e in this place, which was
considerable, and quite as much as he could attend to, have soon realised
a handsome fortune; but we understood, that to the poor or necessitous
sick he always administered _gratis_.

The township of the Rio de Janeiro was said to contain on the whole not
less than 40,000 people, exclusive of the native Indians and negroes.
These last appear to be very numerous, of a strong robust appearance, and
are brought from the coast of Guinea, forming an extensive article of
commerce. With these people of both sexes the streets were constantly
filled, scarcely any other description of people being seen in them.
Ladies or gentlemen were never seen on foot in the streets during the
day; those whose business or inclination led them out being carried in
close chairs, the pole of which came from the head of the vehicle, and
rested on the shoulders of the chairmen, having, notwithstanding the
gaudiness of the chair itself, a very awkward appearance.

The language spoken here by the white people was that of the mother
country--Portuguese. The ecclesiastics in general could converse in
Latin; and the negro slaves spoke a corrupt mixture of their own tongue
with that of the people of the town. The native Indians retained their
own language, and could be distinctly discerned from the natives of
Guinea, as well by the colour of the skin, as by the hair and the
features of the face. Some few of the military conversed in French; but
this language was in general little used.

The town appeared to be well supplied with water, which was conveyed into
it from a great distance by means of an aqueduct (or carioca) which in
one place having to cross a road or public way was raised upon a double
row of strong lofty arches, forming an object that from the bay, and at
the entrance of the harbour, added considerably to the beauty of the
imagery. From this aqueduct the water was received into stone fountains,
constructed with capacious basins, whither the inhabitants sent their
linen, to have the dirt rather beaten than washed out of it, by slaves.
One of these fountains of a modern construction was finished with great
taste and neatness of execution.

We also observed several large and rich convents in the town. The chief
of these were, the Benedictine and the Carmelite; one dedicated to St.
Anthony, another to Our Lady of Assistance, and another to St. Theresa.
The two last were for the reception of nuns; and of the two, t