II. REPORT FOR 1881.

Report by Consul-General Adamson, of Rio de Janeiro, on the history and political condition of Brazil, its physical features, foreign commerce and navigation, products of the field and forest, mining industry, railways, post-offices, telegraphs, climate, &c.

UNITED STATES CONSULATE-GENERAL,

Rio de Janeiro, December 17, 1881.

In considering the present condition of Brazil, its progress, and possible future, one must bear in mind and give due weight to certain facts relating to the history of the country, its political organization, physical features and climate, the race which governs, their religion, educational facilities, &c. Without this primary knowledge it would be difficult to arrive at a correct understanding of various facts which indirectly affect the trade relations of Brazil.

Until recently so little was the attention of our people directed to this "terra de Santa Cruz," or "land of the Holy Cross," as it was originally named, that many appear to have viewed it as but just opened

to commerce.

HISTORY AND POLITICAL CONDITION.

Brazil was discovered by Europeans in the year A. D. 1500, and was taken possession of in the name of the King of Portugal. A settlement was made on the shores of the bay of Rio de Janeiro in 1557 by Admiral Coligni with 10,000 French Huguenots, but they were driven off by the Portuguese, who, in 1567, founded the present city, under the name of St. Sebastian de Rio de Janeiro.

The actual settlement thus really antedates the founding of Saint Augustine, Fla., and precedes the first English settlement in North America by about fifty years. Before the first white settler trod the soil of what is now the State of New York, there were prosperous towns at three points on the coast of Brazil.

Brazil is thus an offshoot of Portugal, as the United States is of Great Britain, but the separation from the mother country was effected without a struggle, and the reigning house of Brazil is descended from that of Portugal, so that the change can hardly be called a revolution. In 1807 the house of Braganza was driven from Portugal by the French armies and came to establish itself in Brazil. On the downfall of Napoleon the King of Portugal returned to Lisbon, leaving his son to govern Brazil as his representative.

The Brazilians had thus become accustomed to a monarchical form of government, and when, in 1822, they declared their independence they did not, like the other South American colonies, seek to establish a republic. The Prince Regent was made emperor, under the title of Dom Pedro I, and his office was declared hereditary, a constitution was given to the people, and since that time they have had a share in the government through their representatives duly elected to the Senate and Chamber of Deputies.

The first Emperor abdicated the throne in 1831 in favor of his infant son, who now reigns as Dom Pedro II. Beyond some local outbreaks, caused by these political changes, Brazil has never had any internal wars, and there can be no greater mistake than to regard it as a revolutionary country.

The present Emperor is generally respected by both Brazilians and

foreigners and it is not probable that there will be any marked political change during his lifetime.

The imperial succession is in either the male or female line and the heir apparent is the eldest and only surviving daughter of the Emperor, the Princess Donna Isabella.

It will therefore be seen that Brazil has been governed by the Portuguese and their descendants for more than three hundred years, and it is deemed important to thus call attention to the facts of the case, because it appears to be a very common impression amongst our countrymen that this is a country of Spanish origin, and they flood Brazil with "trade circulars" written in that language, and thereby waste their efforts.

The powers of the Emperor and his ministers correspond very nearly to those of our President and his cabinet. As in England, the responsibility of ministers to Parliament is admitted, and they resign on suffering a defeat.

The senators are chosen for life, and are selected by the Emperor from a triple list elected by the people. The Chamber of Deputies is elected by the people, periodically, and all questions relating to the internal affairs of the empire pertain to it.

The electoral reform law, which has just come into force, bestows important privileges on the people, and secures the elections from all influence of the government, making the voting direct instead of through electoral colleges, as heretofore, and giving the franchise to all citizens having a clear income of 200 milreis, or about $100.

The good effects of the concessions were shown in the late elections, which were more quiet than any that have taken place in Brazil for many years, and the abstinence of the government from any attempt to influence the voting is proven by the result of the elections.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF BRAZIL-CLIMATE, &C.

