JOURNEY FROM GOIANA TO RIO GRANDE.—THE CITY OF NATAL.—THE GOVERNOR.
I HAD entertained hopes of being accompanied by Senhor Joaquim, at
least as far as Rio Grande, but he changed his mind, and I began to
make the necessary arrangements for going alone. I purchased three more
horses, and hired a guide for the Sertam, who was a white man of the
country, and two Indian lads of about sixteen years of age. On the 3d
November, I again set forth, accompanied by my English John, Francisco
the guide, Julio, and the other boy, his companion. We only reached
Dous Rios the same evening, which is two leagues distant from Goiana;
we had left that place late in the day, and got on very slowly, as
the two loads upon the horses were not well divided and arranged. I
now found, on stopping for the night, that I had not provided as many
things as were necessary; that I wanted an additional piece of baize
to cover myself at night, that we ought to have brought more kitchen
apparatus, and that knives and forks were to be had very rarely. I had
with me a trunk with my cloaths, on one side of the pack-saddle, and
a case, with some bottles of rum and wine, on the other side, and my
hammock in the middle; these made one load. The other horse carried
in the _malas_, a kind of trunk, on the one side, our provisions, and
on the other, the cloaths of my people, additional ropes, and other
tackle. I was far from being well supplied, but afterwards provided
myself with more things as I went on, learning by experience. The
hammocks are all made of cotton, and are of several sizes and colours,
and of various workmanship. Those in use among the lower orders, are
made of cotton cloth, of the manufacture of the country; others are
composed of net-work, from which all the several kinds derive the
general name of _Rede_, a net; others, again, are knit or woven in
long straight threads, knotted across at intervals: these are usually
dyed of two or three colours, and are to be found in the houses of
wealthy persons. This species of bed has been adopted from the Indians,
and nothing more convenient and better adapted to the climate, could
possibly be imagined; it can be wrapped up into a very small compass,
and, with the addition of a piece of baize as a coverlid, is usually of
sufficient warmth.
I could not discover that there was any stream at this place, though
it bears the name of Dous Rios, or the two rivers. It is a large open
piece of land, with cottages upon the skirts, and attached to each is a
pen for cattle. The great weekly fair for cattle from the Sertam, for
the Pernambuco market, is held here.
From Dous Rios, we advanced the following day to the sugar plantation
of Espirito Santo, situated upon the banks of the river Paraiba, which
becomes dry in the summer, at a short distance above this estate. I had
letters to the owner of it, who is a member of the Cavalcante family,
and the Capitam-mor of the captaincy of Paraiba. I was received by
him in a very friendly manner. The house is in the usual style of the
country, having only the ground-floor, and no ceiling, the tiles and
rafters being in full view. Supper of dried meat, and the flour of the
mandioc made into paste, and called _piram_, was placed before me;
also, some hard biscuits, and red wine. I was not then sufficiently
a Brazilian to eat _piram_, and took the biscuits with the meat in
preference, which much astonished my host. Sweetmeats were afterwards
brought in, which are always good in the houses of persons of his rank
in life; the opulent people in Brazil taking as much pride in their
_doces_, as an English citizen in his table or his wines. The cloth
was laid at one end of a long table, and I sat down by myself, whilst
the Capitam-mor placed himself upon the table, near to the other end,
and talked to me; and some of the chief persons of his establishment
stood around, to see the strange animal called an Englishman. We
adjourned from the supper-room into another spacious apartment, and
each of us took a hammock, of which there were several in the room, and
swung and talked until we were half asleep. One of his men supposed,
that as I spoke Portugueze, either I must be an Englishman who did
not speak English, or that any Portugueze, on going to England, would
immediately speak the language of that country, as I did Portugueze.
The Capitam-mor seldom leaves his estate to go to Recife, or even to
Paraiba, and lives in the usual style of the Brazilian gentry, in a
kind of feudal state. He had several young men about him, some of
whom were employed by him; neither his wife, nor any of his children
appeared. The principal apartments of this house are two spacious
rooms, having a great number of doors and windows; in one, were several
hammocks and a sofa; and in the other, the long table upon which I
supped; there were a few chairs in each of them; the floors were of
brick, and the shutters and doors were unpainted. The owner of this
mansion wore a shirt and a pair of drawers, a long bed-gown, called a
_chambre_, and a pair of slippers. This is the usual dress of those
persons who have no work to perform. When a Brazilian takes to wearing
one of these long gowns, he begins to think himself a gentleman, and
entitled, consequently, to much respect.
