the
land as possible, in order not to miss the Straits of Magellan. 
For some days the captain had been studying an English book, which,
in his opinion, clearly proved that the passage through the Straits
of Magellan was far less dangerous and far shorter than that round Cape
Horn.  I asked him how it happened that other sailors knew nothing
of this valuable book, and why all vessels bound for the western coast
of America went round Cape Horn?  He could give me no other answer
than that the book was very dear, and that that was the reason no one
bought it. {60}

To me this bold idea of the captain’s was extremely welcome. 
I already pictured in my mind the six-feet tall Patagonians putting
off to us in their boats; I saw myself taking their mussels, plants,
ornaments, and weapons in exchange for coloured ribbons and handkerchiefs;
while, to render my satisfaction complete, the captain said that he
should land at Port Famine (a Patagonian haven) to supply the injured
portion of our mainmast.  How thankful was I, in secret, to the
storm for having reduced our ship to her present condition.

Too soon, however, were all my flattering hopes and dreams dispelled. 
On the 27th of January the latitude and longitude were taken, and it
was then found that the Straits of Magellan were twenty-seven minutes
(or nautical miles) behind us, but as we were becalmed, the captain
promised, in case a favourable wind should spring up, to endeavour to
return as far as the Straits.

I placed no more confidence in this promise, and I was right. 
About noon a scarcely perceptible breeze sprang up, which the captain,
in high spirits, pronounced a favourable one—for rounding Cape
Horn.  If he had ever really intended to pass through the Straits,
he would only have had to cruise about for a few hours, for the wind
soon changed and blew directly in the desired direction.

28th January.  We were constantly so near Terra del Fuego that
we could make out every bush with the naked eye.  We could have
reached the land in an hour, without retarding our voyage in the least,
for we were frequently becalmed; but the captain would not consent,
as the wind might spring up every instant.

The coast appeared rather steep, but not high; the foreground was
composed of meagre pasture alternating with tracts of sand, and in the
background were ranges of woody hills, beyond which rose snow-covered
mountains.  On the whole, the country struck me as being much more
inhabitable than the Island of Iceland, which I had visited a year and
a half previously.  The temperature, too, must here be higher,
as even at sea we had 54° 5’ and 59° Fah.

I saw three kinds of sea-tangle, but could only obtain a specimen
of one, resembling that which I had seen in 44° South lat. 
The second kind was not very different, and it was only the third that
had pointed leaves, several of which together formed a sort of fan several
feet long and broad.

On the 30th of January we passed very near the Staten Islands, lying
between 56° and 57° South lat.  They are composed of bare
high mountains, and separated from Terra del Fuego by an arm of the
sea, called Le Maire, only seven miles long and about the same distance
across.

The captain told us, seaman-like, that on one occasion of his sailing
through these Straits, his ship had got into a strong current, and regularly
danced, turning round during the passage at least a thousand times! 
I had already lost a great deal of confidence in the captain’s
tales, but I kept my eye steadily fixed upon a Hamburgh brig, that happened
to be sailing ahead, to see whether she would dance; but neither she
nor our own bark was so obliging.  Neither vessels turned even
once, and the only circumstance worthy of remark was the heaving and
foaming of the waves in the Strait, while at both ends the sea lay majestically
calm before our eyes.  We had passed the Strait in an hour, and
I took the liberty of asking the captain why our ship had not danced,
to which he replied that it was because we had had both wind and current
with us.  It is, perhaps, possible that under other circumstances
the vessel might have turned round once or twice, but I strongly doubt
its doing so a thousand times.  This was, however, a favourite
number with our worthy captain.  One of the gentlemen once asked
him some question about the first London hotels, and was told that it
was impossible to remember their names, as there were above a thousand
of the first class.

Near the Strait Le Maire begins, in the opinion of seamen, the dangerous
part of the passage round Cape Horn, and ends off the Straits of Magellan. 
Immediately we entered it we were greeted with two most violent bursts
of wind, each of which lasted about half an hour; they came from the
neighbouring icy chasms in the mountains of Terra del Fuego, and split
two sails, and broke the great studding sail-yard, although the sailors
were numerous and quick.  The distance from the end of the Strait
Le Maire to the extreme point of the Cape is calculated to be not more
than seventy miles, and yet this trifling passage cost us three days.

At last, on the 3rd of February, we were fortunate enough to reach
the southernmost point of America, so dreaded by all mariners. 
Bare, pointed mountains, one of which looks like a crater that has fallen
in, form the extremity of the mighty mountain-chain, and a magnificent
group of colossal black rocks (basalt?), of all shapes and sizes, are
scattered at some distance in advance, and are separated only by a small
arm of the sea.  The extreme point of Cape Horn is 600 feet high. 
At this spot, according to our works on geography, the Atlantic Ocean
changes its name and assumes that of the Pacific.  Sailors, however,
do not give it the latter designation before reaching the Straits of
Magellan, as up to this point the sea is continually stormy and agitated,
as we learned to our cost, being driven by violent storms as far back
as 60° South lat.  Besides this, we lost our top-mast, which
was broken off, and which, in spite of the heavy sea, had to be replaced;
the vessel, meanwhile, being so tossed about, that we were often unable
to take our meals at the table, but were obliged to squat down upon
the ground, and hold our plates in our hands.  On one of these
fine days the steward stumbled with the coffee-pot, and deluged me with
its burning contents.  Luckily, only a small portion fell upon
my hands, so that the accident was not a very serious one.

After battling for fourteen days with winds and waves, with rain
and cold, {62} we
at last arrived off the western entrance to the Straits of Magellan,
having accomplished the most dangerous portion of our voyage. 
During these fourteen days we saw very few whales or albatrosses, and
not one iceberg.

We thought that we should now quietly pursue our way upon the placid
sea, trusting confidently in its peaceful name.  For three whole
days we had nothing to complain of; but in the night of the 19th to
the 20th of February, we were overtaken by a storm worthy of the Atlantic
itself, which lasted for nearly twenty-four hours, and cost us four
sails.  We suffered most damage from the tremendous waves, which
broke with such fury over the ship, that they tore up one of the planks
of the deck, and let the water into the cargo of sugar.  The deck
itself was like a lake, and the portholes had to be opened in order
to get rid of the water more quickly.  The water leaked in the
hold at the rate of two inches an hour.  We could not light any
fire, and were obliged to content ourselves with bread and cheese and
raw ham, which we with great difficulty conveyed to our mouth as we
sat upon the ground.

The last cask of lamp oil, too, fell a sacrifice to this storm, having
been torn from its fastenings, and broken into pieces.  The captain
was very apprehensive of not having enough oil to light the compass
till we arrived at Valparaiso; and all the lamps on the ship were, in
consequence, replaced by candles, and the small quantity of oil remaining
kept for the compass.  In spite of all these annoyances, we kept
up our spirits, and even, during the storm, we could scarcely refrain
from laughing at the comical positions we all fell into whenever we
attempted to stand up.

The remainder of the voyage to Valparaiso was calm, but excessively
disagreeable.  The captain wished to present a magnificent appearance
on arriving, so that the good people might believe that wind and waves
could not injure his fine vessel.  He had the whole ship painted
from top to bottom with oil colours; even the little doors in the cabins
were not spared this infliction.  Not content with creating a most
horrible disturbance over our heads, the carpenter invaded even our
cabins, filling all our things with sawdust and dirt, so that we poor
passengers had not a dry or quiet place of refuge in the whole ship. 
Just as much as we had been pleased with Captain Bell’s politeness
during all the previous part of the voyage, were we indignant at his
behaviour during the last five or six days.  But we could offer
no resistance, for the captain is an autocrat on board his own ship,
knowing neither a constitution nor any other limit to his despotic power.

At 6 o’clock in the morning of the 2nd of March, we ran into
the port of Valparaiso.

CHAPTER VI.  ARRIVAL AND RESIDENCE IN VALPARAISO.

APPEARANCE OF THE TOWN—PUBLIC BUILDINGS—A FEW OBSERVATIONS
ON THE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE LOWER CLASSES—THE EATING-HOUSES
OF POLANEA—THE CHERUB (ANGELITO)—THE RAILROAD—GOLD
AND SILVER MINES.

The appearance of Valparaiso is dull and monotonous.  The town
is laid out in two long streets at the foot of dreary hills, which look
like gigantic masses of sand, but which really consist of large rocks
covered with thin layers of earth and sand.  On some of these hills
are houses, and on one of them is the churchyard, which, combined with
the wooden church towers, built in the Spanish style, relieves, in a
slight degree, the wearisome uniformity of the prospect.  Not less
astounding than the deserted look of the port, was the miserably wretched
landing-place, which is composed of a high wooden quay, about 100 feet
long, stretching out into the sea, with narrow steps, like ladders,
against the side.  It was a most pitiable sight to see a lady attempting
to go up or down: all persons who were in the least weak or awkward,
had to be let down with ropes.

The two principal streets are tolerably broad, and very much frequented,
especially by horsemen.  Every Chilian is born a horseman; and
some of their horses are such fine animals, that you involuntarily stop
to admire their proud action, their noble bearing, and the nice symmetry
of their limbs.

The stirrups are curiously formed, consisting of long, heavy pieces
of wood, hollowed out, and into which the rider places the tips of his
feet.  The spurs are remarkably large, and are often about four
inches in diameter.

The houses are constructed completely in the European style, with
flat Italian roofs.  The more ancient buildings have only a ground
floor, and are small and ugly, while most of the modern ones have a
spacious and handsome first floor.  The interior, too, of the latter
is generally very tasty.  Large steps conduct into a lofty well-ventilated
entrance-hall on the first floor, from which the visitor passes, through
large glass doors, into the drawing-room and other apartments. 
The drawing-room is the pride, not only of every European who has settled
in the country, but also of the Chilians, who often spend very large
sums in the decorations.  Heavy carpets cover all the floor; rich
tapestry hangs against the walls; furniture and mirrors of the most
costly description are procured from Europe; and on the tables are strewed
magnificent albums, adorned with the most artistic engravings. 
The elegant fire-places, however, convinced me that the winters here
are not as mild as the inhabitants would fain have had me believe.

Of all the public buildings, the Theatre and the Exchange are the
finest.  The interior of the former is very neat, and contains
a roomy pit and two galleries, portioned off as boxes.  The inhabitants
of the town patronise the theatre a great deal, but not so much on account
of the Italian operas played there, as for the sake of possessing a
common place of meeting.  The ladies always come in full dress,
and mutual visits are made in the boxes, all of which are very spacious,
and beautifully furnished with mirrors, carpets, sofas, and chairs.

The second fine building, the Exchange, comprises a good-sized, cheerful
hall, with convenient rooms adjoining.  From the hall there is
a pleasant view over the town and sea.  The building belonging
to the “German Club” contains some fine apartments, with
reading and card rooms.

The only thing that pleased me about the churches were the towers,
which consist of two or three octagons, placed one above the other,
and each one supported by eight columns.  They are composed of
wood, the altars and pillars of the nave being of the same material. 
The nave itself presents rather a poor and naked appearance, occasioned
in a great degree by the absence of sittings.  The men stand, and
the women bring with them little carpets, which they spread before them,
and on which they either kneel or sit.  Ladies in easy circumstances
have their carpets brought by their maids.  The cathedral is called
La Matriza.

The public promenades of Valparaiso are not very pleasant, as most
of the side-walks and roads are covered almost a foot deep with sand
and dust, which the slightest breath of wind is sufficient to raise
in thick clouds.  After 10 o’clock in the morning, when the
sea-breeze begins blowing, the whole town is very often enveloped by
it.  A great many persons are said to die here from diseases of
the chest and lungs.  The most frequented places of resort are
Polanka and the lighthouse.  Near the latter, especially, the prospect
is very beautiful, extending, as it does, on a clear day, as far as
some of the majestic snow-covered spurs of the Andes.

The streets, as I have already mentioned, are tolerably lively: peculiar
omnibuses and cabriolets traverse them frequently.  The fare from
one end of the town to the other is one real (2½d.)  There
are also a great number of asses, mostly employed in carrying water
and provisions.

The lower classes are remarkably ugly.  The Chilians have a
yellowish brown complexion, thick black hair, most unpleasant features,
and such a peculiarly repulsive cast of countenance, that any physiognomist
would straightway pronounce them to be robbers or pickpockets at the
least.  Captain Bell had told me a great deal of the extraordinary
honesty of these people; and, in his usual exaggerated manner, assured
us that a person might leave a purse of gold lying in the street, with
the certainty of finding it the next day on the same spot; but, in spite
of this, I must frankly confess, that for my own part, I should be rather
fearful of meeting these honest creatures, even by day, in a lonely
spot, with the money in my pocket.

I had subsequently opportunities of convincing myself of the fallaciousness
of the captain’s opinion, for I often met with convicts, chained
together, and employed in the public buildings and cleaning the roads. 
The windows and doors, too, are secured with bolts and bars in a manner
almost unknown in any town of Europe.  At night, in all the streets,
and on all the hills which are inhabited, are parties of police, who
call out to one another in exactly the same manner that the advanced
posts do during a campaign.  Mounted patrols also traverse the
town in every direction, and persons returning alone from the theatre
or from a party, often engage their services to conduct them home. 
Burglariously entering a house is punished with death.  All these
precautions do not, most decidedly, argue much for the honesty of the
people.

I will take this opportunity of mentioning a scene, of which I was
myself an eye-witness, as it happened before my window.  A little
boy was carrying a number of plates and dishes on a board, when the
latter unluckily slipped from his grasp, and all the crockery lay in
fragments at his feet.  At first, the poor fellow was so frightened
that he stood like a column, gazing with a fixed look at the pieces,
and then began to cry most bitterly.  The passers-by stopped, it
is true, to look at the unfortunate child, but did not evince the least
compassion; they laughed, and went on.  In any other place, they
would have raised a little subscription, or at least pitied and consoled
him, but certainly would not have seen anything to laugh at.  The
circumstance is of itself a mere trifle, but it is exactly by such trifles
that we are often enabled to form a true estimate of people’s
real characters.

Another adventure, also, but of quite a different and most horrible
kind, happened during my stay in Valparaiso.

As I have already remarked, it is the custom here, as well as in
many countries of Europe, to sentence criminals to hard labour on public
works.  One of the convicts endeavoured to bribe his gaoler to
let him escape, and so far succeeded that the latter promised on his
paying an ounce (17 Spanish dollars—£3 8s.) to give him
an opportunity for flight.  The prisoners are allowed every morning
and afternoon to receive the visits of their friends and relations,
and likewise to accept provisions from them.  The wife of the convict
in question profited by this regulation to bring her husband the necessary
money; and on receiving this, the gaoler arranged matters so that on
the next morning the convict was not fastened to the same chain with
a fellow-criminal, as is usually the case, but could walk alone, and
thus easily get clear off, more especially as the spot in which they
worked was a very lonely one.

The whole affair was very cunningly arranged, but either the gaoler
changed his mind, or, perhaps, from the beginning had intended to act
as he did—he fired at the fugitive, and shot him dead.

It is very seldom that any pure descendants of the original inhabitants
are to be seen; we met with only two.  They struck me as very similar
to the Puris of Brazil, except that they have not such small ugly-shaped
eyes.  In this country there are no slaves.

The dress of the Chilians is quite in the European taste, especially
as regards the women.  The only difference with the men is that,
instead of a coat, they frequently wear the Poncho, which is composed
of two pieces of cloth or merino, each about one ell broad and two ells
long.  The two pieces are sewn together, with the exception of
an opening in the middle for the head to pass through; the whole garment
reaches down to the hips, and resembles a square cape.  The Poncho
is worn of all colours, green, blue, bright red, etc., and looks very
handsome, especially when embroidered all round with coloured silk,
which is the case when the wearer is opulent.  In the streets,
the women invariably wear large scarfs, which they draw over their heads
in church.

My intention, on coming to Chili, was to stop for a few weeks in
order to have time for an excursion to the capital, Santiago, and after
that to proceed to China, as I had been told in Rio Janeiro that there
was a ship from Valparaiso to China every month.  Unfortunately
this was not the case.  I found that vessels bound to that country
were very seldom to be met with, but that there happened to be one at
that moment, which would sail in five or six days.  I was generally
advised not to lose the opportunity, but rather to abandon my design
of visiting Santiago.  I reflected for a little, and agreed to
do so, although with a heavy heart; and in order to avoid all disappointment,
immediately went to the captain, who offered to take me for 200 Spanish
dollars (£40).  I agreed, and had five days left, which I
determined to spend in carefully examining Valparaiso and its environs. 
I should have had plenty of time to pay Santiago a flying visit, since
it is only 130 miles from Valparaiso, but the expenses would have been
very heavy, as there is no public conveyance, and consequently I should
have been obliged to hire a carriage for myself.  Besides this,
I should have derived but little satisfaction from the mere superficial
impressions which would have been all I could have obtained of either
town.

I contented myself, therefore, with Valparaiso alone.  I toiled
industriously up the surrounding hills and mountains, visited the huts
of the lower classes, witnessed their national dances, etc., determined
that here at least I would become acquainted with everything.

On some of the hills, especially on the Serra Allegri, there are
the most lovely country-houses, with elegant gardens, and a most beautiful
view over the sea.  The prospect inland is not so fine, as chains
of tall, naked, ugly mountains rise up behind the hills, and completely
shut in the scene.

The huts of the poor people are miserably bad, being mostly built
of clay and wood, and threatening to fall down every moment.  I
hardly ventured to enter them, thinking that the interior was of a piece
with the exterior, and was consequently astonished at seeing not only
good beds, chairs, and tables, but very often elegant little altars
adorned with flowers.  The inmates, too, were far from being badly
dressed, and the linen hung out before many of these hovels struck me
as superior to much that I had seen at the windows of some of the most
elegant houses situated in the principal streets of the towns of Sicily.

A very good idea of the manners and customs of the people may be
easily obtained by strolling, on Sundays and fête days,
near Polanka, and visiting the eating-houses.

I will introduce my reader to one of these places.  In one corner,
on the ground, burns a fierce fire, surrounded by innumerable pots and
pans, between which are wooden spits with beef and pork, simmering and
roasting in the most enticing manner.  An ungainly wooden framework,
with a long broad plank on it, occupies the middle of the room, and
is covered with a cloth whose original colour it would be an impossibility
to determine.  This is the table at which the guests sit. 
During the dinner itself the old patriarchal customs are observed, with
this difference, that not only do all the guests eat out of one dish,
but that all the eatables are served up in one, and one only. 
Beans and rice, potatoes and roast beef, Paradise apples and onions,
etc., etc., lie quietly side by side, and are devoured in the deepest
silence.  At the end of the repast, a goblet, filled with wine,
or sometimes merely water, is passed from hand to hand, and after this
had gone round, the company begin to talk.  In the evening dancing
is vigorously pursued to the music of a guitar; unfortunately, it was
Lent during my visit, when all public amusements are prohibited. 
The people themselves, however, were not so particular, and were only
too ready, for a few reaux, to go through the Sammaquecca and Refolosa—the
national dances of the country.  I had soon seen sufficient; the
gestures and movements of the dancers were beyond all description unbecoming,
and I could but pity the children, whose natural modesty cannot fail
to be nipped in the bud by witnessing the performance of these dances.

I was equally displeased with a remarkable custom prevalent here,
in accordance with which the death of a little child is celebrated by
its parents as a grand festival.  They name the deceased child
an angelito, (little angel), and adorn it in every possible way. 
Its eyes are not closed, but, on the contrary, opened as wide as possible,
and its cheeks are painted red; it is then dressed out in the finest
clothes, crowned with flowers, and placed in a little chair in a kind
of niche, which also is ornamented with flowers.  The relations
and neighbours then come and wish the parents joy at possessing such
an angel; and, during the first night, the parents, relations, and friends
execute the wildest dances, and feast in the most joyous fashion before
the angelito.  I heard that in the country it was not unusual for
the parents to carry the little coffin to the churchyard themselves,
followed by the relations with the brandy bottle in their hands, and
giving vent to their joy in the most outrageous manner.

A merchant told me that one of his friends, who holds a judicial
appointment, had, a short time previous, been called to decide a curious
case.  A grave-digger was carrying one of these deceased angels
to the churchyard, when he stept into a tavern to take a dram. 
The landlord inquired what he had got under his poncho, and on learning
that it was an angelito, offered him two reaux for it.  The gravedigger
consented; the landlord quickly arranged a niche with flowers in the
drinking-room, and then hastened to inform the whole neighbourhood what
a treasure he had got.  They all came, admired the little angel,
and drank and feasted in its honour.  But the parents also soon
heard of it, hurried down to the tavern, took away their child, and
had the landlord brought before the magistrate.  On hearing the
case, the latter could scarcely restrain from laughing, but arranged
the matter amicably, as such a crime was not mentioned in the statute
book.

The manner in which patients are conveyed to the hospital here is
very remarkable.  They are placed upon a simple wooden armchair,
with one band fastened in front of them to prevent their falling off,
and another beneath for them to place their feet on—a most horrible
sight when the sick person is so weak that he can no longer hold himself
in an upright posture.

I was not a little astonished on hearing that, in this country, where
there is yet no post, or, indeed, any regular means of conveyance from
one place to another, that a railroad was about being constructed from
here to Santiago.  The work has been undertaken by an English company,
and the necessary measurements already begun.  As the localities
are very mountainous, the railroad will have to make considerable windings,
in order to profit by the level tracts, and this will occasion an enormous
outlay, quite out of proportion to the present state of trade or the
amount of passenger traffic.  At present, there are not more than
two or three vehicles a day from one place to the other, and if by chance
ten or fifteen passengers come from Santiago to Valparaiso, the thing
is talked of over the whole town.  This has given rise to the belief
that the construction of a railroad has merely been seized on as an
excuse, in order to enable those concerned to search about the country
undisturbed for gold and silver.

Persons discovering mines are highly favoured, and have full right
of property to their discovery, being obliged merely to notify the same
to the government.  This licence is pushed to such an extent, that
if, for instance, a person can advance any plausible grounds for asserting
that he has found a mine in a particular spot, such as under a church
or house, etc., he is at liberty to have either pulled down, provided
he is rich enough to pay for the damage done.

About fifteen years ago, a donkey driver accidentally hit upon a
productive silver mine.  He was driving several asses over the
mountain, when one of them ran away.  He seized a stone, and was
about to throw it after the animal, but stumbled and fell to the ground,
while the stone escaped from his grasp, and rolled away.  Rising
in a great passion, he snatched a second from the earth, and had drawn
his arm to throw the stone, when he was struck by its uncommon weight. 
He looked at it more closely, and perceived that it was streaked with
rich veins of pure silver.  He preserved the stone as a treasure,
marked the spot, drove his asses home, and then communicated his important
discovery to one of his friends, who was a miner.  Both of them
then returned to the place, which the miner examined, and pronounced
the soil full of precious ore.  Nothing was now wanting save capital
to carry on their operations.  This they procured by taking the
miner’s employer into partnership, and in a few years all three
were rich men.

The six days had now elapsed, and the captain sent me a message to
be on board with my bag and baggage the next day, as he intended putting
out to sea in the evening; but on the morning of his intended departure,
my evil genius conducted a French man-of-war into the harbour. 
Little imagining that this was destined to overturn all my plans, I
proceeded very tranquilly to the landing-place, where I met the captain
hastening to meet me, with a long story about his half-cargo, and the
necessity he was under of completing his freight with provisions for
the use of the French garrison at Tahiti, and so forth: in a word, the
end of the matter was, that I was informed we should have to stop another
five days.

In the first burst of my disappointment, I paid a visit to the Sardinian
Consul, Herr Bayerbach, and told him of the position in which I was
placed.  He consoled me, in a most kind and gentlemanly manner,
as well as he could; and on learning that I had already taken up my
quarters on board, insisted on my occupying a chamber in his country-house
in the Serra Allegri.  Besides this, he introduced me to several
families, where I passed many very pleasant hours, and had the opportunity
of inspecting some excellent collections of mussel-shells and insects.

Our departure was again deferred from day to day; so that, although,
in this manner, I spent fifteen days in Chili, I saw nothing more of
it than Valparaiso and its immediate neighbourhood.

As Valparaiso is situated to the south of the Equator, and, as is
well known, the seasons of the southern hemisphere are exactly the contrary
of those of the northern, it was now autumn.  I saw (34° South
latitude) almost the same kinds of fruits and vegetables as those we
have in Germany, especially grapes and melons.  The apples and
pears were not so good nor so abundant as with us.

In conclusion, I will here give a list of the prices which travellers
have to pay for certain things:—

A room that is at all decent in a private house costs four or five
reaux (2s.) a day; the table d’hôte a piaster (4s.); but
washing is more expensive than anything else, on account of the great
scarcity of water, for every article, large or small, costs a real (6d.). 
A passport, too, is excessively dear, being charged eight Spanish dollars
(£1 12s.).

CHAPTER VII.  THE VOYAGE FROM VALPARAISO TO CANTON VIA TAHITI.

DEPARTURE FROM VALPARAISO—TAHITI—MANNERS AND CUSTOMS
OF THE PEOPLE—FÊTE AND BALL IN HONOUR OF LOUIS PHILIPPE—EXCURSIONS—A
TAHITIAN DINNER—THE LAKE VAIHIRIA—THE DEFILE OF FANTAUA
AND THE DIADEM—DEPARTURE—ARRIVAL IN CHINA.

On the 17th of March, Captain Van Wyk Jurianse sent me word that
his ship was ready for sea, and that he should set sail the next morning. 
The news was very unwelcome to me, as, for the last two days, I had
been suffering from English cholera, which on board ship, where the
patient cannot procure meat broth or any other light nourishment, and
where he is always more exposed to the sudden changes of the weather
than he is on shore, is very apt to be attended with grave results. 
I did not, however, wish to miss the opportunity of visiting China,
knowing how rarely it occurred, nor was I desirous of losing the two
hundred dollars (£40) already paid for my passage, and I therefore
went on board, trusting in my good luck, which had never forsaken me
on my travels.

During the first few days, I endeavoured to master my illness by
observing a strict diet, and abstaining from almost everything, but
to no purpose.  I still continued to suffer, until I luckily thought
of using salt-water baths.  I took them in a large tub, in which
I remained a quarter of an hour.  After the second bath, I felt
much better, and after the sixth, I was completely recovered. 
I merely mention this malady, to which I was very subject in warm climates,
that I may have the opportunity of remarking, that sea-baths or cooling
drinks, such as buttermilk, sour milk, sherbet, orangeade, etc., are
very efficacious remedies.

The ship in which I made my present voyage, was the Dutch barque
Lootpuit, a fine, strong vessel, quite remarkable for its cleanliness. 
The table was pretty good, too, with the exception of a few Dutch dishes,
and a superfluity of onions.  To these, which played a prominent
part in everything that was served up, I really could not accustom myself,
and felt greatly delighted that a large quantity of this noble production
of the vegetable kingdom became spoilt during the voyage.

The captain was a polite and kind man, and the mates and sailors
were also civil and obliging.  In fact, as a general rule, in every
ship that I embarked in, I was far from finding seamen so rough and
uncivil as travellers often represent them to be.  Their manners
are certainly not the most polished in the world, neither are they extraordinarily
attentive or delicate, but their hearts and dispositions are mostly
good.

After three days’ sailing, we saw, on the 21st March, the island
of St. Felix, and on the morning following, St. Ambrosio.  They
both consist of naked, inhospitable masses of rock, and serve at most
as resting places for a few gulls.

We were now within the tropics, but found the heat greatly moderated
by the trade wind, and only unbearable in the cabin.

For nearly a month did we now sail on, without the slightest interruption,
free from storms, with the same monotonous prospect of sky and water
before us, until, on the 19th of April, we reached the Archipelago of
the Society Islands.  This Archipelago, stretching from 130°
to 140° longitude, is very dangerous, as most of the islands composing
it scarcely rise above the surface of the water; in fact, to make out
David Clark’s Island, which was only twelve miles distant, the
captain was obliged to mount to the shrouds.

During the night of the 21st to the 22nd of April we were overtaken
by a sudden and violent storm, accompanied by heavy thunder; this storm
our captain termed a thunder-gust.  While it lasted flashes of
lightning frequently played around the mast-top, occasioned by electricity. 
They generally flutter for two or three minutes about the most elevated
point of any object, and then disappear.

The night of the 22nd to the 23rd of April was a very dangerous one;
even the captain said so.  We had to pass several of the low islands
in dark rainy weather, which completely concealed the moon from us. 
About midnight our position was rendered worse by the springing up of
a strong wind, which, together with incessant flashes of lightning,
caused us to expect another squall; luckily, however, morning broke,
and we escaped both the storm and the islands.

In the course of the day we passed the Bice Islands, and two days
later, on the 25th of April, we beheld one of the Society Islands, Maithia.

On the following morning, being the thirty-ninth of our voyage, we
came in sight of Tahiti, and the island opposite to it, Emao, also called
Moreo.  The entrance into Papeiti, the port of Tahiti, is exceedingly
dangerous; it is surrounded by reefs of coral as by a fortress, while
wild and foaming breakers, rolling on every side, leave but a small
place open through which a vessel can steer.

A pilot came out to meet us, and, although the wind was so unfavourable
that the sails had to be trimmed every instant, steered us safely into
port.  Afterwards, when we had landed, we were congratulated heartily
on our good fortune; every one had watched our course with the greatest
anxiety, and, at the last turn the ship took, expected to see her strike
upon a coral reef.  This misfortune had happened to a French man-of-war,
that at the period of our arrival had been lying at anchor for some
months, engaged in repairing the damage done.

Before we could come to an anchor we were surrounded by half-a-dozen
pirogues, or boats, manned by Indians, who climbed up from all sides
upon the deck to offer us fruit and shell-fish, but not as formerly
for red rags or glass beads—such golden times for travellers are
over.  They demanded money, and were as grasping and cunning in
their dealings as the most civilized Europeans.  I offered one
of them a small bronze ring; he took it, smelt it, shook his head, and
gave me to understand that it was not gold.  He remarked another
ring on my finger, and seizing hold of my hand, smelt this second ring
as well, then twisted his face into a friendly smile, and made signs
for me to give him the ornament in question.  I afterwards had
frequent opportunities of remarking that the natives of these islands
have the power of distinguishing between pure and counterfeit gold by
the smell.

Some years ago the island of Tahiti was under the protection of the
English, but at present it is under that of the French.  It had
long been a subject of dispute between the two nations, until a friendly
understanding was at last come to in November, 1846.  Queen Pomaré,
who had fled to another island, had returned to Papeiti five weeks before
my arrival.  She resides in a four-roomed house, and dines daily,
with her family, at the governor’s table.  The French government
is having a handsome house built for her use, and allows her a pension
of 25,000 francs per annum (£1,041 13s. 4d.).  No stranger
is allowed to visit her without the governor’s permission, but
this is easily obtained.

Papeiti was full of French troops, and several men-of-war were lying
at anchor.

The place contains three or four thousand inhabitants, and consists
of a row of small wooden houses, skirting the harbour, and separated
by small gardens.  In the immediate background is a fine wood,
with a number of huts scattered about in different parts of it.

The principal buildings are—the governor’s house, the
French magazines, the military bakehouse, the barracks, and the queen’s
house, which however is not quite completed.  Besides these, a
number of small wooden houses were in the course of erection, the want
of them being greatly felt; at the time of my visit even officers of
high rank were obliged to be contented with the most wretched huts.

I went from hut to hut in the hopes of being able to obtain some
small room or other; but in vain, all were already occupied.  I
was at last obliged to be satisfied with a small piece of ground, which
I found at a carpenter’s, whose room was already inhabited by
four different individuals.  I was shown a place behind the door,
exactly six feet long and four broad.  There was no flooring but
the earth itself; the walls were composed of wicker work; a bed was
quite out of the question, and yet for this accommodation I was obliged
to pay one florin and thirty kreutzers a-week (about 7s.)