In extent of territory, Brazil ranks with the great nations of the world, its area being about that of the United States.

The population is variously estimated at from 10,000,000 to 12,000,000. At least nine-tenths of the people are gathered within from 200 to 300 miles of the ocean, the most thickly-populated region being the zone extending from Cape St. Roque, in latitude 5° 28' south, along the coast southward.

This zone is hilly in the northern part, mountainous in the southern, and originally nearly the whole of it was covered with forest. A large portion is exceedingly fertile, and has been taken up for plantations of sugar in the northern part, sugar and tobacco in the middle, and coffee in the southern part.

The climate varies somewhat with the latitude, but it may be characterized as mild and pleasant, generally.

Near Cape St. Roque it is very equable; towards the south it is more varied; and where it enters the south temperate zone, frosts are common from June to September.

The great region embraced by the Amazon and its tributaries is a plain, varied with hills only in the eastern portion, and covered nearly everywhere with heavy forests. The climate is warm, but equable, and never very oppressive; rains are frequent throughout the year, the rainy season, from January to June, being marked only by the heaviness and duration of the almost daily showers.

This region is well fitted for agriculture, but, as yet, it is almost

untouched, and the civilized population is very small. Much of the country is still unexplored.

Between the Amazon Valley and the coast zone, and extending at the northeastern end to the Atlantic Ocean, is an immense tract locally known as the "Sertao," which word is frequently translated by foreigners as "desert," but means rather "the far interior" or "the backwoods."

Much of this region is a table land, more or less broken up by river valleys and varied with hills. The surface is irregularly divided be tween prairie and forest land. It is well adapted for cattle-raising, but owing to the sparseness of the population and distances from market, all industries are neglected.

The climate of the "Sertao" is mild, and, except in the river valleys, remarkably healthful. Unlike the rest of Brazil, the wet and dry seasons are here very sharply marked, rains being almost unknown from June to November, when the trees shed their leaves, and many of the streams dry up.

From February to June the rains are generally abundant. It sometimes happens, however, that the rains are very light or altogether wanting, and as the people depend on the wet season for their plantings, very great suffering results. This is especially the case in the northeastern part of the "Sertao," embracing the provinces of Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, Piauby, and portions of Pernambuco, Bahia, and Minas Geraes. In this region the drought sometimes lasts for several years, so that agricultural industry is ruined, and many of the people die of starvation. The last and most terrible of these droughts, which continued for four years, has but recently ended.

The extreme southern part of Brazil, embracing the provinces of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catharina, and portions of Paraná and São Paulo, lies within the south temperate zone, and possesses a climate somewhat resembling that of Georgia and Alabama, the seasons, of course, being reversed.

Much of this region is very fertile, being particularly well adapted for wheat and cattle farms; it is probably the most desirable part of Brazil for agricultural settlers.

SANITARY CONDITION.

It is a popular error that Brazil is an unhealthy country, generally speaking. Excepting some of the great cities, where the neglect of sanitary precautions is most glaring, this is, as a rule, a very healthy country. Some of the river valleys are subject to intermittent fevers, but not more so than in other countries.

Yellow fever is chiefly confined to the coast towns, and it is most prevalent amongst non-acclimated foreigners and the denizens of the slums of the cities. Its chief seats are in Rio de Janeiro and Bahia, where it generally appears in the hot months from January to May. In Rio de Janeiro the death rate is higher than in most of the other coast cities.

The following table will show the monthly mortality in the city of Rio de Janeiro during the year 1880, causes thereof, and average death

rate:

1880.

In calculating annual average mortality, as above, the population is estimated at 330,000.

Cholera, in an epidemic form, has not appeared in Brazil for many years. Small pox is present nearly everywhere, and, owing to the neglect of vaccination, it occasionally rages with great violence, especially in the northern provinces.

An epidemic of small-pox which appeared in 1878 amongst the faminestricken refugees of Ceará and adjacent provinces, carried off more than 100,000 persons.

