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 A

HISTORY
OF

THE
COMPRISING ITS

· GEOG-RAPHY, COMMERCE, COLONIZATION,

ABORIGINAL INHABITANTS,
...
&c. &c. &c.

BY JAJ\tlES HENDERSON,
.. RECENTLY FROM SOtJ'TH AMERICA.

lLLUSTRATED WITH TWENTY-EIGHT PLATES AND TWO MAPS.

LONDON:
PRINTED. FOR THE AUTHOR,

AND .P UBLISHED .BY LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AN.D BROWN,

PATERNOSTER-ROW.

1821.
 11

iitA RCHANT, Printer, lngram.Court,

F• n church -~t rcet, Lóndon.
 TO THE

RIGHT HONOURABLE

THE LORD VISCOUNT LOW1,HER.

My L(j·RJD ,,

W ERE the w~iter of the .following Work a well-known

and admired member of the Literary Community he
would still be fortunate in the pennission of having it
dedicatéd 1Jo' your Lords~ip, as your Lordship's literary,
scientific, ·and -coinmercial knowledge, correct judgement,
•
and amiable qualities, more than the influence of elevated
birth and rank, would confer upon it increased recommen-
dation. But coming forward as I do, an ·unknown con-
tributor to the stock of general knowledge, I am peculiarly
happy ~n having so higb a passport to the notice of the
 IV

Public, in a Wor.k which professes to communicate new

information respecting a portio~ of South America, now
.
more than ever interesting to the coinmercial, political, and
scientific worlds. Whatever faults it possesses, the pains I ·
have -taken to obtain authentic information will, I trust,
render it not unworthy of their and your ,L ordship' s notice.
If the style in which I present the new fruit, gathered from
the hranches of the tree of knowledge that are spread in
a far country, is not considered interesting, the fruit itself
will be found, I hope, acceptable and u~eful.

I have the honour· to subscribe rnyself,

MY LoRD,
Y ou r Lordship" s most faithful and

devoted Servant,

JAMES HENDERSON .
. London, August 1, 1821.
 NOTICE TO THE READER.

! '(.

THE object of this Work is to describe the·state of the Brazil, from its
fir;st discover.y down t~ the present. time ;-to trace distinct]y ·the boun-
daries of th.e twenty-two provinces which it comprises, their s,ub-divi-
sions into comarcas or districts, and their rivers; to enumera~e the
povoaçoes or establishments in each province, consisting of ci~ies,
towns, ( and tlie dates tbey were so erected by bis present Majesty, _o r
previ·ously,) freguezias, (parishes,) arraials, aldeias, (villages,) pr·esidios,
_(garrisqns·. ) hermitages, &c. with tbe nature of their agricultura! pro-
ductions, the composition of their inhabitants, whether whites, rnulat-
tos, mamalucos, mesticos, Cbristianized lndians, or Atricans.
The numerous tribes of savage Jndians, still existing in this region
are also described; with the mountains, minerais, and leading objects
in the animal and vegetab.Ie worlds. The state of the government,
revenue, society, a.nd minor subjects are investigated, and more parti-
cularly the present ·commercial relations between Great Britain and
the Brazil. The friendly assistance I experienced from many persons
 VI

m South America, as well as from some governors and ex-governors

of provinces, has furnished a portion of the authentic materiais of
the Work.
My first intention irr undertaking it was to have adhered to a geo-
graphical and commercial account of the country, bu~ as the recent
pu.b]ication of Pªd,Iie Manoel Ayres de Cazal., (in pf<i>ducing which he
had beeri many years engaged,) furnishing me, not only with copious
information upon the first subject, but also u,pon its history,. civil and
natural, I éonceived that' it would not be unacceptable to the British
reader to give an abridged account of eacb province, from their first
colonization, combined with their geograpby, productions, com-
merce, &c.
U p.on the history of this country, .fuo,wever, the work of Mr-·. Southey
is cQmplete, a;nd_cil'ee& as much honour tu tbe talent 0f that gentlemán
as to his unwearied research. The Iahotlf; evea with a11 h~-s faólities,
which_such an undertaking tliust bave req.uired, cannot but have been
; '
very consid,erable.
Pa,dre CazaJ, wh o is a man of some talent, enjoyed decided advan-
tages, itl ,wjll b.e aJ}owed, from. his ecclesiastical situation, i'n arriving
at full and· au,tJnenüe inteBigem.ce, as to the p·res;tmt conditti:on of the
towns, productions, &c. derived from Gov.ermnent -d.ocuments, bis
own personal tesearch, thle diaries of Certanistas, (pers0ns traversing
the interior,) aad from numerous individúals, who might not have been
disposed to grant the· &ame pFivileges to any one di:fferently circum-
stan~ed. In the many inst~nces wherein I have had 0pportunities of
putting the v.eracity of bis statements t0 the test I have f~mmd them
correct· and impartial. No doubt can fairly exis-t a:s to d~e perfect
authentioity• of the '"'·hole, additionally con:firmed as it is, by Mr.
 VIl.

_Southey's having had recourse to the same authorhy, in the latter part
of bis third v'o lume.
The general reader may not be peculiarly interested with that por-
tio~ of this publication which details the towns and their productions,
anel in which monotony is unavoidable, .although they will be valua-
ble as references for the merchant anel many others, as, with the evi-
dently growing commerce of this fine country, already taking off
.annually three million of British manufactures, each of those places
will progressively become more anel more important.
The plates, which are amongst the best in their s~yle, are executed,
by an ·able artist, upon stone, from sketches taken on the spot; and
the map is formeel by myself from the materiais of the W ork. The
Appe.ndix is explanatory of the objects in Zoology and Phytology,
which wo'ulel not have been generally unelerstood by their native
., elesignations; and I must here apologize to the reader for not present-
ing them in scientific nomenclature.
,., ,.
'· ''f~ '~t~_~{,

•'
 '

C O NTE NTS.

CHAPTER I.
Page
Voyagefrom England to Rio de Janeiro .... , ..•.•......••••. ,., ...•...... . , • , • • 1

CHAP. 11.
From tlte first discovm·y down to the m·rival of the Royal Family there, and its present
division into provin~es- Tlte general character of the Indians • . . • • • . • • • • • . • • • • • . • 12

CHAP. 111.
PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.
lts colonization-contests witlt tlte French and Tamoyo Indians-expulsion of the
Frenclt-Joundation of St. Sebas'tian-boundaries-division into comarcas-moun-
tai'll!' -principal rivers -lakes- bays- capes- islands -mineralogy-zoology-phy-
tology-cities and towns·-- boundaries, · towns, anel productions of tlte comarcas oj
Ilha Grande and Parahiba Nova-boundaries of the comarca of Rio de Janeiro- .
.t!te metrópolis-situation-English burial-ground-streets-royal mode of riding-
compulso~·y homage upon the occasion-clturcltes~convents- Gloria Hill-female
convents-visit to one-Jountains-visit to tlte aqueduct-squares-palace-public
buildings-public garden-library-manufactories-tlteatre-roads leading from the
city-palace of St. Christovao-troops of miners and othersfrom tlte intm·ior-Caza
de Don Pedro-royal mill, shacara, and stables-fire-works-Beija Mao-fidalgos and
ltigher orders of society--splendour oj churchcs-royal chapel-religious festivals and
observanc~s-Junerat processions-catacornbs-tlte lwst-state of sociêty-markets.. • • 31
b
X CONTENTS.

CHAP. IV.
FROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO~continued.

Population of the capital-neg1·oes-:noctuníal clamour of reptiles-vampü·e bat-state

of literature-jealousy-dead bodies-military~bank- r~venue- imposts- diamonds ,
- visit to Campinha-tenu1·e of lands-p1·ooj of fertility-Swiss emigmnts-visit to
the cascades of 'i'ejuca-commerce- judicial procedure-pauta and cónvention-new
e:r:change-founelation of English church-towns, villages, and proeluctions of tlte
comarca of Rio de Janeiro-boundaries, productions, rive1·s, lakes, and povoaçoes of
tlte comarca of Cape Frio-beundaries,. Indians, rivers, lakes, towns, and sugw·-
1vorks of the comarca of Goytacazes-boundaries, Coroado Indians, and povoaçoes
of the comarca of Canta Gallo .. , . . . . . • . . . • • . . • . • . • . . . • . . . . • . • . • • • • • • • • • • • • 72

CHAP. V.
PROVINCll OF' RIO GRANDE DO SUL.

Colonization-boundaries-climate-aspect and productions-contests between Spaniw·ds

and Pm·tuguese-divisionary line between t!tese two·powers- opposition by t1te Indians
of tlte seven missions - thei1· dejeat-1·evived contests between Spaniards and Por-
tuguese-mountains- rivers -lalces - ·capes anel ports-islands-mineralogy-pltyto-
logy-zoology-lctTge fazendas for breeding cattle-mode of management-sheep-flock's
-use of the laço and balls-towns, nat1tre !Jj expor~s, villages, &;c. including those of
the, district .of llfonte Vid~~ ~~ ........ •! .................... ;, ..._.............. 110

CHAP. VI.
PROVINCE O'F .P .ARANNA.

Bounclaries-climate -procluctions- M atte -tlte most lucràtive-jiTst cliscoverers-pro-

ceeeli'J;tgs_ofi tlte Spanisl~ Jesuits-;-G'{-tarani .Indi(!:ns, formecl intq recluçoes, or villages-
nature .of- tltafi~ mi;pians-e.r;.pulsiQn of tl~f} Je~uits-delivery of the missions to otlt~r
ecclesiastics,.-ctlwi'j:_ d~C(1flj-.l1WW[ltaiM -,;. miner:_alogy-:-rivers anel lakes-:pltytology~
zoologY_"':'·:i~ns; pa~isltes, &;c,._remari.ning establi~ltments of tlte Jesuitical missÍ01f.S..... 134

CHAP. VII.
PROVlNCE OF URU,GUAY.

Foundatio:n of aldeias, calledrmissions, by. tlte Spanislt Jasuits for the Tappe ..Indians
-.flouôslt till tlte expulsion oj tlictt sect-;-,-subs.eq?fent elecay-war· :between ,the Spaniards ·
anel Portuguese-conq71:est oj the· seven_missions. by tlte latter,power in l80l-govemo1·
sent-bo,unda.rieS-JnOU'f4tains -rivers-pltyto[ogy~zoology -names_ anel population oj
tlt.e seven vtiss.ions at . their conquest .. . .•..•••... • . , •..•..••. .• , • . . • . . • . . . . . . . • 145
 ·eONTEN'I'S. XL

.~ HtA.P. VI1)1. .
PROV'INCE '0F 'S?r. CA:TliARINA.
Page
Ba11fl!rliiries ..:-'Colonizátian~odu,ctions-=-moun'flains~nitte1ia.lofn!-p}v.ytolegy~.zof#vg.y-:­
rwrM:s_., alce's ,·-'fl,nâ,;jpfYr.t'S-,..;.tôwns' parishes' &rcl_,.P,g:nicultu11€1Jl ~establi§1ume!flr.ts~~uza:.
tirJri.:.,ri'íslu-nds~deHghif.iil clilmafle .••.••• ; .. , •• ••.•...••..., , .• ...•..• ,• •... , · ~-· . ,•• 151

CEfAP. IX.
PROVINCE OF ST. PAULO.

Boundaries- first settlement- mountains........,mineralogy- rive1·s and ports-islands-p!ty-

tology-zoology-Bug?·e Indians, clwellings and customs........,cltaractá of tlw Paulistas
- division into comarcas- comarca of Curytiba- towns and productions- c01nm·cas of
sr:'Pauto ana ·Hitu- towns andp~oduct-ions .•.••. , •.....•........ : • ••. ~ . : •• .• ·:t62

CHAP. X.
PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO.

First explorers-gold discove1·ed-two bretkers ·appointed fo.r tlw purpose of exacting tlte
fiftlts on gold- t!teir atrocious conduct- people attracted Itere by tlte fame of gold-
destruction. of a party by the Indians-Payagoa and Guaycuru Nations discovered-
their alliance-their fatal attacks upon tlte Portuguese- tÍteir 'ilisünion-contiiiued
h~stili'ties óf the Guaycu1;us-conjlicts wit!t them- aÚempts to m~'ke prià:ce '1.íJitk' :t-lté
Indians-treacltery o] th'e Guaycurus~severe ãroüght-arrivat · of a· ffovernot·'-jjro-
motes t!te navigation to Para-extent and boundaries-division into districts.-Dist1·ict
of Camapuania-minemlogy-phyto1ogy- rivers- zoology-various Indian tribes-
povoaçoes .- District of Matto Grasso- mountains- minemlogy- phytology- zoology
1·iver-s-.capital. -District of Cuiaba - mineralogy-phytology- zoology- ,·ivers-
povoaçoes_- ln.dians ,.......,Distr:ict of Bororonia- Indians-rivers-lalces.- District oj
· Juruervna- Indians-rivers~Jorts.- District of A1·ínos-Indians- 1·ivers .-District
of ·Ta,p,zib·aquia- Indians-rivers .-Lands of t7íese districtSfer'tile and aUriferous .• 189

-CH'A.P. 'X I . .
' PROYIN·c ·E o'F .G'OY :AZ.

First discove~y of .gold-attempls of Bueno ·to .find tlte Goya' TerritO?·y~seÚl'i'rií.imts'­

boundaries- extent- mineralogy-zoology-phy'tology-cattlé ànd golã ·its e:iljfór'ts-
principal rivers- comarcas-Julg~dos.-District of Cayaponia- limits-Intlians-
rivers.- District of Goyaz-limits'-;-1fto'ltrítains-?apital-povoaçoes.-Distr~ct of
Nova Beira-limits-Indians-'l'ivers~povoaçoes-Indians reduced to peace-aldeias
est.ablished_for tltem.- District of Tucantines- limits-rivers-Indians-povoaçoes.
- District of Parannan:__limits-rivers-povoaçoes.-TJ'i:stri~t ' oJ ·R io da:s Veilws-
lirtÍits-rivers-lndians- povoafoes . . ...... .... . .... .. ........ .... . .. ........ · 231
h 2
 XII CONTENTS.

CHAP. XII.
PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES.

Page
Boundaries-extent-climate-discoverer~ of its mines-mountains-rivers-~ineralogy
-zoology-phytology- exports-comarcas anel towns. - Comarca oj Villa Rica-
limits- mountains---rivers-capital- povoaçoes.-Comarca of Rio das Mortes-limits
-mountains-rivers-povoa;oes .-Comarca of Sabara-limits-mountains~rivers­
lakes-povoaçoes.-Comarca of Serro Fr.io- limits- rich in diamonds-mountains-
rivers-povoaçoes.-Diamond elistrict-:1.'ijuco- seat of diamoneljunta ~ •••.• ,... . . 258

CHAP. XIII.
PROVINCE OF ESPIRITO SANTO.
I

Extent-boundaries-ritisjortunes of its (!onatorÍe;-spirited resistance of tlte Indians-

partial cultivation--principally possesseel by Inclians- mountains....:..mineralogy-zoology
descents of Inclians to the coast--pltytology-rivers anel ports--povoaçoes.-Island of
Ascension. • . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . • . . . . . . . • 288

CHAP. XIV.
PROVINCE OF PORTO SEGURO.
Bounclaries-prosperity of its jirst clonatory-reversion to the crown in a bad state-:-
present partial cultivation - Indians-mountains- mineralogy- zoology-phytology-
rivers, lakes, and ports-povoaçoes-abrolhos .•..••••.•.•.•' ...........•• , ... , 297I

CHAP.- XV.
PROVINCE OF BAHIA.

B oundaries-:-Caramuru-jirst clonatory-cruel war o.f the Inclians-the capitania for-

saken-return of tlte clonatory-shipwreclc-slaughter of all but Caramunt-governor._
general-foundation of St. Salvaclor.- Comarca bf the Ilheos- originally a capitania
-extent-fertility-mountains-mineralogy-phytology-zoology-~"'ivers ancllakes-
povoaçoes .-Comarca of Jacobina- extent-mineralogy-mountains-rivers-phyto-
logy-zoology--povoaçoes.- Comarca of Bahia- extent- mountains-minéralogy-
phy.tology-zoology-islancls-rivers -povoaçoes .-St. Salvaclor- churches. anel con-
vents--public builclings-Sepulchre of Caramuru' s wif~-negroes-commerce-produce
-exports in 1817 and 1818-state of society- aeloption of a new constitution 309

CHAP. XVI.
PROVINCE OF SEREGIPE D'EL REY.

Colonization-reduction of the Inclians-extent-mountains---rivers and lakes-mine- ·

ralogy-zoology-phytology-povoaçóes ••• , •.••••••••••.•.•••••.•....•• · • • • • • 347
 CONTEN'J'S. Xlll

CHAP. XVII.
PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO.
Page

Voyagefrom Rio de Janeiro_:_.first donatories-taken by tlte Dutch-restoration-1·ever-

sion to tlte crmqn-Indians-boundaries-mountains-colony of negroes-mineralogy-
zoology-pltytology-rivers-islands-comarcas of Ollinda, Recife, 11lagoas,-povoaçoes
-&uvidoria oj tlte .certam of Pernambuco-rivers-towns-Recife, or Pernambuco
-Ollinda-Mattutos-state of society- apathy- environs- revolution in 1817- mili-
tm·y governmen~-adoption of a new constitution-holidays-produce-inspection-
sugar engenho-contribution-fund-population-Fribourg H ouse •• , , • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 355

CHAP. XVIII.
PROVINCE OF PARAHIBA.

Extent-capitania of Itamaraca-slow advancement-taken by tlte Dutch-restoration

- capes and ports-rivers- mountains-zoology-pltytology -povoaçoes- capital...:..
British establisltn~ents-p'roduce, . ...............................• , . \. ........ • 394

CHAP. XIX.
PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE.

Contests witlt Indians-conquest-taken by the Dutch-restored-extent-sterility of soil

-capes and ports-mineralogy-mountains -zoology-phytology- rivers o.nd lakes
-povoaçoes-island of Fernando de Noronha. • . • . • • • . • . • . • . . . . . . . • . . • • . • . . • • . • 404

CHAP: XX.
PROVINCE 'OF SIARA.

Colonization-boundaries-Indians-taken by the Dutclt-?·estored-mou~tains-minera­

lo,gy-zoology-phytology-1·ivers and lákes-povoàçoes. . . . . • . . . . . • . • . . . • . . • • . . . . 412

CHAP. XXI.
PROVINCE OF PIAUHY.

B oundm·ies-.first settlers-cattle fazendas-mountains-mineralogy-rivers- towns • . • • 424

CHAP. XXII.
PROVINCE 'oF MARANHAM.

F irst donatory-sltipwreck of persons intended for its colonization- establishment of the

F renclt-retaken-foundation of capital-taken by the Dlttch-retaken-agricultural
 xw
Page
company-bo?J,ndaries-1·ivers, JJOrts, 'Jn,d-:i:Jldnid't;.......:mineralogy'-Pltytolo,g y-zoology-
Indians-povoaçoes-~ity of. Maran!Íam-~ommerce-..exports of p~·oduce • , , ... , • . • 4.33

) .
P.R8V.lNCE OF PARA.

Fi1·st-'YJritfJlemertt~eont~s:(Js witlLo.l:rt.dians-sta.very, •of ··bheol<iidi:a:_ns-:-,tfie.i;;· {lb~Jr'àMo:n:-:-!Joun­

dattes-iftim:eral(!f)Y..:...tp_ht!!tlJ[ogry~oology~wts -and-rivi3'r.s,.....lgar-uana·'.Iri'd!ians.~'Dis­
trict...e-f' PO!fa~P.r.Jrjfm•-capi,tal::_7Juildilfl:gs·~e11i.par·ts~En!flf:sh IJ!'s'ta~l'i&hml!'ll!t:B,~adfYPtion
-o o~fJj q,,ne,w çonstitu_tio..n-. (o'tl:{nsP-JJis-tril{t of-Xinff1.l!tt1:_wia--ltimit114iio
p!Jssession\o.f.:Jmdit11Tts
-rivers-towns:-District of Tapajonia-limits-river.s-Indians-towns.-District
of Mundrucania-rivers-principally ;possessed ~y thé Indians-their diffe~ent customs
.:...:_tov;ns•• ••••• , ••••••••••••••• , • , • , : .- , •••••••••••.••••••• , ••••.•• " ••• o • • • 448

CHAP~ XX]V,
PROVINCE OF SOLIMOES. o

Jurisdiction-origin of its name....,...boundaries· and extent-partially known-di1Jision into

/
six districts-rivers-various Indians-customs-povoaçoes •• o • o. o , • • • • 477 o • • • • • • • • • •

CHAP. XXV.
'
-
PROVINCE OF GUIANNA.

·m aund.aries-jslanrJs-.rivers--:-;to1pns-;-Indians, • ••••••. ~ • • , •• .• ó. •• •• .•• , • ,, . .... -. ••• o;. • • 48õ

CHAP. XXVI.
· Conclusive observations . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . ......... , . . c • • •••• 1, • • • • • • • • • • • • ••• ~98

-· a·
A.ppen zx .. ............................ •· ~ .•............... . o• • • • • • • • • • • • • •. • .501

.'
 -'

-LIST .. OF~ SUlJSCRIBERS.

A Bamber, W. and Co. Messrs. Manchestru:.

Barnett, John, esq. City-road.
Abbey, Richaxd, es.q. Pflncras~hme. Barrow, Thomas, esq. Manchester.
Ablet, Isaae, .. esq.. ' Bl,llcklersbur;y.. . Barton, Sir William, Henry-st. Liverpool.
Ainslie, Dr. D.~.veF~stree:t. Bateman, J ames, esq. Isli,ngton-ho.use,.Man.-
Ainswo.rth, Tbos. esq. solicitor, Manqhester. che~ter.
Allen, John-, esq. Manchester. Beardsworth, George, esq. High-stJ;eet;
Anderson, John, esq. St. Vince~t's Street, Manchester.
Glasgew. Beck, Francis,. esq. 12, Old Jewry.
Andrew, Jonathan, esq. Manchester. Benkhausen, Georg.e~ esq. Russia'Q. Vice-
Andrew-, Thomas, esq. jun. Manchester. Consul, Wincbest~;Jr-street.
Andrew, George, esq. GI·een-hill, Ch,_eshite_. Bentham, William, tJs·q. Gowex;stn;et.
Audrew, Robert, esq• .GreeB-Moun·t, Man.,. Bentley, J ohn, jun. esq. Stockpor~.
chester. Bibby, John, esq. Liverpool.
Ansley, Alderman, 95, Park-str~e:li. Bielby, Hyde, and Co, Mess1:s ... Bir..m.ing-;,
A.s11tcm-; ,JohB, esq. -New , CannOJ\-Street, ham,
Manchester. Birkbeck, George, esq. M.P. Cateaton-sJ;.
Ashton, Themas, esq. Li-verpegl. . Birtless, Thomas, esq. ~anchester.
Atkinson, William, esq. Nichelas-la,ne, Blackett, J . jun. esq. 20, London-stfeet.
Atkinson, Matthew, esq. ' Temple-Sowerhy. Blaikie, Robert, esq. 4, St. Hanover-street,
Austwick, - , esq. Friday-stre~t. Glasgow.
Blair, George, esq. Bolton.
Blanckenh~gen, J. C. esq. King-street.
Bolling, Edward, jun. esq. Bolton.
Bolton, J. esq. Liverpool.
Becket, The Right Hon. Jolm, J udg·e- Bond, J. esq. Church-street, Stoke New-
Advocate, M .P. Downing-street. ington.
 X VI LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.

Bone, Mrs. 10, Cambridge-row, Hackney. Cardale, W. esq. Bedford-row.

Booth; Benjamin, esq . •Mancbester. Carmalt, C. esq. 30, B ow-lane.
Booth, Thomas, esq. Liverpool. Capper, Thomas, esq: Beaufort-buildings,
Boothby, J. B. esq. ·Everton, near Liver- Strand.
pool. Carrick, Robert, esq. banker, Glasgow.
Bonsor, Joseph, esq. Salisbury-square. Carruthers, John, esq. Leadenball-street.
Bousfield, John, esq. Manchester. Case, J ohn Ashton, esq. Liverpool. '
Bowen, Charles, esq. Chandos-st. Caven-. Chance, W. and G. Messrs. Birrningham.
dish-square. · Chetwode, C. esq. Liverpool.
Bradshaw, John, esq. Manphester. Christian, Professor, Gray's Inn.
Bradley, Thomas, esq. Mark-lane. Christie, J ohn and Robert, and Co. Messrs.
Bradock, J. esq. St. J ames's Square, lv,[an- Manches ter.
chester. Clark, John, esq. Crutched Fri ars.
Brandt, Charfes, esq. Manchester. Clarkson, Thomas, esq. Playford-ha l, near
Broadbent, James, esq. Manchester. · Ipswich.
Brocklebank, Thomas, esq. Liverpool. Coats, Edward, esq. 35, Bernard-street,
Brothei-ston, J. esq. Liverpoo1. Russell-square.
Broughton, - , esq. Mecklenburg- Cockshott, James, esq. 'Pernambuco. _
square. Cohn, G. J. and Sons, Messrs. Mançhester.
Brown, Archibald, esq. Glasgow. Collier, J osiah, esq. Mancbester.
Brown, James, esq. 190, Cr:oss, Glasgow. Collins, Edward, esq .. Bell-;street, Glasgow.
Brown, S. esq. Liverpool·. ' _Collinson, Thomas, esq. Lombard-street.
Brown, James, esq. St. Mildred's Court. -Collinson, Jolm, esq. 29, Lambeth Marsb.
Brown, Robert, esq. 157, Cheapside. Colquhoun, Archibald, esq. Turner's Court~
Buchan, Lawrence, esq. 1\'Ianchester. G lasg·ow.
Buchannan, J ohn, esq. Liverpool. Cook, J ames, esq. 40, Mincing-lane.
Buckle, J ohn William, esq. Mark-lane. Cooke, Isaac, esq. Liverpool.
Burgess, Henry, esq. Manchester . Cooper, J ohn and F. Messrs. Old 'Change.
• Brunto~, Thomas, esq. Commercial-road. Cooper, T. W. esq. Harleyford-place, Ken-
Burra, Robert, esq . Watling-street. nington.
Bury, J ames, esq. Lever-street, Manches·· Cooper, Astley, esq. New-st_reet, Spríng~
ter. Garclens.
Butler, W. H. esq. Water-lane. Copland, Robert, esq. Liverpool.
Copling, J óhn, esq. N ewgate-street.
Corbould, Charles, esq. 4, Carey-lane, Fos-
ter-lane.
c Cotter 1 Lieutenant-Colonel, Pernambuco.

. . CampbeH! Thomas, esq. 23, Old Burling·..

'
Courtney, Thomas, esq. Old Jewry.
Cowie, George-, esq. Russell-square .
ton-street. Crammond, A. L . esq. 11, Leadenha:ll-st.
Campbell, Charles; esq. Bisbop.sgate-street. -Crole, D. es<k Old Broad-street.
Camp bell, J. esq. Liverpool. Crosby, R~v. Robert, A.M. Hoxton-sq.

'I
 LIST OF SUBSCR.JBERS. XVH

Croggon, William, esq. 64, Cornhill. Evans, Thomas, esq. Watling-street.

Eyes, Charles, esq. Liverpool.

D
p·
De Dubatchefsky, A. esq. Russian Consul-
Gener~l, 28, Great \Vinchester-st. Fitzwilliam, th·e Right Hon. the Earl,
Da Costa, A. J ·. esq. Portuguese Consul, 4, Grosvenor-square.
Liverpool. Farrer, William, esq. )V atling-street.
Dalg·airns, P. esq. 5, Martin's Lane. Fawcett, Peter, esq . .Manohester.-
Dalglish, ' Robert; esq. Glasgow. Fawdington, William, esq. Manchester.
Darch, Thomas, esq . Admiralty. Fell, Richard,- esq. Bolton.
DâVenpo·rt, James, and Co. Mess,rs. 82, Fielding, Jeremiah, esq. 64, Mosley-street,
Fleet-street. Manchester.
Da visou; J o'bn, esq. 37, Gutter-lane. Fisher, John, esq. 23, Watling-street.
Dawson, Jonathan, ·esq. Stratford, Essex. ·Flell'!ing, T. esq. Water-st. Mancbeste1·.
D'awes, J ohn, esq. Threadneedle-sÚeet. Forrester, W. esq. 3, Crown-ct, Broad-st.
Dawson, Jonathan, esq. Manchester. Fortunato, ·A.' P. esq. Li verpool.
Dawsou, Richard, esq. Liverpool. Fothérgill, J. esq. StockwelT-place, Surrey.
De la Cbaumette, L. J. esq. Angel-court. Fox, ·E. B. esq. 80, Old. B1·oad-sireet.
Delisle; Z. esq. Cburch-st.·Stoke Newington. F.r:eeze, J. H. jun. esq. Mecklenhurg·h-sq.
Delpla; Edward, esq: Liverpool. . Frend, William, esq. Rock LifeAssurance,
Dempster, J. esq. Commercial-ct. Glasgow. Brid ge~street.
Denison, J am!ls, esq. South ·Lambeth. Freshfield, J. W. esq. NewBankBuildings.
Dent, William, esq. W andsworth-common. Fry, Joseph; esq. Liverpool. ·
Devas, W illiam, esq . Watling-stl'eet. Fullarton, A. esq .. 37, Brunsw'ick-pl. Glas-
Dixon, William, esq. Liveq)ool. gow.
Dixon, Francis, esq. Manchester. Fyffe, J. esq. 4, Eqch~nan st .. Glasgow,
Dixon, George, esq. Manchester. .,
Dobson, Jobn, esq. 17, Bucklersbury.
Duff, William, esq. Liverpool. G
~ugdale~ 'Adam, esq. Manchester.
Dyson, Thomas F. esq. Liverpool, Graham, Sir J. Bart. M.P. 1, Portland-pl.
Gallemore; Liddel, . Messrs. and Co. Man-
cbesier.
E Gardin, Alex. esq. Georg·e-sq. Glasgow.
Gardner, J. esq. 39, Miller-street, Glasgow.
Edgar, T. esq. 9, Billiter-square. Garnett, Abraham, esq. Liverpool.
Edwards, Richard, esq. Seel-st. Liverpool. Geary, Thomas, esq. Manchester.
Edwards, C. A. esq. Wandsworth.' Geller, Jobn G. esq. Liverpool.
Engstrom, Charles, esq·. St. MHdred's Ct.' Gibbi:Qs, Bruton, esq. Birmingham.
Euing, W. R. esq. Liverpool. Gilfillan, J .. esq. Liverpool.
c
X Vlll LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.

Gillespie, A. esq. America~square. Heale, Richard, esq. Miucing-lane.

Godmond, C. esq. Blackheatb. Helps, Thomas, esq. W ood-street.
Gordon, A. esq. H.M. Consul, Havre de Hemsley, Henry, esq. Amsterdam.
Grace. Heuderson, R. esq. Glasgow.
Gordon, James, esq. Manchester. Henderson, G. esq. 6, St. Enoch's Square,
Goring, J osbua, esq. Liverpool. . Glasgow.
. .
Gowen, John, esq. Mark-lane.' Hend~rson, J. esq. 11, Great St. Heleu's.
Gray, B. esq. Crescent, Ancoats,_ Man- Hendersou, J . .esq. Shap, W estmorland.
chester. Henderson, W. esq. Lowthian Gil!, Cum-
Graham, W. jun.esq. Cocbrane-st. Glasgow. berland.
Graham, William, esq. Liverpool, Heuderson, Robert, esq. Lowthian Gill.
Grant, D. esq. Mauchester. Heyworth, Q. esq. Liverpool.
Grant, George; esq-.- Liver.pool. ~~yworth, John, esq . .Gr~ev's :rjook, near
Grant, William, esq, Mancbester. Rochdale.
Grant, JohnJ ·esq: Manchester. Heyw_orth, James, esq. Liverpool.
Greaves, John, ·esq. Ban.ker, Manchester. Hill, Tho:n;tas,. esq. Manchester.
Greenough, PeteF and'- Sons, Manchester. Hill,.W 1. tlsq.1'7~ Old Mill G;ate, Manchester.
Greenway, Charles:, esq. Manchester. ·•' Hitch.en, _J !JDathan~ esq. Bolton.
Guimaraens, G. J ; F. esq. Liverpool. Hodgson, Thomas, esq. Euston-square.
Gumpel, Gustavus, esq. Manchester. Hodgson, T. esq. _Church~lane,Whitechapel.
Holli~eÜ and Hi~hfleld, Messrs. Liverpool.
Holme, W. esq. Sackville-s!. Piccadilly.
H ''.l .. f112rnby, J. T. and W. Messrs_. Liverpool.
Horridge, T._G. esq. Fountain-st. Man-
Horrocks, Samuel, ,esq . .M.P. 9, Bread-1st. 1 chester.
Haddan, J ohn, esq. 52, 'V ellclose-square. , Horrox and Son, Messrs. Man?hester.
Haffinden, J. esq. 28, Queen's Sq. Blooms- Horrox, J ackson, Messrs. and- Co. Man-
. '
bury. · chester.
Hamman, J ohn, esq. Bow-lane. Howard, L. esq. Long RoQm,Custom-House.
Hancock, John, esq. Liverpool. Hoyle, Tlwmas, ju'n. esq. Manchester.
Iiankey, W. Alers, esq. Fenchurch-street. Hulme, John, esq. Manchester.
Hankey, Thomas, esq. Fenchurch-street. Hunter, And. esq.ll, Candlerig·s, Glasgow.
Ha,_rdacre, George, esq. 23, Birchin-lane. ' Hurry, William, -esq. Liverpool.
Hardie, David, esq. Liverpool. Hurst, John, esq. Mancbester.
Hardie, James, esq. Manch~ster. Husey, N. esq. 91, Watling-street.
Hardman·, Thomas; esq. Manchester. Hutcheson, C. esq. George-sq. Glasgow.
Hardy, William, esq. Mincing-lane.
Harrison, Anthony; esq. Pem-ith. ,
Harrison, J. es~. Marsden-sq. Manchester, I & J
Harrison, William, esq.13, Little Tower-st.
Haselden and ·wmis, Messrs. Liverpool. James, W. esq. M.P. Coulson's Hotel,
Hatch, Oliver,. ·e~.. ·Ely-place. Brook-street.
 LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. xix
_J ackson, R .· •esq. Manchester. (2. éopies.) L aing,.,C harles, esq.- 26, Lawrence-Poulte-
J ackson, J ohn, ·~s q. 1,, C anni:Al.~s'treet, Man- ney-lane. ·
, chester. .\ r J L atham , Wm, esq. ·Liverpool. ~2 copies.)
•.
James, Thomas, esq. 17; ' Cheapsíde. Lawrence, Isaac, esq. Balliam-hill.
Jelf, G!3org·e, ·esq. Norwood . L awrence, W. and E. and -Co. Messrs.
J ones, R iGhard, esq. 10, .Aldgate. . Liverpool, and 9, Trinity-sq. London.
J ones, R ichard, esq. F our Y ards, Man- Leake, L . and G. Messrs. Threadneedle-st.
chester. Ledward, E. and C. Messrs. Liverpoo].
J osling·, Thomas, esq. 34, Broad-streéf. Leech, Rev. J. ·L. A.M. Vicar of Askham.
l zon, T homas, esq. Birming·ham. Leigh, J . P. esq. Clapton.
Lewis, Edward, esq. and Co. Manchester.
Lindeman, Frederick, ·esq. H. M. Consul-
K General, S·icil y. .
Little, William,' esq. Stock-Exchange'.
Kay, W. esq. Tring-Park, H ertfordshire, Liv~rp·ool U nion Book Society.
and Hampstead. Loâge, H. R. esq. 11, Bow-church-yard.
Kay, J oseph, W atling-street, M anchester. Lomax, John, esq. Manchester.
Kearsley, John, esq. Liverpool. Lomax, ·Richard, esq. 10, West-square.
Kemble, Henry, esq. Watling.:street. Low, Andrew, esq. Live}'pool.
Kennedy, James, esq. Anc.oats-lane, Man- Low, Georg·e,. esq. Bi-rmingham.
chester. Lowe, John; esq. 5, Jeffrey's S_quare.
Kent, Samuel, esq. Mark-lahe. Lowe, Arthur, esq. Liverpool. -
Kenworthy, W. esq. Pernambuco. Loyd, Edward, esq. ;Bankler, Manchester.
Kewley, P. esq·. Liv:erpool. · Loyd, Lewis, esq. Lothbury.
Keymer, Titus, esq. Lawrence~lan·e. Loyd, William, ·esq. Bread-street.
Keyser, S. esq. 23, Finch-lane. Lukin, C. jun. esq. 16, George-street,
Kirtley, Ge0rge, esq. Manchester. Mansion-house. ·
Knig·ht, James, esq. Rhual, near - Mould, Lyne, ·W. and Sudell, T. Messrs. Liverpool.
Flintshire.
Knight, .Samuel, esq. Manchester.
Knig·ht, N athan, esq. Manchester.
Kolft, G. esq. Liverpool. M

Musgrave, Sir P. Bart.M.P.39,Porliland-p.

Macadam, P. esq. 26, Bell-street, Glasgow.
M ~Cabe, Thomas, esq; Stoke-Newington.
M'Cartney, A. · esq. Gommercial B ank,
Lonsdale, .The Right Hon. the Earl of, Edinburgh.
Charles-street, Berkeley -square. M'Conochie, W. esq.' Glasgow.
Lonsdale, The Right Hon. the Countess of, M'Farquhar, J. esq. York-st. Liverpool.
Charles-street, Berkeley-square. · Macfie, D. esq. 36, Candleriggs, Glasgow..
Lowther, The H on. Co!. M .P. Bruton-st. Machell, J ohn, esq. Low Pialns, Penrith.
c2
XX Lt;~J' OF SUBSCRIBERS~

M'Keand, J ames, esq. Liverpoot.. ,i Monteith, R. esq. Richmond-st. Glasgow.

M•Keand, J. and J. Messrs. Manchester. . Monteitb, William, esq. 4, Blythwood-place,
M'Kerrel, Henry, esq. Liverpool. ,, . Glasgow.
Maclachlan, D .. esq . Parah-iba . . Moon, Edward, esq. Liverpopl.
M'Nair, John, esq. jun. Glasg-ow. Moore, Dr. Bolton.
M'Neile, J ohp, and Co. Messrs. Lawrence- Morg·an, John, esq. 'Change-alley.
Poulteney-lane. Morgan, W. esq. Pope's Head-alley.
M'William, R. esq. Liverpooi.- Morley, John, esq . West Smithfield.
Marcb, William, esq. Broad-street. , Morrison, J. esq. 33, Glassford-st. Glasgow:
Marcb, '.r. and W . and Co. MessrR. 15, Morrison, W. esq. 14, Miller-st. Glasgo'!V·
. N ew Broad-street. Moxon, J. D. esq. Liverpool.
Marchant,Mr.W . Ingram-ct. Fenchurch-st. lVIuir, J. esq. Ingram-Buildings, Glasgow . .
Mardall, R. esq. 14, Little Tower-street. Murphy, Georg·e, esq. Manchester. .
Marris, Francis, esq . .Mancbester. Murray, G. esq. Ancoat's Hall, Manchester.
Marsb, J obn, esq . 66, Coleman-street.
Marshall, J . e~?q. York-street, Mancbester.
Martin, W~Uiam, esq. Hornsey.
Martindale, Richard, esq. 62, Cornhill.
Martindale, D. esq. Liverpool.
Masterman, J ohn, esq. White ~art-court, Naylor, Jeremiah, jun. esq. Liverpool. .
Lombard -street. Needbam, Samuel, esq. Live1·pool. ,
Mathews, Samu.el, esq. Salford. N esbitt, J obn, e~q. Tokenhouse-yard. .....
Matley, Richard, esq. Manchester. Nevitt, W illiam, esq. Liverpool.
Matthie, H. esq. Liver~ool. . N ewalJ, A. ~sq. 4, Virg-inia-street, Glasg-Q~v.
Maubert, .J. F. esq. Warnford-court. Newman, Thomas, esq. HertingfoHlhury,.
Meirilles, A . esq. Liverpool. near Hertford.
M ellor, Thomas, esq. Liverpool. Nicholson, ·w iHiam, esq. Lowther. .
Meyrick, E . esq. Spital:fields. Noble, Wílliam,. esq. 36, Foley-place.
Middleton, R. D. esq. Wellington-place, Noble, J. esq. 8, Tokenhouse-yard.
Commmercial-road. Norris, .Edward, esq. Manchester.
M ieville, Andrew A. esq. Angel-court,
Throgmorton-str·eet.
Miles, Rev. John, St. Michael's Rectory,
Cornhill. . o
Miller, J ohn, esq. Liverpool.
Miller, , M. esq. Islington, Liverpool. Oughton, James, esq. Manchester.
Miln!=Jr, J ames, esq. Old Ch_ang~.
Mitcalfe, 'Villiam, esq. Gower-street, ot·
Coal-~xchange.
Mitcbell, William, esq. Mincing-lane. p
Molyneux, Anthony, esq. Liverp~JOl.
Monteath, J. esq. Buchanan-st. Glasgow. Packer, Richard, esq. Mile-end.
 LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. X Xl

Packer, R. W. esq. 'Stepney-green. Reardon, Daniel, esg. Corbet-court; Grace-

Page, Charles, esq. 10, Austin-friars. church-street.
Park, John, esq. Liver.pool. , . Richardson, Christ. esq. Brunswick-sq.
Parker, W. esq. Manchester. Richardson, J ohn, esq. Liverpool.
Parker,. · Robert, esq. Heaton Mersey, Richardson, Samuel, esq. ~iverpool.
' Manchester. Ridg·way, J. esq. Ridgmont, Lancasbire.
Parker, C. esq. Pett1;ill-green, Cumberland. Rigg, James, esq. King-st. Manchester.
Parkins, J. W. esq. late Sheriff, Bridg~- Rignell, J ames, esq. Chelsea.
street. Rivaz, A. esq; Stoke-Newing·ton.
Paterson, Alexander, esq. Manchester. Robin~o.ri, ,James, esq. Walbroo_k,. _
Patçm, John, esq. Bow Church-yard. Rogers, S. e~q. Watlands, near Newcastle, ,
Peck, Samuel, esq . Liverpool. Staffordshire .
Peel, Edmund, esq. 30, .B_ucklersbury. Roskell, R. and J. Messrs. L.i veqiool.
Penny, J. S. esq. Leaf-sq . Manchester. Rothschild, N. M. ·esq. Stamfor.d-hill,
Percival, R. jun. esq. 76, Lombard-street. Row: J. esq. 2, Álder~ary-~hurch-yârd.
.
' • J
Pickering, Edward Rowland, esq. Clapham. Rowlandson,
. Rev. J. Shap, Westmo1~land.
.
Platt, Dr. Bolton. Royle, Vernon, esq. Manchester.
Pollard, J. esq. Manchester. Rushforth, Ricbard, esq. Manchester ..
Potter, J ohn, esq. Manchester. Rushton, W. esq.- Liverpool.
~ott;er,- Richa<rd, · es~. _Manchester. Russell! ~dw:ard, esg. Maid!!tone,
Powell, J ames, esq , Carey-street.
PFice, J oseph, esq. 7, King-street.
Price, Buckley, esq. M anchester.
Pringle, George, esq. Stoke-N ewÁng.ton. s
Pringle, Kenetb, esq. Liverpool.
Pritt, -~· A. esq. Liverpool. Spencer, the Rt. Hon. the Earl of, St.
Provand, Charles M. esq. 31, Miller-street, J ames's Place.
Glasgow. Strangford, the Rt. Hon. Lord, Minister,
Pullen, J .' esq. la~e Ünder Sh.eriff, ' Fore- Constantinople.
street, Sadler, Joseph, esq. 2, Bow-lane.
Samuel, S. M. esq. 1, Hammet-street,
America-square.
Samuel and Pl~illips, Messrs. 8, South-
R street, Finsbury-square.
Saner, J ames, esq. Sun-street.
Rainier, . Daniel~ esq. 11, 'Chang·e-alley. Schwieger, G. E, F . esq. Highbury-terrace,
Rl!-in~ortb,- Dr. John, Bolton. Scott, John, esq. Du Four's Place.
Ramsay, Dr. Perna!'fibuco. Sealy, George T. esq. Liverpool.
Jlamsome, J. A . .esq . . Mosley-street, Man- Sheldon, S. esq. lVIilk-street.
chester. Shepherd, H. esq . Union-street, Borough,
'
R ay, Joseph, esq. Am~rican Consul, Per- Sherman, J. R. esq. Lime-street.
nambuco. (20 copies.) Shore, J oseph, esq. Birmingham. ;
xxn ·LIST OF SÚBSCR!IBERS.

Slade, Rev. J. Bolton. · · , Thorp, Br:• Klng-stree~, Manohester...

Smith, J. S. esq. HoÍloway-plaee. Tinkler, W. esq. Putney, Sarrey.
Smith, R. 'esq. Finch-Iarie. Tootal, Henry, esq. Manchester.
Smith, Charles, ·esq. High-street, Man: Townend, W. esq. Manchester~·
chester• · TfistraÍn, H. esq. 138, LeadenhaH-street.
Smith, Jóhn, esq. Piccadilly, Mancbester. Turne~, George, esq. Liverpool.
.
Smith, Samuel, esq. 40, Gomme.rcial Sale
Rooms, Mincing-lane.
~urner, ~rade, and C~. Messrs. Liverpool.

Soulby, A. esq. St. Mary-hill.

Spenceley, J. H. esq. 20, Lawrence Poulte-
ney,..lane. v ..
Spooner, T. esq. George-yard, Lombard-
street. V arty, Wi!'liam, esq. Bishopsgate-'Street:
Stable, Henry, esq. 115, Duke-street, Lei-
cester-fields. r. .,
., r -
Stephenson, F. esq. Pope's Head-alley.
Stevenson, George, esq. 42, Bow-lane. w
Stirling, Charles, esq. Glasgow.
Stocks, Samuel, esq. Manchester . . Waterhouse, Nicholas, esq. Liverpool.·
Stuart, J. esq. St. Vincent-lane, Glasgow. W emyss, General, 19, Cumberland~street~
Stubbs, Thomas, esq. 16, Lad-lane. Whalley, John, esq. 11, Bow Chu1·ch-)'ard.
Stwewardson, Thomas, esq. Adelphi. Wheeler,' Samuel, esq. Surrey-square . .
Sydebotbam, Charles, esq. Liverpool. Wiegbers, J. esq. 23, Finch-lane.
Symonds, John, esq. Old Jewry. Wilkinson, E. esq. Long· Room, Custom-
House.
Wilkinson, Thomas, esq. 8, Fitzroy-square.
Wilkinson, Robert, esq. Isling-ton.
T Wilde, James, esq. Manchester.
Willianis, B. and T." Messrs. Manchester.
Thompson, W. esq. M.P. 12, Gloucester- Williams, Thomas, esq. Live1'pool.
plac·e, Portman-square. Williamson and W atson, Messrs. Dublin.
Tate, W. esq. Old ·Jewry. Willis, Daniel, esq. Liverpool.
Taylor, Thomas, esq. 7, Back-square, Man- Wilson, Crighton, and Co. Messrs. Man-
chester. chester.
·Taylor, J. esq. Bradford-house; Bolton. Wilson, R. esq. Clemenfs Lane.
•.raylor, James, esq. ~iverpool. Wilson, Thomas, esq. Staplé lnn. •
Tennant, J ohn, esq. Henry-street, Liver- Wilson, Samuel, esq. Aldermaribury.
pool. Windus, Thomas, esq. Stoke-Newington.
•.rhonias, J. W. esq. Liverpool. Winstanley, W. esq. lO, Pa~rnoster-row.
Thomas, W . .esq. 1, Cateaton-street. Wingate, J. esq. 190, Trong·ate, Glasgow
Thompson, J. esq. 44, Old Change. Wood, Philip, esq. Russell-square.
Thorp, J. T. esq. Lord Mayo~, London. Woodhouse, W. esq. Liverpool.
 LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. X~lll

Wo1thlngton, Thomas, esq. Mosley-street, Wybergh, John, esq. Liverpool.

Manchester. W ylie, J ohn, esq. Liverpool.
Wright, George, esq. Birmingham.
Wright, Edmund, esq. Manchester.
WrighJ;, H. esq. lngram's Building·s, Glas-
gow. y
Wrighton, A. esq. Moor's Place, Hope-
street, Glasgow. Yates, Joh~, e~q. Manchester.

.;
 e:flO L~ln~
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'l
 AN

HISTORICAL, GEOGRAPHICAL, AND COMMERCIAL,

ACCOUNT
o~· THE

BRAZIL.

CHAPTER I.
Voyage from England to Rio de Janei'l'o.

ON the 11th of March, 1819, l 'took my departure, in the brig Ecko, Captain
HendersoD, from the River T!1ame~, and on the 18th, after contending with
adverse winds, arrived in Portland· Roads, ~here we took shelter till ·t he 21st. ·
On our departure from t.hence we were favoured with a fair wind for only a
short period; and on the 24th it opposed us from- the westwa1~d with such
violence, that it rendered our attempts to heat out of the Channel abortive.
W e were in consequence obliged to suhmit to the only alterna tive of running
for safety to Falmouth Harbour, and remained there till the 2d of April.
Pe1:haps few situations can be conceived more irksome than this. To a mind
rnade up for departure, every delay is deemed. a misfortune in proportion as
the object in pursuit is of desirable attainment, and especially in the considera-
tion of its prolonging the time that is to re-unite us to those we love best. A
light breeze from the north-east enabled us to c1ear the Channel on the 3d.
This part of a voyage from England, thoug·h triíling in poiilt of distance,
js regarded by sailors as pregnant with impending dangers and difficulties,
tbe Channel being· so situated that the prevailing· westerly winds, at certain
~e.asons of the year, render the e,gress extreme1y intricate. The constant
B
2. VOYAGE FROM ENGLAND
. .
anxiety of the c~ptain anel crew till we passed the Islands of Scilly, contrasted
with the happy security which they .then evinced, were proofs of the importançe
they attached to it. The feelings of Englishmen on quitting the British shores
must be '- various, and, in many instances, exquisitely inte.r esting in pensive
reflections. As for myself, the animated attachment for my native lancl anel
those so elear to me left behind · proeluceel a melancholy, heighteneel by the
surrounding oceanic scene, which, on the other hand, was alleviated not only
by · a humble reliance upon that Almighty, in whose paternal hanels is the
greater or less share of happiness of all his creatures, but also by the hope o( a
successful issue attending the voyage-
" Hope th!lt whispers promised pl~asure-,
..
And bids the lovely scenes at distance hail."

We were favoureel with. a propitious bree~e, which continueel steaely, at the.

rate of seven, eight, anel nine miles an hõur. On the 12th, we passed between
the lslçmel of Madeira anel the African coast: the vicinity of the formei",
althoug·h we did not see it, was announceel by the appearance of sea gulls,
the only birds I had hitherto noticed, excepting one swaUow 'anel the mother
cary's chicken, not unlike the former at· a distance, but rather larger, having.
white feathers above the tail anel under the_beUy, the rest of a brownish cast.
It· is saiel to ·hatch anel carry its young on the water, aml is seen, I understa~d,
in every part of the Atl~ntic as well as the lnelian anel Pacific Oceans. )V e met
1'Vith the swallow in about 40° north latitude anel 15o west longitude; it made
several attempts to alight upon 't he vessel, but was prevented by the dog; ap_
parently fatigued, it continued its flight in a northerly dil~ection. 'This is a phe-
nomenon attending the migratio.n of t110se birds, favouring the opinion that they
visit some southern or tropical climate, eluring the cold season in England, and
is opposed to the hypothesis aelvance~ by some of their immersion in pqnds,
· and by others of their taking refuge in old walls anel ruins. That they assume
such a state of torpitt;tde as the fi.rst would infer is very improbable.
On the morning of the 14th of April, we discovered _the high peaks of three
of the Canary Islands at a great distance, Grand Canary bearing south-,vest,
~nd Lanzarote anel Fortavent.m;a south-east. The wo1:ld of waters whic.h had
hitherto, from its varied and sometimes terrifiç agitation, filleel the imagi~ation
with awe, was now changed into a pacific, but grand expanse, that soothed and
absorbed the mind with its tranquil magnificence; and the weather, which had
been cold and g;.loomy, was changed into a balmy mildness anel enlivening
 TO RIO DE JANEIRO. 3

· sunny clearness. Towarels the evening, we carne close ilp to the north-west siele
of Fortaventura, a long islanel, exhibiting a ruggéd tumulous corribination of
peaks and Iiwuntains, rising irregularly one over another, of the most baiTen
anel cheerless aspect. In vain the sun exteneled his genial rays over its sterile
wastes, where no salutary plant áppeared to take root, or the least vereluTe to
quicken. With the assistance of the glass, I could not eliscover oo.e sing·le hut
or human- being along the whole face of it. There is a . stnall pm;t on the op-
posite ~tele, where the produce, ' a~ well as th_a t of Lanzatote, is barilla. The
wind having changed, a passage coulel not be accomplished rouml either end of
this islanel. The signal of " about ship" was given, and we stood · for som~
hours to the northward. Pursl!Üng a southerly com·se again ne~t day, we
carne, at noon, close up with lanel, which, during the morning, a thick haze
hael obscured. The sun now bursting forth, presented to out view the island of
Grand Canar·y, with its town of Palmas, furnishing· a contrast of a very pleasing
nature to the island already mentioned. Its romantic and commanding peaks
of immense altitude had their tops concealed in clouds, which the lustre of the
sun ,seet~ed unable to dispel. Its amphitheatre of mountains, aelorned with ·
lively patches of .green from their very summits, fertilized by increasing cultiva-
tion, and in the most luxmiant verdure, elown to the verge of the sea, concurreel,
wÍth the town of Palmas, alíld a large village extending some elistance along the
parterre, with detacbed houses in the same direction of an elegant appearance,
to render the scene peculiarly auimatíng anel lovely. The towri. of Palmas,
which does not appea~· large, anel the hm·bour, which' is capacious and safe, are
command:ed by b~tteries, stationed a.long a range of monntains to the north of
tb~ town. TeneTiffe anel most of the other isl~nels elra.w their supplies of corn
· and cattle from Granel Canary . . As we proceeeled along its shores, and before
the dose of the evening, we perceiveel that its cultiva.tion was not general. The
_ next ela.y, the Peak of Teneriffe was incl.istin:ctly seen through the clouels that
hung upon the hori,zon ~ the height, for whi~h it isso celebrated, is apparently
diminished by tbe elevation of the circumjacent mountains. A north-east trade
wind now wafted u.s forwarel with consielerable rapielity, rendered more agree-
able by the delicions weather anclsalubrious atmosphGre ditfused around. The
familiar and accustomed possession of the prime bounties of nature must be
always gratifyiug- to those whose seuses and whose imagination are e'veu in
tolerable vigour; but to au Englishman, blest wit'fl a sounel constitution, anel o ver
whom the vicissitudes of life had--not, as is ._ too ofteu the case, casta mantle of
desponelency, to deaden present pleasure anel darken future prospects, anel who
B2
 4 VOYAGE FROM }.?.NGLAND
-·
had so recently einel'ged from a dreary atmosphere, the e~joyment of ·this, to ..
him, ·new-born paradisa:ical climate, resembled mo1;e a feeling of sudden and
happy enchantment, than an elemental anel natural delight, with which Provi-
dence had blessed a pa'r ticular portion of the g·lobe._ ·
On the 22d, we made the Cape de V erd Islands, anel took our· course betwixt
the islands of St. Anthony, St. VinceJ;J.t, St. Lucia, anel St. Nicholas, to the west-
ward, Sal anel ·'Borra vista being to the eastwarcl of us. The 'isle of Sal 'is fre-
quented by the Americans for salt, which is collectecl upon it.
On the 23d, we rangecl along the · north-east side of St. Y ago, the largest of
the Cape de Verd Islands, but it was so completely enveloped in opaqne clouds,
that we could see no object distihctly upon it. 'It is, I believe, mote verdant
than any of the others, possessing · groves of cocoa-nut trees, and - bananas.
The volcanic ·wastes of the island of Mayo, lying to the eastward of St. Y ago,
·were riot obscured by a single cloucl, anel the industry of man cliel not appear ü~
ariy part of it to have subdued tÍ1e sterility of nature. It was completely bare of·
. vegetation, except an impoverished· brush-woocl. I could only discover two
or three solitary~ cocoa-nut ttees ; notwid1standing·, at the end of this island
neai·ést to us, there was a small town, possessing some apparent neatness, but
without a single tree or any shelter to refrigerate the scorching . rays of the sun.
I observed a flag projecting from ·a wiudow, which probably was the h ouse of the
governador: there was not an inhabitant to be seen, they were, no doubt, indulg-
ing in a sesta. The officers of a British ship of war, who had just come to
anGhor off the town, were preparing to go on sbore, anel might perhaps rouse
sorrie of them: from tbeir lethargy. This was a ship of about 20 guns, anel we
imagined she belonged to the Sierra Leone or African station, in which those
island's might be includecl. No fortifications were visible any where, anel it may
be inferred, that the mother ·coüntry regards so little the importance of those
islands, that no p1·ecautions were ever adopted for their defence. The fogs by
which they are usua:lly obscured ~ are attributecl by some to vapours arising
áom tbe salt lake~?; but as the same general law may be supposed to govern
such conclensations of fog, common to them as well as to the Canaries anel other
islands ·of a higb elevaticm, I should pe more disposed to think that they ori-
ginate in the profnse exhalations in those latitudes, an~ in the increased power of
attraction attached to the volcanic materia)s of which those accumulated m·asses
of land are corpposed, thereby more effectually drawing around tbem this gloomy
·mantle. Anel, although I am not informed as to the .circumstance, it is pro-
bable that the clensity and quantum of baziness ·are much greater when the sun
 TO RIO DE JANEIRO. 5

is in the nGJrthern tropic, anel diminisbes as be recedes towards tbe southern.

From the Cape de Verds, the same favouring gale continued to swell our sails.
In traversing this tropic, .the heavens present tht=t most beautiful and romantic
pictures, anel tbe ocean some of its gayest inhabitants.for contemplatiop. It is
here the rapturous scene of tbe celestial spring. Towards the evening's sun
especially, the firmament is seen glowing with purple, orang·e, and every beau-
t€ous, delicate, anel rich colour; of such ~ransparency anel matchless brilliancy,
that cannot be imagined, as it is n.ever seen in a northern latitude. The diffusion
of such an il1finite variety of warm tints anel other hues, mingled in eleg·ant
groups, around the wliol_e horiz.m~, enhances the vigorous power of the sap-
phire back-ground, or rather the rich blue ethereal canopy to which tbey form a
deep edging, or granel anel resplendent fringe. In vain ' ~vould the most accom-
pli:shed. artist attempt its delineation; he could only look up wid1 admiration
anel amazement, anel, lost in wonder, tbe hahd would bé founel to refuse gui-
dance to his pencil.
" For who can paint like nature 1 Can tmaginatiou boast,
In ali her gay creation, ·hues liite hers 1"

When the beautifnl anel sublime scenes I have ineffectually attempteel to give
a faint idea of, fade away in the shades of night, anel are succeeel~el by tbe glory
of the stellar hemisphere, tum tbe eye to the deep, anel a blaze of marine illumi-
nations, frequently seen around tbe sbip, in some degree compensates for
their loss. This effect is occasioned by the small blubbe1; fish Boating near
the surface, anel Solomon, in all his g·lory, was not arrayed like these.
The brilliant appearance, in these waters, of t.he· bonita, albacore, pilot fisb, &c.
is only surpassed by the extraordinary chang·e anel rapid suffnsion of delicate
colours succeedi.ng· each otber during· the dying m.o ments of the dolphin. The
Bying· fish are seen in large numbers, taking their Bigbt from the water, alarmed
by the approach of the vessel, or the pursuit of the dolpbin anel other fish, to
which they are a prey. The nautilns, commonly callecl by sailors "~ the Portu-
guese man of war," moves on in slow majesty, with its sail above the water, anel
secure from the attacks of its neighbours by its poisonous qualities : it lowers
anel erects its sail at pleasure, wbich is something like the slice of.a large lemon,
only that the rind is of a pinkish hne, anel the othet; parts nicely shaded. Here
also is the shark, which may be called the destroying demon of the ocean,
skulking· " about, seeking . whom he may devom·," witb understood . hoúor of
purpose both by man and the -marine inhabitants. His approach is soou
6 VOYAGE FROM ENGLAN.D

announced 'by a geneEal hue anel cry from the sailors, wbo are among bis
deadliest foes. All are instantly up in arms. Their animateel anel entire elevo-
tion to their purpose, · in which every feeling is intere.steel, can scarcely be
equalleel by the pleasurable emotions of a sport~man at the moment a fox is
breaking cover. Every artífice is useel by throwing out pieces of pork at the
enel of ropes, which he voraciously follows to tl}e side of the ship; the weapons·
of death are reaely; anel, after striking him, anel a struggle ensuing to g·et him
on board, if, by any effort of his strength, he break away, which I have se.en,
great is the su~len vexatio:n anel disappointment shown . by 'the crew. He is
usually accompanieel by _three or four pilot fish, about the size of a whiting: they
are extremely beautiful, anel appear in the wate1:1 as if fastened upon bis back,
near the heael. '
On the 23el of April, in 12o 34' north latitliele, I was, for the first time in my
life, under a vertical sun, now by degrees moving through the northern tropic,
anel graelually elispensing his benign inHuence to the regions of th~ nortb. ·
On the 1st o f May, in 2° north latitude, · anel 22° west longitude, an officer
from the Rockingham, Captain Waugh, a free · trader from the East Indies,
boarded us, to solicit some trifles they wanteel, anel particularly newspapers,
which their passengers, inclueling some laelies, he stated, were ext~·emely
desirous to see. There was a peculiar pleasure in baving even a t.ransient inter-
course with a ship at sea, anel being enableel to relieve, in any elegree, their
wants. The social feelings, the fellow sympathies of man, were revived with
1·eneweel vigour by the idea of our havin~·, on the wide anel solitary ocean, been
mutually so long separated from our own proper element anel expo~eel to the
perils of the deep, anel by the new sight of our countrymen, afteF having been
confined to the view only of those within the compass of the few yarels that
enClosed the space of the brig. It increased the kindly emotions in the awaken-
ed thoughts of absent country, anel especially of the clear family circle of home .
." Home ! There is a magic in that little word!
lt is a mystic circle that surrounds
Pleasures and comforts never Imowu beyond.
The hallow'd limit.''

About this time we lost the north-east trade wind, which was succeeded by
calms anel squalls, that detained us seven or eight days near the Line. N othing
can be experiencea in. a V.(1yage· much m0re unpleasant than this vicissitude of
weather. The irksomeness of a calm near the equator is 1·endered almost insup-
 TO .{tiO DE JANElRO : '7

portable by the arelent rays of the sun ; every one seems ~~ languish : severa],
and often many hours drag heavily on, while the vessel makes no progress, and
only experiences a disagTeeable motion by the heavü.1g of the glassy ocean, it.s
surface ·not being in the least ruffied biy a breath of air. In tbe mean time, an
elernental war is brooding. A black and pitchy clouel is seen awfully and
slowly moving on, with fury in its train; all is alarm; with haste the sails are
.Jowereel. The sullen langour of ·the atmosphere is succeeeleel by the " maelelen-
ing tempest," so suddenly anel with so little warning, that sometimes,_before every
precaution can be taken, the sweeping· impetuosity lays the vessel instan-
taneü'usly upon her side, fl,nel, in that situation, "'she is hmried forward with
immense. velocity. These confliçting winds are a~ quickly followed by solid
torrents of rain. In a short period, a1l is tranquillity again, anel the rétu_rning.
sun, in burning raeliance, annihilates the last breeze that feebly curled the face
of the ocean. The same scenes alternately present themselves.. During the
nightt these sudelen squalls are the most elangerous, as tb~ir approach cannot be
so well ascertained. '
On tbe first day that we were beealmecl, notwithstanding the aelvances we
occasianally made by the transient 0peration of tl;w se gusts, we foünd QUr lati-
tude 1° 43' north, ·anel the preceeling elay it was only jo 23'. This can. only be
acc.ounteel for by ·the strong northerly currents now prevailing here; and hence
it woulel appear, that the same invariable law of a:ttraction g·overns them as well
as the winels. The squalls I have mentioned also carne from the south and
south.. east, anel the winels beginning· at this time to blow here, issue from th.e
same quartel', in consequence, no doubt, of the sun being in the northern
tropic. lf he creates a vacuum in his viGinity by the rarefaction of the. air,
which indu~es a great influx from the southern anel northern hemisphe1·es of the
atmosphere, in like manner tbe exuberant evaporations from tbe sea rnay pro-
duce a rushing of _the waters to supply what is lost ( p1'0 tempm·e) by vapours.
Va~ious causes, however, operarte to prevent m~ uniform appe~rance in this
respect, sueh as the occasional counter-attraction of the moOii anel other celestial
b'oelies, of continents and other lands, as well as a prevatling repulsive power i_n
nature. Still if those effects could be minut~ly followed through their various
ramifi.cations, it might be founel that the winds and currents originat.e in the
combinatio_n s I have ventureel to suggest. . Is it not possible, that the calms near
the equat01· at ·tbis period may a.rise from tbe equally poised contention of the
south-east anel nOTth-east winels ll!éeting, anel that the former, in the sun's march
tbrough the northern tropie, will graelually gain upon the latter in extent of
. .
 8 VOYAGE FROM ENGLAND

elominion proportionecl to the sun's eleclination, anel vice versa as he receeles

through the southern tropic, or, .mo1·e properly speaking, in the . eaith's oblique
revolution rounel the suil? The rust, which at this time constantly showeel itself
upon my ra~ors ; was probably owing to sáme peculiar <=:orrosive properties in
the atmosphere, or it might have arisen from some saline moisture insinuating
itself' every where imperceptibly.
But to attempt to comprehend or explain the extra0relinary operations in the .
granel w'ork of nature, in this anel other latitudes, has in many instances baffieel
the keenest sagacity anel most laborio'us r.e search. Second~ry causes of the
phenomena in nature are often beyond the clearest ken of hmnan intellect, how
then are the faculties of the minel bewilelereel in the contemp.lation of .the great
First Cause! How lost anel absorbed. in aeloration of the Divirie source, the
essence of all those wonelerfully eliversifieel appearances ·! The h anel moves the
pen with which I now write; I can trace the power that impels it- the cause of
this effect, to the immeeliate impulse only, that is, to the muscles in the arm, that,
ari~ing thence, connect themselves with the hand. But can I go back any
further? Can I ascer.tain what it is that proeluces tliis aelmirable power in the
rnuscles, this secondary cause? Reason l~ere diseovers its confined limit as to
rerhoter anel efficient causes, but, bounding at once overthese concealeel regions
of knowledge, sees anel acknowl edg·es the great original sotuce of all finite
existence, and in ' the power of thinkring, anel in the movement of his bodily
frame, mau fee]s that -
" lt is the Divinit~ that stirs w.ithin him."

He has an uneleniable anel practical evielence of the existence, power, anel

goodness of an invisible anel eternal Being, frorri whom ali creation has
em·a nated.
On the 6th of May, we crosseel the Line in 23° west longitude. The calms
anel squalls were succeeeled by clouely weather anel light breezes from tlí.e south
anel south-east, which in a few elays assmneel the steadiness of the trade .wind,
but not accompanied with that beautiful serenity anel brightness of sky, which
~e · experienceel wlülst in the north-east trade wind. N eptune anel Ilis wife
Amphitrite elicl not make their · ~ppearance; or, to speak without mythological
allusion, the usual ceremonies on crossing the Line were not observed, owing, I
p1~esume, to the fatigue anel exhaustion sustaineel by the sailors, in consequence
pf t.he variable weather. ·
-On the 22d of May, we discovered,, at a d.istance, Cape Frio, a cliscove1·y

-.

;
 - "!·
l

t77t .!'t'or.~JtffyC.J'hoo.,.mdif./nmr..ac.W~íf.pr.lá.:ffirmr.rvn-. .l"nlné"i{y Cff.~

WJEW OF 'I'HE WJE$TE:R:N SlDE O !F TH.E BAY OF RIO> DE JANEIRO> . :FRO>M THE .S U<Gr..&.RLO>AF l.Y!:<CHJF'lf' .A IN TO TH.E C.l TY.
o
 TO RIO DE JANEIRO. 9

which ai~.ays fills with joy the 1>reasts ·o f those making a voyage to -this 'part of
.the world. Alild no wonder. For baving launched out upon ·tbe wide imrrÍea.. :
·surable 0cean, where uncertainty and dangers always accompany bim, . man; at
this refreshing sight, feels reassured of his safety, and obtai'ns a ·promise ·()r tbe
eventual success of bis voyage. Besides, he experiences a ricb glow of min.d at
viewing the natural element of bis súpP.ort and existenee, and •a feeling of deep
interest on beb.olding, if for the first time, a new portion oftbe werld. From this
promontory, tbe coast swells in a north-east direction to Cape St. Roque, torming
tlie most easterly portion of territory in South America.• Rio de Janeiro lies
exactly west from, and in tbe same latitude witb, Cape Frio, at ~ distance of
about eighty miJes. Tbe coast 'hetwixt tbem presents a continued appearance of
rugg·ed mountains, and. tbrough: every aperture· they are seeu undulating in aceu-
rnulated alpines far back into the interior €>f this vast. éontinent. Treme~dous
p.recipices, at every opening of tb.e nearer mountai:ns, strike tbe imagination with
wonder, snowy cloudri! occasio'nally bbscuring the éontracted v~lleys at their
feet, and resting in detached and airy vapours upon their sides, wbilst their'
summits and other' parts are brig·litened by the purest atmosphere and sunshine.
This scene co.nvey; to tl1e European traveller a gi·and idea a~d faretaste of the
peculiar magnifieence of size and aspect~ with which nature has displayf!d her-
self in the new continent. After proceeding: about fotlty miles along this shore, a
view is commanded from Cape Frio to Gavea, or the Parrofs Beak, a distance of
near one bundred miles. The entrance, througb a narrow inlet amongst the moun-
tains, to the bay of Rio de Janeiro,. is pointed out by one ofa singular shape, re-
sembling a sugar-loaf, the strata of .which it is composed appearing lo run· p~r­
pendicularly; Here is prese!Jted one of the most picturesque and beautiftil
scenes tbat can well be imagined. Abrupt and! towering precipices. of w'ild and
fanciful sbapes, universally robed in veràant shrubs of various kinds, surrou~d
this fine bay, containing nearly one bundred islands, to tbe eircumference of which '
the eye camíot extend. The bases of these mountains, consisting of granite, are
beáutifi.ed with numerous sweeping crescents of more perfect cultivation, edged
witb white cottages and houses, from whence narrow valleys, ador~ed with
!'lrange trees, are seen winding amongst the mo1:1ntains. ·The clear, súnny, and
smiling face of nature; the verdant islands, which look in their loveline~s as if
théy Wel1e intended for the abode of beings· more refined Ín Íntellect and ri:J.c:>re
pure in 'b eart than weak and erring man; the shipping dispersed about the bay,
tbe city seen at a distance, combined with an .airy and elegant aqtieduct, which
conveys from the.mountains wáter for the supply úf tbe town, all impressing the
c

) .

-,
 ).

JO VOYAGE FROM ENGLAND

idea of social happiness, of the comforts and elegancies produced by science

and ci~ilized society, are, after a long and consequently tedious voyage, welcome
sights to the aquatic trav~ller, re-enlivening bis spi6ts, anel, in the anticipation of
the enjoyments of .his proper element, "land, are the beginnirigs of the compen-
sa~ion ·it· affords hiin for the privations he has been enduring at sea. i\. little
higher l.lp, on the opposite side to the sugar-loaf, is the fort of Santa Cruz, where
ships for a few-:minutes bring to, and .answer various questions. From hence a
signal is made, which is repeated from a hill dose by the town, announcing to
what country the ' ship a~rived belongs. · The vessel then cast anchor off the
island of Fort Villegagnon', to whichplace she de_spatched a boat to bring on
boar.d a -serjeant and two soldiers, who remained as a guard, ti1lnearly a day
was consumed befere the eaptain o( the port, a military officer, a doctor, ~c.
had·; one after the ·other, CQ,m e .off in boats, at their pleasure, to visit the ship,
creating an 1mnecessary and -tédious delay., At t'ast, the vessel moved ou to the
vicinity of the Is~e das Cobras, from whence, after a custom-house guard had
arrived, ·the soldiers conducted the Captain and myself to the palace and
other oflices, where the ship's name, &c. were give:n in. On here taking· leave
. of the brig, I must do jp.stice to my feelings by observíng, that I received the
mos-t friendly -attention from the Cáptain, whose gentlemanly and well-regulated
çonduct were highly honourable to him.
bn landing, th~ prepos~;~ession regai.·ding this placegives way to an impression by
p.o means ·favourable, produced by narr0w streets, ·crowded with negroes, whose
black faces and savage songs, which they hówl 1ont as an encouragement to each
'9ther under the burdens and leads which they drag along, fill the min.d of the
stranger, unaccustomed to such scenes, with dejection. The fairy visions in the
1Jay, too recent yet to ha·ve disappeared from the ·iinaglnation, va~ished at such
discordant sounds and uncouth · appearances ; and suffering, rather than satis~
factiçn aúd enjoyment, appeared to be resident here. The discordant sounds
~ffor.eled~ pe.rhaps·, some coiisolatory relief to the poÓr negroes, by dividing their
att':ntion in some degte~ from their toil. They were an effort of nature, ever
fertile in resources under ealamity, to drive away care; but they were on that
account.
a pro of of their misery. They thus imparted a trifling gratification to
)

the sable sufferers, but they penetrated mournfully to my heart, unused as I was
to such misery-eli'cited minstrelsy, fe1; it was slavery under a temporary attempt
at disguise. ~' Disguise thyself as thou w1lt, still, sla'Very !" said I, with Sterne,
~· still thott JJ.rt a bitter draught! and thôugh theusands, in ali ages, ha ve been
'" made to drink of thee, thou art ne less bitter on that account.''
'
 . ..
. ... . .~~*~~'·
~- ~ .. ~ • ~ •• .. ••. ,,1{.,;,···
 TO RIO DÉ JA~EIRO. - .11

The human frame-will seldom bear, without injury, its transmission to a dünate
very dissimilar to that to which its birth and previous residence have accustomed
it. Thus the English residing here exhibit in their appearance the effects of
this tropical climate, and, although they are otherwise in health, there is a debi- '
lity manifest in their countenances, something resembling ' the appearance of a·
person in a state of convalescence after illness. _
I waited upon Henry Chamberlaine, Esq. the ·Britisli charge d'atfaire, with a
letter of introduction from a nebleman, and discovered, at that interview, that
my expectations of entering actively upon the functions of a public situation
were not likely to be realized .; I therefore adopted the determination, to which
my mind was pl'e-dísposed, of devoting my time to the 'acquiremen:t of such
intelligence, regarding the vast, regions of the Brazil, as circumstances would
admit of. . Houses of public accommodation ~ay be said scarcely to exist in
'this city, and are of such inferior order, that strangers are peculiarly fortunate if
they are received into the residencé of a friend. The liberality and frank hospi-
tality of a merchant, to whom I brought a letter of introduction, relieved me
from any inconvenience on this score. Previously to my enteríng upon a
general description of this city, and the several provinces composing the Portu-
guese poss·essiOns m South America, o( which it is now the metropolis, jt·may
not be irrelevant to give some account of the first discGvery of~this w~dely­
.extended continent.

...

c2
 12 FRO.M 'fHE .FIRST DISCOVERY ·TO THE

• I
i
•

·. I .•
' 'I

,;

UBAP. li.
' . .
From tke First Dz"scovery down ·to tlte An·ival of the Royal Family tkere,. and
its p1·esent Divisimz into Provinces- Tke general Clzamcter of tke Indians.

THE honour of discovering th~ new world, it is well known, justly belongs to
Christopher Columbus., a piiot of Geno~, althot~gh Ú derives its name fr0m Ame;
ricanns Vespuccius·, a Florentine navigatm·, wl10 performed two voyages to this
hemisphere, under the. a:u.spices ofhis Castilian ~ajesty, and two others by order
of Em~nuel, King o(~~rtugai. The. latte~·..voyages the Pmtugues~ wl"ite,rs
:flatly deny., and attribute the promulgation of a story so devoid of .truth to the
arrogance and pride · ofVespucci~s; nor, i~ fact, d@es bis relation respecting· tbis
point appear to be sup:porte.d by a~y c~llateral testimony. · A mere accidental
occurrence, indeed, ,ÍI}cluced C0lumbus first to ,entertain the idea of l~unching
out upon unkno~ seas. The · 1~aster of a caravelleon, named Frai1ciscÓ
• Sanch~s, about. tlie yeàr '1480, ·.aFrived. at Madeira,_where C,o lumbus 'then was,
in a most pltÍabl~ condition, ~iih ·th1:~e or four sail9rs only r~main~ng, and nearly
exhausted, in consequence of a b:emendous tempest which had assailed their ,·"
ungovernable ba,r k, and driven them to a remote western longitude, where tbey
s aw, or fancied they saw, land. It was in those days irnagined, tbat tl1e eastem
c oas.t of Asia was the western boundary of tbe Atlantic Ocean, and Columbus
was persuaded, that the land which Sanches bad seen was the island of Japan,
or some other island upon that coast, and whicb was then only a1-rived at by
navigating around the coast of Africa. The novel circumstance stirred up in
bis mind the most animating· presentitnents ;-the gl,ory of opening· to India a
sh~rter anel more easy passage, by proceeding· directly across the Atlantic,
inspired Columbus with enthusiasm, and he flattered himself, th.at the . disclo- .
.sure of his ideas would produce 1·eady concurrence in furnishing the adequate
equipments for the ente~·prise. He proceeded to Genoa for the purpose of pro-
·p osing his plan', .but it was regarded there as a chimera. He submitted tbe
sam e p roposition to · John li. of Portugal, wbose subject he then was, whiCh
was rejected by the votes of some chosen geographers. He next directed bis
way to the court of Castile, where the learned ones entertained the same senti-
 A\RRIVAL OF THE ROYAL FAMlLY. 13

ments upon. the subject as' the . ~osmogi·aphers of ·L usitauia, an.d where, perhaps~
· he would have been eql~aUy unsuccessful had not the spoutaneo~1s offers which
Luiz de Sautauga;I made to provide ali the rnouey requisite for the expeditiou,
aud the vol!}ntary proposal ,of Dou Pedro ·de Mendouca to coutribute oue-
eighth of the expenses, overcorne every difficulty. He sailed fi·orn Paios, with
three caravelleons uuder his command, ou· the 3d of August, 1492, anel, passiug
the Cauaries, 'dir~cted his cours'e to the westwa~·d, till the 11th of October, wheu
he descried an island, which he called St. Salvador, uow Óne of the Baharna
Islands. H e was much disheartertéd at having traversed ·so much of the ocean
with so litt'l.e success ; but h e contiuue'd, however, the voyage, ·aú.cl discovered
the· Islaúd ·o f Cuba, of Hispaniola,. no:w St. Domingo, anel left 38 meu the1:e
in a vmoden fort. He then retrà€ed ·his way back, anel arriveel at Lisbou· ou the
-6th of March, 1493. Columbus made three other voyages across the Atlantic,
.under the protection of Fe:rdiuand V. His second voyage wa;;; commenced
from Cadiz, · ou the 25th of September, 1'493. He re-visíted the Island of His-
p_aniola, discovered Jamaica, aúd a gr.eat,tnany other islands to the southward
.of Cuba, ·and which, for its fertiHty anel picturesque beauty, he. denom-inated the
garden of the king'dom. - Upon his third vcoyage, ·in 1498, he saw the islanel of
Trip.idad, at the' moüth of the Oronocos, ou. the lstof Aug:ust. He afterwarels
.disembarked on various pàrts of 't he coast .of Paria, "ret~uned to Hispan.iola,
anel then fo Europe. He sailed again from _Cadiz on, the 9th of May, 15Q2, à
third time visited Hispaniola, anel continueel to navigate ouwarel till he dis-
covereel the lsland of Guanaia, near Cape Honduras, ancl stJhsequently explored
ali the co.ast of thé continent, (t·om Cape Gracias tG Porto Bello.
Some p~rsons, however, .affirm tliat it is a gre.a t•injustice to attribute the honom
{)Í discovering this hemisphere to either of those navigators, when it is certain
.that the oriental Syberios, called Choukes, were in the habit of passing the
Straits of Bhering·, to the American contfneut, in the surrimer season, from time
imrnemorial. T-he Danes discovered -Greenlanel about the end of the tenth éeu-
tury, anel the N orwegians colonized it in the following Óne; and if this land
is not a portion of the continent, it is at 1east au islanel belonging to it.
Having briefly eléscribeel the :first discovery of the American .continent, it will
I '

now b.e in unison with the objeet of this work, to invite the attention to an in- .
vestigation of t~e cixcumstances restllting fr.oJ:n thé discovery of that portion 'o f
• it . tnOl'e immediately under éon.sideration, anel which has excited endeav<?urs
on my part, . very inadequate to render justice to á subject of sueh pt'o.digious
magnitude. _The Portuguese imagine (and' the inscriptions met witp in tbe Bra-
 14 FROM THE FIRST DISCOVERY TO THE

.. zil would appear to corrobórate the notion) that their countryman and atlces-
tor, Pedro Alvarez Cabral, was the first discoverer of that country ; but tnis '
honour indubitably belongs to the celebrated Spanish pilot, Vinoente Yanez
Pinson, tbe companion of Columbus in his first voyáge across the Atlantic; and
who, it is affirmed, would not have acquired the fame o f first descrying the new
world, had not tbe despondency which was clouding bis mind, in the progréss
of tbat voyàge, been dispelled by the animating hope of success with which Pin-
son encouraged bim. In virtue of a commission granted to Vincente Y anez
Pinson, by the Castilian court, he quitted his native shores in pursuit of undis-
covered countries, in the month of December, 1499. He shaped hís course
more to·the southward than his late- commander, ·columbus; and on the 26th of
January, 1500, discovered land in about 8° south latitude, having crossed the
Atlantic in as short a' period as the voyage is commonly accomplished in-at this
day; evincing an undaunted spirit and disregard to the prevailing practice then
existing amongst navig·ators, of taking in all sail and lying to during the night.
The discovery of this new land musthave been highly consolatory anel gratifying
to bis feelings; he gave it, therefore, thé name of Cape Consolation, which can be
no other than Cape St. Augustine, situated about twenty miles to tlie south of
Pernambuco. Pinson vainly went through the ceremony -of taking possessioh of
the country for the Spànish crown. · Tbe natives wbich tbey saw were exceed-
ingly shy, a~d they endeavoured without success to accomplish any interco;urse
with tbem. He proceeded nortbward, towards Cape St. Roque, witb bis ships,
and, again landing upon the intervening coast, bis people bad several rencounters
with a borde of savages very different to tbe first they b.ad seen. Tnese
Indians used the bow and arrow, and attacked tbe Spaniards witb great spirit
and dexterity. This reception induced Pinson to contiíme his course along the
northern coast of the Brazil ; and, after proceeding as far as tbe Oronocos, be
returned to Europe without any manifest advantage resulting from tbis under-
,t aking. Although he was unfortunate in losing some of bis ships on the bome-
ward voyage, he displayed considerable nautical skill in conducting his vessels
in safety along the most difficult and dangerous part of the Brazilian coast.
During tbe period that Pinson was thus occupied, Portugal was fitting out
a fleet witb much pomp and parade in the river Tagus, not with any project of
discovering a new territory, but in consequence of :Q.on Vasco da Gama.having
arrived at Lisbon, with certain intelligence of baving ~scertained the ;navigation •
to India, round the Cape of Good Hope. The Portuguese King, E~anuel,
determined to send a fleet to establisb friendship and a treaty of cominerce
 -
ARRIVAL OF THE ROYAL .FAMtLY.· 15

with fbe King of Calcutta, and to create a factory in the same city: Merchan-
dise of the best taste was selected for the · outward cargo, and the·ships were
to be laden in return with spices. For the.comrna:nd of this fleet, which consisted
of ten Cf,travels, and three larger vessels, a fidalgo was chosen, called Pedro Al-
.varez Cabral. . The number of persons on board amounted to twelve hundred well
:selected and well armed. The :lleet was prepared in front of the Rastello, now
called Belem ; and it was determined that Ít .should sa:il on the 9th of Mat·ch,
.1500. At the vespers preceding, which wa~ on Sunday, the King went with
ali the court to open mass, in thé hermitage of our Lady of B~lem, (or Bethlehem,)
which site is occupied at this · day by the magnificent monastery of P. P. Jero-
nymos. .Diogo Ortip, Bishop of Ceuta, delivered a discom·se upon the object
of the expedition; and, during the service, .a :flag :was placed upon the altàr,
with the cross of the order of Christ, which the Bishop, with imposjng ceremony,
consecrated; a11d the King, with his own hands, delivered it to Cabral, w~o
was near his Majesty during the cererponies. TI:te funçaõ being· finished, the
€olours were carried in procession, ac.c ompanied by the King, .to the beach, where I

Cabral and most of the captains kissed bis hand, and at the sarrie time a grand
salute was fired by the whole fleet. This was considered the most powerful and
brilliant armament that had ever sailed from Portugal for distant comitries.
Th.e other captains were Sancho de Tho~r ..(with succession to .Ádmiral pabral),
N. Coelho (who had been with Vasco da Gama), S. de Miran.da d'Azevedo,
A . .G. d.a Sylva, V. d'Athayde, S. ·d·e Pina, N. Leytao, P. d'Athayde, L. Pirez,
Ga~.pa1· de Lemos, the celebrated Bartholome'w Dias, discoverer ofthe Cap~ pf
Good Hope, and Diogo Dias, his brother, who were to remain with the factory
to be established . . Tliere were, besidés, seven Franciscan friars, ·s ubordinate
to one named Frey Henrique, w'ho was afterwards bishop of Ceuta, eight chap·
lains, a:nd a vicar, ·t<> administe:r the sacraments in the factory of Calcutta. .
Ayres Correa was appointed fa:ctor, or head of thé establishment; and G.
I

Barboza, all.d Pedro V as de Canünho, escrivaõs, or writers. ·

Onthe 14th of March, the fleet passecl the Canaries ;·. and after having seen
the island of St. Nicho las, one of the Cape de V erds, on the 22d, they disco-
vered that the.vessel of V. d' Athayde was missing. Cabral took every pains to
fali in with it again, but without effect. He continued.his voyage, anã in order to
avoid being detained by the calms peculi~r to the coast of Africa, .and to pro:fit by
the prevailing north-east tra.de wind, they stood so much to the westward. that, qn
the 21st of April, (the last Qitava .o f Pascal,) they met witli signals of land, (which
were certain :floating plants,) and late on the following day, in latitude 17o south,
they saw a large roand mountain with smaller bills·, ·wli'ich were the highest por-
.,'

l6 FROM THE FIRST DISCOVERY TO THE

tions o f the Serra, now called Aymores, mo.s tly covered with wood. Cabral made
a signal to the other ships to approach the land, and by sun-set they anchored
in 19' fathoms, about six leagues from it. F,róm. ·respec.t t@ the oitq,va·rio, * CabraJ
gave the moúntain the name of lVIount Pascal, which it yet retains; ·a nd the
land he called V era Cruz. The following day they sailed towards the land,
and carne in front of the rnouth of a river now c-alled Rio de Frade (River
Friar) ; , and rem~ined h.alf a league distant from it during the night, with some
difficulty, in consequence of a strong south-east wind setting ·in. Captain N :.
ü_oelho examined the river the same day, which wa:s fouq.d inqtpable of
receiving even the smallest vessels o( the fleet; and the wind not being fav(i)ur-
,a ble to coast towards the south, Cabral ordered the fleet to navigate northwar(J,
and despatched Affonso Lopez, his piloi, in one of the smallest caravels) to.
proceed nearer the beach, and to examine the first part he met with. ·
The squadron having coasted on abont ten leagues, met with the oay of
Corôa Vermelha, otherwise Cabral, where, towards the evening, the ca.ravels
nearest enter{ld. Affonso' Lopez, who was sounding the port, met with ·two
young Indians in a, canoe, whom he carried to the admira], who had anch01;ed
with the larger ships a league from the :reefs, which were at the elitrance of the
bay. They were next morning placed upon the beach dressed ín P@rtuguese
clothes, accompanied by a degraqado, or criminal, in order to observe the
mode of living wl;lich prevailed amongst the natives. '
The ffeet remai:aêd here eight days.~ during which time rnass was . éelebra;ted
twice by Frey Henrique; the first, on Easter Sunday, ·upon an isiJ.and (its name
is no\v Corôa ·v ermelha) within the bay, in sight of a g·r eat number .of ~lndiaris
~-ssembled· upon- the continental beach; the other, on the· 1st of May, at the
foo.t of a grand cross, wliich had been erected upon the main land, with the
arms of King Emanuel, -in testimonJ' of the sólerim possessión which in bis.
name had' been tak"en of this new land of V era Cruz. .
There is a letter in .the naval archives at Rio de J'anel.ro, · written by P. V. de
Caminho (one of the escrivaõs already mentioned) to . King Emanuel, g'iving a
minute d etail of all the circumstances attending the stay of the armament in
this ptH't, which Cabral call:ed "Porto Seg~1ro," in noticing wh.ich, the above
letter, written in language diffe1;ing from that of the present day, says, ".Acha-
'' ram hos ditos navios pequenos huum ·a recij'e com .huum porto dentm muyti
" boo, e inuyti seguro com l~uuma muy larga ~nt1·ada, e mete1·em-se dentm." Also~
" entmram toda las naaos e amcm·amm-se em simco, seis bmcas, lta qua,l amcm·a-

• Ei~ht sticcessive days àfter a festival.

 ARRIVAL OF THE ROYAL FAl\HLY. . 11

t• jem derntro he ta1n grande e tam fr.ernosa, e tam segura,, que po'dem jase'l' demt1·o.
"' neela mais de duzentos navios e naaos.";r< . He .. says the Indians were quite
nák.ed, and their bodies painted with various colours. They wore pendants of white
b<:m.e from their ears. Their cheeks were in like rn3Jnner omamented with
bones, aud their lips slit, in to which similai.· ornaments were also introduced. They
used bows and arrows. The two natives who came on ~oard, when they saw
the gold embroidery upon the colla~of Cabral's coat, danced, put their hánds
to the .ground, and then to the collar : they showed the same feeling in regard
to silver; from which it ·was üiferred that those. precious metais were ' not
unknown .to them. This letter also says, "Mostraram lhes huum papagayo
" pardo que aquy ho capitam tms; tomamr_n no logo na. maao ; mostraram lhe~
. " 'huum carneyro, non fezemm delle menfam; nwstmram lhes 'huuma galinhà, e asy
" aviam medo dela, e nom llze querirún poeer ha maao."t The Portuguese offered
them bread,· dressed fish, and other things, whích on ~asting· they: put out of
their mouths ; also wine, which they did not like, and, W<'mld not take it a:
sec-ond time. They established a friendly intercourse with those lndians, from
whom they received i11 excqange for trifling· articles, fruits, farinha (or flour)
of the mandioca, maize, &c. Tb.is writer, with many · of th~ captains, went a
league and a half up the country, where they met with a body of lndians, who
had n~ne or ten houses rudely built of wood covered with gr~ss; each hous.e had
· two small entrances, an_d was large enough to teceive thirty or forty persons. 1t
consisted of but one apartment, without any division. They bartered with them
things of no value for large. and bea utiful red p31rrots, two· small g-reen ones, and
other things. They went on shore again the nexl day lo ~get woÓd and wasb
linen, when they fo.nnd sixty 9r seventy Indians, without bow:s or any thing else,
upon the beaéh, which number soon increased to two hundred, all .without bows
and arrows. They mixed amongst the Portuguese, and assisted them to collect
wood and put it on board the boats. That Cabral eonsidere.d this land . an
ísla,:td ts evidenc~d by the conclusion .o f the letter. " Bei:Jo ·haas maaos de

"' " The said small vessels found a reef with a port witbin, very fine anâ very secnre, with 3 very
" large entrance, and tbcy put tbemsel ve~ within it." Also, " and all the ships entered apd an-
" chored in tive and six fathoms, which an<;horage within i's 50 granel, 50 beautiful, and so, s.ecure,
• CC that there could Iie within it more tl!an two hundred ships auâ men of war."

t:"
W ~ showe~ them a grey parrot, which the capta in ha-d brought with him; they t~ok it imme,-
" dmtely mto ~hetr hancls. We showed them a sheep, they took no notice o f it. We showed them a
" fowl; they were. afraid . of it 1 aud .would not put their hands upon it.''
p
18 FROM. THE FIRST DISCOVERY- TO THE

'.' .v. A. deste

PQ1'to . Seguro· da vosa Ilha .da . Vera ~Cruz.. Hoje, Sesta feira
" primeiro dia de ·Mayo, <tõOO. P. V'. de Caminha."*· .
On the 2d of ly.Iay, this :fle~t sailed from 'P órto S'egm:o, and proceeded on its
v-pyage to India, lea-vin.g two 'degradados behind, whD 'w ere seen lamenting and
c~ying .upon' the be.a ch, and the men -of the country cómforting them, demen~
strating that they: were nota people de·void of pity.t One of them so0n leamt
the idienn of the, Indiahs caUed' Tupininqtfins. H e served as in.terpreter to the
· first Pm·tugriese 'who ar.r ived there,~ and afterwards retm:ned home. Some of
the Portuguese writers· are piqued at the · Spanish authors, Berredo and
Antonio Galvum, for pretending, as. tl'iey say, that their countryman, Vincente
Y anez ·Pinson first discovered the Brazil ; and they bring, as testimony against
the Spaniards, the íoHowing sfatemeB.t of. R'obertson. " Vicente Y ailez Pin~
'_' ·son, one of the ·admiral's companioRs in his first voyàg·e, sailed from Paios
" with four ships ; he stóod boldly towards the seuth, and was the first. Spa~
'' riiard who v-entureel to ~cross the equinoctial Ji.ne; but he seems to have landed
-''· on ~o part of the 'c o·a st ·beyond the mouth .of the Marignon, or River of the
" Amaz.o ns." Robertso:n·"does "not' make â positive assertion that Pinson_did
'not land up0n any other par.t of the Brazilian coast, nor does he enter into p~r~
ticulars or give _any dates. Tl~e tiver Amazons ·is the north-western bm~ndary
of the Brazil ; and .even if he ónly landed at the mouth of this great river, h e of
eourse l·andeçl npon . the Braútian~ tenitor-y, and was unquestionably 1ihe first .
discoverer ~f it. : Conceding to the Portuguese the passage which they adduce
fxom Robertson,. it offers no . contracil.icti~n - te the eircumstances and dates
already.. detailed,' of Finso;n's voyage:, ~ which show him' to have anficipated the
. Portuguese at least three m0nths •i n this diseovery. Cabral cÍes.patched Gaspar
de Lemos from. Perto Seguro, to announce to the Kin.g this new fand, which
had been taken possession of in his Majesty's n.a:me. ,lt is said that Lemos
coasted. northward as far as Cape St: Roque, to -ascertain the extent 0f this ter-
ritory which they had consiêlered an island. Emanuel was .so delighted with
the discovery of Vera Cruz, that h'e resolved to send out another squadron to
explore more minutely its extent ; and it appear~ that three .caravels were ordered

* " I kiss the hands. of your Royal H ighness from this secure port of your island of Vera Cruz •
. " To-day, Friday, first day of May, 1500. P. V. de Caminha."
t " L'altro giorno che fu alli dua di Mªggio dei derto anno 1500 l'armàta fece vela pel camino
" per andare alia volta dei capo di Buona Speraza. Li qual-i comincioro no a piangere, et gli
" huomini di q uella terra, gli confortavauo., et mostravano havere di Ioro pieta."-Ramuzio.
 ARRIVAL OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. 19

to sail up.on this pr.oject frdm .t he Ta·gris, en tbe· tst of, May~ 1õ01, but tbere i's
,a consü:lerable cf0u'h>t ·wbo· was tbe commander .of them~ some say it.w:as Aineric'á-
nús;Vespuccius, othérs, that it wãs Gonsa:lo Coelho: Cabral met this;squadron at
Goree on bis refurn frbm Ind-ia, but the c-ommandét~'s name .is:;. nat mentioned.
" Che gamos ·ao Cabo da_ Ji!oa Esperance dia cde· Pascoa é encontrando alli bon~,
·" tempo, ..continuamos a viagem; · e apo·rtamos l junto a Gaáo Ve1·de em Bezenegue,
'' onde· encontramos t1·es caravellas, ~que El Rey de Pm·tugal manáara: para des-
" cubri1·-a ·tez·ra n,Qvq, que tinhamós âchado hindo para f!alecute.""'' · Francisco de
Cunha, autlwr o-( the ·Geographica:LDescription. of Pi>rtuguese· America, states
that (" Gon-sala Coelho fora · o,· primeiro explor-adcn: dq, Costa Bazillica depois de
': Cabr.al.e Lern6~,'-') · Gonsalo.Cóelho .was· ~be ftrst ' éxplorer of tbe Bra~ilian
coast.after·Cabral:an!l Lemos.\. Arnericanus'Y.espuceius, in bis own manuscript,
asserts that he undertook -two, \Jpyages for tbe'. l5-ing-of Portugal; this being tlle
1]:rS:t. lt is. diffiéult-to arriY.e a:t a'f air :condusicm froril: this,conflicting testimony,
~hetherhe or G. Ce>elh'o .liad .tbe·. commandi óf thosé.three caravels. ' The Por-
tuguese qeny positively: that it .was , V ~~puccius ;- anda French writer of " the
General History ó( VQyages" ·pér~mptorily fa1sifi.es alt that Vespuccius has ad-
vanced úpon the subject. " .Les relations d'A1neriê Vespuc.e :contiet?-ent le recit 'de
" deux ·voiages, qu'ilfit su'l' la méme c6te (du B'l·ezil), .au nom·d7.Emánuel; Rio fk
~' Portugal; ·mai·s les dates en sont fausses, et: c'es.t en quoi -consiste l1impostu1·e;
" car il est prouvé pm· tous les ternoignages contempam.ins que dans le te'Yf!,s qit'il
" nomme., il étoit emploie à d'aut·res e:rpeditiop,s,"t !\nto.nio Galvurri mentions
.the expedjtion but not the commander. Ali tbe evide:nce however, .-regarding
this squadron, conem as to the. time of its saitjng, ~;p,d, ~nival at the .Brazil..@n-
:the 17th of August. After a long and te.mpe$1\IO:Qs . vQyage,::. they. made land
near Rio Grande, to the so_uth of Cape.St. Roque, whe~e, they cn1eLwith Indians.
of a savage nature and decidedly cannibals·. Severa!· pe.o.ple __ from the Portu:.
guese ships were seized by them, ro~sted over a large fue. in pr_esen.ce .of their
"
..
*" We arrived at t)le Cape of Good Ho.pe a~ Easter-tide, and there met with good wcather. We
" continued the voyage, and arrived ·a t Beseugue, near Cape Verd, where we met with three caravels,
" which the Kiug o[ Portugal hacL sent to discove1·- the new land, which we had found in gojpg to
" Calcutta."-F1·om the relation of the voyage of Cabml in Ramuzio.
t " The relations o f A. Vespnccius ~ontain the recital of two voyages, which be ma de upon the same
" coast (the Brazil), in the na me of Emanuel, King of Portuga:I; but the dates are fa1se, anel it js in
" that whic~ the impo~ture consists; for it is proved by ali the cotemporary testimonies, that at the
" time. ·whic'h he 1iaines he was employed._ upon other expeditions."-Hist. Gen. des Vogages, tom.
14. liv. 6. c. 9. Paras, .1757. ·
n2
20 FR.OM THE l<'IRST .DISÇOVERY TO Ti-IE

countrymen, with loud shou.tings and •rejoicings. The cannibals Weté so ex~
pert with their bows -and arrows, that this fleet was consiclerably ~mnoyed by
them, -and ·iriduced to coast on to the latitude of so south; near Per:nambuca, .
where·they met with friendly Indians,* and ·estàblished an ''intercóurse with
them. · After a·few days, they continued tlÍeir vo'yage along. the coast, 'aud
.met with a kind reception every where fro~ the natives, who allowed ·theni to
land. and make their observa:tioris witho11t iniury - upon the c'o untr.y ·and its prO'-
d11etions . .. Thef described th~ :riativ.es as ·being · exceedingly :weu.· made, ·and
uni versally attachec1 to the custom · of perforating tbeir fáces and ·ears; arid <

wearin:g bónes and stones as ornaments. They. çoasted on to 32osouth lati-

tude, and, standing out to sea, 1·eached as high a latitutde as· 52° s0i.lth, where,
in·consequence of' a temp.e stuous lebeccio, they w.ere compelled to return; and
an-ived at Lisbon in 8-ept'ember,' 1502, havi:p.g)ost two 'vessels .
. An<:>ther expedition of six caravels sailed 'ftom Lisbon qh the 10th of- Jun·é, ·
/1503, with .the avowed •object of prosecuting still furtb.er the examination .of
·V era Cruz. . A ·variety. of contradietory statements ·render·it .dóubtful wne was
the real commander of this squ~dron, . a]tàough thé. . balance of testiinony in this:,
as in the former case; !is müch. in favom of Gonsalo ' Coelho: · America~1Í:is Ves-
puccius again alleg~s that he acconi.pani'ed . thís tleet, and .> with t wo' ships: jn·o:.
ceeded forward to the coast ,of the · Brazil, leaving the other,four véss.els at ah
islanÇI, 's ome of them -w:recks i and he s'a ys those four vessels were all lost
ihrot~glí · th~ want of ability on the part of the · coinmali.Í der, whose -nàme' he 'does
not disclose. A wotk puhlishecl at Paris, attributing the-commancl 6f the three
first' caravels. to VespucGÍ'us, continues thus :-". El Rey ,D. Mámtel' extrem~­
" mente ajfeicoado a Vespucio deu lhe o commando de seis nctVios com' os qúa~s
" scthiu ci dez de 1J1ayo, 1503, e passou ao longo das costas ·d 'Africa, é do Bm:zil,
" com o intuit@ de -descub1·ir urna. pa8safiem pelo occidenÚ pam as ],l/ias Màlluc'as,
" como ae depois· se-descu.br·iu: 'depois- d'apportaT na Bahia clé todos o.s Santos,
:..'.......navegou athe os . Ab~·ollws e Tio Curababo, cq._mo não tinlta mantimentos s(3!J~ao .
" para V ir,tte mezl}s, tomou a resok(;çao de volta1· a PoTtugal onde eftego~t a dez-
" oito de J tmlw, 1504."'1" Maneol Ayres dé Cazal supposes Christovam Jacques to

'* This is a corroboration of Vincente Yanez Pinson's voyàge, as the character of the Indians ucar
t hose two same places wher~ he Ianded are described to be similar.
t " T he Kin g, Don Manu·el, extremely attach çd to Vespucci~s, gave bim the comma11 d of s_ix sbips,
" with wJ1ich he sailed on the 10th of May, 115'03, anel 1)assed along the coast of Ahica and. Brazil,
" with the 'inteution of discovering a western passage to the lVIolucca Islands, (after~vaFcls discovered.)
•. • • J •
 ARRIVAL. OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. 2i
have been the commander, ànd Francisco ·de Cunha says 1 that the Kin_g "Mandou
" logo prepwrm: outm armada de camvellas que entregou a Clzxistovam Jacq'lf,es,
~'fidalgo de sua casa e com o titulo de· Cap-Mor·, o ~andou continua1· n' este em-
" p1·essa descubrindo aquella costa, . sahui armada, e seguindo viagem clzegou a
'' costa, sôndando baixos' ·e rios pondo padToes d'a1'1fJ'taS Portuguezes, foi dar a
" hwina balzia, aque poz o nome de Todos Santos, e depois deligencias se 1·ecollzou a
" Portuual."l*
o
But Damian de· Goes.assigns the•
command to Goncallo Coelho:
" No mesmo anno de 1503 mandou Goncallo Coelho com seis. naus a te1'1'a de St;
" Oruz com que pa1·tiu de Lisboa a lzos dez dias de mez áe Junlzo; das q~uies pm·
" ainda te'rem po'lf:Ca noticia da terra perdeu quatro, e lzas out1:as duas tmuxe alzo
,., regno . com mercadm·ias da ter1·a q~te entam.· nam e1·âm -out'ras q~te pmt ve1·mellto
~' que chamam Bmzil, e papagaios."t .
The testimony 'of three writers attribute the command of these six caravéls
to three distinct individuais; but, from a fair investigation ·of each ·statement,
that of Goes, ·who assigns 'the commaJJ.I.d to Coelho, appears more con-
sonant with truth anel · the. intent'ions of the King, thán the other two relations.
~he collateral supporter of V espnccius' claim; represents the object of the ex-
pédition t'o . be foT the ' discovery of the Moluccas, which certainly does not
coiúcide with thé desiré Glf an imrned.iaté.and continued ex•ploratioi1 of &. Cruz,
(o r V era Cruz,) that seemecl to actuate his Nlaj esty ~olely in :fitting it out'; n.'or
does this account say . any thing of the loss of four of the catavels, which is
gener.ally admitted. Cunha, who gives the command to Jacques, most pro-
bably alh~des to the armament which that · person had under his orders in.the

cc After entering the Bay of Ali Saints, he navigated as far as .t be Abrolhos and the river Çur:;)_'baba.

" As he had provisions only for twenty mon:ths,_ he took th"e resolution of relurn~ng: to Portugal,
"-where he arrive.d on the . l~th of June, 1504."- Murery Dicc. Grand. Paris, 1699.
* " Ordered immediately to be prepared another armament of caravels, which h~ delivered to
" C. Jacques, a fidalgo o f bis bouse, and witb the title of Captain Mor, ordt'red him to continue in this
" und_ertaking o f discovery. The armament sailed, anel pnrsuing the voyage, arrived upon the coast,
" sounding Lays and rivers, erecting; pillars with the Portuguese anns upon them. He entered a
" bay to which h~ gave thc .narne of All Saints, a~cl after ali 11ecessary cliligence !Je returned to
" Portugal."~Cun/w.
t " In the same year, 1503, Gonsallo Coelho was sent -to the land of St. Cruz, witb six shiÍ)S, witb
" which he left Lisbon 011 tbe lOLh clay ofth~ mcmth of June. In consequence of not having much
" 4nowleclge ·af the land, four were lost, anel the olher two brought to the kingdom merchandise
f
: • .o the !anel, wbich then were 110 others tha11 reei wood, ·which was called Brazil, and parrots."-,Goes.
22 FROM 11HE ~RsT· DISCQVERY TO ~HE

yea.,1~- 1516, when.'·he procl]eded;, t,!I) the ~Brazil, and then· entered- the bay of
All Saints. ·' . . r- .
. A~ft!uming- that G. Co~Uw WJl.S, the. admirai- of .th.ese · caraMels, .onotravérsing
the~At~antiç ~hey we:re,. _dr.iv.~:q - by ~:t..;·severe gale·) to . 3? ,~,euth•<lafitnde, wh-ére a
los~·.'of fóur wás .s~·stamed •LJ•p on sQm·e Tooks iil-.t~le·-pro~imit;y\•.0f' an ·i sland, which
heyaRd -a Q.Ímbt was Fe:çtt;;~.nd,oJ de Noroul'i-a, f sitaate_d...i<n ~ .3.o. 50' .south latitude.
The.-two -r.emaÜiting ,ve~sel~ c_Qntinue~· tiieir ç'ourse;. to ~the ~oàst of. V ~ra or St.
0ruz, ancl, ,made land. ne.a:J,t ajnaghiíicentJJa·y.~-~.Bahia), .whi·c b they. enteJ;ed, •.and
g.;=1ve .the.-. app,ellati~n of T.o.d.os. os~ S«n.tfJ$, ~ot~mg:AlLSaiats. Dax .)1. )'!L:ey coasfled
qn. ~outl:!-wa,r:(l,. co.nsta.n!1\:V;. ~p,proximatin,g.._to- th.e-Jand ;·.·where;)t'he ·~hore ..preseilted
nq ." qbst~cl.e~,; minJ.l.te,l:-y .. · i;n,~peeting ·.-.alJ _.its.-J remaikable t~>fiMei~;:.~ po.rts, , capes,
and headlands, the adjacen.t islands, and, tbe ·:-e~,ast gen._erall'f~ . . as-far as:Cape
Virgins, near tl}e·Stna!ts. of Magellap.. .TheyL. erected.st@Íle .pilJars, bearing tne
~rms of ,Portugal,. in=.some, qf ·tp~ . ro.ost_ -~onspicuq-tt~-- situ.ations .. ; .~They; left at
P,01:to · S~g!lro., a colony çqn~istiqg _of a-part oJ. the _pe.r.sons -~who , had escaped
from the shipwrecked v~t~sels, w:i th Jw;-o . Fl:<l!~C:isc_<~tn : mis.sió;.naries;-, ariJ -returned
to Portugallad·e n,·with Brazil wood:..; ·, This wo9.d~-had- n.ow ..a~quir..ed :such repu~
tation in Europe, tbat the name Qf St. .Cruz;, G_therwisé- V8.Jia·.€ruz.,; giYen to the
countr~ by Cabr~l,_ was ·Iost in tbe -denomina-tion whic-h it ~úni:versaUy reéeived
~f the Brazil: (or Brazil. wood ceuntJry .) . · 1
In the same yE)ar, 1503, befme the explo;rer. Coel~o reached._ the . land ~ of
V era Cruz, .l;>on :Affonso d'Albuquerque arr.i ved 11P(;).I! tbe. -co~st, baving left
Lisbon,.. on ~he (3th of April, with a sqaadron under bis command for lndí-a·:
tbe latitude or part of the Brazil that he saw is not stated, but he obser~'e'd
the- cassia -and verniz trees. (" .Buona -somma di cassia et di -vemizo, altm· di
momenti non abiamo comp1·eso."- Ramuzio.) Shortly after Coelho's return, a
contract was granted ·for the Brazil wood, ·and the colony began to be frequently
'v isited by the caraveis of the con~ractors ..
The King of Cástile despatched Jüan Dias d.e Solis, . in tbe year 1509 ; and
it is ·said the celebrated. pilot Vincente Y anez Pinson a,ccompanied hiÍn, to .take
.possession~ of a part of the newly-discdvered country, and in pursuance of this
project they erected crosses· u:pon differe:rit parts of the coast. The King of
Portugal remonstrated against this proceeding a.s an intru.sion upon his share
of the . division of undiscovered countries, which Alexander VI.- h_ad .very
artfully ~ssigned to those tw_o nations. Feelings of bitte1· régret cannot but
aris:e in ·the miml,. on contemplating, · at the present day, this ·fine and, fairest
·portion o f the ' new worl'd, placed ín such hands by ·an imaginary partition of '
 ARRIVAL OF THE ROYAL ·FA.l\ÜLY.

unknown Iands: Had this best àtíd richest l'.€gion óf America 'fallen to th~
shúe of the English, French, or· Dutch, it would no doubt hav·e assumed a
very ditfer'exü appearance, compared with its .actual state. · That tbis ~onld
h ave óeen the caseis ev.ident, from tbe present immen~ely · sup~rior c~ndition ofthe
Anglo-Americarr states, the •territory of whiéh was colonized·at a latet· period
than Brazil, an'd whose soil is - in· general· so inferior to tbe latter country. Tlíe
occasion of tbe ~itference may be mainly attributed to the very opposite genius
of tbe govérnments and religion under tbe Eng1ish and Portuguese ;. the free
and wise eharacter of tbe former giving every facility to talent and industry of
all _descriptions, wbile · the ignorant and @ppressive natur~ of tbe latter,
€speciaUy in 1·elation to the cemmercial restr:ictions, whiçh, till the ~Frival of
the King, had unforttmately- exis:ted; an~- in the dol'nhiati.Qn of the· priesthood
over tbe consciences and property of tbe people, ope1:atiag as ~ p~ra\ysis on
agricultura}, commérciaJ, and. scienti:fic ente.vprise, and upon all tbe beneficiai
pursuits of tbe inind. lt is now, however, pleasing to observe, ·t hat a very
striking chang'é bàs and is taking place in these matters, the views of bis
present Majesty being favóurable to the amelioration of the country,
In 1510, ·a P01:tuguese ship was wrecked at the entr'ance of the Bay of AU
SaiNts. Tbe greater part of tbe cre~_,- escaped, and twenty-fi.ve years after-
wards nine sailors wer.e f(>nnd liviqg amongst the Indians. Another aceount
a:ffirms that tbey were ali seized by the natües and devourecl e.xcepting Diogo
Alv·al:'éz, a man .of distinguished 'fa~nily, who contrived to make }limself usefnl
to those camlibals·; and acquh: -: the_name of "Caramura"-" a man of:fire,"
on bis first discharging a gun, which be had ·saye.d frôm -the wreck.
In 1513; · George Lopez Bixorda presentéd to ~ing Emanu~l three Brazilian
Indians, whoin he had· brougbt home ' ÍN a con,tract vessel. They were dressed
with feathers, according to the tàs·hion of their tribe.
The King of Castile ordered Solis upon a second expedition, in the year
1515, with a view of discovering a western passage to India. In tbe prose-
cution of this voyage .h e cl.iscovered a large riv.er, which he caUed the River
Solis. Tbis name was very improperly superseded by the appellation of Prata,
or Plate, (tbe Silver Ri ver.) He-Iost bis life uj>On its bariks by ·the hands of the
Indians, who slew him with their clnbs, and · roasted and devoured him witbin
sight of his countrymen. In justice, tbe river ought to have retained bis name.
His death frustrated the object of tbe voyage, and the ships put back, took
in Brazil wood near the island of Itamaraca, and returned to Spain. The Por-
 24 FROM THE FIRST DISCOVERY T© THE

·tuguese again dema:nded sati'sfaction 'for ;t his infhngement, which was . at fa:st
amicably adjusted. ' < '

; - Christovam 'J acques', ih: the yeàr 15.t6,- ·e ntered the bay of Ali S~ints · with a
·sqriadron of cararvels, and in the 'comse ·o f exploring· its extensive Iim~ts: its
Tiv.ers, and creeks, h e feH -in with lwó · ~rench ships, wbích luid previously
entered the bay, and . were loading with Brazil wood, o f which they had a
considerable quantity on board, as we~I ás pan:ot.s and monkeys. He en'gag·ed
the vessels, a~d after a spirited defence they were destroyed. Subsequently,
it would appear fi·om the testimony ·of a.letter of donation to Pedr~ Lopez de
Souza, (who d10se Itamaraca for part o f bis grant,) and by one· wliich J ohn III.
ordered to be writtell. to Martim Affonso de Souza, that Christovam 'Ja:cques
was employed in establishing a factory upon the clümnel which separates the
island of Hamarraca from the continent, destined to facilitate the expoi'tation
of Brazil wood, and to impede the attempts of other nations who might visit
that quarter in quest of it.
Diogo Garciam, a Portug·uese pitot in. t he service of thê Castilian ceurt,
arrived near the mouth of the river Paraguay, -in the year 1527, and found
there the ships with which Sebastian Cabo to had . sailed from Cadiz, witb. th~
intentjon of proceeding to the Moluc'cas by the straits of All Saints, now
Magellan's. He learned that the captain had gone up the Paraguay, th.e n
River Solis, and proceeded with .two launches much above the cenfluence of
the Parana in pursuit of him. J:le found him erigaged in the construction of
the fort of St. Anna, w here they mutuaHy ap·eed to give to the ri ver Solis the
name of ihe river Prata, in' consequence of seeing small pieces of that .metal
in the possession of the Indians. Herrera states, that Diogo ·Garciam; on. bis
way to· tl; e ri ver Solis, entered tb~ bay ·of St. Vincente; (then tbe Riv:er Inno-
ceutes,) where a Portuguese, who had beeri. shipwrecked, provided him with
Tefreshments ; also, that Garciam anchored off the island ef Patos, at the
·present day St. Cathel'ine's, where the Indians furnished him ·with some ·pro-
·viswns. He carried ~ith him .;:xty men, in two brigantines, to ~the fort of
St. Anna ; and before. his departure he despatchéd one of the largest vessels
ot his· squadron to St. Vincente, to take in ~ ca1•go, which he l1ad agt:eed wi.fb
:the Portt1guese mentioned, to be sent to Portugal.... It is probable that this indivi-
dual was either Joam Ramalho or Antonio Rodriguez, .whom Martim Affonso de
Souza found there five years afterw~rds. 1t would appear that some. Portnguese
bad been estabijshed at St. Vincente. some years ; and. the evidence of Herrera ~
 · ARRIVAL OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. 25

.that some Indians had. been. shipped from thence to Portugal in 1527,- would
tend to demon~trate that a factory had existed there previous to · the arrival of
Martin A. de Sot1za, (the first donatory,) and which· factory had conceded - to .
Pedro Goes the power of shipping _to Portugàl a certain number of aborigi-
nal Indians, free from all the duties which it w~s customary to pay. (Fm-ros
de · todos os de1·eitos, que custamavam pagar.) If this factory existed, neither
the period of its commencement is eviden_t, nor by whom it was· established.
The intelligence which the ship of Garciam brought to Portugal, in the ye:ar
1528, that the Spaniards had formed an establishment upon the river Plate,
induced King John.III. who wished that river to become the divi~Sionary line, to
despatch an armament, in the year 1531, under the comma~d of Martim Affonso
de Souza, with orders to erect fortifications and to distribute lands ·to ·those
who wished to establish themselves in the country. The :fleet, after having made
and recognised Cape St. Augustín, navigated along-the coast and entered the
bay of All Saints, where they d'iscovered and capttJred two ·French vessels.
Joam de Souza, captain of one of the ships composing the arn:~ament, was
sent to announce to the King this circumstance. l\1artim Affonso continued
bis voyage to the south, and after ref.resbing at Porto Seguro, he found out
and entered the bay of St. Luzia, to which he gave the name of Rio de
Janeiro, in consequence of discoveri~g it on the 1st of January, 1532. Pro-
secuting the voyage, and al ways keeping as near land as possible, h e gave
to the most remarkable and important places, the names of the saints ón whose
days he discovered theJ11 . . Having passed the island of St. Sebastian, on the
20th .of .the same month, he pro·c eeded t~ that part of the port where it is
supposed the factory was situated, and of which no doubt he was previously
informed. It appears, however, after various aperations upon the northern.
b~r of the port to establish there -the colonists, who wished to remain in the
land, h e changed lús plan and remov.ed them to the southern bar. H e spent
eleven months in the execution of val'ious ~neasq.res upon the coast, ap.d it was
the month of December before he arrived at·~he riv~r Plate ; for the sun, say
the Portuguese, was on the tropiçalline. of Capricorn.. (O sol chegou ao tropico
de Cap1·icornio.) N ot meeting with any Spanish settlements upon any. part · of
the coast, h e returned to the colony at the southern bar of the bay of Santos,
augmenting it considerably, by giving lands to all indíviquals who detennined to
settle .there, in pursuance of the,ordeTs he h~d reçeived.- l{e sent ejghty men
into the interior, foi· the purp.ose of .discovering or making ~ conquest Qf· the
~nines of Ç ann~ne~. T he entire party were murqeFed by th!'l Çarijos Indians.
E
 26 FROM THE FIRST DISCOVERY TO THE

I~ the same year that Martim Affonso sailed from the Ta:gus, a Portuguese
'Sqnadron captnred and conducted to Lisbon a ship of Marseilles, which had
been laden with Braúl wood, at Pernambuco, where they demolished the
Portuguese factoFy - of Itamaraca, founded by C. Jacques, and left sixty
Frenchmen in their place. This information induced the King to send Duarthe
Co.e lho Pereyra to expel the French, which he accomplished, and removed
the factory to the màrgin . of the river Hyguaraçu, a few miles distant from the
:first situation. This new establishment was the origin ofthe town of Hyguaraçu,
to whose mother-church the same D. ·C. Pereyra, being then the dona:tory of
the·captaincy o{ Pernambuco, gave for patrons the saints Cosme and Damianr
in gratitude for the expulsion of tbe French on the day of those saints, in the
year i531. It may be here remarked, that v'ery little progress, up to t:hi.s.
period, would appear to have been made by the Portug.uese for the coloniza.-
tion of this country, now known to them thirty-two year~, and which the,y
had assumed the right of ca1ling and cpnsidering their own.
King· J ohn IH. at last roused by the attempts which the French mérchants
were making to form establishments near the places now called Pernambuco
and Bahia, also by the formation of colonies, which the Spaniards wé~e pro-
moting on the banks of the_Paraguay, de~eri:n.ined to people this CQntinent; and,
in order .to facilitate the colonization, he divided the coast into certain· c
large
portions of fifty .leagues, which, under the denornination of capitanias, (cap-
taincies.) were to be bestowed on individuais distinguished by their services to
the crown; and who wer_e to go personally,. or to send colon.ists, in ships, at
their own cost, receÍving an uncontrouled jurisdiction over these royal dona-
tions. The historian, J oam de Barros, who was one of the donatories, and was
presented with the district of Mara.nham, affirrns that the count~·y was parti-
tioned into twelve captaindes; but there were actmi.lly only nine, as tive por-
t.ions which he probably took into his account, were divided betwixt Martim
Affonso de Sou~a and bis brotber Pedro Lopez de Souza, who -were- the ~wo
first clonatories that settled in the Brazil. Martim Affonso, who has been pre-
viously mentioned, received a considerable tract of country contiguous to St.
Vincente, where we left him endeavouring to form a coloi).y. Pedro Lopez
clwse líis quantum· of territory in two lots, one nea1~ his brother's, called
St. Amaro, and the other denominated Itarnaraca, at a very inconveuient
distance from the first, situated not far frorn Pernambuco, which la.tter capitan_ia,
as has been already stated, became the portion of Duartbe Coelho Pereyra.
The lands adjacent to tbe southem Parahiba river were concedéd to Pedro de

/
 ARRIVAL OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. 27

Goes. The éountry betwixt the great river St. Francisco, which was the
soutP.ern houndary of Pernambuco, and Bahia, was allotted to Françisco Pereira
Cotttinho. The next portion of tenitory, proçe~ding southward, was den:omi-
nated the Capitania uos Ilheos, running north and south from the Rio fitos
llheos, (Ri:ver of Islands,) and g.ranted to Jorge Figueiredo Correa. Cabral's
Porto Seguro was includ.ed in the range of coast which ·formed the capitania
of the same name, aríd.was a donation to Pedro Campo Tourinha. Espírito
Santo (Holy Spirit) was the ·appellation given to the next in rotation, and oh·
tained by Vasco Fernandez Coutiaho. Rio de Janeiro was not cohmized for
some time aftel'wards. This mode of allotment was net calCuláted to maintain a
long dm;àtion. The ca_ptains possessed despotic jurisdiction over the colonists,
many of whom were degradados, or criminals, consequently less adapted tQ live jfi.
harm<:>ny.,. and th'e whole being .at the mercy of the former, complaints ,wéré fre-
quent; so that, after a lapse e>f about seventeen years f~·om its commencemerit,
this system was terminated. by a royal revocation of the power of ·the captains,
followed by the appointment of Thomé de Souza, a fidalgo, as governor-
general of the Brazil, who arrived at Bahia, the bay of All Saints, in April
1549, with instruçtions to build a cÜy, which was to be caJ}ed St. Salvador.
The fl.eet was accompanied by some Jesuits, who thus obtained in the Brazilian
regions, those means of improving the condition of the lndians, and_of the
country in other respects, which has been so honottrable to their Trans-Atlantic
character, and which pre~ents so pleasing and striking á contrast to their cdn-
duct in Em·ope, fi.lled . as that conduct was with " treasons, stratagems, aiid
spoils." "Vith tl1e mother-éóuntl'y, this cólony passed under the domi:çtion of
the Spanish crown, in the ye.ar 1580, for a period of nearly sixty years. The
Dutch possessed themselves of Pernambuco in the year 1630, and ultimatély of
the whole country frorn the great river St. FraÍ1cisco to M aranham, which they /

reta;ined till ·the year 1654. The Iast Philip, just before the Brazil reverted ~o
the Portuguese, conferred the title of Viceroy upon ·the governor-general at
Bahia, who_then was the Marquis of Montalvam, and which honour all his suc-
cessorf? enjoyed. · Tbe seat of the vice-regal government was transferred by
Don Joseph I. from Bahia to Rio de Janeiro, in 1773, whieh expired ori the
arrival of the royal family in that country, in the year 1808. Dou John IV.
gave the title ·of Prince of Brazil to bis eldest son, Prince Don Theo·dosio, which
descended to all the hereditary princes of the h ouse of · Braganza,, till !he 17th of
December, 1815, when the Prince Regent, (now Don John VI.) raised that
c~.untry in, to a .kingdom. ·
E 2

,4
28 FROM THE FIRST DISCOVERY TO THE

is
The Brazil of such prodigious e?'tent, that it will be impossible for it to
arrive even at a medium state of perfection under the dominion of one govern-
ment . . Its prominent boundaries, now that Monte Vídeo is in the possession of
thé Portuguese, may be geographically considered the river ·Amazons and the
Atlantic on the north ;· the river Plate on the south ; the ocean on the whole of
its prolonged range of eastern coast; and th-e great rivers Madeira, &c., running
north; the Paraguay anel Uruguay stretcbing soutb to . the river Plate, on· the
west; although the two p'rovinces of Solimoes and Güiaiina, north of the Ama-
zons, and actually subordinate to the governor of Para, carry its northen1
boundaries, political~y speaking, almost as far as the Oronocos, making its
length upwards of forty degrees. lts greatest widt:h is about thirty degrees,
from Cape St. Augusl.ín to Point Abuná, upon the margin of the river Madeira.
. This vast region, comprising nearly two millions of squ.are miles, is ROW
divided into twenty-two provinces, including the two mentioned above, viz.
Guianna Parahiba Espírito Santo
Para Pernambuco Rio de Janeiro All bordering in
Maranham Seregipe d'El Rey St. Paulo part upon the
Siará . · Bahia· St. Catharina coast.
Rio Grande, N orth Porto Seguro Rio Grande, South
Mato Grosso Solimoes Minas Geraes
( . Interior· pro-
Paraná Piauhy Goyaz
) vmces.
Uruguay
The zoology and phytology of this country extend to such an infinity of
objects, that they. would form a separate history of themselves. They, as·w.eil
as min<i!ralogy, \vill be partially treated upon in the topog-r aphy of each province.
In reference to the first subject, it may be here observed, that a very consi-
derable portion of the Brazil is still occupied by· Indians, consisting of a
vast number of nations, more or less numerous, anel generally divided into tribes
-or hordes, wandering about in a state of nudity, the principal part .o f their
t _ime employed in hu~ting, gathering honey, anel ~uch fruits as natnre sponta-
neously produces. They ~elieve in the · immortality of tlíe soul and a Creator
of ali, whom they commonly denominate Tupan, and, like many oth~r bar-
barians, their adoration is divided between the good and evil spirit,-which latter
they call Anhanga. No state of government is found amongst them ; each tribe
has its electíve captain, who directs them only on occasions of as.saults 8:Ucl
in forming ambuscades ágainst an enemy. Each nation has its ·peculiar idiom,
 ARRIVAL OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. 29

but there is one exists amongst them de11ominated the general língua, which
is the Tupinamba. At tl'lis day many tribes retain the ancient custom of per-
forating their faces and using pieces of_wood as orn~ments. In -contracting
marriages, the degree of relationship is not respected. Polygamy is admitted
amongst particular individuals only, in a very few nations. Divorcements are
·generally very rare among·st them. They are acquainted with no liberal art,
and have a great antipathy tô civilizatiori. Thousands of instances ·have oc-
curred, in which they have preferred fleeing fl'Om it back again into the woods,
in pursuit of their former rude habits. The gover~or of one of the comarcas
of Minas Geraes. related to me an instance of an lndian who, instructed in
the Catholic faith, had actually entered upon the functións of a priest, and
who, notwithstanding, w_a s afterwards induced, from the natural bent of bis
mind, to abscond and rejoin bis uncivilized tribe.. Their inherent indolcmce
is conspicuous, and t~1ey hiwe but little consideration in life beyond the ac-
quire·m ent of their daily sustenance. Frequent instances occur of their assassi-
nating some of the Portuguese, for whom tbey lie in ambush. The Portugt~ese
almost universally provide themselves with fi.re-arms, on traversing tbe districts
inhabited by the India'ns, at ~hich tbey are greatly ·terrifi.ed. Such . a~ li ve
upon the banks of auriferous rivers or _lands, and come in: contact with the
Portuguese, will give pieces of gold for trifling articles· of European manufac-
ture, particularly knives, the metal of which they consider of such value, that,
in sharpening them, they do no.t use a whetstone, but a piece of wood, in order
that tÍ1e blade may experience as little diminution as possible by the operation.
Few Indians are seen in any of the seaport-towi).s of the Br.azil. Some are
employed in the bay of Rio de Janeiro, rowing boats in the service of the
govermnent. They appear to keep them.selves quite distinct, and do not mix
with ·any other class of people. They are not tall, but their early occupation
of hunting has given to their ~limbs much strength and agility. A fine pro-
portion of form is their general characte1;istic, anel they possess great muscular
powers. Their features are regular, and there is an universal'resemblance be-
tween them and the various tribes. They are of a copper-colonr, with strong, lank,
black hai'r, . which is permitted to hang over their ears, necks, and foreheads,
adding something to 'the sombre aspect oftheir çountenances, which are sad
e-vento an extreme. If th~y were capable of learning from history, and ap-
preciating with feelings of .patriotism tbe force of such an eYent, it might
naturally appear to be a dejection originating in the cormding idea of the con-
.quest of their country by strangers; but this apparent cparacteristic melancholy
30 FROM THE FIRST DISCOVERY, ETC.

can only be the result of, and founded upon, th.ei.r former habits of life and pre-
carious mode of subsistence ; which having once ·contracted, and possessing an
innate aversion ' to civilized intercourse,
.
may never totally disappear. There is
nothi:ng fero~ious in their physiognomy; on tbe contrary, they seem very in-
offensive. · I never saw them indulge in any gaiety, rarely langhing·, and speak-
ing seldo_m. They are expert rowers, and on ·a transient cessation from their
labour, exhibit no disposition to hold converse with each other, nor curiosity or
interest in the objects and bustle around them: The Jesuits were undoubtedly
the best class of ecclesiastics who have hitherto visited the Brazil, not only, as
has Been observed, in initiating the lndians into Christianity, but in the gener~l
pursuit and encouragement of líterature. The · inissions, for .which they were
so c.elebrated, will com~ under consicleration in treating of the provinces where
they instituted them; also the establishments of Christianized Indians, as well
·as the nurrierous savage tribes.existing at the present c:Íay.
· As the colonization of the capitania of Rio de Janeiro did . not occur till after
the Brazil was placed under the jurisdiction o f a governor-general, and no allusion
h~ving been made to that event in the course of these preliminary observations,
besides having· long assumed the highest rank amongst the provinces of the
Brazil, it naturally presents itself first in order, as well as the circumstances
· arising out of a residence in its capital, for our consideration.
 · PROVlNCE OF IUO DE JANEIRO • . 31

CHAP. III.

PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

Its Colonization~Contests with the F1·enclt and Tamoyo India;ns- Expulsion af

the Frenclt- Poun.dation qf St. Sebastian- Bounda1·ies-·· Division. into Co-
marcas- Mountains - Principal Rive1·s- Lalces - Bays- Capes- Islands-
Minemlogy- Zoology- Phytology- Cities and Towns- Boundaries, Towns,
and Prod~tctions of t!te Comarcas qf Ilha Grande and Pamltiba Nova-
Bounda1·ies of tlze Comarca of Rio de Janeir.o- Tlte Metropolis- Situation- ·
English Bwrial-Ground- St1·eets - Royal Mode of riding-:-Cmnpulsmy Homage_
upon tlze Occasion- Cltu1·ches - Convents- Gloria HilÍ- Female ·convents.-
Visz:t to one- ' Fountains- Visit to the Aqueduct- Squares- Palace- Publz"c
Buildings-- Pu~lic Ga,rden- Libm1·y- Manufaotories- Tlzeatre- Roads lead- ..
ing from the City- Palace of St. Ch1·istovão- T1·oops of Miners and others
from the Interif!r-Caza de Don Pedro- Royal Mill, Shacara, and Stables-
Fi1·e- Wm·ks- Bei.Ja JJ!laõ-Fidalgos and ltiglter Onlers of Society- Splendou1·
of Cltu1·cltes- Royal Ohapel-- Religious Festivals anel Observances- Funeral
P1·ocessions- Catctcombs- The Host- State .of Society- 1Jia1·lcets:

JoAM DE Soms, who has been already mentioned, ent.erecl the bay of Rio de
Janeiro, in the year 1515, on his second voyage to South America; and about
four years afterwards Fernando de Magellan, and Ruy Falleiro, a famous
Portuguese matheiD:.aticián ·who accompanied him, also remained a short time
in it, bestowing upon it the name of St. Luzia. Mat'tim Affonso de· Souza, who
was engaged in an exploration of the who1e coast, went into 'the bay on the 1st
of January, 1532, and very improperly gave it the name, which it yet retains~ of Rio
de ~arieiro, (lliver of January?) evincing, what would not be supposed to be pos-
sible, that he considered it a ri ver. No attempts were made., however, to fórm any
settlements here till the year 1555, when M. Villegagnon, a Frenchman, who had
rescued Queen Mary from Scotland, with his comrades, took possession of the
second island, after passing the entrance into the bay. His avowed object was
that of propagating Cal vinism in the new world. On this isla~d, which took
32 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

and still retains his name, he constructed the fort of Coligni, in honour of the
excellent man and famous admirai, Gaspar de Coligni, his patron and warm
supporter in establishing this colo~y, to which, in the following year, h~ de-
spatched a further succour of three ships of war and near three líundred persons.
King· J ohn III. of Portug·al, receiving intelligence of this event, ordered Duarthe
da Costá, then governor-gen"éra1 at :6ahia, individually, to make himself ac-
quainted with the actual state of the Protestants ; but no attempts were made
to displace them till after the death of th~ ' King, when Dona Cathari na gave ·
i:p.structions to Mendo de Sa, ,the successor of Duarthe ~a Costa, to expel them,
sep.ding him two armed ships, with some caravels, which the governor augmented
by some · ships of war and two caravels that were in the port, and .putting on
board all the people he-could assemble, personally embarkedwith the squadron.
He visited all the intervening·capitanias of the coast, and.reçeíved on board all
those who were willing to accompany him. The ~rench defended themselves
vigorously against the attacks of this fleet; but not being able to r emedy the
destructio:p. and havoc which they sustained fl'om the more powerful ships of the
Portuguese, they retil·ed by n,ight tQ tbe çQntinent, uniting themsel ves with the
Tamoyo Indians, whose friendship they had previously conciliated. Mendo de
Sa collected the artillery which the French h~d left, and, with one of th~jr shi,ps,
which he fou11d in the port,. he returned to Bahia.
Intelligence was received afresh that the Protestants continQed to frequent
tbe bay of Rio de Janeiro, and weré successively becoming more strongly for-
tified in the continental situations they had taken up. The crown. of Portugal.-
now discovering of how much importance it would be effectually to take pos-
session of and colonize this fine port, which having no donatory or forces to
irp.pede the establishment of whatever enemy might think , proper to proceed
there for that pmpose, resolv~d to despatch ~stacio de Sa to Bahia, with two
galliots, and there to receive from bis uncle, Menqo de Sa, the governor, such
an accession of force as would enable him to extirpate the French. Estado de
Sa, having augmented the squadron as much as oircumstances would allow,
arrived at Rio de Janeiro in 1565, and took up a station near the Sugar-Loaf
l\'Iountaii1, at the place now called Villa Velha:; but in various attaeks, which h~
made upon the united Fi·ench and Indians, fortune was never decisively pro-
pitious to him. This circmnstance induced Mendo deSato prepare, iri the
bay of Bahia, all armament, which consisted of three ga}liots, commanded by
Christovam de Barros, two ships of tbe cwwn, which were cruizing . on the
coast, ~nd six caravels. r_fhis ~nrx;ilí<\~Y force he .accom,pan.ie<l m pe:rson. to th ~
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 33

assistance of his nephew, visiting, as before, the in~ervening ~apitanias, and

offering to convey, gratuitously, ali familles who might wisb. to people the future
colony; and, -in conséq~1ence, a· great many did accompany him. He arrived
on "tbe 18th of Ja:riuary, 1567, but deferred the attack till the 2Qth, that day
be.fng St, Sebastian's, uri.der whose auspices he meant to begin and carry o'n the
entérprise. · 'l_'wo years had previously pa.s sed in useless and indecisive conten- -
tion, whic'h, .in two days, M.é:i:tdo de Sa brought to a successful termination, by
possessing himself of the forts Urussumiri and Paranapucuy, not; however,
without his followers feeling the effect of the arrows- of the 'IiamoyÇ>s, which
often transfixed the shield to the arm that supported it. Amongst others,
E~ta:cio cle Sa received a wound from one o( them, Óf wpich he expired a few
days .afterwards. The French escaped in four ships which· they had in the har-
bour; and Mendo de Sa did not allow much time 'to elapse before he removed
the first establishment to the situation now . forming· a wa1;d or district of the
present capital, denominated Misericordia, .and there marked oU:t ~ts commence-
ment. In honour ~f his patron saint, he gave it the·name of St. S~bastian, which
.has given way to th;=tt of Rio de Janeiro ·n ow more generapy used. The
govemor assigned to the celebrated Jes.uit, Nobrega, ground, in the midst of the
city, for a college, which he endowe·d for the support of. fifty brethren. Havi:ng
occupied himself near a year and a half in an:anging every thing necessary for
the continuation and security of the new city, he returned to the c·a pital in
June,_ 1568. He left for· governar his nephew, Salvador Corrêa de Sa, whose
administration was short, as well as that of Christovam de Barros, who succeed~
ed him by royal pate~t, and wh0se jurisdiction over thé affairs· of the capitani~
terminated in l572, when King Sebastia:n divided the state· into two govern-
ments; the city of St. Sebastian becoming the capital Qf the southern division,
which was delivered to Hr.:Antonio Salema, with power over the capitanias
from the river Belmon.t, southw.ard. The .same sovereign, beGoming sensible
of the incon venience resulting to the crown from this partition, ordered that
the' general executive governme'!lt should revert to its anterior state ; and nomi-
nated, as success.or to Salema:, the said Salvador Corrêa de Sa, with patent of
captain-;general, dated the 10th Januar:y, 1576, anel who remained in this
· sit~ation until · the · yeaF ' 1598. None of those whn followed him governed
during so longa period, with .t he exception or'Sandozo Gomes Freyre d'An.:
drade, w.lw disçharged the duties of the appointrii.ent from the year 1733 to
1763, and which expired only with his life in the course of the latter rear.
This province, wbich acqmres its name from the magnificent port of it#;
f

. '
34 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

capital, ·now co_m prebends _the ci-devant capitania of St. Thomé, half of that
of St. Vincerite, and a pórtion o( Espírito Santo. It its_bounded em the mnth
by the latter, from which it is separated by the l!Íver Cabapu,.ânq,,. a11.d ~y. the
province of Minas Geraes, from which it is . divided by the rivéFs P!l:eto: and
Parahiba, and in pa:rt by. the serra of Mantiqueira; on the sot~lth -by the Atlantiq
Ocean,_ which al~o, wªshes its eastern_ ~imits, ; • and on th~ west by the province
of St. Paulo. ltr'ÍS ·estimated to be sixtyJeagues in length, :&om east to west,
J

near-- jts north..ern extremity; and twenty-three l€agues., of medium ~idth,

reclçoning from the fortress of St. Cruz, at ·.tbe. entrance of th.e bay 0f Rio de
Janeiro, to the ri ver Parahibuna, a:nd to have: fi.fty l'eagues of southern coast,
frQm, Cape Frio to Cape Trinidade, which is~ near three leagues te> the west of
Pgip.~ Jo"atinga. H Íiif cl.ivided by the Organ Mountains into two parts; North-
ern,. or Serra-Acima,(M~untains ahove,) and Southetn, or Beira-Mar, (Sea-co.ast,)
which latt~r is subdivided int0 four, and th~ former into two distt1êts or territo-
rles~ as follows :.,..-, , .J · -~ ·
" 1 . • ~Ilha- Grande:
. M .- Rio- de Janeir<ih · ·
B ell'a- . ar . s~~~ra-Acima{ Pc·ar-~hi~a,.INI ôva.
· · Cape Frio. aRcO-ua ·O.
. · Goytacazes.
Aline drawn from south to north, commen:cing at the f0rt o( Lage, at the eu-
trance ofthe port ofRio, passing up the middle of the bay, by·the ri ver Inhumirim
upwards, anel on to the origin of the Piabariha, descending by' ifi-to the Parahiba,
divides the province into east and west.
MouNTAINs.-All the districts óf ·this provinee, with. the exc~ption of
Goytaeazes, a1·e picturesquely mountainous, and present an infinite variety
of h(nel, sublime, . anel wondrous ~.cenery, .of w.hich no verbal deseriptimi
can ·give ·an adequate 1·ep1.;esentation. The Organ . Mountains, so cailed.
from the similarity which their pyramidical heads, in various parts, bear t@ the
front of an organ, are the pTincipal. · That portion of them which assimilates
more distinctly to the object from wp.ich the wh@le range derives tbe name is
an approxima:tion of precipitous pointed masses, separated by profound windíng
and narrow ·valleys, thrGmgh which 1·omaatic openings fhe way' leads from
Beira-Mar to the district of Canto-Gallo, without having to ascend any compà-
ratively high elevati~ns in traversing them. This · is, indeed, the region of
solemn and poetic sequ~stration. Its imchange~ and primeyal condition would
appear ·to afford a suitable retire~ent for such as have acquired a .ca:lamity-in-
duced distortion of the mind,-a misanthropical distaste to society and the world.

/
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 35

The Macacu,_ otherwise Serra--GraJnde, _(Great Mountain,) the mou:n:tains of

St. AnDe, _of Sambe, of Tapa€ora, and :of Urussanga, are situated in that ex-
tremity betwixt t~e cl.is_tricts~ of Rio de Janeiro- and ~Cape Fi"io; the Mount of
St . .Joam, a league above the emboucheur of the river of the same name, the
Sérra Jarixina, -about twen,ty miles north-west,.of the capital, and that of Bo-
caina; in ·the- tlistríct of Par-alíiba-Nova!, ·constiütte, t-ogether with the Organ
Mountains, thdse of the greatest altitude in the pro:vin:ce.
tRIVERS.- lt cannot boast of any very large or Iilagni:ficent l'ÍVers, although
it is in-igated by innum.erabl~·· Streams descending f~om the mountains. The
1-iver Parahiba is the only cónsiderable one; miginating in a smalllake~ situated
upon a southern. portion of the Serra Bócaina, a continuation of the Oi·gan
range", .and·· about fi ve feagues to the n011th, of Paraty. It runs a(first.under the
name of Paratinga, parallei- with the mountains prolon.ged in piles from the
south-west, ·in a line w~th -t he coast; -enters -·t he provinc.e of St. Paulo, where it
receives the sm.all ri~er Jacuhy, by the leftvb~nk, a little above the town of St.
Luiz, anéil somewhat-below irt, by the same ma:rgin, -the rive~· ParahihqtÍa, which -
r.ises,in the serra of Ubatuba. At this OOI'lfluenc-e·ittakes the nalUe of Parahil!>a;
approximates the sea a little' to the' west of the meridian· óf the capital, then
turns towards the north-.:nqrth:.east; Hó:wing alorig tli'e base- of' Serra ltápeva,
·o
and by the town f lacaréhy. After a course ô:t:_twenty leagues,.- ·w itlc little
vari~tion, it indines to the east and east-south-east, wateri:ng the towns of
Thaubate, Pindamonhángaba,· G-uarat1ngueta, and ·Lo rena;· ágain. tarns towards
the province in which it 4as its som•ce, approaehing· it wiihin fi. ve leagues; bathes
the towiil M .. JR ezende; inclines to the nGrth-east, gathenng the riv.er Pirahy,
(which eon;j_es in a northern course from its origirl~in thé ' serra -o f Ilha Grande,)
ahd many leagues lower, having taken an eastêrly direction; it receives the
Parahibuna which is its largest confluent, by the left margin~ : MJ.d •the afore-
mentioned Piabanha, by the right. This part is designated TT.es Rios, (Three
Rivers.) Ten leagues below, the Pomba enters it by the nerthern bank, which
flóws frorri the we·stern part of the Serra Frecheira principally in a south-east
course, through a stony bed, renderirig the navigation diflicnlt even to canoes. -
A . little lower it receives the Bengálas; which brings with it various · other
str'eams. - Soon after this· junction, it .descends the precipitous fall of St. Fideles,
to which point barks ascenà. Eight leagues lowér down, the Muriahe empties
itself into it by the northern margin. Six leagues may be computed from this
confluence to the emboucheur of the river Parahiba, ·and from thence -té> the
fali of St. Fideles, which is the first advancing up the river, seventy-two islands
F2
 36 l~ROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

are numbered; and above this fali they are still mare numm·ous. Its wate1~s
are precipitated by a great many falls, which run principally through I .
a stony
l)ed, and are discharged into the Atlantic, on the eastern coast of the province.
This river does not bring with it to the ocean so large a volume of water as
, might be imagined from its vast extent, which may be ;;tccot,mted for by its
runníng principally betwixt two cordilleras, (the Org·an Mountains and the
Mantiqueira with their, branches,) the greatest interval of which does not exceed
twenty Ieagues, and almost all its tributary s-treams are poor and. inconsiderable.
Eight Jeagues below Lorêna, where it has already assumed the appea:rance of
· a large ri ver, its course is contracted by a long wall of rock, of more than sixty
feet bigh and six bundred yarcls ih extent, reducing its channel to the width of
aboq.t t.en yards. It abounds in a great variety of fish. The adjacent ter1:itory,
on both banks, from its saurce to its moNth, is c.o nsidered to be well adapted
for the growth of the sugar cane, and the very small part of it-which is cúlti-
y.ated, i.s appropriated to that pur.pose; but the far greatest proportion yet re-
mail).s ia a state of wild naturé, and although perhaps granted to different do-
J).atories, . its impenetra.ble woods form the native retreat of the Indian and the
ounce, each still assercing the claim of possession. The river Maccahe,
which h:as a cqurse o f tifteen - l~agues, affording ten leag'ues of 1,1a vigation to a
fall, rises in the Organ Tange, and winds amongst · mountains and woods, till
it encounters the St. Pedro, formed by various small streams in the vicinity of
Serra Frade. Three leagues may be computed from this confluence to its em-
houcheur, which is in front of the islands of St. Anna, thirty miles noi'th of
Cape Frio, dividing that district from Goytacazes. ,.fhe river St. Joam rises
in the skirts of the rock of Canudos, with the name of Aguas Clams, (Clear
Waters,) more considerahle, and -afford!ng navigation f0r a greater space than
the Maccahe, -runs like it amongst woods and .J;llOUntains, and disembogues
~bout seven leagues to the south-west of it, bathing the soutliern skirts of the
mountain of its nam~. Large quantities of timber are exported by it. The
rivers Curnbichas and Bannanal joip. it by the left bank, the Bacaxa, which
issues from the Serra St. Anna with the appellation ~f Rio do Oi1·o, (the Gold
River,) unites it on the right by two mouths, ·having formed, a little higher, - ~
!arge lake, into which the Capivari, coming from the same serra, empties itself.
Below this confluence, little more than three leagues, the Ipuca disembogues,
rises near the Maccahe, ând forros a considerahle island. After it the Lontra,
and ultimately the Doirado, near which there is a remarkable production,' called
the jiquitiba tree, its tnmk being fifty-six spans . i11, circumference. Ali three
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 37

a re na~igable, ànd incorpora,t e themselves with the river St. Joam, by its north-
ern margm. .
The river Guandu.- takes its name at the confiuence of the St. .Anna ~ith the
das Lag·es, the , courses of which are in an opposite direction to this point; the
first issues from the Orga:n. Mountains, near the head~ óf the ri ver Piabanha, and
runs south-west 'til] it encounters the other, which :fiows north-east from its
Drigin in the frc:mtier sena of Ilha Grande. The Guandu passes the roya1 pa~
lace (ex-Jesuitical) of -st. Cruz, and disc{larges itself by ~wo mouths· into the
b~y of Marambaya. The early possessors' of this p~rt of th~ country, in order
to evitate the damage which , they sustained by the inundation.s of this ri ver,
' submerging the extensive and fine campinhas (plains) of the southern part,
opened a trench of two miles long from it to the small river Taguahy, which
runs in a parallel .direction, and by this nwde discharged the ex.c ess of
wa.têr which the :banks of' the Guand.u. ç;o~ld. nQt contain 9t the p«;lriod of the
:floods. The western mouth, or that · of Taguahy, is little nwre tban a league
distant from the proper .Qne ef the Guandu : barks navigate both. The riv.er
Mambucâba, · wbich 'i~ .a fine river, even beyond tbe poip.t where the tide reach.es,
issues from fhe serra of Bocaina, a.nd disembogues · in front of tbe ~ar of .
Cayrussti. . '
LAKEs.-Lakes 'are numerous in this province.. The principal are situa~ed
in the districts of Cape Fí·io and Goytacazes ; many of toem are surrounded by
marshy lands, and none_possess; in any point of view, the attractio:ns peculiar
to ·s1:1ch diffusions of inland water in Európe. The lakie of Jacaré-pagua, e.r
Jaracap~uha; is na:rrow and about four leagues long,. parallel with and very
near to the beach. It abounds with fish, 1·eceives some small streaní.s, and
has an outlet to the sea at its eastern extremity. It is situated at the · eastern
base :of the picturesque and ]'ofty mountain of the Gavea, about two leagues to
the west of the Sl.1g~r~Loaf. At its o.pposite base .is the beautiful and highly
pleasing eásca~es of Tejuca.. ··
The ·lake of Roderigo de Freytas is of a circular for~, and .hal( a league
in diameter; is about two miles distant from the bay of :Bota-fogo, and five
from the capital. In its vicinity Í·S the mother-church of the parish of St. J oam
Baptista ; also the royal manufactory of gunpowder, an.d a bota:flical gar.den
of txees and exotic plants. The tea plant is here cultivated, and, tuiqilestion-
ably, wo,u ld prosper i~ this climate with proper att~mtion; but this e8tablisb-
ment, upon the whole, is miserably neglected.· The Iake of Marica, wbicb is
a league.·and a 'half in length, from north-east to south-east, and · Iittle less in
38 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

width, é_otnmun.icates with that of Cururupi:ria, nearly of equal length. from

east to west, and about·the same width from north to ~south. They both ap-
proadi" very much to a triangular form. The channel which unites them is
called the river Jhinbuhy, and forros a small lake in the centre~ The ém·u-
rupina ' is · the east'ern. one, and .its'extremity is near Negra Point, which Íis at
an equal" distahée betwixt Cape Frio and the Sü'gar-:Loaf Mountain. The
rivulet. of Bananal, and that from which it takes its náme, are the largest
streams that enter it. The Marica, under which name the smail oll.e is also
comprehended, receives at its .southern end the Baccahi, which half a league
above its mouth· traverses the lake Braba, about a mile~ lmíg: f';f-líe- small
ri.véJ.' Itapitiu: enters its northexn extret)lity. lt is- prolonged · tn á 'pâral.lel · lme;
and at a short distance from tlie sea; to which it opéns' 'a:'pa-sságé' in ·the WÍ:nt~r
or rainy season, posses'ses · a" great abundan6f of exéellént fis11, ªnd, .fn con.:.
séqtiençe, furnishes a bi·anch of the dizimos (a tax Õf Ôile-tentli) 'óf the ·pTovínce.
The Iake of Piratininga; three-quarters of a leagÍ1e from east tó~ west, · and
proportionably· wide, is a:bout a mile distant from the Sacco, er Gulph ·of
St. Joam de Carahi; it is' also abundant in fish, and is separated from the seã
by a sand-bank, throngh wllich a passage . is openecl in the Fáiny seasorr, to
prevent its inundating the adjacen.t country. N ear qalf a league to the east of
Piratininga- is -si'tuated the lake Itaypu,· a. mile anda half:Jong,--and ·of ·pro-
portionable width ; a'nd -betwixt it and the sea is the parish of the sani.e náme,
the church of which is cledicated to St. Sebastian. Its inhabitants are fis~ermen
arnd cultiva:tors ef marrdioca and. su~·ar.
v· BAYs.-This .pi·ov!i.rrce can hoast of two as fine ports as an~ in.the world,_ the
bays of Rio .de,Janeiro anel of Angra dos Reys (King's bay., or creek.) The first is
upwarcls· of twenty leigues fr,om -Cape Frio, an~, of all others in South Ame1·ica,
merits most properly the clenomination of a bay; its narrow entrance, em-
bosomed in ' lofty sceNery of the beautiful and sublime, beiúg about eigb.t
hundred and fifty fathoms in width, and fourteen in depth, while the bay
itself, whi:ch is six leagues in 'length, almost nqrth and south, four at its
gre'atest width, and thirty-two in circumference, is.beautified with a great nu·m-
ber óf islands, anel has' depth fõr the recepfion of the largest fleets. It may be
said to be divid:ed into two emboucheurs, as the islan.d of Lage, occupied ~by a
fort .of the same name, is situated abo~t the centre. Tlie entrance of the bay is
eommancled by the additional fort of St. Cruz, on the east, anel the batteries of
St. Joze and · St_. Theoclozio, on the western. side, near an immense naked rock,
alreacly mentioned, which is ninety-seven fathoms in perpendicular ~ltitucle, anel
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 39

i~ in the .form of a sugar-loa:f, and so denominated. The fort of St. Cruz is si-
tuated. ª't ,the bas~ o( a high rugged mo1,mtain, called-Pico, in conseque:nce of its ·
);laving '<i.. fHiÜnt.ed ttermination. Frt>~ hence. signals are made to the city, an-
nouncing al!l vess.els as ·th~y a'Ppear upon. the hÕrizon. The two principal bays
that brancl1 from -it are, B0ta-fogo, behind' the batteries of St. J.ose and St. Theo-
dozio, and the larger one of Jurufuba, to the north of:Fort St. Cruz. ·upon the
beacn ofthe latter is sifuated lhe .parish ofSt: Jo.am de Ca:rahi. The first diseo-
very ofthis bay and the origin ofits ii:npr@pernâm.e have been already alluded to;
its more appropriate ap.d .primitive :name was Nitherony. Lery, who· wa~ there
with Villegagnon; ··says, that the .lndians then called it Ganabam; but the first
iS' the most suitable~ " ni·thero'l= sig:nibfying con:cealed, or hidden, and '~ hy" water,
as it is only on arriving in.f~orit ot the inlet that the bay is discovered, being ·pre-
viously conceale<it ~y mountains . ., This bay is- the receptable o€ a v:ast number
-of rivers, principã:tl8' inconsiderable; but, as tney ·are the~ medium of an easy
conveyance to the capital of t},te próâuctions in. their vicinity, it may i10t be
unimportant tó describe_those -of· the most consequénce. . :Tw(!) Ieagues anda
half, in a·direct line, or four by the· road towards Campin.P.a, !is(the mo.uth of
the -river lrafa; which issues ftom óne of the smalllakes, and affo!~ds navigation
with the tide to its port of the sanie na)11.e. A quarter of a league to the north
of the preceding, the Miriti enters the bay:, inc1:~ásed· by tb& junction of the Ipha-
muahi, (which issues from ~the Seri·a Bangu,) and the Pavuna, about t~@. Ieagues
I
and a half distant from its mouth. · It traversés a counlry in á grea~ measure
~arshy, and is only navigable for the space ofthree miles, in a direct line to the
port which takes its Ílamé, where cases•of sugar, and the produce of St. J oam and
Om· Lady of Apezentacâ.o, are put on boa1·d the bay boats-' : Abcmt a league to
the north o{ ii is the Sarapuhi, which originates in the S~rra- Cachaeira. Its
banks are_serpentine, and it is only navigable for about a league. ·The dwellers
in the parishes ·of St. Antonió aÍld · Jacutinga export tlieir prodúctions hy it.
The Iguassu, a mile · further to the north-east, has its source in the Serra
Tinguá; is· navigable fôr four leagues ;. brings with it to the bay the waters of
the Iguare, which . issues from one of the lakes, and ·affords navigation for a
mile to the port bearing its na:me. Also the 'Maraby,' flowing -from the Serra
B?a-Vista, and navigable to the port of Couto, three le~gues abe>ve its me>uth.
H -alséf receives the ])os Ramos, navigable f~r a spa~e.'of ·eigbt miles, to the
skirts of the Serra· Mantiqueira, in which it originates. The t~ver Inhumirim
enters· the bay about half a league further, and is n·avigable fór three leagues :
_one of its e onfluents, the Jaguamirim, flo_ws from the morasses, and affords
•
40 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

navigation for six miles; another, the Saracuruna, descends from the serra of
its uame, and is navigable only for ·a league; also the Figueyra, which comes
from Serra Frade. Boats go. up very near Üi> its -origin, where it has the .na:me
of Cayoába. By the Inhumifim, (the source of which is little distant from
the Piabanha,) the · miners, amounting to no great number~ comparatively,
descend by boats to the capital, and return in the same way, with manufactured
articles, up its channel to the pGrt of Estt;ella, where they leave .thé mules to
recruit for the return journey; but the major part of tbese people, ás . well as
others, proceed the whole way with the mules. The port of Estrella is a
flourishing place, (being on the main way to the mines,) with some little com-
merce, -and has a chapel of Our Lady, situated in the angle of the confluence·
of the aforesaid Saracuruna, four miles from the bay. .
From the lnhumirim there is a channel to the ri ver Pila~, · the last confluent
of the Ig·uassu. Little more than two leagues to the east-norU1-east of the Inhu-
mirim, and in front of the small island of Guaymma, the Suruhy, issuing from
the Org·an Mountains, discharges itself into the bay, and, like the o_thers,
admits of the navigation of boats .- up its channel for about seven miles. It re-
ceives the Goya, which comes from one of the morasses. All the productions
of the adjacent country are exc'ellent; and there is, perhaps, no soil better
adapted for ba.nana groves., which are cultivated here with great care. Half a
league further is the mouth of the lriry, which originates in marshy ground·,
and is only na:vigable for two miles.
A-bout two miles to the east of the Iriry, ·is the embouch_e ur of the Magé-
assú, which .de.scends from the Organ Mountains, bathes the town of the same
name, and affords navigation for ten miles. The Guapimirim, is about two
miles. from ' the Magé.. Its course is about six leagues, and originates in the
same mountains.
About two ' miles from hence is the principal of two mouths by which the
Maéacu enters the bay. It is one of its largest streftms, and is navigable
for :fifteen leagues. Alligators of a very large size inhabit itSt"<banks, and take
:shelter amOI1gst- the high reeds which grow in the water. Its source is in the
Organ Mountains, neaP thç rock called Canudos, and it is tmited on. its right mar-
gin by the rivers Guapiassu, Cabucu, afld. Varge ; on its left by the Cacerebu and
the Aldeia. The Guapiassu, which is the most <wnsiderable, comes from the
same mountains as the Macacu ; and, a little before· its incorporation . with
that river, ço-,:nmunicates with it by a channel called Rio d€>s fVIorros (River
pf Rocks•.) There, is a qnarry of pedm sc~bão, a peculiar stone, near its heads,

.,
 PROVlNCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 41

which is excavated in large pieces, and sawn for the pHrpose of .forming the ·.
mouths of fnrnaces . in engenhos, or sugar-works, being corisi(lereel of eternal
duration. The principal conflnent of .this tributary river is ·Piracinunga, the
main branch of which originates between the higb points of the Org·an Moun-
tains. Betwixt the rivers Macacu and Guapiassu tbere is a certain portiori of
territory, éomprising about two leagues, the most fertile in the district, which was
bequeathed, in 1718, by André da Costa, as a }~gacy to some poor persons, with
inalienable succession, f:i;nd an annual pension of two missas, (masses,) for each
house. This colony has now arrived at the number of twelve hmidred iudi-
vidúals, and this bequest would maintain ten times as many, with adequate
industry. The Guaxineliba flows from the Serra Taypu, and, describing numerous
windings anel turnings, entets the bay about two miles from the Macacu. T he
Emboassu, elisemboguing four miles further, has its source ~n the Serra St. Gon-
çalo, anel is navigable with the tide for a short distance.
The islanels with which this bay is ornamented are numerous, but of incon.sieler-
able extent. The principal is the isle of Governador, which is little more thah two
leagues long·, from east to west, and proportionab!y wide. It is of an irregularfonn,
having ínany headlands, and small creeks, and forros the parish of Our Lady of
Ajuda. The parishioners are generally agriculturists and labourers. It is situ~ted
almost in the midelle of the bay. The isle of Bom Jesus, but better known by
-the narne of Frades, is about two miles long, from east to west, and of trifling·
width. It is the site of a convent of lazy Franciscans, which has a handsome
and commanding .appearance.· The King· visits the island occasionally, ~n the
celebration of some particular relig·ious festivity. He spent two or three days
with the friars in the summer of 1819. It is not far distant from bis palace of
St." Cliristovao. The island of Paqueta possesses more natnral-'c harms than any
other in, the bay, and is situated m~ar its nm'thern extremity. lt is about three miles
long, from north to south, and of inconsiderable width. Its whol~ · extent con-
stitute-s the parish of Bom Jesus do Monte (Good Jesus of the Mount.) A con-
siderable quantity of ·the' timber and branches of the mango tree is exported to
the capital for :fire-wood. .
, Angra dos Reys, the other bay allucled to, is much larg;er than that of Rio,
presenting less regularity, with three entrances open to the south, formed ~y two
islands, Ilha Grande and Marambaya, lying in a parallel line with the coast.
The western entrance, denominated Cayrnssu, is sítuatecl betwixt Ilha Grande
and Joatinga.Point, ou the continent. Bom-Abrigo (Good Slielter) w_as the name
gi ven hy the first discoverers to this point. 'The entrance is eight miles wide,
G

'
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JAN~lR.O.

possessing thirty fathoms of d-epth. The ceptral entrance is betwixt the said
island and that of Marambaya, from whi<;h latter it d.erives its :a.ame. · 1t is five
miles wide, with little. ·less depth :than- the first. The eastern entralil.ce, ·denomi-
nated the ~ar af Guaratiba, is Iiarrow and of little depth. The1 t·ivers Guandt'l
and Mambucaba are. the ·principal amongst .a .great many whose ·courses termi,.
nate in this bay, which caJn boast of ·some e;xcellent roadsteads. Hha Grande
is four leagues long, with a proportionable 'width, having ·many high mountains
covered with wild and · verdant ·~0.ods, ,and ·numerous fountains t>f crystalline
water, which producé two· abundant streams. This bay ~}as various recesses,
which are .so many secure anchorag~ places ; .the creeks ~f Abraham, Estrella,
and Palma:S á:re the best. Tb,is jsla:n€1, which lends its name ·to ·ihe: frontier ter-
t·itory of the ~ confineni; h as · a fertile soiJ, _and · is partially cultivated. In the
year 1811, its popul:ition amou:n.ted to three thousand souls, at which period
the parish called St. Anna.· wa~ created: a · cei.ltral 'chapel, of the same name,
serves it for a mother-ehurch. In the creek of Abraham there is·· a village,
which, · most probaoly, at a fúture day, will become the ,capitàl of the island.
The island of Marambáya is. high and rocky, and overspl'ead ·with wood. The
whole of its cultivation and population arises alt>ne from the establishm()Ilt of two
sugar works upon it; and .it possesses a hi:nmitage of Onr Lacl:y of Griefs (das
DoTes.) From this islaná, a narrow sand-bank stretches t6 the east for'six.leagues,
as far as the bar of Guaratiba, and is covered in the greatest part with vegetaJtion.
Over the bay of Angra dos Reys, a vast number çf islands are scatte1!ed,
amongst which may.õe énum·e rated the Supítuba,. Cu;nhampyba Grande, Jorge,
Palmeira, Alg·o€lao, Barra, Caeyra, Redonda, Rafael, ·Cavaca, Pimenta, and
another, also. called Jorge, which are each from about a mile to two mil,es in
length. The Gipoya, about six miles long, has sm:ne indigo work(3 ançl fisheri.es ;
the Bomfim, very small, has a. hermitage of the saíne name ; the Tacoativa,
J acarahy, Paixao, Francisco Nunes, Barro, Pedreiro, Bayacica, Cana, Porcos,
Sappe, Boqueirao, Redonda, Buzios, Casca, Brandao, Coco, Algodão, Ferreira,
Cavaco, .J appam, Papagayos, Cobras, Sandre, ançl St. Joam are all SJ?all. The
majority of these islands are partly· cultivated and peopled.
CAPE s .~Cape Frio is the only remarkable cape of the province. That gf St.
Tho~é is situated about twenty leagues north-north-east from 'it. The principal
projecting points are Negra Point, nine leagues to the west of Cape Frio; Buzios
P oint, four leagues.to thenorth-north-east of tbe same cape; and Guaratiba Point,
near the bar of its name. The mother-church of the ·parish of St. Salvador is
beautifully situated upon a small e!Ilinence in front of the bar of Guaratiba. Its
 PROVINCE OF RÍO DE JANEIRO. 43

drstrict is twenty miles long·, and fifteen wide. In the year 1804, it coútained
four thousand three hundred and forty inhabitants~ dispersed over the parisli,
tire vicar's house being almost the onJy; (i>ne in the vicinity of the church.
I SLANDS.-The islands of this province are numerous, but the greater part in-
considerã:hle, and principally within the two bays ah·eady described. Outside of
the bar of Rio de Janeiro are the three islands of Palmas ; also the islands of
Redondâ, Comprida, Raza, Cagada, Lag·e, Catunduda, Toacinho, Pay, and
May; the whole e~f which a!·e small, uninhabited, and extremely barren, except
in verd-ant shrubs and brushwood.
MrNERALOGY:- < This pvovince has· some mines ·óf gold, and possesses veins
of iron. The rocks of gra~ite are very large and remarkable, being of one
solid piece, from whence rentire obelisks mig~lt be hewn of an immense size.
Aqua-marinas are met wüh ; and a .variety of different earths, sorrie considered
equal to that with which the Chinese manufacture. their porcelain.
ZooLOG v .-IIi this province are found all the domestié and wild ai:rimals be,.
longing to the adjacent provinces, with a s.o rt of Sahium monkey, ·hairy, and
of a gold colom:. Amongst the birds··are ·r emarked various sbrts of the beau-
tiful sahy, not met with northward. '·· ., ·
PHYTOLOGY.-This province affords a variety of timber for the purposes of
building, cabinet-work-, aB.d dyil.1g. The trée called here anduassu is nearly fift€)en
feet high, and two in diat;neter, grows rapidly, and only in the vicinity of the sea.
The lndians make an aperient medicine from its fruit, with whid1 they cure the
di-opsy. Oil is extracted from it for burning lights, and for the composition·of blué
ink, anda blue dye·. ';I'lie tàtàd'yha~ wnich is the·mm•us-tinctoria of Linnetis~ affords
an excellent yellow -dye, extracted by the boiling· of its wo0d in water, with thé
addition of a portión of alum. Thê gt·umixameiia is a tree ·which produces a most
excellent fruit, similar to a cherry in appearance, hmt of a finer flavour. I brought
some of its seed to England., but am yet uncertain whether it will prospe1· in our .
climate. A small tree produces a clove, said to be superior to that of the
1\1oluccas. The camphor tree, the cane of Madagascár, ~orne A..frican grasses,
and a de'licate species from liindostan, have been recently :natm;alize'd bere.
Canes of such thickness and height grow u:pon the margins of the Suruhy,' that
ladders are madB of them to hang the highest temples with decorations for festi-
vais. In many situaiions ferns are met with, not differing in the least from those of
Europe, except in the immense quantities which grow in uncultivated grourtds.
In the woods adjacent to Andrahi; neàr the road leadin'g to the ca:séades of
' Tejuco, there is ~ne which has grown, amongst ·other vegetation o( wÜd trees
' . G 2
 44 PROVINCE OF &lO DE JANEIRO.

anel brushwood, to the perpendicular heig·ht of eighteen feet. In some woods,

a sort of almond tree is met with, with frnit almost spherical, and of the magni-
tude of a hen's egg. Cocoa trees are not very abundant, owing to an insect
which gnaws the sprout· after it grows to any size, anel prevents their arrival at
the perfection they otherwise would. European horticulture succeeds better
here than in the northern provinces. The mango tree is only abundant in the
suburbs of ·the capital, and rarely frnctifies to perfection. Oranges grow spon-
taneously, and consist of various sorts; the selectas, which are large, and the
tangerinas, both of the most delicious qualities. The coffee tree, having been
naturalized here, during the govemment of Conde de Bobadella, by the atten-
tion and care of a magistrate, multiplies prodigiously, and is now one great
branch of the riches of this province. The cotton tree does not prosper uni-
versally. A pple, pear, cherry, anel apricot trees do not succeed. Fig trees
grow rapid}y, anel produce fruit in perfectión; but they have an enemy in a little
insect, which introduees itself very frequently into the pith, and dries it up.
Amongst an}nfinity of other prodnctions may be enumeratedjalap, ipec~cuanha,
called here poaya, trees of gum, of sang~te de drago, (blood of dragou,) of oil of
capaiba, and of Peruvian balsam. The cultivation of cochineal is nm'\ little
7

attended to.
CITIE.s AND TowNs.-.The cities anel towns in this pro~ince are remarkable for
their small number anel general insignificance~ considering its extent and capabi-
lities. The same observation is applicable to all the othei· provinces, and to some
'infinitely more so. In this province may be reckoned two ci6es anel twel ve towns,
having no good . roaels e>r regular communication with each other by la~d, but
mere tracks and bridle-ways constituting an intricate a~d difficult meclium of in-
tercourse. But we hail, with no common satisfaction, the improvements that will
necessarily succeed to the change that has taken p1ace ·in the system of govern-
ment in the mother-country, and which · has already begun t0 operate a like _
change in the provinces of Brazil. ,
The d~plorab1e want of roads, anel all the other facilities of husbandry, com-
merce, and enjoyment, is the natural consequence of the state of penury anel
jgnorance in which the inhabitants, generally, of this region are involved, by a
system that cannot too soon give way to the more enlightened policy which ap-
pears to be dawning upon them. This good work, as far as it has pro·ceeded,
redonnds highly to the honour of the Portuguese people; no sangnimi.ry event
ha,ving marked their endeavours in the cause of freedom, thereby affording a
most satisfactory contrast to the bloody pages that bla:cken the revolution of
many other nations. JY.Iay they soon regain their former -dignity of character.
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO . 45

The places we alluded to are, · ~- .

C!TIES. DJSTRJCTS.
Cape Frio . . _ Cape Frio.
St. Sebastian (c.ommonly called Rio .de Ja,neiro) Rio de Janeiro.
TOWNS. DISTR.JCTS.
Marica Rio de- J anéiro.
Macacu Ditto.
Mage Ditto.
Villanova · . Ditto.
Parati Ilha Grande.
Angra . .. Ditto.
.Rezende Parahiba Nova.
St. J oao Marcos Ditto .
.St. Joao de Maccahe Cape Frio.
.St. Salvador . .. Goytacazes .
St. J oao de Parahiba . Ditto.
Canta-Gallo . Canta-Gallo.
The district of Ilha Grande is mountainôus, wholesome, and fertile. , ·I t is
b-ounded on the west by the province of St. Paulo ; on the north, by the con-
tinuation of the Org·an Mountains, which separate it from the district of
Parahiba Nova ; on the east, by the River Taguahi, the limits of the distric.::t of
Rio de Janeiro, with the exception of which, none of the others exceed it. in
the prompt means which it enjoys of exporting· its productions, which are
farinQ.a, or flour of the mandioca, Indian corn, rice, feijao, (black beans,)
coffee, sugar~ cacháça, (bacl rum,) índigo, some cocoa, anel timber. Very few
cattle of any kind are bred ; but it abounds in poultry.
Parati, with the títle of a countship, and famous for its cacháça, (rum,) which
is reputed to be the best in the state, was created a town in 1660, and is situated
.in a level coup.try, on the western·side of the bay of Ilha Grande, betwixt the river
Patetiba, anel that from which it derives its name. Its · streets are straight,
crossing at right angles, with edifices of stone, anel a parochial church of Our
Lady of Remedies, the chapels of Lapa, and of GTiefs. It has a Juiz de Fom,
a judicial officer, anel royal professors (as they are called) of the primitive
letters and Latiu. Its commerce is conside:rable. lt is situated about sixty
miles west of the metropolis.
Angra dos Reys is a maritime town, in a stat~ of mediocrity, standing among
the fi·ontier mountains of Ilha Grande, which nàme it frequently takes. It is de-
fended by two redoubts, and h as a parish-church of Our Lady of Conceiçao; also
46 PROWNCE OF RIO .DE JANEIRO.

the chapels ofLapa, and St. Luzia; a convent of Framúscans, ane!l: one of sli:rperecl
Carmelites. The~extensi ve domains ofthe former ha ve not ceased to increase. I ts
inhabitants enjoya salubrious air; ahd vessels ofthe largest size can come to anchor
in the port. lt h as a Júiz de Fora, who is the same person that fills that situation at
Parati, from "whence it is distant twenty miles, and also h as prefessors of the same
kind. Its· commei'ce is pretty considerable ; the fig and vine trees prosper in its
vicinity, and it is the most ancient town of the province. In .the adjacent
countries of Mambucaba, rice commonly renders one hundred for one; feijao,
twenty ; lndian corn,' forty and fi.fty ; a fertility that has irrduced · mauy families
to move to this dlstrict, which, since the year 1811, has been fof med into a
parish, with tne chutch of Our Lady of Rozario, situated near the emboucheur .
of the riveF, uponrits ueastern bank. A few leagues to the north7' ánd in the
vicinity of the same margin of the ri ver, is the picturesque mountairi' bf Tay.picu,
having the form of a ~sugar-loaf; and ata moderate distance from the origin of
the Mambucaba is· the celebrated pinnacle denominated the Friar( from its
similitude to a Frarrciscan. with tbe cawl upon· bis head.
· The district of Parahiba Nova is confined on the south by that of Ilha
Grande; on the-·west,..·b:y the p1~ovinC'e' of St. Paulo; on;the north, ·hy that of
Minas JG~raes,- from: w hich it 1s sepq,rated by the ser.r a ~of· Mantíqueira. Its
territory is "generally mountainous, ~ ~bounding ·w:ith woods arrd' w~te.I. ·• Its
produce is ric~, Indian _d:>1'n,, rfeijao, and tobácco ; but cpffee and sugar are the
principal :riQhes,.o.f· the disb·ict. lt is· álleged, that the frosts, rthat. are eonseq_m.e nt
on the.high ~Ievatiori @Í the couritr:y, are 'an ol?stacle to·thé cu.Hure ·of-;~0tto~ and
:w.heat,. w.hicli ;fl(mr~sh qnly:in lfe;w sitU'ations. lt has been demonstrat~d, .that
the soil of this~ district-is well adap:teçl for fila.x ; but, as the Clilltivatio;r n>fit •does
' "

not require less labour th~:n in J}ur.ope,.. the a1i)athy of the inha:bitànt.s, 'l:Ó a~ g1:ea't
.UJ,easure ân~,u_c ~,!1 by the :causes•j llst now glánced at, is the oniy oostacle rtb its
gen~ral produc~ion. The orang.e, pine:-apple, bananas, . and some 0ther' B:razilian
fruits, are not abu;ndant. - Cattlé and heiises are bred in :very~small numhers; pigs and
poult:I:y at e plentifuL The ri-ver Párahiba trav.erses this dis:lírict, to which it giv.es
the na me, des.cribilig -innpmerable, windi'ngs,~anét. collécting á;great many ·streams,
~mongst wliich may be rloted th.e Ba:r~·al\lffiÍl.sa, Eanná.naJ; and: Barrei,i·oS' . . The
PiJ:ahi' is navig·able fár .sev.en l€)agues to tlile church' of' St: Anna, ·el'ected;in 18)2'.
.Rez.ende, created a tówn auririg· th'e government ·a f ã coun:t •o.P ·the·nsaine
name, is situated in an elevated country, upon the right hl:!-n:k ofth~ 'tj:iverPa'fahiiba,
which supplies it with fish,' and has a pai·oehial dwrch ~~alled. Our Lacily- ·of Con-
ceiçao. lts pdmitive Rame was Oampo:rlegre: üoffce and sugar-are its exports,
and ~tis distanrt ·àboQt siix teen teagnes north· of Angra. ·
 PROVINCE O'F RIO DE . J ANEIRO. 47

St.~oa9!Yf~rcos, E;)rected into a·tG,wn. in 18~3.,. is upon th~.Tigh..t bank ofthe small
ri ver A.ráras, a-.:western branch Qf th~,Láges, ·a nd is. seveii leagues nor.th· of Angra, ·
and nineteen west of N'le capital. .lts ch'l.n·ch is dedicated to the saint from which
· it ta_k es its ·name. Its inhabitants cultivate a prodigious quantity of coffee, which
is decidedly esteeme.d the best.in the B:cazil; als.ó .some sugar. It is a halting
p1ace for the bands .of mules, · and trav.ellers coming from .the province of St.
Pa:ulo to t,he metropo1is; but, like ali other tÕwns and places in the Brazil, . pos-
sesses no inns for thé accommodation of the ·:way:t'arer, w4o,' if not ·used to the
modes of tbe country, must cater ~s well as he can. P.roceed'ing from hence
towa:rds St. Paulo, the molli!ltains are o:f :su;h heigh:t,-- that paS$eS,· ·or wa.ys;· are
formed only J>y considerabls·winüings a·n:d 'intricate asc::;ents.
_ A little above the passage of the .Parahibuna, betw.ixt the Parahiba and the
Preto, is the ~illage of Valença, with a hermitage of Our Lady of Glory, (Gloria,)
which serves for the devotion of the inhabitants; consisting of four bordes of
Christianized Indians, which are the Puris, who are of a small stature; the Araris,
·whiter and well maçle; the Pittas, anel Xumettos. S_ome unconverted natives
dwell amongst them. Upon the northern. bank of the Parahiba;at the passage
~owards the Parahibuna, is the parish of Our Lady of Conceiçao, (Çonception,)
inhabited by white ·people. It is much frequented. .
The district of Rio de Janeiro, situated betwixt t~ose úf Cape Frio on the
east, and Ilha Gr.ande on the south, extends twenty leagues from. east to west,
and nearly in its centre is the hay of the same name, whieh receives all the ,
rivel's that {el'tilize thi~ district, with the exc~ption óf the Guandu. ·Its pro-
ductions do not materially differ from the others, in the conveyance .of which to
the capital it, however, enjoys greater facility:
ST.SEBASTIA'N, better known by the name-ofRio de Janeiro,.is the mostimpm·-
tant, populous, and cmnmercial city in the Brazil. It was created a bis_h opricin
the year 1776, ancl. the metropolis of this regio:o, in 1763; from which period, to
the a!Tival of Queen Donna . Maria and the royal family, on the 7th of March,
1808, it was governed by seven succes_s~ve viceroys: these were, the Count da
Cunha, the Count d' Azambuja, the Marquis de Lavrodio, Luiz de Vasconcellas
e Souza, the COtmt de Rezende, Fernarid? Joze de Portugal, (now the Marquis
d' Aguiar,) and Count d' Arcos, a nobleman highly esteemed by the people u,:nder
his jurisdiction, which termiuated before its natural .expiration, .in consequence
of the events in Portugal that drove the royal family to their Trans-Atlantic
possessions. It is affirmed that this :fidalgo undeservedly suffered some per-
secution at this perioçl, in consequence of the intrigues or influence which a
certain family, -who accompanied the court, had over the Prince Regent, (two
48 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

of whom have since received titles,) but which influence was counteracted in
some measure by the Queen. This fidalgo was afterwards sent as captain-
general to Bahia, where he d.isplayed considerable ability at the time the revo-
lution burst forth at Pernambuco, and otherwise advanced the prosperity · of
the province. The termination of the Pernambucan revolt was attrihuted to
the pro:m.p t measures wh.ich he adopted. He is now minister of marine in this
city. H~s son received the ffon. Mr. Thornton, our minister at the Brazil~an
court, on his landing at the Palace-stairs, for whom and bis suite three of the
róyal state carriages were in waiting. It was affirmed, that no minister had ever
been received with greater marks of respect. This city is situated in a plain,
the major part of which, ·in former times was w~shed. by the sea, at the base of
an accumulation of small hills and mountains of all .elevations upon its southern
precincts. It extends about two miles in length, from east to west. Its norther:n
side is enclosed by a cordon of five mountains, all oblong·, and which leave
space only for one street, betwixt their eastern . base and tbe pria (beach.)
The central Qne of these mountaiBs is the highest and most extensive: betwixt
some of them, there are streets or roads leading · to the margin of the bay.
Upon tbe eastern and lowest elevatioB is situated the monastery of St. Bento.
The adjÓining one is crowned with the fort of Conceiçao, and the episcopal
palace. On the western 011e, there is a chapel of. St. Di6go, and upon the
central.one towards the beach, another of Our Lady of Livrainent0. ' .
In front of the granite rock, upon which St. Bento stands, is the island of
Cobras, or Snakes, which is ·one hundred and sixty-flve fathorns l~ng·, from east
to west, and proportionably wide, not very high, and fortified, having withín
its precincts a loathsome prison, ge:rieral1 y appropriated to the confin~ment of
state prisoners, to which, however, Englishmen have been occasionally sent,
for trifling irregularities in regard to passpo.rts and other matters of no serious
import. There are two trapiches, or warehouses, upon its margin next the chàn-
nel, which is about one hunclred and fifty yards in width. At its northern eu-
trance, merchant vessels lie for the purpose of discbarging and taking in their
-cargoes, wbich are performed by hirge barges, at no inconsiderable expense.
Almost north-west from the granite rocks of St. Diqgo, at a distance of about
three quarters of a mile across a point of the bay, . and upon a g·entle eminence,
is situated the hospital of Lazaros, wbich has a very comman.ding ~ppear~nce,
and was formerly a house of recreation bel<mging to the Jesuits, bnt is now usecl
as a barrack for a regiment of Cassaclores, from Portugal, who .perform the
duty of royal guard at the palace of St. Chrístovao, about a mile distant from it.
Between the 1·ocks of St. Diogo and the lazaretto, a branch of the bay forms a
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 49

small creek, which separates the Cidade Nova from tbe village of M,atta Porcas. ·
The bridge of St. Diogo, by which tbey communicate, is constructed of wood.
The beach leading from St. Bento to this- point, describes several windings and
s-yveeping crescents, formed by projecting headlands, in one of which, upon
the side of a gently ascending hill, the Euglish burial-ground presents a con-
spicuous object. In sailing along tbe bay, the neat white building that crowns
it, the over hang·ing trees dispersed about, with the already accumulatiilg tomb-
stones, procluce a corresponding interest in a feeling mind, on passing the bo:nes
of countrymen, restirrg ' in a -situation so picturesque and sadly tranquil, far
. removed froJJn their nativé land. May you rest undisturbed, said I, at the
sight, and ·may those estimable relatives and friends who 'pay the depa:rted
spirits the tribute of affectionate remembrance, journey through life in .p eace
and prosperity.
The houses-of Rio de Janeiro are generally built of stone, one story high,
with balconies, which f01;merly were barricadoed with latticed doe>rs and win-
dows, but these were ordeTed to be .removed after the arri vai of the royal
family. The ground :floors, which are not used as shops or stores, still exhibit
this miserable and gloomy aspect of dosely làtticed windows and doors. In
the .upper part of tbe latter, woodeÍ1 latticed windows are infroduced, and the
whole are most commonly suspended from the top lintel, secured 'vith hinges.
The inma,tes push them outwards, with their hands or heads, for the purpose of
·ebtaining a si de view of what. is passing in the streets. N umbers of the inhabit-
ants of this city are thus seen _resting upoÍ1 t~eir elbows, the head projecting
1
of
the lower points those hanging windows, frequently to the annoyance of per- -

sons passing along the very narrow footways.

