to any hotel in Europe. I was a guest there upon my first visit to Paris.

We could not linger in that most attractive of all cities, proposing to make a later visit, and pass some time there. The view which the ladies caught of it was delightful.

It was my purpose before leaving home to take my family to Stuttgart and arrange for a year's residence for them while I proceeded to Rio. In Paris I met Mr. Partridge, my predecessor at the court of Brazil; he expected me, and called on me promptly. He devoted his time to me and rendered important service in posting me as to affairs in Brazil, and in other ways. I informed him of my purpose to leave my family in Stuttgart; he thoroughly approved it, and said that it would be well to arrange for their residence there during my stay at Rio. He informed me that several members of the Diplomatic Corps left their families in Europe. The climate at Rio at certain seasons of the year was such as to make it undesirable as a residence. A leave of absence obtained from time to time would enable me to visit my family, who would in the meanwhile enjoy advantages which could not be secured in Brazil.

After a brief but a very pleasant stay in Paris we proceeded to Stuttgart. The travel from Paris to Stuttgart interested us. We had a view of Strasbourg, its grand cathedral rising before us with its lofty spire higher than the Great Pyramid of Egypt, and we crossed the Rhine.

Stuttgart makes a fine impression on the visitor from the first hour of his arrival. Its railway station is magnificent, and it has one of the best hotels in Europe. This charming place, seated in the midst of vine-clad hills, possessed every advantage as a residence for Mrs. Hilliard and our daughters. As a school for music it is not excelled in Europe. I succeeded in making satisfactory arrangements for my family. Mr. Potter, our Consul, gave us his best services, and I found in Mr. Schulz, an

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eminent banker, a gentleman who undertook to provide facilities for meeting the requirements of Mrs. Hilliard during her stay.

Returning to Paris, I found that I was too late to secure a passage in the French steamer for Rio. I engaged a passage in one of the ships of the Pacific Line of Royal Mail Steamers, which, leaving Liverpool, called at Bordeaux for passengers.

The voyage from Bordeaux to Rio was delightful. We called at Lisbon, and I was impressed by the magnificence of the view which the city presented. It is a grand amphitheatre, spreading over hills, which are covered with palaces, churches, and private residences, constituting a beautiful picture.

The ocean was tranquil, and day after day we enjoyed the voyage, which revealed to us, as we approached the coast of South America, scenery which was new to us, and in the full verdure of tropical luxuriance. At night the heavens were magnificent; the constellations shone with a splendor that we had never before witnessed, and the unclouded firmament revealed to us its full beauty.

Pernambuco was the first place we saw on the coast of Brazil; its towers, and the domes of its public buildings, rising to view out of the water as we approached it. We did not enter the city; it was inaccessible to our large ship. We had a view, far to the right, of Olinda, a beautiful suburb seated on a hill in the midst of palm trees and bananeiros. Its once famous law school, with its three hundred students, no longer exists. A natural reef protects the harbor of Pernambuco, and those who visit it are taken in small boats through the rough sea to the city. Pernambuco is a place of commercial importance, and is the greatest sugar mart in Brazil.

When we arrived at Bahia, a great city, the second in importance in the empire, we found that the French steamer, in which I so much desired to secure a passage,

was a wreck. It had foundered on a rock near the entrance of the harbor and sank so rapidly that the passengers barely escaped with their lives, losing not only their trunks, but their satchels-not even saving their jewelry. It was an impressive illustration of the truth so often shown us in life, that it is better to submit ourselves to the guidance of a Divine Providence than to undertake to shape our own ends. If I had been on board the French steamer I should have lost not only my valuables but the papers from my government which accredited me to the Imperial Government of Brazil.

As we approached Rio de Janeiro the scenery which rose to view was surpassingly beautiful; not only was the tropical verdure in perfection, but the whole aspect of the coast far transcended anything in sublimity that I had seen in any country. The morning was bright; not a cloud shut out of view any point of the unrivalled picture that opened before us. There was a blended majesty and beauty-an expanding stretch of water, a range of mountains towering to great heights, on some sides precipitous and bare, and on others robed in the green verdure of the tropics.

The Bay of Rio de Janeiro is the most beautiful in the world. The harbor is entered through a deep and narrow passage between two granite mountains, and yet the entrance is so safe that the presence of a pilot is not required. Gardner, an English botanist, gives a description of it:

"It is quite impossible to express the feelings which arise in the mind while the eye surveys the beautiful, varied scenery which was disclosed on reaching the harbor-scenery which is perhaps unequalled on the face of the earth, and in the production of which nature seems to have exerted all her energies. Since then I have visited many places celebrated for their beauty and grandeur, but none of them have left a like impression on my mind. As far as the eye can reach lovely

little verdant and palm-clad islands were to be seen rising out of its dark bosom, while the hills and lofty mountains which surround it on all sides, gilded by the rays of the setting sun, formed a befitting frame for such a picture.

Looking about you, after passing the narrow entrance, you see on the left the Sugar Loaf towering up twelve hundred feet in height, while the Corcavado, seen on the other side of the city, rises twenty-three hundred feet. In the distance, through an opening in the bay, the peaks of the Organ mountains rise into view.

While our steamer awaited the visit of the officers whose business it is to inspect it, a number of American residents at Rio engaged a boat, and decorating it with the United States flag, came on board to welcome me; I was cheered by this warm welcome from my countrymen, and expressed my deep sense of their kind consideration.

As I ascended the steps at the landing I was met by two gentlemen, Mr. Greenough and Colonel Shannon, who awaited me and gave me a reception, which was the beginning of a life-long friendship.

When I entered the apartments reserved for me at the Hôtel des Étrangères I was surprised to see on the walls three portraits which interested me. One of General Washington, one of King Leopold I. of Belgium, and one of the Queen. The pictures seemed to welcome me.

CHAPTER XXX.

Palace of San Cristovão-Emperor and Empress-Colonel Richard Cutts Shannon-Imperial Family-Count Koskul, Russian Minister-Season in Rio-Tijuca—Mr. Gillett, Navy Agent-Mr. Midwood-Apartments in Rio-Mr. Wilson.

THE imperial palace of San Cristovão is situated so beautifully that the spot where it stands is named Boa Vista. It is an impressive structure, and the views from it are charming. The approach to it reveals the mountain range of Tijuca behind it, crowned with the unchanging verdure of tropical scenery.

Soon after my arrival in Rio I had an interview with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a day was appointed for my presentation to the Emperor.

The evening was fine, and I drove to the palace accompanied by Colonel Shannon, who had been Secretary of Legation under my predecessor, Mr. Partridge, but who had before my arrival resigned his post. He still resided in Rio, and was associated with Mr. Greenough, the founder of the Botanical Garden Railroad. I was so fortunate as to induce him to resume his functions in the absence of a secretary; and his acquaintance with the court enabled him to render me important services. A scholarly, accomplished gentleman, no one could be better qualified for the place.

Upon reaching the palace we were conducted to a large reception room, and awaited the time when I was to be presented to his Majesty. About the same time Mr.