The next day we advanced about seven leagues, and, for the first time,
I slept in the open air. We intended to have taken up our lodging
for the night at a neighbouring hamlet, but the huts were so small
and miserable, being constructed of the leaves of palm trees, that I
preferred the open air. We made for the rivulet which runs at a little
distance from these habitations; the horses were immediately unloaded,
and their pack-saddles taken off, that they might roll in comfort.
The next thing to be done, was to get firewood,—in most parts of the
country it is very plentiful, and as we were upon the skirts of a thick
wood, there was here no want of it. A light was struck, and two fires
made; we got an additional pan from one of the neighbouring huts, and
our dried meat was cooked. The meat is dried in the old Indian manner,
by laying it upon a platform of twigs, raised about eighteen inches
from the ground, and making a fire underneath. We discovered that not
far off, a field or piece of land, rather more cleared of wood than the
rest, was rented by a cottager, who would allow our horses to be put
into it for a _vintem_, about five farthings each, for the night, which
the guide thought I should consider dear, and therefore told me, it was
the usual price. As may be supposed, I made no great difficulties on
this score, and the horses were taken to the place by Julio, and his
companion. I now thought myself settled for the night, and therefore
ate my supper, sitting in my hammock, which was slung between two
trees, with the plate upon one of the trunks; having finished, I took
my segar, and sat down close to the fire; the guide lighted his pipe,
and placed himself on the opposite side, that we might have a talk
about our proceedings for the morrow. I returned to my hammock about
ten o’clock, but found the air very sharp, and consequently laid
down under the lee of the fire, upon a hide, of which we had two for
covering the loads in case of rain.
This was to me a new scene,—when I thought of the complete change of
habits which this kind of life required, and how entirely different
it was from any thing in England, I may almost say in Europe,—when I
looked round, and saw our several fires, for the cold air had, by this
time, obliged each person to have his own; the men all asleep, our
pack-saddles, trunks, and other parts of our baggage scattered about,
as it was taken from the horses,—when I heard the running of the
water, and the rustling of the trees; and, when I considered, that I
was entering among a people with whose habits I was little acquainted,
whose feelings towards my countrymen I was ignorant of,—I felt a kind
of damp; but this was soon removed, by thinking of the pleasure of
return, and of the accomplishment of what I was deemed incapable of
performing. I was cheered by my recollection of the knowledge I had of
the language, and by the determination I felt within me of conforming
to the customs of the people,—of submitting to their prejudices. I was
not old enough to have contracted any habits, too deep to be laid aside
when necessary. These thoughts were interrupted by the cry of “Jezus,”
which was repeated every half minute in a dismal voice; I called to the
guide, supposing it to proceed from some person in distress; he waked,
and I told him what had made me call to him,—he said, it was only
some person helping another “_a bem morrer_,” that is, that some dying
person, which I found was the usual custom, had a friend to repeat
the word “Jezus,” until the sufferer expired, that it might not be
forgotten, and, perhaps, to keep the devil off.
I dined the following day at the village of Mamanguape, situated upon
the banks of a dry river; it is a thriving place. These more modern
villages have been built in one long street upon the road, the older
ones in a square. It had then about three hundred inhabitants; but
I have since heard, that the number is more than doubled, and that
new houses are building. The river can scarcely be reckoned of any
advantage to the village, but the place forms a convenient break
between Goiana and Rio Grande for the travelling pedlars, a useful,
industrious, and, generally, honest set of men, as their resting-place
and head-quarters; from hence they make daily excursions to the
plantations, at a little distance, and return here to sleep. I passed
the night in the out-houses of some sugar-works; my guide was much
astonished at my not asking for lodgings at the _caza-grande_, or
owner’s house; but I preferred these kind of quarters to better ones,
where I might run the risk of being obliged to remain half the night
awake, for the purpose of giving news. The hospitality, however, of the
planters, is very great; and no recommendation is necessary, though I
had provided myself with a few letters.
