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Dury St — BRAZIL, Xe, ec. — ~ ¢ vaveller. | 1 / 1 Bi Apo Correr2er lr GEOGRAPHICAL, tl { HISTORICAL AND TOPOGRAPHICAL Che stoden i J t th SIU TNON, 1V2RerS Cr Ellustrated bp y¥aps and Plates. BY JOSIAH CONDE ~ R3 IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL, 1. James Duncan Ihatornocter Row: LONDON: JAMES DUNCAN, PATERNOSTER ROW; AND THOMAS TEGG AND SON, 73, CHEAPSIDE re, Lrbiliolhred by CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME. BOUNDARIES OF BRAZIL rey STATE OF THE COLONY PREVIOUSLY TO 1808. HISTORY OF BRAZIL wa SE fit Ry EFFECTS OF THE ARRIVAL OF THE KING. DECLARATION OF THE NATIONAL INDEPEND- ENCE Wap Pig he ge hwdieitag NATURAL HISTORY AND PRODUCTIONS . POPULATION SLAVES . PROVINCIAL DIVISIONS . PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO CITY OF RIO DE JANEIRO COMMERCE OF RIO ENVIRONS OF RIO ' ROYAL FARM OF SANTA CRUZ. BAY OF RIO . FROM RIO TO PARAIBA NOVA "oo DESCRIPTION OF A BRAZILIAN FOREST FROM RIO TO CANTA GALLO in FROM RIO TO CAMPOS AND ST. FIDELIS ViSIT TO THE PURIES PROVINCE OF SANTO PAULO CITY OF SANTO PAULO 1237 CONTENTS, FROM SANTOS TO SANTO PAULO . FROM RIO TO SANTO PAULO GOLD MINES OF JARAGUA IRON MINES OF YPANEMA . FROM YPANEMA TO MINAS GERAES PROVINCE OF SANTA CATHERINA PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL ST.PEDRO" . . . . . . . MONTE VIDEO PROVINCE OF PARANA PROVINCE OF URUGUAY DIRECTIONS FOR PLACING THE PLATES. Mar of Braz, . . . . . . . . to face the Title BraziriaNn HuNTERS . . . . . . . . to face page 202 Throwing the Lasso . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318 THE MODERN TRAVELLER, ETC. ETC. [An empire of South America, lying between lat. 4 deg. N. and 3% deg. S., and stretching from the 35th to the 72d deg. of W. long.: bounded on the N. by the Republic of Colombia, French Guiana, and the Atiantic; on the E. and S. E. by the same ocean ; on the S. by the Rio dela Plata; on the W. by Paraguay and Peru.] Tr ; 1 . / . ~ * HE name of Brazil, (derived from the wood so called, *) was at first applied to only a small tract of the American coast, south of the Amazon river. It now comprehends the whole of the Portuguese colonies in South America, which, having been incorporated into a kingdom in De- cember, 1815, have since declared their independence under the government of the Prince Royal of Portugal, now Emperor of Brazil. A little more than three cen- turies ago, the existence of this vast country was un- known; and for thirty years after its accidental discovery, it was almost totally neglected by the Portuguese, who were not inthe least degree aware of the importance of the * Chaucer mentions Brazil wood : ““ Him needeth not his colour for to dien (dye) With Brasil, ne with grain of Portingale.”— The Nonnes Preestes Tale. This is a decisive proof that the Brazil-wood was known by that name long before the discovery of America. In the inventory of the effects of Henry V. Rot. Parl. 2 H. VI. m. 20, is the following article: “11 Graundes peces du Bracile, pris vi.s. viii.d.” PART IL B BRAZIL. acauisition. the geld and diamond mines were not dis- covered till nearly two hundred years after the country had been in their possession. In 1699, some enter- prising individuals first began to work several gold mines in the back settlements. The attention of the government being attracted by this circumstance, it was ordained that, on the discovery of a mine, immediate notice should be given to the public authorities, and that a fifth of the produce should go to the king. Other mines were soon discovered; and from the year 1728 to 1734, the king's fifth amounted, on the average, to 480,000. yearly, the whole annual produce amounting to upwards of two millions sterling. It then began to diminish, till the whole produce sank to about one-half, and the royal fifth to 257,5007, which was raised, how- ever, by a duty of 2 per cent. on its exportation, and the seignorage on the coinage, to 353,500/. The dia- mond mines were first discovered about thirty years after. These, too, paid a fifth to the government, which has amounted, on the average, to 148,5000 In order to secure to the crown the ample revenues arising from these sources, it was found necessary to carry to the most oppressive and injurious extent the restrictions of the colonial system. Not only diamonds, but ivory, brazil-wood, and all ship-timber, tobacco, snuff, and gunpowder, were royal monopolies. The periodical fleets were limited to Lisbon and Oporto in the mother country. and to Pernambuco, St. Salvador, Paraiba, and Rio Janeiro, in Brazil. All goods imported from the mother country, paid a duty of 12 per cent. The system of exclusive companies prevailed in connexion with the most absurd regulations. The taxes, alike impolitic and oppressive, were, in many parts, farmed out to the highest bidders. Salt, as well as iron, was taxed 100 per cent. Every article passing into the gold or diamond districts, paid a duty of two-pence per 1b. In passing BRAZIL. ferries, goods paid not according to their value, but their weight. Such was the state of things previously to the emigration of the Court of Lisbon in 1808. British vessels, on their way to the East Indies, or to the South Seas, had been accustomed to touch at the friendly ports of Brazil, and they had often found means to in- troduce European commodities at a cheaper rate than they could be sent from Portugal ; but very strict mea- sures had recently been adopted for preventing this irregularity. No trade of any kind was allowed between the natives and the British; although, as the persons employed to enforce this regulation not unfrequently found it their interest to violateit. the intercourse could not be entirely stopped. Under these circumstances, the population of the Brazilian colonies could not be expected greatly to increase. Itis almost impossible to obtain any authentic or accurate information on this point. According to the author of the ¢ Etat Présent du Portugal,” Brazil contained, about the beginning of the present century, 12 cities, 66 towns, and 430,000 inhabitants, of whom more than one-sixth were Portu- guese. Sir George Staunton, in his account of the Em- bassy to China, estimates the whites at about 200,000, and the black population at 600,000. 20,000 slaves were then annually imported, of whom about 5000 were sold at Rio. Many of the slaves were the property of the crown, about 10,000 being employed in the diamond mines. Others were attached to convents : the Benedic- tines alone had 1000 upon their plantations. M. de Beauchamp carries the estimate of the population in 1806, to 800,000 Furopeans, 1,500,000 negroes, and from 8 to 900,000 civilized Indians. This has been con- sidered as an exaggeration. Taking the population at three millions, this would give only an individual for every square mile of the immense area comprised within the empire ; the greater part of which still consists of 4 BRAZIL. almost impenetrable forests or uninhabitable deserts. According to the last census, however, t the population had already risen, in consequence chiefly of the tide of emigration being directed to Brazil, to nearly four mil- lions, of whom about one-half are supposed to be free : viz. 343,000 whites, 426,000 mulattoes, 260,000 Indians, and 160,000 free blacks : the remainder consists of about two millions of slaves. The revenue, which, in 1818, amounted to little more than fourteen millions of francs, or between 6 and 700,0007., had risen, in 1820, to sixty- one millions of francs, in 1823, to upwards of ninety- four millions, or about 4,000,000 sterling, and is rapidy augmenting. The moral condition of the people, up to the era of the arrival of the Prince Regent of Portugal, was as deplorably vicious and degraded, as their political cir- cumstances were depressed and unfavourable. All that is sublime in inanimate nature, in contrast with all that is disgusting in human nature, was comprised in the aspect and character of this portion of the New World. ¢« The cities for which Abraham interceded, Cyprus, Carthage, Crete, and Sparta, had joined,” says a modern traveller, * at the period when my acquaintance with the country began, to form the social order of Rio Janeiro.” Nor were the manners of the capital marked by much deeper turpitude than those of the other cities. * De- pravity,” he adds, “ was not there redeemed by any national qualities of a solid, nor even of a showy kind. It was not in general thought necessary to maintain that shadow of virtue, hypocrisy. Vices which elsewhere men are the most careful to hide, were seen stalking abroad as publicly and unblushingly as the most abandoned could desire. Not negroes and the populace alone con- templated them with apathy: the moral taste and feeling of persons of a higher cast partook so much of the com- mon taint that when we mentioned with horror the BRAZIL. J worst of crimes, which we were obliged to witness, they often advanced something by way of defence, and really appeared as much surprised at our mode of thinking, as if we had broached a new religion, or foisted into the old one some scrupulous fancies. The life of an undis- tinguished individual was not worth two dollars : for a smaller sum, any coward could hire a bravo to take it away.” The most profound ignorance and the extreme of filthiness in the habits of the people, completed the revolting picture. The ceremonies of the Roman Ca- tholic religion were in the meanwhile duly celebrated, and superstition blended itself, as in the Kuropean towns, with the grossest voluptuousness. The monks, ¢ an ignorant and debauched crew,” at once sluggards and libertines, swarmed in every street. Such was, and, to a certain extent, such is, Brazil—that land of wonders, whose rivers roll over beds of gold, where the rocks glow with topazes, and the sands sparkle with diamonds—where nature assumes her richest dress be- neath the blaze of tropical suns, and birds of the gaudiest plumage vie with the splendid efflorescence of the forests they inhabit. Previously, however, to our taking a more particular survey of the country, our readers will claim a more detailed account of the HISTORY OF BRAZIL. THE last year of the fifteenth century was signalized by the discovery of the southern portion of the American continent. Vicente Yanez Pinzon, a native of Paloz, on the coast of Murcia, and one of the companions of Columbus in his first voyage, was the first Spaniard who ventured to cross the equinoctial line. He stood boldly towards the south, and on the 26th of January, 1500, he saw land, to which he gave the name of Cape Con- solation. This was that point of the coast of Brazil, 6 BRAZIL. about twenty miles to the south of Pernambuco, which is now called Cape St. Augustine. Here he landed, cut the names of the ships and the date of the year upon some trees and rocks, and took possession of the country for the crown of Castile, but made no settle- ment. Continuing along the coast, he discovered the mouth of the river Maranham, or river of the Amazons. In common, however, with all preceding navigators, he is said to have adopted the erroneous theory of Co- lumbus, and to have believed that these newly discovered countries were part of the vast continent of India.* Having lost three of his ships on the voyage, and several of his men having been killed in a rencounter with the natives, he was obliged to content himself with having made these discoveries, and returned to * Hence the name of West Indies was given to this country, and that of Indian, to its inhabitants.—See Robertson's America, b. ii. t “A party of natives were assembled upon a hill near the shore, and one of the Spaniards, who was well armed, advanced singly toward them. They came to meet him, suspecting, and at the same time, intending evil. The Spaniard made all the friendly signs he could devise, and threw to them a hawk’s-bell, for which they threw down something which was supposed to be a piece of gold; he stooped for it, and they sprang forward to seize him. This, however, was not so easy as they suspected; though neither a large nor a robust man, he defended himself with sword and shield to the admiration of his comrades, who hastened to his assistance, and succeeded in rescuing him, but with great loss. The savages, with their deadly archery, slew eight, wounded many more, and pursued them to their boats. Not satisfied with this success, they attacked the boats. It was then that, being naked, they feit the edge of European swords. But nothing deterred them ; they rushed on like wild beasts, despising wounds and death ; followed the boats even when they had put off, dived after them, and fairly won one of them, having slain its captain, and driven out the crew. Scarcely a man got off without a wound; and had the arrows of the natives been poisoned, scarcely one could have escaped.”—Southey’s History of Brazil, vol... p. 4 BRAZIL. Europe, carrying with him several drugs, some pre- cious stones, and a large cargo of Brazil-wood. While Pinzon was thus occupied, Portugal was fitting out a fleet, with much pomp and parade, in tae Tagus —mnot with the project of discovering any new territory, but for the purpose of following up the successful voyage of Vasco da Gama, who had just returned from the East, having ascertained the navigation to India by doubling the Cape of Good Hope. This second ex- pedition accidentally discovered for Portugal, a wider and more important empire than had been ascertained by the first. Pedro Alvarez Cabral was appointed to the command of the fleet, which sailed from the Tagus on the 9th of March, 1500. In order to avoid the calms which prevail along the coast of Africa, Cabral stood out to sea, and kept so far to the westward, that, on the 25th of April he found himself, to his surprise, upon the coast of an unknown country in the tenth degree beyond the line. The first land which he saw, was a high round mountain, with a range of hills to the south, and a low shore covered with wood. The mountain he called Mount Paschal, and to the country he gave the name of Terra de Vera Cruz, the Land of the True Cross. Cabral at first imagined the country which he had discovered, to be a large island; but, proceeding along the coast, he was led to believe that a country so extensive must form a part of some great continent. On Good Friday, the fleet anchored in a harbour, the commodious appearance of which tempted him to land; and on Easter day, the first Christian altar was set up on the soil of South America. The natives were alarmed, and fled to their hills; but the Portuguese, having secured two, presented them some mirrors, brass rings, and bells, which were found the most acceptable articles, and then allowed them to rejoin their countrymen. The fears of the natives 8 BRAZIL. being immediately dissipated by this friendly behaviour, they now flocked to the vessel with as much delight and confidence as they had before testified suspicion and aversion.* They approached singing and dancing, with all the uncouth gesticulations of savage joy, and an intercourse was immediately opened between them and the Portuguese. But first of all, after the ex- ample of Columbus, Cabral erected a wooden crucifix, before which the Portuguese prostrated themselves, and the natives followed their example; high mass was performed, to the delight of the Indians, and formal possession was taken of the country for the crown of Portugal. He called the harbour Porto Seguro.t Having despatched a small vessel to Lisbon with information of this important event, he sailed from Porto Seguro on the 2d of May, and proceeded on his voyage to India. “ Columbus’s discovery of the New World,” remarks Dr. Robertson, * was the effort of an active genius enlightened by science, guided by experience, and acting upon a regular plan, executed with no less courage than perseverance. But, from this adventure of the Portuguese, it appears that chance might have accomplished that great design which it is now the pride of human reason to have performed and perfected. If the sagacity of Columbus had not con- ducted mankind to America, Cabral, by a fortunate accident, might have led them, a few years later, to the knowledge of that extensive continent.’ When the tidings of the discovery reached Europe, Emmanuel, the king of Portugal, immediately fitted * They are described as the gentlest and most docile of all the Brazilian tribes. They were of a dark copper colour, entirely naked, their bodies painted with various colours, and armed with bows and arrows. + Now called Cabralia. The name of Porto Seguro has been er- roneously transferred to a place four leagues further southward. BRAZIL. 9 out three ships to explore the country, and invited Amerigo Vespucci from Seville to take the command of the expedition. They sailed about the middle of May in the ensuing year, and, after a very distressing voyage, arrived off the coast, where they succeeded in establishing « friendly intercourse with some tribes of the aborigines, notwithstanding that they soon ascer- tained them to be cannibals.* The savages expressed astonishment when informed that the Portuguese killed men, and did not eat them. The ships returned to Lisbon in 1502. In the spring of the ensuing year, Amerigo again set sail, with six caravels, for the purpose of prosecuting still further the examination of Vera Cruz ; but four of the vessels were lost [1 consequence * “They first arrived in latitude 5 deg. S. and on the day after, they saw a party of natives assembled on a hill. Two of the sailors volunteered to g0 on shore, and several days passed with- out their return. At length the Portuguese landed, sent a young man to meet the savages, and returned to their boats. The women came forward to meet him, apparently as negotiators. They sur- rounded him, handling and examining him with evident curiosity and wonder. Presently there came down another woman from the hill, having a stake in her hand, with which she got behind him, and dealt him a blow that brought him to the ground. Immediately the others seized him by the feet, and dragged him away, and then men, rushing to the shore, discharged their arrows at the boats. The hoats had grounded upon a sand-bank : this unexpected attack dismayed the Portuguese; they thought rather of escape than of vengeance, till remembering at length that the best means of securing themselves was by displaying their power, they discharged four guns at the savages, who then fled to the hills. Meantime the women had dragged the body thither; they cut it in pieces, held up the mutilated limbs in mockery to the boats, broiled them over a huge fire which had been prepared, as it seemed, for that purpose, and with loud rejoic- ings devoured them in sight of the Portuguese, to whom they inti- mated by signs, that they had, in like manner, eaten their two countrymen. At this abominable sight, forty of the crew would have landed torevenge their comrades, but they were not permit- ted tomake the attempt.”—Southey’s History of Brazil, vol. i. p. 24. B 2 10 BRAZIL, of the ignorance of the senior commander.* The other two reached a port which they called All Saints, where they remained five months on friendly terms with the natives, and then returned to Lisbon, laden with Brazil-wood, monkeys, and parrots, leaving behind them twenty-four men, who had been saved from the wreck of the commander's vessel. Thus was formed the first settlement in this country. The Brazil-wood had now acquired such repute in Europe, that the holy name of Vera Cruz, which Cabral had given to the country, soon became lost in the deno- mination which it universally received, of the Brazil, or the Brazil-wood country. Other navigators were now sent to explore the coasts, and settlements were formed in different parts. But, as the country was not known to abound with the precious metals, or to afford any article of commerce worthy of the attention of a govern- ment whose coffers were overflowing with the riches of Africa and the East, it was in a short time abandoned altogether to the speculations of private adventurers. A contract was granted for the Brazil-wood, and the colony began to be frequently visited by the caravels of the contractors, while persons were found willing to reside there as their agents. But the slender profits which could be realized by this article of commerce, (the only one, except parrots, which Brazil at this time yielded,) were an inadequate compensation for the for- midable dangers to which the settlers were exposed. The harmony and good understanding which marked the first interviews between the natives and the Por- tuguese, were not of long continuance. The former found little reason to congratulate themselves on these new neighbours, and passing, with the impetuosity of savage minds, from the extreme of a blind attachment * Supposed to have been D. Gonsalo Coelho. & x i § ; 3 : y sii BRAZIL. 11 to that of hatred and vengeance-—not, however, it may be suspected, without provo ation—they commenced a furious warfare on the European settlements. The Portuguese were not always victorious, and for those who fell into the hands of the enemy, a fate was reserved at which humanity shudders. Such occurrences soon put an end to voluntary emigration to Brazil. All who pursued the prizes of wealth and ambition, crowded to the more splendid theatre of India, every region of which was then the scene of Portuguese triumphs; and Brazil seemed likely to revert to its original state of barbarism. At this crisis, the government, whether from the wish to turn to some account an acquisition hitherto unprofitable, or from the inconvenient increase of convicts in the mother country, consequent on the recent establishment of the Inquisition, adopted the scheme of commuting the punishment of death for = banishment to this colony, thus making it the Botany Bay of Portugal. The system was not very favourable to the moral respectability of the settlements; nor is it surprising that the savages soon lost ail awe and venera- tion for those whom they had at first regarded as beings of a superior race. The new settlers, by whom the population of Brazil was gradually augmented, rendered desperate by their situation, if not already hardened by crime, were well fitted to contend with the dangers and difficulties that awaited them. In the bloody conflicts which ensued with the exasperated natives, they com- mitted atrocities not perhaps surpassed in enormity by those which attended the conquest of Mexico and Peru by the Spaniards. On storming a village, it 1s stated to have been their regular practice, to massacre the old men and children, and to carry the rest into slavery. In the mean time, Amerigo Vespucci had returned to the service of the king of Castile, who, deeming himself entitled to take possession of that part of the coast which 12 BRAZIL. this great navigator had surveyed while under the Por- tuguese flag, but which did not appear to be appro- priated, sent out Don Juan de Solis, in 1509, on a new voyage of discovery, accompanied with the celebrated pilot, Vicente Yanez Pinzon. The king of Portugal remonstrated against this proceeding as an intrusion upon his share of the division of undiscovered countries, which the infamous Pope Alexander VL. had artfully assigned to the two nations. That pontiff had, by vir- tue of his pretended dominion over all the kingdoms of the earth, granted to Ferdinand and Isabella. in full right, all the countries inhabited by infidels, which they had discovered or should discover ; while on the crown of Castile, he had conferred vast regions with the situa- tion of which le was unacquainted. To prevent these grants from clashing, he appointed that an imaginary line from pole to pole, a hundred leagues to the west- ward of the Azores, should serve as a limit between them; in the plenitude of his power bestowing all to the east of this line upon the Portuguese, and all to the west of it upon the Spaniards. The remonstrance of the court of Lisbon appears to have had some effect; for, on the return of De Solis and Pinzon in conse- quence of some disputes which had arisen between them on the voyage, the intention of the king of Castile was relinquished. It was not till seven years afterwards that De Solis was sent on a second voyage ; and then 1t was with the avowed purpose of ascertaining the com- munication with the Pacific Ocean by the westward, which had been discovered by the unfortunate Balboa two years before. On this voyage, De Solis, who was acknowledged to be one of the most skilful navigators living, standing along the coast of Brazil, came to the fine harbour now called Rio de Janeiro. He proceeded southward to a spacious bay, which he supposed to be the entrance into a strait that communicated with the BRAZIL. 13 Indian ocean; but, upon advancing further, he fouud it to be the estuary of the Rio de la Plata. With this important discovery, the career of this enterprising navigator was doomed to terminate. In endeavouring to make a descent on the coast, De Solis and several of his crew were slain by the natives, who, in sight of the ships, cut their bodies in pieces, roasted, and devoured them.* Discouraged by the loss of their commander, the surviving Spaniards set sail for Europe, without aiming at any further discovery. The king of Portugal claimed their argoes, and remonstrated so effectually against the interference of Spain, that when Magalhaens, three years afterwards, touched at Rio de Janeiro, he would purchase nothing of the natives but provisions. Meanwhile the French had formed settlements on the northern part of the coast of Brazil; and when the Portuguese commander, Christovam Jacques, entered the bay which he named All Saints,+ he found there two French ships laden with Brazil-wood, which he engaged, and, after a spirited defence, destroyed. The first settler in Bahia was Diogo Alvarez, whose history, as detailed by Mr. Southey, is romantically interesting. * “ The natives invited him to shore, and he landed with a boat’s crew, intending to catch one of them, and carry him to Spain. Their intention was worse than his, and better executed. They had stationed a party in ambush, who rose suddenly upon the crew, seized the boat, broke it to pieces in an instant, and slew every man with clubs: then they took the bodies upon their shoulders, carried them to a spot which was out of the reach of the Spaniards, but within sight, and there dismembered, roasted, and devoured them. The scene of this tragedy was on the north shore, between Monte Video and Maldonado, near a rivulet, which still bears the name of Solis.” —Southey’s History of Brazil, vol. i. p. 35. 5 t Where Bahia or St. Salvador now stands. The port dis- covered and named All Saints by Vespucci is supposed by some to be further northward. 14 BRAZIL. “ He was a native of Viana, voung and of noble fa- mily, who, with that spirit of enterprise which was then common among his countrymen, embarked to seek his fortune in strange countries. He was wrecked upon the shoals on the north of the bar of Bahia. Part of the crew were lost, others escaped that mode of death to suffer one more dreadful ; the natives seized and ate them. Diogo saw that there was no other possible chance of saving his life, than by making himself as useful as possible to these cannibals. He therefore exerted himself in recovering things from the wreck, and by such exertions succeeded in conciliating their favour. Among other things, he was fortunate enough to get on shore some barrels of powder and a musket, which he put in order at his first leisure, after his masters were returned to their village : and one day, when the opportunity was favourable, brought down a bird before them. The women and children shouted Caramuru! Caramuru! which signified a man of fire ; and they cried out that he would destroy them: but he told the men, whose astonishment had less of fear mingled with it, that he would go with them to war, and kill their enemies. Caramuru was the name which from thenceforward he was known by. They marched against the Tapuyas; the fame of this dreadful engine went before them, and the Tapuyas fled. From a slave, Jaramuru became a sovereign : the chiefs of the savages thought themselves happy, if he would accept their daughters to be his wives. He fixed his abode upon the spot where Villa Velha was afterwards erected, and soon saw as numerous a progeny as an old patriarch’s rising round him. The best families in Bahia trace their origin to him. “ At length a French vessel came into this bay, and Diogo resolved to take that opportunity of once more seeing his native country. He loaded her with brazil, BRAZIL. 15 and embarked with his favourite wife, Paraguaza-—the Great River. The other wives could not bear this abandonment, though it was only to be for a time; some of them swam after the ship, in hopes of being taken on board, and one followed it so far, that before she could reach the shore again, her strength failed, and she sunk. They were received with signal honour at the court of France. Paraguaza was baptized by the name of Catharina Alvarez, after the queen of Portugal, and the king and queen were her sponsors. Her mar- riage was then celebrated. Diogo would fain have proceeded to Portugal, but the French would not permit him to go there: the honours which they had shown him were not to be gratuitous, and they meant to make him of use to them in his own dominiens. By means, however, of Pedro Fernandez Sardinha, (then a young man, who had just completed bis studies in Paris, and afterwards the first bishop of Brazil,) he sent the infor- mation to Joam IIT, which he was not permitted to carry, and exhorted the king to colonise the delightful province in which his own lot had been so strangely cast. After some time, he covenanted with a wealthy merchant to take him back, and leave him the artillery and ammunition of two ships, with store of such things as were useful for traffic with the natives, in return for which he undertook to load both vessels with brazil. The bargain was fairly performed, and Diogo having returned to his territories, fortified his little capital.” * The Portuguese government had continued to neg- lect their transatlantic possessions, and Brazil was left open like a common.” For more than thirty years after its discovery, the attempts to colonise it bad been of the feeblest description. But, at length, the progress of French merchants in forming settlements on the * Southey’s History of Brazil, vol. i. p. 38. 16 BRAZIL. coast, and of the Spaniards in establishing colonies on the banks of the Paraguay, alarmed the Portuguese court for the security of their western colonies, and a plan was formed to people the coast with European re- sidents. To favour this project, the country was divided into hereditary captaincies (capitanias,) each containing about fifty leagues of coast, which were bestowed by king John upon such grandees as had distinguished themselves by their services to the crown, and were willing to embark in the adventure. They were either to go in person, or to send colonists at their own ex- pense; and in return, they were invested with ar :.con- trolled authority and jurisdiction, both civil and crimi- nal, over their respective territories. The first person who took possession of one of these captaincies was Martim Affonso de Sousa, to whom was given, in 1531, a considerable tract of country, contiguous to St. Vin- cente.* Pedro Lopez de Sousa, his brother, had his fifty leagues in two allotments: one part, St. Amaro, was immediately to the north of St. Vincente; the other, [tamarica, was situated at a considerable distance, not far from Pernambuco. Joam de Barros, the celebrated historian, obtained the captaincy of Marenham. Per- nambuco became the portion of Duarte Coelho Pereira. The lands adjacent to the southern Paraiba river were conceded to Pedro de Goes. The country between the great river St. Francisco, which was the southern boundary of Pernambuco and Bahia, was allotted to * '“ Martim Affonso de Sousa and his brother fitted out a con- siderable armament, and went to form their settlement in person, He began to survey the coast somewhere about Rio de Janeiro, to which he gave that name, because he discovered it on the 1st of January; and he proceeded south as far as the Plata, naming the places which he surveyed upon the way, according to the days on which the several discoveries were made.” —Southey’s Hist. of Brazil, vol. i. p. 41. Hn al BRAZIL. Francisco Pereira Coutinho. The next portion of ter- ritory, proceeding southward, was denominated the :apitania dos Ilheos, running north and south from the Rio dos llheos: it was granted to Jeorge Figueiredo Correa. Cabral’s Porto Seguro was included in the range of coast which formed the capitania of the same name, and was a donation to Pedro Campo Tourinha. Espiritu Santo was the appellation given to the next in rotation, and obtained by Vasco Fernandez Cou- tinho. Brazil may therefore be considered as having been [omise inci E al sy Few of the settlements were founded immediately by the Crown, and the lords proprietors enjoyed almost all the regal rights, save that of issuing a coinage : they made war or peace with the chiefs of the Brazilian tribes, they issued laws, and they imposed taxes. This mode of allotment, however, as might have been expected, was attended by serious evils. An authority so absolute was inevitably abused by the desperate adventurers to whom its administration was confided ; and complaints of their conduct became at length so frequent as to afford the government a fair pretext for revoking the powers conferred on the several proprietors, by which, in fact, the settlements had been alienated from the Crown. They were left, however, in full possession of their grants in other respects. A governor-general was now appointed, with full authority civil and criminal; and he was sent out with instructions to build and for- tify a city, which was to be called St. Salvador. Thome de Souza, a fidalgo, was the individual selected for this high station : he arrived at the Bahia de todos os Santos (Bay of All Saints,) in April 1549, accompanied with six Jesuits, the first who had ever set foot in the New World. Among them was Father Manoel de Nobrega, 18 BRAZIL. a man whose memory deserves to be held by the Brazi- lians in everlasting honour.* The appointment of the governor-general has been by some writers ascribed to a somewhat different cause than the complaints made to the Portuguese govern- ment of the misconduct of the colonial proprietors. In 1548, great numbers of Jews had been stripped of their possessions in Portugal by the Inquisition, and banished to Brazil. Here, however, they were not en- tirely forsaken ; many of them found friends, or, being known as men of probity, obtained advances of money from merchants with whom they had had previcus trans- actions. By such assistance they were enabled to pro- cure sugar-canes from the Island of Madeira, and to form plantations. Sugar, which till then had been used only in medicine, became an article of luxury, and the increasing demand for it proved highly favourable to the colonists, enabling them to extend their plantations. The court of Lisbon began to be sensible that a colony might be beneficial to the mother country, without pro- ducing either gold or silver; and hence, the appointment of a governor-general was determined upon. It must, however, be observed, that the appointment of De Souza in 1549, could not be occasioned by consequences re- sulting from the banishment of the Jews from Portugal in 1548. When De Souza arrived at Bahia, he found old Cara- * Nobrega was the contemporary of St. Francis Xavier and his rival in disinterested exertions for the good of his fellow-creatures. He has been termed the Apostle of Brazil. Iie was of a noble Por- tuguese family, but, disappointed of some collegiate honour, to which he thought he had a better claim than the successful candi- date, he had renounced the world in a fit of disgust, little aware that that step would lead to his acting a more prominent and im.- portant part than, with all his talents and fair prospects, would otherwise have been within his reach. 4 See Rees’s Cyclopedia; and Encycl. Britannica. Art. Brazil. RRR a ee BRAZIL. 19 muru quietly settled there. This person was of great use to the Portuguese, in establishing a friendly under- standing between them and the Indians, by whom they were assisted in building the town. Within four months, a hundred houses were erected, a cathedral was begun, batteries were planted, commanding both sea and land, and a mud wall was built to defend the new town from any sudden attacks from the natives. While the works were going forward, one of the Europeans was killed by a native. The governor demanded the offender, who had been manifestly the aggressor ; he was given up to justice by his tribe, and Souza’s first act of judicial authority was, to have him blown to pieces from the mouth of a cannon. Supplies of all kinds were received the next year from the mother country; and the year after, several young females, orphans of noble families, were sent out by the queen to be given in marriage to the officers, with dowries in kine, brood-mares, and negroes, from the property of the Crown. This was the first royal settlement; and its prosperity was attended with considerable advantages to all the other captain- cies. De Souza, however, did not bring a sufficient force to terminate the disorders, and repress the insu- bordination which had begun to prevail. By building St. Salvador, he gave a ceatre to the colony; but the honour of settling and extending it, and of making it really useful to the mother country, was reserved for the Jesuits who accompanied him. These men, who, for their arts of insinuation and address, have been equalled by none, dispersed themselves among the In- dians, and seeming to be inspired only with sentiments of peace and charity, succeeded in conciliating their con- fidence and attachment. The obstacles which they had to encounter in the work of civilization were most for- midable ; but their zeal and assiduity rose with the diffi- culty of the enterprise, and the most salutary effects 20 BRAZIL. resulted from their exertions. They began by instruct- ing the children of the natives, teaching them the Portuguese language ; and thus, while they fitted them to become interpreters, they acquired theirs.* The greatest obstacle they had to surmount, arose from the cannibal propensities of the natives. In feasts of this horrid description, their pride, their religion, their greatest luxury, were all implicated. The missionaries resolved to conquer this diabolical habit ; but, though they succeeded in putting down drunkenness, in healing inveterate feuds, in making a man content with one wife, the delight of feasting on the flesh of their ene- mies was too great to be relinquished ; this propensity they could not overcome.t In these laudable exertions, * “ Nobrega had a school near the city, where he instructed the native children, the orphans from Portugal, and the mestizos or mixed breed, here called Mamalucos. Reading, writing, and arithmetic were taught them: they were trained to assist at mass, and to sing the church service, and were frequently led in proces- sion through the town. This had a great effect, for the natives were passionately fond of music—so passionately, that Nobrega began to hope the fable of Orpheus was a type of his mission, and that by songs he was to convert the Pagans of Brazil, He usually took with him four or five of these little choristers on his preach- ing expeditions : when they approached an. inhabited place, one carried the crucifix before them, and they entered singing the litany. The savages, like snakes, were won by the voice of the charmer : they received him Joyfully, and when he departed with the same ceremony, the children followed the music. He set the catechism, creed, and ordinary prayers to sol, fa; and the pleasure of learning to sing was such a temptation, that the little Tupis sometimes ran away from their parents to put themselves under the care of the Jesuits.”—Southey's Hist. of Brazil, vol. i. p. 267. t ““ A Jesuit one day found a Brazilian woman in extreme old age, and almost at the point of death. Having catechised her, instructed her, as he conceived, in the nature of Christianity, and completely taken care of her soul, he began to inquire whether there was any kind of food which she could take? ¢ Grandam,’ said he, ‘if I were to get you a little sugar now, or a mouthful of some of our nice things which we bring from beyond sea, do you BRAZIL. 21 the Jesuits were, however, everywhere opposed by the priests who had already settled in the country. Their interests were at stake; for the missionaries performed all the ceremonies of religion gratuitously, from which the priests derived their support. They had main- tained that it was lawful to enslave the Indians, because they were beasts, although their own manners were not less dissolute than those of the savages ; and they hated the Jesuits, who sought to falsify their representation by instructing and humanizing the natives. The first Brazilian bishop was appointed in 1552. In the following year, Thome de Souza, having now been governor-general for four years, was recalled at his own request. His successor, D. Duarte da Costa, was accompanied by the celebrated Anchieta, and six other Jesuits; and a college was soon afterwards esta- blished in the plains of Piratininga (now St. Paul's,) think you could eat it ?’ * Ah, my grandson,’ said the old convert, ‘my stomach goes against everything. There is but one thing which I fancy I could touch. If I had the little hand of a little tender Tapuya boy, I think I could pick the little bones; but woe is me, there is no body to go out and shoot one for me I’ "— Southey’s History of Brazil, vol. i. p. 232. * One day, they heard the uproar and rejoicing of the savages at one of these sacrifices : they made way into the area just when the prisoner had been felled, and the old women were dragging his body to the fire. They forced the body from them, and in the presence of the whole clan, who stood astonished at their courage, carried it off. The women soon roused the warriors to revenge this insult, and by the time the fathers had secretly interred the corpse, the savages were in search of them. The governor re- ceived timely intelligence, and sent in haste to call the Jesuits from the mud hovel which they inhabited, upon the spot whereon their magnificent college was afterwards erected. When the sa- vages had searched here in vain, they were on the point of attack- ing the city; the governor was obliged to call out his whole force, and partly by the display of fire-arms, and partly by fair words, he induced them to retire.’- Southey's Hist. of Brazil, vol. i. p. 263. 22 BRAZIL. a secluded and beautiful spot about ten leagues from the sea, and thirteen from St. Vincente.* A misun- derstanding arising between the bishop and the new governor, the former embarked for Portugal with the intention of stating his grievance to the king, but was wrecked on the coast, and, together with a hundred Europeans, was murdered by the Cahetes. The re- venge taken by the Portuguese was horrible. The Ca- hetes were condemned with all their posterity to per- petual slavery; they were hunted, slaughtered, and alinost exterminated. Da Costa was replaced, in 1558, by Mem da Sa, a man of enlightened mind and humane principles. On his arrival, he immediately set himself to work to re- claim the allied Indians from their bratal propensities ; and to show them, at the same time, that they might expect justice from the laws, he issued an order that all who had been wrongfully enslaved should be set at liberty. One powerful colonist who refused to comply * A century afterwards, when a road had been made in the best direction, Vasconcellos thus describes it : *“ The greater part of the way you have not to travel, but to get on with hands and feet by the roots of trees, and this among such crags and preci- pices, that I confess, the first time I went there, my flesh trembled when I looked down. The depth of the valleys is treme ndous ; and the number of mountains, one above another, seem to leave no hope of reaching the end :—when you fancy you are at the summit of one, you find yourself at the foot of another of no less magnitude—and this in the beaten and chosen w ay! True it is, that from time to time the labour of the ascent is recompensed ; for when I seated myself upon one of these rocks, and cast my eyes below, it seemed as though I were looking down from the heaven of the moon, and that the whole globe of earth lay beneath my feet—a sight of rare beauty, for the diversity of prospect both of sea and land, plains, forests, and mountain tracks, all various and beyond measure delightful. This ascent, broken with shelves of level, continues till you reach the plains of Piratininga, in the second region of the air, where it is so thin, that it seems as if they who newly arrived there could never breathe their fill.” BRAZIL. 23 with this edict, had his house levelled to the ground by the governor's orders. The Indians too had soon a proof that the edict prohibiting their cannibal feasts would be summarily enforced. “ Three friendly Indians were seized, when fishing, by their enemies, carried off, and devoured. The go- vernor sent to the offending tribe, commanding them to give up the criminals that they might be put to death. The chiefs would have consented, but the persons im- plicated were powerful; the adjoining clans made a common cause with them; two hundred hordes who dwelt upon the banks of the Paraguazu, united in de- fence of their favourite custom : ; and the answer returned was, that if the governor wanted the offenders, he must come and take them. This, in despite of the opposition made by the settlers, he resolved to do. The allied natives took the field with them, with a Jesuit at their head, and a cross for their standard. They found the enemy well posted, and in considerable strength, but they put them to flight. After the b: ittle, it was dis- covered that an arm had been cut off from one of the dead : as this was evidently taken by one of the allies to eat in secret, proclamation was made that the arm must be laid by the body before the ar my took food or rested after the battle. The next morning the enemy were pursued, and suffered a second and more severe de feat, after which they delivered up the criminals, and peti- tioned to be received as allies upon the same terms as the other tribes.” Mem da Sa had soon to turn his attention to a foreign enemy. Nicholas Durand de Villegagnon, a native of Provence, and a knight of Malta, a man high in the French naval service, had taken possession of one of the islands in the bay of Rio de Janei iro, for the avowed purpose of founding there an asylum for the persecuted Hugonots of France. For this specious project he 24 BRAZIL. had obtained the powerful patronage of Admiral de Coligny, and by this means had secured a number of respectable colonists. The French court was disposed to view with no small satisfaction the plan of founding a colony after the example of the Spaniards and Portu- guese. Having landed, he had begun to build a fort, which he called Fort Coligny ; and although the whole territory of which he had gained possession, consisted of an island about a mile in circumference, the con- tinent was already honoured with the name of An- tarctic France. On the return of the vessels to Europe for a fresh cargo of Protestants, a considerable zeal was immediately kindled for the establishment of the reformed religion in these remote regions; and the Church of Geneva took that interest in the project, that two ministers and fourteen students from that city determined to brave all the hardships of an unknown climate and a new mode of life in the cause. They repaired to the seat of Admiral de Coligny, near Chatillon sur 1'Oing, where they were received with the highest respect; and through the influence of the admiral, added to the uneasy situation of those of the reformed faith in France, their numbers were soon swelled, new recruits continually presenting themselves as they proceeded on their road to the coast. Their departure was hastened by an adventure of no agree- able nature. At Harfleur, the catholic inhabitants, instigated by the most furious intolerance, rose in arms against them, and a desperate conflict ensued, in which one of their best officers was killed, and the rest owed their safety to a precipitate retreat. On their passage, they suffered from a violent storm; and when, after a tedious voyage, they arrived off the coast of Brazil, they had a slight encounter with the Portuguese at Espiritu Santo. At length, they reached the settle- ment of their countrymen at Rio de Janeiro, where BRAZIL. > 3 yr . “DIy « or : he were received at first with apparent cordiality ut,” says Mr. S y, “Villeg: iain. a Says. Ir. Southey, Villegagnon was a villain.” ; 1€n 1t suited his views, he threw off the mask, and those who had come to Antarctic France to enjoy liberty of conscience, found themselves brought under 3 worse yoke than that from which they had fled Erp y spf wwe . * > Ee ! They therefore,” continues Mr. Southey, « demanded leave to return, and he gave written permission to the master of a ship to carry them to France. When they got on board, the vessel was found to be in such a fe 3 « 3 re ; i : ¥ state, that five of the party went again ashore, rather than put to sea in her. Jean de Lery was one of the others, who thought death better than this man’s cruelty, and pursued their voyage, After having hy > . ~ go : . : B endured the utmost misery of famine, they reached 3 > a x 3 1 ] ’ ; Hennebonne. Villegagnon had given them a box of * > " these unfor : One of these unfortunate persons thus describes the suffer- Ings they endured. ‘“ After having devoured,” says he, * all the leather in our vessel, even to the covering of the trunks, we + ‘ves annroarhs 3 1 thought ourselves approaching to the last moment of our life; but necessity suggested to some one the idea of pursuing the rats and Mice, and we had the greater hope of taking them easily because, having no more crumbs, nor anything to devour they ran in great numbers, dying of hunger, through the vessel ’ We pursued them so carefully, and by so many kind of snares, that very few remained. Even in the night we sought them with our eyes open like rats. A rat was more valued than an ox on land. I'he price rose so high as four crowns. We boiled them In water with all the intestines, which were eaten as well as the hody. The paws were not omitted, nor the other bones which we found means to soften. The extremity was such, that nothing remained but Brazil-wood, the driest of all woods w eh = . BUS . . . 3 He many, however, in their despair, attempted to chew, (ar Nerav A > : : gd guilleray du Pont, our leader, holding out one day a piece in his mouth, said to me with a deep sigh, ¢ Alas, my friend I have due to me in France the sum of four thousand livres ; and would to God, that after giving a discharge for the whole, I held in my hand a pennyworth of bread, and a single glass of wine!” Several died of hunger; and they had begun to form the resolu- tion of devouring each other, when land appeared in view PART I. C 26 BRAZIL. letters wrapt in sere-cloth, as was then the cus among them was one directed to the MR of whatever port they mioht at} worthy friend of the Gulses d he had invited out to Brazil exercise of the reformed rel of the stake. chief magistrates arrive at, in which this enounced the men whom l to enjoy the peaceable on 30 Feligom, as heretics worthy agistrates of | penned to favour the Reformat; devilish malignity of Ville a his treachery exposed. ¥ " iennebone hap- and thus the gagnon was frustrated, and + 3 yr ene ty es Of the five who had feared to se 1 a vessel so bh: Se ssel so badly stored unfit for the voyace, three Ww a a uy f yage, > were put to deatl i i : 8 0 death by ; I cutor. Others of the Hugonots fled f Jos the Por YORE rom hi Portuguese, where they were compelled mio tize, and profess a robb ied to-aposta- igion which they despi much as they hated.” they despised as 1 he attention of the Portuguese cov this time roused to the imporance et of this fine port, and effectuall nephew of Mem da Sa was Bahia for such assistance | extirpate the French. [| consisting of two ernment was by of taking possession y colonising it. The accordingly despatched to as might enable him to STL was fitted out, merchantmen, and the gone " wifi ion person, accompanied by the Fae, . ] ga. I ¢ Ug < vi - - « carl Ir 1 < to enter in the dead of and ; they wer Spi the sentinels ; ) > y were espie g entinels, and obliged to anchor off the | Be French i : bar. T 1 atolv ar, 3 hei Immediately made ready for defence. fi i their ships, and with ’ fence, forsook . eight hundre . ; : 5 idred native ar retired to their forts a native archers r ap governor's intention was, the night, and surprise the is] Mem da S: . he was in want of CANO fo o Sa now discovered that « 2S and sms: wnal . 4 who knew the harbour a cratt, and of men 2 he . Vine yr Jit. Ivobrega was sen | ncente to solicit this aid from the inhal yg ou performed his commission with his us a os he S usual skill, and BRAZIL. 27 soon despatched a good brigantine, canoes, and boats laden with stores, and manned by Portuguese, Mama- lucos, and natives—men who knew the coast, and were inured to warfare with the Tupinambas and Tamoyos. Five Jesuits conducted the reinforcement. With this Mem da Sa entered the port, and won the succour Two days and nights landing-place of the island. they vainly battered fortresses whose walls and bul- warks were of solid rock ; thus uselessly they expended all their powder and ball, many of their people were wounded, and they were about to re-embark their artillery, and retreat. But though they had hitherto displayed little skill in directing their attacks, there lack of courage in the Portuguese, and the was no pro- shame of returning from a bootless expedition voked them to one desperate exertion. They assaulted and won the largest of the outworks which commanded the landing, then they stormed the rock in which the magazine had been excavated, and carried that also. ated the French, that, in the ensuing Tamoyos abandoned the other their boats and fled, some to the This so intimid night, they and the posts, and got into ships, some to the main land.”* As this action took place on St. Sebastian’s day (Jan. 20,) the governor named the place St. Sebastian, in honour as well of the patron-saint as of the young King of Portugal, who bore that name. Here Mem da Sa founded the city, upon which he bestowed the same lation, but which is now almost universally called of the works were com- the Jesuits, without any In the midst of the city appel Rio de Janeiro. The whole pleted by the Indians under expense whatever 10 the state. « Southey’s History, vol. i. p. 992. The French subsequently attempted to form s¢ ttlements in Pernambuco and Paraiba, but were prevented in every instance. 28 BRAZIL. he assigned the company ground for a college. The donation was ratified at Lisbon the ensuing year. Scarcely had Mem da Sa succeeded in driving out the French, when he was called upon to combat with a new enemy. The Aymores, or Botucodoes, of all the Brazilian tribes the most savage and formidable,* in- fested the Ilheos and Porto Seguro, and threatened the apital itself. With the assistance of his Indian allies, the governor succeeded in subduing them. But other Indian tribes continually molested the settlers, and the influence of the Jesuits over the natives alone saved the colonists from extermination. “The English,” Mr. Southey states, *“ were at this time endeavouring to establish themselves in Brazil ; and choosing their position better than the French, though not with better fortune, they fixed themselves in considerable numbers at Paraiba do Sul. There they connected themselves with the native women; and in another generation, the Anglo-Tupi Mamalucos might have been found dangerous neighbours, if the governor of St. Sebastian's, steadily pursuing the system of his court, had not, in the fifth year of their abode, attacked and exterminated them. They who escaped from the merciless war which the Portuguese waged against all interlopers, fled in‘o the interior, and either they were * “Their mode of warfare was as savage as their habits of life; they had no chief or leader; they never went in large companies; they never stood up against an enemy face to face, but lay in wait like wild beasts, and took their deadly aim from the thickets. In one point they were greatly inferior to the other tribes ; for, being an inland people, they could not swim, and such was their igno- rance, or dread of the water, that any stream which they could not ford was considered a sufficient defence against them. [t mav well be supposed that such men would be impatient of slavery ; some who were taken by the Portuguese, refused to eat, and died by that slowest.and most resolute mode of suicide.” —Southey’s History of Brazil, vol. i. p. 295, 29 BRAZIL. iev - lived and died ten by the savages, as was believed, or live 4: coming savages themselves. ot ontinued to sustain the governmer hen D. Luiz de A con- among them, be Mem da Sa had c a of Brazil for an unusually long perio > al as appointed to succee gp Be > siderable number of Jesuits, headed by Pe : ie ore sent out with the new governor. jn a : sailed. encountered, in separate BR aia hy English ships; Luiz de action with the latter off Ter- a French pirate, Vasconcellos w divisions, several French Vasconcellos fell in an io d the Jesuits were butchered by re One only escaped, In a lay habit. r the fate of his brethren. ssant faticue, he closed a 1 heroic virtue at the age cera, an named Jacques Sore. Nobrega did not live to hea Prematurely worn out by ince life of unexampled exertion an OR f fifty-three. * Luiz de Almeida was ap re : ; . place of the unfortunate Vasc once 0S. ee him on his arrival, and then : administration of nor in tl da Sa lived to welcome ARDATOUS died, after an able and prosperou . tty fourteen years. . Re owth of the colony had been so rapid, th Ls - rv ) Ie grow 3 50 op), Ba ue 8 1e Brito succeeded De Almeida as governor, ae b a Tn ivi : y into tv 718% divide the country d advisable to iy HID stricts southward of Porto Se guro vision of which Rio de Janeiro 1 00N This arrangement being S00 i ienc » two parts were found productive of inconvenience, the tw 2 Nore inistre . 104 ‘ted in 1578, under the administration Of T3. L775 J va he fatal year in which Sebastian, zo da Veiga—the fatai ye: : Lourenzo da Veig: 1 ye a Ci »ortugal, was cut off, with the whol ag iti ainst the Moors. Brazil, is nobility, in his expedition agains hea a he ous event, passed with when Luiz it was deeme governments, all the di being included in the di was ‘made the capital. in consequence of this disasty k leave of he died, he went abroad, and tock lea e about to undertake a long ly was—" Home, * ¢ The day before all his friends, as if he wer i i he was goin They asked him whi he v g to my own country. journey. ? His cp us 30 BRAZIL. mother country under the dominion of Spain, in which state it continued for about sixty years. Philip II. offered all the Brazilian colonies, in absolute sovereignty, with the title of king, to the Duke of Braganza, on condition of his relinquishing his claim to the Portuguese crown, but he declined the insidious offer. Neither was Philip, however, when he made the proposal, nor Braganza when he refused it, aware of the importance of the country, which was destined, two hundred years after, to afford an asylum to the court of Lisbon, and subse- quently to eclipse, as an independent empire, the mother country itself. At this period, Bahia, Pernambuco, and Rio de Ja- neiro, were in a very flourishing condition. The mud dwellings of the early settlers had given way to well- built houses; residences of a superior description had been erected for the accommodation of persons in au- thority, and for the purposes of commerce, and improve- ments in the arts had been to some extent introduced from Europe. But the transfer of the crown into foreign hands materially changed the aspect of affairs in Brazil. The Spaniards took little interest in a country so inferior, as was then supposed, in mineral wealth, to their own colonies on the western coast. By the unfortunate subjection of Portugal to Spain, her colonies were moreover involved in hostilities with England, whose merchants had commenced trading to Brazil.* Two English vessels trading peaceably to * ¢ The first Englishman who is mentioned as having traded to this country, is Master Wm. Hawkins, of Plymouth, father of Sir John Hawkins, aman much esteemed by King Henry VIII., as a principal sea captain. He armed a ship of his own, of 250 tons, called the Paul of Plymouth, wherewith he made two voy- ages to Brazil, one in 1530, and the other in 1532; in the first of which he brought a Brazilian King, as they termed him, to pre- sent him in his wild accoutrements to King Henry—at the sight of whom the king and all the nobility did not a little marvail, and BRAZIL. 31 San Vincente, were attacked, in the harbour, by three Spanish ships. The attack began in the evening, and continued as long as the moon gave them light, by which time one of the Spanish vessels was sunk,* and on the following morning the British captain put to sea. This was the first act of hostility committed by the Enelish in Brazil ; and in this instance they were not the aggressors. An expedition was subsequently fitted out by the Earl of Cumberland, and its instructions were not equally pacific. The fleet entered the Recon- cave of Bahia, and plundered it, the city being pre- served only by the Indian archers. Raleigh served in this expedition. Shortly afterwards, the celebrated Ca- vendish came to annoy their coast; but his conduct was that of a freebooter, and left a stain upon the cha acter of his nation. The most remarkable expedition of the English to the coast of Brazil, was that of Sir Jawes Lancaster to Pernambuco. This man had, by his own account, been brought up among the Portuguese, had lived among them as a gentleman, served with them as a soldier, and dwelt among them as a merchant; there was, therefore, * a Kind of moral treason,” Mr. Southey remarks, ¢ in his bearing arms against a people not without cause. One Martin Cockeram, of Plymouth, was left behind in pledge for him. The Brazilian remained nearly twelve months in England, and died on his passage home, which he loss of the life of Martin Cockeram, the savages being fully persuaded of the honest dealing of our men toward their prince, restored Nim without any harm.’—Southey's History of Brazil, vol. i. p. 373. ¥ + By reason,” says Lopez Vaz, ‘ that these ships were weak- : : { were manned with the refuse of was feared would turn to t his pledge. Nevertheless, ened with former tempests, anc o all the Spanish fleet, (the sicke men and women being embarked therein, ) the Englishmen easily put them to the worst, and sunk k another, if they had been one of them, and might also have sun and so minded; but they desired not the destruction of any man: doubtless it is the greatest valour that any man can shew, that 3 when he may do hurt, he will not BRAZIL. with whom he had so long domesticated.” But he appears to have conducted himself with so much mo- deration and humanity as almost to deserve forgive- ness for his treachery. Pernambuco was taken. “ Lancaster led the way,” continues Mr. Southey ; “the fort began to play upon them, and struck away great part of the ensign of the galley. They run her a-ground right under the battery, within a coit’s cast of it; her back was broken with the shock, the sea made a breach over her, and she sunk instantly ; the other boats did the like There were seven brass guns in the fort, which the Portuguese pointed so steep downwards, that their shot was spent in the sand, only one man being wounded. Lancaster exulting at this, for a well-aimed discharge must have been murtherous, exclaimed, Upon them! Upon them! All by God’s help is ours! They ran forward to storm the place; the Portuguese lost heart, retired into s ;me near bushes, and being pursued, fled by a way which was still dry, the tide not having reached it. Lancaster then made signal for the ships to enter: he left a garrison in the fort, planted its guns against Olinda, from which quarter he apprehended most danger, and marched to the base-town, as he calls Recife, which contained at that time rather more than a hundred houses. The people, at his approach, em- barked in caravels and boats, and abandoned the place, leaving the rich lading of the carrack and great store of country produce to the conquerers.” * The whole and sole purpose of this voyage being plunder, when they had laden their vessels with every thing valuable they could procure, they set sail and reached home in safety. The success of Lancaster’s en- terprise would probably have encouraged our countrymen to undertake similar adventures, had not a more tempt- ing lure been held out to them by Raleigh, in the fabu- * Southey’s History of Brazil, vol. i. p. 387 BRAZIL. 33 lous city of gold, the El Dorado of which England * dreamed. ee ~ About this period, Roberto Diaz, a descendant of Ca ramuru, professed to have discovered in some pars of Brazil a rich mine of silver, which he offered to disclose on condition of being created a marquis. I'his demand Philip II. refused to grant, and the secret, if the man Si one, died with him. In 1611, the French renewed their attempts to form a settlement on the coast, and they succeeded in establishing themselves in the island of Maranham. They were not dislodged till nine years afterwards, when a permanent Portuguese colony was planted there. But the evil days of Brazil were now drawing on, and the Portuguese, instead of extending their settlements in that country, were on the point of Josing all that they possessed there. The joleranee and cruelty of Philip had involved him in a long and # ¢ This imaginary kingdom obtained the name of Ll Dorado, from the fashion of its lord, which has the merit of being in savage costume. His body was anointed every morning with a certain fragrant gum of great price, and gold dust was then blown Spo him throuch a tube, till he was covered with it: the whole w as : This the barbarian thought a more magni- than could be afforded by auy other d hence the Spaniards called him washed off at night. ficent and costlier attire 2 > 1 he world; an potentate in th ; P il So El Dorado, or the Gilded One.'—Southey's History of B ; vol. ii. p. 394. ; iE Among other descriptions of the capital of this imagine ry y which was communicated as certain sountrv. is the following, : : country, > “« The palace,” he says, * stood intelligence by D. M. del Barco. : Stock in a lake island. It was built of white stone; at he en 7 / were two towers, and between them a column fiv Sands Ray feet in height; on its top was a large silver moon, and tw 2hxng lions were fastened to its base with chains of gold. a¥ing rs, you came into a quadrangle planted with ssed by these keepe rE : which spouted through trees, and watered by a silver fountain, through The gate of the palace was of copper; it was =: . i” 1: . ceived in the solid rock. Vithin, an altar of silver, and four lamps four golden pipes. very small, and its bolt was re a golden sun vas placed upon : $ were kept burning before it day and night. 34 BRAZIL. cruel war with Holland and the neighbouring provinces; and the efforts to which they had been impelled by their zeal in the cause of civil and religious liberty, had raised the Dutch to the first rank among maritime powers. The foreign possessions of the crown of Spain we re of course considered as lawful prey; and } 1aving success- fully attacked and enriched themselves from the Spanisl! colonies in the East, they now turned tl towards America. 1 1eir attention In 1621, was formed the Dutch West India Company, which was invested, like all the com- mercial bodies established at that period for similar undertakings, with exclusive privileges, in consideration of which they undertook to carry on the concerns of war, as well as of trade, in those remote regions. In 1624, they fitted out a considerable armament, under the command of Jacob Willekins, one of their most esteemed naval officers, and the famous Peter Heyne, with instructions to begin their operations by an attack on the capital. The success of the expedition was prompt and complete. St. Salvador was taken almost without a struggle, and all the inhabitants either sub- mitted, or fled. The Dutch soon showed that their intention was not, like that of former invaders, plunder merely, but conquest, for they immediately set them- selves to strengthen the walls. at a village in the R The Portuguese rallied veconcave, and hostilities were carried on with the greatest barbarity on both sides.* D. Marcos Teixeira, the bishop of St. Salvador, ex- changed the episcopal for the military character, hoisted the crucifix for his standard, and, animated by an heroic * “The Portuguese were said to have put an officer to death, whom they were sending to Pernambuco, because he had the chiguas or jiggers in his feet, and could not march fast enough for his conductors; and the Dutch, in revenge, drew out their prisoners, tied them to one another, and shot them.”’—¢ outhey’s History of Brazil. vol. i. p. 486. : 35 BRAZIL. is clergy a others who shirit, rallied around him his clergy and ; oss i Sol iC . : : ; ‘3 A : attached to him. His force soon amount Som oo oar r red and fifty In- ired Portuguese, and two hundred a: \ in whi ras soon enabled and from defending himself, he was soot Klee : He began by cutting oft th teen h dians; » the assailant. 9 to become the ass: Ty Dutch parties and detachments; he intercej gd C * . A y . ye on 0 ot a supplies of provisions, prohibited the cultiy ati fy s sof y , Manne ud tobacco, and at length succeeded in pans iy : rd C ied in conse= re lete state of blockade. He die i | faticue he had undergone ; but nce of the unusual fatigue he had U g DE i ‘cessors from persevering his death did not prevent his successo Sis WE - Cc ; Sy Ht) syste ‘hich prepared the V i , same system, whic ol Ban , : The Dutch were much weakened "illeki 1 is y to Europe, bv the return of Willekins with his ho in 7 oth 2 : a fr ss ex and by the departure of Heyne on a fruitle po oe hon A ‘oola. together with the subsequent los Se ull Jp yg ho fell into an ambush, an events that followed. er Bt exertions were in the mean ras killed. The greatest ex ie Were 3 Was lhe in Spain to regain the he ihe ask powerful armament that had ever crogses Se = Peon sisting of forty sail and 8000 Soldien, anes Sends wand of D. Fabrique de Toledo,* arriv pant a : a in 1626. The Dutch became an easy Des i hey bond tulated on condition of being sent to Ho Li hn personal baggage and sufficient arms 10 w oh a the vovace. The Spanish fleet returnec } A i is loss and } i Company, eager to fepaip Stl wh liserace, soon projected new attempts on bre 7 toner of their resources compelled he 9 dela an expedition attended with sch an ri “ expense. Their cruisers, however, lay 1n we Ld iy and Portuguese merchantmen, as they re | i sorio Edinburgh Encyclopedia, that Osorio, * It is asserted in the er of this expedition. We Marquis of Valduesa, was the Sompmane ity ey have taken the authority of Mr. Southe; 36 BRAZIL, from the East and West Indies, and with such success, that immense wealth was the result of this species of warfare.* Early in 1630, a new expedition, under the command of the Dutch admiral Hendrick Lonck, arrived off the coast of the fertile province of Pernam- buco. Olinda, the capital, was taken by Wardenberg, who commanded the troops, after a feeble resistance on the part of Albuquerque, the governor: the neigh- bouring forts were defended more bravely. On abandoning the city, the Portuguese retired into the woods, where they took heart, and a severe and obstinate predatory warfare was carried on against the invaders from their camp of Bon Jesus; but their efforts were rendered unavailing by desertion and treachery, and after a three months’ siege, the camp surrendered, on condition of marching out with the * In thirteen years they had taken 545 vessels, the proceeds of which amounted to 7,500,0007. + The Portuguese were warmly assisted by their Indian allies. The following anecdote of one of them records perhaps as power- ful an instance of heroic virtue as the history of any country can produce. *‘* An Indian, called Jagoarar by his countrymen, and Simam Soares by the Portuguese, had lain eight years in irons at Rio Grande. His offence was, that he had gone over to the Dutch when they were iu possession of St. Salvador, but he had protested that his only motive was to bring away his wife and child, who were by some accident in their power. The Portuguese wanted virtue to believe him; and notwithstanding he was the uncle of Camaram, their best ally, they had kept him eight years in this cruel confinement. The Dutch set him free. Immediately he went to his clan. The marks of my chains, said he, are still bleeding; but it is guilt which is infamous, and not punishment. The worse the Portuguese have used me, the more merit will be yours and mine in persisting faithfully to serve them, especially now that they are in distress. They listened to his persuasions, and he brought to the assistance of his oppressors, a body of constant allies, with whom he served them so well as to obtain, and deserve, an honourable name in history.” BRAZIL. honours of war, and being furnished with a free passage to the Indies. The Portuguese thus saw this colony a second time on the point of being wrested from them, and they resolved to strain every nerve to recover it. They were again seconded, though more coldly than before, by Spain. A formidable armament was equipped, but an infectious disease seized the troops before their departure ; two thousand perished, and the expedition was broken up. In the following year, the fleet was again assembled : it consisted of fifty-four vessels, the Portuguese having collected their whole naval force. The Dutch, not aware of the enemy, sailed from their harbours with only sixteen vessels. Accustomed, however, to despise the Portuguese, they hesitated not to engage even against such fearful odds; but they paid dear for their rashness. The admiral was blown up with his vessel ; the second in command shared the same fate; yet, the bravery of the Dutch still saved them from a total defeat ; and they made an admirable retreat to Olinda, carrying with them a Spanish vessel as their prize. The Portuguese admiral derived no decisive result from his success. He contented himself with landing twelve hundred men to reinforce the Por- tuguese army under the command of Albuquerque, and having provided for the security of the capital, he again set sail for Europe. Another expedition, des- patched the next year, under the command of Don Frederic de Toledo, was still less productive of serious injury to the enemy. The Dutch continued to make great progress in Brazil, notwithstanding the bravery of the Portuguese generals and the assistance they derived from their Indian allies; and at length, having completed, in three successive campaigns, the conquest of the provinces of Pernambuco, Paraiba, and Rio Grande, they were masters of all that part of Brazil PART I. D 38 BRAZIL. which lies to the north of the river Francisco. These successes inspired the Dutch government with the hope that, by a great effort, they might complete and secure the conquest of Brazil. Count Maurice of Nassau, equally distinguished by birth and by his military talents, was judiciously selected as the com- mander of this expedition. He arrived at Pernam- buco in October 1636, and joining his troops to those previously in Brazil, he entered the province of Sere- gippe, which had been hitherto untouched, defeated the Portuguese general Bagnuolo in several successive en- gagements, and finally made himself master of the capital and the whole province.* He then marched against the strong holds which the Portuguese still retained in the districts north of Olinda; these he successively reduced, and he obtained a voluntary sub- mission from the still more northerly province of Siara, which was then almost entirely in the possession of the natives. Brazil, however, could not be considered as conquered till the Dutch were masters of the capital. Count Maurice accordingly marched to St. Salvador, and laid siege to it; but the Portuguese had omitted nothing to put it in a respectable state of defence. Three forts which defended the place, were carried by storm ; but, on attempting to storm the city itself, the Dutch were repulsed with great loss ; and on the arrival of a reinforcement from Portugal, Count Maurice found himself under the necessity of raising the siege. In the following year (1639,) extraordinary exertions were made by the court of Madrid to recover possession of the provinces they had lost. Forty-six vessels were despatched, with 5000 troops under D. Jorge de Masca- renhas, who was appointed governor, with the title of viceroy ; but sickness attacked the fleet on the passage, * The whole military force of the Dutch in Brazil is stated to have amounted to only 6180 regulars, and about 1000 Indians. BRAZIL. 39 half the number of troops perished, and the rest arrived at St. Salvador in a melancholy condition. Mas- carenhas was able, however, to muster an army of 12,000 men, with whom he proceeded against Olinda. The Dutch were not ill-prepared to receive them, and a most furious engagement ensued, which lasted four days.* On the first day, the Dutch admiral, Loos, was killed; yet, victory remained on the side of the Dutch. In the end, the Portuguese fleet was entirely dispersed ; ‘great part of it perished upon the rocks, and of that mighty armament, only six vessels returned to Spain, leaving the Dutch navy to ride triumphant in the bay of St. Salvador. Both parties, however, were so much weakened and tired by the calamities of so long a war, that a negotiation was entered into for a suspension of hostilities. While this was pending, a revolution took place at home, which changed the Dutch from enemies into allies. In 1640, Portugal shook off the Spanish yoke, and once more saw a native sovereign of the house of Braganza seated on the throne of his ancestors. The preservation of the national independence now becoming the first object, it was necessary to postpone all attempt to recover possession of their colonies ; and a treaty of peace and alliance was concluded between the two nations, on the 23d of June, 1641, in which it was stipulated, that the limits of Dutch and Portuguese Brazil should re- main as they then stood. * A detachment of Portuguese troops took advantage of this diversion to enter Dutch Brazil, and being seconded by the natives, they gained considerable advantages, and committed great devastations; but were ultimately subdued and expelled by the Dutch. In this war, Cameram, the old ally of the Por- tuguese, greatly distinguished himself. His wife, who had received the Christian name and title of Donna Clara, fought by his side. 40 BRAZIL. Conceiving their possessions to be now secure, the thrifty republicans thought only of reducing the enor- mous expense of their colonial establishment, and Count Maurice was succeeded by a trusty board of com- missioners, consisting of a merchant of Amsterdam, a jeweller of Haerlem, and a carpenter of Middleburg.* Under the system of retrenchment pursued by these wise men, the fortifications were neglected, the ammu- nition-stores were disposed of to the Portuguese, who were willing to purchase them at a high price, and a large proportion of the troops were permitted to return to Europe. After the departure of the governor, the tyranny of the Dutch became intolerable. The Portu- guese and native Brazilians, on the one hand, hated their new masters equally as oppressors and as heretics; while they, on the other hand, seemed to consider the Pernambucans less as their subjects than their rivals in trade, and the most vexatious laws and regulations were dictated by the narrow spirit of commercial jealousy. But the worst act of the Dutch authorities was, the passing of an edict which invited all slaves to give in- formation against such of their masters as had concealed arms, with a promise of liberty for their reward. By this means, the lives of the Portuguese were placed at all times in the hands of their slaves, who had only to hide arms, and then inform against their masters, many of whom, there is room to believe, suffered torture or death without having been guilty of the crime alleged. The Portuguese began at length almost universally to rise against their oppressors, and a civil war was begun * According to one account, Count Maurice was recalled, be- cause, like Lord Wellesley when governor-general of India, he was deemed not sufficiently economical. Mr. Southey ascribes to him a prescience of the coming storm, and says, that he solicited his recall. After a residence of eight years in Brazil, he arrived in Holland in 1644. BRAZIL. 41 and carried on with great animosity on both sides, for some time under the singular circumstance of its being publicly disavowed by the government of the mother country, though secretly encouraged and supported by the Portuguese governor. In cne memorable engage- ment with the Dutch, the patriots completely ronted them, taking prisoners their two generals, Hans and Blaar.* The spirit and resolution with which the struggle was maintained for nearly ten years, were such as religion, combined with political hatred, would seem alone adequate to inspire. t * The two generala yielded themselves prisoners at the Casas de Dona Anna. ‘* Allthey demanded was, that their lives should be spared; and they would fain have stipulated that the Indians in their service should be spared also. The Portuguese demurred at this; they regarded these people as rebels, and they were ex- asperated by the recent excesses which they had committed. The unhappy savages put an end to the discussion: knowing how little mercy they could expect, they attacked their inexorable tyrants, and when they were overpowered, no mercy was shown. Tvery man was put to the sword. Cameram was related to their chief. The Christianity which he had been taught, did little toward abating the ferocity of his savage character; his kinsman, in his judgment, deserved death doubly, as a rebel to his king and to his God: but that he might die with as much honour as possible, he put him to death with his own hand, and gave him decent burial: the bodies of the others being left to the beasts and birds. The number who were thus massacred, was about two hundred. One of the Indians having received a mortal wound, dropt, and lay like a corpse among the dead; but when he first Portuguese came within his reach, he sprang up with a dying effort, and stabbed him thrice, then fell and expired. The wives of these wretched Indians, beholding the slaughter, caught up their children and dashed out their brains against the stones.” —Southey's Hist. of Brazil, vol. ii. p. 127. + During this contest Cameram died, in whom the Portuguese lost a firm ally, and the Dutch were delivered by his death from an indefatigable enemy. His Indian name was Poty (the Prawn). He had been educated by the Jesuits, and could speak Portuguese well ; but he always conversed with persons of rank and strangers 42 BRAZIL. In the mean time the Dutch government at home, engaged in a sanguinary contest with England for the sovereignty of the seas, were unable to take effective measures to secure their remote possessions. All their serious remonstrances to the court of Lisbon were met with assurances and promises on the part of the King, and by advantageous treaties of commerce, they were pacified and lulled into security. In 1654, when the republic had concluded peace with England, and it had become evident that the amicable professions of the Portuguese monarch were wholly insincere, prepara- tions were made to send out a considerable armament; but, in the midst of the arrangements for this purpose, tidings arrived, that their possessions in Brazil were no more. To the Pernambucans, assisted by the fleet of the new Brazilian company, is ascribed the honour of finally expelling the Dutch from that country. Olinda, the capital, was surrendered by Schouppe, the governor, on the 20th of January, 1654, without striking a blow, on condition of the garrison’s marching out with all the honours of war, and a safe conduct being guaranteed to the Dutch, in returning in their own transports to Hol- land. All this was effected almost entirely by the exertions of private individuals, who sustained both the conflict and the cost of the war, without the aid, and at most with only the connivance of the Portuguese government. From the hand of Joam Fernandez Vieira (the patriot general,)’’ says his historian, ‘‘ Fran- cisco Baretto, the royal commander, received the keys of the city, and the crown of Portugal its empire of Brazil.” Various attempts were made by the Dutch to regain a footing in Brazil by means of treaties, but through an interpreter, lest any defective pronunciation or im- propriety of speech might seem to derogate from that dignity which it was his pride to preserve. It is remarkable that, often as he was in action, he scarcely ever received a wound. BRAZIL. 43 they failed in every instance; and, at length, after hosti- lities had been carried on for six years, they were obliged to accept of the offer, on the part of Portugal, of a pecuniary compensation. A treaty was signed on the 10th of August, 1661, by which the whole of Brazil was finally ceded to the Portuguese; that power agreeing to pay in return, 8,000,000 of florins in sixteen instal- ments, and Dutch vessels being allowed to sail from Portugal to Brazil, and from Brazil to Portugal, import- ing and exporting all commodities whatsoever, with the single exception of Brazil-wood ; a concession which ultimately proved of little value. The obstinate manner in which the country had been contended for, enhanced, in the estimation of the Por- tuguese, the value of the possession. With this feeling, John 1V. conferred on his son Theodosio, the title of Prince of Brazil, which has since been constantly borne by the heir apparent to the crown of Portugal. While the northern maritime provinces were thus struggling against the Dutch, the J esuits were establish- ing their dominion in Paraguay, and were endeavouring, though without success, to abolish, or at least to limit the slavery of the Indians. By these measures they had made themselves exceedingly unpopular. The Francis- cans especially, and some other orders, who derived profit from the slave-trade, artfully fostered a general prejudice against them, spreading the report, that the Jesuits were in possession of gold and silver mines which they worked for their own advantage. The Jesuits in Brazil, who were devoted to the same cause, shared in the undeserved obloquy and prejudice excited against their brethren. Notwithstanding the many laws which had been passed for the protection of the natives, the landholders continued to enslave them, and the most disgraceful scenes took place in the different 44 BRAZIL. captaincies, which the governors were either unable or unwilling by their interference to prevent. “ The Portuguese of Maranham and Para,” says Mr. Southey, “ were pursuing the same course of oppression, by which the Indians had been exterminated from the shores of the older captaincies. The laws allowed, that Indians taken in just war were slaves, and also those who, having been made prisoners in war with each other, had been purchased by the Portuguese: these latter, as having been destined to be eaten, were called Indians of the cord, in allusion to the mussarama. From hence all the immeasurable evils of a regular slave-trade ne- cessarily arose. Every captain of a fort made war upon the nearest tribes whenever he chose, with or without a pretext, for the mere purpose of making slaves. The mode of purchasing served even more easily to cover the most atrocious acts of violence. The traders re- turned with all they could seize by force or fraud,* pre- sented them for the forms of examination as Cord- Indians, and compelled them by threats and torments to give such answers as were readily accepted by judges who were themselves implicated in similar transactions.” Things were in this state when Vieyra the Jesuit arrived in Maranham. This extraordinary man immediately set himself to work to effect the abolition of this nefa- rious system, and he partially succeeded: for a time, the natives were restored to a state of comparative free- dom. The most bitter and determined opponents of the Jesuits, were the Paulists, who, unwilling to resign the advantages they had reaped from their system of * ¢ One captain having got the chief of an Indian village in his power, fastened lighted fusees to each of his fingers, which were to burn there till he delivered himself from the torture, by giving a certain number of slaves.”—Southey’s Hist. of Brazil, vol. ii. p. 470 BRAZIL. 45 hunting for slaves, showed even a disposition to depose the governor, Salvador Correa de Sae Benairdes, be- cause he was the friend of the Jesuits. About the conclusion of the Spanish war, an insur- rection of an alarming nature broke out in the province of Maranham, at the head of which was Manoel Beck- man, a native of Lisbon, but of foreign ext raction. Two things, he said, were necessary for the salvation of the state—the abolition of all monopolies, and the expul- sion of the Jesuits. Having matured their plans, the insurgents surprised the town, and before day-break had made themselves masters of the whole city, the arsenal, and the fort, imprisoning the governor in his own house. When tidings of the insurrection reached Lisbon, Gomez Freyre was despatched to quell it, which he accomplished without difficulty, the insurgents making but a faint show of resistance. Beckman, the ring- leader, was taken, and some time afterwards executed. Under the new governor, Maranham, which had hitherto been the most lawless province in Brazil, enjoyed a season of comparative tranquillity. But another revolt, of a much more formidable cha- racter, broke out in the province of Pernambuco in the year 1694. In the course of the contests with the Dutch, it had frequently been found necessary to put arms into the hands of the negroes, and they had be- come, in some degree, warlike and inured to discipline. In the confusion occasioned by the capture of Olinda, about forty made their escape, and established them- selves in a favourable situation on the frontier near Porto do Calvo. This became a rendezvous for all of their nation who could emancipate themselves from bondage, and their numbers soon became considerable. They supplied the want of wives, like the founders of Rome, by violence, sweeping the neighbouring planta- tions of every woman of colour. Equal laws, together D2 46 BRAZIL. with the possession of a fertile territory, and copious opportunities of plunder, caused their population to multiply with enormous rapidity. They soon erected themselves into a nation, assuming the name of the Palmarese,* under an elective monarch, named Zombi; and having procured supplies of arms and ammunition from the planters, they formed stockades of large trees round their capital and other towns. They remained unmolested for forty years, till at length, the population of their principal town amounted to not less than 20,000, and their power had attained a height which threatened the existence of the colony. In 1696, the Pernambucan government, seriously alarmed, deter- mined on their extirpation, and 6,000 men under D. John de Lancastro took the field against them. Unable to cope with so formidable a force, ten thousand of the Palmarese shut themselves up, with all their effects, in their capital, which is described as having possessed a certain degree of magnificence. The Portuguese imme- diately advanced to lay siege to it, but were dismayed at the formidable aspect of the works, for which they were quite unprepared, having made no adequate pro- vision of artillery and supplies. The spirits of the invading army were still further damped by repeated and destructive sallies of the besiegers, and the Portu- guese were repulsed with considerable loss by these warlike negroes, who employed arrows, fire-arms, boiling-water, and firebrands against the assailants. But their ammunition was exhausted, and they were beginning to feel all the horrors of famine, when a reinforcement received by the besieging army deprived them at once of courage and of hope. A general assault took place, and the resistance of the dispirited defenders being feeble, the place was soon carried. ® Taking their name from the palm forests of the interior. BRAZIL. 47 Zombi and his followers, preferring death to captivity, threw themselves down the rocky side of the fort, and perished. Almost all the survivors were taken prisoners and sold as slaves. Such was the termination of the first black kingdom in the New World, the history of which, short as was its duration, might have taught those who affect to rank the negro with the brute creation, that he is at least not incapable of civiliza- tion. The Palmarese were probably not much behind, in any respect, the Paulists and other Brazilians ; and had their success been equal to their bravery, their right to make slaves of the whites would have been to the full as good as that which the Portuguese had to enslave them. This event was almost immediately succeeded by a brilliant era in the history of Brazil, the discovery, in 1699, of extensive gold mines; followed, about thirty years after, by another still more unexpected, that of the diamond mines. Portugal has immensely enriched herself with the results of these golden discoveries, but it may be questioned whether Brazil has not been greatly the loser by them. Rio de Janeiro had enjoyed a greater degree of tran- quillity since its foundation, than any other settlement in Brazil, having continued to flourish during all the calamities by which the capital and Pernambuco had been visited. But, in 1710, its prosperity was inter- rupted by the arrival of a French squadron under M. du Clerc. This officer, whose object was plunder, landed about a thousand marines, and attacked the city, no effort having been made to stop them on their way, by the governor, although he had at command about 12,000 troops. After a short but desperate struggle, the French, however, were overpowered by numbers, and surrendered at discretion. The victory of the Portuguese was disgraced by their barbarity. They 48 BRAZIL. massacred nearly all who fell into their hands. Even the surgeons sent from the French ships to attend their wounded comrades, were butchered ; and Du Clerc, who was taken prisoner, was murdered in his bed. But France was able as well as willing to take vengeance, and the celebrated Admiral Duguay-Trouin was selected to inflict on the Brazilians the punishment due to their inhumanity. The next year he entered the Bay with a considerable fleet, and, with the most daring valour, leading it through all the range of batteries which de- fended it, carried the place by storm. After residing there for some time to refresh his troops, he ransomed the city for 600,000 cruzados, and then returned in triumph to Europe. Peace was soon afterwards con- cluded between France and Portugal, by which Rio de Janeiro became secured from foreign invaders. Disputes innumerable had arisen between Portugal and Spain, relative to their respective colonies on the banks of the Rio de la Plata, when, in 1750, a conven- tion was entered into, by which their limits were agreed on. DBy this treaty, Portugal resigned the colony of Santo Sacramento, near the mouth of the Plata, (which had been ceded to them by the treaty of Utrecht,) in exchange for seven of the missionary settlements formed by the Jesuits on the eastern bank of the Uruguay. About 30,000 civilized Indians of the Guarany tribe, with their wives and children, inha- bitants of that territory, found themselves, by this un- feeling act of reckless tyranny, compelled to emigrate from the land which they had received * from God and their fathers,” to go into other lands, chosen for them, which were unknown and unhealthy. The Jesuits had laboured more suscessfully among these people than among any other tribe; and numbers of the order resided among them, who appealed, but in vain, against the arbitrary arrangement which had been made by the BRAZIL. : 49 European governments. Now, however, the Jesuits became themselves suspected by the natives, who ac- cused them of having sold their lands to the Portuguese ; their power was at an end, and they were little better than prisoners in a country where they had recently enjoyed an absolute dominion, founded on the affec- tionate attachment of the people. The Indians rose in all directions to oppose the mandate; but the short and useless, though vigorous resistance which they made, onlv left them more than ever in the power of their enemies.* Great numbers were slaughtered, and those who refused to submit were compelled to leave the country. This war greatly strengthened the prejudice against the Jesuits—a prejudice as unjust as the attack made on the people whom they had instructed. Inthe vear 1761, when Carlos IIL acceded to the throne of # « The chief of these Indians was named Sepe Tyarayu; he was a man of extraordinary courage and capacity. On one occa- sion, he was persuaded to enter the enemy’s quarters with thirty of his men, and treat concerning a ransom. The Portuguese seized them, and then let the Guaranies know that they would exchange their prisoners for horses. To expedite the business, they sent Sepe himself, under a guard of twelve horsemen; he was on horseback also, but naked, and without arms or spurs. A river was between them and the Guaranies: Sepe desired that he might cross it to confer with his countrymen. When this was refused, he asked, how it was possible for him to settle the affair, unless he were allowed to communicate with the persons concerned? But with that cunning which is part of the savage character, he told them, as though in a sportive bravado, that if he chose, he could go to his countrymen in spite of any efforts to prevent him. They laughed, and asked in mockery how it was to be done. ‘In this manner,’ replied Sepe; and exciting his horse at once by the scourge and the voice, he set off at full speed. Before they thought of pursuit, it was too late; they fired and missed him; he got into the woods, dismounted, swam the river, and just at night-fall entered the Guarani camp, shivering and almost exhausted with cold. He lost his life in a subsequent engagement.” —Southey's Hist. of Brazil, vol. iii. p. 466. 50 BRAZIL. Spain, the treaty of limits was annulled ; the Guaranies, who had been so wantonly and cruelly expelled, were instructed to return to their dilapidated towns and wasted country, and the Jesuits, resuming their benig- nant administration exerted themselves to repair as far as possible the evils that had been done. But the part they had acted on behalf of the oppressed natives, though not the cause of the persecution under which they were destined to sink, yet, by the occasion it afforded to their enemies, was the circumstance which immediately led to their expulsion. Sebastian Joseph de Carvelho e Mello, better known by his subsequent title of Marquis de Pombal, was at this period the despotic prime- minister of Portugal, and to him the final destruction of the order must be ascribed. * The great and laudable object of his ambition,” says Mr. Southey, * was to benefit his country, and restore Portugal, if not to the foreign empire which she had once possessed, at least to her former state of plenty and prosperity at home. Ignorance, superstition, and intolerance, were the main obstacles to the improvement which he de- signed; and whosoever attempted to remove these evils in Portugal, would be opposed by the clergy. But the original jealousy between the regular and secular clergy was still subsisting : the regulars were divided among themselves, and the only point in which all the other orders were agreed, was in envying and hating the Jesuits. Now the Jesuits were the only persons whom Carvelho feared. If they were removed, his plans would proceed without impediment ; he might crush the friars, reform the respectable orders, lessen the influence of the court of Rome, and place the religious establish- ment of the kingdom upon a footing not inconsistent with the progress of knowledge. Carvelho was more than fifty years of age when he entered upon his mi- nistry. He soon acquired the favour of the sovereign BRAZIL. 51 by his superior talents; extraordinary and tremendous occurrences brought those talents into full action, and the ascendancy which he then obtained over the king, enabled him to carry into effect with absolute authority his schemes for the renovation of the kingdom. This was the one and worthy object upon which he was passionately bent; unhappily, he scrupled at no means by which it might be promoted ; and they who maligned his motives, did not traduce his nature, when they re- presented him as without conscience and without huma- nity. Seeing the miserable state into which everything in Portugal had sunk, he felt the necessity of great changes: his temper led him to bold and violent mea- sures; and though it was said of him by his enemies, that he acted first, and thought afterwards, when his measures were once taken, he persevered in them in- flexibly, whether they were right or wrong. He had a large portion of that national pride for which the Por- tuguese are remarkable, and he had also an overweening confidence in his own talents and strength of character ; but his talents were very great ; no man ever approached him without feeling the presence of & powerful and commanding mind. He served his king faithfully and zealously ; he loved his country; and happy might it be for him if the desire of public good might be pleaded in defence of actions which are decidedly wicked and abominable. Upon that plea, however, he rested with perfect equanimity, like Sylla, but in a far different retirement, when disgrace and obloquy, and the grief of seeing his wisest plans overthrown, were added to the evils of old age, and infirmity, and pain. However much Carvalho must have desired to lessen the power of the Jesuits, it is not probable that he had conceived even the most distant thoughts of extinguishing the order, when he began his administration. But when events arose, which seemed to render such an attempt 52 BRAZIL. feasible, he pursued it with characteristic and inhuman perseverance.” * His brother, Francesco Xavier de Mendoga Furtado, was appointed governor and captain-general of Maran- ham and Para. He hated the Jesuits j and, in depriving them of that authority which they had so bene- ficently exercised, he added insult to injury, sneeringly telling them, that they might henceforth serve God with less trial of their patience. Men were not want- ing to stand forward in their support, and to rebut the gross and scandalous calumnies invented to hasten their downfall ; but the influence of Pombal was too great to be borne up against, and their day of power was past. In 1760, they were ignominiously expelled from Brazil.+ Those of the Spanish colonies, eight * Southey’s Hist. of Brazil, vol. iii. p. 505. + ¢ The colleges, churches, and habitations of the Jesuits had been taken possession of for the crown, and the property therein taken for confiscation. Their books and papers had been seized ; their very hospitals had not been spared; the patients had been compelled to leave their beds, some of them in such a condition that they died while they were being removed to another place of shelter. At St. Paul’s, notwithstanding the old enmity with which they had been regarded, they were treated with humanity and respect in their disgrace; and the bishop, Fr. Antonio da Madre de Deos, said publicly, that the expulsion of the Jesuits would draw after it the ruin of religion first, and the overthrow of the government afterwards. The Rio was the place of em- barkation for all the members from the south. One hundred and forty-five were stowed in one ship below decks, like negroes upon the middle passage; till the surgeon obtained some alleviation of their durance, by assuring the captain, that if he persisted in confining them so closely, not one of them would reach Lisbon alive, and that the disease which would certainly be generated among them, would as certainly be communicated to the ship’s company. “Those Jesuits who had previously been sent to Lisbon as prisoners, were cast into prison, and never heard of more, till the king's death and the disgrace of Pombal; when, after a con- BRAZIL. 53 years afterwards, shared the same fate ; and the conduct of the Spanish government towards the men to whom they were so deeply indebted, was worse, if possible, than that of the Portuguese. This was not the only injury which Brazil sustained at the hands of this minister. Hitherto, the Portuguese colonies had been, in a great measure, exempted from that complicated system of restriction and monopoly under which the Spanish settlements groaned. But, under the administration of the Marquis de Pombal, Portugal exhibited the singular spectacle of a nation beginning to adopt an exploded system, at the very time when every other people was abandoning it, and studying to remedy the evils which it had occasioned. This system was that of exclusive companies, which Pombal carried to such an extent as to subject to them even port-wine, the staple commodity of the kingdom. Extending it to Brazil, he subjected to an exclusive company the trade of the northern provinces of Maran- ham, Para, and Pernambuco. The regulations of this finement of eighteen years, they were set at liberty. The others, as they arrived in the Tagus, were transferred to other ships, not being permitted to set foot on shore, nor to communicate with friend or kinsman; they were then sent to the Mediterranean, landed upon the Papal states, and there turned adrift.”—Southey’s Hist. of Brazil, vol. iii. p. 546. : « Fifty. three of them were embarked from Pernambuco in a ship which had belonged to the company, being for the use of the provincial to cross the Atlantic, and go from port to port in the performance of his visitation. It had been seized for the crown, with the rest of their property; and was now, for the apparent purpose of adding to their humiliation, employed as A transport, in which they were to be conveyed as convicts. They were treated with extreme cruelty upon the voyage; when they were suffering the most painful thirst, the captain would not allow, even to the dying, an additional drop of water to moisten their lips; nor would he permit them the consolation of receiving the last sacrament in death. Five of them died under this inhuman usage.”—Ibid. vol. iii. p. 542. 54 BRAZIL, company were, in some respects, of a nature peculiarly preposterous. Ignorant of the limits which bound the authority of sovereigns in commercial affairs, the court of Lisbon ordained that the shares in this company’s stock should bear a certain price, and, in order to enforce this regulation, that they should be a legal tender of payment. The consequence was, that both the credit and the commerce of the company declined ; the number of vessels employed in the trade sank from thirteen or fourteen to four or five; and the ministry who succeeded Pombal, repealing his obnoxious mea- sures, restored things to their former footing. In 1762, a war broke out between England and France and Spain, in which Portugal sided with this country. The first act of hostility in the western hemisphere, was the seizure of the Portuguese settlement of Colonia, in the Plata, by Zeballos, the Spanish governor of Buenos Ayres. Gomez Freyre, the governor of Rio de Janeiro, had despatched to its assistance a squadron consisting chiefly of English privateers, commanded by Captain Macnamara, an Irishman.* 1t arrived too late to pre- vent the capture; but Macnamara had nearly succeeded in silencing the batteries, when his ship 100k fire, and himself and three-fourths of his crew were drowned. + The other ships were enabled, by the negligence of the Spaniards, to refit and return to Rio. This was the most remarkable action of the war beyond the Atlantic, and the first in which the English distinguished them- selves in the defence of Brazil. The following year peace was concluded, and Colonia reverted to the Por- * Penrose the poet served as lieutenant in one of the privateers. + ¢“ A good swimmer took Macnamara on his back, and made for shore: his strength began to fail: and it is said that the cap- tain, when lhe perceived this, gave him his sword, bade him look to his own preservation, then let go his hold and sunk.”’— Southey’s Hist. of Brazil, vol. iii. p. 562. RRR BRAZIL. tuguese. In the same year, the Conde da Cunha, on being appointed to the viceroyalty of Brazil, was in- structed to fix his residence at Rio de Janeiro, which, being nearer to the mines and to the settlements on the Plata, had become of greater importance than Bahia, and presented a more secure and better defended port. It has ever since been the seat of government. From this period down to the emigration of the royal family of Portugal to Brazil, the history of that country is composed chiefly of some attempts of the Spaniards to extend their boundaries on the Plata; the misma- nagement and decay of the Jesuit establishments; the enlargement of the mining districts, particularly in the province of Matto Grosso; the endeavours to conciliate or reduce the natives; some disputes with the French on the frontier of Cayenne; and the more peaceful occupations of opening new roads, and extending or improving the different branches of commerce. The tranquillity of the country was but for a short period interrupted, in 1789, by a conspiracy in the captaincy of Minas Geraes, headed by a cavalry officer named Joaquim Jose da Silva Xavier, but more commonly called O Tiradentes, the Tooth-drawer. The chief cause of discontent was an order of the government, exacting too large a proportion of the produce of the mines; and the object of the insurgents was to form an independent republic in Minas Geraes, and to induce Rio de Janeiro to unite with it. But the conspirators were all seized before they had matured their plans of resistance: Tiradentes was hanged, and the rest banished. During the first years of the revolutionary war, while all Europe was in arms, Brazil remained undisturbed, and in a state of rapidly increasing prosperity. Some symptoms of improvement also manifested themselves in the spirit of the government, by a certain degree of liberty which was now allowed to the press. In 1801, 6 BRAZIL. the Portuguese attacked the Spaniards in the reductions which had been the scene of the war against the Guara- nies.* The inveterate enmity of these tribes towards the Brazilians, had, it seems, been effaced by more recent and less pardonable injuries received from the Spaniards, and the Portuguese were now welcomed as liberators. After a short struggle, they possessed them- selves of the reductions, which, notwithstanding the endeavours of the Spanish by force or by treaty to re- gain them, have ever since been annexed to Brazil. In 1807, the French army under Marshal Junot in- vaded Portugal, with the design of seizing the royal family of Portugal. The Prince Regent had tried every means, and had submitted to the most humiliating con- cessions, to avert the impending storm. But Napoleon had resolved on adding the Peninsula to his empire. Sir Sidney Smith at that time commanded an English squadron at the mouth of the Tagus; and when, on the 29th of November, the vanguard of the French army appeared on the heights above Lisbon, then, and not till then, the prince determined upon emigration to Brazil, Everything of value which could be transported, was hastily put on board the fleet; and the French troops arrived only in time to witness its departure. They entered Lisbon on the following day. The prince, after a prosperous voyage, arrived at Bahia on the 25th of January, 1808, where he was received with the most enthusiastic expressions of joy. Some of his advisers wished him to stop here ; but, with a praiseworthy firm- ness, he adhered to the resolution he had taken, and after spending a month in that city, sailed to Rio Janeiro, where he arrived on the 7th of March. Thus was * Though Portugal obtained possession of these settlements at the time of the expulsion of the Guaranies in 1753, it afterwards ceded the territory to the Spaniards in 1777, in exchange for the province of S. Pedro, which had been wrested from them. BRAZIL. 57 realized, under the impulsion of necessity arising from circumstances which it was impossible to foresee, the bold measure first conceived by Pombal, of transferring the seat of the monarchy from Europe to Brazil. From this moment may be dated the virtual independence of the western empire. The removal of the court de- monstrated,” M. Beauchamp remarks, “ that Portugal stood in need of Brazil, but that Brazil had no longer need of Portugal; and it became henceforth impossible that the union of the two countries should continue to subsist on the same conditions as before.” * The first beneficial consequence of the arrival of the royal family, was the opening of its ports. In the very year of the removal (1808,) no fewer than ninety foreign ships entered the harbour of Rio de Janeiro alone, and a proportionate number visited those of Maranham, Pernambuco, and Bahia. ‘In 1810, a treaty of com- merce was concluded with England, which contained many important provisions. British commodities were subjected to a duty only of 15 per cent., while those of other nations paid 24 per cent. Gold and silver alone, according to the old commercial prejudices, were ex- cepted from the provisions of the treaty, and continued still to be prohibited. The Island of St. Catherine's was declared a free port. Unlimited permission was at the same time granted to build ships for the British navy, and to employ the noble forests of South America in their construction. In consequence of these arrange- ments, Brazil has become extremely interesting to this country in a naval and commercial point of view. The abrogation of the colonial laws, which took place soon after the arrival of the regent, the introduction of the vine, and the encouragement given to improvements * I'Indépendance de 'Empire du Brésil. Par. M. A. de Beau- champ. Paris, Juin, 1824. BRAZIL. in horticulture, the adoption of vaccination, the better regulation of places of public interment, and some slight melioration of the courts of judicature, may be enume- rated among the other important benefits for which the Brazilians are indebted to the residence of the court. If to this are added, the stimulus given to the progress of internal improvement, the immense accession of population, and the positive advantages accruing from the new organization of this part of the Portuguese empire—we shall be able to form some just idea of the immense importance to Brazil, of what was regarded as only a temporary transfer of the seat of government to that country. Who could have foreseen that the inva- sion of Portugal would have given birth to a new em- pire in another hemisphere? « But the stimulus most prompt and efficacious,” says Mr. Luccock, (who visited Rio both in 1808 and again in 1813,) “in promoting internal improvement, and particularly in forming a national character and feeling, of which Brazil was almost destitute, and for want of which the country had nearly fallen, like the colonies of Spain, into a number of disjointed states— arose out of the measure which gave to this important part of the Portuguese dominions, privileges and honours similar to those enjoyed by the mother country. The period for assuming this new distinction under the title of the united kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and Algarva, was judiciously fixed for the anniversary of the queen’s birthday, in December, 1815. In order fully to under- stand the extent and importance of this change, it will be necessary to recollect, that, in old times, the pro- vinces were almost wholly unconnected with each other; —that they had scarcely any stronger common bond than the similarity of language, the circumstance of receiving their respective triennial governors from the same court, and the commercial one, which led their BRAZIL. 29 views and interests to the same European city ;—that, between some of those provinces, there existed an oppo- sition of interests, and between others, open and avowed jealousies. Hence it was, that, when the court arrived in Rio, the colonies were found to consist of portions so disjointed as to be ready, on the slightest agitation, to fall inf pieces, and render the situation of the royal emigrants very precarious.® There were required all the address of government, and all the powerful support which it received from Britain, to preserve the admi- nistration from positive disrespect—to keep the whole of Brazil within one common bond—to turn the people’s attention from Lisbon to Rio—to make them feel that the latter city had become the centre of their union, the capital of their widely diffused people, the source of their security, the focus and fountain of their wealth and their honour. The first effort towards ac- complishing this important work was made when the ports of Brazil were opened to foreign COMMErce ; and a wonderful alteration it produced in the people’s views and modes of thinking. Yet, it left them without any strong bias to one particular country, and served rather to incline each province, without regard to the general interest, to the side where its commercial advantage was most considerable. But no sooner was the country declared a kingdom, than it displayed an individuality of sentiment, and joined in one common act of homage to the throne. Addresses of exultation and gratitude * When Mr. Southey says (History of Brazil, vol. iii. p. 696,) that, on the removal of the court of Lisbon to Rio, the people of Brazil ** were everywhere Portuguese in language and feeling,” and that * there existed no provincial animosities,” he probably means the latter assertion to be qualified by the former; there no longer existed a Dutch or a Spanish interest; and the country enjoyed internal tranquillity. 4 “4 \ | BRAZIL. in horticulture, the adoption of raccination, the better regulation of places of public interment, and some slight melioration of the courts of judicature, may be enume- rated among the other important benefits for which the Brazilians are indebted to the residence of the court. If to this are added, the stimulus given to the progress of internal improvement, the immense accession of population, and the positive advantages accruing from the new organization of this part of the Portuguese empire- immense importance to Brazil, of what was regarded ¢ only a temporary transfer of the seat of government to that country. we shall be able to form some just idea of the s Who could have foreseen that the inva- sion of Portugal would have given birth to a new em- pire in another hemisphere? « But the stimulus most prompt and efficacious,” says Mr. Luccock, (who visited Rio both in 1808 and again in 1813,) “in promoting internal improvement, and particularly in forming a national character and feeling, of which Brazil was almost destitute, and for want of which the country had nearly fallen, like the colonies of Spain, into a number of disjointed states— arose out of the measure which gave to this important part of the Portuguese dominions, privileges and honours similar to those enjoyed by the mother country. The period for assuming this new distinction under the title of the united kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and Algarva, was judiciously fixed for the anniversary of the queen’s birthday, in December, 1815. In order fully to under- stand the extent and importance of this change, it will be necessary to recollect, that, in old times, the pro- vinces were almost wholly unconnected with each other; —that they had scarcely any stronger common bond than the similarity of language, the circumstance of receiving their respective triennial governors from the same court, and the commercial one, which led their - omen BRAZIL. 59 views and interests to the same European city ;—that, between some of those provinces, there existed an oppo- sition of interests, and between others, open and avowed jealousies. Hence it was, that, when the court arrived in Rio, the colonies were found to consist of portions so disjointed as to be ready, on the slightest agitation, to fall inf pieces, and render the situation of the royal emigrants very precarious.* There were required all the address of government, and all the powerful support which it received from Britain, to preserve the admi- nistration from positive disrespect—to keep the whole of Brazil within one common bond—to turn the people’s attention from Lisbon to Rio—to make them feel that the latter city had become the centre of their union, the capital of their widely diffused people, the source of their security, the focus and fountain of their wealth and their honour. The first effort towards ac- complishing this important work was made when the ports of Brazil were opened to foreign cOMMErce; and a wonderful alteration it produced in the peoples views and modes of thinking. Yet, it left them without any strong bias to one particular country, and served rather to incline each province, without regard to the general interest, to the side where its commercial advantage was most considerable. But no sooner was the country declared a kingdom, than it displayed an individuality of sentiment, and joined in one common act of homage to the throne. Addresses of exultation and gratitude * When Mr. Southey says (History of Brazil, vol. iii. p. 696,) that, on the removal of the court of Lisbon to Rio, the people of Brazil were everywhere Portuguese in language and feeling,” and that ¢ there existed no provincial animosities,” he probably means the latter assertion to be qualified by the former; there no longer existed a Dutch or a Spanish interest; and the country enjoyed internal tranquillity. 7 “ 60 BRAZIL. to the sovereign, poured in, by one simultaneous move- ment, from every part of the country; and the most remote and obscure township felt proud of the privi- lege which admitted it to address its own sovereign under a Brazilian title, on Brazilian ground: it per- ceived itself to be, however humble, an integral part of the extended whole. All the blessings of a revolution, which the people had formerly wished for, had fallen upon their country, almost without their being sensible of the change.” * The erection of Brazil into a kingdom was attended with another beneficial circumstance. When the mer- chants of Rio met to congratulate their sovereign, they subscribed a considerable sum of money to form a fund for the purposes of general education; and a decree was passed to render it secure and effective. Schools for all classes became in consequence multiplied ;+ and the Lancastrian or British system is now extensively adopted. Schools for the teaching of the first rudiments are to be found in all the towns, while, in all the larger ones, Greek and Latin masters, and professors of rhe- toric, natural philosophy, chemistry, and mathematics, are established. There are public libraries at Rio Janeiro and Bahia, and printing-offices throughout Brazil. Rio Janeiro has a handsome museum, a school for engineers, and a naval college; Bahia, a school for medicine and surgery; and Pernambuco, a botanical garden.} These are hopeful symptoms, although it * Notes on Rio Janeiro, &c. 4to. London, 1820, pp. 568, 569. + Mr. Luccock noticed, in the Gazette of Rio of July 9, 1814, a long advertisement to this effect : © Whoever may wish to send their daughters, female servants, and slaves, to read, write, and account, &c. may speak with a person resident in the Rua do Lavradia.”—Noles, p. 567. { L'Indépendance du Brésil. Par M. de Beauchamp, p. 132. BRAZIL. 61 must not be concealed, that hitherto little progress has been made in dispelling the gross ignorance which reigns throughout the country. In 1819, an event of some importance occurred. By the treaty of Amiens in 1802, Portuguese Guiana had been given up to France. The court of Rio now resolved on recovering it, and a body of troops was despatched under the command of Colonel Manoel Marquez, supported by the English man-of-war Con- fiance, Capt. Yeo. Their combined attack forced the enemy to surrender on the 12th of January. In 1821, the state of affairs in the mother country compelled the late regent, now King John VI, to return to Europe, as the only chance of preserving the integrity of the monarchy. The cortes of Lisbon, con- voked under democratical influence, invited their sovereign to revisit his ancient capital, and deputies from Brazil were summoned to attend the sittings of the national assembly. The constitutionalists, and indeed, the Portuguese generally, had become impatient of a state of things which seemed to reduce them, as a nation, to a mere colony of Brazil, and they resolved on recovering the pre-eminence. But this was not all. Before the colonial deputies could arrive, the cortes began to betray their designs on Brazil, which had for their object, nothing short of its being thrown back into a state of absolute dependence on the mother country. They even wished to revive all the impolitic restric- tions and monopolies of the exploded colonial system ; and England, the deliverer of Portugal, was to be de- prived of her only recompense in a free trade to Brazil. * * The following declaration is extracted from a manifesto of the Portuguese nation at this period : ‘* Commerce and industry, which can never prosper but under the benignant shadow of peace, had not only been despised and relinquished, but seemed even en- tirely destroyed by the unlimited license granted to foreign vessels in all the ports of Brazil; by the fatal treaty of commerce with PART 1. E 62 BRAZIL. In the mean while, the ferment which had spread over other quarters of South America, was not excluded from Brazil. In 1817, a republican insurrection had broken out in Pernambuco, which threatened at first to spread over the whole country; but the port being blockaded, and the troops concentrated from the other provinces, the insurgents were overpowered, and the ringleaders were hanged.* The spirit of disaffection was not, how= ever, extinguished, and the whole country seemed on the point of a revolution, when, on the 18th of February, 1821, the king consented to nominate certain persons, at the head of whom was the Marquis de Alegrete, tO take into consideration such parts of the constitution, the bases of which had-been promulgated in the mother country, as might be applicable to Brazil. Shortly afterwards, the prince, Don Pedro, read to the people of Rio a royal proclamation, securing to them the constitu- tion such as it should be framed by the cortes at Lisbon ; and he ended by taking the oath to observe the future constitution. His example was followed by the gover- nors of Pernambuco, Bahia, and the other captaincies ; and the king confirmed all that had taken place.t England in 1810; by the consequent decay of trade and national manufactures,” &c. &c. See De 1'Empire du Brésil, considéré sous ses Rapports Politiques et Commerciaux. Par M. Angliviel la Beaumelle. Paris, 1823, p. 185. * On receiving tidings at Rio of this insurrection, the King is stated to have exclaimed : ¢ How is it that my subjects revolt? I have always tried to do them good ; I do not know that 1 have injured any one. What do they wish for v’— Luccock’s Notes, p. 557. $+ ¢ The situation of the king,” says M. la Beaumelle, ‘‘ was critical. He was surrounded with numbers of Portuguese troops who were devoted to the system adopted by their comrades. The recent insurrection of Pernambuco showed that there was a republican leaven in the country. He consulted his love for his people; and on the 26th Feb., before news could arrive of the installation of the cortes, he swore, at all hazards, to observe the BRAZIL. 63 Having formed his resolution to recross the Atlantic, on the 22d of April, his majesty nominated his eldest son, Don Pedro, regent of the new kingdom, with full powers to make peace or war, and to exercise all the other functions of royalty; an act which involved, by implication, a recognition of the substantial idepen- dence of Brazil. Two days after, the royal family em- barked, attended by many of the emigrant nobles, and bade adien to the country which, in the midst of the political commotions that were shaking and desolating Europe, had afforded a safe haven to its sovereign, while many of his brother monarchs perished in the storm. Never did a ruler assume the reins of government under more difficult and trying circumstances than did Don Pedro—with a dilapidated treasury, an enormous public debt, and the provinces in insubordination. Bahia openly disputed the authority of the prince, and was supported by the cortes. The regent made every possible personal sacrifice to meet the exigencies of his situation. He reduced his expenditure to the monthly sum allowed his princess for pin-money; he retired to his country-house, observing there the most rigid economy; and of 1200 horses which com- posed his stud, (a moderate one for a Brazilian prince) he retained only about a hundred and fifty.* By dint of exertions and sacrifices, he reduced the public constitution they should form, if one should be formed. The same oath was taken by his court, and, probably with less good faith, by the royal family. It would have cost little sacrifice to Don John VI. to become a constitutional monarch: he had never loved or exercised despotism. If he had now and then employed his absolute authority, it was only to do good.”—P. 68. * So says M. la Beaumelle. M. de Beauchamp says—*‘ Réfor- mant les 600 chevaux de son écurie, n’en gardant pas méme cin- quante.” But he does not reckon mules, which the former seems to include. 64 BRAZIL. budget from fifty millions of francs to fifteen millions, and he was bent on accomplishing a still further re- duction. But all was of no avail: the provinces held back the revenue, and the prince found himself reduced to the situation of governor of Rio Janeiro only, while the financial embarrassments increased every day. The ministers which the king his father had left behind, were obnoxious to one party as being Portuguese, to others, as supposed to be attached to the old order of things; and the regent shared in their unpopularity. Disgusted more and more with this unhappy posture of affairs, with the insubordination of the army, and the intrigues of the junta imposed upon him by the cortes, the prince solicited his recall to Europe: he was detained in Brazil only by the engagement he had con- tracted with the king, to remain there for the sake of preserving it, in case of a separation from the mother country, to the Braganza dynasty. “At length,” says M. de Beauchamp, *‘ the Brazilians were disarmed by this noble conduct: they recognized his activity, his beneficence, his assiduity in the affairs of government; and the habitual feelings of affection and respect for the house of Braganza, which had been for a moment laid asleep by distrust, were rewakened with increased strength. To these was joined an almost idolatrous sentiment of attachment for the virtues and splendid as well as amiable qualities of the young Archduchess Lepoldina, the daughter of the Emperor of Austria, and the beloved wife of the regent.” From the hour of his arrival in Europe, the king had only been the too docile instrument of the cortes; and he found himself under the necessity of lending his authority to a constitution which affected to treat his Brazilian subjects as mere colonists. By this step he took part with Portugal against Brazil, and a rupture between the two countries became every day more BRAZIL. 65 inevitable. On the 4th of October,1821, a premature at- tempt was made at Rio, to proclaim the regent emperor; but it was suppressed, and was followed by no other immediate result than the temporary arrest of some subordinate agents. The provinces were not ripe for so hazardous a movement; and possibly, the object of those who originated it, was merely to ascertain their disposition. However this might be, the mere imper- fect demonstration gave confidence and increased in- fluence to the regent, who now felt that, in case of a rupture, his only way was to put himself at the head of the Brazilian party, since, by joining the Portuguese interest, he would not merely precipitate the definitive separation of the colony from the mother country, but would render inevitable the adoption of a republican form of government. Almost at the very moment that the prince was refusing the imperial crown, the cortes of Lisbon, blinded by a selfish policy, or hurried on by passion, were passing their decrees of the 29th of September; by one of which (No. 124,) Brazil was distributed into provincial governments, communicating with the minis- ter at Lisbon, and the superior tribunals were sup- pressed : by the other ‘No. 125,) the prince regent was recalled to Portugal, and on his return, was to be sent on his travels, incognito, through Spain, France, and England, accompanied with a retinue nominated by the cortes. Such was the sagacious plan of the constitution-makers of the Peninsula; and it is impos- sible, remarks M. la Beumelle, to conceive of any legislative enactments more exquisitely adapted to defeat the intentions of their framers. At the same time that they deeply irritated the natives by the parcelling out of the kingdom, they gave umbrage to all persons in office, a great proportion of whom were Europeans, by the suppression of the court and the E 2 66 BRAZIL. tribunals ; and what was still more offensive, they treated with gross disrespect the heir to the throne, in imposing upon him as a duty, a tour, which, if ad- visable, ought to have been voluntary, and in assigning him an escort whom he could look upon only as so many spies. A centre was given to the emancipation, by the offer thus made to a prince of high spirit and resolution, of a country entirely ready to defend him.” These decrees reached RioJaneiro on the 10th of Dec. Orders were issued for the election of the junta, who were to be installed two months after (the 10th of Feb.,) and to whom the prince was to consign the government. He himself made preparations for his departure; but the public sentiment opposed his determination. No sooner were the decrees of the cortes made known, than the greatest fermentation was excited in the capital. The cortes had reckoned upon the Portuguese regiment stationed there, to give effect to their orders, but the Brazilians were not to be so easily intimidated. The three Provinces of Saint Paul, Rio Janeiro, and Minas Geraes, who were afterwards joined by that of Rio Grande do Sul, presented to the prince the most spirited addresses. The president of the municipal deputation of Rio Janeiro expressed himself in these bold and al- most menacing terms: The departure of your royal highness from the states of Brazil, will be the decree that will seal for ever the independence of this king- dom.” That independence would in that case have involved nothing short of its distribution into federal republics, for its recolonization had become impossible. There remained but one single tie between the two countries, and that would have been dissolved by the departure of the regent. Aware of this, Don Pedro resolved to disobey the sinister mandate of the cortes, and he signified his resolution to remain, to the muni- cipal senate of Rio Janeiro, in these words: ‘ Since it BRAZIL. 67 is for the good of all, and for the general happiness of the nation, I have decided-—tell the people that I remain.” This notification, which was made public on the 9th of Jan. 1822, was received with unanimous acclamations, and produced the greatest enthusiasm. The Portuguese troops alone observed a sullen si and a report was spread, that they were A the decree of the cortes in execution by open force, and carry off the prince. This report increased the popular commotion. At the moment when the agitation was at its height, the Portuguese general, Avilez, threw up the command of the regiment, and demanded to be allowed to return to Europe. This step was suspected to be only a feint, or a pretence for declining the further orders of the regent. On the night after the 11th in- stant, the troops took up arms, either to choose a new commander, or to detain their old one. On learning this, the Brazilians immediately followed their exniiple, In a few hours, the camp of Saint Anne was covered with native troops and a multitude of armed inhabitants. Both sides had provided themselves with artillery, and they seemed on the point of an engagement. But the sight of an entire population under arms, cooled the courage of the European troops: they offered terms, which was admitting themselves to be conquered; and, on capitulating, were sent to Praja Grande, on the other side of the bay, where preparations were made for their embarkation. There, however, recovering from the first emotion which had led them to give up the field without striking a blow, they assumed afresh a menacing atti- tude, declaring, that they would remain at Praja Grande till the arrival of an expedition that was expected from Portugal. There was no time to lose: the state of things was most critical. The prince fitted out some armed vessels, summoned reinforcements from Saint Paul and Minas Geraes, and blockaded the little 68 BRAZIL. European army * at once by sea and by land. Putting himself on board the commancer’s vessel, he seized the match of a gun directed against the Portuguese forces, and exclaimed, as he showed himself to the general, “ This gun is mine, and you will take notice of the first shot, for it will be of my firing.” These words from the prince produced such an impression on the troops, that, in the course of the 12th and 13th, they quietly embarked and set sail. Hardly were they out of sight, when signal was made of the arrival of another European fleet, conveying fresh troops. This armament consisted of several men of war, among others, the John the Sixth, on board of which was the commander Maximilian, with orders to bring Don Pedro to Lisbon. His instruc- tions were to place himself, on his arrival at Rio, under the orders of the prince. * The only order I have to give you,” said the prince, “isto go back ;”—and the troops were not suffered to land. The whole of the expedition, with the exception of a frigate which the prince detained, set sail in consequence for Europe.t The inhabitants of Pernambuco had already, before they knew of what had transpired in the capital, expelled all the Portuguese troops from that province. In transmitting an account of these important events to the king his father, Don Pedro represented thatit was the wish of the provinces to preserve in Brazil a centre of government, but subject, both as to legislation and the general administration, to the king and the cortes. The latter, alarmed by the tidings of these proceedings, seemed at length to perceive the risk they had run of losing Brazil altogether, and they began to retrace their steps. Eight days only before the receipt of the prince’s * About 1800 men. 4 On his return to Lisbon, the commander was brought to trial for having followed his instructions too literally, and was 1mme- diately degraded. BRAZIL. 69 despatches, they had suppressed the last central esta- blishment which remained beyond the seas—the Marine Academy of Rio Janeiro. On the 6th of March, they ‘ame to a resolution, that further discussion respecting the constitution, so far as regarded Brazil, should be suspended till the deputies from that country had been heard. Four days after, it was determined that the Academy should remain at Rio Janeiro. Then a report was made by a commission, which amounted to a humble apology : it proposed to suspend the departure of the prince and the establishment of the junta, and to supersede the disorganizing of the central govern- ments till they should be replaced. Brazil was to be offered, at the same time, one, or even two delegations of the executive power, which bad been but a little be- fore positively refused, on the ground that the executive power was incommunicable, and incapable of being delegated. These insidious proposals were meant as a lure : the division of Brazil into two parts, would have been equivalent to its submission to the cortes, for it would have deprived the country of the power of any effectual resistance. But, while they were deli- berating on the banks of the Tagus, they were acting in Brazil. Minas Geraes and the captaincy of Espiritu Santo adhered openly to the Brazilian system, and Per- nambuco had already committed itself too far to leave any doubt of its concurrence. The movement was uni- versal : all the southern provinces, the population of which forms the majority of that of the whole nation, already styled themselves, in their reports, the Allied Provinces. It only remained for the prince to put him- self at the head of this confederacy. Perceiving that the time was now come to give his operations the sanc- tion of a sort of Brazilian representation, yet, not being able, consistently with the system of union he had resolved to preserve, to invest this body with legislative 70 BRAZIL. authority, he gave orders that every province should choose one or more attorneys-general, who should collectively form a council of state, of which he was to be president. Such a council ought to have been re- garded by the cortes as a pledge and guarantee of the union of the two kingdoms; but they did not see it in this light. Aftera lengthened discussion, it was decided, that there should be appointed for Brazil as many governors as the provinces should wish for. The Bra- zilian deputies, who had defended point by point the interests of their country, when the majority had passed this resolution in opposition to their remonstrances, unanimously refused to subscribe to the constitution, and quitted Lisbon; « thus,” remarks M. la Beaumelle, « preaking in the hands of the rulers of Portugal, the fetters they had forged for Brazil.” The province of Bahia sent in an energetic appeal, and declared in favour of the Brazilian government. This document was made the subject of much miserable quibbling, the legality of the signatures being questioned, and the assembly passed to the order of the day. The next day, all the inhabitants of Bahia, resident at Lisbon, sent in their adherence to the wishes of their country- men. In the mean time, the people of Rio Janeiro had, on the 13th of May, proclaimed the prince perpetual pro- tector of Brazil, the title to be hereditary. He had accepted it; it was one that served to recall that which the heroic Fernandez Vieira had assumed, when he recovered Brazil from the Dutch. At first, the Bra- zilians had confined their demands to an equality of co- operation in the legislative power of the cortes, a local delegation of the executive power, central magistracies, and a free trade. But now, they asked for a separate legislature; wishing only for an alliance between the two nations under the protection and direction of the BRAZIL. monarch, the sole bond of union between them. The cortes had sunk into utter discredit: all parties, widely as they differed on other points, were unanimous in their opposition to a re-union with Portugal. It is generally the case, that the intestine divisions of a country are laid asleep by a foreign dispute. Already, before the provincial delegates could be assembled, who were to form the council of state, the local authorities had demanded a constituent and legislative assembly; and the council of state itself, at its first sitting, de- clared its own incompetency, and called for the same convocation. The prince acceded to this by his decree of the 3d of June, deeming it indispensable to strengthen the Brazilian union by an elective assembly. * This was the more necessary, as Brazil was on the point of being no longer represented in the national congress. The deputies to the cortes had been instructed to stipulate, 1. That Brazil should have a national representation for herself; 2. That the country should always be governed by the next heir to the crown, being of age, when the king should be in Europe; and 3. That the seat of go- vernment should be alternately in each of the two kingdoms. These demands were peremptorily rejected in the sitting of the 6th of July, and a new order was passed for the return of the prince to Portugal. The Abbé de Medrons is reported to have said on this occa- sion, that if the Brazilians were no longer willing to be brothers, they should be slaves; and he offered his services as chaplain to the army that should be sent to subdue them. But all these measures, marked as they were by haughtiness, and breathing menaces on the part of the weaker party, served only to decide and hasten energetic measures of resistance on the part of the stronger one. Mutual recriminations ensued; and * The word assembly was adopted from the French, to avoid using the word cortes, which had become odious to the Brazilians. 72 BRAZIL. the cortes, aping the Roman senate which sold the field in which Hannibal was encamped, disposed of Brazil as if that kingdom had still been in their hands. On the 19th of September, it was resolved at Lisbon, that the convocation of the Brazilian assembly was null and void; that the government of Rio Janeiro was illegal; that the powers of the prince should cease from that time ; that he should be bound to return to Europe within four months, on pain of forfeiting his hereditary rights; and lastly, that the ministry, and all com- manders, naval and military, should be responsible for their obedience to the intrusive government. What was the result? A year had not elapsed from the date of this imprudent and impotent edict, when the assembly of Brazil was installed, the government of the prince regent had been changed into the imperial government, his ministers were executing his orders, and every commander had submitted to his authority; while, at Lisbon, those who had passed these iniquitous decrees against him, had been unable either to maintain their power, or to secure themselves an asylum in the land which they had governed. Up to the passing of this last decree, the Brazilians had not seriously thought of effecting a separation, how desirable soever it might have appeared to many per- sons. But now, all the provinces became united in a wish for independence: Bahia even united with the rest ; and Monte Video, which had hitherto been con- sidered as an independent state, solicited a re-union with Brazil. A few days after, a squadron sent from Portugal with all the disposable troops which the govern- ment had the means of transporting across the seas, arrived at Bahia, and took possession of the city; but General Madeira, the commander, was unable to extend his conquest beyond the walls ; the whole province and even the islands in the bay remained loyal to the union. a. BRAZIL. 73 It was the same with the provinces of Para and Maran- ham, beyond the walls of their capitals. At length, the two countries were fairly placed, by the infatuation of the cortes, in a state of open war. In the last moments of their political existence, affecting to carry things with a higher hand than ever, they shortened the term allowed the prince regent for his return, threatening him with exclusion from the throne of Portugal in case of disobedience; prohibited the ex- portation to Brazil of all arms and ammunition, sub- jecting all foreign vessels that should be taken with such stores on board to confiscation ; and put in block- ade (upon paper only, however) its twelve thousand leagues of coast. Besides the Portuguese troops at Bahia, who were blockaded by the militia of that and the neighbouring provinces, there was at Monte Video a Portuguese garrison, who, having been formed into a deliberative body, with an elective council, were waiting only for the orders of the cortes to give up the town, which had cost so long a contest, not to the regent of Brazil, but either to the Spaniards or to the government of Buenos Ayres. Still the Brazilians had hitherto recognised the authority of the king: it was the legis- lative decrees of the cortes only that they had resisted, denying the competency of their authority; and the king was represented as the prisoner of a faction. Similar language was used in the cortes with regard to the prince, for whom the highest respect was professed j but he too was considered as held in captivity by a knot of courtiers. Now, however, that the disputes between the two kingdoms had come to an open rup- ture, and it was necessary to repel force by force, it became impossible that the two crowns should remain even nominally on the same head. In a manifesto dated August 1, 1822, which was a spirited appeal to the people of Brazil, the prince regent PART I. F 74 BRAZIL. charges the cortes of Lisbon with having destroyed all the established forms, and changed all the institutions + “Pp of the monarchy; after which it is added, ortugal cannot compel us to follow her in this systein of shame and degradation, without violating the very principles on which she founds her own revolution and her right of changing her political institutions—without destroy- ing the bases on which are built her new rights, the inalienable rights of the people.” * The southern prox vinces of Brazil are complimented with having with- stood alike the republican desires and dispositions which had manifested themselves in some quarters, and the seductive examples of some neighbouring nations. “Jt is they who have preserved the y in t great American continent, and maintained inviolate the acknowledged rights of the august house of Bra- ganza.”’ In a manifesto + addressed to foreign nations, dated the 6th of August, containing a formal declaration of the independence of Brazil, the prince regent, after * This interesting state-paper commences with the following paragraph: * Brazilians, the time for deceiving mankind is past. The governments which would found their power on the pre- tended ignorance of the people, or on old errors and obsolete abuses, will see the colossus of their greatness fall from the fragile basis on which it was once erected. It has been owing to their not récognising this truth, that the cortes of Lisbon have com pelled the southern provinces of Brazil to shake off their yoke. It is because I have respected it, that I now see all Brazil united round me, asking for the defence of their rights, and the main- tenance of their liberty and independence. Under these cir- cumstances, I owe it to you to speak the truth. Hear me.” + In this manifesto it is distinctly stated, that Portugal had offered to cede to France a part of the province of Para, on con- dition that that power should furnish troops and transports for the reduction of Brazil; and that proposals had been made to England, with the same views, to give perpetuity to the com- mercial treaty of 1810, and even to extend it by additional advantages. BRAZIL. entering into a lengthened detail of the tyrannical mea- sures of the cortes, adverts to the supposed durance and bondage in which his august father was held by the dominant faction, styling him a state-prisoner and a captive, and solemnly protests that he still looks for- ward to the re-union of all the parts of the monarchy under one sole sovereign ; with which reserve he swears to defend the legitimate rights and the future constitu- tion of Brazil. There is no room to suspect the sin- cerity of these professions on the part of the prince himself, with whatsoever reserve they might be put forth at this time by his advi It was three months after the date of these mani- att festoes, that the municipal senate of Rio Janeiro, at an i 3 extraordinary sitting, held September 7th, came to the resolution of sending a circular address to all the other municipal senates of Brazil, in which the urgent neces- sity was insisted upon of investing his royal highness the prince regent and perpetual protector of Brazil, as soon as possible, with the effective exercise of all the attri- butes of the executive, which, under a free government, ought to belong to the constitutional king ;—a necessity rising out of the situation of the country relative to in- ternal as well as to foreign enemies, who were making war upon the territory of Brazil. Soon after this cir- cular had been privately issued, and favourable answers had been received from the provinces of Minas and Saint Paul, and the captaincy of Espiritu Santo, fresh des- patches from Lisbon arrived, containing the official con- firmation of the reports which had agitated the country, relative to the order for recalling the prince, and the expedition with which the cortes threatened to chastise the rebels of Brazil. This intelligence produced such a burst of public feeling in Rio, that, according to the official statement put forth by the senate, the prince would have been at once proclaimed constitutional em- 76 BRAZIL. peror of Brazil by the people, had not the senate taken the precaution to calm the public impatience by its edict of the 21st of September, in which it was an- nounced, that the proclamation should be made with due solemnity on the 12th of the ensuing month. On that day, accordingly, it took place in the provinces of Rio Janeiro, Minas, Saint Paul, and Espiritu Santo : at Villa Rica and Queluz it was made on the 30th of September. On the first of December, the coronation of the new emperor of Brazil was solemnized, when his majesty, Pedro I., took the oath to defend with his sword the country, the people, and the constitution, if it should be worthy of Brazil and of its sovereign. On assuming the imperial style, Don Pedro, however, neither demanded nor obtained the least augmentation either of his revenue or of his powers; and in his speech at the opening of the constituentassembly on the 3d of May, 1823, he professes, that the title conferred on him on the 13th of May preceding, of perpetual protector of Brazil, was still more flattering to his heart than that of emperor. The first act of the imperial government was to sum- mon a constituent and legislative assembly, which was to meet on the 26th of February, at Rio; but the open- ing of the chambers was subsequently postponed by the emperor till the 3d of May, the anniversary of the discovery of Brazil by the navigator Cabral. The act of adjournment, together with the order for the sup- pression of all secret societies, issued soon after the accession of D. Pedro, gave some dissatisfaction to the democratical party, who discovered their jealousy of the emperor in the first sittings of the assembly, by raising a clamour against the form of the oath of allegiance, by which obedience was professed to the will of the em- peror. At Rio, however, the popularity of the court continued to increase ; and such was the ardour of the BRAZIL. 77 loyalty, or the public spirit of the citizens, that they spontaneously voted the annual sum of 400,000 francs for the augmentation of the Brazilian navy. In the meantime, Bahia, the second city in the empire, was surrounded and closely pressed by 20,000 Brazilian troops, chiefly volunteers, under the command of Colonel Jose Joaquim da Silva Lima. Towards the end of June, a council of war was held, in which it was deter- mined by the officers of the Portuguese army, to abandon the city, and make their escape, if possible, by sea. Measures were accordingly taken for its evacuation with the utmost haste; the gold and silver of the churches were carried off, as well as the public chest, and, in a word, Bahia was pillaged. The troops having embarked, the squadron prepared to set sail on the nicht of the 2d of July, together with all the other vessels in the harbour, which were laden with troops and passengers. The latter, fearing rough ireximent from the Brazilians, reckoned upon repairing to dif- ferent parts of Europe and Spanish America. The bar of Bahia was blockaded by the squadron of Rio Janeiro, consisting of sixty sail, under the command of Lord Cochrane, who had hoisted his flag on board the Don Pedro. The enemy's fleet consisted of eighty sail, in- cluding twenty men-of-war. The Portuguese general, Madeira, was on board the Don Joam VL, together with all the plunder of Bahia. Taking advantage of a favourable wind and the extreme width of the road, the fueitives contrived to escape the Braziliae fleet; but Lord Cochrane no sooner learned that they had slipped out, than he set sail in pursuit, overtook part of the armament between Bahia and Pernambuco, and succeeded in capturing several vessels belonging to the convoy. He continued the pursuit for three days. General Sylva da Lima entered the city on the same day, the 2d of July, and the imperial government was BRAZIL. peaceably established there without any bloodshed or opposition. Para and St. Louis in Maranham, which still held out, surrendered to the Brazilian squadron under Lord Cochrane, on the 28th of August, for which, and other eminent services, his lordship was created by the emperor Marquis of Marenham. On the 30th of June, the emperor met with a severe fall from his horse, which broke two or three of his ribs. The democratic faction took advantage of his in- disposition, to send both to his majesty and the prime minister threatening letters, purporting that if the latter did not give in his resignation, his life, and even that of the emperor, would not be safe. This attempt of the party to succeed by intimidation totally failed; but they had gained sufficient strength in the assembly to command a majority, on the 29th of July, when the question of the absolute wefo was discussed, without which royal prerogative the monarchy would have been only aname. Notwithstanding this decision, however, the emperor had spirit and firmness enough to declare, that he would never put in execution any acts which had not obtained his express sanction. The assembly, on the other hand, seemed determined to carry their point ; and on the 9th of August, the emperor thought it ne- cessary to issue a proclamation, in which, while he de- clared his abhorrence of all despotism, whether that of one or of many, he expressed his determination not tamely to give up his rights and see the kingdom vir- tually reduced to a democracy.