name of the king and cortes, to defend the city against the
insurgents, who were of course branded with the names of enemies to the
king and country.]

[Note 45: Luiz do Rego was not the first governor of Pernambuco who
had been shot at. In 1710, when Sebastian de Castro, in conformity to
his orders from Lisbon, had erected a pillar, and declared Recife a
town, San Antonio da Recife, the Olindrians shot him on his walk to Boa
Vista, in four places. The Ouvidor was one of the conspirators. The
bishop had a share in this unchristian action. The object of the people
of Olinda and of the assassin's party was, to confine Recife to its own
parish, extending only to the Affogados on one side, and Fort Brun on
the other.]

Having paid our visit, we proceeded to walk about the town. The streets
are paved partly with blueish pebbles from the beach, partly with red or
grey granite. The houses are three or four stories high, built of a
whitish stone, and all are white-washed, with door-posts and
window-frames of brown stone. The ground floor consists of shops, or
lodging for the negroes, and stables: the floor above is generally
appropriated to counting-houses and ware-rooms; and the dwelling-house
still higher, the kitchen being universally at the top, by which means
the lower part of the house is kept cool, I was surprised to find it so
possible to walk out without inconvenience from the heat, so near the
equator; but the constant sea-breeze, which sets in here every day at
ten o'clock, preserves a temperature, under which it is at all times
possible to take exercise. The hot time of day is from eight, when the
land breeze fails, to ten. As we were to pass the stone bridge on our
way back to the boat, which was ordered to meet us at the point of
Recife, because the receding tide would have left it dry in the creek
where we landed; we left it on one hand, and walked through Sant Antonio
towards Boa Vista. When we came to the wooden bridge, 350 paces long,
connecting it with Sant Antonio, we found that it had been cut through
the middle, and is only now passable by means of two planks easily
withdrawn, in case the besiegers should get possession of Boa Vista.
Nothing can be prettier of its kind than the fresh green landscape, with
its broad river winding through it, which is seen on each hand from the
bridge, and the white buildings of the treasury and mint, the convents,
and private houses, most of which have gardens. The verdure