The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

222 AMAZONIA AND LA PLATA.
course, the much-frequented shrine of la Penha, crowning a blufE east of the
city, and the imposing but still unoccupied palace of Ipiranrja, the finest architec-
tural building in Brazil, erected by the Italian architect, Bezzi, to commemorate
the establishment of the empire.
Santos, formerly Todos os Santos, " All Hallows," is at once the depot and
outlet for the trade of S. Paulo. The first settlement on this coast dates from
1532, when the present watering-place of S. Vicente was founded five or six
miles farther east. Here was produced the first sugar in Brazil, extracted from
the cane introduced from Madeira, and here the Jesuits established the first
primary school in 1566. This outer port, standing like Santos itself on an island
separated by a narrow strait from the mainland, continued till the year 1709 to
rank as the capital of the section of the Brazilian seaboard stretching for about
(iOO miles between Macahe and Cananea.
Santos, regularly planned, but badly kept, extends along the foot of the
steep Monserate eminence, which occupies the centre of the island, and which
is crowned by a church commanding a superb panoramic view. But the site of
the city is hopelessly insalubrious ; or at least to make it healthy it would be
necessary to raise the miry soil, sodden with the rain and tidal waters mingling
with the slush of the sewers. Mudbanks are exposed at low water, while the
putrid carcasses of cattle embedded in the sands, are left to the carrion birds,
which do duty as scavengers. Hence no place in the New World has suffered
more from yellow fever in proportion to its population than Santos. At times all
work has been suspended by the death or flight of the emplo3'ees, and vessels
abandoned by their crews have been seen drifting helplessly in the bay. As the
bad season approaches, nearly the whole population takes refuge in the health
resorts of the surrounding heights, or in Balnearia and other watering-places on
the coast.
Yet, despite these recurrent epidemics, Santos is the centre of a large import
and export trade, averaging collectively about £15,000,000 a year. Formerly it
exported the produce of Minas Geraes, and even of Matte Grosso ; but at present
it is the outlet mainly of the State of S. Paulo, whose trade, however, is steadily
increasing. To meet the growing trafiic A'arious harbour works have been under-
taken, and the largest vessels will soon be able to load and unload at the
wharves. The English, and next to them the Norwegians, take the largest share
of the general movement of Santos, which is regularly visited by as many as
twenty lines of steamers. A splendid railway, constructed by English engineers,
across the primeval forests of Cubatao, and over the coast range, serves to bring
down the coffees of S. Paulo, and to forward to the interior rice from India,
Newfoundland cod, English coal, and all kinds of European manufactured
goods.
But this line is already quite inadequate to meet the demands of the local
trade, and the frequent blocks and delays in forwarding goods, are driving
commerce to seek new and costly routes. Two PauHst companies, one in the
west, the other in the east, have been formed to compete with the English society