The next day we proceeded to Cunhàû, the sugar-plantation of the
Colonel Andre d’Albuquerque do Maranham, the chief of the Maranham
branch of this numerous and distinguished family of the Albuquerques.
He is a man of immense landed property. The plantation of Cunhàû
extends along the road fourteen leagues, and the owner has since
purchased another large estate adjoining; his lands likewise in the
Sertam for breeding cattle are supposed not to be less than thirty to
forty leagues in extent—of those kind of leagues that sometimes take a
man three or four hours to get over one.
I had letters to him from some of his relations and friends at
Pernambuco; he was sitting at his door, with his chaplain and several
of his stewards and other persons employed by him, to have all the
benefit of the fresh air. He is a man of about thirty years of age,
handsome, and rather above the middle size, with genteel manners,
rather courtly, as the Brazilians of education generally are. He lives
quite in feudal state; his negroes and other dependants are numerous.
He commands the regiment of militia cavalry of Rio Grande, and has them
in good order, considering the state of the country. He came forwards
on my dismounting, and I gave him the letters, which he put by to
read at leisure, and then desiring me to sit down, asked me several
questions of my wishes, intentions, &c. He took me to his guests’
apartments at a little distance from his own residence, where I found
a good bed; hot water was brought to me in a large brass basin, and
every necessary was supplied in a magnificent style—the towels were
all fringed, &c. When I had dressed myself, I expected to be called to
supper, but, to my amazement, I waited until near one o’clock, when a
servant came to summon me. I found in the dining-room a long table laid
out and covered with meat of several kinds, and in quantity sufficient
for twenty persons; to this feast the colonel, his chaplain, another
person, and myself sat down; when I had tasted until I was quite tired,
to my utter dismay another course came on, equally profuse of fowls,
pastry, &c. &c. and when this was removed, I had yet a third to go
through of at least ten different kinds of sweetmeats. The supper could
not have been better cooked or handsomer, if it had been prepared at
Recife, and even an English epicure might have found much to please his
palate. I was not able to retire to rest until near three o’clock; my
bed was most excellent, and I enjoyed it still more from not expecting
to find one. In the morning, the colonel would not allow me to leave
his house, until I had breakfasted; tea, coffee, and cakes were brought
in, all of which were very good. He then took me to see his horses, and
pressed me much to leave my own, and take one of his for my journey,
that mine might be in good condition on my return, and he also urged
me to leave my pack-horses, and take some of his; but as mine were
still all in working order, I declined accepting his offer. These
circumstances are mentioned to show the frankness with which strangers
are treated. I could not get away before ten o’clock, and therefore
only advanced two leagues to dinner; I stopped by the side of a rivulet
under some trees, upon a most beautiful spot.
At a short distance from the estate of Cunhàû, is a hamlet of the same
name through which I passed in my way to the colonel’s plantation. This
hamlet, or the estate itself, was the scene of a massacre, which was
committed by the Pitagoares and Tapuyas from the Potengi in the year
1645. A battle was fought by Camaram, the Indian chieftain, to whose
prowess the Portugueze are so much indebted, against the Dutch, in the
following year, between Cunhàû and Fort Keulen which stands at the
mouth of the Potengi.[34]
The captaincy of Rio Grande commences some leagues to the southward
of Cunhàû, at a place called Os Marcos—a deep dell inhabited by
runaway negroes and criminals; the paths of the dell are intricate, and
when once a man has taken up his residence here, it is impossible to
dislodge him.
This season the crop of cotton had failed; it was one of those years
in which a great want of rain was felt. The colonel of Cunhàû had,
for the first time, planted a piece of land, from which he expected
to have gathered 10,000 _arrobas_, but in the end only gathered about
100; and he told me that he should keep to his sugar henceforwards. He
is lenient to his slaves; they looked fat and well, and he has the
character of not making as much of his plantation as he might, which
is one proof of his kindness to them. The estate of Cunhàû is one of
the largest, if not quite the most extensive, in these parts. There are
upon it about 150 negroes, and the lands belonging to it would employ
four or five times the number, but the colonel pays more attention to
cattle, by which his father increased his fortune very largely.
