CONTINUATION OF THE JOURNEY.—FROM AÇU TO ARACATI.—FROM ARACATI TO
SEARA.—INDIANS.—THE LATE GOVERNOR.—THE FAMILY OF THE FEITOZAS.
OUR way was through woodlands for about one league, when we came
out upon the borders of the lake Piatô; we proceeded along them for
another half league, and unloaded near to the _caza de palha_, or straw
cottage, of the commandant of the district. Piatô is a lake of three
leagues in length, and about one league in breadth. In the summer its
sides become sufficiently dry to enable them to be cultivated, but the
centre of it is invariably marshy and impassable. The fertility of its
sides is very great, affording most plentifully rice, maize, sugar
cane, melons, &c. and I saw some cotton trees planted very near to the
edge. The lake is filled from the river in the rainy season, and as
the lands around it are much higher than the lake itself, the waters
which run down from them wash away all vestiges of cultivation, till
these again subside and the same operations are continued the following
season. In such dreadfully severe years as that during which I
travelled, the people of the district would be starved if this lake did
not exist; it enabled the inhabitants of Açu, at the time I was there,
to remain in their houses. The appearance of abundance, the bright
green, the well fed horses and cattle, which we saw as we travelled
along its banks, enlivened us all; there was a look of security, a
seeming certainty of at least the necessaries of life let what would
happen, which we had not for a long time felt. The parched hills which
surround the lake, its beautifully cultivated borders, and the dark and
dangerous bogs which compose its centre and prevent the communication
of the inhabitants of either bank, formed a very extraordinary scene.
No water was to be seen, but the mud was too deep, and not of
sufficient consistence for a man to be enabled to wade across; nor
could a passage to the other side be effected by means of a raft, for a
very trifling weight would make it sink.
We unloaded under a small tree on rising ground, with the lake on our
right; between us and the house of the commandant, there was a deep
ravine, down which, in the rainy season, the waters rush from the
hills. This ravine was under cultivation and was inclosed, a narrow
path only being left to cross from where we had stationed ourselves to
the hut on the opposite hill, which was entirely composed of wood and
the leaves of the Carnaùba and other kinds of cabbage trees. This was
only a temporary habitation for the summer months, the usual residence
of the owner being at Açu. He had a large family, who were all very
shy, indeed the females I scarcely saw, though they sometimes did peep
at the Englishmen, not knowing until now, that these were truly and
_bona fide_ nothing but men.
I was this afternoon surprised at a feat of dexterity of one of the
commandant’s sons, a boy of about fourteen years of age. I had often
heard of the manner of catching the wild cattle in the Sertam; the
person employed for the purpose pursues on horseback, with a long pole,
having a goad at one end, the animal which he is desirous of bringing
to the ground, until he overtakes it—he then pierces its side between
the ribs and the hip-bone, which, if it is done at the moment the beast
raises its hind feet from the ground, throws it with such violence, as
sometimes to make it roll over. Some oxen had often trespassed upon the
commandant’s maize; one of the boys could no longer bear this quietly,
he therefore mounted one of his father’s horses, of which there were
several very fine ones, took one of the long poles and set off without
a saddle, and in his shirt and drawers, to attack the animals. He drove
them out of the maize, reached one of them with the goad at the right
moment and threw it down, but before he could turn his horse, another
had attacked him, running his horns into the fleshy part of one of the
horse’s thighs. The boy had taken the precaution of putting a bridle
on to his horse, otherwise, if he had mounted with a halter only, he
would most probably have suffered much more. One of his brothers came
to his assistance, and drove the oxen quite away. The facility with
which the beast was thrown, proved that practice and quickness were
more requisite than strength in this operation.
Towards the evening a shower of rain came on, being the first we had
had since we left Goiana, and indeed this was the only rain which
fell during my journey between Goiana and Seara. However there is not
usually much wet weather at this season of the year; the distress
occasioned by the want of it, arose from the failure of the accustomed
rains in the preceding winter. We removed to the hut across the ravine,
leaving the greatest part of our baggage under the tree, but the shower
did not continue long. The hut was too small to admit of our taking up
our lodging for the night in it, and in case of rain the tree was too
far from the hut to reach it in time to prevent being wet, for which
reason I determined to sleep in the ravine close to the fence, at the
foot of the hill upon which the hut stood. I made a bed for myself
upon two packages, to windward of the fire which we had kindled, but
multitudes of mosquitos rose about midnight, which obliged me to remove
and lie down upon a hide to leeward; the fire was mostly composed
of the dried ordure of cattle, the smoke from which is so thick and
pungent as to prevent entirely any annoyance from these troublesome
insects, but the remedy is bad enough, as it is almost impossible to
open your eyes or to speak. The misery of being exposed to the myriads
of mosquitos which hovered around us this night, made us chuse the
smoke as the more endurable evil. Notwithstanding these inconveniences
we had some amusement at the distress of him whose fire was allowed to
burn low; none of us slept much, for attention to the fires obliged
every one to be on the alert. Towards morning the smoke was scarcely
sufficient to protect us from these tormenting insects. I now learnt
that near to any lake or pool of water, the highest ground is always to
be fixed upon for a night station; even the commandant upon the hill
had fires to windward of the house during the whole of the night.
Early in the morning we continued our journey for some distance along
the banks of the lake, and then entered upon some open land, which was
now quite dry; we slept under a clump of trees, distant about twenty
miles from Piatô. The cattle we saw this day, were in good condition,
plainly showing, that the country enjoyed a plentiful supply of water.