* Matters seemed * This well-drawn-up paper concludes with the following para- graph. * Believe, then, neither those who flatter the people, nor those who flatter the monarch. Both are actuated only by selfish motives, and under the mask, whether of liberalism or of servilism, wish only to advance their own interests on the ruins of their country. The times in which we live, are full of sad examples. Let what has befallen foreign countries serve BRAZIL. 79 drawing to a crisis. But the royalists were a majority in the empire, and Don Pedro had on his side the army, lect, the marine regiments, and an immense ma- jority of Brazilians. The month of November brought with it the triumph of the imperial authority. The ministry had been changed. Some turbulent members of the assembly having brought forward several charges against the new ministers, a warm discussion ensued, and the fermenta- tion became so great out of doors, that the public were divided into two parties. The sitting of the 11th of November was still more tumultuous. The emperor, to cive the more freedom of discussion to the assembly, had withdrawn the troops from the city; but the anarchy which ensued, attained at last so formidable a height, that the government despatched 400 cavalry and infantry, with four pieces of artillery, to surround the assembly, and dissolve the sitting by force. Six or eight deputies were arrested. Don Pedro then mounted his horse, and rode through the city, where he was re- ceived with general acclamations. All the houses were illuminated, and public tranquillity was completely re- established. A proclamation was immediately issued, in which the emperor promised to give the nation a con- stitution that should be worthy of himself and the people of Brazil. : A new legislative (but not constituent) assembly was you as a lesson. Brazilians, confide in your emperor and perpe- tual protector. He desires no power that does not belong to him, but he will not suffer that to be usurped which is his right, and which is indispensable to enable him to secure your welfare. Let us await the constitution of the empire, and hope that it may be worthy of us. May the supreme Arbiter of the uni- verse grant us union and tranquillity, strength and persever- ance, and the great work of our liberty and our independence will be accomplished ! 80 BRAZIL. summoned by a decree of the 17th of November, and in the mean time, the rough draft of the constitution, framed by a special commission, and approved by the emperor, was circulated throughout Brazil. Registers were opened in the capital and in all the provinces to receive the votes, approving or disapproving, of the citizens. On the 25th of March, 1824, the sufirages of the greater part of the provinces having been collected, the emperor himself, in the face of his people, took the oath to observe the charter which he had just granted, and which is now to be considered as the fundamental and definitive law of the new empire.* We have now brought down the history of Brazil to the era of its definitive organization as an independent empire, under its present constitutional sovereign. It is not our province to speculate on the possibilities of the future. One thing, however, seems certain, that in no event can Brazil again be brought under the dominion of Portugal. If it could be imagined that the emperor was capable of betraying the interests of his subjects, (for the conquest of Brazil by any force that Portugal could send out, is a moral impossibility,) the only result of such measures would be to produce a dismem- berment of the empire. The attempt to unite the two crowns on the same head, could not, it may safely be affirmed, eventually succeed. How far this immense empire may be capable or incapable of holding together ultimately, composed as it is of parts in some respects so heterogeneous and remote from the seat of govern- went, time will show. The southern provinces have # For the above sketch of the history of Brazil, we have been chiefly indebted, in the earlier part, to Southey’s History of Brazil, in 3 vols. 4to. The more recent facts are given chiefly on the euthority of the documents printed by MM. la Beaumelle and de Beauchamp, in their pamphlets already referred to. BRAZIL. 81 always manifested an attachment to the monarchial principle, and a disposition to coalesce with Rio Janeiro. Bahia, the more ancient capital and an archbishopric, might seem to have rival pretensions to become the seat of government; and there, perhaps, some seeds of jealousy may still lurk. But it isin the more northerly provinces, in particular Pernambuco, Para, and Maran- ham, that the republican spirit has shown itself the strongest ; and it is with regard to these, that it seems the most problematical, whether Brazil shall long re- main an undivided empire, having for its centre the present seat of government at Rio Janeiro. The high degree of interest attaching to this rising empire in the New World, both in a political and a com- mercial point of view, has induced us to occupy so large a space with its history, which is comparatively but little known, and some general acquaintance with which is requisite in order to understand its present situation and relations. We now proceed to take a general survey of the country itself. NATURAL HISTORY, CLIMATE, &c. Tue general aspect of Brazil, as first viewed from the sea, is rugged and mountainous, but, on a nearer approach, its appearance is highly picturesque and romantic, presenting mountains crowned with gigantic forests, and valleys clothed with perpetual verdure. The land gradually rises as it recedes from the coast, till, at no very great distance from the shore, it reaches the height of from 5 to 6000 feet above the level of the sea. This elevated ridge, which has been termed the Brazilian Andes, stretching from about the tenth to the thirty-second degree of latitude, runs nearly parallel to the coast with its steepest side towards the sea: it F 2 32 BRAZIL. gradually slopes towards the interior of the country, whence it afterwards rises again by a gentle ascent towards the west, till it attains a height varying from 3 to 6000 feet, and then loses itself in those sandy deserts called Campos Parexis, which occupy a large portion of the central regions of South America. These deserts appear to stretch round the sources of the Tapa- jos, and part of the head waters of the Madera. Near the confines of this barren tract, the land rises first into hills, and then into chains of mountains, which are con- sidered as the highest in Brazil. Here, many of the tributary streams of the Maranham, the Paraguay, and other great rivers that ultimately lose themselves in the Atlantic, have their rise. These mountains not only abound in mines of copper and of iron, but conceal, besides, rich mines of gold, diamonds, and other pre- cious stones. From this elevated group, different chains are prolonged towards the south, in a direction parallel with the coast, under the name of Serro des Emeraldas and Serro do Frio. Another branch, proceeding from the same plateau, follows a similar direction towards the south: while a third chain, under the name of Matto Grosso, bends to the north-west towards the central plain, and forms the dividing ridge between the waters which flow southward into the Paraguay and the Parana on one side, and those which flow northward into the Toccantines and the Chingu on the other. Between the Parana and the Paraguay, an extensive chain of mountains intervenes, running from north to south, which diverges, atits termination, into otherranges running from east to west. Various other groups skirt, for a great distance, the banks of the river Toccantines; while another range, one of the most considerable in Brazil, extends towards the northern coasts, and forms a natural division between the provinces of Maranham and Pernambuco. BRAZIL. 83 I'he vast extent of coast, from the estuary of the mighty Amazons to that of the Plata, is singularly de- ficient in capes and bays. For more than fifteen degrees of longitude, from point La Tijioca to Cape St. Roque, the shore stretches nearly from east to west without anv considerable promontory, and scarcely an inlet of importance, excep! that in which the town of Maran- ham stands. From Cape St. Roque to Cape St. Augus- tine, an extent of about four degrees of latitude, the line of coast is nearly due north and south. Itthenbendsto the south-west, and forms a large sweep before it reaches Cape Frio, in lat. 23° 5, in which the small promontory on which Bahia stands, and the bay to the west of that city, are almost the only points that de- serve mention. South of Cape Frio, the coast runs nearly west, till it reaches the bay of Rio Janeiro, which forms one of the most complete harbours in the world. Though narrow at its entrance, it extends several miles into the country, and is finely sprinkled with islands. Another bay of nearly the same size washes a part of the western confines of the same province ; beyond which, the coast extends more towards the south, without presenting any other inlet of con- sequence. Mr. Luccock was led, on an examination of the coast of Rio Grande, to think that the original line of coast was to the west of the Lake Mirim and the Lacoa dos Patos, to the village of Sta. Maria, near Laguna, and that all to the east of this line is made ground, formed by sand driven up by the ocean. The majestic river, which was formerly considered as the northern boundary of Brazil, known by the names of the Amazon (or Amazons,) the Maranham (Maranon or Maragnon,) and the Orellana, is supposed to be the largest river in the world. It is formed by two large rivers, the Tunguragua, which issues from the lake Lauricocha, in Peru, in lat 10° 29’ S., and the Ucayale, 84 BRAZIL. formed by streams which have been traced to the 16th and 18th degrees of S. latitude. These two rivers, uniting on the confines of Peru, form the mighty Amazons, which running eastward more than 1000 miles, then takes a nore northerly direction, and having received the waters of nearly two hundred tributary streams, falls into the Atlantic by eighty-four channels. Reckoning all its windings, it is computed to be between 4 and 5000 miles in length; at its mouth, it is said to be 180 miles broad, and its depth is unknown. It has been navigated to its confluence with the Pachitea, between the 8th and 9th degrees of S. latitude, where its current is gentle ; and, by the Rio Negro, one of its branches, it communicates with the Cassiquiari, which falls into the Oronoco. Its shores are covered with impenetrable woods, the haunt of tigers, leopards, boars, and innumerable apes, while an immense variety of birds of the most beautiful plumage enliven these rast solitudes. The manetu and tortoise abound upon the banks of this river and its tributaries, and they swarm with alligators and water-serpents. The principal of the streams which fall into the river Amazons, is the Rio Madera, or river of Forests, formed by the union of several streams issuing from the eastern slope of the Andes on the borders of Peru, which flow- ing towards the E. and N.E., unite before they reach the 10th degree of S. latitude. Their confluent waters, after several magnificent falls, reach the level country; whence the Madera rolls on a vast body of water for a course of 2000 miles, forming, for a great part of the distance, the north-western boundary of the Brazilian dominions, and joins the Amazons in lat. 3° 24’ 18” S. Nearly parallel to this, and flowing in the same direc- tion, but further eastward, are the Tapajos, the Chingu, and the Toccantines, all rising from the same central regions ; the former two in the province of Matto Grosso, BRAZIL. 85 the latter in the captaincy of Goyaz, in about lat. 19° S. The Tapajos takes a northerly course for more 600 miles between the Chingu and the Madera, (its whole course being computed to be 900 miles in length,) and falls into the Maranham in lat. 2° 24” 50” S.; long. 55° W. The Chingu has a, course of 1200 miles, the navigation of which is frequently interrupted by cataracts. The Toccantines, the largest of the three, and almost equal to the mighty Amazons itself, is joined by the Araguaya in lat. 6°; and the united stream, after a course of 300 miles, falls into the southern estuary of the Amazons in lat. 1° 40’ S., about 20 leagues W. of the city of Para. Its whole length is upwards of 900 miles. The great range of mountains which skirts the shore, prevents any rivers from attaining the ocean imme- diately, except suchas spring from the eastern side of that ridge ; but several noble rivers of the interior, by a circuitous sweep, mingle their waters with the Atlantic. The Paraiba discharges itself from the northern coast in lat. 6° 57’ S.; long. 42° W. The Rio Francisco, which has its rise about the 20th degree of S. latitude, after running northward for a considerable distance along the great longitudinal valley at the foot of the Brazilian Andes, turns at length to the east, and, separating Per- nambuco from Seregippe, enters the seain about the 11th parallel of S. latitude, completing a course of upwards of 1000 miles. This is the largest river of Brazil that is unconnected either with the Amazons or the Plata. One of the three Rio Grandes rises in the province of Minas Geraes, and, after a long course to the N.E., falls into the Atlantic a few niles N. of Porto Seguro, in lat. 15° 26’ S. Another Rio Granda waters the pro- vince of Bahia, and joins the Rio Francisco. A third, which gives name to the province of Rio Grande do Sul, reaches the Atlantic about the 32d parallel of S. lati- tude. Besides these, the Rio Doce, which separates ES. i ETI IR i rg IRI > 36 BRAZIL. Espiritu Santo from Seguro, the Rio dos Ilheos, and some others of less note, find their way from the western ridge to the sea. The immense estuary of La Plata is the great drain for all the central waters south of the tributary streams of the Amazons. The nd which divides the waters of the Amazons from a e of the Plata, rises to its greatest height between the 13th and 14th parallels of latitude. Here the Paraguay (or the Plata) has its rise, its sources appre Hn it is said, within a few miles of those of the Tapajos, the Chingu, and the Toccantines, which run to the north. This immense river runs a southerly course of about 1800 miles, assuming, after its confluence with the Parana in lat. 27° 25" S., the +1 name of the Plata (Silver River:) at Buenos Ayres, nearly 200 miles from its moth, it is about 30 miles broad ; and, from Cape St. Anthony on the one side, to Cape St. Maria on the other, its estuary is 150 miles wide. Rocks, sand-banks, shoals, shallows, and occa- sional torrents, render its navigation very difficult and dangerous; and the only port on its shores that 1s adapted for the safety of ships of considerable bur then, is that of Monte Video. The Parana is formed by the accumulated waters of several exte nsive valleys. From the east, it receives all the waters of the western de- clivity of the mountainous ridge which runs parallel with the coast. Its head waters approach within less than 100 miles of the eastern shore, from which their course is westerly into the interior, until they turn towards the south. It flows into the Plata, on its »astern bank, about 700 miles from its mouth. To the southward of the Parana is the Uruguay, which rises, Mr. Luccock says, within 50 miles of is Atlantic shore ; vet, its sources are nearly 6000 feet above the level of the sea. It is composed of two streams which descend from the mountains towards the interior, in lat. BRAZIL. 28° and 26° S. After collecting various other waters, it traverses a vast extent of country, and then, winding to the south, falls into the Plata near Buenos Ayres, completing a course of above 1000 niles. Its navigation difficult. These three rivers have, in the course of extensive alluvial plains which exist on the face of the globe. In the rainy seasons, the flat country throu oh which they flow, is inundated to an amazing extent. Not far from 10 Corrientes, where the Parana and the Paraguay meet at richt ancles, is the lake era, - Yhyra {the low country,) which, in the dry season, covers an extent of about 150 square leagues, but, about a month after the rains have commenced in the upper country, that is, in December, extends over not less than 2000 square { t is formed by the waters of the Parana, but is said to communicate, the rainy period, both with the Paraguay and the Uruguay. The lake of Xarys, in Pa- raguay, which lies more to the northward, is still larger: it is an expansion of the Paraguay, being manifestly formed by the channel’s being too narrow Lo carry off the waters as they come down from the upper country. The great lake of Patos, which stretches about 150 miles nearly parallel to the coast, in the province of Rio Grande do Sul, will be noticed in another place. A country of such immense extent, and of so diver- sified a surface, must of necessity be marked by great variety both of soil and climate. In the northern parts, which are situated in the centre of the torrid zone, the air of the lower tracts near the banks of the river Maranham, is sultry and oppressive; but even here, vegetation is kept in perfect vigour by the peculiar humidity of the atmosphere. In these regions there is little distinction of seasons: the ground is constantly covered with flowers, the foliage is evergreen, and the abundant dews, the shade of the forests, and the deli- 88 BRAZIL. cious coolness of the nights, are represented as giving the country the appearance of perpetual spring. Near the coast, where the trade-wind constantly blows, the beneficial effects which attend it, after having swept over the breadth of the Atlantic, are hourly experienced in the refreshing coolness it imparts to the atmosphere of these otherwise sultry regions. The northern pro- vinces, however, frequently suffer from the want of rain during the dry season. In ascending towards the sources of the great rivers, the temperature is modified by the elevation of the ground, as well as in receding from the equator. On the Campos Parexis and other similar situations, the aridity of the soil and the re- flexion of the solar rays render the heat intolerable ; but, within many of the elevated districts of the interior, fertile valleys are found enjoying a temperate and salubrious climate, where the vegetables and fruits of Europe are matured in the vicinity of those indigenous to a tropical soil. Of this nature is the climate towards Minas Geraes and St. Paul. Towards the southern extremity of Brazil, as well as in the higher moun- tainous districts, the air is still colder, and the soil produces European grain in great perfection. Brazil is generally considered healthy. The west wind, indeed, passing over vast marshy forests, is frequently found unhealthy in the interior; but these blasts are much corrected by the influence of the aromatic plants which abound in the woods and fill the air with their fragrance. The northern provinces are subject to heavy rains, -ariable winds, tornadoes, storms, and the utmost fury of the elements; but the southern regions are blessed with a settled and temperate climate, and are esteemed peculiarly salubrious. As far as the soil has yet been explored, it appears to be highly fertile. The whole extent of the cultivated lands, however, has recently been stated at scarcely BRAZIL. 89 20,000 square miles, which is not a jundred and fiftieth part of the whole surface. The interior consists, in many parts, of one continuous forest: at a little dis- tance from the coast, the country, in some parts, is covered with numerous varieties of the palm-tree, among which is a remarkable species with long, serrated, lancet-formed leaves, composed of innumerable fibres, which rival silk both in fineness and in strength. The sandy soils of the coast are turned to account by plantations of the cocoa-tree, which grows here thicker and taller than in the East Indies. The Brazilians say, that this. tree affords them both food and shelter. Of the trunk and the leaves their huts are built; of its fibrons roots baskets are made, and cordagge of the outward husk ; its fruit supplies meat and drink ; and an excellent oil is obtained by skimming the juice which may be pressed from the pulp. The cocoa is in general use in cookery among all ranks; and it forms one of the chief articles of internal trade: elegant cups are made of the shell. The carrapato, or castor-tree, is also an indigenous production ; it is much cultivated for the sake of the oil extracted from the seed, which 1s in general use for lamps and other purposes: it is frequently to be seen growing spontaneously. The ibiripitanga, or Brazil-wood tree, called in Pernam- buco, the pao da rainka (queen's wood,) on account of its being a government monopoly, is now rarely to be seen within many leagues of the coast, owing to the improvident manner in which it has been cut down by the government agents, without any regard being paid to the size of the tree or to its cultivation. It is nota lofty tree: at a short distance from the ground, in- numerable branches spring forth and extend in every direction in a straggling, irregular, and unpleasing manner. The leaves are small and not luxuriant; the wood is very hard and heavy, takes a high polish, and 90 BRAZIL. sinks in water: the only valuable portion of it is the heart, as the outward coat of wood has not any pecu- liarity.* Besides these, we may enumerate among the vegetable productions of Brazil, the cedar, the wild cinnamon-tree, and the jackaranda or rose-wood, valu- able for cabinet work ; the tatajuba or fustic, yielding a yellow dye; the Brazilian myrtle, a beautiful shrub, distinguished by its shining silver bark ; the sippipira, re- sembling the teak of India; the peroba, oraubu, and louro, resembling species of oak and larch ; log-wood ; mohogany, and a variety of forest-trees, invaluable for the purposes of ship-building. The productions of the soil are cotton, sugar, tobacco, rice, coffee, maize, beans, cassava-root, + bananas, wheat, mandioc, ipeca- cuanha, ginger, pepper, vams, oranges, figs, nitre, diamonds and other precious stones, gold, silver, and most of the metals. * The name of this wood is derived from brasas (or brazas) a glowing fire or coal. Its botanical name is Caesalpinia Brasiletto : it belongs to the genus Lomentaceae, in Linnaeus's nat. order; and is a leguminous plant, of the class Decandria Monogynia. The leaves are pinnated: the flowers are white, papilionaceous, growing in a pyramidal spike. One species has flowers varie- gated with red. The branches are slender and full of small prickles. There are nine species. The colour produced from this wood, is greatly improved by a solution of tin in aqua regia, which, when mixed with the aqueous tincture, affords a beautiful precipitate of a purplish crimson, substituted sometimes for lake. It is used for dyeing silk what is called false crimson, to dis- tinguish it from that produced by cochineal. It is indigenous to both the Ilast and the West Indies, and is the same as Sapan wood. t+ Maize, beans, and cassava root, are the principal food of the inhabitants, and are therefore very generally cultivated. Sugar, previously to the discovery of the mines, formed the principal riches of the country. Rice forms the second object of trade in Maranham I There seems no reason to doubt that wine might be produced abundantly in Brazil. At Bahia, the most delicious grapes are BRAZIL, 91 The woods of Brazil are full of rapacious animals, among which are the tiger-cat; the hyena; the saratu, 1 i the size of a fox, but much more fero- “jaguar, the terror of the Brazilian peasantry; the sloth; and the porcupine. The farmers are much annoyed by ounces, which are exceedingly ravenous; they are of various colours, some black, others brown red: they are hunted with dogs. Wild hogs are com- ll as an animal called the anta or tapira, which in form resembles a hog, but is the size of a heifer; it is the largest of the quadrupeds, is timid and harmless, feeds like a horse, but, being amphibious, swims and dives in an extraordinary manner, and is capable of remaining for a long time at the bottom of lakes and pools without respiring. When killed by the hunters, its flesh is generally eaten, and differs little from that of the ox. The domestic animals are gene- rally of the European species, and were introduced by the first settlers. Horses are common, and vast herds of cattie range over some parts of the country, particu- larly the wide ilanos of the southern regions. Among the innumerable species of birds, the humming-bird, the least of the feathered race, is common in Brazil. The largest species found here is the emu, or American ostrich; and the most ferocious is the vulture. The said to have been reared in the gardens of individuals; but the want of industry has prevented their cultivation from becoming general. The Portuguese government, adhering to their illiberal system of monopoly, discouraged and even prohibited the cul- tivation of the vine, lest it should interfere with the commercial interests of the mother country; but Mr. Luccock states that, on the emigration of the court, the vine was introduced into Rio de Janeiro by the king—with what success we are not informed. An experiment has also been made to cultivate the tea-plant, which has been supposed to be indigenous to Brazil. For further par- ticulars respecting the productions of the country, the reader is referred to the description of the provinces. 92 BRAZIL. most formidable reptiles are the boa constrictor, the corral snake, the sorrocuco, and the jarraraca, all of them venomous and much dreaded by the natives. In the marshy countries of the south, the boa attains the length of thirty feet, and in thickness equals the body of a man, or the trunk of a large tree. One was killed on the borders of a lake by some travellers in 1819, which had just gorged a young bull. No situation can be better adapted for the whale fishery than the coast of Brazil, many parts of which abound in these animals. Some are killed by large boats from the shore; but there is no proper provision made, either for taking the whales or for extracting the oil. This might otherwise be rendered an important branch of commerce. . POPULATION, &c. Tue free population of Brazil consists of, 1. Euro- peans; 2. White persons born in Brazil, who claim to be distinguished as Brazilians; 3. Mulattoes, that is, the mixed caste between whites and blacks; 4. Mama- lucoes, the mixed caste between whites and Indians; 5. Indians in a domesticated state, who are generally called Cabocloes; 6. Indians in a savage state, who are called Tapuvas;* 7. Free Negroes born in Brazil; 8. Manumitted Africans; 9. Mestizoes, the mixed caste * This applies to the more northern provinces, to which Mr. Koster, whom we follow, chiefly refers. The Tapuyas or Tape- riyas were the most noted of the Brazilian tribes in the northern districts, and had extended themselves for a considerable way along the coast. The Topinambas had their chief settlements in Bahia. The Molopagues and Motayes had established them- selves on the river Paraiba. The Botocudoes, or Aymores, were found in Minas Geraes and Porto Seguro; the Tamoyos, in Rio Janeiro; the Coroardoes, in Minas Geraes; the Guaycurues, in Matto Grosso; and the Puries, in Espiritu Santo. BRAZIL. q93 vetween Indians and Negroes. The slave population consists of Africans, creole negroes, mulattoes, and mestizoes. In Brazil, unlike the Spanish and the English colonies, there is hardly any political division of castes, and very few of those galling and degrading distinctions, which have been made by all other nations in the management of their colonies. This was not intended by the mother country, but has arisen from the circumstances connected with the colonization of this vast territory, which rendered intermarriage with the natives inevitable. It is true, that, according to the old code, people of colour are not eligible to some of the chief offices of government, nor can they become members of the priesthood; but, from the mildness of the laws, the mixed castes have gained ground con- siderably, and the regulations against them are evaded, or rather have become obsolete.* “ Perhaps,” remarks Mr. Koster, ‘ the heroic conduct of Cameram and Hen- rique Diaz, the Indian and negro chieftains, in the famous and most interesting contest between the Per- nambucans and the Dutch, and the honours subse- quently granted by the crown of Portugal to both of them, may have led to the exaltation of the general character of the much injured varieties of the human species of which they are members.” Marriages be- tween white men and women of colour are by no means rare, and the circumstance is scarcely observed upon, unless the woman is decidedly of dark colour, for even a considerable tinge will pass for white. What is * ¢ A mulatto enters into holy orders,” says Mr. Koster, * or is appointed a magistrate, his papers stating him to be a white man, but his appearance plainly denoting the contrary. Inconversing on one occasion with a man of colour, who was in my service, I asked him if a certain capitam-mor was not a mulatto? He an- swered, ‘‘ He was, but is not now.” 1 begged him to explain, when he added, “ Can a capitam mor be a mulatto?” BRAZIL. remarkable, notwithstanding the relationship of the mulattoes on one side to the black race, they consider themselves superior to the mamalucoes, taking pride in being wholly unconnected with the Indians: even the mestizoe tries to pass for a mulatto. The mamalucoes, on the other hand, whether from a consciousness of being of free birth on both sides, or from residing for the most part in the interior, where government is more loose, appear to have more independence, and to pay less deference to a white, than the mulatto. They are handsomer than the mulattoes, and the women of this caste surpass in beauty all others of the country. The creole negroes form, in the northern provinces, a numerous and distinct race ; they have handsome per- sons, are brave and hardy, obedient to the whites, and willing to please; but are easily affronted, and the slightest allusion to their colour enrages them to a high degree. They will sometimes reply: “ A negro I am, but always upright.” They have their exclusive regi- ments, as well as the mulattoes, of which every officer and soldier must be perfectly black. There are two of these regiments for the province of Pernambuco, dis- tinguished by the names of Old Henriques and New Henriques, in honour of Henrique Diaz, the famous negro chieftain. Neither privates nor officers receive any pay: their neat soldier-like appearance indicates, therefore, a certain degree of wealth among them. The uniform is white cloth, turned up with scarlet. On gala days, the superior black officers, in their white uniforms, pay their respects to the government exactly in the same manner as officers of any other caste. Negroes are excluded, however, from the priesthood, * and from the civil offices which the mulatto may obtain * Mr. Luccock states that, on the re-establishment of religious brotherhoods at Rio, subsequently to the emigration of the court, BRAZIL. 95 through evasion of the law. They are also disqualified for serving in any regiments except their own; but this regulation protects them from the persecutions which the other castes suffer in recruiting seasons.* Tur laws respecting slaves are peculiarly humane, and their treatment in general is far from severe. The Indian slavery has been for many years abolished ; the individuals now in bondage in Brazil, are Africans and ii their descendants on both sides, or mulattoes whose mothers are of Arican origin; for no line is drawn at which a near approach to the colour and blood of the whites entitles the child whose mother is a slave, to freedom. Mr. Koster saw several persons to all appear- 1 ance of white origin, still held in slavery. Slaves in this country, however, have many advantages over those in the British colonies. The Brazilian slave is taught the religion of his master, and his master believes in that religion. Hopes are held out of manumission by means of his own exertions, and those hopes are not defeated by laws which amount to a virtual interdict. The numerous holidays of the Catholic calender afford him thirty-five days in the year besides Sundays, to work for himself; and few masters, Mr. Koster says, venture to deprive their slaves of these intervals. The slave can oblige his master, according to the laws, to manumit him on tendering the sum for which he was ‘‘ even negroes were allowed to put on the habit of an order, to carry a silver wand, and to appear in procession with princes and priests.” * The term Senhor or Senhora, is made use of to all free persons, whites, mulattoes, and blacks: and in speaking to a freeman of whatever class or colour, the manner of address is the same. 96 BRAZIL. purchased, or for which he might be sold ; and though this regulation, like every other that is framed in favour of slaves, is liable to be evaded, public opinion is in general found sufficient to protect him from injustice. A considerable number of slaves are manumitted at the death of their masters, and persons of large pro- perty frequently set a few of them at liberty during their lifetime. A great number of infant slaves are set free at their baptism, either by the sponsors or in cases where the father is free: the master is obliged to ma- numit the infant at the baptismal font, on the price of a new-born child being presented to him.* The Afri- cans who are imported from Angola, are baptized in lots before they leave their own shores, and, on their arrival in Brazil, are taught the doctrines of the church. Those imported from other parts, arrive unbaptized, and must be first taught certain prayers, for the acquire- ment of which one year is allowed to the master before he is obliged to present the slave at the parish church. The law is not always strictly adhered to as to time, but it is seldom, if ever, evaded altogether. The slaves have their religious brotherhoods as well as the free persons. They have also a Christian goddess of their own in the person of Our Lady of the Rosary, who sometimes condescends to be painted with a black face and hands. They are regularly married according to the forms of the Catholic church, the bans being pub- lished in the same manner as those of free persons. If a slave marries a free woman, the children are free. The master’s consent is required, but the Brazilians encourage marriages among their slaves. “ I have seen many happy couples,” says Mr. Koster, * as happy at least as slaves can be, with large families of children rising round them.” Cases of cruelty and hardship are * This was, in Pernambuco, 20,000 mil-reis (52.) BRAZIL. 97 not unfrequent; but, on the whole, the slaves in Brazil are incomparably better circumstanced than those in the British islands. Regulations which Protestant En- glishmen have declared to be impracticable, or ridiculed as absurd, have been adopted with the happiest moral results by the Brazilians, under the guidance of no better motives, perhaps, than religious bigotry and superstition. “ Still they are slaves,” says Mr. Koster, “and in this word are included, great misery, great degradation, great misfortune.” The negroes whose condition is the hardest, are those employed in the mines, particularly the diamond mines. It was enacted by one of the Portuguese monarchs, that, after remain- ing in bondage ten years, they should be entitled to their liberty ; but, though this law remains unrepealed, its execution is evaded. The Indians will be more particularly noticed here- after. There remains to be mentioned another distinct race, the ciganoes,* the gipsies of Brazil, of whom Mr. Koster gives the following account. I frequently heard of these people, but never had an opportunity of seeing any of them. Parties of ciganoes were in the habit of appearing formerly once every year at the village of Pasmado and other places in that part of the country; but the late governor of the province was inimical to them, and attempts having been made to apprehend some of them, their visits were discontinued. They are represented as being a people of a brownish cast, with features which resemble those of white per- sons, and as being tall and handsome. They wander from place to place in parties of men, women, and children, exchanging, buying, and selling horses and gold and silver trinkets. The women travel on horse- * " This word, ciganos, is without doubt derived from Eqgyp- tianos: the word gitanos is also used as a name for these people. PART 1. G 98 BRAZIL. back, sitting between the panniers of the loaded horses, and the young ones are placed within the panniers among the baggage. The men are excellent horsemen, and although the packhorses may be overburthened, these fellows will only accommodate matters by riding Oo 1 slowly upon their own horses, and never think of divid- ing the loads more equally; but they preserve them- selves and the animals upon which they ride, quite unencumbered. They are said to be unmindful of all religious observances, and never to hear mass or con- fess their sins. It is likewise said, that they never marry out of their own nation.” Future travellers in Brazil will do well to verify this information, and to ascertain how far the ciganoes are to be identified with the ubiquitous race to which they bear apparently so strong a resemblance. The costume of the Brazilians is, for the most part, that of Portugal. The gorgeous magnificence in which the wealthy indulge, is said to be accompanied with a total neglect of internal neatness and cleanliness. When visiting, or on a holiday, they are fond of an excess of embroidery and spangles on their waistcoat, and lace to their linen : shoe and knee-buckles of solid gold are common, and they are addicted to every species of finery. At home, a gown or thin jacket is substituted. The usual dress of the ladies is a single petticoat over a worked chemise: stockings are rarely used. When attending mass, a deep black silk mantle, worn over the head, conceals the transparent costume beneath. In some places, the European dress is adopted by ladies of rank. Further details will occur in noticing the peculiar customs of the several provinces. PROVINCIAL DIVISIONS. GEOGRAPHERS have widely differed in their ac- counts of the provincial divisions of Brazil ; but, includ- BRAZIL. 99 ing the recent accessions to the empire, there appear to be no fewer than twenty-two distinct provinces. These, beginning from the north, are as follows :— S : ’a} ¥ 8. Seregippe d’el Rey, 9. Bahia. 10. Porto Seguro. 4. Seara. 11. Espiritu Santo. 5. Rio Grande, North. 12. Rio de Janeiro. ». Paraiba. 13. St. Paulo. ? 7. Pernambuco. * 14. Sta. Catharina. || 15. Rio Grande, South. Interior Provinces. 16. Solimoens. 19. Goyaz. 17. Piauhy. 20. Minas Geraes. 18. Matto Grosso. 21. Parana, 22. Uruguay. In proceeding to take a survey of these several divi- sions, we begin with that which contains the present seat of government. PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. THE province of Rio de Janeiro, which derives its name from the magnificent port of its capital, § is * The old captaincy of Itamarica is included in this province. + This province includes the old captainey of Dos Ilheos. I Including half of the old captaincy of St. Vincente, and part of St. Amaro. The remainder of St. Vincente is comprised in the province of Rio de Janeiro. || Comprising the greater part of the old and short-lived cap- tainey of St. Amaro. § The Aborigines are said to have called the bay, on account of its narrow. entrance, Nelhero-hy or Nithero-hy; that is, hidden water. The bay is so concealed by mountains, that it is only seen on arriving in front of the inlet. 100 BRAZIL. bounded on tae north by Espiritu Santo, from which it is divided by the river Capabuan ; and by Minas Geraes, from which it is divided by the rivers Preto and Paraiba, and, in part, by the Serra da Manliqueira. On the west, it borders on St. Paulo; and on the south and the east it has the Atlantic Ocean. It includes half of the ancient capitania of St. Vincente, together with a por- tion of territory formerly belonging to Espiritu Santo. It is estimated to be sixty leagues in length from east to west, near its northern extremity, and fifty near its southern ; and to have twenty-three leagues of medium width. The organ mountains (Serra dos Orgoas,) so called on account of the resemblance which the pyramidal heads bear, in various parts, to the front of an organ, divide the province into two parts; northern or Serra-accina (mountains above,) and southern, or Beira-mar (sea coast.) These again are subdivided; the former into the districts of Paraiba Nova and Canto Gallo, the latter into Rio Janeiro, Ilha Grande, Cape Frio, and Goyta- cazes. The greater part of the province is mountainous. The only considerable river is the Paraiba,* which pro- ceeds from a small lake in the southern part of the Serra da Bocania, a continuation of the Serra dos Or- goas: it flows into the captaincy of St. Paulo; and, after a long and winding course, re-enters the province in which it rose, and disembogues in its eastern part. The body of its waters is not proportionate, however, to the length of its course. Lakes, however, are numerous: the most remarkable are, the Jacaré-pagua, and the Roderigo de Freytas, The Augra dos Reys (King’s Bay) is larger and scarcely less beautiful than that of Rio de Janeiro. Many islands * The Rio de Janeiro is not a river, but only the name of the salt bay or gulph, which was mistaken by De Sousa for the mouth of a river. 2 a < ~ ad BRAZIt.. 10% are scattered over it. The principal of these, Ilha Grande (Great Isle,) 1s about four miles long, and two in width, and has many good harbours, the best of which has obtained the remarkable name of O Seio de Habraham (Abrabham’s bosom.) The island contains about three thousand inhabitants. The province of Rio contains two cities and twelve towns; but, with the exception of the metropolis, they are all small and insignificant. I'he city of St. Sebastian, now universally called Rio, the capital of the empire, 1s situated on the western shore of the great bay from which it takes its name, and which extends from the city northwards into the conti- nent, about three times as far as the distance to the anchorage. It occupies the north-east part of a tongue of land of an irregularly quadrangular shape. The most easterly point is the Punta do Calabougo: the most northerly is the Armazem do Sal, opposite to which is the little Ilha das Cobras. The oldest and most im- portant part of the city is built between these two points, along the shore, in the form of an oblong quadrangle, lying N.W. and S.E. The ground is, for the most part, level and low ; but, at the northern end, are five hills, which come so near the sea as to leave room for only one street by the sea-side; while towards the south and south-east, the city is com- manded by several promontories of the Corcovado. The more ancient part of the city is traversed by eight narrow, parallel streets, crossed by many others at right angles. The Campo de S. Anna, a large square to the west of the old city, separates it from the new town. The latter, which has risen for the most part since the royal emigration in 1808, is connected with the south- western quarter, or bairro de BMato-porcos, by the bridge of S. Diogo, thrown over a salt water inlet called Sacco d’ Aiferes; and, on the north-west, the extensive G2 O86 102 BRAZIL. suburb of Catumbi leads to the royal palace of S. Cristovdo. Mato-porcos lies immediately under the lower eminences of the Corcovado. On its summit the church of Nossa Senhora da Gloria forms a conspi- cuous object, commanding the southern part of the city. Further southward, detached rows of houses occupy the two semicircular bays of Catéte and Bota Fogo, and single houses are scattered in the picturesque alleys which intersect the Corcovado: the most plea- sant of these is the valley of Laranjeiras. The hills along the north-eastern bank are partly covered with large buildings. The ancient college of the Jesuits, the convent of the Benedictines, the episcopal palace, and the Forte da Conceigao, have, from the sea, a grand appearance. The residence formerly occupied by the viceroys, which, after the arrival of the court of Lisbon, was enlarged by the addition of the Carmelite convent, and fitted up for the royal family, stands in the plain. Altogether, the approach to Rio is represented by all travellers to be extremely picturesque. The first land that is seen on approaching the coast from Europe, is Cape Frio, distant between sixty and seventy miles from Rio. From this point tothe city, a succession of interesting objects present themselves, among which is seen the lofty peak of the Corcovado, to which the people of Rio repair for the extensive prospect it commands. The entrance of the bay is protected chiefly by the fort of Santa Cruz, where all vessels bring to, in order that the telegraph may an- nounce to what country they belong. It is built on the Pico, a steep point of granite rock on the east side, and opposite to it are the batteries of S. Jodo and S. Theo- dosio: the strait formed by these two points, which is only 5000 feet wide, is also commanded by a fort on the low, rocky island, Ilka da Lagem, situated almost in the middle of the entrance. In the interior of the bay, BRAZIL. 103 the most important works are the Fort de Villegagnon (so named from the French adventurer,) and that of Ilha das Cobras, both on small islands not far from the city. On the latter island state criminals are confined. In the city itself, besides the Forte da Conceigao, already mentioned, towards the north-west part of it, there are the batteries of Monte on the south-east; and the inlet of Bota Fogo is covered by the lines of Praya- vermelha. The harbour is one of the most capacious, commodious, and beautiful in the world. The imme- diate back-ground of the city is formed by beautiful green hills, covered with woods, and interspersed with villas and convents; while the foreground is enlivened by the vessels of all nations. The bay contains nearly a hundred islands. From either shore rise lofty and well-clad mountains, terminating, in some places, in abrupt precipices of the wildest and most romantic forms. At their base, white cottages and houses are scattered amid patches of cultivation, and narrow valleys of orange-trees wind among the mountains. Every little eminence has its church or its fort; and innumerable boats flitting about the bay, and mingling with the shipping, add animation and interest to the scene. The air is soft, the sky generally cloudless, and every breeze bears over the calm waters the fragrance of the orange and the lemon. Such is the glowing language in which modern travellers describe the first appearance of the Brazilian capital. “If any person,” says Dr. Von Spix, who visited Rio in 1817,* * considering that this is a new continent, discovered only three centuries ago, should fancy that nature must be here still entirely rude, mighty, and un- conquered, he would believe, at least here in the capital, * Travels in Brazil, in the years 1817—1820, undertaken by com- mand of H. M. the King of Bavaria. By Dr. J. B. Von Spix and Dr. C. V. P. Von Martius. 2 vols. 8vo. London 1824, 104 BRAZIL. that he was in some other part of the globe: so much has the influence of the civilization of ancient and en- lightened Europe effaced the character of an American wilderness in this point of the colony. The language, manners, architecture, and the influx of the productions of all parts of the globe, give a European exterior to Rio de Janeiro. But the traveller is soon reminded that he is in a strange quarter of the world, by the varied crowd of negroes and mulattoes who everywhere meet him, as soon as he sets his foot on shore. "To us, this sight was less agreeable than it was striking. The degraded, brutish nature of these half-naked, unfortu- nate men, offends the feelings of the European who has but just quitted the seat of polite manners and agree- able forms.” | Far more has been done for this beautiful portion of the rew world by nature, than by man. The style of architecture in Rio is, in general, mean, resembling that of the old part of Lisbon; and though this town has always ranked as the most important in Brazil, or as second only to Bahia at the time that the latter was the seat of government, yet, it is only since the emigra- tion of the court, that it has assumed the character of a European city. Some idea of what Rio was, may be gathered from the improvements which are mentioned by Mr. Luccock as having taken place, at the period of his second visit to the capital in 1813, in the course of the preceding five years. The city had been greatly en- larged; the old streets greatly improved in cleanliness and the houses in neatness; the roads cleared and widened ; and villas and gardens had begun to adorn the vicinity. “ An increase of domestic comfort,” he adds, “ had arisen from the establishment of a market for cattle without the city, and of several markets for vegetables and fruits within it; from a more abundant and regular supply of fish, and the more free use of BRAZIL. 105 mutton ; from greater care with respect to the quality of meat, and the cleanliness of the places where it was slaughtered and exposed to sale. Craftsmen of different descriptions had made their appearance; among them, so many smiths, that it was no longer difficult to get a horse shod. Mills for grinding corn had been much improved, and bread was come more into use. Char- coal was manufactured, and, for cooking, introduced into the houses. Nuisances were more readily re- moved, and even scavengers were now and then seen in the streets.” * * Notes on Rio de Janeiro, &c., by John Luccock, 4to. London, 1820, p. 254. The following amusing account is given of the state of the arts in Rio only so far back as 1£08. ‘“ All the arts were practised in the most formal and tedious way. Every workman deemed himself initiated into some mys- tery, which none but his own fraternity could comprehend. Car- penters have expressed astonishment when they have seen an Englishman take up a saw, and use it with no less dexterity, and with greater speed, than themselves. There was as little difficulty in rivalling the skill of many workmen, as their execution. So ignorant and stupid were they, that it was frequently necessary to form them a rough model of the article which they were re- quired to make, and to go from shop to shop before one could be found willing to undertake it. I have even been told, that what I wanted could not be executed by human ingenuity, although it was, perhaps, one of the most common instruments in domestic use. To this, white men, who were mechanics, added another folly; every one of them thought himself too much a gentleman to work in public, and that he would be degraded if seen carrying the smallest burden, even the implements of his calling, along the streets. The silly pride and formal self-importance which pervaded all ranks of Brazilian society, were, in this class of men, singularly absurd and ridiculous. ‘“ An instance or two will best illustrate this trait of character. It was necessary to open a lock, of which I had lost the key; and the skill requisite to pick it was so rare, that the master and waiter of the hotel where I then lodged, were greatly perplexed with my inquiries, at what place it was to be found. At length they advised me to apply to an English carpenter, who had been settled in Rio about two years and employed several men, one of 106 BRAZIL, Among the nuisances which had been removed, were the gloomy projections from the upper windows, called Jealousies, which have given way, by the king’s com- mand, for open balconies. These Jealousies were raised who WilOl V§ what I» il Vi i r time, but, to compensate Pur +3 a3 f( » delay y . uy ATA . i *i+1} i or the delay, mq IS appearance at last in full dress, with a cocked hat, shoe and knec buckles, and othe 1 F hernalia + + i . * +} il phernalia. At the door of the house he still corresponding para- 1 pl oitered, wishing to fiitre some black man to carry his hammer, chisel, and znothe Y small instrument. I suggested that they were light, and proposed Lo carry a part or the whole of them myself; but this w ould hav e been as great a practical solecism as using his own hands. The gentleman waited patiently, until a negro appeared; then made his bargain, and proceeded in due state, followed by his temporary servant. The task was soon finished, by breaking the lock, in- stead of picking it; when the man of importance, making me a profound bow, stalked off with his follower. " Another anecdote ofa similar spirit appears among my notes. I give it here, though its hero did not belong exactly to the class of mechanics. I was on the eve of leaving Rio, and waiting with great anxiety for the packet, being convinced that it must brine me information of the most interesting kind. When it arrived, I waited upon the superintendent of the post-office, that the expected letter might be delivers ie ed to me; but the bag f1ad not yet got thither, and appeared to have met with some un- necessary detention. and requested I therefore posted away to the British con earned that it had been sent from thence a considerable time before. Going down the stairs sul’s office, and there 1 I observed the Portuguese servant standing at the door, with a small parcel in his hand, of whom I inquired whether that was the mail from England; he replied that it was, and that he had been long wait- ing to hire some one to carry it after him to the post-office, which was about two hundred yards distant. Iwas in no humour at that time to bear with such pompous folly, and after uttering some hasty abuse, which had been better spared, snatched the parcel from his hand, and carried it off at a pace seldom witnessed in a Brazilian city, the man {u] owing, and muttering ail the way, ¢ Os Ingleses sao diabos’—' the English are devils.” Iwas readily admitted at the office, and favoured with the expected letter,” — Notes, &c. pp. 106, 107. BRAZIL 107 on platforms of stone two and a half feet broad, and extended to the top of the window. They were formed of lattice-work of a fanciful pattern, divided into pa- nels or compartments, some of which were fitted top, so as to form a sort which, when opened a little way, allowed with hinges at the the balcony to look down into the street without being seen themselves. They gave to the fronts of the houses a dull, heavy, and suspicious appearance. The osten- sible motive for their removal was to improve the appearance of the city: the real cause was said to be an apprehension that, sooner or later, these jealousies might become ambuscades for assassins, who, unseen and unsuspected, might thence discharge the fatal bullet. When the court first arrived at the metropolis of Brazil, the city was circumscribed within Very narrow boundaries. At that period, its population was not a hundred thousand. But upwards of twenty thousand Europeans accompanied the court; and the natural con- sequence was, that Brazilian manners gave way to those of Europe. A royal military academy was founded in 1810, and skilful mechanics of all countries were en- couraged. The library arranged in the edifice belong- ing to the Ter¢eiros da Ordem do Cosmo is said to con- tain seventy thousand volumes, which the king brought with him from Portugal: the public have admission to it during the greater part of the day. The stimulus given to commerce diffused a considerable degree of opulence; and the ambassadors from the European powers, who had accompanied the court, with other wealthy foreigners, introduced a luxury and refine- ment of manners to which Rio had hitherto been a stranger. In 1818, the number both of Portuguese and Brazilian inhabitants had still further increased; and the population both of the capital and of the 108 BRAZIL. interior was swelled by emigrants from the Spanish provinces, from the United States of the North, from England, France, Sweden and Germany. Conveniences now fell more within the reach of the common people : the markets were better supplied. White servants were more generally seen; and domestic slaves were more carefully selected and better clothed, looked more cleanly and healthy, and appeared more happy. Many mechanics, chiefly French, are now settled at Rio, and are encouragegl by the government. ‘The European stranger,” says Dr. Von Spix, “is astonished at the number of gold and silver smiths and jewellers, who, like the other tradesmen, live together in one street which calls to mind the magnificent Ruas de Ouro and de Prata of Lisbon. The workmanship of these artisans is, indeed, inferior to the European, but is not destitute of taste and solidity. Many trades, which are very necessary in Europe, are at present almost superfluous in the interior of this country, on account of the circumscribed wants of the inhabitants. In the capital, however, and the other towns on the coast, joiners, white-smiths, and other artisans are numerous ; but tanners, soap-boilers, and workers in steel are scarce. There is a great demand for mechanics to build sugar and other mills, to construct machines for working the gold mines, &c.; and very high wages are given them. Hitherto, no glass, china, cloth, or hat manufactures have been established in the capital ; and the erection of them would hardly be advisable in a country which can obtain the productions of European industry on such low terms, in exchange for the pro- duce of its rich soil.” * To pursue the description of the capital : the streets, which are straight and narrow, are paved with granite, * Von Spix’s Travels, vol. i. p. 198. BRAZIL. 109 and are now provided with a raised pavement for the foot-passengers ;* but they are very sparingly lighted, and hardly more than a few hours in the night, by the lamps placed before the images of the Virei y houses, which are generally of oWo es a narrow in proportion to their depth, are, for the most part, built of blocks of granite: the upper story, how- ever, is often of wood. The thresholds, door-posts, lintels, and window-frames are of massy quartz, or felt-spar, brought from Bahia in a state ready for use.t The roofs are universally covered with semitubular tiles. The lower story is commonly occupied by the shop and warehouse ; the second, (and third, if there be one,) by the family apartments, to which there are long and narrow passages taken from the ground-floor, and communicating with the street. In the outskirts of the town the streets are unpaved, and the houses are of only one floor, low, small, and dirty, with the doors and windows of lattice-work, opening outward, to the annoyance of passengers. The rents of the houses are nearly as high as they are in London. Churches and convents are almost the only public buildings in Rio, that deserve notice. Among the fore those of Da Candelaria, S. Francisco, and Sta, aula, are in the best style of architecture ; but that of Nossa Senhora da Gloria is the most striking from its situation. “The cathedral,” says Mr. Luccock, “in point of * This improvement, mentioned by Von Spix, appears to have been introduced since Mr. Luccock visited Rio. ft Granite is found in the immediate neighbourhood, and Dr. Von Spix says, They continue to blow up rocks of granite with gunpowder, partly to make the city more level and connected, and partly to adorn it with new buildings.” I Rio is an episcopal see. The bishopric was founded in 1676. In the year 1805, it was endowed anew, and provided with a nu- merous chapter. PART I. H 110 BRAZIL. rank the first religious edifice in Rio, is situated on a lofty and pleasant hill, south of the town. It occupies a spot celebrated in the history of Brazil, and is very properly dedicated to St. Sebastian. The church, which seems to have been erected at two different periods, is a low, plain, substantial building, of an oblong form, with two small turrets, but without windows. The entrance is from the east, and fronts the altar. Within, the walls are whitewashed, unorna- mented, and dirty. The altar also is as plain as the church; and the whole evinces that it has profited little by any predilection of the great or the wealthy. The orchestra is at the east end, and is awkwardly crowded towards the ceiling. Around are traces of considerable foundations, much overgrown with brush- wood,” None of the churches have either any fine paintings or works of sculpture, but only rich gilding. The religious establishments comprise three monas- teries, Benedictine, Franciscan, and Carmelite; a Fran- ciscan nunnery; a nunnery of Theresans; an hospice of the almoners of the Holy Land; a misericordia, with its hospital ; a foundling hospital, founded in 1738; (which, within sixty years from that period, received nearly 5000 infants;) and a recolhimento for female orphans born in wedlock and of white parents, where they remain till they are portioned off in marriage from the funds of this munificent institution; together with some smaller monastic and charitable institutions. The royal palace skirts the beach, and is seen to great advantage from the principal landing-place, which is within sixty yards of the doors. It is small, ill-con- structed, and inconvenient. The palace of the bishop, which stands on a high hill north of the city, is superior to that of the royal family. The custom- house is a miserable building. The inns are abomi- nably bad. The new mint, the naval and the military BRAZIL. 111 arsenals, are called magnificent buildings, but they present a very poor appearance to the eyes of a European. Though, in proportion to the size and the wants of the city, Rio has but a scanty supply of water, there are several public fountains, and new ones are con- tinually being erected. The aqueduct by which those fountains are supplied, is a noble work, and is described by Dr. Von Spix as the finest piece of architecture of which the city can at present boast. It was completed in the year 1740, and is an imitation of the one at Lisbon, erected by JohnV. “It consists,” Mr. Luc- cock says, “of two walls, about six feet high, arched over, with sufficient space for workmen to enter it oc- casionally, and pass through its whole length. At suitable intervals there are openings for the admission of light and air. Within is laid the canal, about eizhteen inches wide, twenty-four deep, and three miles long. It commences at the bottom of the lofty conical peak of the Corcovado, where the waters flowing from that mountain, are collected into a covered reservoir, and thence conveyed into the canal. Their course from the summit is through deep and shady woods, and the canal is defended from the sunbeams; and thus, until they reach the city, little of their freshness is lost.” Many persons earn their subsistence by carrying the water to those who live at a distance from the fountains; but, says Dr. Von Spix, “the distribution of it by uncleanly negroes, who offer it for sale in open vessels or in skins, which are often exposed for hours together to the heat of the sun, requires to be altered by the Board of Health: indeed, the government would do a great service to the inhabitants by causing the water to be conveyed into many private houses.” The largest of the public fountains isin the square fronting the palace, and close to the harbour : this supplies the ships, and is Tr ——... 112 BRAZIL. BRAZIL. 113 constantly surrounded by crowds of sailors of all nations.* It was in contemplation to lead a new aque- any scholars; but in the newly established Aula do — duct to the south-west of the city. 2 Commercio, the lectures on commerce, as well as those The education of youth is provided for by many on chemistry, are numerously attended. There is a licensed academies; but persons of fortune have their botanical garden in the vicinity of Rio, which will be children prepared by private tutors for the university noticed hereafter. of Coimbra; which, from the scarcity of good teachers, H “ Immediately after the arrival of the king,” Dr. is very expensive. In the Seminario de S. Joaquim, Von Spix states, “it was intended to give a university the elements of Latin and church singing are taught. to the new monarchy. It was, however, yet undecided But the best academy is stated (by Dr. Von Spix) to be whether the seat of it should be at Rio de Janeiro, or the Lyceum, or Seminario de S. Joze, where, besides at S. Paulo, which is situated in a more temperate cli- Greek, Latin, French, and English, rhetoric, geography, mate. Mr. J. Garcia Stockler, son of a German consul t of the Hanse Towns at Lisbon, a man of considerable re rat = a a eI w—— — I ps HAI ———— —— —~ - and mathematics—philosophy is taught, and divinity. Most of the teachers are ecclesiastics, who have now, § literary acquirements, and a worthy member of the Lisbon academy, proposed a plan, conceived partly in ——— however, much less influence on the education of the ; : : people than formerly. A very useful establishment, of gf the spirit of the German high schools, which, indeed, later standing, is the school of surgery (Aula de Cirur- § was much approved by the ministry, but met with so gia.) The course of study in this institution is as : much opposition from those who wished Brazil to con- & o] . 1 > Jr al « ac , . WwW follows: first year, anatomy, chemistry, and pharmacy; tinue dependent on Portugal as a colony, that the whole $ a.» ~ . > « y iv » r 3 raz1]1e y 1 Iv second year, the same, with the addition of physiology ; plan was given up.” The Brazilians who wish to give : . - + 1 verity e ati av « ativ, third year, pathology and therapeutics; fourth year, their sons a university education, have no alternative, . op . 7. x . pe ™N 1 ve surgery and midwifery; and in the fifth year, the stu- ] therefore, but to send them across the seas to Coimbra. dents attend the neighbouring military hospital. The This might once have been attended with advantage, as professors are practising physicians in the city. Natural affording the young students an opportunity of becom- history, including botany, is also taught the pupils by a : Ing acquainted with the great institutions of Europe; learned Carmelite from Pernambuco, Fra Leandro do i but now, the necessity of establishing a university in Sacramento. There is a mineralogical cabinet, and ] Brazil, without which it must still be considered as “a most insignificant beginning of a zoological cabinet, 1 half a colony, is becoming every day more urgent. Of consisting of a few stuffed birds and some cases of : course, the professors must, in the first instance, be 3 al 3: . aye _ 1 ? J 1 1 {S he butterflies.” The military academy (Academia Militar B furnished by Europe. Dr. Von Spix thinks, that Real,) founded in 1810, though provided with good ! | nothing but such an institution can rouse the slum- masters, and especially favoured by the King, has hardly i bering energies of the country. Hitherto the government, in their enlightened soli- * Captain Cook expressed doubts of the goodness of this water 3 citude to promote education, and to encourage the fox oor voy Se Dr. yo pis states, that the experiment humanizing arts in Rio, have been much in advance of 1as been made of taking it to India, and bringing it back, and it > pred 4 it i has been found to be uncorrupted by the voyage. the general intellectual condition of the population. Another new institution, the Academy of Arts, owes its 114 BRAZIL. foundation chiefly to the late minister, Araujo, Conde da Barca, who received almost the whole of his educa- tion in foreign countries. “ While Europe saw, in the foundation of such an institution an apparently irre- fragable proof of the rapid progress of the new state, it is evident,” remarks Dr. Von Spix, “ upon closer exa- mination, that it is at present bv no means adapted to the wants of the people, and therefore cannot yet exert any extensive influence. Several French artists, his- torical and landscape painters, sculptors, engravers, and architects, and at their head Lebreton, formerly secre- tary to the Academy of Arts at Paris,” (who, however, died at his country-house, near Rio, soon after the arrival of Dr. Von Spix,) “ were invited from France, in order, by their instructions and works, to awaken and to animate the disposition of the Brazilians for the arts, upon which Araujo had confidently calculated. But it could not fail to become evident, that the fine arts cannot take root here, till the mechanical arts, which satisfy the first wants, have prepared a way for their reception; and that it is not till commerce, the activity of which is directed to external objects, is finally established, that endeavours after the enjoyments and refinements of the arts can arise in a nation. There is scarcely any taste here for painting or sculpture; and hence we see even in the churches, instead of real works of art, only ornaments overloaded with gold.” Music, however, is cultivated in Rio with considerable enthusiasm and success. * The Brazilian,” says this traveller, * like the Portuguese, has a refined ear for agreeable modulation.” The guitar here, as in the south of Europe, is the favourite instrument, and the national songs which are sung with this simple accom- paniment, are partly of Portuguese origin, partly native productions. The emperor has a private band of vocal and instrumental performers, composed of native mu- BRAZIL. 115 lattoes and negroes, which Dr. Von Spix pronounces highly creditable to the musical talent of the Brazilians. Don Pedro is in the habit of occasionally leading this band himself. “ Haydn's favourite pupil,” the Cheva- lier Neukomm, was, in 1817, composer to the royal chapel; but the musical knowledge of the inhabitants was not yet ripe for his masses, which are in the style of the most celebrated German composers. “ At pre- sent, the first thing required of a mass is, that it shall proceed in cheerful melodies, and that a long and pom- pous gloria shall be succeeded by a short eredo.” It is an unfortunate circumstance, as regards both the literary character and the moral taste of the Brazilians, that, in Rio at least, so decided a preference is shown by the higher classes for the French language and French literature. “ Besides the publications of the day with which the French Magasins des Modes supply Brazil, the works of Voltaire and Rousseau are read with so much avidity, that several patriotic writers have found reason to declaim against the Gallomania. This cir- cumstance,” adds Dr. Von Spix, “ is the more remark- able, because political and mercantile interests unite the Portuguese with the English, and we might there- fore naturally expect a greater inclination to the litera- ture of England.” But the difference of religion, and the prejudice against heretical literature, are, probably, the reason that English writers are not preferred, and that even translations from the English into the Portu- guese are not by any means so numerous as those from the French. All the influence of the ecclesiastics would be in favour of France, rather than of England. The general knowledge of French has not, however, banished the mother tongue in the higher classes. With the exception of the court, and those immediately belonging to it, the French and English languages are spoken only 116 BRAZIL. by the men, and are therefore seldom used in company. In 1817, there were only two indifferent booksellers’ shops at Rio, and only two newspapers were published in the whole Kingdom ; the Gazeta of Rio, and at Bahia, the Idade de Ouro do Brazil. Even these were not then read with general interest. On the other hand, the Lisbon newspapers were circulated by the Portu- guese emigrants, and the London Journals by the English. Since the declaration of the Brazilian Inde- pendence, the number of journals has, however, greatly increased. AMUSEMENTS THE amusements of the inhabitants of the metro- polis are very limited. The theatre, which generally holds the highest rank among places of amusement, is thus described by Mr. Luccock. It is situated close to the palace, and is a poor, small, dark house. Its form on the inside is an oval, at one end of which is the stage, and at the other the royal box, which occu pies the whole northern side of the building. Other boxes, cut off from all communication with the air, and hot almost beyond endurance, extend round the sides of the house, and have an open clumsy railing in front, most gaudily painted. The pit is divided into two parts: that before the royal box has forms, with a rail, against which the shoulders may be leaned; the divi- sion behind this, and beneath the seat of royalty, is separated by a barrier, and the part of the audience stationed there must stand and listen. The house is lighted from tin sconces, fixed to the pillars which support the boxes, and a chandelier of wood with tin branches. With this elegant furniture, the scenery and other decorations thoroughly correspond. Sentinels BRAZIL. 117 with fixed bayonets are placed in every part of the house, and in all the avenues leading to it.” * “ One of the last scenes,” adds Mr. Luccock, “ which I witnessed during my first stay at Rio (in 1808,) was the catastrophe of a tragedy. The heroine, dressed in white muslin, was supposed to be put to death while the curtain was down, by severing her head from the body. Here, I think, would have been an end of her part, on any other than a Brazilian stage; but, after a little time, the curtain was drawn up again, for no other purpose than to show the audience the headless body of the lady, seated upright in an arm-chair, with the blood bubbling from her neck and flowing down her raiment.” Mrs. Graham, who visited Rio in 1821, was present at the performance of an after-piece, which was in a somewhat less barbarous taste. It was called * The Discovery of Brazil.” Cabral and his officers were represented as just landed: they had discovered the natives of the country; and, according to the custom of the Portuguese discoverers, they had set up their white flag, with the red holy cross upon it, whence they had first named the land. At the foot of this emblem they kneeled in worship, and endeavoured to induce the Brazilians to join them in their sacred rites. These, on their part, tried to persuade Cabral to reverence the heavenly bodies, and dissension seemed about to trouble the union of the new friends, when, by a clumsy enough machine, a little genius came down from above, and leaping from its car, displayed the new imperial standard, inscribed Independencia o Morte! This was totally un- * Rio is described by this traveller as properly a garrison town, being divided into military districts, and soldiers on duty Yezo always walking about the streets, some in regi Rentals and : : : Sd) de ai vse iinry others without them, acting in the civil, as well as the military department. H 2 118 BRAZIL. expected in the house, which for an instant seemed electrified into silence; and then commenced a loud clapping of hands, which continued for some time! Bull-baiting, the grand national pastime of the Spaniards and Portuguese, appears happily not to be much in vogue in Rio. There is a building erected for the purpose, but it is little used. The reason assigned is, that the Brazilian bull does not possess the fire of the Portuguese. Not long ago, the inhabitants of Rio were astonished and delighted with a far more innocent and not less rational exhibition—some feats of horse- manship and tight-rope dancing by an English per- former. A Roman Catholic country, however, cannot fail to present other public diversions in the shape of religions festivals, processions, and spectacles. The royal emi- gration was followed by a prodigious revival and multi- plication of ceremonies and performances of this de- scription, ““ in which,” says Mr. Luccock, “ a mixture of religion and pleasure takes place, not unlike our village wakes at their earlier periods.” Dr. Von Spix Was present at a festival celebrated by the negroes in honour of their patroness, Nossa Senhora do Rosario. “ A chapel on a slip of land running into the Bay, not far from the royal country-seat of S. Cristovao, was filled towards the evening with a countless multitude of brown and black people; and the band of negroes from S. Cristovio, struck up a lively and almost merry strain, which was succeeded by a very pathetic sermon. Sky- rockets, crackers, serpents, and the like,* were let off * Fire-works form an important part of the religious festivals of the Brazilians; and the crackling of rockets may be heard almost daily, from an early hour in the morning, commingling with the frequent salutes from the guns of the forts, and those of vessels arriving from all quarters, the various dissonant sounds of traffic, and the * busy hum” of men of all climes and languages. BRAZIL. 119 in front of the church, and near the calm surface of the sea, to add to the splendour of the solemnity.” Near the sea is the public promenade, a small garden surrounded with walls, and protected against the sea by a perpendicular quay of hewn stone. Its shady avenues of mango, jaca (the East-India bread-fruit tree,) yto, and rose-apple tree, between which are planted the beautiful bushes of the poinciana, are described by Dr. Von Spix as very inviting in the evening, when the heat is allayed by the sea-breeze.* In the vicinity of this promenade, the provision markets afford an interesting sight to the newly-arrived European, whose attention will be attracted by the screams of the parrots exposed for sale, the cries of other animals peculiar to the country, and of birds of the gayest plumage from various parts of the world, COSTUME, &ec. OF the costume, habits, and manners of the inha- bitants, a most minute account has been furnished by Mr. Luccock, which we give in his own words. It is possible that some changes may have taken place, in consequence of the extraordinary stimulus given to every kind of improvement by recent political events; but it forms, no doubt, a correct representation of the state of society in Rio, previously to its separation from the mother country. “ Of their dress and appearance,” says this intelli- gent traveller, “ we strangers were more competent judges than of their minds. The former is of the lightest sort. Among their familiar friends they are seen with a shift only, bound about the waist with the * The botanical names of these productions, as given by Von Spix, are, Mangifera Indica, Artocarpus integrifolia, Guarea tri- chilioides, Eugenia Jambos, and Cesalpina pulcherrima. 120 BRAZIL. strings of a petticoat, and the bosom of it often falling off from one shoulder. They wear no stockings, and seldom either slippers, or the wooden clogs, with brown upper leathers, called famancas. Their hair is long and too commonly uncombed, bound with a riband close behind the head, the ends turned up to the crown, and there twisted about a sort of bodkin. Sometimes a wreath of artificial flowers is added, ingeniously made by themselves of silk, beads, coloured papers, tinsel, and the wings of some of the brilliant insects of the country; these are arranged and worn with taste. Their manners are a contrast to everything graceful— coarse, boisterous, and pert; they talk fluently, but commonly in loud and harsh tones ; their general air is sly and coquettish; and they have no idea that their carriage can possibly excite disgust, or even that they can fail to be objects of admiration : they have few opportunities of conversing with the other sex, and what good fortune offers, they use with eagerness. “ Such manners may be attractive to their country- men, but their influence can extend no further. The ornaments of these females have a pleasing effect, and set off the charms of a face, the features of which are round and regular, of a black, lively, inquisitive eye, a smooth and open forehead, a mouth expressive of sim- plicity and good temper, furnished with a white and even set of teeth; united with a moderately handsome figure, a sprightly, laughing air, and a demeanour gay, frank, and unsuspicious. Such is the common appear- ance of a young lady about thirteen or fourteen years of age; a period when she usually takes upon her the cares of a household, or rather, notwithstanding obvious disqualifications, assumes the character of a matron. Indeed, at eighteen, in a Brazilian woman, nature has attained to full maturity: a few years later, she be- comes corpulent, and even unwieldy, acquires a great BRAZIL. 121 stoop in her shoulders, and walks with an awkward, waddling gait; she begins to decay, loses the good humour of her countenance, and assumes, in its place, a contracted and scowling brow; the eye and mouth both indicate that they have been accustomed to ex- press the violent and vindictive passions, the cheeks are deprived of their plumpness and colour, and at twenty- five, or thirty at most, she becomes a perfectly wrinkled old woman. iE : ‘ Early corpulence appeared to me to arise from their secluded and indolent habits. They were seldom seen out of doors, except when going to mass, so early as four o’clock in the morning, on dias santos, or days of sacred obligation; and even then, the whole form and face were so wrapped up in mantles, or enclosed within the curtains of a ecadeira, as to preclude the enjoyment of fresh air, and to conceal every feature, except perhaps a wickedly talkative eye. These cadeiras answer, less commodiously, the same purpose as do the palanquins . of the East. They consist of an arm-chair with a high back, to which is attached a long foot-board, and a canopy. Around the latter are suspended curtains of blue cloth, edged with some gaudy colour, and kept closed, as the machine passes along the streets, in order to conceal the haughty, or the constrained donna from public view. The whole is attached to a long pole, passing over the lady’s head, and is suspended between two black men, who support it on their shoulders. Such were the only carriages used formerly in Rio by people of fashion; and like the modern chaise, to wilel they have lately given place, they were sometimes Ne splendid, being decorated in such a manner as mig it best display the taste, the wealth, and the rank of the owner. On the foot-board, which is large enough for the purpose, is often seated a little senkora, forming the same idle habits as her mother has done, and laying 122 BRAZIL, a foundation for future unwieldiness of a similar kind. “The exercise which these ladies take, is almost wholly confined to the house. Little exertion is neces- sary, and that little is opposed by inclination: they are surrounded by slaves, and it is their privilege to be waited upon. I have seen this carried to an extent which would be ridiculous, were it not something worse; and am sorry to add, that such sights are not unusual. A lady was seated on a mat, (one morn- ing when I called upon her,) surrounded by a number of slaves, with needle-work in their hands; a drink- ing-vessel full of water being placed so as that she could conveniently reach it. She interrupted the con- versation by suddenly calling aloud for another slave to come from a different part of the house. When the negress entered the room, the lady said to her, Give me that drinking-vessel.” She did $0; her mistress drank, and returned it; the slave replaced it in its former situation, and retired without seeming to feel that the command was an extraordinary one, or that she had performed aught which she had not done a thousand times before. Ah! ladies, thought I, what wonder that you become corpulent, and ruin your con- stitution : these are the natural effects of inanity., “Other causes of the change which has been noticed, might be found, I have often thought, in an obstinate adherence to unsuitable customs. The shrunk and fur- rowed appearance of the brow seems to me to arise, in a great measure, from following European fashions under the burning sun of the torrid zone, ‘ where the full tide of day is poured.” Even the white and genteel families of Brazil wear no covering on the head, no shade for the eye ; hence, the brow and pupil contract themselves as much as possible, to shield the tender organ from the superabundance of light. The walls of BRAZIL. 123 the houses too, both within and without, are universally whitened, heightening, by reflection, the mid-day glare, and sometimes producing an almost intolerable uneasi- ness in the eyes of persons possessed of the strongest sight. Is it wonderful that the forehead and eyes of delicate females should gradually assume an habitual contraction, which overclouds many a fair face with appearances that sometimes misrepresent the real turn of the mind? Premature age is owing partly to cli- mate, partly to a constitution enfeebled and ruined by inactivity ; most of all, to the unnatural and shamefully early age at which females are allowed to marry. Their early good-humour, or the show of it, soon wears away ; they often become the very reverse of what they were, and exhibit the alteration too plainly. This change may be attributed principally to the childish ceremony, and more foolish flattery, with which every woman is treated, who ranks above the condition of a slave. They seem to be regarded by the men as dolls, or as spoiled children, whose whims must be gratified and even anticipated; and she who has the greatest number, obtains the most attention. The generality of ladies treated in this way, become, almost of course, fretful and peevish, and pour their spleen upon their slaves; and when these resist or neglect the orders given them, endeavour to subdue them, by a noisy and boisterous behaviour, not always free from malignity, and by castigation, not the less severe for coming from a lady’s hand. Here is exercise, and perhaps, the most efficacious that they ever take, quickening the circu- lation, giving some tone to the muscles, and dis- charging peccant humours, but, at the same time, destroying the temper, implanting in the heart the principles of a vixen, and stamping on the countenance the plain indications of what passes within.* ¢ “1 have seen,” says a recent French traveller, ‘ yes, I have myself seen, two young ladies (of Rio) whose countenances wore 124 BRAZIL. “ When a gentleman calls upon another, if he be not intimate at the house, he goes thither in full dress, with a cocked hat, with buckles in his shoes and at the knees, and with a sword or dirk by his side. Having reached the bottom of the stairs, he claps his hands as a signal to attract attention, and utters a sort of sibilant sound between his teeth and the end of his tongue, as though he pronounced the syllables cee ew. The servant who attends the call, roughly inquires in a nasal tone, Who is it? and being told, retires to inform the master of the house, what are the wishes of the visitor. If he be a friend, or one so well known as to be received without ceremony, the master quickly comes to him, and ushers him into the sala, making loud protestations of the plea- sure given him by the visit, mixing his complimentary speeches with a great number of bows. Before busi ness is entered upon, if that be the object, repeated apologies are offered for the free mode in which the visitor is received. And, indeed, there is often no little occasion for such apologies; for the gentleman very generally makes his appearance with a beard of many days’ growth, with his black hair in the roughest state, though besmeared with grease, and with no clothing over his cotton shirt. This garment is, indeed, well made, and ornamented with needle-work, especially about the bosom. But then it is commonly worn in the house so as to expose the breast, and the sleeves are tucked up to the elbows. Or if, by chance, it be secured at the neck and wrists by its globular gold buttons, the flaps appear on the outside, hanging half way down the expression of mildness and benevolence, endeavour, by way of pastime, to cut, at a certain distance, with a whip, the face of a negro whom they had ordered not to stir from the spot. This exercise seemed to amuse them. I would mention their names, if their father, who came in after the first essay, had not severely reprimanded them for their cruelty.” —Adrago’s Nurra- tive of a Voyage round the World, 4to. 1823. BRAZIL. 25 the sides, over a waistband which secures round tle loins a short pair of trousers; while the legs are quite bare, and the feet covered with tamancas. All this is not very delicate, more especially as the skins of the Brazilians abound with hair, and are much sun-burnt about the breast and legs. ¢ Should the call be a ceremonious one, a servant is sent to conduct the visitor to the sala, from which, as he enters, he often sees the persons who were in the room, escaping at the other door. Here he waits alone, it may be half an hour, when the gentleman appears in a sort of half-dress. They both bow profoundly at a distance : after a sufficiency of skill in this science has been displayed, and thus time gained to ascertain each other’s rank and pretensions, they approach, if unequal, with corresponding dignity and respect—if supposed to be nearly equals, with familiarity. The business is then entered upon, and despatched at once. These bows between strangers, and this slow approach, I almost like, as they give men some opportunity to measure and appreciate one another, and prevent a thousand awkward blunders and equally awkward apologies. With my countrymen in general, I parti- cipate in an abhorrence of the Brazilian embrace.” * A ridiculous custom prevails {or did prevail) in Rio, of obliging all persons to dismount from a carriage or horse, when any of the royal family are passing along the streets. On such occasions, an extraordinary and whimsical bustle takes place the moment the approach is heralded by the cadets (attendants somewhat supe- rior to a common soldier:) some are flying for fear of being ridden over; others are drawing up their carriages or mules into a corner; and he is lucky who escapes unhurt: all are bareheaded. Such a ceremony * Notes on Rio Janeiro, &c. pp. 111—121 126 BRAZIL. could not but be very repugnant to the feelings of Englishmen, Americans, and other foreigners; but they have generally complied with it. But a few vears since, during the residence of the court of Lisbon at Rio, the queen of Portugal, who had the character of being extremely particular and peremptory on this point, was taking her usual ride to a small cottage and garden at the bottom of the Orange Valley, when she met Lord Strangford, who refused to comply with the accustomed ceremony. The cadets instantly insulted his lordship, by using their swords in compelling him to dismount. The only redress which his lordship obtained, was the imprisonment of the guards for a short time. Some time after, Mr. Sumpter, then the American minister to the court, met the queen in the same neighbourhood. The guard rode up to him, saying, “ Apea-se-Senr.” He replied, that he was the American minister, and that he would not dismount; on which they did not hesitate to compel him. Mr. Sumpter then said that he would not require any satis- faction for this gross insult, but that he should provide himself with holsters and pistols, and would shoot the first person who offered him a similar insult. Very shortly afterwards, he met the queen’s guard again, who rode up to him, making the same peremptory demand as before. In answer to which, he frankly told them, that the first man who offered him any vio- lence, he would shoot dead upon the spot. This reso- lute conduct induced them to retire. Upon this, the queen ordered them to proceed a second time to dis- mount Mr. Sumpter; but they were intimidated by his continued firmness. It is generally believed that her ma- Jesty, highly incensed at this spirited conduct, requested the minister of state to issue an order for Mr. Sumpter’s imprisonment in the Ilha das Cobras. The minister, however, prevailed upon her majesty to wait the result — rm AN AG BRAZIL. 127 of a despatch to the king upon the subject, who was then fifty miles off, at St. Cruz. The consequence was, that orders were immediately issued, that no foreigner should be compelled to pay more courtesy than his own sovereign would require from him. Since that time, however, an English merchant, who was driving his lady in a chaise, was beat by the queen’s guards till his arm became quite black, and his life endangered, notwithstanding he had stopped his horse, stood up in the chaise, and took off his hat. In the month of July, 1819, Commodore Bowles was taking a ride near the Orange Valley, when the queen’s cadets beat him off his horse with their swords. The cadets were sent on board the Creole to apologize for their conduct, and the commodore advised them in future to draw their swords only against an enemy. To the king, who did not require this ridiculous and inconvenient ‘homage, the English generally were desirous of showing their res- pect by dismounting. * : The indolence with which all classes of the inhabi- tants of Rio are reproached, is, undoubtedly, to be ascribed in some measure to the relaxing climate. The merchants, Mr. Luccock says, seldom employ them- selves for more than three hours in the day. The shop- keepers are equally idle. All shop-doors are closed, or nearly so, at noon. A cloth is then spread on the counter, in the close, damp room which serves as shop, parlour, and bed-room, if not * kitchen and all;” and the only regular meal in the day is then hastily taken. The middle classes of the citizens of Rio, who have not entirely adopted the manners of Portugal, take a small proportion of animal food, contenting themselves with the admirable fruits, and the cheese imported from Minas Geraes, which, with banians, is met with on every * Henderson’s Historical Account of Brazil. 128 BRAZIL. table. The Brazilian eats even wheaten bread but sparingly, preferring to it his Jarinka. He eats but moderately of his few dishes, drinks chiefly water, and’ takes everything with the greatest regularity. In the evening, he very prudently takes scarcely anything; at the most, a cup of tea, or of coffee; and he avoids, especially at night, eating cool fruits. “Only such a regimen,” says Dr. Von Spix, “and conforming to the nature of the climate, preserves him from many diseases to which the stranger exposes himself through inatten- tion or ignorance.” Fish is not so much eaten here as on the northern coasts. Mandioc and maize flour, and black beans boiled with bacon, and salt beef dried in the sun, are the chief articles of diet among the lower classes. Rio Janeiro has the reputation of being one of the most unhealthy cities of Brazil—Dr. Von Spix and Mr. Luccock think, without reason. The climate is hot and moist: high and thickly-wooded mountains, the narrow entrance of the bay, and the numerous islands, impede the free passage of the wind; but there are none of those very rapid changes of temperature which are so particularly injurious to the health. Moist, cold winds, producing slight rheumatism and catarrh, are, however, not uncommon. The diseases most frequent are, chronical diarrheeas, dropsy, intermitting fevers, syphilis, and hydrocele; but the last of these only is considered by Dr. Von Spix as endemic, and it chiefly attacks the newly arrived Europeans and North Ameri- cans. The Brazilian doctors attribute it chiefly to the water, but, this author thinks, erroneously. Though Rio has no endemic intermittent fever, diseases readily assume this character, and fever soon follows on the slightest disorder. Among the causes which have been thought to render Rio unhealthy, are, its low situation, which is scarcely above the level of the sea, and the BRAZIL. 129 filthiness of its streets, while the waters that descend from the mountains behind it, encompass it with stag- nant marshes. The marshy flats on the sea-side diffuse, during the time of the ebb,t an intolerable stench; but, fortunately for the inhabitants, they do not remain un- covered by the water long enough to produce endemic fevers by their putrid exhalations. The mode of inter- ment is another evil. The people have a superstitious dislike to bury their dead under the canopy of heaven, and therefore crowd their corpses into the churches, the atmosphere of which becomes by this means con- taminated. Slavery, also, brings with it here its train of physical as well as moral evils: the slaves, who are commonly landed from Africa in a sickly state, fre- quently spread disease. The prisons, too, are in a loathsome and disgraceful condition. Much remains to be done for the improvement of Rio in these respects, by the future efforts of the government. The stranger * The cleaning of the streets is at present confided to the car- rion vultures, who are protected on that account. t “ The internal basin cf the bay has its tides, as well as the ocean. At new and full moon, high water, which rises fourteen or fifteen feet, sets in at thirty minutes past four. The ebb some- times continues a whole day without intermission, at which time the current is the strongest on the west side of the bay: when the flood begins, a whirling current is remarked on the east side. The sea when it is high, particularly at the equinoxes, fills up the sandy hollows and lagoons in several places round the city, which are planted with rhizophora, conocarpas, and avicenia trees. The sandy plain between the suburb of St. Anna, the bay of Sacco d’Alferres, and the principal street towards St. Christo- pher, is sometimes changed into a lake.”—Von Spix’s Travels, vol. i. p. 141. The strong flood has more than once led the captains of ships to anchor too close in-shore, so that, when the ebb has set in, they have been in shallow water. An English ship from Liverpool was wrecked in this manner, in 1817, close to the Ilha das Cobras, being dashed to pieces on the rocks in a few hours. 130 BRAZIL. should be advised neither to expose himself to the fatal effects of the sun’s rays, by walking in the open air during the hottest parts of the day, when all the streets are deserted, nor to the dangerous consequences of taking cold in the first night-dews, when, after sunset, the atmosphere is suddenly cooled; and, above all, to guard against every species of excess or sensual ine dulgence.* It is at present impossible to obtain an accurate estimate of the population of Rio. Before the arrival of the king, it is thought by some not to have exceeded 50,000 souls; the number of blacks and people of colour considerably exceeding that of the whites. This proportion is now completely reversed. It may be considered as certain,” says Dr. Von Spix, ““ that, since the year 1808, 24,000 Portuguese have gradually ar- rived here from Europe.” To these must be added a considerable number of English, French, Dutch, Ger- mans, and Italians, who, after the opening of the ports, settled here, some as merchants, others as mechanics. A number of English ship-builders and mechanics, Swedish iron-workers, German engineers, and French artists and manufacturers, were invited over by the Government. Mr. Mawe rated the whole population, including the negroes, at 100,000. Dr. Von Spix states that, in the year 1817, the city and its dependen- cies contained above 110,000 inhabitants. Mr. Hen- derson, in his recent work on Brazil, states the number at 150,000, about two-thirds of whom, he thinks, are negroes, mulattoes, and other people of colour. Rio is * Dr. Von Spix endeavoured, but without success, to procure lists of the deaths and burials, which would have thrown some light on the alleged unhealthiness of the place, by showing the degree of mortality. But in what colonial capital would not the average number of deaths form a presumption against the healthi- ness of the site? BRAZIL. 131 still infamous as a mart for negro slaves. The trade, however, has been restricted by a decree of the emperor (when prince regent) to the kingdom of Angola, and he has declared his intention to abolish it altogether as soon as practicable. As soon as a slave-ship has unladen its living cargo, the negroes are quartered in houses hired for the purpose in Vallongo street, near the sea. There may be seen children from six years of age upwards, and adults of both sexes, of all ages, lying about half-naked, exposed to the sun in the court-yard, or out of the houses; others are distributed in several rooms, the two sexes being kept separate. A mulatto or old negro who has acquired experience in long service, has the superintendence of the food and other necessaries for the new comers. They pass the night on straw mats, with blankets to cover them. A great number of these slaves belong to the sovereign, and are brought as tribute from the African colonies. “ Whoever wants to buy slaves, repairs to the Vallongo, to make his choice, where every inspector draws up the slaves quite naked, for his examination. The purchaser endeavours to convince himself of the bodily strength and health of the negroes, partly by feeling their bodies, and partly by causing them to execute rapid motions, particularly striking out the arm with the fist doubled. What is most apprehended in these purchases, are, hidden corporal defects, and especially the very frequent disposition to blindness. When the choice is made, the purchase money is fixed, which for a healthy male negro is here from 350 to 500 florins; the seller generally making himself answerable for any corporal defects that may be discovered within a fortnight. The purchaser then takes away his slave, whom he destines, according as he wants him, to be a mechanic, a mule-driver, or a servant. The new proprietor is now absolute master of the labour of his 132 BRAZIL. slave and the produce of it. But if he is guilty of inhuman treatment of him, he is liable, as for other civil offences, to be punished by the police or the tri- bunals. The latter take care, by means expressly adopted for the purpose, to restore run-away slaves to their right owners, and punish the fugitives if they renew the attempt, by putting an iron ring round their necks. If the master will not punish his slaves himself, it is done, after payment of a certain sum, by the police in the Calabongo. Here, however, as well as in Brazil in general, the negroes easily become habitnated to the country. This is a consequence of their careless tempers, as well as of the similarity of the climate to that of their native country, and the mildness with which they are treated in Brazil.” * COMMERCE OF RIO. Rio is the great emporium of Brazilian commerce, especially of all the mining districts. All the small ports on the coast, northwards as far as Bahia, and southwards to Monte Video, send hither their produce for exportation to Europe or home consumption. The quantity of provisions, in particular, annually imported from all these places, is considerable: they consist of farinha, beans, bacon, and dried or salt meat. The produce of their cattle, hides, horns, dried meat, tal- low, and bacon, with rice and wheat flour, come by sea, chiefly from the provinces of Rio Grande do Sul, and S. Paulo. The latter furnishes also cheese, the bark of the mangrove-tree for tanning, with some gum, * Von Spix’s Travels, vol. i. pp. 178-9. In the year 1817, no fewer than 20,075 negroes are said to have been imported into Rio, under the Portuguese flag, from the ports of Guinea and Mozambique, BRAZIL. 133 cotton, sugar, and rum. St. Catherine sends sole leather, onions, garlic, dried fish, and pottery. The small harbours to the north of Rio, such as S. Jo#o do Paraiba, S. Salvador, Macahe, Porto Seguro, Caravel- has, Victoria, &c. supply Rio with a considerable quantity of vegetables, and fish, with the produce of their fine forests, in the shape of beams, planks, hoops, Jrazil-wood, bark, charcoal, fuel, and cocoa-nuts; also tobacco, sugar, rum, and rice. Cape Frio sends tubs and casks made of the trunk of the gamelleira (fig-tree.) Ilha Grande furnishes extremely good pottery, and, as well as Cape Frio, lime. Bahia sends slaves, tobacco, millstones, fucum (thread made of the fibres of the palm,) and cocoa-nuts; Pernambuco, salt, saltpetre, and European articles ; Buenos Ayres and Monte Video, hides, horns, leather, &c. and wheat flour. “This coasting trade is principally carried on in small one or two-masted ships, and keeps up a constant inter- course between the whole Brazilian coast and the capi- tal. From the mouth of the Plata to Rio, the voyage is generally completed in from twenty-two to thirty days; from St. Catharine and Rio Grande do Sul, in from fifteen to six-and-twenty days; from Porto Seguro in from eight to fifteen; from Bahia in from twelve to twenty ; according as the wind blows along the coast from south to north, which depends on the position of the sun.”* It is obvious, how important a bearing this extended coasting-trade has on the rising greatness of Brazil as a maritime power. Para and Maranham, however, export all their productions direct to Europe, which is the case, in part, with Bahia, and of course Buenos Ayres. The inland trade between Rio and the neighbouring provinces, especially with S. Paulo and Minas, to which * Von Spix, vol. i. pp. 185—7. PART 1, I 134 BRAZIL. there are tolerable roads, is very extensive. The latter sends its cotton, coffee, and tobacco chiefly to Rio, though further from some parts than Bahia, the road being less difficult: * it exports also, besides its pre- cious stones, cheese, marmalade, brown sugar-loaves, and an enormous quantity of very coarse cottons for clothing the slaves and poor shepherds of the southern provinces. From Rio Grande do Sul and S. Paulo, many thousands of oxen, horses, and mules are an- nually driven to Rio. The inhabitants of the remote provinces of Matto Grosso and Goyaz bring gold in bars and dust, precious stones, and smuggled diamonds (the article being contraband,) to exchange for Euro- pean manufactures. + To the smaller ports of Brazil, Rio exports all sorts of European goods; to Pernambuco and Seara, some- times considerable quantities of vegetables; to the northern provinces, great numbers of slaves; to the Plata, immense quantities of coarse cloths; to both the western and eastern coasts of Africa, English and Por- tuguese goods; to Europe, sugar, coffee, cotton, tobacco, hides, tallow, a few otters’ skins, horse-hair, * In 1820, Minas sent, of cotton, 70,407 arrobas; coffee, 20,000; tobacco, 54,281. t “It is nothing uncommon,” says Dr. Von Spix, ‘ to see in- habitants of the deserts of Cujaba and Matto Grosso, who have made a journey of 300 miles or more, leading back caravans of mules laden with articles for the consumption of the interior. The Brazilian is not to be deterred by the dangers and fatigues of a journey which often separates him eight or ten months from his family, from undertaking from time to time the management of his commercial affairs in person. A man who undertakes, almost weekly, a journey on horseback of five or six Brazilian miles (about twenty or twenty-four English,) to attend mass at church, or to visit his neighbours, does not fear to travel several hundred miles, if necessary, to exchange the harvest of one or of several years for the valuable productions of foreign coun- tries.” BRAZIL. 135 and hides, horn, rum, treacle, whale-oil, and whale- bone, ipecacuanha, rice, cocoa, indigo, fustic-wood, log- wood, and ship-timber. To these may be added, among the more precious articles of export, gold in chains and other ornamental forms, diamonds, topazes, amethysts, tourmalines (often sold for emeralds,) chrysoberyls, aqua marinas, and wrought jewellery. The cochineal was at one period becoming an important article of commerce; but the trade was ruined by the cupidity of the cultivators, who, finding it obtain a high price, adulterated it: on discovering the fraud, the govern- ment and the merchants declined to purchase it, and it consequently ceased to be cultivated. The Brazil-wood is still found in the forests of Pernambuco, but Dr. Von Spix states, that the government, to which it be- longs, has not had any felled for many years, and there are now no magazines of it in the place. Both Portu- guese and North American Indiamen often take from Rio, instead of goods, large sums in silver. Mr. Luc- cock states that, in some years, the silver exported in this way has amounted to 500,000/., and even 800,0004. sterling. The sugar-cane was introduced into Rio by the governor-general, Mem da Sa, immediately after the expulsion of the French in 1568. It is cultivated more especially in those districts of the capitania, which lie to the south and east of the mountains (Serro do Mar:) that is, in the districts of Ilha Grande, Cabo Frio, and Goytacazes, which are the warmest and moistest parts of the country. Most of the sugar plantations and manufactories are in the immediate vicinity of the capital, or about Cape Frio. The coffee of Rio was formerly not liked in Europe, owing to their plucking the berry unripe, and suffering it to corrupt; but Dr. Lesesne, an experienced planter from St. Domingo, has 136 BRAZIL. recently introduced a more advantageous manner of treating the plant, which has led to its extensive culti- vation, and its quality is said to be equal to that of Martinique and St. Domingo. The cotton-tree thrives very well in Rio de Janeiro, but the higher and drier district of Minas Novas is more favourable to it. Tobacco is grown chiefly in the islands in the bay of Rio and the Angra dos Reys, on the Beira-mar, and in Espiritu Santo. The imports from the mother country consist chiefly of wine, oil, olives, vinegar, hard-ware, coarse linen, hats, silks, distilled liquors, medicines, preserved fruits, pottery from Oporto, Portuguese books, musical instru- ments, and paper, chiefly from Italy. In former times, East India goods were brought here in large quantities from Lisbon; but, at present, they are imported direct from India. A voyage thither and back is performed with great expedition. One large ship of 800 tons is stated by Mr. Mawe to have sailed, loaded at Surat, and returned, within the space of seven months. A voyage to China seldom occupies a longer period. It is not improbable, therefore, that this port may even- tually become an entrepdt for India goods destined for Europe. England (particularly London and Liverpoo!) and its colonies supply Rio with cotton goods, fine cloths, porcelain and earthenware, iron, lead, copper, tin (raw and wrought,) anchors, cables, gunpowder, porter, cheese, salt butter, distilled liquors, &c. From Gibraltar are received many East-India goods, and, in Portuguese ships, Spanish wines. France (chiefly Brest and Havre de Grace) sends trinkets, furniture, wax candles, drugs, liGueurs, pictures and prints, French books, silks, looking-glasses, hats, glass and china, dried fruits, oil and butter. Holland sends beer, glass, linen, paper, and Geneva, which is much in request in the BRAZIL. 137 tropical countries, on account of its diuretic quality. Austria * has sent, on speculation, watches, piano-fortes, muskets, linens, silks, velveteens, flannels, mortars, iron-hoops, fishing-hooks, pen-knives, quicksilver, wax, isinglass, copper, brass, lead, tin, and antimony. The other parts of Germany, which formerly carried on a very extensive trade in Bohemian glass and linen with Spain and Portugal, have now tried the experiment of sending consignments of these goods direct to Brazil; they have carried on a good trade, especially in Nurem- berg toys, and in iron and brass utensils. Russia and Sweden send iron, steel, copper utensils, sail-cloth, ropes, cords, and tar. The Swedish iron is preferred to that from England, on account of its greater ductility. North America sends chiefly corn, flour, soap, salt pro- visions, spermaceti candles, train oil, biscuit, leather, boards, pitch, potash, and rude furniture. As the market for these is fluctuating, the American cargoes are frequently taken ultimately to other ports, and the provisions are commonly sent to the Cape. From Mozambique, besides slaves, Rio imports gold dust, ivory, pepper, colombo root, ebony, cocculus indicus, and an abundance of gums, particularly the gum meni. From Angola and Benguela, wax, palm oil, Mundubi oil, ivory, sulphur, and some gum arabic: the latter two articles and salt are the chief imports from the Cape de Verd Islands. From Macao, the imports consist of fine muslins, printed cottons, silk stuffs, porcelain, tea, Indian ink, cinnamon, pepper, and camphor. Mr. Luccock has given a table of the commerce of Rio, as compared with that of Bahia, for the year 1816, * It was intended, Dr. Von Spix says, on occasion of the mar- riage of the Archduchess Leopoldina with Don Pedro, to establish a commercial intercourse with Austria, in which the two states were reciprocally to favour each other; but the plan was never brought to maturity. 12 138 BRAZIL. from which it appears that, in that year, 1460 vessels (of which 113 were British, 114 of other foreign nations, and the remainder Portuguese,) entered the port of Rio, and 519 (of which 57 were British, and 44 foreign of other countries,) that of Bahia. Outwards, the numbers were, 1232 from Rio (93 British,) and 431 from Bahia. A table of the principal exports in 1817, is given by Dr. Von Spix, which shows that, in that year, the sum total of value, in the five chief articles only, amounted to 5,401,597,600 rees (about 1,350,4007. steriing,) and the duty to 149,279,872 rees:* they consisted of 17,000 chests of sugar, 300,000 arrobast of coffee, 40,000 bales of cotton, 512,000 ox-hides, and about 30,000 cwt. of tobacco. According to documents cited by M. Beauchamp, the imports had risen, in 1821, to 1,294,000 livres sterling, and the exports to 2,278,000 livres. Rio is in lat. 22° 54” S.; and long. 43° 18" W. ENVIRONS OF RIO. THE vicinity of Rio presents some very fine scenery, in particular around the Lagoa do Frietas, where many * The coin of Brazil differs from that of Portugal. It is calcu lated in rees (an imaginary coin,) and the value of every piece is marked on it. There are copper coins of 10 and 20 rees ; silver coins of 80 and 160 rees; the single and double patacea of 320, 640, and 960 rees. The new gold coins are all of 4000 rees: there are older ones of 1000, 2000, and 3000 ces. 100 rees of Portugal are equal to about 64. English. t+ An arroba contains 32 Portuguese pounds, about 32% English. Four arrobas make one quintal = 1294Ib. English. Corn and salt are measured by the alqueire, about £ of a bushel English. 20 alqueires make 1 moio. Liquids are measured by pipas and canadas. A Brazilian caneda =51 Lisbon canadas =2 English gallons. A pipe of port =60 Brazilian (312 Lisbon) canadas. The measures of length are varas (5 of which =6 yards English,) and covados (27 = 20 yards English.) BRAZIL. 139 of the inhabitants of the city have their country-houses. Near its northern end, the traveller passes under the precipitous peak of the Corcovado along a romantic valley. On the declivity of the chain of hills which stretches from the city towards the south-west, the Prussian consul-general, M. Von. Langsdorff,* had a small country-house, at the time of Dr. Von Spix’s visit, commanding an enchanting prospect over the city and part of the bay. Nothing,” says this traveller, “can be compared to the beauty of this retreat, when the most sultry hours of the day are past, and gentle breezes, impregnated with balsamic perfumes from the neighbouring wooded mountains, cool the air. This enjoyment continues to increase as the night spreads over the land and the sea, which shines at a distance, and the city, where the noise of business has subsided, is gradually lighted. He who has not personally ex- perienced the enchantment of tranquil moonlight nights in these happy latitudes, can never be inspired, even by the most faithful description, with those feelings which scenes of such wondrous beauty excite in the mind of the beholder. A delicate transparent mist hangs over the country; the moon shines bright amid heavy and singularly grouped clouds; the outlines of the objects which are illuminated by it, are clear and well-defined, while a magic twilight seems to remove from the eye those which are in shade. Scarcely a breath of air is stirring, and the neighbouring mimosas, that have folded up their leaves to sleep, stand motion- less beside the dark crowns of the manga, the jaca, and the ethereal jambos. Or sometimes, a sudden wind arises, and the juiceless leaves of the acaju (Anacar- dium occidentale) rustle, the richly flowered gruini- jama and pitanga (two kinds of Brazilian myrtle) let * Known in the literary world as the companion of Commodore Krusenstern in his voyage round the world. 140 BRAZIL. drop a fragrant shower of snow-white blossoms; the crowns of the majestic palms wave slowly over the silent roof which they overshade, like a symbol of peace and tranquillity. Shrill cries of the cicada or grass- hopper, and the tree frog make an incessant hum, and produce, by their monotony, a pleasing melancholy. A stream gently murmuring descends from the moun- tains, and the macuc (Perdix guyanensis,) with its almost human voice, seems to call for help from a dis- tance. Every quarter of an hour, different balsamic odours fill the air, and other flowers alternately unfold their leaves to the night, and almost overpower the senses with their perfume. Now, it is the bowers of paullinias, or the neiglibouring orange grove ; then, the thick tufts of the ewpatoria, or the bunches of the flowers of the palms suddenly bursting, which disclose their blossoms, and thus maintain a constant succession of fragrance. While the silent vegetable world, illu- minated by swarms of fire-flies, as by a thousand moving stars, charms the night by its delicious effluvia, brilliant lightnings play incessantly in the horizon, and elevate the mind in joyful admiration to the stars which, glowing in solemn silence in the firmament, above the continent and ocean, fill the soul with a pre- sentiment of still sublimer wonders. In the enjoyment of the peaceful and magic influence of such nights, the newly arrived European remembers with tender long- ings his native home, till the luxuriant scenery of the tropics has become to him a second country.” * Such are the charms of a tropical night, where Nature reserves half her fragrance, and more than half her wonders, for the season of repose. As a companion piece to this nocturnal sketch, the reader will be pleased to have presented to him the following description of a sunny ramble. “ We traversed the principal street, * Von Spix's Travels, vol. i. pp. 160-2. BRAZIL. 141 which leads through the quarter of Mato-porcos to the royal residences, S. Cristovfio and Santa Cruz; and passing a handsome country-seat, belonging to the bishop, we ascended the first hills of the Corcovado. Scarcely were we beyond the streets and the noise of the town, when we stopped, as if enchanted, in the midst of a strange and luxuriant vegetation. Our eyes were attracted, sometimes by gaily coloured birds or splendid butterflies, sometimes by the singular forms of the insects and the nests of wasps and termites hanging from the trees, sometimes by the beautiful plants scattered in the narrow valley, and on the gently sloping hills. Surrounded by lofty cassias, broad-leaved, white-stemmed, cecropias, thick-crowned myrtles, large-flowered bignonizs, climbing tufts of the mellifluous paullinias, far-spreading tendrils of the passion-flower, and of the richly flowering hatched coronilla, above which rise the waving summits of Macaubu palms, we fancied ourselves transported into the gardens of the Hesperides. Passing over several streams which were turned to good account, and hills covered with young coppice-wood, we at length reached the terrace of the eminence along which the spring- water for the city is conducted. A delightful prospect over the bay, the verdant islands floating in it, the har- bour with its crowd of masts and various flags, and the city stretched out at the foot of the most pleasant hills, the houses and steeples dazzling in the sun, was spread before our eyes. We dwelt long on the magical view of a great European city, rising here amidst the profu- sion of tropical vegetation. We then pursued the road along the windings of the aqueduct. The channel is chiefly built of blocks of granite, but the vaulted covering, within which the naturalist finds many of the most singular phalangia, is of brick. Between the woody hills there are diversified romantic prospects 142 BRAZIL. into the valleys below. Sometimes you traverse open spots, where a stronger light is reflected from the flowery ground, or from the shining leaves of the neighbouring high trees; sometimes you enter a cool, shady bower. Here a thick wreath of paulliniz, secu- ridace, mikanias, passion-flowers, adorned with an incredible number of flowers, climb through the crowns of the celtis, the flowery rhexias and melastomas, bauhinias, delicate mimosas, shining myrtles; there, bushy nightshades, sebastanias, eupatorias, “crotons, @®giphilas, and innumerable other plants, form an impenetrable thicket, amidst which grow immense stems of the silk cotton-tree (bombax,) of silver-leaved cecropia, thorny Brazil-wood tree, of the lecytkis, with its singular fruit resembling a pitcher, slender stems of the cabbage palm, and many other, in part still un- named, sovereigns of the woods. The majestic sight, the repose and silence of these woods, interrupted only by the buzz of the gay humming-birds, flutter- ing from flower to flower, and by the singular notes of unknown birds and insects, peculiarly affect the mind of a man of sensibility, who feels himself as it were regenerated in the prospect of the glorious country. “The stream which the aqueduct conveys to the city, falls in one place in beautiful cascades over the granite rocks. Oblique-leaved begonias, slender costus, and heliconias, the red flower stems of which shine with peculiar splendour, contrasted with the gloom of the forest, arborescent ferns and grasses, hanging bushes of vernonias, myrtles, and melastomas, bending under a load of blossoms, adorn the cool spots that surround them. Large and small-winged butterflies play with the rippling water; and birds of the gayest plumage contend, morning and evening, to overcome the noise of the brook by their diverse notes. This fountain is BRAZIL. 143 called Caryoca,* and the natives of the province have from it the name of Caryocas, which they give them- selves with pride, but with which the inhabitants of the other provinces combine a satirical accessory meaning. Ingenious poets of Rio de Janeiro, inspired by the beau- ties that surround this spring, have exerted themselves to celebrate by their songs, the Naiad who brings so beneficial a present to their native city. + “ At the cascade of Caryoca, the road turns aside from the aqueduct, and leads over a dry eminence, covered with low trees and shrubs, to the forest which clothes the ridge of the Corcovado. The narrow, steep path passes over several streams. The vegetation is uncommonly strong and luxuriant; but the higher we ascend, the large trees gradually become more rare, and the bamboos and ferns more numerous, among which is a beautiful arborescent fern, fifteen feet in height. When-you have made your way through the last thicket, you reach the green summit of the mountain, where single shrubs, among which is a magnificent arborescent vellosia, offer to the eye a vegetation resembling that of the higher campos of Minas. From this spot there is a beautiful view, extending over the woods, hills, valleys, and the city, to the sca, the broad surface of which is lost in the distant horizon. Towards the south, the mountain is broken, and the prospect loses itself in a steep declivity, bounded by the blue bay of Bota-Fogo; and still further, the bold masses of the Sugar-loaf Mountain close the horizon. At this elevation of about two thousand feet, the difference in the temperature is already so sensible, that you fancy yourself transported to a colder zone. Several streams, flowing from the * ‘ Caryoca, properly Caryb-oca, signifies, in the language of the natives, house of the whites: literally, house of stone.” + Not far from the source the valley declines from Laranjeira, towards the suburb of Catete. 144 BRAZIL. ridge of the mountain, are always some degrees colder than the water in the aqueduct; and at the approach of sun-set, the summit of the mountain is enveloped in clouds, which gradually sink into the valley. ¢“ Another equally interesting excursion that we used t6 make, was to Tijuca, a place about a mile from the city, which was formerly much frequented by the in- habitants. The way is on the high road, past the royal country-seat of S. CristovAo, which was built after his majesty’s arrival, and by improvements in the grounds has been made a very agreeable retreat. The road lies between luxuriant hedges of castus, lantana, bougain-~ villia, cordia, tournefortia, and mimosa lebbek, above which the aloes shoot up their lofty flowering stems. The country is level up to the foot of the mountain; only an insulated verdant conical rock, in the vicinity of the royal seat, is a picturesque object rising above the variegated gardens and plantations. To the west of the road, a new aqueduct conveys the water of a stream from the mountains into the city. Citizens and peasants, on foot and on horseback, and frequently two persons mounted on one beast, give great animation to the road, on which the carriages of the rich can go only as far as S. Cristovho. It is pleasing to see in this paradise, the traces of European industry, diligently cultivated land, and beautiful country-houses. Ascending the verdant slope of the mountain, and between numerous country- seats, along a mountain stream which turned several mills, we at last reached the summit, where the fatigue of the journey was rewarded with a fine view towards the suburb of S. Cristovio.” The travellers obtained an indifferent lodging for the night, at the “ seat” of a Frenchman, where they were obliged to content themselves with some roasted pota- toes for supper, and a wooden bench fora bed. At day- break, they resumed their journey, and just as the sun BRAZIL. 145 was rising, found themselves at the declivity of a high rock, from which a crystal brook, partly dissolved into mist, fell from a height of nearly a hundred feet into the valley, reminding them of the cascades of Naples and Tivoli, “the ornaments of a similar, but far less rich and magnificent landscape.” Continuing their journey south-south-west, towards the opposite declivity of the mountain, they passed over thickly-wooded hills to a deep valley, and at length came to the foot of the Gavia, a picturesque granite rock, which rises close to the eastern banks of Lake Camorim. Its sombre crags and woods, hanging over the smooth mirror of the water, reminded them of the lonely lakes of Switzerland, and of the principality of Saltzburg. The Camorim, called also dacarepagua, is a brackish mere, connected towards the south with the sea, into which it conveys the tribute of many mountain streams, and by which it is swelled in high tides. Only a few wretched huts, belonging to fishermen of a mixed race, lie scattered in this solitude. The lake produces fish iu such abun- dance, that the inhabitants of the district do not even think of cultivating the fertile forests that surround them: they plant scarcely sufficient maize for their own subsistence, but a considerable quantity of Spanish pota- toes, water melons, and sugar-cane; the last of which they do not press, but merely suck out the juice. Their pale, weak, and sickly appearance indicates the effect of this diet in a country liable to be loaded with noxious exhalations. In the vicinity of the Lagoa do Freitas * are the royal * The road to this place passes over the Beira da Lapa, a sort of terrace, connected with the city, raised about seventy years ago in front of a rock, which, when it jutted further into the water, constituted one of thie chief defences of the native Indians against their invaders. It then passes along the northern side of the bay of Bota-Fogo, a circular basin about a mile and a half in diameter, PART 1. K 146 BRAZIL. powder manufactory and the botanical garden. The most important object of cultivation in the latter, is the Chinese tea-plant. When Dr. Von Spix visited Rio in 1817, there were about six thousand trees, planted in rows about three feet asunder. The climate seemed favourable to their growth. The tea is planted, plucked, and dried precisely in the same manner as in China itself. The Portuguese government had directed its particular attention to the cultivation of this plant. The Conde de Linhares, when minister, invited several hundred Chinese colonists, in order by their means to make the proper manner of growing and preparing tea better known. ‘These Chinese were said not to have been any of the inhabitants of the coast, who leave their country from poverty, and go to Java and the neighbouring islands, there to look for work, like the Galicians in Spain and Portugal; but people from the interior had been chosen, who were perfectly acquainted with the management of the tea-plant. Most of these Chinese, however, do not now live about the botanic garden, but in the vicinity of the royal residence of Santa Cruz, except a few who are employed here under the direction of Colonel Abreu, to tend the tea-plants, and gather and preserve the leaves. The leaves are plucked three times a year, and laid on gently heated kilns of clay, on which they are dried and crisped. The taste was strong, yet, by no means so delicately aromatic as the best kinds of Chinese tea, but rather earthy and rough. This dis- agreeable property must, however, be no discourage- ment in any new branch of cultivation, for it is a natural with one opening towards the east, between high granite rocks. Several roads branch off from the western end of this bay, one of which leads to the Lake of Freitas. The country about the lake, as well as the neighbouring suburbs of Bota-Fogo and Catete, is considered as remarkably healthy, on which account it is preferred by the rich inhabitants for their chacras (country houses;) and the road is consequently much frequented. BRAZIL. 147 consequence of the plants not being perfectly accus- tomed to the climate.” * The “royal farm” of Santa Cruz, which is fifty miles south-west of Rio, was formerly a Jesuit convent. Mr. Mawe, who visited it during his residence in Brazil, in 1808, by desire of the regent, draws a not very pleasing picture of this royal domain. The house is neither large nor handsome. It is built in a quadran- gular form, with an open court in the centre, and galleries inside, attached to the first and second floors. It contains thirty-six apartments; but, as they were originally intended for the use of the brotherhood, they are small and inconvenient. * In front of the house, to the southward,” continues Mr. Mawe, “ extends one of the finest plains in the world, two leagues square, watered by two rivers navigable for small craft, and bounded by fine, bold, rocky scenery, embellished in many parts with noble forest trees. This plain is clothed with the richest pasture, and supports from seven to eight thousand head of cattle. A considerable part of it lies low, and abounds with bogs, which might easily be laid dry, and rendered susceptible of cultiva- tion by proper drainage. The park occupies, in its entire extent, upwards of one hundred square miles: a territory almost as large as some of the principalities of Italy, and capable, by its proximity and connexion with the capital both by land and water, of being rendered one of the most productive and populous in Brazil. Under the present system of management, it is in a ® A curious manuscript of the date of 1578, cited by Mr. Southey, states, that tea had been found wild in the neighbourhood of Bahia, of similar quality to that of China. Mr. Koster refers to this, and adds, that a priest of considerable reputation as a botanist, thought he had discovered this plant in the neighbourhood of Olinda, but afterwards feared he had been too sanguine. Whether it is indi- genous to Brazil, appears as yet to be doubtful. 148 BRAZIL. progressive state of deterioration. Two small corners, the best of the land, one about half a league square, and the other more than a league square, have been already, through disingenuous artifices, sold off; and the rest may in no long time be sacrificed to men whose cupidity stimulates them to depreciate its value, unless proper means are used to thwart their nefarious designs. “ The negroes on this estate, including all descrip- tions, amount to about 1500 in number. They are in general a very excellent class of men, tractable and gentle in their dispositions, and by no means deficient in intellect. Great pains have been taken to enlighten them: they are regularly instructed in the principles of the Christian faith, and have prayers publicly read to them morning and evening, at the commencement and close of their day's labour. Plots of ground, at their own choice, are assigned to each; and two days in the week, besides the incidental holidays, are allowed them to raise and cultivate produce for their own subsistence : the rest of their time and labour is devoted to the service of his highness. The system of management, however, is so bad, that they are half starved, almost destitute of clothing, and most miserably lodged ; their average earnings do not amount to a penny per day each. A reform in the establishment might have been easily effected on the arrival of the Prince Regent; but it will now be very difficult, as the abuses have been tacitly sanctioned by the indifference of those whose duty and interest it was to correct them. In this extent of fine ground, scarcely an enclosure is made; the cultivated lands are full of weeds, and the coffee- plantations are little better than a mere coppice-wood, in which the wild shrubs grow higher than the coffee- trees. The cattle are most deplorably neglected, and there is not upon the whole premises a horse fit for the BRAZIL, 149 meanest beggar to ride. Such was the state in which I found this rich and extensive district, which seems to have been destined by nature for the introduction of improvements that might produce, through the in- fluence of high example, an entire change in the agri- cultural system of Brazil.” The Regent, anxious to retain Mr. Mawe in his service, offered him the management of this estate on advantageous terms; but that traveller had other ob- jects in view, and eventually declined it. Dr. Von Spix, who visited it nine years after, found it still in the same neglected state. ¢ They have not yet succeeded,” he says, “ in making a dairy in the European manner; and the King, who possesses in his very neighbourhood one of the finest herds of cows, must content himself with Irish salt butter, which has performed a voyage of several months.” Santa Cruz, on which, a short time before, had been conferred the title and privilege of a town, is situated on a flat sandy eminence, entirely surrounded by a marshy plain, and consists, with the exception of the royal palace, of nothing but wretched clay huts, containing a few hundred inhabitants. A royal manufacture of charcoal had recently been esta- blished here. The few remaining Chinese settlers in- troduced by the Conde de Linhares, had made round their low huts, which were very neat inside, little plantations, adorned with the coffee-plant, and their favourite flower, the jessamine. But the botanic garden, or nursery, was little better than a desolate wilderness, and the kitchen garden near the palace appeared not better attended to. Sickness and regret for their native country had carried off many of the Chinese, and dis- like of their situation had induced others to disperse. Mrs. Graham, who visited Santa Cruz in 1823, found the place somewhat improved, but the Chinese had disappeared. The tea-gardens, which occupy many 150 - BRAZIL. acres of a rocky hill, have been adorned by the present sovereign of Brazil with Chinese gates and summer- houses, to correspond to their original design; and “ placed among the beautiful tea-shrubs, whose dark shining leaves and myrtle-like flowers fit them for a parterre, they have,” says this traveller, * no unpleas- ing effect. The walks are bordered on either hand with orange-trees and roses, and the garden hedge is a beautiful kind of mimosa; so that the China of Santa Cruz forms really a delightful walk. The Emperor, however, who perceives that it is more advantageous to sell coffee and buy tea, than to grow it at such expense, has discontinued the cultivation.” The plants are, nevertheless, still thriving ; and, in the neighbourhood, Mrs. Graham states, “ wild tea’ is found even more beautiful than the elegant Chinese shrub. The estate of Santa Cruz,* which is seven miles in length, extends over a finely varied surface, watered by the rivers Guandu (great bay,) and Taguahy (yellow * The road to Santa Cruz crosses a little hill to the left of S. Cristovio, and then enters on an extensive plain. At Venda Grande, seven miles from the city, the road divides; the branch to the right leading to Minas Geraes, the other to St. Paul's and the south west. The latter is the road to Santa Cruz: it winds at the base of small, woody hills, until it reaches other plains four miles in extent, called the Campinha, the soil of which is a washed sand, formed by a decomposition of granite, and having the appearance of being once covered by the sea. The Venda of Campinha is reckoned the first stage from Rio: it is a distance of about eighteen miles. A league further of a very pretty road leads to the Engenho (sugar-works) dos Affonsos—an extensive estate, but only partially cleared. A few miles beyond its boundary, is the new church of S. Antonio de Lameron, on a little hill, overlooking a neat village and a pretty country. Be- yond this place lies the Engenko of Mata Patiencia, where has been erected an eight-horse-power steam-engine * one of the first, if not the very first erected in Brazil :” besides the rollers in the sugar-house, several saws are moved by it. Between two and three hours further brings the traveller to Santa Cruz. BRAZIL. 151 water.) The latter gives its name to the little Indian village (aldea) of San Francisco Xavier de Itaguahy, formed by the Jesuits not long before their expulsion, and finely situated on the summit of a hill on the fur- ther end of the plain. At the foot of the hill, a very fine engenho is turned by the stream. Mrs, Graham entered several of the huts, which are very poor, barely weather-tight, and with little furniture besides ham- mocks and cooking utensils. But all the floors were cleanly swept, and a log of wood or a rude stool was generally to be found for the stranger, the people themselves squatting on the ground. The population appears to be decreasing, many of the half-civilized Indians having returned to their savage habits, on the departure of the Jesuits. The Guandu rises in the mountain of Marapicu, in the barony of Itanhae, and having received the Tingui, passes to the engenho of Palmares, where there is a wharf from which the pro- duce of the neighbouring estates is conveyed to Sepe- tiva, a little port in the bay of Angra dos Reys, about seven miles from Santa Cruz, and a twenty-four hours’ passage from Rio. In 1810, there was an intention of uniting the Guandu to the Itaipu by a short canal, by which means the navigation would have been direct to Rio; but the design was abandoned.* x To return to Rio. The royal residence of S. Cristovio (formerly called the quinta of Boavista) stands on a gentle eminence, nearly surrounded by high and picturesque mountains, and commands a fine, though distant view of the bay of Rio, the city, tae * Mr. Luccock, referring either to this, or to a third river flowing from the plains of Santa Cruz into this bay, states, that a British ship of ninety guns had ascended the river to that point. The mouth of the Taguahy is about two miles further westward, and these two rivers were connected, he says, by a canal, in the time of the Jesuits. 5 152 BRAZIL. northern mountains, and the plain of Mato-porcos. A private merchan ilding i 7 i A t was building it, when the Prince gent arrived as an exile from Lisbon, and he pre- sented it to his sovereign.* In front of it is placed a gateway, sent to the Prince (now King John VI ) by bie Duke of Northumberland-—an exact copy of that eading i Th is si toe ading to Sion House. The effect is singularly incon- ms. : I'he gates are placed in the centre, between F ars of Brazilian granite, with a lodge on each side : the remainder of the screen ic f - ades of Hig nainder of the screen is formed by palisades of or ugu c OTe « ht "Tha v Ce ; iguese workmanship. The court in front of the palace, however, instead of being entered by the gate - z - i . < =" y ia .¢ wkihle Aanlo he ” way: Is accessible only by a road which enters at the e t r er: RS . ha » 101 ; corner; for that which should form a road to the gateway, has been allowed to r in in i ¥ ; 5 ans been allowed to remain in its natural state of holl ¢ VW 5 : ollow and uneven ground, overgrown with 2 “l + underwood. At present,” says Mr. Henderson, “the ye - : - : Sites fre In disuse, the lodges closed, and with the aid of the dirt and gunpowder arising f i : bt and gunpowder arising from the fireworks ranoced : IY 21 Fre 1 r 101 anged along their front on occasions of religious fes- tivals, the whole already appears in a course of dilapi- dation. The palace is one 'y hi : i : pal ice 1s one story high, perfectly plain, without any pretensions to elegance, or the semblance o any order of architecture, and can boast of nothing sntitv OF Ite «ifrintins 2 1 : : ut the beauty of its situation. It might, indeed, be mistaken at a distance for a manufactory, in conse- " ~ 1 vi . - > : quence of the windows being so crowded together . : NT. . y . . Ts 1 2 = particularly at night, when it is lighted up.” Mr. Luccock describes it as s g i Mz Lae ck de scribes it as small, formal, and ill- contrived, but possessing the great advantage of va- randas or colonnades, on three sides, with glass windows, Hu can be closed or laid open at pleasure. Since these travellers visited Rio, however, the palace has * So Mr. Luccock informs us. Mrs. Graham states, that the place once belonged to a convent, which appears to be an Y. BRAZIL, 153 been greatly enlarged and improved under the superin- tendence of Mr. Johnson, who came to Brazil with the Duke of Northumberland’s present. A more uniform appearance has been given to the building, which is somewhat in the Moresco style, and the whole is co- loured yellow, with white mouldings. The court is planted with weeping willows. Behind the palace is a farm, which, when visited by Mrs. Graham in 1823, appeared in good order; “and the village of the slaves, with its little church, looked more comfortable,” she says, “than I could have believed it possible for a village of slaves to do. The imperial family now live entirely here, and go to town only on formal business or occasions of state.” BAY OF RIO. IT is not twenty years since all around the Bay of Rio de Janeiro there appeared an interminable forest. At this period (1808,) only two boats and about a dozen canoes plied upon the water for hire. St. Domingo and Praya Grande, on the opposite side of the Bay, were small pleasant villages, consisting of a few scat- tered houses embosomed in woods. Little cultivated land was discernible in the wide landscape. The ad- vance of the city on spots so recently covered with wood, surprised even the inhabitants. The shores of the Bay, which is stated to be not less than thirty-two leagues in circumference, are still imperfectly de- scribed. Some of the smaller inlets have been com- pared to Sidney Cove in New Holland ; and “something like the whole,” says Mr. Luccock, “but on a smaller scale, is said to exist in Asia Minor, near to Crete :” he refers, possibly, to the Gulf of Marmorice. “ Nothing that I have ever seen,” says Mrs. Graham, “is com- parable in beauty to this bay. Naples, the Firth of Forth, Bombay harbour, and Trincomalee, each of 154 BRAZIL. which I thought perfect in their beauty, all must yield to this, which surpasses each in its different way.” In the bay of St. Christophe, one of the smaller bays which branch from it, is the Sacco, or little recess of Gamboa, where is the beautiful spot which has been chosen for the Protestant burial-ground. It is called the Praya de Gamboa, and the last-mentioned traveller describes it as one of the loveliest spots she ever beheld. It slopes gradually towards the road along the shore, commanding beautiful views in every direction. “At the highest point, there is a pretty building, con- sisting of three chambers: one serves as a place of meeting or waiting for the clergyman occasionally ; one as a repository for the mournful furniture of the grave; and the largest, which is between the other two, is generally occupied by the body of the dead for the few hours, it may be a day and a night, which can in this climate elapse between death and burial.* In front of this are the various stones, and urns, and vain memorials we raise to relieve our own sorrow; and between these and the road are some magnificent trees. Three sides of this field are fenced by rock or wood.” A British church,* a British hospital, and a British * “The first funeral service was performed in April 1811, which was too soon followed by others. They seemed to have a great effect on the minds of the Brazilians who witnessed them. The situation, ill-fitted for a cemetery, would have been a fine one for a residence.” —ZLuccock’s Noles, p. 258. t+ The foundation stone of the first protestant church in South America was laid at Rio on the 12th of Aug. 1819, and dedicated to St. George and St. John, in honour of the sovereigns of England and Brazil. The site is in the rua dos Borbanes. On this oc- casion, a great portion of the English resident merchants attended, and an appropriate address was delivered by the Rev. Mr.Crane. The architect was Mr. Johnson, who superintended the altera- tions of S. Christovio; the builder a Portuguese. Previously to the erection of this building, the English assembled for divine service in a room.— Henderson's History, p. 96. BRAZIL. 155 burial-ground, are the appropriate monuments of our countrymen in this part of the new world. = The bay of S. Christophe is separated by Ponte Caju, a fine elevated tongue of land, from that of Maricana, which takes its name from a river flowing into its fur- ther extremity. Ponte Caju was formerly an island, and there are still traces of the narrow channel which connected the two bays. “A few vears,” says Mr. Luc- cock, “ will unite the island of Ferreiro to the main land, and render the passage round the point still more difficult.”* On the other hand, the island of Villegag- non, which is exposed to the whole weight of the ocean, is suffering continually from the attrition of the waves. ‘“ Even the rocks which, three centuries ago, surrounded it like so many sentinels, are nearly buried beneath the waves. A large mass disappeared during a gale in the winter of 1817; and on the beach to the leeward of them, particularly on the Praya do Flamingo, is often found a substance thrown up by the surf, which may be de- scribed as the rotten-stone of gneiss.” On a boldly projecting knoll, at aboat a third part of the elevation of one of the l#lls on the eastern shore, stands the Indian village and church of St. Lorenzo, founded by Mem da Sa in 1567, and distinguished in the history of Brazil for the gallant defence made by an Indian chief against a French brig of war which attacked * The new land made in this part of the coast, within a com- paratively recent period, is very considerable. The Sacco dos Al- fares formerly joined the sea through the Campo da Santa Anna and the spot where are now the public gardens. The channel was filled up by the accumulation of sand from the Sacco da Gloria. In 1650, the Largo da Lapa was under water. In 1700, a stream passed eastward from Mata Cavallos to the harbour, and half a century later, the Campo da Santa Anna was marshy. The isth- mus between the bay of Santa Anna and that of Praya Grande was a channel deep enough for a brig in 1568. 156 BRAZIL. the place in 1568.* This is the only place in the imme- diate neighbourhood of Rio where there are still remains of the once numerous native tribes. The present inha- bitants are stated to be descendants of converted Indians brought hither by the Jesuits from the district of Goy- tacazes. They are employed in making earthen vessels for cookery, for which the city furnishes a market. “ Like their ancestors, who excelled in the same art three centuries ago, they use no machinery in moulding the clay, but bring it into shape by twirling their thumbs. The women attend the ovens, and bake the pans with care and skill. No glazing is used, yet they bear the fire well.” The necessary smoothness is pro- duced by means of a small sea-shell which they wet with their lips. Prince Maximilian of Wied Neuwied, who visited this village in 1815, gives the following description of the inhabitants. “ The greater part of these people still evidently retain their genuine Indian physiognomy : others, on the contrary, seem to be rather of a mixed descent. The distinguishing characteristics of the Brazilian race, which I first observed here, but, in the sequel, always found confirmed, are—a moderate-sized, often small, well-formed body, in the man, strong- limbed and muscular; a reddish or yellowish-brown colour; very thick, long, coal-black, lank hair; a broad face, often with the eyes placed rather obliquely, but frequently handsome, with strongly marked features, and for the most part rather thick lips; their hands and feet small and well-formed ; and the men have thin, strong beards. The walls of the huts are constructed of lattice-work of staves, the intervals being filled up with clay: the roofs are covered with leaves of the * He had only one gun, and for balls, hard, rounded stones; yet he succeeded in beating off the assailant with great slaughter. BRAZIL. 157 cocoa palm. The furniture is very simple. Rush mats, laid on rude tressels, supply the place of beds: sleeping nets, made of cotton lines, which were used by them in former times, are still occasionally seen. Both these kinds of beds have been adopted by the lower classes throughout Brazil. Large pots called talha, in which water is kept constantly cool, are in use here, as in the whole country : they are made of a porous clay, through which the water slowly filters, and being condensed on the outside of the vessel, keeps that within cool. To these vessels belongs the half of a cocoa-nut shell, with a wooden handle fixed in it to serve as a ladle. Some earthen pots for cooking called panellas; cuias, or gourd shells, to be used as plates; with several trifling articles of dress, and perhaps a gun or a bow and arrows for the chase, constitute the rest of the furniture. All these people are partly supported by their plantations of mandioc and maize.”* Mr. Luccock describes them as mild, but, though thus industriously occupied, jndelens They are very expert in the use of the bow, frequent y substituting round balls of clay for arrows. In rowing and managing the canoe, they are equally dexterous. They have, for the most part, lost their own language and manners, and have adopted those of their con- querors. Some of the old men, however, still converse pretty fluently in the aboriginal dialect. ee About a mile nearer to the point of Armazem, lies the estate presented by the King of Portugal, whey resent, to Sir Sydney Smith. The house is small, the Shsasion oppressively hot, the land rocky, and of small vole “ At the point itself are some large Warehioises, a nally constructed for the extraction of oil from Bis whale, when that fish rolled his enormous bulk in Hie harbour of Rio.” The whales frequent the Brazilian » Travels in Brazil: by Prince Maximilian of Wied Neuwied. 4to. 1820. pp. 30—%. 158 BRAZIL. coast in great numbers, but they no longer enter this bay. Although no large river discharges itself into the Bay, a number of small streams, many of them navigable to some distance, have their outlet towards the upper end of it. Among these are, the Iraja, which issues from one of the small lakes, and affords navigation with the tide to its port of the same name; the Miriti* (little water,) which traverses a marshy country, and is navi- gable only for three miles in a direct line to its port of the same name; the Sarapuhi, navigable only for about a league; the Iguassu, navigable for four leagues, and having for its tributary the Iguare, which affords navi- gation for a mile to the port of the same name; the Maraby, + flowing from the Serra of Boavista, and navigable to the port of Couto, three leagues above its mouth; it receives the Dos Ramos, which is navigable for eight miles to the skirts of the Serra Mantiqueira, in which it originates; the InAwmirim, navigable for three leagues to the flourishing port of Estrella; the * In its common state, Mr. Luccock says, the Miriti has scarcely any current, and is very shallow even at its mouth, but there are seasons in which it swells so as to become dangerous. The soil on its banks is very rich, and produces abundant crops of sugar, milho, and mandioc. t+ This is, apparently, the “ noisy rivulet” referred to, but not named, by Mr. Luccock, to which he ascribes the formation of the alluvial soil of the rich plains of Oitu. He crossed the stream at a considerable distance from its mouth, where a great road enters the interior. Immediately after crossing it, he began to ascend a formidable pass, by a steep zigzag path, making fourteen turns, yet so steep, that, from the highest point of the ladder (an eleva- tion of about 4000 feet,) he threw with ease a stone over all the stages. Many cattle, in their way to Rio, descend this pass, and severe accidents are frequent. On the right of this pass, a great naked cone towers nearly 2000 feet higher. From this spot, the road advances nearly sixty miles in a westerly direction, to the Paraiba, through a broken and thinly inhabited country. The principal places lying on it are Pao Grande and Uva.—Nofes, &c p. 301. BRAZIL. 159 Suruhy * (rapid water,) issuing from the Organ Moun- tains, and navigable by boats for seven miles; the Iriry + (river of shells,) which comes from marshy land, # The mouth of the Suruhy is stated by Mr. Luccock to be about sixty yards wide; its bed is shallow, sometimes bordered by marshes, but, in general, the land is bold and lofty. The cur- rent was so strong, owing to recent rain, that, during three hours of hard labour, they were able to advance only two miles. On the right margin is the parish of St. Nicolau, comprising a mountain- ous district of ten miles from north to south, by three in width, partly planted with mandioc, rice, and coffee, but principally famed for the banana fruit, which it yields in great abundance. « Of ten decent houses below the church of St. Nicholas, four are vendas, sufficiently filled with the crews of saveiros; a circum- stance which shows that the population and commerce of the neighbourhood must be considerable. Here the Tver is about forty yards wide, and is joined by a stream (tae Goya) nearly half as large: down both of them are brought for exportation, vege- tables, fruit, milho, and firewood.”