1768. continually waiting for their turn to draw water; and the
.December.^ w]10 are polled at the Governor’s door, find it very
difficult to maintain any regularity among them. The water
at this fountain however is fo bad, that we, who had been
two months at fea, confined to that in our calks, which was
almofl always foul, eould not* drink it with pleafure. Water
of a better quality is laid into fome other part of the town»
but I could not learn by what means.
The churches are very fine, and there is more religious-
parade in this place than in any of the Popifh countries in
Europe: there is a proceffion of Lome parifh every day, with
various inftgnia, all fplendid and eoftly in the higheft degree
: they beg money, and fay prayers in great form, at the
corner of every ftreet.
While we lay here, one of the churches was rebuilding;
and to defray the expence, the parifh to which it belonged
had leave to beg in proceffion through the whole city onee a
week, by which very confiderable fums were collected. Ac
this ceremony, which was performed by night, all the boys
of a certain age were obliged to affift, the fbns of Gentlemen
not being excufed. Each of thefe boys was drefied in a black
cafiock, with a fhort red cloak, hanging about as low as the
waift, and carried in his hand a pole about fix or feven feet
lon g , at the end of which was tied a lantern : the number
of lanterns was generally above two hundred, and the light
they gave was fb great, that the people who faw it from the
cabbin windows thought the town had been on fire.
The inhabitants, however, may pay their devotions at the,
fhrine of any faint in the calendar, without waking till there
is a proceffion •, for before almoffi every houfe there is a little-
cupboard, furnifhed with a glafs window, in which one of
thefe tutelary powers is waiting to be gracious j and to prevent
vent his being out of mind, by being out of fight, a lamp is December.
kept conftantly burning before the window of his taber- t---- ------
nacle in the night. The people indeed are by no means re-
mifs in their devotions, for before thefe faints they pray and
fing hymns with fuch vehemence, that in the night they
were very diflinétly heard on board the fhip, though fhc lay
at the diftance of at leaf! half a mile from the town.
The government here, as to its form, is mixed ; it is not-
withftanding very defpotic in faft. It confifts of the Viceroy,
the Governor of the town, and a council, the number of
which I could not learn: without thé confent o f this council,
in which the Viceroy has a calling vote, no judicial a£t
fhould be performed; yet both the Viceroy and Governor
frequently commit perfons to prifon at their own pleafure,
and fometimes fend them to Lifbon, without acquainting
their friends or family with what is laid to their charge, or
where they may be found.
To reftrain the people from travelling into the country,
and getting into any diftritft where gold or diamonds may
be found, of both which there is much more than the government
can otherwife fecure, certain bounds are preferjbed
them, at the diferetion of the Viceroy, fometimes at a few,
and fometimes at many miles diftance from the city. On
the verge of thefe limits a guard conftantly patroles, and t
whoever is found beyond it, is immediately feized and |
thrown into prifon: and if a man is, upon any pretence, ||
taken up by the guard without the limits, he will be fent to
prifon, tho’ it fhould appear that he did not know their extent.
The inhabitants, which are very numerous, confift of
Portuguefe, Negroes, and Indians, the original natives of the
country. The townfhip of Rio, which, as I was told^is but
a fmall part of the Capitanea, or province, is faid to contain
E 2 37>000