The residence or hut of an Indian consists simply of a roof of palm-trees,
supported on a number of poles, with sometimes the addition of walls
formed of wicker-work.  Each hut contains only one room, from twenty
to fifty feet long, and from ten to thirty feet broad, and is frequently
occupied by several families at the same time.  The furniture is
composed of finely woven straw mats, a few coverlids, and two or three
wooden chests and stools; the last, however, are reckoned articles of
luxury.  Cooking utensils are not wanted, as the cookery of the
Indians does not include soups or sauces, their provisions being simply
roasted between hot stones.  All they require is a knife, and a
cocoa shell for water.

Before their huts, or on the shore, lie their piroques, formed of
the trunks of trees hollowed out, and so narrow, small, and shallow,
that they would constantly be overturning, if there were not on one
side five or six sticks, each about a foot long, fastened by a cross-bar
to preserve the equilibrium.  In spite of this, however, one of
these boats is very easily upset, unless a person steps in very cautiously. 
When, on one occasion, I proceeded in a piroque to the ship, the good-hearted
captain was horror-struck, and, in his concern for my safety, even reprimanded
me severely, and besought me not to repeat the experiment a second time.

The costume of the Indians has been, since the first settlement of
the missionaries (about fifty years ago), tolerably becoming, especially
in the neighbourhood of Papeiti.  Both men and women wear round
their loins a kind of apron, made of coloured stuff, and called a pareo;
the women let it fall as low down as their ancles; the men not farther
than the calf of the leg.  The latter have a short coloured shirt
underneath it, and again beneath that, large flowing trousers. 
The women wear a long full blouse.  Both sexes wear flowers in
their ears, which have such large holes bored in them that the stalk
can very easily be drawn through.  The women, both old and young,
adorn themselves with garlands of leaves and flowers, which they make
in the most artistic and elegant manner.  I have often seen men,
too, weaving the same kind of ornament.

On grand occasions, they cast over their ordinary dress an upper
garment, called a tiputa, the cloth of which they manufacture
themselves from the bark of the bread and cocoa trees.  The bark,
while still tender, is beaten between two stones, until it is as thin
as paper; it is then coloured yellow and brown.

One Sunday I went into the meeting-house to see the people assembled
there. {73} 
Before entering they all laid aside their flowers, with which they again
ornamented themselves at their departure.  Some of the women had
black satin blouses on, and European bonnets of an exceedingly ancient
date.  It would not be easy to find a more ugly sight than that
of their plump, heavy heads and faces in these old-fashioned bonnets.

During the singing of the psalms there was some degree of attention,
and many of the congregation joined in very becomingly; but while the
clergyman was performing the service, I could not remark the slightest
degree of devotion in any of them; the children played, joked, and ate,
while the adults gossiped or slept; and although I was assured that
many could read and even write, I saw only two old men who made any
use of their Bibles.

The men are a remarkably strong and vigorous race, six feet being
by no means an uncommon height amongst them.  The women, likewise,
are very tall, but too muscular—they might even be termed unwieldy. 
The features of the men are handsomer than those of the women. 
They have beautiful teeth and fine dark eyes, but generally a large
mouth, thick lips, and an ugly nose, the cartilage being slightly crushed
when the child is born, so that the nose becomes flat and broad. 
This fashion appears to be most popular with the females, for their
noses are the ugliest.  Their hair is jet black and thick, but
coarse; the women and girls generally wear it plaited in two knots. 
The colour of their skin is a copper-brown.  All the natives are
tattooed, generally from the hips half down the legs, and frequently
this mode of ornamenting themselves is extended to the hands, feet,
or other parts of the body.  The designs resemble arabesques; they
are regular and artistic in their composition, and executed with much
taste.

That the population of this place should be so vigorous and well-formed
is the more surprising, if we reflect on their depraved and immoral
kind of life.  Little girls of seven or eight years old have their
lovers of twelve or fourteen, and their parents are quite proud of the
fact.  The more lovers a girl has the more she is respected. 
As long as she is not married she leads a most dissolute life, and it
is said that not all the married women make the most faithful wives
possible.

I had frequent opportunities of seeing the national dances, which
are the most unbecoming I ever beheld, although every painter would
envy me my good fortune.  Let the reader picture to himself a grove
of splendid palms, and other gigantic trees of the torrid zone, with
a number of open huts, and a crowd of good-humoured islanders assembled
beneath, to greet, in their fashion, the lovely evening, which is fast
approaching.  Before one of the huts a circle is formed, and in
the centre sit two herculean and half-naked natives, beating time most
vigorously on small drums.  Five similar colossi are seated before
them, moving the upper parts of their bodies in the most horrible and
violent manner, and more especially the arms, hands, and fingers; the
latter they have the power of moving in every separate joint. 
I imagine, that by these gestures they desired to represent how they
pursue their enemy, ridicule his cowardice, rejoice at their victory,
and so forth.  During all this time they howl continually in a
most discordant manner, and make the most hideous faces.  At the
commencement, the men appear alone upon the scene of action, but after
a short time two female forms dart forward from among the spectators,
and dance and rave like two maniacs; the more unbecoming, bold, and
indecent their gestures, the greater the applause.  The whole affair
does not, at most, last longer than two minutes, and the pause before
another dance is commenced not much longer.  An evening’s
amusement of this description often lasts for hours.  The younger
members of society very seldom take any part in the dances.

It is a great question whether the immorality of these islanders
has been lessened by French civilization.  From my own observations,
as well as from what I was told by persons well informed on the subject,
I should say that this has not yet been the case, and that, for the
present, there is but little hope of its being so: while, on the other
side, the natives have acquired a number of useless wants, in consequence
of which, the greed for gold has been fearfully awakened in their breasts. 
As they are naturally very lazy, and above all things disinclined to
work, they have made the female portion of the community the means of
gaining money.  Parents, brothers, and even husbands, offer to
their foreign masters those belonging to them, while the women themselves
offer no opposition, as in this manner they can obtain the means for
their own display, and money for their relations without trouble. 
Every officer’s house is the rendezvous of several native beauties,
who go out and in at every hour of the day.  Even abroad they are
not particular; they will accompany any man without the least hesitation,
and no gentleman ever refuses a conductress of this description.

As a female of an advanced age, I may be allowed to make a few observations
upon such a state of things, and I frankly own that, although I have
travelled much and seen a great deal, I never witnessed such shameful
scenes of public depravity.

As a proof of what I assert, I will mention a little affair which
happened one day before my hut.

Four fat graces were squatted on the ground smoking tobacco, when
an officer, who happened to be passing, caught a glimpse of the charming
picture, rushed up at double quick pace and caught hold of one of the
beauties by the shoulder.  He began by speaking softly to her,
but as his anger increased, he changed his tone to one of loud abuse. 
But neither entreaties nor threats produced the slightest effect upon
the delicate creature to whom they were addressed; she remained coolly
in the same position, continuing to smoke with the greatest indifference,
and without deigning even to cast upon her excited swain a look, far
less answer him a word.  He became enraged to such a pitch, that
he so far forgot himself as to loosen the golden ear-rings from her
ears, and threatened to take away all the finery he had given her. 
Even this was not sufficient to rouse the girl from her stolid calmness,
and the valiant officer was, at last, obliged to retreat from the field
of battle.

From his conversation, which was half in French and half in the native
dialect, I learned that in three months the girl had cost him about
four hundred francs in dress and jewellery.  Her wishes were satisfied,
and she quietly refused to have anything more to say to him.

I very often heard the feeling, attachment, and kindness of this
people spoken of in terms of high praise, with which, however, I cannot
unreservedly agree.  Their kindness I will not precisely dispute;
they readily invite a stranger to share their hospitality, and even
kill a pig in his honour, give him a part of their couch, etc.; but
all this costs them no trouble, and if they are offered money in return,
they take it eagerly enough, without so much as thanking the donor. 
As for feeling and attachment, I should almost be inclined to deny that
they possessed them in the slightest degree; I saw only sensuality,
and none of the nobler sentiments.  I shall return to this subject
when describing my journey through the island.

On the 1st of May I witnessed a highly interesting scene.  It
was the fête of Louis Philippe, the King of the French; and the
governor, Monsieur Bruat, exerted himself to the utmost to amuse the
population of Tahiti.  In the forenoon, there was a tournament
on the water, in which the French sailors were the performers. 
Several boats with lusty oarsmen put out to sea.  In the bows of
each boat was a kind of ladder or steps, on which stood one of the combatants
with a pole.  The boats were then pulled close to one another,
and each combatant endeavoured to push his antagonist into the water. 
Besides this, there was a Mât de Cocagne, with coloured
shirts, ribbons, and other trifles fluttering at the top, for whoever
chose to climb up and get them.  At 12 o’clock the chiefs
and principal personages were entertained at dinner.  On the grass
plot before the governor’s house were heaped up various sorts
of provisions, such as salt meat, bacon, bread, baked pork, fruits,
etc.; but instead of the guests taking their places all around, as we
had supposed they would have done, the chiefs divided everything into
different portions, and each carried his share home.  In the evening
there were fireworks, and a ball.

No part of the entertainment amused me more than the ball, where
I witnessed the most startling contrasts of art and nature.  Elegant
Frenchwomen side by side with their brown, awkward sisters, and the
staff officers in full uniform, in juxta-position with the half-naked
islanders.  Many of the natives wore, on this occasion, broad white
trousers, with a shirt over them; but there were others who had no other
garments than the ordinary short shirt and the pareo.  One of the
chiefs who appeared in this costume, and was afflicted with Elephantiasis,
{76} offered a most
repulsive spectacle.

This evening I saw Queen Pomaré for the first time. 
She is a woman of 36 years of age, tall and stout, but tolerably well
preserved—as a general rule, I found that the women here fade
much less quickly than in other warm climates—her face is far
from ugly, and there is a most good-natured expression round her mouth,
and the lower portion of her face.  She was enveloped in a sky-blue
satin gown, or rather, sort of blouse, ornamented all round with two
rows of rich black blond.  She wore large jessamine blossoms in
her ears, and a wreath of flowers in her hair, while in her hand she
carried a fine pocket handkerchief beautifully embroidered, and ornamented
with broad lace.  In honour of the evening, she had forced her
feet into shoes and stockings, though on other occasions she went barefoot. 
The entire costume was a present from the King of the French.

The queen’s husband, who is younger than herself, is the handsomest
man in Tahiti.  The French jokingly call him the Prince Albert
of Tahiti, not only on account of his good looks, but because, like
Prince Albert in England, he is not named “the king,” but
simply, “the queen’s consort.”  He had on the
uniform of a French general, which became him very well; the more so,
that he was not in the least embarrassed in it.  The only drawback
were his feet, which were very ugly and awkward.

Besides these two high personages, there was in the company another
crowned head, namely, King Otoume, the owner of one of the neighbouring
islands.  He presented a most comical appearance, having put on,
over a pair of full but short white trousers, a bright yellow calico
coat, that most certainly had not been made by a Parisian artiste, for
it was a perfect model of what a coat ought not to be.  This monarch
was barefoot.

The queen’s ladies of honour, four in number, as well as most
of the wives and daughters of the chiefs, were dressed in white muslin. 
They had also flowers in their ears, and garlands in their hair. 
Their behaviour and deportment were surprising, and three of the young
ladies actually danced French quadrilles with the officers, without
making a fault in the figures.  I was only anxious for their feet,
as no one, save the royal couple, wore either shoes or stockings. 
Some of the old women had arrayed themselves in European bonnets, while
the young ones brought their children, even the youngest, with them,
and, to quiet the latter, suckled them without ceremony before the company.

Before supper was announced, the queen disappeared in an adjoining
room to smoke a cigar or two, while her husband passed the time in playing
billiards.

At table I was seated between Prince Albert of Tahiti and the canary-coloured
King Otoume.  They were both sufficiently advanced in the rules
of good breeding to show me the usual civilities; that is, to fill my
glass with water or wine, to hand me the various dishes, and so on;
but it was evident that they were at great trouble to catch the tone
of European society.  Some of the guests, however, forgot their
parts now and then: the queen, for instance, asked, during the dessert,
for a second plate, which she filled with sweetmeats, and ordered to
be put on one side for her to take home with her.  Others had to
be prevented from indulging too much in the generous champagne; but,
on the whole, the entertainment passed off in a becoming and good-humoured
manner.

I subsequently dined with the royal family several times at the governor’s. 
The queen then appeared in the national costume, with the coloured pareo
and chemise, as did also her husband.  Both were barefoot. 
The heir apparent, a boy of nine years old, is affianced to the daughter
of a neighbouring king.  The bride, who is a few years older than
the prince, is being educated at the court of Queen Pomaré, and
instructed in the Christian religion, and the English and Tahitian languages.

The arrangements of the queen’s residence are exceedingly simple. 
For the present, until the stone house which is being built for her
by the French government is completed, she lives in a wooden one containing
four rooms, and partly furnished with European furniture.

As peace was now declared in Tahiti, there was no obstacle to my
making a journey through the whole island.  I had obtained a fortnight’s
leave of absence from the captain, and was desirous of devoting this
time to a trip.  I imagined that I should have been able to join
one or other of the officers, who are often obliged to journey through
the island on affairs connected with the government.  To my great
surprise I found, however, that they had all some extraordinary reason
why it was impossible for me to accompany them at that particular time. 
I was at a loss to account for this incivility, until one of the officers
themselves told me the answer to the riddle, which was this: every gentleman
always travelled with his mistress.

Monsieur —, {78}
who let me into the secret, offered to take me with him to Papara, where
he resided; but even he did not travel alone, as, besides his mistress,
Tati, the principal chief of the island, and his family, accompanied
him.  This chief had come to Papeiti to be present at the fete
of the 1st of May.

On the 4th of May we put off to sea in a boat, for the purpose of
coasting round to Papara, forty-two miles distant.  I found the
chief Tati to be a lively old man nearly ninety years of age, who remembered
perfectly the second landing of the celebrated circumnavigator of the
globe, Captain Cook.  His father was, at that period, the principal
chief, and had concluded a friendly alliance with Cook, and, according
to the custom then prevalent at Tahiti, had changed names with him.

Tati enjoys from the French government a yearly pension of 6,000
francs (£240), which, after his death, will fall to his eldest
son.

He had with him his young wife and five of his sons; the former was
twenty-three years old, and the ages of the latter varied from twelve
to eighteen.  The children were all the offspring of other marriages,
this being his fifth wife.

As we had not left Papeiti till nearly noon, and as the sun sets
soon after six o’clock, and the passage between the numberless
rocks is highly dangerous, we landed at Paya (22 miles), where a sixth
son of Tati’s ruled as chief.

The island is intersected in all directions by noble mountains, the
loftiest of which, the Oroena, is 6,200 feet high.  In the middle
of the island the mountains separate, and a most remarkable mass of
rock raises itself from the midst of them.  It has the form of
a diadem with a number of points, and it is to this circumstance that
it owes its name.  Around the mountain range winds a forest girdle,
from four to six hundred paces broad; it is inhabited, and contains
the most delicious fruit.  Nowhere did I ever eat such bread-fruit,
mangoes, oranges, and guavas, as I did here.  As for cocoa-nuts,
the natives are so extravagant with them, that they generally merely
drink the water they contain, and then throw away the shell and the
fruit.  In the mountains and ravines there are a great quantity
of plantains, a kind of banana, which are not commonly eaten, however,
without being roasted.  The huts of the natives lie scattered here
and there along the shore; it is very seldom that a dozen of these huts
are seen together.

The bread-fruit is somewhat similar in shape to a water-melon, and
weighs from four to six pounds.  The outside is green, and rather
rough and thin.  The natives scrape it with mussel-shells, and
then split the fruit up long ways into two portions, which they roast
between two heated stones.  The taste is delicious; it is finer
than that of potatoes, and so like bread that the latter may be dispensed
with without any inconvenience.  The South Sea Islands are the
real home of the fruit.  It is true that it grows in other parts
of the tropics, but it is very different from that produced here. 
In Brazil, for instance, where the people call it monkeys’ bread,
it weighs from five to thirty pounds, and is full inside of kernels,
which are taken out and eaten when the fruit is roasted.  These
kernels taste like chestnuts.

The mango is a fruit resembling an apple, and of the size of a man’s
fist; both the rind and the fruit itself are yellow.  It tastes
a little like turpentine, but loses this taste more and more the riper
it gets.  This fruit is of the best description; it is full and
juicy, and has a long, broad kernel in the middle.  The bread and
mango trees grow to a great height and circumference.  The leaves
of the former are about three feet long, a foot and a-half broad, and
deeply serrated; while those of the latter are not much larger than
the leaves of our own apple-trees.

Before reaching Paya, we passed several interesting places, among
which may be mentioned Foar, a small French fort, situated upon a hill. 
Near Taipari it is necessary to pass between two rows of dangerous breakers,
called the “Devil’s Entrance.”  The foaming waves
rose in such volume and to so great a height, that they might almost
be mistaken for walls.  In the plain near Punavia is a large fort
supported by several towers, built upon the neighbouring hills. 
At this point the scenery is beautiful.  The mountain range breaks
here, so that the eye can follow for a long distance the windings of
a picturesque valley, with the black and lofty mountain Olofena in the
background.

Delighted as I was, however, with the beauty of the objects around
me, I was no less pleased with those beneath.  Our boat glided
along over countless shallows, where the water was as clear as crystal,
so that the smallest pebble at the bottom was distinctly visible. 
I could observe groups and clusters of coloured coral and madrepore-stone,
whose magnificence challenges all description.  It might be said
that there was a quantity of fairy flower and kitchen gardens in the
sea, full of gigantic flowers, blossoms, and leaves, varied by fungi
and pulse of every description, like open arabesque work, the whole
interspersed with pretty groups of rocks of every hue.  The most
lovely shell-fish were clinging to these rocks, or lying scattered on
the ground, while endless shoals of variegated fish darted in and out
between them, like so many butterflies and humming-birds.  These
delicate creatures were scarcely four inches long, and surpassed in
richness of colour anything I had ever seen.  Many of them were
of the purest sky-blue, others a light yellow, while some, again, that
were almost transparent, were brown, green, etc.

On our arrival at Paya, about 6 in the evening, the young Tati had
a pig, weighing eighteen or twenty pounds, killed and cooked, after
the fashion of Tahiti, in honour of his father.  A large fire was
kindled in a shallow pit, in which were a number of stones.  A
quantity of bread-fruit (majoré), that had been first peeled
and split into two portions with a very sharp wooden axe, was then brought. 
When the fire had gone out, and the stones heated to the requisite degree,
the pig and the fruit were laid upon them, a few other heated stones
placed on the top, and the whole covered up with green branches, dry
leaves, and earth.

During the time that the victuals were cooking, the table was laid. 
A straw mat was placed upon the ground, and covered with large leaves. 
For each guest there was a cocoa-nut shell, half-filled with miti,
a sourish beverage extracted from the cocoa-palm.

In an hour and a half the victuals were dug up.  The pig was
neither very artistically cooked nor very enticing, but cut up as quick
as lightning, being divided by the hand and knife into as many portions
as there were guests, and each person had his share, together with half
a bread-fruit, handed to him upon a large leaf.  There was no one
at our rustic table besides the officer, his mistress, the old Tati,
his wife, and myself, as it is contrary to the custom of the country
for the host to eat with his guests, or the children with their parents. 
With the exception of this ceremony, I did not observe any other proof
of love or affection between the father and son.  The old man,
for instance, although ninety years of age, and suffering besides from
a violent cough, was obliged to pass the night under nothing but a light
roof, open to the weather, while his son slept in his well-closed huts.

On the 5th of May, we left Taipari with empty stomachs, as old Tati
was desirous of entertaining us at one of his estates about two hours’
journey distant.

On our arrival, and as soon as the stones were heated for our meal,
several of the natives out of the neighbouring huts hastened to profit
by the opportunity to cook their provisions as well, bringing with them
fish, pieces of pork, bread-fruit, plantains, and so on.  The fish
and meat were enveloped in large leaves.  For our use, besides
bread-fruit and fish, there was a turtle weighing perhaps more than
twenty pounds.  The repast was held in a hut, to which the whole
neighbourhood also came, and forming themselves into groups a little
on one side of us principal guests, eat the provisions they had brought
with them.  Each person had a cocoa-nut shell full of miti
before him; into this he first threw every morsel and took it out again
with his hand, and then what remained of the miti was drunk at the end
of the meal.  We had each of us a fresh cocoa-nut with a hole bored
in it, containing at least a pint of clear, sweet-tasting water. 
This is erroneously termed by us “Milk,” but it only becomes
thick and milky when the cocoa-nut is very stale, in which condition
it is never eaten in these islands.

Tati, with his family, remained here, while we proceeded to Papara,
an hour’s walk.  The road was delightful, leading mostly
through thick groves of fruit-trees; but it would not suit a person
with a tendency to hydrophobia, for we were obliged to wade through
more than half a dozen streams and brooks.

At Papara, Monsieur — possessed some landed property, with a little
wooden four-roomed house, in which he was kind enough to give me a lodging.

We here heard of the death of one of Tati’s sons, of which
he numbered twenty-one.  He had been dead three days, and his friends
were awaiting Tati to pay the last honours to the deceased.  I
had intended to make an excursion to the Lake Vaihiria, but deferred
doing so, in order to be present at the burial.  On the following
morning, 6th May, I paid a visit to the hut of the deceased.  Monsieur
— gave me a new handkerchief to take with me as a present—a
relic of the old superstition which the people of this island have introduced
into Christianity.  These presents are supposed to calm the soul
of the deceased.  The corpse was lying in a narrow coffin, upon
a low bier, both of which were covered with a white pall.  Before
the bier were hung two straw mats, on which were spread the deceased’s
clothes, drinking vessels, knives, and so forth, while on the other,
lay the presents, making quite a heap, of shirts, pareos, pieces of
cloth, etc., all so new and good that they might have served to furnish
a small shop.

Old Tati soon entered the hut, but quickly returned into the open
air, stopping only a few instants, as the corpse was already most offensive. 
He sat down under a tree, and began talking very quietly and unconcernedly
with the neighbours, as if nothing had happened.  The female relatives
and neighbours remained in the hut; they, too, chatted and gossiped
very contentedly, and moreover ate and smoked.  I was obliged to
have the wife, children, and relations of the deceased pointed out to
me, for I was unable to recognise them by their demeanour.  In
a little time, the stepmother and wife rose, and throwing themselves
on the coffin, howled for half an hour; but it was easy to see that
their grief did not come from the heart.  Their moaning was always
pitched in the same monotonous key.  Both then returned with smiling
faces and dry eyes to their seats, and appeared to resume the conversation
at the point at which they had broken it off.  The deceased’s
canoe was burnt upon the shore.

I had seen enough, and returned to my quarters to make some preparations
for my trip to the lake the next day.  The distance is reckoned
to be eighteen miles, so that the journey there and back may be performed
in two days with ease, and yet a guide had the conscience to ask ten
dollars (£2) for his services.  With the assistance of old
Tati, however, I procured one for three dollars (12s.).

Pedestrian trips are very fatiguing in Tahiti, since it is so richly
watered that the excursionist is constantly obliged to wade through
plains of sand and rivers.  I was very suitably clothed for the
purpose, having got strong men’s shoes, without any stockings,
trousers, and a blouse, which I had fastened up as high as my hips. 
Thus equipped I began, on the 7th of May, my short journey, in company
with my guide.  In the first third of my road, which lay along
the coast, I counted about thirty-two brooks which we were obliged to
walk through.  We then struck off, through ravines, into the interior
of the island, first calling, however, at a hut to obtain some refreshment. 
The inmates were very friendly, and gave us some bread-fruit and fish,
but very willingly accepted a small present in exchange.

In the interior, the fine fruit-trees disappear, and their place
is supplied by plantains, tarros, and a kind of bush, growing to the
height of twelve feet, and called Oputu (Maranta); the last, in fact,
grew so luxuriantly, that we frequently experienced the greatest difficulty
in making our way through.  The tarro, which is planted, is from
two to three feet high, and has fine large leaves and tubercles, similar
to the potato, but which do not taste very good when roasted. 
The plantain, or banana, is a pretty little tree, from fifteen to twenty
feet high, with leaves like those of the palm, and a stem which is often
eight inches in diameter, but is not of wood, but cane, and very easily
broken.  It belongs properly to the herbiferous species, and grows
with uncommon rapidity.  It reaches its full growth the first year:
in the second it bears fruit, and then dies.  It is produced from
shoots, which generally spring up near the parent tree.

Through one mountain stream, which chafed along the ravine over a
stony bed, and in some places was exceedingly rapid, and, in consequence
of the rain that had lately fallen, was frequently more than three feet
deep, we had to wade sixty-two times.  My guide caught hold of
me by the hand whenever we passed a dangerous spot, and dragged me,
often half swimming, after him.  The water constantly reached above
my hips, and all idea of getting dry again was totally out of the question. 
The path also became at every step more fatiguing and dangerous. 
I had to clamber over rocks and stones covered to such an extent with
the foliage of the oputu that I never knew with any degree of certainty
where I was placing my foot.  I received several severe wounds
on my hands and feet, and frequently fell down on the ground, when I
trusted for support to the treacherous stem of a banana, which would
break beneath my grasp.  It was really a breakneck sort of excursion,
which is very rarely made even by the officers, and certainly never
by ladies.

In two places the ravine became so narrow, that the bed of the stream
occupied its whole extent.  It was here that the islanders, during
the war with the French, built stone walls five feet in height to protect
them against the enemy, in case they should have attacked them from
this side.

In eight hours’ time we had completed the eighteen miles, and
attained an elevation of 1,800 feet.  The lake itself was not visible
until we stood upon its shores, as it lies in a slight hollow; it is
about 800 feet across.  The surrounding scenery is the most remarkable. 
The lake is so closely hemmed in by a ring of lofty and precipitous
green mountains, that there is no room even for a footing between the
water and the rocks, and its bed might be taken for an extinguished
volcano filled with water—a supposition which gains additional
force from the masses of basalt which occupy the foreground.  It
is plentifully supplied with fish, one kind of which is said to be peculiar
to the locality; it is supposed that the lake has a subterranean outlet,
which as yet remains undiscovered.

To cross the lake, it is either necessary to swim over or trust oneself
to a dangerous kind of boat, which is prepared by the natives in a few
minutes.  Being desirous of making the attempt, I intimated this
by signs to my guide.  In an instant he tore off some plantain-branches,
fastened them together with long, tough grass, laid a few leaves upon
them, launched them in the water, and then told me to take possession
of this apology for a boat.  I must own that I felt rather frightened,
although I did not like to say so.  I stept on board, and my guide
swam behind and pushed me forward.  I made the passage to the opposite
side and back without any accident, but I was in truth rather alarmed
the whole time.  The boat was small, and floated under rather than
upon the water—there was nothing I could support myself with,
and every minute I expected to fall into the lake.  I would not
advise any one who cannot swim ever to follow my example.

After I had sufficiently admired the lake and the surrounding scenery,
we retraced our way for some hundred yards, until we reached a little
spot roofed over with leaves.  Here my guide quickly made a good
fire, after the Indian fashion.  He took a small piece of wood,
which he cut to a fine point, and then selecting a second piece, he
made in it a narrow furrow not very deep.  In this he rubbed the
pointed stick until the little particles which were detached during
the operation began to smoke.  These he threw into a quantity of
dry leaves and grass which he had got together for the purpose, and
swung the whole several times round in the air, until it burst out into
flames.  The entire process did not take more than two minutes.

For our supper, he gathered a few plantains and laid them on the
fire.  I profited by the opportunity to dry my clothes, by sitting
down near the fire, and turning first one side towards it, and then
the other.  Half wet through, and tolerably fatigued, I retired
to my couch of dry leaves immediately after partaking of our scanty
meal.

It is a fortunate circumstance that in these wild and remote districts
neither men nor beasts afford the slightest grounds for apprehension;
the former are very quiet and peaceably inclined, and, with the exception
of a few wild boars, the latter are not dangerous.  The island
is especially favoured; it contains no poisonous or hurtful insects
or reptiles.  It is true there are a few scorpions, but so small
and harmless, that they may be handled with impunity.  The mosquitoes
alone were the source of very considerable annoyance, as they are in
all southern countries.

8th May.  It began to rain very violently during the night,
and in the morning I was sorry to see that there was not much hope of
its clearing up; on the contrary, the clouds became blacker and blacker,
and collecting from all sides, like so many evil spirits, poured down
in torrents upon the innocent earth.  Nevertheless, in spite of
this, there was no other course open to us but to bid defiance to the
angry water deity, and proceed upon our journey.  In half an hour
I was literally drenched; this being the case, I went on uncomplainingly,
as it was impossible for me to become wetter than I was.

On my return to Papara, I found that Tati’s son was not buried,
but the ceremony took place the next day.  The clergyman pronounced
a short discourse at the side of the grave; and, as the coffin was being
lowered, the mats, straw hat, and clothes of the deceased, as well as
a few of the presents, were thrown in with it.  The relations were
present, but as unconcerned as I was myself.

The graveyard was in the immediate vicinity of several murais. 
The latter are small four-cornered plots of ground surrounded by stone
walls three or four feet high, where the natives used to deposit their
dead, which were left exposed upon wooden frames until the flesh fell
from the bones.  These were then collected and buried in some lonely
spot.

The same evening I witnessed a remarkable mode of catching fish. 
Two boys waded out into the sea, one with a stick, and the other with
a quantity of burning chips.  The one with the stick drove the
fish between the rocks, and then hit them, the other lighting him in
the meanwhile.  They were not very fortunate, however.  The
more common and successful manner of fishing is with nets.

Almost every day Monsieur — had visits from officers who were passing,
accompanied by their mistresses.  The reader may easily imagine
that the laws of propriety were not, however, always strictly observed,
and as I had no desire to disturb the gentlemen in their intellectual
conversation and amusement, I retired with my book into the servants’
room.  They, too, would laugh and joke, but, at least, in such
a manner that there was no occasion to blush for them.

It was highly amusing to hear Monsieur — launch out in praise of
the attachment and gratitude of his Indian beauty; he would have altered
his tone had he seen her behaviour in his absence.  On one occasion
I could not help telling one of the gentlemen my opinion of the matter,
and expressing my astonishment that they could treat these grasping
and avaricious creatures with such attention and kindness, to load them
with presents, anticipate their every wish, and forgive and put up with
their most glaring faults.  The answer I received was: that these
ladies, if not so treated and loaded with presents, would quickly run
off, and that, in fact, even by the kindest attentions they never allowed
themselves to be influenced very long.

From all I saw, I must repeat my former assertion, that the Tahitian
people are endowed with none of the more noble sentiments of humanity,
but that their only pleasures are merely animal.  Nature herself
encourages them to this in an extraordinary manner.  They have
no need to gain their bread by the sweat of their brow; the island is
most plentifully supplied with beautiful fruit, tubercles of all descriptions,
and tame pigs, so that the people have really only to gather the fruit
and kill the pigs.  To this circumstance is to be attributed the
difficulty that exists of obtaining any one as servant or in any other
capacity.  The most wretched journeyman will not work for less
than a dollar a-day; the price for washing a dozen handkerchiefs, or
any other articles, is also a dollar (4s.), not including soap. 
A native, whom I desired to engage as guide, demanded a dollar and a
half a day.

I returned from Papara to Papeiti in the company of an officer and
his native beauty; we walked the thirty-six miles in a day.  On
our way, we passed the hut of the girl’s mother, where we partook
of a most splendid dish.  It was composed of bread-fruit, mangoes,
and bananas, kneaded together into a paste, and cooked upon hot stones. 
It was eaten, while warm, with a sauce of orange juice.

On taking leave, the officer gave the girl a present of a dollar
to give her mother; the girl took it as indifferently as if it were
not of the slightest value, and her mother did exactly the same, neither
of them pronouncing one word of thanks, or manifesting the least sign
of satisfaction.

We now and then came upon some portions of the road, the work of
public offenders, that were most excellently constructed.  Whenever
an Indian is convicted of a crime, he is not chained in a gang, like
convicts in Europe, but condemned to make or mend a certain extent of
road, and the natives fulfil the tasks thus imposed with such punctuality,
that no overseer is ever necessary.  This kind of punishment was
introduced under King Pomaré, and originated with the natives
themselves—the Europeans have merely continued the practice.