As usual, on our arrival by the side of the rivulet the horses were
unloaded, and my hammock was slung for me. I laid down in my cloaths,
but soon I started up, finding myself uneasy. The guide saw me, and
called out, “O sir, you are covered with _carapatos_.” I then perceived
them, and felt still more their bites. Instantly throwing off part
of my cloaths, but with the remainder upon me I ran into the water,
and there began to take them off. The _carapato_ or tick, is a small,
flat insect, of a dark brown colour; about the size of four pins’
heads placed together, it fastens upon the skin, and will in time eat
its way into it. It is dangerous to pull it out quickly, when already
fixed, for if the head remains, inflammation is not unfrequently the
consequence. The point of a heated fork or penknife applied to the
insect, when it is too far advanced into the skin to be taken out with
the hand, will succeed in loosening it. There is another species of
tick of much larger size, and of a lead colour; this is principally
troublesome to horses and horned cattle, that are allowed to run loose
in lands which have been only partially cleared. I have, in some
instances, seen horses that have had such vast numbers upon them, as
to have been weakened by the loss of blood which they have occasioned.
The insects of this species of _carapato_[35] fasten themselves to the
skin, but do not force their way into it. The hammock had fallen to the
ground accidentally when taken from the trunk to be slung, and had
thus picked up these unpleasant visitors. I had some trouble in getting
them all off, but was successful, as I had attacked the enemy in time.
We set off again about two o’clock; I had intended to have ridden until
sunset, and then to have put up near to some cottage, but a young man
overtook us, and we entered into conversation. He lived at Papari,
a village about half a league out of the road, and he pressed me so
much to accompany him to sleep at his place, that I agreed. Papari is
a deep and narrow valley, a most delightful situation. The whole of
the valley is cultivated, and principally this year, the lands were in
great request, as the rains had failed, and the high sandy lands had
proved barren. For, whilst every other part of the country appeared
dry and burnt up, this spot was in full verdure—it appeared to laugh
at all around it, aware of its own superiority. The inhabitants seemed
by their countenances to partake of the joyful looks of the land they
lived in. Papari yet enjoys another advantage; though it is at the
distance of three or four leagues from the sea, a salt water lake
reaches it, so that its inhabitants have the fish brought to their
own doors. The tide enters the lake, which is never dry, for although
the fresh springs which run into it might fail, still it would always
preserve a certain portion of water from the sea. The fishermen come
up upon their small river _jangadas_, which do not require more than
twelve inches of water. Papari is about five leagues from Cunhàû.
Senhor Dionisio introduced me to his lady; he is a native of Portugal,
and she a Brazilian. They possessed a small piece of land in the
valley, and appeared to be comfortably situated. Papari may contain
about three hundred inhabitants very much scattered. In the course of
this year, I afterwards heard, that many persons flocked to it from
other parts, owing to the absolute want of provisions. I went down to
the edge of the lake to see the fishermen arrive, the people of the
valley had all assembled to receive them; it was quite a Billingsgate
in miniature—save that the Portugueze language does not admit of
swearing.
We dined in Brazilian style, upon a table raised about six inches from
the ground, around which we sat or rather laid down upon mats; we
had no forks, and the knives, of which there were two or three, were
intended merely to sever the larger pieces of meat—the fingers were to
do the rest. I remained at Papari during one entire day, that my horses
might have some respite, that I might purchase another from Senhor
Dionisio, and on poor Julio’s account, whose feet had begun to crack
from the dryness of the sands.
