their expences, and gave them their food during their stay; they were accompanied by their families, which were all treated in the same manner, to the number of about forty persons. I here take the opportunity of mentioning another common amusement at festivals, which is known under the name of _comedias_; but this I did not chance to see. A stage of the same kind is erected, and regular farces are performed; but I believe that women do not ever appear upon these stages, though they do upon the stage of the theatre at Recife. I slept one night at Pillar, and in the morning following accompanied the chaplain to the fort, who was going to say Mass at his chapel, as it was a holiday. The fort is situated upon a projecting sand-bank, and was formerly quite surrounded by water; but the channel for small craft which ran between the fort and the island, is now nearly closed by the accumulation of sand at its mouth[140]. When we dismounted at the gate, our horses were taken into the fort, and were put into the commandant’s stable. The sentinel desired me to take off my spurs, and we then passed through the gate, and along the covered way until we entered the area in the centre, with the chapel and other buildings along two sides of it. The commandant is a captain of the Olinda regiment, an elderly and most formal man, full of etiquette; and all the other officers are of the same standing. I was introduced to the chief, and we then proceeded to the chapel. Forgetful of necessary forms, I had placed myself next to the wall on the right hand side of the chapel; but the commandant would not give up his right, and therefore reminded me to move, that he might take that place. As soon as the Mass was ended we took our leave. Some idea of the state of the works may be formed from the following anecdote. A former chaplain was dismissed from his situation owing to the non-observance on his part of established regulations. The gate was opened for his admission, and that of any other person who might wish to hear Mass on Sundays and holidays; but on one occasion, he unfortunately espied the commandant standing in the area of the fort, through a breach in the walls, upon which, instead of going round to the gate, he rode unceremoniously through the breach in his anxiety to greet the commandant, who was much disconcerted at the occurrence. At the time I was there, the garrison consisted of militia-men; and an idea of the discipline of these may be formed from the following circumstance, which took place only a short time before my visit to the fort. The adjutant, who was between seventy and eighty years of age, threatened to strike or gently touched with his cane one of the men who had refused to hear Mass; the fellow way-laid the old officer one evening, and gave him several blows of which he died. The soldier absconded, and was not again heard of. The guns were in a very bad state, and the usual supply of powder was merely sufficient for the