The streefs cross each other at right angles. The Rua Direita, running north
and south from the base of the St. Bento Hill to the Palace Square, is the best
aud widest in the city, and the principal head of others branching off in a
westerly direction, which are crossed, . at certain' distances, by other streets
running in a parallel line with the first. Amongst those leading from the Rua
Dü·eita, may be enumerarted the Rua dos Pescadores, Rua do Sabao, Rua
d'Alfandigo, and the Rua d'Ouvidor; which latter is th~ chief outlet to three
or foqr roads leading from the suburbs of the city, and is, in consequ.ence,
toler~bly thronged· with cabriolets, carriages, mules, and horsemen.
The streets being :very narrow, foot passeng;ers experience mariy inconve-
:niences, and not the 1east from h011semen, who do -not scruple to ride upon the
narrow foot-path, which scarcely adrilits of two people passing, in order to
H
50 . PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

avojd the dirt and holes. of tbe badly .paved streets. ·A nother annoyance·ris
the Senhors Picadores, or royal gentlemen mule breakers, · the ~ most miseral:He
looking wretcbes, who assume ali .the self-will peculiar to theii· :anhnals, a:ID.d
some of that consequence which the servants of the ~oyal family gene~alloy think
themselves·enütled. to . . The roy.al attendants . are called, by 1;he. Bra:Zilians, tme
lm-gura, that . is, . the ·occupiers of all_ the ,yo·a:d, . a_nd malke no ceremony in
upsetting yóu;" or .Tmining agái.nst .the ·c--a-h~üí:ge; · gàg, · or ·horse; of any plebeian
they may encoul)ten · Next c"<:nne the royal cadets, in such a helter-sk_elter,
that it rnay justly be compared to ·the suddemress and fury of one of the gusts
of wind we experienced in our pass~g~ · acrgss the Eq~mtor. They are the
signal óf tlte approach of' some pad · of the ' royal family ; and, as it is the
custom for every one ~hey .rn~et .to take off th~ir hruts, anel persons in c;:aprireges
and on horseback to dismount, it is not a · little amusing to see the general
bustle that prevails· on the oc.casion of those ceremonial storms, some :íilying for
f e ar of being ridden Jover~ .others drawing up theii: .. eanlages ancl. -iJ..oi·ses tó a
corúer oi· side, and aH bending the Jrnee ;·t<Y the royal party. At these.tünes-,
it is lucky i( a person on horseback, caught in such an encounter in' a narrow
street, gets off without some personail injury. --
It may be necessary to_ observe, that ~ny of the royal family going out
are generally attended by a party of cavalry, mounted on small àrrd poor
horses, two of which, who are sometbiug superior t~ a cómmon soldier, called
cadets, pFecede the carriage at f·ull ,gallop, tlu·ough the · streets or along the
roads, the 1·est of the cavalry immediately follow.ing it. They a~e succeeded by
ot4er royal cabriolets, with the fidalgos in waiting, the domestic servants pro-
ceeding· without any order on horseback; amongst·w hom, h e who carries before
him , at full gallop, the royal crimson night-stool, is no inexpert lH:.rseman.
Some foreigners have r.esisted the right which the royal cadets assume of
compelling them to dismount, and ·it will be readily conceded, that such a
ceremony cannot but be very repugnaut to the feelings of Englishmen, Ameri-
cans, and others, although they have generally complied with it. The Queen,
w:ho has the €haracter of being extremely partic11lar and peremptory on this
point, a few years siuce, , taking her usual ride to ~ small cottage an'd
garden, at the bottom of the O range Valley, m~t Lorcl Strangford, who refused
to comply with the acçtlstorned ceremony. The cadets instantly insulted bis
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. About three years ag·g, Mr. Sumpter, the American
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. .5 1
-
minister, met the Queen in the same neighbourhood. The guard rode up t?
him, saying, "Apea-se Se_nr." -Hé replied, that he was the American minister,
and that he shoúld not dismount, Ón which they did not hesitate to compel
him ." Mr. Sumpter said that he did not require any satisfaction for this .gross
insult, but stated with great spirit, that he should prÓvide himse1f with holsters
ando pisto·ls, and woÚld shoot the first person who otferéd lÍim a. similar insult.
V er·y ·shortly afterwards, he met the Queen's guard again, :who rode up' to
him, mà.king· the • same perem:ptory demand as -before. In answer to· which,
he frankly told :them; that the first man who otfered him any violence, he
would shoot déad upon ~he spot. This resolute conduct induced thein to
retite. UiJon this, it is said, the Queen ordered them to proceed a second time
to dismount Mt·. Sumpter; but they were intimidated by bis eontinued firmness.
It is génerally affirmed that her Majesty WRS' highly '1.ncensed-at Mr. Sumpter's
COnduct, anel requested t-he mÍÍlÍster of "State -to ÍSSUe an 'bráer tOl' hi~· Ímpf ÍSOD-'
ment in tl1e ·i~land of Cobras. The ·n:linister ,-pyeváiléCI. UJ>OD her Majesty to wait
the r~súli df a despatch to thé · King_upon the subject, who was then forty miles
t1ff ·at St. Cruz, and who' gave orders immediately, that no foreigner should be
compelled to pay more courtesy than bis own Sovereign WOJ.Ild req11ire frorn
bim. Since that time, however, an ·English merchant, who was driving his
lady in a chais·e, was beat by the Queen's guards, till his arm became quitt~
black, 1~md bis life endangered, notwithstanding he· had stopped bis horse,
stood up in the chaise, and took off bis hat. In the mon.th of July, 1819;
Comniodore Bowles was taking a ride near the Orange· Valley, when the
Queen's cadets beat him off bis horse with their swords. ·" The cadets were sent
on bdard the Creole to apologize for their conduct,.. and the commocl.ore advised
them in future to. draw their swords only ag·ainst an ene~ y . Th' the· King, who
does not require this ridiculous and incoilvenient homage, the English ge1:eral.ly
are desirous of showing· their respect by dismounting.
On the northern side of the city is situated an almost oblong square; called the
Campo of St. Anna. lt is more than a quarter 6f a mil e in length, a1:1d about half
the width-. A church of the:same name divides it into two parts. · The western
partis destined for the {; i dad ~ Nova, (or New City,) and increasing in build;- ·
ings, denoting, however, very little regard to architeci:ure or general comfort
in the edifi.ces. Of the eight street~ which run into the :campo S't. Anna', those
of St. Pedro and Sabao are intencled to cóntinue under the same 1;a~es -the
whole extent of the ,..new city, which is to terminate at the w~oden-bridg·e of
St. Diogo already mentiÓned. .. ~
H2
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

This · city is divided into seven parisbes; that of St. Sebastian, or the royal
chapel, dedicated to the use of the royal family, with a curate chosen from
the canons, that of Se, at present with a chapel and also a canonical cm·ate,
St. J oze, St. Ritta, St. Anna, St. Francisco Xavier, and Ou r Lady of Can-
dellaria, tb(( parisb church of wbich, yet incomplete, presents a very handsome
frontispiece, ~nd is also the only parochial church in the kingdom, where
chaplains, at this time tifteen in number, officiate daily, in form of a collegiate
church. There is a house of misericordia, with a hospital for the sick, anel
an establishment for the reception of orphans, the legitimate offspring of white -
parents, which place they leave on being married, and receive a certain dowry.
There are eleven chaplains .for the purpose of praying at canonical hours in
the choir of tbe church. There is a convent of Benedictines aild another of
Franciscans. The ci-devant convent of the slippered Carmelites now forms
a part of the palace, and their church is the royal chapel. Tbe bishop is the J

chaplain-mor. The chapter is composed at .p resent of twenty-eight canons, of

whom eight use the vestments and adopt the usages of the monsenhores of the
patriarchal at Lisbon ; the others received, by law, the title o.f Senhoria, in
December, 1808; they dress in cloaks, and the ,,Vhole wear red st.ockings.
There is an alms' house of Terra-Santa, to entertain the travelling brotherhoocl.
The two seminaries of St. J oze and St. Joaquim are ill attendecl and as ill con-
ducted. In the latter Dr. Gardner, an English gentleman, lectures on chymistry,
but he has few pupils. He receives a stipulated salary, anel is appointeel by the
crown. Also a third order (Terceiras) of St. Francisco d'Assis, of Our Lady
of Carmo, with a beautiful chapel, and ?_f St. Francisco de Paula, each with its
hospital, either complete or begun, for the poor brothers. The Jesuitical college
is converted into a royalmilitary hospital, with schools of surgery ; and,. agree-
ably to the tenure of the respecti ve statutes upon this subject, fi v e years are
requ1r~d for the formation of competent surgeons. Amongst othet· chapels to
be remarked is that of St. Peter, of a circulm· form, with an arched roof~ '
' '
where ten chaplains perform divine service, anel none are admitted into orders,
unless they can demonstrate that they are of the brotherhood of St. Peter : St. ·
Cruz, whicb has an elegant frontispiece; there the military hold their religious
festivais: Hospício, with an arched- roof anel a cupola: and Our Lacly of,Gloria,
situated upon an elevated point or headland_, in great part surroun:ded with the
sea, which forms a very handsome anel conspicuous object when viewed from the
bay. The hill upon which it stands runs along in uneven elevations as far as
Pria .Flemingo, where, it terminates in an abrupt precipice of granite rock.
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 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 53

.The front of this hill, facing the lJay, néarly in a state of wild nature, was
some time ago purchased by Mr. Maiden, an English gentleman, upon the
side of whieh be has erected a very excellent mansion for bis own residence,
as well as three or four other neat houses, a1l occupied by English gentlemen ;
one at the extremity, near the granite rock, is in the possession of the Rev.
Mr. Crane. The Gloria Hill is decidedly the most agreeable situation for a
residence in the vicinity of Rio : it is elevated, and comJDands an interesting
·view of the hat;bour and all vessels as they · enter and leave the port ; at the
same time enjoying all the advantages of the land and sea breezes. Its only
inconvenience is the approach to it, by a steep ascent ou the side of the Gloria
Chapel.
. ~ There aretwo female convents at Rio de Janeiro. The in-d,vellers of one
adhere rigidly to their system of strict sedusion from all intercourse with the
world : they are Therezian nuns, and the convent is agreeably si.tuated upon
an emi.nence, near the double row of arches in which the aqueduct terminates.
The others are Franciscan nuns, and an apartment in tbeir convent of Ajuda
is appropriated for the admission of their fri~nds, to converse with them
through an iron gTating. This convent possesses an antiquated organ, coeval
with the establishment, anel the hand of man bad not been allowed, for many
a year, to harmonize the discordancy occasioned by the deteriorating lapse of
time. An English professor of music was engaged, under considerable penalties
to keep th€ peace, and prese~ted with a ca1·te-blartclw to visit the convent, for the
purpose of tboroughly renovating this instrument, which, on accomplishing, he
declared was as fine a toned organ as h e had e ver heard. I · was permitted to
accompany this gentleman, upon one occasion, under the garb of a servant.
We approached a door in the comer of· a small inner square, which the outer
entrance leads to. A respectful knock produced the opening of .a small shntter
within tbe door, when the fine face and black eyes -of the watchfnl porteress
were presented at the iron grating. After a parley of a- few minutes, during
whicb, at intervals, she examined me with rather a scrutinizing eye, the bolts
were withdrawn, anel, on entering, we found ourselves at the foôt of a flight of
spacious stairs, which she ascended with us. · At the top we were joined by ,
.two other nuns, apparently about the age of forty, who cpnducted us along a
passage or avenue; one of.t4em continuing· to sound a bell the whole way, with
a view of announcing to the sisterhood that man was within the precincts of the
huilding, whose sight they were tbus cautioned to avoicl. Our three · com-
pamons were extremely affable, anel conversed with much animation. We
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

arri ved, after passing through a considerable párt of the ~uilding, at the apart-
ment where the organ stood, which was also a place of devotion, and ornamented
with the figures of various saints. Creolean slaves soon carne, to assist in the
operations upon the organ, ih whieh I was an equally awkward performer.
Those sla'Vés, unnaturally aestined àlsô to be here immured-for life, W€1'-e young
and some of them very li.andsôme. *t intervals many other nuns came to the
door and looked in bi steálth. Some_gradüally overcam·e tlieir 'sh~ess, entered
the room, offered up their devotions, repéated theit " Avi l\'Ia'rias," and, by
degTees, : approached the organ, with which our attention . appeá1·ed to be
absorbed. N ature so triumphed o ver superstitious habits that many of them
became very familiar and lively. One of them sung part of an English song,
which my companion had translated into Portuguese, h e playing · üpon the
organ as an accompaniment; the others appeared quite delighted, and shouted
ont " Viva, viva." Upon some of them perseveringly urging me for ali air, I
gave tbem a v.erse of '~ ·God save the King," which, on- othe1 s coming into t:he
room, I was obliged to t!epêãt: Tbe - gÓvernesses jo'ined Ül." these_ ócéasional
bursts of vivacity, and at other times took theií; stations -in differeB.t ·pa1-t-s .. af the
room, apparently in the posture of devotion;_ and so sittlated that they could
obséi·ve aU tharwas passing·. Upon all occasions ·of· their corning in or leaving
the room they bent the knee to the figure of Jesus. One of tnem directed my
attention to the beautifúl quality of the silk which constituted the veRtments on
the figure of St. John, and observed, several times, tbat he· appeared muito
trist-e (very sad) that morning. I did not think proper to dissent from tbi~
xomantic discfwery; but I was a litile astonished to find that she· carried her
superstition so far as ·to imagine that an inanimate figure could actually change
its aspect, and, C:onsequently, that it was endowed with vital feeliüg · àlnd
thought. She next showed · me a menino Jesu, (child Jesus,, richly d-ressed,
with a silken band around the waist, from which was suspended an embroidered
bag, containing, she said, a pieGe of the real bone of om· Saviom. I ventured
bere not wholly to conceal my doubts; but she assur~d me it was so, and. that
the Queen, whose remains were deposited in the garde:ili •of the eonvent, búmght
it fro.m Lisbon, and presented it to them :- this ·w as éonclusíve. No doubt they
reg·arded us as pitiab]e hereties, one of them taking- great..pains to teach me
Pad1·e Nosso, Avi Ma1·ia, Sainta Ma1·ia, all wbich I was instructed to write jn
my book, and then compelled to repeat several times. to tbe rest, who séen)!ed
very much pleased at my promising symptoms of.Catholicism. A very fine girl,
about ten years of age, had just entered the con1'ent. .I expressed my surpri:se
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 PROVINCE OF RlO DE JANEIRO. 55

and re.gret, :to one of the .governes·ses; ,. that· so young à child sh(!)uld·be shut up
here for :life; she ;replied, that it was -iDfiEtitelíy bettt:n~ than being exposed to the
wickedn.ess of.the ;world. Tbey are·ânvehed in ~reat ignorance, bnt apparently
not on1y comfortable, but happy; and ·gne.a t;Hcleanlinéss péFv·a:ded that part. of
the convent that we saw. We retrnnetl byeihe .Saqle .a"e.nues 1 arrd "tire bell,
. which had been intrusted to my -ri.ov-elr manageinent; _sending forfh rather un-
usuai sounds, ind'ú ced som~ of the more ·secluded siste:rhood to peep, with
some ·surprise, out of their cells·; and, as I was found not to be intúitively a
belhnan to their wishes, I was 3tS 'quickly deprived of my new sitúation.
An aqueduçt, for furnishing wáter to the Cidade Nova, is nearly completed;
in which quarter some new fountains · are -to .be observed, especially the 'Lagarto,
and another in the Campo St. Anna; ·:Iarge, bu1lt o f ston.e; and -discharging the
water by nullil.€i'Ous sp€mts. ·1·-; :·.1;:::; ·" · · c
The fountains in the eastern distr.ict of the city consist of one iÍl the Palace
Square, in. the shape of a tower, the Mm·recas; G:rie in the Moura Place; and
the Cm·ioca, with twelve spou,J;s; all of which are supplied by the aqueduct
already. mentioned.
A visit to its source I found to be a most interesting ~xcursion. I was
accompanied to it by _two (riends. W e dil;ected our course to the village of
Matta Cavallos, passing underneath t~e double arca.d e, the superior one having
forty-two arches, and which conducts the water from the Therezian hill across
a valley dose to the city. We called upon Mr. Langsdorffe, the Russian
consul, and pToceeded from bis l;wuse up a gradual ascent, covered with almost
impervious woods, and, after cróssing a deep glen, gained tbe terrace, which
is formed by excavation along the sides of mountains anel precipices for nearly
four miles. As .far as two white pillars, opening into the Orang~ Valley, a dis-
tance of about three miles, tbe terrace has been Tecently repaired, and forms
of itself a very fine promenade. Upon its inner side the range of aqueduct is
erected, which is nearly eight fe~t high, consisting of two walls, a yard from
each other, which space ·is arched o ver, and encloses the small stream o f water
that flows rapidly along· a channel hewn, out of stone. As far as the pillars it
has been recently enlivened by white-·w ashing, and at certain distances small
- apertures are left, for the pm:pose of ventilation. In some places, small iron
,
gates are introduced into the wall, to admit of the occasional entrance of per-
sons within it; those gates are locked, and an opening is left at the bottom
large · enough to receive the arm. There is likewise a bason, cut out of the
stone, to supply the passers-by with water, which has rather a peculiar flav.oUl'.
56 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

The eye is delighted with the suc.cession of beautiful scenery which the walk
presents, and ramble;; . in undiminished raptrire at every point, over the yaried
and romantic objects which sportive nature has he.r e produced. Precipices
above, and accumulated alpines shut in the view to the south and west. Wind-
ing glens b~low, formed by smaller elevations; here and there houses seen almost
embosomed in the woody ravines ; the valley of Engenho Velho, sprinkled
with white hQuses, which is also the si te of the palace of St. Christovao ; the
city a1_1d bay, surrounded with their ampbitheatres of mountains; the hig·h soaring
in asses llear the pass to the Tejuca ; the tow~ring piles of the Organ range, . and
others of va1·ied appearance to the right, edging the distant "hor!zon, together
form a granel totality, a most animated and a:riimating picture, extending farto
the north and east, harmonizing the feelings, a_nd lifting the mind into a. pro-
found and pleasing train of wonder and adoration of the all-powerfül. being
who has ordained these noble diversities of nature, over which his creative
hand has thrown the graceful and cheerful covering· of verdant trees and shrubs,
..
swárming in wild profusion, the ham:l of man having in few places contributed
its aid.
" Hail, Source of beings ! Universal Soul
O f Heav'n and Earth ! Essential Presence, hail!
To Tbee I bend the knee: to Thee my thoughts
Continuai climb, who with a master hand
Hast thc great whole into perfection touch'd."

This charming· picture is lost to view on passing the ópening betwixt th e

pillars, where. the prospect, although more confineel, is aelmirable, consisting
of the deep recesses of the Orange Valle:y, the more lofty features of the moun-
tains which encompass it, anel the singulady formed ·Corcovada at its head, all
rising into inelescribable magnificence. These are scenes that would have
delighted and invigorated with new energ·y the most exalted poets and painters.
From hence, a narrower tenace, covered with entwining brushwood, and
skirting along the side of the mountains for about a mile, brought us to the ,heád
of the valley, where the origin. of the aqueduct is marked, by an inscription, to
have taken place in the year 1744. Its source is adorned with a fine cascade,
at the foot of which, a declining· platform of rocks, overshadowed .with trees,
and refreshed with the falling water, afforcled us ·a delightful retreat fi·om the
rays of the sun; anel here in reality we enjoyed the refreshment a sla ve· had
brought for us : above ns the ruggeel mountains in precipices · and the stony
bed of the rivulet were seen, overhung with high trees and shrnbs as far as the
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PROVTNCE OF RIO . DE JANEIRO. .57

eye could reach. In this place, and from these waters,. a poetical rriind must,
indeed, imbibe those. draughts of irispiration which the vale of T empe, and t he
mountain ánd. stream of Pàrnassus are fabled to ·have produced. A long and
intricate path IJ.eads fr0m hence to the summit of the . Corcovada .Mount ain ;
below us there was an abrupt an€1 . vo€ky steep, its sides covered wMJh . t"hickly
growing brushwood, dowlil ·which the water descended in a murmuring course _
t0 the valley; the whGle of its varieties of verdure and fertility, with the bay
of ·Bota-fogo at its lowe1· extremity, wa:s within our view. A winding· ·'l·oad led
us. to ·a point, where we descended by à <ilifficult way into the valley, while its
fine ·Omng·es, growing spcmtaneously, ·sl:lpplied us. with a dessert. It is beautified
with s"eme elegant hou;sés, of oneof which, at the bottom, almost opposite to the
Queen's cottage, the accompanying sketch is a specimen. Our way from hence
continued by the Cateta and the· Gloria to Rio.
The opeH. spa:ees of· tlié city, denominated squares, consist of the Palace
Square, one lnmdred and fifty yards long, and eig·hty wide, with two good·
landing stairs from the bay-; of t1te Roeeo,-one lnu:i.dred ahd eighty yards long, and
<me hundrecl wrde; and the tS!api:m, recently called- Peloirililho.~ In the. Cidade
Nova-,· there is one whieh occupies the intermediate space of the crossing of
four .sh,eets; but, aithough 'these are open spaces, they nave little regularity
er semblance t~ any thing that produces the idea of a square. The Royal
Faiaee which has' ID(}re the appearanee of a rnanufaétory than the residence of
'á king, is cotn.posed of that f<:>'rmerly occupie.d by the viceroys, the convent o.f
the Carmelites, and the senate-house, united by passages, the first forming the
southern side of the square, an.d th~ latter the western. The northern side
consists of a rew of houses, which are private property, with two stories the
same as the others. The first portion has twenty-four windo:ws on the- side,
and nine in. .fron.t towards the bay, the lower part of whicn is occupied by the
guard-s and some public oH.ices, the rooms· above are generally used by the
King for public levees. S0me of the , mercharits and groups of the mal e -inha-
h~tants frequent every evening th.a t·part of the square, and the walls adjoining
tl!te landing p1aces and bordering the bay afford cop.venient seats, which are
fully occupied. I-lere the al'l'ival of vessels ·is ascertained, and the sea-breeze
en.joyed.
The mint, the armory, the naval arsenal, and that ofthe military, (called t?·em,)
and .the cnstom hol1'se, are the principal' public huildings; but of themselves
present nothing particularly worthy of remark. There are various public tra-
piches, or warehouses for ·the deJlOsit of produce. The public .g ardens, which
I
 58 PRO\é.INCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

are stated by some travelJers to have been fully and gaily attended some twelve
or fourteen years ago, are now quite unfrequented; and sunk into neglect.
This place of resort in former times consists of about two acres of g1:ound,
bordering upon the bay, enclosed with a high wall, and neatly, laid óut in walks
of trees, overhung with a variety of evergreen foliag·e. There is a stone terrace
at the end, ascended by two flights of steps,. commanding a view of the bay,
with the remains of two pavilions, and otlier mutilated ohjects. This place is
not left without regret, that so cool and agreeable a sitnation, and so well cal-
c':llated for a public prornenade, is permitted to fali into decay. For the adrni-
nistration of justice the same tribunais exist here as at Lisli>Gn. At the period
of the suppression of the board of inspection, in 1808, was created the tribunal
of the royal junta of comrnerce, agriculture, rnanufactun~s, and navigation, com-·
posed of ten deputies, a president, a secretary, and an official maior, (officiating
mayor.) The Jesuitical library is open to the public; it contains about sixty
thousand volumes, arnongst which there are but few modern works, anda great
many old ones on theology. I was in the habit of frequenting it, and as is the
custom at the national library in Paris, the librarian attends, immediately brings
any book thafmay be required, and places it upon a smal1 reading deskon the
tabl~, with which each person is accommodated. The ver.y srnall number who
attended consisted generally of priests and friars. Man':lfactories have yet
acquired no footing in this city; there is however, one of sailcloth, and .another
ofsilk stockings; also, a few miles distant, at Andrahi, there are works for printing
cottons upon a small scale, and conducted by a person who has been in Eng-
land. Coarse cottons are manufactured in the interior of Brazil, and they pass
the shuttle with the hand, according to the mode u.s ed in England formerly.
The only place of amusement in Rio is the theatre, erected within the last few
years, and which, in point of externai appearance, is beyond mediocrity. It con-
tains four tiers of boxes on each si de of the house, thirteen in each tier, making, in
the whole, one hundred and four boxes, which are extremely gloomy, being shut
in at the sides. The royal box occupies the whole of the space fronting the
stage, above which there is a small gallery; and the pit contains about four hun-
dred persons. The orchestra is esteemed very tolerable; but the performances
are indifferent. Two French dancers and their wives are at present the.
mag·nets of attraction; and there is great emulation between them for the palm
of superiority. Tbe Campo St. Anna contains a larg·e building, erécted for the
purpose of bull-baiting; but the Brazilian bull not possessing the fire and fury
of this animal in Europe, was the reason of its falling into disuse, and creditable
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 59

would it be if so irrational and cruel an amusement was discontiliued.

Within the last two years, this building was the scene of the various feats
in 'horsemanship of M.r. Southby aud bis troop, for which it is · well adapted .
The clown, soou acquiring some of the local peculiarities · of the people, pro-
d uced amo,ngst them a fm:id of merrimeut they had beeu little accustomed to ;
and they "exr)ressed themselves mm·e highly astonished and pleased with those
performances, aud the wouderful display of agility by Mrs. Southby ou the tight
.rope, than any thing they had ever before witne~sed.
The city of Rio de Janeiro was taken by the French, in the year 1711, under
M. Duguay Trnin, and afterwards recovered by the peopie. lu the preceding
year, M. du Clerc had entered the town, conducted 'by two fugitive negroes,
from Ilha Grande.
There are three principal roads ieading from this city, none of ·which are
adapted "to the use of a carriage for more than six or seven miles. The first,
leading to the southward, after passing the public gardens and the Lapa, pro-
ceeds, for a short distance, along the banks of the bay, commanding a view of
its entrance, which is soon interrupted by th~ Gloria Hill, behind which the
-road passes, and continues in a· parallelline with the Pria Fleming·o, which is
adorned with several _neat h ouses, many of 'them occupied by English merchants.
The Hon. Mr. Thornton had taken up a temporary residence in one of
them. After crossing a small bridge at the Cateta, the road conducts, for about
a mile and a half, betwixt luxuriant and verdant hedges, to the beach or Pria
of Bota-fogo, which is à fin~. bay, shut in' by pi~turesque promontories ap.d héad-
lands, leaving only a narrow chánnel for the ingTess and_egress of its wafers.
This beach is edged with some of the neatest and most eleg·ant houses in the
vidnity of Rio de Janeiro, many of them océupied by fidalgos, and others by
English merchants; one of which, in the possession of Mr. Harrison, exhibits all
the beauty, elegance, and comfort of an English villa. Bye-roads lead from
hence to the Pria Vermelha, to the royal powder manufactory, and the
botanical garden already mentioned. In many parts the Cateta road is in a
very bad state of repair, and the boles and hollow places form pools of water
after the least fall of rain. The other two roads lead to the north of the city,
both branching from the Campo St. Anna, ai1d again communicate in passing
Matta Porcas. The first and principal one proceeds from the rigbt of the
Campo, and continues for about a mile and a half, to the wooden bridge of
St:-Diogo, across a marshy flat, which eight or ten years ago was impassable,
and is now denominated the Cidade Nova, of which it niay in time constitute
I 2
60 PROVtNCE OF RIO DE JA:NEIRO.

a portion. The roael of .tme Ci€}-ade Nova:, -being th·e elaily route of tbe royal
family, is· kept in pretty good order, ·as well as the whole road as far as the
palace of Ohristov.ao, which at Matta Porcas turns to the right, and eontinu.es
for about two miles along .a levei, .with a:mphitheatres of various and picturesque
mountains in every directio:n. After crossjng the third brook, by a small bridge,
the way to-th~ palace turns to tbe left, when a handsome entrance is discoverecl,
not in uni~on with the palace, ·@ut consisting of a wall and iron palisades, ex-
tending about thirty yards on each side of it, without any contiguous lodge or
building. From hence the road sw,ee.ps te the left, up a gen.tle acclivity, to the
eminence 11pon which the palace stands, fro;nted by a square, not embellished
with shrubs anel grass.!plots, but of Çleep sand, which is entered by the left
corner, and not by the grand entrance, composed of the elegant gates, a counter-
part of those at Sion House, and sent as á present to bis Majesty by .tbe Duke
of N ortbumber.land. They are placed in the centre-betwixt pilla~rs of granite, pe~
culia,r to the country, and t;wo·lodges, the remainder on eaeh si de along; the whole
front of the palace being com.Pleted with palisades of Portuguese wQrkm~nship.
It will excite some surprise in the reader to be informed, tbat the quter part,
.
which should form a· road to this entrance, is allowed to remain. in '
its .nai1.wal
st-ate o f hollow anel uneven ground, when no very great labo.u.r wouM be,<J.:~-
quired to render it complete. At.present, the gates are in · dis~se; tbe lodg€ls
closed 1 and, with tbe aiel of tbe dirt anel, g,u npowder arising·from the fire-w.orkf3
ranged along thei·r front, on occasúms of relig~ous festivais, the whole l',Üready
.appears in .a course of dilapidation. The palace is one ·story high, perfectly
plain, without any pretensions to elegance.,, o'r the semblance of any 01:der. .of
architectnre, and can boast of nothing hut the beauty of its situation. It mig,ht,
indeed, be mistaken, ata distance, for a m.anufactory, in consequence of the
windows heing so cr«?wded tog~ther, and particularly at night1 when it is lighted
up. . -
The road, from the point which 1eads .to the palace, continues by either turn-
ing a little furthe1: on to the left, and ascending a hill, mr by the Campo St.
Christovao, which sweeps roun..d the hill and meets the other road on the oppo-
site side, .a nd afterwarels ·leacls on to the ·province .of St. Paulo and Minas
Geraes. It is the grand track of the miners anel oth.ers coming from distant
districts, a~d presents successive tmops of m~1les, laden with different produce,
attached to tbeir curious and rudely constructed pack-saddles, by straps of
'
raw hides.
The road of St. Christovao and the Cidade No va, are generally crowded
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by these cara:vans, their drivers of all complexio:ns, dressed in cotton shirts anel
trowse:rs, with slpuching hats, and combined with the horses anel mules, carry.,.
j.ng persens . of rat-her a superior or der comin.g .ais o from the interior, aniount to
the agg:regate· number of at least two thousa~1d passing anel re-passing daily.
lt would l;>e diffi9ult to describe the variety of costume anel rude appearance
of the latter persons, many of whoin are dressed in black or clirty vyhite hats,
with pn!>digious rims, a capote, or cloak, frequently of sky-blue, thrown round
the frorit part of the body, anel being crossed behind them, hangs in folds on
each side of the mule. The bits of their bridles, their saddles, anel stirrups,
.... 1.... .

are of various antiquateel anel fantastic shapes. Some wear boots of brown
leatner, closely fitted to the Ieg, bound rounel the top with a strap anel large
Õuckle ; others with capotes, larg·e hats, &c. wear neither shoes nor boo~s, ·
wut introeluce the great toes only into the stil'l'ups, a,nd with large heavy spurs .
lipon the ~akeel he.els, are not tbe least remarkable amongst tbese burlesque
figures . . I .hav·e frequently ridden with them, anel always founel that .they were
communicative anel civil. Their mules, which hàd performed journeys o( tvvo
~anel three inonths, did not appear to have sustained much injury.. T~ese peo-
.ple ·mostly·frequent certain streets in the city for the disposal of their produce,
and- the purchase of manufactured goods. The Rua dE_:) Canelalaria is the great
mart for cheeses, brought from the interior. The Rua elas Violas, Rtm de St.
Pedro, &c. are visited by the miners; anel some of the shopkeepers, of whom
they buy their return cargo, occasionally pnrchase from the· English merchants
.three· or four thousanel pounds of g·ooels in one bargain.
'l'he othey roací leadi:ng from the Campo St. Anna, does not present so much
traffi.c as the last, anel is denominated the old road. lt proceeds throug·h the
village of Catimby, anel from thence to Matt-a Porcas, one end of which it
passes; anel advarnces through the valley, having many good houses by its sides,
-to Anclrahi, contracting afterwards betwixt the mountains. ,into a narrow briclle
way. leading to the elistrict of l'ejuco. From this road, near the Pedra Moun-
tain, a cr.oss· roacl, with some gooel houses, the principal one recently occupied
by Mr. Gill, an English merchant, conducts through-this extremity of the valley
of Engenho Velho, anel at a elistance of abont half a mile unites itself with a
road coming through another portion of the same valley, from the stone bridge
near the turn to the palace. After this junction, the I~oacl proceeds througjl
the valley of Engenho Novo, anel com muni cates with the gTeat roael to the
mmes.
'rhe road which turns off at the s~one bridge last mentioned is a lane much
 62 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

. frequented by the royal family, and is . bounded by beautifully verdant hedges·,

and some neat shacaras, and is not dis;similar in appearance to the gre~n lanes·,
leading from Lond()n to Southgate. It is the limit of the King's shacara on the
right. About three quartás of a mile from its co~merrcement is .situated the
Casa de Don Pedro, recently erected in the form of a castle, with a flag-staff
at the top, the ground-floor consisting of one good sized room, and four smaller,
covered with lndia matting, and furnished with chairs arid sofas, but by no
means in a royal style. From the palace to · this casa is a favourite walk of
the King's ; the intervál forms the royal shacara, and is laid out in walks,
crossing each other at rigbt angles, shaded by an abundant variety of trees,
which have been planted only within the last few years, and demonstrate by
their state of maturity, tbe exube1:ant fertility of the soil and climate.
The road continues from hence, across a brook, by a wooden bridge, which
bo:un~s the King's shacara on that side ; and very near to it is tb.e royal mill,
which is yet far from being completed, although it was begun five or six years
ago. lt is intended to have one ,water-wheel and four pair of miÜ-stones.
The model of the building and the mach·i nery were sent from Lisbon. When,
the mill is finished, it js expected to grind forty sacks of wheat duri~g the day
and night, for w hich the public will be charged two crusades (about fi. ve shill_ings)
per sack, of three alqueiras, or about three and a half of Winchester bushels.
One hundred yards further is situated Bella-fonta, the fine shacara of Mr.
Wright, under wliose roof I received every kindness and hospitality possibl~,
during· my residence at Rio ; and am happy in this opportunity of acknowledg-
ing, in common with all who know him, the high estimation I entertain of his
character.
Within the circuit of the roads described, the valley of Enge~ho V el_ho is
adorned with numerous neat shaçaras, abounding with walks formed of oran&'es,
and all the fruit trees of the tropics. Many give the preference to a residence
on the Cateta side; but, in consequence of the 1·oyal family frequenting this
quarter, I. think the spirit of improvement shows itself more decidedly 'in this
direction, and although the sea breezes do not reach it, the land breezes from
the adjacent mountains, sweeping along the valley, render the mornings and
evenings particulat·Jy delightful. The dews are here profuse. ·
I accompanied a gentleman, in the month of September, to see 'tl1e Casa de
Don Peqro, from whence we proceeded along the d'elightfully shaded walks of
the shacara to the palace, which is in the progress of augmentation by some
building·s under the inspection of Mr. Joh:nson, who carne to the Brazil with
 '.

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f)
 PIWVINCE OF RIO' DE JANEIRO. 63

the.gates from the Duke of Northmnberlanel, anel who has been since em-
'ployeel by the King in superintending the progressive enlargement of the
palace.. On this day, ali hands were fully eroployed in finishing a suite of rooms
which bis Maj€sty had a great wish to occupy that evening.
On descending a hill from the·palace, we perceived Prince Don Miguel in a
fi.eld below, dressed in a pair of great jack-boots, a cocked hat, anel a star
upon "bis breast, with a pole about 10 feet long in bis hand, atteneling a plough
with one bandle, drawn by six .bullocks, followed by five or six negro drivers
and afeitm·.* They executed their woi"k very imperfectly, a.llowing the greatest
portion of the turf to fall down again. From the superfluity of animal power
~mployed in tlíis elefectiv-e specimen of agriculture, our attention was directeel to
the royal stables, which contained about three hunelreel mules and horses of a
diminutive size, with double tbe number of persons to look after them tbat
would ba v.e been d eemed necessary in England. ·
Princ.e Don Pedro had been breaking horses . into barness atl that morning,
and we met him with tbe fourth pair; he used a large unwieldy whip,
which, however, . he administered pretty freely, making· as much noise as a
French postilion would~ on announcing bis arrival at a town, by the cracking
of !1is whip. On passing him we stooel still· anel took off our hats, whicb was
only retuniéd by an ungracious look. We also met Prince Don Miguel, re-
turning from bis agricultura! amusement, accompanieel by his feitor. He is a
spare and pale-lo9king person, about sixteen years of age. Passing dose to
his elbow, we paid him the most respectful obeisance, but '\ve were·not honoured . -·
even with the least inclination of bis head. •
I walked one evening to see the fire-works, which had been preparing for some
time for the celebratíon of a saint's day, in front of the pàlace, ranged along·, and
a few yards distant from the gates anel palisades. The veranda was filled with
a great many priests and friars, and others about the person of tbe King. His
Majesty and tbe rest of the family took their station at the fifth window, on
the right o( the handsome flight of_ stairs erected by Mr. J ohnson. The fire-
works were ill executeel, . anel could ·not be put in comparison with such exbi-
bitions in Europe, which is much to be wonelered at, considering the immense
revenne here annually expended in this way, and the great number of persons
tl1at live by it and follow no other .pursuit. Every evening at eig·ht o'clock, .
excepting holidays and Sundays, the ·King receives the public, in a room
appropriated for the purpose, at St. Christovao, to the honour of beijq,-mão;t and
·>.< Ail õverlool\er of negroes. t To kiss his hand •

•
 64 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANE'IRO.

the roads of Cidade Nova, Catimby, and Matta Porcas are covered, on those
occasions, with officers, anel numerous persons in ca:briolets, on horsebàck, aná
on foot, pressing towards the palace, consisting of those who have some object ·
to carry with his Majesty. When the door is opened. there is a promiscuous
rushing forward, anel a mulatto wÚl be seen treâding upon the heels of a general.
They ad vance in single rank up one si de of the room to the upper part, where
his Majesty is seated, attended by his fidalgos in waiting, and, passing him in
review, they countermarch in the same order. It is said that the Kimg has an
extrao'rdinary memory, anel recollects each individua1 as he passes, anel the
object of bis visit; those who please speak to ·him, but a g.l'eat proportiolil do
not. It wou~d appear that his Majesty is partial to seeing people in this way
for a considerable period before he concedes what they want. A gentleman.
from Lisbon informed me that h e. had comê to Rio expressly to gain some object
with the government, and he anticipated a residence of twel ve months there
before he accomplished it. He purposed omitting none of those n:umerous
attendances of beija-mão, unless bis neglecting to do so might be observed by
' bis Majesty; who, he observed was particularly desirous of detaining ati
Europeans there as long as possible. Senhor Thomas Antonio de Portugal, the
minister of state, who has a shacara upon the left side of the road, already
describecl, leading to Andrahi, holds a sort of public levee two days in each
week, where crowds of offieers and others attend, to submit their applications
e>r to solicit his patronage, afterwards proceeding to perforn). the accustomed
ceremony of beija-mão at the palace, during which period, from eight to nine
o'clock, a band of mu§!ic, in no very harmonious strains, is hear·d thremgh a
portion of the valley.
The fidalgos, anel those who may be clenominated the hjgh~r orclers of society
here, are infinitely behind corresponcling classes in the leading states of Europe,
both in the knowleclge anel practice of civilized life. The ·p leasures and refine-
·ments of social intercourse are alike unknown to them : jealous of foreigners,
their conduct towards them is not marked . by that attention. o r ho.spitality so
conspicuous in o.t her countries, where the cHltivation of a liberal system of
society prev.ails. Their main occupation consists in outward show, in the
punctilious o~servance of colilrt-etiquette, anel a regular atteiH:lmaee upon the
snperstitious rites anel festivais of the Ca11holic relig'ion. Whatever h1itle exists
of pomp ahd splendour in this city is to be discovered in the temples, which are
fitted up with rich pr0fusion, more especially the pa~·ish churches, their a1tars
anel l:iln·ines expibiting decorations of the most costly kind, in which respect
\

/
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

St. Sebastian,or the Royal Chapel, stands pre-eminent ;· its richly-gili.led walls·,
carved ,w ork, and splendidly-ornamented altars, ·glittering with ·a profusion of
gold, silver, and precious stones, surpass in brilliancy any thing. that could be
imagiúed, by a plain Christian, as essential to the ptirposes of divine worship.
The chapel has some paiNtings, and one larg~ piece over the chief altar, into
which the-late Queen and tb.e principal part .of the royal family are introdt-iced.
The King has a large box, not unlike an oper,a-box, above the place where granel
mass is performed ; here his· Majesty and tlne rest e>f the family take their seats
on festival-days ; · the bishop, in white OT yellow satin, richly embroidered with
,g0ld, .bis mitre of the smne, sits in great state below, opposite to the King,
when he is 'not engaged in any part of the ceremony~ in which he is assisted by
a prodigious ·number of padres, and the serviüe is perfemned with -yast mag-
nificence. The _ovgan, accompanied by acrowd of vocal performers, a:nwngst
whom are· fi v e or six eunud1s, gratify, with some of ·the finest music o f the
.B:razil, the audience, <:onsfsting, on some occasions, of many fi~algõs, judges,
:ministers, and various individuais; who, in their gaudy robes, sit upe>n benehes
along the body of ·t he chapel. There are others also who are led there by
. ·cÚriosity. - - ~ -· ·. ,
- H·ere 'the King will son1etimes spend the whole day, arid, upon the celebrà-
tion.of some favourite saint's day, will remain till midnight. These holidays
and féstivities are ustl'ally atten.ded by an immense consumption of gunpowder,
in roekets, 'fireworks, · &c. The days of some sa:ints are remarkable fõr the
right every man, bearing the same name, asstnnes of lightiNg up a great bori:fire
in front of his h ouse .; aml I remember accompanying_a friend in bis chaise, · on
the evening of ·St. -John's day, when we had some. difficulty in getting the horse
througl\ the flaines and sky-rockets that illuminated and occupied. the whole
stree.t fi·onting the · elwellings of all the Senhor Joaos. The horses generally,
'however, do not regard ~t, being so ac·customed to fire anel gunpowder . . During
m:y stay at Rio, a bell was c11l'isteneel, and placeel on the south side of the
royal chapel with much ceremony. The King was godfather and the widow
Princess godmother. .The bell was nameel John the Sixth, in honour e>f his
Majesty, who sprinkled it with salt and water, anel at the period that it was
hoisted to its 'ultitnate position, the town resounded with fireworks and sky-
rockets.
RelÍgio·us exhibitions anel feasts suceeed each other with very little intérmission;
'a nd the Brazilian calendars present an innumerable list ofthem.' At Whitsuntide,
three .or four days are dedicated to the .
consecration of oxen,
r
fowls, &c. and
K
66 PROVlN'CE QF fUO ·DE JANEIRO.

their consumptíón. The ·churd.tes retáil these artides at b,ig-h prices, prodtteing
a considerable revenue. In senne ~f the pat'ishes, at this tjme, the inhabita,nts,
by 'tú'l·ns, aré at the e:xpense o'f a publ-ic feast, and it ooeasionally costs setri.e
individuais seven ·o·r eight hnird·red pcnn'ids. A boy, the f30n of the p·er~on
giving this eniertainment, si>ts upon a tht•rone, attend~(i}_ by boys and g-irls of his
own age ; he is ·c alled tbe emperpr., attd, wí·th a sçeptre· in. his ha,nd, presi·des
over the fea-st. 'I saw two exhlbitions of 1ifu.~s sort on the 1·st of J.mne, one in
the Campo St. Anna, and t:he ·otrher a't ·t he La;ppa, acce>miparued w.ith nrew0rks.
They a:re extrem:ely ludicrous. The fes·tivail •of Corpus Ohri's.•ti, on. the l•Oth of
June, is one of their grandest processi0nal d·ispJ~ys. It is 0-,nly l!'~Jpon th~se
occasie>ns that the ]adies appea'l' irn :public. Eady ti:R -the çla-y cabriolets, ' 1d;J;'ªW~
by mules, are seen cl.riving in every directi:on t0wards the Raas Direita. anfl
d'Aquitanda, con'taining fem'ales in •their ga!1a dresses, whil~ the military ·of eover~
-<lescription are ass'embled in the ,streets te> ass-ist Í•l!l the •p reeession, w})iqh con.:-
sists principálly of prrests arrd ':friars, w·hose -pre>çligi'etl'S Jlllmbers are calçt(]ated
to swell out a c a valca:de, ·together with múner01:1s ·inhabita:ats of differe:ut
parishes, weari:ng cloaks peculiar to the ·churches, which -ar.e vario11s a'Jld
showy. The whole form two lines, preceded with b~.nners, each pevs(Hl, in-
cluâing the prie&ts, carryi-ng a ,preposteroas-looking wax cand.Ie, aibol!l.t six feet
higb, one end of which is placed, at-every step, u.pon the ground. The ~eyª'l
horses, st1m:ptuously Cl:l-parisçn1ed, anel decovated with rihands from their noses
to 'th'e end of-·their long tails, ,are le€1. •b.y grooms dressed .in the most · tawdry
styl.e, the royal servamts of every order fol1owing.; thea the judges, an€1. aíll
classes of people employed by the g0vernment. 'fhe fidalgos and ministers
precede and follow the bishop, who caiT~es the Host, 'lmder a superb canopy,
attended by Princes Don Pedro and Don 'Miguel, the supporters of bis train!
The I\:ing usual1y follows the bishop as a train-bearer, but on this occasion he
dicl ndt. The dresses· of all were rich and costly ; and the processie>n, amormt-
ing to some thousand persons, proceeded along the Rua Direita and returned,
by the Rua cl'Aquitancla, to the pálace chapel; after whioh ther~ was a g-rand
display of fire-works. All the balconies were crowded with females, adorned
with precious stones. The fronts. . of 't he houses were hung with silks ·and
crimson velvet, gildecl with ornaments; and the streets were strewed with
green leaves. The general effect of the whole w~s very imposing. ·
There is rather a ceÍebrated annual procession, on the 10th of October, in
the Rua dos Ourives, having its foundation in some re1igious observance peculiar
to the church of that street. AU the h ouses are hung outside with tapestry and
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 67

other stutf;:l, and ornamented with looking-glasses, and a gre_a t portion. of tlw
furníture which the house contains, not of the most elegant sort, and generally
not over abundant. A procession of padres, and numerous others belongíng
to the parish, takes place during the evening, d1'awing· tog:_ether an immenae
<:onç:ourse of people, while the females, who spend the·last penny to procure a
gay dress for tbese occasions, appear at the balcon~es in a profusion of finery.
The houses are ilhuninated, not with any transparent or appropriate devices,
but with wax and common tallow candles ; some placed in the front of lQoking-
glasses, ih or der to produce a double b1 illiancy at half price.
Tbe ful).eral pFocessions are rather sing·ular; and the inte1·ment of a child par-
t.icularly would appe~r to be the season of rejoicing ratber than grief. On these
occasions the musical performers are the most choice and costly. The corpse is
never kept more than one day from th.e tin~e of the demise, and the funeral rites
atFe usually celebrated after dark; every one that chooses enlisting in.to the proc~s­
sion by the acceptap.ce of a wax-light. At a funeral which I saw at tbe Carmo,
á large and handsome church adjoining the royal chapel, two lines of persons
were :r anged along· th!'l body of the huilding·, from theentrance towards tlie altar,
faoí~g eaeh othei', ..eyel'y one .holding a wax-light, nearly six feet hig·q, in the
. right hand, an.d proj.e eted rather forward. Some of the indi:viduals of this
àsseintbly m.íght be fr:iends of the deceased, .b ut the maj.or part consiste_d of
persons casua..lly -met with ia:1 the streets, or su€4 as 1vere led h~ curiosity into
the church. The acceptance of a l.ight is deerned a:n honour done to the friends
of tbe dead, l!lld the agents of the padres at:e not very scrupulous in forcing.
them, if possible, into the hands gf every one they see; the motive for doing
this .is ascertained on knowing that the remain,der of aU .eancUes which are used
becotne tliJ.é ·perquisite of those ver~ wm·thy brethren. At the head of the two
lines, amounting te perhaps f'rom one hhndred to one hundred ancl :fifty persons,
the corpse was placed upon a .table oi· elevated platform, with the head exposed
t0 view, while its last ·vestments displayed the ill-founded notion of importance
which its survivors attach te outward and meretricious show. The ,ceremony
of itself not being -calculatecl. .to impress the mind. with awe, none o f those feel-
ings of res-pectful gravity were v·isible, which so solemn an occasion ought to
have produced. ·W hen it was finished, the body was oonducted, with no
'regular proc~ssion, tht'~ugh some ou ter avenues of the church, to the catacombs,
situated in .a passage opposite to the jesuiticallibrary. On arriving at ãn inner
cemetery of the catacombs, the lights of those' wbo followed were extinguished
· and taken from them by the persohs whose duty it was to secure thi:s perquisite;
K2
68 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO . .

anel every· one 't·etiring in consequ..ence; the body disappeared by some oth·e r,
avenue, anel I could not possibly discover how it was afterwards elisposecl of.
Upon another occasion of the funeral obsequies of a general officer, I attempted
to see their moele of e:xecuting this last office; but, from the quickness with
which they sliel away, and the extinguishing of the lights, . I was again elisap-
pointéel. A friend, however, gave me the following description of the interment
of a girl, at 'which h e was present. After the ceremony anel the music had·
eeased, they proceedeel frorri the saiel church of Onr Laely of Carmo to tl1e
çatacombs, where he arrived,· with two or three others, at that point of the
cemetery which was to receive the remains. The padres hael elisappeared, anel
no one was there but the father of tbe girl anel a perr:o;on who may be styleel the
sexton. The o.uter coverings hael been taken off, anel the girl appeareel richJy
dressed in embroielered muslin, with silk stockings, anel new shoes on, as if
equipped for an assembly. The coffin ha:d no bottom, but the boely was sup.-
ported u}:lün a piece o f satin, securely naileel arounel the upper part of it, when
the nails .being withdrawn from the sieles, the fatber, who was not elressed. in
the sable vestments of a mourner but in those of a brielegroom, di5gusted my
friend by his wanton anel unfeeling conduct, anel at this moment threw a piece
. of · muslin to the sexton, urging him to elespatch by shouting out "depressa;
dep1·essá." The muslin being. elrawn_over the face of the girl, a lai·g·e quantity
of quick lime was placed upon it, anel another portion spread from the head
along· the breast to the boely, with a quantity on each side, when the man, with
much ceremony, formeel a cross upon it with his trowel. . During the o.peration,
the father, elevoiel of every proper sense of elecency, crieel out to him, " Vamos;
vamos" (let us go); anel, at another time, " Vamos, deP'ressa, fi~ho da pauta.''
To.render this last exclamation into English would only wounel the feelings of
those who do not unelerstancl it. Quick lime being now placed upon the fla:t
stone of the cemetery, which runs horizontally a long way back, exhibiting its
awful contents, the coffin was lifteel up, anel · the nails of the ,enel being also
taken out, the bQely anel piece of satin fell upon the quick lime, anel the co:ffin
was removeel away. The cemeteries are afterwarels walleel' tlp anel plastereel
oyer in front. This father then, anel even before, at ·t he dose of the church
ceremony, embraced many people for joy, inviteel some to go home with him
to a granel supper prepareel for the occasion, anel felt convinceel that bis chilel
.:was gone to Heaven. Two or three hundred pounds are OC<i:asionally expendeel
at funerais.
The cat(\comhs are small but extre~ely neat, ~-h e _first part.forming a square,
 PiWVINCE OFCRI_O DE JANEIRO: . 6Q
ornamented with vases, anel contai:ning an~matic shrubs an.d flowers, is sur-
rtmnded with a sort of piazza, the inner walls of which present the ·froht of
cemeteries, neatly pla:ste1·ed anel numbered. Opposite the entrance, aüd_,cross-
- ing the square, a eloor-way leads to inner a.Vei1úes, lined with cerbete1;·i.es, kept
~xceecl inglyclean and in good arder. At the extremity of o'ne of these avenues
is situatecl the general charnel-house, where thre bones are piled in accumulati:ng
masses. After a certain lapse of time, tbe bones'. of individu-ais are ·táken from.
the cemeteries, bounel togethet·, anel a larg:e label, with their. naJ;Ues inscribed
upón it, affixeel to them, then pileel upon,the bones of their predecessors in the
chamel house, where two tape1:s áre · d:mstantly búrning ; anel it is no.t micom-
mon for the relati ves of the cleceased to visit this h ouse of the dead on a .certain
-éfay in the year, oifering prayers in their oehalf. .
The boclies ef H1e churd~es are open spaées, without. seats or .pews, · anel the
.women sit down in the -Tui'kish style ; they; as wdl as the men, oceasionally
fall_upon their knees; and' during· rnass, go through tbe ceremonies of crossing
.their f0reb.eads, chins, and breasts, at regular stat.ed periocls., ft·equently beating
their bosoins with great vehemence, but which probably must not be taken as a
posi-tive elemonstration of sincerity, however imposing it !llay octtwardly app~a,1,·:
The relation of one 'more procession wiU ena'ble the reaâer to for.m 801-l!e
.estimate of the ,religious characfer of this people. On the eyent. of iUness hav.ing
assumed the appearanc'é of terrninating in death, . the Host is_conducted by one
m· more padres, ~rid its ns1:1al attenélants, in much pomp, with a burning of
'incense anel ;the tinklipg of bell~, to the house 0f the dying pe,11son, to . a-frorel
.him .the last consolations of bis religioop.
The procession of the ·Host requâres from the public more obsequious
.revere~ce than all the other component ingredients of the Catholic faith. Many
persons prostrate themsel ves before it on their knees, in the · streets anel balco-
nies; others bend the bocly, anel all talu~ off their hats. I have frequently met
this. procession some n1.iles in the CO\míry, the padre m0m1teel on horseback,
carrying with the same facility as an umhrella, a canopy in his hand, anel under
its sacrecl shade the Host, or emblem of the Holy Ghost, aecompanied by
some attendant.s uncovered, anel robed in scarlet cloaks, also on horseback ;
the whole l)}oving on at a quick. ambling- pace, with the tinkling· of bells, the
peculiarity of which amwunces their approach, proclucing an universal prostra-
tion of all persons, white anel black, who may be in the fi.elcls or houses acl-
joining the roacl. There is o:ne custom ,the Brazilians have, which, if sincere,
cannot h\lt be-admired ; every evening ~t snn-set, by a sirruütaneoQs movement,
 70 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANBIRO.
r

/ they také off theh hats in the public streets, .offer up a prayer, or 1•epeat Avi
Mal'ias; fi.·om which they have ac·q uired the habit of dehoting that period of
the evening by the term of Avi Maria. And they say so ,and so. before A vi
Maria, at A vi Maria, or after Avi Maria.
I have been in the house of a Portuguesé family at Avi 1\faria, 'when they
appear to tepeat a short prayer, after which a general salutation takes place, by
saying· ·" bao noite," (good evening,) and holding out tbeir hands, as if tbey were
mt:ltually ·bestowing a blessing. It is the custom for ali slaves to hold their
hands out in a similar 1nanner night and mornipg, as soon as they see their
superiOI:s, foT th.e purpose of offering a blessing, while their usual expression is
" Abencoa>
senluJ?"." '
Rio d~ Janeiro, although the residence of the eourt, is centuries behind in
the comforts and enjoyments of civilized 1ífe. Strangers are disg.usted with a
first ramble through th.is city, and wol:lld not volnntarily pay i:t a second visit.
FTiendly attention to foreigners, althbugh they may have letters of introduction~
the Hrazilians are se1d'om er ever known to practise. After some ceremony,
they follow the person intmduced to the to.p ·of -the stai.rs, wait there till he
arrives at the bottom, subje'Ct llim to the íurther form of turn.ing l'@.UI1d to
t·ecei've their final salmtation, a,nd thus the matter hr.iefly .ends. How different
to the refinement 'Of their neighb0uring colonists, the Spaniarels, whose :hoases
ànd tertulas, at Monte Videú, a:t Buenos Ayres, and afi 0ther parts of Spanish
America, are open to strangers, wbo experience every liberality 311ld social atten·
ti-on from them. f was assur.ed. by an. English gentlemaR, wh0 has resi<iled ten
years in the Brazil, that he 1?-ever witnessed any symptom .(l)Í genuiRe hospitaili:ty,
and he had '1iJ.otwithstand·i11g acted with friendship to many; and to one
gentleman, in particular, he had rendered frequent services, at.whose house he
had called on varic:ms Gccasi<ilRS, and s0metimes casually at the di:nner hour,
but was nev-er inv-ited to take dinner or aRy kind or uefreshment. Ev.en the
principal people have ne> idea of the comforts of th.e table; when they give
feasts, it is with an e<xtravagant profusion ol' dishes, without any xeg,ar.d to the
arrangem.ent, and unattended with any of that elegant ease and order practised
by similar classes in most Eu.ropean countries.
To the want ef encouragement and public spirit on the patt of the leading
inhabitants, and the consequent um·vise regulation of the government, may be
attribrrted the present state of the provision-market. . The be.e f is of such a
qnality, that it is really quite disgusting to the sight. The cattle are certaililly
dliven a great distance, and are in a wretched state on their arri.val at the
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 P'ROVINC:E (}if' R:I<O .I)E JANEIRO. 71

capital; but this difficulty would be remedied by the adoption of a different

system. Beef now pays a small duty, and by law is sold at 30 reas (or about
3d.) per lb. and one man has the contract; let it be of the ·worst quality the
price is the same; by the payment of an aclequate snm a piece of good beef
cannot be obtained. Let this important branch of commerce be tbrown open,
without any restriction of price ; allow it to rest upon the basis of fair com-
petition, and a good quality of thís article would be seen in the metropolis,
with.out ª'ny ~reat . additiona:l price. Mutton is not very generally in use,
par.ticularly amongst t"he Bn'1zÍ)l1ans; !I bave how_eY.€-r seen some very good,
which was fed b.y a111 Engiishman. Veal is rarely if ever seen. Po:r.k is decided-
ly the .best meat obtained here. V egeta:bles J.l.lld fruit are '!if!-l'Y abundant,
a1:td at reas01aable pt:ices. Potatoes are not produced, e.x;cept by some of the
Errglish ; but they deg:et).erate afÇer a year o r .two, by continuing to plant from
the same stoc~. P<mltry of all kind~ is dear, and .fish is occasionally so,
arish1g m.or~ f~·o·ro. the iu~olence of the fi.shermeJJ, tban any scarcity, ·as the bay
and mltsü:l~ 0f the bar furnish an abunda~ce, and some of a very fine flavour.
Upon the whole, living at Rio is as ·expensiV'e or more so than in Londron, with
none of the comforts of. the latter place. .A house two ~tories high, consisting
of a store belerw,. and -~ceommo(!.ation Í@r a moderate sized family above, willlet
for twohund1·.e d and :fifty or three hund.red pounds per annum; and h ouses in the
vicinity ef the -city, with little coJ;D.parative convenience, will rent at seventy or
eighty .po-qnds ·a y~a1·; while t_h.ose -more commodious are :proportio:mably higher.
72 PROVINCK.OF RIO · DE ~ JANEIRO.

'· .
.CHAP. IV.
PROV1NC;E OF RIO DE JANEIRO-continued.

Population qf the Capital-Negroes-Nocturnal Clammu· qf Reptiles-Vampü·e

Bat-State of Liter·ature-Jealousy-Dead Bodies-Military-.Bank-Reve-
nue-Imposts-Diamonds_:_ Visit to Campinlza-Tenure qf Lands-P1·oqf of
Fertility-Swiss Emigm"nts- Visit .to the Cascades qf Tquca-Commerce-·
Judicial P'T'ocedure-Pauta and Convention-New Exclzange-Foundation of
English ClzU'T'clz-Towns, Villages, and Pmductions of the Comarcà cif Rio
de Janeim-. Boundaries, Productions, Rivm·s, Lakes, and Povaoçoes qf tlte
Comar·cà qf Cape Fr·io-Boundaries, Indians, Rive1·s, Lakes, Towns., and
Suga1· Wodcs qf't!ze Comarca qf .Goytacazes-}3oundaries; Coroado Indians, _
and Povaoçoes of tlze Comm·ca of Canta Gallo.

THE population of Rio de Janeiro is estimated at about oue hundÍ·ed aud fjfty
thousand souls, fwo-thirds of which are negroes, mulattoes, and others, ex-
hibiting e_very variety of complexion. The Brazilians residing here, anel in the·
vicinity are denominated Ca'T'iocas by the European Portuguese.;' the meaning
or origin of which term I could not learn; the latter falsely · considering them-
selves much superior to the former. '
The mulattoes àre a portion of the population much the most healthy anel
robust, their mixture of African anel Brazilian constitution appearing exactly
adapted to the climate. The negroes are probably not used with more inhu-
manity here than in other cqlonies. In the interior they are treated much
better than at Rio de Janeiro, where, in some instances, much cruelty is prac-
tised. For a trifling offence, they are sometimes committed to the_ charge of
two or three soldiers, w h o pinion them with cords, and beat them in the most
unfeeling manner along the streets, to the Calobouco, a prison for the blacks,
where they are destined -perhaps to receive a severe castigation before they are
Iiherated. Their owners procure an erder from the intendant-genéral of the
police, for one, two, or three hundred lashes, according to the dictates of
their caprice or passion, which punishment is. administered to those poor
wretches by one of their ·own countrymen, a stout, savage-looking, degraded
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 73

Negro. A gentleman obtained an order for the flagellation of one of his run-
away slaves, with two hundred lashes. On his name being called several times,
he appeared at the dom: of a dungeon, · where the negroes seemed to be promis-
cuously confined together. A rope was put round bis neck, and he was led to
a large post, in the adjoining yard; around which his arms and feet were
bound, whi~e a rope secured bis body in like manner,. and another, firmly fas-
tened round bis thighs, rendered tbe movement ·of a single member wbolly
impossible. The black degradadó set to work very mechanically, and at every
stroke; wbicb appeared to cut part of the flesh away, be g·ave a singular whistle.
The stripes were repeated al ways upon the saro e part, and the negro bore the
one hundred lashes h e received at this·time with the most determined resolution.
On í.·eceiving the first and second strokes he called out " Jesu,'' but afterwards
laid his head against the side of the post, not utte.ring a syllable, or asking for
mercy; but what he suffered was strongly visible in the tremulous agitátion 'of
tbe whole frame. The scene was deeply affl.icting, and it was to be regretted
that the man who was capable of such fortitude should he in a condition that
suhjected bim to so painful and degrading an infliction. He received tbe
other one bundred lashes on the third day following, after which, a heavy iron
chain to bis leg, and an iron rivetted round his neck, from which a trident stood
up above the· head, by way of ornament, would be no pleasant appendages
wit.h which to pursue his usuallabour.
There are men who profess to be catchers of runaway negroes, and frequently
detain and_ill use them when they are proceeding upon their employment, keep
them confined during a night, conduct them home tied with ropes, and pretend
they bave detected them running away, for whicb they demand certain charges
anda recompense. I was present wben twó ·of those fellows brought .a poor
negro girl whom they had detained, and it was proved that they stopped her when
she was really in pursuit of her occupation. They failed in receiving the
recompense they so basely sought, but they ought to have been made a sever.e
exarnple of. lt is painful to observe, that if a negTo is stopped_, or forced away,
or in any manner ill-treated, nobody takes his part o.r believes his story.
A great many persons live entirely in idleness, upon the earnings of one,
two, or three slaves, who are denominated "neg1·os de.ganho," and stroll about
the streets for employment: they are distinguished by a large basket which they
carry; others of both sexes are employed in carrying water in tubs, from the
·fauntains, for the supply of the inha~itants; the fountains are crowded all day,
and are attended by a couple of .soldiers · to preserve order. The streets after
:r. .
74 PROVINC.E OF l,UO DE JANEIRO.

dark are most offensively filled with neg.roes, carrying tubs of soil to empty at
the beach, a water-closet, or priV.y;, not heing known in this ci~y.. If these
negroes do not bring a certain sum · of money to the-ir·. . owners at. nig~t, the
penalty is generally a severe castig1ltien. , Many of the negro slaves · are
remarkably well formed, particularly .l3ome oi those wh·<? ·labotn· at the custoin-
house, anel ,exhibit much muscula,r strength abo!.lt their whole frames, combined
with such symmetry of ferm, that the Hne..aments and sweHing musdes of their
nakeel bodies remineled me of some fine· a)ltique models. They weal' cattoti
trowsers, the rest of the-boely bein:g exposed. The principal part o.f the ~mpor­
tations are removed from the custom-ho\lse by them, and their el·r-eadful shoút-'
ings anel yellings, as a stimulus u'Q.de:r .their burdens, ·resound t~roqgh t_he streets
anel suburbs ali day. Few wa,ggo.ns ·ar~ .use(\, and thpse <>f a ruçlé C@;m,s.tr.q ction;
the axle-trees, re-volving with the wheels, pxodu_ce. a .loud. a11d discórdant no.ise.
The humane attempts of . S(!mie E:rig]ish merchants to inh·oduce waggons,
for conveying gooels from the custom-house, w;ere .effectually opposed by the
clerks of that establishment, who have the privilege through intrigue of
exclusively letting out their slayes for t~is employmenÇ. The universal ~liet
of the negroes is the farinha, or fleur, of the mandioca root, :which' tbey mix
up with warm water, anel occasionally are inelu]gecl with a little te.ucinlzo, or
fat bacon, to it; but in the mining clistricts they use the flour of . lndian corn,
which a negro, who had worked at tbe gold mines, infornied me, was preferreel
amongst them to tbe first. The Brazilians tbemselves use a great deal of farin-
ha, many families almost subsisting upon it; anel when dressed up, as is the
custom in some parts of the Brazil, p.articul(\\·ly, at Pernambuco, with gr!l.e n
peppers, &c. into a state they call pú:ao, it is very pa}atable. FeiJaos and·carne-
secco, which are black beans anel dried beef :steweel together, is: a elisb much
used amongst the Brazilians, anel an European with a sharp appetite will not
find it a bad reli'sh.
The slave-sbips arriving at the Brazil present a terrible picture of human
wretchedness, the decks being crow·ded with beings as closely stowed.. as it is
possible, wbose melancholy black faces, and gaunt naked bodies, ar~ of them-
selves su:fficient to .transfix witb horror an individual unused to s~ch sçenes, in-
dependently of tbe painful reflections connected with a consieleration of the
debasing circumstances and conclition ofthis portion .of mankind. A .great many
of them, as they are seen proceeding from the sbips to the wareho~u~es where
they are to be exposeel for sale, actually appear like walking skeletons, parti- ·
cularly the chilelren.; anel the skin, which scarcely seems aelequate to .l,{eep the
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 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANE1RO. 75

henes together, is .ooverecl with a loaths.oqw disease, which. the P@rtuguese .c all
sa1·na, but maY, mor~ prQperly be ·el.en.ominated .the scurvy. The p@Oil.' wretches
underg@ painfubreiD.edies to ..prepa1:e tbem ~s~ ·:.speedil y ,as possible .for market.
If a v~sít to the street .ef w'ai·eliou.ses appropria:ted to their reception be occa~
si@ned by a desíre ' of 'gratifying cm•osity, the sentiments brought into operati<lll
by Sl!lch a sce11e will soon hurry the vjsit@r away·in pity.and disgust. They are
cr'owded togetlier w.ithout regard to. sex, anq made· to sit down in rows upon
the gremn~, •h'eingi by turns ·r:ouglíly foi'ced upon their feet, for the purpose of
ethibjti.·
~ - :mg·their hodily powé's,t@ a· purcàaser. N egroes are. b€coine very dear ;
thos:e that míght .have beert ' pi.·o<mred three years:.. ago for thirty-fi ve or forty
pounds, are nów warth ís;ixt)lí i Or;sev~nty-~ · ·"' '
-~-=Strangers :c·omiJ.lg' 1
helie .are als.ó ·s.ubject to the .sdrna, as well as the natives,
whi.eh 'is á~ irntption att..en.ded•with •considerable .irritaticim and· itching ab'ou(the
legs, feet, and ancle's, ,an«d beç€>mes trol._tble~ol<ne ulilless great caré is taken.;· by
washirig them ev·ery night with warm wate1' and -eackaça. Th!3 bicho ~s 'also
anotTh.er annoyance peculiar to the climate, ever filling the air, the water, and
the earth with new and infinite animation . . · This in.s~ct generates in the dust
and sand, and penetra:ti.ng th'e foot nót,largel' than an atom at fi.rst, increases to
th'e size of a 'sinall white 'wor'rri, giving considerable'pain till extracted ; in doing
w.hicfu, WiS: ne:€essary;to reJU'(l)V~ all t'11e littfe .eggs which it leaves behi!J.d, qther-
wis:e t"hey·wQuld·soon acqui-re bfe,- ánd, ·-if ,allowed, eat. away the foot: I have
s.een. ·numbers.'of negr@es~ · who.se leg~ · ano feet, with the áid of the sarna, have
heen lit-erally: destr.6yed, ·.and' alm'€istrcÓJ,!l~o.:.ded a'Ya-y; by them. The littl~ black
boy.s;sitting cl.'Own; ·,<~~nd e.xtraéting theín ':fro·m tbeir :feet w.itli. a pin, reminded
me of the celebr.a:ted bronze figure of a bo·)í, tv~ .the 1attit'!lde of ta~g: .a 1:horn
from htis foot~ which oce.upies. a-place in:-t~e Sa}-le' de-,Laocoon, at the Louvre. ·
11i .traversing~ the wó:o'ds1 th.e ÇJJ/f.'1'apato~ with whic~ the branches frequently
swarm,, is an -annoying. and daHg,ei'ous ~nemr '. lt. is·- ~imilar in appearance ~6 a
sheep-tick,- anü introd·uces t1~e head and main part of_~he body ini6 t~1e flesh,
when;· if taken away forcihly, it _leaves a . P.isagreeab~e wounp. ' ,One_of these
vermin penetrated the leg· · of 'the King, ·a:n.d, being injudiqious~y. fo.r.ced away,
<;:àused a wound, which has be~hnócoa~jonal\y troub1e~ome tq ~is M_aje~ty ev,~~1·
since. The application of oil is de~me~l an efQ~ac~çms. ~e de o( removing th~m; : .
hut --I found tbü~ ineífectual, after u,sin.gjt cppi€>usly for ab<;>ut half an. hour _OI!
one that was nearly buried in the ,ea:r of a J;J.({gi:o-boy._ · _·
On first arriving here, the inharmonili)u~ sqpnds which begin to annoy the ·.
ear about Avi Maria, .sent forth by. field-mjc~·€:ts, . (rogs,_ toads, and othe~·
- L 2
76 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

reptiles, are quite alarming to a stranger, who anticipates at every step, if he

walks into a shacara, to encounter sorrie venomous creature. It is custom alone
that reconciles tbis .l oud, unceasing, nocturnal clamour. l,izards are very nu-
merous, some of a green colour. They are timid, and are constantly seen
running across 'the roads, up walls, or. rustling amongst the hedges. The vam-
pire-hat is very large here, and if tbey can get access to the stahles will fix
upon a horse, and suck the blood.. I have seen the back of a horse quite
satmated with it, in consequence of a hite from one of thern. They are said
to fan their wings, during this sanguinary proceeding, in order to assuage the
pain which their bite creates. It is supposed that they would fix upon the
human body in the same way ; and this is probable, from the following circum-
stance. In consequence of the excessive heat, I was in the babit of leaving
open the shutter of my hed-room. One evening I discovered ' a vampire-ba:t, as
large as two hands, upon the hed-post, anel, by a blow, stunned it, so that it
couJd not escape hy the window, but secreted itself in the room. During the
night it got twice upon the bed, but the heat preventing a sound sleep, I was
quickly awakened hy its atternpts.
It is too well known, perhaps, to remark that the Brazil is not the seat of
literature; in fact, its total absenêe is marked hy the prohihition of books
generally, anel the want of any single medium through w.hich its inhabitants
can attain even to a knowledge o( the ·existing state of the world, or . what is
passing in it. The inhabitants are principally involved in great ignorance and
pride, its usual consequenc.e; an acquirernent of the modes and ceremonies
attached to the pompous observance of their religion appearing to he deemed
quite adequate to ali the purposes of tbe present system of society. A liberal
literary institution of any kind throughout· the .state, or a stimulus to a rnan of
talent, would be looked for in vain.' .A: gazette, puhlished twice a week, is
printed. at the royal press, the only one established here; but it affords to the.peo-
ple no intelligence of tbe state of tbeir own country or that of others. It is the
size of a sbeet of small letter-paper, and is filled with the arrivals anel depar-
tures of vessels, and some aclvertisements, while occasionally two or three
heads are extracted with caution from the English newspapers. In the whole
of the Brazil there is only one other gazette, and that is puhlisbed . at Bahia.
Its neighhonring colony of Spanish South Arnerica has already. hegun to dispel
the ignorance in wbich it was alike envelopecl, by the estahlishment of several
public colleges in different places, and the liberal and free introduction of
books, which will fast promote the spirit of learning . that partially hegins to
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANElRO. 77

dáwn. Je.alous·y, which acquires a greater sway~ from 'this confined state of
education anel knowledge, ohtains unbounded influence over the minds of
many of the Brazilians, anel operates in some instances to ~uch a degree that
its victims are degraded · 1nuch below the savage: they do not declare their
reseritment openly, and demand frankly" that redress or explanation which a
man sustaining a real or imaginary injury from another has a right to require;
but they se.e k in privacy the destruction of the obj"ect who may have created in
their breasts sentiments of revenge, frequently resting upon a false anel unjnst
foündation, bu.t which the inveteracy of this dia"bolical passion ·will allow them
neither to investigate nor to solicit what in Europ{f is deemed a fair anel
honourable satisfaction. Jealousy is a highly praise-~o.~thy feeling when it is
regulated w,ith .c andour and justice, but allied with the v·~le cowardice of dali-
destine assassination, perpetrated by the hands of the . party themsel ves, or
threugh· the medium ·of a hired agent, it is of ali others the most wicked anel
hellish that can actuate the human mind.
That instances have occurred in the Brazil wherein both those modes have
been practised, for the grati.fication of this passion, unjustly indulged, is but
too true. An English gentleman, who has resided in the Brazil ~early forty years,
informed me of a circumstance which he witnessed ip this city, previously to.
the arrival of .the royal family. A British officer, whose ship was taking in
r~freshments here, on passing through the Palace Square to a boat waiting to
take him. .on board his vesse], suddenly received afacada by a person who drew
a knife frDm under a capote, or cloak, (which the Brazilians are in the habit of
wearing·,) concealed for the purpose, and which terminated his existence. It
was said that thiis wretch had unjustly encouraged a feelirig of jealousy against
the British offieer in ·r egard to bis wife, or some part of his family. Many of
the Brazilians cany knives, · hid under the sleeve of their capotes, which they
throw and '!.ISe with great dexterity. I was horror-~truck to see at Rio the
samples· of an importation of knives from England, manufactured expressly
for thü~ purpose. In cases of quarre1s amongst themselves they freqúe'ntly use
them, 31nd quíckly fold the capote around the left arm, which serves for a sort
· of shield. .
Religious festas, as has been before stated, are occurring weekly, and
amongst other funçons, as they are called, one annually takes place in the
beautiful island of Paquata, one of the fairest and most picturesque in the
bay. The English merchants are g·enerally applied to for subscriptions
for this festival, which they accord with their accustomed liberality. lt is a
 78 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

d'elightful water excursion, which, a:dded to the charms of the island itself, in-
duce all the world to·be of _tlie party, '31ncl under th.e religious cloak of these
occ·asion,s, females always appear in public. A worthy captain of ;,tn English
merchantmàn was jncl.uced, ·upon. one of those festivais, recently, ·t0. accom..:
pany a party in his own boat ; and, the mode of refreshment being of the pie-nic
kind, he carne in contact with· an. adjoiníng· groti}il, including severa} females, to
whom he was tempted to .páy some attention, and therefuy qneanscü:msly
excited tlàe jea}ousy 0f a ffiGUister Nl the shape· of a , J.lum'a n . DtÚng, WhO MraS óf
the party .; and · at th.e moment:of his dêparture from the ishi.ncl·, 'the boat' ha:uin.g
only pro·c eeded soine yárds, a K.nife was ·thrown with such unnening airp:at him
that it 'p roduced his immediate;, d:eath. · That blacks, slaves·, and r@thers, are
hired 'to commit s1:1ch a:fto:cities, · by< the payment of a small recompense; · is a
fact affirmed -to be notorious ; .one a<tltheriticated! instance Will ~he .sufficient. to
show thaJ it is .too con:edl.. n Irt is within .. a sh.ortr pel'Í0d that the inhabitanis of
Pria Flemingo were much shocked at the discove1~y of a dead body upon that
beach, decapitated; an.d in a state of mJdity, so. that .no·tràce was left to find
out who the u11fortunate inqividual might b~-. '"' This· mysterious _ei·t cnmstance
excited deep interest, and produceq tbe -olfer ef .a reward fÜ..i'<bbe·detection of the
perpetrator of so foul a deed. During the interval tha.t .the ·matter was involved
in uncertainty, it was known to the friars of a monastery . that one of their
member~:~ wÇ~Js missing; but, it would a[ppear, ·Ro:thing was. sa;rci b;ythem rega1ldíhg
the lost broth~r, from . the apprehension, probably, .t hatsomethin.g vicious or
imprope1: mig'ht arise out of the in;vestigation, :not qui-te ;}ronourable to their
sect. · At·la.st, from a fear of detection,. and a:•consdiousness of ·gnilt, the real
calprit carne · to the determiuation of éommuúicating the · affa:it·. to th'e King;
presuming upon the known mercy of his Maj.esty, which is so unh0uaded that
few persohs have suffered the punishment et:Jcilreath•siRce he:.as.cen.ded · th.~' 4Ja~:one,
although jj; is-•i>0Ssible the royal forbearance may have frustrated: -in Mme
instances, the jus.t expiation of guilt.* · On this occasion also the criminal was
not brought to justice, who, it is ascertained, was ·a fidalgo, whose jealousy
was roused by the· frequeut visits the friar already me:ntioned paid to his wife,
for the professed purpose of exacting the confessional duties of herself and

'* No one had suffered the penalty o f death for a long period before J uly 22, i819, when a wretched
criminal was hanged . H e harl stabb'ed tive or six men, and it was said bis punishment would have

.. been commuted for transportation to Africa, had he not imbrued his hands in the blood of a pregnant
female,_ wh.om he stabhed mortally.
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 79

family. -H is not ascertained wl'ieth€r he had any re:;th)ause O.r. not :for· the
excitemen.t of this. pas,sÍ0h' ; he unquestionably conceiv·e d he had; from the_
measures · wh.ich he ad0pted. of engag~ng 'tw0 (l)T -three };)lacks to em'b race an
opp,ertt1nity of n:mrder.ing. the frciar, sev:.éring the he~d: .ft)Qm· the body: and
divesting him of his sacerdotal1:obes. The d-isóo;~ery ot the body was mael'e under
in
eü!oumstances that did not -im..'V-elve th(l)se who found it any:€tifficu1ty.; but it'·is
possible that an ÍBB0cent individual fi.nding a dead <persdn, l!Úiaequairi.ted w:ith
the customs of the ·country, might be subjected to some inconvenience.; and·I
had almost got ínto SllCli a predicament myself. N ot ·far :from the Çam_p.o de
St. Ch.ristov:ao, a bea€h leading· to th.e point o-f Cajú. a:ffords art iri.teresti:ng. view
(i)Í the bay. I had jmst entereel. ·upon it Olle évening, ill Septemb~T, onhorsebac:K,
wheh I was startled at ·the appeârance of a dead man extended. Hpon'. the
sand, which the receding ti.de h.ad just deposited there: he was veyy we~l dress'ed,
in the habit of a sailcn·, an.d, the hair ·being of an a,uburn colour, I conch1ded he
was the maJte of an Eng1ish ship. My endeavours: to ·procure the aid of some
Port1:1gnese at a short distance were una:v:.ailing ; n9 one would approach ; and
two ·or,three persons in a cabriolet, who passed dose by, regarded ·me and-the
d€!aril sailor with. indifference. I also add.ressed myself to the· next person who
carne up on horseback; he .dismounted, and I immediately found that he was
wn Englishman: he tmn.ed the body over, when . the face . appeared terribly
mangled ; he sugg.e sted that the pr0,p,erty upon the pers-on· should be ·~ectÍred,
which amountecl: to upwar.ds of onépo.únd:'in 'Poi'tugues'e money, a silver watcb,
a gold breoeh, and othe1r thimgs, of w.hich .an account was taken and delivered · I
to my 'Cal·e; w4th ~h.ieh I purpos.e d going diredly to the minister .of. police, and
to ret]_u.est tqatlth!e .b:ody hüght be taken ca,i·e of, as it was impqssible to· get any
one in th~ neighoou~};tood to take i.t in, m· · ev.en · come near tne pla·ee~ After
pay.ing two neg,r0es :· to move the body- :from · the }i)ea:c'h, and ·place it under a
hedge, I set off to !Carry my. iQ.teBtions- ilJJlto~ etfect. On the road to the city I
met an Englisfu gent1eman,. to ' whom il stated the inatt~r; he requested me by
nq means to go ,to the police-9ffice, as I should Ul'lquesti~Bab'ly be detained
and lo.àge<!l irr prison till I proved that I was not the cause of the man's death.
Tbis inf0rmatiori. deterred me from proceeding fàrther ; but the idea that this
unfórtunate·ii'ld<ividual might have a wife, children, and friends at home, deter-,,
minecb me to prepare an accounj; of his per~;~on, with a view of posting it at the
·Custom-house ~ext morning, which might have led to an identification of his
·person. I ·previously eâlled upon Mr. Harrison, a highly-respectable and Ióng..:
r.esid:erit merchant here, and he effectually convinced me of the .hazardous con-
 80 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

sequences of a furthe1: interference in it. One gentleman said, " lf you see a
" dead body, gallop off ;" another, "lf you perceive a dispute, from which one of
" the parties is likely to Jose his life, fly, or you may be compelled to prove that
" you were not accessary to his death." I immediately deposited the property at
the British Consul's office, being under some apprehension, but I never heard
more of the matter. No doubt the body became a prey to the dog·s and
wild birds, and tbe friends of tbis poor man will most probably never hear of
bis fate.
Upon being detected in the commission of a crime, the perpetrator ftequently
Bies to the altar of a contiguous cburch ; where I once saw a criminal remain
for several hours, being privileg~d from capture till an order was obtained from
tbe bishop for bis arrest. Tbis, like many other observances of the Roman
Catbolics, is a practice derived from the Mosaic law.
The circumstances attending the execution of the criminal alluded to in the
last note were ratber singular, altbough common bere upon such occasions. He
was conducted 011 foot for a consi<Jerable distance throug·h the streets, accompa-
nied by padres, to the place of execution. There he was laid upon his back
against the upper part of the ladcler attacbed to tbe scaffold, and, on tbe rope
being fastened round bis neck, be was pusbed off, with a negro upon his shoul-
ders to accelerate his death. The head and hands were·afterwards severed from
the body and placed at each angle of the gallows, as represented in tbe pl!tte.
The regular military force of Rio de Janeiro, and the immediately sun-ound-
ing district, may be estimated at five tbousand men, consisting· of two
regiments of infantry and one of cassadores.from Portugal, some regiments of
Brazilian infantry and cavalry, mulattoes and blacks, including tbe royal
guard, exceedingly i]] mounted and ineffective. The police of the city consists
of a regiment of infantry and cavalry; tbis department appears to be well
arranged. Although the principal plan for the protection of the Brazil is the
militia Íaw, to which ali the inhabitants are liable, yet, in point o f discipline
they are very deficient, but in dress and equipment they reach mediocrity.
N one of the regular regiments are in a state of good discipline ; those from
Portugal are the best, but they are dissatisfied witb the Brazilian service, and
I was assured by one of their officers that they have relaxed very much in tbeir
duty. The mining· districts and the other adjoining provinces are furnishéd
with Iig·ht cavalry, to which may be added the militia, who are usually caJled
out for exercise on Sundays and holidays.- Tbe force at Monte Vídeo amounts
to eight thousand men, under General Le ..Cour, and the troops under General

•
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 81

Rego {the Captain-General) at Pernambt;tco, · at:e· decideélly undeí· the best dis-
cipline. Those 'two officers served with Lord W ellirigton in ~h e peninsular cam-
paign. The thirty-eighth British regiment proceeding to the Cape of G'ood H ope
put into Rio 'de Janeiro for refreshment; tlle men being,permitted occasionally to
g·o on shore were soon recognised by one of the regiments fro'm Poringal as· their
companions in war. The salutations which occurred between them induced
the King ·to make some inqniries respecting this regiment, - when he expí·essed
bis desire to see them reviewed, wbieh the commanding ~ffi.cer acceded to.
' Boats were furnjslie·~ to convey thém up the bay to the Campo of' St. Cbristovao,
whel:e they ·went 't hrough their evolutions with sue h precision that th~ royal
family, and riearly the whole popu]ation of Rio and its vicinity, assembled
upon the spt>t, were mu·ch gTatified,· and spoke highly of their f:ine milita~·y ap-
• ' I • •

pearan-ce. ·
Since the i·emoval of the court to the Brazil, a bank h as been ·e'stablisfrect i~
this city~ whích comme~:l'ced upon the plausible ·plan of affording greàt faóliíy
to commerce, · by discounting bi'lls at' the rate of sjx per cent. ; but this banking·
~ompany :s.oon' curtailed th~se ·accóÍ:!lm,o·d atio~1s: on J:in çling• ibat,· thi·o~tgh• pri vate
~f!anriels aind ' ~g:éhts; ·. they é'o.u~'d :ul;>iain. ten,: :t,~te'l ve, 'à11él ·fifte.e n }Jét ~ erit. 'bf
making·_roàris> ·an.d . advancing tlieir ' notes _"iip·o·n ~eq~J:]ties. not o{ ·the fii·st i
chara:cti:~r and .válidity . . ' lll Órder 't.o provi.de .'against , this 'soi't of traffic; .afia
~cquire an .unfair a'dvàntage ov~r the p'tl.olic, they bad tÍ1~ 'adch:ess "'t·oOc'o:ó.~ i'nc·el
the King_fhat they were entitle-d to há v~ ·a pt~ior claím over.' the ' prÍ.'>p'éi1y ~f "árí
in.solv~rlt bêfóre other ~reditors, ·and, in conseq~1ence; his M~j.es'ty, (then Prince ·
Regent,) p~ssed laws, of the 24th September, 1'814, and. the 16th Februàry,
1816, . conceding t<? th~m certain preferences ; a"nd, by .;_ decree of the ·2·9 th
Novembet, 1818, he granted them the full privilege of a first and distinct
claim, before ali other creditors, which is tantamou,nt to ' the' ''irnport~nt '
I

public right the British governmfmt, by virtue' of extents, havé ove1~ the
' ( national praperty in the hands of ány individual, and w.hich every:sta;te can, ;
with equat justice., practise for the . se·c uríty of its re'venué'.' 'Bnt "thât such a '
pi·eference sho~1ld be allo~ed' to a bopy of'tneréhants, trading "lo'i· gain; o~er
other élairrüurt.s precisefy in the same circum~tances, is an i:q.no~at1on';'upon .
the law~ of êommerée' not f'ounded in justice. lu' m:ost instànces, otir . own >

COUntrymeh will be 'found to be the greatest sufferel'S, tbeir liberal ~·c 'c~tnmoda­
tions being t'oo often unfairly taken advantage of. The b.a nk decJar·e d ·a · divi-
dend of twenty per cent. Jast year; and, nohvithstandlng the proiitable
o,perations whicli afforded such a result, it wa~ very recently invC>Ived in a
M
82 PROVlNCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

temporary embarrassment, arising principally from the want of a competent

knowledge of those financia] · armngeme~ts, f01:esight, and ingenuity, so impor-
tant and essential in the direction of a banking concern. In this dilemma, the
directors received effectual pecuniary aid from the English house of Messrs.
Samuels, Phillips, and Co. established here, with the same promptitude which
marks the financiai transactions of its connexious in Europe.
The revenue raised in the Brazii is computed at from six to seveu millions
sterling, including the pecuniary aid tbe govern.ment recei ves from Portugal, but
which sum is not adequate to the demands upon the treasury ; many remaining
in an·ears, and others, with more influenc~, getting their claims liquidated, after
much delay. The military es~ablishment would not appear to require a very·
large sum, the militia not creating an item of much expense, and tbe navy
being in a very inefficient state: it would, therefore, be difficult, on a first view
of the subject, to acconnt for an expenditure at all proportionate to the income
arising from any apparent 'establishments for the .security of the state ; but as
no details of the financiai situation of the country, or the appropriation of the
revenue, are ever published, the cause of the embarrassment under which the
treasury labours can only be ardved at through the medium of piece-meal
information. From the aggregate of such intelligence it is fair to conclude
tbat tbe great item which disorganizes the financiai wbeel has its origin not
only in the great accumulation of individuais about the court, but also in every
department of the state. The King is a mau of an easy and amiable disposi-
tion ' and, from a wish to do something for every one, it is manifest, h e has been .
led to sanction the increase of public situations to an extent beyond what is
required. Few European courts, comparatively speaking, have so many per-
sons attached to them as the Brazilian, consisting of fidalgos, ecclesiastics,
and numerous attendants. Few governments have so prodigious a number
employed in the discharge of public affairs, compared with those holding
appointments here. In addition to the three hundred mules and .horses at
St. Christovao, there is an equal number in the stables at the city, not kept.for
tbe use of the royal family alone, but for the supply of fidalgos and the
numerous individuais composing the retinue of the court; anel, with ali this
expense, there is no appearance of splendour or elegance. The carriages are
large unwieldly cabriolets, drawn by mules; and a fidalgo will be seen using
the whip rigorously from his seat in the vehicle, although a postilion is
mounted upon one of the mules, to whose management one would expect the
whole matter to be left.
 PltOVINCE O·F RIO DE JANEIRO. 83

The extraordinary number of persons about the court and government are .
easily distinguished from tbeir practice of wearing cocked . bats. The ribands
and orders at the button-holes of ·clerks, and the prodigious display o f stars
by fidalgos, merchants, and even shop-keepers, which their taste for public
show induces them daily to exhibit, prove that these sort oí decorations are
procured with much facility in the capital.
Many of the claims upon ~he treasury are satisfied by bills upon the other
captaincies, and few military or other persons, receiving _ appointments to
distant places, do not take an order upon the treasury o f that province f01·
. the liquidation of their arrears; and the provincial em1·ios are frequently in the
same d.ifficulties, in consequence of those dernands. The treasury of Hio draws
largely upon Bahia and Pernambuco. The latter has generally of late
liquidated such demauds to the amount of thirty contas of reas (about .!9000)
per month ; but it is not unusual for English merchants receiving those
securities to hold them for a long period before payment can be obtained.
The Brazilian government unquestionably might boast of being one of the
I'ichest in the world, if the immense capabilities of the country were adminis-
tered with. energy and spirit, and a due regard paid to the rrieasures requisite to
derive only a fair portion from them of the auvantages they present. The
revenue of the Brazil arises principally from the following imposts, viz. one-
fifth upon all gold ; a· decimo upon ail productions of the land, upon the
annual value of all houses and shacaras, upon slaves, upon the exchange of
proprietorship of slaves and property. A duty _upon all articles passing the
river Parahiba into the mining and interior districts, is collected at a register
. established for the purpose; and irnposts are paid on passing various rivers with
mules and horses. New negroes a1so pay an addit'ional duty on entering the
interior districts. Ali cattle entering the province of Rio de Janeiro pay a tax
of nearly teu per cent. ; the beef, besides, pays a duty of five reas per pound.
The customs are a very important brancl1 of re,venue, and may be estimated
to produce at Rio from five to six hundred thousand pounds sterling· per annum,
of which the English merchants pay upwards of three hundred thousand pounds,
and that body collectively do not contribute upon the whole much less fhan six
h u~dred and fifty thousand pounds sterling annually to the Brazilian customs:
:fifteen per cent. is paid bythem upon ali imports, (which by-the-bye is at present
very uiifairly levied', but more of that hereafter,) and certain duties upon pro-
duce exported, which d oes not appear to be at all equal at the different mari-
M2
84 PROVJNCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

time towns. At Pernambuco for instance, cotton pays six hundred reas per
arobe. White sugar sixty reas per arobe, a:nd brown sugar thir~y reas, whiçh,
upon the average pric~ of thÓs~. articles when I left that city:, was :f.rom six to
ten per cent. An_d at Rio a duty of t~o per cen!. at tJ:l<?· rna1:ket priçe was, in
1819, 1ai_d, generaUy~ upon a]J_ produc~ exported. Coffee previously; paid eighty
reas per arobe, at a fixed price of t~o: 'm,ilreas and .a balf pe.r arobe ; and th~
price in 1819 being· a)Jou~ f?,m·."milreas aP,d t~' o)mndred ,r.e~s, the gQvernment
collected the, tw.o per ~~n!. upon the d~tference ..bet~,i~t the tw_o -rn~lreas. an~ a
half and tbe cu,rrent value, whieh created so,;ne .perplexity · in le,vyi:ng tbe ~ax
upon that article ; ·a nd ·as eighty re~s tipon th~ fi:x ed ,price is about t'\:VO per cent.
it would obviate tbi~ clÚiiénl~y by n;p.e~ling tbat law,-. and allowing tbe two pel!
cent. to apply to the market p~·ice ~f co!fe"e as well, as 9ther articles . The 6nly. .
ad vantage tq be obtained _by t_he .go~ernl!lent, ~y _cqnt!nqjpg tbjs [![lod~, would :tie
in the event of coffee fag!_ng in value_be~ow h~p mil~·~~s ap.q ·a half. · ·. . . ·,
TlÍe government ~·et~i.rL ~h e diamond distriçt. ?f ,S~r.ro FFio qnder :theh• own
manag·ement, and it is. extníorqinany th~.tl during the last , fi,f.ty -ye:;~;rs., it h as
been so cond!-lcted, tha~ ~hls. ~,mpm;ta~t branch _of reyepu!l h~s..heei:!. tmprod!lCt
tive, -aid. tl'l~ estaJ;lJish~-~~t~ Íl'il ; -consl,dered to,. be ~rpba~r.assed. ··T he .éómpan y}
wbÓ hacl it by cont~act s~~e. .Y.e~rs pr~viou_s to its .Te,~etting W ·the·· govemrnent,
acquired cQns'iderable wealth, . p~rtly, howev~r; by intrigue, as their·· engage ..
ment ~O~nd t~ern to a ~xed BL1fllber Of negroes, and by, bribeTy they ·introduce.d
a.great m ~Ii.y more _to woFk ,. ~h y ,groun~s, c~ms~sting pf.twelve or -foudeenhu'tl'-'
dred square mi!es . .; _ . , ... : , . . l • • · · ·

'Í'ijuço is the residenee .of. the g.overnor of ..the .diamond works, . W.llich are,
and h'avé .been ,ç
~om'
•
e ye~r~, under the.jurisdiction' of S~nhor C amara: Tlíe mo'de
pursuecí o~ _hiri~g· ali neg~oes,, and.plaking: .all purchases for the . establishmen.t
upon the spot, will tend to preclude its ever becoming luçra.tive in the hands of
1 • '· ' J

tbe go,v~r~!ll~nt. Al~ ~ersonr:; who hold ~it,q.ations u~der bhe governor are
r

állowecl the privil~ge of t3upplying a certain nurp.b~.r of _n eg·roes, and the eager-
ness,_ intrigue, and infln~J.lce, exer.dsed by .a~l c~a.~ses, ~t6·get -their negroes em-·
p]oy~,d, is .f\. S~t:?~g; .te.~~r~~ny Ó~ · SOtn~ \l!t~tjO!· objeet, b~~ohd the mere wages
which: can be thus acquir~d, and. n?: doubt :..exl.s~s . th~t a/n illicit 4raffic in dia-
mond s, through this mecliuflll, is c~rrie~ o~ to a.~ im[!lense 'e xtent. The .roya
family hâ ve the_ select~on · of ·the ;fi;r11~st diamond~; an~ ~it is said . that the King·
'possesses the best collec.tion ç)(, gemi? in tlie )'Vorld, wortli upwards of t wo mil.!
li_ons sterling. The ~ iamon~s are cçn1:veyed to Rio from Tijt\CO, . a distanée of
t
f
~

L_______ _--=
 PROVINCE OI.•' RIO DE JANEIRO. 85

six hundred milés, under a strong.military guard, ~nd deposited in the treasury,
tilL<\espatched for Lond.o;n, which is ,no\.v th<tir g:r~at mart. The gold mines
are .a much less profitable sot~rce of revenue than t.hey were .formerly. -
A:à English agTiculturist _:wotdd regard with astonishment .~nd regret the
extensive tracts of land lying ,waste in tbe ;Brazil, and particularly in the vicinity
' .
of the capital and , principal towns. On accompanying a party with Mr.
M•Keand, from whom I exp~rienced · rtmch . attention, to Cam'pinha, o~ly eighteen
~iles from Rio, my surprise was more fo.rcibly exCite,d to see that very .fine
champaign and extensive valle.;y a)most in a wild state, anel with its .primitive
and verdánt w0ods. It is aj>lain, comprising twenty-five or thirt.y square miles,
interspersecl witb gentle acdivities, .anà encirclecl by graceful and softly uncln-
~ating eminences, prese1_1tiug a tranquillizing contrast'to ~he morelofty contexture
o f alpine objects before described. It is a most imiiting sitnation, and its self-pro-
<_lucín,g _vegetati~n reflec.ts shame upon the indolence it ,h as contributed to create.
One of the party.joined me in a walk tbrou,gh the intexvening woods, to a w.hite
houljle, finely situat~Çl upon ari acclivity at the edge of. the. val'ley, a:nd ~hose
pi·oprieíor was a far~er of the .sugar ·cane, · an~ manufactured a fair quantity of
rum. His son was a padre; and one end of the veranda formed a small chapel,
garnished· wi·t h tinsel trappings. It was Sunday, and the tocsin had already
sounded the -sign~l for mass, and was gradually assem.bling its votaries. Many
of the females, as in Scotland, .walked without shoes and stockings. A spring
amongst 'some rocks, served as a pmifying fountain, fro~ whence they-~ssued
in silk stockings a~d ~mhroidered shoes, ascended the hill into .t he verarida,
sat down on the floor, .beat their bosoms, and with other brief cerem·onies con-
eluded the d.evotional e~ercise . The padre sat. dowu to gamble at cards, .and
some of the females danced not ungracefully "wjth the castinets.
. The ·:waste hüids I had seen on this anel o.ther excursions were satisfactorily
acco)lnted -,fot, ..by.: the circurnstances .arising ,out. of. ~an ãttempt made by· a friend
Gf mine to puréha&e ahmlt -twenty acres, situa:ted upon the margin of the bay,
four niiles by water and eight by .land fro,m the city,. Its cultivation had ex-
tended no further than the empl€)yment one s.olitary slave -could give it; a few
· patehes of mandioc~ were vis1~le, a!ld .t~o1 rows of fruit trees, from the eminence
on whlch a clay tenem~nt stood, formecl a path·w ay tow:ards the bay. ·Nine
hun:dred W.ilreas (upwards of two hundred pounds) was the sum . demandecl for
the everlastiug PPssessio~ of _it, s,ubject to the payment o f a fine o.f fi ve pounds
per annur:r;t to ,a. lady, whos~- assent to the trapsfer wa~ r.equil·~d, . and could be
.
' imm.ed~ately obta~ne.cl. My friend d4?tet:mineq to be th_e purehaser, and caÜed
'
. 86 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO .

upon the donna, to ascei·tain under what circumstances the five pounds were
to be paid. Bhe had no objections to .his becoming the purchaser; but said, she
thought the sum demanded \vas too much, and that she would send in a person
to value the bemfeitm·as; that is, what produce might be upon the ground, if
the party wished to sell it. He found, therefore, in place of its being a free
purchase, this lady had the full controul over the property, in case of the occu-
pier wishing to dispose of it. He would have purchased her five pounds firte ;
that she would on no account part with, and further stated, .that, for every two
slaves more that he employed, he mnst pay five pounds more fine. The pre-
sent holder was only to work it with two. The object of this would seerri to
be, that, in the event of its being disposed of, she would not have so many bem-
feitoras to take. This gentleman would have expended a considerable sum,
and have brought the · Jand into a state of fine cultivation, if he could have
retained it in his own possession, and that of his successors in perpetuity; bNt,
if circumstances compelled him to part with it, th is donna, by the Brazilian~
laws, would h ave had the preference ; and two "people, appointed for the pur-
pose, would have been sent to value the produce standing upon the groqnd,
without regard to improvement of times, or the amelioration of the soil; and,
in consequence of this fine, she would have unfairly regained possession of the
property for a mere bagatelle. This being the state of the case, my friend imme-
diately declined any further treaty upon the subject. This donna and two
sisters, ali spinsters, possess a most-exten_sive range of land, the whole únder
similar circumstances, and nearly in the same condition that it was left by the
Indians. The parties occupying it live upon the produce of fruit sold at mar-
ket, and a little mandioca. Under the present system of landed tenure, it will
remain covered with wild grass !ill doomsday.
It is a great misfortune to the Brazil, that extensive tracts of land have been
granted to donatories, who do not possess thé means of cultivating one-hun-
dredth part of it, but hold it on under the expectation that the gradual im-
provement of the country will render it daily more valuable, and the residence
of the court here induces them to adhere more strongly to this impression : if
I

they. dispose of any part of it, they generally subject it to a fine, and the con-
sequences attending such a contract will present a decided obstacle to the
agTicultural improvement of this country, at all pmportioned to its extent
or superabundant powers. Individuais who would devote their exertions and
property to the culture of the soil, where this mode prevails, must be· effectually
deterred. The province of St. Paulo, wbich may be estimated to contain
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANE)ltO. 87

OQ.e hundred anel twenty thousand square rniles, has no Ianel devoluto, m~ un-
granted, although one-thirtieth part of it is not in a state of cultivation. Land
of cotm;;e ma.y be bought without a fine, but not generally; I had some con-
versation with a Portuguese geut]ernan, whose intenti(i)n it was to obtain from
bis Majysty a grant of land to the extent of two or three square leagues,
situated upon the northern bank of the river Parahiba; but he could not have
placed more than two slaves upon it, and his avowed object was to reta.i n it
under the anti.cipati-on of futurity producing hün an àdvantage in the sale of it,
by pG>rtions or othe1·wise. The King is very liberal in granting land ; and
would, tio doubt, afford encoura.getnent for the agricultura! irnprovement of·
the country, and even duriú.g my sh01;t stay at Rio he . supplied some indivi..
duais with slaves for the purpose of cnltivation; but the parsimonious Jeeling
and apathy which prevails will operate against any speedy change or im-
provement of the system . In the donation of lands, it would be wise to
attach a positive ·obligation to cultivate, or in a certain period either to revert to
the crown or be publicly disposed of to those who are competent, and intend
to work them; and furtber, to gTant lancls only in quantities proportioned to tbe
means the individual receiving them rnay possess of bringing them into a state of
culü1re; otherwise it would be infinitely better for the lands to remain with
the crown, thereby preclucling the practice of retailing them out with a fine.
That small quantities of land, when well cultivated, are, from the exuberance
of their produ'ctions; adequate to the maintenance, and even enrichment of a
family, wbere industry prevaíls, is amply demonstrated by the shacara of Bella
-Fonta, consisting only of eight or ten acres, which is planted with African
grass, having a thick stem, anda long anel broad lancet leaf, affording· grass all the
year for daily cutting. Wl<1en the circuit is made, and the point first commenced
at reached . agaln,. t~:w grass is a se~ond time in readiness, and so on. The
amount of this supply affords food for 'four horses and two bnlle>cks, besides
a surplus convey~d · to the city by th.e latter, producing twenty shillings per
..
week. The fruit trees, which beautify the "valks that intersect tl1e grounds,
together with a vegetab]e garden, yie1cl beyond what is fuUy requisite for
domestic .consumption, upwards of J,.wo hundred pounds a year more. It
may be said that this situation is near the capital and possesses advantag-es
wh~ch lGt;~d more distant couid not; but that observation cannot apply to the
u-ncultiv.ated ti·acts stretching· along both sides of the bay, enjoying even a
greater facility of communication by water.
Tbere does not appear to be any great spiri.t of emigration from other states
 88 PROVINCE OF RIO DE )ANEIRO.

of •Europe to the Brazil,. fot; the purposes of agriculture ·; tbe · principal hitlierto
are French, and I ·COnversed with some of that nation Pecerttly arrived át Rio,
'vith the view of forming c'i:>ffee-plantatians, but their expectations appeated
to be mueh moderated, from the system they •fonnd existing. Tó gó fa'r into
the interior, á man must be expected to, 'sacrifice aH idea of' society, and to
reside amongst a class of people who a:re strangers to the _agreeable intercourses
of civilized lifeJ to whiGh liê may have been accustomed. The French are
understood however to assimilate themselves · to the habits and usages of the
country with more facility than apy other European emigrants. The remains of
an unfortunate colony of Swiss emigTants arrived at Rio' in the month ofOétober,
1-819, baving sailed from Hamburgb in ships badly provided for their reception;
nearly eighty died during the voyage, including· their medicai attendant. The
King, previously to their departure f•·om Europe, had given them promises of
land and encouragement; and those who escáped the fever amól.uiting·to abóut
two hundred persons, óf õoth sexes; 'were to "p'roceed, ·soon after I left Rio, to
Canto Gallo, a very fine district, where they would receive an ample donation
of Iand to settle upon; and it is possible that, if the good intentions of the King
are' not frrr~rated by intrigue! they may fortn a valuable and flourishing colony.
Their known habits of industry · and morality would wávránt'the inost favourable
expectations ftom them.· The' Braziliarts · wére condi:mining· this measure
very ,J.nuch, and intimated that· the government might find plenty of their own
J)ation· to bestow those.lands upon; but tbe wise policy of the King, in manif~st-
. ing this encouragement towards tbese worthy Swiss emigrants,. will be demon-
strated in the example of industry wbich they will furnish by 'theit: own personal
' exertiorrs for the irnprovement of their property. The Partuguese do not labour
in the :field, but every thing is done by slav-es ; and, if they were capáble
of iri'vestigating- tbe state of their country, the inference would be, that tbey
ought .t o hail the arrival of any class of individuais who would promote its
improvement, rather than· feel a mistaken jealousy of them. Surely there is
abundant scope for ali their exertions in a region containing nearly. two milfions
of square miles, -the sixtieth part of wbich is not in a proper state of cultivation.
The mountains would universally produce coffee-trees; ·a Mr. Mawke and a
Mr. Le Sange have planted them with success in the vicinity of the Tejuca, the
cascades of which place présent one of the most interesting objects near Rio.
I accompanied a party from Bella Forita to visit tbern. We. passed tbe Pedra
Mountain and proceeded through that part of the valley called Gmnde et pe-
q~tenu Andmfti; the road was good, adorned witb neat white houses, and

•
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE· JA.NElRO. 89

fences of lime busbes, oi·ange trees, and flowering shrubs. The ascent le.ading
between highet· mountains was tilllately ve1•y difficult of access, and tbe immense
stones which reudered it so are distributed on both sides of the way. From its
different winding points we were gratifi.ed with varied and pleasing views of the
valley, the city, and the bay, the waters of which presented a silvet·y hue,
caused by the rays of the suu just diffused above the horizou ; the tout ensemble
producing an animated and pictorial effect, in wb.ich the Pedra Mountain,
resembling a hay-cock, anel detached from all others, formed a singular feature.
From the summit of the pass we commanded a view of toe sea on the opposite
side, and had now to descend by a narrow road of the utmost intricacy, covered
with large stoues, the horses at ·every step, being liable to fall. It was, however,
a most romantic and delightful way ; and, although it could uot hoast of any
edifice beyond clay huts, it partook of ali the grandeur of the mountain scenery
before mentioued, with even more of sublimity in the general and more versatile
combinatiou and expression of its objects. A continued charm was prodnced
by a succession of waterfalls, fÔrming , a murmuring stream below, and hid in
the depth of its descending recesses from the eye by embowering trees, which .
send forth the music of its feathered inhabitants, variegated in rich and
beauteous plumage. T<?wards the .bottom of the descent, stones of a prodigious
size were dispersed all around, the rivulet had accm~~llated into a more con-
siderable body of water, and a lake, situated in the plain below, terminating
its course, presented a ~rystal mirror. We aligbted ·at a farm-house, in the
veranda of which the neighbouring population· were assembled at mass, anq
proceeded on fout, hy a rude patbway, along the skirts. of a 'wood, at th e .~nd
of which a narrow opening through the rocks astonished us with the view of
those truly fine cascades. It was indeed a pr<;found and perfect sech1sion, and
the whole may be deemed one Óf t~e chifs-d'amvre .of nature, its most ~-fanciful
and wondrous operations being· here conspicuousl:r displayed. The fine plat-
form upoli which the opening enters is nearly o?e hundred and fifty feet square,
and forms the centre of two cascades, the waters passing by a perpendicular
~·ugged precipice of one hundred feet in,height, ~nd, flowing in a stream across
it, descend by another of almost equaL altitude. A fngitive bishop and his
followers, wandering o ver these unfrequented mountains, in the y-ear 1711, when
the French. had taken possession of t\le city, àccidentally discovered this
recluse sitnatiou, so well adapted for their concealment. They cut out niches
in the rocks for the reception of saints, mutilated portions of which still
rernained . A large stone table and a seat 'formed of the rock served às co~-
.. N
 90 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANElRÚ.

veniences :for Our repast, rendered doub]y gTateful bythe nob)e peeuJial'ity of tbe
surrounding objects. We ·afterwards crossed the strearn, and attempted to
explore the precipitous ascent óf the Gave·a, ·
" w :hose hairy sides,
Witrh thicket overgrown, grotesqne .and wild,
Access denied ; and overhead up grew
Insuperable heigbt of loftiest shade,
A woody tbeatre of stateliest view ."

With cautious steps we retraced . our way, and the feelings which the wild and
romantic nature o f the scene inspired were heig·htened by the ~l!lrmuring waters
·o f the hiclden cas·cacles. The district of Tejuco is extensive, and belongs
principally to one individual, the Conde d'Asceca. .
The cornmer_ce of the Brazil has increasecl much since it was thrown open,
particular1y in Britisl1 manufactures, as they are new generally usecl throug·hout
the whole territory. That this augmentation of British commercial intercourse
with that 'country, as well as the aggregate su~ of the wfiole since 'its com-
mencement, has been essentiaJ.ly disadvantageous to the merchants and manu-
facturers of··Englartd, reducing it in to one account, is unq uestionable. Supposé
the sfiipments of àU geods .since tlle first, to a certain period~ where ~ line could
be drawn, were placed on one side at prime cost, and the returns for those
shipinents in produee, bills, . or specie, placed on the other si de, (without taking
into view the occasional great losses sustained by, the sale of the produce,) it
~ould then be too clearly ·demonstrated; aild ex:hibit by the comparison an
actual1oss, arnounting to a very serious sum. The testimony of one or two
merchants connectecl with this tracle since its origin would suffice to sh~w the
immense sacrifices British property experienced soon after this new channel
induced such large speculations through its medium, as well as the continued
sacrifices that have been mad'e at di'fferent periods since. Even the years 1819
and 1820, aad especially what has pàssed of the present one, liave been distin-
guishecl by considerabl'e losses ~ al}d, if further corroboration were required, the
innumerable failures in England caused solel'y by this deteriorati'on of property
mignt be adduced'. r speak of the trad~ as a whole, allowing that a great
m any per's ons have d'one we1íl in jt, and ~orne made' fortunes, p~rtic~larly the
c om~ission-rnerchants ; but I íne~m to s~brnit, that the advantages those indi-
vid uais have derived wili not bear the tést of comparison with the losses sus-
.tained by others. The Brazilians, particularly ai Rio, h ave acquired no incon-
:·idera ble gains oút of the unfo1·tunate circumstances detailed ; óesides, they

' .
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 91

enjoy advantages wbich .tl.ley are little sensible of, in the supply of British
capital, which, .at t'b,e .metropolis, )vhere the Jongest credits are given, alone
ext~nds tQ more. than one million sterling·, arising from the too great libe1·ality
of the m~rch&nts resident there, in gTanting credits with goods. The number
of English establishments of all kinds at Rio amounts to a.b out sixty, a,nd a
spirit of competition consequently existing·, the native merchants have had the·
address. to turn it greatly to their advantage. For instance, if they could pm-
chase goods from one house at four months credit, they would gi ve the p~·efer­
ence te an~ther that would give tlíe~<n six, and so on; till credits have extended,
in some insta.nces, to nine, twel ve, and even eighteen months, aocumulating
i~ their hands the prodigious sum mentioned, and which the Brazilian laws
induce some few to take the unfair advantage of ret~ining as long as they
can, and in some cases altogether. English property, Üi. this state of jeopard y,
may be c0mputed at two hundred thousand pounds, resulting from tbe
tedious and imperfect mod.e of judicature. A Portuguese dealer, having
exhausted the patience of the English merchant, the latter obtains a sum-
mons from the English judge, Senhor Garces, for the former to appear before
him within three audiences, (he holds two a week,) when ·it is at the option
of the plaintiff, . whether the defendant is put upon his oath or not. If he
is put upon his jummente d'alma, and then swears he owes nothing, the
cause must finally end ; but if the plaintiff will not allow him to swear, he then
probably denies altogether owing the money, or admits the account, but says
he cannot at present pay, which produces the same delay. The plaintiff then
cites him for a libello, and proceeds to prove the fairness of his demand, which
the defendant opposes by eounter declaratioD§I. Up to this poiD:t twelve months
may be çalculated as already consumed. The judge, convinced by the clear
~.
evidence of the plaiRtiff, gives a despatck in his favonr, which tne other imme-
diately embargos, when a plea for additional time is set up, under the pretence
o f adducing some other evidence; and, after a further investigation, the judge
gives a similar despatch to the first, which is a second time embargoed, and
the cause is then removed to the Court of Relaçam, consisting of six or seven·
j udges, three of whom must always attend. Similar delays occur in this court,
when the decision of the English judge conservator is confirmed, which, how-
ever, is not final; the defendant can carry the case before the Conseil de Fazendes,
a supt~eme a\lthority, consisting of many members, from whose decision there
is n0 appeal. The plaintiff, whose vérdict gives him a powe1· .ever the property
only of th.e defendant, and not over his person, proceeds to take possessio~.of
:N 2
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

bis premises anel effects, wben, in some ·cases, I have been informed, he dis-
covers that another person holds them, in virtue of a puréhase which . he ·pre-
tends to have made, although the defendant is probably acting in the business
as before. The plaintiff; in order to prove this fictitious sale, contemplates a
delay of several years in another law process; he therefore submits to any
-teí-ms that may be otfered him.
An instancewas 'r elated to me of a Brazilian who owed an.English house eleven
hundred pounds, and, being pressed for a settlement, he disputed the ·delivery ofa
quantity of crockery-ware, amounting to nine hundred potmds, but which, from
their great buÍk, and the circumstances attending his receipt of them, afforded
ample proof of the justness of the charge. In the com·se of the law-process he
demanded the production of the plaintiff's books, in which case every leaf of
each book is stamped, and pays a duty to government. The books atforded
the clearest testimony of the sale and delivery. The defendant then put in a
document, suggesting· that the plaintiff niight have two sets of books, and this
might be a false one; upon this the defendant was ordered to produce his own
books, for it is usual for this class of Brazilian dealers to keep a receiving-
book, in which ali goods are entered when delivered at their shops. He ho,v-
ever evaded this order, by replying, that he kept no books, but wrote the
receipt ,of all goods upon the back of the me.rchants' invoices, and that he
had never received the one in question. This subterfuge produced an
immediate despatdt in favour of the plaintiff, which the defendant may per-
haps yet frustrate, b,y the dishonest proceedings mentioned . Hence, the laws
appeaF to be rather a temptation to fraud than a preventive.
The appointment of an English judge conservator, who is indeed a I:espéctable
man, and disposed to act with promptitude and justice, appears to be perfectly
nugatory in cases of importance; and, although bis decisions may have some .
influence with the other courts, they are by no means final 01: effectual ;
and the same delay takes place, under such circumstances as have been
de;O;cribed, as if this offi.ce did not e xist. The privilege of having· a judge,
whose salary of cf500 a year is paid out of the contribution fund, would appear
to be conceded to the English, withont its producing any adequate advantage .
to them.
l~ro1~ the ,. universal taste for British manufactures, the Brazll presents a great
and decidedJy increasing field for their consumption; and, although the mer-
chantSI ·cannot get rid of the teàious prãctice in the judicial proceeding·s, they
may, by a system of caution, in some instances, avoid it; and they have already

I·
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 93

adopted the plan of taking bills ft·om the Portuguese on delivery · of goods, ·
w.hich is, at ali ·events, an acknowledgement o f the debt. lt is still farther to
be wished that the inereasing demand for English goods would determine the
merchants not to part with their commodities under the real value. Competition
is, unfortunat.ely, ·a great obstacle to any unanimity amongst them in this
respect, otherwise· the Brazilians would have no altemative , but to. take· their
merchandise at any fair profitable price that might be determined upon. At
present the importations of British goQds annually to the Brazil may be estimated
at near three millions_sterling, one half of which may be computed to arrive at
Rio, from whence returns are made in bills, (;!Offee, sugar, hides., &c. anel some
cotton. Orders are sent to Bahia, Pernambuco, and Maranham, to ship some
. part of the return, principally in that article, from thence, far which they send
specié, or bills upon the treasuries of those places, received from the govern-
ment for stores supplied. At present two or tbree English houses. at Rio
de Janei·ro furnish the government with the great bulk of its military aud
naval stores ; but, at ditferent periods, demands resulting from this connexion
·have met with serious delays in the -liquidatiom, and in cases where · the
treasury has been under positive engagements by bills, gt:eat inconvenience
has heen sustained, and the parties compelled at last . to wait personally
upon the King, who has given directions for the payment of those overstanding
securities.
The British merchants also labour under some inconvenience, originating in the
misconstruction of or non-compliance with the actual intent of the convention
for t;egulating· the levying of the fifteen per cent. d uty upon that portion of English
goods not embraced by the pauta, anel which latter instrument is. additianally
anel ÍEljuriously partial in its operations, not being a fair standard by which the
real valne of the article the duty is to be paid upon can be desig·nateel. The
avowed object between the two governments in this arrangernent is, that the
·British ·m erchant shall pay a duty of fifteen per cent. upon the faü· valne of the
thing imported ; but the pauta enumerates a fixed value upon certain articles,
without reference to the fluctuation of price, and the tide having uniforr;nly of
late years flowed downwards in this respec~, goods have experienced a diminution
from the averag·e valuation ofthat iniotrument, consequently, the duty may_ amount
to twenty-five· or thirty per cent. in place offifteen, upon their actual worth. But
this is not the only objection to it as an ~ne:fficient medium for levying· the duties.
The pauta determines the va]ue of certain goods at one, two, or three prices,
94 PROVlNCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

at the same time that a great variety of qualiti,es exist in the same comrnodity,
which gradations of value are yearly increasing, by the introduction of mechani-
cal power and otber improvements into our manufactures.. Some printed
cottons are worth upwards of two shilli~gs per yard, others nine-pencé ~r one
shilling, with intermediate qualities. Cambric muslins bear gre~ter dispropor-
tions ef quality, yet the duties are exacted upon goods of this kind, worth one
shilling· per yard, at the sarne rate as ihose bearing· twice the value. At Rio,
where more fine goods are used, they pay the ·s ame duty as the 1nerchants of
Bahia and Pernambuco, where more of the lower quality of the same articles
are imported; and, in consequence, the merc'hants of the latter place have been
entirely precluded, during the last eighteen montbs, from despatching through .
the custom-house printed cottons· and muslins of a low price, as the valuatiqn
they hold in the pauta would have made the duty forty per cent. upon their real
worth in lieu of fifteen per cent. Mr. Lempriere, th'e consul of Pernambuco,
did-not conceive it bis duty to interfere in the matter; but it would appear
that the captain-general and the judge of the custom-house, were either in-
fluénced by the diminution of customs colJected, 01' by ·t he representations of
the merchants themsel ves, to accede to an arbitration. Messrs. Cockshott,
Mitchel, and Todd, tbree very competent and hig·hly-respectable merchants,
wel'e selected, on the part of the English, to meet tbree Portuguese merchant,'S ;
and, in the month of Janüary, 1820, during my stay at Pernambuco, the mat..,
ter was, for the time being·, amicably adjusted; but the nature o.f the pa?-tta
will ever present great difficulties, and can never embrace the intended
equitable duty upon the imports. 'The same objections have been raised at
Bahia and other places. Tf1e arrangement above alluded to did not long
continue in operation, in consequence of not receiving the sanction of the
Brazilian government.. The difficulty is now greatly augmented ~y the con-
tinued depression in British rhanufactures. Printed cottons, rated in the pauta
at seven milreas four hundred reas each piece, and upon which valuation the
d uty of :fifteen per cent. must be paid, were not worth more than· from three
milreas two hundred reas to three milreas six hundred reas, in the Pernambuco
market at the close of 1 820. This produces a result so manifestly against the
British merchant, that it must ultimately prove ruinous to him. Memorials have
been presented to the Hon. Mr. Thornton, , relative to ~hese injurious conse-
quences of the pauta, ãnd the British merchants connected with the Brazil
are in expectation that .the attention of their government will be drawn to this
 . .,.

.PROVlNCE GF RIO IDE JANEIRO. 9.5

·important subject, when its wise and enlighiened . policy will no doubt ebtain
the desired retief.
There can be but one opinion that the convention, ifit applied to imports gene-
rally, is the only just principie upon which this .matter should rest, provided ít
were divestéd of the grievances just alluded to; for the accomplishment of
:which, the merchants of Bahia have been the first ta present a memorial to the
Brazi]ian court. It·was understood, befoi'e I left Rio, that the measure.s which
had been practised for the benefit of individuais, anel not of the go.vernment,
were otdered to be discontinued by bis Majesty, as contrary to the letter and
spirit of the ·convention. Having, however, referred to those practiçes, it may
not be irrelevant to state one ins·t ance out of Jp.any that we1·e communicated to
me by the merchants at Rio de Janeiro. The obligations of the convention
are, that the merchant shall give in an attested invoice oí the value of the
article, and if the government do not consider it a fair one, they have the option
of taking the goods by paying ten per cent. upon the price~ A mercbant re-
ceived a qnantity of goods, which, had .he despatched at the cost price, he
would have s;tls·t ained a seri'ous loss, in consequence of tbe low ebb at which
they then stood. In the course of twelve months, a dem!ind arose for the article~.
and he gave in an invoice at the cost price to pay the duties upon. The adminis-
tmtadoT of the custorn-house finding, (no doubt from bis agents,) that he could
obtain a -good prt>fit, informed the merchant that tbe t~n per cent. in addition to
the price given in,. would be paid, and the goods kept ; consequently the rner-
chant was cleprived ·of any advantage h e mig·ht have received from running the
risk of ret.aining the goods for so long a time, without mentio~ing the loss of.
iilterest; besides, in those cases it has happened, that the goods have been
previonsly sold by sample to a dealer, wbo insists upon their delivery, or a
pecuniary allowaRce. The merchant above-mentioned ascertained tbat the
go(i)ds were a:ctually cl.espatched through the custom-house by the very invoice
he presented., and the duty paid only upon the value he gave in; demonstrating
that the govermnent de1·ived no benefit from those proceedings, but that they
,were the result of intrigHe atnong inferior officers, for theit individu·al gaín. I
canno.t conclucl.e this impO'rtant Sli'hject_, without strongly recommending to the
Bri·tish g~we1'llrrtent the expediency of effecting, if possible, ·a chl'!-nge in the
levying the dnty of fifteen per cen~. as far as tbe·pauta applies, for it is obvious
tlilat aJ!I' arrrangement upon the principie of the convention can alone embrace
the infinite gradations of valne pe'€uliar to e:very denomination of British manu-
factures sent to the Brazil.
96 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

lt may be here observed, that in all serious difficulti~s the English prefer
going direct to the King, rather than eneounter the different rami~cations of
intrigue publicly known . to ·e xist in many departments of the state ; and in
all those . applications his Majesty concedes a ready hearing; and, as far as
depeneis upon himself, the English have, indeed, every reason to acknowledge
his readiness to accede to all justly founded requests. ·
The custom-house door at Rio de Janeiro, is the rendezvous of the met'-
chants, hitherto, not having the accomrnodation of an exchange. An edifice,
however, was commenced by the government, upon a pminha, or small beacb,
behind the custom-house, and it was anticipated that this pmca do comrnercio,
of which. I obtained a plan from the architect, would be completed early in
the year 1820.
I was present when the foundation-stone of the first protestant c·h urch,
in South America, was laid at Rio de Janeiro on the I 2th of August,
1819. It is for the use of the English, who at present assemble in a room for
divine service: the site is in the Rua dos B01·banes, near the convent of Ajuda,
anel adjoining the house of the Spanish Ambassa~or. Mr. Stevenson, tbe trea-
surer, and the committee for the management ofthe contribution fund, attended,
together with a great portion of the resiclent English merchants, when a very
animated and appropriate acldt·ess was deliverecl by the Rev. Mr. Cran_e. Some
coins of Great Britain, a glass bottle securely sealed up, anel containing two or
three English newspapers of the latest date, (14th of June,) a gazette of Rio
de Janeiro, and a navy list, were deposited in the stone. This rnain stone
was cledicated to St. George and St. John, in honour .of the sovereigns of
England and Brazil. Mr. Johnson, before-mentioned, is the architect, and a
Portuguese the builder. Judging from th~ plan, the structure will be neat,
and calculated to contain about five hundred persons, and many more if
galleries are added at any subsequent period. The Spanish Ambassador, who
was looking out of a window during the ceremony, had made an olfer of part
.of the ground upon which bis stables stood, it being deerned necessary to com-
plete the ground-work, which offer was considered highly honourable to him,
.and no obstacle was foreseen in forwarding this good wotk with all possible
d.e spatch. Three months afterwards, however, nothing further had been done,
in consequence, I have heard, of the Portuguese dono of the ambassador's
premises, objecting to the transfer of the small portion of ground requited,
unless he was paid some exorbitant sum. I understand, that an application
 ··- --·-- ·····- ----- - ~-!

,.

,
11
 PROVI~CE OF 'RlO DE JANEIRQ. 97

is to be made, -through the medium of the Hori. Mr. ThQrnton, to the King upon
the subject.
Macacu, whic'h h as a .church dedi.cated to St. Antonio, and a convent of lazy
.Fram:iscans, is pretty considerable, and was created a town by King Peter·II.
in. 1697. It is situate~ upon elevated ground, o~ th~ left margin .of the river
of the same n11me, a little above the .embouchure o f the Guapiassu, and is about
'.three leagues di.stant, in a direct line from the b~y, , and almost ten by the course
of the rive,r. Since the yea,r 1808, this place has been the residenc~ of a Juiz de
Fm·ff, whose jurisdiction also extends to the .town of Mage. T~e population
of Macacu, inclu.ding its district, amounts to nine thousand souls. ·
ViUa: Nova, (de St .. J oze cF el Rey,) created à town in 1772, is two leagu.es
to the sóuth-west of Macacu, anda mile distant from the same river. St.. Bar-
nabe was its original .name when a village, and its first inhabitants were Indi,ans,
with whose desç_e ndants a great many Portuguese are nôw intermixed. Those
India1,1~ aye celebrated for making mats ; a contiguous piece of ground supply-
ing thel}l with abundant materiais. .
· Ab<!mt four m_iles .to the eastward, is the parish of St. Joao d'ltaborahy, in a
si~uation soinething· elevated, with a fine aspect, and near the right bank of the
river Vargé; which .here takes the name of this parish,. more comm.only de- .
signated . by the appellation of Tapacora. Mandi,oca, feijao, and sugar, ~re the
principal productions, besides a small portion of rice, lndian-corn, and coffee.
The parish of Our Lady of Conceiçao* is six leagqes eàst from Macaco, ap-
·proximating the· Ieft margin of the small river Bonito ; and the inhabitants p.re
farmers of mandioca, feijao, lndian corn, .sugar, and some rice.
Two leagues te the nm'th-east of Mac.acu, be.twixt the two sma:ll riv-e:rs of
• Pinto and Entulho, is .situated th.e parish of S_antissima Trinidade, (Holy Tri-
l}ity,) in a.fertile çountry, the producJ,ions of wbicp ~re, notwithstandi~g, con-
fined to the necessaries of life.
The parish of Tamby occupies an epen cçmntry,, near the left bank of the
1·iver Aldeia, about two miles south of Macacu, with a church of Our Lady of
~esteâo. About a mile to the east of th_e parish of Tamby, and withjn its dls-
trict, is situated the port of Caixas, w.ith a hermitage of Our Lady of Conçetçao,
upôn the right bank pf the Aldeia not far from its con:fluence with the Macaco.
This is the _grand poirit from w~ence all'the productions of the dist.rict of ~apa-

·~ These pari~hes in the B~azil are considerable district~ of countn· and take their names generally
ftom tbe chie f or mather chur.ch. I
- · ' "'
 PROV!fNéE ··oF RIO E)E 'JANEIRO.

cora, an<l the sm~·otmding ·]!>aris!hes, ·are· .e.m barked in beats · Jfer the capital,
and more sugar is sent frorri hence th~n from ali the other ports in the bay.
About two leagues to the soufh-ea:st ef Yillá Nova,' and not f-ar frem th'e bay,
is the parish of St. Gonçalo d'Amarante, .on tlile right i !Jank ef ltbe small r-iver-of
th.ât :name. Hs dwellers produce a large ~cq:uantity .of >fa:ttin.ha, -.feijae, aF.t(!l
:tndian corn, :with the 'sl!lpembun;danoe of ~vhich, as welll BJfil .-hhall of cetfee,
S1lgar, aF.td casaç·ha, ·m uch spede is intrei:lnced •i.n.to 'the district.
Mage, a middli:ng town, with the tiHe of eemntship, 1amt •in an · agreeabl e
situation upon the left bank o·f the ri ver from .w< hich it ·.deri-ves its name, has
some commerce, and a hanélse>me parish-church of Our· Lady of Piedade.
I t is about three leagues west of Macacu and one from the hay; ·a:nd the river,
wliich has ·h ere a wooden '"b·Pidge, sup]!)iies the town with fish. -In boats and
-craft ·of ~onsiderable burdei>t, -a 1át:ge -quarttity ef :farinha, [ndían ·c.orn; feijao,
some suga!', 1riee, aDd · a Iittle coffee, a1:e from thence elxported. This place
was erected into a town in :the year 1789. An B~glisi-1 -genHema:n has a ·coun-
try house near Mage, where parties occasionally go for the purpase of shooting,
particularly snipes, which abounél in the neighbouring morasses. ·
Foll1' ·miles to the north-east of Mage, near the right bank of the rive1·
Guapymirim, is the parish of Ajuda, the soil of which is remarkably f~rtile, the
· inhab~tants •prefenáng the cultme of mandioca, ric~, and cotfee, to the sugar-
cane : they -also export a great deàl of ,wood.
Two leagues to ·fhe west of Mage, js the parish df ;f3t. Nicolau, -upon the
right marg·in of the Surnhy, ·cansisting of a mouF.ttainous district of ten miles
from north to south, and three in width, being paltly pla:rited with ~nlandioca,
rice, ·ând icoffee, but principally ·with the. banana fruit, which. ;introduces
annuaUy seventy thousan.d crusades, arising, it ·is said, ·fToin. the industry óf 'the
-whites, ·w ho exceed the number of negroes; but m?re ·lik~ly from 'the propei:ties
of the soil and climate. _ ;' '
O~e- league to the south-east of the port of .Estrell_a is -siÍuated thê parish .
of Our Lady of •Guia, UJ?On the borders of 1Jhe bay, uear the mouth of .the
small river of Pàcobahyba, from whence are embarked various necessaries of'
life~ its principàl;produ.ctions. ·
About ·four · miles to th_e ·n orth-east . of the port of Estrella i~ the. parish· of
4
0 ur Lady' of P1etlade d 11nhumirim, situate'd at the angle of the conftuence of
.the river...of -.th.at-nam.e ...with the-small-Fi-v-er- Gruz. -Its -paris:hieners -a:re -fa-rmers
of Indian corn,. and ·m andioca, ·which pwsper abundantly. In this district is
~ituated Mandioca estate, belonging to G. Langsclmrfii, ·Esq. the 1Russian
 PRO:VINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. · .9 9

consul-ge.neral, a delightful sitn~tion, and which he be.came posse.ssed

of -in ·' ~ons~qpe.nce o:f his pursuits as a naturalist l~ading;_ him frequentl y
into tha,t p~rt of the country. To accomnwdate a perso.u, from whom he l1ac\
received sotpe civilities, with a cert~in portio.n of l;m.d to form a mncJto, for
the accommodatjon of mules and their· drivers corning from tbe mine~·- he was
induGed to ·purc.hase the whole trac·t of land, in . the possession of one indivi-
dual, without . a:ny fl.ne, anel, from its peculiar ad~ptati<'>n to the pToduce of
mandioca, he gave it that name. He paid un<Jer one thousa:Qd pounds for it, and
its e:xtent, whieh ~ ~stin1ate,d at ten squat·e miles, l}e P.as not y~~ explc;m::1q. He
has already planted twenty thousarÍd coffee-trees upen it, · and ~he pro~lqçe of
Jnandiop~ in 1819 yielded near one thousand sacks of farinha, worth fr011\ .eight
·to ten shilliijgs per. sack. The King h as granted him ·the ilnpprt~nt privileg~
of ~llo.wia.g _th~ . ne.ig,hbouring people, working upon hi~ estate, , ~n ex:emption
from the m.ilitja duty, which, of coursé, iríduces a gre~t many to offer thejr
o
servic,es upo;n moderate terms ; so that, with the addition f about sixty sia ves
W011king· up.on it, the property is rapidly improving. He is -building a hquse
upon th13 et>tate. lVfr. Lapg-sdor.ff Í$ respectably known ·to fhe lit~rary world
by the pJ!lblicatÍJ;).ll -of bis vpyages. Hi~ pursuit in the obtainrnent of óbjects in
naturál history h as bee.n in.defatigabie, and in butterflies alol}.e he pas accumu-
late.d sixteen hundred different kinds.*
S.ome leagues from hence, upon the t1:ack le.ading to the ~ini_ng districts, is
sítuated the extensive establishment ofPadre Corre, for shoeing mules, previpusly
to th~ir pFoceeding into the Íl}.terior districts. In this trade the padre has accu-
mulated a considerable sum: he grows a proqigi~us qu~ntity of the 1Jn~st
peaches, ·and h as the _character of beiiJg exceedingly, ho,spitable to str~nge1;~,
A league to the south-east of the p<n:t .o f ~tr.e-Jl~ j~ 'situ:;~.t~d the parit')h ef
Om· Lad_y. of Pjla;r, ,upon. •the lé{t bank pf the riv~r thnn wpjs:b, it deril;'~$ Ít$
name, pro~lilch~g mandioc~, Ãtdian Çfi)J1!, Jl·ice9 ~~ vegetables, for whic}_;t the
sojl is wen adapte.d .

"' .Mx. Langsdarff has .repently ~s.ince his ,return to Europe) llresen.ted' J;o ~he N!ltional In;titute of
Pal"is the head of a Botopudo lndian, who· ha? B!!Cl! in l;is service for some years. I{e sent this .
J·udian to St. Í-Ielena to ~ollect insec.ts, whic.h commissio~1 he executed satisfactorily, íilld died soon
·after bis return to the Brazrl. _
•
;The iEotocuuos ·aJ:e' J1eàllby the Aymores of the proviuee of Porto Seguro, and rec_eived their present
.nam.e IÍ1'0m t.he iP.i>nugu_ese, -in c.onsequence o f their custom of perforating ·tihe ears and lips, and
~11trpd1~oj~_g ! Wf<es ?:f woo? ~s omaP~ent~, wbich tpey ~n1agine ren.dg them more ,gente~) and
comely. ·
o2
 - .
100 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.
. ' .
St. ,Maria of Marica . was created à town by a law · of the 26th May, 18!4,
with a ci1>il jurisdiction, administered by two ordinary judges, (j~?izes O'l'dina1·ios,)
one of órphans, three magistrates, (ve1·eadores,) · a0: alcayde, _a procurator of
· council, and two almotaces, m· regulators of the market. lt is sÍnall, but weli
situated," near the mouth of the little river .ltapitiu, upon the margin of the
lake from which it is nam.ed, and which well supplies it with fish. The church
here, of Om~ Lady of Amparo, is the best in the province, with the exception·
of some in the metropolis, from whence it is distant about twenty:-five miles tq
the eastward, and near thirty west of Cape Frio. The inhabitants cultivat~
•
sugar, mandioca, feijao, Indian corn, and some coffee. .
The district of Cape Frio, named from the promontory where the coast
changes. its direction, is limited on the ~orth, by the river Maccahé, which
separates it from the district of Goytacazes, is washe?- on tb.e eas't an.d south by
the ocean, anel comprises twel:ve leagues o_f te'rritóry, from north 'to south, and
ten in the widest part ft:om east to west. ~he country is generally uneven,
and the valleys and plains, situated between mountains more or less elevated,
are extremeÍy deficient in good water. It pr'o duces ·mandioca, India:n ~orri~
.•rice, vegetables, and sugar. Cattle, incon_s~derable in number1 are of a smál!
size. Banana and orange trees, so abundant in various parts of the p:rovinc~,
are here exce~dingly rare, owing to the negligence of the inhabitants. The
prod'!ce of indigo, wbich was · formerly considerable, is at present .trifiing,
although tbis district is well adapted for it. Cochineal was once an impbrtant
branch of commerce; but the avaricious propensity of several indiv~duals
induced them to adulterate it by the ad~ition of farinha. The govern-
a
ment took certain qua:ntity of it, and paid the best price: but, . discover-
ing the fraud, declined having any more of it. The merchants of the capital
followed this example, and at last the cultivation of it. was totally abandoned.
To the productions of the district aheady mentioned must be added, -that of
timber, wbich, with management and ~ndustry, would · form one of t4e most
-lucrative and -important. The woods are very extensive, abounding in an
innumerable váriety o f trees, well ad apted for the pu)·poses of building, cabinet
work, &c. Three\ qualities of the Brazil wood are met with here, ofwhich that
denominated mirim is esteemed tbe best. The rivers St. Joao. and J\Iaccahé ·
• afford navigation for conveying those fine. timbers to the c~ast. Besides the
t wo last-mentioned rivers, there is the Una, which enters the oc·e an seven miles
.so uth of the first. In front of its embouchure IS situated the sniall island of
Branca. ·
 '

PROVIN.CE ÓF RIO, DE JANEIRO. IOl

The prineipal lakes .·in· thi~ district are·· the Arat·tmma and the . Séquarema·; ·
the first, twenty iniles long, and eight at the widest part, is sepàrated from the
ocean by a hank in many .parts o( ~maU elevatioh, and empties . itself at the
easterh eX'tremity, .by a channel, which at the mouth is fifty yards in ·width. ·
N e~twi,thsta:nding its waters are supplied by variou~ rivers, they ~ave a·sàline
:flavolil'r, iR C(Jmsequence of its cómmunication with the sea- It.abounds with a
variety of fisb, and ' in so~e situations is many fathems in depth, . in, others> quit~ '
shallow. · Various small bays on . the soutbern . si de are formed by beadlands,.
in which tllle operatibRs of nature furnish considerable quantities .of salt, almost
without humal!l aid. Nine places may be recko11ed which :are apparently qes-
. tined by .P rovidence for the production of this -i.ndispensable article; the "v bole '
is not howeverformed by the sea water, but by the .a qaeous fiow of.ràin through
the saltpetre or salh1e particles with which . tbe earth is . impregnated,.. subse-
quently acquiring the cansistency of mariue·water, and. wbich ar'rives at its ulti-
m.ate crystalization, by the influential rays of the sun. The Iàrgest of the
.riv~rs which the 'l:ake Araruama 1·eceives are fhe Francisco Leite, which enters
it at the western extremity, and th'é Ma:ta:I:una, which is crosseci ,by a bridge, •
~md disembogues abÓut four miiel:! to the east. of· the Dther; between fh'ose
streams, and at a short · distance from the lake, is situated the parish of St. 4
Sebastian, whose inhabita:n'ts are ctdtivators of maudio?a, rice, feijao, . a little
sugar, ap.d derive some ph)fit from fishing.
The laké Sequa•rema, ·in ·the vioinity 0f Ponta NegTa, is six miles long from
eàSÍ tO West, and three •at the Widest paTt·; the Water is salt, aboundin:g with,
fish, and separated from ,the · sea by 'a narrow· tract of land.. Dming the rainy
season, when it inundates the adjàGent country, iri ' éonseq~ence o f the super-
abundamce of ~'aters bl!ougbt by the small streams, the dwellers near it open a
channel to the ocean from its .eastern extremity, which is so~m fillerl up ·ag·ain,
on · the return of dry weather, by the flowing of 't be sea. Tbe river Tinguy,
which runs into its most northern bay, is the principal 'one· that it receíves.
Upón tbe neck of land which divides it from the oce_an, a · pari~h has originated,
.called Our Lady of Nazareth, whose parisbioners grow Indian com, mandioca,
and feijao, and are fishe1·men, which occnpation constitutes theü· ·c hief gain.
J3etween the lake . Seq'u arema, and the Cururupina, is situated the Jac,uné,
. which is ·near thrée miles. in length, and oí proportionable width.
The lake Jacaréplla lies between the Sequarema and Araruama, compnsmg
hvo Jniles o f length, ana so,mething less in width. The lake Vermelha, about
the same size; is near the western extremity of the Araruama, . and although it
'has no ·comrhuriication with the sea, its waters are saliQe.
\

'
 102 PROVINGE OF RIO DE JANBlHIO.

The lake BoaGioa, situated twg lctagu.es tó the J:!OUth ·of. the rívet· Mac<;ahé,
and appróximating the ocean, is about thl'ect milcts long 1 and };lalf a mile at the
gt;eatest ·width, ha<S nót mue~ dep.tb, . is · impregnated . with salt, and a:beunds
with fish; whieh e!lter it from , the sea hy the ohannel for.m ed for the egréss of
its waters at the period of the floods. It is the receptaclé of the river frgm
which it derives its name ~ alsé, of the $erraria, the Mutum, the Ria0ho.d' Ala-
g·oa, and the Riachinho.
. The lake of Juthurhuahibi, two miles in. dia~eter, and one to seven fathoms
in depth, receives the rivel'S Bücasca áild Capibary; h~s an outlet into tbe
ocean, which is winding, deep, navigable, and taking thê name of the fil'st
river, is seven leagues distant, and only thtee in a direct line fr0m the lake .
. Cape· Frio, called a city, although.not so large as a moderate town, .is di~ided
in to two parts, ll>y an interval ofhalf à mil e, both being without regt1larity, and
situate-<il. 11pon 'the soili.thet.n rriargin of the eastern eiX.tremity of the lake ·Aram-
ama. The ptincipal portion hàs a church .of Ow.· Larly of Assumption, a her-
mitage 'Of St. Bento, anda Franciscan mona~tery. The chapel Õf Otir Lady of
Cuia crowns the sammit of a .rock, from whence is beheld a great extent of sea
and. land. The smaller portion of th€ city, denominated Passagem, defended
• by th·e fort of St. Mattheus, has anoth_er hermitage -of. St. Benedieto. This city
has royal masters of the primitive letters and Latin.,. The inhabitarits eagerly
follow the pursuit of fi.shing, their principal anel :most lucrative occupatiolil;
fi:sh being their con1mon diet and their chief exportation. It was taken in the
yea.1~ 1615, when Politugal was . under the dominion ·()f Philip ··li.;· and
whellt, ltke many other pJaces; ~t to<i>k the tide of city,, · 10pon the oocasion of
.some Rótterd~m pir.ates being t·epulsed, wh@ wishecl. to establish themselves
there, fo:r •the purpose of exporti.ng dye-wood. He!Ve is a .J uiz cle Fora · whose
. '
~ower exúmds to the town ef Maccahé. · Fev:·ers are the prevailing ·disease of
the ceúntry.
St. Joam de M-accahé, sittr1ate<il. upon both banks of .the riv.e r J~·oH11 whieh it
takes its Rame, was oreat-ed .a town in 181:4, .a nd has a •churc:l1 calle(jl Sa:nta
Anna. The inhaieitants, who are ishermel'l, produce ·some lndiam corn~ 1:ice,
feija@., mandioca, and sugar, ihut ·thei'r prine~pwl object of trade is timber. The
parish of St. Joam, at the emboucl:iure of the niver @Í the · same name, is well
situated to render ·Ít in time a consicilerabJ.e town.. 'ífimber forms thé -riches of
its inuabitants, wbo also export a va'l/iety of the IFlecessaries of Iife.
The clistrict of Goytac·azesr •€OII1f>IÜiing ~twe:nlty-eight leagues of coast, bounded
on tlie sou~h by the •river Ma:ccahé, an<il. on the n@rth •hy , tbe Cabapuana,
originally formed the .c apitania ef St. 'if.hom:é, .aBd so denominated :irom the
 P.ROViNCE .OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 103

contjg,mous ,caq;m. Pedr.G :de ,G(i)es~ wh@ had fl'eqaented the Brazil fer.t~n years, ,
was its fi~rst doillat01·y~ ànd altlHmgh, ·the period of this demation -i s net Fecm.:ded,
it WaJS most pr.olí>ablf aJ"fu.Gut :the year •l .õ3V; as the fi'rst al1usie:a t<9 hiin is in
the ~ear l:i2'f·, iW.herr;he ttaRspD·r ted [email protected] ..Jndians·1-wm St. Vincente t€> Portugal.
This fidalgo estalJlis!lÍecJ himself and the -€-~iltcmists Wilm a€~ompa•:~üed him, . upon
the, banks of tbe sÚver ·Para~~ba, wj.'lere·'they "lli•ved in -amity with d<J..e Jn,diàn~·
two .years, sucC:\:eeded by fi.vce G.f l1RiV-eteraite warfare, .in ,whicdl the oo0r.igiR.,es dis-
played sue:h bra.v..e1;y and d.etet~miRe<il re_s:istance, ·partióu:I.~rly 1l.he Goy.ta~azes,
(~he Rame ~.f ·which ttribe tl!e ,district .retairis,) ·t hat Goes ,\>laJs c@mpel:led to retire
to the capitania 0f Espiriü>~ Santo, where th.e donate.ry Coutinho .:was ai.r-ead~
estabiished... F-r(')m . then.ce J.íle returned tto Lislaon, a11d, iR the yeat 1649, ac- ·
compa:lí1!ied Thome 1ciLe S.oli!,za to Bahia;· but :neither ·hitnself nor Sl!l€c.essG>~:s ;wer.e·
forhmate .in enclea:v.o1~1dng to· colon~~e ·the· capitania of St. Thomé, whioh was
in the possession gf •tllllee .di.íferan.t 11ati-ons, Jtlíl.e iPmd:s, Gual.tl!lS, anm. Goy;tacazas;
t:he ~atter were Í'líle most nm.me:cous, and diwded mto ,th&ee · ~Ciles, the G0;ytaza
Gua'ssu, Goytacaza Moppy, apd Go~tacaza _Jac01áto, the avowed enemies of'
each .other. . It is affirmed, ,that the Guarus compr,ised · ~arioús na,tions, one·
of which, the Sacar:Us, sü~l exists in the .Organ Mountains.
Gil de ,Goes was ifs .third donat01·y, at the time of: its dev'olYement to tthe·
.CFOWll. ~(ing P.eter n. gran.ted à:t to ;yiscoúnt d' Asseca .in .the year 167 4; but,,
in consequence oi ihe mal-alihninistration of his successors produ~ing considera--
ble clissatisfactioH, .and v:.arious revolts amongst the colonists, King J oseph was
induced, ih>.y commQtation, to inc(i)rporateit with th.e crown Ja:nds; anc!l Fran-
eisco de Sales, ·o uvidor ·of Espiruto Santo., took .possession of ·it,, in the year
1 'iõ2, in the name of his sove1:eign, to the great joy of the inhfl>bitants.
From the Fiver Pail'ahiba, northward, a cordillera runs pàraHeh~ith, · and at ·
<no .great distance from the coast; the-;intefvening space·,.denominàted Cacimbas,
is m.ountainous, and in parts sterile, and ill adapted to agricuitural pmposes.
From the Parahiba to the Maccahé, the whole cou11:tny ;present.s campinhas, or
continuecl plains; ,with · some small woods,. caUed capoes, and is irrígated by
various streams.
r:t:'he soil is appropriated to the produce of cocoa, com~e, indigo, and rice ;
.-wheat might be culti,vated .with :advan.tage.. Mandioca grows best in the south- ·
ern parts (i)f the district, and sug·ar is cultivated in the pr0ximity of the .rivers
l?arahiba and Muriahe, to a · ver~Y .c onsiderable extent. The number of sugar
wo~;ks -in this district, in th.e ,year 1801; amoun.ted to two hundred and eighty,
OiÍ'Iwhioh. .ninety we1·e ve1:y ·large. .Since .thát · period they hav.e inc•:eased
t:apidly, and·the.SH·gams'.•produoed .upon the margins ,of,tl;J.ose 1ivers are esteemed
 PROVINCE OF Rl0 DE JANElRQ."

·tl:J.e. best..in the •Brazil, usually knawliiby ,ti~ e , denomina:tión -,bf .Campos sugars.
lndian cor:n, feijao, mandioca flour,' tobacco,.· and, co.tton, ar.e· produced onl~
jn sufficient quantity for the consqmpti~n ef the .district. All th.e species of
domestic animais are hred, none of them, however, are, remarkable for their
f.ecundity. Cattle are not in sufficient number for· the coEsumpt!on of
the population, and the working of sugar ft'fl-genlws. The mules are not
so large as those of Rio Grande, and Curitiba, hut ate superior in strength.
Goats and sheep degenerate here. Ilogs are not nu01erous, .neither is- the .pork
good. The nor.t h and south-west winds generally prevail, and scarcely a .day
passes, that t.he ·atmosphere is·not refreshed with a strong breeze from one .o f
these .q\!.arters. . Part of the timber exported hy the river Maccahé, is derived
fróm the woods of this district, which afford a variety of medicinal plants.
RIVERS AND LAKEs.-We have already describe.d the Parahiba, which is
the çhief river of this district, and traverses it frÓm west to east.
• I

The river Muriahe, to which is attributed. forty miles of coBrse in a dire.ct

line, rises in the .serra of Pico, in the territory of the Puri ladiaus, takes a
wi~ding 'direction to the south-east, until 'it enters the Parahiba, is navigable·
for the space of twenty-five miJes, and .has a fali, where the canoes :;tre dragged
over land. When the cultivation of its fertile margiris first commenced, (at this
day abounding. with sugar-works,) its wateiJs we1.·e so pestilential, that ~any
-who drank of them were attackéd ' with malignant fevers, which either termi-
nated their days, or left them through life p.aUid and diseased. Even the
-necessaries of life, which grew upon the ~arids inundated by its ~oods, were
.pestiferous. Its larg·est confluent is denominated the Rio Morto, or Deâd
River, in consequence of having· a very tranquil .current, the waters of whiçh,
·are Inuddy, from its origin in a morass. The matgins of the Muriahe produce
a poisonous cipo plant, with long and flexible shoots, called timbo, or tingui,
.and a tree .den.ominated guamtimbo, the infectious qualities of which are at-
trihuted to tbe malignancy of its waters.
Tbe Tiver Maccabu ~riginates in. the skirt of the Serra Salvador, littlé removed
from the source of the befor<:;-mentioned river St. Pedro. It is serpentine, tran-
quil, ilows principally through a swampy country to the ·north-east, discharges
itself into·the lake Feia, and is navigable, without falls, pretty nea~ly to its
ongm. '
Thé river Imbe; which rises at the base of the above serra, seven miles from
. the head or' the Maccubu, and runs for a considerable space parallel with it, re-
oeives near its commenc.ement, by the left bank, three streams, called- the Thvee
.ltivers of the North, (which have their 01igin in the situation of Tre~ Piços,
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRo : · 105
'I

where there is gold,) and traverses the lake of Cima, from wheuce it flows to
thé lake Féia, with the uame of Ururahi. The bed is winding and the current
slow. Large canoes advance up without obstacle, almost to its heads.
The above-mentioned Ururahi, (the outlet to the lake of Cima,)' the margins
of which abouud with plantations of the sugar-caue and mandioca, describes
a sernicircle to tbe north,, approaching the Parahiba, with which an advan-
tageous communication might be opened, by cutting a canal across a plain, not
exceeding four miles in width.
The lake Feia consists of two unequal parts, united by a Ílarrow channel.
The one li'es to the north, near twenty rniles in length from east to west, and
upwards of twelve in width; the other to the south, sixteen miles in length, and
only two in width. It is 'an interesting lake, abounds with fi.sh, and so inconsi-
derable in depth, that canoes can only proceed by certain channe1s. The water is
fresh and wholesome. It h as within its precincts a considerable península, upori
the isthmus ofwhich is situated the church ofthe parish ofthe Lady ofRernedios,
and presenting a delightful aspect. The margins of this lake are marshy, and it
discharges itself by various channels, which, describing· extensive circuits, forro
many islands, and without which, none of those chanuels would have rnade their
way to the ocean, in consequence of an extensive, high, and solid sand-banl,{,
formed by the sea. All the channel~ re-unite at divers points, and form another
lake, many leagues in length, with the width of a spaCious river, stretching, for
its whole extent, along the said sa:nd-bank; across a certain part of which it
opens annually an out]et, that presents the appearance of a considerable· and
furious river, called Furado, at the time the internai receptacles are overflown.
Tbe southern or principal of these chanuels is called Iguassu, or the river
Castanheta. This district might be cleared from water, by · the introd.uction
of some hydraulic · rnachines, ·(as in some parts of 'Lincolnshü:e), whei:t the
grounds would afford pasturage, and become susceptible of <:ultivation at all
times. ·
Three leagues to the north of the river _Maccahé, is situated the la!<e
Carapebas, about four miles in length from east to west, of nnequal and incon-
siderable width, separated ft·orn the ocean by a sand-bank, which it breaks
down in the rainy season, in some parts, for the egress. of the waters. It is well
stored with a variety of fish. N ear the right margiu of the Parahiba, between
the towns of St. Salvador, and St. Joam, are the two Jahi lakes; also the
·sequ'are~na ; the Campelo, upon the north side of the P~rahiba, almost in
i1·ont of the town·of St., Joam; anel tbe Pedras, which. is a deep lake, ,having
p
106 PRO.VINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO.

its ·channel of discharge denominated .the Corrego d@ Jacare, bet~een the town
of St. Salvador and the mouth .of the river Muriahe. Lake Cima is five miles
long, and more than sixteen hundreel fatho:m.s at its greatest _width, compre-
hending the gulf ~alled Pernambuca.·.
The fine campos, ~or plains, of.this elist:rict wemld certainly become th.e Elysium
·of Brazil, if.its '.territory,. rich in •soil; were divideel into certain por.tions and
delivereel to a pe.ople animated wit'Q a spirit of agricultura! improvement. But
the same unfortunate circumstances which we h ave' p1'eviously described to exist ·
in the donation oi lands, conc1w, unhappily, to place those campos, at least the
greater part, in the hands of three proprietors·? namely, the Benedictine monas-
tery of Rio de Janeiro, . the pl_lr.chaseir of the ex-Jesuitical possessions, ª'nd a
titular. ·
St. Salv.aelor, -or Campos, is a large, populous, and flourishing town, situ.-
ateel upon a plain on the right margin of the ·Parahioa, eighteen miles distant
from the ocean, anel four pelow tbe mouth of the Muriahe. Besides the ·
mother church, it has a · ho;use of miserico1·dia, three hei"lnitage~ dedicated to
the L11dy of Hosario, Boa Morte, and .Lapa; also two Terceira orde1·s of St
Francisco .a nd _Carmo, anel a·<hospital. The youth of this place are instructed
by pe'rsons having the usual ~igh · s_o unding' titles of. royal pi·ofessors of the p~i,..
·mitive lettel,'s and Latin. Justice is administered by ahead magistrate, denomi.,.
nated. a Juiz de Fora,'* (a judge without.) An account recently taken of the
population of this town states it to contain ·eleven hundred and fifty families,
which may be fairly computed to eomprise twelve thousand sou.ls.
The town of St. Joam da .P arahiba derives the nam~ from its church and .the
river upon which it is situateel, anel is distant about two miles from the sea, in
front of the extremity of a small island. Sugar constitutes the riches of its
inhabitants, who do not exceed fifteen hunelred; anel it is the port from whence
the principal pr.oduce of the Campos, consisting o~ that article, is shipped in
coasting vessels to the capital.
Eight miles up the M accahé -is situated the parish of the Lady of Neves,
which originated in an establishment of a tribe of Garulho Infdians, but now
almost extinct, and succeeded by whites, who fell timber anel are farmers of
the same necessar.ies of life as their predecessors.

'" This denomination originated in Portugal, where the judge was prohibited from having any juris-
diction witbin bis native town. Hence it is applied to judges in lhe Brazil, universally, without tbe
capital.
 PROVINCE OF RIO f>E JANEIRO. 107

·Upon the Parahiba; between the tow.n of'St .. Sal.vador and the mouth .of· the
.river Muriaqe, the parish of St. Antonio .occupiês ·a delightful situation. · ·l t
'\vas·· fC!ri:l.iFJ.ded) fm·~ the habitati'on of i h01·de .ofLindian Garulhos; who have insen-
sibiy !disappeared. Its clistrict is extensive, and.· abounds with sugar-works ..
Thirty mi1les above the town of St. S.alvadoJ:, ..and two below the last faU of
the Parahiba, ·the aldeia or village of St. Fidelis, is agFeeably ~anel s·ecludedly
sittrâted . .~ It is an lndian parish, and was fountled by. three padres, one of whom,
twe years ago} was stillliving, and had the .whale inanàgement of this establish-
ment: ·A French g·entleman, who was shipwrecked.at the mouth ofthe Parahiba,
pfaceeded through the Campos as far·.as this Indian village. H e inforrned me,.
that~ ~n leaving the plains cultivated with the plantaticms of the sugar-cane,
he had to· traverse a ''thick W())Otl, ren.dered more düficult to• penetrate bythe
wild grass ·and almost impervious und,.erwood at the bottom of the higher trees.
After a laborious marcH of. five hours, tfu·is gentleman reaób:ed the aldeia•, ·which
consiste•d of a stone church, decorated :Witb. saints and · much 'finet'y·. It was
franted by the padre's notise at .':río great "'distance; both sides of thls ' space
were occupied by ·the hufs of the lnelians, over whGm, ·from the impo·sing'··sho'v
of religious ceremony, and o·ccasional personal c'hastisement, the padre bad
acquired a perfect C6rntnand. Part of the IndJ.ans were employed in bis house
for domestic pt'lq)oses; others in the cultivation of th.e necessaries of.lif.e ; some
we~.'e occupied in fishing in ·tbe Parahiba; and others, of.proved fidelity, in
shooting garoe in the surroundíng woods ;. and thus SJibsistence was procured
for the establishment. The domestic arrangement,· howevel', · of, this priest was
truly miserable.
The savage lndians freqriently carry off by foree- some· ôf -theirJOhristianized
brethren; and display an inveterate antipathy_to civilization. · The tribes on thé
northern bank of the Parahiba, bordering upon the Portuguese' establisbments,
are considered much more cruel than those on the southern, and have afforded
var.ious .. and recent proofs of ca~mibalism. On some occasions they li e in
ambush near pathways, and, with their arrows, pierce the 'Stranger to· the
. heart; and feast upon bis body. A proprietor of a sugar-work wa~ carried off
about furée years ago, and devoured by them ; and since that time three m· four
negroes have shared the same fate. They are addicted to plunder, and commít
at t'im:és great devastation amon'gst tlH~ sugar-plantations, advancing in bodies
of fi_fty or sixty from the .woods, and cutting down the canes, which they carry
Dff to their retreats. They are great cowards ; and, on those appointed to keep
~watch giving the alarmo f the approach of a single individual, they fly precipitately.
p 2
108 PROVINCE .O.F RIO "DE JANEIRO.

They are exceeding·ly alarmed at the report of a gun. Two soldiers, equipped
with jackets, stuffed with cotton and quilted, (which are almost impenetrable to
the arrows of the Indian,) and with muskets, very recently proceeded from Villa
Rica, (in Minas Geraes,) and penetrated as far as this district, through
the woods covering the fertile territory on both banks of the Parahiba, to the
possession of which the ounce assumes a rig-h t as well as tbe savage. _
Of tbe ancient tribes the Puris is the principal one now remaining in tbose
uncleared reg·ions. It is a lamentable circumstance that the Brà~ilian govern-
ment does not adopt some effectual plà.n to render these extensive and fertile
territories of the Parahiba subservient to the wants of civilized man. The
absence of comfort in the houses of the planters in the Goytacaz~ district is very
conspicuous, and they h ave yet much to learn in the school of hospitality.
St. Gonçalo and St. Sebastiam are parishes _of this _district, both situated
upon the Parahiba, and a few leagues distant from the princip~l town.
The district of Canta Gallo (Singing Cock) is a territory of great fertility, and
irrigated by many rivers and smaller streams, which issue from the Ot·g,a n
Mountains, its southern limit, and discharge themselves into the Parahlb~
which separ.ates it from Minas Geraes on the north. It is bounded on the east
by a continuation of tbe Organ range, which divides it from Goytacazes; and
on the west by the river Piabanha, wbich separates it from Parahiba Nova. It
has mines of gold, for tbe working of wbich the :first colony was establlished in
the year 1785. The fifths on the gold, rendered to the crown, in the four
following years, were above ten thousand cruzades; and the . duty upon agri-
cultura! productions amounted to eight thousand in tbe same period.
Amongst its rivers may be remarked the Pequequera, well stored with fish
and navigable for· the space of twenty miJes; the Rio Negro, little less volumi-
nous, and navigable for an' equal distance, and also abounding with :fish; the
Bengales ; and one called Rio Grande.
The major part of the territory, up to tbe epoch of it~ colonization, was
under the dominion of the Coroado Indians, the remains of the ancient
Goytacazes, at present not numerous, and allied to the conquerors.. Theil·
houses are large, constructed of timber and earth ; tbey are of extraordinary
)ength, cov.ered with grass, or the bark of trees, with one door only 1 and with-
out a single window. One of these rudely-constructed edifices will contain
fifty, sometimes eighty, and even one hundred families. Generally each bouse
.constitutes an aldeia; very rarely two are met with together. Every morning,
a t the br.eak of day, on hearing the song of a species of partridge, called
 PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 1'09

macuco, (which sits upon trees during the night,) they immediately rise, and,
although it rains, tmey go and bathe in the nearest torrent or lake ; for which
purpose a signal is made by the sound of an instrument formed of a cane.
Their marriage ceremonies consist of a species of banquet, at which all the
'inhabitants of the aldeia assemble; and generally the whole party become
intoxicated. lmmediately on being sen~ible of.the appmach of labour, the
wotnelíl retire into. a wood, where they become motbers without any assistance
w:h.atevet·, and return . ~ith their infat11ts, already covered with the juice ofcertain
hel'hs, to render tbem less susceptible. of cold. .
· :·These natives inter their dead in a . sitt.ing posture. Formerly the ceme~erjes
e1f their caciques, or (gaptains, consisted of cylindrical earthen vases, deriomi-
na.t ed cammucis; some of which have bee:n recently fçmnd, containing bones.
':fhese Indians use the how and' arrow only.. The arrow is a species of cane,
with à point of peculiady hard wood., exposed to the fire till it acquires the
greatest degree of consistency; some, intended for large animais, are formed
at the point like a sword ; others triangular and quadrangular. '
A man who return:s to the house .after an absenee of many days does not
say a single word, in eompliroent, to his family, nor .do they .r~ceive him in any
other maimer than if he had only been to fetch water from the fountain. ·
In 1814 the parish of Santíssimo Sacramelílto was created a town, with the .
name of ,St. Pedro de Canta Gallo. Its civil government is .conducted by two
ordinary jl!ldges, three magistrates, a:nd various minor oflicers. It is a middling
tow.n, traversed by a current @Í good water, which flows to the river Macuco.
lts inhabitaJut~, and those of its extensive dist~ict, ·prefer ag-riculture to mining,
and they cultivate the ~sual necessaries of life belonging to the country.
In this district fs the parish of St. Joze de Leonissa, upon the Paraliiba, in '\,
front of the embouchure of the river Pomba, was created a parish in 1812, and
is a p~voacão, abounding with fish and ali the necessaries of life. Its inhabitants
are yet almost all Indians. ·
Beh~ee!1 the rivers P.ompa and Parahiba, about six miles distant from the
angle of their conflu~n~e, the parish of St. Antonio de Padua. was erected, in
1812, in a .district well adapted to th~ culture of various branches of agriculture.·
The dwellers of the northern. margin of the Parahiba are diocesans of Rio
de J aneÜ~(i)..
 PROVINCE OF RlO GRANDE DO SUL.

CHAP. V.

PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE De> SUL.

Colonization-Boundáries-Climate-· Aspect anã Próductions-Con'tests betweeu

Spanim·ds and Portuguese-Divisionmy Lin'é between tkese two. ·Powm·s-
Opposition by tlze Indians .of ·the .Seven Missions-
· Their Dçfeat-Revived
Contests between Spaniards and .Pm·tuguese-Mountains-Rivers-Lakes-
Capes and Ports- Islands - ·Mineralogy- Pliytology- Zoology- Lm-ge
Fazendas fm· ·b1·eeding Cattle-Mode rif Management-Sheep-Floclcs-Use qf
the Lafo and Balts-Towns, Nature of Expm'ts, Villages, o/c. including
those o/ the Dist1·ict qf Monte Vídeo.

THIS próvince, whié'h includ.es the major part ·of the territory to the south of
the capitania óf st: A.maro, ~ither · had no dop.atorie·s when John lll.
divided the coast, or·· from some .other cause it was not colonized. Neither
w~s it~ <;olonization accomplished _by Viscount D'Asseca, nor his brother, Jo:hn·
Correa de Sa, at the period of the great clistributions of land which Peter lli:
granted to them in the tt:n~itory denominated St. Gabriél, adjace11t to th~
river Plate. · '
The names by which this capitania was sometimes, althoug·h seldom, de-.
signated, of D'El Rey and . St. Pedro, are supposecl to have heen given when
it was first annexed to the crown lands.
About the end 0f the s'i:xteenth or the beginning· of the seventeenth century,'
some Vincentistas removed their establishments to the vicinity of lake J)os
Patos, anel their descendants extencled themselves to the south and west, as
the Indians gradually relinquished the cauntry. ·
The capitanias of the brothers Souzas, could not be enlarged beyond their
prescri~ed limits, although the adjoining districts . bf r là'nd were devoluta; 01'
without donatories ; yet the fi.rst settlers there from :these capitànias were always
considered their people, anel known as Vincentistas and Paulistas, until those
districts were erected into this province. It is the most southern one in the
BraziJ, very extensive and important, lying betwéen twenty-eight and thirty-five
degrees of south latitude, and is bounded on the north by the province of St.
 PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL. 111'

Catharina (from which it is sepal'ated' by the river Manbituba) ·and the province
-of 8t. Paulõ; on the west it is skirted by ·the river l.Jruguay and the prov.inc~·
of that name ; on the south by _the ri ver Plate ; and on the east by the Atlantic
Ocean; 'being upwards of five hundred rililes long and fc;mlJ.· hundred wide.
The climate is temperate, participatirig almost equalJy of heat and cold, and
the air is ptare and healthy. Winter·begins in May and lasts till October. The
prevailing wind 'is from the south-east. The longest day of the year, in the
most souther:n part ·of the province; is about' four€een. hours, or ratl:ier more ..
Frost occasionally prevails ·frorn the· month of .íTuly till September:· The greatest
part of this pt·ovínc·e ís flat, having extensive plains, watei'êd with nmnerous
torrents, or rapid ·streams, and with lakes.' No other · district possesses sue h
abundant pastures: In. its southern'- parts: the soil .is well adapted to a pro-
fi.table diversi·ty Qf productions; t(l) wheat, I'ye, barley~ lndian corn, rice, peas,
beans, water-melons, melons, ·onions, as ·well as to ali that arises Jrom Spanish
horticulture ; also, · some eotton, ·mam:lioca, amf the sugar-cane. Hemp anel
different qualities of fla:x grow in gTeat !ibunclance. Fruit-trees~ of·the south
of Europe pr(i)sper bere better- t11an between the tropics, -and aóne 'multiply' sq
prodigiously as the peach. , The ·vine :flourishes in- profusi0n. ilnd ' perfection .;
but the absence of' a spirit of.industry ·and improvement still-retàids the Inanu-
facture of wine, of wliich the grape here would afford an .excellent 'quality ..
D. P .eter de Mendonça, sent. by · Cbarles . V. with eight hu~dt~ed men,
in oréler to. form a colony in the 'l'iver Plate; in 1535, established himsel:f in
the place whei·e .the city of Buenes. Ayres ·"now stan:ds, ·in the . country of the
Mamcotos, by t\vhose hands he Iost his Iilfe, -and a great part of bis foJiowers,
in 1539. The rest had·, in the preceding year, advanced up thé Parag·uay, a:iid
already begmi the· city of Assumption. D. Peclro Ortez de Zarate, gov·e rnor
of that city, te-establi~hed the colony ~f Mendonça at Buenos Ayres, and
took up his'residence there in 1580, in order io supply the -warit of a port to the
city of Assumption, w_hich they ·cotíld riót obtain on the opposité màrgin of the
Plate. · · : · · ·· · · ·
The Vincentistas would not co~sent to any Spanish estàblishment on the
nor~hern margin of this river, from Gape St. Mary to the embouchure: of the
river Par::Lguay, and frorrl. whence theY' were repulsed every time they: attempted
t0 ga~Tl. ;a footing. The s.ettlers from St. :7aulo, in the y~ars 1536, 1538, and
1.54Ç>,' :expelléd some priests of the orders of St. C os me, St. Damiào, St. Anna,
&c. who h~d settled in the land of St.· Gabriel, from the upper to the eastern
part,of"the river, and effectually drove them into the province of Paraguay. ·
. '
112 PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL.

In the sixty yeai·s that Portugal was subject to the c'oúrt of Castile, variouS'
Spanish colonies ·established themselves in the vicinity of the river Uruguay ;.
and, in order to prevent a continuation of these establishments towards the
east, D. Manuel Lobo, governor of Rio de Janeiro, founded Colonia do
Sacramento, at the request of the infant Don Pedro, in 1680.
Scarcely had seven months elapsed, when it was surprised and taken, by
Don Joze Gan·o, governor of Buenos Ayres, accompanied with circumstances
of much barbarity. It was restored at the end of three years, and p1aced in. its
former state, by Duarthe Teixeira Chaves. lt however returned undeu the
dominion of Buenos Ayres, being abandoned by the governor, Sebast~an da
Veiga, in 1703, who, after a long and valorous resistance, retire.d with all hi&
people and property, in ships, to Rio de Janeiro, not having sufficient f0rces
any long~r to resist the power of Don Alonso VaMez. By: the treaty Óf Utrecht,
in 1713, it was restored to the crown of Portugal, but was attaoked afresh in
1735, by Dou Miguel de· Salcedo, governor of Buenós Ayres, and defeiided
by Antonio Pedro, with much courage, till he cou]d receive aid,. during which
period, his brave garrison wer~ reduced to the neces.s ity of eating dogs, cats,
and rats. On the arrival of the expected succonr, Salcedo raised the siege"
an auxiliary force of .some thousand Tappes, brought by the Jesuit, Thomas
Berley, availing him nothing. In 1750, when Don Joseph ascended the throne,
the two courts agreed to a treaty of limits between their respective possessions,
the one giving up Colonia, and the t>ther the seven missions to the east of thé
Uruguay. The line of division commenced at the mouth ofthe little_ river. near~
est the hill of Castilhos Grandes, and continued ahmg the highest range of Iand .
in which the various rivers originate ,t hat run into the lakes Mirim and Patos,
to the source of the river lbicuí, and along its channel to its entrance into the
UrugGay; by the latter, upwards to the mouth of the Piquiri, whichjoins it by
the right bank, above the great fali, and b,y that ri ver to its origin; from thence,
by the top of the nearest mountains, to the source of the first ri ver met with that
runs into the river lguacu, pmceeding downwards by the latter, to its entrance
into the Parana, and continuecl thence to the mouth of the Gatimim, and by
that ri v~r npwards to its origin; from which point, to the source of the nearest riveF
that runs in to tbe Paraguay : from. tbis confluence, continuing upwards by the last •
~Teat ri ver to the mouth ofthe J auru, and from thence by a line to the Jeft bank of
~

tbe Guapore; and by ít downwards, to a latitude at an equal distance between

its confluence with the Mamore and the entrance of the Madeira into ' the
,Mar;:m ham ; anel frorn ·th;:tt latitude, by a line from east to west, as far as the

•
 PROVINCE OF RIO GRAN~E DO SUL. 11 :3

Hyabary, the bed of which ri ver to complete the line as far as the Maranham.
The commissioners sent by the two courts, in 1752, to arrange this demarca-
tion, having arrived at the source of the Rio Negro, wet·e ob1iged to return,
from the opposition of the lndians of the missions, they being ad vised secretly
by the Jesuits not to consent to the proposed exchange. On learning which, the
two Sovereigns determined to compel the lndians to obedience by force of
arms. For this purpose; Gomez Freyre d'Andrade, governor of Rio de
Janeiro, marcned with more than one thousand troops; and the governor of
Buenos Ayres with doub]e the number. ~hen the combined armies were
marching through the territories lying between the soui'ce of the Caziquey, and
the Vaccahy-guaçu, they were met by more- than twelve thousand Tappes,
determined to frustrate their project. On the 10th of Febrnary, 1756; a bartle
took place, in which the Indians were routed wi,bh the loss of fifteen hundred,
leaving on the field some pieces of artillery, and a great number of other arms,
the major part retiring to the missions, where shortly after the conquerors
a1:rived. Tbe lndians were immediately reduced to subj~ction; and, aecording
to the treaty, they passed over to th~ other side 'Of the ·Paraguay. Gomez
Freyre d' Andrade took possessicm of the country, but, before delivering up
Colonia, received advices that bis prese11ce was indispensab]e at Rio, fo1· which
place he immediately set out; The army remained some months behind, seizing
the produce of tne labour of the Indians, and at length retired, many retur.p.ing
to their homes. Bougainville, (say the Portuguese,) out of revenge for.not
having been treated at Rio de Janeiro, by C .. da Cunha, as he wished, givés a
ditferent aGcount of this expedition.
The commission~rs, in J 759, while completing this demarcation, found in
the field of battle, in latitude 30° south, a wooden cross set upright, with the
following inscription, in the Guàrani language.

