Ten Months In Brazil: With Incidents Of Voyages And Travels, Descriptions Of Scenery And Character, Notices Of Commerce And Productions, Etc

Ten Months In Brazil: With Incidents Of Voyages And Travels, Descriptions Of Scenery And Character, Notices Of Commerce And Productions, Etc by John Codman is a travelogue and social critique based on experiences aboard coasting steamers along the Brazilian coast (Rio de Janeiro, Santos) during the 1864–1866 period, including voyages to St. Thomas, Pernambuco, and the Serra of Petrópolis. Codman narrates encounters with historic figures such as Santa Anna, discusses the Brazilian empire under Dom Pedro II, and weighs the country’s labor systems, slavery, and emancipation. The work blends vivid travel narrative with observations on climate, commerce, and geography, and offers pointed commentary on bureaucratic impediments, innovation in rail transport (the Dom Pedro II railroad), and the role of foreign enterprise in Brazil. It also surveys immigration prospects from the United States and Europe, the War with Paraguay, and religious and social institutions, providing a skeptical yet insightful portrait of 19th‑century Brazil and its path toward modernization and abolition. Read more