—Nofes, pp. 342, 3. + “ The Iriri is a hundred yards broad at the mouth, and more than commonly abundant in fishes. The right bank is, for some distance, low, flat, and muddy, forming a soil for the growth of mangue. About a mile within it, we found many saveiros taking in shells, which are carried away to be converted into lime. ; Over the bed in which they lie, is a stratum of stiff, but unconsolidated clay, nearly four feet thick. The bed itself is not more gon six or eight inches in depth, and the shells appear as though they had not long been buried, without any marks of decay or petrifaction: among them is no mixture of clay or sand. Immediately beyond this spot is some bold ground; but a little further onward, the stream makes its way through pestiferous marshes covered with mangue, and seems occasionally to flow with violence. Where it meets the tide, there is a broader expanse of water, with a bank in the midst of it: and the conflux, it is probable, sometimes forms a dangerous whirlpool. At one of the angles of the river into which we were hurried by the current, we sounded, and found nearly fifty feet of water. Having ascended about eight miles, we got into a sort of gutter, not twice the width of our boat, with marshy ground on each side of it to a great extent. From the roof of our boat we could discern, over the mangue, the broad sail of a saveiro, and the tiles of a hut, about 400 yards distant. We shouted, and fired several shots as signals fer a canoe to come to 16) BRAZIL. and has a navigation of only two miles; the Magéassu, which descends from the Organ Mountains, bathes the town of Mage, which gives name to it, and has a naviga- tion of ten miles; the Iguapimirim, descending from the same mountains; * the Guapiassu, or Macacu, one of the largest streams which fall into the bay, and navigable for fifteen leagues, during which it receives several tri- butaries from the same mountains; the Guaxindiba, flowing from the Serra Taypu; and the Emboassu, which has its source in the Serra St. Gonsalo, and is navigable with the tide for a short distance. By means of these streams, different parts of the country to the northward of the capital may be visited with considerable facility. Mr. Luccock, to whom we are indebted for the greater portion of our information relative to this part of the country, made an aquatic excursion for the purpose of exploring these waters. He ascended the Iguassu a considerable distance by means of a canoe. It is a fine, broad, deep river, flow- ing in a very crooked channel, with so strong a current, at all times, that, were it not for its curving direction, no vessel, it is supposed, would be able to stem it. In the rainy season, it flows with impetuosity, and widely breaks its bounds. ‘On both sides, its banks are covered with tall aquatic plants, whose juices serve our relief, for the boat could proceed no further, and the marsh was too soft to walk upon. Atand beyond the spot where the hut stood, it was, no doubt, more solid. Round about it is a wild screen of mountains, and among them the Organ Pipes rose before us in all their rugged grandeur. The seeming impossibility of reaching the house, and of procuring assistance from it, the ap- proach of evening, the ebbing of the tide, and the annoyance of myriads of insects, compelled us to return with our chief object unattained.”—ZLuccock’s Notes, pp. 344, 5. * Near the right bank of this river, is the parish of Ajuda, the soil of which is remarkably fertile, and is planted with mandioc, rice, and coffee. BRAZIL. 161 further to discolour a stream which is dingy from its source. When floods prevail, these fields of vegetables are torn from their roots by the turbulent waters, carried downwards by the current, and thrown on shore near the mouth of the river, where they serve to extend such marshes as those on which they grew. In more tranquil seasons they stand erect,-and form a sort of lane of tall reeds with curious bulbular heads, and serve as a retreat to a great variety of water-fowls. About five miles from its mouth, this river is joined by the Pilar, from the north-east, which has already passed near to a few small houses and one spacious building, forming a village of the same name (Our Lady of Pilar.) Two miles further up, we gain the first firm footing on the banks of the Iguassu, where, on the left hand, stands a small Benedictine convent, pleasantly situ- ated under the shade of a considerable hill, but with its estate so grossly neglected, that the chief object seems to be the maintenance of a wvenda and an extensive brick-work. After rowing six hours longer, we reached the Porto dos Saveiros; so named from the vessels, from ten to forty tons burden, which ascend thus far to take in the cargoes brought hither by canoes. It lies at the foot of considerable hills; one of which I climbed, and from its summit overlooked plains twelve miles long, and six or seven broad, and the river which we had ascended thus far, writhing among them like a snake. Here we exchanged our launch for a canoe, in which we reached the bridge of Maranbaya, after a toilsome progress of other six hours. At this place, the river is about twenty feet wide, while, at the convent and at Porto dos Saveiros, it is thrice that width, and at its mouth full two hundred yards.” * * Luccock’s Notes, &c pp. 338, 9. Ep a ema. zr — a——. — ee ee = — pe—— — — ron st EI pr 162 BRAZIL. The upper plain watered by this river is elsewhere described by this traveller as in general sandy; but, being occasionally overflowed in many parts, a black sediment is left, fit for the growth of rice. The surface is broken by numerous abrupt round hills, called, from their shapes, half-oranges. The Inhumirim, which Mr. Luccock ascended to Porto d’Estrella, is described as a fine river, running in a deep bed with a sluggish channel, among high, rugged lands, and bold, rocky masses, separated, in many places, by broad swamps. At its entrance, on the right, lies a pile of broken rocks, which appear as if they had been tossed from a considerable distance, and had fallen on each other. ‘ Some of the rounded masses seem to have been broken by their mutual con- cussion, and the several fragments lie by the side of each other; and, where a broad, flat stone has been undermost, it has, in some instances been split in a ray-like fracture, and partly sunk into the soil. Such appearances are common in the country surrounding the Upper Bay, and unite to show that many parts now detached from each other, once formed large solid masses, and that they were removed from their native situations while in that state.” The shores of this river, as well as of its tributaries, of which there are several,* are well cultivated. At its mouth, it is two hundred yards wide; at the port, not more than seventy. It is connected by a channel with the river Pilar, which flows into the Iguassu. * One of these, the Jaguamirim, flowing from the morasses, affords navigation for six miles. Another, the Saracuruna, descends from the serra of the same name, and is navigable only for a league. The Figueyra, a third, comes from Serra Frade; and boats go up very near its source, where it has the name of Canoaba, BRAZIL. RIO TO PARAIBA NOVA. Porto d'Estrella, situated in the angle of the con- fluence of the Saracuruna with the Inhumirim, is a place of considerable traffic, being on the main road to the mines. Mr. Luccock thus describes its state In 1816. “Though it has not many houses, some of them are uncommonly good ones. The church” (or chapel of Our Lady) “stands on a round precipitous hill, about two hundred feet above the level of the water, and has an advantage in situation, which it wants in point of size, commanding extensive views of rich plains towards the south and west, and of mountains covered with forests to the north. Here are two quays and suitable warehouses, from which is embarked for the capital most of the produce of the interior. As the principal roads of the country begin or terminate at this spot, here also are landed, and loaded on the backs of mules, all the goods destined for the northern part of the capitania of Rio de Janeiro, for Minas Geraes, Matto Grosso, and Goyaz—for places, some of which are 1500 or 2000 miles distant. The village 1s, in consequence, full of mules, their drivers, and people collected from almost every part of the central pro- vinces; the sides of the river are crowded with saveiros (small vessels;) new lands are enclosed and cultivated, new societies formed, and the people advance in know- ledge and civilization. The first time I visited this spot, since which several years have elapsed, we found the inhabitants so rude, that we thought it prudent to haul off from the village, to sleep on our arms aboard, and to appoint a sentinel for the night. We were also plagued with mosquitoes beyond endurance. Since that period, 1 have received here all the attentions which a stranger is entitled to expect, and enjoyed a 164 BRAZIL. variety of comforts which the growing wealth of the place has enabled it to collect. It has imbibed the spirit of a thoroughfare in more respects than one, having become not ouly civil, but independent, frank, and haughty in a measure by no means common in Brazil.” * The novel sight (to a European) of the long trains of mules laden with chests and packages, arriving from the interior or returning, is thus described by another modern traveller. ! “The European, accustomed to the conveyance of considerable burthens in waggons, is astonished at the sight of so many cargoes divided into small parcels, which are abandoned to the discretion of the beasts or of an unskilful driver, daily loaded and unloaded several times, either in the open air or in exposed sheds scarcely protected against the rain and the weather, and often carried in this manner several hundred miles. The caravans ({ropas,) however, particularly on the better road from Saint Paul and Minas to the capital, are so well organized, that comparatively very little risk is to be apprehended. Lach caravan, consisting of from twenty to fifty mules, is conducted by an arreiro on horseback: Le gives the necessary orders for the caravan to set out, to halt, or to encamp for the night; takes care that the burthens are well balanced, and the pack- saddles in good condition; repairs them when they gall, cures the sick beasts, and attends to the shoes. * Luccock es, pp. 310, 1. Dr. Von Spix, who visited Porto d’Estrella in 1817, gives a strangely different account of the place in some respects. “‘There is always a great deal of business going on here, and it is therefore very strange that there is not a single good dwelling-house, or even a secure magazine for the goods. Every body must submit to take shelter in a wretched scarcely-covered shed, wiere goods are likewise deposited.” 7a + 99 Travels, vol. i. p. 234. BRAZIL. 165 Under him are the drivers (foccadores,) each of whom, generally, has to manage a division (lofe) of seven mules. They go on foot, put the burthens off and on, feed and water the animals, drive them to the pasture, and cook the provisions. The arreiro, generally a free mulatto, frequently attends to the sale and purchase of goods in the city, and acts as commissioner for the proprietor of the caravan. "The drivers are for the most part negroes, who soon become accustomed to the em- ployment, and prefer this wandering life to the labour of gold-washing and working in the plantations.” * The most important articles of trade brought hither by the inhabitants of Minas Geraes, who are called Mineiros, are raw cotton and coarse cotton stuffs. On account of the great traffic between this port and the capital, boats set out daily from Rio between eleven and twelve o'clock, as soon as the sea-breeze springs up, and arrive at Porto d' Estrella in the evening: they leave the latter place every evening after sunset, sail through the night, and reach the city by daybreak. About four miles to the north-east of Porto d’Estreila is the parish of Our Lady of Piedade d’Inhumirim, situated at the angle of the confluence of this river with the small river Cruz. In this district is the Mandioca estate, purchased by the Russian consul-general, M.V. Langsdorff, for 1000/., and estimated to be ten square miles in extent. The road to Piedade lies through a low country, between hedges of the richest variety of shrubs, having on the left hand a range of mountains clothed with thick forests: on the right, the broad valley gently declines towards the sea. At Piedade, a village consisting of several scattered houses and a chapel, the road enters on a verdant plain, bounded by gardens, plantations, and meadows, with the massy * Von Spix’s Travels, vol. i. pp. 232, 3. 166 BRAZIL. summits of the Organ Mountains in the background: it gradually rises, passing over low woody hills, as it approaches the mountains. The Mandioca estate, so called from the excellence of the mandioc roots culti- vated here, is bounded on the north-west by a chain of mountains, traversed by several narrow dells, and covered with woods, which extend from the valley to the lofty summits of the Organ range. In the midst of these great forests are the tracts (rossados) which, after burning the felled trees, are planted with mandioc, maize, beans, coffee, &c. These plantations are gene- rally abandoned after a few harvests, and in the course of a few years are covered again with a thick brushwood. The primeval forests, which stand as testimonies of the productive energies of the new continent in all their original wildness, still unprofaned by human hands, are called in Brazil, mato virgem, virgin forests. We shall have frequent occasion to refer to this feature of Brazilian scenery; but this seems a proper place to introduce the description given by Dr. Von Spix and other travellers, of the wonders of A BRAZILIAN FOREST. THE prevailing character of these sylvan regions, is a magnificence of which the untravelled European can form no conception, arising not so much from the ma- jestic productions with which they abound, as from the infinite diversity in the forms and colours of stems, leaves, and blossoms, which everywhere presents itself, and the luxuriance of the never-ceasing power of vege- tation, which clothes every stem with verdant, flower- ing, parasitical plants. ‘Almost every one of these sovereigns of the forest,” says Dr. V. Spix, “is distin- guished, in the total effect of the picture, from its neighbour. While the silk-cotton tree (bombax pentan- BRAZIL. 167 drum,) partly armed with strong thorns, begins at a considerable height from the ground to spread out its thick arms, and its digitated leaves are grouped in light and airy masses, the luxuriant lecythis and the Brazi- lian anda shoot out at a less height many branches profusely covered with leaves, which unite to form a verdant arcade. The jacaranda (rose-wood tree) at- tracts the eye by the lightness of its double-feathered leaves : the large gold-coloured flowers of this tree and the ipe (bignonia chrysantha,) dazzle by their spendour, contrasted with the dark green of the foliage. The spondias (s. myrobalanus) arches its pennated leaves into light oblong forms. A very peculiar and most striking effect in the picture is produced by the trumpet- tree (cecropia peltata) among the other lofty forms of the forest: the smooth ash-grey stems rise slightly bending to a considerable height, and spread out at the top into verticillate branches, which have at the ex- tremities large tufts of deeply lobated white leaves. The flowering casalpinia; the airy laurel; the lofty geoffreea ; the soap-trees with their shining leaves;* the slender Barbadoes cedar ; the ormosia with its pennated leaves ; the tapia or garlic pear-tree, so called from the strong smell of its bark ; the maina ; and a thousand not yet described trees are mingled confusedly together, forming groupes agreeably contrasted by the diversity of their forms and tints. Here and there, the dark crown of a Chilian fir (eraucaria imbricata,) among the lighter green, appears like a stranger amid the natives of the tropics; while the towering stems of the palms * Sapindus saponaria. The fruit is brought to the city in large quantities: the poorer class use them instead of soap. ‘In many years, one of tifese trees, which are generally about the size of our nut-trees, produces several bushes of this fruit, which contains a great quantity of saponaceous matter.”—¥. Spizx, Pp. 280. 168 BRAZIL with their waving crowns, are an incomparable orna- ment of the forests,* the beauty and majesty of which no language can describe. o Oo . oo i} ) b “If the eye turns from the proud forms of those ancient denizens of the forest, to the more humble and lower which clothe the ground with a rich verdure, itis delighted with the splendour and gay variety of the flowers. The purple blossoms of the rhexia; profuse 9 Le 19 + clusters of the melastoma, myrtles, and the eugenia; the delicate foliage of many rubiacez and ardisiz, their pretty flowers blended with the singularly formed leaves of the theophrastaj the conchorcarpus ; the reed- like dwarf palms; the brilliant spadix of the costus; * The cocoa-palm is frequently seen above thirty feet high. Mr. Mawe measured a fallen tree, (he does not mention the species, ) which was full seventy-six inches in diameter at the thick end, and above twenty-five yards in length. Prince Maximilian says : “ The colossal trees are so lofty, that our fowling-pieces could not carry to the top of them, so that we often fired in vain at the finest birds.”—Travels, p. 43. Mr. Luccock describes a very singular tree, “one of those ve- getable productions,” he says, ‘‘ whose size astonishes the Eaghish traveller. It is here called a gamelleiro,” (from gamella, a great wooden bowl or trough,) “because from its trunk are turned those large bowls which are used as baths. The smallest part of its stem was eight feet above the ground, and there the circum ference measured fourteen feet. Immediately below this line, the roots begin to project in the manner of buttresses, and pro- duce that kind of timber which is particularly esteemed in form- ing the knees of large ships. These terminate in the roots, Which run along the surface of the ground, and appear above it in a circle of seventy-six paces, each of which was intended to measure a yard. One of these roots, at the distance of sixteen feet from the body of the tree, rose wholly above the soil : its girth measured four feet. The branches, which begin to expand immediately above the line where the trunk was measured, extend on each side thirty-five feet, so that the whole head forms a weli-cloghed hemisphere of more than 200 feet in circumference.”—Notes, &c. p. 393. BRAZIL. 169 the ragged hedges of the maranta, from which a squa- mous fern rises; the magnificent stiftia, thorny solana, large flowering gardenias and coutereas, enlivened with garlands of mikonia and bignonia ; the far-spreading shoots of the mellifluous paullinias, dalechampias, and the bauhinea with its strangely lobated leaves; strings of the leafless milky lianes (bind-weed,) which descend from the highest summits of the trees, or closely twine round the strongest trunks, and gradually kill them; lastly, those parasitical plants by which old trees are invested with the garment of youth, the grotesque species of the pothos and the arum, the superb flowers of the orchidez, the bromelias which catch the rain- water, the tillandsia, hanging down like lichen pulmona- rius, and a multiplicity of strangely formed ferns: all these admirable productions combine to form a scene which alternately fills the European naturalist with delight and astonishment. “ But the animal kingdom which peoples those ancient forests, is not less distinguished than the vege table world. The naturalist who is here for the first time, does not know whether he shall most admire the forms, hues, or voices of the animals. Except at noon, when all living creatures in the torrid zone seek shade and repose, and when a solemn silence is diffused over the scene illumined by the dazzling beams of the sun, every hour of the day calls into action a distinct race of animals, The morning is ushered in by the howling of the monkeys, the high and deep notes of the tree-frogs and toads, the monotonous chirp of the grasshoppers and locusts. When the rising sun has dispelled the mists which preceded it, all creatures rejoice in the return of day. The wasps leave their long nests which hang down from the branches; the ants issue from their dwellings, curiously built of clay, with which they cover the trees, and commence their journey on the PART 11. L 170 BRAZIL. paths they have made for themselves, as is done also by the termites, which cast up the earth high and far around.* The gayest butterflies, rivalling in splendour the colours of the rainbow, especially numerous hes- periz, flutter from flower to flower, or seek their food on the rocks, or, collected in separate companies, on the cool streams.t The blue shining Menelaus, Nestor, Adonis, Laertas, the bluish-white Idea, and the large Eurolychus with its oscellated wings, hover like birds between the green bushes in the moist valleys. The Feronia, with rustling wings, flies rapidly from tree to tree, while the owl-moth (noctua striz) the largest of the moth kind, sits immovably on the trunk, with out- * “It is scarcely possible,” says Mr. Luccock, ‘“ to conceive of a greater plague than that which is produced by the ants. In the forests below, they form their nests beneath the surface of the ground, or pile cones of sand, eight or ten feet high, gene- rally round the root or stem of a tree. But, on these heights, their nests stand by the road-side, in the form of rough pillars made of earth and leaves, more than eight feet high and three in diameter. They resemble bee-hives in shape; and at first I thought them the production and abode of bees; for some of them have been opened with a machado (axe,) for the purpose, as I was told, of procuring honey. Examining them, I found the inside hollow and very black ; the walls were from six inches to a foot thick, and full of innumerable passages communicating with each other, but with the external air only at the base, which is a little contracted and thus sheltered from rain. The upper part frequently appears patched, as though an addition had been made to the cells, or a breach repaired. Whether the bees drive out the ants, or only take possession of a deserted hive, I know not; but I found they were of a small brown species, such as I had never noticed below. Within the hollow they deposit their round balls of wax and honey, and are deprived of it by travel- lers.”— Notes, &c. pp. 404-5. Henderson enumerates among the various species of the Bra- zilian bee, *‘ the cupimeira, so denominated because it occupies the houses deserted by the cupim (ant.)” + A collection of 1600 different species of butterflies had already been made in Brazil some years ago. BRAZIL. 171 spread wings awaiting the approach of evening. Myriads of the most brilliant beetles buzz in the air, and sparkle like jewels on the fresh green of the leaves, or on the odorous flowers. Meantime, agile lizards, remarkable for their foria, size, and brilliant colours, and dark- coloured, poisonous, or harmless serpents, which exceed in splendour the enamel of the flowers, glide out of the leaves, the hollows of the trees, and holes in the ground, and, creeping up the stems, bask in the sun, and lie in wait for insects and birds. From this moment all is life and activity. Squirrels and troops of grega- rious monkeys issue inquisitively from the interior of the woods to the plantations, and leap, whistling and chattering, from tree to tree. Gallinaceous jacues,* hoccoes,t and pigeons leave the branches, and wander about on the moist ground in the woods. Other birds of the most singular forms, and of the most superb plumage, flutter singly or in companies through the fragrant bushes. The green, blue, or red parrots, “assembled on the tops of the trees, or flying towards the plantations and islands, fill the air with their screams. The toucan, sitting on the extreme branches, rattles with his large hollow bill, and in loud, plaintive tones calls for rain. The busy orioles creep out of their long, pendent, bag-shaped nests to visit the orange-trees, and their sentinels announce with a loud screaming cry the approach of man. The fly-catchers, sitting aloof, watching for insects, dart from the trees and shrubs, and with rapid flight catch the hovering mene- laus, or the shining flies, as they buzz by. Meantime, * The jacu is the size of a large capon, black, with the figure of a turkey-hen. The jacu-tinga and jacu-pemba are varieties of the same genus. + Probably the soco is meant, described by Henderson as about the size of alarge capon, without a tail; there are several species, a white, an ash-coloured, and other varieties. BRAZIL. the amorous thrush* (furdus Orphews,) concealed in the thicket, pours forth Ler joy in a strain of beautiful melody; the chattering manakins, calling from the close bushes, sometimes here, sometimes there, in the full tones of the nightingale, amuse themselves in mis- leading the hunters; and the woodpecker makes the distant forests resound while he pecks the bark from the trees. Above all these strange voices, the metallic tones of the uraponga (or guirapgnga) sound from the tops of the highest trees, resembling the strokes of the hammer on the anvil, which appearing nearer or more remote according to the position of the songster, fill * Alluding, apparently, to this bird, the author says in another place: ‘ We first observed in these woods the notes of a greyish- brown bird, probably a thrush, which frequents the bushes and grounds in damp, low woods, and sings with numerous repetitions through the. musical scale from H 1 to A 2 (of the German scale) so regularly, that not a single note is wanting. It commonly sings each note four or five times over, and then proceeds imper- ceptibly to the following quarter-tone. It is usual to deny to the songsters of the American forests all melody and expression, and to allow them no pre-eminence but splendour of plumage. But if, in general, the pretty natives of the torrid zone are more distinguished by the beauty of their colours, than by fulness and power of note, and seem inferior to our nightingale in clearness and melodiousness of tone, yet, this little bird, among others, is a proof that they are, at least, not destitute of the principles of melody.” (vol. i. p. 287.) Mr. Henderson, in his list of Brazilian birds, has the Sabie *“ a Kind of thrush, and the greate st singer in the Brazil: its song does not differ from the blackbird.” Prince Maximilian notices the same bird. * The red-bellied thrush, here called sabiakh, sat pouring forth its melancholy though pleasing song on the tops of the bushes.” (Z7ravels, p. 53.) Mr. Luccock has a remark- able anecdote of this bird. The incident, an affecting one, led him, he says, to doubt whether the song of birds is always an indication of pleasurable feeling. He had shota sabiar,” whose note he describes as very full and melodious. Though badly wounded, it struck up a song, and continued it to almost its latest moments.”— Notes, &c. p. 307. BRAZIL. 173 the wanderer with astonishment. While thus every living creature by its actions and voice greets the splen- dour of the day, the delicate humming-birds, rivalling in beauty and lustre diamonds, emeralds, and sap- phires, hover round the brightest flowers.* * “ The Colibri or humming-bird, known in Brazil only by the name of Beija Flor (kiss the flower,) is the smallest bird existing. Their varieties have been stated at six or seven, but there are a great many more. Padre Cazal has seen ten different kinds. A European would never have supposed that a bird so small as the end of one’s finger, could exist, furnished as it is with a bill, feathers, wings, and intestines, similar to the larger kind; and he would be naturally disposed to consider it as but a creature of imagination, until he visited its native country, and daily beheld it fluttering like a butterfly at every flower, and humming a gentle chirrup. It has long wings compared with the size of the body. The largest, of the size of a very small wren, are of an indigo colour, with a white spot upon the back. The second species differs from the first only in being smaller and not having a spot: both have a long tail much forked. The third kind and size are grey, and make their nests in inhabited houses, in the form of a little pocket, suspended from the point of a straw. The fourth variety are entirely green. The fifth are the same colour and size, with a white spot upon the breast. The sixth differs from the preceding only in having a very short tail. The seventh is of the same colour and size, with the tail yellow. The eighth is the colour of the nightingale, the breast finely speckled with white. The ninth is of a brilliant green, with the wings and tail dark, the beak short, slender, and yellow: all the others have it long, pointed, very delicate and straight, with the exception of the grey ones and those of the nightingale colour, who have it a little curved. The tenth kind is dark, or almost black, with a short tail of the colour of fire, the bill black and of medium length: when turned towards the spectator, the throat and breast exhibit at one instant various colours, according to the movements of the bird; at one time that of Aurora when most bright, or like gold melted in the crucible, followed on a sudden, sometimes by a suffusion of green, at other times by blue, or by white, without ever losing its inimitable brilliancy. The head, which is black, appears ornamented with a little crest of the same colour, when the bird has its side towards the observer: when it presents the front it appears studded with sparkling BRAZIL. “When the sun goes down, most of the animals retire to rest: only the slender deer, the shy pecari, the timid agouti, and the tapir, still graze around; the nasua and the opossum, and the cunning animals of the feline race, steal through the obscurity of the wood, watching for prey; till at last, the howling monkeys, the sloth with a cry as of one in distress, the croaking frogs, and the chirping grasshoppers with their mo- notonous note, conclude the day. The cries of the macuc, the capueira, and the goat-sucker (caprimulgus,) and the bass tones of the bull-frogs, announce the approach of night. Millions of luminous beetles now begin to fly about like ignes fatui, and the blood-suck- ing bats hover like phantoms in the profound darkness of the night.”* Many of these inhabitants of the forests are much more interesting to the naturalist than welcome or pleasing company to the traveller. In Brazil, man has much less to fear from wild beasts than from rep- tiles, the species of which are almost innumerable, and the greater part are venomous. This, together with the plague of mosquitoes and other winged enemies, must be admitted to form some drawback on the beauty and luxurious temperature of the climate. rubies, or all of a brilliant scarlet, which insensibly changes to refulgent yellow. They generally have the tongue very long, the legs exceedingly short, and the eyes black. Their principal aliment is the juice of honey of flowers, which they extract, not as the bee, but in the same manner as the butterfly. Some of them have the tongue cleft.”— Henderson's History of Brazil. Appendix, pp. 509, 10. * Von Spix, vol. i. pp. 239—49. t “ The finest orange groves frequently fall a prey to the brown ants, which gnaw off the bark, or to the mole crickets, which devour the roots. The young mandiocca and sugar plantations are often invaded, stripped of their leaves, and laid waste by similar enemies in incredible numbers or deprived of their roots BRAZIL. 1:5 As the ground, however, becomes cleared, and the marshy lands are drained, many of these tribes of an- by the wasps which live under ground. But even when the crop has happily reached maturity, the owner must share it with many foreign guests. Swarms of monkeys, flocks of parrots and other birds, attack the plantations; the paca, agouti, and other kinds of wild swine, eat up the leaves, stalks, and fruits; and myriads of tenthedroes injure the crop. The planter himself, particularly if he has just arrived from Europe, and is unaccustomed to this climate, has many hard trials to undergo from tormenting ani- mals. If he does not keep his dwelling closed, particularly in the morning, evening, and at night, there are swarms of large and small mosquitoes which torment him with their stings, even through the thickest clothes; and only gauze or silk can secure him against these enemies. The earth-flies (Pulex penetrans) which are concealed in numbers in the sand, penetrate under the nails of the hands and feet, and by producing a blister filled with little eggs, cause the most painful sensations, which, if the sym- pathetic swelling of the inguinal glands is neglected, are often followed by mortification. The blister, as soon as it gives pain, must be carefully removed, and snuff rubbed into the wound. Besides these, the inhabitant has often other enemies in his house. The white-bellied ant (cupim, termes fatale) a great number of blatta, and other vermin, continually oblige him, by their destructive fury, to make new arrangements. The former cause the most terrible devastation wherever they pass in their course, for, metals excepted, they gnaw through everything; and in a few days, the beams of the house are rotten; the linen, books, and all the household furniture are destroyed. The blatta commits great destruction among the vegetables in particular, and, in the night, even attacks the tips of the fingers. Without are numberless enemies. Not to mention the savage ounce, the poisonous serpents, lizards, scorpions, centipedes, and spiders, which, fortunately, are not frequently met with, and wound a person only when provoked; the mite (acarus,) called carabatos, is one of the most formidable plagues. These little animals, from the size of a poppy-seed to that of a linseed, live in societies, and crowded by hundreds in the grass and on dry leaves. As soon as the traveller touches such a plant, they very quickly pe- netrate through his clothes to the skin, where they eat in, particularly in the more tender parts, and cause an intolerable itching, which is increased by the inevitable rubbing, and in the 176 BRAZIL. noyers will be gradually expelled or diminished. The primeval forests are continually giving way before the axe and the flames; and their various tenants will be compelled to seek regions yet more remote from the invasion of man. Although the beauty of the country will unquestionably be diminished by this means, the neighbourhood will become far more agreeable to the resident. The luxuriant power of vegetation in these regions produces many singular appearances. When a trunk has a decayed hole or a crevice in it, arum, caladium, dracontium, and other productions of that kind, throw out large tufts of juicy, heart-shaped or arrow-shapeds dark-green leaves, so that the traveller beholds the most extraordinary intermixture of different species of vegetation. * With such a fullness of life and such a vigorous striving at development,” says Dr. V. Spix, “even so rich and fertile a soil is incapable of furnish- ing the necessary nourishment in sufficient abundance. Hence, the gigantic trees are in a constant struggle for their own preservation, and impede each other's growth still more than the trees in our forests, Even stems which bave grown to a considerable height, requiring a large supply of nutriment, feel the influence of their more powerful neighbours, are suddenly arrested in their growth by being deprived of the requisite juices, and thus become in a short time subject to a rapid dissolution. We thus see the noblest trees, after suffer- ing an atrophy of some months’ duration, eaten away by ants and other insects, seized with decay from the root to the summit, till, to the terror of the solitary inhabitants of the forest, they fall down with a tre- end produces an inflamed blister.”—Von Spix’s Travels, vol. i, pp. 258—60. * Maximilian’s Travels, p. 50. BRAZIL, 177 mendous crash.” * In some places, where the forests have been burnt down to clear the ground for cuitiva- tion, the immense scorched trunks appear like the ruins of colonnades, still in parts joined together by the withered stalks of their parasite plants. Some- times, these creeping and climbing plants so interlace the larger trees, that it is impossible for the eye to penetrate the ‘verdant wall.” Many of them bear flowers of great beauty; particularly one kind of bromelia with a deep coral-red flower, the leaves of which are tipped with violet, and the heliconia, a kind of banana, with dark-red calyx and white flowers. The bauhinia is a very singular plant of this description: its strong woody branches grow in alternate arcs of circles, and the concavity of each is hollowed with so artificial an appearance, that it seems as if the chisel of a statuary had been employed for the purpose; on the convex side is a short, blunt thorn. It climbs into the tops of the highest trees, and might almost be mistaken for a production of art. Many of these creeping plants shoot downwards long branches, which taking root, impede the progress of the traveller, who must cut them down before he can proceed. Such pendent branches, when agitated by the wind, frequently inflict severe blows on the traveller. “In general,” says Prince Maximilian, ¢ vegetation is so luxuriant in these climates, that every old tree we saw, presented a botanical garden of plants, often difficult to come at, and certainly for the most part unknown.” Even the rocks,” remarks the same traveller, ‘are here covered with lichens and cryptogamous plants of a thousand various kinds; particularly the finest ferns, which in part hang like feathered ribbons in the most picturesque manner from the trees. A deep red hori- Von Spix, vol. 1, p. 243. WE "» A Ev 178 BRAZIL. zontal fungus adorns the dry trunks; while a fine car- nine-coloured lichen, (on the properties of which, as a dyeing matter, some experiments have been made in England,) covers the bark of the stronger trees with, its round knobs.” '* Mr. Luccock describes the various tints of a Brazilian forest as extending from a light-yellow green, to one bordering on blue, and these are mingled again with red, brown, and a gradation of deeper shades almost to black. The “ silver tree” is of a brilliant white; the head of the mangoa is brown. The Brazil-wood puts forth large flowers of a purple hue; and “I have seen,” he says, “the vast mountain of Tengua clothed in yel- low, from the multitude of its liburnums.” The effect of the flowering parasitical plants, he compares to “gay parterres in the air.” The same traveller witnessed, in 1816, on a compari- tively diminutive scale, one of those magnificent confla- grations which not unfrequently take place in these forest tracks, occasioned sometimes by lightning, sometimes by the carelessness of travellers. * Fire had seized upon an adjoining forest, and devoured about half a league square of it. Being to windward, and not incommoded by the smoke, I approached as near as the heat would allow me, or the embers suffer a well-broken horse to advance. It is not in my power, however, to communicate more than a very faint idea of the sublime picture. I was in the midst of several hundred stems, as large as the middle- sized British oak, all black and smoking, from whose smouldering remnants continually fell half-consumed branches, and smaller pieces of charred wood, which, broken and breaking others in their fall, formed a shower of sparks, rendered vivid by their passage through the air. The ground was covered with these charred arms, * * Travels, p. 43 BRAZIL. 179 with embers, and with ashes, whence arose small spira- cles of grey smoke, as if escaping through crevices from an immense furnace, hidden and burning beneath. At some little distance in front, the fire raged in all its fury. From the burning underwood, the flames rushed upwards in large sheets, which expired in the air, or seizing the dried leaves of those monarchs of the forest which had defied all former storms, instantly set the whole head in a blaze; and the crackling twigs formed a harsh counter to the surf-like roar of the flame below. While the fire spread itself, eating the forest all around, and became more active by every breeze, the remaining stumps in its immediate rear stood like piles of living coal, and seemed to writhe as under the influence of a liquid poison, creeping through their veins. The wintry appearance of those naked branches which preserved their station, and of the ground thickly strewed with ruins and black ashes, while flames surrounded me, and the heat of the atmosphere was almost intolerably op- pressive, formed a contrast which cannot be described, an incongruous scene of desolation, which no art can represent.” * How this conflagration commenced, no one thought it worth while to inquire : it seemed to pass almost un- noticed, as it had not endangered any farm or plantation. In the year 1796, a conflagration broke out on the sum- mit of the Tengua, which lasted for nine months, and was mistaken by some persons for a volcanic eruption. It was at length quenched by the rains. The spot, Mr. Luccock says, is still marked by the diminutive size of the trees, and the colour of the foliage. In proportion as any tract is cleared of wood, the birds of prey become less numerous, while the smaller kinds increase and multiply. In one instance, this traveller noticed great * Luccock’s Notes, &c. pp. 357, 8. 180 BRAZIL. numbers of small birds ¢ like the linnet and canary,” * where the land had been partially brought under culti- vation. The marshy meadows abound with the white heron, the American lapwing, and plovers and other water-fowl in abundance.t The shining violet oriole and the razor-billed blackbird are the familiar inhabi- tants of the fields and hedges. The luxuriance and richness of the vegetable world in South America is ascribed by Humboldt to the great moisture which everywhere prevails, and which gives it an advantage over all other hot countries, forming more especially a surprising contrast to those parts of Africa which lie within the same parallels of latitude. In many respects the climate, the soil, the varied surface, and the rich vegetation, seem to resemble more some parts of Asia Minor. But in that exuberance of ever- green foliage which forms the peculiar characteristic of the New Continent—in the number of its finely wooded mountains, the sources of countless springs—in the abundance of large streams, in the character even of its deserts, without sand, and the impenetrable forests— * The Canario has the form, and almost the same colour, but not the song, of the native of the Canary Islands: it is the first among the small birds that announces the dawn of day. The Cardial (Cardinal) resembles the linnet, but is a little larger. It derives its name from a small crimson cap, or hood, which covers part of the neck: its song is loud and pleasant, t+ Mr. Luccock thus describes a species of heron, which he calls ‘‘ the plumed Succoo.” This shy but interesting bird is nearly as large as the common stork, white, witha yellow bill and legs: it is distinguished by a tuft of feathers, which grows from a mem- brane between the scapulars, and reaches the whole length of the back, resembling the bird of paradise. Mr. Henderson enume- rates the cegonlia or stork, “similar to that of Europe ;” the garca or heron; the fuyuyu, * the height of a man,” which also lives on fish; the scarlet guara; and the rose-coloured colkereira, a delicate and beautiful bird, the * king of the morasses.” TT ih a BRAZIL. 181 the tropical region of Brazil has the pre-eminence over every other part of the globe. After leaving the Mandioca estate, the caravan road to Minas Geraes ascends through the forest, by the edge of steep precipices and gloomy clefts, to the summit of the Serra de Estrella, about 4000 feet above the level of the sea, while the cones on each side rise nearly 2000 higher. There is an expensive paved road to the top of the mountain, nearly a mile in length, almost the only one of the kind in Brazil.* But at the end of this road there is no longer any possibility of using car- riages on the rugged track. From the summit, there is a fine bird's-eye view of the bay, with its verdant islands, and the city in the back-ground; and the coast can be traced from Cape Frio to Point Joatinga, a distance of nearly a hundred and fifty miles. On the opposite side, there is a more limited view of a very uneven woody tract, which extends along the coast to the Rio Paraiba. The mountain road first leads to Corrego Seco, a poor village, 2260 Paris feet above the sea level. It then descends through a high undulating country, partly broken by massy granite mountains, to Itamarete, a lone house with a venda, on the banks of the Payabuna or Piabuna.t+ This mountain rivulet is here about 50 * Mr. Luccock makes the whole ascent four miles and a half. The road is cut out of the side of the mountain, takes the line of a narrow irregular defile, and is paved with large stones: the ascent in some places is very steep, but the angles are formed with judg- ment. ‘‘ There is only one other work of the kind, I believe,” says Mr. L. “ in Brazil, which communicates between Santos and St. Paul's. Both of them do great credit to such an infant state.” t+ ‘“ This is one of those resting-places which abound through the central part of Brazil, where there are frequented roads. The owner of a large estate builds what is called a rancho, which, i general, is nothing more than a long, broad roof, covered with tiles, and raised upon rough unhewn posts, about 20 feet high, but it has generally no walls whatever. Beneath these sheds PART 11. M 182 BRAZIL. BRAZIL. 183 feet broad. About a day’s journey from Corrego Seco is Soumidouro, a small village in the midst of a forest, roads in this part are wider and well cut: > $01 it; the soil gene- ; rally ‘ lee FromP i K rall rich and deep. From Pampulia, Mr. Luccock was informed, it is a distance of twenty-five miles to Pao Grande ie western ro: : i srande, on the western road to the Paraiba, and about the same distance va. To the eastward, i as astward, 1t was stated, the country district of Par at the source of a mountain stream. From this place, where Dr. V. Spix passed a night, it is half a day’s jour- ney to the military post (des’acamento) on the Paraiba, where all caravans coming from Minas Geraes, and the > passed; but, beyond the passports of all travellers going into the interior, are roads are bad, infested bv strictly examined. Mr. Luccock descended from Ita- marete in a N.N.W. direction, passing several large farming establishments to the miserable rancho of Indians, and conta in no established re sting-place. The route to Minas Geraes, which this tr: weller was pursuing, WV] hin four miles i : from Pampulia again ascends great height, and then winding from W. to N and N. W., passe S over gentile Olaria, situated in a fine valley or mountain defile. Eight miles further is the rancho of Pegado. At the distance of twenty-five miles from this place, the Pia- ina, after having tumbled over a long succession of feet, the soil of the ric hestde scription, till, at Riberam, 2 < it enters on ““ a sort of Yorkshire-looking moor.” Here reside a number « " : to a elevations of about 300 J u rapids, discharges itself into the Paraiba. The next stage is Pampulia, the most populous place in the road from Porto d’Estrella: it actually contained, in 1817, f i mig who gain a living by making horse-shoes. The government very unwisely six or seven houses, all of them vendas. The road to toposes 2 Leavy Gatgon all unvrough iron thatinnssoy the Register further on Shortly afterwards, the tra- velier passes the ree of Pedro Moreiro, consisting of EET SIX or seven comfortless huts at the edee of the road The vale of the Paraiba; and then descends through a tract faeimer y large sugar plantations, to Governo, plea- it from Pegado roads to an elevation of 1700 feet, crossing the summit of the Serro, and then descends into Devonshire, dressed in Brazilian ornaments.” those who travel with a troop take up their residence for the ntly situated at the junction of three small dells . . : > night, and have no communication with the house or the owner € ach om its mountain torrent. He has not vet i 1S ', he establishes 1 he 3 ay be able the limits > nar: es > of it. Just by, he establishes a venda, t it he m iy be able to the limits of the parish of Inhumirim nor is a dispose of milk. For pasturage a small sum is paid to the owner to be met with in tl hol ar i i 3 i ile Thy fr . of the land. At Itamarete, the rancho was 150 feet long by 30 fedndon Al Y ie whole distance from broad.”—Luccock’s Notes, p. 375. Another, of a somewhat better ade... About three miles from the riv er, the country description, at Pegado, was 60 yards long by 15. It had a mud opens into a charming vale, which reminded Mr. Luc wall at the back and at one end: the front and the other end were cock of the banks of the Tees near Jarnard Castle. railed with horizontal bars to the height of five feet, and there The stre ] am 1s about two hundred yards broad. The were two good gates. The pillars, both in the centre and the sides, ferry is reported 1 . ~ . . € » 3 were of brick; the rafters, spars, and rails, of different-sized " , ported to be fifteen miles from the mouth of trunks of the cocoa tree. The whole was put together, according 0 iabuna, and about sixty from St. Salv: . I g i alvador dos to the custom of the country, without the use of a nail, oT peg, : ampos: the count: 'y, as far as the falls of St. Fidelis or iron in any shape, the want of these being supplied by 1s composed of steep mountains and n: lel 4 r < , J notches and tenons. The floor, as usual, was the earth, not even The Register | : urow dells. He hegister here, though one of tl levelled. evelle to the I ————— oe PE ——— or 0 A I Rs m——_r— a ———— —— 1e first importance rovinee and the state, is a contemptible build- ing, without a stable, garden, or enclosure of any kind; and though a military station, no soldiers were to be seen. There are, besides, a rancho and a few mud huts. Upon a fine knoll on the other side of the river, stands a small chapel. A second Register must be passed on the banks of the Paraibuna, where, close to the water's edge, stand one good house, a small church, and a poor venda. The intermediate road is winding and difficult, and, though not above seventeen miles, forms a two days’ journey. Within the distance of nine miles, the traveller has to ascend and descend six times, as much as 800 feet. The stream at the ferry is about 100 yards broad, and fifteen deep, with a sandy bottom. The Paraiba is considered as one of the general boundary lines which divide the province of Rio from that of Minas Geraes; but Mr. Luccock states, that the provinces have usually for their boundaries, the agoas vertentes, (literally, descending waters,) or a line run- ning between the heads of the streams which flow down on either side of the hills into their respective reser- voirs. Thus, the small district which is washed by the Paraibuna and the Paraiba, and bounded by the Serro of Montequeira, belongs to the province of Rio Janeiro. Having now reached the limit of the province in this direction, we return to the coast.* At the northern extremity of the Bay, between the mouth of the Iriri and that of the Magea#su, in a recess formed by the Morro (Rock) of Piedade, stands a little town, which forms the port of a thickly inha- bited and well cultivated region; it is a place of great resort. The town of Mage, situated on the river to which it gives name, about four miles from the Bay, * A line drawn from S. to N., commencing at the fort of Lage, passing up the middle of the Bay and by the Inhumirim to the source of the Piabanha, and thence descending to the Paraiba, is considered as dividing the province into east and west. BRAZIL. 185 is one of the most considerable places in the neigl bourhood of the capital. It was erected into a oa 1789. In 1816, it had several streets regularly arranged i houses of a superior cast, a good fish-market, and an excellent chure T 'ts wer : The black or best sort a " ae The bi s procured here. The river, though broad, is navigable only by means of the tide, being shallow at low water. RIO TO CANTA GALLO. AFTER passing the mouth of the Iguapemirim, the next river is that which both Mr. Mawe and Mr Henderson (the latter on the authority of Cazal) c I the Macacu, but which Mr. Luccock styles de re pezu, remarking that the Macacu, one of its confluents often usurps its name, though much smaller i shorter in its course. “ In point of size, extent, and quantity of water, this is,” he says, “ without qostion the first of the streams falling into the bay of Ric although the Inhumirim has more traffic upon it and on that account is certainly the most important : The mouth of the Iguapezu is nearly 600 yards Brond Before it lies a bar, which, amidst its common diffi- culties, has several channels, through which vessels of 30 tons burthen may pass, when light, at half-tide : if coming down laden, it sometimes obliges them to wilt three or four days for a sufficient depth of water: and the people have not only to endure the irksomeness of delay, but the torment arising from the various and unceasing hostilities of insects. About a mile within the bar is a small venda, which, with a probable re- terence to such sufferings, is called Patiencia. A little eastward is Villa Nova (de St. Joze d’el Rey,) once an abode of native Indians, and regulated by the laws made in their favour. I'he river continues broad and 186 BRAZIL. deep, where, about six miles from its mouth, and twenty-seven from the city, itis joined by the Kysarebu from the eastward, commonly called the Casarebu. Three miles higher we meet with the first solid ground, where is a fine plantation on the left of the river. Here the stream is much less deep, and narrowed to about a hundred yards. Soon after, we drop into shoal water, yet with a strong current. On the right is a round hillock, from the summit of which is an extensive prospect. In the immediate vicinity is a rich fenny tract, generally dry, but liable to be flooded; to the north the mountains, though distant, are in full view; to the east and south are unbounded plains, broken by the abrupt and grey serros of Tokai, America, and Saquarema. The chanuels of the Guaxendiba, the Casarebu, and the Macacu, may also be distinctly traced The latter stream joins the Iguape (Guapiassu) from the north-east.” * The town of Macacu, the seat of the local govern- nent, stands about two miles above the junction of the two streams, in the midst of extensive marshes. It was thought by Mr. Luccock to contain, in 1816, a thousand inhabitants, with an unusual proportion of priests and lawyers. Itssize and situation reminded him of Little- * Luccock’s Notes, pp. 347, 8. Mr. Henderson, speaking; this river under the name of Macacu, describes it as entering the bay by two mouths. * Alligators of a very large size inhabit its banks, and take shelter among the high reeds which grow in the water. Its source isin the Organ mountains, near the rock called Canudos; and it is united on its right margin by the rivers Gua piassu, Cabucu, and Varge; on its left by the Cacerebu and the Aldeia. The Guapiassu, which is the most considerable, comes from the same mountains as the Macacu, and a little before its incorporation with that river, communicates w ith it by a channel called Rio dos Morros (river of rocks.) The principal con fluent of this tributary river is Piracinunga.” — Henderson’ Hist. p. 40. I ii BRAZIL. 187 port in the Isle of Ely. Mr. Mawe describes it as stand- ing on a small eminence in the midst of a fine plain, watered by a considerable stream, over which there are two good bridges. It has a church dedicated to S. An- tonio, and a convent of ‘lazy Franciscans.” It was created a town by King Peter II. in 1697. Since 1808, it has been the residence of a juiz de fora, whose juris- diction also extends to the town of Mage. The popula- tion of Macacu, including its district, is stated by Mr. Henderson to amount to 9000 souls. He makes the distance from the Bay three leagues in a direct line, and almost ten by the course of the river. Itis three leagues 1 Nova About three miles S.E. of Macacu, upon the right bank west of Mage, and two leagues N.E. of Vill: of the Aldeia, not far from its confluence with the Guapiassu (or Macacu,) is the Portos des Caixas, a place of great resort from the interior, and the grand point whence all the productions of the district of Tapa- _—_ toon i 3 ure : . cora and the surrounding parishes are embarked in boats hence, than from all the other ports in the Bay.* for the capital. More sugar is said to be sent from Pursuing the river Macacu, about seven miles higher, and at the computed distance of fifty from the capital (travelling by the rivers,) is Pirasenunga, where the tra- veller again enters on ““ the Piedmont” of the province Mr. Luccock pursued the river of the same name fou or five miles, till it diminished to a very narrow streain Crossing to the west, he fell in with the Iguapemirim, running to S.E. to meet the Guapiassu. The whole of the way to Mage, distant about twelve wiles, lies through a rich and well-cultivated plain. Mr. Mawe, on leaving the town of Macacu, proceeded * Mr. Mawe, in his journey to Canta Gallo, entered what he calls the Macacu, proceeding up it to ““ a house called Villa Nova; at day-break he reached Porto das Caixas, and thence was navi gated in a canoe to Macacu. 188 BRAZIL. up the winding banks of the river to a farm belonging to a nunnery at Rio, distant only a day’s journey from Portos das Caixas. The next day, crossing the stream where it was at least sixty yards broad and three feet deep, he proceeded in an easterly direction to the Jazenda of a Captain Ferreira. This estate, bounded by the alpine ridge behind it, is the extreme point to which the Macacu is navigable. It is between six and seven leagues from the town of that name. About two miles from the fazenda, crossing the river twice, is the first Register in this direction, guarded by a corporal and private soldier. A second Register is the next resting-place, which Mr. Mawe reached after a difficult and dangerous journey. The badness of the road may be judged of from the fact, that he was nearly four hours in going six miles. * The imagination of Salvator Rosa himself,” he says, ‘‘ never pictured so rude a solitude. On one side rose the great barrier of mountains which we had yet to cross, covered to their summits with trees and underwood, without the smallest trace of cultivation; on the other lay the broken country be- tween this ridge and the plain, presenting the same wild features of sylvan scenery. The miserable hut at which we lodged, partook of the savage character of the neighbourhood.” Here the travellers were fortunate in being supplied with coffee and eggs. * As to milk, there was no possibility of procuring any: a cow would have been considered here as an incumbrance; nor would any one of the six idle soldiers have given him- self the trouble of milking her, though they had all been dying of hunger.” The next day’s journev was still more rugged and perilous, the road in some places tra- versing almost perpendicular passes, and forests which scarcely admitted the light of day. * Not a bird did we see,” says Mr. Mawe, “ nor the trace of any living thing, except some wild hogs.” The elevation of the BRAZIL. 189 serro which he crossed, he supposed to be between 4 and 5000 feet above the level of the sea; the air was sharp and keen, and the thermometer (April) stood at 58°. The road continued in a N.E. direction to the Sazenda do Morro Queimado ; beyond which it began to descend the other side of the mountain ridge, through an uneven tract, formed of hills and ravines, which extended to Canta Gallo, the capital of the district, distant from Morro Queimado thirty-four miles. “ Canta Gallo,” says Mr. Mawe, “ though so near the seat of government, was not known until about twenty years ago.* It is situated in the midst of a fine well-wooded country, abounding in springs, and inter- sected by narrow valleys and ravines. The bottoms of some of these ravines formerly contained gold, which was accidentally discovered by some grimpeirost from Minas Geraes, in the course of their searches about the great river Paraiba, and the Rio Pomba. The richness of these beds of gold, and the fertility of the circum- jacent country, attracted numbers of adventurers, who placed themselves under the direction of an able chief- tain, named Méo de Luva, on account of his having lost one hand, and his wearing a stuffed glove in its place. The band soon amounted to two or three hundred persons, who washed every part in the neigh- bourhood worth washing, before they were discovered. Being very determined men, they lived free of control, and bade defiance to the laws. It was not until about three years after their first settlement, that the existing * Mr. Henderson states, that the first colony for working these mines was established in 1785. t ““ A name given to those persons who go about the country seeking gold-washings, and do not give notice, or solicit a grant when they discover any. They are considered and treated as smugglers.” M 2 190 BRAZIL. government was apprised of them; when, alarmed at the report of their numbers, which was doubtless exag- gerated, they sent out spies to discover their rendezvouz. This, after much time and great difficulty, was effected ; H the spies, in wandering through the solitary woods and fastnesses in the neighbourhood, were attracted toward the place by the crowing of a cock ; hence the name of Canta Gallo, which was subsequently given to it. They introduced themselves as smugglers, who wished to belong to the fraternity, and after living there some time, found means to give information to govern- ment, at Rio de Janeiro, who issued proclamations, offering pardon if the whole body would surrender. This measure was ineffectual ; the grimpeiros were well provided with fire-arms, and determined to defend themselves as long as any gold could be found. In a year or two afterwards the washings began to fail, and thus the great bond of interest which united them being loosened, some deserted the place, and the rest became less vigilant in taking measures for their defence. The government seized this favourable opportunity for reducing them; a considerable force was assembled in the vicinity, with orders to make an attack at a certain fixed day, which was known to be celebrated by the grimpeiros as a festival in honour of some saint. At the expected time, while they were engaged at a great banqueting, and too much occupied with their wine to think of their arms, which had been laid aside, (the flints having been secretly taken out,) about a hundred soldiers rushed in among them. Those who were sober enough flew to their arms, exclaiming, We are sold! we are betrayed! treason! treason! The contest was short; the soldiers seized the ringleaders, who were either sent to Africa or imprisoned for life: of the rest some were taken prisoners, others fled, but traversed by a current of BRAZIL. were pursued for years afterwards, and a few fell in the attack.” * ™ : The gold, however, had for the most part disap- peared ; and, at the period of Mr. Mawe’s visit, scarcely PY Mp raQ rf OCTITO av ft y te sufficient was procured to pay the officers and soldiers appointed to receive it. The settlers had wisely turned their attention to agriculture, a far less precarious mode of subsistenee, The district of Canta Gallo is a territory of great fertility. It is watered by many streams which de- scend from the Organ mountains, its southern limit and discharge themselves into the Paraiba, which separates 1t from Minas Geraes on the north. On the east, a continuation of the Organ range separates it from Goytacazes, and on the west, the Piabanha separates it from the district of Paraiba Nova. Among its river . y Pea 5 yp real ap 3 uf 3 3 are the Pequequera, well stored with fish, and navigable for twelve miles; the Rio Negro, navigable for an equal distance, and also abounding with fish: the 5 By Bengalas; and one called Rio Grande. In 1814, the parish of Santissimo Sacramento was created a town, with the name of St. Pedro de Canta Gallo. Its go- vernment consists of two ordinary judges and three magistrates, with subordinate officers. The town is good water, which falls into the Macacu. It is stated by Mr. Mawe to be about forty leagues distant from the capital. The occasion of Mr. Mawe’s visit to this place, was a report, brought to Rio, that a silver mine had been discovered in this district. The men who laid claim to the discovery, brought to the mint a quantity of earthy matter in powder, from which was smelted a small ingot of that metal. The report being laid before the Conde de Linhares, who was then prime minister, Mr. * Mawe's Travels in the Interior of Brazil, Svo. 1812, pp. 170-2 192 BRAZIL. Mawe was solicited to investigate the business on the spot. During his stay at Canta Gallo, he made fre- quent excursions into the neighbourhood, in the course of which he obtained some information respecting the half-civilized aborigines of the district. They reside in the woods in a most miserable condition. Their dwel- lings are formed of boughs of trees, bent so as to hold a thatch or tiling of palm leaves; their beds are made of dry grass. Having little idea of planting or tillage, they depend for subsistence almost entirely on their bows and arrows, and on the roots and wild fruits which they find in the woods. A few among them can speak a little of the Portuguese language. The dress of the men consists of a waistcoat and a pair of drawers; that of the women, of a chemise and petticoat, with a handkerchief tied round the head, after the fashion of the Portuguese females. They bear the general cha- racteristics of their race, the copper-coloured skin, short and round visage, broad nose, lank, black hair, and regular stature, inclining to the short and broad set. Being desirous,” says Mr. Mawe, “to see a proof of their skill and precision in shooting, of which I had heard much, I placed an orange at thirty yards’ distance, which was pierced by an arrow from every one who drew his bow at it. I next pointed out a banana-tree, about eight inches in circumference, at a distance of forty yards: not a single arrow missed its aim, though they all shot at an elevated range. In- terested by these proofs of their archery, I went with some of them into a wood, to see them shoot at birds. Though there were very few, they discovered them far more quickly than I could; and, cautiously creeping along until they were within bow-shot, never failed to bring down their game. The stillness and expedition with which they penetrated the thickets, and passed through the brush-wood, were truly surprising; nor BRAZIL. 193 could anything have afforded me a more satisfactory idea of their peculiar way of life. Their bows are made of the tough fibrous wood of the iriri, six or seven feet long, and very stout; their arrows are full six feet long, and near an inch in diameter, pointed with a piece of cane cut to a feather edge, or with a bone, but of late more frequently with iron. They are loathsome in their persons, and, in their habits, but one remove from the Anthropophagi. A woman was gnawing at a half- roasted parrot, which was spiked on a stick, with the feathers scarcely burnt off and the entrails hanging out. They are not of a shy and morose character, but have a great aversion to labour, and cannot be brought to submit to any regular employment. Rarely is an Indian to be found serving as a domestic, or working for hire, and to this circumstance may be ascribed the low state of agriculture in the district; for as the farmers, when they begin the world, have seldom funds sufficient to purchase negroes at Rio, their operations are for a long time very confined, and frequently lan- guish for want of hands.” * About fifteen miles north-east of Canta Gallo, cross- ing the Rio Negro, is a place called Santa Rita, where a considerable quantity of gold has been obtained by washing the soil. The operations are carried on in a deep ravine, bounded at one extremity by an abrupt hill, the other end opening on an extensive plain. The soil appeared to Mr. Mawe extremely rich, being clothed with luxuriant verdure, and the hills on each side were covered with trees. The stratum of cascalhdo (gravel with rounded pebbles) in which the gold is found, lies under a bed of soil four or five feet deep, and varies from two feet to seven or eight inches in thickness. The soil being removed, the cascalhdo is * Mawc's Travels, pp. 174-6 194 BRAZIL. dug out, and conveyed with great care to the nearest place where there is water, to be there washed by the negroes. Near Santa Rita, Mr. Mawe discovered a considerable quantity of lime-stone, of which the mountains in this neighbourhood appear to consist. He presented some of it to the proprietor of the gold works, who was astonished to hear of such a production as stone lime, the lime that was used in this part of the country being made of sea-shells; nor could he be convinced of the fact, till Mr. Mawe proved it by burn- ing what he had produced. On his return to Canta Gallo, Mr. Mawe was conducted by a guide to the pretended silver mine. Tt was a laborious journey, and, for the last six miles, they were obliged to dismount, the mountains ove: which the road lay being impassable by mules.* They had to ford rivulets, and force their way through thickets; and at length, he had the mortification to find that the story was a fabrication, and that no such mine existed. The silver that had been exhibited at Rio, is supposed to have been an old buckle or spoon, filed down, and mixed with some pulverized earthy sub- stance. Impositions of this kind, it is stated, are not uncommon. The Indian corn grown in this district, is ground by a horizontal water-wheel, on the upper end of which is fixed the mill-stone; and so great is the velocity given to it by the rush of water brought to bear on it, that it makes from fifty to sixty revolutions in a minute. They have likewise a mode of pounding the corn into flour, by a machine called a sloth. “ Near a current of water, a large wooden mortar is placed, the pestle of which is mortised into the end of a lever twenty-five * The second day, he crossed the Rio Grande of this district, where it formed a stream as large as the Derwent at Derby.” BRAZIL. 195 or thirty feet long, resting upon a fulcrum at five. eighths of its length: the extremity of the shorter arm of this beam is scooped out, so as to receive a sufficient weight of water to raise the other end, to which ap- pends the pestle, and to discharge itself when it has sunk to a given point. The alternate emptying and filling of this cavity cause the elevation and fall of the This contrivance,” adds Mr. Mawe, “surpasses all others in simplicity ; and in a place where the waste of water is of no consequence, it completely answers its purpose.” On his return to Rio, Mr. Mawe solicited permission to visit the diamond mines of Serro do Frio—a favour which had never hitherto been granted to any foreigner; but, through the friendship of the Conde de Linhares, his application was successful. While preparing for this expedition, (an account of which will be given in our survey of the province of Minas Geraes,) an oc- currence took place, which procured for him as a mineralogist considerable celebrity, and was the oc- casion of his being introduced within the walls of the treasury. The circumstances were these :—A free negro of Villa do Principe, about nine hundred miles distant, addressed a letter to the prince regent (now King John VL) announcing that he possessed an amazingly large diamond, which he had received from a deceased friend some years before, and which he begged he might have the honour to present to his royal highness in person. As the magnitude which this poor fellow ascribed to his diamond, was such as to raise imagina- tion to its highest pitch, an order was immediately despatched to the commander of Villa do Principe, to send him forthwith to Rio. He was accommodated with a conveyance, and escorted by two soldiers, As he passed along the road, all who had heard the report 196 BRAZIL. congratulated him on his brilliant good fortune ; the soldiers also anticipated promotion; and all persons envied the fortunate negro. At length, after a journey of twenty-eight days, he arrived at the capital, and was conducted to the palace. On being admitted into the presence-chamber, he threw himself at the prince’s feet, and delivered his wonderful gem. His highness was astonished at its magnitude; a pause ensued; the attendants waited to hear the prince’s opinion. A round diamond, nearly a pound in weight filled them all with wonder. Some ready calculators reckoned the millions it was worth; others found it difficult to numerate the sum at which it would be valued; but the general opinion of his highness’s servants was, that the treasury was many millions of crowns the richer. The occurrence became the general topic of remark. When the stone was shown to the ministers, an appre- hension, and even a doubt was expressed, that a sub- stance so large and round might not prove to be a real diamond ; they, however, sent it to the treasury under a strong guard, and it was lodged in the jewel room. On the next day, the Conde de Linhares sent for Mr. Mawe, and requested him to give his opinion respecting this famous jewel, stating that he had his doubts about its proving a genuine diamond. At the hour appointed, being furnished with the necessary joint order from all the ministers, he repaired to the treasury, and was shown through several splendid apartments hung with scarlet and gold, to an inner room, in which were several strong chests with three locks each, the keys of which were kept by three different officers, who were all required to be present at the opening. One of these chests, being unlocked, an elegant little cabinet was taken out, from which the treasurer took the gem, and in great form presented it to Mr. Mawe. Before he touched it, he was convinced that it was BRAZIL. 197 only a rounded piece of crystal. It was above two inches in diameter. To convince the parties present that it was not a diamond, Mr. M. produced a real one, with which he cut a deep nick in the stone. This was proof positive; a certificate was accordingly made out, stating that it was an inferior substance of little value, which was signed by Mr. Mawe. Other boxes were now unlocked, from one of which were taken two large slabs of diamond, each a full inch in length, and about the eighth of an inch in thickness, but of a very bad brown colour. When found, they formed one entire piece, which, being amorphous, was not known to be a diamond, until the chief of the working party had had recourse to the common experiment of placing it on a hard stone, and striking it with a hammer. If the substance resist the blow, or separate in lamin, it must be a diamond. The latter was the case in the present instance, and the man having thus made two diamonds from one, at the expense of the value of the whole, transmitted them to the intendant.* The remaining diamonds in the treasury appeared to be in quantity about four or five thousand carats. Few of them, however, were large, except one of an octahe- dral form, which weighed full seventeen carats. Among the few coloured diamonds, one of the smallest was of a beautiful pink, one of a fine blue, and several of a green tinge; the yellow were the most common, and the least esteemed. The poor negro, chagrined and disgraced, had to find his way home as he could. * The river Abaité, whence these were obtained, has produced one of an octahedral form, which weighs seven-eighths of an ounce troy, and is supposed to be one of the largest diamonds in the world. It was found about twelve years before Mr. Mawe’s visit, by three men who were under sentence of banishment. On presenting this valuable gem to the then viceroy, they were pardoned and rewarded 198 BRAZIL. A flat coast extends from the mouth of the Gua- piassu, to the broad, shallow mouth of the Guaxendiba. This river, which rises in the hills of Taypu, is stated by Mrs. Graham to have a course of only five miles in a straight line, but its windings measure above twenty: it is navigable, and its banks are astonishingly fertile. About four miles up, on its left bank, is the village of St. Gonzales; and on the opposite side, a road conducts by the edge of marshy ground to St. Jodo da Tapacora, a small Indian village, and the nearest place to the capital (Mr. Luccock states) where the native language is in use, though in a corrupted state. Near the mouth of this river stand the church and fazenda of Nossa Senhora da Luz, described by Mrs. Graham in very glowing language. It is about twelve miles from Rio. From the varanda of the proprietor’s house, there is a picturesque view of the bay, dotted with rocky LE islands, one of which, called Itaoca, is said tc > held in reverence by the Indians as the abode of their sup- posed divine benefactor Zome, who taught them the use of the mandioc.t * But,” adds this traveller, * The appellation of Tapacora is given, according to Mr. Hen derson, to the parish of St. Joao d’ itaborahy, near the right bank of the river Varge. This is probably the same that Mr. Luccock refers to. + Paye Tzome, or Tome, to whom this legend refers, is repre sented as an elderly man, who wore white clothing, and bore only a staff: he came from the country of the Guaranies, that is, the people of the East: and when the Jesuits received from the people the first accounts of him, they were unable to enumerate the moons which had elapsed since he left them, but said, it was before the days of their grandfathers; and one person was then living (1550,) about 130 years old. He is said to have resided a considerable time at Cabo Frio and in its neighbourhood, tili, having received some insult, he went towards the north, and was heard of no more. Wherever he came, he taught the people to clothe themselves, to live in houses, and to cultivate mandios The Jesuits taught them to belicve that this personage was no BRAZIL. “ though nature is at least as fine here as in India or in Italy, the want of some reference to man as an intel- lectual and moral being, robs it of half its charms.” The proprietor of this estate represented the creole negroes and mulattoes as far superior in industry to the Portuguese and Brazilians: they are the best artificers and artists; all decorative painting, carving, and inlay- ing, are done by them; in short, they excel in all the mechanical arts, and at least one third of the orchestra of the opera-house is composed of mulattoes., A mu- latto slave on this estate became attached, in his youth, to a creole negress, born, like him, on the estate ; but he did not marry her till he had earned money enough to purchase her, in order that their children, if they had any, might be born free. Since that time, he had be- come rich enough to purchase himself, but his maste was unwilling to sell him his freedom, afraid of losing his services. Unfortunately, these persons have no children; therefore, on their death, their property, now considerable, will revert to the master. Had they children, as the woman is free, they might inherit the mother’s property; and there is nothing to prevent the father’s making over all he earns to her.” * RIO TO CAMPOS AND ST. F IMMEDIATELY behind the village of Praya Grande, towards the east, rises the mountainous district of St Jodo do Carai, comprising about twelve miles every other than St. Thomas the Apostle, whom tradition reports to have preached the gospel in Persia, India, and China. The Tamoyo Indians of this province have been supposed to derive their name from their benefactor; 7'zomeos being softened by the French into Tomoyos. It is more probable, that they were named from the district they inhabited, which formed the old capifania of St. Thome. * Journal of a Voyage to Brazil. By Maria Graham, p. 105 200 BRAZIL. way. It is traversed by three roads, of which the most southerly passes over lofty rocks and through thick woods, commanding views which compensate for the difficulties of the route. Another road passes to the north of Praya Grande, and then turns to the right, to the fazenda of Barraca, where are a good house and chapel, and fine plantations. From hence, it rises to high, undulating ground, and, after passing some minor establishments, proceeds down a steep, winding, roman- tic road, to the great Jazenda of Tokai, situated in a fine plain not much above the sea-level, and watered by a stream that falls into the Atlantic a little east of the Marica islands, “ better known by the easily-understood name of Contrabandistas.” Here, the mountains are separated from each other by a wide expanse of swampy land, and look as if they had once been rocky islands. The intervals are filled with sea-sand, and water lodges in them.* Nearer the sea are broad meadows, and within them a range of shallow lakes, which afford sub- sistence to great numbers of water-fowls. About nine miles from Tokai, and upwards of twenty from Rio, is a spot said to have been formerly the entrance to a harbour, where the waters of the large lake of Marica (or America,) when swollen by rain, open themselves a vent. Ou the cessation of the rains, the waters of the lake sink to their usual level, and the tide again shuts up the aperture, so that, in a short time, a dry and secure road is formed across the bar, though it never rises to the height of the natural ridge with which it is connected at each end. Beyond this spot succeed the plains lying between the lake of Marica and the elevated restinga, or bank, which bars the sea, from the moun- tains of Carai to the lofty point of Ponta Negra. A third route from Praya Grande conducts along the * Mr. Luccock styles this ‘‘ the Cambridgeshire of Rio. BRAZIL. 201 beach, and then stretches inward, through a well-culti- vated track, to the village of St. Gonzales. This route was taken, in 1815, by Prince Maximilian of Wied Neu- wied, in exploring the eastern coast. St. Gonzales is well situated on rising ground, close to the northern verge of the mountains of Carai. It contained, in 1815, a church and about two hundred houses, ‘“ the greater part of them belonging,” Mr. Luccock states, ““ to people from the Azores, or their descendants, who, though gene- rally residing on their farms, resort hither on religious festivals. They are remarkably civilized and orderly, so as to render this one of the pleasantest abodes in the country.” After leaving St. Gonzales, the country gently declines to the rich plains of the Guaxendiba,* which, draining the mountains of Carai, pours its pellucid stream through a narrow, rocky channel. Near the river is a solitary venda. A well-cleared, fertile, and populous region then presents itself, suc- ceeded by virgin woods and swampy plains, extending to the banks of the Itapitiu, near the mouth of which is situated the little town of Santa Maria de Marica; so named from the lake on which it borders. This is the seat of a civil jurisdiction, being created a town in May 1814. The church, dedicated te our Lady of Amparo, is the best in the province, with the exception of some in the metropolis. It contained, in 1817, a few unpaved streets of low but neatly whitened houses: the population of the parish is stated at about 800. It is twenty-five miles E. of Rio, and nearly thirty W. of Cape Frio. Prince Maximilian describes the road to Marica as passing over the serra de Inua, “an arm projecting into the sea from the lofty mountainous chain which runs parallel with the coast.” Thick, gigantic forests cover * Written by Prince Maximilian, Guajintibo. the acclivity, full of monkeys, parrots, and other Bra- zilian game. In particular, a small red-and-gold- coloured monkey (simia rosalia) was seen here, called the red sahui, or marikina, which is not found further north, ‘“ Good Brazilian hunters,” remarks his high- ness, “ possess a wonderful talent for exploring these forests: their bodies being inured to fatigue, and the custom of always going barefoot, give them a great supe- riority in this employment. Their dress consists of a light shirt and cotton drawers. They often have a cloth jacket hanging over their shoulders, which they put on when it rains, or in the cool nights. The head is covered with a felt or straw hat. A leather belt, passing over the shoulder, holds the powder-horn and shot-bag, while the lock of the long fowling-piece is generally secured by the skin of some animal.” * About four miles from Marica,t the traveller arrives at the lake of that name, which is stated to be nearly eight miles long, in some places not above two in breadth, and about six leagues in circumference. The bottom, Mr. Luccock says, is a hard sand, with patches of mud; the banks are low and marshy, or sandy; and it abounds with fish, while its shores are peopled by gulls, cormorants, lapwings, plovers, and other water- fowl. The fishery is a government monopoly. * See plate. + Mr. Luccock writes it America, but derives it, at the same time, from the Tupi word Marica, which signifies * any hollow thing: ” thus, it is most frequently applied to the dried shell of the gourd, or the fruit of the passion-flower which has not been broken, and in which the seeds rattle; and he supposes that the natives would naturally transfer it to a decked vessel. It is also given by the Indians to their idols. “ Is it certain,” he asks, ‘“ that Vespucius brought hither with him the name of Americus, aud that he did not adopt it as an honourable and appropriate distinction, as Scipio received the addition of Africanus?”—He suppeses that the Tupi word was first adopted as the appellation of the new country. BRAZIL. 203 Ponta Negra, a bold, bluff point towards the sea, is the abutment of a primitive serro, having on each side a, sandy plain. On the northern slope of a hill which terminates the low tongue of land beyond this point, is the parish of Our Lady of Nazareth of Sequerema con- sisting of a church, about fifty houses, and as many scattered huts, inhabited chiefly by fishermen. The salt lake of Sequerema is stated by Mr. Henderson to be six miles long from east to west, by three in breadth at the widest part. Prince Maximilian makes it about six leagues in length by one in breadth. Like that of Marica, it has a bottom of hard sand, and is not above three feet deep in most places. During the rainy season, it inundates the country, and opens for itself a rough, shallow channel to the sea. The river Tinguy, which runs into its most northern bay, is the principal one that flows into it. Beyond this, is the still larger salt lake of Araruama (or Iruama,) stated to be twenty miles long by eight in breadth, but with still less pro- priety termed a lake, as it communicates with the sea, a league and a half to the N. of Cape Frio, by a channel fifty yards in width at the mouth. In some places, it is several fathoms in depth ; in others, quite shallow. It receives the Francisco Leite, the Mataruna, or Rio do Ponte, and several smaller streams; and, like the other lakes along this line of coast, abounds with fish. Its name is stated to be derived from the notorious offensiveness of its waters, arising from an accumula- tion of mud and putrid shell-fish.* On its northern * Between the lakes Marica and Sequerema, Mr. Henderson places the Jacuné, stated to be nearly three miles in length; between the Sequerema and the Araruama, that of Jacarépua, about two miles in length; and, near the western extremity of the Araruama, the lake Vermelha, also about two miles long, and, though not communicating with the sea, saline. Besides these, he mentions the lake Boicaca, which is, in fact, the mouth of a river of that name, and that of Juthurnuahibi. 204 BRAZIL. shore is the Indian village of St. Pedro, founded by the Jesuits, consisting of a large church and a collection of mud huts seated on a small eminence.* The inha- bitants are almost exclusively Indians, there being only a few Portuguese besides the priest. They have a titular ecapitam mor of their own nation. They are described as having still more strongly marked the genuine physiognomy of their race, as observed in the Indians of St. Lorenzo. ¢ Their dress and language are those of the lower classes of Portuguese, and they are but partially acquainted with their ancient tongue. They have the vanity to pretend to be Portuguese, and look down with contempt on their still uncivilized brethren in the woods, whom they call caboclos, or tapuyas. Their women fasten their long, coal-black hair in a knot at the top of the head, like the Portu- guese females. In the corners of their huts hangs the net, or hammock, in which the family sleep.” They retain the Indian character—indisposition to labour, cunning, inflexible pride, and a strong prepossession in favour of their woods. They attend mass, but show little regard in other respects for their priest. The great forests of St. Pedro are full of the finest timber, and the Brazil-wood abounds here. * From Sequerema, Prince Maximilian proceeded, the first day, to Pitanga, ‘‘ formerly a convent, as appears from the old church,” now an extensive fazenda. The next night they lodged at the fazenda of Tiririca, where are extensive sugar-works. Three leagues further is Parati, another fazenda, which has also been a convent, and has *“ a considerable new church.” The fourth day, they reached the venda of St. Pedro. Most of the principal fazendas have a church, or a large apartment fitted up as a chapel, where mass is read on Sundays and holidays. ‘ Travel- lers,” says P. Maximilian, ‘‘ would do well not to neglect to attend mass, because the inhabitants think much more highly of them for so doing. They treated us with kindness and attention when we observed this rule, and showed evident coldness when we did not go to church.” BRAZIL. 205 About two leagues distant, crossing the lake, is the town or “city” of Cabo Frio,* situated on the southern bank of the strait which unites the waters of the lake Araruama with the ocean, on the northern side of the well-known promontory from which it takes its name. This was one of the first settlements made on this part of the coast. The town is divided into two parts by an interval of half a mile. The principal portion has a church dedicated to Our Lady of Assumption, a her- mitage of St. Bento (Benedict,) and a Franciscan mo- nastery. The chapel of Our Lady of Cuia crowns the summit of a rock. The smaller portion of the city called Passagem, defended by fort St. Matthaus, eh another Benedictine hermitage. Here is a juiz de fora whose jurisdiction extends to the town of Mageahi, This “city” is stated also by Mr. Henderson to have ¢ royal masters’ (regius professors, we presume) of Latin. Fish is the common diet, and, with farinha and sugar, the chief article of exportation. A sort of marsh fever is said to be prevalent here, the whole neigh- bourhood being intersected with lakes and marshes. “ Though small and badly paved,” says Prince Maxi- milian, “ the town contains several houses of a very neat and pretty appearance.’ Beyond Cape Frio, the line of coast assumes a more northerly direction to the little town of Barra de S. Jodo, situated on a sandy tongue of land between the river of that name and the sea. The route passes the spacious fazenda of Campos Novos, which has a church built by the Jesuits; and from this place to the river Jodo, a distance of four leagues, extends almost unin- * This town, or rather village, is stated to have assumed, like many other places, the title of city, when, in 1615, it cate inte the possession of the Portuguese, on the expulsion of the Dutch pirates who had established themselves here for the purpose of exporting dye-wood.— Henderson's Brazil, p. 102. PART 11, N 2006 BRAZIL. terruptedly a magnificent primeval forest. The river, where crossed by Prince Maximilian in a canoe, is from three to four hundred yards broad, “ in some measure navigable,” and five or six brigs were found anchored here* “ An Englishman who is settled here, by trade a smith, told us,” says his highness, * that English vessels had already found their way to this solitary spot, and that he should therefore solicit the appoint- ment of vice-consul. We gave him a number of fowl- ing-pieces to repair, and the consul in eXpeoiancy per formed his business to our entire satisfaction. I'wo leagues further, a clear rivulet, called Rio das Ostras, falls into the ocean. Aboutseven leagues Io the north- east of the river St. Jodo, the Maccahé discharges itself in front of the islands of St. Anna, dividing the district of Cape Frio from Goytacazes.t The little * Mr. Luccock, either crossing nearer its mouth, or, perhaps when it was swelled by a high tide, (for it was at the time cov ore with foam,) found it a mile and a half broad. This iver, Beco - ine to Mr. Henderson's authorities, rises in the skirts of bey iy of Canudos, with the name of Aguas Claras ( clear ates) ais navigation for upwards of ten leagues, running ES IRA mountains, and after bathing the southern SKirts of the i its " of its name, disembogues about seven leagues S. W. of hue > Bee cahé. Large quantities of timber are exported by it. 3 x La cock afterwards ascended it, in a canoe, nearly tw A miles, at which spot it is about 400 yards wide, with low, wy hy banks, and not more than 15 miles in a direct line, he mane from the place of embarkation. It is sufficiently dosp, i \ go its whole course, for vessels of seventy tons burden, anc ¥ 1e the bar shall be cleared and the country improv ed, will ome commercial medium of great consequence. At the point to wv on Mr. Luccock ascended it, it receives the Rio Dourado, up 9 ina he advanceed four miles through a thickly wooded CORY, on it might easily be made navigable, he thinks, for seven miles its ence with the St. Jodo. fH Senne rises in the Organ range, and has a course of fifteen leagues, ten of which are navigable. About three Tongues from its embouchure, it is joined by the St. Pedro from the Serra Frade. BRAZIL. 207 town of S. Joao de Maccah¢ lies scattered among thickets on the banks of this river. It contained, in 1816, about a hundred and fifty houses, for the most part small and of a single story, built of clay, with upright wooden posts, and neatly whitewashed. On a rising ground, where stand the church of Santa Anna and the flag-staff, there are a few houses of superior pretensions. It was created a town in 1814. The inhabitants are chiefly fishermen, but export a great deal of timber and some produce from the plantations. Up the river, in the interior, the Gorulhos (or Gua- rulhos) Indians are said to have several villages. The mouth of the harbour is now not more than 70 yards broad, and unfit for the entrance of vessels of more than 200 tons burden .* The traveller has now entered on the extensive plains of the Goytacazes, which extend to the Paraiba, an uninteresting and depopulated tract of country, abound- ing with extensive marshes and Zlagoas (lakes) over- grown with reeds, in which oxen and horses, often in great numbers, are seen wading up to their bellies. “This extensive and level wilderness is inhabited by herds of oxen who range at liberty to the distance of even twenty or twenty-five miles from all human habi- tations. Once or twice a-year, they are driven together * Between the St. Jodo and the Maccahé, in Mr. Luccock’s map, is the bay of St. Ann, which he describes as leep and spa- cious, but subject in rough weather to a violent surf. To the southward is a shingly shore, which, when it meets the high rocks beyond the river Una, becomes bold, and stre tching to the eastward, forms the point of Buzios, called in the English charts Cowrie’s Point. ‘ Near the mouth of the Una lies the small secure bay of Armazem, affording a refuge to vessels baffled in their attempts to double the Cape, and when the wind blows hard from the east. The entrance is between two small rocky islands, called, from their different appearance, the beautiful and the ugly.” | | | 1] A — 208 BRAZIL. by their owners, the proprietors of the neighbouring fazendas, into a coral, or place surrounded by palisades, where they are counted and marked. If any person approaches these animals, they raise their heads, snuff the air, and gallop away with tail erect. It is cer- tainly remarkable,” adds Prince Maximilian, “how, by the extraordinary activity and care of the Europeans, this useful species of animal is already spread over the greatest part of the globe. In the north, the ox feeds in the frozen forests of birch; in the temperate zone, in our pleasant grassy vales, between shady woods of beech; between the tropics, under palms and bananas; and in the islands of the South Sea, beneath melaleucas, metro- sideros, and casvarinas. This animal, indispensable to civilized man, everywhere thrives, and increases his wealth and prosperity.”* The largest of the lakes which stretch along this part of the coast, is the Lagoa Feia, the Ugly Lake, so -alled from its appearance: it consists of two parts connected by a canal, the northern part nearly 20 miles long from east to west by upwards of twelve in width, the southern, sixteen miles in length by only two in width. It is so shallow, that canoes can pro- ceed only by certain channels, and so subject to be agitated by the wind, that it is frequently dangerous for them. It abounds in fish, and the waters are sweet and wholesome. In rainy seasons, it annually opens for itself an outlet at a place called Barra do Furado, when it presents the appearance of a furious river: when the waters are low, the barra is dry. The whole district might, Mr. Henderson thinks, be drained by hydraulic machinery, as the Lincolnshire fens have been, when the grounds would afford excellent pasturage, and be- come susceptible of cultivation at all times. “The fine # Maximilian’s Travels, p. 91 BRAZIL. 209 campos or plains of this district,” he says, “ would cer- tainly become the elysium of Brazil, if its territory. rich in soil, were divided into certain portions, and delivered to a people animated with a spirit of agricul- tural improvement. But, unhappily, the greater part of these lands are in the hands of three proprietors— the Benedictine monastery of Rio de Janeiro, the purchaser of the ex-Jesuitical possessions, and a “ titu- lar,” the Bishop of Rio. Mr. Luccock, who is some- what fond of such geographical comparisons, styles the tract between Lake Feia and the Paraiba, the Delta of the river, which, he says, in several points resembles the Nile, as that lake does Lake Mareotis. The cli- mate, according to the information he rece ived, is hot and unhealthy, but there can be no doubt that it might be rendered much more salubrious. It contained, in 1801, according to Cazal, 280 sugar-mills, chiefly on the bigher grounds; and since that period, they have rapidly increased. Mr. Luccock remarks, that, with a high-sounding extent of estates, the inhabitants sacri- fice the whole to a passion for sugar and rum.* Prince Maximilian and his companions passed a night at the Abbey of St. Bento, which stands in the midst of these verdant plains. * The edifice is large, has a hand- some church, two courts, and a small garden. In one of the courts were lofty cocoa-palms, loaded with fruit. The convent possesses fifty slaves, who have built their js near it in a large square. There are, besides, a r refinery (engenho,) and several farm- buildings. Th rich convent possesses also great numbers of horses and oxen, and several corals and fazendas in the adja- cent country: it even receives tithes of sugar from several estates inthe neighbourhood.” Beyond this The Campos sugars, as they are termed are esteemed the best in Brazil. N 2 210 BRAZIL. spot, the country becomes more populous; habitations and fazendas present themselves in close succession, and vendas are found all along the road to the town of St. Salvador. St. Salvador dos Campos, commonly called Campos, is a tolerably well-built, populous, and flourishing town, with regular streets, for the most part paved, and neat houses, some of several stories. Balconies, closed with wooden lattices, in the old Portuguese fashion, were common at the time of Prince Maximilian’s visit. Not far from the river Paraiba, on which the town stands, is a square where are the court-house and prison. Justice is administered by a juiz de fora. There are seven churches,* five apothecaries’ shops, and an hospital; and “it is said,” adds his highness of Wied Neuwied, “that there are in this part of the country medical men of much greater skill than in the other districts of the coast, where practitioners worthy of confidence may often be sought in vain.” The number of inhabitants, he states at between 4 and 5000, and the population of the whole district of Goytacazes at 24,000 souls. A recent census, however, according to Mr. Henderson, makes the population of the town amount to 1150 fami- lies, which would give a higher estimate. The town is very agreeably situated, extending along the south bank of *“ the beautiful Paraiba,” about eighteen miles from its mouth, or thirty (Mr. Luccock says) by water, and four miles below the mouth of the little river Muriahé, which falls into it. Among the inhabitants there are many opulent persons, proprietors of the sugar refineries * Most of these churches belong to conventual establishments. Mr. Henderson enumerates, ‘“ besides the mother church, a house of misericordia, three hermitages dedicated to Our Lady of Rosa- ria, (of) Boa Morta, and (of) Lapa, two Terceira orders of St. Francisco and St. Carmo, and an hospital.” Here, too, as at Cabo Frio, are ** royal professors of the primitive letters and Latin.” BRAZIL. 211 near the river. Coffee and cotton here thrive extremely well, and even European vegetables are met with in the markets. An active trade is carried on, chiefly, how- ever, in sugar and brandy. In the town, a considerable degree of luxury prevails, and, if Prince Maximilian may be credited, of cleanliness and neatness. About two miles from the mouth of the river, in front of a small island, is the village of St. Joam da Barra, containing about 1500 inhabitants, chiefly fishermen and mariners: it forms the port to Campos, whence all the produce is shipp€d in coasting-vessels for the capital. The district of Goytacazes extends about fifteen miles further north, having for its boundary, according to the Brazilian geographer followed by Mr. Henderson, the river Camapuan, Cabapuan, or Capabuanna, which has its source in the serra of Pico, not far from that of the Muriahé, and running between the mountains, enters the Atlantic fifteen miles north of the Paraiba. Its right name, Prince Maximilian states to be Itabapuana.* The great fazenda of Muribecca, which stands in the middle of the verdant plains stretching between the two rivers, formerly belonged, together with a tract nine leagues in length, to the Jesuits: it is now the property of four individuals. The whole district of Goytacazes, comprizing 28 leagues of coast, originally formed the capitania of St. Thomé, so denominated from the con- tiguous cape. The first donatory was Pedro de Goes, who established himself on the banks of the Paraiba, where he lived in amity with the Indians two years; but, after that period, a war broke out between the * To the above variations of orthography may be added, Coma- puam and Campapoana. Mr. Henderson, following the Cora- grafia Brasilica, says, ‘‘ the Indians call it Reritigba;” but P. Maximilian states, that this is an error, Reritigha being the name applied to the Beneventé, 212 BRAZIL. colonies and the natives, which lasted five vears, and terminated in the abandonment of the colony. The country then remained in the possession of the three nations of Puries, Guarues, and Goytacazes, till, about 1580, they were driven by the governor of Ric bevond the mountains. About a hundred years after, the terri- tory was granted by Peter II. to Viscount D’Asseca; but complaints being made of ma -administration, it was finally, in 1752, incorporated with the crown lands. and is now included in the province of Rio. At the time of the expulsion of the aboriginal inhabitants, to- wards the close of the sixteenth century,* the Jesuits took possession of the territory south of the Paraib on behalf of the Indians, and obtained for those who should return some special privileges. One of the most important was, a right to choose their own village magis- trates, who were to act jointly with those appointed by the viceroy. “ A conservatorial court was esta- blished, to watch over the interests of the people; and their lands were apportioned to those who wished to occupy them, but never sold : the fixed rent was about two-pence for every six feet in front. The rent was appropriated to the use of the Indians, and properly administered, I believe,” says Mr. Luccock, “ so long as the order of Jesuits existed. Forms then established, though gradually falling into disuse, are not yet quite obsolete. All estates now sold, which once made a part of this district, must be furnished with what is called an Indian title; the sale must be ratified by the conserva- torial court, and the lands remain charged with a sort of quit-rent. One set of these titles which I have seen, goes as far back as the year 1623. There are still * 1 » 5 a po, ; mn . . Under the name of Tamoyos and Tupinambas, mention has been made of them in the historical sketch, as the allies of the French; and they shared in their expulsion from the province,— See p. 26. BRAZIL. 213 several villages, which are acknowledged to retain the privilege of electing a native magistrate as a sort of coadjutor to their foreign governor, and one or two of them exercise this right.” * The savage and warlike tribe who inhabit the dis- trict which still bears their name, are described by the Jesuit Anchieta as the most inhuman on the whole coast. They were of gigantic stature, possessed of great strength, were skilled in the management of the bow, and were enemies to all other nations. Contrary to the custom of the other Indian tribes, they suffered their hair to grow long and hang down, and were dis- tinguished by a lighter colour, more robust make, and greater ferocity. They were divided into three hostile tribes, the Goaytaca Asst, Goaytaca Jacorito, and Goaytaca Mopi. They are said to have also borne the name of Uetacas, and are reckoned by Vasconcellos among the Tapuyas, because they spoke a language differing from the dialects of the general language (lingoa geral.) The Coroado Indians are believed to be the remains of this once powerful tribe.t A mission or village of this tribe exists at St. Fidelis, on the banks of the Paraiba, thirty miles above St. Salvador, and two below the last fall of the river. It was founded between thirty and forty years ago, by four padres, Italian capuchins, two of whom were still living at the * Luccock’s Notes, pp. 330, 1. The instance of St. Pedro has already been mentioned.—See p. 200. + So it is stated in the Corografia Brasilica; ‘but this,” remarks Prince Maximilian, ¢ is improbable, as the Goaytacases suffered their hair to grow long, and the Coroadoes in former times derived their name from the custom of cutting it all off] except a small crown.” Their affinity to the Coropoes and the Puries, is attested by the similarity of their respective dialects, their weapons, and their habits. * Our young Coropo,” says his highness, ‘‘ spoke all three languages.” Their head-quarters are in Minas Geraes. 214 BRAZIL. time of Prince Maximilian’s visit: one had the manage- ment of the establishment at St. Fidelis; the other re- sided at the Aldeia do Pedro, seven or eight leagues higher up the river. At St. Fidelis, there are also some of the Coropo tribe, the whole of which is said to be now civilized; * that is to say, settled,” for they still retain, as well as the Coroadoes, many of their savage habits and customs.* The inhabitants of this mission are thus described by his highness of Wied Neuwied. “ We found these people still very original, with dark-brown complexions, perfectly national physiog- nomy, very strongly marked features and coal-black hair. Their houses are good and roomy, constructed of wood and clay, the roofs covered with palm-leaves, and reeds, like those of the Portuguese. Their sleep- ing-nets are hung up in them, and the bow and arrows stand in the corner leaning against the wall. The rest of their simple furniture is composed of pots, dishes, or bowls {cuias,) made by themselves of gourds and the calabash-tree, hand-baskets of interlaced palm-leaves, and a few other articles. Their clothing consists of a white cotton shirt and breeches; but on Sundays they are better dressed, and are then not distinguishable from the lower order of Portuguese; but even then the men frequently go with their heads and feet bare. The women, on the contrary, are more elegant, sometimes wear a veil, and are fond of finery. They all speak Portuguese, but among one another they generally con verse in their national language. “ As the day after our arrival at St. Fidelis was Sunday, we attended mass in the morning, in the church of the monastery, where the inhabitants of the neigh- #* The Coroadoes of Aldeia do Pedro, only a month before the visit of P. Maximilian, had, in one of their expeditions, shot a Puri, and made great rejoicings on that occasion for several days. BRAZIL. 215 bouring country had assembled, purely out of curiosity, io see the strange visitors. Father Jodo delivered a tong sermon, of which I did not understand a word. We afterwards walked through the uninhabited mo- nastery, and inspected its curiosities. The church is arge, light, and spacious, and was painted by Father Victorio, who died only about two months before. This missionary had very zealously promoted the wel- tare of the Indians, and his memory was much re- spected by them, whereas they seemed not to be so much attached to the present priest: the Indians had indeed once driven away the latter, alleging, that he could give them no instruction, because he was no more than themselves. The painting in the interior of the church cannot indeed be called beautiful, but it is tolerable, and a great ornament in this remote and un- frequented spot, which agreeably surprises the traveller. I'he names of the four missionaries are inscribed be- hind the altar. On the sides hung a number of votive tablets, among which is a painting representing a slave whose arm became entangled in the works of a sugar- mill, which, when the negro in his anguish invoked a saint, immediately stood still. Such accidents befall the negroes but too often, because those people are very careless and imprudent. The convent is not large, but it has a tolerable number of light, cheerful apartments, and a low tower. The trouble of ascend- ing its half-dilapidated stairs, was rewarded by the agreeable prospect of the beautiful and romantic valley.” * From St. Fidelis, there is a road over the mountains to Canta Gallo, and another to Minas Geraes. The river here is of considera ble breadth, and up to the cachoeira (cataract) above St. Fidelis, is said to contain * P. Maximilian’s Travels, pp. 109-12. 216 BRAZIL. seventy-two islands. In the rainy season it overflows its hanks to a great extent. Opposite to St. Fidelis, on the other side of the river, is a settlement of the Puries, who, wandering about the great deserts between the sea and the north bank of the Paraiba* extend themselves as far west as the Rio Pomba in Minas Geraes. In this quarter they had behaved peaceably, although, at Aldeia do Pedro, they were at war with the Coroadoes. “When kindly treated, they fix them- selves near the plantations, but then they consume the produce of them, as if they were cultivated for their benefit ; they even frequently rob the negroes of their shirts and breeches, when they are employed in the woods near the plantations.” It was one of the chief objects of Prince Maximilian’s journey to these parts, to obtain information respecting the original inhabi- tants. Crossing the river, therefore, he repaired to a fazenda, the proprietor of which obligingly despatched his brother into the wood, to inform the Puries, that * The Paraiba, pronounced, and sometimes written Parahyba, runs between the Serra dos Orgaos and the Serra de Mantiqueira, having its rise about five leagues to the north-west of Paraty in the district of Ilha Grande, where it has at first the name of Paritinga. Flowing south-west, it collects the waters of a very mountainous district: it then turns in a contrary direction, run- ning north-east for about 200 miles, without receiving any fresh contribution till it is joined by the Paraty from the serra of 1lha Grande. Their united waters, rolling on a hundred miles further, absorb those of the Parahibuna and the Piabuna, two streams coming from the north-west and the south-west. About fifty miles more to the eastward, it is joined by the Pomba from the north-west. A little lower it receives the Bengalas, soon after which it descends the precipitous fall of St. Fidelis. Its whole descent is about 6000 feet; its bed, through the whole course, is rocky, occasionally deep, and forms an almost continued succes- sion of rapids. The banks are generally bold and abrupt ; hence it is subject to floods, which sometimes roll along with frightful impetuosity. It abounds with a great variety of fish,—See Luc- cock, p. 274; Henderson, p. 33. BRAZIL. 217 some strangers were arrived, who wished to hold a talk with them, and to invite them to a great sacrifice on the occasion. Five men and three or four women, with their children, first accepted the invitation: they are thus described. “They were all short, not above five feet five inches high;* most of them, the women as well as the men, were broad and strong-limbed. They were all quite naked, except a few who wore handkerchiefs round their waists, or short breeches, which they had ob- tained from the Portuguese. Some had their heads entirely shorn; others had their naturally thick, coal- black hair, cut over the eyes, and hanging down into the neck; some of them had their beards and eyebrows cut short. In general, they have but little beard; in most of them, it forms only a thin circle round the mouth, and hangs down about three inches below the chin. Seme had painted on their foreheads and cheeks, round red spots with wrucu: on the breast and arms, on the contrary, they all had dark blue stripes, made of the juice of the genipaba fruit. These are the two colours which are employed by all the Tapuyas. Round the neck, or across the breast and one shoulder, they had rows of hard, black berries strung together, in the middle of which, in front, was a number of the eye-teeth of monkeys, ounces, cats, and wild animals. Some of them wore these necklaces without teeth. They have another similar ornament, which appears to be composed of the rind of certain vegetable excres- cences, probably the thorns of some shrub. The men carry in their hands long bows and arrows, which, as well as all their effects, they at our desire bartered for * Among all the tribes on the east roast, seen by this traveller, he considered the Puries to be the smallest in stature. ‘* All the Brazilian tribes are,” he states, inferior in this respect to the Europeans, and even to the negroes.” PART I1. O 218 JRAZIL:. trifles. ‘T'wo of them had been brought up in then childhood among the Portuguese, and spoke their lan- guage a little. We gave them knives, rosaries, small looking bottles of sugar-brandy,* on which they became ex- -glasses, and distributed among them some tremely cheerful and familiar. We informed them of our intention to visit them in their woods early in the morning, if they would receive us well; and, on our promising also to bring some presents with us, they took their leave highly pleased, and with loud shouts and singing hastened back to their wilds.” "he next morning, accordingly, the poor savages, eager for the brandy, were seen early coming out of the woods. They were “ treated” immediately with the “ strong water,” and his highness then accompanied them to the forest, where the whole hoard had turned out, and were lying on the grass. Men, women, and children were huddled together, and contemplated the visitors with curious but timid looks. * They had all adorned themselves,” we are told, “as much as possible, A few of the women wore a cloth round the waist or over the breast; but most of them were without any covering. Some of the men had, by way of ornament, a piece of the skin of a monkey, of the kind called mono (ateles,) fastened round their brows; and we observed also a few who had cut off their hair quite close. The women carried their little children partly in bandages fastened over the right shoulder; others carried them on their backs, supported by broad bandages passing over the forehead. This is the manner in which they usually carry their baskets of provisions when they travel. Some of the men and girls were much painted; * This ill judged practice, almost universally adopted by Euro- pean travellers, of making presents to the natives of strong liquors, cannot be too strongly deprecated : it is ultimately as im- politic as it is injurious to the Indians. BRAZIL. 219 they had a red spot on the forehead and cheeks, and some of them red stripes on the face; others had black stripes lengthwise, and transverse strokes with dots over the body; and many of the little children were marked all over, like a leopard, with Jittle black dots. This painting seems to be arbitrary, and to be regulated by their individual taste. Some of the girls wore a certain kind of ribbons round their heads; and the females in general fasten a bandage of bass or cord tightly round the wrists and ancles, in order, as they say, to make those parts small and elegant. The figure of the men is in general robust, squat, and often very muscular; the head large and round; the face broad, with mostly high cheek-bones; the eyes black, small, and sometimes oblique ; the nose short and broad, and their teeth very white: but some were distinguished by sharp features, small aquiline noses, and very lively eyes, which in very few of them have a pleasing look, but, in most, a grave, gloomy, and cunning expression, shaded by their projecting foreheads. One of the men was distinguished from all the rest by his Calmuck physiognomy ; he had a large round head, the hair of which was all cut to an inch in length, a very muscular, robust body, a short, thick neck, and a broad, flat face; his eyes, which were placed obliquely, were rather larger than those of the Calmucks usually are, very black, staring, and wild ; the eyebrows were black, bushy, and much arched; the nose small, but with wide nostrils; the lips rather thick. This fellow, who, as our attendants said, had never been‘seen here before, appeared to us all so formidable, that we unanimously declared we should not like to meet him alone unarmed in a soli- tary place. “ All the men here carried their weapons, consisting of long bows and arrows, in their hands. The bow of the Puries and Corcoadoes measures six feet and a half, 220 BRAZIL. or even more: it is smooth, made of the hard, tough, dark-brown wood of the airi palm, and has a string composed of fibres of grawatha (bromelia.) The arrows of the Puries are often above six feet long, made of a firm knotty reed (faquara,) which grows in the dry woods, feathered at the lower extremity with beautiful blue or red feathers, or with those of the peacoek-phea- sant or of the jacutinga. Those of the Coroadoes are made of another reed, which has no joints. None of the tribes which I visited on this coast, poison their arrows : the ingenuity of these people, who are in the lowest stage of civilization, has, happily, not attained this art. “ When our first curiosity was satisfied, we requested the savages to conduct us to their huts. The whole troop preceded, and we followed on horseback. The way led into a valley which crossed the sugar-planta- tions; it then decreased to a narrow path, till at length, in the thickest of the forest, we came to some huts, called cuari in the language of the Puries. They are certainly some of the most simple in the world. The sleeping-net, which is made of embira (bass from a kind of cecropia,) is suspended between two trunks of trees, to which, higher up, a pole is fastened transversely by means of a rope of bind-weed (eipo,) against which large palm-leaves are laid obliquely on the windward side, and these are lined below with Aeliconia or patli- oba leaves, and, when near the plantations, with those of the banana. Near a small fire on the ground lie some vessels of the fruit of the erescentia cujete, or a few gourd-shells, a little wax, various trifles of dress or ornament, reeds for arrows and arrow-heads, some feathers, and provisions, such as bananas and other fruit. The bows and arrows stand against a tree, and lean dogs rush loudly barking upon the stranger who approaches this solitude. The huts are small, and so BRAZIL. 221 exposed on every side, that when the weather is unfa- vourable, the brown inmates are seen seeking protection against it by crowding close round the fire, and cower- ing in the ashes: at other times, the man lies stretched at his ease in his hammock, while the woman attends the fire, and broils meat, which is stuck on a pointed stick. Fire, which the Puries call poté, is a prime necessary of life with all the Brazilian tribes: they never suffer it to go out, and keep it up the whole night, because they would otherwise, owing to the want of clothing, suffer severely from the cold; and because it is also attended with the important advantage of scaring all wild beasts from their huts. “ As soon as we reached the huts, our exchange of commodities was set on foot. We made the women presents of rosaries, of which they are particularly fond, though they pulled off the cross, and laughed at this sacred emblem of the catholic church. They have also a strong predilection for red woollen caps, knives, and red handkerchiefs, and most readily parted with their bows and arrows in exchange for these articles. The women were very eager after looking-glasses, but they set no value upon scissors. We obtained from them by barter a great number of bows and arrows, and several large baskets. The latter are of green palm-leaves interwoven together: below, where they lie against the back, they have a bottom of platted work, and a high border of the same on the sides, but are generally open at top. All the savages frequently offer for sale large balls of wax, which they collect when gathering wild honey. They use this dark-brown wax in preparing their bows and arrows, and also for candles, which they sell to the Portuguese. The Tapuyas make these candles, which burn extremely well, by wrapping a wick of cotton round a thin stick of wax, and then rolling the whole firmly together. They set a high BRAZIL. ralue on their knife, which they fasten to a string round the neck, and let it hang down upon the back: it frequently consists only of a piece of iron, which they are constantly whetting on stones, and thus keep it very sharp. If you give them a knife, they generally break off the handle, and make another according to their own taste, by putting the blade between two pieces of wood, which they bind fast together with a string.” * Rude insensibility, except under the stimulus of physical appetite or the passion of revenge, is repre- sented as the most distinguishing trait of these savages One of the horde sold his son to their visitors for a shirt, two knives, a handkerchief, some beads, and some small mirrors; and the boy neither changed counte- nance at hearing his fate, nor took leave of his friends. They have in general several wives. No idols were seen among them; but they recognize in the thunder the voice of a supreme being, whom they call Tupan. Prince Maximilian says, that the Puries would never confess that they eat human flesh; but that they feast on the bodies of their slaughtered enemies, is attested by various witnesses. It certainly is a disgrace to the Brazilian government, that some effectual plan is not adopted to civilize these degraded members of the human race, and to render these fertile and extensive territories subservient to the wants of civilized man The Puries are the principal tribe now remaining in these uncleared regions, and either their civili- zation or their extermination cannot be an event very distant. It only remains to notice in this province, the chief places in the mountainous, but fertile district of Ilha # Maximilian’s Travels, pp. 115—120. BRAZIL. 223 Grande, which occupies its south-western extremity. Parati, situated near the river of the same name, on the western side of the bay of Ilha Grande, was created a town in 1660. It las, as usual, a juz de fora, and royal professors; the parish church is dedicated to Our Lady of Remedies, and it has two other chapels. Its commerce is considerable. Its rum, in particular, is in great request. It is about 60 miles W. of Rio. Angra dos Reys, the most ancient town in the pro- vince, but now fallen into decay, is about twenty-five miles N.E. of Parati: it stands among tne frontie: mountains of [lha Grande, which name it frequentiy takes, and is defended by two redoubts. It has a parish church dedicated to Uur Lady of Couception, two chapels, a convent of Franciscans, whose domains are said to be constantly on the increase, and one of slippered Carmelites. It has the same juiz de fora as Parati, and professors of the same kind. Itscommerce is pretty considerable, and vessels of the largest size can anchor in its port. The vine and the fig-tree thrive in its vicinity. *¥ The uncommon fertility of the soil of the adjacent country, has induced many families to move into this district; and since 1811, a new town has been formed upon the eastern bank of the Mambucaba, near its embouchure. A few leagues to the north, near the margin of the same river, is the picturesque moun- tain of Taypicu, having the form of a sugar-loaf; and not far from its source, is the celebrated pinnacle com- monly called the Friar’s Hood, from its supposed re- semblance to the cowl of a Franciscan. It is near the southern point of the great Serro of Bocaina or Bucaina, which is stated by Mr. Luccock to have given name to * The elevation of the place,” says Mr. Luccock, ** 4000 feet above the sea, is favourable to both.” 224 BRAZIL. the Buccaneers.* “ The interior of this country,” says the same traveller, ¢ is as mountainous and broken as any in Brazil; yet much of the land is rich, and its crops of coffee are abundant. It is thinly inhabited by a hardy and industrious race, who want only roads to convey their produce to the coast or to a market; a want not likely to be soon supplied. Many civilized Indians reside in this district. Passing through one of their villages, we found the people sitting under alcoves placed in front of their huts, dressed in all the finery which the cheapness of British goods had introduced among them.” } Proceeding southward, we now enter on the pro- vince of SANTO PAULO. THis province, formed by the union of a part of the old capitania of St. Amaro with half of that of St. Vincente, took its present name in the year 1710, when John V., having incorporated them with the crown lands by purchase, appointed the city of St. Paulo as the residence of the captain-general. It is divided from the province of Rio on the north-east, by a line * The name of the Serro was itself derived, Mr. L. states, from a practice of the inhabitants, who roasted their meat on wooden trivets or stages, whence the oily part dropped into and fed the fire beneath. Mr. Southey derives the word Buccaneers imme- diately from this practice, without noticing the name of the mountain. Describing the cannibal feasts of the Tupinambas, he says: “ Four forked stakes were driven into the ground, sticks were laid across, and on this they rather dried than broiled the flesh. This wooden frame was called the Boucan : food thus smoked and dried was said to be buccaneered; and hence the origin of the name applied to that extraordinary race of free- booters who were so long the scourge of the Spaniards in South America." —Hist. of Brazil, vol. i. p. 207 BRAZIL. which, traversing the heights of the vast Serro from the point of Joatinga to the head of the Jacuy, descends that river till it joins the Paraiba* The serra of Mantiqueira separates it from Minas Geraes on the north; the Rio Grande and the Paranna from Goyaz and Matto Grosso on the west and north-west; the Sahy from St. Catherina on the south ; and on the east, it has for its boundary the Atlantic. Its territory is almost all within the temperate zone, between 20° 30’ and 28° S. lat.,, comprising 450 miles from north to south, and 340 miles of medium width.+ It is divided by the last arrangement, which dates from February 1812, into three comarcas or ouvidorias; St. Paulo, Hitu, and Curytiba, each being designated by its prin- cipal town. Except in the eastern part, where a cor- dillera, or elevated ridge of mountains, runs parallel with the coast, this province is not mountainous. None of the maritime provinces, with the exception of Para, contain so many navigable rivers; but all these, excluding ouly the few streams or mountain torrents which descend the eastern declivity of the cordillera flow into the interior, and are swallowed by the Pa- ranna; so that they afford no facilities to commerce. The city of St. Paulo, which gives its name to the province, is the oldest in Brazil,} and beyond every other interesting in an historical point of view. ¢ Here, more than in any other place,” says, Dr. Von Spix, “we find the present connected with the past. The Paulista is sensible of this, and says, not without pride, that his native city has a history of its own.” The celebrated Anchieta and his brother Jesuits com- * Luccock, p. 272. + Henderson. 1 St. Salvador (Bahia) only claims a rival antiquity, being founded by Thome de Squza in 1550. o 2 226 BRAZIL. menced this city in the year 1552, with the foundation of a college, in which they celebrated the first mass on St. Paul's day. When, six years after, it acquired the denomination of a town, its name was determined by this circumstance. Its first inhabitants were a horde of Guayana Indians under their cacique, Tebirega, who had resided in the aldeia of Piratinin, near the small river of that name, not far from the new colony, which, in consequence, took the name of St. Paulo de Pira- tininga.* The Indians were soon joined by a great number of Europeans, and a mixed race rapidly aug- mented the population; so that before a century had elapsed, the Paulistas had become formidable by their numbers, as they were distinguished by their spirit of enterprise. “The accounts of earlier historians,” says Dr. Von Spix, “describe the Paulistas as a lawless tribe, resist- ing every legitimate constraint of custom and moral feeling, who, for that very reason, had renounced the dominion of Portugal, and formed a separate republic. This opinion was caused also by the reports of the Jesuits, who certainly had good grounds at that time to be discontented with the conduct of the Paulistas. Subsequently to the year 1629, the latter frequently made incursions into the Indian colonies of the Jesuits in Paraguay, and with incredible cruelty carried off all the natives as slaves. These plundering excursions, as well as their enterprises in search of gold to Minas, Goyaz, and Cuiaba, gave to the character of the Pau- listas of that time a selfish rudeness and insensibility, and inspired them with a disregard for all relations consecrated by law and humanity, which naturally drew upon them the severest reprobation of the fathers, * See page 21 BRAZIL. 227 who were animated with enthusiastic zeal for the wel. fare of mankind.* “This rude character is, however, now softened, and the Paulista enjoys, throughout Brazil, the reputation of great frankness, undaunted courage, and a romantic love of adventures and dangers. Itis true,” continues Dr. Von Spix, “that in conjunction with these com- mendable qualities, a propensity to anger and revenge, pride and stubbornness, have remained in his character, and he is therefore feared by his neighbours; the stranger, however, sees in his haughty manner, only earnestness and an independent spirit; in his good- natured frankness and hospitality, an amiable feature ; in his industry, the activity that marks the inhabitants of a temperate zone; and has less occasion than his neighbours to become acquainted with his faults. The only excuse for his pride is, that he can boast of having a claim, through the actions of his forefathers, to this new continent, which the settlers from Europe cannot adduce. There is no manner of doubt that the first comers contracted frequent marriages with the neighbouring Indians, and the complexion and phy- siognomy of the people indicate the mixture here, more * The Paulistas, although they did not designate the domestic Indians by the appellation of captives, or slaves, but by that of administrados, disposed of them as such, giving them to their creditors in payment of debts, and by way of dowry on occasions of marriage. The Jesuits, who possessed or had the control over a great number of Indians, and under whose power they received the denomination of administrados, without any consequences of slavery being attached to the term, declaimed against the abuses practised by the Paulistas, and demonstrated to them the impropriety of usurping a right to dispose of the liberty of the Indian. The Paulistas, who were opulent, and owed all their wealth to the arms of their numerous administrados, determined to repel the Jesuits, in order that the truths which they promul- gated should not militate against their interests.”—Henderson’s History of Brazil. p. 175. 228 BRAZIL. than in the other cities of Brazil, for instance, in Maranham and Bahia. Many whites have, however, at all times settled here; and many families of Pau- listas have preserved themselves without mixture with the Indians: these are as white, nay, even whiter, than the purer descendants of the Europeans in the northern provinces of Brazil. The mamelucoes of various de- grees have coffee-coloured, bright-yellow, or nearly white complexions; but the broad, round face with high check-bones, the small black eyes, and a certain unsteadiness of look, betray, more or less, the Indian origin. In general, the principal characteristics of the Paulistas are, a lofty, and, at the saue time, broad make, strongly marked features, expressive of a bold, independent spirit, hazel eyes (they are very rarely blue,) full of fire and ardour, thick, black, smooth hair, muscular make, firmness, and vivacity in their motions. They are justly considered as the strongest, most healthy, and most active inhabitants of Brazil. The strength with which they tame horses, and catch the wild cattle by means of the noose, is as surprising as the ease with which they endure continued labour and fatigue, hunger and thirst, cold and heat, wet, and privations of all kinds. In their expeditions on the inland rivers to Cujaba and Matto- Grosso, they display now, as formerly, the greatest boldness and perseve- rance in dangers and hardships of every description; and an unconquerable love of travelling still impels them to leave their country. We accordingly find, all over Brazil, more single colonists from St. Paulo, than from any other province. This roaming kind of life they have probably inherited from their ancestors. On the whole, the Paulistas may be said to have a melan- choly disposition inclining to be choleric. They cha- racterize thereby, in some degree, in a moral view, the zone which they inhabit; for the nearer we approach BRAZIL. 229 the equator, the more decidedly do we find the cho- leric, irritable character expressed. “ The women of St. Paulo have the same simplicity as the men. The tone of society is jovial and unaf- fected, animated by ready and cheerful pleasantry. They have been unjustly accused of giddiness. If the spirit of conversation is strongly contrasted with the refined manners of their European relatives, among whom a jealous etiquette prohibits the unrestrained expression of feeling, their artless liveliness does not excite sur- prise, in a province where a free and simple mode of thinking has been retained more than in any other part of Brazil. The women of St. Paulo are of tall and slender, though not delicate make, graceful in their motions, and have in the features of their well-formed countenances an agreeable mixture of cheerfulness and frankness. Their complexion, too, is not so pale as that of most Brazilian women, and they are on that account reckoned to be the handsomest women of Brazil.” * Mr. Mawe, who visited St. Paulo in 1807, gives a similar representation of the state of society in this capital. “The appellation of Paulista,” he says,” is considered by all the females here as a great honour, the Paulista being celebrated throughout all Brazil for their attractions and their dignity of character. At table they are extremely abstemious. Their favourite amusement is dancing, in which they display much vivacity and grace. At balls and other public festivals, they generally appear in elegant white dresses, with a profusion of gold chains about their necks, their hair tastefully disposed and fastened with combs.t Their * Von Spix’s Travels, vol. ii. pp. 5—S8. + Abroad, or as a general sort of undress at home, many wear a “long coat of coarse woollen, edged with gold lace, velvet, fustian, or plush, according to the rank of the wearer.” With I 230 BRAZIL. conversation, at all times sprightly, seems to derive additional life from music. Indeed, the whole range of their education appears to be confined to superficial accomplishments: they trouble themselves very little with domestic concerns, confiding whatever relates to the inferior departments of the household to the negro or negress cook, and leaving all other matters to the management of servants. Owing to this indifference, they are total strangers to the advantages of that order, neatness, and propriety, which reign in an English family. Their time at home is mostly occupied in sew- ing, embroidery, and lace-making. Another circun:- stance repugnant to delicacy, is, that they have no mantua-makers of their own sex; all articles of female dress here are made by tailors. An almost universal debility prevails among them, which is partly attri- butable to their abstemious living, but chiefly to want of exercise, and to the frequent warm-bathings in which they indulge. They are extremely attentive to every means of improving the delicacy of their persons, per- haps to the injury of their health. “ The men in general, especially those of the higher rank, officers, and others, dress superbly: in company, they are very polite and attentive, and show every dis- position to oblige; they are great talkers, and prone to conviviality. The lower ranks, compared with those of other colonial towns, are in a very advanced state of civilization. It were to be wished that some reform were instituted in their system of education. The chil- dren of slaves are brought up, during their early days, with those of their masters; they are playmates and companions; and thus a familiar equality is established between them, which has to be forcibly abolished when this is worn, out of doors, a round hat. But few ladies appear in the streets without the long black veil or cloak, made either of silk or kerseymere, and trimmed with broad lace BRAZIL. 231 they arrive at that age at which the one must command and live at his ease, while the other must labour and obey. It has been said, that, by thus attaching the slave to his master in early youth, they ensure his future fidelity ; but the custom seems fraught with many dis- advantages, and ought at least to be so modified as to render the yoke of bondage less galling by the recollec- tion of former liberty.” * The taste for European luxuries, however, had by no means, at the time of Dr. Von Spix’s visit in 1817, made so much progress among the inhabitants of St. Paulo, as with the more opulent citizens of Bahia, Per- nambuco, and Maranham. * Convenience and clean- liness,” this traveller states, ‘‘ are more attended to, than elegance and splendour in their household arrange- ments. Instead of the light North American furniture and French looking-glasses which are seen in the other provinces, we found in the salas only a row of heavy chairs, venerable for their antiquity, and a small glass, whick, from its Nuremberg frame, the German recog- nizes as a countryman. Instead of large glass lamps and wax tapers, a brass lamp stands upon the table, in which they usually burn castor-oil. In the tone of society, too, we equally remarked the proportionably smaller influence of Europe. Cards are much less fre- quently called in as a resource than in the other capi- tanias: but the louder is the conversation, which alter- nates with singing and dancing.” The singing of the Paulista ladies is described as simple and unaffected. The national songs are chiefly pastoral and amatory: those of Brazilian origin are said to be the best. The guitar is the constant accompani- ment. As to other instrumental performances, the music of the theatre “resembled a chaos of elementary * Mawe's Travels in Brazil, p. 114—116 232 BRAZIL. sounds,” scarcely an instrument being properly played; and the representation of the opera ‘ was worthy of those times when the theatrical car of Thespis first passed through the streets of Athens.” The actors were all either blacks or mulattoes. A bull-fight was given during the visit of this traveller, but it went off very indifferently; and, to the credit of the Paulistas, the diversion is not popular.® Literature would seem to have made little progress in St. Paulo, since the only library of the city, besides that of the Carmelites, belongs to the bishop:+ but the Roman classics, we are told, are diligently studied at the gymnasium; and the Kantean philosophy has actually been introduced through the medium of an indifferent translation. ‘ Antonio Ildefonso Ferreira, the second professor of philosophy, had made himself pretty well acquainted with the system of the northern philosopher; and we were very agreeably surprised,” says the Bavarian professor, ¢ at finding the terms and ideas of the German school naturalized on American ground.” There is a theological seminary, at which young ecclesiastics are expected to study several years prior to taking orders; but they are not so strict here, we are told, in conferring ordination, as at Rio, Per- nambuco, and other Brazilian cities. In what that strictness consists, which prevails elsewhere, we are not informed, nor what is the character of the Paulista clergy. Mr. Mawe, however, represents them as “ free from that excessive bigotry and illiberality which are the reproach of the neighbouring colonies.” He admits, at the same time, their ignorance. The city is situated on an eminence in the extensive * A wooden circus for bull-fights had only recently been erected, out of the city, by Lieut-Col. Muller. + St. Paulo was dignified with the title of a city in 1712; but it was not constituted an episcopal see till 1746. BRAZIL. 233 plain of Piratininga, at the angle of the confluence of the Tamandatahi, which washes it on the west, with the Hynhangabahu, which flows on the eastern side. The style of architecture, with the frequent latticed bal- conies, indicates that it is above a century old. The streets are broad, light, and cleanly; some of them are well paved. The houses, mostly two stories high, are formed of strong planks or wicker-work, filled up with clay, and white-washed: they are, in fact, casas de taipa, literally mud-houses, stone or brick being rarely used; but they are said to be very durable.* The residence of the governor, formerly the Jesuits’ college, is built in a good style; it is, however, much out of repair. The episcopal palace and the Carmelite convent are large and stately edifices, and the cathedral and some other churchest are spacious; but the ornaments are * The mode of constructing these buildings is thus described by Mr. Mawe. ‘A frame is constructed of six moveable planks placed edgewise, opposite each other, and secured in this position by cross pieces bolted with moveable pins. Earth is put in by small quantities, which the workmen beat with rammers, and occasionally moisten with water to give it consistency. Having filled the frame, or trough, they remove it, and continue the same operation till the whole shell of the house is completed, taking care to leave vacancies, and put in the window-frames, door-frames, and beams, as they proceed. The mass, in course of time, becomes indurated, the walls are pared perfectly smooth inside, and take any colour the owner chooses to give them: they are generally engiched with very ingenious devices. This species of structure is durable: 1 have seen some houses thus built that have lasted two hundred years; and most of them have several stories. The roofs are made to project two or three feet beyond the wall, in order to throw off the rain to a distance from the base. Spouts might be a more effectual preservative against wet, but their use is little known here. They cover their houses with gutter-tiles; but though the country affords excellent clay, and plenty of wood, very few bricks are burnt.”—Mawe’s Tra- vels, p. 94. t+ Mr. Mawe says eight churches, but he must include the chapels of the religious establishments. 232 BRAZIL. sounds,” scarcely an instrument being properly played; and the representation of the opera “ was worthy of those times when the theatrical car of Thespis first passed through the streets of Athens.” The actors were all either blacks or mulattoes. A bull-fight was given during the visit of this traveller, but it went off very indifferently; and, to the credit of the Paulistas, the diversion is not popular.* Literature would seem to have made little progress in St. Paulo, since the only library of the city, besides that of the Carmelites, belongs to the bishop:t+ but the Roman classics, we are told, are diligently studied at the gymnasium; and the Kantean philosophy has actually been introduced through the medium of an indifferent translation. * Antonio Ildefonso Ferreira, the second professor of philosophy, had made himself pretty well acquainted with the system of the northern philosopher; and we were very agreeably surprised,” says the Bavarian professor, * at finding the terms and ideas of the German school naturalized on American ground.” There is a theological seminary, at which young ecclesiastics are expected to study several years prior to taking orders; but they are not so strict here, we are told, in conferring ordination, as at Rio, Per- nambuco, and other Brazilian cities. In what that strictness consists, which prevails elsewhere, we are not informed, nor what is the character of the Paulista clergy. Mr. Mawe, however, represents them as “ free from that excessive bigotry and illiberality which are the reproach of the neighbouring colonies.” He admits, at the same time, their ignorance. The city is situated on an eminence in the extensive * A wooden circus for bull-fights had only recently been erected, out of the city, by Lieut-Col. Muller. + St. Paulo was dignified with the title of a city in 1712; but it was not constituted an episcopal see till 1746. BRAZIL. 233 plain of Piratininga, at the angle of the confluence of the Tamandatahi, which washes it on the west, with the Hynhangabahu, which flows on the eastern side. The style of architecture, with the frequent latticed bal- conies, indicates that it is above a century old. The streets are broad, light, and cleanly; some of them are well paved. The houses, mostly two stories high, are formed of strong planks or wicker-work, filled up with clay, and white-washed : they are, in fact, casas de taipa, literally mud-houses, stone or brick being rarely used ; but they are said to be very durable.* The residence of the governor, formerly the Jesuits’ college, is built in a good style; it is, however, much out of repair. The episcopal palace and the Carmelite convent are large and stately edifices, and the cathedral and some other churchest are spacious; but the ornaments are * The mode of constructing these buildings is thus described by Mr. Mawe. ‘ A frame is constructed of six moveable planks placed edgewise, opposite each other, and secured in this position by cross pieces bolted with moveable pins. Earth is put in by small quantities, which the workmen beat with rammers, and occasionally moisten with water to give it consistency. Having filled the frame, or trough, they remove it, and continue the same operation till the whole shell of the house is completed, taking care to leave vacancies, and put in the window-frames, door-frames, and beams, as they proceed. The mass, in course of time, becomes indurated, the walls are pared perfectly smooth inside, and take any colour the owner chooses to give them: they are generally engiched with very ingenious devices. This species of structure is durable: 1 have seen some houses thus built that have lasted two hundred years; and most of them have several stories. The roofs are made to project two or three feet beyond the wall, in order to throw off the rain to a distance from the base. Spouts might be a more effectual preservative against wet, but their use is little known here. They cover their houses with gutter-tiles; but though the country affords excellent clay, and plenty of wood, very few bricks are burnt.”—Mawe’s Tra- vels, p. 94. + Mr. Mawe says eight churches, but he must include the chapels of the religious establishments. 234 BRAZIL. not in good taste, and the style of architecture is plain and poor. The city is divided into two parishes; that of the cathedral, and that of the church of St. Efigenia. It contains three monasteries, Franciscan, Benedictine, and Carmelite; two recolkimentos, or nunneries; a misericordia, various ‘ hermitages,” and three hos- pitals. The inhabitants are indebted to Lieutenant- colonel Muller for three stone bridges thrown over the two streams above mentioned, which unite below the town: in the construction of these, he has rendered a far more important service to the city, than by the erection of a circus for bull-figchts. The population, including the dependent parishes, was estimated, Dr. Von Spix says, at above 30,000 souls, of which half were whites, or such as are called so, and half people of colour; but Mr. Henderson, possibly from more recent documents, makes it between 35 and 40,000.* The whole population of the capitania, which amounted iu the year 1777 to only about 117,000, had increased, in the year 1808, to 200,478; in 1814, to 211,928; and in 1815, to 215,021 souls. Of the latter number, the proportions of the three comarcas were, St. Paulo, 127,349 3; Curytiba, 35,841; Hytu, 51,831. Of these, 115,103 were whites, 4866 free blacks, 44,285 free mulattoes, and 50,767 (not one-fourth) black and mulatto slaves. The mortality is to the population as 1 to 46. St. Paulo is esteemed a most healthy situ- ation; and the climate, Dr. Von Spix says, is one of the most agreeable in the world. Its situation, almost population of the city in 1815, was not more than 25,313 souls, of whom 12,274 were whites, 845 free blacks, 6239 free mulattoes, and 5955 slaves. The houses were 4142. In 1811, according to a statistical report cited by Mr. Mawe, the number of houses was 4017, and the population 23,764. He reckons the clergy of all orders at 500: the proportion was not on the increase * According to the official census given by Dr. V. Spix, the Q 2) BRAZIL. 235 under the tropic of Capricorn, as well as its elevation of 1200 feet above the surface of the sea at Santos, gives the city all the charms of a tropical climate, without any great inconvenience from heat. It stands in lat. 23° 33’ 10” S. and long. 46° 39" 10” W, The whole province of St. Paulo is peculiarly well adapted for the breeding of cattle, on account of the extensive plains which form a large proportion of its surface, on which all kinds of cattle, but particularly oxen, horses, and mules, thrive exceedingly well. The horses are very fine, and in general docile: when trained, they make excellent chargers. Their size is from twelve and a half to fourteen and a half hands high. The breed of sheep is quite unattended to, mutton being rarely eaten; but here is a very fine and large breed of goats, whose milk is generally used. Mr. Mawe mentions also a singular breed of cocks, resembling the English in shape and plumage, but their crow is peculiar, very loud, and the last note is pro- longed for fifteen or twenty seconds. ‘ When their voice is good, they are much esteemed, and are sent for as curiosities from all parts of Brazil.” Cotton and coffee do not thrive very well here, and the sugar-cane but indifferently. Although, according to official re- turns, it contained, in 1808, no fewer than 458 sugar- mills and 601 stills, the sugar or treacle and rum pro- duced were little more than were required for private consumption. Little mandioc is cultivated, but maize to a great extent, and a considerable quantity is sent to Rio. The gardens in the city and its vicinity are laid out, Mr. Mawe says, with great taste, and many of them with curious elegance. The jasmine is here a favourite tree, and bears flowers perennially, as does the rose. Carnations, pinks, passion-flowers, &c. grow luxuriantly. Bees are by no means uncommon, and though insects are numerous, the mosquito is less 236 BRAZIL. troublesome than in Rio or in La Plata. The environs have a high degree of rural beauty. Santos is the only harbour in the province which has a direct intercourse with Europe. Though only twelve leagues distant from St. Paulo, it is as much cut off from it by the difficulties of the road, and the want of water communication, as if the distance were four times as great. The road over the Cubatio, (as that part of the Serra do Mar is called, which rises between the capital and the coast,) though it was much improved by Franca e Horta when governor-general, still does not allow of articles being transported in any other way than on the backs of mules. Great expense and labour, therefore, are required to bring to the capital merely a bell or any heavy article. The two other sea-ports of the province, Paranagua and Cananea, are both incon- siderable: the former is 58 leagues, the other 67 leagues from St. Paulo. The trade of the province is, there- fore, comparatively small, and the proportion of pecu- niary wealth inferior to that of the more northern pro- vinces. “Even in the capital,” says Dr. Von Spix, “ there is almost a scarcity of current coin, to which the inhabitant of the province is still more indifferent, because, living in patriarchal simplicity, he is a stranger to many European wants, and considers himself as richer in the produce of his great herds, than by the introduc- tion of European money and European luxuries.” But, unhappily, this patriarchal simplicity implies a state of things but little removed from moral and intellectual barbarism. The state of manufactures corresponds to that of trade. The domestic manufacture of coarse woollens, that of common white beaver hats, and lace- making, are the only ones of consequence.* “ A little * From official documents cited by Dr. Von Spix, it appears, that the total exports of the capitania of St. Paulo in 1813, amounted BRAZIL. 237 coarse cotton,” says Mr. Mawe, “is spun by the hand, and woven into cloth, which serves for a variety of wearing apparel, sheets, &c. They make a beautiful kind of net-work for hammocks, which are trimmed with lace, and form an elegant piece of furniture, being slung low, so as to answer the purpose of sofas. The ladies are particularly fond of using them, especially when the heat of the weather disposes to ease and indo- lence. The making of lace is a general employment for females, some of whom excel in it. The shop- keepers here are a numerous class, who, as in most colonial towns, deal in almost everything, and some- times make large fortunes. Here are few physicians, but many apothecaries: some silversmiths, whose arti- cles are equally indifferent both in metal and workman- ship; tailors and shoemakers in great numbers; and joiners, who manufacture very beautiful wood, but are not so moderate in their charges as the former classes of tradesmen. In the outskirts of the city live a num- ber of crecle Indians, who make earthenware for culi- nary purposes, large watér-jars, and a variety of other utensils, ornamented with some taste. The greater proportion of the inhabitants consist of farmers and inferior husbandmen, who cultivate small portions of land, on which they breed large stocks of pigs and poultry for sale. With these the market is generally well supplied, and, in the fruit season, is also stored with pines, grapes, peaches, guavas, bananas, a few apples, and an enormous quantity of quinces.”” Such are the trades of St. Paulo. The low state of the useful to 666,942,840 rees, or about 190,0600.., of which not 15.0007. was exported to Europe direct, five-sixths being sent to Rio. The imports in the same year amounted to 766,105,028 rees, about 218,0007, of which a similar proportion was drawn immedidtely from Oporto. The chief articles of export are sugars, hides, rice, and Peruvian bark. arts may be judged of from the circumstance, that the wealthiest graziers are obliged to tan the hides them- selves, or salt them raw for exportation. A govern- ment manufactory for arms had recently been trans- ferred hither from Rio, and placed under the superin- tendence of Lieutenant-colonel Muller; but the eight working masters were all Germans. The bishop amused himself with breeding silk-worms, which are said to produce a very beautiful thread, and the mulberry-tree comes to great perfection in this climate, so that the cul- ture of silk might be carried on with great success. The cochineal insect is also found in many parts of the pro- vince, and might be made to furnish an equally profit- able branch of trade. But the aversion of the Paulistas to laborious work, so long as they can obtain the rich gifts of nature without trouble, have hitherto prevented the improvement of either branch of productive indus- try. It is an auspicious circumstance, however, that the rage for mining has passed away: the smelting- house of St. Paulo is broken up, and the gold-hunters have gradually emigrated to the richer provinces of Minas, Goyaz, and Matto Grosso.