The road of the next day led us through woodlands, and over loose stony
ground; but the woods of this part of the country are not large and
luxuriant; they have not the grandeur of the forests of Pernambuco, nor
is the brushwood which grows under them so close and thick. We passed
through some estates, of which the live stock seemed in good condition;
and saw this day a whole drove or lot (_lote_) of cream-coloured mares.
I asked for water to drink at one of the houses; some was brought to
me by a pretty white girl, who was apparently about seventeen years
of age; she talked a great deal, and in a lively manner, so as to
show that she had inhabited more civilized regions. There were in the
house two children of colour, which she told me were her’s; she was
the daughter of a man of small property, who had married her contrary
to her wishes, to a wealthy mulatto man. She gave a message to the
guide to deliver to her husband, who was superintending the felling
of some timber by the road side, along which we were to pass; we met
with him, he was of dark complexion, and about forty years of age. I
learnt her story from the Açu guide; he said, it had made some noise in
these parts at the time. In the afternoon we passed over a salt marsh,
surrounded by great numbers of carnàûba trees. We bordered the marsh,
looking for a crossing and entered it, where we found the footsteps of
others who had recently passed; the mud was from twelve to eighteen
inches deep where we crossed; but it was in some parts impassable. The
salt had coagulated wherever the footstep of a horse had formed an
opening in the mud, and had collected a small quantity of water. The
breadth of the marsh might be about two hundred yards in the centre,
and its length about one league. After leaving the marsh, we reached
the _taboleiro_, upon which we were to sleep. Towards evening, the
wind was high. I was riding as if I had been seated upon a side-saddle,
with both my legs on the same side of the horse, and with my umbrella
over my head to shade me from the heat of the sun; a sudden gust of
wind took me and my umbrella, and landed us in the sand, to the no
small entertainment of my companions. If the horse had gone off, I
should have been awkwardly situated; but he had travelled too many
leagues to be frightened at trifles such as these.
We continued travelling for two days over the same kind of ground;
plains with trees thinly scattered, and spots of wooded land. We
likewise crossed two salt marshes; but upon these there was no mud.
The water which oozes from the land, on digging into it, is however,
salt; but the soil was dry and hard. Mimoza, the dog belonging to my
new guide, afforded us considerable amusement. She generally made her
way through the wood at a little distance from the road, now and then
returning to the path. She was very expert in discovering the _tatu
bola_, or rolling _tatu_, a small species of armadillo; this animal is
protected by its bony shell; on being touched, it rolls itself up in
the manner of the hedge-hog. As soon as the dog saw one of these, she
touched it with her nose, and barked, continuing the same operation as
often as the armadillo attempted to move, until her master answered the
well-known signal. Several were caught in this manner. The flesh is
as fine as that of a young pig. The _tatu verdadeiro_, or legitimate
armadillo, which is much larger, does not roll itself up, and Mimoza
sometimes pursued it to its hole, and stood at the mouth of it, until
she had her master’s permission to come away. There exists a third
species of armadillo, called the _tatu peba_, which is said to feed
upon human flesh.
On the 7th December, we arrived at ten o’clock in the morning at the
village of St. Luzia, containing from two to three hundred inhabitants.
It is built in a square, and has one church; the houses are small and
low. Here I was able to replenish my spirit bottles, and to purchase
a supply of _rapaduras_. These are cakes of brown sugar or treacle,
boiled to a sufficient consistency to harden, by which means it is
more portable, and much less liable to be wasted in its conveyance.
The day before we reached St. Luzia, our resting place at mid-day was
under some trees, and not far from a cottage. I observed the skin
of a jaguar, the _onça pintada_, in the language of the country,
stretched upon several pieces of wood; it had the appearance of being
quite fresh. I had afterwards some conversation with the cottager,
and he told me, that he had killed the animal to which the skin had
belonged, with the assistance of three dogs, only the day before. It
had committed great destruction, particularly among the sheep; but had
escaped for a length of time, from never appearing at the same place
twice successively. The preceding day this man had gone out with his
three dogs, as was occasionally his practice; his musket was loaded,
but he was without any farther supply of ammunition, and he had his
long knife in his girdle. One of the dogs got scent of the jaguar, and
followed it up to the den; the beast was within, the dogs attacked it;
one of them was killed, and another much maimed, which we saw, and
even the third was hurt. The man fired as soon as the jaguar came out,
and wounded it; and when he saw that it was considerably disabled, he
ran in upon the animal with his knife, and killed it; in doing which,
one of his arms was much lacerated, and this was bound up at the time
I conversed with him. He asked for some powder, saying that there was
still another jaguar in the neighbourhood. The skins are much valued
in Brazil for saddle-cloths; and from the make of the saddles used in
that country, a cloth of some sort, or a skin is required for each. I
have the skin of a jaguar in my possession, which measures five feet
and three inches. The _onça vermelha_, _felis concolor_, and the _onça
preta_, _felis discolor_, are also to be met with; but the jaguar is
more common, and more dreaded than either of these.
The same day we passed over the dry bed of the Panema; it was the third
river we had crossed since our departure from Açu, and all were in the
same state.