Anuo de 1756
Omnium gto rum A7 O ch10 Jesustuo Pa• tie cr•
de Febrero pipe
o mano c• J. b.
Tiarayu Guarani
pipe Sabado ramo
A 10
-
de Febrero p• oico Gua-
rini guaç:ú Martes pe
9 Taba U ruguay rebe
gna 1:500 Soldados l·ebe
114 ·PROVIN.CE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL.

hae beiaere Mburubjchare

ta omanô onga ape.
A 4 de
Marzo pe oya pou ca
Angaco Cruz mtu D"
Miguel Moyri sqld"
·repa upe

A litt1e tó the southward, in the plains of the Y ap6guaçú., the commissionei7S

met with a tield or space enclosed with wood capable of containing forty thou-
sand oxen. I
The certainty of war breaking out _in 1762, having been received at BuE(nOs
Ayres, the governor, Don Pedro Ceva1h6s, unexpectedly ordered a furious-
attac;k upon Colonia. Viric-ente da Fonseca, its governor, after a vigorous
resistance of twenty-five days, . seeing the horrib1e devastation wlúch a pro~
digious discharge of artillery had ca:used, capitulated, and marched out with
bis garrison on the 29th October. Two ships of war, with other smalle_r vessels
were l;!ent from Rio de Janéiro, to reinforce the place; and, on finding· that -it
l1ad surrendered, they unavailingly endeavoured to Fegain it ; and, in the
ardour of battle, one of their ships of war was burned. Cevalaos now pro-
ceeded against the forts of St. Mign'el, St. Theresa, ·a nd Rio Grarnc.de de St.
Pedro, which surrendered in consequence of not having adequite force for
their proteetion. Little care had been taken for the security of this fine country.
by the inhabitants. After reducing also a fortification oil the s~mthern par.t of
the península, the Spaniards marc-hed sixteen hundred m.en to the west of the
lake of Patos, against the fort of Rio Parclo. Tliis CC1>rps fortified itself with
seven pieces of artiilery by the side of a wood, in the vicinity of the pass of
Jacuhy, and waited for reinforcements. Intepigence being received of thís
circumstance at the fort of Rio Pardo, a company of dragoo;ns, with all the
Paulistas that could be assembled, making in all twelve hundred and thirty
men, left the fort with a view of cutting off the march of the Spaniards. Find-
ing, however, that their only mode -of attack was from that side of the wood
which did not afford any transit for cavalry, they spent severa! days in opening
a narrow pathway throngh it. A passage being opened, and favoured hy the
light of the moon, they fell unexpectedly upon the encampment, and threw it
into disorder. The Spaniards retired precipitately, with much loss in ammu-
mtwn, killed, and prisoners. ·
The peace of 1763 put an end to the campaign. Ceva:lhos, in pursuance of
orders he 1~eceived, was to cleliver Colonia to Pedro de Sarmento, now
 I
I

PROVINCE OF RlO GRANDE DO' SlJL._ t15

~ppointed its governor. Rio GraRde and .other garrisons (unjus.tly,. say the ·c

Portuguese) remained under the dominion of the crown-of Spain mrtil the year
1776, when they were restored by General Boh:emi. In this interval;. the. Spa-
nial1ds extended th.eir, possessions into the "interior, and _CO:r;Istructed tbe íort of
St·. Tecla, whidt was demolishe.d at t~e resto·ration of Rio Gt•ande.
In 177 4, Don John Joze Ve1•tis, having witb. sinistei' views taken his station
with eight hqndred troops, on a plain near the pass of Taquati:nguay; was
a;ttacked ancl destroyed by two companies of Paulistas, aommanded by captains
Bandeiro and Carneiro. 'l)uring the tranquillity of peace,. an armament, corn-
manded by Cevalhos, for the purpose of seizing the island of St. Catharina; an-
chored in front of the colony, who were 1:m provided with sttficiént provisions, the
people having been sustained by the st0res of the royal magazines, which it. was
a~leged would only last :five days. Assigning as a reason the impossibility ot'
receiving succours, the · governor, with a pr0baMe ' want of courage, offered
· to capitulate, which offer being rejected, he surrendered at discretio.n, with the
exception of some 'officers, their families, a:ad a few inhabitants, who, by paying
·a sum of money, obtained permission to .go· to Rio de Janeiro. The g·ll'eater
part of the cúlony were condtlcted at their own exp.ense:. to- Men.doDça and
Cordova, in order to at1gment the popnlation and agricultu~e 0f th.ose disb·icts.
Cevalnos was cruel enough not to exempt ~he: women from tnis march, sorn·e 6 {
,v;hose husbands were sen.t dangerously i1l to. the hospital ,of Buenos Ay11es;
others weTe •seeN c.at1ry;ing· in their arms th.eir infants dying with. the &maU pox ..
The loss of the island 0f St. Catharin~ then mo:r e consiel!era:ble for its ul.ti-
·mate ad'lrantages:, than fm itts ·present vahw, pmdia:cted a treaty of peace between
the two nati(j)ll!l.S, in the sarne year, 1777, with an artiele to establish a, new lí'!lle
of cl.iv-ision in the ·s outhern ·p art only, one surrendermg: the afore~aid islancl·, tb:e.
other C01lonia ; and in the -'rovince of U ruguay, a greater pt>rt:ió:\ll of neutral
tetT~tory to remain hetween the small ri-vers. Chuy,, the ancient lilíll!it, a;nd
'Fhahim. The demarcation wa·s to proc:e ed in a_ direct l.ine hy ~lit~ s61,1gce t>f the
ri ver Ariea, l'Hlrthward to the .rnhuth of the Peperi-guaçu ;. ancl: pas$ing. the
Setequeades (S€velil Falls) to contim.llle np ihe lgm:ey tO; the Paragu~y.
The ee.rtai:ril:ty of war betweenhis Catholic Nlajesty and Po1~tugail, beingr(ílcei:ved at.
Rio Gt·ande St. Pedro, inJuue, 1801, the gtlv;ernor inu'litediately ordered a vrocla-,
ma,tiou to, b.e issued to the corps de guarcl', to, reg.ard: t.h,e Spanis.h 111.ation a~, ene-·
~i~;3: ; and, in the e.xpect.atie)1íll:of an order c:o ming :frmn the carpita:l to.mÇtke a f'0:um·~}
dQdaratiop., he pa,rdone.d all des.erte.rs who. were; wiloog to take up arms. An @ff:i-
çialletter m.:.ow arriv~ngfrorn his e~c.ellency tlw.Ví.eel·óy, the·€ampa:ign.commellced,
Q2
 116 PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL.

by the marching of troops in two bodies to the frontier of Rio Pardo and Rio
Grande. By the narrow land between the lake Mirim and th~ ocean, S. Soar'es and
J. Antu.n es marched with one hundred and fifty men ag·ainst the camp of Chuy,
which was surprised, sacked, and abandoned, without any loss on the part ot'
fhe assailants. . This _corps passed to the other side of Rio de St. Gonçalo, and
halted at Herval, in front of some adv~nced posts established on thé north of the
Jaguaron, which the·Spania.r ds abandoning, the Po:rtuguese demo~ished·. The
same misfortune befel all the other Spanish detachments, as far as the vicinity
of the Jacuhy, without excepting fort St. Teela. On the Spanish guards retiring
towards the post of CetTo-largo, twelve leagues to the sonth of the Jagnaron,
on the Batuvj, they had a rencounter with a party of Portugm~se, who put
them to flight, took six waggons with ammunition, provisions, and mathe-
matical instruments. A small party of the Portnguese and _Spaniards e:ngaged
each other on the J aguaron, when the fo11mer were successful, returning with
iifty prisoners, having lost only two men.
Shortly after, a colonel passed to the other side ofthe river with twelvebl.mdred
Portug·uese, and marched to the attack of the Spanish fort at Cerro-largo.
Before the Portuguese had fired many guns, s9me cartridges of powder to0k fire,
and a horse taking fright threw the cavalry into disorder, which spread through
the whole detachment. Animated by this event, and wisbing to take advantage
Ôf it, a .sortie was made_by a squadron of Spanish cavalry; but tbe Portuguese
forming again, they were obliged to retreat. This trifling reverse, an~ the small-
ness of the garrison, induced tbe commandant to capitulate. The Portuguese
apprehending, however, the arrival of some Spanish reinforcements from Monte
Vídeo, dismantled the fort and returned to the~r former position. Shortly
afterwards, the large reinforcement which left Monte Vídeo in order to succom·
the pass of Cerro-largo, arrived at the opposite ban.k s of the ri ver. The Portu-
guese showing at the same,time a resolute determination to oppose their passage.
In this state of things, the news of peace arrived av.d terminated tbe campaign.
MouNTAINs.-This province bas no very considerable mountains, excepting·
the cordillera called tbe General Serra, which runs from the north, near the sea, · .
anel in tbe parallel of 2!:) 30' turns to the west, and then north-west with some
0

; windings, breaking in ma~y parts to afford a pàssage to various rivers, among-s t

others, the Paranna. The mountain of St .. Martinho, or Monte Grande, is. a
portion of that serra, where it divides this province from that of Uruguay.
Monte Vidio, or Video, situated on the west .side of the bay to which it gives
the n~me, is pleasing to the view, and high ·on]y in the vicinity ~f the sea.
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 PROVINCE OF RIO -URANJ\)E. DO SUL'. 117

'l'he Castilhos ·G1'ándes is a hill near · to · tb.e pomt of. the same name, and
erow~ed with stoiles, that appear like to-~vers.
The Pao d'Assucar ~Sugar"'L~af) is upon the sJ!ore four- or five · leagues to : ~he
west of Mald@nado; and the hill of St. I..uzia a little to tlie · east of the river
of the same name. The Serra dos Tappes·, wbich is of very small. elevation,
runs parallel with the 'lake of Patos ata distance of from four ·to seven leagues, _
being fifteen leagues long from north-to south,- and five broad. That of.Herval
is further to the north, béhind· the Tappes.
The extensive chains of small hills, without trees, and fçmning pasturage for
flocks of cattle, are called coclzilhas.
The before-mentioned Pao d'Assucar is at the sonthern extremity of the.
chain called the Great Cochilha, which extends itself to the aorth as fai· ·as the
source of the river Arica. · In many parts, its elevation is imperceptible,
appearing like a pla.in, · and from both sides other mountains branch '.off, · as do
some rivers which have tl~eir origin: Ín it. The hills ranging to the west 'of it
aré not weH known ;. the largest on the east are the Herval, the Piratinjm, approxi-
mating the rivérs of the same names, and the Babiragua, in.the vicinity of the
' Camacuan. The highest points óf the hills and cochilhas, and destitute of vege-
. tatio'n, are callecl sel'ms, their summits serving on occasions· of war for watch-
towers, which are numerous, and some of ' them are seen from others at a dis-
tance of twênty leagues.
RIVERs.-The numerous streams of this province almost all issue by two
channels, viz. the Rio Grande de St. Pedro, which empties itself about'the
middle of the eastern coast, and the Rio Uruguay, which runs into the Para-
guay. The Great Cochilha divides the tributary streams of those hyo rivers.
The Uruguay originates in the·lower parts of the mouutains· which stretch along
the ocean, and runs for a considerable distance under the name of Pellotas to
the westward, between margins principally of pointed and massy rocks,
gathering in its course the. :vivers ·Caveiras, Caroas, Chem·os, and the Correntes,
which issue eithér from the skirts or the vicinity .;>f the same cordillera, and
water the most southern portion of the proyince of St. Paulo, designated ·by the
name of CaJ;Dpos da Vaccaria. It here takes the name with which it terminates,
and, already assuming· the ap'p earancé of a large ri ver, bends its ·course.towards
the south-west, still accumulating by other streams. In latitude 29io, it receives
the col1siderable river Ibiéui by thê Jeft, afte1·wards the Mirinay by the right, then
flQwing southward_, and ultimately the Negro by its ·eastern ·marg·in; has many
windings anel i slands, ·ancl .affords navigation for larg·.e boats to ·the first ·gt·eat
1.18 PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL.

fall., which is ten leagues below the contluence of the lbicui. Cauoes advan~e
as far up as the centre of the vaccal'Ías, or cattle-plains, not, however, without
immense lahour, occasioned by the many cataracts and rapid currents.
The river lbicui rises in the plains of Japóguassu, and, after running many
leagues to th.e west, turns northward for a space of twenty-five leagues, aug-
menting considerably by the junction of many rivers, one of them being the
river Caziquey ; a little below which confluence the TOl'opy joins it. · which
is larger, and comes from the cattle plains, flowiug §Outh-west, and bringing
with it the ri ver lbieui-Mirim, that joiuE! it on the left a little higher up, At tbis
confluence, called Forquilha, (Three-pronged,) where tlíe lbioui b~comes o€)n-
aiderable, it turus to the west, and. gradually augments in importauce, so that
much above its e-IQbQtlchure it is four hundred fathoms wide; a little below the
Fol'Çtúlha it is joined. ou th~ right by the Jaguari, a considerable stream, which
also come.s from the before-.rpentioned vaccarias. Its banks are covered w!th wild
shrubs and trees; the tortuous channel has many islands, the G\lfrent almost
always tn~onquil, and navig~ble nearly to the heads of those l"ivers which fQrm it.
'fhe river Neg-.;o has it~ Ol''gjq very near to that of the Ibicui, runs always
to the south-west, is e:&larged. by the receipt of a .{lumber of streams, and
incorporates itself with th~ Ul'uguay five leagues before that river- entel's
the Paraguay, or Plate, after baving wa.tered leighty leag11.1es of coun.try,
abounding, for tbe major part, in .cattle: its largest co~fl:uen.t is the Hy,
which it receives nearlytwenty leagues above its mouth, after a comse. of thirty-
six leagues, f,·om ea;:;t ta west, thro-ugh a country rich in pasturage and ca:ttle.
"fbe river St. Lu:6ia tak,es a conrse, for nearly forty leagues, through a e~un.try
similarly ~bli!fldant, and disembQgues four leagues tQ the west of MaJ.Il.te Video,
l!aving received by tbe right bank, a l\ttle higher l il:p, tlie St. Joz-e, with which
it becomes wide, de~p.. and p.avigable, with a. go([)d pol.'t at its mollth.
Tbe rivexJacuby(from th~ bird Jacús) i.s fqrmed, 01,1. thewesternsicle-of tbe cattle-
pla4ts, by a "Qp.}on of vaJiious strearos, wbich irrigatc>J those campos., and f~to.m
w hep.ce it issues beip.g fl.h'ead,y considerable. A few lE:Jague& after ha v·ipg tra versed -
the General Serra it !Jows eastwarq, (lescl'ibing innumerable windip.gs for a.
spaoe of ~l},rty leagqes. a"\'ld on ~ sucld.en turn& toward~ tbe south. Aft:.er a furtlil'er
co~ws~ of flftee-p. mile~. h~ving 'Q.eco.m~ a laFg~ rive:r;-, it enters H~~ We);!tern: side
qf the l~ke Patos, a'buut four le~gues below jts northern e]\tremity. Amt~JO.~gst
otber Sflla\ler streams wh,ich swell its waters, afte1· i13suing f~·om the sena, is th.e
Ví}oc~~y. which ds~ a few le~gues to, the north of the Ibi<;l"\IÍ,Gq~çu, wl<l
b~iogs wit}l it th~ V~ocahy-Mil:im, which has its origin a sh~l&-t distance tial(l):.
 PROVINCE OF· RIO GRANDE DO· SUL U9

that of the Jacuhy-Mirim. These 'rivers were so named after cattle began to
. graze near them. The gentle course of the J acuhy is uninterrupted by cataracts;.
and is. pel'fectly_ free to navigation. The Irapuan receives a great mfiny
currents, almost all muddy and brackish, and very cold. A species of soft.
black stone, with white particles like silver, are ·found upon many part:;; of its·
hanks. On being burnt, it emits a sulphureous smell, assumes the appearance
of cbarcoal, and is said to be of no higher value. The Butucarai comes from the·
north, .and h as a bridg'e. N ear its mouth is the passage of Fandango. The-
Piguer.i j(í)ins the Irohy, and comes from the Serro Pellado da Encruzilhada.
The Tubatingahy originates between a serro and the Encruzilhada. The Pardo,.
having its semree in a serra, runs through a country covered with wild woods ;-.
the large stones in its bed preclude navigation: it is passed by a bridge. The·
Capibari :flows from the vicinity of the source of the Irohy. The Antos~.
formed by various cmTents, which issue from the lower part of the cordillera,.
after a considerable course towards the west, turns to the south, I'eceives the·
Tibicoari, a,nd, ten leagues farther, und.er tbe latter name, enters the Jacuhy,..
of which it is the largest .tributary, affoFding a~ opi:m navigation to yachts as.
.··
far as the confluence, where it loses the first name-. T.he adjacent country
is f~rtile, producing , beautiful pine and other trees of excellent timber. The·
Jacuhy, (ten leagues below the ·Jaeoari,) at the part where on a sudden it turns
to the soutb, is two miles in width, forming a bay, where it receives the Cahy,.
. which issues from the .plains on the summit of the General Serra, with a course
of about twenty-five leagues, almost south, and affording a navig·ation to yachts
of ten leagues. The Sino, something smaller, which rises on the top of the·
same serra, more to the south, nms sonth-west, and is narvig·able for a con-.
siderable distance. Th.e Gravatahy, which has its oi·igin ' in the same hills,
further ta the · sonth, runs in the same direction, and aff'Ords navigattron for a.
spa'ee'of five leagues. '
The J'Ívers Igarup~y, Daymar, 1and Gualeguay, are the pJincipal @nes which
enter the Uruguay, by the left bank, between the mouths of the lbicui and the
Negro.
The Maldonado, an.d the two rivers Solis, (smal•l and great) dischar.ge
themsehres into the gulf of the river Plate. Rio Gra11de de St. Pedro is the
name of the outlet of th.e lake of Patos, a11d is abo~t ten m~les in }.ength almost
north and south, near one t.eague in. width, anel is situateci sixty leagues notth.-
east from Cape St. Mary. The lateral lands are very flat, ood destitnte t:Jf
trees or l;milqi~g·s to di.rect the navigator,. who, at a distanee @nly: af two
 120 PROVlNCE OF RIO GRANDE- DO SUL.

leagues, ·with clear weather, can but ·just distinguish.the entl~ance to the port
in 32° 4', where the ebbing and flowing of the water generally produce an
agitated sea, rendering the shoals variable, so that no ship can or should en.t~r
the port without a well experienced person, acquainted with the state of the
bar.
The lake of Patos, which took its name frotn a natíon ef Indíans now un-
known, is the largest in the Brazil, being one hundred and fifty miles in length
from north-east to south-west, parallel with the coast, and thirty-five at its
greatest width, with sufficient depth for vessels of a middling si~e; 'it has,
however, some very dangerous shoals. The water is salt in the south~rn part,
· with the banks generally flat. It is the recipient of almost ali the currents
which water the northern and ;eastern- portion of the province, and whose
principal embouchures are the- Jacuhy on the north,. and the river de St.
Gonçalo on the south. The lake Mirim, which signifies "small," compared with
the other, ris ninety miles in . ·l ~ngth, and twenty-five at _its greatest widtb ; this
also extends aldng the coast, and discharges into the lake Patos, by a channel,
fifty miJes long, wide, handsome, and navigable, and constituting the aforesaid
river de St. Gonçalo. The river .Saboyaty, after having collected many others,
flows, in a considerable · stream, inte the southern extremity: of the lake Mirim,
a:nd is navigable for many leagues. The small river Chuy disembogues almost
in the middle of the same lake; and, further to the north, the rive1· Jaguar~n,
which has its source near the lake Formoza, (bea'Qtiful.) It has a course ·of
about eighty miJes, and eighteen of navigation. The river Piratirim which has
its origin also near the lake Formoza, empties itself about the middle of the
St. Gonçalo, after a course of tbirty leagues, affording ten miJes of n.ayiga-
tion. _The river Pellotas, i.ising in the serra . of the Tappes, enters the St.
Gonçalo near its mouth, and admits of small vessels for tive leag':les. Pass-
ing the embouchure of the St. Gonçalo, the first river met with on the lake
Patos is the Contagem, which is about fourteen leagues in extent. The
second is .the Correntes. The third is tbe Cànguçu, navigable for some leagues.
The fou.rth runs under the name of St. Lourenço. The fifth denon:l inated
Boqueirao, and the least of ali, originates, like the otbers, in the Serra . dos
Tappes. Above the Boqueirao, in tbe middle of the lake of Patos, the Cama-
puan empties itself by five mouths, formed by four islands, the Iargest of which
is balf a league in circumference. It flows from the Great Cochilha by a rapid
course of nearly one hundred milel;l, amongst rocks and stones, admitting
navigation only .for a distance of four leagues, and bigher up presenting COlh
 PROVINCE OF RIO . GRANDE DO SUL. 121

tinued ca.t aracts. By its southern margin f0urteen cm~rents are admitted, some
of them ten leagues in extent; and fifteen by its northern bank, none exceed-
iug five leagues. The southern ones, commencing from the mouth of the river,
are the Pereira, rising in the Serra dos Tappes; the Card@ZO ; · the Evaristo ; the
Meirelles; the Sapata, \•thich flows from the same serra; the small ri ver Pedras,
(Stones,) rising near the situatio~ called lgatimi; the Almeida; · the Arroio
Grande·, the \. Velhaco ' oriO'inating
o in the Grand Cochilha, near the Serro Bay,
and running through a bed consisting in parts of rugged and craggy pro-
minences; the Fagundes, which runs for five leagues between rocks, with nümy
falls ; the Rodrigues, rolling angTily over precipice~, and foaming between
rocks and stones ; the Arroio da Palma, cousiderable, serene, well stored
with fish, and navigable for small craft; (the qHadruped capibam is seen upon
its bapks in bands of eighty and one hundred ;) and the Camapuan Chiei, tranquil
in its course, recei:ving, among·st other streams, one called Tigre. The adjacent
territory consists of fine campos, fertile in corn. · ·
. · Passing the mouth of the Camapuan, northward, the Duro is first met wi!h,
which nms through a :flat open country, without wood, and forms in its course
some lakes. Next, the · Velhaco, flowing rapidly throngh woods. Beyond
this is the Passo Grande, with like umbrageous borders .
. Procee.ding up by the Jacuhy to the town of Portalegre, on the left bank is
the Araca, rising: in the Serra Herval, and .the Antonio Alves, which, three
leagues above its mouth, receives the Doüdarilho, anel affords an open navig·a-
tion to lzyates, or yachts. At the northern extremity of the lake Patos the
river Palmares enters, having· its source in the neighbouring plains of the Tra-
mandahy. Three Jeagues to the west of it runs the Capibara, which is only a
current irt winter, when the lake of Serra, receiving the waters of various small
prooks, discharges them through this outlet : the lake is about eight~en miles
lm{g and five wide, and runs parallel with the cordillera. The country 'Yhich
these rivers traverse is a plain of white· sand; and in great part marshy, pro-
ducing, however, some herbage, brushwood, and plantations.
. Alongthe coast, wbich runs from Cape St. Mary to tbelittle Castilhos, are various
l~kes appt;oximating to tbe sea. The lake Manglieira, which is eighty miles Iong
and about four broad, extends between the coast and the lake Mirim, and empties
itself,·at the northem ext_remity, by an outlet called Arroio Thabim. The península
bet:ween the coast and the lake of Patos, from two to six leao·ues in width,
is interspersed with a great numbet of lakes, gener~lly running i:to the ocean,
R
122 PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL.

or into others. Amongst those extending westward we may remark,, in the

southern part, the Capibaras, into which a small Iiver empties itself of limpid
water, bursting suddenly forth with admir.ab1e force, and is the purest in the
·-península, which, nevertheless, is not deficient in goQd potable waters. On the
eastern side of the península is the lake Mostardas, better known by the name
of Peixe, nine leagues long, with little width, extending a1ong the margin of
the sea to the point where it disembogues through an elbow of land, that- opens
and closes . annually, and by which various species of fish enter; the most·
numerous are denomip.ated mi·r agarga, resembling the cod-fish. With this lake
various others communicate, that li e .to the north, and are connected by their
different mouths. N ear the last, that terminates the , extent of the Barros
Vermelhos, another chain of a similar description commences, at a shár1! (<11(8~..
tance from the beach, and extends parallel with it for a spaee of twenty-fi.ve
leagues.
A short way from Barros Vermelhos, and by the si de of the sea, there is a small
lake that runs into a larger one, whioh ·terminates in the Capoes do Retuvado.
It has an outlet into another, that extends from hence a league anda half. Beyond
these there are two lakes running parallel; and still further another, nea:r the Capao·
do Xavier, a distance of two leagues, whfch discharges itself into the lake Char-
queada, the latter terminating in the place of that n,ame, and running by a vein into
a smaller one: this empties itself into a lake of equal size, and that is joineél:
to a large1·, which terminates in the Capao Dastacoáras. The last discharges
itself into the Quintao, which runs into the Cidreira. The Cidreira is
divided into three bays or lakes, communicating by necks or outlets, anel
occupying an extent of four leagues and a half. It has a, chatmel of two miles
long to the Ribeiro, terminating near the passage of the Anoio, its outlet
to the river Tramandahy. The river ·Tramandahy i~ in 30° south latitude, and
is nothing more tban the channel of discharge to a great number of lakes,
spreading themselves over the extensive plains that lie between the beach
and the cordillera. Into this river also is clischarged the most southern of
another chain of lakes, that extend tbemselves · along the same cordillera north-
ward, very near to the river Momhituba, at the mouth of which there is a mili-
tary detachment, in order to register persons entering or leaving the province.
In the space of ,twelve leagues, which lie between the Tramandahy and the
Niombituba, fourteen smaU rivers of erystalline water <lire discharged into the sea.
The afore-mentioned peninsula, formed . by the lake Patos and the ocean, ,
 PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE llO SUL. 123

is leYel ground, with a s'lnal~l ~elevation, or albardao, near the ll.il.iddl.e ; it is

almost in a direct line on the eastern side, forming ~various points and bays ou
the opposite one. Among the first -is the Ponta do Mandanha, eommencing at .
the sotlthr where have been found· the vestiges of an Indian village and cemetery.
NeX!t to this the Ponta Ra.z·a; between thetn the lake das Cap.ibaras discharges
itself. In the middle of_ the bay ealled Barrancas, 'v.hich is the best shelter in
this l~ke for all vessels, some sm•all rivers are emptied, ·one of which is
navigated by calil@es and other boats. ~he Ponta of Bujurú ·is six leagues more
to .the <lilOrth. lnto th.e middle of ~a bay of the same name, runs a ·fine river,
which forms a little island at the bar. The point .of ·Christovam Pereira is six
leagues further. In the bay, which is to the southward of it, there are two con-
siderable·mountains of shells, which proye how much the Indians were atta?hed
to shell-fish. The point and bay of Cacira are more to the north, and the last
that are remarkable. The ground is generaHy of a very sandy soil, bnt in some
parts claY. is found below the sand, which shows that the península is not
formed by the sand ·.of the sea, but that the an~ient soil is covered with . it.
Between the lakes Mirim.- and Mangueira, for many leagues, the small 1ri.v.er
.C huy takes its cout·se, and enters the ocean in front of the · southern extremity
of the first.
CAPES, PoRTs, AND lsLANDs.-St. Mary is the only cape. Monte Video,
St. Luzia, and Maldonado are the best ports. The islarids of Castilhos, near
the point of the same name, and Maldonado, in the entrance of the bay of th~
same name, are both ·small. The isle of Lobos, (W.olves;) two miles in cir-
cumference,. h as .good w.ater, is almost .all rocks and ston€s, and lies four leagues
to the ,south-east of the pTeceding· .one. There are two others to the south-
west of Cape ·St. Mary. The isle dàs Flores, half a.l.eague• long, ·and of ~little
width, is flat, and six mi1es 'to the ·east of Monte :Video. ':Uhe isle of Martim
Garcia is. to the west-north-west of -the bay of Colonia do Sacramento, in front
of the mouth of the .river ·Sf. .Francisco. The isle of St. Gabriel, four hundred
,.
and fifty fathoms long, its width proportionable, is in front -of Colonia; as well
as the isle Gf Antonio Lopes, anel the English Island, ooth sma:ll. That of
F(i)rnos, two -lnmdred and forty fathoms long, approximates nearer to the beacb.
r.t'h.e isla11d of.Marinheiros, three to four leagues in Gircuit, :flat and ~ov-ered with
h·ees aad brushwood, is near the "southern extJ:emity of the lake of Patos, -and
a little to the no1·th of the towú of St. Pedro, whose inhabitants ·have recourse
to it for water and firewood.
R2
 124 PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL.

MümRALOGY.-Terra-sombra, or umber, eakareo.us stone, potters' earth·,

gold, silver, and sulphureous minerais.
PHYTOLOGY.-Timber is more remarkable here for its fine quality ·tha11
.its abundance. From the parallel of 30° degrees southward, on the banks
of the principal rivers only, are to be seen any forests of fine full-grown timber.
Out of these latitudes, in this ·province, trees are rare and of small size. ht
the southern parts, they burn bones and the excrements of cattle, in consequence
of the scarcity ofwood. In the northern there are. beautiful pine trees . .
ZooLOGY.-Five nations held their dominion in this province. · The Patos
in the península, anel to the north of 'the lake which has taken their name;
the Charruas, arounel the lake .Mirim, anel as far as the river Plate ; the
Minuânos, to the westwarel of the latter ; the Tappes, from the lake Patos to
the U ruguay; the Guaycanans, in · the eattle plains, where they still reside at
times. Of the first there is now no account, anel they appear to be extinct,
having most probably intermixed with other tribes. The Charruas .have
ú~tired into the centre of the country. The Minuânos occupy the lanels
to the westward o f the Tappes from the Ibicui southward. Between · the
Minuânos and the · Charrúas enmity perpetually exists, and frequently wars
occur. They both use the lance, the arrow, and the sling, anel are expert on
horseback. G~·apuetan is the mi.me of the country ·where·the Minuânos reside
for a considerable part of the year. The Tappes in great numbers formerly
lived under the influence of the Christian missions of the. Uruguay.
. Arriongst other species of wild quadrupeds, there are the anta, like a little
cow without horns, as common in the West Indies, the deer, · the onnée, the
monkey, the paca, like a pig of two months old, the rabbit, quati, cotia,
t'átous, or armadillo, covered with scales, the · jm·aticáca, · or squash, which
the Spaniards anel ~ortuguese call forrilho, the boar, the fox, with .. various
kinds of dogs, viz. the jaguarati,rica, gum·á, guamxain, and the jaguane.
The race of the European species of dog have here multipliecl excessively,
so that they live in the plains, where they subsist with others of the wild kind,
without ever entering any vill~ge or dwelling. They are called cltimaTrõe dogs .
.Immediately on the slaughter of cattle ceasing, anel when in want of provisions,
they asse.mble toge_ther in . large b~nds, a~ encircle .an ox, wh.i ch they
pmsue with unceasmg obstmacy until the amm~l falls wlth fatigue, and is de-
voured by them in a few hours. A horseman: even runs a risk in the plains,
.when they are in a state of famine. No province in the Brazil abounds with
 PROVlNCE OF' RIO GRANDE DO SUL. 125

k;;uéh· prodigious herds · of cattle, horses, and mules. ·Goats ·are not very
numerous. The sheep produce a fine wool.
. · In the beginning of the last century this province was covered with cattle, in
spite of the devastation which the Indian anel the ounce hacl made amongst
them. The conquerors, persuacled that such a proft1sion of cattle never would have
an end, commenced by · carrying on a destruction amongst them resembling
that of the tiger anel the wolf in the sheepfold. This h a voe was principally
directed against the calves, anel generally one diel not suffice for the dinner of
two comraeles; probably they. both wished to eat the tongue, anel to make a
greater certainty of it they killecl a seconcl ca]f, rather than divide the first.
There were meu who killed an animal in the , morning in order to breakfast on
bror]ed kidneys ; anel, not to be incommoded by carrying any part 'üf the meat
for dinner, performed the same operation by killing the best they co~1ld discover
for dinner. There was no banqüet withouf veal only a few days old.
, Dou Joaquim Vianna, governor of Monte Vídeo, hearing· of this destruction
o f the cattle, and info11med of the cause, issued an order; abaut the year I 650,
with a heavy penalty attached to its transgression, that no mor~ calves-or cows
shoulel be killeel, excepting such cows as were ba~ren; anel that no bulls or
oxe:n shoulel be . slaughtereel for their skins, excepting those of five years of
age anel upwards. In the viceroyalty of the Marquis de Lavradio, some good
arrangemeilts were 1~ade in the northern part of the province; but ali were not
unde1; their influence, in consequence of the wiuely spreading districts, to many
of which they did not extend.
Two small portions of the cattle of this province are appropriateel, one to the
consumption of the country, anel the other to the slaughter-house of the metro-
polis; but the far greatest propoTtioil is manufactureel into jirkeel-beef, wbich is
salted withoút bones, drieel in the sun, and exported to the ·principal ports
in the Brazil; but, from the desultory warfare carried on near the ri ver Plate,
it has recently become very scarce, and bacalhao, or salt fish, brought by
.B ritish ships to the por.ts of Brazil, has become a substitute at many places.
_ In 1802, there were yet only amongst the subjects ofthe faithful crown, fi ve hun-
dred anel thirty-nine proprietors ofland, judicially marked out amongst the breed-
ers of cattle, clenomin.atedfazendeir·os, or farmers, anel lavmdm·es, or husbandme'n,
.which latter breeel only what is necessary for their ·own service and consumption;
they. possess generally· about two square Ieagues of land : but those of the first
orde1~ have eight or ten square leagues, anel some even more. The greatest pro-
126 PR'OVINCE .0F R:fO ··GRANDE DO Slff•L.

portion of ,tlJe cattle are hreeding cows. ln a plairi 0r field of three .leagu.es
are usually bred four or five thous.and head, and proportionably more •Or less,
according to the quality of the r}and, or .attention of the breeder. The ·pasturage
is not, however, generwlly good, the soi•l being, as 'before mentioned, of a saJN.dy
nature.
For the management of a fazenda of five thousand head of cattle, it is said
six men are sufficient, with one hund•red horses at least ; the wh@le of which
pasture together in troops of twenrty, ,with a tamed mare; from which H1ey do
not usually stray. From-the sandy nature of the soil, as in· many other pa,r ts ·of
B1·azil, partic·~cilarly at 'Pernambuco, ·no ex pense is in,c m·r ed by the owners for
shoeing them. In each establishment, or tract of land, tihere is commonly a small
hi-11, or the most elevated land is s~lecte'd, as plain and eveN. at the snmmit as
possible, wlilich is known by the name of 1·edeio, (a certain compass of land,)
and is capable c:>f receiving the whole flock, when brought together. For this
purpose, the shepherds on horseback distribnte themselves round about the cattle;
and cry out loudly " Rodeio, 1·odeio, rodeio;" at whose ·voices the cattle maréh
at full trot towards the rodeio, in files, divided into c:h·oves or bands of
fifty to one hundred, according to the numbers that pasture together. This
mode of forming them early into troops is indispensable, in order to put on1:he
mark of the dono or proprietor upon snch as have it "not, and with morefacility
to select those that are upwards of four years old :for the market, ·o r for ca?·n-e-
secco, or jirked beef. ,
If the stock of cattle exceed the number of ·heads which the fazen-da is
<;:apable of sustaining, they of . course run sh0rt of pasturage, and many spread
out into more distant plains, and after a time will no long·er obey the ·rodeio, but
:fly .and disorcler the rest' of the .:flook.
In a fazenda ef three leagues it is computed that one thousand yotmg cattle,
male and female, are branded or marked, annuaUy ; consequently the number
they send off or kill may be estimated in the same ratio.
The farmers also breed a certain number of domestic cattle. He who pos-
sesses four thousand cattle, which are denominated hmvo, or ·wild, keeps com-
monly one hundred milch cows, which, however, pasture in the same fields
or plains with the others. "When a cow calves, .she always selectsa situation
adapted to the concealment of her young, where it continues in secrecy
for the space of eight days. She visits it at different times in the course of
the day, in orcler to give it suck, lying by it at night. It is difficult to find
 PROVINCB OF RIO GRANDB DO ,SUL. 127

tl1em dl!lliÍ·]jlg'· tlltis perio€1.; but OJ.ílce disco·v:ered the ealE is immediately con«il\llctedl·
to the cattle [email protected], whe1·e it is kept eight or 1:1ine m<mths or mare, being daily
visited by its darn, whid1 is· milked the whiDle of this time, for the purpose of
making butter and ~heese, lea;ving to thé prisoner only what it can. draw from its
mother after she has be~n milked. The fam.iliarity of the young one with the
persons upon the fazenda preserves it in a state of tameness. · The males,
when sufficiently grown, are used in the cart or plough, and. the females
pasture in the p1ains ti11 .they beco me mothers, eontinuing to supply the farmer
with an increasing stock. •.
Although the dom.esticated cattle are not bred up with · such a satiety of
provision as the . witd ones, which enjoy the whole of the mother's · milk, and
pasture the entire day without working, yet they grow as large and become
fatter. This is attribnted to the fearful nature of the ~ndomesticated kind, who
fly from every animal that appears ; whilst the tame ones, · although they eat
less, live in quiet, always retaining the habit of going to the fold, and ap ..
proacbing people without alarm ; they are also less time in the fields, con-
suming less pasturage, and it is estimated that tbe alimeilt which four thousand
hea€1. of wild. cattle exhaust is sufficient to sustain eight thousand of the tame.
The meat.ofthe latter is esteemed the.most savoury.
The same fazendei'l'os breed also droves of horses and mules. Th~
latter are the most lucrative, a male one being at least double the value of
a horse; and in consequence, its species is more numer~us, although very few
persons breed more than two hundred annually. The she mules of two years
old are either sold .or separated from the 'l'est, in order to avoid the destruction '
which they would cause in the species. A she mule seeing the foal of a mare,
immediately begins to caress it as her own, and will not alla.w the: mother to
approach to give it mHk; the resu:U -is·, tbat it perishes with hunger.
The breed of sheep would, if attended to, much exceed that of cattle,
in consequence of their generally producing _two at a birth ; they are not
however numerous, few fam1e1:s possessing one· thousand head, and the
major part not any. N othing here appears so easy and cheap as the multipli-
cation of this animal. For the purpose of shepherding· a flock of one thou-
sand, two eur dogs are sufficient, bred up in the folliDwing mocle. As soon
as they a.re whelped, the lambs · of a ewe are killed, . the puppies are put to
her, a.nd she suekles them untü ~he becomes habituated to treat them
as her young, when, upon opening their eyes and seei;ng· no other benefac-
tor, they attach themselves to her, and play ~ith the lambs as if they were of
 128 PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL.

the same species. N othing is ever given them to eat ; they are shut in the fold
with. the sbeep, 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 them. When it happens that a ewe ]ambs in
the field, and the lamb cannot accornpany the mother, in consequence of its
not yet having su:fficient strength to follow her, one of the dogs watches near, and
if he finds that the Jamb cannot foll.ow the mother to the rflock, he carries it in his
rnouth,• without doing it the least harm. No other animal or unknowú 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 chimarroe dogs
are the greatest enemies to the :flock; against them and the birds of prey, which
pick out tbe eyes of the lambs, the vigilance of the watch dogs is requisite.
Amongst other species of birds are' the Macuco partridge, tbe parrot, came,
inl~uma, s6c6, tayugu, jaluerá, heron, jacu, the araponga mutum, tucano, and
the quail. In the lakes are large numbers of wifd ducks, anel larg·e wild geese,
some brown, some white, others with black necks, which when stripped of.their
. feathers, are 'covered with a fine long down, similar to · the Armeuian fur, ·and
serving for the same uses. The marine g~ese, which have a bill like a ·turkey,
with smaller wings and without feathers, for the most part go at the bottom of the
sea, and are seen occasionally upon this coast, as well as the sea calf. lt is
said, that here the emu t>strich lays many eggs·in on.e nest, to which they nevér
return after having finished laying ; the mal e then hatches them, after instinctively
breaking two, for the collection of a large quantity of rflies ; thus the young find
sustenance till they are able ·to accompany their protector, when he remains
their guide for severa! days. The people do not generally follow hnnting or
shooting, so that game is very abundant ; neither are they partia! to fishing·.
The inhabitants are instructed in the use of the laço, in order to catch wild
cattle. It is a cord of twisted leather, secured by one end of the sadclle or
girth of the h01·se, upon which the laçador is mounted, the other end forms a
noose through which the cord runs, and, curling· it up, the horseman throws
with dexterity to a great distance, and secures the animal by the horns or
the neck. The sagacious horse instantly throws itself into a firmly inclining·
posture, to resist the .opposing power of the animal to escape. ·There are
men so skilled in 'this art, that they catch the wary ounce with the laço. · The
laçador as quickly dismounts and despatches it.
They, are not less dexterous in the rnanagement of the balls, which,, aré t\vo
 PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL. 129

r~und stones secured at the extre~ity of a cord, formed also of leather, and
being thrown at the leg·s of the animal, unexpectedly entangles them so effectu-
ally, that it cannot move .a nother step. · These species of weapons .are used by
them against each other. Tbis custom was borrowed ft·om the Maraocoto and
other Indian tribes, whg u's ed the laço and balls with great effect against Men-
donça when he landed and founded the city of Buenos Ayres. The Peons, w.ho
act as guides, as v.vell as others of mixed oúgin, are expert with these weapqns .
. The. Spaniards denominate the progeny of the Indian and Negro, Sombo-
loros; and of thes:e latter and the N.Iulatto, Saccalàguas; · the son of a Mestico
(otfspri:ng of a. white ánd an Indian) and an Indian, Cllolo. The P,ortuguese
caU the first 'Cut·ibocas.
The principal towns in this province are St. Pedro, PortalegTe, and Monte
Vídeo.
St. Pedro is a commercial tewn, ·and advantageously sifuated upon the ex-
tremity of a tongue of land, between the gulf -of Manguein to the south and a
bay to the north-east. It has a ~hurch dedicated to the apostle from whom the
town derives its name. It bas two orders of devout women; the one called
St. Francisco and the other Carmo. · The houses ' are g~nerally very wretched,
and the streets of a fine sand, the same as that of the neighbourhood. It
enters so profusely into tbe houses, at. the season of .the high winds, that it is
impossible to eat ap.y thing witbout a portion ·o f sa:nd being intermixed with it.
This town, begun a league to the south-west, ia the sitllation called Estreito,
was removed hy Gomes Freyre d'Andrade, between tbe years 174 7 and 1750,
and was the capital till the year 1763. The heat is intense. Cats fly from the
rats, which 3Jre large and exceedingly n.umerous; but they have a formidable
enemy in the dog. Here are some English estabÜshments in connexion with
houses at Rio de Janeiro.
U pon the · eastern bank of the rive1:, in front of St. Pedro, is the considerable
and flourishing arraial of St. Joze, with a h~rmitage · of the same name. lt is
the town's port; and, in 1814, there sailed from it three hundred and thirty-three
vesse\s of various kinds; . lad~ with wheat, hides, carne-secco, or dried beef,
tallow, cheese, and other articles. Síx leagues to the south of St. Pedro is the
arraial of Povo Novo, ornamented with a hermitage of Nosso Senhora das
Necessidades. Its inhabitants, originally froin the Azore islands, are hus-
bandmen.
Portalegre (de1_ightful port) is a large, populous, and commercial town, h as
s
130 PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL.

good houses, and straigbt streets, principally paved, and is situated upon the
southern margin of a bay to the eastward of the Jacuhy, seven leagues above
its mouth, and· forty-three leagues north of St. Pedro. It is the capital of the
province, the residence of the governar, now Conde de Figura, of the ouvidor,
and a vicar-general. It has a church, dedicated to Our Lady Madre de
Deos, (Mother of God,) the chapel Das Dores, (of Grief,) an hospital, a
Junta da Fazenda Real, (a treasury,) and a Cadeira regia de Latim, (a royal
professorship of Latin.) The senate is presided by a Juiz de fora, or ajudge
similar to a rnayor, who also presides over the orphan establishment:
With the loss of the town of St. Pedro, in 1762, the village of Nosso Senhora
de Conceiçao, became the capital, and the heqnitage with which it was orna-
mented the parochial for :some years, ·inasmuch as. the governor, J oze Marcel-
lino de Figueyredo díd not remove the seat of" government ; but increased and
improved this village, to which he gave the name so appropriate to its good
port. In 1808, it received the -title of town. .
A great part o f the commodities that are ex·ported from the port of the town of
St. Pedro, are shipped thither from Portalegre, in hyates, or small craft.
The adjacent country is fertile and watered by the Cahy, Caravatahy, and
other rivers.
About four leagues to the north-east of Portalegre, and not quite a mile from
the right bank of the Caravatahy, in an elevated and fine situation, is the parish of
Nosso Senhora dos Anjos, founded by the same governar, J. M. de Figueyredo,
for the habitation of various Tappe lndian families, fugitives from the missions of
the Umguay. These Indians established a large fazenda for breeding cattle, in
order that they might better sustain thernselves; and who, notwithstanding
they were freed from the capitation, and exempted from the 1·od and discipline
under which they had been brought up, withdrew by degrees to various situa-
tions in the province. The river is very winding, its banks abounding with
timber, stone, and fine potters' clay.
A little more than thirty-five miles to the wesl of Portalegre is the consi-
clerable and delightful arraial of the' new parish, near the mouth of the Tacoary.
I ts inhabitants raise wheat and cattle.
About eighteen miles to the north 1s the parish of St. Jo~e, with a Iarge
p.raca, o r square, on which is the mother chmch. It was tbe source of the ·
agriculture of this province, and its people are mostly descendants of tb e first
settlers from the Azores ; from whence Senhor Dou Joze· brought various fam i-
 PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL. 131

lies. They began to cultivate wheat and Indian corn according to the method
~f their own country, and which is at this day the occupation and support of
their posterity.
. Little more than three leagues to the west of the new parish, is situated the
pleasant arraial of St. Amaro, also upon the northern margin of the Jacuhy, and
01·namented with a magnificent church.
Eight leagues to the west of St. Amaro is the considerable .town of Rio
Pardo, at the mouth of the ri ver from_which it borrows the name, and has a
church called Nossa Senhora do Rozario ; also two chapels. It occupies four
small eminenées, and had its commencement with a ·fort dedicated to St.
Lourenço, received. the title of town in 1812, and that of a countship in
1815.
About two miles from it is the village of St. Nicoláu, with a hermitage of
that name. The people who inhabit it are descended from the aborígines.
About twelve leagues south of Rio Pardo is the arraial and chapel of St.
Barbara da Encruzilhada, in an elevated and pleasant sitnation, and having
most excellent waters. Ten leagues above Rio Pardo, upon tbe northern bank
óf the Jacuhy, is the considerable arraial of 'Cachoeirá, with a church of
the Lady of Conceiçao. It has wide, straight, anel clean streets, and possesses
advantages for becoming· much more considerable.
Twelve leagues to the south of Cachoeirá is situated the arraial of Cussa-
pahá, upon a small hill near tl~e source of the ri ver St. Barbara, with 'the chapel
of the La!=ly of Assumpçao.
N orth-east of Portalegre about fifteen leagues is the small town of St. An-
tonio da Patrulha, near the road, in an elevated country. lts iuhabitants culti-
vate mandioca, sugar, anel bananas, with other fruits. ,
To the north of Patrulha, in an extensive plain upon the General Serra, is the
parish of Nossa Se~hora do Oliveira. Cattle are its main commodity.
The península formed by the ocean arÍd the lake Patos is divided into
three parishes. To the west of the lakes Patos and Mirim are the parishes
of Espírito Santo, Nossa Senhora da Conceiçao de Piratinin, St. Francisco
de Paulo, Nossa Senhora de Conceiçao de Canguçú, in the vicinity of the
1·iver Camapuan, and St. Sebastiam do Bajé, near the origin of that river; all
in the diocese of Rio de Janeiro;
The following. places are in the diocese of Buenos Ayres.
Monte Video, with the title of city, 1s situated in a pleasant plain <J.t the
. s2
132 PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL.

extremity of a península, which forms the eastern side of a bay almost two
leagues long, and one wide at the entrance. It is fortified with various batteries
towards the sea, and a citadel on the land side. It has a churcb. dedicated to
the apostles St. Filippi and St. Tiago, a convent o{ St. Franciscans, an hospital,
good houses with :flat roof.s and parapets, and straight streets. The inhabitants
enjoy a salubrious air, but are 'inconvenienced from the want of wood. They
drink rain-water, collected in cisterns, which are fonned in the inner courts
common to the houses, and this wateris pure and excellent. T~ere are also,pits
dug near the sea-side, from whence water is brought in carts for the supply of
the town. It is one hundred and thirty miles to the west of Cape· St. Mary, and
one hundred and twenty east of Buenos .Ayres. Its port, at the extremity of
which there is a small island fortified, has not sufficient depth ·of water in ali
parts for large vessels. ·The pampe'ros, which are furious te,mpests from the south-
west, occasion· at times very great i:p.jury, and the sea here is greatly sub::-
jected to the influence of these winds. It was taken by the Eng·lish in June,
1807, and given up again at the end ofsome months. There are a few English
establishments here, but the trade is trifling compared with that of Buenos
Ayres. The suburbs are thickly inhabited, and have two parochi~ls, bóth dedi-
cated to Our Lady of Carmo. More f[istant there are two others, Pinheral and
Pedras, and their parishioners are breedet·s of cattle.
Maldonado is a small tow~, but which, with much facility, might become
v~ry considerable, from the·circumstances of its favourable sitúation upon a fine
bay, bearing the same name, .and the fe1tility of its adjacent district. It i~
ador~ed by the chnrch of St. Carlos; and the inhabitants are chié.fly descend-
ants of the Portuguese. It is :fifteen leagues west of C,ape St. Mary.
Pueblo Novo, founded for the habitation of the Portuguese prisoners of Colonia
do Sacramento, is two leagues to the no.rth of Maldonado, 'and has a church
called St. Carlos. Near twenty-five leagues to the north of PHeblo Novo is the
parish· of Nossa Senhora da Conceiçao de Minas.
St. Domingos Suriano is a small town, well situated near the mout}:l. of the ri ver
Negro, in a country abundant in com and pastures, where large quantities of cattle
are bred, which, with lime, are the principal exports. ~ight leagues di~;tant from
St. Domingos Suriano is the parish of Nossa Senhor~ das Mercés, near the margin
of the Negro. About five leagues from the same place upon the St. Sal-
vador, is the parish of Espenilho; and ,fourteen leagues from Espenilho, that of
Viboras.
 PROVINCE OJ:' RIO GRANDE DO SUL. 133

Nine leagues to the north-east of Monte Vídeo is the parish of Nossa

Senhora of Guadalupe de Canneloes. There are also the parisbes of
Perongos, which is in the central part of the district; of Hy, upon the ri ver
from which it takes .the narne; of St. Joze and of St. Luzia, near the rivers
which bear their names ; of Sacramento, where the Portnguese founded it;
and of Pintado, along the sea. Serro Largo, with the title of a town, is
delightfully situated near the place of the same narne, and is the nearest to
the Portuguese frontiers.
 134 PROVINCE OF PARANNA.

CHAP. VI.
PROVINCE OF PARANNA.

RoundaTies-Climate-Pmductions-Matte tlze most lucmtive-Fü·st Discove1·ers

-Proceedings cif t!te Spanish Jesuits-Guarani Indians fm·med into Reduçoes,
or Villages-Nature cif those Missions-Expulsion cif the Jesuits-Delivery
. qf tlte Missions to otlter Eéclesiastics-their Decay-Mountains-Mineralogy-
Rivers and Lakes-Pltytology-Zoology-Towns, Parishes, <:rc.-Remaining
Establisltments of the Jesuitical Missions. 1

THis province is bounded on the north by Matto Grosso, on the west and south
by the Paraguay, and on the east by the Uruguay and the Paranna, which latter
alfords it the name, and divides it into two unequal parts, northern and southern.
It is altogether sitttated in the temperate zone, between 24° and 33° 30' south
latitude, being six hundred and fifty rniles long frorn north to south, and more
than two hundred and fifty at its greatest width from east to west. The winter,
which commences in May and lasts till October, is cold. The prevailing wind in
this province is from the south-west. The climate is temperate and wholesome,
with the exception of those rnarsby situations, and otbers which occasionally
overílow, where the fever reigns periodically in certain rnontbs. This is a
country almost universally low, with few mountains and hills, and these of
inconsiderable elevation. The land is generally excellent, and adapted .to
almost ali tbe prodnctions of the torrid zone, as well as those ·of the temperate.
Wheat anel lndian corn are abundant, as are the plantatiõns of cane, cotton,
and mandioca. The most lncrative, bowever, are those of the matte. These
productions do not prosper generally in all the districts; wheat rarely grows
but in the southern parts, and matte in the northern. The peach h'ee is so
prodigious]y. abundant in ~he southern islands of the P~raguay and the adjacent
country, that they are frequently cut down in order to heat the oven with their
branches. They are not met with to the north of St. Fé .
.Sebastian Caboto and Diogo Garcia ·vrere the discoverers of this country, on
advancing up the Paraguay in 1526.
The colony of Assumption was the first establishment in the province after
 -.

PROVINCE OF PARANNA. 135

the fort of St. Anna, and suffered much from the various neighbouring nations
of barbarous lndians, principally the Guayc~rus and Payagoas, who were as
numerous a.s they were ferocious and brave . . It was, however, rendered defen-
síble by the augmentation of its settlers. Defective in gold and silver mines,
which attracted so J!lany people to_Peru and Mexico, this fine country, so ad-
vantageously si.tuated, remained for many years after its discovery almost
unnoticed.
The middle and eastern parts were the conquests of the Jesuits, by the
introductión of Christianity among·st their possessors, the Guaranis. These
priests, knowing, from expet·ience, the relaxation of European morais, and
how much it prevailed amongst the American colonists, determined to catec.;hize
only those Indians who :wer~ at a distance from the Europeans, in order that
the proselytes should not know practices contrary to tbe precepts to be taúght.
The perfection with whieh they soou spoke the Gua:ranitic idiom, and the
docility of this tribe of Indians, concurred eqnally to ' carry into effect \tl:Jis
wished-for object.
In a few years the Jesuits rednced the various . bordes of this nation to a
settled life, ·in large aldeias, or villages, denominated 1·edu~ões, the number of
whieh, in the year 1630, had arrived at twenty, with seventy thousand inhabit-
ants. Those who had advanced to the Upper Paranna, . with the intention of
extending the spiritual conquest, were obiiged, by eight thousand Paulistas, to
fali back, in 1631, to the south of the Maracajú Serra. The Jesuit, Montoya,
l'elates, that he and his colleagues retired ft·om above .to below the seven falls of,
the Paranna, with two. thoUsand Indians, when the Paulistas invaded the Upper
Paranna, and that the latter continued hostilely to visit ·the i·eduções of the
Lower Paranna; and that, in 1637, one hundred and forty Paulistas, with one
thousa:nd five hundred India:ns, attacked the reduções of Jesu Maria, St.
Christovam, and St. Anna, and retired with seven thousand prisoners.
The · J esuits next reduced the Tappes to the eastward, and continued to
civilize tho~e two aations, by teaching· them all the useful at'ts, thus forming the
celebrated Guaranitic empi,re, whicfl. moderate calculators never raised to more
than two hundred thousand inbabitap.ts ; and it is said they were able to carry
into the field an army of forty thousand men. One authority states that between
tbe rivers Urnguay an_d Paraguay was established a powerful republic, com-
prising thirty-one large villages, inhabited by one hundred thousand souls; but
G uthrie raises · the populatioQ. of these missions to three hundred and forty
 136 PROVINCE OF P ARANNA.
'
thousand families, making a surprising and incredible population of thirteen
hundred thousand inhabitants.
lt is said the word Gum·mnnis means Guen·eiros, (warriors,) and that this
people, in former times, wandered about, carrying destruction to every part
within their reach, and obtaining many prisoners, thus· acquiring greater num-
bers and power. Their lang·uage and name became common to divers
tribes, whorn these religious teachers introduced into their associations, from
different parts, by which they greatly augmented th~ popnlation of this re-
public. The exchequer of the- catholic crown ft,rnishecl · ~nnuaUy forty to
fifty thousand ducats to the missionaries employed in this _c onquest, inasmuch
as the Indians did not render their agriculture and. industry adequate to the
expenditure and support of the. country, the .public receipt.s of which ·t he
Jesuits were the receivers and appropriators. · When thEi villages and temples
were completed, each man, ft·om eighteen to fifty years, paid annually a capi-
tation of two go,ld pieces.~ . The captains (caciqúes) were exempted from this
tribute as well as their first born, (p1·imogenitas,) and twelve men. more in each
missioil d~stined to the service of the church.. In 1634, when there was already
thirty reduções with one. hí.mdred and twenty-five thou.s and Christian Jndians,
the number that paid tribute only amounted to nineteen, thousand OIJ.e hundred
and sixteen. In 1649, with a view of gaining inOl'e subjeets, and to avoid any
desertion to the territory of the crown of Portugal, where there was no capita-
tion, the lndians were alleviated from one-half of this tribute. Four years ,pre-
viously was conceded to .them the power of BxpQrting ·t he. matte, upon certain con-
ditions, in order that they might become.Iess· chargeable to the c.apitation.. . The
concession of this liberty was a means of feedin.g the cupidity of the .Jesuits, by
the intervention of the curates of the reduções serving therp. as a cloak through the
Indians, to carry on a great trade in this cqmmod-ity, to the prejudice of the
merchants at Assumption~ whose complaints produced twe decrees .; .t he one
apprizi~g the chief priest of P~raguay of the exorbitant quantity of matte which
its paQ.res had traded in ; th~ other prohibitiBg th~ ln(J.ians from canying
more than twelve thousand arrobas annually to that city . .
Each· of th.e 1·eduções, otherwise called missions, was a considerable town,
laid out with straight streets. The houses, generally of earth, were ~hitened,
covered with tiles, and had verandas on each side, in 01:der to preserve them
from the suu aud rain. On seeing one, a correct idea might be formed .of the
whole. Each mission l1ad onJy a mother church, genei·ally of stone, magniíi-
 PROVINCE OF PAl'tANNA. 137

cent and richly ornamented, some being entirely gilded. A vicar and a curate,
both Jesuits, were · tlie only ecclesiastics exerc1sing the parochial functions,
béing, ·a t the same time, inspectors of all civil economy; under whose direc-
tion there were magistrates, ( C01'1'egedores,) elected annuaily ; - a cacique, oi·
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
aneles, usually of white cotton. They cultivated matte, the cotton tree, and
such provisions as prospered best in the country.' The wbole was deposited in
warehouses, from whe:nce it was distributed daily to th~ 'people. Each family
received an ounce of matte, four pounds of meat, and a certain meastll'e of
Indian corn, and more if it was judged necessary. Ali passed under the review
of the magistrates or of other subordinate persons. The curates lived com-
modiously, near to their churches, and contiguous to their dwellings were two
.spacious houses ; one destined for · schools of reading, painting, architecture,
music, and .baving shops for different manual occupations ; the other was a 'recol-
himento, or reeeptacle for a great number of young girls, who were eng·aged in
different works, under the inspection of matronly women, already instructed.
Tbe women received on Monday a certain portion of cotton, wh.ich they were
to return in the spun state on S'aturday. The curate, accompanied by certain
.<>fficers and masters, went daily at eight o'clock to visit the schools and shops.
The signal of the last Avi Mat·ias was also that of the 'l'OSa1·io, or counting of
beads, at which all assisted.
All superfluities were exported, with a larg·e quantity of tallow, hides, and
m.atte, and with the proceeds they paii:l the capitations, and obtained in return
requisite European articles.
lt is calculated that the lndiaps possessed near two million 'h ead of cattle.
Such was the condition of the ?'eduções, or missionlõ, which constituted the
pretended Guaranitic state, in 1768, when the Jesuits were expelled and tbeir
people delivered over to the .direction of the Dominicans, Franciscans, and
Mercenarians. The last is an order of friars instituted in Arragon by King
James for the redemption of captives.
The Marquis of B'uca1:e1li, governor of Buenos Ayres, wishing to go per-
sonally, accompanied by the best tFoops of Europe which he could collect in
that capital, to execute the orders of his sovereign relative to the missions,
wbich were repugnant to the, feelings of the Jndians, wrote, before he com-
menced his march, to aU the vicars to send to him the cbief (cacique) and head
,magistrate . of each mission, in order that he might communicate to them
i·
 138 PROYINCE OF PARANNA.

advice.s frp,ro hilil Majesty. On their ~rrival at Buenos Ayres he. unjustly
1·etained them as hostages, with a vjew of o:bviating any difficulty that might -
arise. In Y~p~g:6, which, is the :fjrst mission, was pres.e nt€d to him the céle-
brated \chif!f, Nicolau., who in [email protected] pa,s.s.ed fm· the sov.ereig.Iil of the Guarani1tie
republic, and w.ho wa~ not able to pro.c e.e d in tàe train of íthe ~the1·s, JÍn con-
§eguence of t_he ;i.nprmities of, old ag.€, being th.en s(j)venty, : The 'Europeans
and their d escendants ;began to freq.uent the missions, • a;nd .the" lpdia11s to hav.e
.n mtual relatiops with them, .and ,tG 1e31rn from them ma~y of th<ll most familiar
:words, also some relax.ation from the:m@re oorr.ect morais aad ma;an:ells of the
Jesuits. The population,m consequence, s:eu;m began to .düninish, -as well .à s the
·~e~tnes.s and cleanline,ss of the_i.r holli"les and te;m:p1es.
1,\(lou~TAI~·s.~In the nort.hem par,t there is the' serra of M.araoaj-p; · lWhich is
of .t riíling ~ltitqd,e; and the La:mhara, in the vicinity of tlite o.apital, . ~lso not .o f
re~arkable eJevation~ althougb it e".:.cee.ds i:ri height all ,those tb.at'enéom:pass ít.
_ The :q1Íneralogy cons.ists of g.e$$O;_or plaster, bm.estone, granite, and · marble.
R,IVERS AND LAK.Es.--:Besides tbe tltrf;e ,g.re.a;t river,s that limit tbis p~tovinê.e,
there ar~ many others which w.a,t.er ,t he inte.ri())J, an..ql .some (i)f d1em navig3(ble í~u·
a considerab:le dista:nce.
The Gualeguay, which has a com·se of more than one hundred and forty
miles, emp~~es itself into the Urugnay, a few leagues above .the Negro, after
l)aving wa~ered a level country, rich in cattle, corn, and fruit trees. · •
The Mirinay, which also runs into the Uruguay, fifty miles below the Ibicuj, is
consjder~ble, · Çllnd runs- tb~Ji'Qugh an extensive country:, stocked with br.ge :cattle.
The Taq~1ayy, seve:uty miles long, empties .itséllf als.o àntp ·the Druguay, pinety
miJes below the preceding. '
The-Jaguare, .rising in tàe Serra- Ma~ac_aju; F.lims , i!llto ·the Paranna;· ;twrelve
leagues below the· Sete_quedas ~Sewen I:'alls.) ··. ·· -
Ac<;o.;r:di»g to a map .of tbe oountry; which ~does not appear a bad one, ihe
Aca1·ahy is the first c<wsiderable river which elilters tbe Paranna by the right
bank., seventy miles below the :Se~equedas. · -
The Tibiquáry, which is considerable, disembogqes into the ,Paraguay ninety
miles abo~e the conflue~ce of-th,e .Paranna. The Cannabé, after &course of one
-hundr.ed-milt;s, enters. 1;}1e .l?a:vaguay fifty ,miles nortb., of the Tibiquary. ,
The lake lbera, other~ise <:;at;\'lC&res, is pretty oonsiderablte, anill. approxi-
.mat€?S the left margi:n· of the Paraa_p.a ; it h as some islands, and its neighbouring
lands are ,m arshy. Charts do not accord as to its size: some give it :one hlitl:n-
dred and fifty miles in ~en~th, ª'nd littJe leíil~ :in width ·; others, ninety ín le'l'lgth,
 PROVINCE OF PARANNA. 1:39
. .
and twelity in wídtp ;\ they agt~ee that it commfinicates with the Uruguay by the
Mírinay, and ·with the Paragúay by the Correntes, which empties itself near
thirtJ""five· mires below St. Luzia. lt üra1so said to communicate in two parts
w~th the Paranna. The lake J agap'ê, which is: larg·e, and surrounded 'with
woods, --is near. the nqrti1ern bank of.the P.àranna, about sixty miles above
the .town of Itaty.
PH~TOL'Q.,GY . - 'Ehe cedar, which is of various sorts, the páu d'arco, (bow
wood,) :sfassafras, with many õtner "trees of fine -timber· for building; the pine
tree, and .those W..hieh... afft>t"d a resirr dénominated tl.l.e blood of the dragon, and
the oil oí cupal~iba ,· the ipecaeuànha, jalap, rhubarb, a.nd other medicinal plants;
the opun"Cia, .pine-apple, omnge,.bãnan:a, and mamõe, of which last tree there are
ma,le and female; .tb.e ma)-e bears.)fl'O•f.ruit but- onl·y ·flowers, the female beárs fmit
and no fiowers.
The vegeta;ble matte is a large shrnb nr. busth, -with leaves similar to an orange
tree, and tastes of ma:llows ; it is said the serr'a Maracaju produces the best.
It is usual i:tot to wait for the ,leaves falling, but tln~y are plucked, and .then
dried by some of the most approved· 'method.s, generally upon Mdes between
two fires. This plant is taken almost like tea, and the use of this beve-
rage has prevailed from time immemorial amongst the Indfans of the north~m
part of this. province. It was they who' introduced it -amongst the first inha-
bitants ·of Assumption.
ZooLOGY:.-This province is pt·odigiously abundant in cattle, horses, atrd
mules; sheep are numerous, but goats few. There is a sufficiency of hogs
for the consumption of the inbabitants. Amongst the wild quadrupeds are
remarked ~he ounce, the deer, the monkey, the .fox, the rabbit, the cat, . the
tamandua, quaty, zor1·ilha, or squash, the tatous, OT armadillo, paca, cotia, and the
boar. Of birds, the emu ostri:ch, the serierna,jaburu, cegonha, ga>rca, mutun,jacu,
colhereira, u1·ubu; tu~ano, 1'0la, troqua:ze pigeons, the paiTot, coàm·ttize, or quail,
h~ija-jlor, or humming-bird, the. guiraponga, and the partridge. There are also
a diversity of wild ducks and geese.
The principal povoações are, Assmnpçao, or Assumption, Corr-entes, Coruguat y,
and Villa Rica.
Assumpçao, ~n episcopal city, is in a state of mediocrity, ·possessing some
commel',ce. It is the capital and the residence of the governor, and is situated
upon the margin of the Paraguay, which daily washes away a part of the g·round
upon which it is built. It is ornamented with a hospital, with convents of the
T2
140 PJ10VINCE OF PARANNA.

Dominicans, Franciscans, Mercenarians, Recoletos, (rigid friars,) and a

seminary which was a Jesuitical colleg·e. This city has no regularity nor fine
edifices ; tbe gr.eater part of the hotfses are built of eartb, and many of the
inhabitants of its three parishes are descended from the Portuguese. · Fro_m
-hence is exporte'd tobacco, imbe, timber, and a prodigious quantity of matte
to Buenos Ayres, where it is afterwards packed in hides, and distributed over
various Spanish districts, being a beverage universally used amongst them, as
well as by the Portuguese in the so·u thern parts of Brazil. In its environs are
bred numerous herds of ·Iarge cattle. There are plantations of cotton .and the
cane. Honey and wax are abundant. They cultivate also, as in other parts,
aipim, or pampim, as 'it is called here, wbieh root, after being scraped, chopped,
and dried in the oven, ·is cooked with meat, serving for bread. The m~Üze,
or Indian corn, after it is boiled, and beat in a pestle, is passed tht·ougb a sifter,
kneaded with niilk, and baked, when it ieceives the name· of c!tippa.
The bishop is a suffragan of La Plata, otherwjse clluquissaca. The chapter
of the church, a·s in all other ultramarine · cathedrals of the Spanish states, is
composed · óf twel ve canons, including the moderator of t:he Inquisition,
five dignitaries, the dean, archdeacon, chanter, tt=easurer-m6r, and master of
the college; also six petty canons to sing the Evangelists; and as many m0re
half petty canons fOI' the Epistles, whose·vestments differ little from the others.
The canons of theology, doctorial, magisterial, and penitentiary, only give
graduates, and. that by competition. The revenue of tbe suppressed canonship
is destined for the ex penses of the tribunal of the holy office.
· There are two tribunais, one called the Junta Decimal, for the public dis-
posal of the decimos, and consisting of two canons, a royal fiscal, a minister
clothed with a toga, or gown, an ·accountant, and an esc1·ivao, or scrivener.
The other denpminated Meza CapitulaT, for the collection and distribution of
the proceeds of the decimos, is formed of a provism·, or vicar:.general,- a canon,
acting at times as a fiscal, the contador-rnor, or chie{ accountant of the ·treasury,
and another accountant to make the distribution or rates. ·
All the produce of the decimos is appropriatecl to the church. In calculating
this, the chief accountant of the treasury divides it into nine equal parts; Qne
and .a hálf, under the name of novena e media, belongs to the crown, and is ·
destined for the repairs and other necessities of the church ; and. ~vhich the
sovereign, as patron, gives by way of succour. Of the other seven and a half
parts, one-half is for the bishop, whose duty is to relieve the necessities of
 PROVINCE OF PARAN'NA. 141

the diocesans, especi.ally the poor ones, collected in the ho\.1se .erécted for tlieir
habitation, because none of them are permitted to solicit alms pelas pm·tas, at tbe
doors. . .
.The residue -is divided int@ three equal fiftbs, one for the dean, the remainder
subdivided anew into three, two are di-st.ributed· amongst the other dignitaries
and the canons, with arithmetical proportio_n. The part remaining is portioned
equally amongst the petty canons, and the balf petty canons, or chaplains.
The priests of the cities are denominated reytors, or rectors, . and those of
· the towns, vigarios, or vicars. Tlie padres only of the lndians have rev~ilues,
(congrua,) drawn from the coffers where the produce of the 'Indian lands
that are sold, and the rents of the emprazadas, (persons paying an annual . fine
for lands bought,) are deposited. They i·eceive nothing from the parishioners,
except for the solemnization of btuials. ·
The .priests of the churches of the whites (bmncos) alone have _the altarage,
(or free offei·ings of the peopl~ made at the altar,) and the productions of the
patrimoni~s with which they were founded.
The churcl1es are given after a competition of talent exhibited before the bishop.
The c<:impetitors are convoked by him and ·the vice-patron, who is the g·overn-
or, and 'without whose consent no.thing. can be decided in these cases. In
order to fill up a vacancy, the bishop proposes three~ the choice from . which .·
belongs to the vice-pati-on, if he does not reject the whole, and demand a pro-
pesai of others for his choice.
Correntes is a small city, advantageouslysituate in the soutl1ern angle of the
confluence of the river Paranna, ·ornamented with a convent of Dominicans,
one of. Franciscans, and a third of Mercenarians, having straight streets, and
many houses with. one story. The Jesuitica-l house is in ruins. Am~ngst its
iphabitants, th ére are some Portuguese, many Indians, and a few negroes. In
its vicinity theFe . is much marshy ]and, and very extensive 'woods. Cattle
and horses·. are the ·w ealth of the country. Mandubins, Indian corn, vegetables,
water-melons, anel cotton, are the objects of culture. The land is neither
adapted for wheat nor matte. T.he ants and locusts, which are extremely
numerous, destroy the mandioca, and prevent its cültivation. ' The pitangueim,
or pitangua tree, is very abundant; peaches are not met with. The imbagay is a
fruit similar to the ma11go, 'bnt something smaller, and found from hence north-
ward. Hides and timber a:re the principal articles of exportation. Mosquitoes
are extremely troublesome :here.
 .I
142 ~ROVINCE OF PARA~NA.

Justice is daily adminis-tered. b:y t"wo alcaldes; or ma:gistrátes, .assisted by" two·
assessores, o:t: lawyers. The fonr are elected _annually by a judidal cabildo~
composed of twenty-four governors for perpetuity, except in the event of delin-
quency.; four of whom. are .pTincipals, namel:y the royal ensign, the deaoon, an
officer called the aguazil maior~ and . the pmvincial alcaide. Tbe others are
ordinarie~, each with his inspection, presided by a;n,ass·efiisor-gerieral, called tenénte
assessor, (lieutenant assessor.) There is .an adv.:ocate named by the audiencia, or
audience-court of the province, for the purpose' oí defendíng gmtis the caqses Óf
the P<?Or, or those who_do riot possess a patrimony. of a cerbtin value; and -also
of prisone1ls, although they may be rich.
Ten leagues to the north .of .:Correntes. is the parish of N eh~mtiuçu, on the
margin of the Paraguay, where they build boats and different ~orts of vessels
Thirty leagues to the south of Corrente~ i::> situâted tbe village ané:l p-arish of
St. Luúa, als<? upon. tlie inargin .of .the Paraguay.; in its district 'there is gesso, a
speci~s of plaster, which forros a branch of éxportation. In thi~ intenr.al are'
the parishes of Algarrobas, Esquina, and Goya, abounding sufficiently in mea~
and fish. · _ •. _
Bagada de St. Fé, and commonly called :Paranna,. is a small village situated ,
upon the_Paraguay, in Íl;ont. of St. Fé, hi v-iew _of a:D island of considerahle
extent. Ftom hen.ce is exported a good. cleal of lirhe~tone.
Coruguaty is a m.iddling town, and celebrated for the large quantity of matte
collected in its district, of which it is the deposit. lf is situated about thirty
leagues to the. no.rtb-ea~t of Assumption, and thre:e miles distant from the left
m_argin o.:( the river from which it borroyvs the naJme.
Five- leag\J.eS to the nQI'th of it is -the p1·ezidio or garrison of St. Miguel,
established in order to obstruct the invasions of the Guaycuru lndians. -
Villa Rica, where al'so is ~ccumulated .large quantities of m.a:tte, lying
twenty l~agues to the south-east of Assumption, ~s yet small. There is
another place of the same narne on the borders of the Paraguay, to the north
of the capital.
Arroio da China is a middling town, situated on the banks oi the Uruguay-,
more than thirty leagues above its embouchure. Its inhabjtants, mainly white
people, breed cattle and cultivate com and fl'Uit.
Itaty is a sma.U town, but regular, · and well situated upon the southem
bank of the Paranna, about thirty leagues above Correntes. Its inhabit-
ants consist o f lndians and some white people; • a portion occupy them-
 PROVINCE OF PARANNA . 14S

.s.elv~s in potteries, and others in 'forming plantations of the cotton tree. Th.e
soil and climate ar~, adapted for oranges and water-melons, which prosper
abQ.P.dántl y. ·
In the country of the missions is to b.e r.eJ:ililiar~ed íhe following places.
Candellaria, which. tó0k "the .nam.e .froln':'its ..maguificeillbdiurci:h, as did almost
ali the reduções of the pret~~d~d Guaranitic-kinf€Iôm, or-ílllle "m:issions of the
Par~I).I).~, of which i,t v,vas álways .c.oasiderecl tlíle ca:pita}';· iiir consequence of its
:sq,p,eFior · si~e aB.d P,Qipilil'tati()I;t. - "It · is .s itúate ·upon ·i he .. l~,ft . bank of tlae ·ri;ver
PaJ:~nna, "''Nber~ i:t ipd~Pe.s t@, the w.est, near the rrnmth1of à 's malf -ri,veti.
is
Corpu~, ~1sp - ~1~!- t·h(er t<eft-- marg,in··:of 1:he._, ,gam.e · ·l'i;\ler; fifMe:n · leagues to the
north of Candellaria, and is the most northern of the missions, situated upon
the Paranna, and one of the ha.ndsomest in the province.
Between the two preceding are situated those of St. Gosme, St. Anna,
St. Gosme Velho, Nosso Senhora do Loreto, and St. Ignaçio Menor, (the smaller.)
This last is three leagues above the preceding one, and fom helow Corpus.
The Padre Xarque, says· the 1·edu.ções of Nosso Senho1·a do Loreto and
St. Ignaçip Menor, were founded for the establishments of th~ twelve thousand
Indians, whieh the Jesuits conducted from the Upper Paranna, when tbe
Paulistas invaded the country. · ·
Itu, upon tbe same margin of the Paranna, is fifteen leagues to the west of
Candellaria.
Assumpçao is fifteen leagues, with little variation, to the south-west of Corpus,
near the mouth of a small river that loses itself in the Uruguay.
Conceiçao is situated sixteen leagues to the south of the preceding one, and
little mOI'e than three leagues distant from the river Uruguay.
St. Thomas is fifteen leagues distant, in a southern direction, from Con-
ceiçao. .
St. Maria Maior is a few leagues to the north of Conceiçao, also upon the
margin of ,Jhe Uruguay.
Apostolós is little more than six leagues to the west of Conceiçao, upon the
road which leads towards Itu; and twenty miles further in the same direction
upon tbis road St. Carlos is situated.
St. Francisco Xavier is a few leagues to the north of St. Maria, and to the
east of Candellaria. In this interval Martyres ~s situated.
Itapuan is on the right bank of the Paranna, ·t~ the north of Candellaria.
Trinidade is eight leagues to the north of Itapuan. St. Ig·naçio Guassu (the
144 PROVINCE OF PARANNA.

Iarger) is near the head of a branch of the river Tibiquary. · It is the mo.st
ancient of the whole,
St. Fé is five leagues to the north-east of St. Ignaçio Guassu. _ ·Thl:l mission of
Jesus is four leagues to the north-north-west of Trinidad. ·
St. Roza is six leagues to the east of St. Ignaçio Guassu ; St. Gosme four
leagues to the south-east of St. Roza.
St. Tiago "is eight leagues to the north of Itu ; and Y apegu, which is the most
southern, and amongst the largest of the missions, is situated near the Uruguay,
a little below the confluence of the Ibicui, and half a league to the north of
the river Guavirida. The Jesuits had a college here richly ornamented .

•
 PROVINCE OF URUGUAY. 145

CHAP. VII.
PROVI NCE OF VRÇGVAy.

Poundation oJ Aldeias, called Missions, by the Spanislt Jesuits joT t/~e Tappe
Indians- Flouris/t till the Expulsion of tlzat Sect- Subsequent Decay- War·
between t!te Spania1·ds and Portuguese- Conquest of tlze Seven Misszons by the
latter· Power in 1801 - Govemor sent- Boundaries- Mountains- Rivers-
Phytology- Zoology- Names and Popnlation of the Seve~t Missions at thei1·
Conquest.'

IN the beginning· of the seventeenth ~entury,' the Spanish Jesuits · entered the
territory to the east of the river Uruguay, and there founded seven Jarge
villages, called 1·eduções, f0r the habitation o~ various bordes of Tappes, the
possessors of the country, in order the ·better to civilize and bring them to
Christianity, by the same means as were practised with those of the Paranna.
It h as been already statecl, that, in the treaty of Jimits. of 17 50; the exchange of
these missions for Colonia do Sacramento was agreed upon by their Faithful
and Catholic Majesties; and also, that the Jesuits frustrated its execution i!1
the first instance, and that, _on the sudden return to Rio de Janeiro, of .Gomes
:Freyre d' Andrade, in 17 56, things soon reverted to their anterior state.
These r·edupões, which made a part- of the spiritual Jesuitical lângdom,
:Aourisbed to the period of the- expulsion of their founders, when they began to
flecay, and thirty-four years of deterioration, by imperceptible degrees, coQld
not have transformed the whole more effectually; in which state they were, in
effect, at the begimfing of the present century, when the declaration of war
between the two crowns in Emope, caused the arming of the inhabitants of the
capitania of Rio Grande de St. Pedro, who, since the peace of 1777, had lived
in tranquillity.
Almost at the same time that the Portug·uese troops of the town of St. Pedro
·-passed the ri ver of' St. Gonçalo, in 1801, against the Spanish posts, in the
vicinity of fhe western margin of the lake of Patos, a corps · of Portuguese
u
14 6 _ PROV'lNCE OF URUGUAY.

militia and deserters, attracted by the amnesty, were put in motion upon the
frontiers of the river Pardo; amongst the latter of which appeared Joze Borges
do Canto, a native of the country, and who had deserted· from a- regiment
of dragoons. He immediately " offered to go anel ·commence hostilities in
the Spanish territories, on being · granted s0rne comrades and the necessaTy
arms. Ammunition only was conceded to him, with the liberty of assembling
such people together as would join bis standard. Having formed a batta:lion
of forty men, armed at their own expense, he marched direct to the missions
of Uruguay, and, encountering on the road a known lndian, who was
retiring discontented from the Spaniards, he received from him the. certain
intelligence that the Jnclians;· on hearing of the war, woulcl not hesitate to
subject themselves to the crown of P"õrtugal, as almost ali the lndian popula-
tion lived unhappily under their present government. Canto persuaded the
Indian to return, and announce to his compatriots the opportunity which was
now pres~nted of freeing themselves from the Spanish yoke, anel of passing
under the protectio:íi of the Faithfuf Crown, and ·to. inform them, that he
would afford ali necessary assistance. The lndian, convinced of this,.accom-.
panied them. to within sight of St. Miguel, where there was a lietl.tenant-
cololJ,el, commanding a trench which he had formed in apprehension of a:n
attack fr~m the' Portuguese. ·.
Havi~g arrivecl thus far" at ' day-break, Cantq sent the Indian fonva:rd by a
bye-way, with orders to bring him what info'rmation he could, to a certain
situation, whither he should continue to march. As the place was very near
to the trench; "C'anto and· his party- were discovered by the sentinel, who called
out to arms. Under these circtunstances, Canto saw himself oblig·ed to àdvallce
without order against the entrenchecl,_who were in gre~ter di:sorder; and
after discharging a few shots they abandoned the fortification, retiring to the
town, where the commandant was, and leaving this intrepid squ.a dron masters
of the trench, with ten pieces of artillery.
The comtnandant supposing himself to be attacked by a great number of
another ~l'ass of eombatants, offered. a capitulation to the chief of the conquer-
ors, who . willingly conceded almost all that was asked, in ord er that the
Spaniards might leave the country before a reinfor~cement ar~ived, or before
they knew that it was. only forty _ad venturers, witbout any corps of' reserve,
from whom they had fled. The commandant was a /g·ood deal perplexed, at
the execution of the articles of capitulation, when Canto, being asked for'.his
 PROVINCE OF URUGUA Y. 147

deg1·ee of rank, replied that he was the lowest soldier in the Portuguese army.
At this time the lndians of the place had already united with the Portuguese,
andtthe adjustment of the treaty was indispensable.
The Spaniards on retiring experienced the misfortune of falling into the hands
of a similar party, who took them prisoners, and all that was conceded t'o them,
against which the commandant protested, and demanded the fulfilment of the
capitulation. The Spanish officer càlleP. ,upon Canto f.or an adjustment, who
replied, that he co,u ld not interfere, inasmuch as the party were not subor-
dinat~ ,to. him, bl~t. t,h~:t__tte ·would report the affair to the -governor of Rio GTande,
and .ª-11 that he ordered shoul~ be executed-;-.the ,Rarty, in the mean time remain-
. .
mg ,pl'lso~ers~
· The· govenJ,or, on t·eceiving the._ accoant, order~c\ Canto to fu.lfil the capitula-
tion, excepting the article that gave up the artillery; which, he saià, ought to
belong to his Royal Highness, and t~ whom he had given a detail of Canto's
valorous deeds, in e>ràer_that he .' mig·ht ~e. l'eW,!lrQ.~d. In the mean time hf1
made him captain õf a new cempany of militia; and the person who brought the
stan.dard a Jieutenant, giving him. too the -li.berty (J)f :p.aming for ensign one of
his .brave compaDions. .
As soon as the people of the other missions had witnessed the comportment
of Canto tpwards the first .that had subt;nitted to him 1 almost all lÍastened to
acknowledge the Faithful Crown. The happy cenquei·or released them from
some public contributions, which were the most heavy upon them, anà, fre~ly
giving up to them the .frqits o{ their labour, received the name of Liberator.
Shortly after the governor sent Major Jo~quim Felis to gov_e rn the con-
quest, with orders to confer with Canto, JIFo'n the_ state of affa,irs. f!aving
delivered the new province to the commandant, 1aJ!i._d re~e!ved a good · rein-
fm~cement of regular troops, with some militia and_v,.olun~f?~l'S from the serra
. above, he obtaineà permissjon of the g·oveqlO!' tq Pf~;S,s to the pther side_ ~f the
Uruguay; for which purpose some barks of skins were made according to the
fashion of .th~ country·. . .
. ln tbe night of the 1st of November, eighty ment · chosen from the army,
p.as~ed. the riv:er, amongst' whom .figured some grenadiers of the regiment of
Estremoll; and. •whose chief cwas a prave ensign, well knpwn by his surname of
Pad.ilha. Pat;t of t\1em toQk up ~ _li)Osition in: a woo~ ; ~ther~ proceed~d a little .
way up the ri ver, keeping near its banks, in order to give more prompt succour
to the first on the sigpal ·of attack, which began in the n;J.Orning, against those
• ' !_ \

u2
 148 PROVlNCE OF URUGUAY.

who first entered the plain. T)le assailants, together with thirty SpaiÜards, whó
carne to their succour, were put to flight, but immediately returned in larger
numbers, with three field pieces, with which they labourecJ to open out both their
wings. However, the Portuguese did. not give them time for a second dis-
charge, but falling intrepidly upon them, they put them to th~ rout, tal~ing their
cannon, nine prisoners, and Ieaving fifteen dead upon the field.
On the 23d ofthe same month, almost at midnight, a cannon was discharged
in the Passo. dos Barros, which is about three leag\1es below St. B01ja, where-it
was heard; and from whenc..:e afterwards arrived an Indian, living in that neig·h:..
bourhood, with informátion to the Portuguese, that the Spaniards were stationed
in the woods, near the same pass. They remained the rest of the night under
arms. The foHowing morning Captain Joze Borges do Canto put himself
in march for this point, with bis compan,y and som~ others, amounting to one
hundred anel ten men; and finding the Spaniards entrenched in the woods
on the banks of the river, anel not discovering anr advantageous mode of
attacking them, sent his Jieutenant with thirty men dressed in white according
to the Indian fashion, which marching at a·great distance from the Spaniards,
anel having gained their rear, began firing upon them. The first discharges
were the sig·nal for the captain to invest the fortification, which was abandoned
without any resistance, the Spaniards leaving seventy-fom prisoners.
Such was the success of the campaign, on the part of tbe Portuguese, in
this dis·t rict, anel the mode by which the PortugL1ese crown possessed itself of
the province of the Seven Missions, which made a part of that of Rio Grande
de St. Pedro, until a governor was named to it. It is confined on the north
by that of St. Paulo; on the west by that of Paranna; anel on the · south anel
east by the p_rovince of Rio Grande de St. Pedro. ,
MouNTAIN-s.-St. Martinho, the most elevated portion of the serra, which
serves for its eastern limits, anel the mountain of St. Luiz, in the vicinity of the ·
town of its name, are the most rernarkable mountains.
RIVERs.-Be$ides the Urugnay and Ibicui, already mentioned, is to be re-
marked the Hyjuhy, which originates at the base of the mountain of St. Mar-
tinha, traverses the province from ea:st to we-st, empties itself into the Uruguay
in front of_Assumption, and a few leagues to the north of St. Nicolat!, having
passed near St. Angelo, a little below which the Hyjuhy-mirim enters it on the
left side.
The Toropy r.ises in the same cordillera anel falls into the Ibicui. The Jaquari

..
 PROVlNCE OF URUGUAY. 149

waters a consi<llerable portion of this province, anel falls in.to the lbicui four
or tive leagues below the Forquilha. The Hibipita enters the lbicui also
twenty leag·ues below the preceding.
The Piratini forms itself in the vicinity of the said serra,. passes a short
distance from St. Miguel, and runs into the Urug·uay a little below St. Nicolau.
·PHYTOLOGY.-The Brazilian pine and the ceda1: are not numerous. The
cotton tree, the rnatte, and mandioca, also lndian corn, wheat, potatoes,
with other eelible roots, are cultivateel ; likewise, g-oards, water-melons, pine-
~:pples, anel elivers hortulans; anel, among . fruit trees, the orange, pitangua,
anel peach.
ZooLOGY. -The animais, both domestic anel wild, are the same as those
of the adjoining provinces .
The Tappes are a horde ofGuaranis, which separated from the latter in former
times, anel lived for a lon:g period upon the banks of the higher Paranna, where
they w.ere at times invaeleel by the others. It is, however, certain that they
occupieel the sou.thern part of this province when the Jesuits began to have a
knowledge of them. They were esteemed a people, not only less vicious than
all other tribes in South America, but the bes~ elisposed to 1:eceive the evan-
gelicallaw, most constant after having embraced it, :;tnd the best adapt~d to
honour Christianity. These people lived divided into various villages, of which
the most populous had the name of the nation. lt is not known what were
the number of those vÜlag·es, which the Jesuits recluced to seven; and on this
account were denoÍninated 1·eduções, or reductions, also missions. The names
o'f these sev.en celebrated ~issions, are the following·, with the n~mber of
inhabitants in each at the period of their conquest by the Portuguese in
1.801:-
lNHÀBITANTS.
St. Francisco de Bo1ja. 1,300
St. Miguel. 1,900
St. Joan1 . 1,600
St. Angelo 1,960
St. Nicolau 3,940
St. Lourenço . •
960
St. Luiz. 2,350

S.t. Francisco de Borja, which is the most southern, is two · miles distant
fi·om the Uruguay, and :five leagues from the confluence of Ibicui. It suffered
 150 PROVINCE OF URlJGUAY.

much by an invasion from the Minuanos, a little before changing its dominion.
It has many 'vhite people.
St. Miguél, situated twenty-five leagues distant from the Uruguay, ·and
thirty east-north-east from St. Bmja, is ·the most easterly, and is considered
the capital of the pro'vince. A great portioiJ. . Qf it . w,as . corisuJUed "J?.y fire,
which its inhabitants set to it in 1756, when they saw the combined arinies
arriving in i:Jrder to deliver the province up to the Portuguese crown. "t
St. Joam is three leagues north of St. Miguel. lts mother church is ,in the
centre of a vast square. In tbe .time of its prosperity it had forty streets.
St. Angelo, which is the most northerly, is six leagues to the north qf St.
Joam.
St. Nicolau, formerly capital of the val'ious reductions upon the right! bank
of the Uruguay, is situated near that river and a small brook which falls into
the Paratini. !tO.\,..;·~ r • ,, •• '
.,>

St. Lourenço is six leagues to the .west of ~t. MigueJ.

St. Luiz is upon the road which goes from St. Lourenço to .St. Nicolau,
nine leagues to the east of the latter place, .and ten to the west of the fo~l!ler.
Ali these reductions, othérwise missions, an~ .whiçh w~ .ought to call towns,
as they have a senate, took the name of the patron of ·t heir mother churches.
The.whole were and yet are upon the same plan, the houses of earth, with
straigh.t streets, ana verandas . on the si'des, which proteçt them against ~h e
rain and heat, similar to the missions of .the. Paranna, with· .whic,h in equal
steps they reached ·a flourishing condition, , and fell with · rth.~m in to a stat~ ._o f
decay. . .;, . . t

Each place has its peculiar Guar:ánitic dialect~ di.ffering. little frpm,the otherf? ~
Many of these Indians understand the S"panish and Portuguese, and express
themselves tolerably well in both languages. They exercise almost ali the
i •'t

requisite manual occupatio~s and various mechanical arts with intelligence ;

likewise manufacture coarse woollens and cottons. Matt~ is the only article
of exportation.
In each missio!l, when governed by the Jesuits, there was a school for read-
ing, wl'iting, and speaking the Spanish language by royal · order. There were
. many lnd!ans who could read Spanish books which they did not understand, ·
as the· masters or curates artfully refrained from uttering a word t~ them,
but in Guaranitic. In consequence of whic'h, these crafty preceptors were
charged to fulfil the royal determination, by a decree of 17 43, but which decree
had not the d.esired etfect.
 PROVINCE OP ST. CA1'HARINA . 151 .

• 1 CHAP. VIII .
,·
PROVINCE OF ST. CATHARINA.

BoundáiJ·ies- Cõlonization- Produciions-Mountai·n s-Minemlogy-Pkytology

. -Zoology-Rivers, Lakes, and Ports-Towns, Par-ishes, g;.c.-Agricultural
Estaôliskments~ Population- Islands~ Déliglttful Climate.

Tins provínce, which is a 'disiriemberment of that of St. Paulo, s~bsequent to

the latter receiving· the addition of a part 'of St. Amaro and 'o f St. Vince:rite, .
cdmprehends the island which gives it the n'ame, anda t~rrjtory of sixty leag~es
from DOI'th to south on the neighbduring· ·continent, reckoning from the Sahy,
which separates it from -St. ·Paulo on the · north, to the Màmpituba, which
divides lít from the province of Rio Gra.nde on the sóuth; on the west it has
the same provinces, the heads of the cordillera, running parallel with the sea,
constituting a· boundary on that side. Its greatest width does ·not exceed
twenty leagu·es, occupying the Beira-Mar, or sea-coast, of the greatest portion
of the ci-devant capitania o f St.· Amar6 ; and lying between 25° &o'; and 29°--20'
·south latitude.
· A period of o:n'e hun~red and twenty years- elapsed- witliout the donatories
establishing ány -bolonists in 'the Íslancf ·o f "St. Catliarina, which, for some time
had the name of · Isle of Patos. Kil'lg John IV. gave' it, in the year 1654,
to .Francisco Dias V e~ho, who was assassinated by an English pirate at the
time the ~establishment began. · In consequence of this disaster, the island
long reinained i_?. its : primitive state. Eventually, various colnnists from the
Azo't;es were established in it, at the cost of the crown.
'The cli~ate is de1ightfully tempei·até 'and salubrious, with the exception of
cettain marshy situatiOJ?.S. Tli~ 'fac_e of the country is mountainous, watered by
·mltnerous rivers, and overspread with -woods. The ·soil is fertile and well
adapted to the cnlture of mandioca, Indian corn, rice, sug·ar, cotfee, :flax,
and . vegetable~_.__ Wheat and barley are likewise grown in some districts.
All the h01:tulans of the south oi Europe prosper here, particularly onions.
MouNTAINS.-:-CambereHa, which is upon the southern entrance of the port
 152 PROVINCE OF ST. CATHARINA.

of the capital, is the highest mountain seen from Santo to the TmTes,'l(.· or Towers .
. The mountain of Bahgl is a land-mark for navigators. ·
MINERALOGY.-Calcareous stones, granite, pedras d'amolar., or whet-stone.
It is said there are indications of gold and ether metais.
PHYTOLOGY.-The oak tree is here more diversified than m the mother
country, and excellent for building. The sassafras, cedar, loiro, pau d'arco ,
and those called guarabu and grapecique, are trees of precious wood, well
adapted for cabinet work; likewise the tree denominated here pa'u d'oleo, having
the grain close and nicely waved. The Brazilian pine is numerous in various
districts. There are a diversity of medicinal plants; likewise the plant that nur-
tnres the cochineal, which h as been fully described by many writers . .It is ah insect,
and feeds upon the leaves of the opuncia; its size is so diminutive at first, that it
scarcely can be seen, but it soon moves and fixes upon a part of the plant, from
which it does not remove, artd becomes gradually covered , with a w.hite skin,
so that the body, which is scarlet, is no longer seen. In three months it arrives
at maturity, and is not Jarger than a small pea'; there are various modes of
cultivating it, and gPeat care is required to keep off other insects which destroy
it. This is an article 'of considerable commerce and might be cultivated to a
gTeat extent in tbe Brazil. .
ZooLOGY.-Cattle do not abound in consequence of the mountainous nature
of the country. Amongst otber wild quadrupeds, are well known the deer, the
tamandua, the monkey, the boar, the ounce, the anta, the paca, and the quaty.
Amongst numerous species ofbirds ar~ , remarked the pan·ot, the macuco· par-
tl'idge, the rola, or turtle, the guara, and various sorts of the humming bird
called colibri, or beijajlor. Thé lal{es abound with wilcl ducks and geese. An
in:fi.nite variety of beautiful butterflies are seen in this province, .to delight the
eye, and engage the research of the naturálist. The air appears filled with
floating flowers.
RivE~s, LAKES, AND PoRTs.-The fi.rst are generally of a short extent.
About threemiles north-north-east of the Towers is the mouth ofthe Mampituba,
about one hundred fathonis wide, which was called for some time the Martim
Affonso. It is not more ·tban seven leagues long, being .formed of various
streams that descend from the cordillera ; its current is violent, but sumacas,
or smacks, ascend with the tide twelve miles to the port of Forquilhas. By

~· The Torres llre two great and contig·uous rocks, upon tbe coast, in 29° 40' south lati~ude.
 PROVINCE OF ST. CATHARINA.
. .

1ts nortl;!.ern margin it receives the waters of ·a lake, whicb is about fi ve l'eagues
long, and Qne broad, extending parallel .with the sea·coast as far as the .Campes
das Lagoinhas, from thence it has anotner outlet to the sea, by a channel c~lled
Arroyo Grande.
N ear th.e situation denominated . the Conventos, there is a serrq of rock
moderately elevated, and tenninating in ~ platrm•m nea;r 'the beach, abotü six
)eagues distant from the Mambituba. . Six . miJes further, the ri ver Araranguá
enters the sea, and is navigable for the space of five leagues .to the Tres Portos,
where it is one hundred fathoms :vvide, and deeper than at . the bar, having a
rapid curr~nt from the month of June to September. Three leagues beyond the
preoeding, the ri ver Urussanga disembogues, being more extensive, and much
m0re rapid when its waters are high ; no vessel can enter its mo.uth, in conse·
quence of · the sea breaking with great violence u,pon a bank which crosses it.
Higher up it is wider, and has four fathoms of depth in sorríé places. This
river communicates with a large and deep lake, where the boto and .other la:rge
fish are seen, which come up from the ocean ; it lies northward of the river.
Five leagues fmther is thy ro~k of St. Martha, . where the coast changes its
:direction to the north. Three leagues to the north of the Morro, or ro,ck .of
St. Martha, is_ the spacious bay of Laguna, formerly the ri ver Da Lagoa, (of the
Lake) which is the month of the ri ver Tubarao, .and together ihe outlet of various
lakes, prol9nged in a ehain parallel with the ocean, and at no considerable
distan.ce from it. This ri ver rises in the serra that bounds tbis pro,vince, and
its current is rapid from April to Septembei\ Canoes proceed u.p it a dista.nce
o.f eight or nine leagues to Pm:to da Guarda; but sumacas do not pass the
~outh of the river Capibary, which joins it by the left bank, and is n.avigabJe
f0r a space of eight leagues to Pouzo Alto. On the 'northern margin of the
Tub~rao is the outlet of the great lake Laguna, which is five leagues long from
north to south, near two at the greatest width, and is of sufficient depth for
SUfi!.acas, as far às its northern. extremity. On the southern hank of the Tubarao,
in frontof the outlet of the Laguna, is that of the lake .of St. J\llartha, which
lake is a quarter of a leagne square. On its southern side the lake Garopaba
discharges itself, is about the same size, and one league distant. Into the
latter the outiet of the lake Jaguaruna disembogues, .which is two leagues
further to the ~ outh:ward, anda little larger. The three together afford a passag.e
to large c'anoes, as far as the river Congonhas, which is nQt co~siderable, anel
empties itself into the western margin of the latter )ake. They are compre~
~ênded under the name of the , ~akes of Ct=!-.macpo, anel abemnçl in fi$>.h.
X
 154 PROVINCE OF ST. CATHARINA.

On the western side of-the Laguna;- and. :near its-n,o rthern extremity, the river
Una discharges·itself, anel affords nav-jgation to canoes for some leagues, as far
as the rock of_ St. Joam. An arm of -tlris river extends a league anel a half to
the north, is deep, anel terminates in a morass. , ·
In front of the embouchure of the Laguna is the small island of Lobos. Four
leagues to the ner-th.is. the point anel port · of the :Embitnba; anel twÇ> farther is
the mouth of the Tiver Pitaquerá, which is the outlet :of the Iake of the same
name, otherwise Encantada-, four miles long anel one wide:
Continuing onward, the river ·E mbahu is met with, which a:t its mouth is only
eight fathoms wide, but it gradually increases to more than eighty fathoms ;
canoes can proceed up during a day's voyage.
Two.miles.:farther to the north is the point-of Pinheira, which is followed by the
gulf of the same· name, 'being the sou.thern entrànce to the cHannel of the island
of St. Catharina ; its southern extremity is a league to tbe north of the said point.
•
N ear six rniles to the n0rth of Point Pinheira, the Massarnbu disembogues,
being thirty fathoms wide, anel of considerab1e depth, but of short extent : Rio
Dom Rodrigo was its first designation~ · :Afteí· it follows a · small ·hay, called
Brito, anel a little farther is the entrance of the r.iver Cubatao,-- sixty fathoms
wide, up which larger_ .c anoes proeeed during two days' voyage. In the
proximity of this-river there are various fountains ·of b<it water; having different
degrees of heat: the most distant ·one, situated :five ]eagues up the river,
possesses one bundred and two degrees.
After passing various small rivers, the river Maruhy is met with, as large as
the prececling one, anel navigable to the place clenominated Guarda. Near
this river is the bay of St. Joze. A little to the· nortl~ is a straig·4t, which divides
the channel into two almost equal parts ; anel a little farther is th~ entrance of
the river- Biguassu, fifty fathoms in width, anel up which c~noes pr@ceed for
many leagues. The first cliscoverers c~llecl it the ri ver of Patos, iri. con.sequence
of its constituting a limit between the lndians of that name, who exte~ded
themselves as far as the St. Pedro, and the Carijos to tbe nortb -as far as ,
Cannanea.
The large bay of ~t. Miguel follows -; afterwarcls, tbe point o( Armacao;
anel, fartber on, that of Ga11chos, wbich lies east anel west of the .extremity of
the isiand of St. Catbarina, anel is to the southward of the spacious bay
of Tejucas, at tbe farther encl of which the river of the same liame dis-
charges itself, being fifty fathoms wide, and affording two days' navigation.
T he ·s urrounding ·country of the bay of . Tejucas is a morass 0r marshy
 ' PROVINCE OF ·ST. CATHARINA . 155

plain in the winter, when its passage is attended with great labom; and inc.on-
venienee. ~
To· the north of the preceding is the bay of Guaroupas, open to the north-
east, not so large, buf sufficiently sheltered and capacious for the reception of
a squadron of ships; the river Bupeba runs into it, as well as the two Pireques.
The intervening-land of those two bays is a península, yvhich extends to the -
sea, terminating· in three points, and forming two small bays. .
Proceeding northward, the next river is the Cambory-Guassu, rapid at its
entrance intv the sea, and being twentyfathoms in wídth. Nearly threeleagues
farther is the embouchure of the great river Tajahy, which is little less than sixty
faí'homs in width at the passage·a sfuort distance from the ·beaeb.. - It·is- the only
river met with on the road from Portalegre to St. Paulo that flows towárds the
east; the sumacas proceed up· only tln'ee miles, launches and large canoes navi-
gate freely as far as the first fall. About one hu'Íldred and twenty yards above
it becomes navigable for the space of three ,days, by towing, and as many more
with the oar, to · the next cataract. It 1j.ses between the ri ver Negro and the
Correntes, (whicb. run to westward.) In its neighbourhood there are many
small mountains. The principal conflue:nts which enlarge it are the Rio de Luiz
Alves (which comes from the north-west, runs near the mol!lnt~in of Bahul,
seen from the sea ata great distance, anel is navigable for ,sma1l canoes) and
the Tajaliy Mirim, which runs from the south-west, navigable for canoes about
ten leagues. The whole flow through countries of great fertility.
Five miles farther to t];)e north is the ri ver Gravata, otherwise Iriri-Guassu, thirty
· fathom.s ~ide,- and navig·àhle fo11 canCies. It ·is fol1owed by the spacious bay of
Itapacoroy·a, 'v'here there is an establislimi3nt' fo1: whale· ·fishing. Proceeding·
oriwards, tll.e· Iriri Mirim.· a.>:J!Id 'the Camboriu are tnet with, up which canoes also
Jílavigate with the aid of the tide. N ear to the 'látter is the Tajuba, à river of a
similar chi.ss.
J

Three leagues-to the north of the Itapacoroya the river Itapicu disembogues,
being fifty fathoms wide, a.nd of considerable depth. Its origin is far back in the
pl!ovince,· and affords navigation to SHiall canoes for many. leagues, without the
intermption' of more than. one ca:taract, which is situated ten miles above the
mon:th. ' The agitated state of the sea at the mouth. of this river 'does not permit
the en.trance of any descriptien of vessel. Inunediately 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. Arnong the rivers which enlarge it
are remarked the Pirang·a, which is received by the left bank, and is navigable
x2
 ' '

156 PROVINCE OR ST. CATHARINA.

by canoes .for a space of :five leagues; the V pitanga, whiçh joins 'it by the right
margin, and is only navigable for six miles; the ltapicu Mirim, that comes from
the north-west and admits ofnavigatiori for about fifteen miles; the Jm·agua, which
:flows from the south-west, and appears capable of allowing srríall vessels to
proceed as far as a situation about four leagues above its inouth ; · and the Braço,
which descends from the north-west, and admits of canoes for the space of six
miles. Ali these rivers run by winding courses aniong mountains and uncul.,.
tivated territories, thickly wooded, demonstrating the natur~l fertility of the
soil. The ltapicu is supposed to be the river ofDt·ag·ons, 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 forin of a bow, the right line of which is ·neaí-est the
coast ; the channel whic'h separates it from the continent is improperJy called
the river of St. Francisco. The southern entrance is denominated Aracary, is
two hundred fathoms wide, has only depth for large boats, and on its outside
are the three islands of Remedios and two of Tamboretes. The northern bàr;
called Babitonga,· is fifteen hundred fathoms wide and deep enough for
large sumacas.'~<' At the end of the sixteenth century it VI~S not known that
the 'land between .the bar of Aracary and Babitonga was an island; they were
thought to be two mighty rivers, the southern called the St. Francisco and the
northern the Alagado. The channel, or the pretended river St. Francisco, of
a semicircular torm, enlarges considerably from both mouths to . the middle,
where it is three mi1es wide, aBd contains a cluster ofmore than twenty islands.
A great number of rivers empty themselves here. The nearest to the bar of
Aracary is the Piraque, having a course of .five leagues, five fathoms iB width
at the mouth, anel affords navigation to caBoes for three miles; next to it is the
Pinheiros, still smaller; then the Paraty, which is.thirty fathoms wide at the bar,
two anda halfin depth, and navigable for about a league. The little river Areas,·
narrow and deep, is riavigable for two miles. The great river Areas, up which
canoes proceed with the tide for some distance. The river Parannagua, whose
origin approximates to that of the Pirango, an árm of the ltapicu: coasting ·ves-
sels proceed up it a short way, large boats about two miles, and canoes nearly :five
miles. Next follow the Saguaçu; the two Erirys; the Cubatao Grande, twenty
fathoms wide, three deep, and navigable for teu leagues to the high rock , 0 f
Tromba ; the Antonio Felis ; the Ribeyrao ; the Biguaçu ; the Pyrabyréba ;

'* Sumacas are from ten to nearly two hundred tons burden •

..
 PROVINCE OF ST. CATHARINA. 157

the Cavalinhos, by which canoes proceedfora space often miles; theTres-Barras,

so called in consequence of being the common embouchure of the three rivers
of Furtaenchente, St. Joam, and Tres Barras, the seqond only being consider-
able, (its principal confluents are the MaTia Bachaara and the Farinhas, ~hich
come from the serra of Curytiba, anel afford navigation to canoes ;) the
Ba1~rancos, Bacuhy, Lamen, Batuby, Fornos, Fernandes, Barboza, anel the
two Jaugarunas, the smaller of which is nearest. to the northern point of the bar
of Babitonga. The nine last, ·and sevei,al of the others are .s mall, being only
of ány note during the spring tides. The whole of these rivers generally run
tamely between low banks, of a marshy nature, abounding with considerable
'numbers or'the beautiful scarlet guam bird, which delight the eye of the navi-
gators. In some .of these rivers are found seed pearls of various co1ours, also
large pearls of an imperfect kincl. . ,
The island of St. Francisco is low, watered with various small rivers, and
inbabited ; on its· eastern side there is a na:rrow lake,. tten miles long from ·north
to south, denominated the r~ver Acarahy ; and near iha1;1other small one. Two
leagues north of the bar of Babitonga is the river ~~l:J,y_ Mirim, and the same
distance farther the Sahy Grande, both inconsidera}:)l~, uniting· in one stream a
litt]e above their embouchures.
The greatest part of the population of this province is descended from
families who carne from the Azore Islands, for the purpose of colonizing it.
N egroes are not numerous, and mesticos 13till less so. .The aboriginal Patos.
whose name the island at first had, penetrated into the continent. The Carijos
wer.t1 the first tribe understood by the Vincentistas, and hence their name was
g·iven in common to all domesticated lndia:hs,. of whatever nation.
This province has three towns, viz.
Nosso Senhora do Desterro, in the island of St. Catharina,
Laguna, on tbe continent, .
St. Francisco, in the island of the same name ;
and seven parisbes, namely,
St. Joze
St. Miguel
Nosso Senhora do Rozario ~ on tbe continent ;
Santa Anna
Nosso Senhora da Conc~içao .)
Nosso Senhora da Lapa {.in the island of St. Catharina.
Nosso Senhora das Necessidades~
 1.)8 PROVINCE OF ST. CATHAIUNA.

The hermitages are. equal in number fo the parishes.

In 1796, this province was computed to have ··
4,216 fogos, or houses.
23,865 adu1t inhabitants-, exclusive of paid troops.
3 sugar engenhos, or works.
192 distilleries of rum.
4 engenhos for pounding rice.
297 wiml:and horse mills.
884 bolandeiras for grinding mandioca.
32 tan-pits. . _ ..
In the year 1812, the· population amounted to 31,530.
lsLANDS. - The only eonsiderable islands are that which g·ives the nam.e. to
the province and that of St. Francisco. The island ·oi: St. €-ath:ai·ina, upwards
of thirty miles long from north to soutn, and from four to eight in width, is
mountainous, abounding w.ith water, yet in pa1'ts covered with woo€1.s, an.d
does not want for stone or potters' earth. Between its mountains there are
some culti vated plains, of greater or less extent, and also many marshy situa-
tions. There are many bays, and they abound' with s)lells. .On thé eastern
side there is a lake two leagues long fi·om north te south, deep in some places,
and at a certain part so contracted that 'it appéars. like two, united by a néck
fifty fathoms wide, having a large bridge. When in the winter it . begins· to
inundate the acljacent low. gil'ounds, ;tbe inhabitants in tbe vicinity open a
channel to discharg·e the overflowing wate,r into a bay,- &.itu~teq _at a little
distance, and which is immediately filled up. a,gaib. by the flo.wii;tg o( t_he tide,
when the current ceases, during· which a ·g reat .q uantity of fish ~l'}.ter frpm the
ocean. lt çonsequently affords at all times an .ahundant .sl.ilpply. At its
northern extremity, there is a small river callec1 Vermelho,· near which the best
water-melons of the province are produced. ,To the ·south of the preceding,
there are three other lakes: the Lagoinha Grandé, th~ Fantalilo, and ·the
Lagoinha de Leste. The whole are stored with the same fish as the first.
Mandiõca and flax ate the principal articles of agriculture, whicJ:t is generally
exercised by white men, who also cultivate Indian corn, rice, coffee, vegetables,
sug·ar, and some cotton, which is not of good quality. Some fmit, trees fro~
· the south of Europe are here natura:lized. W ater-melons, pine-apples, and
oranges are very abundant. The principal streams in this island are the
Vermelho, the Ratones, which enters the sea two leagues north of the capital,
and the Tavares, three miles south-east of the capital. The country, watered
by the last river, produces the best melons in the province.
 }lROVINCE OF ST. CATHARINA. 159

Thft eh~'luite'l which .sep~rates ~h.is \sland .from the contiv.ent is far fl·om being
pf uniform width,JprJV.ing· two large ports, almost equal in size, and separated
b.y a stt·aight of t-wQ h.u ndred fathqrp.s between two points. The nqrth~r:p. and
larger port, teu miles wide, having depth for ships of war,_is one of the best in
South Ameriea, and the .key tpJhe soutl.)ern ocean. The wind prevails from
the south during .t he winter, which comp1ences generally in May and ends in
October. Thuncl.er-stort:ns are frequent in the SUJ1!mer; all the afternoons here
are refi·eshed by strong sea breezes, rendering the climate of this island equal
to any in the world. ·. _ · ·
N ear to the southern poin.t of St. Catharina âre six small isla:o,ds. The three
western ones are calle.d the Papagúos, :;tnd. the eastern the Tres Ismaos. The
islands. of Moleques, Cª'mpeche, Xavier, Aranhas, and Badejo are situated
upon the eastern coast of the island of _St. Catharina. N ear its northern point
are -three, caUed the Moleques. Five mi'les·north of the same point are the
islands of Arvoredo and Galle. _Within the priQ.cipal port, amongst others,
are the islancl.s of Tomarim,. n.ear the coast of the continent, and the Ratones,
almost in front of the river of the same name 1 both fortified. In tbe southern
port are tbe islands of Cardos and Marl}hy ..
The town of Nos~o Senhora do Desterro, the capital of the province, is
consiaera.ble, populot1s,. a:nd -sitqated· on .the· western si de of the island of St.
Catharina, upon a bay a little to the east-s.outh-east of the straight, on unequal
Iand between two rocks, traversed by three _small rivers, which are passed by
varieus stone bridges. The streets are almost generally irregular, and the
houses eitller of stone or ;wood. Besides a church, it has the chapels of.Menino
Deos, Our Lady of Rozado, a Terceira order of St. Francisco d'Assis, and a
hospital of charity. The quarters of the.troops are good. The senate is pre-
·sided by a Juiz de Fora, and the youth are instructed by roya] masters in the
primitive letters and Latin, for whose ·benefit there is a tribute in rum. Potteries
afford a branch of industry and commerce. Coarse cloths of linen and cotton,
also a 1nixture pf both, are manufactu:red.
The parish of Nosso Senhora: das Necessidades, better known by the name
of St. Antonio, is five miles north .ef the capital, and small, but its situation is
particula1:ly pleasant. The inh.abitants cultivate sugar, mandioca, Indian corn,
some 11ax, and various hortulan~. A little more than three miles to the north
is the .bay Das Canavieiras (of canes or reeds.) Here the Spaniards disem-
barked in 17:7.7, and took. pos~ession of the island without the least resistance.
The pa:rish a f Nosso Senhora da Conceiçao is situated about a league to the
 160 PROVINCE OF ST. CATHARINA.·
• I

east of the capital, upon a steep, a little distant from the large lake, enjoying
an extensive view of the ocean. Its parishioners cultivate sugar and mandioca,
with the other provisions of the country. In this district thete is an establish-
rnent for ·whale fishing·. ·
- Two leagues to the south of the capital is the parish of Nosso Senhora da
Lapa, situated near .the mouth of a small ri ver, in the recess of a semicircular
bay, and in front of an island. lt is· commonly called Robeim, has abundance of
fish, and the provisions of the. country.
Laguna is a middling town, advantageously situated upon the eastern
margin of the lake from which it derives the name. It is two miles from the
bar, near a small hill, from whence descend exceUent waters. Th.e form of
this place is quadrilateral, with three parallel streéts, crossed by others; and' a
square at one side, in which the municipal house is situated. lt has only one
church, dedicated to St. Antonio dos Anjos, and a great part of tbe hous_es are
·of stone, some one story high, and whit(med with the lime of shells. The inlia-
bitants cultivate the usual productions of the country. The lake is stored wiih
fish, and in the months of N ovember and December a prodigious quantity o~
bagre (a long fish with a forked tail) enter it, supplying a lucrative branél1 of
cornmerce. This town is sixty miles south of the capital. · l.;'rom its port,
which receives coasting vessels, is exported farinha, rice, lndian com, timber,
and salt fish.
About fifteen miles north of Laguna, and near fifty south of the capital, is
the parish of St. Anna, commonly known by the' name of Villa Nova, a sinall
place, pleasantly situated upon an elevation near the northem éxh'emity of the
same lake, with two ports, one called Porto da Embituba, shéltered oh the south
and east by a headland of the same name, where there is ~ small whale
fishery, subject to the administration· of that of Garopaba. The housés are
generally of wood, although there is abundance of stone. Its inhabitants,
amongst whom there are many macilentos, (meagre or spare,) cultivate the pro-
ductions common to the country, anda large quantity of flax, having, conse-
quently, more weavers of that article than any other ·place in the proviri.ce.
Onions are of an extraordinary size, and other .hortulans of a fine quality.
The parish of Nosso Senhora do Rozario, which is · upon the b~y of Brit<i>·,
between two small brcoks, thirty-five miles north of St. Anna, and ten south of
the capital, is yet small, and its parishioners culti vate mandioca, , Indian corn,
and sugar, and also Úe fishermen. In its district there are hot spriüg·s. ·
Four miles to the south-~~st of the capital, and one distant from th() ~eft hank
'
 PROVINCE OP ST. CATHAlUNA. '161

of the Maruhy, is the parish of St. Joze, upon a bay of the same· name, with a
pottery of glazed earthenware. · The inhabitants grow the same articles as the
preceding. ·
Eight miles north west of the capital is the pleasant parish of St. Miguel,
upon a bay so called, which forros a good roadstead. Its inhabitants
cultivate and export a larg·~ quantity of rice ·and farÜ}ha, with some sugar. N ear
this place is the principal establishm~nt for whale fishing.
The .town of ~'St. Francisco is of middling siz.e, well supplied with fish and
the. provisions of the country, with bouses .mostly built of earth, and a handsome
churcb of sfone, dedicated to Our Lady da Graca. It is upon tbe western
beach of the island of that name, about ten miles within the bar of Ba-
bitonga, upon levei ground, and in a situation well calculated for commerce.
Only two streets are paved. The inhabitants, generally whites, are very pale..
and almost all farmers of mandioca. The 'cultivátion of Indian corn, rice,
sugat\ coffee, and tobacco, which might be consider.able, is at present :very
trifling. There are few persons who do not possess at least 'one ·canoe. Vessels
are built b.ere o€ good burden. , Timber and cordage of imbe are the most im-:
portant exportations next :to farinha (flour of mandioca.}
This province, which makes a part of the bishopric of Rio de Janeiro, was
till recently under the jurisdiction of the ouvidor of Portalegre, but i~ now go-
vern~d by Senhor Alexandre Eloi Portelli,

. '

y
162 PROVINCE OF ST. PAULO.

CliAP. IX.
PROVINéE •OF ST.PAULO.

Boundiu·ies-Fi1·st 8ettl~ment- · JJ'Iountains-Mineralogy-'Rivers and J?m·ts-

. Islánds-=:- Pkytol'ogy-
· Zool'ogy-· ·Bugre Indians, Dwelling's and CustO'ih$-
Oitameter qf tke ·Pãitlisl:as-
· D'ivision into Comarcas-
· -Gomar.ca of Cu1yti'ha,-
Towns ánd Productions-Comwreas of St. Paulo and Hitu-'-Towns :and
Productions.

THis pravince, fortned .by the union of a part ofthe capitania of St. Amare, with
ep.e half of that of St. Vincente, took the name which designates it in the year.
1·'7.10, when John v. incorporating 'them with the cwwn lanrls by ·purohase,
nomihated a governor, with tb'e titl.e of oa:ptain-general, in the p·ersnn pf' Antonit>
de Albuquerque Coelho, an.dothe city of St1.Paúlo fo~ his ·re-sidene·e. lt is·'êOfi-
fined on the north by the pr(niihce or MinaJS Gerae"S, . fr6ru' wht-o:h : th·e. sehta 'o f
Mantiqueira separates it, and by,th·a t of Goya:z, ·from which ·ir'is divi'd.€d hy•the
ri ver Grande; on the south by Rio Granãe do :Sul, of which the river Pellota:Ef
forms the division; on the west by the river Paranna, which separates it from
the provinces of Goyaz and Matto Grosso; and on the east by the ocean, and
the provinces of Rio de Janeiro on the northern part, and St. Catherina on the
southern. Its tenitory is almost all within the temperate zone, between 20° 30'
and 28° south latitude, çomprising four hundred and fifty mil~s from north to
south, and three hundred and forty miles of medium width from east to west;
and possessing mucb variety in the climate, soil, and aspect of the counü:y.
John III. determining· to divide tbe Brazilian coast into capitanias, at the perlod
that Martim Affonso de Souza was in this new region, presented him, in 1532,
with one comprising a hundred leagues of coasi, and his brother Pedro' Lopez
de Souza, who bad accompanied him, with ariother of fifty; but the letter of do-
.
nation to Martim Affonso was not sümed ~
till the 20th of January ' lõ3õ ' at the
time when h~ had already taken his departure for lndia. lt specified that this
captaincy, which afterw-~rds took the name of St. Vincente, should extend from
the river Maccahe as far as twelve leagues to the southward of the island of
Cannanea, where the bar of Paranagua is situated, excepting q certain portion
 PROVINCE OF ST. PAULO. .163

of ten leagues, compated from the 1-iver Curupace, now called Jiquiriquer.e, to
that -of ·St. Vinc~nte. The -capitania of Pedro Lopez cle Souza, whicb. was de-
nominated St. .Amaro, included the said teu leagues. ThaJt of St. Vincente had
scarcely existed forty years, when it was deprived of l;alf its territory, for .the
purpose of creating the new 011e of Rio de Janeiro.
With the change of possessors, the southern limits of both capitanias disàp-
peared, and the jurisdiction of the g·overnors began to extend b.y degrees over
the countries which nów constitute the provinces of Minas Geraes, Goyaz,
Màtto Grosso, St. Cat!harina, and Rio ·Grancle do Sul, ·whel:e, .through tb..e ad-
ventures of t!he Paulistas, colonies were first ·planted.
'!fhe authority of · Het'rera woalcl. -warran.t the ccmolusion that -there .was a
factory at :St. Vincente in the year 152'7. -At all ev:ents, the licence which
Martim Affonso concedeâ. to Pedro Goes, on .the 3d of M.arcb, 1533, .fm ·the
p~lrpose of exporting seventeen. captive Indians, free ·of all duties which it . .was
'customa:ry·to pay, amply demonstrates that sue h an establü~hment h-ª'd .existed
for some ti~e previous to tbe latter-year. M~wtim Affonso ,fóund ~ hm:e: - ~ ha:s
been already observed, two Europeans, Antonio Rodrig;mes, ,a:g,d John ltamatho,
whom -H.errera imagined ha~ ~scaped from some shipwFeck upÕn~ the coast.; but
it wotild seem improbàble that -they,_, could of themS'elves 'h ave constituted.a
fact~?ry; as establishmeilts of tbat kind, formed among·st barbarians', necessa-
rily require a considerable - numb~r· of p~trsons.
Mou-NTAINS.-.This province is n0t mountainous, ·if .we except the eastern
part, in the whole extent of which there is a general cordillera, :mnning parallel
to the coast, which ·Occasionally l'eceives the name of Cu batam. This serra
is n.ot universally oii the same altitude, neither does it run uniformly at an equal
·distance from. the .sea. .It has many broken parts, by some of ·which t@rrents
descend to the ocean, and others wind into the interior. lt abounds in verdant
woods, being generally high towards~ tbe sea, and is the most elevated land of
the province, with tbe exception of ·some dispersed mountains in the interi0r;
besides, the Iargest rivers which irrigate this district bave their origin iri. it, and
1·un 'west\.vard.
The serra Araassoiava, by corruption Guarassoiava, which sig·nifi.es the
eclipsing of the sun, alluding· ·to the great extent of land ·obscured by its shade,
previously to the sun's departure. This mountain, which 'is teu miles in length,
and of proportionate width, consists entirely of a pure mineraL of iron, . and is
$Ítuated in.the district of the town of Sorocaba.
The mount of Araqu.ara, frorn which are fi·equent exhalatioÍ1s, and which
. v2 .
·1 64 PROVINCE OF ST. PAULO.

:is reputed to contain gold, is situated upon thé right margin of the Tiete, t~irty
miles below the embouchure of the Piracicaba. This mountain must not be
confounded with a serra of the same na'rne, which exists more in the centre of
the province. .
Near tbe head of the Jaguariquatu, is th~ elevated mount of Pirapirapuan,
which is discovered at a great distance, and possesses g·old._ The mountaín
of Tbaho, upon the margin of the Thajahi, is also hig·h, and yields the same
metal.
The serra Dourada is situated in the campo. of Gqarapuaba, to the west of
the Tihagi. The serra of Apucaranna, is also in the p\ains of Guarapuaba.
In the vicinity of the sea is to be r.e marked .M ount Cardozo, on the left of ·
the entrance to the bay of Cannanea. Mount Jurea, by corruption Judea,
receives this name in consequence of its appe~ring like Judea to the travellers,
who cannot pass the road leading over the summit without J;Iluch fatigue. It is
a few ]eagues to· the north of the ri ver Iguape, is high, commands an extensive ·
view, anel precipitates various torrents, amongst which the river Verde is con-
spicuons, forming severa! cascades.
The serra of Jaguary, which is between the rivers ltanhaen and Una, uear
the beacb, is in great part composed of stone,_ with trees of more than ordinary
magnitude.
MrN tmALOGY .-There ·are mines .of gold, silver, brass, irou, brimstone,
pumice-stone, -flint, magnet, calcareous stone,· granite, amolar, or g,rind-stone,
potters' earth, rubies, diamonds, and ~ diver~ity of other precious stones.
RIVERS AND' PoRTs.-None of the maritime provinces, with the exception
of that of Para, present so many navigable rivers, notwithstanding the most
important are incapable of conducting the producti'ons of the central districts of
the country,t'o the ports of the sea, the whole .flowing in a contrary direction to
the westward, and are swa11owed up by the Paraz;ma; but even the produce of
the western districts, ,if agriculture shonld at any future epoch flourish there,
cannot descend by the Parafina, in, consequence of the Seven Falls, (Setequ,e-
das .) It might, however, be conveyed over land to the point where the river
becomes navigable, and ft·om thence to the ports, ·b y o.vercoming other obsta-
eles in the imperfect mode already practised in these parts.
The principal rivers of this province are the Paranna, the Ig·uassu, the Paran-
n.apanema, and the Tiete,
The Paranna takes this name at the confluence of the Paranahyba, whieh
comes fnnn the çentre of Goyaz, and the Rio Grande, which issues from the
 '
PROVINCE OF ST. PAULO. 165

·\ interior of Minas Gerae.s, both considerable. After ~ com·se of many leagues,

and having· gatbered various streams by both margins, it forms a la:rge and
interesting fall denominated Urubu Punga, wbich is an insur~nountable barrier
to all sorts of fish '; and, co~sequently, there are in its vicinity immense
shoals of divers kinds, which may become a luCI·ative branch of commerce to
the futnre dwelle~s near this mag:nificent cascacle, which produces a loucl mur- .
.mur that is heard at the distance ,of many leagues.
A little below it, · the ri ver Cururuhy clischarg·es itself, :flows from the interior
of Goyaz, and traverses the territo~;y of the Cayapos. Abeut ten miles lowe1\
it .receives the waters of the important ri ver Tíete, in front of which embou.;
·clnue tbere are two islands, each about ten miles long.
Seven miles further, ·the river Sucutihu enters it by the westernbank, below
the ·mouth of which th.ere is a dangerous current, called Jupia.
Five miles lower, the island of Comprida (Long Islanq) commences, which
i.s u.pwards of twenty rniles in extent; and ~ight miles below its sou.thern extre-
mity, the river Aguapehi :flows into the Paranna, on the left margin; and
fifteen miles further, the Verde, on the ..:vestei·n side, . in front of its mouth,
th~re are two parallel islands, neither exceeding a ]eague in length.
Thirty-five miles below the precedíng tributary, the small river Onca enters
.it by t11e same marg·in ; and about fifty miles further, it is increased by the
Pardo~ which also enters on the right, ·and affords a communication to -
Camapuan.
Five miles below this con:fluence 1s that of the inconsidera.ble river· St.
Anastaçio, which :flows from tbe east. Eighty miles further, the Parannapa-
nema enters, opposite the mouth of which there is an island about seven miles
.in,extent : four miJes beyond its southern point, another commences, of ten
miles in length; and a little below the latt~r, a third, whicb is nearly thirty
miles long. Three miles further than the southern extremiiy of tbis island, the
central mouth of the ri ver I vinheyma is discovered, whicb flows from the west.
The Paranna is here little less than ,seven miles in width, and .conrains a
·number of large islands. Near thirty miles below the Ivinheyma, the Ivahi
discharges, flowing bither in a westerly direction, anel six miles beyond its
mouth, is an island near fifteen miles 'long; in front of it.s centre, the Amam-
bahy contributes hs volume to the Paranna, after a course f1:om the westward.
In the vicinity of tbe last isle, is the islancl of Grande, or Large lsland, not
being much less in extent than seventy miles, anel of considerable wídth ; it
terminates four miles above the Seven Falls. A little more than seven miles

I I
' '

166 PROVINCE OF ST. PAULO .

above the southern point óf this island, tlre river lguatimy enh:~I!S the Paranna
· on the western margin, In latitude -2/!o 46'; and' in à 'littl~ . 'higher tatitu·de .the
Piquiry. Ten miles to the so'uth of theJirst, .it i'eceives, by th"e -right h.ànk, ,.fhe
small ri ver lguarei, .nearest to the Seven Falls." '.
At the extremity of the Great Island, · the current of 'the P.áráhna .is much
accelerated, and augments proportionably as its margins áppl'oximate; and
from near four miles of width, whiéh it retains in front 'Of the · ·Iguarei, ·it dimi-
nislíes to fifty fathoms, its immense velume of waters beihg -theh d.ividred .into
seven channels,- formed by six smaH islands of rock, ·traversing ;the .serra of
Maraoaju, with a current of indescribable fury and awful noise. ·
Besides the islands already mentioned in this ri.ver, 'there a;re a; 'Vast number
0f othei's, of a smaller size, in the ·great space that intervene's ·hétween the
Setequedas and the fall of Urubu Ptmga. Its waters· are . tur.bulent, . ·ànd iU_
ad'a pted for drinking. The western margin is :flat, ih part con·sisting -of ;a·Iarge
white sand, with a variety of precious ·stones, for the space of many leagues
without interruption. The eastern bank is generálly a 'little elevated; -and both
exhibit continued and extensive ·woods. -Without any·c?nsíderable windings,
it runs between the ·south and south-west, with a current gener'ally slow and
majestic; but, when strong winds prevail, tne waves are as tu't'nultuous ·as. those
of .the ocean. li abounds with various kinds of fish, some of wllich are ·ex-
cellent.
Forty miles below the Seven Falls, the river Jaguare enters the Paranna by
the left margin; ànd sixty miles further the consíderáible lgu:assu'. At a con-
siderable distance fmther, its direction is changed -towards the west, and enters
the Paraguay in the latitude of 27° 20'. From the mission of Cor1Ilus upwards,
aboriginai·nations alone possess the vast territory watered Jby this majestic ri ver
and its confluents.
The river lguassu, which in the Brazilian langua:ge signifies "great water,'?·l;las
its principal source 1n the small rivér St. Joze, and when it' traverses the royal
road of Lages to Sorocaba, is alreaày considerable, and rmns 'i!1flrcl:er the name of
Curytiba. lts course is· _always towards the west, having few windings, :farming
many fàlls, which interrupt navigation; sensibly enlarging by those streams
which unite themselves with it on one or the :other margin, princi·p ally 'the
southern, and limiting on the south the vást plains of Uuarapuaba, inhabited-by
I ndians. The borders are extensively wooded. The first 1arge fa1l, denomi- ·
nated Cayacanga, is about fifteen miles below the above-mentioned road, and
the larg·est ten miJes above its embouchure, where it is one hundred and thirteen
\
 PROVINCE OF PAULO. 167

fathoms in width. This latter cataract is two hundred feet in perpendicular

height; the margins . ef the riv.e r at this place are rocky, ~mc,l the cnrrent
furious. · A certanista, (a commandant of a troop proceedi:rag into the eertam or
int~rior,) who .d€scended by~ this ri ver, says, that it is nav.igable, without embar-
r,assment, :t'rom Cayacanga to the fall 0f Victoria; but he ·does not dedare tbe
edent of this·iutet:val, nor the names and situations of seveJ.~ large falls, wbich
h e encountered to the confluence .o f this ri ver with the Paranna. A t the angle
of its confluenee, for some yea11s existed the- aldeia of St. Maria de lguas~ü,
which disappeared in eons.e quence of a famine.
WL1.at ma.y b.e deem.ed t)le most remarkable 'Object in this river, besides the
large fali alluded to, is that part of its course known by the appellation of the
Funil, in the centre of the country, where it -runs·· rapidly, contracted between
~ig-h and poínted rO'.cl{s, in the ferro .0f a street ofmedium width. In its vicinity
thvell a hotde of Puri and of Guayanha lndians. The principal confluents of
the Iguassu, which urute themselves with it on the left, are the Negro, Varge,
Bannana;l, and St ..Ant<mio; which joins it s.eventy miles _above the .Jast fali.
Fífty ~ilesr abo:ve the rive.r St. Antoni~, the Jordao discharg·es itself, and
about .tl1e .same ~dista:race ..aJb\)ve tl1e Jatter; the St. Joao,, both by the I'ight
.mal·gin.
Tohe .river' Pa:rannapanema has its oúgin in the corÇiillf)ra of the sea, to the
·"'vesttof the ;river Itanhaen . . I.ts {irst coQ,siderable tributfl.ries are the Itapitinjnga,
which joinsit on the right, and the Api;:~.hy on the left, with the waters of which
it becomes · considerable and wide. Its margins are geQemlly flat, and covered
with large trees ; . in some parts plairi·s o.r cq.mpinhas are, seep_, where are encQun·
tered, aJUongs.t <_:>ther wild er'eatu!tes, the emu ostrich and .dcer. The current is
pTincipaUy quick, . in consequence. of numerons falls. Malevolent lndians.
o€c11py·the adjacent Jands. N ear the southerh margin, in the vicinity of the
mouth of. the 1,i.bagy, .some year.s ag·o was found the J'_€l1J.qins . of .a dwelling,
wh~e·h , renders it probable that ~be ancient Spaniards oí the province of Guayra
extended their establishments to this river. ·
5rhirty 'Qil.iles aboNe the emboqe~ure of the Parannapanema, it is joined on the
so:utherl!l · balil:k by. the small ri~er ·pj~·apo, .near .the moQ.th of which,-for many
years,· e;x;isted the ·'redu.ç.ão· .or IP.Íssion of the Lady of Loreto, one of thirteen
which fonned .the répilted :pravin.ces of Taiaoba and Taiaty; s.o·inaptty· described
by the Jesuit Montoya, one of their.founders, ,and which affords room to suspect
that..they existed in .the vast .territory which extends itself _fi·om tbe said Paran-
napanema northwards. _
 1~8 PROVINCE Ü.F ST. PAULO.

The ri ver Tiete, forroedy. Anhemby, a naroe gi ven to it by an Indian trihe;

h as . its source seventy. miJes to the east of the city of St. Pa~1lo, not far f~:"om,
which it passes; about four miJes beJow Ít receives, Oll · t}H~ Jeft margin, the
Pinheiros, which flows frorn the south-east with twenty ~iles of course. · After
forty-five miles more it receives, on the right, the Jundiahy, which flows by
the town of its naroe. Neaf this confluence, tlie Tiete forms a large cataract,
which impedes the further aclvance of fish ; anel fifty miles furthe:r the Capibary
joins it, after having traversed an extensive w_o od of majestic trees.
Eig·ht miles .lower the Sorocaba clischarges on the left margin. Originating
in the serra of Cubatam, to the yvest of St. Vincente, it runs by the town of
the same .hame.
Fifty miles beyond the. preceding ri ver, the Pirassicaba, which is consid,erablé, ·
enters it on the right, and is forrned by the Tybaia and Jaguary, the heads of.
which _a re situated to the north-east of St. Paulo, and traverse a vast wood ,of
immense trees, from the trunks of wbich, as well as those that grow upon t.he
borders óf the aforesaicl Capibary, are constructed canoes of eighty palms in
length, nem·ly eight in wiclth, and five in height, which serv~ to navigate to
Cuiaba, and carry four hundred arrobas of cat·go, besides the l!ecessary .main-
ten'ance for eight men, and occasionally passengers.
A little below this con:fluence, where the volume of water is almost doubled,
the. Lancoes joins it on the- left; and, after four or five days of voyage, the
embouchure of the Jacare-Papira is met with on .the rig·ht .; and, somewhat
lower, that of the Pipira, on the same side, almost as voluminous as the one
. - I

which receives it. This river is formed by the wàters of. the Mtigy, which
originates in the skirt of the Mantiqueira and of the Jag·uary-Mirim, which
i~sues from Minas Geraes·,' both crossing. the road from St. ,Paulo to Goyaz,_
th~rty miJes distant one from the other. .They flow wes.tward for .a considerabl.e
space, uniti.ng in the centre of a large wood, tht:ough which they continue in
one important current, gathering various streams, tl~at render it so considerable
at the confluence mentioned. .
A few league·s below the passage to Goy~z then~ is a fall ·in tbe Mugy, which
arrests the further progress of fish, and, in consequence, at a certaiiil period:
annually a numerous band of fishermen assemble here, with ca1-gas (ho~se
loads) of sa:lt, which enables them to furnish the more distant places, from the·
abundant .draugbts with which they are here snpplied.
N'~vigators compute two hundred and fifty miles from Port Feliz to the mouth

'.
 PROVINCE OF ST. PAULO. 169

of tlhe Pipira, and as many more from this point to the confluence of the Tiete
with the Paranna.
The imperfect methods of over-coming the natural difficulties which are pre-
sented, require twenty-six days to accomplish this voyage of five hundred
miles. Its course is very winding; twenty-five miles are reckoned in a direct
lihe from Port _F el i~ _to the mouth of the Capibary, and nearly . sixty by the
l'lver.
_ 1t is fifty miles from the mouth of the Jocoaquatu to that of the Pirassicaba,
and only twenty in a straight lip.e. The bed is principaJly stony, with a great
number of islands and fàlls, the most important of those precipitations are
denominated Avare-Manduáva, Itagnassava, Pirapora, Bauru, Barery-Mirim,
Barery-Guassu, Escaramuca, Utupanema, Funil-Grande, (the Large Funnel,)
·G uacurytuvussu, Aracanga-Mirim, Aracangavussu, Utupeva, and Utupiru.
The labour requisite to pass these falls with canoes is -very great. Tbere are
above sixty other places attended with difficulty, anel half tbat number with-con-
sidera!ble danger, but which, notwithstanding, are passed without unloading· the
canoes. The banks of this river are almost universally .covered with supe.rb
timber. Amongst other fruit trees are the jabuticaba~ quince, cipota, jatalti,
nlzandipapo, and - uvacupari. Fro~ the bark of some trees the aborígines and
the certanistas construct canoes for the purposes of navigation; and the resin
extracted from the1n the Indians use for lights, and for ornaments for their ears
and lips. Among other species of fish it affords the doú·àdos, saupes, pacu~,
jJimcanjuvas, su1·ubins, pi1·acambucus, jahus, anel piraquaxiaras, some of which
weigh two arrobas, or-sixty-four pounds.
It would be oi incalculable ad vantage to the internai provinces of Brazil i f
tbe government wemld adopt some effectual mode of diminishing the nurnerous
natural difficulties the Tiete presénts to navigation. The voyage is also pro.:
longed in consequence ofthe fogs, :whicll'almost every morning deter the canoes
from departure till eig·ht o'clock, when these mists usually disappear.
The river Tibag·y, which originates to the west of Cannanea, runs to the
north-west, traversing· the campos of Guarapuaba, where it becomes corisider-
able from many other I
streams· which join it, principally on the riO'ht -~
margin; among th.em are the Pitanguy, Yapo, Jagu:;tryhiba or Jocuriahy,
and the Jaguaryquatu. -The Cairussu· is the largest among· the few which it
receives on the left, anel passes neàr the serra Doirarla. It is navigahle near tél
its heads, and enters the Parannapanernà about the midd.le of its course.
Between the Jaguariquatu and the aforesaid Apiahy trayelJers frorn Villa do.
z
170 J>ROVINCE OF ST. PAULO.

Príncipe to Sorocab& p~s~, ajnop.g · other smaller ~trel:l-n}s, the Terere, V ePdfl,
and Taquary, which run universally towards the west, and increase the Tibagy,
pr the Parannapanema.. The !l.hst and southern, when .it cr<:>sses the road; is
hidden by a hig·h pojnt of rQck, ÍQl'JP.l')ÇI. by natme, and deemed one of the
wonders of the province.
The Piquiry, having its hep.ds in the centre of the campos of Guarapuaba,
towards which it affords navigation for a very considerable spa:ce, runs west~
ward into the Paranna ten miles abpve the Seven Falls. In the northern angle
of its mouth, in an agreeable·site, was situateçl Ciudad Real, otherwise Guayr~,
demolished by the Pauli~tl:l-s ip. 1631. The ·detachment of Fort lguatimim
attempted to rebuild it in 1773 ; but the undertaking was abandoned, in C9Jl"'
sequence of every individual employed baving perished in .a few days by ~
pet:ltilentiál fever; which prevails here in January, February, and March.
The Ivahy, originally Ubahy, which rises also in the campos of Gua.ra-
puaba and near to tbe Tibagy, froQl whence so)lle certanistas transport theii;
çanoes to it, is considerable, navigable nearly to its origin, and so well stored
with úsh, that it has also acquired the name of Rio do Peixe, (the Ri ver of
Fish.) It runs between the west and north-west, traversing an extensive terri~
tory, peopled with ~avage Indians, an,d enters the Paranna.
The river Tinto, Bom, S.oberbo, Capibary, and Thua are its principal
branches. The first is the northern and the last is the southern. The ruins of
Villa Rica, den0minated Bannanal, are situated eight days' voyage above its
mouth, and was dismantled
. by the Paulistas upon the same occasion
. on whieh
,,

they demolished Ciudad Real. A road connected these two places, of which
at the present day there is scarcely any trace.
The Pardo issues from the comarca of St. Joao d' El Rey, where it washes
the arraial of its name ; arid after flowing through an extensive tract westward~
and collecting, amongst others, the 1·iver Araquara, falls into the Rio Grande,
much below the conflue~ce of the Sapucahy, a considerable river, which
travellel'S to Go.yaz fall in with after they enter that province from St. Paulo .. • ·
The river Parahiba, after describing a vást winding, and irrigating many
povoacaos of this p1·ovince, returns towards that of Rio de Janeiro, where it JJJas
its origin and termination.
We will now describe the rivers whiçh :flow · towards the ocean, and the
principal ports. These are Santos, Cannanea, and Paranagua.
Eighteen miles to the north of the rjver Sahy Grande, a limit of the province~
is the mouth of the considerable an,d rapid Guaratuba, formed by others that
 PROVINCE OF ST. PAúLÓ. 171

descend frotn the General Cm.:dillera. This name is derived.from the be~utifnl
guara bird, which abounds upon its margins, and breeds upon a flat isl~nd,
covered with mangroves, situated about seven miles ftom the sea, \.vhere, by a
decree, no one .h as been allowed to kill thefu, otherwise these hand~ome birds
would have long since been extirpated. Launches proceed up to the town -of
the same na me. ·Its large·s t ttíbutaty is the ri ver St. J oao, whkh, flowing a con-
siderable distance through the pine wóods, unites itself with the Guaratuba on
the southern'margin. · ·
Twenty · miles to · the northward are .the thre~ entrances to · the bay o f
ParaNagua, formed by two islaRds. Ibupetuba, (or False Bar;) Ís the name of the
scmthern, and Superagui that of the northern. The central árid largest is five
hundred fathoms in width. Mel is the name of the' southetn island, ànd Pecas
the northern. This bay is twenty miJes in length ftom east to west, more than
ten ·at its greatest width, and of very irregular form. The tnost northern portion
is called · tbe bay of Pine-trees, to which the islanâ of Pécas opens two
entrances. The isi.and of Cotin.gá, six mi.Ies lóng ftofi.i eàst fÓ' wést, and of .
small width, is the lat~gest within: this bay; where ~!fílinacas àione enter, and
·wliere a great number gf 1-ivulets an.d rive'fs at;e elischarged. The tncist· eon-
siderable is the Cubatam, whiel1 flows into it at the western extremit)r. 'Fhe
Guaraquissava is the larg:e st that enters it en the notthem side, wHere· it also
receives the ~er.ra N eg'l'a, the Cachoeira; and the Nhundyaquara. Tne Gurgi:Issu:
and the Almeydas ar~ the· largest whieh nm i.nto th:ls re·c eptaele on its s·outhern
si de.
Twenty-five miles furtlrer, tbe river Ararapira dise.m:bogues,· se:afeely supply-
ing· depth for can.@es.
Tw~lve miles to the north-east, which i.s the direoti@n: oi' tlie· eoast, is tl'ie
ba-t gf Cannanéa. Near its nortthern · point there is a sma:U e1e-v'ateâ island of
· the same :naníe. · In frcmt o f it, on the southern s·idle, théte is another is'l ànd
. • t

called Figt!leira, which is round; and. fm-ther outward is· tlila:t of Cás't~llíós, small
and of moderate elevation. .
Ferty miles· in the same dire€tion Of nol'th-east, is the bar of Icapara, tbe
nortbern meuth of an inlet of the sea, forming an islan:d of the intervening'
land.. lts southerh móuth is the before-mentioned ba:r of Cat'lnanea. This
island, ~:itherto unnamed, is flat, and of ineonsiderable width,. coropated with>its
great length. Ithas some inhahitant<S, ànd the channel which separates it from
the con.tinent is narrow and deep, ànd is sometímes called a bay, at otbers a l:a ke .
. z2 '
172 PROVINCE OF S'r. PAULO.

Smacks enter by the bar of Canna:nea; that of Icapara, having the same depth,
is not navig·ated, in consequen-ce of its dangerQus winding·s. -
Fifteen·miles fnrther along· the coast is the large outlet of the coiisiderable
ri ver lguape, formed hy a -great number of large streams, generally serpentine,
and watering ,a vast anel mountainous country, having gold. This river is
navigab1e for many leagues; and in the vicinity of the sea, describing large
windings, forms many peninsulas, some of the isthmuses of which have been
cut in .o rder to shorten. the navigation. lt passes about two miles from the town
of Iguape.
Thirty-five miles fnrther are the two mouths of the river Una, up which
canoes proceed more than fifty miles, to a place called Prelado.
Forty miles to the north-east is the entrance of the bay of l'tanhaen, which is
handsorne, and takes the name of ~ small river discharged at its extremity.
The bay of Santos follows at a distance of thirty-five miles, to which tlTe
ísland of St. Vincente, and that of St. Amaro, origina1ly Guahibe, eaéh being
·fifteen or eighteen miles long, open three entrances. The southem is denomi-
nated the bar of St. Vincente, the central Barra La:rga, (Wide Bar,) or the bar
of Santos, and the northern, Bertioga, by corruption Buriquioca, which signities
a hous~ or cavern of bu1·iquis, a species of monkey. lt is the only port of tbe
proyince capable of receiving armadas. - _Yarieus 'small rivers, alone navigable
with the tide, flow hither, and are discharged amidst mangroves.
lsLANDs.-The two last islancls are the p:r incipal; are elevated, and abound
with water, ti~ber; anel good stone.
The island of St. Amaro has scarcely any inhabitants, and is almost entírely
uncultivated, which, perhaps, is owiríg to its not baving· been granted at first in
small portions to agriculturists capable e>f ·c ultivating it.
·· About thirty miles to the east-north-east of St:·Amaro, is the island of St.
Sebastian, fifteen miles long, and proportionably wide, also high, with s0me
iuhabitants and roadsteads, being separated from the continent by the profound
channel of Toque-Toque, a league in width .
Fifteen miles to the noi'th-east from hence is the small island of Porcos,
which is of a ttiangular form, witli good anchbtage'in its 'vicinity, anel inhàbitea .
. · In the sarne direction·, anel at an eqnal distànce, the islancl of Couves is
situáted; possessing gobd wáter, and commodious an~horage' on the side next
the continent, ft·om which it is 'distant three mi1es: ...,
The Queimadas, consisting of three small isl'ands, are situated twelve miles
east of the entrance to the bay of ltanhaen.
 PROVINCE OF ~T. PAULO. 173

PHYTOLOGY.-This province possesses extensive woods, with a variety of

trees well ádaptecl· for build-iRg anel other purposes. The cedar is common in
many parts, anel the Brazilian pine abounds more than any other tree in many
districts. It is of two sorts, the green, high anel straigllt, anel the white, which
is not so compact as the first. Amongst other medicinal plants is the jan·inha;
whích is regarded as an efficacious antidote, applied externally, to the bite of a
snake. The flowers of Europe do not deg·e:p.erate much here; and fruit trees,
transplanted from the same quarter, prosper equally with a greàt portion of
those peculiar to the central pmvinces. The proeluce of the cotton tree is
neither abundant .nor of the best quality; commo:n cottons, which are ·manu-
falctured with it, constitute a branch of commerce. The agricultura! productions
are wh.eat, ryé, Indian com, rice, mandioca, legumes, coffee, potatoes, sugar,
rum, anel tobacco; these, with a large quantity of hides anel pork, cattle, horses,
mules, poultry, wax, precious stones, and drugs, are exported.
·ZooLOGY. -Amongst other species ofwild quaelmpeds, the capibar·a, ounce,
anta, tamandua, gua1·a, p1 ·eg~tica, boar, deer, paca, monkey, rabbit, wild dog,
'and a1~e1·anlza, are common. European animais are sufficiently numerous, with
the exceptio1,1. of the goat. A portion ·of salt is generally giyen. to .e very species
of· cattle as aliment; · and pr_o bably no other · province procluces such a prodi'-"
gious quantity of hogs . .·
The eastern part Of this province was possessed by two nations, denominated
Cat~ijos an"d Guayana:s; the latter dwelt· northward of :the first. The western
districts are yet in the powér of the: native barbarians. The Paulistas give the
appeliation of Bugres to those which inhabit the territory.that extends from the
river 'Tiete to the Urngúay. 'The northern part is at this day occasionally
:visited by tbe Cayapo tribes. whose dwelling places are ·on the other side of the
Paranna. The Bugres, amOiilgst which there are some whites, with beards, are
di~idecl into four nations ; one of these bordes · perforate the under lip, some
shave the head in the form of a cro~n, and others ornament their faces with
:dyes. The men go entirely- naked,- a,nd use no other· arm.s but the bow and
arrow. Tbe women wear a girdle reaching· nearly to 'the knees.
Althougb they have fixed residences, anel cultivate some vegetables, with
feijao, and three sorts bf lndian .c om, white, violet, and another, which the
Paulistas €lenominate pe1·~t1·uca; tl~ey wander abo'llt a part of the year in pnrsuit
of game anel wild fruits . ·. · ,
< Their houses are ofconsidm·able length, anel are.forn;teel by two rang·.es of an

eqlllal -number of poles, the flexibility of which admjts of their jnnction at th«;!
174 PROVINCE OF ST. PAULO.

centre, and being intertwined with twig·s, constitute a simple structure, which
is finished by the guaricanga (a species of palm tree) as its ultimate cavering,
with a narrow entrance at one extremity. Fires are made in file along the mid-
dle of the building, the inhabitants sleeping upon the ground with their feet
extended towards them, and many fàmilies constituting the inmates of one
dwelling. ·
Their instruments of agTiculture are rudely constructed of wood, with tools
of stones ; and they make certain .vessels · for the fermentation of inebriating
beverages, which th'e y frequently partake of to exoess.
They domesticate some indigenous animais, such as the quaty and cotia;
and of European quadrupeds oirly tbe dog for hunting. They prefer the
flesh of the horse and mule to that of the ox. On all occasions wh{:lre any
friendly intercourse obtains between them and the Paulistas, they appear to
regard iron alone as an article of any v_alue. Their ' natural ferocity. has
preve:nted the Portuguese from extending themselves or cultivation to the
1
westward. •

Amongst other numerous species of birds, remarkábie f~r their siz&, plÚm.age;
and rarity, are the emu, ostrich,_colhereim, ém·oe, tabuyáya, tayugu, jacu, mut-utf11,
macuco partridge, tucan(J, parrot, amponga, guraputepoca, the troquaze dGVEf;
rola, heron, inhuma, .w hite u1·ubu, soco, wild goose, &c.
The Paulistas (inhabitants of St. Paulo) are at present esteeme<!l the best
people of the state, although various accounts would warrant the belief 0f dreit:
being formerly of a v_ery different character; but these representatio~s l1il'lQSt be
received with caution. It is evident that their valout and enterpris~ :fuave; on
many occasions, been. very conspicllou.s. Vosgien, the most mocllerate of all
the write:rs against them, says, that the city of St. Paulo was a spe<i:ies' of
republic, independent of the POFtuguese, and formed of bands from different
fiati'Ons, the whole ill regulated, and! consisti.:mg of free:beoters and thieves, wlilo
p<llid a tribute of gold to tbe King of Portugal, till they were sn.'bjugated by that
crowJ:il. This is<iru (1)pposi:ti0a to tbe Portugnese amtlwrities, who atl&rm that
they were always faithful subje€ts of Portugal, ftrom the fol!lndation ofthe· capi'.:
taniã.
From tlíe period of Philip :U. becoming possessed. of Portugal, ain.dr having,
in consequehce, some contro·u.l ave'F i:t!s coVo:n.ies, tiU the day of acdam<lltion,
which restored the crown to John IV. the Paulistas did n:ot deem tbemselves
under the jurisdiction of the Castilian court, but opposed the Spaniat1ds who
were in possessian' of the rich la;nrls t~ the south and west of the Pm1aguay ; and
 · PROVINCE OF ST. PAULO. 175
had begun to approximàte to the centre of the continent with their establishments.
This induced the Paulistas to enter upon a . secret expedition in 1631, in order
to interrupt their progTess. Having traversed, with eight hundred men, the
certâms, or interior, the rivers Parannapanema and Tibagy, they fell upon
Villa Rica.. and Ciudad Real. The town of Xerez, situate.d near the heads of
the rivér Mondego, experienced the same misfortune; also thirty-two aldeias
that constituted three swall province::;;.
The Paulistas, although tbey did not designate the domestic lndians by the.
appelJation of captives, er ·slaves, but by that of administrados, d,isposed of
them as su.ch; giving them to their b·edit0rs in payment of debts, and by way
of dowry on occasions of marriage.
The Jesuits, who possessed or bad tbe contronl over a great number of ··
Indians, and under whose power they received the denomination of adminis,..
trados, without any consequences of slavery being attached to the term, de-
elaimed against the abuses practised by the Paulistas, and demonstrated to
them the impropriety of usarping a right to dispose of tibe liberty of the Indian.
The Paalistas, who were opulent, and owed ali their wealth to the arms of
their numerous administrados, determined to expel the Jesuits, in_ order that the
truths whieh they promulgated should not militate against their interest.
The reciproca! opposition of two families; each wishing to have the entire
administration of the g·overnment, leÇI. them, with their respective partizans, to
open warfare, which would have conducted to the most disastrous results, if the
prudence of some ecclesiastics had not disarmed them on the field of battle, by
persuading the chiefs to a compromise, by which an equal number of the ~on­
tending families, fre>m thence forward, were to enter upon the functions of the
government. _
This compact, accomplished in the year l654, continued until the middle of
the following century; when a cavalheiro, not related ~o the pi'ivileged families,
was elected for a judge, wbich appointment was protested against by them~ and
finaHy s-ettled in their favmn· -at Rio -de Janeiro; aboüt the time when this indi-
vidual had completed the term of his jurisdiction. The· abi.Jity with which he
had .discharged the duties of the ofliice, convinced the Paulistas that , personal
ment ought, in conducting the go:vernment, to be preferr-ed tó the o~d system.
The antipathy that existed for a long period betw·e en the Thaubatenos and
Piratininganos, and prcduced so mány duels and disasters ; the fatal Gam-
paign of 1631; t1le revo1utions caused by the mutual enmity of the two fami11es
allu.ded to; the dvil war betw-een the said Paulistas and the European Portu-

\
]76 PROVINCE OF ST. PAULO.

guese, at the commencerpent of the mining adventures in Minas Geraes; with

other animosities, may be regarded as the foundation of the exaggerated charges
of want of loyalty, with which many writers have cha1·ged this people.
, They have a provincial trait which chara;cteri&es them on their visits to other
places. They always wear a sort of capote, or cloak, called. a ponche, with an
aperture in the centre, throtlgh which they introduce .the head and neck.
The serra of Jaguary, on the Beü~a-Mar, or sea-coast, and the rive1; Terere,
from the serra above, divide this province into northern and southern,
·e ach constituting ·a comarca, or ouvidoria;· desi'gnated by the head town,
which, ti11 recently, were Paranagua in the south, and St. Paulo in the north.
By a law of February, 1812, the former was changed for the town of Cury-
tiba, where the ouvidor has since resided; and it is the head of this division,
denominate.d the comarca of Paranagua and Curytiba. The other was divided
into two comarcas, a:nd the new one was denominated Hitu.
The longest day of the year, which is in December, comprises nearly fourteen
hours in the ~outhern part of the province, at which period the inha;bitants of
the margins of the ri ver Grande·, the northern boundary, have not thirteen hours
and a half of day.
The comarca of Paranagua and Cnrytiba, comprises the following towns : -
Gurytiba 'Jguape
Paranagua Castro
Guaratuba St. J oze
Antonia · Lages
Cannanea Villa do Principe.
Curytiba, a considerable and famous town, now the head of the comarca,
and ordi.nary residence of the ouvidor, (head magistrate,) is well situated upon
the left margin of a small river, which has a bridg·e for the ac.c ommodation of
its inhabitants. It has a magnificent church, called ÜU:r Lady da Luz, the
hermitages of the Lady o.f Terco, Rosario, and St. Francisco de Paula, and a
Terceira order of St. Francisco de Assis. All its structures are of stone or
hrick, and the streets are paved.
Paranagua is a town of some note, built of stone, ànd previously to tbe year
1812 was the head of the comarca. lt has three hermitages, and a chúrcb
of the Lady of Rosario. lts s·ituation, unhealthy, and presenting nothing·
agreeable to the view, is ten miles distant from the sea, upon the southern
bank of the ·bay from which it borrows the name, and in front of the western
point of the island of Cotinga. lt has a permutation o~· smelting house, a
•
....
 ..

PROVINCE OF ST. PAULO. 177·

.Juiz de Pom, anda· professor of Latiu. The Jesuits had a college here, which
has, since their expulsion, been repaired at the cost of the treasury. · Farinha,
rice, coffee, and other articles,· with wheat, which is brought from Curytiba,
are its exports.
Guaratuba, (the real name of which is Villa Nova de St, Luiz,) situatednear a
morro, upon the rig·ht margin of the southern arm of the ri ver Guara.tuba, in front
of the island of Guarazes, and seven miles from the sea, is yet small, but stands
advantag·eously for 'becoming more considerable. It exports various neeessaries
of life.
Antonio enjoys an agreeable, anel healthy situation, ten miles west of the
town of Paranagua, at the extt·emity of a bay, on a ,península, and in front of
the embouchures of the Cachoeira and Nhundiaquara. . It was created a town
in 1800. The mother church, deeined an embellishment, is denominat~d Our
Lady of Pilar. Its vicinity can boast of c'o nsiderable planta~ions of mandioca,
the farinha of which root is exported, as well as timber anel corcl's of imbe.
In its district ' is the aldeia of Morrete, near a river, up which cano~s aclvance
.to take in the productio:m.s cultivated within its boundaries, anel those conveyed
llither from Curytiba. upi:m th€ backs of mules. ·
Cannanea, an ineonsiderable town, and pleasantly situated upon a small
jsland, about teu miles within the bar of its name, and only separated from the
continent hy a narrow strait, has a church dedicated to St. Joao Baptista. Its
inh~bitants are agriculturists and fishern1en·; l'ice is the principal article ex-
ported. At tbe en~rance of the bar of Cannanea, on tbe side of the continent,
the~e is a stone of European marble, with the royal arms of Portugal ; and,
although II_luch defaced, is ascertained to bave been erected there in the year
1503. .
Twenty miles south-west of Cannanea, is the aldeia Qf Ararapira, in former
times a villota of Christianized Indians, with its church dedicated to St. Joze
da Marinha, situated upon an arm of the lake or ba:y of Cannaneá,, which pro-
long·s itself between -the General Cordillera and another contiguous to the
ocean.
Twenty-eight miles (or forty, following the winding· of the lake) to the north-
east ef the · town of Cannanea, is the considerable town of Iguape, situated
pleas~ntly at the e~tremity of the lake, ancl. a little removed from tbe rig·ht
. margm of the river Assunguy, which is g·enerally designated by the namé of
the town. It fo1·merly had a· house of permutation, and has a celebrated church
AA
 178 PHOVINCE OF ST. PAULO:

dedicated to the Lady of Neves. The .exportation of rice from hence is con-
siderable.
Castro, with a church dedicated to St. Amaro, is yet a small town, but well
situated at the P?int where · the ri ver Hyapo (o f which it originally took the
name) traverses the royal road. In its viGinity are found the most precious
stones. After tbe subjugation of the savages of Guarapuava, great expectaÚons
are entertained of its incre~se, as well as of the cultivation of i:ts exten.sive
eontours.
St. Joze, ten miles to the south-east of Curytiba, is agreeably elevated above
the surrounding campinha, and is one mile from the left margin of the small
river of its name, which, after a course of seven miles further, incorporates
itself with tbe Curytiba.
Forty miles to the west of the hv.o last-named tewns, there is a regi~ter l!lpon
the margin of the Curytiba, where, in s~me years, th~t:ty thousand mules pass
to Sorocaba.
Lag·es, otherwise Nessa Senhora 'dos Prazeres, is the- most southern town of
the province, and was never consi~erable, in consequeli.l.ce of its JH'CJXÜnity to
the savages, but is at present much reduced by their ÍnViasiolils. It is•situ3Jted
upon what is denominated the roya1 road, two miles north 0fthe ·river Caveiras,
and about one from the small Caraha, which takes the name of a spe€ies of
cane or bamboo that grews in abundance upon its margins, and are the best
of the province ; some have so peculiar a v.arnish upon them, th3Jt they appear
}ike the work of an able halíld. There are excellent amolar, or grind-stenes, in
the same stream.. The country surrounding this town is of great fertility, is
il'rigated b.y many riv.ers, and has a temperate and salubrious climate. Le-
gumes, wheat, Indian corn, &e. with cattle, are raised', · and almost every
species of fruit tree prospers ; but. the peo.ple, besides .d·iminishi:ng in number,
ar.e poor for want Gf an outlet for their p1·oducti<~Hs. , The openin.g of a good
road, by which the f3Jrrners might with facility tra:nsmit tlíleü~ surplus produce to
the port of St. Ca.tharina; or perhaps better through th.e medi um of the town
of Laguna, (the road terminating in that ·case at the port of Guarda, from
whence the Tuburao affords navigation to the said townS would induce
numerou~ colonies to establish: themselves in this. fertile territory, rendered
more desirable by the fine tewperatur.e of the climate, when the aborígines
would be either compelJed to retire, or to submit. to. some mode of subjection.
The many aldeias, which would. necessarily be spread o.ver thi,s :fine district,
 PROVINCE OF ST. PAULO. 179

affording plains fÓr the extensive 'breeding of ca,ttle, could. nót fail to procluce
a rapid increase of the t0wn of Lages. In such a state of things it would
becorne the head of a populous and rich comarca.
Villa do Príncipe, m·iginally St. Aiüonio da Lapa, is ten. miles southward
from the before-mention,ed register of Curytiba, near the royal roàd. Its people
are breeders of cattle, and cultivate wheat, rye; Indian com, and divers fruits.
Five mHes north of the sarne register, and also upon the bord·e r of the road,
near a small riv:er which contributes its water to the Iguassu, is the arraial of
Thauha, pe.ssessing a ·hermitage of .the Lady.-of Conceiçao. ·
Curytiba, the name by which tliis district has been recently designated, in
tl1e Brazilian language signifies c1t1;u, " pine," and tiba, " many ." 1t com-
prises almost all the comarca; or southern part of the province, from the
General Serra to the westwat·d. The winter commences .in this paFt-about May,
and lasts tiH Septernber, with a south, and occasionally a south-west wind,
which is colder than the first. The mest comrnon tree~ are the Brazilian pine.
These m.ajestic .trees fo.rm extensive woods, abounding· with the mountain hog,
which ·go ín he!'CI!s, at times, of one· hm1dred and more.
The fr.u~t trees ·of Europe prosper here better than the indigenons ones of this
continent, and amongst the former may be enumerated the fig, pear, apple,
plum, peach, quince, cherry, walnut, and ch.estnut. The olive-trees at'e laden
with flowers, but 'rarely fructify. : Mandioca, the banana, coffee, aud cotton
trees, as well as the sugar caue, only prosper in some situations. The maite
grows spontaneously, and is very common. The great consumption of a beverage
made from this tree in the province, and in those of St. Catharina aiuil Rio Grande
do Sul, and alsCJ by :qlamy people in the metropolis, augurs favourably for the
addition of another branch of commerce to this com~t·ca. Bnnches of grapes '
are frequently met with of upwards of five pounds weight; .but hitherto no good
wine has . .heen manufactured.. . · ~

In the year l812 a l.arge quantity of. divers plants of the vine · were sent here
from Enrope; an.d it is confidently expected that many will succ-eed as well if
not better than in their natjve soil; so that with pro per attention good wine may
in time 'be produced.
The Curytiba:ri.os ~àss for the most powerful and robust people amongst the
Paulistas. · They cultivate ·abundance of :w.heat and lndian corn, with some
rice ; · they breed cattle, horses, and mules, possess a great number of cows,
and make_some hutter and cheese. The cows ftre of a Jarge size, and afford
A A 2

•
180 PROVIN'CE OF ST. PAULO.

the ·greatest qu~ntity of milk in summer; that,, however, whiéh they fin;~pply in the.
wintf'r is the best; the portion which in the first season yields fonr cheeses, in
tbe winter produces eight. The major part of the breeders of cattle give them
· salt; an animal whicb is lean receives a greater ration, in order that it may
fatten more expeditiously. It is observed, that sheep begin to die after they
have pastured ten years, in whatever situation they rnay be. Immediately on
the first symptom of the disease, which is known by the retiring of the animais
towards the door of their dono, as if p!aying for a remedy, it is requisite to
remove them to another part, and 'when not m·ore than a leag·ue distant from their
former pasture, the contagiou will cease.
The northern division of this provmce comprehends the following towns,
VIZ.:-
Jn the comarca of St: Paulo:
St. Paulo Parnahiba Lo rena
Santos Mugi das Cruzes Cunha
St. Vincente Jacarebi Parahitinga
Itanhaen St. Joze Jundiahy
St. Sebastian Thaubate Tibaya
Villa da Princessa Pindamonhangaba Braganca
Ubatuba Guaratingueta Mugi-Mirim
In the comarca of Hitu :
Sorocaba Appiahy Porto Feliz
ltapitininga ,Hitu St. Carlos
Itapeva
St. Paulo is -a city in a state of mediocrity, but agreeably seated upon land some-
what elevated at the angle of tbe confluence of the Tamandatahi, with the ·Hyn-
hangabahu, which wasbes' it on the western side, and the former on the eastern.
It is nearly two miles from the Ti ete, which passês to the north, forty miles north-
west from Santos, which is its port ; seven miles to the south of the Tropic ;
and three hundred and fifty fathoms above the level of the ocean. It is oma-
mented with a house ofMisericordia, various heúnitages, and three hospitais ;
a convent of Benedictines, another of Franciscans, a third of slippered Carm.e-
Jites, two recolhimentos for women, a _house of permutation, varions open
sp.aces ·or squares; three good bridges of stone, with others of wood, and divers
fountains; however, the best water is atforded by the rivers. Some streets are
well paved. The edifices are generally .formed of what is termed taipa, which
consists of twofold wooden planks, constituting the frame, filled in with earth,

r
 .PROVI.NCE OF ST. PAULO. 181

and v,vhitewashed. This city is ,th~ residence of the go-v ernor of the province,'
aild .the ouvidor of the comarca; or district, who ful:6.'1s also the duties of crown
judge, &c. There is a Juiz de Fora, who also executes the functÍOlfS of an
Attorney General, auditQr of the military, anel deputy to the junta of the treasnry.
It has som~ masters, who have the high-sounding denomination of royal pro-
, fess0rs o f the primitive ,letters, Latiu, rhetoric, philosophy, . dogmatical theology,
· <Ú'ld morality. The inhabi~ants, in number from thirty-five to forty thcmsand,
are divided between two parishes, one being of the ~athedral, the chapter of
which consists of fourteen canons, including four dignitaries 'of archdeacon,
archpriest, chanter, a'n d treasurer-mor. The other has a church called Santa
.Efigenia. The Jes.uits commenced this city, in the year 1552, with the founcla- .
tion of a Gollege, in which they celebrated the first mass on the day of the
conversion of the ap(J)stle with whose 'name it was consecrated in J 554, anel
which atforclecl the .subsequent narne of St. Paulo to the t~wn - anel province. .-
Th~s structtlre now constitutes the palace of the g'o'vernor. Senhor Joao Carlos
de Oainansen at present fill~ that siÚtation. . Six years after the fi.rst establish-
ment of the .Jesuits here, St. Paul·o acquired the denomination of a towH. Its
:ftrst inhah~tánts were a lwrde of G uayana Indians, with their caciql.w or chief -
called Tebiree.a, who lived in the aldeia , of Piratinin, near the small river of
the same name, not far from the new C(i)loHy, which, in consequeiice, took the
appellation of St. Paulo de Piratininga, anel retainecl it till the year 1712, ~hen
it was cligni.fied with the title of city, anel in 1 7 46 was further honourecl by
being maele the seat of a bishopric. The Indians were soou ati.g·menteel by a
'great ·number . of Enropean's, whom they calleel Emboabas, in consequence of
their iegs being covered,-- anel which conveyed to the minds, of the Indians
;=t resemblance of certain bircls with feathered leg~ so calleel by. them. The
alliances of tbe ne'Y s.e ttlers, with the Indians, soou proeluced a third class
of peopl~, to whom they gave ·t11e- name of Mamelucos, with which the esta-
blishment received a considerable increase ; anel the city at this day comprises
·upwards of four thousand houses, wi~h the number of inhabitants previously
mentioned, .one half of which are computecl to be whites. The salubrity of
the climate, anel the abundance . anel moderate v.alue of all the necessaries of
li(e, give it the elecicleel p1·eferelfce for the fonngation of an university, if the
view:s " 9f tl~e governinent become ep.lightened enough to promote such an-
e~tablis1unent jn the Brazil. The hody, and consequently the mind, ·of. the
student woulel here h ave , more vigour fpr literary application, than in the
warmer or more northern climates of this region, anel books or libraries would
182 PROVINCE OF S'I'. PAULO.

receive le8s damage from the destructive prey ofinsects. St. Paulo is considered
a most hea1thy situation; and I have knowil the valetudinarian of Rio de
Janeiro, contemplate a change to its moderate and invig·orating climate, as
..exceedingly desirable. . There are a great number of quintas or shacaras in its
suburbs. Among the fruit trees which embellish them, the jabuticaba is not
rare, atfording a fine and excellent fruit. The oranges are not of good quality,
and the tree sustains considerable injury in years of much frost The same may
be said of the· coffee and banana trees, as well as of mandioca and the sugar
cane.
Santos, considerable, populous, commei·cial, and advantageously situated
upon the nortbern side of the island of St. Vincente, was ~rected into a town
in lõ4õ, and possesses a bouse of Misericordia, which is the most ancient oflhe
Brazil, a Franciscan cónvent, an hospício (or entertaining house) of Bentos, ano-
ther of slippered Carmelites, and various chapels; the ex-Jesuitical college of St.
Migu~l, after being much d.ilapidated, was ,renovated for the military hospital. A
Juiz de Fora presides over the senate. The'houses are solid and ofstone; and the
female part of their inmates are celebrated for making excellent lace·. This town
was sacked by the Dutch, and upon another occasion by the English. Its pOl't,
the entrance to which is defended by various forts, is ~aipable of receiving large
ships, and it ís the depositary of much sugar, rurri, coarse cottoris, .coffee, hides,
and bacon, which articles constitute its exports. The produce of rice and
coffee are alone abundant. The winter is always á. very rainy seas~m.
Seven miles to the south-west, on the so~thern coast of the same island, up01~
the entrance of the bar of its name, is situated St. Vinc.e nte, the most ancient
town of the province, in former times flourishing and famous, but now sunk
into insignifi.cance, in consequence of Santos being better adapted for commerce,
to which it has removed from this town. lts inhabitants are mostly fishermen.
Fifteen miles to the west of Santos is the small arraial of Cut>atam, upon the
northern margin of the river which affords its namé, and from which it sustai~s
great damage at the period of the greatest floods. Every thing that descends
from the serra above, and destined for the town, is here embarked. A project
of uniting this island with the terra.-firma has been proposed by means of a
calcada, or paved. way, across the channel of St. Vincente, which, if carried
into efiect, will prevent many shipwrecks. At the bar of Bertioga there is an
armaçao, or establishment for whale fishing.
Itanhaen, a small place, erected into a town in lõ6I, possesses a Fran-
ciscan convent, and is situated near a mount, upon the northern margin of the
 PROVINCE OF S'F. PAULO. 1B3

bay from which it hol'l'OWs its name, and which it freq11ently exchanges for that
of the Lady of Conceiça:o, the patroness· of' its church. ·Farinha, rice, and
timber are exported from .hence.
The .town of St. Sebastian, so ca:lled from the patron of its church, is yet
inconsiderable, with i.:ndifferent heuses, and streets of sand. It is seated upon
the straight of Toque-Toque, iJ:J. front .of the island of its name, near the
embouchure 0Í asmall river, and at the commen~ement of a fertile plain, where
agriculture might be rendered ílourishin.g in alJ its branches, and which was fm·
mamy years almost abandone€~, in consequenee of the farmers heing prohibited
fl'Om exporting their productions to those places where they would have derived
the greatest advantage fwm them. ~bout three miles· to the east, in an agreeable
situation, there is a Franciscan coRvent, and near to it an arraial, denomi11ated
Bairro. The women aTe occmpied in potterie~, the men in fishing, and in the
c1:1lture of various neeessaries of life.
'
ViJb da Princeza, s0 created i11 1809, is situated upon the northern coast _of
the island of St. S'ehastian, near the cha,pel of Nossa ,Senhora of Luz, which
fQr the present serves as its mother church, as well as for all the -inhabitants of
the isl~and. This island is a:ppropriated to the culture 0f th:e sugar-cane and
t obacco, which are esteemed the best of the p_1·ovince, and their exportation is
eons,iderahle~ O:a. the eastern par.t of the island there is an armaçao for whale
fishing.
Ubatuba~, ar small town, with a ch.u:rch, and a chapel of the Lady of Coriceiçao,
is situated near the mo-q.th-of an incomsiderable stream, on the verge of a fertile
plain, irrigated ~Y' vari0lils torrents~ lts inhabit~nts are fishermen, and culti:vators
of mandioca, 1·ice, and coffee. lt is nearly thirty miles to the north-east of thé
town of St. Sebastian, ancil nea•r the boundary of the province.. Between this
town andthe afore-meNtioned arraial' ot Bairro, is the bay of Flamengos, also
that of Inquil"iqueFe, both of which- are capable of recel.ving many ship~. Into
the latter, which is the most westerly, the ii:ver .o f the same name discharges
itself, and affords a disembarrassed nav,igatiron for. only three miles.
Paran.ah.iba, an inconsidet•able town, is situated upon the left margin of the
river Tiete, about twenty miles distant in a westerly direction from St. Paulo:
It has a. church, and an hospício of Bento Friàrs ; and its inhabitants, with those
of tlÍe adjacent districts, breed large cattle, and raise a diversity of the neces-
saries of life.
Mugi das Cntzes is a considerabJe tQwn, abundantly suppli'ed with the ne-
cessar.ies of1life, and. enjoys a good situation, about two miles from the Tiete,
184 PROVINCE OF ST. PAUL0 1•

thirty-fi.ve east.:.north:.east of St. Paulo, and forty no1:-th of ·Santos. It has a

church, dedicat<~d to St. Anna, a convent of sbod Carmelites; a hermitage of
Bom Jesus, . and a Terceira order of Carmo. The heuses are of .t aipa. Th~
inhabitants breed cattle, and form extensive plantations of the co.ffee tree, the
produce of which, with some rum, .constituters their wealth.
N ear thirty miles to the north-east of Mug·i das Cruzes, the small town of
J acarehi is situated, upon the right margin of the ri ver Parabiba, with a church ~
The passag·e across the river here is much frequented. ·
. The town of St. Joze is ten miles to the north of Jacarehi, takes the name of
the patron of its church, and iR situated near the Parahiba, upon land which
constituted part of a fazenda of the Jesuits, its founders.
Thaubate is -one of the most considerable and best situated towns óf tlie
province. It is upwards of one hundred· miles to the north-east of St. Paúlo,
seventy from Mugi das Cruzes, forty from Jacarehi, and three from the Para-
hiba, near a small stream. Besides the church dedicated to St. Francisco, it
has a convent of the same saint, a Terceira order, and the chapels of the Lady
of Pilar and Rosario. Almost ali the houses are of taipa, and few with one
story. Its inhabitants, whose ancestors were antagonists of ·the Piratining;ans
of St. Paulo, cultivate the · necessaries of li:fe and tobacco, raise pigs and
poultry in considerable quantities, and sugar cane in small plantations, They
manufacture handsome mats and hand~baskets, which are sent to different p.a rts,
Neár the embouchure of a small river, and close upon the margin of the
Parahiba, is the inconsi.derable arraial of Tremembe, with a chapel .of Bom
Jesus. At the distance of from tento fourteen miJes is the parish of Càssapaba,
a new dismemberment of the preceding town.
Pindamonhangaba, a town in a state of medie>crity, is well supplied, pa1~ticu.,
larly with fi.sh, and advantageously situated jn a . plain, on the I'ight margin of
the Parahiba. It possesses a church of the Lady of Bom Successo, and a
hermitage of St. Joze. lt is more than ten miles to the north-~orth-east of
Thaubate; and its inhabitants, who are considered prudent and industrious,
cultivate every article of subsistence peculiar to the country, and breed large
cattle. ·
Gmtratinguêta, situated upon the right bank of the Parahiba, which affords
it an ample supply of fis~, is a considerable town, about twenty-five miles to
the east of Pindamonhangaba, embellished. with a large church, dedicated to
St. Antonio, a chapel of th~ Lady of Rosario? and another of St. Gonçalo.
The houses, similar to those of St. Paulo and other pl"aces, ar~ constructed of
 \ '

PROVINCE OF ST. PAULO. 185

taipa. Its iuhabitants cultivate much tobacco, aud bi'eed hogs and 'large cattle.
Cotton cloths and sugar are the principal branches of commerce. . About
two miles distant from it is the fainous and much visited chapel of" the Lady of
Apparecida.
Lorena, a middling town, upon the right marg·h,1,' of the Parahiba, ten miles
east of Guaratingueta and seven ·above the mouths of the lmbauhi, which flows
from the Mantiqueii·a mountains, and of the ~ocaina, which comes from the
south, is situated at the passage to Minas Geraes denominated Porto do Mey1~a,
and bas a church called Piedade : Guaipicure was its ptimitÍve name.
In the district of Lorena, where legumes and rice grow ' abundantly, and
large quantities of hogs and poultry are bred, the parish of St. Anna dás Areas
is situated. lt nas been recently dismembered of that portion of territory now
constituting the parish of Bannanal. . 'i
A league below Lorena there is another passage to the pro-vince of Minas
Geraes, called Porto da CaGl10eÜ~a. · , · ·
Cunha, fqrmerly Facao, is yet aiD. inconsiderable tow:ri ; but, from its acl.ván-·
tageous situation upon a serra in the vicinity of the Jácuhy, a_n d about twe'Q.ty.-
:five miles north .of Parati, is susceptible of much . improvement. ]t has ·a
churcb, of which the Lady of C.onceiçao is the patrdness. The climate is
salubrious, and th.e .nights of J une and July are fresh, and even the natives
feel them cold. Hitherto the flowers and fmit trees of Europe have pr0spered
better here than in any other situation of the torrid zone. In its environs 't here
are extensive groves of majes.tic pines, ·and the inhabitants · raise the ,éorrimon ·
pr0ductions of tbe coun.try, abtmdance of Indian corn, and large ·qua:atities
of poultry and pigs. An imlifferent road or track conneets this town with ·
Parati, and would, if made equally easy and secure with. those of the arraial of
_Cnbatao, for the transport of its prodnctions to St. Paulo and Santos, become
a flo'ijrishing district.
Parahitinga, a n-iedium town, and well situated upon the left bank of the
river which affords it the name, is seyen miles above the embouchure of the
Parahihuna and -forty north of the town of Ubatuba. St. Luiz is the pafron of
. its ehurch, which, with an e'xtensive bridge over the ri ver that hatlies it; are
the only objects worthy the observation of the travellet:. The inhabitants
breed a great number of hogs, which constitute the principal brancll of their
commerce.
J uncl.iahi is a middling a~d flourishing town, one mil e distant from the •left
bank of the ri ver from which its name is borrowed, th.irty-five miles to ·the n~rth­
B B
 '

186 PROVINCE OE ST. PAULO.

north-west of St. Paulo, and tl!e same distance to the east-north-east 6f Hitu.
IÍ bás a good church of Üllr ~ady . of Desterro, aa .hospício of B~nedictin~s,
~nd - a bridg~ o-ver the river, which is stocked, amo.ngst othl:)r fish, with those
called jundias, from which it derived the name.. ·Its inhabitants raise cattl€i1.
mules, horses,. ~nd large quantities of the sugar cane, an<,l have for the êx-
traction of its juice variou§; engenhos, or w0rks; also a.bund~uce of legumes am;l..
lndia:p corn, with which they t'u.r:m.ish the c:aravans passing from Goyaz. ·
Tib3!ya, OJ' Atibaya;, sittl:ated. J}ear the river of the s·ame m.ame, has a churc~a.
called St ...loam, is yet s!D!)all, and is thirty-five miles north-north-east of St.
:Pal!lo, án equal dis.tanc~ east of Jundiahi, an:d as far west of St. Joie. The
inhabitants raisé f.eij.a"e-, lndian eorn, wheat, and hogs .
.. BJtagança; which is ten nril_l:;S to tP,e nerth-east of Tjbaya, .is yet ipconsiderable~
but the inhabitants are said to live in abund~nce., r~ise p\gs i11. large (ijifuantities,..
wheat, lndian cor:n, ap.d legumes . .
Mugi-Mirim, situated on the road of Goya.z, u..po.p the -ri ver of the same name.
wbich a little below unites· itself with the Mt1:gi-Guassu, is in a s·t ate of l'llle:dio-
m:ity, and w~ll supplied with thenecessaries of]li.fe, pa1rticularly fish ànd .meat. It
has engenhos of sugar, farm,s of ·cattl!e, and only o1ll.e ehu1·ch, dedi:cated to ~St~
Joze. Upon the northern baa·k of the Mugi-Guassu, , where tlilis:r'i:ver trav.erseg,
tb.e road to the town _of Mugi-Mirim, is ilhe arraial and parish w·mch takes.its~
name, with a ehur.ch of the Lacly o:f Ü@JE.eeiçao. Its illlhali>üants are farmers' o:lí
maD«liiÍoca, feija~;, a:l!i.d .lndiab: .co!!n:, arid 'bili'eeders of eaJttle aBdi bogs~ ·. 'l'.hle:
parish of. Fran:cá. is the most northeFrr of the pr.@-viri~e; 'the i11habi1ian.ts e~ten:d~
thcillitselves to the margm of the Gt!ande, 'breed çattle, a:nd ct'Flti fatie d1~
neeessaries whichr the tevritG'rY best aífords. The eh.uJ!ch is decl~cated to N o·s sa·
Senhora da Cdnceiça@. . ·
Sotocaba is situated wh.ere the tiver of i:ts name traverses tllie ••oyal road of
Curytiba to the capital, fmm which it is distant sixty miles to 'tlll'e west. u·is•a
flourishing ,aind considet)~b-Ie· 1lt!lWn, o1'namented· with a elh'trch: of the Lady of
Fônte, a vec@llhimento of woinen, an hospi€io of Bentos, alll.d a herl:nitage of St.
A<Jitonio. lits· actual population is €Om':Posed of seventeen h'tindred and seventy-
seven families, of which two-thirds are whifles; they breecl:· cattlle and l1o-.,·se's
. '
and cultwa:te eótton, sugar, and .Ind'ian Gorn, ·with the most common nec-essaries
oil·tne ·eountry, but tbei1 priúeipal p1.1ofits at'Íse :f'rom trafficking in cattle, whieh
come from the sou.thern districts. In its environs there are calcareous sto-n:e. M1d
good' flint stone. The royal fabric of llipannem-a, distant about seven miles,
an<!ll 'e~tàblis'líed• neat· a' smáll sfu'êam of the Sámé narríe, for the rece'ption 6f the
 fR6VINCE OF ST. PAULO. 187

produce of ricb mines of 1ron ín the seJ.lra Guarassoia~a, witl tend t0 vendel' this
tewn still more considePable. Many yeaPs aga ·a mine of silvei· was' disc·overed
in the district of Guarassoiava, which was abandoned, in conseque:hce of its
poverty and difficult extraction.
ltapitining·a, yet an inconsiderable town, an.d weH situated in a vast and
delightful plain near the l•oyal .road, is two miles fr~m the right bank of' the
river from which it has the name. 1t is embellished with a chmcl~ o:t: the Lady
of Merces, is . well provided with water~ .a nd is about fm·ty miles to the soutn
of Sorocaba. The ·peoj>le who inhabit it ct11tivate wheat, legume~, and abun-
dance of ludian com. The p~ach and grape are plentiful and of good fl:a:vour,
aaçl, as' in most ·o tber cultivated districts ot: this province•. the hl~eed of catt~e is
nulílerous.
Itapeva, situated near the .royal road, or estirada 'rer;tl, as it Ís den~rniriated',
in the vicinity of the Verde, is at present inconsiqerable ; it has a chilrch,
dedicated to St. Anna.
Appiahi, · a town of the same class as the preceding, is at a great distance
from the road, near the source of the river from which it derives its name, and
in the vicinity of a morro, from whence, at its origin, much g'o ld was extracted.
It has one church.
Hitu, a large and-flourishing town, is the head of the comarca of its ,na~ne,
baving a church of the Lady of Candellaria, a Franciscan convent, an hospício
of slippered Çarmelites, an hospital of Lazars, with its hermitage, others of
Bom Jezus, the Lady of Patrocínio, and Santa Rita. All its buildings are of
taipa, and some streets are paved. It has the usual royal professors, and·is
situated twenty-five miles to the north-north-east of Sorocaba, sixty to the west-
north-west of St. Paulo, and two .from the left margin of the Tiete, which
forms at tl:lis situation a large and interesting· fall, by the · name of which
this town is designated. Excessive heat is experienced here in the summer
months.. The soil i.n the envü·ons is peculiarly adapied to the culture of the
sugar cane, of which there are extensive plantations, constituting the riches of
its inhabitants, who also raise cattle and divers necessaries of life.
Porto Feliz, formerly called Araritaguaba, is a moderate town, with bouses
of wood, seated upon the left margin of the· Tiete. It has a church of the
Lady May dos Homens, (Mother of J\1en,) is nearly eighteen miles to the
west of Hitu, and twenty-five to the north-:gorth-west of Sorocaba, and is the
port of the navigators. to Cuiaba. The inhabitants are cattle-breeders, and
cultivate the cane; feijao, and Indian com.
BB2
]88 PROVINCE OF ST. PAULO.

