NAZARETH SQUARE, PARA.
"We came to the Largo de Nazareth, or Nazareth Square, which must have been named by a Hibernian, as it is round, and not rectangular. It contains the church and chapel where Our Lady of Nazareth is worshipped; on our return from the end of the railway we stopped at the square and visited the revered place. What struck us particularly was the great number of votive offerings on the walls of the church and chapel; they represent heads and limbs of the faithful who have been cured of diseases through the interposition of the patron saint of the edifice. We had seen the same sort of things in European churches, but the large number at Para seems to indicate that the cures have been as numerous as they are miraculous.
"The festival of Our Lady of Nazareth occurs in October, and the event draws great numbers of people to Para from all the provinces of the Amazon. It lasts for two weeks, and during that time the square is crowded, especially at night, and many of the scenes that are witnessed at that period are anything but pious. There are many festivals during the course of the year, somewhat to the inconvenience of visitors, as it is the rule to close the government offices on these days, and no business of an official character can be transacted. Many of the laboring classes refuse to work on saints' days, and only those who are in debt to their employers can be required to do so.
"It is proper to remark here that our street-car was drawn by a mule, this animal being generally preferred to the horse. He is said to endure the heat better than the nobler beast, and certainly he has a good deal of it to endure. The average temperature of Para is not far from eighty degrees, and there is very little variation. Overcoats, except for rain, are of no use here, and thick clothing is at a discount. We find ourselves entirely comfortable in blue serge by day, and do not require blankets at night.
"It is hottest about two o'clock in the afternoon, but the heat is always tempered by the breeze from the ocean. Five days out of six there is an afternoon shower, and as the air is laden with moisture taken up from the sea the streets of Para are never dry and dusty. The paved ones are not the best in the world; they are full of ruts and hollows, and any one who rides in a carriage is pretty certain to be shaken violently in every joint before reaching his journey's end. As for the unpaved streets, they are often deep with sandy mud which makes very disagreeable walking.
A PARA BELLE.