914. The grounds of the palace of S. Christovao, near Rio, Dr. Walsh informs us, display little taste. The palace, originally a private house, is a long edifice, having a facade of two large pavilions, united by an open veranda. It is situated on an eminence, highly susceptible of picturesque improvement; but it stands alone, quite naked, the spirit of the people being here as conspicuous as elsewhere, in improving the country by cutting down trees, but never planting them. The approach passes through an open screen, a fac-simile of that at Syon House, badly executed from an exact model ; spoiled from the unsuitableness of the situation ; and rendered ridiculous by being surmounted by pine-apples, not as architectural members, but standing on long branching stalks as unnatural as they are mean. In the front of the building is a court-yard, with a circular fountain in the centre, surrounded by low, whitewashed walls, like a common farm-yard. (Notices of Brazil, p. 456.)