St. Carlos, now so named from its church, but originally called Campinas, is
situated near a small stream, something more than a league from the Tibai~,
and six to the north of Hitu, and does not at present surpass mediocrity, but
is we11 supplied and enjo'ys facilities for becoming more considerable. . It is a
land abounding with waters and wood, consequently well adapted for the cul-
ture o.f the cane, of which there are at present some rich plantations, also of
wheat, feijao, and lndian corn. It is upon the road from Jundiahi to Mug·i-
Mirim ; from the latter it is eight leagues distant in a direct line. Its district is
bounded ·on the west by the hew parish of Percicaba, whose church is sit11ated
in a delightful plain that terminates in a small hill upon the southern margin of
the river that affords.it the name, and near a beautiful cascade of great height,
which presents a barrier to fu~ther navigatfon;' Rich in .majestic woods, and of
great fertility, it is favourable to various branches of agriculture, particularly
the càne, of which there are plantations and engenhos.
 PROVINCE OF MATTO ~ROSSO. H39

CHAP. X.

PROVINCE OF MATTO GRQ.SSO.

Fi·rst Explm·e1·s---:Gold discovered-Tioo Brotlte?·s appointed for tlze purpose .cif

exacting tlte Fifths on âold-' 'I;'heir atroeious Conduct-People attracted here
by t!te Fame lif qold-Destruction of a Party by tlte Indians-Payagoa and
Guaycuru Nations dúcove?·ed-Thei'l· Alliance- Tlzeir fatal .Attaclcs upon the
Pm·tuguese-Tiwü· Disunion-Con:!imu~d .Hosb:lities nf the Gnaycurus- Con-
jlicts witlt tlzern-Atternpts to make Peace with tlte Indians- T1·eaclie'ly of tlte
Guaycu,rus-Severe D1·ouglzt-A'I·rival tif a Govemm·- P1·omotes tlze Naviga-
tion to Pam-Extent and Bounda•ries.-Division into Dist?·icts-Dist?·ict f?! ,
Camapuania- Minemlogy - Ph;ytology- Rivers-Zoology- Vm·ious Indian
Tribes-Povoações.-District .of Matto Grosso- Mountains- Mineralogy-
P hytology-Zoology- River·s- Capital.-District of Cuiaba- Minemlog"'!f-"
P ltytology-~oology- Rivers-Povoações- Indians .-District of Borm·o~ia­
Indians-Rivers-Lakes.-Dist?·ict · ofJur-uenna- Indians~Rivers-Fm·ts.­
Distr-ict of A1·inos.:_-Indians- Rivet·s.-Districl of Tappimquia-Indians-
lÜvers.-Lands of tltese Districtsfertile and au1·i:fe1'ous. ·

THE Vincentistas having· reduced the Guanhana, and Carijo nations, they
began to make incursions beyond the Paranna, in pursuit of other Indians
equally pusil1animous, and less nurnerous. Aleixo Garcia and his brother or
son, accompanied by a numerolls band of domestic lnrlians, having passed the
Paraguay, and penetráted to the proximity of the Andes in the middle of the
sixteentlil century, were the fir~t known discoverers of the southern part of this
vast province,; and Manuel Correa, a Paulista (as well as the others) ,having·
passed the Araguaya, a considerable time afterwai·ds, penetrated to its northern
' part.
It will be di:fficult perhaps, to ascertain the names of the other' certanistas,
ot· commandants of 'bap.deira.s,*· who visited this territory in quest of Indians,

'
"' Bandeira is a name given in the Brazil to an indetermina:te number of persons, who provide
 190 PROVINCE OF MAT'l'O. GROSSO.

during the interval from its discovery to the year 1718, when Antonio Pires de
Campos, also a Paulista, procee_ded up the river Cuiaba. in search of the
Cuchipo Indians, who had an aldeia, where at this day is· situat~d the hermitage of
St. Gonçalo. In the following year Pascoal Moreira Cabral advanced up the river
Cuchipo Mirim, ai1d very soon discovered granites of gold. · He left here a
portion of bis company to accumulate as much as possible of it, and proceeded
higher up the river, with the greater part of the bandeirantes, as far as the
situation at 'present called Forquilha, where they caught some young lndians
· o1namenteçl. with pieees of gold, whioh pro:ved that the country abounde~ with
that metal; they were most diligent in their searches after it, and, collected a
considerable portion. Returning to the party left behind, they descended with
them the river below, tp the aldeia which Antonio Pires, had visited the pre-
ceding yea-v, wher~ ea~h one exhibited the quantity of gold he had collected.
Some fo.und themse]ves possessed ef one hundred oitavas, (2dwt. ·7~gr. each,) ·
others af half a ponnd· weig,ht, and many more of smaller portions, but they
were generally well satisfied; those who accompanied Captain Moreira Cabral
had exceeded the rest in good fortune! He had for his own share one pound·
and a half of gold. The whole party greatly lamented the want of mining
instruments, as they were compelled to use tbeir hands in removing th e earth
or sand. They soon began to construct cabanas, or dwelling places upon the
margins of the rivers, determined to persistas long as the precious ore lasted.
A few weeks ·had only elapsed, when another bandeira arrived at the new
establishment, having been upon the margins of the river St. Lourenço, where
the~ received intelligence of this- discovery, and determined to augment the
part·r · · . .
The whole now consulted upon the circumstances attending their situation,
and resolved to despatch Joze Gabriel Antunes to the city of St. Paulo, with
samples of gold, and tidings of their success; also to announce to the governor
their solicitude to receive the necessary instructions for the common weal and
service of l1is Majesty. On the same day, the 8th of April, 1719, on which
this resolution was formed, the party unanimously elected Captain Pascoal
Moreira Cabral for their guarda mor 'regente until the arríval of orders from the

t!Jemselves with arms, am.munition, and. ew~ry thing requisite for their subsistence, witl) the pr~ject
of enteriug the territories of the Indians, for the pnrpose of discovering mines, exploring the country,
or ctrastising tlre savages; the individuais who composc tbose compauies, caU themselves ban.deirntntes,
a.nd their d1iefs, C[f1'tanistas,.
 PROVINCE OF MA'fTO GROSSO. 1:91

governm· Qf St. Paulo, investiBg him witli much authority, ahd prom1smg him
irriplici.t obediencé. Antunes consumed many months, from the' ~arrous - rHffiotil­
ti~s· .which. beset his way, beforé he reached St. Paulo,J '\ir:he1·e the n.ew dis-
CQVery of t.h e mines being divu·lged, nuinerons pet·sons· took tlieir depat1ítíre ftn·
them the fallowing year, in varions caravans, none of which arrived at Cuiaba
withou:t loss ; ma:n.y died on the way of fevers and different disasters. Th-e
misfortunes . and- losses
. which tlie
. nÚmerous bandeiras, that corltinued to bertd
/
thei-r col':wse towa1·ds this prov'inee; arinl1al.ly stistainecf, wel'e thti tesult of ill-rég-n-
iated m.easures, an:à fhe absenc~ 0f ju.dieions cernbin::llt<Í<inls for preventing clfs@'l'!-
der upon tbe march, ànd obviating -t1'1e. palpable neglect of ptoMeding with0ttt
fishing instrul.íÍlentis, which w.ould. have -pl't~served fiiâny frofn .famishing-, à:Í:Hi
without fi.re arms· for shooting ·game, (JJ.' .defence agâinst wild anünãls ã:tul
th~ native~ . · , J

In .t he same \ye~r the ar'l'aial nr establisbment was removed to the sitnátítón af

Fqrquilh~, · where Cahràl had fohtid a: bettér v.:éin of g·old; and in the follow.ilrg,
one -Mig·Hel Sutil, ·from Sdrocaba,J.having taken up a •s tation·with his party l:tfiôh
the m~u·gin of the Cuiabá,. tvvo Cãtijós; 'or dolilestic J.ndiáns, sent i nto llie
waods in sea·rc'h of boney, b1:ought. him at night twenty-three pieces, jol!teltú,
Ql' la-mina, df g·olcl., w.hioh weígbed óne htindred and tweuty oitavas, stating that
~here was mor~ in the wood where they had fo'ú nd it. Sutil, bighly delighted,
ne~t morning went with ~is European comrade, Joam Francisco, called by way ,
of nickname Barbado, and all bis . domestic e-stablishment, condLieted by the
two C~·rijo·s to the plaee where they bad fon·B.d the -pr~cious metal, and wbich is .
the pres~nt site of the ·town of Caiatia. · Here tlfey spént the day, g·athering with
their hancls· all th!3 gold upon the snr:faee of tl1e gro'tlnd, ·or thinly covered, ánd
d.esistil'!g only with the terminatiotJ. -of daylight; they àssembled late at theí·r '
bi•ve'tlacs, wben .Sutil- fo.und · tbat he ha9: a:ccNml!t~ated balf aii arr0ba, ar six . :
teen ·pl!nllJ.Iléls weight, of .gold, and Barbad€J upwa~·ds of four hundred oitavas.
'Fhis a:dventrite beeomjng known at the· arraial of Forquilha, caus.e d its removàl
to· the situa:tion where Sutil and Barbado had been so suecessfnl, and wheFe it
was calcuhatecl that fo·ur hundred arwb~s of go>hil were collected in one month,
w.itlllotl•t the excavations exce-eding: four ía~t.noms in dlépth.
In this same year the governar Rodrigo Cezar de Menezes ·arrived at St.
Paulo·, . whose fi,r st concet·n was to· exact the pa:ymeni of. .the royal :fifths upon
this metaL Wiih this Í'I'l{entidn he nominated two brothers resident at St.
'
Pálill@~ of cl.is·tingmishecl Thirth aJ:rtcl· f01•tune, Lourença Leme to the situation of
l?r<iicuradél' of the Fiiths·; a<nd John Leme to the p0st of Maste1· de Camp·o of
192 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO.

the same mines. Those two individuais, in consequence of the iiberty with which
they bad always triumphed over the laws, were imprudently selected ; an:d now
considered themselves more than ev.er authorised to consult with impunity their
own caprices. On arriving at the arraia], they adopted the mo13t violent and
absurd measures, and wished to' expel from tbe mines all ~hose who were not
Paulistas. The chaplain remonstrating against this injustice, th·ey ordeted a
shot to be fired at him, which, erring· in its object, ki11ed one of his friends.
Actuated by the same lawless spirit, they ordered one Pedro Leite to be inhu,-
manly insulte.d at the time he was hearing mass, merely from s0me. feeling of
jealousy entertained again~t him. These and other atrocities, which they com-
mitted, induced tbe governor-general to transmit orders for their being arrested
and sent prisoners to St. Paulo. They received intimation of tbis ciiicumstance
from one of their relatives, and on the arrival of the Master de Camp·o,. Balthazar
Ribeiro, to execute the commands of the governor, they had already fortified
themselves in a remote place, accompanied by their partizans, where an attack
was ineffectually ma de upon them. In a short time, however, ; after the loss ·o f
some lives on both sides, they fled to the interiot· with a gTeat number of their
followers, but were pmsued until Lourenço Leme was kil1ed by a shot, and
bis brother taken prisoner, and subsequently sent, with a s.ummary of bis crimes,
to tbe city of Bahia, the relaçam of which city ordered him to be .executed
in 1724.
The prodigious amount of quintos, or fifths, , which were received at St.
Paulo in the year 1723, and the termination of tbe jurisdiction of tbe rapa-
cious Lemes, excited an universal spirit in that city for mining. Every one
was desirous of becoming a miner of Cuiaba, notwithstanding the calamities
·attached to so laborious and prolonged a voyage. Of more than three hun-
1

dred persons, who in the•year 1725 departed from St. ·Paulo, with up.wards 0f
twenty canoes, only two white men, and three negroes escaped. All the rest .
were killed or made prisoners in an encounter which they had with, an Indian
armada (the Pa.yagoas) in the river· Paraguay, in front of the embouchure of
the Harez. Althougb the Paulistas lmew that the Payagoas were celebrated
• I • •
mariners, they were totally ignorant of tb1s natwn poSSf3Ssmg so numerous
a fl~et.
1t may be proper to remark here, that the first Paulistas w h o entered the
river Parag·uay met with two nations, denominated Payagoas, and Guaycu1·us;
both numerous and formidable ; the first from its large armadas, and the
second from the dexterity o f the natives on hÓrseback, from w hich they

..
 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSQ. 193

acqui1·ed the denomination of Cavalleiros. The Payagoas, from time Í!llmemo-

rial, were always 1nasters ·of the navig·ation of the Paragu~y and its confluents,
~s far as nature 0ffered no _impediment~. The Guaycu_ru~ had also always pos-
sessed the· adjaeencies of the same river, for the space of three hundred and
fifty miles at least. ·
As it is an indubitable fact, that there were no horses in South Americ;1 pre-
vious to its disc~very by Pinson, i~ 1500, and that they were first introduced
.into this eountry by its two conqpering n~tions, Spain and Portug·al, it cannot
pe <liffi.cul.t to define, with tolerabJe certainty, the e.po~q when the Guaycuru~
first obtained these animais, which they used at al~ times, even iQ. theü~ sbortes!
excursions, and with which t'hey rendered thernselves so . formidab1e to 11ll tbe
cir.ç umjacent nations, not excepting the conquerors of the country. It would
~ppear probable that they fi..r st derived the horse from the çolonists of A~(Sump.­
tion, rather than from those pf Peru. If they were in form.e r times .powerfnl
in war.canoes, they onl y retained a sufficient llnmb~r for . passing from one to
the other side o:f rivers, on discovering that the horse was more t1seful' and ad-
~antageous for war, or for depredations upou the d:istant tribes, Suçh waS. the
.state of those two :aatiqns about the year 1720, when tl)eir reçiproc.al aversiori
was converted into a ~rm a\Uance, the Guaycurus soo:r~ becoming equally for-;
~idable upon both el~~ents, with an establishment Qf' w~r c~noes little jnferior
to that of the Payagoas .
.They contin\1ed to annoy the rising pro vince from t~e year 172.) to the year
1768, at which period a dislil'-'.tion occurred, and the Payagoas descended to
' tl~e low P.araguay, forrn:ed -a~ alliance, or, more prop.e rly speaking, su.bject~d
themselves to the Spaniards of the province of Paranna, where they fi.xed .
their habitations, and have lived since 1774, a little below Assumption.
Two causes are said to have influenced the P~yagoas iq. this separation 1
fhe great d.iminution of numbers which they had sustained in repeated conflicts
"\!ith the Spaniards and Portu'guese, and thejr jealousy of the Guaycurus, who.
th ey now found wet'e not less p0werful upon the water~ thaD: in the field. .
'l~he Guaycums persevered in tli:e saine ho.stility, although less frequent and
less destructive, as will p.resently be detailed, till tbe year 1791-, when the 0

principaLcaptains of this nation; Emavidi Channe, who assumed the name of

Pati•lo Joaq.uim Ferreü;a, aRd Qneyma, who, ~ook the name of Joam Q:u,ey:q1a:
sl'Albuquerque, accornpanied by seventeen of their warriors, with a Brazilian
creole, theit. slave or prisoner, for an interpreter, spontaneously came to soli-
cit peace at Villa Bella, where, in the palac~ of the g'o vernor, and in~the._ pre~
CC
 194 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO.

sence Õt the senate, they made a treaty of perp.etual friel).clship and allianae,
agreeing to beco me the vassals of bis faithful M ajesty. Letters-patent, se.cu-
ring to them the necessary privileges, were granted, which shall be transctibed
when we conclude the history of this important nation. We will now return to
the proceedings of the Paulistas, in reference to the early colonization of ihis
provmce.
In the year 1727, the governor Menezes arrived at 'the new an·aial, and gave
it the title of Villa Real (royal town) of Cpiaba. The following year he left this
town, and proceeded up the river Tocoary, to which was transferred, in 1729,
the navigation from the Embotatiu, with .the intention of avoiding, at least in
part, the attacks of the lndians. From this cHange, howe-ver, no advantage
resulted, in consequence of the. trifling distance between these two rivers. The
first division which left Cuiaba in the year 1730, with upwards of si:;dy
arrobas (thirty-two pounds each) of gold, acc.ompanied by Doctor Antonio
Alvez Peixoto, who had _accomplished the period of his ouvidorship, was
attacked in the Pantanos,* by an armada of eighty war canoes, manned by
more than eight hundred Indians. The pillage lasted for a considerable time,
and only seventeen Christians escaped by swimming to land. It was computed
that these warlike Indians lost ·more than four hundred co.m batants on this occa-
sion. Some gold, which they carried off, with maFly prisoners, the Payagoas
parted with at such a low price in the city of Assurnption, that an Indian ex-
ehanged, with one Donna Quiteria· de Banhos, six pounds weight for a pewter
plate. At this period, a singular branch of commerce flourished in this city,
which was in the disposal of cats, at exorbitant prices; the first pair of those
ari.imals that were brought to Assumption were sold for one pound of gold,
a~d their progeny at thirty oitavas, and so on, till the augmentation of this
race proportionably reduced their value. The extraordinary value of cats in
this place, was occasioned by the houses and stores of Indian corn, &c. being
infested with prodigious swarms of rats. ·
In 1730, the Brigadier Antonio de Almeida sent various persons, in two
canoes of wa1·, to procure a quantity of the sugar cane, wbich had been observed
o two years previously, by some certanistas, growing upon the borders of the
ri ver 'St. Lourenço. This party returned, at the expiration of two months, with
a ·~onsideraele supply of the cane, of which a pla11tation was formed, and it

"' Panfapos signifies rnarshy, and is the namc given to the swampy islands at the mouth of tbe
Tocoary, which are suumerged at the floods •.
 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO. 195

praspered so abundantly, that in the following year thete were , numerous

l~lanters. The juice of the cane was g~nerally distilled into spirit, and the
det'Q.and for it was so great, that a flagon of it sold at first for ten oitavas of gold.
From the use of this spirit, the pallid aspect of the people gave way to a better
complexion ; and the diminution of fevers, as well ar;; the mortality amongst
slaves, became rapidly manifest.
In this same year, an armament of thirty canoes of war a,nd fi.fty transports,
with six hp.ndred men, two pieces, and a great number of ·~uskets, were de-
spatêhed in pursuit pf au enemy's squadron, which had advanced to the
mouth of th~ Cuiaba, where it made some fisher~en prisoners. This armada
having proceed.e d to the mouth ef the Embotatiu, a division of the Indians was
descried, which, with loud yellings, suddenly disappeared. After a pursuit of
several days' voyage, which carried it beyond the strait where the waters of
the Paraguay are compressed betweenJ two morros, (large rocks,) the arma~a
one morning ünexpectedly encountered an Jndian fleet. The Indians, giving·
the signal of attack by loud and discordimt war-hoops, carne furiously to the
onset; but the thundêr of the musketry and pieces, which were discharged qpon
them at the same instant, as quickly prod!lced a retrograde movement, and
they were pursued in their precipitate flight by the Portuguese, as far as the
aldeia of Tavatim, from whence the latter returned, after having destroyed a
great many canoes found there.
. In the year 1732, all the canoes accomplished their destination with safety ;
but in the following year, a; fleet, consisting of fifty canoes, was destroyed, and
on the arrival of the few persons who escaped at Cuiaba, a squadron of thirty
canoes of war, and seventy of transport, was equipped; and cenfided to the
<{Ommand ef Lieutenant-General Man!lel Rodrigues de Carvalho.
Abo,u t the middle of August, 1734, this powerful fleet entered the Paraguay,
and having na:vigated a month without epcountering an enemy, they on.e morn-
ing .discoiVered ~t " day~break various fi.res at the bpttom of a bay, apparently
di:fficult of access, towards which, howeYer, they proceeded in great silence,
withôut being observed, till they arrived almost within gun-shot. The Indi.ans;
perceiving .themsel ves thus su.rprised and surrounded, raised a most horrible
y-ell', to whioh the Portuguesé responded by a discharge of upwards of four
hundred muskets, which occasioned great havoc amongst them'. Two hundred
and ninety-two were made prisone:rs, including wounded and child.ren, who
could not follow the fugitives to the woods. The whole were shortly aftel'-
wards baptized.
cc2
 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO.

In 173õ, after the returri of this armament from the Paraguay, and the arríval
of a fleet from St. Paulo, consisting of one· hundred and twelve canoes, the
mines were divided which Fernando de Barroz (a Sorrocabano) had discovered
three years before, a short distance from the present site ofVilia Bella, the capital
ofthis province, and where the new colonists died in great numbers from a malig-
nant fever, caused by some neighbouring stagnant pools. In the following year
the numerons fleet from St. Paulo was attacked by an Indian armada·, considerabl y
superior, at the situation of Caranda, on the day of St. Joze. The conflict lastéd
several hours, in which were killed, amongst others, their brave commandailt Pedro
de Moraes and Frey Antonio Nascentes, a Franciscan friar, whose extraordinary
powers and intrepidity had acquired him the by-name of Tiger. Many others
distinguished themselves more fortunately in this conflict, from which they
issued conquerors, having caused a horrib~e tarnage amongst "the sàvages.
None, however, displayed more hravery th.an a mulatto, from Pindamonhangabà;
called Manuel Rodriguez, and, vulgarly, Manduassu, Manuel the Great, in
consequence of bis immense stature, strength, and courage. This gigantic
n1an, who commanded his own canoe, in which h e was· accompanied by bis
wife, of the same colour, and various slaves, being attacked by" tw<? Indian
war canoes, defended himself with such valour and dexterity that neithev were·
able to board him ; at one time he discharged a musket, which his wife succe~r­
sively loaded for him, at another he wielded a vam, (a long pole for impe,l ling
the canoe,) thé strokes of which were fatal to a1l those wbo carne within bis
reach. On bis arrival at Cuiaba he was presented with the commission of á
. {
captain.
I n the same year a rÓad was opened to the territory of Goyaz, (so called
from the Goya lndians,) from · whence upwards of fifteen hundred persons
departed, witli horses and numerous troops of mules, besides ·those who
descencled by the river St. Lourenço, attracied by the annonncement of gold
which had been found in Matto Grosso, from whence, in fad, eighty arrobas
of that metal were despatched the same year to St. Paulo in eigbt canoes of
wár, each furnished with sixteen chosen men, and commanded by Lieutenarit-
General Manuel Rodrigues de Carvalho, who conducted them in security, and
p ut an Indian Clivision to ílight .whicb attacked them at the entrance .of the
P antanos. With this intelligence almost the "Yhole ·popúlation Õf Cúiabà left
that' town for the newly-discovered mines of Matto Grosso, (Larg·e W oods.)
F ive bundred oitavas were paid for negroes, and they were cheap, from the
g·ain which they afforded. ·
 PROV,INCE OF MATTO GROSSO: 197

In 1740 the lndians were ~again beaten, at the empouchure of the Tacoary,
by the fleet from St. Paulo, commanded by Je~·onimo Gonsalves, (an Hituan,)
who arrived at Matto Grosso with a great number of lances, or spears, that
belonged to the lndians who perished in the coll)bat, he haviilg himself lost
four canoes laden with merchandise and slav.es. After bis arrival some domestic
Bororo lndians> brought intelligence that t~e Spanish Jesuits had est'ablished
themselves near the heads of the Paraguay, reducing into aldeias the Guara-·
parez tribe.
It being well known that this step was not taken for want of lndians to con-
vert in the vicinity of their own missions, the Portuguese counselled them to retire
peaceably, which advice was disregarded. The inconstancy, however; of the
catechuméns obliged the cateclüsts to retrace their steps to the aldeias of the
province of St. Cruz de la Sierra, before measures were takert for their expul-
swn.
In the year 174.2 Manuel de Lima descended, with :five lndians, three
mulattoes, and a negro, iri a canoe, by the Guapore, Madeira, and Amazons,
to the city of Para.
At the same period that M anueI de Lima descendecl the Madeira, one Joaquim
Ferreira, with other tràders, acl vanced úp the Mamore td the mission of
Exaltaçao. The same persons, or others with a similar intention, returning the
follmying year, found the mission of St. Rosa newly erectecl upon the eastem
margin of the Guapore, almost in front of the outlet 'by which they hacl entered·
to St. Miguel the prececling year. The jesuitical curate determining to impede
their navigation of the ri ver, it was conjectured that, for the better effecting this
project, h e shortly afterwards reinovea the mission of St. Miguel also .to the
same side, and founded that of S,t. Simao further to the north. It notwith-·
standing· appears that the people of Matto Grosso did not desist from the navi-
gation of this ri ver. -li:· '

By the treaty of Jimits, Jiberty was given to these Indians to remain in the country or to pass
·:to "
" to the otheF side of the Guapore, which latter they did by the persuasions of th~ Spanish curates.
" The mission of St. Roza, which consisted of four hundred Indians, and removed 'iu 17õ4, was
"' nea•: a waterfall, where D. Antonio Rolin ordered a fort to be constructed. That of St. Mig~el,
" which was in a plain near the river and had' six hundred lndians, was removed in 17ó3; aud that
"
' '
of St. Simao, which comprised more than two . thousand inhabitants, and was rewoved in 1752,
" existed near a river a little below the situatio~1 of the Pedras." Extract jrom tlte History oj thé
Jou1·neys oj tlte Lituti:nant-Genet·al of Matto Gt·osso. M.S.
198 PR:.OVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO.

Ih 17 43 the combined lndians observing certain, signals at the mouths of the

Tocoary of a fleet ha,·ing passed forwat·d, they pr0ceede'd up in pursuit of it as
far as the 'reducto of Sappe, in the vicinity of the town of Cuiaba, where they
killed some fishennen.
A seriês of sach calamities produced a resolution of .t he ouv.idor, J0am
Gonsalves, in a junta with the senate anel the principal persons of the town, to
endeavour to obviate hQstilities, tbro.ugh the medium of a firm friendship with
the Guaycuru Indians, they not being considered so inveterate against the
P<:>rtuguese> whose maledictions feU upon the Payagoa tribe, ~ttributing to
them alone' âll the injuries they bacl sustai11ed. With this intention, a squadron
of six canoes of war and six of transport, was sent, under the command of
Captain Antonio de Medeiros, with a consi.derable quantity of articles most
esteemed by the Indians, equally for the purpose of making presents as to ex-
change for horses. Having arrived at an island in front of a post occupied by
thé Guay01:1.1'l.is, the comtnandant sent an ln!clian, versed in their langu.age, W'ith
two white soldiers, to the chief of the party, soliciting him tQ come to the
island, as he was desirous to make him some presents, and to enter jnto a
negotiation. On the following day' the Indian captain ptesented himself, with
a numerous band of men and women, upon the beach near'est to the islantl,
and with the thi·ee deputies sent two of bis to Medeiros requesting him to come
áiid parley on ]and, the two lndians to remain as hostages upon the islaiid.
Medeiros immediately prGceeded to the other side with· a con&iderable part of
bis foTce, and an assortment of various articles, with which he complhnented
the captain an.d hls relations. He then propased the projected negotiation,
which was to etfect a cessation of hostilities with the Payagoas, and to barter
horses for European merchandise ; to all which the lndian promptly assented.
On the following day a large party of Pórtuguese passed to the other side, in
order to traffic with the lndians, without any kind of arms, imprudent:ly confidin,.g
in the apparent demonstrations of sincerity which they had evinced; when, about
nine o'clock, those who bad remained with Medeiros in the squadron perceived
a tumult amongst the savages, which convinced them that their comrades were
lost. They immedia:tely fired upon them, when the traitors instantly fled, fifty
Christians remaining dead npon the field. This disaster terminated ali hopes of
a friendly negotiation.
In 1744 the lndi;;ms were routed by tbe Paulista fleet, without the Christians
sustaining more loss than one negro, from the wound of a lance. N otwith,.
standing the disaster which the savages experienced on this occasion, they
 PROVI!NCE OF MATTO GROSSO. 199

boldly ~d~anced up 'th:e Paragu.ay the s·ame year, as far as the passage from
Ouiaba. to 1\fatto Gr(i)sso; a'l!ld~ disembarking'àt an early hour ne.ar the estahlish-
ment of Joam d' Oliveira, set fin~ to bis ho~se, and killed several peopl~.
On the 24th of September, in this yea;r, at mid-day, in cle.a r weather, a sub-
terraneous noise was heard, and the earth immediately quaked, continuing .t q
experience vari6us tremulaus agitat~ons, whioh produced considerable ala~m in
ali places of Matto Grosso and Cuiaba. At · this. period, a drought already
prevailed, which lasted tiH 1749. Ali th:e woods were par,ched up, and no
lónger exhibited 'any foliage; the atmosphere was naw only the vehicle of
smc.;;ke ; allliving creatu:res sutfered ft om íamine and other calamities ; and
·death stalked in universal trinmph.
The earthquake, which, in Octoher two years afterwards, 1746, agitated the
t erritory of P~rn, and destroyed the city of Lima, its capital, was here very
s.e:nsibly felt; filling eve11y living creature with sudden dread, but unattended
with worse consequences.
Before the conclusion :of this same year, the Captain Joao de Souza; ·de,..
scended the. Arinos, Tapajoz, and the Amazons, to Para, arnd returned the
following year by the MaQ.eira, with ·E uropean merchandise; after bis arrival,
other dealers depa:rted by the same route, which has been frequented to this
day, in spite of the great difficulties to which this prolonged voyage has hitherto
been subject.
Two years had almost elapsed, before .the rains had reanimated the face óf
the country, given verdure to the foliage of th.e unbounded woods, renovated
the springs, arrested the ravages of death, and facilitated journeys by land;
when, about the beginning of January, 1751, a numerous fieet arrived at
Cuiaba, accompanied by Don Antonio Rolin de Moura, as governor of the
new province, a Juíz de .Fora, (Theotonio de Sylva Gusmao,) two Jesuits, and
a troop of dragoons. At the end of this year, the governor proceeded to th~
mines· of Matto Grosso, with the intentíon of promoting the navigation disc.o- '
vered by Manuel de Lima to Gram ·Para, and to compel the retrocession of
the Sr>anish J esuits establishecl. on the right margin of the Gu~pore. D.
Antonio Rolin, commanded to found a . town in the situation. best adapted
for the etfPctuating those projects, selected for its site a place called Pouz.o-
alegre, feunded and named it on the 19th of March, 17 52 ; an,d, on the 25th of
Nevember, hy order of the bishop ·of Rio de Janeiro, the hermitage of St. Anna
was eanverted into its rnother church. ·
With -the opening of the roads to Bahia and Rio de.Janeiro, a:nd ·wità the
20Q PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSQ.

new navigation of Gram Para, tbat of ·camapuan began to be less fJ:equented.

The miners who were interested in proceeding to St. Paulo by this fatal
way never accomplished it, except with a co)1siderable number of canoes~
equipped with chosen men, and armed with the be~t instruments of defence ;
and ?Ccasionally accompanied by canoes of war to a certain situation in th ~
river Tocoary, ~here they wai~ed for the Paulista fleet to protect them tbrough
the passage of the Pantanos. .
Subsequent to th~ separation, already· mentioned, . of the two nations, oneof
the most disastrous hostilities whi~h the Portuguese experienced · from . tbe
Guaycurus was in May, 1775, when tbey p~oceeded up the Paraguay, in· twenty
canoes, nearly to Villa Mar~a, wbere they assassinated sixteen persons, and
carried off many others prisoners.
The foundation of the prezidio, o r ga~rison, of Nova Coimbra, in the t;~ame
year, upon the western margin of the Paraguay, ought to have be~m, ac"cording
t<;> the order of General L. d' Alburquerque, forty leagues further to the south, at
the p1ace ca1led Fecho dos Morros, where it would have contributed to the
protection of the navigators of St. Paulo. The author of the Guaycurus,
(written in this prezidio by one of its governors,) says, that he could but pártially
embarrass 'the passage of the Indians, or prevent the flight o~ deserters; a11q
that its founder had committed an error, from whence resulted the entrance of
the Spaniards into the dominions ~f bis faithful Majesty, where they foumded
Villa Real, St. Carlos, and St. J oze.
The last hostility wbich the Portuguese sustained from tbe Guaycu~·us, was
the atrocious àssassination of fifty soldiers in a plain fronting Nova Coimb1·a,
in January, 1781, at the time they were bartering some.ar.ticles with the batba-
rians who had been there twice before with demonstrations of friendsh.ip. '
The prezidio of Nova Coimbra was ·b esieged in Septemb~.r, 1801, by. th~
.Spaniards, who proceeded from the city of Assumption with four escunas and
twenty canoes. It was the fir~t time that the thunder ,of contending artillery
had been heard in the centre of South America, and from which the Guaycuru
an.d Payagoa warriors formed an idea of the European mode of warfare. The
commencement of hostilities produced the follQwing correspondence between
the Spanish and Po~tuguese commandants : -
" I had the honour, last evening, to contest the tire of the fort under the
" command of your Honour; an.d having ascertained that the force with whiçh
" I am about to attack it is much superior to that of yonr HonoL~r, whic4 c~~­
' ' not fail to reduce it to the ultimate state of misfortune ; and a~ the vassa.l~ of
 .-

PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO. 201 •

'~ his Catholic Maj'esty know how to respect the laws of humanity, an opportu-
" nity is offered, and your Honour is required to surrender the fort to the
" arms of the King my master; on the cantt·ary the camion and the sword will
" decide the fate of Coimbra, and its unfortunate garrison will suffer all the
" extremities of war, from which calamity it will see itsélf delivered, if your
" Honour complies with my proposal. Furnish me with your decision cate-
" g·orically, in the course of one hour. On board of the Escuna, Nossa Sen-
" hora do Carmo, 17th ef "September, 1801.
''- DoN LAZARO DA RI·BERA."

" Coimbra, 17th September, 1301.

" I have the honour to reply categoric.ally to you~ Excellency, that the
" inequality of force always·was a sti'inulus which greatly animated the Portu-
" guese not to forsake their posts, and to defend themselves to tbe two
" extremities, either of repelling the enemy, or burying themsel ves below the
" ruins of forts confided to them. In this resolution are al( the individuais of
" this prezidio, who have the disting·uished honour of seeing in front of it th~
" exalted pers<?n of your ExceUency, whom God preserve.
F:RANco n' ALMEIDA."
.. " RICARDO

The assailants withdrew with some loss, after being nine days ineffectually
attempting to carry the fort.
This province, which lies between the parallel of 7° where it joins that of
Para, and 24° 30' of south latitude where it borders upon that of Paranna,
occupies a territory of nearly eleven hundred milE:l_s from north to south, with
almost eight hundred at its greatest width, being more extensive than ancient
Germany.
On its western limits it has the Spanish possessions, from which it is se.pa-
rated by the rivers Guapore, Jauru, and Paragufty, and on the eastern the river
Paranna, which divides it fi·orn the province of St. Paulo, and the Araguaya,
which separates it from that of Goyaz. It comprises nearly four climates,
éntering twenty leagttes into the temperate zone. A country so extensive
necessarily àdmits of a considerable variety in every point of view in which it
can be r~garded. N ature itself h as partitioned it into three grand districts, or
comarcas, of which two are divided into six smaller ones, and their limits (also
natural) wjH become, perhaps, on some future day, those appropriated for the
formation of the same number of ouvidorias, when the accumulation . of its
populati?n may render such a measure desirable.
D D •
o
202 PROVlNCE OF ,MATTO GRQSSQ..

Tlie southern dislrict is denominated Camapuania. '

lVIatto Grosso, on the west.
The central district comprises { Cuiaba, central.
Bororonia, on the east.
1
'.{Jm:l;~n·~~.' on the west.
The 'ndrthern di~trict corriprises Armos, central.
'Tappiraquia,
,
on the east.

Disl1·ict cif CAMAPUANIA.

The rivers Tocoary, Cochim, Camapuan, and Pardo, the ongm of which
approximating, the three first flowing westward and ·the 'last eastward, separate
the district of Carnapuania into north anel south, the northern lirnits of ·which is
a chain of mountains, that in the latitude of about 13° extend themselves from
east to west, and from whence emanate the Paraguay and its first branches
to the southward, and those which form the Tapajos and the Zingu to the
northward.
This district, which derives its name from the river Çarnapuan, is bounded on
the west by the river Paraguay; on the south by the Cbichuhi and Igurey; on
the east by the Paranna; and cornprises a tract of territory of upwards oof three
hundred and fifty miles square. It is a ceuntry almost universal1y flat, and
has its woods chiefly in the vicinity of tbe rivers. It consists principally ·
either of catingas (not adapted to agriculture) o r plains, anel is irriga:ted by a g1·eat
number of rivers, the most considerable of which· o:riginate in a range of land
from north to south, of. very trifling· elevation, and denominated the serra Am-
ambuhi, dividing· the canton into east and west. A vast po11tion. of the western
. partis annually submerged by the jnundations .of the Paraguay, which in some
par~s covers more than seventy. miles of plain.
MINERALOGY.-Gold, calcareous stone, granite, variety·,pf argils, diamonds,
anel otber preaious stones.
PHYTOLOG-Y.-The vegetable on which the cochineal hreeds, and the sb.rub '
wh~ch .produces matte, are very c0mmon in varions sitnations; a divensity of
palm trees, caju-nut trees, f01:tr sorts of excellent guabúoba fruit, .ihree of the
.uvaspiriticas, the frriit siQJ.ilar to a gTape, and the plant to the strawberry. The
Parag·uaynians make various bev.erages of it.
RIVERS.-The Tocoary, Pardo, Mondego, Igatimy, Correntes, Ippanne
Guaç11, Miamaya, lvinheirria, and tbe Negro, are the principal.
The river Pardo, (Grey,) so called from the colour of its waters, is formed ,b y
 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO. 203

the Sanguexuga 'and the Vermelho. The latter, of a .green colo'ur, partaking of
the · hue· of its bêd, is small, and flows from the north. The Sanguexu'g·a, (the
Leach,) so called from passing near a lake where they are excellent, orig·inates· a
few miles 'to thé south-w·e st of ·the Camapuan, and is navigable for the space of
five or six leagues. Its water is crystalline and excellent as far as the confluence
with the former. The Pardo is considerable, and so rapid that canoes advance
against its stream by the use of the vara with great labour; water falls -anel
currents increasing more and more from its centre upwai·ds, which render tbe
navigation more tediol!ls tl!an · auy other river which th.e Cuiabanos nàvigate,
who consume almost two· mon.ths in proceeding up to the situatlon where the
navigation of only two hundred and eighty miles terminates, computing by
water. lts course is winding towards the sóuth-east, through delightful plains
at the commencement, where the navigator passes the white deer, anta,
tamandua, wild hog, wo1f, ·'fox, emu õstrich, se;iema, partridge, &c. which
im~ite him to the diversion o f shooting·.
These .plains continue to the falli$ of Caiuru Guaçu and Caiuru Mirim,' which
are ·sltuated aóout the middle of the exte1it of this river, with an interval of
tluree miles 0ne fre>m the other. From this -s ituation downwards, both margins
are clothed with wGods, abounding more in honey than fi·uits, and only one
slljla1l fall or current is met with, called Capoeiras, eighteen miles belów that of
Caiuru Mirim.
1The principal falls of this river are the Caiuru GuaÇu, · Tijuco, Tacoaral,
Tam:andua, Curao, which is the larg·est of the whole, and near fifty palms in
heig.ht,' Bailo, Lage Grancle, Lage Pequena, Banco Grande, Banco Pequena.
In passing· these, the canoes ai·e ~onveyed 'by land ;- Caiuru Mirim, Banquinho,
Cirga Comprida, Empiru·cl!'l, Mang·aval, Cirg·a do Campo, Manuel Rodrigues,
Sucuri, Embirucut Mirim, another called' Embirucu, Paredao, Furado, Formi-
gueiro, Pedtas d' Amolar, V erme~ho, Tocoarapaia, past 3:11 which canoes are
·dragged by a: warp, with but half a cargo, an~ double the number of people.
There are others passed with full cargoes, the canoes being impelled by a
greater or less number of men. •
Upon the, banks of the Pardo, two' sorts of the palm are seen, which are not
met with near a:ny of the other rivers of the Cuiabana 1~avigation. One called
guacumart, ~lender aild six or seven feet in height, of which a good bait for fish
is made; the other, denominated brutiz, is high and thick with leaves seven
feet long. The lndians, and al~o the ancient certanistas,_ made of its fruit a
wine, very ·s imilar to that of the red grape in colour and taste.
D D 2
/
204 PROVINCE OF _MAT'tO, GROSSO.

The principal rivers which enlarge the Pardo are the Anhanduhi Guaçu,
Anhanduhi Mirim, and Sucuri; they join it by the right margin. The last and
smallest disembogues :fifty miles below the Vermelho. The :first, rising in the
centre of the province, - discharges itself into the Pardo, seventy miles above
its embouchure. The Anhanduhi Mirim enters it forty mi.les belo~ ·t hé Sl!lcuri.
Fifteen rniles above the mouth of the Vermelho, is the port Óf . Sang1aexuga on
the left margin of the river of the same name, where the canoes, which pro-
ceed up the ri ver Pardo, are unloaded and conducted in cm·retas, (a sort of cart
with four wh:eels, drawn by six or seven bulloçks,) aoross an isthmus ofnear ten
miles in width, through plains anel woods to the port of Camapuan, on the left
bank of the srnall river of that n~me, which originates near the · :first, in the
skirts of the serro of Sacco. From hence, the navigation is only with half a
cargo, and accomplished with prodigious labour (in consequence of tbe shoals
anel stones of which this riv~r is full) to the Cochim, where the goods are
deposited in ranchos, and well guarded, until the remainder of the cargoes are
fetched. Forty miles are reckoned from the pott to the mouth of this river, tra-
versing woods defi.cient in fruits and garoe. ·
The river Cochim, which originates in the vicinity of the Sanguexuga, runs
violently between sides, formed of steep and frightful rocks, which in some
places are narrowed to four or fi.ve fathoms; in other parts it passes through
extensive woo4s, affording little fruit, but abounding in game, where two
sorts of palro tre?S, in great quantities, are observed, the one called guacuriz,
the other bocayuvas. The principal of twenty-two falls, which interrupt the
navigation of this river, are, Mangava!, :five leagues below the mouth of the
Camapuan ; Pedm Branca, near thirty miles below the preceding; and Vare,
all requiring do11:ble the number of persons to pas~ ; Culapada, Furnas, Canél-
las d' A~dre Alvez, Avanhandavussu, and Avanhandavu Mirim, two miles
distant from each other; P. Luiz Antonio, which is very perilous ; Jiquitaya ;
and Cachoeira da Ilha, which is thre.e miles above the confluence of this river
with the Tocoary. The principal streams · which enlarge the Cochim are the
:(pferno, (Infernal River,) Sellada, and the Jauru, entering by the rig·h.t rnargin;
the Fnrado, Orelha d' Anta, J oam Bicudo, a:nd the Tocoary Mirim, by the Jeft.
The latter enters near the embonchure of the Cochim.
The Tocoary has its heads near the boundary of Cayaponia, much to the
north of Camapuan. When it receives the Cochim, it is already considerable,
and near this confluence tbere is a large fali of its name, where the canoes
are relieved of half the cargo, in order to pass it without danger. A little
 PR.OVlNCE OF MATTO GROSS0.

lower there is another small one, denominated Belliago, the last of this river,
(the ordinary width of which is here about sixty fathoms,) and also the lást of
one hundred and thirteen, which navigatm·s encounter from P01t Feliz to
Cuiaba. The greater part of its course is through campinhas, with littlé wood,
describing continuai and short turnings, which give it an appearance to the
navigator of bis always being enclosed within a lake. It abounds in fish ~ but
its waters are impregnated with a fine sand. Amongst other islands, which it
for.ms, is that of Passaros, (or Birds,) so called on account of the infinite
numbei· that breed i'I! :it, and with which its trees are always laden: it dis-
charges into the Paraguay, through many ·channels, which form a great number
ef islands, generally submerged during the floods of either river. These
islands are denominated Pantanos, where, amongst other rare birds, is seen
a beautiful oRe caUed anlzupocas. lt is the · size of the inlzuma, having al'So,
like it, a horn upon the head, and spurs to the wings ; it ·sings from midnight
till day. Wilel geese are exceeelingly numerous, and fo1· their · exclusive sus-
tenance · uature here proeluces a p1·odigious quantity of wild r~ce, and of so
large a size that no other bi.J:~ d can swallow it. Amongst othe1; remarkable
trees, ou the margins of this river, the most esteemed is a species of palro tree,
thicker round. the trunk than the arms of a man can compass ; its nuts, which
are the size of an ostrich's egg, supply the aliment of the Indiari.
, The river Mondego, otherwise Embotateu, origiually Aranhahi, is consider-
able, and navigable nearly to its origin, whicJl is a short distance from that of
the Anhaneluhi Guaçu, anel runs 'into the Paraguay eighteen miles below the
Toco~ry. The largest of its tributaries, which enter by the right margin, is
now called the riyér Verde. The last confluent o f the Mondego, by th'e southein
bank, is the small river Zezere, which. rises near the inconsiderable serra of
St. Barbara.
The Ivinheima, which enters the Paranna _'by three mouths, flows from the
· interio1.: of the province, whither it.affords navigatio·n; anel receives by the left
the Jaguary, a river little inferior to it.
The Negro, which is considerable, and would appear to be the Sambambaya
of the first certanistas, ·r uns into the Paranna twenty miles above the northern
mouth of the lvinheima. .
The Miamaya, or Miamay, which is co:p.sidereel to be the river formerly
called Amambahy, is large, and enters the Paranna forty miles below the
southern arm of the Ivinheima.
The Igatimy, to which is given one hundred and fifty miles o( extent, Is
 206 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO.

navigable very near to its source ·in the serra Amambahy. · Eighfy miles in a
direct line fl'Om its embouclh.u·e is thé passag·e of the Guaycu1·us, where the river
is shallow. Twenfy· miles lower it receives 011 the left the small riveL· Bogas;
ánd thirty-five miles fm-ther; 011 the same si de·, the Escopil, which is · Jíttle
inferior, a11cHlows fTom the same serra.
The name of this fine confluenee is 'Forquilha. lt is 'an advantage0us~ point
for the estab1ishment of a ·colony. From hence to the Pâta11na, ·the dístance is
about thirty-five miles, with onl•y two falls. · 're11 miles above this point, the
first of twenty-o11e falls is · encountered, ali of th em comptessed within the·
space of ten miles ; from these cataracts upwaJrds, the tiver &'as Í10 inferruption
to a little above the Guaycnru ford, already mehtioúed. The course is wínding,
the lateral lands low, and c.overed wi.th impervious woods. · · . .
The Correntes, · which appeârs to be the same that 't he Spaniards cailed Rio
Branco, (White River,) is considerable, and enters the ·'Paraguay fifty. miles
below the Feqlzo dos Morr-os, ( dosing 'of Rocks.)
The lpanne Guaçu, after having watered an ~minhabited territory, falls ihto
,the Paragm1y· one hundred miles below the Correntes.
At no great distance from the lgatimy are the heads of two small rivers
called (th.e northern) Iguaray Assu, and (the southern) Iguaray Mirim, which
after uniting, join the Chichuhi, a river that disc~arges ' itsdf into the Paraguay,
in the latitude of 24° 12'. Neither the treaty of limits agreecl: upon in 1751' or
1777, mention ~bis river, or any other às · the divisionary line; but from the
principal origin of the Igurey, the ninth article of the latter treaty. says, tha:~
the boundary is to coi,~.tinue in " a .direct line, by the highest land, 'to the prin-
cipal head of the nearest ri ver which . enters the Paraguay ;" and. the Chichuhi
appears to answer best this adjustment. This ri ver is also cal1ed Jeju.hy, formed,
it is said, by the Grande and Pequena Jejuhy, which after their jt.mc:tion
receives on the left -the Coruguaty. , ·
Nearly fi.fteen miles to the· south of the Igatimy, the riv'e r lgurey falls into
the Paranna, which has formed the limits on that side; between the crowns of
Spain and Portugal, since the year J777.
ZooLoGY.-There are antas of ali colours, WQlves, white d.eer, with ali other
species of quadrnpeds lmown in the other provinces. · The middle of the
northern part of this province is called, in the journals or diaries of the cer-
tanistas, Vaccaria, ( ór Cattle· Plains,) iN consequence of the catt]e that were
here dispersed when the Paulistas expelled the inhabitants of the city Xerez,
and of fi ve· neighbouring· sniall aldeias, which forrrtéd a small · province, of .
 PROVINCE OF ·M ATTO GROSSO. '207

which the said city was the head. The remainder of these animais, almost.
extinct from the devastations of the wild beast and the hunter, were a11gmentecl
in 1797, by those- which the Guaycurus . carrie'd off, when they .plundered the
Spanish plains of the .town of Coruguaty ; ·a nd àlso by. such as escaped from
the Coruguatynos, who pursued (to .the number of. t\pwarâs of fifteen hundred)
the ·harbarian pillagers. ·
Various sa:vage nations have dominion in this couritry ;· tbe Guaycuru is the
m<:>st distinguished. At the pres€mt day théy are · .divided into .three bodies ;
one of which, without any alliance -wüh othe1· nations,d.ive· along . the western
margin of the Paraguay~ · su bdividéd into vàriOtis hordes : the most southern are
called Línguas by the neighbourillg Spaniards; arrd when they infest the aldeia~
of the provirice of St. Cruz de la Sierra, are there known by the name Xü·iqua-.
nos; óthers bave the appellation of Cambaz. TL1ose who possess th~ eastern.
vicüaity of the same ri ver, constitute -the otll.er t.wo bodies ; the southern are
allied with the Spaniards, the norther.n with the Portug·uese. The Fecho dos·
Morros, or an approximating situation, is· the separating· line. No ditference is
remarked of-origin, :id~oni, and usages, among~t tbese tJtree portion~ o'f IJ;idian::;,_
otherwise Çleclared -enetnies to each other. The allies' o{ the ,P..orttígues~,
extending from the Mondego southward, are divided into seven bordes, or
large aldeias, generally .friends, to each other, anel '\<vithont the least difference
in any respett. ·Chagoteo, PacachQ~d.eo, Adioeo, Atiadeo, Ole.o, -L audeo,. and
Caàioeo, ·are 'the names by which>they are clisti11guis.hed. In none ..of these
aideias," which would be better designated as large tpwns 1 are there any ac.-
knowled:ged superior to the rest. Each borde· is comp.os.e d oí three clal'ses of
persons ; thejirst, árê a speci.es of.nohl.esse,. entitled captains, anel whose. wi·ves,
and daughters have the distinction .of donds; the second,, are denomiqated
soldim·s, or men whose military 6bedience .descends from father tÇ> so11; and
the third, eaptives or slaves, comprising..the prisoners of war.and their descend-
ants. There are but a few of the fi.rst ·in each aldeia, the · second. are very
numerous, ,and the thh;d e.xceed many ümes the nmnber of the othe.r s . taken
conjointly. The captains and s.oldi~rs have an intermi.xed origin, and th~ir
title .of g·entility is joage: · The sla\res are of va1:io'us nations, acquired in. war,
never undertatken with any othe.p object, than for the augmentation of prisoners,
in the ~umber of which consist$ the ·degree. of nobil~ty, o r distinction of the
captains. These irruptions are exterminatory, taking· aw.ay the lives of the
elde1t people and t~e Jiberty of. the. young·er. Snch youthful <::aptives soon for-
get their idiom and customs·, and adopt those of the Guaycurus, and neve:r
 208 PROVlNCE OF MATIO GROSSO.

abscond, as their masters do not occupy them in any thing. 1t is reputed

highly degrading for a senhor, o~ -lo11d; t() ~ontract marriage witb bis slave; the
son treats with contempt the ~p.ther wh:o 'l}ore him by a slave. -
The Guaycurus are of medíilm stature; well made, healthy, rob_ust, and appear
formed to the most painful aud -· laborious un.dertakings. They e~t many" times
in the day, very slowly, and 'their provisions are generally ever-dt·essed, an~
cooked without any attention-to cle.a nliness. They never suffer from indiges-
tion. They are most particular in the diet which they use on occasions of their
unfreqnent indispositions. The scurvy never makes its appearance, and sudden
deaths are never known. Bodily defects are exceedingly rare ;· blind persens
sometimes are seen, but none are ever bald. Their teeth ar.e almost universally
·irregular, in ·consequence of ri.ot extracting the first teeth of the youth whe~ they
change them, an omission carising from the tenderness with which they are treated;
but they commonly retain them till death, although_ black enough, from tbe- pr<;>•
digious quantity .of tobaccQ which they use. Tbe women always carry a piece
between the under lip and gums. 'T hey paint the body with the dye of the
u1·ucu and jenipapo, in which opera.tio~ much symmetry is. preserved. The
youth have no certain usage in tbe disposal _of their lank ~air; the aged· shave
their heads similar to the lay Franciscans.
The women likewise shave their heads around, and clip the hair; · teaving it.
three inches in length at the .top. Their physiognOiny is broad, and presents
nothing agreeable in conseqqence of the dye which they introduce _into the _skin
with thorns, forming lines, that commence at the Toots of the hair,: and -termi-
nate at the. eye-lids or the cheeks, and in some instances at the chin, -wh.ere
they give it the appearance of a éhess boat:d, an ash colour being so indelibly
fixe~, that it continues through life. They are usually wrapped up in a Iarge
cotton cloth, from the neck to -the feet, striped with_varieus colours ; -the moi·e
o~tentatious ornament. themsel ves with shells, tbe mother.:.pearl appearing out-
-wards ; some have upon them tbe figure of their horses, well drawn in black
and white. Below this dress they wear a very wide girdle, called an t;J,!fulate;
without which a girl from her birth is never seen. Ornamental strings gf silve-r.,
in necklaces and bracelets for the arms and legs, and a. plate of the same metal
at the breast, are generally displayed, for the manufaçture of which, a stone
anvil a_n d hammer are Hsed. In {ormer times, these omaments coBsisted of
wood, such as are yet seen amongst some of the poor.
Early in life they become meagre, and their skins, as well as those of the
men at arí advanced age, are remarkably wrinkled .

•.,
 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO . 209

The men h.à ve no other clothing than a _narrow girdle, or' ànla of dyed cotton,
which they tie round the middle of the body ; anel after they have had C€>rn-
munication with the Europeans, they cover them wi.t h bea.d s @f' divers colours,
· forming different · devices. They ornament the .bead; at;ms, and legs, wi_th
plumes, or featbers, of various · colours. 'Fhey bave .the undet· lip perforated,
and a cylinder of · wood, almost as thick as a: writing pen, and three inches
long, introdnced, the richer class wearing them of silver ; and in . their ears,
half moons ·of the same metaL The ll)en ~re diligent in huntirrg, fi:shing, gatheT-
ing hóney and 'wild fr;uits, and in tbe manufacture of ·arms and canoes, which
they call noatelc. The women spin, manufactt~.re clothes, and cintas, or gir-
dles· of cotton .; and make cords, mats, &c. Botb sexes occupy themselves
equally in culinary affairs·.
They breed all the species of domestic· Eut:ppean birds an~ quadrupeds intro-
·d uced ·into the country; and soJne peculiar to this continent, with gr,eat atten-
tion and CaTe, Ín consequence of which the who}e are particu}arly tame. ·
. Agriculture is held in contempt by them ; and meat is theit only ali"ment,
which renders theü~ stock of animais not over abundant, with the exception of
horses, which they never eat. ·. They change the colour of a green parro.t into
yellow, by stripping off the plurriage, and applying the dye of the u·rucu, to its
unfeàtherecl skin. ·
From their custom of incessant riding on horseback, their legs are crook-
ed. - They d6 not 'use the saddle 'or ·stirrups, nor any substitute for them,
and their bridle·s consist ~~ 'cords. They' l>r.e ak theit horses in water, in order
that 1lbe rider ·m ay not be dismounted, or that 1lis fall may be less sensihly felt.
Their war-horses are not used for any other purpose; nor do. they ever sell
them . . Th~ women are' mounted on horseback between bundles of dried grass
upon a cl?th which ser,ves .a t the ·same time for a h~using·.
Tbe Guaycurus are dreaded and respected by the surrounding n~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 stalf, of four to .five spans in
length, anel an inch in düu;neter; a lance, Somewhat thicker, and twelve feet
long; a ·tmssado, ot· latrge lmife, and t)le bQw and arrow . . They are .equipped
.lvith all those arms, wben they proce ed upon .their war-horses, in the following
man:ner. They encirde thems-elv.es with a cord, between which ·and' the body, the
.c.l ub is in~roduced on the right side, the ti·assa,do on th.e left; with the left hancl
they -govern the horse, and with the right. wield the l~nce, which they do ~iot

' .
 •
210 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO.

use when they carry the bow and arrow. They also use the Ia·ço in their hunt-
. ing excursions.
A year does not elapse without their undertaking campaigns - against,.~ and
making prisoDers of the Guatos, Cayapos, Borovos, Xiquitos, Chamocoeos, (the
two last are of the ptovince of St. Cruz de la Sierra,) Guaxis, who dwell about
the heads of the Aranhahy, Coroas, Caiavabas, Guannas, ánd other tribes.
The Guannas are the most nnmerous, and amongst them alon:e is remarked
the cultivation of some hortulans and c@tton trees. · -
They content themsel.:ves with one wife; but the law is free to both parti~s
to elfett a separation, and contract a new alliance, when ·one is disgusted with
the other; such separations, however, are v.ery rare. The cei·emony of marriage
consists in a plentiful banquet, accompanied with a rude.tdance.
They hav'e a general cemetery, which is a large open strncture C(i)Vered 'with
mats, where each family h as a part staked off for lts use. Above the sepulehres
of the men are deposited their bows, arrows, and other .arms. T.hose of dis-
ti.nguished wan-io~s are d~cked with ornaments. Rich young fema•les .are deco-
I'ated as if for the bridal day. r:I'hey hav~ no .religion; and, in place o( d0cto.rs
or surgeons, there are certain persons denominated Unigenitos, who are pre-
teH.ded divine:t·s and superstiti@us .imposters, absolutely destitut~ of ,t hat knGw-
]edge of medicine or eure of diseases, which belongs to other sa.vages less dis-
tinguished. They 'cure their patíents by smoking or _!3m:king the part affected, _
a:nd expectorating into a grave; they do not prescribe any beverages.
They believ.e in a creator · of all, but to whom they pay no ki11d · of homag.e,
nor have. recourse upon any urgent occasÍ<!HlS; and also an inferior spirit,
e:ndowed wit.b the knowledge of .futurity, whom they denominate Nanigogigo.
They admit the-·immortality of the ·SOtJ.l; but it W<i>l!ltl d appear, they hàve no idea
of future recompenses. being proportiomed to the condtwt of I.ife ; they imagil}.e
that the souls of the .captains and unigenitos are in a state of enjoyment after
death, and that those of the people wander about the cemetery.
The nnigenitos acquire m'ost -credit hy their p1:etended fami!lia;rity witih the
N anigo~ig o, for which the people consider vhem privileged. The macaukan is a
bird which produces .much ~uguration amongst the G~aycurus, w.hen its n0tes
are uninteUigible to them; upon Sl'Ich occasions the subseE]_uen~ night is a sea-
son of ·incori.venience ancl. laboar to fue unigenitos, who occupy fhemselves
alterna:tely in lamentable. sing·ings, or in imitating the notes of various' birds,
shaking at the same time -a cal~bash with little stones in i·t, and in calling' upon
the N anigogigo to interpret the mysterious song of the bird. They practise the
 PROVINCE •OF MATTO GROSSO. 21Í

samé artífice when they pretend to know whether aJn invalid wili di e or reco·ver, .
an.d i.f gcHi>d or ill success wi1l1l attend an ens1Ü•li.l,g W.aJr. -, ·
It ~s cor1siderecl a beauty amongst these people te> have no hrur upoill. the ftye-
brows, being particu~-ady caJreful to extract it oR its appearing.
Their language abounds with words and phrases of soft and easy prolil!un.cia-
tipn. The wcnnen. expl~in themselves at times ditferently io the men; :fer in-
stall1ce, iri the -expressüm @{ " Farewell, I a~ going," ;the Jatte.r say "' sara gigo
aipilo,"-the women, "sara gig(j) ioy." ,
':Dhere ·is nothmg .more retnarkable ámll>ngst the Guaycurus .than 1tme inhllliJ.lEI.an
practice of th~ mfother.s in destroying the em.bryo on («iliscov.e ringtheir preg.naJ11cy,
Ul'l·til they aT~ive at the age of thirty. The reason -of this -custom is to avoid
the inconveniences annexed to the birth and rearing of their offspring .
..J The streets of their v~Hages or towns are-straig·ht ·ánd wide, .the hous...es -are
covered with mats of bulrushes, disposed hol'izon!aUy in dqr ~'eathe.r:, and
slopingly in wet weather. .Many have two and three mats, one above the other,
with more or less interval, as much for the exclusion of the raip as for the
diminution M tb.e heat. They sleep on the grotmd upon hides, and cover them-
selves with the Gloths that 'the women spread over the two bunàles of grass
between which they ride ·&n horseback. .,.
N one of' their clweHi:ng :places are permanen.t. They are always Bear some
t·iver or lake, and contimil.e ~.hilst there are ;game, fish, fruits, and pasturage for
the cattle. On experiencin.g any want, in ·a moment the town disap,pears, and
the plains, previously covi:med with thousands ·.o f animais, are deserted. Tbe
marches of these car.avans are grand and i.nteresting·. On arriv~ng at their '
destined place, anoth~r town rises almost ·.i n am10ment, , an·d the surrounding
campos, where scarcely <a {ew deer pastuved, are on a sudden .covered with
numerous horses, oxen, a:nd if.locks of she~p. .
They manufacture an inebriating drink w.ith honey and water, called chicha';
and to the rum of tbe :Portügúese they give -the .fiame of nodak.
Some express tbemselves tolerably in the Portuguese languag~, and have
made transitions ta the [email protected] or establishmen-ts of the province, since they re-
ceived the protection and subjected themselv,es to the Faithful Crown, in virtue
of which, the following ·patent, previous~y aHlil.à·ed to, was granted to them.
" Joam d'Albuquerque de •Mello Pereyra e Caceres,' of bis .MaJesty's counci1,
" cheva!lie;J.· of the or_d€n~ oi St .. John of Malta, go.verno1· and ·c&ptain-g·eneral
" of.the capitanias ofM.atto Grosso and.Cuiaba, &c. maketh ·known to ali those
" to wh.om this .IT1Y letter patent may come, that the :nation Qf'lndian Guaycur.u;S,
EE2
2 12 .PROVINCE OF MA'l'TO GROSSO.

" er Caval]eiros, having solemnly coiltracted perpe't ual peace and friendship
" with the Portüguese,-for a term judicially clone, in which the two chief.'l, Joam
" Queyma de Ãlbuquerque and Paulo Joaquim Joze Ferreyra, in tbe name of
" their nation, subject themselves and promise a strict obedience to the laws
" of bis Majesty, in orde1· to be from tbis day bence forward t·ecognised as
" vassals of the same sovereign; I command and order all magistrates of
" justice and war, commandants, and all persons of tbe dominions of bis Faith-
" fui Majesty, to recognise, treat with, and aid them, witb ali the demonstr.a-
" tions of friends. And, for the confirmation of tbe above, I have ordered the
" : present Letter Patent to be passed . to them, with my signature, and sealed
'' with the signet of my arms, in this capital of Villa Bella, on the 30th July~
" 1791."
The following words will partly show _the difference between the Guaycuru
language and the general língua-.
GEN. UNGUJ)., GUAYCURU.

Sun Araci A'liga

Pannay.(used by the men only)
Moon· Jaci { Epannay (women) .
White Tinga Lapaca ·
Black Una Nabid,re
Great Guas.su Elodo
Brother Enduva Nixo
·Salt Juki Juki

O.strich {Ema
Guaripe
J Apac'anigo

Crocodile Jacare Nioxe

Horse Cava1·u Apolicano
Pig Taycu Nigda
D og J aguara Niknilc
W olf Guara Tiglicon
Cat Bracaya PeTixene
Man Apuaba Hulegre
Demon, or Evil Spirit Anhanga Nanigogigo
Diviner Page Unigenito
The territory througb wbich the Igatimy, Escopil, and Mwmmaya flow is in-
habited by the Cahans, (peoplé of the wood,) so denominated from their always
living within the precincts of woods, in consequence of their dread of the
 I '

PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO~ 213

Guaycurus, who alone proceed ·along the plains and open country, to facilita.te
the march of their horses.
The Cahans live in aldeias: not more than thit'ty years ago they had fifteen
of. those villages. ';l'hey ·paint themselv.es wÚh the dye of the unteu, perforate
the under lip, and Ínsert a cy linder of resin, transparent as crystal, S€Cured
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 wool of which they spin and weave by a
method pecul_iar to themselves. ThéiF vesture consists of a sort of ponclte, in
the form of a sack, made of a piece of cotton cloth of good width, doubled
and sewed in part at the corners, with a.n opening to introduce the head and
neck throt~gh, also two apertures for the arms, and terminating in two aprons,
with a cord round the waist. In the . morning they sing hymns to the Creator,
accompanied with extravagant movements ; one of them, with the hands
clasped and the body bent, making a circular movement· ar.ound the others for
a considérable time. - Among·st them. m:e men who are, or pretend to be, at the.
same time, surgeons, doctors, diviners, and priests, and, like the latter, carry in.
their hands a cross, which custom they hàve unquesti0rtably derived from the
fi.rst Jesuitical missionaries who perie~rated into the country, and who used á
bordão, or staff, (perhaps ·also as an instrument of defence,) in the shape of a
cross. In their district there are woods of wild orange trees, and prodigious
quantities of bees, which . do not produce good honey, but the wax is better
than tp.at of the northern provinces.
In the middle of the last century, w.hen the plenipotentiaries of Spain. and
Portngal established a boundary-mark upon the Jauru, there lived in the vicinity
of the Fecho d'os Morros, a nation of ludians, called Bayas, of whicb, at the
present day, there is no intelligence. ·
The povoaço.es in this district are tbe faze~da of Camapuan, with a hermitage,
situated in 19° 36' soutb latitude, and Miranda, a prezidio, founded ·in 1797,
about fi.ve hundred yards from the right margin of tl1e river Aranhahy, near a
serra, in a laud abounding with game·. Upon the track to Cama.pnan there is
a large lake.
With the foundation of Nova Coimbra the Spaniards commenced in this
provínce the towns of Villa Real, near the tropic, Sr. Carlos, on the margin of
the river Appa,. and St. Joze, which was demolished by the Portugue's e about
twenty years ago.
 214 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO.

Near the heads of tJhe A~ranhahy there yet 'appears some vestiges' of tJhe
before-mentioned city of Xerez.

Dist1·ict of MATTO GRosso.

This district, whích is two hundred and forty miles from north te seuth, and
two. hundred and seventy from east to wesi on the northe1:n part, · is bounded on
the south by the Spanish possessions, on the east.by the Paraguay, on the north
· hy the district of J1:1ruenna, and. on the west by the Guapore. It exteJ.ilds
between 13° and 16° 20' of soNthern laJtitude. The face of t1ile ce>uRtry is
un,'dl:llated with serras of no great e]evation, which, however, attract the sight
at a great distance, with plains more or less extensive, woods, and intermixtures
of charnecas, (barren tracts,) and is watered by a great number of rivers, tribu-
tary to the two largest of South Arnerica.
The most considerable mountains are on the n.ertbern part, and are branches
óf the serra of Paricis.
· MINERALoqv.-Gold, d:iamonds, crystals, granite, minerais of iron, pot-
ters' earth, calcareous stone.
PHYTOLOGY.-The opuncia is common >i~ various situations ·; in others the
ipecacuanha; indigo grows spontaneoú.sly in humid lancls; jalap is w,ell knowlil;
also the trees of cupabi:ba, almecega, or gum..:mas1lich, maJilna, and dragons'
blood. There is a diversity of excellent tiimber for b'nillding, ·and abundance
of oranges, goyabas, aracas, mangabas, pine-apples, water-melon~, and bananas,
generally of good quality. The objects of cultivation are lnd~an corn, man-
dioca, rice, legumes, tobacco, cotton, and the sugar cane, as far as ít is
required for the consumption of the pepulation.
European merchandise and some .Asiatíc procluctions 31rri:ve here ·alt an
exorbitant price, and are. only procured in exchange for ·gold.
ZooLOGY.-All the species of wild quadrupeds which are encountered in the
ma1·itime provinces are here common ; of domestic animais cattle only are
numerous; sheep ·are rare; and, hitherto, there a1~e no breeders of mr~::des.
Here are common the emu ostrich·, sereima, mutun, jacu, 'tucano, parrot,
partridge, heron, guiraponga, andjaburu.
Inclustry is very limited; and the weavirtg~ ·of coarse cottons, for labmwers,
and curing of hides, which exceed the demand, are its principal objects up to
this period. .
RIVERS.-The Guapore originates nearly one hundred miles ta the north-east
of Villa Bella, and, after eighty miles of southern course, and nearly the same
 P'ROVINCE OF MATTO· GROSS0, 215

distance @f :western, curves to~va11ds the not,th-west, and afterwai:QIS to the

west-north-west. Tw-e miles above the said tow~ it receives by the left .tbe
Alegre, which coming from the east, and rising in the serra of Aguapeby, is
joined on the left by the Barbados, ten miles from its mouth. Ten miles below
the capital the Guapore is united on the right by the river Sarere, which has its
source thirty miJes to the west of it; and fifty miles lower, on the same side, by
the Galera, which forms itself tQ the 'north-west of the Sarei·e. Twenty-folll'
mile~ further the important ri ver Verde .is incorporated with it; and upwards of
one hundred miles in advance, the -riiVer Paragau; after two hundred more, the
Baurus or Baure ; and twelve or fifteen further, the Tunama ; all four by the
left margin, after having watered a great portion of the province of the Moghos,
or Moxos. Upwards of fifty miles below the mouth of the last river, it is joined
also on the left side by the voluminous rive1· Ubay, or Ubahy, which the
Spaniards formerly denominated the Chiquitos, as it traversed 't he lands of the
Indian~ so called, and subsequently the Magdalena, named St. Miguel, after
they had · founded in its vicinity the parishes of those names. To the river
Guapore the pee>ple' of Matto Grosso give the name of Mamore, as far as its
junction with the Iarge one of that name, which they call Madeira and the
Spaniards Mamor.e. This confluence is one hundred and ten miles lower down,
and one hundred and fi.fty by water.
The Spaniards commonly give to tbe Gliapore the name of Itenez, .wbich
they continue to it till its conf:!uence with the real Mamore, where both lose
their .names, and forro the majestic Madeir-a, whicb flows northward till it .in-
corporates with the mighty .Amazons. The margins of the Guapo)·e, or ltenee:,
a·re principaHy swampy, and, with the riiVers·.which run iNto it; uneong·enial to
European· consüte.tions. The rivers w·hich join it by · the right margin, the
largest not exceeding one hundred miles in-course, issue from the western side
of a coittinuation of -the serra of Faricis,. which prolongs .ifself with the same
river. The Cabixy, Piolho, CoPumbyara, Mequen, St. Simam, and Cautario,
follow ·the aforesaid Galera. ·
Thére are five falls in the Guapore, from the mouth of the l}bahy to the con-
:fluence where its name is lost. Guajuru-mirím, Guajuru-grande, Bannaneira,
Paugrande, .and Lages, ele&eending, arethenames bywhic'h theyare distinguished.
The Jauru, ~vhich for~s itself in the campos' of the Paricis, thírty miles east ,
of the Guapore, after flowing a long way sÓuthward, g·athers, by the right bank,
the Bahia ai\d the Aguapehy, inclines to the east-sonth-east, and. unites itself
with the Paraguay, in the latitude of 16° 24'. It is navigable ·for a great dis-
216 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO.

tance, and runs principally through a flat country covered with woods. At:a
short distance from its margin, there . is a nitrous lake, which furnishes a great
quantity of salt ..
At the confluence of the Jauru, which is one hundred and seventy miles south
east of Villa Bella, a magnificent stone of European marble was erected in
17 54, as a boundary mark between the Spaniards and Portuguese ; the· arms
of each power being turned towards their respective.possessions. This pillar is
regarded by .the Indians with admiration. The following is the inscriptÍOll
upon it.

Sub Joanne Quinto Lusitanorum

Rege Fidelíssimo
Sub Ferdinaudo Sexto Hispanire
Rege Catholico
J ustitia et Pax osculatre sunt '
Ex Pactis Finiurn Regundorum
Conventis. Madriti Idib. Januar.
M.DCC.L . .

The river Sepetiva, or Sipotuba, which rises fifty miles .to the north-east of
the Jauru, runs far along the serra of Tapirapuan, aJ?-d liinites itself with the
Paraguay, after having gathered by the right the small rivers Juva and Jaran-
bahiba.
The river Cabacal, much inferioi· to the preceding, falls into the Paraguay,
a few leagues below the Sipotuba.
The Preto, which is the first considerable river that swells the waters of the
Paraguay, is formed by the St. Anna, and St. Francisco' Xavier, which érna-
nate from the eastern brows of the Tapirapuan Serra, and join their copious
streams at the bottom Of a IDOUnt, each presenting here the ÍnteFesting spectacle
of a large cataract. These barriers prevent the adYance of va1·ious species of
fish, large shoals of which are observed in the water at their,base.
The Barbados, which is extensive, issues also from the serra Tapirapuan,
a~d enters the Paraguay, a considerable way below the Preto. ,
The Pary, which took the nalne of a nation now extinct, originates i.n the
serra of Tapirapuan, and fa:lls into the Parag·uay, between the Barbados and
Sipotuba.
All the rivers of this comarca are of pure, fresh, and crystalline water.
Vjlla: Bella, the capital of this rich and extended province, is already in a
 '; PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO. 217

state of mediocrity, abounding with meat and fish, and is situated in a cl;lam-
paign .country, near the margin of the Guapore. It is -ornamented with a
parochial church, Santíssima Trinidade, a hermitage of Nossa Senhora of
Carmo, another of St. Antonio, and a permutation, or smelting house. It is the
residence of the governor, and this vast and very partia,lly cultivated province
is now under the jurisd.iction of Senhor Majesse. It is also· the residence of the
ouvidor, who is likewise crown judge. The senate is presided by a Juiz. de _
Fora, who is also procurator of the crown, inspector of the smelting ho~se, and
deputy of the juntas of the adrpinistration o f the treasury and of justice. All
the houses are constructed of -earth, and white-w~shed, It is the only parish
of the c'Omarca, and in its wide district are the chapels of St. Anna, of St. Fran-
cisco Xavier, of the Lady of Pilai\ of St. Vjcente Ferreyra, and of Oiro
Fino.
Of this comarca, is the arra:ial Diamantino, advantagéo~1sly situated at the
angle of the confluence of the ri ver of the same name, with the Oiro, teJ!. miles
~bove its entrance into the Paraguay. It has a hermitage of the Lady of Con~
ceiça@, filial of the mother church of ·Cuiaba, from which it is distant one hun-
dred miles to the north-west. The gold and diamonds in· its environs ,were
the cause of its origin a few yea1~s ag·o., Its inhabitants are miners, breeders
of cattle, and agriculturists.
· About ten miJes distant is the serra of Mangabeira, partly occupied by vari-
ous farmers of Indian corn, mandioca, and legumes.
The northern povtion of this comarca is yet possessed by various aboriginal
nations, such as the Cabyxys, the Cautaros, (whicP. give their names to two
conflt1ents of the Guapore,) the .A.babas, the Lambys, and the Urucurunys,
w,ith others approximating to the serra Paricis, which i~ an elevated range,
with extensive sandy campos, or plains,- upon its widely spreading summit.

DistJ"ict qf CuiABA.
This district, which takes the na.me of the river that traverses it from north to
south, is confined on the north by the district of Arinos, on the west by that of
M.a tto Grosi\'O, on the ea.st by that of Bororonia, from which it is separated by
· the .river St. Lourenço, which also limits it on the south, where it terminates in
;:t:n an~le formed by th.e confluence of the said river and the Paraguay. ,It
compnses three hundred and fifty miles fi·om north to south, and little less than
two hnndred and fifty .at its utmost width from east to west. It has an agJ·ee-
~ble aspect, delightfully varied with spacious .Plains, superb woods, extensive
F F

·.
218 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO.

charnecas, and gently und ulating eminences, ·often rising to the grandeur of
mountain scenery. · The greater portion is fertilized by numerous 1·ivers. The
prevailing thunder showers of the winter season commence in September and
terminate in April. r r • · • • ,. ,,.. ,<, ,

MINERALOGY.-The same minerais are met with here which .are fuund in
the district of Matto'Grosso. '' .. . .. ,
PHYTOLOGY.-There; are a diversity of trees of excellent' timher. Amongst
other medicinal plants, is one ca1led espigeliá, the herva de cobra,' (serpent
herb) thejarrinha, an.d various qualities of the 1·eal quina, or Jesuits' bark.
Amongst other fruits of-the wood, the quince is well known, the jabuticaba,
the ambuzo, tbe araticumo, the guabiraba, and the goyaba-.
Cotton, sugar, lndian corn: mandioca, tice, and legumes, are objects of
agriculture proportioned to the population.
From no part of this district can the super:fl:uity that is produced be exported ·
with .advantage, in consequence of its present tedious and intricate communi-
caiio:ri with the maritime provinces.
ZooLOGY.-Large herds of cattle are bred, as well as horses, some mules,
hogs, sheep, and a very few goats, which hitherto are deemed -useless.
RIVERs.- The most celebrated is the Paraguay, which ri~es in a plain upon
the serra of Pary, otberwise Lage, (a portion of the extensive Parieis,) -at the
situation of the Sete Lagoas, so called from an assemblage of seven lakes,
generally small, a short space intervening between them, and communicating
by narrow outiets. A ·Jittle below the last, this ri ver flows through a swampy
country in a northerly direction for a short space, when it winds round by the
west and takes a southern course. The first stream which it receives is the
Diamantino·, (Diamond Ri ver,) which comes from a distant source, and brings
with it tbe Carrego Rico, (Rich Cbannel,) otherwise Rio do Oiro, (G0ld River.)
The :first large river which joins it is the Jauru. Along its eastern margin,
and in nearly the whole of this great extent, is a range of elevated lands, which
continue twenty-:five miles beyond this confluence, and termina;te at the point
called Escalvada, where both margins begin to be flat, and' interspersed with
Iakes. Seventy miles below the Escalvada point, the western margin begins
to be bordered by a sel'fa of the like number of miles in lengtb, but narrow,
and broken in various parts to admit of the ingress of the waters of three lakes
Iying behind it, the outlets of which~ thus formed, appear like large rivers,
when the Paraguay at its overflowings makes them a part of its expanded
channel. The northern portion of this serra is called Insua : the southern,
 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO~ 219

Chaynez ; and the central, Doirados. The names of the lakes are Oberaba,
Gahiba, aild Mandiore. The first on the north is ten miles in diameter, and
its outlet contiguous to the extremity of the serra Insua, behind whicb it com-
. mu:nicates with the Gahiba lake, which is a little larger· and ten rniles distaq.t
to the soúth, with its outlet, the same numb'er of miles below the first, diviqing
the serra of Insua from that of Doirados.
· The Mandiore lake is fifteen miles 'i n extent, and has mo1·e than one channel
to the Paraguay, the northernmost of which separates the serra of Doirados
ft~om that of Chaynez, ahd is twenty miles south of Gahiba, . in front of which
the river St Lourenço' discharg;es its abundant waters, in the latitude of 18° 45'.
The se"rra' of Chaynez, ínhabi'ted at times by the Guan.a n Indiaris, is followed
by that of Albuquerque; which is a square mass of an elevated range from
thirty-five<to fo1;ty miles. - On its southern side is situated tbe prezidio from
which its nam~ is oerived. In front of this serra is the princjpal embouchure
of the Tocoary in "19° 15'. · ' · . .
Eighteeh miles further to the· south are the mót~ths of the Mondego. The
Paraguay flows in these parts 'divided into two channels, formed by a narrow
island seventy míles long; tlie eastern -chaimel is d enolÍJ.Ínate~ Parag·uay Mirim.
Thirty-five miles to the south of the Mondego are two high mounts, one
in front of the other, trpon the margins of the Pà.raguay. 'Upon the southern
skirt of the western Iho_tmt is si'tuated the before-mentione·d fort of Nova
Coimbra.
Thirty-five miles below Coimbra, ·on the saine . ú1arg.in, is the mouth of the
outlet froin Bahia Negra, (Black Bay,) which is twenty mil és inland, · and com-
prises eighteen in length from north .to· south, being the receptacle of the lakés,
and of the aqueou.s effusions of the plains lying to the west and south of 'the
Albuque1·que mountains. Sixty miles further the Paraguay receives on the
'eastern bank the Queyma; whi~h ·is 'said ' to be the' Terrery of the first cer-
. • . r '.
tanistas; .. "'
Eight miles lowe1\ in the latitude of 21°, upon the western margjn, is the
· morro which the ancient Paulistas called .the Mount of Mig-uel Joze, upon
'whose skirt·is' situated Foit Bourbon. Twenty-five miles by water,.to the south
of the mount of Miguel Joze, in the latitude 21° 20', a chain ofsmall mountains
prolong therrlselves with the Paraguay, where its w~ters are contracted into a
narrower space, flowing rapidly in two channels, separated by a rocky island
of considerable length. In this situation, denominated the Fecho dos Morros,
(the Barricado of Rocks,) and which is the limit between the High and ~ow
FF2
220 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO.

Paraguay, terminate the laky and swampy margins of this majestic river,
which comrnence, as has been previously noticed, at Escalvaàa Point, near
three hundred and fi.fty miles to the north. The width of the river within this
space, during the inundations, which begin in April and continue till Septem-
ber, is from seventy to one hundred and fifty ·miles, and forms an internai sea,
which the ancient Vincentistas denominated the Sea or Lake Xarays, from a
nation so caJled, · now not existing, or, at least, not known by such an appella-
tion. At the time of these awful floods, a great part of the beds of the rivers
of St. Lourenço, Tocoary, Mondego, and others on the eastern side, as well
as the aforesaid lakes on the western, and the adjacentwoods, become portions
of this periodical Caspian, w here the elevated lands assume the appearance of'
islands, inhabited by an accumulation of birds and wild animais.
At the said Fecho, both margins of th,e Paraguay begin to acquire a solid
terra firma, particularly the eastern. By this bank ~re discharged the small
Tipoty, the Correntes, the Rio Branco, (which appears to b~ the said Correntes,)
the Appa, ( which is thought to be the Pirahy of the ancient Paulistas,) the
Guidava, the Ippanne Guassu, the Ippanne Mirim, and the· Chichuhi, where
the rugged margin called Huguruguita commences, and is prolonged for the
space of thirty-five miles to the mouth of the small Suobogo, where begins the
bank or coast of Pataque, of short extent, terminating at the ernbouchure of
the Tabixu, which, as well as the preceding, enters the Paraguay on the
left.
In the latitude of 25° 22' is situated the city of Assumption ; and eighteen
miles to the south ofit, the first arm of the large river Pilco Mayo is discovered,
which origihates in the cordillera of the Andes, in the district of Potoze,
whither it affords navigation. Forty miles lower clown is the mouth of the
second ann, and fifteen further, the most southern arm. The course of the
Pilco Nlayo is not much less than seven hundred miles.
On the eastern margin, the Piraju, the Cannabe, and the Tibicoary enter the
Paraguay. •
In the latitude of 26° 50', the Rio Verde, or Parsa, otherwise Colorado, dis-
charges itself, after a course of more than seven hundred miles from the yicinity
of the Andes. ·
Forty miles further to the south, the grand contluence of the Paranria, little
inferior to the Paraguay, augments the wonder which is excited by so vast a
mass of water. About one hundred miles lower is the northern branch of the
river Salado; and upwards of one hundred and seventy miles further the
 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO. 221

southern, better known by the name of Xalupoi. On the southern angle of

this confluence is situatecl the city of Santa Fe, in the latitude of 31° 35'. A
little further it receives also by the right bank, the Terceiro, or Carcapal, which
exceeds three hundred and fifty miles in its course.
The Paraguay, which from the parallel of 20° inclines a little to the south-
south-west, here chang·es its direction to the east-south-east for the space of one
hundred and forty miles,. gathering by both margins various rive~s, none -of
them considerable, to the latitude of 34°, where it is united on the left by the
river Uruguay, its last important tributary.
This ri ver, which the Spaniards generally call Rio da Plata, after it receives
the Pilco Mayo, becomes many leagues in width, 'and contains a great number
of islands, which vary greatly in extent, principally of a flat aspect, and deno-
minated the Parannas. The left margin, from the last confluence·, runs to the
east as far as Cape St. Mary, and this part of it, at least, is universally known
as the river Pla~e, the right margin of which takes a south-east direction, from
the same longitude,, for more than o·ne hundred miles to the point of Carretas,
where its embouchure is upwards of :fifty miles in width.
The Paraguay has no more fails after it receives the Sipotuba, and is gene-
rally of great depth.
Tl1e river Cuiaba has its ongm in the same latitude as the Paraguay. The
first curre11t which unites itself with it by the western margin is tbe Cuiaba
Mirim, and by the eastern the Casca; these are followed by many others of a
smaller class, which render ·it navigable for more than seventy miles above the
capital, althoug·h with much labour, in consequence of many falls, which do not
extend below Villa Real, where it begins to be wide and rapid in its current,
:flowing almost generally through a champaign country, which is submerged
during the periodical inundations. Its wat.ers are excellent, well stored with
fish, and in the latitude of 17° 20' it falls into the St. Lourenço. ·
Whilst the floods continue i~ is eustomary to navigate over tl1e plains, where
the -current is less rapid, traversing prodigious plantations of rice, annually re-
produced by nature, without any human assistan.ce, or · sustaining any damage
from the waters, hecause it gTows 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 shook with a pole.
The pimnna fish, commonly called tezoim, (scissors,) and sometimes lanceta,
(lancet,) and the a'r mya, are equ.ally terrible here ; the first in consequence of
its formidable teethl the othe.r from a sting which it has in the tail.
222 ,fROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO.

From the capital downwards, the most notable streams which fall in.to the
Cuiaba, are the Tutez on the 1right ;_the larg·e and small Caranda on the left.
Villa R~al de· Cuiaba-, capítal <9f fhe comarca, considerable, populous, flourish-
ing, and abounding with meat, :fish, an.d fruits, contains a ehurch of Senh01l
Bom Jesus, three chapels 'dedicated, two also to the Redeemer, with the titles
of Bom Despaoho and Passos, and one to Nossa Senhora of Re>.zario, and is
the residence of a prelate, .bishop in.partibus, also of a Juiz de Fora, and royal
profe~sors of philosophy and Latin: lt is situated near a smallri ver, one mil e
distant from the eastern bank of the riyer from ·which:it derives · its ]1ame. All
the edifices are of taipa; siniila:t'itO tl,t'ose of St. Paulo, and-the streets are mostly
paved.
The dealers of Cuiaba · pt:d.ceed to barter their bars of precious metal at
Bahia, by the road of Goyaz, or at the metropelis, by the same track, ·o r by
Camapuan; but their trade might_more conveniently be carried on by the river
Tapajos, and others of Gram Para, to its capital. Various ways, in fact, remain
to be operted to the tra:nsit of the productions of these fertile districts; two to
Para,-one by the ri ver Xiiigu, the othe1· by the Mortes and the Arag·uaya; the
same number to St. Paulo and Rio de Jan~iro,-the :first- by tbe rivers St. Lou-
renço, Piquiry, Sucm·iu, and Tiete,-the second always by land, traversing the
districts of Bororonia and Cayaponia, ' crossing the P~ranna between the con-
fluence of· the :l?·arannahiba and the cataract of Urubupunga. The latter, it is
credibly a1fi~med, would be near three hundred miles shorter than the route
actually frequented by Villaboa.
At Cu!aba, the orange tree is exceedingly abundant, and fructifíes with exoel--
lence the whole year. Th~ water-melon, me1on, and pine-apple, are here very
good. The ·principal ..productions are mandioca, Indian corn, feij_ao-, some
cotton, and the sugar cane, the juice of which is principally distilled - into
spirit. · ·
Thirty-five miles to the east of Cuiaba is the small arraial and parish of St.
Anna, sitqated on a plain, upon the ·serra St. Jeronimo. Every way that it is
approached the ·ascent · is steep and of considerable length. Its inhabitants ·
rear cattl~, ~ultivate mandioca, Indian corn, legumes, the sugar cane, and some
cotton, whiGh is occasionally.injured by the cold, here sensibly experienced in
the nights of July. The soil has been found well adapted to the growth of
wheat, but want of industry precludes its cultivation.
Fifty miles to the south-west of Cuiaba is the small arraial of St. Pedro d' el
Rey, formerly Poconna, situated upon the verge of a vast lake, with a hermitage,
 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO. 223

Dne league distant from the extensive swamp of Piranne~a, which becomes dry
in the hot season, an~ affeil·ds pastürage fe1n·· eaÚlé. The houses are of taipa, or
adobe, (a species of large brick dried in the sun,) and are white-washed. The
soil in its environs is green. The people who inhabit it, and forma julgado, or
village, are miners, are supplied with water from c;acimbas, or pits, for want of
fountains, cultivate the common necessaries of 'life, and breed cattle. They
also make salt, by the :fi,ltering of water thrGugh a portion of earth put into
bangues, which are made of hides, and subsequently dried by a strong heat.
Villa Maria; situated upon the eastern bank of the Paraguay, twenty-five
miles f.vom the ,confluence of the Jáuru; has a dnu;ch of _St. Luiz; and is abun-
dantly supplied ·with meat and fish. The sihtatiori of this tow.n upon the noble
Paraguay, and other circumstances, prornise it ·a future augmentation and splen-
dour, which will perhaps not be equ.alled by any other internai town of South
America. Its inhabitants, at present consisting principally of Indians of various
nations, cultivate · Indian corn, mandiqca; ··legumes, ·rice, cotton, and breed
cattle. There is already one engenho, or sugar-work. The lights 'universally
used are made of-the oil of mamona, and of the piquim, a species of fish exceed-
ingly numerous, and! caught iWith gr.eat facility. The fish called pamputanga
and pacu, are esteemed the best oL the Paraguay aud .of its first coufluents.
In front of this town·is si'tuated the royal fazenda of Cahyssara, where nume-
rous droves ·of cattle~ and ho11ses are br'ed, and where a great many tigers have
been destroyed.
· The hermitages nf Nossa Senhora a f Livramento,· upon the road of Matto-
Grosse, of NQssa S·enbora. of Prazeres; .. neál1 the heads of the Cuiab~," of St.
Antonio, below the capital, near the same river, and others, a:re the places of
worship. o f tbe· peopie wl)0 inhabit tbose distriéts. N ear to -the port . of the
capital, on ·-the eastern bank. of the Cui'aba, is ·a -hermitage · of St. Gonçalo
d'Amarante.
· Near the }eft margin of the Jatuba, an a1·m of the St.' Lourenço, upon the
Goyaz road, is the alçleia of Boavista, so called from its fine situation upon a
height.
There still exist various hordes of Indians, (all said to be of thé Bororo
nation,) dispersed within the limits of this comarca and the preceding one. One
js designated Co·roados, the other .Barbados, (bearded,) so called from feigning
mastachios or beards with a certain dye.
Of the Indian nations here found by the conquerors, the only one worthy of
remembJ·ance was the Pa1·icis, who were well formed, aifable~ and much pleased
224 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO.

with the Christians. }..,rom their a:lliances with the whites and Africans are
descended a great part of the Mamalucos and Cu1·ibocas, who constitute . the
gross of the population. They are usually of good rp.orals, and much re-
spected. ·

Dist1·ict of BoRoko:NIA.
This comarca, which borrows its name from the Bororo Indians, who yet
have dominion over . the principal part of it, is bounded on the north by the
district of Tapiraquia, on the west by that of Cuiaba, on the south by Cama-
puania, and on the east by the province of Goyaz, from which it is divided by
the river Araguaya. It is upwards of four hundred miles, in length from north
to soutb, and of proportionate width, although very irregular.
The Borm·os, the Guatos, and the Baccahiris are its actual possessors. The-
Bororos are the most numerous, although greatly dimi:nished in comparison
with what they were at the commencement of the conquest ; they are divided
into various tribes, under different appellations. The Guatos, who possess tlíe
southern part, and are friendly to the Portuguese, are extraordinary swimmers,
fish with the arrow, and have a great number of ~anoes, in which they advan.ce
to the Portuguese estab1ishments. The bow, arrow, and a large lance are their
arms; a wide cinta, or girdle, manufactmed from the fibres of the tucum palro,
is the common vesture of both sexes. The skin of the ounce generally cem-
stitutes their bed, and they are a people exceedingly indolent. Honey and
garoe forro a main part of their subsistence. The Baccahiris, who occupy the
lands in the vicinity of the ri ver Das Mort~s, wage a continued warfare against
ali kinds of quadrupeds and birds, their principal aliment. Up to the present
time this borde has never acted with hostility towards the Christians. They
are said to be of a white complexion and docile, from which they are supposed
to be a tribe of Paricis.
RIVERS AND LAKEs.-The river St. Lourenço, which originates in the lati-
tude of about 15°, :is alre~dy considerable when it traverses the road of Goyaz;
afterwards, it gathers by the left the Parannahiba, which brings with lt the
Sucuri, the sources of which are also a great dis.t ànce to the north of the said
road. A little below this confluence, where it becomes large, there is a fali,
which is the last, and from hence it continues to the s.outh-west, through a flat
country, augmenting greatly until its incorporation by two mouths with th~
Paraguay, which is not superior to it. Tbe eastern embouchure is distingnisbed
by the name of Rio Chaynez.
 PROVINCE O·F MATTO GROSSU. 225

Forty miles above .the mouth of the Cuiaba the St. Lourenço is joined by the
Piquiri, which is larger, has its beads near the bounda:ry of Cayaponia, not
far from those of the Sucuriu, and receives on the ~ight the ~ia"?ghuhi, which
originates in the same parts; on the left, the Itaquira, . whi~h has its source in
the proximity of that of the Jauri-Guassu, a branch of the Tocoary, already
mentioned.
A few years only h ave elapsed ·since an explorer navigated up the Piquiri
seven days, and did not encounter a cataract. An.cient certanistas have
asserted that the navigation from Porto Feliz to Çuiaba I?ay ~e accomplished by
the Sucuriu and Piquiri. lt is, however, certain that the voyage from the
mouth of the Tiete to the· Cuiaba is more than one-third shorter than by that of
Camapuan. ' -
The Rio das Mortes,, (River of the Dead,) which took this name in, conse-
quence of many people of the first bandeira d,ying upon its margins from fevers,
has its numerous heads to the south of the Cuiaba roàd. It ~uns to the north-
east and discharg·es its considerable volume into the western arm of the Ara-
guaya, where it forms the island of St. Anna. It affords extensive navigati~n
into the interior of the province. The Roncador and', the great and srnall San-
gradores are the rnost remote origins of this river. The first is the rnost western~
and fiows a short distance from an arm of the aforesaid Sucuriu. Between the
two Sangradores there is a spacious lake, called Logoa: Grande.
The Rio do Peixe, (River of Fish,) formed by the Raizama and Tàcoaral,
which also cross the Cuiaha road, there insignificant, flows northwards, and
ultimat~ly enters the Rio das Mortes.
Twenty-five miles from the Aragua:ya, near a small stream and the said
road, is situated the aldeia of lnsua, with a register.
1~here existed upon the left margin of the Rio das Mortes, an aldeia, named
Amaro Leite after its founder, which disappeared when the road was carried
in a more direct line further to the south.

Dist1·ict qf JuRUENNA.

This comarca is bounded on the north by Mundrucania, on the west by the

rivers Guapore and Madeira, on the south by the comarcà of Matto Grosso,
and on the east by the ri ver which affords its na me, comprising nearly four
hundred miles from north to.south, and rriuch more from east to west. Betw~en
the Pederneiras and Araras falls, in the latitude of go 45', where the river
Madeira curves to the west, there is a point on its' eastem margin, in front of
GG
226 PRÔVINCE OF MÂTTO GROSSO.

lhe mouth of the river Abuna, frorh which it takes the name, and is the most
western land uf the Brazil.
This comarca ls very little knowb. by the Portuguese, and is in the power of
variom; barbarous natiorrs. The Pammas, who póssess a considerable portion
upon the Madeira, are of a wnite t:·ómplexion. Thé Thm.w·es are masters of
the adjacencies of the river Juyna, the first notable branch of those which
enlarge the Juruenna by the western bank. The Paccahàs livé. to the north of
the latter. The Sarummas farther to thé north, along thé margins of thé said
Jurüenna. And, lower dówn, the' U'haihas.
Thé Júruerl.na, which is said to take tlle na'me of a nàtion, has its ·origiil a
little to the n,Ol'tll of the Jauru. Its cour'se is directe'd to the north, and it in-
corporates by two mouths with the Arinos, between the parallel of 9° and IOo.
Its lárge vohnhe ()f wat'er, more c·onsiderable than t'he Tiver which receives it,
shows that it i:s joined by numerous otlter streams in it's course. Hitl1er'to, it
has not been nav'igâ.ted by Ch1fistians; those who hav'e examined it at the moul.bs
staté, that its waters are particularly clêar, and tnat variólls islands are situated
ih that portion of its bed within view. It is dis-cbarged bétween two sen·otes, or
hills, of trifling elevation. The i~lánd separating its two lnouths is o'f medium
size and moderate altitude.
The .Jamari, and the Gi-p aranna, àre the large·st 1·ivers :flowlng ftom !fuis
comarca into the Madeira. The first rises on the northern skirts of tbe serra
Paricis~ in the territory of lhe Guaritere lndians, where it is called the. Candeas,
waters the lands of the Cã.marares, who afford their name to one of its principal
arms, and discharges :fifty miles below the fall of St. Antonio. It is said to
have a cataract two days' voyage above its mouth, and to flow thro~gh aurife-
rous lands.
The Giparanna, also called Mad1ado, 'nas its. source to the ea:st of the
J ama~i, also in the skirt of ã. branch of the same serra, and soon he-gins to be
enlarged by small streams, that irrigate the territories of sávage tri'b~s, ·and falls
into the Madeira, nearly thirty miles below the preceding. In its vici~ity there
is sarsaparilla, and the cocoa 'tree, from which chocolate is made. Eight miles
be]ow the ·mouth of the J~amari 'is an outlet of the lake Túcunare, little removed
from tbe ·margin of 'Íhe Madeira. The tiver 'Sot'eiro and the Pacanova
descend froin the soúfuél·n ~id~ of the said seí'Í'a 'Parici's, and fali into the Gua-
pore, the So'teiro forty miles below t'lie VIJahi, and the Pacanovà ·s·e venty
miles further.
Along the bânks of the Mad'e ira ànd fhé 'It'enez, the only parts of this
 PROVHWE QF MAT'rQ !}~OSSO. 227

c0m~rca· that al'~ w~ll know:q, ~b.nnd<:l-PC~ ~f ~H kfn.ds. of game are m~t with.·
A.JPo:Qg~t otl}er notable trees th~t ar~ E)e.eJ.l. Ü1 t}le Jªrg~ wop.q~ here adjfl.cent to
those river:;;, is a speciel':l ~;Jf palm, çalleil. ulJus~u, the fiQw,e r of which ~upplies an
ell!s.tic tH>roqs peel, so interwp;ven, tlmt Í·t ~ppeªrs li'kg th.e prodpctiqp. Qf the
1oom, and serves as a cap to the Indian. The curagú·u atfords a fine searlet
dy~. The cedar is C(!)~·Jl1.9P. ~n.d v:e1~y thick, but, like a gTeat maf.ly other trees
of excellent timber, qf no use, (rol~ th~ alrp.ost total w~p.t of pqpulatipn capable
of appreciating t}leir v[lhJ.f!.
In thi~ com;:~.rc~ is situated the fort ef Príncipe da Beira, ~reGted Ü1- the year
1776, uj:>on the rigJü m.argin of th~ QuapQre, on.e leagu~ qel.ow the mouth of
the 'fqn.aJ1la, in 12° 20' s9qtl.) latitude, and one miJe abo;ve th~ situation where
the first governor Qf the pro.vim~e estaplished t4e fort of C.onceiça.o. The land
upon which it st~nd.S !s never ·in~lp.çlat.e<(l. by the r-ive1·, w4Jeh rises here at the
period of tbe floods near thirty fee~, [.I.Dd c<,wers with la~es a great portjon of
the frontier lands, thus subjecting the garris.o n to feyers. Tli.ree hundred and
fi.fty miles is computed from this fort to ,the capital ; and by the river, upwards
of si:s: b.undre€1, so co_nsiderable ~re its win<;lings. .
N ear this fort there is a populous aldeia of Christian Indi~p.s ; and at a short
distance higher up .anQ,ther, G:alled Leon.il, similarly inhabited. The whole ·
cultivate a diverêity @Í th,e pec€ssar1es of life. They also hunt and fish.
Jfive miles below the cpnfJ.uence gf the G:t;~.apore with the Mamor~, upon the
margin of the ri ;ver ~aclei.r~, n~ar tb.e fali of Ribeiram, -Ís the new parish of St.
Joze. The inhabitants are composed of v.arious nation.s, with some whites, l}lld
are al;mn.clantly supp}ied with fisb, gaua.e, and the n~cessar,ies of ~ife peculiar to
the country.

Dist1'ict qf ARINQS.
Thlis comarca, which receives its name from. ~he r~ver that waters it and
divides it into two :un,equal portions, is con~ned on the north by Tapajoni'a,
on the west by Juruenn~? on the south by Çuiaba, and on the east by Tappi-
raquia. Its length is · eq.ual to tl,1at of the preceding district, anel its width,
from east to west, is nearly ~hr-ee hund.red miles. A portion of the most southern
part of it is commonly called Varges, or Vargeria, where, many years ago, a
colony of advenhners settled, but soon after:wards abandoned it, in cons~quence
of the annoyance they experienced from the lndians, and the want of succ~ss
attending their partial operations in mining.
It is a _district very little known, althou_g·h asce_rtaine.d to be auriferous.
GG2
228 PROVINCE OF 'MATTO GROSSO .

Those who have navigated by the Arinos and Tapajos, state, that it is washed
hy numerous rivers, alm.ost the whole of which contribute their waters to the·
enlargement ·of the two preceding_. lts aspect is varied hy mountains, and, as
far as the eye of the explorer has extended, contains luxuriant and noble
woods. · '
Amongst the nations under ·w hose dominiQn it hitherto has remained, the
Baccuris are well known, who pos'sess the fi.rst tenitory irrigated by the
Arinos; also the Manbares, who are wanderers in the land traverséd by the
river Taburuhina, the fi.rst remarkahle confluent of the J uruenna on the' eastern
bank. The Appiacas occupy the centre 0f tlie comarca, and have an aldeia
with high houses upon the right border of the river Arinos. They are a fero-
cious people, live by hunting and fishing, and wÜh axes ·of stone they prepare
the timber for the construction of their h ouses and their canoes. . :N otthward of
the last dwell the Cabakibas, who speak the same ic;liom. It isto be hoped
that these tribes, when they begin to experience the ad vantage of iron instru-
ments and c1othing, which they can derive alone from the navigators of thi~
river, will become more civilized, and contribute to the cultivation of those
neglected districts.
The ri ver Arinos, which. took the name of a nation '·at present unknown,
rises near the origins of the Paraguay, and faHs into the sublime Amazon u:nder
the name of the Tapajos. In 1805, Joam Vieges accomplished on this· river
almost the sarne voyage as its first discoverer, Captain Joam de Souza e Aze-
vêdo; ·and in 1812, Antonio Thomé de Franca also descended by it, and in
the following year proc.:;eded up with his fleet of canoes, laden in the eity of
Para, being the fi.rst individual who performed this voyage, unquestionably less
laborious and much shorter than that by the river Madeira.
The fi.rst considerable river united with tbe Arinos by the rigbt border is · the
Rio Preto, which rises between the Paraguay and the Cuiaba, and, by the
left, the Sumidor, which originates a little to tbe north of the Sipotuba. This
name is given to it in consequence of disa:ppearing, (after ·a course of many
leagues,) beneath a rock, from whence it issues at no great distance belÇ>w.
A canoe confided to the current at" the upper sid~ soon appears at the other.
Captain J oam de Souza descended by the Sumidor, and others by the Rio Preto
embarking upon. it at a situation about ten miles distant from the ' arraial of
Diamantino.
Jt appears singular tbat none of these navigators descended by the Arinos
from its upper part, which, when it receives the Rio Petro, is larger than that
 PROVlNCE OF MATTO GROSSO. 229

ri~er. Ali the oanoes with which those rivers have been navigated were con-
structed of the trunks of "trees produced upon fheir, margins, demonstrating
su:ffieiently the substantial nature of the soil, and its adaptation to all the pur-
posés o(agriculture.
In twenty-eight hours of navigation, (performed in the course of four days·,)
from tbe , bar of Ri(i) Preto to that of the Sumide>r, Viegas met with nineteen -
rivers, yet nameless, and almost the whole entered the Arinos by the 1·ight: The
largest is a few leagu.es above' the mouth of the Sumidor, which latter is little
inferior.tothe Arin0s. - ·
After an exten.sive com·se, the Arinos loses the name, · upon incorporating with
the Juru.e nna, the united waters forming the Tapajos; properly Tapayo, from a
nation of this .name, whe inhabited its margins further to the..northward. The
first considerable.-ri ver united with it by the .r ight is the Azevedo, 's o denomi-
11ated after its discoverer. At a great distance lower down is the embouchure
of another river on the right, thir~y fathoms in width. A little further two
morre>s approximate, and contract Íts bed, and an elevated island divides it into
two channels, through which its waters flow with equal rapidity.
From hence ab0ut three hours' voyage is a cascade of considerable altitude,
the :murrnuring noise à.nd evaporatio11 arising from which an'norince another of
the wonders of nature long before it becomes visible.
l3eyond this interesting object is discovered the mouth of ane>ther river, ap-
parently at least equal to the Tapajos, which is here very wide; but is however
almost immedia,tely reduced by two . lateral morros to a little more than 011e,
hundred fathoms e>f width, and after a short space again presents a more than
ordinary ex;pansion, and :r.eceives also by the right margin another ri ver of thirty
fathoms in widtb. It is· about three hours' navigation from the ·mouth of one ·
ri ver to the· other.
Upon tbe margin of the Rio Pret0, at the place where the can0es cGmmence
their voyage, a povoaçoe is now ·establishing for the accommodation of the navi-
gators of the Tapajos.

District of TAPPIRAQUIA.·
This comar.ca derives its name from one of its tribes of Indians, and is
limited on. the north by Xingutania, 011 ·the . west by the ri ver Xingu, wbich
s.e p.a rates it fro~ the preceding district, 011 the south by Bororonia, and on
·the east by the river Araguaya, which div'ides it fr0m ·Nova Beira. It com-
 .

230 PROVINCE OF MATTO GROSSO.

'
prises the same length as the Arinos from north to south, and upwards of · two
hundred miles from east to west.
With the exception ofthe eastern boundary, alongtheAraguaya, it is unknown,,
for want of the relations of those who penetrated into it at an .earlier periocl.
Amongst other nations who liave this district under their dominion, are the
Guapindaias; the Tappimques, who afford it the name; the Ximbiuas, and the
Ameis.
The southern part c.ontains various rivers. The mos.t remarkable are the
Boys, Barahu, Irahiras, and Xanacy, all arms of the great river Xingu, bat it
is not known which is its principal head.
Those that originate more to the east form the river St. Joao, which el'lters the
Araguaya above fi.fty miles north of the river Mortes. To the south of its
embouchure there is a large lake which communicates with it, as well as with
the river that receives it, .during the periodical floods.
Seventy miles below the river St. Joao, the Vertentes f~lls also into ;t he
Araguaya, after an extensive com·se. A little to the north of the re-union. of
the two arms of the Araguaya, which form the large island of St. Anna, is the
mouth of the river Ponta, no.t very considerable; and a slHl>rt clistali1ce lower
down that of the Tappiraques, so called from its originatirrg in the territcDry of
the lndians of the same name. ·
To the north of the ri:ver Tappiraques, .1:1pon the margin ef the Araguaya,. in
the space of eighty mitJ.es, w.e re founded tbe tn;ree aldeias of Lappa, Almeida,
and Semancelhe, for the habitation of various fam:ilies of the Xim.biua tril9e, re-
rluced to peace in th.e year 1,775, who soon afterwards adopted theü· former rude
mode of livjng. They are a people passionately fond of hunting and fi.shing·,
the produce of which oonstitute thei!l' pnineipal subitiistence. The fu~st cer.tanis,tas
who penetrated into these districts, killing some partridges, fou111d in fu.eiJ: crops
granites with gold, a proof of the e:X.istence of that p>J·.ecioms :m etal iluere, and
which may stimulate futu:re .exertions Ín tlJ.e .desirable .object .o f Íntl~0.~Ucing em.,.
tivation and Christianity into extensive territories yet uncolo~ized.
The great fertility of these lands, and thé facility with which their produc-
tions might be transported by their nobte rivers, particularly towards Gram
Para, also concur in raising the expectation that some effectual measlilres w:iill 'be
adopted to civilize the savage wanderers, and, 'C@JlVert the widely extending
woods to the purposes 6f such cul.ture as the SúlÍl, now overshadowed witb
· oonstant gloom, may be found to·be ·b est a(J],ap.ted.
 PROVINCE OF GOY AZ. 231

CHAP. XI.
PROVINCE OF GOYAZ.

'Fi1·st Disootve1'y .o f Góld-Attempts of Bueno to find tke Goya Ter,.itory-Settle-

. mênts-J!Jounda1·ies-Extent- MinerakJgy- - Zo9logy-Plzytology-Cattle and
Gold its Expm·ts-Prilnr:ipal Rivet·s-Cemarcas-Julgados.-District of
Gayaponia-·Limits-Indians-Rivlws.-Dist1·ict of Goyaz-Limits-Moun-
tains- Capital- Povoações.~ fDist1·iet of Nova Beú·a- Limit-s-Indians-
Rivers-Povoações-Indians 1·edaced to Peace-Aldeias establiskedfor them.-
District of Tucantines-Limits-Rivers-Indians-Povoações,;_District of
Parannan-Limits-Rivers-Povoacões.-Dist1·ict
, ' '
of Rio das Velhas-
.Limits-Rivm·s-Indians--Povoações.

"THU proviuce had its orig·in in the year 1749, being until that time a c01narca
:Or ouvidoria of St. Pau,lo, so created in 1737, 3:nd colonized by ad venturing
mine'rs.
The first intelligence of this territory possessing goid was g·iven by Manuel
Cm:rea, a native of the town of St. Paulo de Ph·atininga, who found ten oitavas
oi this metal, which he gave as a diadem to crown the sacred image of the
Lacly of Penha, at the town of Sorocaba. Though the date of this circurn-
'stance is not known, it appears, by a journal found at ·Correa's deatb, that he
coilected the said gold with a pewte1· plate in the ri ver Aracis.
Bartho1omew Bueno, who succeeded 'Cerrea in the same undertaking about
the yeaT 1670, was accompanied by his son of ihe same name, then only twelve
years old. They dwelt some time in -the vicinity of the situation where the
·capital of this province now stands, and observed that tbe women of the Goya
tribe, masters of the district, Ol'namented themselves with gold.
~.Phe discovery of the mines of Cuiaba, in 1719, directed the attention of
13. -Bueno, the son, (the fa~her being then dead,) to the territory of the Goyaz;
·and ·imp-arting bis knowledge of the gold discovered by his father in the pos-
·session of this tribe, to Rodrigo Cezar de Menezes, that governor despatched
him, with a nul1lerous party, and one hundred muskets, in the year .1 722, in
Ol'det that he mig'h't go in search of and establish himself in the country.
232 PROVlNCE OF GOY AZ.

Bueno, having lost all recollection of such signals as might have pointed out
the way to the Goya district, proceeded too far to the south, and ·having arrived
at the banks of a ri ver, they remained there for some days, and gave it the name
of Rio dos Piloes : they found there a considerable quantity of gold, which
produced some dissension amongst the party, many wishing to rem~in in order
to take ad vanta.ge of it. Bueno, however, was determined upon the accom-
plisbment of bis object; and thinking that tbe rich treasu~·e he was in pursuit of
lay still further to the .west, he proceeded in that direction for some days, when
they reached a. ri ver, which they denominated the _ri ver of Perdition, in conse-
quence of then considering themselves entirely out of the route to Goyaz.
Continuing without embarrassment the same march, they encountered a' larger
river, and beyond this a third, which they called the Rio das Areas, in conse-
quence of the' sandy nature of its bed. Journeying onwards to the west, they
found another, which received the appellation of Rio Rico, (Rich .River,)' from
the gold which they discovered in it.
Having lost all hopes of finding tbe wished-for distriet in this direction,
Bueno retraced bis steps, and deviating in tbe way, after a prolonged and· tedious
journey, arrived at the river Parannan, where he considered himself stiJl further
from his object, in consequence of perceiving certain signs of cattle, which he
afterwards found had strayed from the margins of the river St. Francisco in
search of bet~er past.urage.
After three yea1·s of ineffectual persevetance and disappointed labour, in
quest of the enchanting land, this certanista arrived a:t St. Paulo with a part of
bis bandeira; tbe remainder having died from diseases and disasters inseparable
from sucb an undertaking.
Tbe tender .age o f ·Bueno when he accompanied his father to the district in
question, and fifty years of interval, ·e xculpated him from ali blame in the un-
fortunate result of .this enterprise; and, as he ~as a man of kno,wn probity, the
same governar despatcbed him again, with every necessary succour, in the
confident expectation of a more.successful, issue. Bueno proceeded for three
months through unknown districts, without any track or road, encountering
various torrents, and other obstacles of a worse nature, replete with difficulties
and delay: at last he arrived ata place abo~t eight miles distant from the pre-
sent situation of the capital, where he perce.~ved some indications of Portuguese
having been there at s~me former ~eriod, wbich induced him to halt upon the
spot with bis companions. Two old lndians were caught, who proved to be
of th.e Goya nation; and on ~eing interrogated if they knew the place whe,re
 "\

PROVINCE OF GOYAZ. 233

some wbite men bad been establ.i sbed many years ago ; tbey replied, that it
was not far . distant. · The caravan now moved forward again, accompanied by
tbe two Indians, .who led the way to a situation, at the present time occupied
by the arraial of Ferreiro, and which Bueno iminediately recog:p.ised to be the
much desired spot where he had been with bis father. He immediately pro-
ceeded to make the requisite arrangements for forming an establisbment, and to
carry into execl.'l.tion the obj ects of tbis enterprise.
The fortunate Bueno now returned to bis country, with tbe intelligence of
having .d iscovered the long sought-for district, which ·was traversed by .five
streams, ali baving abundance of gold; . a pretty considerable portion of wbich
he presented at the same time, in confirmation of thos,e glad tidings. He soon
received the commÜ;sion of Captain Mor Regente, and proceeded to rej.oin
his colony in the y'ear 1726.
H aving arrived at the new arraial, bis first c are was to adopt the best mo de
of living 'in harmony with the Goyaz, the only tribe ih the district, and from
whom the name of this province was derived. The Indians were, howeve~:,
suspicioas o f their new visitors, and posted theUlsel ves wi·t h their arms i:Q. the
situation where the arraial o;f Barra is ne>w seen. ; but Bueno adopting the
artífice of seizing some women, the Goyaz desisted, at the same time offering
to point out those places whic}_l afforded tbe largest quantity of gold, and which
were at and near the situation now calle.d Ponte do Meio, and where a piece
was soon found, which, when purified, produced half a pound of gold. The
whole colony laboured in contentment, and witbout . envying the miners of
Cuiaba. · ·
'
The fortunate circJimstances of their situation soon becoming known, and tbe
dangers to ~hich pers0RS were exposed who directed their cou:rse to Cuiaba, at-
tracted so great a number of miners to Goyaz in the course of two years, that the
necessaries which daily arrived with the numerous caravans and troops from
St. P.aulo, (to which city alone there was any track or road,) were inadequate
to their ·subsistence. Every thing sold at an exorbitant price ; of gold there was
enough, but it could not supply sustenance. An alqueire of Indian corn cost
six or seven oitavas of gold; and the same measure of the flour of mandioca
ten oitavas. A milch cow, which appea1·ed there, was bought "for two pounds
weight of the same metal, and a hog for twenty-eight. ' Two oitavas 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 t~e
necessal'ies of life by a tedious journey were enriched ; but tbe mines were still
HH
234 PROVINCE OF GOYAZ.

more lucrative at this period. Many were at leRgth induced to devote a portion
of their time to the cultivation of the necessaries of life, that the gold which
they collected might not be consumed in payment for them. ·
This province, in the centre of Brazil, and rankin,g· amolilgst tbe -largest in.
the state, is confined on the north by the provinces of Para and Maranham;
ou the west by Cuiaba, from , which it is sepai1ated by the river Amguaya ; on.
the south by Camapuania and the province of St. Paulo ; and on the east by
the provinces of Minas Geraes, and Pernambuco, which are divided from it by
a cordillera, stretching north and south, stony and barren, and w hich alone
atfords passage at the largest openings, denomi]lated boq~teiroes ; each portion
taking its particular name, and the northern being the most elevated. The length
of this province is about seven .hundred miles, computing· from the confJ~ence
of the Araguaya with the Tucantines to that of the Pardo with the Parannan,
and its width proportionable. It.lies between 6° and 18° of south latitude ; the
rains only prevail during the thtmder peculiar to these climates, . which com-
mences in October and terminates in April.
Tbe aspect of this province is almost univ:ersally uneven, although in few
parts mountainous, having many p,o rtions called catingas, not favourable to
cultivation.
The soil is only fertile where there are woods, with which it d<)es not abou:ncil,
if we except the districts of the capital, Meia Ponte, Pilar, and St. Luzia, 1>y
the margins of the Corumba. Admiration is excited by the wood called
Matto Grosso, (Large Wood,) upwards of thirty rúiles in width, upon the road
o f Meia Ponte to the capital, about the centre ~f that interval, and its length
extending from the river Almas to the centre of Cayaponia.
MINERALOGY.-Gold, diamonds, crystals, granite, calcareous st0ne, minerais· ·
of iron, mineral salt, a diversity of argils, &c. The largest fifth on gold bere
was of one hundred and sixty-nine thousand and eighty oitavas, in 1753, arnd
the smallest of eleven thousand eight hundred and ninety-three, in 1807. This
diminution arises from not working into tl~e mountains, which, I'lO doubt,
abound with this metal.
ZoÓLOGY.-:-This province abounds in cattle. Goats are few in I'ltlmber,
and a~most of no utility. Sheep are somewhat more numerous; lütle advantage
is, ho~ever, derived from their wool, w1üch might be easily rendered ·subser-
vient to some branches of industry. Very few more hog·s are bred than what
are for the consumption of the country. Horses ar~ -also pred ; those of
Parannan are esteemed the best. Deer are every where numerous, 31nd their
 PROVINCE OF GOYAZ. 235
skins furnish a branch of commerce. Ti~e ounce, anta, the wild hog, wolf,
monkey, hare, tamandua, cotia, .quati, paca, with many other spedes of qua-
drupeds, common in the adjacent provinces, . ar~ here .well known · and 1nuch
pursued by the hunter. Some are esteemed for the flesh, some for the skin,
and others for both. Partridges and the emu ostrich are ·met with upon the
plains. The mutun bird inhabits the wood, aad by its song invites the fatal
attacks of the hunter. The tucano, the torquaze pigeon, t);le amcuan, the
araponga, and the jacu, are numerous. A great part of those creatures are
dev:oured in a raw state by the lndians, without salt or any kind of seasoning.
PHYTOLOGY.-There are a variety of medicinal plants, divers sorts of palm
trees ; the larg·e jatúba affords gum "copal. The Brazil wood, and similar valu-
able timber~ is here of no utility-, in corisequence of the great distánce of any
maritime town. The tobacco plant is. cultivated with g1:eat advantage whe1·e
the soil is substantial. From the fruit of the mamona tree is extracted oil for
lights. The cotton tree prospe1•s in many parts, and its wool constitutes a
branch of commerce, which is beginning to be advantageous to the population.
•. The sugar cane is cultivated in many districts, and employs various engenhos ;
the greater part of its juice is converted in.to spirit, and some sugar, called 1'apa-
dums. . The flour of mandioca, lndian corn, and legümes, are the most abun-
dant productions of agriculture. The fruit of the araca, the pine-apple, the
mangaba, the goyaba, the banana, jabuticaba, the ambuo, are common, and of
various qualities. Oranges and wáter-melons are excellent. Quinces are small
and inf?ipid ; but a large quantity of doce, or preserves, is here made of them.
The vine trees grow to a l'emarkable size in some districts, and produce fi·uit
abundantly twice a year. Wine is made of the grapes in the dry'season, which
is yet very .indifferent ; sueh as are produced in the winter season serve for
vinegar, and afford a good substitute for that .of Europe. .
The cochineal plant is very common, but, hither~o, not appropriated to the
production of that insect. MaHy parts are well adapted to the produce of
indigo, the culture of which receives here no attention. The productions of
those two vegetables, from their great value, are the only ones which the
agriculturist of these distTicts could convey to the maritime ports with any
considerable profit and security. The trees of incense, senna, and man~a, are
not m1kn.own. Campeche and a species of xhubarb are also met with.
Gold and cattle are the only objects of exportation, which introduce into
t he country what little may be found of luxury, and the necessaries of life
r equired from withtmt. lf a little cotton wool, or coaTse cotton cloth, with
HH2
236 PROVINCE OF GOYAZ.

some hides, are conveyed to the eastern ports, it is only that the troops of
animais may not proceed unladen on their journeys to bring back the necessary
dry goods, salt, iron, &c. ; these articles would not otherwise pay one-half of
the expense of conveyance. At present, the breeders of cattle and senhors
d' engenhos are the only individuais who live constantly independent; .the
same may be said of miners and traders, when they are favoured by fortune
in their operations. N one, however, experience want; and agriculture is pro-
portioned to the population. The present king has been solicitous to increase
both in this fine and fertile province ; and, when Prince Regent, he afforded hi~
countenance and support, in September, 1812, to a plan fÓr establishing a com-
mercial company between tbis provinc~ and Para, the funds of which were not
to be less than one hundred thousand crusades. The estahlishment of ware-
houses and prezidios, in situations best adapted to pro mote tbe navigation.of
the Maranham, and Tucantines, from Arroios to Porto Real, w here almost all
tbe obstacles terrninate whicb impede the navigation upwards, cannot f-ail witb
the requisite attention and wisdom to effect this desirable project. Ali members
who entered this society with ten thousand crusades, besides other favours,
.were to obtain wbat is termed a sesma1·ia of land, extending five miles in front
and five miles in depth, upon the margin of the Maranham, tbe Tucantines,
and the Aragnaya; and those who established themselves either upon the mar-
gins or in the certams of those rivers, were to be exempt from the payment of
tenths upon tbeir productions, and to be free from the clu_ties of entrance
upon the articles of commerce nav.igated by the said rivers.
RrvERs.-The Tucantines, the Araguaya, the Corumba, the Parannan, and
the Parannahiba, are the principal rivers, and receive all the others which to
a considerable number water this province.
The principal head of the 'fucantines is the river Urubu, which originates in
the southern skirt of tbe serra Doirada, a short distance southward from tbe
capital, anel after seventy miles of course towards the north-east, loses the
name, confounding itself with the river Almas, which is not inferior to it ; and
from its origin, near the base of the Montes Pyreneos, flows north-west, a.b out
an equal number of miles. After ninety miles of further extent to the north-
east, it loses also thê name, uniting itself with the Maranham, which. is little
inferior to it in volume and in length of course. The principal bead of the
Maranham is the lake Formosa, which is fifteen miles in extent, and two in
widtli. It flows to the north-west, and three miles previous to uniting with the
Almas, at the passage to the arraial of Aguaquentes, is one hundred and sixty
 PROVINCE OF GOYAZ. 237

fathoms in width; a little above, it runs through a bed of rock so coptracted

that its width is only fifty feet. At this confluence, where it be~omes very con-
siderable, it flows northward, describing gentle windings, and augmenting by
the many ·streams which uni te themselves · with it, especially by the eastern .
,side.
A little below the confluence of the Almas with the Maranham, when the
.
latter traverses a range of small hills, is the cataract of Facao, which prevents
the progress of canoes in either direction.
.

One hundred and forty miles below the said eonfluence the large river Para-
nating·a falls into it on the right margin, which takes .this name nearly thirty
miles above its embouchure, at the junction of the Parannan and the Palma, the
latter :fl.owing westward, and the other, which is much larger, north-west from its
{)rigin in the General Serra; traversing an unwhole~ome éountry, abounding
with pasturage; where a procl.igious number of cattle an(! mules are bred.
At the con:flueuce of the Paranatinga, which is said to be in 12° 20' latitude,
the Maranham takes the name of Tucantines, which it preserves until its large
volume of water 'is mingled with the ocean below the city of .Para. Nearly
seventy miles north of the·last ~onfluence the largP. ri ver Cannabrava discharges
itself into the Tucantines· by the left margin,. and . a lit.tlf~ lnwer by th.e l'ight the
conside1'ahle river Manuel Alvez, which issues from the Dmo Serra, a portiop,
úf ihe cordillera which bounds the province, bringing the waters of many small
streams that unite themselves with it on both sides in the space of one hundred
and fifty miles, the extent of its course.
A little further to th:e north, the 31bundant ri~er Tabocas disembogues hy the
left; having its heads near· the serra of Estrondo. One hundred and forty miles
to the north of the said ri ver Manuel Alvez, also by the easte1·n margin, the
Somno (Sleep) ad~s its abu:ndant waters ; and,, after a little farther distance,
the other Manuel Alvez discharges itself, being larger than the first, and serves,
up . to the present period, as ·the northern limit of the eastern portion of the
province: Both those rivers flow from the boundary, traversing a territory
inhábited by malevolent lndians. A party pr.oceeded up the first, with the
intentioú of exploring· its margins and extent, under the influence of such an
unpropitious· star that they wei·e never m~re heard · of; from which circumstance
~he river received the name by which it is designated.
A few .miles below the Manuel Alvez (the northern) the Tucantines describes .
a ·considerable winding towards· the east; almost circular, again approximating
very near to the place whe1·e it had on a sudden çhang·ed its direction, and im-
23B PROVINCE OF GOYAZ.

mediately descrihing another contrary winding to the west, .forming two penín-
sulas, the first of a circular figure, and the other in the form of an oval. .
· About one hundred miles further, ·in the latitude of six degrees~ the Ara-
guaya incorporates itself with the Tucantines on the left, rendering it exceed-
ingly voluminous and grand, still continuing to .flow northward, describing
fewer windings and becoming· gradually larger. When it passes the town of
Cameta, in about 3° latitude, its width is already more than ten miles. The
tide :Bows up tbis river more tban two hundred miles, nearly to the situation
denominated ltaboca, which literally means " perforated ~tone," where the .
river is precipitated, in a short space, over three falls, which compel the navi-
gator to unload his canoes. One hu.ndred miles is computed between the
mouths of the Araguaya and Itaborca, and from thence to Cameta one hundred
and twenty. The pan:dinga, not less than eight feet in lengtb, with própor-
tionate circumference, .and the jallu, are the largest .fish of the High Tucantines,
which is not considered to abound in any species óf fish.
The Araguaya, almost as extensive as .the province, forms its wester'n
boundary from its embouchure to the origin of its principal head, which is in.
the vicinity of that of the Hipj::~.ughuhi, there :Bows under the name of the
Bonito, whicb, after gathering by .the wes~ern bank the river Barreiros and by
the eastern the Caiapo, takes the name of Rio Grande, by which it is desig-
nated when it traverses the road of Cuiaba. The first considerable river that
unites itself with it after passing this road is the Rio Claro, which comes from
the south-east, and brings with it the Fartura, that originates in the proximity
of the Urubu. One bundred mi'les to tbe north it receives by· the same matgin
the Vermelho, which .is inconsiderable when it passes the capital ; a few
leagues lower it gathers the Tizoiras, of little léss volume and extent than the
preceding ; and nearly thirty miles furthel' it is united by the Crixa, whic_h is
something larger than the others. AU three flow from the sout.h-east, and none
of them with less than two hundred miles of com·se. N avigation has been
conducted, ·by the central one, up to this day, from the capital to the city of
Para.
Thirty miles north of the mouth ·of the Crixa, which is also navigable, - and
has some salt pits in íts vicinity, the Araguaya divides itself in the latitude of
12o 30' into. two branches nearly equal, which reunite themselves in the parallel
of go 36', having formed the island of St. Anna, otherwise Bannanal, of one
hundred and eighty miles in length, and of good width : there is a vast lake in
the islaHd which bas an outlet into an arm of this ri ver. The western arm pre-
 PROVINCE OF GOYAZ. 239

serves the name of Araguaya,, and the eastmn takes that of Furo, by :which
latter navigators commonly proceed. Both have falls, and a gre~t number Qf
islands, generally small, fh.\t, and. fot the m.o st part inundated during the
periodical rains. The margins of the Furo · aFe lowe·r t11an those of tlw Qther
arm, which latter receives by-the western side various rivers, with which it is
greatly augmented. The. principal -is the Mortes, which flows from the centre
of Bororonia with near three hundred miles of course, and empties itself about
forty miles north of the southern point of the island of St. A1ma. At the
no:rthern extremity of this island the rnargins of the Araguaya are elevated a
little to the confluence of that river with the Tucantines. The :first navigator's
placed this conflnence in 6o, the geographers of Para in õb, and others in 3° 30';
thé medium is evidently nearest the trmth. . .
The river Corumba has its origin in the proximity 0f that of the river Almas,
not far distant from the Montes Pyreneos. Its com·se for a vast -space describes
a large semicircle to the east (where it receives, amongst others, the' river St.
Bartholo.mew) as far as the parallel of its source, where the river Peixe is in-
corporated with it by the right. Thirty miles lower the riv~r Verissimo unites
itself with it on the -left, after an extensive com·se, bringing· tlie waters of ano-
ther called Braco do V eTissimo. From h.ence it flows for a considerable ex-
tent, and loses its name on fall:ing into the Parannahiba, which constitutes a
bom'lelary ·for some mlles to the próvince of Minas Geraes as far as the moutb.
of the rivei.· St. Marcos, its northern head, and which rnakes a similar division-
ary line in the opposite elirection.
Below the emboUchure of the Cormnba, the Parannahiba is joined by the
large river Velhas, the principal heael of which is near that of the Andayha, on
the borders of J\tJ.inas· GeTaes. Many leag·ues below the mouth of the river
Velhas is the confluenee of the Parannahiba with the Rio Grande, the limit- of
the province. In the vicinity of the embouchure of the Velhas, the Fàran!la-
hiba receives on the right the Annicuns, the most considerable amongst those
which unite themsel ves wi'th it on that side, and liias its source in the large
wood of ,Matto Grosso previously mentionecl. ,
Almost all the povoaçoes · or inhablted places of t~is province already
existed when it was so createel and delivei'ed to the government of the viée-
roy, Conde d'Arcos; anel all of them, excepting those in the soúthern districts,
owe their foundation to the golcl! sought after upon their ~ites anel surrounding
lands.
The jurisdictiôn of the ouvidor extended over the whole province, uotil tlle
240 PROVINCE OF GOY AZ.

present King, when Prince Regent, by a decree of the' 18th of March:l~09,

divided it into two comarcas, the new one taking the name of. St. Joam das
Duas Barras, the other retaining that of the capital: Each of them compre-
hends eightjulgados, or divisions, including the district of the capital, the only
povoaçao yet enjoying the title of a town:
The comarca of Vill,a boa co:rpprises the following julgados:-
Villaboa St. Luzia
Crixa St. Cruz
Pilar Desemboque
Meia Ponte Araxa.
The comarca of St. Joam das Duas Barras the following : -
Porto Real St. Feliz
Natividade Cavalcante
Conceiçao Flores
Arrayas TraJiyras
The above division of the province points out the jurisdict!on of ea~h comarca,
but does not assist to forro a correct idea of the country, in con~equenee of the
great i~equality which prevails in their extent a:nd population; for instance, the
julgado of the capital is upwards of five hundred miles long from rwrth to
south, and of proportionable width, and the julgado of Conceiçao extends east
and west from one boumlary ·of the province . to the other; whilst thi:tt of Pilar
is not more than one hundre<:). miles long, and those of Desemboque and Araxa
are much smaller.
It will be therefore preferable, in the delineation of this province, to follow
nature, which has divided it irito six cantos, not varying esse:q.tially in extent,
and marked by visible boundaries. i\ line drawa frorn the mouth of the
Parannahiba· by its ·bed to the con:fluence of the river Annicuns, by this· up-
wards, then by the river Boys to its origin, crossing to that of the river Pedras,
by it down to the Almas, which continuei it t o. the Maranham and Tucantines,
divides the province into two parts, eastern and westei"n, which latter is
the larger pol"tien, each of which· ·is subdivided into three grand districts ;
n.amely,-·
Cayaponia . Tucantines
Goyaz ~in the western pOrtion. Parannan ~ in the eastetn.
Nova Beira Rio das Velhas S
 PROVINCE OF GOYAZ. 24l

District of CAYAPONIA.
Cayaponia derives its name from the Cayapo nation, who have occupied it
from time immemorial.
_It is bounded on the north by the district of Goyaz ; on the west by Bororonia,
from which it is separated by the river Araguaya; on the south by Camapuania,
from which 'it is divided ,by the river Pardo -; and on the east by the rivers
Paranna, Parannahiba, 'and Annicuns, which separate it, the first from the pro~
vince of St. Paulo, the others from tbe district ·of Rio das Velhas. The northern
limit is distinctly marked by a range of mountains, running in the same pa1;allel
of latitude as the lake of Pasmados, situated near the Tiver of its name, in
17° 20'. It is upwards of two hundred and fifty miles in length from north to
_south, and one hundred and seventy at its medium width.
lt is the least known amongst the districts 'of this province, not yet possessing.
a single Christianized establishment. The Cayapos, divided into various tribes,
under whose dominion it hitherto remains, have from time to time made destruc-
tive sallies upon the caravans of Cuiaba, and invaded the northern-part of the •
province of St. Paulo, where they have occasioned the flight of many colonies.
They wander about almost in a state of nudity. Besides the bow and arrow,
arms common to ali the other lndian nations, they use · also a club about one
ya.rd in length, of choice wood, round at the end which they lay hold of, and
flat in the form of an oar at the other, the whole ornamented or dressed with the
barks of shrubs of various colours, and woven in imitation of a mat. A blow
from this weapon is fatal. Honey, fish, wild fruits, and game are their aliment.
Their principal dwellil'lg places are in . the vicinity of the ri ver Cun1ruhy, and
not far rerrioved from the cataract of Urubu Punga, whither they are in the
habit of proceeding in large parties, for the purpose of fishing. There are times
that the Portuguese do not experience any hostility· from these Indjáns, and
amongst other instances, one occurred in the year 1810, when Dr. Joam Fe1;reyra,
treasurer-mor of the c;:tthedral of St. Paulo, in order to gratify his curiosity,
pro~eeded to visit and examine this famous cataract, wh.ere h e arrived at th~­
'same time that a tribe of Cayapos appeared there, who conducted themselves
as ancient allies, and with every appearal!ce of friendship; they received gra~
dously the presents which the traveller liberally offer'ed to them, and alloweçl
-various persons of both sexes an'd diff'erent ages to remain in bis cornpany.
· The ancient cevtanistas met with .variou~ rivers in the interior of this district,
'lfl ow~ng southward, and their diaries enumerl\te, amongst others, the ' Perdiçao.,
·"VV,hich is nearest to .the Annieuns, and most probab1y one of its tribqtaries; the
I I
2.4 2 P.ROVINCE 01': GOYAZ.

Turvo, the Doirados, the Gallera, and th~ Paswados, which is the most
westerly, receivés s"ome oi the preceding, ançl falls. into the, Parannan, n~ar· the
cascade of Urubu Punga, under the name of Cmuruhy. They-alsó mention
the Ap>pary, wbich discharges itselfinto .the said :Rarannan, rQ.~ny leagues above
the fall, and two Cayapos, hoth tributaries like the precedii;1g river, ap.d little
distant, one to the south and the othe.r to th~ north of it, · ·
The Sucuriu is considerable,. :disembogHes a little helow the Tiete, and is
navig·able nearly to its origin, wh.ich is no·r th of Cam~puari, upom the border of
:Bororonia. · A cel'ta-p.ista prpceed.e.d by it w~th bis canoes· to the Piquery, which
conducted them to the river St. L~urenço. . · ·
. The ri ver Verde, which is also consider.a ble, and oí cry~talli~e an~ e~c~ll~Qt
water, affords navigation to the 'interior of a peninsul.a, formed by 1tl~e . p1;~ç_es
ding ri ver, ançl the Pardo, th~ southern limit o f thE?_ provinç~, with the Pa1~anp_an,
which Fe€eiv;es them.;•, The: water of .thii;i riyer, before bejng, .<b;~wn..(:r;o_!Jljt§. P~<h
reseinbles.green ink. _ It~ mai:gin~ abqun~ with;I}lost b~autiful . woo~s, con~~~t~_g
of the fin((s.t timber.

District of GoyAz.
This district, ,which is la,rger. tha~. the pr.eçe,djng on~, and i~ bounéJ..:::rl by. :itrO:Q.
the so·uth. has ,on tbe wesLthe same.limjt.s !lf'l .the p11oyinçe; on th~ eas.t. t4e di~­
tricts of Riu das Velhas and ParanpaJ!; ,apd ,QP the ;lílqr_t]l tl}fi district of ,N ov~
:Beira,_ from which it is· separ~ted in part by the Estrondo s~rra and the riyer
Tabocas.
The nation from which the province borrowed its name was not the only 0n~
that rnled here~ to the n.orth of it there lived a tribe called C1'ixas, whose nam~
was given to the ri.ver tbat traverses their territory.
Amongsf other mountaips, generally of moderate elevation, may be enume-
rat~d the .s erra Doirad.a, not far distant from the capital, to the southward,
which extends itself for a considerable space to the west. The serra Escal-
vada,, lying .furthér to the ,sontb, anel 11:unning in tbe same directiop. ~s _the p.re-
ceding one ; , the serra Santa: Martha, to the south-west o f the last _; and .th~
Sentinilla, which prolongs itself for .a great djstanc~ with the river Claro.
The said river ·Claro, the Vermelho, tbe Tizoiras, and the Crixa, are the prin-
cipal streams of this district. · The second is small on passing the .c apital, but so~m
afterwards becomes more 'considerable by the addition of various small rivers,
which render it navigable. . Amongst those which join it by the left margin ar~
the Indios, the .Tacoaral, _the Tigres, and the Cachoeira, all issuing froll) th~
 PROVINCE OF GOYA>Z. 243

Doiràda serra. Tbe· -Bugres is the Ahst abq.n'dant ·sfream which 1mites itself
with it by the right bank, and the Ferreiro the second. The Peixe ·is· arr arm of
the Ti:Boiras, ' and navigable.
l:fu. th·e·ncn·ther:ô. part :of the district i_s fo be -notecl. the ri:ver Calélas; ·"\vhich is
of sh:ort extent; it'issues from a 'lake of the '§ame. 1name, and '· discharges itself
into the Maranham, fifty miles above t'h·e Pa1•atininga.
· Thé Sa:nta·TJ:iereza, and th:e Cannáb1·áv.a, ·e:ríter the Tuca1íitines by··ene com-
mon embouchure, under th-e name ofthe first; ·,vhich is the·most voluminous.
:The· principal. p'ovoaçof::s ai·e; Vilht-Bóa; Orixa; 'aild Pilar.
· ·Villa :Boa, at its cd~ri1:encemént den@mináted tliYe arraial o f St; Anna, was
iaísed'lnto a toJn in· the year 1739,_·and .is large, -ll o[mlous; aw1d ·ftourishing·.
It Ís'.the 'residence- o f the ~ go·vem.or; át· prê'serrt SenhoJ;. Fernando Delgado, o f
the preJate, WhO ÍS a bishop in pa1·tibus, and a\so Of the O'liVÍ<Í01' orthe ·comai·ca, .
wll.o' :fi11s 'oth.er'~ituâtíons ai wêll as tha.t of .áo·w n judge. The ~senâte is pre-
sided' hy a Juiz dê · po-rá.,~ wh'o b~si·d~s · t1olds 'thé ·appointment of-·attorney-
generãl. . . . -·~. .
Tiiis to~'n' occupies ·a Íiát' sltú'átíorí upó'íl "tine ·m.·ál'gins)of the Vetmelh-o, which
t • " r • r , •
divides íf info two 1meqúal portidns, éomirítínícáting' hy t11're'e b1·idges ~ --It is iri
the centte"ôi' the BraZil'. · lfs ed~'fices -a6~ :rieitlíér 'largé, elegànt; ~noi.:. sribstaritial-:
t1ie' pi:mCipal at;e ~the ~mótlie1: :chhi:c-h'; -d eôícated to' Sí. ·Anna,' iive chà'f>els to the
Lady of Boa Morte, Rozario, Carmo~ Abõadia, . and Lapa·; Thn.o.t&er -of St.
Ftanci§;féo ;· tbe pálá'c erÓf -fl):é gôv'efder-; 't:hé -eaza' da Camara, (o r town. house);
the Caz'á da CÓntadoria; (exéhéquer); and ihe Caza .cfa~·Fuudicao' _d o Oii·o,
(smeitlng· hoúse.) ItJrias a ->forf, with two' pieces (])f, artillery to fire salutations
upôn occasions c:>f solerimittês;· a 1 fóuntain, and a public walk . . T~e he~t i~
hítens·e dúring the- dry season '; nigbt breé~es, however, are· usuál, · and exc~ed:..
ih'gly grateful. · _ . . . _
This town ha;s a .tribunal which d·e'éidés upon the· a:ffairs of the province,
dênemíhàted the Junta·dê Real ':Fazenaâ,' a ·council consisting '(')f . fivé. d_eputies,
i·n éluding. ttie gevêrnor, whG is the president, the judge, the attorn'ey-g.e neral,
a ti·easurer, an.d an escrivao. " lt i~<S: sitt~ated in 16° 20''·df southern. latitu'de.
. The mmíicipal body of this town, whose revenb.e amoimts to ·. one .thousand
eitavas of gofd, ai·e: sarcl.. to ·hàvé a ' sesmâri"a of 'Iá.rid, in a -circle ·aroimd the town-
of five leagues in di-ameter. .
< Half a mile tlistant fmriÍ th'e to,vn, there is a hermitage of St. Barb.ara. Five
leagues to the neí,th-west of it 'is sit'uàted!' the · smaH arraial of Barra, with a.
112

:
244 J»ROVINCE OF GOYAZ.

hermitage of the Lady of Rozario, at the embouchure. of the Bugres. Its tei·ri:.
tory is auriferous. '
Eight leagues in the same direction as the preceding is the arraial of Anta
and parish of Bom Jesus, with two chapels of the Lady of Rozario and Boa
Morte, situated between two small streams, which unite themselves prevíously
to entf'ring the Vermelho, and was founded in the year 1'729. The gold which
caused its origin is not yet exhausted ; but, whether from indolence or ·any
other cause, no one is at present occupied in its extraction.
Ten miJes .to the north of the latter place, near the river Peixe, in a plain, is
the arraial of St. Rita, ornamented with a hermitage of the same name. It is
actually the port of navigation from the capital to the city of Para. The river
discharges itself into the Tizoiras by the left margin, and is· only navigable
during· the J'ainy season.
Thirty-five miles to the north of the arraial of St. Rita, near the river Tizoiras,
was founded, in the year 1755, the arraial of the same name, which was the
parish of St. Miguel, and flourished whil,st cultivation was profitabl~; but with
the apparent exhaustion of gold it began to decay, and from the sterility of the
land, and the want of water, it was ultimately forsaken. Cattle are, however,
now brêd in its distriCt. A species of bird, which _the discoverers of the,country
called tizoiras, ( or scissors,) in consequence of having a tail similar to: a pair of
opened scissors, was the origin of its name.
Ninety miles to the north of the capital is the considerable arraial and parish of
Crixa, tbe head ofthejulgado ofthat name, which was founded in. the year 1734,
near a small river, and about ten miles distant fro~ the left margin of the
river that atfords it the name. I ts church h as for a titular saint the Lady of
Conceiçao. There is also a chapel of St. Efigenia, two of Nossa Senhora of
Rozario and Abbadia. The popu]ation forms four companies of militia, · one of
which is cavalry, and ·another free blacks.
Thirty-fi.ve miles. to the east-north-east of Crixa, near a small ri ver which
runs into the Almas, is the large, flourishing, and well situated arraial and
parish of Pilar, head of the julgado, founded in 1741, with the name of Pappuan,
a herb abundant in this part. It is ornamented by a church, ' whose titular
saint affords its name to the establishment, a chapel. of St. Gonçalo, two of th~
Lady of Rozario and Merces, a fountain, and good streets. The environs are
mountainous. In front of it there· is a morro, which, it is calculated,. has
a tforded more than one hundred arrobas (thirty-two ponnds each) of gold, and
 Pll:OVINCE OF GOYAZ. 24.5

. from when~e a much greater quantity might be extracted with water and p;oper
management. There is a curious ow~ration of nature in its vicinity, near the
1·oad of Carretao, representing human visag·es. It i:s wm~thy of notice.
Twenty miles to the east of Pilar is situated the aldeia of Lavrinhas, near the
source of a small stream, which, after a ·course of ten miles, enters the river
Almas.
Ten rniles to the south-west of Pilar, near the ri ver Moquem, a branch of the
Crixa, is the arraial of Gorinos, with a hermitage. It was fully inhabited whilst
its min.es of gold were prod'uctive. t.
Three miles to the east of Villa Boa is situated the arraial of Ferreiro,
(Blacksmitl)) with a chapel of St. Joam Baptista. It is the most ancient esta-
..
blishment o f the l?rovince. lt clerived its name from a blacksrnith, who remained
there exerci~ing bis trade, after the miners had deserted it, ~or the purpose of
rnining in other places. About eight rniles to the east of the preceding place, ,
near a small river, a· branch of the river Uruhu, is the considerable arraial of
Oiro Fino, (Fine Gold) which took this name from the superior quality of that
meta:l found here. It has a chapel dedicated to the Lady of Pilar.
. Eighteen rniles to the south-west of the capital is the arraial and parish of
st: Joze · de Mossamedes, founded in the ye~r 1774, for the habitation of a
numerous· colony of Indians, consisting of three different nations, the Carajas
and Javahes, brought frorn the district of Nova Beira, and the Accroas, who
lived to the east of the serra Parannan, in the territory where the Correntes has
its heads.
Twenty-eight miles to the south-west 'of St. Joze, and forty-five from the
€apitai, is situated Aldeia Maria, near the margin of the ri ver Fartura, in· a. plain
·constaútly refreshed by breezes. · It was fonnded in 1781, for the establishment
of almost three hundred Cayapo lndians, who w.ere augmented in th~ following
year by more than two hundrecl of tbe same nation, inv.i ted thither by the report
·of the good treatment which their comrades experienced. Afterwa1~ds came va-
rious mallocas, or parties, amongst w.hom arrived some caciq'l.tes, or captains, one
·of whom had hair resembling that of a mulatto. One cripple and some blind,
-am<:mgst .so many, prove that this nation are not greatly subjected to natural
bodily def~cts. A't the beginning they showed . themselves grateful for the
benefits conferred upon. them, . faithful to their promises, and without any
renrarkable propensity to thieving ; some learned trades the most wanted in the
colmty. The women, after a short time, learned to spin, weave, a.nd sew. This
.e stablishment, which was expected to have become flourishing by this time, is
246 PRGVlNCfi. OF- GOY AZ.
.
considerably .fallen o.ff, ·in. ~oo:n'Slequei.l~e, ~t is- "said, .o:f ;bhe' lrepugnancy of the
whites to aUy themselves with .the brdlans.
Within this district.i"s the ilew. arraial of ·Annictins, sitttated ,n ear ·th:e rigbt
marg·in of the Boys,. which here has .ollly the appeara:nee 0f a smaH strea:m.
H ,i.s forty miles to the south~east of ·the eapital, á·nd has a church dedicated to
St. Francisco d' Assis. Its inhabitants are miners and agriculturists. The first
have:f@rmeGt: a:·comp'alrl'!)' for ·minmg. The lànd is• app>wpriated to va:rious pro-
ductiolíls.

Dist1·ict of No v A BEIRA.
The d~strict- of N.@va. Beira is to the· R0rth of that .o:f Goyaz-, ánd extends
nor1íhwar.d., bet.ween th-e •rivers ·Ar.a;gtrraiyia and Tucanti.nes', roer its tei'minati:cm at
the angle of théir confl.uenee. lltl -is lll{fwalJ.·d-s ·of .f(l)ur hun<ih:ed miles· in lengt'h
:fi.tom north w s0uth, aJl:rd on~ hl!lndred and t11irty in wid.th. !Fhe is~an:d of St.
A:nna-belongs -to it.
. Almost t;h·e · wh0'l«i yet -bel0ngs to 'various savàge Jlilations;. · 'Fhe ChavfJJn;i'é tiribe,
which appears to be the most' -nurnerems;.. pess·esse~ the·. ma/ior.plirt! to:wards 'the
north. 'I'heir neighbours ·are ·t be Po'cl11etis; tl•re· Noroguages;the:.ÂpP!Jnages,. the
Carajas, .the- Cm•tys-, and the -Xerén·tes. • The ·Gha~-a;nte hrdia:ns · after being
-established, and man~ -baptized, Íii!the aldél·a o:ftiPeel:ro '13erceiro~ (iú111le situation
'6f ·Carretae, - district( e f Pi~ar,) bnilt expPessly fo:r theJ!l.'.l,,l in ·c·@:nS'equel'l.ee of the
'V'a:ssa-1-ilge ·w hich ·they volun:tari1y offered;·dese1·ted alLat one time, -and returned
to their natural mode of life. ':(hey _are at present the most formidable 'e nemies
of the Fortuguese.
The riv~r Crixa, (the 111.0rthern,) the St. Antonio, and tl1e Taboca, are ·the
most oonsiderable amongst those which enter the.Tucantines. The large rive1·
.Chavante, formed by many othe1·s.:W hich .irrigate the ~territory of the tribe from.
whom it takes the name,. 6ows .into the Araguaya a little above the I'eunion
of. its two arms whieh form the island of St. Anna.
The povoaçoes· are Penta:l -and Matanca.
F0ur hundrecl. miles to the north of Vil:la Boa, and nearly fifteen from the
margin of the Tucantines, is situated the arraial of Pontal, so· called in con-
sequence of· a point or elbow which the tiver. forms in its vicinity; It was
founded in 1738,· and 'h as a paroehial church dedicated to Senhor Bom Jesus·,
-of. Boa Morte. Its -inhabitamts breed cattle, anel cultivate mandioca, lndian
corn, legumes, and some cotton. Ali the different species .of fi·uit are kn0wn
here.
 ];>RIOVlNCE OF ~üYAZ.· 247

1'he. width IDÍ the Tucan1tines,, at, the· passage from this ~t:raial to that of ·Car-
mo, which is distant thirty-five miJes to the east, is three hundr~d and seventy-
four fathoms at the period of its greatest diminution, and more than five hun-
dred when its bed is full. Porto Reab is the riame. of this passage.
· The aldeia ·of M31ntancà is· ten, miles to the .north of Pontal, near the origin
oL a small ri;ver, v.v:hi~h ,aft~r a course of twelve miles enters . the Tucantines.
l t is yet insignific31n:t, in. coasequenee of-the invasions of the lndians~ , but it
abounds. with fi.shj game; an.d-ft:-uits. The salubrity of the cli.mate, the fe.rtility
of the ·soil,, the 1 abundance of w;ater, the -extensive neighbour.ing wo.ods, and
the. golel ·wJ1i€h is kno;~llf:Qr t@ exist- in.the distFict, ought long ago to h ave. pro-
du~ed an aecumulatin:g population,, ·a g.reat augmentation of -the existing
villages, and many other Íll'lprevementsi in wlü€h_case its inhabi.tants would, en~
this, hav.e• 11ed;Jced :or put. to· flight the b@stile Indians, anel, ·besides-; w0uld
hav.e been .c~rr.ying oN a great con'lm.ercial intercourse with·-the _merchants o.f
. Grá:m Pár~. Non.e.of t'he cama1·cas·, of -this prQvince, h{)lcl se advantageous a
sitúation f.or - cominerce~ ; .
In the angle of the confluence of the Araguaya with the Tueantines,.•ther~
is a pr.ezidio,, or nlllitary. detachment, to' r~gister t.he ·cª'noes which navigate ,by ,
both 1iv:ers.te the.city.,of Para. This is the pl~ce where· the· .Pef0re-mentioneà
dtú:ree of- 1~Q9 ordered' the ~ t(lnivn of St. Joam. das .Dmas Barras t0 be foun:ded 1
fop the head ·of the co mar.€a . of. tbat na me. It is· said, h.owever, tbat this pJ:·o,
ject, so well -conceived·, was· not · effected, in coll:sequen.c:e of the .11ee.fs with
which:this situation is enco!Jlpassed; and-which impeded the access of caNoes:
This probably was . the n~ason of two places being· founded, one upon eaoh·
river-, higher up.
In the year 1775 were reduced the- two savage nations of Carajas and·
Javaltes, who posstlsseel the islarid of St. Anna, or Banna,p.al. · The fir-st were
established in six aldeias, and the other in three, nearly .the whole with names
of places in Portugal; namely, Angeja anel Seabra, both fm· the Caraja~, near
the southern e~tremity of the island ; the first near the eastern arm, and the
other nea-r the western.; Cunha, for the Jav.ahes,~ thirt;y..five miles ·to the north
of Ang·eja, and some d~stance from the.riv.er; Ànnadia, for the Carajas, twenty.:
eight miles to the north of Seabra, an.d near the river; St. Pedro, for the same;
and ·eighteen miles ~to the north-east of Cunha, near. the margin · 0f the river:;
Ponte de Lima, for the Javahes,. in the eentre of the island; Lavradio, fi.fty miles
to the north of Annad.ia ; . Lamacaes, forty to the north; b0th •fo.r the Carajas, in
the vicinity of the riv~F ~ and Mellq, for the Javahes-,, some distance ·from-.th;e

_,.
 248 PROVINCE OF GOY AZ.

·eastern arm. At this peri"od the name of Nova Beira was given. to 'he neigb-
bouring territory.

Dist1·ict of TucANTININl.
It is the most northern of the eastern districts, and borrows its name from the
1-iver which bounds it on the west, separating it from Nova Beira. On tbe
east it is bounded by the cordillera which· constitutes the limit between tbis
province and that of Pernambuco. The two rivers of Manuel Alvez did boun,d
it, one on the north, and the other on the south; but, as it has increased
towards the north, the limit on that side is not at present quite determi.nahle.
This district is computed to be two hundred .and eighty miles long from
north to south, and one hundred and forty of medi um width. .
The two rivers Manuel Ah::ez and Somno are the principal of those which
water this comarca. The latter, it is said, rises in the serra of Figuras, a con-
tinuation of the cordillera before alluded to, from whose sides others issue that
augment its waters at the commencement. All three are navigable, and afford
the same fish as the Tucantines.
·It is a countr:r mountainous in great part, and yet occupied at its northern
extremity by various barbarous nations, who follow hunting, damage the farms
of cattle breeders, and advance occasionally in squadrons of canoes by the
rivers ·t bat approximate to the Portuguese establishments. They are of the
Xe1·ente, Ohavante, and Tapacoa ·tribes. W oods exist almost ouly upon the
margins 'of the rivers, the prinCipal portion consisting of sandy ster·ile lands, in
part appropriated for breeding· eattle. · Calcareous stone abounds in some plaé~s.
Gold gave origin to its establishments, and, while obtained without much inge-
nuity and Jabour, rend-ered many persons rich.
The principal povoaçoes are, N atividad~, Chapada, and Carmo.
Six miles distant from the right margin of the southern river of Manuel Alvez,
and little less than thirty~five. fwm the Tucantines, in the proximity of the morro
of Olhos d' Agua, (so called from various rills thence emanating,). where' there is
gold, and near the small river St. Antonio, is the arraial of Natividade. It is
the head. of :the julgado, with the condition of a tow:r;, and the residence at
present of the ouvido1; of the comarca. It was founded in 1739, and has a
church, where the festival of the ,Nativity of our Lord is held with much solerp-
nity. It has also two chapels dedicatéd to Rozario and Terco, and another of
St. Benedicto. The culture of the cane, the cotton tree, tobacco, lnqiaJ?. corn~
mandioca, and legumes, occupy the greater part of the ·population, Miners are
 PROVINCE OF GOYAZ. 249:

few; as the produce (from not adopting a new mode) of the mines affords them
no encouragement. Cattle are bred. Oranges and citrons are excellept.
N e ar seven miles to the north of Natividade is the sm~ll and agreeably
situated arraial of Chapada, with a chapel of St. Anna. The people who inhabit
it cultivate the same productions as those of the former place, and are. miners.
Fifty miles to the north-nm·th-west of the prec~ding, and twenty fi·om the
Tucantines, at the angle of the confluence of the small river Sucuriu and the
Matança, is the pleasant arraial of Carmo. It was founded in 17 41, in the
· proximity of a serra, ornamented with a mother church :dedicated to St. Manuel;
and a chapel of the Lady Df Rozario. The houses ar.e built of adobe, a sort -of
brick dried in the sun. - Its inhabitants drink the waters of the Sucuriu, which
are excellent. They are miners and agriculturists, and cultivate Indian
corn, tobacco, cotton, sugar, mandioca, and legumes, with various hortulans·
and fruits.
Seventy miles to the east of Natividade is the arraial of Almas, a little dis-
tance from the ri ver Manuel .t\lvez and near the road of Duro. Its inhabitants
cultivate the necessaries of life and c-otton.
Forty miles to the east of the preceding, is th.e aldeia of Duro, upon the
boun,dary of the provinc'e, with a register for preventing the embezzlement of
~
o-old. The major part of its d wellers are Christianized Indians,
. poor and con-
tent with their condition, cultivating and collecting only what is absolutely
necessary to preserve life.
A few leagues to the :north of the aldeia of Duro ís that of Formiga, also
peopled with Christiani~ed lndians, who are equally indolent, are hunters, arid
more contented with g·athering fruits fi·om the wild trees, than planting others of
greater utility ..
Between the mouth of the northern ri ver Manuel Alvez and the :first península,
is the new arraial of St. Pedro d' Alcantara, upon the margin of the Tucantines.

District ojPAR.I\.NNAN.

This disfrict derives its 11ame from the river which traverses it diagonally. It
is bounded on the north by the comarca of Tucantines, 011 the west by that of
Goyaz, on the south by the Rio das Velhas, and 011 the east by the limits o f
the province. It is watered by a great 11umber of rivei·s, i11terspersed with
mountains, an.d better peopled than the others, although still infested by the
barbarians, who advance up the principal. rivers. In some. districts there. are
K K
2õ0 PROVlNCE O:F GOYAZ.

many persons subject from their infancy to. a disease in the throat, called
bronckocele.
RIVERs.-Besides the Parannan and the Maranbam, its western and.southern >
limits, we may·remark tbe riv·er Trahh:as-of ,the south, the Preto, (hQth crossed
b-y bridges), the· Bagagem, the smaU,Tt:J;cantines, the Palma, the St. F·eliz, (~ith
a large bridge,) the~ Trahitas of the north, and the· smalL li ver Custodi0, l:>€lth
of difficult passage e.veH in, dry weather; tbe Gati1elleir0., near wbose mouth
there is a rock of r.emarkable form and height, and the Ba.calha-u of -considera- ·
ble width. The w:ho1e dischacge into the.~Mar$l,n_ham, e.xcept the last, which
unites itself. with the Bagagem ·by the 1eft m_argin, and the Palma ~-hich joins
tbe Parannan. - r .•

The ri ver. Palma is formed by tbe Pahneiro.~ Mosquito, aJnd Sobrado. The
latter~ which·is the most :porth8J'ly, _rises in.a plain upon the summit ofthe wi.de
serra of Mangabeira, and a few fathoms it is said, from the origin of the riv,,e r.
Ondas, (which . runs. ta the. St. F1:ancisço) ·and sev,en miles-below it!! ,source re-
ceives the Torno, arconsidenable stréam· which. issues from among the roe>ts o f
an over-spreading gamelleira or gamelta tree, and bas not a mil e of cot'l'rse, being
as voluminous at the commencement as ªt-the embouchure. '
The riv.e r-Cor-rentes, which is one. of th~ :first bra:nches of the Parannan, :flows
fmm the serra ·of 8-t. Domingos, aRd ~fter some leagues conceals it~elf for three
I:niles by a1subterraneous passage through l}l rnountain, where its waters los~ their,
colour and good quality. The river Galheiro, which descends from the serra St.
Bomingós to- the Par~nnan, _ receives-a, small l;'iyet~, (caUed t}1e St. Doming.o~)
which-runs. for· a C(imsid.tilrable spac..e· und.e r grqund, being only discove1~able in
some places- through apertures. Amongst other serras m~y be neted the
Viadeiros, which runs parallel with the' river Parannan at the elri~tance of
eighteen miJes. lt is bare of veget'3.tion or woods, and is the most el€vat€d of
the eentrat ones. From it issues the riven Tucantines and the Preto.
The principal povoaçoes of this ·district are-
Aguaquente St. Feliz Arrayas
Trabixas CaJvalcante · St. Domingos.
St. Jaze Conoeiçao Flores .
.Tw@ miles distant ft~mm the C<In'lfl,uence of the ri ver Almas with the Maranham,
and seventy mil'es' to 1lhe north:-east <l>f Pi:lar, is thé atTaia] of Aguaquente, (W aJ;m
Water) situated near a Jarge and deep láke of brackish, fetid, and warm water,
from which .it derived the name. A chureh of St Sebastiao and a chapel of our
 PROVINCE OF GOYAZ . 251

.li.i::tJdif"@·f Merees are i.t s only piaces· of worship. _lt was eommenced .abo1!l:t the
· yeai~ -1732, Ji.N' the.-ft·o®itier situaticm, where some ~ vestig.es remain~ An epiG:emi-
cal; dtsease, ptod:nced by stand~ng and putrid po<?ls· of..:wafer, occasioned by tlle
floods @Í' the Maralílham, le'd tíhose .who wisned to escápe~ witl1 Jife·fo the "place
where this arraial ·is now situated. It was not unusual for fifty to di e in one day.
A n:umeroús ·her:d of ox:en arriving f.rom ~st: )!'aíttlo, fon 'th;e supply of .t his arraial,
whe~e-~ theJ! 'were collected at Q:i~·ht, and:· pastnh~d 1Ín ifs ,envü:ons during ct:hte day,
wàs. thé: c~Gse,: it is ·stat€d,' 1 of'ihis-Contagion -:-ceasing·.' · {Fhe gold, which--was.:.so
ahu;n.<11.ant:.at ,first, 1 ii.nd.úi.c€d ;.-àlli ·assemMa~e here 0~ tw~lve .t housand, persons.
Amô~gst10fliei·Jpieces oí'.c'0nsiâer3ible .size, one was; fóund· ·of forty-th1:ee pounds
weight, whicm ·w as .ti:ansmitted r to the ~G>uirt, -in the same form tiha:t natlll.re ·pre-
sented Ítt. This . ~arity r:was p'laced in: the R.oyal'' Museum. of Lishon; and
became the booty of the French army when in that -~êity :- .'""''E·here,ai~e_s.oJJ))éJright:­
ful . caverns upc:m. the margins of. thi.s làke,, :the outJ'ét .fr.@m which is a: srrtall
perennial ·stream, not expe'rienciug. a:ny dim·i nu·ticm during tbe <il-roug~t.s..
Fifteen miies to the east-north-east •oi '.{\gnàquente is the·arraial ef· Oo~cal·, só
- ealkd from its gre_at nm:p.ber· oL e0co.a.< ,ti·eés, a!1d: situated near a · smJtll river
whieh Jos.es. -itself_in the .JVfaranham. _ Whilst gol_d· was abiin~ant thjs place
:flourisked; but if is now· very inc.bnsiderable. The-arraial ·Of Ttahiras; twenty
miles to the north-~ast, of Aguaquénte, 'larg.e and· flourishing;, is the bead · of
the j.ulg,a do .; jt wa.s founded Íll 1735, 'upo~ ' •t heJeft margin, and tweríty miles
ab'ove· th~é. mouth of tl~e .riv:er tb,at giv:es it the name. It ha.s ·a church of Nossa
~senhor,a da 0onceiç!lo, a :h ermitage of. EQm~ Jesus, and anõther of· Ou r Lady of
Rozario. ·. It is well supplied· with meaf, ·:fi's·h, .a:nd the-~agricul!tural ·pre·ductions
o.f. the cQuÍltr~. . ~ _ . " ; _ ___ -· .'! ~
Five :miles to the nm:th-east of.TJ;ãhiras; is the .rrii€1.éllirig· a:rr.àial of St. Joze .d e
Tucantines,- \mpr0p~rly _so 'denominated, ·bein.g- nearty,-thii-t}f miles ·distant from
that ri·ver. lt ·was ·fomided in· 1!735, near the left.m~rgÍFt; of -tb.e ri1ver•Bacàlhau,
and h as two hennitages. oJOm' Lady ot\ Boa Morte· and oi Rozarie,.aitul another
of St. Efigenia. Hs chtirch is the ·most inagnificent· teNiple~ in ,rthe pr.fl)v.Ínce.
~.bere ,is a brotherhood ·oftheLond· d<t>s.J?.assos* ·privHeg·~d by Pope Clement-X.IU.
'· About ·twélve miles to th~- _e~sb ' 0f ther j'm~ceding is the .-small ·'àrraial ' of
:Cacl\t,<i!eirª', · to ,,yhich a caltâract · fri,r nished thé name,, ·;{}aclioeira~ bei'hg.f0.úJr1d€ld
near it; Npon the-margin of the rive1'; ínrthe .y.e.ar.- J 736. ,

- ·,
;;, Passo Ís· a pictu.re Oi" iimtge l!epresentiug some p:f,aur .'Sav'iour's suffering·s.
I

R K'2
252 PROVlNCE OF GOYAZ.