During the last few years a singular disease called "beri-berri" has appeared in various parts of Brazil, producing paralysis, and, if neg lected, death. This malady, which is supposed to have been introduced from Africa, is occasionally epidemic, and it appears to be more common in the interior than near the coast. A sea voyage is said to be the most effectual remedy.

Goitre prevails to a considerable extent in some of the limestone regions of Central Brazil.

RELIGION.

Though the Roman Catholic is the state religion of Brazil, freedom of worship is guaranteed to all others, but in houses not having the outward form of a church. Practically there is very little religious intol erance in the empire. In a few cases Protestant congregations have been interfered with by mobs, but these were invariably composed of the most ignorant class, and the public press has almost invariably denounced all such outrages.

The Protestant form of religion is represented by branches of the Church of England, established in most of the coast cities, and by a considerable number of mission churches and schools under the auspices of the Presbyterian and Methodist denominations of the United States. Monasteries, nunneries, and religious orders are almost extinct.

EDUCATION.

The educational question, when looked at from a business point of view, is of more importance than might be supposed by a superficial thinker. An unenlightened people adopts with reluctance those great improvements of our age which benefit the material interests of a country while they enrich the introducer, and a thoroughly ignorant people, having no artificial wants to supply, will not labor to get the means of purchasing those articles, the sale of which keeps our mill wheels in motion and gives profitable freight to our ships.

In Brazil the educated class is proportionally much smaller than in the United States, and most of the poorer people are very ignorant. During the last few years education has been made compulsory, nominally so at least, and many improvements have been made in the school system, but this is still defective.

Among the higher educational institutions may be mentioned the Dom Pedro II College, and the Polytechnic School at Rio de Janeiro, the Rio and Bahia Medical College, and the law schools at Pernambuco, Bahia, and San Paulo.

Many Brazilian young men of the richer classes finish their education in the United States, France, or Portugal.

There are but few really good schools for the higher education of women, and many families send their daughters to the convent schools of Lisbon and Paris.

A very promising educational enterprise has recently been set on foot in Brazil through the efforts of an American, the Rev. Dr. Taylor, who has sent a superior class of teachers to open schools at Para and Pernambuco, and will also open one in this city in May next. His plan is to teach in the English language, and to educate boys up to the standard required for matriculation in any college or university of the United States. The prospects of this enterprise are most encouraging. In a correspondence with Dr. Taylor I made some statements which it may not be improper to repeat here, viz:

In looking up the statistics of commerce of Brazil, I was struck with astonishment at the comparative importance of this great empire and that of the one little colony of Victoria, Australia, and, as it may interest you, will quote some of the figures. The Empire of Brazil is supposed to have a population of 12,000,000. It produces some of the most valuable articles of commerce. The total imports of the whole empire during the year ended June 30, 1879, according to government returns, amounted to $70,307,064, and total exports in same period amounted to $87,744,725, making together, $158,051,789. The value of imports per head of population was then $5.86. The value of exports per head of population was then $7.31. Both together, $13.17.

The latest statistics from Victoria are for the year 1878. The population on the 31st of December, 1878, was 879,442. The imports in 1878 were $78,651,789, or $90.49 per head of population; the exports in 1878 were $72,635,553, or $83.58 per head of population.

By the above you will see that one man in Victoria is worth as a customer to the outside world as much as fifteen Brazilians, and at the same time one man in Victoria does as much toward supplying the wants of the outside world as eleven Brazilians. The reason for this, to a great extent, is because the mass of the Brazilian people are uneducated; they have no artificial wants to supply, and therefore the greater part of them only work enough to supply the purely animal wants. To make them valuable as customers, they must be educated to require the thousand things which are necessities to the educated man or woman.

RAILWAYS.

There are no official statistics of the railways of Brazil of a later date than July, 1880.

Carefully compiling all available sources of information, I find that on

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