on which the cochinille insect feeds, and for the reception of
eunous or useful native plants ; but we found it greatly neglected,
and the collection very limited, containing but few
native plants which have not already been cultivated in the
hot-houses of England. The supeiintendant had not the least
knowledge of botany. The common fruits of the country
were sufficiently abundant, and to these were added a few
other plants among which, as I find by my notes, were
different species of Yucca, Agave, Euphorbia, and Cactus;
the Laurus Persea, a Mimosa, a species of Cassia, and the
Theobroma Cacao or chocolate tree; the Jatropha Curcas or
physic nut, and the Ridnus Palma Christi; the common
pepper, a species of Capsicum , or Cayenne pepper, and a
species of PhysaUs or winter cherry. Several very fine passion
flowers and different species of convolvulus were among; the
creeping plants. The Queen of Portugal had sent out a collector
of birds and insects I but he possessed only a very
limited knowledge of natural history, being a mere setter-up
In this branch, however, he was tolerably perfect, and had
procured a number of very beautiful and brilliant specimens.
' I S ® of the llouSes in St. Sebastian are far from beiim
contemptible; they are mostly two stories high, covered with
tiles, and have wooden balconies extending in front of the
upper stories ; but the best of them wear that dull and
gloomy appearance, which all buildings must necessarily have
whose latticed windows supply the want of glass. The streets
are in general tolerably straight, some of considerable width
though mostly narrow. The principal ones are paved on both
sides with broad flag stones of granite. The refinement of a
trottoir, so rarely met with out of England, was not expected
to be found in a foreign settlement of Pprtugal. The shops
are large and commodious, generally well stocked with the
manufactures of Europe, chiefly those of Great Britain, which
after being exhibited in the windows of the capital and the
principal cities and towns of the empire, till their fashion is
out of date, are shipped off to the trading nations on the continent,
and from thence to their foreign settlements. In the
catalogue of wares exhibited in the shops of Rio de Janeiro,
English quack medicines and caricature prints were not the
least esteemed nor the least abundant.
The city of Rio is in its extent so considerable, that it is
said to contain at least sixty thousand souls, including slaves ;
yet there is neither inn, nor hotel, nor any kind of lodging or
accommodation for the reception of strangers. There was,
indeed, a sort of tavern, on the right of the great square,
kept by a Frenchman, a Monsieur Phillipe, who, on the arrival
of foreign ships, attends at the main landing-stairs to
offer his services as agent, broker, interpreter, quack doctor,
traiteur or, in short, in any other capacity which strangers
may be disposed to employ him; and in the nature of the
service they may wish to engage him there is no necessity to
be apprehensive of offending his delicacy, for he is a true
Frenchman. A house of accommodation is, however, scarcely
necessary, as this weak and therefore perhaps jealous government
is so inhospitable as not to allow any stranger to remain
on shore after sunset; and so suspicious as not even to suffer
him to walk the streets in the daytime, without a soldier at
his heels. In this respect their caution seems to be fully as