St. Luzia stands upon the northern bank of a dry river, in a sandy
loose soil. We took up our mid-day station under the roof of a
miserable hut; the ashes of an extinguished fire in its centre, and
a bench of twisted twigs, alone denoted that it had served as a
dwelling. Several of the inhabitants of the village soon came to us
to enquire for news from Pernambuco; and among others, a young man,
whose accent discovered him to be a native of some of the northern
provinces of Portugal, and whose manner displayed the idea which he
entertained of his own importance; he said, that he had orders from
the commandant to demand my passport, to which I answered, that if the
commandant had wished to see the passport, he would certainly have
sent one of his officers to ask for it; the young man rejoined, that
he was the sergeant of the district. I said that I did not doubt the
truth of what he said, but that I could not know him in that capacity,
because, instead of being in uniform, he had appeared in the usual
dress of shirt and drawers; and I added, that his manner was such,
that I had quite resolved not to show it to him at all. He said, I
must and should show it; I turned to Julio, and asked him, if he heard
what the man said; Julio answered, “Yes, sir, never mind.”[39] The
sergeant went off, and we prepared our arms, much to the amazement and
amusement of some of the more peaceable inhabitants. I soon saw him
again, and he was coming towards us, with two or three other persons;
I called to him to keep at a distance, telling him that Julio would
fire if he did not. This he judged advisable to do; and as I thought
it proper and prudent to advance as soon as possible, we left the
place soon after one o’clock, with a broiling sun; therefore we then
saw no more of the sergeant. The dry river, upon which this village
stands, divides the captaincies of Rio Grande and Seara, consequently
there was much reason for the commandant’s demand of my passport; but
it was necessary to preserve the high opinion generally entertained
of the name of _Inglez_, Englishman, wherever the people possessed
sufficient knowledge to understand that the said _Inglezes_, were
not _bichos_, or animals; and also to keep up my own importance with
the persons about me. It would not have answered, to have thus given
way to a man who was inclined to make me feel the consequence which
he judged his place would allow him to assume. If I had been invited
to the commandant’s house in a civil way, or if the sergeant had come
to me in his uniform, all would have gone well. These trifles, though
apparently of no importance, weigh very heavily with persons who have
made such small advances towards civilization; public opinion is every
thing. If the idea of my being a _bicho_ and a heretic had not been
counter-balanced by that of rank and consequence, I might have had the
whole village upon me, and have been deserted by my own people into the
bargain.
The general features of the captaincy of Rio Grande, may be laid down
as displaying tolerable fertility to the southward of Natal, and as
having a barren aspect to the northward of it, excepting the banks and
immediate neighbourhood of the Potengi.
We passed through the estate of Ilha, distant from St. Luzia one league
and a half, and proceeded, after taking water, four leagues beyond
it, to an uninhabited and unfinished house. The owner had commenced
building during the rains of the former year, and had gone on with
the work until the spring of water, near to the place, failed. The
house was tiled and spacious; but the wood work only of the walls
was erected. It had been the intention of this person to establish a
_fazenda_ here; but the failure of the spring of water would, probably,
deter him from his purpose. The country from Ilha to Tibou, where we
halted at noon on the following day, a distance of ten leagues, was now
without water. Two parties of travellers, besides our own, had taken
up their night’s lodging at this unfinished house. The several fires,
the groups around them, some cooking, some eating, and others asleep;
the pack-saddles and trunks strewed about, as they had been taken
from the horses’ backs, formed a scene worthy of a painter; all was
darkness around, and the wind blew fresh, for the house had no walls,
and no obstruction to oppose its entrance, save the upright posts
which supported the roof. The light of the fires sometimes flashed
upon one or other of the countenances of the travellers, and on these
occasions alone could I discover their colour and consequently, in
some degree, their rank. I might be in the company of slaves or of
white men, for both would have taken up their night’s station in the
same manner. An old man of colour addressed me, asking if I was the
Englishman who had rested at noon at St. Luzia; on my answering in the
affirmative, he said that he was at the commandant’s at the time, and
that there were several debates about the mode of proceeding respecting
me and mine—that my determination not to give up my passport had
caused some demur, and that among other suppositions of who I might
be, one wiseacre said, there was no knowing whether I was not one of
Bonaparte’s ministers, and what might be my diabolical plans. Indeed
I was often amused with the strange ideas which the country people
entertained of distant nations, of which they had heard the names, and
perhaps some further particulars; these were altered in such a manner
by their misapprehension, that it was oftentimes difficult to discover
what the real circumstances were which had been related to them.
We traversed another salt marsh this afternoon. The marsh I have
mentioned as having crossed on the 4th of this month, was the only one
of that description which I met with. The others I have spoken of, and
those which I shall have occasion to mention, are dry, and the soil
upon them in summer is hard, it is dark coloured and produces no grass,
but upon the skirts of the marshes are seen several sea-side plants,
and the water that oozes from them is quite salty.
Our road the next morning lay through brushwood for three leagues over
heavy sand, and three leagues over a salt marsh. Near mid-day we passed
a cottage, in which resided the herdsman of a _fazenda_ and immediately
beyond, ascended a hill of heavy sand called Tibou, from which we
again saw the sea. I scarcely can describe the sensations which were
occasioned by this sight; I felt as if I was at home, as if free to act
as I pleased. The spring of water near to the cottage was dried up,
but there was one on the opposite side of the sand-hill, which still
afforded a small supply; we now took up our mid-day station under a
miserable hut, erected at the summit of the hill, by the inhabitants
of the cottage, for the purpose of curing their fish; they had fixed
upon this spot from its height and consequent exposure to the wind.
