street of that name, belonging to a fraternity of negroes and once occupied by the episcopal chapter; and the prettily situated octagonal Gloria church on a hill of that name overlooking the lower bay. Another church of the same name faces on the Largo do Machado and shows the peculiar combination of a Greek temple surmounted by a modern spire. The British residents have an unpretentious chapel in Rua Evaristo da Veiga, the Methodists a more modern structure on the Largo do Cattete and the Presbyterians a chapel near Praça Tiradentes. There is religious toleration in Brazil, but down to the organization of the republic no non-Catholic church or chapel was permitted to have a spire or other outward symbol of a place of worship.
Among public buildings of an official character the following are noteworthy. The old city palace facing on Praça 15 de Novembro dates from 1743 and was the residence of the royal governors and Dom João VI., but is now used by the national telegraph offices. The São Christovão palace, in the suburb of that name, was the residence of the Emperor Dom Pedro II. It is a rambling structure now occupied by the National Museum. The Cattete palace, on the street of that name, originally a private residence, is now the official residence of the President, richly decorated within and partly surrounded by a handsome park. The Itamaráty palace near the Praça da Republica, a typical private residence of the better class, was purchased for and occupied by the first presidents and is now occupied by the ministry of foreign affairs. The palace of justice, on Rua Primeiro de Março, is one of the finest edifices in the city; and the ministry of industry and public works, on the south side of the Praça 15 de Novembro may be noticed. The ministry of war has its offices in the immense military quartel (barracks) on the north side of the Praça da Republica, and the ministry of marine in the naval arsenal at the foot of São Bento Hill. The ministry of finance is in the Treasury building on Rua do Sacramento—an immense structure of no special architectural merit. The Senate occupies a plain unattractive building on the west side of the Praça da Republica, and the Chamber of Deputies an ugly colonial building in Rua da Misericordia, originally used as a city hall and jail. A new legislative palace is designed to occupy the block on the west side of the Praça Tiradentes. There are a number of theatres, but the city had no large theatre of architectural merit previous to the construction of the Municipal Theatre at the intersection of the Avenida Central with Rua 13 de Maio, with an elegant marble façade in the French Renaissance style. Bull-tights have never been popular in Rio de Janeiro, but horse-racing is a favourite sport, and the Jockey Club maintains a racecourse in the São Francisco Xavier suburb. Other notable buildings are the ornate Monroe palace at the intersection of the Central and Beira-Mar avenues, the Praça do Commercio (Commercial Exchange) on Rua 1o de Março, the Caixa da Amortização on the Avenida Central, the custom-house with its extensive warehouses, the terminal station of the Central railway at the N.W. angle of the Praça da Republica, and the library building of the Gabinete Portuguez da Leitura with its exquisite “Manuelino” façade of Lisbon marble.
Education.—Although much money is given to hospitals and asylums, Rio de Janeiro has no great educational institutions either public or private. The Medical School may be considered the only distinctively professional school in the city. The Polytechnic School, occupying an interesting old building on the Largo de São Francisco de Paula, is chiefly devoted to civil engineering. The Gymnasio Nacional, formerly the Collegio D. Pedro II., is a boys' college of a high school grade, located on Rua Floriano Peixoto, with an internato or boarding-school in Rua de S. Francisco Xavier. The college dates from 1735, when it was founded as an asylum for orphan boys destined for the Church. In 1837 it became a state institution and took the name of the Emperor Dom Pedro II. One of the most noteworthy schools of the city is the Lycen de Artes e Officios, located on Rua 13 de Maio, opposite the opera-house; it dates from 1858 and has been the means of giving instruction to a multitude of clerks, artisans and others, through its night classes. Another important school, partly of this class, is the Instituto Benjamin Constant, located in a fine new edifice on the Praia da Saudade, Botafogo. The public schools of Rio de Janeiro are defective both in organization and administration; the non-attendance of children from the higher classes, and the antagonism of the Church to schools under purely secular administration, must be held responsible for the backwardness of these schools. The episcopal seminary on Castle Hill, called the “Seminario Episcopal de São José,” founded in 1739 and devoted exclusively to the education of priests, is the best classical school in the city. There are a number of charitable institutions devoted to the education of orphans, the blind and the deaf and dumb, which are admirably equipped and administered. Among other educational institutions are a conservatory of music, school of fine arts, normal school, a national library with upwards of 260,000 volumes and a large number of manuscripts, maps, medals and coins, the national observatory on Castle Hill, the national museum now domiciled in the São Christovão palace in the midst of a pretty park, a zoological garden in the suburb of Villa Isabel, and the famous Botanical Garden founded by Dom João VI. in 1808 and now a horticultural experiment station.