At Punavia we entered the fort, where we refreshed ourselves, in
military fashion, with bread, wine, and bacon, and reached our journey’s
end at 7 o’clock in the morning.

Besides Papara, I visited also Venus Point, a small tongue of land
where Cook observed the transit of Venus.  The stone on which he
placed his instruments still remains.  On my way, I passed the
grave, or murai, of King Pomaré I.  It consists of
a small piece of ground, surrounded by a stone wall, and covered with
a roof of palm-leaves.  Some half-decayed pieces of cloth and portions
of wearing apparel were still lying in it.

One of my most interesting excursions, however, was that to Fantaua
and the Diadem.  The former is a spot which the Indians considered
impregnable; but where, nevertheless, they were well beaten by the French
during the last war.  Monsieur Bruat, the governor, was kind enough
to lend me his horses, and to allow me the escort of a non-commissioned
officer, who could point out to me each position of the Indians and
French, as he had himself been in the engagement.

For more than two hours, we proceeded through horrible ravines, thick
woods, and rapid mountain torrents.  The ravines often became so
narrow as to form so many defiles, with such precipitous and inaccessible
sides, that here, as at Thermopylæ, a handful of valiant warriors
might defy whole armies.  As a natural consequence, the entrance
of Fantaua is regarded as the real key to the whole island.  There
was no other means of taking it than by scaling one of its most precipitous
sides, and pressing forward upon the narrow ledge of rock above, so
as to take the enemy in the rear.  The governor, Monsieur Bruat,
announced that he would confide this dangerous enterprise to volunteers,
and he soon had more than he could employ.  From those chosen,
a second selection of only sixty-two men was made: these divested themselves
of every article of clothing save their shoes and drawers, and took
no other arms save their muskets.

After clambering up for twelve hours, and incurring great danger,
they succeeded, by the aid of ropes, and by sticking pointed iron-rods
and bayonets into the rock, in reaching the crest of the mountain, where
their appearance so astonished the Indians, that they lost all courage,
threw down their arms, and surrendered.  They said that those who
were capable of deeds like this, could not be men but spirits, against
whom all hopes of resistance were out of the question altogether.

At present, there is a small fort built at Fantaua, and on one of
its highest points stands a guard-house.  The path leading to it
is over a small ledge of rock, skirted on each side by a yawning abyss. 
Persons affected with giddiness can only reach it with great difficulty,
if indeed they can do so at all.  In this last case, they are great
losers, for the prospect is magnificent in the extreme, extending over
valleys, ravines, and mountains without number (among the latter may
be mentioned the colossal rock called the “Diadem”), thick
forests of palms and other trees; and beyond all these, the mighty ocean,
broken into a thousand waves against the rocks and reefs, and in the
distance mingling with the azure sky.

Near the fort, a waterfall precipitates itself perpendicularly down
a narrow ravine.  Unfortunately, the bottom of it is concealed
by jutting rocks and promontories, and the volume of water is rather
small; otherwise, this fall would, on account of its height, which is
certainly more than 400 feet, deserve to be classed among the most celebrated
ones with which I am acquainted.

The road from the fort to the Diadem is extremely fatiguing, and
fully three hours are required to accomplish the journey.  The
prospect here is even more magnificent than from the fort, as the eye
beholds the sea over two sides of the island at the same time.

This excursion was my last in this beautiful isle, as I was obliged
to embark on the next day, the 17th of May.  The cargo was cleared,
and the ballast taken on board.  All articles to which the French
troops are accustomed, such as flour, salted meat, potatoes, pulse,
wine, and a variety of others, have to be imported. {86}

I felt extremely reluctant to leave; and the only thing that tended
at all to cheer my spirits, was the thought of my speedy arrival in
China, that most wonderful of all known countries.

We left the port of Papeiti on the morning of the 17th of May, with
a most favourable wind, soon passed in safety all the dangerous coral-reefs
which surround the island, and in seven hours’ time had lost sight
of it altogether.  Towards evening, we beheld the mountain ranges
of the island of Huaheme, which we passed during the night.

The commencement of our voyage was remarkably pleasant.  Besides
the favourable breeze, which still continued, we enjoyed the company
of a fine Belgian brig, the Rubens, which had put to sea at the same
time as ourselves.  It was seldom that we approached near enough
for the persons on board to converse with each other; but whoever is
at all acquainted with the endless uniformity of long voyages, will
easily understand our satisfaction at knowing we were even in the neighbourhood
of human beings.

We pursued the same track as far as the Philippine Islands, but on
the morning of the third day our companion had disappeared, leaving
us in ignorance whether she had out-sailed us or we her.  We were
once more alone on the endless waste of waters.

On the 23rd of May, we approached very near to the low island of
Penchyn.  A dozen or two of the natives were desirous of honouring
us with a visit, and pulled stoutly in six canoes towards our ship,
but we sailed so fast that they were soon left a long way behind. 
Several of the sailors affirmed, that these were specimens of real savages,
and that we might reckon ourselves fortunate in having escaped their
visit.  The captain, too, appeared to share this opinion, and I
was the only person who regretted not having formed a more intimate
acquaintance with them.

28th May.  For some days we had been fortunate enough to be
visited, from time to time, with violent showers; a most remarkable
thing for the time of year in this climate, where the rainy season commences
in January and lasts for three months, the sky for the remaining nine
being generally cloudless.  This present exception was the more
welcome from our being just on the Line, where we should otherwise have
suffered much from the heat.  The thermometer stood at only 81°
in the shade, and 97° in the sun.

Today at noon we crossed the Line, and were once more in the northern
hemisphere.  A Tahitian sucking-pig was killed and consumed in
honour of our successful passage, and our native hemisphere toasted
in real hock.

On the 4th of June, under 8° North latitude, we beheld again,
for the first time, the lovely polar star.

On the 17th of June, we passed so near to Saypan, one of the largest
of the Ladrone Islands, that we could make out the mountains very distinctly. 
The Ladrone and Marianne Islands are situated between the 13° and
21° North latitude, and the 145° and 146° East longitude.

On the 1st of July we again saw land: this time it was the coast
of Lucovia, or Luzon, the largest of the Philippines, and lying between
the 18° and 19° North latitude, and the 125° and 119°
East longitude.  The port of Manilla is situated on the southern
coast of the island.

In the course of the day we passed the island of Babuan, and several
detached rocks, rising, colossus like, from the sea.  Four of them
were pretty close together, and formed a picturesque group.  Some
time afterwards we saw two more.

In the night of the 1st-2nd of July, we reached the western point
of Luzon, and entered on the dangerous Chinese Sea.  I was heartily
glad at last to bid adieu to the Pacific Ocean, for a voyage on it is
one of the most monotonous things that can be imagined.  The appearance
of another ship is a rare occurrence; and the water is so calm that
it resembles a stream.  Very frequently I used to start up from
my desk, thinking that I was in some diminutive room ashore; and my
mistake was the more natural, as we had three horses, a dog, several
pigs, hens, geese, and a canary bird on board, all respectively neighing,
barking, grunting, cackling, and singing, as if they were in a farm-yard.

6th July.  For the first few days after entering the Chinese
sea, we sailed pretty well in the same fashion we had done in the Pacific—proceeding
slowly and quietly on our way.  Today we beheld the coast of China
for the first time, and towards evening we were not more than thirty-three
miles from Macao.  I was rather impatient for the following morning. 
I longed to find my darling hope realized, of putting my foot upon Chinese
ground.  I pictured the mandarins with their high caps, and the
ladies with their tiny feet, when in the middle of the night the wind
shifted, and on the 7th of July we had been carried back 115 miles. 
In addition to this, the glass fell so low, that we dreaded a Tai-foon,
which is a very dangerous kind of storm, or rather hurricane, that is
very frequent in the Chinese sea during the months of July, August,
and September.  It is generally first announced by a black cloud
on the horizon, with one edge dark red, and the other half-white; and
this is accompanied by the most awful torrents of rain, by thunder,
lightning, and the violent winds, which arise simultaneously on all
sides, and lash the waters up mountains high.  We took every precaution
in anticipation of our dangerous enemy, but for once they were not needed:
either the hurricane did not break out at all, or else it broke out
at a great distance from us; for we were only visited by a trifling
storm of no long duration.

On the 8th of July we again reached the vicinity of Macao, and entered
the Straits of Lema.  Our course now lay between bays and reefs,
diversified by groups of the most beautiful islands, offering a series
of most magnificent and varied views.

On the 9th of July we anchored in Macao Roads.  The town, which
belongs to the Portuguese, and has a population of 20,000 inhabitants,
is beautifully situated on the sea-side, and surrounded by pleasing
hills and mountains.  The most remarkable objects are the palace
of the Portuguese governor, the Catholic monastery of Guia, the fortifications,
and a few fine houses which lie scattered about the hills in picturesque
disorder.

Besides a few European ships, there were anchored in the roads several
large Chinese junks, while a great number of small boats, manned by
Chinese, were rocking to and fro around us.

CHAPTER VIII.  CHINA.

MACAO—HONG-KONG—VICTORIA—VOYAGE ON BOARD A CHINESE
JUNK—THE SI-KIANG, CALLED ALSO THE TIGRIS—WHAMPOA—CANTON,
OR KUANGTSCHEU-FU—MODE OF LIFE PURSUED BY EUROPEANS—THE
CHINESE MANNERS AND CUSTOMS—CRIMINALS AND PIRATES—MURDER
OF VAUCHÉE—PROMENADES AND EXCURSIONS.

A year before my arrival in China, it would have seemed hardly credible
to me that I should ever succeed in taking my place among the small
number of Europeans who are acquainted with that remarkable country,
not from books alone, but from actual observation; I never believed
that I should really behold the Chinese, with their shaven heads, long
tails, and small, ugly, narrow eyes, the exact counterparts of the representations
of them which we have in Europe.

We had hardly anchored, before a number of Chinese clambered up on
deck, while others remained in their boats, offering for sale a variety
of beautifully made articles, with fruit and cakes, laid out in great
order, so as to form in a few seconds a regular market round the vessel. 
Some of them began praising their wares in broken English; but on the
whole, they did not drive a very flourishing business, as the crew merely
bought a few cigars, and a little fruit.

Captain Jurianse hired a boat, and we immediately went on shore,
where each person on landing had to pay half a Spanish dollar (2s.)
to the mandarin: I subsequently heard that this imposition was shortly
afterwards abolished.  We proceeded to the house of one of the
Portuguese merchants established there, passing through a large portion
of the town on our way thither.  Europeans, both men and women,
can circulate freely, without being exposed to a shower of stones, as
is frequently the case in other Chinese towns.  The streets, which
are exclusively inhabited by Chinese, presented a very bustling aspect. 
The men were in many cases seated out of doors in groups, playing at
dominoes, while locksmiths, carpenters, shoemakers, and many others
were either working, talking, playing, or dining in the numerous booths. 
I observed but few women, and these were of the lower classes. 
Nothing surprised and amused me more than the manner in which the Chinese
eat; they have two little sticks, with which they very skilfully convey
their victuals into their mouths.  This process, however, cannot
be so successfully practised with rice, because it does not hold together;
they therefore hold the plate containing it close to their mouths, and
push it in by the aid of the sticks, generally letting a portion of
it fall back again, in no very cleanly fashion, into the plate. 
For liquids they use round spoons of porcelain.

The style in which the houses are built, did not strike me as very
remarkable; the front generally looks out upon the courtyard or garden.

Among other objects which I visited was the grotto, in which the
celebrated Portuguese poet, Camoens, is said to have composed the Lusiade. 
He had been banished, A.D. 1556, to Macao, on account of a satirical
poem he had written, Disperates no India, and remained in banishment
several years before receiving a pardon.  The grotto is charmingly
situated upon an eminence not far from the town.

As there was no business to be done, the captain resolved to put
to sea again the next morning, and offered in the most friendly manner
to take me as his guest to Hong-Kong, as I had only agreed for a passage
as far as Macao.  I accepted his invitation with the greater pleasure,
as I had not a single letter to any one in Macao; besides which, it
is very seldom that there is an opportunity of proceeding to Hong-Kong.

On account of the shallowness of the water, our ship was hove to
at rather a long distance from the shore, where it was exposed to an
attack from the pirates, who are here very daring and numerous. 
In consequence of this, every precaution was taken, and the watch doubled
for the night.

As late as the year 1842 these pirates attacked a brig that was lying
at anchor in the Macao Roads, murdering the crew and plundering the
vessel.  The captain had remained on shore, and the sailors had
carelessly given themselves up to sleep, leaving only one man to keep
watch.  In the middle of the night a schampan—which is the
name given to a vessel smaller than a junk—came alongside the
brig.  One of the rowers then came on board, pretending he had
a letter from the captain; and as the sailor went near the lantern to
read the letter, he received from the pirate a blow upon his head which
laid him senseless on the deck; the rest of those in the boat, who had
hitherto remained concealed, now scaled the side of the brig, and quickly
overpowered the slumbering crew.

In our case, however, the night passed without any incident worth
noting; and on the morning of the 10th of July, having first taken on
board a pilot, we proceeded to Hong-Kong, a distance of sixty nautical
miles.  The voyage proved highly interesting, on account of the
varied succession of bays, creeks, and groups of islands which we had
to pass.

The English obtained Hong-Kong from the Chinese at the conclusion
of the war in 1842, and founded the port of Victoria, which contains
at present a large number of palace-like houses built of stone.

The Europeans who have settled here, and who are not more than two
or three hundred in number, are far from being contented, however, as
trade is not half as good as they at first expected it would be. 
Every merchant is presented by the English government with a plot of
ground, on condition of his building on it.  Many of them erected,
as I before mentioned, splendid edifices, which they would now be glad
to sell for half the cost price, or even very frequently to give the
ground and foundations, without asking the smallest sum in return.

I resolved to stop only a few days in Victoria, as it was my wish
to arrive at Canton as soon as possible.

In addition to the great politeness he had previously shown me, Captain
Jurianse conferred another favour, by allowing me, during my stay here,
to live and lodge on board his ship, thereby saving me an expense of
16s. or 24s. {91a}
a day; and, besides this, the boat which he had hired for his own use
was always at my disposal.  I must also take this opportunity of
mentioning that I never drank, on board any other vessel, such clear
and excellent water—a proof that it is not so easily spoilt by
the heat of the tropics, or a protracted period, as is generally imagined. 
It all depends upon care and cleanliness, for which the Dutch are especially
celebrated; and I only wish that every captain would, in this respect
at least, imitate their example.  It is rather too bad for passengers
to be obliged to quench their thirst with thick and most offensive water—a
disagreeable necessity I was subjected to on board every other sailing
vessel in which I made a voyage of any length.

Victoria is not very pleasantly situated, being surrounded by barren
rocks.  The town itself has a European stamp upon it, so that were
it not for the Chinese porters, labourers, and pedlars, a person would
hardly believe he was in China.  I was much struck at seeing no
native women in the streets, from which it might be concluded that it
was dangerous for a European female to walk about as freely as I did;
but I never experienced the least insult, or heard the slightest word
of abuse from the Chinese; even their curiosity was here by no means
annoying.

In Victoria I had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with the well-known
Herr Gützlaff, {91b}
and four other German missionaries.  They were studying the Chinese
language; and wore the Chinese costume, with their heads shaved like
the natives, and with large cues hanging down behind.  No language
is so difficult to read and write as the Chinese; it contains more than
four thousand characters, and is wholly composed of monosyllables. 
Little brushes dipped in Indian ink are used for writing, the writing
itself extending down the paper from right to left.

I had not been above a few days in Victoria before I had an opportunity
of proceeding to Canton on board a small Chinese junk.  A gentleman
of the name of Pustan, who is settled as a merchant here, and whom I
found excessively kind, endeavoured very earnestly to dissuade me from
trusting myself among the Chinese without any protector, and advised
me either to take a boat for myself or a place in the steamer; but both
these means were too dear for my small finances, since either would
have cost twelve dollars, whereas a passage in the junk was only three. 
I must also add, that the appearance and behaviour of the Chinese did
not inspire me with the slightest apprehension.  I looked to the
priming of my pistols, and embarked very tranquilly on the evening of
the 12th of July.

A heavy fall of rain, and the approach of night, soon obliged me
to seek the interior of the vessel, where I passed my time in observing
my Chinese fellow-travellers.

The company were, it is true, not very select, but behaved with great
propriety, so that there was nothing which could prevent my remaining
among them.  Some were playing at dominoes, while others were extracting
most horrible sounds from a sort of mandolin with three strings; all,
however, were smoking, chatting, and drinking tea, without sugar, from
little saucers.  I, too, had this celestial drink offered to me
on all sides.  Every Chinese, rich or poor, drinks neither pure
water nor spirituous liquors, but invariably indulges in weak tea with
no sugar.

At a late hour in the evening I retired to my cabin, the roof of
which, not being completely waterproof, let in certain very unwelcome
proofs that it was raining outside.  The captain no sooner remarked
this than he assigned me another place, where I found myself in the
company of two Chinese women, busily engaged in smoking out of pipes
with bowls no bigger than thimbles, and in consequence they could not
take more than four or five puffs without being obliged to fill their
pipes afresh.

They soon remarked that I had no stool for my head.  They offered
me one of theirs, and would not be satisfied until I accepted it. 
It is a Chinese custom to use, instead of pillows, little stools of
bamboo or strong pasteboard.  They are not stuffed, but are rounded
at the top, and are about eight inches high, and from one to three feet
long.  They are far more comfortable than would at first be imagined.

13th July.  On hurrying upon deck early in the morning to view
the mouth of the Si-Kiang, or Tigris, I found that we had already passed
it, and were a long way up the river.  I saw it, however, subsequently,
on my return from Canton to Hong-Kong.  The Si-Kiang, which is
one of the principal rivers of China, and which, at a short distance
before entering the sea, is eight nautical miles broad, is so contracted
by hills and rocks at its mouth, that it loses one half of its breadth. 
The surrounding country is fine, and a few fortifications on the summits
of some of the hills, give it rather a romantic appearance.

Near Hoo-man, or Whampoa, the stream divides into several branches;
that which flows to Canton being called the Pearl stream.  Although
Whampoa of itself is an insignificant place, it is worthy of note, as
being the spot where, from the shallowness of the water, all deeply
laden ships are obliged to anchor.

Immense plantations of rice, skirted by bananas and other fruit-trees,
extend along the banks of the Pearl stream.  The trees are sometimes
prettily arranged in alleys, but are planted far less for ornament than
for use.  Rice always requires a great deal of moisture, and the
trees are planted in order to impart a greater degree of solidity to
the soil, and also to prevent the possibility of its being washed away
by the force of the stream.  Pretty little country houses of the
genuine Chinese pattern, with their sloping, pointed, indented roofs,
and their coloured tiles inlaid with different hues, were scattered
here and there, under groups of shady trees, while pagodas (called Tas)
of various styles, and from three to nine stories high, raised their
heads on little eminences in the neighbourhood of the villages, and
attracted attention at a great distance.  A number of fortifications,
which, however, look more like roofless houses than anything else, protect
the stream.

For miles below Canton, the villages follow one another in quick
succession.  They are mostly composed of miserable huts, built
for the most part on piles driven into the river, and before them lie
innumerable boats, which also serve as dwellings.

The nearer we approached Canton, the busier became the scene on the
river, and the greater the number of ships and inhabited boats. 
I saw some junks of most extraordinary shape, having poops that hung
far over the water, and provided with large windows and galleries, and
covered in with a roof, like a house.  These vessels are often
of immense size, and of a thousand tons’ burden.  I also
saw some Chinese men-of-war, flat, broad, and long, and mounting twenty
or thirty cannons. {93} 
Another object of interest was the mandarins’ boats, with their
painted sides, doors, and windows, their carved galleries, and pretty
little silk flags, giving them the appearance of the most charming houses;
but what delighted me most was the flower-boats, with their upper galleries
ornamented with flowers, garlands, and arabesques.  A large apartment
and a few cabinets, into which the interior is divided, are reached
through doors and windows which have almost a Gothic appearance. 
Mirrors and silk hangings adorn the walls, while glass chandeliers and
coloured paper lanterns, between which swing lovely little baskets with
fresh flowers, complete the magic scene.

These flower-boats are always stationary, and are frequented by the
Chinese as places of amusement, both by day and night.  Plays are
acted here, and ballets and conjuring performed.  Women, with the
exception of a certain class, do not frequent these places; Europeans
are not exactly prevented from entering them, but are exposed, especially
in the present unfavourable state of public opinion, to insult and even
injury.

In addition to these extraordinary vessels, let the reader picture
to himself thousands of small boats (schampans), some at anchor, some
crossing and passing in all directions, with fishermen casting their
nets, and men and children amusing themselves by swimming, and he will
have some idea of the scene I witnessed.  I often could not avoid
turning away with terror at seeing the little children playing and rolling
about upon the narrow boats, I expected every instant that one or other
of them would certainly fall overboard.  Some parents are cautious
enough to fasten hollow gourds, or bladders filled with air, on their
children’s backs, until they are six years old, so as to prevent
them sinking so quickly, if they should happen to tumble into the water.

All these multifarious occupations—this ceaseless activity,
this never-ending bustle, form so peculiar a feature, that it is hardly
possible for a person who has not been an eye-witness to obtain a correct
idea of it.

It is only during the last few years that we European women have
been allowed to visit or remain in the factories at Canton.  I
left the vessel without any apprehension; but first, I had to consider
how I should find my way to the house of a gentleman named Agassiz,
for whom I had brought letters of recommendation.  I explained
to the captain, by signs, that I had no money with me, and that he must
act as my guide to the factory, where I would pay him.  He soon
understood me, and conducted me to the place, and the Europeans there
showed me the particular house I wanted.

On seeing me arrive, and hearing the manner in which I had travelled,
and the way that I had walked from the vessel to his house, Mr. Agassiz
was extremely surprised, and would hardly credit that I had met with
no difficulties or injury.  From him I learned what risks I, as
a woman, had run in traversing the streets of Canton with no escort
but a Chinese guide.  Such a thing had never occurred before, and
Mr. Agassiz assured me that I might esteem myself as exceedingly fortunate
in not having been insulted by the people in the grossest manner, or
even stoned.  Had this been the case, he told me that my guide
would have immediately taken to flight, and abandoned me to my fate.

I had certainly remarked, on my way from the vessel to the factory,
that both old and young turned back to look after me, and that they
hooted and pointed at me with their fingers; the people ran out of the
booths, and gradually formed a crowd at my heels.  I had, however,
no alternative but to preserve my countenance; I walked, therefore,
calmly on, and perhaps it is to the very fact of my manifesting no fear
that I escaped unmolested.

I had not intended to stop long in Canton, as, since the last war
between the English and Chinese, Europeans are obliged to be more careful
than ever how they show themselves in public.  This hatred is more
especially directed against women, as it is declared in one of the Chinese
prophecies that a woman will some day or other conquer the Celestial
Empire.  On account of this, I entertained but slight hopes of
seeing anything here, and thought of proceeding directly to the port
of Shanghai, in the north of China, where, as I was informed, it was
far easier to obtain access both among the nobility and lower classes. 
Fortunately, however, I made the acquaintance of a German gentleman,
Herr von Carlowitz, who had been settled for some time in Canton. 
He offered, in the kindest manner, to act as my Mentor, on condition
that I should arm myself with patience until the mail from Europe, which
was expected in a few days, had come in. {95} 
At such times the merchants are so busy and excited, that they have
no leisure to think of anything but their correspondence.  I was,
therefore, obliged to wait, not only until the steamer had arrived,
but until it had left again, which it did not do until a week had elapsed. 
I have to thank Mr. Agassiz that the time did not hang heavily upon
my hands; I was most kindly and hospitably entertained, and enjoyed
the opportunity of noting the mode of life of those Europeans who have
settled in the country.

Very few take their families with them to China, and least of all
to Canton, where both women and children are closely imprisoned in their
houses, which they can only leave in a well-closed litter.  Besides
this, everything is so dear, that living in London is cheap in comparison. 
Lodgings of six rooms, with a kitchen, cost about 700 or 800 dollars
a-year (£140 or £160).  A man-servant receives from
four to eight dollars a-month, and female servants nine or ten dollars,
as Chinese women will not wait upon a European unless greatly overpaid. 
In addition to all this, there is a custom prevalent here, of having
a separate person for each branch of household duty, which renders a
large number of servants indispensable.

A family of only four persons requires at least eleven or twelve
domestics, if not more.  In the first place, every member of the
family must have an attendant especially for his or her use; then there
is a man-cook, a number of nursery-maids, and several coolies for the
more menial duties, such as cleaning the rooms, carrying the wood and
water, and so forth.  In spite of this number of servants, the
attendance is frequently very bad; for, if one or other of them happens
to be out, and his services are required, his master must wait until
he returns, as no servant could ever be prevailed upon to do another’s
duty.

At the head of the whole household is the comprador, who is a kind
of major-domo.  To his care are confided all the plate, furniture,
linen, and other effects; he engages all the servants, provides for
their board, and anything else they may require, and answers for their
good conduct, deducting, however, two dollars a-month from the wages
of each, in return for his services.  He makes all the purchases,
and settles all the bills, giving in the sum total at the end of the
month, without descending into the items.

Besides these domestic duties, the comprador is also entrusted with
the money belonging to his master’s firm; hundreds of thousands
of dollars pass through his hands, and he is responsible for the genuineness
of every one.  He has persons in his own employment who pay and
receive all monies, and who examine and test every separate coin with
the most marvellous rapidity.  They take a whole handful of dollars
at a time, and toss them up separately with the finger and thumb: this
enables them to determine whether each “rings” properly,
and on the coin falling into their hand again, reversed, they examine
the second side with a glance.  A few hours are sufficient to pass
several thousand dollars in review; and this minute inspection is very
necessary, on account of the number of false dollars made by the Chinese. 
Each piece of money is then stamped with the peculiar mark of the firm,
as a guarantee of its genuineness, so that it at last becomes exceedingly
thin and broad, and frequently falls to bits; no loss is, however, occasioned
by this, as the amount is always reckoned by weight.  Besides dollars,
little bars of pure unstamped silver are used as a circulating medium;
small portions, varying in size, being cut off them, according to the
sum required.  The counting-house is situated on the ground floor,
in the comprador’s room.  The Europeans have nothing to do
with the money, and, in fact, never even carry any for their private
use.

The comprador has no fixed salary, but receives a stated per-centage
upon all business transactions: his per-centage upon the household expenses
is not fixed, but is not on that account less certain.  On the
whole, these compradors are very trustworthy.  They pay down a
certain sum, as caution-money, to some mandarin, and the latter answers
for them.

The following is a tolerably correct account of the mode of life
pursued by the Europeans settled here.  As soon as they are up,
and have drunk a cup of tea in their bed-room, they take a cold bath. 
A little after 9 o’clock, they breakfast upon fried fish or cutlets,
cold roast meat, boiled eggs, tea, and bread and butter.  Every
one then proceeds to his business until dinner-time, which is generally
4 o’clock.  The dinner is composed of turtle-soup, curry,
roast meat, hashes, and pastry.  All the dishes, with the exception
of the curry, are prepared after the English fashion, although the cooks
are Chinese.  For dessert there is cheese, with fruit; such as
pine-apples, long-yen, mangoes, and lytchi.  The Chinese affirm
that the latter is the finest fruit in the whole world.  It is
about the size of a nut, with a brown verrucous outside; the edible
part is white and tender, and the kernel black.  Long-yen is somewhat
smaller, but is also white and tender, though the taste is rather watery. 
Neither of these fruits struck me as very good.  I do not think
the pine-apples are so sweet, or possessed of that aromatic fragrance
which distinguishes those raised in our European greenhouses, although
they are much larger.

Portuguese wines and English beer are the usual drinks—ice,
broken into small pieces, and covered up with a cloth, is offered with
each.  The ice is rather a costly article, as it has to be brought
from North America.  In the evening, tea is served up.

During meal-times, a large punkah is employed to diffuse an agreeable
degree of coolness through the apartment.  The punkah is a large
frame, from eight to ten feet long, and three feet high, covered with
white Indian cloth, and fastened to the ceiling.  A rope communicates,
through the wall, like a bell-pull, with the next room, or the ground
floor, where a servant is stationed to keep it constantly in motion,
and thus maintain a pleasing draught.

As may be seen from what I have said, the living here is very dear
for Europeans.  The expense of keeping a house may be reckoned
at 30,000 francs (6,000 dollars—£1,200) at the lowest; a
very considerable sum, when we reflect how little it procures, neither
including a carriage nor horses.  There is nothing in the way of
amusement, or places of public recreation; the only pleasure many gentlemen
indulge in, is keeping a boat, for which they pay 28s. a-month, or they
walk in the evenings in a small garden, which the European inhabitants
have laid out at their own cost.  This garden faces the factory,
surrounded on three sides by a wall, and, on the fourth, washed by the
Pearl stream.

The living of the Chinese population, on the contrary, costs very
little; 60 cash, 1,200 of which make a dollar (4s.), may be reckoned
a very liberal daily allowance for each man.  As a natural consequence,
wages are extremely low; a boat, for instance, may be hired for half
a dollar (2s.) a-day, and on this income, a whole family of from six
to eight persons will often exist.  It is true, the Chinese are
not too particular in their food; they eat dogs, cats, mice, and rats,
the intestines of birds, and the blood of every animal, and I was even
assured that caterpillars and worms formed part of their diet. 
Their principal dish, however, is rice, which is not only employed by
them in the composition of their various dishes, but supplies the place
of bread.  It is exceedingly cheap; the pekul, which is equal to
124 lbs. English avoirdupois, costing from one dollar and three-quarters
to two dollars and a half.

The costume of both sexes, among the lower orders, consists of broad
trousers and long upper garments, and is remarkable for its excessive
filth.  The Chinaman is an enemy of baths and washing; he wears
no shirt, and does not discard his trousers until they actually fall
off his body.  The men’s upper garments reach a little below
the knee, and the women’s somewhat lower.  They are made
of nankeen, or dark blue, brown, or black silk.  During the cold
season, both men and women wear one summer-garment over the other, and
keep the whole together with a girdle; during the great heat, however,
they allow their garments to flutter unconstrained about their body.

All the men have their heads shaved, with the exception of a small
patch at the back, the hair on which is carefully cultivated and plaited
into a cue.  The thicker and longer this cue is, the prouder is
its owner; false hair and black ribbon are consequently worked up in
it, so that it often reaches down to the ankles.  During work,
it is twisted round the neck, but, on the owner’s entering a room,
it is let down again, as it would be against all the laws of etiquette
and politeness for a person to make his appearance with his cue twisted
up.  The women wear all their hair, which they comb entirely back
off their forehead, and fasten it in most artistic plaits to the head;
they spend a great deal of time in the process, but when their hair
is once dressed, it does not require to be touched for a whole week. 
Both men and women sometimes go about with no covering at all on their
head; sometimes they wear hats made of thin bamboo, and very frequently
three feet in diameter; these keep off both sun and rain, and are exceedingly
durable.

On their feet they wear sewed stockings and shoes, formed of black
silk, or some material like worsted; the soles, which are more than
an inch thick, are made up of layers of strong pasteboard or felt pasted
together.  The poor people go barefooted.

The houses of the lower classes are miserable hovels, built of wood
or brick.  The internal arrangements are very wretched: the whole
furniture consists of a worthless table, a few chairs, and two or three
bamboo-mats, stools for the head, and old counterpanes; yet, with this
poverty, there are always sure to be some pots of flowers.