The descent to the sea-shore is steep, but not dangerous, as the depth
of the sand prevents any apprehension of a horse falling and rolling
down. The great length of the journies of the two last days, had almost
knocked up the horse upon which my Goiana guide rode; I saw that the
man was not inclined to walk for the purpose of easing the animal, and
therefore wishing to see what could be done by example, I dismounted
and took off the greatest part of my cloaths, removed the bit from my
horse’s mouth, tied the bridle round his neck, and turned him loose
among the others; this had the desired effect, and John also was then
ashamed to be the only person on horseback.
We advanced very quickly over the wet sands, passed two fishermen’s
huts distant from Tibou two leagues; and one league further turned up
from the shore by a steep, sandy path, which took us to the hamlet of
Areias, composed of one respectable looking dwelling and five or six
straw huts. The lands we passed this afternoon, bordering the shore,
are low and sandy, without trees and without cultivation. In seasons
less severe than this there is a small spring of water, not far from
the fishermen’s huts which we had passed, but now it was entirely dried
up; they stand near to a small piece of ground, of which the soil is
less sandy than that in the neighbourhood, and a crop of water melons
is usually obtained from it, which had however completely failed this
year. On our arrival at Areias I made for the principal house, and
asked for a night’s lodging. The front room was offered to me, upon
which our horses were unloaded, and our baggage put into it. I was
surprised to see no elderly or middle aged person belonging to this
house; there were three or four boys only, of whom the oldest was about
sixteen years of age, and he appeared to direct the concerns of the
establishment. He had a piece of inclosed ground near to the house,
into which he allowed our horses to be turned, and this arrangement
being made, I had then time to look round, and see my quarters.
Not a tree or shrub was to be seen in the neighbourhood, but there
were immense sand-hills on one side, and on the other the sea. The
convenience of the spot for fishing could alone have made these people
fix upon it for a residence. I sent out to purchase a fowl; one was
brought, for which I paid 640 _reis_, about 3_s._ 6_d._ Julio told me
that he had seen some goats and kids, upon which I sent him to purchase
one of the latter; he returned with a large one, for which the owner
asked 80 _reis_, less than 6_d._ I thought I was in duty bound to eat
my fowl, but the kid was much finer of its kind. A boy passed in the
evening with a large turtle, which he begged the guide to exchange for
about one pound of the kid; the meat was given to him, but his turtle
would have been of no use to us.
Julio, when he went to purchase the kid, had heard a long story about a
ghost, which made its appearance in the house at which we had stationed
ourselves. The persons from whom he heard it, had advised him to make
me acquainted with the circumstance, that I might move to some other
place for the night. I began to suspect some trick, and told my people
my idea of the sort of ghost we were likely to meet with; I found that
this cheered them, as by them shadows were more dreaded than flesh and
blood. We slung our hammocks in different directions in the large room,
and each took his arms, and settled for the night;—a sudden panic
seized my additional guide, and he was sneaking out of the room; but I
stopped him, and said, that I would send him back to his own country if
he went out; the business was however settled by taking the key from
the door. The story ran thus, the master and mistress of the house had
been murdered by two of their slaves, and it was said that their ghosts
occasionally took a walk in this room; nay, it was even reported that
the old gentleman used his gold headed cane, and woke with it those who
slept in the house. We had not, however, the honour of his company,
and in the morning had much laughter, at the fellow who had been so
dreadfully frightened.
The country through which we proceeded on the morrow, presented a
more cheering appearance. We reached, at a short distance from Areias,
some inclosed and cultivated lands, then passed over a salt-marsh
and arrived at Cajuaes, distant from Areias two leagues. The place
receives its name from the great number of acaju trees, and consists
of six or seven huts. Here we dined, finding good water and abundance
of maize-stalks for our horses. There was some appearance of comfort
and enjoyment of life, at least comparatively speaking. Beyond Cajuaes
three leagues we slept near to a hut, after travelling through some
more cultivated ground. I was asked, by some persons at Cajuaes, at
what place I had slept the preceding night; I answered at Areias,
they then enquired in what house at Areias, as at that village
there was none into which travellers could be received. I replied,
that on the contrary, there was the great house, which I had found
very comfortable; they were perfectly astonished at my sleeping in
this haunted place, and for some time imagined that I was joking.
Afterwards, on other occasions, I heard of the same story, which
appeared to have taken deep root in the faith of all those who spoke of
it.
The next day we reached Aracati, distant seven leagues from where we
had slept, about five o’clock in the afternoon. Great part of this
day’s journey was through salt marshes or plains covered with the
Carnàûba; the tall naked stems of the palms, crowned with branches
like the coco tree at the summit, which rustle with the least breath
of air, and the bare and dark coloured soil upon which no grass grows
and rarely any shrub, give a dismal look to these plains. The computed
distance from Açû? to Aracati is forty-five leagues. When I approached
Aracati, I sent my Goiana guide forwards with the letter which I
had received from the governor of Rio Grande to Senhor Joze Fideles
Barrozo, a wealthy merchant and landed proprietor. On my arrival, I
found that the guide had delivered the letter, and that Senhor Barrozo
had given to him the keys of an unoccupied house, which I was to
inhabit during my stay.
The town of Aracati consists chiefly of one long street, with several
others of minor importance branching from it to the southward; it
stands upon the southern bank of the river Jaguaribe, which is so far
influenced by the tide. At the ebb, the stream is fordable, and as it
spreads considerably from the main channel, some parts remain quite dry
at low water. The houses of Aracati, unlike those of any of the other
small places which I visited, have one story above the ground floor; I
enquired the reason of this, and was told, that the floods of the river
were sometimes so great, as to render necessary a retreat to the upper
part of the houses. The town contains three churches, and a town-hall
and prison, but no monasteries; this captaincy does not contain any
such pest. The inhabitants are in number about six hundred.