Hospitals, &c.—Rio de Janeiro is well provided with hospitals, asylums and benevolent institutions. Chief of these is the Misericordia Hospital, popularly known as the “Santa Casa,” belonging to a religious brotherhood dating from 1591. In addition to a large income from rentals, the Santa Casa receives the product of certain port taxes in return for opening its wards to the crews of all vessels in port. Other public hospitals are a lepers' hospital in São Christovão, the military and naval hospitals, the São Sebastião hospital and the isolation and contagious diseases hospitals in Jurujuba. There are also a number of private hospitals maintained by church brotherhoods and charitable associations; among them are the Portuguese hospital in Rua de Santo Amaro and the Strangers' Hospital (American and British) in Botafogo. Most prominent among the asylums is the Hospicio Nacional for the insane, on the Praia da Saudade, Botafogo, which was erected 1842–52, and is one of the most completely equipped institutions of its class in the world. There are two public cemeteries: São Francisco de Xavier, in São Christovão, and São João Baptista, in Botafogo, the former having an unconsecrated section for Protestants. Besides these there are five private cemeteries, the one belonging to the British colony being on a hill overlooking the Gambôa shore-line.
Harbour, Communications and Commerce.—The port and harbour of Rio de Janeiro are the largest and most important in the republic. The entrance is open to vessels of the largest draught, and there is sufficient deep-water anchorage inside for the navies of the world. The lower anchorage, where the officers of health visit vessels, is below Ilha Fiscal, and the upper, or commercial anchorage, is in the broad part of the bay above Ilha das Cobras, the national coasting vessels occupying the shallower waters near the Saúde and Gambôa districts. The custom-house occupies a considerable part of the shore-line in front of the old city, and has a protected basin for the discharge of lighters. The new port works, under construction since 1903, consist of a new water-front for the Saúde, Gambôa and Sacco de Alferes districts, in which the shipping interests are centred, and a continuation of the sea-wall across the shallow São Christovão bay to the Ponta do Cajú, the large reclaimed area to be filled in by the removal of some small hills. The commercial quays are built in deep water and permit the mooring alongside of the largest vessels. The total length of the commercial quays is about 3800 yds. Railway and tramway connexions are provided and both electric and hydraulic power are available. Special surtaxes are levied on imports to meet the interest and redemption charges on the loans raised for the execution of these important works. Another improvement is the extension of the sea-wall southward from the ferry-slips (Praça 15 de Novembro) to the Ponta do Calabouço (war arsenal), providing protected basins for the arsenal and enclosing small reclaimed areas. With the completion of these improvements the water-front of the city will consist entirely of deep-water walls from Botafogo to the Ponta do Cajú, with the exception of a short section between the Ponta do Calabouço and the Avenida Central. The port is in regular communication with the principal ports of Europe and America. The coastwise service is good, though rates are high. Railway communication with the interior is maintained by the Central do Brazil (formerly the Dom Pedro II.), Leopoldina and Melhoramentos lines, besides which there is a short passenger line up to the Corcovado about 2⅓ m. long, an electric line to Tijuca, and a narrow-gauge line running out to the Rio do Ouro waterworks. There is daily communication with Petropolis by a branch line of the Leopoldina system, and also by a steamer to the head of the bay and thence by rail up the serra. Ferryboats cross the bay to Nictheroy at intervals of 20 minutes, and smaller craft provide communication with the islands of Gobernador and Paqueta.
