Slaves Coaling the Ship-Degradation—Landing—See Emperor—Tichuga, and its Falls—Approach to it—The Town Gardens—Peixeboy Fish—Beggars on Horseback—Dangers of Sleeping in Open Air—Botanic Gardens-Fine Palm Avenue—Insects—Humming Birds-Ascend the Corcovada—Incidents by the Way— Wonderful Scenery — Nocturnal Annoyances of Tropical Climates—Misnomer—Accounts of Cholera—Embark in Arno for Monte Video.
We slowly steamed up the harbour for about three miles, and were boarded by the officials of the Customs House, and by officers of the different men of war, for news from Europe, &c., &c. And then we took up our position at the coaling island, as it is called, a mile and a-half from the landing-place in the city.
Here we see what it is to be hoped are the last remains of slavery; and they give any one that witnesses them an idea of what slavery must formerly have been, in its worse forms. A gang of fifty slaves were employed to remove a pile of coals from a platform into our steamer. The men were most scantily dressed with very short canvas drawers, and a shirt of the same material, but more like a waist-coat. Each man had to carry coals of about fifty pounds weight in a basket on his head; and before he passed along the plank into the ship, had to step once on an iron slab, as I suppose to register the proceeding.
They commenced at five in the morning, and left off at