The house I was to occupy, consisted of two good sized rooms, with
large closets or small bed-chambers leading from each, called
_alcovas_, and a kitchen, these were all above; and underneath there
was a sort of warehouse. To the back we had an oblong yard, inclosed
by a brick wall, with a gate at the farther end, by which our horses
entered; and here they remained until better arrangements could be
made for them. I slung my hammock in the front room, and desired that
some fowls should be purchased, as stock, whilst we remained here.
One was preparing for me, when three black servants appeared from
Senhor Barrozo; the first brought a large tray with a plentiful and
excellently cooked supper, wine, sweetmeats, &c.—a second carried a
silver ewer and basin, and a fringed towel, and a third came to know if
there was any thing which I particularly wished for, besides what had
been prepared; this man took back my answer, and the other two remained
to attend, until I had supped. I learnt from the guide afterwards,
that another tray had been sent for my people. I supposed that Senhor
Barrozo had thought proper to treat me in this manner on the day of
my arrival, from an idea that I could not have arranged any means of
cooking, &c. until the next day; but in the morning coffee and cakes
were brought to me, and the same major-domo came to know if all was to
my liking. Whilst I remained at Aracati, Senhor Barrozo provided every
thing for me and for my people, in the same handsome manner. This
treatment is usual where persons are well recommended; it is noble, and
shows the state of manners among the higher orders.
In the morning I received a visit from Senhor Barrozo, whose manners
were ceremonious and courtly. On my mentioning the inconvenience to
which I was putting him by my stay, he said, that he could not alter
in any way his mode of treating me, because, if he did, he should
not do his duty to the governor of Rio Grande, to whom he owed many
obligations, and, consequently, took every opportunity of showing his
gratitude by all the means in his power. The reason which he thus gave
for his civility, completely set at rest any thing I could have said
to prevent its continuance. He ordered all my horses to be taken to
an island in the river, upon which there was plenty of grass. I had
resolved to send John back to Pernambuco by sea, and spoke to Senhor
Barrozo upon the subject, when he immediately said, that one of his
smacks was going, in which my servant might have a birth. John was
out of health, and not adapted to the kind of life which we had been
leading, and should be yet under the necessity of continuing. This day
I remained at home, employing the greatest part of it in sleeping; and
in the evening returned Senhor Barrozo’s visit. A white man, with whom
my Goiana guide was acquainted, called upon me, and we arranged an
expedition in a canoe, for the next day, to go down the river to its
mouth.
My guide’s friend came as he had appointed, and his canoe was waiting
for us. His two negroes poled where the water was shallow, and paddled
us along where it became deep. We passed several beautiful islands,
some of which had cattle upon them; and others, of which the land
was too low to produce grass; the latter were entirely covered with
mangroves, which grow likewise on the borders of the river, the
shores being clear of them only where settlements are formed, and
the proprietors have extirpated them. The river is, in parts, about
half a mile in breadth, and in some places, where there are islands,
it is broader, if taken from the outermost sides of the two branches
which it, in these situations, forms. The town is distant from the bar
about eight miles. We boarded Senhor Barrozo’s smack, took the long
boat belonging to it, and proceeded to the bar, which is narrow and
dangerous, owing to the sand banks on each side; upon these the surf
is very violent. The sand is so loose at the mouth of the river, that
the masters of the coasting vessels are obliged to use every precaution
possible each voyage, as if they were entering a harbour with which
they are unacquainted. The river widens immediately within the bar,
and forms rather a spacious bay. Even if no other obstacle presented
itself, the port cannot, from the uncertainty of the depth of its
entrance, ever become of any importance. Coasters alone can enter, and
I understand that the sand in the river also accumulates; the sand
banks project from each side in some places so much as to render the
navigation, even for a boat, somewhat difficult from a short distance
above the bay[40]. On our return, we dined at an estate upon the banks
of the river, of which the owner was an acquaintance of the man who
had proposed this party. Opposite to the dwelling-house of this estate
stands an island, which produces abundance of grass; but there is no
fresh water upon it; this obliges the cattle that feed there, regularly
to pass over to the main land every day to drink, and return to the
island, which they are so much accustomed to do, that no herdsman is
necessary to compel them. We saw them swim across, and all passed
close to the house in their way to the pool. The owner said, that the
calves invariably took that side of their mothers to which the tide was
running, to prevent being carried away by the force of the stream: and
indeed I observed, that all the calves took the same side.
In the evening arrangements were made for the hire of two horses to
carry me and one of my people to Seara, leaving my own beasts to rest
for the journey back to Pernambuco. I again called upon Senhor Barrozo,
to make known to him my plan, and he then gave me a letter to a
gentleman with whom he was acquainted at Seara. A guide for the journey
was also procured.
The horses were ready, and in the morning I set forth, accompanied
by my Goiana guide, and the man whom I had hired for this additional
journey; he rode a horse with which he had been charged to take to
Seara. He was an old man, half mad, and very amusing. We hailed the
ferryman to take us across the river before day-break; but as he did
not answer, we took possession of a large canoe which lay empty, and
was tied to a post; we got into it, and the Goiana guide paddled us
very dexterously to the middle of the river, where the canoe grounded;
it had struck upon a sand bank, owing to the man being unacquainted
with the navigation of the stream. We were obliged to undress, and get
into the water to push the canoe off, which we succeeded in doing, and
reached the opposite side in safety. The horses crossed over, tied to
the sides of the canoe, swimming or taking the ground according to the
depth of the water.
