displayed the innumerable products of that productive country. Beef, mutton, pork, poultry, fish dripping fresh from the ocean, vegetables of every kind to be found in semi-tropical climates, fruits which to enumerate would require a volume of itself; parrots, parroquetes, singing birds that piped the most delicious liquid notes, and last, but not least, were the slaves, male and female, offered for sale in the open market. Here were offered strong men, robust women and children, for sale the same as donkeys and goats. Some of those offered for sale were not more than four months from their native land-Africa. There they were offered on the altar of mammon-all for glittering gold.

Across the harbor from Rio is Preia Grande, where a slave depot is maintained. There the slave schooners,

cause of the activity of the English cruisers which were sent for the purpose of suppressing the nefarious traffic.

"From Greenland's icy mountains,
From India's coral strand;
Where Afric's sunny fountains

Roll down their golden sand;

From many an ancient river,

From many a palmy plain,

They call us to deliver

Their land from error's chain.'

England had declared slave-hunting to be piracy, and the penalty was a short shrift and a long rope. While upon

this subject I am reminded of a tragic occurrence which took place off the coast of Africa in 1845. While England had a fleet of fast sailing cruisers on the African station to break up the slave trade, she invited the United States to co-operate with her to entirely eradicate the inhuman traffic. The executive department of the United States Government was at that time in the hands of Southern slave-holders and their sympathizers, but as we claimed to be a Christian nation, the invitation could not be wholly ignored. Therefore a man-of-war brig, the "Somers," Commander McKenzie, was ordered to the African station to co-operate with the English cruisers in suppressing the slave-buying traffic. While she was sailing along the coast, exploring for the rendezvous and the barracoons of the slave sellers and slave buyers, a passed midshipman on board the brig, who had been reading bad buccaneering books, conceived the idea of conspiring with some of the crew whom he thought he could influence and executing a well-formed plot, seize the vessel, capture the commander and the officers and make them walk the plank overboard in the regular pirate fashion. After dispatching the officers his plan was to offer all those who joined him a share in the robberies which he contemplated; but if any man refused, then overboard with him to join the captain and his officers. After he obtained the full possession of the brig he intended to cruise around the Canary and the Cape de Verde Islands and cut off the East Indiamen that came around Cape Good Hope, send the crews to Davy Jones' locker, and after appropriating all that the vessels contained of value, set them on fire and let them sink.

He approached one of the petty officers and divulged to him his secret, and in that way they enlisted quite a number of the men in their horrible enterprise. But "God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform." One of the men who had been enlisted in the murderous conspiracy became conscience stricken. He went to the executive officer, confessed, and divulged the whole plot. In a spirit of contrition he gave a full account of the details and the time for

their execution. The executive officer at once apprised the commander of their danger. Commander McKenzie at once ordered the culprit to be put in irons, and all his confederates into confinement. On the following day a court martial was convened, composed of his brother officers. He was put on trial and found guilty of attempt to commit piracy; penalty, death. Capt. McKenzie being the senior captain on the station, as there was no other man-of-war there, he approved the finding and ordered that the sentence be at once carried into effect. As the situation was fraught with great danger, the safety of the vessel and security of the crew demanded prompt action. Therefore on the day following the past midshipman was hung to the yardarm, a fearful example of perverted talent and a depraved heart. In the meantime every loyal man on board was kept under arms until the tragedy was ended, to prevent the malcontents from breaking out into open revolt. The fate of their leader was held up to his confederates as an example of what they might expect if they manifested any signs of insubordination.

When the "Somers" arrived in Hampton Roads and Commander McKenzie had reported to the Secretary of the Navy, there was a tremendous excitement throughout the country, the people taking sides for or against the action of Commander McKenzie. The young officer had been a member of an influential family, and for that reason there was such a pressure brought to bear upon the President that he caused the Secretary of the Navy to order a court martial for the trial of Commander McKenzie, which attracted much attention. After a thorough investigation the court decided that the safety of the vessel and the crew required both firmness and promptness on the part of Commander McKenzie, therefore his action was justified and approved.