Teu. miles to the north of Cach~eira is the small arraial of St. Ritta, fou~ded
in the same year as the preceding, and .possessing a chapel. T-wenty-eight
miles to the east of St. Ritta is the small arraial of Moquem, near the riveF
Peixe, which is a branch of the Bagagem, havjng a hermitage of the Lady of
Abbadia. ·
St. Feliz, a well snpplied arraial, in á state of mediocrity, and about seventy
miles north of St. Joze, is situated near the right bank of the sma~l river of
the same name, and less than three miles from the-Maranham. ·rt was fo1.mded
in the year 1736, an.d has a church called after the same saint, a hermida, or
hermitage, of the Lady of Rozario, and one 0f St. Anna. It is the head of the
julgado, and possessed for a considerable time a smelting house for gold.
Some of its inhabitants are yet miners; the rest ·breeders of cattle and cultiva-
tors of the necessaries of life.
The Caldas of St. Feliz, (the -hot baths or waJters of St. Feliz,) otherwise
called Frey Raynaldo, are thirty-five miles further t@ the south, consisting of
four spTings of tepid, and one of very hot water.
Seven miles to the north of St. Feliz, near the road, there is a mass of black
stone, with so _frightful and profound a cavern, ;that no one ·has yet dared to
examine jt. Three miles more to the n01·th is sitl,Iate~ - -an. aldeia, with. a her-
.mida of Our Lady of Carmo, _from which it takes the name.
Cavalcante, a flourishing arraial, founded in 17 40, h as a church of St. A:~;ma,
two hermidas of the L~dy .o f Rozario and Boa Mot•te, and is seventy miles
to the· east of St. Feliz, riear a small ri ver which runs to the Parannan, under
.t he name of Rio das Almas. lt is the head of the julgado, well provided with
water, and has a smelting house transferred from St. Feliz. lts inhabitarits
form fi.ve companies of militia. It has a rich quarry, but -deep and difficult to
work. lt would become important ·in the hands of an opulent company, and
directed by intelligent persons. Cattle are bred within its district. Mandioca,
lndian corn, some wheat, an(\ cotton, are the articles of cultivation.
. Seventy miles to the north of St. Feliz, and not far removed from the mouth
of the riv-er Palma, i~ the arraial of Conceiçao, with a church 6Í the same
name. lt :ls the head of the julgado : the peop1e who inhabit it are mi.ners,
breedeí·s·of cattle, farmers of such necessaries of life as prosper best in the
country, and form four companies of militia. It is very defi.cient in good water.
\Vithin its district is the small arraial of Príncipe, with a hermitage .
.- Ãrrayas is an arraial in a state of mediocrity, head of the' julgado, has a
church of Our Lady of Remedios, was founded in the year 1740, ahd is fi.fty
 J>'ROVINCE Ol' GOYÁZ. 2.53

miles to the nor..th-east of Cavalcante, near the origin of the river from which
it derives the name. Its env,irons _are in great . part mountainous, and abound
with cattle, which constituta the wealth. of th~ inhabitants, who are formed
into four companies of militia.
Twenty-five miles to the south-east of Arrayas, near a small river which .
runs into the Parannan, -is the small arraial of ·Morro do Chapeo, founded in
1;779. A neighbouring mount, similar in appearance to a hat, (chapeo,) and
from which gol<Í is extracted, was the origin of its name. Cattle constitute the
:riches of the inhabitants.
Forty miles to the east of Morro do Chapeo, ~nd in the skirts of the ·serra
of its name, is the arraial and freguezia of St. Domingos, in the vicinity of
wllich there is· a rock of remarkable height and appearance. Its inhabitants
'breed cattle, and ,cultivate a: variety·of the necessaries o f life.
A little to the east, upon the limits of the province, there is a' detachment to
p11event the· ernbezzlement of gold.
Fle>res is' a middling and well supplied arraial, and head oP. the julgado, has
a church of Our Lady of Cemceiçao, and a hermida 0f Rozario, .with -abro-
.therhood of bJacks. It is seventy miles to the south-east of Cavalcante, near
the right marg;in of ·the river Parannan, in a fertile situation: Cattle and horses
·.are the princip~l riches .0f its inhabitants.
Within its extensive .bounds is situated the· aldeia of Matto Grosso, with a
hermitage of the Lady of Piedade; and the small arraial of St. Roza, with
another hermitage of that saint; and in wbose district is a remarkable cavern,
with many stalactites, or crystallizations .of different forros.
Ninety miles to the south of Flores, and two .miles from a lake denominated
Lagoa Feia, is the arraial of Coiros,. form~rly ' the head of the julgado, which
pre-eminence, in 1774, was transferr~d to Cavalcante. It has a church dedi-
cated to St. Luzia, and a hermida, where . the blacks celebrate the festival of
Our La,d y of Rozario. Within its extensive limits, large herds of cattle are
bred.
A law e·m anated on the 25th February, 1814, for the foundation of a town
to be called St. Joam da Palma, in a situation determined upon at the emb91,1-
chure of. the river of the sam~ name, to become the head of the comarca of
St. Joam das Duas Barras. In order to give it an immediate_ commencement,
and to accelerate its aúgmentation, all · individuais were exempted, from pay- .
ment of th~ dízimos for thé space of ten years who er~cted a house for their
:own habitation in this Jtown, or within the circle marked for its lirnits. ·By the
 25.4 PROVINCE OF GOYAZ.

same law, the tówn·· of St: Joa~ das Duas Barras, ordered to be founded by a
decree in 1809, wàs to ·be.come, subject to this town.
The major part of the calitle ·bred in this district are ··consumed in the recon-
cave of Bahia, and in the comarca of the llheos.
'
• . c
- District.of Rr.o _DAS VELHAs.

r This rl.istric;t, to:which ·o:m.e. of the rivei"s . ~tjhat trav:erse it lreríds the name, .is
bounded on·the ndrth by the district 9f Parannan, on· the sot'lfn b_x ,the provinee
of St. Paulo, on the east by that of Minas Geraes, an'd @n ·the west by 'tlie
districts of Goyaz and C%7apopia., It is three hundr.e d -and -fifty ''miles from
'n orth to sou.th, and Gij.eÍhuttd:red and.sev.e:Q.ty of-med'ium width :
Besides .the river wh!eh · affords it t]ie ' rrame, ·. and tlws:e which serve for 'its
western and southérn · -Jimits, ...it~ contains nullleJ;ous others. Upon tfl.e rdad of
Meia Pónte to St.' Paulo,, ·mm'ongst .oiher sniall ones, at;e the Capivary, which is
forded with di:fficulty even in dry weather, the--Pyr-acanjul::ia,· ·the Peixe, .(bãth
with bridge~,) all tllree disc·h arging the1nselves .intõ the CorUJmba·by the right
bank ; the Bráco dó V'erissÜnG ; · th.e V erissimo, w.I1ich recei v'ês the former; · .the
Parannahiba -~ and'' the smaH stream of Furnas, that :flows ·th1·oúgh a · plai:h,
and on"a sudden is · precipitated twenty "fathoms int·o , á profound abyss. A
variety of birds build their nests in the cavities of the Í'ock, and rear their
young, in sight, a'n d arriids·t the rrtúrmúring sounds of this· fine catarad. The
Furnas dischatges itself soon aftetward.s into thé Rio 'das Velhas. .The two
Ubetavas, ve1·dadeiro, (the real ·one,) which "runs into ihe prec~ding, anâ. the
falso, (or fa]se,) that ent€rs the RiG Gra1Jlcle: Tbe·small river lNferrro ~ ::which
issues from the' serva of Canastra, and enters the Rio ~ éllàs 'Velhas by-}the left;
the ri ver Quebra Anzoes, that origina~es on ~the . c(;)nfines ""o.f Minas•. Geraes,
and also unites itse]f with 'the Rio das Velhas by tlhe right. 'mair gin ; 'bllt none
of them reach the mad, near which the river Prata ·and the Tijuco 'rise, ' and,
. after uniting, enter- the river Parannahiba a considerable distance 'below 1 1he
confluence of the Rio das Velhas.
· On the road of Paracatu: is-met- with (besides the afore-mentÍ'<med Corumba)
the river Areas, tlie M<9ntes Claros,' the Pent' Alta, ' (all witlr_br~dges,) and the
St. Bartholomew. The whole are stored. with a diversify of fish, a_n d1dlow
southward .
. In the most northern part of the .district is the river Almas, the Peixe, ·which
unites with the fi.rst by -the 1right, and the Patos, that flows ahmg and to the
east of the serra N eg~a, and afterwards joins the Maranham _a ; few "leagues
 •

PROVINCE OF GOYAZ. 2õõ

above..t4e arraial of Aguaquente.• · ·TmeS:e. rivers possess~ the same fish as the
Tucantines.
1 The -territoty lying bet:Ween the two Uberavas is a plain of thirty-five miles
in wi.dth, without the lea$t- elev.ation ;::tbove the horizon, and abs.olutely destitute
o( woQd; but supplyi:Q.g the deer . and the emu óstrich. '"
In the, q1iddle of the Jast' century. there lived, betweé.n tbe Parannahiba and
the Rio Grande., a borde of Bó.rOI'os;.. whose cacique w.as ,then.a Paulista, called
Antonio Pirez de, Campos,- a y.outh of liiUCh subtilty, an.d, w.l:!U adapted for the
man~:tg~ment of. those savages amongst whom he sought-refuge, being driveri
from civilized sodety. hy the extent of his crimes. He died, between the years
1750 and 176Q, of a wound which he' received ..in the arm, 'in an encounter with
the Cayapos. His, êolllrades applied medicinally, for many: days, hot broiled
bacon to the wounc}, untjl they- con:yeyed- him to a Christianiz.e d establisbmept
in Minas Geraes, to try if he coulcf be. there . éured. ·They:: lamented for a
month over him as a common father.
, Amongst other serras in the northern .paJt. is that of Caldas, four. l~;;tg,ues
square, _and flat upon_the summit, wner~ there are some lakes and de~r.
... The principal po~oaçoes are Nieia Ponte, Santa Luzia, Santa Cruz, St. Do-
mingos, and Desemboque. . .
_, Meia Ponte. Ís the largest, rríost :floqris}ling, and comrnerci!ll pQvoaçao in the
province, with the exception of th~ capital, frotu ·which it i~ ninety ll).iles (J..ist~~t
to the east, and is siü1ated near tb.e Ail:m.as., which. there is only an ineon~ideraple
str.eam. It.has·& chm:ch oí Nossâ ; S~nhora @.f Rozario, four hermjd.as, thre~
d.edicated Jo Om:. Lady, with, the. titles Of Cat;,mo;· Lapa, aud_ E,Qzario, of the
blacks, another of the Lord of Bom Fim, and an Hospício d' Esmolere~ .( an
~lms-ho~se f<;>r tb.e entertainm:ent of the travelling brotherhood) of "ferra Santa.
It, was founétred in thte year 1731, is t'he l;lead of the julgado; well supplied with
meat a:n,d Q.sh~_ ~;ad ba.s a r0·y al professar of Latin. lts inhabitants, and · those
of tbe environs, cultivat~ ~ :t:n<ijaJJ. corn, wheat, · rnan€lioca, tobacco, cotton,
~'!;lgar, some çoffee, and. b:a;e~d ca,ttle; likewise many, hogs. The~ manufacture
cert..ajn, Q.esctiptions of clotb, botrh :o í wpol and cotton; -and· beriçe tbis place
i~ CQnsidereQ. the cradle .and centre of -the agricnlture and industry of the pt•o-
:vjJ!!c~. , ~h~ · car~vans frQm the capita! and, from Cuiaba, proceeding to the
IQ.~t!~P.gljs, to ~St. Paulo, orr Bahia, pass this way.
-4\.,bout· eighii_een, mHes to the eàst-north-east is the cordillera called Montes
Py~en_~os,_ (the PyJ:en~es .) Erom its si.des flow torrents.to the femr cardinal points.
N early fifty miles to the east of Meia Ponte, in the vicinity of some fine hills,
 256 -PROV[NCE OF GOYAZ.

denominated Montes Claros, there is a hermida of St. Luúa, whicn.·ornamented

the decayed arraial of St. Antonio. ,
St. Luzia, a middling and well supplied arraial, which derives its name from
the patroness of the church, is seven miles from the road of Paracatu, and
almost at an equal distance from the rívers Pont' Alta and St. Bartholomew,
a
being elghteen miles, with little ditference, fi·om each, in plea:sant and whole-
some situation, abounding with water. 1t is the head of the julgado·, has a
hermitage of Our Lady of Rozario, prodnces good cbeese and marmalade, and
is seventy miles east-south-east of Meia Ponte. In its environs cattJte· are ex..:
ceedingly abundant, constituting the·wealth of its inhabitants.
St. Cruz, a small arraial, with a church of the Lady of Conceiçao",
is the most ancient of the province, and head of the julgado. lt is one
hundred miles to the south - ~outh-east of Meia Psmte, upon the road of St:
P!lulo, a little removed from the left margin of the river :t;>ary, a:ncl about one
mile from the morro of Clemente, abounding with gold, which has not yet been_
worked for the want of water; .because, according to the saying of the miners
here, " a mountain of gold is worth nothing, if it has _not water." · Its inha-
l?itants are agriculturists and cattle breeders. In its district are the ·calda$, or
hot springs of the same name, consisting of various fountains, differing in thé
degree of heat, and little distant from each other: Their waters, which have
been efficacious in many diseases, form..Jhe small river Ca1das.
Ahnost in the middle of the interval from St. Cruz to Meia Ponte, and also
upon the road, is the small arraial of :6om Fim, with a hermitag·e of that name.
The inhabitants are gold min:ers, breed catde, and cultivate the necessaries of
li f e.
One hundred and forty miles to the south of St. Cruz is the arraial of St.
Anna, two miles distant from the northern margin of the river Velhas, in an
agreeable situation, and is the parochial of ali the Christ.i anized Indians, who
live in those parts, nd ir the road of·St. Paulo. It was founded in the year 1741,
for the habitation of five hundred Bororo lndians, who came from Cuiaba to
su ccour the Christians against the Cayapos, who carried devastation amongst ,
the Portuguese establishments. They lived here till ~he year 1775, when they
were removed to the arraial of Lanhozo, a borde of Chacriaba Indians remain-
, ing in their stead, who were brought from the ma:rgins of Rio Preto, in the ·pro-
vinc·e of Pernambuco, and who are at present the inhabitants of the place,
with some of other nations. They cultivate mandioca, Indian corn, and
legumes.

'
 PROVINCE OF GOYAZ. 257

Twenty miles to the north of the parish of St. Anna, and also near the same
road, upon the northern margin of the small r.iver Pedras, is situated the aldeia
of that name, formerly inhahitéd by Bororos, but now almost depopulated, in
consequence of that borde being removed in 1811 to the new prezidios of Nova
Beira. The arraial of Lanhozo above mentioned, fuunded near the Uberava
Falso, no longer exists, i_ts people having united themselves with those of the
river Pedras.
The arraial of St. Domingos do Araxa, in a state of mediocrity, modernly
erected into the head qf the julgado, is situated in a plain traversed by a smaU
stream, and is thirty miles distant from the boundary, and twenty from the river
Quebr' Anzoes, (Hook Breaker.) The wells of excellent -yvater, which save the
breeders from the expense of purchasing salt for the cattle, and the considerable
portions of fertile land in which various branches of agt•iculture will flourish, have
already invited many hundred families to remove their establishments here, and
wbich will probably in a few years render this parish the most populous one in
the province. They already manufacture cotton cloth, and are commencing
upon woollens. Large quantities of hogs and cattle are bred.
The arraial of Desemboque, head of the julgado, has a church of Our Lady
of Desterro, and is situated upon the left margin of the r!ver Velhas, about
thirty-five miles distant from the boundary of Minas Geraes. Its inhabitants
breed cattle, and cultivate an abundance of the necessaries of life.
In the year 1812, the arraial o( St. Antonio and St. Sebastiao were com-
menced, with ~ hermitage dedicated to those saints, near the channel ofthe Lage,
tw6 miles dista'nt from the road of St. Paulo to the east, arid one from the
left ·margin of the Uberaya Falso. The people who inhabit it cultivate feijao,
Indian eorn, nce, and cotton, with the fruits and hortulans of the country, and
tJreed. cattle.

LL

' -
258 PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES.

Cl-IAP. XII.
PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES.

BoundaTies-Extent-Climate-DiscovereTs qf its Mines- Mountains-Rivers-·

Minemlogy-Zoology -· P lzytology :._. ·E xpoTts- Coma-rcas and Towns :-Co-
marca of Villa Rica-Limits-M()untailns-Rivers-Capital-Povoações.~
Comarca of Rio das -Mm·tes- Limits- Móuntains-Rivers-PovoaÇões.-:-
Comarca of Sabara-Limits-Mountains-Rive1·s- Lakes- PovoaÇões~ o--e
marca of Serro Frio-Limits-Rich 'in Diamonds- · MounfJains-Rivm·s-
··
Povoações-Diamond District-Tijuco-Seat of Diamond·Junta.

THIS province, created in the year 1720, being until that p.e riod a portion of
that of St. Paulo, is boundê«:l on· the no·r th by the province of Bahia, from which
it is separated by the ri ver Verdé, ànd by that dí Pernàmhuco, 'from whicldt is
divided' by the river Cary'nhenha; en · the south by 'tb.é seri·a of Maptiq.u~ita,
which separates it' fi·om that of St. P'ai1lo, and 'the 1·ivérs· Preto; Parahibuiia,
and Parahiba, which divide it from the province of Rio de Janeiro; on thé
west by the provirice of Goya~; and OD. th~ east by tha:t 6'1 EspiFito Santo,
Porto Seguro, and a part of 13ahia. It is nearly rfour hundred 'miles long frqm
notth to sonth, and 'two hundred 'ànd eighty of meclimn width, exténding ·from
1.5° 30' to 21 o 40'. The climate is· temperate compared with Tothers of the ·tonid
zone, ~rising· from the elevated and nionntainous nature of this province. The
winter commences in October, always with thunder. Some years, in the months
of June and J uly, towards the southern part, cold and frost are prevalent, and
water congeals in vessels exposed to the night air.
Gold, which is found in all the districts of this province, was the orig·in of
its name, (General Mines,) and which becomes still more appropriate, since ali
other metais are ascertained to exist here. ·
The discovery of this country is owing to the intrepidity of S. F . .Tourinho,
an inhabitant of Porto Seguro, who, proceeding up the river Doce, in 1573,
traversed it as far as the Jequitinhonha, by which he descended.
A few years afterwards A. D. Adorno, with a view o f profiting by the mines
of emeralds discovered by Tourinho, ad.vanced, with one hundred and fifty
 PR:OVINCE OF MINA~ GERAES. 259

whites and four hundred lndians, up the Cl'icare, and carne back by the same
river as his precursol'.
Many years had elapsed ~pen, wjth ,t be. same proje~t, M. d' Azevedo
penetrated irrto this eo.untry as far as tbe Jake Vup,abussu . .
In 1793, a Thaubateno., A. Rodriguez, el).teréd the certam of Cuyat~,
accompanied by fifty men ; but discord interrupt~d their p1·oceed.ings, an~
Rodriguez returned by .the capitania pf Espir~to Santo; wl)~re he ex~übited ·
three oitavas (a draclim each) of gold, to. 'demonstrate. that . h~ ·h ad , traverse~
auriferous : lands. Proceeding.to Rio de Janeiro, and· theJ!ce to Thaubate, ;h~
soon..expired, in conseq1;1ence of the exhausted state be was reduced to by t\1e
fatiguês and privatíons of the enterprise, p11eviously. recomi~l.ending bis brother-
in-law,. Bartholomew Bueno, to perf'lev.ere.in this .project.. t
. Impelled by the poverty to whi<i!h extravagancies had re~uced him, Bueno
set out, in l 694, upon the enterprise, accompanied. by Captain :M.. «tl' Ahueida
and other persons, directing. th.eir course by the heads of the serras pointed out
in tbe diary of the late Rodt:ignez. )
Captain M . Garcia, accompanied by Colonel S. Feruandez aud otbe:r;-_,a<l_ye_n-
turers, a:ctuated by simHár motives, ~took their depart)n·e in .t he foHew.ing y~ar;
met with ·:Bueno at tbe serra of ltaberava, near thirty. miles to the south of
Villa Rica, and returned the first with twelve oitavas of gold, which led to ~he
e$tabllshi:nent of a melting house in the t~wu 0f Thaub;:tte. ,. .
This circQmstance c~used a great many, Paulistas to undertake val'ious other
voyages, ip ,spite of ,the fatigues and d angers. witm which th,ey .were bes-et ,; no,t
as .hitherto in capturiug savag·es, but in the ;;tnirnating pursuit of gold. .;with
this ·view numbers formed . establishments in , the p11o:vince. ,Hen.ce ar<Jse th~e
envy which subsisted between the Tha,ubatenos a:nd Piratiuiuganos, wlro never
associated in their mining expeditions.
With the project of finding gold :F. D. Paes pe~etrated the certams of Serro
Frio, and arriving at the situation of Anhonhecanhuva, ,(whicll in the lndian
idiom signifi.es " water that hides· it~elf,') at :present called Sumidoiro,: (" to
svirallow up,") be dwelt there more than three years, undertakin,g various
journey~s during the time into Sabara Bussu, where he found, in the serra NegrÇt,
preéious stones; wbich not satisfying him he .retroceded as far as the serra
Tucambira, (the crop or maw of the Tucan~,) and from ~hen,ce to the riv~r
· Itamarindiba, (a small _rolling stone,) where, from its haviug fish, he l'emained
for some time. Although his party was diminished by the , desertion of the
major part in the serra Negra, impatient at their long stay there, he determined
LL2
260 PltOVINCE OF MINAS GERAES.

to visit -the lake Vupabussu, (Large Lake,) which l1e ultimatelyJound, after a
laborious search; and was also directed, by an Jndian which he had taken, to
the emerald mines. On the retum of this certanista towards St. Paulo, he
died near the river Velhas, where he fortunately met with, amongst other ·
countrymen, Manuel de Borba Gato, his son-in-law, ~o whom he left · the
golden fruits of ali his laboms.
In the mean time D. Rodrigo de Castello Brªnco entered the country, with
the appointment of superintendent of the mines, and wishing also to participate
in the credit of discovering the emerald mines, on his arrival at the river Velhas
sent to beg of M. de Borba Gato a pa1-t of the equipment and provisions left
him by Paez. His refusal to comply with this request occasioned some
menacing words to escape from Branco, which. were sufficient to cause his
assassination basely by a servant of Gato, to whom General A. de Sa offered a
pardon, in the name of the King, · on condition of his pointing out the copi9us
mines of Sabara, discov_ered by him. Those conditions being fulfilled, the rank
of lieutenant-general was unwisely a!!d undeservedly gTanted to this instigator
of murder.
The abundance of gold attracted a great nurnber of Paulistas and Europeans
to this province, between whom obstinate disputes m·ose, and a pr~longed civil
war.
M. ·N. Vianna, a native of the town of Vianna, was chief of the European
party, who l}ad appointed him governor of the new mines, when A. d'Albuquer-
CJUe Coelho, the first general of the province of St. Paulo, with prudence and
power, termina.ted, in 1710, the sa.nguinary dissensions between the disputants.
This province, whilst a comarca of that of St. Paulo, and before it had
generais for governors, was various times visited by those of Rio de janeiro,
not only at the period of the disorders caused by the Paulistas and Europeans
but anterior to the conclusion of the strifes that existed among the Piratininga-
nos and Thaubatenos.
· D. Lourenço d'Almeyda was the first general ofthe province, which appoint-
ment was bestowed upon him with much splendour in the ·Church of Our Lady
of Pilar, of Villa Rica, on the 18th of August, 1720. This province is now,
comparatively speaking, tolerably populous, and divided into four coma.rc·a s.
MouNTAINS.-It is the most mountainous country in the Brazil. . The serra
Mailtiqueira, which is the most celebrated in the province commences in the
' l '
northem part of that of St. Paulo ; from .t hence, running almost north-east,
not without many windings, as far as the town of Barbacena, where it inclines

/
 •

PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES. 261

northward to the extremity of the province, varying its direction, elevation, and
name, and ·extending rnany branches from both sides of greater or less extent
and height. lt bounds in part ali the comarcas.
· RIVERs.-None of the other provinces ·are so abundant in water, and the
greater part of its rivers have their origin, in the Mantiqueira Serra, and their
egress in general _b y four channels ; two :flowing eastward, namely the Doce and
the Jequitinhonha; the St. Francisco northward; and the Rio Grande westward.
The first · irrigates the comarca of Villa Rica, the second that of Serro Frio,
the third that of Sabara, and the last that of St . .Joao d' el Rey.
MINERALOGY.-Gold, platina, silver; and brass, iron, pewter, lea~, mer-
cury, antimony, bismuth, amianthus, talk, calcareou.s stone, granite, black jas-
per marked with white; am,olm·, or grind-stone, fossil-coal,, saltpetre; white_,
red, yellow, grey, and black argils; diamonds, rubies, ·emeralds, chrysolites,
to pazes, sapphires, aqua-m,m·inas, agates, amethysts, petrifactions, (pingos d'agua,)
crystals, :flint-stone, . and pedra sahao, of a p~arl colour, very compact and
heavy, but easily worked ; i~ag;es, candlesticks, and vessels by the turúer
are rnade pf this stone. lt afforâs excellent chalk, and its very fine dust is
sought after l;>y travellers. Many profound caverns and excavations are met
with, from whence immense qnantities of gold have bee:ri extracted. · Some
rocks are perforated from one side to the other ; others have disappeared
.entirely, in the course of withdrawing their rich contents. Many mountains
frequently reverberate, demonstrating that they are fully charged with minerais.
A great number of torrents have been diverted, for a greater or less space, from
their natura] beds, to facilitate tl}e extraction of gold an<l diamonds.
ZooLOGY.-All the species of Spanish domestic animais are bred bere; the
oxen and hog are the most numerous; the savage quadrupeds and. hirds met
with in the adjoining provinces are common in this. The population princi-
'
pally consists of negroes, the proper~y of the miner and the agriculturist.
lndians exist only upon the eastern boundaries of the province. Many persons
of all complexions are met with of the age of one hundred years.
PHYTOLOGY.-The soil produces in abundance the first year; the second
usually little, and in the third alrnost nothing ; · it is therefore requisite, accord-
ing to lhe present mo de o f agricu lture, to allow it to remain fallow for some
years, until it is covered with a strong brushw~lOd, which is then burnt down to
form the first ·coat of manure.
Here are cultivated mandioca, toba,cç~,, sugar, (the greater part of which is

.'
/

262 PRO"VlNCE OF MINAS GERAES.

dtstilled into spiri.t,) côtton, (paTt uf which is manufactured into cloth,) wheat,
rye, and d. great quan.tity of wh.ite Ind1an corn, the dry flour- of which.is the
ordinary bread; this corn, after the· skin is taken off, ch:·e.ssed, ánd.s\veetened
with Sltgar, is a d:ainty i:t~.trocluced into every banq11et, aad i~ called aa;ngiea.
Also are -gtown potatoes, legumes, liOI1ulans, coffeé, and indig·o. Amongst
other Iíledicinai plants,, .there are ipecácuanha, columbo root, liquorice, j'alap, a
spedes of spikenard upon thl;l s-erra Caraça ; vanílla, and t11e ur.ucu dye tree.
Amongst the resinous trees, are remarked the gum-copal, gum-mastiék, benzoin:
anel angico. In some places are the storax, and the oil of cupahiba tl;ee; Íl1
others · the barbatimoes, its leaves nourishing the ·cantharid'a"s, which is a lucra-
tive branch o'f commerce:. Some trees furnish fine . bark,.·some asiles ·for the
soap-house, others venorn, with whieh·fisb. are killed, arid the :upper bark of a
ttee which supplies the real quina; or Jesuit's bark. There is a . variety: of the
palm, · and of trees atfording fine ti'mber for bnilding. The cedar is common in,
some situations, and the Brazilian pine. grows· in the southel'n part, near the
skirts of serras. There is a shbib ditfering· from the myrica cerifera, the trunk
and branches· of which are always· eovered wÍth a species of wax; ~lso the
verniz, or varnish tree, with which thé lnclians dye their cuyas (clay cups·.)
Almost all the fmit trees of Portugal are naturalized here; but none of them
Ü'nprove ; the peach and quince alone fructify abundantly ; from the latter, a
large quantity of sweetmeats are made. Tbe cajue, the jabuticaba, the m·aticu,
and the mangaba frnits are comrnon ; also oranges, linies, bananas, pine-apples,
and water-melons.
From this province are exportecl hides, skins of deer, and of other wild
animais ; coarse cotton and woollen clotl), tobacco, cotfee, fruits, sugar,
cheese, · pork, pedra sabao, p1:ecious stones, saltpetre, marmalade, &c. The
whole is conducted to the metropolis upon mules, which proceed in carava.ns of
one hundred and more, divided into troops of seven, mauaged by one muleteer.
Their return cargo consists of salt, and other dry and moist goods.
The treasury, besid~s the diamonds, fifths of gold; dizimo~,' duties upon
negroes aud goods introduced from the ports, of catt1e, horses, and mules
entering from St. Paulo, receives a considerable revenue on the passage of' .
rivers by bridges and ba1·ks, which are numerous.
In the year 1808, the circulation of gold dust, till then, the oniy circulating
medium, was prohibited, and coins of the three current metais substituted.
In the year 1714, this province was divided into four comarcas; namely,
 PROVJNCE OF MINAS GERAES.

COllfARCAS. T OWNS.

Villa Rica fVilla

{ Marianria

~
St. Joam d' el Rey -
St. Joze
Queluz
St. Carlos de Jacuhy
Rio das Mortes St. Maria de Baependy
Campanha

1 Barbacena
Tamandua

~
Sabara
Caethe
Sabara Pitangui
Paraçatu
f Villa do Principe
Serro do Frio
tFanado

Coma1·ca of V ILLA RicA.

The comarca of Villa Rica, ot~erwise Oiro Preto, (Bl3;ck Gold.,) which.is the
least extensive, and the main part yet uncultivated, is bounded on .the north
by that of Serro Frio, from which it . is se,parated by the rive~ Doce; on, the
west by that of Rio ~as Mortes ; on the south by the prov.ince of Rio de.
Janeil'@; and 0n the east by tha~..of Espírito Santo. ~t compri_ses one hund~:ed
and forty miles from east to west, and one hundred and _twenty from nQrth to
south.
MoUNTAINs.-The serra of Oiro Preto, which is a portion ofthe 1\'l;antiq'!leira,
its most elevated head, caUed ltaculume, (the Child of Stone,~ is ctmE~idered
the highest in tbe province. The serra of Oiro Branco, (White Gold,) to ·the
south of the preceding, the Serra Negra, with mines of iron, and the Serra
Lappa are both to the north of the capital. N early thirty miles north of Mari-
anna is the celebrate~ Serra Caraça, so called from having a P.Ortion similar to
an enormo-qs physiognomy. It is a dismemberment of the grand cordillera,
with near fi(ty miles of circuit at its base, being steep and craggy all around.
On a plain about three miles square, in a broken part of its summit, there is a
species of monastery, where various hermits dwell, some drawn thither by
devotion, and others. fwm persecution; their habit is a black cassock. They
264 PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAÍ:S.

sustain themselves upon charity, . and . the productions of the adjacent land,
where they raise cattle and rye. The edifice is of stone ;- the church of elegant
architecture, and dedicated to Óur Lady May dos Homens (Mot~er of Meu). In
the garden there are various European fruit trees, such as the apple, pear, plum,
cherry, quince, chestnut, olive, and walnut; also trees from the oak to the yellow
broom and furze. The land. is watered by various rivulets, which after uniting
:flow to the Percicaba. In its vicinity is the serra of ltaubira, which terminates
in two rocky pyramids. Between the river Doce and the Parahiba, there is an
extensive branch of the Mantiqueira serra, from whence emanate many torrents ;
the Serra Frecheira is the name of a portion.
RIVERS.- The Doce, which is the 1arg~st of the comarca, has its origin in the
serra ofMantiqueira. After :flowing for a considerable space to the north-north-
east, under the name of . Chopoto, it receives the Piranga, which runs from the
serra of Oiro Branco ; afterwards the Gqa.llacho, formed by two streams of the
same name distinguished by the appellations of north and soutb, and which issue
from the serra of Oiro Preto. At this confluence it inclines to the east, aad
gathers the Bombaca and the Percicaba, which flow from the west, and have
their sources in the Serra Lappa. Here it takes the name by which it enters the
o~ean. A little lower it is united also on the left, by the considerable ri ver St.
4-ntonio, which comes from the north-west, traversing an ·extensive territory,
abounding mainly in cattle. Of the streams which fonn it, some descend fr<;,m
the Serra Lapa, others f:rom Serro Frio. Ten miles fur:ther, it is joined on the
same side by the Corrente, which flows from Serro Fi.·io, with more than one
hundred miles of course. Thirty miles lower, it receives the Iai~ge Sassuhy,
whose heads emanate from the serras ,o f Serro Frio and Esmeraldas ; its margins
are thi~ly inhabited: After it follows the Laranjeiras, in the same direction;
between woods abounding with wild beasts and savages. The Cuyate, which
runs north-east, is the largest of those which enter it on the right; its mouth is
a little below the preceding, and it gives the name to an interior district
inhabited hy Indians. The Manhuassu, (which some say is lar~er than Cuyate,)
after flowing through large woods north-eastward, and boundmg the certam of
Cuyate, is lo~t in the Doce, a little above the Escadinhas.
Amongst others, the Doc'e h as four remarkable falls: Escura, a littJe below the
mouth of the Percicaba; Magoaris·, a short way below the Corrente;' Ibiturunas,
a short distance above the Sassnhy; and Inferno, between the confluences of the
Cuyate and the Manhuassu. The adjacent territory of this fine river is mostly
of great fertility; in some places the roof of the mandioca gTows to a prodigious
 . PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAR-S. 26.5

size. Ihdependentlyof the above obstàcles, . the Doce is navigaMef(!)r a great

extent, and I was assured by an ouvidor, having a neighbouring jurisdictiBn, that
RO ve~y great expend-iture 0n the pa1·t of tb:e governrnent. would 1;ender it t.he
most important and certainly the best rnedium of transit for the produce· of' the
interio.:r .di_stri:cts ·of Bra.zil. The Maquipoo is one of its :first tributat·ies received
on the right, and enter!3 a little above tl:íe mouth of the B-om.b>ac·a.
The Prete originates in the serrà Itítiayà, a branch· of the Mantiqueira range,
a~cl runs eastwar€1. thr<:mgh the ten·itory ef the Araris, bo.unding the province,
until it enters the Pat·alül:>úna,. · which latter r:Ises near tire Cnopoto, anddlows
int9 .the·. Paral1_iha. .
The Pomba, which- as · has- been observed, is a tributary. of the· Prutahiba•
waters an extensive traot ôn the southern pa:rt of this comarca, ànd passes near
the patish of St. Manuel, whose inhabitants al'e Ooroa::do and Crapo Indians,
with some whites, priilcipally raising Indian corn, legumes, some sugar,. and
numef(;)us.hogs. The fértrlity of tlle cotmtry, with tbe navigation of tbe· riveJ\
promises it a fu.ture increase. lts ehl!lir.ôh is fól'ty miles from tb,e mooth of
the river.
Villa Rica, antecedently Oirõ PretG; was creàted a.town.in 17ll, and is 1arge,
populous, abund.ant, and flourishing. It is the capital of the provinée, a:n.d· the·
residence of the governor, at present Dõn Mànuel d:e ·Portugal e Castro;. like-
wise of the ouvidor of the comarca, who holâs other offi.ces, servim.g als9 a:s
crown judge with jurisdiction over the whole province. It has a Juiz dê Fora,
.who is also attorney-general ; a vicãr-geher}ll, · aRd .professórs, I had almost
forgot royal, of primitive letters; Latin; and philósopby. , This town is ilt
situated at ~he southern base of tbe serra of Oir6 Preto, amongst g.Joomy roGks,
upon very unevefi ground, and frequently çovered with fogs, wbieh are said tG
cause am<;mgst \he inhabitants €ontinued co1d~ ór defluximis :from the head. \!
There is a house of mis-ericordia) fçmnded by Gó F. d' Andrade, in virtue of a
law of the 16th April, 1738; a. sinelting hóuse; a junta of the treasury, eóm-
posed of four deputies, the ~uvi.a:or of th~ comarca·, the attorn.ey-geru~ral, the
general treasurer, and the auditor, with the gGvernor as president. It has ten
c~apels, of the Lord Bom Fim, Ahnàs, St. Anna, St. Joam, &c.; . hesides
three Terceira orders of St. Ft;:~.ndsco d' Assis, Carmo, and St. Franeisc:w
de Paula, almost all of which; with fout bridg.es, are of stone. Tb't!) Jpãlãce,
m:i.litary quarters) an.d municipal h(!)Us€l, áre considered to be handsome ~ the
latter has an annual revenue of about fifteen thousand crusades. It has a fort
with some pieces of ordnance, wbicb are fired occasionally on holídays ;· fonr-
MM
-.

266 PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES.

teen fountains of crystalline water, and a hospital. Its inhabitants, principally

miners and . dealei"s, li ve in twó . parishes, caHed Our Lady ,of Pilar and
Conceiçao. This to,w n is two htmdred and thirty miles north-north-west of
Rio .de Janeiro.
There . are in Villa Rica twenty-five judicial appointments. The smelti:ng
house has sixteen offioial situations; the oflice of Intendente, which affordéd
annually five thousand two hundred and fifty crusades, in€J..eperidently of per-
quisites, has been discontinued here as well as in ali similar establishments in
the Bra.zil. In the tr~asury, besides , the deptúies already mentio:ned, there are
sixteeu other situations, the rnost lucrative of which is the Escrivao Contadm·,
(the auditor of the tre~sury,) having three thousarrd crusades anmmUy; and the
smallest is that of Continuo, (a sergeant, or beadle,) nat having mare than one
hundred and fifty milreas (about thirty-seven pounds.) There is also a tribunal
entitled "Junta ofthe conquest and · civilization of the I:ádians and navigation
of the ri ver Doce," established in 1808. Its principal object · is to promote
agriculture upon the margins of that ri ver; which, h.owever, advances very slowly.
The .inhabitants ofVilla Rica, and of six parishes within its district, form two
regiments of auxiliary cavalry, fourteen companies of whites, seven 0f mulattoes,
and fóur of free blacks.
Eight miles to the west of Vipa Rica is 'the arraial and freguezia of St.
Barthalomew, famous for the large quantity of p1armalade that 'is exported
from it.
Ten miles to the north-west of Villa Rica is the freguezia or parish of Our
Lady of N azareth da Cachoeira, where the governors have a house · of recrea-
tion, occasionally passing some days there in the amuseihent of shooting deer
and partridges. ·
. Twenty miles to the south-east · of Villa Rica is the considerable arraial of
Piranga, situated .near the ri ver of the same name, with a· church of the Lady '
. of Conceiçao; and a chapel of R ozario. The inhabitants cultivate the necessaries
of life, and a large quan.tity of tobacco, to which (he soil is very favourable.
In the vicinity of the ri ver Piranga, with.in the district of the parish of St.
Antonio d' Itaberava to the south of Villa Rica, is the large arraial o{ Catas·
,Altas da Noruega, with a chapel of St: Go.nçalo. .
Marianna, originally the arraial of Carmo, until ~ 711, when John V. bestowed
upon it a register of royal duties, ' and the name of ·v illa Leal do Carmo, (Loyal
Town of Carmo.) 1t was created an episcopa'l city in 1745, by the same
monarch, with the name of his consort. ' It is small, weU supplied, and
 PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES. 267

situated in a gently ele-v ated country, near the right margin of .the Ribeiro, or
. stream of Carmo, with the chapels of Our Lady. of Rozario, St. Pedro, Santa
Anna, St. Gonçalo, St. Francisco, for tbe mulattoes, ·and Merce;z;, for the
creolian blacks; also two Terceira orders of Carmo and St. Francisco, 'whose
chapel is elegant. There are two squares, . and seven fountains 'of good water.
The streets, are paved, and the houses of stone. The municipal house is one of
the best structures, and h as water within it; the cathedral, dedicated to tbe Lady
of Assull}.pçao, is more el~gant than solid. The episcopal palace is handsome ;
the seminary spacious, the chapter is composed of fourteen canons, including
the dignitaries of archdeacon, archpriest, chanter, and treasurer-inor, with
~hom · twelve çhaplains, and four yotmg choristers officiate. The Juiz de Fora
presides over th~ orpbans and the' senate, which has 'ele'\'en thousand crusades
of annual revenue. He fi.lls other sihtations; and has, besides, twenty public
officers u:hder his inspection. All the inhabitants of Marianna are parishioners
Qfthe cathed:ral, and, with those of its surrounding twelVe parishes, form two regi-
ments ·of cavalry, twenty. cqmpanies of infantry, (ali whites,) ten of mulattoes,
and tive of free blacks. This city is eight miles east-north.,.east of Villa Rica ;
the intervening 1:oad is paved in parts, and bordered with many houses, having
near it two arraiais, and passes three stone bridges.
Eight _miles to the north-east of Marianna, near the arraial of Antonio Pe-
reira, (its founder,)in a rock at the end of a delightful valley, is a grotto formed
by nature, and converted into a small chapel, dedicated to the Lady of Lapa, -
where every Sunday mass is chanted, anda festival .takes place on the 15th of
August. The roof, which is, of caJcareous stone, is overspread with stalactites,
Ol' crystallizations formed by the filtration of the water.
Fifteen miles north of the same city is the arraial and parish of .Jnticionado,
which derived its· name from the circumstance of t.he refuse of gold in melting
being at first excellent, and becoming afterwards inferior, sõ that it acquired
the name of Oiro Inficionado, (lnfected Gold.) lt is the native country of the
poet, who was the autbor of the poem of Cammu'ru, " the Mau of Fire," a
conspicuous character in the history of Bahia. lts 'church is dedicated to the
Lady of N azareth. Tbe inhabitants raise the necessaries of life and cattle,
andare miners.
Catas Altas de Matto Dentro, (profouúd searchings within the matto,· or
woods,) formerly a large and flourishing arraial, with a church · of the Lady of
.C onceiçao, has ·fallen into decay with the decrease of gold. The deep mines, '
wrought for the extraction of gold, were the origin of its name. It is about
1\111\112
 268 PROVINCE OF MINAS .GERAES.

eight mlles from. tbe pr.eceding,, anil the inhabitants are agt~iculturists, ineluding
breeders of cattl!=! and .miners. ·
Nine miles from Catas Altas is tbe langé, f.lourishing, and COJll'ffierc-ial m:raial
of St. Barbar.a, :Q.ear the stream of Jh.e same name~ having various religious
str!ictmes, an.d ·pr.omising considera'ble au.gmentation. The occupations of its
inhabitants are simila-r to that of the l'ast place.
T~n miJes fr,om St. Barbara is the ~rraial of Cocaes, with rieh, mines of gold,
jn t~re 9-istriçt o f ·tb~ parish of St. J o ao do Morro Grande. .

.C.omq,rca, pf ~}(f> D-4-S M.op.~FES.

The cmn.ar~a of Rio das Mort.es, s.o calleg from the r.iv;er which washes it,
~!1~ ~Q.al}y ~Jl.pwn by the name .of its head towN, St. Jo-ao (il' el Rey, is
q.<nmded 9ft th~ ~a..st ~y the com~rc.a of Villa Rica ; on the aorth by that' ef
~~bava, fmm wh-i~h it is sep.arated by tbe serra Negra, and -by the rivers Lam-
bªry and 1\.pd~fha; !)~ th.f! 'We~t by tlte ·proyino.es flf ·Go.yaz a11d St. Paulo; a:ml
<:m th'ª ~a-lJ.th 'b:r tl1e lattev and .t~1at of Rio de Ja11eir<!). It is oomputed to coin-
pris~ O!!~.llu:Qdr~d and seventy square miles. This comarca lias many portions
of l:;t:n·d ,;tppvopri.a ted t.o the mi)ture of I:nandioca, lndian com, aFl!d legumes;
likewise to plantations of s.Q.gar an.el. tobacco, which are the most ·Iucrati ve
.article~ o f e~portatiqn ; ip some ' places tbe cotton tree prospers, and in some
pf th.~ ' S@'J.ltPf#'R !ilistriets ~onsjderahle quantities of rye and wheat at·e ~:·aised:
Gows ~fe g~!!êf~lJy a}}undant, alsd .she..ep and hogs. Pork and cheese are im-
· p,prt~nt~.J'~Il§he.§ of .e~p.ort. l'her.e are aurjfer.ous .gr~mnds, which occupya great
many peopl~ jn. th.~ vyovk,i"Qg ef them.. · '
MouNTAINs.-The principal aue the ser-ra of Lenheiro, in the vicinity of the
town. qf ~t. J9:'!º c:l' el ltey .; of St. .Joze, near the town of that name; of
Lppo, n.qt faF from Q~~o Verde; of Assumpçao, on the western part, between
tbe ij,io .G rande anq the ~ardo; of Parida, ·which serves as a limit on the ·same
·. side frqrr. tp~ Rio Grani!~ n.orthwand. In the southern part there is the exten-
sive Mantiq!l~ira, , in partfi! bar'e arnd ro,c ky, in oth.ers covered with Wood. It
con~ins the Çachi'J'l,eze·I-n·dians, who are inconsiderable in number, stinted in
growth, and timorQq&, and confine their hostility to robbing tbe neighbouring
parishes of some cattle. The serra of Juruoca, which is a braneh of the pre-
ceqing, take~ the name of a stone called a'!/uru, · " parrot," and iJoa, " stone,"
and which stands upon it where there is a cataract seventy yards in height.
Tbe serra of Carrancas is situated betweeR th~ Rio Grande and Verde. The
serra of Letras, (or Lejters,) a branch of the ·preceding, derives its name from
 J?~OVINGE OF MINAS GERAES. 269

a spe~iea 9f b.iert>g;lypbic, a natural ·curios'ity, whieh is observed in the inferior

of a v~st and curious caV'e, fot'med of divers eruptions or projections of .a sand.y
siqne, .some of c.~nside:rable elasticity with various kinds of plants which
grow there. Th~ preteilded letters, ·ovving their migin to ferru.gin~us paFticles,
~re rude and illegi'ble, and no more Hian ·a superstiti6us hierography, arising in
the -ignp1mnce oí the people, who att"l'ilmte tlíem- to the hand of the apostle .
St'. Thomas; N ear it there is a hermjtage dedi.cated to th.e same apostle. The
serra of Vigia, so ealled fr-om having served for a long tim~ as a watch.·tower
t~:> tl;le §lentinels of.~ band 0frunaway negroes, who had established th~mselves in
tliat pjstrict, is tw.e nty rniles ·..distant froril ~st. Joag d' el Rey. · The serra Oa-
çhambu is between the 11iver .J:acare and tlnr Rio ·Grande.
RIY'ERS.-=- Tlíe liti0 Graride, the lai·gest of th~ comarca, · dividing it into
s6uth.ern an~ Bóut'hern, and having its o~igin upon the serva Juruoéa, after
gathering II).;;tny small streams, fl.ows at first nor.thward, then north-west for á
C0'nsiderable space, and recei:ves the large tiver Das Mortes, which rises· in the
s,erra ef Oirg Ur&Jílco; from ·whenee it runs west, becotning Íar.ge .wi~h · the .êur-
re~ts that j0i'fl it by 'both maJ'gins. ·Ftorn this coritlnence, wàieh is ·about seventy
mi:les 'west ·o f the · town of "St.'· Joao d"el ·Rey., the Rio" Gtande cemtinues fts
~eui·se westward, 'inc\Feasín:g ·Iimeh ~t(') ,..the boqnaary of the . province, wher"e it .
begins to serve as a limit between lhe provinces ef ,(joyaz a-nd St. P~uie> ; it is
.stoved with à variety of fis'l1. ·
. r;I'h.e ·Sapuca;lJY flows .fi·0m the seri1a Mantiqueira, ·has numerous win.dings, and
i~ enlalig..e.d li>>y :m·any otl1er r.ivers; the largest o f w hich is ~the V erdé, that rises
~eat the Sft'lll•r ce o.f the ·Rio Qrandepªnd, af.tér-having watered· an ·extensive ·tér-
·ritorf:; pasttired by large ·heFds of c'a ttle; runs north-west, ·ancl irrigates a simi-
larly· stcic~éd .and larger eounby in the p:wvinee of St. ·Faule, ·where it has its
junçtiQ~ w:ith the preeeQing.
N ear the tnai;gin, and not f~r ··f.rom ·.the origin ef the· MeZiarrfbo, a branch of
t}!~ - Sa.tnie;:t.llif? t4~1·e are s.ev,e11al . wells e.f sulpluireous·water., some waromer tlí'an
~th~rs, wpipp h!i.V~ been Í(!)UUd oeneficial iR C.ertain diseases ;· and betwe'etiihe
plqin~~ o f ~qe 1·i~er V evde a!td :J3.aepolldy, · )!learr a rivulet which falls in to ·the
:Y~l'Çie, tJ:wre ~f.e vªrioas ~>niª~ml q,nd ~it~Qliç waters. • ·
In this c~~-~~Q3: p~igil'Htte the Par-de and Jaguary, which wash the northern
, pa~~t. qf ·thf pt:oyin~e pf ~t. Paulo, ~11~ Far;tup~ba, :Para, Lambar.y, Bambuhy,
and th,~ .S~. ;Fra'!lcispo, which ·:r.eeeiv~~ ·theoa: these are the p1~inoip~l rivers in the
nert\wl:~ J1fll:t. .
1;4~ QaiJl~IJdJJ.eªy1\ ͧl· ª .hran~h Qf the Sap1:1cahy. The Jacuhy, Jacare, ~nd
270 . PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES.

Capivary are discharged into· the Rio Grande, below ·the con:f.luence of Das
Mortes. The Peixe and the small Das Mortes enter tbe large Das' Mortes; ihe
latter twenty miles below St. Joao d' el Rey, and the other still further. , The
doimdo, mandin, and praca11juba are the best fish in those riverslo
St: Joao d' el Rey, antecedently Rio das Mortes, is ·the h.ead town of tfie
comarca, and tbe residence of its ouvidor, wh.o acts in othêr situations, and is ·
also ~rown judge. 1t is one of the largest; and the most abundall.t places in the
province, and is agreeably seated in a flat country, about two m~les from tl1e
l'iver that gave it the primitive name till 171.2, when John V. gave it the present ·
name and the .title of a town . . lt has a church ef the Lady of Pilar; twa
chapels dedicated to the Lady of Dores and Mercez; one to St. Pedro ;. others
to St. Antonio, St. Caetano, St. Francisco, administered by the bla:cks; two
Terceira orders .of the Lady of Carmo ·and St. Fràncisco. 'The chapel of t:he
latter is the' finest in the whole province, and stands upon a large praca, or
square. 1t has also an hospital, and two bridges of stone over the snndl
channel of Tijuco, ·which div~des the town into two portions; a Juiz de Fora,
wh.o is also head of the orphan establishmep.t ; an attorney general ; a royal
professor ofLatin; a viçàr-foraneo; anda sm.elting-ho.use, with the same appoint-
ments as thatof Villa Rica, exceptipg the abridm· dos éunhos, '(engraver of coins.)
The judicial appointments are also the same. ,.
· This town has tolerably good houses, with paved streets. All the Iíeces-
saries of life of the country are cheap. There are here white tanget·ina oranges,
which are not met with in any other part. The road, which leads to the Rio das
Mortes, upon which there is another large bridge of wood, is· bordered by
quintas, or country houses. About the middle of this interval is the arraial of
Matozinhos, with a chapel of Espírito Santo. In its suburbs are cultivated the
cane, much Indian corn, some rye, a littl~ mandioca, and cotton; and at a
greater distance cattle are bred. Mining is tbe· general occupation.
There are twelve chapels in its extensive environs, generally provided with
chaplains, who are, with as many more coadjutors of the- vicar, privileged to
administer the sacràments in hisjurisdiction.. This town is nearly eighty miJes to
the south-west of Villa Rica, aroout the ·same distaJÍl.ce south-south.:west from
Sabara, and upwa;rds of two hundred n'orth-west of Rio de Janeiro.
Eight mil~s to the north-north-west ?f St. Joáo d' el Rey, and near the right
margin of the Rio das Mortes, is the middling town of St. Joze, with the
handsorp.est church in the province, dedicated to St. Antonio, a chapel of the
Lady Rozario, aml a:n,other of St. J o ao Evangelista : ' it abounds with the neces-
 I •

PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES. 27 1

saries of li:fe, and is provided with good water. The inhabitants, and those of its
wide district, who are well supplied with Catholic places of worship, raise much
Indian corn, some barley, a diversity of fruits, cattle, and numerous herds of
hogs, its principal riches. · Some are miners.
. Barbacena is a middling town, ha ving a beautiful aspect, well situated in the
proxitnity of the serra Mantiqueira, and three miles from the Das Mortes, with
a chur.ch ef the Lady of Piedade, a chapel of St. Francisco de Paula, two of
the Lady of Rozario and Boa Morte. In its environs is the Brazilian pine;
and the olive tree fructifi.es in some parts. The inhabitants raise cattle, and
.·
cultivate the most substantial lands with the most ~1seful articles; some search
for gold, and others are occupied in various branches of industry, :with advan-
tage to the place. It is thirty-fi.ve miles east-south-east of St. Joao d' el Rey,
and fifty south-south-west of Villa· Rica.
Quelluz, otherwise Carijos, is a town finely .situated about thirty miles south...
south-west of Villa Rica, fifty north-east of St. Joao d' el Rey, and three from
the Co~gonhas, near the skirt of the serra of Oh.-o Branco. It has a church of
Our Lady of Conceiçao, two hermitages of St. Antonio and Carmo. Cattle is
the wealth of its inhabitants.
Tamandua is a middling town between two small streams, which are branches
. of the 'l:ambary. It is well supplied with the provisions of the country, and
has a church of St. Bento, two chapels of Our Lady of Mercez and Rozario,
another of St. Francisco de Paula, with a fraternity, whose brothers enjoy ex-
traordinary privileges. · It is nearly ninety miles west of Villa Rica, fifty north-
west of St. Joao ·d' el Rey, seventy south of Pitangui, and seventy west-north-
west of Sabara. The inhabitants and those of its district are cattle breeders,
fa;rmers, anel miners.
Campanha, properly the town of Princeza da .Beira, is in a state of medio-
crity, sit~:mted in a plain twelve miles from the Verde, with a church of St.
Antonio do Valle de Piedade, (St. Anthony of the Y alley of Piety ,) two chapels
of the Lady of Rozario and D~res, one of St. Sehastiao, and another of St.
Francisco de Pa~la, with. a brothe_rhood subject to the town ·of Tamandua. It
has a Juiz de Fora,, who is head of the orphans, a royal professor of Latin, and .
a, vicar, · and· is nearly eighty miles south-west of St. Joao d' el Rey, and orre ·
·hunclred and fifty sonth. of Pitangui. The inhabitants and those of its· é'Ílvirons
are miners; farmers of rye, wheat, Indian corn, tobacco, some mandioca,
cotton, and sugar, and raise many cattle and hog,s. In some situati<?I1S are
c-ultivated :flax; and generally coarse woollens and cottons are.manufactu1·ed. ·
 272 l?ROViNOE OF MINAS GERABS.

St. Matia de Baepondy is yet a.. small town. The church is dedicated to Our
Lady of Co:nceiçao, and the wealth of ifs inhabitants consists in toba.cco; f0r
which the soil is well adapted. It is fifty rnile~ east of Campanha, and ·was
created a town by a law of the 19th .o f July, 1@14, when 'to its civil govem-
ment were added two ordinary judges, one of ·orphans, three mãgistrates, two
regul.ators of the rnarket, tw6 .public scriveners, j m:d<icia~l and notarial, · t.he ft-r st
filling also the offices of escrivaõ of the tQwn h@use, excise1 and market, the
other the. office of escrivao .of the oi-phans; there. is ais@· an: alcaide and'his
escr1vao.
St. Carlos de Jacuhy ís situated nea1· the origin of the Five.r which lends it 1lhe
name, has a chur~h of the Lady of Conceiçao, and was created a tow:b, by the
same law as Baepondyf with tbe.same civil o:fficers, to whom. the patisbioners
of Cabo Verde became subject. It is near tl.Te hou:ndary of the pl'ov.im:e 0f St.
Paulo, and is abundailt Ílíl cattle. · .
In this comarca are the .fallowing pai·ishes :~St. Anna·de Sapocruhy, twenty'"
fi.ve miles frorn the rivet of the satne· Iiarne; the inha,bitailts oultivate leg·ümes
and ar6 gold miners. Concêiçao de Cam;:~:nducaya, fifteen t0 the right _õ f the
J aguary; it exports hides. Carmo de Cabo Verde, ilea'r Jhe ri ver from which it
takes 'the .name· ; ,Jts paríshiouers cúl1livate cotton 1 some wheat* are miners, ttnd
export hide-s. · St. Anna d' Itajuba, where wheat 1 rye, àild·.lndian eo.rn ar.e
cultivated. -Pouzo-Alegre, whose inhabitants àr~ agricuiturists. St. Pedrõ
.d' Al€antara:Oiro Fino,. w:here there are hot springs ; it is fiíty rnilés. fronil tke tawn
of .Bragança, and éattle aud wheat at;e. its p~·oduotions. Condei~ao das-Laoras
dó FuniJ, sixty miles fremi St. Joao d' el Rey; the inhabitants aTe.ágridultutiS'ts.
Coficeiçao de Pouzo Alto, fifty: miles frorn the town of Ca~panha, whéhL€àtiton
and wheat are raised. Conceiçao da Juruoca St. Gonçal0, F@lrmerly ·a lmrgje
and flourishing arraial, near twenty miles ·from <Jampatlh,a ; the inhàbitants are
~íners and agriél!llturists.

Comarca of SAJ}ARA.
This comarca is botmded on the north by the province of Pernambueo ; ou_
. the we'St by that 0f G0yaz ; gn tl:te seuth by thi::! <'!omarca @f Rio das Mortes ;
and on the east by that .of Serro Fr.ío. It is .t hree ·b undred aJnd fifty Piiles from
north to sou.th, and more than two. htmdred and teil fuom ea:st to west.. It is
watered by many rivers, the .whole tributary to the St. ~'rancisco~ which
traverses its southern part a:nd sepamtes it on the 110rth frorn the ~amareà of
Serro Frio. lt abounds in pastnr~ge and large herds of catltle, an(i\ has mines

/
I
 PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES. 273

of various metais, diamonds, and other precious stones. It produces Ind1an

c orn, mandioca, rice, sugar, tobacco, legumes, cotton, various fruits, and in
many parts plenty of g·ame.
MouNTAINs.-The serras of Marcella, Christaes, and Tabatinga, are the
most elevated portions of the cordillera which 1imit it on the west. The serra
of Jinipapo is in th~ 'vicinity of the confluence of the ri ver Velhas ; the serras
Quatys and Araras in the centre of the western part. The serra Negra separates
it fl'Om the comarca of Rio das Mortes for a cortsiderable space, ª'nd is almost
entirely of stone, having mines of good gold. The serra Lapa follows that of Oiro
Preto to the north. The serra of Piedade extends nearly northw-ard. Those
of Saudade and Itucambira run north and south for a great extent, and at a
considerable distance from the river Velhas, serving as limits between this
comarca and that of Serro Frio .
. RIVERS AND LAKEs.-The river St. Francisco, which is the largest of the
'province, and receives a great part of its other rivers, rises in the vicinity ·
of the serra of Canastra. After flówing a considerable space towaJ.."ds the
north-east and gatheTing various small streams on both sides, it receives on
the left the Bambuhy, whic}l flows from the boundary and brings with it the
-P erdiçao, that originates in tbe serra Marcella: tbis is the first considerable
stream that enlarges the St. Francisco. Twenty-eight. miles lower it is joined
on the right by tbe Lambary, whicl'r waters tbe extensive district of the town
of Tamandua; as much further to the north it receives on the left the Marmel-
lada, that flows from the serra Quatys. Eighteen miles lower the consider'able
river Parais incorporated with it, after running more than one hundred and
forty miles from the south-east and passing the town of -Pitangui. The Parau-
peba follows, whose course is not less than two hundred and ten miles, its
origin being near the town of Quelluz. The country through which it flows
abounds with cattle.
Twenty-five miles below the confluence of the Paraupeba is that of the
Andaya, which comes from the boundary, running along an extensive and
moderately elevated cordillera, (whose southern portion is called Saudade and
the northern Quatys,) and bringing with it the Funcbal. Tbis river, one
hundred miles l ~ng, abounds with.precious stones, amongst which there are
many diamcmds.
A little lower the Borrachuda, discharged also on the left, is not much
inferior to the preceding, and nms like it along· the western side of a cordillera
called the serra Araras, which is parallcl witb the former.

•
 274 PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES.·

, Eighteen miles beJow, tbe considerable Abayte discharges itself on the same
side, and is formecl: by two streams of the same name, that 1mite much above
its mouth, whose origins are more than one hundred miles distant from each
other; one comes from the south-west, the otber from the north-west, and
brings the waters of the smaU ·river Chumbo, that passes the base of a
morro ' 'vhere there is a 1·ich mine of lead, from which it takes the name. The
intervening territory of the origins of the Abaytes is a wood, denominated the
;Matta da Corda, which invites the agriculturist, having various intervals of
r-ampinhas, where numerous he1·ds of cattle graze, their owners living ata great
distance.
Fifty miles further is th~ grand cataract of Pirapora, and fifteen beyond it
the confluence of the large river Das Velhas, (Old Women,) originally Guaycuhy,
which in the language of the aborígines signifies the same, and whose origin
is in the vicinity of St. Bartholomew, six miles to the west of Villa Rica. It
has a great number of falls, windings, and more than two hundred miles of
course. The Parauna, the Pardo, and the Curmatahy, which unite with ,it on
the rigbt, and the Bicudo on the left, are its largest tributaries.
A little lower, the St. Francisco receives on tbe right the Jequetahy and the
Pacuhy. Their adjacent lands are pastured by large cattle. Further on, the
large Paracatu entEtl'S it on the left, the principal heads of whicb are the Escuro
and the Prata; incorporateu with the Arrependidos, which limits for some
distance the tw.o provinces. These rivers u.nite thems.elves a few leagues above
tbe Corrego Rico, (Rich .Channel) tbat p.asses near the town of Paracmtu.
Here it takes this name. Its largest tributary is· the Preto, which issues fi·om
lake ).;'eia, near the arraial of Coiros, in the province o.f Goyaz, and after having
gathered a great numbe1· of small streams, joins the Paracatu on tbe left, almost
at an equal distance from the confluence where it takes and that where it
loses the name. A little below the Preto, on the opposite side, the Paracatu
receives the Sonno, rich in precious stones, which brings the waters of tbe
Almas, that joins it on tbe left. T .he Paracatu is navigable to a little below
the Corrego l;lico, and its crystalline waters are so light, that they float a
considerable way ~bove those of the 1·iver which receives them. Its lateral
lands are abun.dant in cattle.
Twenty miJes to the north, the St. Francisco receives, on the same side, the
Jarge Urucuya, navigable fot· a considerable distance. It originates on the
boundary of Goyaz, is narrow and deep, having dear waters, which :flow with

/
I
1
 PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES. 27.5

such rapidity, that, on entering the St. Francisco, they at all times roll across,
sensibly affecting the lands of its eastern margin. The St. Rita, joining on
the right, and the Claro on the left, are its principal tributaries, both traversing
sterile lancls possessing cattle.
It is followed by the Acary, Pat'd6, Pandeiro, Salgado, Pindahyba, Itaca-
ramby, and--the J apore, the whole entering by the western margin. The Pan-
deiro has fine water, an extensive course, and traverses large wo0ds of· excel-
lent timber with rnany cedars, wher.e numerous colonies. mig·ht be àdvanta-
goously establisbed, for the cultivation of their fertile soils.
A few leagues belo':V the J apoi'e, the importartt ri ver Verde enters on the
eastern side ; and about the same distance furthér, the Carinhenha, which is
large and navigable for .a considerable extent. It rises in the chapadas of Santa
Maria, near the limits of Goyaz; its crystalline waters, -having a rapid current, ~
:flow for a considerable way without mixing with those of the St. ·Ftancisco
after entering it.
We will finish the description of the noble St. Francisco when we treat
upon the province of Pernambuco, which is bounded hy this river from.
hence to the ocean. TÜis very extensive river, as well as those rnentioned
which enlarge it, abound with fisb, of which the doirado, sor1·ubzn, mandin,
and pi'r anha, are the best.
N ear the right margin o f the St. Francisco, and eighteen miles below the
confluence of the Bambuhy, is the lake Feia, of a circular form, about three
hundred yards in diameter, of ~ark green water, and inhabited by the s11,Cury
and sucm·iu snakes, and the alligator. No reptile or even bird approaches to
drink its waters. About two miles to the north, there is another called Lake
Verde, narrow, six miles long, and tbe haunt of the same horrible creatures.
Both ]akes are discharged into the St. Francisco. The sucuriu and sucu1y
differ onlv in colour ; the first is of a blackish hue, and the other grey: they
have two.large claws, or talons, near the extremity of the tail, with which they
secure themselves to roots or the points of stones under the water, when they
wish to seize any animal. The teeth are sharp pointed, and inclinedtowards
the gorge~ so tL13t the prisoner cannot escape, although the monster wished to
withdraw its hold. Sucu1·ys have been killed twenty yards long. These
snakes are supposed to be a species of the sucu1·iuba of other provinces.
Villa Real do Sabara, (Royal Town of Sabara) is the head of the comarca,
ana ordinary resid ence of its ouvidor, wbo also acts l.Il çther situations. It
N N 2
 216 PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES.

stands near the right margin of the Velhas, where this river recéives the small
stream that affords the town's name, in a low situation, smrounded with moun- -
tains, and is large, flourishing, well supplied with meat, fish, and the common
necessaries peculiar to the country. It h as a church of tbe Lad y o f Conceiçao, .
a chapel of Our Lady of O, another of Rozario, and a numerous fraternity of
blacks, two Terceira orders of Carmo aud St. Francisco. There is a Juiz de·
Fora, whois.head oftheorphanestablisbment; avicar; theusual professors ofthe
first letters and .Latin ; and a smelting house for gold, the expenses of wbich are
forty thonsand crusades annually, haying the same appoiutments as that of
Villa Rica, with the exception of the engraver of stamps for coiuing, aud the
third founder. This town bas a good fountain of excell.ent water in the street of,
Caquende, and four entrances from tbe cardinal points, ali but one having wooden
bridges ; tbe eastern and southern are o ver tbe Sabara. The judicial o:fficers
are the same here as in the capital of the province ; the annual revenue of the
camara, or municipal body, is nine thousand crnsades. The heat is here;
more intense in the hot months than in any other povoaçao in the provin~e,
arising, most probably, from its reílexion from the circumjacent moun:tains. A -
register for receiving the royal duties was, in 1712, established in this place,
which is thirty-five miles north-north-west of Marianna, seventy north-east of
Tamandua, near one bundred south-west of Villa do Principe, and seventy-
:five north-north-east of St. Joao d' el Rey. Tbe inhabitants, and those of six
parishes witbin its district, (viz. Rio das Pedras, St. Antonio, Curral d' el
Rey, St. Luzia, ·Congonbas, and Rapozos,) comprising altogether forty-six
thousand three hundred persons, are miners and farmers, and form two regi-
ments of cavalry> one with eleven, and t~e other with eight companies, all
whites ; twenty companies of infantiy ; a regiment of eleven companies of
mulattoes; and another of seven companies of j'm·1·o, or free .blacks. In tbe
year 1788, tbe population of Sabara consisted o f seven thousand six h nndred
and fifty-six persons, and eigbt hundred and fifty. houses. In 1819, its inha-
bitants did not exceed nine thousand three hundred and forty-seven:
· This comarca, which is nearly as large as Eng-Ianu, does not, exclusive of the
district of Paracatu, contain more than one hundred and tbirteen thousand, three
,.
hundred _and sixty-four souls. Senhor Gama, who was recently its ouvidor or
governor, co1lected ·materiais, during bis triennial government, for a map of the
,comarca, which he presented to the minister of state at Hio de Janeiro., in
expectation that his labours would at least have·received sotne approhation; but.
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 PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES. 277

me~ present of the rriap, an exact copy of which-is here introdnced. Tl)e
signal of a standard upon tbe map points out those places rich in diamohds;
which, by a strange policy, are rig·idly preserved untouched as a resource for the
góvernment; alil.d whenever they are ·worked, i f the proceedings are conducted
upon the same principie as the diamond grounds ofTijuco, will certainly not be
a source ofmuch revenue to the state.
Senhor Gama related a circumstance which occurred during bis ouvidorship
here, that affords a tolerably strong evidence of the deep subtilty practised
by ·some, at least, of the BrazUian holy fathers, for their pei~sonal benefit. A
female, residing at no great distance frorn. Sabara, whose mind was darkened
by bigotry, and who was particularly rigid in all religious observances, no saint
tlay passing without her exhibiting the utmost devotion, m0rtified herself in a
peculiar degree on all occasions of fasting, and during Lent always refrained from
eating, with such resolution, that she acquired the honour of being considered a
saint. · So strongly · was her mind inflnenced by this delusion, that sbe com-
m:unicated her self-woi·king i:nspirations to two or three padres, who lived near.
They immediately inflamed her wild imagination by their countenance, and
gave public· weig·ht to the notion, by affirming that her soul would ascend to
heaven on a certain clay. C'ontribntions were ·already talked of for forming an
establislunent to be dedicated to Santa Harmonica, the name of the female :
The priests were, of course, to have the administration of the funds. Good
Friday was the appointed day for the consummation of this important event.
The machinery hitherto worked well, and her exhausted appearance, frorn con-
tinued fasting, warranted the conclusion that her dissolution was near. It was
a subject of general interest, and being introduced where the ouvidor was
peesent on the evening pr~ceding the intended conclusion of the drama, he
stat~d that h e ·had not faith Üi any thing· so J'idicnlous ; and in the. event o f the
female's· death, he 'would summon a species of inquest to be held upon the
body. A friend or eoadjntor 0f the priests was present ~ he left the party anel
hastened ou horseback to communicate this determination of the ouvidor to the
holy brothers. An effe.c t very contrary to the ~~pectation of 'h er devoted
worshippers was thus produced. She speedily recovered from her saintly
indispositíon, and remains, if not in mehtal, at least in bodily health to this day.
It was ascertaineâ. to have been the intention of these priests, founded on the
wicked purpose of deriving advantages from the contemplated establishment of
. Santa Harmonica, to have produced, by some means, a gradual exhaustiOI;J. of
life by the appointed time.
 278 PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES.

About twelve miles from Sabara there is a lake, two ~iles long· and n~arly one
in width, whose crystalline and tepid waters, having been a.n ~ntidote in many
diseases, acquired it the name ofthe Holy Lake. In its çentre there are various
springs; anel 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
Jips silvered over of those who drink it. It is discbarged at tbe northern ex-
tremity by an outlet iato the river Velhas, wbich is five miJes distant.
Fifteen miles north of Sabara, and a mile from the Velhas, is the large and
flourishing freguezia or parish of Sánta Luzia, .ornamented with five Catholic
temples, and whose inhabitants, arnmmting to thirteen thousand eight hundred
and sixty-seven, are well supplied with its produce of agriculture, rnmes,
and cattle.
Villa Nova da Raynha, created a town in 1714, but better known by its
primitive narne of Caethe, which in the Brazilian language signifies an impervious ·
wood, is a middling· place, well and agreeably situated in plain ground, near a
small stream, ornamented with a handsome church dedicated to the Lord of
Bom Successo, a chapel of the Lady of Rozario, and another of St. Francisco.
There are fifteen judicial appointrnents here. The revenue of the carnara is
eight thousand crusades. The inhabitants, amounting to five thousanel two
hundred and seventy-one, are miners, breeders of cattle, and agriculturists;
t hey respire a salubrious air, raise various European fruits, and form, with the
three parishes of St. Miguel, St. Barbara, and St. J oao de Morro Grande, con-
taining twenty-nine thousanel inhabitants, sevenj..een companies of white mi-
litia, seven of rnulattoes, and some squadrons of free blacks. It is . twelve
rniles east-south-east of Sabara, and has in its suburbs gooel argils and
potteries. ·
Pitangui is in a state of mediocrity, upon the right rnargin of the Para, three
miles below the confluence of the St. Joao, and is well supplied with fish, rneat,
and aU the agricultural productions of the country . .It was erected into a town in
1715, has two hermitages, anel a church of the Lady of Pilar; a _ J uiz de Fora,
and an escrivao of the condnctors of gold. The camara has ~hree thousanel
crusades of revenue. This town is one hunclred rniles north of St. J oao el' el Rey, ·
and nearly eighty west-north-west of Sabara. Its inhabitants, arnQunting to
nineteen thousand eight hundred anel sixty-one, and those of its widely extenel-
ing district, (includüag only one other parish, Nossa Senhora das Dores, with
one thousand four hundred and nineteen persons,) raise large quantities of cattle,
horses, hogs, and sheep, and have extensive plantations of the cotton .tree and
 PR6VINCE OF MINAS GERAES. 279

eane, the rum from which is considered the best of the province. A rich mine
of gold -occasionecl nume:rous disputes and· deaths amongst its :firsi dwellers,
who were Faulista mine1~s. There was 'amongst them one D . R. 'do Prado, who
'g·ratified his vile and 'avarici0liiS fe'elings, -by assassinàting· even those who did ·not -
offend him; such was the lawfess state in which those primitive mining settle-
ments were inv.olved. "
.Paracatu da Prindpe is a middling town, famons for its mines, well aDd
·pleasantly sitnated upon an elevated plain, with stra:ight ·and paved streets,
ha-ving a dn1rch dedicated to St. Antonio da Mang·a, three hermitages of Our ,.
Lady of Abbadia, Amparo, and Rozario, another of St. Anna, and two good
fountains. The houses are buüt of timber and earth, and include a royal school
fm· ;Latin. This town is one hundred· and- :/forty miles f1:om tbe St. Francisco, and
about half a- mile frorn the small stream of Corg·o Rica, which after forty miles
of course enters the Paracatu, on the left, .near the port of Bezerra: It h as
decayed much froní its fh·st :flam.'ishing· condition; the people are peaceable, but
indolent. Cattle and the. procl.uce of mines constitutes what wealth there is
among·st them. The vine bears fruit in perfectio!l twice a year. The pine-apple
and orangé are abundant and excellent-. Around lhis place are an abmrdance
of partridges; ··deer, and other ga:tne. 'fhe gold has a fine ·appearance, but be-
low toe pro per degree of purity is of diffic'ult extrac.tion f0r want of water, ' and
is not ' allowed to :be se~rched for at any great distance. Diamonds hav-ing
appeared in variou~ parts is the ~·easo~ of the working of mines being restrieted
a
to few league's roú.nd the town, upon which circuif are detachments to prevent
the prescribed limits being passed for the purpose ofmining. The disti•ict of the
town cornprises the main portion of the comai·ca, that is to say, ali tbe territory
lying westward of the ri ver St.- Francisco, from the Caryi1henha to the A.bayte.
N ear the · Üonfltlj:)nce of the latter is the passagle í'rom Villa Rica to Goyaz,
caHed P0rto ReaL
In 17 44, wlíen there was no other co1ony_te the west of the St. Francisco
but ·St. 'Rotnao, tl.ilesé mines· were -discovered; and'made known to Gomez Freyre
d' Andrade, governor of Rio de Janeiro, who ordered the country to be divided
according· to the prevailing' custom. These mines attractea a great concourse
of people here, and their affi.Uence in gold led to th e conctwrence of a numerous ,
pa:rty in the purpose of expelling the lndians, wh om they at onçe chove from
this extensive district. The inhabitants of Paracatu, and those of the parishes
of its vast' Circúit, êonstiüíte onc regirnent of cavalry, seven companies of whites,
three of mulattees, and two of fi·ee blacks.
 280 PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES.

On the left margin of _the river St. F~rancisco, almost at _an equal distance
between the mouths of the Urucuya and Paracatu, is the considerable an·aiai
and parish of St. Romao, with a church dedicated to St. Antonio da Manga, a
_chapel of Our Lady of Rozario, and another of St. Francisco. It is the head
of the julgado, with much commerce, being the depositary of val'ious produ~~
tions of the country, and of a large quantity of salt, which is conveyed by
barks and canoes fi·om the salterns of Pilao Arcado and its vicinity. The ri ver
at its greatest :floods enters the streets of th'is place. Its inhabitants, even the
females, are passionately fond of gambling,. Melons and water-melons at·e very
abundant.
The, other parishes of the district of Paracatu are St. Anna d0s Alegres, near
the mouth of the river Catinga, a little above the ri ver Somno; the Lady ·of
Penha, near the Urucuya, a day's voyage from the St."Francisco; Caryrihenha,
Andayha, and the Lady of Amparo d~ Salgado, with a chapel of Our Lady of
Rozario, which is a flourishing arraial, and promising a considerable increase.
It is five miles from the St. Francisco. The inhabitants raise cattle, sugar cane_,
and the cotton tree.
The district of Paracatu makes a part of tl1e bishopi;Íc of Pernambuco.
There is yet within this comarca the arraial and julgado of _St. Antonio d o
a
Curvello, otherwise Papagayo, well situated in plain, refreshed with salubr~ous
breezes, and near a small stream, which'falls into the Velhas on the left. This is
almost eighty miles from Sabara. The inhabitants of the julgado, amounting
to eleven thousand fi ve hundred and thirteen, are ·agriculturists and ·cattle
breeders.
In June, 1815, the comarca of Sabara was divided into two, the St. Francisco
serving as a medium limit to them. The northern, western, and southern limits
of the new comarca are the same which till then constituted. the circuit of the
district of Paracatu, the head and only town of the newly created comarca,
which took its name. +
At the same time .
was abolished the office of the Juiz
de Fora, which had existed sin'ce it was created a town in 1798, the new ouvidor
becoming the intendant of go~d. By another law of the 4th of April, 1816, -the
julgados of Desemboque and Araxa were separated from the ouvidoria or
district of Goyaz, and annexed to the ouvidoria of Paracatu.

Comarca of SERRO FRIO.

The comarca of Serro Frio takes its name from a mountain, which of ali
others is the rnost celebrated for the riches which it conta1ns. I t is limited on the
..
 PR,OVINCE OF MINAS GERAES. 2.81

p.orth by 1the province of Bahia, whid1 also with that of Po11to Seguto confines
it ~m the east ; on the- south by the comarca, of Villa Rica; and on the west by
that of Sabara. It comprises nearly three hundred mileS' from north to south,
and one hundred and eighty from east to wes~. The country is for the greater
part Yery mountainous, and watered by numerous rivers, with extensive char-
necas,. o~· sterile lands, in the norther:m. part, whi~h .only serve for the breeding of
cattle. There are, however, general1ly p.ortions of land, more or less consi-
del'aple, ,ap,propriated to the c.ulture ,of cotton, Ind~an co;rn; rice, mandioca,
lt:tg~umes, .fobae.co1 some 1·ye~ and S\lgar. It is the riçhest in precious stones;
.
.and has mines of all the ,metais. ·
;NfoUNif..A-JNs.-There is a grand cordillera, (a continuation of the Manti-
queir.a,) w;hich does not always retain the same name, altitude, or direction,
breaking.in many pl\1-rts, and stretching out various arms at dive1:s points, tra-
:versing the 1cotp.a;rca al,most north · a~<;l south. In the' eastern part there is the
serra of rEsmeraldas; th,e serra BranGa, which separates the comarca from that
of Sabara for a CO~lsiderabl.e space, and afterwards inclines to t_he north-east to
the limit ,of the province; the se~ra of Gram Mogol ; ti;tat of Peixe· Brabo ; of
Gurutuba, of Conceiçao, and of Almas.
Rxvims.-The principál are the Jequitinhonha, the Verde, the Pardo, the
Mucury, the Arassuahy, the Sassuhy, the C~rrente, and the St. Antonio.
The Jequitinhonha, so _celebrated for the prodigious quantity of diamonds
that has been drawn from its bed, I'Íses inthe serra. of Serro F:rio. Afte1· having
described many windings, and watered an extensive country, it receives on the
left. the Itucambyrqssu, which flows from .the w:est, and traverses the serra of
Gram Mo~ol. Havi:r;Ig ;fU:t;l for ;;~> copsiderable space, · and incli:r;ting· to the east,
its waters are increased by the Vaccaria, which enters on the same side, and
descends also from the serra of Gram Mogol, traversing certams* pastured by
.cattle. A few leagues _below ~tis joineéi on the right by the ,Arassu~hy, which
is superi01:, and originates also in the Serro Frio, a lit~le to the east of it, and
brings the waters of the St. Antonio, the Itamarandiba, and the Setuval, with
others smaller, whose heads are ,on the n_orthern side of the serra Esmeraldas:
Some leagues below the confluence of the Arassuahy, the Piauhy enters, coming
from the south-west, through woods abounding with game that affords food to

'" The interior distric ts of proviuces are so called.

00
 282
tl~·e savages. Thi's river and its confluents abound with chrysólites, sapphires,
crystals, pingos d'agua, and other precious stones . . The Jequitinhonha gathers
on the left the Hottinga, on the right the St. Java, and leaving the province
flows north-·e ast, forming a boundary to the ocean between the provinces of
Porto Seguro and Bahia,. wheré it is discharged under the name of the Bel-
mante. Ali these rivers are stored with the fish called doimdo, piampara, piau,
piabanha, tmhim, sm·ubin, and mandin, called ~lso roncadore,
The river Verde is large and flows through extertsíve certams abounding
with cattle, which forms the wealth of many farmers, who live dispersed, prin-
cipally in the vicinity of the s~uthern portion of the serra of Gram Mogol.
After a considerable com·se to the north, it receives oi'l the right the_Guaratuba,
which originates nea1· the northern portion · of the last mentioned serra, and
brings with it the Pacuhy, that issues from th'e serra Pranea, and joins it on the
eastern side. Ten miles below the mouth of the Gnaratuba,. the Verde Pequeno
(small) enters, which flows from the Morro da Chapeo, a portion of the serra
Almas, taking a westerly course, ~nd forming the northern divisi~:m of the p~o­
vince. At this part the Verde runs with little variation to the west, and con-
tinues in the same direction till it joins the St. Franci.sco. These rivers water
sterile districts, which will never ·become populous.
The Pardo forms itself in the vicinity of the serra Almas, runs south-east:,
v gathering the Preto, which has its source in the serra Branca, i~clines to the
: ,, east, and enters the comarca of llheos, where it is discharged into the ocean by
the name of Patype.
The Mucury, whose principal head sprirtgs tó the sonth of the .serra Esme-
raldas, after .receiving by the left margin the Iarge and smaU Preto, and lower,
the Todos os Santos on the right, enters the province of Porto Seguro, where
it increases; and falls into the ocean. The territory which this river passes·,
(before · Ieavlng the comarca,) and its said tributaries, . was formerly possessed
hy the Macuni, Panltame, Capacho, and Machacary lndians. At the present
day the ferocious Aimbores are its wandering inhabitants.
The first ri ver Preto, about ten miles above its mouth, gathers, on the Ieft the ·
small stream of Americanas, formed by three rivulets issuing from the same
serra. N ear fhe cen.tral one was found in 1811, a beautiful aqua-marina, of
more than fifteen pounds weight, and another of four pounds. Thç Sassuhy,
the Corrente, and the St. Antonio, are tributaries of the r1ver Doce, and flow
through the most southern part of the comarca.
 •,

.----~-·

l-
I

' (
/

I
t
r

...
~

L~-~. ~~ . :. .----~----------~-. .- - - --~-.

 '

PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES. 283

Villa do Príncipe, the head. of the comarca, and -residence of its ouvidor,
(who fills other offices,) is considerable, well supplied; and possesses .a church
of the Lady of Conceiçao, a chapel of the Lord of Matoziuhos, another of St.
Rita, three of the Lady of Purificaçao, Carmo, and Rozario. It is ill situated,
has only one good street, and was erected into a town _in the year 1714. H
has-a Juiz de Fora, a royal professor of Latin,. anda smelting house for gold,
with the s.ame appointments as that of Sabara. This town is in the vici~ity of
the serra Lapa, two miles distant from the river Peixe, ~a branch of the St.
Antonio,) near one hundred nmth.-east of Sabara, one lmndred and-ten north- ·
north-east _ef Marianna, and three hundred and seventy almost n,ortb-west of
Rio de Janeiro. The inhabitants are miners, and cultivators of Indian com,
legumes, cotton, and sugat·; the whites constitute twenty-two companies of
infantry, the mutattoes thirtee!l, and the free f?lacks six. ,The revenu~ of the
vicarship amounts to twelve thousand crusades, and that of the cama.ra to.
seven. · In the whole of the comarca .there are two regime~1ts of caval:ry, one
of eight, and the othel' of nine companies.
Within the distri~t of th.e last tow:ri, an,d at a distance of forty miJes, is the
Iarge arraial and parish of Co~ceiçao, in _whose environs is the ·serra ·of Gaspar
Soares,_abundant in irQn mines, for the work,i:Q.g of which a roy.al establishment
is forming·.
Bom Successo, better known by the name. of Fanado, created a town in
1751, is well situated on elevated land, enjoying a fine cJimate, between t~o
sma.l l streams that atford it the name, and _uniting, enter the Arassuahy, which
passes six miles distant to the north. It has a church dedicated to the " Chief
of the Apostles," chapels of the Lord of Bom Fim, of the Lady of Amparo,
_for the ll?ulattoes, of Rozario, for the blacks, St. Anna, St. Joze, and St. Gon-
çalo; and a Terceira order of St. Francisco. It possesses a Juiz de Fora, and
a royal professor of Latin. lt h as .not one h ouse of stone. The inhabitants follow
the same occupations as those of the last town, and some work for precious
stones. The general traders are the most independent. This p'lace is two
hundred and twenty miles north-east of Marianna, two hundred and ten, nearly
in the same·'direction, from Sabara, one hundred and twenty-five nor.th-north-
east of Villa do Príncipe, and four hu'ndred and fifty from Rio de Janeiro. In
its extensive circuit there are various hermitages, namely, Piedade, 1\fercez,
Penha, St. Joao, Prata·, and Barreiras. Their ·m1mbers are expected to increase
to the east and sodth as far as the river Doce, when the projected roads to· the
oo2
 PROVINCE OF MINAS ·GERAES.

ports of :Pórto Seguro 3)re made anel frequented. The fertility of the territory,
anel the facility which proper measures may create fpr transporting produGé · to ·.
the ports, will most probably attract numerous colouies to this distd.ct, whjch~
unquestionably, will hecome the best in the 'province, when the Aitnbore In~ ·
dians are subjugated.
Teu miles to the north of Bom Successo is the' parish of St. Cruz da Chapada,
near the river Capibary. The inhabitants scarcely raise ailly of..t he n.ecessaries
of life, but follow mi:ning.
- Fifteen miles to the north~east of th.e preceding, anel twenty-five from Bom
Successo, is the arraial of Agua Soja, (Dirty Water,) near the coDfluence of the
stream a f its name, with the Arassuahy, having a church dedieated to tbe
Lady . of Concéiçao . . The inhabitants cultivate Indian corn, .leg·umes, aml
cotton, anel are gald miners. In its' district are the parishes of St. Doming~s,
and Conceiçao, near the Sucui'iu, ·wháse · pal'ishioners l'aise the same articles, .
atid work for gold and precióus sfones·. .
One hundred miles north of Bom Successo is the considerable ' arraial of Rio
Pardo, at the confluence of the. ri ver :t:rom~ which it takes the name witb -the
Preto, each having a bridge. The houses are in 'great·part of ad0be, anel the
church of taipa. Its inhabitants raise eattle, mandioca, Indian corn, rie.e,
cotton, and a variety of fruits.
Two hundred and ten miles north of Sabara, one_hundred and thirty west-
north-west of Bom Successo, á.nd one hundred and fifty north-uorth-west of
Villa do Príncipe, is the famous arr~~al and julgado of Barra do Rio das Vel-:
has~ situated in a plain at the éonfluence of tlie river of its nam.e, from. whose
floods it sustains considerable injury. It h as a ·church of Borp. Successo, · and
a chapel of Lord Jesus of Matozinhos, luis much. c.0mmerce, is well supplied
with m~at, fish, and fruit, and is the depositary of a la1:ge quantity .o f salt
that arrives from the salterns of the ri:ver St. Francisco. Fevers, which reign
here in the wet season, have driven away many inhabitauts, Çtnd prevent this
-place from becoming one of the largest p0voaçoes in the province. This arraial,
that of Bom Successo, anel others of the c0marca, belon,g to the archbishopric
of Bahia.
Two miles distant is the arraial of Porteira, with a chapel of the Lad'y oí
Bom Successo and Rozario. In it reside the vicar, ~nd the officers 0f justice.,
in consequence of being a healthy situation .
. Twenty miles further to the nor.th1 upon the margin of. the St. Francisco,. is•
' '
 PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES.

the smáJU a•i 'c.il' a~gMeably· situated arraial of Bs·trema, with! .a lilermitage of C'O:m:..,
ce'i~~d.' 1t -abounds· with fi:sh! and meat. Thé fr.lil~t c'onsists pri:nc~pally' of
OI'anges:.
' Within this comarca i~ the mountainous diamond di.strid,· fi.tty mil€s in
dia.i:rieter. The· beaatiful stones found here by Bernardo da Fonseca Lobo, i'lr
1730, on. being discovered te be diam:onds, afforded this paFt of the c<Jmarca
its ·desig·iiation. The vàlue of these stones net being àt first known,. tb.te distrid
rei:nained free till 1734, when an ouvídor of the pr-ovinée,. who had resrciled. a:1l
Goa:; arrã •had vhere acq_uired a k-Bawledge of. th~s most precigus. article,. coming .
frO'fu Gólcondà, pronounced ·them: diamonds. ·
J. F. d' Oliveira and .F. F. da Syl:va ha-d the diamond contract in 1741, fo:r
three years, àt the sum of nine hundt:ed thousand crusades. By a letter of the
3d of April, 17 43, the king oidered-the provedor. of the-- treasury of Villa Rica
to supe1'intend the diamond conttact, with a ~nm .not to exeeed two hundred
thousand crusades per annum. Some time having passed, the contract was
publicly sold t<J some persons of the name of Caldeyras, who, in1their opera-
tions, .met with copious and rich s.upplies. The opulence thus acquired, led
th'em to perpefrate e·rimes for which they weFe sent to Limoeiro, where they
erided their days, their property being confiscated by the crown. This contract
was granted anew, to J. F. d' Oliveira, with whom it rema:ined ~ill the end of
·1171.
On the 1sf of January, 1772, the diamond district carne under the immediate
management of the govemment. But diamonds alone do not constitute the
riches and celebrity of this district ; other precious stones concur in rendering
it important, such as sapphires, ·emeralds, aqú.a-1narinas, chrysolites, topazes,
&c. All these stones are produced in the serras, from whence they descend to
the rivers, with the waters of the copiôus thunder showers. This district also
possesses mines of ali the metais, the extraction of whiçh is rigorously prohi- .
bited on account of the diamond·s.
Aroundtthe diàmond district there at;e various military detachments, to pre-
vent the plundei· of those stones, or of gold ; and also to exact the duties paid
upon entrance. Amongst tbose stations may be enumerated, first, Milho Verde_;
and, next in r0tation, Pi-rahuna, Gouvea, Rio. Pardo, Chapada, Arraial, Hin-
hahy ,. ~o Manço. The diamond -. demarcation, afar off exhibits a black. per-
spective, swelling· into a thousand-rugged· and uneven serras; on oiie hand are
elevated mountains of one single sto,ne, cut by nature into precipices that raise
their heads to the clouds ; on the other, are extended serras, çomposed of
 286 PROViNCE OF MINAS GERA.ES.

detached rocks and stones, accumulated on each other in chaotic piles, co'vered
with a grey moss, and sparingly dressed in creeping brushwood. A thousand,
pure and crystalline rills w:arble across its rude tracts formed by the miner,
and roll into hi~ gamella* their rich otferings. The waters of some are 'da:shed
over .the sides of mountains, others descend divided between broken rocks to.
the base of the serras, from whence, accumulating, they flow in serpentine
courses in search of larger rivers, running sometimes tamely and tranquilly
between spacious banks ; at others, precipitated amongst approximating and
steep serras, with loud and interesting murmurs. For a time they often
disappear altogether from the sight, I are again visible, flowing on. in foaming
fury. The crystallizations of diamonds are obtained near the surface of the
earth. Their form is triangular, round, pointed on one side, with the face
always smoot.h; this proves that the crystallization is dispersed and solitary.
In the centre of the diamond iliRtrict, one hundred and thirty miles north-·
north-east of Marianna, one hundred and ten from Sabara, one hundred south-
west of Bom Successo, and twenty-eig·ht north-north-west of Villa do Principe,
in a broken part of Serro Frio, to the west, and not far from the river Jequitin-
honha, is the fl.ourishing atTaial of St. .f\.ntonio do Tijuco, situated upon an
amphitheatre, with a church of St. Antonio, which has the brotherhoods of
S.S., of Pasos, and of the Lady of Terco, a chapel of the Lord of Bom Fim,
with a fraternity of black creoles ; four of the Lady of Amparo, with a brother-
hood of mulattoes ; of Carmo, with a Terceira order; of Rozario, with a fra-
ternity of African blacks; and Mercez; another of St. Francisco, handsome,
and with a Terceira order ; a recolhimento of Donzellas, or Virg·ins, with their
little chapel, ded:icated to the Lady of Luz; and a house of misericordia,
whose chapel is called St. Isabel. lt has quarters for troops, abounds with
excellent water, and is rendered particularly wholesome by salubrious· monntain
breezes. The buildings are generally of taipa, few being of stone.
Here reside the tribunal, or diamond junta, composéd · of :five deputies,
namely, a disembmgador intendente, (the intendant judg~, 9r governo1·,) who is
the president, with an exclusive jurisdiction in the diarnond demarcation, and
a salary of eight thousand crusades per annum, besides other very consider-
able emoluments; um cm·1·egedor fiscal, (a civil magistr11te,) with 5000 crusades;

* A bowl into which diamonds are put when found, from whence they are taken, weigbed, and
' egistered daily. .
 PROVINCE OF MINAS GERAES. 287

um primeiro caixa, (a first book or chest keeper,) with 8000; um segundo caixa,
(a second book or chest keeper,) with 6000; um inspectm· geral, (an inspector
general,) with 4000.
There is an escrivao, or accountant of .diamonds; and a me1·inko, or officer,
for apprehending· persons. The governor has an escrivao, who attends the civil
and criminal proceedings. There are upwards of six thousand negroes to work
for diamonds, and two h,undred inspectors, who are whites and silbordinate to
the junta. In some years there have been found from four to :five theusand
oitavas (:fivé hund:Fed to six huntlred ounces) of diamonds, and amongst them,
some stones from one-eighth to :five~eighths of an ounce. No one is allowed to
enter this district without an express licence.
 288· PROiVINeE OF ESPIJUTO SANTO.

CHAP. Xlll.
PROVINCE OF ESPIRITO SANTO.

Extent-.Bounda'r ies-Misfortunes qf 0ts: Donatories -:-.Spi'l·ite.d Resistancç çf

the Indíans~Pàf'!tial CwZtivatíon...,......PrinCJip(ijflly possessed hy lindif1!ll;s-:- Moun::
tains-Mineralogy-Zoe'logy-Descenfis of Indians .to tlze Coast-Pkytal()gy- .
Rivers and Pm·ts-. Povoações-Island çf Ascensien.

THIS province comprehends three-fourths of the capitania of the same name,

given in the year 1534 to Vasco Fernandez Coutinho, as a remuneration for
the services h e had rendered in Asia to the Portuguese crown. lt extends one
hundred and thirty miles from south to north, hetween the river Cabapuana and
the river Doce, its northe1n limit; the width from east to west hitherto remains,
in great part~ undetermined, in consequence of a considerable portion of this
territory yet remaining in the power of the aboriginal natives. lt is bounded
on the north by the province of Porto Seguro, on the west by that of Minas
Geraes, on the south by that of Rio de Janeiro, and on the east by the Atlantic
Ocean'·.
•
Authentic documents. as tõ the precise epoch of its coloni~atioÚ, are not
discovered ; the foundation of the town of Espi11-ito Santo, and from which the
capitania d~-tived its name, may however be regarded as its commencement.
'.t'bis town (now called Villa Velha, or Old Town,) was the capital until
Victoria acquired the pre-:.eminence.
lt is asserted, by the author of the Geographical Description of Portuguese
America, that Coutinho only took sixty persons with him to form the first
estab1ishment in bis capitania, in which number were included two degradados,
or degraded fidalgos, Don Gorge de Menezes and Don Simao de Castello
Branco. With this small number he engaged and put the lndians to flight;
founded the primitive capital; constructed a fort; and established an engenho.
Animated with a desire of affording bis colony the means of a rapid im-
provement, he returned to Portugal, to procure what appeared to him requi-
site for the accomplishment of this praiseworthy object, leaving in bis stead
Gorge de Menezes,. who was killed in combat with the natives. Castello
 ,.

PROVINCE OF ESPIRITO SANTO. 289

Branco succeeded him i~the government, and the -Go~tacaz~ tribe, hav1ng
formed a confedéFacy with the Tupininqúins, tbey attacked tbe colony under
bis temporary jurisdicti0n with so : much fury and effect as to destroy every
edifice and to counterad ali the effort§ of the ·Portnguese to tetain the footing
they had made, so thàt the remains of the colony, finding that the Indians gave
no quarter to any indiv·idual, were compelled to seek refuge upon the margins
óf the river Cricare.
Coutinha returned from Portugal soon after this eve~t, with ali the assistance
be- could collect, and finding bis capitania· deserted, he solicited succours from
Mendo de Sa, the governor-general at Bahia, which were promptly despatched
und·e r the command of his excellency's son, Fernando de Sa, who uniting bis
force to · ~he fugitives, near the Cricare, an assault was made upon the .Jndians
wíth considerable advantage, but a body of the enemy fell upon them in tum,
and did not alJow time for the whole to save themselves by flight to the ships;
Fernando de Sa, the commander was ·amongst the number that perished.
. Ultimately, sixty-eight Europeans, the remains of so many people who had
in the course of thirty years repaired to this cap:ltania to establi_sh themselves,
.attacked the lndian.s ·with' desperate bravery, and g·ained a complete victory.
This fortunate circumstance, aided by the ._ religions instruction with which the
Jesuits enlightened and made friends of a considerable portion of those savages,
who served to reinforce the small number of whites, enabled the donatory to
restore the capitania to the state in which he had left it.
·_ Tbe padre, Affonso Braz, who founded the college of the town of Victoria,
in Iõõ 1, was the first missionary who arrived in this pro vince. . ;._
The lndians did not supply the want of Europeans, who were prevented
from comíng -here by hearing of tbe calamities of their countrymen.
Reverses · of fortune reduced Coutinho to a state which preclnded ali possi-
bility of deriving any advantage from the capitania; and one of .bis descend-
ants, being equally unfortunate, sold it, . for forty thousand crusades, to Fran-
cisco Gil d' Araujo, -who established himself in it, animat.ed with various. pro-
jects, but which he soon abandoried in despair. One of bis heirs, after usimg
every endeavour, relinquished it under similar circumstances, a:rid sold it to the
crown in the reig~ of John V. for the .sum which it cost. This ptovince cannot
bé said to have experienced any considerable amelioration since the period of
its l'eversion to the crown, nor does the dominion of the Indians reach to a
much less extensive tract of territory, which may be attributed. to the present
scanty population, and the want of energy ori the part of the government; it may
-P p

'
"
 290 PROVINCE OF ESPIJRITO SANTO.

however be observed, that the reduction of the Indians· is rendered more difficult
by the numerous s€rras and extensive woods which cover this district, demon-
strating at the same time the fertility of the soitl and its susceptibility of nume-
rous branches of agriculture. The river Doce, which bounds it on the north,
wou]d render it · stiH more valuable from the communication which might be
opened by water from tbe mining districts to the ocean ; ·and there is little; cl.oubt
but that part of this district, in the power of the lndians, . through which it
runs is amiferous; at least it is fair to draw such an inference from the pieces of
gold which are in the possession of the lndians w,ho come in contact with the
Portuguese parties of soldiers stationed upon its banks. An oa vidor assured
me that the captain-mors, who commanded advanced stations nporr this river,
had seen pieces of gold in the possession of tbe lndians which they did not
appear to value, bnt willingly exchanged them, at favourable opportúnities, for
knives or other iron instruments. · •,
The sa1ubrity of the climate, the existing· state of this province, and the
advantages which it presents, loudly call upon the present king and government
to adopt measures for clearing the margins of the river Doce of the tribes of
Indians that infest it, and to render this river navigable frõm the ocean to the
province of Minas Geraes. · The on~y natural diffioulties of the river wl1ich
present any impediment to its free navigation ai·e· the Escadinha falls, met with.
in its course between the latter province and that of Porto Seguro; they are
three in number, are highly interesting, and do not extend more than three
milés,. being nearly togetber, so that the c0nstruction of a railwaJy, or any
other and Jess excel1ent expédient wliÍch the government mig·ht be induced tó
ad.opt, for the space only of three miles, would connect a conveyance by water to
the coast of the produce of the interior districts, which at present is sent •on
the backs of mu)es, two and three months being consumed on the journey, and
1
t he same period 'with the return cargoes. _
MouNTAINs.- The most remarkable mountains in the vicinity of the sea are,
the serra Guaràpary, upon the ri ver of the same name; that of Pero-cao, fu rther
to the north ; Monte Moreno, near the entrance of the bay of Espírito Santo,
and Mesti·e-Alvaro, whieh·is a mountain almost circular, enjoying extensive
views, and is the highest ·UJ!>On the·éoast. lt is about tbree miles from the beach,
in parts bare and rocky, in others covered with wood, having so_m e fertilê
p ortions, the cultivators of which a;re generally within the parish of Nossa
Senhora da Conceiçao of the serra. The best balsamic trees of the province
are produced here; it is situated between the rivers Carahype, anel Reis Mag·os 1
 PROVINCE OF ESPIRITO SANTO. 291

and formerly had .a volcano. Five miles to the south of the -rivet· Piuma ís
Mount Agha, from whence issue excellent waters. lt is ' a land-ma\·k to
na vigators.
MINERALOGY.-lt produces gold, magnet, crystals, amethysts, and potters
and other earths ; the mountains in great part consist of granite.
ZóoLOGY.-The Pu1·i tribes of Indians possess the western and centrai parts
ofthe province, and yet make descents upon the s_ea-coast, generally doing con-
siderable injury to the Christians who reside eontiguous to the sh01·e. They
are rather meagre in person, but are courageous and perfi.di'ous. Some bordes
are already domiciliated in aldeias, and live in peace with the conquerors, in th e
' \

vicinity of the river Parahiba; but the greater portion. wander about, not
deviating from the habits of their, ancestors. It is said their numbers have
diminished, in .c onsequence of the fatal rencounters they have had with the
Aimbore tribe. They do not exercise any bí·anch of agriculture; and· as the
soil, though fertile, cannot gratuitously supply a sufficient maintenance, there is
à perpetual attack on ali kinds of game. They are formidable enemies of the
Corados; they use the b.ow and barbed arrow, and ho1d in high esteem all instru-
merits of iron, and above all tlte axe. . The skins of animais are not used for the
covering of their naked bodies, nor for any other purpose. · Amongst other wild
quadrupeds, the deer, boar, mon_key, ounce, anel anta, are well known, against
which a continuai warfare is carried on, in which the gun is used as well as the
bow. A kind ofmonkey (Sahium) is frequently met with, ofan ~sh colour, with
the face white. The collwreim, m·ut1tn, jacutinga parrot, arram, inhuma, tucano,
macuco partridg~, and other birds óf beautiful plumage, are generally seen, ou
proceeding beyond the cultivated grounds, which consist only of certain portions
running parallel with, aiid not extending far from the coast ; domestic animais
ar-e consequently ·not very numerous.
PHYTOLOGY.-ln.:tJw woods which cover a considerable portion oí the
country there is a great diversity of trees of excellent timber for building and
other purposes ; the Brazil wood, the sassafra:s, anel the cedar, are well known;
besides other resin.oustrees are those which afford gum-mastick, gurn-copal, and
the cajue-nut tree; those which produce the cupahiba·oil are conimon. No other
province possesses such an abundanc~ of the tree that supplies the Peruvian
ba1sam. The sipo clove is met with, the leaves .of which exhale ·an aromatic,_
simil_a r to the East Indian clove. The piquia prúduces a fruit of the size of an
orange, full of a fine :flavoured juice, with a great mtmber of seeds. The goyty
. is a fr.uit of the size of a lemon, oblong, with little pulp, yellow, of a fine :fl~vour,
PP2

. '
292 PROVINCE OF· ESPIRlTO SANTO.

and filled witfl fibres attached to a large stone; there are two sorts similar in
taste, and denominated mirim. The pitoma is larger than the mangaba, oblong,
with a smooth rind, savory pulp, and a stone·. Amongst the 'species of fruit
trees whàch the Portuguese have here natoralized, the rrío~;~t useful are th~ orange
and cocoa-nut; amongst other native trees are the jabuticaba, the ubaya, whose
· fruit is similar to the first, of excellent qualitjí, and also grows upon tb.e ·trunk,
and even upon the roots that appear. The arassanhuna is also a fruit very much
like the jabuticaba, but not of so much flavour, · and grows at the point of the
branches. The fig-tree fructifies in perfection.
· The soil is particularly well adapted to the cane, of which there are many
engenhos. Legumes, coffee, cocoa, bananas; water-mf:Jlons, and mandioca,
which latter is.. not grown in suffi.cient quantity for the consllmption of the
population, the inhabitants preferring the culture of the cotton tree, of wbich they
make Jarge plantations. · 'Its produce consti~utes their principal branch·of com-
merce and wealth; they exporta con~iderab]e quantity, partly . in the wool, and
partly in coarse cloth. A sort of narrow sail-cloth is Iikewise manufactured
with it, called tracado, to which a preference is given to that of fia~, for forming
the sails of some of the coasting vessels. The production of rice and Indian
corn is conside able. .
RIVERS AND PoRTs.-The river Camapuan, commonly Cabapnanna, and
which the Indians call Reritigba, originates in the serra of Pico, not far dístant
from the source of the Muryahe, runs between mountains augmented by various
others which join it, and enters the ocean fifteen miles to the north ofthé Parahiba.
It is ·navig·able for large canoes for a censiderable space, to a cerÚLin situation,
where its current begins to be more violent and its béd less 'disembarrassed . . ·.
Ten miles to the north of the Camapuan,' the Itapemirim empties itself, after . a
considerable course, and is already large on crossing t4e cordillera. It is said
that one ofits branches originates in the mines ofCastello, which were abandon-
·ed in consequence of the invasions of the ~uris and Aimbores. Surnacas
advance some miles up it, and canoes much .fnrther. . . .
The Piuma, w hich rises in an au~iferous country to the west of the cordillera,
discharges itself fourteen miles to the north of the Itapemirim, and ~ff@rds
navigation to canoes for a considerable space. '·,
. Twenty miles to the··riorth of the Piuma Ís the Beneven~e, which is only co:q.-
siderable as far as the ti de ad vances ; . it · is supposed · to descend from ·the
cordillera. ..
The Guarapary, which discharges itself ten miles to the n!9rth ·of Benevente,.
 PROYINCE OF ESPIRITO SANTO. 293

'
is· narrow and deep in the proximity of the sea, where it traverses .
the cordillera,
beyond which it is unknown, as well as the country through which it flows . .
, The river Jecu ente~s the ocean ten miles to the north of the Guarapary, and
three,to the south of the enti·ance to the bay of Espírito Santo. The Jesuits '
whq possessed the adjacent larrds, formed a nav.igable communication -from thi_s
'river to the bay, by an extensive valley, in or<ler to avoid the ' dangers of the
ocean, -p assing round mount Moreno to enter the port. It yet remains, pre-
senting the same advantage to the present agriculturists of the country.
,. The bay 'O f Espírito .Santo is spacious, with sect~re anchorage. Amongst the
·'Vat;Í~us streams which Jose , themselves in it, the Santa Maria is tne only con-
siderable one. It is naviga'ble for the space of forty miles to the first fali. The -
tide run~ up this rj.ver about twelve miles ta the mouth of the river Serra, which
uni.tes i.t on the left bank; by the same side . it receives anothel', which affords
navigation to the centre of the distri~t, which indicates ;much fecundity. By
the southern . margin it is joined by the small ri ver Crub'i.X:a,. where the stones
m.et with in its bed affOiid a sort of coral, with which the · ~IJ?.dians . ornament
themselves.. In theviônity of this river is cultivated mandioca, rice, bananas,
and- canes, the sugar 0f w4ich is de11med the . best in ,the province. Seven
· mi-les from the northern bar of Espirito Santo is the small ri ver Carahype, which
becomes a cu1·rent only when the rains produce an overflowing of the lake
Jucune:n, which is. well stored with fish, about three miles in length, and near
the sea. ;A little to the north of the mount of Mestre··Alvai·o, the Reys.Majos,
originally Apyaputang,.. is ·discharged, having a small port at its embouchure.
. The. Mando comes from th ~ interior of the ca.untry, running· north-north-east
between woods, enters the river Doce two miles below the Escaqinha FaUs,
and is navigable for canoes. ·I

· The towns of this province are-

Villá da Victoria Benevente 9uarapary
Vitla Velha Almeyda Itapemhim .
.The villa o r town of Nossa Se;nhora of Vietoria, the capital of the province,
is .situated on an amphitheatrical site on tbe western side ·of an i~land, fifteen
miles in circu!llf~J·ence, in the bay of . Espírito Santo, which is capable of receiv-
iFI:g frigates, a~d .its .en,trance is defende.d· by five small forts~ .The town is weil ·
próvidecl. with water, has tolerable liouses, paved streets, and a church, which ·
· when complete will be handsom~. - Thére is. a house of inisericordia, convents
of Francis€ans and fllippered Ca1;~elites, two Terceira orders belonging _to
 294: PROVINCE OF ESPIRITO SANTO.

those corporatious, a chapel of St. Luzia, three of Nossa Senhora of Boa

Morte, ConceiÇao, and Rozario. The ex-Jesuitical college is a fine edifice, and
now serves for' the palace of the governors. The ouvidor of the comarca has
his ordinary residence here. It has also a royal professor of Latiu, and a junta
da real fazenda, or the treasury. The.island is elevated, and the greatest part
in a state of cultivation. lts eastern side lies in a direct line with the coast of
the continent.
At the entrance of the bar, near the before-rnentioned Moreno Mount, is ano.,
ther, also a land-rnark to sailors, and is in the forro of a s.u gar-loaf. On its
summit is a convent of Franciscans, dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Penha, of ·
which it takes the name, not unfrequently sustaining damage by the winds.
The inhabitants of this sanctuary enjoy delightful prospects of the vast ocean,
and the varied scenery of mountains of a diversity of elevation and aspect, with
valleys of different width and profundity.
In the skirts of this mount, at the entrance of the ·bay, is Villa Velha, (Old
'Town,) orig·inally the town of Espírito Santo, and for some time capital of the
capitania, which, .bowever, never became considerable, and is now 0f little
' consequence. Our· Lady of Rozario is the patroness of the church, whose
parishioners are .:fishermen. Fish are abundant and cheap upon all this part' of
the coast.
Benevente is at present a small town; but it unquestionably enjoys an advan. .
tageous situation for becoming more considerable, at the mouth of the river
which takes it.s name, having a commodious anchoráge place, and great fertility
of surrounding soil. The inhabitants are mostly lndians, for whose reception it
first began. The Jesuits, its founders, had a hospício, or entertaining house
here, which is now divided into three portions; one is the residence of the
vicar, another is appropriated to the municipal house, and the third for the use
of the ouvidor: The church is dedicated to Our Lady of Assumpçao. In the
adjacencies 9f the ri ver, cotton, sugar, rice, lndian' corn, &c. are cultivated. The
canoes which cop.vey those productions to the port can advance up the river
with the tide for a considerable distance. '
Guarapary is a villota, or .small place, situated near the embouchure of the
river Guarapary, upon a small bay. The church is dedicated to Nossa Senhora
da Conceiçao. Its inhabitants, principalÍy lndians, euttivaté cotton and the
necessaries of life. Here is collected the greatest portion of the Peruvian
baJsam, which takes the name of the province.
Almeyda, situated on elevated ground, near the embouchure of 11he Reys
 PROVINCE OF ESPIRITO SANTO. 295

Magos~ .from whence a great extent of ocean is discovered, was founded by the
Jesuits, who had a hospício here, whither they repaired from the college of the
capital to learn the Tupininquin language. This edifice has been for a long
time the residence of the vicars, and its· handsome chapel, dedicated to Reys
Magos, has always served for the mother church. It ha_s a considerable piéce
of ground attached to it, in the form of a square. In no other parish of the
bishopric have the number of native Indians increased so much as here; with
them are intermixed some whites and mesticos. The whole pursue fishing·, and
are farmers of the first necessaries. They export ~orne earthenware and
timber.
Five miles to the north of Almeyda is the Aldeia Velha, (the Old Aldeia,) in-
habited by Christianized Indians. It has commodious anchorage for sumacas
at the mouth of a small river. ·
Further on there is another aldeia of Goytacaze Indians, also Christians.
The wbole cultivate the necessaries of life, practise fishing, and many pursue
the manufacture of earthenware. Orange trees are remarkably abundant, and
the fruit excellent. A considerable quantity of gamellas (wooden bowls) are
exported.
ltapemirim stands on the southern margin, and two miles above the mouth
of the river of the same name. It has a parish church of Our Lady of Amparo.
A consi~erable augmentation of this place is anticipated. Its inbabitants drink
the w·a ters of the river, cultivate plantations of the sugar cane, and the cotton
tree, rice, lndian corn, &c. and cut timber; all these are articles of exportation.
On the margin of the river Piuma there is an aldeia of the same name, whose
inhabitants cultivate the necessaries of life peculiar to the country, and cut much
timber from the neighbouring woods. Vessels of a small size can be con-
structed here.
On the margin of the river Doce, two miles helow the mouth of the Mandu,
there is a prezidio, with the name of Souza, in order to impede the smuggling
of gold from Minas Geraes, and which may become in time a considerable
povoaçao. The surrounding territory is highly fertile. One quart of the seed
of feijao will generally produce ninety Winchester bushels; and lower down,
upon an island in the same river, the same quantity of seed has rendered one
hundred aud fifteen Winchester bushels, which is nearly .four hundred for one.
A quart of lndian com commonly produces one hundred and fifteen bushels.
A shrub grows here, the bruised leaves of which afford a liquor by infusion,
which will dye a fast purple colour.
296 PROVINCE OF ESPIRITO SANTO.

Near the river Jecu, at a great distance above its mouth, in a fertile dis~
trict, is beginning to flourish the anaial of the same name, inhabited ' by white
agriculturists, and abounding with game. ·
. In the latitude of 20°, and upwards of five hundred miles distant from . the
coast of this province, is the small and rocky island of Ascension, also called
Trinidade. It has g<;>od water; but having no good anchorage 'place, and little
of its surface being susceptible of cultiv.ation, it is uninhabited,

j,., ,. •

·'

. '.

..
 PROVINCE OF PORTO SEGURO. 297

CHAP. XIV.

PROYiNCE OF PORTO SEGURO.

Bounda:rie~- P1·ospe1·ity of
its first Donat?ry- Reversion to tlte Cmwn in a bad
State-P1·esent pa1·tial Cultivation-Indians-Mountains-Mineralogy-Zoo-
logy-Pkytology-Rivers, Lakes, and Ports-Povoações-Abrolltos.

THIS province, which comprises the territory of the capitania of the same name,
with one portion of that of Ilheos, and another of that of Espírito Santo, is
confined on the north by tl)e province of Bahia; from which it is separated by
the river Belmonte, on the west by Minas Geraes, on the south by Espírito
Santo, and on the east by the ocean. It lies between 15o 54: and 19° 31' of
south latitude, and in consequence of its being like the province .of Espírito
Santo imperfectly explored, and from the same cause, of being ·in great pa;t
under the dominion of the Jndians, its width cannot be precisely determined.
A different result might have justly been expected, às it is without contradiction
that part of the new world where the Portuguese were fil·st established. It has
already been shown that Cabral left here two degradados in the year 1590,
and Ohristovam Jaques a large number of otber indi~iduals, with two Francis-
can missionaries in the year 1504. The excellent quality of the Brazil wood,
which the first explorers found in abundance, soon. ·rendered it an object of
public contract, ,and the good understanding· which the colony mantained with
the Indians, also contributed to its being· regularly and annually visited for the
purpos_e of so important atraffic. '
'When John III. partitioned this region into capitanias, the ·colony of Porto
Seguro bad begun to flourish, and many ships destined for India refreshed in
its ·port. The three Indians, which Ge0rge Lopez Bixorda-presented to ;King
Emanuel in 1513, . were Tupi:ninquins, the allies and friends of the colonists of
Porto Seguro, and the interpreter who accompanied them was one of the
degradados left there by Cabral in 1500. This Bixorda had the contract for
Brazil wood, and in order to show the . king a sample of bis new subjects, the
three Indians were conveyed to Portugalin the ship laden with this precious wo.o.d,
Qq
•
298 PROVIN.CE O.E' PORTO .SEGURO.

without any change of their rude and native dress, the peculiarity of which
consisted in their bodies being dressed or ornamented with feathers, and their
lips, noses, and ears distorted with immense pendants ; their usual weapons of
defence, the bow and arrow, added to the interest which their appeai'ance ex-
cited.
The name of Porto Seguro, (Secure _Port,) given to the bay ,where the dis-
covering armada anchored, also soon became common to the anchorage place
of the river Buranhen, with the estabhshment of the colony which C. Jaques
plánted upon its margin, in the place .w:he1:e the principal or hig.h part @ .f the
capital is now situated. It soon after became the. factory also for the Brazil
wood.
Pedro do Campo Tourinho, its :first donatory, after having sold ali he 1

pOí?sessed, foc the purpose of tra:p.sportin.g himself, bis wife, lgnez ·Fernandes
Pinta, one son, called .Fernam do Campo Tou]}inho, and variol!lS families wha
agreed to accom;pany. him, arri~ed' safe .in the port qf the factory. NQt ºne,of
the other donatories experienced so prosperous a disembarkation. His ,colo»y
was a considerable augmentation of that of C. Jaques, or the factoJ;y, where
he found many countrymen, sorn.e af wh0m ha.d been more .'than thirty ye~vs in
the conntry, with their half Indian progeny, called Mamalucos, living in f.ull
harmony with the aburigines.
In a few years he found himself in a consideraMe and fl.ourisbing town.
Besides the town of Santa Cruz he found,e d that of St. Amaro,. and other
aJ.Iileias, w~th whicb. the establishment was greatly increased, and be(one;his
death had acqtiire<i a v·e ry flourishin.g state.
'fhe tiown of St. Amaro, any vestige of which can · scan:ely at .pres€tnt he
discovered, néai tbe morro crowned with a henl!lí1itage of Om LaGhy .til' Ajúda-,
three miles to the south of Porto Seg·uro, was demo~ished· by the1ferodous
Abatym Indians in. the year 1564. '
The town of St. Cruz, which was commenced upon Cabralia Bay, (Rruy íilf
Cabral,) was ltemo~ed by its inhabitants n~ar to the river Joao. de Tyb~, in
€onsequence of its more favourable soil..
The :first douatory was succeeded b~ his said son, who did not live to .enjoy
it long~ To Fernam d0 Campo Tourinho succeeded bis sister, Leonor do Campo
Tourinho, widow . of, 'Gregorio de Pesqueira, to whom the king, con:(i.1::med the
capitania by Iétter of the 3oth .of May, 1556. Two months afterw:ards she
sold it, by permission 0f the Sovereign, to the D-uke d' Aveiro; DowJohn de
Lancastre, to whom the ·King, in the sán1e law, granted .licence, at bis deat p,

•
. ,.
 ~I

PROVlNCE OF -P ORTO SEG,UR O. 299

to nominate H:is ·sen, Don Pedro Deniz de Lancastré, from whose successors it
re:verte-d tó the· orow·n in tlie r~ign of Joseph I. in a ·véry bad state and with
only t~o towns. O.ne · hundred .rpilreas (about .;€25) de. ju1'0, or right, six
hundréd milreas (ab_9ut .,€150) in money, and two moyos (about seventy Win-
chestei· htrshels eách) 'Of wheat every year as l€>Í.lg ás the vendar lived, was the
pri:ce stipulalted in the writings of the salé. The Jesuits, who founded a house in
the càpita'l in 1553, with the intentio:n of better reducing the Indians to Catlilo-
licism, only left twa ald'eias entirely Indian, . of which they were the curates.
Among·st tne most able of those in the course of two ilund1'ed and five years,
who became cm'à.tes in tbese iiÜssions, many went there to be catechised previous
to studying theology at the college of Bahia, in otder to learn more perfectly
the idiom of the Indi'ans, who .were not taught the Portuguese language, as they
only treated or had intercourse with the curates, who wéi"e well acquaihted with
their language.
The ,Abatyra lndians, at tbe period before alluded to, destroyed, amongst
other plac€s, the tewns óf Juassema :uid· St. Andre, founde,d by the ·duke.
These lndiaas, now :tmknown, are said to be a hÓraé of the .Aimoi·es, or per-
haps this was the 1!1ame 'by which the Tupininq'uins designated them in general.
The Aimores 'are believed to have been a tribe of northern Tapuyas, who, in
âncient tímes, in consequence of the wars, proc~eded southward, and retired
te the west of the serra which afterwards took their name. The neighbouring
nalions called them Aimbores, and the Portuguese, from corruption, Aimores ·;
but, for a eonsiderable time, they have had no other name amo:tigst the Chris-
tians than Botocndos, in consequence of their cilstom of perforating the
ears and lips. They always wander about, divided into parties of ' forty
to sixty fami1ies, desti·oying· game, and g·athering wild fruits, their· ordinary
aliment. Some paint the ~ody, at times, a gteen colour, at other~ yellow ;
and in order to free themselves from the attacks of the mosquito ~ at cer-
tain seasons, or in places where they tn.ost incommode them, they vãrnish -.
the skin with the juice or milk of certain trees. Their arms are the bow
and the arrow barbed on both sides. They have no other conveyance by
water, "but jangadas, or catamàrans, rudely formed of th~ trunks of the
jangada tree, and put together with very little care, with which they cross large
rivers. Their combats, like those of all other Indians, are· from amb~scades~
Rijd they commonly make the assault after dark, and only when they judge
that they are taking their enemy by snrprise. Sorne tribes, when they have deter-
QQ2
 /

300 PROVINCE OF PORTO SEGURO.

mined to engage the foe, leave the aged, the women, and children, in some
secure place in the centre of their district. . Th.eir barbarity has always pro-
dnced the idea that they are much more numerous than they are really found
to be. The garrisons newly establis~ed 11pon the eastern line ef the ·province of
Minas Geraes, and those in tbe centre of this, have obliged many to sue
fm· -that peace which had been so frequently offered them, and which they
always rejected, secure in extensive woods, where there are few, if any, -Cb.ris-
tian colonists to subdue their wild habits, or mitigate their savage propensities.
O f all th~ provinces of the Brazil, this may be said to be the most backward
in c·ultivation, and in the civilization of the aboriginal inhabitants. lt is almost
one wood of fine timber, and different species · of trees, lndicating, beyond a
question, the great fertility generally of its soil. The want of good ports capa-
ble of receiving large ships is assigned as the cause of its present condition;
but want of industry, and the requisite energy and spirit of improvement, as
well as the de:fi.ciency, it must be allowed, of populàtion, are the real causes.
The Christianized population only possess the parts adjacent to the ocean, and
few days pass in certain months of the year, that its coasts are not v:isited by
the Indians in search of the eggs of the tortoise. From these people the Cana-
rins are known, who are the nearest hordes to the towns of Caravellas, and
Villaviçoza. It is said that they have an establishment of one vast house in the
centre of the country, hid in· a valley between two mountains. The Maclzacaris
are masters of a country washed by the ~ivers Norte and Sul. In the western
part are known the Cumanacho, Mono, Frecha, Catatlwy, Aimore, and the
Pataélw nations ; the last are more .numerous than all the others together, and
extend themselves, divided into tdbes, from one extremity of the ·pi'Ovince to
the other.
The Aimores are anthropophagi, and th.e dread o f ali the ot]~er nations except
the Patachos.
From the river Doce, the southern limit of this province, as far as a league
to the north of the Jucurucu, the lands are so flat, that they scarcely exceed the
levei of the highe~t tides. In the whole of -this tract, (more than one hundred
miles,) not one mountain, or even small elevation is seen. From this point
nearly to the Buranhen, the shore is of a green or white colour, ' and of four to
six yards in height ; the remainder of the coast to the riv.er Bel monte is in parts
flat, in others rather mor.e elevated. Fine woods are everywhere seen.extend-
iug· to the margin of the ocean.
 /

PROVINCE OF PORTO SEGURO. 301

M<OUN.TAINS.-.Those in the central anel western part~ are unknown. At the

. northern extremity · of the eas,tern side only is discovered the serra of
Aimores, the highest portion of which, denominated the Mount of John de
Siam, arid the outer pórtion Mount Pascoal, is seen for many leagues at sea,
being the principalland-mark in this latitude.
MIN ERALOGY.-Gold, iron, granite, calcàreous stone, white potters' earth,
with other argils, .~methysts, topazes, and other precio-qs stones.
·zooLoGY.-Domestic animais are in ~11 parts very rare, if we except the en- ·
virons of the capital. In the woods are the deer, boar, tamandua, monkey,
anta, with various other species of this region, generally very numerous. Ounces
are here in the greatest number, anel commit their depredations upon the sea-
coast fl'Om April to August, in consequence, it is thought, of the cold, which
makes them desert the western lands, anel seek the vicinity of the sea, where it
is warmer. Hunters find with much facility the mutun, ju1·u, macuco partrid'ge,
jacu,jacutinga, amcuan, nlzamba, capueira, parrot, and a diversity of the turtle
bird. The ampo'nga, bicudo, and sabio are well known. The pavo, or peacock,
is little larg·er than the tucano, black, with the breast yellow and red. The
crijolta is something larger than the black-bird, and its change of colours ·beau-
tiful. The bees produce honey in the tnmks . of trees, supplying· aliment to a .
great many.
· PHYTOLOGY.-Amongst many other trees of good timber are the vinathico,
aài1·no, avm·iba, anhulzyba, aricurana, anlwhyba de 1·ego, angelim, of different colours;
also the biriba, buranhen, cámacary, caixeta, cédar, cberry, condu1·u, gmpiapunha,
guanandirana, hoyticica, jatahy; of tbe jacaranda, are the sorts called cabuina,
mulatto and white; of thejucirana, white and green; thejiquitiba, inkulty.batan,
and the clove; "ipe, black and other sorts ; piqui, black, yellow, otherwise mirin-
diba; the potumuju, bow wood, oil wood, Brazil wood, oanandy, sapucaya, sobro,
sucupÍracu, _sucupira acary, tatagiba, white and green timbulzyba; thejaby,ticaba,
the amcazq,, the pindalzyba, and various palro trees are well known ; the Asiatic
cocoa-nut tree is not very frequent. There is a tree, the leaves of which, when
broken, exhale tbe aromatic smell of the clove. The tree which produces the
peéhurim, here improperly caÜed mulberry tree, :ls rare, and its fruit not so fine
as that of Para. The soil is good for the culture of mandioca, the most
valuable produce of the .country; Indian corn, rice, and legumes grow in ~orne
districts. Cott'on trees prosper best in the vicinity ,of the sea, at least .in many
situations.
 302 PROVJNCE OF PORTO SEGURO.

RIVERS, LAKES, AND PoRTs.-The river Doce h as ,its · heads in the centre
oi Minas Geraes, and, flowing through part of that province, leaves it, al-
ready acctlmuiated by its tributary streams into a cónsiderable ri ver, under the
·name by which it is here known. After it hegins to divide this ·province from
that of Espírito Santo, it is precipitated in the space of one league over three
falls, denominated the Escadinhas. From h~nce to the ocean it is large, ser-
pentine, and hand:some, and has .many flat islands. Its watm·s are muddy in
the summer season, .in consequence of the minerais of Minas Geraes with
which'it is ip1pregnated; and this appearance is partly caused, it may he infel'red,
by the auriferous bed through which there cannot be a doubt, Í1:om what has
been already observéd, the latter part of ·its course is iínpelled.. lts waters are
discharged between two points of fl~t sand of considerable extent; and this
aqueous volume preserves its freshness for a considerable distance into the
ocean; from which circumstance its primitive name was changed to that of Doce
(Soft, o r Fresh.)
The St. Mattheus, originally the Cricare, has its source in Minas Geraes. Soon
. after entering this prov:ince, it runs for the space of many miles with great
violence, occasioned by fhe impulse it acquires in descending various falls. A
Iittle below this current, which is supposed to be in the meridian of the Escadin-
has, it receives by the left the large river Cotache, which traverses extensiva
woods, inhabited by Indians and wild beasts. It irrigates one. of the most
fertile countries of the state, and discharges itself into the sea thirty-fi.ve mi~es
north of the Doce. A little above its embouchure it receives by thé northern
margin the St. Anna, which is navigable with the tid~.
The Mucury, which is considerable as far as the tide advances, originates in
Minas Géraes, and with a rapid current enters the sea near thirty miles to the
north of the St. Mattheas. In. the vicinity of the ocean it traverses a most fertile
district, covered with fine woods, occupied by wild quadrupeds, beyond which
it passes through lands rich in gold and precious stones. This river commu..
nicates with th.e Peruhype.
The Peruhype, whose mouth .is fi.fteen miles north of the Mucury, orjginates
in the centre of the province, and is apparently considerable, with a tide running
many leagues up. . ,
Ten miles porth of the preceding is the mouth of the channel c.alled thé river
Caravellas, but which is only an arm that the sea extends ten miJes to the west,
of considerable width, very deep, and beautifully bordered with mangi·oves.
 PR0VlNCE OF PORTO SEG'tTrRO. 303

The em.Ifirance. is only aecessihle to : S> tnaH ·vessels. About the ~ midd•l e. ·of its
extent, there is a spacious channel of great depth communicating with the
Perl!lhype.
The Itanhem, after a long eo:tl•r se,. enters tb.e sea :fifteen miles north of Cara-
veDas, and affords navigatien •fo:r e:arioes for a: eensiderable distance. ·
.. The .J HCUiiUCU, . wh[ch disohaiges itself fifteen .miles nõrth of the ltanhem,
takes its name at the con:fluence of the afore-m.entionelil river Do Sul, (South)
with the Do Norte, (NC>rth) which ,unite .ab@ut twenty miles from the sea, and
affolid navigamion to caRe>es for 1 a conside:vable space into the interi-or of the
€Ountry. Sumaca:s advance up this riv.er as far as the said con:fluence.
Thirty ·miles to the north of the Jucurucu is the. p-oint C~.>rumbau, by cor-
ruption Corumhabo ; three ·miles fmtlier the rnouth of the river Cramimuan,
at tlire bottom o:f· a large· bay; and a1 little further the small. river Juassema, near
whose mouth is y,etJ. seen the vestig·es (;}f the town so called.
· Eig·ht miJ.es no1'th of the Cramjmuan is the ri ver Do Frade, (Friar,) which took
its ;nairoe f1xnn: the shipwreck of a r.eligious Franciscan. Its comse is through
woods, and it is· enly capable of I'ect:iv.ring canoes.
The Buranlien, f0r a long peri0<Ji· here designated Qnly: the Gaehoeira, in
eonS..e4i}uence of a fall, ( ca:clzeeira;j w hich it passed about the centre of the pro-
vinoe, .e nters the sea eighteen m.iles north of the Fr-ade : its· Ol'igin is unknown;
but not being considerable, it may be infeTred that its com·se is not exteusive;
that portion o{ it explored :flows f.rom the south-west ·to 1lh e north-east, with
ma,ny w.indings. It afford's va:rious- sorts-of fish, such as are ealled here piaus,
tmkiras, robalos, acaris, piaba;nkas, piabas,"jundias, pitus, and very large p1·ones
in abmulailll!c-e ~ . ·
lt is fe]10we<iL, at a distance of -ahomt eig·hteen. mil'es by the St. CJ'UZ, som-e-
thing smaller, and navigable by canoes. It took this name aftet the inhabitants
o:f the~ .towl'l!- !:)f S.t. Cruz removed to its margin, then called the Joam de··Tyba.
They formed the :first coloThy in its vicinity. It is stored· with ·the same fish as
the preceding one.
Tbe St. Antonio, the waters of which are muddy, with an inconsiderable
comse; is' a few leagues nm:th of the pTeceding.
· The laike Jupat~ana, ·d eep, abouncling ·w ith :fish; iafersf>ersed witb sroall
islánds, and> abou:t fifteen miles in circuit, bordered with fine woods, growing
UfYOB ê:lini lilnéven and fertile €OURtry, ' ÍS twenty miles ft"Om the· seà, has an 0_1:1tlet
into the FÍ\ier'Doce by a narrow ·and deep -channel .:five miles in length, and
'·l'.(tCeives a11ÍVer called Cacho.eira, which is said to be navigable.

•
304 PROVlNCE OF PORTO SEGURO.

Between the mouth óf the Doce and the St. Mattheus is the lake Tapada, of
con:siderable.length from east to west but very narrow. .
The lake of Medo,. (Fear,) very small, is in the proximity of the origin of
St. .Antonio and communicates with the Belmonte. ·
The lake Braco, long and narrow, prolongs itself with the coast, between
the Belmonte ·and the Mugiquissába, wbich is small, and enters the ocean
about eighteen miles south of the first.
The Belmonte, so called after the town of the same name •was founded near
its mouth, is formed in Serro do Frio, one of the comarcas of Minas Geraes,
by tbe waters of the Jiquitinhonha and. Arassuahy. When it traverses the
cordillera of Aimores it is contracted between two mountains ·of unequal
elevation ; the northern one, called St. Bruno, is the highest, and on a sudden
descends from a height of more than forty ya:vds into a whirlpool, whose
evaporation exhibits an eternal cloud, and the loud murmuring of its falling
waters ís beard sometimes twelve and fifteen miles otf. Continuing for the
space of fifteen miJes to the east between rugged margins to a cachoeirinlza, (â.
little fall,) it flows through a · flat and woody coúritry to the sea, describing
various windings, with a current rapid a~d wide but óf little depth. Its fi.sh
called tubarõe is of an enormous size, and the cacoe is the smallest of its fi.nny
inhabitants. It has many flat islands within its margins, and does no~ receive
any considerable stream after it descends the fali.
The Piauhy, which unites the Belmonte below this fali, is the most abundarit
amongst those which it receives, after commencing to serve as a liniit to this
provmce.
· Cabralia Bay, (where the armada of Cabraf anchored,) fifteen miles to the
north of Porto Seguro, and four to the south of St. Cruz, is the only port of
the province where large vessels can enter. ·
The bay of Concha, near the Mugiquissaba, is a roadstead which might be
rendered capable of receiving vessels of large burden.
The towns of this province are-
Porto Seguro Trancozo Alcobaca Villaviçoza · St. Mattheus
Villaverde Prado Caravellas Portalegre Belmonte.
Porto Seguro, a considerable town, and capital of the province, is situated
at the mouth of the river Buranhen, upon an elevation on tbe northern side,
with an agreeable aspect, enjoying salubrious air, and provided with good
water: It has a church of Nossa Senhora da Penna, a house of misericordia,
and an ex-Jesuitical hospício, at present the residehce of the onvido1·s. The

•
 PROVINCE OF PORTO SEGURO~ 305

ho'uses are of brick or wood, and the streets l!lnpaved. The main part of its
inhabitants frequent the fishing of ga1·oupas, which form an important branch
of their commerce. It h as, as is' usual·, a royal professor of Latih. Its .sur-
roun.ding lands aJre appropriated to. divers pxoductions, none of which are
superabundant exeept fruits. Porto Seguro, it is saicl, was once la1:ger, but
upon the occasion previous1y refe_rred to was nearly dismantled by the Abatyras,
and being rebuilt, again sutfered much fn>m the invasions of the Guerens, who,
perhaps, would have an.nihUated it altogether if the celebrated Tateno, a
cacique or ehief from the rivei· St. Antonio, who was a scourge to the other
savage~ and a friend of the Christians, had not succoured them,- in spite of the
diseases under which he laboured at the time, and which did not permit him to
~ove, · except in a net or rede, carried upon the shoulders of his most robust
~omrades. The small povoaçoes of Pontinha, Marcos, and Pacatta, the
whole upon the northern margin of tb·e river, · scarcely- separa~ed by ·s:maH
intervals·, are so many othet parts of this town.
Villaverde, · ol'iginally Patatiba, is small but well situated, has ·a church
dedicated to Espir.ito Santo, (Holy Spirit~) and a municipal house. It is
eighteen mile·s above the capital, Hpon the southern margin of the same river,
near a large lake. It has a profusion of fruits, and abundance of wate1· from
fountains. The ,soil is of great fertility, but is entirely left to the indolence of
the Christianized Indians, amongst w~om a white is scarcely seen. 'fhey
export some timber and a little cotton. .
Eighteen ,miJes north of the capital, near the mouth of the St. Cruz, the
parish ofthis name, formerly considerable, has decayed, in consequence of the
invasions of the Gt1erens. It has a church, d'edie-a ted to' Nossa · Senhoi·a of
Conceiçao ; and in the vicinity a tree is common; the fruit ~ of which is called
the quince. The proxitni.ty of Cabralia Bay, and the roads which are éxpected
to be opened from div.ers p0ints of Minas Geraes, will .probably render this
povoaçao a flourishüig and considerable place.
Trancozo is an inconsiderable town, well s-itua.ted, near the mouth of a small .
river; the chürch is dedicateGl to St. John Baptista, and its 'inhabitants,
almost generally India~s, cultivate cotton anel mandioca, and are also fisher-·
men: It is fifteen miles south of Porto Seguro. ,.
. Pra~o; situa·te~l · at the m.outh of the Jucur1:1cu, which 'Was its primitive
n.a~e, lS forty 1mles to. the ~outh of Trancózo. . A considérablé ' ~uantity of
farmha (flour of mandwca) 1s expm-ted from hence, at · present the only I

RR
:)06 PROVINCE OF PORTO SEGURO.

riches of its inhabitants. Its· church is dedicated to the Purificaçao de Nossa

Senhora.
Alcobaça, another small town, nea1· the mouth of the ltanhen, of which it
originally had the name, has a church dedicated to St. Bemardo. The popula-
tion, generally Indian, and the agricultare, begin to increase, by the establisb.·
ments of various farmers, who removed hither from Cara-vellas, in consequence
of the woods or mattas remaining uncut in the immediate vicinity of the town.
Caravellas is a considerable town, upon the northem margin oftlte river ofthe
same name, about five miles from the sea, and .almost in front of the channel
which communicates with the Peruhype. It consists of three streets _p arallel
with the river, which forms a good port, capable even of receiving large vessels,
i f the bar were accessihle: It- is thê most-ftequented o f ány otlier town in the
province ; has a church ca:lled St. Antonio, and royal masters of the primitive
letters ap.d Latin. Almost all its inhabitants cultivate mandioca, which is nearly
three years in the ground before it reaches maturity; they can scarcely make
tw.o plantations of it, as already ip. the second the ants have accum'Uláted upon
it to a destructi ve extent. The lands overgrow with brushwood immediately
the woods are cleáred away. The water-melons, aboboras, . bananas, · and
oranges, are very fine. There are places covered entirely with the jabuticaba
tree. A great quantity of farinha is exported from hencé. Various families,
who esc.a ped from the catastrophe which attended the destruction of the towns
in the vicinity of the capital by the lndians, commenced this town, upon the
right cbauk of the i'iver, near the bar, from whence it was shortly afterwards
removed to the situation which it now occupies. They are now Iabouring in the
opening of a road or track, to communicate with that of Portalegre, which.
leads to Minas Geraes.
Villaviçoza, a:t first called Campinho, upon the southern margin, and four
miles above the mouth of the river Peruhype, is yet small, with a church of
N. Senhora da Conceiçao. Its inhabitants produce much farinha, anc;l the
vessels by which the superfluity is exported navigate commonly by the river
Caravellas, and the channel before mentioned, in consequence ofthe little depth
which tbe Perubype has at the bar. ·
Portalegre, at tbe mouth of the river Mucury, of whiCh it orig·inally had the
name, is a small town, without any thing rem_a rkable ; but the extensiv-e_naviga-
tion of the river and the fertility of its sunoundíng lands promise it future
augmentation. lts church is dedicated t~ St. Joze; and its inhabitants, besides
 PROYINCE 0F PORTO SEGURO. S07

other necessaries, produce and exp6rt a c6nsiderable quantity of farinha, with

some · fia~ . of ti c um, and timber. Inits district there are minerais of iron. F)jom
this town, - ~. road runs to Villa do Prinêipe in .Minas,Geraes.
The town of St. Matt11eus, without regularity, upon gently elevated ·ground,
on the right margin, and fifteen miles above tlíe ·b ar of the river so called, does
not yet exceed mediocrity, but is well supp!ied with fish and good water. Many
circlilmstances, h6wever, concur to warrant the expectation of its bec.oming flourish-
ing, when the lndians are reduced. Its inhabitants .hitherto respire air 'infected
by the neighbouring swamps, whi'ch occasionally produce fevers, terminating
sometimes in death. They cultivate feijao, rice, Indian corn, cotton, the sugar
cane, and above all mandioca, the farinha of which is expo1·ted to a great
extent. Many other branches of agriculture would flourish in this district, the
fertility of which is perhaps unequalled, and not materially infested with
ants. The water-melon is here excellent, and oranges and lemons are
abundant.
Belmonte is a town situated in the angle of the mouth of the river, which took
its name, and which injures it occasiona1ly, at the period of the greatest floods.
It was first an- aldeia ofChristian lndians, ·a nd consists ofthree streets, in a: line,
with houses generally of earth. The church is called Our Lady of Carmo, and
the people are ,of all complexions. .
On the margin of the river Doce, near the outlet of the lake Juparana, is the
increasing aldeia of ·Linhares, to which a vicar was appointed in 1815, in con-
sequence of its inhabitants be'coming numerous. With the view of impeding the
invasions of the savages, as well as commenc~ng new povoaçoes, were tecently
established the detachments of Arcos, near the margin of the river Belmonte,
above· the great fall; Aveiro, upon the ri ver St. Cruz ; Aquiat·, in the district of
Villaverde; Linhares, on the ri ver Pradé; Cunha, on the Cramimuan ; Vimieyro,
on the J ucurucu; Obidos, in the district of Alcobaca; Caparica, upon the river
Peruhype; Araujo, tipon the Mucury; Itahunas, upon the Guaxindiha, which
discharges itself four miles· north of the St. Mattheus ; and Galveas, above the
town of St. Mattheus, upon the margin of the river of that name, Ali the
parochials of this province are in the jurisdiction of the bishopric of Rio de
Janeiro.
In front ofthe bar of the river Caravellas, and forty miles from the coast, are
the islands of. St. Barbara, generally known by the name of Abrolhos, four in
·number, and a short distance from each other; the I~rgest and most easterly is
RR2
308 PROVINCE OF PORTO SEGURO.

two rniles in length, and has some vegetation. Portions of a large shoal, which
extends tw·o hundred rniles from east to west, in consequence of the d.angers
which they present to navigators, were called Abrolhos (" open the eyes.") There
is no water found upon these islands, and they are generally covered with
marine birds. Upon these shoals thé fishing of the garoupas is pursued, pro-
ducing the next branch of exportation to farinha; this is a fish which does not
exceed two palrns in length, is very thick, of a green colour, without scales,
has little bone, is very white, and is esteemed savory when fresh .
 .PROVINCE OF BAHIA. 309

, __
CHAP. XV.

PROVI NCE OF BAHIA.

Boundaries- Cammuru- Fi?·st Donatory- Çruel Wa1· qf tlte Indians-,- Tlte

Capitaniafm·saken-Retum of ·tlze Donatory-Slzipzm·eck-Slaugltter of all
but Cammuru-Governm· fleneml-Foundation of St. Salvadm\-Comarca of
tke Ilkeos-01·iginally a Capitania-Extent-Fe1·tility-Ml!untains.-Mine-
mlogy-Pitytology-Zoology-Rivers and Lakes-Povoayoes.-Comarca of
Jacobina- Extent..:_ Mineralogy-1J!Iountains- Rivet·s- P ltytology- Zoology
-Povoaçoes .-Comar-ca qf Balzia-Extent -Mourttains-Minemlogy-P hy-
tology-Zoology-Islands- Rivers-Povoaçoes.-St. Salvador-Clturches and
Convents-Puhlic Buildings~Sepulch1·e qf Caramum's ·Wife- Neg1·oes- Com-
merce-Produc.e-:-Exports in 1817 and i818-State of Society-Adoption
of a n~w Constitution,

THIS province, which comprehends almost ali the territory of the ancient capi-
. tania .of its name, with that. of the Ilheos, is bounded on the north by the pro-
vinces of Seregippe d' el Rey and Pernambuco ; on the south, by those of
Porto' Seguro and Minas Geraes ; on the wést, by the province of Pernambuco,
from which it is separated by the St. Francisco; and on the east, by the Atlan-
tic Ocean. It extends from 1oo to 16~ south latitude, comprising three hundred
arrd fifty miJes' from north to south, and about two hundred and forty miles in
width from the coast to the town of Urubu, situated upon the margin of the
st: Francisco.
Tradition and history annoU:nce · four remarkable events anterior to the
foundation of the capital, from which the colonization of the province com-
menced :-the shipwreck of Diogo ·Alvez Correa, that of a Castiiian ship, the
disembarkation of its only donatory, Francisco Peyreyra Coutinho, an~ bis
unfortunate end. N one of the writers on this subject h ave assigned any distinct
epoch to those cil'cumstances, and' the discordancy which obtains amongst them
veils their relations in obscurity. The Jesuit Vasconcellos was the first who
published, one hundred and fifty years after their occuJTence, the adventures
310 PROVINCE OF BAHIA.

of Diogo Alvez Correa, the Cammuru,* almost in the shape of a novel, and
which subjects this portion of the early history of this province to incoheren-
cies and doubts. The said Jesuit who asserted that he wrote from circumstan-
tial documents, says he does not know whether the vessel of the shipwrecked
Caramu1·u was proceeding to India or the capitania of St. Vincente, as he pre-
tends that the latter was then in progress of colonization, by Martim Affonso
de Souza, which, from concurring testimony, is an affirmation not founded in
truth; Correa's shipwreck having occuned in 1510, upwards of twenty years
previous to that event; and the vessel was unquestionably either one of those
included in' the contract for Brazil wood, or in the progress of an exploration
of the coast, and did not belong to any of the armaments destined for lndia.
The epoch of Correa's shipwreck, .who was .a person of noble hirth, and his
being the first European settler at Bahia, is confirmed by the evidence of
Herrera, who, in describing the misfortunes that attended the St. Pitta, one
of two Spanish ships that sailed from St. Lucar, in September, 1534, (from
which it would appear also, the shipwreck of the Spanish vessel before alluded
to, happened in the year 1535.,) says, "onde !tallaron un Portuguez, que dixo,
" que avia veynte y cinco ãnos, que estava entre los Indios."t A person now
living at Porto Seguro has in his possession an ancient manuscript, which
a:ffirms that Gaspar de Lemos, on proceeding to Lisbon with despatches of
-Ca:brafs new discovery, entered the river Ilheos and the Bay of All Saints ;
where some sailors went on shore, and were suddenly attacked by the lndians;
that Diogo Alvez Conea, not having time to embark_ with his companions, B.ed
to a place where he was soon found by those savages. This would make
Corr~a the Caramuru's residence near Bahia, to .have commenced in 1500; but,
as this circumstance is not alluded to in tbe atithentic statements of Cabral's
expedition, it would still appear more probable that Correa was thrown amongst
the lndians, in consequence of the shipwreck alluded to in 151&.
At the period when King John 111. divided the Brazil into capitanias, Fran-
cisco Peyreyra Coutinho was in ·Portugal, having recently returned from India,
where he had rendered important services to the state, in remuneration for
which, the said King granted him a capitania of all the country which lay

• H e acquired the appellation of Caramuru, which signifies "a mau of fire," on the occasion of bis
first discharging a musket in the prcsence of lhe astonished lodians.
t " Where thére was a Portuguese, wbo said hc had lived twenty-five years amongst the Indians,"
proving Correa's shipwreck to be in 1610.
 PROVlNCE OF BAHIA. 3It

between the point of Padrao, (n.ow denominated.. St. Antonio,) and the S.t.
Francisco, · giving him afterwards the reconcave of the bay of Ali Saints. He
proceeded in person to colonize this domition,' with an armament :fitted out at
his own cost, and disembarked at the point.of Padrà-o. H e fortified himseH'
on the si te where the mother chmch of Dur Lady of· Victory is situated, and
preserved a state·of amity with the ilridians for some years. Cultivation began
t9 extend, and. the more op,ulent ap:d powerful settlers had already established.
StJgar w0rks, when t!J,e· 'Fupinamba lndians commenced an inveterate and
uhceasing .warfare for· the perimd of sev.en 0r eig:ht years against them, carrying
destruction · and famine amongst-othe sugar . works and new .establishments.
\

Coutinh<:), with the s'Ínall force whiob: nów remained, diseovered the· impossi-
biFty of re.pairililg the evils his colony had sustained, and, consequently, deter-
mined to withdraw from the increasing enmity and attacks of the Indians,
which he aecomplished in one cai·avel, conducting·· the remains of the colony
to the capitania of Ilheos, where the Portuguese settlers were living in a state
of profound peace with the T1:1p!ninquin Indians.
The Tupinambas were a powerful tribe, and other bordes of .Indians who
previôusly occupied the · territory around Bahia, had been c.:>mpelled to give
way to them. They affected to feel ·the circumstances attending the departure
and absenoe of the Portuguese, to whom they proposed terms of friendship,
which were acceded to. Coutinho lGst no time in re-embarking for the bay
of All Saints, ~-here, on arriving at the entrance of the harbour, they were
assail~d by: a tremendous gale of wind, which drove them on the shoals off the
islap.d of Itapa·rica f' and all those who escaped on shm·e from the wreck were
deiVowred by the oannibal lndiàns, (also of the TupiBamba tribe,) excepting
Diogo AllleZ Correar, .who had accompanied Coutinho in his fligbt. Caramurq
saved bis · life from the circamstance of speaking the Tupinamba language.
He acql!ÜJJed considerable consequence amongst the lncrlians, and was elevated
to the rank of a prince. The chi,efs offered him their daughters in marriage,
and h~s distinction was marked by the grant · of a plurality of wives. Bis
offspring was numerous, and even at this day some of the inhabitants of Bahia
trace their Ol'igin te 'him. '
In c<:msequence of Coutinho's misfortunes, the territory of Bahia became
devohdo, unoceupied ; and the same monarch being informed of the beauties
and advantages of this fine bay, and the fertility of its adjacent country, deter-
minedto found a city there, which should become the capital of all the colonies,
in erder to afford them every necessary succour against the Indians, ·who were
312 PROVINCE OF BAHIA.

at this ,period making universal .rrogress in their attempts against the new
settlers. An armament was accordüigly prepared, of five ships, with six hun-
dred volunteers, four hundred degradados, (criminais,) an abundant provisiGn
of every thing requisite Mr the foundation and defence of the colony, s.ome
Jesuitical priests, in order to catholicize the Indians, and many other sacer-
dotais for the administration of that faith. This important enterprise was
intrusted to an illustrious individual named Thome de Souza, who had distin-
guished himself in Africa and lndia, and the jurisdiction of the Brazilian sta:te;
o r N ew Lusitania, was conferred upon him under the title of governor general.
By this measure the sovereign suspended and limiü~d the power which had
been given to the donatories of the different capitanias. 'Doctor Pedro Borges
was appointed ouvidor general, to register the proceedings of all the capitanias.
Antonio Cardozo de Barros, procurador of the royal treasury, (or attorney
general,) and some servants of the king were to receive situations in the public-
offices.
The squadron left Lisbon on the 2d of Februat•y, 1549; a:rtd on the 29th of
Marcb, arrived in the port where thê unfortunate donatory had been esta:blished,
and a short distance from tbe place then occupied by Correa. · The situation of
Coutinho's establishment did not appear to Thome de Souza to be well
selected ; and he commenced the projected city in the place where the chapel
of Our Lady d' Ajuda is situated, about a mile further t~ the north,. against
the votes of some individuais who preferred the site of Montserrat. ·
In the following year a galliot was ordered out, laden with.European animais,
commanded by Simon da Gama; and in the year lõõl, the same succour was
furnish ed by a squadron, of which Antonio d' Oliveira was commander; he
brought some young females of noble extraction, from the orphan establishment,
strongly recommended by Queen Donna Catharina to the governor, in order
that they might be betrothed in marriage, with certain portions, to the principal
persons of the state. Similar assistance was annually continued, during ·the
quadrennial government of the first governor and of his successor D.uarthe .de
Costa. The Jesuits, at the head of whom was the celebrated P. M. Nobrega,
pursued their purpose of civilizing anel introducing Christianity amongst the
Jndians, through the imposing med iumof ceremonies, parade, and pomp, with
remarkable and continuecl success, up to the period of the general expulsion of
their sect: and the colonists of Brazil, particularly those of this province, are
ind ebted most materially for the reduction of many of the bordes of Indians who
o.ccu.pied the coast, to the great influence which the Jesuits acquired over them.
 PROVINCE OF BAHIA . 313

Dnarthe da Costa was sncceeded in 1558, by Mendo de Sa, vyho obtained the
government for fonrteen years, dnring which period this province advanced con-
siderably. He also afforded assistance to all the capitanias whose colonization_
was opposed by the Indians. This province is divided into three comarcas-
Ilheos, Jacobina, anel Bahia.

Coma'rca qfthe ILHEOS.

This comarca, wbich extends from the river Jiquirica to .t he Belmonte o~·
Jiquitinhonha, occnpies the' ter,rltory of the suppressed capitania of the same
n;:tme, which at first took in an extent of fifty leagues of coast, from the e~­
bouch.ure of the Jaguaripe opposite the 13outh~rn point of the island of Itapal'ic~
(afterwards from the island of Tinhare,) to the commenceme)ft of the capitania
of Pedro do C. Tourinho. Its first donatory was George de Figneyredo Correa,
a fidalgo of the King, anel escrivam of the treasury (or chancellor of the ex-
chequer.) The public situation which he held prevented bis go~ng persona~ly
to colonize it; he therefore nominated a Spanish cavalier, Fr.ancisco Rameiro,
and intrusted him with the command of an armament equipped with ev.e ry thing
requisite for the purpose, and whiéh arrived safe in tbe port of the island ~f
Tinhare. Here Rameiro founded a town upon the morro of St. Paulo ; but,
becoming disgusted with the situation he had chosen, the colony was removed
to the river of Ilheos, where a new town was commencêd, anel received the
name of St. George, in honour of the proprietor. W ar was maintained agai.nst
the lndians for a few years, but being a tribe of the Tupininquins, who possessed
mU<~h mÓre docility of character th_an any of the others, friendship was at last
established' with them ; and the harmony which afterwards prevailed tended
greatly to the augmentation of the capitania, and 1.nany rich men of Lisbon
ordered sugar-works to be erected, which produced a rapid increase ofpopul_a-
ti'on anel commerce.
Jeronimo Alarcao succeeded bis father, Figueyredo Correa, anel shortly
afterwards, bY, royal consent, he sold this capitania to Lucas Giraldes, who ex-
pended a considerable capital in its improvement, which was, however, rendered
futile in consequence of the destruction occasioned by the Aimbores, who fell
upon bis people, killed a great many, anel compelled the rest to retire to Bahia.
Mendo de Sa went personal~y to succour tbe unfortunate colonists, and carrle«;;
havoc amongst the lndians; about the year 1 570. ,
One of the successors of Lucas Geraldes transferred this capitania to D.
Ellena de Castro, for the payment of a clebt; in the possession of which illus..
ss
314 PROVIN'CB OF ~AHlA.

trions family it remàined till the year 1771, when Joseph I. incbrpQrated ít ~ith
the crown lands, giving to Don Antonio de Castro, the last donatory, the count-
ship of Rezende, and an admiraJsbip, with a revenue of fíve thousand crusades.
lt is a mountainous conntry, almost universally covered with wild woous and
forests, which produce a diversity of timber for building, cabinet work, and
dye-woods. The frequent rains contribute much to the growth of the woods,
which preserve the soil in a state of moisture. There is scarcely any situation
where mandioca, the cofree tree, rice, Jn·d ian corn, the sugar cane, and cotton
tree do not prosper. They 311~~ ' the principal articles of cultivation. The cnl-
ture of indigo might be rendere~ lucr~tive, as well as cocoa and peclzurim.
:Althoug,h the country produces them spontaneously, the latter is not so full
grown as that of Para. '
MouNTAINs.- The serra of Aimores originates in this comarca, wher~ it
commonly receives the name of Itaraca, and sometimes Goytaracas, OT Bayta-
racas ; in many parts it is .un.even and broken, in some it approaches the sea,
and in others stretches far into the interior. Between the rivers Ilheos and
Cont_as it is paral1êl with and very near to the beach. Al1 the other mountains
·a re ramifications o f this; and almost all parts, partieu~arly the Beira-mar, _or
sea-coast, are dressed in verdant woods.
MINERALOGY.- Granite, limestone, potfers' earth, crystals, and gold in the
western dístrict of the province.
PHYTOLO'GY .-Amongst medicinal p1ants are found ipecacuanha, a'lcacüz, con-
tmyerva, (llsed against pó.isons,) butua, jesuits' bark, jalap~ tamarind, mi.Zltomens,
o r basilroot, curucu, ·barbatimao, curcuma, or turmerick, betony. The gum trees are
gum-copal', drag·ons' Llood, ange]em, anel mastick. Amongst the trees of good tírn-
ber for building· are macaranduba, tapúzkuan, vinltatica, loi1·o, jinipapo, itapicuru,
cedar, pitia, }tgbicztkyba, sassafras, angico, gonsalo-alves, bow wood, oil wood,
iron wood, violet wood, su.cupim, sapucaya, caixete, comçao de negro, . (negro's
heart,) and Brazil wood. There are also trees of cupaltiba, suma-urna, cajue-nut,
jabuticaba, mangaba, the goyaba, araticu, anda dive1·sity of palms. The Asiatic
cocoa-nut tree is very abundant in tthe proximity of the shm·e. The pias$aba
tree, common in the woods, furnishes a lucrative brancl1 of commerce in its flax
for cables; of its nut various iurnery articles are made. The nayha tree, as
]aro·e
b
as the first, grows in the interior, and sustains with its nuts a variety. ofbirds,
principally the arrara, and quadrupeds; they are little inferior to the cocoa,
the inside being very sweet.
ZooLOGY.-All parts of the com~rca are generally deficient in domestic
 J;>ROVINCE OF BAHIA. 315

.animals; hog,s, which are the most numerous, fly to the mouJ?.tains, in eertain
moons, and do not re-appear till after e;;ome days. In the woods are the deer,
anta, boar, and other game. Th~ wild dog has been known in this district only a
few years. The mutun, jacu, macuco partridge, and t'f!-Cano ar.e common; as
well as the a1-raponga, an4 vario as sorts of the turtle-dove. The cay1:ua is of the
size of a blackbird, blue on the back, with the breast purple, the wings and tail
black; the )?eak short and broad; 1the feathers of the breast, when plaeed before the
beat ofa .fire, .assume thecolourofgold; ·but the AuthorofNature has not dçstined
this bird, •SO .esteemed for ~ts ;plumage, ,to delight the ear. Variou.s species of
pees prodl)lée haney spont~p.eously, spm~ ,in the ,cavities of t-he trnnks of ~rees,
ot:bers i.o. ·1ittle hives of waK wl~ich tliey form in the twigs.
'il'h.e Tu.pininquin .trib,e, who tpossessed the _sea-coast vv:hen 1tl,Ie -cQ.lonist-s esta-
'plisihed ,tJhemsehes in this comarca, (ci-clevant c-apitania,) have ;h.een p,arti~lly
Chrristianized for many years ; and, harvmg iaterrnarried with the Europeans, ~
portion of the popúlation exhibit a mixtnr.e of1the Tupininquin . physiogn~my: '
ln -the ce.r tam tl1ere .e~isted for some _ages -two n(l.tions, denominated Patachos,
.6,r Cotochos, and Mongoyos; the former is at px:esent unknowa.
The Mongoyos, .r educed in the year 1806, are divided into six m· sev,e n
aldeias, thinly people<I in their vicinity, and to the nortl! of the rjver Patype.
,E ach family lives in its cabana. They cultivate va).'ious sorts of roots, b.esides
~xcellent mandioca, and water-melons. They aTe very ~xtravagant of honey
in thei·r method of taking it from the hives. 'fhey clear away all the wax, as
well as the bees, which they fmd in the cells, and strain the- whole through a
sort of sifter ; the wax and bees are subsequently -distilled in a certain portion
of water, which ferments and produces a beverage, which when taken co_piously
)eads them on from intoxication to fury. They make even a more spirituous
drink from a sort of potato, and the root of mandioca pounded, and infused
·t o the point of fermentation. The fathers gi:ve names to··the·ir new-born .sons
without any ceremony whatever. They weep over the dead, and inter them
.seated in a naked state. They dance and .sing to the sound of an iJ;lstrument
as simple as inharmonious, and in the forro of a bow with a slender cord. The
-women wear a well made cotton fringe, which reaches almost to the knees; .the
men a girdle made of palm leaves, and ha:ve no other covering upon their
well proportioned bodies. They spend a great portion of their time w.an-
dering in the woods, honting, and gathering fruits. The mannfacture of eartqen'
vessels is the only handicraft which they exercise. They use the sk,ins qf deer
fol' bags. The dog is the most useful domestic animal in their estimation, . and
ss2
31G PROVINCE OF BAHIA.

the only one which they breed for the purpose of hunting. They covet nothing
so much of the Christians as instruments of iron. Their medicíne consists in
plasters of pounded .herbs, baths, anel beverages of others boiled; all derived
from the experience or tradition of their ancestors. The bow anel arrow are
their only arms, both for war anel hunting; those who have been catechisecl
prefer the gun.
RIVERS AND LAKEs.-The most considerable is the river Contas, primarily
calle~ Jussiappe. It originates anel receives its first confluents in the comarca
of Jacobina. The streams that incorporate with it in this comarca, by the
northern margin, are the Preto, Pedras, Manageru, the small Area, Pires,
Agua Branca, (White Water,) anel the Orico Guassu, which generally traverse
extensive forests, exhibiting few signs of colonization or cultivation. It receives
by the southern bank the Grugungy, little inferior to it, the principal branch of
which is the Salina. The Patacho Indians are masters of its acljacent territory.
:Below this confluence is the situation called Funis, where the ri ver runs with
divided rapidity, almost hid amongst stones, anel discharges itself thirty-five
miles south of Point Mutta, anel' .
about the same distance north of the Ilheos.
Sumacas proceed fifteen miles up it to the first fali, where there is a populous
aldeia, with a hermitage.
The Patype, which has its source in the comarca of Serro Frio, anel there
has the name of Pardo, runs through a stony becl, with numerous falls, which
renders it unnavigable. Its mouth is ten miles to the north of the river Bel-
monte, with which it communicates in two places by the channels of Jundiahy
anel of Salsa, which latter, about twenty-eight miles from the sea, divides its
waters betw~en the Patype anel the Belmonte.
About ·five miles from the Salsa is the deep and circular lake of Antimucuy,
abounding with fi.sh, anel having two outlets into the Be1monte.
Ten miles north of the Patype is the Poxim, anel about the same distance
from the latter the Commandatuba.
Fifteen miles north of the Commandatuba is emptied tbe Una, which rises
in the Aimore mountains, anel · gathers by its right bank the Braco do Sul,
that flows also from the same serra. Sumacas ad vance nearly ten miles above
this confluence, which is about three miles distant from the sea.
The river Ilheos is tbe entránce of a fine bay, into which variou s st.reams
:flow, navig·able with the tide for a greater or less distance ; but the oi1ly consi-
derable one is the Cachoeira, along the banks of which is a fine flat road way,
nearly half the distance of its extent. The Eng·enho is navigable for tbe space
 PROVlNCE OF BAHIA. 317

of eight miles to the base of a beautiful cascade·. The others ate a1l small.
The bar of the Ilheos is pointeel out by four islanels ; three are very rocky, the
other is'l·obed in verelant wooels, anel the whole are of moelerate elevation.
Three miles north of the bar of llheos is that of the Itahype, which is nar-
ro'w anel eleep, not having more than twenty-five. miles of extent, being the out-
let of a eleep lake of the same name. ' It is seven miles in circumference, anel
three in wielih, with a small island, and is bordered with woods and forests,
from whence issue ·several small streams into this fine receptacle. The spon-
taneous wooely productions of the banks of this lake might be conveyed "\Yith
much facility ·to the bay of Ilheos, 'by opening a canal from tbe Itahype to the
Fundao, and which undertaking hael, in fact, at some former perioel been com:-
mencecl. ·
In the northern part of this comarca are to be observed the rivers Marahu
anel Acarahy, which flow into the bay of Camamu; the Serenbebam, which.
empties itself in front of the island of Boypeba; the Jiquie; which enters by
two unequa,l mouths into the channel that separates the isle of Tinhare from
the continent; ' the Una, which originates in the serra of Pedra Branca, (White
Stone,) and runs into the sea a few leagues to the north of the Jiquie; anel the
Jiquirica, which descends from the serra Giboya, having its mouth a few miles
to the north of the Una. The whole afforel only a very short navigation, anel
the largest have not a course exceeeling sixty miles, their waters being precipi-
tated by numerous falls, anel flowing through a country of a mountainous aspect,
possessing fertile soil and forests of fine timber.
PonTs AND lsLANDs .-The bay of Camamu, at the southern entrance of
which is Point Mutta, with a fort, is the only port of the comarca capable of
receiving large vessels. It is bea1:ltified with several is]ancls, and has numerous
streams navigable only as far as the tide advances.
From the bay of Camamu, nearly to the Una, the coast is borclered with
islands; three· of which, only, are of any considerable size, the Tinhare, the
Boypeba, and the Tupiassu.
The island .of Tinhare, better known by the name of Morro, in consequen.c e
of having a rock called the lliorro of St. Paulo, is eighteen miles long from
north to south, of proportionable width, with a fort at its northern extremity,
and near .i t a povoaçao, anel hermüage of Our Lady da Luz.
The islancl of Boypeba, south of Tinhare, from which it is separated by a
channel, is six miles square, anel has à town on its eastern shore.
The island· of Tupiassu, ten miles long from east to west, anel half the width,
318 PROVINCE OF B~HIA.

is between Tinhare an~ the continen.t, arid · the two branches o{ the nver
Jiquie.
Fifteen. miles to the south of Boypeba is the small island of Quieppe, formetly
fortified, and formiBg two "Gnequal bars to the bay of Camamu. '
Seven miles west of Quieppe, and almost in the centre of the bay, is the
isiand of Camamu, elevated and of a circularfoTm; two miJes in diameter, and
with some dwellers. It is Iilow g·eJilerally denominated the islan.d Das Pedras,
or Stones, which are found upon it .in great q.uantities. They are of a fermginolil.s
colour, anti as heavy as 1lead; S@me h ave vei'Fls of sil ver, hut not sufficient to
repay the lab@ur of its extraction. The fisl::let,men of the southem coast make
leads from it for their nets -and Jiues.
N ear ten miles ·north-north-east o f Quieppe is the island of Tubaroes, larger
than Camamu, well provided with wa:ter, pessessing cocoa groves, 1an.til some
inhabitant~.
The towns of this ·comarca are-
Ilheos Camamu Ser.inhehem B.oypeba
Olivença Marahu Cayru, Valen.ça.
Rio ·de Contas Barcellos Igrapiuna
llheos, or St. George, now decayed, and formerly a .considerab1e place, is on
a plain upon the northern bank of the bay of the sam~ name, between the two
smal1 hills of St. Antonio and Our Lady of Victol'y, wbich latter is the mQst
distant from the sea. It has a cburch dedicated to the Invençao da Vera
Cruz, a hermitage of Our Lady of St. Sebastian, near the beacb, an.d <!me of
Our Lady of Victory, upon the hill of that name. It is well supplied with fish,
and the necessaries of life. The Jesuits had a college here, which serves for
the municipal house. The suburbs are agreeable, a~d the port, which can re-
ceive large sumacas, is defended by various small forts. From hence is exported
farinha, rice, coffee, spirits, timber, and some cocoa. Tbere are two roads or
tracks from this town, one already mentioned along the river Cachoeira to the
comarca of Serro Frio, the other to Villa Nova do Principe, in ,th.:: southern dis-
trict of the comarca of Jacobina.
Olivença, nine miles to tbe south of Ilheos, is a large and populous Indian
town, deligh,tfnlly situated upon a small eminence, enjoying salubrious aü:, and
an extensive view of the sea, betw~en the mouths of two small rivers of unequal
size. Ali the bouses ar~ covered with straw, and its inhabitants are. generally
occupied in works of turnery, by which th~y obtain nearly a thousand crusades
annually. The church is a handsome stone building;, denominated O.ur Lady
 PROVINCE OF BAHIA. 319

dá Escada; and a bridge is over the larger stream, whiéh washes the DQl"thern
side of the town.
Rio de Contas is a middling to~n, well situated a little within the mouth and
-upon the southern margin of the river from which its name is derived, and that
forms a very good port for the reception of sumacas between two rivers of very
unequal magnitude, the waters of which are excellentfor tempering iron. .It
Iras a church dtedicated to St. Miguel, and a stone bridge over the larger river.
The inhabitants are obliged by the camam to cultivate, under certain penalties;
.so many f-eet of mandioca, pT{9portionerl to the mnnber of slaves which each
farmer possesses. This arrangement produces considerable exportation of
farinha to the capital.
Ca1namu is a town in a -state of mediocrity, possessing some commerce, and
agreeably situated upon the left bank of tllle Acarahy, ten miles above its em-
-bauchme, a:nd Qpposite tbe mot1th of the CaclH'>eira, which. joins the former on
t.he l'Íght. It possesses a chmch of Ol!lr Lady of Assumpçao, a hermitage ef
Üi1ilr Lady ·. oí Oesterro, and royal professors of Latin and the primitive letters.
The exports are considerable in cotfee, farinha, spirits, timber, rice, and cocoa.
At IIJhis t0wn a ·I•oad termi.nates from the central part of tbe district of the /tQwn
'êf iRio de ~C~ntas, from whel'lce proceed numerous clroves of oxen.
M a1·áhu :is a -small town, well situated upon the margin and about twenty
miles distant from the mouth of the r-i ver from which it derives tbe nan.1e, anel
by which small craft proceed up to its port. It has a clmrc'h dedicated to St.
Sebastian. The inhahitants produce much mandioca, and collect some timber.
'11'1 its district are portions of soil particnlarly adapted to the prodnce of water~
melom; , aFHi ·p iae-apples, which are very large and excellent, and are ..sent in
coRsiderable abundance to the .capital.
Barcellos is also a small town, advantageously standing· at the angle of the
confluence of the small1;iver Paratigy, with the Ma~ahu, ten miles' below the
town of the same name. The Íl!1habitants are lndians, cultivate mandioca and
other necessaries Gf life peculiar to the country; and dress the f.lax of ticum.
The church is entitlecl Our Lady of Candeias.
·Se1•inhehem, commmily called Santarem, is a very small town, near the -mouth
of the stream of that name, anel peopled with Indians, who are fishermen,
agr-iculttnists, and cutters of wood. St. Andre is the titular patron of its
churéh.
Cayru, a town e>f medium size, pleasantly situated upon a small island of the
same name, between those of Tiahare, Tupiassu, and the contil'lent, has one
320 PROVINCE "OF BAHIA .

good paveel street, with many h ouses of one story. At its . extremity is a co:n-
vent of St. Franciscans ; also a church eledicateel to Our Laely of Rozario, a
hermitage of the Laely of Lapa, anel royal schools of the primitive letters anel
Latin. Some ouvidors select this place for their resielence; those now holding
this appointment are also judges, conservators of the woods, anel preside at a
junt.a denominated Conservatoria.
Igrapiuna is an insigni.ficant maritime town, at the mouth of the small river
of the same name, between Santarem anel Cayru. Its inhabitants are white~
cultivators of rice, anel other necessaries. It has a church of Our Lady of
Griefs.
Boypeba, an old town upon the island from which it takes the name, Ífi peo-
pled by whites, who cu,tivate very little beyond the provisions of life., The
church is eledicated to· the Holy Spirit.
V alença is an increasing town, upon the northern margin of the Una, a littl~
above its mouth. The church is dedicated to the Holy Heart of Jesus, and it~
inhabitants are lndians and European descendants. Coffee and timber are
their productions.
About two miJes from the lake of ltahype, anel very agreeably situateel, is
the povoaçao of Almador, with a church of Our Lady of Conceiçao. The
inhabitants are composed of whites anel lndians, for the latter of whom the
establishment was founded ; they produce farinha anel other necessaries, anel
are cntters of timber.
In a península formeel hy the river Patype, near -its mouth, and on the most
fruitful soil, is the large parish of St. Boaventura. The inhabitants, who are
also whites and Indians, grow ahundance of rice, mandioca, feijao, and Indian
corn; cut wo_od, possess some cattle, and are great fishers and hunters. The
water-melons anel pine-apples are here very excellent anel large.

Coma'rca of JAcOBINA.

The comarca of Jacobina takes its name ft·om the heael town, anel cempre.,r
hends all the western part of the province, a consielerable portion of which
consists. of catingas that are not susceptible of agriculture, but are appropriated
alone to breeding cattle. Mountains of any considerable elevation are rare,
anel woqels are seen only where the soil possesses some elegTee of substance,
portions of which are cultivated with mandioca, Indian corn, sugar, legumes,
hortulans, and cotton. It is probable, from the considerable extent of this
district, and the system which tbe government is now adopting, of forming the
 PROVINCE OF BAHIA. ' 321

provinces into comarcas; that it will be diYided into two, in which event the
town of Rio de Contas would be well suited for the head of the future comarca.
And for the better delineation of the topography of the country, we will already
consider it as div-ided into two equal parts, or districts,- that of Jacobina to the
north, and Rio de Contas to' the soüth.
MINERALOGY.-lt possesses gold, brass, iron, and silver; saltpetre, mine-
ral S\llt, potters' earth, crystals, limestone, gFindstone, and granite.
MouNTÃINs.-The serra of Almas for a considerable space divides the_pro-
vince from that of Minas Geraes.
The serra of Villavelha; near the town of Rio de Contas and the Pinga,: a
few leag·ues to the west of the latter, the highest portion of w.hich, denominated
the Morro das Almas, is seen from a considerable distance, and is fre-
quently covered with fogs. Various torrents, which take different cours~s ,
have their origin in it.
The serra of. Catulez, commencing a few leagues to the north of the Pinga,
extends forty miles to the nortjl-west, and terminates within twenty . of the
town of Urubu.
The serra of Montes Altos, (High Mountains,) which abounds with sàltpetre,
is prolonged from north to south, at a ~istance of about thirty-five miJes from
the river St. Francisco.
The serra: of Cincura, which is a branch of the Aimores, extends almost to
the northern extremity of tbe province, discontinuing entirely in vario~s parts,
and serving as a limit to the winter of the sea-coast, when it is there rainy.
In the district of Jacobina, is the Morro do Chapéo, (o r Hat R0ck,) so called
from its similitude t0 a hat.
The serra' of 'fhiuba, which possesses gold, and upon whose summit cold is·
sensibly felt, is in some parts covered ·with rocks, in others with woods ; has
mahy dwellers, and a hermitage of St. Gonçalo d' Amarante. ·
The serra of Paulista commands the view of a plain extending far to tbe
eastward.
The serra of Borracha, otberwise Muribeca, is sa:id to have abundance of
brass, also some silver, and is not far distant from the celebrated fali of Paulo
Affonso.
The serra of Riachinho is a portion of that of Cincura ; those who come from
the ri ver St. Francisco, by the road of J oazeiro in the summer, . pa~ sing this
móuntain soon find pasturage for their anima1s, on its eastern side.
T T

o
...

322 PROVINCE OF BAHIA;

Monte Santo~ (Holy MOl1nt,) :s0 called from a her,mitage upon it, has calca-
reous stone; and in íts vicinity, neàrly sixty miles north-west of Villa Nova, there
is a large rock, or stone, alniost all iron~
The serra Branca has a .spring on the summit; that. of Gado Brabo, '(Wild
Cattle,) has small streams, woods, and góld, and is partially inhabited. There
a:re also the serras of Orobo~ of Piedade; · of Mangabeira, with large woods
and plantatiorrs, a.nd that of Boqueirao, in the vicinity of the river Verde.
RIVERs.-The Paramirim is . neither considerable no r perennial, descends
from the Morro das Almas, runs north-west, and enters the St:'Franc.i~co
above thirty níiles below the arraial -ofoB@mjardi:m, neav· ;a ,tnotmtain, where
there is grindstone.. A little below the origin, it passes near a large and deep
lake with which if communicates, and during the period of the iF.Lundations
supplies it with much fisn. , , .
The Rans originates in the Montes Altos, and flows into the St. Francisco
tbirty rniles above the ehapel -of Góod J es s of Lapa.
The Rio de Contas springs .in the serra of Tromba, above twenty-eight miles
north-west of the town of its narne, and passing it at the distance of ab-out
eighteen miles, takes a course with little variation eastward ; anil, a:fter fiowing
a considerable space, receives on the right the Bruraado, also ca~led :fti@ Con.:.
tas Pequena, (the Little Contas,) wbich issues from the Morro das A!ma:s, runs '
near the same town, and two rililes below ' it forms a fine cascade. Twenty
miles below this: cohfluence, the Gavia-o joins it on the same margin, and flows
from the Morro do Chapeo, a portion o:f the afore-mentioned Serra das Almais,
bringing with it tbe waters of the Antonio. Twenty miles Iower, it receives, on
the left, the considerable Cincura, which originates in the serra óf the same
name. We have already mentioned those rivers 'that join it on traversing the
comarca ofllbeos, where it enters the oeean. .Tbe-,.Paraguasslllzinb@, "thé 'Una,
and the Andrahy, confluents of the Paraguassur which latter fiows into the bay
of All Saints, originate in this distriçt.
In the 'district of Jacobina, besides the three rivers ofthe same name, which
form the Itapic-uru, discharged into the sea on the coast -of Bahia, is to be
remarked the .Jacuhype, wnich ris~s near the Moi·ro do Chapeo, and nms into
the Paraguassu, twelve miles abové the town of Cachoeira. In its adjacent
territory many cattle are bred, and lower down provisions and tobaçco are
cultivated. . -
The Verde, whose wholesorne waters fiow northward through an extensive

•
 PROVINCE OF BAHIA. á23

con1;1try, partially abounding with cattl~, finally eriters •the St. Francisco near
the passage from Pilao Arcado.
PHYT'OLOGY .--Where there are woods a · variety. of timber . for building is
met wüh, but .in this district hi.therto little used;''in:>consequenGe of the great
deficiency of population. · The w.ood ca:lled .sebastiao d' m·mdi!L is common in
many places. O f wild ·fruits, the jahuticaba w.hich-is ' found in the w;oods only,
and the ambuzo, alone met with in the catingas,·.are: the ~tnost esteemed.
ZooLOGY.-Amongst wild animais, the anta, the .. ifnnce, the •boar, and the
deer., are the most.numerous species, and most .hu'n<ted. · Cattle 'ar.e uitiversally
bred in this district, and would be more than adequate to ihe supply of the
wnole province, •if -winte1· weâther prevailed ·here, or the thtinder showers
were regt1lar in summer. It has been already <observed that. tb.€ winters of the
Beira-ma•r, . or sea-coast, do not extend more than ninety or .on'e· hundred miles
into the intel;ior oL th.e continent, where it' rains p~oportionably only-with the
thunder, wlrich is .genet:aUy not freqlilent, and ·at times alrnost fails in ~parts of
tl1e north. The sun is v;ertical twice a Y;eat:,.throughout the province,: and leaves
the earth in.~ a .. state. of. calcination: a few salutary showers animate ,the soil
in two. or three weeks to 'abundánt-·produetion; . and .the cattle become·: fat ;· but
the approach of dry weather as .quickly. dissipates all.herbage, and themnimals
exist upon the branches of trees and shrubs~ if tbey can obtaiu--water; but if
the tanks, which the thunder showers supply, and the .ton:ents are driéd up, a
inortality necessarily prevails, and large numbers -are· swept .qff.. . She.e p and
goats are not numerous, in consequence of being almost ·liniversally · deemed .
animais of no utility. ·
· In various parts ofthe district ofRio de Contas, th.e first discoverersfound bones
e f an immense size, belonging to a class of - animals ,thàt m@: longer exist~d. :
, , The towns of tbjs_.«;:omarca ·are, · ·
·Jacobina · ·ViUa ·Nova do Principe
Villa Nova da Rainha , UTuhú.
Rio de Contas 1 .·

Jacobina iis a considerable town, and the ordinary residence ·of. the ouvidor
of the comarca. It is sitnated near · the left bank· of the .southern Itapicuru,
tb~·ee · miles ·below a lake, whose superfluous waters'. 'enlarge the river. It 'was
ereated'a town1in 1723, by King.John V. and ·consists ~ of · one: Jarge aDd go.o d
street, ' and .other smaller ones. The hGuses are mostly' .of ·stone, and , white-
washed 'with a species of potters' earth, found ín the vicinity. It is traversed
by the small .streaiJ.l Rio do Oiro, (Gold River,) which is passed by ' a. .bri-dg~.
TT2
324 PROVINCE OF BAHIA.