The distance between Aracati and the _Villa da Fortaleza do Seara
Grande_, is thirty leagues, principally consisting of sandy lands
covered with brushwood; in a few places, the wood is loftier and
thicker, but of this there is not much. We passed also some fine
_varseas_, or low marshy grounds, which were now sufficiently dry
for cultivation; and indeed the only land from which any crop could
be expected in this particularly severe dry season. The country is,
generally speaking, flat, and in some parts the path led us near to
the sea shore, but was never upon it. We saw several cottages, and
three or four hamlets; the facility of obtaining fish from the sea, has
rendered living comparatively easy in these parts. We passed through an
Indian village, and the town of St. Joze, each built in a square, and
each containing about three hundred inhabitants. I understood that the
governors of Seara are obliged to take possession of their office at
St. Joze. We made the journey in four days, arriving at the _Villa da
Fortaleza_ on the 16th December, and might have entered it at noon on
the fourth day, but I preferred waiting until the evening. I performed
the journey from Natal to Seara, a distance of one hundred and sixty
leagues, according to the vague computation of the country, in
thirty-four days. The morning after my arrival I sent back to Aracati
the men and horses which I had brought with me.
The town of the fortress of Searà is built upon heavy sand, in the
form of a square, with four streets leading from it, and it has an
additional long street on the north side of the square, which runs in
a parallel direction, but is unconnected with it. The dwellings have
only a ground floor, and the streets are not paved; but some of the
houses have foot paths of brick in front. It contains three churches,
the governor’s palace, the town-hall and prison, a custom-house, and
the treasury. The number of inhabitants I judge to be from one thousand
to twelve hundred. The fort, from which the place derives its name,
stands upon a sand-hill close to the town, and consists of a sand or
earth rampart towards the sea, and of stakes driven into the ground on
the land side; it contained four or five pieces of cannon of several
sizes, which were pointed various ways; and I observed that the gun of
heaviest metal was mounted on the land side. Those which pointed to
the sea were not of sufficient calibre to have reached a vessel in the
usual anchorage ground. The powder magazine is situated upon another
part of the sand-hill, in full view of the harbour. There is not much
to invite the preference given to this spot; it has no river, nor any
harbour, and the beach is bad to land upon; the breakers are violent,
and the _recife_ or reef of rocks affords very little protection to
vessels riding at anchor upon the coast. The settlement was formerly
situated three leagues to the northward, upon a narrow creek, where
there exists now only the remains of an old fort. The beach is steep,
which renders the surf dangerous for a boat to pass through in making
for the shore. A vessel unloaded during my stay there, and part of her
cargo consisted of the flour of the mandioc in small bags; the long
boat approached as near to the shore as it could without striking, and
the bags were landed on men’s heads; the persons employed to bring them
ashore passed through the surf with them; but if they were caught by a
wave the flour was wetted and injured, and indeed few reached the shore
perfectly dry. The anchorage ground is bad and exposed; the winds are
always from the southward and eastward; and if they were very variable
a vessel could scarcely ride upon the coast. The reef of rocks forms
a complete ridge, at a considerable distance from the shore, and is
to be seen at low water. Upon this part of the coast the reef runs
lower than towards Pernambuco, which has obliged the people of Searà
to take advantage of the rocks being rather higher here, and affording
some little protection to ships at anchor. The spot seems to have been
preferred owing to this advantage, trifling as it is, though the rocks
are much inferior to those which form the bold reef of Pernambuco. The
ridge runs parallel with the shore for about one quarter of a mile,
with two openings, one above and the other below the town. A small
vessel may come to anchor between it and the shore; but a large ship
can only bring up either to the northward or to the southward of the
town, in one of the openings of the ridge or on the outside of it. The
opening to the northward is to be preferred. A vessel coming from the
northward should make the point of Mocoripe, which lies one league
to the southward of the town, and upon it stands a small fort; this
being done, she will then be able to make the anchorage ground. On the
appearance of a ship the fort of the town will have a white flag flying
upon a high flag-staff. To the northward of the town, between the reef
and the shore, there is a rock called _Pedra da Velha_, or the Old
Woman’s Rock, which is to be seen even at high water by the breakers
upon it. When a vessel leaves the port she may either pass between this
rock and the shore, giving a birth to a shoal about one hundred yards
to the northward, or she may run between the rock and the principal
ridge or reef.
The public buildings are small and low, but are neat and white-washed,
and adapted to the purposes for which they are intended.
Notwithstanding the disadvantage to the general appearance, imparted
by the wretched soil upon which the town has been erected, I could
not avoid thinking that its look was that of a thriving place; but I
believe that this can scarcely be said to be the real state of the
town. The difficulty of land carriage, particularly in such a country,
the want of a good harbour, and the dreadful droughts, prevent any
sanguine hope of its rise to opulence. The commerce of Searà is very
limited and is not likely to increase; the long credits which it is
necessary for the trader to give, preclude the hope of quick returns,
to which British merchants are accustomed.