Distant from Papari, from three to four leagues, is the Indian village
of St. Joze, built in the form of a square; this place might contain
about two hundred inhabitants, but it had evidently the appearance of
falling to decay; the grass in the centre of the square was high, the
church neglected, and the whole aspect dull. St. Joze stands upon a
dry sandy soil, and the severity of the season might have contributed
to its dismal look. This day we experienced the utter impossibility of
trusting to the accounts we received of distances, and my guide had no
very clever head for recollecting them, although he, like most of these
people, possessed a kind of instinct with respect to the paths we were
to follow. We were told that Natal was distant from St. Joze three or
four leagues, and therefore expected to arrive at that place by dusk,
but about five o’clock we entered upon the dismal sand hills, over
which lies the road to the city; the whole country is uninhabited, and
I may say uninhabitable, between Natal and St. Joze, consequently we
had very faint hopes of meeting any one to give us information of the
distance; but the guide said he supposed we could not be nearer to it
than from two to three leagues, from the recollection he had of these
hills, which when once passed over cannot be entirely forgotten. When
it was nearly dark, and when our horses were almost giving way, we saw
two boys on horseback, coming towards us: we asked them the distance,
they answered “two leagues, and all deep sand,” adding, that they
belonged to a party, which had come to make _farinha_, upon a spot of
land, half a league distant from where we were, upon which mandioc was
cultivated. They said, that to go on to Rio Grande the same night was
madness, that they were going a short way to water their horses, and
that on their return, they would guide us to their party. I agreed to
wait for them. When they arrived, they struck soon from the road, down
the side of one of the hills,—it was now dark; we followed, entered
some high and thick brushwood, and a considerable way into it, found
the persons to whom the boys told us they belonged. The implements
for making the _farinha_ were placed under a shed, which was thatched
with the leaves of the _macaiba_, and other palm trees. These persons
had fixed upon this spot, as there was a spring of brackish water hard
by, which was, however, only to be reached by descending a precipice;
the pitcher was fastened to a cord, and drawn up, and the person who
descended to fill it, ascended the precipice by means of the brushwood
which grows upon the side. I did not much like the party, therefore we
took up our lodgings at some little distance from them, and none of us
settled regularly for the night. I now much regretted not having a dog
with me. Our horses passed a wretched night, feeding upon the leaves of
the shrubs around us.
The next morning we continued our journey over the sand hills to Natal,
travelling at about two miles within the hour. The distance from Goiana
to Natal is fifty-five leagues. The sand hills are perpetually changing
their situations and forms; the high winds blow the sand in clouds,
which renders it dangerous to travellers; it is white, and very fine,
so that our horses sunk up to the knees at every step,—painful to
a very great degree, when the sun has had full power upon it. Poor
Julio had mounted upon the haunches of one of the loaded horses, and
occasioned our travelling still slower. All was desolate and dreary;
for the great lightness of the sand almost prevented vegetation, though
some of the creeping sea-side plants had succeeded here and there in
establishing a footing.
The track of country between Goiana and Espirito Santo, and indeed even
to Cunhàû, keeping at no great distance from the coast, is appropriated
for the most part to sugar-plantations; but many of the Senhores de
_Engenho_, sugar-planters, also employ part of their time in raising
cotton. The general feature is of an uncultivated country, though a
great quantity of land is yearly employed. The system of agriculture is
so slovenly, or rather, as there is no necessity for husbandry of land,
from the immensity of the country, and the smallness of its population,
lands are employed one year, and the next the brushwood is allowed to
grow up, giving thus to every piece of ground that is not absolutely
in use that year, the look of one totally untouched, until a person is
acquainted, in some measure, from practice, with the appearance of the
several kinds of land. He will then perceive the difference between
brushwood that will not grow because the land is of a barren kind, and
that which is left to rise, that the land may rest for another crop.
