Petropolis lies in a beautiful valley among the mountains; it was founded by Dom Pedro I., who built a palace there and established a colony of Swiss and Germans, which were imported from Europe at considerable cost to the government. The plan was continued by his son and successor, and of late years the place has become a fashionable resort of no small importance. It has fifteen thousand inhabitants, and many of the wealthy residents of Rio have their summer homes in Petropolis; the imperial palace is an extensive building with beautiful grounds, and the situation is certainly an attractive one. The German settlers brought the names of their fatherland when they came here to live, and also retained many of their home customs. Some of them have become wealthy coffee-planters, and a good deal of business passes through their hands. Many of the hotels are kept by Swiss or Germans, and not infrequently the buildings are perfect copies of the chalets we have seen in the Alps, or among the lowlands of Switzerland. Petropolis has several Lutheran and other churches, and the government makes an annual appropriation for schools, in which the children of the colonists are educated. There are several hotels, and the stranger can pleasantly pass a few days in this attractive spot. [Illustration: RELIGIOUS PROCESSION IN BRAZIL.] CHAPTER XXIII. RAILWAYS IN BRAZIL.--COFFEE PLANTATIONS.--MANDIOCA AND ITS CULTURE.--TERRIBLE FAMINES.--SLAVERY AND EMANCIPATION. There are several railways running out of Rio de Janeiro, of which the longest and probably the most important is the Dom Pedro Segundo, so named in honor of the emperor. The first section of the line was opened in 1857; it was started by a private company, with a government guarantee of seven per cent. interest, but the capital was speedily absorbed, owing to the enormous extent of the outlay beyond the estimates. Instances of this last have happened in other countries than Brazil, and will probably continue to happen until railways are superseded by other modes of travel and transportation. The first hundred miles took all the capital of the company, and then more money was needed. In 1865 the government bought out the stockholders, and since then the railway has been run as an imperial concern, like many of the railways on the continent of Europe.