I rode immediately on my arrival to the house of Senhor Marcos Antonio
Briçio, the chief of the Treasury and of the Naval department, with
several other titles which are not transferrable into our language; to
this gentleman I had a letter of introduction from Senhor Barrozo. I
found several persons assembled at his house to drink tea and play at
cards. Senhor Marcos is an intelligent and well-informed man, who has
seen good society in Lisbon, and had held a high situation at Maranham
before he was appointed to Searà. I was introduced to Senhor Lourenço,
a merchant, who had connections in trade with England; he recognized my
name, for he had been acquainted with near relations of mine in Lisbon.
I was invited to stay with him and received from him every civility.
The morning after my arrival I visited the governor, Luiz Barba Alardo
de Menezes[41], and was received by him with much affability; he said,
that he wished he had more opportunities of shewing the regard which
he entertained for my countrymen, and that some of them would come and
settle in his captaincy. He built, during his administration of the
province, the centre of the palace, and employed Indian workmen, paying
them half the usual price of labour. He was in the habit of speaking of
the property of individuals residing within the province as if it was
his own, saying, his ships, his cotton, &c. I happened to be at Searà,
on the Queen of Portugal’s birthday; the company of regular troops,
consisting of one hundred and fourteen men, was reviewed; they looked
respectable, and were in tolerable order. In the chief apartment of
the palace stood a full length picture of the Prince Regent of Brazil,
which was placed against the wall, and was raised about three feet
from the ground. Three or four steps ascended from the floor to the
foot of the picture; upon the lowest of these the governor stood in
full uniform, and each person passed before him and bowed, that thus
the state of the Sovereign Court might be kept up. I dined with the
governor this day, at whose table were assembled all the military and
civil officers, and two or three merchants; he placed me at his right
hand, as a stranger, thus shewing the estimation in which Englishmen
are held. About thirty persons were present at the table, of which
more than half wore uniforms; indeed the whole display was much more
brilliant than I had expected; every thing was good and handsome.
I had opportunities of seeing the Indian villages of Aronxas and
Masangana, and there is a third in this neighbourhood, of which I have
forgotten the name; each is distant from Searà between two and three
leagues, in different directions; they are built in the form of a
square, and each contains about three hundred inhabitants. One of my
usual companions on these occasions was acquainted with the vicar of
Aronxas, and we therefore made him a visit. He resided in a building
which had formerly belonged to the Jesuits; it is attached to the
church, and has balconies from the principal corridor, which look into
it.
The Indians of these villages, and indeed of all those which I passed
through, are Christians; though it is said that some few of them follow
in secret their own heathenish rites, paying adoration to the _maracà_,
and practising all the customs of their religion, if I may use this
word, of which so exact a description is given in Mr. Southey’s History
of Brazil. When the Roman Catholic religion does take root in them,
it of necessity degenerates into the most abject superstition. An
adherence to superstitious rites, whether of Roman Catholic ordination
or prescribed by their own undefined faith, appears to be the only
part of their character in which they shew any constancy. Each village
has its priest, who is oftentimes a vicar, and resident for life
upon the spot. A director is also attached to each village, who is
supposed to be a white man; he has great power over the persons within
his jurisdiction. If a proprietor of land is in want of workmen he
applies to the director, who agrees for the price at which the daily
labour is to be paid, and he commands one of his chief Indians to take
so many men and proceed with them to the estate for which they are
hired. The labourers receive the money themselves, and expend it as
they please; but the bargains thus made are usually below the regular
price of labour. Each village has two _Juizes Ordinarios_ or Mayors,
who act for one year. One _Juiz_ is a white man, and the other an
Indian; but it may easily be supposed that the former has, in fact,
the management. These _Juizes_ have the power of putting suspicious
persons into confinement, and of punishing for small crimes; those of
more importance wait for the _Correiçam_, or circuit of the _Ouvidor_
of the captaincy. Each village contains a town-hall and prison. The
administration of justice in the Sertam is generally spoken of as most
wretchedly bad; every crime obtains impunity by the payment of a sum of
money. An innocent person is sometimes punished through the interest of
a great man, whom he may have offended, and the murderer escapes who
has the good fortune to be under the protection of a powerful patron.
This proceeds still more from the feudal state of the country than
from the corruption of the magistrates, who might often be inclined
to do their duty, and yet be aware that their exertions would be of
no avail, and would possibly prove fatal to themselves. The Indians
have likewise their _Capitaens-mores_, and this title is conferred for
life; it gives the holder some power over his fellows, but as it is
among them, unaccompanied by the possession of property, the Indian
_Capitaens-mores_ are much ridiculed by the whites; and indeed the half
naked officer with his gold-headed cane is a personage who would excite
laughter from the most rigid nerves.
The Indians are in general a quiet and inoffensive people, they have
not much fidelity, but although they desert they will not injure
those whom they have served. Their lives are certainly not passed
in a pleasant manner under the eye of a director, by whom they are
imperiously treated, consequently it is not surprising that they
should do all in their power to leave their villages and be free from
an immediate superior; but even when they have escaped from the irksome
dominion of the director they never settle in one place. The Indian
scarcely ever plants for himself, or if he does, rarely waits the crop;
he sells his maize or mandioc for half its value, before it is fit to
be gathered, and removes to some other district. His favourite pursuits
are fishing and hunting; a lake or rivulet will alone induce him to
be stationary for any length of time. He has a sort of independent
feeling, which makes him spurn at any thing like a wish to deprive him
of his own free agency; to the director he submits, because it is out
of his power to resist. An Indian can never be persuaded to address
the master to whom he may have hired himself, by the term of Senhor,
though it is made use of by the whites in speaking to each other, and
by all other free people in the country; but the negroes also use it in
speaking to their masters, therefore the Indian will not; he addresses
his temporary master by the term of _amo_ or _patram_, protector or
patron. The reluctance to use the term of Senhor may perhaps have
commenced with the immediate descendants of those who were in slavery,
and thus the objection may have become traditionary. They may refuse
to give by courtesy what was once required from them by law. However,
if it began in this manner, it is not now continued for the same
reason, as none of those with whom I conversed, and they were very
many, appeared to know that their ancestors had been obliged to work as
slaves.