™ In proceeding to give a sketch of the topography of the province, we shall first avail ourselves of Mr. Mawe’s account of his journey across the mountains. FROM SANTOS TO ST. PAULO. APPROACHING from St. Catherine’s, between the ;aluable harbour of San Francisco and that of Santos, the coast is low and flat; but, on nearing Santos, it becomes bolder, and the main land is elevated and * About a century ago, the country round the city abounded with gold, and it was not till they had exhausted it by washing, that the inhabitants thought of employing themselves in hus- bandry. The grit-stone with which the streets of St. Paulo are paved, is an alluvial formation, containing gold; and after heavy BRAZIL. 239 mountainous. The harbour of Santos has a safe en- trance, and is very secure: it is a strait, having the island of St. Vincente to the left, for the extent of half a mile, when it takes a different direction. Here is situated the port, which has good anchorage, with regu- lar soundings towards the shore. “The part called the narrows is defended by two forts, on passing which there is a kind of lagoon of three or four leagues in length, almost full of mangroves, terminated by the town of Santos. The river, or lagoon, has three or four fathoms water and a muddy bottom.” Santos is one of the oldest European settlements in Brazil. In common with St. Paulo, it is said to owe its origin to the first shipwreck on the island of St. Vin- cente, on the northern side of which it is situated. The captaincy of St. Vincente was the first of those granted by the crown to the original donatories.®* The town of that name, the ancient capital of the province, is situated on the southern coast of the island, at the entrance of the bar, seven miles S.W., of Santos. In former times a flourishing town, it has now sunk into insignificance, its commerce having been transferred to Santos, which is better situated. The inhabitants of St. Vincente are chiefly fishermen. Santos was erected into a town in 1545. Its misericordia is the most an- cient in Brazil. Besides this, it contains a Franciscan convent, an Aospicio of Benedictines, and one of slip- pered Carmelites, and various chapels. The Jesuits’ college, which had been suffered to fall into a dilapi- dated state, has been repaired and turned into a military hospital. The town is tolerably well built, the houses rain, many particles of the precious metal are even now found in the clinks and hollows, which are diligently sought for by the poorer people. A city thus literally paved with gold, surely claims to be considered as the veritable El Dorado. : : * See page 16. 240 BRAZIL. being, for the most part, of stone. The population, consisting chiefly of merchants, shopkeepers, and arti- ficers, amounted, at the time of Mr. Mawe’s journey, to between 6 and 7000 souls. The situation is by no means healthy, as the country round is low, woody, and frequently deluged with rain, owing, it is supposed, to the high mountains in the vicinity, which arrest the clouds. Several rivulets flowing from the heights, after intersecting the land in all directions, unite a little above the town in one great river. The rice of this district, which is grown in great quantities, is esteemed the best in Brazil, and the bananas are equally noted. The port is the resort of many vessels trading to the Plata; the Spanish territories, as well as Rio Grande do Sul, being supplied from hence with rice, ‘sugar, coffee, and mandioc, in exchange for hides and tallow, which are exported to Europe. Its intercourse with St. Paulo is considerable, several hundred mules fre- quently arriving in the course of a day, laden with the produce of the interior, for which they take back salt, iron, earthenwares, and European manufactures. For the traffic of the immediate vicinity it has the conve- nience of water carriage, the river being navigable up to Cubatio, a distance of about twenty miles, and only half a mile from the foot of the mountains. ‘The inhabitants of Santos are characterized by Mr. Mawe as proverbially notorious for inhospitality. He supposes that the « great influx of strangers and rene- gadoes from all nations” into this, as well as other towns on the coast, had completely steeled the hearts of the people against all claims on their good-will or civility. In this respect, they are a striking exception to the Brazilians of the interior. Not far to the north of Santos Bay is the fine island of St. Sebastian, about seven leagues in length. It lies off the point of Toque Toque, and the strait between BRAZIL. 241 it and the main, about two leagues in width, affords an excellent passage and a good harbour for ships of war. I'he land on both sides is bold and steep, and being well cultivated, has a very grand and rich appearance. In front of the island, near the embouchure of a small river, is seated the town of St. Sebastian. It stands on a low tract of ground at the commencement of a fertile plain, but which was for many years almost abandoned in consequence of the impolitic restrictions which prevented the inhabitants from exporting the produce to the best markets. The town is inconsiderable, with indifferent houses, and streets of sand, and is by no means, Mr. Mawe says, a desirable, or even tolerable residence for a stranger, being exposed to all the incon- veniences peculiar to low, sandy situations, among which rank immense swarms of mosquitoes. It cons tained, however, in 1807, from 2 to 3000 inhabitants “an indigent and not very industrious people,” io subsisted for the most part on fish. A little indigo was made, and some tolerably good tobacco grown in the neighbourhood. The town was formerly much noted for its very large canoes, made of the solid timber. Some of them,” says Mr. Mawe, “I have seen, of almost incredible dimensions.” The neighbouring island, being more elevated, has the advartone of purer air, and 1s reputed to produce the best sugar, rum, and tobacco, as well as the finest cattle, in all Brazil. On the northern coast of the island stands Villa da Prin ceza, created a town in 1809, with a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Luz, which at present serves for the whole island. On the eastern part, there is an armacao for whale. fishing. Between four and five miles to the east of St. Sebastian, near the beach, is the pretty but poor Village of Bairro, where a considerable quantity of earikenware is made by the women for the market of 24. BRAZIL. large Franciscan convent, well built, and finely situated, fronting the bay. Nearly thirty miles N.E. of Sebas- tian, and near the confines of the province, is the small town of Ubatuba. Between this and Bairro are the bays of Flamengos and Inquiriquere, both capable of receiving many ships. Having ascended the river Cubatio (or Cubatam) from Santos to the small arraial (military station) to which it gives name, Mr. Mawe procured a guide and saddle-mules, and proceeded to ascend the mountain pass. The road is good and weil paved, but narrow, and, on account of the rugged acclivities, is cut in a zig-zag direction, with very frequent and abrupt turn- 1 i 1 i ings, but continually on the ascent. In many places, it is cut through the solid rock for several feet; in others, along the perpendicular sides ; and frequently it leads over the tops of conical mountains along the edge of precipices. These dangerous places are guarded by parapets, but, in case of meeting a train of mules, the passage is in many parts perilous. * After ascend- ing for an hour and a half,” says Mr. Mawe, ‘during which time we made innumerable turnings, we arrived at a resting-place, near which, at a spot a little lower than the road, we found water. This place, as cur guide informed us, was only half way to the summit. We were astonished at the intelligence, as the clouds were already so far below us that they obstructed our prospect.” The woods are so thick in every part, except where the mules tread, that no soil can be seen. The branches of the trees in some places meet and form an arbour over the road, which shades the tra- veller from the heat of the sun, or shelters him from rain. Some picturesque streams, bursting from their high sources, occasionally present fine cascades, and, crossing the road, ferce their way through many de- tached round masses of granite. “In three hours,” BRAZIL. 243 continues this traveller, “we reached the summit, a plain of considerable extent, the lowest estimated height of which is 6000 feet.* The surface is chiefly composed of quartz covered with sand. The sea, though distant twenty miles, seemed to wash the foot of the mountains. The level part of the coast, and the port of Santos below us, came not within the angle of vision. Advancing about a mile and a half, we came to a part of the road cut several feet deep through the rock, and observed in this quarter many small streams, which, though contiguous to the sea, all flow in a south-western course to an immense dis- tance, and uniting, form the great river Correntes (Parana,) which joins the Plata. After crossing several rivalets, and passing a few houses, we arrived at a tole- rable inn, belonging to an officer of militia, where we were provided with milk, coffee, and fowls. It is dis- tant sixteen or twenty miles from St. Paulo, and may be considered as half way between that town and Santos. We then proceeded through a much more open country, which bore the traces of former cultiva- tion, and seemed to have been of late much neglected. As we drew nearer St. Paulo, the road improved, and was enlivened by a greater number of habitations. We passed two convents, distinguished by large crosses erected before them. The land is watered by several * “The millions of crowns,” remarks Mr. Mawe, ‘which must have been expended in clearing the woods and thickets in the course of this road, and in cutting through the solid rocks for a considerable distance, as well as in paving it through the whole extent of the ridge, afford no mean idea of the enterprising spirit of the Brazilians. Few public works, even in Europe, are superior to it; and if we consider that, by reason of the scanty population of the district through which it passes, the labour bestowed on it must have been purchased most dearly, we shall hardly find one in any country so well completed under similar disadvantages.” : 244 BRAZIL. fine streams. St. Paulo, although on an elevated site, is not observed at any great distance in this direction. In its immediate neighbourhood, the river runs paral- lel to the road, which it sometimes partially overflows and covers with sand. On entering the town, we were struck with the appearance of its houses, stuccoed in various colours.”* The city is approached to more advantage from the north. Seen from the eminence of Nossa Senhora da Penha, it has a very grand appear- ance. Dr. Von Spix, who visited St. Paulo ten years after Mr. Mawe, arrived by this route from Rio. The road FROM RIO DE JANEIRO TO ST. PAULO Has already been described as far as Santa Cruz. A very good road leads from that town, almost in a straight line, to a bridge, where formerly was a barrier at which all travellers were examined, to prevent the smuggling of gold dust. The country is an open level, watered by numerous pools and streams, bounded to the S.and W. by the Serro do Mar, which here sends out a branch in a direction nearly east and west, extending, under the name of Serra da Ilha Grande, to the Bay of Angra dos Reys. The road, after leaving the plains of Santa Cruz, is a very steep ascent to the summit over which it passes; it then turns from the coast into the interior, running among the thickly wooded mountains, through several well watered valleys, but lonesome and gloomy from the absence of cultivation. As the traveller pro- ceeds, these valleys contract on all sides, and the journey becomes more and more difficult and dangerous from the increasing steepness of the mountains. Profound silence reigns bere; and, with the exception of a few wretched clay huts, or spots recently cleared of wood, * Mawe’s Travels, pp. 86—91 BRAZIL, 245 he meets with nothing to remind him of man in these majestic scenes of savage nature. At Retiro, a miser- able fazenda in a narrow, swampy valley, not far from the little villa of S. Jodo Marcos, Dr. Von Spix and his companion passed the first night in the open air. * The uraponga had ceased his strangely-sounding notes; the swarms of grasshoppers commenced, as night set in, their monotonous chirp, at intervals interrupted by the notes of a large frog, resembling a drum, the lament of the capueira, and the dull cry of the goat-sucker. Affected by the constantly returning impressions, we felt ourselves in a strange and solemn mood in the lonely wilderness, which was further increased when the firmament, with all the splendour of the southern con- stellations, beamed on the dark forest, and millions of shining beetles fluttered in luminous circles through the hedges, till at length a heavy rain veiled all in dark- ness. The woody ridge of mountains, through which we had hitherto travelled, is the highest part of that branch of the Serra do Mar, which, in general, about three thousand feet high, runs towards the sea-coast from the principal chain, which runs to the north. The next mountains over which we passed are lower, and rise at longer intervals. The road is sometimes cut very deep in the scil, which consists of red clay, is very narrow, and, when two troops of mules meet, as it often happens, dangerous. This kind of road is, however, welcome in luxuriant forests, because the confining all travellers to one narrow path, prevents it from being quickly overgrown, as would otherwise happen. Paved roads and bridges are, of course, to be found nowhere in these solitudes, though the ground in the neighbour- hood of the numerous streams is quite swampy, espe- cially in the rainy season.” Four leagues from Retiro is the fazenda dos Negros; beyond which the road crosses a second chain of granite P2 246 BRAZIL. mountains, stretching from N.W. to S.E. towards the sea, and from its most northern valleys sending the Paratininga and the Rio Turbo to the Paraiba. To the south of the freguezia (parish) of Bananal, several other chains of mountains nearly parallel, and all thickly wooded, run from the west towards the ocean. ‘ We passed,” says Dr. V. Spix, in two days’ journey, the first of these, the outlines of which are more rounded and of more agreeable -form, having between them some light valleys with pools and rich meadows. Seve- ral colonists have settled in these valleys by the side of small streams; and their extensive plantations of Turkish wheat give the first appearance of culture to those lonely tracts. The third mountain ridge, Morro Formoza, resembles, by its bolder forms and larger and irregular masses, the mountains round about Rio: it constitutes the frontier of the provinces of Rio and St. Paulo, and divides the rivers in this eastern branch of the Serra do Mar. « The road from the Morro Formoza gradually de- clines through low mountains, which are more open and agreeable, and where population and culture in- crease. On the third day, after we had left Bananal, and passed the river and the little place Barreiro, we reached St. Anna das Areas, a pretty considerable town, but which having arisen within these five-and- thirty years in this thickly-wooded mountain, out of the settlement of a few poor colonists, cannot, of course, as yet present a picture of high prosperity.* The low houses, built of slight laths, simply interwoven with twigs and plastered with clay, and the little church, which is constructed in the same manner, seems very ephemeral, so that these dwellings appear erected * It had only lately been raised by the king to the rank of a villa. and is not mentioned by Henderson. BRAZIL. 047 merely as temporary places of refuge for wanderers. We found by far the greater part of all the towns in the interior of Brazil like this town; and the rarity of a well-built and comfortable house frequently excited regret for the conveniences and cleanliness of our native land. In the neighbourhood of Aréas, there is still a considerable village of Indians, the remains of the nu- merous tribes who, previously to the occupation of the Serra do Mar by the Paulistas, inhabited the whole of the extensive forests of this chain, and are now either extinct, or, mixed with negroes and mulattoes, live in a state of half-civilization among the colonists. They are still distinguished by the indolence and almost untameable obstinacy of their forefathers, and have but little intercourse with the colonists, whose plantations and cattle frequently suffer from the predatory attacks of these troublesome neighbours.” The travellers halted for the night in the deep valley of Tacasava, where they found several caravans elie camped, who were conveying fowls to the market at Rio, a distance of about a hundred leagues! The next day, they saw pass the magnificent caravan of the bishop of Cordova, who, driven from his residence by the political revolutions in the Spanish colonies, was tra- velling, with a Portuguese escort, from Monte Video to Rio, where he intended to embark for Europe. He had already been four months upon the road in tra- versing eleven degrees of latitude: he might have re- turned by sea to Europe in less time. Two days more, still proceeding in a south-westerly direction, brought the travellers to the last summit of the Serro do Mar, from which they looked down on a deep and pleasant valley, bounded to the west, at the distance of about two miles, by a part of the Serro do Martiqueira. The Paraiba, after issuing from the narrow valleys of the first chain of mountains, flows 248 BRAZIL. into this valley towards the north, and at Jacarehy, takes a direction quite opposite to its former course. At Lorena (or Guaypacare,) a small town near the Paraiba, at which they halted for the night, a side road branches out, which leads to Minas Geraes. The road from St. Paulo to Minas crosses the Paraiba at two points; the one above mentioned, called Porto do Meyra, and another a league before reaching Lorena, called Porto da Cachoeira. South of Lorena, the savage character of the forests disappeared, and plains and gently rising hills succeeded, covered with scat- tered bushes and extensive tracts of verdure. Though in some places swampy, this part of the valley of the Paraiba is one of the most fruitful districts of St. Paulo, and yields excellent tobacco. Guarantingueta, the next stage, styled by Mr. Henderson a considerable town, is situated on a pleasant hill in an extensive savannah near the river. [ts Indian name presents a favourable specimen, (Dr. V. Spix remarks,) of the talent for observation possessed by the aboriginal inha- bitants. This long word signifies the place where the sun turns back. In fact, the tropic of Capricorn is scarcely a degree south of the villa, which pleases by its cheerful appearance and some traces of a superior mode of life. Since our departure from Rio, this was the first place where we saw any glass windows, which, in Brazil, always indicate prosperity, and, in the in- terior, even luxury. On the other hand, the traveller is surprised at the want of all regularity and order in the exercise of trades. In a place containing some thousand inhabitants, we were obliged to be content with a frugal meal on an armadillo, which we had shot by the way. The flesh of this animal has, indeed, an agreeable taste, resembling fowl, but is very fat. “The road goes from the villa, always south-west, through the valley of the Paraiba. To the left of us BRAZIL. 249 lay a pleasant, well-cultivated chain of hills, planted with beans, maize, mandiocca roots, and tobacco. On the right, the broad valley extends to the chain of Serra do Mantiqueira, and bearing scarcely any traces of culture, is covered with thick, low bushes of myrtles, cujawas, &c. a dreary and desolate prospect. Only the hope that thousands of happy people will one day inhabit this highly gifted country can cheer the mind of the traveller. After proceeding a mile, we reached the shrine of Nossa Senhora Apparecida, a chapel situ- ated on an eminence, with a few houses about it. It was erected about seventy years ago, a long period in this country; it is partly built of stone, and adorned with gilding, bad paintings in fresco, and some in oil. The wonder-working image of the Virgin attracts many pilgrims from the whole province, and from Minas. We met many of these pilgrims when we proceeded on our journey on Christmas eve. Everybody here, women as well as men, travels on mules or on horse- back ; frequently the man takes the woman behind him on the same saddle. The dress of these planters is quite adapted to their local situation: a brown beaver hat with a very broad brim, which serves, at the same time, as a protection against the sun and the rain; a long, very wide blue frock ( poncho,) witha hole at the top for the head; jacket and trowsers, of dark calico; high unblacked boots, fastened below the knee with a leathern strap and buckle; a long knife with a silver handle, which serves as a defence, and sticks either in the boot at the knee, or in the girdle, and is used at meals as well as on other occasions, are the chief cha- racteristics of a travelling Paulista. The women wear long, wide surtouts of cloth, and round hats.” A wretched rancho at As Taibas was their lodging at night. The next day, the eighteenth from leaving Rio, the travellers continued their journey in a S.S.W. 250 BRAZIL. x direction to Pendamhongaba, or Pindamonnangaba, a town consisting of a church and some rows of low huts scattered on a hill. In their way, they crossed the three mountain streams of Parapitinga, Agoa Preta, and Ribeirao da Villa. Three miles to the S.E. of Pendam- hongaba, is Thaubaté, one of the most important towns in the province, and rivalling the capital in antiquity. It is situated on a flat hill, and the Franc iscan convent, surrounded by some rows of ma jestic palms, has an imposing appearance. The houses, however, are of the humblest description, seldom above one story high, casas da taipa, with a slight roof of pantiles and shingles. The interior, as Casceribed by Dr. Von Spix, corresponds to the slight construction and scanty ma- terials. “ The entrance, which is generally half or entirely closed by a latticed door, leads directly into the largest room in the house, which being without boards, and often with unwhitew ashed walls, resembles a barn. This division serves for the habit: ition of the family. Store-rooms, and in some cases a side rooin for guests, occupy the remainder of the front of the building. The back part contains the apartments for the wife and the rest of the family, who, according to the Portuguese fashion, withdraw on the entrance of strangers. From this we enter the varanda, which generally runs along the whole length of the building. and opens into the court- yard. A similar v: iranda is sometimes annexed to the front of the house. The kitchen and servants’ apartments, generally miserable sheds, lie opposite the house at the further end of the court. The furniture of these houses is confined to the most necessary articles. Often they have no more than a few wooden benches and chairs, a table, a large chest, and a bed consisting of a straw mat, or an 0X- hide, on boards supported by four pegs. Instead of beds the Brazilians almost always make use of the woven BRAZIL. 201 or braided hammocks (margueiras,) the best and most durable of which are manufactured in the provinces of St. Paulo and Minas, of white or coloured cotton. The traveller no where meets with any wells, and must therefore be satisfied with rain, spring, or river water, for every purpose. Jesides the Franciscan convent, Thaubaté contains, according to Cazal, a church dedicated to St. Francis, a convent of the Terceira order, and chapels of Our Lady of Pilar and Rosario. 1t is reckoned upwards of 100 miles N.E. of St. Paulo, seventy from Mugi das Cruzes, forty from Jacarely, and three from the Pa- raiba, near a small stream. In former times, when the thirst for gold was at its height among the Paulistas, a government establishment for refining gold was founded were ; and the rivalry between the Zaubatenos and the i Panlistas of Piratininga, rose to the pitch of a ran- corous and implacable feud; so that whenever the two parties met in any of their excursions, sanguinary con- tests always ensued. This enmity,” says Dr. V. Spix, ‘is said still to continue in silence, though the inhabi- tants of Taubaté have now entirely renounced the oc- cupation of gold-washing in other provinces, and follow agriculture and breeding of cattle in their own country, which is quite destitute of the precious metal.” The women manufacture mats and hand-baskets of grass, which are sent to Rio. A few vines are also cul- tivated here, and the fruit is of an agreeable flavour. Two days, journeying further south through verdant plains alternating with low woods, brought the travel- lers again to the banks of the Paraiba, where, at the town of Jacarehy (crocodile river,) it bends round to the north. In their way they passed the vendas of Campo Grande, Sahida do Campo, and Paranangaba, and the small village of St. Joze. At Jacarehy, an endemic swelling of the glands of the neck is very 252 BRAZIL. prevalent, to a degree surpassing aayiiag Sup Europe. These enormous goitres, friars) cone ny the whole neck, give a horrid appearance Ib De ie tives, who are, for the most part, mulattoes; ye : . y are regarded here, Dr. V. Spix says, as a than a deformity. He pss De 1 ie y exhalations of the low valley of the Ia aba, ! o F .overed with fogs, the muddy, lukewar m we 2 er which supplies the place of spring Sai and the uncleanliness of the people. As 4 ey the commencement of the disease, it 1s Enstotay drink water which has stood for several dogs up ioe pounded mass of large ant-hills. I'he a oy e ” arabic with good success. Twelre niles to es 0 this place, is the Indian aldeia da Escada, anc bes i a larce Carmelite convent close to the Dorin, which Dr. V. Spix found abandoned. The Indians ": on parts are cha racterized by a deformity nd n> and a gloomy stupidity, which seem to ne oie hae generated race. This traveller descri es 2 ) 7y sincular race of mestizoes, several families of Yh 1 ie also met with in this district. They ze 5 gh says, Cafusoes. * Their external Appesrance as of the strangest that a European po poet Ul ey ave slender and muscular; in particular, os breast and arms are very strong ; the That on the contrary, in proportion, w baler, Phen Solons 22 dark copper, or coffee-brown. Their features, i av re of the Ethiopic than of the American re crs is oval, the cheek-bones high, race. The countenance 1s oval, 1e es} 2 but not so broad as in the Indians; the nose ) ’ on flattened, but neither turned up nor oe > By oe mouth broad, with thick but Syral ne 9 yor er jaw, project but little ; the bi: k yes : ee a look than in the Indes Foi 05 : still a little oblique, if not standing so much inwar BRAZIL. 2h3 in them, on the other hand, not turned outwards as in the Ethiopians. But what gives these mestizos a pe- culiarly striking appearance, is the excessively long hair of the head, which, especially at the end, is half curled, and rises almost perpendicularly from the fore- head to the height of a foot, or a foot and a half, thus forming a prodigious and very ugly kind of peruke. This strange head of hair, which, at first sight, seems more artificial than natural, and almost puts oue in mind of the plica Polonica, is not a disease, but merely a consequence of their mixed descent, and is the mean between the wool of the negro and the long, stiff hair of the American. This natural peruke is often so high, that the wearers must stoop low to go in and out of the usual doors of their huts; the thick hair 1S, besides, so entangled, that all idea of combing it is out of the question. This conformation the Cafusoes a resemblance to the Guinea.” of the hair gives Papuas in New The low mountains at Escada are the last branches of the Serra do Mar. The road descends considerably to Mugi das Cruzes, a considerable town, about two miles beyond the river Tieté, one of the tributaries of the Parana. Here are a church and three religious esta- blishments. The inhabitants are chiefly graziers; but coffee and sugar are cultivated to some extent. It is thirty-five miles E.N.E. of St. Paulo, forty N. of Santos. TLe twenty-fourth day after leaving Rio, (the seventh from Thaubaté,) the travellers entered the capital. GOLD MINES OF JARAGUA. Beyoxp the plain which nearly encircles St. Paulo, the country is mountainous. About twenty-four miles from the city are the gold mines of Jaragua, the first discovered in this country, and which, on account of the immense treasures they produced a hundred years PART II Q LI Gi 254 BRAZIL. ago, occasioned this district to be regarded as the Peru of Brazil. After being for some time abandoned, the gold-washing had recently been resumed, at the period of Dr. V. Spix’s visit, by the proprietor of the moun- Mr. Mawe visited the mines in 1807. On the tain. he observed banks of the Tiete, which he crossed, « some situations truly enviable,” rich tracts of teeming soil, under a genial climate, wholly neglected and soli- tary. The mountain of Jaragua is one of the most southern branches of the Serra do Mantiqueira, which, after running for more than fifty miles to the north, disappears in this latitude. The rock is granite, ; times gneiss, containing a portion of hornblende with The earth washed for gold, Dr. V. Spix describes n which some- mica. as “a ferruginous sand-stone conglomerate 3” agrees with Mr. Mawe's account. “The soil,” he says, «is red and remarkably ferruginous. The gold lies, for the most part, in a stratum of rounded pebbles and gravel, called cascalkdo, incumbent on the solid rock. In the valleys, where there is water, occur frequent ex- cavations, made by the gold-washers, some of then fifty or a hundred feet wide, and eighteen or twenty feet deep. On many of the hills, where water can be collected for washing, particles of gold are found in the soil, scarcely deeper than the roots of the grass.” The mode of obtaining the gold, Mr. Mawe thus de- scribes. ¢ Where water of sufficiently high level can be commanded, the ground is cut in steps, each twenty or thirty feet wide, two or three broad, and about one deep. Near the bottom, a trench is cut to the depth of two or three feet. On each step stand six or eight negroes, who, as the water flows gently from above, keep the earth continually in motion with shovels, until the whole is reduced to liquid mud, and washed below. The particles of gold contained in this earth descend to the trench, where, by reason of their specific BRAZIL. 255 gravity, they quickly precipitate. Workmen are con- tinually employed at the trench to remove the stones and clear away the surface, which operation is ey assisted by the current of water which falls into it After five days’ washing, the precipitation in the srench is carried to some convenient stream to undergo a second clearance. For this purpose, wooden bowls ave provided, of a funnel shape, about two feet wide 2% he fee, and five or six inches deep, called garnellas Lane » ir « “4. 1 : Ras ho, Tana sre, takes into his § ; ght of the sediment, which generally consists of heavy matter, such as granular oxide of iron, pyrites, ferruginous quartz, &ec. sad often precious stones. They admit certain quantities of water 194p the bowls, which they move about so dexterously that the precious metal, separating from the inferior and lighter substances, settles to the bottom and sides of the vessel. They then rinse their bowls in a harger vessel of clean water, leaving the gold in it, and begin again. The washing of each bowlful Seenpies from five to eight or nine minutes. The gold produced is extremely rariable in quality and in the size of its par- ticles, some of which are so minute that they float while others are found as large as peas, and not ler quently, much larger. This operation 18 siperiatendod by overseers, as the result is of considerable importance. When the whole is finished, the gold is placed upon a brass pan, over a slow fire, to be dried, and at a con- venient time, is taken to the Permutation-office, where It 1s weighed, and a fifth is reserved for the crown. The remainder is smelted with muriate of mercury, then cast into ingots, assayed, and stamped according to its in- trinsic value, a certificate of which is given with it, After a copy of that instrument has been duly entered at the Mint-office, the ingots circulate as specie.” * * Mawe’s Travels, pp. 108—110. BRAZIL. IRON MINES OF YPANEMA. AnouT twenty leagues from the city, in the moun- tain of Guarassojava, there are vast mines of magnetic ironstone. A royal foundry has been erected on the banks of the Ypanema (or Hipannema,) round which has grown up a small village. The mines, though known to exist, had not been regularly worked till 1810, when the Conde de Linhares brought here a company of Swedish miners, who began by erecting a wooden workshop on the banks of the river, in which they had two small furnaces. Under the administra- tion of the Conde da Palma, the establishment was put on a more respectable footing; and a handsome and extensive edifice had just been completed, when Dr. Von Spix visited Ypanema in January 1818, which was to be placed under the superintendence of Lieut.- Colonel Varnhagen, and founders were expected to arrive from Germany. An hospital for the sick work- men had also been erected, which was attended by two surgeons. The only difficulty anticipated by Dr. Von Spix in extending the manufactory, was the future want of proper wood for fuel, when the neighbouring forests should be exhausted. The ore appeared good, containing partly ninety per cent. “Yet we frequently heard complaints,” he adds, “ that the iron extracted from it was too brittle, and that many instruments made of it were not durable. When the best method of treating the ore, especially in the operation of refin- ing, is discovered, and the exportation is facilitated by making a good road or canal to the coast, Ypanema, with its incredible abundance in iron ore, will be able to supply not only Brazil, but all the rest of the Ame- rican continent with that metal.” The road to the foundry leads S.S.W. from St. Paulo, over a hilly and partly cultivated country, having the mountain of Jaragua on the right. From Jacarehy the road gradually ascends, and passing the parish of Catia, and the village of S. Roque, leads to the villa of Sorocaba, distant sixty miles west from St. Paulo. This agreeable and flourishing town lies on the small iver of the same name, which flows into the Tiete to the west of it. The population is stated by Cazel to com sels 1777 families, two-thirds of whom are whites: re breed cattle and ponies, and cultivate cotton ir i fain corn. It contains a church, an Foricis of enedictines, a hermitage of S 10, a recoli] mento of women, pu : re and market for mules from Ris Gen lo 1 ss 30,000 of which, it is calculated rr : : : Bs ou ,» annually pass through Sorocaba. A duty of from 1280 to 2000 rees, (7 1 a 3 =ol 2 rees, (7s. to Hs. 6d.) per head is paid to the crown on their entrance into the new capitania; and as this is repented with certain modifications on the frontiers of every provines the price of these animals, which is here from twelve to twenty-five piastres, becomes doubled and trebled by the time they reach Bahia, Pernambuco, and Seara. Its lying on the road to Ypanema, distant only two leagues or about seven miles, will tend to render it still oo considerable. It is in the comarca of Hitu St. Jodo de Ypanema is seated on an amphitheatrical eminence on the banks of the river of the same itso which here spreads out into a lake. ¢ Beautiful deine form the foreground, and the iron mountain of ars sojava* covered with a dark wood, which, on the poets west side, descends into the valley, mikes the back- ground of the landscape. The neatly whitewashed houses, which lie scattered along the hill, at the foot of which stand the extensive buildings of the manufactory, * The word sionifies su lusi rd signifies sun-shader, in allusion to the great extent of land obscured by its shade. a - rain a} 258 BRAZIL. and the expression of noisy activity and industry which reign here, seem to transport the European into some manufactory in a beautiful, wild district of his own country.” « The mountain,” continues Dr. V. Spix, “ which produces this extraordinary quantity of ore, rises behind the place, a quarter of a mile to the west, and extends, as a rather insulated mountain ridge, a league in length from south to north. The elevation above the Ypanema is about 1000 feet. It is almost every- where covered with thick woods, from which, in the morning and evening, are heard the noisy howls of the brown monkeys. We ascended it, taking the narrow road through the bushes, by which the mules bring the ore to the manufactory. After we had gone winding up the mountain for a short way through thick wood, we found ourselves all at once before some gigantic rocks of magnetic iron-stone, which rise almost per- pendicularly to the height of forty feet and more. Around them, partly upon, and partly under the sur- face of the ground, which is a very rich mould, lie innumerable loose pieces, from the size of a fist to con- siderable blocks. The surface of the masses of rock is almost everywhere flat and even, with slight depres- sions and cavities, and has a crust of imperfectly oxydated iron-stone, which is some lines thick. We did not observe that the great masses caused any mo- tion in a suspended needle; but small pieces, especially when just struck off, had a considerable effect on it. The mass of this magnetic iron-stone is either quite compact or traversed by veins of red ochre. This iron- stone appears to be in immediate contact with a yellow quartzy sand-stone, with an argillaceous cement: at least, the latter is seen in several places at the foot of the mountain, as well as in Ypanema itself. A dirty lavender-blue primitive clay-slate, tinged brown in the BRAZIL. 259 rifts, which runs from east to west, lies on the top of the mountain, here and there, over the iron. Upon the Morro de Guarassojava, and probably in veins of the magnetic iron-stone, there is a porous quartz-stone of a light-brown colour, the cavities in which are covered with a bluish-white chalcedony, with a crys- tallized surface.” * : Dr. Von Spix states, that in no part of Brazil are there so many melancholic and hysteric patients as here, for which he is at a loss to assign any better reason, than their almost exclusive use of a coarsely-ground maize flour, rarely baked into bread or cakes, but either brought to table in little baskets, or boiled with water and milk, and sweetened, when it is called eanjica. This diet, the German physician pronounces to be difficult of digestion. He hints, however, at a far more likely cause of such complaints, in remarking, that by far the greater part of the diseases which he observed here, were * of syphilitic origin.” ROUTE TO THE FRONTIER OF MINAS GERAES Frou Ypanema, the travellers proceeded to the Villa do Porto Feliz, on the river Tieté, distant five leagues and a half, in a north-westerly direction, 25 miles N.N.W. of Sorocaba, and 18 W. of Hitu. In the road, which lay over hilly campos, and through low woody tracts, they did not observe a single house. The Tieté¢, having been joined by the Rio dos Pin- heiros, the Jundiahy, the Capibary, and other small streams, is here from twelve to fifteen fathoms broad and runs southward between rocky banks, covered with thick forests. Its Indian name is Anhemby. Close to * Yon Spix, vol. ii. pp. 51-2 Ab bo FLA an J —— — 260 BRAZIL. the port, which is nothing more than a creek, a rocky wall rises to the height of forty or fifty feet, called by the natives Arara-ita-guaba, i.e. the place where the araras (birds so called) eat stones: this was the former name of the town. The surface of the sand-stone rocks is covered with a fine yellowish grey marl, which exhibits an efflorescent white salt; and after the end of the rainy season, the birds are said to flock hither to rub off and lick up the saline efflorescence. In the hotter parts of Brazil, where the surface of the earth presents extensive tracts covered with salt, particularly salt-petre, it is no unusual circumstance for animals to be observed licking the ground. The walls of the low houses at Porto Feliz are often covered with the same substance, deposited by the thick fogs which prevail here, causing, we are told, goitres, intermittent fevers, dropsy, and an almost endemic catarrh. Maize and rice thrive from the same cause that renders the place unhealthy, and generally produce here two hundred and fifty fold. The sugar-cane is also cultivated, but the breeding of cattle is the principal occupation of the in- habitants. From the Rio Ypanema, grassy campos extend southward with little interruption to Curitiba, and into the capitania of Rio Grande, in the whole of which extensive tract the same system of farming is followed, that is described by Dr. Von Spix in the following terms. “ Every landholder possesses, according to the extent of his farm, from several hundred to two thousand, nay, even forty thousand head of cattle. They generally reckon from three to four thousand head on an estate which has two square miles of good pasture. All these roam at liberty in a wild state; but, every farmer keeps besides, as many tame draught oxen and cows as he requires for the purposes of agriculture, and for milk, BRAZIL. 261 which is partly made into cheese. The attendance on the wild cattle gives but very little trouble: all that is required is, to brand them with the mark of the owner, and to catch the animals intended to be slaughtered. From four to six servants, under the direction of a chief cowherd, perform all these services; they prevent the herds from straying beyond the boundaries, and defend them from the attacks of the ounces, wolves, and wild dogs. These people are almost always on horse- back, as their office compels them to ride twenty miles or more in a day. Every year, the whole herd is col- lected at different times in a place in a high situation, and sometimes fenced in. On this occasion, the mark of the owner is branded on the hind quarter of the beasts one year old, of which they reckon a thousand annually for a herd of five or six thousand. "Fhose of four years old and more, are selected for slaughter. The catching of these, frequently a troublesome and dangerous employment, is executed here, as in the pampas of Buenos Ayres, by means of long leathern nooses, which the farmers’ servants manage with incre- dible dexterity.* The tame cattle are kept in the vicinity of the fazenda, run free in the meadows during the day, and are only shut up in the enclosures during the night. The flesh of the tame cattle is preferred to that of the wild, because, from their undisturbed and more quiet way of life, they grow fat sooner, and with less fodder. The pasture being so good, their milk is excellent; but a cow gives only a third part of the quan- * Mr. Mawe, describing this process as practised by the peons of Monte Video, says: ‘ The dexterous mode in which the peons catch their cattle, by throwing a noose over them, has been frequently detailed, but certainly no description can do full justice to their agility. They throw with equal precision and effect, whether at full gallop or at rest. Their method of catching horses, by means of balls attached to leather thongs, is similar, but more unerring.”"—2'ravels in Brazil, p. 20 A A 2062 BRAZIL. tity that good milch cows give in Europe. The hide is always the most valuable part of the cattle: it is stripped off, stretched upon the ground by means of short pegs, a little salted, and dried in the sun. The flesh, cut into thin strips, rubbed with salt, and dried in the air, is an important article of exportation from the harbours of St. Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul, to the cities in the north; particularly to Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Pernambuco, and Maranham, where, under the names of Carne seca do Sertio, Passoca, or Carne charqueda, it constitutes an essential part of the subsistence of all the Brazilians, but especially of the negro slaves. “ Besides the breeding of oxen, that of horses and mules likewise occupies several farmers in the capitania of St. Paulo, but is carried on upon a far more ex- tensive scale in Rio Grande do Sul. The horses of St. Paulo are of a middling size, of slender make, and, if they are attended with care, acquire an elegant car- riage, and become excellent racers. In general, twenty or thirty of those wild animals herd together, and hardly ever separate. The animals, when taken (by means of the long nooses,) sometimes trembling with fear, sometimes full of impetuous fury, endeavour, by the strongest contortions and the most desperate leaps, to defend themselves against the riders. When the latter have succeeded in holding an animal fast by the ears afl lips with a pair of tongs, in putting a halter over his head, and a sheep-skin by way of saddle on his back, one of the servants mounts him, and endea- vours to overcome the obstinacy of the horse by means of the whip. After many violent motions and leaps, it is at length so far subdued, that it runs furiously away with its rider, and after a long course, it in some degree yields to the bridle. After being thus humbled, it stands still with its head hanging down, on which all the others separate from it. The next day, the BRAZIL. 263 same exercise is repeated; and in a few days more, the horse is broken and fit for riding. The common ’aulistas, and particularly the Pidos (the herdsman’s servants,) make use of a very small flat, wooden sad- dle, which is often not even covered with leather. Their stirrups are so small that they will only admit the great toe: the spurs are fastened to the naked heel. The dress of the Pido consists of a short jacket, nar- row trousers, and a flat, round hat fastened with a strap, altogether of brown leather, made of deer or capivara hides, and is very well adapted to protect him against the thorny hedges through which he must force his way, when pursuing wild animals. “The wild horses are most frequently of a brown colour, very rarely white or piebald, and by their dis- proportionably short, thick heads and small stature, generally betray their extra-European breed. The mules are here more handsomely made animals than the horses: they are commonly equal in size to the European horse; their colours are black, brown, fallow, or striped like a zebra. They are preferable to the horses, especially on long journeys, because they can better endure hunger and thirst, and carry with greater security heavier burdens.”* It was from Porto Feliz that the Paulistas set out upon their first expedition to explore the interior in search of gold. Ascending the Tieté to the Parana, they passed from that into the Rio Pardo, and traced it up to one of its principal sources, the waters of the Sanguexuga. Exploring the country, they passed the limit of the waters of the Serra de Camapuao, reached the sources of the Embotatay, which they descended till they entered at last the broad stream of the Pa- raguay. Following this route, Antonio Pires de Cam- * Von Spix, vol. ii, pp. 80—84, 264 BRAZIL. pos, in 1718, discovered the gold mines of Cuiaba, in Matto Grosso. The villages which soon sprang up in this new El Dorado, were long absolutely dependent on St. Paulo for the supply of the necessaries of life, nothing being attended to by the colonists but gold- washing ; and, as the way down the Tieté was the only one known, all commodities were conveyed by it into the interior. In the year 1736, a way by land was first opened from Goyaz. In 1742; a communication was ascertained between Cuiaba and Para, by means of the Amazons river and its tributaries. It was many years later that the way by land became more used, and that the tedious and dangerous navigation of the Tieté was gradually abandoned. At present, not more than from six to ten boats go annually from Porto Feliz to Cuiaba. Though the mouth of the 1 ieté is only five-and-forty leagues distant, in a straight line, the boatmen estimate the route they are obliged to take at 130 leagues. The river is full of violent cur- rents, rocks, and waterfalls, thirteen of which cannot be passed without landing half the cargo, and still greater obstacles have afterwards to be surmounted in pursuing this intricate navigation. Hitur or Ytu, the chief town of the comarca to whieh it gives name, is SIX leagues N.W, of Sorasaha, Except two small hamlets of inconsiderable houses, in a beautiful and flowery plain, there are scarcely any traces of cultivation in the intermediate route. Ihe town is situated at the foot of the hills, and is exces- sively hot in the summer months: it consists of several rows of small, regularly-built houses of taipa, and con- tains, for its size, rather more than the usual comple- * According to Dr. Von Spix. Mr. Henderson says (following : y 3 J J 7 2 3. « Cazal,) 25 miles N.N.E. of Sorocaba, 60 W.N.W. of St. Paulo, and ALC . - “i 4 «4 . ‘ i e ) gi : : ) . > . two from the large fall of the Tieté, from which its name is de rived, BRAZIL. 265 ment of religions edifices; a church of our Lady, a Franciscan convent, an hospicio of slippered Carmelites, an hospital and hermitage of Lazarists, and several others. Some of the streets are paved with large slabs of a bluish grey, compact lime-stone. The soil in the neighbourhood is said to be peculiarly adapted to the culture of the sugar-cane. From this town there is a high road to Villa Rica, in Minas Geraes: the route is described by Dr. Von Spix, who, with his companions, performed the journey in just a month: we shall pursue them to the frontier. Soon after crossing the wooden bridge over the Tieté, the road ascends the mountains, and passes through a savage and solitary tract of country. The first night, they reached some miserable huts called Jacaré: the next day brought them to the small villa of Jundiahi, (so named from the jundia fish with which the stream abounds,) distant, according to Cazal, 35 miles E.N.E. of Hitu, and the same distance N.N.W. of St. Paulo. All the Zropas (caravans) proceeding from St. Paulo to Minas, Goyaz, and Matto Grosso, are here organized” for this long expedition. Large herds of mules are kept by the inhabitants, who perform this journey seve- ral times a year. “The manufacture of pack-saddles, saddles, shoes, and everything necessary for the equip- ment of the caravans, gives the place,” Dr. Von Spix says, ‘“‘an appearance of activity and prosperity, and justly acquires for it the name of a land-port (porto seco.) Paved roads lead from this place to the above- mentioned provinces. The journey to Villa Boa de Goyaz is completed in one month; that to Cuiaba in two months.” The inhabitants turn to good account the passage of the caravans, by supplying them also with provisions. The road to Minas continues to ascend, till it reaches the highest point of the ridge, the Morro de Catetuva : it then descends into a broad valley, which, 266 BRAZIL, near the poor village of S. Joao de Atibaya, expands into an open country, reckoned peculiarly healthy, and peopled with a robust race. Another chain of granite mountains has now to be ascended. Boa Vista (Fine Prospect,) the highest point of the road, is conjectured to be about 2500 feet high. The Morro de Lopo towers the whole range, clad with sombre forests. Except a few wretched huts, inhabited by mamelucoes, there are no traces of man in this solitary region. Two short stages from Atibaya; a custom-house at the foot of a mountain marks the frontier of the capitania. It is formed by high mountains, for the most part covered with thick wood, through which only a few by-roads, impassable a great part of the year, lead into the interior. Of the southern part of the province, forming the comarca of Curitiba and Paranagua, we have no account beyond the meagre statistical details of Cazal. It has hitherto been unvisited by European travellers. Along the coast, 1t is for the most part mountainous. Inland, there are said to extend beautiful and salubrious cam- pos. Mr. Mawe, who sailed along the coast, speaks of these elevated plains, apparently from the information he received, as ‘the finest district in that country, and indeed, one of the finest in the world in point of climate. The ridge of mountains (on the coast) is,” he says, ‘“ more than 4000 feet above the level of the sea; and there is a regular ascent for twenty leagues from their inland base to Coritiva (Curitiba.) On this fertile tract are fed large herds of cattle: here also are bred mules in great numbers. Its soil and air are so genial, that olives, grapes, apples, peaches, and other fruits, grow to as rich a maturity as in Europe, though they are here almost in a wild state.” This is not quite accurate, as neither the vine nor the olive has yet been naturalized. BRAZIL. 267 It is probably more correct, that “from its great eleva- tion, the climate of Coritiva is peculiarly congenial to Europeans.” Coritiva,” adds Mr. Mawe, “is not reported to contain gold or diamonds, yet, both these valuable products are found in some parts of the dis- trict; a fact known to but few persons, who have pro- fited greatly by keeping it secret. This fine country, therefore, offers few attractions to the great mass of emigrants to Brazil, who are commonly tempted by the very name of gold mines to settle in them, or are allured by the profits accruing from plantations of cotton, sugar, or coffee, and look with indifference on the pursuits of what is termed common agriculture.” The Rio Tibagy, which has its source to the west of Cannanea, running to the N.W.; and traversing the campos of Guarapuaba, is stated by this traveller to be rich in diamonds, * as the few good families in its vicinity have reason to remember with gratitude; and the Rio Verde” (which we do not find mentioned by Henderson) produces, he says, gold. ““ More to the westward, it is dangerous to travel, since in that direction live the Anthropophagi, who were driven from these boundaries a few years ago.” * Curitiba, the head town, and the residence of the ouvidor, is stated to have a magnificent church; all its structures are of stone or brick, and the streets are paved. Paranagua, which, prior to 1812, was the seat of the provincial magistracy, is also built of stone, but is described as an unpleasant and unhealthy place. It is about ten miles distant from the sea, upon the southern bank of the river from which it borrows its name. The other villas of this comarca are, Villa Nova de St. Luiz (or Guaratuba,) seven miles from the sea; Antonio, ten miles W. of Paranagua, at the extremity of the bay, created a town in 1800; Cannanea, situated on a small * Mawe’s Travels, pp. 73—76 268 BRAZIL. island, about ten miles within the bar of the river of the same name;* Iguape; Castro; St. Jose; Lages, otherwise Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres, the most southern town in the province, and much infested by the savages; and Villa do Principe, originally St. Anto- nio do Lapa. Curitibi (properly Curutiba,) the name of this dis- trict, derived from curw, pine, and #iba, many, has originated in the extensive pine forests which are found here; the cedar also is said to be common in many parts. These forests abound with the mountain-hog, herds of which may be met with, to the number, sometimes, of a hundred or more. The fruit-trees of Europe, the fig, the pear, the apple, the peach, the plum, the quince, the cherry, the walnut, and the chest- nut, are all found to prosper in the southern part of the province. The olive blossoms, but is rarely known to fructify. Grapes are produced in bunches some- times of five pounds weight, but hitherto no good wine has been manufactured. The Curitibanoes pass for the most robust people among the Paulistas. They are employed chiefly in breeding cattle, horses, and mules, but cultivate wheat, maize, and a little rice, and make some butter and cheese. Mandioc, the banana, coffee, cotton, and the sugar-cane, prosper only in cer- tain situations. The river Sahy Grande, dividing this province from St. Catharina, forms the limit of its coast towards the south. Eighteen miles to the northward is the mouth of the rapid Guaratuba; so named from the beautiful bird, the guara, which abounds upon its margin, and # ¢ At the entrance of the bay of Cannanea, there is a stone of European marble with the royal arms of Portugal, which, although much defaced, is ascertained to have been erected there in the year 1503."— Henderson's Brazil, p. 177. To this work we are indebted for the above details BRAZIL. 269 breeds upon a flat island, covered with mangroves, about seven miles from the sea, where, by a decree, all persons are prohibited from destroying them.* Launches proceed up this river to St. Luiz. Twenty miles further northward, are the three entrances to the bay of Paranagua, formed by the two islands Mel and Pecas. The bay is twenty miles from east to west, more than ten at its greatest width, but of very irre- gular form. A great number of small streams dis- charge into it. It encloses an island named Cotinga, six miles long; but small craft only can enter it. Twenty-five miles further, the shallow Araripira disem- bogues, scarcely affording depth of water enough for canoes. Twelve miles to the north-east is the bar of Cannanea, with a small island of the same name near its northern point; and in front of it, on the southern side, that of Figueira. What is called the bar of Can- nanea, is, in fact, the southern mouth of an inlet of the sea, of which the bar of Icapara, forty miles further north-east, is the northern mouth. The intervening land is a flat island of inconsiderable width, hitherto unnamed and thinly inhabited: the channel which separates it from the continent, is narrow and deep. Smacks enter by the southern bar: the other, though of the same depth, is not navigated, owing to its dan- gerous windings. Fifteen miles further along the coast is the mouth of the Iguape, which is navigable for many leagues. Thirty-five miles further are the two mouths of the river Una, up which canoes proceed more than fifty miles to a place called Prelado. Forty * ¢ The Guara, one of the handsomest birds that frequent the morasses, has the body similar to a partridge, a long neck and legs, the bill long and a little curved, and without a tail. The first feathers are white; after a short time they turn black, and finally scarlet, preserving the second colour at the cxtremity of the wings." — Henderson, p. 511 270 BRAZIL. miles to the north-east is the entrance of the handsome bay of the Itanhaen, on the northern margin of which is a small place of the same name, created a town in 1561: some farinha, rice, and timber are exported from this place, which has a Franciscan convent. It belongs to the comarca of St. Paulo. The bay of Santos, already described, follows at a distance of thirty-five miles. It is the only port of the province capable of receiving large vessels. Pursuing our plan of tracing the coast, before we explore the back country, the next maritime province, southward, is that of SANTA CATHARINA. Tuis province, formerly a portion of St. Paulo, from which it was separated when the latter received the addition of a part of St. Amaro and St. Vincente, is the smallest in Brazil. It comprehends the island from which it takes its name, and a territory of sixty leagues in length from north to south on the neighbour- ing continent, reckoning from the Sahy Grande, which separates it from St. Paulo on the north, to the Mam- pituba, which divides it from Rio Grande on the south. On the west, the heads of the Cordillera divide it from the same provinces; its greatest width not exceeding twenty leagues. The greater part of the old capitania of St. Amaro is included within these limits, which extend from 25° 50” to 29° 20” south latitude. A period of one hundred and twenty years elapsed from the time that Brazil was first distributed into captaincies, before any colonists were established in the island of St. Catharina, which then bore the name of Ilha dos Patos. In 1654, King John IV. granted it to Francisco Dias Velho: but, soon after his arrival he was assassinated by an English pirate, and the island BRAZIL. 271 remained in its primitive state. Eventually the pro- vince was colonised by families from the Azores, at the cost of the crown, from whom the greater part of the present population are descended. Negroes are not numerous, and mestizoes still less so. The abo- riginal Patoes retreated into the mountains of the continent. “ The island of St. Catharina,” Mr. Southey states, “ was, in the year 1712, still covered with evergreen woods, except in the little bays and creeks opposite the main-land, where some fourteen or fifteen spots had been cleared round the habitations of the settlers. These colonists were chiefly bad subjects, who had fled from other captaincies, and were described by a Por- tuguese officer, as a people that knew no king. With such people, the Portuguese government has always dealt politicly; contenting itself with the slightest recognition of its authority at first, and gradually assuming and exerting power as they became more nu- merous, they fell naturally into the habits of regular life, and consequently felt the necessity of subordination. At that time, a captain had the nominal command, who was appointed by the commander of Laguna—a little town on the continent, some few leagues to the south. There were, within his jurisdiction, one hundred and forty-seven whites, a few blacks, and a few Indians, some of whom were prisoners taken in war, and treated as slaves, and others came voluntarily to better their condition by living with the Portuguese. The ordinary dress consisted of only a shirt and drawers: he who added to this a jacket and a hat, was a magnificent person. Shoes and stockings were seldom seen; but when they went into the woods, they put on leggings, made of jaguar skin, in one whole piece, transferred from the legs of the wild-beast to their own. The jaguars at that time were so numerous, even upon the 272 BRAZIL. island, that a great many dogs were kept to protect the houses, During some thirty years, foreign ships were well entertained there: the inhabitants allowed them to lay in wood and water, and gladly supplied them with provisions, in exchange for European goods. Money they would not receive in payment, because they bad no use for it. But when Commodore Anson touched there, in 1740, the place having become of more consequence, and the authority of the government being increased in proportion, the inhospitable system established in other parts of Brazil, had been introduced there also. A great contraband trade was then carried on from this island with the Plata, the Portuguese exchanging gold for silver, by which traffic both sove- reigns were defrauded of their fifths. Fortifications were then being erected. In 1749, the population of St. Catharina had increased to four thousand one bundred and ninety-seven ; but, about the end of the century, several thousands were carried ofl by a con- tagious disease, which appears to have been dysentery, attended with putrid fever.” In 1796, this province was computed to contain 4246 fogos (houses,) and 23,865 adult inhabitants exclusive of paid troops. In 1812, the population, according to Cazal, amounted to 31,550. The province has three towns—Nossa Senhora do Desterro on the island of St. Catharina, St. Francisco on the island of the same name, and Laguna on the continent; and seven fre- guezias or parishes—three on the island, and four on the continent. The whole are included within the see of Rio de Janeiro. Mr. Mawe touched at St. Catherine's in his voyage from Monte Video to Santos in Sept. 1807. He sailed on the 11th; on the 29th, he made the island at sun- rise, and was delighted with the grand and picturesque aspect of its conical rocks rising abrubtly from the BRAZIL. 273 sea, with the lofty, wooded mountains of the continent in the back ground. ‘This sublime scenery interested us,” he says, the more from the contrast it formed to the extensive, woodless plains of Buenos Ayres.” He makes the island to be situated in lat. 27° 29” south. “Entering the port of St. Catherine’s by the north,” he continues, “we passed several islands, on one of which, westward of the entrance, stands the respectable port of Santa Cruz. After running a few miles in shoal water, we sailed into a narrow passage, guarded by two forts, which form the harbour. From the an- chorage, and more particularly from the landing-place, which is at the bottom of a verdant slope of about five hundred yards, the town has a most beautiful appear- ance, and the perspective is nobly crowned by its fine cathedral. The green is interspersed with orange- trees, and forms an agreeable parade. Immediately on entering the town, we discerned in its general appear- ance, and in the manners of its inhabitants, a striking superiority over those which we had of late visited. The houses are well built, have two or three stories, with boarded floors, and are provided with neat gardens, well stocked with excellent vegetables and flowers. The town consists of several streets, and may contain from 5 to 6000 inhabitants. It is a free port.” Besides the church of Nossa Senhora do Desterro, which gives name to the capital, it contains two chapels, a convent, an hospicio, and good barracks. * The houses,” Cazal says, ‘“ are either of stone or wood. The senate is presided by a juiz de fora, and the youth are instructed by royal masters in the primitive letters and Latin, for whose benefit there is a tribute in rum!” The inhabitants manufacture coarse linen* and cotton *# « Flax is grown here of a very fair quality, of which the fishermen make their lines, nets, and cordage.” 274 BRAZIL. 200ds, and a cloth consisting of a mixture of both. The excellent red clay which the island affords, is also manufactured into jars, large water-pots, and culinary vessels, large quantities of which are exported both to Rio and to the Plata. ¢ The trade of this place, how- ever,” Mr. Mawe says, ‘is inconsiderable, as the pro- duce does not much exceed the consumption of the in- habitants, who are in general far from rich. 1t affords an agreeable retirement to merchants who have discon- tinued business, masters of ships who have left off going to sea, and other persons, who, having secured an inde- pendence, seek only leisure to enjoy it. Few places are better calculated for such a purpose than this; it 1s enlivened by the numerous coasting-vessels from Bahia, Pernambuco, and other ports, bound for the Plata, which frequently touch here; and it is amply provided with artisans of all descriptions, such as tailors, shoe- makes, tin-workers, joiners, and smiths. The inhabi- tants in general are very civil and courteous to strangers. The ladies are handsome and very lively: their chief employment is making lace, in which they display great ingenuity and taste.” Mr. Luccock gives a less pleasing account of the state of society here. The island enjoys,” he says, “a very agreeable climate, and is accounted a cheap place of residence. On this account, an English family, with straitened finances, settled here; but, though attaining their first object, they were, on the whole, miserably disappointed. There are none of the most common accommodations. The habits of the people are disgust- ingly filthy, and their morals depraved. The opportu- nities and means of commerce were also at that period few, but have since become more abundant.” * All accounts, however, seem to agree as to the natural * Notes, &c. p. 240. BRAZIL. 275 - advantages of the island, and the desirableness of the station for a colony. The surface is singularly varied, presenting granite mountains, fertile plains, swamps fit for the growth of rice, lakes stocked with fish, and se- veral small streams. Yet, the whole island is not much more than thirty miles in length from north to south, and from four to eight in width. One of the lakes, on the eastern side of the island, is two leagues in length. Mandioc and flax are the principal articles of agricul- ture, the sandy soil near the coast being adapted to the former of these; but wheat, as well as maize, is also grown here, and pulse in every part. Onions are abun- dant, and have credit for singular excellence. There are also plantations of rice, sugar, and cotton, but the latter is of indifferent quality. To these productions are to be added indigo, water-melons, pine-apples, and, according to Mr. Mawe, “ the ‘finest oranges in the world.” * © On contemplating the many natural ad- vantages of this island,” adds this traveller, “I could not but be struck with itsimportance, and was tempted to wish that it were annexed by treaty to the dominions of Great Britain. Emigrants might subsist here at a very cheap rate, and the isle is tenable against any force, so long as we remain masters of the sea. Ships would trade to it from the western coast of America, and from the eastern coast of Africa; and in our hands, it would soon become an emporium of commerce. It is adapted to almost every variety of produce; the high- lands are capable of cultivation, and the plains and valleys are fertile even to luxuriance. The climate is humid, but its general temperature is moderate and salubrious. If colonised by English, the isle might be a perfect Paradise.” A report, it seems, at one time * Mr. Luccock says, ‘“ They are chiefly of the small red kind called Tangerinas, and though, beyond this point to the south, they do not flourish, are well-flavoured.” 2706 BRAZIL. prevailed, and was very popular, that this island was to be ceded to the Crown of Great Britain. By the treaty of 1810, it was, however, declared a free port to our trade, in which British merchants might settle and practise their religion without molestation.* When, in addition to the advantages which have been enume- rated, it is considered, that the harbour is the best in Brazil, except only that of Rio de Janeiro,t it is re- markable that St. Catherine’s should hitherto have been more neglected by the government than almost any other maritime part of Brazil, while it has always been a common resort of strangers of all nations. § On the continent, opposite Desterro, (Mr. Henderson says four miles south-east of the capital,) stands the pleasant village of S. Joze, the inhabitants of which are stated by Mr. Mawe to be principally occupied in sawing timber into planks, making bricks, and growing rice. There is also a pottery here of glazed earthen- ’ il ware. Near this village,” he says, *“ is a lovely vale, called Picada, thickly studded with white cottages embosomed in orange-groves and coffee-plantations. The gently sloping hills which enclose this spot, give a picturesque effect to the bold, rugged scenery beyond them. Proceeding northwards from St. Jose, we en- tered some fine bays, the shores of which were studded * See page 57. + Mr. Henderson terms it ¢‘ one of the best in South America, and the key to the Southern Ocean.” T So low was the value of land here in 1808, and so valuable money, that Mr. Mawe was offered an estate occupying a space of eighty-five fathoms along the beach, near St. Jose, and extending a mile inland, including a neat house and garden, orangeries, and well-watered plantations, for about 1257. sterling. About two miles from Desterro, a neat house with a small orangery and some cleared ground, was offered for sale at 100 dollars; and an excel- lent house in one of the best situations in the environs, with a garden of two acres tastefully planted, was offered for 4001. sterling. BRAZIL. 277 with houses, pleasantly situated, amid bananeries, orangeries, and plantations of rice, coffee, and man- dioca. After having passed several well-peopled parishes, we arrived at Armagio, a village at the extremity of a bay” (that of St. Miguel,) about nine leagues distant from St. Jose, and four leagues north of Santa Cruz* This village is a fishing station for whales, which were formerly very numerous on the coast, and in the bays that indent it. The fishery is farmed by Government to a company under the super- intendence of a eapitam-mor and a number of inferior officers. About 150 negroes are employed on this station, but the number of whales now caught is not so great as formerly, when the average was three or four hundred in a season.t Their conveniences for flinching or cutting up the fish, are extensive and well contrived. Several fine piers project from the shore into eighteen or twenty feet depth of water, on which are erected capstans, cranes, and other requisite machinery. Hither all the fish on the coast are brought. The boiling- house, tanks, &c. are far superior to anything of the kind at Greenland Dock, and indeed, to all similar establishments in Europe. To give an idea of their magnitude, it is sufficient to say, that, in one range, there are twenty-seven very large boilers, and places for three more. Their tanks are vast vaults, on some of which a boat might be rowed with ease. We obtained a view of those great works through the civility of the commander of the place, Capitam Mor Jacinto Jorge dos Anjos, who lived there in a princely style, and * The ‘‘ pleasant parish of St. Miguel,” situated on the bay so called, which forms a good road-stead, is stated by Mr. Henderson to be but eight miles north-west of Desterro. t “ Forty years ago, they caught a whale a day, but they now (1808) catch only one in the course of a month.” PART 11. R 278 BRAZIL. M . tyr 1c > 1 fF Ses possesses a very considerable property, which he diffuse with great public spirit and liberality.” Beyond the point of Armagao, is that of Dos Ganchos, forming the southern extremity of the spacious bay of Tejuco or Tejucas, into which a river of the same name discharges itself, fifty fathoms wide, and * affording two days’ navigation.” Mr. Mawe crossed by a mountainous road of four leagues, the peninsula which forms the southern point of the bay. * The poor cottages of the people here,” he says, ‘present 2 curious picture of rural irregularity. Some are built on the summit of conical mountains, the passage to which is frequently obstructed by clouds; others stand on the sides of gentle acclivities; but the greater number of them are situated almost in contact with the ocean, which often flows to their very doors. The bay is from two to three leagues across, and extends about the same distance inland. It is well sheltered, and affords good anchorage, and fine situations for loading timber, with which the mountainous country around is thickly clothed, and large quantities of which are felled and embarked for Rio de Janeiro and the Plata. Canoes are made here at a cheaper rate and in greater numbers than in any ether part of Brazil. Into this bay fall several streams, formed by the mountain torrents and springs, and two tolerable rivers, the less called Inferninho, and the larger Tigreno.t They both flow through low, swampy land, subject to inundation, and overgrown with mangroves and an immense variety of trees. The insalubrity of this tract might be cor- BRAZIL. 279 this. In the rainy season, it is inundated to a great extent; and in summer, it is infested with terrible swarms of mesquitoes and burachala flies, which render it almost uninhabitable. “ Along the beach of this bay, I found the shell of the murex genus, which produces that beautiful crimson dye so valued by the ancients. It is here called purpura, and, to my great surprise, its use is in some degree known to the natives, one of whom showed me some cotton fringe dyed with an extract of it, though ill prepared. The shell is about the size of a common whelk, and contains a fish on whose body appears a vesicle, full of a pale yellow, viscid, purulent substance, which constitutes the dye. The mode of extracting it is, to break the shell carefully with a hammer, so as not to crush the fish, and then to let out the liquor in the vesicle with a lancet or other sharp instrument. I used, for greater convenience, a pen, and wrote my initials, &c. on a handkerchief: the marks, in half an hour after, were of a dirty green colour, and, on being exposed to the air a few hours longer, changed to a rich crimson. The quantity pro- duced by each is very small, but quite sufficient for such an experiment. The best time for making it is when the animal is in a state of incipient putrescency. [ have no doubt that, if a sufficient quantity of them were taken, and the dyeing matter, when extracted, were liquefied in a small degree with gum-water, a valuable article of commerce might be produced. The liquid is a perfect substantive dye, and of course resists the action of alkalies. rected by clearing away the underwood and draining the soil; but the arduousness of such an undertaking might deter a more active and skilful people than “ Ten leagues north of this place is the fine capacious harbour of Guaroupas, with its handsome town. The anchorage is equally good as in that of Dos Ganchos * Henderson. : (for Tejucas.) + Neither of these is mentioned by Henderson. \ Jace Se — This bay, as far as I could observe J during my short visit to it, presents to the view a ————— TT ——_ eo — a 280 BRAZIL. greater diversity of hills, valleys, and plain, than the one above mentioned. Both are esteemed fine fishing- ground during the whale season, which is from De- cember to June. “ From hence northward is the fine harbour of San Francisco in the bay of the same name. It has three entrances, defended by forts: that to the south is most frequented. The land here is very flat for several miles, and the rivers which intersect it, are navigable for canoes as far as the base of the great chain of mountains, where a public road, begun with incredible labour and expense, leads over that almost impassable barrier. This road will soon be a work of national importance to Brazil, as through it, the finest district in that country, and indeed, one of the finest in the world in point of climate, the rich plain of Coritiva (Curitiba) will be connected with the ocean. The chain of mountains which bounds that plain, is washed at the base by a lagoon, communicating in a direct line with the harbour of San Francisco, where many mer- chant-ships have been constructed of the finest timber. The chief occupations of the inhabitants are the cutting of timber and other labours connected with ship- building. Vessels of large dimensions, and a number of small craft for coasters, have been built here by merchants of Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, and Pernambuco. When this trade is brisk, there is a great demand for the various classes of artisans whom it requires, and many negroes are employed. The wood used is so strong, and holds the iron so firmly, that ships built of it endure many years, and are in greater esteem with the Portuguese and Spaniards than those built in Jurope. On this account, the harbour of San Fran- cisco is likely to become of considerable value to Brazil; and as it is connected with Coritiva, the cattle of which have been found superior to those of Rio BRAZIL, 81 Grande, there is every probability that, at no distant period, the Portuguese navy will be here supplied with salt provisions. This must, however, depend on the completion of the great road over the mountains. Towards the north there are woods of fine large pines, exceedingly hard, tough, and full of resin. They con- stitute a singular variety of the genus pinus. The boughs branch off from the upper part of the tree only, and have tussocks of leaves at each extremity. A tree eighty feet high, for instance, will appear without branches, to the height of about fifty-five feet: the branches there extend horizontally in every direction, with leaves at their extremities, the lowest and largest to a distance of fourteen or fifteen feet from the stem, and the higher ones gradually diminishing in length towards the top, which ends in a tuft of leaves as a crown for the whole. These trees are very pic- turesque, indeed beautiful: they grow to a sufficient size to serve as masts for ships of two or three hundred tons. I was told there were much larger ones to be found.” * : [t is not quite easy to reconcile with this description of the coast, the account which we find given by Mr. Henderson, on the authority of Padre Cazal. To the north of the bay of Guaroupas, three leagues beyond the small river Cambory-guassu, in the embouchure of “the great river Tajahy,” which is stated to be the only river met with on the road from Portalagre to St. Paulo, that flows towards the east. At the passage, a short distance from the beach, it is “ little less than sixty fathoms in width.” ¢ The sumacas proceed up it only three miles: launches and large canoes navigate freely as far as the first fall. About 120 yards above, it becomes navigable for three days by towing, and as * Mawe's Travels, pp. 68—82, R 2 | i BRAZIL. many more with the ore, to the next cataract. It rises between the Rio Negro and the Correntes, which run to the westward. Five miles further to the north is the river Gravata, otherwise Iriri-guassu, thi: ty fathoms wide, and navigable for canoes. It is followed by the spacious bay of Itapacoroya, where there is an establish- ment for whale-fishing. Three leagues to the north, the river Itapicu disembogues, being fifty fathoms wide and of considerable depth. Itsorigin is far back in the province, and affords navigation to small canoes for many leagues, without the interruption of more than one cataract, which is situated ten miles above the mouth. The agitated state of the sea at the mouth of this river, does not permit the entrance of any descrip- tion of vessel. Immediately beyond the bar, it forms a lake called Lagoa da Cruz, two leagues long from north to south, parallel with the beach, and very narrow. Among the rivers which enlarge it are remarked, the Piranga, which is received by the left bank, and 1s navigable by canoes for five leagues; the Upitanga, which joins it by the right margin, and is navigable for only six miles; the Itapicumirim, that comes from the N.W., and admits of navigation for about fifteen miles; the Jaragua, which flows from the S.W., and appears capable of allowing small vessels to proceed as far as a situation about four leagues above its mouth; and the Braco, which descends from the N.W., and admits of canoes for the space of six miles. All these rivers run by winding courses among mountains and uncultivated territories thickly wooded, demonstrating the natural fertility of the soil. The Itapicu is supposed to be the river of Dragons, which the discoverers placed to the south of the river St. Francisco in this district. Five miles to the north of Itapicu is the island of St. Francisco, six leagues long, and in the form of a bow, the right line BRAZIL. 283 of which is nearest the coast. The channel which separates it from the continent, is improperly called the river of St. Francisco. The southern entrance, deno- minated Aracary, is 200 fathoms wide, and has only depth for large boats; on its outside are the three islands of Remedios and two of Tamborotes. The northern bar, called Babitonga, is 1500 fathoms wide, and deep enough for large sumacas.* Attheend of the sixteenth century, it was not known that the land between the bars of Aracary and Babitonga is an island; they were thought to be two mighty rivers, the southern called the St. Francisco, and the northern the Alagado. The channel, (the supposed river of St. Francisco,) of a semicircular form, enlarges consider- ably from both mouths to the middle, where it is three miles wide, and contains a cluster of more than twenty islands. A great number of rivers empty themselves here. The island of St. Francisco is low, watered with various small rivers, and inhabited. On its eastern side there is a narrow lake, ten miles long from north to south, denominated the river Acarahy, and near it another small one. Two leagues north of the bar of Babitonga is the river Sahy Mirim, and the same dis- tance further, the Sahy Grande, both inconsiderable, uniting in one stream a little above their embou- chures.”+ This is the river which has already been mentioned as the northern boundary of the province, dividing it from St. Paulo. These minute and not very interesting topographical details are inserted here, because the part of the coast to which they relate, has hitherto received little atten- tion from modern travellers, and may be considered as almost unknown country. If the bar of Babitonga be, * Sumacas are from ten to nearly two hundred tons burden. t+ Henderson's Brazil, pp. 155, 6 284 BRAZIL. as we imagine, Mr."Mawe’s harbour of St. Francisco, he has taken no notice of the bay of Itapacoroya. The lagoon he speaks of as washing the base of the cordil- 133 lera, is, probably, the Lagoa da Cruz. The * great 3s river Tajahy” would seem to deserve being explored The port of St. Francisco appears to want depth of water for large vessels, a circumstance materially affect- ing its value. Along this whole tract of coast, north of St. Miguel, there does not appear to be a single town or parish. The land bordering on the bay of Tejucas, according to Mr. Mawe, was thought of so little value, that any one might take as much as he plesaed of what was unappropriated, provided he made a proper appli- cation for it to the Government. The plain is stated by Mr. Henderson to be marshy in winter. The town of St. Francisco, situated on the island to which it gives name, about ten miles within the bar of Babitonga, consists of houses mostly built of earth, and a stone church dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Graga. Only two streets are paved. The inhabitants are almost all whites, and are remarked to be of very pale com- plexion: they are chiefly occupied in the cultivation of mandioc, and as the town is said to be well supplied with fish, their maigre diet may possibly account for their cadaverous appearance. The country adjacent, however, though rich, is said to be swampy, and of course unhealthy. * The only place in the province, on the continent, that is dignified with the name of a town, is Laguna, prettily situated upon the eastern margin of the lake from which it derives its name, two miles from the bar, and sixty * It is singular that Mr. Luccock, from whom we transcribe this last remark, should speak of the St. Francisco as the only considerable river in the province, adopting the erroneous notion respecting the channel, and taking no notice of the Tajahy BRAZIL. 285 miles south of Desterro.* It has three parallel streets, crossed by others, and a square at one side, in which the court-house is situated. A great part of the houses are of stone. It has only one church, dedicated to St. An- tonio dos Anjos, and, for a Brazilian town, appears to be singularly destitute of religious establishments. * From its port,” says Mr. Henderson, ¢ which receives coast- ing-vessels, are exported farinha, rice, Indian corn, timber, and salt fish.” In the months of November and December particularly, a prodigious quantity of a long fish with a forked tail, called lagre, enter the lake, supplying a lucrative branch of commerce. At a small distance inland is the Morro of Santa Maria (in some charts written Santa Martha,) “ the last abutment of the mountains, at their southern limit, which extends to the sea. A little beyond it is the great eastern Serro skirting the ocean.” Fifteen miles north of Laguna, and nearly fifty south of the capital, is Villa Nova, or St. Anna, situated on an elevation near the northern extremity of the same lake: it is a small place, the houses generally of wood. More flax is cultivated and manufactured here than in any other part of the pro- vince. Thirty-five miles to the north of this parish, and ten south of the capital, is that of Nossa Senhora do Rozario, a mere village, situated on the bay of Brito. In this district there are hot springs, the same, probably, that Mr. Luccock refers to, as reported to resemble the waters of Harrowgate, with the addition * Here we follow Cazal. Mr. Luccock terms the lake a bay. Lagoa certainly means lake, but the discrepancy is explained by supposing that, like Lagoa Feia and some others which have been described, it is a bay in the rainy season, a lake when the bar is dry. The distance to St. Catherine's, he says, is ninety miles, but he means oy land. The route leads along ** a moun- tainous and woody road, through a country abounding in wild beasts, and occupied by Indians hardly less savage.”— Noles, &c. p. 238. RR ———————— EE 286 BRAZIL. of considerable warmth. They are found, he says, on the banks of the Cubatam. ‘ Swamps render the road to the spot very bad; and the absolute want of every convenience for invalids, prevents their receiving any advantage from this salutary provision of nature.” The time may not, however, be very distant, when this un- known, unvisited spot shall attract around it a villa nova, to which not only the Vicentistas and Paulistas, but the more polished Caryocas of Rio may repair as to the Spa of Brazil. THE next province, the most southern in the empire, is that of RIO GRANDE DO SUL Bounded on the north by Sta. Catharina and St. Paulo; on the west, by the river Uruguay, which separates it from the province of that name; on the south, by the river Plata; and on the east, by the Atlantic: it is up- wards of 500 miles long and 400 wide, lying between lat. 28° and 35° S., and enjoys a temperate and salubri- ous climate. This extensive province has only since 1800 enjoyed a local government, being up to that time considered as a dependency on that of Rio; and it is still, we believe, included, ecclesiastically, within its episcopal see. The southern part has always, till very lately, been the theatre of perpetual contention between the Portuguese and the Spaniards of Buenos Ayres, owing to the constant infraction of the various treaties of de- marcation by which it had been attempted to settle their respective boundaries. When Mr. Luccock was in Brazil (a.p. 1809—1813,) the country south of the river Piratinim, watered by the Ygaroon, was still held by the Spaniards, though claimed by the Portuguese. “ Whenever the question of yielding it up was started BRAZIL. 987 afresh, there was never any want of difficulties to im- pede the determination. Both parties had the wisdom, in the mean time, to carry on a considerable commercial intercourse with the Rio Grande; and though occa- sionally a Portuguese vessel was scized, it was as lightly restored as detained.” * This province was not included in the original distri- bution of tlie coast among the first donatories; nor was its colonisation accomplished by Viscount D’Asseca or his brother John Correa de Sa, to whom Peter II. granted extensive lands in the territory denominated St. Gabriel, adjacent to the Plata. Towards the end of the sixteenth, or the beginning of the seventeenth century, some Vincentistas (inhabitants of St.Vincente) first removed to the vicinity of the Lagoa dos Patos; and their descendants extended themselves to the south and west, as the Indians gradually retired. The capitanias of the De Sousa’st could not be enlarged beyond their prescribed limits, notwithstanding the districts south of St. Amaro were devoluta, or without donatories ; yet, the first settlers were always considered as their people, and known as Vincentistas and Paulis- tas, till these districts were erected into a province. During the sixty years that Portugal was subject to the court of Castile, various Spanish colonies established themselves in the vicinity of the river Uruguay. To check their extension eastward, the Colonia do Sacra- mento was founded by the government of Rio in 1680. Scarcely had seven months elapsed, when the new settlement was surprised and taken by the Spanish governor of Buenos Ayres, the capture being attended by circumstances of much barbarity, It was restored to the Portuguese at the end of three years, but, in 1703, again returned under the dominion of the Spa- * Luccock’s Notes, p. 215. t+ See p. 16. { Henderson, p. 110. 2338 BRAZIL. niards, being abandoned by the governor after a long and valorous resistance. By the treaty of Utrecht in 1713, it was restored to the crown of Portugal. In 1735, it was again attacked by the governor of Buenos Ayres ; but this time, the Portuguese garrison defended themselves with so much resolution and effect, that though reduced to the necessity of eating dogs, cats, and rats, they maintained the position till the arrival of succours, which compelled the assailants to raise the siege. The nefarious convention of 1750* once more gave up the colony of Santo Sacramento to the Spa- niards. In 1761, the treaty of limits was annulled, and Colonia reverted to Portugal; it was retaken by the governor of Buenos Ayres the year following ; was restored on the conclusion of a treaty of peace the next year ;+ was again ceded to the Spaniards in 1777, in exchange for the island of Sta. Catharina, which they had treacherously seized, and remained in their posses- sion till it was taken by the British forces under Sir Samuel Auchmuty in 1804. The event of the ill-fated expedition against Buenos Ayres, restored it to the Spaniards ; but at length, they have been compelled to resign their possessions on that side of the Plata, and the whole province has been finally incorporated with the empire of Brazil. Up to the year 1763, the provincial capital was St. Pedro do Sul, commonly called Rio Grande from its harbour, which forms the entrance to the Lagoa dos Patos. and is improperly termed a river. The town was begun a league to the south-west, in the situation called Estreito, near the head of the bay: it stood on a * See p. 48. t Though Colonia was then given up, Rio Grande (St. Pedro) and some other garrisons remained under the dominion of Spain till 1777, when they were restored in exchange for the reductions of Paraguay. See p. 56, note. BRAZIL. 289 bank about twenty feet high, and was surrounded with a parapet of sods as a barrier against the encroaching sand. Yet, by a slow, but sure progress, it appears to have gained ground so as almost to have overwhelmed the town, and to have occasioned the removal of the inhabitants between the years 1747 and 1750. “ Not- withstanding the buried state of the few ruins that remain, its form and extent,” says Mr. Luccock, may be made out. It was small, and the buildings were slightly constructed; and its want of importance may be concluded from the probability that it had no church, as not the smallest traces of such an edifice are to be discovered.”* This supposition, however, is inadmissible: the church may have been pulled down, if it is not overwhelmed by sand but a town without a church never, we may be assured, existed in Brazil. When St. Pedro was taken by the Spaniards in 1762, the village of Nossa Senhora de Conceigao became the capital, under the name, given to it by the governor, of Portalegre. In 1808, it received the title of a town, and is now the chief place in the province, where reside all the principal authorities, civil, ecclesiastical, and military. St. Pedro, however, though dependent on Portalegre, derives, from its situation on the coast, a permanent importance. Here, all vessels are required to deliver their papers, large ships seldom proceeding higher; and here, the principal merchants or their agents reside; so that, at the time of Mr. Luccock’s residence, it was the great mart of southern Brazil. On approaching the coast from the south, land is first made in the neighbourhood of Estrieito, about nine leagues to the N.E. of the bar of the Rio Grande. Mr. Luccock thus describes the aspect of the coast. ‘“ Little round hillocks of sand, without the slightest * Luccock’s Notes, p. 129. PART 11. S 290 BRAZIL. degree of vegetation, seemed to rise out of the water, to which a splendid sun communicated a dazzling white- ness. Soon it appeared, that these were only inequali- ties of a sandy shore, from the midst of which arose the church of Estreito,* a small building, in the usual style of such edifices in the villages of Brazil. A few trees and a scanty portion of verdure ahout it, now becoming visible, served to increase the forbidding appearance of the surrounding desert. Long before we saw any marks by which to guide our course, we Were in shoal water and encompassed with sand-banks. We entered the river between a bluff head to our left, and a long, low, sandy point to the east, through a passage about half a mile wide, guarded by a few miserable erections called forts and batteries. Just within the passage lie the vessels which have received their lading, and are ready to proceed on their voyages, waiting for a sufficient depth of water on the bar. The decline of BRAZIL. 291 town, the sand-banks not permitting a nearer approach. From the entrance of the river to the anchorage, through a course of nine miles, the same obstructions prevail, leaving a narrow, intricate channel, with barely water sufficient for a deep-laden brig. About six miles up, on the left hand, is a large bay still called the Bay of Mangueira,* though little of that plant remains on the neighbouring swamps. In the bay, fishes of various sorts so abound, that afterwards, crossing it at a late hour, great numbers threw themselves over our canoe in every direction, and some fell into it. A little higher up is another broad inlet, navigable for yachts of 50 tons, within which is the fertile island of Marin- heiros, containing some of the highest land and the best cultivated spots in the neighbourhood. The soil is a red clay, which shows that it was once attached to the continent, and is of older formation than the bay. It is celebrated for the production of onions; and from day and the tediousness of our progress rendered me impatient, and induced me to ascend the mast, hoping to look beyond the flat, dreary, desolate, and almost houseless waste immediately before our eyes. From hence, or from the island of Sta. Maria, the town is supplied with almost the only drinkable water used within it. Beyond these islands, the water expands to EL Sa os Re thence, nothing was to be discovered towards the east, but loose and barren sand; westward, appeared a tract of swamps partially covered with brushwood; beyond, a broad line of water, the bay of Mangueira; and still further, the small, white, pretty-looking town of St. Pedro do Sul. The church, which the people dignify with the name of cathedral, rose in the centre of the buildings, and formed the chief feature of the view. The next morning, the vessel was brought up in a masterly style to her anchorage, close to the village of St. Pedro do Norte, and three miles from the principal * Cazal says, the site of the old town of St. Pedro was called Estreito; but there appear to be two places so denominated. a breadth of more than ten miles, but is so very shallow, that the practicable channel, which runs near the eastern shore, is, in one part, not more than a hundred yards wide. Other islands, besides those which have been mentioned, are scattered about this expanse of * This appears to be an error for mangue, “ a small tree with a smooth rind and thick and varnished leaves,” which prospers only upon the sea-coast, or the margins of salt rivers; whereas the mangueira or mangua-tree, is described by Mr. Henderson as “a bulky tree with a leafy tuft,” having a long, pointed leaf, the fruit the size of an apple, but resembling more a green- gage, green or yellow, sometimes tinged with red; when divested of the skin, which has a turpentine taste, the pulp is juicy and delicious, although unpleasantly full of fibres attached to the stone. It is a native of Asia, and prospers only in the torrid zone. re ——— a OE ae PY PEL 292 BRAZIL. water, and communicate to it some little ornament. The distance from the bar to the entrance of the Lagoa dos Patos, is about thirty miles; the whole of which is, with some impropriety, called the Rio Grande, and considered as the harbour of St. Pedro. Through this long course, the channel is hardly anywhere more than twelve feet deep, the water often declining on the sides of it to three feet, and, in some places, to six inches ; so that three feet may, perhaps, be nearly the average depth of the river. “ The country, as we advanced towards St. Pedro, and even in the environs of that town, was not much better than the portion of it already described. When settled, my favourite morning walk was to a fort upon the summit of the loftiest hillock near the place, from which, small as the elevation really is, there is a spa- cious view of the river, and of a region wild and desolate in almost every quarter. To the north lies the fine island of Marinheiros; to the south, a marshy tract, partially covered with vegetation, the ground rising and becoming drier as it approaches the ocean; to the east, beyond the water, are loose sand-hills, their height from a hundred and twenty to a hundred and forty feet; their tops are usually round; towards the west, the country is also sandy, gently undulated, and desti- tute of everything green. When the wind blows strongly from the south-east, as it often does, it brings with it so much sand, which whirls from the tops of the hills like smoke from a volcano, that the eyes must hardly venture to take that direction. Turning the back to the wind for relief, the sand is seen travelling onward like a vast fall of snow, a portion of which, im- peded by the town, is piled against the houses, and sometimes mounts and crushes the roofs. The extent of this desert, however, is not great: it forms a slip along the edge of the ocean, not more than fifteen BRAZIL. 293 miles broad at a medium, though it is three hundred miles long; and here and there are scattered rich oases, the sites of pleasant farms. The sand evidently comes from the ocean, being cast upon the coast and then driven further inland. “ The town, situated in a level plain, not many inches above high-water-mark, contains about five hundred dwellings; and the whole number of stationary inhabi- tants may, perhaps, be two thousand, two-thirds of which are supposed to be white, or very slightly tinged. But some of the houses belonging to persons who reside on their estates, are seldom occupied, except at reli- gious festivals. The principal row of houses runs east and west, enjoying from their latticed windows the pros- pect of an extensive, flat, and bare island, across a water which is about six hundred yards over. Behind this row, which is really neat and pretty, is a street of small, low huts, constructed of mud, and covered with thatch, the habitations of the lower ranks. Here, those accumulations of sand which have already been men- tioned, frequently take place; and during my continu- ance in St. Pedro, several of the houses were nearly overwhelmed by them, and greatly injured. Were it not for this barrier, the better ones would be exposed to the same fate. “ The public buildings in St. Pedro, would of them- selves be hardly worthy of notice; but, a few particulars relative to them may serve to illustrate the state of the place. At their head stands the Cathedral, the plain- ness of which, both within and 'vithout, does not prevent it from being a handsome edifice. At each end of the front rises a square tower, finished with a small turret. The entrance is by folding-doors; and over it is the orchestra, lighted by a large round window, giving some little ornament to the front: the chancel and altar face the doors. On each side, a portion of the area is railed me oa - a —— A—_— 294 BRAZIL. off for male worshippers, and in the centre is the station of females. From the ground to the ridge of this church is about fifty feet, and before it the sand has accumu- lated to the same height; but the wind striking against the building, has caused it to recoil from the walls, and formed a sort of deep and gloomy dell, leading to the door. It has been fifty years accumulating, as old people tell us, and its elevation indicates that it must have risen about a foot every year. Its encroachment on the street occasioned men to be employed in clear- ing it away; and it was matter of no small surprise to me, that, as they worked at the bottom, the heap did not slide downward, but the face of it remained per- pendicular. On closer inspection, I found that the whole mass was composed of lamine, which had ac- quired so much adhesion, that pieces might be taken out nearly as large as our half-crowns. By ascertaining how many of them were contained in an inch, I con- cluded that the mass must be at least equal to the num- ber of days in fifty years, and that the accumulated sand of each day was consolidated by the calmness and dews of the succeeding night; a variety of tints being observable in them as in sand-stone in general, proba- bly according to the measure of moisture employed in their formation. The appearance corresponded exactly to the micaceous, laminated sand-stone of England; so that it seems that sand, gathered by wind alone, would produce this kind of stone, and in fifty years might acquire consistency enough to enable the mass to sup- port a face of ninety degrees.* * “ Dried branches of shrubs are frequently found upon the sandy wastes, which once enjoyed moisture enough to enable them to vegetate. These disappearing, would continue to retain their form, if the congregated sand ever hardened into stone. This may account for the appearance of such substances em- pedded in rocks. On like principles, the marks of footsteps in BRAZIL. 295 « A short new street at the eastern side of the town, conducts to the only defence of the place, by courtesy called the Fort, far better calculated to suppress an in- surrection, than to keep out an enemy. It is an arti- ficial mount of sand, its sides covered with sods, and on the top is a platform surrounded with a breastwork of earth, with embrasures for six guns. Here is also a signal-post, which announces the appearance of vessels off the Bar, and the number which may have entered the port during the night. The guns at the Fort are brass, long eighteen-pounders, of excellent workman- ship, and ornamented with the arms of Spain. They are mounted on carriages, which would be demolished by a first discharge, and are placed in a circle, so far distant from the channel, as little to annoy an approach- ing enemy. The magazine is a poor mud hut at the foot of the hill, with a few balls lying about it; but if there were powder, it would be impossible to keep it in order in such a situation. « pitiful as is the chief custom-house of Brazil, that of St. Pedro falls as much below it as the town is infe- rior to the capital. It is a stone building, with walls about ten feet high, and covered with a deep roof, giving it the appearance of an old English barn. Within, two square portions are railed off, each of which is furnished with a table and forms, for the transaction of business. The insignificant remainder of space enclosed within its walls, is the only place where goods can be deposited the sand-stone of England may be accounted for. My horse's feet, in passing, frequently broke the strata to the depth of six inches; and should the surrounding part ever be consolidated, the impression of his foot would remain, to whatever depth it might afterwards be buried. After rain, 1 observed the same kind of depressions on the surface of these deserts, as are found in much of the Yorkshire sand-stone; these are overwhelmed as the sand dries, and begins again to move, but they are not oblite- rated, and remain to excite the curiosity of ages to come.” 206 BRAZIL. under the government key. In front of it, close to the water, is a small tiled shed, raised upon posts over a planked floor, and furnished with a crane, which is the only public wharf, and the place where all merchandise must be landed. At no great distance is the gaol, a miserable dungeon, enlightened only through an open railing in front, which at the same time exposes the prisoners, and displays such wretchedness, as may pos- sibly have more effect on some minds than a sense of moral rectitude. The governor's house is at the west end of what has been described as the principal row of buildings; it is of one story only, like the generality of its neighbours, but distinguished from almost every other habitation in the place, by an ascent to it of a few steps, and by its glazed windows. In the same row is what few of my countrymen would hesitate to call the comfortless abode of the vicar, the chief clergyman of the parish. It consists of two stories; the lower one open or appropriated to offices; the upper, entered from without by a stepladder, contains the family apart- ments. The walls are whitened; the windows much like those of our hay-lofts, with shutters painted red. “The Ferry-house, the only place where a boat is allowed to be hired, is commodiously situated near the ‘public quay. For his exclusive privilege, the proprietor pays a rent to the crown, and is obliged to furnish and keep in order a catraia or launch, which, when the weather permits, must cross the water every two hours. The fare is about six-pence; and should a man wish to cross at any but the usual times, he may command a boat for a double fee, though he should be the only passenger.” * * “ When the farmer of this ferry heard that the royal family had arrived in Brazil, he owed to the crown 800,000 reis (2152. ;) he therefore mounted a horse, and, with the greatest secresy, set off without passports for the capital, where he arrived at the end BRAZIL. 297 There are “two orders of devout women’ at St. Pedro; that is to say, two female religious establish- ments, or recolhimentos, one of St. Francisco, the other of Carmo. Mr. Henderson speaks of several English establishments here, connected with mercantile houses at Rio. The heat is stated to be intense. Cats fly from the rats, which are large and exceedingly nume- rous; but they have a formidable enemy in the dog. The houses are generally very wretched ;* the streets of a fine sand, the same as the neighbourhood. It enters so profusely into the houses, at the season of the high winds, that it is impossible to eat anything without a portion of sand being intermixed with it.” The town is properly a garrison; and the governor had under his orders at the period referred to, two regi- ments of the line ; one belonging to Rio Grande, about four hundred strong; the other consisting of about three hundred men, and belonging to St. Paul’s; also a body of cavalry raised from the farms, and a regiment of militia. ‘““The yeomen and militia were deficient in everything but numbers. They appeared in the field with lassos, or nooses, and could certainly catch their enemies with more skill than they could exhibit in the use of a musket.” Between the two regiments of three weeks, having travelled nearly eight hundred miles by an unusual route, for the sake of avoiding pursuit and detention. He threw himself at the prince-regent’s feet, confessed the debt, and his utter inability to discharge it. His royal highness was so much pleased with this mark of confidence, as generously to remit the sum, and re-instate the man in his post.” * The one hired by Mr. Luccock, which was equal to most in the place, consisted of a ground-floor only; it had a sala or sit- ting-room towards the street, enlightened by one window without glass or lattice, and which, when the shutters were open, com- pletely exposed the room and all that passed within it. Behind was an alcove for sleeping, and an unfloored kitchen in a pent- house. For this mansion, Mr. L. paid a rent of 12 patacas (about 20s.) per month. 5 2 298 BRAZIL. a feud of long standing prevailed, partaking of the national antipathies between the Spaniards and Portu- guese, and dating from the occupation of the province by the former. On one occasion, a severe affray took place; lives were lost on both sides, and it became necessary to send off the Paulistas to encamp on the frontiers. At this period (1809,) the commercial importance of St. Pedro was gradually on the increase, owing to the great extension of the inland trade. Monte Video, its rival, then in the possession of the Spaniards, was in distress, Spain being no longer in a condition to supply the wants, or take the produce of the country. Upon this part of Brazil, therefore, many towns along the coast mainly depended for a supply of food ; while an influx of inhabitants, arising from the advance of trade, and from the preference which Portuguese emigrants gave to this part of the country, as better suited to their constitutions than the warmer provinces of the north, increased the consumption and the cost of pro- visions. The vessels sailing from Rio Grande in 1808, amounted to one hundred and fifty, half of them bound for Rio. In 1814, there sailed from this port no fewer than 333 vessels of various kinds, laden with wheat, hides, tallow, carne secco-or charqueados (dried beef,) cheese, and other articles. They were chiefly brigs from 100 to 200 tons burden. As yet, however, the want of a circulating medium, and the rude state of society, rendered this part a very contracted market for European commodities. “If, instead of business, amusing occupation and pleasant society had been our object,” says Mr. Luccock, “ we should have had little reason to complain of St. Pedro. Its neighbourhood afforded ample scope for riding, walking, and field sports. The people in general seemed disposed to gaiety, were harmonious among themselves, and friendly to strangers. At the house of the vicar, we always BRAZIL. 299 found within, that which made us forget its comfort- less exterior. He was a man of some zeal, and more goodness of heart, regarded as the father, though not revered as the saint of his district. Under his roof, there was a constant evening lounge for the heretics as well as the Catholics, in which lively conversation was occasionally varied by cards and dancing. Some of the inferior clergy whom we met with, appeared to be respectable men ; but, if their services were really en- forced by their example, they were insufficient to pre- vent a great laxity of morals. Marriages were rare at St. Pedro, compared with the population, though the town and province enjoyed, in this respect, some pri- vileges not common (at this period) to the colony. In other parts, if not here also, when Brazil was decidedly considered as a Portuguese dependency, it was neces- sary to obtain from Lisbon, a license for the solemniza- tion of marriage. If the swain made any pretences to wealth or distinction, it was not unusual for him to go thither to seek it, with voluminous testimonials of his birth, residence, and means. In the gay circles of the capital, he not unfrequently found another charmer, or perhaps, on his return, had to lament a new instance of human instability, his fair one having forsaken him. So did state policy unite with other causes to impair social virtue and domestic comfort. Indeed, here, as in Rio de Janeiro, moral principles seemed to have little influence: there was the same want of fidelity, honour, and confidence. Religion frightened some into uprightness, and a strict police restrained and compelled greater numbers. The country, too, was pastoral, and uninfected with the mania of mining. Yet, if it possessed a few moral advantages, the great influx of strangers, and the frequent changes in society, were peculiarly hostile to its feeble virtue.”* * Notes, &c. pp. 186, 1990. 300 BRAZIL. Among the female part of society, however, there appeared some affectionate sisters and wives; and a much higher degree of domestic and social happiness was witnessed here, than in most parts of the country. The elder women are described as frank and chatty; the younger ones as unusually pleasing. None of them went much abroad, though less restrained than in Rio, more regarded as companions and friends, and more freely admitted into society. The costume of the inhabitants of Rio Grande does not appear to differ materially from that of the Paulistas; but, as connected with the state of manners, the description may not be uninteresting. “ Gentlemen wore cotton shirts, neatly made, with open work and lace at the breast, and the collar sprucely tied with a black ribbon. Their coats re- sembled our surtouts, in some cases adorned with loops and tassels, in others, with large silver buttons; the waistcoats were made of calico, generally printed in a large running pattern; the trousers of white cotton cloth. In the house, when perfectly at ease, the coat was often exchanged for a calico jacket, and the feet thrust into slippers. Elderly men, when dressed, wore large buckles; the younger, departing from the state of their fathers, used shoe-strings. On few occasions, and by few people, even of the highest rank, were stockings of any kind worn; and no one went out on occasions of ceremony, without a cocked hat and a dirk. If about to travel, they put on pantaloons of white cotton cloth, and drew over them long boots, fastened below the knee with a strap and buckle. In the country, and passing from one place to another, they wore broad-brimmed hats, made of plaited straw, or the leaf of the palm, and a woollen or cotton poncho —a garment made of one large piece, with a hole in the middle, through which the head is thrust, and falling BRAZIL. 301 loosely before, behind, and over the arms. The poncho, if made of cloth, is frequently trimmed all round with velveteen, and lined with baize of some gay colour; if of cotton, it is ornamented with a border of various colours, woven with the piece, and is of South Ame- rican manufacture. Ordinary working people, such as sailors, boatmen, guides, and the lower order of farmers and peasantry, wear woollen jackets, with quarter- dollars for buttons, in such number and order as means may allow, or fancy dictate. I never saw here the poorest white peasant, who, besides these ornaments of the jacket, did not carry about him a silver fork and spoon. This practice makes them more cleanly in their habits of eating, than their northern brethren; and one good habit usually introduces others. “ Ladies appear in public in the mantilha, a square piece of silk, bordered with broad lace, which is fastened on the head, and falls over the back and shoulders. They wear stockings and showy-coloured shoes. Their head-dress is Portuguese, adorned with flowers, and sometimes, in the evening, with fire-flies. Females of the second class wear, out of their houses, a sort of great coat, called a capofa, made of cassimere, and gaudily trimmed with plush. Female slaves have only the baéfa, a square cloth or baize, often decorated with a hair-list; their hair bound with a piece of red binding, or a Bandana handkerchief; their feet in- variably bare.” The class of persons who occasionally repair to St. Pedro, as the purchasers of goods, from the interior, are characterized as manifesting, by a thin beard, lank hair, and an unsettled eye, some mixture of Indian blood. The men of genuine Spanish or Portuguese origin have thick and strong beards, the hair wavy, the visage and limbs longer than those of mixed blood. The complexion of all is a deep brown, with the hair sm Santo Sd AER RR a A. w 302 BRAZIL. and irides black. ‘ These strangers were clothed chiefly in coarse and strong cotton of domestic manu- facture, fashioned into a shirt with open sleeves, and trousers which reached a little below the knee, and were fastened round the loins with a girdle. This girdle, like the rest a fabric of their own country, was also made of cotton dyed blue or red, sometimes of both colours, alternated with white and fringed at the ends; it was long and narrow, wrapped three or four times round the body, and within its folds were depo- sited their money, and whatever else they accounted most valuable. Over their shoulders were slung a small pouch of skin, containing a flint, a steel, and a spongeous substance, answering the purpose of tinder, and sometimes a small quantity of tobacco. It hence appeared, that their customs were derived from the Spaniards, and their abode was beyond the Portuguese frontiers. They all wore a high, conical-crowned hat of felt, straw, or palm-leaf; a sharp knife stuck in the girdle; and, though without shoe or stocking, a spur fixed to the heel by a strip of raw hide. A few among them, who, it may be, dwelt near some place of con- sequence, appeared in jackets, or long blue coats, waistcoats of slink-skin, and boots buckled round the knees. A still smaller number wore neck-handkerchiefs and hangers, and had their attendants following them. Though the number of these people, particularly of the inferior class, was considerable, they seemed always unable to put off their jealousy of the Brazilians, and withdrew, at sunset, to their quarters in the plain, four or five miles from the town. “ The equipments of the horses belonging to these men, were little different from those in common use on this part of the American continent. Their bridle-bits are crooked iron curbs, with cheek-plates; the mouth- piece also is crooked, and through the upper part of BRAZIL. 303 the curve an iron ring is passed, about five inches in diameter, into which, when the bridle is put on, the horse's chin, or lower jaw, is thrust; so that the whole forms a most powerful curb. There is only a single rein to the bridle, the two ends of which proceed from the points of the curb, and meet upon the horse’s withers, in a ring about an inch in diameter, from which proceeds a lash four feet long: the whip being thus attached to the bridle, the horseman’s right hand is left at liberty. The leather is formed from a hide neatly cut into long shreds, which are soaked in oil or melted tallow, until they are completely pliable; they are then plaited with equal neatness, and form a round thong as thick as the little finger. The headstall is formed of the same materials; and the bridle, altogether, is not only recommended by its appearance, but by its power to restrain the most headstrong animal. There is still more singularity in the stirrups, which are, in common, made from the transverse section of an ox’s horn, brought nearly to a triangular shape; or of brass, bearing some resemblance to the vertical section of a bell. In both cases, they are so small as to admit only the tip of a boot, if the rider have any, or a few of the naked toes. They are attached to the saddle by straps, which cannot be lengthened or shortened. Though a saddle has been mentioned as part of the horse-furniture of the strangers, it would have been more correct to speak of the lumbillio, which is univer- sally used among them, and indeed all ranks of horse- men in Rio Grande. The lumbillio, borrowed from the Spanish colonists, and by them from their mother- country, is a sort of thin panel about two feet long, of exactly the same form in its front and back, and covered with embossed leather. It is fastened to the horse by a bandage made of ten or a dozen thongs, all the ends of which terminate in two iron rings, When Ei. > ET, 304 BRAZIL. this is thrown over it, and passed round the horse’s body, the two rings are drawn together by a thong, so forcibly that the lumbillio cannot possibly move. A dried sheep-skin is usually the upper covering; and if the rider be a person of consequence, a skin is selected with long and orderly-disposed wool, and dyed with indigo. In this case, too, the covering is kept in its place by a surcingle of white cotton, six inches broad, with figures of animals and birds interwoven in colours, most commonly in various shades of blue and red.” * The slaves of this district, * as they are less numerous than in most of the provinces, so,” says Mr. Luccock, “they appeared better and happier. The price paid for them was high, and there was great difficulty in procuring them: this may account, in part, for their lenient treatment. But I apprehend that a more effi- cient cause is, the moderate temperature of the climate, which enables their white masters to take a share in their labours,” Yet here, as almost every- where, “ it seems sufficient,” he adds, * that a man has the hue of a negro, to mark him out as an object on which tyranny may exercise itself.” The village of St. Pedro do Norte on the other side of the harbour, which Mr. Luccock represents as the port, consists of about a hundred miserable huts, placed amid loose and lofty hills of sand. Even in what are called the streets, the passengers are up to the ancles.t To the east of the village appears a * Luccock’s Notes, pp. 198—201. t+ It is not a little singular, that Cazal takes no notice of St. Pedro do Norte, mentioning only one place as designated by the name of that saint; but, ‘“ on the eastern bank of the river, in front of St. Pedro,” he places ‘‘ the considerable and flourishing arraial of St. Joze, with a hermitage of the same name.” This, adds Mr. Henderson, ‘“ is the town’s port.” Is this St. Pedro do BRAZIL. 305 uniform, dreary desert of sand, blown up into hills, some of them two hundred feet high, connected by a lower and curved ridge, exhibiting in miniature the contour of our micaceous sand-stone mountains. Pur- suing the road northward, which passes along the peninsula lying between the Lagoa dos Patos and the ocean, the land narrows, at the distance of about twelve miles, to a single league, and hence is called the Estreito. ‘ Near at hand,” says Mr. Luccock, «is a village, the first, it is said, which the Portuguese built in this part of the country: it was the capital till 1750, and seems to have been established a century earlier, at which time it probably enjoyed the advan- tage of a port.” This statement is at variance, how- ever, with the account given by Mr. Henderson (from Cazal,) that the site of the town which was begun in the situation called Estreito, and from which the removal was made to St. Pedro, is a league to the south-west of the present city; as well as with Mr. Luccock’s own description of the old town, the ruins of which he found about three miles from St. Pedro. It is to be regretted that he omits to mention the name of the village, which may have been the first settlement, although at no period dignitied with the name of town or capital. Two different places are apparently con- founded under the name of Estreito. “ As the neck of land afterwards widens, it becomes more solid, flat, and verdant, rich in herbage, and sup- porting large herds of cattle. Lakes are scattered in every direction; and, in the wet season, the whole plain is covered with water, so that the cattle perish for want of sustenance, of which the numerous skeletons lying around afford melancholy evidence. On digging through Norte under another name? Or has St. Joze arisen since Mr. Luccock was in Brazil, and has St. Pedro been overwhelmed by the sand? en A a a 4 306 BRAZIL. the sandy soil, excellent clay is found in patches, which seems to indicate that the spot was once the bed of a lake which has been partially filled up by sand blown into it from the coast. On the sea-shore still exists a long line of pools, which will probably share the same fate. Nature has here produced,” continues Mr. Luc- cock, “one of her slow, but irresistible operations. On a careful examination of the coast, it will convincingly appear, 1 think, that it has formerly proceeded from the Castilhos Grandes (two remarkable rocks so called, a little north of the Plata,) by the west of the lake Mirim, the river Gonzales, and the Lagoa dos Patos, to the morro of Sta. Maria near Laguna; * and if so, all to the east of this line is made ground, formed by sand driven up by the ocean. The two lakes which form the chief features of this part of the country, have probably been created by the rivers which flow into them, repelling the sand accumulated at their mouths by the occasional impetuosity of their currents, until the bar was formed in the dead water produced by the stream and the ocean. Here the bank would gradually rise above the high-water mark, and compel the river to bend its course; and, by constant acquisition, would grow broader and longer, and at length form an estuary within it. Thus, the Saboyty (or Saboyaty,) the Yga- roon (or Jaguaron,) and the Piratirim were forced to join before they reached the ocean, and their united surplus waters to pass off northward, forming, in pro- cess of time, the river Gonzales. In like manner, the Jacuhy, the Camapuam, and other rivers, were com- pelled by accumulation of sand under the lee of Sta. Maria, to take a southern course, and produced the larger lake; but this discharging the greater quantity of water, the stream has carried with it that of the smaller lake, and formed the Rio Grande, whose bar is still * See p. 285. BRAZIL. 307 proceeding southward. At first, the estuary must con- sist of a number of pools, sometimes dry, and sometimes formed into one by an increase of water. Some of them would, by degrees, collect in their bottoms a quantity of mud, which itself accumulating, and aided by the flying sand, would at length fill them up. Remnants of such lakes exist along both the peninsulas, and the frequent existence of clay beneath the sand, is an evidence that they were once numerous. Had ma- rine or fresh-water vegetables been growing there, they would have been buried, but not destroyed, and, per- haps, in the course of ages, have been converted into different kinds of coal.” * The Lagoa dos Patos, (which takes its name, accord- ing to Cazal, from a nation of Indians, but, Mr. Luc- cock informs us, that it is derived from a species of water-fowl so called,) t+ is the largest in Brazil, being 150 miles in length from N.E. to S.W.,{ and thirty-five miles across at its greatest width. It is the recipient of almost all the streams that water the northern and eastern portions of the province. It is very shallow, and its water continues fresh as far as the island dos Marinheiros, near the port of St. Pedro. Though en- * Notes, &c. pp. 233, 235, 236. t+ “Towards evening, we saw a long line of dark-coloured birds flying across the lake, probably in the way to their nightly quarters. They were, in general, three, four, or five abreast, and continued passing for more than an hour: though the darkness prevented us from discerning the last of them, we reckoned that the line which we had seen was full ten miles in length. We fancied that they were urubues, (a species of vulture,) which are known to assemble, at the close of day, in large flocks; but our pilot said that they were Pafos, a sort of diver, large, brown, and exceedingly numerous on the coast. From these, it seems, came the Portuguese name of the lake: the Brazilian one is lost.”— Notes, p. I Mr. Luccock says, 130 miles in length from Cangazu, and from 40 to 45 in breadth from the mouth of the Camapuam. A 308 BRAZIL. cumbered with sand-banks, and subject to violent squalls, it may be navigated with little anxiety. “I never heard,” says Mr. Luccock, “ of more than one vessel being lost upon it.” The peninsula lying be- tween the lake and the ocean, is low and level, and almost in a direct line on the eastern side, but forms various points and bays on the opposite one.* The western shore of the lake is bold, but not rugged, and is cut by several rivers, whose mouths furnish places of resort for yachts employed in bringing down produce to St. Pedro. The most important of these are, the Camapuam (Round Breasts) and the Jacuhy, or water of Jacues. The sources of the former are in the chain of low hills on the verge of the province, called the great Cochilha, which divide the tributary streams of the Rio Grande and those of the Uruguay: it flows with a rapid and disturbed current, interrupted by con- tinued cataracts, for nearly a hundred miles, receiv- ing fourteen streams from the south, and fifteen from the north, and falls into the lake about the middle of its western side, by five different channels, formed by four small islands, on which account it is often called the Five Fingers. Light vessels proceed fifteen miles up from its mouth, and, from its bold shores, bring down quantities of wheat. The Jacuhy, (sometimes called the Rio Pardo, which is one of its tributaries,) is a river of greater value. It rises in the province of St. Paulo, at the western border of the great table-land of Curitiba, being formed by the union of several streams which irrigate those elevated campos. After traversing the southern declivity of the general serra for a few * Among these, the most southerly is the Ponta do Mandana, where have been found, Cazal states, vestiges of an Indian vil- lage and cemetery. Mr. Luccock sought for these sepulchres, to the north of St. Pedro do Norte, but could discover no trace of them. BRAZIL. 309 leagues. it turns eastward, describing innumerable wind- ings for a course of thirty leagues, during which it col- lects the water of a number of smaller rivers, many of them navigable to some extent; it then suddenly bends towards the south, and after running fifteen miles in this direction, enters the western side of the lake about four leagues below its northern extremity. Itisa fine, broad, and deep river, with lofty and diversified banks, and full of little islands. Being uninterrupted by cata- racts, it is perfectly open to navigation, and Mr. Luc- cock was informed that it had been ascended several hundred miles. At the part where, suddenly bending towards the south, it receives the Cahy from the high plains to the north, it is two miles in width, spreading into a small lake. On the northern bank of the Jacuhy, twenty-five miles from its mouth, and forty-three leagues north or St. Pedro, is the pleasant town of Porto Alegre, (gene- rally written Portalegre,) the present capital of the pro- vince. It is situated on a declivity, and commands a fine view of the river and the surrounding country. The houses are well-built, white-washed, and formed into streets, most of them broad and paved. The go- vernment-house and public offices are on the summit of the hill. It has a church dedicated to Nossa Sen- hora Madre de Deos (Mother of God,) a chapel Das Dores (of Griefs,) and an hospital for orphans, and is the residence of the governor of the province, an ouwvi- dor (sheriff,) a juiz de fora, who is a sort of mayor, and a vicar-general; there are also royal Latin profes- sors. It has a dockyard, which is plentifully supplied with timber from the banks of the streams that fall into the Jacuhy. “ As a capital,” says Mr. Luccock, “its influence is wide; as a seat of commerce, it com- mands a large tract of country and many navigable rivers. Several Englishmen have long been settled ——— —————— 310 BRAZIL. round this favoured spot; but the country is not yet sufficiently advanced in the common arts of civilized life, to render it a desirable residence. One of them has endeavoured to improve its agriculture, by intro- ducing the plough on the banks of the Tacoary, about ninety miles above Portalegre; I fear without much effect. This part of the province is, however, daily and rapidly improving; though the people still want education, and are yet more destitute of moral and reli- gious culture. This last want will hardly be matter of surprise, when it is considered, that a district extending over nearly six degrees of latitude, and four of longi- tude, comprising more than forty thousand square miles, is divided into five parishes, each containing five millions of acres; and all of them under the spiritual care of the bishop of Rio de Janeiro, whose residence is not within five hundred miles of the nearest part of this his charge. “ One great bar to improvement is, that much of the interior is still in the hands of the native Indians, whose animosity to white people is of the bitterest sort, and their purposes of vengeance for injuries received, have been so long bequeathed from father to son, as to be rooted in their hearts, as firmly as the colour is attached to their skin. Under the influence of this passion, they destroy everything belonging to Europeans or their descendants, which falls in their way: even the cow and the dog are not spared. For such outrages they pay dearly; small forts or military stations being placed round the colonised parts of the district, from whence a war of plunder and extermination is carried on against them. In this warfare, not only are fire-arms made use of, but the lasso, dogs, and all the stratagems which are usually employed against beasts of prey.” * * Notes, pp. 228, 229, BRAZIL. 311 The road to Portalegre from St. Pedro do Norte, after crossing the broad and deep river Capibary, leads round the head of the lake. Mr. Luccock mentions as one of the chief places in this route, the small but pleasantly situated village of Mustardos, near which it was attempted to found an English settlement, but the speculation failed.* The road to Laguna approaches the coast, running through a swampy and uninteresting region to the ferry over the Rio Tramandahy (or Ta- mandua, Ant-eater river,) which is, in fact, only the channel by which a great number of lakes discharge their waters. The passage is often dangerous, and the ferry is, like all the rest in this route, in a most wretched state. Twelve leagues further is the mouth of the Mampituba, between which and the Tramandahy, four- teen small rivers of crystalline water discharge them- selves into the sea. Here is a military station, at which passports and luggage are examined, the Mam- pituba being the boundary between the provinces of Rio Grande and Sta. Catherina. The journey from St. Pedro to Sta. Catherina, a distance of about 400 miles, has been performed by native horsemen in four days. We return to St. Pedro, in order to start from thence to the westward, and afterwards to explore the southern confines of Brazil. The Lake Mirim (small lake,) which discharges itself into the Lake of Patos by the channel called the river of St. Gonzales, is itself upwards of ninety miles in length, by twenty-five at its greatest breadth. It is * No village of this name is mentioned by Mr. Henderson : but, on the eastern side of the peninsula, is the lake of Mostar- das, better known by the name of Peixe, nine leagues long, with little width, disemboguing into the sea at an elbow of land, that opens and closes annually. The settlement is, probably, not far from its outlet. This lake is but one of the continued chain that extends northward, along the foot of the cordillera, to the river Mampituba. 312 BRAZIL. very shallow, and, in the rainy season, widely extends its borders. The Gonzales is fifty miles in length; it is wide and handsome, and navigable by yachts of from 50 to 70 tons burthen, who by this channel pass into the Lake Mirim, and thence ascend the Jaguaron and the Saboyaty to the fertile country lying at the back of Monte Video and Maldonado. By this means, goods are distributed through the interior, and cross the mountains even to the Uruguay. Between the eastern shore of Lake Mirim and the Atlantic, another long and narrow lake extends for eighty or ninety miles in a line nearly parallel to the coast. It is called, Mr. Luccock says, the Bay of Mangueira, (Manguein ?) “not the one mentioned before, but another of the same name.”* Between this and the Lake Miri, the road passes. Six leagues to the south-west of St. Pedro do Sul is the arraial of Povo Novo (new town,) ‘ornamented with a hermitage of Our Lady of Necessity.” The erection of this church has drawn inhabitants to the spot, who are stated by Cazal to be husbandmen, ori- ginally from the Azores. “ On what their labour is bestowed,” remarks Mr. Luccock, “I know not: there are certainly no marks of it in the cultivation of the soil. Our Lady of Necessity is their patroness, and liberally has she distributed her favours among them.” A few miles further in this direction, the country greatly improves, exhibiting not only some fine pas- tures and stately trees, but also a few well-built farm- houses. The plain of St. Gonzales, to which it leads, is a level tract of rich meadow land, upwards of twenty miles long, and seven broad : it is in general, however, * Mr. Henderson writes it Mangliera, and states, that it is 80 miles long, about four broad, and empties itself, at the northern extremity, by an outlet called Arroio Thahim. BRAZIL. 313 “incommoded with a hot, hazy, oppressive atmo- sphere.” The river which gives name to the plain, is nearly as broad as the Thames at London, and is said to be in some parts not less than twenty-four fathoms deep. Here Mr. Luccock and his party started an emu (the American ostrich,) and, putting their horses to their utmost speed, they gave it chase. ‘The bird,” he says, “quickly left us far behind, then closed its wings, and stalked on in careless security. Though the neighbouring sands are the natural haunt of these birds, they were now numerous on the plains, having been driven hither, I suppose, by dry weather; we had in consequence several chases of the same kind, all of them equally fruitless. On turning the corner of a wood, we suddenly came within thirty yards of an emu, followed by about sixty young ones, which were, pro- bably, several collected broods. She marched off with a stately step, carrying her head in a sort of semicircle, and looking at us first with one eye, then with the other. We again followed at full gallop; but, as the pursuit continued, the distance sensibly increased. The young birds clustered together, fluttered much, and advanced with evident haste: the pace of the old one was dignified and steady; she showed no marks of weakness, fear, or stupidity; on the contrary, while concerned for the safety of her charge, she seemed de- sirous to save them from unnecessary fatigue. Our guide entertained the common opinion of the country, that it is the male bird which in this way guides and protects the young ; but, as more agreeable to the order of nature, I have not hesitated to speak of the leader as a female. “3 kept one of these birds, for some time, within a spacious stockado, until it became familiar and occa- sionally impertinent; and he allowed me to stride over his back, and could just support my weight. Mounted PART II. T —_ a a i : ee — a [FP —— a I I PT 0 Se FEO A SEE ts . ore oem 314 BRAZIL. by a boy of twelve years of age, he could run, and was easily guided by turning his head to the direction in which the rider wished him to proceed.” * Having crossed the Gonzales, there extends towards the north, between the Passo dos Negros and the Lagoa dos Patos, a broad patch of swampy land, * the accumulated sediment of ages.” In these fens are several large farming establishments: that of Pellotas, which stands about six or seven miles above the mouth of the river of that name, is said to occupy ten square leagues, a moderate extent for a grazing farm in Rio Grande. Towards the west, the country assumes a different aspect. Instead of sands partly consoli- dated and covered with the alluvial deposite brought down by the rivers, the land presents a gently varied surface and a rich loamy soil. An extensive tract, famous for its fine cattle, is comprehended under the name of Charqueados, derived from the ‘“ charqued” beef which is prepared in this district for exportation.t “ Some idea of the immense quantity thus prepared, may be formed from the fact,” says Mr. Luccock, that, in one year, an individual, Joze Antonio dos Anjos, slaughtered 54,000 head of cattle, and charqued the flesh. The piles of bones which lay in his pre- mises, far surpassed my utmost conceptions; and there were thousands of wurubues, the vulture of South America, flying round and feeding on the offal. During the slaughtering season, it is not uncommon for large packs of dogs to make their appearance, and assist the * Notes, p. 210. + “ When the cattle are killed and skinned, the flesh is taken off from the sides in one broad nicce, something like a flitch of bacon; it is then slightly sprinkled with salt, and dried in the sun. In that state, it is the common food of the peasantry in the hotter parts of Brazil, is in itself by no means to be despised, and, as it will keep long, forms an excellent sea-stock.” BRAZIL. 315 vultures in picking the bones; and it is said that the ounce will do the same.” In the beginning of the seventeenth century, this province was covered with cattle, notwithstanding the devastation made among the herds by the Indians and the ounce. The conquerors, however, as if imagining the stock to be inexhaustible, commenced a system of wanton destruction, ‘ resembling that of the tiger and the wolf in the sheep-fold.” This havoc was directed principally against the calves. One seldom sufficed for the dinner of two comrades, because both, perhaps, wished for the tongue, and, rather than divide it, they would slaughter a second. There were men who would kill an animal in the morning, in order to breakfast on broiled kidneys; and, not to be incommoded by carry- ing home any part of the meat, would kill another for dinner. “There was no banquet without veal only a few days old.”* At length, both the Spanish and the Portuguese governors found it necessary to interfere; and an edict was passed by the governor of Monte Video, about the year 1650, prohibiting the slaughter of calves and of all oxen under five years old. This partly checked the mischief, though it has not put an end to the wasteful consumption; and in some parts, owing to the warfare carried on near the banks of the Plata, the charqued beef has at times been scarce.” In 1802, there were reckoned among the subjects of the Portuguese government in Rio Grande, 539 pro- prietors of land, consisting of two classes, distinguished as fazendeiros, farmers, and lavradores, husbandmen. The latter, who breed only what is necessary for their own consumption, possess generally about two square leagues of land: the former will farm from eight to ten leagues; and some of these fazendas, Mr. Luccock * Henderson, p. 125, 316 BRAZIL. states, are reported to extend to a hundred square leagues, or nearly 600,000 acres! “To each three square leagues are allotted four or five thousand head of cattle, six men, and a hundred horses ;* though, according to circumstances, such as the distance from navigable waters, or from church, there must be a variety in the number of oxen kept for the business of a farm. The proportion of horses will appear a very large one; but it is to be remem- bered, that they cost nothing in keeping, as they are turned out on the plains; that no one about the farm, not even a slave, ever goes the shortest distance on foot; and that each manager will change his horse two or three times in a day. About a hundred.cows are allowed for the supply of milk, butter, cheese, and veal, to a farm of the average size. Hogs are usually found near the houses, but little care is taken of them: they wander about, root up the earth, devour reptiles, and make a good part of their subsistence on the waste parts of the cattle slaughtered. There are few sheep, and they are remarkably light and ill made, with a short, ordinary wool; which, however, might easily be improved. The wool is at present used, partly un- stripped from the skins, as saddie-covers and the like; partly, for the stuffing of beds and mattresses. The country is so thinly peopled, its inhabitants have so little liking to mutton, and the wild dogs and other beasts and birds of prey are so numerous, that there can be little inducement to increase the flocks.” “ The breed of sheep,” says Mr. Henderson, “ would, if attended to, much exceed that of cattle, in consequence of their generally producing two at a * In a fazenda of three leagues, it is computed, Mr. Henderson says, that one thousand young cattle, male and female, are branded, or marked, annually: the number sent off or killed, may be judged of from this calculation. BRAZIL. 317 birth; they, however, are not numerous, few farmers possessing one thousand head, and the major part not any. Nothing here appears so easy and cheap as the multiplication of this animal. For the purpose of shepherding a flock of one thousand, two cur-dogs are sufficient, bred up in the following mode. As soon as they are whelped, the lambs of a ewe are killed, the puppies are put to her, and she suckles them until she becomes habituated to treat them as her young, when, upon opening their eyes, and seeing no other bene- factor, they attach themselves to her, and play with the lambs as if they were of the same species. Nothing is ever given them to eat: they are shut in the fold with the sheep, and, on obtaining strength and vigour to attend the flock, they are suffered to go at large, when they accompany it to the field. In a little time, and without more instruction, they are so familiarized with the sheep, that they never separate from then. When it happens that a ewe lambs in the field, and the lamb cannot accompany the mother, in consequence of its not yet having sufficient strength to follow her, one of the dogs watches near, and, if he finds that the lamb cannot follow the mother to the flock, he carries it in his mouth, without doing it the least harm. No other animal or unknown person can approach the sheep of which these dogs are the guardians, without the risk of being attacked. The other domestic dogs and the hordes of the ckimarroe dogs are the greatest enemies to the flock: against them and the birds of prey, which pick out the eyes of the lambs, the vigilance of the watch-dogs is requisite.” * The same fazendeiros breed also droves of horses and mules: the latter are most lucrative, a male one being of at least double the value of a horse. So low, how- # Henderson's History of Brazil, p. 128. 72 ARE I 55 URES ATE STANT. RR TR . a y — — EE ———————— — 318 BRAZIL. ever, is the value of land and of stock, that Mr. Luccock was offered an island in the Lake of Patos, comprehend- ing eighteen or twenty square miles, including its build- ings and cattle, the latter warranted to exceed 4000 head, for 8000 cruzadoes, or about 9001. sterling, and this in payment for goods: the wood and fisheries were not deemed worth taking into the calculation. Declin- ing the estate, Mr. Luccock offered the proprietor tke same sum for the hides of the cattle alone, provided he would deliver them at St. Pedro, within a month, fit for exportation. The reply given was, that hands could not be found to slaughter the cattle, and cure the hides; and that, if they were to be obtained, the work and wages would put the owner to an expense exceeding the sum offered! Mr. Luccock was here witness to the Brazilian amuse- ment of an oa-chase, a sport not less hazardous, and perhaps not much less refined, than the pleasures of an English stag-hunt. “ After a ride of three or four miles on a large open plain, we found about 400 head of cattle. We rode gently round, to bring them into a more compact body, and made the animal which was to be chased, distinctly known to every individual of the party. Our settled object was to drive him to the house; and, to render the sport as complete as possible, the lasso * was not to * ¢ The lasso is made of narrow thongs, plaited in the same way as the bridles, and is about seven or eight yards long. One end of it is firmly fixed to the hinder part of the saddle, generally on the right side: at the other end is an iron ring, about two inches in diameter. The horseman about to use the lasso, forms a sort of running-noose, by passing a portion of it through the ring; this is taken in the right hand, so as that the ring may be at the opposite part of the circle; the noose is then swung with care over the head, until the extreme part of it, including the ring, acquires a considerable momentum. The instrament thus pre- pared, as the man advances towards his selected victim, is in due A ili BRAZIL. 319 be used until there appeared a probability that he would otherwise escape. Some of the people then dashed into the midst of the herd, attentively observing the selected animal. One half of the oxen were thus driven at once from the spot, and others, which chose to do so, were permitted to follow without molestation; but, wherever the victim turned, a horseman met him, and stopped his career. The work was easy until the remaining group was reduced to about twenty, which then made violent attempts torejoin their comrades, and fiercely attacked the huntsmen who intercepted them. In a short time, four of them, being hard pressed, plunged into some watery ground about two miles from the house, and among them was the object of the chase. When driven from the water, this small number were more harassed than before, and, perceiving their danger, exerted them- time discharged, carries off the remainder of the string, which be- fore hung loosely in coils on the fingers of the left hand, and seldom fails to entangle the beast. A well-trained horse, though at full speed when the lasso is thrown, instantly stops, and, turning round, pulls against the animal, which is now attached to him. The balls are three in number, round, and nearly three inches in diameter. The external part of each is a sort of purse, made of hide, rendered pliable by soaking: the purse is filled with sand, and the aperture arawn close, In drying, the leather contracts, and the whole becomes as hard as a stone. To each ball a string is attached, three or four feet long, made of plaited thongs, like the lasso; and the three strings are united by a knot, at two feet distance from the balls. This may be called the handle of the instrument; for the person using it takes the knot in his right hand, and having given it the necessary velocity, by swinging it over his head with all his might, throws it at the legs of the horse or ox which he wishes to secure. In their progress, the balls spread to the utmost distance which the strings will allow, and, reaching the leg, generally pass round it; and though, perhaps, only slightly en- tangling the animal, sufficiently impede its flight.” The custom was derived from the Maraocato and other Indian tribes, who used the lasso and balls with great effect against Men- donca, when he landed and founded the city of Buenos Ayres. | § i & ¥ £t § £: Ee Hy BE: ; f1 id Hl 320 BRAZIL. selves with redoubled violence. Sometimes we were obliged to ride hard; and great coolness and address were necessary to prevent their escape behind us and into a wood, which we were now approaching. In this last respect, our efforts were vain: they gained this refuge, and we could no longer act in concert. The wood was full of thick bushes of myrtle, and many trees spread their arms horizontally seven or eight feet from the ground. Itwas matter of high gratification, as well as wonder, to observe how our huntsmen rounded the bushes, and bent under the branches, so as sometimes to hang on the sides of their horses. Though unable to follow, I soon encountered our chief, who had made an unsuccessful cast with his lasso, and was disentangling it from the branches of a tree. I shall never forget the ardour and rapidity with which he afterwards darted and wheeled among the trees, nor lose the conviction fixed upon my wind, what execution such men, so trained, must be capable of in a country like this. My musings were soon interrupted by reaching the beach, and seeing at a distance our young hero, with the ox securely at- tached to his horse by the lasso, and leading the captive towards the house. The instrument had gone round his horns, and was fixed close to the crown of his head. The animal, thus entangled, advanced with the most mali- cious vexation, and made many ferocious efforts to gore the horse, which had before pursued, and now led him} but the wary creature, which had often before been yoked to an unnatural and violent mate, kept his eye upon the ox, and pulled at the lasso so as to keep it always on the stretch, and himself two springs in advance. In his precautions he was greatly assisted by his rider, who, with equal care, watched the maddening spirit of the beast, and gave signals to the horse. Con- vinced, at length, that his attempts to gore his leader were vain, the ox became sullen and was partly dragged BRAZIL. 