particular attraction for me. In these shops are exposed for sale
the most lovely artificial flowers, made of birds' feathers, fishes'
scales, and beetles' wings.

Of the squares, the finest is the Largo do Rocio; the largest, the
Largo St. Anna. In the first, which is always kept tolerably clean,
stand the Opera-house, the Government-house, the Police-office, etc.
This, too, is the starting-place for most of the omnibuses, which
traverse the town in all directions.

The last-named square is the dirtiest in the whole town. On
crossing it for the first time, I perceived lying about me half
putrid cats and dogs--and even a mule in the same state. The only
ornament of this square is a fountain, and I almost think I should
prefer it if the fountain were, in this case, taken away; for, as
soft water is not very abundant in Rio Janeiro, the washerwoman's
noble art pitches its tent wherever it finds any, and most willingly
of all when, at the same time, it meets with a good drying ground.
The consequence is, that in the Largo St. Anna there is always such
an amount of washing and drying, of squalling and screaming, that
you are glad to get away as quickly as possible.

There is nothing remarkable in the appearance of the churches,
either inside or out. The Church and Cloister of St. Bento and the
Church of St. Candelaria are the most deceptive; from a distance
they have a very imposing look.

The houses are built in the European fashion, but are small and
insignificant; most of them have only a ground-floor or single
story,--two stories are rarely met with. Neither are there any