From this manner of cultivating their lands, a plantation requires
three or four times more ground than would otherwise be necessary. I
passed through several deep woods, and ascended some steep hills, but
I saw nothing which deserved the name of mountain; I crossed some flat
sandy plains, upon which the acaju, mangaba, and several species of
palm or cabbage trees grow; these are merely fit to turn cattle upon
in winter, and will only be brought into cultivation when lands begin
to be scarce in Brazil. _Varseas_, or low marshy lands, adapted to the
sugar cane, I also frequently saw. The _cercados_, or fenced pieces
of ground, attached to each sugar plantation, upon which are fed the
cattle kept for the work of it, are the only spots which bear the look
of fields; and even in these, the brushwood is not always sufficiently
cleared away, unless the proprietor is wealthy and has an abundance
of persons upon his estate; otherwise, such is the fertility of the
soil, that without great care, the _cercado_ will in time become a
wood. There are several hamlets upon the road, consisting of three and
four cottages, and these are built of slight timber, and the leaves of
the cabbage trees; others have mud walls, and are covered with these
leaves; and now and then, a house built of mud, with a tiled roof, is
to be seen,—this bespeaks a man above the common run of people. I
crossed several rivulets, which were much reduced by the drought; but I
did not see any great streams. The Paraiba was dry where I passed it,
as also was the river near Mamanguape. A rivulet, that runs into the
lake at Papari, was the only stream which appeared still to possess its
usual strength. The road from Goiana to Mamanguape is the great Sertam
track, and is similar to that between Recife and Goiana, excepting that
the plains of the part of the country I had just now traversed, are
more extensive, and the roads over these are dangerous, as they are
only marked by the short and ill-grown grass being worn away upon the
path; but as the cattle extend more upon a plain, and cannot be kept
so close, from the greater extent of ground over which they pass, each
part receives fewer footsteps, and the grass not unfrequently resists
their passing, and vegetation still continues; consequently, in an
imperfect light, an experienced guide is necessary, as on these plains
no huts are ever to be met with, being, for the most part, destitute of
water. These, the Brazilians call _taboleiros_, distinguishing them by
this name, from _campinas_; upon the latter, the soil is closer, and
they afford good grass. Beyond Mamanguape, the road is sometimes a mere
path, with breadth sufficient only for two loaded horses to pass, and,
in some places, it has not even the necessary width for this purpose.
The valley of Papari I have already mentioned, as being much superior
to the rest of the country. The trees in Brazil are mostly evergreens,
and the drought must be great indeed to make them lose their leaves;
but the green of the leaves of a parched plant, though still a green,
is very different from the bright joyful colour of one that is in full
health. This produced the striking difference between that valley and
the burnt lands above it,—besides, the misfortunes of other parts made
its good luck more apparent.
I arrived about eleven o’clock in the morning at the city of Natal,
situated upon the banks of the Rio Grande, or Potengi. A foreigner,
who might chance to land first at this place, on his arrival upon the
coast of Brazil, would form a very poor opinion of the state of the
population of the country; for, if places like this are called cities,
what must the towns and villages be; but such a judgment would not
prove correct, for many villages, even of Brazil, surpass this city;
the rank must have been given to it, not from what it was or is, but
from the expectation of what it might be at some future period. The
settlement upon rising ground, rather removed from the river, is
properly the city, as the parish church is there; it consists of a
square, with houses on each side, having only the ground floor; the
churches, of which there are three, the palace, town-hall, and prison.
Three streets lead from it, which have also a few houses on each side.
No part of the city is paved, although the sand is deep; on this
account, indeed, a few of the inhabitants have raised a foot path of
bricks before their own houses. The place may contain from six to seven
hundred persons.
I rode immediately to the palace, as I had letters of introduction to
the governor, from several of his friends at Pernambuco. He received
me in the most cordial manner. He asked me for my passport, which I
produced; it was scarcely opened, and he immediately returned it,
saying, that he only did this, that all necessary form might be
complied with. He said, that I should stay with him, and he would
provide a house for my people. At one o’clock we dined, and one of his
aide-de-camps was with us. In the afternoon, we walked down to the
lower town. It is situated upon the banks of the river; the houses
stand along the southern bank, and there is only the usual width of
a street between them and the river. This place may contain from two
to three hundred inhabitants, and here live the men of trade of Rio
Grande. The bar of the Potengi is very narrow, but is sufficiently deep
to admit vessels of 150 tons. The northern bank projects considerably,
and for this reason, it is necessary that a ship should make for it
from the southward. The entrance to the reef of rocks, which lies
at some distance from the shore, also requires to be known, so that
altogether the port is a difficult one. The river is very safe, when
once within the bar; the water is deep, and quite still, and two
vessels might swing in its breadth; but it soon becomes shallow, and in
the course of a few miles is greatly diminished. I should imagine, that
six or seven vessels might swing altogether in the harbour. The bars of
rivers that are formed, as in this case, of sand, are, however, not to
be trusted to, without good pilots, as they soon change their depth,
and even their situation. When the tide enters, the northern bank is
overflowed about one mile from the mouth of the harbour, and spreads
over a considerable extent of ground, which, even during the ebb, is
always wet and muddy, but never becomes sufficiently deep to prevent
passing. The governor was raising a road over this piece of land, and
the work was then nearly half finished. The new road would be about one
mile in length. The captaincy of Rio Grande is subject to the governor
of Pernambuco, and those of Paraiba and Seara were formerly in the
same situation, but have of late years been formed into independent
provincial governments.