321 onward. While he was in this mcod, the horse passed to the right of a detached bush, and the ox, by a sudden spring, got nearly abreast with him on the left: thus, the lasso was brought over his back, and he was enabled to employ his utmost might to draw the horse round the bush; the horse also used all his power to counter- act this manceuvre; and thus the great strength of the lasso was proved. By this time, the whole party was again collected, and another lasso applied to assist in conducting the captive, which, seemingly conscious that hé was completely subdued, walked along quietly. A boat had just reached the beach; and the people were still on board, when the treacherous animal, as soon as he came near enough, made an unexpected attack, and caused them to tumble, one over another, into the water, to the great amusement of the spectators. “ Returning to the hut, after a chase of three hours, milk and fruit were served to us in abundance; while the beast was taken from his former bondage and tied to a post, where I found him bellowing with madness, and still furiously striving to release himself. A man now came forward with an instrument, called a facam,* somewhat resembling both a large carving-knife and a short sword; and, warning every one to be on his guard, passed near the heels of the ox, and endeavoured, by a back-handed stroke, to hough him. The attempt was clumsily made, and the beast though wounded, was not disabled. Another took the instrument, and used it with greater effect; when the ox gave a desperate kick at the operator and, snapping the tendon, fell on his haunches. A third then drew a sharp knife across his throat : blood copiously followed ; and, with a deep bellow, expressive of rage and agony, he yielded up his life. Immediately the people set about skinning the beast, and preparing a part of him for dinner. The * Faca is the Portuguese word for a knife of any kind. Tr — — i PA 322 BRAZIL, former operation was performed in a workman-like manner; and the skin, as it was taken off, being care- fully stretched upon the ground, preserved the flesh from blood and dirt. During this process, fires had been kindled, and had burned down to clear embers. Slices of flesh were then cut off from the ribs, as the choicest part, for the master and his guests, and roasted at a fire apart; afterwards, the attendants helped them- selves as they pleased, and cooked their portion after their own modes. « Horses are trained for the exercises of the field, by fastening a dry hide to the back part of the saddle, and allowing it to trail on the ground. As the horse moves, the hide rattles, and the noise alarms him: he attempts to fly, when it beats against his heels, and he kicks at it violently; but, soon convinced that all his alarm and rage are fruitless, he learns to be patient and quiet. In this state, a person mounts and compels him to move forward; at first gently, afterwards at an increased pace. He begins with trampling upon the hide; but this incommodes him, perhaps almost throws him down backwards; he then sets down his feet more care- fully and safely. The contrivance induces him also to keep an eye turned on the object behind; while the rider takes him over rough or boggy ground, obliging him at the same time to look forward and mark where he is going. Thus he forms a habit of quickly discern- ing danger, and avoiding it, from whatever quarter it may come. So much are the Brazilian horses in ge- neral fenced against alarms, that I hardly ever met with one of the description which we call skittish.”* The country south of the Piratinim (Little Fish river,) extending to the northern shores of the Plata, varies little from the northern part of the province; * Luccock’s Notes, pp. 221-7, BRAZIL. only the eminences are somewhat more lofty. Cape St. Mary, the first point which presents itself, and indeed the only one along this line of coast, 1s a flat, sandy tongue of land. What is sometimes mistaken for it, is the singular group of rocks, a little to the north of the Cape, called the Great Castelhos, from their supposed resemblance, at a distance, to castles built on the beach. They consist of three large masses of naked granite, rising about a hundred feet from the water, with perpendicular sides and roundish tops. They are backed by low, woody hills. A flat, sandy beach extends northward of these, to the Castellos Pe- quenos (Little Castelhos,) near which is the fort of Santa Teresa. From this point, the road to Mal- donado along the southern coast, is represented by Mr. Luccock as very delightful, passing through a country diversified with small hills well wooded and watered, and abounding with deer, but thinly peopled. The greater part of the inhabitants were at this period (1808-1813) Spanish subjects, and strongly prejudiced against the Brazilians. Passing westward from the Castellios Grandes, we first meet with marshes and sandy plains, forming a sort of margin to the country, nearly ten miles in breadth. ‘ Beyond this begins an elevation of about a hundred feet, which, though slightly varied with hill and dale, appears from the sea, so nearly level, and its declivity so regular, as to convert the work of winds and waves into the appear- ance of an artificial embankment. It terminates be- fore we reach the rocky coast of Maldonado.” The town of Maldonado stands on the brow of a hill gently rising to the height of 250 feet above the sea- level: it is fifteen leagues west of Cape St. Mary. From the sea, it has no very attractive appearance. Immediately off the coast lie two islands: one of them, 324 BRAZIL. called Lobos (Wolve's Island), displays but Jine lure. being almost all rocks and stones, but has rie of iles in circumference ;* good water, and is about two miles in circ \ 3 the other, Gorita, has a few buildings upon 1t, anc ’ . - under its lee is the harbour, the beach of which is ex posed to a heavy surf, which renders landing some- } impracticable. There are times dangerous, and even impracticable. There two entrances : that on the eastern side of the isiand very narrow; that on the west is broad and go aA to small vessels perfectly safe; but, about midway, there is a rock with twenty-four feet water upon i The anchoring-ground is near the centre of the bay, where lies the wreck of a British ship, the Agamemnon. The town is thus described by Mr. Luccock, as “ appeared in 1808-9. © The principal buildings arm 8 quadrangle, on the north side of which is a ons aro estalagem, or inn; on the south side, a churc ); W " when finished, will be, for such a place, magnifice v the common habitations occupying the rest of oy square, are built of brick, and covered with Sra : The houses in the streets issuing from the square, or running parallel with its sides, are chieny low oa eon structed of earth. The whole number is host Ine hundred and fifty; that of the inhabitants, feat Sigh hundred to a thousand. It is manifest, how mu g ecclesiastical interests prevail here over civil Gres) though the seemingly incongruous EE il church may in part be vindicated by the const : iy that it is a sort of a cathedral of an extensive ( ; > called by the name of St. Carlos, to whom the c nigh is dedicated. A village bearing the same Hail io about nine miles from the town, towards the north-east. : . are vs * Mr. Lindley gives the latitude of the island of Lobos, my . oO On - tf + soQ { ; l 5 OC 25 J . S.: the longitude, east point, 54" 317 3077; west point, 53° 357 *s BRAZIL. 395 and appears to have been formerly the chief place in the district.” * In the track from Maldonado to Monte Video, the traveller soon after passes over the only lofty ground in the neighbourhood, which is part of the ridge, running nearly north and south for the distance of 400 miles, called the Great Cochilha, and constituting one of the great abutments of the table-land of southern Brazil. Its southern extremity forms the bold shore of Ponte Negro, which presents a perpendicular face of 300 feet above the water, terminating in three distinct suminits, which distinguish it from every other point in the estuary. Approached from the east, its jagged heights are visible as far off as fifty miles. To the east and west, it sends out many spurs, which divide the streams originating in its elevated parts, but they are not so lofty as the ridge itself. Descending from this height, the traveller enters on a plain intersected by short, inconstant streams, but destitute of wood. The road winds round the bay of Santa Rosa, “a dangerous bight for vessels, when the wind blows fiercely from the south-east, and pours into it the whole weight of the Southern Ocean.” As he approaches the city, the mountain which gives name to the place, and is con- stantly in view, becomes a more prominent object. Mr. Luccock thus describes its appearance: * It stands close to the water, unsupported by buttresses, unattached to any ridge; it of is a blackish-green hue, of a formal conical shape, and its towering head is crowned with a small building and a signal-stafl. It presents itself as the firm guardian of the mighty Plata, and deserves to be accounted one of the finest of military stations, if * Mr. Luccock probably refers to Pueblo Novo, two leagues to the N. of Maldonado, ‘‘ founded,” Cazal says, * for the habitation of the Portuguese prisoners of Colonia.” It has a church called St. Carlos. PART II. U 326 BRAZIL. the water, said to spring upon it, be sufliciently abun. dant. Possibly it may become, what it seems fitted to be—one of the pivots on which the commerce of the world shall hereafter turn. Its importance is well understood by Brazilian statesmen, and nothing short of overwhelming force will avail to wrench it out of their hands.” Mr. Mawe was at Monte Video at the eventful period of the British expedition against Buenos Ayres, in 1808. It was then in the possession of the Spaniards, and that gentleman had nearly fallen a victim to the national prejudices and unprincipled conduct of the governor. While he was detained here, at first a loose prisoner, and afterwards a prisoner at large, he had but too much leisure to acquire some knowledge of the town and its vicinity; and we shall avail ourselves of his description, by far the most accurate that we possess, of this part of the coast. “ Monte Video is a tolerably well-built town, stand- ing on a gentle elevation at the extremity of a small peninsula, and is walled entirely round. Its popu- lation amounts to between 15,000 and 20,000 souls. The harbour, though shoal, and quite open to the pamperos, or south-west gales, is the best in the Rio de la Plata; it has a very soft bottom of deep mud. When the wind continues for some time at north-east, ships drawing twelve feet water are frequently a-ground for several days, so that the harbour cannot be called a good one for vessels above three hundred or four hundred tons. “ There are but few capital buildings; the town in general consists of houses of one story, paved with bricks, and provided with very poor conveniences. In the square is a cathedral, very handsome, but awk- wardly situated: opposite to it, is an edifice divided into a town-house, or cabildo, and a prison. The BRAZIL. 327 streets, having no pavement, are Aways either clouded with dust, or loaded with mud, as the weather happens to be dry or wet. In the season of drought, the want of conduits for water is a serious inconvenience the well, which principally supplies the town, being two miles distant.? : Co. ¢ Provisions here are chean eat abundance Beef in nartiecnlar iz verv nicnt fil Et : & t in particular is very plentiful, and, though rarelv fat or fine, makes excellent soup. The best parts of toe meat may, indeed, be called tolerable, but thev are by no means tender. The pork is not eatable. Such is the profusion of flesh-meat, that the vieinity for two miles round, and even the purlieus of the town itself 2 raw flesh at every step, which feed immense flocks of sea-o present filthy spectacles of bones and < ulls, and in summer breed myriads of flies, to the oreat annoy- ance of the inhabitants, who are obliced at table to two continually emploved in fanning v ; o 5 v Ziched vol vf iane. 4 : ] the dishes with feathers, to drive awav those trouble- have a servant or some intruders, “ he 3 ahitantg artis i Fhe inhabitants, particularly the creoles, are « > . rol icy Ter humane and well-disposed, when not actuated bv political or religious prejudices. Their habits of life are much the same as those of their brethren in Old Spain, and seem to proceed from the same remarkable union of two opposite but not incompatible q indolence and temperance. The ladies are generally ualities, affable and polite, extremely fond of dress, and very * Mr. Henderson says: ‘ The inhabitants drink : : rain-water collected in cisterns, which are formed in the inner courts com- mon to the houses; and this water is pure and excellent. There are also pits dug near the sea-side, whence water is brought in carts for the supply of the town.” On the authority of the Corografia Brazilica, he makes the town, or rather city,” 130 miles W. of Cape Mary, and 120 miles E. of Buenos Ayres. It stands, according to Mr. Lindley, in lat. 34° 55’ 8. ! longitud 56° 4/ W. id 328 BRAZIL. neat and cleanly iw their persons. They adopt the Inglish costume at home, but go abroad usually in black, and always covered with a large veil or mantle. At mass, they invariably appear in black silk, bordered with deep fringes. They delight in conversation, for which their vivacity eminently qualifies them, and they are very courteous to strangers. “ The climate of Monte Video is humid. The weather, in the winter months (June, July, and Au- gust,) is at times boisterous, and the air in that season is generally keen and piercing. In summer, the serenity of the atmosphere is frequently interrupted by tremendous thunder-storms, preceded by dreadful lightning, which frequently damages the shipping, and followed by heavy rain, which sometimes destroys the harvest. The heat is troublesome, and is rendered more so to strangers, by the swarms of mosquitoes, which infest every apartment. “ The town stands on a basis of granite, the feldspar of which is for the most part of an opaque milk-white colour, in a decomposing state; in some places it is found of a flesh-red colour and crystallized. The mica is generally large and foliated, in many places imperfectly crystallized. It is obvious, that the exces- sive quantity of mud in the harbour and throughout the banks of the river, cannot have been formed from this stratum. The high mount on the opposite side of the bay, which is crowned with a light-house, and gives name to the town, is principally composed of clay- slate, in lamina perpendicular to the horizon. This substance appears much like basalt in texture, but its fracture is less conchoidal; it decomposes into an im- perfect species of wacké, and ultimately into ferru- ginous clay, from beds of which water is observed to flow in various parts of the mountain. “ The vicinity of Monte Video is agreeably diver- BRAZIL. 320 sified with low, gently sloping hills, and long valleys watered by beautiful rivulets; but the prospects they afford are rarely enlightened by traces of cultivation: few enclosures are seen, except the gardens of the principal merchants. The same defect appears in a north-east direction from the town, where similar varieties of hill, valley, and water prevail, and seem to want only the embellishinent of sylvan scenery to com- plete the landscape. Some wood, indeed, grows on the margin of the Riachuelo, which is used for the building of hovels and for fuel. There is a pleasant stream about ten leagues from Monte Video, called the Louza, the banks of which seem to invite the labour of the planter, and would certainly produce abundance of timber. It is to be remarked, that the almost entire want of this article here, occasions great inconvenience and expense: wood for mechanical purposes is extremely scarce, and planks are so dear that hardly one house with a boarded floor is to be found. “ In this vicinity, the farms are of great extent; few are so small as six miles in length, by a league in width. Such is the scarcity of wood, that the land-marks, when not already designated by nature in a chain of hills, a rivulet, or a valley, are made by ranges of stones of a peculiar form. The guintas (or farms owned by gentle- men,) with the country-houses built upon them, as rural retreats for their proprietors resident in Monte Video, were extremely pleasant and agreeable; the gardens were full of fine flowers and fruits, and every thing about these establishments indicated so much peace, harmony, and good neighbourhood, as to make an impression on the mind of a stranger equally pleasing and indelible. But the scene, alas! has been changed through the intestine discords produced by a revolu- tionary war; and the colony has been reduced from a v2 i Wi lik § { | A DANE HID AID A I common PE — Ea A MA S— 330 BRAZIL. state of happiness to one of distress and wretchedness. The inhabitants of the interior, having been instigated to plunder each other until nothing remained, ranged themselves under the banners of the predatory chieftain Artigas, and formed a desperate banditti, who robbed and frequently murdered all they met; drove the peaceable inhabitants from their farms, plundered their houses, took away their cattle, reduced the rich to poverty, and the poor to wretchedness, so as almost to desolate this once flourishing colony. A man who, but a few months before, possessed 100,000 head of cattle, was driven from his estate, and obliged to purchase, at the price of one shilling per pound, the meat which he had formerly left in the slanghter-house, having killed his beasts merely for their hides; so that the necessaries of life, which were once to be procured almost gratuitously, became extravagantly dear; and the horrors of approaching famine were superadded to those of anarchy and spo- liation.” At the distance of about forty leagues from Monte Video, in a north-easterly direction, the ridge of hills already mentioned, gradually lessens and disappears, and the country opens finely on the traveller's left, in- tersected by numerous rivulets. Mr. Mawe’s place of destination was the establishment of a noble-minded Spaniard, situated at the junction of two small streams, y . \T 3 which form the Barriga Negra, a river flowing into the Lagoa Mirim, which gives its name to the estate. “ Barriga Negra is distant about 160 miles north-east from Monte Video, about 120 from Maldonado, and 90 from the town of Minas. The country around it is mountainous, well-watered, and not destitute of wood. The banks of the streams are thickly covered with trees, rarely, however, of large size, for the creeping plants, interweaving with the shoots, check their growth, and form an impenetrable thicket. Here are numbers of BRAZIL. 331 great breeding-estates, many of which are stocked with from 60,000 to 200,000 head of cattle. These are guarded principally by men from Paraguay, called Peons, who live in hovels built for the purpose at con- venient distances. Ten thousand head are allotted to four or five Peons, whose business it is to collect them every morning and evening, and once or twice a month to drive them into pens, where they are kept for a night. The cattle by this mode of management are soon tamed: a ferocious or vicious beast I never saw among them. Breeding is alone attended to; neither butter nor cheese is made, and milk is scarcely known as an article of food. The constant diet of the people, morning, noon, and night, is beef, eaten almost always without bread, and frequently without salt. This habitual subsistence on strong food would pro- bably engender diseases, were it not corrected by frequently taking an infusion of their favourite herb matté, at all times of the day, when inclination calls for it. “ The dwellings of the Peons are in general very wretched, the walls being formed by a few upright posts interwoven with small branclies of trees, plastered with mud inside and out, and the roof thatched with long grass and rushes. The door is also of wicker-work, or, in its stead, a green hide stretched on sticks, and re- movable at pleasure. The furniture of these poor . 1 . . 3 : nl cos hovels consists of a few skulls of horses, which are made to serve for seats; and of a stretched hide to lie upon. The principal, if not the sole cooking utensil, is a spit or rod of iron, stuck in the ground in an oblique position, so as to incline over the fire. The beef, when spitted, is left to roast until the part next the fire is supposed to be done enough; then its position is altered, and the change is occasionally repeated, until the whole is cooked. The juices of the meat, by this mode of A ee LE A———— TET ID 0 SAAN —— I— —— a {1 hy (| | | tf) 332 BRAZIL. roasting, help to mend the fire, and indeed the people seem to think that they are fit for nothing else. The meat, which is naturally poor and coarse, being thus dried to a cake, bears little affinity to the boasted roast beef of England. Fuel in some parts is so extremely scarce, that the foliowing strange expedient is resorted to for a supply. As the mares in this country are kept solely for breeding, and are never trained to labour, they generally exceed, in a great degree, the due pro- portion; a flock of them is frequently killed, and their carcases soon becoming dry, are used as firing, (with the exception of the hides and tails,) which, when pro- perly prepared, are packed for exportation. “The Peons are chiefly emigrants from Paraguay, and it is a singular fact, that, among the numbers that are here settled, very few women are to be found. A person may travel in these parts for days together without seeing or hearing of a single female in the course of his journey. To this circumstance may be attributed the total absence of domestic comfort in the dwellings of these wretched men, and the gloomy apathy observable in their dispositions and habits. It is true, that the mistress of an estate may occasionally visit it for a few months, but she is obliged during her stay to live in great seclusion, on account of the dreadful consequences to be apprehended from being 80 exposed. “ The climate and soil are equally favourable for the growth of grapes, apples, peaches, and, in short, every species of fruit belonging to the temperate zone, but these are known here only as rarities. That inestimable root, the potato, would thrive abundantly, if once in- troduced; but, though much has been said in recom- mendation of it, the people remain totally averse to this or any other proposal for improving their means of subsistence, and seem to wish for nothing beyond the BRAZIL. 333 bare necessaries of life. Indeed, the state of society among them weakens those ties which naturally attach men to the soil on which they are accustomed to sub- sist. The Peons, brought from Paraguay in their in- fancy, grow up to the age of manhood in a state of servitude, uncheered by domestic comfort. At that period, they generally wander, in search of employ- ment, toward the coast, where money is in greater plenty. There is no specie in circulation in the inte- rior: their wages are paid monthly in notes on Monte Video. The men, for the most part, are an honest and harmless race, though quite as liable, from the circum- stance of their condition, to acquire habits of gambling, as the higher classes of the people, numbers of whom fall victims to that seductive vice.* Such, indeed, is their excessive propensity to gambling, that they fre- quently carry cards in their pocket, and when an opportunity occurs, form parties, and retire to a con- venient place, where one of them spreads his poncho or mantle on the ground, in lieu of a table. When the loser has parted with his money, he will stake his clothes, so that the game generally continues until one of them goes away almost naked. This bad practice often leads to serious consequences. I once observed a party playing in the neighbourhood of a chapel after mass had been said, when the clergyman came and kicked away the’ cards, in order to put an end to the * There would seem to be at least exceptions to their honesty, however, and their harmlessness is equally questionable. Mr. Mawe, on learning that Monte Video was in the possession of the English, had planned his escape from his friendly host at Barriga Negra, in concert with two Peons whom he had hired and bribed to be his guides. He owed his life, there can be little doubt, to the intimation conveyed to him by an unknown person, that they had been overheard planning his murder. ‘You know,” he was told, ‘‘ they are both gamblers, and one of them killed two men last year.” AAA. — : Ce — A TN c— Noro. amr 334 BRAZIL. game. On this, one of the Peons rose up, and retiring a few paces, thus accosted the intruder: ¢ Father, 1 will obey you as a priest; but,” (laying his hand on his knife) ¢ you must beware how you molest our diver- sion.” The clergyman knew the desperate character of these men too well to remonstrate, and retired very hastily, not a little chagrined. On another occasion, a Peon was gambling with a Spanish corporal in the pri- son-yard, when a dispute arising, the latter drew his sword on his unarmed antagonist, and wounded him so severely in the arm, that he was obliged to undergo amputation the day following. It is usual for a Peon, who has been fortunate at play, to go to Monte Video, and clothe himseif anew in the shop of a slop-seller. While the shopman is looking out the articles he calls for, he deliberately places his dollars on the counter, in separate piles, assigning each to its destined pur- pose. He then retires to a corner, and attires himself. An unfortunate comrade invariably attends him, who examines his cast clothes, and, if better than his own, puts them on. After passing a few days in idleness, he sets out on his return home, where he appears in his new dress. “The common dress of the people is such as might be expected from their indolence and poverty. They generally go without shoes and stockings: indeed, as they rarely go on foot, they have seldom occasion for shoes. Some of them, particularly the Peons, make a kind of boots from the raw skins of young horses, which they frequently kill for this sole purpose. When the animal is dead, they cut the skin round the thigh, about eighteen inches above the gambrel; having stripped it, they stretch and dress it until it loses the hair and be- comes quite white. The lower part, which covered the joint, forms the heel, and the extremity is tied or sewed up to cover the toes. These boots, when newly BRAZIL. finished, are of a delicate colour, and very generally admired. The rest of their apparel consists of a jacket, which is universally worn by all ranks, and a shirt and drawers, made of a coarse cotton cloth brought from Brazil. Children run about with no dress but their shirts until their fift h or sixth year. Their education is very little attended to, and is confined to mere rudi- ments. A man who is able to read and write, is cou- sidered to have all the learning he can desire.” The civil war between Monte Video and Buenos Ayres, which ensued upon the expulsion of the British forces from the Plata, has produced a lamentable change in the aspect of this once flourishing city. For some time, the party in the Spanish interest maintained the ascendancy, notwithstanding an effort on the part of the creoles to follow the example of Buenos Ayres, in throwing off the yoke of Spain. At length, in 1810, open hostilities commenced between the two cities. The government of Buenos Ayres, having excited the people of the Banda Oriental*® to revolt, laid siege to Monte Video, which was carried on at intervals, being alternately abandoned and resumed, as they were suc- cessful or otherwise in the struggle with the Spanish royalists in the upper provinces, till the close of the year 1814, when the republicans succeeded in taking the place. During all this time, the intercourse between the city and the interior was almost entirely sus- pended, and its trade of course declined. The ruinous effects of a protracted siege may easily be imagined. But the misfortunes of the inhabitants were not at an end. A few months after the establishment of a re- publican government in Monte Video, (the first acts of which had been to set up a press and to open colleges * That is, the eastern shore (of the Plata;) the name applied to the disputed territory or Spanish part of Rio Grande lying be- tween the Uruguay and the Atlantic, and bordering on the Plata. AHR ) —— nr a —— TH o—— 336 BRAZIL. and schools,) the troops of Buenos Ayres were called off to combat the enemy in the upper provinces, and the place fell soon after into the hands of Artigas and his banditti. This extraordinary man was a native of Monte Video,* the son of respectable parents; but, * The following account of this extraordinary brigand was given to Mr. Brackenridge in 1818, by General Carrera, who had recently paid him a visit. * He painted him as a kind of half savage, possessing a strong natural mind, taciturn, but shrewd in his remarks, when he chose to speak. He wore no uniform or mark of distinction, and took up his abode in a cart or waggon, caring little for the refinements or comforts of civi- lised life, to which, in fact, he had never been much accustomed. His life had been passed in the plains, and he had an aversion to living in towns, and to the constraints of polished society. His residence then, was at a small village on the Rio Negro, called Purification, consisting of a few huts constructed with mud, or ox hides; but his seat of government often shifted its place. He lives on the same fare, and in the same manner, with the gauchos around him, being in truth nothing but a gaucho himself. When told of a pamphlet published against him at Buenos Ayres, he spoke of it with the utmost indifference, and said, * My people cannot read.” Ie has about him a small body of men, who are considered as regular soldiers, but his chief force consists of the herdsmen of the plains; its number is, therefore, extremely fluc- tuating, as it cannot be kept long together. His followers are greatly attached to him. His fame and superior intellect com- mand their respect, at the same time that he indulges them in a certain kind of familiarity, which wins their affections. A few simple words—Iliberty, country, tyrants, &e.—to which each one attaches his own meaning, serve as the ostensible bond of their union, which in reality arises from their predisposition to an un- restrained roving life. His authority is perfectly absolute and without the slighest control ; he sentences to death, and orders to execution, with as little formality as a dey of Algiers. He is under the guidance of an apostate priest, of the name of Mon- terosa, who acts as his secretary, and writes his proclamations and letters; for although Artigas has not a bad head, he is by no means good at inditing. Monterosa professes to be, in the literal sense, a follower of the political doctrines of Paine; and prefers the constitution of Massachusetts as the most democratic, without seeming to know that the manners and habits of a people are BRAZIL. 337 when quite a youth, he became enamoured of the wild life of the herdsmen, and joined a band of robbers and smugglers who infested the country. In the course of time he became a noted leader. When, however, about the year 1798, the depredations and murders committed by these marauders compelled the Spanish government to establish a provincial corps for the express purpose of scouring the country and repressing their excesses, Artigas, after having been for nearly twenty years an outlaw, was induced to accept of a free pardon and a commission, which his father had interest enough to obtain in the hope of reclaiming him; and so effectually did he haunt down his old companions, that the country was restored to comparative tranquillity. At the com- mencement of the civil war between Monte Video and Buenos Ayres, he had risen to the rank of captain in the Spanish service; but, in 1811, having, it is said, taken offence at some real or fancied insult, he des=rted the royalists, and came to Buenos Ayres, where he was gladly received by the patriot government. At the head of his guerillas, he gained considerable reputation by defeating the Spanish troops under Elio, at Las Piedras. It was not long, however, before his impa- tience of control discovered itself, in a reluctance to obey the orders of Sarratea, the commander in chief; and he at length became quite unmanageable. On the convention of an Oriental congress by general Rondeau, for the purpose of nominating deputies for a national congress and a provincial governor, Artigas took fire, very important considerations. The men bearing arms under Artigas, probably amount to six or eight thousand; but the number at any time embodied is much less; the want of commis- saries and regular supplies, rendering it impossible to keep them together. The neighbouring Indian tribes are also devoted to him, principally through the means of his adopted son, an Indian named Andres.” a —— —_———n 338 BRAZIL. annulled the transactions of the assembly, and then, on finding his opposition fruitless, deserted Rondeau at a critical moment, and betook himself with his guerillas to the plains. Posadas, who had in the interim been appointed to the supreme authority, under the title of director, proceeded upon this to offer a reward for his apprehension as a deserter; but this had no other effect than to exasperate the rebel general into a declaration of independence. The people of Buenos Ayres now became alarmed at the prospect of a civil war; and as Artigas grew powerful and dangerous, they began to blame the government for the hostile measures which it had taken against him. A revolution took place. Alvear, who had succeeded to the directorship on the resignation of Posadas, was compelled to fly, and a series of humiliating but unsuceessful negotiations was entered into with Artigas, by thie new government, in the hope of bringing about a reconciliation. Monte Video was at this time in the hands of Artigas; he had taken possession of it in his title of ¢ Chief of the Orientals,” on the withdrawment of the Bueuos Ayres troops: the city of Santa Fe and the Entre Rios, of which he claimed the protectorship, had also submitted to him. Such was the state of things at the Portuguese invasion. General~ Lecor, in answer to the remon- strances of the Buenos Ayres government, stated that he had no hostile intentions against their territories, but alleged, that the country he had invaded, had declared itself independent. Artigas, being unable to stand his ground against the Portuguese, without the aid of Buenos Ayres, Monte Video, and other principal places, submitted to the invading army with scarcely a show of opposition; many of the inhabitants, as well as the regiment of Libertos, having previously Joined the standard of the United Provinces.” The marching of the Portuguese divisions, amount- a PAHS BRAZIL, 339 ing altogether to ten thousard men, through the country, was destructive to the settlements and villages of the interior; but the occupation of the city by Ge- neral Lecor with the principal division, consisting of five thousand men, gave the finishing blow to its pros- perity. ¢ Within eight years,” says an eye-witness of the devastation that had been produced, * the popu- lation has been reduced at least two-thirds, many of the principal inhabitants have removed, property to an immense amount in the delichtful suburbs, which con- tained a greater population than the town, has been destroyed, and the value of what remains, reduced to a mere trifle. It is, in fact, nothing but a garrison, with a few starved inhabitants, who are vexed and harassed by the military. 1 am told, that, notwithstanding this misery, there is a theatre here, and that the evenings are spent in balls and dances, perhaps for want of other employments; the outward actions are not always the certain index of the heart. When we consider the stagnation of business, the depreciation of property, and the deficiency of supplies, we may easily conjecture what must be the condition of the people. There is little doubt that had this place remained attached to the government of Buenos Ayres, the Portuguese would not have molested it; but the revolt of Artigas and his disorganising system, furnished too fair an opportunity for making themselves masters of a ter- ritory they had coveted for more than a century and a half. “ The town still retains proof of having once been flourishing. The streets are laid off at right angles, and are much more spacious than those of Rio, as well as less filthy, although little or no attention is paid to them: the buildings also are, in general, erected in better taste. The streets are paved, but the footways are narrow and indifferent, wi SN ————— PPE WAN C—O TB — vo ——— on we — i 340 BRAZIL. “ The next morning, we sallied forth at one of the gates, to take a view of the country outside the walls and within the Portuguese lines, which extend around about three miles. It was not then deemed safe to go beyond them, lest we should fall in with the gauchos, the people of Artigas. We soon found ourselves in the midst of ruins, whose aspect was much more melan- choly than those of the city itself. Nearly the whole extent which I have mentioned, was once covered with delightful dwellings, and contiguous gardens, in the highest cultivation; it is now a scene of desolation. The ground scarcely exhibits traces of the spots where they stood, or of the gardens, excepting, here and there, fragments of the hedges of the prickly pear, with which they had formerly been enclosed. The fruit-trees, and those planted for ornament, had been cut down for fuel, or perhaps through wantonness. Over the sur- face of this extensive and fertile plain, which a few years ago contained as great a population as the city itself, there are, at present, not more than a dozen families, upon whom soldiers are billeted, and a few uninhabited dilapidated buildings. This is the result of the unhappy sieges which have reduced the popula- tion of this city and its suburbs, from upwards of thirty thousand to little more than seven. From this, some idea may be formed of the havoc which has been made. We found, however, in riding along the basin above the town, a fine garden, which had escaped the common wreck. We alighted, and were hospitably received by the owner, who led us through his grounds, and showed us his fruit-trees and vegetables. It is from this spot that Lecor’s table is supplied. The fruits, peaches, grapes, figs, oranges, apples, &c. are exceedingly fine. In this enchanting climate, (with the exception of a few of the tropical fruits,) all the fruits that are most esteemed ripen in the open air, in great perfection. BRAZIL. 341 In fact, I believe that the climate is surpassed by none in the world, not even by that of Italy or the south of France. It experiences neither the sultry heat of summer, nor the chilling blast of winter. The air is so pure, that putrefaction can scarcely be said to take place; we observed the remains of several dead animals, which seemed to have dried up, instead of going to decay. Flesh wounds are said to heal with difficulty, from the same cause.” *¥ “ The commerce of the Banda Oriental,” adds this gentleman, “ may almost be said to be at an end, the Portuguese having possession of all the ports where it was carried on, on that side of the Plata.” How far Monte Video has recovered any portion of its trade, since the consolidation of the Brazilian empire, we are not informed. Its harbour is so much superior to that of Buenos Ayres—it is pronounced to be indeed the only one on the river that deserves the name—that this circumstance will always render it an important station. At the same time, in Buenos Ayres and St. Pedro, it will always have two powerful rivals. The road from Monte Video to Colonia, or Santo Sacramento, passes near the coast, through an undulat- ing country, cut by a few unimportant streams. No place of any note intervenes, except Santa Luzia, on the river of the same name, where there is a port for small craft. The town of Colonia, so often referred to, contained, in 1809, only about fifty inconsiderable houses, pleasantly situated, and neat in their appear- ance, the inhabitants chiefly Spanish families. * The port,” says Mr. Luccock, “is a valuable one, but re- mained unimproved in consequence of the jealousy with which it is regarded by Buenos Ayres,”—to which * Brackenridge’s Voyage to South America, in 1817, 18. vol. i. pp. 186—9. i — — sn. 342 BRAZIL. at this period it belonged, and a passage-boat sailed from one port to the other almost daily. In front of the town lies the isle of St. Ga 1briel, stated by Mr. Henderson to be “ 450 fathoms long” and two smaller islands. From Colonia, several roads branch off into the interior. All these places were within the diocese of Buenos Ayres, They have probably, ere this, been transferred to a Brazilian diocesan. C rossing the mouth of the Uruguay, which joins the Plata about ten leagues to the north-west of C olonia, we enter the province of PARANA. "THIS newly-acquired territor Vv, respecting which little is certainly known, has sometimes bee n called the pro- vince of Entre Rios, as lying between the three large rivers of the U ruguay on the east, the Paraguay on the south and west, and the Parana, which intersects it, parts, northern and On the north, it borders on the province of Matto Grosso. Its extent, and divides it into two unequal southern .* according to Cazal, is 650 miles in length from north to south, and 250 in breadth at its widest part: it is altogether ian the te mperate zone, lying between 24° and 33° 30’ . latitude. Of the interior of this province, # we have only very meagre and unsatisfactory accounts. Mr. Luccock de- * Mr. Luccock contend expanse of water should noting a large body of water, and appli 0 the ocean itself.) and that Paraguay should be the na p e tributary stream, guay signifying a creek or b 1V. lowever, is a poor guide in such matters, especial ly in little Rio Grande’s a country where we have so many 5, and so immense a ‘little lake.’ We have fol- lowed Mr, Hend lerson, or rather C stream which traverses the y, as bearing the name of Paraguay, both above and below its conflu- ence with the Parana at Corrie ntes. azal, in con sidering the immense ieart of the country longitudinally AZ1L. 343 scribes the three provinces of Parana, Uruguay, and Rio Grande, generally, as the lowlands of southern Brazil. The Parana, before it touches this district, has become a mighty stream, having drained an immense tract of country. Arrived at the verge of the great table-land which forms the inner part of Brazil, tumbles over a precipitous, rocky channel, at a place called Setequedas, or Seven Falls. ‘ Some have spoken,” says Mr. Luccock, “ of a continued rapid and broken advance of the river for several leagues; but Cazal represents it as here narrowed from a league in breadth to a hundred yards, by six small rocky islands, between which the water rushes and falls. I suspect that the breadth which he mentions is not that of the whole stream, but of each of the seven channels. About the same parallel of latitude, and formed by the same mountainous ridge, is a smaller cataract on the Paraguay called the Estreito, or Narrows, where the stream has worn itself a channel, with lofty, perpendi- cular sides, through which it flows as through a narrow street.” Among the numerous minor streams of the province are the Acarahy, or River of Cranes, which joins the Paraguay nearly opposite to the south-west point of the province of St. Paulo; * the Tibiquary, which, according to Cazal, falls into the Pamper ninety miles above its SE with the Parana; the Cannabe, which, after a course of a hundred miles, enters the Paraguay, fifty miles to the north of the Tibiquary; the Galaguay, the Mirinay, and the Toeoary Hole in the Rock,) which fall into the U ruguay; and Cazal adds, the Jaguary (Water of Ounces,) which, rising in the Berra Mara- »aju, runs into the Parana twelve miles below the Sete- * Mr. Henderson says, seventy miles below the Sefequedas, being the first considerable river that enters the Parana by the right bank 344 BRAZIL. quedas; but, Mr. Luccock thinks, that it is erroneously placed among the rivers of this province. “ The Parana and the Paraguay,” continues this in- telligent traveller, ““ rolling impetuously through a very extended course, bring down a great quantity of wreck, and soil of a reddish colour. When they have arrived at the more level grounds, and their currents are be- come comparatively slow, much of it is deposited; there it remains until the next wet season, when it is again urged onward by a resistless torrent, which not only sweeps the bottom, but frets and tears the banks which had been before raised. The Uruguay, a humbler stream, passes over a stony bed, but, before its union with the Plata, has formed its own peculiar estuary. In the course of ages, these rivers have produced some of the most extensive alluvial plains which now exist upon the face of the globe. The more solid parts of the country yield limestone, gypsum, marble, granites, and their accompanying spars. In general, the soil is rich, though in some places sandy, in others moist and clayey. It is in many parts covered with majestic woods, affording valuable timber; and produces rich gums, fruits of adinirable flavour, and various medicinal and officinal herbs. Among the latter is the matté, an article peculiar to South America, and there in such general use, and so highly esteemed, as to demand a brief notice. In Brazil, it is commonly called Can- gunha, or Congonha, which is probably a corruption of Caancunha, the Woman's Leaf. It grows, not in the province of Parana alone, but more or less over the whole table-land. Its qualities and consequent esti- mation are various: the best is said to be found in the vast serra of Maracaju. It is the produce of a low shrub, so much like the tea-plant of China, that two gentlemen who had been in the East, first led me par- ticularly to notice it as a species of wild tea. Being BRAZIL. 345 curious to discover whether there was any other simi- larity besides the appearance, they gathered some of the leaves, dried them on hot stones, and produced a beverage of an agreeable, bitter taste, not unlike Bohea. In the common preparation of matté, the collected leaves are laid in large heaps upon hides, and placed between two fires, so as to be thoroughly dried. They are then broken small, and, though more yellow, form a substance much resembling what is called the dust of tea. When ready for sale, it is packed in hides, or in sacks made of a kind of reed or cane, opened and made flat. To prepare it for use, it isinfused in water, gene- rally in the half of a cocoa-nut shell, variously orna- mented, and not poured into cups, but sucked through a pipe, which has a strainer at the lower end, to prevent the herb from entering the tube. In taking it, the vessel is commonly passed round to a whole company, and whatever disgust may arise from the sight of some of the mouths receiving the pipe in their turn, it would be deemed the height of ill-breeding to decline a share of the matté.”* This traveller estimates the whole of the territory which Brazil had recently acquired, by the annexation of this province and the reductions to the empire, at not less then 70,000 miles— possessing from nature all the wealth, comforts, and beauties which a fine climate, fertile soil, and plenteous streams can bestow. It comprehends nearly the whole of the districts first civilized by the Jesuits. It is a level rather than a * This is doubtless the same production that has been mistaken for the tea-plant, which is alluded to by Mr. Koster, and is called by Mrs. Graham, wild tea. Mr. Henderson describes it as a large shrub, with leaves resembling those of the orange-tree, and it ‘“ tastes of mallows.” The use of the beverage is stated to have prevailed from time immemorial among the Indians of the northern part of the province, and by them was introduced among the first inhabitants of Assumption. 346 BRAZIL. mountainous country, although there are in it some considerable ridges, and almost every part of it is sufficiently undulated to be dry and healthy. There are, indeed, portions of swampy ground near the great rivers; but these, if ever stocked with inhabitants, wiil form meadows of the richest description.” This part of the country was first discovered by Sebastian Cabot and Diego Garcia, on advancing up the Paraguay in 1526; but, for many years after its discovery, it remained almost unnoticed. At length, the Jesuits succeeded in extending their beneficent dominion into the eastern and middle parts of the province, by the civilisation of the Guarani hordes who inhabited it. In 1630, they had already founded no fewer than twenty large villages of Indians, called reductions (reducoes,) containing 70,000 inhabitants, when those who had advanced to the Upper Parana, with the intention of extending the ‘“ spiritual con- quest,” were compelled by the Paulistas to fall back to the south of the Serra Maracaju. The Jesuit Montoya relates that, on this predatory invasion of the Upper Parana by the Paulista forces, consisting of not less than 8000 men, he and his colleagues retired with 2000 Indians, below the Setequedas; but they were not long in security even here, for, in 1637, 140 Paulistas, at the head of 1500 Indians, attacked the reductions of Jesu Maria, St. Christovam, and St. Anna, in the Lower Parana, and carried off 7000 prisoners. The Jesuits next reduced the Tappes, whose lands lay further east- ward ; and, continuing to civilise these two tribes, they formed the celebrated Guaranitic empire, which is stated to have contained more than 200,000 inhabitants, and to have been able to send into the field an army of 40,000 men. In the Entre Rios, they are said to have established a powerful republic, comprising thirty-one large villages, inhabited by 100,000 souls, The state BRAZIL. 347 of these reductions, or missions, at the period of the expulsion of the Jesuits, in 1768, is thus described by Cazal. de “ Each of the reducoes, otherwise called missions, was a considerable town, laid out with straight streets. The houses, generally of earth, were whitened, covered with tiles, and had varandas on each side, .in order to preserve them from the sun and rain. On seeing one, a correct idea might be formed of the whole. Each mission had only a mother church, generally of stone, magnificent and richly ornamented, some being entirely gilded. A vicar and a curate, both Jesuits, were the erly ecclesiastics exercising the parochial functions, being, at the same time, inspectors of all civil economy ; + under whose direction there were magistrates (corre- gidores,) elected annually; a cacique, or chief, elected for life ; and other officers, each with his jurisdiction. With the exception of these, every individual, of both sexes, wore a shirt reaching to the ancles, usually of white cotton. They cultivated matté, the cotton-tree, and such provisions as prospered best in the country. The whole was deposited in warehouses, from whence it was distributed daily to the people. Each family received an ounce of matté, four pounds of meat, and a certain measure of Indian corn, and more if it was judged necessary. All passed under the review of the magis- trates or of other subordinate persons. The curates lived commodiously, near to their churches; and con- tiguous to their dwellings were two spacious houses; one destined for schools of reading, painting, architec- ture, music, and having shops for different manual occupations; the other was a recolhimento, or recep- tacle for a great number of young girls, who were engaged in different works, under the inspection of matronly women, already instructed. The women 348 BRAZIL. received on Monday a certain portion of cotton, which they were to return in the spun state on Saturday. The curate, accompanied by certain officers and masters, went daily, at eight o'clock, to visit the school and shops. The signal of the last Ave-Marias was also that of the rosario, or counting of beads, at which all as- sisted. All superfluities were exported, with a large quantity of tallow, hides, and matté; and with the proceeds they paid the capitation-tax, and obtained in return European commodities. It is calculated, that the Indians possessed nearly two million head of cattle.” * The principal towns in the province are, Assumption, Corrientes, Parana or Santa Fé, Coruguaty, and Villa Rica. Assumption (Assumpgdo,) the capital of the province and the residence of the governor, is the largest place in Parana. It issituated on the margin of the Paraguay, which daily washes away, we are told, a part of the ground on which it is built. The city is built with no regularity, nor has it any handsome edifices. The greater part of the houses "are of earth. There are, besides the Jesuits’ college, which is now a seminary, convents belonging to the Dominicans, the Franciscans, and the Mercenarians,t to whose joint ghostly direc- tion the missions were consigned on the expulsion of the Jesuits ; another of Recolefos? and an hospital. The bishop was a suffragan of La Plata. Though on the borders of a large river, and surrouuded by a fertile and populous country, it is not, Mr. Luccock thinks, * Henderson’s History, pp. 136, 137. t An order of friars instituted in Arragon by King James, for the redemption of captives. 1 Reformed friars, called also friars minors of St. Francis ; they are rigid disciplinarians. BRAZIL. 349 well situated for trade, producing no commodities for exportation, but such as can be bought on better terms at Buenos Ayres, having little demand for European manufactures, and possessing no circulating medium. The exports consist chiefly of matté, a little tobacco, imbé (a thread made of the fibres of the aloe,) and wood, both in billets and planks. There are some plan- tations of cotton, and the sugar-cane is also cultivated ; also maize, and a root called aipim, aipyi, or pompun, which serves as a substitute for bread. Honey and wax are stated by Cazal to be also abundant, and large herds are bred in the environs. None of these articles, however, are adapted to a European market, except such as are furnished in larger quantities and better art of the 1 Oorts “« Whe 1% quality “by nearer ports. When thi p: ilian crown, American continent was ceded to the Braz some sanguine people,” says Mr. Luccock, imagined that, should the Plata ever be shut against British ship- ping, (a circumstance not very likely to occur,) com- merce might be carried on to Assumption through St. Catharine's or St. Paul’s. But, if the encouragements to trade thither should increase, it appears to me, that establishments at Colonia would answer more effectu- ally; for that place must command the commerce of the Parana (Paraguay) and the rivers flowing into 1t, as soon as the country shall be quietly settled under its new masters.” Correntes is a smaller place than Assumption, but its superior situation, this traveller thinks, though the neighbourhood produces neither wheat nor matte, will probably enable it to outstrip its rival, when the river is better known to Europeans. It is situated “in the southern angle” of the confluence of the Parana with the Paraguay. The vicinity is marshy, and there are extensive woods, one consequence of which is, that the PART III. X —— 350 BRAZIL. mosquitoes are peculiarly troublesome ; locusts and ants are also very numerous, and destrov the mandioc plantations. Hides and are the chief exports, The inhabitants consist of “so Portuouese, many Indians, and a few negroes.” IHere, too, each of the three orders above referred to has a convent; the Jesuits’ college is in ruins Ten leagues to the north of « entes 1s the parish Nehembugu, on the Paraguay, whe ship-building is carried on, the neighbourhood excellent timber; but all the iron-work is sent up ready formed, there 10 artisans on the spot competent to execufs f.uccock saw a which had been 9 well-constructed vessel built here. Coruguaty and Villa Rica are the great marts for matté. The former is about thirty leagues north-east of Assumption, and three miles from the left margin of the river from which it takes its name: the latter is twenty leagues south-east of the metropolitan town. Santa Luzia, seated on the Paraguay, thirty leagues to the south of Correntes, and Little Sante Fé, commonly called Parana, situated on the Paraguay in front of St. Fé, export large quantities of lime, gypsum, and plaster of Paris; a considerable part of the materials being drawn from hence, with which the houses of Monte Video and Buenos Ayres are white-washed. The only other towns are, Ifaly, about thirty leagues above Correntes, described by Cazal as small, but regularly built, and well situated, inhabited chiefly by Indians, with a few Whites; the neighbourhood furnishes cotton, oranges, and water-melons; Arroio da China, situated on the Uruguay, thirty leagues above its embouchure, inhabited chiefly hy Whites, who export cattie, wheat, and fruit; and Corpus, seated on the Parana, the most BRAZIL. 351 northerly of the missions, aad “ perhaps the pleasantest civilized station in the province.”’* The two immense lakes into which the Paraguay ex- pands—that of Ibera or Ybyra, otherwise called Cara- cares, and that of Xarayvs, which lies to the north of the confluence of the rivers—have already been referred to in the general survey of the country. About sixty miles above the town of Itaty, in the midst of the woods, is another large lake, called Jagape: but little more is known of it than the name. In fact, no modern traveller has yet explored these savage regions, the central valley throngh which the Paraguay has for nearly six thousand vears rolled on his mighty waters, unvexed bv the intrusion of civilized man. We have litile more information respecting the ForMmeDp of the seven Spanish reductions on the eastern bank of that river, which were ceded to Portugal bv the treaty of limitsin 1750.7 After their annexation to Brazil, they constituted a part of the captaincy of 3 country of these were Guarani kingdom, situated on t Ignacio Guassu, the most anciel head of a branch of the Tibiquary; and Yapegu, © re the Jesuits had a college richly orn: seated a little below the confluence of the : 4 rest among the missions. This last ern, as Corpus was the most northern settlement. Of the present state of these places, have probably fallen into nothing appears to be Known: decay since the fall of the Jesuits, and it would answer no purpose to transcribe the meagre list of names. + See page 87. 1 See p. 48. 352 BRAZIL. Rio Grande; but recently, a governor has been ap- pointed for the province. The Uruguay divides it from that of Parana on the west, and from St. Paulo on the north; while, on the east and the south, itis bounded by the summits of the Serra, which divides it from Rio Grande.* The great river which gives name to the province, rises near the coast, opposite to the Isle of Sta. Catherina, and runs westward, under the name of Pellotas, draining a vast extent of country: then changing its course to the south-west and south, it as- sumes the name of Uruguay or the Red River. From its confluence with the Plata, it is navigable by launches for 200 miles, and by canoes for twice that distance; but its channel is generally rocky, its current rapid, and the upper part of the river has many falls. Among its tributaries are the Hyjuhy, which originating at the base of the mountain of St. Martinho, the most elevated summit of the great Cochilha, traverses the province from east to west, and discharges itself in front of As- sumption, a few leagues to the north of St. Nicolau; and the Ibicuy, a large navigable river, but little known, which, running in a north-westerly direction for about a hundred miles, receives the Caziguay from the eastward, and the Toropy from the north-east, the latter bringing with it the waters of the Ibicuy-mirim: from this junc- tion, called Forquilha, or the Forks, it stretches away to the westward, receives the Jaguary, (or Jaquary,) a * winding, placid river, with much wood on its banks,” and, twenty leagues below, the Hibipitu, soon after which it discharges itself into the Uruguay. * Mr. Luccock erroneously makes the province extend south- ward to the Plata. t+ Mr. Luccock reckons the Rio Negro among the rivers of this province, owing to his error respecting its southern boundary. It is, in fact, a river of Rio Grande do Sul, and falls into the Uru. guay, in about lat. 33° 25’ south. At the confluence of these BRAZIL. 353 The reductions in Uruguay were founded by the Spa- nish Jesuits, in the beginning of the seventeentii century, in order to civilize and convert to Christianity the native possessors of the country, by means similar to those that had been successfully practised in Parana. The country was then inhabited by various hordes of Tappes, a branch of the Guaranis; a people less vicious, and more disposed to receive instruction, than any other of the South American tribes. They lived divided into various villages, of which the most populous bore the name of the nation. It is not known what was the number of these; but the Jesuits reduced them to seven, which were hence denominated redu¢ies, or reductions. The names of these seven celebrated missions, and their population in 1801, the period when they were con- quered by the Portuguese, are given by Cazal as fol- lows :— Inhabitants. St. Francisco de Borja . . « +» 1,300 St. Miguel . . . . . . « « 1,900 St. Joam . . ‘i . . . 1,600 St. Angelo... v ow W960 St. Nicolau . . . . , . . 3,940 St. Lourenco. . . . . . oi 960 St. Luiz . . iw ey ' 2,350 “ The whole of these,” we are told, “ were, and yet are, upon the same plan. The houses are of earth, with straight streets, and varandas on the sides, which pro- tect them against the rain and heat. Many of the In- rivers stands the town of St. Domingos Suriano, * a small place, but important as a port:” its exports consist of wheat, pulse, hides, tallow, fire-wood, lime, and stone. This river, the course of which is estimated at 300 miles, affords a useful communica- tion with the interior, and was much frequented by the Portu- guese traders when driven from Colonia. Xx 2 354 BRAZIL. dians understand the Spanish and Portuguese, and ex- press themselves tolerably well in both languages. They exercise almost all the requisite manual occupa- tions and various mechanical arts with intelligence; they likewise manufacture coarse woollens and cottons. Matté is the only article of exportation. In each mis- sion, when governed by the Jesuits, there was a school for reading, writing, and speaking the Spanish language, established by royal order.” * St. Miguel, the most easterly of the reductions, is con- sidered, Cazal says, as the present capital of the pro- vince. It is situated nearly in the heart of the pro- vince, about twenty-five leagues distant from the Uru- guay, and thirty leagues east-north-east of St. Borja, the most southern reduction, which is situated about five leagues north of the confluence of the Ibicuy with the Uruguay. St. Nicolau was the former capital, and appears to be more advantageously placed, being near the banks of the Uruguay, and having a small stream, which falls into the Paratini. It is the furthest towards the north-west, and is about twenty-five leagues distant from St. Miguel. That part of the province which extends to the southward of the Ibicuy, and, indeed, the whole of the adjacent province of Rio Grande, as far south as the Rio Negro, may be considered as almost terra incognita. Some trade has been carried on by means of the latter river, on the banks of which Artigas had his head- quarters; but the country is still, for the most part, in the possession of the Indians. They are chiefly the descendants of the Charrua tribe, who inhabited the country from Maldonado to the Uruguay, and the conquest of whom is stated by Azara to have cost the Spaniards more bloodshed, than their wars with the * Henderson's Brazil, p. 150. BRAZIL. 355 Incas and with Montezuma. At the close of the seventeenth century, this once numerous clan was reduced to about four hundred men. These are the Indians referred to, as being devoted to Artigas. To the north of the Charrua tribes, reside the Minu4no Indians; they occupy the lands south of the river Ibicuy, and westward of the Tappes of Lake Patos. Between this tribe and the Cherruas, there is said to exist perpetual enmity. Their territory is watered by the Igarupay. Further northward, in the plains watered by the Pellotas, reside the Guaycanans. To these four nations or clans, viz. the Charruas, the Minuanoes, the Tappes, and the Guaycanans, Cazal adds the Patos. Of these, he says, there is no account, and they appear to be extinct, having most probably become intermixed with other tribes. The absence of all distinct record respecting this supposed tribe, renders it doubtful whether it ever had an existence. If the Lagoa dos Patos takes its name from the water- fowl by which it is frequented, as Mr. Luccock states, it is probable that the Indians in that neighbourhood were named by the early settlers from the lake. The Ilha dos Patos (St. Catharina) possibly derived its name from the same bird; and the supposition that the lake and the island were named from the aborigines, may have led to the idea that there was a tribe of Indians so called. We have now completed the survey of the provinces South of Rio, so far as the imperfect state of our in- formation with regard to a large portion of this fine territory admits of. It is reserved for future travellers to explore the banks of the three mighty rivers which afford the only means, at present practicable, of pene- trating into the interior. The plains of the Uruguay (compared by an American traveller to the Mississippi territory, although the river itself bears a nearer re- semblance to the Ohio,) will, probably, first receive the 356 BRAZIL. civilizing influence of commerce, which is gradually extending itself in all directions from the ports of the eastern and southern coast. In two ways will com- merce tend to promote civilization by introducing those artificial wants which stimulate industry, and by draining the country of its innumerable herds of wild cattle, which afford the means of subsistence to a thinly scattered, rude, and indolent population, pre- cluding all attention to husbandry and every other species of improvement. With the decease of these herds, the natives will either retire, or be compelled to cultivate the soil. In fact, the conquest of the country, it has been remarked, would be sooner effected by des- troying the herds, than by making war upon the natives. “The pastoral life,” observes Mr. Southey, “is necessarily unfavourable to civilization; but no where has it been found so completely to debase and brutalise man as in the grazing countries of South America.” The reason is obvious: the herdsman here partakes less of the shepherd than of the hunter; and the wandering habits of pastoral tribes, who nevertheless generally move in companies, and have some kind of social compact, are less incompatible with a consi- derable degree of civilization, than the solitary life and fierce habits of the gaucho or back-woodsman. Those who ““ have not patience to wait while their bread is growing,” will always be found a desperate, trea- cherous, and cruel race. The introduction of agri- culture, therefore, is the first step, and a most im- portant one, in civilization. The change which it superinduces in the domestic habits, the new ideas to which it gives birth respecting property, and the con- sequent necessity of some kind of government for mutual security, the pacific policy which it becomes the interest of the community to adopt, and the ex- change which is made by the hushandman of the rifle BRAZIL. for the hoe and the millstone, of the spear for the pruning-hook — all these attendant circumstances, together with the local attachments which are even- tually created, give to Agriculture the character of a beneficent invention, worthy of being attributed by the heathen to their gods. Under the reign of Ceres and of Bacchus, the face of nature is first taught to smile. The Indians, who never heard of those old classic deities, have a legend of their own, which has a simi- lar meaning, ascribe to their Paye Tzome, who taught them the use of the mandioc, the character of a divine benefactor. END OF THE FIRST VOLUME. Balne Brothers, Printers, 38, Gracechurch Street, London. POPULAR DESCRIP TION BRAZIL Ne, dc. 9 GEOGRAPHICAL, HISTORICAL, AND TOPOGRAPHICAL Ellustrated bn J¥laps ant Plates. BY JOSIAH CONDER. IN TWO VOLUM DI VOL. II. LONDON JAMES DUNCAN, PATERNOSTER ROW. AND FHOMAS 1 AND SON, 73, CHEAPSIDF POPULAR D ESCRIPTION BRAZIL, GEOGRAPHICAL HISTORICAL, AND TOPOGRAPHICAL Ellustrated hy fBaps ant Plates. BY JOSIAH CONDER. IN TWO VOLUMES VOL. II. LONDON JAMES DUNCAN, PATERNOSTER ROW. AND FHOMAS TEGG AND SON. 73 CHEAPSIDF CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME. PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES . . FROM THE FRONTIER TO VILLA RICA FROM SANTO PAULO TO VILLA RICA DESCRIPTION OF A BRAZILIAN C MPO ST. JOAO D’EL REY VILLA RICA GOLD MINES OF VILLA RICA MARIANNA 3 ’ii ENVIRONS OF VILLA RICA EASTWARD TOPAZ MINES OF CAPAO LEAD MINE OF CUJABEIRA CHAPEL OF CONGONHAS ‘ EXCURSION TO SERRA CARACA FROM VILLA RICA TO TEJUCO DIAMOND DISTRICT COMARCA OF PARACATL COMARCA OF SABARA. PROVINCE OF GOYAZ. PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO PROVINCE OF ESPIRITO SANTO PROVINCE OF PORTO SEGURO I'HE BOTUCUDOES PROVINCE OF BAHIA CONTENTS, BAHIA A FROM ILHEOS TO MINAS GERAES PROVINCE OF SER EGIPE D’EL REY . PROVINCE OF PER NAMBUCO . PROVINCE OF PARAIBA . ee. PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE D’EL NORTE PROVINCE OF SEARA . PROVINCE PIAUHY . . PROVINCE OF MARANHAM PROVINCE OF PARA + ve... PROVINCES OF SOLIMOENS AND GUIANA BUENOS AYRES. BOUNDARIES OF THE VICEROYALTY DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY «ve. HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF BUENOS AYR ES DIRECTIONS FOR PLACING THE PLATES VIEW oN THE River Doce. OPENING OF A NEW Rovure. Borucupoks oN a JOURNEY MARKET PLAce, BUENOS AYRES. TRAVELLING Post THE MODERN TRAVELLER, BRAZIL. MINAS GERAES. WE: now enter upon one of the most important pro- vinces of Brazil, the auriferous regions of Minas Geraes, (General Mines,) in the heart of which the Marquis Pombal would have placed the new capital of the Por- tuguese empire, which he projected to transfer to the western hemisphere. In some respects, St. Jodo d'el Rey would be a more advantageous position for the capital of Brazil, than Rio. It is more central, and, in the event of foreign invasion or attacks, more secure. Guarded by the mountains which form a natural bar- rier, its elevated plains would seem to be the very place for the King of Diamonds to hold his court. One pro- minent objection is the want of good roads; but, per- haps, there is another objection more insuperable be- hind. Good roads would make the forbidden districts too accessible, and the residence of the court in any part of the province would attract too large a popula- tion to the neighbourhood. Minas Geraes is the most mountainous province in the empire. The Serra Mantiqueira, which divides it from the provinces of Rio and St. Paulo on the south, commencing in the northern part of the latter province, runs almost north-east, *“ not without many windings,” as far as the town of Barbazena, in the comarca of St. PART III B TE m— A —_ o——— — ~ Te MH a AAA. M——. = 2 BRAZIL. Joao d’el Rey; it then inclines northward to the extre- mity of the province, varying its elevatic» and name. Its most elevated head, called Ifaculume (the child of stone,) is reckoned the highest in the province. On the north, it is separated from Bahia and Pernambuco by the rivers Verde and Carynhenha; on the east, it is bounded by part of Bahia, Porto Seguro, and Espiritu Santo; and, on the west, by Goyaz. Its extreme length from north to south is about 600 miles, ex- tending from lat. 13° to 21° 10’ south; its width is about 350 miles.* The climate is temperate, compared with others in the torrid zone, owing to the elevation of its table land ; and none of the provinces abound more with rivers and mountain torrents. The greater part of these have their origin in the Serra Mantiqueira, and are received by four general channels. Two of these flow eastward, namely, the Rio Doce and the Jequitin- honhaj; the former irrigating the comarca of Villa Rica, the latter that of Serro Frio. The St. Francisco has a northward course, watering the comarca of Sabara; while the Rio Grande, or Para, takes a westward di- rection, after receiving the Rio das Mortes, which gave its former name to the comarca of St. Jodo d’el Rey. The division of the province into these four comarcas was first made in the year 1714. Cazal, indeed, states, that Minas Geraes was not created a province till six years later, being included, up to 1720, in the capitania of St. Paulo. The discovery oi this portion of Brazil is ascribed to * Mr. Henderson says, (we presume, on the avthority of Cazal,) that it is nearly 400 miles long, by 280 of medium width, extend- ing from 150 30" to 210 40’; but his own map contradicts this statement. Mr. Mawe speaks loosely, but more accurately, when he makes the capitania extend from 600 to 700 miles in length; but he considerably overrates its breadth, which he supposes to be nearly equal to its length. BRAZIL. an intrepid adventurer named Sebastian Fernandez Tourinho, an inhabitant of Porto Seguro, who, in 1573, proceeded, with a party of adventurers, up the river Doce, and explored the country westward for three months, sometimes by land, sometimes by water; he penetrated as far as the Jequitinhonha, by which he descended to the coast, carrying with him specimens of the mineral riches of the country. These consisted, however, chiefly of emeralds, for the gold mines were not discovered for a century later. A few years after- wards, an individual named Adorno conducted an expedition, consisting of 150 whites and 400 Indians, up the Cricare to the emerald mines visited by Tourinho, returning by the same river as his predecessor; and a third adventurer is said to have subsequently penetrated still further. A hundred years after, some Paulistas of Thaubate first discovered gold in the comarca of Villa Rica, abont thirty miles to the south of the present capital; and on their return, (about 1694,) a smelting- house was established at Thaubate. Tidings of this discovery soon spread, and a great number of Paulistas were induced to undertake expeditions in various directions, not, as hitherto, for the purpose of kid- napping the Indians, but in the still more animating pursuit of gold. Numerous rival establishments were formed in the province; and hence arose the feuds between the Thaubatenos and Piratininganos, who never associated in their mining enterprises. At length, the attention of Government was attracted to the golden discovery. Obstinate disputes had arisen between the Paulistas and the Portuguese, and the contest had assumed the character of a sanguinary civil war, when, in 1710, Don A. d’Albuquerque Coelho, the first governor-general of the province of St. Paulo, suc- ceeded in suppressing these disorders. Villa Rica and Marianna were created towns in 1711; St. Joho d’el Te — —————— Hf i tI fe 4 BRAZIL. Rey and Sabara in 1712; and Villa do Principe in 1714. In 1720, Don Lourenzo d'Almeyda was ap- pointed the first governor-general of Minas Geraes. Up to 1808, the only circulating medium in this pro- vince is said to have been gold dust; but its circulation was then prohibited, and a paper currency has been substituted. In 1818, Villa Rica was declared the capital of Minar, as Villa Boa was made that of Goyaz, and Villa Bella of Matto Grosso. Besides gold, the province contains platina, silver, copper, iron, lead, mercury, antimony, bismuth, fossil- coal, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, topazes, chrysolites, sapphires, agates, aqua-marinas, amethysts, and almost all the precious stones; also cotton, tobacco, sugar, wheat, maize, mandioc, coffee, indigo, ipecacuanha, columbo root, jalap, liquorice, vanilla, various gums, and Jesuit’s bark. The population is computed at upwards of 60C,000 souls, of whom nearly a fourth are slaves, the property of the miner and the agriculturist.® Indians are found only upon the eastern confines of the province, on the banks of the Rio Doce, or in the im- penetrable forests of the Serra do Mar. The travellers to whom we are chiefly indebted for * In 1776, according to documents cited by Mr. Southey, the province of Minas Geraes contained 319,769 inhabitants. In 1808, according to M. Von Eschwege, a German traveller, the population amounted to 433,049; of whom, 106,684 were whites, 129,656 free mulattoes, 47,937 free negroes, and 148,772 negro and mulatto slaves. In 1820, there were computed to be 456,675 free persons, and 165,210 slaves; total, 621,885; a very consi- derable increase, notwithstanding that, in the comarca of Villa Rica, the decrease of the gold-washing is supposed to have occa- sioned a decline in the population, which, in 1776, was computed at 78,618, and in 1813, at only 72,209 inhabitants. ‘‘ With double the population,” remarks Dr. Von Spix, ** Minas has three and a half times as many negro slaves, and nine times as many free negroes as St. Paulo.”—See vol. i. p. 234. BRAZIL. 9 our information respecting this province, are Mr. Mawe, Mr. Luccock, and Drs. Von Spix and Martius. Mr. Mawe, in 1808, travelled from Rio to Villa Rica, and from thence as far northward as Tijuco, and the banks of the Jequitinhonha. Mr. Luccock, in 1817, took the route from Rio to St. Jodo d’el Rey, from which place he proceeded to Villa Rica, and returned by a partly different route to Rio, by Congonha and Bar- bazena. Dr. Von Spix, who visited Villa Rica about a year after, entered Minas Geraes from St. Paulo. We shall first avail ourselves of Mr. Mawe’s account of the route FROM THE FRONTIER TO VILLLA RICA. MENTION has already been made of the circum- stances which led to Mr. Mawe's obtaining permission to explore the diamond mines of Serro do Frio.* On the 17th of August, 1809, he set out for Villa Rica, in company with an English merchant of the name of Goodall, and with an escort, provided by Government, of two men of the mining corps, which entitled him to the free use of such mules as he might require on the road. It was a journey which no Englishman had ever before undertaken; nor had any of his countrymen been hitherto permitted to pass the barrier of alpine mountains that stretch along the coast. The route from Porto d’Estrella to the second re- gister, on the banks of the Paraibuna, has already been described.t At rather more than a league’s distance * See vol. i. p. 195. t Vol. i. pp. 163—185. Mr. Mawe's Moremim is evidently the Inhomerim of Mr. Luccock; but it is not so easy to reconcile these two travellers on another point. Mr. Luccock describes the Paraibuna as issuing from the Serra Mantiqueira, and falling into the Paraiba on the northern bank. The second register, there- fore, must be that on the banks of the former river. Mr. Mawe, 6 BRAZIL. from that river is Rosinha do Negro, a small village, situated, like all those, in this part of the country, which are connected with a large plantation, at the bottom of a deep hollow, and by the side of a small stream. About two leagues further is a third register, which bears the name of Mathias Barboza, by whom it was erected near the beginning of the last century. It is formed by mud walls, enclosing a large area, with a gateway at each end, through which the public road passes. On entering the first gate, travellers are re- quired to deliver their passports for examination; and if any suspicion is excited, the mules are unloaded, and the cargoes undergo the strictest scrutiny. “It not unfrequently happens,” says Mr. Mawe, “that a negro has been suspected of swallowing a diamond; in which case he is shut up in a bare room till the truth can be proved.” The register of Mathias Barboza is the great toll-house of Minas Geraes. Every three months, it is required to remit the sum collected for duties to Villa Rica: the annual amount is stated by Mr. Luccock at about £25,000 sterling. Here it is usual for the traveller to exchange all his metallic money for the bilketes (notes,) which form, with the exception of a little copper and bars of gold, the only currency of the province. On quitting the province, he may again exchange these bilketes at any of the registers, for those of the district on which he is enter- ing.* The road, which lies through extensive tracts of on the contrary, calls the first register the ‘‘ register of Parai- buna,” and the second, the “register of Paraiba,” giving the latter name to the second river. * “Having arranged for a credit in the principal towns,” says Mr Luccock, ‘“1had no business of this kind to transact, and would advise future travellers to do the same. Gold, being the produce of almost every part of the country, is seen in great abund- ance, both in dust and in bars; but, to prevent confusion respect- ing the royal claims, none is allowed to circulate as coin.” BRAZIL. . wood, continues to ascend in a direction north-west by north, and there is a sensible change in the temperature. In some parts, the scenery reminded Mr. Luccock of the woody country near Sheffield, but “ without its blackness, forges, and smoke.” He noticed, for the first time, two kinds of heath, and among the trees, observed the pine and the common box-tree, the latter growing to the height of more than twelve feet. Great numbers of toucans and parroquets are seen, the former always flying singly, the latter in flocks. Mr. Mawe lodged at a fazenda called Maderas, beyond the re- gister, which he computed to be 100 miles from Porto d’Estrella. The following day, pursuing his route over a chain of mountains, he passed several falls of the Paraibuna, and traversing a tract of woodland, arrived at the village of Juiz de Fora, containing a small chapel and a few poor houses. The Paraibuna, which runs close by, has dwindled greatly from its magnitude lower down, and flows with a rapid but unrufiled cur- rent over a sandy bed. Near this place is the site of the first gold-washing; it is very small, and had been abandoned for many years. The auriferous sand is brought down by the floods, being evidently not in its natural bed. The surface of the country is, in general, a good strong clay; the rocks are of gueiss or granite. As the road continues to ascend, the trees are smaller, the heaths and ferns larger and more vigorous, and the air is fresh and cool, except between the hours of two and four p. Mm. The fazenda of Antonio Ferreira, (Mr. Luccock writes it Moreira,) is the next halting-place; a day's journey from that of Maderas.* Here are a rancho and a venda; but the house was in ruins in 1817. Mr. Luccock gives the following account of the cir- ¢ Mr. Luccock lodged, the preceding night, at a small place called St. Vincente. % 8 BRAZIL. cumstances which had occasioned the destruction of the establishment. “The proprietor, having offended a powerful and vindictive neighbour, was charged by him with carrying on an illicit trade in gold dust. In the dead of the night, he found his house suddenly surrounded by a party of cavalry, by whom he was ap- prehended and conveyed to prison, where he died of a broken heart: his property was confiscated, and his family turned adrift. All his neighbours represented him as an industrious man who was growing wealthy, and agreed in asserting their belief that he was per- fectly innocent of the offence laid to his charge. The ruined walls and many scattered fragments of agricul- tural implements, remained a monument of this atro- cious act of oppression. A journey of nine hours, over steep mountains and through valleys of cultivable ground, brought Mr. Mawe to a small fazenda which is not named, except as being the residence of two worthy dames, Donna Clara and Donna Maria. The next fazenda, called Mantiqueira, is situated in the largest plain which the traveller had as yet traversed; it comprised some rich land, watered by numerous streams, but overrun with weeds and brushwood, and the house was falling to ’ ruin. “ The people here,” says Mr. Mawe, “ seemed to act as if the tenure by which they held their lands, was about to be abolished. Their old houses, fast hastening to decay, bore no marks of repair. Wherever a bit of garden-ground was enclosed, it appeared over- run with weeds. Where coffee-trees, planted in former years, still existed, the present occupiers were too in- dolent to gather the fruit. No enclosures were made for pasturage: a few goats supplied the little milk that was consumed, and cow’s milk was rarely to be pro- cured. Here is land which, under the influence of this genial climate, is capable of yielding two-hundred-fold ; BRAZIL. 9 here is wood in abundance for every purpose, excellent clay for making bricks, and water at command. Yet, all these advantages are lost to the present occupiers, who consider them too cheap to be valuable, and, per- petually hankering after the precious minerals, seem to think that the only standard for estimating the gifts of nature, is the difficulty of obtaining them. Having passed the hamlet of St. Sebastian, Mr. Mawe arrived, late in the evening, at a village consisting of about twenty houses, called Borda do Campo, situated, as its name implies, at the edge of the open country. The next day’s route lay for some miles by the side of a barren mountain of quartz, and then descended a de- clivity, tremendously steep, and full a mile in length, to the banks of the Rio das Mortes, here a small rivulet, about seven yards in width, but of considerable depth and rapidity. On its further side is an estalayem (inn,) called Registro Velho (old register) where the toll of the province used to be paid, before it was transferred to Mathias Barboza. Here are three ranchos and four or five houses. Proceeding hence, the eye is again relieved from confined wood-scenery by the prospect of a grand amphitheatre of mountains, bounded by others of amazing magnitude covered with forests. The road again ascends from the vale of the river, and, in about three miles, conducts the traveller to Barbazena, where the two great roads from the mining country unite; the one to the westward, leading to St. Joao d’el Rey, Sabara, and Cujaba; the other, in a northerly direction, to Villa Rica, Tijuco, and Minas Novas. This place is stated by Cazal to be 35 miles east-south-east of St. Jodo, and 50 south-south-west of Villa Rica. Barbazena, at the time of Mr. Mawe’s visit, con- tained, according to his calculation, about two hundred houses. He was the first Englishman that had been 82 seen there, and the inhabitants were intensely curious to know the object of his journey. ¢ Many of the shops,” he says, “ were well stocked with English manufactures, and a considerable traffic was carried on with the interior, in baize, cotton goods, salt, and iron.” When Mr. Luccock visited this place eight years after, o no prominent marks of commercial prosperity were to be seen. “ On the contrary,” he says, ‘“ many of the shops, which, for the country, are handsome ones, were shut; and it is notorious, that much of the trade which the town once maintained with Sabara and the northern parts of the province, is now removed to St. John’s. The people whom we saw, were chiefly of the mixed colours, and were emploved in spinning cotton and other domestic manufactures.” The town is pleasantly situated on the southern declivity of a considerable hill, and is divided into two principal streets at right angles with each other, which are paved. It then contained, according to this traveller, 350 houses, many of them good ones, and two churches. Cazal men- tions one church of Our Lady of Mercy, and three chapels. The country adjacent is very fertile. The Brazilian pine is found here, and the olive is said to fructify in some parts. Mandioc is cultivated, but bread is scarce. Mr. Mawe pushed forward to a fazenda called Rese- quinha. The next dav, pursuing his journey over a dreary tract interspersed with small woods, he reached Bandeira de Coelho: “a more dirty and slovenly place, in a finer situation,” he says, ‘“ we never visited.” Six miles further is “ a large village called Louza,* well built, and containing full 2000 inhabitants; but it had declined from its former consequence, the rich - mn oS Aiesieaky : : Ho place of this name is mentioned by either Cazal, Luccock, or Von Spix. Possibly, Logoa Dourada is meant. BRAZIL. 11 mines, to which it owed its importance, being nearly exhausted. In the vicinity of this place, Mr. Mawe passed a hill covered with micaceous iron ore, and the road, for above half a mile, was covered with a rich oxide of iron. At Alto de Virgina and S. Antonio do Ouro Branco, are extensive gold-washings, and the inhabitants are consequently wretchedly poor. The day’s journey terminated at Alto do Morro, an esta- lagem deriving its name from the ¢ tremendous moun- tain” on which it stands. Continuing his route over bleak and sterile mountains, in one day more Mr. Mawe reached Villa Rica. Before we proceed to describe the wonders of this city of Plutus, it will be proper, however, to trace the route taken by Mr. Luccock, and that of Drs. Von Spix and Martius, to the same point. FROM ST. PAULO TO VILLA RICA. We have already followed the last-mentioned tra- vellers on their route from Ypanema, as far as the re- gister, or custom-house, which marks the frontier of the two provinces of St. Paulo and Minas Geraes.* After passing over the Morro Grande by a dangerous road, they reached a level plain, in which stands the arraial of Camanducaya, the first station in the province. Be- yond this place, rugged mountain chains ‘extend from north to south, with side valeys to the west: the rock is generally a reddish granite. In this gloomy wilder- ness, the traveller meets with but a few huts, inhabited chiefly by mulattoes; and, besides milk and black beans, no kind of provisions is to be expected. The rainy season unfortunately had commenced when these travellers set out from Ypanema. The pumerous * Vol. i. pp. 259—66. 12 BRAZIL. mountain streams had overflowed their banks to a great distance; the roads were broken up by them, the bridges carried away, and the low grounds suddenly converted into lakes. The mules could scarcely pro- ceed in the bottomless roads, and their riders had either to wade or to swim through the overflowed tor- rents which they bad to pass; while at night, an open shed, or a dilapidated hut, afforded, in many cases, the only shelter, and the wet wood, which presented the only fuel, emitted more smoke than flame. On de- scending from the mountains into the valley of the Rio Mandu, they found this inconsiderable stream swelled to a turbid and impetuous river above a quarter of a league in width, and passable only by means of a boat. The village of Mandu, consisting of a few poor clay huts, situated in a low country almost entirely covered with wood, was founded between thirty and forty years ago, and owes its origin to its favourable position for the trade from Thaubate to Minas. By this route, the Paulistas import European goods in exchange for cheese, marmalade, tobacco, and coarse cottons. Two days’ journey to the westward, is Caldas da Rainha, a warm sulphureous spring, which has of late been much frequented.* The next day after crossing the Mandu, the travellers experienced similar difficulties in crossing the Rio Servo, which had inundated the woody tracts to the depth of from four to six feet. To the north of this river, and about twa miles from Mandu, they per- ceived the first traces of gold-washing. The rock is * « Near the margin, and not far from the origin of the Mo- zambo, a branch of the Sapucahy, there are several wells of sul- phureous water, some warmer than others, which have been found beneficial in certain diseases; and between the plains of the rivers Verde and Barpondy, near a rivulet which falls into the Verde, there are various mineral and vitriolic waters.”— Henderson, p. 269. BRAZIL. 13 a quartzy, whitish-green mica-slate, upon which lies a considerable mass of red heavy loam, from which the metal is washed. The greater part of the tract is covered with wood, enclosing small plantations of maize, mandioc, and the sugar-cane. Three leagues from the Mandu is St. Vincente, a small place pleasantly situated on a hill. Two leagues further is St. Anna de Sapu- cahy,* where the gold-washings are of considerable extent. The broad trenches cut in the terraced decli- vities, for the purpose of conducting the rain water into the opened sides of the red loam, have the appearance at a distance, of regular fortifications. ‘ The washed loam,” says Dr. Von Spix, “ was here and there thrown into high heaps, or covered large tracts of land, through which artificial furrows were drawn. Even the roads are not spared. The whole presented a melancholy picture of wild desolation; and a view of it is the more painful to the traveller, since, at the first place where he sees gold obtained, he finds, instead of hard money, paper currency, and all the misery which it produces. In the capitania of Minas Geraes, in place of the small current coin of 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, and 320 rees,t there have been circulated, for about fifteen years, printed notes, which are worth, according to the standard, a vintem of gold, and are issued by the four gold-smelt- ing houses in the capitania. The object of this measure was partly to remedy the real scarcity of copper coin; and it was partly an advantage to the Government, to get into its possession, in exchange for such notes, the smallest quantities of gold dust, which were current as * It is singular that this place should take its name from the Sapucahy, if, as Cazal states, it be twenty-five miles from that river; but this appears from Dr. Von Spix’s narrative to be an error, as they reached its banks the same day. t 10 rees are equal to about 5-8ths of 1d.; 20 rees = ld. 3-8ths; ifgrees = 2d. 5-8ths; 320 rees = 1s. 104. I A, Le a EAS RE 4 INN AN ren ESS Is 2s ec a — — 14 BRAZIL. small coin. The injury which this measure did to pri- vate credit and morality, was soon doubled by the appearance of a great quantity of forged paper. The slovenly execution of these notes greatly facilitated the forging of them, which the hatred of the inhabitants immediately ascribed to tke English. The province is now deluged with these notes, and suffers the more from it, because the amount is not diminished, either by being exchanged by the smelting-houses or by being disposed of in other provinces.” On the banks of the Sapucahy (Pitcher-tree river,) at which the travellers arrived in the evening, is the ex- tensive fazenda of St. Barbara; one of the few ir which, since the produce of the gold mines has begun to de- cline, a rational system of agriculture has been substi- tuted for washing the soil. The proprietor still de- livered annually about 1000 cruzadoes in gold, as royal tribute; but his chief profits were derived from large plantations of maize and the sugar-cane, together with farinha and beans. A herd of 600 horned cattle sup- plied the establishment with meat, milk, cheese, and leather. The Sapucahy meanders sometimes through the plain, sometimes runs between low mountain forests: it abounds in fish, as well as in gigantic water-serpents, a small kind of cayman, and the Brazilian otter. It risesin the Serra Mantiqueira, and, after flowing through this district, joins the Rio Grande. The travellers crossed the river in boats, and passing over two woody mountains, arrived at a beautiful valley, lying between the Serra de St. Gonzalo on the left, and the Serra de Paciencia on the right, both covered with fine forests, and having an alpine character. The vil- lage of St. Gonzalo (or, to give its title at full length, Conceicao da Juruoca St. Gongalo) was formerly a large and flourishing arraial. It possessed, between forty and fifty years ago, considerable gold works; and most BRAZIL. 15 of the inhabitants were still deriving, in 1817, from 2000 to 4000 cruzadoes from the mines. But several handsome buildings fallen into decay, testify the insta- bility of the prosperity built on this precarious founda- tion. The village is three leagues north-north-east of St. Barbara, and four leagues to the south-east of Villa da Campanha. The latter town, the proper name of which is Villa da Princesa da Beira, is, next to St. Jodo d’el Rey, the most important and populous place in the comarca of Rio das Mortes. The gold mines in the neighbourhood, some of which had been worked only a few years at the time of Dr. Von Spix’s visit, are among the richest in the country, and had diffused great opu- lence among the inhabitants. ¢ There are here many pretty houses of two stories, which have glass windows, one of the most expensive articles of domestic comfort in the interior of Brazil. But,” adds this traveller, “it appeared to us, that luxury and corruption of morals kept equal pace with the progress of riches and com- merce. As physicians, we had especially occasion to remark the incredible extent of syphilis, and its incal- culably fatal consequences to the health and morals of the inhabitants. Not only does the universality of the contagion most seriously tend to diminish the popula- tion, but the unblushing openness with which it is spoken of, destroys all moral feeling, and violates, in particular, the rights of the female sex, who are not allowed any influence over the sentiments of the men, and in the formation of happy marriages. This melan- choly state of things, which is the darkest side in the picture of the Brazilian character, is rendered still worse by the numbers of imported negro slaves, and of concubines (mulheres da cama,) to which state the mixed descendants of both races in particular degrade them- selves. As the manual labour of gold-washing is per- formed entirely by slaves, the perverseness of the whites 16 BRAZIL. disdains, as dishonourable, every similar employment, even those of agriculture and tending cattle; in con- sequence, there are so many idlers, that they are usually’ distinguished as a separate class, under the name of vadios. The traveller, therefore, sees here, with the splendour of the greatest opulence, all the images of human misery, poverty, and degradation. The inhabi- tants, whose wants even their rich and teeming soil cannot satisfy, are always instituting invidious compa- risons between their country and the northern districts of Minas, which they describe to strangers as the true El Dorado, where, with the enjoyment of greater riches, European manners, civilization, and luxury are already introduced, and to which they are much inferior.” * Mr. Henderson, after Cazal, describes Campanha as situated in a plain, twelve miles from the Rio Verde, eighty miles south-west of St. Jodo d’el Rey, and 150 miles south of Pitangui. One part of this statement is singularly incorrect: Dr. Von Spix says expressly, that it is situated on a high hill. Besides its church of St. Antonio do Valle de Piedade, it has four chapels: it has also a juiz de fora, a vicar, and a royal professor. Maize, mandioc, cotton, sugar, and tobacco, are grown in the neighbourhood, and, in some situations, flax: the inhabitants breed cattle and hogs, and some coarse woollens and cottons are manufactured. The next day’s encampment after leaving Campanha, was at the arraial of Rio Verde; a small village in a beautiful green plain bounded by woods, and watered by the stream of that name, which flows hence to join the Sapucahy. There is a tolerably good wooden bridge thrown over it. To the north of this stream, the Rio do Peixe (fish river,) which is smaller than its neigh- hour, coming down from the side branches of the Man- * Travels in Brazil, vol. ii. pp. 126—S8. Ermey eer BEEN BRAZIL. 17 tiqueira, passes near the fazenda Santa Fé, and flows also into the Rio Grande. It is said to have formerly yielded much gold. “The few houses we saw in its vicinity,” says Dr. V. Spix, “ by no means indicated the opulence of its owners; yet, the inhabitants of this beautiful and healthy country, which is commanded by the romantic summits of the Mantiqueira, appear to find the gratification of their wishes in the produce of their numerous herds. The agreeable coolness and repose which we enjoyed here, reminded us of the pastures of our native Alps; and we advanced with increasing pleasure and more lively interest, the nearer we ap- proached the centre of Minas.” Four miles beyond the Rio do Peixe, near a solitary chapel called Campo Bello, the road to St. Joao divides into two branches: the western, which is somewhat the longer route, goes more into the valley by way of Boa Vista, Brambinho, and the arraial das Lavras de Funil; the eastern leads through the mountains, along unfrequented by-paths. Unwilling to descend from these serene regions, the travellers pursued the latter route to a solitary fazenda on the Corrego dos Pinheiros (channel of pine-trees,) which is said to resemble a summit of the Tyrolese Alps. Here, a new formation of rock commences, granite and gneiss giving place to micaceous sand-stone or quartzy slate. Half a league further is the fazenda of Parapitinga, which lies at the foot of the Serra Branca, a high mountain of mica- slate. The road ascends its elevated ridge, and from the summit, Dr. Von Spix had an extensive view, em- bracing the principal mountains of the district. “On our left, we had the mountain of Capivary, on our right, the Serra de Ingahy, both of which run parallel with the Serra Branca from south-south-west, and south- west, to north-north-east and north-east; and all branch out, almost at right angles, from the Serra de Manti- A ————— A —————————— co A ANAS II ON ol Tn — 18 BRAZIL. queira, the main stem of the mountains in Minas. These mountain chains, most of them covered to the very summit with pleasant campos, have a level, far- extended ridge, from which side branches stretch into the valleys, and connect the single chains. Here are no frightful clefts or gigantic rocky summits, rent into threatening forms: the eye, on the contrary, reposes in the view of not very deep valleys and of beautifully rounded hills, adorned with pastures, down the gentle slopes of which clear streams here and there descend. The traveller does not here meet with the impressions of those sublime and rugged high alps of Europe, nor, on the other hand, those of a meaner nature ; but the character of these landscapes combines grandeur with simplicity and softness, and these are among the most delightful which we met with between the tropics. As the broad tops of the sarcophagus-shaped mountains rise almost to an equal height, (between 3000 and 4000 feet,) and the valleys, shaped like a trough, are not very deep, this whole part of the mountains might be called an undulating plateau, in which the Serra de Mantiqueira is gradually lost on the western side. The Serra das Lettras, which has excited the interest of the common people Dy strange tree-shaped figures of the white flexible quartz,* is but a few miles from this place, and belongs to the same formation. In some places, for instance near the collection of huts called Capivary, at the foot of the Serro of the same * “ The Serra das Lettras (of Letters) derives its name from a species of hieroglyphie, a natural curiosity which is observed in the interior of a vast and curious cave, formed of divers projec- tions of a sandy stone, with various kinds of plants which grow there. The pretended letters, owing their origin to ferruginous particles, are rude and illegible, but are attributed by the ignorant superstition of the people to the hand of the Apostle Thomas. Near it is a hermitage dedicated to that apostle.”— Henderson DP. 268. BRAZIL, 19 name, we found on this quartzy wmica-slate, a much decomposed clay-slate of a carnation or greenish colour, containing garnets. All this part of the mountain is less rich in gold than the northern parts; but, on the other hand, Flora has more lavishly endowed it with a diversity of flowers. The rhexias, in particular, are a great ornament. There is an endless variety of species, all low shrubs: the numerous, thin, profusely-leaved stalks are covered with beautiful red and violet- coloured blossoms. Stately stems of blue vellosias and gay barbacenias, the representatives of the lilia- ceous plants, principally adorn the stony eminences.”* Descending into the valley, the travellers crossed the little river Ingahy, which, as well as the Capivary, which joins it, carries the tribute of its waters to the Rio Grande. The road then passes obliquely, in a north-north-east direction, over the mountain of Capi- vary; and in a deep, narrow part of the valley at its foot, the traveller arrives at the Rio Grande, or Para, where, confined in a high rocky bed, it forms a very considerable cataract, the thundering noise of which re- echoes in the valley. The source of this river is not far off to the south-east, in the mountain of Juruoca (parrot-stone,) a branch of the Mantiqueira.+ Imme- * Von Spix, vol. ii. pp. 137—9. t+ Mr. Luccock describes this mountain as it appeared in the distance near Borda do Campo, on his return from Villa Rica to Rio—** a large, isolated mass on the right, forming no inconsi- derable feature of the landscape.” He adds: ‘ Wonderful tales are told concerning it, originating probably in some unusual natural appearances and sounds. The rocking stones on its sur- face astonish those who touch them; its caverns resound with subterraneous noises; and it is confidently asserted, that when artillery is fired at Rio, the report is distinctly heard in this dis- tant region. There also rises the Rio Grande, a genuine wonder.” Cazal states, that near the stone which gives name to the moun- tain, there is a cataract seventy vards in height. 20 BRAZIL. diately above the cataract is a wooden bridge, which is in constant danger of being carried away by the fury of the torrent. At this place, called Ponto Nova, a frontier custom-house has been erected, near which a few settlers have established themselves. Lying in the way from St. Paulo to the principal places in Minas and Goyaz, this point, Dr. Von Spix suggests, is likely to acquire importance as the staple place of the navi- gation of the Rio Grande. From this place, you may not only proceed southward to the Paraguay, and, by means of that river, to Buenos Ayres, but it is possible, by means of the rivers which fall into it from the north, to reach within a few miles of Villa Boa, the capital of Goyaz. “ The branches of the Rio Grande which descend from the north, (namely, from the Montes Pyreneos and the neighbouring Serras of S. Martha and Escalvado,) are not yet sufficiently known; however, the voyage undertaken by Captain José Pinto in the year 1816, from Villa Boa, to find a way by water to S. Paulo, has so far cleared up the geography of those countries, that a communication between the principal sources of the Rio Grande and the streams of Goyaz, may now be anticipated. For, if a person embarks in the harbour of Anicuns, twelve leagues from Villa Boa, the capital of Goyaz, on the Rio dos Boys, the rapid stream of the Rio Turvo and the Rio de Pasmados, into which it falls, will bring him in a short time into the Rio Paranahyba. Three leagues below the junction of those rivers with the latter, the boats have a great waterfall to pass, as far as which the wandering Ca- japés Indians who dwell on the lower Parand, some- times extend their incursions. The junction of the Paranahyba with the Rio Grande, from which the stream takes the name of Parand, is stated by Captain Pinto to be only twenty leagues from that cataract, and the navigation up the Rio Grande, as far as Ponto BRAZIL. 21 Nova, to be indeed difficult, on account of the strong current, but not interrupted. The almost boundless extent of the inland rivers, and the numerous collateral streams, hold out the most favourable prospect for the inland trade of these fruitful countries. “While the naturalist is highly interested in con- sidering the geography of the Rio Grande and its collateral streams, on which he contemplates the pro- bability of a future extensive inland trade, he is espe- cially attracted by the nature of the country through which it flows. The whole system of the rivers which it and its collateral, the Paranahyba, receive during the whole of their extensive course, descends from moun- tains which are distinguished, above many others, as much by their height and extent, as by their especially belonging to that formaiion which contains such im- mense quantities of gold. On the east, the picturesque Serra Mantiqueira forms the principal boundary: to- wards the north-east, the Serra Negra, Da Canastra, Da Marcella, and Dos Cristaés, constitute the boun- dary between it and the Rio de S. Francisco. On the north side, the principal mountains of Goyaz, namely, the Montes Pyreneos and their branches, divide the great valleys of the Araguaya and the Tocantins from that of the Rio Grande. All these mountains, which are chiefly composed of quartzy mica-slate, contain on both their declivities the richest stores of that metal. They form the principal stem of all the Brazilian mountains of the interior; and in them arise three mighty streams, the Tocantins, the Rio de S. Francisco, and the Paran4, which flow in three very different di- rections to the sea. The country through which the latter flows, which extends from 17° to 28° south lati- tude, and from the meridian of S. Jodo d'el Rey (47° 55’ west of Paris,) to that of Buenos Ayres (60° 51’ 15” west of Paris,) and comprehends a great part of the — ————— pi — “ cg Po I ACE HAA SESE TRAE Sri. 22 BRAZIL. capitanias of Minas Garaés, S. Paulo, and Paran4, has nearly the same physical character through this great extent. Only the north-eastern tract, from which the river rises, and the eastern boundary, are traversed by those mountains among which we had hitherto tra- velled, and the nature and formation of which we have attempted to describe. Further to the west, the land is either level, or broken only by gently rising hills, and insulated mountain-ridges, through which, for the most part, that quartzy mica-slate (flexible quartz) is dif- fused, constantly accompanied by iron, platina, and gold. On the east side, the river is joined by several considerable streams, the Tieté, the Paranapanema, and the Iguagu or Curitiba, all of which have a rapid course, frequently interrupted by cataracts: the Rio Pardo, which rises in the mountains of Camapudo, is the only considerable collateral stream on the west side. The low lands, and particularly the banks of those rivers, are covered with thick, but not very high forests; the other, and by far the greater part, of the surface, is overgrown with bushes and grey-green hairy grasses, and forms those boundless plains, the pasture of numerous herds of cattle, to which the inhabitants, on account of their uniformity and extent, have given the name of Campos Geraés.” Mr. Luccock, in travelling from Rio to St. Jodo d’el Rey, thus describes the view which presented itself from the highest point of the road, a few miles beyond the church of Curral Novo. “A most extensive view here opened on every side; but the distant horizon did not, as is usual in such cases, melt away into air: it consisted of a strongly undulated outline, with the intermediate space filled up by bold masses of detached mountains, on one side struck by the full glow of an afternoon tropical sun, while the other was involved in deep blue shade. Toward the north, the lofty serros BRAZIL. 23 about Villa Rica, a hundred miles distant in a right line, were pointed out. Toward the south-east, ap- peared the cones near Padre Correios, from which we had travelled at least 160 miles; and had not a slight haze rested in that quarter, we should have beheld the Organ mountains, not far from the capital. To the west were clearly seen the serros of St. Joze and Len- heiro, a ridge of mountains above St. John d’el Rey. In the north-east, the nameless bluff heads of the Mantequeira rose one beyond another in distinguish able shades. Yet, the longest line of all was toward the south-west, where the remotest visible mountains were thought to be near the frontiers of St. Pauls. We here stood on the southern verge of the vast basin of the Rio Grande, one of the principal branches of the mighty Parana, and, looking over the brink beheld the northern slope of the long Parahyba, or rather stretched our view across the country which it drains. This inclined plane, or northern half of the vale, the strong support of the Mantiqueiran Serro, extends about sixty miles in a straight line, and the angle of its ascent is nearly one degree fifteen minutes. The lower region of it is a broken country, where the naked cones stand thickly, and rise nearly to the height of our present station. On the upper part of the buttress is a covering of red clay, mingled with mica and quartz: and the core of the extended plains towards the north, appears to be composed, in the same manner, of granitic rocks in a conical shape. The spaces between them are filled up with various substances of later formation; but by far the greater proportion consists of red clay mingled with mica. The campo, or table-land of Brazil, resting on this granitic core, is composed of great masses of mountain, which appear to be detached from each other, having between them broad basins, where the ground is cut into deep ravines, and formed 24 BRAZIL. of strong undulatious of from three to six hundred feet in height. The sides of these ravines are exceed- ingly steep, and their bottoms contain beds of torrents, so broken and generally so difficult as to require bridges; but the country has not yet advanced far enough for the construction of many artificial roads. Hence, the course of travellers lies along the heads of ravines, the ridge of the hill between them, even though it deviate to every point of the compass: here people meet with solid ground, and an uninterrupted course, though the ridge is something almost as narrow as the road which passes along it, and the descent on either hand is rapid, though not precipitous.” * The effect of passing out of the region of forests into these elevated open districts, is represented as most in- spiriting. “In Rio,” says this traveller, “ I had heard much of the Campo, so that I became alinost impatient of the thick forests and narrow and swampy roads, which we had travelled for about two leagues, when our guide made a short turn to the right, and suddenly the downs lay before us. We were at the foot of a short and steep hill. The morning was advanced and sultry; and among the woods, not a breath of air was stirring. At once we were saluted by a fine bracing breeze in our faces, and hailed it with a burst of joy. We dismounted, and in the shade, at the very verge of the forest, refreshed ourselves and the horses. This was indeed a luxurious hour; I breathed ambrosial gales, and felt my nerves new-strung. I had often heard of invalids who left the city in the last stages of debility, and, on arriving at these salubrious regions, were so much recovered, that, according to their own phrase, they could buffet with and subdue a sturdy mule. Though in health, I experienced myself a wonderful renovation both of power and * Luccock’s Notes, pp. 439, 40. BRAZIL. 25 spirits. From the summit of the hill, we looked back- ward over the tops of the trees, and before us upon an open country quite destitute of wood, to an almost un- bounded horizon.” * Dr. Von Spix also speaks of the transition from the dark, low forests to the free, open tracts, as producing a striking change of feeling; and as a contrast to the picture already presented to our readers of a Brazilian forest, we shall transcribe the learned naturalist’s minute description of A BRAZILIAN CAMPO OR MOUNTAIN PLAIN. “ ON these serene and tranquil heights, the noisy in- habitants of the wood are mute: we no longer hear the howling of herds of monkeys, the incessant screams of innumerable parrots, orioles, and toucans, the far- sounding hammering of the wood-peckers, the metallic notes of the uraponga, the full tones of manakins, the cry of the hoccoes, jacues, &c. The more numerous are the humming-birds, buzzing like bees round the flowering shrubs; gay butterflies fluttering over the rippling streams; numerous wasps flying in and out of their long nests hanging suspended to the trees; and large hornets (morimbondos) hovering over the ground, which is undermined to a great extent with their cells. The red-capped and hooded fly-catcher, the barbudos (the barbet,) little sparrow-hawks, the rusty-red or spotted caboré (Brazilian owl,) bask on the shrubs dur- ing the heat of noon, and watch, concealed among the * Yet, when, in returning, Mr. Luccock ro-entered, at Bordo do Campo, the region of trees, he confesses that the sight of them, : as they darkly shadowed through the dawn and the mist, gave him pleasure. *‘ So soon,” he exclaims, “are we tired of uni- formity, so readily pleased with change.” + Vol. i. p. 172. PART 111. Cc Eire 26 BRAZIL. branches, for the small birds and insects which fly by; the tinamus walks slowly among the pine-apple plants, enapupés and nambis in the grass; single toucans, seeking berries, hop among the branches; the purple tanagers follow each other in amorous pursuit from tree to tree; the caracara (falco brasiliensis,) flying about the roads quite tame, to settle upon the backs of the mules or oxen; small wood-peckers silently creep up the trees, and look in the bark for insects; the rusty thrush, called Jodo de Barros, fearlessly fixes its oven- shaped nest quite low between the branches; the siskin- like creeper slips imperceptibly from its nest, (which, like that of the pigeons, is built of twigs, and hangs down from the branches to the length of several feet,) to add a new division to it for this year; the cdoha, sitting still on the tops of the trees, looks down after the serpents basking on the roads, which, even though poisonous, constitute its food; and sometimes, when it sees people approaching, it sets up a cry of distress, resembling a human voice. It is very rarely that the tranquillity of the place is interrupted, when garrulous orioles and little parrots and parroquets, coming in flocks from the maize and cotton plantations in the neighbouring wood, alight upon the single trees on the campos, and with terrible cries appear still to contend for the booty; or bands of restless hooded cuckoos, crowded together upon the branches, defend, with a noisy croaking, their common nest, which is full of green-speckled eggs. Alarmed by this noise, or by passing travellers, numerous families of little pigeons (rolas,) often no bigger than a sparrow, fly from bush to bush; the larger pigeons (amarzoga and froguase,) seeking singly among the bushes for food, hasten alarmed to the summits of the neighbouring wood, where their brilliant plumage shines in the sun; nume- rous flocks of little monkeys run whistling and hissing BRAZIL. 27 to the recesses of the forest; the cavies, running about on the tops of the mountains, hastily secrete themselves under loose stones; the American ostriches (Emus,) which herd in families, gallop at the slightest noise, Vike horses through the bushes, and over hills and valleys, accompanied by their young; the dicholopus (siriemas) which pursues serpents, flies, sometimes sinking into the grass, sometimes rising into the trees, or rapidly climbing the summits of the hills, where it sends forth its loud, deceitful cry, resembling that of the bustard; the terrified armadillo (fai) runs fearfully about oo look for a hiding-place, or, when the danger presses, sinks into its armour; the ant-eater (famandud) runs heavily through the plain, and, in case of need, lying on its back, threatens its pursuers with its sharp claws. Far from all noise, the slender deer, the black tapir, or the pecari, feed on the skirts of the forest. Elevated above all this, the red-headed vulture (urubi) soars in the higher regions; the dangerous rattle-snake (cas- caoel,) hidden in the grasses, excites terror by its rattle : the gigantic snake sports suspended from the tree with its head upon the ground; and the crocodile, resembling the trunk of a tree, basks in the sun on the banks of the pools. After all this has passed during the day, be- fore the eyes of the traveller, the approach of night, with the chirping of grasshoppers, the monotonous cry of the goat-sucker (Jodo corta pdo,) the barking of the prowling wolf and of the shy fox, or the roaring of the ounces, completes the singular picture of the animal kingdom in these peaceful plains.” In travelling from St. Paulo to Villa Rica, the accu- rate observer may easily perceive a gradual change in the general appearance of the country, when he has passed the boundary which divides the waters flowing 2 i oO southwards to the Rio Grande, from those which run 28 BRAZIL. northwards, and fall into the Rio de S. Francisco. « While the Rio Grande, with the thundering noise of its fall, here takes leave of its native mountains, to flow to the lower countries towards the west, it at the same time prepares the wanderer for grander scenes of na- ture, which await him as he advances further to the north. The mountains become more lofty and more steep, the valleys deeper ; massive rocks, on the sum- mits or in the vale, more frequently interrupt the verdant slopes and plains; the streams flow with a more . rapid course. Sometimes the traveller finds himself on elevated spots which command a sublime prospect of manifold insulated mountain tops and profound valleys; sometimes, he is enclosed between steep and threaten- ing walls of rock. All objects assume more and more the features of a romantic alpine country.” From Ponte Nova, the road lies in a north-easterly direction along the ridge of hills connecting the Serra de Capivary with the Serra de Viruna. The country is described by Dr. Von Spix as poetically rural, but lonely and desolate. Extensive forests are still seen running along the declivities and valleys. Beyond the fazenda of Vittoria, the road leads north-north-east over several bare rounded mountains which connect the main branches of the Serra Mantiqueira, running north-west and south-east. A short distance before he reaches Morro de Bom Fim, the last of these high mountains, the traveller crosses the Rio das Mortes, winding through a broad, swampy valley, and bearing its dark waters to the Rio Grande, which it joins about seventy miles west of S. Jodo d’el Rey. It was in this valley, we are informed, that two parties of Paulistas, quarrelling from lust of gold, engaged in a sanguinary contest, from which the river has derived its sinister name. From the steep summit of the Morro de Bom Fim, there is a noble prospect over the whole valley of BRAZIL. 29 the river; and, on descending the further side, the capital of the comarca is seen lying at the foot of the bare mountain Lenheiro, about two miles from the river which formerly gave its name to the town. The church of Bom Fim, seated on the extreme brow of the hill, about 200 feet above the town, affords an advan- tageous bird’s-eye view of the place, which, as the site of the Marquis Pombal’s projected capital, claims a particular description. THE VILLA DE S. JOAO DEL REY, ANTECEDENTLY called Rio das Mortes, received its present name on being created a town in 1712, in honour of King John V. Its first appearance is de- scribed both by Mr. Luccock and Dr. Von Spix as very pleasing. “The many mountains by which this little town. is surrounded, the numerous, dazzling white houses, and the little river Tijuco, which flows through the middle of it, and is often nearly dry, give ta pleasant, romantic appearance. A areat “number of country houses, scattered on the declivity, lead to the solid stone bridge thrown over the above-mentioned river, which unites that part of the country lying along the eminence, with the larger portion in the plain.”* “ The intermixture of numerous churches with the houses, of red tiles unblackened by smoke, of roofs un- deformed by chimneys, of walls rendered clean and bright by plaster and white-washing, of the grey pave- ment in the streets, the yellow sands of the river, and the green shrubbery of the gardens, form a curious and Interesting picture. As a whole, the town is compact, its form nearly circular, and its situation and size are * Von Spix, vol. ii. p. 148. c2 30 BRAZIL. much like those of Halifax in Yorkshire. The sur- rounding scenery is roughly mountainous, and exhibits a strange mixture of roundly formed hills and broken rocks, of barrenness and verdure, of poverty of soil and richness of vegetation, of gardens in a desert, and of comfort amidst desolation. After gazing with wonder and delight upon a landscape so singular, I reflected —1Is this the town of which, for ten years past, I have heard so much? Where can its well-known extensive business be transacted? Where the goods it receives be consumed > Where are the residences of its mer- chants, their warehouses and shops > Where the habi- tations of their customers and servants? Where the culture which yields them supplies, and furnishes a surplus for export ? “ There are in St. John about 6000 inhabitants, of which only one-third are white people, the rest being negroes and mulattoes. For their employment and support, there are no manufactures, except a small one of broad-brimmed woollen hats, peculiar to the mining districts, and excellent in their kind. In the adjoining country, a large quantity of woollen cloth is made from a native produce, and serves for ordinary clothing. The shops occupy (if it may be called occupation) their proportion of the inhabitants, and others are employed on their farms, travel with troops (caravans,) or fill places of public trust. Priests and lawyers appear to be numerous here, as well as in other places, beyond what the legitimate calls of religion and justice re- quire. There are no busy faces, no bustle of occupa- tion, no blacks plying for hire, no tones of persons crying articles of daily and general consumption for sale, but one general appearance of vacancy, listless- ness and lounging. All white people are privileged by their colour to live free from toil. The employ- BRAZIL. 31 ments of gentlemen seldom call them out of doors, and females of respectable station and character are not accustomed to show themselves in the streets.”* That a brisk trade is carried on here, however, ap- pears from the fact stated by Dr. Von Spix, that four constantly employed caravans, each of fifty mules, annually go backwards and forwards to the capital, conveying thither bacon, cheese, some cottons, woollen hats, horned cattle, mules, and gold bars; and bringing back, in return, European goods, chiefly Portuguese and English, such as calicoes, handkerchiefs, lace, iron- ware, wine, porter, and liqueurs. Though the environs are very mountainous and bare, and seem to be thinly peopled, yet, in the clefts of the mountains and the val- leys, many fazendas are scattered, which furnish the ne- cessary supplies of maize, mandioc, beans, oranges,} to- baccco, a small quantity of sugar, and cotton, cheese in abundance, cattle, swine, and mules; while the streams, which are full of fish, contribute to the suffi- ciency of food. “ The general appearance of St. John,” continues Mr. Luccock, “is that of all Portuguese towns of the same class: the houses are low, white-washed, and furnished with latticed windows: the streets are narrow, * Luccock’s Notes, pp. 453, 454, 460. t+ In the fazenda of Joze Coreio Pinto, who acted as Mr. Luc- cock’s fropeiro, or guide, ‘‘ besides a good display of silver plate and British earthenware, we had,” he says, ‘“ Rosea from the city, bottled London porter, and good Port wine, served in cut glass decanters.” I “ There are here white fangerina oranges, which are not met with in any other part.”—Henderson, p. 270. Mr. Luccock no- ticed at the governor’s table, twenty-nine different sorts of native fruits, preserved in sugar, the growth and manufacture of the neighbourhood; and a white tangerine orange attracted his attention by its singular colour and excellent flavour. The fruit season begins in December. 32 BRAZIL. crooked, far from uniform, and very slippery, being paved with large, smooth blue stones, with a channel in the middle. The site of the buildings is so irregular that they overtop and overlook each other, the conspi- cuous points being selected for public offices and the best private houses. Most of these have painted win- dow-shutters, if not also glazed windows, and commmu- nicate a gaiety and airiness to the town, which it would otherwise want. In the midst of it runs a wide shallow stream, over which are thrown two good stone bridges. There is no public market-place, and the shops are generally small and dark, destitute of windows, like those of Rio de Janeiro, and for the most part well furnished with goods. “ Among the churches, thirteen in number, there is a sort of Metropolitan, situated near the principal street, and built in faipé, or paysan, which, notwith- standing its mean exterior, contains some extraordinary ornaments. On the right side of the altar is a beau- tiful copy, from one of the old masters, of the Last Supper; on the left is an equally beautiful representa- tion of Mary washing the feet of Jesus; and, in com- partments beneath them, are some tolerable paintings, from bad designs, of the falling manna in the wilder- ness, and other subjects taken from the Old Testament. The ceiling of this church, which is arched, has lately been painted at the sole charge of a merchant in the town. The colours are excellent, but do not har- monize among themselves, and, being composed chiefly of red, yellow, and blue, appear gaudy, and correspond only to the Brazilian taste. In the centre is a figure of the Patron saint, Nossa Senhora de Pilar, and the arms of Portugal; above the cornice, on the right, occupying the whole length of the nave, are the four evangelists, and alternately with them an angel, standing in a sort of projecting pulpit, while their subordinate coadjutors BRAZIL. 33 in the salvation of men, occupying less conspicuous stations, are placed in recesses. Immediately over the orchestra, and under the protection of St. John, the artist has contrived to introduce a portrait of the gentleman at whose expense the work was executed. On the opposite side of the ceiling, and the left of the altar, are subjects of a different kind. There appear representations of priests and friars, with allegorical allusions to visions and divine communications with which they were favoured. The idea of inspiration is expressed in this singular manner: from a small cloud proceeds a speaking trumpet, whose sound, represented by strong yellow rays, falls directly upon the ear of the priest to whom the supernatural infor- mation is addressed. The young man who has thus displayed his skill, is a native of the country, and has never seen an oil painting except those which the churches of St. John contain; his works, therefore, ought not to be examined with the severity of criticism : his outline and expression are good, his pencilling coarse, and the figures want relief; their attributes, as might be expected, are often incorrect, and display a want of judgment, taste, and science. Like most men of genius, he is poor, paints for trifling sums, and, should he.continue here, must ever remain a miserable dependant. “The church which surpasses all the others in ex- ternal appearance, although not in rank, is that of St. Francisco, which stands in a moderately sized square in the best part of the town, but, Like several others of the sacred edifices, it is unfinished; yet, we attended divine worship there, among scaffolding and cranes, and beheld a congregation far more serious and attentive, both to prayers and sermon, than I had ever observed in any other Catholic country, or place of Roman Ca- tholic devotion. 34 BRAZIL. “ This church, when finished, will make a handsome appearance; it is built of granite, and will display a front ornamented with two towers, and a sculptured representation of St. Francisco’s sufferings. The other, which has been described, at present is furnished with only one tower, which stands detached from it; but preparations are making to rebuild the front with two steeples, which, according to the plan exhibited, will be tall and well proportioned A third of these edifices, yet unconsecrated, is likewise in a state of forwardness, constructed of sand-stone, which contains a quantity of iron, but is not yet ready for public service, and the work seems to proceed heavily. In a fourth, which, owing to some oversight or delay, I did not enter, there are said to be many splendid ornaments, and an inte- rior entirely covered with gold. In some of the steeples are hung bells of considerable weight, a circumstance which greatly surprised me, because each of them must have been conveyed from the coast and up the moun- tains, supported between mules in the manner of a bier. In the cause of religion, however, the early Brazilians have overcome great difficulties, and rendered their churches the best, and almost the only good specimens of architectural taste. “The government-house is a large, substantial build- ing, two stories high, well situated both for observing what passes in the town, and for the despatch of public business. Adjoining to it are the public offices, which form one side of an unfinished plaza or square; some plain, substantial houses stand on the other, and in the - centre, the pillar of public execution; one of which is placed, in terrorem, in some frequented part of every town in the province. Here itis surmounted by a figure of Minerva, holding a drawn and lifted sabre in her right hand, instead of a spear, and in her left the scales of justice, not hood-winked indeed, nor displaying calm BRAZIL. 35 firmness in her attitude and features, but exhibiting all the fierceness of Mars when enraged. “ The jail is situated in the principal street, a large and strong building, ugly and comfortless, as perhaps it ought to be; dirty and disgusting, as might be ex- pected from the manners and habits of the people. Its inmates are numerous, always visible through broad, unglazed, grated windows, and perpetually begging. The charges against them are mostly capital, and among these none so common as assassination. “ Of a very different description is the misericordia, or house of mercy, an excellent establishment, conve- niently arranged, and kept in good repair, and, being in a great measure supported by voluntary contribu- tions, it speaks favourably for the general character of the town. Its funds are well administered, and gene- rally employed in aiding about fifty poor patients, all of whom are males. They are admitted without dis- tinction or inquiry, except such as relate to their dis- ease and distress. When the present governor came into office, this charity was in the worst state of manage- ment, and its affairs were involved and intricate. He succeeded, after a struggle of more than two years, in placing it upon a respectable footing, and by these means brought medical aid within the reach of those who were perishing for want of it, and diffused, through the town and comarca under his care, the warmest senti- ments of gratitude.” The town is governed by a desembargador or supreme judge; (a higher title, apparent vy, than ouvidor or ma- gisirate;) it has also “ an attorney-general, a vicar- Joraneo,” and “a royal Latin professor.” Its gold- smelting house (casa de fundi¢do do 0iro) is on the same footing as that of Villa Rica, with the exception of the abridor dos cunhos (engraver of coins) attached to the latter establishment. Tt is stated by Mr. Henderson to . a — 36 BRAZIL. be eighty miles south-west of Villa Rica, shout the same distance south-south-west of Sabara, and upwards of 200 north-west of Rio. Mr. Luccock calculated that, by the route he took, it was 265 miles distant from ital. ET times, the chief occupation of the people was searching for gold. The mine to which the town owes its origin and its celebrity, and whence such masses of mineral wealth have been extracted, is situated within the town, near the government-house. It is nothing more, Mr. Luccock says, than a deep 2 with perpendicular sides, about twenty-five feet oFr and nearly round, formed in a whitish sand-stone, whic : contains some pyrites. It is situated “in He focus 0 the hills, which rise in great majesty behind it, forming the Serro of Lenheiro. The waters descending from these heights in the rainy season, congregate in this pit, Artificial channels also are cut In various directions, some to a great distance, to convey the waters to the same spot; so that, when rain falls, the pit Cres oms with water, and the surplus finds it way, down the side of a steep declivity, to the level of the river. As my first visit to this natural storehouse of treasures,” says this traveller, ¢ all its channels were dry, and the stag- nant water, of a dirty green colour, did not rise to within ten feet of the brink. This reservoir is said to be common property; a source whence any one may extract what he can find. During the dry season, therefore, a number of people sometimes determine to set slaves to work with chain-pumps, to draw out as much of the waters as they can, and then grope in the hollows of the uneven bottom for the metal which it may contain. On such occasions, it is soon found that there is evidently some communication with the nterior waters of the mountain; for, ifthe labour be intermitted, the water in the pit returns to its usual elevation. This BRAZIL, 35 circumstance perpetually deters the people from com- mencing such operations, because they are always ex- pensive, and may be unavailing.” An opinion prevails, that the waters of the mine are connected with those of the river. This is disproved by the fact, that the surface of the water in the pit is at least fifty feet above the river. The pit might easily be drained, either by cutting down the side fronting the river, by perforating the hills near the bottom, or by syphons; but, insatiable as is the thirst for gold, their ignorance in respect to the mechanical means of obtain- ing the produce of their mines, is almost incredible ; and their reply to any recommendation of the kind was, that “ the English always have extraordinary me- thods of doing things, which Brazilians do not under- stand.” The native sources of the gold brought down by the rains, have never yet been examined. Less re- gard is now paid to mining speculations; and only the poorer people still continue to wash gold-dust from the gravel of the river, in order, by the sale of it, to provide themselves with the means of subsistence. Not, Mr. Luccock thinks, that the mines are by any means ex- hausted, or that the cascalho yields less gold than for- merly, but because labour has risen in value, the price of slaves is advanced, agricultural produce is more in request, and the removal of the court to Rio had intro- duced a considerable revolution in the ideas of the people, by giving birth to a spirit of commercial enter- prise. The greater part of the gold-dust now brought to the smelting-house here, comes from the Villa de Campanha, and the neighbouring town of S. Joze. In- stead of the gold mines, it is the inland trade, to which the town owes its increasing prosperity. At the arrival of the Prince Regent, the comarca of Rio das Mortes is said to have been indebted to Rio not less than 40,000 cruzadoes; but, in 1818, it had not only dis- PART III. D a. ni a mn Se 38 BRAZIL. charged this debt, but had put out to interest there a large capital of itsown. The greatest drawback on the prosperity of the town, is the paper system. I'he smelting-house acts as a provincial bank, and issues notes payable on demand, for sums as low as a shilling, which, in their appearance, paper, and engraving, are little better, Mr. Luccock says, than our turnpike- tickets. It is not extraordinary, therefore, that for- geries should continually occur, nor that a general dis- trust respecting them should prevail. Though there is a great want of education among the inhabitants, Mr. Luccock gives them credit for possess- ing their full share of good sense, together with more sincerity, and less of the spirit of intrigue, than are usually found in this part of the world. They are lively, fond of dancing, friendly, and kind. But the want of books, masters, and everything approaching to literary intercourse, is a serious evil. The lower classes are idle and profligate. ¢ However singular it may appear,” says Dr. Von Spix, “ it is nevertheless certain, and is observed by every traveller, that the inhabitants of Minas are entirely different, both in character and person, from those of the other capitanias, and parti- cularly from the Paulistas. The Mineiro has, in gene- ral, a slender, lean figure, narrow breast, long neck, oblong face, black, lively eyes, and black hair on the head and breast; he has naturally a noble pride, and 1s sometimes very delicate, obliging, and sensible in his outward behaviour; he is very temperate, and seems particularly to be fond of a romantic way of life. Inall these features, he much more resembles the lively Per- nambucan, than the gloomy Paulista. Like the former, he seems to have a certain predilection for foreign pro- ductions and dress. Like the Englishman,* the Mineiro * This testimony of the learned German to English cleanliness as a national peculiarity, supplies an inference not very compli- mentary as regards foreigners. BRAZIL. 39 is very fond of clean linen and white garments, parti- cularly on holidays. His usual national costume differs from that of the Paulista. It generally consists of a short jacket of calico or black velveteen, a white waist- coat with gold buttons, the small-clothes of velvet or velveteen, long boots of undyed leather, fastened above the knees with buckles, and a beaver (woollen?) hat with a broad brim, which serves as a parasol. The sword, and often the musket, together with the umbrella, are his inseparable companions whenever he goes any distance from home. Their journeys, however short, are never made but on mules. Their stirrups and bits are of silver; and the handle of the great knife which sticks in the boot below the knee, is of the same metal. In these excursions, the women are always carried in litters, either by mules or negroes; or, dressed in along blue pelisse and round hat, sit in a kind of arm-chair fastened upon a mule. Their dress, except the head, which is protected only by a parasol, is in the French fashion: the borders of their white robes are frequently ornamented with embroidered or printed flowers and gallant verses.” Living is cheap at St. Jodo. There is “ excellent wheaten bread,” but the people prefer the mandioc flour and preparations of Indian corn, which, with beef, bacon, pulse, and other vegetables, form the chief arti- cles of food. The larger fruit-trees flourish here luxuri- antly, and the jabuticaba, with fruit resembling in size and colour the cherry, the orange-tree, and the coffee- plant, mingling with the fafa or pine,* the mango, the * “Though these trees are abundant, and though when cut, either by accident or design, they yield an extraordinary abun- dance of turpentine, so rich as to bear the heat of a vertical sun, the government allows deals, and resin, and turpentine to be im- ported from the United States or from Sweden, while much ofthe latter, more than Brazil can want, runs to waste upon its own $0il.”—ZLuccock, p. 429. This traveller noticed one of these trees which measured twelve feet round. . 40 BRAZIL. calabash, the apple, the cherry, and the peach, compose a singular kind of orchard. Mr. Luccock saw a planta- tion of vines which appeared flourishing. Beneath the broad-spreading trees, the esculent and the garden-pea are seen commingling with carnations and violets, to- gether with the poppy, the piony, and the rose; marje- ram, mignonette, rosemary, and thyme are also found here ; the same sun and the same soil giving birth to flowers of the torrid and the temperate climes. Throughout the comarca of Rio das Mortes, which is itself larger than the whole kingdom of Portugal, the land is for the most part rich and fertile 1n a high degree. From March to November, the climate 1s hae and dry, the nights being sometimes sharp and frosty : ice is occasionally formed, and snow falls, but neither of them can endure the noon-day sun. About the middle of November, the rainy season is ushered in by violent thunder and lightning. In continued damp weather, the air is unpleasantly cold. Rain always comes from the south, and how heavy soever the cloud may appear towards the opposite quarter, rain never passes the Rio das Mortes from the north: the people have a saying, that “ it cannot pay the toll levied at the bridge over that river.” Goitres are prevalent, not only in this comarca, but throughout the mining district, greatly afflicting persons of all classes and colours +" and Mr. Luccock adds, “even the cattle do not escape. This traveller is disposed to attribuge them to the pro- perties of the water of the rivers, together with the scarcity of salt. He mentions a case in which the ex- clusive use of spring water had been apparently suc- cessful in banishing this dreadful disease from the estate; and he recommends the free use of common # The goitre is found prevailing also in some districts of St. Paulo. See vol. i. p. 251. BRAZIL. 41 salt as a probable remedy.* In other respects, the country may be reckoned extremely healthy. The road pursued by Dr. Von Spix, from St. Joao d’el Rey to Villa Rica, leads over the western declivity of the Serro of St. Joze, which has a barren appearance; it contains sulphur and several species of metal, but no gold. Beyond this mountain, and eight miles north- north-west of St. Jodo, stands the little town of St. Joze, which has nothing particularly remarkable, ex- cept its church of St. Antonio, which is reckoned the handsomest in the whole province. On the western side of the Serro, no trace of agriculture meets the eye of the traveller, but all the campos lie dry and desolate as far as the fazenda of Canduahy and the village of Lagoa Dourada, a distance of about twenty-four miles from St. Joao. A forest tract succeeds, some miles in length, after which the country improves in beauty, and, beyond the Rio Paraopeba, assumes a character of Alpine grandeur. Dr. Von Spix reached the wooden bridge over this river at the end of the second day. It is one of the principal heads of the St. Francisco. The road thence passes over the Serra de Congonhas, into the deep and narrow valley watered by the little river of the same name, which flows westward to the Paraopeba. A much steeper mountain has next to be surmounted, the Morro de Solidade; the Morro de Gravier (a continuation of the Serra de Oiro Branco) succeeds; and the road continues to ascend, passing over a succession of mountains, having for their basis a quartzy mica-slate, mingled with iron, and affording * ¢ Throughout the interior of South America, salt is an article of extraordinary luxury. For want of it, European cattle lan- guish and die; and it is wonderful to see how oxen and mules will lick and gnaw the ground of the rancho where a cargo of salt has been laid down only for a single night.”—ZLuccock, p. 478. See vol. i. p. 260. rma a ——— = tens: i tom ne 42 BRAZIL. - abundant subject for interesting observation to the oeologist. The scattered farms become more numerous a the traveller approaches Villa Rica. From the Morro de Gravier, the descent is but inconsiderable to the beautiful fazenda of Capio. A quarter of a league further is that of Lana. This is the district in which are found the well-known Brazilian topazes. Leaving Lana, the road runs for some time through narrow ravines, past rugged declivities and steep mountain walls, till at length, the view suddenly expands, and shows a labyrinth of mountains and valleys, running into each other, with the Itacolumi (child of stone) covered at its base with dark forests, and its bare, rocky summit towering above the whole. From the last promontories of this mountain, the highest in the province, the travellers obtained the welcome sight of the long-wished place of their destination. ¢ Full of joy,” says Dr. Von Spix, “ we rode down the moun- tain, and just one month after our departure from Ypanema, arrived safe in the capital of the mining country.” We have yet to bring up Mr. Luccock, who, instead of pursuing this direct route, took the road to Queluz, (otherwise Carijos,) situated, according to Cazal, fifty miles north-east of St. Joao d’el Rey, three from the river Congonhas, and about thirty south-south-west of Villa Ric: . At two leagues from the Rio das Mortes, he crossed the Carainde, and then pursued a north- north-west direction over a country resembling the Yorkshire moors, which, for fifteen miles, presented no mark of human habitation, except a few huts at a short distance from the suburbs of S. Jodo. The aspect of the district through which his road led the second day, is compared to the Dorsetshire downs, but on a larger scale. His direction was north-east by north, leaving BRAZIL. 43 on the left, on a high hill, the village of Lagoa Dou- rada;* and at the end of eighteen miles, he reached the large fazenda of Palmeiros. The third day, he entered on the great north road leading through Bar- bazena to Villa Rica, and passing the small village of Resquinha, began to ascend the mountains. Having gained the summit of a considerable eminence, a fine view presented itself, embracing a semicircle of moun- tains commencing in the south-east, and stretching away by the north towards the west, within which, the “ billowy land,” declining towards the north, is adorned with many patches of wood; reminding Mr. Luccock of the “ park-like scenery in the neighbourhood of Sheffield.” In the midst stands the town of Queluz, with its white-washed houses, forming one of the pret- tiest features in the picture. Towards the south ap- peared the rough Morro of St. Joze, and west of it, the far-distant lands of the Rio Grande. As he advanced, the mountains assumed a holder form, and became more like those of Caernarvon, as they appear when approaching them from Gwindu, in Anglesea. The town of Queluz consists of about a hundred houses, arranged along the ridge of a hill, which is just broad enough for astreet. It contains a handsome church and two chapels, or hermitages. In the environs, the tobacco-plant flourishes, in a wild state, with the ut- most luxuriance. ‘To continue to think favourably of Queluz,” says our traveller, “a stranger should con- tent himself with its external appearance: he should neither enter the houses, nor have any intercourse with the inhabitants, The wretched internal state of the one, is as revolting as the manners of the other. Gold, which has been extensively and successfully sought in * Mr. Luccock subsequently visited this place in returning by a different route. TE te a a w i 44 BRAZIL. the neighbourhood, has at length failed, and left the people with debased minds and idle habits. There is something in their appearance and countenances un- commonly villanous; more so, I think, than I have observed in any other part of Brazil.” * A league from Queluz, the road crosses the Parao- peba, where it forms a small, rapid stream, and conti- nues along its left bank through a narrow, woody glen, at the end of which a good bridge over the stream, now greatly increased, conducts the traveller from the comarca of St. Joo to that of Villa Rica. A hill on the left of the road here presents a wonderful object. It is described by Mr. Luccock as “ one entire mass of iron, so perfectly free from any mixture of common soil as to produce no vegetable whatever, being co- vered with a complete coating of rust or oxyde of iron. The hill is so lofty and steep that its top was not dis- cernible; but, from its more elevated part, nodules of corroded metal had rolled down, and greatly embar- rassed the road. At the foot of the mountain, the soil is red clay mixed with ponderous brown dust. As we advanced, the metal seemed to become less pure, until, after an extent of two leagues and a half, it altogether vanished, and was succeeded by the common clayey land. I had often heard of this immense mass of metal, but none of the reports had presented an ade- quate picture of it to the imagination. The very core of the hill, as far as we could judge, appeared to con- sist of vast blocks of iron in tables: and it is so singu- * In this neighbourhood, Mr. Luccock noticed the anon, a bird resembling in size and shape the magpie, with feathers bearded like those in the tail of the bird of paradise; the merlu, ** the crow of Brazil, and in many places called corvo,” about the size of a lark, and entirely black ; the ariba-raba or cock-tail, in size and colour resembling the lark, but not in song; and the gaviam- pomba or hawk pigeon, a bird of prey. BRAZIL. 4 larly free from alloy, as to produce, when smelted, 95 per cent. of pure metal.” The road proceeds to the village of Ouro Branco (white gold,) situated at the foot of the lofty Serro of the same name, and containing a church and several vendas, and about fifty wretched houses. Here the mania for gold-washing has converted the soil into heaps of stones and scenes of desolation. The road, turning due east, skirts the foot of the mountain, till, where the summit has become comparatively low, it turns up by an easy ascent towards the north; and half-way up is a rancho, called, from its situation, Meyo Serro. An uninteresting region extends to Sicara, the name given to a collection of four or five houses, ten miles from Villa Rica. Five miles further is Boa Vista, a village containing a church and about a dozen houses, situated on a high point commanding a magni- ficent view towards the west and north-west. About two miles from Boa Vista commences the dell, through which lies the road to Villa Rica. It runs east and west, having on its northern side a bold, naked hill, and on the south a broken country. The stream which it follows is rapid and powerful, giving motion to a set of flour-mills, and cheering with its waters some pleasant gardens which unite with whitened houses to adorn its banks. Crossing this stream, the road enters the city at the western end. VILLA RICA. VirrLA Rica, the capital of Minas Geraes, dates its title as a town no further back than 1711, previously to which it bore the name of Oiro Preto (black gold,) which is still retained by the mountain on the eastern declivity of which it is situated. It occupies two hills and part of the circumjacent valley or hollow. The p 2 406 BRAZIL. streets leading from the lower part of the city to that on the high ground, are all paved, and are connected by four stone bridges. The principal street runs for nearly two miles in a straight ling along the slope of the Morro. Mr. Luccock describes the first view as very attractive. “It looks like an assemblage of well- built white villages, perched upon salient points of the northern hill. On a nearer approach, it is discovered that these objects are only some of the churches and public buildings, and that the dwelling-houses lie in the hollows between them.’ The houses are built of stone, two stories high, and covered with tiles; the greater part are white-washed, indicating the prevalence of lime in the neighbourhood. Of 2000 houses which the place contains, one-fifth, it is supposed, may be good ones; the rest are slightly built. The public fountains, fourteen in number, are scattered through the town: they are, in general, noble structures, and are supplied with an abundance of pure water. The public buildings are not without a claim to splendour, some of them having, Mr. Luccock says, a real air of grandeur unknown in other cities of Brazil. In front of the governor's palace, which is situated on the highest projection of the hill, is a group of which the inhabitants are particularly proud, formed by the town- house, the theatre, and the prison. The palace com- mands a fine view embracing almost the whole town: before it is an open space, surrounded by a sort of parapet, on which a few brass swivels are mounted on carriages to serve as cannon. In one of the lower parts of the town stands the treasury, attached to which are the mint and custom-house. There are ten churches, (two of them parish churches,) several of which are richly ornamented, and contain paintings and images. One of the most richly furnished is built without win- dows, and the effect produced by the light of lamps BRAZIL. 47 only, during a splendid day, with an almost vertical sun, is described as very singular. €< ar a a 1 1 The arrangement, furniture, and business of the theatre,” says Mr. Luccock, “ do not correspond to its external appearance. It stands on uneven ground or . - ’ and is entered from behind, the lobby and boxes being vO 1 1 nm" > on a level with the entrance. To the latter there was no admittance for a stranger of another nation: I “Tal , 3 > : Sesence therefore, to the pit, and shall rot easily Are _ : ! get the impression made upon my mind, when, look- ing down a long, narrow, dark staircase, I beheld the glare below: it seemed ‘a fiery gulf; A dismal situation, waste and wild :— A dungeon horrible, on all sides round, As one great furnace flamed.’ When arrived at the bottom, I found a small house decently painted, and the pit full of very shabby He looking people, many of them wearing CN habiliment which is the favourite dress of thieves and murderers, and on that account, as well as on others, disgusting to one completely initiated into a knowledge of Brazilian modes. ; | The assemblage around me was entirely unrelieved by the presence of women, for into that part of the house none of that sex are admitted. Ee A Ts y, urnished me with a comfortable seat. On the stage was seated a female not on the floor and cross-legged, as is customary, Bie in a European chair, and sewing also in our mode; while a stiff figure of a man, with his eyes fixed on the ceiling, and his arms glued to his sides, was addressing another female in measured and unmoving tones; which she replied with equal apathy and stasuesice inflexibility. It was not possible to exhibit a more Ct - pe ET 48 BRAZIL. uninteresting scene ; and, other organs of sense being offended besides the eyes and ears, I left my station, and endeavoured again to obtain admission into one of the boxes, or at least into one of the passages behind them; but it could not be, and I quitted the house. This circumstance was remembered to my disadvan- tage, and, indeed, ruined my character in Villa Rica, as a man of taste.” Villa Rica is one of the most singularly situated places on the face of the earth. ‘ Nothing less power- ful than the love of gold,” observes Mr. Luccock, « could have raised a large town on such a spot.” The environs, unlike those of opulent towns in general, ex- hibit few signs of cultivation: not an acre of good pas- ture, nor an enclosure of any kind is to be seen. Yet, though hidden in a narrow defile, and surrounded by mountains and unfruitful stony campos, it has always been a favourite spot, to which not only Paulistas, but Portuguese have resorted in great numbers. No other town in the interior of Brazil, according to Dr. Von Spix, has so brisk a trade. Besides the £000 to the capital and that by way of St. Joao d’el Rey to St. Paulo, there are roads by Minas Novas to Bahia, and bv St. Romao, Tejuco, and Malbhada, to Paracutu, Goyaz, and Matto Grosso. Almost every week, large convoys set out with the productions of the country, cotton, hides, marmalade,® cheeses, precious stones, bars of gold, &c.; bringing back, In exchange, from the capital, salt, wines, calicoes, handkerchiefs, harns, iron-ware, and new negroes, to be employed in gold- washing, &c. “ Till lately,” says Mr. Luceock, "it enjoyed almost exclusively the trade to Goyaz and + St. Bartholomew, an arraial and freguezia, eight miles to the west of Villa Rica, is famous for the large quantity of marmalade which it supplies. BRAZIL. 49 Cuiaba, which it now divides with St. John d’el Rey.” Almost all kinds of trades are carried on here; the prin- cipal are saddlers, tinmen, and blacksmiths; there are likewise manufactories of gunpowder, hats, and pottery. There are no goldsmiths, that trade being prohibited. From the steepness of the streets, wheel-carriages would be almost as useless here as in Venice. Asa substitute for them, a large vehicle like a sedan is used, carried by mules, instead of men: the workmanship is very clumsy. Owing, perhaps, in some measure, to the temperate climate, the people of this country are represented by Mr. Luccock as advanced a few steps in industry beyond most of their countrymen. They spin and weave wool, worsted, and cotton; but their manufactories are purely domestic; their implements and modes of using them, of the oldest and most un- improved description. Perhaps, when the rage of mining is over, this district may become more wealthy from commercial establishments, of which these are the embryo, than from all the gold which it has ever collected. This, however, will be thought by some an extravagant estimate of the value of manufactures, when it is known that, in little more than a hundred years, according to the entries at the smelting-house of Villa Rica, this place alone has sent into circulation more than two millions of pounds troy-weight of gold. When to this mass is added what has been issued from other places, may it not naturally be asked—Where is it now ?”’* The population of Villa Rica is stated by Dr. Von * A partial answer to this question, so far as regards the appli- cation of this wealth in the first instance, is supplied by the fact, that the immense works of King John V., the aqueduct of Lisbon, and the convent of Mafra, were entirely raised with the royal fifth of Brazilian gold. At the end of the last century, from seventy to eighty arrobas of gold were annually smelted in Villa Rica; but now the average does not exceed forty. For the nN AA SUA 5 Sr ii a0 BRAZIL. Spix (1818) at 8,500 souls; a very low number in pro- portion to the number of the houses, on the supposition that all are occupied.* Mr. Mawe, however, states, that when he visited the place in 1808, “of above 2000 habitations, which the town contained, a consi- derable proportion was untenanted; and the rents of the rest were continually lowering. Houses were to be purchased at one-half their real value: for instance, a house built a few years ago at 10007. cost, would not now sell for more than 5002" This traveller, however, strangely overrates the population when he makes it amount to 20,000. According to Mr. Luccock’s repre- sentation, the numbers must be continually fluctuating, When the town becomes *“ dangerously full of vice and wretchedness,” a curious expedient is stated to be re- sorted to for throwing off the scum of the population. “A report is circulated, that a remote spot has been discovered in the woods, which is rich in the precious metal. The restless and adventurous soon become clamorous to resort to it; they assemble in crowds, and, under a leader of their own choice, proceed towards these new and unequalled mines. Some of them, tired of what seems useless travelling, halt by the way, and settle in different places. Others advance to the spot, or that which is supposed to be so, find its riches greatly exaggerated, yet remain there, and, ere long, call the country their own. Thus Villa Rica is relieved, and new colonies are established. A scheme of this sort was set on foot in 1812, when about a thousand people departed in search of a ‘golden league,” which some purposes of smelting, sixty arrobas of corrosive sublimate of mercury are annually imported from Europe, at the cost of about 17/. per arroba. * In St. Paulo, the population is about six inhabitants to a house; (see vol. i. p. 234;) whereas this would give only four and a quarter. BRAZIL. 51 unknown traveller had seen two months’ journey to the westward.” The appearance and manners of the Villaricans in general, are described by this traveller as extremely unprepossessing. The greater part of the population, he says, consists of blacks and mulattoes. Mr. Mawe says, there are more whites than blacks, but he pro- bably includes some of mixed blood among the former, Dr. Von Spix states, that there is a considerable pro- portion of Portuguese. The men capable of bearing arms in the comarca, are divided into two regiments of auxiliary cavalry, fourteen companies of local militia of whites, seven of mulattoes, and four of free negroes. No monks are allowed to have a permanent residence here, the foundation of convents within the mining districts being expressly interdicted under the adminis- tration of Pombal, and the prohibition is said to be even now partially enforced. Mr. Mawe describes the climate of Villa Rica as delightful; “perhaps equal to that of Naples.” The thermometer, in the heat of summer, never rises above 82° (Fahrenheit) in the shade, and rarely falls below 48° (M. Von Eschwege says, not below 54°) in the winter: the usual range is from 64° to 80° in summer. and from 54° to 70° in winter. The greatest heats prevail in January. Owing to its great elevation, how- ever, the temperature is subject to great alternations in the same day, and sudden thunder-storws are frequent. During the cold months, June and July, the sugar and coffee plantations are liable to be injured by night- frosts. The winds blow from various directions, and are never accompanied by great heat, but frequently by thick fogs, which envelope the summits of the neighbouring mountains. Mr. Mawe says, the dews and mist are often so dense as not to subside till the 52 BRAZIL. forenoon is advanced. As might be expected, there- fore, the prevailing diseases are stated by Dr. Von Spix to be catarrh, rheumatism, inflammations of the throat and lungs, and violent cholic. The negroes are subject to elephantiasis. The climate of the whole capitania is favourable to European fruits. The gardens of Villa Rica are laid out, Mr. Mawe says, with great taste, and, from the peculiarity of their construction, present a curious spectacle. ‘As there is scarcely a piece of level ground even ten yards square on the whole side of the moun=- tain, the defect has been remedied by cutting spaces one above another at regular distances, and supporting them by low walls, the top of one being on a level with the base of that next above it. An easy flight of steps leads from one level to the other. These terraces seemed to me the very kingdom of Flora, for never did I before see such a profusion of delicate flowers. Here were also excellent vegetables of every kind, such as artichokes, asparagus, spinach, cabbage, kidney-beans, and potatoes. There are many indigenous fruits which might be much improved by a better system of hor- ticulture. The peach appears to be the only exotic fruit which has been hitherto introduced ; it flourishes amazingly. 1 have frequently seen the branches of the trees so loaded as to require perpendicular sup- port. Yet, the market of Villa Rica was but ill- supplied, notwithstanding the fertility of the district around it. Pulse and vegetables for the table were scarce; even grass was an article in great demand, and milk was as dear as it is in London. Poultry sold at from 3s. 6d. to 4s. 6d. per couple. Beef of a tolerable kind, but by no means good, might be had at 13d. per pound. Pork was very fine ; mutton was utterly unknown. Tallow was exceedingly dear, and candles sR sD BRAZIL, 53 were more than double the price at which they sell in this country.” This was in 1808. At the same period, Englisl superfine woollens were to be had at from 30s t Cr per yard; coatings nearly as cheap as in England : ee mon cotton prints at from ls. 6d. to 2s. per ard La Manchester goods in great plenty. There a deed, to be a glut of English merchandise tlie rit pI Jeera ries of commercial alvantare which : he ruin of so many of our traders and = chants about that period. Disastrous, howey a the immediate effects, the a in from that forced circulation of the prod oa Bs industry is incalculable. By By a instance, a demand which the wo, of i : . at prepared to make, it has cre: y ; Ae wants will act as a stimulus a ris ong ose of the country, thus eventually repaying our a by the indefinite extension of the mnrke ie GOLD MINES OF VILLA RICA W E a V t I a t 5 Ys Wants not her — ore ustre, gems and gold.” Here flows the Brazilian Pactolus, the true Chrysor Thoas; and our readers will naturally expect a min i description of the extraordinary spot. ve To contemplate the mines of Villa Rica with ad vantage,” says Mr. Luccock, “it will be necessary % recollect, that the land is composed of schist or a yo of slaty clay, resting upon a core of granite Loins or sand-stone, sometimes laminated, at other Hints solid, 54 BRAZIL. the gold being scattered in small particles amid the superjacent schist and clay;* and that the town is * This popular account of the geological phenomena is suffi- ciently correct, perhaps, for general readers; and Mr. Luccock, whose good sense is as conspicuous as his usual accuracy of ob- servation, makes no pretensions to scientific precision. Dr. Ven Spix, however, terms the superjacent stratum an iron-stone flots, consisting partly of a clay, coloured red, more or less, by oxyde of iron, but principally of lithomarge, of a reddish brown colour, spotted, in many places, with lavender-blue and ochre-yellow. In this mass, there isa large quantity of compact, brown iron-stene; also, detached nodules of quartz, mica-slate, and, rarely, frag- ments of topazes. The gold in this formation is found either in very small grains and crystals within the layers of clay and litho- marge, or as a coating on brown iron-stone, or imbedded in it in folia. This formation is prevalent, not only in Minas Geraes, but in St. Paulo, Goyaz, and Bahia, and is everywhere supposed to contain gold. Below this iron-stone flotz, in the morro of Villa Rica, lies what M. Von Eschwege calls iron mica-slate, some- times alternating with strata of decomposed and crumbly quartz. The stone often contains so much iron, that it may be smelted to advantage. A considerable quantity of gold is disseminated through this mica-slate, and, in particular abundance, through the quartz veins that traverse it. The greater part of the moun- tain consists of quartzy, granular, mica-slate, or what Dr. Von Spix proposes to denominate quartz-slate. It was formerly known under the name of flexible sand-stone. This is incumbent on clay-slate, which seems to form the basis of the morro, and to rest on gneiss. Another formation, which generally contains a considerable quantity of gold, is described as a friable, rough-feeling, greasy mass of a greyish-green colour, consisting of a very fine-grained quartz and a smoky grey mica, with earthy-grey manganese ore, and forming a layer between the quartzy mica-slate and the clay- slate. M. de Humboldt, in his *‘ Geognostical Essay on the Super- position of Rocks,” has the following remarks on the quartz-rock formation :— ‘“ On the table land of Minas Geraes, near to Villa Rica, (ac- cording to the excellent observations of M. d’Eschwege,) a mica- slate, containing beds of granular limestone, is covered by primi- tive clay-slate. On this latter rock reposes, in conformable stra- BRAZIL. 00 placed at the junction of several streams, whose waters have only one outlet, by a narrow chasm cut by their force through the surface down to the more firm com- ponent parts. Before this outlet, called the Rio do Carmo, became so deep as it is, a small lake must have existed among the hills, through which all the waters of the upper country passed, bringing with them, and depositing in the bottom, a variety of heavy matter. Thus, the ground seems to have been gradually raised, while the outlet was deepened, until the water was entirely drained off, and left the bottom dry, in the form of a level plain, composed of all sorts of wreck, which, from the auriferous nature of the country, con- tained a considerable proportion of gold, both in the form of dust mingled with the attriturated schist, and imbedded in quartz as cascalho. The extent of this plain is from thirty to forty acres, and it is connected, by narrow passes, with others of a like size. The mountains surrounding this supposed ancient lake, rise from 700 to 1000 feet above its level; and on the de- tification, the chloritous quartz which constitutes the mass of the Peak of Itacolumi, 1000 toises above the level of the sea. This formation of quartz contains alternating beds; 1. of auriferous quartz, white, greenish, or striped, mixed with talc-chlorite; 2. chlorite slate; 3. auriferous quartz mixed with tourmaline; 4. specular iron mixed with auriferous quartz. The beds of chlori- tous quartz are sometimes 1000 feet thick. The whole of this formation is covered with a ferruginous breccia, extremely auri- ferous. M. d’Eschwege thinks, that it is to the destruction of the beds we have just named, and which are geognostically connected, that the soil which is worked by means of washing should be attributed, containing gold, platina, palladium, and diamonds (Corrego das Lagens,) gold and diamonds (Tejuco,) and platina and diamonds (Rio Abaite.) The decomposed chlorite-slate, from which the topaz is procured, belongs to this formation.” See Humboldt on the Superposition of Rocks. London, 1823. pp. 117—18. See also Von Spix’s Travels, vol. ii. pp. 185—190; and notes 3, 4, 5, 6; and, tor some desultory remarks on the formation of gold, Luccock’s Notes, pp. 463—6. 56 BRAZIL. clivity of the most northerly of them the city is built. In the sides of all of them, much gold is undoubtedly still detained, notwithstanding the quantity which has been washed down or gathered from them. The com- paratively small plain above mentioned may, however, be considered as the swan which, through a succession of years, has laid golden eggs for the crown of Portugal. Its surface is only just even with the stream flowing through it; and after much rain, it is always flooded. A man then takes his station at the edge of the stream, which, with all contained in it, seems to be regarded as public property, and begins with a small hoe to open a trench, varying from one to three feet in breadth, and about six inches deep, carefully throwing up the earth on each side, so that no water may escape from it. He conducts his trench in any direction that suits him, provided the ground be not previously occupied by an- other adventurer; and at the end of it, raises a barrier, to prevent any weighty particles from being carried off. The water is generally let into these trenches early in the morning, and let off towards night; for their con- tents are esteemed too precious to be left to the risks connected with darkness. A fine black sediment 1s then carefully collected, and carried away in a bowl, to be washed at home. There cannot be a doubt that there is almost alwavs more or less gold mingled in this mass; yet, I never could detect it on the strictest examination, and with the aid of a lens of high magnify- ing power. After the spot has been recently flooded, the inhabitants are said to turn out en masse to pursue the search, and do not desist until the whole impregnated surface is ransacked. : « On the side of the hill, which is steep, a different method is adopted. Wherever a natural stream trickles down, its bottom is frequently and carefully searched; particularly where the current has met with any check, BRAZIL. 57 for there the precious metal is commonly detained. In parts where nature has provided no water, pits are dug and flanked with strong walls, or stoccades, through which a stream is turned from a distance. The surplus, running over the edge of the embankment, is generally received into a second pit below; sometimes into a third. At proper seasons, the pits are cleared of the water, the sediment is taken out, and treated as before mentioned. The waters are generally saturated with red clay; and by a repetition of these processes, the hill has been stripped of its soil, as well as verdure, wherever a stream can be conducted to carry it away. Numerous drifts also have been run horizontally into the softer parts of the mountain, until they entirely perforate the coating of schist or clay, and reach its solid core, while the water oozing through the mass above, is received into basins, together with the metal which it may convey. These drifts are seldom more than twenty vards long, five feet high, and three broad. Some of the smaller and softer hills of the vicinity have, indeed, been bored to a much greater extent; and I saw one which was completely perforated at its base. Whether larger or smaller, these openings are closed and secured with such precaution as plainly indicates the fear of plunderers.”* Mr. Mawe compares the appearance of the mountain thus perforated in every direction, to a honeycomb. Dr. Von Spix was conducted by M. Von Eschwege, the present director-general of the mines of Brazil, to the eastern declivity of the Morro of Villa Rica, which has hitherto yielded the greatest abundance of gold. “ From the southern hill of the mountain,” he says, “ we passed through several gardens ornamented with fuchsia, near to the Hospicio de Jerusalem, and by the side of a deep trench to a naked ravine, irregularly rent, * Luccock’s Notes, pp. 503—5. 8 BRAZIL. and full of masses of rock which had fallen down, pre- senting a picture of wild desolation. How great was our astonishment, when our friend signified to us that this was the rich gold mine of Villa Rica! The mine in which we then were, belonged to Colonel V clozo, and is one of the oldest and most productive. Sieves and raw ox-hides were placed at certain distances, in trenches full of water, conducted from the summit; the first sieve to stop the coarser sand, and the latter to catch the gold dust in the hair, which stands erect. Here and there we also saw detached trenches, in which the auriferous mud or sand collects. As soon as the rainy season commences, these simple preparations are putin motion. The former possessors always had their mine worked by several hundred slaves, and derived immense profit from it. At present, however, it Seatns to be much impoverished, so that but few gold-washers are employed in it, and the work is mostly left to free negroes for a daily payment of a patac a. This manner of obtaining gold from a public mine 1s called, minerar a talha aberta.’ + When this place was first discovered by the gold- hunters, it is said, that they bad nothing more to 0, than to pull up the turfs of grass or small plants on je side of the hill, and shake the precious dust from the roots. This seemingly romantic tale is by no means incredible. Mr. Luccock thus explains the phenomenon. “ The steep slope of the mountain is covered with a coarse kind of grass or rushes in small clumps or bunches; hence, when rain falls heavily, little rills pass round and between the roots, and whatever of a pon- derous nature they hurry downwards, must be detained wherever their rapidity is checked. This happens at * Sometimes woollen cloths are used; and the first English blankets sold by Mr. Luccock at Rio, were employed in this way. + Von Spix, vol. ii. p. 59. BRAZIL. 59 every tuft of rushes which stands directly in the little water-course; and hence these roots, I presume, have become rich in metal, and they had at that time been undisturbed for ages. Hence, those who pulled the grass would find the gold, and those who plucked a second crop, must as naturally be disappointed. As these streamlets descended the hill, collecting a greater quantity of water, they acquired more force, and formed for themselves, by tearing away the soil, a course with an irregular bottom, having hollows in the softer parts, which would exist in the form of basins, and the de- scending metal would be retained in them; hence the formation of these little caldeiraos which often sud- denly enriched an adventurer. A great quantity of the precious metal } 1as doubtless passed on without impediment, and been collected in the lake below, or, buried amid the wreck with which it has been filled, must there remain until better methods of mining are adopted.” *® The colour of the gold found here, varies from the most beautiful gold-yellow, to a reddish copper-colour, a bright yellow, and even a grey yellow. There is what is called ouro branco (white gold,) which Mr. Luccock, however, supposes to be platina; ouro preto (black gold,) which appears in the form of a dark- coloured dust; and what is called owro inficionado (poisoned gold,) which, though pure, is often pale or copper-coloured. The Morro of Villa Rica extends in a direction east and west, along the valley of the Ribéiro (stream) do Oiro Preto, or do Carmo, to Pas- sagem, a village containing about a hundred and fifty houses, distant about two leagues from Villa Rica. Dr. Von Spix conceives the Morro to have been formerly connected with the lofty Itacolumi, and to have been * Luccock p. 505. emi ot Ab Bo I evn — » N y = 60 BRAZIL. yer raters: it is separated from it by the power of the w ons . € , - ’ : } ) ee covered here and there with low wood, and, to the yo i: y ad tc summits, with grass and bushes. All along the roa : savities hewn in the rock, showing Passagem are seen cavities hev i the construction of the exposed veins and nests of white " cruzadoes have been quartz, from which thousands of cruzadoes have ’ extracted. There men have « Ransack’d the centre, and with impious hands tifled the bowels of their mother Earth For treasures, better hid,”"— opening into the hill full * many a spacious wound, And digg’'d out ribs of gold. « While looking at this spot,” remarks Mr. Luccock, “ and listening to the rapturous accounts which hg people gave of the quantity of gold here thee was led to ask once more, What is become % ly 1 treasure > Where are its fortunate proprietors H ere the permanent marks of their success ? The - y ka swer was, They are gone, and nothing remains. Is grandfather began the work, and seeried to foe In the hands of the son, it declined. The grandchi fsa are sunk into poverty: the estate has been offere or sale, and no one will buy. In the name of pina sense, then I replied, what have these peo) : 2 doing? They have washed into yonder river a pst was most valuable of their ground, and left it bi oe rock. Would it not have been better to Sulne ihe soil, and, by improvements, to render it more as iow productive? In that case, the family might 3% been wealthy, and their descendants might we? on tinued so for ages to come. After all, how Sper ss this appeal! A search for gold becomes a mania, it i nerally incurable.” # . 24 like ye the gold from my fire?” we may well BRAZIL. 61 imagine the demon of the country sarcastically ex- claiming to the adventurers whom this execrable thirst (auri sacra fames) has led to violate the solitude of his mountain recesses. Hitherto it has proved to Brazil a fatal gift. Nowhere does the axiom receive a more striking illustration, that gold is not wealth, than here, where “ the precious bane” has proved literally “ the root of all evil,” the source of indolence, vice, and the most abject wretchedness. Long after the mine has ceased to yield an adequate compensation for working it, “ the grubbing for gold” is carried on with insane eagerness, to the injury of the country and the ruin of individuals. * The Villaricans,” says Mr. Mawe, “ to- tally neglect the fine country around them, which, by proper cultivation, would amply compensate for the loss of the wealth which their ancestors drew from its bosom. Their education, their habits, their here- ditary prejudices, alike unfit them for active life. Per- petually indulging in visionary prospects of sudden wealth, they fancy themselves exempted from that uni- versal law of nature which ordains that man shall live by the sweat of his brow. The successors of men who rise to opulence from small beginnings, seldom follow the example set before them, even when trained to it; how then should a Creolian, reared in ignorance and idleness, feel anything of the benefits of industry > His negroes constitute his principal property; and them he manages so ill, that the profits of their labour hardly defray the expenses of their maintenance : in the re- gular course of nature, they become old and unable to work; yet, he continues in the same listless and slothful way, or sinks into a state of absolute inactivity, not knowing what to do from morning to night. This deplorable degeneracy is almost the universal charac- teristic of the descendants of the original settlers, Every trade is occupied either by mulattoes or negroes, PART III. E or ci En ARN fr 1 ES 0 A PS ATION 5 SADA 62 BRAZIL, both of which classes seem superior in intellect to their masters, because they make a better use of it.” All these rich parts of the province were formerly in the possession of the Indians, but they were soon expelled "almost everywhere by the Paulistas. Those who still remain in Minas Geraes, have, for the most part, gradually retired into the mountainous region which runs along the coast, extending inland to the breadth of from thirty to fifty miles. They consist chiefly of Coroadoes, Coropoes, Puries Botucudoes or Aymores, and Goytacazes. On the western side of the province, beyond the Rio St. Francisco, detached wan- dering troops of Cayapoes are sometimes seen. With the exception of these and part of the Botucudoes, all these tribes have recognized the authority of the Go- vernment, and are kept in awe by several military stations on the borders of the forests. The most trou- blesome and most formidable enemy to the Mineiros, were, for a long time, the cannibal Botucudoes, who reside chiefly on the banks of the lower parts of the Rio Doce ; but attempts have recently been made with success, to open a friendly communication with them for the purposes of trade. Dr. Von Spix has given an account of his visit to the Coroado Indians on the Rio Xipoto; and Prince Maximilian has furnished us with a minute description of the Botucudoes; but we shall reserve both for the description of the eastern coast. MARIANNA. EigHT miles east-north-east of Villa Rica, is the episcopal city of Marianna, situated on the right bank of the Ribéiro do Carmo. The road leads along the Morro into a beautifully romantic landscape, by the side of flowery slopes, adorned with masses of rock re- sembling magnificent ruins.” Many small houses BRAZIL. 63 stand on the road-side, and the numerous travellers give this part of the country an appearance of pros- perity and European activity. After passing the little hamlet Tacoaral, the road becomes a steeper descent, till it reaches Passagem. The gold-mines of this place were formerly very productive, but are now nearly abandoned, and the inhabitants live by the sale of pro- visions. At the bottom of the village, the stream is crossed by a small stone bridge, and the road again ascends the mountain, from the summit of which is seen the city of Marianna lying in the flat valley, which is filled with fragments of rock rolled down by the Do Carmo. The first view of the place, as seen through the chasm in which the river flows, is de- scribed by Mr. Luccock as uncommonly pleasing. “ Between barren rocks, whose sides produce a tele- scopic effect, a fine plain is discovered beyond them, bestrewed with houses and churches. As we advanced, the view naturally closed, until we ascended a hill forming one of the sides, from the brow of which it again opened upon us in a more expanded form. Just at hand was an unfinished church, dedicated to St. Peter, and, three hundred feet below us, the plain on which the city stands. Its churches crowned the small knolls and projections of the surrounding hills; the bishop's palace and gardens adorned the prospect on the right, and the college with its offices stretched beyond them. The city itself is nearly square, and consists principally of two well-paved streets, regularly laid out, and conducting to a sort of plaza or square. The houses, amounting to five hundred, have a cleanly look, arising from their being regularly whitened. The churches are neat, and among them is a spacious cathedral. It enjoys high ecclesiastical, as well as civil privileges; and seems destined, if no folly of men pre- vent its progress, to become hereafter the university of 64 BRAZIL. South America. The supply of water is soaks sino greatly aids in the culture of Many pleasant Fugen interspersed with the buildings. Their Shanon aes not prevent them from exhibiting a luxuriant dist 2 of fruit and flowers. Beyond them, extend fine gre meadows, through which the river runs, like a vein 0 and around is a circle of mountains, enclosing There is in the place an hich I am inclined to attri- the baneful silver; and protecting the whole. unusual air of happiness, w bute to its comparative freedom from aot titre ay spirit of mining. oo The city was originally only an arraial, or station, tres 7 ohn bearing the same name as the stream. In 1711, J V. raised it to the rank of a town, in Jawad o if loyalty, under the title of Villa Leal do Carmo {Loyal Town of Carmo.) In 1745, it was created an eptsensal city by the same monarch, and received, as a Ay 0 roval favour, the name of his queen. Since that time, it has been the residence of the bishop and chapuer of Minas Geraes; but of late, owing, Dr. Von Spix ge gines, to the mines in the neighbourhood wid be come less productive, it seems to be Depleete) oy: ie neighbouring civil authorities in Villa Bey i 5 assigned as the reason that the new eather al SE finished. There are here, a Carmelite and a fons ciscan convent,* and a theological seminary, at whic } most of the clergy of Minas are educated. [he Siro is composed of fourteen canons, with twelve chap ins and four choristers. The diocese of the bishop does not extend over the whole province, several of the more northern districts being within the archiepiscopal see of Bahia+ The fixed revenue of the diocese 1s * This appears to be an especial and solitary exception to the i oliol lore WwW law which interdicts the residence of the religious orders within the mining districts. at . + Dr. Von Spix calls this diocesan, bishop of Minas and bishop BRAZIL. Ho stated at 16,000 cruzadoes, but it is supposed to amount, in fact, to twice that sum. That of the juiz de fora is 11,000 cruzadoes. The city contained in 1818, accord- ing to Dr. Von Spix, 4800 inhabitants, who, together with those of the twelve surrounding parishes, form two regiments of cavalry, twenty companies of white infantry, ten of mulattoes, and five of free blacks. Being placed 500 feet below the site of Villa Rica, and surrounded with lofty eminences, the air is close and hot, and the climate less healthy. * Five days’ journey from Marianna, in an easterly direction, is the Presidio de St. Jodo Baptista; a village of about thirty houses in the midst of thick forests, where resides the director-general of the Indian aldeas in that quarter. This journey was undertaken by Dr. Von Spix and his companion for the purpose of visiting the Coroadoes. The road leads over a projection of the Itacolumi, into a rich tract of wooded country, with few plantations. Large forest tracks are seen, of Marianna. The latter is the more proper title. The first bishopric in Brazil was that of Bahia, founded in 1522, and raised to the rank of an archbishopric in 1667. The statement given at vol. i. p. 21, on the authority of Mr. Southey, must, therefore, be understood of the first bishop of Rio. That see was created in 1552; that of Pernambuco about the same period; and these diocesans, as well as those of Angola and St. Thome in Africa, were made suffragans of Bahia. ‘The bishopric of Maranham, from which, under John V., the bishopric of Para was separated, remained under the archbishopric of Lisbon, on account of the difficulty of the navigation between Maranham and Bahia. In 1744 and 1745, the new bishoprics of Marianna and S. Paulo, and the two extensive prelacies of Goyaz and Matto Grosso, were detached from the diocese of Rio de Janeiro.”—Von Spi, vol. ii. 2686. * M. Von Eschwege makes its elevation above the level of the sea, 3081, toises, which is 23114 lower than Villa Rica. Among the prevalent diseases are * erysipelas, slow fevers, dropsy, and diarrhea. Syphilis,” adds Dr. Von Spix, “is not less common here than in the rest of Minas.” E 2 66 BRAZIL. which have been cleared, but have since been aban- doned, and are now covered with thick brushwood. Except some trenches by the side of the road, where gold-washing has been carried on, and numerous crosses ‘erected as monuments for persons murdered by fugi- tive negroes, there occurs nothing in this gloomy solitude to remind the traveller of man. After a journey of two leagues, Dr. Von Spix descended into a luxuriant valley watered by the Rio Mainarde, which flows into the Rio Doce, and reached, on the other side, a lonely venda, the proprietor of which employed some negroes at a neighbouring gold-washing. The next day conducted them to the fazendas of Oiro Fino, Dos Cristaes, and Coronel Texeira. The principal gold-works in this tract of country belonged to an ecclesiastic. The travellers passed the night at the house of another ecclesiastic, whom they found sur- rounded with many half-white women and children, and ‘ whose library was limited to Ovidius de Arte Amandi.” This young priest seemed to Dr. Von Spix, “a worthy counterpart to the hermit in the Deca- meron.” On the third day, after passing several handsome fazendas, seated on the hills, between which winds the Ribeiro do Bacalhfo, they reached a small village, inhabited chiefly by mullatoes and negroes, formerly called Barra do Bacalhao, but now, St. Anna do Ferros. At this place, the Bacalhdo, and soon after, the Rio Turbo, join the Rio Piranga, which runs to the north-east, and together with the Ribeiro do Carmo, contributes to form the Rio Doce. Even in this remote spot,” says Dr. Von Spix, “we found traces of European manners and civilization. The venda was furnished not only with some of the most necessary provisions, such as bacon, sugar, brandy, maize, flour, but also with cottons, lace, iron-wares, and similar articles. In the evening, the captain of oo hl dhl v Stel RRR ee BRAZIL. 67 the place, a Portuguese, as a special mark of attention, brought us some fresh bread which he had baked for us, of wheat flour.” The next day, passing near the venda das duas Irmaos (the two brothers,) at the con- fluence of the Turbo and the Piranga, they rode over a mountainous and woody country to Capella de St. Rita, situated in an elevated and pleasant valley. “A much more fatiguing journey,” continues this traveller, “awaited us the next day. We had scarcely traversed the well-watered valley, when we stood before the entrance of a forest, into which the sun appeared never to have penetrated. The gneiss and granite formation, which here basks out in several places, with the cha- racter of the vegetation, reminded us still more than before, that we had passed again from the alpine dis- trict of mica and clay-slate, and from the open campos, into the region of the Serra do Mar. The path grew so narrow that one mule could scarcely go behind the other; the forest became gloomy as the Inferno of Dante; and the way, growing narrower and steeper, led in mazy windings on the edge of deep precipices, tra- versed by impetuous torrents, and here and there bordered with detached rocks. The horrors with which this savage solitude filled our souls, was enhanced by the apprehension of an attack of wild animals or hostile Indians, which occupied our imaginations with the most gloomy ideas and melancholy forebodings. Our joy therefore was inexpressible, when we reached the other side of the mountain of the Serra de S. Geraldo, and saw the glimmer of daylight gradually penetrate. After we had conquered a part of the way, which de- scended precipitously and resembled a ravine, we over- looked a forest of prodigious extent, bounded towards the south-west by the Serra da Onca, which is likewise covered with wood. We had scarcely descended into the SRT A 68 BRAZIL. wide plain between these two mountain chains, which chiefly consist of gneiss, and are about 2500 feet high, when we were surprised by seeing in the narrow path two human figures. They were both naked, and their jet black hair hung over their shoulders. They crept along with short step and necks contracted, looking sometimes to the right and sometimes to the left. The man went first, carrying a bow and arrow in his left hand, and had a bundle of arrows hanging over his shoulders. The woman, with the older children, fol- lowed him, and carried on her back a basket made of palm-leaves, which was fastened by a band to her fore- head, and contained the domestic utensils, their pro- visions, such as maize, mandiocca, Spanish potatoes, an earthen pot, &c. Upon it sat a little child, a few months old, which had its arms around its mother’s neck. Scarcely had we perceived each other, when they hurried into the forest, and disappeared.” “When we had reached the first fazenda in the plain, we met with several of these Indians, some with, and some without weapons, who appeared to live upon good terms with the mulattoes and negroes here. We went up to them and saluted them in a friendly manner; they, however, turned aside silent and distrustful, but at length accepted the glass beads, knives, and other pre- sents which were offered them. Even the brown and black inhabitants seemed not pleased with our arrival, so much did they participate with the Indians in the savageness and rudeness of the place. We therefore found ourselves very uncomfortably situated in this company, and passed a sleepless night, not without apprehensions of a surprise, in a barn, which did not afford either us or our effects sufficient protection from the rain, which poured down in torrents. A thick fog still covered the high trees of the forests, when we set BRAZIL. 69 out on the following morning for the Presidio de S. Jodo Baptista, the intended termination of our journey, which we reached at noon.” ENVIRONS OF VILLA RICA EASTWARD. Mgr. MAawE gives an account of a journey which he took for the purpose of visiting two estates belonging to the Conde de Linhares, distant forty miles from Villa Rica. At three miles from Marianna, he passed through Alto da Chapada, a small village on an elevated plain. Passing over the mountain, he then descended to the bed of the Rio do Carmo, where it is as large as the Thames at Windsor,” and soon after passed a straggling village which he calls St. Giatanha. Three miles fur- ther, he halted for the night at the fazenda of Lavras Velhas. The next day, he passed Morro das Arréaes, and proceeding through afine country, reached the Rio de San Joze, where it washes the base of the Altos de St. Miguel. Here are vestiges of one of the oldest and most extensive gold-washings, which yielded much treasure to its discoverer and proprietor, Senhor Ma- theeus Barboza. “I expressed some surprise,” Says Mr. Mawe, “ at observing no good dwelling-houses in a district which formerly produced so much wealth; and was informed, that the first miners, eager to take the cream of the gold to as large an extent as they could, seldom remained long on the same spot, con- tenting themselves with building sheds, or ranchos, to serve for their temporary residence.” Descending from the heights, Mr. Mawe entered on the estate belonging to the then prime minister of Brazil, the descendant of the original proprietor.* It is called fazenda do Barro, * Senhor Mathzus Barboza, a settler of great respectability, who took up these lands, and expelled the aborigines, in the early part of the last century, had an only daughter, whom he sent to ——— —— eC po So and is described as in the midst of a most enchanting country. The river San Joze runs in front of the house. At the distance of seven miles is the fazenda de Castro, “ situated near the confluence of the Ribeiro do Carmo and the Rio Gualacho, which form the San Joze, a river as large as the Thames at Battersea.” Four miles further, pursuing the course of the river, is the aldea of St. Joze de Barra Longa, containing about 400 inhabitants, and situated on the very confines of the territory inhabited by the Botucudoes. The gold with which this district abounded, was the temptation that led the first settlers to plant themselves in this exposed and dangerous station. About two leagues from this village is the arraial of Piranga, situated near the river of the same name, which, at a distance of four leagues, Mr. Mawe says, joins the San Joze, and with it forms the Rio Doce. * Piranga is perhaps more ex- posed to the attacks of the Indians, than St. Joze; but there are some gold-washings in its neighbourhood, which tempt the inhabitants to brave the danger. A small band of horse-soldiers is stationed here, to parade the confines, enter the woods, and go in quest of the natives whenever information is given. Yet, notwith- standing these precautions, the village is never in per- fect security.” Piranga, according to Cazal, is twenty miles south-east of Villa Rica.*® It is singular, that neither the river San Joze, men- tioned by Mr. Mawe, nor the Rio Turbo, mentioned by Portugal to be educated, and who, at his death, inherited his immense wealth. She was married in Lisbon to a gentleman of the family of Souza, and from her descended the Conde de Lin- hares, and another noblemen of the same name. * Mr. Mawe places it at double that distance to the north-east; but, in the more correct map of the eastern coast given by Prince Maximilian, it is placed agreeably to the statement given in the text. The Piranga evidently joins the Do Carmo south of the Guallacho, that is, nearer its source. BRAZIL. 71 Dr. Von Spix, is noticed by Cazal. The Doce is stated to have its origin in the Serra Mantiqueira. * After flowing for a considerable space to the north-north-east, under the name of Chopoto, it receives the Piranga from the Serra of Oiro Branco; afterwards the Gual- lacho, formed by two streams of the same name, which issue from the Serra of Oiro Preto. At this conflu- ence, it inclines to the east, and gathers the Bom- baca and the Percicaba, which flow from the west, and have their sources in the Serra Lapa. Here it takes the name under which it enters the ocean. A little lower, it is joined on the left by the considerable river St. Antonio. Ten miles further, it is joined, on the same side, by the Corrente, which flows from Serro Frio, with a course of more than a hundred miles. Thirty miles lower, it receives the large Sassuhy, whose heads ema- nate from the serras of Serro Frio and Esmeraldas; afterwards the Laranjeiras; a little below, the Cuyate, the largest of those which enter it on the right; and finally the Manhuassu.”* It is often difficult to deter- mine which branch of a river has the best claim to be considered as its source. The Guallacho is, possibly, another name for the San Joze of Mr. Mawe, which he states to be formed by the Do Carmo and the Gualla- cho; and the Chopoto is apparently the Do Carmo. Both of these streams issue from the serra of Oiro Pre- to, and flow southward. The Piranga, originating fur- ther southward, and gathering the waters of the Rio Turbo and the Bacalhdo, would seem to join the Do Carmo on the southern bank, previously to its con- fluence with the Guallacho on the northern side. But it is difficult to make out any consistent statement from the perplexed and very imperfect information we * Henderson’s Brazil, p. 264. i CER MR WEE oni — et Wr opr ert wr TEI, NT A TB IA 72 BRAZIL. a at present possess relative to the geography of these parts. TOPAZ MINES OF CAPAO. During his residence at Villa Rica, Dr. Von Spix made several excursions in different directions. One of these, by way of Capao to the neighbourhood of Congonhas do Campo, supplies us with very interesting matter. Capdao™* has already been mentioned as the place which furnishes the Brazilian topaz. What is called the topaz-mine, is nothing more than an open quarry, which is thus described by Mr. Mawe. * After walking about half a mile up the mountain, I was shown two breaks or slips, in which my guide informed me were the topaz-mines. We entered one of them, which was in extent little short of two acres. The argillaceous schistus, which formed the upper stratum, appeared in a variety of stages, the greater part migrating into mi- caceous schistus. In one part, I observed two negroes poking in the little soft veins which the slips disclosed, with a piece of rusty iron, probably part of an old hoop and on inquiring what they were about, I was informed they were the miners searching for topazes. 1 took one of their instruments, and on using it as they did, found these veins to contain a very minute micaceous sub- stance approaching to earthy talc, also some quartz, and large crystals of specular iron ore. I had the good fortune to find two or three topazes, which, as they had only one pyramid each, and appeared fractured, I judged to be out of their original place. It had hitherto been my opinion, that all the topazes which I had seen at Rio de Janeiro, or elsewhere, and which were of * Written by Mr. Luccock, Chapaom and Chapon. BRAZIL. 73 similar form to these, had been broken from the matrix by the miners; I now, therefore, fully expected to meet with some having double pyramids; but, to my great disappointment, all that I found were entirely detached. From a great quantity (at least a cart-load) of inferior topazes which were afterwards shown to me in the owner’s house, (and any number of which I might’have taken away,) I could not select one with a double pyra- mid. They informed me that sometimes, but very rarely, topazes have been found attached to quartz; but even in these instances, the quartz was fractured, and out of its original place. The topazes which were shown me, were very imperfect and full of flaws.” These precious stones are found in three different places. The mine which Dr. Von Spix examined, was a hill immediately behind the fazenda of Lana, which, on one side, for a considerable breadth, and to a height of sixty feet, had become so softened by rains and by water conducted upon it by art, that it had become like a marsh. “ We found the owner and his slaves,” he says, “busy in looking for topazes. The soil is thrown up into long heaps with shovels, and washed by means of water conducted over it into a narrow channel, with some wooden lattices fixed in it, so that only the more solid parts remain behind, which are then broken with hoes and with the hands in search of topazes. These harder parts of the decomposed formation are the frag- ments of white quartz, often quite friable, sometimes mingled with detached rock-crystals, and are often ac- companied with a white or brown ferruginous porcelain earth. The latter, which is here called massa branca, is the surest indication of the presence of topazes, which lie loose and scattered in it, as well as (though more rarely) among the broken and decomposed quartz. The workmen give the name of mala-cacheta to the fine softened mica of a yellow and pinchbeck-brown PART III, F TE ——— TE Be ste Sr ES ar —————————— LT — 74 BRAZIL. earth, which one is tempted to call earthy talc. To- pazes are found in it, but less frequently than in the broken remains of veins; and they have been observed, not only in the softened parts of the formation, but, as for instance at Capao, also in that which is still solid. The vein of quartz, filled with porcelain earth, and con- taining the topazes, commonly runs between rifts of earthy talc, which is distinguished by its colour and compactness from that lying near it, and is called For- macao. The quartz vein, which, on account of the mobility of the whole mass, does not always preserve the same direction, but at the time of our visit ran from north to south, is from one inch to a foot and a half or more in thickness, and is carefully followed by the workmen. It frequently widens into large nest-like expansions, which present nothing but sterile broken quartz without topazes. The latter are also found, but very seldom, combined with the quartz rock or rock- crystal, in general broken at one extremity: we were never able to find, even in the mine, any with crystals terminated by planes at both extremities. The topaz miners have a custom very unfavourable to the crys- tallographer, which is, to endeavour to prepare each stone for cutting, by knocking off the impure particles with the hammer, or entirely dividing pieces which have flaws. “The size of the stones is very various: the workmen affirmed that pieces have been found as large as a fist. The natural colour is manifold, sometimes greyish, sometimes bright-yellow, and sometimes a mean be- tween this and carnation of different shades, very rarely dark-red. The stones which are found in the mala-cacheta are said to be the lighest. The inhabi- tants understand how to give to the topazes an artificial colour, particularly rose colour, by means of heat. The number of topazes annually found here is very BRAZIL. 75 ie considerable, and may amount to about fi arrobas: this quantity, fit for polishing; fty or sixty however, is not always pure and on the contrary, a great part of them are of so imperfect a colour and so full of flaws, that they are thrown away as useless, The octava a gold weight) of the inferior sort of the stones fit for cutting 1s sold at 320 rees; of the best at 2000 rees, Remark. ably large, beautiful, and brilliant stones are ld © on the spot at from twenty to thirty piastres. part of these topazes is exported de Janeiro, a smaller The greater d from this place to Rio portion to Bahia; and in both places, so great a quantity has been within a few ye at the mine itself, Together with euklase is also found here, and h accumulated ars, that the prices there are lower than the topaz, the : fou as attracted the atten- tion of the Mineiros since mineralogists hav on 0 e inquired after it. This stone i al i i ter it. This stone in general is scarce, and is more frequent in the mine of Capéo than in that of Lana."* LEAD MINE OF CUJABEIRA. ; Five leagues to the west of Capéo, is the iron- foundry of De Prata, established by M. Von Eschwege under the auspices of the Conde de Palma, The inter- mediate tract of country consists of beautifully hilly campos, richly diversified, but almost totall of inhabitants. The establishment produces annuall about a thousand arrobas of iron, < The ore is a rich iron-glance, but particularly magnetic iron-stone, the very thick beds of which stand out near the founds » The rock is mica-slate. a | A league and a half to the south-south-east of De Prata, are the gold and lead mines of Senhor Romualdo Joze Monteiro do Barros, which it was the object of y destitute * Von Spix’s Travels, vol. ii. p. 164—7, A 74 BRAZIL. earth, which one is tempted to call earthy talc. To- pazes are found in it, but less frequently than in the broken remains of veins; and they have been observed, not only in the softened parts of the formation, but, as for instance at Capiao, also in that which is still solid. The vein of quartz, filled with porcelain earth, and con- taining the topazes, commonly runs between rifts of earthy tale, which is distinguished by its colour and compactness from that lying near it, and is called For- macao. The quartz vein, which, on account of the mobility of the whole mass, does not always preserve the same direction, but at the time of our visit ran from north to south, is from one inch to a foot and a half or more in thickness, and is carefully followed by the workmen. It frequently widens into large nest-like expansions, which present nothing but sterile broken quartz without topazes. The latter are also found, but very seldom, combined with the quartz rock or rock- crystal, in general broken at one extremity: we were never able to find, even in the mine, any with crystals terminated by planes at both extremities. The topaz miners have a custom very unfavourable to the crys- tallographer, which is, to endeavour to prepare each stone for cutting, by knocking off the impure particles with the hammer, or entirely dividing pieces which have flaws. “The size of the stones is very various: the workmen affirmed that pieces have been found as large as a fist. The natural colour is manifold, sometimes greyish, sometimes bright-yellow, and sometimes a mean be- tween this and carnation of different shades, very rarely dark-red. The stones which are found in the mala-cacheta are said to be the lighest. The inhabi- tants understand how to give to the topazes an artificial colour, particularly rose colour, by means of heat. The number of topazes annually found here is very BRAZIL. 75 considerable, and may amount to about fifty or sixt arrobas: this quantity, however, is not always pure i fit for polishing; on the contrary, a great part of ders are of so imperfect a colour and so full of flaws, that they are thrown away as useless, The octava on gold weight) of the inferior sort of the stones fit for cutting 1s sold at 320 rees; of the best at 2000 rees oo ably large, beautiful, and bri] fF the spot at from twenty to th part of these topazes de Janeiro, a smaller Remark- iant stones are sold upon : urty piastres. The greater 1S exported from this place to Rio Sm Doras to Bahia; and in both ace g y has been accumulated within a few years, that the prices there are lower than at the mine itself, Together with the topaz the euklase is also found here, and has attracted the atten : tion of the Mineiros since mineralogists have inived after it. This stone in general is scarce, and is more frequent in the mine of Capio than in that of Lana,”* LEAD MINE OF CUJABEIRA. ; Five leagues to the west of C foundry of De Prata, established by under the auspices of the Conde de P mediate tract of ¢ apéo, is the iron- M. Von Eschwege : alma. The inter- ountry consists of beanti illy campos, richly diversified, but almost nly of inhabitants. The establishment produces annuall about a thousand arrobas of iron. “The ore is a ric, iron-glance, but particularly magnetic iron-stone, the very thick beds of which stand out I The rock is mica-slate. A league and a half to the south-south-east of De Prata, are the gold and lead mines of Senhor Romualdo Joze Monteiro do Barros, which it was the object of near the foundry.” * Von Spix’s Travels, vol. ii. p. 164—7, SoS Tr ——————— ee ——— - aon SORTING BNI 76 BRAZIL. Dr. Von Spix’s journey in this direction to visit. The gold-mine is a cream-coloured clay-slate traversed by auriferous veins of quartz. ‘ The metal is dissemi- nated in the friable quartz, which is covered, on its rifts, with an earthy coat containing manganese, in such small particles, that they frequently cannot be distin- guished by the naked eye. The vein is in some places uncommonly rich in this metal. From a piece of quartz of the size of a fist, which was broken off by the hammer, a negro obtained by washing, in our pre- sence, a visible quantity of very fine gold dust, worth 100 rees. The clay-slate too, which is frequently coated on the rifts with black, dendritic manganese, contains gold; but, in this mine, they work only the quartz veins.” The mine in which the chromate of lead was disco- vered, called the mine of Cujabeira, is in a low hill of clay, scarcely a league distant from the fazenda. “We in vain searched,” says Dr. Von Spix, “ among the debris, to find a few tolerably large species of this fossil, till Senhor Monteiro conducted us to a small adit which he had just opened. Here, we had the pleasure of observing the red-lead ore in a vein of friable, greyish-white, granular quartz, among pretty much disintegrated, white, scaly, lithomarge, of the thickness of a few inches to a foot. The quartz, which forms the matrix, is here and there of a lemon-colour, and traversed with brown oxyde of iron. The crystals of the chromate of lead are very small, and seldom show well-defined terminal planes: they form rather oblique four-sided prisms, with sharp, bevilled ends, and agree in the chief characteristics with the Siberian. In the vicinity of the red crystals, there is not unfre- quently an earthy coat of yellowish-green lead ore. On the whole, the mode of occurring, as well of the red, as of the green chromate of lead at Cujabeira BRAZIL. 77 perfectly coincides with that at Beresof, on the Ural, in Siberia, which grows in quartz veins in the talc- rock, mixed with grains of quartz. The resemblance of the lithomarge of Cujabeira to that of Capo, in which the topazes are found, appears the more worthy of remark, because Pallas mentions, that topazes are likewise found, single and collected, in drused cavities, at Beresof in Siberia, in the gold veins.” ¥ Not far from this estate is the arrajal of Matozinho, visited by Mr. Luccock in returning from Marianna to St. Jodo d’el Rey. He describes it as a clean, lively, little town, composed of about 150 houses with several churches, hanging on the northern bank of the Parao- peba, in front of Congonhas, “in the same manner that Gateshead does with respect to Newcastle-upon- Tyne.” The river flowing between the two towns, is about seventy yards wide, has a good wooden bridge across it, and separates the two comarcas of Villa Rica and the Rio das Mortes. Congonhas, (written by Mr. Luccock Caancunha, i.e. “ woman of the forest,” the name being derived from a medicinal plant,) situated upon the steep bank of the river, presents a very pleasing object when viewed from the north. It con- tains about 200 houses and several chapels, one of which, though small in dimensions, vies, in splendid ornaments, with any ecclesiastical edifice in the coun- try. It formed the object of this traveller's visit, and may be considered, on more accounts than one, as THE LORETTO OF BRAZIL. “Ir is not,” we are told, “ in its exterior, that this church makes such high pretensions; yet, its appear- * Von Spix, vol. ii. pp. 272—1 and 291. Pm — | ie—— s—— A aie TT. 78 BRAZIL. ance, is respectable. The stone used in its construc- tion is hard, with a slaty texture and a greenish colour; and the masses composing the walls and pavement, are large and well cut. Standing on the brow of a considerable elevation, it is reached by a double flight of broad steps, which meet in a platform, connected with a spacious paved area, in the front of which is a handsome stone balustrade. Within the area are twelve statues, about eight feet high, intended to re- present the prophets of the Jewish church. They are well executed, their costume appropriate, their atti- tudes various; and each holds a scroll, on which is engraved, in Latin, and in an ancient letter, a striking passage from his own writings. It is said, that they are the production of an artist who had no hands; that the hammer and chisel were fastened to his stumps by an assistant, and in that manner their most delicate cutting was executed. One circumstance slightly sup- ports the credibility of this story: the stone of which the statues are formed, is of the soft and saponaceous kind, which abounds in the quarries of the neighbour- hood, and appears to harden from exposure to the air. “ But the internal wealth and decoration of this church are the things which give it most celebrity. The walls are divided into rows of compartments, of which the upper ones are filled with good paintings, representing portions of the history of Jesus Christ, from his birth to his crucifixion, and the lower with pictures, in a less relieved style, of several detached religious subjects. Round the bottom of the arched roof, are representations of the state of innocence, of sin, and regeneration; and above them, some historical pieces from the Old Testament. The great altar is exceedingly splendid, and over it, covered with a glass case, is a small image of Our Lady, most exquisitely cut from a stone of the country, of the purest white, BRAZIL. 79 probably quartz or feldspar. The altars of particular saints are, also, highly ornamented with polished stones of Brazil, of different colours, white, green, red, and variegated. A small organ, gaudily painted, is placed over the principal entrance, and in various parts are distributed lamps, the donations of the pious, some of them of silver, others of cut glass. The conservatory 1s, in its ceiling, an excellent portrait of Pope Pius the Sixth. ‘“ Close by the church, yet separate from it, is the house of miracles, consisting of one large room, and containing some hundreds of paintings, models, and tablets, memorials of cures performed and deliverances granted. There are in it, also, four statues of wood, which are carried in religious processions: one of them, that of the Converted Centurion, is really a fine piece of carving. My companions were not pleased that this should receive higher admiration than the multitude of clumsy models of heads and limbs, and of miserable daubings, with which it was surrounded; and the cicerone, who was in a priest’s habit, seemed parti- cularly anxious to correct my pitiable ignorance, and rouse my attention to proper objects. With all the preface which might have introduced the last judg- ment, and with a solemnity worthy of that subject, he told me, that Our Lady had lately granted a very sin- gular favour, having communicated to some distin- guished individual, an infallible method of destroying ants. I could not but acknowledge that this was an object worthy the interposition of the blessed Virgin herself, in a region where there are more ants than leaves, where these insects are sometimes more than an inch long, and cannot be kept from intruding into the most sacred places, not even from making their abode among the petticoats of Our Lady herself; nor could I fail to be curious as to the modes which she -— mn = 1d { i Edi me a TI, NT, ERR 80 BRAZIL. had deigned to prescribe. These were, to inflame a quantity of sulphur, near the apertures to their nests, and to fill the hollow dome with its fumes, by means of an instrument never heard of before. This new, celestial machine, he described minutely, and, by his imitation of the motion of the hands in using it, made me clearly comprehend that it was no other than an English pair of bellows. To be longer grave, though on holy ground, was impossible; and I advised him, the next time the Virgin interfered in the affair, to whisper in her ear, that gunpowder would answer the same purpose much more effectually, which the heretics knew by experience, long before her Ladyship mani- fested any concern about the business. Still he main- tained, that the instrument was a gift becoming the first favourite in heaven; and remained utterly faith- less when assured that it had long been conferred on almost every cottager in Britain. He would converse no longer; and I, too, thought it high time to be silent, recollecting the poor wanderer at Coral Novo, and his incredible story of English glass windows. * * This alludes to a poor fellow who, having worked for a few months in London as a harness maker, till sent to South America by the Portuguese consul, had carried thither such extraordinary accounts of what he had seen in England, as to excite an incre- dulity fatal to his own character for veracity. Among other in- credible things, he had said, that all the houses, even those of the poor, in England, had glass windows, and that the whole country was like one continued town, except that the buildings stood more thickly in some places than in others. ‘ How,” it was asked by those who had never seen a glazed window, ‘can those people be poor, who cover their windows with glass, a sub- stance which with us is almost as valuable as gold, and more valuable, weight for weight, than silver is? and how can people find water whose houses are scattered over all the country? We have only four or five towns in as many hundred miles, and yet Brazil has too many inhabitants, for some of us are obliged to go into the Sertads or depths of the forests, to find new land.” BRAZIL. 81 ‘“ Seldom have I met with so thorough a Catholic devotee as this man. Had he lived a few ages earlier, and been allowed a wider stage on which to figure, he could hardly have missed the honour of canonization. He was a native of Caancunha, and had seldom gone beyond its precincts; he had taken an early vow never to leave this church, and was ignorant of all extraneous matters, things unconnected with his own chosen and per- petual abode. In him, faith had blotted out almost every trace of reason and judgment, to a degree which might justly render him an object of unqualified wonder to a thinking European. “Behind the church is another sacred singularity—a garden in imitation of Paradise, where Adam and Eve, beneath the Cross, are sitting beside a fountain, in all the nudity of innocence. They are surrounded by a multitude of birds and beasts, of a domestic, and of a wild and savage kind. It is observable how many ab- surdities the contriver has introduced into so confined a scene; but they seem no longer in vogue, for the place is falling into complete dilapidation.” From Congonhas, Mr. Luccock proceeded in a west- south-west direction, winding round to the S., to Su4- sui, a village containing about fifty houses; and the following day, twenty-five miles in a southerly direc- tion brought him, by way of a place called Olho das Agoas, to Lagoa Dourada. “The morro on which this town stands,” says Mr. Luccock, “is unconnected with any other, and when viewed at a distance, appears ex- ceedingly rough. On gaining its summit, I was sur- prised to see a thick wood, through which the road passed, while all the lower grounds are perfectly naked. The town is placed in a sort of ravine, full four hundred feet deep. It contains about two hundred whitened houses, of an ordinary kind, some of a smaller description, and a few which are no better than huts, . r2 TE AAS — — Volins a i - » Wd pe vo —“— “ I RR ii SAR fi it oni a SN —— ne ss RATT a 82 BRAZIL. It has three churches and seven chapels ; an ample pro- vision, surely, for the public devotions of about two thousand inhabitants. They subsist by the produce of gold mines, and seemed to have laboured with greater success than many of their neighbours; for, in no place north of St. John d’el Rey have I noticed so many appearances of comfort. Yet, the people in general too plainly showed themselves to be ignorant, vain, and idle, though not without their share of curiosity.” From this spot, streams flow northward to the St. Francisco, eastward to the Rio Doce, and westward to the Paraguay. It is supposed to be the highest ground in the comarca. From Lagoa Dourado to St. Joho d’el Rey, is a distance of twenty-four miles, the direction south by west, the descent about 800 feet. The approach in this direction is described as exceed- ingly fine: “ the scene wants only more wood on the lofty downs which skirt the dells, to become quite enchanting.” EXCURSION TO SERRA CARACA. ANOTHER excursion made by Dr. Von Spix, was to the village or arraial of Antonio Perreira, so called from its founder; distant (according to Cazal) eight miles to the N.E. of Marianna. After passing the stony ridge of the morro of Villa Rica, he passed, at about a league’s distance, the Rio das Velhas, here an inconsiderable stream. It has its source in the vicinity of St. Bartholomew,* six miles west of Villa Rica, and * Dr. Von Spix says, five leagues to the north of Villa Rica, but this we suspect to be a typographical error, since Bento Rodriguez, which is stated to lie about two leagues and a half north-east of the iron-foundry of Perreira is but three leagues BRAZIL. 83 after a winding course of more than 200 miles, inter- rupted by many falls, during which it gathers the waters of the Parauna, the Pardo, and the Curmatahy on the right, and the Bicudo on the left, it joins, near St. Romio, the Rio de St. Francisco. The gold mines of Antonio Perreira were very productive a few years ago; but the mine was closed, and the work stopped, by the falling in of a shaft sixty feet deep, which buried fourteen workmen. The whole mountain is of the same geological character as the auriferous morro of Villa Rica. In the pleasant valley not far from the village, there is a natural grotto—a singular curiosity in Brazil, which has been converted into a small chapel of Nossa Senhora da Lapa. Here, every Sunday, mass is chanted, and a festival is held annually on the 15th of August. The roof is overspread with stalactites. The rock is termed by Dr. Von Spix, a very compact light-grey calcareous stone, probably primitive lime- stone; it sometimes shows on its rifts a mammillated coating of sulphur. To the north-west of the village, M. Von Eschwege had recently established a small iron-foundry: the rock is rich enough to supply all Minas with iron, yielding from 60 to 80 per cent. A mountainous country, for the most part covered with the “ auriferous, stratified, iron-stone formation,” and exhibiting numerous trenches and open mines, extends in a north-easterly direction to the village of Bento Rodriguez, a distance of between two and three leagues. “ Everything indicates,” says Dr. Von Spix, “ that the prosperity of this district is past, and nothing remains but scattered fragments of its former opulence. The houses are ruinous, miserable within, and the inhabitants look very wretched.” A few miles further north of Marianna. It is observable, that Cazal computes all the distances from the ecclesiastical metropolis of Minas—not from Villa Rica. TITIAN STII I ATS ET 84 BRAZIL. is the larger village of Inficionado, distinguished as the birth-place of the only epic poet which Brazil has yet produced—Father Durad, author of CAMURURU (the “ Man of Fire,”) in which is celebrated the discovery of Brazil* The place contained, at the time of Mr. Mawe’s visit, full 1500 inhabitants. Here Dr. Von Spix passed the night, and, on the following morning, set out for Innocenzio, the fazenda of the guarda mor, +t on the Serra do Caraga (large face 3) “so called from having a portion of it similar to an enormous physi- ognomy.” It extends nearly three leagues N. and S., and towers above all its neighbours with its bold, rugged outlines. Mr. Henderson describes it as * a dismemberment of the grand cordillera:” its base is fifty miles in circuit, and it is steep and craggy all around. From the fazenda, which resembles at a distance a magnificent fort, there is a fine prospect of the arraial of Catas Altas beneath, the Serra de Itaberava, rich in amethysts, and the singular granite peak of Itambe in the distance. The gold-mine of Innocenzio had been worked for eighty years, and yet still employed eighty negroes. Thé rock abounds also with iron. There was a solemnity in the manner of the venerable old senhor, the guarda mor, which reminded Dr. Von Spix of the Quakers. “Infact,” he says, “he belonged to the sect of the Sebastianistas, who expect the return of King Sebastian who was slain in the battle of Alcazar against the Moors, and, with his return, the most glo- rious epoch of the Portuguese monarchy. The followers of this sect, who are distinguished by their industry, frugality, and benevolence, are more numerous in * ¢ Camururu: Poema Epico do Descubrimento da Bahia. Composta por Fr. Jose de S. Rita Duraé. Lisboa. 1781. 8vo.” For the history of Camaruru, see vol. i. p. 13. t The guarda-mores are a sort of surveyors-general BRAZIL. 85 Brazil, and particularly in Minas Geraes, than even in the mother country. Senhor Innocenzio endeavoured to convince us, out of a great number of manuscript prophecies, of the approaching happiness of Brazil. We assured him, without, however, hoping for the return of Don Sebastian, that Brazil was advancing to the period of its greatest prosperity.” * The next morning, after his guests had attended a solemn mass in the beautiful private chapel attached to his establishment, the worthy Sebastianista sent a mulatto to attend them to the Hospicio (or monastery) da Mdi dos Homens (mother of men,) on the summit of the mountain, taking leave of them with cordial benedictions. This singular spot claims a particular description. “The road led up the west side of the mountain, over grassy slopes, intersected by numerous trenches. The landscape gradually became more bare and rugged ; numerous plants of singular forms grew on the lonely, rocky path; gloomy wooded hills and ravines alternated with smiling pastures; or dazzling white rocks, and streams rushing between thick enclosures of ferns, aroidew, and orchidee, invited to repose. At length, proceeding by a narrow path through thick, low wood, we came to an elevated valley, closed like an amphi- theatre, in which the cheerful building of the Hospicio * Mr. Luccock’s guide to St. Jodo d’el Rey, Jose Correio Pinto, was one of this singular sect. ‘ He was a sincere, but not an ob- trusive religionist,” says Mr. L.; ‘“ and more than once, in the stillness of the night, was I awaked by the low murmurs of the people whom, as he thought, he had called unobserved to prayers. I believe him to be a less violent, but more conscientious Sebas- tianista than some others whom I intimately knew. . They form a sect among the Portuguese Catholics, who as devoutly expect the return of the royal St. Sebastian, as the Jews expect their Messiah, or the Christians the re-appearance of their Lord.”— Notes, &c. p 445, + eer cot Ee PD ty a TTI, 0 PR ERIS ESE Ne 86 BRAZIL. struck our view, All nature here breathes content, and an inexpressible feeling of tranquillity and calm plea- sure fills the mind of the traveller. “ We ascended a flight of broad stone steps to the convent, which, even at a distance, seems to announce, through the crown of waving palms which overshadow it, that here is a secure retreat for the unhappy, a peaceful asylum for him who is weary of life. No place on earth is more calculated to disengage the mind from worldly inclinations and cares, than this secluded abode of pious contemplation. The traveller more willingly indulges in the agreeable impressions which the place excites, because they are very rare in a country so thinly peopled, and where the arts are in so low a state. The Hospicio de Nossa Senhora Mai dos Homens stands as the triumph of the persevering piety of a single man, who, in 1771, commenced the building with charitable donations, and, by degrees, adorned the church with paintings, carving, gold, silver, and precious stones. The venerable hermit, a native of Portugal, and above a century old, was still alive. He was much rejoiced at having been visited in this solitude by Europeans. As he was no longer able to direct the assistance of other brethren, none of whom were here at the time, it was confided to an admi- nistrator sent by the Government. They received us with much cordiality, and we were surprised to find clean beds, table linen, and other conveniences in abundance. The establishment has already acquired some property by pious donations. Eight negro slaves cultivate the land in the vicinity, or attend to the horned cattle, which thrive here admirably. The butter made here excels in taste and sweetness that of the Swiss Alps. In the neighbourhood of the convent, there are several kinds of European fruit-trees, such as cherries, quinces, apples, chestnuts, and olives; but BRAZIL. 87 / these last, notwithstanding the cool and elevated situa- tion of the places, bear no fruit, The treasures of this beautiful mountain valley keep the naturalist in a con- tinued transport. The forms of the plants here are in- credibly diversified and beautiful. Op the first day, we gathered near a hundred kinds of plants before un- known to us. In the evening, when returning from our excursions, a new pleasure awaited us, when, from the terrace before the convent, we saw the bright disk of the moon rise above the mountain, or the serene sky gradually illuminated with the constellations of the southern firmament. The call of the vesper bell in the romantically beautiful mountain valley, awakened in our souls a mixture of the most soothing sensations, uniting the recollection of our distant country with the enjoyment of the beauties which surrounded us. “ We reluctantly quitted this paradise after a stay of two days, and ascended the chief peak of the mountain, in order to descend on the east side to Inficionado. This road, too, offered, at every step, new objects and new attractions. We proceeded by the side of a tran- sparent stream, through a cool side-valley enclosed by steep rocks, till we came to an opening between them, and reached an elevated terrace covered with vellosia, which afforded us a last view of the lonely monastery. From this vlace, the road became steeper as we de- scended, so that we did not think it prudent to remain on our mules. The taller trees and shrubs gradually ceased, and we had to make our way with much diffi- culty through low bushes. In the white quartz-slate, large spots of which were often bare, we observed nar- row veins and fragments of a compact shining quartz, in which kyanite and rhaéticite occur, and here and there casual pieces of common shorl. “On several parts of the mountain, we heard the noise of subterraneous waters, which penetrate between 88 BRAZIL. the crevices and clefts of the rock, and at last issue out below, in cool streams. From the top of the mountain, we saw the rocky summit of the Itacolumi in the south- east; and in the east and north-east, several low moun- tain chains, through which the Rio Percicaba and the Rio de S. Barbara flow to join the Rio Doce. On the eastern side, the declivity of the Serra do Caraga is so steep, and the narrow path is covered with so many loose fragments of rock, that the descentinto the valley is extremely dangerous. We at length happily reached Inficionado.” The same evening, the travellers reached Bento Ro- driguez, and, on the following day, returned by the main road through Marianna to Villa Rica. We must now leave the land of gold for the land of diamonds. FROM VILLA RICA TO TEJUCO. THE object of Mr. Mawe’s journey, it will be recol- lected, was to explore the diamond mines of the Serro do Frio, which are a hundred miles further north. After a short stay at Villa Rica, he set out for Tejuco, attended by the two soldiers and his negro servant. The route lies through the city of Marianna. After passing the village of Bento Rodriguez, he arrived the first night at Inficionado, distant fifteen miles north of Marianna. Half a league further, the Corgo do Infi- cionado, a fine rivulet, flows through a country rich in gold, the peculiar colour of which has given rise to the name of the district, which is properly Ouro Inficionado, infected gold. Near the village of St. Barbara, (which Cazal gives as the name also of the stream,) gold-wash- ings appear in all directions. At eight miles further, leading over a fine open country, is the once large and flourishing arraial of Catas Altes (deep mines,) now BRAZIL. 89 falling into decay, through the diminution of the gold. [t contained at this time at least 2000 inhabitants, and the neighbourhood seemed populous. After passing the arraial of Cocaes, distant about six miles from Catas Altas, Mr. Mawe halted for the night, at the mansion of the capitam mor of the district, having travelled this day thirty wiles. The third day, he reached a hamlet called Vaz; the fourth day, the village of Itambé, situated near a fine river of the same name. “This place,” says Mr. Mawe, * was formerly of some consequence; but, as the gold in its vicinity failed, it sank into poverty and wretchedness. It contains about 1000 inhabitants, who, degraded to the lowest stage of inactive apathy, looked as if they were the ghosts of their progenitors haunting the ruins of their departed wealth! Everything about them bore a cheerless aspect; the houses were ready to fall to the ground, through want of repair; the door places were overgrown with grass, and the patches of garden ground that here and there appeared, were covered with weeds. The face of the country, too, was entirely different from that which I had passed, being universally dry, sterile, and stony. The commandant of the place answered our remarks on the visible signs of starvation in the looks of the villagers, by coolly saying, ¢ While they get Indian corn to eat, and water to drink, they will not die of hunger.” I was glad to depart from this home of famine, as fast as possible, heartily joining in the exclamation which the Portuguese have bestowed upon it: Das mizerias de Itambé libera nos, Domine— (From the miseries of Itambé the Lord deliver us.”) The following day, Mr. Mawe came, at the end of five miles, to the Rios das Onzas (ounce river.) A rugged and mountainous tract succeeded, on descending from which, he forded a rather deep stream, called the Rio Negro, and, riding for some distance along its mar- ——— na a ——r——— rm ——— =o a OA ————— a SR ———— Lor For a TEN Os 90 BRAZIL. gin, arrived at the deserted village of Gaspar Soares, the site of some exhausted gold-washings.* He lodged at a house some way beyond, seated about half way up a picturesque mountain, consisting almost entirely of micaceous iron ore. The route, on the following day, lay for some leagues over hills abounding with the same metal, to a place called Lagos or Ouro Branco (white gold,) from the platina found here in a gold-washing, in the bed of the stream. It was accompanied with gold and black oxyde of iron, and the miners imagined it to be gold united with some other metal from which it could not be separated: accordingly, as the quantity of real gold was small, and the white gold, as they called it, was not known to be of value, the works were gra- dually neglected, and at length abandoned. The rivulet Lagos empties itself into the Rio St. Antonio, along which the road lies for some distance to the “ large and tolerably handsome village” of Conceigao, which seemed to Mr. Mawe large enough to contain 2000 in- habitants, but, like most others in this exhausted dis- trict, it is fast hastening to decay. The vestiges of old gold-washings are seen in every direction, and the sur- face exhibits iron ore in abundance; yet, iron is here so dear, and the people in general so poor, that the mules have seldom a shoe to their feet. The traveller has now entered on the comaraca of Serro do Frio, which is divided from that of Villa Rica by the Rio Doce; and the streams now find their way by a south-easterly course into that river. The St. Antonio, which comes from the north-west, traverses an extensive territory abounding in cattle. A journey of thirty miles from Conceigao, through a rugged country, brought Mr. Mawe to a village called Corgos, * The serra of Gaspar Soares is stated by Mr. Henderson to abound in iron mines, ‘ for the working of which,” he adds, “a royal establishment is forming.” BRAZIL. 9] near Tapinho4-canga, the population of which is stated to have dwindled down from nearly 3000 to a third of that number. The following day, he crossed the ridge of a lofty chain of mountains abounding with streams, one of the largest of which, the Rio dos Peixes, (a branch of the St. Antonio,) he forded thrice, and then entered on an elevated and fertile plain, intersected with rivulets in every direction. In the evening, he reached Villa do Principe, the capital of the comarca. This town, which, like the other provincial capitals of Minas, has its smelting-house with the usual ap- pointments, its ouvidor, who holds also the office of mint-master, and a juiz de fora, contains a church and five chapels, but, according to Mr. Henderson, only one good street.” The inhabitants are supposed by Mr. Mawe to amount to 5000, ‘a considerable pro- portion of whom are shop-keepers; the rest, artisans farmers, and miners. Indian corn, legumes, cotton, and sugar are cultivated in the neighbourhood.”” The town is stated by Cazal to be two miles from the Rio dos Peixes, nearly 100 north-east of Sabara, 110 miles north-north-east of Marianna,* and 370 miles almost north-west of Rio. As this town is situated close upon the confines of the diamond district, and on the high road leading to it, the strictest regulations are observed with regard to the passage of all persons arriving here. “No one,” we are informed, “except travellers on business, with certain certificates to that effect, is suf- fered to proceed, until a formal notification has been made to the governor of that district; the laws of which are so strict, that any person found within it, out of the regular road, is liable to be apprehended on suspicion, and subjected to an examination, which frequently occasions much trouble and delay.” * Yet, the journey from Villa Rica occupied Mr. Mawe seven days. 92 BRAZIL. The country around Villa do Principe is very fine and open, being free from those impenetrable forests which occur so frequently in other parts of the pro- BRAZIL. 493 trouble, yield excellent crops, were any kind of enclo- sures made; which, it must be allowed, is an undertak- ing attended with some difficulties, yet not of such a. Ne nr magnitude as to render it hopeless. With respect to manufactures, a most valuable material is at hand, as cotton from Minas Novas, distant only from sixty to vince. The soil is productive, and the climate mild and salubrious. A few leagues beyond, however, the aspect of the country undergoes a striking change, and angen TG ec. Ea ~ cers a = Te < et Aa At On i i { gid Tra ee Coa i ONTO, ESI 3 EIA, EAST its surface, consisting of coarse sand and rounded quartz pebbles, is devoid of either wood or herbage. Towards the close of the day, Mr. Mawe reached the diamond-works of St. Gonzales, the first which occur in this direction. The next day, proceeding through the same mountainous and sterile country, he crossed two rapid rivulets, one of them called Rio Negro, and, passing the register called Milho Verde, near the river of that name, reached, a few miles beyond, the place of his destination; a month having elasped since his departure from Rio on this arduous journey. “Tejuco,” says Mr. Mawe, being situated in a sterile district, which produces nothing for the main- tenance of its inhabitants, in number about 6000, de- pends, for a supply of provisions, on farms situated several leagues distant. The bread of the country was at this time extremely dear; Indian corn, from which it is made, being from 5s. 6d. to 6s. the bushel; beans and other pulse in proportion. Beef was very indiffer- ent, this being the dry season ; pork and poultry were rather plentiful. At no place do I recollect to have seen a greater proportion of indigent people, particu- larly of females. Full a hundred and fifty of these unhappy persons come weekly to receive portions of flour which the governor was pleased to allow them. They are totally without occupation, here being neither agriculture nor manufacture to afford them any; yet, both these main supports of the population might be introduced, if a proper spirit of industry prevailed among the inhabitants. The land would, with little one hundred miles, passes through this place to the capital. “ Yet, notwithstanding the idleness of the inhabitants, Tejuco may be called flourishing, on account of the circulation of property created by the diamond-works. The annual sum paid by Government for the hire of negroes, salaries of officers, and various necessaries, such as nitre and iron, does not amount to less than 35,0007; and this, added to the demands of the inhabi- tants of the town and its vicinity, occasions a con- siderable trade. The shops are stocked with English cottons, baizes, and cloths, and other manufactured goods;* also, hams, cheese, butter, porter, and other articles of consumption. Mules from Bahia and Rio de Janeiro come loaded with them. “Tejuco, owing to its situation by the side of a hill, is very irregularly built ; its streets are uneven, but the * In the evening parties, the company are stated to have been “all dressed after the English mode, and in dresses of English manufacture—cotton prints, straw hats, artificial flowers, jewel- lery,” &c. In these parties, ‘the gentlemen engage at whist, and the ladies take tea, and play round games.” ‘They fre- quently form tea-parties.” *‘ Dancing is a favourite amusement, and all appear much pleased and animated with the English country-dance.” “In no part of Brazil did I meet,” adds Mr. Mawe, ‘“‘with society so select and agreeable.” The ladies in general, moreover, have a taste for music, and touch the guitar with great spirit and elegance. Tea-parties and card-parties Imply, in many cases, a very small portion of intellectual culture; but such doings at Tejuco are of some importance, since the adoption of European, especially English manners, is a point gained towards civilization, at all events. i A At eS a: Ca a A t——————n ———— AAT pb TTI, UT EIS. its, EMTS o_o 04 BRAZIL. houses in general are well constructed and in good condition, compared with those of other towns in the interior. Its name, which, in the Portuguese language, signifies a muddy place, is derived from places of that description in its neighbourhood, which ave rendered passable by being covered with large pieces of wood. The town contains, according to Cazal, a church of St. Antonio, with a religious brotherhood attached to it; a chapel of Bom Fim, with a fraternity of “ black creoles;” another fraternity of mulattoes, and a fourth of African blacks, each having its chapel; also, two Terceira orders, and a recolhimento of virgins; there is likewise a chapel attached to the misericordia. Here reside the tribunal or diamond-junta, composed of a desembaryador intendente (supreme judge,) who is the president, with an exclusive jurisdiction in the diamond district; a corregidor fiscal, or treasurer; two cashiers; and an inspector-general. There are upwards of 6000 negroes to work for diamonds, and 200 inspectors, who are whites, subordinate to the junta. “ What is termed the diamond-ground,” says Mr. Mawe, “ extends about sixteen leagues from north to south, and about eight from east to west. It was first explored by some enterprising miners from Villa do Principe, a few years after the establishment of that town. These men, proceeding northerly, found an open country, watered by many small rivulets, which they tried for gold by washing: some of them engaged their attention for a short time, but not proving suffi- ciently rich, they continued their route, passing the * Henderson's Brazil, pp. 286, 287. Itis a somewhat singular omission, that Mr. Mawe makes no mention of the public bulla: ings, or of the religious orders; although, according to the $hove statement, their number is likely to strike a traveller, from the circumstance of their being prohibited residing in other parts of the mining district. BRAZIL, 95 places now called San Gonzalo and Milho Verde, until they arrived at a few streams that flow from the base of the mountain on which Tejuco is built. These rivulets were then washed for gold, and were considered as belonging to the district of Villa do Principe. No idea was at first entertained, that the rivulets contained diamonds, although it is said that some were collected and presented to the then governor of Villa do Principe as curious bright stones, and were used by him as counters at cards. Soon afterwards, a few of them found their way to Lisbon, and were given as pretty pebbles to the Dutch minister, to send to Holland, which was then the principal mart in Europe for pre- cious stones. The lapidaries, to whom they were presented for examination, pronounced these pebbles to be very fine diamonds. Information was accord- ingly sent to the Dutch consul at Lisbon, who did not fail to profit by the occasion; for he managed the affair with Government so well, that he contracted for the precious stones, at the same time that he communicated the intelligence. Government afterwards endeavoured to monopolize the diamonds, and made a distinct dis- trict of Serro do Frio, placing it under peculiar laws and regulations. “ The number of diamonds sent over during the first twenty years after the discovery, is said to be almost incredible, and to exceed one thousand ounces in weight. This supply could not fail to diminish the ge- neral value of diamonds, as none had ever before been known to come from any other part of the globe, ex- cept India, whither the Brazilian diamonds were after- wards sent, and found a better market there than in Europe. “ By stratagems and intrigues, Government was prevailed on to let these invaluable territories to a company, who were under stipulations to work with a 96 BRAZIL. limited number of negroes, or to pay a certain sum per day for every negro emploved. This opened a door to every species of fraud: double the stipulated number of negroes was admitted; and this imposition was connived at by the agents of Government, who received pay in one hand and bribes in the other. Presents were made to men possessing influence at court, by the contractors, who soon became rich; and they continued (subject to a few regulations) in posses- sion of the diamond mines until about the year 1772, when, Government determining to take them into their own hands, these contracts were ended. “ This was the time for reforming abuses, and for placing this rich district under the best regulations; but it was neglected; prejudice prevailed over pru- dence ; and the management was intrusted to men who did not understand the real interests of the concern, or, what is more probable, who were so shackled in their authority, that they could not pursue them. From this time, affairs became worse, and the establishment was in debt to foreigners, who had advanced a con- siderable sum of money on the security of having all the diamonds which the mines produced. There were other incumbrances, which can be removed only by a total change of system. In its present state, the es- tablishment appears to produce much greater wealth than it actually does. During a period of five years, from 1801 to 1806 inclusive, the expenses were 204,0007.; and the diamonds sent to the treasury at Rio de Janeiro, weighed 115,675 carats. The value of gold found in the same period, amounted to 17,3007. sterling, from which it appears, that the diamonds ac- tually cost Government thirty-three shillings and ninepence per carat. These years were esteemed sin- gularly productive: the mines do not in general yield to Government more than 20,000 carats annually. BRAZIL. 97 Exclusive of this amount, however, there is a vast quantity smuggled.”* As the greatest horror is expressed, in all polite companies in Tejuco, at the very mention of the word grimpeiro or smuggler, Mr. Mawe expected at first, that he should not see a diamond there except in the trea- sury. “ But a little acquaintance with the town,” he says, “ soon convinced me that I was a novice; for, on visiting a few friends to whom I had introductions, 1 found that diamonds were bartered for everything, and were actually much more current than specie. Even pious indulgencies were bought with them; and surely, no one could have suspected, that the seller of his holiness’s bulls would condescend to taste the forbidden fruits of Tejuco. “The hiring of negroes to the diamond-works, is the favourite occupation of all ranks in Tejuco: rich and poor endeavour to engage in it to as great an extent as their property will allow. The pay of the slaves is trifling compared with the risk, their labour being heavy, their maintenance poor, and their treatment harsh; there must, therefore, be some temptation not openly seen, yet as well known as light from darkness. Numbers of persons are thus induced to reside in Tejuco under various pretexts, but with no other real view than to get their negroes into the service, and to live idly on their wages, and on what they conceal or pick up. Thus, all fatten upon the pasture, except those in the extreme of indigence, and others who, from the neglect of economy, are always poor. There is a numerous class, from the age of seven years to upwards of twenty, who are without any visible means of earning their subsistence, and would remain idle even if manufactories were established; for, though * Mawe’s Travels, pp. 349—52. PART 111. GQ a Sot LATTE, INE IE EIS APA 98 BRAZIL. they are brought up from their infancy with negro children, yet, in the working department, they would abandon their former play-fellows. The people in general are rendered more averse from habits of regular industry, by the continual hopes which they indulge of becoming opulent by some fortunate dis- covery of mines: these fallacious ideas, which they instil into the minds of their children, strongly pre- judice them against labour, though they all exist miserably, and not unfrequently depend upon dona- tions. Their education is extremely limited: they are in general total strangers to the sciences, and are very scantily informed on any useful subject.” The district has a direct communication with Bahia, and a few troops of mules are continually employed in going from one place to the other. But the journey is much longer, and although the country is less mountain- ous, the difficulties of travelling are greater; there are fewer ranchos on the road; and it is requisite, Mr. Mawe says, in one part, to carry fresh water for two days’ consumption. The governor of the diamond district at that time, was a Dr. Camara, a pupil of Werner, and a man, appa- rently, of considerable intelligence. He received Mr. Mawe with great cordiality, informing him that, in expectation of his arrival, he had delayed a journey to the largest of the diamond-works, called Mandanga, seated on the Jequitinhonha, distant about thirty miles. After crossing the ravine, watered by the small rivulet of St. Francisco, which separates Tejuco from the op- posite mountain, the road thither is very rugged, con- tinually ascending or descending mountains of con- siderable extent; and the country continues bare of trees, presenting occasionally only a few poor shrubs, as far as the Jequitinhonha, where it is crossed by a good wooden bridge, and forms a stream * larger than the ¢ BRAZIL. 99 Derw hy is ri dors ent at Derby.” This river, so celebrated for the o 1 i Pe igious quantity of diamonds which has been drawn ih i bed, rises in the Serro do Frio. After de scrib ar ‘indi i i : . fo! ing many windings, It receives the Itucambirussu and the Vaccaria from the serra of Gram then bends tow which also origi leagues | Mogol, and ards the east, to meet the Arassuahy nates in the Serro do Frio. i elow this confluence, the Pj river from the south-west; after gathering some other tributaries, flow towards t} north-east, forming a boundary BOthesn th os of Porto Seguro and Bahia, : . ocean, under the name of the A few auhy enters the and their united waters, provinces and disembogue into the Rio Grande de Belmonte, DIAMOND MINES. : AT Mandanga, the river is, in general, from thr nine feet deep, and about as wide as the Thames e Windsor. The part which was then being « or yo was a curve or elbow, from which the crvrent had ve diverted by means of a canal. The deeper on Sh channel were laid dry by means of Ute Hi 5 a water-wheel, and the cascalzo was then Ow etn pt es Ing at 1 negroes, and which h by Dr. Camara. similar materials t abour rarely abour is performed by ad only recently been introduced The stratum of eascalho consists of ; 0 that found in the gold district. In many parts, on the margin of the ry : ; er, are “ large con- glomerate masses of round to a EEN : pebbles cemented by oxyde oh 5 hie 1 Sometimes envelope gold and diamonds.” uring the drv seas ici a g seas ie i oa y ¢ an, sufficient cascalho is dug up z 1¢ hands y i i employed during the rainy months. h 2 In i : : *“ A shed is erecte d in the form of a parallelogram, * 100 BRAZIL. twenty-five or thirty yards long, and about fifteen wide, consisting of upright posts which support a roof thatched with long grass. Down the middle of the area of this shed, a current of water is conveyed through a canal covered with strong planks, on which the cascalho is laid two or three feet thick. On the other side of the area is a flooring of planks, from four to five yards long, embedded in clay, extending the whole length of the shed, and having a slope from the canal, of three or four inches to a yard. This flooring is divided into about twenty compartments or troughs, each about three feet wide, by means of planks placed on their edge. The upper ends of all these troughs (here called canoes) communicate with the canal, and are so formed, that water is admitted into them between two planks that are about an inch separate. Through this opening, the current falls about six inches into the trough, and may be directed to any part of it, or stopped at pleasure by means of a small quantity of clay. Along the lower ends of the trough, a small channel is dug, to carry off the water. On the heap of cascalho, at equal distances, are placed three high chairs for the officers or overseers. After they are seated, the negroes enter the troughs, each provided with a rake with a short handle, with which he rakes into the trough about fifty or eighty pounds weight of cascalho. The water being then let in upon it, the cascalho is spread abroad, and con- tinually raked up to the head of the trough, so as to be kept in constant motion. This operation is performed for the space of a quarter of an hour; till the water begins to run clearer, having washed the earthy parti- cles away. The gravel-like matter is raked up to the end of the trough; the larger stones are thrown out, and afterwards those of inferior size; then, the whole is examined with great care for diamonds. When a negro finds one, he immediately stands upright, and BRAZIL. 101 claps his hands, then extends them, holding the gem between his fore-finger and thumb. An CRT aires it from him, and deposits it in a bowl suspended rom the centre of the structure, half full of water In this vessel all the diamonds found in the course of the day are placed, and at the close of the work are Mies ou and delivered to the principal officer, ohio, oi ny ess he geri g o find a diamond of the weight of an octava (17% carats,) much ceremon takes place; he is crowned with a wreath of — and carried in procession to the administrator whe gives him his freedom, by paying his owner for it.* He also receives a present of new clothes, and is permitted to work on his own account. When a stone of eight or ten carats is found, the negro receives two new shirts a complete new suit, a hat, and a handsome knife F smaller stones of trivial amount, proportionate > miums are given. id “ Many precautions are taken to prevent the negroes from embezzling diamonds. Although they work in a bent position, and consequently never know whether the overseers are watching them or not, yet, it is eas for them to omit gathering any which they ol and 4 place them in a corner of the trough, for the pIEnose of secreting them at leisure hours; to prevent which the y are frequently changed while the operation is sing oe A word of command being given by the oversees “the Instantly move into each other’s troughs, so that opportunity of collusion can take place. If a negro be * During Mr. Mawe’s stay at Tejuco, a stone of sixteen ca and a half was found. “ It was pleasing,” he says, “ to earasy anxious desire manifested by the officers, that it "might id heavy enough to entitle the poor negro to his freedom: and SE on being weighed, it proved only a carat short of the requi tte weight, all seemed to sympathise in his disappointment.” ies G2 102 BRAZIL. suspected of having swallowed a diamond, he is confined in a strong room until the fact can be ascertained. Formerly, the punishment inflicted on a negro for smuggling diamonds, was confiscation of his person to the State; but it being thought too hard, that the owner should suffer for the offence of his servant, the penalty has been commuted for personal imprisonment and chastisement. This is a much lighter punishment than that which their owners or any white man would suffer for a similar offence. “ The negroes are formed into working parties, called troops, containing two hundred each, under the direction of an administrator and inferior officers. Each troop has a clergyman and a surgeon to attend it. With respect to the subsistence of the negroes, although the present governor has in some degree improved it by allowing a daily portion of fresh beef, yet, it is still poor and scanty; and in other respects, they are more hardly dealt with than those of any other establishment which I visited : notwithstanding this, the owners are all anxious to get their negroes into the service, doubtless from sinister motives. The officers are liberally paid, and live in a style of con- siderable elegance, which a stranger would not be led to expect in so remote a place. Our tables were daily covered with a profusion of excellent viands, sored up on fine Wedgewood ware; and the state of igh household generally corresponded to this essentia it, Be substances that accompany diamonds, and are considered as good indications of them, are bright bean-like iron ore, a slaty, flint-like substance of iron texture, black oxyde of iron in great quantities, rounded bits of blue quartz, yellow crystal, and other materials entirely different from anything known to be produced in the adjacent mountains. Diamonds are BRAZIL. 103 by no means peculiar to the beds of rivers or deep ravines; they have been found in cavities and water- courses even on the summits of the loftiest mountains. The diamonds vary exceedingly in size. Some are so small that four or five are required to weigh one grain; consequently, sixteen or twenty to the carat. There are seldom found more than two or three stones of from seventeen to twenty carats in the course of a year; and not once in two years is there found, throughout the whole washings, a stone of thirty carats.”’* After spending several days at Mandanga, Mr. Mawe was conducted to the diamond-works of Mon- teiro, two miles up the river, and, at the distance of a league further, to the gold-mines of Carrapatos. Here he was shown a heap of cascalho estimated to be worth 10,0002. In removing this heap from the bed of the river, 400 negroes had been employed three months; and to wash it, would occupy 100 men for three months more; the expense of both operations amounting to about 1500. While Mr. Mawe was here, six negroes, in the course of four hours, obtained from about a ton of cascalho, nearly twenty ounces troy-weight of gold. This was esteemed a very rich place, and such circum- stances are of rare occurrence. A few days after his return to Tejuco, another ex- cursion was proposed, to the diamond-works on the Rio Pardo, distant about twenty miles in a north-west direction. This river, which has here the appearance of a paltry, dirty rivulet, has produced as large a quan- tity of the most precious gems as any river in the district. The rough bluish-green diamonds formerly * Mawe’s Travels, pp. 316—22. t+ Mr. Mawe states, that this Rio Pardo runs into the Rio Velho or Das Velhas, a tributary of the great river St. Francisco There appear to be no fewer than three rivers of this name, 104 BRAZIL. 50 much esteemed by the Dutch, continue to be found here, and the stones of this rivulet are still reputed the most valuable in Brazil. “The accompanying sub- stances are somewhat different from those of the washings at Mandanga; here is no bean-like ore, but a considerable quantity of flinty-slate, like Lydian stone, in various shapes and sizes, and very small black oxyde of iron. The earthy matter is also much finer.” Mr. Mawe was informed, that there remained as much unworked ground as would occupy a hundred negroes full twenty years. Thirty-five leagues from Tejuco, in a north-east direction, is Tocaya, the principal place, Mr. Mawe was informed, in Minas Novas. The road thither runs nearly parallel with the Jequitinhonha, which, a few leagues to the westward of the village, is joined by the Arassuahy, and bends towards the east. In the nume- rous rivulets which fall into it in this direction, are found white topazes, commonly known here by the name of minas novas, blue topazes, aqua-marinas, and chrysoberyls: the latter are much esteemed by the higher orders in Brazil, and when polished, are of great brilliancy and exquisite beauty. Six miles southward of the Arassuahy, and twenty- five miles north-north-east of Villa do Principe, is the town of Fanado or Bom Successo, created a town in 1751, with the usual appendages of a juiz de fora, a Latin professor, and some half-dozen religious orders. The neighbourhood yields diamonds of an inferior which signifies ‘‘ grey river.” Besides that which is received by the Das Velhas, Cazal mentions one which falls into the St Francisco itself; while a third of the same name, and the largest of the three, rising in the Serra Almas, runs south-east, gather- ing the Preto, which has its source in the Serra Branca; and then, inclining to the east, enters the comarca of Ilheos, where it is discharged into the ocean under the name of Patype.— Henderson, p. 282, BRAZIL. 105 quality, but the advantageous position of the place for trade, is likely to render it of some importance, when the roads to the ports of Porto Seguro are cleared and become frequented. It is within the archbishopric of Bahia. The other principal arraials in this comarca, are, St. Cruz da Chapada, ten miles to the north of Bom Suc- cesso, near the river Capibary; Agua-suja (dirty water,) near the confluence of a stream of that name with the Arassuahy, fifteen miles north-east of Chapada, and twenty-five from Bom Successo; Rio Pardo, near the confluence of that river with the Preto, 100 miles north of Bom Successo; Barra do Rio das Valhas, situated in a marshy plain near the confluence of that river with the St. Francisco—a place of considerable commerce, and likely, but for its unhealthy position, to become one of the largest places in the province; it is 130 miles west-north-west of Bom Successo, and 150 north-north-west of Villa do Principe; Porteira, two miles distant, in a more healthy situation; and, 25 miles further north, on the margin of the St. Francisco, “ the agreeably situated arraial of Estrema.”’* The whole of the district called Minas Novas, is under the jurisdiction of the ouvidor of Villa do Prin- cipe, who goes his northern circuit once a vear. The population is very thinly scattered, but Mr. Mawe says, is daily increasing. Commerce, rather than mining, appears to be the attraction to these remote regions. The great river St. Francisco separates this northern part of the comarca of Serro do Frio from THE COMARCA OF PARACATU Thurs almost unknown district was included, prior to 1815, in the comarca of Sabara. A new ouvidor * See Henderson's Brazil, pp. 283—85. 106 BRAZIL. was then appointed for the township and circuit of Paracatu, the julyados (villages) of Desemboque and Araxa being subsequently detached from the comarca of Villa Boa in Goyaz, and annexed to the new ouvidoria. N Paracatu do Principe, the only town, owes its origin to its mines, first discovered in 1744. At that period, there was no other colony to the west of the St. Fran- cisco, except the arraial of St. Romiao. A great number of adventurers were attracted by the quantity of gold, and the Indians were expelled from the whole district. The town, however, has decayed very much from its former flourishing condition. The gold is of a good colour, but of impure quality, and difficult of GRITACLION, from the want of water. Diamonds having subsequently been discovered in various parts, the working of the gold-washings is now restricted to a few leagues round the town. The population in 1808, was estimated at about 1000 souls, and was then on the increase. It has the advantage of a high and healthy situation, being situated on an elevated plain. The houses are of taipe; the streets are paved; and besides the church, there are four * hermitages.” The town is 140 miles from the St. Francisco, and about half a mile from the Corrego Rico (rich channel,) which falls into the Paracatu. In the neighbourhood, the vine, the orange, and the pine-apple flourish luxu- riantly, and there is an abundance of deer and game. The district comprises all the territory lying west- ward of the St. Francisco, from the Carinhenha to the Abaité. The latter river is distinguished by having produced the largest diamond ever found in America, weighing nearly an ounce, which was accidentally discovered by three outlaws in searching for gold.* It has since * See vol. i. p. 197, note BRAZIL. 107 been worked at different periods with various success: 3 but, though large diamonds have been found, they have generally been of indifferent quality, and the Government had lately abandoned the works. A few miles from this river, the small river Chumbo (lead river,) which falls into the Abaité, passes the base of a morro containing a very rich vein of lead ore in cal- careous spar. Mr. Mawe was shown pieces of it weighing twenty pounds: some of the specimens were covered with carbonate of lead. No one had at that time undertaken to work it, because the difficulty and expense of conveying the metal to Rio, would exceed the price it would fetch; but hereafter, this mine will be a source of wealth. Cazal states, that the Abaité is formed by two streams of the same name, one coming from the south-west, the other from the north- west, their sources being nearly a hundred miles apart. The intervening territory is a forest tract called Matta da Corda, enclosing several campinhas or extensive grazing-lands. The Abaité do Norte is also called the Rio Fulda; the Abaité do Sul, the Rio Verra. The principal heads of the Paracatu are the Escuro and the Prata. The latter is mentioned by Mr. Mawe as having yielded fine diamonds; and a strong guard is stationed near its banks, to prevent smuggling. Twenty miles north of the confluence of the Paracatu, the St. Francisco receives, also on the left bank, the large Urucuya. At almost an equal distance between the mouths of these two rivers, is the considerable arraial of St. Roméo, which carries on a considerzble inland trade, especially in salt, obtained from Pilio Arcado and its vicinity. Above the mouth of the Urucuya, the St. Francisco receives, on its western margin, the Acary, the Pardo, the Pandeiro, the Salgado, the Pin- dahyba, the [tacaramby, and the Japore; a few leagues below the latter, on its eastern side, the important 108 BRAZIL. river Verde; and about the same distance further, the Carinhenha. On most of these rivers there is a parish or an arraial; but immense territories are wholly unappropriated. On the banks of the St. Francisco, and to the eastward, great numbers of cattle are bred, and large herds are sent to Rio, a distance of above 600 miles. The want of salt in these parts is a sericus evil, as it is requisite for the cattle; nor will they, it is said, breed well without it. The district of Paracatu makes part of the bishopric of Pernambuco. THE COMARCA OF SABARA, WHaica formerly included all the western part of Minas Geraes north of the comarca of Rio das Mortes, being bounded on the north by Pernambuco, and on the west by Goyaz, takes its name from its head town, the Villa Real do Sabara. This town stands near the confluence of the small river of the same name with the Das Velhas or Guaycuhy (old women river,) in a low situation, surrounded with mountains. The heat, in the summer months, is greater here than in any other town in the province. It contains a church, two chapels, a numerous fraternity of blacks, two Terceira orders, a royal smelting-house with the usual appointments, and has its juiz de fora and other muni- cipal officers. The number of inhabitants in 1788 amounted to 7656 persons; the houses to 850. In 1819, the population did not exceed 9347. The town is thirty-five miles north-north-west of Marianna, seventy-five miles north-north-east of St. Jodo d’el Rey, and nearly 100 south-west of Villa do Principe. * One of these is dedicated to Nossa Senhora do O (Our Lady of the round O,) ‘‘ the most whimsical of all her thousand and one appellations.” BRAZIL. 109 “This comarca,” says Mr. Henders “whi ] nearly as large as PLE does i Poy Sista of Paracatu, contain more than 113,364 il EMS Ri al government, fora map of the comarca, which he presented to the minister of state at Rio de Janeiro, in expectation that his labours would at least have received some approbation ; but the subject was treated with indifference.” The Tart ap- pears to be, that the Government is not anxious _ this country of reserve should be better known. Man places are known to be rich in diamonds, which, oo a strange policy,” we are told, “are preserved bes rein ty State; and whenever they y ked > *edings are conducted upon the same principle as the diamond grounds of Tejuco, the will certainly not be a source of much revenue.” ii About twelve miles from Sabara, there is said to be a tepid lake, two miles long by nearly one in width : jt discharges itself by an outlet into the Rio das Vellias from which it is five miles distant. “In its centre ” ve are informed, “there are various springs, and when not agitated, its surface is covered with a pellicle or thin skin, of the colour of mercury, which disappears by blowing upon it, and leaves the lips of those who drink it silvered over.” Having been found of medicinal ig hy fy diseases, it has acquired the name of Fifteen miles north of Sabara, and one mile from on STI Brazil, p- 278. To this work, compiled chiefly in ' : are indebted for most of the details relating to 1s comarca, which has hitherto, we believe, been unexplored b European travellers. We regret that the sequel to Dr id Spix Ss personal narrative, which might possibly furnish additio n information, has not yet reached England. This lake will d bs the attention of future travellers. Sekve PART II1. H tea rT. ——————— 110 BRAZIL. the Das Velhas, is the flourishing parish of St. Laas the population of which is said to pte, bo pe of 13,000 souls, and it is *‘ ornamented wit 1 fre nt Catholic temples.” The only towns in the oo " besides Sabara, are Villa Nova da Raynha, better San by its Indian name of Caethe, containing Wow 3 , inhabitants: it is twelve miles CE i Sabara, and has in its suburbs good Se oe Pitangui, distant 100 miles north of St. Joio « t J, and nearly 80 west-north-west of Sabara, Situntet the right ‘margin of the Para, (a tributary of the > Francisco) three miles below the Sonmnenes of his St. Jodo. Its inhabitants, amounting to nearly 3 ! persons, breed horses, cattle, hogs, and sheep, and cul- tivate cotton and the sugar-cane. Sot diel We already seem, here, on the extreme verge o cy ” ized society; and yet, we have not advanced sey into the interior of this immense empire. Two vas ‘ ro lv sorees of provinces, stretching over more than twelve degrees Tie ; ine " Minas i i twee > western confines of | as longitude, lie between the weste : ns ri spanish American provinces g Geraes and the Spanish American j r. The first of these, on the Paraguay. The first of these, THE PROVINCE OI GOYAZ WuicH derives its name from the Goya Be is aboriginal inhabitants, occupies the Sortie! DE and is one of the largest provinces, being abou ] ! miles in length, and nearly 500 in width. It lies 2s tween latitude 6° and 18° south, and is bounded, on he north, by the provinces of Para and Ma os on fhe east, by Pernambuco and Minas Br Ee s ut by St. Paulo ; and on the west, by Matto yess a the exception of the province of Solimoens, ! 35 tae most thinly peopled part of Brazil, having Jo hs last explored and settled. In the year 1737, it was BRAZIL, 111 first created a comarca of the province of St, p it was made a Separate province in 1749. diction of the ouvidor extended over its whole territory till 1809, when it was divided into the two comarcas of Villa Boa and St. Jo#o das Duas Barras. the population was taken in aulo, The juris- A census of 1804, Mr. Southey says, “with much apparent accuracy,” when it amounted to little more than 40,000 souls. Almost all the povoagoes or inhabited places of the province, owe their foundation to the enterprising spirit o. the gold-hunters, The individual who first discovered the mineral riches of this province, was a Paulista named Manoel Correa, who, sometime about the middle of the seventeenth century, found some gold in the river Aracis, whither he had penetrated at the head of a party of slave-hunters, and brought home about ten octavas of the precious metal, which he gave “as a diadem to crown the sacred image of our Lady of Penha in the town of Sorocaba.” After hing, Bartholomew Bueno, the most renowned adventurer 1€ same country about the year 1670, taking with him his son, tl of age. He dwelt for some time site of the present capital, and ol of his age, explored tl ien only twelve years in the vicinity of the served that the Goya women ornamented themselves with gold, but no ad- vantage was taken of the discovery at the time, © More than fifty years,” says Mr. Southey, “elapsed, before Bueno the son, then more than threescore years of age, proposed to the governor of St. | search of the place which he had reac] hood, and still vividly remembered. coveries in Cuyaba excited in him tI ’aulo to go in red in his boy- v The recent dis- iis desire, and made the proposal appear reasonable; and the governor, Rodrigo Cesar de Menezes, sent him upon this service with a hundred musqueteers, and a numerous body of attendants. After the 1 apse of so many years, it was 112 BRAZIL. hardly possible that he should be able to retrace i « » : way through a wild country. He got too far lose south, and found gold. Some of his people, be ot f 1 that they had totally lost all clew to the place of w en 1 « r 3 v up a y i h, would fain have given they were in search, ne Sen pp 41 1 at they might profit by further exploring, tha by tute upon which they had fallen. Bueno, howev Spot 1 i 1 ¢ tinued to wander, till, a n his purpose, and con 1 end of Fae years, having lost the greater part of i companions by disease, hardships, and accidents, . aot to St. Paulo. But this ill success had neit os re St. his il . ther broken his spirit, nor extinguished his hopes: his hat i s well as se character stood high for probity, as well as ron i vernor sent him out a secon and sagacity, and the go E850 time "After some months, he came to a place Wises it appeared certain that some Portuguese must 290 been in old times. There he took up his quan 2 ’ ians, they were immediately aving caught two Indians, y wer Jae to be Goyas. The first inquiry was, if they "whi ¢ '‘merly been en- te men had formerly knew where the whi 19 camped: they led him to a place not far spans and B 1eno recognised the spot which he had seen when a \ gnis bo He collected gold from five different Sears, oy. : : _ returned with such rich and abundant Sony °s, t at he was presently sent back to establish a colony ) Se 3 > i < itam mor. ere, with the rank of capi t N he This was in the year 1726. On arriving at {he Jue : od o arraial, his first care was, to poet be Ci od 3 of intaini i terms with the Indians, b maintaining amicable . whos on i risiters, appeared in arms. trustful of their new visi TS, en is said to have adopted a singular expedient for rian them to an accommodation: he seized Some ho vio ic event their being led in women, on which, to pr ) ino wont 1 y d for peace, and agree v vity, the Goyas sue Sa So capaust ” here the gold had be the settlers to the places w a, For some time, things went on harmoniously and p BRAZIL. 113 perously, and so successful were the colonists, “ envied not the miners of Cuyaba.” fortune soon becoming known, and the dangers of the journey to Cuyaba being formidable even to Pa SO great a number of mine in the course of two ye: daily arrived with the that they But their good ulistas, IS were attracted to Goyaz urs, that the necessaries which humerous caravans from St. Paulo, (to which city alone there was any track,) be- came insufficient for their subsistence. sold at an exorbitant price. but it could not supply sustenance, An alquiere of India corn cost six or Seven octavas of gold; and the same measure of mandioc flour, ten octavas. A milch cow, which appeared there, was bought for two pounds weight of the same metal, and a hog for twenty-eight. Two octavas of gold were demanded for a pound of sugar; and every article of subsistence was procured only by payment in the same proportion. The dealers, who conveyed the necessaries of life by a tedious jour- ney, were enriched; but the mines were lucrative at this period. Many were at length induced to devote a portion of their time to the cultiv the necessaries of life, lected might not be con “ Everything Of gold there was enough, still more ation of that the gold which they col- sumed in payment for them.” * The capital of the province, and the only considerable town, is Villa Boa, originally the arraial of St, created a villa in 1739, and mad in 1818. It is the reside late who is bishop in partibus, of an ouv de fora, who unite in themselves other appointments, and has its smelting-house and exchequer. The town occupies a flat situation on the banks of the Rio Ver- melho (vermillion river equal parts, Anna, e the provincial capital nce of the governor, of a pre- idor and a juiz ») which divides it into two un- It is here an inconsiderable stream, but * Henderson, pp. 233, 234, ——————————— BE Sie SE e——— ripper ———— i, C——— ———. = a -_ ————— er —— or IR ——— TE a— © o— ent — ET RE SII or. " TEE a——— 114 BRAZIL. soon after passing the town, receives several small rivers from the Serra Doirada, and becomes navigable to its confluence with the great Araguaya, the western boundary of the province. * The edifices of the town,” Cazal states, “are neither large, elegant, nor substantial.” Besides the mother church of St. Anna, there are five chapels of our polyonymous Lady of Boa Morte, Car- mo, &c. and another of St. Francisco. It has a fort, ¢ with fwo pieces of artillery to fire salutations,” “a fountain,” and a public walk. The heat during the dry season is intense; but there are refreshing night- breezes. The inhabitants are estimated at about 6000. It stands in latitude 16° 20” south. The povoagao, or settlement, next in size and import- ance, is the ¢ large and flourishing commercial” town of Meia Ponte, ninety miles east of Villa Boa, situated near the Rio das Almas, on the high road from St. aulo to Cuyaba. It was founded in 1731, and is con- sidered as the cradle and centre of the agriculture and industry of the province. Its inhabitants and those of the environs cultivate Indian corn, wheat, mandioc, to- bacco, cotton, sugar, and a little coffee; they breed cattle and hogs; and manufacture calicoes and woollen cloth. It contains a church, four ‘ hermitages” or chapels, and ““ an hospicio for the travelling brother- hood of Terra Santa.” About eighteen miles to the east-north-east, is the cordillera called Montes Pyreneos, from whose sides flow torrents to the four cardinal points. A hundred miles to the south-south-east of Meia Ponte, on the road to St. Paulo, is the small arraial of St. Cruz, in the neighbourhood of which is the morro of Clemente, which abounds with gold, but has not yet been worked, ‘“ because, according to the saying of the miners, a mountain of gold is worth nothing if it has not water.” Its inhabitants are consequently agricul- BRAZIL. 115 turists and graziers. This is stated by Cazal to be the most ancient arraial in the province. An edict was issued in February 1814, for the founda- tion of a town near the embouchure of the Rio Palma, which falls ig the Parana, to be called St. Joao da Palma, and to be the head town of the comarca of St. Joam das Duas Barras. “In order to give it an imme- diate commenceme nt, and to accelerate its augmenta- tion, all individuals were exe mpted from payment of the dizimos (tithe s) for ten years, who should erect a house for their own habitation in this town, or within the circle marked for its limits.’ Eventually, the two comarcas into which this pro- vince is now divided, will be broken up into smaller subdivisions. The district of the capital alone is five hundred miles long from north to south : ; and that of Conceigao, an arraial near the mouth of the Rio Palma, extends east and west from one boundary of the pro- vince to the other. Cazal has laid doy n a natural divi- sion of the province into six cantons. A line drawn from the mouth of the Parannahiba by its bed, to the confluence of the river Annicuns, then by the river B to its origin, crossing to that of the river Pe dras, and by it down to the River das Almas, which continues it to the Maranham and the Toccantines, divides the province into two unequal parts, each of which is subdivided into three grand districts: Cayaponia Goyaz (proper,) and Nova Beira in the western parts Toccantines, Parana, and Rio das Velhas, in the eastern.” Cayaponia, which occupies the south-western angle, derives its name from the Capayo nation; it is the least known of all the districts, not yet possessing a single Christianized establishment. The natives who retain possession of it, wander about almost in a state of nudity, and have from time to time made destructive 20V'S 116 BRAZIL. sallies on the caravans of Cuyaba, invading even the northern part of St. Paulo, from which this district is separated by the Parana. Goyaz proper, lying to the north of the above dis- trict, comprises the district of the capital, and the most populous part of the province. The Serra Estrondo and the Rio Tabocas divide it, on the north, from the district of Nova Beira (new coast,) which, like Caya- ponia, is almost entirely in the possession of various savage nations. It extends upwards of 400 miles in length, between the rivers Araguaya and Toccantines, to the angle of their confluence. Here there is a pre- zidio, or military post, to register the canoes who navigate by both rivers to the city of Para; and, in 1809, a decree was passed, ordering a town to be founded here, under the name of St. Joio das Duas Barras, which was to be the head of the comarca. The situation was, however, found ineligible, and two places were afterwards chosen, one on each river, higher up. None of the cantons would be more advantageously situated for commerce, were it not for the Indians. Of these, the Chavante tribe is the most numerous and most formidable. After being established,” we are told, ‘“ and many baptized, in the aldeia of Pedro Ter- ceiro, built expressly for them, in consequence of the vassalage which they voluntarily offered, they deserted all at one time, and returned to their natural mode of life. They are at present the most formidable enemies of the Portuguese.” * The district of Toccantines, the most northern of the * The cause of this sudden desertion is of course not stated. It is notorious, however, that the first Certanistas (commanders of bardeiras or parties of adventurers) committed the greatest bar- harities in this province, bringing home, it is said, from some of their expeditions against the Indians, strings of human ears. The Goyas are said to be evierminated, although it is probable that some remnant may exist under another name, BRAZIL. 117 eastern division, and separated by the river of that name from Nova Beira, is also for the most part occu- pied by Indians of the Chavante, Xerente, and Tapo- coa tribes. The country is mountainous, and abounds with vast sandy, sterile plains, woods being found only on the margins of the rivers. The district of Parana, tra- versed diagonally by the river of that name, is some- what better peopled, and is watered in all directions by numerous rivers, most of which discharge into the Maranham, except the Palma and the Correntes, which are branches of the Parana. The district of Rio das Velhas, traversed by that river, occupies the south- eastern portion of the province, bordering on Minas Geraes, and St. Paulo. In this canton are Meia Ponte and Santa Cruz; and it included Desemboque and Araxa, before they were detached from this province, and added to the comarca of Paracatu. The aspect of the province is said to be almost universally uneven, although in few parts mountain- "and the soil, Cazal states to be fertile “ only where there are woods, with which it does not abound” but the fact is, little is known respecting it. The mines were at one period very productive: the largest fifth on the gold was in 1753, when it amounted to 169,080 octavas.. In 1807,it was only 11,893 octavas.* * Lat- terly,” says Mr. Southey, “ the gold was failing; though here, as in Minas Geraes, it was believed that the main ’ ous; * Near the arraial of Agoaquente (warm water,) situated near a large and deep lake of brackish, tepid, and fetid water, two miles from the confluence of the Rio das Almas with the Maranham, the gold was so abundant as to draw an assemblage of 12,000 persons to the neighbourhood. ‘‘ Among other pieces of con- siderable size, one was found of forty-three pounds weight, which was transmitted to the court in the same form that nature pre- sented it. This rarity was placed in the royal museum at Lisbon, and became the booty of the French army when in that city.”— Henderson, p. 251. H 2 118 BRAZIL. treasures of the earth were still untouched, and that only what was scattered upon the surface, had been gathered. About the end of the last century, a dis- covery was made at a place which, because of the colons of the metal, was called Ouro Podre, rotten gold. The vein was rich, and the people were so eager to profit by it, that when the guarda mor endeavoured to interpose his authority, and regulate the extraction according to the laws, he was set at defiance. A party of contraband miners collected three arrobas in the course ol one night. Some persons were arrested for these disturdy- ances; but they were delivered by process of law. The people had long solicited, that the country about the Rio Claro and the Rio dos Piloens, which had been reserved because of its diamonds, should be laid open for this forbidden district, which was forty leagues in extent, was supposed to abound with gold; and they repeatedly urged the suit, as the sure and only means of restoring the prosperity of the province. Accord- ingly, in 1801, the petition was granted, on condition that the diamonds, if any were found, should be de- posited in a coffer under three keys. But it was soon ascertained that the richest mines had been wrought by some secret adventurers; and hands and capital were wanting for any effectual search, after this disappoint- ment.” * Diamonds, Mr. Mawe says, have been found in some parts of large size and of brilliant appearance, but, when cut, they have not in general proved of as pure a water as those procured in other places. As this fine dis- trict is so distant from the coast,” adds this traveller, “ it has very little commerce in any of its productions, except gold, precious stones, and cattle, which are bred on the frontiers; also some cotton, and occasionally, a * Southey’s Brazil, vol. iil. p. 836. BRAZIL. few other articles, which are sent to Rio de Janeiro. The mules on the return-journey, are also loaded with salt, iron, cheap cotton prints, woollens, (particularly baizes,) hats, fire-arms, powder and shot, and a variety of artificers’ tools. When any of the inhabitants have anything peculiarly precious to dispose of, they gene- rally take it to Rio de Janeiro, and lay out the ceeds chiefly in the purchase of negroes, at all times the first object,) iron, sal modities.” pro- (they being t, and other com- Among the objects which claim the attention of future travellers, the Montes Pyraneos invite tl 1e examination of the geologist; and the tepid waters of the lake Agoaquente, upon the margins of which there are said to be some frightful caverns, present a highl y interest ing phenomenon. The waters will probably be found sulphureous and medicinal* In Rio das Velhas, there is a plain lying between the two rivers which bear the name of Uberava, said to be thirty-five miles in width, without the slightest elevation, and absol of wood, but abounding with the deer The small river Furnas, in ti utely destitute and the emu. ie same canton, has a fine fall of twenty fathoms, a little before it discharges itself into the Rio das Velhas. Of still wider extent, and equally untravelled and unknown, is the vast country which is called THE PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO. THis province, which lies between the parallel of 7° south latitude, where it borders on that of Para, and 24° 30” south, where it is bounded by Parana, occu- pies a territory of nearly 1100 miles from north to south, by almost 800 at its greatest width, including an area of 48,000 square leagues, being more extensive 120 BRAZIL. than ancient Germany. The Araguaya and the Parana separate it, on the east, from the provinces of Goyaz and St. Paulo; and on the west, the Guapore, the Jauru, and the Paraguay, divide it from the Spanish territories. It comprises nearly four climates. ‘“ Na- ture herself,” says Cazal, ‘ has partitioned it into three grand districts, of which two are divided into six smaller ones, which will, perhaps, at some future day, form the limits of the same number of ouvidorias, when the increase of its population shall render such a measure desirable. These seven grand divisions are, Camapuania on the south; Matto Grosso proper, Cuyaba, and Bororonia in the centre; and Juruenna, Arinos, and Tappiraquia on the north. The larger portion of this country must be con- sidered as terra incognita, being still, for the most part, in the possession of native tribes. Tippiraquia, so called from the Tippiraque Indians, lying between the rivers Araguaya and Xingu, is altogether unknown, except along its eastern boundary. Arinos and Ju- ruenna, named from the rivers which intersect them, are not better known.* These two rivers unite to form the great Tapajos. Bororonia, which takes the name of the Bororo Indians, and is watered by the St. Lou- rengo, lies between Goyaz and Cuyaba: with the exception of an arraial and register on the Cuyaba road it contains no settlement. Camapuania, the southern division of the province, takes its name from the river Camapuan: it is almost universally flat, and a vast portion of the western half is annually submerged by the inundations of the Para- guay, which is stated to cover, in some parts, more * In the canton of Juruenna, in latitude 9° 45/, where the river Madera curves to the west, there is a point on its eastern margin, in front of the mouth of the river Abuna, which is the most western land in Brazil. BRAZIL. 121 than seventy miles of plain. Its northern limits are a chain of mountains, extending in the thirteenth parallel of latitude, from east to west, from which emanate the Paraguay and its branches flowing to the southward, and the heads of the Tapajos and the Xingu flowing northward. Numerous other rivers have their origin in a cordillera of inconsiderable elevation, running from north to south, and dividing the canton into east and west, denominated the Serra Amambahy. The middle of the northern part of this district is known by the name of Vaccaria, or cattle-plains, “in consequence of the cattle that were dispersed here, when the Paulistas expelled the inhabitants of the city Xerez, and of five neighbouring small aldeias, which formed a small province, of which the said city was the head.” Of the various savage nations which retain posses- sion of this country, the most powerful and distin- guished are the Guaycurues, of whom we have the following account :— “ At the present day, they are divided into three bodies; one of which, without any alliance with other nations, live along the western margin of the Paraguay, subdivided into various hordes: the most southern are called Linguas by the neighbouring Spaniards, and when they infest the aldeias of the province of St. Cruz de la Sierra, are there known by the name of Xiriquanos; others have the appellation of Cambaz. Those who possess the eastern vicinity of the same river, constitute the other two bodies: the southern are allied with the Spaniards; the northern with the Portuguese. The Fecho dos Morros (barricado of rocks) is the separating line. No difference is remarked of origin, idiom, and usages, among these three portions of Indians, otherwise declared enemies to each other. The allies of the Portuguese, extending from the Rio Mondego southward, are divided into seven hordes, as pa — i 122 BRAZIL. or large aldeias, generally friends to each other, and without the least difference in any respect. Chagoteo, Pacachodeo, Adioeo, Atiadeo, Oleo, Laudeo, and Ca- dioeo, are the names by which they are distinguished. In none of these aldeias, which would be better desig- nated as large towns, are there any acknowledged superior to the rest. Each horde is composed of three classes of persons: the first are a species of noblesse, entitled captains, and their wives and daughters have the distinction of donnas ; the second are denominated soldiers, or men, whose military obedience descends from father to son; and the third, captives or slaves, comprising the prisoners of war and their descendants. There are but few of the first in each aldeia; the second are very numerous; and the third exceed many times the number of the others taken conjointly. The captains and soldiers have an intermixed origin. The slaves are of various nations, acquired in war, never undertaken with any other object than the augmen- tation of prisoners, in the number of which consists the degree of nobility or distinction of the captains. These irruptions are exterminatory, taking away the lives of the elder people and the liberty of the younger. Such youthful captives soon forget their idioms and customs, and adopt those of the Guaycurues. “The Guaycurus are of medium stature, well made, healthy, robust, and appear formed for the most painful and laborious undertakings. Bodily defects are ex- ceedingly rare; but blind persons sometimes are seen. Their teeth are black, from the prodigious quantity of tobacco which they use. The women always carry a piece between the under-lip and gums. They paint the body with the dye of the wrucu and jenipapo, in which operation much symmetry is preserved. The youth have no certain usage in the disposal of their lank hair; the aged shave their heads, similar to the BRAZIL. lay-Franciscans. The women likewise shave their heads around, and clip the hair, leaving it three inches in length at the top. Their physiognomy is broad, and presents nothing agreeable, in consequence of the dye, which they introduce into the skin with thorns, forming lines that commence at the roots of the hair, and ter- minate at the eyelids or the cheeks, and in some instances at the chin, where they give it the appearance of a chess-board, an ash-colour being so indelibly fixed, that it continues through life. They are usually wrapped up in a large cotton cloth, from the neck to the feet, striped with various colours. The more ostentatious ornament themselves with shells, the mother-pearl appearing outwards; some have upon them the figure of their horses, well drawn in black and white. Below this dress, they wear a very wide girdle, called an ayulate, without which a girl from her birth is never seen. Ornamental strings of silver, in necklaces and bracelets for the arms and legs, and a plate of the same metal at the breast, are generally displayed; for the manufacture of which, a stone anvil and hammer are used. In former times, these orna- ments consisted of wood, such as are yet seen among some of the poor. Early in life they become meagre ; and their skins, as well as those of the men at an advanced age, are remarkably wrinkled. The men have no other clothing than a narrow girdle of dyed cotton, which they tie round the middle of the body; and after they have had communication with the Euro- peans, they cover them with beads of divers colours, forming different devices. They ornament the head, arms, and legs with plumes of feathers of various colours. They have the under-lip perforated, in which is introduced a cylinder of wood, almost as thick as a writing pen, and three inches long; the richer class wearing them of silver; and in their ears thev wear 124 BRAZIL. half-moons of the same metal. The men are diligent in hunting, fishing, gathering honey and wild fruits, and in the manufacture of arms and canoes. The women spin, manufacture clothes and girdles of cotton, and make cords, mats, &c. “They breed all the species of domestic European birds and quadrupeds introduced into the country, and some peculiar to this continent, with great attention and care. Agriculture is held in contempt by them; and meat is their only aliment, which renders their stock of animals not over abundant, with the exception of horses, which they never eat. Owing to their in- cessantly riding on horseback, their legs are crooked. They do not use the saddle or stirrups, nor any sub- stitute for them, and their bridles consist of cords. Their war-horses are not used for any other purpose, nor do they ever sell them. The women are mounted on horseback, between bundles of dried grass, upon a cloth which serves at the same time for a housing. “The Guaycurus are dreaded by the surrounding na- tions, in consequence of the advantage they have in cavalry in their cruel wars, and the arms which they use, consisting of a club, or staff, of four or five spans in length, and an inch in diameter; a lance somewhat thicker, and twelve feet long; a frassade, or large knife; and the bow and arrow. They are equipped with all those arms when they proceed upon their war- horses, in the following manner. They encircle them- selves with a cord, between which and the body the club is introduced on the right side, the ¢rassado on the left ; with the left hand they govern the horse, and with the right, wield the lance, which they do not use when they carry the bow and arrow. They also use the lasso in their hunting excursions. A year does not elapse without their undertaking campaigns against, and making prisoners of the Guatos, Cayapos, Bororos, BRAZIL. 125 Xiquitos, Chamococos, (the last two are of the province of St. Cruz de la Sierra,) Guaxis, (who dwell about the heads of the Aranhahy,) Coroas, Caiavabas, Guannas, and other tribes. The Guannas are the most nu- merous; and among them alone is remarked the cul- tivation of some hortulans and cotton-trees. “ The Guaycurus content themselves with one wife; but the law is free to both parties to effect a separation, and contract a new alliance; such separations, how- ever, are very rare. They have a general cemetery, which is a large open structure, covered with mats, where each family has a part staked off for its use. Above the sepulchres of the men are deposited their bows, arrows, and other arms. Those of distinguished warriors are decked with ornaments. Rich young females are decorated as if for the bridal day. They believe in a Creator of all, but to him they pay no kind of homage also, in an inferior spirit, endowed with the knowledge of futurity, whom they denominate Nanigo- gigo. They admit the immortality of the soul; but it would appear that they have no idea of future recom- penses proportioned to the conduct of life; they ima- gine that the souls of the captains are in a state of enjoy- ment after death, and that those of the people wander about the cemetery. Their diviners acquire most credit by their pretended familiarity with the Nani- gogigo, with which they are supposed to be privileged. “It is considered as a beauty among these people, to have no hair upon the eyebrows, being particularly careful to extract it on its appearance. Their language abounds with words and phrases of soft and easy pro- nunciation. There is nothing more remarkable among the Guaycurus, than the inhuman practice of the mothers in destroying the embryo, until they arrive at the age of thirty, in order to avoid the inconve- - pt a. ———— 126 BRAZIL. niences annexed to the birth and rearing of their off- spring. “ The streets of their villages or towns are straight and wide; the houses are covered with mats of bul- rushes. They sleep on the ground upon hides, and cover themselves with the cloths that the women spread over the two bundles of grass between which they ride on horseback. None of their dwelling-places are perma- nent. They are always near some river or lake, and con- tinue while there are game, fish, fruits, and pasturage for the cattle. On experiencing any want, in a mo- ment the town disappears, and the plains, previously covered with thousands of animals, are deserted. On arriving at their destined place, another town rises almost in a moment, and the surrounding campos, where scarcely a few deer pastured, are on a sudden covered with numerous horses, oxen, and flocks of sheep. They manufacture an inebriating drink with honey and water, called chicka. Some express them- selves tolerably well in the Portuguese language.” * Such is the vague and imperfect information with which we must for the present content ourselves, with regard to this tribe of American Tartars. In many respects, they bear a resemblance to the Abipounes of Paraguay, while their use of the bofoque, or lip-plug, seems to mark their affinity to the Botucudoes of the eastern provinces. The woods which border on the Igatimy, the Miamaya, and the Escopil, streams flowing from the Serro Amambahy into the Parana, are inhabited by the Cahans, or people of the wood; so called to distinguish them from their enemies, the Guaycurues, who keep the open country. Of this semi-civilized tribe we have * Henderson's Brazil, pp. 207—11. BRAZIL. 127 a very singular account: they are evidently descendants of some of the Indians civilized by the Jesuits of Paraguay. “ The Cahans live in aldeias. Not more than thirty vears ago, they had fifteen of those villages. They paint themselves with the dye of the wrucu, perforate the under-lip, and insert a cylinder of resin, transparent as crystal, secured by a small wooden pin at the upper extremity. The bow and arrow are their arms, made with instruments of flint and the sharpened teeth of the boar. They cultivate the cotton-tree, the produce of which they spin and weave in a method peculiar to themselves. Their vesture consists of a sort of ponche in the form of a sack, made of cotton cloth, doubled and sewed in part at the corners, with an opening to introduce the head through, also with apertures for the arms, and tied by a cord round the waist. In the morning, they sing hymns to the Creator, accompanied with extravagant movements. Among them are men who pretend to be at once surgeons, doctors, divines, and priests: like the latter, they carry in their hands a cross, which custom they have unquestionably derived from the first Jesuit missionaries, who penetrated into the country, and who used a staff in the shape of a cross. In their district, there are woods of wild orange- trees, and prodigious numbers of bees.” * The only povoacoes in this district are, the fazenda of Camapuan, situated in lat. 19°36” S.; and Miranda, a prezidio on the river Aranhary or Mondego, founded in 1797. The Spaniards of Nova Coimbra have at- tempted to establish themselves at several points in this district, but have been obliged to abandon their stations. The cantons of Cuyaba and Matto Grosso are, pro- perly speaking, the only districts of the province which have been colonized. The latter contains the capital, * Henderson's Brazil, p. 213 128 BRAZIL. the residence of the governor and the ouvidor, and the only parish at present in the comarca. Villa Boa (the good town) is situated in a champaign country, near the margin of the Guapore. The houses are of taipé, white-washed. It has a smelting-house, and, besides its parochial church, two hermitages. The Guapore originates nearly 100 miles north-east of Villa Bella. After flowing eighty miles in a southerly course, it runs nearly the same distance in a western direction; it then curves towards the north-west, and west-north-west; and ultimately joins the Mamore, forming the majestic Mandera. The Spaniards give the Guapore the name of Itenez, while it sometimes takes the name of the Mamore. Its banks are for the most part swampy and unhealthy. The rivers which join it by the right margin, the largest of which does not exceed 100 miles in length, issue from the western side of a continuation of the Serra Paricis, running parallel with its course. Thirty miles to the east of the Guapore, the Jauru originates in the campos of the Serra Paricis, and after flowing a long way southward, bends to the east-south-east, and falls into the Para- guay in lat. 16° 24” S. At this confluence, 170 miles south-east of Villa Bella, “a magnificent stone of European marble” was erected in 1754, as a boun- dary-mark between the Spanish and Portuguese ter- ritories, bearing the arms of each power turned towards their respective possessions, with the following in- scription :— Sub Joanne Quinto Lusitanorum Rege Fidelissimo Sub Ferdinando Sexto Hispanie Rege Catholico Justitia et Pax osculata sunt. Ex Pactis Finium Regundorum Conventis. Madriti. Idib. Januar. M.DCC.L. BRAZIL. 129 The Jaurn runs principally through a flat and woody country. At a short distance from its margin, there is stated to be “ a nitrous lake” furnishing a quantity of salt. The northern portion of the canton is occupied by the Serra Paricis, an elevated range with extensive sandy campos on its summits, inhabited by various abo- riginal tribes. The canton of Cuyaba, which lies to the east of Matto Grosso, is, probably, the most valuable, as it is the most richly diversified part of the province. It is said to abound with spacious plains, superb woods, and gently undulating eminences, sometimes rising to the grandeur of mountain scenery; and the greater portion is fertilized by numerous rivers. The Cuyaba, from which it derives its name, traverses it from north to south, falling into the Lourengo in lat. 17°20’. On the east and south, it is separated from Bororonia by the latter river; while its western boundary is the mighty Paraguay. This river, according to Cazal, has its source in an elevated campo on the Serra Pary, a portion of the extensive Paricis, near the Sefe Lagoas, (seven lakes,) which communicate with each other by narrow outlets. A little below the last of these, the river flows through a swampy country in a northerly direction for a short distance; it then winds round by the west, and takes a southward course. The first large river that joins it, is the Jauru. The range of elevated lands which skirt its eastern margin thus far, continues twenty-five miles below this confluence, to the point called Escalvada, where both margins begin to be flat, and are interspersed with lakes. Seventy miles further southward, the western margin begins to be bordered by a narrow range of hills, called Serra Insua, Serra Doirados, and Serra Chaynez: they ex- tend about seventy miles in length, but are broken in various parts, so as to afford outlets to three lakes lying —————— g—— I a a ———r. Eo I. LTT ET IN FIERRO AISI 130 BRAZIL. Hehind them, which appear like the mouths of large rivers, when the Paraguay, at the season of its over- flowings, makes them part of its expanded channel. The names of these lakes are Oberaba, Gahiba, and Mandiore. The first two, each ten miles in diameter, and about the same distance apart, communicate with each other. The Mandiore is twenty miles south of the Gahiba lake, and is fifteen miles in extent. It has more than one channel to the Paraguay; in front of the northernmost, which separates Serra Doirados from Serra Chaynez, the St. Lourengo discharges itself in lat. 18° 45’. The Tacoary has its embouchure in lat. 19° 15, in front of a square mass of an elevated range called Serra Albuquerque. Eighteen miles further south are the mouths of the Mondego, near which a narrow island, seventy miles long, divides the Paraguay into two channels. Thirty-five miles south of the Mondego, are two high mounts, in front of each other, on the banks of the Paraguay: on the western mount is built Fort Coimbra. About the same distance be- yond, an immense lake, twenty miles inland, called Bahia Negra (black lake,) finds an outlet on its western margin. Sixty miles lower, it receives on its eastern bank the Queyma: eight miles to the south of this river, on the opposite side, is the Morro of Miguel Joze, on the skirt of which is built Fort Bourbon. Twenty- five miles further south, in lat. 21° 20’, is the Fecko dos Morros (barricado of rocks,) where the waters of the Paraguay become contracted by a chain of low mountains, and another long rocky island again divides its channel. This is the limit between what is called the high and the low Paraguay; and here the laky and swampy margins, which commence at Escalvada, (dis- tant about 350 miles north,) finally terminate.