The nominal patron of the church is St. Antonio; there are also two het·mitages,
one dedicated to Good Jesus, the other to Our Lady of Rozario. 1t has a
royal master of Latin, and had a smelting house whilst the mines were pro-
ductive. In the adjacent country are bred cattle, good horses, ~ogs, sheep,
and goats. The articles cultivated are sllgar, cotton, tobacc~ of an excel-:-
lent quality, wheat, lndian corn, and legumes. There are oranges, grapes,
and small quinces, which latter are made into marmalade, and exported in
srrialJ cases. Some of the inhabitartts manufacture earthenware.
Villa Nova da Rainha, yet small, and possessing nQ a~lvantag_es to warrant
the expectation of its increase, is sixty miles north of Jacobina, and three from
the ltapicuru Mirim. The houses ar~ of earth aud wood, and tiled. The
church is ·of brick, and dedicated to the Senhor of Bom Fim. Cattle and cott~n
are the wealth of its inhabitants, who also cultivate Indian corn, rice, feijao,
mandioca, and distil some spirits from the cane. The orange, lime, jaca,
mango, banana, and pine trees are common, as are the mangaba, and pine-
apple. In its district there are many crystals and saltpetre. Ten miles from
it is the arraial of Matriz Velha, whose church is dedicated to St. Antonio,
and is the most ancient in the comarca. The vicar resides at Villa Nova, and
has a coadjutor here. About tive miles .from Villa Nova is the parish of the
mission of Sahy, abounding with watet·. Its inhabitants are princjpally lndians.
Our Lady of Neves is its titular patroness. In the district of Jaco hirta are yet~
the arraial of Figuras, formerly fiourishing, but at present of little note ; tha~ of
Saude; of Gamelleira, with a hermitage of Our Lady of ·Graça, near the river
Jacuhype; of Joazeiro, more distinguished than extensive. and upon the St.
Francisco, in one of the most frequented tracks from Bahia to the province of
Piauhy, with a chapel of Our Lady of_Grotas. Higher up, and also upon the
same river, is the parish of St. Joam Baptista, near Centoce, where much salt
is made; St. Antonio de Pambu is much below J oazeiro; in its district is the
magnificent fall of Paulo Affonso, and the Primerios Campos, (First Fields,)
where there are rich mines of copper. The parish of Bem Jesus, or de Xique-
xique, is also upon the banks of the_ St. Francisco, about fifty miles above
the mouth of the ri ver Verde.
Rio de Contas, a considerable town, upon the read from the capital to the
province of Goyaz, was created by John V. in the year 1724, in consequen.ce
o f the augmentation given to it by the discovery of gold mines, which ,some
PauUstas made in the year 1718. It Ís in a p1ain, refi·eshed with salubrious air,
upon the left margin of the Brumado. The houses ar~ mostly constructed with
 PROVINCE OF BAHIA. 325

earth and adohe, or wood, are whitewashed, and without regularity: The
church is dedicated to the Holy Sacramento : it is the residence of a Juiz de
Foi·a; a.lso a royal niaster of Latin, and was ~ommenced two leagues higher
up upon the same river, where there yet exists a chapel of Oúr Lady of Livrà-
mento. Th~ inhabitants, and those of its vast district, cultivate mandioca, Indian
corn, rice, feijao, and tobacco, for the consumption of the country, also the cane,
for which there are some epgenhos and alembics. Little wealth exists ip. this
district; those that in aity degree possess it are traders, breeders of cattle, and
cultivators of the cotton tree, which is here of excellent quality. The only
European fruit is a small and insipid quince, from which is made a great quan-
tity of marmalade. The nearest track or :wad from the town of Rio de Contas
to Jacobina, not more than one hundred andthirty miles, is little frequented, in ·
consequence of the catingas being uninhabited for want of water, which is not
~et with for several days' journey. The travelters carry it in bormckas (leathern
bottleE.) The way usually frequented exceeds two hundred and thirty miles.
In the district 6f this town are dispersed various chapels or hermitages,
which in the course of time will become parochials, namely, .in the serra of
Montes Altos, in the arraiais of Morro do Fogo, (Rock of Fire,) Furna, Bom
Jesus, Catulez, and one of St. Antonio of Matto Grosso, six miles distant from
the town of Rio de Contas, which is constructed of stone and served as a paro-
chiai for some years previous to the erection of the before-mentioned one of
Our Lady of Livramento.
. Villa Nova do Príncipe, antecedently Caytete, was created a town in the year
1810, and is in a situation refreshed with breezes, near a small stream which
flows into the Antonio. It is nearly fifty miles to the west-south-west of Rio
de Contas. The church is dedicated to St. Anna. In the adjacent territory
many cattle are bred, and there are more extensive plantations of cotton than
/ ÍÚ. any other part of the province. Within its district is the chapel of Our Lady
of Boa ViageLn.
Urubu, yet a small town, in an advantageous situation upon the St. ·Fran-
cisco~ is ornamented with a ·stone church of St. Antonio and a hermitage o f Our
Lady of · Rozario. The inhabitants, having no fountains, use the water of the
river, which also supplies them with fish; they breed . cattle, and have some
plantations of canie, and rais·e the necessaries of life in such parts of its vicinity
as· are not deficient)in water. lt is about seventy míles north-west of Rio de
Contás. ,

•
316 PROVINCE OF BAHIA.

Thirty-:five miles to the nortb, upon the same l'Íyer, is the small arraial of
Bom Jardim, with a hermitage of Our Lady of Bom Successo. The_ people
who inhabit it breed cattle, are agriculturists ancl :fishermen. Fifty miles
from the town of Urnbu is the celebrated chapel .of BoJ:!l _Jesus dar Lapa, ,but
which .does not covrespond with the description given ,qf it by -tl:lei ~..x'aggerating
pen of Rocha Pitta, - It-is a -vast cavet"D, and ó.ne of tbe many cürio.us opera-
tions which Natm:ehas displayed in'this region, baving. somersimilitude to the
form of a temple, into which it was convertedp b~ing inteies.tingl'Y sitq.atecit···in
the skirts of a mount. of rgcky abotú,a mil e in ci1·cumference, upon the margin
of the St. Francisco. It h as an étfec~ive chap.lain and a good patrimony. .. N ót
far from it there is a small povoaçao. .~ ' ·1 · · •

." · Cgmarca of BAHI"". <:

The comarca of. Bahia compr.ises upwards -o f one hundred and forty miles of
coast, computing from th.e river Jiquirica, which empties itself ten miles west-
south-west of Barra-Falsa, to the Rio Real, the northern limit of the province,
and· one hundred and twenty .milel? in widtb, being bounded on the west by the
comarca of "Jacobina.' <Fhedaoe:..otHbe counb·y· is varied by' woods, small hills,
a few serras, and catingas, or charnecas, which occupy more than one half of
it, and where cattle alone ~re a-aised. lt is not however withouttracts of substan~
tial soil, upon the suromits príncipally of the senas, in the profoundest v.alleys,
and in the _vicinity of rivers, where fine trees grow, and where (after theyare
cleared away) plantations .are· formed of mandioca, tobacco, cotton, and millet.
The best land of the comarca is that called the Reconcave, from twenty to
thjrty-five miles in width, immediately surround.i ng the fine and pietuiresque
bay of Ali Saints, (the harbour of its capital,) where considerable estates: are
appropriated to the cultureprincipally ofthe sugar-cane and tobacc@,productions
which in nQ other province of the state are a.tforded in sue h .quantity; the soil
called massapé, black and strong, is deemed the best for the growth of the cáne.
The winter, .o r .~:ail\Y seas,<:>-.n, -comm~nces about tbé end of March and çontinues
till,Al}gu_st, , with considerable inter;vals of .summ.er weather, and never extends
to the western extremity, where it rains only ;with thunder, wbich is pretty
general, -~nd continues, whilstjth~ sun is soutbward of the equator.
MouNTi\I.N s ....-The principal ' serras are from the ci-ver . Paragu;:tssu south-
ward; tbe most rernarkáble are the _Giboya, the !tapera, the Mangabeira, the
Bocetas, the Gayru, the Pedra Branca, · and the Cupioba. On ihe left of
 PROVINCE OF BAHIA. 327

the ·. sarríe river, at a considerable .d istan'c e from it, is the Oamizao, covered
-with extensive woóds, where cotton plantations· a'lild bther 'ó bjects of agricu}.;.
ture flourish. ' ·· ·- · ·· · · · ~ ~
M INERALOG y :- Gran.ite; argíls of' ditféteht cálours, gold', and iron, but only in
smaÍl quantities. ., r ,• ' ' • •

P:HYTOLOG y .-Of Europe'àn' ·ti'é-es;·the fig only; B'Ourislies. · · "l"'he· mango tree is
very numerous in~ sóme situations; and pToduces frui.t in perf.€ction and ·atbanw
ance; the. jaca is Vêry · ~õnfm'Ürl~~ the !·ma'n[[alia" t1•ee· is ..univer-sally known; the
jabuticaba prospe1·s· only· ih the ·woods, ânq the . ambuzõ in the catih!fa1;!
Water-melons áre generally very large and good, but melons are bad. There
are various soris of oranges, the best are tl]e embigos, which have no seed, and
those called seccas. There are a variety of indigenous spices and peppers, as
well as those from M'a labar ; also ginger, jalap, urucu, angelim, and the opuncia,
of which there are various species anâ names, some are alrnost of the form of a
tree, and produce a fruit resembling· a large pear, with a smooth :thin skin of a
1·eddish hue, anda white; ·soft, and cooli:tlg··ptüp, ·contai:niRg seed.
. Th'ere is a variety e.f fine timber, such as tbe jacaranda, vinlíatica, masm·anduba,
piquia, · sucupira, sapucaya, pá·roba, itapicuT'U, sebasti'ao d' mntda, gonsalo alves,
bow woGd, Braiil woocl-,- biauna, mulberry, whose trunk is used ü1 dying, and the
léaves nourish a species of indigenous bombice, or silk worm, the cultivation of
which. might b€ rendered lu.crati-ve. Arnongst · various sorts of palrn trees, the·
one best known by that name is the hanelsomest ; its trni.tk is high anel of great
thickness, very smooth ánd straight,, with b11anches of proeligious size, anel grow-
ing only in the humíd soil o.fthe woods. There aee also the cupahyba and gum·
mastick. trees. The cajue-nut tree -is very abundant. The cane, mandioca,
tobacco, and eotton, are the principal branches .o f ag-riculture, which have pro-
duced a cansiclerable diminution of the largest forests and woods, particularly in
the environs of the Reii!oncave; the growth of coffee is ptetty extensive.
ZooLOGY.-All the wild 'qu l drupecls of the adjoining provinces ate known
here ·: sheep and goats are far from being nnmerous. Cattle, wbich are·bred
- gÉmerally in all parts ·beyond the Reconcave, are not, even with the addition of
those from ·tbe comarca of Jacobina, adequate to the·sl1pply of the engenhos, the
usual consumption, anel the furnishing of ·ships, in cousequence of the pastures
being generally bad, anel the frequent want of water. The deficieJlCY is supplied
from the próvinces of Piauby and Goyaz.
The ancient Quinnimum lndians were the first rnernorable possessors of the'
Reconcave, or country sn'rrounding the bay of Ali Saints. Tbey were succeeded
328 PROVINCE OF BAHIA.

by the Tappuyas, which tribe was soon afterwards expelled by the Tuppinas,
who carne from the certams, whither the others retireel ; but tbey never ceased
to annoy and to afford great inquietude to their conquerors. Tbe Tupinambas,
who were masters of botb b3;nks of tbe St. Francisco, being at war with the
neigb bouring Tuppinas, elispersed them, and marching forwarel expelleel tbe
last conquerors of the Reconcave, and compelled them to fly in their turn to the
certams. The Tappuyas anel the Tuppinas uniting, marched upon the Tupi-
namba tribe, but were effectually repulsed ; anel from that period to the arrival
of tbe Portuguese in the bay of All Saints, -and their final establishment at
Bahia, the Reconcave remaineel in the possession of the Tupinambas. They
were elivieled into various independent bordes and declared enemies on .ali
occasions to the injurers o.f any one of them. The same idiom prevailed
amongst them, anel each elected the most powerful individual for its war
captain, who in peace received no superior distinction. They were a race of
anthropophagi.
Tbe only port of this comarca is the famóus hay of All Saints, which is twenty-
three mi1es long from north to south, computing -from the point of St. Antonio,
to the mouth of the river Pitanga, and near thirty wide from east to west.
The island f Itaparica forms two entrances, open to the south, the eastern is
about eight miles wide, and the western, callecl Barra-Falsa (False Bar,) is
under two at the narrowest part. The rnargins of the bay are flat, and beau-
tified in most parts with groves of cocoa-nut trees ; the n;wst elevated portion of
it presents the site of the capital, St. Salvador, commonly called Bahia.
lsLANDs.-All the islanels of this comarca are within the bay of All Saints;
that of Itaparica is the largest, being twenty-three miJes long from north. to south,
and ten in the widest part. · It is of an irregular form, having a bay on the
western side, and a ·large curving projection on the eastern, with considerable
inequality of surface. Its soil in great part is aelapted for various branches. of
agriculture. The cocoa-nut, the mango, the jaf!a, and orange trees, are abun-
dant; the vine produces in perfection. lt is divideel in to tbe two parishes of St.
Amaro, on the southern side, and Santíssimo Sacramento, at the northern.-
extremity ; the latter is a considerable povoaçao, the only one in the island,
anel yet without the title of town, also withoqt regularity, but with a hand-
some church, a hermitage of St. Gonçalo, a fort, a good anchorage placê for
small vessels, sheltereel from the east winds, anel at a short distance · an abun-
elant fountain of excellent water. lt has also a whale fishery, cord manufactories
of the piassaba, (a sort of black rush,) and some alembics. For the instruction
 PROVINCE OF BAHIA. 3:29 .

of youth there are royal professors of the · p1·imitive lt?tters and Latin. This
·island, which belongs to the Marquis de Niza, and in whose territory the first
annual payments in the state began, was given by Thome de Souza to Don
Antonio d' Athayde, Count of Castanheira, and afterwards made part of the
capitania, which the King gave to him, comprehen:ding the territory be.:.
tween the rivers Paraguassu and Jaguarype, with thirty-five miles of certam.
About two miles distant from the povoaçao there is a chapel called V era Cruz,
which was formerly the moth<'!r church.
About three miles north of Itaparica is the island Dos Frades, which is
mountainous, and four miles in length; a little to the north of it is the island of
Bom Jesus, with a chapel of the same name, and another of Our Lady of
Loreto. Further north is the island Das Vaccas, two miles long; to the east
of it is that of Menino De os, which is small. N orth of V accas is the island of
Bimbarra, and further in the same direction tl;tat of Fontes.
The island of Mare, whose soil is mainly appropriated to the culture of ba-
nanas. the, support of its inhabitants, is five miles long, little less in width,
baving its eastern extremity near the main land. The isle of Cajahyba, three
miles lo'ng~ low, and cultivated, is situated at the _western extremity of tbe bay . .
The island of Medo, which is very small, flat, and covered with cocoa-nut
trees, lies west of the northern end of Itaparica.
Between the western side of Itaparica and the continent there are many
islands, mostly small, flat, and uninhabited, in the proximity of the bar. Those
of Cal and Cannas are the largest.
RivERs.-About three or four miles to the north-east of the point of St. An-
tonio is discharged the Vermelho, which does not exceed a rivulet, and is of very
little extént. The road from the capital to ltapuan ~rosses it by a stone bridge.
Eight miles to the north-east of the river Vermelho is the bay of ltapuan ,
with a whale fishery. Between this bay and the said river there are fisheries
which furnish the capital with fish.
Ten miles onward to the north-east is the mouth of the _ri ver Joannes, whicli
orig·inates in the district of the town of St. Francisco.
I •

About ten miles further is the embouchure of the Jacuhype, which comes
from a great distance, as also the Pojuca, which follows it. -
The Itapicuru is formed in the comarca of Jacobina, by three stream~ of the
same name: The southern one is called Guassu, or Large, and the northern
Mirim, or Small. It flows uniformly towards the east, passes the arraial of St. ·
Antonio of the Queimadas, by the tow~ anel arraial of its.name, and disch~rges
u u
 330 .PROVlNCE OF BAHIA.

itself into the ocean ten or twel ve· miles to the south-west .of Rio ·Real. Within
its dangerous, bar there is a bay ;· the navig·ation is· short, and only for small
c1·aft. Its adjacent country is mostly of the catinga kind, set·ving only for
breeding cattle. · ·
The J aguaripe, originating oti the borders o f the road to the mines, about
forty miles west of the town of Cachoeira, in the .situation of Curralinho, .fiows
into the bay at Bana Falsa, affording navigation to large barks, for the space of
twenty miles.
The river Paraguassu rises in the vicinity of the serra Chapada, about the
centre of the district of the town of Rio de Contas. The small streams Cocho
and Encantada, (Enchanted,) which fiow from a lake of the latter name, so
called from having a fioating island, are the fi.rst confiuents which it receives on
the left; the Paraguassusiriho (the ~ittle Paraguassu) is the first on the right.
The largest of the rivers that join it on the left is the Andrahy, which finws from
the vicinity of thé serra o f Orobo. N ot far from the mouth of this ri ver a small
stream enters tbe Paraguassu, which a little abdve re-appears, having· fiowed
for sorríe miles hid under solid ground. About twenty miles below the large
cascade formed by its waters traversing the serra Of Cincura, the Uria joins it
on tbe right, being the only abundant stream that enters on that side, and whose
black waters change the crystalline Paraguassu to a yellowish colour. The
'Capibary and the Peixe enter it on tbe left, also the Jacuhype, which l'ises i:n
the district of Jacobina. Twelve miles above the last confluence is the fali of
Timbora, less than that of Cincura. This ri ver passes the towns ' o f Cachoeira
and Maragogype, and discharges by a large mouth into the western side ot the
bay of Ali Saints. The water is excellent ~ but ought not to ·he drank till(kept
twenty-four hours. Tbe occupiers of tbe central part of its banks are · fre..,.
quently attacked with fevers, which are often fatal. · ·
The Serigy, or Serzipe, originates in the plains of Cachoeira, receives the
Subahe, which is equal to it, on tbe left, and, after ten or twelve miles more,
runs into the bay 'Of . All Saints, opposite the island of Cajahyba. '
A few rniles to the west of the Serigy is the mouth of the Sararahy, also
called Assu, or Acupe, whích becomes a small stream where the tide ter-
minates. The Piraja empties itself almost in the ·middle of the eastern side of
the bay.
Near the extremity of the same side, the Matuin flows into the bay in front
of the Island o f Mare, and h as a fine bay within its bar.
The Pitanga and the Paranna Mirim also add their mite to the waters of the
 PROVINCE OF BAHIA.. 33]

bay of All Saints, ·the fi.rst in front o f the island of MaTe, and the other opposite
that of Fontes. Rocha Pitta rept·esents them as large rivers, but th.ey are small
strearns, and alone assume the appearance of rivers for the· short space that the
tide advances. Barks enter the whole, ·anel convey from them .sugar in cases,
&c. to Bahia.
The towns of this comarca are-
Abrantes Abbadia Cachoeira
Aguafria Inhambupe Jaguarype
ltapicum Villa do Conde Joam Amaro
:Pombal St. Francisço Pedra Branca
Soyre Santo Amaro St. Salvador, or Bahia.
Mirandella Maragogype
Abrantes,· situated ~ mile ft~om the left margin of the Joannes, three from th e
sea, and twenty north-e·a st of the capital, is a small town, with a church of
Espil~ito Santo. 'The inhabitants, chjefly lndiaus, for whose ancestors it was
founded, are culthmtors 0f mandioca .and other necessaries of life, and folJow
their ancient habits .of hunting .and fishing.
Aguafria, a small town, ninety miles north o f Bahia, h as its church dedicated
to St. Joam Baptista. Within'its district are various hermitages; and tobacco,
mandioca, the cane, and cattle are raised.
Itapicuru, a smallj:own, seventy-five míles fr.om the coast, and within a mile
of the left bank ofthe Itapicuru, has a church.of Our Lady of Nazareth. Cat-
tle :forms the only wealth of its inhabitants ; and tbe riv~r not being navigable;
added to the sterility of the land, there is no probability of its augmentatio!l.
Itapicuru Grande is a considerable and flourishing arraial, with a church of
Our Lady of Rozario, situated upon the 'right barik, and thirty-five miles above
the mouth of the ri ver of the same name. Cattle and cotton are its 0nly branches
of commerce.
Pombal, originally Cannabraba, and founded by the Jesuits for the habitation
of Christianized lndians, is eighteen miles from the river Itapicuru, in a district
aàapted to a diversity of productions. Santa Thereza is the patroness of its
church.
· Soyre, formerly N atuba, is eight miles from the right bank of the Itapicuru,
.and thit'ty west of the to~m of that narne. lt has a çhurch of Our Lady of
Conceiçao, and the inhabitants, composed of whites and lndians, cultivate
the necessaries of life and cotton.
Further into the ínterim· is the considerable arraial of St. Antonio das Quei-
uu2
 332 PROVINCE OF BAHIA.

madas, situated along the margin of the ltapicuru, with a chapel of the same
name. Its inhabitants are breeders of cattle.
Tucano, a parish and julgado, with a church of St. Anna, is eight miles
from the river Itapicuru.
Mirandella, formerl y called Saccodos Morcegos, is eighteen miles from Pombal,
and has a church dedicated to the Ascension of the Lord. Its inhabitants pro-
duce a sufficiency of the necessaries of llfe.
Abbadia, a middling town upon the margin of the Ariquitiba; the las_t tribu-
tary of the Rio Real, is eighteen miJes distant from the sea, has a good port
where sumacas arrive, that export sugar, cotton, tobacco, and much farinha.
The inhabitants are whites anel Indians.
lnhambupe is forty miles above the embouchure, and a short way from the
right margin of the riverof that name, with a church of Espírito Santo upon a
steep, having an extensive view; within its precincts there is a chapel of St. An-
tonio, and two of Our Lady, with the titles of . Conceiçao and Prazeres. Its
inhabitants exhibit a great diversity of complexion, and cultivate a very consi-
derable quantity of good tobacco, and the provisions of life.
Villa do Conde, situated at the mouth of the .river lnbambupe, has a church of
Our Lady of the Mount. The inhabitants, consisting of all colours, cultivate
mandioca, &c. with some sugar. Tobacco is the principal production; and
fishing is here a general pmsuit.
St. Francisco is one of the most ancient towns · of the province, although
yet small, with many edifices of stone, and has a church of St. Gonçalo
d' Amarante, also a convent of Francisca'ns . . It is about thirty miles north-west
of Bahia, near .the mouth of the river Serigy, in a gently rising situation, en-
joying an extensive view of the seà. The inhabita'nts are much incommoded
· by musquitos, and its vast district h as many sugar works, with extensive plan- .
tations of cane, to which the soil is propitious.
Santo Amaro, a large arid flourishing town, situated along the right bank of
the 1·iver Serigy, twelve mile,s above its embouchUTe, two below ~he mouth of
the Subahe, and forty north-west of Bahiâ, has a church of Our Lady of Pu-
I'ificaçao, a hermitage of St. Braz, another of St. Gonçalo, four of Our Lady,
namely, Amparo, Conceiçá.o, Rozario, and Humildes; good buildings, and
a great number of alembics. The streets are principally paved, and there is a
wooden bridge over the river. lt is surrounded by small hills. The senate is
presided by a Juiz de Fora, whose jurisdiction extends to the town of St. Fran-
Cisco. For the instruction of youth, there are masters of the primi.tive letters
 PROVINCE OF BAHIA. 333

and- Latin, with ·royal honours. The tide does not ascend higher thari. thê
town, and the port is at its commencement, frorri whence are exported large
quantities of sugar, tobacco, spirits, and some cotton. Its district has màny
sugar works. The communication from hence with Bahia is short and easy,
and tb.e sàme tide which conveys barks from St. Amaro will often conduct them
to, the capital.
Eight miles to the north-north-west is the parish of St. Gonçalo dos Campos,
whose inhabitants are generally cultivators e>f the tobacco plant.
Maragogype; a eonsiderable town, anel advantageously situated near the left
tnarg·in o f the Guahy, a mil e above its confluence with the ·J?araguassu, is orna-
~ mented witb. a church of St. Bartholomew and four chapels dedicated to Ou r
Lady, with üietitles ofNazareth, Mares, Lapa do Saboeiro, and Lapa do .M onte.
1t has royat professors of the primitive letters and Latin, a Juiz de Fora, a
fountain of good water, tolerable houses, is ericircled with hills, .anel exports
farinha, sugar, anel tobaeco. In the vicinity of this town are found armenian
bole anel antimony.
The ri ver Guahy, which brings the waters of the éapanema; is n·avigable for
the space of ten miles.
The Para~guassu at this place is near two in width, anel from it a branch runs
north-east to the çentre of the celehrated valley of Iguape, which is about five
miles long, anel of varied width i it i"s covered with plantations of, the sugar-
cane, for the growth of which it is deemed the best land that is known, being
what is termed massapé, or a black and strong soil, which .is, unquestionably,
t11e most congenial to the cane. There are nearly twenty sugar-works within its
narrow precincts, the proprietors of wnich a.re parishioners of Santiago, the
church of which is a short way from the left bank ofthe Paraguassu, upon whose
margin, not far distant, is also a convent and novitiate-house of Franciscans.
Cachoeira, a flourishing· anel commereial town, ·is divided in to two parts by
t.he river .Paraguassu i t.he·largest, which is along the left or eastern · bank, has
the chnrch of Our Lady of Rozario, a convent of slippered Carmelites; with
a Terceira order subordinate to _them, a chapel of Our- Lady of Conceiçao,
a~other of St. Pedro, a hospital of St. Joam de Deos, a fountain, and three _
small bridges of stone ovei· two sma1l rivers, the Pitanga, and Caquende, or
' l:<'alleira, each of which has its sugar-works, but neither have a com·se of three
miles. The municipal l1ou~e is situated in the portion of tbis town, wbich bas
;nearly ten thousand inhabi,tants. The western part, upon the right bank of the
l'iver, is traverseel by two brooks, and has two churches, the one dedicated to
 PROVINCE OF ~AlUA.

Menino Deos, the other to St. Feliz, from which latte1' it takes the name, and
contains about two thousand inhabitants. Both portions are increasing ; theü·
edifices are of stone, and the streets paved. Here is collected and embarked
t4e greatest portion of tobacco and cotton thàt is- exported from tbe capital.
It .has a Juiz de Fora, and royal masters of tbe descriptioliÍ so oftelil mentioned,
in which appointments there is not much advantage beyond the soú.nd. The
main part of its inhabitants are much incommoded at the period of the highest
fioods. The ti de ad vances nearly two mil e~ abo~e the town, at whose extremity
the riv.er, eighty fathoms wide, with a wooden bridge over· it, begins to have
reefs, wijich form currents of little depth, . ánd impede · navig'atioh. It is fifteen
miles abov.e Maragogipe, and something more to the w'est-south-west of St.
Amaro. About two miles to the east of this town was found a pie.ce of native
copper, which weighed one thousand 'six hund.red and sixty-six pounds, and is
now in the royal museum, at Lisboti.
Three miles to the north-north-east of Cachoeira is the aldeia of Belem, so
called from a chapel, wbich is the remains of a seminary there established by
the J esuits. Fi ve miles to the south-west of the same town is the arraial and
parish of Murityba, in an agreeable though :flat situation, refreshed with salu-
brious air, and possessing good water. The soil is fertile, and well adapted,
to the tobacco plant, coffee, orange, and jaca trees, which are abundant. It
was formerly a flourishing povoaçao.· ~esides the church, dedicated to the Chief
of the .Apostles, there is another of Our Lady of Rozario, both of stone: the
houses. àt~e built of a sun-drii~d bri,ck'.
The jarrinlta, or basil root, is very common, and in digo, knówn here only- by
the na.me of lingua de gallinha, (th~ ttmgue of a fowl,) · grows spontaneously
amongst other wild plánts to the height of two feet. Ali the inhabitants of this
parish are tobacco planters.
Eight~en miles to the west of Murityba is the serra of Apora, a mountain of
considéí~able ' ele.vation, more than twelve mil~s. in circuit, and Il:ear the road of
tbe certam: inJits vicinity is a hermitage of St. Joze. ·· Fifteen miles to the
westwar.d is the smàll arraial of Ginipapo, with. ~ chapel of stone dedicated to
St. Joze; upon·the border of the same road . .. A lake supplies ·water to all the
living· <weatures of its district.
Jaguaripe is a' middling town,'pleasantly,situated upon the 1·ight, and seven
miles above the InOUth ·Of·the l'ÍVeF Of Íts name, and .two miles above fhe con'flu-
ence of the Cáhype, which passes it at a short distance to the southward. It has
a church . of the Lady of Ajuda, h ouses of earth, streets paved with bricks,

' .
 PROVINCE OF BAHIA.

ro.y,al masters, anda Juiz de Fora, who is'the same individuall:ío-ldíng.that'situa-

tion at.Mar,agogipe. The inhabitants .are ·generally ,ma~ufacturers of, eªrthen-
ware.
Fifteen miles above the Jaguaripe, along the·left margin ,of·the ,same úver, is
the large anel flourishing parish of Ou r Lady .of N azal:eth. · Large barks:arrive
here .with the tide, and export Ütrinha and other necessaries to the... éapital.
'fhe margins of tbe J.aguaripê in all ·this in.terval, hav,e petteries for eà:rthenware,.
which constitutes a considerable braúch of commerce.
Joam Amaro, called a tów.n, does not surpass ~ small aldeia, with bouses of
wood éovereel with straw, but well situated néar the ,margin of ·the Paraguassu,
~pon the road to the interior~ about one hundred anel forty miles to the west of
~urityba. lt has a chapel of St. Antonio, built of stone, and covereel with
tiles, · which served as a mother church to the first inhabitants, whilst the fevers
I

did not compel them to retire. Peter li. (theri Regent,) gave to the Paulista·,
Joam Amaro, licence to found it, together with the sen~orio, or ,lordship, as a
premium for having· conquereel the neighbouring Indians, ·who at that time had
descended t\) the coast, arrd destroyed the crops of the iriha:bitaüts of. Cayru ~
The town of Pedra Branca is an lndian alde]a, situated in a flat. portio~ of
territory, upon the serra of the same na me, and is eig·hteén mile's west-south-
west of the arraial of Ginipapo. · The houses are of wood~ covered with ~palms,
anq the church, .dedicated to the Lady of Nazareth, is built of .adobe,
and roofed with tiles. The· origin of it was .. about the year 17 40, for the -
ha'bitation of two tribes of Indians, ·one of. them ;being Cayrirys. lt is sur-
rounded witb largy woods. Ants, màn:y of. a very large size, are nui:nerous,
and do p1ocn injui·y. ..
ST. 'SALVADOR·," better known by the nanie of BAHIA, sitqated .l!lpon•' the
• eastern side, . and near to tbe entrance of the bay, (ot· Bahia' de . Tt:>dos os
Santes, *) is an archiépiscopal city, and the larg:est, rnost commercial, and
:flourishing in ,the Bra:zil, (J?.OW excepting Rio ·de Janeiro,) and is celebrated
for hl}ving been for more thafi .two centmies the ·'I·esidence of tne governors
general of this state; but the government, with the title of a vice-royalty, was
transferred to the governors of Rio de Janeiro in the year 1'763. This city is
the grand ernporium of ali the 'produce of its partially popt~lated comarêas, •

Tbe provínce is designated, a's well as the city, by the Portuguese word for bay, from the great
·:#

importance justly attached to its fine bay. -

336 PROVINCE OF BAHIA.

already described, as well as the medium through wbich a portion of the pro-
ductions of the drcumjacent provinces are exported. lts situation, embracing
ali the commercial advantages of its rival port of Rio de Janeiro, will enable
it, in the desirable march of improvement and civilization, of which this great
country is yet so susceptible, to preserve its rank, at least of the second city
in the Brazil.
It is nearly four miles long from north to south, including the suburb of Vic-
toria in the southern extremity, and that of Bom Fiin in the northern, and
divided into two unequal parts, high and low; the higher and larger one situated
upon an agreeable eminence, and the other at its western base, both without any
regularity. The latter is denominated the Praya, in consequence of extending
along the beach, and has not more than one street nearly the whole ofits length,
almost in the central part of which there are fi. ve that do not exceed two hundred
and fifty paces in extent. Here is the seat of commerce, containing the stores of
the merchants, and many capacious warehouses, denominated tmpiches, for the
reception of sugar, tobacco, cotton, and other exports; also a general deposit
for farinha, grain, and legumes, called tulhas, where they are distributed to
the people.
The lower town is divided into two parishes, the churches of which are both
dedicated to Nossa Senhora, with the titles of Pilar and Conceiçao. The
latter is a fine edifi.ce with its front of European stone, and is richly decorated
within. Near to itis the dock-yard and the marine arsenal.
The Cidade Alta, or High City, stands on elevated and uneven ground, the
approaches to it, from the lower part, being· exceedingly steep. The situation is
commanding. The valleys and lwrtas, or country houses, in its vicinity, as well
as the various trees of eternal verdure, give animation to the native beauty of its
surrounding scenery. The houses are built_wit4 latticed windows and balco-
nies. Sedans, of various forms, with canopies and embroidered curtains, are
very numerous and convenient in ascending the steep streets, but attended with
great labom to the s1aves. These chairs are considered the most elegant in the
Brazil. A better quality of meat is met with here than at Rio; and the fruits
are very delicious, particularly the oranges, water-melons, and pine-apples,
which are exposed to sale by black female slaves, who are also occupied in the
disposal of doces, or sweetmeats, which are made in great perfection. This
part of the city is divided into six parishes, with the churches of Nossa Senhora,
of Victoria, St. Pedro, St. Anna, St. Antonio, SS. Sacramento, or Passo, and St.
Salvador, whicb is the cathedral. There is a house of misericordia, with its
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 PROVINCE OF BAHIA. 337

hospital for the cure of the poor, a recolhimento for white orphans, . anel a great
. numher of chapels, rnany of which, as 'well as the churches, are splendid ; they
appear every where to be the only public objects which engross the peculiar
consideration of the gov~rnment anel the people; and here, as in aU ~ther places,
the respectable parishioners g·o in short cloaks of crimson and other colours
about the streets uncovered, begg·ing for the church·es, with a Jong wand and an
embroidered bag, with the fig·ure of our Saviour upon it, in their hands. Churches
and convents are nearly the only public establishments in all towns that are at
all worthy of description, of which latter this city also has a numerous catalogue ;
nameiy, the inonasteries of the slippered 'and un~lippered Carmelites, of the
Benedictines, and the Francisca:ns, which is the most sumptuous edifice of the
whole; the alms and entertaining h ouses of Terra Santa, unslippered Agostil!lhos,
slippet·ed Cannelites, Benedictines, Franciscans, and ltalian Barbadinhos; also
four €Olwents of nuns, two recolhimentos more; and four Terceira orders of St.
Domingos, St. J:;"ra:ncisco, Carmo, and SS. Trinidade. ·
~ The Jesuits had· a magnificent college (the f1·ont of whose church is of
Etuopean stone) occupying· the best situation of the city, now converted. into a
military hospital, with a chapel in the interior <,n·name1Úed with many paintings
thát represent the Iife of S. Estanislaw Kosca, and a schoo1 of surgery. The
religious processions and festivities are much the samé here as at Rio de Janeiro.
The palace of the governor on one side commands a view of the port and the
lower city, anel fronts into the Praca da Parada, the eastern part of which is
formed by the camara or council house. The archiepiscopal palaee is of two
stories, one side faci'ng to the sea, and with a passage to the cathedral, which
has a spàcious n,ave : the chapter consists of eighteen canons. r

There is a rnint, a port admirai, an ip.tendant of g·old, a civil court of rela-

çan<J, presided by the governo r, at present th.e Count de Palma. This ,court,
created here by Philip I. in 1609, was abc;>lished by Philip 11. and re-estabUshed
by Jolm IV. in 1652. There is aiso an ecclesiastical court and a junta da
fazenda real, (the 'treasury,) for the administration of the affairs of the pro-
vince, composed of five deputies, viz. the .chancellor Qf the rela~arn, the port
admirai, the p1·ocurador do cen·oa, (attorney-general,) the treasurer, and the
escrivam, (chief of the treasury,) also presided by the governar; likewise
another, called the house of inspection relative to commerce and agriculture,
with an equal number of deputies, consisting of two merchants and two planter~,
one of tobacco the other of sugar, with a secretary ; the intendant of gold Is
president. There are eight royal professorships of philosophy, r?etoric, mathe~
X X
 338 P~O~JNCÉ OF BAHIA.

matics, -Greek., ~atin, &c. but they are f~;ç frpm diffusing the knpwledg~ th.eit
" bigh-souncling de:go,minations would W::J.rrant .the expectªtion of. There is also
a public libra~·y in the ex-Jesuitical college, a printing p1~ess, the only one in t~e
J;3razil excepting one at Rio, a manufacture of glass, ~nd. a seminary (Qr t.he
meninos orfaos (young male orpha:Qs.).
VariQus forts defend this city oa the .sea side; arpong:;;t which mªy \
õe
rem~rked th;:tt of St. Marcello, of a circular forro, with two b~tt.eJ'Íe~ ~ituated
in 1;he centre of the anchorage place. On the land si de there is. a11. extensive
ançl deep la~e, which, for a considerable period, served as a fosse, call~d the
Dique, a~1d where there are many alligators. This city was taken by.the Dtltch
in 1634, and cannonaded by a force under Prince Nassau, without a similar
result, in the year 1636.
In it~ eastern s~b~r'Q is the hospital of Lazaretto, which was a house of re-
creation belonging. to the Jesuit~, and where there is a plantation 0f Má.labar
pimento trees, the finest, it is s·aid, Íl). t.Q..e Br,azil. Tq.e suburb o( B<?m Fiip
took its narne fi·om a chapel of that title, ve1:y agreeably sit.uated. About two .
miles to the east is the parish of Our Lady of Penha, i.n the extremity of a
península "Yhere the archbishops ha:ve a co:untry hotJ~e, and wh~r~ there is a
dqck-yard for the conf?~t:uction oflat·ge ships. · This situation, ç~lled . Tapagype,
· is bea;utif!ed with a pl~fu_$ÍOn of the airy cácOSJi-.:Q.p.t treet!.
In 1;1;1~ ~uhvrb q~ . Vi~tqria is tJJe before-mentiolíled en.terta!ning hQus.e of the
Be~edicti:t;~.es; i~J "Yhos~. church. of Our Lady o( G.r~ca is a:n epitapb relative to
D. C<:~.tharinq A\v~r~~. thf! , d~;ughter of an lndian. chief; ~Jl<l a.ne oi the wiv.es
of ])jogo AI v~rez Corliea, t}w Caramtlru. Sh~ acçoa;tpalílii.:e.d Correa to Europe,
where they remai~ÇI. a s)lm;t, period ,. and excited. much, .interest. at the French
court, where she w~~ chr.ist~ned, and call~d after Quee:u. C.athavine, relinquish-
ii;lg h,e r name ot; P:ar~guassu, derived from the river, already dJescribed. · Th~
epitaph is comprised.i}\ the following words : -.
" Sepjfltu1·a de IJ. Gatlza'llina Alv-arez, Seu}wra desta Capitania, da Ballli.a, a
" q"fal ella, e seu.. marido; Diogo. Alvarez Con·ea, natu~·al de Viamna, deram aos
'' S[5nhores Reys de Rottugal: Fez·, e deu es~a Capella ao Patr.iarcq, St: Bento.
,, Antn.O d~ 1582."*, ' .
The society of this city. is considered sup.e tior to that of Rio de Janeiro, and the

'* "
Sepulchre of Donna Catharine Alvarez, Lady of this Capta.i.ncy of Bahia, which she, and her
« husband, James Alvarez Correa, a native of Vianna, gave to t'he Kings of Portugal, and erected
" and gave this chapel to the patr.iarch St. Bento. The y,ear 1582.''
 PROVINCE OF BAHIA. 339

faroilies· appea:t· to mah'ltain a more social iriterco't'lrse witlí straugers. If.s popula-
tion n;~ay b'e estimatedl at nearly one 11úndred and ten thousand, upw::trds of fw,o-
thirds of which are negroes, who, beilng of one nation a:'ild speaking ·-the same
icliom, with greater facility planned thei~· i'nsuriections, whiC1i ti11l l'ately have
frequently occurred, niaking it requisite for the g·ovérnm.•s to maintain a: very
rigid discii})line over them. In the· g·ovéi'nment of the Count de Pó'nta an: order
was issued that no negro should appéar in the streeis after Avi-Maria witl1out a
ticket from his ownei', stating flie object of nis husiness ; in default of which
tl'i·é' ~eiialty was one hundred andi Afty hishes. This (!)rder had the sa~lu'tary
etfeét of prev'enting· a great portion of them from wander:lng into the streets
without some propé1; oõject.
The arrival of the l'ate Qll:een and. the present King here, in the year 1808,
on their way to Rio de Janeir<;>, produced g'reat joy, and the inhabitants volun- .
tarily offe1;ed to erect a palace at their own expense for tne royaf family, if they
wouid establish their court- in this city.
. The negro(?s conceived that the arrival of the Prince Reg·ent relieved fhem
from the restraínts which they had been subjected to ; and fbe bold and auda-
cious character peculiar to this nation of Africans immediately led th'em to the·
determination of disclaiming· the right of the g·overnor to inflict the one hundred·
and fifty lashes, now that the' Lord of the territory w·a s come, aird. they ingéni-
ousiy communicated their resolution to tbe governor' in .tlíe two following
./ poetical Jines.
Don de Terra chegou,
Cento e cincoenta acabou."'
On the -departure of the Royal Family, and as soon as the fleet had passed
the bar,- the Count de Ponta, adopting the style of the IiegToes, ditected the twe
lines below to be posted up in every part of the city and suburbs, announcing
to them.· that the one hundred and fifty lashes were resumed.
Don de Terra abalou,
Cento e cincoenta ficou.t
The Count de Ponta w'as Sl:lcceeded in the·governorship by the Count d' Arcos,
a noblemari álready spoken of. The rigid and necessary S'Ystem -pm·suéd by his

• The Don of tbe land is arrived,

The one Jmndred and fif~y are ended.
t The Don ·of'the land is on tl~e main,
Tbe one hundred and fifty remaiu.
xx2
340 PROVINCE OF BAHIA.

predecessor was in some measure relaxed. T~e negroes had always on holi-
days and Sundays indulg·ed, without restraint, in the customs anel rude amusa-
ments peculiar to their native country. In Bahia they usually assembled in the
praca, or square, in the upper city, anel frequently selected one from amongst the
rest who was dignified with the tit]e of chief, and received ali the homage
bestowed upon a chief in their own conntry. A friend of mine, passing on a
Sunday through this square, observed them going through the ceremony of ex-
ecuting, or putting to death, white men, which were represented by effigies
dressed for the purpose; this was intended for the amuseinent of their chief, but
that there was some ulterior object in this species of diversion, must have been
manifest. In the com·se of a few months afterwards, a general revolt took place
amongst them, in which they proclaimed the Count d' Arcos their prince, anel
threatened destruction to the r~st of the whites. They had already commenced
their operations before it was known to the governor, and were performing a
bloody circuit around the vicinity of the city, and putting· to death all the
white persons met with at the ditferent hortas. They were, however, very soon
surrounded by the Count d' Arcos, at the head of what force he ceuld assemble,
and a great many forfeited their lives . for this atrocious anel sang·uinary
attempt, the consequences of which, had they succeeded, would have been
horrible, as they would have murdered every white person in the place. Sub-
sequent to this, orders were issued by the government, that the negroes through-
out tbe state were to discontinue their public assemblages on holidays anel
Sundays.
A theatre was erected here abotü seventeen years ago, but the performances
are not equal evento those at Rio. In the high city there is a public walk, with
a mirador in the form of a veranda, from whence a view is commanded almost
of the whole bay; near it there is a pyramid of European marble, erected in
memory of the short stay the Royal Family made here on its way, in 1808, to
the metropolis.
The commerce of this city stands next in extent to that of Rio de Janeiro, and
tbe main portion of it passes through the medium of the English merchants,
comprising nearly twenty establishments. Every description of British manu-
factured goocls has an extensive sale ; but the competition already stated to
exist in the capital also prevails here, atfording these importatiens to the native
dealers rnuch below their value: and tbe cultivators have another adva~tage over
our rnerchants, in consequence of their being under the necessity of purchasing
produce for the return cargo, bills npon Europe being with difficulty or seldom
 PROVINCE OF BAHIA. 341

óbtained. ·The reader is already aware, from the statement of the productions
ofthe province, that sugar, tobacco, and cotton, are the principal objects afforded
to the merchant for the home shipments; and . as eight-ninths of the cotton,
some sugar, and tobacéo, come to England, we will offer a few ·remarks rela-
tive to the quality aríd quantity of each article.
The crop of sugar in the year 1816 amounted to thirty thousand cases,
averaging about forty arrobas each case; and the shipments between the 1st of
October, 1817, and the same date in 1818, comprised twenty-six thousand one
hundred and thirty-three packages, consisting -of the denomination of br..anco
and bruno (white and brown.) The new sugars begin to arrive here in the
months ofDeéember and January, and some fewin November. The most desi-
rable mohths for purchasing sugar are from January to May, comprehending the
summer season, when it is in an arid state, and the grain thereby improved;
during the r~iny montbs the sugar becomes succulent, and the grain inferior;· in
the early part of the first season also, the higher numbers of whites and browns
are more abundant, the latter arrivals consisting· of the lower numbers of both.
The sug·a;rs are submi.tted .to the inspection of the establishment before
mentioned, and divided into the following numbet~s, according to quali~y, colour,
and grain.
White-The lowest quality is termed Bmnco baixa.
Second .............. Bmnco dez No. lO;
1'hird . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . Branco onze 11 .
Fourth .......... : . .. 13mnco doze 12.
Brown-The lowest quality is termed Muscovado brumo.
Second .............. Muscovado redondo.
Thit;d .............. Muscovado maixo.
In additio11 to the above, a few boxes of whites are made of a superior quality,
and rated as high as quinze, or fifteen. The best sugar in this market is pro-
duced in the Reconcave, arising, as has been before observed, from the excellent
adaptation' ofits soil to the culture of the cane. T.hese .and others, coming from
the interior to the bay:, are denominated dentr·os, and are not generally so
white as those termed foms, which come from witbout the hay, and are pro-
duced along the coast. Tbe foms are much softer ·in grain, but, from their
superiority in colour o ver the dentros, they obtain a preference in some markets;
bnt not for Hamburgh or those places where sug·ar is used for refining. . ,
An average crop of tobacco may be estimated at six hundred th()usand arrobas;
b ut in some years it almost fails, as in 1817, arising from tbe continued dry
342 PROVINCE (\)F BAHIA.

weathel" which búrnt up the plants; a'nd for the year ending the 1st of Oc1lotl:ier,
18.181 only thirty -two theusa.Hd six- hundred mid eighty-one arPobas, vvefe
shiwed. One-third, and more firequently one-half, of a t:@bacco erop is1!l"efeded
as u:nfitfor shipmeHt to Europe.
Tobacco comes to market from .Ja:nuary to· Ma11ch, pFincipally through the
medium of the towJ.ils· 0'6 Cacll.eeira and Santo Amaro, where it is pl!eviously made
u,y into 1:eHs. The whole is aCCl!lmulated in one government warehouse, where
jt undeJigoes a v;ery rig.icl inspéction, an<íl' is separated into•appl'oved and Tejected
p01:tions·- ; the latter is· only slil•Ípped. to 1lhe Por.tug·uese l!>Ossessions in ~frica,
and, sin.G:e the abolition1 of their slave-1lrade north of the Equator, ·where it was'
principall~ lil.Sed, the ]_llrice has fallen gpeatly., an.d very little of it is· nów ta:ke'.F(Íii
theil· O'utwaTd oargoes to Cabinda, Angola, &c. which consist prhrcipall'y óf
coa1~se East l!J!\dia go0cls, a litmle rum; trinkets, &c.
The purcbasing ctf tohac·e e· is clee~ned by the merchants not only the most
h·oubJesome, but the most precatious braiJ.l'ch of their dealings. Tobacco is
usually bought before iínspe<etion, so that· the merchant has all the trouble of
that operation. The whole ef the crop coming to ma1•ket in a short p.eriod, ari.d
piled together in one warehouse, produces great confusion, rendering it ve1·y
difficult to get at the lots agreed for; and when found, probably, Ol!1ly a few
rolls turn out good, so that other lots are to be purchased, and a:nother search
undertaken to find them, attended with the same inconvenience as the first; and,
in some instances, an examination of five or six hundrep. rolls will only afford
twenty good ones. This delay is prejudicial to the interest of the merchant,
in consequence of tob~cco being a ·peFishable article; besides, it is of th•e hig·hest
importance to get the .shipments to Etirope as early as possible, for not only do
the first arrivals sell best, àut, in the event of a stagnation occurring, the owner
being compelled to retain this article, there is a great chance ·e f its rottiug
upon his hands.* Previous to the shipments to Eur.ope; the tobacco is opened,

"' The precarious natu're of the tobacco trade is evide~ced by a, shipment made of this artícle from
)3a:bia to London, where on its arrival it was unsaleable; the agent, the'refore, ·rÉ:s hippéd it ' for
Gibraltar, drawing for the freigbt and charges he had paid. On its arrival in Gibraltar, it was there
equally unsaleable; and, after being deposited some time in a warehouse, it was cliscov'eF~d to be
rotten, and condemned by government to be thrown into the sea; after which the agent there had
to draw also for the freight and charges that be had paid, in whích was included the expense of
throwing the tobacco idto the sea. The sbippers, no doubt, considered the termina li ou ·of this specu-
lation as nnpa)áta'ble'-as the ·element ·Ufwhich it was finally con'Sign'écl. -
 PROVINCE e>F BAIHA.

mesh melasses put to it, ante~. ma.de up -into rolls, averaging about ãfteen. an•obas
éa.ah. T.\le refuse shipped to Afri.aa is made into rolls of about th1•ee arr6bas
each.
. Leaf tobac€0 is a monopoiy oi the cFown. After ins-peetion, it 1lakes the -ap-
proved at a priGe fH'Oporti<(!)nable ~o -that ·of the roll, and it is shlpped for Goa.
1l'he refuse l:&mains with the plante~.., who is allowed to sell it to the mm•chants,
and ,it i~- usu~lly shi.pped ÜJ Lisbon.
The avevage ·c11op o.f G@ltOl'l; for- f.out! •years, l!lp to anà including 181·6, was
t-we.nty-fqu:r thqusa.nd. f.Qur. hund:red and forty bags i but the shipments :fc)1· ·the
year .e:rtding o:l.l tbe - I:st • of 0€t0~beF, 1818, am'eun:ted to thirty-six ~ thousand
one hundred and thiqrty;-:riin.e bag-s. -~ ·
The books of the public warehouses in this city are annually closed on the
Jst 0f October, toJaseer-tain tlíle· e.rops of pn:oduce _; but at this time· some of the
Qlà crop of cott@IJ.íl is I\10t.ree.~ived, and it continues partiaUy to· aráve·· till the -
end oti the year. J,J.íl! th.e month of February the new ootton eomes· te rhà'l'ket
ai~u:ndantly, and in the <Wut·s:e of the four following· months the maih part of
the crop may be said to have arrived, with the exception above ·stated. The
qnatity of the cetton va1•.i.es. aceo:Pding to the place in which it is grown; part
of that sold in ~ahia. is .produced· in the ' southern- ,· part of tlle province ~f
Petn.ambuco, aud is.. •clistinguished., also, by the term ef, foras, ~s that of
B-ahia is by ~entros. The forme1• has materially the advantage- over the .lat-
ter in point of staple, bei~g longer and more silky, also stl'onger; but its value .is
greatly teduced by tb€ . oirt-y state ·j.n "\v·hieh " !t "artives here, . as well as by the
frequent trioks of the plantérs, in putting' séeds, and ev-en staves, ·in' the centre
of the bags. Thes·e abuses -hav.e bee'n unàltended to, and the c0tton1-inspection
o f Bahia is almose nominal i th.is •.fi{l.grant ~e·g·leet of the i:nspec-tors, so opposite
to that of every other kind of proâuce, is: s~pposed to be conniv·ed at .by-the
g0vernor, UJ!>on:th.is gi!0ullitl, t!Jliat; ·if the · inspection was rigid an_d' t4e planters
were compelll ed to clean.. their ·eatton; they woul'dLthen send-'1t t0. 'díe Pei·ríam-
buco market, where it would command a higher price, oy ranking as- Pernam-
buco cotton, 3:~d thus pxej_!.lQj.<!~ the.....reveJ1t1E; Qf t_h~ town of Bahia.
The dentros, or those co~tons grown . within the province of Bahia, are a
shorter, and not so silky or strong a staple as tbe foras, and have a:riother ma-
terial fault in being· occasionally mixed with stained cotton, but they are much
better cleaned, and in tbis respect they have of late years i111proved i whilst the·
foras have become even worse than they we're, so that scarcely any difference
exists between them as t~ price. The latter formerly sold at fi·om two to three
344 PROVINCE OF BAHIA . .

hundred reas per arroba higher than the dentros. Exclusive of these two
qualities some Minas Novas find their way to Bahia, and if of good quality seU
on a par with them. The increase of the cotton crops has been retarded in
consequence of some of the planters, a few years ago, turning _their attention
more to the ptoduce of sugar, from the high prices then obtained for it.
A very great portion of the cotton denominated dentros comes from Villa
Nova do Príncipe, in the comarca of Jacobina, a town possessing very consi-
derable plantations of cotton in its surrounding territory; from whence it is
conveyed to Cachoeira, upon the backs of horses and mules, in square packages,
formed of raw hides, called malas, each containing three arrobas, (96lb.) two
of which constitute a horse-load, and are denominated by the Portuguese a
carga.
At Villa Nova do Príncipe the cotton is sold at so much the carga of six
arrobas, and varies in price according to the changes of the Bahia market, say
from eight milreas upwards the carga, to this must be added the carriage to
Cachoeira, which :fluctuates according as horses and mules 'are plentiful, or
otherwise, from eight milreas to fifteen the carga. From Cachoeira, as has
been already rem.a1·ked, it is conveyed in large boats to Bahia, at a freight 6f
one hund1·ed reas the carga ; here it is put into bags, the expense of which is
trifling, for the hide will sell for almost as rnuch as buys the material for the
bag, and the labour amounts_only to one hundred and sixty reas* :per bag, (not
quite tenpence.)
Cotton is planted in the month of January or February, and gathered, say
the first pluckings, about Septembet·. The same plants last three years, the ,
second year being frequently more productive than the first ; but in the thií·d
year the crop falls off, both in quantity and quality. Afte1· this the plants are
destroyed, and· the grounds lies fallow.
Some hides and rum are exported ; and the following statement will show the
number of ships, and the amount of produce they conveyed from hence, in the
year ending on the 1st of October, 1818.
•

• One thousand reas, or a milrea, is now worth about five shilliogs, aod varies according to the
excbang~
 l...
o
SUGAR. TOBACCO. COTION. MOLASSES. e
~
To what Places tbe
"
e
~

..::>
~
~
1:lo
..;
~
.É -
e ~

:g
..;
~
~

"'
..::> ... ..;
o"
.o
~
"'
.o
e . ~

~
-.;
~
'-
o
~

--
~
~
Vessels belong. ~
o=
~ " ~ "' o.
z
--- - -
l'l "
l'l < ~ <
Oi = < i ~ " õCll o"
---
l'l l'l
' -- r-- --- --
l'l

Lisbon . .. . •....••....•.•• • , •. 24 9,828 381 - 399,021 --

8,101 107,153 843 18,657 1,054 6,324 46,037 255 37 7,350 225
Oporto ...... ...... . .. .. ·~ ·· ••.•
Gibraltar •.. • ....•... • •••..• . •.•
19
10
5,506 245 42
4 29 24 -
218,104
17,328
-- ---
3,971 11,732
-79,058 -- ---- 262 1,572
140 840
6,498
9,846 -
-
25
5 5,030 60S
-- -
Ilha Gracia •.•••••••••.•••••. 1 s 24 - 312 -- -- -8,758 - 8,001
-- 6 so /
- - 372 2
Hamburgh ••....•.••..••••..• 11 2,716 52 - 109,056 386 1,677 831 115 690 1,309 - 115 -- -
Liverpool. •.• •••.•••••••••••.•.
London , .................... .
36
5
1,187
689
10
38 -
- 47,539
27,864
-- - -
-- - - -- - 30,430 182,580
--- 70 1,406 2,168 10,840
,1,154

-853
- -
-
-- -
-- - "tj
Falmouth • • ••.......•.•• • •.•.. 3 981 51 - -- -- --- - - - -- ............. - - - -- - ::0

-
39,546
o
Portsmouth •...•.• •• •.•. •• ••• 1 395 25 ·' 15,975 -- - - --- - -- -- -- - - - -- - <
Guernsey • ,_. .. • • • • . . . •• . . • ..••
Amsterdam ••. • ••• • • • •• • .•..•
1
3
236
930 28
4-
-
9,472
37,480
-- --
109 ---
-1,526 -50 l,o5o
- ·- --
-- --·
:-
-- -
-- -
-
- --
-- , -_ z
o
t'l
Trieste , M ·• ••• • .•• • •• .•.•••., ••• .• 1 333 27 - 13,563 -- -- - -- -- -- -- -·- - - - -- - o
~
J ersey ·~·· •• • •• • •• . • .• •. •••••
Geneva .......... . ....... ..... .
, -
1
1
399
-- - -
4- 15,980
---.
-- --
49 1,,623
-2,932 -- --
-
--
-
- -
--
-
- - -- -
-- - t:d
>
ti::
......
Cowes ·~ ~ ••.• •...•.•• . •• • . , •. 1 543 - 35 22,000 -- -·- - - -·- -- -- - - - -- - >
Stockholm • . •. • ••••• •• .•• • . . 1
--
250 10,000 -- -··- - - -- -- ----'
- - - -- -
New York ••• •• • ••• •• •• ·•• • •..
..... .. ... ....... ..
2 -- - -
-- ' - -- - - ...:..._
- --
--- - - - -- -
-- - 2,200 387 -
60 -
-- -
-- ·-
Baltimore 1 -- -- 2,200 -- -
---
-
Philadelphia . . • . •.. . , . • •• , . • • •
Bremen
··· ··· ·· ··· ······ ···-·
2
1
2
21
--
--
--' --
79
840
-
-- 1~1'24 2,.460504 --53 . 318 2,175
40
220 -
110 -
--. -
-- -
Sa!em ~~ 4 .~ • ••• ••• • ••• • • •••• 8 - -- ---- -- -- ' -- -- 9,950 847 - --- -
o< Boston .............. . ...... . .. .. . .. 4 -- -- ---. -- --
-- -- --- -- --
., ---- - -- -- -- 1,263 717 - -
-
~ Newport • ••.•••• • • ••• • •• • • ••• 1
- -- -- -....-- -- 86 - --
Nantz •....•. ,.,, ....•..•. . • . • , 6 420 5- . 16,830 -- -- --- so 603 541 2,710 3,102 - - -- 20
Bourdeaux • • . •• , • • ; • • •• •• • • • 4 245 7 18 11~012 --
-- --- --- - --- -- 1,370 8,220 -- - - -- 30

Totais .••••.•••.• •• •••• • • •• •. 148 25,113 -

-- --- 960,60 1,01 ~,001 12,616 15,032 199,427 1968 3~,681 36,139 214,124 86,627 ws21-w 12,752 910
~
~
<;i'
346 PROVINC_E OF BAHIA.

Bahia is considered by the English merchants a more agreeable pla~e of

residence than a~y of the m~ritir~e tow~s of the }3razil, and a ,more socia~
intercourse has existed amongst themseJ.ves than at some of the o;t her places.
The city ap.d( resideJ:lC€S in the vicinity ;:u~e deligbtfully refreshed hy the láiiq
and sea breezes, and-the cl!mate is dpeme:d ye~y he~lthy., .Tbere i::; an Epglisl~
hospital heJ:~s.-aLthe .otner...c.ommer.cial_to..wns _of note, b_u.t there are geP.eral_ly
1
few invalids.. - 1
l , I ,
Here, as in-al-1 parts - of the -Brazil, tbe females are much confi.ned to the
,houses, and do not take free and open ; exer,cise; theit· domestip habits are
slovenly and indolent; mari.y,' ib. the Tutkish 1 style, sit on the ground upon
~ats, while at work; they dress-'Io9sJly; and to the generallistlessness and pre-
vailing cu~to.m~of.. indul_gin_g in ª'se.i_tg,~ or nap after dinner, may be a~ttributed the
gros~ and uhshapely appearanc~ ~f some , o~ the Brazilian females . It would,
'h·owever, be i1liberal t? include the whole in this description, as there are many
fine women, and if better · atquaihted wi~h the graces and the refinements of
the fair· sex, would be lo rnaments to· any circle of soctiety, 'b aving naturally much
sprightliness and wit, if properly directed, and freed from the shackles ofI

J-ealousy' wit.p which I

they are surrounded.
I I
-. - -
This city, on the 10th of Febru'ary, 1821, followed the example of Para, in
dec1aring ·itself, fo;r the new constitutlõn of Portugal, _and a resolution to that
effect was pu_!>licly -ªdopted in t~e _c:a_ll?-a!3:• a~d signed by Oo.nde de Palma, the
governqr, who however declined holding that situation longer. '_fhis measure
was brough,t ~bo-ut p~ncipally by the military. Lieut.-Colonels Manuel ,Pedro
de . Freitas ªn_d_Fr-ª_n cis_co de Paula, _w~r~ its m_ost active promoters. lt is said,
that thirteen of- the military, including a major, were killed.

I •
-.
 PROVINCE OF SEREGIPE IJ' EL REY. :J47

' '.
CHAP. ·XVI.
• PROVINCE OF SEREGIPE D ' EI~- RE Y .

Colonization- Reduction o.f tlte Indians- Exten't- Mountains- Rive1·s and

Lakes-·Mineralogy- _ Zoology-Pkytology-Povoações.

THE conquest and colonization of this province was commenced in the govern-
ment of Christovam de Barros, deputy-governor of' Bahia, in J 590, in conse-
quence of orders which he received from King Philip li. at the request of the
inhabitants between Rio Real and ltapicUl'u, who _lived in a state of great
inquietude, as well from the Indians of the country as the French pimtes, who
frequented the coast in search of Brazil wood. lt was for a considerable
period a díshict of Bahia.
After a céntury had elapsed, it began to have ouvidors about the year '1696,
. at which period its diminutiv:e population, involved in anarchy by a faction- of
some of the leading persons, disregarded entirely the m·ders of the governor-
general. 'Fhe leaders we!·e prosecuted; but they ·obtained pardon 'of their
Sovereign,_up·o n condition of subjecting the Tupiiíambazes of the country, who
ha;d always been a considerable obstaclé ' to the ~ugmentation of the colony.
They succeeded in subjugating the lndians in pari, · and the rest w'ere reduced
afterwards by the ex'ertions of the Jesuitical ·missionàries, and · esiablished in
various aldeias. This provínce 1h3JS neady ninety'miles of coast from the Rio
Real, whiéh divides it from that of Bahia, -to th~ St. Francisco, which separates
it from Pernambuc~,· and neady one hundred and forfy :miles in width, termi-
nating almost in an angle at the smallriver Xing·o, about eight mi'l es below the
greltt fall of Paulo Affonso. · ·
It may be consídered ·'"as-divided into two parts-eastern and western. The
first, ' whidi is about forty 'miles 'in. wiáth, is conunonly distinguished ·by the ap-
pellation of Mattas, in consequence of its exten-sive woods, which are, however,
diminishing considerably fron1 the axe of the cultivator of the sugar cane and
éotton tree; and the western part, which is làrger, has acquired the denomina-
tion of Agrestes, ~t·om the sterility of its soil, commonly stony, with few woods
or -fertile lands, and very d.eficient in watei·; . , ·
YY2
 348 PROVINCE OF SEREGIPE D' EL REY.

The Agrestes, if we except some portions, principally in the proximity of the

river St. Francisco, even where there are only small aldeias, besides the town
of Propi~a, and the parish of St. Pedro, is 'almost generally uncultivated, af-
fording only scanty pasturage for cattle, a great part of which perish from hunger
anu thirst when the winter season passes over without much rain, as in the
summer season scarcely the smallest rivnlet or perennial fount is met witb. In
the eastern part or Mattas, where the rains are more frequent, the soil is substan-
tial and fertile, and the .country pr~~ents a more agreeable aspect of woods
and partially cuhivated lands. -
MouNTAINS.-The face of this province is general1y :flat, and, although
uneven, there is scarcely one small hill or rnountain of any considerable eleva~
tion; that of Itabayanna is the only remarkable one between the Rio Real and
~he Vazabarris, and, although thirty miles from the coast, is discovered ata grea.t
distance from the sea. Upon its surnmit there is a lake that is never dry, a'nd
from this mountain, which is affirmed to be rich in gold, various pure streams
descend, forming a handsome river. ' _ .
In the western par,t is the Serra Negra, Iittle higher than its surro;unding
plains, and the Serra Ta.banga, w h o se base is hathed by the St. Francisco, with
which it is prolonged. :
RIVERS AND LA~Es.-The Rio Real, which has about one ~undred and.
forty miles of course, is precipitated by various fa.lls, and only affords naviga-
tion to the first, thirty miles from the sea; from this faÍl, downwan~s, to which
the tide advances, the river is wide and deep, but ahove it is small, and its
tributary heads are frequently drjed up. It enters the sea tw~nty-five miles
north-east of the Itapicuru, and receives, in the vicinity of its embouéhure, the
rivers Saguim, Guararema, a.nd Piauhy, all by the left margin. ·
The Cotindiba is considerable only for the space of eighteen miles, which
t he tide adva.nces up, affords sufficient depth for sumacas, is of grea.t width,
b a~ its margins covered with mangroves, and, ~n the vicinity of the sea, with
white sand, adorned in parts with very fine cocoa-nut trees. The greatest part
of the sugar of this province is exported by the dangerous embouchnre of this
river, about eighteen miles to the north- ~ast of Vazabarris, the shoals in front of
which occasion a furious âgitation of the sea, and it is ., only experienced na vi·
ga.tors that can conduct sumac_as with safety over the bar.
The Seregipe, which g_ives the name to this province, is larger aml navigable,
for a greater space than the Cotindiba, with which it runs almost parallel, until
united with it by the left margin, eight miles from the sea. In the interior çf the
 PROVINCE 01'1 SEREGIPE D' EL REY. 349

country it is inconsiderable. S'erigp was its original name, and which it retained
for many years after the conquest of the country.
The Vazabarris, after a long course, discharges itself in to the famous bay o f
the same name, and affords navigation to smacks, with the aid of the tide, for
twenty miles. It is twenty-five miles north-east of Rio Real, and Irapirang was
its original name.
The Japaratúba is smaller than all the preceding rivers, and empties itself by
two mouths, twenty-five miles to the north-east of the Cotindiba, and about the
sarrie distance to the south-west of the St. Francisco. Tho1:1gh the tide runs up
for many leagues, i~ only affords navigation to canoes, in consequence of the little
depth at its entrance.
The Poxim, which rises near the Vazabarris, and runs into the Cotindiba,
near the sea, is navigable for canoes, which proceed many leagues up with the
tide. In the viciniiy of the river St. Francisco there are various lakes of great
extent, upon the margins ofwhich numerous collections .of birds assemble, such
as the colhe1·ei1·a, jabU1·u, sabacu, came, carauna, and the heron ; upon the centre
of their waters are seen immense :flocks of wild ducks, and the mingua, a:
species of diver, which conceals the· body below the surface, showing only its
head, and part of its extraordinary neck, appearing like a snake.
MINERALOGY.--Flint, potters' clay,-lime, and grindstone, a blad{. ferrug·inous
stone, gold, marine salt, crystals, slate, and blue stone.
ZooLOGY.-There· are all the species of domestic and wild animais of the
neighbouring provinces. The anta is rare; the ounce has· almost d,i sappeared
in the eastern part; deer are numerous, and the red gum·iba monkey. In ali
parts there are great quantities of bees of various kinds. There a~e many tatu-
bollas, or m·maaizzos, upon the Ieft margin of the st. J;rancisco, which have bee-b.
observed orl. beip.g brought to the right bank frequentl,y to die, or·never to mul-
tiply. In tbe river St. Francisco there is a sort of fishing· sparrow-hawk, which
dives in order to surprise the fish that descend the river; but when the prize , is
of a weight superior to its strength, it dies fromt sutfocation, not bei:ng able to
disengage itself. The wood-turkey is here very common, as is the small pavao,
or peacock.
PHYTO:LOGY.-Among·stothertrees wbicb afford timberfor buildingaud joiners'
work, are the sucupir·a, iron wood, cedar, ·sapucaya,fiquitiba, uruçuca, white and
green batinga, similar to the box-tree, c.ond-m·u,gar·dztno, quiri, itapicúlru,pausang~e,,
(blood wood,) jucimnna, vinlzatica, l!}itally, gonçalo alves, putumuju, mascuhne
and feminine, ampimca, bow wood, jinipapo, mastick, bi,riba, of the bark of
 850 PROVINCE QF •SEREHIPE D' E·L 'REY.

which tow is made .(or caulkii;tg. . Amongst the medicinal plants, there are
ipecacuanha, alcasus, paroba, Jesuits' bark, orange tree of· the country, cassia,
and. sang1tina1·ia . . Orange and oth.er fruit trees are very scarce. Bannilha is a
useful vegetable, and grows he.lle spontaneol!1sly, but its cultivatiou is not art-'
tended to. The cocoa tree is u.ukuown; a:lthough th,e soil is well adapt~d ·.for
it. The coffee tree, which is such a lucrative branch of commerce to. its :culti.;
ya'tors i•n the provinces of Bahià ..alld Rio de Janeiro, is yet· seen1 in few pláces,
and there scantily. .
U pon the marg'ins of the. :r:ive.r St: Francisco there is a tree, for wbQse primi-
tive nam.e was substitated .that o6 mancanzeira by' tne Po11ttiguese; the largest
do not exceed the size of an orange tree, and generally have mauy trunks toge-
ther of little height, with -the leaf l&rg~r than those· of a lémou tree, thick, él\ip-
tical, smooth, aud óf ,a ..d~rl>. green. · In the s:aroe tre~ there ·is fruit in the fo.rm
of a lemon-peel and .a ftg ;, but the gr.eater part,•.and Jl>'.l'iJ}dpally 1ihe 1arges,t ,
have the figure of.large tom·ates; ·the size 0f ,a wil<:l apple;:·therl'ind soft and full
of pimples. Thp pulp is yellow, of an insipid taste,, ·.bitter, ·and smells like a
quince. The smallest h a ve an · oval stone ; .tbe larg·est·h ave four .or rnor.e. :' the
riqd is hard, , the. kerrtel wbite. au~ l;>i~ter. Tbis frqirt is :not :e~ten, but is excel-
, lent as preserv~s, made si mil a~· to marmalade. ThÁs .tre~; which, ,never sur-
passes a . shrub in }lry lands, is· al w~ys. ·he~vily· Iaq~B_; ~~d the. -troqua~e pigéon
aud the land tortoise beCQI\\e (at upon the ,stolles, ~fter ~be fruit fà.tls, t,Q.. the
ground. · ~h~ e~stern portion of this pro~inqe .-is: jn, p_art appr~J.llriated to m~:í1<li­
oca,, lndia;n corn, feij~ao, .cotton, and ·the-sugar caq.e,,' fot: wlli.~h tq~.re J!!,l'e. J,!~~r
three hg~slred ~ngenh~s; tht;se a>l;e :opj~e~ts -1of e~pgrt~~t9I\ . ~ ~el~ .::;t& bides~
flin~stone,f grindstorre, cattl~, hors~~'' hpgs, , and tbe fiç:f!-'lfl. : p~lm !} ]p.) ;bis 1part
there ~re e:x:tensi-ve tracts almost coye~ed, with ~' a sm<~-ll · ç~r-e~, ;witJ.1 . th~. }~,a;ye~
short1 not, ~Jtce~ding the width of the , wl~eat .leaf,, and, the· knt>.t!jl ar.rq.~q ')V~th
s4arp• p9jnts, SO thp.t nO quadrUJ~ed enters. i or, .tr,avers·~s the' pJ:;tp~atjons. (fl;ie
oil .p'{ , m~mvna. is universally used, (~r .ligbts,' alifd . Jil~ght becQme· a-n abun~ant
bran~h of exportation. The wat~r-m~lon in few distrkt;s js ·large or good.
,The towns o'f tliis province are, . , "
Seregipe Propiha }
St. Amaro . Lagarto · in tbe westeJ:n part.
,. St. Luzia, in the eas~erx;t part. " Thomar
I
Itabaianna·
,; ' " •

Villa Nova .• ..
( .
 PE.OVI:NCE OF SE'REGIPE D''EL. REY. 351

·Séregipe, or St. Christovam, . capital of the pFovince; the ·i·esidence:• of :its

governor an.d ouvidor, a:m:d -hav,ing th~ ti.tle of a city, is weH· situated upon:an
elevation near · the river Paràmopama, which>is an arm : of th.e Vazabarris,
eighteen miles from the sea, but does not surpass. a towiiüi a státe·of medíoority..
lt nas a convent .of St. Ft~anciscans, another of·~ slippe'red Ca.rmelites, and. two
Terceira orders alitached t~ them ; a cbapel .o f1Our Lady of . Rozario, for' the
blacks ; another of Amparo, for the mulattoes ; a .'hm:~,.se · of::misericordia, a good
town nous.e, and- a larg·e bridge. Ali the public edincJ~S Cate 'o f .stone . .. It.has
füyil 'professors · o~ the primitives ' an.d Làtin, and- rail::iundaiD.ce of ·good wa:tet~.
The orange, mango, and banaBa ~ -trees grow in its: .viciriity.: -~uniacas come
up the ri ve; a:s fati a:s this.·place to · take -in sugar atid ~s-ome -côtton . . This city,
which was desb·oyed· 'by thé.' Dütçh on tlm . 2t)th ·;0f- ·Décember, 1637, eight
sagar works ' tllén· in · the pro vince sharing 1íhe same fate, had ,i:ts commen.ce~
ment upon the t Iéft 1nb.rgirr and twó · miJes above the embouchu:re ..of the
Cotindiba, where yet are the ruins of th·é church called St. Christova:m. It wa:s
rerrioved from then<;:e to a site between the river Poxim and tlle . Cotindiba,
sittiated at án equ.a l distance ·'frolh its nrst foundation and th.e plàc'e wher.e. it
now "shinds~ . - . '/ . .
'' St. Am'aro, so c3:l'led fron1 the patron tif its mother church, ~s a smaU toiwn,
tliiÍ1J.y papnlated, arid wi~h't>t:l't 'commen·c.e, althoúgh wéll SÍtl!lated andJ CBjQying
sai ubrious air, about one mil e neÍ1h of thé confluence of the rivers Seregipe and
dotind'iba. · · ' · ·: .. · .· . _
in
Five miles ·w'est of it, the . aldeia of M'brnim, r the extremity of an arm.of
the Seregip'e, i's)llie"dep&>t' for··a· considê'tab'lé quanti:ty. of sugar cases, ·and has
a small már1{etFori Satmdays. ' . : · ._ I · ·
St. Luziá, · ~gree~bly si'tua:ted tipofi a h~iglit near 'the iiv~r· 6uararema, {uniting
itself eigbt 'mifes lo'wer wit;h the :Rio Real-,) ·is ihcon~idérable, h as a church
dedicated to the same saint, a chaper of~he :Lady Jof 'Roeario, anà exp'orts the
p~o~uctio~s of the surr'ouncling ~cotiÍltí.•y :· :~
Ten miles ' d'istant from it, ·1lhe,povoaçao of Estancia,' tlle -mo'st populous and
cbmmercial' of the 'whole pre-fince; withoút exmipting the·.capital~ is situated in.
a -p~aií~ updn the left · inargin· o.f 1illie ,!river: Piauhy, abounding with excellent
wâtel\ 'àné11tasa chapél of <õut Làdy of ·Gua-dalupe, another of Rozario, and
'a bHâgec'over'"the ~·iver. It•is·eighteen miJes from the ocean, ·and the sumacas
which élit'er by the 'bar of the Rio Reàl anchor in 'front a f it, and export various
articles' of merchandise.

\
 352 PROV,fNCE OF SEREGIPE D' EI" REY.

Itabaianna, situated in the vicinity of the ·serra of the same name, having a
church of St. Antonio, ·is a small town, and celebrated for the race of small
horses, bred in its extensive district, where cattle are also reared, as well as
yarious necessaries of life.
Villa Nova de St. Antonio is agreeably situated, upon an eminence refreshed
with fine breezes, upon the St. Francisco, on the opposite side, and two tniles
below Penedo. It has a good church, a royal professouship of Latiu, and iri
its vicinity quarries of grindstone. In its. district, which extends to the sea,
cattle are bred and various productions c~lltivated. Two parishes of lndians
are within its precincts, with the title of missions. ·(
Propiha, originally called Urubu de Baixo, cr~ated a town in 1800, is
twenty-five miles above the preceding, upon the margin of the same river,
between two lakes of great disproportion; the smaller, of a circuJar figure and
sixty fathoms in diameter, may hereafter be in the centre of the town, when it
has experienced that augmentation of which its advantageous situation renders
it so susceptible. 1t is near a valley opened by the diversifying hand of nature
across a plain, appearing more like a human operation, and.by which the river
at all times extends an arm to the centre of a campinha of more than eight miles
jn length, and of 'proportionate width, that .becomes a lar.ge a:Q.d .handsome
lake, abounding with fish during the period of the flqods. It has a market
every week, where its inhabitants provide themselves. with those. necessaljes
which the sterility of its environs denies them. The church, which was .formerly
a chapel of St. Antonio, besid~s being the only place of public wor~)lip in the
town, is very small and poor. The western limits of its district are the same
as those that bound the province. The principal revenue of the camara is the
product of the public sale of ·fish, :which enter periodieally into the t~mporary
lake, the mouth of the valley being h~rricadoe<l with mats of cane, to prevent
their return to the river with the receding waters.
'Vithin the district of this town is the parish of St. Pedro, situated up.on the
margin of the St. Francisco, in a :flat country, and which becomes an island
immeuiately the river begins to swell. lt consists of eighty families, almost
generally Indians, · for whom it was exclusively founded. The colony is com;
posed of two tribes. The Rornaris, who are the remains of the native ahorigines,
and the Ceococes, from the vicinity of tbe serra of Pao d' A.ssucar, (Sugar
J-'oaf,) fifteen miles distant from thê province of Pernambuco. · Even at the
prese~lt day, they are repugnant to the intermarriage of . one with the oth!iJl;.
 PROVINCE OF SEREGIPE D' EL 'REY. 353

The womenlabour daily in the manufacture of earthenware, which they dry or

complete on Saturclay evening, with a large fire upon a piece <;>f ground appro-
priated to the purpose. The husbands hunt, fish, or plant some mandioca,
according· as their caprice dictates, loitering about the greater part of their time,
and consuming in caclzassa (spirit) the main pórtion of the product of the
1abour of their industrious wives. In the vicinity of this. parish were found, a
few years ago, bones of a vast size; the species of animal which afforded them
are extinct.
Lagarto, situated in a plain .seventy miles to the we§!t of the capital, is a
middling town, and famous for its quarry of flint stone. It has a church dedi-
cated to Our Lady of Piedade, (Piety.) In its environs are raised cattle, cot-
ton, mandioca, &c. ; and in its district is the famous Campo of Creoilo, eight
miles in extent, affording pasturage for numerous herds of cattle, and where
are many emu-ostriches and seriemas, with other birds.
Thomar, antecedently Geru, well situated in a flat district, an~ enjoying a
salubrious atmosphere, with good water, has a handsome church dedicated to
Nossa Senhora do · Socorro, which belong·ed to the Jesuits. lt is five miles
from the Rio Real; and the inhabitants, .principally Indians, cultivate cotton,
legumes, and mandioca. They always select a white man a~d an Indian for
judges.
The distinguished and c~nsiderable arraial of Laranjeiras, (Orange Groves,)
most advantageously situated upon the left bank of the river Cotindiba, and
eight miles above its confluence with tlie Seregipe, is not yet a parish, but in
time it most probahly will become one of the principal towns of the province.
Large sumacas visit it for cargoes of sugar, cotton, hides, and legumes.
In the district of the town of St. Amal'O, about ,eig·ht miles to the north of it,
is the arraial of Nossa Senhora. of Rozario, which derived its name from a
chapel of this nam.e, agreeably situated near the small river Ciriri, tl'aversed by
a road conducting· to the port of Moruim, ,anel which is one of t~e most fre-
1
quented in the country.
Besides the parochials of the towns mentioned, there are only three parishes :
Our Lady of Socorro, (Succour,) filial of the capital ; Om· Lady of Campos
do Rio Real, filial of the town of Lagarto; and St. Gonçalo do Pe do
Banco.
Upon the coast of this province there are no capes, islands, or. ports,
excepting 'those within the rivers, the bars of which are g·enerally more or
zz
 PROVlNCE OF SEREGIPE D' EL REY.

less dangerous, anel afford passage only to surnacas. The men are of all
complexions. The Mesticos are the most robust: of this class was Christovam
de Mendonca, who, at the end of the year 1806, when he had completed
bis one hundred and twenty-eighth year, still exercising the business of a
potter in the aldeia of Aracaju, near the mouth of the river Cotindiba,
gave a relation of the revolt alluded to at the commencement of this chapter,
anel died two years afterwards.
 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO. 355

CHAP. XVII.

PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

Voyage from Rio de Janeim-Fi1·st Donatories-Talcen by tlte Dutclt-Resto-

ration-Reversion to tlte Cmwn-Indians-Boundaries-Mountains- Colony
of Neg1·oes- Mineralogy-Zoology-P ltytology-Rive1·s-Islands-Corna·rcas
cif Ollinda, Récife, Alagoas-Povo.açoes-Ouvidm·ia of the Certam of Pernam,-
buco-Rivers-T,owns-Recife, or Pernam,buco-Ollinda-Matttdos-State of
Societ,y-Apatlty-Envimns-Revolution in 1817-Military Government-
Adoptio?~ qf a New Constitution-Holidays-Pmduee-Inspection-Sugar
Engenlw-· Cont1·ibution Fund- Populat·i on- F1·ibou115· H ouse.

ÜN the 14th of November, I proceeded on board the brig Columbine, Captain

Thomson, lying in the bay of Rio de Janeiro, for the purpose of visiting Pernam-
buc~. A .contrary wind prevented our departure for five days. Tbe party on
board consisted of Colonel Cotteí·, bis lady and children, Captain Rezende,
and Mons. Garay. By way of rendering our detention less tedious, we made
two ~r three excursions to the easterri side of thé bay. Otir first visit was to
the small rocky islarid. with the church of Boa Viagem situated on its sümmit.
W e were denied access, from the orders of government, that strangers were not
to bé admitted up the steep, in conseqnence of a new fort then erecting upon it.
We were therefore excluded from the blessing usnally granted at this church to
persons upon the point of undertaking· a voyage. It wás formerly the general
custom, and is at present not uncommon, for navigators and others previously
to embarking upon the ocean, to present offerings here, receiving in J'etmn
the prayers of the padre for a good voyage; and hence the place is callerl
Boa Viagem.
The boat proceeded ronncl this island into tbe bay of Jnrufuba, for the pnr-
pof?e of obtaining an additional supply of water. W e walked round the back
of the hills tbat edge this bay to the fountain, where the water-,càsks were
filled. Ütn· road led by a delightful pathway emb.owered by verdant trees inter-
mix efl with orange, banana, and other fruits.' Here and there a house of good
z z2
35G PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

externai appearance was seen, and cultivation appeared to be making some pro-
gress. W e purchased a rich supply of fruits from a widow whose shacara was
well stored, and her daughter gratuitously presenteei us with large bouquets of
ílowers, whose aromatic scents were gratefully dÜfused ·in our cabin for some
days. In the common apartment of the widow's d welling, secluded in a pro-
fusion of trees, was the figure of our Saviour, enclosed in a ~ase witli opened
doors, illumined by a lighted tapei'.
Our next excursion was to a small opening between two headlands, not far
from the fort of St. Cruz, containing a solitary white cottage, exhibiting much
neatness at a distance: we soon, however, discovered that, like mostBrazilian
residences, its externai appearance was not a proof of its internai comfort.
There was only one pathway, conducting from this little praya, up a steep
rocky mountain, on the summit of which we found a grey-headed old man,
seated, with his black boy, and enjoying the varied scenery around. He said,
that he frequently carne from the city across the bay in a canoe to this retired
situation. W e descended the opposite si de of the mountain, by a narrow anel
damp avenue, obscured by the meeting of rocks high above our heads, on
emerging from which we found our progTess stopped by two distinct precipices
of granite ; it was necessary to cross the first in an oblique direction to arrive
at the seçond, an unlucky slip from which would have precipitated the passenger
one hundred feet into the sea. W e observed a rope hanging o ver its side, but
could not imagine that it was the only descent into the valley below, until we
returned to the old man, who informed us that there was no other way, anel
sent bis boy to show us the mode of descending: with both hands he laid hold
of the rope, which was imperfectly secured to a bush, anel traversed the first pre-
cipice, stepping backwards anel aJlowing the rope gradually to pass through his
hands. An-ived at the second precipice, which was to be descended perpen-
dicularly, he took hold firmly of a stronger ·rope, attached to a h.inging
tree, growing out of the interstices of the two rocks ; -h e proceeded back-
wards, moving one foot after the other, horizontally placed against the side of
the precipice, till he reached the bottom. Colonel Cotter, Captain Thomson,
a nd myself, took off onr shoes and proceeded in the same way, but the Colonel
declined accompanyin.g us further than tbe first precipice, in consequence of a
wound received in his hand at the battle of Victoria. The valley we .found to
be thinly planted with mandioca, which, with a few solitary blacks and some
miset:able huts, was ali that it presented to our observation. W e ascended the
precipices by placing ourselves in the same posture in which we had descended,
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 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO. 357

·a nd the:n returned with the rest of the party ,.who were waiting for us, to the vess.el,
our surprise being mutually excited at the extraordinary and intricate mode of
communication between the two prayinhas. Whilst we lay at anchor, four
Russian frigates entered the bay, in very fine oreler, anel took their stations not
far ti·om the British s~ips of war, the Superb anel Vengeur, then in the bay. The
Russian frigates were proceeeling upon a voyag·e of discovery to the South Seas.
On our departnre from the bay of Rio de Janeiro we had a favourable breeze, anel
in fiv:e days were iri the latitude of Bahia, having· run upwards of ten degrees of
..
latitude, and seven of longitude. The wind now became adverse; but in fi.ve
days afterwards we passed Cabo Calor, Rio Real, anel Seregipe d' el Rey, anel on
the following day were close in with land, northwa1·d of the St. Francisco. The
coast was :flat and covered· with woods, a few huts being all that we could
occasionally discover.
The cnrrents we found setting in towards th~ coast much stronger anel to a
more considerable degree, than any of the charts extant account f-or. In the
course of the 3d of December we indistinctly perceived some catamarans near
the beach, and at dusk discovereel Cape St. Augustine, atfording us the hope of
reaching Pernambuco next morning. At day-break on the 4th~ ,C ap·e St. Augus-
tine, Pernambuco, an.d Ollinda, were in view, with the lanel ofthe Cape elevated
and jutting out into the sea, but prese:nting nothing remarkable. The coast near
Pernambuco is flat, except some elevations in the distant back ground, anel
Ollinda situated upon an accumulation of rising eminences. On viewing it we
could not but acquiesce in the exclamation of the first donatory of this province,
" O que linda situacam pq,ra fundar ltuma villa."'i(, The whole country from the
sea appeared richly wooded anel interspersed with the cocoa-nut tree, and im-
pressed the idea of fertility anel cu1tivation. The jangadas, or catamarans, now
passed near us on ali sides, wíth their triangular sails, prod ucing no incon-
sielet·able surprise amongst the whole party. They are constructeel of eight,
ten, anel some of twelve trunks of the buoyant jangada tree, rudely secureel
together by wooelen bolts .passing· horizontally through the wh.ole,_anel with
cross-bars at the top, attaching the rafts more firmly together. The trunks are
not of uniform length, anel, being almost hiel amongst the waves, would not be
discovered at a'l without ,the sail and the two men who navigate them. The
waves pass through the apertures between each trunk, anel the men are con-

* " Oh! what a beautifnl situation for fouuding a town.'' Hence its uame of O !linda.
358 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

stantly standing in water, one of whom steers with a large paddle passed in-·
discriminately between the ends of two of the 1·afts. Thus cotton anel suga1·
from the places upon the coast anel from the rivers are conveyed to the caiJital.
Voyag·es of several hundred miles . are performed by jangadas. An English
gentleman proceeded to sea in one of them from Parahiba to Pernambuco, ·a
small table was attached to tbe rafts upon which he slept, anel although the sea
is generally washing over them.they are never known to upset. Our voyage
had been an extreme1y pleasant one, anel each individual hád expressed the'
highest gratification not on1y at the rnutual good humour that had prevailed,
but the very great attention of the captain. The party frequently met on
shore afterwards, anel lreceived many civilities fr'om ·c olonel Cotter anel bis
lady during my stay at Pernambuco. The 'Colonel, before my departme, was
appointed to the command of the militia regiments formed by thé population of
the town. W e will defer speaking of the city o f Pernambuco, o r Recife, till
we have concluded the description of the province. ·
This province was presented as a captaincy, with less extent of territory than it
now contains, to Duartbe Coelho Pereyra, in reward for having repulsed thé
French from the river St. Cruz, re-establishing the factory which had been ue-
stroyed by them, anel renclering other important services to the Portuguese g;o-
vernment. The letter of donation was granted to him in 1534; anel ~n the fol-
lowing year he set sail from Portugal, accompanied by bis wife anel some
other families, who joinecl bim for the pnrpose of colonization.*
The small village of Hyguarassu, which had its origin about four years
before, was for some time the p1ace of bis residence, till Ollinda was begun,
which he rnade his capital soon after its foundation. He was engaged in con~ ,
tinued wars with the Calzetes, who were tbe former inhabitants of the country.
He clied in the year 1554, leaving his wife, D . Brittes d' Albuquerque, in trust
of the government of the captaincy till the arrival of bis· hereditary son Dnarthe
Coelho cl' Albuquerque, who was pursuing· his stuches in Portugal, and which
he left in 1560 by orders of Queen Catbarine, to protect the colony from the
danger wjth which it was threatened hy the revolt of. some tribes of Inclians
whom his father bad reducecl to obedience.

<íiSome \lvritcrs have stated that this Duartbc Coel ho Pereyra served as a military rnan in India; but
Duarthe Coelh o, of whose military exp loits there Barro_s anel farria both speak, had uot the surna me
of Pereyra. He died by the hands of the Moors of the i~land of S.umatra, aftet· having suffered
s uipwreck a·t thc moulh of the river Calapa, in 1527.
 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO. 359

The1 new donatory took with him bis brother Jorge d' Albuquerque Coelho,
and was accompanied by many friends and hired attendants. to his new settle-
ment, and had the promise of others to follow him for the purpóse of angment-
ing· the colony. He subjugated the whole nation of the Cahetes aud divideu
them into bordes; and after a residence of many years returned to Emope, in
, order to accompany D. Sebastiano in bis voyage to Afi·ica, leaving· his brother
.a dministrator of tl1e captaincy, which progressively improved un.d er bis ma-
nagement.
. In failure of mal e issue h e was sncceeded by his brother Jorge d' Albuquerque
Coelho, father of Duarthe d' Albuquerque Coell1o, who in the second year aftet:
the Dutch hacl possession of the captaincy arrived there with the Connt Ban-
holo, where he remained till the end of 1638, when he returned to Portugal.
During his residence he kept a diary of the first eigbt years of the war.''*
Duarthe d' Albuquerque Coelho had an only danghter, married to the Count
de Vimiozi D. Miguel de Portugal, but neither he nor bis heirs receivecl any
revenue from the captaincy, the dominion of which was disputed ; for King
Jolm IV. who hacl expended large sums in its restoràtion, finding that the
dona~ory had not forces sufficient to prevent the invasion of the enerriy, shou:ld
they make a second attempt, annexed the captaincy to the crown in the first
year. of its restoration. This the. donatory opposed, anel his heirs sustained an
o.pstinate suit at law for many years, obtaining various sentences.in their favour,
whicb. were always abrogated, till fin.ally they desisted from the contest, sur-
rendering whatever right they had to the province; and, in 1717, by the inter.:
vention and consent of John V. a convention was made between the Count de
Vimiozi D. Francisco de Portugal and the attorney-general, in which it was
agreecl that the Count should receive ia exc.hange for the· captai?CY the mar-
quisate of Vallenca for himself and bis son, the countship to pass to bis son and
g;randson, and eighty thousand crusades, to be paid f~om the revenues of the
province in ten years at equal payments.
The new colonists, who were sent to it immediately after the restoration of
the province, gave it a rapid improvement. The Indians livi:ng towards the in-

'" The Dutch armament, commanded by Admira] Hervey Zonk, cousistiug of sixty-four vessels, of
val'ious sizes, au<l eight thousand ~en, ]auded, on the 15th of February, 1630, on the beach of Pau
Amarel'lo, three leagues north of OHinda, by the direction of J udea Antonio Dias, . who had residccl
many years in the country anel acquired a large fortune, with which he established himselfat Amster-
dam. In 1654 the Dutch evacuated the captaincy.
360 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

terior, the principal of whom were Tupinambas, and divided into numerous
tribes, were by degrees surrendering the counti·y and allying tbemselves to tbe
conquerors, or retiring to the western districts. Tbe latter were reduced about
the years 1802 and 1803.
Tbese Indians were divided into four nations, who have always exhibited ~he
most irreconcileable batred to each other, and to tbis day preserve tbeir ancient
animosity undiminished. They were clistinguished by the appellations of
Pipipan, Cltoco, Uman, and Vouvé. The language of each differed in idiom,
but the general resemblance l;>etween them. .sufficiently demonstrated that they
sprung from the same origin. They occupied a wild and uncultivated tract of
country, of thirty square leagues, between the rivers 'Moxoto and Pajehu, near to
the serra of Ararippa, a country sterile and deficient in water. All are wandering
tribes, ignorant of any kind of agriculture, and support themselves on wild fruits,
honey, and garoe~ a hog, a deer, or a bird are all dressed with the hair,
feathers, and intestines. The arms of the men are a bow and arrow, and they
go perfectly naked. The women cover themselves· with a small and elastic net,
or with a deep fringe of thick thread much twisted, and made with considet·-
able ingenuity. They inter their dea~ in a bent posture, having no instnunents
to make a grave sufficiently large to admit of the body lying at fuU length.
They always bury under the most · shady tree, preferring the ambuzo, if it be
found near the spot. Of all savage nations they are perhaps the most remark-
able for conjugal fidelity; polygamy an'd adultet·y are unknowlil among them,
and the latter crime they abominate in their conquerors.
AJl these savages received baptism ; and, after being formed. into villages
and renderecl rather more civilized, they began to cultivate the most necessary
provisions of life, as mandioca, lndian corn, gourds, and vegetables. But,
notwithstanding their apparent improvement, they stiJl retained their wild and
savage propensities for hun:ting and general depredation : e~rly accust0me€1 to
live on plunder, they conceived they had a natural right to. the pr<i)perty of each
other, and they frequently drove off and appropriated the sheep and oxen of
the neigbbouring farmers. Independently of these savag·e propensities to a wild
and predatory life, their religious instructors gave them a very go~d character
for innocence of general manners, in which they were said to resemble the
primi tive Christians.
T hcy suppose, from the above circumstances, that the present race of
these lndians are descendants of some · who, after having settled in tbe
villages and become Christians, had again returned to their native wilds; and,
 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO. 361

a
from rooted propensity, which no art could remove, preferred the savage to
the civilized state. Indeed, the opinion is supported by a fact, already alleged
in this work, as well as by recent occurrences, in which individuais who have
been civilized, on entering their native wilds, have again adopted their former
I ,
rude habits.
This province of Pernambuco, which had formerly the title of countship, is
bounded on the north by the provinces of Par.ahiba, Siara, ·and Piauhy:; on the
south by the river St. Francisco, which separates it from Seregipe and Bahia,
and by the Carinhenha, which divides it from ·Minas Geraes; on the west by
the province of Goyaz; and on the east by the ocean, with seventy leagues of
coast from the river St. Francisco to the river Goyanna.
The river Pajehu, which rises in the serra of the Cayriris, and empties itself
into the St. Francisco thirty leagues above the fall of Paulo Affonso, divides
it into two parts-eastern and western; the latter forming an ouvidoria, which
comprehends a great portion of the eastern, the sea-coast of which is divided
into three comarcas, N orthern or O linda, Central or Recife, Southern o r the
Alagoas, whose common limits are in the vicinity of Rio Una, which enters the
sea forty miles south of Cape St. Augustine. ·
This province lies between 7° and 15° sot;tth latitude, having a warm climate
and pure air. The lands upon the whole extent of the sea-coast are low, witb .
considerable portions of fruitful soil, and although it has many rivers, which are
perennial and abundant, yet the inhabitants in many parts suffer from want of
water. In the interior of the province the face of the country is very-·unequal,
being in some places mountainous, and very deficient in water, and that which
is met with, besides belng extremely sçarce, is never pure, being of the colour
of milk, and drawn from wells where all kinds of animais go to drink, or else
from pits dug in the sand. • From the town of Penedo to the bar of Rio Grande,
which travellers by the windings of the ri ver compute at five hundFed miles, there
does not run .towards the ri ver St. Francisco a single stream in the dry season. .
MouNTAINs.-The serra of Borborema, which is the most majestic in the
Brazil, has its commencement near the sea, in the province of Rio Grande, and,
after having b:aversed that of Parahiba from north-east to south-west, turns to
the. west, separating the western part of Pernambuco from the preceding, and
from Siara for a considerable space. I t then inclines to the-north, di viding tbe
last from the province of Piauhy, varying frequently in altitude and name to
its termination, where it is denominated Hibiapaba, in view of the coast between
the rivers Camucim and Paranahiba. In some parts ít is rocky, in others ba1!e
3A
 362 PROVlNCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

and barren, but the principal .part is coViered with beautiful woods, nourished
by strong ancl. fertile soils. In some places it ih.as two or three leagu~s of
luxuriant herbage o\l.il its summii.
The mount3Jin A:raripe, which is a portioJ.il of it, CúfliHiBalilds a view of the
river St. Francjsco, at a distance of more than thirty leagues. In Hlis moun-
tain the rivers Jaguariba and P~r31nhas have their origin, and run to ,t;JJ;re 'lil!orth.
It also gives hirth to the rivers Parahi!J»a and Capibaribe, which. fl@w eastwlllird,
aw<i.l likewise to the Moxoto arrcl. the Pajehu, which direct thej•r C(i)urse to the
sou1íh.
Ãbout •seven leagues distant fr@m t"he fa11 of Paula Aff@nso, in tlíle parish @Í
m
Tarcaratu, is the mountain of Agt!l.a-Branca, with its mt!l.merou:s braJmches, great
Jl>art coveveà with wild an.d luxuriant woeds. I-lere is a chapel of Our iLaJdy of
Conceiça10, and many families of different shades of comipl•exion, equally if ~ot
more barbarous than íhe ancient possessors ,@f the coumtry.
In the vioinity of the river Pajelm, about fifteen leag~t!les from tbait wh·i€1~
absorbs it, is tJhe serra N egTa, whicb is about ·a le~lile long, and ·p rop0dionaibly
wid~, and c0vered with thick w0o<ils, -that are •(i)ften V•Í@}ently 'agit3Jteel by strong
winds. N ear it is the si te of J aca1•e, where the Ohoc o lndians :li>VJed foT !Some
time; but since the~ have •been s'lllbjpgaJted, like their neighl:uDm:s, tbelle is llittle
tnention made of 1ihem.
At a short distan.ce from tbe sourde of the river Una, is tlbe 1s·errar Garanhuns.
It is covered. with woods, where they are 1introducing p1J.an.tlll!tioms of cottom,
lndian (cm·n, mandioca, v;egetables, amd fruits. From 1lhllis mot!l.lilltiain descen.d
many cle3;r streams of .WaJter, which vanish .o n entering the sam.d~ p>lains that
encompass it 1:5elow. Among other useful 1plants may 1he remarked the .termi-
nalia, or styrax of Linnreus, which produoes the gum-resinous «iJIJ!ug ·called
benzoin.
The serra · of Russas, two leagues long, and of small W•itll'th, is situate61 about
sixteen.leagues distant.from the Recife, in <the road ~vhich leads towards •the
certam df ·the ri ver St. -Francisco.
The serra Se11ada is four leagues to ·tl1e south-west of Cape St'. Augustine, and
little more '*han ltwo fr0m ·the sea; amd, although ' of trifiing heig·ht, is the best
land-mârk for sailors in th~se Jatitudes.
Four leagues to the north-west o,f, Canin<}e, an insignificant and ill-situated
village, on the left ·bank io~ the St. ·Francisco, is the sena ,of ·olho d' Agua, witla
a ci11cuit of ·two leagues, ana of considerable heig·ht. .ÀFrom ·its summit is dis-
c.o vered a vast chain of inferior mountains ·On ali ·sides, and at a distance of
 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO. 363

about six Ieagues to the west-north-we~t is s~~l\ a qol!}ml) of :VilP.Plll' rising from
the cataract of Paulo Affonso, similar to the srp.ok~ of a çon:flagr~tio:q.. formerly
this motmtain abounded with numerous tjgers, in conseq~1ence o.f the multit!lde
of caverns within the jetting rocks aJld frQwning crags tbat cQmpo13e it. Even
at present they are the retreats of a formidable species of bat, whiçh proves
very destructive to cattle.
The serra of Priaca is about eight .leagues to the north-west of the town of
Penedo. That of Pao cl' Assucar is within sig_h t .o f the (orm~r, an<! near the
rÍl'er St. Francisco. On the southern skirts of the s~rr~ of Pao d' Assucmr
there is .a lake, where bones of an ehormo.us size have be.en found; and on its
northern side ther.e is a m0st terrinc cav.ern.
The serra of Poco, situated fifteen leagliles distant from the last, towards the
interior of the province, is covered with wo@ds wher.e trees of the finest timber
are produced, some of whose trlilJ.ílks .exude precious r.esins, an.d Gily or balsamic
liq_uors, while the ho1low trunks Gf.ot~ers serve for the hiv.es of various kinds of
bees. ·
CGmenaty is 0ne of the largest mountains in the interior. lt abounds with ex-
tensive woods in many parts, where th,e lndiaJns an.d other inhabitants of the
parish of Aguas Bellas have introduced large plam:tations of ,e etton and man-
diGca. ·
The serra of Barriga is about four ieagues distant'from the town of Anaclia,
and twenty from the sea, and is subject to frequent .thunder-storms. The occa-
si(Jmal and loud noises from ~ts cavities terrify the people of the €Írcumjacent
country, and indi:cate that it has minerais. .On its extreme skirts was the fatal
band of Africans, called the Quilombo dos Pa'lmaJres, comme.nced by three
hundred and .forty negroes of Guinea, on the occasion of the Dutch clisemhark-
,ing at Pernambuf!o. Tbey were joined by many others from the neighbouring
·provinees, ~and ~fo1mded the aiJJ,ove village, which took th~ name of P.alm~res
from the number of palm trees which .th.e neg-ro.es had p"lanted 3(round it. The
V<illage, which WaS more than a league Ín ex:tent, WaS ,€)11CQ)IDpassed by a ,square,
consieting of two orders or rows of {mclosures <Of palisadoes, formed of large
·high tt·tmks.9f the strongest and mQ)st dur31ble woocl the oountry afforded. At
.eq1:1a.l distances w~re three stvong doors, each having its platform above, and
rdefen.ded ·by two ·hundred men in times of assault; the whole Jl.a:p.ked by
vanious bubvarks of the same fabric as the wàlls. Its population amounted to
twenty thousand, one-h.alf of whom ·were capable of taking up arms. They
had established an elective and monarchical forro of government. The chief
3A2
364 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

was entitled Zumbe, and had his palace more distínguished than the houses of
his vassals, which were erected according to the African mode. The most
valorous and wise wete always. selected for this important office. Besides the
superior, · they had subordinate office1•s for the administration of justice, which
was punetually executed against adulterers, homicides, and thieves.
The slaves who voluntarily carne and associated with them had their liberty
immediately granted, but those taken by force rémained captives. The first in-
curred the penalty of death if they fled and were taken, a punishment which
deserters from the latter dass did not experience. lndependently of a slight
covering the whole were in a state of nudity, except the superiors, who wore
such clothes for dresses as the neighbouring people of Quilombo sold to them,
together with arms and ammunition, in exchange for provisions. Those only
who had been baptized assumed the name of Christians.
Within the square was a vast basin or tank of soft water, well stored with
fish~ and a high rock, which served them for a watch-tower, from whence they
could discover the country ali round to a great extent, and could observe .the
approach of the enemy. The suburbs were covered with plantations of m:ices-
sary provisions, to protect whieh there were various hamlets, called mocambos,
governed by veteran soldiers.
lt is extraordinary that this colony gave mnch anxiety to the crown, existed
for tbe space of sixty years, and cost much labour to an .army of eight thousand
men for many months to accomplish its extinction in 1697.
MI.NERALOGY.-Gold, amianthus, stone for water-filters, limestone and grind-
stone, te1Ta de co1·es, a sort of plaster for figures, also two or three species of
rude marb] e, and potters' earth.
ZooLOG Y.-All the domestic animaJs of Spain are bred here. Goats and
sheep are less profitable than in the country in which they are natives. The
woods abound with ali the species of wild animais described in the preceding
provinces, exeepting the wild dog, in place of which there is the ferret. The.
hedge-hog has here the name of quandu. The guariba, a species of monkey
o-enerally
~ . of -a red colour' from the river St. Francisco towards the south, is
black in this province, and its skin on this account is more esteemed. The
·tc~tubola, or armadillo~ ànd the land-tortoise are numet·ous, :;ts well as the moco,
in rocks and stony grounds. Rabbits are very rare. In the open country are
the emu-ostrich and the sm·iema. In the laket? are the colltereim, jab~ru, goose,
grey and white heron, wi]d duck, soco, macarico, water hen. In the woads
and plains are the jacu, mutun, zabele, enapupe, racuan, amm, pan·ot, the unt
 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO. 365

which is a species o:fi small partridge, going always in bands and upon the
ground. The bird here called 1·ouxinol, or the nightingale, is very different in
its song and plumage from that of Europe. · The araponga pours its simple and
tender song from the summit of the highest trees. The white-winged dove
ahvays avoids strange birds, like other species of its kind. Various sorts of
kites and hawks make war upon the other birds. The jacurutu, which is of a
J.arge size, has two great horns . of feathers, and kills the largest snakes with
eaution and much dexterity in order to avoid being stung by th.em. In almost
aU the rivers there are otters, and no lake is without the alligator.
Ps;YTOLO.GY.-The. cedar, bow-w'ood, vinhatica, of various colours, the yel-
low and dark a~·e the most esteemed ; the conduru, which is red ; barabu, male
and female, more m· less of a violet or purple colour ; pau santo, waved with
violet ; sucupira and bmh-una, both of a blackish colour. The sapucaya affords
good masts of a small size, and its towy rind is used by the caulkers. The red
camacary, pau d'alho, maçarandub.a, angico, coraçao de negro, the p~th or heart
of which is black and hard: there are many others of fine timber for building.
The Brazil wood comes thirty leagues from the interior of the country ; here is
also the cassia, the caraltiba, whose Hower is yellow and rather large, consti-
tuting delicious food for the deer. This animal, generally feeding beneath the
tree upon them, thus becomes an easy prey to the hunter. Amongst the fruit
trees and 8hrubs of the :woods are the ambuzo, the cajue, the araçaza, thejabu-
·ticaba, the mandupussa, the fruít pf which is yeUew and grows also round the
trunk, lilte the preceding; the m'U1_'icy; the cOJmbul~y is a large tree and its
fmit about the size of a sour cherry, either red or purple ; the piky affords a
fruit, from the stone of which is extracted a kind of hard tallow that is used
for making imitation candles; the issica1·iba, which produces gum-mastick,
ipecacuanha, and some species of inferior quina, or J esuit's bark, to which they
give this name ; the real one is to be found in the serra Cayriris. The maçanzeira
is common in some districts of tbis province, where it has the imprope~· name
of mu1·ta.
The comarca of the Alagoas produces great abundance of the best timber in
the province ; there the canoes are made in which the St. Francisco is navigated.
Cocoa-nut tree groves abound in the ·vicinity of the seà. The mamona is care-
fully cultivated in some districts: and its oil atfords an article of . exportation.
The opunaia, or palmatoria, is her_e very common ;. and the cachineal insect
might be cultivated with advantage.
The .c otton tree and sugar cane are the ·principal branches of agriculture, and
 366 PROVINCB OF PERNAMlnJOO.

tbeir productións ai'é lhe most lucrative. The desire every where of the gain '
which these two artid~'S ;affórd~ unwisely prevents the cultivatioti of provisions of
the first necessity in suflicieht quantity for the su.bsistence of the population. The
flodi· of mandioca is generally scarce and dea1·, ai·i'§ing in part .fwm the lands in
the vicinity bf the sea (which alorte ãte ferttle) 'havh1g bt3Ém given in such liberal
poÍ'tions ; so that at the present day they are unde1· the dominiún of so féw
pêh;ohs that it is calculated that for every two _huhdred families there are only
eigllt or ten proprietors, or senhores· 'd ' engenho, and who generally p~rmit theit
tenants only to plant the cané. Tire jangada, a peculiar treé, and o·n e of the
in
ní<>st useful tbe provincê, bas a thmk eoimnonly sttaight and scatcely ever
atíai:ning a 'thicknes§ thât a màít cánnot enco'mpass with his arms: it is <exwem:ety
porous and light. The tru-hks attached, as al'ready described, constitute thre only
s\:nall craft 'Of the country ; fishermeil praceed with them to sea tmt of siglM; of
Jánd, and travelters ttanspórt thémselves,, with their moveables, fh~m @1\e port
to another. lt is necessary t@ d'rag them on the beach at the 'end -0f ~ach
voyage :t o dry, in order that the wo·oeJ. may not decay so qnickly. 'll'hê trees
which produce the oU ·-or cupahyba are mét with ih ali th'e 'Woods ; also thtise
which prúdtl:ce 1h'e g.fum-copal, the drug benzoin, ·a nd the sweet gum .-·storax.
The látter is ikel'e called tlhe balsam tree ; and the hon:~y which .tlie ib-ees m'ake
from 'the sweets of its flowe'r ha:s the smell àf o'ianamon. Amongst otlrer exotic
trees w'hicli hàve been fiaturali7led the precious sandal tree, it is áffilfmed, would
·prosper here ahnost as ·weJll as in the island of Timor, anel wo'llllrcl sa:ve to the
state many arrobas 0f go'lel anRually expeRded in bringing it from lnd'ia.
The people ef the cert.am catch ·large quantities 10f turtle arrd riiJlg ·do:ves with
the mariicobafbrava, an i:nfustcm of whic.h is put into vessels ;:hatf buried Üi1 .t he
sa:nd, in those plaêes whei'e some Ii'ttle ~ater remains after the streams are
dried up, and to whic'h those biréls are attracted for the purpose 0f drink!ing.
On ta1cing the infusion, if they do not immediately votnit, tbey cann·o t ggain
take wing, 'but Ejuickly begin to trembÍe, and expire 'in a tew maments.
RIVERs.-The most considerable are in the western part of the ·pr@';vÍnce;
but we shall défer speaking of them till we come to fiRish the flescl'iption of
the river St. i"rancisco, into which they discharge themsel'ves. .
The principal ones in the ,eastern part o f the ·provirtce a-re the Capiba1·ihe, the
Ipojuca, ihe Una, the Tracunhaen, or Goyanna, and the Sérenhen. ·
The Capibaribe, or river of the Capibaras,* has its origin in •the 'district of

• A capibara, the animal from which this river takes its uame, is now in Exeter Change.
 PROYINCE OtF PERNA,L\1BlJCO. .:l67
Cayrhis Velh@s, about fifty.leaguefo distaatt fro111 tl;te sea. It~ .sowce is brac~isl;,. ;
the cihannel very st(my, w~th ma,.Ilf falls, and ~avigable only for about eight .
llliles. It is cl,ischarged by two . mouths, o~e· witb;i;n th.e R~cife, and the other
near·1iomr milles to the sout~, at tla.e a11raial of Atfog,Çt.dos, wh~re there is a woÇ>de~
'b:rJdg1e two hundred aiul si~ty paees iv length. Topacora an.<;l Goyta are it~
pd neipall c(i)nfluents, both of which join it l,ly the right bank, wif.h .a n int~rya)
of four or fi ve miles. The latter run.s from a la~~. denominated ~ago~
GnaJJLde.. .
1Jhe lp.Qjuca rises in the Ca:yriris Velh€>s, nea,r the Cap.~fuarib.e, an~ runs
tbr.@mgh countr.i'es ap.propriated ·to the ~ultur~ .€If cotton and s~gar, wthich
produc.tions have ~.ee.m. eK~tremely ad·vantageous to t4e ag!l·iculturist. It disem-
b0gtmes 1b.etween. Cap.e S.t. A.ugusÜJíle ·and the island .of St. Alei~<?• for@nj a port
for the srriall vessels by which it ~s if;requent~d.
The Ser,enhen, whid.t. i-s .considerable and advantageou.s tt? ·th~ cultivl}tor,
empties itself ·311mo~St in front of the isle of St. Alei~o. Oae of i~ largest .~pn,.
fl:uents is the Ceribo, ~hich :meets it @n the left bank, not ;f~r t:rop~ the seª.
~he liRa •c.omes ÍD@•J!Iíl the district of Garaahun.s, with a com·se of 1n~.arly forty
}eag\leS, and Ín t~e iVIÍ.'CÍilÍ:tf ofthe @C€3/El. reoeives 011. the.right the Jacuipe, whic}l
ia inferio·r, ancil runs i11to the .sea d111ough larg;e w,oQ.ils.· Both .serv:e for th.e con-
v.e.y:-ance •of t1Mber, ·t'laat is laden in.;thf3 port at its mouth, ;wpi,ch .is ab_ol;lt ~~v.e:n
leagues to the .south-w1est :o f the ieland of St. Al~ixo. .
The Goy,anna, wbich is ·handsome .;:md considerab.le, runs into the ,sea Din~
miles to the norn:h of Ita:maraca, het.ween tb~ point of ·Ped1:~s and th~ Cocoa-
T11ee Point. lt .takes this name at the coirftuence of the ':EracullhaeP,, which
has a cons!derable course, wiih the Capibari-midm, much Í:l;tferior, about ,thr.ee
leagtues fr(i)m t he sea, to which place sroàcks 31nQ. small craf~ ascend! 'rhe
water of the first is only good at the source.
The 0:tlher rivers up,<'>n. th~ c@ast are the Cu,1~urippe, which disçharges it,self
twentiY-eight .miles north~east ,of the St. Franoisc.G; -the St. Migue~, t.w~p,ty.Ji:ve
miles fu~ther ·; the Alagoas, s~@ called from bei:qg •the mouth QÍ· t.w.o \arge lakes;
th:e St. Antonio Mir~m ; the St. Antonio Grançle ; th.e Cammaragibe ; th.e .M&P.-
~uà,pe',; the Rio .Grande; th:e Formo~?; the ~aracahffipe, whicl.1 .r uns ·intp the
sea 1between the Serenhen and the Ipojuca; ~h e J aboatao, which receiv.es ~ear
the . .coast the Parapamba by 1the rjght bank; their common ,_mouth being .desi~­
nated Barra da Jangada, and is two leagues to the north of Cape S.t. ..ç\ugus,.
tine ,; the J g.uarassu, íWhich disc.harges it~elf with considerable ;w.id,t}l fiv.e.. or six
leagues north of Olinda, and is Jormed by s~veral small ,riv.e~,;s, that .'!ll;~it~
368 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

about seven miles from the ocean. Ali these rivers admit of the entrance of
boats and small vessels. The Moxoto, after a considerable course, empties
itself eigl).t miles above the fall of Paulo Affonso. lt is only a current dlll'ing
the rainy season. The delicate mandin fish, which proceed up whilst i.t is full,
as soon as the river ceases to run, and the water begins to grow warm in the
wells, pines away, and soon dies. The Pajehu is only a current whilst the
thunder showers prevail.
PROMONTORIEs.-Cape St. Augustine, the only one upon the coast, .is the
most famous in the new world, and the most eastern land of South America, in
the latitude s" 20'. Here is a religious hospício of slippered Carmelites,- dedi-
cated to Onr Lady o f N azareth, which many captains formerly honoured with
a salute on passing. It has two forts, each of which defends a smal1 port,
where vessels of an inferior class can come to anchor.
hLANDS.-ltamaraca, for a considerable time called Cosmos, is three leagues
1ong from north to south, and one in the widest part; 1t is mountairious and
inhabited. Its principal place is the parish of Our Lady of Conceiçao, situated
on the southern side, about half a league above the mouth of the Iguarassu.
This was formerly a town, the prerogative of which was transferred to Goyanna,
whose senat.e goes annually to assist at the festival of its patroness. The
mangoes and grapes of this island are highly praised. There are also ,several ·
very fine salt-pits. The channel which separates it from the continent is narrow
and deep. At the northern entrance, called Catuama, there is commodious
anchorage for ships in front of the mouth of the river Massaranduba:.
The island of St. Aleixo, which is about four niiles ~n circuit, with portions
of ground appropriated to the production of various necessaries of life, is five
Ieagues to the south-west of Cape St. Augustine, and a mile distant from the
continent.
PoRTs.-No province has so great a number of ports, though the gene:rality
of them are only capable of receiving sinacks and small craft. · The principal
ones are the before-mentioned Catuama; the Recife, which will be described
jointly with the town of that name; the Tamandare, which is the best .of the
whole, in the forro of a bay within the riv.er so called. lt is securely defended
by a large fort, and capable o f' receiving a fleet, being four and fi ve fathoms
deep at the entrance, and six within. It lies ten leagues south-west of Cape
St. Augustine.
Jaragua and Pajussara are separated by a point which gives name to the first,.
where vessels anchor in the summer. The latter one can only be used in
 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO. 369

winter. They are two leagues nortt1-east of the river Alag·oas, and in them
people disembar,k to go to the town of this name, because. the river, which
formerly altorded passage for smacks, at present ~ill not !tdmit of canoes. .lt
is therefore necessary to go a league by land, and re-embark on the lake.
Cururippe is a beautiful bay, capable of receivi':lg larg·e ships. ·It is sheltered
by a reef, which breaks the fury of the sea. lt has two entrances; one to the
south and the other to the north ·; but the anchorag·e is not generally good. The
bay receives the river from which it derives the name. It is a deep and quiet
stream of black water, and navigable for canoes some leag·ues; the least depth
isat the nl.outb. Its banks are covered with mangroves, reeds, and divers.trees.
LAKEs.-The considerable lakes are the Jiquiba, five leagues long· and one
wide, brackish, containing fish, and is discharged twelve miles to the ·north-ea:st
ofCururippe; anel the Manguaba, ten leagues long and one at the greatest wjdth,
is salt, and abounds with fish. lt is divided by a straight into two portions, one
called Lagoa do Norte, the other Lag·oa do Sul, which is the large!3t. Its
cbannel of discbarge is the before-rnentioned river of the Alagoas, about ·a
cãnnoD:-shot across. Various small rivers here ernpty themselves. _· Its 'bank.s
are cultivated in parts ·; in others coveted with rnangoes. In its n«=:ighbourhÇ~od
are various sugár works, · the produce of wbich is transported, with cotton and
other articles, in large · canoes, to a. nortbern part of the lake, from whenGe
they are carried in carts for · the space of three m_iles to the . ports of
Jaragua and Pajussara, where the smacks are -laden with tJ1em for the Recife,
or Bahia.
The following are the tow_ris in the tbree comarcas into which this province is
divided.
COMARCAS • . TOWNS.
Ollinda*
Goyanna
OHinda . lgua~·assu
Pau d' Alho.
Limoeiro
(Recife
'Serenhen
R ecife
'St. Antonio
St. Antao.
'* O!linda, although the head of a comarca, being commonly considered, with Recife, to constitute
the city of Pernambuco, they will b~ described toget11er. ·
3 B·
370 .,.PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

COJ,lARCAS. .TOWNS.

,, Porto Calvo
Alagoas
Atalaya
Ana dia
Alagoas Maceyo
Porto de Pedras.
Poxim
Penedo.
Goyanna, situated in low ground between the rivers Capibari-mirim, which
washes it on the no.rth, anel Tracunhaen on the south, a little more than a league
above their confluence, is a large, populous, anclftourishing town, well supplied
with meat, fisb, and fruits. It has a .ch·ntch of OLU···Lady of RozaTio, a her-
mitage of the sam~ name, ·others of Ampar@, . Coneei.çao, an«ii the Senhor. dos
Martyrios, a house of misericordia, a convent of slippered Carmelites, a Mag,.
dalen, two bridges, and a Juiz de Fora; there is a roya:l professor of Latih.
It has a fair for cattle on Thursdays. .A large quantity of cotton is exported ~
the p:rincipal productions of the farmers of its extensive ·district, where there
are above twenty hermitages alÍnost ali with cl;tapels. lt is sixty miles north,.
west of Ollinda, anel fifteen frorn the sea. In HHO it had fom: thcmsand fotrr
hundred inhabitants, including -its district; but tbre town itself now c·ontains
near· fi've thousand.
Seven miles south of the mouth of tbe river Goyanna, and · near the· beach,
is the parish oí St. Lourenço de Tijucopabo, which is .augmenting. Thirty-five
miles west o.f Goyanna is the parish of St. Antonio de Tracunhaen, near to
this river : its inhabitants .cultívate cotton.
lguarassu is considerable, anel the most ancient town of the province. lt is
honoured with the title of loya1, anel h as a church dedicated to the companion
Saints of Cosme and Damiao, a house of misericordia, a convent of Francis-
cans, a Magdalen, four hermitages, anel is well supplied with fish, meat, and
fruits. It is five or six leagues north of Ollinda, and two from the sea, upon
the right bank of the river that g!ves.it the name, and which is formed 'by the
small rivers Ottinga, Pittanga, and Taype, that unite themselves above. There
is a bridge over it, and canoes arrive here with the tide, but srnacks remain
two miles lower down. Sugar anel cotton are the articles of exportation.
Two leagues nerth of Iguarassu, on the Goyanna road, is the considerable
villag·e of .Pasmado, inhabited by whites, in great part locksmiths. ·
 P·ROVINCE OF PERNAMBt,JCO. 371
P au d' Alho, sitHated upon the right bank of the Capibaribe, aud thir.ty~;five
miles from the capital, was created a town in 1.812, has a church dedicated
to the Holy Spirit, a hermitage of Our Lady ot Rozario, and a market every
eight days.
Limoeiro, also created a town in 1812, is ppon the margin of the Capibaribe;
about thirty miles above Pau d' Alho, and has ~ chúrch, dedicated to Our
Lady of Expectaçao, and a market J~very week. Cotton constitptes the wealtb
of its inhabitants. Whilst I remained at Pérn.ambuco, ~n English gentleman
pl'oceeded to this town for the purpose of establishing a lnachine for dressing
cotton, in which, · I understand, he has .been very .snccessful.
Serenhen, founded in 1627 with the name of Villa Formoza, situated on an
eminence ttpon the margin and seven miles above the mouth of the river from
which it borrows the name, is small, and has a church, dedicated to Ou:.;'
\ Lady of Conceiçao, two hermitages, , and a convent of Franciscans. Its
environs are remarkable for fertility, .abounding· with water and rich plantations
of cane.
St. Antonio, so called after the patron ofits church,-is nine miles north-west- óf
Cape St. Augustin, near the margin of the Parap~mba, and. has two hermitages,
one of St. Braz, the other of Our Lady of Rozario. If was erected into a
town, irt 1812.
St. Antao, situated near the small ri ver Tapacora, and · created .a· town in
1812, has a church dedicated to the same saint~ and. two chapels of Rozario
and Livramento, and a market ev.ery week. It produces much éotton.
Amongst other places and considerable parishes in this comarca, is to be
remarked the Ipojuca, upon the margin of the river from which it derives its
name, two leagues distant from the . sea, with a cburch of St. Migu~l, and a
convent of Franciscans.
Maribeca, with a church of N ossà Senhora of Rozario, .a hermitag.e of the
same nan1e, and another o.f Livrame11:to, is situated between the Recife.and
Cape St. Augastin, about three miles from the sea. Sugar is the produce of
both these places. .
Porto Calvo, a middling town with -some commerce, and a chur,ch of Ou1·
Lady of Aprezentaçao, is situated upon the margin of the river, from which it
takes the name, and twenty miJes from the sea. Bom Successo was its first
name; to its haven formerly smacks aTrived with the tide. It is the native
place of ·the mulatto Calabar,, who, passing o ver to the Dutch in 1632, was to
them a great acquisition, and to the Pernambucans a great injury ; until he was
3B2
372 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

d eliverêd to the ·latt'er, ·as a rewúd. for their ·services, in order that 'h e might
receive the · chastisement due to bis perfidy. At tbe . taking of this town, a
nephe'w of the Dntcb g·eneral, Co.nnt N assau lost his life, and the celebrated
Preto Henrique Dias part of an arm. The latter afterwards distingnished
bimself in the ba'ttle of the mountains of' Gararappes.
·. Alagoas, so called from having· its site upon a soutbern portion of the lake
Manguaba, created with the name of Magdalen, is considerahle, h.ead of the
comarca of its name, anel the ordinary residence of the ouvidor, who is also
inspector of the woods of the royal marine. lt has a church of Nossa Senhora
of Conceiçao, a convent of Franciscam:, auother of slipperecl Carmelites, two
orders of devout women, three chapels, with the titles of Amparo, Rozario,
and Bom Fim, and a royal professorship of Latin. At all times it is well sup-
plied with fish; and abounds in the jaca and orange tree. In the beginning of
last century was exported from the district of this town, two thousand five
bundred rolls of tobacco, of eight arrobas each, and of such g·ood quality,
that it was bought at fifty per cent. dearer than the same article fro.m Bahia.
Sugar is ·at the present dáy the riches of its inhabitants. A custom-J1ouse has
been recently establi.shed within its jurisdictio~, in consequence of the consi-
derabl e· increase in the commerce of this comarca.
Atalaya, six leagues distant from the preceding place, three by water, and
the rest by 'land, is in a fertile and wholésome country, possessing excellen't
water, and lía~ing a church of Nossa Senhora das B1;otas. Its neighbourhood
abounds with. ipecacuanha, and cotton is cultivated with the cornmon provisions
of the country. The numher of its inhabitants, inclnding those. of its district,
amount to nearly two thousand; part of them a1:e Caboclos,* white, anel with
more regular features than any other known tribç of lndians.
Anadia, a middling sized town, with a church of the Lady of Piety, is
fourteen leag·ues from 'Alagoas. Its inhabitants are lndians, Buropeans, whites
of the' country, and Mesticos, in m1.mber about ten thonsand, including· those
of the district; almost all are cultivators or purchasers of cotton, its principal
produce. By the same law, of 15th December, 1815, which gave to the tow~
of Penedo a Juiz de Fora, were created the towns of Maceyo anel Porto de
P edias.
Maceyo is a clismemberment of the Alagoas, having a district of more tban
seven leágues of coast,. computing from tbe river Alagoas to the St. Antonio

·., A Br~zi!lan term for 'the I~dian.

 PROVtNCE OF PERNAMBUCO. 373

Gt-ande. In tbis interval the following rivers run into the sea·:-The Doce,
which is shoú, and comes from a small lake ; the 'Paratiji, the St. Antonio
Mirim, and thé P'aripueira, w'bich receives the Cahuçu · orr the right, near its
mouth. Ma.ceyo is becoming' a place of sGme commerce, and will be the em~
porium of the "iráde of the éomarca of Ah.tgoas. One Eng·lisb establishment
a:lrea.dy exists here, anel slílipments are m.ade Clirect frmn henc~ to Great Britain.
An European first settling i~ any of the towns of Bra:zil, and particularly in
places of this class, makes a sacrifice of all the comforts common to well regu-
1ated society.
P01;to de Pedras is a dismemberment 'of Porto Calvo; its district embi·ace·s
nearJy nine leagues of C0ast, OCCUp.yillg· the Ínterval from the aforesaid l'ÍVer
St. Antonio Grande to the ·Mangua()e. The Cumuriji ·a.nd the Tatuarnubv
are the principal rivers that empty themselves upon its shores. The two la;t
towns have each two ordinary judg·es, anel one óf orphans ; three veradm·es, or
species of aldermen, a procurador ·of tbe council, a treasure1·, two clerks of 'tbê
market, an alcaide, with a scrivener of bis office, two public 'scriveners, judicial
arid notarial, the "fi1·st of which holds that office in the _council, also in the cus-
tonis, and is market clei.·k ; the second also belongs to t·he otfice of s·c rivener
ef the .o:rphans.
. P6xim, a sinall town upon the margin of the river of the same liame, which
enters the s~a thi·ee leagues to the north-east ·o f Clll'urippe, has a large bridge,
and a church dedicated to Our Lady of Madre de Deos. · It is two miJes from
t.he ocean, is well supplied with ·fish, anel h as in its elist:rict the new ~ anel . yet
small aldeia of Oúr Lady of Con,cei~ao, so called after th,e patrones.s ·or th~
cbapel which ornaments it; and where upon festival days are assembled -six
bun<.lrf'd families, dispersecl ar(!nmd its neig·hbourhood. I.t is situated near the
river Cnrurippe, four miles from the sea; anel its good port, wbere at pres·ent
is only laden some timber anel oil of the mam,ona, witb the fertility of the
interior territory, will contribute to render this a ·considerable place at some
future day. The land in the proximity of the shore is sandy, àncl ~vell aelapted
to tbe caj1w- 111 ~t tree, which, in a ·short time grows to a larg·e size, and its fruit
wonld furnish a branch of commerce.
Penedo, a considerable, populous, anel commercial town, is situated partly
in a plain along the hank of the . river St. Francisco, and occasionally sutfering
by its immdations, anel partly upon a heig·hf at the ex tremity of a range, which
is the firs t elevatecl land met with on tbe northern - marg·in, on ascending ·this
n ver. Besides the church dedicated "to Nossa Senhora of Rozario, there Is a
374. PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

hermitage with the same title ; another of the Lady of Corrente ; others of St.
Gonçalo d' A~arante, St. Gonçalo Garcia, and a convent of Franciscans,
whose ill appropriated grounds occupy a situation the best suited for the im-
provement of the povoaçao. lt has a royal Latin master, and a good house
for tbe ouvidor. The. houses were, till lately, miserable buildings of woqd ;
there are now marry of stone, with two or three stories,. having portais of a
species of grindstone. The ri ver is ,here near a mil e in width, and the highest
tide is three feet. The greatest height of the river, that c·a n be remembered;
I'eached twenty feet. _It is about.twenty-fi.ve miles from hence to the mouth of
the river. The confessional roll, which is a tolerably correct one, estimates
the population at eleven thousand five hundred and four, including that of the
district. By a law of the lõth of December, 1805, a Juiz de Fora was granted
to this town. _
About twenty-five miles higher up, on the margin o'f the St. ·Francisco, in a
delightful situation, is the parish of Collegio, wbose dwellers on1y amount to
ninety families, andare mostly Indians, of three different nations. The Acco~
nans who lived in the district of Logoa Comprida, a few miles higher up the
ri ver: the Carapotos, who inhabited tbe serra of Cuminaty : , and the Cayriris,
(

who dwelt in the vicinity of the serra which takes from them its name. The
main part oftbis colony wander about when not occu.pied in fishing, according
to the custom of their ancestors, through a country six miles along the river,
and three broad, which was given to them. for the purposes of agriculture. The
wives of these lazy poitroons work claily in making earthenware, seated on the
ground . They begin to make an earthen vessel by working the clay on a
banana leaf, placed upon their knees ; afterwards it is put upon a large dish,
with pulverized ashes, when it receives the form and last finish. Without any
assistance from the men, they procure and work up the clay, proceed to fetch
the wood in ord,er to set up large fires every Satmday night for hardening the
vessels made during the week. The church was a Jesuitical chapel, which
the district a]ready possessed.
In this comarca is the considerable arraial f)f St. Miguel, upon the margin
and seven leagues above the mouth of the ri-ver of the same name. It has a
church of Nossa Senhora of O, whose parishioners amount to fifteen hundred,
the main part dispersed. .
The western portion of the province is much more extensive than the pre-
ceding, but is very thinly inhabited, being a sterile and parched up country,
without other rains than those afforded by thunder showers. . In all parts,

r
 PROVINCE o ·F PERNAMBUCO. 375

however, are met 'vith portions of gi~Qu.nd mo:re or les::; fertile, which would
produce mandioca, lndian corn, feijao, h:ortulans, . cottons, fruits, and the
sugàr cane. Cattle are g·enerally bred in this vast district, and game abounds
in great vai·iety. 1t ""as included in the jurisdictio:m. o~ the ouvid~r of J~cobina
until 1810, when it became a comarca, receiving the interior portion of that of
Recife. It is at present called' the ouvidorship of the certam of PemambNco, the .
magistrate not having chosen tlie town f@r its head, by wbich it oug·ht to be desig- ·
nated. Cattle, hides, cotton; sa'lt, aond gold, are the articles of its exportation.
RIVERS.-The Rio Grande and tlle Correntes are the only considerable rivers.
The river St. Francisco, whose description we left off at the coRfluence of
the Carinhenha, only receives fr01:n thence to its entrance into t.he ocean,
fi'Ve streams of any impodance, nameiy, · the Rans, the Parimirim, the
Vet'de, on the right, the Correntes, one hundred miles below the first, ând the
Rio G1'ande, eme hni).dred and forty lower on the left, continuing from thence
riortbwaFd, 'vith many small windings, being· õf considera:ble widtb, anel ha.ving
many islands and some currents which do not impede navigation. Its marg·ins
are fiat, and in some parts so low, that ·at the immdations, they are submerg·ed
for more than ·seven míles; Below the coníluence of Rio Grande, its course bends
towards'the east, and then to th~ east-south-eas~, presetvil)g the same width for a
long way, to the aldeia of Vargem Redondà, where . the navigation terminates
from above, anel the lateral lands begin to rise. Its channel gradually becomes
narrower, and the cnrrent is rapidly impelled ·between blue anel black rocks,
to the sma11 aldeia of Caninde, (the boundaty of the na_vig·ation from the o~ean,)
whi~h is seventy miles below the otber. In this interval tbere are various lar.ge
falls, of \1\'hicÍ1 the most interesting; ~nd famous is that of Paulo . Affonso. 'Be-
tween the~e falls canoes navig·ate during the summer season. Through Caninde
it c-ontinues to l'llll between stony banks, thinly covered witb soil and an
impoverished vegetlation, being· o'n e hundred .fathoms in height, the width of
the river not exceeding a s]ing's throw for the distance of ten miles, to the
mouth of the J aca:re, where its elevatecl and rugged banks terminate. Its bed
ih this part is overspread with cleft reefs, ~ppearing like the relics of a majestic
·sluice or dock. ·
Three ]eagues below is the small island of Ferro; where the margins begin to
dim,inish in elevatiorí, and the river to augment in width, exhibiting· crowns· of
white sand, · the res-ort of the ash-colo.ured and white heron, anel where myriads
ofblack diving birds assemble; forming themselves like a net, they encircle
ihe fish in shoal places, not infested by the clreadecl pi·ra.nlta fish. Het:e the
376 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

sea-mew, and other aquatic hirds, rnake their nests in small boles, their young
being hatched by the heat of the sun.
Six leagues below the island of Ferro, is that of Oiro, also small, high, and
rocky, crow:ned with a hermitage of Nossa Senhora of Prazeres. These 'are
the only islands rnet with in the space of one hundred miles from Caninde to the
town of Penedo, where the small range of hills that borders the left bank of the
river terminates. Two miles below Vil1a Nova, the elevation of the right margin
also has its bounds, and the ri ver begins to divide its course, forming a great
number of islands, generally low, and abounding with woods, giving them an
agreeable aspect. They possess portions of feTtile soil, where some rice, rnaize,
mandioca, sugar, and hortulans, are cultivated. Some are sandy, others are
composed óf grey clay, with a bed of black above, about a foot in depth and
above tbis another, of yellow earth, from three to four spans in thickness. , The
whole are submerged at the period of the overflowings of this great ri ver. The
cassia tree is here numerous, and extremely beautiful while blooming with its
rosy flowers. It affords a sort of husky Ífuit, two spans in length, and of pro-
portionable thickness, and abounds on both margins of the river for about
thirty-five miles above the town of Pe:q.edo. This river, so deep in the interior
of the continent, disembogues by two mouths of very únequal size; the pr~nci­
pal one is on the north, being near two miles wide, with so little depth that
the smacks can enter it only at high water, and there wait for the full tides to
get out. The navigation from the falls, upwards, is performed in barks and
ajojos, which are two or more canoes moored together with cross pieces of
timber above. Ali produce descending the river below the f<'.l.lls is disembarked
at Vargem Redonda, a district of the parish and julgado of Tacaratu, and.
transmitted on oxen to the port of Caninde, or Piranhas, which is two miles'
lower down. Tbe navigation from hence to Penedo, is solely by the ajojos,
and upwards always with a sail. The wind is favourable from eight o'clock of
the day to the following morning's dawn, but not without variation accerrding
to the age of the moon and the state of the weather; always increasing
at evening, and frequently becoming quite calm before midnight, These craft
descend always with a strong ~mrent, whilst there is no wind to prodnce
an agitation of the water. When the breeze js high the current diminishes,
and the river rises above a span. Fish is more abundant above the falls, which
diiference, the oldest men· say originated in the extirpating system of fishing
with what are called tapagens, a mode of enclosing them, and which was unjustly
countenanced by the chief magistrates, · whó drew from this abuse considerable

..
 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO. 377
revenues, which disáppeared without leaving to the public one signal of its
expéndittire. The most valuable fish of this river are the sorubin, which grows
to the size ofa man; the mmidin, four feet in length, and proportionably thick,
with lm·ge beards; the pim, two feet long; and the pimnlla, which is short
and thick, with very sharp teeth, and fatal to all living creatur~s that come
within its reach. None of these fish have scales. The camu1·in, with a white
stripe on both sides; and the caniu1·upin, are both thick and scaly.
The dogs, as if by a natural instinct, do not approach the "Yaters that ·are
muddy, but drink only at those parts where there is a cmrent, from an innate
dread of the pimnhas, which lurk about with destructive intent in the dead
waters.
The Correntes, which has a comse of about · one hundred and forty miles,
issues fi·om a lake, and runs first under the name of Formozo, receiving another
river of the same name, and afterwards the Eguas, Guat:a, and Arrojado. lt
affords navigation for_a considerable space1 and disembogues into the St. Fran-
cisco ten miles below the chapel of Bom Jesus da Lappa. All the branches
mentioned issue from the skirts or pro:ximity of the serra of Paranan. Some run
through auriferous countries, where mining has originated only a few years,
and which has been the occasion of founding in the vicinity of the river Eguas
a chapel of Our Lady of Glory, whose parish contained six hundred and eighty-
four families, with one thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight adults, in the
year 1809; many being breeders of cattle, others agriculturists.
The Rio Grande, whose original name is not known, and for which the present
one was substituted, in consequence of the ridiculous and prevailing custom in
the Brazil of designating many large rivers, of various districts, by the tertn of
Rio Grande, (Large River,).t herebycreàting a confusionofnames, has fifty leagues
of course, -and originates in the serra of Paranan, near the register of St. Domingos,_
about fiv.e leagues from the source of the Guara, a branch of the CoiTentes.
After flowing a considerable way, the Mosquito joins it, ·and five leagues lower
the Femeas, which rises fifteen miles from Serra Tabatinga; twelve miles fur-
ther it is entered by the Ondas, which originates eig·ht miles from the preced-
ing, and nearer the Sobrado, an arm of the Tucantines, and runs rapidly tbrough
a gold and diamond country. Fifteen miles below, it receives the Branco,
navigable to the situation of Tres Barras, so called in consequence of the union
with it of the Riachao an.d the Janeiro, wbicb enter in front of each other;
seventy miles lower also on ·the left, the Preto joins, which is one of its largest
3 c
 378 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

tributaries, and rises in the skirts of the Serra Figuras, which is a continuation
of that of Mangabeiro, fi·om whence issue the other branches mentioned, ex-
cepting the Riachao. Its first name is the river of Doirados, and its current of
clear water is rapidly impelled through a winding bed, edged with steep mar-
gins. lt passes near the village of Formoza, which has a hermitage of Senhor
do Bom Fim, anel by the parish of St. Ritta, which is forty miles below the
other, and the same distance above the mouth of the river. The Rio Grande,
which enters the St. Francisco fifty miles below the confluence of the Preto,
is navigable to the .mouth of the Ondas, anel without falls -to the Branco,
passes the parish of St. Anna de Campo Largo, which is thirty-five miles above
the embouchure ofthe Preto; it is well stored with the sm·ubin, crumatan, large
doimdos, the piranlta, piau, ma-rtrinclza1~, and other sorts of fish. Its -yvater has
a very ditferent colour from the river which 1·eceives it, and remains unchanged
for a considerable distance after entering the St. Francisco.
The towns of this ouvidoria are,
Barra do Rio Grande Santa Maria Flores
Piláo Arcado Assumpçao Symbres.
The town of Barra do Rio Grande is at the northern angle of the conflaent
which affords it the name, is in a state of mediocrity, well supplied with meat
and :fisb, anel has some commerce. The church is dedicated to St. Francisc0
das Chagas; and the number of its inhabitants is included in one thousancl.
anel thirty-six families. The passage of the St. Francisco, here a mile wide, is
much frequented.
Pilao Arcado, created a town in 1810, is one hundred miles below the pre-
ceding, and is well situated near a small hill upon the margin of the St. Francisco,
its only resour~e for water, and whose greatest inundations always visit it with
some InJury. The church, dedicated to St. Antonio, is new, and solidly built with
bricks and lime. The houses are generally earth anel wood, and many of them
covered with straw. It has three hundred families, whi~h are increasing, an,d,
with those of its vast district, comprise five thousand inhabitants, who cultivate
mandioca, maize, vegetables, good melons, and water-melons, upon the margins
of the ri ver. The land around it is genemlly wild and sterile, anel alone appro-
. priàted to the breeding of cattle, which are subject to the horrible mortality, pro-
duced by frequent droughts. There are a great many small lakes, at various dis-
tances from the ri ver, ali more or less brackish, a11d upon whose margins the salt,
 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO. 379

formed pythe ardent heat of the sun, appeat·s like hoarfrost. The water ofthese
lakes (and even soft water) filtered through a contiguous earth in wooden
vessels, or leather finely perforated, and exposed on boards to the weather,
in eight days of heat crystallizes, ·becoming salt as white as marine salt. Al-
though in lands which have proprietors, they are, like auriferous soils, reputed
common to all those who wish to benefit by them, and are a great resource for
the poor, almost ali the salt here produced is transmitted to the centre of
Minas Geraes.
Villa Real de Santa Maria, situated upon an island three miles long, and a
great distance below tbe preceding, h as the aspect of an aldeia, with one hundred
and sixty families, chiefly Indians, who are hunters, fishermen, and agriculturists,
and are exempt from tribute. Their wives spin and weave cotton, and work in
the manufactory of earthenware, of which a considerable portion is exported.
The town of N . Senhora· d' Assumpçao takes ih e name from the patroness
of its churcb. The inhabitants, comprising one hundred and fifty-four families,
are ~ll lndians ; they fish, hunt, and cultivate mandioca, maize, water-melons,
hortulans, and cotton. It is at tbe western extremity oí an island eighteen miles
long, and the same distance below the preceding town. In front of this island
is the middling arraial and julgado of Queb1:obo, with !1 church of Conceiçao,
whose parishioners, about eig·hteen hundred and twenty-~even families of all
complexions, are mostly dispersed over its vasf district. Cotton and cattle are
their productions.
Flores, erected into a town in the year 1810, is yet small and in the vicinity of
the river Pajehu. A filial chapel of the parish of Quebrobo serves it for a church.
The inhabitants draw their subsistence from the breeding- of cattle, and the
culture of cotton.
Symbres, formerly Ororoba, is a smaU town of Chucuru Indiàins, with sotne
whites and mesticos, cultivators of cotton and the provisions of the eountry.
The wives of the fi.rst make earthenware with considerable art, and spin and 11
weave cotton. They utter great lamentations when their husbands do not bring
home g-ame frem1 the woods·. The charch is dedicated to the Lady of the
Mountain; and its population consists of four hundred and eighty ·families.
The considerable arraial, julgado, and parish of St. Antonio, in the district
of GaranhuBs, bordering upon the preceding, is of this comarca, havÍllg-
been, with t~e latter one1 dismembered from that of the Recife. Its people
g;row cotton.
3c2
380 PROVJNCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

In this ouvidorship is also the parish of St. Anna do Sacramento do Angfcal,

rlismembered from that of Campo Largo, from which it is distant thírty miles,
and ten from the margin of the Rio Grande. ·
Having concluded the description of the province, we will now proceed ·t o
a consideration of its capital, commonly called Pernambuco, (which name is
a corruption of Paranabuco, by which the Cahetes designated the port, where
at the present day the smallest class of vessels anchor,) and · is understood to
comprehend two distinct places, the city of Ollinda and the town of Recife,
(so called from the reef in front of it,) with an interval of a league, communi-
cating by a narrow sand-bank from north to south, also by an arm of tbe sea
that enters the small river Biberibe, which runs along the said sand-bank from
pne place to the other, and likewise by a road on the main land, at no great
distance from tbe western margin of tbe same river.
REciFE, which is the o:fficial designation of the capital, the governmeJ!lt
documents being so signed, is large, populous, and commercial, with tolerable
houses, bandsome churches, a convent of priests of the congregation of Ora-
torio, another of Franciscans, a third of slippered Carmelites, an alms and
entertaining house of T~rra Santa, another of ltalian Barbonios, a recolhimento
of women, an episcopal palace, and an hospital of Lazarettos. The Jesuits
had a college here, which now constitutes the palace of the govenwrs. This·
town is divided into three portions, or districts, by the river Capibaribe, namely,
Rect e, St. Antonio, and Boavista. Each of tbese forms a separa:te pa1·ish, and
·they communicate by two bridges ; that of Boavista, which is chiefly of wood,
and paved, is three hundred and twenty paces long; that of St. Antonio, two
hundred and ninety paces across, was in great part of stone, but having given
way, the remainder is imperfectly supplied with wood, not admitting· of the'
passage of a carriage, and has been allowed to remain for a considerable time
jn this condition, so disreputable to the town. At each end it has a stone arch of
:rather an elegant construction, above which there are small chapels, niches, and
saints, where mass is celebrated. In the street, fronting the niches with saints,
many of the inhabitants prostrate themselves, at du~k, for some time in a posture
pf de~otion. The bridges are flat and not many feet above the level of the sea.
The first part, or the Recife, occupies a península, and is the emporium of
the town's commerce, the stores of the merchant~ being situated . in it. The
tongue of land, or sand-bank before mentioned, which e:xtends itself fwm
Ollinda to the south between the sea and .the ri ver Biberibe, terminates here.
 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO. 381

1t is. the site of the custom-house, which of itself is an indifferent edifice. The
Ru~ . das Cruzes is the .best street, and al.though short is wide and neat; the
others are mostly paved, but are narrow and inelegant. Its church, which is
handsome, and commonly designated Corpo Santo, has for its nominal patron
St. Pedro Gonsalvez. .
The second portion of the town, caUed St. Antonio, occupies another penín-
sula, which is the nortb.ern extremity of the island, formeà by two arms of the
Capibaribe. It was first 'p]anted with cocoa-nut trees by Prince Nassa:u; the
Dutch governor, who erected Fribourg House for his ow~ resit.lence, and
founded the town of Mauritius upon it. lt has better streets than the Recife,
although generally sandy, and not paved, with high footways laid with bricks.
Here is a smaH sq.uare, snrrounded with neat houses, having only a ground
floor, with a piazza to the interior front, and may be denominated a species
of bazar, consisting solely of shops, where. a variety of articles are sold. The
mother church is dedicated to SS. Sacramento. The treasl1ry and the governor's
palace are situated here. The latter is not the residence of the gov~r-nor, but
contains various publi-c offices, and is used for a sort of levée, held upo:U: occa- .
sions of the birthday of any of the royal family. · .
r The third part of the town, called Boavista, is the only portion susceptible of
any considerable increase, being situated on the continent. lt has advanced
i n magnitude with the others, but is destitute of regularity, which may be attr~­
-bt1ted to the negligence of the senate in not having marked out the streets in
right lines at its commencement. Its chnrch is also dedicatecl' to SS. Sacra-
mento. Here also the Dutch governor built the first house, wbich hê ·caÜed
Boavista, and, being a Portuguese name, the place h as retaineci it. The.se three
.portions, running in a line from east to west, form this large and flourishing
town, which, besides the governor, has an ouvidor, a p·ort admirai, a·Juiz de
Fora, each of them having various inspections, and three royal professors of
Latin, one of philosophy, and another ·of eloquence and poetry. The usual
j unta, or c@uncil da fazenda real, to decide ·upon all matters relative to the
province, is composed of t~e governor, the ouvidor, the Juiz ·de Fora, the
,attorney-general, the ·port admirai, the chief of the treasury, and the judge or
coi:nptroller of the custom-house, who hold their sittings at the treasury. The
suburbs are an extensive plain, with handsome cocoa-nut tree groves, intet:-
spersed with si tios, or country-houses. The .inhabitants drink the water prin-
cipally of tlJ,e Biberibe, collected into a reservoir at Ollinda, formed. by a sort
 382 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

of ,barrier, denominated a varadoi;ro, which impedes the further advance of the

I .

tide, and accumulates the fresh water above. This bulwark, which a:lso serves
as a bridge or passage over the ri ver _to Ollinda, is in part co~ered by a hai)d...
some archway, below which the water passes through circular spouts, and at the
other parts by larger and square channels; presenting a,ltogether twenty-four
mouths, from whence the water issues in spray, forming man.y pleasing cas-
cades. From hence it is conveyed in covered canoes for the supply of the
Recife. The water of the Capibaribe is. also brOllg·ht in canoes from .Monteiro.
Th~ port of Recife, which is not deep enough for vessels of a large dass, is
amongst the most wonderful works of nature. A recife, or. chain of reef, which
extends itself from the entrance of Bahia to Cape St. Roque, parallel with and
at no great distance from the shore, in no part appears so muda like an opemtion
of human art as here. It is prolonged for tbe space of, a league in a direct line
with and about two hundred yards from tbe beach, having the aspect of a Jarge
:flat wall, being always above the levei of the sea, and at low water six feet is
discovered. This reef, which is perpendicular on the ]and side, and .g·padually
declining on the other, here' suddenly disappears opposite the most northern
part of the Recife, having on its extremity the fort of Picao, and forming a ·fiue
\
harbour, which must have been the sole induçement for the foundation of the
capital in this situation. V essels entering the port navigate as near as possible
to the internai side of the reef, where they require much depth till they arrive at
the most commodious place of anchorage. The occasionally agitated ocean
here :finds its bounds, and dashes in tumultuous and angry waves against the
reef, the foaming spray not disturbing the smooth water within, but affording a
delightfully cooling freshness, as well as an interesting spectacle, to the houses
situated upon the beach, and principally occupied in stores by the merchants.
Large ships anchor to the north of th~ fort ofPicao, in a bay without shelter, front-
ing the forts of Brun and Buraco, situated upon the before-mentioned sand-bank.
The fort of Brun, which the Dutch commenced on the 25th of June, 1631, and
gave it the name of a maternal relative of their Genera] Theodore, had for some
time among the Pernambucanans the appellation of Perreril. ·
This place, wbile yet of little consequence, was taken by the Dutch in 1630,
who retained it for twenty-four years, and did more. for it in public works during
that time, as was candidly admitted to me by a Pertugues.e gentleman . holding
a public situation here, than has ever been clone since. Among the monu-
ments ,vhich attest the spirit of improvement that marked the Dutch possession
 PROVINCE OF PÉRNAMBUCO. 383

-of this part of the Brazi:l, there is (or was a few years ago) a stone of European
marble bearing the following inscription :
Op Gebouwt
onder ·
D'Hooge Regeringe
van
Pn~~ sidt en Radeu,
A uno MDCLIL ~·

'This stone was seen by several of the English merchants within the last three
, '

years at the door of the church of Çorp9 Santo, among the masonry work
destined for the completion of this fine edifice; but it certainly is not introduced
into the walls of the building, nor could I discover any trace of it.
The 'before-mentioned forts, and .that of Cinco Pontas-, at the sou.thern e:x-
tremity of St. Antonio, are the principal ones that defend the place; the two
first are in good Qrder. .
A league to the south of Recife, near the southern arm of the Capibaribe, · is
the ~rraial of Affog·adas, which is increasin.g, and is ornamented with three
hermitages, of Nossa Senhora of .Paz, of Rozario, and o f St. Miguel. There
is here a wooden bridge communieating with St. Antonio.
The city of Qllinda, which, as has been observeq, constitutes a part of Per-
nambuco, was burnt by the J?utch in 1631, and is beautifully situated upon a
cluster Qf eminences, which are the commencement of a small cordillera, that
. extends itself to~ards the interior of the contin.ent. It was in former time~
l'ich, ílourisliing, an.d powerful, and was erected into an episcopal city in the
year 1676,· but continued to fali into decay, and is at present pom· and thinly
inhabited, owing to the vicinity of the town of Recife, which has deprived it
of a;ll its commerce., lt is, however, 'a fine retreat ·for the studious, convalescent,
or misanthropical, who seek retirement from the tümult and bustle of the world.
It has a house of misericordia, ~ith its hospital, a recolhimento, or Magdaleii

'* Erected
under
t he 1llustrious Govemment
of the
President and Couni::il
jn tl1e year 16õ2. ·
384 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

honse, a convent of Franciscans, one of unslippered Carmelites, another of

slippered Carmelites, . and a fourth of Benedictines ; a palàce in which the go-
vernors in former times were obliged to reside six months in the year; an epis-
copal palace, finely situated, but much deteriorated, being unoccupied in conse-
quence of the· death of the bishop; a seminary in the ex-Jesuitical college, with
schools, and professors of Greek, Latin, French, geography, rhetoric, universal
history, philosophy, drawing, ecclesiastical history, dogmatical and moral theo-
logy, a great number of hermitages, and a garden of trees and exotic plants,
chiefly Asiatic, from whence the farmers can transplant them into their own
grounds. It has also the bread-fruit tree and Otaheitan cane, antl occupies an
advantageous situation, but is not kept in good order. This city is divided into
two parishes, one of them being of the cathedral, which is a magnificent edifiee,
with three naves, dedicated to St. Salvador, anel contains eight hundred and
eighty houses ; the other has for parochial the church of St. Pedro Martin, 'and
comprises three hundred and :fifteen houses.
The senate is rich; almost ali the houses pay to it a testoon (three hundred
reas) of tax for. each span of front. Almost ali have larg;,e gardens, but gene-
rally of little or no utility. The ground is appropriated to the cultivation of
fruitful trees, of which mangoes are the principal.
The last donatory of this province a:ffirmed that Ollinda, when it was burned,
had two thousand five hundred houses, which were estimated to contain twenty-
five thousand inhabitants. ·
The decay of Ollinda was considered by many of its inhabitants as a punish-
ment for the pride of its rich and leading· persons, whose libertinism had
arrived at such a pitch, that an orator preachin'g on a festival day in one of the
parish chnrches, and energetically declaiming against the vices prevailing in the
country, some of the principal people commanded bim to be silent, and dragged
him with violence from the pulpit, without the auxi'liary priests being able to
prevent the outrage.
The convents, which are handsome and well-built, occupy the fi~est situa-
tions in Ollinda, generally upon the acclivity or summits of the eminences, from
wbence the views are interesting. Some of these religious establishments bave
now but few friars, and one o! tbem was occupied by a military detachment.
The walls surrounding tbe grounds of severa}, I observed, were broken down in
many parts, and in a state of dilapidation; and the enclosures, which would have
formed :fine pleasure grounds, were barren, unplanted, and quite neglected.
On proceeding from hence by the sand-bank to the Recife, I was suddenly
 ~·

>. {. ' ' /

~· ,
t:"~
\._~

~~-
-.·­
~~- .
 •,

PROVINCE OF P~RNAMBUCO. 385

startled at the appeamnce of a human skull and bones, near a pillar or beacoli
sitriated between the .two forts. Considerably impressed by so unexpécted a
sight, and moving slo.wly forward ·with snch feelings·as it was calculated to excite,
n~t having any other idea buf that they were the· i·emains of some m_u rdered
person, I ftlund myself in the midst; of buman bones, over-spreading the sum;:
mit of' the sand-bank. I now began to snrrnise that it w'as the cemetery of the
blàcks, which was confirmed on my atri·vâl at "the Recife . . The deacl boâies of
the negroes are wrapped up in a piece of coarse _cotton cloth, and being thinly
çovered with sand is the. •r eason of thei·r remains soon hecmhing thus inctlecent]y /

exposed. I unclerstand that the white peoplé were at ·one time also ,interred
here. The Bnglish ha.ve a bm;ying-gi·ound at 'St. Amaro, not far froril Boavista·
. The roads · br~nching· off· from Pernamblico iilto ; the interior are very good
for a few mH,es, although ·sandy, anà in som.e parts deep. They soon begin to
contract inta narrow bridle-ways;; a:nd are ·the tracks of tro,op~ of horses coming
·rrom fhe certams with. cotton prineip. ally,
. an.d some other p~;oduce. The horses
here ave, from the sandy nature of• the :voads; n.ever shod, and those dviven fr'om
tpé interior by the inàttutos"' (inhábitants of :the l'llattos, or woods) are generally
very miserable a:nd poor, and .s~em almos~ to give way unqer the bm:den of two
J:>ags of cotton, attached one on ·each s.i de· to a rudely· ctmstructed P::'-ck-saddle.
Cords are cominolilly used by thése per&ons for stirrups, into which they intro..
d~ce the grea:t toe. Their dresS; consisting of a eoarse cotton shirt hanging
loosely over drawers, or trowsers, reaching to ·t he cal:f of the leg, with a la:rge
slouching straw or black hat, a-g.up. occasionally borne. over one shoulder, and
a sword in a wooden sheath, .awkwardly suspended from a leathern belt, gives
them a ·singular appearance. Some of the~e groups ·are rather ef a superior
order, be\ng dressed in brown leathern êveralls, a jaeket, ~nd a low round .
hat of the same. Parties of men and· horses are thus continually arriving at
atid departing fl•om Pernambuco.· The men - e)'(hibit a great variety of com-
'' plexions, and not orie is to h~ seen that can be said to · be M purê European
descent, aH having a. mixture of ~ndia~ and Africa.n physiognomy, They are
génerally aetive and well formed.' Few are lndians; more are mesticos.
The cotton planters, ~s well as propri:etors of sugar WQrks, visit the emporium
ef Pernambuca:n commerce m théir gayest vestments, with their horse~ éapa-

• Some of lllese people are also called cet'tanejos, inhabitant$ of the certams, or interior,
3D
386 PROVINCE OF. PERNAMB.UCO.

risoned ip. ali the trappings· 'and ·.paraphernaliá of J?ortugues~ sadalery. The
Braz-ilians generally, when thêy go> fro~ hotne, are· fond' of externai :show, with-
ont regard to mucb neatriess, an'd uporr. tftose ' oceasúnrs , tliey fórm •a .strikil}g
contrast to their genei~al disgusting appE"a1·an:à in. tbeü: 'dmnestic çicc~{fs: · There
the men are usu~Hy;·see.n: ·witlí a :dtess1ng g.own, ' (l)l"' a'shirt·wdrn lG>:oselty ove~
drawers, witbout sto·ckings .r ítheií· breast8 1e)fpose.d, · and inàlillging inert and
slovenly propensities . .·Th-e Jemales, having .tlliis ·exámple before 'tliem~ daim
some allowance for drei:r loose and slaúemly' rp.ode Qf dí·essing, when at home,
and thei>r wors€ ·ha:,bit of génerally expectorating, .without i·egàrd to person, time, '
or place. Y oung femllles: ate enütled t:o niú~h cdnsiderati<:m also, on. accoun.t of
the illiberal system pursued in t11eiF ·education 'a:ó.d' m'anner of bring.ing up . . Tbey
are, -it .may be sa<id, ·a~liroost e\Xcluded trom sóciety ; and th.é suspicio.us treatmênt ·
they expea·.iencé· f-rom tlf~ir Jparen,ts . mu.st te:nd to extinguish ev,ery Jiheral and
moral sent·i ment·; ÍIJ. faC't, it cannbt be considered that those ve1·y pareilts them..
selves possess m·uch, or··tliey :would Jili;)Ír suil>j~ct t.lr~m to an un.gracious aad scru-
tiniúng wateh, ·hy gen~ra.l'ly keeping .t;herri; shut •up; so .tbat they d'O not enjoy .
even the necessary exerGise for heailth, to which' their Turkish 'mede of .sitti.ng
on the g-rou:nd or upon ·rr.iats, ,js n.ot ·ver.y congenial. lf .a f~niil:y walik out, the
daughters pl.'ecede the fMher ·athd mâther, :aird the negroes, fr.e.quently composing
the whole hÓtlsehold, ·bring up the rear. Their grand opportl!lnities for display-
ing their persons are religious holidâys·.and festivais~ and the midnighf masses
at ih~ churches are said to be fully attended 'by the females.
'fhe -lady of General Rego, the gov.etnor, w.ho :is a veTy accomplished woman,
has endeavoured·, ·vei·y amiably but ineffectually, to introduce a soCial inter-
com·se amongst the farnilies, and particularly the females, of Pernambuco ; and
although 'this lady suoceéded in making a commencement, it was afterwàrds
declined ·hy the farrtilies themselves, from the ridiculous excuse tbat ü would
become expensive to hrave new dresses for every fresh visit. The general also
gave a puhlic baH to the·inhabitants, which was followed by one on the part of
the English merchants; 'but it woúld appear, with the exception of some of the
leading persoHs, that the inhabitants, .from their little intercourse w'ith the .world?
are yet inimicaf to any ,refined system of society;
The eotton 'pla-nt~rs,' and sen'hors d' engenho in the interior, are stated to be
liberal and hospitable to strangers; and many of them, who have been recently
acquiringeonsiderable property, live in a comparatively comfortable style.
Apathy is, a strong characteristic in the lower orders of Brazilians. In my
various excursions near Pernambuco, I have seen men, at all hours of the day,
 PR0VINCE OF PERNAMBUCO. 387

sbetched out upon tables, upon ·mtús, ol' in r~cles, ~nets,) ·slumbering1heir · t:in1e
awa-y. lf 1tbis. class oí people .c an · obtain su:fficient to satisf~ ·t he wants ,of the
d~y,'· thei~· v:ie.w.s extend llO further, and industrr is ,no where seen ámongst them;
besides, the agrie.ultural' 51-rm is paralys.e d n~arlr ene-third. of 'the year· by ho\.i-
days and sãint day.s . .
I was.vet:y hpspitab.ly· entert~ined. during a portion of my stay a:t Pernambuco
by .fo,h n L~Dfpriet•e,. Etsq~ Jh:e British con~ul, whose sitio is at ·the Solidado, a
small hamlet, , Íll which is,: S~tuated a pala<l:e, formerly •belonging.to the.bishopl
JUs a fine edifice, and ~ b~uiH with uníformi·ty,. 'but .is · now rapidly sinking into
decay, wbich · ~.ill ·not be le~s· a~celerated by .the · use to which -it is •at present
appropri~ted~tha:t of a ·bai-r~cl(. . I bruught a letter · of introduction ·to Mr.
Cockshqtt, when we ~nu~edi~têly recognised ,each other as · old acqu~i:ntances,
bis _fami~y and tnine having beel,l1Jpon the most intimate .terms of f.riendship for
11\any years. I experienceq great ~indQ.es:;; from: h!im, as well as ma:ny of Hte
English· ~nerchap.ts r.esiding· her~. a,nd-spent a. portion of my time at his country
sitio, pleasàndy :sitqated : at P<>li'ta de Oho, , upon th-e margin of the: Capibaribe~
from wlõtenc~, .I. . wa~ a(!mompaJ!ied ·P.Y ··Mr. ,Ra:y, ·the American consúl, ·who
also·h as a ' hoase . here,· to' vi'sit , rnan,~ Qf the · neighbouring places;· and cannot
upon this ocQasi9n refrain frpm doing justicEl to my· feelings, in acknow.led.ging
bis frank and spontaneous a~tention-and, liberality. . ·
The rides, from · Re~ife to PoJ?.ta· de Cho,. by seveval roads, ' are equally de-
lightful, being partly 'b ordered wi·t h lime hedges, and fences formed ·of the- cocoa
, branch, intersperseçl with.verda:nt foliag.e; :;tad !ali tJhe variety of fruit trees pecu-
liar to the clime·; groups ~f: thê high .towering cocoa-nut .tree heighten the
beauty of the scenery, every wh~re i~ichly wc;')oded. ·
The roads branching from Boávista, . anrl meeting in' one, .about half~way to
1

Ponta de Cho, are· adorned with s.ome elegant whi·te ·honses, in a ve:t·y excellent
state of exterior repair, the grounds being enclosed ·b y lofty ;walls, and rríany
of .t be front entrances, consisting of a handsome pOl~tic.o.,. excelling any thing
in this style near Rio de Janeiro. .Every hundred yards, places:of tbis cha;rac-
ter are met with to Penta de Cho, ;where the river•.opens · out and pr~sents a
very p1:easing scene, .the road running for a short distance,, along· its marg·in,
fronted by the residence •of the l go:vernor, not very gracefully ornamentec:t·with
a chapel in the middle of the entb1nce court. From hence the main road Ieav~s
the river, and fot· about two mile.s · presents many neat houses to the Poco de
Panela, some of them being· the residences of English merchants. ·
In this inferval the vi1lag·e of Casa Forte is passed, celebrated for having been
3n2
388 PltoVINCE 01~ PERNAMBÜCO,

one of the ~cenes of ct:mtest betw~·en the Dutch ·and Po.rtugues~. The villagê
of Poço de Panela is upon the . left bank ·of tlre riyer, and is enlivened _with
houses of much more·taste and· IJ.eatness · than a stran.ger would ·c;:!Xpect to see,
with the impressions made upo;n his mind, on l~nding at Recife.·
Jt must be observed, that although the ~nvirons of Pernambuco· have a ferti-
lized appearance, in consequenée :of. belng well wooded, the soil is in a miser~­
ble state of cultiv.rution, and nof rendered so prod'llctive, by two-thirds, as .it
might be, being very general•l y .uncleared of the· ·b11ushwoed, and a great
portion rernaining in its p:Firneval coRdition.. Froceeding fr€lm Penta de Cho,
.b y the Cruz das Almas road, which leads to Ollinda, a great p'r oportion of thé .
surrounding country is in a wild state ; here and there are seen small patche$
. of mandioca, groves of cocoa.,.nut, and other fruit trees, but the general asped
dernonstrates the w.ant of industry, for it would be expected tbat every yárd of
ground so near to a commercial city, with iiearly one-hundred vessels of different
classes usually lying in its port, ~ould be in ptogress at least of agricuitural
irnprovernent. lt is also remarkable, that between Recife and Ollinda, which
latter city was formerly. the.sea.t of. government and ·the centre of co'rnmerce·,
there is nota good road the whole .way, parts ·of i.t for a eónsiderable di·s ianee
assuming the app!=Jarance of a mere track. ·The present' governo r has ordered
a road to be commenced by a nearer route, and in many places the germ
of improvement in this essential point is observable, new roads being partly
made and staked out. Intelligence a~d civilizatien .'is only. diffused through á
country by facihty o,f commrinication, and to General Rego, tbe Pernambuca-
nans are indebted for promoti~g this bfessing; the roads in the ·immediate
vicinity of the town have been widened and otherwise improved by bis orders ;
and it is highly to be wished that sue h a spirit, tending so much to the .' ~·eal
henefit of the province, may be encouraged. The revo]ution here, in 1817, is
said to h ave materially retarded improvement, as · that measure was brought
about, n~t from any genuine sentiments of liberty, the four or five persons at the
head of it being only desirous of procuring their.individual aggrandizement; and
it is said that such jealousy at last existed amongst them, that they a:ttended
the council secretly armed. They were meu' of no talent, anel fhe principal .
actor, Senhor Martyens, was a ·decayed Portuguese merchant, fi·om London.·
They, as well as many otbers, paid tbe forfeit of their hves for prem.aturely .
attempting a change which they did not understand, but which the 1apse .of a
few years has, happily for the advancernent of this country, .brought about.
The new constitution of Portugal, already adopted at Para and Bahia, was
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 PROVINOE OF PERNAMBUCO. '3~9

spontaneously acceded to by the governor, · the differén~ public offic~rs,' and the
/ people, without any effusion of blood, in the month of J anuary, 1821. The i'nípri-
sonment at Bahia, since· 1818, of some of the· first men of Pemambuco, arrested
'cm suspicion 0 f being implicated in the rev.olution, wiU now no doubt·have·its
termin~tion. That event broug~t upon PeFnambúco a strict .military goveTn:.
ment, and. at the corner of every street--afte.a: dusk, the ear was assailed by ·the
military watch-word ; under such a system, the inha'bitants co:uld n0t h~ve· been
more fortunate than in the selection of General Rego for their ·goverhor~ · whose
military experience was acquired with much credit in the Peninsulat· campáign,
and whose ge~tlemanly and. friendly condtict would teild to soften the rigours of'
a .military ocq1pation of the town . . To the r~ady assistance and attention of
the governor to all matters in wbich their interests are coa~erned 7 the English
rrierchants bear their united testimony i · '

During the Christmas boli:days, and the hottest weather, Poço de· Panelà:
Ponta de Cho, and the neighbouring, · and more distant villages of Monteiro
(the road to wbich partly leads by a bridle-way through woo~s) and of Caxànga,
(where there is a s_pring of chalybeate water, approached ,also by a bye-way after
crossing the tiver,) are fully occupied by the families óf 'Recife, .in their
gayest attire and the I adies are frequently seen at the windows o r.' at the doors,
the men devoting the day;s of the holidays to gambling, seated in the· verandas,
playirrg at canisor backgammon. At this season the roads are also' enlivened
with horsemen going their e.veniilg rounds to these places, of resort. Ánother
very ,p leasing excursion to Ponta de Cho, ~oço de Panela, and MÕnteiro, is
'by the ·r iver Capibaribe, wbose winding· banks are bordered with white cottages
. and h ouses, some ef a very superior appearanêe, also inhabited during this peFiod,
·and each·having a bathing hçuse rudely énough formed of the brancbes of the
cocoa-nut tree. Innumerable canoes are seen gliding along the river, impelled
with more velocity than by the oar or the paddle, by two vara men, who are
negroes dressed in white cotton trows·ers, exhibiting all the muscular movements
of the'ir n·a ked arms and bodies in the exertion of using the vara, which, when
well and regularly execute~, is rather a graceful labour. A whole family, with
furnitm:~, and ali the et ceteras, are moved up tbe river to their summer abode
in this manne·r ; and the ladies, in their smart dresses, with French hats and
white plumes nodding to the river's breeze, do not seem to regret that it is but
tran ·ent liberty they are going to enjoy, and which they indulge in by a more
.free exhibition o f theniselves, and also by ·daily bathing· in tbe ri ver, probab!y
two or three times, remaining in the water an hour or an bom: anda half at
 390 PROYINCE OF PERNAMBUco·.

once. They are said to be more expert div.ers ·and J3Wimmers tlían the men,
and it is not rare to see parties of them. s:Wimming about wit~ much con:(idence,
their hair being generally neatJ.y dressed and bound up. · One·· ·evening, oir ·ap-
proaching the banks of the ri ver beyond Monteiro, with 'Mr: R'ay, ·snme females
were bathing, and amongst them .were an old gentleman and );lis young · wif~,
with whom Mr. R. was acquainted... W e took off our hats, and the compliment
was very cordially returned ,by the whole party, -i>y á' lDw dip in the water; 'on
repassing a cÓnsiderable tim~ after.w ards we observed th.em still enjoying this re-
fr~shing amusement. Previou.sly to my leaving.Ponta:·de Cho, the'premie1: chüt iiS
(first rains) were setting in, and the ri.ver · alrea:cily conveyed many canoes wifh
families and their furniture on the 1·etútn~ The heaviest ·rains ·begin 'ábolit
Ma:r ch, when this part of the cmmt.ry is part.ially ·inup.dated and forsak~n till
the dry season recommences. There are various~ religious ·festi'vals dm·ing the
holid;:tys at different cburches, in honour of saints. Those tbat appeared to
attract the most attention were at the ehurch of the Moünt at Ollinda, at St.
Amaro, ~nd th~ PoçQ .d e Panela; to the Jatte1·, the English subscribed a certái~
surri each. M;:my peQple we.re .assernbled,
.. and the houses were ded;icated to
the pu~poses of gambling. Th.e multitude seemed to loiter about·witQ..out any
object, and there was a deadness and want of spirit and gâiety in 'their gen«;!ra:l
demeanor. The· church was open, which I entered in the midst of the cere-
mony of christening a child; a large lighted wax candfe was as quickly intro-
duced int~ my hand, and I was thus enlisted into the ranks. A _band of'music
was playing in the gallery, -to di.ssip~te , the shrill ll@tes of .th-e yourigster, who
was finge_red rather rougbly by the padre in the •Gourse of :various ceremoni~s
he ·performed, and in whiçh he ap.plied a considerable,portion 0f ·salt-. When
the infant, after undergoing the )ast fOf!fl of having a silver Cl'OWD placed upon
its head, was returned to its mother, it .appeared quite exhausted; ainda .p retty
general round of embracing cpncluded the ceremony.' The ·master of the festa,
and bis wife and daughters were there: the:· females were splendidly dressed,
>

but the absence of the graces prev.ented these ...adorriments from having their
due effect upon the hnaginatio'n . ·. The fireM>m·ks ~ supplied ·by 'the subscription:,
• and which concluded tbis fes.tival, were, I understood, ~ verji iri.different.
The Christmas holidays are de.emed by the merchâ.nts a' great intermption to
commerce, as no shipments can be made or business transàcted during that
p eriod. The English _e stablishments h~re am0unt to sixteen, and thrcmgh their
medium thís province is supplied with every species o.f English'tnai:mfactures.
They labom·, as h as been previo:nsly stated, under; considerable ·difficulties, in
 --- -- --~- - - - - -~----_. _______._._,.._______._.,.,...,

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PRO VINCE OF . PERNAMBUCO. 391

eon$equ~nc.e of the m:al,opei·athm of the pauta. The produce shipped from

hence, consists principally of cotton and sugar; ··ofthe .latter,: about.twenty-five.
thausand cases anJ'!..UftUy, ·ne.arly one-half to 1 Bngland, and the r I:émàinder to
Jjig;bon: the quantity of'the fo:cmer .averag·es ab@ut"eighty' tnous~nd ·bags, sixty
thoxtsand being· sent to Great Britain, and tire remainder principal'ly to Lisbon.
The. Pernambuco ootton is the best in the Brazil, ·arising in part from the rigid
inspection w]:lich it undergoes .. c•A new -i·nspectiori house was erecte'd here, u'pon
the. .fueach, called the· Forte do Matto., .in the year 181.5: ' 'the _cottàn is bought
by ~tbe merchant.at a;per.tain .pJ'ice; ·w:hen it is submitted to inspeetio:p. ·an'd divided
into thre~ qualities·; . for. tlile second .quálity; which is permitted tó pass with the
f:irst, the mel·chant receives an 1aJl.lowance (j)f five hund~:ed reas per 'atrobe, from
tl1e ·planter ~ ·the third .quality· is totally rejeded: Tlie bags are then weighed
for the merchant to pa.y-the exporf : dnty; and as oné bag· is only weighed at' a
tim.e,.Jthere h as been cousiderable delay: in gettiag the cotton·throúgh the inspec-
tion 'house for ship1nerit. .The present governór attended here, and attempted
to make an-angemumts ·for weighing the cotton quicker, but rriatters shortly after-
w.àrds reverted to theit: .antel!ior state. - Sugar is clàssed into nine dilfeFent quali-
ties; and ..distinguished: by tl1e following rriarks, cómmencing with the finest ànd
contim~ing by gradatiçms downwards.
' B F ' Bmnco Fin(:).:,
r · R F · Ridondo Fino .
• 1 .J:-:. - ~ R Branco· Ridondo. Páyiag ·a shipping duty of · sixty o,
,"! ::· . R H Ridondo Branco. . reas per arrobe.
' ·, t' B B Branoof Baixo: ·
B 1 Baixo .In}e1·im·.
MM .·JJfusC(:)Vado Maclto.l . r

·• M;R . MüsaovadoRêiame. Ditto ofth!rty reas per arrobe.