The cheapest mode of living is on board a boat.  The husband
goes on shore to his work, and leaves his wife to make a trifle by ferrying
persons over, or letting out the boat to pleasure parties.  One
half the boat belongs to the family themselves, and the other half to
the persons to whom they let it; and although there is not much room,
the whole boat measuring scarcely twenty-five feet in length, the greatest
order and cleanliness is everywhere apparent, as each single plank on
board is thoroughly scrubbed and washed every morning.  Great ingenuity
is displayed in turning every inch of space on board these small craft
to advantage, and the dexterity is actually pushed so far as to find
room for a tiny domestic altar.  During the day all the cookery
and washing is done, and though at the latter process there is no want
of little children, the temporary tenant of the boat does not suffer
the least annoyance; nothing offensive meets his eye; and, at the most,
he merely hears at rare intervals the whining voice of some poor little
wretch.  The youngest child is generally tied on its mother’s
back while she steers; the elder children, too, have sometimes similar
burdens, but jump and climb about without the least consideration for
them.  It has often grieved me to the heart to see the head of
an infant scarcely born, thrown from one side to the other with each
movement of the child that was carrying it, or the sun darting so fiercely
on the poor little creature, who was completely exposed to its rays,
that it could hardly open its eyes.  For those who have not been
themselves witnesses of the fact, it is almost impossible to form an
idea of the indigence and poverty of a Chinese boat-family.

The Chinese are accused of killing numbers of their new-born or weakly
children.  They are said to suffocate them immediately after their
birth, and then throw them into the river, or expose them in the streets—by
far the most horrible proceeding of the two, on account of the number
of swine and houseless dogs, who fall upon, and voraciously devour,
their prey.  The most frequent victims are the female infants,
as parents esteem themselves fortunate in possessing a large number
of male children, the latter being bound to support them in their old
age; the eldest son, in fact, should the father die, is obliged to take
his place, and provide for his brothers and sisters, who, on their part,
are bound to yield implicit obedience, and show him the greatest respect. 
These laws are very strictly observed, and any one infringing them is
punished with death.

The Chinese consider it a great honour to be a grandfather, and every
man who is fortunate enough to be one wears a moustache, as the distinctive
sign of his good luck.  These thin grey moustaches are the more
conspicuous, as the young men not only wear none, but, as a general
rule, grow no beard at all.

With regard to the social manners and customs of the Chinese, I am
only able to mention a few, as it is exceedingly difficult, and, in
fact, almost impossible, for a foreigner to become acquainted with them. 
I endeavoured to see as much as I could, and mixed on every possible
opportunity among the people, afterwards writing down a true account
of what I had seen.

On going out one morning, I met more than fifteen prisoners, all
with a wooden yoke (can-gue) about their necks, being led through
the streets.  This yoke is composed of two large pieces of wood,
fitting into one another, and having from one to three holes in them;
through these holes the head, and one or both hands, are stuck, in proportion
to the importance of the offence.  A yoke of this description varies
in weight from fifty to a hundred pounds, and presses so heavily upon
the neck and shoulders of the poor wretch who bears it, that he is unable
to convey his victuals to his mouth himself, and is compelled to wait
till some compassionate soul feeds him.  This punishment lasts
from a few days to several months; in the latter case the prisoner generally
dies.

Another description of punishment is the bastinado with the bamboo,
which, when applied to the more tender parts of the body, very often,
as early as the fifteenth blow, frees its victim for ever from all his
earthly sufferings.  Other more severe punishments, which in no
way yield the palm to those of the Holy Inquisition, consist in flaying
the prisoner alive, crushing his limbs, cutting the sinews out of his
feet, and so on.  Their modes of carrying out the sentence of death
appear to be mild in comparison, and are generally confined to strangling
and decapitation, although, as I was informed, in certain extraordinary
cases, the prisoner is executed by being sawed in two, or left to die
of starvation.  In the first case, the unhappy victim is made fast
between two planks, and sawed in two longitudinally, beginning with
the head; and, in the second, he is either buried up to his head in
the ground, and thus left to perish of want, or else is fastened in
one of the wooden yokes I have described, while his food is gradually
reduced in quantity every day, until at last it consists of only a few
grains of rice.  In spite of the horrible and cruel nature of these
punishments, it is said that individuals are found ready, for a sum
of money, to undergo them all, death even included, instead of the person
condemned.

In the year 1846, 4,000 people were beheaded at Canton.  It
is true that they were the criminals of two provinces, which together
numbered a population of 9,000,000 souls, but the number is still horrible
to contemplate.  Is it possible that there could really be so many
who should be looked upon as criminals—or are persons sentenced
to death for a mere nothing—or are both these suppositions true?

I once happened to go near the place of execution, and to my horror
beheld a long row of still bleeding heads exposed upon high poles. 
The relations enjoy the privilege of carrying away and interring the
bodies.

There are several different religions in China, the most prevalent
being Buddhism.  It is marked by great superstition and idolatry,
and is mostly confined to the lower classes.  The most natural
is that of the wise Confucius, which is said to be the religion of the
court, the public functionaries, the scholars, and educated classes.

The population of China is composed of a great many very different
races: unfortunately, I am unable to describe their several characteristics,
as my stay in China was far too short.  The people I saw in Canton,
Hong-Kong, and Macao, are of middling stature.  Their complexion
varies with their occupation: the peasants and labourers are rather
sun-burnt; rich people and ladies white.  Their faces are flat,
broad, and ugly; their eyes are narrow, rather obliquely placed, and
far apart; their noses broad, and their mouth large.  Their fingers
I observed were in many cases extremely long and thin; only the rich
(of both sexes) allow their nails to grow to an extraordinary length,
as a proof that they are not obliged, like their poorer brethren, to
gain their livelihood by manual labour.  These aristocratic nails
are generally half an inch long, though I saw one man whose nails were
quite an inch in length, but only on his left hand.  With this
hand it was impossible for him to raise any flat object, except by laying
his hand flat upon it, and catching hold of it between his fingers.

The women of the higher classes are generally inclined to corpulency,
a quality which is highly esteemed not in women alone, but in men as
well.

Although I had heard a great deal about the small feet of Chinese
women, I was greatly astonished at their appearance.  Through the
kind assistance of a missionary’s lady (Mrs. Balt) I was enabled
to behold one of these small feet in naturâ.  Four
of the toes were bent under the sole of the foot, to which they were
firmly pressed, and with which they appeared to be grown together; the
great toe was alone left in its normal state.  The fore-part of
the foot had been so compressed with strong broad bandages, that instead
of expanding in length and breadth, it had shot upwards and formed a
large lump at the instep, where it made part and parcel of the leg;
the lower portion of the foot was scarcely four inches long, and an
inch and a half broad.  The feet are always swathed in white linen
or silk, bound round with silk bandages and stuffed into pretty little
shoes, with very high heels.

To my astonishment these deformed beings tripped about, as if in
defiance of us broad-footed creatures, with tolerable ease, the only
difference in their gait being that they waddled like geese; they even
ran up and down stairs without the aid of a stick.

The only persons exempted from this Chinese method of improving their
beauty are girls of the lowest class—that is, those who live in
boats; in families of rank they are all subject to the same fate; while
in those of the middle classes, as a general rule, it is limited to
the eldest daughter.

The worth of a bride is reckoned by the smallness of her feet.

This process of mutilation is not commenced immediately the child
is born, but is deferred until the end of the first, or sometimes even
third year, nor is the foot after the operation forced into an iron
shoe, as many have affirmed, but merely firmly compressed with bandages.

The religion of the Chinese allows them to have a number of wives,
but in this respect they are far behind the Mahomedans.  The richest
have rarely more than from six to twelve, while poor persons content
themselves with one.

I visited during my stay in Canton as many workshops of the different
artists as I could.  My first visit was to the most celebrated
painters, and I must frankly own, that the vividness and splendour of
their colouring struck me exceedingly.  These qualities are generally
ascribed to the rice paper on which they paint, and which is of the
greatest possible fineness, and as white as milk.

The paintings upon linen and ivory differ very little, as far as
the colouring is concerned, from those of our European artists, and
the difference is therefore the more visible in their composition, and
perspective, which, with the Chinese, are yet in a state of infancy. 
This is more especially true of perspective.  The figures and objects
in the back-ground rival in size and brilliancy those in front, while
rivers or seas float in the place which should be occupied by clouds. 
On the other hand, the native artists can copy admirably, {101}
and even take likenesses.  I saw some portraits so strikingly well
drawn, and admirably coloured, that first-rate European artists need
not have been ashamed to own them.

The Chinese possess marvellous skill in carving ivory, tortoiseshell,
and wood.  Among the superior black lacquered articles, especially
with flat or raised gold ornaments, I observed some, which were worthy
of a place in the most valuable collections of objects of vertu. 
I saw some small work-tables worth at least 600 dollars (£120). 
The baskets and carpets, made from the bamboo, are also remarkably beautiful.

They are, however, far behind-hand in gold or silver work, which
is generally heavy and tasteless; but then again, they have attained
great celebrity by their porcelain, which is remarkable not only for
its size, but for its transparency.  It is true that vases and
other vessels four feet high are neither light nor transparent; but
cups and other small objects can only be compared to glass for fineness
and transparency.  The colours on them are very vivid, but the
drawings very stiff and bad.

In the manufacture of silks and crape shawls, the Chinese are unsurpassable;
the latter especially, in beauty, tastefulness, and thickness, are far
preferable to those made in England or France.

The knowledge of music, on the other hand, is so little developed,
that our good friends of the Celestial Empire might almost, in this
respect, be compared to savages—not that they have no instruments,
but they do not know how to use them.  They possess violins, guitars,
lutes (all with strings or wires), dulcimers, wind instruments, ordinary
and kettle-drums, and cymbals, but are neither skilled in composition,
melody, nor execution.  They scratch, scrape, and thump upon their
instruments in such a manner, as to produce the finest marrowbone-and-cleaver
kind of music imaginable.  During my excursions up and down the
Pearl stream, I had frequent opportunities of hearing artistic performances
of this description on board the mandarin and flower-boats.

In all kinds of deception the Chinese are great adepts, and decidedly
more than a match for any Europeans.  They have not the slightest
sense of honour, and if you detect them, content themselves with saying:
“You are more clever or cunning than I.”  I was told
that when they have any live stock, such as calves or pigs, for sale,
they compel them, as they are disposed of by weight, to swallow stones
or large quantities of water.  They also know how to blow out and
dress stale poultry, so as to make it look quite fresh and plump.

But it is not the lower classes alone that indulge in cheating and
fraud; these agreeable qualities are shared by the highest functionaries. 
It is a well-known fact, for instance, that there are nowhere so many
pirates as in the Chinese sea, especially in the vicinity of Canton;
yet no measures are taken to punish or extirpate them, simply because
the mandarins do not think it beneath their dignity to secretly share
in the profits.

For example, though the opium trade is forbidden, so much of this
drug is smuggled in every year, that it is said to exceed in value that
of all the tea exported in the same period. {102a} 
The merchants enter into a private understanding with the officers and
mandarins, agreeing to give them a certain sum for every pikul,
and it is no rare occurrence for a mandarin to land whole cargoes under
the protection of his own flag.

In like manner there is said to be on one of the islands near Hong-Kong
a very extensive manufactory of false money, which is allowed to be
carried on without any interruption, as it pays a tribute to the public
functionaries and mandarins.  A short time ago, a number of pirate
vessels that had ventured too near Canton, were shot into and sunk,
the crews lost, and their leader taken.  The owners of the vessels
petitioned the government to set the prisoners free, and threatened,
in case of a refusal, to make extensive disclosures.  Every one
was convinced that a sum of money accompanied this threatening letter,
for shortly after it was reported that the prisoner had escaped.

I myself was witness of a circumstance in Canton, which caused me
great uneasiness, and was a pretty good proof of the helplessness or
apathy of the Chinese government.

On the 8th of August, Mr. Agassiz set out with a friend, intending
to return the same evening.  I was left at home alone with the
Chinese servants.  Mr. Agassiz did not return at the appointed
time.  At last, about 1 o’clock the next morning, I suddenly
heard voices in loud conversation, and a violent knocking at the street
door.  I at first supposed it to be Mr. Agassiz, and felt much
surprise at the late hour of his arrival, but I soon perceived that
the disturbance was not in our house, but in that on the opposite side
of the way.  It is easy to fall into an error of this description,
as the houses are situated quite close to each other, and windows are
left open day and night.  I heard voices exclaim, “Get up,—dress!”
and then, “It is horrible—shocking—good heavens?—where
did it happen?”—I sprang quickly out of bed and huddled
on my gown, thinking either that a fire had broken out in some house
or other, or that the people had risen in insurrection. {102b}

Seeing a gentleman at one of the windows, I called and inquired of
him what was the matter.  He told me hurriedly that intelligence
had just arrived that two of his friends who were proceeding to Hong-Kong
(Whampoa lay on the road) had been attacked by pirates, and that one
was killed and the other wounded.  He then immediately retired,
so that I was unable to learn the name of the unfortunate victim, and
was left all night a prey to the greatest anxiety lest it should be
Mr. Agassiz.

Fortunately, this at least was not the case, as Mr. Agassiz returned
at 5 o’clock in the morning.  I then learned that this misfortune
had happened to Monsieur Vauchée, a Swiss gentleman, who had
passed many an evening in our house.  On the very day of his departure,
I met him at a neighbour’s, where we had all been in the highest
spirits, singing songs and quartettes.  At 9 o’clock he went
on board the boat, set off at 10, and a quarter of an hour afterwards,
in the midst of thousands of schampans and other craft, met his tragical
end.

Monsieur Vauchée had intended to proceed to Hong-Kong, and
there embark on board a larger vessel for Shanghai; {103}
he took with him Swiss watches to the value of 40,000 francs (£1,600),
and, in speaking to a friend, congratulated himself on the cautious
manner he had packed them up, without letting his servants know anything
about it.  This, however, could not have been the case: and, as
the pirates have spies among the servants in every house, they were
unfortunately but too well acquainted with the circumstance.

During my stay in Canton, the house of a European was pulled down
by the populace, because it stood upon a piece of ground which, though
Europeans were allowed to occupy, they had not hitherto built upon.

In this manner there was hardly a day that we did not hear of acts
of violence and mischief, so that we were in a continual state of apprehension,
more especially as the report of the near approach of a revolution,
in which all the Europeans were to perish, was everywhere bruited about. 
Many of the merchants had made every preparation for instant flight,
and muskets, pistols, and swords were neatly arranged ready for use
in most of the counting-houses.  Luckily, the time fixed for the
revolution passed over, without the populace fulfilling its threats.

The Chinese are cowardly in the highest degree; they talk very large
when they are certain they have nothing to fear.  For instance,
they are always ready to stone, or even kill, a few defenceless individuals,
but if they have to fear any opposition, they are sure not to commence
the attack.  I believe that a dozen good European soldiers would
put to flight more than a hundred Chinese.  I myself never met
with a more dastardly, false, and, at the same time, cruel race, in
my life; one proof of this is, that their greatest pleasure consists
in torturing animals.

In spite of the unfavourable disposition of the populace, I ventured
out a good deal.  Herr von Carlowitz was untiring in his kindness
to me, and accompanied me everywhere, exposing himself to many dangers
on my account, and bearing patiently the insults of the populace, who
followed at our heels, and loudly expressed their indignation at the
boldness of the European woman in thus appearing in public.  Through
his assistance, I saw more than any woman ever yet saw in China.

Our first excursion was to the celebrated Temple of Honan, which
is said to be one of the finest in China.

This temple is surrounded by numerous out-buildings, and a large
garden enclosed with a high wall.  You first enter a large fore-court,
at the extremity of which a colossal gateway leads into the inner courts. 
Under the archway of this portico are two War Gods, each eighteen feet
high, in menacing attitudes, and with horribly distorted features. 
They are placed there to prevent evil spirits from entering.  A
second similar portico, under which are the four Celestial Kings, leads
into the inmost court, where the principal temple is situated. 
The interior of the temple is 100 feet in length, and 100 feet in breadth. 
The flat roof, from which hang a number of glass chandeliers, lamps,
artificial flowers, and silk ribbons, is supported upon several rows
of wooden pillars, while the multitude of statues, altars, flower-pots,
censers, candelabra, candlesticks, and other ornaments, involuntarily
suggest to the mind of the spectator the decoration of a Roman Catholic
church.

In the foreground are three altars, and behind these three statues,
representing the God Buddha in three different aspects: the past, the
present, and the future.  These figures, which are in a sitting
posture, are of colossal dimensions.

We happened to visit the temple just as service was being performed. 
It was a kind of mass for the dead, which a mandarin had ordered for
his deceased wife.  At the right and left altars were the priests,
whose garments and gesticulations also resembled those of the Roman
Catholics.  At the middle altar was the mandarin, piously engaged
in prayer, while two stood beside him, fanning him with large fans.
{104}  He
frequently kissed the ground, and every time he did so, three wax tapers
were presented to him, which he first elevated in the air, and then
gave to one of the priests, who placed them before a statue of Buddha,
but without lighting them.  The music was performed by three men,
one of whom twanged a stringed instrument, while the second struck a
metal globe, and the third played the flute.

Besides the principal temple there are various smaller ones, and
halls, all adorned with statues of gods.  Especial honour is paid
to the twenty-four Gods of Pity, and to Kwanfootse, a demi-god of War. 
Many of the former have four, six, and even eight arms.  All these
divinities, Buddha himself not excepted, are made of wood, gilt over,
and painted with glazing colours.

In the Temple of Mercy we met with an adventure which was nearly
attended with unpleasant consequences.  A priest, or bonze,
handed us some little tapers for us to light and offer to his divinity. 
Herr von Carlowitz and myself had already got the tapers in our hands,
and were quite willing to afford him this gratification, when an American
missionary, who was with us, tore the tapers from our grasp, and indignantly
returned them to the priest, saying, that what we were about to do was
an act of idolatry.  The priest took the matter very seriously,
and, instantly closing the doors, called his companions, who hurried
in from all sides, and abused us in the most violent and vociferous
fashion, pressing closer every instant.  It was with the greatest
difficulty that we succeeded in fighting our way to the door, and thus
making our escape.

After this little fray, our guide conducted us to the dwelling of
the Holy—Pigs! {105} 
A beautiful stone hall is set apart for their use, which hall these
remarkable divinities fill, in spite of all the care bestowed on them,
with so horrible a stench, that it is impossible to approach them without
holding one’s nose.  They are taken care of and fed until
death summons them away.  When we visited the place there were
only a pair of these fortunate beings, and their number rarely exceeds
three couples.

I was better pleased with the residence of a bonze, which adjoined
this holy spot.  It consisted of a sitting-room and bed-room merely,
but was very comfortably and elegantly fitted up.  The walls of
the sitting-room were ornamented with carved wood-work, and the furniture
was old-fashioned and pleasing: at the back of the apartment, which
was flagged, stood a small altar.

We here saw an opium-eater, lying stretched out upon a mat on the
floor.  At his side was a cup of tea, with some fruit and a little
lamp, besides several pipes, with bowls that were smaller than a thimble. 
On our entrance, he was just inhaling the intoxicating smoke from one
of them.  It is said that some of the Chinese opium smokers consume
from twenty to thirty grains a-day.  As he was not altogether unconscious
of our presence, he managed to raise himself, laid by his pipe, and
dragged himself to a chair.  His eyes were fixed and staring, and
his face deadly pale, presenting altogether a most pitiable and wretched
spectacle.

Last of all, we were conducted to the garden, where the bonzes, at
their death, are burnt—a particular mark of distinction, as all
other people are interred.  A simple mausoleum, about thirty feet
square, and a few small private monuments, were all that was to be seen. 
None of them had any pretensions to elegance, being built of the simplest
masonry.  In the former of these edifices are preserved the bones
of the persons who have been burnt, and among them are also buried the
rich Chinese, whose heirs pay pretty handsomely to obtain such an honour
for them.  At a little distance stands a small tower, eight feet
in diameter and eighteen in height, with a small pit, where a fire can
be kindled, in the floor.  Over this pit is an armchair, to which
the deceased bonze is fastened in full costume.  Logs and dry brushwood
are disposed all round, and the whole is set fire to, and the doors
closed.  In an hour they are again opened, the ashes strewed around
the tower, and the bones preserved until the period for opening the
mausoleum, which is only once every year.

A striking feature in the garden is this beautiful water-rose, or
lotus-flower (nymphæa nelumbo), which was originally a
native of China.  The Chinese admire this flower so much, that
they have ponds dug in their gardens expressly for it.  It is about
six inches in diameter, and generally white—very rarely pale red. 
The seeds resemble in size and taste those of the hazel; and the roots,
when cooked, are said to taste like artichokes.

There are more than a hundred bonzes who reside in the temple of
Honan.  In their ordinary dress, they differ nothing from the common
Chinamen, the only means of recognising them being by their heads, which
are entirely shaved.  Neither these nor any other priests
can boast, as I was told, of being in the least respected by the people.

Our second excursion was to the Half-way Pagoda, so called by the
English from its lying half way between Canton and Whampoa.  We
went up the Pearl stream to it.  It stands upon a small eminence
near a village, in the midst of immense fields of rice, and is composed
of nine stories, 170 feet high.  Its circumference is not very
considerable, but nearly the same all the way up, which gives it the
look of a tower.  I was informed that this pagoda was formerly
one of the most celebrated in China, but it has long ceased to be used. 
The interior was completely empty; there were neither statues nor any
other ornaments; nor were there any floors to prevent the eye from seeing
to the very top.  On the outside, small balconies without railings
surround each story, to which access is gained by steep and narrow flights
of stairs.  These projecting balconies produce a very fine effect,
being built of coloured bricks, very artistically laid, and faced with
variegated tiles.  The bricks are placed in rows, with their points
jutting obliquely outwards, so that the points project about four inches
over one another.  At a distance, the work seems as if it were
half pierced through, and from the beautiful colours and fineness of
the tiles, a person might easily mistake the entire mass for porcelain.

While we were viewing the pagoda, the whole population of the village
had assembled round about us, and as they behaved with tolerable quietness,
we determined on paying a visit to the village itself.  The houses,
or rather huts, were small and built of brick, and with the exception
of their flat roofs, presented nothing peculiar.  The rooms did
not possess a ceiling of their own, but were simply covered by the roof;
the floor was formed of earth closely pressed together, and the internal
walls consisted partly of bamboo-mats.  What little furniture there
was, was exceedingly dirty.  About the middle of the village was
a small temple, with a few lamps burning dimly before the principal
divinity.

What struck me most was the quantity of poultry, both in and out
of the huts, and we had to take the greatest care to avoid treading
on some of the young brood.  The chickens are hatched, as they
are in Egypt, by artificial heat.

On our return from the village to the pagoda, we saw two schampans
run in shore, and a number of swarthy, half-naked, and mostly armed
men jump out, and hasten through the fields of rice directly to where
we were.  We set them down as pirates, and awaited the upshot with
a considerable degree of uneasiness.  We knew that, if we were
right in our supposition, we were lost without hope; for, at the distance
we were from Canton, and entirely surrounded by Chinese, who would have
been but too ready to lend them assistance, it would have been doubly
easy for pirates to dispatch us.  All idea of escape or rescue
was out of the question.

While these thoughts were flashing across our minds, the men kept
approaching us, and at length their leader introduced himself as the
captain of a Siamese man-of-war.  He informed us, in broken English,
that he had not long arrived with the Governor of Bangkok, who was proceeding
for the rest of the way to Pekin by land.  Our fears were gradually
dispelled, and we even accepted the friendly invitation of the captain
to run alongside his ship and view it, on our return.  He came
in the boat with us, and took us on board, where he showed us everything
himself: the sight, however, was not a particularly attractive one. 
The crew looked very rough and wild; they were all dressed in a most
slovenly and dirty manner, so that it was utterly impossible to distinguish
the officers from the common men.  The vessel mounted twelve guns
and sixty-eight hands.

The captain set before us Portuguese wine and English beer, and the
evening was far advanced before we reached home.

The longest trip that can be made from Canton is one twenty miles
up the Pearl stream, and Mr. Agassiz was kind enough to procure me this
pleasure.  He hired a good boat, which he furnished abundantly
with eatables and drinkables, and invited a missionary, who had made
the trip several times, Herr von Carlowitz, and myself.  The company
of a missionary is as yet by far the safest escort in China.  These
gentlemen speak the language; they become gradually acquainted with
the people, and travel about, with hardly any obstacle to speak of,
all round the vicinity of Canton.

About a week before we had decided on going, a few young gentlemen
had endeavoured to make the same excursion, but had been fired upon
from one of the fortresses that lie on the banks of the river, and compelled
to turn back half-way.  When we approached the fortress in question,
the crew of our boat refused to proceed any further, until we had almost
employed violence to make them do so.  We also were fired into,
but fortunately not until we were more than half past the fortress. 
Having escaped the danger, we pursued our course without further interruption,
landed at several hamlets, visited the so-called Herren Pagoda, and
took a good view of everything that was to be seen.  The scenery
all round was charming, and displayed to our view large plains with
rice, sugar, and tea-plantations, picturesque clumps of trees, lovely
hills, and more elevated mountain ranges rising in the distance. 
On the declivities of the hills, we beheld a number of graves, which
were marked by single, upright stones.

The Herren Pagoda has three stories, with a pointed roof, and is
distinguished for its external sculpture.  It has no balconies
outside, but, instead of this, a triple wreath of leaves round each
story.  In the first and second story, to which access is gained
by more than usually narrow stairs, are some small altars with carved
idols.  We were not allowed to go into the third story, under the
excuse that there was nothing to be seen there.

The villages we visited, resembled more or less, that we had seen
near the Half-way Pagoda.

During this journey I was an eye-witness of the manner in which the
missionaries dispose of their religious tracts.  The missionary
who had been kind enough to accompany us, took this opportunity of distributing
among the natives some seeds that should bring forth good fruit. 
He had 500 tracts on board our boat, and every time that another boat
approached us, a circumstance that was of frequent occurrence, he stretched
himself as far as possible over the side with half a dozen tracts in
his hand, and made signs to the people to approach and take them. 
If people did not obey his summons, we rowed up to them, and the missionary
gratified them with his tracts in dozens, and went his way rejoicing,
in anticipation of the good which he did not doubt they would effect.

Whenever we arrived at a village, however, matters reached even a
higher pitch.  The servant was obliged to carry whole packs of
tracts, which in a moment were distributed among the crowd of curious
who had quickly gathered round us.

Every one took what was offered to him, as it cost nothing, and if
he could not read it—the tracts were in Chinese—he had at
least got so much paper.  The missionary returned home delighted;
he had disposed of his 500 copies.  What glorious news for the
Missionary Society, and what a brilliant article for his religious paper,
he no doubt transmitted to Europe!

Six young Englishmen made this same excursion up the Pearl stream
six months later, stopping at one of the villages and mixing with the
people.  Unhappily, however, they all fell victims to the fanaticism
of the Chinese: they were most barbarously murdered.

There was now no trip of any distance left but one round the walls
of the town of Canton, {108}
properly so called.  This, too, I was shortly enabled to undertake
through the kindness of our good friend the missionary, who offered
to come as guide to Herr von Carlowitz and myself, under the condition,
however, that I should put on male attire.  No woman had ever yet
ventured to make this trip, and he thought that I ought not to venture
in my own dress; I complied with his wish, therefore, and one fine morning
early we set out.

For some distance our road lay through narrow streets or alleys paved
with large flags.  In a small niche somewhere in the front of every
house, we saw little altars from one to three feet high, before which,
as it was yet early, the night lamps were still burning.  An immense
quantity of oil is unnecessarily consumed in keeping up this religious
custom.  The shops now began to be opened.  They resemble
neat entrance halls, having no front wall.  The goods were exposed
for sale either in large open boxes or on tables, behind which the shopkeepers
sit and work.  In one corner of the shop, a narrow staircase leads
up into the dwelling-house above.

Here, as in Turkish towns, the same regulation is observed of each
trade or calling having its especial street, so that in one nothing
but crockery and glass, in another silks, and so on, is to be seen. 
In the physician’s street are situated all the apothecaries’
shops as well, as the two professions are united in one and the same
person.  The provisions, which are very tastily arranged, have
also their separate streets.  Between the houses are frequently
small temples, not differing the least, however, in style from the surrounding
buildings: the gods, too, merely occupy the ground floor, the upper
stories being inhabited by simple mortals.

The bustle in the streets was astonishing, especially in those set
apart for the sale of provisions.  Women and girls of the lower
classes went about making their purchases, just as in Europe. 
They were all unveiled, and some of them waddled like geese, in consequence
of their crippled feet, which, as I before observed, extends to all
ranks.  The crowd was considerably increased by the number of porters,
with large baskets of provisions on their shoulders, running along,
and praising in a loud voice their stock in trade, or warning the people
to make way for them.  At other times, the whole breadth of the
street would be taken up, and the busy stream of human beings completely
stopped by the litter of some rich or noble personage proceeding to
his place of business.  But worse than all were the numerous porters
we met at every step we took, carrying large baskets of unsavoury matter.

It is a well known fact, that there is perhaps no nation on the face
of the earth equal to the Chinese in diligence and industry, or that
profits by, and cultivates, as they do, every available inch of ground. 
As, however, they have not much cattle, and consequently but little
manure, they endeavour to supply the want of it by other means, and
hence their great care of anything that can serve as a substitute.

All their small streets are built against the city walls, so that
we had been going round them for some time before we were aware of the
fact.  Mean-looking gates or wickets, which all foreigners are
strictly prohibited from passing, and which are shut in the evening,
lead into the interior of the town.

I was told that it has often happened for sailors, or other strangers,
during their walks, to penetrate through one of these entrances into
the interior of the town, and not discover their mistake until the stones
began flying about their ears.

After threading our way for at least two miles through a succession
of narrow streets, we at length emerged into the open space, where we
obtained a full view of the city walls, and from the summit of a small
hill which was situated near them, a tolerably extensive one over the
town itself.  The city walls are about sixty feet high, and, for
the most part, so overgrown with grass, creeping plants, and underwood,
that they resemble a magnificent mass of living vegetation.  The
town resembles a chaos of small houses, with now and then a solitary
tree, but we saw neither fine streets nor squares, nor any remarkable
buildings, temples, or pagodas.  A single pagoda, five stories
high, reminded us of the peculiar character of Chinese architecture.

Our road now lay over fertile eminences, varied with fields and meadows
in a high state of cultivation.  Many of the hills are used as
cemeteries, and are dotted over with small mounds of earth, walled in
with stone flags, or rough hewn stones two feet high, frequently covered
with inscriptions.  Family tombs were also to be seen, dug in the
hill, and enclosed with stone walls of the shape of a horse-shoe. 
All the entrances were built up with stone.

The Chinese do not, however, bury all their dead: they have a remarkable
way of preserving them in small stone chambers, consisting of two stone
walls and a roof, while the two other sides are left open.  In
these places, there are never more than from two to four coffins, which
are placed upon wooden benches two feet high: the coffins themselves
consist of massive trunks of trees hollowed out.

The villages through which we passed presented an animated appearance,
but appeared poor and dirty.  We were often obliged to hold our
noses in passing through the lanes and squares, and very frequently
would fain have closed our eyes as well, to avoid the disgusting sight
of people covered with eruptions of the skin, tumours, and boils.

In all the villages I saw poultry and swine in great numbers, but
not more than three horses and a buffalo-cow; both the horses and the
cow were of an extremely small breed.

When we had nearly reached the end of our excursion, we met a funeral. 
A horrible kind of music gave us warning that something extraordinary
was approaching, and we had hardly time to look up and step on one side,
before the procession came flying past us at full speed.  First
came the worthy musicians, followed by a few Chinese, next two empty
litters carried by porters, and then the hollow trunk of a tree, representing
the coffin, hanging to a long pole, and carried in a similar manner:
last of all, were some priests and a crowd of people.

The chief priest wore a kind of white {110}
fool’s cap, with three points; the other persons, who consisted
of men alone, had a kind of white cloth bound round their head or arm.

I was lucky enough to be enabled to visit some of the summer palaces
and gardens of the nobility.

The finest of all was certainly that belonging to the Mandarin Howqua. 
The house itself was tolerably spacious, one story high, with very wide,
splendid terraces.  The windows looked into the inner courts, and
the roof was like those in European buildings, only much flatter. 
The sloping roofs, with their multitude of points and pinnacles, with
their little bells and variegated tiles, are only to be found in the
temples and country-houses, but never in the usual residences. 
At the entrance there were two painted gods: these, according to the
belief of the Chinese, keep off evil spirits.