From the very nature of the conditions that surround. the captain of a ship at sea bis authority on board of ship must be supreme. Such being the case, it is of the utmost importance that the captain should be a sober, intelligent, and cool-headed man, for on these qualities depend the

safety of the ship and the lives of every one on board of her.

As Brazil is much nearer to Africa than what Cuba is the slavers can reach this market much easier and dispose of their human chattels at less risk than they can by running the gauntlet of making their way to Cuba, where they realize much higher prices for their slaves. All the local transportation is done by the slaves. This is the most extensive coffee market in the world and the transportation from warehouse to ship is done by slaves. They will form a line of about twenty men, each with a sack of coffee that weighs 120 pounds, on the top of his head, and they will march along in single file for a distance of from a half mile to a milefrom warehouse to ship, without stopping. While on their way they maintain a uniform gait by singing a monotone like "You, you, you! Yah, yah!" So they go through the streets with bare shining bodies with short cotton breeches on them. They seem to be unconcerned, and seem to be happy in their way, thereby verifying the adage of Shakspeare-

"Where ignorance is bliss 'tis folly to be wise."

Most of the houses in Rio are built of unhewn stone and covered on the outside with cement, and colored in light shades. As a general rule the houses are built two stories high, with very high ceilings, on account of the warm weather. The roofs are of red tile, as they are in Portugal; in fact, if a man were to drop down in a balloon into one of the narrow streets in Rio de Janeiro-and the streets are all narrow-he might imagine that he was in Lisbon; with this difference, however, Rio is much cleaner than Lisbon. Perhaps this cleanliness is not so much from choice as it is from necessity, as Rio, being in the tropics, is subject to dreadful fevers during the summer months-from February to May. My companion and myself found ourselves in front of a hotel on which was a sign "Hotel do Lisboa." It was now about three o'clock and we felt ravenously hungry, therefore we entered and sat down at one of the many small tables that were ranged around the side of the room. At the up

per end of the room was a small bar; the ceiling was very high, the windows were shaded, and the large room was quite cool. The man behind the bar tinkled a tiny bell and a young fellow came out of a rear room and approached us. I told him that we desired to have something to eat, and, if convenient, would like a chicken and vegetables. He answered that it would be ready in half an hour. I afterwards learned how they prepare chicken for the table in Rio. Each hotel has a large coop in the yard back of the kitchen, in which are placed the chickens as they are brought from the country. When the order is received for fried chicken the fowl is taken from the coop, decapitated, and immersed in hot water and the feathers removed. It is then disjointed, wiped, and, presto! it is in the pan frying. In twenty minutes after the order is received the fighting cock that was lustily crowing defiance to all comers, is placed sizzling on a plate before the guest. That's how it is done in Rio. The reason for this is that in tropical climates where the heat is incessant, whatever creature is killed for human food has to be cooked within a very few hours thereafter or else decomposition sets in, and it at once putrifies. We often hear the saying "salt won't save it," and this is true in tropical climate. The beef that is slaughtered during the night must be eaten the next day.

The

Our first dinner in Rio consisted of fried chicken, green peas, fried potatoes, salad of lettuce, very superior bread, and a bottle of Madeira wine. After which we had coffee with sweet biscuits. We paid two dollars and fifty cents— making it one dollar and twenty-five cents for each one. money of Brazil is reckoned by milreis, but we had no difficulty in passing our American coin, without being obliged to go to a money changer. The day having been enjoyed in sight seeing, we all met at the jetty at 6 P. M., and were at once surrounded by the boatmen, who offered to take us on board the ship. I ashed how much they would charge, and they answered 1,000 reis. My companions protested at such an excessive price; but when it was explained that it was equal to one dollar of American money they became quite