The latter contains the finest and largest shops; but we must not expect the magnificent establishments we behold in the cities of Europe--in fact, we meet with little that is beautiful or costly.

The flower-shops were the only objects of 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.