The front part of the house consisted of several reception rooms,
without front walls, and immediately adjoining them, on the ground floor,
elegant parterres; and on the first floor magnificent terraces, which
were also decorated with flowers, and afforded a most splendid view
over the animated scene on the river, the enchanting scenery around,
and the mass of houses in the villages situated about the walls of Canton.

Neat little cabinets surrounded these rooms, from which they were
only separated by walls that in many cases were adorned with the most
artistic paintings, and through which the eye could easily penetrate. 
The most remarkable of these walls were those composed of bamboos, which
were as delicate as a veil, and plentifully ornamented with painted
flowers, or beautifully written proverbs.

A numberless quantity of chairs and a great many sofas were ranged
along the walls, from which I inferred that the Chinese are as much
accustomed to large assemblages as ourselves.  I observed some
arm-chairs most skilfully cut out of a single piece of wood; others
with seats of beautiful marble-slabs; and others again of fine coloured
tiles or porcelain.  Among various objects of European furniture,
we saw some handsome mirrors, clocks, vases, and tables of Florentine
mosaic, or variegated marble.  There was also a most extraordinary
collection of lamps and lanterns hanging from the ceilings, and consisting
of glass, transparent horn, and coloured gauze or paper, ornamented
with glass beads, fringe, and tassels.  Nor was there any scarcity
of lamps on the walls, so that when the apartments are entirely lighted
up, they must present a fairy-like appearance.

As we had been fortunate enough to reach this house without being
stoned, we were emboldened to visit the Mandarin Howqua’s large
pleasure-garden, situated on a branch of the Pearl stream, about three-quarters
of a mile from the house.  We had, however, hardly entered the
branch of the river, before the crew wanted to turn back, having observed
a mandarin’s junk, with all its flags hoisted, a signal that the
owner himself was on board.  They were unwilling to venture on
conveying us Europeans past the vessel, for fear they should be punished,
or stoned to death, along with ourselves, by the people.  We obliged
them to proceed, passed close by the junk, and then landed, and continued
our excursion on foot.  A large crowd of people soon collected
in our rear, and began pushing the children up against us, in order
to excite our rage; but arming ourselves with patience, we moved quietly
on, and reached, without any accident, the garden gates, which we instantly
closed behind us.

The garden was in a perfect state of cultivation, but without the
least pretension to taste in its arrangement.  On every side were
summer-houses, kiosks, and bridges, and all the paths and open spots
were lined with large and small flower-pots, in which were flowers and
dwarfed fruit-trees of every description.

The Chinese are certainly adepts in the art of diminishing the size
of, or rather crippling their trees, many of which very often scarcely
attain a height of three feet.  These dwarf trees are very prevalent
in their gardens, and preferred to the most magnificent and shady trees
of a natural size.  These lilliputian alleys can hardly be considered
in good taste, but it is most remarkable with what a large quantity
of beautiful fruit the tiny branches are laden.

Besides these toys we also observed figures of all descriptions,
representing ships, birds, fish, pagodas, etc., cut out of foliage. 
In the heads of the animals were stuck eggs, with a black star painted
on them to represent the eyes.

There was also no scarcity of rocks, both single and in groups, ornamented
with flower-pots, as well as little figures of men and animals, which
can be removed at pleasure, so as to form new combinations, a kind of
amusement of which the Chinese ladies are said to be very fond. 
Another source of entertainment, no less popular, as well among the
ladies as the gentlemen, consists in kite-flying, and they will sit
for hours looking at their paper monsters in the air.  There is
a large open spot set apart for this purpose in the garden of every
Chinese nobleman.  We noticed an abundance of running water and
ponds, but we did not observe any fountains.

As everything had passed off so well, Herr von Carlowitz proposed
that we should go and see the garden of the Mandarin Puntiqua, which
I was very anxious to do, as the mandarin had ordered a steam-boat to
be built there by a Chinese, who had resided thirteen years in North
America, where he had studied.

The vessel was so far advanced that it was to be launched in a few
weeks.  The artist showed us his work with great satisfaction,
and was evidently very much pleased at the praise we bestowed upon him
for it.  He attached great importance to his knowledge of the English
language, for when Herr von Carlowitz addressed him in Chinese, he answered
in English, and requested us to continue the conversation in that idiom. 
The machinery struck us as not being constructed with the usual degree
of neatness for which the Chinese are famous, and also appeared far
too large for the small vessel for which it was intended.  Neither
I nor my companion would have had the courage to have gone in her on
her experimental trip.

The mandarin who had the vessel built, had gone to Pekin to obtain
a “button” as his reward for being the first person to launch
a steamer in the Chinese empire.  The builder himself will, in
all probability, be obliged to rest contented with the consciousness
of his talent.

From the ship-yard we proceeded to the garden, which was very large
but greatly neglected.  There were neither alleys nor fruit trees,
rocks nor figures; but, to make up for these, an insufferable quantity
of summer-houses, bridges, galleries, little temples, and pagodas.

The dwelling-house consisted of a large hall and a number of small
chambers.  The walls were ornamented, both inside and out, with
carved wood-work, and the roof abundantly decorated with points and
pinnacles.

In the large halls plays and other entertainments are sometimes enacted
for the amusement of the ladies, who are universally confined to their
houses and gardens, which can only be visited by strangers in their
absence. {112}

A number of peacocks, silver-pheasants, mandarin-ducks, and deer
are preserved in their gardens.  In one corner was a small, gloomy
bamboo plantation, in which were some family graves; and not far off
a small earthen mound had been raised, with a wooden tablet, on which
was a long poetical inscription in honour of the favourite snake of
the mandarin, which was buried there.

After duly inspecting everything, we set off on our road home, and
reached there in safety.

I was not so fortunate a few days later on visiting a tea-factory. 
The proprietor conducted me himself over the workshops, which consisted
of large halls, in which six hundred people, including a great many
old women and children, were at work.  My entrance occasioned a
perfect revolt.  Old and young rose from work, the elder portion
lifting up the younger members of the community in their arms and pointing
at me with their fingers.  The whole mass then pressed close upon
me and raised so horrible a cry that I began to be alarmed.  The
proprietor and his overseer had a difficult task to keep off the crowd,
and begged me to content myself with a hasty glance at the different
objects, and then to quit the building as soon as possible.

In consequence of this I could only manage to observe that the leaves
of the plant are thrown for a few seconds into boiling water, and then
placed in flat iron pans, fixed slantingly in stone-work, where they
are slightly roasted by a gentle heat, during which process they are
continually stirred by hand.  As soon as they begin to curl a little,
they are thrown upon large planks, and each single leaf is rolled together. 
This is effected with such rapidity, that it requires a person’s
undivided attention to perceive that no more than one leaf is rolled
up at a time.  After this, all the leaves are placed once more
in the pan.  Black tea takes some time to roast, and the green
is frequently coloured with Prussian blue, an exceedingly small quantity
of which is added during the second roasting.  Last of all the
tea is once more shaken out upon the large boards, in order that it
may be carefully inspected, and the leaves that are not entirely closed
are rolled over again.

Before I left, the proprietor conducted me into his house, and treated
me to a cup of tea prepared after the fashion in which it is usually
drunk by rich and noble Chinese.  A small quantity was placed in
a China cup, boiling water poured upon it, and the cup then closed with
a tightly-fitting cover.  In a few seconds the tea is then drank
and the leaves left at the bottom.  The Chinese take neither sugar,
rum, nor milk with their tea; they say that anything added to it, and
even the stirring of it, causes it to lose its aroma; in my cup, however,
a little sugar was put.

The tea-plant, which I saw in the plantations round about Canton,
was at most six feet high; it is not allowed to grow any higher, and
is consequently cut at intervals.  Its leaves are used from the
third to the eighth year; and the plant is then cut down, in order that
it may send forth new shoots, or else it is rooted out.  There
are three gatherings in the year; the first in March, the second in
April, and the third, which lasts for three months, in May.  The
leaves of the first gathering are so delicate and fine that they might
easily be taken for the blossom, which has no doubt given rise to the
error that the so-called “bloom or imperial tea” is supposed
not to consist of the leaves but of the blossom itself. {114} 
This gathering is so hurtful to the plant that it often perishes.

I was informed that the tea which comes from the neighbourhood of
Canton is the worst, and that from the provinces somewhat more to the
north the best.  The tea manufacturers of Canton are said to possess
the art of giving tea that has been frequently used, or spoiled by rain,
the appearance of good tea.  They dry and roast the leaves, colour
them yellow with powdered kurkumni, or light green with Prussian blue,
and then roll them tightly up.  The price of the tea sent to Europe
varies from fifteen to sixty dollars (£3 to £12) a pikul,
of 134 lb. English weight.  The kind at sixty dollars does not
find a very ready market; the greater part of it is exported to England. 
The “bloom” is not met with in trade.

I must mention a sight which I accidentally saw, one evening, upon
the Pearl stream.  It was, as I afterwards heard, a thanksgiving
festival in honour of the gods, by the owners of two junks that had
made a somewhat long sea voyage without being pillaged by pirates, or
overtaken by the dangerous typhoon.

Two of the largest flower boats, splendidly illuminated, were floating
gently down the stream.  Three rows of lamps were hung round the
upper part of the vessels, forming perfect galleries of fire; all the
cabins were full of chandeliers and lamps, and on the forecastle large
fires were burning out of which rockets darted at intervals with a loud
report, although they only attained the elevation of a few feet. 
On the foremost vessel there was a large mast erected, and hung with
myriads of coloured paper lamps up to its very top, forming a beautiful
pyramid.  Two boats, abundantly furnished with torches and provided
with boisterous music, preceded these two fiery masses.  Slowly
did they float through the darkness of the night, appearing like the
work of fairy hands.  Sometimes they stopped, when high flames,
fed with holy perfumed paper, flickered upwards to the sky.

Perfumed paper, which must be bought from the priests, is burnt at
every opportunity, and very frequently beforehand, after every prayer. 
From the trade in this paper the greater portion of the priests’
income is derived.

On several occasions, accompanied by Herr von Carlowitz, I took short
walks in the streets near the factory.  I found the greater pleasure
in examining the beautiful articles of Chinese manufacture, which I
could here do at my leisure, as the shops were not so open as those
I saw during my excursion round the walls of Canton, but had doors and
windows like our own, so that I could walk in and be protected from
the pressure of the crowd.  The streets, also, in this quarter
were somewhat broader, well paved, and protected with mats or planks
to keep off the burning heat of the sun.

In the neighbourhood of the factory, namely in Fousch-an, where most
of the manufactories are situated, a great many places may be reached
by water, as the streets, like those in Venice, are intersected by canals. 
This quarter of Canton, however, is not the handsomest, because all
the warehouses are erected on the sides of the canals, where the different
workmen have also taken up their residence in miserable huts that, built
half upon the ground and half upon worm-eaten piles, stretch far out
over the water.

I had now been altogether, from July 13th to August 20th, five weeks
in Canton.  The season was the hottest in the whole year, and the
heat was really insupportable.  In the house, the glass rose as
high as 94½°, and out of doors, in the shade, as high as
99°.  To render this state of things bearable, the inhabitants
use, besides the punkas in the rooms, wicker-work made of bamboo. 
This wicker-work is placed before the windows and doors, or over those
portions of the roofs under which the workshops are situated. 
Even whole walls are formed of it, standing about eight or ten feet
from the real ones, and provided with entrances, window-openings, and
roofs.  The houses are most effectually disguised by it.

On my return to Hong-Kong, I again set out on board a junk, but not
so fearlessly as the first time; the unhappy end of Monsieur Vauchée
was still fresh in my memory.  I took the precaution of packing
up the few clothes and linen I had in the presence of the servants,
that they might be convinced that any trouble the pirates might give
themselves on my account would be thrown away.

On the evening of the 20th of August I bade Canton, and all my friends
there, farewell; and at 9 o’clock I was once again floating down
the Si-Kiang, or Pearl stream, famous for the deeds of horror perpetrated
on it.

CHAPTER IX.  THE EAST INDIES—SINGAPORE.

ARRIVAL IN HONG-KONG—THE ENGLISH STEAMER—SINGAPORE
PLANTATIONS—A HUNTING PARTY IN THE JUNGLE—A CHINESE FUNERAL—THE
FEAST OF LANTERNS—TEMPERATURE AND CLIMATE.

The passage from Canton to Hong-Kong was accomplished without any
circumstance worthy of notice, save the time it took, in consequence
of the prevalence of contrary winds the whole way.  We were, it
is true, woke up the first night by the report of guns; but I expect
they were not fired at us, as we were not molested.  My travelling
companions, the Chinese, also behaved themselves on this occasion with
the greatest politeness and decorum; and, had I been enabled to look
into the future, I would willingly have given up the English steamer
and pursued my journey as far as Singapore on board a junk.  But
as this was impossible, I availed myself of the English steamer, “Pekin,”
of 450 horse-power, Captain Fronson commander, which leaves for Calcutta
every month.

As the fares are most exorbitant, {116}
I was advised to take a third-class ticket, and hire a cabin from one
of the engineers or petty officers; I was greatly pleased with the notion,
and hastened to carry it out.  My astonishment, however, may be
imagined when, on paying my fare, I was told that the third-class passengers
were not respectable, that they were obliged to sleep upon deck, and
that the moon was exceedingly dangerous, etc.  It was in vain that
I replied I was the best judge of my own actions; I was obliged, unless
I chose to remain behind, to pay for one of the second places. 
This certainly gave me a very curious idea of English liberty.

On the 25th of August, at 1 o’clock, P.M., I went on board. 
On reaching the vessel I found no servant in the second places, and
was obliged to ask a sailor to take my luggage into the cabin. 
This latter was certainly anything but comfortable.  The furniture
was of the most common description, the table was covered with stains
and dirt, and the whole place was one scene of confusion.  I inquired
for the sleeping cabin, and found there was but one for both sexes. 
I was told to apply to one of the officials, who would no doubt allow
me to sleep somewhere else.  I did so, and obtained a neat little
cabin in consequence, and the steward was kind enough to propose that
I should take my meals with his wife.  I did not, however, choose
to accept the offer; I paid dearly enough, Heaven knows, and did not
choose to accept everything as a favour.  Besides, this was the
first English steamer I had ever been on board, and I was curious to
learn how second-class passengers were treated.

The company at our table consisted not only of the passengers, of
whom there were three besides myself, but of the cooks and waiters of
the first-class places, as well as of the butcher; or, in a word, of
every one of the attendants who chose to take “pot-luck”
with us.  As for any etiquette in the article of costume, that
was entirely out of the question.  Sometimes one of the company
would appear without either coat or jacket; the butcher was generally
oblivious of his shoes and stockings; and it was really necessary to
be endowed with a ravenous appetite to be enabled to eat anything with
such a set.

The bill of fare was certainly adapted to the crew and their costume,
but decidedly not to the passengers, who had to pay thirteen dollars
(£2 12s.) a day each for provisions.

The table-cloth was full of stains, and, in lieu of a napkin, each
guest was at liberty to use his handkerchief.  The knives and forks
had white and black horn handles, with notched blades, and broken prongs. 
On the first day we had no spoons at all; on the second we had one between
us, and this one was placed on the table in solitary grandeur during
the entire voyage.  There were only two glasses, and those of the
most ordinary description, which circulated from mouth to mouth; as
I was a female, instead of my turn of the glasses, I had, as a peculiar
mark of distinction, an old tea-cup with the handle knocked off.

The head cook, who did the honours, pleaded in excuse for all this
discomfort, that they happened this voyage to be short of servants. 
This struck me as really a little too naïve, for when I
paid my money I paid for what I ought to have then, and not for what
I might have another time.

As I said before, the provisions were execrable; the remnants of
the first cabin were sent to us poor wretches.  Two or three different
things would very often be side by side in the most friendly and brotherly
manner upon one dish, even although their character was widely different;
that was looked upon as a matter of no import, which was also the case
as to whether the things came to table hot or cold.

On one occasion, during tea, the head cook was in unusually good
humour, and remarked, “I spare no possible pains to provide for
you.  I hope you want for nothing.”  Two of the passengers,
Englishmen, replied, “No, that’s true!”  The
third, who was a Portuguese, did not understand the importance of the
assertion.  As a native of Germany, not possessing the patriotic
feeling of an English subject in the matter, I should have replied very
differently had I not been a women, and if, by so replying, I could
have effected a change for the better.

The only light we had was from a piece of tallow candle, that often
went out by eight o’clock.  We were then under the necessity
of sitting in the dark or going to bed.

In the morning the cabin served as a barber’s shop, and in
the afternoon as a dormitory, where the cooks and servants, who were
half dead with sleep, used to come and slumber on the benches.

In order to render us still more comfortable, one of the officers
pitched upon our cabin as quarters for two young puppies, who did nothing
but keep up one continued howl; he would not have dared to put them
in the sailors’ cabin, because the latter would have kicked them
out without farther ceremony.

My description will, in all probability, be considered exaggerated,
especially as there is an old opinion that the English are, above all
other people, justly celebrated for their comfort and cleanliness. 
I can, however, assure my readers that I have spoken nothing but the
truth; and I will even add that, although I have made many voyages on
board steam-ships, and always paid second fare, never did I pay so high
a price for such wretched and detestable treatment.  In all my
life I was never so cheated.  The only circumstance on board the
ship to which I can refer with pleasure was the conduct of the officers,
who were, without exception, obliging and polite.

I was very much struck with the remarkable degree of patience exhibited
by my fellow-passengers.  I should like to know what an Englishman,
who has always got the words “comfort” and “comfortable”
at the top of his tongue, would say, if he were treated in this manner
on board a steamer belonging to any other nation?

For the first few days of our voyage we saw no land, and it was not
until the 28th of August that we caught sight of the rocky coast of
Cochin China.  During the whole of the 29th we steered close along
the coast, but could see no signs of either human beings or habitations,
the only objects visible being richly wooded mountain-ranges; in the
evening, however, we beheld several fires, which might have been mistaken
for the signals from lighthouses, and proved that the country was not
quite uninhabited.

During the following day we only saw a large solitary rock called
“The Shoe.”  It struck me as being exactly like the
head of a shepherd’s dog.

On the 2nd of September we neared Malacca.  Skirting the coast
are tolerably high, well-wooded mountain-ranges, infested, according
to all accounts, by numerous tigers, that render all travelling very
dangerous.

On the 3rd of September we ran into the port of Singapore; but it
was so late in the evening, that we could not disembark.

On the following morning I paid a visit to the firm of Behu and Meyer,
to whom I had letters of introduction.  Madame Behu was the first
German lady I had met since my departure from Hamburgh.  I cannot
say how delighted I was at forming her acquaintance.  I was once
more able to give free vent to my feelings in my own native tongue. 
Madame Behu would not hear of my lodging in an hotel; I was immediately
installed as a member of her own amiable family.  My original plan
was to have remained but a short period in Singapore, and then proceed
in a sailing vessel to Calcutta, as I had a perfect horror of English
steamers, and as I had been told that opportunities continually presented
themselves.  I waited, however, week after week in vain, until,
in spite of my unwillingness, I was obliged to embark in a comfortable
English steamer at last. {118}

The Europeans lead pretty much the same kind of life at Singapore
that they do at Canton, with this difference, however, that the merchants
reside with their families in the country, and come to town every morning
for business.  Each family is obliged to keep a large staff of
servants, and the lady of the house meddles very little in domestic
matters, as these are generally altogether entrusted to the major-domo.

The servants are Chinese, with the exception of the seis (coachmen
or grooms), who are Bengalese.  Every spring, whole shiploads of
Chinese boys, from ten to fifteen years old, come over here.  They
are generally so poor that they cannot pay their passage.  When
this is the case, the captain brings them over on his own account, and
is paid beforehand, by the person engaging them, their wages for the
first year.  These young people live very economically, and when
they have a little money, return generally to their native country,
though many hire themselves as journeymen, and stop altogether.

The Island of Singapore has a population of 55,000 souls, 40,000
of whom are Chinese, 10,000 Malays, or natives, and 150 Europeans. 
The number of women is said to be very small, in consequence of the
immigrants from China and India consisting only of men and boys.

The town of Singapore and its environs contain upwards of 20,000
inhabitants.  The streets struck me as being broad and airy, but
the houses are not handsome.  They are only one story high; and,
from the fact of the roof’s being placed directly above the windows,
appear as if they were crushed.  On account of the continual heat,
there is no glass in any of the windows, but its place is supplied by
sun-blinds.

Every article of merchandise has here, as at Canton, if not its own
peculiar street, at least its own side of the street.  The building
in which meat and vegetables are sold, is a fine handsome edifice resembling
a temple.

As a natural result of the number of persons of different nations
congregated upon this island, there are various temples, none of which
are worthy of notice, however, with the exception of that belonging
to the Chinese.  It is formed like an ordinary house, but the roof
is ornamented in the usual Chinese fashion to rather too great an extent. 
It is loaded with points and pinnacles, with circles and curves without
end, all of which are formed of coloured tiles or porcelain, and decorated
with an infinity of arabesques, flowers, dragons, and other monsters. 
Over the principal entrance are small stone bas-reliefs, and both the
exterior and interior of the building can boast of a profusion of carved
wood-work richly gilt.

Some fruit and biscuits of various descriptions, with a very small
quantity of boiled rice, were placed upon the altar of the Goddess of
Mercy.  These are renewed every evening, and whatever the goddess
may leave is the perquisite of the bonzes.  On the same altar lay
pretty little wooden counters cut in an oval shape, which the Chinese
toss up in the air; it is held to be a sign of ill-luck if they fall
upon the reverse side, but if they fall upon the other, this is believed
to betoken good fortune.  The worthy people are in the habit of
tossing them up until they fall as desired.

Another manner of learning the decrees of fate consists in placing
a number of thin wooden sticks in a basin, and then shaking them until
one falls out.  Each of these sticks is inscribed with a certain
number, corresponding with a sentence in a book of proverbs.  This
temple was more frequented by the people than those in Canton. 
The counters and sticks seemed to exercise great influence over the
congregation, for it was only round them that they gathered.

There is nothing further to be seen in the town, but the environs,
or rather the whole island, offers the most enchanting sight. 
The view cannot certainly be called magnificent or grand, since one
great feature necessary to give it this character, namely, mountains,
is entirely wanting.  The highest hill, on which the governor’s
house and the telegraph are situated, is scarcely more than 200 feet
high, but the luxuriant verdancy, the neat houses of the Europeans in
the midst of beautiful gardens, the plantations of the most precious
spices, the elegant areca and feathered palms, with their slim stems
shooting up to a height of a hundred feet, and spreading out into the
thick feather-like tuft of fresh green, by which they are distinguished
from every other kind of palms, and, lastly, the jungle in the back-ground,
compose a most beautiful landscape, and which appears doubly lovely
to a person like myself, just escaped from that prison ycleped Canton,
or from the dreary scenery about the town of Victoria.

The whole island is intersected with excellent roads, of which those
skirting the sea-shore are the most frequented, and where handsome carriages,
and horses from New Holland, and even from England, {120a}
are to be seen.  Besides the European carriages, there are also
certain vehicles of home manufacture called palanquins, which are altogether
closed and surrounded on all sides with jalousies.  Generally,
there is but one horse, at the side of which both the coachman and footman
run on foot.  I could not help expressing my indignation at the
barbarity of this custom, when I was informed that the residents had
wanted to abolish it, but that the servants had protested against it,
and begged to be allowed to run beside the carriage rather than sit
or stand upon it.  They cling to the horse or vehicle, and are
thus dragged along with it.

Hardly a day passed that we did not drive out.  Twice a week
a very fine military band used to play on the esplanade close to the
sea, and the whole world of fashionables would either walk or drive
to the place to hear the music.  The carriages were ranged several
rows deep, and surrounded by young beaux on foot and horseback; any
one might have been excused for imagining himself in an European city. 
As for myself, it gave me more pleasure to visit a plantation, or some
other place of the kind, than to stop and look on what I had so often
witnessed in Europe. {120b}

I frequently used to visit the plantations of nutmegs and cloves,
and refresh myself with their balsamic fragrance.  The nutmeg-tree
is about the size of a fine apricot-bush, and is covered from top to
bottom with thick foliage; the branches grow very low down the stem,
and the leaves shine as if they were varnished.  The fruit is exactly
similar to an apricot covered with yellowish-brown spots.
When
ripe it bursts, exposing to view a round kernel about the size of a
nut, enclosed in a kind of net-work of a fine deep red: this network
is known as mace.  It is carefully separated from the nutmeg itself,
and dried in the shade.  While undergoing this process, it is frequently
sprinkled with sea-water, to prevent its original tint turning black
instead of yellow.  In addition to this net-work, the nutmeg is
covered with a thin, soft rind.  The nutmeg itself is also dried,
then smoke-dried a little, and afterwards, to prevent its turning mouldy,
dipped several times in sea-water, containing a weak solution of lime.

The clove-tree is somewhat smaller, and cannot boast of such luxuriant
foliage, or such fine large leaves as the nutmeg-tree.  The cloves
are the buds of the tree gathered before they have had time to blossom. 
They are first smoked, and then laid for a short time in the sun.

Another kind of spice is the areca-nut, which hangs under the crown
of the palm of the same name, in groups containing from ten to twenty
nuts each.  It is somewhat larger than a nutmeg, and its outer
shell is of so bright a colour, that it resembles the gilt nuts which
are hung upon the Christmas-trees in Germany.  The kernel is almost
the same colour as the nutmeg, but it has no net-work: it is dried in
the shade.

The Chinese and natives of the place chew this nut with betel-leaf
and calcined mussel-shells.  They strew the leaf with a small quantity
of the mussel-powder, to which they add a very small piece of the nut,
and make the whole into a little packet, which they put into their mouth. 
When they chew tobacco at the same time, the saliva becomes as red as
blood, and their mouths, when open, look like little furnaces, especially
if, as is frequently the case with the Chinese, the person has his teeth
dyed and filed.  The first time I saw a case of the kind I was
very frightened: I thought the poor fellow had sustained some serious
injury, and that his mouth was full of blood.

I also visited a sago manufactory.  The unprepared sago is imported
from the neighbouring island of Borromeo, and consists of the pith of
a short, thick kind of palm.  The tree is cut down when it is seven
years old, split up from top to bottom, and the pith, of which there
is always a large quantity, extracted; it is then freed from the fibres,
pressed in large frames, and dried at the fire or in the sun. 
At this period it has still a yellowish tinge.  The following is
the manner in which it is grained: The meal or pith is steeped in water
for several days, until it is completely blanched; it is then once more
dried by the fire or in the sun, and passed under a large wooden roller,
and through a hair sieve.  When it has become white and fine, it
is placed in a kind of linen winnowing-fan, which is kept damp in a
peculiar manner.  The workman takes a mouthful of water, and spurts
it out like fine rain over the fan, in which the meal is alternately
shaken and moistened in the manner just mentioned, until it assumes
the shape of small globules, which are constantly stirred round in large,
flat pans until they are dried, when they are passed through a second
sieve, not quite so fine as the first, and the larger globules separated
from the rest.

The building in which the process takes place is a large shed without
walls, its roof being supported upon the trunks of trees.

I was indebted to the kindness of the Messrs. Behu and Meyer for
a very interesting excursion into the jungle.  The gentlemen, four
in number, all well provided with fowling-pieces, having determined
to start a tiger, besides which they were obliged to be prepared for
bears, wild boars, and large serpents.  We drove as far as the
river Gallon, where we found two boats in readiness for us, but, before
entering them, paid a visit to a sugar-refining establishment situated
upon the banks of the river.

The sugar-cane was piled up in stacks before the building, but there
had only been sufficient for a day’s consumption, as all that
remained would have turned sour from the excessive heat.  The cane
is first passed under metal cylinders, which press out all the juice;
this runs into large cauldrons, in which it is boiled and then allowed
to cool.  It is afterwards placed in earthen jars, where it becomes
completely dry.

The buildings resembled those I have described when speaking of the
preparation of sago.

After we had witnessed the process of sugar-baking, we entered the
boats, and proceeded up the stream.  We were soon in the midst
of the virgin forests, and experienced, at every stroke of the oars,
greater difficulty in forcing our passage, on account of the numerous
trunks of trees both in and over the stream.  We were frequently
obliged to land and lift the boats over these trees, or else lie flat
down, and thus pass under them as so many bridges.  All kinds of
brushwood, full of thorns and brambles, hung down over our heads, and
even some gigantic leaves proved a serious obstacle to us.  These
leaves belonged to a sort of palm called the Mungkuang.  Near the
stem they are five inches broad, but their length is about twelve feet,
and as the stream is scarcely more than nine feet wide, they reached
right across it.

The natural beauty of the scene was so great, however, that these
occasional obstructions, so far from diminishing, actually heightened
the charm of the whole.  The forest was full of the most luxuriant
underwood, creepers, palms, and fern plants; the latter, in many instances
sixteen feet high, proved a no less effectual screen against the burning
rays of the sun than did the palms and other trees.

My previous satisfaction was greatly augmented on seeing several
apes skipping about on the highest branches of the trees, while others
were heard chattering in our immediate vicinity.  This was the
first time I had seen these animals in a state of perfect freedom, and
I secretly felt very much delighted that the gentlemen with me did not
succeed in shooting any of the mischievous little creatures: they brought
down, however, a few splendid lories (a sort of small parrot of the
most beautiful plumage) and some squirrels.  But our attention
was soon attracted by a much more serious object.  We remarked
in the branches of one of the trees a dark body, which, on nearer inspection,
we found to be that of a large serpent, lying coiled up, and waiting,
probably, to dart upon its prey.  We ventured pretty near, but
it remained quite motionless without turning its eyes from us, and little
thinking how near its death was.  One of the gentlemen fired, and
hit it in the side.  As quick as lightning, and with the greatest
fury, it darted from the tree, but remained fast, with its tail entangled
in a bough.  It kept making springs at us, with its forked tongue
exposed to view, but all in vain, as we kept at a respectable distance. 
A few more shots put an end to its existence, and we then pulled up
under the bough on which it was hanging.  One of the boatmen, a
Malay, made a small noose of strong, tough grass, which he threw round
the head of the serpent, and thus dragged it into the boat.  He
also told us that we should be sure to find a second not far off, as
serpents of this kind always go in pairs, and, true enough, the gentlemen
in the other boat had already shot the second, which was also coiled
up on the branch of a large tree.

These serpents were of a dark green colour, with beautiful yellow
streaks, and about twelve feet in length.  I was told that they
belonged to the boa species.

After having proceeded eight English miles in four hours, we left
the boats, and following a narrow footpath, soon reached a number of
plots of ground, cleared from trees, and planted with pepper and gambir.

The pepper-tree is a tall bush-like plant, that, when trained and
supported with props, will attain a height varying from fifteen to eighteen
feet.  The pepper grows in small, grape-like bunches, which are
first red, then green, and lastly, nearly black.  The plant begins
to bear in the second year.

White pepper is not a natural production, but is obtained by dipping
the black pepper several times in sea-water: this causes it to lose
its colour, and become a dirty white.  The price of a pikul of
white pepper is six dollars (24s.), whereas that of a pikul of black
is only three dollars (12s.).

The greatest height attained by the gambir plant is eight feet. 
The leaves alone are used in trade: they are first stripped off the
stalk, and then boiled down in large coppers.  The thick juice
is placed in wide wooden vessels, and dried in the sun; it is then cut
into slips three inches long and packed up.  Gambir is an article
that is very useful in dyeing, and hence is frequently exported to Europe. 
Pepper plantations are always to be found near a plantation of the gambir
plant, as the former are always manured with the boiled leaves of the
latter.

Although all the work on the plantations, as well as every other
description of labour at Singapore, is performed by free labourers,
I was told that it cost less than if it were done by slaves.  The
wages here are very trifling indeed; a common labourer receives three
dollars a month, without either board or lodging; and yet with this,
he is enabled not only to subsist himself, but to maintain a family. 
Their huts, which are composed of foliage, they build themselves; their
food consists of small fish, roots, and a few vegetables.  Nor
is their apparel more expensive; for, beyond the immediate vicinity
of the town, and where all the plantations are situated, the children
go about entirely naked, while the men wear nothing more than a small
apron about a hand’s-breadth wide, and fastened between the legs:
the women are the only persons dressed with anything like propriety.

