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the time I left the United States for Brazil, in the summer of 1882, there was no regular line of passenger-steamers running between New York and Rio de Janeiro. The old American line had ceased, and the present one had not commenced. The consequence was, that our voyage to Brazil was by the way of Europe, while the voyage home was from Rio to New York on one of the new American steamers. I embarked with my wife and daughter on the North-German Lloyd's steamship Oder, and, after a pleasant passage, landed at Southampton, whence we went by steamer to Havre, and thence overland to Lisbon, stopping a few days at Paris, Madrid, and Lisbon. It was particularly interesting to visit Portugal before going to the empire which it had planted. We had been so well pleased with the German steamer, that we took one of the same company's ships for the passage from Lisbon to Rio, the Graf Bismarck, Captain Thallenhorst commanding, on which we