* Be- * The expansion of the river in the intermediate space, during the inundations which begin in April, and last till September, BRAZIL. 131 tween the Fecho and the city of Assumption, which stands in lat. 25° 22’) several large rivers enter the Paraguay; and between Assumption and the magnifi- cent confluence of the Parana in lat. 27° 25’, the three branches of the large Pilco Mayo, and the Rio Verde or Colorado, which have their sources in the Andes, and, on the eastern side, the Piraju, the Cannabe, and the Tibicoary, enter the Paraguay. A hundred miles below the Parana, it receives the northern branch of the Salado, and upwards of 170 miles further, its southern branch, called also Xalapos: at this point is situated the city of Santa Fé, in lat. 31° 35”. A little further, it receives the Terceiro or Carcapal, and then bending towards the east-south-east, for a hundred and forty miles further, gathering, on both margins, several smaller rivers, is finally joined, in lat. 34°, by the Uru- guay, its last tributary. The Spaniards generally call it the Rio da Plata, after it receives the Pilco Mayo. Villa Real de Cuyaba, the capital of the canton, is a larger and more flourishing place than Villa Boa, the seat of the provincial government. It stands near a small river, at one mile’s distance from the Cuyaba. [t contains a church and three chapels, all, as well as the houses, built of taipé: the streets are mostly paved. forms the sea or lake of Xarays, from 70 to 150 miles in width. At this period, a great part of the beds of the rivers St. Lourengo, Tocoary, Mondego, and others on the eastern side, as well as the lakes on the western side and the adjacent woods, become portions of this ** periodical Caspian;” and the elevated lands assume the appearance of islands, inhabited by an accumulation of birds and wild animals. ‘* While the floods continue, it is customary to navigate over the plains where the current is less rapid, tra- versing prodigious plantations of rice, annually reproduced by nature without any human assistance, or sustaining any damage from the waters, because it grows as the waters increase, always having more than a yard above water, and affording supplies to the passing canoes, into which the ears are bent, and then shaken with a pole.”—Hendersor, p. 221. ps : A — LE a BOTTI SAE EMESIS Sf KT BONE 0 a 132 BRAZIL. It is the residence of a bishop in partibus and a juiz de fora. The town and neighbourhood contained, in 1797, about 18,000 persons. In 1809, according to the information Mr. Mawe received, the population amounted to 30,000. The orange-tree grows here luxuriantly; the melon, water-melon, and pine-apple also flourish, and mandioc, maize, cotton, and sugar are cultivated by the inhabitants. The only other place of consideration in the canton, is Villa Maria, situated on the eastern bank of the Para- guay, twenty-five miles from the mouth of the Jauru. Its inhabitants at present consist chiefly of Indians of various nations, but its advantageous position points it out as likely to become of some importance as a com- mercial town. There is a royal fazenda in the neigh- bourhood, and an engenho or sugar-work has recently been established here. There still exist within both this canton and Matto Grosso, various hordes of Bororo Indians; (some who are designated as Coroados, shaven-crowns, and others Barbadoes, bearded ;) but the gross of the population is stated to consist of mamalucoes descended from the alliance of the Paulistas with the Paricis Indians. The gold-mines of Cuyaba, which led the adventurous Paulistas to form settlements in this remote district, were first discovered in 1718, by a certanista, in pro- ceeding up the river Cuyaba in search of Indians. The first explorers of the country found vast quantities of gold, and in 1723, the prodigious amount of the royal fifths received at St. Paulo, excited in that city a universal passion for mining. ‘ Every one was de- sirous of becoming a miner of Cuyaba, notwithstanding the calamities attached to so laborious and prolonged a voyage. Of more than 300 persons who, in the year 1725, departed from St. Paulo, in upwards of twenty canoes, only two white men and three negroes escaped; BRAZIL. 133 all the rest were killed or made prisoners in an en- counter with an armada of Payagoa Indians in the river Paraguay. In 1727, the governor of St. Paulo, Rodrigo, Cesar de Menezes, arrived at the new arraial, to which he gave the name of Villa Real de Cuyaba. In 1730, a party of Paulistas, with the late ouvidor of the town at their head, were returning from Cuyaba with upwards of sixty arrobas (nearly 2000 Ib. weight) of gold, when they were attacked, near the mouth of the Tacoary, by an armada of eighty war-canoes, manned by more than 800 Indians; and only seventeen whites escaped by swimming to land. The gold which the Payagoas car- ried off, together with many prisoners, they disposed of in the city of Assumption, at so low a rate, that six pounds weight is said to have been given by one Indian for a pewter plate. In 1732, another party of Paulistas, consisting of fifty canoes, was cut off by the Indians; a few only escaped to Cuyaba. It was now deemed ne- cessary to send a powerful armament to clear the Para- guay of these formidable marauders. A desperate con- flict, which lasted for several hours, took place in 1735, terminating, however, to the advantage of the Paulistas. In the same year, a road was opened to the territory of Goyaz; and intelligence being brought of new gold mines in Matto Grosso, almost the whole population of Cuyaba left that town for the west. In 1742, Manoel de Lima first discovered the navigation to Para, by descending the Guaypore, the Madera, and the Ma- ranham, in a canoe, to that city. Four years after- wards, another adventurer descended by the Arinos, the Tapajos, and the Maranham to Para, and returned the following year by the Madera, with European mer- chandise; since which time this route has been fre- quented by traders. On the opening of the roads to Bahia and Rio de Janeiro, the route by way of Cama- puan began to be less frequented and the navigation PART III. I 154 BRAZIL. of the Para has superseded, in great measure, the intri- cate course of the early adventurers. Having now explored the utmost western limits of the Brazilian empire, we return to the coast, to pursue the description of the maritime provinces lying to the north of Rio de Janeiro. We are indebted almost entirely to the enterprising spirit of Prince Maximilian of Wied Nieuwied, for an accurate account of the tract of country lying between the 23d and 13th pa- rallels of south latitude. Having, in the former volume, followed the route taken by his highness, to the northern confines of the province of Rio,* we now rejoin him on entering the province of ESPIRITO SANTO. Tue province thus uncouthly and profanely desig- nated, comprehends three-fourths of the capitania given, in 1534, to Vasco Fernandez Coutinho, as a remunera- tion for his services in Asia. It extends a hundred miles in length, between the rivers Capabuan (or Ita- bapuana) and Doce, which separate it from Rio de Ja- neiro on the south, and Porto Seguro on the north. On the west, it borders on Minas Geraes. ‘The lofty and naked ridge of Middle Brazil,” remarks Prince Maximilian, ¢ in the provinces of Minas Geraes, Goyaz, and Pernambuco, is divided from the eastern coast, by a broad tract of high forests, which extend from Rio de Janeiro to the Bay of All Saints (Bahia,) about eleven degrees of latitude, and which are not yet taken pos- session of by the Portuguese settlers : only a few roads have hitherto been opened, with infinite labour, along the rivers that traverse them. In these forests, where * See vol. i. p. 211 BRAZIL. 35 the primitive inhabitants, who are pressed upon at every other point, have till now enjoyed a serene and peace- ful abode, we may still find those people in their origi- nal state.” Coutinho is said to have landed with only sixty per- sons to take possession of his capitania: with this small number, he engaged and put to flight the Indians, and founded the town now called VillaVelha (old town,) where he constructed a fort, and established an engenko (sugar-work.) On his return to Portugal to obtain supplies for his new colony, the settlement was attacked by the Goytacazes, and the survivors were driven beyond the Rio Cricare. Here, in a subsequent en- counter, the Portuguese were again defeated, and were compelled to flee to their ships, their commander, the son of Mem da Sa, being slain. Ultimately, a decisive victory was obtained over the savages; but the Jesuits were the first who succeeded in making terms with the natives, and in 1551, Padre Alfonso Braz founded the college of Vittoria. Reverses of fortune, however, had disabled Coutinho for deriving any advantage from his possessions, and one of his descendants sold the ter- ritory, for 400,000 cruzadoes, to Francisco Gil d’Araujo, who, in his turn, abandoned it in despair, and one of his heirs sold it to the crown in the reign of John V. Of all the old captaincies of Brazil, that of Espirito Santo has made the least progress. Cazal admits, that it had not undergone any considerable melioration, since its reversion to the crown, nor have the dominions of the Indians been materially contracted.* The civil- ized population is almost entirely confined to the coast, * In the last half of the seventeenth century, the district of Espirito Santo is said to have contained only 500 Portuguese, and four Indian villages - — = 136 BRAZIL. and even here they are liable to hostile attacks. Yet, the reported salubrity of the climate and fertility of the soil render this province highly deserving of the attention of Government. The greater part is still covered with virgin forests, in which are found the Brazil-wood, the cedar, the sassafras-tree, and various other resinous and aromatic species: no province pos- sesses such an abundance of the tree which supplies the Peruvian balsam. The journey from the Itabupuana northward to the banks of the Itapemirim, a distance of six or eight leagues, is esteemed so dangerous, owing to the ex- cursions of the Puries, that it has been found necessary to establish a guartel or military post in this quarter. These savages were reported to be now really very desirous of living at peace with the whites. On the south bank of the Itapemirim is the small, newly built villa of the same name, seven leagues from Muribecca. It contains some good houses, but is a mere village, inhabited partly by small planters, partly by fishermen and a few mechanics. The river is very narrow, but a small trade is carried on by means of it, in the pro- duce of the country, consisting of sugar, cotton, rice, millet, and timber. The Serra de Itapemirim, from which it descends, is seen at a great distance with remarkably jagged peaks. It is celebrated for the works for washing gold, called Minas de Castello, five days’ journey up the river. That district was, however, so disturbed by the Tapuyas, that the few Portuguese settlers left it about forty years ago, and took up their abode in the town. The country higher up the river, is inhabited by these rude hordes, chiefly Puries; the Botucudoes, too, “the real tyrants of the wilderness,” still make excursions to a considerable distance down the river. A road, however, has been opened through BRAZIL. 137 these dangerous wilds, which leads from Minas de Cas- tello to the frontier of Minas Geraes, about twenty-two leagues distant. A day's journey from Itapemirim brought the travel- lers to the Fazenda de Aga, not far from a morro of that name, a lofty, rounded, insulated mountain, which is seen rising from among the contiguous woods. Near Aga is the povoagao of Piuma or (Ipiuma,) where there is a wooden bridge thrown over the rivulet, three hundred paces in length; “a real curiosity in these parts.” The waters of this little stream are of a dark coffee colour: they are discharged into the sea. After riding through a hilly country, presenting alternate woods and meadows, the travellers reached the Villa Nova de Benevente, seated at the foot of a hill on the north bank of the Iritiba or Reritigba, called also the Benevente. This village was founded by the Jesuits, who collected here 6000 Indians, and their church and convent still are seen on the eminence commanding the town. It was the largest aldeia on the coast, till most of the Indians were driven away by the hard service exacted for the crown, and the slavish manner in which they were treated. The whole district of Villa Nova does not now include above 800 inhabitants, of whom about 600 are Indians. The town is small, but has some good houses. Villa de Goaraparim, the next town on this line of coast, derives its name from a narrow arm of the sea, which is often spoken of as a river, but is, in fact, a salt-water inlet. The town is poor, but somewhat larger than Benevente, and there are some considerable fa- zendas in the neighbourhood. The houses are only of one story, and the streets are unpaved. The district is said to contain about 3000 souls. The road to this place from Benevente, lies through majestic forests within hearing of the roaring of the Atlantic. * Atone place,” i) } #4 136 BRAZIL. and even here they are liable to hostile attacks. Yet, the reported salubrity of the climate and fertility of the soil render this province highly deserving of the attention of Government. The greater part is still covered with virgin forests, in which are found the Brazil-wood, the cedar, the sassafras-tree, and various other resinous and aromatic species: no province pos- sesses such an abundance of the tree which supplies the Peruvian balsam. The journey from the Itabupuana northward to the banks of the Itapemirim, a distance of six or eight leagues, is esteemed so dangerous, owing to the ex- cursions of the Puries, that it has been found necessary to establish a guartel or military post in this quarter. These savages were reported to be now really very desirous of living at peace with the whites. On the south bank of the Itapemirim is the small, newly built villa of the same name, seven leagues from Muribecca. It contains some good houses, but is a mere village, inhabited partly by small planters, partly by fishermen and a few mechanics. The river is very narrow, but a small trade is carried on by means of it, in the pro- duce of the country, consisting of sugar, cotton, rice, millet, and timber. The Serra de Itapemirim, from which it descends, is seen at a great distance with remarkably jagged peaks. It is celebrated for the works for washing gold, called Minas de Castello, five days’ journey up the river. That district was, however, so disturbed by the Tapuyas, that the few Portuguese settlers left it about forty years ago, and took up their abode in the town. The country higher up the river, is inhabited by these rude hordes, chiefly Puries; the Botucudoes, too, “the real tyrants of the wilderness,” still make excursions to a considerable distance down the river. A road, however, has been opened through BRAZIL. 137 these dangerous wilds, which leads from Minas de Cas- tello to the frontier of Minas Geraes, about twenty-two leagues distant. A day's journey from Itapemirim brought the travel- lers to the Fazenda de Aga, not far from a morre of that name, a lofty, rounded, insulated mountain, which is seen rising from among the contiguous woods. Near Aga is the povoagao of Piuma or (Ipiuma,) where there is a wooden bridge thrown over the rivulet, three hundred paces in length; “a real curiosity in these parts.” The waters of this little stream are of a dark coffee colour: they are discharged into the sea. After riding through a hilly country, presenting alternate woods and meadows, the travellers reached the Villa Nova de Benevente, seated at the foot of a hill on the north bank of the Iritiba or Reritigha, called also the Benevente. This village was founded by the Jesuits, who collected here 6000 Indians, and their church and convent still are seen on the eminence commanding the town. It was the largest aldeia on the coast, till most of the Indians were driven away by the hard service exacted for the crown, and the slavish manner in which they were treated. The whole district of Villa Nova does not now include above 800 inhabitants, of whom about 600 are Indians. The town is small, but has some good houses. Villa de Goaraparim, the next town on this line of coast, derives its name from a narrow arm of the sea, which is often spoken of as a river, but is, in fact, a salt-water inlet. The town is poor, but somewhat larger than Benevente, and there are some considerable fa- zendas in the neighbourhood. The houses are only of one story, and the streets are unpaved. The district is said to contain about 3000 souls. The road to this place from Benevente, lies through majestic forests within hearing of the roaring of the Atlantic. “ Atone place,” 9 } Z 138 BRAZIL. says Prince Maximilian, “we met with an extremely beautiful grove, consisting entirely of airi palms. Young vigorous trees of this species, from twenty to thirty feet high, rise with their straight, dark-brown stems, surrounded with thorny rings. Their beautifully feathered leaves skreened the damp ground from the scorching noon-tide sun; while younger ones, which had not yet any stem, formed the brush-wood, above which old dead palms, withered and decayed, projected like broken columns. Upon these trees, devoted to destruction, the solitary, yellow-hooded wood-pecker; or the beautiful species with the red head and neck, was at work. The flower of the flame-coloured heli- conia covered the low bushes near us, round which twined a beautiful convolvulus, with the finest azure- blue bells. In this magnificent forest, the ligneous creeping plants again showed themselves in all their originality, with their curvatures and singular forms. We contemplated with admiration the sublimity of this wilderness, which was animated only by toucans, par- rots, and other birds.” Beyond this wood, at two leagues from Benevente, is a collection of fishermen'’s huts called the povoacao de Obu; and not far from Goaraparim is another hamlet, containing sixty or eighty families of fishermen, called Miaipé where Prince Maximilian took up his quarters for the night. He halted again at Goaraparim; the next day, he reached a little fishing hamlet on the coast, called Ponta da Fruta; and on the day following, five leagues further through marshy meadows and woodland, brought him to Villa Velha on the Rio de Espirito Santo, which gives its name to the province. This river, which is of considerable magnitude at its mouth, rises in the mountains on the frontiers of Minas Geraes, and descending, with many windings, through the ex- tensive ancient forests of the Tapuyas, issues forth BRAZIL. 139 at the foot of one of those higher chains of mountains which stretch towards the sea. Of these, the most elevated point is the morro of Mestre-Alvaro, a moun- tain almost circular, about three miles inland. That which skirts the bay of Espirito Santo, is called Monte Moreno. The proper name of the river itself, accord- ing to Cazal, is the Santa Maria; and it is to be wished that it might supersede the name of the bay. Itis stated to be navigable to the first fall, a distance of forty miles, and the tide runs up about twelve miles, to the mouth of the river Serra, which joins it on the left bank. Several other streams fall into it, admitting of partial navigation. Villa Velha, a “ little, wretched, open town,” stands on the south bank of the river, not far from its mouth, at the entrance of the ¢ beautiful bay.” It is built in a sort of square, having the church at one extremity, and the casa da camara or town-hall at the other. The town consists of low, clay huts, is unpaved, and is evidently going to decay. Its only inhabitants are fishermen. On a high, conical hill, covered with wood, immediately adjoining the town, stands the celebrated Franciscan convent of Nossa Senhora da Penha, one of the richest in Brazil, dependent on the abbey of St. Bento at Rio. “It is said,” adds Prince Maximilian, “ to possess a wonder-working image of the Madonna, for which reason numerous pilgrims resort thither; but, at the period of our visit, there were only two ecclesiastics on the spot. It is well worth the trouble, to ascend the steep eminence, in order to enjoy the inexpressibly grand prospect which there offers itself to the view. It overlooks the wide expanse of the ocean, and, on the land side, fine chains of mountains and various peaks, with interjacent valleys, from which the broad river issues in the most picturesque manner imaginable.” 3 EY TN ASE tw 140 BRAZIL. About half a league from Villa Velha, on the opposite side of the bay, stands the present capital of the pro- vince, Villa da Victoria. It is built, according to Cazal, “ on an amphitheatrical site, on the western side of an island fifteen miles in circumference,” and is thus described by his highness of Wied Nieuwied. “The cidade de Nossa Senhora da Victoria is a pretty, neat place, with considerable buildings, con- structed in the old Portuguese style, with balconies of wooden lattices, paved streets, a tolerably large town- hall, and the Jesuits’ convent, occupied by the gover- nor, who has a company of regular troops at his dis- posal. Besides several convents, there are a church, four chapels, and an hospital (misericordia.) The town is, however, rather dull, and visitors, being very un- common, are objects of great curiosity. The coasting- trade is not unimportant; several vessels are in con- sequence always lying here, and frigates can sail up to the town. The neighbouring fazendas produce much sugar, mandioc, flour, and rice, bananas, and other articles, which are exported along the coast. Several forts protect the entrance of the fine river Espirito Santo; one directly at the mouth; a second battery, built of stone, higher up, with eight iron guns; and still further up, on the hill between the latter and the town, a third battery of seventeen or eighteen guns, a few of which are brass. The town is built rather unevenly, on pleasant hills; and the river flowing past it, is here everywhere enclosed within high mountains, partly consisting of rocks, which are in many places naked and steep, and covered with creeping plants. The beautiful surface of the broad river is broken by several verdant islands, and the eye, as it follows its course up the country, everywhere finds an agree- able point of repose in lofty, verdant, wood-covered mountains, ”’ BRAZIL. 141 Prince Maximilian took up his abode for a few days, at a small fishing village on the viver Jucu, which he had crossed in the route to Villa Velha, distant about four leagues from Victoria. The river falls into the ocean about three miles to the south of the entrance of the bay: it abounds in fish, and there are many wildly picturesque spots near its banks. About four leagues up this river is the large fazenda of Aragatiba, the pro- perty, at that time, of a Colonel Falcio, an opulent planter possessing several other estates in the neigh- bourhood, and to whom belonged the house at Barra de Jucu assigned to Prince Maximilian as his tem- porary residence. The great forest of Aracatiba, through which lies the route to the fazenda, is de- scribed as an awful wilderness. Emerging from its solemn gloom, the travellers unexpectedly came into an open country, where they were agreeably surprised all at once to see a large white building, presenting an extensive front of two stories, with two small towers, situated on a beautiful, green, level spot at the foot of the lofty morro which gives name to the fazenda. Near the house is a church; and at the foot of a hill, are are seen the negro huts, the sugar-mill, and the farm buildings. The estate employs 400 negroes. The sons of the proprietor resided on separate fazendas in the neighbourhood. About a league distant, on a romantic spot on the river Jucu, entirely surrounded with lofty primeval forests, is a second fazenda, called Coroaba; not far from which is the military post of St. Agostinho, where the governor of the province was at that time superintending the erection of a church, and the formation of a road to Minas Geraes. The govern- ment had settled there about forty families, who came from the Azores. “ These people,” says his highness, “ who live in great poverty, bitterly complain of their ——— ASAI AI ————————————— 142 BRAZIL, wretched condition, splendid promises having been made to them, but not performed.” * Proceeding along the coast, two days’ journey from Villa da Victoria, is Villa Nova de Almeida-—a large village of civilized Indians, founded by the Jesuits on elevated ground near the mouth of the Rio dos Reys Magos (river of the roval magi.t) In no other parish of the province has the number of native Indians in- creased so much as here. It has a large stone church, and contains in its whole district, nine leagues in cir- cumference, about 1200 souls. “ The inhabitants of the village,” adds Prince Maxi- milian, “ are chiefly Indians, but there are also some Portuguese and negroes. Many possess houses here, to which they come from their plantations on Sundays and holidays only. In the Jesuits’ convent, which now serves for the residence of the priest, there are still some old works of that order, which is a rarity, as the libraries in all the other convents have not been taken care of, but destroyed or dispersed. The Jesuits here formerly gave instruction in the lingoa geral (general language, i.e. of the Indians.) Their chapel, Dos Reys Magos, is said to have been very beautiful. The * ¢ Near the river Jucu, at a great distance above its mouth, in a fertile district, is beginning to flourish the arraial of the same name, inhabited by white agriculturists, and abounding with game.”— Henderson, p. 296. This, probably, is the station re- ferred to by Prince Maximilian by the name of St. Agostinho. + After crossing the river, the road lay through a winding valley, directly under a gentle verdant eminence which is sur- mounted by the remarkable rock, or crag, called Jucutucoara: after crossing the little river Muruim, the route led along the coast three leagues to the village of Praya Molle. Here the travellers lodged. Early the next morning, they reached another village called Carapebucu, from which place a wooded tract, four leagues in length, extends to Alineida. BRAZIL. 143 place 1s dull, and seems not to be populous; much poverty also prevails there. The Indians derive their subsistence from their plantations of mandioc and maize; they also export some wood and earthenware, and carry on a fishery, which is not inconsiderable, on the sea and the river Sahuanha, or Dos Reys Magos, which runs past the village. * “ The woods traversed by the Sahuanha, (which, in the ancient Indian language, was called Apyaputang,) are said to be inhabited by Coroadoes and Puries. Further on, from the Sahuanha to the Mucuri, the sea- coast is inhabited almost entirely by single families of Indians. They speak the Portuguese language only, and have exchanged their bow and arrows for the musket: even their dwellings differ very little from those of the Portuguese settlers. Their principal oc- cupations are agriculture and the sea-fishery. To the north of the Sahuanha, the whole coast is covered with thick woods. In a few hours you come to the river Pyrakahassu (great fish river.) Here, at the barra or mouth, is a hamlet of a few houses, called Aldea Velha; and rather higher up the river, a considerable village founded by the Jesuits, who collected a great number of Indians on this spot. Their chief subsistence is de- rived from shell and other fish; whence great heaps of shells are still found on the bank of the river. Some persons have been inclined to ascribe to them a different * One of the author's fellow-travellers, Mr. Sellow, subse- quently witnessed here the singular mode of fishing with the branches of the #ingi tree, which Condamine mentions as prac- tised in the Amazons’ river. ‘ They cut branches of the tingi tree” (tinguy, a species of paullinia,) ¢ bruise them, tie them in bundles, and throw them into the water, especially where it has but little fall: sometimes a dam is formed of them directly across, to stop the fish, which, becoming intoxicated by the juice mingled with the water, rise to the surface or die, or may easily be taken by the hand.” 144 BRAZIL. origin; but several writers confirm the statement of the savages being great oyster-eaters, and circumstances sufficiently explain the matter: it cannot, therefore, be doubted, that these accumulations of shells originate from the repasts of the ancient inhabitants.” * The fourth day, after crossing the Pyrakahassu, here a deep, broad, and rapid stream, the travellers again entered a beautiful forest; on emerging from which, their road lay for four leagues along an uninteresting tract of coast, broken by a succession of small pro- montories and inlets, to the guartel do Riacho, a mili- tary post where they found an officer and six privates. From this place, a fatiguing journey of eight leagues through deep sand, brought them, late the next night, to a similar post, called the quartel da Regencia, at the mouth of the Rio Doce, the boundary of the province, and the most considerable river between Rio de Ja- neiro and Bahia, At a short distance from the coast, between the quartel do Riacho and the Doce, extends a considerable lake called Lagoa dos Indios, to which the Riacho (rivulet) forms an outlet. The river Doce (sweet river,) it has already been mentioned in the description of Minas Geraes, assumes that name after the confluence of the Rio Piranga with the Ribeiro do Carmo. It runs through a considerable extent of country, forming several small falls, three of which succeeding each other at short intervals, are called the Escadinhas (stairs.) Two miles below these falls, the Doce receives the Mandu, which comes from the interior, running north-north-east between woods, and is navigable for canoes. “ The banks of this beautiful river,” says Prince Maximilian, speaking of the Doce, * are covered with thick forests, which are the haunt of a great number of * Maximilian’s Travels, pp. 165—7. TTI, AE PAI EAM no. si BRAZIL. 145 different animals. Here are frequently found the anta or American tapir, two kinds of wild swine (the caytetu or peccary, and the porco a quechada branca,) two species of deer, and above seven varieties of the cat kind, among which the spotted ounce and the black tiger are the largest and most dangerous. But the rude, savage Botucudo, the aboriginal inhabitant of this country, is far more formidable than all those beasts of prey, and is the terror of these impenetrable forests. This part of the country is still very thinly peopled, so that there is no communication kept up, except along the river. A few weeks ago, indeed, a forest path, here called picade, was opened along the south bank; but it is very far from completed, and, on account of the savages, is not to be passed, except by such as are well provided with arms. The Conde de Linhares, late minister of state, had particularly directed his attention to this fertile and beautiful country. He established new military stations, and built the village now called after him Linhares, eight or ten leagues up the river, at the place where the first military station had formerly been. He sent thither deserters and other criminals, to people the new colony; and these settlements would certainly have prospered in a short time, had not death too soon carried off that active minister. Since that period, this district has been entirely neglected, and unless more energetic measures are adopted, will probably soon be completely desolate.” Prince Maximilian, desirous of exploring the banks of this river, embarked on the following morning in a long canoe rowed by six soldiers. The annexed plate will serve to illustrate the author's description of this singu- lar excursion. “ In order to ascend the Rio Doce, when it is at its height, four men at least are necessary, who propel the canoe with long poles (varas.) As there are everywhere PART III. K > va ES A... po i Rr tg os i Bor, 146 BRAZIL. shallow places, which in the dry season PDensias Sh bunks, the poles can always reach {hen er AeA ie water is high; and with the most favourab : “ Hine tion of circumstances, it is possible to reac 1 Linhe in one day, but not till late in the evening. re “ The weather was very fine, and when we 3 de come accustomed to the rocking of the Baroy anon, caused by the soldiers walking backwards wl Sarai to push it along, we found the excursion voy Breen, When it was quite day-light, we saw the broad s The of the rapid stream glistening in the morning sun. Lc < . S omy ’ OUD, ¢ the 1g tr al whic h we i 1 3 t have afforded room even for a house. Nooo of various sizes and forms fe ans rater; wv are covered with ancien trees am JY re Each has its particiar Jue fu their number is said to increase the further you A i ; i 'e, when at its height, is tur The water of the Rio Doce, whe Shel nine bid and yellowish, and is universally asser *: Ly Te inhabitants to generate fevers. It abounc 5 : is even the saw-fish (pristis serra) comes up 7 i re Linhares, and into the lagoa of Juparanan, wher p » caught. 2 freon the Forests we heard the cries OF es monkeys, particularly the barbados, ihe a so Here it was that we first saw in their £40 y as magnificent maccaws pistons dhs. Joao: . are among the chief ornaments o az Gi oo heard their loud-screaming voices, and ” : hes splendid birds soaring above the CROWS Opts ” sapucaya trees. "We seeognised thew at : C 0 ge by their long tails, and their glowing i 0 Sighs with dazzling splendour in the beams of t ui Matas sun. Parroquets, maracanas, maittaccas, tiribas, ¢ a BRAZIL. 147 ‘amutangas, nandayas, and other species of parrots, flew, louldly screaming, in numerous flocks from hank to bank; and the large and stately Muscovy duck (anas moschata, Linn.) alighted on the branch of a cecropia, in the margin of the forest on the bank of the river. The black skimmer (rynchops nigra, Linn.) sat motion- less and with contracted neck upon the sand-banks: toucans and the ¢urucuas, (trogon viridis, Linn.) uttered their loud cries. These wild animals, and the savage Botocudoes, who are now, however, more rare, are the sole inhabitants of the banks of this river. There are scarcely any settlers; in two places only, a few per=- sons, sufficiently provided with arms for their defence, have fixed themselves. They always carry their guns with them, when they go to their plantations; and those who have no fire-arms, have at least one of the bows called bodoe, to discharge balls and stones. It is but occasionally, and in their roving excursions, that the Botocudoes appear in these parts so far down the river. “ Towards noon, we reached the little island called from its shape Carapuga (Cap.) Here our weary people took some rest, and we found it absolutely im- possible to reach Linhares this day. To secure our vessel from the rapid current of the river, we ran up between the main and an island, into a narrow channel, where a number of beautiful birds, especially parrots, were flying about; and the fine red maccaws pro- duced a singularly striking effect, as the setting sun illumined their scarlet plumage. The banks of these islands and of the channel were for the most part thickly overgrown with the high fan-like reed, the sheath of whose flower is used by the Botocudoes for their arrows. When evening approached, our soldiers deliberated whether it would be better to pass the night on the Ilha Comprida (long island, or on ene of the eg ia AAI SOIR, i 148 BRAZIL. others. The first was rejected, because it is divided from the shore by only a narrow and shallow channel, and we should not have been secure against a visit from the savages. We therefore proceeded to the Ilha de Gambin, where the governors used formerly to pass the night when they visited the colony on the Rio Doce. The present governor has not continued these visits, and we found the bushes on the shore so thickly grown together, that one of my hunters was obliged to clear a place with his wood-knife, before we could set foot on shore. A large and cheerful fire was soon blazing in an open spot, whence a large owl (curuja) and a Muscovy-duck flew away, affrighted at the un- expected guests. We suffered some inconvenience from the swarms of mosquitoes, but slept quietly till the morning. “We left the island very early, proceeded up the river past several other islands, and into a channel between the Ilha Comprida and the north bank of the river. The current was by no means so strong here, but then we met with many fallen trunks of trees and large branches, which we had to clear away, before we could advance further. The bushes and lofty ancient trees, which border this channel, present the most diversified and magnificent spectacle. Various kinds of cocoas, especially the elegant palmitto, (in other parts called jissara,) with its tall, slender stem, and the small bright, green, beautiful feathery crown, adorn these dark forests, from the recesses of which the calls of unknown birds strike the ear. Below, close to the water, were some splendid flowers, still new to us, among which were a convolvulus (or a plant of that genus) with a remarkably large white flower, and a plant resembling a bean, of the class diadelphia, with a large deep yellow flower, which twined about the BRAZIL. 149 bushes in thick close wreaths. A jucaré,* quietly hask- ing in the sun, fled at the sound of our oars. We soon came to several islands, upon which the people of Linhares had made plantations; for it is only on these islands that they are quite safe from the savages, who have no canoes, and therefore cannot cross, except where the breadth and depth of the river are incon- siderable. The officer called guarda mor, resides in the Ilha do Boi (ox island,) and the priest of Linhares on the Ilha do Bom Jesus. Towards noon, we came in sight of Linhares, and landed on the north bank, after having with great exertion made our way against the rapid current, in doing which we broke two of our poles. *“ Linhares is still a very inconsiderable settlement, notwithstanding the pains which, as we have above stated, the late minister, Count Linhares, took for its improvement. By his order the buildings were erected in a square, upon a spot cleared of wood, near the bank of the river, and on a steep cliff of clay. The houses of the place are small, low, covered at top with cocoa or uricanna leaves, of earth, and not plas- tered. It has yet no church, and mass is read in a small house. In the middle of the square formed by * The jacaré of the east coast of Brazil is far inferior to the gigantic crocodile of the old world, and even to those met with in the countries of South America nearer to the equator. Prince Maximilian describes one which the party shot in the Paraiba: it was about six feet long, the colour of a greenish grey, with some dark transverse stripes, especially on the tail; the belly of a bright yellow. This species is not feared: they are never more than eight or nine feet in length. Some of the fishermen showed marks on their feet, which, they said, were caused by the bite of this animal, and they have been known to seize and devour dogs when swimming across the river; but this traveller considers the stories told of their voracity as fabulous. They are sometimes eaten by the negroes. The one shot diffused a powerful and very disagreeable musky smell, 150 BRAZIL. the buildings, there is a wooden cross, to form which, the head of a pretty large sapucaya tree, that grew there, has merely been lopped off, and a transverse beam nailed to it. The inhabitants have laid out their plantations partly in the wood surrounding the village, partly in the islands in the river. “ In order to protect this settlement in general from the attacks and cruelties of the Botocudoes, eight stations have been established, which are pushed forward in dif- ferent directions into the great forests: they are also at the same time especially destined to protect the com- mercial intercourse which it has of late been attempted to open up the river with Minas Geraés. In fact, soldiers have already come down from that province, who were in sufficient numbers, well armed and provided with the defensive coat called gibao d'armas. These coats, some of which are kept at all the stations, are an in- dispensable covering against the arrows, which the savages discharge with great force. They are wide, made of cotton, and thickly lined with several layers of cotton wadding, have a high stiff collar, which covers the neck, and short sleeves that protect the upper part of the arm; they come down to the knee, but are very inconvenient, on account of their weight, especially in hot weather. The strongest arrow, even when dis- charged near at hand, does not easily penetrate such a coat, and it never has force enough to inflict any serious wound. The people indeed place too much confidence in these coats, for they assured us that even a ball would not pierce them. In order to convince myself of the truth of the assertion, I directed one of my hunters to fire at one with a rifle, at the distance of eighty paces, and the ball penetrated both sides of the coat, which besides was not filled out. It appeared, however, on further trials, that the largest shot fired at the distance of sixty paces, fell flattened to the ground, BRAZIL. 151 without penetrating, and that these coats are therefore, a sufficient defence against arrows. ! “ At Capitania and other places, they make this kind of coats of silk; these are indeed much lighter, but far more expensive. In the last action near Lin- hares, an uncommonly strong Botocudo discharged an arrow with extraordinary force, and at a short distance, at one of the soldiers. It penetrated the coat. and wounded the wearer but slightly in the side : yet even an arrow that is repelled, always gives a violent shock.” To Some distance beyond Linhares, in the woods, is the second station of Linhares, (the village beine con- sidered as the first,) with twenty-three soldiers. On the south side of the Rio Doce, two stations have heen established higher up the river; one, at Anadya, of twelve soldiers; another of twenty men, higher on at Porto de Souza.* The c ommanding officer at L tutares is obliged to make the tour of all the posts, a journey of ninety leagues, once a month. Soldiers are sent out from the quartels, to patrole the woods; but the s savages often attack the plantations, and many inhabitants of Linhares had been killed by them. The settlement, which might easily be made one of the most important places on the east coast, was, in fact, at this time, in so critical a situation, that its eventual ab: indonment ap- peared to Prince Maximilian almost inevitable. Not far from Linhares, on the north side of the Doc e, is the extensive lagoa de Juparanan, communicating with the river by a deep channel, about sixty feet broad, and a league and a half in length. “This lake, which Is snudanded by hilly banks, is about seven * This prezidio, according to Cazal, is two miles below the mouth of the Maudu. Its design is stated to have been to pre- vent the smuggling of gold from Minas Geraes in this direction It promised to become a considerable povoacao. 152 BRAZIL. leagues in length from south-east to north-west, half a league broad, and from sixteen to eighteen leagues in circumference. Its depth is unequal, but, in many places, it is from eight to twelve fathoms. This great mass of water is formed by a little river and several streams that run into the lake from the north-north- west. Near Linhares, it discharges itself through the above-mentioned channel into the Rio Doce, but rises ~onsiderably when strong south winds partly prevent it from flowing out by this channel. The bed and the banks of the lake are fine sands, on which ferruginous sandstone is here and there found. About five leagues from the entrance is a pretty little island of granite, which, on account of its distance from the bank, is not visited by the savages, and therefore affords a secure retreat to the fishermen.” The large canoe in which the travellers descended the river in returning, brought them to the quartel of Regencia in four hours—a distance which had occupied a day and a half in ascending the stream. On the fol- lowing day, they prosecuted their journey northward to Caravellas. We now enter on the province of PORTO SEGURO BounpED by the rivers Doce and Belmonte on the south and north, like the Espiritu Santo, its western boundaries are indeterminate towards Minas Geraes, the intermediate country being in the possession of the Indians. It lies between 19° 33’ and 15° 25 south latitude,* and is consequently about sixty-five leagues * Mr. Henderson says, between 15° 54’ and 19° 31” south latitude. But we have given the latitude of the Rio Doce on the authority of Mr. Lindley, which agrees with Prince Maximilian’s map, and that of the Belmonte on the authority of the latter document BRAZIL. 153 in length, It was on this part of the coast that Cabral first landed, and took possession, for the Crown of Por- tugal, of Brazil.* “But if,” remarks Mr. Southey, * the port from which the province is named be the place where Cabral first anchored, his ships must have been of no considerable burthen, or the depth of the port must have diminished; for, within the bar, it shallows to twelve feet.” When Pedro Campo Tourinho, its first donatory, ar- rived in this port, he found many of his countrymen there, some of whom had been more than thirty years in the country, living, with their half-Indian progeny, in perfect harmony with the natives. In a few years, he found himself the lord of a considerable and flourish- ing town, to which was given the name of Santa Cruz. It was begun upon Cabralia Bay (the bay of Cabral;) but the settlement was transferred to the banks of the Joao de Tyba, four miles to the northward, in con- sequence, Cazal states, of its more favourable soil. Besides Santa Cruz, Tourinho founded the town of St. Amaro, three miles to the south of Porto Seguro, which was afterwards demolished by the Abatyra Indiansin1564. At his death, he transmitted the colony to his son, in a very flourishing state. In 1556, it was sold by the daughter of Tourinho, on the decease of her brother, to Don John de Lancastre, Duke d’Aveiros, whose heirs retained the possession till 1758, when, on the confisca- tion of the property of the Duke d’Aveiros, after the attempt to assassinate the King (Joseph I.,) the captaincy reverted to the Crown. It was then in a very wretched state, and contained only two towns. Those of Juas- sema and St. Andre, founded by the duke, had been de- stroyed, among other places, by the Indians. The Jesuits, who founded a college in the capital in 1553, with a * See vol. i. p. 8, x 2 el | 5 i J | | | | ! 154 BRAZIL. view to prosecute their labours among the Indians of this province, left only two aldeias entirely Indian, at the time of their expulsion. In fact, less progress has been made in civilizing the aborigines in Porto Se- guro, than even in Espirito Santo, and this captaincy is still more backward in cultivation. The civilized in- habitants are confined wholly to the neighbourhood of the coast, and the interior is almost a continued forest abounding with the finest timber. From the banks of the Rio Doce to the St. Matthaeus, a dreary, uninhabited wilderness extends along the coast, twenty leagues in length : for the greater part of the way, not even fresh water is to be found. Cazal states, that, from the Doce as far-as a league to the north of Jucurucu, the lands are so flat, that they scarcely exceed the level of the highest tides. In the whole of this tract, more than a hundred miles, not a mountain, he says, nor even a small elevation is to be seen. But this appears to be incorrect. At two leagues from Regencia, is the guartel de Monserra, near which is a long, narrow lake, called Lagoa de Jupa- ranan da Praya, (to distinguish it from the larger lake of Juparanan near Linhares,) communicating with the sea by a broad channel, which is dry at low water. Some leagues further, in a small, low valley, is another lake, called Piranga; and beyond this, the road crosses the Barra seca, the outlet of a third lake, abounding in fish.* In this neighbourhood are extensive campos. While encamped, for the night, in the midst of this dreary wilderness, unable, for the want of fresh water, to make use of the provisions they had brought, Prince * Cazal mentions only one lake between the Doce and the St. Matthaeus, which he calls the lake Tapada, and describes to be ‘of considerable length from east to west, but very narrow.”’— Henderson, p. 304. BRAZIL. Maximilian and his party were sapped with a supper by very unexpected means. ‘“ While our people were employed: in fetching some sea-water, and in picking up drift-wood on the beach, we found, to our great surprise, at a short distance from our fire, a prodigious sea-turtle (Zestudo mydas, Linn.) which was just going to deposit its eggs. Nothing could be more welcome to our hungry company; the animal seemed to have come expressly to provide us with a supper. Our presence did not disturb it; we could touch it, and even lift it up; but to do this, it required the united strength of four men. Notwith- standing all our exclamations of surprise, and our deliberations what.to do with it, the creature manifested no sign of uneasiness but a kind of hissing, nearly like the noise made by the geese when any one approaches their young. It continued to work, as it had com- menced, with its fin-like hinder feet, digging in the sand a cylindrical hole from eight to es inches broad; it threw the earth very regularly and dex- terously, and, as it were, keeping time on both sides, and began immediately after to deposit its eggs. “ One of our soldiers laid himself all along on the ground near the purveyor of our kitchen, and took the eggs out of the hole as fast as the turtle deposited them; and in this manner we collected 100 eggs in about ten minutes. We considered whether we should add this fine animal to our collections; but the great weight of the turtle, which would have required a mule for itself alone, and the difficulty of loading such an awkward burden, made us resolve to spare its life, and to content ourselves with its eggs. “ Those huge animals, the midas and the soft-shelled turtle (festudo mydas and coriacea,) as well as the Zes- tudo caretta, or cauanna, deposit their eggs in the sand in the warmest months in the year, particularly in this 156 BRAZIL. uninhabited part of the coast, between the Riacho and the Mucuri; they come on shore for this purpose in the evening twilight, drag their heavy bodies up the sandy coast, dig a hole, in which they deposit their eggs, fill it up with sand, which they tread down, and an hour or two after sun-set, return to the sea. This was the case with the turtle which had so amply supplied us; when we came back to the strand a few hours afterwards, it was gone; it had filled up the hole, and the broad track left by it in the sand, showed that it had returned to its proper element. A single turtle of this kind can furnish an abundant repast with its eggs for a whole company; for the midas is said to lay at once ten or twelve dozen, and the soft-shelled from eighteen to twenty dozen. These eggs are a very nutritious food, and are therefore eagerly sought after on this desert coast by the Indians, and in the neighbourhood of the colony, also by the whites. “ Our frugal supper was soon finished; we after- wards kindled several small fires between the bushes of dwarf-palms, in order to keep the beasts of prey from our mules. The following morning, we found on the sand the fresh prints of the feet of large animals of the cat kind, which had ‘been prowling about during the night.” The Barra de St. Mattheus,* which the travellers reached the second evening, is a little village of about twenty-five houses. Fifteen miles (according to Cazal —Prince Maximilian says, about eight leagues) above the bar of the river, is the town of St. Matthaus, situated in the midst of swamps, which render the place far from healthy; but the fertility of the soil has * The mouth of this river is placed, in Arrowsmith’s map, in latitude 18° 15’. Prince Maximilian makes it lie in 18° 415’; and the former he considers as answering to the situation of the Mu- curi. BRAZIL. a7 attracted numerous settlers to this quarter. “As one of the newest towns in the province of Porto Seguro,’ says Prince Maximilian, “ it is in a thriving condition. [t contains about a hundred houses, and has in its dis- trict nearly 3000 inhabitants, both whites and people of colour. The inhabitants cultivate a great deal of mandioc, and export annually 60,000 alquieres of flour, and also planks from the neighbouring forests.” The orange, the lemon, and the water-melon flourish luxu- riantly. Eight leagues from the town of St. Matthzaus, up the river, is the station of Galveyas, the last military post in this direction, and no cultivated land is found beyond. The river St. Matthaeus, originally called the Cricare, has its source in Minas Geraes, and descends through ancient forests, full of various savage tribes, forming several small falls, and receiving, in its course, several small streams. Among these the principal are the Rio de St. Anna, which joins it on the northern margin, not far from its embouchure, the Rio Petro or Mariricu, and the St. Domingos. Cazal mentions the large river Co- tache as joining it on the left margin, soon after the last fall 5 it is probably one of the above-mentioned under another name. The banks of this river are the most productive part of the district. In the adjoining woods, the wild Indians are very numerous. The northern bank is frequented by Patachoes, Cumanachoes, Ma- chacalies, and other tribes, as far as Porto Seguro. The southern bank is believed to be chiefly occupied by Botucudoes, who are much feared by other tribes. All are at constant warfare with the whites, and the year before, seventeen persons had been killed by them.” In this river is found a rare animal, the manati or peixe-boi, (sea-calf) of the Portuguese; it yields a large quantity of blubber, and its flesh is esteemed a 158 BRAZIL. delicacy. An abundance of other fish is also found here. About half a league from St. Matthzus, the little river Guajinteba falls into the sea. Three leagues up the river is the fazenda of As Itaiinas, which is also a sort of military station. Beyond this, three small streams, the Riacho Doce, the Rio das Ostras, and the Riacho da Barra Nova, also discharge into the At- lantic. At the mouth of the latter is a small hamlet on a “ moderately high, but steep eminence.” In the evening, the travellers reached the Villa de St. Joze do Portalegre, situated at the mouth of the Mucuri, distant, according to Cazal, nearly thirty miles from the St. Matthaus. This town, which originally bore the name of the river, but is now commonly called Portalegre, is a small place, containing not above forty houses, forming three sides of a quadrangle open to the sea, with a small chapel in the middle. Sheep, swine, and goats feed in the area. The inhabitants are chiefly Indians, and are very poor; but since Prince Maximilian’s journey to these parts, some trade has been attracted to the place, and eventually, the navigation of the river, and the opening of the projected road along its banks to Villa do Principe in Minas Geraes, promise to render it a flourishing town.* Almost all the fine species of wood found on the eastern coast of Brazil, abound in the forests of this district. About a day’s journey and a half up the river, a new fazenda had recently been established by the Conde da Barca, at a spot called, from the number of araras or maccaws, Morro d’Arara, on the banks of a spacious lake. Here, Prince Maxi- * Roads were at this time being opened, by order of Govern- ment, (1817,) along the Mucuri, the Belmonte, the Ilheos, the Espirito Santo, and the Itapemirim, to Minas Geraes. BRAZIL. 159 milian took up his residence for several months, lead- ing the life of a genuine back-woodsman, with which his highness united, with indefatigable zeal, the pursuits of the naturalist, éf : : rss Kui 23 our ’ useful, and indeed only Drgupation, and though the insecurity of the forests i BRS AR Gbliged us to make , , pt in sufficiently nume- Yous parties, yet we always procured abundance of game. Whenever we went out of our huts in the morning, we heard the loud drum-like voice of the barbados i cetes,) and the hoarse growl of the gigo, another hitherto nondescript monkey; the maccaws, which flew loudly Screaming over our huts, in pairs, threes, or fi ves, joined in this noisy concert, which re-echoed through the woods; and we were in like manner surrounded by flocks of parrots, of schaiias, maitacas, jurus, (psit- tacus pulverulentus, Linn.) curicas, and many other Kinds, : “ At the huts, our people were still employed in com- pleting the roofs. The two larger buildings, in which I lived, In company with the owuvidor, the two naval captains, and Kramer, the German millwright, were provided with clay walls, and the roofs were finished For the latter they used the leaves of the uricanna . palm which has a small pliable stem: the bentivul large-feathered leaves (folia abrupte pinnata) grow on slender stalks; several of them are formed into a bundle; the stalks, which are very long, are then twisted round a lath of cocoa-wood, and bound together under it with a cipo verdadeira (bauhinia,) which is long enough to bind one bundle to another. The laths with the leaves thus attached, are laid over one ADs other in such a manner that two thirds of their breadth are covered. The ridge of the roof is then covered i a — SE re — a pee —— i {! {i i FI ————— EE ——— I ————— 160 BRAZIL. with other leaves, particularly the long cocoa fans, in order to render it quite water-proof. Such a roof, which they very well understand how to make here, is light and secure; care must, however, be taken to per- mit smoke sometimes to circulate through it, because otherwise the insects would destroy the dry leaves in the first year. “ A spacious hut was now erecting for a workshop for the smith; for, on account of the hardness of the different woods which were to be cut and worked, the tools very frequently stood in need of repairs. The smith employed here, was an inhabitant of the country on the Alcobaga, whom the ouvidor, to punish him for some fault, had ordered to be taken from his home by night, and brought hither to work. While the work- men were building the huts, the woodmen cleared the spot where it was proposed to erect the saw-mill. The owvidor left us, and went for some time with many of his people to Caravellas; our company was consequently much diminished, but we soon received a large acces- sion of numbers. Captain Bento Lourenzo * had car- * This enterprising mineiro, whose name at full length was Captain Bento Lourenzo Vas de Abreu Lima, an inhabitant of Minas Novas, had recently penetrated, with twenty-two armed men, from the frontiers of Minas Geraes, along the banks of the Mucuri, to the coast. Being employed in looking for precious stones, and continually living in the woods, he formed this bold project in the true spirit of enterprise which characterizes the mineiro. For several years, he caused a path to be made through the woods at his own expense; and when the work was advanced to a certain point, he undertook the journey on foot in person. They encountered great hardships, being often in want of provi- sions, when they could find no animals to hunt; fortunately, and perhaps for this very reason, they met with no Botucudoes. At length, after a journey of fifty days, they succeeded in reaching the coast, when the captain discovered that he had followed the course of the Mucuri, and not of the St. Matthaus, as he had intended. BRAZIL. 161 ried the new road so far with his mineiros, that he had nearly approached our solitude. The Picadores (people who go before and mark upon the trees the direction which the woodmen are to pursue) arrived a day earlier, and announced the coming of their company. The following evening, the captain. arrived, with eighty or ninety men, and took up his quarters with us. A great number of people were now collected within this small compass: the sounds of the guitar, the song, and the dance (baduca,) were heard till late in the night; large fires illumined the surrounding abatis and the dark forests, and tinged with their red glare the broad sur- face of the lagoa. The length of the road from Mucuri hither is about seven or eight leagues. The mineiros had found, near Morrq d’Arara, another large lagoa, abounding in fish, and in which there are great num- bers of jacarés; they had to make a circuit round this lake, and to cross marshes, by which, and by simi- lar obstacles, their labour had been much retarded. The various races of men whom the captain had together in his troop, gave to our train a very picturesque and original appearance. Besides us Germans and Portu- guese, there were in our company, negroes, creoles, mulattoes, mamelukes, Indians of the coast, a Boto- cudo, a Malali, some Maconies, and Capuchoes, all soldiers from Minas Geraes.” * Five leagues to the north of the Mucuri, is the river Peruhipe, on the southern margin of which, four miles above its mouth, is the little town of Villa Vigoza, consisting of about a hundred houses, with a church and camara, pleasantly situated among groves of cocoa- palms, which give a new and interesting character to * Maximilian’s Travels, pp. 224—6. The annexed plate repre- sents Captain Lourenzo’s mineiros prosecuting their work through the forest, and the author, with his party, reposing under the trees. I cr TORE, Wmv TITS, SSR WA. ORIN 162 BRAZIL. the landscape.* The inhabitants carry on some trade in mandioc flour, which is exported in small coasting- vessels called lanchas. A German ship-carpenter, who had been brought here in an English vessel which was wrecked, exercised his craft in this place, and the owners of the vessels are among the richest of the inhabitants. The river falls into the sea by two chan- nels: before its mouth are sand banks, which render the navigation unsafe. Between this point and Cara- vellas, about forty miles off the coast, lie the four rocky islands of St. Barbara, commonly called the Abrolhos (open your eyes,) the terror of navigators. Fishermen sail thither, and stay there several days and even weeks, where they catch abundance of fish and sea-turtles. Caravellas, situated on the northern margin of the river of the same name, about five miles from the sea, and ten miles north of the Peruhipe, is the most con- siderable town in the province. “It has straight streets, intersecting each other at right angles, among which are five or six principal streets and several smaller ones; but they are all unpaved and overgrown with grass. The houses are neatly built, but, for the most part, of one story only. The most considerable church stands in an open spot near the casa da camara. Caravellas carries on a brisk trade in the productions of the country, especially mandioc flour, sometimes exporting 54,000 alquieras of flour a year. Thirty or forty small vessels from Pernambuco, Babia, Rio, and the other ports on the east coast, are sometimes lying * From the Peruhipe southwards, to Rio, the genuine cocoa- palm is extremely rare; but, north of Vigoza, especially at Cara- vellas, Belmonte, Ilheos, Porto Seguro, and Bahia, it is very common, thriving best where the sand of the coast is washed by the spray of the sea. On the whole cast coast, it bears the name of Cocos de Bahia. BRAZIL. 163 here at once. ”* A broad arm of the Peruhipe com- municates with the Caravellas, insulating the interme- diate tract of coast, and affording a most agreeable passage from Vicoza. The banks are entirely covered with mangrove trees, the bark of which is of great use in tanning; and high groves of cocoa-palms frequently charm the eye. The latter part of the voyage, the channel is formed into a labyrinth by a multitude of mangrove islands, inhabited by swarms of parrots, while, on the natural arcades formed by the singular roots of the mangrove trees, are seen numbers of white herons. After a month’s stay at Caravellas Prince Maximilian prosecuted his journey along the coast northward. To- wards evening, he came to a rapid stream called the Barra Vella, because ‘it is the old mouth of the river Alcobaga.” The mouth of that river, (stated by Cazal to be fifteen miles north of Caravellas,) he reached early the next morning. Its more ancient name is the the Itanian or Itanhen. On its northern bank, not far from its mouth, stands the Villa de Alcobaca, built on a white, sandy plain. It contains about 200 houses, mostly covered with tiles, and a church of stone, with about 900 inhabitants. Here as well as along the whole coast, some trade is carried on in mandioc-flour, The ancient forests on its banks are inhabited by Patachqges and Machacaries, who, from this place * Mr. Lindley says, that the river Caravellos (or of caravels, an ancient three-mast vessel) ¢‘ has a formidable and dangerous bar, that will admit vessels of twelve feet only; but, when over the bar, they have ten fathom water. The river is two miles broad, and proportionably deep; and for six miles that it ascends to the town, its banks are beautifully interspersed with plan- tations. The town is bustling and populous; the buildings are somewhat superior to those of Porto Seguro, though in the same style; but the church has a mean and most miserable appear- ance.” 164 BRAZIL. northward, visit in a peaceful manner the settlements, of the Whites, and sometimes offer wax or game in exchange for necessaries. On the northern bank of this river, several leagues up the country, is the fazenda of Ponte do Gentio (bridge of the savages,) then re- cently purchased by the Conde da Barca. At the time of Prince Maximilian’s visit, some Indian families resided here, with six families of Ilhores (islanders,) as the inhabitants of the Azores are called, nine Chinese, some negro slaves, and a Portuguese steward. The Chinese are some of those who were brought to Rio by the Conde de Linhares. They are charged with being too indolent to do any but extremely light work. * They live together in a small house. One of them has turned Christian, and has married an Indian woman; they have retained the customs of their country; they keep its festivals, are fond of all kinds of poultry, and are said to be not very particular in the choice of their provisions. The interior of their reed hut is extremely clean and neat; their beds, for in- stance, have fine white curtains, with tasteful drapery, fastened up on the sides with handsome brass hooks. These pretty beds form a strange contrast to the mi- serable reed hut in which they are placed. They sleep on a fine rush mat, with a small round pillow for the head. We saw them eat their rice in the genuine Chinese fashion with two small sticks. They were much pleased at our visiting them, and talked to us, in very broken Portuguese, about their dear native country, and how much more comfortable they were there than in Brazil. They also opened their trunks, in which they carefully preserved some indifferent Chinese porcelain and a great number of fans of various kinds, which they brought with them for sale.” There are several other fazendas in this neighbour- hood, on the right bank of the river; but, from the BRAZIL. 165 eminence which commands the village, the whole country presents the appearance of uninterrupted gloomy forests extending to the horizon. Five leagues to the north of the Rio Alcobaga or Itanhen, the Rio do Prado or Sucurucu (written by Cazal Jucurucu) falls into the Atlantic. This river, too, has, at a short distance southward, its ancient mouth, called the Barra Velha. The Villa do Prado, originally a settlement of Indians, is less considerable than Alcobaga, not containing more than about sixty houses and 600 inhabitants, and is still more destitute of many necessaries. Some lanchas, however, keep up a little coasting trade with farinka (mandioc flour,) a little sugar, and other produce. The river is tolerably large, and its bar can be passed by loaded sumacas. While detained by heavy rains in this * dreary, sandy spot,” Prince Maximilian was fortunate enough to have an opportunity of seeing a company of Patacho Indians, who, as well as the Machacaries, inhabit the forests on the Sucurucu. They are thus described: — “ They entered the town stark naked, with their arms in their hands, and were immediately surrounded by a crowd of people. They brought large balls of black wax for sale, and we procured a number of bows and arrows of them, in exchange for knives and red handkerchiefs. These savages had nothing striking in their appearance; they were neither painted, nor other- wise disfigured: some were short, most of them of the middle size, of rather slender make, with large bony faces, and coarse features. Only a few of them had handkerchiefs tied round them, which had been given them on some former occasion. Their leader, who had nothing remarkable in him, {the Portuguese called him captain,) wore a red woollen cap and blue breeches, which he had procured somewhere else. Food was their chief desire. Some flour and cocoa- an ge EE ——————r_ AE a SRR Ag 166 BRAZIL. nuts were given to them: the latter they opened very dexterously, with a small axe, afterwards biting the white kernel out of the hard shell, with their strong teeth. Their eagerness in eating was remarkable. In bartering, some of them were very intelligent. They asked chiefly for knives or hatchets; but one of them immediately got a red handkerchief tied round his neck. A cocoa-nut fixed upon a pole, was set up at the distance of forty paces, and they were desired to shoot at this mark, which they never missed. “In their external appearance, the Patachos re- semble the Puries and the Machacaries; only they are taller than the former. Like the latter, they do not disfigure their faces, and wear their hair naturally hanging about the head, only cut off in the neck and on the forehead; though some shave the whole head, leaving merely a small tuft before and behind. Some of them pierce the lower lip and the ear, and wear a small piece of reed in the little aperture. The men, like those of all the other tribes on the east coast, carry their knives fastened to a string round their necks; and they hung the rosaries which were given them, in the same manner. Their skin was of its natural red- brown colour, and nowhere painted. The women are not painted, any more than the men, and go entirely naked. “ Their weapons are, in the main, the same as those of the other savages; their bows are, however, larger than those of any of the other tribes. I measured one of them, and found it to be eight feet nine inches and a half, English measure; they are made of «iri wood (bignonia.) The huts of these savages differ in their construction from those of the Puries. The stems of young trees and poles stuck in the ground, are bent at the top and tied together, and a covering of cocoa or pattioba leaves is laid on them. These huts are very BRAZIL. 167 flat and low. Near each of them is a sort of grate, consisting of four prongs stuck in the ground, on which are laid four sticks, and these are crossed by others laid pretty close, for the purpose of roasting or broil- ing their game. “ The Patachoes in many respects resemble the Machacaries: their languages too have some affinity, though in many points they are widely different. Both tribes are said to unite against the Botocudoes, and seem partly to treat their prisoners as slaves; for, but lately, they offered at Villa do Prado, a Botocudo girl for sale. No well-founded suspicion was ever enter- tained that these Patachoes eat human flesh. The moral character of all these savage tribes is, indeed, very similar in the principal features, yet, each of them has its peculiarities. Thus, the Patachoes are, of all these tribes, the most distrustful and reserved; their look is always cold and sullen; and it is very seldom that they allow their children to be brought up among the whites, as the other tribes readily do.” The coast, on leaving Prado, assumes a different aspect. High cliffs of clay form the coast, resting on a ferruginous sand-stone, the summits covered with wood, with numerous valleys of dark-green, gloomy forests, each with its little stream, opening to the sea. On all the rocks along this coast, there are shell-fish which afford a purple juice; the same species, apparently, that is described by Mr. Mawe as found in the bay of Dos Ganchos.* In some of the valleys are fazendas belonging to different planters. To the north of the point of land called Comechatiba, or Currubichatiba,t+ a day’s distance from Prado, the sea is again bordered * See vol. i. p. 270. 4 “ The sea forms at this place a good harbour, which is pro- tected, not, indeed, against the winds, but against the sea, by a reef of rocks, and has good anchorage.” 168 BRAZIL. by high cliffs and rocks, and the road makes a circuit over the heights. A league and a half from Come- chatiba, is the little river Cahy, which cannot be passed, however, except at ebb tide: at high water, it is rapid and rough. It flows, like all these rivers, from a dark woody valley. Between three and four leagues further northward is the mouth of the Corumbao,* somewhat larger than the Cahy. At the barre are several sandy islands, the haunt of herons and other water-fowl. A league and a half further, the river Cramemoan falls into the sea, on the south bank of of which is the little Indian village of the same name, now a military post, called the Quartel da Cunha. In the foreground of the mountains which skirt the open country on the left, is seen the circular white head of the Morro de Pascoal, which serves as a land-mark to mariners: it is a part of the Serra dos Aymores. The road again leaves the beach soon after passing the Cramemoan, and ascends, by a steep path, to a dry, elevated campo, called Juassema, the site of a large town founded by one of the Dukes d’Aveiro, and destroyed by the Aymores. It is said, that pieces of bricks, metals, and similar articles are still found here; —¢ the oldest memorials,” remarks Prince Maxi- milian, of the history of Brazil, for no monuments are met with on this coast more ancient than the time of the first settlement of the Europeans. Its rude inhabitants did not, like the Tultekian and Azteckian nations in Mexico and Peru, leave monuments to engage the attention of posterity after the lapse of thousands of years, The memory of the rude Tapuya disappears from the earth with his naked body, which his brethren consign to the grave; and it is indifferent * The mouth of the Corumbao, Prince Maximilian states, is said to be in lat. 17° south; but, in his map, it is placed in 16° 36’ south. BRAZIL, 169 to future generations, whether a Botucudo or a wild beast of the desert formerly lived on any particular spot.” The next river is the Rio do Frade (friars river,) a small stream which received this name because a Franciscan missionary was drowned init. Cazal makes its barra eight miles north of the Cramemoan. Canoes can proceed two days’ journey up the stream, the banks of which are fertile. Monte de Pascoal is seen at a distance of twelve leagues to the west. On the northern bank of this river is the destacamente (mili- tary station) of Linhares, consisting of a few Indian families, who are, however, no soldiers. Three leagues further is the Indian villa of Trancozo, at the mouth of a rivulet of the same name, fomerly called Itapitinga (son of the stones,) probably because it issues from stony mountains. Here, what was formerly a convent of Jesuits, is now a church. The town contained, in 1813, about 50 houses and 500 inhabitants, almost all Indians of a dark-brown complexion. The travellers found most of the houses empty, the inhabitants living chiefly on their plantations, and merely coming to the church on holidays. They cultivate mandioc and cotton, and some are fishermen. The bay of Trancozo is described by Mr. Lindley as small and shallow, and the country, he says, is delightful. The distant forests are inhabited by Patachoes.* From this place it is about fifteen miles to Porto Seguro, the capital of the * ¢« From the Rio do Frade to Villa Prado,” says this traveller, “js a long range of neglected coast, intersected by several smaller rivers, and frequented by such numbers of hostile Indians, that travelling on the beach is extremely dangerous.” This was in 1802; but, in 1816, the people were on such friendly terms with the Patachoes, that they no longer feared them. ‘“ The whole coast,” Mr. Lindley adds, ‘is a continuation of PART 111. L 170 BRAZIL. district. Between Trancozo and Porto Seguro, (about three miles south of the latter,) is a steep morro crowned with the chapel of Nossa Senhora d’ Ajuda (our lady of aid,)* near which formerly stood the town of St. Amaro. The white walls of the chapel form an excellent sea-mark, and the prospect from this eminence is exceedingly grand. The Virgin, its pa- troness, is particularly invoked by the neighbouring coasting vessels and fishing smacks, in cases of distress or contrary winds, to which circumstance her title seems to allude. * Her fame even extends,” adds Mr. Lindley, “ to curing several disorders. The inside of the building is decorated with rude drawings of vessels in distress, and of sick chambers, having inscriptions under each of the different cases which they are intended to commemorate.” The town of Porto Seguro, situated at the mouth of the river Buranhem, though it ranks as the first in the province, is less considerable than Caravellas, containing not more than 420 houses and about 2600 inhabitants. The principal part is small, and consists of a few un- paved streets, overgrown with grass, with houses for the most part of only one story, built of soft bricks and plastered over. They all appeared to Mr. Lindley “ dirty and wretched.” About half a dozen are of two stories, among which are a quadrangular town-house with a prison of some extent, and the governor’s house, formerly the Jesuits’ convent. The church is plain, but has glass windows, and is by far the best erected building in the place. The materials, Mr. Lindley reefs, sunken rocks, and shallows; yet, the neighbouring pilots conduct vessels so skilfully through, that few accidents are known.” * Mr. Lindley calls her, by mistake, Nossa Senhora de Judea, and de Juda. BRAZIL. 171 says, as well as those of another chapel which was building at the time of his detention here, were supplied by the original church and a ruined Franciscan mo- nastery which were erected at the establishment of the town in 1550. This upper part of the town lies on an elevated ridge; but the larger. portion of the inhabitants have removed from the eminence to another quarter called Os Marcos, situated on the declivity nearer the river, and consequently more advantageously for trade. Here reside the owners of the vessels engaged in the trade of Porto Seguro, who are the most opulent of the inhabitants: their low houses are irregularly scattered amid groves of orange and banana trees. The third part of the town, called Potinka or Ponta d’ Area, lies close to the mouth of the river, and, excepting some vendas, contains only some low, scattered houses, in- habited by fishermen and mariners, and shaded by cocoa-palms. ‘“ The upper town,” says Prince Maxi- milian, “is generally very desolate and dead: many houses are even shut up and dilapidated; for it is only on Sundays and holidays that people meet in this upper part; but it is then rendered very lively bv the number of well-dressed persons. People who go almost naked during the week, appear dressed in the neatest manner on Sunday. We must, indeed, do the Brazilians of all classes the justice to say, that cleanliness and neatness in dress are general among them.” * * The former part of this statement is in accordance with Mr. Lindley’s account of their usual costume; he had no opportunity, probably, of seeing the inhabitants dressed. * The very dress of the men, particularly in the morning, is shocking to a person of the commonest delicacy. They promenade the prison” (in which the writer was immured) ‘‘ in a thin pair of calico drawers that scarcely reach the knee, with the shirt loose over them, and no stockings or hat. In cool or rainy weather, they have sometimes the addition of a cloak, or bed-gown loosely wrapped round them.” The neighbouring Patachoes, however, would offend a 172 BRAZIL. . The port which has given name both to the town and the province, is formed, Mr. Lindley states, by a reef, or rather ledge of rocks, that runs out for about a mile, from an extended point of the main, in a direction parallel to the land, presenting a natural mole. *‘ These rocks are dry at low water, and terminate abruptly, appearing again faintly at half a mile’s distance. The space between is the bar or entrance, over which is twenty feet water at high tides, but inside, it shallows to twelve feet. The last is the average water of the port, except at some distance up, where the river empties itself, and the water is somewhat deeper. The bottom is a fine sand, gradually ascending to a broad beach. In entering the port, the view of the country is delightful. Near the water's edge is a range of fisher- men’s cottages, shaded with the waving cocoa in front, and each having its adjoining orange-ground. On the back of these cots, the native underwood intrudes, and, intersected into numberless paths, forms evergreen groves full of birds of rich plumage, and some of song. To the northward, the land rises to a steep hill, which is ascended by a winding path, and on its summit stands the (upper) town ...... The principal inhabitants have each their country farm, situated chiefly on the banks of the river, and ranging five leagues from its mouth up to Villa Verde. At these they have planta- tions of the sugar-cane and mandioc.” There is, how- ever, but little agriculture, and the greater part of the farinha consumed, comes from Santa Cruz. This, with salt fish, constitutes the chief subsistence of the popu- lation; a circumstance to which Prince Maximilian person of delicacy still more, as they wear no clothing whatever. ‘ Happily,” says Mr. Lindley, in another place, speaking of the poorer inhabitants of Porto Seguro, ¢ they live in a beautiful cli- mate, where no extremes of heat or cold distress the human frame, and where they can exist almost without clothing.” i AN ET Seat BRAZIL. 173 attributes the prevalence of scurvy. Fresh fish, though abundant on the coast, are dear and scarce, owing to the indolence of the inhabitants. The only meat is beef, a beast being killed every Sunday: not a goat or “a sheep, and scarcely a swine is to be seen. The fish- ing-vessels generally remain from four to six weeks at sea, and return with cargoes of salted fish, chiefly the garupa and the mero, a large quantity of which is sent to Bahia and other ports, bringing a considerable profit. There belong to the port about forty of the little two- masted vessels called lanchas, which sail with great swiftness, even when the wind is not favourable. The main-mast has a broad, square sail; the mizen-mast, which is shorter, has a small triangular one; and they can be set in such a manner, that the vessel runs as close as possible to the wind when others cannot sail at all. Porto Seguro is stated by Mr. Lindley to be in lat. 16° 40’ south, long. 40° 12” west. Several small rivers join the Porto Seguro or Buran- hem, which is also called the Rio da Cachoeira, in consequence of a fall: among these is the Patatiba, which gave its former name to the Indian village of Villa Verde, situated about fifteen miles above the capital, on the southern banks of the Buranhem, near a large lake. Here is a church belonging to a ruined Jesuits’ convent: the priest (a padre wicario) who resides here, is the only white, except a sort of town-clerk or notary. The villa has from forty to sixty houses, and about 500 inhabitants, who export farinha and some planks. A little further up, is the station of Aguiar, where there are six Indian families. The soil is said to be of great fertility, but is entirely left to the indolence of the Christianized Indians. How little progress has been made in civilizing the country in this direction, may be inferred from the fact mentioned by Cazal, that the source of the Buranhem is unkuowu. 3) L & 174 BRAZIL. As the stream is not considerable, its course is, pro- bably, not extensive. The portion of it which has been explored, flows, with many windings, from the south-west to the north-east. It abounds with various sorts of fish. From the confluence of the Patatiba, to its mouth, it is sometimes called Ambas as Agoas (two waters.) Above five leagues (nearly eighteen miles) north of Porto Seguro, the Santa Cruz falls into the sea. Itis rather narrower than the Buranhem, but, like the latter, has a good and secure barra, protected by a projecting reef of rocks against the violence of the sea. Its first name was the Joam de Tyba. The town of Santa Cruz lies near the mouth, on the south bank: the church and part of the town stand on an eminence; the other part, consisting of low houses, scattered in thickets of orange and banana trees, is situated at the foot of the hill. This, as has been already mentioned, is the most ancient settlement in Brazil. Near this place, Cabral landed on the 3d of May 1500; and here Tourinho, the first donatory, established his capital, giving it nearly the same name as Cabral had bestowed on the country. * The site where the town had been begun, was probably near the mouth of the small river Mutari, which falls into Cabralia Bay, nearly opposite to the island called Coroa Vermelha;t but its “shallow, sandy mouth” affords no entrance to vessels of any considerable bur- * See vol. i. p. 7. 4+ It is not a little singular, that neither Cabralia Bay, nor this island, is mentioned by Prince Maximilian, although laid down in his map. On the other hand, Cazal takes no notice of the river Mutari, or of the Coroa Vermelha. Mr. Lindley evidently speaks of Cabralia Bay under the name of the island. “ The harbour” (of Santa Cruz,) he says, « admits vessels of twelve feet, and the Coroa Vermeil, immediately adjoining to the southward, ships of any burthen.” Mr. Henderson speaks of Cabralia Bay, as BRAZIL. 175 then; and it seems doubtful whether the Porto Seguro of Cabral was, properly speaking, a port, or only a good anchorage in the bay under shelter of the island. Santa Cruz is in all respects less considerable than Porto Seguro, notwithstanding that more attention is paid to agriculture here, and some farinha is exported to various parts of the coast. It is said to have been formerly much more flourishing, but has long been sinking into decay. The river rises at the distance of but a few days’ journey, and its two sources are stated to be not far from the course of the Rio Grande de Belmonte. On the upper part of the Santa Cruz, Bo- ‘tucudoes rove about; but, nearer to the coast, this river forms their boundary, the territory to the south- ward belonging to the Patachoes and Machacaries. To check the inroads of the savages, a station has recently been established at some distance up the river, called Aveiro. At a short distance from the river, on the northern bank, the small village (povoacao) of St. André is pic- turesquely scattered amid groves of cocoa-trees. From this place, a fine beach, “as level as a threshing-floor,” extends to the river Mogiquigaba (or Misquicaba,) a distance of several leagues. Prince Maximilian men- tions, as occurring in his day’s journey from St. André, the little river St. Antonio, (which is formidable, how- ever, at flood-tide,) and beyond this, a little village on a small rivulet, called Barra de Guayu. The Mogi- quigaba is less considerable than the Santa Cruz. Near its mouth is a fazenda belonging to the ouwidor of the district, and a few individuals have settled a little above “the only port of the province where large vessels can enter.” To the south of the Mutari, is another small river, called the Rio das Mangues. At low water, they are both quite insignificant, but, at flood-tide, they are impassable. ng go 176 BRAZIL. it; but thick forests cover the country on either side, far and near, the haunt of the savages. “ At this place,” Prince Maximilian states, “is the entrance to the road which has been made on the Belmonte up to Minas; but it is still very incomplete, and part of it not pass- able.” A plain, five leagues wide, extends northward from’ the Mogiquicaba to the Belmonte. About half way is the Barra Velha, where an arm of the river, now dry, once discharged itself into the sea. The Rio Grande de Belmonte, (so called to distinguish it from the other rivers of the same name,) runs close by the town of Belmonte, and falls into the sea in latitude 15° 40’ south. It acquires that name after the junction of its two principal branches, the Arassuahy and the Je- quitinhonha.* At high-water, this large river is rapid, but its entrance is always bad and dangerous, being encumbered with sand-banks which, even at high-water, render the navigation formidable to the lanchas. The villa de Belmonte was originally an aldeia of Christianized Indians, who were settled here not above sixty or seventy years ago. Few of them are now left, and the town is described by Prince Maximilian as a small, mean-looking place, which is going rapidly to decay. “The town-house, built of wood and clay, was nearly falling down: one wall was entirely gone, so that the interior was completely exposed to view. The town forms a square of about sixty houses with nearly 600 inhabitants. At one end stands the church. The dwelling-houses are low clay huts, for the most part covered with straw, and the irregular, unpaved streets are overgrown with grass. Its only ornament is the number of cocoa-palms in this sandy plain, which every- where surrounded the habitations, and unite their lofty + See p. 104 of this volume. BRAZIL. 177 summits into a waving grove. This poor little town has derived some advantage from the communication which has been opened upon and along the river to Minas Novas ; but still, the place had scarcely a suffi- ciency of the necessaries of life.” The road to Minas, though cleared, was very far from being in good order, being intersected by nu- merous deep clefts and ravines, over which no bridge had as yet been thrown. The communication is kept up much more easily by canoes, several of which annually come down the river with produce, and take back in return salt and other commodities. It requires about twenty days to reach the first inhabited parts of Minas. To protect this communication against the savages, six military posts have been established at different stations; the quartels dos Arcos, do Salto, do Estreito, da Vigia, de S. Miguel, and of Tucaihos de Lorena. Prince Maximilian, anxious to become acquainted with the Botucudoes who inhabit the forests on its banks, ascended the river as far as the second quartel, a three days’ journey, and remained for some time in this neighbourhood. We shall avail ourselves of the information he obtained in this excursion, re- lative to the character and habits of this tribe of the aborigines. THE BOTUCUDOES. THERE appears to be no doubt that the singular and ferocious tribe to whom the Portuguese gave the name of Botucudoes, are the remains of the once formidable Aymores, who, up to the early part of the eighteenth century, had not ceased to annoy the settlers on this part of the coast. In the year 1758, they sud- denly appeared in great strength, and made cruel havoc among the Portuguese, till driven back by the aid of 178 BRAZIL. the Coroado Indians * The very name of Aymores or Botucudoes stil] inspires the colonists with sentiments of horror and apprehension, as these savages have the character, generally, of cannibals. The name Botu- cudo was given them by the Portuguese, on account of the large pieces of wood which they wear inserted in ach ear and the under lip.t They call themselves Engerekmoung, and are much displeased at being spoken of by their nickname. The first Botucudoe® that Prince Maximilian saw, which was at Vigoza, asto- nished him, Le says, beyond all expression. “ We had never before seen such strange and singularly ugly beings. The lower lip was made by the Zotogue to project very much, and the ears of some of them hung, like large wings, down to their shoulders. Their brown bodies were covered with dirt.” One of their leaders wore plugs of this description four inches in diameter; and in the skull of a young Botucudo, which his high- ness was so fortunate as to obtain for Professor Blu- menbach, the wood had not only pushed the lower fore teeth out of their places, but had even pressed together and effaced the sockets of the teeth. The women wear the botogue as well as the men, but theirs are generally smaller, and, Prince Maximilian adds, more elegant. A recent female traveller gives the following description of a party of Botucudoes who came to Praya Grande in the Bay of Rio, “ on a visit,” during her residence in the capital. “ We saw about six men and ten women, with some young children. Their faces were rather Square, with very high cheek Tn = - Il J. ii "| i) * Southey’s Brazil, vol. iii. p. 600. t+ Boloque, Prince Maximilian says, signifies in Portuguese the bung of a barrel. Vieyra’s Dictionary gives as the meaning of the word, ““ a pierced stone worn by the Indians.” Mr. Luccock (Notes, p. 301) assigns, but evidently on conjecture, a different derivation. The Savages call the lip-plug gnimalo, that of the ears houma. a " " a, a. TET poy BRAZIL. 179 hones, and low, contracted foreheads. Some of the young women were really pretty, of a light copper colour, which glows all over when they biush; and two of the young men were decidedly handsome, with very dark eyes, (the usual colour of the eyes is hazel,) and aquiline noses; the rest were so disfigured by the holes cut in their lower lips and their ears, to receive their barbarous ornaments, that we could scarcely tell what they were like. I had understood that the privilege of thus beautifying the face was reserved for the men, but the women of this party were equally disfigured. We purchased from one of the men a mouth-piece, mea- suring an inch and a half in diameter. The ornaments used by these people are pieces of wood perfectly cir- cular, which are inserted into the slit of the lip or ear, like a button, and are extremely frightful, especially when they are eating. It gives the mouth the appear- ance of an ape’s; and the peculiar mumping it occa~ sions, is so hideously unnatural, that it gives credit to, if it did not originally suggest, the stories of their cannibalism. The mouth is still more ugly without the lip-piece, the teeth appearing, and saliva running through.”* These Botucudoes had submitted to be clothed, the men in a shirt and trousers, the women in cotton frocks; but their garments seemed to sit uneasily on them. In their native woods, they go entirely naked; and the annexed plate represents them as they ap- peared to Prince Maximilian in his excursion up the Belmonte. ¢ Naked and brown like the beasts of the forest,” he says, they stood with their great plugs of white wood in their ears and lower lips, and their bows and arrows in their hands.” The men were of the * Mrs. Graham's Voyage to Brazil, pp. 294-5. This lady's doubt respecting their cannibalism could proceed only from want of information, as the fact is established on the clearest evidence. 180 BRAZIL. middle size, strong, muscular, and well made, yet, in general slender. They wore their hair cropped close, except a round tuft on the crown of the head. This was the case even with the young children, a consi- derable number of whom the mothers carried on their shoulders, or led by the hand. The Botucudoes of the Jelmonte, unlike those of the River Doce, who manifest an irreconcileable hos- tility to the whites, were at this time on the most ami- cable terms with the inhabitants. So little were they feared, that individuals had even ventured to go several days’ journey with them into the great woods to hunt, and to sleep with them in their huts. Such experi- ments, however,” he adds, “ are not yet very frequent, as the distrust entertained of them cannot easily be quite overcome.” These persons always returned from such excursions quite exhausted with the fatigue of keeping up with the Botucudoes, whose superior mus- cular strength enables them to go very swiftly in the hottest weather, both up and down hill. « They pene- trate the thickest and most entangled forests; they wade or swim through every river, if it be not too rapid; perfectly naked, therefore not incommoded by clothing, never getting into perspiration, carrying only their bow and arrows in their hand, they stoop with facility, and, with their hardened skin, which fears neither thorns nor other injury, they creep through the smallest gap in the bushes, and can thus pass over a great extent of ground in a day.” In a physiological respect, the Botucudoes seem to have the advantage over many of the South American tribes. They are represented to be better made and handsomer than the other Tapuyas, of middle stature, sometimes tall, robust, and well-proportioned, with well-shaped hands and feet. Like the other Indian tribes they have strongly-marked features, generally BRAZIL. 181 high cheek-bones, and small eyes, the nose short, with wide nostrils, and lips rather thick. The receding inclination of the facial line is not, Prince Maximilian says, a very certain characteristic of this tribe. Their colour is a reddish-brown, more or less clear, some- times varying to yellow. A few individuals, it is affirmed, are almost completely white, with a reddish tinge on the cheeks; and it is given as a current statement, that some have been known to have blue eyes. It seems more probable, that these supposed Botucudoes were either mamalucoes or European cap- tives who had grown up among them. They have strong, jet-black, shining hair. Many eradicate their eye-brows and beard; others let them grow, or merely clip them; but the women do not suffer a hair to remain on their body. Their teeth are fine and white. All the Botucudoes shave the back of their head up to about three inches above the ears, so as to leave only a little tuft on the top, by which they are distinguished from all their countrymen on the eastern coast.* With tribes who discard all clothing, the hair becomes im- portant as one of the few modes of foppery and badges of distinction that are left. Thus, the Coroadoes are known by their shaven crowns, other tribes by their suffering the hair to grow, the Botucudoes by their tufts. The razor they make use of, is made of cane (taguara) sharpened to an edge almost as keen as steel. The American tribes have been stated to be beardless. This, Prince Maximilian says, is quite incorrect. A few Botucudoes are to be seen with tolerably strong beards, but the greater part have only a circle of thin-sown hair round the mouth. With regard to the horrible mutilation of the counte- * This is mentioned by Southey as distinguishing the Aymores. See vol. i. p. 301. PART 111. M 182 BRAZIL. nance by the Jofogue, it appears to be not peculiar to these Indians, though they seem to excel in the pitch of deformity to which they have carried it. Prince Maximilian made particular inquiry respecting the origin of this custom, and we shall give the substance of his observations. The age at which this operation is performed on the child, varies at the pleasure of the parent, but it is in general when he is seven or eight years old ; sometimes earlier. For this purpose, the lobes of the ears and the lower lip are stretched: the holes are then made with a sharp-pointed stick or skewer, and very small pieces of wood are at first inserted, which afterwards give place to larger and larger, till the desired elonga- tion is perfected. The wood used is that of the barri- gudo or wool-tree (bombax ventricosa,) which is lighter than cork, and, when carefully dried before the fire, becomes very white. Extremely light, however, as these plugs are, they weigh down the lip in old persons: in younger ones, they give it a horizontal direction, or a little raised, the lip itself appearing only like a thin ring encircling the botoque. These plugs may be re- moved at pleasure: the lip then falls, and shows the lower teeth through the hole. The constant pressure and friction of the botogue, however, soon displaces the teeth of the under-jaw, and, between twenty and thirty, the Botucudo has frequently none to show. Their na- tional ornament is, moreover, extremely troublesome at meals, and renders the operation cof eating, a spectacle not a little disgusting. This frightful practice appears extraordinary, we are informed, even to the other Tapuyas* of the eastern * ‘Vasconcellos ranks the Aymores among the Tapuyas, a deno- mination which he applies loosely to all the wild Indians, in con- tradistinction to those who spoke the Tupi tongue. Mr. Southey thinks that the Aymores are erroneously classed among the Ta- BRAZIL. ; 183 coast. The Malalies, who live under the protection of the quartel of Passanha on the upper part of the Rio Doce, call the Botucudoes Epcoseck, great-ears, Yet, the custom of piercing the lower lip prevails among several of the American tribes. Southey, on the authority of Vasconcellos, mentions it as the practice of the Tapuyas of the Maranham, but says, that it was the privilege of the male sex to be thus beautified. “ Their ears were bored, and the under lip cut through longitudinally, to form a supplementary mouth, when they were boys. When this operation was to be per- formed, the boys were led to a place where all the people were assembled to witness it, dancing and sing- ing as at a religious ceremony. One conjurer laid the patient on the ground, and tied his hands and feet; and another made the incision with a wooden instrument, the mother meantime weeping aloud. The cheeks were not bored till the youth was about to marry.”’* Prince Maximilian states, (we know not on what autho- rity,) that the Tupinambas of the coast wore a green stone in the under lip; and Azara informs us, he adds, puyas, who are stated to be the oldest race in Brazil, and to have possessed the whole coast from the Orellana to the Plata, till driven back by the Tupies. A Portuguese writer assigns the Gram Para and the Jaguaribe as their limits. The Aymores, on the contrary, first appeared in the southern provinces, and, Mr. Southey thinks, came from the south. * Of this,” he adds, ‘ their stature is some presumption, and their complexion, proof; and they spoke a language which had never before been heard in Brazil.”"— History of Brazil, vol. i. p. 400. The word Tapuya is of uncertain derivation: it is said to signify ‘‘ the enemies;” but if it be correct, as stated by Vasconcellos, that this name is given by the savages themselves to their booths or hovels, the denomi- nation was probably at first intended to denote those tribes who lived in such habitations, and the word has acquired its se- condary meaning from the ferocious or formidable character of the Tapuyas. * Southey, vol. i. p. 403. 184 BRAZIL. that a similar usage prevailed among the savages of Paraguay. “Condamine saw, on the banks of the Maran- ham, savages who had the lobes of the ear stretched to a prodigious length, till they hung on the shoulders. As their grand ornament, he says, they fill the holes with either a large nosegay or a tuft of grass and flowers, which serves them for a pendant. But it is not the ear-plug or ear-jewel that is so extraordinary. Lieute- nant Kotzebue describes some of the islanders of the Pacific Archipelago, who had ear-holes measur- ing more than three inches in diameter, in which was worn a roll of green leaves or of tortoise-shell.* Captain Cook had previously made a similar statement with regard to the natives of Easter Island. One tra- veller goes so far as to affirm, that he saw, on the banks of the Apure, a tribe who had succeeded in stretching their ears till they served as pockets: and, according to another, the savages of Guiana carry in the large and convenient apertures they have made in the lobes of their ears, their pins and needles.t Ear-rings or pen- dants in the ear, however, of some description or an- other, have been worn by almost all nations, civilized or uncivilized, from the remotest times; nor is there anything much more unnatural in the ear-nosegay of the Amazonian belle, or the tortoise-shell pendant of the ladies of Easter Island, than in the jewellery which weighs down the delicate ears of a European beauty. But the bofogue is an outrage upon nature, for which it seems difficult to account, as it is a positive and per- petual inconvenience. The bone-ring, worn in the under-lip by the inhabitants of Prince William's Sound and of the Aleutian islands, bears some resemblance to the botogue, but still materially differs from it. At all events, although the custom of piercing the ears and * Kotzebue's Voyage of Discovery, vol. iii. t Voyage de Quandt, cited by Prince Maximilian. BRAZIL. 185 the under-lip appears to be common to many savage nations in various parts, this mode of disfiguration is carried in South America to the greatest length, and, of all the South American tribes, the Botucudoes seem to have brought the art to the highest perfection. The only question is, whether it can have been adopted simply as an ornament? It does not appear that the ceremony of perforation is considered as a religious rite, nor is any value attached to the botogque itself by the wearer, as several were readily induced to sell theirs to Prince Maximilian. Possibly, they are considered as a distinguishing badge of the tribe, and on this account it may be a point of honour to wear them. Can it have any connexion with a practice mentioned by an early traveller as observed by the Tapuyas, that of carrying a tobacco leaf between the under lip and the teeth? * Utility, real or supposed, is generally the origin of customs the most unnatural; but the effect often out- lasts the cause, and the custom degenerates into greater extravagance, till its design is wholly lost. The other ornaments of the Botucudoes are, neck- laces made of hard berries or the teeth of animals, which are worn chiefly by the women, and diadems or bunches of feathers, which sometimes distinguish their chiefs. They also occasionally paint their bodies black and * “« When they travel through the wilderness, says Knivett (Purchas, 1. vi. c. 7.,) they do carry great store of tobacco with them; and continually they have a leaf laid along their mouth, between the lip and the teeth; and as they go, the same runneth out of the hole that they have in their lips.” Southey, vol. i. p. 403. The botogue had been, it would seem, in this case, laid aside. The tobacco-leaf was evidently designed to enable the traveller to sustain the privations of a long journey, by its stimu- lating the salivary glands, and so allaying hunger. The artificial extension of the under lip might be intended originally to ac- commodate a larger quantity of the narcotic herb. Having no pockets, they could not carry a tobacco-box. 186 BRAZIL. their faces red: it is not stated whether this is their full dress or their military costume, but it heightens the farouche effect of their appearance. Round the neck every Botucudo wears, attached to a strong cord, his most precious jewel, a knife. Unlike the indige- nous tribes of Peru and Mexico, they appear to have no notion of any ornamental arts or manufactures. Indo- lence is a predominant trait in their character, notwith- standing that they are capable of so extraordinary a degree of physical exertion; but their indolence does not degenerate into torpor, for, adds Prince Maximi- lian, “ they are gay, facetious, and ready to converse.’ Their huts and niin resemble those of the Puries, except that the Botucudoes differ from them, as well as from the greater part of the South American tribes, in not sleeping in nets or hammocks, but on the ground, the bark of trees supplying them with a rude bed. They have no canoes, nor any notion of naviga- tion; but Southey is mistaken in representing that they cannot swim. The language of the Botucudoes differs considerably from the dialects of all the neighbouring tribes. The nasal sound is very common, but they have no gut- turals. They count by their fingers and ears, but have few numerals. In a moral respect, they would seem to be by no means the most degraded of the Brazilian tribes. Prince Maximilian affirms, that they are not un- susceptible of fidelity, of attachment, and of gratitude. The women are fond of their children while young and rear them with great care. The crimes of xhortion and infanticide, ascribed by Azara to the Guanas and Mbayas, are unknown among the Botucudoes. Nor are they destitute of compassion for orphans and the aged. “At the quartel dos Arcos, a youth of this tribe has been seen conducting his old blind father with the most careful attention. One of their chiefs dis- BRAZIL. 187 played very lively emotions of joy on the return of a son of eighteen years, who had resided for some time among the Portuguese: he pressed him to his bosom, and even shed tears.” Prince Maximilian describes as a very interesting scene, the reception which the Botu- cudoes of the quartel gave to their countrymen and relations who had been with the owwvidor to Rio. As they came in successively, they were welcomed with the greatest cordiality; old Captain June, a Botucudo chief, sang a joyful song, if singing it might be called; and “some even affirmed that they saw him shed tears of joy.” Notwithstanding these good qualities, there is no room for hesitation in ranking the Botucudoes among the anthropophagi of South America. = Prince Maximi- lian was disposed to be sceptical on this point, and he suggests, that possibly the resemblance of hei ir favour- ite food, the ape, to the human form, may have given rise, in some cases, to an unfounded suspicion of cannibal practices. Ie admits, however, that they can- not be cleared from the charge of now and then treating e themselves with the flesh of an enemy. Moreover, they are said to look upon the negroes as a sort of ape, and to call them by this name; they may, therefore, not consider the cooking and eating of a negro as can- nibalism, any more than a West India planter considers the killing of one as murder. But the evidence ad- duced by Mr. Southey places the repulsive fact beyond all doubt. Some of the almost incredible stories re- lated by the early voyagers* may be chargeable with * See in particular the narrative of Hans Stade, who was made prisoner by the Tupinambas, (Southey’s Brazil, vol. f.ch. 7,8, and the anecdotes cited in vol. i. pp. 9, 13, 20. The Tupi tribes having all been civilized by the Jesuits, the reproach of can- nibalism, Prince Maximiliam says, now applies only to some tribes of Tapuyas; in particular, the Botucudoes and the Puries 188 BRAZIL. circumstantial exaggeration; but the existence of the practice is established by the concurrent testimony of all travellers who have had any opportunity of observa- tion. “When we questioned the Botucudoes of Bel- monte respecting this horrible usage,” says Prince Maximilian, ‘they always answered, that it did not prevail among them; but they owned that many of their countrymen still practised it. Moreover, all my doubts on this point were removed by Quéck, the young Botucudo, whom I had brought with me. He had for a long time hesitated to confess the truth; but he assented at last, when I told him, that I knew that his horde at Belmonte had for a long time relinquished the usage.” This youth then related an instance in which a Botucudo chieftain having captured a Patacho, the whole horde had feasted on the prisoner; and he mentioned another well-known Botucudo who had killed a Patacho, and eaten him. * His narrative,” adds his Highness, “may be the more safely relied upon, inasmuch as it was with difficulty extorted from him.” But it seems that the practice is going out of fashion, as it is held infamous by all the tribes who have made any approach to civilization. The religious ideas of such a people must of neces- sity be of the grossest kind: what they are, is but imperfectly known. They believe in malignant de- mons great and small, who are distinguished as Jant- chong Gipakiou, and Jantchony Coudgi. The fear of a great demon renders them unwilling to pass the night in the forests alone, for which reason they prefer marching in companies. They hold the moon in high veneration, attributing to her influence the chief phe- nomena in nature; in particular, thunder and lightning. Like the greater part of mankind, they have a tradition of a general deluge. When a Botucudo dies, he is interred in his hut, or near it, and the spot is then BRAZIL. 189 abandoned. The hands of the corpse are tied, and the body laid out at full length. Neither arms nor provi- sions are interred with it; from which it would seem, that they have no distinct idea of a future state such as the Indians of North America contemplate; but, for some time, a fire is kept burning at each corner of the grave, to scare away the evil spirits. The Tupinambas also tied together the hands and the feet of their dead, but they placed the corpse in an erect posture. Whether this precaution was meant to prevent their getting out of the grave, and doing further mischief, does not appear. We now enter on THE PROVINCE OF BAHIA. Tris important province, which includes the old cap- taincy dos Ilheos, extends from the Belmonte, in lati- tude 15° 25 south, to the Rio Real, which divides it from Seregipe d’el Rey, in latitude 11° 38’ south,* being nearly 300 miles in length. On the west and north-west, it is separated by the river St. Francisco from Pernambuco, while, on the south-west, it touches on Minas Geraes. It is divided into three comarcas— Bahia, Ilheos, and Jacobina, the former two comprising the coast, and the latter the western part of the province. The comarca of the llheos begins at Belmonte, and extends northward to the river Jiquirica. Prince Maximilian makes the Rio Pardo or Patybe, the limit between Porto Seguro and this comarca. That river, which has its source in Serro Frio, falls into the sea by three branches. The most southern of these, called by * Cazal states, that the province extends from 10° south la- titude to 16° south latitude; but we have followed Prince Maxi- milian and Mr. Lindley. M 2 en a J RR AI, PF s——— i nh ea POL IE oe a TAT RAI os m1 m— INA INE RE Hix Su 2 al 190 BRAZIL. the Indians finbuca, has its mouth at Canavieras, a con- siderable aldeia, about fifteen miles north of Belmonte, situated on a large island formed by the river. The inhabitants of this place are for the most part whites and pardos, i. e. mestitzoes, who form, along this line of coast, the bulk of the population. As there is neither judge nor governor, nor any kind of police in the place, Canavieras is noted throughout the country for the freedom, not to say wild state of the inhabitants. They bear a jovial character. and say that they are able An arm of the Rio Pardo, at some distance above Canavieras, communicates with the Belmonte, under the name of the Rio da Salsa. Cazal mentions a second channel which connects the two rivers, called the Jundiahy.* The banks of the Pardo are inhabited by Botucudoes and Pata- choes; but the former are not found further north- ward. Two leagues from the barra of Canaveiras is that of Patype, so named from a povoacao, or ham- let, situated on the island, formed by two branches of the river; and a league and a half further, is a third embouchure, called Barra de Poxim. At a short distance inland, a long salt-water lake runs in a direction parallel to the coast. to govern themselves, Travellers in ge- neral embark in canoes at Canavieras, and for some * It is difficult to reconcile Prince Maximilian’s description of this part of the coast with Mr. Henderson's statements, taken from Cazal, and sometimes with his Highness’s own map. Mr. Henderson makes the mouth of the Patype ten miles only north of the Belmonte, and the Poxim ten miles north of the Patype. He makes no mention of Canavieras, or of the povoacao of Patype under that name, but refers, probably, to the latter when he says: “Jn a peninsula formed by the river Patype, near its mouth, is the large parish of St. Boaventura.” The Rio da Salsa, he speaks of as a distinct river, which, about twenty-eight miles from the sea, divides its waters between the Patype and the Belmonte; and about five miles from the Salsa, he places the deep circular lake of Antimnucuy BRAZIL. days proceed, with a few interruptions, hy Wier, : lake abounds with fish, and rises and falls witi t sea. About ten miles beyond the Poxim, is the small river, Commandatuba: a few Indian families have built their huts near its mouth. Three leagues (Cazal says fifteen miles) further, the traveller arrives at the Una, a somewhat larger stream, navigable by canoes thirteen miles from the sea, into which it falls by two channels, called the Rio de Muruim and the Rio de Cachoeira. Six leagues to the north of this river, and nine miles south of Theos, is the large and populous Indian village of Olivenga, founded by the Jesuits above a hundred years ago: it contained, in 1817, about a hundred and cighty hearths, and, including the district, nearly one hundred inhabitants. Prince Maximilian saw here, among several other hale old Indians, one old man who remembered having seen the foundation of the town and the erection of the church, a hundred His hair was still as black as and seven years before. ne the old ebony—a circumstance not uncommon among Indians. The inhabitants are poor and indolent; they cultivate the necessaries of life, and weave their own clothing, which consists of light cottons; but there chief occupation is turning rosaries, made from the cocoa-nut (cocos de Piassaba,) or of tortoise-shell. ia, & 5 Si f these beads Thev are sent to Bahia, and the sale of these be . Strange to say, forms their only branch of trade. though Indians, they never employ themselves in hunting, having neither powder nor ball. The town is delightfully and salubriously situated on the side of a snail eminence, between the mouths of two small streams. ; The route to Ilheos lies, at ebb-tide, along the smooth, sandy beach for three leagues. He After having doubled a point of land,” says Prince Maximilian, “ we were agreeably surprised by the unexpected ap- 192 BRAZIL. pearance of the pretty little port of Ilheos. The river of that name falls into the sea, after having turned to the south between rocky and picturesque hills, sur- mounted with cocoa-palms. Before the mouth of this river are seen some little rocky islets, from which the canton has taken the name of llheos.* A point of land closes this port on each side: on the northern point, between the river and the coast, is situated the Villa dos Ilheos, or of St. George. TLe river here forms a beautiful basin, tranquil and well-sheltered; the picturesque effect is heightened by its being en- circled with cocoa-trees. On the land side, rise thick forests, and on the side of the town is a wooded hill, on which, emerging from the midst of the dark foliage, is seen the church of Nossa Senhora da Victoria. From the summit of this eminence, one of the finest land- scapes imaginable presents itself, the gay and peaceful aspect of nature being finely contrasted with the billows of the ocean, dashing eternally with hoarse mygmur against the rocks. “Villa dos Ilheos is one of the most ancient settle- ments on the coast of Brazil. Francisco Rameirot laid the foundations in 1540, after having concluded an amicable convention with the Tupininquins. The colony increased, and became flourishing, but subse- quently suffered much from the incursions cf the Aymores or Botucudoes. In 1602, a peace was con- cluded with that nation in the captaincy of Bahia, but was not carried into effect in Ilheos till 1603: con- formably to the conditions of this treaty, two villages were built for the savages, the remaining descendants of whom still exist under the name of Gherins. But * According to Mr. Henderson, they are four in number. “ Three are very rocky; the other is robed in verdant woods.” + The commander of the armament sent out by Correa, the first donatory. BRAZIL. 193 the colony continued to decline, so that, in 1685, it was in a state of extreme decay ; and it exhibits, in the present day, scarcely a vestige of its former prosperity. Its last stay disappeared with the Jesuits, for all the existing monuments of former times were their work. The large convent, which is the most considerable building in the town, was built in 1723. It is now quite empty and much dilapidated, the roof being gone in several places: the walls are of brick and calcareous stone. Among the monuments of the order, may also be reckoned a fine well, solidly built and roofed in. The town consists of small houses, with tiled roofs, but, for the most part, in bad condition, dilapidated or empty; the streets are covered with grass, and it is only on Sundays and holidays that they exhibit any stir of active life. Some persons are then seen collecting from the neighbourhood, to attend mass. There are three churches, and three ecclesiastics, the first of whom bears the title of vicar-general. Among the monu- ments of the ancient history of Ilheos, some traces of the times in which it was held by the Dutch, are still observable in three redoubts near the entrance of the port, and, on the shore, a large mass of freestone, in the shape of a mill-stone, which is said to have been used for grinding powder. “ The commercial intercourse of this town with the other parts of Brazil, is very trifling. Some lanchas carry on a little trade with Bahia in the produce of the neighbouring plantations and forests; but scarcely enough of mandioc is grown for the consumption of the inhabitants, so that strangers stand a chance of finding here nothing to eat. In the hot season, even fish are scarce. The town, by its advantageous posi- tion, and its small but sheltered port, possesses the greatest facilities for carrying on a brisk trade. The river is not very considerable, its source being at no 194 BRAZIL. great distance in the large forests. A little above the town, it divides itself into three branches. The most northern, called Rio das Fundas, is the shortest and the least; the middle and principal branch, the Rio da Cachoeira, proceeds from the great forests which cover the interior of the sertam of Bahia; the most southerly is called Rio do Engenho, from the fazenda (and sugar-mill) of Santa Maria, sitnated on its banks.”* This establishment occupies a territory twenty leagues in length, and employs 260 negroes. It belonged to the Jesuits. Two roads or tracks have been opened from Villa dos Ilheos to the interior; one along the Cachoeira to Serro Frio; the other, to Villa Nova do Principe in the comarca of Jacobina. Three miles north of the bar of Ilheos is that of the river Itahype, the outlet of a deep lake of the same name, seven miles in circumference, and about twenty- five miles from the mouth of the river. A number ot pretty fazendas, surrounded with groves of the cocoa- palm, adorn the banks of the lower part of this little river, but, a short way up, nothing is to be seen on either hand, but high forests, sometimes covering con- siderable hills. The lake is famous for abounding in fish. Several inhabitants of Ilheos have plantations on its borders; and these cleared spots serve agreeably to relieve the effect of the dark forests which clothe the mountains on its picturesque borders. Immediately at the entrance of the river appears an island, now fixed, but which formerly floated on the surface of the lake. It is formed of aquatic plants, on which has sprung up a bed of turf, which has given birth to other vegetation. Having been impelled agains the bank of the lake, it has fixed itself there. The inhabitants of Ilheos have * Maximilian’s Travels, (Paris edition,) vol. ii. pp. 339—45. Cazal describes these as separate rivers. BRAZIL. 195 a number of fabulous stories respecting this beautiful lake, which is one of the first things they mention to a stranger, and of which they are apt to speak in exagge- rating terms, The mountains in its neighbourhood are believed to be rich in gold and precious stones, and it has been invested by imagination with the attractions of a lagoa dourado (golden lake.) About two miles from its borders is the povoagac of Almada (or Almador,) the site of one of those villages which were founded, according to the treaty above mentioned, for the Gherins; it is the last inhabited spot in this direction. Prince Maximilian met with a hospitable re eception here from a Mynheer Weyl, a proprietor recently from Holland, who had chosen this spot for establishing a large fazenda. Of the Gherins, only an old man named Captain Manoel, and two or three old women, were left. ¢ The exterior of the old Captain Manoel,” says his Highness, “ showed him to be of Botucude origin, but he had renounced the characteristic orna- ments of his tribe, neither his ears nor his lip being disfigured with plugs of wood, and he had let his hair grow on the back of his head. Nevertheless, he dis- played a strong predilection for his nation, and evinced extreme pleasure when he heard me pronounce a few words of his language. I excited to a still higher degree his joy and his curiosity, by telling him that I had in my service a young Botucudo- he regretted exceedingly not seeing him, for I had left him behind at the town. The old man preserves his bow and arrows as memorials of former times. Inured to fatigue, he is still vigorous and capable of following the chase, notwithstanding his great age. He loves brandy above everything, and the arrival of M. Weyl in this canton has been a fortunate circumstance for him. In the house of that beneficent man, he will want for nothing.” . " _— "~ - ¥ . EN RI ve en A TTI SSI SI SRA cam. - et - - - - 196 BRAZIL. From Villa dos Ilheos, the enterprising traveller we have been following, struck into the interior, by the route which had recently been opened to Minas Geraes and afterwards crossed the serfam or back country to Bahia. Leaving him for a while, we pursue the fine of coast. The next river that occurs, is the Rio de Contas or Jussiappe, the most considerable in the comarca. It originates in the comarca of Jacobina, and after re- ceiving several confluents, discharges itself thirty-five miles south of Ponta Mutta, and about the same distance north of Ilheos. Sumacas proceed up it fifteen miles to the first fall, where there is a populous village. The Patachoes inhabit the country which it waters. Villa de Contas is well situated a little within the mouth, on the southern margin of the river, and has a very good port for sumacas. It has a church and a stone bridge over the larger branch of the river. The inhabitants are obliged, by their municipal laws, to grow a certain quantity of mandioc proportionate to the number of slaves which each cultivator possesses; but, in 1806, they were actually suffering from I, Point Mutta is the southern head of the bay of Ca- mamu, the only port in the comarca capable of receiv- ing large vessels. Several small streams fall into it which are navigable as far as the tide advances. The principal are the Marahu and the Acarahy. The former gives name to a small town about twenty miles fom the mouth, to which small craft can proceed. The district produces mandioc, and sends an abun- dance of water-melons and pine-apples to Bahia. Ten miles below this town, at the confluence of the little river Paratigy with the Marahu, is the small town of Barcellos, inhabited by Indians. On the left bank of the Acarahy, ten miles from its mouth, is the town of Camamu, which gives its name to the bay: it is a place BRAZIL. 197 of some trade, and from this point there is a road to the central part of the district of Rio de Contas. From Ponta Mutta almost to the river Jiquirica, the coast is bordered with islands: the principal of these bear the names of Tupiassu, Boypeba, Cayru, and Tinhare. The island of Tinhare is better known by the name of Morro, in consequence of its rock, called the Morro of St. Paulo,* on which Rameiro founded his first settlement; he afterwards abandoned the situ- ation, and removed the colony to Ilheos. This island is eighteen miles long; the others are smaller. Each has its town or povoagao, and some of them have been fortified. The small island of Quieppe forms two unequal bars to the bay of Camamu. Seven miles to the west of this, and almost in the centre of the bay, is the island of Camamu, now generally denominated Das Pedras, on account of the metallic stones which are found here: they are of a ferruginous colour, as heavy as lead, sometimes, it is said, with veins of silver, and are used by the fishermen as leads for their nets and lines. Ten miles north-north-east of Quieppe, is the island of Tubaroes, well provided with wood and water. Several inconsiderable rivers, flowing through a mountainous country, fall into the sea along this line of coast, having small settlements near their re- spective mouths. Ten miles east-north-east of the Jiquirica, which bounds the comarca, is the Barra Falsa (false bar) of the famous Bay of All Saints, which gives name to the province. BAIITA. Tris bay has justly been pronounced one of the finest harbours in the world. ¢ Here, as well as at Rio * In latitude 13° 30/ south ; longitude, 39° 55 west.— Lindley. EE 98 ; 19 BRAZIL. de Janeiro,” remark 5 Janeiro, remarks Mi. Southey, “ the sea seer a i Ys C Sea seems to have broken in upon the 1 9 and; or, more pro! 30)! s 3 iy re prob: r some huge lake has bor ’ probably, » 23rvary its } 1 med ne down its barrier, and made a way to the ocean. The hi 3 an. ¢ entrance, which is three leagues wide ic > Uriiea 1: nesly 3 leagues wide, is from the south, having the Hits inent he ri , Sof 1 } tnent on the right hand and the long isla lof 1 rica on the left.* You are tl tn bay abs ft. arc then in a bay, extend;j DRwontntetem y, extending to : worthward and westward a whole degree and re . " . - D ! ‘ ranching inland in every direction, with deep wat everywhere. ani? navi , er her y here, and many navigable rivers discharging themselves into it. This littie i sro : O1t. This little Mediterrane with above a hundred islands cultivated and inhabited, an is spotted ' Many of these are does not contain a livelier o Shas a mole oe art eign afl ie r more splendid scene, than ay, spotted with islands, swarn vessels of all sizes, ling with Pon from the smallest canoe to the arges erchantms and echoi an, and echoing to the Cred, . ’ sounds of business and the music of festivity of ba In the year 1807 a 3 ou 260 ships entered the bay, and 353 left i+ th iim ” : i i | s . ag JOrts mounted in value to nearly 850,0007.; the i t aaprler « 1 i » ) > o nearly a million. Of the articles of export, su 3 y § ol ; gar was the first in importance, tobacco second | , and cotton * This island forms two entrances, According to Mr Hen Wesiern or false bar less than two ey pk es Wdere os from Point St. Antonio to the HOSTh of uaa: 0 akes ntv- se ni i rade ry eyes alles; its breadth, east and west, nearly yank S, W ich is clearly an error. Mr. Lindley makes he fo i Weive leagues In diamater, and thirty-six leagues in it : ae pres, lg including the islands or retioLe parle gd > ar APN i : Io i “i oh WE Sig eX{remity of the large peninsula. - a oy nse Fats (a mal peninsula within the other,) a ho ‘apagippe, 1s the part immediately used for ; 8¢, Where vessels are sheltered from every wind in cle: ground, and have a Space in which the united shi as fleas earth might rendezvous without confusion.” nee : + In 1816, 519 merchant vessels entered the bay, and 48 : It. See vol. i. p. 138, and Luccock’s Notes, D. 628 am derson, the easte p le eastern or proper entr BRAZIL. 199 third. Latterly, there had been very little gold, the mines in this captaincy having ceased to attract adven- turers. Other articles were rum, rice, coffee, whale oil, hides, tallow, and wood. But the internal trade, to which this magnificent bay and its numerous rivers afford such facility, is described as surprisingly great. It is said that full 800 launches and smacks, of dif- ferent sizes, arrive daily at the capital ; and this state- ment will not appear exaggerated, if it be remembered, that the people subsist chiefly on vegetables, and that the city receives by far the greater part of its supplies by water.”* The city of St. Salvador, better known by the name of Bahia, is, with the exception of Rio, the largest and most flourishing city in Brazil. In ecclesiastical dig- nity, it claims the precedence, being an archiepiscopal see; it boasts also a higher antiquity, and was long the capital of the empire. Notwithstanding the removal of the seat of government, its natural advantages will enable it under all changes to preserve its rank as the second city in Brazil. Including its suburbs, it extends four miles from north to south, and its population is estimated at above a hundred thousand, more than two-thirds of whom are mulattoes or negroes, the proportion of slaves being, to use Mr. Southey’s ex- pression, “fearfully great.” Mr. Lindley gives the * Southey’s Brazil, vol. i. p. 50, vol. iii. pp. 798—9. More sugar, Mr. Mawe says, is shipped from Bahia, than from all the The coffee is not esteemed so fine as that of Rio. other ports. The The markets are well supplied with all the tropical fruits. bananas are esteemed the best in America. 4+ As this was the estimate in 1803, previously to the royal emi- gration and the opening of the ports, the number is now, probably, much more considerable. 1 During the adminstration of the Count d’ Arcos, the negroes revolted, and murdered a great many whites; it was their design io exterminate them. The insurrection, however, was soon quelled, and the ringleaders were executed 200 BRAZIL. following descri 1803. €€ Pp 2 3 > i Bahia is on the right side of the b and, at a small distance from the to a high ridgy hill, on the summit erected, with the exception of a ranges parallel to the beach : the ground and the plantations i a : . z ye : Rcoatlecils space. The buildings are chiefly of the nteenth century, ill const : ructed, and, fr slightness of the i i he § naterials, rapidly d i i Yiisuess rials, rapidly decaying, wh C ibs the effect of many of them il on sumptuous. As in all Catholic citi 2 : atholic cities, the ch the most distinoui if] gly wy guished edifices, and tho i : 2S se on which t} greatest attention and ex i I pense were originally lavis fre IE ginally lavished ; " i 1s large, but falling into ruin; while the €ge and archiepiscopal lege pis palace (or rather h adjoining are k i Ro g are Kept in thorough repair: 3 8 \ : oug pair: they were all 2 the period of their erection, spacious buildings we « Vv - ot: 3 1 ie i station on the summit of the hil] con 0 0 ing the bay and surrounding country, The grap church of the ex-jesuits is by far the most Jagan Structure of the city. It is composed entirel 0 . - . 3 g uropean marble, imported for the purpose at oy Elm ene cost, while the internal ornaments are supe luonsty rich: the rails of the altar are Pore the : de ioe Psphsle of ihe ) ood-work is inlaid with tortoise-shell grand chancel, and several ; & other communi recesses (diverging from the side aisles th res 3 ”, « « ~ Ls 1 : pective altars, are loaded with gildings, paintings aes and a profusion of other decorations 25 hie 6 collage and monastery adjoining it, which were most extensive and best ‘mos st endowed of any i i B : any in Brazil faving for the last forty years been entirely unoccupied, Ver - Fave A have lately converted them into a corn ous hospital. The valuable library is nearly lost ption of the city as it appe ared in ay, where the shore, rises steeply, of which the city is single street that from the inequality of nterspersed, it occupies of cast brass, on ») with their BRAZIL. 201 to mankind ; the books and manuscripts being huddled together in a neglected room, and in a state almost of ruin. Nothwithstanding this apparent indifference to science, these modern Goths are tenaciously jealous of strangers approaching the spot. The most valuable of the manuscripts are the unpublished discoveries in the interior of America by the fathers, who penetrated much further than any other individuals. The church and monastery of the Franciscans are extensive build- ings: the latter is two stories high. The apartments of the monks open into spacious corridors, that front a large square court with a fountain in the centre; the walls are decorated with European blue tiles in his- torical compartments, in which passages of heathen mythology and Christian history are curiously blended. “ Immediately adjoining is a separate foundation for the brothers of the Franciscans, or those who, having mixed with the world, may choose in the latter period of their lives a religious retirement. This building is curiously fronted in stucco, and is remarkable for its neat cemetery, consisting of two rows of small arched vaults, three tiers deep, each vault intended to contain a coffin, which being deposited in it, the end of the vault is closed. The vaults are numbered and white- washed, and their arches relieved with neat colouring; a broad aisle paved with black and white marble leads between them, and at the end is a drapery figure of Religion. The whole is kept remarkably clean and well ventilated by windows near the roof, which open to the garden ; while the spreading banana excludes the sun’s rays, and casts a solemn light on this sadly pleasing abode of death. “The Carmelite church is more modern and more elegantly ornamented than that of the Franciscans; and the monastery adjoining is immensely rich. The same buildings belonging to the Benedictines, are —r — A BS TTI, SEIN WE ERAS DO RIA ns 202 BRAZIL. inferior to those of the other orders that have been mentioned, though their revenues are equally pro- ductive.* ¢ Among the parochial churches, those of the Con- ception, Pillar, and St. Peter, are the most distinguished within the city, and those of St. Antonio and Victoria near the bar, which stand in such striking situations as to form excellent sea-marks. There are besides these, several other churches, and a variety of chapels, mo- nasteries, and convents: all presenting the same tedious load of ornaments, bad taste, and excess of superstition. “ The principal squares or places are, the one im- mediately adjoining the palace, and that of the Jesuits. “The streets are confined and narrow, wretchedly paved, never cleaned, and therefore disgustingly dirty. The backs of several of them are the receptacles of filth, which, exposed to so extreme a heat, would affect se- * Cazal gives the following list of the religious establishments in Bahia. The Benedictines, the Franciscans, the Carmelites, and the barefoot Carinelites, have each their monastery ; the Al- moners of the IToly Land, the barefoot Agustinians, the Carmelites, the Benedictines, the Franciscans, and the bearded Italian Capu- chins, each their Zospice. Besides these, there are four nunneries, two recolhimentos for females, and third Orders of Carmel, the Trinity, St. Francis, and St. Dominick. These last are stated by Mr. Southey to be harmless associations, to which people, whether married or single, in any occupation or of any rank, might belong. “The Dominicans,” he adds, *‘ have never established a colony in Brazil: the exception is remarkable, and has never been ex- plained, for they have certainly not been less ambitious of extending themselves, than their compeers and rivals. It may be hoped that Brazil will continue free from them; for, though they may not have sunk into such utter contempt as the Francis- cans, the Order, as professing poverty, is equally injurious to the state. Its legends exceed those of the I'ranciscans in monstrous falsehood, and scarcely yield to them in blasphemy; and it is, above ail other orders, infamous and execrable for the part it has borne in the Inquisition.”"—History of Brazil, vol. iii. p. 795. BRAZIL. 203 verely the health of the inhabitants, but for the salu- brious air that prevails, in consequence of the elevated situation of the place. “ In the royal square is the house (or palace) of the governor, which is an old insignificant building; and opposite are the mint and public offices. The third side contains the court-house of the relagad, and the remain- ing one, the hall of the senate and the prison. The latter is an extensive structure, of which the lower di- visions are exceedingly strong a: 1d secure, the windows having two sets of bars about eighteen inc hes from each other, of heavy AY iron. These dungeons are en- tered from a grated room above, by trap-doors. In the centre of the first story is a well-secured hall, out of which open a number of dark cells (secretos,) about six feet square, that have strong close doors, but no windows, and are provided each with a heavy chain, fastened to a ring in the wall. These cells are for in- quisition and state criminals. “ The prison seldom contains less than two hundred persons, the greater pat confined for offences disgrace- ful to society; the rest are run-away slaves and state victims, too frequently placed there on the most trifling pr Siong es ‘A stall hospital adjoins the prison; but, from the heat of the climate, the close situation of the building, the want of a free circulation of air, and the total ne- glect of cleanliness, there are upwards of a hundred burials in a year. The prison is supplied with water by the slave prisoners, who have iron collars round their necks, through which a chain passes and fastens them together. The water is conveyed in small barrels from a distance, and is the only article which the pri- son allows. The support of the prisoners depends on themselves, or a religious society, the misericordia, who solicit, in all parts of the city, charitable donations, 204 BRAZIL. and distribute daily farinha, soup, and other provisions, to the most wretched of the immured. « The custom-house and wharfs are on the beach, as also is the dock-yard; near which are the marine store- houses and offices, with the house of the intendant, or port-commander. “ Some, but not many, of the superior class of inha- bitants, have erected for themselves large and elegant mansions (particularly in the vicinity of the town,) and have appropriately fitted them up. The habitations of other individuals who are opulent, are roomy and con- venient, but shabbily furnished. Viewing them from the street, they have a dull and dirty appearance; and what they thus promise from without, is completely realized within. In reality, I never saw a country where the inhabitants are so completely neglectful of cleanliness as in Brazil. The houses belonging to tradesmen and shopkeepers are still more disgusting: instead of glazed windows, they have wooden drop-lat- tices, which want even the addition of painting to en- liven or preserve them. The lowest order of soldiers, mulattoes, and negroes, have tiled cabins, open to the roof, with a single lattice window. These several and different buildings (with the exception of a street or two) are all intermingled throughout the city, and ex- hibit a motley and disagreeable appearance.” Things appear to have been not much improved in 1821, nearly twenty years later, when Bahia was visited by an intelligent female traveller. Mrs. Graham landed at the arsenal or dock-yard. * The street into which we proceeded through the arsenal gate,” she says, “ forms, at this place, the breadth of the whole lower town of Bahia, and is, without any exception, the filthiest place I ever was in. It is extremely narrow; yet, all the working artificers bring their benches and tools into the streets. In the interstices between them, ona a ERE ig BRAZIL. 205 along the walls, are fruit-sellers, venders of sausages, black puddings, fried fish, oil and sugar-cakes, negroes platting hats or mats, caderas (a kind of sedan-chair) with their bearers, dogs, pigs, and poultry, without partition or distinction; and, as the gutter runs in the middle of the street, everything is thrown there from the different stalls, as well as from the windows, and there the animals live and feed! In this street” (called the Praya) ‘ are the warehouses and counting-houses of the merchants, both native and foreign. The build- ings are high, but neither so handsome nor so airy as those of Pernambuco.” * The upper town (cidade alta,) which is beautifully situated on the ridge between the sea and the bay, is, from its height and the slope of its streets, much cleaner than the port. Here, besides the cathedral, the archi- episcopal palace, the governor's palace, the Jesuits’ college, and other public buildings already mentioned, there is a misericordia with its hospital, founded in 1716,1 which Mrs. Graham describes as a fair specimen of the convents. “ It surrounds a large area, sub- * Graham's Journal, &c. p. 133. t Part of the funds for supporting this and other hospitals, is stated to be derived from lotteries; and the Conde dos Arcos, when minister, established a lottery for the support of the public library. ‘‘Itis remarkable,” Mr. Lindley says, ‘* what sums the established religion here requires in alms from its votaries, and how freely the requisition is obeyed. Every day the holy brothers of the orders of St. Francis, Carmel, St. Theresa, Benedict, &c. knock at the doors or windows of the inhabitants, rich or poor, and do not depart without a tribute, or at least without being sturdily importunate. Besides these licensed pillagers, there isa legion of subordinate agents; such as the friars of the Holy Se- pulchre, of Misericordia, the Capuchins, and (worst of all) the brothers of the Sanctissimo Sacramento: which latter, with a short blue or crimson silk cloak over their ordinary dress, a silver staff in their hands, and a large velvet pocket bearing an embossed silver plate, meet you at every turn; and, with an air of authority, demand an offering, which is rarely refused them.” PART 111. N { gi! i Pd tt | Af 206 BRAZIL, divided into smaller courts: the staircase is of marble, inlaid with coloured stucco, and the sides are lined with tiles of porcelain, so as to form arabesques, often of very pretty design. This is both a cool and a cleanly lining to a wall, especially for an hospital. The princi- pal rooms are also decorated in the same manner, and many of the fronts and cupolas of the churches are covered with similar tiles, the effect of which is often exceedingly agreeable when seen among the trees and plainer buildings. The chapel belonging to the hospi- tal is handsome, a little gaudy, however: the ceiling is respectably painted. The treatment of the sick is humane, and they are well provided with food and other necessaries; but the medical practice, though much improved of late years, is mot the most en- lightened.” The theatre (opened in May 1812) 1s a handsome building, large, and well laid out, but dirtv inside: the actors are very bad, the orchestra tolerable. The society of Bahia has been deemed superior 30 that of Rio. In their intercourse with foreigners, savs Mr. Lindley, far less hauteur is seen in Bahia than in any other part of the coast.” Nothing, how- ever, can be much more degraded than the state both of manners and of morals. With regard to the former, we shall here avail ourselves of Mrs. Graham's lively narrative: she is describing a tour of morning visits. « In the first place, the houses, for the most part, are disgustingly dirty. The lower story usually consists of cells for the slaves, stabling, &c.; the staircases are narrow and dark; and at more than one house, we waited in a passage while the servants ran to open the doors and windows of the sitting-rooms, and to call their mistresses, who were enjoying their undress in their own apartments. When they appeared, I could scarcely believe that one half were gentlewomen. As RTE mn AI ¥ oe ie PRT gs — BRAZIL. 207 they wear neither stay nor bodice, the figure becomes almost indecently slovenly after very early youth; and this is the more disgusting, as they are very thinly clad, wear no neck-handkerchiefs, and scarcely any sleeves. Then, in this hot climate, 1t is unpleasant to see dark cottons and stuffs, without any white linen, near the skin; hair black, ill combed, and dishevelled, or knotted unbecomingly, or, still worse, en papillote, and the whole person bearing an unwashed appearance. When, at any of the houses, the bustle of opening the cobwebbed windows and assembling the family was over, in two or three instances, the servants had to remove the dishes of sugar, mandioc, and other pro- visions which had been left in the best rooms to dry. There is usually a sofa at each end of the room, and to the right and left, a long file of chairs which look as if they never could be .moved out of their place. Between the two sets of seats is a space which, I am told, is often used for dancing; and, in every house, I saw either a guitar or a piano, and generally both. Prints and pictures, the latter the worst daubs I ever saw, decorate the halls pretty generally; and there are besides, crucifixes and other things of the kind. Some houses, however, are more neatly arranged. One, I think belonging to a captain of the navy, was papered, the floors laid with mat, and the tables ornamented with pretty porcelain, Indian and French: the lady too was neatly dressed in a French wrapper. Another house, belonging to one of the judges, was also clean, and of a more stately appearance than the rest, though the inhabitant was neither richer nor of higher rank. Glass chandeliers were suspended from the roof, and handsome mirrors were intermixed with the prints and pictures. A good deal of handsome china was dis- played round the room; but the jars, as well as the 208 BRAZIL. chairs and tables, seemed to form an inseparable part of the walls.” The gentlemen generally dress as in Lisbon, with an excess of embroidery and spangles on their waistcoats and lace on their linen, their shoe and knee buckles often of solid gold. But, at home, these gala clothes are laid aside for a gown or thin jacket, or merely a shirt and drawers. The usual dress of the ladies is a single petticoat over a chemise, the latter generally of the thinnest muslin, much worked and ornamented, and so full at the bosom as to drop over the shoulders on the smallest movement. This violation of femi- nine delicacy,” says Mr. Lindley, * appears the more disgusting, as the complexion of the Brazilians is in general very indifferent, approaching to an obscure tawny colour. Stockings are scarcely ever used; and during the rainy season, which is to them cold, they shuffle about in a pair of slippers, dressed in a thick blue and white cotton wrapper or a woollen great coat faced with shag. When attending mass, a deep black silk mantle, worn over the head, conceals the trans- parent costume beneath. On some public occasions and visits of ceremony, a few ladies of rank adopt the European dress.” This has probably come more ex- tensively into vogue. In a large party of well-dressed women whom Mrs. Graham met, she had great diffi- culty, she says, in recognising the slatterns of the morning. ‘The senhoras were all dressed after the French fashion: corset, ficku, garniture, all was proper, and even elegant, and there was a great display of jewels.” Education is at the lowest ebb. The men, Mrs. Graham says, divide nearly their whole time be- tween the counting-house and the gaming-table. © Of those who read on political subjects, most are disciples of Voltaire; and they outgo his doctrines on politics, BRAZIL. 209 and equal his indecency as to religion.” There is a considerable number of English residents at Bahia, * t Y 3 who have a chapel and a chaplain, which, together with an hospital for English sailors, are supported by a con- tribution fund. “ They are hospitable and sociable among each other,” says Mrs. Graham, ‘and often dine together; the ladies love music and dancing, and some of the men gamble as much as the Portuguese. Upon the whole, society is at a low, very low wile here among the English.” “ The police here is in a wretched state. The use of the dagger is so frequent, that the secret murders generally average two hundred yearly, between the upper and lower towns. To this evil, the darkness and steepness of the streets mainly contribute, by furnishing almost a certainty of escape. The nominal intendente da policia is also the supreme judge in cri- minal cases. No law, however, has as yet dtersnined the limits or scope, either of his power or that of the lieutenant-colonel of police, who calls upon a few soldiers from any of the garrisons whenever he has to act, and who appoints military patroles also from among the soldiers on duty. It often happens that persons accused before this formidable officer, are seized and imprisoned for years, without ever being brought to a trial. A malicious information, whether true or false, subjects a man’s private house to be broken open by the colonel and his gang; and if the master escapes imprisonment, it is well, though the house scarcely ever escapes pillage. In cases of riot and quarrels in the streets, the colonel generally orders the soldiers to fall on with canes and beat the people ® Q+ rye, 4 Q 3 In 1821, there were eighteen English mercantile houses esta- blished at Bahia, two French, and two German. The Englist trade is principally carried on with Liverpool NZ AIP NEI SANE a Cr SS ARR 210 BRAZIL. into their senses. Such being the state of the police, it is, perhaps, more wonderful, that murders are so few, than that they are so many. Where there is little or no public justice, private revenge will take its place.” * There are six corps of militia in Bahia: 1st, The government guard of honour, consisting of gentlemen mounted; 2d, A squadron of flying artillery ; 3d, Two regiments of whites, chiefly trades-people; 4th, A regi- ment of mulattoes; and 5th, One of free blacks, which is the best trained and most serviceable of all; the whole amounting to between 4 and 5000 men, and, with the regiments of country militia, to about 15,000.+ The officers, with the exception of the majors and adjutants, who are of the line, receive no pay. The city is protected by a number of forts and batteries, but many of them are nearly nugatory, from the want of ordnance. The principal are those of St. Philip and do Mar, described by Mr. Lindley as follows :— “ The Fort do Mar was erected about the year 1600, on a small rocky bank of the inner bay, three quarters of a mile from the shore. It was first built in a cir- cular form; but when the Dutch entered the bay in 1624, they were so greatly annoyed by it, during their attempt to take possession of the place, that they thought it deserving of additional fortifications, and they completed it to the shape it bears at present, raising the original tower, and surrounding it with an extensive lower battery. The diameter of the whole is about two hundred and seventy feet, and that of the upper tower battery a hundred: the lower battery mounts twenty-nine guns, of which there are a few * Graham’s Journal, pp. 140-1. t We have followed Mrs. Graham as the latest authority. Prince Maximilian states that there are four regiments of the line and as many of militia. BRAZIL. 