MB Muscovado B1~ame. ·
. :: The sl!lgar engen,hos are .some ôf tberii very considerable, and· the two accom-
. fpanying plates .are 1:epresentations .ofthe exterior and interior· of the Engenho de
·.::Co6·e not far 'from the right margin. of the Capibaribe. The owner, who has
~.amássed a respectable property, very-politely allowed four gentlemen with myself
rto·!!Sée, this estah1ish.ment. The juice is extracted by the compressure of the cane
.between t:n.r ee. u.pright rollers, the centre one moving· the other two, and being
itself. eonstantly carfied round by relays of mares, which have a singular ap- ·
pearance fr.amJheir ears being closeiy cropped. The juice flows alonga chan-
nel to a }Q~er av~rt~ent ll1 the 'bnilding, where it goes through the ditferent
392 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

processes of boiling, and when completed is much inferior to ·the W est-Indian

sugar, and generally in a very dirty state.
The English merchants were desirous of getting a · clergyman from England,
having been without the performance of divine service for a considerable period;
and, õesides the want of an opportunity to fu lfil one of the most essential and
important duties in · life, an unfavoura:ble impression could not but operate
against them in the minds of the inhabitants, from their having no public obser-
vance of religion. The contribution fund, in the hands of tbe committee,
amoünts.to upwards of five thousand pounds, which those géntlemen have been
anxious to apply to the purposes for which it is intended, .t hatof building a church
and an hospital, and the payment of a clergyman and a medicai man, which
latter appointment is filled by Dr. Ramsay, a gentleman of great acquirements in
bis profession, and deservedly and un.i versally beloved1and esteemed.
I accompanied him and some of the mercbants, upon one occasion, amongst
many others in which they had been endeavouring to obtain suitable buildings
for a church, hospital, and res1dences for the doctor and a clergyman. The
building which we saw had been recently erected, was very spacious, surrounded
with some grounds, and well adapted fo1· the purpose ; the reason it was not
rented or purchased arose from the proprietor demanding an exorbitan't: pnce.•
We, at the same time, paid a visit to Mr. Koster,. (a gentleman known to the
literary worid by the publication of his travels in the northern part of the Brazil,)
who had just arrived at Recif~ from Goyanna, from whence, in consequence of ,
bis indifferent state ofhealth, he travelled in anet suspended between two horses,
which ·was rendered, he said, a less disagreeable mode of conveyance, by the
ambling pace of the horses. Mr. Koster had removed his residence to Goyanna,
in hopes that the climate would be more suitable to bis health and constitution;
but his very delicate appearance indicated a rapid decline, a.nd I regret to say
thathe did not long survive. ' .
The population of Pernambuco ~s estimated at about sixty-five thousand per-
sons, St. Antonio containing much the greatest proportion. I endeavoured to .
õiscover the site and remains of Fribourg House, the first edifice built upon it by
Prinpe Maurice of N assau ~ and was finally assured that its remains constitute
the present Casa de Fazenda Real, whicb, though exhibiting some antiquity in
its aspect, in consequence of being whit~washed, could not be identified with
positive certainty. But its appearance; (pretty correctly represented in the

>f J have been informed, siuce my return to England, that a elergyman had auived at Pernambuco.
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THE ~_J:TE .A.ND JREM.AJN ,§ <O> F FJB.IB<Ol!J.R~ 1ll OU SE , FQRM.ERLY THE RESJ.D.ENICE <O> F PRIN<GE MA U RJI.CE O .lF NAS $AU .
 PROVINCE OF PERNAMBUCO.

plate,) combined with the tradition that it is actually the remains of Fribourg
House, does not leave much room to doubt the fact. The convent féonting it
.h as a great many cocoa-nut trees, which no doubt are the fruits of those he so
copiouslyplanted upon the island. A Prince who did so much for Pernambuco,
in so short a time, and who here built the first two bridges that wer(l known in
the Brazil, is not undeserving of some monument in this place to his memory.
There is a theatre in St. Antonio ; but the performances are exceedingly in-
different, and the house, which is small, but thinly attended, no_spirit existi11g
f~r the encouragement of such an establishment.

3E

' .
394 PROVINCE OF PARAHIBA.

CHAP. XVIII.

PROVINCE OF PARAHIBA.

Extent-Capitania of ltamamca-:Slow Advancement-Taken by _the Dutch-

Restoration-Capes anel P.orts-Rivers-Mountains-Zoology- Plzytology-
Povoaçoes-Capital-BTitisk Establiskments-Pmduce.

THIS province was originally the capitania of ltamaraca, or rather it compre-

hends almost two-thirds of it, not comprising at the present day more than sixty
miles of coast, computing from the ri ver Goyanna to the bay of Marcos, which
is three miles to the north of the river Camaratiba; the province of Pernam-
buco having taken twenty to twenty-five miles from it on the southern side, and
· Rio Grand·e fifteen to twenty on the northern. •
The capitania of Itamaraca was never more than a portion of that w hich
John UI. gave to Pedro Lopez de Souza in 1534. The other portion of this
donation_ selected in the immediate vicinity of bis brother's capitania of St.
Vincente, was denominated St. Amaro; and Itamaraca, being situated ,a t so
great a distance from it, experienced less attention, and was so much neglected
that, forty years afterwards, there was not an establishment except in the island
of ltamaraca, where the colonists did not exceed two hundred families with
. '
three sugar works ; and t~e French entered without interruption the ports of the
continent in search of Brazil wood. ·
It is a:ffirmed that the parish of Nossa Senhora of Con_ceiçao, in the island of '
Itamaraca, was the first povoaçao, and also for a considerable period the .c apital
of the capitania; but, as the year of its foundation is not known, we are left in
ignorance as to the precise epoch of the disembarkation of the first colonists.
In the short reign of K.ing Henry, in consequence of the incapacity of th~
donatory to promote its colonization, Joam 'Tavarez was ordered by the g·overnor-
genera], Lourenco da V eyga, to proceed to this capitania, for the . purpose of
founding a prezidio in the island of Camboa, situated in the river Parahiba;
which was removed by Captain Fructicozo Barboza to the situation of Cabe-
dello, where being greatly annoyed by the lndians, Manuel Telles, governor of
 PROVINCE OF· PARAHIBA.

Bahia, despatched Diogo .Baldez, in the year 1583, to afford him the necessary
succour. The Indians and the Frencl1, who were their auxiliars, sustained a
defeat; and Francisco Castrejon, commandant of a fort, which h e had then con-
structed, would not recognise Fructicozo Barboza as· superior, which induced
the latter to retire, and the result was an invasion by the Indians, who com-
pelled Castrejon to desert this post.
On bis arrival at Pernambuco, Barboza returned with some companies, and
having restored ali the fortifications, he g·ave. the origin to a povoaçao, wbich in
the year 1585 was ennoqled with tbe title of city, and called Fillippea. lts popu-
lation bad already arrived at seven hundred families, with twenty sugar works,
when the Dutch, who had obtained possession of Pernambuco anel Itamaraca,
determined to conquer it.
After various attempts, during two years, which were always frustrated, it
fell into the hands of General Segismundo Escup, in consequence of the capitu-
lation of the fort of Cabedello, on the 19th of December, 1634, who substituted
for it the appellation of Marg·arida, in honour of a Dutch matron. With its re-
duction, and the surrencler of the fort of St. Antonio four days after, the whole
p1·ovince passed under the 1 dgminion of the Dutch, till their evacuation of this
part of the Brazil in 'the year 1654.
1
ít lies between 6° 15' and 7o 15 south latitude, and extends two hundred and
ten miles at its greatest width from east to west.
The longest day in the year does :riot exceed twelve hours and a half. The
winter commences at the ·equinox of March, and continues till July, and is
never severe. The climate 'is warm, but refreshed by the de]ightful breezes
with which it is visited from the sea. · More than two-thirds of the face of the
country, generally uneven, consists of catinga~, the remainder is of strong sub·
stantial and fertile soils, covered with extensive woods, principally upon serras
of the greatest elevation, and in the vicinities .of some rivers ; and it is only in
those latter districts, partially divested of their prii11itive sylvan shades, that
cultivation is to be seen, comprised in plantations of the cotton tree, sugar cane,
mandioca, Indian corn, legumes, tobacco, with some rice; and also the hortu-
lans and fruits peculia:r to the climate, including the pine-apple, water-mel<?n,
banana, and the orange, which are of excellent flavour.
CAPES AND. IsLANDs.- Point Cabeclella, south of the embouchure of the
river Parahiba; Point Lucena, six miles north of the preceding; and Cape
Branco, fifteen miles south of the first, are the principal.
3E2
396 PROVJNCE OF PARAHIBA.

There are no islands upon the coast of this province hut in the mouths of
rivers or the entrances o f bays, and they are generally small. ·
PoRTs.-That within the river Parahiba is tbe most frequented. The bay of
Traicao, orig·inally Acejutibiro, in the form of a half moon, with three entran-
ces formed by twp small islands, ' almost eight miles in width, having a small
river at the extremity, is deemed the best port of the province, and capable of
receiving a considerable nnmber of small vessels. The northern .eN.trance is
almost two miles in width. F.rom this bay a reef extends nearly eighteen miles·
to Cape Branco, between which and the beach there are nine and· ten fathoms
of depth, where vessels anchor in smo.oth water, protected from the agitation
of the ocean by this recife, which is a portion oNhe celebrated chain extending
along the coast, elevating its head occasionally above the water, as at Per-
nambuco,- and in other latitudes. ·
The bay of Lucena, on the northem side of tbe point of the sam e; uam~, i.s
large, witb a good anchorag;e, but is exposed to winds prevailin,g from north to
I

east.
RxvEn.s.-The Parahiba, frdm which the province takes its name, originates1
in tbe distriet of tbe Gayriris Velhos, in the skirts of the serra of Jabitaca, near
the source of the Capibaribe, runs to the ea1;1t-north-east, and is considerable
only ·in the vicinity of .the ocean, into which it is discharged· by two mouths,
sepa1·ated by the island of St. :Beuto, which is about three miles in extent. As
the territory in which ü rises is ·Of a sandy' nature, it becomes a stream in that
district only· during .the period o,f the Iiains, nor does it receive till after half its.
course, any of those tributary curre:nts which render it navigahle for a consider-
able space. Ships advanc.e up 01aly a few miJes, sumacas to the capital, and
canoes as· far as the town of Pilar. From hence npwards, its bed is stony, .
with many falls and currents r.e ndering di~cult or enlirely impeding navigation,
It does not abound in any part witb fis.h. · In the proximity of the sea it is wide
and handsome, the margins being adorned with mangroves. .
The Guarahu, which is the largest of its confluents., unites it on the left, not
far from the capital. .
Tbe Mamanguape, which is handsome, and atfords an advantageous naviga-
tion to the planters upon its adjacent lands, enters the ocean by two mouths,
divided by a flat island· covered with mangroves, between which and the chain
of reefs, which arrests ali the fury of the sea, there is an excellent anchorage
place, where vessels lie in.dead water, to wbich a nan·ow aperture amongst tbe
 PROVINCE OF PARAHIBA . 397

.-eefs affords a· passage, with three fathoms of depth, and is liHle more than teu
.miles to the notth of Point Lucena.
The Grammame, originally Guar~mama, whioh discharges itsel:f between
Port Francez and Cape Branco, has q large woode11 bridge over it, on the road
from Goyanna to the city of Parahiba. It is only navigable as far as the tide
advances.
The Cammardtlba, which enters tl1e sea ten miles north of the bay of Traicao,
and the Popoca, which discharges itself six miles to the north of the Goyanna,
are also navigable with the tide.
In the western partis the Piranhas, 'Which has acquired the name of the ~sh
with which it abounds. lts source is at the base of the serra of Cayriris, and
after seventy miles of course to the north, it gathers on the left the river Peixe,
which comes from the serra of Luiz Gomez, witb fifty miles of extent, always
ílowing througb campinhas, where there are a great many emu-ostriches, and
in its vicinity have been found gold and silver. Twenty-five miles below this
confluenc'e, it receives on the right the Pinhanco, which is little· inferior to it,
alsG flowing from the sérra of Cayriris, in a serpentine course tbrough an ext.en-
sive district, abounding with cattle belonging to various fazendeiros,_or breeders,
who live dispersed . about in different situations. After a long course; having
be~ome considerable by other streams, it enters the province of Rio Grande in
its way to the ocean.
MouNTAINS.--Almost all the mountains . with which this province is inter-
spersed, are arms of the serra Borborema, .commencing néar the sea, with~n
the province of Rio Grande, which tra-verse it Íl'OIJlllOl'th-east to south-west,
dividing it into two parts, east and west. The latter, denominated Ca.yriris
No vas, is an elevated country, and being refreshed with winds is wholesome, and
also considerably wider than the eastern portion. January, February, March,
and April, are here the most rainy months.
In the serra of Teyxeira, which is a portion of the Borborema, there are some
• inscr.iptions with green ink, in.characters unknown to the adjacent inhabitantf;l,
but which are reputed to be the work of the Dutch; or the Flamengos, as tb ey
are yet called here.
ZooLOGY.-All the domestic animais of the Portuguese p,eninsula, multiply
here without degenerating much. In the woods are seen the anta, deer,
ounce, boar, monkey, quaxinin, p1·eguica, or sloth, paca, qúaty, and other
quadrupeds common to the neighbouring provinces. There is here a species of
ferret, the size of a cat, and resembling· the quÇtty, with which the hunters d raw
 398 PROVINCE OF PARAHIBA.

from their burrows the moco and the preha. lf the animal percei ve a snake in
the bole it will not enter. It does not appear to be known southward of the St~
Francisco. Amongst the bircls are observed the emu-ostricb, seriema, jacu,
zabele, quail, parrot, ro.lta, sabia, troqua~e pigeon, canary, cm·dal, wild ducl{,
colhereira, heron, jaburu, socco, a diversity of the macarico, and the sparrow-
hawk. The arraponga has the feathers black upon the back. The puppey'l·o,
which is the size of a black-bird, .with the bill of a pigeon, blue back, the breast
red, and the tail when opened of beautiful colours, is only met with in the
woods of the serras. Two Indian nations were the possessors of this country.
The Cahetes, from the river Parahiba to the south, and the Potyguaras to the
north ; each tribe i~ divided into various· bordes, and the whole have been chris-
tianized many years since. .
PHYTOLOGY.-Cedar, Brazil wood, aroeira, pe1·eira, batinga, which is yellow,
iron and violet wood, fava-de-cheiro, (a species of pulse,) which grows in. pods,
and whose bean is deemed excellent for removing hoarseness ; sipipim, bow-.
wood, heart of negro, anjico, angellim, jatuba, the cupahyba 'oil, and g·um-mas-
t-ick trees. In the woods where these trees grow, and where there are others for
building, are also met with fruit trees growing without any human aid, such as
the jabuticaba, pitomba, goyaba, cajue, ambuzo, and aracaza. The inangaba is
very abundant in some parts. Tbe cocoa-nut tree abounds along· the coast,
which in parts is sandy, in others .r ocky, or covef'ed with mangroves. The
catulez is a sort of 1arge· palm tree, the fruit o( which affords aliment to cattle.
The piki is a mid dling sized tree, its fruit round, of the size of an apple, with
. ~ ·green rind, and a large prickly storie, the almond of which is eaten roasted
or raw; the pulp is white and soft, and is also eaten; an oil is likewise extracted
from it, and used for seasóning. ·.
This province prod.u ced formerJy much excellent sugar, the culture of which
has diminished considerably in consequence of the great droughts which are
frequently experienced ; but in its place cotton has greatly increased, as it resists
the heat better, and at the present time 'd oes not leave a less profit to the cul-
tivator.
I n the eastern part of this province are the following towns :
Parahiba Villa do Conde
Pilar Villa da Rainha
Alhandra St. Mjguel
Villa Real Montemo1-.
I n the western part are P ombal anel ViHa Nova de Sollz.a.
 PROVINCE OF PARAHIBA. 399

Parahiba, denominated a city, in a state of medioérity and populous, is

situated upon the right bank, ten miles above the embouchure of the riv~r of
its name; near the confluence · of the small river Unhaby~ It·is ornamented
with a house of misericordia and its hospital; a convent of Franciscans, ano-
ther of slippered Carmelites, and a third of Benedictines ; five hermitages, that
of Bom Jesus for the soldiers, s ·anto Cruz, St. Pedro Gonsalves, Our Lady of
Rozario for the blacks, and May dos Homens for the mulattoes; also two 4and-
~ome fountains of good water. It is the capital of the province, the residence
of its governor, and of the ouvidor, whose jurisdiction extends also to the pro-
vince of Rio Grande. It h as its high-~sou:nfiling· royal professors of the primitive
letters and Latin, and a junta of real fazenda, (the treasury.) Its only mother
church is dedicat~d to Nossa Senhora das Neves. The J esuits had a college
here, which serves at the present day for the palace of the governors; they
possessed another for recreation, ata distance of five miles on the beach of
Tambahu, where there is an el)tertaining house of Franciscans. The principal
streets are paved, and there are some good houses. The river, whose eritrancH
is defended by two . frontier forts, a league distant, is here a mile in width, ·
forming· a good port fot sumacas. Ships can only advance a little higher up
than the forts. A Juiz de Fora was granted to this ·city in the year 1813.
The Dutch exchanged.its primitive .name for that of Friderica, in honour of
the Prince of Orange, and presented it with a sug_ar-loaf for arms, in allusion to
the excellent quality of that article, which was made in this -district, and in pur-
suanc~ of the plan they had adopted of granting similar armorial emblems of
some leading object or production peculiar to the districts or capitanias then
under their dorni:nion.
An Englishman, a Scotchman, and an lrishman have recently settled in this
city, and it is to be ho1:led, that an union will exist in their commercial opera-
tions, and that they '\vill be induced to go hand-in-hand, thereby p1:ecluding that
competition, which has been already alluded to as militating so seriously in
other places against the interest of .the merchant and manufacturer. These
establishments were formed in conjunction with the merchants of Pernambuco,
and from hence they receive supplies of manufactured goods, the returns for
which are transmitted direct to England in sugar and cotton principally. Be-
sides, additümal sums of specie sent from Pernambuco to those merchants for
the purchase of produce, give this city the advantage of disposing of a greater
portÍon of the productions of the province than the amount of British commo-
dities consumed in it. Dm~ing my stay at Pernambuco two or three vessels
 400 PROVINCE OF PARAHIBA.

were sent from thence in ballast to·Parahiba to take in produce, the major parto f
which was purchased with specie remitted for the purpose, and not with the pro-
ceeds ofgoods sold here. The balance ofspeciein favour of this city, in its inter-
change of commodities with the British merchant, may arise from various causes.
The two or three merchants at Rio de Janeiro, who supply the government with
naval and military stores, receive bills in payment ·upon the Provincial or
fora treasuries, and the specie thus and by other remittances coming into. ·the
Pernambuco market beyond the returns for goods sold, create an extra demand
for produce, arising from the impossihility of transmitting those funds ·to Eng-
land in any other way; and thus part of the specie finds its way to this city, from
an expectation of its being disposed of to bet_ter advantage. Two c;:ircu'm stances
concur in producing this result ;-in the first · place, a considerable part of .the
produce of the province of Parahiba, till very recently, was' brought to the
market of Pernambuco; but the measures of the governor to confin.~ the pro-
ductions of the district under his jurisdiction to an exit by the 'head town, in
order that the treasury may not be deprived of its.revenue, has led tq a con-
centration of the objects of exportation in this city, a direct transit to England
being opened for them by the establishments . m~ntioned, and whose object, i;n
forwarding-·them at a lower rate than from Pernambuco, is at aU even.t s in the
second place accomplished by a~ exemption fr.om consulage duties.
· One of the merchants settled · here visited Pernambuco . in the early part of
1820, whilst I was there, and purchased a cargo of bacalhao, or salt fish, from
N ewfoundland, being the sixth vessel which had arrived at Recife so laden ih
the course of two months, and this was the first entire cargo that had sailed
from Pernambuco to Parahiba, demonstrating that this city is in a pr.ogressive
state of commercial improvement. .
In its environs the necessaries of life are cultivated, and the sugar ca~e, for
which there are various engenhos, · principally going by water. Towards the
interior plantations of the c~tton tree are to be seen, especially in the certam of
Crumatahu.
Previous to the revolu.tion at Pernambuco, which is said to have extended
its baneful consequences to this province, particularly to the vicinity of this
city, where the sugar is principally grown, the·export ofthat article exceeded nine
hundred chests annúally, each containing fifty arrobas, or sixteen hundr~d
pounds; but in 1819 the amo.unt did notreach much above four hundred chests.
N otwithstanding sugar h as diminished, the prod';Iction of cotton is increasing
rapidly. In 1816 it was nine thousand bags; in 1819 it reached seventeen thou-
 PROVINCE OF PARAHIBA. 401

sand bags of five to five and _a half arrobas each; and in the year 1820 it was
confidently anticipated to reach twenty _to twenty.,.four thousand bags.
The campinhas of thís province, which afford cattle to the capital, and in
part to Pernambuéo and Bahia, when visited by two or three succeeding seasons
of drougbt, entirely lóse their vegetation, and. the streams disappear, so that a
mortality ensues amongst the cattle, carrying them off in great numbers.
The governor of this city is endeavouring to effect some improvement in the
roads, or rather tracks, through the province, which are in the same lamentable
condition as in all otber districts, and it is sincerely to be wished that his efforts
may J?-Ot be fruitless. . He has issued ôrders for all individuais to .make roads
through theiv lands. .
Ten miles from this city, and upon the margin of the same river, is the con-
siderable arraial of St. Rita, with a hermitage so called.
. Pilar do Taypu, forty miles ·above the capital upon the left bank of the
Parahiba, is ornamented with a church of N. Senhora o f Pilar. Cariri was its
primitive name, when an aldeia of lndians, its first inhabitants, and who éven
at this day form, with their descendants, the principal portion of its population,
cultivating in its environs a good quantity of cotton, mandioca, &c.
Nine miles from it is. the arraial and parish of Tayabanna, upon the margili of
.the same riveT; and ten ~iles to the north is that of Cannufistula, with a hermi-
tag·e; both grow much cotton. --Gurunhem is upon a small ri ver of the -same
name, with a chapel of N. Senhora of Rozario.
N ear the Parahiba, and two miles from the town of Pilar, is the parish of St.
Mig·uel; cotton i~ the wealth of its pat;ishioners.
Alhandra, originally Uratbauhy, is a middling town, and well situated near
the river Capibary, nine miles nortb-east of Goyanna, and seven from tbe sea;
it has· a _cburcb dedicated to N. Senhora of Assumpçao. Its inhabitants are
composed of lndians and whites, pure and intermixed, ancl. are agriculturists
and fishermen.
Villa do Conde, formerly J apoca, is .yet small and without any tbi:ng remark-
able. It has a church of the Lady of Conceiçao, and is about eighteen miles
south of the capital, and near fifteen from tbe sea. lts inhabitants, lndians,
whites, and mestico.s, c1:1ltivate divers necessaries of life, and draw their water
froiQ. a g·ood fountain.
The town of St. Miguel, situated near a lake in the proximity of the bay of
T rahicao, has tbe aspect of a small aldeia. Its church' is dedicated to the
3F
402 PR()VINCE OF PARAHIBA.

archangel whose name it takes. Its inhabitants are lndians, and draw their
subsistence from the same occupations as the preceding places. ·
Montemor is à vilota, or small town of the descendants of the aborig·ines,
one mile from the northern margiu of the_Mam.anguape, and fifteen from the
sea. 1t had its commencement six miles more distant, where the parish .of St. '
Pedro and St. Paulo -is situated, for the habitatio:t:t of the ancestors of its pre~
sent inhabitants. _ The nnmber of whites ·having greatly increased, and in order
to avoid the dissensions which originated with the two hierarchies, it became
expedient to separate them; for which purpose a new aldeia was founded with
the name of Preguica, for the establishment of the first, in th~ situation where
the town is. lts church is dedicated to the Lady of Prazeres. The senate
of this town resides in the parish of St. Pedro and St. Paulo, better known by
the name of Mamanguape, in consequeRce of being near that river. In the
year 1813, when its population and that of its extensive district, had nearly
reached fifteen thousand adults, it was dismembered of its western portio'n
for the creation of the parish of N. Senhora of Cop.ceiçao do Brejo d' Area.
Villa Real. Bya law ofthe 17th of June, 1815, the above new parish ofCon-
ceiçao, was created a town, with the ·name of Villa Real do Brejo d' Area, its
civil government being assisted by two ordinary judges and three ve1·eadewes,_or
aldermen, with other officers common to towns of the same order. It is seventy
miles from Montemor, and cotton is its principal production.
Villa da Rainha, vulgarly called Campinha Grande, (Large Plain), in conse-
quence of bein~ a solitary place, in an extensive plain, one bundred and twenty
miles west of the capital, is yet a small town, much frequented, however, in
consequence of the royal road, (estrada-real) as it is ludicrously called, of the
certam. Paupinna was its name previously to its becoming a town. lts in-
habitants drink of a contiguous lake, which failing· of water in the years of great
drought, obliges tbem to fetch it upwards of six miles. Its church is dedicated
to the Lady of Conceiçao. ,
Pombal, a considerable town, speaking comparatively with others of the
country, is well situated upon .the river Pinhanco, four miles above its mouth,
and one -hundred and fifty miles south of Villa Nova da Princeza, a town of
Rio Grande. It has for nominal patroness the Lady of Bom Successo (good
success.) lts inhabitants, mostly whites, live upon the produce of agriculture,
and of cattle, which are not numerous. ·
V illa Nova de Souza is situated upon the matgin of the rive 1• Peixe, ten rniles
 PROVINCE OF PARAHIBA. 403

above its mouth, thirty-fi.ve from Pombal, and has a church of the Lady of
Remedios. The inhabitants cultivate legumes, sugar, water-melons, and
melons, in the vicinity of the ii.vers; and on the serras, mandioca, Gotton, .and
Indian corn; in the catingas cattle pasture; and abound with a diversity of
game. In the year 1806, there was scar.cely an orange tree in the districts· of
the last two towns, w here all the trees are bent to the west, in consequence of
the constant and sometimes impetuous east wind that prevails here.

,-.
404 PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE.

CHAP. XIX.

PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE.*

Contests witlt Indians-Conquest-Taken by tke Dutch-Restm·ed-Extent-

Sterility of Soil-Capes and Pm·ts-Minemlogy-Mountains-Zoology-Pkv~
tology-Rivers and Lakes-Povoações-Island of Fernando de Noronha.

THE có.n quest of this province, which is a portion of the .capitania of J oam de
Barros, was commenced in the year 1697, by order of Philip 11. with the
intention of impeding the exportation 9f Brazil wood by the French, and of
overcoming the Potyguaras, who destroyed the plantations of the colonists of
Parahiba, and interrupted the progress of that colony.
D. Francisco de Souza, governor of the state, by orders which he received,
supplied_what was requisite from the royal treasury. The squadron which was
prepared at Pernambuco, and carried with it a Jesuit for an engineer, and a
Franciscan to interpret the language of the Indians, directed its course to the
mouth of Rio Grande, which was the port most visited by the Co1·sairs. The
enterprisé had its commencement by the construction of a wooden fort, near the
place where the Fort dos Reys is now situated, and the first commandant of
which, Jeronimo d' Albuquerque, had many obstinate combat& with the aborí-
gines for more tban a year, until the friendship which. he established with
Sorobabe, (Great Island,) chief of th.e lndians, through the mediation of a
friendly one of the same tribe, afforded him an opportunity o f laying· the founda-
tion of the city of N atai, which received this name in consequence of the inaugu-
ration of its mqther church, in 1599, happening on the same day as the festivity
of the-birth of our Saviour. The want of better ports, the quality of the land,
which did not 'encourage its colonization, and the Porh~g·uese nation being then
under the dominion of the Castilian crown, as well as the inc<?nstancy of the

" Great River ofthe North; as there is Rio Grande do- Sul, (Great River of the South,) and which
must occasion some Jittle coufusion, both being called Rio Grande : it would be bctler to desiamite
o
this St. Roque, the cape being even a more conspicuous object than tbe river .

•
 "PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE. 405

Indians, equally unserviceable as friends, as they were fatal whEm enemies, con-
curred to prevent this colony. from acquiring any considerable augmentation
during· t hirty years.
The Dutch, after being established in Perna_m bnco, presented themselves
several times be'fore the Fort dos Reys, (of Kings,) which always resisted their
·a ttacks, mitil it was ultimately delivered. to tbem by the treason of a sergeant, a
deserter from Bahia, who stole the keys of the fort by night, the commandant
being serionsly wounded, and communicated to Admirai Ceulio, that the garri-
son would deliv,e r itself up, according to the conditions offered to the com-
mandant and rejected by him . Ceulio perceiving at day-break a wbite flag
hoisted, proceeded immediat~ly towards the fort, '''hich made very little resist-
ance, in consequence of this traitor, and one Orteguera, also an enemy to the
commandant, vigorously counsellü~g him to give it up. With the possession of
this fort, the Dutch became masters of the province, ·which was restored with the
others in the year 1654.
In the same year John IV. g·ave part of this province to Manuel Jurdao, who
perished by shipwreck at the point of disembarkation, and in consequence of
whose death the country reverted to the crown. This province had for some
time the title of countship, created in 1689, in favour of Lopo Furtado de
Mendonca. lt is confined on the north and east by the ocean, on the south
by the province of Parahiba, and on the west by that of Siata, from which it is
separated by the serra of Appody, which is about a league to the west of the
ri ver so called. It lies between 46 1O' and 6o 15' south latitude; the days and
nights differ ·very little in length ali the year. The climate is hot and healthy.
The winter, commonly not abundant in rain, continues from April to June in
the eastern part; in the western scarcely ~ny other rains fali, but those which
accompany tlumder, beginning usually in January or Fl:!bruary. It comprises
one hundred anel seventy miles from east to west, in the greatest width, and
one hundred from north to south, on the western side. The face of the coun-
try is generally uneven, and presents some mountains of considerable ~ltitude,
mrd also woods, bu~ they are rare, anel of no great extent, the greatest pm;tion
consisting o f parched catingas. N otwithstanding· the soil in various parts is
aelapted to tbe plantation of the cane, its culture. was never considerable, and
it gradually eliminishes ; cotton being substituted for it almost in all parts, with
less expense anel equal profit to the planter. Mandioca, lndian corn, legumes,
and hortulans of the country,. are generalJy cultivÇLted, as well as some rice
anel tobacco in sufficient quantity for the P?Pulation.
406 PROVlNCE OF .RIO GRANDE DO NÓRTE.

N eg+oes are net numerous in this· province ; the lndians, who were very
ferocious, have all been reduced many years, and their descendants, through
the medium of alliances with the Europeans and Africans, have augmented the
classes of whites .and mulàttoes, who for the most part indulge i'n idleness, and
improperly deem it a degradation to apply their personallabour, with instruments
of agriculture, for the improvement of their country.
CAPEs AND PoRTs.-Cape St. Roque forros the angle of this region to the
north-east. -
- '

Point Pipa took its name from a stone, in a degree resembling a tun-
nel, caused by the sea continually beating against it. A little to ·the south of
this point there are four abundant fountains of soft water upon the beach.
Point Negra is seven miles to the north of the preceding, and almost as far
south of the river Tareyri.
Point Petetinga, Point Toiro, Point Tres lrmaos, Point Tubarao, between
the rivers Aguamare and the Amargoso, and Point Mel, which is between the
Appody and the Conchas, are all upon the northern coast of the province. It
has neither ports nor bays c~pable of receiving a squadron of ships of much
burden; there · is, however, the Bay Formoza upon the eastern coast, with
seven miles of mouth, three of bay, and four fathoms in depth at low water,
but it is @Verspread with stones and unsheltered, .
MINERALOGY .-:-lt has gold, minerais of iron and silvei', flint stones, calca-
reous stone, granite, amethys.ts, crystals, and argils of various colours and
quality.
MouNTAIN s.-The serra Estrella is in nothing comparable with that of the
same name in the province of Beyra.
The serra St. Cosme, with a hermitage, St. Domingos, St. Joze, Cam~lo, with
eighteen miles of length, and Pannaty, at the heads of the Pinhanco; Bonito,
from whence a· small torrent descends, denominated Aguaboa, (Good ater;) "V
Camara, Pattu, with a hermitage of the Lady of Impossibilities, and in its skirts
another of the Lady of Griefs ; Luiz Gomez, covered with large woods, and
where the best ne-cessaries of Úfe and cotton are raised; that of Cabello-nao-
tem, so called in consequence of being entirely bare, having gold; Re-
gente, now called Portalegre, since a town of that name was founded upon it;
Campo Grande in the vicinity of the preceding, and whose inhabitants belong
to thé parish of Pau dos Ferros, two miles distimt; Martins, which has ten
miles of length, and a bermitag·e on the summit, near a lake, that overflóws
its margins with the thunder showers. lt is affirmed, that at the end of the last
 -
PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE.• 407

century there was already upon the serra four thousand persons belonging to
the communion. Serra Borborema is in the eastern part of the province:
ZooLOGY.-Cattle are bred, and some mules; also sheep and goats. Hogs are
not so numerous as in the adjacent provinces; In the woods the same qtmdrll-
peds •are mêt with ÇLS. in the sur:r ounding districts. The emu ostrich, sm·iema,
guimponga, tucano, zabele, torquaze-pigeon, and parrot, are well known;
also the beija-flor, or humming bird, sabia, cardal, canary, cabm·e, car·rica, and
papeym. On the margins of the rivers and lakes are the heron, jabu1·u? collte-
reira, galleiroe, socco, and various sorts of the macarico. The jucurutu and
the macaulzan are destroyers of snakes.
PHYTOLOGY.-The cocoa-nut tree is abundant in many situations near the
beach. In the interior there are many species of the palm. In the woods are
divers trees of excellent timber, an<l some resinous. The cedar is not unknown
in all the districts. "Amongst fmits are the cajue, jabuticaba, ambuzo, aracaza,
and o.ccasionally groves, almost entirely of the mangaba tree, are met with ;
there is also the cupahyba tree, and a variety of other vegetation used in phar-
macy. Lights are universally made from the oi1 of mamona and bees-wax.
RIVERS AND LAKEs.-Rio Grande, original1y Pottengy, comes from the
centré of the province, increasing with the waters of various others, generally
inconsiderable, and discharges itself fi.fteen miles to the south of Cape St.
Roque. The margins are in great part covered with handsome mangroves as
far as the tide advances. Large barks proceed up for the space of near forty
miles, from thence upwards only canoes.
The Appody has one hundred and thirty miles of com·se, formerly denomi-
nated Upanema, a name which at -present i~ appropriated to another smaller
river that unites it, op, the right, ten miles above its mouth. It runs almost
wholly through a :flat country, whe1:e there are various lakes, which by degrees
1·estore to it ~he water·s introduçed into them by its :floods.
The waters of those lakes, amongst which are the Apanhapeixe, (Catch Fish,)
about four miles in circuit; Pacco, a little less, and VaTges, six miles long and
ilarrow, totally disappear in years of drought.' Large canoes advance úp this
river to the arraial of St. Luzia, situated upon the ]eft margin, twenty miJes
from the sea. From this situation downwards the famous salterns of Mossórg
are met with, the salt of which is as white as snow; they have tended to the
increase of population, as well as occasioned the river to be visited by a great
number of small craft, which convey it to different parts.
The Aguamare runs northward, Iike the preceding·, and is discharged twenty
•
 408 PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE.

miles to the west of Point Tres Irmaos by two ~ouths, formed hy a small island-
that produces salt; large canoes proceed up it some leagues. Its entrance is
pointed out by two mountains, called Cambujys, of nnequal elevation, both in
the forro of a sugar-loaf, and seven miles distant from the sea.
The Gunepabu, also .c ailed Siara Mirim, after having inigated an extensive
country, with many small aldeias, is discharged three miles north of the.Rio r.
Grande, with considerable width and two fathoms in depth.
The ri ver Cunhahu, otherwise Crumatahy, which enters the ·o/cean five miles
south of Point Pipa, waters tbe establishments of many fazendeiros, gathers
various small rivers, and affords navigation to canoes for some leagues.
The Tareyry, which is the outlet of Lake Groahyras, discharges itself twenty
miles south of the Rio Grande. This lake, ten miles long, communicàtes with
two smaller ones, is well stored with fish, apd at a certain point is only one
mile from the sea. The Guajehy empties itself four miles to the north of the
bay of Marcos.
The Piranhas (spoken of in the province of Parahiba) is here the most con:..
siderable river, and its largest flood.s are in March and April. It is discharged
by five mouths, the principal of which are the eastem, called Amargozo, the
Conchas the western, and the Cavallos the central, being the most voluminous,
a:nd twenty miles te the west of the Aguamare ; large barks proceed up to·.
Villa Nova da Princeza. U pon its margins are the abundant salterns of Assu,
the primitive name of the river. A great portion of. the salt is consumed for
· salting fish,, the main part of which is sent to Pernambuco.
The Serido, which has one hundred miles of course, and the largest con-
fhtent of the Piranhas in this province, enters on the right eighty miles above
its embôuchure. An imaginary line drawn north and south from the point of
Tres Irmaos divides this province into two párts, a little unequal.
I

ln the eastern part there are the following towns : -

Natal St. J oze
Are:z; Villaflor.
Estremoz
In the westem part :-ViU a Nova da Prjn~esa, Portalegre, and Villa Nova
do Príncipe.
N atai, which h as been sometimes called Ciuade dos Reys, (City of the Kings,)
with a church dedicated to the Lady of Apresentaçao, and the capital, does not
surpass any of the largest towns. of the province: it consists of a square; the

•
 PROVlNCE OF RIO GRANDE DO NORTE. 409

streets are of deep sand; and it is dignified with the title of a city, which it
·received at its foundation by the Philips. It has, as usual, various places of
worshíp, a palace for the governors, a town-house, and a prison. It is advan-
tag·eously situated upon the right marg·ii::t of the Rio Grande, near two miles
above its mouth, which is defended hy the fort of Reys Majos, seated upon
the southern point, and becoming an island with the high tides. The Dutch
possessed themselves of this city in 1633, and · gave it an ostrich for arms, in
allusion to the multiplicity of those birds with which the province at that time
abounded. In its environs cotton, Indian corn, feijao, and mandioca are cul-
tivated, with some rice and sugar..
Arez, originally 'G róahyras, is a small t0,w'i1, with a church dedicated to St.
John 15he Baptist, and about thirty-five miles south of the capital, near a Jake
of its primitive name, · and twenty miles distant from the sea. The inhabitants
are almost all fishermen and respite a salubri~tls air. The channel which the
Dutch projected opening· from this Jake to the beach of Tibau, only distant two
miles, and which would save a navigati0n of fi.fteep. or eighteen miles by
the Tareyry, is yet unexecuted. In the district of Arez is the povoaçao of
.Goyaninha, (Little Goyànna,) larg·er than the town, from which it is distant
ten miles. It is inhabi~ed by whites, and has a churc~ of Nossa S~nhora· o f
Prazeres.
Villa:flor, at first called Grammacio,· is an indifferent town, inhabited by
agricultura} Irtdians and whites, with a church of the Lady of Desterro. · lt is
forty miles to the south of the capital and three from the sea, near the river
Cúnhau, which supplies it with water.
- Estremoz, formerly Guajiru, is a town of the same class as the precedirig·,
well situated near a laké teu miles long .and two wide. lt is teu miles from the
sea and as far north- wes~ of the capital, with a mother chmch, having for
patrons St. Michael and the Lady of Pleasures. The inhabitants are composed
of whites, lndians, and mesticos. In the district of Estremoz, upon the
northern coast, near the mouth of a · small river, is the :flourishing pov0açao of
Toiros, oc~upied by whites, and .ornamented with a chapel of Lord Jesus of the
N avigators. From its port, where small vessels arrive, cotton is exported.
Villa Nova da PPinceza, ]9rimar-ily Assu, is well situated on the left bank of
the rive1· Parinhas, ~wenty-five miles above its month, and is the most consider-
able .a nd trading .town of the western part; hyates frequent its port. Besides
a church dedicated to St. J ohn the Baptist there is a hermitage of the Lady of
Rozari6. The inha_bitants breed cattle, arid c1:1ltivate the same productions as
3G
410 PROVINCE OF .RIO GRANDE DO NORTE.

-are raised in the vicinity of the capital. The salt-pits employ many people; and
'theÍt' proceeds forro a conside1~able branch of commerce. ViUa Nova do P.rin-
cipe, formerly Cayco, is a midd1ing· .town, and well situated Uf'Oll the ri.ver
Serido, twenty-five miles above its rrwuth. St. Anna is patroness of the
church, and the inhabitants of various cotnp:le.ú ons drink the water of the river,
upon the marg·ins of which feijao, hortulans, Indian corn, and tobacco are
cultivated. In its district there are the hermitages .of St. Anna do Pe da Serra,
of St. Anna do Campo Grande, and of St. Luzia, w1ilich are ex,pected .to h>ecome
parishes with the increase of population.
Portalegre is a considerable town, situated upon the serra ·<'>f its ' name, nea:r
seventy miles .from the sea .and eight to the west of the App<>dy. St. Joam
Baptista is the nominal patron of its cbnrcb, and its inhabitants, composed of
Europeans, whites of tb.e country, anel lndians, respire fresh and salubrious
air, and derive excellent water from two p·e rennial founts. The Indians, whose
rrumbers are much inferior to the whites, are . descendants principally of three
colonies, which their conquerors established here, namely the Payacus, who
·possessed the margins of the Appody, the Icos, who were masters of those of
the -river Peixe, and the Pa;nnaties, who inbabited the serra of their name.
·Cotton anel mandio.c a are its exports. .
- The eastern limits of the district of this town are common with thol;le of the
.parish.óf St. John the Baptist of Appocly. In its vicinity, near a stream, below
a tree, there is a small spring of tepid water, called Ag.ua do Milho. lt ·is
necessary to clJ·aw it out with a small ves·sel into a larger one, when any person
wishes to bathe.
'fhe town of St. Joze, which took the Lady of O. for its patroness, 1s in a
state ·of mediocrity, agreeably and well situated. Mipibu was its first name,
and it is nearly thirty miles south of the capital, fifteen from the ocean, and.
three from the lake Groahyras. The inhabitants are agricultura! India:ns and
whites.
About four miles fmm it ü: the smal'l po•voaçao of Papary, 'near the lake of
Groahyras, with a chapelef Our Lady of O. and inl1abited by wbites, who
are employed in fishi:ng. .
About two hundr~d and ,fifty miles to the east-norlh-east of Cape St. Ro.que is
the island of Fernando .(l-e Noronha, discovered by a Por.tuguese of that name,
being ten IQiles long, of propm-tionate widtb, generally mountainous· and stony, .
with so few and such small po,rtions of land .susceptible of eultivation, that it
could not maintain a diminutive cokmy. In .order .to impede a contrabaud
 PROVINCE' O.F RIO GRANDE "DO NORTE: 4fl
tracle with foreign nations, 3.1 det'achment is maintained here, suppli.ed anel
annually exchang:ed from Pernambuco. Some criminais are sent here to pass
the period oftheir degradation, who cultivate a small ·portion ofmandioca, wit.lr.
some fruits from the continent, and breecl some cattle, sheep, and, goats. The
rigid prohibition by the government 0f the' entmnce, till recently~ of any female
to this island with the colony, is a circumstance highly discreditable t-6 the:it··'
policy. A brother-in-law of General Rego· r t~1rned fron~ the government ot
this island when I was at Pernambuco, and fl·om him I understood that femaJes
were now aclmitt€d into the eálony. · Rats are here exceediiigly :taumer'ous, also11
the rona. bird·. '1'here are a great number of wild: mauntain cats, descehded.
fl'om those which had fled from the houses ; they carry on a continued warfàre
ag;ainst the rolla. .It has good water; and eight or-ten SHlall forts, destinecl to-
defend those places where a disembarkation. might be eftected. In: the year-
1738 King John V. orderecl these forti:ficati{)ns to be constrllcted, after the ex-·
pulsion of the pirates who hacl established themselves· her.e. Ships falling short
of water occasionally: visit this place for a supply. ·
To the north,, and separatecl· from it by a narrow channel, is the . islaHd· of-
Ratos,, (Rats,) three miles long,. less stony, anel more woody than the other, -
anel where the degradados have formed plantations of the cotton Íl'ee.. 1t is
remarked that the animals from which tliis · island dei·ives its natl}e di·d not exist
here some few years ago. In the channel there Is a hollo'v stone, where the
sea bt1rsts forth with a lou.cl noise,_

.!"i. s . '
 412 PROVINCE OF SI.A<RA.

CHAP. XX.
I'
PROVINCE OF SIARA.

Colonization-Boundaries-Indians-Talcen by the Dutclt-Restored-Moun-

tains-Mineralogy-Zoology-Plzytology-Rivers and Lakes-Povoaçoes.

I T is not recorded whether the territory of this province had any other dona-
tories besides the unfÓrtunate Joam de Barros and Luis de Mello, nor is the
precise epoch known of the foundation of the prezidios, or garrisons, from which
commenced the colonization that existed upon the coast in 1603, when· Captaip.
Pedro Coelho· de Souza, arrived there by orders of the governor of the state,
with' eighty Portuguese and eight hundred Indians, in và1~ious •caravels, for the
purpose of destroying the alliance Mons. :BombHle, a Frenchman, had Í@rmed
with the celebrated Mel Redondo, principal chief of the .Serra: Hibiapaba, from
which considerable injury resulted to the preziclios. · He véceived seme people
from them to enable him the better to execute the project, wh.ich he accomplish-
ed by subjecting this lndian to the Portuguese crown. On bis i·etilrn, Pedro
Coelho entered the river Jaguaribe, merely with the intention of making some
observations; but discovering a great number of advantages which it presented,
he determined to commence a city there with his party: and having ordered
his family to join him from Parahiba, he continued occupied in the foun~ation of ,..
the colony with the name of Nova Lisboa, (N ew Lisbon ;) but shortly afterwarcls
he was oblig·ed by the Indians to desist from the undertaking, and retnrned
to Parahiba. '
Duarthe d' Albuquerque Coelho, writer of the war of Pernambuco, where he
was donatory, affirms from ocular testimony, that Martim Soares Moreno, who
belonged to the principal p1·ezidi6 of Siara, carne in the yea1· 1631, to succour him
against the Dutch, with an auxiliary force of lndians, in whose language he was
well versed, and was named the first governo r of that prezidio by the King : it
being also certain that he commaJ:!.ded it in 1613, when, leaving in bis place
Estevam de Campos, he accompanied Jeronymo d' Albuque'r que in the first
attempt against the French who were established in the island of Maranham ;

I
 PROVINCE OF SIARA. 4].3

but it does not appear -whetber he was the commandant or not at tbe period·
•
when Capt. Pedro Coelho arrived tbere. The district, however, was colonized
very slowly', in corisequence of the deficiency of good ports, and those advan-
tages calculated to attract a numerous colony. ·
This province, which took th~ name of one of its smallrivers, in consequence
of the first establishment being founded near its embouchure, is confined on the
nortb by the ocean; on the south ·by the coi;dillera of Ararippe or Cayriris,
which divides it from that of Pernambuco, on tbe easf by the provinces of Rio
Grande and Parahiba, and on thé west by that 'o f Piauhy, from which -it is
separated by. the Hibiapaba serra. It is computed to be about three hundred
miles at its greatest length and width~
, The whole was principally in the power of thê numerous nation of Potiguaras,
(alth~mgh there were the Gttanaoas and Jagua?·ua:r~tnas,) divided into various
bordes. The main part of the~ were Christiariizeq by the exertions of the
Jesuits, for whtch purpose they had an hospício in Aquiraz, whose ruins are
now called Collegio. The first catechists of this people w'ere two Capuchin
missiona11ies left bere by. Fre;y Ch11istovam, from Lisbon, the first friar of Para,
~t the entreàties·of Martim Soares: M~t:eno.
· The face of'thé' country is a:lmost generally uneven; without any deep valleys,
ana with few mountains .of considerable elevation, if we except the branches of
the Great Corqillera, W.itli ·w hich-i.t is in great part sürrounded. The territory
principally consists o.f a sand:J-,. arid, and sterile soil, .partia1ly woocl,éd. Upon
the serras aloue are to be discovered extensive woods, the soil being substantial
and fertilê, and the1-·e the best plántations of produ~e are formed, the remainder
of the country serving as pasturage for lai·ge quàntities o.f cattle bred there.
T,fl:e winters àr'e irregula1~, and commonly dry; some years passing without any
r~in, the· consequences of which are_many fatalities. This scourge upon the
country is said to be repeated about every ten years, with some excep~ions.
The heat is intense in the flat parts of the central districts. · In 1792, a drought
commenced, which lasted four "years, during which time all domestic animais
p erished, and many people. · Honey was for a long· time the only aliment,
which produced various epidemics, and swept off many thousand persons ·
throughout . the province. Seven parishes were completely deserted, without
there remaining a single soul. ·
· In 1632, two Dutch vessels of war arrived upon the coast with the intention
of making an .easy conquest of it, through the medium of an intrig·ue with the
I ndians; and, for the accomplishment of this project, four lndians were
414 PROVINCE. OF SfARA.

ordered to penetrate into the interior, who, wit:h many others, had been taken in:'
the bay of Trahicao, alid sent to Amsterdam, whêre they learned thé Batavian··
language. Two of them . being discovered, through the activity of.·DomingoS·
da V eyga, commandant of the presídio, were immediately ~xecuted as an
exa:mple to the others ; and the Dutch, despairing, in consequence, of succeeding
in their undertaking·, set sail again for Pernambuco.
Fiv~ years afte1·wards, the Indians of. this country, hearing of the great sue-
cesses of the Dutch, on the _arri·val e f Count N assau at Pernambuco, deputed
two messengers to offer submission and obedience to them iri case· they wished
to. make themselves masters· of the presidio, tbe commándant of which had ·
concluded his days, and the soldiery were iri a sufficiently diminutive ·s tate.
Four vessels were immediately despatched, with two hundred soldiers,. anel the
Dutch,. without · di:fficulty, possessed themselves of this province in the year
1.637, which they retained without any considerahle advantage for some years,
and, on giving it up, did not leave, as in some other places, any public works
of utility. The Indians, whó spontaneously united with them, undoubtedly:
expeeted to. have met with that in the new ·conquerors which they could. not
find in the first; but it does not appea1: that the.y were quite so satisfied, as· they,
retired to the southern lands in the vicinity of the cordiUera. The missionaries
of the Protestant religion,, i f would appear, did not please them, so well as the
spells, rosaries, ceremonies, an& parade, accompanied with music, all -so 1m-
posing on the imagin.atiGn, and with which the Jesu.its. allured thmn froní the
savage life.
MouNTAIN-s.-The serra of Jaguaribe, with many spiral l1eads·, is to the
east of the river of that name; The serua of Guammame, ·which commences
near the Jaguaribe, ranges for thivty miles to the west, at. a distance· of about
eighteen from t~u: coast i that of Siara, with four heads, is betweeJ!l the
river of its name on the east, and the· Cahobyppe on the west. · The serra of
Mandàhu is between the river of the same l'l.ame en the west, anel the bay of
Curn on the east i that of Caracu, having the river of that name on the west,
and the Aracaty-mirim on the east.
The serra Bo:rytamma is l;>ehind the morro of Jericoacóara, situatecl at the
bottom of the bay of this :name. The· wliole serve for land-marks to the navi-
gators coasting along these slwres. .
There is also the serra Urubnretama, runiiing north and south between the
rivers Curu and Acaracu; that of Botarite, in the centre of the province ; and
that of Merooca, seventy miles distant from the sea.
 'P ROVINCE OF SIARA. 4.1 ;)

. The sena of 'I-libiapaba, far from being a single cordon, is formed of :variom;
mountains, which succeed each other, and is in parts bare and stony; but the
main portion is covere.d with forests of superb timber, nourishecl by a soil of
much substantiality anel fecnndity. Tbe Tabbajara lndians possess the greatest
'}Jart of it.
MINERALOGY.-Gold in ·small quantity; minerais of silver . and iron, m'ore
or less; crystals, cbrysolites, pumice stone, amethysts, ma.gnet, calcareous stone,
granite, saltpeü:e, whi~e lead, potters' earth, and stones of St. Anna, wbich are
applied to fema.les at child-birth. ·
ZooLOGY.-There are the ferret, hedge-hog; here called ' quand~t, as at ' Per-
nambuco, praguica, or s}Qtb, ounce, deer, coelho, guaxúiin, quaty, pacca, the
wild boar, capivcwa, otter, and all other wilcl quadrupeds, peculiar to the neigh-
houring· provinces. The guat·iba monkeys assemble in large bands upon tbe
thickest trees of the woods, and make a babbling noise like the loud grating' of
the Brazilian waggõn. Among other species of birds are common the emu
ostricb, sm,iema, Jabut·u, colltereiTa, tucano, mutun, Jacu, torquaze pig·eon,
gu,imponga, nltambu, zabele, parrot, uT·ubu, sabia. In the lakes th~re are ~
diversity of dncks, geese, galeim, a diving bird; and near tbeir margins, the
samcum,. macaTico, and socco. Bats are very numerous, particularly in years of
g,reat drought, and more fatal to the cattle than the w-i ld beasts collectively,
actually redncing rich farmers to indigence, exte:risive plains covered·with many
thousa.nd head of cattle becoming totally deserted. This animal, worse than a
pestilence, d~stroys most in the fazendas that have rocks, in whose caverns
they breed, where they c}uster togetl)er during the day in large piles, and whe1·e
also they are better killed, either with fire or with the gun. Goats -and sheep
are sufficiently numerous, though not so tnuch so as they were previously to the
· fatal drought alluded to; the latter Fesist the rainy seasons the best, a,nd are
mo11e prolific, ·g enerally having two at a birth, many three, few one, and some
f.our: goats commonly have tw.o also, many on.e,- but rarely afford three at a
l;lirth. In the vicinity of the river Jaguaribe, the most numerous flocks -Of both
specie?s ar,e met with. Neither the flesh nor milk of those animals are held in
much repute, and, what is equally singular, the people are imperfectly ac-
quainted with the art of renclering their skins a branch of . commerce.
PHYTOLO~Y.- Tbt)re are a d.ive1;sity of trees which afford excellent timber for
building, ptbers for cabinet work, and dyes; also those which pmduce benzoin,
gum copal and .gu:p1 mastick; likewise various species of the palm, of wbich _the
CJtrn(t!huhà)s the most corrp:I!on and useful tree in the country; of it houses are
416 PROVINCE OF SIARA.

formed without any other ingredient than clay, the trunk sening for the substan-
tial part, and the leaves 1n the shape of a fan for the coverÍng; the latter are
also used for mats, hand-baskets, hats, and little panniers. They afford, besides,
sustenance for cattle at the period of gt·eat droughts, for, whilst new, the pith of
the trunk is soft, and given to ani'm als in default of o.ther aliment: a sort of
farinha, or flonr, is also made from it, which is a resource in times of famine.
In the centre of the foliage there is a glutinous pod, which, when applied to
the fire, acquires the consistency of wax, of which it has the smell. lts fruit,
which is a bunch of a black colour, supplies sustenance to a:ll living creatures ·;
and beautiful walking ' canes are made of its timber, which become speckled
on being polished.
The oiticica is the largest, and has the most abunda~t foliage of any tree of
the certam. Its co0l shade is grateful to man, as well as ali animais of the
country, but only grows where its r·oots can find water. In the woods the
jabuticaba is common, and in the catingas the. ambuzo.
The culture of cotto:t:J, is in the. progress of augmentation, and its produce is
the principal branch .of commerce, and introduces into the country the.-gre~tesf
part offoreign coq1modities, which the necessities of life or luxury may rê"J.uÍre.
The cane prospers in many districts, but its juice is almost all distilled into,
spirit, or reduced into what are te,rmed 'rapaduras, which are por.tions gf rp.usco-
vado sugar, in the form of a brick, which it receives after being put into wooden
mo~lds. The produce of cotfee, which with industry might become prodig·ious,
is yet insignificant. The same may be said ·of the cócoa shrub. Indian corn is
the only grain which prospers in the eountry.
The atta, which is the pine of the southern provinces, is here ~bundant, and
the best of ali in the Brazil, and perhaps in America. Melons, and water-
melons are excellent in many situations, also the pine-apple. Orange trees are
almost useless in some places, and the banana, or plantain, is rare in con-
sequence ·of the occasional deficiency of rain. The mangaba and araca are
common in all the districts, as well as the cajue-nut and the tobacco plant.
Cattle, hides, cotton, and salt, are almost the only articles of exportation.
· Formerly a considerable quantity of amber was collected, which ·the hig·h
tides deposited upon the beach. The bees produce a great abundance of honey'
in the cavities of trees. Quinaq,uina, or Jesuits' bark, is rarely seen . .
RivERS AND L.ÃKEs.-Of the great number of rivers in this province the only
large on€ is the Jaguaribe, which, in the idiom of the Indians, means the, "river
of ounces." lt has its origin in, the serra of Boa vista, which is a. portion -of the
 o PROVINCE OiF SIARA. 417

Cayriris, in the d.istrict of Inhamu', and runs, like all the others, to the nortb,
passes the towns· of St. Joam do Príncipe, St. Bernardo, imd Aricaty, and
,d ischarges itself into the oceal}. fifty miles west .of the Appqdy. Its course
through .the cattle plains is handsom~ and Ínteresting ; the tide runs thirty miles,
and gives it a majestic appearance. It has a div~rsity of fis}J, a co:nsiderable
part of which enter with the ÍI}.undati.ons into the aqjacent lakes, where they
are greatly- diminished by the jaburu and other ichthyoph~gous· bir<!ls. Its
·pril'lcipal tribt1taries are the river Salgado, which flows from the same ,cordjllera,
.breaks through .a. mountain. which it encounters, passes by the parishe~. of
,JLavra's · and Icco, anel enters its superiot· by the right margin, having traversed
the district of Mangabeira, where there is gold, the extraction of which was
forbidden. The Banabuyhu, little inferior to the preceding, comes from the
vicinity ·of -the .before-mentioned cordjllera, joining its waters tQ the Jag·uaribe
·a few leagues below the last confluence, having received, amongst other smaller
streams, the Quixer~muby. ·
The river Caracu. has its heads in the centre of the province, .waters the
t~wn of .Sobral, and is discharged by two mouths. near forty mile~ to the east
.of the bay of Jericoacoar~. The tide runs up some leagues, rendering ·it navi-
·gable. for a çonsiderable· ~pace. .
The river Camucim, which in the ·interior of the· countt;y flows under the
name of Croaihn, and which has one hundred miles of c·ourse, originates iri.
1the serra of Hibiapaha, refreshes the town of Granja, and empties itself
,twenty-five miles to the east o.f the last-mentioned bay. It is navigab1e for a
considerable distance, and has at its embouchure a commo·qious. anchorage for
sumacas, 'Yhich export from thence a larg~ quantity . of cotton, principally to
Maranham.
The ri ver Aricaty is extensiv_e, . and enters the sea qy two unequal mouths,
denominated.Aricaty-Assu and Aricaty-Mirim; the first is t}J.e ea~tern. The
inte 1·vening islând is four .miles in diameter and ~bout twenty-tive east of
the Caracu.
The Cahohyppe, which flows into the ocean, fifteen miles to the west of the
capital; the Cioppe, eighteen miles more to the west; the Curu, which dis-
cbarges .i tself twenty miles further in ·tbe same directio~; ~nd the Mandahu,
nearly fifty miles more, and eighteen to the east of Aricaty. Assu, are the only
others wo.r thy of notice.. . .
Irr aU tl1e rivers of this prõvince there is a species-·of fish resembling a ska.te,
with a spur upon the tail, the painful sting of which, wheri it does not produce
3 H-

...
418 l>ROVINCE OF -SIARA. o

death, lea_ves t~e patient with à terrible wotmd :- the only remedy knoWI). is
burning with a hot iron or caustic, when the artel\y is not aifected-. Tt1e Author
of Nature has beneficently 'ordained that they confine themselves to the bottom
of dead water, and do no harm to those· who. bathe in :mnning streams.
'The lake of Velho is to the right of the Jagnaribe, with which it· cammuni-
cates by two channels in the 'p~rish e f St.' .J aam, IIiany "Ieagues distant from the
town·of Aricaty. The lake of Jaguaraeu.lies b~tween the -rivers· Gieppe· and
Siara, thirty-five miles from the. sea, and the · lake üamurupim, . a short way
from the eastern' margin of the river éatnucim, · are the . most considerab'le.
Other periodical lakes are to be r~rna:rkéd, of ]~ttle depth ánd considerable
diameter, which only exist whilst it rains, anel whose:waters, on the- í:etum:-:o,f
heat and dry winds, crystallize into a white and excé'llent salt.
lsLANDS, CAPES, AND PoRTs.:-. On 't ne extensive coast' of -this· province
there are no promontories or remarkab1e capes, no ports for the recer>tiori of
large vessels, nor islands, except in the embouch~1res ·Or beds ' of the rivel's.
The shore in some parts is steep, in others flat antl sandy,. .·ccwered with man-
groves, and having in some sltuations fine coocia-nut trees. · · <l

· The bay of Titoya, with seven miles of mouth ·án.'d two of· depth,i is .sur-
rounded by handsome mangroves, full of divers speCies of crab-fi· sh~ ·: aliicil ·i~ ,
situated between the moutn of the Camucim and the .llinit ·of the pr-ovinoe. ··The
bay of Jericoacoara, considerable, and poínted out ~by the morro· of' the same
name, and tlie bay of lguape, s~rrounded by high barriers, contra,cted into a
point by a mount on the· eastern ~ide, are the only openings.in the land meriti.n.g
thaf denomination. · ·
A line drawn north and south, from the river Curu to the southern limit,
divides this province into two parts almost equal.
· In the eastern part a~e the following towns : -
NossÇL Senhora d' Assumpçao St. Bernardo Mecejanna
Aricaty · St. Joam do Principe Soure
lcc0 Gamp<;> Maior Arronches.
Cr~tto . Aquiraz
Bom Jardim Montemor o N.o_vo
In the western division : -
Sobral Villa Viçosa Villa Nov.a d' el Rey.
Nossa Senhora d' Assl)mpçao, otherwise Villa do Forte, so named i.n ··conse-
quence of a fort which defended it, but níore ·commonly caUecl Siara, 1s a very
 PROVINeE OF SIARA. 419

middling town, and the residence of the governo:r; · the chapel, dedicated to the.
Assumption of Our Lady, was :the origin of· its present name. It is the capital
ef the, p1·ovi.nce, áPií1d has a church e>f St. Joz.e de Ribamar. .It is sitnated .n.e ar
the bea:ch, is surrounded iWith, a sandy soi,l, and about seven miles to the north-.
west ~f the ernbotichure of the river Siara, where it was first comJRenced at. the.
p1ace now called Villavelha. It is the,·inost ancient town in 'the·.'proviluce, and
the reputed·•city· of Siará. of .Vosgien, .possc:i,ssing however .n o aclvantages that
would warrant tl:ie expectation df any •great inípr6vement of its ·present conqi-
tion. ,The ipine, Glr átta, is here· very large,' and its. fruit de1i:cious. In 1808
it received a .Juiz de Fora, who is judge of all civil and cdrninal causes, a:lso
auditor of war, jupge of the· custom-house, attorney-general, and d~puty of
' the ~unta of the treasury, which does not differ in its jurisdic'tión frem any o f
tne .othets: The gove~or of this province tonched at Pernamhu'co dmring my
stay there ; the term of his government,had expired, and he was on bis way to
Rio •cl.e Janeiro. This province cannot boast @[ a:ny. foreign c01mmeFc.e; the
pritruipal part of its produce has hitherto , bee:n sent by coasting vessels pl:inci-
pa!Hy to 1\'Iat,anham; aml in like mannet its irubernal demands ba:vé been sup-
plieciL A respectable hopse··of London ha:ve it in· contemplation tó for~ .::iln.
establishment•· h:e1:e: t&is hoúse has·.haffi fo!l· many yea:vs. estaolrshments at Rio
de Janeiro·, Bé!.hia, ana Pernambüeo.
· To the . west of this town is the par.ish of. Conceiç~o d' Almofâlla, whose
parishi6ners ·are whites, with some Tramembe lndians; the whole cultivating
mandioca,. legumes, and rice.. In its.district there are salt-pits.
To the soutn of the preceding is the parish of Conceiçao d' Amontada, the
population ·of which, for the main part whites, cultivate the same productions,
and! breed cattle.
Aricaty, the Jargest, most populous, commercial, and .flourishing town and
frequented port of the provi:nce,' was created by J ohn V. in 17~3, and is situa-
ted on tbe eas.ter:n margin, eight miles above the mouth of the J aguaribe, the
large floods of which river incommode a portion of its inhabitants. It has a
church dedicated to the Lady of Rozario, and four hermitages, with the titles
of Lord .Jesus of :Bom Fim, of Navig·ators, of the· Lady of Livramento, and
of St. Gonçalo; a p1·ofessor of .Latin; good streets ; and many houses of one
story, with a great portion of them . built of brick. Cotton and hides are its
principal exportations.
Ice o stands along- the right margiri of the ri ver Salgado, a few leagues a:bove
its nwuth, one· hund1·ed m~les north of Cratto, and near one húndred and eighty
3H2
420 PROVINCE OF SIARA.

south of Aricaty, is a considerable town, with a church dedicated to the.

Lady of Expectaçao, a hermitage of Rozario, another of the Lord Bom Fim,.
and a royal master of Latin. Its edifices a11e chie:fly of wood, and its inhabit-
ants aré much incommoded by- the heat, r~:fl.ected from a mom·o, or· 11ock, near
it, and from whence a vast ·e xtent of the envir<'ms are viewed; abounding with
cattle. The river is well stored w1th fish, and is subject to :floods, which inun-
date a considerable space of territ01:y, that produces rice, Indian corn, feijao,
water-melons, and excellent melons; .but neither the pl·antain, nor any fruit
trees prosper in its vicinity . . Farinha and sugar are hrought here from Cratto~
and salt from Assu.
· Lavras da Mangabeira, a parish created in 1813, is thirty-five miles · above
I eco, ·of which it is a dismembered portion, and is upon the margin of the ~ai­
gado. Its cbmch is dedicated to St. Vincente Ferreyra, and its inhabitants
raise varioús· necessaries of life, .cotton, and cattle. .
Cratto, a town in a state of mediocrity, situated in a plain near a small
stream, that takes its name, being one of the heads of the Salgado,. has a
church of the Lady of Penha, and is the most abundaat town af the province.
El'ery fruit tree of the South American continent prospers in its fertile district,
and it has the advantage of. running streams to ir.rigate the ·plan'tations, not ·e:x.-
cepting those of mandioca, when the rains fail, aml to which mày be attrirnuted
the superabundanée of the necessaries of life it always enjoys. The neighbour-
ing districts have recourse to them when they experience years of drough't, imd
the conseq.uent d'eficiency of vegetation. Limes, citrons, bananas, and cab-
bages, are of an un.common size. Diseases of the eyes and legs are here ende-
mical. 'Thunder showers commence in its vast district, which is a portion of
the Cayriris Novas, in October, and last till May. In certain .months cold
nights are experienced.
Thirty miles to the east-south-east is the parish of St. Joze, yet known by the
name of Missao Velha, (Old Mission.) Its numerous parishioners, generaBy
whites, cultivate mandioca:, lndian corn, and the sugar can~.
Bom Jardim was created a town by a law of the 30th of August, 1814, and
is a clismemberment of Missao Velha, made two years previously, which was
then the most populous parish of the province. It is fifty miles, distant fro.m
Cratto, and has a church of Bom Jesus. Sugar and cattte f0rm the riches of
the inhabitants.
The tówn of St. Bernardo, yet small, is situated near a small nver, which
two. miles lower joins the Jaguaribe on the western marg·in, thirty-five miles

•
 PROVINCE OF SIARA. 421

above A.ricaty, aúd one hundred and forty miles below Icco. Its cburch is.
dedicated to the Lady of Rozario, and cattle and cotton constitute the meàn~&
of subsistence for the inhabitants.
St. Joam ·do Princfpe, originally Thauha, is·a small towQ ne:;~.r the Ja.guaribe,
a few leagues below its source, in a fine and fertile district, enjoying salubrious
air. The inhabitants are b1·eeders of cattle, and produce cotton and the neces-
saries of life. In its erÍ.virons there is an abundant mine of pumice storie.
Sobral, fot!merly Caracu, 's ituated in a plain upon the margin of the river
from which it derived its primitive name, is the second town in the province in
point of size, commerce, and population; · lt is seventy miles distant from the
sea, and ten from th~ serra of Merooca. Besides a parish church, dedicated
to the Lady of Conceiç::to, it has a chapel of Rozario ; and within its district
the chapels of St. Joze, St. Cruz, St. Anna, St. Quiteria, Rozario, upon the
small stream of Guimareas, and Conceiçao, upon the serra of Merooca, where
cultivation partially appears.
Granja stands in a plain upon the left bank of the Camucim, twenty miles
from the sea. lt is a middling and :fiourishing town, promising from its advan:-
tageous situation future augmentation. St. Joze is the nominal patron of its
church. In its district there are the hermitages of St. Antonio do Olho d' Agua,
St. Antonio d' Hyboassu, and Livramento. From its port, .which is frequented,
cotton and hides are exported.
Villa Viçosa is a large town, and well situated upon the serra of Hihiapaba,
on land selected by the Jesuits for the establishment of a colony of Indians,
the descendants of whom constitute at this time the principal portion of its
numerous population. It is near a lake, and forty miles to tbe south-south-
west of Granja; the houses are of ·wood or bvicks. The church, dedicated to
the Lady o f Assumpçao, ·is the ci-devant Jesuitical hospício, and the residence
at present of th~ vicars, who are administrators of a fazenda for breeding cat-
tle, in the situation of Thyaya, established as a patrimony for the said churcb.
·The nights of snmmer are cooler here tha~ · those of winter. Amongst other
springs ·of good water is to b~ remarked tbat which is deb.ominated Agua do
Inferno, (Infernal Water,) in conseqnence of being in a craggy and rugged
place, the water of which is particularly excellent. The great fertility within
its vast circumference, covered with handsome woods, w:here plantations of
cotton and the various necessaries of life prosper, united with the salubrity of
the .air which refreshes it, attracts here numerous Europeans, who gtve a

J
 422 PROVINCE OF SIARA.

stimulus to its agriculture. The Indians of 'the town, with those who are dis-
tributed through its district; forro eighteen companies of militia.
At a distance of about thirty miles is the parish of St. Pedro de Bayapinua,
upon the same serra. Its inhabitants are whites arid Indians, whose produc-
tions are the same as the preceding.
Villa Nova d' el Rey, (New Town of the King,) formerly Ca~mpo Grande, .is
situated upon the serra Cocos, which is a portion of the Hibiapaha, and near
the origin of tlíe smaH river Matambyra, 31D.d was· founded for the· habitation
of a borde of Christianized Indians, of which there areh few retnaining~ In
consequence of the fertility of tlie country; the excellence of the waters, and
the salubrity ·of the ai r, many whites are· atti·acted here. It iR seventy miles to
the sÓtith-east of Villa 'Viçosa, has a church of the Lady of Prazeres, with en-
virons rich in plaritations o f' mandioca, the cane, and cotton. A bout twenty-
:five miles from it is· the church of St. Gonçalo, whose parishioners live dispersed
upon the same seri'a, and cultivate the same productions.
Campo Maior de Quixeramoby · is a considerable and abundant town, with a
handsome church of St. Antonio, and situated one ·nundred and thirty miles to
the south of Aricaty, on the margin of the tiver which alfords its name, with
large numbers of cattle in its vicinity, constítuting the prin~ip~l property of the
inhabi.tants.
Aquiraz, w hich is about four .miles distant frorn the sea, and eighteen from
the capital to the south-east, upon the eastern margin of the Pacoty, and a
mile from the lake which affords it the name, is a midd1ing town with some
commerce, anda church dedicated to St. Joze.
Montemor o Novo is situated upon tbe serra of Botarite, having a chmch of
the Lady of Palma, and is about one hundred and thirty miles to the south of
. the capital. The inhabitants respire a salubrious air, have the advantage of
good water, and forro plantations of the mandioca and the cane. A few leagues
north of the preceding is the parish of the Lady of Conceiçao of Morttemor o
Velho, the inhabitants of which are whites and Indians, which latter are dimi-
nishing, as in otl1er places, with the augmentation of the first.
Mecejanna is ten miles to the south-east of the capital, near ~ lake, h~ving a
church of the Lady of Conceiçao. ,
Soure, sitúated near the eastern margin of the ri ver Siara, :fifteen miles from
the sea, and the same distance from the capital, has a church · dedicated to
May de Deos.
 PROVINCE OF SIARA. ·4-23

Arronches, which has for titular patroness the Lady of Humildes, is distant
seven miles from the capital, towards the south.
The three last are Indian towns, with some whites and mesticos, who culti-
vate mandioca, cotton, rice, legumes, &c. The whole were founded i.n places
selected for tqe establishments ef Christianized Indians. They are all small but
capable of becoming considerable, if their inhabitants were possessed of more
activity and 'intelligence. · .
In the vicinity of the sources of the ri ver J aguaribe, are ~h e parishes of St.
:Mattàeus., ~n the d.istrict of Inhamuz; of the Lady of Paz, . in the district of
Arneyros, formerly a. Christianized lndian town. Cattle and the necessaries of
life are their principal productions.

. .
424 PROVlNCE OF PIAUHY.

CHAP. XXI.

PROVINCE OF PIAUHY.

Boun.da'r ies- Fü·st Settlers-Cattle Fazendas-Mountains-Minemlogy-Rive1·s

-Towns.

Tais province derives its name from one of the rivers which water it, and was
created in the ye;1r 1718, being till that period a comarca of Maranham, but
did not begin to have governors before 1758. It is computed to compl'ise four
hundred miles from north to south, and one hundred and seventy of medium
width. Its form is almost triangular, having mor~ than three hundred and .
forty miles on the southern side, where it is confined by the province of Per-
nambuco, and about sixty on the northern sidê, where it is washed by the ocean.
On the east it is bounded by the province of Siara, from which it is separated
by the serra of Hibiapaba, on the west by the river Parnahiba, which divides
it from Maranham. The country is almost genera11y low and flat, interspersed
with S!fiall hills and extensive plains, principally sandy, in great part àestitute
of trees, and also in places of shrubs. It exhibits herbage during the period
of rains, or whilst the soil preserves any humidity, but it is soon shrivelled up on.
the return of the sun's parching rays. This province has various streams all
tributary to the important river Parnahiba. The winter commences .in October,
and lasts till April, accompanied with thunder and rain. The wind prevaiJs .at
the beginning from the north, and afterwards passes round to the south. The
climate is hot, and fevers reign in some districts. In the northern part, the
days and nights are equal all the year, and in the southern districts of the
province there is only a difference of half an hour. This territory was possessed
by various nations, generally not numerous, whose reduction or repulsion did
not consume much time o~ expenditure of lives, differing in this respect from
many other provinces of much less extent, and arising from. the concurring
circumstances of the great deficiency of woods and serras, which in almost
all the other districts served the savages for retreat and refuge. Those who
afforded the greatest difficulty in subduing them, were a tribe living in the
 PROVINCE OF PIAUHY: 425

vicinity of H1e tiver Poty, commanded by a domestic Indian, who had íled
ti·om an ald.eia of Pernambuco, and who animated them to a desperate resist:.
ance, until he perished in swimming across the Parnahiba. Mandu Ladino
was the common name by which this chieftain was designated.
More than fifty years had elapsed without any intelligence of the existence
of wild Indians within the precincts of the provh1ce, when, about the year 1760,
on its southern ,side, a band appeared, who from that period have annoyed the
co]onists- very much, ' and have compe,lled them to abandona great number of
fazendas for breeding cattle. T"he whites . give this tribe the appellation of
Pimenteims, in consequence of there being a situation so denominated in the
district which they occupy. They have their dwelling places between the heads
of the rivers Piauhy and Gurguea, near the boundary of the province, being
surrounded by the establishments of the Fortuguese. Within their territory
· tbere is·a large lake abounding with fish, near which they take up their residence
for a considera:ble period of the year. lt is conjectured that they were, or at
least in part, descendants of various families who lived domesticated with the
whites in the vicinity of Quebrobo, and from whóm they deserte'd about the
year 1685, in order to avoid marching under the banners of the forces eqnipped ·
against their lndian brethren. Their hostilities commenced in consequence of
a dog being kiUed in the vicinity of Gurguea, whither they had proceeded upon
an occasion of hunting. In a frustrated assault which they made, eighty bows
were found, from which it was inferred they had a considerably greater number of
men capable ofusing that weapon. Domingos Jorge, a Paulista, and Domingos
Affons,o, from Maffi·a, in Portugal, were the first persons who hegan the con-
quest ofthis province. Towards the year 1674, the latter possessed a fazenda
for b1:eeding cattle on the northern side of the river St. Francisco. The gréat
injmy which he there sustained_from the central Indians, and th~ desi~e of aug-
menting bis fortune ~ith similar possessions, urged him to undertake the con-
, quest of the northern country, for which object he assembled ali the people he
could accumulate, and having passed the serra of Dois lrmaos, (Two Brothers,)
towards the riorth, he, fortunately for himself, encount~red the Paulista before
mentioned, who was in the progress of reducing lndians to captivity, and they
a:fforded mutual succour to ' each other. Having ultimately captured a ~~nsi­
derable number, and caused the remainder to retire, the Paulista returned to
his ~ountry with the gr_e ater part of the captive Indians, and the European
remained master of the territory. Other companies made similar entries into
this district, the said Affonso always remaining supreme captain of the whole,
3 I
426 PROVINCE OF PIAUHY.

and the vast possessions thus acquired by tlie entrance of various parÚes,.
received the denomination of Certam. It is said that lle ~stablished above fifty
fazendas for the breeding of large cattle, and that he gave away and sold many
duriug· his life. lt is however · certain, that at his. deatb, he left thirty, and.
appointed the Jesuits of the Col1ege of Bahia administrators of them, order_
ing the revenues of eleven to be appropriated for dowries to young virgins, to
the clothing of widows, and to suçcour other necessities of the poor. With the
rest they were to augment the number of fazendas, but it-is saicl that they only
established three more. With the extinction of this sect, the whole passed
nnder the administration of the crown, and are preserved in the same state
by the inspection of three administriltors, each having eleven fazendas i~
bis jurisdiction, with three hundred milreas . of salary. · They occupy the
teri'itory through which the rivers P.iauhy and Caninde flow, from the bound~1:y
of the province to the north of the capital, in · the vicinity of wlÍich there are .
some principal ones. The privilege of forming· establíshments within their lands
is not granted to any one, where the slaves of the fazendas work alone for
their subsistence and clothing·. The cattle arriving at a certain age are con-
ducted by the purchasers prjncipaJly to Bahia and its reconcave. Those of
the nortbern district descend to Maranham, others are driven to Pernambuco.
MouNTAINs.-This province has no serras of any consequence, if we except
the cordillera ~hich limits it on the east, and that from whence emanate the
divers brancbes of the Parnahiba. In the intel'Íor alone there are trifling hi1ls,
and some small morros, which even in the country have ~ot acquired any
names. . .
The serra denominated Dois Irmaos consists of two small mounts in the
southern confines, between which the road passes from the capital to t~e riv~r.
St. Francisco,
MINERALOGY .-Gold, iron, lead, copperas, pumice stone, saltpetre, mineral
salt, magnete, talc, grindstone, red lead, parget, potters' earth, and abun-
dance of ca1careous stone.
RIVERs.-The ri ver Parnabiba is formed of three cúrrents ~f the same name,
the origins of whicb are in tbe skirts or pro.ximity of the serra which .limits the
province on the south-west. Its first tributary is the river Balsas, the op.ly one
which joins it by the left margin. A short distance below this confluence, the ,
ri ver Urussuhy enters it on· the right, and comes from;the same ~erra. Eighty
miles lower, · the Gurguea, is incorporated with it; one hundred miles further it
receives the Caninde, and tweÍlty more, the Poty. After c;me .hund·r ed ;:tnd
 PROViNCE OF PIAUHY. 427

thirty mjles: tbe' mouth oi the rivei· Lo11ga is· met with, a little low.e r· than which
a small arm issues from the Pârna:hiba to the east, ·which traverses. a large lake
called Encantada, and forms au island of àbout five· miles in length, .of propor-
tionate width, flat, and in the form of half a circle. Twenty miJes further, this
river divides itself iuto two rather unequal currents, al'ld ultimately enters the
ocea1i by six mouths, formed by five islands of various sizes, which are never sqb-
merged, and some . of them afford pasture for cattle. Tbe eastern branch and
the most considerable is denominated Hyguarassu, the uext Barravelha, that
which follows is called Barra do Meio; the fourth, Barra do Caju; the fiftb,
Barra d'as. Cannarias, the most western Tutoya, by which the small dver of the
same name is discharged. Thirty miles is reckoued between tbe two extreme
embouchures. This riveí·, by which barks úf ·considerable burden proceed up
to the confluence of the Balsas, affords navigation very nearly to its origin to
canoes, which use the sail for eight days, the remainder always the oar and the
vara, rendering the voyage long and tedious. This river has no falls, only cur-
. rents, the largest of which render it-necessary to relieve the barks of half their
cargoes. Its bed is winding, and generally wide and handsome. Amongst
many other fish which it affords the most esteemed are the sorubin, cam'lw~tpin,
piratinga, fidalgo, mandin, pimpemba, pimnlta, and· tra!tim.
The river Poty, to which was given the name of the people who inhabited the
country through which it flows at its commencement, originates on the western
side of the mountain from whence tbe Jaguaribe before described issues, in the
district of St. Joze. After acourse of about fifty miles, traversing plains which
abound· with cattle, and fifteen miles below the· arraial of the Piranhas, where
theFe is a hermitage o f the Lord Bom J es~s, it opens a narrow passage across the
cordillera, forming various interesting cascades. Issuing from thence, it receives
by the right . margin the considerable stream Macambira, that flows from the
Serra Cocos:. Thirty-five miles below this confluence, it is united on the left by
the small river Matvao-; and about the samé distance further, it receives by the
same side the river St. Victor, which comes from the plains of Lagoa, with more
than seventy miles of course, and brings with ít the small rivers St. Nic.olau
and Berlengas. Upwards of seventy miles below this point, it discharges
itself info the ocean. Its bed is for the most part wide, and its current tranquil.
Canoes advance up some ]eagues; and upon its margin~ is cultivated good
tobacco. ' : ·
The river Gurguea issues from a stony part of the skirts of the serra of its
name, which is a portion of that before mentioned, 'where .the rive1· Urussuhy
·..' ~ •'
312
428 PROVINCE OF PIAUHY.

has its origin. · Afte1· :flowing seventy miles north, it .gathers on the right the
·P irahim, and, continuing in the same direction for one hundred and seventy
miles more, it falls into the Parnahiba. lts current is rapid, a:rid almost uni.:
versally through a :flat country, abounding with cattle. It affords navigation
only during the winter, has one fali a few leagues above its mouth, and its
waters are of a greenish colour.
The river Pirahim originates nine leag·ues to the east of the preceding, at the
base of the same serra, which forms the boundary on the si de of Pernambuco~ ,
and, after seventy miles of course northward, it traverses the lake Pernagua,
and fi.fty miles lower enters the Parnahiba. It runs almost generally between
'
narrow banks, and with considerable depth through a solid soil. '
The Caninde has its source near Serra Dois Irmaos, rnns northward, and
passes within two miles of Oeyra.s ; and seventy miles further Ús waters are
absorbed by the Parnahiba, after ·a course of one hundred and eighty miles,
through a :flat country rich in cattle; it runs at first only as a. current during· the
.period of rains. In the angle of its con:fluence there is an extensive plain, weH ~
adapted for the foundation of a town, and within its precincts every branch of
agriculture would not fail to :flourish. .
The ltahim rises near the southern boundary of the province, passes near the
seiTa Vermelha, :flowing for a . considerable space parallel with the Caninde,
which it joins on the right eighteen miles above Oeyras, after having traversed
an extensive country abounding with cattle. Its 1argest confluent is the small
ri ver Guaribis, which has a considerable course, and joins it, by the right margin,
eight miles above its mouth.
The Piauhy, from which the province derives its name, originates near the
boundary, runs north, and enters the Caninde fifty miles bel"ow the capital, after
a course of one hundred and forty miles, through lands afforcling pasturage for
cattle.
The river Longa rises in the campos of the town of Campo Maior, passing it
within eight miles, and taking a northerly direction. Among other small rivers
which enlarge it, are the Sorubim, the Maratahoan, rum;ling· throug·h a bed of
amolar stone, and the Piracruca, whjch comes from the Serra Hibiapaba. It is
only considerahle during rains, and navigable for the space of 'twenty miles to
the situation of Victoria. N ear its mm·gins, which abound with cattle and
capibaras, there are many Ia_kes :. s~me are co~sidera~le, and ha:ve small .islands,
but the whole are dried up Immedmtely the nver begms to be i~poverished by
drought.
 PROVINCE OF PIAUHY. 429

PHYTOLOGY.-This province has few woods, and those of little extent; but
possesses trees of good timber fvr building. The ca'rnahuba and piassaba trees
,_
are very numerous in some districts. Cocoa-nut trees appear only in the vicinity
of the sea. Quinaquina, or Jesuits' bark, is said ·to grow here. The soil is in
parts substantial, and appropriated to the culture of mandioca, Jndian corn,
legumes, rice, the cane, and tobacco, producing suffiéiént of ali for the consump-
tio_n .o f the country. The tobacco upon the rriargins of the Parn:ahiba passes
in the opinion of many for the bestin the Brazil ; at least it is dearer, and pre-
ferred to the approved quality of Bahia. There are large plantations ·of the
cotton tree, the produce of whicb furnishes a considerable branch of commerce.
Jalap and ipecacuanha are not unknown; as also, among other fruit trees of the
plains, the ambuzo, tbejab~dicaba, and the mangaba; thejaca and mango trees
are rare. The orange and banana trees àre not common to a:ll places ; but the
atta, or pine tree, prospers almost in all parts, and produces fruit in perfeCtion.
European fruit· trees scarcely appear. The fig and the vine acquire little size
.and fructify in small quantity. .
ZooLOGY.-The abqndance and good quality of pasturage which is met.with
in all the districts; and generally without rnany portions appropriated to agri-
culture, has caused the lands, almost in ali pa:rts, to be destined for breeding
cattle, which are prodigiously numerous, and constitute the main property in
the country; and this province may be 'considered the gre(it mart for the supply
of beef to Maranha~, Pernambuco, and Bahia, at · which places the cattle
arrive in much better condition than at Rio de Janeiro. Horses are n~t bred
beyond the wants of the country. Sheep are numerous, and goats much · Iess
so; but if the inhabitants were industrious, and well acquainted with cutting and
tanni~g the skins, they would form a considerable branch of commerce. All
the wild anima]s of the neighboming provinces are well' known here; deer are
the most numerous. In the short extent of the coast of this province there
are no islands, capes, nor points; and the only port is tbat .·of the ri ver
Hyguarassu, capable of n:iceiving sumacas, -which formerly .navigated to the
town of St. J oao, ·but .at present remain eight miles below it, in consequence of
the river diminishing in depth. Th~ entrançe, besides, is da11gerous.
The towns of this pro vince are the following : -
Oeyras Campo Maior Jerumenha
Parnahiba Vallenca Pernag·ua.
Mar vao
•
430 PROVIN€E OF ' PIAUI-IY.'

Oeyras, to which King Joseph gave the title of city, ·with tllis appeUation, in
honom of bis celebrated secretary, the first count of that name, was denõminated·
llntil then the town ofMocha, having been.so created in the rei.gn óf John V. about
the year 1718; and, although it has been from this period the capital of the
province, it do~s not yet surpass a small town; but is well enough supplied, and
w~ll situated near fhe right margin of a stream, which, three miles lewer,
falls into the Caninde. It is two hundred and fifty miles to the south of St.
J oam de Parnahiba, and upwards of three hundred to the south-south-east of
St. Luiz of Maranham ; one hundred and forty in the same direction from
Cachias; and between six and seven hundred 1~iles to the west of the town of
Pernambuco. The church is dedicated to the Lady of Victory, and it has also
the hermitages-of Conceiçao and Rozario. The h ouses are generally o f clay
and timber, whitened with potters' earth; and the greater part of its inhabitants
are Europeans.
Parnahiba, a middling town, and the principal in the proVince, is advan-
tageously situated upon a point on the right margin of the eastern brancl1 of
the I'iver from which its name is borrowed, in sandy ground, fifteen miles from
the sea. lt has some houses of one story, which are not seen in any other towns
of the province; and the streets are generally unpaved. It is the deposit of a
great quantity of cotton and hides, and has a church dedícated to the Lady of
Graca. The inhabitants draw their water from the river or from cacimbas, anel
are frequently attacked with fevers. In 1811, it became the residence o~ a Juiz
de Fora, anda _c ustom-house was at the same time established. - Within its
district large and excellent melons grow, also water-melons throughout the
year.
Campo Maior is a town in a state of mediocrity, well situated upon the margin,_
and eight miles above the embouchure of the small river Sorubim, of which it
formerly had the name. It is thirty miles distant fl'Orn Parnahiba, n~ar a pro-
found lake, stored with fish and good water. Besides the church dedicated to
St. Antonio, it has a hermitage of the Lady of Rozario. The small river Mara-
tahoan washes its district, from the bed .of which are drawn excellent grind-
stones. The inhabitants breed cattle, and cultivate cotton and the necessaries
of Iife.
V a.llenca, primitively Catinguinha, is a small town, situated upon an insigni-
ficant stream, which fifteen miles lower enters the river St. Victor. Its church is
dedicated to the Lady of O. Within its district there is saltpetre, and g·ood
 PROVINCE OF PIAUHY. 431

pasturage, where many cattle are bred.. Twenty-five miles distant is the chapel
of the _Ladr,of Conceiçao, and in its environs are cultivated the. necessaries of
life peculiar to the country.
Mat·_vao, whose first name was Rancho do Prato, is also a small place, situ-
ated in a pla;in twenty miles above the rnouth of the small river so called, on the
m.argin.of which graze herds of large cattle, constituting the wealth of its dwel-
lers. The Lady of Desterro is the patroness of its church, and witbin the dÍs-
trict tlier'e is silver and purnice-stone. · .,
Jerumenha is an insignificant town, upon the margin and fifteen miles' abovê
the embouchure of the Gt-irg·uea, of whiç_h it had originally the na;rne. lt has a
church ded:i<cated to St. Antonio; and the inhabitants breed cattle and cultivate
the common necessaries of life. They are frequently attacked with fevérs.
Pernagua-is a small town and well situated upon the western margin of a
lake _fifteen. miles in leÍ.1gth, near -eight in width, deep, well stored with fish, and
traversed by the river Pirahirn. It has a fine church of stone, dedicated to the
Lady of Livramento;· having.tlat environs, small hills'only being seen ata dis-
t.a nce. The inhabitants, amongst whom are some Europeans, raise cattle and
. horses; and besides other agricultura! productions, the sugar ca11:e,. of which is
Ittade rapaduras, ~nd aa ardent spi~·it. It is above fift.y miles di~tant from the
southern limits of the province~ about the same fr01~ the tiver Preto, and above
en{_l hundred .and thjrty miles ft·óm tli.e town of St. Francisco das Chagas. Ih
its district there ' are portions of ground appropriated to the culture of tobacco·. -
The lake .-of Pernagua which 'is reduced to eiglit miles oflength, and four in
width," during the dry season~ was formed; it is said,-by an extraordinary over-
fiowing of the ri ver, since tl1e Portuguese were masters of the country.
The considerable arrail of Piracruca, well situated near the small riv·e r of its
name, forty miles distant from the mouth of the Longa, has the best church of
the province. , In its district there arre copperas and the real Jesuits' bark. The
inhabitants llave large plantàtions of.cotton, mandioca, and sugar; froin the latter
rum and rapaduras are made.
The aldeia and Indian parish of St. Gonçalo d' Amarante, is in ~ well select-
ed and fertile district, where any other class of people would ere this have ren-
dered agriculture flourishing, lived in abundance, and have becorrie rich. It is
eighteen miles from the mo.uth of the Caninde, and seventy north of the capital;
and was founded about the year 1766, for the habitation of nine bundred
Guegues, who occupied the c6untry about the beads of the, Parnahiba, and six-
teen hundred Acroas, who lived more to the southward. Some time having
432 PROVJNCE OF PIA UHY.

elapsed, the whole deserted: they were, however, s.ubsequently 1;e-conquered,

and re-established in the same place, which has ever sinc~ been·góing into a state
of decay.
The parish of the Lady of Merces; whos~: first inhabitant~ .w'ere rriainly
Jahico lndians, lies between the ltahim, an4 t,he small river Guaribas. Ali the
parishioners live dispersed, the vicar being the only resident ~ear the chmch,
which is about seventy miles from the capital.
The two last parishes were created a few cyears ago, and formerly belonged
to that of the capital; in whose extensive district there ~re yet to be re-
marked the chapel of Our Lady· of Humildes, not far removed ft•om the heads
of the Caninde; that of St. Igna'cio, near the same river, and thirty.five miles
from the capital ; that of St. J oam, near the origin of the Piauhy; and the Lady
of Nazareth, upon the margin of the said ri ver, forty miles from O.eyras; also
the Lady of Conceiçao, in the situation of ~ecayl}.a, near the small r·iver
Guaribas.
Th~considerable arraial of Poti, advantageously situated near the embou.chure
of the ri ver which atfords it the name, has alrea:dy some · comm~rce, and might
easily beco me a con'siderable povoaçao. Ali the people are within· the diocese
of the bishop of Maranham, who has. a ,vicar:-general at ·Oeyras. The Iiterary
subsidy, as it is denominated, arising from an impost qpon cattle in tnis province,
is important enough. .But there was not till within tJlis few years a single royal
professor, as they are so imposingly styled, in a11y part of it, for eithe_r the priinitive
letters or Latin; but instead of any knowledge of the classics being diffus.e d
Çtmongst the population of the Brazil, by these titled masters, it is altogether
unlettered ; in fact, I h~y~ .s~en ~ome of those royal preceptors uQattend~d by a
::;ingle pupjl,

•
 PROVINCE OF MARANHAM. 433

CHAP. XXII.

PROVI.NCE OF MARANHAM.

Fi1·st Donatory-Slzipw1·eck of Pet·sons intendedfm· its Colonization-Establish-

ment of tlze French----: Retaken- Foundation qf Capital- Taken by tlze Dutclz- _
Retalcen- Ag1·icultural.Company- Boundw·ies-Rivers, Ports, and Islands-
Mineralogy-P lzytology--Zoology.- Indians-Povoaçoes-City of Maranham
-Çommerce-Exports of P1·oduce.

JoHN III. was me>re peculiarly attentive to the prosperity ana impovement
of the Brazil, than any"other· of the Portuguese sovereigns, with the exceptien
of the present monarch, John VI. whose salutary administration of power
in the 'fransatlantic part of his dominions, rnay be regarded as the result of
t'hose important events in Europe, w-hich led to the removal of the Reyal Family
to this region, and_the consequent introduction ofa more liberal intercourse with
other nations. But these benefits are but the dawnings of future civilization and
improvement.
John III. in pursuance of bis g,óod wishes towards the Brazil, determined
to partition the coast into capitanias, and that denorninated Maranhao, was pre-
sented by bis -Majesty to the historian Joam de Barros. lt is probable that this
part of the coast had acquired .t hat_name from the circumstanc·e of V. Y. J>inson,
after bis discovery of Cape St. Augustin, having entered a gulf ar the mouth
of a great river, which was unquestiomi.bly the Arnazons, and whose waters not
possessing the saline qualities of the ocean, he called Mara-no:n, (not sea.)
Hence followed -t he Portuguese denomination of this territory Maranhao, and
Ma1·anham ~y the English, resulting from the false notion which the Portuguese
at first eutertained that it was the great river. lts donatory, Joam de Barros,
being a mau of noble spirit, and det-ermined to do the utmost for the coloniza-
tion of this important donation, united with his own inadequate means those
of the Cavalheiros Fernando AlvaFez and Ayres da Cunha. It was unani-
mously agreed that Ayres da Cunha should be intrusted with the settlement
3K
434 PROVINCE OF 1\'fARANHAM.

of the colony, which sailed from Lisbon in 1 á3.5, consisting t>f nine htmdi~ed
persons, including two sons of the donatory, wiith the irnportant addition of
one hundred and thirteen horses.
This armament, cornprising ten vessels, and considered the most powerful
that had sailed for a long· period from the Tagus, was unfortunately wrecked
upon the shoals which surround the island of Maranham. Some persons
escaped to the island of Medi or Boq1.1eirao at the entrance of the bay; but
which not being adapted foi' tbe foundation of the calony, they abandoned and
returned to Portugal by the íjrst vessel that appeared, excepting t>ne individllal,
a blacksmith, cal:led Pedro, or Pero, wht> remained arnong· tbe Indians, and
rendered hirnself hig·hly impo~tant and exceedingly useful to them, in conse-
quence of tbe variety ef instruments be constructed of tbe iron taken from the
fragments of the wreck that were wasbed upon tbe beach. A daughter of a
cacique, or prince,. was hestowed upon him in marriage, by whom he had two
sons, botb called Pedras, or Pert>s, from which the lndians thought the Por-
tuguese all harl. this name, and they usually g:ave that nation the appellation of
Peros.
The seve1~e disappoíntment which Barros sustained,. not only in the Joss of
hrs property but of his two sons,. by this terrible disaster, deterred him ft·om
making any; further atternpt. And the· same mo1o1arch gave this territory to
Luiz de Mello, and. fu.rni hed bim with three sbips and two caravels, that he
might the more· effectMatly execllte his project, whicb was to penetrate by the
rivet:- Amazons as far as the eastern mines of Peru. He was not, however, much
less unfortunate than Ayres .da Cunha, the whole of tbe armament being· ]ost near
tbe same place, excepting· one caravel that escaped, and "üth which he returned
to Lisbon. These misfortunes attending the vessels· that entered even the·
best ancborage pláce of this; province discouraged all those persons who were
capable of c0lonizing· its: fertile land,. but did no.t prev.ent its being visited b.y
other nations.
In the· yeai 159.4 M. Rifault, a Frenehman, entered the· port . of Maranham
with tbree sa:il, where he left Charles Vaux anda small number of his crew.
Tbis weak colony was :r.einforced in the year ÚH2 by M. Ravardiere_. Two
years afterwards Jeronimo d' Albuqlilerque Coelho was despatcl1ed from Per-
nambuco by; o:rd:er of the gove1:nor, Gaspar de S0uza, tó expel those intruders,
o.v er whorn, after some attacks, be g21ined very little ad vantage, by a capitula-
tion which he entered into witb them. Alexandre de Moura, who arrived there
the follo.wing· year with a strong. fo,rce,, proposed,, instead of the capitulation,
 PROVJNCE OF MARANHAM. 435

the evacuation of the place by the French, to which their commamler, from the
weak condition of the colony, was under the necessity of acceding. · This
event, occurring on the 1st of N ovember, inducecl Moura to ·give the name of
Todos os Santos to the island, which it dicl not however long retain.
Jeron.imo ,d' Albuquerque was left here by Alexandre de Moura with the post
af captae-mor, and was instructed to found a povoaçao and continue the con-
. quest of this new province on account of the government. He preferred the
situation which had been selected by the French, ·where he commenced the
capital; in the increase and defence of which he was occupied till the year 1618,
when he died, and was succeeded by his son, Antonio d' Albuquerque, as
. temporary governor for more than a year, when Doming~s da Costa Machado
was appointed to this situation. In the beginning of his government Jorge qe
Lemos arrived there with two hlJndred f.amilies from th.e Azor.es, in three vessels,
at his own cost. ,
'
In 1621 there was a -very gTeat mortality among·st the 'domestic Indians, caused
by the smaJ.l pox. Part of this loss was remedied in the same year by the
transmission of forty families, a:lso from the islands of the Azores, by the
proved,or-mor, Antonio Ferraira ~itanê.eurt, in pursuance of an arra.ngement
made with the crown.
Antonio Moniz Barreiros succeeded to thi:s government in 1622, to whom the
senate, in. tl1e name of the people, presented a requisition that he would not
consent to the establishment ·of the Jesuits there, as it was thought the introduc-·
tion of their principies among the Indians would not be favourable to the
colonists. He establishecl two sugar works, in accomplisbment of the obliga-
tion his father, of the same name, was under from heing appointed provedor-
mor oJ the treasury at Bahia.
Some tirne before Barreiros began bis government the court 0f Madrid (in
1621) resolved to ferm the conquest~ of Maranham into a new state of the same
name, anel for its governor was norninated D. Di6go de Carcoma, whose refusal
occasioned the app<:>intment of D. Francisco de Moura. Tbis individual not
going, Francisco Coelho de Carvalho was elected, who s.ailed ft'Qm the Tagus
in March, 1624, anel disembarked at Pernambuco, where the irruptions of the
Dutch detained bim nearly two years, so that he did no.t á'11·ive at the capital of
],\'Iaranham till 1626, having; previously taken posses~ion of the fort of Siara,
which .then formed a part of this prcwince. In the following· year he visited the
province ·of Granel Para and entered the bay of Gurupy, where he established
3 K2
436 PROVINCE bF MARANHAM.

a povoaçao, which he called V era Cruz, and died in the twelfth year of his
government.
In 1641, when John IV. again had an ambassador at the Dutch court, which
had reéognised him as the Jegitimate sovereign of Portugal, a Dutch vessel
arrived at M~ranham, under the pretence of having been driven there hy a
violent tempest, and requested that assistance which in such cases is customary
for friendly nations to afford to each other. The credulous friendship of the
governor was taken advantage of by the Dutch, who suddenly possessed
themselves of the capital, and with facility subjugated the resLof the province;
from whence, however, they were expelled by the Portuguese in 1643.
All the governors of this province had not the titles of captains-general of
the state; occasionally Grand Para enjoy:ed this .p re-eminence. All proceeding·s
that admitted of appeal after the sentence of the magistrates, in all the pro-
vinces, were always referred tq the court, and .their bishops immediately upon
creation became suffragans of the metropolitan of Lisbon.
The subjection of the Portuguese nation to a foreign sceptre, the pretensions
of the Dutch .to the Brazil, afterwards the prolonged war preceding the
reversion of the crown, and, finally, the allegéd long existing destructive
abuses of the Braganza family, •are adduced as plausible reasons for the
unflourishing state of the Brazil for nearly a ceritury arid a half.
Witb the cbange of hemispbere the first colonists are also said to h ave· change<;l
their customs, entering into tht pmsuits of agriculture with no spirit, alike
1·egarding improvement and instr.uction with indifference, and preferriug the
idiom of the barbarous Tupinambas to their own. Tbe various .Jesuítica!
missionaries, however, made great progress in the conver:sion of the Indi-
ans, and in which . they would have been more successfnl had not the
cohmists degenerated so much and relaX:ed in their obedience to tbe laws. The
Por.tuguese language began to .be generally used in the year 1755, and at this
epoch agriculture assumed a more flourishing aspect, in conseqnenee of the
creation of a publ!c company, which included the province of Para. Its capital
amounted to one million two hundred thousand crusades, which was raised by
twelve hllndred shares; the possession of ten shares rende1·ed each individual
eligible to tbe administration of the affairs of the company, which was deoried
by some as introductory of ignorance and a system of destruction.
This province is bounded on the north by the ocean, on the west by the pro-
vince of Para, on the south by those of Goyaz and Pianhy, and on the east by the
 PROVINCE OF MARANHAM. 437

latter. It is of a triangular form, extending nearly four hundred miles from

north to south -·o n its western si de, and about three hundred and fi.fty miles
from west to east along the , coast, lying between 1o and 7-ko south lati-
tude. Its vicinity to the equator renders the climate hot. The thunder-
storms introduce the winter season, wbich begin in the southern districts
ab6ut the month of Oetober, where the longest day is twelve hours anda half.
In the nol'thern part of the province there is scarcely any difference between
the day and night ali the year. The country is :r;nostly uneven., buf without any
mo,untains of consirlerable ·elevation. lt has large and numerous rivers, and is
mainly covered with woods, affording a variety · and abundance of excellent
timber.
RivERs, PoRTS, ÀND lsLANDs.-About two miles within the bar of the
'
channel of Tutoya, (the western branch of the river Parnahyba and the eastern
limits of this province,) the river of the same name is discharged, after a short
course, being only of note as far as the tide ascends. In front of its mouth is .
a small island, wlüch foTms an anchorag·e place.
Fifteen miles to the west of Tutoya bar is the-~erguicas, which is large, and
affords good anchorage for small vessels within the eastern point. Following a
handsome beach of white sand for about thirty miles, denominated the Lancoes,
and at its termination another of abou~ twelve miles, covered with mangroves,
is the river Marim, which flows through a fertile soil and is discharged by three
mouths. Passing the western mouth of this river the coast changes its direction
to the south-west, anel forms a gulf or bay of about thirty-fi.ve miles in extent,
in whicb is situated the island of Maranham, (twenty miles long from north-east
to south-west, anel fifteen at its greatest width,) forming, witli tbe continent,
two bays, one to the -east, called St. Joze, and tbe other to the west, St.
Marcos, each about six miles in width, communicating by a narrow strait, de-
nominated the river Mosquito, fifteen miles long, and separating the island from
the continent: this islancl, almost coverecl wi~h woocls, bas some eminences
and fi.fteen perennial streams.
Seven miles beyond tbe Marim the Perea discharges itse1f, and is navigable
for a considerable distance. Almost in front of it is an island of the same name,
near to which is another, called Raza, anel not far distant tbat of St. An~a.
The river Moconandiva follows, anel after it the Mamuna, which is discbarged
by two mouths, tbe western one being ·called' Arà.gatuba ; the interval between
it and the Perea, about twelve miles, is an archipelago. Twei;tty-eigbt miles
fllrther is discharged tbe large river Mony, which originates about twenty-fi.ve
 PROVINCE OF MARANHAM.

miles from fbe margin ·of the Parnahyba, and six miles abov-e its mouth reúeives
the Iguara, which waters a country where the necessaries of life are only
partially cultivated. ·ThTee miles west of the Mony is the vast embouchure of
-the large river Itapicuru, heing the most considerable of the province. It
originates in the district of Balsas, the most southern portion of Maranbam,
where it already assumes the appearance of a larg·e river, running north-east to
Cachias, one bundred miles above ·v/hich it receives on the left the Alpercatas,
of equal size, ancÍ which comes fram tbe territory of the Tymbyra Indians,
wbither it affords navigation to canees. In Cacbias it changes its direction to
the north-west, and passes by two parishes of the same name, where the tide
and the navigation of large barks with the sail terminate. lts current is rapid
and the course winding, generaUy through extensive woods. The fishermen
who use the line about tbe heads of tbis river, occasionally catch a species of
small eel whose electric powers are greater than the tmpedo, conveying its in-
fluence up the line and rod, and bennmbing the arm, so that it cannot be Iíloved;
this electrical effect is attributed to a stone the fish has in its head, and which
is much esteemed by the super&titious, who attach many virtues to it. Humboldt
tried many interesting experiments with this fisb, whose electric~fire is exhaust-
ed after many discharges ; amongst other trials of its power were the driving
·horses into a pond and compelling· them to withstand the gradually decreasing
-shocks of a great many oftbem. The two last rive;-s enter'the bay ,of St. Joze.
About twenty miles further west, at the bottom of the bay of St. Mat:eos and
the sarne distance south-west of thé capital is the mouth of the large 1-iver
Meary, or Mearim, sometimes called Maranham, which originates also in the
southern part of the province, describing· numerous windings, and increasing
·by tbe addition of various streams, among· which is the Grajehu. Its bed is
deep and wide, and the current so rapid that it suspends the progress of the
-tide fot· a considerable period, and produces by this opposition an extraordinary
agitation of the waters, which is called Poromcas; when the tide has van-
quished its opponent it :flows up for three hours with astonisbing rapidity. This
phenomenon occupíes a space of nearly fifteen miles, occasioning a loud noise,
anel there are situations, called esperas, where canoes wait until the tide re-
advances, anel then continue their voyage without dang·er. This large 1'iver,
which has the least depth at its exte:~aded mouth where vessels can only enter
with the ticle, affords navigation to the centre of tbe province, where a Iarge fall
interrupts it. It traverses the territories of the Gamella Indians and other
barbarous nations. In the vicinity of the sea it flows through fine campinhas
 PROVINCE OF MA RANHAM.

of fertile· land, where cattle are raised, a diversity of the necessaries e--f
life, and cotton. O.ne of its principal and last confluents is the Pinna1·e, U}Y·
which small craft proceed to the town of Vianna. The coast beyond the Mearitn·
inclines to the nortb·, formiug a bay ten miles i:n extent, about :fifteen miles•
beyond which is the bay of Cn.ma, nine miles long and three wide,, open to the -
east, and recei ving· the ri ver Piracunan.
Twenty r.niles furtb:er is the· bay ' called Cabello da Velha, six miles wide,
n early of equal length, and receiving the river Cururupu. Its entrance is·
between two small islands surrounded with dangerous shoals. In the proximity
of the shm·e, half way between the· two last bays, is-a file of five islands, thicklY'
covered with woods ; the largest is about four mi·les in length. About twenty
miles further, the coast being bordered by the same number of islands, is the
embouchure of the Turynana, which bas an extensive com·se and here afford s
good anchorage for small vessels. In front of this is the island of St. Joam,
tbe mQ>st westerly of those alluded tó ; it is ten miles long from north-east to,
south-west, flat, covered with woods, and occupied by birds and wild· quadm,....
peds. A profouml channel, three miles in width, separatesi:t.f1·om the continent :;:
ne;:tr its north-eastem point there is safe a:nchorag·e ..
Further westward is the vast bay of Turyv:assu, the limits of. the.pro'\l;nce orr;
the side of Para. It receives a ri ver of the same· name,. after· :ftowing a·1 great)
d~stance through extensi:ve ·w·oods; The lndiarrs;· who, , under. '\\ar.ious· appella-
tions had the dominion of the island of Maranham' anel the· adjoining continent,
wel.'e Tupinambas, and divided into small tribes.
MrNERALOGY.-Calcareous stone, copperas, alum, , iron, lead, and silver,
antimony, amianthus, saltpetre, mineral salt, crystals, grindstone, and quar-
ries or rocks of granite.
PHYTOLOGY.-The Asiatic cocoa-nut tree· g..-ows sparingly, and only along
the coast. The pine is· common, and fructifi·es in perfection. Fr-om the fruit of
tlle mamona is· extracted almost ali the oil which is used for lights. Here are
trees of gum copal, storax, mastick, bensoin, di·agons' bloód, the oil of cupa-
hyba, or capivi, the am1·iba, from whose bark is extracted a beautiful crims011
co1 our, tl'le barbatimoe, cajue-nut ambuzo, cocoa, jabuticaba, mangaba, {)fracaza,
babonilha, butua, ginger, jalap, ipecacuanha, and the palm. The · cane pros-
pers in .many situations, but its eultme has been supplanted· by that of cotton,
wHich·constitutes the main article of' exportatjon, and the prineipal wealth of
tl1e country. Arnongst resinous trees is also thesucuba, thegum of which passes
for the a:mmoniac of the. Levánt. The deity who presides- over gl'ain, the life-
440 PROVINCE OF MARANHAM.

sustaining Ceres, has here but little influence, and rice only is cultivated, but to
a very great extent ; the soil is equally w,ell adapted to the produce of Indian
corn. The inegularity of the seasons does not permit the cultivation of wheat,
rye, or barley. Water-melons, melons, and pine-apples are excelle~t. . The
indigenous banana tree produces fruit in immense profusion and of the best
quality.
ZooLoGv.-Cattle, sbeep, and goats mul_tiply bere better than in the coun-
tries from whicb tbey were imported, but do not improve in size nor in the
flavour of their meat, neither are tbey v~ry numerous, with tbe exception of the
first. Mules are bred here, also hogs, equal to the consumption of tbe country.
All the species of wild animais are met with, peculiar to the eastern provinces.
The moco is numerous in all parts. The birds of tbe plains, woods, and lakes,
known in the otber districts, are common here ; and the handsome guaTa abound
in thf! proximity of the sea. There is in tbis part of South America a particular
species of silk worm, more prolific than the mdinary kinds of Bombay or Per-
sia. The colour of the silk is a dark yellow, and mig·ht be rendered a consi-
derable branch of commerce, in consequence of the facility which would attend
its abundant cultivation, if any adequate attention was atforded to it. ~he
insect receives its nourishment from leaves of the orange and the pine tree, or
atta, which is common in its native country.
All the territory lying between the rivers Itapicuru and the Parnahyba bas .
been for many years evacuated by the Indians, as well as the northern part of
that to t4e west of the first river, and is more or less inhabited by whites, and
Christianized Indians, mainly occupied in the cultivation of IQandioca, Indian
corn, and legumes, and above all in the two veget~ble articles of exportation,
rice and cotton, almost all the labour being performed by the hands of negroes,
who exceed by many times the number of the others. Families live for the most
part dispersed. A ~ertain proportion of land, where each ' cultivator dwells,
gE>nerally with ali his family and slaves, is of itself considered an aldeia. There
are few aldeias compa1·ed with the extent of the province, having any consider-
able number .of families, with the exception of tlrose which h~ve been created
parishes, many comprising sixty miles or more of district. Excellent nets used
for sleeping, and some coarse cottons, m~de into dresses, generally for slaves,
are manufactured here.
The southern portion of the western district of this province is still in the pos-
session of the lndians~ as well as a great extent of the central part. The niost
northern tribe, bordering upon the Po~tuguese, are called by them the Gamel-
 PROVINCE OF MARANHAM. 441
las, in consequence of their prevailing custom of perforating and distending the
under lip, with a sort of calabash, or round piece of wood, which prodnces
some resemblance to a small gamella,. or wooden bowl. They cultiva.te various
necessaries_.. of life, and live in cabanas, when they ar~ not out upon their bunt-
ing excursions, or gathering wild frqit_s. Their artns are the bow and arrow,
and a club of hard wood, denominated a matamnna, cornered at the thicker
end and pointed at the other.
,..fhe Timbyras occupy the countryto the south of them, andare divided into
two bordes, .one denominated Timbyrns da Matta, . (of the wood,) from living
in the interior of forests; the <:>ther, Timbyras de Canella Fina, fi·om the deli-
cate form of their legs. They rove in the desert plains, and are o f sue h a mazing·
velocity; tbat tbey equal tbe swiftness of tbe horse. Ali use a bow mad e of á
species of small club, and another large one of violet wood,_ and flat. T hose
of the woods have in their territory a large lake, and n'lÍnes of salt, which they
use, and cultivate mandioca and other necessaries-, also some cotton, of whiclr
they make theit· hammocks. They distil various beverages, more or less inebri-
ating, whicb last only for. a short time, arising· as m.uch from the quality as the
excess with which they use them. From: the period they begin to d,rink ·them,
till they are finished, are days of folly, dedicated to tumultuous dancing and
dissension.
Proceeding southwaFd, th'e Manajos are met with, who are of a white com-
plexion, and occupy a éountry to the west of Balsas, extending themselves to
the margin of the Tuca11tins, where they receive the name of Temembos. In
their vicinity dwell the Bus a_nd Cupinharos.. The territory bounding this pm-
vi~ce and Pàra is inhabited by the Gê lndians, who are divjded into tive tribes,
distinguished by the appellations of Auge, Crange, Cannacatage, Poncatage?
and Paycog·e, and almost without any ditference of language or customs.
The towns of this province are--
Alcantara Moncao Vinhaes
Guimarens _ Hycatu Passo do Lumiar
St. J oam de Cortes Cachias Maranham.
Vianna Tury
A lcantara, about ten miles north-west of the capitàl ·i s a large town, with
good houses, and agreeably situated upon elev~ted· grouri.d, having four h!3rmi-
tages, a convent of slippered Carmalites, ~nother of Mercenàrios, and .. a fort,
3.L
442 PROVINCE OF MARANHAM.

seated upon th~ site where a Jesuitical hospício existed. H was for some time
the capital of tbe capitania of Cuma, wbicb terminated in the bay of Turyvassu,
and its port is capable of receiving sumacas. The cotton i·aised in its district
is esteemed the best of the province. This article and rice constitute the prin-
cipal productions of the inhabitants. The salterns, three miles north of it, are
capable of furnishing excellent salt to many provinces, if they were adminis-
tered, as in the time of ·the Jesuits, to whom they belonged.
Guiinarens is a flourishing town, sitnated upon the northern side of tbe bay of
Cuma, thirty miles north-north-west of Alcantara, with a church of St. Joze.
From its port are exported c·otton, rice, and a considerable quantity of farinha.
St. Joam de Cortes is a small and insignificant town, eighteen miles south of
Guimarens; on the southem margin of the bay of Cuma, producing farinha, with
some cotton and rice.
Vianna is a middling town, and well situated upon the margin of the Maracu,
a branch of the Pinnare, in the vi~inity of a large lake, about one hundred miles
from the capital. The church is dedicated to Our Lady of Conceiçao; and its
inhabitants raise cotton, mançlioca, and other necessaries of life common to the
country. . They breed cattle and collect timber. In its district there is one of
the best sugar works of the province, and formerly belonging· to the Jesuits.
Moncao, eighteen miles south of Vianna, is a small lndian town, with a
church, upon the banks of the Pinnare. Its inhabitants raise the provisions of
life, some cotton, and follow fishing and hunting.
Hyéatu, (good water,) an ancient town, and formerly considerable and
fl.ourishing, is situated near tbe confluence of tbe Hyguara with tbe Mony, and
bas a church ·of Our Lady of Conceiçao. It was the first residence of the
governors of the province, and conceded ~any privileges to its senate. An ex-
cellent quality of cotton constitutes the chief production of its inhabitants.
Cachias, a considerable and flour.ishing town upon the eastern margin of tbe
Itapicuru, is two hundred miles south-east of the capital, and nearly the same
distance north-north-west of Oeyras. It has a· cht.ll'ch of Our Lady of Con-
ceiçao, and a hermitage of Razario; Aldeias Altas was its primitive name. A
Juiz de Fora has presided over its senate since the year 1809. The propensity
to gambling amongst its inhabitants has occasioned the ruin of many me1·chants
of the capital. Within its extel,lsive district a very great quantity of cotton and
rice is grown, for whose transmission to the parish of Rozari9 bark~ of consider-
able burden are eonstructed for navigating in shoal water.
 PROVINCE OF MARANHAM.,

Upon the other side of the river is the parish of Trezidellas, whose pat·ish-
ioners a-re desc·e nded frem the Aborígines. They ,have a church·pf Our Lady of
Razario.
One hundred miles above Cachias, and upon ~h e margin of the Itapicuru, is .
the small arraial of Príncipe Regente, commenced in J une, 1807 ~ The fertility
of its surrounding country and the advantage arising from eanoes of consider-
able burden being able to navigate hither augur favourably for the future prQs-
perity of this new colony, where a hermitage already e~jsts.
In the district of Balsas is the parish of St. Felis, whose inhabitants are
farmers of cotton ·and commou necessaries.
Thirty miles south-south-west of Príncipe Regente is the arrail of St. Bento
Pa.Stos Bons, situated amongst smali hills, ten· miles from the Parnahyba, and
twenty-eight from the Itapicuru. Cattle and cotton constitute the main pro-
perty of its inhabitants.
Three miles north of Pastos Bons is the aldeia.of St. Antonio, whose dwellers
are a tribe of Çhristianized ·M anago Indians, who live by hunting, and some
agriculture.
Thirty-five miles from the sea, .upon the margin of the Itapicuru, is the parish
of Rozario., better known by the liame of ltapicuru Grande, whose inhabitants
raise cattle and a considerable qu.antity of rice. Here large canoes arrive from
the capital, and are laden with the pFoductions of this distdct, and those tbat
descend from the High ltapicuru and Balsas.
Twenty-eight milres further, and upon the margin of the sam~ river, is the
con.siderable povoaçao of ltapicuru Mirim, with a church of Our Lady of
Griefs, its Ín'habitants producip.g iarge (J{Uantities of cotton, and the . necessaries
-of life. Between the two precedin.g parishes is that of Lapa, in the s.ite of
SL Miguel.
Upo.n. the maTgin of the ,Mearim, fifty miles from the sea, is the parish of
N. Senhora .of N azareth, whose inhabitants raise c~~tle, cotton, rice, &c. with-
,out gaining much weaHh.
Tury is a vinota, o.r smaJI town, with ouly the appearance of an. aldeia, but
which rnay beco me more ·considerable from its situ~tion upon. the la~ge bay of
the same name, and the fertili~y .o f its adjacent territory, particularly after the
p.acification of the central Indians. The church is .dedica_ted to St. Francisco
Xavier.
Near the mouth of the Tutoya, in an. .advantageous situation, is ,t he parish of
Colil:ceiçao, well supplied ~ith fish and the necessaries .of life, having .a port
3 L 2
 444 PROVINCE OF MARANHAM.

capable of receiving ·sumacas, and possessing greater depth than any other of
_ the Pàrnahyba.
Considerably to the southward, and two miles from the Parnahyba, is the
par-ish of St. Bernardo d' Annapuru, cotton being the production of its diversi-
fied population.
Vinhaes is a small town, three miles to the east of the capital, situated in the
same island, upon a stream of its name, with ,a church dedicated to St. Joam
Baptista. The houses are constructed of wood, and covered with straw, and
its inhabitants are Jndians, who fish, and cultivate various necessaries of life;
they also make màts of miassava for trimming ships and corqs of imbe.
Passo do Lumiar is the most populo~s town of Indians in the whole pt·o-
vince, and is in the centre of the islalil.cl, upon the river St. Joam. The church
is of stone, dedicated to Our Lady of Luz, and its inhabitants are of divers
nations, culti vating excellent tobacco, .rice, mandioca, &c. ; they are also woÓd-
cutters and fisbermen.
In tbe eastern extremity of tbe island there is a considerable aldeia, plea-
santly situated, with a hermitage of St. Joze, from which the bay already
mentioned takes the name.
This island is of medium altitude, the soil in general fertile, and appropriated
to diffi=lrent branches of agriculture.
lVIARANHAM, or St. Luiz, the capital of the province, is a city advanced to
rather more than a state of rnediocrity, having about thirty thousand inhabitants;
and, although it may be said to ran~ the lowest among four great commercial·
cities of the Brazil, yet its amount of commerce is not far short of Pernambuco,
and it certainly has rnaintained a progression of improvement with the latter
city, as ~ell as Bahia, since the remova} ofthe Royal Family to this region. It
is situated upon the western part of the island of the same narne, between the
mouth of two streams, ~endered ·i mportant rivers by the addition óf the tide,
which advances nearly to ~heir origins, and swells them considerably. The one
north of the city is called the St. Francisco, as far as the confluence of the
Anil with that of Vinhaes, neither of which are more than six miles in extent.
The other, on the south, ci.enoÍninated the Maranham, is a handsome ·current,
arrd receives by its noither~ margin the Baccanga.
This town was created a bishopric in the year 1676, and is ornamÉmted with
a house ef Misericordia, convents of slippered Carmelites, of Mercenarios, and
of Franciscans ; a recol'himent(!) for women, 'and a ·hospital. The . ci-devant
J esuitical college is converted into the episcopal palacé, and its church inte the
 PROVINCE OF MARANHAM. 44.5

cathedral. 1'he house.s have verandas and do not differ from the general style
of Portuguese buildings. The streets are paved, and disagreeably crowded
with .slaves, producing the sa:me ungracious feelings in this respect as are
peculiar to all towns of the Brazil. lt is divided in~o two parishes, ·one of them
being·attached to the cathedral dedicated to Nossa Senhora of Victoria, and the
other to Nossa Senhora da Conceicao. lt has a court of Relacam; which Pemam;-
buco does ·not yet possess, creat~d in the year 1812, and having a jurisdiction
ovet~ ;t~ -extensive district, comprehending ·not onÍy the comarcas of Maranham,
Piauhy, Para, and Rio _Negro, but also of Siara, as welf as all the other
comarcas and _jndicatmes, which, in the ·provinces referred to, may be created
de novo. The members of this Relacam are composed_ of the governor, _the
chancellor, and at most' of nine dezembargadors, which latter is a tltle given to
those E:'ligible to or holding · posts- of judicature, ouvidorships, &c. Here is
also a tribunal of the ],leal Fazenda, a Port Adrpir~], and Royal Professors of
the Prirnitive Letters, Latiu, Rbetori<:k, and Philosophy, similar in their import
an:d efJect to tbose of other places. lt is scarcely necessary to observe, after
th.e descríption of th~ province, that cotton and rice are the principal exporta-
tion~ fr01i1 this ·city. - lts cotton has reqnired the repute of being next in quality
to ~hat ot P~rnambuc.o, and obtains in tbe British market a price witbin lid
·per lb. of ·that colton, and l d. per lb. above that of Bahia. Tbe export of
cotton from Maranbarn, the year after the arriva1 of the 1loyal Family in the
Brazil, was upwards .
of . se,•enty thousand bags ~ it fell the hvo followin Bo· years
to fi.fty thousancl, and tl,w next year to forty thousand , but rose again to sixty
thousand in the y~ar 1813, from which period to 1817 its averag-e may be
estimated at sixty thousand bags. The following is a cOJ·rect statement of the
exports in'" 1818 and 1819. '

• i'
446 PROVINCE OF MARANHAM.

For the year 1818.

lI
.,;
ê
i~~ ~
'õ · Destin ation. Cotton. nice. :i 'ranned Gum.
~2a ' Total freight Total vo.llle
.,
~ ::2 Leather. ~~ rtl ; to each Port. at each Port.
:r: ~ 6~ :;;
"'=· .:;
z"
---
Baga. Arrobas.
-
Dags. Arrobas. No.
--- - - --
l'ieces. lbs. Sacks. Sacks. 1\lilreao. Real .
25 Lisbon ... 16,294 88,488 43,212 224, 263 5131 32,503 1501 250 -- 137,692 250 1,092,498 ,151
16 O porto .. . . 3,251 18,595 25,037 - 1389 65,281 854
132,167 1027 6,116 . 202 319,697 590
1 Cape de Verds 14 73 -- - -- -- -- - -- --- 500 400
1 Antwerp 500 3,040 305 1,666 448 -- -- - - 4,062 800 28,653 201)
1 Surinam 25 157- -- - ·ru - - -- - - 441 800 1,936 600
1 B0ston 8 . 48 -- - 1659 -- -- - -- 435 800 2,013 400
1 Gibraltar 156 780 -- - -- - -- - -- 780 000 6,084 000
2 St. Maloes .. 511 2,976 -- -- - - - --
-- 426 2,823 200 24,286 200
5 Havre de Grace 3,888 21,472 372 1,997 30 -- - - - -- 21,438 200 167,402 100
2 London. 1,687 8,835 -- --- -- -- - -- I~ 5,985 200 70,046 300
49 Liverpool • . 47',396 258,3~9 -- --- -- - - -- - -- 220,576 •200 2,069,903 00()
-
104
--
73,730
- -- - - -- --
402,795 68,926 360,095 9433 38,619 1703 250 1389 459,517 304· ~,783,020 9 41
-
Total value, 3,783,020 941, at 5s. the Milrea, is .;f945,755 4s. 2d. sterling; one-third deducted will be abo ut
the present value.

For the year 1819.

'
Port1. Cotton. Cost. R ice. Coat .•

--- Bago. Arrobas.

------- ---- ------
Milreas. Reas. Bags. Atrob••· Milrea.s. lteas.
Lisbon . . • • .... 16,625 91,074 517,821 500 41,993 220,562 201,039 450
Oporto ••• .' 2,629 14,212 81,745 500 22,934 116,184 104,074 950
Cape Verde 8 45 2313 833
H avre ... 5,900 31,326 203,052 350
Liverpool ... . 40,291 222,623 1,333,14 2 354

Total •••
---
. . .. 65,453 359,280 2,136,000 537 64,927 S36,746
----
305,114 400

It appears to be uncertain whether this city or Pernambuco will in future take

the lead in the exportation . of cotton. Two-thirds of this article from Maran-
ham is sent prin.cipally to the port . of Liverpoo], from whence the greatest
portion of manufactured goods for the consumption of the province are shipped,
• I
 PROVI NCE OF MARANHAM. 447

and otir merchants labom· under the same disadvantage here as at Bahia and
Pernambuco, in having no aJternative but taking produce for the whole of their
importatio_!ls, which necessarily keeps up the price much above the proportion-
able par of the Britisb market. There is a singular coincidence in the commer-
cial intercourse of the two countries, relative to cotton. Nearly the amount of
the annual Brazilian e:xports to Englapd of this article is returned to that coun-
try in a manufactured state in the course of the following year; and, notwith-
standing ali the ingenuity of machinery, talent, and superior intelligence brought
into tbe scale on the part of the British manufacturer and merchant, the Bra-
zilians have decidedly the advantage over them in the progression of continued
gain and emichment. The illiterate and uncultivated planter derives bis wealth
.'
from the refineà state of British manufactures and commerce, while their vota-
ries have fo1· sometime, and are yet sustaining serious injury by this portion at
least of th t>ir transatlantic intercourse.
It is probable tbat tbe exports fi·om this city, as well as Pernambuco, may be
lessened so far as regar?s the Fora cottons, or those coming.from the adjoining
provinces, which are acquiring by degrees a direct- intercourse with Europe,
and not as hitherto through tbe mediuii_l of those ports. In the provinces
where establisbments are forrning·, the governors are desirous of concentrating
the whole of its pi·oductions through the medium of the head town, in order to
increase the revenues of their jurisdictions. lt may be observed again, that it
is English establisbrnents brancbing from this city and Pernambuco princip&lly
that afford these ad vantages to the rising provinces of Para, Parahiba, Rio
Grande de Norte, and Siara.
This city is well supplied with fish, water, meat, and fine fruits. Three
fortifications defend its port, which is diminishing in depth of water. The
tide rises here twenty-eigbt palms, but there is considerable intricacy, attended
with danger, in vessels approacbing the anchorage· place. Amongst the English
merchants established here, the Consul ranks as one. There is an English
hospital amply provided with means from the contribution fund. The gover-
nors of the province~ are usually changed every three years. General Silveira
is here the present governor.
A provisional con_stitutional government wa~ formed here in April, 1821, to
continue in force till . th·e basis of the Portuguese c.o nstitution should be fixed.
The popular feeling was in favour of a government to consist of five or sjx
memhers ; but, after some contention,, the first was adopted, General Silveira
deolining to. ·remain at the head of the council upon any other condition.

.-
448 PROVINCE .OF PARA.

CHAP. XXIII.

PROVINCE .QF PARA.

Fú·st Settlement- Contests witlt Indians-Slavmy 9/ the Indians-Theú· Libera-

tion-Boundaries-Mineralogy-P hytology-Zoology-Por'ls and Rivers-
Igaruanaindiarts.-Disl1'ictoff'ara-Propel·.- Capital-Buildings-E.x:ports-
Englislt Estabb:sltments-Adoption oj a New Constitution-Towns.-Dist1·ict
of Xingutania-Limits-In Possessio'(t of Indians~River·s - Towns.-Dis­
t1·ict Tapajonia-Limits-Rivers-Indians-Towns.-District of · Mundru-
cania-Rivers-Pr·incipally possessed by· the Indians-Their dijferent Cus-
toms-Towns.

SuBSEQUENT to the restoration of the island of lVIaranham, Francisco Ca]deyra

sailed from that port with two hundred soldit>rs, in three carave]s, at the end of
the year 1615, to him being confided the important prqject of selecting an
eligible situation for .t he establishment of another colony, more imrnediately
in the vicinity of the Amazons; equally with a view of promnting the navigation
of that great ri ver, and of frustrating the attempts <?f any other natioli, that rnight
be made in prejudice to the rights assumed by the Lusitanian crown to its ad-
jacent territory.
After va1:ious observations on different par~s of the coast, be anchored ·in the
port near which now stands the city of Belem, commonly called Para, to which
he immediatety gave a commencement, by the erection of a wooden fort, in the
beginning of the year 1616, denomimiting the territory Gram-Para, and
imagining that he was founding bis colony upon the marg·in of the great river.
This archipelago soon presented, and was for many ye_ars the theatre of a
cruel and inveterate warfare. V arious lndian nations opposed the estab1ish-
ment of this colony; principally the Tupinambazes, the remains and descend-
ants of various bordes of the numerolils Tupinamba tribe, under· V\lhose domi-
_nion tbe sertams of Pernambuco :were, when the Portuguese extended their
conquests into the interior of that prGJvince. N ot being able to resist the pro.-
 PROVINCE OF PARA. 449

m-ess of their invaders,

~ . they fled from them to the mat~gins of the Tucantins and
the Amazons.
The attacks of the lndians upon the new ~ettlers increased with the preten-
sions of the Dutch to tbe country, who inspired them with enthusiasm for con-
quest; the ardour of which was augmentE)d, by the attempts of some small
parties of English and French upon the · Apmz<ms. Caldeira was regarded by
the P.ortuguesé as an i:ntrepid commander1 but was wanting in equity, · and tb.e
necessary qualifications to found a colony amongst these savage tribes.
The barbarous assassination, by a ne~r relation of bis, of a Captain esteemed
by tbe whole colony, led to the terminrticm of his government. He pretended
to expiate the atrocity of his relative by a few days imprisonment; and rigorous-
ly treated two honourable me~ who JlQldly reqt~ired from_him ·a punishment
adequate to the crime of the murderer. The circumstauces ·attending it pro-
duced a considerable tumult, from w)lich resulted his imprisonment in 1618.
In the intern1ediate short government of Captain Balthazar. :S.odrigues de
Mello, the colony was assaulted 'Yith snch intrepid.ity, by the Tupinambazes,
that the issue would have been dm~btful, if tbe chiefof the lndians, denominated
by the Portuguese, Cabello da V,elha, had not fallen dead soou after the com-
mencernent of the attack.
In the year 1619, shortly after the Indians had retired, Jeronimo Fragozo
d' A,bbuquerqu~ arrived from Fern~mbuco, being appointed by Don Luiz de.
Souza to-transmit the prisoner Caldeyra to the Court, and to succeed him in the
government, which h e commenced with various success, bJ means of an armament,
-o f which he took the direction, having for bis Admirai the celebrated Pedro
Teyxeyra. At the moment of exultation after these advantages, Captain Bento
Maciel arrived, from Pernambuco, with an auxiliary force of eighty Portuguese,
and four hundrecl disciplined ·lndians, to assisf in the prosecution of the war
against the Tupinambazes.
In the sarrie year, the death o f the governor occurred, which was followed by
tbe installation of 1\t.Iathias d' Albuquerque, who was deposed, under some pre-
text, in the course of twenty days. He was succeed~d by Captain Custodio
Valente, Frey Antonio, guardian of the Capuchins, and Captain Pedro Teyxeyra,
who governed alone after the departure of the first for Lisbon, and .the resigna-
tion of the second.
His government was short, tbe before-mentioned Bento Maciel succeeding·
him in the year 1621. He expelled the Dutch, already established upon both
margins ofthe Amazons; destroyed some bordes ofthe most courageous saváges,
3 M
 450 P·ROVlNCE 0F PARA.

obliged others to fly, and irrduced many t0 ,·come and offer pêa:ce an!d sincere
friendship to the colony; thereby acquiring· the title of the conqueror of Maran-
, '
ham, by which na1ne the riverAmazoiis was als0. designa~ed. In bis government
the J esuitical Missim<lâ~ies fuà:de great pr0g'ress.
In 1624, Mànuel 'de 'Souzà d' Eca s'ucceéde'd 'him, by royal pràÍent, an honour
which was not conferred upon any ('}ftho'se who foUowed him, in the course· of a ·
century. By the active and dí'ligerít operáWons of tl11e Missionaries the popub-
tion became mor'e i:'tumeró\Ts tban 'that' of the eàstern' ip'rovül'ce.
Afte'r this, some góverhors had 'the 'ti'tle oí Captain Géneral of the State of
Marànham., ·as were .'J oan'l d' Abreu 'Cas'tello Branco·, wh6 gove'lmed in 17 43, and
Francisco Xavier'de Mend'onc·a, who arrived h~re ih 1751, also appoin:ted Pleni- ·
~óferttiary of Démarêa'tion ·of th'e high A\nazons. ,
Tbe capt'ivrty of the Indiá.ris, 'c ustomary in almost all thê other provinces, and
adoptêd in thls sinée 'i ts first fou'n.dation, wàs êontinued. 1AH labQuiJ.· was peí·-
:formed ÍJy the hands of the ca'ptive lndians, of which each colony prided :ltsélf
in posséssing the greatest number: ri'éhes were calculáted .by the ·'quant~ty 1df
these unforúm·ates. The injustice wh'ich wa.s praetised in. this pretend right over
their lives and Hberty, 'the conseqhent prevai·Iing disp6sition to·indo.lence, avarice,
. '
and an indifference to vicious practices, engendered crimes ·alnongst the colo-
n:ists, tending io 'destroy every gooa :ind moral ·sentintent. TlYé 'lá:ws 'o,fl !the
state and the sadecl obligations df religion 'bécame oélidüs to thêm, as testrairits
npon theit· vicious propensities. "'rhe J e'SLrit Antonio Viegra was 'the lfii•st, whb,
in the. new stàte, ·decla:inled with·energy against thé · caJptivity ·of the abotigin'a'l
natives, and Í'epaired to the metropdlis expressly to soHcit the adoption of tndlte
effectual measures for thei1; libérty; and bis colleagues, who entertaine(l the
.same sêntiments, were expelled :at ·all p6ints from both proviri~es in 167'1.
Tbe colonists of Para and Mliranharn Wére turbule:ht, a.'n d ·afforcl.e d consiaer-
able difficulties to the governors on thi~ subject, until Ki'ag Joseph issued a
salutary hrw in 1155, .wtúch compelled therh 'to ·observe the numero1:l'~ edicts ;bis
ancestors hafi·promU'lgated without effect in favour of the freedom ·ofthe 'Jindián~.
'Fhelibel'ated Indians now 'pâssed·under the inspection of admihistràtors, :who
macle them workrgenerà1ty ·on certain lands, the . produce ef which they were
paid' for out of tbe tr~asury, unti!' the whole, in the . regency of his presêtit
Majesty, were left to their free wíll. It is, however, to be.remarked that many
have since resumea the original state of nature, and the others have.riot advanced
·· · a st€p beyond ·tHér Indian brethtel'l. The traders of Matto-Grosso and the
· high. Maranham experience 'frequent inj uriés from 'the non-perf'ormahce :of 'ton-
 PROVINCE.OF RARA-. 451

baçts they make .with them, fu1ding themselves frequently abandon.ed jp. situa-
tions of.intricate navigatioR, where they are, in consequence, subj.ect~q. tP grel}t,
diffi<;u:lties. ·
In 1755 the -PG>rtaguese lâ'nguag.e began to be generally t;ts.e d ·bere· with the
iutroductjon. of negroes, the ~reedom of the· Indians, · and the creation of the
eompany already alluded ;to,, up to which· period the Tnpina.mba Jangu,age was
unive1rsa'lly spoken; even the orators in the pulpit did not use an.y other.
This province is bounded on the nRdh l;>y the ocean and _th_e tiver Maranham,
or AmazeEs, which separates it from Guianna ; on the wesJ by th.e rjyer Madei-
ra; en .t he south by the provinces .0 f Goyaz. and Matto-G.ros13o .; and Qn the \

east by that of Maranham. !It extends from the eq~ator to seveq. degrees of
so_u th latitude, with near ~ight hun~red miles in .length fron.1 ~ast to .west, and
upwards of four hundred miles in its gr~atest v.vidth. The climate ,iij; invariably
hot, even when it rains ;· the. days and nights are nearly equal a~l t\1e year, and
the seasons .almost prev.ail teg,ether~ At the same time.that SOJ)Le- ~t;e_es anno,unce
the auhmm, by a . profuse exhibition of fruits in a sta~e ~f mat~r~ty, others are
flourishing in their prir;nitive blóorn. The fac,e of the ÇO\lll,try is ,gene:r:ally :fi;;tt,
almost universally presen,ting· an agreeable asp~ct, covered -yvith exten~ive woods,'
where trees g.row of a :considerable height and prodigious girth. The soil in
most paFts is humid, substantial, and of gr~at fertility, affording an abundance
of various productions, :which, in the other prov~~ces, either ~o ~õt exist or but
in very smãll qu.antities. 1t also far surp.asses .all the others in the number and
consequence of its rivers. ·
MINERALOGY .---C.rystals, et:perald_l3, granite, silver, but not yet found in any
quantity, a,rgils,. red lead, yellow ochre, fmm which is extracted ochre tinged
\vith green.
· PHYTOLOGY. - ln no .Qther province a-re tree.s .of such size produced.; many
of the most excellent building timber, some for cabirret work, various kinds
afforciling· tow for caulking, or :flax for cordag~; and the great Author of Nature
has created others whose alimen~ary -fruits afford sustenance to the living crea-
ture, the superabundance of which, for .the most part, is of no uti!ity, in conse-
quence of the diminuti.ve state of population. Amongst tbe oil ~n,_d, balsamic trees
are to be noted tbe cumflr.lt,and cupahyba, .or capiri, those of gum-stor!J.K are known
here only by the name of .omi?y. The satin-,wo'od js very valuable; th~ mem'-
pinima is compact and heavy, appeating like tortoiseshell when polished; ~here
is \the violet wood, the s~tCltba, which .distils by incision ~ liquor, and taken
3M2 ,
 452 :flROVIN'CE OF PARÁ,

in certain doses, is an efficacious remedy against the maw-worm; the massa~

.mnduba distils anoth:er liquor, which occasionally m:akes fine gum; the juice of
the assacu is one of the most subtle v.enoms ; the résin of the getaicica is applied
to the varnishing of · earthern ware ; the ashes 'of the chiriuha are esteenied the
best knowil for the manufacture (i)f soap. Among· fruit trees are the orange,
mangaba, saracaza, cajue-nut ; the atta, or pine, is cemmon, and the fruit very
fine; the fig and vine are rare and do not fructify well ; there are, also, the
fruits of abiu, inga, assiahy, bacaba, inàja, cotitiriba, cupuassu, aguru. The
cocoa-nut trees are seen only in the neighbourhood of the sea ; the cedar is very
large and numerous, also the sapucaya; the plants of vanilta and in.digo grow
spontaneously. The chesnut, that is the tree to whose fruit is commonly given
the name of castanha do Mamnltam1 differs from th~ sapuca:yà, with which it is
sometimes confounded. The cautecuc passes, and with justice, for one of the
most useful trees of this province, where it is common ; it is of the euplun·bium
species, and from its trunk is extracted, by incision, a liquid, which condense:-s
and turns into an elastic gum, with which, through tbe medium of moulds, are
_made seringes of various kinds, and when .its juice is applied to dress render&
it impenetrable to water. The cocoa shrub, or tree, are of two kinds, one
p~oduced by nat~re, the other by cultivation. Here is, likewise, sarsaparifla,
ipicacuenha, butua, jallap, ginger; also, the pecltu1·um-tree and that affording
th~ clove, denominated cmvo do lJ!laranham anel cucltm·i among the Indians . . ·
The cultivation has here cQmmenced of the laurel, or bay-tree, similar to
that of the .iWollucas. Tbe latter is an aromatic drug of süch particular flavour
that nothing could be substituted for it, until the seventeenth century, when
that of Ma1·anham was discovered, which, thoug·h different .in the f0rm, is
otherwise so similar and so adapted to ali the uses of the first that it has caused
not only a considerable reduction in the price, but in the consumption of it
among Eurüpean natio'ns. The trees that produce it the best, grow i.n the same
latitudes of Gram Para as the others do 'in the Mollucca islands, and there is
no doubt that· the soil and climate of this province is capable, with proper
management, of producing any thing that .any other pa1·t of the world can
afford . The b1~ead fnlit tree has been recently introduced and prospers as in
itR native soil. The very small portion, indeed, of this part of the Brazil that
is
.ís cultivated appropriated to the culture of mandioca, lndian com, legumes,
coffee, cotton, the sugar cane, of which the engenhos at pres~nt are not nume-
rous, and r1ce, which is very abundan~ ;· these, with coéoft ~nd other minor
 l>ROVINCE OF PAltA . 453

productions, principally engage the attention of agriculturists, who, with the

pop1:1lation and indüstry, are ata very low ebb, compareci to the advantages so
pre-em.inently offered by a country of such unexamp1ed fertility.
ZooLOGY. - All the species of domestic and wild quadrupeds peculiar to the
smrounding provinces are common here, as likewise the most remarkab1e birds,
such as the parrot, arTm·a, tucmno, Jacu, emu-ostrich, soco, araponga, mutun,
troquaz·e pig·eon, partridge, Jaburu, divers sorts of geese, maca1·icos, collzerei-
'ras, sabias, and colibt·is; the guqra, only met with in the vicinity of salt water,
is very nmnerous. Various species of small ·birds, with a variety of beautiful
plumage, are obset·ved here, totally unknown in the other provin~es; also, all
the kinds of bees common to the Brázil,- affording a profusion of honey, in the
extensive woods, for the supply of the lndian.
PoRTS AND RIVERs. - Between the bay of Turyuassu and Point Tigioca
there are upwards of twenty abundant rivers, each witJ1 its anchorage place for
vessels of smaH Lurden, more or less commodious, either within or near their
embouchures, the maio part being within bays or spacious gulfs, commonly
:snrroundecl with mangroves, aboundÍI!g in the guam, macm·ico, and other birds
that exist upon shell-fish.
As almost all the rivers in this province run into the Amazons, we will speak
of them in the order in which the·y enter that great recipient.
The river of the Amazons, also called Maranhatn by_the Pol'tuguese, and
Guienna by some Indians, was discovered, after Pin~:;on had passed its spacious
outlet, in the interior of the continent, by his· countryman Francisco Orellana,
who d.escencled by it from the moutb of the N apo to the ocean, in the year
1539, and, like the wondróus and fabulous statements of :-;orne of the first · dis-
coverers of new countries, be promulg;ated a story, that its margins were inha-
bited by warlike worneli, anned with bows, frorn which it improperly acquired
the name ·by which it is nniversally known. In the year 1,637, the Portuguese
daptian Pedro 'Teyxeyra before mentioned, conducted a fleet of. f01ty-seven
canoes from Para up the Amazons, to the mouth of tbe N apo, and advanced up
the latter as far as it was navisable. On bis return, in the following year, he
gave a circumstantial · relation of both ri vers, as <).id the J esuit Christoval da
Cunha, wbo retmned w~th Teyxeyra from Quito, bnt neither of thell). met with
any of the ·Arnazons Orellana pretended to have seen. This river is, without
· exception, the largest in the world, having a course of upwards of four thousancl ·
miles. It is n0t desig·nated in the whole of its extent by the names alread.y
454 PROVINCE OF PARA.

mentioned. The P01'tuguese more frequently call it the Amazons as far as the
embouchure of Rio Negro; from thence upwards the Solimoes, and, at the
famous confluence of the Ucayale with the Tanguragua, it takel'] the appella-
tion of Maranham. It was doubtful for some time ·which of these was its prin-
cipal head. The first, unquestionably, has the more extensive coQrse, and is
wider at their union tharr the latter.
The Tanguragua issues from lake Hyauricocha, situated in ten and a half
degrees of south latitude, Ü1 the district of Huanaco, about one hundred miles
north-north-east of Lima. It runs north-north-west for the space of three hun-
dred and -fifty miles between the two cordilleiras @f the Andes as far as the town
of Jaen de Bracamoras, commencing with the uame of the lake in which it
originates. At Bracamoras, where it begins to be navigable, it receives the
Chinchipe on the .lei't, which comes from the n.orth-wést ; and on the right the
Chachapoyas, wbich ílows from th~ south-east, botb navigable. Here it inclines
to the nortb-east till it receives the Santiago, forrned by various torrents, pt·eci-
pitated from tbe m€Hmtains of Loxa. In this interval of ·one hunared and forty
miles, nearly midway, the Tanguragua Feceiv:es the Cbuchunga on the right,
navigable for ten miles. It should have been observed, that the ped of Braca-
moras is on its left bank, and that immediately below the town its waters are
contracted between two meuntains, a!lld, running furiously, descend by various
falls. Below the Chuchunga it flows through the narrow strait of Curnbinamâ,
a.nd afterwards by that of Escorregabragas, neither of which are very dan-
gerous.
At the confl.uence of the Santiago, the Tanguragua is fi~Ve hundred yards in
widtb, and three miles further, running eastward, it begins to sti·aighten, travers-
ing the interior cordilleira of the Andes, and is reduced -in the narrowest part
to fifty yards. The current descends this contracted channel of six miles,
denominated Pongo, in the space of one hour. At its termination is situated
the city of Borja.
Seventy miles below Borja it re~eives on the left the Marona, which is not
inferior to the Santiago, descending from the volcano of Sangay, and forty ·miles
fmther, on the same side, the considerable Pastaca; which originates also in ·the
cordillera.
Thirty-five miles below, the large Guallaga enters it, originating a little
to t he north of lake Chiquiaeoba in uo of lfttitude, in the district of
Huanaco, w"hich -name it takes fera ·eonsiderable space, describing numerous
 •.

PROVINCE OF PARA. 455

small windings. Af.ter i.t follows the ri ver Cha;mbyra, and then the Tigre, both
flowing from tbe north-west, the latter having a course of three hundred
niiles.
Sixty, miles below tbe e'tnb<mclu'lille o.f tbe Tig;re, is the magn.fficent ·con-
fluence of the Tangura:gHa, witb the Ucayale. The Ucayale arigi~l.ates in the
latitude of 1·8° soath-east of the l-a1:g·e lake Chucuito, otherwise Titicaca, and
one hl!llfldred a:nd tw~nty miles east-north-east gf the city of. Aúca. lt runs
to the north and north-wii!st, ,unde1· the na me of Benni,. to its j ul)çtion with
tlil e A]tmrimae@, in the latitacle of i.l \1°, where b0th theit· names-are lost in that of
the Ucayal,e. . · ·
Tbe Apur~maco J.:ises a few leagues Hor.th of -the Gity ,g;f; Areq"1ipa, betweelíl.
tbe lake Glmcuito a:nd the Pacifk Ocean, from -whiGh it is onay rdistant abohlt fifty
miles; and nms northward, desc·ribing considerable wind·ings, and ·gather.iaO' . b
various other strea:ms, amongst which the most j,m_1portaBt are the Pampa~, .on the
left, ·i n 13° 1O'; the Uni bamba, OH the right, in 1 ~o 15'; and the, ·1\Jl~ntare tin 1.2° 6',
where it changes the divectio11: towa11ds the -:aorth~east. Pre:Vipus'ly to-mingling
its waters with the ·Benni ,jt recei:ves on the left the Perene, and on the .right,
ten miles above its mouth, the P auca.rtamba.
The .M~mtaro issues from .the lake Cbinchayocha, .in the .dis.tFict .o f Huanaco,
in 11°, and flows for a ,consiGlerable space to t;he south-ea.c:~t along t'he .c ort'lil-
lera, ldescribing exJiensive winclings to its embemchure.
. The largest tributary pf the Ucayale, after it tak~s •this name~ tis the Pachitea,
which joins it·m1 the ·Ieft, .in the ~atitude of 8° 30', being mere Jhandsom:e ,in ~its
appearance 'than cons,idera:ble, its conrse-.not ex-ceeding tw.o h~mdred :miles.
The Maranham, at the confluence wbtwe it takes tbis .name, ·directs its course
• to -the north..,east for one h~mdred miles, recei ving, on the left, the N apo, whi-ch
originates in ld'li:ve-Jis ~parts of 3the interior cordillera of. the Andes, in .the vicinit~
of .Quito, ,from "'vhenée if flow~.to the south-east, cqllecting !J.rious otbers, and,
af.ter a course of ··five hundred and íifty miles, ·discharg~s itself by different
oha:rimels, formed by seve.ral .islands, above whiGh it is tvv~~ve hundred yands·in
width. :·
, With tbis river the Maranham ·becomes eig:hteen Jmndred yards wide, ye.t
bav.ing acquíned only ia sm;tll -portion of the vol·trme of -vvater w1th whi..ob it enters
the ocean, from whence it is here distant thirte~n hundred miles in ~ direct Iine..
At.thi:s pa1:t,it iholines to the ~ast, and, after fi.fty miles of course, receives by the
l!igbt the (Jassiqtün, ·w.hich eomes f1tom the .south, with three hund-ved and fifty
mil€s of exfent.

· i
456 PROVINCE OF PARA.

Seventy miles lower the Hyabary enters, which has its sotuce in the territories
of the Torro monas. in 1 1o 30.'
Upwards of one bundred miJes further i~ tbe montb of tbe large Iça, which
originates in the skirts of the said cordillera to tbe north-east of the Napo,
and in the vicinity of St. Joam de Pasto, with the name of Putumajo.
The Hyutahy and tbe Hyurba follow ; they are ]ess than the preceding, being·
about three bundred and sixty fathoms in widtb, and next to, the Teffe, the
Coary, and the Purus, which are discharged by many mouths.
On the northern margin it receives the great river Hyapui:a, after an extensive
course from the province of Popayan. This ri ver runs parallel with the Maran-
ham for a corísiderable distance, discharging itself in that ·s pace by nine chan-
nels, tbe mouth of the first being tbree hundred miles to the west of the last.
Auatiparana, Euiratyba, Manhana,· Uaranapu, Hyapura, Unana, Copeya,
Hyucara, and Cadaya, are the names of tbe channels, af!d the order by which
the Hyapura enters the Maranham. The Maranham is estimated to be nearly
a mile and a half in width, at a certain part, free from islands, about twenty
miles below tbe Purus, wbere tbe bottom, it is said, could not be found with a
cord of one hundred and three fathoms.
After the Hyapura, its waters are swellerl by the entrance, also on the northern
side o f the Rio N egTo, almost equalling it in width and volume; and sixty
miles lower, on the right, by the river Madeira, nearly two miles in width, being
tbe most co-nsiderable of ali the subordinate torrents that fill up the vast space
between the receding margins ·of this wonderful river. The ri ver Madeira was
designated Cayary, until the Portuguese gave it the former denomination, in
consequence of the large trunks of trees, some of cedar, of an extraordinary
size, that :floated down at the period of the :floods, Madeira being the Portu-
guese word for wood or _timber. lt takes this name at the con:fluence of the
Guapore with the Mamore, which latter has its source in the province of Potoze,
traversing that of Santa Cruz, and describing a vast semicircle by the east to-
wards the north, being enlarged by numerous other currents,' which join it on
both sides to the said con:fluence, in latitude 1 oo 22'. · One hundred and forty
miles above this point, in the parallel of 13°, it communicates with the Benni,
by the river Exaltacao, issuing fí·om the lake Rogagualo, from which another of
short extent :flows to the Mamore. · .
In front of the angle of the con:fluence of the Mamore with the G.u apore,
there is an island ofrock, well adapted for the site of a fort, which would com-
Jlland the entrance of both rivers. Upwards of nine hundred miles is com-
 PROVINCE OF PARA. 457

puted fro.m thi!s situa:tion to the. mouth of the Madeira. · In the space of the first
two hundred tihe travéller encounters twel ve · cataracts; equally astónistl.ing
·for their grandeur·and exten.t. The attention ís first arrested l>y. tha:t wbieh 11-as
the same denomination as the river, and not far below the island of rock
allnded to. Three of the fal'ls are withjn. the space of a mil'e a:nd a half: . ·The _
eanoes aclvancing up the river are unloaded and convéyed in this state, iDcluding
the, ditferent poirits, for half a miJe. Tl11e Misericordia next foJllows; abo11t t'wo
miles lower down, and the danger and labom of passing it depends upon, the
keight ar dimimltion of the· waters of th(? ri ver. P.reeeedi·l'lg . along anot11er ,
interval of the same spaGe, the four cataracts 0f Reibeirao m eet the astenished
eye within the distance of four miles. Canoes are here fm a considerable way .
dragged over land.
Twelve miles furth:e1: is the FigtHÚra, oth€rwise Araras, fé!rmed by smaH·
islands and large stones, b~t o f lil.O ·considerable extent. '
Upwards of twenty miles further is the Pederneira~~. wher€ the FÍ~€1~ is Uückly·
everspcead with immense stones, obliging the carg.g es of the canoes to be
carried .on men's shonlelers fo'r nea.Tly balf a ~ile.
· Descending ten miles more the Pareâae is myil w:ith, where the: course of the
river-is contracted, and its waters p1·ecipitated á.mong rQcks for a short space.
The Tres Irmaos (Three Brothers) is the next, about twe:nty miles furthe1;,
formed by various falls, g·eneraUy small, for the distance of near a mile.
Twenty-five m~les lower is the Girau, where the ri ver fl:€).WS with great rapidity,
separated among rocks and precipitated. ov.er fi.ve. :t'alls in a oShort distànce. The
canoes are here also carried @Ver lancl. .
.Five miles further is the Caldeirao de ILnferno, (the ln.femal Cauld1~on,) three·
miles ÍD extent, forming·, in a certain sitl!l:a>tion, a mGst periloHs whirlpool,
which requires mucli vigilance and labour to the -navigator.
Eig·hteeri miles heyond the p1·eceding is the fall of Marinhos, ·s o called from
thnee smaH mm-ros, or rocks, a short distance f.rom the western mrurgi'n-, cov.ered
with sarsapariUa.
Passing an inter·val of tw:elve tniles the iateresting fali, denominated the ,Sãilto
do The0tonio is next presenteei· for centemp1ation, heíng an açcumnlation of
ruggctd rock, twenty-six feet in height, broken into- fou1~ parts, dividing the
waters· Gf t.he Madeira ínto as many chanll'els:, eaeh havi»g the appearaace of a
large river. Pa1·allel with this majestic sluice- à reef of rock exten.dB> ft·om the
eastem mar.gi:n almGSt to the western, impelfing the volt~me of waters of three
3N

•
458 PROVINCE··OF PARA.

channels into the fourth, the whole. flowing witb im:l.nense profundity and gteater
rapidity by this strait between the extremity of the Teef and the river's left bank,
The canoes are dragg·ed over land, with much difficulty and labour, nearly hal.f
a mile. ·
Fíve miJes Im.ver is the fall of St. Antonio, which the river passes by tlll'ee
currénts, formed by two small stony islands. This is the first which interrupts
the navigation of the canoes proceeding· upwards, anà is sitüated in the lati-
tude of 8° 48'.
Thrée months is generally çonsumed by the navigators of this 'river in ad-
vancing up from this fali to that of Guajirumirim in the G:uapore.
From the fall of St. Antonio , to the embouchure of the Madeira there are
more than thirty islands, from three to ten miles in length, almost all of them
cover.ed with superb timber ; thosé of a smaller size are much more numer~us,
t.he largest is called lVIinas, which is ten miles long. and three in width, and is
sixty Íniles below tbe m.o uth of the ríver JVlarmellos.
The waters of Rio Negro and the Madeira increase the width of the Maran-
ham to nearly four miles, anel when there are parallel islands it is at some
ptaf:!es eight, a:nd .· at .otbers much more .
.About two hu;til.dn~d .miles in a direct line, or ·three hundred by tbe com-se o f
the ri.ye_r, b.elow the 1\'Iadeira, is the mouth of tbe large river Tapajos ; and two
hundred miles f~,:~;rther to the east that of the river Xingu, equal if uot superior
to the , preceding; both coming from. tbe district of ·Cuia_.ba, a11tl neitber with
less th.a n ejght h~mdre.d miles of com:se.;
At the confluence of the latter the Am~zons inclines to the ·nortb-east for the
distance of one hundred anq forty; miles. ·augmenting sensibly in width as it
approaches the eqn~tor, whery it djsch~11ges .itself into the ocean by a mouth of
from twenty-five to tl::)irty rniles. . · '
Eighty miles below the, mGrQth of the Xing·u there is a channel oalled Tagy-
puru, in certain parts very narrow, and :running .,towa,rds· the.. soutb-e.a st:-as far.
as tbe·mouth of the river Annapu, where it becomes upwardl:'l of fifteen miles
in widtb, with m~ny jslands, and . -aqw.sdo. tne east-; until . it· enters the river
Tucantins, wbiGh comes. fro.m the centre o( th~ province of Goyaz; ·and at this
part inclines to the north-east, i~creasing c.onside)'ably i:n width., and ertted:ng.
the ocean by ar~ emboYchp.re equa~ to tbat of.~he Ama~ons, with thi~ differ~nce,
that for some Ie~gues ·.up it is; impregnated_with sa]t water, whilst the other.
carries its volume of pure waters many Jeagues jnto tl)e sea, perfectly, f.resh,
 PROVINCE OF PARA .. 459

having acquired, by its rapidity and prodigious body, a preponderating power

over the first essays of its saline opponent till the ocean buries it in fathomless
depths. ·
· On the northern margin of the Amazons, below the Rio Negro, are dis-
. çharg·ed, among· other sma'Her streains, the Matary, which flows from some
handsoÍne fakes; the Urubu, otherwise Barururu; the · Aniba, d"enomiQ.ated
sometimes Saraca.; the Trombetas ; the Gurupatuba ; and the Annarapucu.
'The.Iateral lands of the Amazons from B01ja, where the falls and currents
terminate, are flat and covered with woods. The cnrrent is always rapid, even
at its 'greatest diminution, and the waters when drawn are of an orange colour,
und 'at the floods a1·e never muddy. Its bed is an archipelago, leaving, in the
space ·o f .above one theusand miles, few places where the navigat€n· can dis-
tirictly see both sides (l)f the continent. .. These islands increase and clecrease .
ai).DUa\ly, not on}y in number but in size at the period of the floods, which, in
parts, divide <')líle into two, and in others accumulate many into 01ie by fill-
ing up the channels which separated them. Here pm"tions of Iand are violently
torn a ~ay from the continent, there frorr~ the islands, with which either the '
e.xistin~ ones ar.e · aug,míen.ted OF·rlew .ones formed. Some ar€ gf g1:eat extent;
and·.usually cov.ereq with large tri:les. , . ...
· The vess'els which ·are navigated to the high Amazons are f(l)rrned of thmks of
trees é f from forty to sb..rty feet in :length; they are ex c a v:ated into th e form o f ca-
n9es, wjth' the power of firé and water, and the gréatest width is given tliat they
are susc~ptitble o f; being preserved in thís state with kne.es, to ;which .are' Railecl:
planks. to· r.~íake •them higher, having a round prow, anda poopwith .a cabÜil, and a
Tudde1:. They àlways retain tbe appellation of canQes, and ha·ve twG. -líll~sts, with
.round sails, in 01:der to proceed up before an easterly· wind, and descend by the
impulse of, the cmrent. It is dang·erous to navigate near the ~í:tiigins, , wher~ fre-
quen:tly large' trees fall into the river without ailly wind, the current having ElX.,.
cavated .the .ground upon which they stoç<:J ..
, Thé tide advances to ·the town of Obyd.os, more , than .fi v.e hu:lílidi'ed _miles
above Macappa, computing by the bed of the river .. ;;'Yfith a strong W.iiid it
swens like ·the sea, but immediately the wind subsides it beo.li)mes-traiiq~lil by. the
pO-~'el" Of!the c~mrent,· whicà., diss.ipates the adYanc_iing. W31V:es.in.a mOOJe~t. : )
, A~(i)il;lgs't 'other species of fish . with which it is 'stO·Jred-. are. the , gorwj~ba, the
la11ge.perakyba, doimdo, pescada; and' pwraquez, .which. 1po.ssess~s the1pxop,edy. Qf
benurhbing. t~e arm ofthefisherman .• A species of• se.a.J~ deponünated by the liíldi-
.or
ans 1p:anàhy, arrd· b.y the Porh1guese peixe:r'boy;.{oJC 1isb, . .-seá -çaJ(,.) i)l: côn~e ..
3N2
 PROVINOE ())}' ·PARA.

q_uenee of tire sitm ilarity .of ,jtfs snout _oi· J1~ad to that aBirual,. Ís 'the ta;r.gest, a;nd
f'-':eds 'lil'P@'Jl herbs wmJÍêh ,grDW upo'lil the IRíl'31l"g"ÍJ;lS WÍth<m't going Ollt of the .ri ver.
0

lt is vi\'iparous anel gives milk to its young· like the whale, and has extr.emely
sroall eyes ; tbe flesh is 1ike l"eal and of a .goocl. ílavóur, of w<hich is also made
sausag·es, called mimir.tJ;S.; the oil extrac.ted from it nCi>t •only serves .f(!)r · ~ights btnt
for season.i·n.g various eatables. .T he Dute'h; when th.e y had a footing in these
parts, derived a lt1erative br.a nch (j)f com.nwree .f nnn this fish. 'Tb:e piramc1.ds
large, anel este~míed .gogd .; its. tongi!Íe ser:wes the lndians ifor a rasp to grat~ t1le
guMama frlilit; tl1e Internai parts, after bcing drie«ii iiíl tfu,e. sun, forhl a gaod glue,
and w hen .red uced :t<il pewcler éxcee'd eve1·y" th.ing .for daJrify,ilftg C@ffee. AUega-
t~rs are ·n umerous and very -lailg'e; and the tortoise is very bliltky and abundan:t,
Lut its shell is @f no vallue: it is anaphibiot-ts, and deposits a.t -one time more than
a hundred eggs in. boles which it makes in the sa;:p.d a;t a shart .dista:nce from tbe·
~vatea·, C<il~eriNg them o~er; tlle beat of the sun. hatches thern, and the young,
disengagiiJ\lg themseh,,es from the sand, immediately proceed to the river; rna1ily.,
howe,•er, in tbis sho·Ft marcb, are ·devoured by the hawk
The ri ver Moju, which is spacious and deep, even as far as the lide reaches,
originates in the -territory of the Camecran lndiaas bey0nd toe woQds, whicli ·i t
afterwards traverses northward until it enters the bay of Gua:ja11a. In lihte fo:rests
ar woods above mention.ed, colílsis'ting of most exceHen.t tin1ber, and whtere the
ohestnut-tree of tire country abounds, there is a great scarcity of gam:e, caused,
no donbt, by the com1tinued hunt·ings @f the Ammanius, Poehetys, Appinages;
a>nd No·r0gages, tribes of ln~ians who dwell in the circumjacent count·ry. The
war!lt gf this resotlrC'e is the allegecl reason for establishments not ,LJaving li>een
formed in 1he fertr1e te1~1·itory wa1let:ed by this ri~-er., naviga:ble to its centre.
'fhe Cameeran lndians are divided into five hordes, <distinguished by as many
pr~-names, namely, Ma-camecr.an, Crore-camecran, Pore-c.am~cran., Cha-came-
cran, an'd Pie-camecran, tb.e wh'o"e heing very simi·lar ~n their langnag·e and
customs. The Ma-camecrans live at. present in a state of pacific intennixture
with the inhabitants of the new arraial of St. Pedro d' Alcantara, ·belmÍiging to
the jurisdiction of Goyaz. ·
Forty miles above the mouth ofthe Moju there is a narrow, winding., and ex:~
ten~iv.e strait, denominated lguarapemirim, which is a channel of communica-
tion between. this river and the Tucantins, thus forming an island .of thirty-five
miles from north to south, and twenty at its greatrest wiclth. The Acara, alsó
considerable, a'ffords navigation to the agricultmists upon its adjacent lands,
d ivided into various parishes, and loses its name on enterin:g the Moju by t.be
..
 ri.g-ftt, Mtoon -:miies >SOllth nf t-:l;:tre capitaL. Six miles b'el0w iti1lÍli ~t>nfluence the
M@jjtl is n€a·rl_y a ·mâle i1~ width.
'f:he riyer G~tama, .likeM>t<se -eoasiderahlc., rcl!>llll1es ;i!·0m th'e 'Ca:St, trave:r.gÍng :a
f-ert~ ·~@l!lilltrf J3J31rtiatJy ~nh-abjt.e;m t(i) Ít~ :S@ua·c~ 53-IB.d ÍS B~~cbarged lWO t he b~f'
:of GuaJata, near the MoJn, havmg recetved,. uear fórty mtles abo'We, til~e C· ~m·
on the left.
The largest island of this pr~vince is the Joanaes, otherwis~ Marajo, sitnated
between the Tucaatins and the Amaz0n's~ with the ocean on the north, and the
~'trait of Tagypnru on the sonth. n -e~tentl's ninety -nli'les froní north .to south,
and one hundred and twenty from 'east to west, is inhabited and watered by
various -.rivers; abounding in ·ca:ttle, an:d f{;,rm.erly had the title of a barony . .
Its principal rivers are the Anajaz, ·Whic'h issues from a lake, and has a course,
to the west, of fifty miJes in a direct line. . The Arary, something larger, flows
from aiiotber lake, and discharges itself by two mouths on the. eas~ern side the
Mondin, which also runs to the east, and the :âtua to the -sou't'h-east: the whole
are navigable with the aid oftbe tid-e.
The Nhengahybas, rninc·ipaHy masters ~f this island, and Christianized in part
by the Jesnit Antonio Vieyra, were1expert mariners~ as weJl as -others living upon
the adjacent rivers, and possessed a gTeàt number ··of canoes, denomiriated in
their own language igm·as, trom whicll they d~rived the appellation of Igaruanas;
and al ways proceeding in canoes, wet'e di'Stinguished by this na me from tribes
wholived in woods;distant fromthe water. Under the denomination of Igaruanas
were also .cgmprehend<ed the TupiBambas, the Mammayamas, tl1e Guayanas,
.th:e Jmuanas, the :Pac;,ayas, and otbers. They had smalfigams for fishing an!l
preceecding ft·om on.e nreighbou:ring place to anoth'e r; bnt t'heir war igams were
furty and .n:fty feet long, of eme trunk, e:x·c avated with stone axes ánd fire, and
were calletil mamcatims, ;frorn. maraca, the nan11e of a cettain instrument made of
a gourd, with stones or ~lrie<dlegumes within; arrd tim, which preperly signifies
the nase;but tr-ansb,ted to imply the :beak of a bird, and even the prow ~r the
vessel, .i n cons€quence -ef these éanoes having at the head a large vara, or pole,
in the furm of a b0wsprit, to which -the mara'Cas were suspended witi1 small eord~~­
dashing· together with a 1eu:d :rattling noise· equally warlike and terrific. Their.
battles were fatal, and decided with the ·an·ow, spe'ar, and dub.
The Igar~.anas of the lawer Amaz'6ns were .e steemed the very best of rowers,
when they we•re habintlated to it ft·om their infancy. It was they who, hy the
force ·0 f the oar, conducted the Ileet -of Captain Pedro Teyxeira from the l?ay of
Guaj~ara to tb.e .sight o f the A:r1:des.
462 .PROVINCE 'OF PARA.

With four very larg·e ·rivers, the Tucantins, the Zingu, the Tapajos, and the
Madeira, nature has partitioned this province into as rnany districts, which it is
probable in a short period will form an equal numbe1· of comarcas ; and, for the
disembarrassment of their history and g·eography, we will describe them as so
divided, namely:
D!STRICTS. PRINÇIPAL TOWNS.

~
Belem or Para.
Para Proper . . . . . . Braganc.a.
Coli ares.
·5 Villa Vi coza.
Xingutania ........ ) Gurupa.
(Melgaco. .'

~
Santarem. ·
Tapagonia . . . . . . . Souzel.
Alter do Chao.

~
Villanova da R<\,inha.
Mund.'r ucania . .' ,·, . . . Borba. o. • o •,I • r.

o • .. Villafranca. , ,

District o/ PARA.

The district o r comarca of Para is con:fip.ed on the north by the oceanJ ·on. ·the
south by the province of Goyaz, on the east hY' that of .Maranham, and on th'e
west by the district of Xingutania, from which it is separated by the river Tu-
cantins. It is four hundred and fifty miles from north to south, and tw.o hundred
from east to west, the ~ountry being flat, water.ed with many riv.ers, and possess-
ing immense woods, dernonstrating the fertility of the soil.
The before-described rivers Guama, Acara, and Maju, are the principal ones
of this district, well enough provided with ports, and exceedoing the others in
population and agriculture. The southern part is yet occupied by wild Indians.
The tribe Taramambazes, who were masters of the sea coast from the. bay of
Turyassu to that of Cahete, excelled all others in the art of swimming. They
could swirn leagues, and frequently proceeded by nig·ht to çut the cahles ·of ships
anchored at a distance, remainiiig an extraordinary time under water.
~ELEM, more generally called PARA, is the capital of the province, situated
upon the eastern marg·in of the river Tncantins in the bay of Guaja1·a, at the
 . I1 lWVINCE OF PARA. 463

northern angle of tbe embouchure of the Gnama, fronting the island of Oncas,
an.d in a plain eighty miles from the ocean. lt is an episcopal city, in a state
of mediocrity, with a population now only of about twenty tbousand, many
having· been recently swept off by the s:mall-pox. If the ar.cess to it was better
it would become more rapidly cÔmmercial. It is om~mented witb many
chapels, a convent of Capuchins, another of slippered Carmelites, a misericordia,
and a hospital. The cathedral and tbe palace of the governors are bandsome
edifices. The streets are ~traight, the principal ones paved, and Lhe houses
ma:inly of stone. · The co·nvent of Mercenarios, who are extinct, is at present
the quarters of a regiment. The ci-d·eva~t Jesuitical college is ·convertecl into a
seminary, and the episcopal palace and tbe church se.rve for ~he mise1~icordia.
Jt has a tF~buna:l da Fazenda-1·eal, similar to th~ other capitais of. pi'Ovinces, a
port admirai~ an onvidor, a Juiz do Fora, and royal professors of Latin, rheto-
ric,. and philosophy. Since the arrival of the Royal Family in tbe Brazil,
botanical gaJtdens have . been established in the vicinity of the few maritime
towns of no-te; and this city can boast of one, having· a variety of the most useful
and best trees of the .province, Iikewise some European trees. There is an
à1rsenal with its chapel, and many engenhos for rice. ·
At the reqnest of John V. Pope Clement XI. despatched a Búll for
the1 creation of this bishopric in 1719, and none of the Brazilian cathedmls·
originated with so much splendour, and attendants of archdeacons, canons,
deacons, &c. &c. Ii is divided into two parishes, St. Maria da Graca, anà St.
Anna, amongst whose inhabitants there are comparitively few negroes.
The pmrt in which the tide rises eleven feet is considered to be dirninishing· in
clepth . . Thunder is very frequent, but not diurnal, as has been stated; the
showet:s which accompany it rnitigate, in some degTee, the ardent heat which
tmiversally prevails. 'fhe land breezes, as well as those frorn tbe sea, generally
every evening moderate tbe burning: rays of the sun, which may be 'said to be
alrnost vertical, and refresh the atmosphere; the1·eby rendering this p1ace very
healthy, and tolerably free from the endemical diseasés whicb many regions are
subject t0 in a similai·latitnde. There are few insects that introduce themselves
into the human frame, or tbat are so troublesome as in some of the otber pwvinces.
The days and nig11ts are e·q ual .nearly the whole ~ear: · The environs of this city
w,ere formerly very umvholesome, but . an evident impi·ovement took plãce after
tpe colonists began to clear away the woods·, and cattle to increase. ·
"rhe exportations fi·om hence are cocoa, coffee, rice, ce>tton, sarsaparilla,
the Maranham and MoUnca clove, mw and talíl:ned hides, peçhw·im or pucheri.