The plantations that we now saw, and which we reached about 10 o’clock,
were cultivated by Chinese.  In addition to their huts of leaves,
they had erected a small temple, where they invited us to alight. 
We immediately spread out upon the altar some refreshments, which Madame
Behu, like a good housewife, had given us; but, instead of imitating
the Chinese, and sacrificing them to the gods, we were wicked enough
to devour them ravenously ourselves.

When we had satisfied our hunger, we skinned the serpent and then
made a present of it to the Chinese; but they gave us to understand
that they would not touch it, at which I was greatly surprised, since
they will generally eat anything.  I was afterwards convinced that
this was all pretence, for on returning some hours later from our hunting
excursion and going into one of their huts, we found them all seated
round a large dish in which were pieces of roast meat of the peculiar
round shape of the serpent.  They wanted to hide the dish in a
great hurry, but I entered very quickly and gave them some money to
be allowed to taste it.  I found the flesh particularly tender
and delicate, even more tender than that of a chicken.

But I have quite forgotten to describe our hunting excursion. 
We asked the labourers if they could not put us on the track of a tiger;
they described to us a part of the wood where one was reported to have
taken up his abode a few days previously, and we immediately set off. 
We had great difficulty in forcing our way through the forest, having,
at every instant, to clamber over prostrate trees, creep through brambles
or cross over swamps, but we had, at all events, the satisfaction of
progressing, which we certainly should not have had in the forests of
Brazil, where such an undertaking would have been impracticable. 
It is true that there were creepers and orchids, but not in such numbers
as in Brazil, and the trees, too, stand far wider apart.  We saw
some splendid specimens, towering to a height of above a hundred feet. 
The objects which interested us most were the ebony and kolim trees. 
The timber of the first is of two kinds, a layer of brownish-yellow
surrounding the inner stem, which composes that portion especially known
as ebony.

The kolim-tree diffuses an excessively strong odour, similar to that
of onions, indicating its site at some distance off.  The fruit
tastes extremely like onions, and is very often used by the common people,
but its odour and taste are too strong for Europeans.  I merely
just touched a piece of fresh rind, and my hands smelt of it the next
morning.

We beat about the forest for some hours without meeting the game
of which we were in search.  We once thought that we had found
the lair, but we soon found that we were mistaken.  One of the
gentlemen, too, affirmed that he heard the growl of a bear; it must,
however, have been a very gentle growl, as no one else heard it, although
we were all close together.

We returned home without any further addition to our stock of game,
but highly delighted with our agreeable trip.

Although Singapore is a small island, and all means have been used
and rewards offered for the extirpation of the tigers, they have failed. 
Government gives a premium of a hundred dollars, and the Society of
Singapore Merchants a similar sum for every tiger killed.  Besides
this, the valuable skin belongs to the fortunate hunter, and even the
flesh is worth something, as it is eagerly bought by the Chinese for
eating.  The tigers, however, swim over from the neighbouring peninsula
of Malacca, which is only separated from Singapore by a very narrow
channel, and hence it will be impossible to eradicate them entirely.

The varieties of fruit found at Singapore are very numerous and beautiful. 
Among the best may be reckoned the mangostan, which is said to grow
only here and in Java.  It is as big as a middling-sized apple. 
The rind is a deep brown on the outside and scarlet inside, and the
fruit itself is white, and divided naturally into four or five sections:
it almost melts in the mouth, and has an exquisite flavour.  The
pine-apples are much more juicy, sweeter, and considerably larger than
those at Canton; I saw some which must have weighed about four pounds. 
Whole fields are planted with them, and when they arrive at full maturity,
three or four hundred may be bought for a dollar.  They are often
eaten with salt.  There is also another kind of fruit, “sauersop,”
which also often weighs several pounds, and is green outside and white
or pale yellow inside.  It very much resembles strawberries in
taste, and, like them, is eaten with wine and sugar.  The gumaloh
is divided into several distinct slices, and resembles a pale yellow
orange, but is not so sweet and juicy; many people, however, prefer
it; it is at least five times as large as an orange.  In my opinion,
however, the palm of excellence is borne away by the “custard
apple,” which is covered with small green scales. {125} 
The inside, which is full of black pips, is very white, as soft as butter,
and of the most exquisite flavour.  It is eaten with the help of
small spoons.

A few days before my departure from Singapore, I had an opportunity
of witnessing the burial of a Chinese in easy circumstances.  The
procession passed our house, and in spite of a temperature of 113°
Fah., I went with it to the grave, which was three or four miles distant,
and was too much interested in the ceremony to leave until it was concluded,
although it lasted nearly two hours.

At the head of the procession was a priest, and at his side a Chinese
with a lantern two feet high, covered with white cambric.  Then
came two musicians, one of whom beat a small drum at intervals, and
the other played the cymbals.  These persons were followed by the
coffin, with a servant holding a large open parasol over that part of
it on which the head of the deceased lay.  Alongside walked the
eldest son or the nearest male relative, carrying a small white flag,
and with his hair hanging in disorder over his shoulders.  The
relations were all dressed in the deepest mourning—that is to
say, entirely in white; the men had even got white caps on, and the
women were so enveloped in white cloths that it was impossible to see
so much as their faces.  The friends and attendants, who followed
the coffin in small groups without order or regularity, had all got
a white strip of cambric bound round their head, their waist, or their
arm.  As soon as it was remarked that I had joined the procession,
a man who had a quantity of these strips, came up and offered me one,
which I took and bound round my arm.

The coffin, which consisted of the trunk of a large tree, was covered
with a dark-coloured cloth; a few garlands of flowers were suspended
from it, and some rice, tied up in a cloth, was placed upon it. 
Four-and-twenty men bore this heavy burden on immense poles: their behaviour
was excessively lively, and every time they changed, they began quarrelling
or laughing among themselves.  Nor did the other personages in
the ceremony display either grief or respect; they ate, drank, smoked,
and talked, while some carried cold tea in small pails for the benefit
of such as might be thirsty.  The son alone held himself aloof;
he walked, according to custom, plunged in deep sorrow by the side of
the coffin.

On reaching the road that led to the last resting place, the son
threw himself upon the ground, and, covering up his face, sobbed very
audibly.  After a little, he got up again and tottered behind the
coffin, so that two men were obliged to support him; he appeared very
ill and deeply moved.  It is true, I was afterwards informed that
this grief is mostly merely assumed, since custom requires that the
chief mourner shall be, or pretend to be, weak and ill with sorrow.

On arriving at the grave, which was seven feet deep, and dug on the
declivity of a hill, they laid the pall, flowers, and rice on one side,
and then, after throwing in a vast quantity of gold and silver paper,
lowered the coffin, which I then for the first time perceived was of
the finest workmanship, lacquered and hermetically closed.  At
least half an hour was taken up by this part of the proceedings. 
The relations at first threw themselves on the ground, and, covering
their faces, howled horribly, but finding the burial lasted rather long,
sat down in a circle all round, and taking their little baskets of betel,
burnt mussel-shells, and areca-nuts, began chewing away with the greatest
composure.

After the coffin was lowered into the grave, one of the attendants
advanced to the upper part of it, and opened the small packet of rice,
on which he placed a sort of compass.  A cord was then handed to
him.  He placed it over the middle of the compass, and altered
its position until it lay exactly in the same direction as the needle. 
A second cord, with a plummet attached, was then held to the first and
let down into the grave, and the coffin moved backwards and forwards
according to this line, until the middle was in the same direction as
the needle: this arrangement consumed at least another quarter of an
hour.

After this, the coffin was covered over with numberless sheets of
white paper, and the person who had conducted the previous operation
made a short speech, during which the children of the deceased threw
themselves upon the ground.  When it was finished, the speaker
threw a few handfuls of rice over the coffin and to the children, who
held up the corner of their outer garments so as to catch as many of
the grains as possible; but as they only succeeded in obtaining a few,
the speaker gave about a handful more, which they tied up carefully
in the corner of their dress, and took away with them.

The grave was at last filled in, when the relations set up a most
dismal howl, but, as far as I could remark, every eye was dry.

After this, boiled fowls, ducks, pork, fruit, all kinds of pastry,
and a dozen cups full of tea, together with the tea-pot, were placed
in two rows upon the grave, and six painted wax tapers lighted and stuck
in the ground near the refreshments.  During all this time, immense
heaps of gold and silver paper were set fire to and consumed.

The eldest son now approached the grave again, and threw himself
down several times, touching the ground on each occasion with his forehead. 
Six perfumed paper tapers were handed to him a-light; when he had swung
them round in the air a few times he gave them back, when they also,
in their turn, were fixed in the earth.  The other relations performed
the same ceremony.

During all this time, the priest had been sitting at a considerable
distance from the grave under the shade of a large parasol, and without
taking the slightest share in the proceedings.  He now, however,
came forward, made a short speech, during which he rang a small bell
several times, and his duty was at an end.  The refreshments were
cleared away, the tea poured over the grave, and the whole company returned
home in excellent spirits accompanied by the music, which had also played
at intervals over the grave.  The provisions, as I was informed,
were distributed among the poor.

On the following day I witnessed the celebrated Chinese Feast of
Lanterns.  From all the houses, at the corners of the roofs, from
high posts, etc., were hung innumerable lanterns, made of paper or gauze,
and most artistically ornamented with gods, warriors, and animals. 
In the courts and gardens of the different houses, or, where there were
no courts or gardens, in the streets, all kinds of refreshments and
fruit were laid out with lights and flowers, in the form of half pyramids
on large tables.  The people wandered about the streets, gardens,
and courts, until nearly midnight, when the edible portions of the pyramids
were eaten by the proprietors of them.  I was very much pleased
with this feast, but with no part of it more than the quiet and orderly
behaviour of the people: they looked at all the eatables with a scrutinizing
glance, but without touching the smallest fragment.

Singapore is situated 58’ (nautical miles) north of the line,
in 104° East longitude, and the climate, when compared to that of
other southern countries, is very agreeable.  During the period
of my stay, extending from September 3rd to October 8th, the heat seldom
exceeded 83° 75’ indoors, and 117° in the sun.  There
is never any great variation in the temperature, which is the natural
consequence of the place being near the equator.  The sun always
rises and sets at 6 A.M. and 6 P.M. respectively, and is immediately
followed by full daylight or perfect night; the twilight hardly lasting
ten minutes.

In conclusion, I must remark that Singapore will shortly become the
central point of all the Indian steamers.  Those from Hong-Kong,
Ceylon, Madras, Calcutta, and Europe arrive regularly once a month;
there is likewise a Dutch war-steamer from Batavia, and in a little
time there will also be steamers running to and fro between this place,
and Manilla and Sidney.

CHAPTER X.  THE EAST INDIES—CEYLON.

DEPARTURE FROM SINGAPORE—THE ISLAND OF PINANG—CEYLON—POINTE
DE GALLE—EXCURSION INTO THE INTERIOR—COLOMBO—CANDY—THE
TEMPLE OF DAGOHA—ELEPHANT HUNT—RETURN TO COLOMBO AND POINTE
DE GALLE.

I once more embarked in an English steamer, the “Braganza,”
of 350 horse power, that left Singapore for Ceylon on the 7th of October. 
The distance between the two places is 1,900 miles.

The treatment I experienced on board this vessel was, it is true,
a little different from that on board the other, although it was nearly
as bad.  There were four of us in the second cabin; {128}
we dined alone, and had a mulatto servant to attend upon us.  Unfortunately,
he was afflicted with elephantiasis, and his appearance did not at all
tend to whet the edge of our appetites.

During the 7th and 8th of October, we held our course through the
Strait of Malacca, which separates Sumatra from the peninsula, and during
all this time we never lost sight of land.  Malacca is, near the
coast, merely hilly; but further in the interior the hills swell into
a fine mountain range.  To our left lay a number of mountainous
islands, which completely intercepted our view of Sumatra.

But if the scenery around us was not remarkable, the spectacle on
board the vessel itself was highly interesting.  The crew was composed
of seventy-nine persons, comprising Chinese, Malays, Cingalese, Bengalese,
Hindostanese, and Europeans.  As a general rule, those of each
country generally took their meals separately with their own countrymen. 
They all had immense plates of rice, and little bowls full of curry;
a few pieces of dried fish supplied the place of bread.  They poured
the curry over the rice, and mixing the whole together with their hands,
made it into small balls which they put into their mouths with a small
piece of fish; about half their food used generally to fall back again
into their plates.

The costume of these people was very simple.  Many of them had
nothing more than a pair of short trousers on, with a dirty old turban,
and even the place of this was sometimes supplied by a coloured rag,
or a cast-off sailor’s cap.  The Malays wore long cloths
wound round their bodies, with one end hanging over their shoulder. 
The Chinese preserved intact their usual costume and mode of life; and
the coloured servants of the ship’s officers were the only ones
who were occasionally well and even elegantly dressed.  Their costume
consisted of white trousers, wide upper garments, also white, with white
sashes, silk jackets, and small embroidered white caps, or handsome
turbans.

The manner in which all these poor coloured people were treated was
certainly not in accordance with Christian principles.  No one
ever addressed them but in the roughest manner, and they were kicked
and cuffed about on every occasion; even the dirtiest little European
cabin-boy on board was allowed to act in the most cruel manner, and
play off the most ignoble practical jokes upon them.  Unhappy creatures!
how is it possible that they should feel any love for Christians?

On the 9th of October we landed on the small island of Pinang. 
The town of the same name lies in the midst of a small plain, which
forms the half of an isthmus.  Not far from the town rises a picturesque
mountain range.

I received five hours’ leave, which I devoted to riding about
in all directions through the town in a palanquin, and even going a
little distance into the country.  All that I could see resembled
what I had already seen at Singapore.  The town itself is not handsome,
but the contrary is the case with the country houses, which are all
situated in beautiful gardens.  The island is intersected by a
great number of excellent roads.

From one of the neighbouring mountains there is said to be a very
fine prospect of Pinang, a part of Malacca, and the sea, and, on the
road to the mountain, a waterfall.  Unfortunately, the few hours
at my disposal did not allow me to see everything.

The greatest portion of the population of this island consists of
Chinese, who perform all the manual labour, and engross all the retail
trade.

On the 11th of October we saw the small island of Pulo-Rondo, which
appertains to Sumatra.  We now took the shortest line across the
Bay of Bengal, and beheld land no more until we came in sight of Ceylon.

On the afternoon of the 17th of October, we neared Ceylon. 
I strained my anxious eyes to catch a glimpse of it as soon as possible,
for it is always described as being a second Eden; some go so far as
to affirm that our common father, Adam, settled there on his expulsion
from Paradise, and, as a proof of this, adduce the fact of many places
in the island, such as Adam’s Peak, Adam’s Bridge, etc.,
still bearing his name.  I breathed the very air more eagerly,
hoping, like other travellers, to inhale the fragrant odours wafted
to me from the plantations of costly spices.

It was one of the most magnificent sights I ever beheld, to observe
the island rising gradually from the sea, and to mark the numerous mountain
ranges, which intersect Ceylon in every direction, becoming every instant
more defined, their summits still magically lighted by the setting sun,
while the thick cocoa-groves, the hills, and plains lay enveloped in
dusky night.  The fragrant odours, however, were wanting, and the
vessel smelt, as usual, of nothing more than tar, coals, steam, and
oil.

About 9 in the evening, we arrived before the harbour at Pointe de
Galle, but, as the entrance is very dangerous, we quietly hove-to for
the night.  On the following morning two pilots came on board and
took us safely through the narrow passage of deep water leading into
the port.

Hardly were we landed before we were surrounded by a crowd of people
with precious stones, pearls, tortoiseshell, and ivory articles for
sale.  It is possible that a connoisseur may sometimes make a very
advantageous purchase; but I would advise those who have not much experience
in these things, not to be dazzled by the size and splendour of the
said precious stones and pearls, as the natives, according to all accounts,
have learnt from Europeans the art of profiting as much as they can
by a favourable opportunity.

Pointe de Galle is charmingly situated: in the fore-ground are some
fine groups of rock, and in the back-ground, immediately adjoining the
little town, which is protected by fortifications, rise magnificent
forests of palms.  The houses present a neat appearance; they are
low, and shaded by trees, which, in the better streets, are planted
so as to form alleys.

Pointe de Galle is the place of rendezvous for the steamers from
China, Bombay, Calcutta, and Suez.  Passengers from Calcutta, Bombay,
and Suez, do not stop more than twelve, or, at most, twenty-four hours;
but those proceeding from China to Calcutta have to wait ten or fourteen
days for the steamer that carries them to their destination.  This
delay was to me very agreeable, as I profited by it to make an excursion
to Candy.

There are two conveyances from Pointe de Galle to Colombo—the
mail which leaves every day, and a coach which starts three times a
week.  The distance is seventy-three English miles, and the journey
is performed in ten hours.  A place in the mail costs £1
10s., and in the coach 13s.  As I was pressed for time, I was obliged
to go by the first.  The roads are excellent; not a hill, not a
stone is there to impede the rapid rate at which the horses, that are
changed every eight miles, scamper along.

The greater portion of the road traversed thick forests of cocoa-trees,
at a little distance from the sea-shore, and the whole way was more
frequented and more thickly studded with houses than anything I ever
saw even in Europe.  Village followed village in quick succession,
and so many separate houses were built between them, that there was
not a minute that we did not pass one.  I remarked also some small
towns, but the only one worthy of notice was Calturi, where I was particularly
struck by several handsome houses inhabited by Europeans.

Along the road-side, under little roofs of palm-leaves, were placed
large earthen vessels filled with water, and near them cocoa-nut shells
to drink out of.  Another measure for the accommodation of travellers,
which is no less worthy of praise, consists in the establishment of
little stone buildings, roofed in, but open at the sides, and furnished
with benches.  In these buildings many wayfarers often pass the
night.

The number of people and vehicles that we met made the journey appear
to me very short.  There were specimens of all the various races
which compose the population of Ceylon.  The Cingalese, properly
so called, are the most numerous, but, besides these, there are Indians,
Mahomedans, Malays, natives of Malabar, Jews, Moors, and even Hottentots. 
I saw numerous instances of handsome and agreeable physiognomies among
those of the first three races; the Cingalese youths and boys, in particular,
are remarkably handsome.  They possess mild, well-formed features,
and are so slim and finely built, that they might easily be mistaken
for girls; an error into which it is the more easy to fall from their
manner of dressing their hair.  They wear no covering on their
head, and comb back all their hair, which is then fastened behind by
means of a comb, with a flat, broad plate, four inches high.  This
kind of head-dress looks anything but becoming in the men.  The
Mahomedans and Jews have more marked features; the latter resemble the
Arabs, and, like them, have noble physiognomies.  The Mahomedans
and Jews, too, are easily recognised by their shaven heads, long beards,
and small white caps or turbans.  Many of the Indians, likewise,
wear turbans; but the most have only a simple piece of cloth tied round
their head, which is also the case with the natives of Malacca and Malabar. 
The Hottentots allow their coal-black hair to fall in rude disorder
over their foreheads and half-way down their necks.  With the exception
of the Mahomedans and Jews, none of these different people bestow much
care upon their dress.  Save a small piece of cloth of about a
hand’s-breadth, and fastened between their legs, they go about
naked.  Those who are at all dressed, wear short trousers and an
upper garment.

I saw very few women, and these only near their huts, which they
appear to leave less than any females with whom I am acquainted. 
Their dress, also, was exceedingly simple, consisting merely of an apron
bound round their loins, a short jacket that exposed rather than covered
the upper part of their body, and a sort of rag hanging over their head. 
Many were enveloped in large pieces of cloth worn loosely about them. 
The borders and lobes of their ears were pierced and ornamented with
ear-rings, while on their feet and arms, and round their necks, they
wore chains and bracelets of silver, or some other metal, and round
one of their toes an extremely massive ring.

Any one would suppose that, in a country where the females are allowed
to show themselves so little, they would be closely wrapped up; but
this is not the case.  Many had forgotten their jackets and head
coverings, especially the old women, who seemed particularly oblivious
in this respect, and presented a most repulsive appearance when thus
exposed.  Among the younger ones I remarked many a handsome and
expressive face; only they, too, ought not to be seen without their
jackets, as their breasts hang down almost to their knees.

The complexion of the population varies from a dark to a light or
reddish brown or copper colour.  The Hottentots are black, but
without that glossy appearance which distinguishes the negro.

It is extraordinary what a dread all these half-naked people have
of the wet.  It happened to commence raining a little, when they
sprang like so many rope-dancers over every little puddle, and hastened
to their huts and houses for shelter.  Those who were travelling
and obliged to continue their journey, held, instead of umbrellas, the
leaves of the great fan-palm (Corypha umbraculifera) over their
heads.  These leaves are about four feet broad, and can be easily
held, like fans.  One of them is large enough for two persons.

But if the natives dread the rain, they have no fear of the heat. 
It is said that they run no risk from the rays of the sun, being protected
by the thickness of their skulls and the fat beneath.

I was much struck by the peculiarity of some of the waggons, which
consisted of wooden two-wheeled cars, roofed with palm leaves stretching
out about four feet, before and behind, beyond the body of the car. 
These projections serve to protect the driver from the rain and the
rays of the sun, whichever way they may chance to fall.  The oxen,
of which there was always only a pair, were yoked at such a distance
from the waggon, that the driver could walk very conveniently in the
intervening space.

I profited by the half-hour allowed for breakfast to proceed to the
sea-shore, whence I observed a number of men busily employed on the
dangerous rock in the middle of the most violent breakers.  Some
of them loosened, by the aid of long poles, oysters, mussels, etc.,
from the rocks, while others dived down to the bottom to fetch them
up.  I concluded that there must be pearls contained inside, for
I could not suppose that human beings would encounter such risks for
the sake of the fish alone; and yet this was the case, for I found,
later, that though the same means are employed in fishing for pearls,
it is on the eastern coast and only during the months of February and
March.

The boats employed by these individuals were of two kinds. 
The larger ones, which contained about forty persons, were very broad,
and composed of boards joined together and fastened with the fibres
of the cocoa-tree; the smaller ones were exactly like those I saw in
Tahiti, save that they appeared still more dangerous.  The bottom
was formed of the trunk of an extremely narrow tree, slightly hollowed
out, and the sides of the planks are kept in their places by side and
cross supports.  These craft rose hardly a foot and a half out
of the water, and their greatest breadth did not average quite a foot. 
There was a small piece of plank laid across as a seat, but the rower
was obliged to cross his knees from want of room to sit with them apart.

The road, as I before mentioned, lay for the most part through forests
of cocoa-trees, where the soil was very sandy and completely free from
creepers and underwood; but near trees that did not bear fruit, the
soil was rich, and both that and the trees covered with creepers in
wild luxuriance.  There were very few orchids.

We crossed four rivers, the Tindurch, Bentock, Cattura, and Pandura,
two by means of boats, two by handsome wooden bridges.

The cinnamon plantations commenced about ten miles from Colombo;
and on this side of the town are all the country-houses of the Europeans. 
They are very simple, shaded with cocoa-trees and surrounded with stone
walls.  At 3 o’clock in the afternoon, we drove over two
draw-bridges and through two fortified gateways into the town, which
is far more pleasantly situated than Pointe de Galle, on account of
its nearer proximity to the beautiful mountain ranges.

I only stopped a night here, and on the following morning again resumed
my journey in the mail to the town of Candy, which is distant seventy-two
miles.

We left on the 20th of October, at 5 o’clock in the morning. 
Colombo is a very extensive town.  We drove through a succession
of long, broad streets of handsome houses, all of which latter were
surrounded by verandahs and colonnades.  I was very much startled
at the number of persons lying stretched out at full length under these
verandahs, and covered with white clothes.  I at first mistook
them for corpses, but I soon perceived that their number was too great
to warrant that supposition, and I then discovered that they were only
asleep.  Many, too, began to move and throw off their winding-sheets. 
I was informed that the natives prefer sleeping in this manner before
the houses to sleeping inside of them.

The Calanyganga, an important river, is traversed by a long floating
bridge; the road then branches off more and more from the sea-coast,
and the character of the scenery changes.  The traveller now meets
with large plains covered with fine plantations of rice, the green and
juicy appearance of which reminded me of our own young wheat when it
first shoots up in spring.  The forests were composed of mere leaved
wood, the palms becoming at every step more rare; one or two might sometimes
be seen, here and there, towering aloft like giants, and shading everything
around.  I can imagine nothing more lovely than the sight of the
delicate creepers attached to the tall stems of these palms and twining
up to their very crests.

After we had gone about sixteen miles, the country began to assume
a more hilly aspect, and we were soon surrounded by mountains on every
side.  At the foot of each ascent we found extra horses in waiting
for us; these were yoked to the ordinary team, and whirled us rapidly
over all obstacles.  Although there is a rise of about 2,000 feet
on the road to Candy, we performed the distance, seventy-two miles,
in eleven hours.

The nearer we approached our destination, the more varied and changing
became the scenery.  At one time we might be closely hemmed in
by the mountains, and then the next moment they would stretch away,
one above the other, while their summits seemed to contend which should
outrival the rest in altitude and beauty of outline.  They were
covered, to the height of several thousand feet, with luxuriant vegetation,
which, for the most part, then generally ceased, and gave way to the
bare rock.  I was not less interested, however, with the curious
teams we sometimes met, than I was with the scenery.  It is well
known that Ceylon abounds in elephants, many of which are captured and
employed for various purposes.  Those that I now saw were yoked
in twos or threes to large waggons, full of stones for mending the roads.

Four miles before reaching Candy, we came to the river Mahavilaganga,
which is spanned by a masterly bridge of one arch.  The materials
of the bridge are most costly, consisting of satin-wood.  In connection
with this structure, I learned the following legend.

After the conquest of the island by the English, the natives did
not give up the hope of once more attaining their independence, because
one of their oracles had declared that it was as impossible for the
enemy to obtain a lasting dominion over them, as it was for the opposite
banks of the Mahavilaganga to be united by a road.  When the bridge
was begun, they smiled, and said that it could never be successfully
completed.  At present, I was told, they think of independence
no more.

Near the bridge is a botanical garden which I visited the following
day, and was astonished at its excellent arrangement, and the richness
of its collection of flowers, plants, and trees.

Opposite the garden is one of the largest sugar-plantations, and,
in the neighbourhood, a number of coffee-plantations.

In my opinion, the situation of Candy is most beautiful, but many
affirm that it is too near the mountains, and lies in a pit.  At
any rate, this pit is a very lovely one, abounding in the most luxuriant
vegetation.  The town itself is small and ugly, consisting of nothing
but a mass of small shops, with natives passing to and fro.  The
few houses that belong to Europeans, the places of business, and the
barracks, are all outside the town, upon small hills.  Large sheets
of artificial water, surrounded by splendid stone balustrades, and shaded
by alleys of the mighty tulip-tree, occupy a portion of the valley. 
On the side of one of these basins, stands the famous Buddhist temple
of Dagoha, which is built in the Moorish-Hindostanee style, and richly
ornamented.

On my leaving the coach, one of the passengers was kind enough to
recommend me a good hotel, and to call a native and direct him where
to conduct me.  When I reached the hotel, the people there said
that they were very sorry, but that all their rooms were occupied. 
I asked them to direct my guide to another establishment, which they
did.  The rascal led me away from the town, and, pointing to a
hill which was near us, gave me to understand that the hotel was situated
behind it.  I believed him, as all the houses are built far apart;
but on ascending the hill, I found nothing but a lonely spot and a wood. 
I wished to turn back, but the fellow paid no attention to my desire,
and continued walking towards the wood.  I then snatched my portmanteau
from him, and refused to proceed any further.  He endeavoured to
wrest it from me, when, luckily, I saw in the distance two English soldiers,
who hastened up in answer to my cries, and, on seeing this, the fellow
ran off.  I related my adventure to the soldiers, who congratulated
me on the recovery of my luggage, and conducted me to the barracks,
where one of the officers was kind enough to give orders that I should
be conducted to another hotel.

My first visit was to the temple of Dagoha, which contains a valuable
relic of the god Buddha, namely, one of his teeth, and, together with
the out-buildings, is surrounded by a wall.  The circumference
of the principal temple is not very considerable, and the sanctuary,
which contains the tooth, is a small chamber hardly twenty feet broad. 
Within this place all is darkness, as there are no windows, and inside
the door, there is a curtain, to prevent the entry of any light. 
The walls and ceiling are covered with silk tapestry, which, however,
has nothing but its antiquity to recommend it.  It is true that
it was interwoven with gold thread, but it appeared never to have been
especially costly, and I cannot believe that it ever produced that dazzling
effect which some travellers have described.  Half of the chamber
was engrossed by a large table, or kind of altar, inlaid with plates
of silver, and ornamented round the edges with precious stones. 
On it stands a bell-shaped case, measuring at the bottom at least three
feet in diameter, and the same in height.  It is made of silver
thickly gilt, and decorated with a number of costly jewels; there is
a peacock in the middle entirely formed of precious stones; but all
these treasures fail to produce any very great effect, from the clumsy
and inartistic fashion in which they are set.

Under the large case there are six smaller ones, said to be of pure
gold; under the last is the tooth of the all-powerful divinity. 
The outer case is secured by means of three locks, two of the keys belonging
to which used to be kept by the English governor, while the third remained
in the custody of the chief priest of the temple.  A short time
previous to my visit, however, the government had restored the two keys
to the natives with great solemnities, and they are now confided to
one of the native Radschas, or princes.

The relic itself is only shown to a prince or some other great personage;
all other people must be content to believe the priest, who, for a small
gratuity, has the politeness to describe the size and beauty of the
tooth.  The dazzling whiteness of its hue is said to eclipse that
of ivory, while its form is described as being more beautiful than anything
of the kind ever beheld, and its size to equal that of the tooth of
an immense bullock.

An immense number of pilgrims come here every year to pay their adoration
to this divine tooth.

“Where ignorance is bliss, ’t is folly to be wise.” 
How many people are there among us Christians who believe things which
require quite as great an amount of faith?  For instance, I remember
witnessing, when I was a girl, a festival at Calvaria, in Gallicia,
which is still celebrated every year.  A great multitude of pilgrims
go there to obtain splinters of the true cross.  The priests manufacture
little crosses of wax, on which, as they assure the faithful, they stick
splinters of the real one.  These little crosses, wrapped up in
paper and packed in baskets, are placed ready for distribution, that
is, for sale.  Every peasant generally takes three: one to put
in his room, one in his stable, and another in his barn.  The most
wonderful portion of the business is that these crosses must be renewed
every year, as in that period they lose their divine power.

But let me return to Candy.  In a second temple, adjoining that
in which the relic is preserved, are two gigantic hollow statues of
the god Buddha in a sitting posture, and both are said to be formed
of the finest gold.  Before these colossi stand whole rows of smaller
Buddhas, of crystal, glass, silver, copper, and other materials. 
In the entrance hall, likewise, are several stone statues of different
gods, with other ornaments, most of them roughly and stiffly executed. 
In the middle stands a small plain monument of stone, resembling a bell
turned upside down; it is said to cover the grave of a Brahmin.

On the outer walls of the principal temple are wretched daubs in
fresco, representing the state of eternal punishment.  Some of
the figures are being roasted, twitched with red-hot pincers, partly
baked, or forced to swallow fire.  Others again, are jammed between
rocks, or having pieces of flesh cut out of their bodies, etc., but
fire appears to play the principal part in these punishments.

The doors of the principal temple are made of metal, and the door
posts of ivory.  On the first are the most beautiful arabesques
in basso-relief, and on the second, in inlaid work, representing flowers
and other objects.  Before the principal entrance, four of the
largest elephant’s teeth ever found are stuck up by way of ornament.

Ranged round the court-yard are the tents of the priests, who always
go about with bare, shaven heads, and whose costume consists of a light
yellow upper garment, which nearly covers the whole body.  It is
said that there were once 500 officiating priests in this temple; at
present the divinity is obliged to content himself with a few dozen.