211 that are forty-two pounders, and none less than twenty- four; the upper contains only sixteen, consisting of twenty-fours and eighteens. The tower ascends from the level of the lower battery about twenty-five feet: it is not a solid mass, but has several apartments, which diverge like rays from the centre to the exterior, and are employed as magazines for powder, artillery stores, &c. and for barracks. The top of the tower is paved with flag-stones, carefully cemented and sloped, to preserve the rain that falls on its surface, which, collecting in the centre, descends through a grate into an extensive reservoir below, and affords a sufficiency of water for the garrison for six months, without any other supplies. The house and offices of the com- mandant, and some rooms for state or military pri- soners, are ranged on the lower battery, near the sloping entrance of the fort, on the side fronting the sea. The garrison, when complete, consists of five hundred men; but few only attend duty. The ship- ping usually anchor between this fort and the city, where they are immediately under its protection, and that of St. Philip, on the opposite shore. On the extreme point of the peninsula, and nearly opposite the bar, is the small antique fort and lighthouse of St. Antonio do Barro; and as you proceed to the bar, a deep, small bay indents the shore, rising to a sandy beach, and flanked on one side by the trifling fort of Santa Maria, and on the other by St. Diego, which is a circular battery. At the extremity of the city that leads to the sea, an eighteen-gun battery, chiefly twenty-fours, ranges at water-mark, and is in tolerable condition. Passing this, the dock-yard is defended by the high bulwark battery of St. Philip, mounting about thirty guns of various bores. There are three other insignificant batteries on the inhabited part of the beach, and a small one on the point of Montserrat. Cr ———— Sp eS —— I NE MR NAINA ENG eh ENE BRAZIL. The city is defended on the land side. at the south and north passes, which are parallel to the beach, by three forts; on the south, by the extensive fortification and outworks of St. Pedro, the completest of the whole, bat at the present moment nearly dismantled. The northern pass is a valley entireiy commanded by Barbalho on the one side, and St. Antonio do Carmo on the opposite eminence, nearer the bay. This last is a quadrangular fort, that has a few guns peeping over its glacis.” Bahia, at the period of Mr. Lindley’s detention there, was without a single inn. Coffee-houses and eating- houses abounded in every street, but they were of the most wretched description, ¢ inconceivably dirty, and the cooking so horrible that a St. Giles’s cellar is far preferable.” Even the middle classes were not habitu- ated to the use of knives and forks, but rolled the meat, vegetables, and mandioc meal into a ball, in the palm of their hands, after the Moorish manner. But, with regard to these and various particulars described by Mr. Lindley and other travellers, Prince Maximilian assures us, while he bears his testimony to their general accuracy, that many of the abuses, ridiculous practices, and Gothic customs which they witnessed, have disappeared with the progress of civilization “ For example,” he says, ¢ there exists now no differ- ence between the dress of the inhabitants of this * When Mr. Lindley was at Bahia, he inquired at all the book- sellers’ shops for French or English works, *“ but to no purpose, they not having one, ancient or modern. One bookseller, indeed, with some exultation, produced a Portuguese translation of Ro- binson Crusoe, and particularly recommended it.” Bahia was indebted to the enlightened efforts of the Conde dos Arcos for se- veral important improvements: besides the additions he made to the public library, he founded a printing-house and.a glass-house, laid out a public promenade, and patronized the arts and sciences See Maximilian’s Travels, (Paris ed.) vol. iii, p. 240 BRAZIL. 213 country and that of Europeans; and luxury and ele- gance prevail everywhere to a high degree.” With regard to any improvement in morals, he is silent, simply observing that the manners and usages abso- lutely resemble those of the Portuguese in Europe; “and it is said,” he adds, * that in the higher classes there reigns an unbridled dissipation.” His Highness amply confirms Lindley’s account of the incredible number of religious festivals, which occur almost daily, ‘ presenting a continued round of opportunities for uniting devotion and pleasure, which is eagerly em- braced, especially-by the ladies.” ¢ The chief amuse- ments of the citizens,” says the English traveller, “ are the feasts of the different saints, professions of nuns, sumptuous funerals, the holy or passion week, &c., which are all celebrated in rotation with grand cere- monies, a full concert, and frequent processions.” On such occasions, the streets are swept and strewed with white sand and flowers; the windows are illuminated; and the processions, lighted by a great number of tapers borne by the faithful, move onward, to the sound of bells and fire-works, towards the church prepared for their reception. The burials are conducted likewise at night, by the light of torches and flambeaux. Music forms an important part of these religious festivities. The Portuguese are a musical people, and the negroes also are passionately fond of music. The “ city-wayts” are all negroes, and they have always a full band ready for service, which finds constant employ from public or private devotion. Every Portuguese,” remarks Mr. Southey, “ has his saint, every saint has his day, and on every saint's day, some of his votaries summon the musicians to celebrate the festival, and accompany them to the church or chapel of the idol, frequently by 13] water.” “It is also a custom,” Mr. Lindley says, NS OES 214 BRAZIL, “ with the European merchant-ships, to have music on their arrival, at departure, and on the first day of taking in cargo, which repeatedly gives us a little concert, and sounds charmingly from the water. These musicians are trained by the different barber-surgeons of the city, who are of the same colour, and have been itinerant musicians from time immemorial. Numerous as these swarthy sons of harmony are, they find constant em- ployment, not only as above mentioned, but also at the entrance of the churches on celebration of festivals, where they sit playing lively pieces, regardless of the solemnities going forward within.” Sometimes, the guitar or violin is called in to aid amusements of a more secular kind; and Mr. Lindley mentions an infamous dance, a mixture of the Spanish fandango and the Afri- can, of which the Brazilians are passionately fond. The orgies of the dancing girls in India, he says, do not equal the flagrancy of this national dance,” which certainly breaks down the barriers of decency, and paves the way to depravity and vice. Their participation in the reli- gion of the country, and the inconsistent familiarity to which they are admitted, renders the slaves impudent and licentious to a high degree. “The negro feels his consequence increased by the great numbers that are emancipated through service, favour, or purchase, who are of course senkores, and frequently assume the character, and act it with full as much propriety as their late possessors.” Such a state of society must be regarded as extremely critical, and the transitory Palmarese republic * supplies an instructive lesson. Slavery cannot exist without containing in itself the seeds of danger. The circumstance of their being of the same religion as their masters, however, so far See vol. i. p. 44. BRAZIL. from being unfavourable to subordination, tends to lessen the danger. The evil lies in the nature of that religion, which is but little removed from heathenism. The environs of Bahia are very beautiful, and being constantly refreshed by alternate land and sea breezes, the climate is deemed very healthy. The Reconcave, as the country which extends round the whole sweep of this magnificent bay is denominated, is one of the richest and most populous parts of Brazil. It variesin breadth from twelve to forty miles. Upon the rivers which intersect it, and fall into the bay, are situated many flourishing towns, which Carry on an active trade with the capital; but it is remarkable, that this trade is carried on by barter and account, notwithstanding the abundance of specie in the country. Cachoeira, one of the largest towns of the Reconcave, contained, in 1804, 1088 families: Mr. Henderson states the inhabitants at nearly 10,000. The town is seated on the river Para- guassu, which divides it into two parts, and sometimes, at the highest floods, intrudes upon the inhabitants. The public edifices, consisting of a municipal house, various churches, chapels, and convents, an hospital and a fountain, are built of stone; there are also stone bridges, and the streets are paved. It has a juiz de fora and royal masters. Near this town was found a mass of native copper weighing a ton and a half: it is now in the royal museum at Lisbon. Three miles to" the north-north-east of Cachoeira is the aldeia of Belem, founded by the Jesuits, who had a seminary there. Fifteen miles below Cachoeira, on the same river, is Maragogype, which is also a considerable town, con- taining a church and four chapels. The other chief towns are St. Amaro, on the right bank of the Serigy or Serzipe, twelve miles from its mouth and forty north- west of Bahia; and Jaguaripe, on the right bank of the river of the same name, seven miles from its mouth, lI 5 sss DASA ARE - A AIT eh a pn 216 BRAZIL. the inhabitants of which are chiefly manufacturers of earthenware. The island of Itapa-rica, which is twenty- three miles long from north to south, and ten in breadth, contains a considerable town, which carries on the whale fishery. The province of Bahia is naturally divided by a chain of mountains of considerable elevation, from the eastern side of which proceed the numerous streams which flow into the Reconcave, or form the rivers of Ilheos. The whole western division is comprehended within the co- marca of Jacobina, but, on account of its great extent, will probably be divided eventually into two equal dis- tricts; that of Jacobina to the north, and Rio de Contas to the south. A considerable portion of it is occupied with cattle-plains, which are unsusceptible of cultiva- tion. This comarca was formerly rich in gold: * “in all better things,” remarks Mr. Southey, it is “ greatly inferior to the maritime district. This portion com- prehends the country on which the Rio St. Francisco enters, when it leaves its native province; and it re- sembles in its character the worst part of the serfoens + of Pernambuco and Seara. Population, however, is scattered everywhere, and everywhere cattle are bred, which sometimes are full-fed in abundant pastures, and at other times endure the extreme of want, according to the season. The regular winter, or wet season, extends only some thirty leagues from the coast; and what rain falls in the interior, comes only in thunder showers, which are of course irregular, in no part frequent, and occur seldomer in the northern part of the province * According to Cazal, it affords gold, silver, copper, iron, salt- petre, and crystals. t+ A word of uncertain derivation, (in the singular, sertam,) signifying the interior or midland part. Pelo sertao da calma is a phrase signifying, in the heat of the day; literally, in the midst of the heat. BRAZIL. 217 than in the south. After rain, the ground is presently covered with rich verdure, and the cattle fatten; but when drought succeeds to this season of andanee. they are reduced to browse upon such shrubs as vesist the burning sun: the Streams fail; and if the tanks which the thunder showers had filled, are dried also : dreadful mortality ensues, gr readiul | Because of the frequency of this evil, the province cannot depend upon its own pastures, but looks to Goyaz and Piauhy for a regular supply. Nevertheless, a trade in cattle has been carried on within the captaincy, but at an unmerciful expense of (animal) life, because of the intense heat, and the want of water on the way. The road is tracked with the skeletons of the Poor creatures who perish on the journey: never more than half the drove reach the place of slaughter; frequently not a third part. Yet, with all a aa sold at Bahia for about three Jacobina, the residence of the ouvidor, is still a town of some importance, though the mines have ceased to be productive, and its smelting-house is broken up. It 1s situated near the left b the Itapicuru, three miles below a lake wi Inunicates with the river, Its inhabitants cultivate ank of the southern branch of ich com- wheat, which is not found further north as well as the pulse and grain of Portugal flourish in this elevated district: they export, in particular, large quantities of quince marmalade. The only other towns in the northern part of the comarca, are, Villa Nova da Rainha, a mere village sixty miles north of Jacobina and Uruba, a small town on the banks of the St. Frau. ciseo, about seventy miles north-west of Rio de Contas. This latter town lies about a hundred and thirty miles ; and the fruits * Southey’s Brazil, vol. iii. p. 802. PART 111. oO a S— ; JH AAS 1b INS TIRE rh ST — en EA ONE EI 218 BRAZIL. south of Jacobina.* The intermediate tract of country is almost entirely uninhabited, and travellers are obliged to carry water with them. Rio de Contas has prospered, owing to its being in the high road from Bahia to Goyaz. It owed its origin to its gold mines, discovered in 1718; but, since these have failed, the inhabitants have taken to the more advantageous occupations of agriculture. The only town in the comarca south of Contas, is Villa Nova do Principe, formerly called Caytete, fifty miles west-south-west of the former town—a small place depending chiefly on its cotton plantations and the breeding of cattle. We now return to Prince Maximilian, whom we left at Villa dos Ilheos, about to undertake an adventurous journey into the interior, far beyond the precincts of civilized society, in regions where only a hunter could exist, and where no one but a naturalist could find amusement. His Highness’s narrative, though diversi- fied by few occurrences, is extremely interesting, and his contributions to natural history are numerous and valuable. It is impossible, however, within the limits to which we must restrict ourselves, to give more than a brief outline of his journey. + FROM ILHEOS TO MINAS GERAES. THE route from Ilheos to Minas Geraes follows the course of the Cachoeira, and, in about a league and a half from the town, enters upon unbroken forests, in * The nearest track from Rio do Contas to Jacobina, Cazal states, is not more than 130 miles, but is little frequented, water not being met with for several days’ journey. The way usually frequented exceeds 230 miles. + This part of the author's travels occupies nearly a volume of the Paris edition, viz. chap. xiv. to xviii. inclusive. which axes and bills are not a less necessary part of the traveller's baggage than farinha, salt-meat, and brandy. The track led over several considerable hills, sometimes through marshes. Torrents had to be passed, over which there had been thrown bridges, but these were for the most part fallen or ruinous. Various are the impediments, annoyances, and dangers which the traveller has to surmount, from the thorny vegetation deep ravines, insect plagues, of which the most formb dable are wasps’ nests, venomous reptiles, and by night, the visits of jaguars and ounces; added to which, the party in the present instance suffered much from violent rains. “Scratched and maimed by the thorns, soaked by the rain, exhausted by the incessant perspiration caused by the heat,” says his Highness, describing his plight, the traveller is nevertheless transported with ad- miration at the sight of this magnificent vegetation.” On the fourth day after entering the forest, the party arrived at San Pedro, the last establishment which is met with on ascending this river. “ What a wretched village!” is his exclamation, ¢ Here are about ten ins mud houses, with a church which is no better than a sort of coach-house i clay; : y y have given to this Ss iy Id ty a de San Pedro d’Alcantara—though it is generally called simply As Ferradas, from a ledge of rocks which traverses the river at a short distance, called Banca das Ferradas. This village was founded two years ago, on finishing the route to Minas. Persons of al] sorts were collected here, some Spaniards, several Indian families, and some pardos or persons of colour, and finally, a band of Ca- macan Indians (a tribe of the Mongoyos) from the neighbouring forests.* As soon as the chuich was * The - an x. y 11 I'he Camacans are found extending over the territory between the Rio Pardo (or Patype) and the Rio das Contas. On the banks of the latter river, they have entirely renounced their savage ha- ~ me — — pr NESE TRING nh 220 BRAZIL. finished, the ouvidor installed the vicar. A few days’ distance further, another little church was erected, at a place where the new route enters on the serfam which borders the Rio Salgado: here mass was celebrated, and plantations were established, but this little settle- ment has fallen into ruin; the place has again be- come a wilderness, and answers no purpose whatever. All this labour and expense have been thrown away, since no use has been made of the route ; and in a very short time, it will be impossible to discover any trace of it. The mineiros prefer to this laborious journey through the forests, the route which traverses the campos or bare plains of the sertam of Bahia (Jaco- bina;) as Villa dos llheos affords neither a market for their commodities, nor vessels to convey them to Bahia. The decay of St. Pedro keeps pace with that of the new road, the bad condition of which our own experience taught us too frequently in the course of our journey. The individuals forcibly collected in the Villa, not finding here the supplies they needed, in part decamped: many of the Camacan Indians were carried off by a contagious disorder, and the survivors fled to their forests. St. Pedro is at present inhabited by only a priest and half a dozen families, who devoutly wish that the government would have compassion on them. It is said, that they talk of clearing the road afresh, and sending hither a reinforcement of inhabitants. The bits; and even here, they are far more civilized than their neigh- bours the Patachoes and Botucudoes, cultivating mandioc and ve- getables, and having fixed residences. They were reduced in 1806, by the expedition sent down the Pardo, * their fear of the Botucudoes inducing them to take shelter in civilization.” See Southey’s Brazil, vol. iii. pp. 692, 804. Maximilian’s Travels, (Paris ed.) vol. iii. pp. 34, 155, ef seq. In many respects they re- semble the Goytacazes. They are potters, and discover more in- dustry than the savages of the coast. They sleep on beds, not in hammocks. They wear their hair long, and are partially clothed. BRAZIL. 221 village stands in a country completely wild, surrounded on all sides, with forests full of wild beasts and fren quented by parties of Patachoes.” The journey to Ilheos is frequently. performed by water, which, notwithstanding that the navigation 1s impeded by falls, shallows, and other impediments takes only a day: to ascend the river, requires a days. Prince Maximilian, finding it necessary to re- turn to Ilheos to complete his travelline arrangements hired a canoe, and descended the stream, which iy minded him of the upper part of the Belmonte: only the Cachoeria is small in comparison. to S He returned to St. Pedro in the same manner; ana ¢ eng 6th of January, 1817, the whole am fs 3 alcade was early in motion on their way to Minas Geraes. Towards the end of the second day, they crossed the Rio Salgado a little above its confluence with the Cachoaivs, Where it is between forty and fifty paces in width. I'he road passes over a succession of hills, but gradu- ally increases in elevation, and becomes more dry, and the difference of climate is observable in the altered character of the vegetation. At Porto da Canoa, (a point of the river so called because canoes have reached thus far,) the traveller enters on that description of forest which is called in Brazil a catinga. Here, the Same species of trees that, ; in the vast, humid, and thickly wooded forests of the coast, tower up to a con- siderable height, remain much lower, while these dry regions present a variety of productions peculiar to such situations. The thorny points of the bromelia, which covers the ground in thick tufts, is especially annoying to the Brazilian hunter, who always goes barefoot ; and various other prickly plants embarrass and wound the traveller. In some places, the ground is intersected by deep ravines, and dark alleys meet the eye, of a Savage aspect, where prevails a perpetual 222 BRAZIL. coolness. Along the limpid torrents which precipitate themselves from the rocks, grow flowers of the most splendid hues, which man has never come to these distant regions to admire. The solitary steps of the Patacho hunter, the tapir, or the ounce, alone break the silence of these uninhabited wildernesses. On the sixth day, the travellers again reached the Cachoeira, and for the last time, where it makes an elbow, crossing the route in a southerly direction: beyond this, the rivers which traverse the track, fall into the Rio Pardo. From the 12th to the 17th, the party halted, while a detachment was sent off to a village of Camacan Indians, a day and a half distant, to endea- vour to procure some maize for the half-famished mules. They returned without having been able to succeed. On the 17th, the travellers pursued their route through the forests, The next day they reached the Duos Riachos; and on the 19th, the banks of the Rio Catole, from which they had still nearly two days’ journey to the first human habitations. Prince Maxi- milian resolved, therefore, again to halt, while he sent forward some of his people to Beruga for some corn. The interval was spent in exploring the forests and hunting. On the sixth day, the men returned with a supply, and the party was again in motion on the 26th. The next day, after travelling between three and four leagues, their ears were suddenly saluted with the crow of a cock, “ the constant companion of man, even in these remote solitudes.” Emerging from the shades of the forest, they beheld with delight, stretched before them, a field of maize and mandioc, and once more above their heads a considerable expanse of azure sky. Beyond the forests appeared the summits of blue mountains, now an extraordinary and delightful pros- pect. But they had again to enter these “ umbrageous solitudes.”” They rested a day at the miserable little BRAZIL. 232 aid aldeia of Beruga, consisting of three or four mud huts, covered with the bark of trees, which harboured myriads of carapatos; yet, to travellers who had passed twenty-two days in the midst of wild forests, they afforded a welcome asylum. The Beruga is a small stream which falls at a short distance into the Pardo, whose valley they were now approaching. On resuming their journey, they soon reached its banks, where its grey and troubled waters dash over a rocky channel; and they followed its course for some time, ascending the valley, till it opened into a wild and gloomy catinga, enclosed by high, wooded mountains— a savage solitude of imposing and terrific character. The second day, they ascended the first and highest of a chain of mountains, called the Serra do Mundo Novo, beyond which the forests, the vegetation, the birds, the butterflies, all appeared to belong indeed to a * new world: so changed was the aspect of everything, and SO new the sounds which met the ear. The trees were much diminished in height. At Barra da Vareda, which they reached at the end of this day’s journey, the travellers found themselves suddenly introduced to an open plain, and, at the fine fazenda of the capitam Ferreira Campos, met with a hospitable reception, which indemnified them for the fatigues of this arduous journey. “The inhabitants of Barra da Vareda as- sured us,” says his Highness, “that we had been singularly fortunate, inasmuch as it is a rare circum- stance for men and animals to issue safe and sound from these regions after the rainy season has com- menced.” The valley of the Vareda is traversed at its south-eastern extremity by the Rio Pardo, which re- ceives the tribute of this little rivulet. On the 5th of February, Prince Maximilian took leave of his hospitable host, and again set forward. A forest three leagues in extent had now to be traversed ; 224 BRAZIL. but the route insensibly rises, the air becomes more dry and salubrious, and the gently rounded mountains announce to the traveller his approach to open plains and elevated campos. He has no longer anything to fear from the low fever against which he has had to struggle in the humid forests below, and may now drink milk with impunity. But he soon finds his slight clothing insufficient, and is in danger of catarrh. Towards evening, they reached Anjicos, an old ruined house near a lake, belonging to the capitam. The next day, passing over immense pastures, they arrived at the fazenda of Vareda, the property of this same Senhor Ferreira. The next stage brought them to the fazenda of Tamburil, a village situated in a mountainous can- ton on the rivulet da Ressaque, where no Englishman had yet been seen. A rugged country, covered with catingas, and intersected by ravines, extends from this place towards the frontiers of Minas Geraes. In ap- proaching Ressaque, an aldeia consisting of three families of mamalucoes, Prince Maximilian passed through several woods entirely stripped of their foliage, like the forests of Europe in winter. He was unable to obtain a satisfactory explanation of the phenomenon. One planter told him, that, two or three years before, in the month of August, a very hard frost had killed the trees, while others maintained that an extreme dryness in the soil had occasioned it. Four leagues from Ressaque is the fazenda of Ilha, and a league and a half further is the gquartel geral de Valo, which marks the limits of Minas Geraes. They found at this station a pioneer and two soldiers. This was the furthest point which Prince Maximilian reached in this direction, an indisposition brought on by the climate, compelling him to abandon his intention of penetrat- ing into Minas Geraes. Accordingly, after passing some time at the quartel, occupying himself in the BRAZIL. pursuits of the naturalist, he returned to Vareda, from whence he struck across a dry tract of country covered with catingas, to the arraial de Conquista, distant two days’ journey, the chief place in this part of the co- marca. It contains about forty low houses and a church, which was then building at the expense of some rich proprietors in the neighbourhood. Being in the road to Bahia, from the grazing districts, it is a great thoroughfare. More than a thousand head of cattle sometimes pass through in the course of a week. The inhabitants, however, are poor, and the state of society here is peculiarly bad. From this place, there are several routes to Bahia. The high road from Minas Novas and Minas Geraes, passes through Caytete (Villa Nova do Principe,) Rio das Contas, and Cachoeira. Another approaches nearer to the arraial de Conquista, and follows the course of the Rio Gaviam, which falls into the das Contas. The shortest, which is taken by the drovers of Conquista—passing over a dry and elevated part of the sertam, formerly in the possession of the Camacans, and now containing only a few scattered fazendas—crosses the valley of the Contas, where the river is not sixty paces in width, and afterwards that of the Jiquirica. This was the route pursued by Prince Maximilian; but his journey termi- nated with an unpleasant adventure. At the arraial of Laje, a mile beyond the latter river, he was arrested by a patrole of seventy armed men, under the suspicion of being an Englishman or an American, and, as such, an abettor of the Pernambucan revolution, and was escorted with every indignity to Nazareth, a considerable town situated on both banks of the Jaguaripe, and contain- ing about 8000 souls. Here he was detained while the capitam mor sent off to Bahia for further orders, on the receipt of which the prince was of course liberated, 02 26 BRAZIL. He proceeded to Bahia, from which port he embarked for Europe. It is not a little remarkable, that the subordinate officer at Valo, wis one of the two soldiers who had accompanied Mr. Mawe in his journey to Tejuco. From this man, Prince Maximilian obtained a good deal of information, which somewhat relieved the dreariness of his sojourn in this solitary place. The sertam of Bahia there borders on the elevated plains called the campos geraes, which are thus described. “ Immense plains entirely bare of forests, or rather hills with gentle acclivities which extend in chains, covered with tall and dry grass and scattered shrubs, present themselves as far as the eye can reach. These campos, which stretch to the Rio St. Francisco, to Pernambuco, Goyaz, and beyond, are intersected in different directions by valieys whence issue the rivers which, from this elevated plateau, descend to the sea. The most remarkable is the Rio St. Francisco: it has its source in the Serra da Canastra, which may be re- garded as the boundary between the provinces of Minas Geraes and Goyaz. In the valleys which cut this chain and these naked plateaus, the borders of the rivers and brooks are garnished with forests. Isolated woods are also found hidden in these hollows, espe- cially on approaching the frontiers of Minas Geraes. This kind of forests is one of the chief characteristics of these open regions. You imagine yourself some- times to have before you one continued plain, when all at once you find yourself on the border of a narrow valley with deep, precipitous sides; you hear the murmur of a rivulet beneath, and the eye falls upon the tops of a forest, the trees of which, embellished with flowers of various hues, adorn its banks. Here, in the cold season, the sky is constantly clouded, and BRAZIL. 227 the wind blows incessantly: in the dry season, the heat is suffocating, all herbage is dried up, the sun is scorching, and all drinkable water fails. This de- scription,” continues Prince Maximilian, © proves that the campos geraes of eastern Brazil, though destitute of forests, and generally level, differ notwithstanding from the steppes both of the old and the new world ; for the llanos or steppes to the north of the Oronoco, and the pampas of Buenos Ayres, do not resemble the campos geraes, and the steppes of the old world are still more dissimilar. These campos geraes are not perfectly level: their surface presents alternately eminences of gentle ascent and plateaus. Their aspect is mono- tonous and lifeless, especially in the dry season; never- theless, they are not so naked as the llanos and the pampas, and still less so than the steppes of the old world, for they are everywhere carpeted with grass, which often grows tolerably high, while little shrubs generally cover the declivities, and sometimes whole plateaus. Consequently, the rays of the sun do not here produce effects so violent as in the llanos : nor do we meet here with those dry, suffocating winds and whirlwinds of sand, which are so serious an an- noyance to the traveller in the anos of America, the deserts of Africa and Asia, and the steppes of Asia. “In coming from the Sea-coast, you begin by climb- ing this first stage of the mountains of the interior, which, in the region I traversed, is not very elevated, since no snow falls there, and ice and hail are rare phenomena ; moreover, a great part of the trees preserve their foliage all the year. But a little further westward, this is no longer the case on the more elevated sum- mits. Proceeding towards the highest part of the campos geraes, you arrive at the chain of mountains which stretches along their surface, but which cannot be compared with the cordillera of the Andes of Span- 1 7 = vr" 228 BRAZIL. ish America: they present neither peaks covered with perpetual snows, nor volcanoes. Those regions of South America which are destitute of wood, resemble each other only in respect of animated nature, and differ especially from the steppes of the old continent in the circumstance, that their various aboriginal inha- bitants were found by the first European discoverers in the lowest stage of civilization, subsisting entirely by hunting, while those of the old world were nomades (pastoral tribes, a condition of society which has never existed in America.’ * The new world! Yet, for upwards of fifty centuries was this vast continent locked up in mysterious secresy from civilized man. All the operations of nature were carried on, during that long period, beneath the sun and stars of tropical skies;—vast rivers were forming for themselves new channels, and conquering new land from the ocean—bays were being changed to lakes, and lakes to plains—forests were springing up and crumb- ling to decay, or falling a prey to the lightning, their ashes supplying the soil of future forests—and count- less generations of the free tenants of these magnificent wilds were coming into existence and passing away; and of all these transactions, our half of the globe was as unconscious as if they had taken place in a remote planet. And in that hemisphere, there was no poet to sing of them, no historian to record them, no philo- sopher to interpret them. The only human eye that they ever met, was the unsteady, unintelligent glance of the polar savage or the wild hunter of the central plains. And to that scattered fragment of the human race, all that was passing in what called itself the world, all that makes up the history of man, was utterly un- known. The Assyrian, the Persian, the Grecian, the * Prince Maximilian’s Travels, vol. iii. pp. 99—104, BRAZIL. 229 Roman empires, rose and fell without in the slightest degree affecting them. And this earth was made the theatre of the most stupendous transaction in the universe, without their ever hearing of the event—if, indeed America had, at that period, received its first inhabitants. Had this new world been known to exist, the simple fact being handed down by tradition or dis- covered by revelation, while its situation, and produc- tions, and inhabitants remained unknown, one can conceive with what intense curiosity the imagination would have dwelt upon the idea, and what various speculations would have been indulged respecting the moral condition of human beings in that world un- known. At length, the veil was lifted up, and dis- covered the other side of the earth, glowing in all the beauty of its first creation; but death was there, and the parent of death, and the hideous features of our degraded nature too evidently betrayed their affinity to the men of the old world. It might seem to be one reason that the knowledge of these regions was so long withheld, that the fall of man might be more strikingly exhibited there in contrast with the beauty of an earthly paradise. There, human nature is seen in her unsophisticated simplicity, uncorrupted by priesteraft and the artificial institutions of civilized society; and there, it has been established by indubitable testimony, man approaches nearest to the brute, or rather sinks below the brute, in feeding upon his fellow. The line of coast, proceeding northward, from the mouth of the Rio Real in latitude 11° 38’ south, to that of the great river St. Francisco in latitude 10° 58’ south, an extent of about 26 leagues, with an average width of about forty leagues, forms fi = P——— Ee —— BRAZIL. THE PROVINCE OF SEREGIPE D'EL REY. IT derives its name from the river Seregipe, by which itis intersected, and on which the capital St. Christovam, was first established.* Its conquest and colonization were commenced in 1590, in consequence of royal orders transmitted to the government of Bahia, at the request, it is said, of the colonists in the neighbourhood of the Rio Real, who were infested at once by the Indians and by French pirates, It was granted to Christovam de Barros, the deputy-governor of Bahia, as the reward of his services in reducing the natives, and was for a long time considered as a district of Ba- hia, but began to have ouvidors about the year 1696. At that time, an insurrection broke out, headed by a few powerful colonists, who for some time set the go- vernor-general at defiance, but were at length com- pelled to sue for pardon, and obtained it on condition of reducing the remaining Tupinambas, who still an- noyed the settlers. This they in part effected, and the work was completed by the Jesuits. Having no na- tural advantages for commerce, this province has always been far behind the adjoining captaincies. Along its whole line of coast, there are no capes, islands, or ports, except those within the rivers, the bars of which are generally more or less dangerous, and afford passage only to smacks. The surface of the province is ge- nerally flat, there being scarcely a hill or mountain of any cousiderable elevation. The largest is the Serra Itabaianna, between the Rio Real and the Vazabarris, which, though thirty miles from the coast, is visible at a great distance from the sea. On its summit is a luke * Southey’s Brazil, vol. i. p. 618. It received the name of St. Christovam in honour of Christovam de Barros, the first dona tory. This city was destroyed by the Dutch in 1637. BRAZIL, 231 which is never dry, and the mountain js believed to be rich in gold. Cazal divides the province into eastern and western. The former, in consequence of its exten- sive woods, is called Mattas : the latter, which includes the larger portion of territory, has acquired, from the sterility of its soil, the denomination of Agrestes: it is for the most part stony, bare, and very deficient in water. A few small aldeias on the river St. Francisco, its northern boundary, are the only cultivated spots. In the eastern part, four settlements only have been dignified with the name of towns,* besides Seregipe or St. Christovam, which, being the capital, ranks as a city. After two removals, it is now well situated on an elevation near the river Paramopama, an arm of the Vazabarris, eighteen miles from the sea. Sumacas ascend to it, and take in sugar and cotton. It contains two convents, Franciscan and Carmelite; two chapels of Our Lady—one for the mulattoes, and one for the blacks; a misericordia, a handsome town-house, and a large bridge; all built of stone: it has royal professors, and, what is more important, plenty of good water. But the most populous and the busiest settlement in the whole province, not excepting the capital, is the povoagao of Estancia, five leagues from the sea, on the river Piauhy, which falls into the Rio Real, by which sumacas ascend to it. None of the rivers are navigable for larger vessels, and the entrances of all are exceed- ingly dangerous. * These impediments in the way of ’y commerce,” remarks Mr. Southey, “ have retarded the * These are, St. Amaro, situated one mile north of the con- fluence of the Seregipe and the Cotindiba; St. Luzia, near the river Guararema, eight miles above its junction with the Rio Real ; Itabaianna, in the vicinity of the serra of that name ; and Villa Nova de St. Antonio, on the St. Francisco, twenty-five miles below Propiha or Urubu de Baixo, the chief place in the Agrestes, = a. ine Ee AT TR mage mgm. 232 BRAZIL. improvement of the people, and may in Some worse explain why their manners should be oe | octons than those of the Pernambucans or the Ba hae ) the latter end of the eighteenth century, in ry ; or 1x this captaincy, in less than two years, receiv in wo tion of more than two hundred murders; an ne pa time, twelve were committed in one Pi h thou of one week. The inhabitants of Seregipe x0 ! " shades of colour; and it has been observed bh, 0 classes, the mamalucoes are the longest lived. > of tn On the whole, this would appear to be one © a least attractive and valuable portions of this ist em pire, although it lies between two of the ios) Spout -aptaincies; Bahia on the south, and, on the > that on which we now enter— THE PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO. 3 1 aye » iver St. Tas province, which is separated by the ri $ , 3 i Bahia on the south, and Francisco from Seregipe and Bahia c ‘ ) . 1 3 Pa IQ * ng on Jarl a fr as Geraes, touches y arinhenha from Mina vy Se a and, on the north, on Paraiba, Goyaz on the west, and, , ’ lauhy. It is esteemed one of the most Seara, and Piauhy. s el oF he sost flourishing parts of Brazil, containing more por fm thor ife, its capital, is infer any other province; and Recife, its capital, . apo mn i 7 io and Bahia. in commercial importance only to Rio 2 wo : 3 0 arice as no —- This city, which, Mr. Southey remarks, 1a This city, wil 3 ryt . 1 . New World,” has aptly been called the Tripoli of the I ; as : irst i tance from th continued to be a place of the first importance : : 'r city has de- time of the Dutch conquest; and no Ghiioruity “ oer 3 r ve > > ro i such great and unequivocal benefit ah trad What is commonly called "OW f the cotton trade. é growth o 79: nderson’ azil * Southey’s Brazil, vol. iii. pp. 793, 4. Henderson’s Brazil, pp. 347—54. BRAZIL, 233 Pernambuco * comprehends the ¢ ity of Olinda, + founded by Duarte Coelho Pereir a, the first donatory, about 1535, and the town of Recife,} built by the Dutch under Maurice of Nassau, and by them called Maurice town (Mauritius.) This is a singular spot, situated on several sand-banks, divided by salt-water creeks and the mouths of two fresh-water rivers, connected by three bridges, and divided into as many parts;— Recife, pro- perly so called, where are the castles of defence, the dock-yard, and the warehouses of the traders; St. An- tonio, where are the government-house, and the two principal churches, one for the white, and one for the black Population; and Boa Vista, where the richer inhabitants live among their gardens, and where con- vents, churches, and the bishop’s palace, give an air of importance to the Very neat town around them. The appearance of the whole from the ses js thus described by Mr, Koster, who visited Pernambuco in 1809, and again in 1812, and to whom we are indebted for the chief part of our information with regard to this province, *“ The land is low, and consequently any considerable distance ; 1 distinguished the hij] not to be seen at ut, as we approached it, we upon which stands the city of Olinda, a little to the northward, and the southward, the Cape of St view discovered to us » Some leagues to - Agostinho. A nearer the town of St. Antonio do Re- cife, almost a-head, with the shipping in front of: it, the dreary land between it and Olinda, which is one league * A corruption of Paran designated the port. t O linda, oh! beautiful, from the exclamation which Duarte Coelho is said to have uttered on beholding it— situacam para se Jundar huma villg 1” for founding a town. I That is, the Reef. It is in lat. § west, abuco, by which the Cahete Indians “0 que linda Oh, how fine a situation 14” south; long. 35° 157 BRAZIL. distant, and cocoa groves northward, as far as the eye an reach: southward of the town are also seen great numbers of cocoa-trees, woods, and scattered cottages, The situation of Olinda is the highest in the neighbour- hood, and, though not very high, is still not despicable. Its appearance from the sea 1s most delightful : its white-washed churches and convents upon the tops and sides of the hill; its gardens and trees, interspersed amongst the houses, afford a prospect of great extent, and hold out expectations of great beauty. The sands, which extend one league to the southward of it, are relieved by two fortresses erected upon them, and by the ships in the lower harbour. Then follows the town of Recife, with the appearance of being built in the water, so low is the sand-bank upon which it has been raised. The shipping immediately in front, partly con- ceal it; and the bold reef of rocks on the outside of these, with the surf dashing violently against and over it, gives to them the appearance of being ashore; and as no outlet is seen, they seem to be hemmed in. The small tower or fort at the northern end of the reef, however, soon claims attention, and points out the en- trance. We approached the land rather to the south- ward of the town, and coasted, under very easy sail, at a short distance from the reef, waiting for a pilot. It was not yet noon; the sea was smooth, the sun was bright, and everything looked pleasant. The buildings are all white-washed; the sun shone upon them, and gave to them a glittering silvery appearance. “ Nothing this day created so much astonishment on board our ship, amongst those who had not been before upon this coast, as the Jungadas sailing about in all directions. These are simply rafts of six logs, of a peculiar species of light timber, lashed or pinned to- gether; a large latine sail; a paddle used as a rudder; a sliding keel let down between the two centre logs; BRAZIL. 235 a seat for the steersman; and a long forked pole, upon which is hung the vessel containing water, the provi- sions, &c. These rude floats have a most singular appearance at sea, no hull being apparent even when near them. They are usually managed by two men, and go closer to the wind than any description of vessel.” “The reef,” says Mrs. Graham, “is certainly one of the wonders of the world. It is scarcely sixteen feet broad at top; it slopes off more rapidly than the Ply- mouth break-water, to a great depth on the outside, and is perpendicular within to many fathoms. We approached the sandy beach between Recife and Olinda so nearly, that I thought we were going to land there; when, coming abreast of a tower on a rock where the sea was breaking violently, we turned short round, and found ourselves within a natural break-water, heard the surf dashing without, and saw the spray, but we ourselves were sailing along smoothly and calmly, as if in a mill-pond. The rock of which the reef is formed, is said to be coral; but it is so coated with barnacle and limpet, that I could see nothing but the remainder of these shells for many feet down, and as deep into the rock as our hammers would break. It extends from a good way to the northward of Paraiba to Olinda,* where it sinks under water, and then rises abruptly at Recife, and runs on to Cape St. Augustine, where it is interrupted by the bold granite head that shoots through it into the ocean: it then re-appears, and continues, interruptedly, towards the south. The breadth of the harbour here, between the reef and the * Mr. Koster says, that it continues along the whole coast be- tween Pernambuco and Maranham, in some parts running very near the shore, and remaining uncovered at low water. in other places receding from the land. There are numberless breaks through which the communication with the sea is laid open. a - " EEA ee err GE main-land, varies from a few fathoms to three quarters of a mile: the water is deep close to the rock, and there the vessels often moor, There is a bar at the entrance of the harbour, over which there is, in ordinary tides, sixteen feet of water, so that ships of considerable burden lie here. In 1816, the harbour was cleared and deepened, and particularly the bar. Here and there, a few inequalities at the top must formerly have annoyed the harbour in high tides or strong winds; but Count Maurice remedied this, by laying huge blocks of granite into the faulty places, and has thus rendered the top level and the harbour safe at all times,” The town of Recife, as it appeared to Mr. Koster in 1810, is described as follows :— “A narrow, long neck of sand stretches from the foot of the hill upon which Olinda is situated, to the southward. The southern extremity of this bank ex- pands, and forms the site of that part of the town particularly called Recife, as being immediately within the reef. There is another sand-bank, also of con- siderable extent, upon which has been built the second division, called St. Antonio, connected with that already mentioned by means of a bridge. The third division of the town, called Boa Vista, stands upon the main- land to the southward of the other two, and is joined to them also by a bridge. The recife, or reef of rocks, runs in front of these sand-banks, and receives upon it the principal force of the sea, which, at the flow of the tide, rolls over it, but is much checked by it, and strikes the quays and buildings of the town with di- minished strength. The greatest part of the extent of sand between Olinda and the town, which remains un- covered, is open to the sea, and the surf there is very violent, Buildings have only been raised within the protection of the reef. The tide enters between the bridges, and encircles the middle compartment, Op NS BRAZIL. 237 the land side, there is a considerable expanse of water, having much the appearance of a lake, which becomes narrower towards Olinda, and reaches to the very Streets of that place, thus facilitating the communica- tion between the two towns. The view from the houses that look on to these waters, Is very extensive and very beautiful: their opposite banks are covered with trees and white-washed cottages, varied by small open spaces and lofty cocoa-trees. “The first division of the town is composed of brick houses, of three, four, and even five stories in height. Most of the streets are narrow, and some of the older houses in the minor streets are of only one story in height, and many of them consist only of the ground floor. The streets of this part, with the exception of one, are paved. In the square are the custom-house, in one corner, a long, low, and shabby building ; the sugar-inspection, which bears the appearance of a dwelling-house ; a large church, not finished ; a coffee- house, in which the merchants assemble to transact their commercial affairs ; and dwelling-houses. There are two churches in use, one of which is built over the stone arch-way leading from the town to Olin- da, at which a lieutenant’s guard is stationed. The other church belongs to the priests of the Congrega- cam da Madre de Deos. Near to the gateway above mentioned, is a small fort, close to the water-side, which commands it. To the northward is the resi- dence of the port-admiral, with the government timber- yards, attached to it; these are small, and the work going on in them is very trifling. The cotton-market, warehouses, and presses, are also in this part of the town. “The bridge which leads to St. Antonio has an arch- way at either end, with a small chapel built upon each; and at the northern arch is stationed a sergeant’s guard etm, A em Sots Ee Sem rs —— EE ————— 38 BRAZIL. of six or eight men. The bridge is formed in part of Stone arches, and in part of wood: it is quite flat, and lined with small shops, which render it so narrow that two carriages cannot pass each other upon it. “St. Antonio, or the middle town, is composed chiefly of large houses and broad streets ; and if these buildings had about them any beauty, there would exist here a certain degree of grandeur ; but they are too lofty for their breadth, and the ground-floors are appropriated to shops, warehouses, stables, and other purposes of a like nature. The shops are without windows, and the only light they have is admitted from the door. There exists as yet very little distinction of trades: thus, all descriptions of manufactured goods are sold by the same person. Some of the minor streets consist of low and shabby houses. Here are the governor's palace, which was in other times the Jesuits’ convent ; the treasury ; the townhall and prison; the barracks, which are very bad; the Franciscan, Carmelite, and Penha convents, and several churches, the interiors of which are very handsomely ornamented, but very little plan has been preserved in the archi- tecture of the buildings themselves. It comprises se- veral squares, and has, to a certain degree, a gay and lively appearance. This is the principal division of the town. “The bridge which connects St. Antonio with Boa Vista is constructed entirely of wood, and has upon it no shops, but is likewise narrow. The principal street of Boa Vista, which was formerly a piece of ground overflowed at high-water, is broad and handsome: the rest of this third division consists chiefly of small houses, and as there is plenty of room here, it extends to some distance in a straggling manner. Neither the streets of this part of the town nor of St. Antonio are paved. A long embankment has likewise been made, BRAZIL. 239 which connects the sand-bank and town of St. An- tonio with the main-land at Affogados, to the south and west of Boa Vista. The river Capibaribe, so famous in Pernambucan history, discharges its waters into the channel between St. Antonio and Boa Vista, after having run for some distance in a course nearly east and west. “Some few of the windows of the houses are glazed, and have iron balconies; but the major part are without glass, and of these the balconies are enclosed with latticework; and no females are to be seen, excepting the negro slaves, which give a very sombre look to the streets. The Portuguese, the Brazilian, and even the mulatto women, in the middle ranks of life, do not move out of doors in the day-time. They hear mass at the churches before day-light, and do not again stir out, excepting in sedan-chairs, or in the evening on foot, when oc asionally a whole family sally forth to take a walk.” Olinda does not answer to the beauty of its first appearance, and Mr. Koster was much disappointed on entering it, although still, he says, the city has many beauties, and the view from it is magnificent. “ The streets are paved, but are much out of repair. Many of the houses are small, low, and neglected, and the gardens very little cultivated: indeed, the place has been deserted for the Recife. It is, however, the residence of the bishop, and the site of the ecclesias- tical court, the seminary, (a public college, established by the Jesuits, intended principally to prepare students for the church,) several convents, and five churches; therefore, it is by no means desolate, though its general aspect betrays a degree of neglect.” This was in 1810. Mrs. Graham found the city “in a melancholy state of ruin. All the richer inhabitants,” she says, “ have long settled in the lower town. The revenues of the TH EIEN ee Wo —— nA MA A —p 240 BRAZIL. bishopric being now claimed by the Crown, and the monasteries suppressed for the most part, even the factitious splendour caused by the ecclesiastical courts and inhabitants is no more. The very college where the youths received some sort of education, is nearly ruined, and there is scarcely a house of any size stand- ing. Olindais placed on a few small hills, whose sides are in some directions broken down so as to present the most abrupt and picturesque rock-scenery. These are embosomed in dark woods that seem coeval with the land itself. Tufts of slender palms, here and there the broad head of an ancient mango, or the gigantic arms of the wide-spreading silk-cotton tree rise from out the rest in the near ground, and break the line of forest. Amidst these, the convents, the cathedrals, the bishop's palace, and the churches, of noble, though not elegant architecture, are placed in stations which a Claude or a Poussin might have chosen for them. Some stand on the steep sides of rocks, some on lawns that slope gently to the sea-shore: their colour is grey or pale-yellow, with reddish tiles, except here and there, where a dome is adorned with porcelain tiles of white and blue.” * “It is said,” adds Mrs. Graham, * that the morals of the clergy here are most depraved: this is probably true. The very names of literature and science are here almost unknown.” There was not one bookseller in Pernambuco at this period, and the attempt to set up even a newspaper had failed. But several papers are now published in Recife. ‘ The friars,” says Mr. Koster, “ are not numerous, though far too much so. * Olinda, when burnt by the Dutch in 1631, is said to have contained 2500 houses, and about 25,000 inhabitants. It was made an episcopal city in 1676, but has continued to decline as Recife has risen in prosperity, so that in 1810 the population had sunk to 4000, and is now still less. BRAZIL, 241 These useless beings amount to about 150 at Olinda, Recife, Iguaragu, and Paraiba. But there are no nuns in the province, though, of the establishments called recolhimentos or retreats, three exist. The number of churches, chapels, and niches in the streets for saints, IS quite preposterous. To these are attached a multi- tude of religious lay-brotherhoods, of which the mem- bers are merchants and other persons in trade, and Some are composed of mulatto and free black people. Some of these continually beg for a supply of wax and other articles to be consumed in honour of their patron. Almost every day in the year, passengers are impor- tuned in the streets, and the inhabitants in their houses, by some of these people, and among others by the lazy Franciscan friars.” In Recife, the Fathers of the Oratory, the Franciscans, and the Carmelites have each a convent; the bearded Italian Capuchins, and the Almoners of the Holy Land, each an hospice: there is also a recolhimento. The Jesuits’ college is now the palace of the governor. Olinda contains four con- vents, Franciscan, Jenedictine, Carmelite, and barefoot Carmelite; a recolhimento, and a misericordia; also a botanic garden, “ one of the institutions which have arisen from the removal of the court to South Ame- rica, intended as a nursery for exotic plants.”* Yet, with all these public institutions, neither the Portu- guese nor the Dutch governors have provided the town with an aqueduct, water being still brought from the rivers by canoes, and sold; nor did Recife afford either inn or lodging-house, till, in 1815, an Irishman and his wife opened a house answering both these purposes.+ * The bread-fruit, the oriental pepper, and the large sugar- cane from Otaheite, were raised in this garden, and distributed to any persons who were willing and able to cultivate them. t Koster, vol. i. p. 7. PART 111. P ee at trey Hl 1 42 BRAZIL. The three compartments of the town contained, in 1810, above 25,000 inhabitants, * and was increasing rapidly; new houses were building wherever space could be found. Olinda contained about 4000 inha- bitants, making, according to Mr. Koster’s estimate, a total of about 30,000. But, “according to the last census,” says Mrs, Graham, who visited Pernambuco in 1821, ¢ the population (including Olinda) was 70,000, of which not above a third are whites the rest are mulattoes or negroes. The mulattoes are, gene- rally speaking, more active, more industrious, and more lively than either of the other classes. They have amassed great fortunes, in many instances, and are far from backward in promoting the cause of indepen- dence in Brazil. Few even of the free negroes have become very rich. A free negro, when his shop or garden has repaid his care, by clothing him and his wife each in a handsome black dress, with necklace and armlets for the lady, and knee and shoe buckles of gold, to set off his own silk stockings, seldom toils much more, but is quite contented with daily food. Many, of all colours, when they can afford to purchase a negro, sit down exempt from further care: they make the negroes work for them, or beg for them, and, s0 as they may eat their bread in quiet, care little how it is obtained.” The Portuguese inhabitants, Mrs. Graham states, were extremely anxious to avoid intermarriage with the Brazilians. They preferred giving their daugh- ters and fortunes to the meanest clerk of European * In 1810, Recife contained 1229 families, St. Antonio 2729, and Boa Vista 1433, which, on the usual estimate of five to a family, would make the population amount to 27,000 : but Mr. Southey thinks, that even ten might be allowed to a family, the estimate of Cazal, which would give double that number—an estimate obviously excessive. BRAZIL. 243 RA birth, rather than to the richest and Most meritorious Brazilian,” [¢ is not to be wondered at, therefore, that the Pernambucans were peculiarly Impatient of the Portuguese yoke. The Jealousy between the two parties, at the period of Mrs. Graham’s visit, had risen to the height of open political animosity, The militia and other native forces had revolted and taken posses- sion of the Villa of Goiana, from whence they had pro- ceeded to attack Pernambuco itself, but were repulsed by the royal troops with some loss. At length, an armistice was concluded, the terms of which were, that the deputies of the patriots” should sit in the council, and take an equal share in the administration, leaving the governor, Luis do Rego, at the head of the military department til] the arrival of the next despatches from Lisbon. Mys, Graham left Pernambuco jn the middle of October, 1821. Before a month had elapsed, the Cortes of Lisbon had recalled Luis do Rego and all the European troops, had repented of that recall, Countermanded it, and sept reinforcements, By the time they arrived, the captain-general had embarked, and the patriotic Junta forbade the troops to land, sending the ships to Rio, Mrs. Graham admits, that there were many causes of particular grievance in this province.* The appropriation of so much of the church revenue by the Court of Lisbon had, in particular, tended to make patriots of the clergy. Commercial Jealousies have no doubt powerfully contributed also to alienate the Pernambucans, as well from the govern- ment of Rio as from the mother country; and jt would Seem as if the Dutch had left behind them some seeds of republicanism that are not yet extinct, * Among other oppressive and vexatious imposts, Mr, Koster states, thata tax was levied at Pernambuco for lighting the streets of Rio de Janeiro, while those of Recife remained iota darkness | AI ry EET EIT 244 BRAZIL. The Inquisition has never been established in Brazil. In Pernambuco, however, Mr. Koster states, several priests presided, who were employed as is familias; and instances have been known of persons being sent off under confinement to Lisbon, on charges cognizable by that infamous tribunal. But the ninth article of the treaty of friendship and alliance between the Crowns of England and Portugal, signed at Rio in February 1810, stipulates, that the power of the Inquisition shall not be recognised in Brazil. ‘ The sight of all others the most offensive to an Englishman,” says this traveller, “is that of the criminals who perform the menial offices of the palace, the barracks, the prisons, and other public buildings. They are chained in couples, and each couple is followed by a soldier armed with a bayonet. They are allowed to stop at the shops, to obtain any trifle they may wish to purchase; and it is disgusting to see with what unconcern the fellows bear this most disgraceful situation.” The prisons were in a very bad state, and there was one part of the civil administration of the province, which called loudly for redress. There is a small island off the coast of Rio Grande do Norte, about three leagues in length, called Fernando de No- ronha,* to which are transported, for a term of years or for life, a great number of male criminals. “ Ne females are permitted to visit the island. The garrison, consisting of about 120 men, is relieved yearly. Itis a very difficult matter to obtain a priest to Serve for a twelvemonth, as chaplain in the island. When the bishop is applied to by the governor, for a person of this calling, he sends some of his ecclesiastical officers in search of one; the persons of the profession, who are liable to be sent, conceal themselves, and the matter * Mr. Henderson says, about 250 miles east-north-east of Cape St. BBque. A detachment is maintained here professedly to im- pede a contraband trade, BRAZIL, 45 usually concludes by a young priest being literally pressed into the service, The vessel employed betw een Recife and the island, visits it twice during the same period, and carries provisions, clothing, and other artj- ticles, to the miserable beings who are compelled to remain there, and for the troops. I have conversed with persons who have resided upon it, and the ac- counts I have heard of the enormities committed there, are most horrible: crimes punished capitally or severely in civilized states, or which at least are held in general abhorrence, are here practised, talked of, publicly ac- knowledged, without shame, and without remorse. Strange it is, that the dreadful state of this place should have so long escaped the notice of the supreme govern- ment of Brazil. But the evil ends not here: the indi- viduals who return to Pernambuco, cannot shake off the remembrance of crimes which have become familiar to them. The powers, likewise, conceded to the com- mandant, whose wil] is absolute, have oftentimes proved too great for due performance; punishment seldom follows. The most Wanton tyranny may be practised almost without fear of retribution. The climate of the island is good, and the small portion of jt admitting of cultivation, I have understood, from competent autho- rity, to be of extraordinary fertility. Tt does not, how- ever, afford any shelter for shipping.” There existed at this period no regular police in Re- cife: a military patrole paraded the streets during the night, at stated periods, but this was not of much ser- vice. There yet remains to be noticed, another abomj- nation, not peculiar indeed to Pernambuco, but power- fully contributing, with other causes, to debase the minds and corrupt the morals of the inhabitants. “ We had hardly gone fifty paces into Recife,” says Mrs. Graham, ‘ when we were absolutely sickened by the first sight of a slave-market. It was thinly stocked, owing to the y O P % Sh ARTIS. ON sim. a 246 BRAZIL. circumstances of the town, which caused most of the owners of new slaves to keep them closely shut up in the depit. Yet, about fifty young creatures, boys and girls, with all the appearance of disease and famine consequent upon scanty food and long confinement in unwholesome places, were sitting and lying about among the filthiest animals in the streets. In one de- pot, 1 saw an infant of about two years old for sale. Provisions were now so scarce, that no bit of animal food ever seasoned the paste of mandioc flour which is the sustenance of slaves; and even of this, these poor children, by their projecting bones and hollow cheeks, showed that they seldom got a sufficiency. Money also was so scarce, that a purchaser was not easily found; and one pang more was added to slavery—the unavail- ing wish of finding a master.” On returning from a ride to Olinda, along the sand-bank which extends be- tween that city and Recife, Mrs. Graham was startled at finding herself in the midst of a cemetery. ‘ The dogs had already begun their work of abomination. I saw one,” she says, ‘ drag the arm of a negro from be- neath the few inches of sand which his master had caused to be thrown over his remains. It is on this beach that the measure of the insults dealt to the poor negroes is filled. When the negro dies, his fellow- slaves lay him on a plank, and carry him to the beach, where, beneath high water-mark, they hoe a little sand over him. But, to the new negro, even this mark of humanity is denied. He is tied to a pole, carried out in the evening, and dropped upon the beach, where it is just possible that the surf may bear him away.” ¥ Mr. Henderson was informed, that the white people were at one time also interred here. The English have now a burying-ground at St. Amaro, not far from Boavista. * Graham's Journal, pp. 105,107, 111 The environs of Pernambuco are well-wooded, and have a fertile appearance, although the soil, Mr. Hender- 80n says, is in a miserable state of cultivation. A large proportion of the surrounding country isin a wild state, Here and there are seen small patches of mandioe, with groves of cocoa-palm and other fruit-trees; but the general aspect demonstrates the absence of industry, and this in the immediate neighbourhood of a city con- taining a population of 70,000 souls, and with nearly a hundred vessels of different classes usually lying in its port! The roads leading into the interior, are very good for a few miles, though sandy, but soon begin to con- tract into narrow bridle-ways. The rides from Recife to Ponta de Cho, a village seated on the margin of the Capibaribe, are very delightful. Various roads branch from Boavista, which meet in one about half way to that village; abont every hundred yards occur elegant white houses enclosed in lofty walls, and many of the front entrances, consisting of a handsome portico, ex- ceed, Hr. Henderson says, anything in this style in the vicinity of Rio. The roads are partly bordered with lime hedges and fences formed of branches of the cocoa, high-waving groupes of which heighten the beauty of the landscape. At Ponta de Cho, the river opens, and the road runs for a short distance along its margin, on which stands a residence of the governor; it then leaves the river, and passes the village of Casa Forte, (cele- brated for having beer one of the scenes of contest be- tween the Dutch and the Portuguese,) to Poco de Pa- nela, two miles further—a village pleasantly situated on the left bank of the river, where several English merchants have their residence.* Many neat houses occur all along this road. Mr. Koster found this pic- * The English establishments amounted, in 1820, to sixteen, and through their medium, the whole province was supplied with every species of English manufacture. 248 BRAZIL. -~ turesque little place quite full, not a hut untenanted ; and, “ as occurs at watering-places in England, fami- lies whose dwellings in town are spacious and hand- some, regardless of inconvenience, come to reside here during the summer in very small cottages. Here the ceremonious manners of the town are thrown aside, and exchanged for an equal degree of freedom.” At many of the Portuguese houses, he found the card-tables oc- cupied at nine o’clock in the morning: when one per=- son rose, another took his place; and thus, they were scarcely deserted except during the heat of the day. The river Capibaribe, which has its origin in the district of Cayriris Velhos, about fifty leagues from the sea, discharges itself by two mouths, one within the Recife, the other at the arraial of Affogados, four niles to the south. It is navigable as far as Apepucos, half a league beyond the village of Monteiros and Pogo de Panela. Its stream at Ponta de Cho, is rather narrower than the Thames at Richmond. In the hot weather of the Christmas holidays, its picturesque winding course is enlivened by innumerable canoes, bearing the Pernam- bucan gentry to their summer retreats, and presents altogether a delightful prospect. At Caxanga, another village near its banks, there is a chalybeate spring. The source of the Capibaribe is stated to be brackish, and the inhabitants of Recife drink the water chiefly of the Biberibe, collected into a reservoir at Olinda. The province of Pernambuco is divided by the river Pajehu, a tributary of the St. Francisco, into two parts. “The eastern canton, or owvidoria, is subdivided into three comarcas-——northern, central, and sonthern—the respective head towns of which are Olinda, Recife, and Alagoas. Few of the other towns are of any consideration. Alagoas (properly Magdalena,) so called from its being on the borders of the lake Manguaba, is a place of some cominerce, and contains a church, three chapels, two BRAZIL. 249 convents, Franciscan and Carmelite, and two orders of devout women. The towns of Maceyo, Porto de Pe- dras, and Penedo, in this comar ‘a, were created such by an edict as recent as December, 1815. The comarca of Recife contains only three small towns besides the capital. Olinda comprises four, among which are the somewhat considerable towns of Goiana and Igua- rassu. The latter, distant from Recife seven leagues to the northward, and two from the sea, is one of the most ancient towns of the province. It is thus described by Mr. Koster :— “ Iguarassu is partly situated upon a hill, and partly in the plain below, where a rivulet runs, and a stone bridge has been built, as the tide reaches this spot, and would render the communication difficult. The place plainly denotes that it has enjoyed greater pros- perity than it at present has to boast of: many of the houses are of two stories, but they are neglected, and some of the small cottages are in decay and ruin. The streets are paved, but are much out of repair, and grass grows in many of them. It contains several churches, one convent, and a recolhimento, or retreat for females, a town-hall, and a prison. Its affluence proceeded formerly from the weekly cattle-fair, which was held upon a plain in the vicinity; but this has now for Some years past been removed to the neighbourhood of Goiana. “ Iguarassu has many white inhabitants, several shops, a good surgeon, who was educated in Lisbon, and it is the resort of the plantations, to the distance of several leagues, for the embarkation of their sugar- chests, and for the purchase of some articles of neces- sity. The town contains about eight hundred inhabi- tants, reckoning the scattered cottages in the out- skirts. The only regular inn of which the country has 250 BRAZIL, to boast, jis established here, for the convenience of passengers between Recife and Goiana,” * The high road to the Sertam leads from Iguarassu, along a flat, sandy tract to Goiana, distant fifteen leagues from Recife,+ and four from the sea. "This town, one of the largest and most flourishing in the captaincy, is situated on the banks of a river of the Same name, which here bends so considerably as a]- most to surround the town. The strests are broad, but unpaved; the houses, with a few exceptions, of only one story. It contains a church, several hermi- tages, a Carmelite convent, and a misericordia, and has a population of about 0000. Several shops are esta- blished here, and the commerce with the interior is considerable. In the vicinity are many fine sugar plantations, and Some of the best lands in the province. A great quantity of cotton also js exported, and there is alarge cattle-fajy on Thursdays. The district of the town is supposed to contain upwards of 20,000 inha- bitants, with some twenty hermitages or chapels. The planters have the advantage of Water-carriage to Recife, as the river is ope of the largest for many leagues either to the north or the south, and js influenced by * Koster, vol. i. P- 68. The lower part of this town is the site of a siege which, in its infancy, this settlement sustained against the savages. See Southey’s History, vol. i. p. 55. + Mr. Henderson makes it sixty miles north-west of Olinda, which must be an error. Mr. Koster reached it by one day’s Journey. Two leagues beyond Iguarassu, is the village of Pas. mado, containing between 3 and 400 inhabitants; and beyond the river Araripe, Mr. Koster vode through the hamlets of Bg and Fontainhas. I Mr. Henderson describes it as situated on low ground be- tween the river Capibari-mirim, which washes it on the north, and the Tracunhaen, or Goiana, on the south, a little more than a league above their confluence, BRAZIL. the tide even to 1 short distance abgye the town. Higher up, the river overflows its banks in the rainy Season to a great extent. * About fifteen leagues from Recife is Limoeiro, a large and thriving town with a weekly market, containing, in 18]2. about 600 inhabj- tants, and increasing daily. It stands on the right bank of the Capibaribe, A bout thirty miles below, on the same river, is Pau do Alho; and, sti]i nearer to the capital, Nazareth, or Lagoa d’Anta; hoth places of considerable trade, with a weekly market, + These market days,” Mr. K oster says, “ seldom pass without some murders being committed, or at Jeast many wounds and blows being given; but the markets of Nazareth or Lagoa d’ Anta are those which are par- ticularly famed for the disturbances that usually take Place there. These became so considerable at ope time, that the governor found it necessary to issue orders for a patrole to keep the sPeace on market days.” Eight leagues to the northward of Recife is the island of Itamaraca, one of the oldest settlements in Brazil, and formerly a distinct captaincy.? It was taken by the Dutch in 1633, who built here the fort which they called Fort Orange; and ip 1637, they deliberated whether or not the seat of government should be re- moved to the island.§ The plan was overruled, but * Koster, vol. i. P. 72. Southey, vol. iit. p. 772. Henderson, p. 370. t Limoeiro ang Pau d’Alho were erected into townships in 1812, at the same time as the villages of St. Antonio on Cape St. Augustine, and St. Antam—a sure sign of the increase of popula- tion. Mr, Henderson makes Limoeiro thirty miles above Pau @’Alho, but Mr, Koster, in his map, places the latter to the north-east of Limoeiro, at a distance from the Capibaribe, and Nazareth in the situation of Pau @’Alho. I See vol. i. p. 16. § Southey’s Bragii. vol. i. pp. 476, 489, 540. 252 BRAZIL. Mr. Koster thinks that the island possesses many ad- vantages of which Recife cannot boast. The port of Itamaraca may not admit of vessels of so much burthen as the Pogo harbour of Recife, but the former is much more safe even than the Mosquiero port. If Brazil were to be at war with any naval power, Recife might be destroyed with ease; whereas, if a town had been erected upon the main-land opposite to the island, or upon the inside of the island, it could not be molested by shipping, for it would be necessary that a vessel should enter the channel, before she could bring her guns to bear. Besides this advantage, Itamaraca and the neighbouring shores enjoy those of wood and water in abundance, in the latter of which Recife is particu- larly deficient. In 1645, Joam Fernandes Vieira, the principal hero of the Pernambucan war, attacked the island, but did not succeed in dislodging the Dutch. The Portuguese again attempted to regain possession of it in 1646. They crossed over at Os Marcos, the shallowest part of the channel; they did not gain their point entirely, but the Dutch abandoned all their other posts to retire into the fort, which was not surrendered to the Portuguese until the expulsion of the Dutch in 1654. « The island of Itamaraca, which is in length about three leagues, and in breadth about two, is situated at the distance of eight leagues to the northward of Recife, and is entirely separated from the main-land by a channel of unequal width, varying from one league to half a mile. The island does not contain any stream of water, but, in the neighbourhood of the town, water gushes from the hill wherever it is dug for. That which is obtained from the springs in the neighbourhood of Pillar, is not, however, good. Itamaraca is, perhaps, the most populous part of the province of Pernambuco, taken as a whole, the immediate vicinity of Recife ex- BRAZIL. 253 cepted. It contains three sugar-mills, which are well stocked with negroes: and many free persons likewise reside upon the lands belonging to them.* Besides the lands attached to these works, there are other con- siderable tracts, which are subdivided among a great number of persons of small property. The shores of the island are planted with cocoa-trees, among which are thickly scattered the straw cottages of fishermen; and oftentimes are to be seen respectable white-washed dwellings, which are possessed bv persons whose way of life is frugal, and vet easy. The salt-works upon the island are likewise one great source of its wealth; these are formed upon the sands which are overflowed by the tide at high water. “The long village of Pillar, situated upon the eastern side of the island, is, at the present day, the principal settlement, although the town of Conception, upon the south-east side, claims seniority. But its better times are gone by; its situation being considered as inconvenient, others are preferred; and if the parish church did not stand here, the place would shortly be deserted. It has now a desolate, neglected appearance. Its site is the summit of the south-east point of a high hill which rises almost immediately from the water's edge. The harbour is good, and the entrance is com- manded by an old fort, which is much out of repair; the garrison is scanty, and without discipline. The entrance to the port is formed by an opening in the reef of rocks which runs along the whole of this part of the coast.” In some parts of the island, “ the pest of Pernam- buco,” and indeed of Brazil, the large red ant, has * In the year 1630, the island contained three-and-twenty sugar-works. In the time of the Dutch, it produced the best grapes in Brazil, but the vine is now neglected in the island. PART 111. Q RE . rE rn pram ——— Po qh ——— RR RRA HER Re 254 BRAZIL. fairly driven the planters out of their possessions. $6 Many individuals of the lower classes, first obtain- ing leave from the proprietor, have attempted to rear crops of mandioc and maize upon them; but their exertions have seldom enabled them to prevent the plantations from being destroyed. ‘Huts are to be seen, out of which the inhabitants have been driven by these tormentors: the shelter which the roofs afford, 1s con- venient to the ants, and under them they like to form the chief entrances to their cities. The hillocks under which thev had formed their nests, were innumerable. Some of these were four feet in height, and ten or twelve in circumference. others were of less dimen- sions, and some of them might be larger. « Regarding Itamaraca, there exists the following adage, « What is it that persecutes thee, island? The being an island, the ants, and the Guedes.”* In other words, the inconvenience occasioned by being obliged to cross the channel from the main-land; the ants, which sufficiently explain for themselves; and Guedas : these were a family of unquiet spirits who re- sided in the island, and kept it in perpetual turbulence from their quarrels. The remains still exist; but now thev are good and peaceable subjects. BF’ No province has so great a number of ports as Per- pambuco, but the generality of them are capable of admitting only small craft. The principal one besides Recife and Catuama (the northern entrance to the channel of Itamaraca,) is that of Tamandare, ten leagues south-west of Cape St. Augustine, which Mr. Henderson states to be the best of the whole, being “ in the form of a bay, within a river so called. It is securely defended by a large fort, and is capable of re- * Que te persegue, Ilha? Ilha, formiga, Guedes. + Koster, vol. ii. pp. 3-6, 9, 24. BRAZIL. 255 ceiving a fieet, being four and five fathoms deep at the entrance, and six within.”* The same writer mentions a beautiful bay calied Cururippe, sheltered by a reef and capable of receiving large ships: there are two entrances, but the anchorage is indifferent. The Cu- rurippe discharges itself into the sea twenty-eight miles north-east of the St. Francisco. Cape St. Augustine is the only promontory on this part of the coast, and is the most eastern land of South America: it is in lati- tude 8° 26” south. It has two forts, each of which defends a small port, where vessels of an inferior class can anchor. The western part of the province is much more ex- tensive than the maritime district, but is very thinly inhabited, being for the most part dry and sterile, without any other rain than falls in thunder showers; and from the town of Penedo to the bar of Rio Grande, which travellers, by the windings of the river, compute at 500 miles, there does not flow towards the St. Fran- cisco a single stream in the dry season.t The surface is very unequal, in parts mountainous. The serra of Jorborema is described as the most majestic in Brazil. [t commences near the sea, in the province of Rio Grande do Norte, and traverses that of Paraiba from north-east to south-west; it then turns to the west, separating that province from Pernambuco, and from Seara; and, lastly, inclines to the northward, dividing Pernambuco from Piauhy, varying frequently its alti- tude and name. In some parts, itis rocky and barren, * Yet, in the list of rivers, the Tamandare is not named, nor does Mr. Koster mention either a river or a port of that name. The mouth of the Ipojuca is perhaps meant. t So few are the rivers which the St. Francisco receives from the arid serfoens of Bahia and Pernambuco, that the river, as Mr. Southey suggests, probably loses more water by evaporation there, than is supplied by all the confluents in that part of its course. me —— GT 256 BRAZIL. but the principal part is covered with beautiful forests. The whole of this immense territory was included, up to 1810, in the jurisdiction of the ouvidor of Jacobina: it is now called the ouvidoria of the sertam of Pernam- buco. It contains only six towns, several of which date their creation no further back than 1810. The largest of these is situated at the confluence of the Rio Grande with the St. Francisco, and is called Barra do Rio Grande. It contains no fewer than 1036 families and one church. The passage of the St. Francisco, at this point, where it is a mile wide, is much frequented, being in the line from Piauhy and the whole interme- diate sertam to Bahia and Minas. The magnificent river last mentioned, to which reference has so re- peatedly been made, is the largest that enters the sea between the Amazons and the Plata.* After receiving the Carinhenha, on the borders of the comarca of Paracatu, it is joined by only five streams of any im- portance. These are the Rans, the Parimirim, and the Verde on the right, the Correntes and Rio Grande, both originating in the serra of Paranan, on the left. Below the confluence of the latter river, it bends towards the east, and then to the east-south-east, to the aldeia of Vargem Redonda, where the navigation terminates from above. Its margins have hitherto been flat, and in some parts sO low, that at the season of floods they are inundated for more than seven miles. But now, the lateral lands begin to rise, the channel becomes narrower, and the current is rapidly impelled between rocks, with many falls, to the small aldeia of Caninde, seventy miles below Vargem, and the boun- dary of the navigation from the ocean.t The most * See p. 105 of this volume. + All produce descending the river below the falls, is disem- barked at Vargem Redonda, and transmitted by means of oxen to Caninde. BRAZIL. 257 interesting of these falls, is that of Paulo Affonso, the spray of which Cazal affirms to be visible from the mountains six leagues distant. Beyond Caninde, the river continues for ten miles to run between stony banks a hundred fathoms in height, its channel not exceeding a sling’s throw in width, to the mouth of the Jacare, where its elevated and rugged banks ter- minate. * Its bed in this part is overspread with cleft reefs, appearing like the relics of a majestic sluice or dock.” Three leagues below, near the small island of Ferro, the margins begin to diminish in elevation, and the river to augment in width, presenting sandy shoals or islets, the resort of herons and other water-fowl. At Penedo, 100 miles below Caninde, the small range of hills that skirts the left bank of the river, termi- nates; and two miles below Villa Nova, the right bank also becomes flat. The river here begins to divide its course, forming a great number of low, wooded islands, which are covered by the inundations. This vast river, which is so deep in the interior, at length disembogues by two shallow mouths: the principal one, which is the more northerly, though nearly two miles in width, has not even depth enough to allow of the entrance of sumacas, except at high-water. * A hundred miles below the confluence of the Rio Grande, and about 350 from the mouth of the St. Fran- cisco, stands the town of Pilad Arcado, the second place in importance in the sertam. It contains a church, re- cently built, and about 300 families; their houses are of earth and wood. The population of the district is stated by Mr. Henderson at 5000 souls. Maize, mandioc, and melons are cultivated on the margins of the river, where the soil is doubtless an alluvial deposite, as the land all around is wild and sterile, fit only for the breeding of In fact, it is navigated by larger boats in the upper, than in the lower country. — SR REE onrQ 2 Y § 258 BRAZIL. ] BRAZIL. 259 a" : are subjec « rible ality Yu oy Lorn cattle, who are subject to the horrible mortality pro tury, Mr. Southey states, there were no other in- oy men ph eC i . AE Soo An 5 Ar - am ————————— ——— duced by frequent droughts.” The chief article of trade is the salt obtained from the neighbourhood of the town. « There are a great many small lakes at various dis- tances from the river, all more or less brackish, upon the margins of which the salt formed by the ardent heat of the sun appears like hoar-frost. The water of these lakes, and even soft water, filtered through a con- tiguous earth in wooden vessels, or leather finely per- forated and exposed on boards to the heat of the weather, in eight days crystallizes, yielding a salt as white as marine salt.”* Although upon appropriated land, these salt lakes, like the auriferous soils, are considered as common property, of which any persons may avail themselves. O Penedo (the rock,) the port of the St. Francisco, is seven leagues from its mouth. It contained, in 1806, about 300 families, chiefly European Portuguese, and, after having for a century and a half continued poor and unprogressive, had at that time become a busy and flourishing place. Instead of its old wooden hovels, substantial and handsome stone houses were erected; and, besides the mother church, there were five hermit- ages, and a Franciscan convent. Mr. Henderson states the population of its district at 11,500. The river here is a mile in width. It rises only three feet at spring tides ; but the town is exposed to injury when the freshes come down; and one tremendous flood is remembered, when the water rose twenty feet. In the time of the Dutch, cultivation was found only in patches along the whole coast from Recife to the Potengi, and extended inland seldom more than from twelve to fifteen miles, never more than one or two-and- twenty. Even up to the close of the eighteenth cen- « Henderson p 379. i habitants upon the banks of the Francisco, in the upper and middle parts of its long course, than a few fisher- men, who subsisted upon what they could catch, and carried on a little trade in salt; and scattered vaga- bonds, rather more numerous, who, having fled from the private vengeance whicn they deserved, or the public justice which they had provoked too long, re- sorted to these serfoens, and supported themselves by stealing cattle from the fazendas.” Dut now, towns and villages are rapidly rising in the maritime district, and inhabitants are everywhere thinly scattered over the interior. These sertanejos (as the inhabitants of the sertam are called) would doubtless have relapsed into utter barbarism, but for the civilizing influence of commerce, extending rapidly to all parts from the coast. “ Owing to this influence, decencies and even comforts are found upon the cattle-estates in this part of Brazil, which would be looked for in vain among the wretches of Paraguay and the Plata. The great agents of 1m- provement among these people are the pedlars, who travel about with the calico of the country, ecarthen- ware, small kegs of rum, Irish butter, tobacco and snuff, sugar-cakes (rapaduras,) spurs, bits, and other gear for horses, (saddles excepted which the sertanejos mak I , anejos make for themselves) and even trinkets of gold and silver. . They seldom receive payment in cash, but take hides, cheese, and cattle of all kinds, which they convey to the coast, or to some convenient market, and exchange for goods, thus carrying on their trade almost without money.” * Mr. Koster was informed of one class of itinerants of a rather extraordinary description, who travel with spiritual wares. “ Certain priests obtain a license from the bishop (of Pernambuco,) and travel through these regions with a * Southey, vol. iii. p. 773, 775 260 BRAZIL. ¥ BRAZIL. 261 small altar, constructed for the purpose, of a size to be placed upon one side of a pack-saddle; and they have with them all the apparatus for saying mass. Thus, with a horse conveying the necessary paraphernalia, and a boy to drive it, who likewise assists in saying mass, and another horse on which the priest himself rides, and carries his own small portmanteau, these men make, in the course of the year, between 1507. and 2007. —a large income in Brazil, but hardly earned, if the shirt and drawers. Abroad, he wears half-pataloons or leggings, of tanned, but undressed leather, tied tight round the waist; a tanned goat-skin over the breast, fastened behind by strings; a leathern jacket, generally thrown over one shoulder; a leathern hat, very shallow in the crown and with a narrow brim; slip-shod slippers of the same rusty-coloured leather, and iron spurs fastened upon his naked heels. A sword and knife are his constant weapons, and frequently he carries a large inconveniencies and privations which they must undergo pistol. Upon a journey, he usually takes a hammock to obtain it, are taken into consideration. They stop and erect the altar wherever a sufficient number of per- sons who are willing to pay for the mass, is collected. This will sometimes be said for three or four shillings; RR Pp —— and a change of linen, with, perhaps, a pair of nankeen TERT ame i pautaloons, rolled up in a piece of red baize, and fastened to the saddle. In his saddle-bags, he carries his farinha and dried meat, a flint and steel, tobacco ri 2 ATRIA IS TREY sn AAR a — but, at other times, if a rich man takes a fancy to a priest, or has a fit of extreme devotion upon him, he will give eight or ten mil-reis (two or three pounds ;) and it does happen, that one hundred mal-reis are re- received for saying a mass, but this is very rare;—at times an ox or a horse, or two or three, are given. These men have their use in the world: if this custom did not exist, all form of worship would be completely out of the reach of the inhabitants of many districts; or, at any rate, they would not be able to attend more than once or twice in the course of a year; for it must be remembered, that there is no church within twenty or thirty leagues of some parts. Besides, where there is no law, nor real, rational religion, anything is better than nothing. They christen and marry, and thus pre- serve these necessary forms of religion, and prevent a total forgetfulness of the established rules of civilized society; a sufficient link is kept up to make any of these people, if they removed into more populous districts, conform to received ideas.” * The home dress of a sertanejo consists merely of a * Koster, vol. i. p. 132-3 and a spare pipe. The usual colour of a sertancjo is a dark brown, the complexion even of those who are born white, soon becoming as completely tanned as the dress they wear. The home-dress of the women consists of a shift and calico petticoat, sometimes dyed red, no stockings, often no shoes; but they never go abroad barefoot, nor without a large piece of white cloth thrown over the head and shoulders. Children of both sexes usually go naked till they approach the age of puberty. There are no wild cattle in these sertoens; but kine are so numerous that the people live too much upon meat, eating it thrice a-day. They eat with it piram, a paste made of mandioc flour, rice occasionally, or maize, and in default of all these, the dough made of the pith of the carnaiiba palm. They make no use of any green herbs whatsoever, deeming sallads fitter food for beasts than for men, and cultivate few fruits except the water-melon. The wild fruits are numerous. They milk both cows and goats, and make cheese, which is excellent when new, but soon becomes tough: their skill in the dairy extends no further. Knives and forks are superfluities of which they have not yet acquired the Q?2 262 BRAZIL. use; but water is served both before and after meals. Hammocks serve them as beds, and the ground instead of chairs. ¢ The women seldom appear, and when they are seen, do not take any part in the conversation. If they are present at all, when the men are talking, they stand, or squat down upon the ground, in the door-way . leading to the interior of the house, and merely listen. The morals of the men are by no means strict, and when this is the case, it must give an unfavourable bias, in some degree, to those of the women; but the serta- nejo is very jealous, and more murders are committed, and more quarrels entered into on this score, by ten- fold, than on any other. These people are revengeful; an offence is seldom pardoned, and, in default of law, of which there is scarcely any, each man takes it into his own hands. This is, without any sort of doubt,” con- tinues Mr. Koster, a dreadful state of society, and I do not by any means pretend to speak in its justifica- tion; but, if the causes of most of the murders com- mitted and beatings given are inquired into, I have usually found that the receiver had only obtained what he deserved. Robbery in the serfam is scarcely known; the land is, in favourable years, too plentiful to afford temptation, and, in seasons of distress for food, every man is for the most part equally in want. Subsistence is to be obtained in an easier manner than by stealing in so abundant a country, and where both parties are equally brave and resolute; but, besides these reasons, I think the serfanejos are a good race of people. They are tractable, and might easily be instructed, excepting in religious matters: in these they are fast riveted ; and such is their idea of an Englishman and a heretic, that it was on some occasions difficult to make them believe that I, who had the figure of a human being, could pos- sibly belong to that non-descript race. They are ex- tremely ignorant, few of them possessing even the com- BRAZIL. 263 monest rudiments of knowledge. Their religion is confined to the observance of certain forms and cere- monies, and to the frequent repetition of a few prayers, faith in charms, relics, and other things of the same order. The sertancjos are courageous, generous, sin- cere, and hospitable: if a favour is begged, they know not how to deny it; but, if you trade with them either for cattle or aught else, the character changes, and then they wish to outwit you, conceiving success to be a piece of cleverness of which they may boast.” * There were at one period, in the province of Pernam- buco, a set of ruffians, calling themselves valentoens, or bravoes, men of all castes, whose whole business con- sisted in seeking opportunities of quarreliing, and who used for this purpose to attend all fairs and festivals. They considered themselves as privileged to revenge their own and their friends’ injuries, and endeavoured to intimidate all others who might wish to create dis- turbances, not allowing any quarrel in which they were not concerned, ‘ They would take their station at a cross-way, and compel all passengers to take off their hats and dismount, or fight as the alternative. A struggle with one of these desperadoes armed with sword and knife, was more perilous than the roughest encounter of a knight with spear and shield. They trained dogs, of extraordinary size and activity, to be as savage as themselves, yet in such obedience that they would drink rum at the command of their masters. They wore green beads round their necks, which were believed by the credulous to have the virtue of render- ing them invulnerable.” So many of them, however, came to their deserved end, that, towards the close of the last century, the race became extinct.t * Koster, vol. i. pp. 227—234, 243. + Mr Koster relates the following anecdote of one of these bravoes. The transaction occurred at a short distance from Ja- 264 BRAZIL. The state of the slaves in this province has already been noticed in the general description of Brazil.* It forms the most favourable trait, perhaps, in the Bra- zilian character. Slavery,” remarks Mr. Southey, “has mitigations in Brazil, which are unknown in the British colonial islands. The Brazilians have guilt enough to answer for on that score, but they have never entertained the infamous opinion, that the Africans are incapable of feeling the affections, and observing the moral and religious relations of the mar- riage state. In this part of Brazil, they have universally endeavoured to make their slaves as good Christians as themselves.” Still, it is slavery, with its inseparable concomitants, moral degradation and political danger. The river Goiana, which falls into the sea nine miles to the north of the island of Itamaraca, separates Per- nambuco from guaribe, about thirty years ago:— A man of large property being much provoked at some outrage which a valenloen (who was a white man) had committed, had said that when he met the man, he would horsewhip him. This was repeated to the outlaw; and shortly afterwards, they met accidentally in one of the narrow paths in the neighbourhood. The valentam was well armed with musket, sword, and knife: he requested the gentleman to stop, as he had something to say to him. The outlaw asked him for a pinch of snuff, and then offered his own box, from which a pinch was in like manner taken. He then mentioned the injurious words which had been repeated to him. The unfortunate of- fender directly imagined what would follow, and therefore set spurs to his horse; but the road was without any bend for some distance. The valentam knelt down upon one knee, and fired with the effect which he wished for. He quietly walked on along the same road, telling the whole story of his meeting at the first village through which he passed. This man was at last taken, tried, and hanged at Bahia, through the very great exertions of the brother of the person whom he had murdered. He could not be executed at Pernambuco, because he was a white man.”—Koster, vol. i. p. 399. * Vol. 1. p. 97. BRAZIL. THE PROVINCE OF PARAIBA. THis province comprehends about two thirds of the old captaincy of Itamaraca. It has between eighteen and nineteen leagues of coast, and runs back about sixty leagues, being bounded, to the westward, by Seara. It derives its name from the river Paraiba, or Parahyba, which, originating in the Serra do Jabitaca in Cayriris Velhos, not far from the source of the Ca- pibaribe, runs to the north-east, and discharges itself into the Atlantic by two mouths on either side of the island of St. Bento. The port is capacious and secure. Vessels of 150 tons can pass the bar; sumacas can ascend to the capital, ten miles from its mouth ; and canoes as far as the town of Pilar do Taypu, forty wiles higher. When the Dutch took possession of this cap- taincy in 1634, it contained only 700 families and twenty engenkhos. In 1775, the population was esti- mated at 52,000. In 1812, it exceeded 122,000, of whom 17,000 were slaves, 8000 free blacks, 28,000 free mulattoes, and 3400 civilized Indians; there were no wild natives. This is a considerable population for Brazil, especially as two thirds of the whole surface are deemed (but Mr. Southey says, very erroneously) in- capable of any kind of culture. The city of Paraiba, (named by the Dutch, Frederica,) bears marks, how- ever, of decay, having been deprived of a considerable portion of its commerce by Recife. It contained, in 1810, between 2000 and 3000 inhabitants, a mother church, five hermitages or chapels, three convents, Franciscan, Carmelite, and Benedictine, a misericordia, and two fountains. The convents, though large build- ings, were all three almost uninhabited; the first having but four or five friars, the second but two, and the third but one. The governor resided in what had been the Jesuits’ college. The principal street is broad ra C—O Si ay ’ a pr EI er — p Aa { ‘ — Ee fe . s 266 BRAZIL. and well paved; the houses mostly of one story; but some have glass windows, and a few are spoken of as handsome buildings. The lower town, which consists of small houses, is situated, Mr. Koster states, upon the borders of a spacious basin, or lake, formed by the junction of three rivers, which discharge their waters into the sea by one considerable stream. These rivers appear to be the Paraiba with its confluents, the Guarahu, and the small river Unhaby. “The banks of the basin,” he adds, ‘are covered with mangroves, as in all the salt-water rivers of this country; and they are so close and thick, that there seems no outlet. I did not follow the river down to the sea, but I under- stand that there are in it some fine islands, with good land, quite uncultivated.” One of these has since been cleared, and some salt-works formed upon it. Paraiba lies out of the road from the serfam to Recife ; that is, out of the direct way from the towns upon the coast further north; the inhabitants of the interior will, therefore, make for Recife, rather than Paraiba, as the more extensive market for their produce. The lands of the captaincy are, for the most part, Mr. Koster says, rich and fertile ; but so decided a preference is given to plantations nearer to Recife, that those of Paraiba are to be purchased at a much lower price. The sugar of this province is reckoned equal to that of any part of Brazil. An Englishman, a Scotchman, and an Irishman had recently established themselves here, in 1820, in con- nexion with some merchants at Pernambuco, by whose means it was probable that the trade of this place would be revived and extended. The exports of sugar at one time exceeded 900 chests annually, but had sunk, in 1819, to less than half that quantity. The cultivation of cotton had, however, been rapidly in- creasing, the exports, in 1806, being only 9000 bags, BRAZIL. 267 while, in 1820, they were upwards of 20,000. The cotton-plant is said to endure drought better than the cane; and this circumstance, together with the immense demand occasioned by the cotton-mills of Great Britain, is assigned as the reason for the diminution in the cane-plantations. Mr. Koster travelled to Paraiba from Recife by way of Goiana. The road between Goiana and Paraiba, a distance of thirteen leagues, presents nothing particu- larly interesting. The hills are steep, but not high; woods, plantations, and cottages are the only objects. In returning, he followed another road, by the sea- shore, which made the distance twenty-two leagues. Great part of this extent of coast is uninhabited, but, wherever the land is low, and the surf not violent, a few cottages are found, and the banks of the rivers are not entirely destitute of inhabitants. The streams, when the action of the tide ceases, all become insigni- ficant, and most of them quite dry. Within three leagues of Goiana, he passed through Alhandra, an Indian village, seated on the Capibaribe, containing about 600 inhabitants, some of them mamalucoes and mestizoes, who are cultivators and fishermen. Besides the capital, this province contains only seven towns (including Pilar and Alhandra) in the eastern part, with a few arraials, and two in the western part. All these are inconsiderable. Villa da Rainha, com- monly called Campinha Grande, stands in an extensive plain 120 miles north-west of the capital, near a lake which supplies the inhabitants with water. Being in the road to the sertam, it is a great thoroughfare. In seasons of drought, the lake is dry, and the inhabitants are obliged to fetch their water upwards of six miles. The river Mamanguape, which falls into the sea about ten miles north of Point Lucena, but is dry in summer a few miles up, gives its name to a settlement near its * 268 BRAZIL. banks, which, though not ranked with the towns of the province, yet, as not unfrequently happens, is larger than most of the places dignified with that title. It contains about 600 inhabitants, and being a convenient stage between Rio Grande and Goiana, is a thriving place. A day’s journey from this place, is the small hamlet of Cunhahu, the scene of a memorable massacre committed by the Dutch, and of a signal victory ob- tained over them by Camaramj it gives name to one of the largest estates in this part of Brazil, belonging to the Maranham branch of the Albuquerque family, which extends fourteen leagues along the road from Recife to Natal. The owner had recently purchased, at the time of Mr. Koster’s visit, another large estate adjoining; and his lands for breeding cattle in the sertam, were supposed to be from thirty to forty leagues in extent. Here he lived quite in feudal state, and, being the colonel of the militia cavalry of Rio Grande, might be considered as having the whole district under his command. Some leagues to the southward of Cunhahu, is a place called Os Marcos (the boundaries)—* a deep dell inhabited by runaway negroes and criminals: the paths of the dell are intricate, and when once a man has taken up his residence here, it is impossible to dis- lodge him.” At this place, as its name indicates, com- mences THE PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE. TaE original name of the river, which has this ad- junct to distinguish it from the Rio Grande of the south, is the Potengi—a much more specific and con- venient designation for the province itself. Pursuing the road from Recife and Goiana, at five leagues from Cunhahn, are the village and valley of Papari, described - BRAZIL. 269 by Mr. Koster as a most delightful situation. The whole of the valley is cultivated, and when every other part of the surrounding country is burnt up with drought, and the high sandy lands are rendered quite barren, this spot retains its full verdure, and seems to laugh at all around. Though at the distance of three or four leagues from the sea, the salt-water lake of Groahyras extends to it, so that its inhabitants have the fish brought to their own doors. The tide enters the lake, by the outlet or river called Tayreyry: it is consequently never dry, even when the fresh springs which run into it fail. The district contains about 300 inhabitants widely scattered over it. Between three and four leagues further is the Indian villa of St. Joze, containing about 200 inhabitants, situated on a dry, sandy soil, and apparently falling to decay. A few leagues beyond this place, the road passes over a suc- cession of dismal sand-hills; and the whole country between St. Joze and the capital of the province, is not only uninhabited, but uninhabitable. The distance, according to Cazal, is nearly thirty miles; the rate of travelling, about two umiles within the hour. The sand-hills are perpetually changing their situations and forms, and the high winds raise the sand in clouds, which renders the road dangerous when they prevail. The sand is white and very fine, so that the horses sink up to the knees at every step; and it is so light as to prevent almost all vegetation. The scene is desolate and dreary in the extreme. The whole distance from Goiana to Natal is fifty-five leagues. Natal, the capital,* sometimes called Cidada dos Reys (city of the kings,) is situated on the right margin of the Potengi, nearly two miles above its mouth. “A * So named because the church was consecrated on Christmas day. nc a a —— A —— a — = RT TI A ——_ hp i a at 270 BRAZIL. foreigner,” says Mr. Koster, who might chance to land first at this place, on his arrival upon the coast of Brazil, would form but a very poor opinion of the state of the populaticn of the country; for, if places like this are called cities, what must the towns and villages be? But such a judgment would not prove correct, for many villages, even of Brazil, surpass this city. The rank must have been given to it, not from what it was, or is, but from the expectation of what it might be at some future period.* The settlement upon rising ground, rather removed from the river, is properly the city, as the parish church is there: it consists of a square, with houses on each side, having only a ground-floor, three churches, the governor's palace, a town-hall, and a prison. Three streets lead from it, which have also a few houses on each side. No part of the city is paved, although the sand is deep: on this account, indeed, a few of the inhabitants have raised a footpath of bricks before their own houses. The place may contain from six to seven hundred persons.” The lower town is situated immediately along the southern bank of the river, there being only the usual width of a street be- tween the houses and the water. This place may con- tain from two to three hundred inhabitants; and here live the men of trade of Rio Grande. “ The bar of the Potengi is very narrow, but is suffi- ciently deep to admit vessels of 150 tons. The northern bank projects considerably, and for this reason, it is ne- cessary that a ship should make for it from the south- ward. The entrance to the reef of rocks, which lies at some distance from the shore, also requires to be known, so that altogether the port is a difficult one. The river is very safe, when once within the bar; the water is * Natal was a position so highly valued, however, during the Dutch war, that its fortress was deemed the strongest place in Brazil. BRAZIL. 271 deep and quite still, and two vessels might swing in its breadth ; but it soon becomes shallow, and in the course of a few miles is greatly diminished. I should imagine that six or seven vessels might swing altogether in the harbour. The bars of rivers that are formed, as in this case, of sand, are, however, not to be trusted to with- out good pilots, as they soon change their depth, and even their situation. When the tide enters, the northern bank is overflowed about one mile from the mouth of the harbour, and spreads over a considerable extent of ground, which, even during the ebb, is always wet and muddy, but never becomes sufficiently deep to prevent passing.” A short time previously to Mr. Koster’s journey to these parts, there was scarcely a well-dressed person in Rio Grande. The governor at length succeeded in persuading one family to send to Recife for English manufactured goods; these being once introduced, one would not be outdone by another, and in the course of two years, the fashion of wearing them became general. All the ladies at church appeared handsomely dressed in silks of various colours and black veils. A twelve=- month before, these same individuals, says Mr. Koster, would have gone to church in petticoats of printed Lisbon cottons, with square pieces of thick cloth over their heads, without stockings, and shoes down at heel. The only town north of Natal is Estremoz, about ten miles further to the north-west, and at the same dis- tance from the sea. At Cape St. Roque, which forms the angle of this province, in lat. 5° 7° south, long. 36° 15” west, the coast of Brazil terminates towards the north-east, and the Atlantic, which has so long been its boundary on the east, begins to wash its northern shores. The province of Rio Grande lies between lat. ’ 0 4% rs 4° 10’ and 5° 45’ south, comprising about a hundred 272 BRAZIL. miles of coast. “ The general features of the province,” Mr. Koster says, “ may be laid down as displaying a tolerable fertility to the southward of Natal, and as having a barren aspect to the northward of it, except on the banks and in the immediate neighbourhood of the Potengi.” Its population, in 1775, amounted to 23,000, since which period, Mr. Southey supposes that it has more than doubled. Parts of the province are better peopled than might be expected from the insig- nificance of the towns. In the western part, there are three towns. The most considerable is a town for- merly called Assu, but now dignified with the name of Villa Nova da Princesa, situated on the left bank of the river of the same name, alias the Parinhas, twenty-five miles above its mouth.* It lies in the route, taken by Mr. Koster, from Natal to Seara, of which we must give a brief outline. The tract of country through which the road lies, is a plain traversed by the Seara-mirim,t a river remark- able for its serpentine evolutions. The first day’s stage is Lagoa Seka (dry lake,) a place which is laid under water by the rains, but which supplies the capital with farinha during the drought. Between eight and ten leagues from Natal is the hamlet of Pai Paulo, at the extremity of a long, narrow, barren plain, where the traveller first approaches the river. The channel, when Mr. Koster travelled, was quite dry, except that here and there a well of brackish water had been dug in it, and its course was marked only by the depth of its bed, which, as well as the soil all around, isa loose sand. In * Mr. Koster writes it cu. + Mr. Henderson states, that this is the same river as the Gune- pabu, which discharges itself into the ocean three miles to the north of the Potengi. Mr. Koster lays down the Genepapo in his map, as a distinct river, with a considerable bay or estuary, and makes the Seara-mirim join the Potengi en BRAZIL. 273 one place, a miserable cow had found its way to a pool, which, from its owner's mark, was ascertained to have strayed at least a hundred leagues in search of water. The traveller has now entered on the serfam. For five days, the road lay across this sandy desert, the face of the country presenting one continued flat, during which the Seara-mirim was crossed two and forty times, wind- ing “ like the coils of a serpent.” After a heavy rain, it presently fills, and the waters acquire the force of a torrent. Mr. Koster calculated the distance he had travelled from Pai Paulo at rather more than a hundred and twenty miles. He had advanced at the rate of about three miles an hour, travelling from half-past five to ten A.M., and from two, or half-past two, to six. He had now again reached the habitations of man; fazendas were occasionally met with, though the country was not much improved in its appearance, except that the sandy soil had given place to a more strong and undulating country, and everything was parched and withered with drought. On approaching Assu, how- ever, he came to lands covered with wood, and at length had the joy of again seeing a church and a regular vil- lage, having travelled about 340 wiles (from Goiana) in nineteen days. The town of Assu, built in a square, contains two churches, a town-hall and prison, (at that time build- ing,) and about 300 inhabitants. The river Assu here runs for a short distance in two channels, between which is an island of sand. The town is situated upon the northern bank of the smaller branch, The beds of both channels were now dry, but, when Mr. Koster re- turned from Seara, it was a deep and dangerous river from two to three hundred yards in breadth; and the raft on which be crossed it was carried down about fifty yards by the violence of the current, before he 274 BRAZIL. gained the other side. The houses have only a ground- floor; they are, in fact, mud-huts, some only of which are plastered and white-washed, and the floors are of earth, «so that, in spite of the greatest care, when water is scarce, the inhabitants cannot keep themselves clean.” Though the lower classes of Brazilians of all castes, have many dirty customs allied to those of savage life, vet, Mr. Koster says, they are remarkably clean in their persons ;—that is to say, they are fond of bathing. There are numerous salt-works near the town, which bring some trade to the place; and large barks, in the proper season, ascend the river to the town, dis- tant seven leagues from its mouth. At the distance of about a league from Assu, is the lake of Piatd, three leagues in length by one in breadth, which is filled by the river in the rainy season, and is never quite dry. In summer, its sides afford a fine, rich soil for the cul- tivation of rice, maize, the cane, melons, and cotton. But for this lake, the people of this district would be famished in years of severe drought. The parched hills which surround the lake, its beautifully cultivated borders, and the dark and dangerous bogs which com- posed its centre at this time, formed altogether a very extraordinary scene. Between this place and the frontier of Seara, a distance of four days’ journey, Mr. Koster passed over several salt-marshes, which are lakes in the rainy season* The country consists, for the most part, of plains with trees thinly scattered and patches of wood. He crossed also. between Assu and St. Luzia, the dry beds of three rivers. The last of these is the Upanema, which falls into the Appody, ten miles # Cazal enumerates three of these lakes; the Apanhapeixe (catch-fish,) about four miles in circuit; the Pacco, a little smaller; and the Varges, six miles in length, but narrow. All these lakes, he says, totally disappear in years of drought. BRAZIL. 275 above its mouth.* The arraial of St. Luzia, which Mr. Koster entered on the fifth day after leaving Assu, stands on the left bank of the latter river, about twenty miles from the sea. Large canoes advance up the river, when full, as far as this place, which carries on some trade in salt. From this situation downwards, the famous salterns of Mossoro are met with, the salt of which is as white as snow.” The Appody has 130 miles of course, running almost the whole way through a flat country, interspersed with lakes, which it fills by its floods. Tus river divides Rio Grande do Norte from THE PROVINCE OF SEARA. From Assu, Mr. Koster had travelled in a north- westerly direction, approaching the coast; and on the second day after leaving St. Luzia, he descried from a hill of heavy sand called Tibou, the Englishman’s home—the sea. He reached, that night, a miserable hamlet called Areias, on the coast; and the next day, after travelling seven leagues, chiefly through salt- marshes, covered with the carnahuba palm, arrived at Aracati, the largest and most flourishing town in the province, situated on the eastern margin of the Jagua- ribe (river of ounces,) eight miles above its mouth. The computed distance from Assu is forty-five leagues. “ The town of Aracati,” says Mr. Koster, * consists of one long street, with several minor ones branching from it. The houses, unlike those of any of the other small places which I visited, have one story above the ground- floor. Iinquired the reason, and was told, that the floods of the river were sometimes so great as to render ne- cessary a retreat to the upper part of the houses. The * Mr. Koster, however, lays down three other rivers in his map, as falling into the sea between Assu and St. Luzia; the Ca- vailos, the Conchas, and the Urim. 276 BRAZIL. town contains three churches, and a town-hall and pri- son, but no monasteries. This province does not con- tain any such pest. The inhabitants are in number about 600.”* Mr. Koster descended the river to its mouth. It is, he says, in parts, about half a mile in breadth; in some places, where there are islands, broader. The bar is narrow and dangerous, owing to the sand-banks on each side: upon these the surf is very violent. ‘ The sand is so loose at the mouth of the river, that the masters of the coasting vessels are obliged to use every precaution possible each voyage, as if they were entering a harbour with which they were unacquainted. The river widens immediately within the bar, and forms a spacious bay. Even if no other obstacle presented itself, the port cannot, from the uncertainty of the depth of its entrance, ever become of any importance. Coasters alone can enter, and the sand in the river also accumulates. The sand-banks project from each side in some places, so much as to render the navigation, even for a boat, somewhat difficult for a short distance above the bay.” In the early part of 1815, Mr. Koster was informed, that the bar had been completely choked up during a vio- lent gale, so that two coasters, then in the river, could not pass out. From Aracati, it is a distance of thirty leagues, over a flat, sandy country covered with brushwood, to the Villa da Forteleza do Seara Grande, the capital of the province. Mr. Koster performed the journey in four days, making the whole distance he had travelled from Natal in thirty-four days, a hundred and sixty leagues, ‘ according to the vague computation of the country.” He passed through an Indian village and * Cazal enumerates, besides the church, four hermitages: one may have been recently built. The town was created by John Y. in 1723. Cotton and hides are the exports. BRAZIL. 277 the town of St. Joze, each containing about 300 in- habitants. The town whose name we have given above at full length—the town of the fortress of Seara, otherwise Villa do Forte, otherwise Assumption (from its chapel of Nossa Senhora d’ Assumpcao,) but more commonly called Seara, is described by Cazal as a “‘ very middling town; it is indebted for its pre-eminence chiefly to its superior antiquity. ¢ The town is built,” Mr. Koster says, “ upon heavy sand, in the form of a square, with four streets leading from it; and it has an additional long street on the north side of the square, which runs in a parallel direction, but is unconnected with it. The dwellings have only a ground-floor, and the streets are not paved; but some of the houses have foot-paths of brick in front. It contains three churches, the go- vernor’s palace, the town-hall and prison, a custom- house, and the treasury. The number of inhabitants, I judge to be from 1000 to 1200. The fort, from which the place derives its name, stands upon a sand- hill close to the town, and consists of a sand or earth rampart towards the sea, and of stakes driven into the ground on the land side: it contained four or five pieces of cannon of several sizes, which were pointed various ways; and I observed that the gun of heaviest metal was mounted on the land side. Those which pointed to the sea, were not of sufficient calibre to reach a vessel in the usual anchorage-ground. The powder-magazine is situated upon another part of the sand-hill, in full view of the harbour. There is not much to invite the preference given to this spot; it has no river, nor any harbour, and the beach is bad to land upon; the breakers are violent, and the recife, or reef of rocks, affords very little protection to vessels riding at anchor upon the coast. The settlement was formerly situated three leagues to the northward, upon a narrow creek, PART III. R 278 BRAZIL. ~~ where there exists now only the remains of an old fort.* The public buildings are small and low, but are neat and white-washed, and adapted to the purposes for which they are intended. Notwithstanding the disad- vantage to the general appearance, imparted by the wretched soil upon which the town has been erected, I could not avoid thinking that its look was that of a thriving place; but I believe that this can scarcely be said to be the real state of the town. The difficulty of land-carriage, particularly in such a country, the want of a good harbour, and the dreadful droughts, prevent any sanguine hope of its rise to opulence. The commerce of Searai1s very limited, and is not likely to increase. The long credits which it is ne- cessary for the trader to give, preclude the hope of quick returns, to which British merchants are ac- customed.” The province of Seara is supposed to extend about ninety leagues from east to west, between Rio Grande and Piauby, and ninety from north to south in its widest part, between the Atlantic and Pernambuco. Notwithstanding that it has so considerable a length of coast, it has no foreign commerce. The principal part of its produce is sent by coasting vessels to Maranham. The province produces no sugar, but the lands are adapted for the growth of cotton. Formerly, con- siderable quantities of beef were salted and dried for exportation; but the mortality among the cattle, caused by the frequent severe droughts, has occasioned this trade to be given up entirely, and the whole country is now supplied from Rio Grande do Sul. At Pernam- buco, the charqued meat still preserves the name of # This place is now called Villa Velha; it is near the mouth of the sthall river Seara, which has given its name both to the capital and the province—about seven miles, Mr. Henderson says, to the south-east. —_—_ ae Ji iS BRAZIL. 279 carne do Seara. In consequence of a dreadful drought which continued from the year 1792 to 1796, all the domestic animals are said to have perished, and many thousands of the population emigrated or died. The people subsisted for a long time wholly on wild honey; but this food contributed to produce diseases wide, swept them off by hundreds. The inhabitants of seven whole parishes forsook their dwellings at one time, one and all. Yet, in the course of ten years, the province appears to have recovered from this terrible visitation and in 1813, the population amounted to 150,000 S0uls, From June to December, no rain falls, but the nights are cool, and bring a copious dew, and the sen-Dretze regularly sets in from nine o’clock at night to five in the morning. It is when the other half year passes with- out rain, that the consequences become so dreadful; and this is said to occur nearly every tenth year, The province affords some good timber and cabinet wood; but the most common and most useful tree is the crs nauba or carnahuba, to which repeated reference has been made—a species of palm producing a vegetable wax. ‘ The inhabitants build houses with the wood and cover them with the leaves;* they eat the fruits the cattle eat the leaves, and even the trunk of tho tree in extreme drought; and the people prepare from the wood, at such times, a flour for themselves, of which they form a paste, bitter indeed, and nauseous “to a stranger's palate, but capable of supporting life.” All the esculent plants of Portugal are cultivated here with success. ‘ English potatoes” thrive, but the «TT : The leaves are also used for mats, hats, hand-baskets, and panniers. + ** It is curious,” remarks Mr. Southey, * that the Tupinam- ban root, as it was called when first introduced into rope : ? should thus have obtained the name of English in its own country.” mT — 280 BRAZIL. onion degenerates. The vine bears twice or thrice a year, but the grape never comes to perfection. Every breeder of cattle in the interior has his flock of sheep and goats: the goats are milked ; the wool of the sheep is BUENOS AYRES, 333 standing the disadvantages of the present method of culture, I was informed by reputable persons, that the average crop of wheat is not less than fifty bushels per acre in good seasons. “ On the subject of religion, especially, the change in the public mind has been very great. The Catholic faith is established as that of the state, but there are many advocates, both in conversation and in writing, of universal toleration. Some members of congress are said to be strongly in favour of it; but the ignorant and superstitious part of the people, together with the regular clergy, would not be satisfied with such a mea- sure, while the liberality prevailing among the better informed classes, is such as to secure a virtual tolera- tion for the present. Besides, from the circumstance of there being no sects in the country, such a provision may wait the progress of liberality in public opinion, In fact, the human mind has been set free on all matters of a general abstract nature, although the liberty of the press is circumscribed in some degree with respect to strictures on public measures and men, and the esta- blished religion; but there is neither inquisition nor previous license. They acknowledge the Pope as a spiritual head merely, and do not think him entitled to any authority to interfere with their temporal concerns. His Bull in favour of the King of Spain against the colonies, which may be almost regarded as an excommunication, produced little or no sensa- tion. 5 [14 fr The number of monks and nuns was verv great in Buenos Ayres, when compared with other portions of the Spanish dominions. They have diminished since the revolution. There was at one time a positive law passed, forbidding any one to become a monk or nun; but they were obliged to repeal it, and it was afterwards passed with some modifications. The restrictions sub- - v2 FT ————— \ | } C—O ni 334 BUENOS AYRES. stituted, aided by public opinion, have nearly produced the desired effect. Few of the youth of the country apply themselves to the study of theology, since other occupations, much more tempting to their ambition, have been opened to their choice. Formerly, the priesthood was the chief aim of young men of the best families, who were desirous of distinction; as, in fact, it constituted almost the only profession to which those who had received a liberal education could devote themselves; which will readily account for the circum- stance of so many of the secular clergy directing their attention, at present, almost exclusively to politics. The regular clergy, who are not permitted, by the na- ture of their profession, to take part in the business of the world, or to hold secular offices, are many of them Europeans; but those who are natives, take the same lively interest in passing events, with the other classes of the community. “ They have gone cautiously to work in reforms in the different branches of the municipal laws, and the administration of them. The number of offices has been considerably diminished, and responsibility ren- dered more direct and severe. The judiciary system has undergone many improvements, and nearly all the leading features of the law, which did not harmonize with the principles of free government, have been ex- punged, though some of the former evils still remain. The barbarous impositions on the aborigines have been abolished—the odious alcavala, and other obnoxious taxes, modified, so as to be no longer vexatious—slavery, and the slave trade, forbidden in future--and all titles of nobility prohibited, under the pain of loss of citizen- ship. The law of primogeniture is also expunged from their system. In the provisional statute, as has already been stated, nearly all the principles of free representa- tive government are recognized; accompanied, it is era — da. Me BUENOS AYRES. 335 true, with certain drawbacks, for which they plead the necessity of the times, but which they profess their in- tention to do away, on the final settlement of the go- vernment-—a consummation anxiously desired by all classes of inhabitants. The example of France has warned them not to attempt too much at first: they have followed the plan of the United States in the in- troduction of gradual reforms, instead of resorting to violent and sudden innovations and revolutions. “ Next to the establishment of their independence by arms, the education of their youth appears to be the subject of the most anxious interest. They complain that every possible impediment was thrown in the way of education previously to the revolution; that, so far from fostering public institutions for this purpose, se- veral schools were actually prohibited in the capital, and the young men were not without restraint permitted to go abroad for their education. There was a college at Cordova, at which those destined for the bar, or the priesthood, completed their studies, upon the ancient monkish principles. Another, called San Carlos (now the Union of the South,) had been opened at Buenos Ayres, but was afterwards converted into barracks for soldiers. It is an immense building, more extensive, perhaps, than any which has been dedicated to learning in this country; and it has lately been fitted up at a very great expense. The school was to have opened in May or June last, on a more modern and liberal plan of discipline and instruction. The library of the state is kept in an adjoining building; it occupies a suite of six rooms, and contains nearly 20,000 volumes, the greater part rare and valuable. It is formed out of the library of the Jesuits, the books collected in the different mo- nasteries, donations from individuals, and an annual appropriation by the government, and contains works on all subjects and in all the languages of the polished 336 BUENOS AYRES. nations of Europe. A very valuable addition has been lately made of several thousand volumes, brought to Buenos Ayres by M. Bonpland, the companion of the celebrated Humboldt. « Besides the university of Cordova, at which there are about 150 students, there are public schools in all the principal towns, supported by their respective corporations. In Buenos Ayres, besides an academy in which are taught the higher branches, and the college before mentioned, there are eight public schools, for whose support the corporation contributes about seven thousand dollars annually; and, according to the returns of last year, the number of scholars amounted to 864. There are five other schools exclusively for the benefit of the poor, and under the charge of the different monasteries. These are supplied with books and stationery at the public expense. There are also parish schools in the country, for the support of which a portion of the tithes has been lately set apart. It is rare to meet with a boy ten or twelve years of age, in the city of Buenos Ayres, who cannot read and write. Besides the scholars thus instructed, many have private tutors. In addition to all this, I must not omit to mention the military academies supported by Govern- ment at Buenos Ayres and Tucuman, at which there are a considerable number of cadets. “ There are no prohibited books of any kind; all are permitted to circulate freely, or to be openly sold in the book-stores; among them is the New Testament in Spanish. This alone is a prodigious step towards the emancipation of their minds from prejudices. There are several book-stores, whose profits have rapidly in- creased; a proof that the number of readers has ang- mented in the same proportion. There had been a large importation of English books, a language becom- ing daily more familiar to them. Eight years ago, * Er 1 te BUENOS AYRES. 337 the mechanical art of printing was scarcely known in Buenos Ayres; at present, there are three printing- offices, one of them very extensive, containing four presses. The price of printing is, notwithstanding, at least, three times higher than in the United States; but, as there is no trade or intercourse with Spain, all school books used in the country, some of them ori- ginal, are published at Buenos Ayres: the business is, therefore, profitable, and rapidly extending. There are many political essays, which, instead of being inserted in the newspapers, are published in loose sheets; there are also original pamphlets, as well as republications of foreign works. The constitutions of the United States and of the different states, together with a very good history of our country, and many of our most import- ant state papers, are widely circulated. The work of Dean Funes, the venerable historian of the country, comprised in three large octavo volumes, considering the infancy of the typographic art in this part of the world, may be regarded. as an undertaking of some magnitude. “ There are three weekly journals or newspapers published in the city, which have an extensive circu- lation through the United Provinces. They all advo- cate the principles of liberty and republican forms of government, as none other would suit the public taste.” * Before Buenos Ayres became the seat of a viceroy, it ranked as the fourth city in South America; but since that period, it has been held second to Lima only. It extends north and south about two miles, including the suburbs, and is in general about half a mile broad —rather more in the centre. It is regularly built; the * Reports on the United Provinces of South America. 8vo. pp. 100—10. - td a EE r= TR | — — 338 BUENOS AYRES. streets are straight and broad, unpaved in the middle, but with raised footpaths on each side. The houses are upwards of 6000 in number. Most of the build- ings, public as well as private, were built of mud, till the Jesuits introduced the art of making lime from shells. The architecture of the cathedral and most of the churches is ascribed to them; and about the year 1668, 500 Indians are stated to have been employed for several years, under their inspection, upon the fortifications, port, and cathedral. The latter is a spacious and handsome structure, with a cupola and portico. The interior is profusely decorated with carving and gilding, and the dome is painted, in com- partments, with representations of acts of the apostles. The church of the Franciscans and that of the convent of Mercy are next in rank: both have steeples and cupolas nearly in the same style as the cathedral. In the former, there is a painting of the Last Supper, executed by a native artist, one of the Indians of the Reductions, which is considered as having great merit, The frame is composed entirely of feathers of a bright gold colour, so ingeniously put together as to have the appearance of the nicest carving and gilding; nor can the difference be detected except by the touch. The converted Indians have a church on the skirts of the town, dedicated to St. John. There are several con- vents and nunneries, a foundling hospital, an orphan asylum, and other institutions of a benevolent nature. All these edifices are built of a beautifully white stone found in a plain not far from the city. The fort, which contains the residence of the supreme director and the government offices, is a square building of brick and stone. The two principal streets are the Calla della Santa Trinidada and the Calle “del Victoria. The former, which faces thé grand entrance to the cathe- dral, runs nearly the whole length of the city, and is BUENOS AYRES. 339 occupied by the higher class of inhabitants. Almost every house has a garden both before and behind it. Many have latticed balconies, in which are reared odoriferous shrubs. The interior of the houses is, in general, however, very dirty. In summer, the rooms are covered with fine Indian matting; in winter, with European carpets. Every garden is refreshed by water let in from the Plata, by a kind of sluice made of osiers woven very strong and thick. The water thus admitted is sent by smaller channels round the beds; and a quantity of it is generally retained in a large basin or reservoir, of which there is one in every extensive garden. The water, when thus retained, is clear and sparkling, but, by its great coldness, is apt, it is said, when drunk, to bring on dangerous disorders. That quarter of the town which is principally inha- bited by mestizoes and negroes, has a very miserable and filthy appearance, and strongly contrasts with the opulence and taste displayed in the other. The plaza, or great square, has, on the north side, the back of the cathedral and some“good private houses; on the west side, is the ecabildo or town-hall, a handsome stone edifice erected by the Jesuits; on the east side is the Recova, a range of piazzas 150 yards long and above 20 in width, enclosing a double range cf shops, which it was intended to continue along the south side of the square, as soon as funds could be raised, in the place of a range of mean shops. In the centreis a small obelisk, erected to commemorate the declaration of the national independence: it is called the altar of liberty. The cabildo is chiefly used as a prison, but meetings of the municipality are sometimes held in the upper rooms: and from the balcony, the citizens are harangued on public occasions. In this square, all public processions and exhibitions take place. The display of gold and ———— ———— — — i —— TT —— eds — 340 BUENOS AYRES. silver, precious stones, relics, and rarities on religious festivals, is said to outvie the most splendid exhibitions of the kind in the Roman Catholic states of Europe. The Recova divides the plaza from the market-place. Buenos Ayres is well supplied with excellent butcher’s meat, and fish in great abundance and variety; but much better fish might, it is thought, be obtained in deeper water, and higher up the river than the fish- carts to which the nets are attached, can go. Poultry is dear, a couple of fowls selling for as much as an ox. Partridges, with which the market is always plentifully supplied during the first three months after Lent, before the roads become bad, are never taken within forty miles of the city. Armadilloes are brought by the Indians from a distance of forty leagnes.* All vegetables are dear, and fruit, except peaches. The almond and plum-tree blossom in this climate, but never bear fruit; the olive thrives; the pears are good, but the cherries worth nothing. There are some apples of a middling quality. All the common vegetables thrive here, except the potato, for which the soil is too stiff. Milk is brought in jars from the surrounding farms from one to three miles distant: in quality and price, it is much the same as in London, it being scarcely less difficult to procure it unadulterated. Butter is never made by the natives: that which is de- nominated manteca is only beef dripping. Most of the opulent inhabitants have their quinta or country farm; and there are numbers of these little villas in every direction for two or three miles round the city, where, embowered among orange, lemon, and fig-trees, and covered with vines, they afford a delicious * Armadilloes are reckoned among the game of South America, and are considered as a delicacy when fat. Their taste is said to be something between a sucking-pig and a rabbit. They are usually roasted in their armour. BUENOS AYRES. 341 retirement from the excessive heat of summer, and present a striking contrast to the arid plains imme- diately beyond. Those which are situated on the bank of the Plata, are the most agreeable, though, in general, not so much shaded; but, overlooking the river, in ex- panse resembling a sea, and having beneath them the most frequented road, they are much more lively, and have a better prospect than those in any other situation. The enclosures are made, in general, with either the aloe or a species of prickly pear, both of which form excellent fences. The former bloom in great beauty every summer, sending up sometimes thirty or forty noble shafts in a line of twice as many yards. The only species of large tree indigenous to this part of the country, much resembles an elm at a distance, but the trunk is only a gigantic stalk, and cannot be called wood. It is named wmbu, supposed to be a corruption of embudo, deceit. * $ Buenos Ayres is built upon a bank from fifteen to twenty feet above the river, which is the general level of the country behind it; but, on the border of the river to the south of the city, this bank recedes rapidly, leaving a flat, marshy interval, from a quarter of a mile to four miles in breadth. To the north, the bank does not recede so far, leaving not more than half * ‘These trees grow to a very great size and in a singular manner, having, in general, immense bases, abruptly receding at a certain height, so as to form a convenient natural seat round the tree. The leaf is long, of a rich green, not unlike the Portugal laurel; but the wood is of such singular texture, that it is difficult to be described. It most resembles the outer part of a cabbage stalk, and is throughout of the same stringy texture, but with- out pith, and of a yellow colour. It is unfit for any purpose as timber, but its growth is encouraged for two good qualities—orna- mental appearance and refreshing shade. Here and there, a solitary umbu is met with in the plain, where again they are of essential value as land-marks for the traveller.”—Vidal, p. 112, EERE — . pe oy " i A ——— A——— . -~ a“ p " : - 4 a" TE —— y " — \ - _— "cs dow - A v - - ” ; ” a go ga —- 342 BUENOS AYRES. a mile of low, marshy ground for the space of sixteen miles. At this distance, it again approaches and over- hangs the river, as at Buenos Ayres, having on its brow the pretty village of San Isidro, the summer residence of many of the citizens. Two miles further, at a village called the Punta, the bank abruptly leaves the river, falling back due west. Below it, as far as the eye can reach, is a flat, swampy country, covered with rushes and thickets of espinilla (thorn,) a large quantity of which is sent to Buenos Ayres for fire-wood. The land is here a perfect jungle, and affords harbour to ounces. Two miles beyond the Punta, on the flat, is the village of Las Conchas, situated on a small stream that falls into the river Luxan, a little before it joins the Plata. To this place vessels of tolerable burden can come; and here, all those which descend the river from Para- guay, discharge their cargoes, which are carted to Buenos Ayres. The reasons for adopting this incon- venient practice, which involves land carriage to so great a distance, is the greater security of the port. At Buenos Ayres, the anchorage is bad and open, so that, in a hard gale, vessels seldom hold their ground, and in rough weather, the small craft are unable to unload. The inner roads are formed by an extensive sand-bank, which forbids the approach of vessels drawing deep water, nearer than within six or eight miles. This harbour, called the Balisas, has commonly two fathoms water; but, on account of the bank, even small craft take in only half their loading, before they return to the outer roads, called the Amarradero, where there is excellent and safe anchorage. The water at this place is always fresh. Near the centre of the city, a mole has been constructed of rough stone, above 200 yards long by twelve in width, and six yards high, intended for a landing-place; but the river is so shoal, that boats are seldom able to approach it, and five or i ae BUENOS AYRES Ba ENOS AYRES. 343 six carts are constantly plying for the purpose of land- ing passengers. Sometimes, these carts have to go ont a quarter of a mile; for, with northerly or ord westerly winds, the water is driven out of its dottion Ww be d, SO that 1t has even occurre d, that p rsons hav e Cie roae ol 0 hor ebac ye nn eS irom suaore, N ay, 1 1t n S in fi 1 111¢ S iN it is related on respectable authority, that about thirty years ago, during a strong northerly wind, the na disappeared, and left an horizon of mud to the people of Buenos Ayres. Such a circumstance might hap- pen, since the river is here thirty miles acrons, and — no more than three fathoms water in the deepest part excepting close to the opposite shore of Colonia ee 1s a narrow channel of four, five, or six fatliomns A contrary effect is produced by an easterly wind wideh if violent, always raises the water at Buenos Aves 3 % that in a strong gale from that quarter, the iol is sometimes covered, with the exception of the extreme point, which is higher than the rest, and has a battery of three guns. Thus, these winds, according to their direction, cause the river to rise or fall perhaps not less than seven feet.””* Buenos Ayres has another port ten leagues to the south-east of the city, called i : of Barragon, where the king's ships used to lie hg the foundation of Monte Video. It is formed by the rivulet of Santiago, which can receive vessels Yaris twelve feet water. Here ships, after discharging thelr £atgoes in the roads, wait for their outward lading. I'he whole navigation of the river Plata is extremely dangerous, owing not only to the rocks, banks and shallows which embarrass the channel, but to the im- FON One occasion, when none of these winds prevailed, the water is said to have receded three leagues from the ioe of Buenos Ayres, and to have remained in this state for a whole day; it then gradually rose to its usual level. No satisfactory rea : ‘ could be assigned for the phenomenon.— Vidal, p. 15, : i \ TS A PR " a = a ——-— i —— ~ a ————_ —_—_—r III 5 CY Rr Ma TE TT BR » 344 BUENOS AYRES. petuous westerly winds called pamperos, which sweep- ing at intervals over the vast plains of the Pampas, rush down the wide opening of the Plata with extraordinary violence. In consequence of these various dangers, vessels proceeding up the river are accustomed to cast anchorage every night wherever they may have arrived; and in all weathers, it is necessary to advance with the utmost caution. The pamperos are generally preceded by a thunder-storm, which gives warning to the mari- ners to provide for their safety in some of the neigh- bouring ports. One of the first objects that strikes the eye of a stranger on landing, is a water-cart. By this clumsy contrivance, consisting of a butt raised upon a rude cart with two wheels eight feet high, drawn by bullocks, the whole city is supplied with this prime necessary. The wells, though numerous, afford nothing but hard, brackish water, unfit for culinary purposes. Owing to the dead level of the conntry, it must for ever be de- prived of running streams, nor could any artificial canal or conduit be executed so as to distribute a supply of water through the country, no part being higher than another. Machinery presents the only means of intro- ducing it into the houses, as the whole of this immense plain is about twenty feet above the level of the river. The soil is a black earth, extremely retentive of water; and wherever the most trifling inequality of surface occurs, the water lodges, and, in winter, forms deep and dangerous quagmires, through which the united strength of two or three teams of oxen is required to draw one cart. These pantanos, cr bogs, though very narrow, are often several miles in length, and must therefore be crossed by the roads; but, owing to the scarcity of wood as well as of stone, there are no means of building bridges over them at a distance from the city. Good roads are equally out of the question, as i we I i. oi ai. Sty : BUENOS AYRES. 345 no gravel, not even a pebble of any Kind, is to be found on the west bank of the river for one hundred miles from Buenos Ayres in any direction, The usual mode of travelling is on horseback. Wil- cocke, in his History of Buenos Ayres, speaks of covered Caravans, drawn by oxen, used in travelling over the Pampas, which, he says, are made almost as commo- dious as a house, with doors to shut and windows on each side, and mattresses on the floor. The description is such as a savage who had never seen a coach, might give of such a vehicle, Coaches there are in Buenos Ayres, which are let out for Journeys, but they are usually drawn by mules, with a horse or a pair of horses as leaders, and both the vehicles and their equipment are a caricature upon posting. The harness is not to be matched, except by that of a French diligence: it generally consists of ropes made of twisted slips of hide. The wheels also require to be strengthened with thongs round the tire and between the spokes, to pre- vent their being torn to pieces in being dragged through the pantanos and summer ruts.* A few British merchants, however, as well as the supreme director, and two or three native families, have modern English carriages. The immense plains called pampas, so often alluded to, are described as presenting a sea of waving grass, extending for nine hundred miles, with few interrup- tions from wood or any eminence. On these plains, which afford excellent pasture, innumerable herds of cattle rove unvalued and unowned, their hides and tallow alone being sought after by Spanish hunters. From the 30th parallel of latitude southward, great numbers of wild horses are met with, the progeny of * In the annexed plate, the nature of vehicle, harness, cattle, and driver will at once be seen. The foremost driver is a Chino Indian—a tribe so named from their resemblance to the Chinese. me RE en EE —— 346 BUENOS AYRES. those imported by the Spaniards. They Ce herds of several thousands; and one trav lier hi re5 that, being in these plains for three wiih > hi continually surrounded by Sen ign 5 ez assed by in close troops on full speed, Sor ies De together. At other times, the EE been passed over, and no horses have Hoens 6 % Poy are said to have a trick, on disuovering 3 Yam horses, which they do at a very great disane: OF Toren ing in close column, gallopping up, ool J ote them; or, perhaps, they will run by ee i Son sing them, gently neighing, and finally effon Ne with them. They run with incredible oe oo > and, when pursued, dash themselves yar a ject that stands in their way. Astonishing ww a this wildness are seen in dry years, when wa wih ory scarce to the south of Buenos Ayres. Thet * Yo all together, as if they were mad, in sensel wk » pond or lake; and, on Te A phe d, and the foremost are trampled 10 A€: : se SE Azara relates, that he has Tre then once seen upwards of a thousand carcases ot . . ise he had perished in this manner. Al 0 fhe a chestnut or dark-bay colour. The domestic OE also very numerous, and on that Account re barously used. In Buenos Ayres, it 1s no extr So ir stance to see literally a beggar on horseback. Wid , ous in the Pampas. Wild dogs are also very numerous in ie Pom They are of a large breed, descended, he > ha horses, from domestic animals introduced y to] 3 settlers. They are gregarious, and several » ih i 8 attack and pursue a mare or cow, while Ap re foal or calf. In this way they make great Se consequence of their formidable numbets, : e hve > ment, on one occasion, sent out a party of ol 0 destroy them, who killed a great number; bt BUENOS AYRES. 347 ridicule cast on the expedition by the called the soldiers metaperros (d a renewal of the attempt. populace, who og-killers,) prevented These open plains are also the haunt of the en 1 or American ostrich. In parts where these birds are not hunted, they will approach the | are not disturbed at the sigl in the country, where tl 1abitations of man, and it of foot-passengers; but, 1ey are objects of pursuit for the sake of their skin and plumes, they ar They frequent especially the marshy grounds, either in pairs or in troops of thirty or more. They run with such swiftness that only good horsemen well mounted can overtake them. e extremely shy. When caught by means of the balls,* the bird is not to be approached witl caution; for, though it does not stril kicks with great strength, and is breaking a stone. lout great us reign of Spain in the new 1€ spe ‘hich it r The generation that i an 2 A 1 g away, might have been again enslaved; the rising one cannot be. Commer must be annihilated, the progress of education must re stopped, society must retrograde, the last s ark f moral light be quenched, and ev te ery generous and nobl : e sentiment be suppressed, before nations that have once tasted of liberty, can be brought again to fall do before that most Gothic of despotisms. The Plata shall sooner be laid dry. To the House of Progr Brazil owes a debt of gratitude. To Spain Amarice owes nothing, : » is broken, END OF BUENOS AYRES, Balne Brothers, Printers. i 8 thers, Printers, 38, Gracechurch Street, London, jo Nc3l58lo_ DATE 7/8 4 Voc month Reduction Ratio q lo =F =