' .
464 PROVINCE OF PARA.

c1p,altyba. Ol:' eapivi, tapi-oca, gum, the urucu die, molasses, lndia-n rubber, cas-
tanhas, or chestnuts of M·ar~ham, timber·, &c. These a1·ticles were forrnedy
sent tQ MaJ;anham, and the trade w.ith d1is. place was carried on througb the
meàium of coasting vessels; but tue honoura.ble ambüion a.nd activity of the
Englisb merchant, which lead him to every cm·ner of the globe foi: tlae purposes
of commerce, did uot allow this ·place long to escape bis observation, and
one or two establishments were formed here soon after the arrival of the Royal
Family, wbich have increased to five or six. Th.e Confiance Hiiitish sloop of
war first naviga.ted up to the town, demonstrating th.at vessels, not drawing more
water, might accomplish the same objeet; and a house at Glasgow subsequently
employed two vessels of much larger hurthen in tbe trade of this city, for whose
present commerce, however, vessels of a smaller class are better adapted. The
spontaneous. productions, abundant fertility, and extent of the province, fully
j ustify the expectation of its b~coming a very considerable place; and more parti-
cularly so frorn the probal~ility of its being, at no distant period, the only mart
for tbe increasing productions of the provinees of Goyaz and Matto-grosso.
Its cottons have some time held a rank in the British market and obtain:ed
a price not far short of the Bahia cottons; the communicaüon is principa1ly
with Liverpool, and from tento fifteen small brigs proceed from thence to Para
annually with English manufactures, and return with produce. One or two
vessels also from London have recently maintained with it a regular intercourse.
The great extent of country comprising the province of Para, as well as the
tributary provinces of Solimoes a:p.d Guianna, coming mainly under the j1:1risdic-
tion of its governors, have induced the government generally to appoint in-
dividuais of distinguished familie.s and noble birth to this situation. The present-
governor of this very impol'tant district, extending almost to the .Oronocos, is
tbe Conde de Villa Flora . . Two miles to the north-east is situated a chapel of
Our Lady 0f N azareth, frequently visited by the inhahitants of this city.
Para was the first town in the. Brazil that adopted the new constitution óf
Portugal, which event, bighly to its honour, was bFought about with0tlt any blood-
shed, in tbe beginning of January, 1821.
Braganca., forroerly Cayte, and the capital of a small capitania so called, is one
o f the best and most ancient towns of the province, and is ornamented with some
hermitages. lt is well situatecl on the left margin of the river from which it
derived its primitive name, and is about twenty miles from the ocean, and near
oue hundred t0 the east-north-east of the capital, and seventy to the east-south-
east of Point Tigioca~ An extensive bridge traverses a swamp, or marsh, and
 PROVINCE OF PARA. 465

divides it into two parts; the northem division was at first only inhabited by
lndians. It is a port or calling place for the coasting-vessels that navigate from
Maranham to Para. Its church is dedicated to St. Joam Baptista.
Twenty-five miles to the east-south-east of Braganca, and the same distance
from tbe sea, is the parish of St. Joze de Cerzedello, upon tbe rigbt margin of
a small river. Tbirty miles to the .south-south-west of Brag.a nca, and eigbty
to the east of the capital, is tbe small town of Ourem, upon the rigbt bank of
tbe Guarna. It is ornamented witb a cbmch dedicated to the Espírito Santo,
and its inhabitants cultivate tbe necessaries of life.
Vigia, an ancient to~n, anel for so.me time considerable and flom~isbing
whilst tbe depository of a great quantity of cocoa and coffee, brougbt tbithe1·
ft·om th~ adjacent country, is :fifty miles nortb-north-east of the capital, upon
the margin of the Para or Tucantins. The Jesuits had a college here, and tbe
Me'rcenarios an entertaining-house. Its primitive and proper name is St. Jorge
dos Alamos. The churcb is dedicated to Our Lady of Nazareth, and the in-
habitants are agriculturists and fisbermen. .
Cintra is a small town, :fifty miles west-north-west of Braganca, seventy
north-east of Para, and fifteen east of Villa Nova, pleasantly situated at the
mouth of the ri ver Maracana, of which it formerly had the name. Its surround-
ing·country is appropriated to various branches of agriculture ; the church is .
dedicated to the Archangel St. Miguel, and its inhabitants, who are diminish-
ing, cultivate little more than the necessaries of life.
In the vicinity, and north-east of Cintra, is the aldeia of Salinas, with some
regularity, and in a very agreeable district, having a place of worsbip dedicated
to Nossa Senhora do Socorro.
Collares, formerly a middling town, and well supplied, is forty miles north-
north-east of the capital, upon an island six miles in length from north to south,
with proportionable width, and separated from the continent by a narrow strait.
It has only one church of the Lady of Rozario, and its environs are partially
.. appropriated to the production of coffee, cocoa, and the necessaries of life
~ommon to the country.
Twelve miles south-south-east of Point Tigioca, and sixty -north-east of the
capital, is Villa Nova d' el Rey, upon the margin, and a very little above the
embouchure of the Curuca, at the bottom of a bay. Its inhabitants, for the
main part lndians, are fishermen, and cultivators of mandioca, lndian corn,
nce, cocoa; and coffee, which do not remove tbem from a state of poverty,
30
 466 PROVINCE 0}' PARA.

although the soil is of great fertility, and worthy of a more active and indus-
trious population. lt has a church of Our Lady of Rozario.
. Gurupy, advantageously situated upon the banks of the bay of the same
name, was created a town in 1671, and became fGr some time rathe:r flourish-
ing, whilst the capital of a small Capitania? and visited by the coasting-vessels
f'rom Maranham to Para. Its anchorage-place has diminished in depth, and
agriculture is declining from the want of whites as well as Africans.
Bayao, a. small Indian town, with some whites o.n the eastern margin of the
Tucantins, and thirty-five miles abeve Cameta, is well supplied with fish, and
the rendezvous of canoes from Goy;az. lt has a chmch of St. Antonio, and
the inhabitants cultivate cocoa, coffee, cotton, .rice, tna:adioca, divers fmits,
and hortulans. ·Its very advantageous situation, and the wide fi,eld for agri-
cultura! improvement, promise it a considerable augmentation.
Thirty-five miles further., upoR the ~ame margin of the 'l'ucantins, anel eigh-
teen below the fort of Al.c obaca, is the aldeia of Pedemei·ra, inhabited by
christianized Indians, who cultivate the same articles as the preeeeling town.
Here the ri ver begins to be thickly strewed .witb. islands to the capital. In this
d1strict there is yet the sm:;tll town of Conde upon the margi.n of the TucanÜ.fils;
twenty miles to. tbe south-west of Pava ; also Beja, a place of tihe. same oPder,
and seven miles south of Conde ; a1:1d Abayte, aFJ. i.n.sig:Di:fiçant pJace, eight
_ miles south of Beja ; all three are upon an island fermed by the rivers·Tucan-
tins, Muju, and Igarape Mirim, whose territory is apprepriated to severa!
bnanches of agricultura.
Arcos, sjtuated upon th.e great bay of Turyvassu, is an abOI'iginal t0wn, and
the insufficie~cy of its inhabitants retards the progress of agricultme, to which
its fertile soil i~ so favourable. Upon this CGast, also, are . the parishes of St.
Joze de Piria, and Vizeu, inhabited by lndians; ancfl in the adjacent lands of
the riv:er Guamrpa are those of Caraparu, Bujaru, Anhangapy, lrituya, St.
Miguel da Cachoeira, and St. Domingos, in the ang·le of lhe mouth of the r.i'ver
Capim.

. IJistrict cif XINGUTANI-A..•

This distriot is of a quadrangular form, and is bounded 0n the north by the
river Amazons, on the west by the river Xingu, which affords it the name, and
separates it from Tapajonia; ·0n the south by the district of Tapiraqiüa, and on
the east by the Tucantins. · It is a pcn·tion of the p110voince yet little known, and
 PROVINCE OF PARA. 467

almost wholly inhabited by the posterity <?f the Aborígines, diviqed into various
nations. The most northern tribes have some intercourse with ~he christians of
the povaoçoes, situated upon the margins of the rivers which ]imit the district,
and various individuais of them have embraced Christianity. The lands which
have been cultivated are fertile, nnd appropriated to a great variety of hortulans,
edible roots, lndian coril, rice, feijao, tobacco, cotton, the sugar cane1 and
all the fruit trees of the climate.
· The cocoa shrub, or tree, grows spontaneously in various situations. In the
vicinities of the rivers the aspect of the woods is rendered agreeable by the
diversity and thickness of the trees. They are stored with birds and game,
which are alike the resource of the i~dolent savages and. the Christians, who
hitherto have not introduced the breed of cattle.
Little is .y et known relative to the mineralogy of this province, nor of the
genius or customs of the central and southe1·n bordes of the natives. A great
number of I;ivers, many of crystaline waters, flow from the centre of this co-
marca into thdse which mainly surround it. ·
The Annapu traverses the country from south to north, and discharge·s itself
ÍD; front of the island <;>f Marajo by various mouths ; the principal one is spacious,
and forms a great hày within. After many days' voyage up this river, falls are
met with, and its bed is strewed with laJrge stones. In the woods which border
it there are abundalil.ce of clo-ve-trees of the country.
The Pacajaz, propetly Paca-ya, has an extensi'Ve course through a stony
bed,_and over many c<imsiderable falls, at certain distances. Four days' voyage
is reqnired to arrive at the bar of the great river lriuanna, which unites it on
the eastem bank, alil.d a few leagues above the embouchure is the entrance o(
the channel, which connects it with the Annapu. lt runs east of the Annapu,
and takes tbe name of a nation which occupies its adjacent territory, where
there is great abumlarrce of clo'Ve-trees.
"Fhe · river Jacundaz, or Hyacunda, is very lru·ge,. affording an extensive
navigation, and dischat·ges i'tself east of the Pacayar. The· Araticu empties
itself east of the Hyacunda by a wid.e channel, which bathes the island of
Marago, on the south. ·
The Areas, which runs into the Amazons, near th:e northern entrance of the
Tagypuvu Str"ait, is navigable for a considerable distance, traversing woods,
growing upon extensive plains, and abounding with a variety of game.
The Tacanhunas, so denómiRated from the tribe of Indians whose territory
it irrig·ates, enters·the Tncantins, near the Itaboca.
3o2
468 PROVINCE OF PARA.

Villa Vicoza, originally called Cameta, and one _of .the mos.t ancient towns
of the p1·ovince, is flourisbing, and well situated upon the left margin of tbe Tu-
cantins, ninety miles south-west of the capital, and is a port for the canoes
navig·ating towards Goyaz and the Higb Maranham, as well as a depository
for various productions cultivated within its fertile district. It bas a church
dedicated to St. Joam Baptista, and was for some time tbe capital of a small
capitania known by tbe same name. Tbe Tucantins is bere ten miles in
width, being an archipelago. Fifteen miles to the north-east, which is
the direction it takes from thistown to the ocean, is the island of Ararahy,
or Aragacy, ten miles in length, narrow and flat, dividing the river into t\vo
currents, the eastern one impropei'Jy ~alled the bay of Marapata, and the
western the bay of Limoeira.
A short distance from the southern point of the island of Ararahy, on the
eastern bank of tbe Tucantins, is the southern entrance of the before-mentioned
Igarape Mirim, (Narrow Strait,) and in front of it, on the opposite margin,
anotber, called the Furo do Japim, which is extensive, and flows into the
large channel that waters the southern coast of Marajo.
Eighty miles, by water, above Villavicoza, upon. the same margin of the
T ucantim;;, is the fort of Alcobaca, for the purpose of registering the canoes
froin Goyaz ; and three miles further there is another, denominated Arroyos,
for the same object: here the tide is occasionally perceptible.
Gurupu is a small town, with a cburch of St. Antonio upon the banks of the
A mazons, twenty-:five miles below the mouth of the Zingu. Some earthen ware
is here made, and tiles and bricks are exported to different parts, constituting
a branch of its commerce, besides cocoa and doves. · From hence is distin-
guished, far to the north, the serra-of Velha, almost al ways enveloped in mist,
ànd beyond it the serra of Parri, upon whose summits the electric fluid :finds a
vehicle in airy vapour, giving them additional grandeur by the vibrating thunder-
peels that strike upon tbe distant ear. They are botb of considerable altitude,
and the only mountains wbich the navigator sees from Para to the city of
Borja.
Melgaco, a town in a state of mediocrity, abounding with :fisb, is situated
upon the western side of lake Annapu, and watered by the river of that
name, fi.fteen miles above its embouchure. Its church is dedicated to St.
Micbael, and the inhahitants cultivate vegetables, grain, &c. peeuliai· to tb~
country, and extract many articles of commerce from the woods.
Portei, a small town, IS situated on the eastern side of the lake Annapu,
 PROVINCE OF PARA. 469

neár the embouchure of the cbannel that connects it with the rive1· Pacaya,
seven .miles soutn· of Melgaco. It has a church of St. Miguel, and tbe inba-
,bitants, almost ali Indians, are fisbermen, bunters, and agriculturists.
O eyras is a small town, in a sandy situation, upon tbe margin and five miles
abov e tbe mouth of the Araticu, forty miJes north east of Villavicoza and thirty-
fiV.e ~ast of Melgaco. lt has a church of Assumpçao, and its people are com-
posed of lndians of various nations, w~o cultivate the . most common neces-
sar~es, and indulge in-their favourite habits of hunting and fishing. ·
Between the last river and the Panauha originated the Aldeia dos Bocas, so
denominated Irom the Combocas, who were . its first inhabitants, and from
• whom also the Bahia dos Bocas derived its name, being a large bay, extending
westward to the bar of the Panauha, that disembogues near the southern
eDtrance of the Tagypuru Strait.
Porto de Moz is a middling and well supplied town, upon the eastern margin
of the Xingu,.(which is here very wide,) twelve miles from the Amazons and the
port of canoes that navigate these rivers. lt has a churcli dedicated to St.
Braz, and the ínhabitants are Indian fa1~mers, and collect some exports.
Veyros is a small town, well situated upon the Xingu., fifty miles from Porto
-de Moz, near the mouth of a small current, having a church of St. John
Baptista, a:nd lndian inhabitants of various nations, who produce a suflicieney
of common necessaries, and some articles of trade.
Pombal ~s ano~her lndian town, and of the same class as the preceding, but
-only requiring the addition ·of a certain number of whites and negroes to render
it considerable and flourishing, in consequence of the uncommon fertility of its
soil, and the va]uable pt·oductions with which nature has enriched it, having,
besides, great facility of exportation. It is eighteen miles above Veyros, up~n
the Xing.u, which supplies it abundantly with fish.
The island of Marajo, in consequence of its proximity, may be considered
as formiug a piut of this district. Its principal povoaçoes are the followin-g : -
Monforte, ci-devant Vi lia de J oannes, a middling to.wn, and well_ situated
upon the bay of Marajo, h as a church of Nossa Senhora do Rozario, and is
nearly fifty miles north of Para. A Juiz de Fora presides over the senate, and
it may be regarded as tbe capital of the island.
Moncaraz, orig.inally Cayha, is a small town, with a church of St. Francisco
d ' Assiz, and ten miles south of Nlonforte, at the embouchure of a small ri ver in
f ront of Collares.
S alvaterra is an insignificant place, but well situated ~1pon the southern angle
 470 PROVINCE OF PARA.

of the mouth of the Mondin, eight miles north of Monforte, and has a church
of the Lady of Conceiçao.
Soyre, a villota, or small village, is situated upon the northern bank of the
Mondin, a few miles above Salvaterra, with a church of Menino Deus.
Chaves is a small town upon the northern coást, fronting Rohordello, and
flourished whilst a fishery existed, which was there established by a company
fro·m Para.
To the west of Chaves is the parish of Condexa, also a maritime povoaçao,
refr.eshed with fine breezes, but possessing nothing remarkable.
In this island are also the parishes of Porto Sal vo, at the mouth of the riv.er
Marajo Assu, in ft:ont of the town of Conde, Ponte de Pedra, more to the
north, and Villar, a little furthet· in the. same direction. They are inhabited by
lndians, who cultivate the provisions of the climate, and practise hunting and
fishing.

District
I
l!f TAPAJON I A.
This district is confined on the north by the Amazons; o~ the south by the
district of Arinos; on the west by that of Mundrucania, from which it is sepa-
rated by the Tapajos, the ri ver that affords the district its name ; and o:n the
east by Xingutania. lt is tbree hundred and fifty miles in length from north to
south, and about two hundred of medium width.
The Xingu being the only one of the larger class of rivers in the BraziJ that
has not been navigated to its heads, no authentic account is fumished of the
.aspect of the eastern part of this district from a c~rtailil situation. upwards.
The navigators of the Tapagos have observed numerous smaJl hins and same
mountains at a considerable distance from tbe Amazons, in W'mose vicinity the
lands are flat, and no considerable ri ver flows from this distríet int0 the fivst,
which is itself wide, and full of islands ef various sizes, overspreadl with W@ods.
The river Zingu, forming the eastern Hmit of this district, is very wrde~ and
is only found, 31:6ter eight, clays'· voyage; to lilaV'e a:tJ1Y faHs, demonstrating the
gradual elevation of the C.0tlintry towards the interior.. The first considerable
confluel).t joining it.on the. western side is the Guiriri, which vis·es illll tlh~ centre
of -the district of Arinos : a good distance belrow this· conflaence ilt çlese.rirbes two
large and oppositre semicircular windings, flowing amongst smrun emmences.
No large ri ver ru:ns from this district to tbeAmazons, excepting the C.o:cua, ~hich
has an extensive course,. and passes the considerahle· lake of the same name,
where it is augrnented by the waters of several streams that are there dis0harg,e d.
 PROVINCE O•F PARA. 471

lts 'mouth is thirty miles below the Tapajos., a»d canoes adV;aince up as far as
the said lake, whose margins abound in different sorts of birds, that subsist on.
..
shell :fish. The Uruara, aftElr a short course, is disellarged by two II16Uths bel9w
the Curua.
The Guajara, also of short extent, traverses a very :flat territory, where it is
divided into various channels, emptying itself by six moutlas, generally small,
below the U ruara.
The Uraucu, otherwise Hyuraucu, having a communication witn the Guajara,
enters the Amazons above toe Zingu, with whicl1 it also ccrmmunicates in three
places.
lt is not ascertained yet whether there are mines of a:ny oreS' in the. southern
part of this district.
Various aborigina] nations, it · is much to be .regretted, hith..el'te. occupy th.is
fine district, even to the immediate vicinity of the Portugnese establishments,
which do not extend beyond the margins of thé rivers that l!mit it, ancil whes-e
adjacent territories are thickly covered wi.fh majestie woods of trees, whose
stems are of immense span and height, the soil being of admirable Sl!lJbstance
and fertility, and w~ll suited to every branch of agriculture. N ature here pro-
doces spontaneously the do ve, cupahyba, (o r capivi,) pechurim, and cocoa trees,
with sarsaparilla, ipecaeuanha, jalap, and other m~dicinal drugs. Amongst
o_th.eF n.ations who possessed the adjacent lands of the Tapajos, .an~ weJJe dis-
persed by the Mllndrucus, were the Hyauains, of whom nothing_ is· knowlíl at
the present day.
Souzel is a middliag to·wnl situated in the skit·ts of a mount, ben;dering the
Zing·u, which is the best supplier of water to its inhabitants., mostly lndians,
wh@ are occupied in htlnting, fishing, ancl. the cultivation of ditfevent articles.
It is one hundred .a.nd ten miles distant from the Amazons, has an earthellfWare·
mooufactorY', and may };)eeome mo»e ,consiclerable with the increase of whites, ·
and when the nàvigation @Í the rinr is extendetil! to the distriets· af SapE_)iraquia
and ArilJí.l:os.
Santarem,. a· larg~ andr flouríshing town, situated withi.n the embouchure_of
the 1üver Tapajos, is· the port Of calling-place of canoes that nav.igate towar.ds
M!atto-Grosso and the high Amazons, and also the depository of. a great qpan-
tity of cocoa, whose trees have been carefully cult~v.ated in the sur.rounding
€ountry, tbe soil. being well adapted far them.
Its· begi:nn.ing was .an aldeia with the name of the rive1', and founded by the
~f esuits for the habitation of an lndian herde. It h as a church. of Nossa Senhora
472 PROVINCE OF PARA.

da Conceiçao, and many houses of one story. The fort, which first defended .
it against the lndians, is now occupied · by a detachment for registering the
canoes that ascend and descend both rivers. The inbabitants, principally
whites, do not yet breed many cattle.
Alter do Cham, originally Hybirarybe, is yet a small town, but advantage-
ously situated upon a lake, near the Tapajos, (with which it communicates,)
almost in the skirts of a rock, rising pyramidically to a considerable height, and
ten miles south of Santaram. lts inha:bitants are principally Indians, and, be-
sides the usual necessaries; cultivate some excellent cocoa; but hunting and
fishing are their favourite pursuits.
A veyro, situated upon the margin o f the Tapajos, h as the title of a town, but
is only an inferior village, its houses being thatched with straw, and disposed
without regularity, in a beautiful situation. The inhabitants are Indians, and
incapable of improving it; consequently the ad vantages of being upon a naviga-
ble river, and in the rnidst of a rich and fertile soil, will not be available until
it obtains a supply of white people. It is about sixty miles distan~ from Alter-
do Cham.

Dist1·ict of MuNDRUCANIA.
· This district, limited on the south by tbat of Juruenna, has ori the north the
1·iver Amazons, on the west the river Madeira, and on the east the river Tapajos .
Its length from north to south, on the eastern side, is near three hundred miles,
and its medium width two hundred. A~ong the banks of the river~ which limit
it, the country is rnain1y swampy, with extensive morasses, inhabited by a pro-
fusion of birds, drawn thither by the shell fish. The intervals and the interior
are covered with widely-extending woods, possessing trees of every magnitude.
The banks of the rivers and lakes atford a species of cane, upon which the ox- •
fish and tortoise feed. In some parts the granite-stone is common ; but there
are no accounts of ore having been discovered any where in this district.
Amongst other small rivers which run into the Madeira, are the Anbangating,
the mouth of which is in Õ 30'; the Mataura, ~hich empties itself twenty miles
0

lower down, and communicates with the Canoma in the interior of the district ;
and the Marmellos, originally Araxia, whose mouth is seven miles above the
entrance to the lake Marucutuba.
The interior of the district is watered by the rivers Cano ma, Abacachy, Apiu-
quiribo, Mauhe-Guassu, Mauhe-Mirim, Massa:ry, Andira, Tuppynambarana, ali
of which run into a branch of the Madeira, which, under the name of Canoma,
 PROVINCE OF PARA. 473

fr~quently denomi~nat~d the Fnro, or fury of the TuppynamhaFanas, de~cribes

many windirtgs, tr~versin.g so.me lakes until "it _enters the Ama11pns · by· a
spacious e.1nbouchu,re, cal}ed-the· river Mauhes, whieh is one h.und.1:ed and fifty
miles below the principal mo1r1th, of the Madeira. ·
The Maahes, so· called from the Mauhe nation inhabiting its· banks, has ac- -
·quired also "the appellation of thé river of the N ambaranas, derived from a
village. or aldeia ofthe Tuppynambas, . which existed ne·a r the eas·t ern margins
<Of the lake Uay~tn:apw, and thirty miles abo·ve its rno:uth.
·lu the space of fórty m·iles ü·om the Furo dos Tuppynambaranas to the town
(;)f Borbai tla.ere are lhe following lakes : Annamaha, Guarybas, Cauhintu, _
Tabe>ca; Frechai, Macacos, ··and-Jatuaranna, ali in the proximity of the rivev, into
wni:ch their sup.e dluous watérs are dischai·ged. Fbrty miles · above the , saicl
town is the entran.ce . to the lake Mattary, anel beyond it tbat of the lake
]durucutuba. ,
. Beb-veen the Furo dos Tuppynambaranas .and tl1e mouth of the Mãdeira, is
the outlet @[ the ..lake Massui'any. The domestic animais of this district--are at
present very inconsiderable; but the wild ones peculiar to the other comarcas
are met with in much greater nurp.bers, in consequence of the gun not having
been yêt so mueh intrt>duced'. With fhe exception of some portions of territory
:ilpon the ba11ks e>f the rivers which encompass this district, tbe whole is in the
power of various savage tribes, of whom, we are best acquainted with the Jum-
mas, the Mauhes, the Pali1ma,s, tt1e Parintintins, the Muras, the Andiras; the
Arar!}s, _an.<!l the Mundruéus, frorn which latter the district borrows its nam_e.
Each h as its peculiar ~diom, aml the whole are divided into bordes; of which
som.e ~-:~~ander about the woods and forests without any fixed residence : others
are established in aldeias, where they intermix with the Christians,~ and ha:ve
Jearned to cultivate, vario.us n.ec<Çssaries o f life. So far at·e some of them influeneed
by the power óf example, thaHhey begin to cover, in part, their nakecl bodies ~
anel many demonsb·ate their kn.o·vdedge ·t>f the ad,vantage of friendship with -the
Christia!líl:s, .by subduing thei.r native fe-rocity into a tractable observance· of the
rules Df the white settlers.
The bow is _.tl1e weapo:n cotn'J,non JQ tlle màle sex, of whatever age they may
be : many · possess another _still 'more- fatal, · denominated esgaravatanÇt; it is a
reed of chosen WDbd_, '\>vith ~en to tw~lve -p alms. o(.Iength, formed. of two pieces ·
glned together with wax, aml :ti.rrply bound with thon.gs made of the bark of
pJant·s, whose P'erfeet and equally round orifiee bas ~ight lin~s of diameter, and
serve s .fol' the euveriomed arrows, wbich a.re discharged by a. puff of the breath,
3 p
 474 PROVINC.E OF PARÁ.

These arrows are not more than a span, and have at the posterior extremity
a ball of cotton, equal to the eighth part of the esga1·avatana. 'Vhen they wish
to discharge it, (which is said to be very certain, and as swift as the shot of a
carbin~,) the point is dipped in a thick fluid, composed of the juices of various
poisonous plants. Some say that sugar is the only antidote, otbers that salt will
destroy its fatal effects, and that tbe wound is not mortal if the poison was dry
on contaminating the blood ; and it is on this account that they carry the venom
in a cocoa-nut shell, or gourd 1 in order to introd uce the arrow into it at the
moment of ~ischarge. Condamine says, that on -wounding a fowl with an
arrow that had been· envenomed twel ve months previously with a composition
made by the Ticunas of Pera, it only lived about eight minutes; but tbere was
probably some ingr~dient in this poison that the lndians we ha·ve been speaking
of a.r e unacquainted with.
The Jummas also wield a club, barbed at the extremity.
The Araras, wbo are the most celebrated for making ornaments of feathers,
form a black circle round tbe mouth, and perforate the cartilage of tbe nose,
tbrough which they put a small piece of wood, trimmed with plumes of variGus
colours.
The Parintintins distend. tbe ears very much with round targets, and blacken
the upper lip into a half moon form, conceiving that their consequence is thus
augmented.
The Muras, perhaps tbe most numerous among those who . have bad inter-
course with tbe Portuguese, are the most backward in adopting any_species of
cavering for their bodies, the main portion ofboth sexes yet appearing in a state
of absolute nudity. 'the men not only ornament their arms and legs, but like-
wise perfOl'ate the nose, ears, and Jips, and attach to them pendants of shells,
the teeth of the boar, and of other wild quadrupeds. Many of them design
various figures upon the skin, not without cbnsiderable suffering and much
time; others disguise the body with dies, and even with clay and Ioam, adopt-
ing tbis mode of defmming themselves not so much pérhaps with an idea of
giving beauty to their persons as tbat they may thus assume an imposing· air·, in
order to detel' their enemies by their uncouth appearance . . The women are much
attached to theit· offspl'ing whilst little, and row in the canoes equally witb the
men, of whom a ~;reat many have beards. The supeTiors have many wives;
otbers but one: tbf'y separate from them, however, at their caprice or di~>cretion,
and take others. Tuxauka is the títle given to the chiefs of the Mura tribe.
The Mundrucus, whose custom is to paint the bady black wíth the die ·of
 I PROVIN€E OF PARA. 4.7 5

Jenipapo, are numerous and powerful warriors, and the dread of .all the other
nations; who g·ive thein the appellation of Payquice; which signifies cut off the
head, in consequence of their savage custom of cutting off the heads of all their
enemies who fali into their power; and they know bow to embalm them in such
a. . maimer thàt they retain for many years the same aspect they had when
severed from the body. They ornam~nt their rude and misetable cabanas with
these horrible trophies : he that can exhibit ten is eligible to the rank··of chief
of tbe borde. They are well acquainted with the virtues of various vegetables,
with which they cure some dang·erous diseases.
. Almost all the Mundrucana tribes are at the pres~nt time allies of the .Portu-
guese, .and some. are Christianized. The brutal inhl.'lmanity at pTesent of those
who rove in the woods, not giving quarter either to age or sex, has. compelled
the ·principal part of the -other nations tó seek for ref~1ge near the povoaçoes of
the Portuguese, under wllose protection the;y live secure· from the attacks of
their .ferocious enemy .
. Villa FTanca, originaHy Camaru, ͧ .a rriiddling town, with s0tne reg·nlarity,
upon a 1ake, which communicates with the Amazons alíld with the Tapàjos, fron1
whose margin·it ·is n(j'it .far distànt.! :lt' Jis fifteeR mi.les south-west .of SanÜirem.
Tl_;te ch:Nfrch is dedicated to the Assumpçao of Nossa SeRhora; and_the inhabit-
ants are m~st1y .JE.dians, cRl.ti vij;tÍJi.l,g oo'Co;:t besides the ·necessal'ies of life.
·vmanova da Ray,:oha ís a .tG.w n of :a sirpj.Jar kind, :neFtr thl:l-mouth of ~e·
.
Mauhes, · iu. an ad;:val;(tag,eous situ,atjon for inGreasing. Almost all'its inha):>ita:nts
. .
are · Maub~ I~diàns, who , pr0duçe ;the ·best. guarana, which is a comp~sition
made from the frnit of a shrub so called, and common ín their territory, .A;fter
bei:ng poundecl, it is madl=l into Fol1s 1ike chocolate, an.d becomes ·q uite har~ : -
they a1tribut.e variOl!lS benefiéial e.tfeçts to. the use of it ~ ·th~ most certain, however,
is driving away ;sleep!
Borba is · a smaH·,town, with wretched hÇIUSes, well situated upon elevated
ground ~n the ~:ig~t m~rgin of the Madeira, eighty miles from the Amazons and
forty abovse th.e ·Fm;o d~<;>s Tuppynambaranas, and js a calling-place· for those
who navigate towa~·ds Ma.tto-Grosso. T-'íte ch.urch is of St. Antop~io, and its '
populatioE. is ·dsescended from the ~boi"igines o( various nations, witl~ a few
Europeans and Mesticos, also some 'negroes. Besides the CO.!Jlm0n produc-
tions they cultivate some tobacco and cocoa ; and, with the fishing for the
tortoise, they supply the deficiency of cattle, which are at prese.r:tt very few.
This town had its commencement upon the river Jamary, from whence it was
removed to the mouth of the Giparanna, afterwards to the site of Pancau, Ol'
3P2
476 PROVINCE OF PARA.

Paraxiau, and ultimately to its present situation, where it was in the year 1756,
when King Joseph .gave it the title of town. It always took the name of th.e
situation where it stood, its various removais being caused by the persecutions.
which the inhabitants experienced from the Mura tribe.
Contiguous to this town there is. a p.op.ulous aldeia of unchristianized Muras,
thé uescendants of those who formerly annoyed the first inhabitants: they have
taken refuge here from the attacks of the Mtmdrucus.
ViUab.oim, yet very small, upon the left ·bank o f the· Tapajos, and eighteen
miles from the Am_azons, is a town well sit.uate~ :. i<ts soil being susceptible of
various lucrative branches of ·agricu]ture, aff01:ds a probability of its future
augmentation.. The inhabitants are Indians,. and the church is dedicated to
St. Ignacio.
Pinhel, a small towu, and well sítuated upon the margín of the Tapajos,
fifteen miles ahove Villaboün, has a church dedicated to St. Joze. Its dwellers,.
almost all Indians, cultivate what they deem necessary,. and p11rsue bunting
and shooting, and collect some of the objects of trade, which nature has pro-
duced in its fertile vicinity.
Villanova de Sa:o.ta Cruz, ten miles above. Pinhel and almost in front of
Avey1·o, is yet insignificant. The houses which form it are generally very
miserable, aJad its Mundrucanan inhabitants: are hunters, fishermen, and cul-
tivators only-of some necessaries, as -is the case· with all the places. af this.
district. The inerease of Eurepeans, however, woutd, with adequate industry,.
render its environs abundantly p~oductive in every art.ide of agriculture, the·
richness of the soil promising the utmost suecess.
Ata eonsiderable distance above Villa Nova de St. Cruz, upon the western.
margin of the Tapajos, there is an aldeia inhabited by another horde of Mun-
drucus, yei uncbristianiz.e d, but having tbeir plantations of lndian corn; while·
s?me are al'Peady partially dotbed, and the· women. wear a species of dress
also of cotton, caUed a sayote.
A catechist, a b}acksmõitb, a carpenter, acquainted with· agricultuFe, and a
woman-w.eaver are deemed sufficient to commence a povoaçao in this fertile·
country, ·which, with industry,. will cloubtless soan bec.o me flourishing anel use-
fui to the state ..
 PROVINCE OF SOLIMOES. 477 -

CHAP. XXIV.

PROVINCE OF SOLIMOES.

J~u·isdiction-
. Origin ofits Name- Bounda1·ies and Extent-Pm·tíally knmr.:n-:
Division into Six Districts- Rivers·- Vm·ious Indians- Customs- Povoa- ·
çoes.

THE province of Solimoes, and· the western part of Guianna, with the
western portion of Mundrucania, form a g·overnment, subordinate to Grand
Para. The ~astern part of Guianna is immediately under the jurisdiction of
Para. The first Portug.uese who proceeded tlp the Amazons, from . the mouth
of Rio Negro, gave it the name of So-Iimoes, by which it is yet designated·;·
not 'in aUusion to the veno-ms with which the lndians of these }·atitudes;
as well as those of the low Amazons·, infected' their.arrows, nor to the ti·ibes'
inhabiting the· banks of Rio Negro, who· used the· same weapón; but to the·
nation de11omitiated Soriman, and, by corruption,.Solimao and Solimoes;. -
The pl"ovince o f Solimoes is-bounded on the north by the ri ver o f tlle· same·
name, or rather the Amazons ; on the west by the· Hyabary,. wbich separates it
fi·om the Spanish dominiC>llS' ; on the· so'titti by the· same· áominions, the divi-
sionary line between the- two territories having been adjusted by the Poi'tuguese
and · Spanish commissicmers in the year 17.51, and ratified in 1757; and on
the east by the Madeira.
It is two· hundred and fifty miles on the eastern side, from north to ·soutÍi,
nearly six hundred nÍiles from east tC> west, and lies between .3° 23' and 7° 30' .
south latitude. It is a country but little known excepting along the Madeira,
and·iil the vicinity of the Amazons :· it is occupied by numerous Indian nations,
speaking divers idioms, and wat-ered by many· large and navigable i·ivers. It
produces all the quadrupeds, reptü.es, anel birds of the provinces, eastward of
the river Madeira; a vast· va:riety C>f plants anel trees known to be of great
utility, amongst which a1·e the clove, cupahyha, or capivi, cocoa, elastic gnm,
puchery; and cotton. It is well known also that the soil is highly adapted to'
the culture . of Indian coPn, rice;. legumes,_, the cane,. tobacco, mand1oco, coffee,

•
478 PROVINCE O.F SOLIMOES.

bahunilha, or vanilla, inhumes, (growing like potatoes,) potatoes, anda variety

of fi·uits: how~ver, these articles will not prosper equally in ali parts. Dom estie
cattle are universally in small numbers, and tbeir augmentation depends upon
the Christian portion of populatio:r;t, which, at present, is very inconsiderable.
N othing satisfactory is known of the mineralogy of the province; but it appears
natural that the minerais peculiar to the adjoining provinces sbould also be
found here.
The five following large rivers, Hyutahy, Hyurba, Teffe, Coary, and Puru,
which traverse the province · froni soutb to north, with the 'Madeira and Hya-
bary, divide it into six districts of nnequal size, and almost of the same length
from north to south: each one takes the name of the river that serves for its
western limit. W e will describe the above districts according to the following
order:-
Puru Teffe Hyutahy
Coary Hyurba Hyabary.
The principal povoaçoes, or towns, of these districts, four having only one
each, anotber two, and the last three, were founded by the Slippered Carma-
l~tes. Condamine, ,the French writer, says, " Toute la par#e découverte des
bords de Rio Negro est peuple de missions· Portugaises, des mémes religieux du
Mont Carmel que nous avions 'rencontres en descendant l'Amazone, depuis que nous
avions laisse les missions Espagnoles."

District of Pu R u.
Puru, which lies between the Madeira, and the river from which it derives
its name, has been more explored than any of the contiguous districts, and
enjoys the best situation for commerce. From its centre various other con-
siderable rivers flow into the three which form its confines. Tbe Capanna and
the Uhautas are the largest amongst those which run to tbe Madeira.
The Capanna empties itself one hundred and forty miJes above the town of
Borba, after having traversed a considerable lake, which receives divers stnall
streams, and fi·om whence there is also an outlet to the ri ver Puru. Jts en-
virons are inhabited by the Catauixi and Itatapriya lndians, who are great
hunters and fisbers.
The Uhautas, which has a. course of :fifty miles, di.scharges itself fifteen
miJes from Borba, and originates in a lake of the same name; which is vast
and studded with islands that are-overspread with tbe clove-tree.
F rom this lake, which is the receptacle of various small streams, two other

•
 PROVINCE OF SOLIMOES. 479

t·ivers issue and :flow to tbe Amazons; one of them enters it eigbt miles above
the mouth of the Madeira, and tbe other, called Paratary, one bundred miles
further to tbe west. Eigbteen miles below the principal mouth of the Rio
Negro is the lake d'El Rey, near the southern margin of the Amazons. The .
Purupuru Indians, who inhabit the central part of the country, give their chief
th_e name of Maranuxauba.
Tbe margins of tbe Amazons and tbe Río N egTo, upwards, are infested with
a small musquito, called pium, whose painful sting leaves a red mark, accom-
panied with insuffera.Me itching· and a disposition to ulcerate. One hundred
and sixty miJes is about the width of this district on the northem side.
Cratto, yet a small town, b:ut well situated upon the margin of the Madeira,
a considerable distance ~bove Borba, has a church dedica.ted to.St. Joam Bap-
tista, and its inb.abitants are ge11erally lndians and Mesticoes, who collect some
cocoa, cloves, and sarsaparilla, witb provisions ofthe first necessity. They catch
great n11mbers of the tortoise at tl'Ie beach of Tam~ndoà, which they keep in
an enclosure in the water. It is one of the ports for éanoes coming· from Matto-
Grosso, and many circumstances cohcur in warranting the prediction tbat it
will become tme of the principal towns of Solimo~s.

District of CoARY.

This district extends between the river from which it takes its name and
the principal arm of the Puru, with one hundred aüd twenty miles of width on
the northern part. The Muras possess the environs of the Amazons·; , the
Purupurus, and the 'Catauixis, the centre of the country, with other uncivilized
nations. Three channels from the Puru irrigate a portion of the eastern part
of. tbis coma.rca in the proximity of the Amazons ;-the Cochiuara which dis-
charges itself twenty-five miles from the mouth of its superior; the Coyuanna,
twenty miles above the preceding ~ and the Arupanna, more to the westward.
The first gives also its name to this portion of the district; the margins of the
whole afford cocea, sarsaparilla, and the oil of capivi~
Alvellos, a small town, is situated upon a large bay, fifteen miles above the
mouth of the Coary, of wbich it formerly had the name. Its inhabitants, for
tbe main pat:t descenclants of the' Uamanys, Sorimoes, Catauyseys, J umas,
Irijus, Cuchiuaras, and Uayupes, collect claves, cocoa, capivi, and sarsapa-
rilla, and make butter from the eggs of the Tortoise, which are very numerous;
and they are also employed in making·, earthen-ware, mats, and in weaving
cotton c]oth. The ants a1:e here particularly destructive.
480 PROVINCE OF SOLIMOES.

This town' was commenced upon the eastem margin .and twenty-five miles
above the mouth of the river Paratary, from whence tbe Padre, Frey Joze da
Magdalena, removed it to the same side of the Guanama, which ehters the
north_ern side of the Amazons, below the eastern arm of the Hyapm~a: fron1
henee the Padre, Frey Ant~nio de Miranda, removed it to the síte of .G.uaraya-
tyba, mo1~e io the eastward upon the margin of the Amazons, eight miles below
tbe Puru, from whence it was finally removed by Frey Mauricio Moreyra to
its pres ent situation.
The islands with which the Ama:zoFJ.s in this part is studded, wére for some .
time inhabited by Cambeva, otherwise ·omagoa Indians--names which signify
ftat heads, from the custom which the mothers had of compressing their ehild-
ren's heads between t.wo boards, thus distinguishing them frorn otb(rr nations.
This custom ceasing, their descendants are at the present day unknoM'n.

DistTict of TEFFE.
- This comarca, situated between the river from which it is named, and the
Coary, that sep.arates it from the preceding on~, is nearly ninety rniies in width
along the Amazons. The two first rivers are very considerable ; but their
origins are not yetascertained, nor the number anel narnes of their principal con-
fluents, which issue from the centre of the district. All accounts are equally
silent as to any mountains ex.isting in the interior, while the lands in the vi"cinity
of the Arnazons, although flat, are never inundated by the floods, which over-
flow a considerable· portion of its northern margin, i~ consequence of being
lower.
The Coary discharges· itself into a bay of the Amazons, almost seven rniles
in width, and near it the Urucuparana, anel the Urauha, or Cuanu, both of short
na vig·ation.
Eorty miles above, the river Catua enters the Arnazons, an.d twenty more,
westward, the Cayama, its margins abou:nding with sarsaparilla; and, further
-on, the smallriver Giticaparana, aname implying the river of potatoe.s. lts
mouth is fifteen miles below the Teffe. From the nurnber of Christians being
so small, and the only persons who clear away any of the woods for the pnr-
poses of agriculture, the country exhibits the saHw aspect to the navigators of
the Amazons at this day that was presented to its first discoverers. The
majestic size of various kinds of trees demonstrates the fecundity and substan-
tial nature of th e soil.
Ega, a rniddling town, weH situated upon the right bank of the Tetfe, is
 PROVINCE OF SOLIMOES. 481

eight miles .from the At:nazons, with a church dedicated to St. Thereza de Jezus.
Almost ali íts inhabitallÍS are pure Indians, descende~ frmn the U ayupys,
Sorimoes, Coretus, Cpcurunas, Jumas, Hyupiuhas, Tamuanas, and Achou-
.aris, and cul.tivate mandioca; feijao, rice, lndian corn, ho.rtulans, and fruits,
i:n sufficie11t quantities for their sul)sistenc.e ; they gather hon~y, and collect
some cocoa, doves, and pechurim,_Jrorn the proceeds of which they supply
the~selves with iron toqls,_baize, and Qther manufactures for dresses. They
aJI pursue·hunting and fishing. The women spin cotton, of which they manu-
facture nets and coarse cloths. This,_town was begun in, the island of Veados.
which is helow the mouth of the river Hyurba, frem whence Frev Andre da.
Costa removed it to the situadon where it-now exist~. •

Dist1·ict of HYURBA.

This district is confined Qn the nm-th by the Amazons ; ou the west by the
river from which it derives its n~me; ou the south by the Spanish dominions ;
and on the east -by the river Te.ffe, which separates it from the comarca of that
name. It h as eighty mil~s, of.-width on the .northern part, and ab.ounds in tim-
ber. The rivers a~·e stOI1ed with tb.e satne fish as the Amaz_ons, -~p.d the ~.o-ods
with .a great va:riety of b.irÇl~ and game, as }Vell as.formidable wild beasts, th,at
wag·e war with the central lndians, .of whom little more is known than the
names. , <

Nogueyra, a middling. town; pleasant~y situated upon the left of the river
Teffe, ahnost jn ftont of Ega, is .ten miles from the Amazons and ornamented
with ;:t.,cl:mrch of Nossa Senhora do Itozario. The he uses are intermixed with
orang.e trees, and the streets, being full of them, have the appearance of groves.
Its inhabjtatits· ~we .prinçipally Indians of divers nations, and Mesticos, respiring
a fresh ánd salubvio~s ;:tbnosphere. They are fond of fishing, collect abundance
of the neces.saries of life peculiar to the ceuntry, some articl:es of exportation,
and poss.ess. cattle.. The first site of ·this town was more to the west, on the
sot~t11ern bauk of the Amazons, for the habitation of a numerous assemblage of
Indians, namely; Jumas, Ambuas, Cirus, Catauixis, Uayupes, Hyauhauhays,
and .M ariaranas, br0ught together by.the Carmàlite priests. Froiu that situation ·
it was removed to Point Parauary, five miles higl).er upon the same síde ofthe
river, where Condamine found it with the name ofthat point in 1743, and from
whence the ptiest, Frey Joze de Santa Thereza Ribeyro removed it, in the
y,ear 1-7·53, to the place where we have stated it to be sitHated.
Alvarens, originally anel at times yet called Cahissara, is a small town,
3Q
 482 PROVINCE OF SOLIMOES.

situated upon a lake, near the margin of the Amazons, eighteen miles above the
river Te~e. Its church is dedicated to St. Joaquim. The population is an
accumulation of var'ioi1s tribes of Indians, with many Mesticos, who, besides
absolute necessaries, . cuJtivate some cocoa and sarsaparilla, but are ~uch
incommoded by the ,rium musquito, and alike annoyed by the voracity of
the ants. Its first situation was upon the channel connecting tbe Hyapura with
the lake Amana, two days' voyage from the Amazons. The Ambuas and
Uaruecocas were tlien its inhabitants ; it was removed from thence to its present
site, by one Giraldo Gonsalves, in 1758. ·In Nogueyra there is a creek or
outlet, opened by nature, by which canoes, &c. proceed to Alvarens when the
rivers are overflowed.

Dist1·ict of IIYUTAHY.

This district is confined by the A mazons on the north ; by the river of its
name on the west; by the Spanish possessions on the south; ancl by the distriét
of Hyurba on the east: its wiclth along the Amázons is about sixty miles.
The middle and southern parts are not better known than the same portions
of the surrounding districts, in consequence of being in the pow,er of various
untamed lndian tribes, Stlch as the Marauhas, Catuquinas, Urubus, Cauaxis,
Uacarauhas, Gemias, Toquedas, Maturuas, Chibaras, Buges, a1id Apena.ris,
with some others, who pass the ri vers into the adjoining districts, and use the
esgaravatana, bow and arrow, and envenomed lance, wh(m they go to war.
It remains in a state of uncertairi_ty whether the rivers Hyurba, upwards of
six hundred yards in width at its mouth, tfu:i Hyutahy~ still more spacious, and
the before-mentioned Teffe and Puru, .the largest of ali, have their orig·ins in the
serras of Peru _or issue from the lake of Rogagualo; their sources have peeri
attributed to botb, without any exploration of their courses or any satisfactory
evidence being adduced in support of those statements. The extensive volume
of water which each brings to the Amazons indica:tes a ve1:y considerable course
from remote origins. It will be interesting to the future traveller to explore
their unknown sources and extending margins. The Portuguese do not carry
their researches amongst the central Indians ; and, when they ad vance up the
rivers any distance, they nêver proceed beyond the limits ofthe' pacific lndians,
with wbom they have some commerce.
Fonteboa, a middling povoaçao, is situated on the eastern margin of the small
river Cayarahy, two miles abo~e its mouth, twenty miles from the embouchure
of the Hyurba, and thirty-five below that of the Hyutahy. It has a church
 PROVINCE OF SOLIMOES. 483

dedicated to Nossa Senhora ·de Guadalupe. The fi1:st si te o f this town was
upon tl1e small river Capury, which empties itself into another called Moroen-
. tyba, anel which latter discharges itselL below the Manhana, the third brancl1
of the Hyapura. From the Capury it was removed to the :mouth of the
Moroentyba, and from thence to the situation of Taracoatyba, a short distance _
fl'Om the Mimhana, from whence it was removed seven· miles below· the "mouth
of the Hyutaby, where Condamine says he saw it, and wbich situation · was
changed for its present orle. It is not known what nation were . its first inha-
bitants. When it was in the fourth stat.i on:_the Padre, Frey Joam St. Je1;on.ymo;
collected . in 'it many Pacuna lndians, who were previously living in 'aldeias
upon the eastern margin of the ri ver Icapo: these . were afterwards joined by
the Arayc~s, M.ara.uhas, and Momanas, and, ~ltimately, by the Tacunas, Tum·
biras, anel Passes. Tbe whole are no\~ agriculturists, fishermen, ·and hunters.
Between Fonteboa and the Hyurba the Annamapiu is discharged ; and, in
the interval, between that town and tbe Hyutaby, five rivers more-.the Campina,
Gurumaty, Puruini, Mannarua, ·and lcapo, which atford so many shel.tering·
places for the canoes at the pe~·i.óds of tempests in tlH; Amazons.

District of HYABARY.
This district, w.hich is the most westerly, is confined on the . north by the
A mà.zons, as the qthers are on the west by the ri ver from which if takes its name,
séparaiing it from the Spanish dominions; on the south by the line of demarca-
tion between· the two countries, common to the other distrids ; and on th.e east
by the~ Hyutahy, from whose mouth to _that of .the Hyabary !Day be computed
one hundred and· seventy miles. Both these boundary rivers produce the same
fi.sh as the Amazons, and both afford e.x::ten.sive navigation for the .e xportation of
such productions as may be ·coJl~cted upon · their respedive .margins . . In the
vicinity of both there is sársaparilla, and also cocoa. -Their corifluents are ,
totally unknown.
Their extensive woods, which produce in vain, for the benefi.t of man, .the
most precious timber, are occupied by the wild boar, anta, deer, and other quad-
rupeds and bipeds, which are púrsued as game by the hitherto savage naÚons.
of Marauhas, Uaraycus, and the Tapaxanas, who inhabit the lower part of the
country in the vicinity of the Amazons. At a greater distance are the Panos and
the Mayurunas, who make a crown npon the top of the head, and allow the
'h air to grow to the utmost length. They have perforations in the nose anel lips,
into which they introduce loiig thorns; in the corners of the mouth tl1ey carry
3 Q~
 484 PRC>VINCE OF SOUMOES.

feathers o f. the macaiw; · from the Iowet .Bp -and Jhe ettremity of the nose anel
ears strings of shells a;re pendant. · They àre cann,~baJs, and, wben any are
seriously ill,. their relatioas kill ' and eat thetn, ' ~e:fot·e th~ disease can cut tbe
thread of life. The :Chimanos and the Gulinos a·r e well ·knownj amongst other
trãbes_, from having. the face. very round and the eyes-extremely large.'
f: -eastro d' A velaens 'i s:inbabit:ed--by IndialilS· of dÍffereJilt nations, with a c-hurch
dedicated. to ,St. ·Christovam, on the marg-in of. the Amazons-, twenty •1niles above
the. m0ttth of the Ica. , It was fh;st·esta!blishecl loweF down, between the small
:rivers Aruty.and Matura,, in the territo1;y o.f fhe Cambevas, and experienced
foút. G>ther chànges, sim-ilar_to the preceding p.ovoaçoes, before it was nnally
f!xed in ·its -pres-ent situation. In •tbe interval. Jroni this tpwn to 't he ri ver Hyu-
tahy~ the .small rivers t)apatana, Aruty, Matura, Matlitracupa, and .the Patia
enter .t he 'Ama:4(Jms; ··--····· ~'-·--
01livenca, ci-devant St. Paulo, by which •i1ame,it is yet oceasionally called, is
a .snfaH pl~ce, well situated upon the .margin of. the Ama:zons, forty miles abov'e
(;astro d' Avaleans. Lt bas 'bà.d several removais·; and was incorporated with
the aldeia of St~~Pedro, .about one m~le above the place where it nli>w stands.
Its first inhabitauts were Cambeva, Tecuna, J uri, and Passe lndians. In :t he
interval between Castro d' Avaleáns and Ollivença the small rivers Acuruhy
and ~andiatiba dischm•ge themselves: -_
The town· -of St-Jbze, si'tuate'd upon: tbe.. Amazo111s, thirty-.fi.ve miles from
Ollivença and ten below the Hyabary, is occu~piéd by Tacuna Indians, who .c ul-
tivate the necessaries of life·· and pursue hunting arid nshing. Between this
town and Ollivença are the rivers Acnty, Cama;tia, Pacuty, Macapuã:na, al'ld
Hyuruparitapera, and 'between the sáme town anu the Hyabary 'is the lake
Maracanatyba. · , / .
N ear the embouchure o f. the Hyabary is the prezidio of Tabatinga, dedicated
to St. Francisco Xavier. ·Upwards of sixteen hWldred miles are co111puted by
the canoe-men from Para to this place) and they consume eighty-seve:a days m
the voyage. .
 PROVJNCE ÕF GUIANNA. 485

' ' .._. ,j-

(.
CHAP~.- XXV.

PROV,~NCE bF " GUIANNA.

. ~.r ~ ... 1 ' ( ... ; ') /"' 1~ ,f ....
_,
..
~-- ~-;)
..
~
~! u
'
~ ~~-...., ... ~·t -.. -

Gu·IAN~NtA forms the } éâ~fet:n' and ·soutbern·' porÚon: of -the "region . denominat~d
~erra ·Firma; confined 'on 'the north IJy the ocean"ând· théiJ'iver·Oionoco; ·rnHhe
south by the Amazons; on the east by the oceal'l-; 2and- end he"' west by the
rivers LHyapura and Oronoco. í · : ..;_ >-. ;,. . .-
The Po'l'tnguese Guianna; 'wliicli ineludes that--belobging to -the ,French si~ce
1809, comprises the southern part of that vast provihee -an~:Pceleb'ráte4 islahd,
and is botmded on the rlôrth;by the Spanish possessioris'and:'S urinám: 'the other
• ,...-::; •r ~ ...
lidúndáries are'those already 'mentióri.éd: It is nirié 'líundred~ fiÜlês , in length
from east to west, atid Hií·ee hundred' at' i,ts· gre~tesfiwictth, --'aiid 'êxt~nds from
6° :riorth to 4o south iatitítde. ·, Tne· days · and .nigfits,\ 'vith.--ve'i·y ~Iittle variati~n.,
~te equal' all'· the- ~ea1·; and~tih~élirnate ís exceeding1y- 'warrlí.- 9 .rPh'e .- ietritoi·y {s
not generally fertile, and has more of a flat thá:~ ·mo~hiainous aspect. · Iú maiíy
parts of the int~érior it is'veri:'stõ'lly,·\Ví't'h i'iidicaltions óf anCierit vo1cánÓs. It is
ir~igat~d by'many n"a~igàllte· Fivérs,: sofu.e· of-w'h<Íeh o.rigi:nálte in an extensive raúge
ef monntaiüs, oCno · gi·eat altitude, prolonged with ~he Amazons from ·east to
west, but at a considerable distance from it.-· · ·
Tree~ -are only of~agnitude- in the viehíity of the rive1·s ·and in the substantial
and humid s~ils. 'I'he most .usefu:l. al;e tlios-e •o !- the clove, pechurini, . capivi,
Indian rttbbet;, and c·ÓcGã.-\. . · ""
Minerais of iron have been found; there are symptoms of silver; and son1e
stones of esfimation.
North Cape (Cabo do ~orte) is the principal eape, situated in-2° north.
JsLA~Ds.-Terra dos Coelhos is eetweêil the mouths 'ó f the Aruary' and the .
Ca:rapa:pury, with a channel on the· west ~nd th-e ·ocean on the east, on wbich
side is t~e point called N orth Cape above menticmecl.
Mar~ca Ís an island eighteen miles in tength, with · proportionable width, a
little to thé north-west of the Coelhos. It has in the centre a large lake, stored
with fish, and its ea.stern coast is assailed by the Pororoca. ·
•

, 486 PROVINCE OF GUIANNA.

Between Macappa and N orth Cape a narr.ow channel is formed by the islands
which range along the coast; and bere is remarked a singular phenomenon, de-
nominated pororoca, (tbe same term we bave already described as given to the
contention of the waters at the mouth of the Mearim, in the province of Maran-
ham,) which continues three days, at the periods of the change and ful1 moon,
when the tides are at the highest. An immense volume of water, twelve to
fifteen feet in height, rolls from one beach to tbe other, followed by a second,
and third, and sometimes a fourth, of ·equal mag~~tude, with ljttle interval, and
with such prodigious rapidity t~at it destroys every thing opposed to its over-
whelming course. Tbe ti de, in place of gradually rising i111 six. hours, reaches
its greatest height in one .or two minutes, vyith such a ter.cific , noise tbat it is
heard seven or eight miles ,.off. . .
The island of Penitencia, called Baylique by tlí~ Portugues_!3, in consequence
of the tossing which the canoes here ~ustain from .the; sea:, is six miJes Iong, and
sixty south of N orth Cape. ~
The isl~nds e> f Croa arY,,five· in, ,a file, sepuate~ •b;y nar~~ow cbannels, and lie
to the south-west of B~ylique~ ;The vyhole ·are , flat, an~ covered with· man-
gi'oves,- where the~e_is an infinity .of musquito~ and insects. ·
Tbe :river Nhamunda; by corru.ption J amu.nda, •diyides this va~t pt:o"'ince in to
eastern and weste1:n, serving also for a limit betvwe~n t~~ juri~(Jictions of the
ouvidores of Para an4 of Ri~ Negro. . :;. . .. , : , .
RIVERs.-ln the western ,paJrt :a;t.;e~ fir~t, the Hyapum·and ,the: Ri(!) ·Negro;
afterwards the Rio Bra:nco (White River); tbe M~tary, with two . mouths ;. the
Urubu, com.mun~cating with phe river Aniba by the ,great lake Sa1;aca, which is
near the Amazons, and is there disc~::j.rged by six mouths.
In the eas~ern part .are th~ T.ro!JlbE:~tÇts, ·oviginaUy Oriximi:p.a, large, . and et~ter­
ing· the Amazons ,belo~ ij.jo Negro.; , fh,e : Gurup~tuqa; the ~nauirapu_cu, b;y
corruption Ara-p.~apucu, the Vaccarapy, and the A.t}Ulry., -'_Vhich ,en,tei;s · the
ocean. .
The ri ver Hyapura originates in the province of Popaya~, ;an.d, . after having
watered eleven hundred miles of ~otmtt•y, r.unning towards the south-east, form-
ing nu~erous islands. of a1J dimensi~ns, incor.porates itself with the ~m~zons by
its several moutbs. lts adjacent lands"are flat, in.undated, and · bad: Caqueta
is its first name in the coun.t ry where it rises.
The Rio Negro .rises a~so in the province of Popayan, to the north-east of
the Hyapura, with which it:runs par<).llel ~Q. equal distance. Fo·r ty miles bef0re
it enters the Amazons it is divided . int9 two unequal ,brancbes. · Condamine
 PROVINCE OF GUIANNA~ 487

-says fha_t he méasunid.the eastern branch, ten miles from _the Amazons, and
that he found it in the narrowest part seven thousand two hundred and eighteen
feet in width: This river augments co~siderably as it 'approaches the Amazons,
is in pa1·ts from.1iwel ve to eighteen miles in width, and is divided into various
branches by nut;nerous islands, wbich render the navigation not unfavourable.
Its water .e;xhibits sÚch ·a dark aspect that it h as been said to appeár like black
ink ; it is, notwithstanding, transparent, diuretic, and ·salubriou.s, ~etaining its
clearness-for many leagues after it enters the bed of the Amazons. It has the
same 'fish. as the la.tter, ànd affords navigation to 't he centre of 'various districts.
. The greatest floods are in August. We will describe its numerous confluents,
together with ·the povoaçoes upon its múgins.
The towns of the eastern pot;tion of the province are
M àcappa Almeyrim Obydos
Mazagao Outeyro Faro
Villanova Montalegre Cayenna. ,
Arrayollos Prado
Espozende · Aleri1quer
The towns of the western portion are
Sylves Rio Negro Moura
.. Serpa B.arc€llos c Thomar.
Mari_p~py

Macapjm is the most eonsiderable. town of the· pro vince; situated upon the
margin ofthe Amazons, four miles north of the eqúator, on elevated land, with a
very good fort, a church dedicated to St. Joze, an hospital, tolerable streets, and
houses €overed with tiles. It bad its commencement twelve miles furtber to the
"'Yest, at the emhou.chure of the Matapy. Its inhabitants cultivate lndian corn,
mandioca, rice, some cocoa, cotton, and various fruits. Amongst other trees of
estimation in its environs there is one called quatiara, tbe wood of which is
yellow, having blaék stripes; also the macaco wood. ·
Sixty-five miles east of Macappa is 'Robor-dello, reduced to little note by the
desertion of the lndianSJ who inhabited it. It is situated upon the southern
margin of the island of Cavianna, which is thirty-five miles in length and twenty
in widt"h; t"he Iand is ílat and fertile, with a fine farm or fazenda of cattle, be-
long·ing to the Hospital da Santa Caza, (Holy House,) of Mizericordia,, at Para.
It produces the macaco wood, and the whole of its circu'it abounds with fish.
Villanova is sitQated on the eastern bank, and twenty-five miles above the
4B8 J?ROVINCE Q;F G'UIANNA..

embouchure of t4e copsiderable ri;v~1· .A,:p.apir~pu.ou, which o~iginates in th€ ter-

rit~ry of the Armabutosç !It was foundeà íar th~ estllihlish·me:nt ófl;white p.enplé,
but is going into .- a state 'ot'-;de'Ga:f · l~ (}onsequence . o.f .its .,(}ésertidn by theuí;
those who rem,ain ar.e :cultiv!lt~rs .of mandioca, lq.dian corn, .a nd 1ri'ce; and- ·fi&h
ir;t the. ch_annels of -th~:isla·nd-of C roa. " lt possessês.fine ·campinlt~ ·for,bre.eding·
cattle; and in jts . envir~ns .the-.on.«cacq woad gt;ows, •·W1hiclh is %eav·y,-those
gl'owing in çlry Jands :are entitely re-d, . and ethe.rt'l i11 a Uifferenl S@Í•l a1~e shade.d
wit}J. -~l8:ck . .·· " ·.:.
· Mazagao._gfiginated on an island at .the mouth o_f the Matapy, .ex·perieJ.ilced
severa\ changes of situation, 31Ud 'was· uHimately fixed ,fiv:e rnilesza-b.o~e -~lile .&ar
o f the Matuaca, where it nms into the Amazons, and nearly 6-fteeri \ miles ~est
of the AnauirapucÚ. St. Anna· was its primitive name, w hich it ;h>st rolíÍ ··t he
establishment init of. the people oftbe Praca de Mazaga~, ft·om tbe kingdom .of
Marrocos, who were afterwards augmented by various famil.ies from the Azore
islands. Cotton and rice are the riches of its dwellers, , who are diminishing in
consequence of the prevalence of fevers~ In its districts there are various ex-
cellent earths for potteries, but their productions are very irídifferent.
Forty miles to the south-west of Mazagao, and nea;r twenty-five from the
Amazons, is the parish of Fragozo, ou the right margin of the Jary, witb a
church of St. AntoniC~. Its inhabitants collect cloves, cocoa, cotton, sarsapa-
1·illa, &c. and advance up the Amazõns in searc}1 of tbe tot:toise. Between
Fragozo and Mazagao is the parish of St. Anna, o.n tbe 'm;argin of the fine
ri ver Cajary :- rice, .çGtton, a,nd s0me c0cõã,, ªre its5·productions. • ·- ... .
Arrayollos .is-a -·Small town., ag-reéably situated úpón a small hill near :the
e:;tstern margin-, _and jift.een· .~<niles above the mouth of the'.Arámmcu:f It ha:s .two
J!lrge open spaçe~S, vyith some sembla,E.'ce · to squai·es; ...'a chmch ded±eatedr to
Nqssa Senhora do Rozari,o, and inhabitªnts wno are . agiiculturists . an_d
'fish~rme:n.-. • · ~, ' "·, 11
Espozend~ a Ni.Hota, o.~· - 8-~all Towfl; in -an eleva-te (i!: situation · .u pon , the
Tubare, commanding fine .v:ie:ws ·@f. the Sl.Jl'l1<\H,:mding Campinhas, has a. ehurch
co~Ou'l! Lady, ·d;o ,:S,<Jzario,, and' i$ :teJ1';lúiles· north-:west oLA'llrayc_>Ha~ ; f,ishing,
hunÍing;, -the eultivation, of ,éo,tton,, Indian· corn, rice, and mandioea~ is the
~ccupatio:~vof. il,s\nha:ljitªnt$. . ·,: ' · · ·· ·
..·' ·Alnrey:rim is>a-·middling towill,r occupy-ing an adYantageous -site a:t th'e m.outh
of:tbe Paru, of \-v;hich it first.t6õk>thê mam~, an.IJ, ,originating· in -a Dutch fo:rt,
whioh is _yf;t ~Pl~~~e_rved.' ,Th€-re 'is a 'di ver~irty erf · exo-el.l ent timber :in àts environ.s,
and tb-e il!-hábitªnts are fishermen, . 3Jnd cultiv_ate. ·mandioca, lndian , corn, rice,
 PROVINCE OF GUIANNA; 489

leg·umes, and cotton,. Twenty miles above Almeyrim is the parish of Our
Lady of Desterro, at the mouth of the considerable Vaccarapy. Fishing,
huntjng, aud the culture of cottou and common neoessarie's, _e.>ccupy 'its
inhabitants.
Outeyro, a middling town~ well supplied with fish, is situated ·upon a small
hill on the eastern side of the lake Urub~quara, formed by the river of the same
name ; it is fifteen miles from the Amazous, and sixty-five west of Almeyrim.
Tlíe. eburch ís dediêated to Nossa Senhora of Graca, and its produetions 'are
similar to those of the prececling place. ·- "
Montalegre, a considerable tovvn, also abounding with fish, is situated ori
th~ highést portion of a smatl island·, near the éastern:mat'gih of the Gurupatuba,
wnich forms i't. · It is thirty-five miles above Outeyro, aud seven from the
Amazons, ancl was one of the principal missions of the Jesuits, whose Hospicio
is now the residence of the vicar. Mandioca, feijao, cotton, cocoa, 'and coffee,
ai·e its productions: In its district the clove-tree prospers, and it has a saw-pit,
on account e>f the treasury, -for sawing the trunks of the cedars that the floods
of the Amazons deposit upon a beighbouring island.
- \
Prado is yet a small place, upon the eastern bra:nch · of the river Stlrubui,
twenty miles fre>m the Aniazon:s, and fifty west of Montalegre. Its inhabitants
are lndians, and live by some ag-ricultui·e, hunting, ·a nd fishing.
Alemquer is a considetable town, supplied with excellent meat, aiid well
situated upon the central embouchure of the 'lake Surubui, fi.fteén miles from
the Amazons, and fifty Úorth of Santarem. It is a country infested with tne
musquito, called carapana. ·Tne church is d-edicáted to St. Antonio. .~ Man-
dioca, Indian corn,· rice, tobacoo, ·and cocoa, are its praductions.
Curuamanemâ is lhe "name· of the third and western cÍmtlet , of the ·lake
Surubui.
Obydos, fórmerly -Pauxis, the name of the lndiahs for whose establis'hinent
it began, is a considerable towil, upon a small hill, with sbme regularity; and
a l~rge· square in the cenüe,, near the eastern mo~th of the Trombetas, with an
extensive view of the .á.mazons, the whóle of whose waters here rapidly desc~nd
by a channel about a mile in width, but of ·such profundity, that the-attempts
to find the bottom by souuding;· ha~e beeri unsuccessful. It has a·magnificent
church, dedicated to St. Anna, and is fifty miles west 'of Aleinquer. The inha-
bitants cultivate divei's necessaries of life, cotü_m, and a large quantity of coc.oa,
which is i:n the highest reptite at the capital. ·
Faro is a middl·ing· town,. near a larg·e lake, traversed by the I'iver Jamunda,
3R
490 PROVINCE OF GUIANNA.

forty miles west-north-west of Obydos, and above twenty from the Amazons.
Its church is dedicated tó St. Joam Baptista, and the soil is well adapted to
the produce of cocoa, tbe principal wealth of its inhabitants.
Sylves is a small p1ace, situated upon the summit of an island n~ar the mar~
gin of the lake Saraca, eighty miles west-north-west ' of Faro, and twenty
distant from the Amazons. It abounds in fish and the necessar_ies of life pecu-
liar to th.e country. It has a church of St. Anna, and tbe inhabitants are of
various classes and colours, as are those of the other towns, and cultiv.ate
excellent tobacco, cotton, cocoa, cloves, and sarsaparilla.
Serpa is a middling town upon a small island of the· Amazons, near its nor-
thern bank, fifty miJes from Sylves, and tbirty-:five below the mouth of the
Madeira. It hás a church of Nossa Senhora of. Rozario, ancf inhabitants who
derive a partia! ben·efit from the rich productions that nature has bestowed upon_
this country. . , ·
Forty.miles to the north-west of Serpa is the parish o( Our Lady of Concei-
çao, advantageously situated ·on the margin of the great lake Canuma. Its
productions are among the commer'ce and necessa'ries of Jife. Twenty miles
north-west of the preceding, and forty from the AmazQns, the parish of St.
Raymundo, on the margin of the Urubu, is occupied by lndiap:s, who collect
some articles of. exportatioQ.. Fifty miles west of Conceiça~, and forty from
the Amazons, is· the parish of Nossa Senh.o ra do Socorro, near the lake of
Matary, with productions .similar to the preceding one.
· Fifteen miles above the parish of St. Raymundo is that of St. Pedro N~lasc.o,
also on the margi:çt of th~ Urubu. _ lts inhabit.ants ar~ Indians, and tbeir mode
of life and productions do not differ from the others.
Marippy is a middling town, on the left bank of the Hyapura, tbirty miles
from the Amazons, the church is of St. Antonio, and its inhabitants are an
accumulation of divers lndian nations, amongst whom are the Miranbas, who
'possessed part of the territory between; the Hyapura and the Ica. Tb ey are
fishermen anel hunters, and co1lect a portion of the productions of nature in its
environs. Fevers do not permit Europea.ns to reside here in any _nurnLer.
Rio Negro, a considerable and .flourisbing town, capit al of the province,
and head o f the Ouvidoria of the same . na me ' has a church o f Nossa Senhm:a
d a Concei ç a~, and is situated near a smai.J hi\l, on the left margin of th e ~ a:stem
b:ranch. of the Rio Negro, t.en milesfrom the Amazons. Its orígin "vasa fort, now
existing, near which various families were established, of the .Bamba, B ai;11e,
and Passe nations. lt is the depository of divers . mercantile productions,
 PROVINCE OF GUIANNA. 491

which descend by the river, and are destinéd for exportation. lt ha_s a manu-
factory of cord from piacaba, one for weaving cotton cloth, and a pottery, all
worked ·on account of the treasury. The main part of the cattle idiled here
are embarked from the ·royal fazendas of Rio Branco. Above the extremity of
the town the Cachoeira discharges itse1f, which, four miles distant, foi·ms a
'h andsome cataract, whose murmuring descent is heard at this place.
One hundred miles above the capital is the parish of Ayrao, with a chureh
of St. Elias, ~11 the southern margin of the Rio Negro. It first began upon a
large bay near the capital, for the habitation of the Taruma and Aroaqui In-
dians. In tlie interval between these places the Rio Negro receives, on the
southern margin, the Hyborena, and on the northern, the Ayurim, the Anauelie,
and the small rivet·s Cuna,mau, Mapauhau, and Uacriuan, which empties itself
almost in front of Ayrao. ~

Moura is a small town, forty miles above Ayrao, of 'an agreeable aspect, ·and
with some regularity, upon the right bank ofthe Rio Negro. Thechurch is ÔfSt.
Ritta, and its inhabitants are principally descendants of whites and Indian
females. · It originated in the assemblage of four Indian nations-the Cara-
hyahys: Cocuannas, Manna:us, and Jumas, aftei· which it had one or two ~e- _
movais previously to being fixed in its present sit_uation. A little above Ayrao,
the J aum.uhi enters the Rio Negro, and fifteen miles below Moura the Anany,
both connecting the river that receives them ~ith the Cadaya, the eastern arn1
of the Hyapura, through the rnedium of the large lake Atinineni, in whose
vicinity the cupahyba, or capivi,' trees abound. The Hyanapat·y, by corruption
Jaguapiri, enters the northern margin of the Rio N'egro, almost in fwRt of
Moura. This river, whose waters are white, has an extensive course. The
Aroaqui Indians extend themselves from its ban.ks to those of the before-meu-
tioned Anauene.
Twenty-el.ght miles above Moura, on the soutbern margin of the Rio Negt•o,
is the parish of Carvoeyro, having experienced several changes of situàtion, with
a church of St. Alberto, and inhabitants rnainly of tbe Manau, Parauanno, and
Maranacuacena nations. Between Moura and Carvoeyro not one river · enters
the Rio Negro by the southern bank; 011 the northern the large river Branco,
(White,) so called from the colour of its .waters, discharges itself by four mouths,
thre.e very near, being formed by two small islands, the other, called Amay-
auhau, is fifteen miles above. This river is the lai'gest con:fluent of the Rio
Negro, and rises in the southern skirts of the serra Baro€ayna, receivin.g, on the
eastern side, in the following ordá, the small river Macoary, the ontlet of the
3R2
492 PROVINCE OF GUIANN'A.

lak~..lJadauh;au, the river 'Ememeneny, the waters of the lakes Çuruicu and
Uariary, · l,lnd th~ riv~r Uanauhau. On the western margin the rivers · Coratiri-
rrian,i, EniuÍni, Ay,arani, Cau~m.e, and Ucayay.
Fif~y miles a bove Carvpeyra is the parish of P.oyares, upon the same si de. of
the Rio ~egJ:o, ornamentecl. with a c'hnt:ç_h qf -~anta Angelo, and occupied by
the Manao, - ~~re, _and Passe Indians. Between Carvoeyra and Poyares the
river J~,auhau.ry enters t4e Rio Negro, on tbe southern si de ; and, on the western,
the small rivérs Uanapíxi 1 Uanib-a, and Cnat:u . .•.
- .Bare;.ellos, twen_ty miles above Poyares, on the same margin of the river, is
the_· la:~gest town of the _Firovince, being for many ·years the residence of its
go<Vet::p.ors, with a ch!ilrch of Our La4_y of Conceiçao~ and inhabitants of various
classes., who are ·~griculturists, fishermen, hunters, and dealers. In the interval
between Poyares and Barcellos the Rio Negro only receives the U atahanary,
eight miles below tbe latter place, ou the southeFn side ; en. the northern, the
small rivers Uyrauhau, Hyamurauhau, and Buhybuh)!', the l~tter in fnmt of the
same town:.
Fjfty miles above Barcellos is the small town of Moreyra, on an eminence,
upon the !?Outhe:n bank of .Rio ·Negro. Nossa Senhora, do Carmo is the
P,atroness of its churcb, and its inhabit!).nts are desc~ndants of Europeans mar-
ried to Indian fem~les. · In t]1~ ipterval from Barcellos to Moreyra the Rio
N,egro _r;eceivés, on the southern side, tire rivers Barqry and Quihyuny, and the
small1·ivers .A..ratahy and __ Qu~mehueury; on the northern, the Parataqni and
the Uaraca, which receives, on the left, -·. the Demene, upon whose margins
former1y dwelt the G;uia_n na Indians.- .
J'homar, a small town, fif.ty miles aboye Moreyra 1 with potteries along the
southern margin of the Rio Negro, i~ situated in a country well adapted for the
culture of índigo. Its church is of Our Lady of Rozario, and tbe i:nhabitants
are cqmposed of persons of divers complexion&, wbo collect only tbe 'necessaries
of subsistence. It beg;1n one hundred miles hig·her up, for the habitation of the
Manao, Bare, Uayuana, and Passe tribes. In the interval from Mor.e yra to
Thomar the R to· Negro receives, on the sou.thern side, the Urarira, whose mar- ·
gins were possessed f'ormerly by the valorous Manaq Jndia-ns, who e-xtendecl
themselves as far as the river Chiuara. They àdmittecl two -gods_:_one tbe
author of good, denominated Maua'ry, the other of evil , call ed Sar-auJte. T heir
idiom prev ailed amongst the othe r tribes with whom they li ved. On the nort:bern
margin it receiv es the river Uerere, whose territories were, in other times, inha-
bited by the Carahyahy :;tnd Uaryhua nations; and the :{'adauiry, opposite tàe·
 -
PROVJNCE OF GUIANNA. 493
town of Thomat·, which is a large river ofv.vhite-coloured water, an'â traverses
the lands o f the ancient Oremanaos., gathering. on the left the U exie Mirim.
Ten miles above Thomar is Lamalonga, .an. lndian . povoaçao of Manaos,
·:sares, and B~übas, situated on _the Fight bank of the Rio Negro·. Some dis-
pute between the Captains Alexander de Souza Cabary .and Joze Joam Dary,
resideats of Thomar, occasjoned- the latter to retire with, his people to this situa-
tion, where they foúnded · a church dedicated t_a· St. Joze; it was afterwards
augmented by the Indians of the aldeia of Âuacyhyda, which wa:s· ten miles
higher up the river;
Fifty miJes beyond :Lamalonga is the parish of St. Jzabel, an lndian povoação
of Uaupes, on the southern bank of the Rio :Negr@, which, · in this inte.rval,
receives, on the right, the Chibaru and Maba, and, on the left, the Hyhyaha and
.Daraha.
Si.x:ty miles above St. Izabel is the aldeia of ~aracaby, on the northern
-marg·in orthe Rio Negro, w4ose cúrrent is here very violent, in consequence of the
stanes whith overspread it~ bed, occasioning the canoes to- · be unloaded. In
this. interval the rivers Hyurubaxy, Uayhuana, Uenenexy, and Chuiara, enter
the Rio Negro on the right : the first forros large lalçes above its bar, and com.,
mtm.icat!:ls with the Hyapura. The rivers Marauya, Hyarudy, lnabu, Abuara,
Sabururuha, Diba, and Cauabury enter it on the left. The . margins of the
Marauya, which were formerly inhabited by the Caranaos, who made a very long
resistance to the Manaos, have cocoa and sarsaparilla near the serras ; these
pro.ductions are also common on the borders of some of tbe other rivers.
After Maracaby are the parishes of Caldas on the northern bank, and almost
in front of it, on the southem, is Loreto ; further on, St. Pedro, on the opposite
side ; and afterwards St: Antonio, on the southem margin, inhabited by Bare, .
Macu, and lVJ eppury Indians·.
Ten miles above, on the same side, is the aldeia of St. Joam Nepomuceno:
in this inter vai no currents enter the Rio Negro.
·F 01ty miles furtber, on the opposite bank, is the parish of St. Bernardo.
This interval is covered with large stones, and, having two falls, is-passed with
great difficulty. On thP. right, the rivers Maria and Curicuriau, and ou the .
left the Uacaburu, Marnhueny, Ubuhyhat·a, Cassahu, and Minha enter the
· Rio Negro.
Twel ve miles above, on the northern side, is the parish of Nazareth, occupied
by Ayriney, Baremacu, . and Meppury lndians.
 494 PROVINCE OF GUlANNA.

' · A few miles further, on tbe same side, near the large falls of Crocoby, is the
fort of St. Gabriel, with a pov.oaçao of Bares.
Continuing .to ad vance 11p the Rio Negro about thirty-five miles, tbe parish of
St: Joaquim do Coanne is met with, three miles from its southern bank, and upori
the tight of the Uaupe, which communicates with th~ Curicuriau by a channel
call~d Inebu. In this space, where tbere are some dang·erous places, denomi-
nated Caldeirao and Paredao, with many reefs, the Rio N egto receives two
nameless streams on the right, and o:n: the left the Mabuaby, Hyhya, and tw6
others without names.
The above mentioned Uaupe, which is large, receives on the southern side
the considerable riverTiquie, whosemouth is five days' voyage from St. Joaquim.
It took the name of the Uaupe lndians, who perforate the lower lips and ears,
and carry around their necks a white cylindrical and polished stone.
Twenty-five miles above the·mouth of tL1e Uaupe is the large river Icanna~
which runs parallel with it and the Uexie. Six days' voyage upwards by the
. Icanna there is a large cataract; and, one day more, the bar of the large river
Coyary is arrived at, that joins it on the northern ,side; it receives also the
Mabuyauha, which rises a short distanc.e from the U exie.
In the uppe·r angle of the mouth of the ri ver Uaupe is the parish of St. Miguel;
and a little higher, 011 the same si de of the Rio Negro, is the parish of Nossa
Senhora of Guia, both inhabited by Baniba lndians. ·
The parish of St. Anna follows 011 the northern bank; afterwards St. Fillipe
on the southern; and, more distant, that of St. Joam Baptista, inhabited by
Baniba lndians.
Fifteen miles higher, the Rio.Negroreceives the largeriverUexie, which waters ·
the territories of the Bannyba, Capuenna, Mehdo, and Uerequenna Indians_.
Between this ri ver and the Icanna, the large serra of Tunuhy pr6longs itself.
In the vicinity of this confluence is the parish of St. Marcellinoino.
Thirty miles above is the fort of St. Joze of the Marabytannas, also on the
southern side, with a povoaçao of Arihiny and .Marybytanna Indians, being the
last Portuguese colony upon the Rio Negro, which after the Uexie receives no
other stream on that side, but the Beturu and the considerable Dimity enters
it on tbe northern.
The canoe-men of Para compute fifteen hundred miles from Para to this fort,
and for the accomplishment of the voyage they consume uearly ninety days.
Thirty miles· above the forte of St. Joze, on the northem bank of the Rio
 '

PROVINCE OF GUIANN A. 495

Negro, ·IS the embouchure of the ri.ver Cassiquiary, being a ,channel· of one
hundred and eighty miles, opened by nature, · and forming a communication
hetween the two immense rivers, the Oronoco and the Amazons . .
· In 1756, there we1~e only eight missions upon the Rio Negro, viz. Jahu, Pe
dreira, Aracary, Camara, Maryua, Bararua, Camaru, and Dary. The :first is
the nearest, and the last is the most distant from the fort upon the bar of- the
said river. ·
Upon the m.argins of the Rio Branco are the P.arishes of St. Maria, St. Joam
·Baptista, Nossa Senhora do Carmo, St. Fillipe, St. Antoni-o, St. Barbara, and St.
Joaquim with a fort, which is eleven hundred miles distant from the city of
Para, and from sixty to seventy days' voyage. · The inhabitants are lndians;
and the houses of the whole are covered with palm branch.es. Amongst the
beautiful bird.s peculiar to the vicinity of the Rio Negro, is one called the gallo
da ser'ra, (the cock of the serra,) a little larger than the blackbird; with strong
legs, having spurs like a cock, with a similar beak; its plumage i.s exceed1ngly
beautiful, of an orange colour, with a bunch of feathers, in the form of á fan,
op.en from the neck almost to the point of the bill, being of the · same colour,
with a rose-coloured stripe near the border. These birds are very rare.
Cayenna, a . considerable town, and we.U situated in the northern part of the
island, upon the emboudmre of the river of the same flame, on ground rather
elevated, is encireled with walls, which are only of stone on thé side of the port,
where there is a gate and a wooden bridge. Ali the edifices are of earth, with
two or three steps at the entrance. The palace of the governors is not higher,
and is snrrounded with orange trees, having· a square in froht. There is a fort,
denominated the Citadel, in tbe most elevated situation, being almost its only
defence. It is the only remarkable town in the ex-French Guianna, which that
nation commonly called Eqninoctial France, whose northern limit is the river
Marony. In the treaty of Utrecht, the ri ver Vincent Pinson, was named as the
common limit between Portuguese and French Gnianna, the engagement of
. the Frertch Monarch on this subject wàs conceived in the following terms:
" Sa M ajeste se i(esistem pou1· toujours comrne elle se desiste des dp1·esent · pà1• ce
" tmite dans les tm·mes les plus forts, et les plus authentiques, .· et ·avec toutes les
" causes 1·iquises comme se elles étoient inserées ici, tant en son nom, qu'en celui de ses
"lzoin, S'ttccesseu1·s, et . héritiers de tous droits et pretentions, qu'elte peut on
"poun·a prétend1·e su1· la p1·opTiété des ten·es appellées du, Oap du Nord, et
" $ituées' entre la rwzere des Amasones et celle. de Iapoe, me de Vincent Pinson,
496 PROVINCE OF GUIANNA.

"sans se 1·eserver on reteni'l· aucune portion des dites terres, ·afim qu'elles soient
'' ilesprmais possedées par sa MaJesté Pm·tugaise"
The Portuguese and French ahva~s gave the nÇtme ofVineent Pinsori to the ri ver
.Oayapoek; the latter nation, after Condl:\.mine, wished the boundary line to be con-
sidered the Aguary, by them c.álled Arauary, which discharges itself near two
hundred miles furthe~ to the south-east; but tbe · Frencll never had any kind .of
establishment south of the Oay~poek.* The fort of St. Louiz, which changed
its name to that of St. Francis<::o. .with the revolution, . situated fifteen miles from
the sea, on the northern margin of the Oayapoek, was always the most. south-
em establishment of Equinoctial France.
, . .B.y;.the treaty ~f :M:adrid, in 1801, the Portugu~se cmw.n, unwillingly ceded
the territory north 9f t~e Garapanataba .. -I_n . th_e Jollowing year, by the treaty
of Amiens, tbe divisionary line received twenty leag·ues, tbe. river Aguary·the:n
serving as the limit, as well as subsequently to the conquest of the country. ,
About the year 1630, the French establishe_d themselves here, under the
same evil star tbat has- influenced all their couquest~ in the wester:n hemisphere.
ShºJ;t~y . after~ards, abandoning tbeir establishments en 'I' erra Firma, -they
removed to the island of Cayenna, where they remained · till the year 16.55; with-
out the colony arriving at that flourishing state whieh was· expected. In this
year .it passed under the dominion of the British government, and was retained
by us till the year 1674. - '.fhe Dutch_toek possession of it at this time,· and
kept it for four years. _
Various obstacles were opposed to the activity of the colonists· (who a~ways
lived in hopes of (ortune being more pro~itious) to the period of the revolution,
which th,rew every thing into a worse state; with it disappeared .some small
towns and Indian aldeias which were on the island and upon the continent,
beginning with an Hospício of Franciscans.
The island of Cayenna, formed by the river of the same name, the Mahory,
~nd a narrow and winding strait · by which they communicate, is twenty miles
long from north to south, of proportionable -width, and . irregular fotm; the
land is low, diversified with gentle elevations, and overspread with timher.

"' The Spaniat'ds, from whom lhe Frencb took this pol'tion of territory, always re'c ognized the river
Oayapoek and the Vincent. Pinson as the ~ame ri ver; and near its moulh a marble ·s tone was erected·,
uy order of Charles V. lo S<'rve as a limit between his couquests and those of the ~ortuguese.
 PROVJNCE OF GUIANNA. 497

The soil is sandy, and black at the surface; at the depth of two feet it is red,
and is favourable to the growth of cotfee, cotton, lndian corn, indigo, mandieca,
and the cane. During the rainy season the vegetation is abundant for the sus-
tenance of oxen, horses, goats, sheep, and wild quadrupeds. In the three
months of most rigorous drought ali thes~ ~nimals suffer from hunger, and
many die.
There are numerous small rivers of soft water, which carry various sugar works.
The channel which separates it from the continent conducts to the port the
productions of that sid.e. Notwithstanding the east wind refreshes the atmos-
-~ here every morning, the air is unwholesome, in consequence of the contiguous
morasses, which bre_ed an immensity of various species of insects, such as
mosquitos, large toads, ants, and many others, that annoy the inhabitants.

·-

"I

3 s
 ..
'

498 CONCLUSiJ,VE OBSERVATrONS.

'.I.;; .(, t L
l .... ',r ~ 1

.,
il.
'
'
., .' ,,. ,,. . ..;
' . , CHAP. XX~VI. I' .

Conclu~ive Observations.
'( ••• f.[ ! ..•

• 1 ~· f • f _ r ''Lt •

'TH:E ~reat dispal;ity between the actual condition of the Brazil and that which,
rfrórri ·ü~ yureu clhnate; fertile soil, numerous rivers, and i~mense extent, Ít is
-capàble ol attainirig;
_ • f · J . •
fs the, l~ain .• circur.n~tànçe
'f\ ~_. - ; { , ' '
. tbat will ''be
t
suggested to the I • ~ .

reader by the peí·usal of the foregoing pag·es. The climat~ is indeed generally
~· { • ·' f ·'

so salubrious ,.that,diseáses .are as rare :;ts 'jn any part <?f the, globe, much less as
. fatal as 'tltey are ofteh fo~nd tó bé in similar'latitudés. . Iri region so extensive a
· the climates ~re necessarily various, but, with the exception ofsome of the pan-
tanos, or morasses, and stagnant waters remaining· after inundations, the country
is for the main part exceedingly wholesome; and, as far l:!.S ·my own informa-
tion and observation has extended, the provinces immediately bord~ring upQJl
~

the equator, are ~qualJy, if not more healthful than. many nearet· the tropical
line.. The soil is so fertile that a much less portion of culture "is requisite for
its ·abundant production than is fatmd necessary for most other countries of the
world, and is, indeed, to a very large extent, almost spontaneously productive.
The fac;ilities are incalcula:ble which it might supply to commerce, and
towards increasing and aggrandizing its people . from the multitudin01.1s rivers
that pour· be~uty, comfort, and healtb, into its extensive tract. The advan-
tages already rnentioned, with its diversified aspect, its champaign and its
hilly surface, its noble mountains and woods, where sport a great variety of
beautiful and useful animais, its groves of numerous kinds of fruit, and of bal-
sarnic and spiée trees, peopled with birds of luxuriant plumage ·or of alimen-
tary utility, would, with the addition of that agricultura! and commercial
improvement of which it is so immensely suscepti15le, a~d the inti"oduction of
literature, science, and art, and the consequent p_revalence of a social, liberal,
and hospitable feeling, ad vance it to a state of beauty, prosperity, and happiness
not to be surpassed by any other portions of the globe, and. equalled but by few.
lt is obvious that at present these numerous provinces, each of which might,
when thus improved, constitute a kingdom, are mainly in a pdmeval state, and
hitherto the religious bigotry, the unlettered ignorance, the unsocial rnanners,
the commer~íal defects, the narrow, civil, and ecclesiastical polity have for
centuries checked the naturál growth of every thing that adorns and gives
power to · an empire.

~·
 CONCLUSIVE OBSERVATIONS.
•.·
.B ut a nobler vie~ of this fine country is rising before us. The .adoption by
the Brazilians of the free constitutión of government recently determined· l!lpon
by the mother country, and sanctiotied by the bene:ficent dispositio.n of their
monarch, as well as by the highly honourable, judicious, and decided appro-
bation of the Prince Róyal, will, it is hoped, rouze the latent energies of this
fine country, and produce .~n imme~iate advance towards that :Bourishing and
distinguished state we haveJbeen contemplating. lndeed it ·c annot be c:~therwis e
if the constitution is adopted ·with ' stàbílit~ and en.e.rgy; for liberty, ·civil and
religiotis, is richly prod!-rctive ·Of every thing that is honourable and beneficiai to
mankind, and those have been the i:nost truly glorious who have enjoyed it most,
giving·, ·as it does to mau, when wisely'teJ:I}pered, an · open. and ·'happy. .coun..te-
nance and heart, and a firm and erect attitude, step, and character. Such
has been Greece ÍJ:!. ancient and such is Britain in modern times. .
The want of .similar blessings in the Brazil ·h as 'greatly paralysed .industry
ili the pursuits o'f husbandvy and commerce, engendered apa.thy,. and an almost
total depression (Jff any .desire to emerge from a ·state .of profound ignorance in,_
literatu~·e and the arts. Education, partiálly deri~ed from · Rbyal professms,
whose pompous Cil1enom~nati<ms are a mockery upon learning, will now surely
soar to excellence, ~y n.1eans o_{ the establishment of: .seminaries of learning,
with professors of real , talent. The diffrision of knowledge, a:nd the -interest
which a share .Jn11a popular constitution will give the pggple in their ·g·overnment,
wÜl change ·theií listless character into one of life and energy. The ameliora-
tion of'tbe 1aws I1especting property -in land, the ad·optian of nBW ;regolatiGns .i n
favour of commeree; and the -curtailing the mfnd-degr.àding anâ extortionate
in:fluence of a numerous and slothful ..priesthc:~od,. will give the .. Drazilians the
desire and the pow.eJ' of givmg effect. to the. immense physical means··of felicity
and glory affortled by a ·cemntry so -e;x;b,aordinarily favoured by náture.
Wben so ba:iTen, so ' foggy, so unproduGtiv€, and so smáll a cou~try as
H~lland, has t'endered itself S@ rich and distinguished among European states,'
in:finitely more blessed by pature, what may not be anticipated .of a land so
immense, so luxuriant in soü, and. so favourable in. dimate as the Braz-i],
capable as it is oflargely producing· almost whatever nature has bestowed upon
other countries. ·whatJ may not h€ antiGipated now that such a. land haí3 .ex:~ ··4.

changed slavery for freedom.

· The philosopher, the man of busine§s, anel the philanthropist, ah·eady exult
in the change, and a1'e felicitated by the prospect so richly· \and gra:ndly
opening before them. 'To the first, improy;ed facilities will be afforded, in one
3' s ~
500 CONCLUSIVE OBSERV ATIO~S.

of the' most magnificent and varied fields in the world, for bis délightful
pursuits in Natural History. To the British merchant particularly ·an im-
mense augme~tatiQn of ni~ commercial dealings will be opened, by a wiser
administration of the Brazilian government relative to the exchange of com-
modities with other countl'itls, and by the in.creased industry anel prosperity of
the Brazilian people. The well-wisher to the happiness of his fellow men
will be cheered with the pro.s pect of the gradual if not speedy abolition
of the hateful slave-trade; thus conferring the ·e njoyment of freedom not only
upon their sable brethren in South America, but cutting off one of the rriain
sources~ of the wars, slavery, anel mif'ery of the people of Africa. The revered
names of Clarkson and Wilberforce will tben sound as gratefnlly as they· no\v
do odiously to tb.e Brazilian planter anel dealer, wbo at present, from a preju-
diced and narro.w conception of what best contributes to the pr@sperity of indi-
viduais and of nations, arid from an ignorant and ill-founded notion of the
faculties of tbe negro, misconceive tbe labours of those excellent men. The
picture wbich we h ave drawn 6f the future advancement of this éonntry _permits
us also to indulge the hope that tbe blessings of civilization will be carried with
Jesuitical earnestness among the numerous untamed Indians, and tbat the
envenomed dart, rnde1y-painted skin, and distorted features, will give place
to the customs of social life, thereby converting their native wilds into scenes
of fertility, such as.formerly beautified tbe missions of Paraguay, where groves
of fruit trees, where sweétest plants anel flowers, plantations of roots, of rice,
aneJ Imlian. corn, n:umero.us useful animais, together with a mild paternal
government, ensured plenty and prosperi'ty to the inhabitants. · .
The king sailed from Rio de Janeiro for Lishon on the 26th of April, 1821,_
a;nd arrived at the latter city the beginning of July, accompanied by upwards
of four thousand persons, which will tend to produce a temporary depression "'
of tbe commercial spirjt and consequence of the Brazil~an capital. When
it is known, however, that a considerable portion of those in di vi<tuals were
hangers-on upon the royal bounty, and thát a great many others were not '
permanent residents, but merely drawn thither from Portugal, for a certain
period, to obtain some object with the government, (and from the know.n par-
tiality of the king in detaining European Portuguese in the Brazil, the number
under those circumstances were always conside~~ble,) the impression wiU be
diminished ~f any lengtbened or serious check upon the prospe~ity of this city
by their removal. It will be gratifying to the Brazilians to have still amongst
them the-Conde dos Arcos, who ful:filled the duties of viceroy, on the arrival
of the royal family at the -Brazil, to the general satisfaction of the people, and
who is appointed prime-minister to His Royal Highness Don Pedro.
 '.

APPENDIX. L
,

•
ZOOLOGY.
A ll the Species qf Domestic Amimais qf tlte Soutk qf Eu;·ope Itere become more
Prolijic tltarn irn tlte~1· native Count1y.

WILD QUADRUPEDS.

THE ANTA, which the Aborígines call Tapira, and Tapijerete, is the Iargest of the BrazHian
quadrupeds, and does not 'belong to any known species, constituting of ihelf a distinct one in the
histpry, of animais. It is the size of a smaU heifer, and very similar to a hog in tbe figure of its
body as well as in the shape of the ears, which are proportioned to its size. Tbe hair"is short and
sleek ; the legs are very thick and s"l10rt ; the hind feet have three hoofs and the front feet four · the
tail is of a ·tapering form, ~ith little more than three inches in length; lhe head is Iarge a~d {ong;
t he eyes small; the uppe.r lip is a musculous appendage, which the animal extends four inches beyond
thct low~r one, or draws it in to the same leogth ; the mouth is furnished wíth eight pointed teeth in
each jaw, ten grinders in the lower, and fourteen in the upper. It pastures like a horse; and,
although heavy, has cousidcrable velocity in its career. It is timid and harmless, doing no injury
even to the dog which pursues · jt. Beirig amphibious, it swims and dives in an extraordinary
manner, and proceeds along the botlom of deep pools for a great distance, remaining for a long
time under water without respiring. Its flesh differs from that of the ox only in taste and smell,
and is eaten generally. It is of all coloul's.
There are three sorts of Mo_uNTAIN BoARS; some are entirely black, some have the under jaw
white, others, of a small size and gray, are call Caitetus: these become domesticated so as to accom-
pany their mas te~ through the streets, without ever leaving him. Their flesh is not of such good fiavour
as that of the wild boar in Europe.
The CACHORO n' AGUA (Water. Dog) is small and web-footed, its tail is long and flat, and its
hair exceedingly smooth !}nd fine. It is amphibious, and goes almost always in the water, where it
ls said to be so ferocious that it kills ounces when they are swimming across rivers. When caught, it
may be domesticat~d' ; but it never çeases to utter lan1entations. It is only met with iu the central
rivers of tbe Bra2il.
502 A.PPENDIX-ZOOLOGY.

The CAo SILVESTRE, or CachmTo do Matto, (Wild Dog,) is small and strong, of a dark or ash
colour, with a keen scent. lt is a constant persecutor of the deer, and is said to be m~t with only in
the southern parts of the river Contas.
The CAPIBARA has the figure and size of a hog, short ears, the ~nout and teeth of a hare, thin and
coarse hair, and large membranes between the hoofs. It always keeps near the water, is a great
swimmer, and is mischievous : few people eat its flesh.
There are three sorts of MouNTAIN CATS. The gray ones are denominated mariscos, the red and
spotted ones maracaias. The latter are very large; aud ijOt always harmless.
The CAXIKGLE is much larger than a squirrel, with little hair upon the tail, and of a gray colour;
it seldom puts its feet upon the ground, . but leaps from one branch to another, and thus traverses
immense woods; is harmless, and lives upon fruits.
The COELHO, or Rabbit, differs only from that of Europe in having a shorter tail, and is not
very numerous.
The CoTIA is two spans in length, with Joug legs, small ears, the sn'out of a rabbit, hair strong
and of a red colour, with scarcely auy appearance of a tail. After being domesticated it proceeds
into the fields, and returns again. Its flesh is dry and barcl.
The CUICA is a species of amphibious rat, speckled with white and black, having a tail without hair.
lt eats fish and such birds as it can catch.
The CUIM is about the size of a leveret, has short feet, a long tail, and the snout of a squirrel.
It is entirely covered with hair, and with prickles like pins, which defend it from other animais. It
runs Iittle, and lives on the ground.
The GuARA Las the figure of a wolf, and differs from it triflingly in tbe marks ·of its. skin. lt is
ouly met with in the central provinces of Brazil, where it is not numerously seen nor so destructive
as its species in Europe. It is, however, a great enemy to young calves: in some parts it is called a
wolf; its skin and teeth are much esteemed.
The GuARACAO is a species of large and wild dog, wbich does not confound or mix itself with any
other of its kind.
The GUARAXAIM· is also a species of dog, about the size of a cat, and lives in subterraneous
cavems, or burrows, which it forms expr'essly f~r its habitation. Every thing í:hat it meets with in
the ce.mpo, (field,~ although not' eatable, such a~ a hat or a handkercbief, it will drag to the door
of its dwelling.
The Gu~xiNIM is a species of fox, with a short and thick snout, f.eet rather long and open, and
the breast large or full. It áboun{fs m'ost; in tlie vicinity of the sea, and desce~ds to tbe beacb to
procure crab-fish. , _
The HIRARA, in some provinces called Papamel, has the appearance of a monkey seen at a dis-
tance. It is tbree spans in length, sharp snouted, witb ~hort legs, and a long tail ; of a dark colo"iu,-
with àn ash coloured head; bu-t it does not retain these colours in ali the provinces.
The lA~UANE is' a specie,s o{ :Small dog/.11;a~k~d with straiglit ·lines.
Tbe J ARATICACA, or Cang~mba; as i"t is called In some provinces, and which some consider of a
species of pole-cat, resemb.les , th~ S!jttat {t pf ~orth America, and is remarkable, not only for its
beautiful figure, its wJJite &nd ~lack spq~~,a~1u sl~aggy tail, but for its singular and invincible power of
defence, which it uses with facility agaiJ).~t every ei1emy. This animai, on being assaulted, and some-
1

times before, emits a porlion o f urine., so , ~xti;aordinai:ily loathsonie that the ag·gressor thinks only
pf the mode of deliverance from it. The dogs rub their noses in the earth, and men are earnestly -
 .APPENDIX-~OOLOGY. 503

desiroús 1to' free themsel:ves frcim their clothes, ,vJiich ;retain the odious smell. Occasionally -some are
killedr befo11e •they use •tihis ··defence, ar unexpectedly before they see bheir enemy, or at a distance
when they do not anticipate the hunter. A naturalist, who dissected the Ja.raticaca, found near tbe
,uiljnal..vess'el a sm"all rec-eptaole of water; totally distinct rrom that of the bladder, and was'persuaded
thaUhid.etid. matter' próceeded trom thence. The fat of this animal, applied externaBy, is ~ · very
powerf.u:l em'ollient, and tire . flesh is said 1o have a goód flavo'ur when not infected with the fetid
water; the skin is used for pockets :. Ít passes for lhe civet-cat..
~. 1'he f:.oNTiRA, Ol'·O·:e-Tl!lR, is · an •amphibious animal, niuch ' larger tltll)i tbaf of Europe, equally
voracious ánd gluttónous of fish. The ha.i.r is -reâ, short, and thick-, •aíÍd the skin esteemed, ' ·•
The Moco differs only from the Rabbit in having neither ears nor tail, and is oniy met with wbere
is
there :are róoks,'Â1;1 .tl:ie cavities ofi whrch it forms .its·dwelling-place. It easily domesticated, and
then it become·s dauing,' "and will ill-treilt imd even inake the dogs fly. It is ~ mortal enemy to rats,
e,.ven. more: destructi-ve -to them, t•hau ,.the 'eat: • 111is natmlaHy! ·ex<tremély hubulent and treache1:ow;,
but without. ~·agacity to execute its · evil designs,. fãlling a prey to its own temerify. The life of this
animal is g;enerally short.
There are numerous species of. the M<i>NKEY; distingtiished ouly by the size and colou r of the
hair. Those ·c.aH:e.d by · the Bnt•zilians Guaribas generally proceed iu bands, and, for th.e most
part, along the branches of trees, wlie1:e the whole body make a hoise ·t hat is heard two miles off.
;Tbe Saltuins, somé. of ·whic~l are the . size, of •,a ·1·at, are àandsome, and esteemed for the white
pl~mes Oll tufts "that gro.w out of the ears. Of those called Bm·badQs, the male has a sort of cup,
f ormed of bone, . in the fhroiü, :which . produces a l~md and hoarse sound. Amougst others
we may. notÍC!l those .t~at . .llave no regular dwelling-places, a·nd do not pút their feet in water. They
pàss tiv.eTs, · fo:llinirrg. a· êl1ain liy ,holding .fàStto~ach o~h·ar, 1 btrt',:qf.. J:hey sbould happen to fali in to the
water they. can swim like other quádrupeds. When they are on an ex<cursion to "rob the corn fields
of mai:Ze, one is always stationed as centinel, in.a proper place to di; cover. the approach of the
hunter. They have only one ata birth, which they carry upon the back with them for some days.
The ONcA, ·or ÜUNCE, is a . spe~ies of immense cat, of terrible aspect,_ with a frightful yell, or
roar. The Jargest is about twelve feet in length. ·
. There are five different kinds. Some o.f a dark colour, witb small briÍliaut jet black spots, deno-
minated the Tiger; others spotted with black and white, or yellow.._. displaying much symm·etry, and
ali~ properfy caltled Ounces, or P.antlte1·s; a t.hird, with vet'Y small specldes; a f.ourth with Iarger
spots, called Canguçus; others, of a re_ddish colour, are tbe smallest, and are called Sucuarannas;
the Jast only attack young cattle and small animais, but .the former kill a liorse or an ox in a moment.
A buli grown to full ·maturity is the only quàdruped which resists and is not alarmed at this forocious
~111imal. ,
. ·'J'he hunting of the Oztnce is less laborious but more dangerous than that of the Anta. The Bra-
zil·ians generally hunt it in large " }Jarties~ . well armed with guns, lances, and pitchforks, always
accompanied with dogs, and the greater the number less dangerous is the chase. Although tbis
beast ·is much larger, possesses incomparably greater strength, and is infinitely swifter than the dog,
t'or whi~h it has a mortal ·hatred, on seeing one it always retires, as if having a pr~seutitríent of the
approach of the hunters. It does not proceed fa·r til! it climbs a tree, or, if hard pressed, m~kes a
terrible braying, and furiously attempts to catch some of the dogs, and if one comes within reach
of its paws it has not much chance of escape. If the hunter does not take bis aim well, so as to
killlhe Ounce upon ,.the spot; it fiies directly to the place where the smoke came from, and bis fate
 504 APPENDIX-ZOOLOGY.

is inevitable, unless · his companions ·desboy it with their ·arms, or ~e is prepared witb a lance t0
despatcb it when it makes t be last spring. lt seizes upon its prey first with the paws and then with
tbe teeth.
The PAcA is a heavy creeping quadruped, litt~e more than two spans in length,' without a tail,
having small ears, the snout of a rábbit, coarse strong haiF, and is of a reddish colour, with small
white spots along the sides, and streaked with the same colour a)ong the back. It is the best game
of the country, and is divested of its hair and prepared for tbe table similarly to a sucking pig.
Tbe.PORCO-ESPTM, or Porcupine, is of tbe size of a cat, witb a long tail, and covered with Iong
sharp-pointed quills, but its head has a greater resemblance to that of a dog. It is most numerous
near the central rivers.
The PREGUICA, or Slotk, is a stout short quadruped; very lazy; .covered with long thick hair; having
stout legs armed with large paws; a small head, and rounü physiognomy, with some similarity to a
m_onkey witbout ears or tail, and climbs trees. It subsists upon leaves. Its extreme slowness gives
rise to its name. It is asserted in the Poem of Caramura that it possesses this tardy propensity to
such a degree that in a few paces it consumes a whole day.*'
The PREHA is of the size and colour of a leveret, with the snout more rounded ; the ears are very
small and membranous, and it is without a tail. It can swim small brooks and rivers, and is esteemed
good eating, particularly by the negroes.
' , The QuATI is very similar to a fox, at tbe first sight, chiefly in the head, but its ears are shorter,
rounder, and less hairy. .I~s !Jair is also long, thick, aud soft, like the fox, of which it has the physi-
ognomy.- The legs are sbort and thick, the feet long, with five toes, furnished with claws, with which
it climbs trees and digs up insects. The tail is long and round, gradually growing smaller to the
extremity, and varied with a succession of rings; tbe mouth is long, becoming smaller towards the
extremity, like that of a hog; the mouth is large, .witb teeth similar to those of a dog; the únder
jaw is almost an in ch and a half shorter than tbe 'upper. This animàl may be so domesticated that
it will accompany its master into the campos like a little dog; but its natural restlessness requires it
generally·to be confined. There are two sorts of tbis quadruped, differing only in size. The small
class always proceed in bands, and are called quati-monde. . .,
. The RoPOZA, or Fo:r, is less than tba:t of Europe, equally subtle, and even more destructive in the
damage it does to the cane plantations ancl melons. Its skin is used only for housiugs.
Amongst the various races of RATS is the Rato d_e Espinlto; (tlte Prickly ,Rat,) which is large, white
bellied, its upper part ash-coloured, and its sides furnished witb prickles. lt is a_greeable to the sight,
without smell, and its flesh is esteemed good.
The SAROHE, or Gamba, a species of the Oppossum, is as large as a ·middle sized cat, with the form
of a rat, of a disagreeable aspcct and. nauseous smell; the legs are short; lhe feet and ears like a rat;
its hair is thhí, long, and sleek ; the tail long, becoming small towards the end, anel without 'hair. lt
bas the head and snout of a pig, a large mouth, with the teeth of a dog. This animal is one of the
most re~ll)arlu.lble objects in Natural liistory in con,s~quence of a second belly, or womb, which it
has below the upper or natural one, with an opening, or mouth, at the fore part, witbin which it
çarries its young till tlwy arriv~ at an age lo procure their own subsistence. Some say that this qua-
,.. . ...•

* Consen•a o tardo impulso por tal modo,

Que em poucos pa~sos mett~ um dia lodo. Cant. vii. p. 57,
 APPENDIX-ZOOLOG Y. 505

druped engenders and brings forth its young like other animais, and, . after their birth puts them in to
this sack, where, in fact, t.hey can only obtain suck, the .mother only having teats in the upper belly.
Others pretend that the young organize themselves by being attached to the dugs, from whence, at
maturity, they fali in to the sack. Jt is, however, certa in that the young are found drawing no.urishment
from the paps o f the mother, by which they are suspended and cling firmly to them, even wheu without
hair and very small; They. are great destroyers of poultry, and passionately fond "of eachaca, or rum,
with which they are easily caught, as they soon become intoxicated.
The SAVlA is like a l.everet, with hair similar to that of a hare, aud a ·long tail; breeds in boles or
pits; eats fruit; and is much esteemed for its fies h. It is thought to be a species of the caxingle.
There are two breeds of TAMAN.DUHAS, or Ant-Bears, sÍnall and large. The larger, called Taman-
dulta-bandeira., is pf the bigness of a middling si.zed hog, to which it assimilates in the body, having
the bristles of a wild boar, black and thick, with gray marks .on éach side; the ears are rouud ·aud
extremely small; the snout very long and tapering, haviug the appearance at its termination of that of
a lamb; its mouth is very small and wilhout teeth; the tongue exceedingly long and narrow, with
which it catches the Cupim-ant, its only aliment; the tail is long and shaggy, and curled back towards
the neck from whcnce its na me is derived, (bandeira, fiag o r ensign ;) it has short and very thick legs with
five toes on each foot, each toe being furnished with a short and tbick claw. It imprints a foot-mark
like a child's, n,~us little, scarcely makes any ·exertion to escape from its aggrcssor, and when irritated
will advance against a man; but it is only necessary to give it a blow upon the snout and it falls dead
on.the grouud. When it perceives itself attacked it lies on its back and waits for the enemy, which on
drawing near, it instantly fas1ens upon~ aild will never leave its hold unless the tendons of its legs are
cut. Ounces have been found "dead with Tamanduhas, firmly fastened to each other. For hunting ·
this animal, the flesh of which is insipid b~1t medicinal in certain diseases, it is necessary to have a
dog· that wi)l trace its track, but, in· order not to run any risk, it is necessary ·that it should be
I '
timorous and cautious.
Tbe TATU, or Annadillo, of which there are various sorts, differing only in the size and
the number of bauds of shells which co ver them, is of a wonderful figUl'e ;· the head and ears are simi-
lar to those of a pig, the eyes small, the snout long and pointed, the mouth small, the tail long,
somewhat similar to the tail of a rat. The Iegs are ?hort, and the feet áre fur~ished with large an·d
strong. claws, with which they can burrow a bole in the ground, for their safety, almost in an instant.
This quarlrupecl is covered with a coat of mail, which in its cotiformation is one of the most extraor-
dinary phenomena in Natural History. The body is dressed in shells, disposed one over the other as in
the tail of a lobster, aud forms a so,rt of housing cloth, that conceals the belly; the whofe uncov~re'd
with hair, and black. Some of the kinds, when tlanger is near, can roH tbemselves up entirely in the
shell, like a hedge-hog, but others not so completely. That kind denominated Tat'uim, or Tatuette, is
small. The Ve1·dadei1·o is larger, and its flesh good. Thc Peba has a flat head: The Canastt·a is of
t he size of a pig, and its tlesh uuwholesome. The BoLA, (or Ball,) so called in the Brazil, in
consequence of conceàling ali its members under its shell, is of a whitish ~olou~, and its fiesh of good
fl avour.
There are five sorts of DEER, · Gallteiros, which are large; Sucuapams, do mato (of the woods ;)
Cotingueiros, * and Campei7·os. t

"' I nhubitiug thc catingas. , t I nhabiting the campos, or plail\s.

3 T

., .
•
 /

506 APPENDIX-ZOQLOGY.

The aO)pJlibjous monsteJ·, with tbe figure of a liz~rd, wsewbJing the orococli\e iu Afr·ica and Asia,
bas; in thç Brazil, thcr 111\me of J AC AR ]i:, or Aligato1·, a\],d is met with in all the lakes and rivers o f
ttanquil currerit:
The plaim.1 of Brazil al;l,ound with a gre;'lt number o f LAND ToRTOISES, whic.h never enter the water;
their' fl.esh is of fine 6avo~r, and the liver is considered delicious.
Man bas less to fear from, wild beasts in t'he. Brazil than from reptiles, the species of which are
various, and some exceedingly numerous and generally venomous.
The Su;çu~IUBA are aftirmed to grow to the. el) tr,aordinary length o f forty feet, and are confined to
lakes '9nd, pools ·o( dead water,. •firmly attacbing its tail to a root, or the point of a stone at the bot-
tom of tlte WlJter; it seizes ali living animais that.approach thé margin, and swallows the whole, as a
sual~e :í,n, But:ope would a' mous.e OI' ao,y. small animal. lt makçs a . hollow noise below the water, on
heating any sound from V(itho.ut :. the otter is its gr~atest euemy.
Thé Su,Rucucu, or· Szt1Toco, seldom exceeds fifteen feet in length, is. of proportionable width, and
usua)ly met with in cool and shady places. Its tail is armed with two spears, and its bite is cur-ed
with difficulty. Its sltin is marked with great symmetry, and is o f an as h colou r, wíth brownish spots, and
covered_with scales.
In the begiunipg of 181$!, a gentleman accompani.ed by six other persons ~rl'ived one ever,ling upon,
the margin~ of a lake, near th!l ri ver Pardo, in the pr.ovince o f St. Paulo; where they dismountecÍ to take
some repose. They perceived at a short distance what they supposed to be the trunk of a tree, which
shortly afterwards bcgan tQ, move; the contents o f a gun w.as imm~di~t~IY. discharg~d at it, and they
then despatched it with their knives. It was a SERPENJ.' o~ the surucucu species, and the gentleman.
above mentioned assured me that it measured twenty-o}l.e feet in leng,th, and four in girth . . He had a
variety of articles besides severa! p~irs of boots made from its skin, in the city of St. Paulo, one pair of
which I brough~ with me to England. The torpid state whjch this serpent at first exhibited, arose
from its having recently gorged a 'young buli.
The JIBOIA, which is scat;cely distinguishable froll) the preceding serpent in size or colour, has no
spears to its tail, nor does jt bite. When it seizes any living creature it is always for the purpose of
eating it. It never attacks its prey without first windiog its tail round the trunk of a tree, in order
that its prisoner may not drag it away, and, after having fatigued it by its first attack, it then draws
itself so closely round the anim,al that it br!laks its bones and kills it.
The CoBRA, of CascaveJ,,or Rattle Snalce, is so called in consequence of its tail terminating with
some similitud~ to ~he busks of a speci!ls of dried pulse. It has scarcely tbe thiclmess of a man's leg,
with proportionable length. It never bites without beating three times with its cascavel, o r rattle, upon
the ground, and its bite is almost always fatal. It is said that the number of the divisions of the tail
is equal. to the age in y,ears of this snalçe. The snake caninqna is very long, of a slender forro, black
and spotted with yellow. The jmYwaca is a species the most numerous, and its bite is fatal. '.rhat
denominated the cauda-branca (white tail) is not more than a span in length, and there is yet no known
antidote agaínst its ven~m. The living creatur~ that has the misfortune to be stung by it immediately
becomes convulsed, sweats blood, aod expires in a short time. The jararacucu is of a deep green
colour, of considerable length, and slender. Its bite is generally mortal.
The COBRA DE CoRAL (Coml Se1pent) is small, of slender ÍQrm, venomous, and heautified with
rings of various colours • .
DuAs CABECAS, (Two Heads,) so called because all its length is of the same thiclmess. It is also
venomous. It is said that the best antidote fo1· its bite is to eat the livel' of the said snake.
 '

APPENDIX-ZOOLOGY. B07

The COBRA VERDE, or GTeen Se1.p ent, is of 1ittle length, and very sruall.
The PAPAPINTOS is a large gray suake, said to be harmle.ss. It is seldom tnet · with but upon the
tnargins or in the vicinity of lakes, wherc it catches toads and rats. ·,
There is another species of serpent, called by the Brazilians CAMPO-LIMPA, (Field Cleaner-,) in con-
sequence of its cle,aning the fields of thc smaller snakes. It is Jight cóloured, wit,h a yellowish cast,
ornameiited with a variety of spots, and is about six feet long. Almost ali these species of snakes are
.said to be viviparous. _
. The Padre Manoel Ayres de Cazal says, that·in the parish ef Muritiba, near Cachoeira, in the pm-
·vince of Bahia, a serpent was shown to him, killed within an hour; as a curiosity, in consequence of
being wholly unknown to the people. It was scarcely a foot in length, but thick and round, anel
smooth as an eel, to which its head assimilated. The tail was short and pointed in a ·pyramidical
form. It had four feet edremely small, without any appearance of legs.
In the Brazi'J there at•e various species of SPmERs, which furnish excellent silk.
The CARANQUEJEIRA, so denominated ·in conseqnence of beiog of the size of a moderate sized
caranguejo, or crab-fish, is covered with long hair, anel is venomous:
Tbe CIGAR-RA, or Oricket, has more o f the · species of beetle·than the locust.
The species of BuTTERFLIES ate heré very nume.rous, as I have be'fore observed. A collectib·n df
sixtee'n hundred different sorts has already beeó made in the Brazil, and unquestioual5ly there are au
infiuite nnmber yet for collection to occupy the industry of the naturalist. The most beautiful are
found in the vicinity of the tropic and the teínpeálte zone.
Tbere are also a great va_riety of fties and phosphoric insects, which illuminate the hedges at night
by the brilliànt lights ·they eruit. .
There are also a great diversity o f ANTS. The most remarkable are those· of Mandioca, of Correiçao,
and tbe Cupim. 'I' h e· first are o f a rel.ldish colou r., and a pest to agricultura! productions,: as well as
fnrit trees, such. as the orange, and others equal in size_or larger. It.is necessary every da:y, in order·
to preserve fhe mandioca froiJ} the déstructive attac·ks of t:hi·s insecJ, to lay something for them to eat,
in order that they may not devour the plailtations at night or strip .the ti:ees 'of their fóliage. It is
during the night alone that they commit these depredations.• 'flrey forni spacious subteri·ancous
cavities, with many entrances and outlcts, distànt one from tbe othei·. Wli'en it happeus tlfat they
fot;m ~his cavity belów lhe foundation-wall ·o f a h ouse sometimes it !i.Ín11í's, an'd; duriug the rainy sea-
son, most probirb'ly fa'lls to the gro'llnd. The· Corteiçao'* An't is sma'll, 1iud' m'o:ves from one dis'trict to
another in innumeJ•tibfe legions, covetin'g many roods of territory in their màrcb. No J'iving insect can
remain upon their I in e of march: the smaller ones are killed, and tÍié' larger obl~ged- to fly, The
Cupim is a Sf!lall An't, light cdloiired, an'd flat~ subsisting up'ou tohé' flour ór- s'rri'all particl!'!S of wood,
with which, and a species of glue ihat i'ssues from ifs -body, it- consthi'éts an aich or vault over the
rdad by which it' tl'avels, in Õrdet• that it may not be seen by othe'r insecis arra _b irds· which des'troy it.
Jt is very destructive to tbe· timbers of d'"'elling-honses, and builds its· residence in the ceilings of the
sauÍ!;! materiais, in a round form full of lit'tle cells; som'étimes . it constructs ü upou the points o f
bran'ches of trees, buf- the grea'ter numoeí- o f Cupin1's erect them upoü' the gl'Ound, with earth, .ren-
dere'd solirl by the admixture of tl\e said glué, the whóle of die interior beitl'g full of cells, s.aloons,
and covered ways: their form is pyramidica·J, some with! mâny feet in h'eight',' !ui'd they resist for severa I

jf Correiçao is at~rm applied to ·a judge goh1g out to trave! througb the district o f h is jurisdiction.
3 •r 2
 5'08 APPENDIX-ZOOLOGY.

winters the tempests of rain that assai! them; bnt the claws of the ant-bear crumble them to dust i!l
a moment, when their inhabitants are ·as quickly devoured.
There are divers species of the BEE, but none of them can be compáred with the European bee in
the utility and excellence ~f its honey,
That called Urucu is the mo·s t numerous, and of a gray colour. Its hive i~ of wood, and the
door is an orifice ~y which one can pass commodiously at a time, and where. there is always one upon
the watch, with its head out, in ordcr to impede the entrance of small insects. This sentinel is sub-
ject to the inconvenience of drawing back upon the entrance o r going out of any one o f the common-
wealth. The mumbuca is of a blackish colour. The mandassaia is black and short. These three
ldnds are of the size of the European bee. The tubim is smaller. The tlteuba is also small, and of
a yellow cast. The cupimeim, so denominated because it occupi~s tpe houses deserted by the Cupim
ant, makes good honey. The tatahim and the saranlto are the only species that are mordacious. The
getalti is of the size of a mosquito, and manufactures a honey of a very liquid and delicious nature.
The cm·uara is a little larger than the preceding. The pregiuçoza is c,>f the size of the getahi, and
produces an insipid honey. That named mosquitinho is vet:y small and black, and lives on the ground.
None of these species form the honey-comb like those of Europe; the combs are round, and the cells
unequal, in the torm of !l bubble, without regularity, and the wax is more or less glutinous; and .never
has the whiteness of that of the old world. Ali the bee-hives, of whatever species of bees they are,
l!ave few inhabitants, comparatively speaking.
There are also various casts of WASPS, or Marimbondos, as tbey are called in the country. The
inxuy is delicate, and makes its habitation generally of a round form, plain, and o f an ash colour,
attached to a branch, or fastened to some plant; its combs are deep: and introduced one in to the
other, the orifices or cells are full of a yellow savoury honey, which ultimately becomes like refined
sugar. The inxu is large, fabricates its combs according to the m.e.thod of t he precediug, and fill~
t hem with most excellent honey.
If the Brazil cannot boast of so gre~t a variety of quadrupeds as some countries, perhaps no other
region of the world equals it in th~ innumerable species of birds which it possesses, more wonderful
still in the beauty of their P.l·umage aud variety of their song.
Amongsftbem are those which follow, namely : - ·
The ALMA DE GATO (Soul'of a Cat) is of the si?e of a pigeon, the Iower part . ash-coloured,
and the upper of a gold colour, with a long tail, short aud curved beak. It has no song.
There are various kinds of ANDORINHAS, or Swallows, distinguished alone by the size or the
colour, being more or less black.
The ANUM is of the size of a blacl!:bird, the whole of a brilliant ánd jet black, the tail Iong and
.rounded, with only eight featlhers. The bill curved, thick at the root, and the apper part pointed.
I ts song is a kind of sad lamen~ation; and its flight is short. They always proceed in flocks not very
numerous, and uever alight upon high tr;es. lt is said that these fiocks alllay their eggs in one com-
mon nest. It is, however, certain, that if the nest of these birds is fonnd with a great number of
eggs, there are numerous compartments, and the various little nests are separated by portions of dried
grass. There are other casts of the Anum, of the size o f the preceding one, but of an ash-colour, with
·a slender beak, a little curved, and a tuft or plume ~f feathers, which it · eievates and Iowers at plea-
sure.
The ARAPONGA, or Guirttponga, is of the size of a small pigeon, white as snow, with a beak wide
at ,t he root, a portion unfeathered. and of a green colou r around the eyes. This bird perches upon the
 APPENDIX-ZOOLOGY.

t op of the highest trees in the woods, and there passe~ the principal part of the day in a song, which
imitates well a fanier just finishing a horse's shoe upon the anvil.
AZULAO is a species of sparrow, of an indigo-coloúr, which, after being acclistomed to the cage,
imitates various other small birds.
BE:itfTEVI, so called by the Europeans in consequence of its articulating with accuracy the words
which com pose its na me, is the size of a Iark, witl~ a white circle around the head, a thick and pointed
bill, baving a yellow belly, and a gold colour above.
BICUDO is a kind of sparrow, either of an agate or gold colour, sings, and has a very short thick
bill.
BARBUDO is. little less than a blackbird, also black, with a Iarge white spot on the back, and a
yellow one on the neck, a short tail and legs, a large head, with thick eye-brows, a jet black bill, a
little curved and pointed, having whiskers.
CABECA DE RuBIM (Head of Ruby) is a species ~,>f duclr, of a green colour, with a Iittle. crimson
cap, which it conc-eals at pleasure, as well as the feathers o f its · sides. The female has a larger and
black cap. ·
CABORE is the small Spanish owl .
CAiçu, wbich siguifies large head, is of the size of a lark, of a disagreeable aspect, with the wings
and tail of a tobacco and the belly of an as h colou r, having a white spot upon the neck, the upper
part of the body gray and speckled with white, a thick neck and bill, the l~tter black pointed.
CANARIO (Canm'Y) has the form, and almost the same colour, but not the song of those of the
Canary islands. It is the first-among·st the small _birds that announces the dawu of day.
CANCAO is of the size of a bl~ckbird, the belly white, the upper part dark, with a long round tail,
and white at the extremity. The fore part of .the head, neck, ànd breast, are of a jet colour. It has
a Iarge white spot upon the back part of the head, a smaH black crest, a small tound spot above the
eyes, beginning with blue and finishing in white; tbe iris is yellow, which it extends and· compresses,
and the beak thi.ck and short. This bird always goes near the ground, and on perceiving any living
creature immediately gives a signal. Jt is the móst choleric bir~ of the country, and a destroyer of
the otbers, eating th~ eggs and the young-ones whilst unfeathered.
CARDIAL (Ca,rdinal) is .a little larger than the linnet, which it resembles. It has a small crimson
cap, or hood, which covers a part of the neck, and from which it derived the nam~: its song is Ioud
and pleasant.
CARRICA (Hedge-sparrow) differs from that of Europe only in being a little larger, and Iess
fearful. It makes its nest, with little care, in inhabited l:wuses or the fields .
CHAMA-COELHO is a little less than the blackbird, with a black head, the lower part yellow, and
t he upper of a tobacco colour.
CEGONHA, or Stm·lc, is commàn, and similar to that of Europe.
CAZACA DE CoiRO is of the size o f a lark, yellow above, and gray under the belly.
COLHEREIRA, which with justice has the pre-eminence of king ·amongst hirds of the morasses, is
the size of a large capou, without a tail, of a rose colour above, the belly white, with long legs,
Iong white neck, the bill also long aud thick at the root, square in the middle, wide and .fiat at the
point, like a Spatula. 1
CoLIBRI, or Humming-bi7·d, and known in the Brazil only by the name of B eija Flor, (Kiss the
Flower,) is the smallest bird existing. Mr. Robert has- represented it to be as small as a fly,
in. which he does uot appear to be correct, as none so diminutive are seen in t his country. Their
 APPENDIX-ZOOLOGY.

varieteis liave been stated at six or seven, but tuere are a great many more: Padre Cazal has seen ten
a
difl'etrent kiuds. An European would -never have supposed tuat bird so small as the eud of one's
tinger could exist, furnished as it is with a bill, feathers, wings, and intestines, similat· to the Iarget·
],i no, and he would be naturally disposed to consider it 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
chírrup. It has Iong wings compared with the size of the body. The largest, of the size of a very
small wren, are of an índigo colou r, with a white spot upon lhe back. The second species differ only
from the first in being smaller and not haviug a spot, Loth have a long tail much forked. The third
I< iud and size are gray, and make their nests iu inbabited houses, in the form o f a littre pocket,
suspended from the point of a straw. The fourth. variety are entirely green. The fiftb are tbe same
colour and size, with a wbite spot upon the breast. The sixth differs only from lhe preceding in
haviug a very short tail. The seventh is of the same colour and size, with the tail yellow. The
eighth is the colour of the nightinga le, the breast finely speclded with whiLe. The ninlh is of a briJ ..
liant green, with the wings and tail dark, the beak short, slender, anel yellow. Ali the otbers have
it long·, pointed, very delicate, anel straight, wilh the exception of the gray ones and those of the
uig·htingale colour, who have it a little curved. The tenth kind is dark, or almost black, with a short
tail of the colour o f fire, the bill black, and of medium Iength; when -tumed towards tire spectator,
the throat and breast exhibit at one instant various colours, according to the movements of the
bird, at oue time tbat of Aurora, when most brigbt, or like gold melted in the crucible, followed, on
a sudden, sometimes by a sufi'usion of green, at others by blue, and by white, without ever losing
an inimita ble brilliancy. The head, which is black, appears ornaruented with a Iittle creSt of the
sa me colour when the bird has its side towards the observer, and when it presents the front it
appears studdêd with sparkling rubies, or ali of a brilliant scarlet, which insensibly changes to reful-
gent yellow. They generally have the tongue very Iong, the Iegs exceedingly short, and the eyes
black; tbcir principal aliment is the joice or honey of flowers, wh ich they extract, not ' as the bee
but in the same manner as the butterfiy. Some of thcm have tbe tongue cleft.
EMA, o r Emu, is ú1e Ostrich o f the old world, anel is tbe largest bird . o f this country; its boáy is
round, and covered with long g,ray feathers, standing on end; the legs thick and long; with thrce
short and stout toes; two sort of spears are af'the joints of the wiugs, which are not sufficient to fly
with , bnt in the plains it surpasses the horse in swiftness, and is <lifficult to laço, even when
the laçador is mounted upon a fleet horse. It has no tail, and when it elevates ils head it is tue
height of a mau. Hs feathers are esteemed for plumes, and the sltin is u~ed for shoes.
ENCONTRO is the size of a greenfinch, long, delicate, and dark, with a ye1low spôt at the joinl
of tbe wing. There are two otber sorts, of a jet colour, one of which has white spots, and the
other red.
FEiTICEiRO is the size of a lark, between yellow and grcen on the upper part, the belly ash colonr,
with the bill of a blackbird, eyes Iike rubies, and a small crest.
GALLEIRAo is the size of a pigeon, the upper part green, aud the lowe~· purple, with a very
short tail, long yellow legs, tbe ueck slender, the head small, ~ ith a fiat comb, smooth and white,
tlle (:}iiJi sFlmt and thick aud the colour of red sealiug wax, with the extremity yellow. It frequents
the margins of la),es, and its fiesh is savory. There is another species of this bird, sômewhat vary-
iug from it.
GALL<:~ no BANDO is t'he size of a Sj>arrow, b'lack, with a white spot upon the back, and the top
of rhe ltead greeu, having a long tail.
 APPENDlX-ZOOLOGY. 511

GuARA, on~_ of the handsomest birds tbat fJ:equent .tbe morasses, has tbe body similar· to a par-
tJ'idge, a long neok and leg·s, witl1 tàe billlong and a little. curved, and without· a tail. 'l'l1e fi rst
feathers are white, after a short time they turn black, and finally scarlet, preserving the second
colou r at the extremity .o f the wings.
GARCA, or Heron, consists of small and large white oncs, and also others which are l.!lrge and of
an ash colour.
GAVIAO, or Hawk, includes various kinds, of which the Cauhan is small, and the Corocuturu gray,
being four spans in length from the head to the extremity of the tail, and will seize a small monkey
and fly away with it with great facility.
GRUNHATA is the size of a robiu-red-breast, yellow pelow aud ou the front of the head, the res t
of a dark colour, except some blue. parts. Its song is harmonious. There are other sorts, some
of them yellow, with the. tail and wings green, and a black stroke the whole length of the lmv.e r
part.
JABURU is larger tban tbe tnrkey-cocl>, without a tail, aud white as snow·; the ueck, legs, and bill
are very long; the latter is po.inted.
JACANAN is little less than the thrush, the breast greeq, the upper pmt of a touacco colour, with·
the wiugs short and round, the tail very short, with eigbt small featbers, the eyes -anc1legs of a rosy
hue, ·a fine bill, and a green spot on the front part. of the head. It goes always upou t he ground.
JACU is the size of a large capqn, black, with the figure of a turkey-heu.
JACUTINGA is a little larger, with the same fig;ure and' colour, having gre.en legs, and half otl the
wings white, a green bill and large black eyes, the featber,s on the upper part of..the head are long1 and
··white, the breast is speckled with white.
JAcu-PEMBA is smaller than the first, ~ith the breast of an ash colüur. The amcuo.n is also a
species of jacu, tbe size of a pigeon, wjth the tail aud neck loug. of a dark y.ellowish !me. These
four birds have wattles at the throat similar to a turkey-hen.
JAP·U is the size of a pigeon, black, with, a yellow tail, the bill of the same colour, thick, long·,
round, and finely poiuted; when it: sings it suspends itself by the feet, at the same time beatiug with
its wiugs.
JAPUE is less, and of the same colour, with a large green spot upon tbe back, tl1e eyes small and the
íris blue. Both construct the samê ldnd of nests, wbich are remarkable for the form and for the art
. with which they make them at the extremity of the bighest bõrizontal braucbes, in the shape of a bag
o r pocket, and five or six spans in lenglh; they are of_ moss, woven in sucb . a way. that they move
continually to and fro with the wind, without sustaining any injury. Such is their precaution to
prevent their young from being i11jured by surrounding enemies. Tbey destwy oranges pr<,>fusely
to obtaio the seed.
INHUMA is the size of a capou, with dark sides, the belly ash colour, and the wings of an extraor- .
dinary Iength, being ten spans when extended, each with t\vo spurs of an unequal size, and a hom
of a bony substauce half a span in length and the thickness of a large turkey-quil, sharp poiuied,
and a little curved at lhe extremity, with a magnetic virtue, and alsü with the property of counter-
poison. Wben about to drink it introduces this antidote against poison into the water, and the
birds and quadrupeds near it, it ís said, theu ouly drink. Its fiesh is spongy and not eaten. There
are other kinds of this bird about the size of a pígeou.
JOAO·DE·BARRO is a species of Iark, yellow, with a whitísh streak above the eyes, an <l ouly
remarl,able for the anangement o f its nest of ban·o, or clay, from which its mune i:; derived, T he
 512 APPENDIX-ZOOLOGY.

nest is constructed with mucb art and perfection between the forked branches of a tree, and consists
of a. corridor, something more than a span in Iength, having a window at the end, between it and an
ap~rtment almost o.f the same length at one side, whose entrance is small, and always on that side the
least exposed to the wind. This edifice withstands the winters for many years.
JoAo ToLo ( Foolish Jolm) is tbe size of a bullfinch, o f a greenish changeable colour above, the
belly yellow, with a white spot upon the throat, the neck very long, the bill also long and poin,ted.
It is tame, and without any soug.
LAVANDEIRA is small and white, with the wiogs black.
,Amongst various sorts of MACARICOS, which inhabit the margins and lakes, there is one somewhat
smaller than the thrusb, ash-coloured above, and white below, wi.th a very short tail; the legs long
an~ green; the bead large and flat, with a narrow white circle around it, which is relieved by imother
that rs wide and black, and a colhtr of the same colour; the eyelids are rosy, with two fenels or
spears at the joints o f the wings, wbich are white, with the extremities blaclt.
There are a variety of the WILD DucK and WATER FowL.
MARlDO-HE-DIA ( Husband it is Day) does not differ from the female of the bird c~Hcd tendilltao-
(Ór chaffinch :) its song is its na me badly articulated.
MORCEGOS, or Bats, are numerous everywhere, some being of the size of a pigeon ~ they are
exceedingly prejudicial to cattle, to certain fruits, and to houses and churches, where they frequently
discbarge a black liquid that cannot be washed away.
MUTUN is almost the size of a turkey-cock, of a beautifuljet black, very graceful, with a curled
tuft or plume, quick 'eyes, the bill yellow, the legs grel?n, and the thighs white. Its song is mouro-
fui; its flesh delicious. The female has the plume spotted.
There are also different sorts of NIGHT•CROWS (Noitibos) or Coliangas, as they are commonly
called. One kind frequerits the margins of lakes during the day, and is of a beautiful and inimitable
gray on the upper part, the lower part white, having a white spot in the middle of the wings,
the extremities being black. The head is Iarge and flat, with Iarge black eyes. It has scarcely tbe
appearance of a bill, witb a crooked, and extremely Iarge mouth ; the largest toe, whicb is uot propor-
tioned to the smallness of the others, has a saw or comb towards the inner side. Tbe flesh of this
bird, when fat, is censidered good.
P AHO is the size of a pigeon, black, with lhe breast o f a rosy hue, and the beak proportionate.
J.ts flesh is also good when fat.
PAPA-ARROZ is small and entirely black. It goes in bands.
There are upwards of twenty sorts of PARROTS, reckoning from the smallest parroquet to the
arara, or macaw. The flesh of the whole is deemed good, especially that of thejtt1'U. Those which
compose the last class are of three sorts: the Araruna is entirely blue; the Ca.ninde, also blue
above, with the belly of a gold colour; and others which have the Jower part and the head of a
rose colour.
In lakes distant from inhabited places there are large WILD G EESE some graiY, some white,
and others cora\line.
Tbe bird called the P Av Ao, o r Peacock, is of the size of a larl1 when unfeathered ; but, while
feathered, is larger than a thrush. It is of a beautiful, brilliant, and changeable colour, beginning
,.
with green, and finishing with a bluish green upon the back; the belly is of a rose colou r; the wings
small and round, 'and of ari exquisite gray; the lower parts of the thighs are dressed in dark featbers,
covering the legs, which are very delicate and short; the tail is six inches long, lhe tw~ central
 APPENDIX-"-ZOOLOG Y.

feathers are dark and of changeable colour, the four next are of a jet . black, and 'ali lhe six
equal,-the other six have the extremities white, and gradually diminishing from the olhers in length:
the head is ratber large, covered with curled feathers, which form a little plume of dark blue; the
bill is very short and a little curved, extremely wide at the root, and terminating in a point encircled
witl1 mustachoes or foretops thick and black ; the eyes are large and black, with yellow eyelids.
There are tive species o f P ARTRTDGES, ali gray, and without tails. The smallest, called nambus,
• have a rosy beak; those called zabelez are a little larger than the Europcau partridge, and have. the legs
yellow; the r.napttpez is still larg·er, with a long bill; those named macucos are more bulky, and of
a dark colour, with two spurs at the joints of the wiugs, aud a species of saw (such at least have the
males) upon the hinder part o f the legs; the capueims, which are a little larger thau the nambus, go
in bands: ali the others disperse after the mothers leave them. The wbole sit upon the ground, ex-
cepting· the macuco, which always perches upon a tree at night.
PERU no MATO, (the Wood Turkey,) improperly so called, is the ·size of a blackbird, of a dark
ash colour, well furnished with feathe1:s, which termiuate like hair, the tail jet black, the bill red,
·thick, and poiuted; wheu it sings it elevates the beak perpendicularly.
QuEROQUERO, which is almost the size of a partridge, has a white belly, with the breast abd
thróatwhile, of a chaugeable colour above, with a white spot uear the wiugs, which are ármed with two
spurs, and whose largest féathers are black, much exceeding the length af the tail, which is short, with
the extremity white, the eyes are green and handsome, it has tbe bill similar to a pigeon, green, and the
end black; the head is ornamented with a small black crest, aud poiuted ; the legs are long, and the
thighs still Ioug·er, with the Iower portion unfeathered and greén. Its flesh is good, and it would ap-
pear not to sleep, as its cry is heard at al! hours of the night. It feeds upon the margins of lakes.
The RoLA, or sort of TuTtle-Dove, is of various species: those calledju?·itis are a little less than a
similar kirid which pass from Africa to Europe in tb~ spring, uut are not so handsome; their song, consist~
ing of one long note, is somewhat melancholy; those called tuTtles de cascave!, in consequence of the
rattling of their wiugs when they rise, are beautified with white spots, and are somewhat Iarger than
a sparrow, thl:'y fight with their wings, and commonly procure their sustenance in bands. The thir.d
kind, called caboclas, from being the colour of a brick, are the same size as the preceding. The
other sorts ali pass nnder the name of pombas (pigeons); the cm·diguems are small; those called
aza branca (white wing) resemule the t1·oquaze pigeon, o1· ring do ve of Europe. The ring doves of the
country are large, and have tbeir beaks g·reen; as have also those called pm·m·is.
SABT A is a l\iud o f thrush, and the greatest singer in the Brazil; its song does not differ from i he
blacl\ bird; some, but very rarely, h ave the fealhers and the bill yellow.
The SAHYS are a species of beautiful little bird, and divided into various sorts. The sa!ty da
secia is tbe size of a hedge-sparrow, having a similar beak ; its sides and belly are purple, with the
wings black above, and the under parts yellow, the tail blacl{, tbe f~et of a rose colour, the head
silvery, and the eyes blue. The sa!ty bicudo is the size of a robin, of a green colour, with the tail
and wings black, and the ·bill pointed. The sa!ty 1·oxo (or purple sa!ty) is the size of a sparrow, with tbe
tail ano wings black, the _head and breast purple, and tbe bill short and pointed. The sa!ty de colleim,
has the forro anel size of a spanow, with the heatl purple, the neck rosy, the belly green, the sides,
wings, and tail, of a greenish hne, and the bill short. The sa!ty-xe, has the head, wings, and tail ·
óf a greenish colour, lhe breast between blue and green, and black nea1· the blade bone or shoulders
and the throat, t-he hindet· part of the back yellow, and the beak short. The salty papagaio is lhe
size of a greeofinch, .o f a changeable colour, between blue and green, with a black tail and short
bill, wide at the root and fine at lhe extremity.
3u
 514 APPENDIX-ZOOLOGY.

SANHACO is a sort of greenfinch.

SERIEM:A is a little larger than the turkey-hen ; its song is simple and tender, it goes generally upon
the ground, and flies little.
SERRADOR is a small bird of a blackish colour, with the beak similar to a sparrow, it only perches
upon dry and naked branches, is like the ortolao, and is incessantly rising perpendicularly two or three
spans, alighting upon the same place, and keepiog in its moyement the time of a serra, o r saw; . it has
no song, nor is its plumage beautiful. ·
SOFFRER, to which the whites have given the name, pretending tbat it articulates lhe word in its
inharmonious song, is little less than tbe blackbird, of a gold colour, with the head, throat, tail, and
wings, black, excepting a white spot in the middle of the wings ; the tail is Iong, the bill round, long,
and pointed, likewise black, with two white spots on each si de of the lower part; the iris yellow.
Soco is a bird coniprising various kinds, the white ones are the size o f a large capon, without a t!lil,
With the legs a little long, the bill also lç>ng · and blue, the fore parto f the head is blacl[, the hindet
part ornamented with a long pointed crest, falling back upon t}Je necl[, which is rather long. The
ash-coloured ones differ only froJD the preceding in colour. There is another larger than the biack-
bird, being two spans and a half when the wings are opened, and three from the extremity of the bill
to that of the feet; it is green on the upper part, a11d ash-coloured below, the bill is long and pointed,
the íris yellow, tbe neck a span in length, slightly covered with feathers, and spotted on the uoder
side; the tail is two inches long, the bead is black, with a crest.
TAPE~A is a little larger than the blackbird, tbe whole Qf lhe body white, with the bead, tail,
and wings black, the bill stout and pointed.
TYHE, or Tapiranga, is mu~h larger than tbe spa~row, the feathers of the wings large, and those
of the tail black, the rest entirely crimson; the bill is thick and black, with two white spots upon the
lower part. The tyhé negro (black tyhe) is the same size, with a green spot upon the head.
TINGARA is the size of a tentif1Jao, or chaffinch, of a sea green colour, with the head green, the
tail short, and the bill fine, short, and pointed.
TUCANo is the size of a pullet, black, with tbe breast between green and yellow; the bill, a little
curved, is of a thickness and length disproportionallly large for the b11dy. The m·assary is anotber
species o f tucano, differing in the colour of the feathers ; the bill is a little less and straigbt, its song
is the name by which it is desigoated. Tbe tucano builds its nest in the cavities of old trunks, lays
only two eggs, and its first plumage is white, it has on each side of the head a nal[ed portion of a red
colour and varnished.
TUYUYU is much larger than lhe turkey-cock, white, with the legs black, is very high, with rather
a long neck, the bill pointed, :witbout a tail, and is the height of a man; it feeds at the margins of
lakes, and its sustenance is fish ..
VruvA is the size of a sparrow, black, with the head white, and the tail proportioned. There is
another species of viuva the size of a red robin, also blacl~, with the head white, and lhe body a
Iittle large from the feathers curling very much upon the tlpper part; the bill is short and delicate; it
always perches upon dry branches and does not sing.
URUBU is a species of vulture, of the size of a turkey-cock, black, with tbe head hairy like it, the
bill proportioned and curved at the upper part. There are two other sorts· of the uTubu, .b oth rare,
the one differs only in having a portion green1 the other, which is called 7trubu-'rey, is of a whitish
ash coluur, with t(Je tail and wiugs black, the neck absolutely naked and fleshy, the bead imperfectly
covered with a soft fur, the crop hairy, the eye-lids greeQ, the iri!i very white, aud the bill black,
 APPENDIX-PHYTOLOGY. õl5

and has on the upper part o f tbe biU a caruucle, composed of various yellow globules of divers sizes,
attached to a delicate pedicle.
In the interior lakes there is a species of gull, the size of a swallow, the lower part very white, and
tl1e upper of a pearl colour; the tail forked, the wiugs long and narrow, with the tbree leading fea-
thers black, as likewise the fore part of the head ; the bill is long and yellow.
PATATIVA of an as h colour, is less than a robin, and sings.
RENDEIRA is the size of a bullfinch and white, with the head, tail, and wings black, the bill and
tail short.
TICOTICO is of the size o f a hedge-sparrow, having its colour almost upon the sides, with the belly
yellow, and a white semi-circle above the eyes.
TACOARA is larger than a blackbird, of a greenis'h colour, with the tail very long, the upper
part of the head a gold colou r, having a large black spot round 'the eyes.

. . PHYTOLOGY .
PERHAPS no country in the world presents such an infinite variety of vegetation as the Brazil, or so
spaéious a field for the labours of the botanist. lt abounds· in a diversity of excellent timber,
dye-woods, and medicina~ plants. Nature, here so spontaneous, has not, amongst its innumerable
indigenous species, any plants aud trees of the European world. The colonists have natnralized
a great number, but they do not prosper so well as in th~ir native soil. Those of •Africa and Asia
sustain no injury when planted in the same latitude. The olive-tree grows little, soon droops, and
does not fructify in the torrid zone. The che'stnut-tree is only known in the soatbern provinces, where
peaches grow in perfection; also the apple, plum, and cherry trees. The pomegranite and quince
also prosper in the torrid zone. The vine and fig grów generally, but more .especially out of the
tropic. Oranges, ofwhich there are various kinds, grow universally. Grain does not grow in ali the
' provinces, with the exception of rice and lndian corn. Water-melons are every where excellent; the
melou is good only in a few places. Tbe cabbage and lettuce are cultivated, together with other in-
digenous hartulans unlmown in Europe. The pea, bean, and turnip are little cultivated; with these
were also naturalized rosemary, rue, wormwood, lavender, parsley, coriander, aniseed, mint, the pink,
and jasmine. The rose-tree has a great enemy in the ant: its flower is not handsome.
Amongst other trees of excellent wood for building, carpenter and joiner's work, are the ajetahypeta,
buranlte, cedar, conduru, comçao de neg1·o, (negro's Íleart,) gonçalo alves, jacaranda, jacamndatan,
jacarando-mulato, jeqttitiba, jetahy, loiTo, massaranduba, mocetahyba, moctthyba, which is high,
having a small tuft, similar to a parasol, and affords a small walnut, somewhat like an olive, with a thin
and smoth rind, inclosing an oval lteruel, from which is extracted an oi! that is applied to various
seus, brahuna, or maria preto, olandim, bow wood, oil wood, violet wood, peguim, putumuju, oyty,
oytycica, itapicuru, sapucaya, sebastiao d'an·uda, male and female, sucztpira, sucupi1·assu, vinkatica,
sassajras, anel many more. ·
ALECRIM BRAZILICO ( Brazilian Rosemary) is a shrub, only similar to that of its name in the
colour of its flower, bark, and wood ; the leaf resembles that of mint, but is small, with the smell of
savory. There is another sorl of rosemary, which differs only from the latter in its flower, which Js
white and formed like that of savory. Both grow best in a dry and sandy soil.
3u2
 516 APPENDIX-PHYTOLOGY.

ALGODEIRA, or Cotton~Tne, is a shrub which begins to ramify immediately on appearing, its leaveil
resembling the vine leaf. It has five Iarge yellow petals, encircliug each othe~; a g;reat number of
capillaments united in one column, in the centre of which a pistil arises to a greater height, of wlrose
germ a capsule is formed mo~re than two inches in Iength, triangular, anel enclosing in three lodge-
ments a great uumber of seeel, resembling that ofthe pear, contiguous and in two orders, and unfolding
in a white aud Iong cotton wool, supplying the most exteusive branch of commerce in the Brazil.
The AMBOZEIRO, or.Ambuzo Tree, is o f small size, and grows in sterile lands, not requiring any cul-
ture. It begins to have branches on issuing from the. ground, anel they at'e exceeelingly iutertwined
with each othei·; the leaves are small, elliptical, and varnished ou both sides; the flower is in small
bunches, hke the olive-tree; the fruit is similar in appearance to the sloe, between a green aud white
colour, having a thick sldn, disagreeable to the taste, with a large round stone, uever separating ,from
the pulp,. which resolves itself into a thick flúid, generally pleasant when ripe. lt is much esteemed
in tbe certams, particularly by the quadrupeds. The people of the country make of its fluicl and
curdlecl mill1, well mixeel together, and sweeteneel with sugar or honey, a beverage, which they call
ambuzada, and say that it might do for a royal repast. This tree produces at the root one large
potatoe, and sometiines more, and also srt1all ones of a spougy and transparent substance, wliich turn
into colei water on being compressed, and is a great resource to caravans and travellers passiug plains
devoid of water.
ANDIROBA is a plant, very similar to that of a cucumber, affording a round fruit, without smell, th~
size o f a large apple, with eleven o r twelve seeds, round and flat, disposed in three cavities o r cells, from
which is ex;tracted a clear medicinal oi i, being also gooel for Iights.
ANGELIM is a tree of medium height, l1aving many branches, the leaf small, the flower, wi-tl..1. five
petals in an ear, between a violet and rose-colou r, ha1•ing a pistil and nine capillaments; tlle fruit ·i.s a
t"io-valved capsule of an ash-colour, affordiug an oval almond, covered with a thick membrane, anel
which is used in pharmacy.
ARACA MIRIM is a tree o f considerable growth, with a small leaf; the bark is as smoeth on the
epirlermis as the inner sicle.
A\lGUEIRO, or Argua-Tree, is the size of the olive-tree, its trunk and branches overspread witb short
pricldes; the leaves, which it ·a nnually sheds, are of the shape of a heart ; the flowers are in bunches,
of one or...two spans in length, at the extremity o f the branches, disposed three anel three; it h as five
petals of which one only unfelds itself, this is of a beautiful rose-colour, with little Iess than two
inches o f length, anâ more. than one in ·width. U pon the lower part o f the pistíl, which is amongst
ten capillainents, there .is a pod, containing an indete1:minate number of jeijoer;, or beans, entirely of a
red colour, or with black spots; they are very hard, and bracelets .are ma ele o f them. It is one o f the
most beautiful trees in the country when in tlowé, in which state it remains for some time.
The ARTJCUM, or At·aticu, of which there are various kinds, is similar to the ambuzo in size, in the
.entwiniug of its branches, and in having an ash-coloureel rind. The leaves, which it casts off annua.Jly~
are almost round, and of a beautif!Jl green, and varnished ou both sides. lts flower is like a fig, o f a
yellow colou r, whicb opens in thr~e equal portions, as i f tbey were parted with a lmife, are thick, of a
reddish hue, and in the forro" of a shell; below each portion there is a smaller shell, not so thic)i, and
externally white, inclosing a butlon in the sha}Je of a pine, which becomes a fruit of the size and form
of the largest pear; the pulp is white or .yellow, soft anel full of pips: few are good, but they are
generally eaten.
The BARRIGUDA, (Big-beUied,) so called in consequence o f its lrunk being thiclrer at the middle
 APPENDIX-=-PHYT0LOGY. 517

tbaú at the gr;ouud, and otherwise deuominated Arvore.da lan, ( Wo.ôl-TTee,~ has the rind covered with
round-thorns, the leaves are almost elliptical, and fTom tbree to four inches -in.length. The flower begins
witb tbe figure o f a li~tle round fig, smooth, without an eye, having a short and tbick pedi ele; this fig
has the length and form of an acom, being always of a green colour, it opens at the extremity in three
parts, from whence issues a bud similar to that of cotton, round, and two inches long, which unfolds
in,five petals three inches in length. It has fiye capillaments snrrounded with a pistil, which is deli"
cate and terminates in a little. red ball, the whole six attached to a receptacle at the bottom of a cup,
~hére a fruit is formed with some resemblance to a cucumber, which, when it opens, is full of fine
white ·wool,.which .the wind blows away if not immediately taken; it cannot be spun, but it is used
for stuffing beds .
. There are three sorts of BRAZIL WooD ;-Braz-il Mi?'im, wbich is the best; Brazil Assu, or
Rozado, so called from its trunk being higher, more upright, of less girth, and the dye which is ex-
tracted from it of less consistency anti ll_IOre rosy, henc~ arises its second uame. The ·Brazileto
differs little from the Assu in size, in tbe form of its truuk and tuft; and aÍfo rds little dye. The
Brazil Mirim has a larger trunk, the riud greener and finer, the tboms smaller and tl:!icker, the leaf
smaller, and tbe wood more of a purple \:lue. The bark of the wiH>le is smootb and the thorns begin
at the shoot anel cxteud ~o the point of tbe bran.ches. The Bower of the Mirim is white and very
small; the wood, immediately on being cut, if put to the tongue, is sensibly bitter, which, on becoming
dry; it loses, turniug to an agTeeahle sweetness. 'T'hese trees grow ou rocks as well as in plains. The
wóod· is heavy_a.ll(.l· excellent for building; put into water it will remain sound, it is said, etemally;
put into the fire it breHks in pieces, but does not produce any smoke. lt ~s said•, that the mQst proper
peciods for cuUiog this timber for its dye is. at the time of the new moon in winter, and when in the
fourth quarter in summer. A portion of vi trio! ànd . lime, or ashes thrown in to the dec:;oction of the
Brazil wood forms a black dye.
CACAUZEIRA, o r Cocoa~Tree, whicl1 generally does not exceed the size of; a small tree, · almost.
always has many trunks, and extends its b1;anches horizontally and incliuingly; the Ieaves resemble
thos~ of the largest chestnut; its fruit, which grows only upon the trunks and thickest branches, "is a
large oblong capsule, in the shape of a mellon, ·with a very hard rind, which encloses forty to fifty.
alm.õnds in a white, viscqus, and sweet substance. O f tbese almouds chocolate is made.
CAFEEIRO, or Cqffee-Tret;, transplanted from Arabia, anel prospering admirably in the strong
anel fresh soils of this country, is a braochy shrub, with the leaves opposite, which are smooth,
pointed at both extremities, anel larger than those of the laurel; lhe flower is white, entire, and
t ubulous on :the lower part, and cleft in to five !ancet points ou the upper, with the same number of
capillaments attached to the augle of the divisions, and a pistil to the receptacle. The fruit is a
berry, somewhat resembliug a cherry, attached to a thick and sbort pedicle. It is exceedingly fruitful,
and gi·ow.s to _the greatest size when planted under the shade of large trees ; but the fruit· of those
tree~ exposed to the sun is of lhe best quality. .
CAJATY is a shrub with a very thick rind, black·, anel furrowed with the first bark, the Ie.af differs
little. from · the laurel, and aflords a yellow fruit the size of the sloe, having an agreeable taste and
perfume, ·wi-th seed like the orange, and attached to the extremity of the branch by a long and
delicate pedicle.
CAJAZElRA, or Cajaza-T1·ee, is high, with a round tuft and small leat~ its fruit is like the acorn,
yellow, insipid, ·and with a large stone.
The CAJUEIRA, or Cajue~nut T1·ee, which grows in sandy soils, is a small tree with a crooked tmuk,

-.
 518 APPENDIX-PHYTOLOGY.

a round· tuft, witb the branciies raised horizontally and inclined ; the first rind a,ffords a sort of biack
dye; the wood a yellow one; the leaves are almost z:ound; tbe flower in bunches ; its singular f11rlit is
oí the size and figUire of a lqng round pepper, with a fine smooth skin, tinged with recl oJ.T yellow, and
sometimes with both, with a white· spongy substance, half sweet, without stone o r seed ; the taste is
not agreeable, although many persons are pa1rtial to this fruit; it has at the extremity a nut ·o f an ash-
colcmr, containing a white and oily substance, and not unlike the chestnut when roasted. Excellent
sweetmeats are ma de of the :Cruit, and also a· lemonade and even wine of its j uice.
CALUMBY, 'or Calumbo-Tree, is small, with little tuft, having exceedingly small leaves, which
dose wh~n the sun sets and open, in the morning. There are male and female, both a11med with
thorns like the bramble; the male has a very small flower, resembling a paint-brush, and its wood is
green, hard, compact, and very heavy, being only serviceable fol' joiríers' wo·rk, as scarcely one is
found, even amongst the most slend'er, without being hollow: The female has· a flower Fesembling
the chestnut..,tree, and its timber, although solid, is not so heavy, and is waved with g-reen and white.
The fruit of both are flat beFries.
CANDEA ( Lamp) is a crooked shrub,. with a large stock, the leaf is gene1:allY' white on the under
side; the wood, when dried, affords a good light witbout smolte, and saving much oil to tbe poor of
the certams, who put à fire-brand of it into the wall, where it lasts for a long timE>, giving a flame
like a fiambeau ; heace comes its denomination. When put into the ground it ·keeps many years.
CANELEIRA, Canela or Cilnnamon Tree, was transplanted from Asia, and was cultivated with
some care at the commencement of the colonization, but wa~ afterwards 9estr.oyed, by royal order, that
it might not interfere with the oriental trade; tbis error was soon discovered. At present tl)e increase
of those which spring from roots is preferred ; the quality o( the soil in whrch it should be planted
depends upon the vegeVable. Tbe best Asiátic cjnnamon ..trees g.row in d.ry soils.
CoLLA is a tree introduced from Africa, of medium size, with lea~es rather long, po.inted, and
shining on both sides; the flower is white and in bunches. l:t fruc·tifies in a pod.
€UTEZEIRA, o r Cuteza-Tree, is ·sriíaU, with· hori·zontal l!lranches, and the leaves rather long,
smóoth . wide, rounded at the point, and pointed at the base; it affords a huge oval fruit with a hard .
sbelf, of which, wben pa~ted, ÍS made cuyas, OI' cups.
GAMELLEFRA, or Gamella-Tree, is of considera·b le girth, having a ,r ound a:nd thick leaf; it
extends noots from the branches to the g•r ouml; ii's shade is sought after. ·
, GER!EMMA is a :smal1 thorny tree with very small Jeaves, which claily, close from· the infl'uence of lhe
sun; the flower rese~nbles that of the et1estnut; of its wood charcoal is macl·e for forges.
G.oYABEIRA, or GoyabiJ.-Tr·ee, is a shrub with a.smooth rind, the leaf alm·ost round, the· fruit,
like a pear, is yel'low and odoriferous, the pulp is rubicund, with a great quantiiby of small and round
seed in the centre. A, preserve much esteemed is made ofi it.
GuAB~lMBEIRA, or Guabiraba-'Free, is one of tbe largest f.ruit-trees in the country•; its leaf is
a little less than tbat of the peach, and alrnost of the same shat~e; the flower is wbite'; the fruit has
t he size and foTm of a pear, and is eaten in the same way as sorvas or service-àerries.
H ERVA DE CoBRA ( Serpent-Herb'.) ís a small plant resembling a ~ittle the fe11D in il's fol~age, the
flower is smaH a nó yellow, with fi•ve Ji>Ctals, and its t:rui.t is a very lit~le b1mry. The narne arises from
its virlue in curing the bite of a snake by placing the leaves pounded upon the ·wound and giving the
patient the juice to drink.
The JABUTICABEIRA, or Jabuticaba-T1·ee, is small and slender, with smooth bark; tbe leaves, wbich
aTe .varnished· on ~otu sides, but not· of the same green, vary in form upon tbe ~ame brancb. It

/ .
 APPENDIX-PHYTOLOGY. .519

6owers upon the trunk only, beginning at the ground, and extending to the branches, that are thick;
the fruit is generally of the size and colour of à cherry, and of a good flavour; a strong liquor is dis-
tilled from it.
The JAMBEIRA, or Jamba-Tree, whose size is proportioned to the quality of the ground upou which
it grows, bas a pointed Jeaf, with dark green on the upper side,' and clear green on the under; the
flower bas four small petals in the form of a sbell, with numerous Jong and upright capillaments, and a
pointed pistil still Jonger; its fruit resembles an apricot, has a fine flavour, and smells like a rose.
The J AQUEIRA, or Jaca-Tree, transplanted from Asia, and prospering only in the tropics, is ã Jarge
tree, with a round tuft, a thick truuk, large leaves rouuded at the extremity and pointed at the base,
vamished on both sides, the upper one of dark green. Its fruit, which only grows upou the · trunk
and main branches, is very larg·e, (some forty pouuds wei~ht,) o{ an oblong forru; the skin is green,
rough-grained, and thick; the white pulp is fibrous, and impregnated wilh viscpus milk; but it has
another pulp, 'sown promiscuously witb a sort of almond, less fibrous, without milk, and sweet, and
wbicb is the part eaten.
JA.TUBA, which h as not this name in ali the provinces, fructifies in husks like tbe tamarind-tree.
JENIPAPEIRo, or Jenipapo-Tree, is of good height with the trunk erect, the t1,1ft round and of
medi um size; the leaf is similar to that of the che~lnut, very thick, and of a dark green ; it is never
without fruit, which is the size of an apple, the skin tenuous, a liltle bar~h, and of an ash colour,
· the pulp is white, and the interior full of seed. Tbey rema in from one year to the next upon the
branches, which wholly sl!ed their foliage, and o~ly change when lhe tree puts forth its new Ieaves,
and when already the new üuit, for the following year, is of good growth. Its wood is preferred for
the shafts of the sege, or cabriolet.
JIQUITTBA is a tree of considerable g·irth anel affords a mit.
'l'he JoAZEIRO, or Joaza-Tree, which grows in sandy soils, is of the size of a middling olive:tree;
its tuft is round and thick; the leaves, which it scarcely sheds, are round and carefully protected; its
weod is white, and its asbes are a good substitute for soap. The floweris in small and round bunches;
the fruit is of the siz; ofa cherry, obloug, yellow, disagreeable to the touch, anel with a stone (full of
smaller ones) wbich is difficult to divest o f the pulp \vhen the fruit is not half dried. It is aliment for
some quadrupeds, and for lhe jacu and other birds, although few are well flavo~;~red. ·
MANGABEIRA, or Mangaba-Tree., is of medium size, with small poínted Ieaves, anda flower like
the jasmine; the fruit i~ round aud of varíous sizes upon the same branch, with a yellow and
greenish rind; tbe pulp white, exlremely soft, with various seeds covered with down; the wood, the
leaves, the flowers, and the fruit, when parted, distil a clammy and white milk.
The MANGUE is a small tree, with a smooth rind·, thick aud varnished leaves. H prospers only
upon the sea-coast or the margins of salt rivers.
The MANGUEIRA, or Mangwt-Tree, transplanted from Asia, and prospering only in the torrid zoné,
is a bull{y tree, with a leafy tuft, having a long leaf a Iittle narrow and pointed. The fruit is the size
of an apple and a little flat, the skin similar to a gwenga.ge, green or yellow, and tinged sometimes
with red; when divested of tbe skin, which has a turpentine tas te, tbe pülp is j uicy auQ. delicious, al-
though unpleasantly full of fibres attached to the stone.
MozEs is a tree of med ium height, slender, with Jittle tuft, remarkable for its foliage, which does
not difl'er from the fern; its flower is white, and its ashes are good for the lixivium of soap.
MucQR~ is a Jarge tree of excellent timi)er; its fruit Í$ of tl1e síze of a sloe, yellow, and odori-
fer~us, of very fine flavour, and has a large stone.

.-
520 A PPENDIX-PHYTOLOGY;

· MuRJCY is a shrub, with large thick and harsh leaves, ro'unded at the 'end>and pointe'd at fhe base ;
the flowers are·in bunches, be'ginning with yelloyv and turning to a carnafion éolom; ; the frúit 'is 'very
small, with ljttle flavour. There is· another called muricy-bravo, (or wild,) differing in ·the flow~r,
whicb is white, ánd in .the leaves, which are much less elliptical and varnished ot1 bolh sides.
ÜYTY Ís · a middJing tree, of good timber, with fruit welJ flavoured, and of the coJour and'
form ·of apear, . with a large.stone, which, when ground or scraped, aud used as a .be.verage or a·s a
clye ter, is an efficacious remedy againsf diauhreas. ·
The PALM-TREE OF DATES, which · is so abundant m Asia and Africa, are intraduced only,
and very partially, in the province of Rio de Janeiro.
Amongst the .multiplied speciés of PALM-TRE ES that denominated Tucum o r Tycum is particnlarly
remarkable ; its trunk is thoruy,· slender, and of proportionable size ; its !e aves differ a little fram the·
common resemblance observed amongst ali the other palm-trees; from its fibres a flax is · ma de that is
a little barsh, but as lustrous as silk, without any appearance of the coarsest description of flax, and
which, from its strength, is generally consumed in making fishing-tackle. It is well adapted for
making a certa~n sort of lacé. .
PrNnÂHIBA. is a·bandsome tree, and of proportiomible size according to tbe quality of the . soil m
which it grows; its wood is light; its leaves are lancet, one inch in width, and from three to four in
length; it fructifies in very small buuches, and its berries are sometimes used as peppers.
PIQUIHA, is a medium-sized tree, affording fruit like lhe quince, witl~ a thick and hard rind, and
full of a gray liquor, very sweet and cooling, with some seed like those of an apple.
PITANGUEIRA, or Pitanga-Tree, which reaches the size of a plum-tree when planted in good
ground, but generally not exceeding the size of a middling shrub in the woods; its leaf resembles
that of the myrtle; the flower is white anel small, with a great number of capillameJlts; the fruit 1s
the size of an unripe cherry, of a scadet or purple colour, and rather sour. An agreeable ~pirit 1s
distilled from it.
QUINAQUINA, tbe Jesuit or Pe1·uvian Bm·k, was discovered about three cent~ries ago in Peru, and
met wi.t h onl;y a few years since near the heads of the river Cuiaba; it is a high tree, nine inches in ·
diameter; the leaves are round at the base and pointed at the end, glossy and of a bcautiful green
above, and striped with a brilliant dark green in the half near the base. The flowers, which are in
bunches at the extremity of the branches, are shaped like a fuonel, with the edge parted into five
lancet forms, and shorte1· than the tube, hairy, green in the middle, bounded with white, and fringed
at the borders. The pistil is white, and surrounded with five capillaments, within the· tuóe of the
flower. When the flower falls thc cup swells at the middle, and takes the shape of an olive, changing
into a fruit, whose numerous seed, which are long, tbick, of a green colour, and flat at the edge,
are enclosed in two lodgements, divided by a double membrane. Thus a tree so useful to manldnd
is propagated abundantly.
Amongst the RESlN-TREES are the Angico, which produce . the gum-copal; those that produce
masticlc, benzoin, _and storax ; amongst those that distil balsàm are the cabureigba, better known by
the name of Batsam oj the Boly Spirit, the cupahybu, or capivi, and tbe cumaru. _
Amongst the medicinal plants ~s noted sarsaparilla, ipec~cuhana, jalap, butua, purging cassia,
quassia, aristoloquia, or hart-wort, cahinana, Jesuit's bark of tbe country 1 ginger, capeba, com-
monly called herb of St. Luzia, from its great virtue on application to diseases of the eyes. It is
said that a surgeon of Rio de Janeiro, in the year 1784, by only usiog the juice of this plant, iu the
coUI·se of tbree months, restored the eye of a soldier to its former state, which had been injured by
 APPENDIX-PHYTOLOG Y.

the point of à bayonet. Marvellous cures are related of tfuis vegetaàle, whtch is said lo regenerate
the·sight; experiments have 'been made by perforating the eye o f a cock with sharp instruments, and
on app1ying the juice or even the milk of this herb it is asserted that the eye has been cured in a
few hours, and the sight vestored. The cm·ucu, whose juice, when drunk with water, is · an effiea~
cious stiptic for a bleeding at tbe moutb. Tbere is also betony, ground-ivy, but very differeot from
that of Europe, with a leaf resemhling the rosemary, and a small white flower in a species of arti-
choke; the lte1·va fen·o (irou herb); the berbs mercury, cu1·ucucu, and mallows; m·ellta d' onça,
(ea1· <>f the ounce,) generally two feet in height, the leaf like a heart, ílat, . anà !Jairy ou both sides,
of a pearl co1our, aud as ftexible when dried as when· green; the plant called he1·vac!,umbo; and
many others.
SAPOCA v A is a l1igh tree of good timber, with a Jeaf similar to ·that of the peacb; the bark,
softened, produces a tow for caulking vessels. lts produces a very large spheJical · nut, full of long
almonds. For their extraction nature bas formed an orifice at the extremity four· inches in diameter,
covered with a Jid of the same size, which has O'ller it au ou ler rind similar to -that of tbe whole mrt,
and of which it is necessary to strip it in order to finrl the entrance. 'l'he monkeys, by instinct,
shake oíf this species of cocoa-nut when ripe, and with a stone, 0)' hard piece of wood displace the
lid and eat the almonds.
ST. CAETANO is ·a de.lieate plant, >resembling tijat of a wa,ter-melon; its fruit is a spec.ies of small
cucumher and thorny; it ope.ns in th1<ee portions when ripe, exhibitiug some ~mall seed similaJ' to
those of the pomegrani-te. H is the sustenaoce of birds, who, earrying íts seed, .propagate it in aJ.I
pa·rts. This p'lant ·is app.Iied to various domestic purpfi)ses, and augments the properties of s.oap .in
its ordiBary use; on this account i:t was tntns~1lan·ted from tb.e coast of Guii,Jea, where it ,is caHed
Nlteziken, a-nel being planted near a chapel of St. Caetano, took the name of that sÇJint.
TABABUY A is a tree remarkablle for the Iightness of its wood, ·o f' which scarçely any thing is ma de
besides corks and ftoats for fisbing-nets; it resists ali instruments except such as are · ~,~sed for cork~
cutting.
·TAlWMAN is a shrub with lancet leaves of unequa.J size; tbe tea of these leaves h.ave a diluenl
elfect upon stones in the bladder.
THEU is a delical-e sipo or plant of long and flexible shoots, -sc.a rcely exceeding th~ thickness of a
hen's qui!, but of extraoràinary gr.owth, always winding round otber larger plants and trees. I have
seen them so firmly entwinecl round orange-trees that the prosperity and fructification of the tree
was imperled Ly them; its leaf is exceedingly small, resemhling that of tbe brooiP ; the root .is uearly
two ym>ds l(l] length, hav.i ng a strong ·smell, and operating as an emetic, and is an approved }:eme<:l_y
against the venorn of snaltes.
A •great diYersity of piratical trees or plants are obser'lled in the Brazil, fixed to the bark or body
o'f others, and nout1is·hecl alone by tbeir substance. h! some parts there are divers species of
climbers wbich rise to the top of the highest trees, sometimes un~ccompanied, at other times twisted
spirally with another of tbe same, or of a different species. Occasionally these prodigiously long
cords Lave four, six, or mor.e legs, or shoots.
TrNGUY is a small tr-ee with the branc'hes and lea.ves alternate; the ,Jatter are small aud lancet.
The bark and leaves well pounded, and put into lakes, &c. cause the fish to die, (rom becoming soon
intoxicated with it.
. The URucu does not in general exceed the size of a large shrub; the leaves ' are in the form of a
heart,. and the fiowers in buncbes with tine petals a little purpled, a pistil; and a great number of
3x
522 ·APPENDIX-PHYTOLOGY .

capillaments ; the fruit is a capsule, a little flat and pointed, of the size of a large chestnut, .and of
a green colour, composed of two valves or folds, · covered with fine ~oft thoms, and lined with a
membrane that enc'ircles a large quantity of small' seed, having over them a green substance which,
·I
when diluted in water, affords a precious dye. The I udians are not igno r~_nt of this, and use it to
paint tbeir bodies. ·
VINHATICO is a high and straigbt tree of yellow wood, and fructifies in pods with beans.
There are' a variety of edible roots :-potatoes of V<J.rious kinds; mandioca, of which is made the
usual bread of the .country; its plant, of which tl1ere are various soTts, is a shrub of one or more
stems; the root, after being scraped and reduced to flour, is pressed until exhausted of its abundant
juice, whieh is generally poisOJ1uus, and is nltimately toasted in a lar.ge earthern o r copper vessel o ver
a furnace till it becomes dry; this vegetable prospers well only in substantii,tl soils: it is planted in
little mounds of earth, by putting into ea.ch half the stock of the plaut, which is a span in length.
The aypim is a species of mandioca, whose root is boiled' or roasted. The. mendubim is a plant of
little growth, with leaves similar to the French bean, prodncing beans at the root ·wi th a gray skin,
which encloses from one to three small see'd. The potatoe do ar, a creepirig plant, wittJOut a flowet·
preceding it, produces a frnit ofirregular form, without stone or seed, is covered with a thin and green
slrin, and has the taste of tbe potatoe.
Besides t he fruits mentíoned there are matiy others, amongst which are the pine, or atta, the size
of a q·u ince, with a white, soft, and savoury pulp; the conde, which is of the size of tlae vreceding,
with the pulp equally soft, but not so wliite; the mamrnao is larger, witl.t a smooth. and yellow skin,
and the pulp of the same colou r; the pit~mba ; the moouge; o f thr. banana, whose leng,th exceeds
many times its díameter, there are three sorts, the who!e having a thick skin, ancl clustered upon
one st~lk; the plant which produces them is of comi<'i erable growth, without either branches
or wood in the trunk; the leaves are very loug, slender, and smootb, with proporti onabl e width,
and tb e hack fibres very thick ; the tn1~k is forrned of the leaves firmly woveu together, lwing · two
or three yards in height, round, erect, anel inflexibl e, the leave:; branching out from it al the top.
The pine-apple, resembling a pine, wilh various leaves in the eye, is of delícious flavour and
aromatic scent; the plant frorn whose centre it issues is very similar lo the a.Joe. The ma1·açuja is
of the size of an orange,. oblong and regular, with a thick anti han.l skin, gre_en on the oulside and
white within; it is· full of gross and rather sour liquid·, containing seeds similar to .th ose of the
melon. ·
The sugar-canc, nJandioca, tobacco, and the matte-plant, are ali indigenous,. and now cultivated
to a great exteut witli considerabJe advanlage, furnisbiug many Jucralive brancb es of C@llllliCI'Ce.
The indigo-plant aud opuncia are met with <tlmost in ali parts; Lbe first, wh1ch only prospers in
strong soils, is yet cultivated but in fe w provinceo. There ~re a d1versity of peppers; that of
Malabar, which only thrives in subslantial anel fre sh soils, bas 'been cullivated only within a few
years.
The plant commonly called ma lia ia de rnullte?· (woman's ma.}ice) is,. a cre~ping aud thorny twig,
with very small foliag·e, whose little leaves obtain their opposite one's, when they ÍIUntediately adhere,
so that. the twig is encircled, and remains iu this state (or a considerable time~

T HE END.

1 .
 DIRECTIONS FOR THE BINDER.

1. Dou John VI. and his Attendants· • · • • • • ....... • • • ·.: •• • • • • • • .. •• •.. to front the Title Page
2. Map o f the Brazil • • • . • • • • .. • • • • • • • .• •. •. • • • • •..•.. · • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • to front 1
3. View o f the Western Si de of the Bay of Rio • • • • •• • • · · • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 9
4. Custom-House Negroes • • • • • • · • • • • ~ • · · · · · • · • · ·. • • • · · · • · · · • • • · • • • • · · • • • • • • 10
5. Convent of St. Antonio • · · · • · · · · · · · · · • · • • • • • · · • · · · · · · · · • • • • · • • • • • · · • · · · • • 52
6. Convent of St. Theresa, Part of the Aqueduct, and a Sege • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• •. 53
7. Convent o f Ajuda ••••••••••••••••.••••. , • • • • • • • • • . •.••••••••••••••••.. 54
8. Pillars and Scenery near tlte Source of the Aqueduct ; • · • • · • • • • • • • •_• • • • • • • • •·• • • 56
9. House at tbe Bottom of the Orange-Valley • • • • · • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • · • • • • • • • • • õ7
10. A Mine r, from the Province o f Minas Geraes • • •. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • · · • • • • • ••• • • •· • 61
11. Bella Fonta, the Shacara of J. E. Wright, Esq. • • • · • • • • • • ••• · .:. •: • • • • • • • • • ••• 62
1_2. Palace o f St. Christovao • • • • · . • • •• • • • • .- · ; • • • • • • • • •·· • • • • • • • • •••••• • • • • • • ••• • 63
13. A free Negress, a~d olher Market-Womeu ••••• • •• • ·, • · • • .•••••••••••••••••• 71
14. NighttPan, Water-Carrier, Wasberwoman·. · • •••••• • ••••••••....••••••.•••••• 74
15. The Casa of a Padre, in Campinba • • • • • • • •. • . • · • ••••••••••.•.••••••••••••• 85
16. The Rio Exchange, Trapiche, Grass-Waggon, and Gallows •••••••••••••.••• , •• 96
17. A Captain of Militia, iu the Province of Rio Grande do Sul ••••••••••••••..•••• 116
18.
19.
20.
A Paulista anel a Brazilian Mendicant ••••••• ~ .••.•••••••••••.• , ••• , •••••••••
A Map of the Comarca o f Sabara • • • • •••••••••••••• • •••••••••••••••.••••••
An Officer of Cavalry, in Minas Geraes, anel a Hermit • ••. • · • • · · • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
.. 176
277
283
21. Botocudo Indians ábout to cross a River ·• · ••••• • • • • • • • · • • • · • • • • • • • • • • • · • • • • 299
22. A Brazilian Sedan-Chair, and a Person begging for the Church • • • • • • •• • ••••••.• • 336
23. A Brazilian Sesta, or Afternoon Nap• • • • • • •. • ·-. • • • • • • • • · • • • • •. • • • • •••••••• _~. 346
24. A Jangada, or Catamaran, near Pernambuco • • • • • · · · • • •. •. , • • • •. •. • ••••••••• 357
25. A Mattuto returning_from Pernambuco • • • • • • • • · • • • • • • • •• • • • • • • • • • • • • •••••••• 38õ
26. Style of H ouses at Poço de Penella • • • • •. •. · ••••••• •. •• •. • · • • • •••••••••••• 388
27.
28.
Negroes impelling a Canoe with the Vara, and Scenery at Ponta de Cho • ••••••., ••
The House of tbe Senhor d' Engenho de Torre, near Pernambuco ••••••••••••••
..
389
391
29. The Sugar Engenho de Torre, and a Plau of its Interior ••••••••••••••••••••_•••• 392
ao. The Site and Remains of Fribourg-Hollse, formerly the Residence qf Prince Maurice,
of' Nassau ··················••••••········•••••••••••••••••········· 393
..
.•

MARCHANT,
P·rinter,
Ingratn-Co1ll't, Fench'Urc1t-Strcet.