The chief part of the religious ceremonies of the Buddhists consists
in presents of flowers and money.  Every morning and evening a
most horrible instrument, fit to break the drum of one’s ear,
and called a tam-tam, together with some shrill trumpets and fifes,
is played before the door of the temple.  To this soon succeeds
a crowd of people from all sides, bringing baskets full of the most
beautiful flowers, with which the priests adorn the altars, and that
in a manner so elegant and tasty, that it cannot be surpassed.

Besides this temple, there are several others in Candy, but only
one worth noticing.  This is situated at the foot of a rocky hill,
out of which has been hewn a statue of Buddha, thirty-six feet high,
and over this is built the temple, which is small and elegant. 
The god is painted with the most glaring colours.  The walls of
the temple are covered with handsome red cement, and portioned out into
small panels, in all of which the god Buddha appears al fresco. 
There are also a few portraits of Vischnu, another god.  The colours
on the southern wall of the temple are remarkable for their fine state
of preservation.

Here, likewise, there is a funeral monument, like that of the Temple
of Dagoha, not however, in the building itself, but under the lofty
firmament of heaven, and shaded by noble trees.

Attached to the temples are frequently schools, in which the priests
fulfil the duties of teachers.  Near this particular temple, we
saw about a dozen boys—girls are not allowed to attend school—busy
writing.  The copies for them were written very beautifully, by
means of a stylus, on small palm-leaves, and the boys used the same
material.

It is well worth any person’s while to walk to the great valley
through which the Mahavilaganga flows.  It is intersected with
a countless number of wave-like hills, many of which form regular terraces,
and are planted with rice or coffee.  Nature is here young and
vigorous, and amply rewards the planter’s toil.  The darker
portions of the picture are composed of palms or other trees, and the
back-ground consists partly of towering mountains, in a holiday suit
of green velvet, partly of stupendous and romantic rocks in all their
gloomy nakedness.

I saw many of the principal mountains in Ceylon—giants, 8,000
feet high; but, unfortunately, not the most celebrated one, Adam’s
Peak, which has an altitude of 6,500 feet, and which, towards the summit
is so steep, that it was necessary, in order to enable any one to climb
up, to cut small steps in the rock, and let in an iron chain.

But the bold adventurer is amply repaid for his trouble.  On
the flat summit of the rock is the imprint of a small foot, five
feet long.  The Mahomedans suppose it to be that of our vigorous
progenitor, Adam, and the Buddhists that of their large-toothed divinity,
Buddha.  Thousands of both sects flock to the place every year,
to perform their devotions.

There still exists at Candy the palace of the former king, or emperor
of Ceylon.  It is a handsome stone building, but with no peculiar
feature of its own; I should have supposed that it had been built by
Europeans.  It consists of a ground floor, somewhat raised, with
large windows, and handsome porticoes resting upon columns.  The
only remarkable thing about it is a large hall in the interior, with
its walls decorated with some rough and stiffly executed representations
of animals in relief.  Since the English deposed the native sovereign,
the palace has been inhabited by the English resident, or governor.

Had I only arrived a fortnight sooner, I should have witnessed the
mode of hunting, or rather snaring, elephants.  The scene of operations
is a spot on the banks of some stream or other, where these animals
go to drink.  A large place is enclosed with posts, leading up
to which, and also skirted by stout posts, are a series of narrow passages. 
A tame elephant, properly trained, is then made fast in the middle of
the large space, to entice by his cries the thirsty animals, who enter
unsuspiciously the labyrinth from which they cannot escape, as the hunters
and drivers follow, alarm them by their shouts, and drive them into
the middle of the enclosure.  The finest are taken alive, by being
deprived of food for a short time.  This renders them so obedient,
that they quietly allow a noose to be thrown over them, and then follow
the tame elephant without the least resistance.  The others are
then either killed or set at liberty, according as they possess fine
tusks or not.

The preparations for capturing these animals sometimes last several
weeks, as, besides enclosing the spot selected, a great many persons
are employed to hunt up the elephants far and wide, and drive them gradually
to the watering place.

Persons sometimes go elephant-hunting, armed merely with firearms;
but this is attended with danger.  The elephant, as is well known,
is easily vulnerable in one spot only,—the middle of the skull. 
If the hunter happens to hit the mark, the monster lies stretched before
him at the first shot; but if he misses, then woe to him, for he is
speedily trampled to death by the enraged beast.  In all other
cases the elephant is very peaceable, and is not easily induced to attack
human beings.

The Europeans employ elephants to draw and carry burdens—an
elephant will carry forty hundred-weight; but the natives keep them
more for show and riding.

I left Candy after a stay of three days, and returned to Colombo,
where I was obliged to stop another day, as it was Sunday, and there
was no mail.

I profited by this period to visit the town, which is protected by
a strong fort.  It is very extensive; the streets are handsome,
broad, and clean; the houses only one story high, and surrounded by
verandahs and colonnades.  The population is reckoned at about
80,000 souls, of whom about 100 are Europeans, exclusive of the troops,
and 200 descendants of Portuguese colonists, who founded a settlement
here some centuries ago.  The complexion of the latter is quite
as dark as that of the natives themselves.

In the morning I attended mass.  The church was full of Irish
soldiers and Portuguese.  The dress of the Portuguese was extremely
rich; they wore ample robes with large folds, and short silk jackets;
in their ears hung ear-rings of pearls and diamonds, and round their
necks, arms, and even ankles, were gold and silver chains.

In the afternoon I took a walk to one of the numerous cinnamon plantations
round Colombo.  The cinnamon tree or bush is planted in rows; it
attains at most a height of nine feet, and bears a white, scentless
blossom.  From the fruit, which is smaller than an acorn, oil is
obtained by crushing and boiling it; the oil then disengages itself
and floats on the top of the water.  It is mixed with cocoa-oil
and used for burning.

There are two cinnamon harvests in the course of the year. 
The first and principal one takes place from April to July, and the
second from November to January.  The rind is peeled from the branches
by means of knives, and then dried in the sun; this gives it a yellowish
or brownish tint.  The best cinnamon is a light yellow, and not
thicker than pasteboard.

The essential oil of cinnamon, used in medicine, is extracted from
the plant itself, which is placed in a vessel full of water, and left
to steep for eight to ten days.  The whole mass is then transferred
to a retort and distilled over a slow fire.  In a short time, on
the surface of the water thus distilled a quantity of oil collects,
and this is then skimmed off with the greatest care.

In the animal kingdom, besides the elephants, I was much struck by
the number and tameness of the ravens of Ceylon.  In every small
town and village may be seen multitudes of these birds, that come up
to the very doors and windows and pick up everything.  They play
the part of scavengers here, just as dogs do in Turkey.  The horned
cattle are rather small, with humps between the shoulder-blades; these
humps consist of flesh and are considered a great dainty.

In Colombo and Pointe de Galle there are likewise a great many large
white buffaloes, belonging to the English government, and imported from
Bengal.  They are employed in drawing heavy loads.

Under the head of fruit, I may mention the pine-apple as being particularly
large and good.

I found the temperature supportable, especially in the high country
round about Candy, where, after some heavy rain, it might almost be
called cold.  In the evening and morning the thermometer stood
as low as 61° 25’ Fah.; and in the middle of the day and in
the sun, it did not rise above 79° 25’.  In Colombo and
Pointe de Galle, the weather was fine, and the heat reached 95°
Fah.

On the 26th of October I again reached Pointe de Galle, and on the
following day I embarked in another English steamer for India.

CHAPTER XI.  MADRAS AND CALCUTTA.

DEPARTURE FROM CEYLON—MADRAS—CALCUTTA—MODE OF
LIFE OF THE EUROPEANS—THE HINDOOS—PRINCIPAL OBJECTS OF INTEREST
IN THE TOWN—VISIT TO A BABOO—RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS OF THE
HINDOOS—HOUSES OF DEATH AND PLACES FOR BURNING THE DEAD—MAHOMEDAN
AND EUROPEAN MARRIAGE CEREMONIES.

On the afternoon of the 27th of October I went on board the steamship
“Bentinck,” of 500 horse-power; but we did not weigh anchor
much before evening.

Among the passengers was an Indian prince of the name of Schadathan,
who had been made prisoner by the English for breaking a peace he had
concluded with them.  He was treated with all the respect due to
his rank, and he was allowed his two companions, his mundschi,
or secretary, and six of his servants.  They were all dressed in
the Oriental fashion, only, instead of turbans, they wore high, round
caps, composed of pasteboard covered with gold or silver stuff. 
They wore also luxuriant long black hair, and beards.

The companions of the prince took their meals with the servants. 
A carpet was spread out upon the deck, and two large dishes, one containing
boiled fowls, and the other pillau, placed upon it; the company used
their hands for knives and forks.

28th October.  We still were in sight of the fine dark mountain
ranges of Ceylon.  Now and then, too, some huge detached groups
of rocks would be visible towering above the waves.

29th October.  Saw no land.  A few whales betrayed their
presence by the showers of spray they spouted up, and immense swarms
of flying fish were startled by the noise of our engines.

On the morning of the 30th of October we came in sight of the Indian
continent.  We soon approached near enough to the shore to distinguish
that it was particularly remarkable for its beauty, being flat and partly
covered with yellow sand; in the back-ground were chains of low hills.

At 1 o’clock, P.M., we anchored at a considerable distance
(six miles) from Madras.  The anchoring place here is the most
dangerous in the world, the ground-swell being so strong that at no
time can large vessels approach near the town, and many weeks often
pass without even a boat being able to do so.  Ships, consequently,
only stop a very short time, and there are rarely more than a dozen
to be seen riding at anchor.  Large boats, rowed by ten or twelve
men, come alongside them to take the passengers, letters, and merchandise
ashore.

The steamer stops here eight hours, which may be spent in viewing
the town, though any one so doing runs a chance of being left behind,
as the wind is constantly changing.  I trusted to the good luck
which had always attended me during my travels, and made one of the
party that disembarked; but we had not got more than half way to land
when I was punished for my curiosity.  It began to rain most fearfully,
and we were very soon wet to the skin.  We took refuge in the first
coffee-house we saw, situated at the water’s edge; the rain had
now assumed a tropical character, and we were unable to leave our asylum. 
As soon as the storm had passed by, a cry was raised for us to return
as quickly as possible, as there was no knowing what might follow.

A speculative baker of Madras had come out in the first boat that
reached the steamer with ice and biscuits for sale, which he disposed
of very much to his profit.

The angry heavens at length took compassion on us and cleared up
before sunset.  We were then enabled to see the palace-like dwellings
of the Europeans, built half in the Grecian and half in the Italian
style of architecture, stretching along the shore and beautifully lighted
by the sun.  Besides these, there were others standing outside
the town in the midst of magnificent gardens.

Before we left, a number of natives ventured to us in small boats
with fruit, fish, and other trifles.  Their boats were constructed
of the trunks of four small trees, tightly bound together with thin
ropes made of the fibres of the cocoa-tree; a long piece of wood served
as an oar.  The waves broke so completely over them that I imagined
every instant that both boats and men were irretrievably lost.

The good people were almost in a state of nature, and seemed to bestow
all their care on their heads, which were covered with pieces of cloth,
turbans, cloth or straw caps, or very high and peaked straw hats. 
The more respectable—among whom may be reckoned the boatmen who
brought the passengers and mails—were, however, in many cases,
very tastily dressed.  They had on neat jackets, and large long
pieces of cloth wrapped round their bodies; both the cloths and jackets
were white, with a border of blue stripes.  On their heads they
wore tightly fitting white caps, with a long flap hanging down as far
as their shoulders.  These caps, too, had a blue border. 
The complexion of the natives was a dark brown or coffee colour.

Late in the evening, a native woman came on board with her two children. 
She had paid second-class fare, and was shown a small dark berth not
far from the first cabin places.  Her younger child had, unfortunately,
a bad cough, which prevented some rich English lady, who had likewise
a child with her, from sleeping.  Perhaps the exaggerated tenderness
which this lady manifested for her little son caused her to believe
that the cough might be catching; but, be that as it may, the first
thing she did on the following morning, was to beg that the captain
would transfer mother and children to the deck, which the noble-hearted
humane captain immediately did, neither the lady nor himself caring
in the least whether the poor mother had or had not, even a warm coverlid
to protect her sick child from the night cold and the frequent heavy
showers.

Would that this rich English lady’s child had only been ill,
and exposed with her to the foggy night air, that she might herself
have experienced what it is to be thus harshly treated!  A person
of any heart must almost feel ashamed at belonging to a class of beings
who allow themselves to be far surpassed in humanity and kindness by
those who are termed savages; no savages would have thus thrust forth
a poor woman with a sick child, but would, on the contrary, have taken
care of both.  It is only Europeans, who have been brought up with
Christian principles, who assume the right of treating coloured people
according as their whim or fancy may dictate.

On the 1st and 2nd of November we caught occasional glimpses of the
mainland, as well as of several little islands; but all was flat and
sandy, without the least pretensions to natural beauty.  Ten or
twelve ships, some of them East Indiamen of the largest size, were pursuing
the same route as ourselves.

On the morning of the 3rd of November, the sea had already lost its
own beautiful colour, and taken that of the dirty yellow Ganges. 
Towards evening we had approached pretty close to the mouths of this
monster river, for some miles previous to our entering which, the water
had a sweet flavour.  I filled a glass from the holy stream, and
drank it to the health of all those near and dear to me at home.

At 5 o’clock in the afternoon, we cast anchor before Kadscheri,
at the entrance of the Ganges, it being too late to proceed to Calcutta,
which is sixty nautical miles distant.  The stream at this point
was several miles broad, so that the dark line of only one of its banks
was to be seen.

4th November.  In the morning we entered the Hoogly, one of
the seven mouths of the Ganges.  A succession of apparently boundless
plains lay stretched along on both sides of the river.  Fields
of rice were alternated with sugar plantations, while palm, bamboo,
and other trees, sprung up between, and the vegetation extended, in
wanton luxuriance, down to the very water’s edge; the only objects
wanting to complete the picture were villages and human beings, but
it was not until we were within about five-and-twenty miles of Calcutta
that we saw now and then a wretched village or a few half-naked men. 
The huts were formed of clay, bamboos, or palm branches, and covered
with tiles, rice-straw, or palm leaves.  The larger boats of the
natives struck me as very remarkable, and differed entirely from those
I saw at Madras.  The front portion was almost flat, being elevated
hardly half a foot above the water while the stern was about seven feet
high.

The first grand-looking building, a cotton mill, is situated fifteen
miles below Calcutta, and a cheerful dwelling-house is attached. 
From this point up to Calcutta, both banks of the Hoogly are lined with
palaces built in the Greco-Italian style, and richly provided with pillars
and terraces.  We flew too quickly by, unfortunately, to obtain
more than a mere passing glimpse of them.

Numbers of large vessels either passed us or were sailing in the
same direction, and steamer after steamer flitted by, tugging vessels
after them; the scene became more busy and more strange, every moment,
and everything gave signs that we were approaching an Asiatic city of
the first magnitude.

We anchored at Gardenrich, four miles below Calcutta.  Nothing
gave me more trouble during my travels than finding lodgings, as it
was sometimes impossible by mere signs and gestures to make the natives
understand where I wanted to go.  In the present instance, one
of the engineers interested himself so far in my behalf as to land with
me, and to hire a palanquin, and direct the natives where to take me.

I was overpowered by feelings of the most disagreeable kind the first
time I used a palanquin.  I could not help feeling how degrading
it was to human beings to employ them as beasts of burden.

The palanquins are five feet long and three feet high, with sliding
doors and jalousies: in the inside they are provided with mattresses
and cushions, so that a person can lie down in them as in a bed. 
Four porters are enough to carry one of them about the town, but eight
are required for a longer excursion.  They relieve each other at
short intervals, and run so quickly that they go four miles in an hour
or even in three-quarters of an hour.  These palanquins being painted
black, looked like so many stretchers carrying corpses to the churchyard
or patients to the hospital.

On the road to the town, I was particularly struck with the magnificent
gauths (piazzas), situated on the banks of the Hoogly, and from
which broad flights of steps lead down to the river.  Before these
gauths are numerous pleasure and other boats.

The most magnificent palaces lay around in the midst of splendid
gardens, into one of which the palanquin-bearers turned, and set me
down under a handsome portico before the house of Herr Heilgers, to
whom I had brought letters of recommendation.  The young and amiable
mistress of the house greeted me as a countrywoman (she was from the
north and I from the south of Germany), and received me most cordially. 
I was lodged with Indian luxury, having a drawing-room, a bed-room,
and a bath-room especially assigned to me.

I happened to arrive in Calcutta at the most unfavourable period
possible.  Three years of unfruitfulness through almost the whole
of Europe had been followed by a commercial crisis, which threatened
the town with entire destruction.  Every mail from Europe brought
intelligence of some failure, in which the richest firms here were involved. 
No merchant could say, “I am worth so much;”—the next
post might inform him that he was a beggar.  A feeling of dread
and anxiety had seized every family.  The sums already lost in
England and this place were reckoned at thirty millions of pounds sterling,
and yet the crisis was far from being at an end.

Misfortunes of this kind fall particularly hard upon persons who,
like the Europeans here, have been accustomed to every kind of comfort
and luxury.  No one can have any idea of the mode of life in India. 
Each family has an entire palace, the rent of which amounts to two hundred
rupees (£20), or more, a month.  The household is composed
of from twenty-five to thirty servants; namely—two cooks, a scullion,
two water-carriers, four servants to wait at table, four housemaids,
a lamp-cleaner, and half-a-dozen seis or grooms.  Besides this,
there are at least six horses, to every one of which there is a separate
groom; two coachmen, two gardeners, a nurse and servant for each child,
a lady’s maid, a girl to wait on the nurses, two tailors, two
men to work the punkahs, and one porter.  The wages vary from four
to eleven rupees (8s. to £1 2s.) a month.  None of the domestics
are boarded, and but few of them sleep in the house: they are mostly
married, and eat and sleep at home.  The only portion of their
dress which they have given to them is their turban and belt; they are
obliged to find the rest themselves, and also to pay for their own washing. 
The linen belonging to the family is never, in spite of the number of
servants, washed at home, but is all put out, at the cost of three rupees
(6s.) for a hundred articles.  The amount of linen used is something
extraordinary; everything is white, and the whole is generally changed
twice a day.

Provisions are not dear, though the contrary is true of horses, carriages,
furniture, and wearing apparel.  The last three are imported from
Europe; the horses come either from Europe, New Holland, or Java.

In some European families I visited there were from sixty to seventy
servants, and from fifteen to twenty horses.

In my opinion, the Europeans themselves are to blame for the large
sums they have to pay for servants.  They saw the native princes
and rajahs surrounded by a multitude of idle people, and, as Europeans,
they did not wish to appear in anyway inferior.  Gradually the
custom became a necessity, and it would be difficult to find a case
where a more sensible course is pursued.

It is true that I was informed that matters could never be altered
as long as the Hindoos were divided into castes.  The Hindoo who
cleans the room would on no account wait at table, while the nurse thinks
herself far too good ever to soil her hands by cleaning the child’s
washing-basin.  There may certainly be some truth in this, but
still every family cannot keep twenty, thirty, or even more servants. 
In China and Singapore, I was struck with the number of servants, but
they are not half, nay, not a third so numerous, as they are here.

The Hindoos, as is well known, are divided into four castes—the
Brahmins, Khetries, Bices and Sooders.  They all sprung from the
body of the god Brahma: the first from his mouth, the second from his
shoulders, the third from his belly and thighs, and the fourth from
his feet.  From the first class are chosen the highest officers
of state, the priests, and the teachers of the people.  Members
of this class alone are allowed to peruse the holy books; they enjoy
the greatest consideration; and if they happen to commit a crime, are
far less severely punished than persons belonging to any of the other
castes.  The second class furnishes the inferior officials and
soldiers; the third the merchants, workmen, and peasants; while the
fourth and last provides servants for the other three.  Hindoos
of all castes, however, enter service when compelled by poverty to do
so, but there is still a distinction in the kind of work, as the higher
castes are allowed to perform only that of the cleanest kind.

It is impossible for a person of one caste to be received into another,
or to intermarry with any one belonging to it.  If a Hindoo leaves
his native land or takes food from a Paria, he is turned out of his
caste, and can only obtain re-admission on the payment of a very large
sum.

Besides these castes, there is a fifth class—the Parias. 
The lot of these poor creatures is the most wretched that can be imagined. 
They are so despised by the other four castes, that no one will hold
the slightest intercourse with them.  If a Hindoo happens to touch
a Paria as he is passing, he thinks himself defiled, and is obliged
to bathe immediately.

The Parias are not allowed to enter any temple, and have particular
places set apart for their dwellings.  They are miserably poor,
and live in the most wretched huts; their food consists of all kinds
of offal and even diseased cattle; they go about nearly naked, or with
only a few rags at most on them, and perform the hardest and commonest
work.

The four castes are subdivided into an immense number of sects, seventy
of which are allowed to eat meat, while others are compelled to abstain
from it altogether.  Strictly speaking, the Hindoo religion forbids
the spilling of blood, and consequently the eating of meat; but the
seventy sects just mentioned are an exception.  There are, too,
certain religious festivals, at which animals are sacrificed. 
A cow, however, is never killed.  The food of the Hindoos consists
principally of rice, fruit, fish, and vegetables.  They are very
moderate in their living, and have only two simple meals a day—one
in the morning and the other in the evening.  Their general drink
is water or milk, varied sometimes with cocoa wine.

The Hindoos are of the middle height, slim, and delicately formed;
their features are agreeable and mild; the face is oval, the nose sharply
chiselled, the lip by no means thick, the eye fine and soft, and the
hair smooth and black.  Their complexion varies, according to the
locality, from dark to light brown; among the upper classes, some of
them, especially the women, are almost white.

There are a great number of Mahomedans in India; and as they are
extremely skilful and active, most trades and professions are in their
hands.  They also willingly hire themselves as servants to Europeans.

Men here do that kind of work which we are accustomed to see performed
by women.  They embroider with white wool, coloured silk, and gold;
make ladies’ head-dresses, wash and iron, mend the linen, and
even take situations as nurses for little children.  There are
a few Chinese, too, here, most of whom are in the shoemaking trade.

Calcutta, the capital of Bengal, is situated on the Hoogly, which
at this point is so deep and broad, that the largest men-of-war and
East Indiamen can lie at anchor before the town.  The population
consists of about 600,000 souls, of whom, not counting the English troops,
hardly more than 2,000 are Europeans and Americans.  The town is
divided into several portions—namely, the Business-town, the Black-town,
and the European quarter.  The Business-town and Black-town are
very ugly, containing narrow, crooked streets, filled with wretched
houses and miserable huts, between which there are warehouses, counting-houses,
and now and then some palace or other.  Narrow paved canals run
through all the streets, in order to supply the necessary amount of
water for the numerous daily ablutions of the Hindoos.  The Business-town
and Black-town are always so densely crowded, that when a carriage drives
through, the servants are obliged to get down and run on before, in
order to warn the people, or push them out of the way.

The European quarter of the town, however, which is often termed
the City of Palaces—a name which it richly merits—is, on
the contrary, very beautiful.  Every good-sized house, by the way,
is called, as it is in Venice, a palace.  Most of these palaces
are situated in gardens surrounded by high walls; they seldom join one
another, for which reason there are but few imposing squares or streets.

With the exception of the governor’s palace, none of these
buildings can be compared for architectural beauty and richness with
the large palaces of Rome, Florence, and Venice.  Most of them
are only distinguished from ordinary dwelling-houses by a handsome portico
upon brick pillars covered with cement, and terrace-like roof’s. 
Inside, the rooms are large and lofty, and the stairs of greyish marble
or even wood; but neither in doors or out are there any fine statues
or sculptures.

The Palace of the governor is as I before said, a magnificent building—one
that would be an ornament to the finest city in the world.  It
is built in the form of a horse-shoe, with a handsome cupola in the
centre: the portico, as well as both the wings, is supported upon columns. 
The internal arrangements are as bad as can possibly be imagined; the
supper-room being, for instance, a story higher than the ball-room. 
In both these rooms there is a row of columns on each side, and the
floor of the latter is composed of Agra marble.  The pillars and
walls are covered with a white cement, which is equal to marble for
its polish.  The private rooms are not worth looking at; they merely
afford the spectator an opportunity of admiring the skill of the architect,
who has managed to turn the large space at his command to the smallest
imaginable profit.

Among the other buildings worthy of notice are the Town-hall, the
Hospital, the Museum, Ochterlony’s Monument, the Mint, and the
English Cathedral.

The Town-hall is large and handsome.  The hall itself extends
through one entire story.  There are a few monuments in white marble
to the memory of several distinguished men of modern times.  It
is here that all kinds of meetings are held, all speculations and undertakings
discussed, and concerts, balls, and other entertainments given.

The Hospital consists of several small houses, each standing in the
midst of a grass plot.  The male patients are lodged in one house,
the females and children in a second, while the lunatics are confined
in the third.  The wards were spacious, airy, and excessively clean. 
Only Christians are received as patients.

The hospital for natives is similar, but considerably smaller. 
The patients are received for nothing, and numbers who cannot be accommodated
in the building itself are supplied with drugs and medicines.

The Museum, which was only founded in 1836, possesses, considering
the short space of time that has elapsed since its establishment, a
very rich collection, particularly of quadrupeds and skeletons, but
there are very few specimens of insects, and most of those are injured. 
In one of the rooms is a beautifully-executed model of the celebrated
Tatch in Agra; several sculptures and bas-reliefs were lying around. 
The figures seemed to me very clumsy; the architecture, however, is
decidedly superior.  The museum is open daily.  I visited
it several times, and, on every occasion, to my great astonishment,
met a number of natives, who seemed to take the greatest interest in
the objects before them.

Ochterlony’s Monument is a simple stone column, 165 feet in
height, standing, like a large note of admiration, on a solitary grassplot,
in memory of General Ochterlony, who was equally celebrated as a statesman
and a warrior.  Whoever is not afraid of mounting 222 steps will
be recompensed by an extensive view of the town, the river, and the
surrounding country; the last, however, is very monotonous, consisting
of an endless succession of plains bounded only by the horizon.

Not far from the column is a neat little mosque, whose countless
towers and cupolas are ornamented with gilt metal balls, which glitter
and glisten like so many stars in the heavens.  It is surrounded
by a pretty court-yard, at the entrance of which those who wish to enter
the mosque are obliged to leave their shoes.  I complied with this
regulation, but did not feel recompensed for so doing, as I saw merely
a small empty hall, the roof of which was supported by a few stone pillars. 
Glass lamps were suspended from the roof and walls, and the floor was
paved with Agra marble, which is very common in Calcutta, being brought
down the Ganges.

The Mint presents a most handsome appearance; it is built in the
pure Grecian style, except that it is not surrounded by pillars on all
its four sides.  The machinery in it is said to be especially good,
surpassing anything of the kind to be seen even in Europe.  I am
unable to express any opinion on the subject, and can only say that
all I saw appeared excessively ingenious and perfect.  The metal
is softened by heat and then flattened into plates by means of cylinders. 
These plates are cut into strips and stamped.  The rooms in which
the operations take place are spacious, lofty, and airy.  The motive-power
is mostly steam.

Of all the Christian places of worship, the English Cathedral is
the most magnificent.  It is built in the Gothic style, with a
fine large tower rising above half-a-dozen smaller ones.  There
are other churches with Gothic towers, but these edifices are all extremely
simple in the interior, with the exception of the Armenian church, which
has the wall near the altar crowded with pictures in gold frames.

The notorious “Black Hole,” in which the Rajah Suraja
Dowla cast 150 of the principal prisoners when he obtained possession
of Calcutta in 1756, is at present changed into a warehouse.  At
the entrance stands an obelisk fifty feet high, and on it are inscribed
the names of his victims.

The Botanical Garden lies five miles distant from the town. 
It was founded in the year 1743, but is more like a natural park than
a garden, as it is by no means so remarkable for its collection of flowers
and plants as for the number of trees and shrubs, which are distributed
here and there with studied negligence in the midst of large grass-plots. 
A neat little monument, with a marble bust, is erected to the memory
of the founder.  The most remarkable objects are two banana-trees. 
These trees belong to the fig-tree species, and sometimes attain a height
of forty feet.  The fruit is very small, round, and of a dark-red;
it yields oil when burnt.  When the trunk has reached an elevation
of about fifteen feet, a number of small branches shoot out horizontally
in all directions, and from these quantity of threadlike roots descend
perpendicularly to the ground, in which they soon firmly fix themselves. 
When they are sufficiently grown, they send out shoots like the parent
trunk; and this process is repeated ad infinitum, so that it
is easy to understand how a single tree may end by forming a whole forest,
in which thousands may find a cool and shady retreat.  This tree
is held sacred by the Hindoos.  They erect altars to the god Rama
beneath its shade, and there, too, the Brahmin instructs his scholars.

The oldest of these two trees, together with its family, already
describes a circumference of more than 600 feet, and the original trunk
measures nearly fifty feet round.

Adjoining the Botanical Garden is the Bishop’s College, in
which the natives are trained as missionaries.  After the Governor’s
Palace, it is the finest building in Calcutta, and consists of two main
buildings and three wings.  One of the main buildings is occupied
by an extremely neat chapel.  The library, which is a noble-looking
room, contains a rich collection of the works of the best authors, and
is thrown open to the pupils; but their industry does not appear to
equal the magnificence of the arrangements, for, on taking a book from
the bookcase, I immediately let it fall again and ran to the other end
of the room; a swarm of bees had flown upon me from out the bookcase.

The dining and sleeping rooms, as well as all the other apartments,
are so richly and conveniently furnished, that a person might easily
suppose that the establishment had been founded for the sons of the
richest English families, who were so accustomed to comfort from their
tenderest infancy that they were desirous of transplanting it to all
quarters of the globe; but no one would ever imagine the place had been
built for “the labourers in the vineyard of the Lord.”

I surveyed this splendid institution with a sadder heart than I might
have done, because I knew it was intended for the natives, who had first
to put off their own simple mode of life and accustom themselves to
convenience and superfluity, only to wander forth into the woods and
wildernesses, and exercise their office in the midst of savages and
barbarians.

Among the sights of Calcutta may be reckoned the garden of the chief
judge, Mr. Lawrence Peel, which is equally interesting to the botanist
and the amateur, and which, in rare flowers, plants, and trees, is much
richer than the Botanical Garden itself.  The noble park, laid
out with consummate skill, the luxuriant lawns, interspersed and bordered
with flowers and plants, the crystal ponds, the shady alleys, with their
bosquets and gigantic trees, all combine to form a perfect paradise,
in the midst of which stands the palace of the fortunate owner.

Opposite this park, in the large village of Alifaughur, is situated
a modest little house, which is the birthplace of much that is good. 
It contains a small surgery, and is inhabited by a native who has studied
medicine.  Here the natives may obtain both advice and medicine
for nothing.  This kind and benevolent arrangement is due to Lady
Julia Cameron, wife of the law member of the Supreme Council of India,
Charles Henry Cameron.

I had the pleasure of making this lady’s acquaintance, and
found her to be, in every respect, an ornament to her sex.  Wherever
there is any good to be done, she is sure to take the lead.  In
the years 1846-7, she set on foot subscriptions for the starving Irish,
writing to the most distant provinces and calling upon every Englishman
to contribute his mite.  In this manner she collected the large
sum of 80,000 rupees (£8,000.)

Lady Peel has distinguished herself also in the field of science,
and Bürger’s “Leonore” has been beautifully translated
by her into English.  She is also a kind mother and affectionate
wife, and lives only for her family, caring little for the world. 
Many call her an original; would that we had a few more such originals!

