He gave one of the gentlemen and myself lodgings in his own house, and our two companions in that of a neighbour of his, inviting all of us to dine at his table.

We now learned that in St.
Paulo no one, not even an hotel-keeper, will receive a stranger if he be not provided with a letter of recommendation.

It is certainly a lucky thing for travellers that this strange custom is not prevalent everywhere.
16th December.

After having completely recovered ourselves from the fatigues of our yesterday's ride, our first thought was to view the curiosities of the town.

We asked our hospitable host for information on this point, but he merely shrugged his shoulders, and said, that he knew of no curiosities, unless, indeed, we chose to look upon the Botanical Garden in the light of one.
We went out, therefore, after breakfast, and first of all viewed the town: where we found that the number of large and well-built houses was, in comparison to the size of the two places, greater than in Rio Janeiro, although even here, there was nothing like taste or peculiar architectural style.