The governor, Francisco de Paula Cavalcante de Albuquerque, is a native
of Pernambuco, and a younger brother of the chief of the Cavalcante
branch of the Albuquerques. His father, a Brazilian also, was first an
ensign in the Recife regiment of the line; he afterwards established
himself upon a sugar-plantation, and made a fortune. The old man died,
and left to each of his sons considerable property; two remained upon
their estates, and still live upon them; this third son entered the
Olinda regiment, and was much beloved by the men. The regiment had
then only one company, of which he became the commander, and large
sums of money taken from his own purse, were expended by him for their
good equipment. He went to Lisbon on some business relating to his
company, and whilst he was there a _denuncia_, a private accusation,
was given by some enemy to the family—that the brothers were forming
a conspiracy against the government. He was obliged to leave Lisbon,
afraid of being put under an arrest, and fled to England, where his
reception was such, that he has ever wished for opportunities of
shewing kindness to persons of that nation. His brothers suffered
much in person and in property, but matters were at last cleared up,
as the accusation was proved to be false. Francisco was immediately
promoted to a majority, and soon afterwards sent to govern Rio Grande.
He is a man of talent, and of proper feelings in regard of his
duties,—enthusiastic in wishing to better the condition of the people
over whom he was placed. I am grieved to say, that he has been removed
to the insignificant government of St. Michael’s, one of the Azores or
Western Islands.
When he was appointed to Rio Grande, there was scarcely a well dressed
person in it, but he had succeeded in persuading one family to send for
English manufactured goods to Recife—when once these were introduced
they made their way—one would not be outdone by another, and, in the
course of two years, they had become general. We visited the church in
the evening—all the ladies were handsomely dressed in silks of various
colours, and black veils thrown over the head and face. A twelvemonth
previous to this period, these same persons would have gone to church
in petticoats of Lisbon printed cottons, and square pieces of thick
cloth over their heads, without stockings, and their shoes down at the
heels.
The military establishment consists of one hundred and fourteen
men—one company—which were in much better order than those of
Pernambuco, or Paraiba. The captaincy of Rio Grande enjoyed perfect
quietude from robberies through his exertions. The governor promoted
the building of a large house, which was going on very fast, and for
which he had subscribed largely; the rent of it was to be appropriated
to the support of the widows of the soldiers of the captaincy. This
work has, I am afraid, been laid aside since his removal. The situation
of the prisoners was very miserable; he wished to better it, and
requested that the principal persons of the place would take it in turn
weekly to carry a bag round to all the inhabitants, that each might
give some trifle to assist in their support; for some time this went
on well, but after a few weeks it was neglected. He, therefore, took
the bag himself, and, accompanied by one of his aides-de-camps, called
at every house. He said, that this was the most comfortable week the
prisoners had ever passed since their confinement, as more was given
by each person than was usual, and the excellent arrangement was again
taken up with ardour, by the same persons who had neglected it.
A British vessel was wrecked near Natal, and I have always understood
that the proprietors were perfectly satisfied that every exertion
possible had been made use of to save the property.
The drought of this year had caused a scarcity of the flour of the
mandioc—the bread of Brazil—and the price was so high at Recife,
Goiana, &c. that those persons of Rio Grande who possessed it, began to
ship it off for other places; this the governor prohibited; he ordered
it to be sold in the market-place, at a price equal to the gain the
owners would have had by sending it away, and if all was not bought he
took it himself, again giving it out when necessary at the same price.
These anecdotes of him I had partly from himself, but principally from
persons of the place, to whom I was introduced. When he left the city,
on his appointment to St. Michael’s, the people followed him to some
distance, praying for his prosperity.