I had brought no letters of recommendation to this amiable woman,
but she happened to hear of my travels and paid me a visit.  In
fact, the hospitality I met with here was really astonishing. 
I was cordially welcomed in the very first circles, and every one did
all in his power to be of use to me.  I could not help thinking
of Count Rehberg, the Austrian minister at Rio Janeiro, who thought
he had conferred a great mark of distinction by inviting me once to
his villa; and, to purchase this honour, I had either to walk an hour
in the burning heat or to pay six milreis (13s.) for a carriage. 
In Calcutta, a carriage was always sent for me.  I could relate
a great many more anecdotes of the worthy count, who made me feel how
much I was to blame for not descending from a rich and aristocratic
family.  I experienced different treatment from the member of the
Supreme Council, Charles Henry Cameron, and from the chief judge, Mr.
Peel.  These gentlemen respected me for myself alone without troubling
their heads about my ancestors.

During my stay in Calcutta, I was invited to a large party in honour
of Mr. Peel’s birthday; but I refused the invitation, as I had
no suitable dress.  My excuse, however, was not allowed, and I
accompanied Lady Cameron, in a simple coloured muslin dress, to a party
where all the other ladies were dressed in silk and satin and covered
with lace and jewellery; yet no one was ashamed of me, but conversed
freely with me, and showed me every possible attention.

A very interesting promenade for a stranger is that to the Strand,
or “Maytown,” as it is likewise called.  It is skirted
on one side by the banks of the Hoogly, and on the other by beautiful
meadows, beyond which is the noble Chaudrini Road, consisting of rows
of noble palaces, and reckoned the finest quarter of Calcutta. 
Besides this, there is a fine view of the governor’s palace, the
cathedral, Ochterlony’s monument, the magnificent reservoirs,
Fort William, a fine prutagon with extensive outworks, and many other
remarkable objects.

Every evening, before sunset, all the fashionable world of Calcutta
streams hitherward.  The purse-proud European, the stuck-up Baboo
or Nabob, the deposed Rajah, are to be beheld driving in splendid European
carriages, followed by a multitude of servants, in Oriental costume,
some standing behind their carriages, and some running before it. 
The Rajahs and Nabobs are generally dressed in silk robes embroidered
with gold, over which are thrown the most costly Indian shawls. 
Ladies and gentlemen mounted upon English blood horses gallop along
the meadows, while crowds of natives are to be seen laughing and joking
on their way home, after the conclusion of their day’s work. 
Nor is the scene on the Hoogly less animated; first-class East Indiamen
are lying at anchor, unloading or being cleaned out, while numberless
small craft pass continually to and fro.

I had been told that the population here suffered very much from
elephantiasis, and that numbers of poor wretches with horribly swollen
feet were to be seen at almost every turn.  But this is not true. 
I did not meet with as many cases of the kind during five weeks here,
as I did in one day in Rio Janeiro.

On one occasion I paid a visit to a rich Baboo.  The property
of the family, consisting of three brothers, was reckoned at £150,000. 
The master of the house received me at the door, and accompanied me
to the reception-room.  He was clad in a large dress of white muslin,
over which was wound a magnificent Indian shawl, which extended from
the hips to the feet, and made up for the transparency of the muslin. 
One end of the shawl was thrown over his shoulder in the most picturesque
manner.

The parlour was furnished in the European fashion.  A large
hand organ stood in one corner, and in the other a spacious bookcase,
with the works of the principal English poets and philosophers; but
it struck me that these books were there more for show than use, for
the two volumes of Byron’s works were turned different ways, while
Young’s Night Thoughts were stuck between.  There were a
few engravings and pictures, which the worthy Baboo imagined to be an
ornament to the walls, but which were not of so much value as the frames
that contained them.

My host sent for his two sons, handsome boys, one seven and the other
four years old, and introduced them to me.  I inquired, although
it was quite contrary to custom to do so, after his wife and daughters. 
Our poor sex ranks so low in the estimation of the Hindoos, that it
is almost an insult to a person to mention any of his female relations. 
He overlooked this in me, as a European, and immediately sent for his
daughters.  The youngest, a most lovely baby six months old, was
nearly white, with large splendid eyes, the brilliancy of which was
greatly increased by the delicate eyelids, which were painted a deep
blue round the edges.  The elder daughter, nine years old, had
a somewhat common coarse face.  Her father, who spoke tolerable
English, introduced her to me as a bride, and invited me to the marriage
which was to take place in six weeks.  I was so astonished at this,
considering the child’s extreme youth, that I remarked he no doubt
meant her betrothal, but he assured me that she would then be married
and delivered over to her husband.

On my asking whether the girl loved her intended bridegroom, I was
told that she would see him for the first time at the celebration of
the nuptials.  The Baboo informed me further, that every person
like himself looked out for a son-in-law as soon as possible, and that
the younger a girl married the more honourable was it accounted; an
unmarried daughter was a disgrace to her father, who was looked upon
as possessed of no paternal love if he did not get her off his hands. 
As soon as he has found a son-in-law, he describes his bodily and mental
qualities as well as his worldly circumstances to his wife, and with
this description she is obliged to content herself, for she is never
allowed to see her future son-in-law, either as the betrothed, or the
husband of her child.  The bridegroom is never considered to belong
to the family of the bride, but the latter leaves her own relations
for those of her husband.  No woman, however, is allowed to see
or speak with the male relations of her husband, nor dare she ever appear
before the men-servants of her household without being veiled. 
If she wishes to pay a visit to her mother, she is carried to her shut
up in a palanquin.

I also saw the Baboo’s wife and one of his sisters-in-law. 
The former was twenty-five years old and very corpulent, the latter
was fifteen and was slim and well made.  The reason of this, as
I was told, is that the females, although married so young, seldom become
mothers before their fourteenth year, and until then preserve their
original slimness.  After their first confinement, they remain
for six or eight weeks shut up in their room, without taking the least
exercise, and living all the time on the most sumptuous and dainty food. 
This fattening process generally produces the desired effect. 
The reader must know that the Hindoos, like the Mahomedans, are partial
to corpulent ladies.  I never saw any specimens of this kind of
beauty, however, among the lower classes.

The two ladies were not very decently attired.  Their bodies
and heads were enveloped in ample blue and white muslin drapery, embroidered
with gold, and bordered with lace of the same material as broad as a
man’s hand, but the delicate texture {150}
was so ethereal, that every outline of the body was visible beneath
it.  Besides this, whenever they moved their arms the muslin opened
and displayed not only their arm, but a portion of their bosom and body. 
They appeared to pay a great deal of attention to their hair; their
chief care seemed to consist in replacing the muslin on their heads,
whenever it chanced to fall off.  As long as a female is unmarried,
she is never allowed to lay aside her head-dress.

These ladies were so overloaded with gold, pearls, and diamonds,
that they really resembled beasts of burden.  Large pearls, with
other precious stones strung together, adorned their head and neck,
as likewise did heavy gold chains and mounted gold coins.  Their
ears, which were pierced all over—I counted twelve holes in one
ear—were so thickly laden with similar ornaments, that the latter
could not be distinguished from one another; all that was to be seen
was a confused mass of gold, pearls, and diamonds.  On each arm
were eight or ten costly bracelets; the principal one, which was four
inches broad, being composed of massive gold, with six rows of small
brilliants.  I took it in my hand, and found that it weighed at
least half a pound.  They had gold chains twisted three times round
their thighs, and their ankles and feet were also encircled with gold
rings and chains; their feet were dyed with henna.

The two ladies then brought me their jewel-cases, and showed me a
great many more valuable ornaments.  The Hindoos must spend immense
sums in jewels and gold and silver embroidered Dacca muslin, as in these
articles it is the endeavour of every lady to outrival all her acquaintances. 
As they had anticipated my arrival, the two ladies were arrayed in their
most costly apparel; being determined to exhibit themselves to me in
true Indian splendour.

The Baboo also conducted me to the inner apartments looking into
the courtyard.  Some of these were furnished only with carpets
and pillows, the Hindoos not being, in general, partial to chairs or
beds; in others, were different pieces of European furniture, such as,
tables, chairs, presses, and even bedsteads.  A glass case containing
dolls, coaches, horses, and other toys, was pointed out to me with peculiar
satisfaction; both children and women are very fond of playing with
these things, though the women are more passionately fond of cards.

No married woman is allowed to enter the rooms looking out upon the
street, as she might be seen by a man from the opposite windows. 
The young bride, however, profited by her freedom, and tripping before
us to the open window, glanced into the busy street.

The wives of the rich Hindoos, or of those belonging to the higher
castes, are as much confined to their houses as the Chinese women. 
The only pleasure that the husband’s strictness permits the wife
to enjoy, is to pay a visit, now and then, in a carefully closed palanquin,
to some friend or relation.  It is only during the short time that
a woman remains unmarried that she is allowed rather more freedom.

A Hindoo may have several wives; there are, however, but few examples
of his availing himself of this privilege.

The husband’s relations generally reside in the same house,
but each family has its separate household.  The elder boys take
their meals with their father, but the wife, daughters, and younger
boys are not allowed this privilege.  Both sexes are extremely
fond of tobacco, which they smoke in pipes called hookas.

At the conclusion of my visit, I was offered sweetmeats, fruits,
raisins, etc.  The sweetmeats were mostly composed of sugar, almonds,
and suet, but were not very palatable, owing to the predominance of
the suet.

Before leaving the house, I visited the ground-floor to examine the
room, in which, once a year, the religious festival called Natch
is celebrated.  This festival, which is the most important one
in the Hindoo religion, takes place in the beginning of October, and
lasts a fortnight, during which time neither poor nor rich do any business
whatever.  The master closes his shops and warehouses, and the
servant engages a substitute, generally from among the Mahomedans, and
then both master and servant spend the fortnight, if not in fasting
and prayer, most certainly in doing nothing else.

The Baboo informed me that on these occasions his room is richly
ornamented, and a statue of the ten-armed goddess Durga placed in it. 
This statue is formed of clay or wood, painted with the most glaring
colours, and loaded with gold and silver tinsel, flowers, ribbons, and
often with even real jewellery.  Hundreds of lights and lamps,
placed between vases and garlands of flowers, glitter in the room, the
court-yard, and outside the house.  A number of different animals
are offered up as sacrifices; they are not slain, however, in the presence
of the goddess, but in some retired part of the house.  Priests
attend upon the goddess, and female dancers display their talent before
her, accompanied by the loud music of the tam-tam.  Both priests
and danseuses are liberally paid.  Some of the latter, like
our Taglionis and Elslers, earn large sums.  During the period
of my stay here, there was a Persian danseuse, who never appeared
for less than 500 rupees (£50.)  Crowds of the curious, among
whom are numbers of Europeans, flock from one temple to another; the
principal guests have sweetmeats and fruit served round to them.

On the last day of the festival the goddess is conveyed with great
pomp, and accompanied by music, to the Hoogly, where she is put in a
boat, rowed into the middle of the stream, and then thrown overboard
in the midst of the shouts and acclamations of the multitude upon the
banks.  Formerly, the real jewels were thrown in along with the
goddess, but carefully fished up again by the priests during the night;
at present, the real jewels are replaced on the last day by false ones,
or else the founder of the feast takes an opportunity of secretly obtaining
possession of them during the goddess’s progress to the river. 
He is obliged to do this very cautiously, however, so as not to be observed
by the people.  A Natch often costs several thousand rupees, and
is one of the most costly items in the expenditure of the rich.

Marriages, too, are said to cost large sums of money.  The Brahmins
observe the stars, and by their aid calculate the most fortunate day
and even hour for the ceremony to take place.  It is, however,
frequently postponed, at the very last moment, for a few hours longer,
as the priest has taken fresh observations, and hit upon a still luckier
instant.  Of course, such a discovery has to be paid for by an
extra fee.

There are several different feasts every year in honour of the four-armed
goddess Kally, especially in the village of Kallighat, near Calcutta. 
There were two during my stay.  Before each hut was placed a number
of small clay idols, painted with various colours and representing the
most horrible creatures.  They were exposed there for sale. 
The goddess Kally, as large as life, had got her tongue thrust out as
far as possible between her open jaws; she was placed either before
or inside the huts, and was richly decorated with wreaths of flowers.

The temple of Kally is a miserable building, or rather a dark hole,
from whose cupola-like roof rise several turrets: the statue here was
remarkable for its immense head and horribly long tongue.  Its
face was painted deep-red, yellow, and sky-blue.  I was unable
to enter this god-like hole, as I was a woman, and as such was not reckoned
worthy of admission into so sacred a place as Kally’s temple. 
I looked in at the door with the Hindoo woman, and was quite satisfied.

The most horrible and distressing scenes occur in the Hindoo dead-houses,
and at the places where the corpses are burnt.  Those that I saw
are situated on the banks of the Hoogly, near the town, and opposite
to them is the wood market.  The dead-house was small, and contained
only one room, in which were four bare bedsteads.  The dying person
is brought here by his relations, and either placed upon one of the
bedsteads, or, if these are all full, on the floor, or, at a push, even
before the house in the burning sun.  At the period of my arrival,
there were five persons in the house and two outside.  The latter
were completely wrapped up in straw and woollen counterpanes, and I
thought they were already dead.  On my asking whether or no this
was the case, my guide threw off the clothes, and I saw the poor wretches
move.  I think they must have been half-smothered under the mass
of covering.  Inside, on the floor, lay a poor old woman, the death-rattle
in whose throat proclaimed that her end was fast approaching. 
The four bedsteads were likewise occupied.  I did not observe that
the mouths and noses of these poor creatures were stopped up with mud
from the Ganges: this may, perhaps, be the case in some other districts. 
Near the dying persons were seated their relations, quietly and silently
waiting to receive their last breath.  On my inquiring whether
nothing was ever given to them, I was told that if they did not die
immediately, a small draught of water from the Ganges was handed to
them from time to time, but always decreasing in quantity and at longer
intervals, for when once brought to these places, they must die at any
price.

As soon as they are dead, and almost before they are cold, they are
taken to the place where they are burnt, and which is separated from
the high road by a wall.  In this place I saw one corpse and one
person at the point of death, while on six funeral-piles were six corpses
with the flames flaring on high all around them.  A number of birds,
larger than turkeys, and called here philosophers, {153}
small vultures, and ravens were seated upon the neighbouring trees and
house-tops, in anxious expectation of the half-burnt corpses. 
I was horrified.  I hurried away, and it was long before I could
efface the impression made upon my mind by this hideous spectacle.

In the case of rich people, the burning of the body sometimes costs
more than a thousand rupees; the most costly wood, such as rose and
sandal wood, being employed for that purpose.  Besides this, a
Brahmin, music, and female mourners, are necessary parts of the ceremony.

After the body has been burnt, the bones are collected, laid in a
vase, and thrown into the Ganges, or some other holy river.  The
nearest relation is obliged to set fire to the pile.

There are naturally none of these ceremonies among poor people. 
They simply burn their dead on common wood or cow-dung; and if they
cannot even buy these materials, they fasten a stone to the corpse and
throw it into the river.

I will here relate a short anecdote that I had from a very trustworthy
person.  It may serve as an example of the atrocities that are
often committed from false ideas of religion.

Mr. N— was once, during his travels, not far from the Ganges, and
was accompanied by several servants and a dog.  Suddenly the latter
disappeared, and all the calling in the world would not bring him back. 
He was at last discovered on the banks of the Ganges, standing near
a human body, which he kept licking.  Mr. N— went up and found
that the man had been left to die, but had still some spark of life
left.  He summoned his attendants, had the slime and filth washed
off the poor wretch’s face, and wrapped him well up.  In
a few days after he was completely recovered.  On Mr. N—’s
now being about to leave him, the man begged and prayed him not to do
so, as he had lost his caste, and would never more be recognised by
any of his relations; in a word that he was completely wiped out of
the list of the living.  Mr. N— took him into his service, and
the man, at the present day, is still in the enjoyment of perfect health. 
The event narrated occurred years ago.

The Hindoos themselves acknowledge that their customs, with regard
to dying persons, occasion many involuntary murders; but their religion
ordains that when the physician declares there is no hope left, the
person must die.

During my stay in Calcutta, I could learn no more of the manners
and customs of the Hindoos than what I have described, but I became
acquainted with some of the particulars of a Mahomedan marriage. 
On the day appointed for the ceremony, the nuptial bed, elegantly ornamented,
is carried, with music and festivity, to the house of the bridegroom,
and late in the evening, the bride herself is also conveyed there in
a close palanquin, with music and torches, and a large crowd of friends,
many of whom carry regular pyramids of tapers; that well known kind
of firework, the Bengal-fire, with its beautiful light-blue flame, is
also in requisition for the evening’s proceedings.

On arriving at the bridegroom’s house, the newly-married couple
alone are admitted; the rest remain outside playing, singing, and hallooing
until broad day.

I often heard Europeans remark that they considered the procession
of the nuptial couch extremely improper.  But as the old saying
goes—“A man can see the mote in his neighbour’s eye
when he cannot perceive the beam in his own;” and it struck me
that the manner in which marriages are managed among the Europeans who
are settled here, is much more unbecoming.  It is a rule with the
English, that on the day appointed for the marriage, which takes place
towards evening, the bridegroom shall not see his bride before he meets
her at the altar.  An infringement of this regulation would be
shocking.  In case the two who are about to marry should have anything
to say to each other, they are obliged to do so in writing.  Scarcely,
however, has the clergyman pronounced the benediction, ere the new married
couple are packed off together in a carriage, and sent to spend a week
in some hotel in the vicinity of the town.  For this purpose, either
the hotel at Barrackpore or one of two or three houses at Gardenrich
is selected.  In case all the lodgings should be occupied, a circumstance
of by no means rare occurrence, since almost all marriages are celebrated
in the months of November and December, a boat containing one or two
cabins is hired, and the young people are condemned to pass the next
eight days completely shut up from all their friends, and even the parents
themselves are not allowed access to their children.

I am of opinion that a girl’s modesty must suffer much from
these coarse customs.  How the poor creature must blush on entering
the place selected for her imprisonment; and how each look, each grin
of the landlord, waiters, or boatmen, must wound her feelings!

The worthy Germans, who think everything excellent that does not
emanate from themselves, copy this custom most conscientiously.

CHAPTER XII.  BENARES.

DEPARTURE FROM CALCUTTA—ENTRANCE INTO THE GANGES—RAJMAHAL—GUR—JUNGHERA—MONGHYR—PATNA—DEINAPOOR—GESIPOOR—BENARES—RELIGION
OF THE HINDOOS—DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN—PALACES AND TEMPLES—THE
HOLY PLACES—THE HOLY APES—THE RUINS OF SARANTH—AN
INDIGO PLANTATION—A VISIT TO THE RAJAH OF BENARES—MARTYRS
AND FAKIRS—THE INDIAN PEASANT—THE MISSIONARY ESTABLISHMENT.

On the 10th of December, after a stay of more than five weeks, I
left Calcutta for Benares.  The journey may be performed either
by land, or else by water, on the Ganges.  By land, the distance
is 470 miles; by water, 800 miles during the rainy season, and 465 miles
more during the dry months, as the boats are compelled to take very
circuitous routes to pass from the Hoogly, through the Sonderbunds,
into the Ganges.

The land journey is performed in post-palanquins, carried by men,
who, like horses, are changed every four or six miles.  The traveller
proceeds by night as well as day, and at each station finds people ready
to receive him, as a circular from the post-office is always sent a
day or two before, to prepare them for his arrival.  At night the
train is increased by the addition of a torch-bearer, to scare off the
wild beasts by the glare of his torch.  The travelling expenses
for one person are about 200 rupees (£20), independent of the
luggage, which is reckoned separately.

The journey by water can be accomplished in steamers, one of which
leaves almost every week for Allahabad (135 miles beyond Benares). 
The journey occupies from fourteen to twenty days, as, on account of
the numerous sand-banks, it is impossible for the vessel to proceed
on her course except in the day-time, and even then it is by no means
unusual for her to run aground, especially when the water is low.

The fares to Benares are: first cabin, 257 rupees (£25 14s.);
second cabin, 216 rupees (£21 12s.).  Provisions, without
wine or spirits, three rupees (6s.) a day.

As I had heard so much of the magnificent banks of the Ganges, and
of the important towns situated on them, I determined to go by water.

On the 8th of December, according to the advertisement, the steamer
“General Macleod,” 140 horse-power, commanded by Captain
Kellar, was to leave her moorings; but on going on board, I received
the gratifying intelligence that we should have to wait twenty-four
hours, which twenty-four hours were extended to as much again, so that
we did not actually set off before 11 o’clock on the morning of
the 10th.  We first proceeded down the stream to the sea as far
as Katcherie, and on the following day we rounded Mud Point, and entered
the Sonderbunds, where we beat about as far as Culna.  From there
we proceeded up the Gury, a large tributary stream flowing into the
Ganges below Rumpurbolea.  During the first few days, the scenery
was monotonous to the highest degree; there were neither towns nor villages
to be seen; the banks were flat, and the prospect everywhere bounded
by tall, thick bushes, which the English term jungles, that is
to say, “virgin forests.”  For my own part, I could
see no “virgin forests,” as by this term I understand a
forest of mighty trees.  During the night, we heard, from time
to time, the roaring of tigers.  These animals are pretty abundant
in these parts, and frequently attack the natives if they happen to
remain out late wooding.  I was shown the tattered fragment of
a man’s dress, hung upon a bush, to commemorate the fact of a
native having been torn to pieces there by one of these beasts. 
But they are not the only foes that man has to dread here; the Ganges
contains quite as deadly ones, namely—the ravenous crocodiles. 
These may be seen in groups of six or eight, sunning themselves on the
slimy banks of the river or on the numerous sandbanks.  They vary
in length from six to fifteen feet.  On the approach of the steamer,
several started up, affrighted by the noise, and glided hastily into
the dirty yellow stream.

The different branches of the Sonderbunds and the Gury are often
so narrow that there is hardly room for two vessels to pass each other;
while, on the other hand, they frequently expand into lakes that are
miles across.  In spite, too, of the precaution of only proceeding
by day, on account of the numerous sandbanks and shallows, accidents
are of frequent occurrence.  We ourselves did not come off scot
free.  In one of the narrow branches I have alluded to, while our
vessel was stopped to allow another to pass, one of the two ships that
we had in tow came with such violence against the steamer, that the
sides of a cabin were driven in: luckily, however, no one was injured.

In another arm of the river, two native vessels were lying at anchor. 
The crews were somewhat slow in perceiving us, and had not time to raise
their anchors before we came puffing up to them.  The captain did
not stop, as he thought there was room to pass, but turned the steamer’s
head so far in shore, that he ran into the bushes, and left some of
the blinds of the cabin-windows suspended as trophies behind him, whereat
he was so enraged, that he immediately dispatched two boats to cut the
poor creatures’ hawsers, thereby causing them to lose their anchors. 
This was another action worthy of a European!

Near Culna (358 miles from the sea), we entered the Gury, a considerable
tributary of the Ganges, which it flows into below Rumpurbolea. 
The jungles here recede, and their place is occupied by beautiful plantations
of rice, and other vegetables.  There was, too, no scarcity of
villages, only the huts, which were mostly built of straw and palm-leaves,
were small and wretched.  The appearance of the steamer soon collected
all the inhabitants, who left their fields and huts and greeted it with
loud huzzas.

15th December.  This evening we struck, for the first time,
on a sandbank.  It cost us some trouble before we could get off
again.

16th December.  We had entered the Ganges yesterday.  At
a late hour this evening we hove to near the little village of Commercolly. 
The inhabitants brought provisions of every description on board, and
we had an opportunity of becoming acquainted with the prices of the
various articles.  A fine wether cost four rupees (8s.); eighteen
fowls, a rupee (2s.); a fish, weighing several pounds, an anna (1½d.);
eight eggs, an anna; twenty oranges, two annas (3d.); a pound of fine
bread, three beis (ld.); and yet, in spite of these ludicrously cheap
prices, the captain charged each passenger three rupees (6s.) a-day
for his board, which was not even passable!  Many of the passengers
made purchases here of eggs, new bread, and oranges, and the captain
was actually not ashamed to let these articles, which were paid for
out of our own pockets, appear at his table that we all paid so dearly
for.

18th December.  Bealeah, a place of considerable importance,
noted for the number of its prisons.  It is a depot for criminals,
{158a} who are
sent here from all parts.  The prisoners here cannot be so desirous
of escaping as those in Europe, for I saw numbers of them, very slightly
ironed, wandering about in groups or alone, in the place itself and
its vicinity, without having any gaolers with them.  They are properly
taken care of, and employed in various kinds of light work.  There
is a paper manufactory, which is almost entirely carried on by them.

The inhabitants appeared to possess a more than usual degree of fanaticism. 
I and another passenger, Herr Lau, had gone to take a walk in the place,
and were about to enter a small street in which there was a Hindoo temple;
but no sooner, however, did the people perceive our intention, than
they set up a horrible yelling, and pressed on us so closely, that we
held it advisable to restrain our curiosity and turn back.

19th December.  Today we perceived the low ranges of the Rajmahal
Hills, the first we had seen since we left Madras.  In the evening,
we were again stuck fast upon a sandbank.  We remained tolerably
quiet during the night, but, as soon as it was morning, every possible
means were adopted to get us off again.  The vessels we had in
tow were cast off, our steam got up to its highest pitch; the sailors,
too, exerted themselves indefatigably, and at noon we were stuck just
as fast as we were the evening before.  About this time, we perceived
a steamer on its way from Allahabad to Calcutta; but our captain hoisted
no signals of distress, being very much vexed that he should be seen
by a comrade in such a position.  The captain of the other vessel,
however, offered his assistance of his own accord but his offer was
coldly and curtly refused, and it was not until after several hours
of the most strenuous exertion that we succeeded in getting off the
bank into deep water.

In the course of the day, we touched at Rajmahal, {158b}
a large village, which, on account of the thick woods and numerous swamps
and morasses around it, is reckoned a most unhealthy place.

It was here that Gur, one of the largest towns of India, once stood. 
It is said to have been twenty square miles in extent, and to have contained
about two millions of inhabitants, and, according to the latest books
of travels, the most splendid and considerable ruins are still to be
seen there.  Those of the so-called “Golden Mosque”
are especially remarkable, being very fine and faced with marble; the
gateways are celebrated for their great width of span and the solidity
of their side walls.

As there was, fortunately, a depot for coals here, we were allowed
a few hours to do as we liked.  The younger passengers seized the
opportunity to go out shooting, being attracted by the splendid forests,
the finest I had as yet seen in India.  It was certainly reported
that they were very much infested with tigers, but this deterred no
one.

I also engaged in the chase—although it was one of a different
description.  I penetrated far and wide, through forest and swamp,
in order to discover the ruins.  I was successful; but how meagre
and wretched they were!  The most important were those of two common
city-gates, built of sandstone and ornamented with a few handsome sculptures,
but without any arches or cupolas.  One inconsiderable temple,
with four corner towers, was in several places covered with very fine
cement.  Besides these, there were a few other ruins or single
fragments of buildings and pillars scattered around, but all of them
together do not cover a space of two square miles.

On the border of the forest, or some hundred paces farther in, were
situated a number of huts belonging to the natives, approached by picturesque
paths running beneath shady avenues of trees.  In Bealeah, the
people were very fanatic, while here the men were very jealous. 
At the conclusion of my excursion, one of the gentlemen passengers had
joined me, and we directed our steps towards the habitations of the
natives.  As soon as the men saw my companion, they called out
to their wives, and ordered them to take refuge in the huts.  The
women ran in from all directions, but remained very quietly at the doors
of their dwellings to see us pass, and quite forgot to conceal their
faces while they did so.

In these parts, there are whole woods of cocoa-palms.  This
tree is properly a native of India, where it attains a height of eighty
feet, and bears fruit in its sixth year.  In other countries, it
is scarcely fifty feet high, and does not bear fruit before it is twelve
or fifteen years old.  This tree is, perhaps, the most useful one
in the known world.  It produces large and nutritious fruit, excellent
milk, large leaves that are used for covering in and roofing huts, materials
for strong cordage, the clearest oil for burning, mats, woven stuffs,
colouring matter, and even a kind of drink called surr, toddy, or palm
brandy, and obtained by incisions made in the crown of the tree, to
which, during an entire month, the Hindoos climb up every morning and
evening, making incisions in the stem and hanging pots underneath to
catch the sap which oozes out.  The rough condition of the bark
facilitates considerably the task of climbing up the tree.  The
Hindoos tie a strong cord round the trunk and their own body, and another
round their feet, which they fix firmly against the tree; they then
raise themselves up, drawing the upper rope with their hands and the
lower one with the points of their feet, after them.  I have seen
them climb the highest trees in this manner with the greatest ease in
two minutes at the most.  Round their bodies they have a belt,
to which are suspended a knife and one or two small jars.

The sap is at first quite clear, and agreeably sweet, but begins,
in six or eight hours’ time, to ferment, and then assumes a whitish
tint, while its flavour becomes disagreeably acid.  From this,
with the addition of some rice, is manufactured strong arrack. 
A good tree will yield above a gallon of this sap in four-and-twenty
hours, but during the year in which the sap is thus extracted, it bears
no fruit.

21st December.  About 80 miles below Rajmahal, we passed three
rather steep rocks rising out of the Ganges.  The largest is about
sixty feet high; the next in size, which is overgrown with bushes, is
the residence of a Fakir, whom the true believers supply with provisions. 
We could not see the holy man, as it was beginning to grow dark as we
passed.  This, however, did not cause us so much regret, as that
we were unable to visit the Botanical Garden at Bogulpore, which is
said to be the finest in all India; but as there was no coal depot at
Bogulpore, we did not stop.

On the 22nd of December, we passed the remarkable mountain scenery
of Junghera, which rises, like an island of rocks, from the majestic
Ganges.  This spot was, in former times, looked on as the holiest
in the whole course of the river.  Thousands of boats and larger
vessels were constantly to be seen there, as no Hindoo believed he could
die in peace without having visited the place.  Numerous Fakirs
had established themselves here, strengthening the poor pilgrims with
unctuous exhortations, and taking in return their pious gifts. 
The neighbourhood has, however, at present, lost its reputation for
sanctity, and the offerings received are scarcely sufficient to maintain
two or three Fakirs.

In the evening we stopped near Monghyr, {160a}
a tolerably large town, with some old fortifications.  The most
conspicuous object is a cemetery, crowded with monuments.  The
monuments are so peculiar, that had I not seen similar ones in the cemeteries
of Calcutta, I should never have imagined that they belonged to any
sect of Christians.  There were temples, pyramids, immense catafalques,
kiosks, etc., all massively built of tiles.  The extent of this
cemetery is quite disproportioned to the number of Europeans in Monghyr;
but the place is said to be the most unhealthy in India, so that when
a European is ordered there for any number of years, he generally takes
a last farewell of all his friends.

Six miles hence, there are some hot springs, which are looked upon
by the natives as sacred.

We had lost sight of the Rajmahal Hills at Bogulpore; on both sides
of the river, nothing was now to be seen but an uninterrupted succession
of flat plains.

24th December.  Patna, {160b}
one of the largest and most ancient cities of Bengal, with a population
of about 300,000 souls, {161}
consists of a long, broad street, eight miles long, with numerous short
alleys running into it.  The houses, which are mostly constructed
of mud, struck me as particularly small and wretched.  Under the
projecting roofs are exposed for sale goods and provisions of the simplest
kind.  That part of the street in which the greatest number of
these miserable shops are situated, is dignified by the grand name of
the “Bazaar.”  The few houses of a better description
might easily be counted without any very great trouble; they are built
of tiles, and surrounded by wooden galleries and colonnades prettily
carved.  In these houses were to be found the best and finest shops.

The temples of the Hindoos, the Ghauts (flights of steps, halls,
and gateways) on the Ganges, like the mosques of the Mahomedans, always
look a great deal better at a distance than they do on a nearer inspection. 
The only objects worthy of notice which I saw here, were a few bell-shaped
mausoleums, like those in Ceylon, which they greatly surpassed in size,
although not in artistic beauty; they were certainly more than 200 feet
in circumference, and eighty feet in height.  Excessively narrow
entrances, with simple doors, conduct into the interior.  On the
outside, two small flights of steps, forming a semicircle, lead up to
the top.  The doors were not opened for us, and we were obliged
to content ourselves with the assurance that, with the exception of
a small, plain sarcophagus there was nothing inside.