The instances of murder committed by Indians are rare. They are
pilferers rather than thieves. When they can, they eat immoderately;
but if it is necessary they can live upon a very trifling quantity
of food, to which their idleness often reduces them. They are much
addicted to liquor, and will dance in a ring, singing some of the
monotonous ditties of their own language, and drink for nights and
days without ceasing. Their dances are not indecent, as those of
Africa. The mulattos consider themselves superior to the Indians, and
even the Creole blacks look down upon them; “he is as paltry as an
Indian[42],” is a common expression among the lower orders in Brazil.
They are vilely indifferent regarding the conduct of their wives and
daughters; lying and other vices attached to savage life belong to
them. Affection seems to have little hold upon them; they appear to be
less anxious for the life and welfare of their children than any other
cast of men who inhabit that country. The women however do not, among
these semi-barbarians, perform the principal drudgery; if the husband
is at home he fetches water from the rivulet and fuel from the wood; he
builds the hut whilst his wife takes shelter in some neighbour’s shed.
But if they travel she has her young children to carry, the pots, the
baskets, and the excavated gourds, whilst the husband takes his wallet
of goat-skin and his hammock rolled up upon his back, his fishing net
and his arms, and walks in the rear. The children are washed on the
day of their birth in the nearest brook or pool of water. Both the men
and the women are cleanly in many of their habits, and particularly
in those relating to their persons; but in some other matters their
customs are extremely disgusting; the same knife is used for all
purposes, and with little preparatory cleaning is employed in services
of descriptions widely opposite. They do not reject any kind of food,
and devour it almost without being cooked; rats and other small vermin,
snakes and alligators are all accepted.
The instinct, for I know not what else to call it, which the Indians
possess above other men, in finding their way across a wood to a
certain spot on the opposite side without path or apparent mark, is
most surprising; they trace footsteps over the dry leaves which lie
scattered under the trees. The letter-carriers, from one province to
another, are mostly Indians, for from habit they endure great fatigue,
and will walk day after day, with little rest, for months together.
I have met them with their wallets made of goat-skin upon their
shoulders, walking at a regular pace, which is not altered by rough or
smooth. Though a horse may outstrip one of these men for the first few
days, still if the journey continues long, the Indian will, in the end,
arrive before him. If a criminal has eluded the diligence of the police
officers, Indians are sent in pursuit of him, as a last resource. It
is well known that they will not take him alive; each man who sees the
offender fires, for they do not wish to have any contention. Nor is it
possible for the magistrate to fix upon the individual of the party who
shot the criminal; for if any of them are asked who killed him, the
answer invariably is “_os homems_,” the men.
It is usually said, that a party of Indians will fight tolerably well;
but that two or three will take to their heels at the first alarm.
Some of them however are resolute, and sufficiently courageous; but
the general character is usually supposed to be cowardly, inconstant,
devoid of acute feelings, as forgetful of favours as of injuries,
obstinate in trifles, regardless of matters of importance. The
character of the negro is more decided; it is worse, but it is also
better. From the black race the worst of men may be formed; but they
are capable likewise of great and good actions. The Indian seems to be
without energy or exertion; devoid of great good or great evil. Much
may at the same time be said in their favour; they have been unjustly
dealt with, they have been trampled upon, and afterwards treated
as children; they have been always subjected to those who consider
themselves their superiors, and this desire to govern them has even
been carried to the direction of their domestic arrangements. But
no,—if they are a race of acute beings, capable of energy, of being
deeply interested upon any subject, they would do more than they have
done. The priesthood is open to them; but they do not take advantage of
it[43]. I never saw an Indian mechanic in any of the towns; there is
no instance of a wealthy Indian; rich mulattos and negroes are by no
means rare. I have had many dealings with them as guides and carriers,
and subsequently as labourers, and have no reason to complain, for
I was never injured by any of them; but neither did I receive any
particular good service, excepting in the instance of Julio. For guides
and carriers they are well adapted, as their usual habits lead them
to the rambling life which these employments encourage. As labourers,
I found that they had usually a great inclination to over-reach; but
their schemes were badly made, and consequently easily discovered. I
never could depend upon them for any length of time, and to advance
money or cloathing to them is a certain loss. If I had any labour which
was to be performed by a given time, the overseer would always reckon
upon his mulatto and negro free people; but did not mention in the
list of persons who were to work, any of the Indians whom I was then
employing; and on my speaking of them, he answered “An Indian is only
to be mentioned for the present day[44],” meaning that no reliance is
to be placed upon them.
Like most of the aboriginal inhabitants of the western hemisphere,
these people are of a copper colour. They are short, and stoutly
made; but their limbs, though large, have not the appearance of
possessing great strength, they have no shew of muscle. The face is
disproportionately broad, the nose flat, the mouth wide, the eyes
deep and small, the hair black, coarse, and lank; none of the men
have whiskers, and their beards are not thick. The women, when they
are young, have by no means an unpleasant appearance; but they soon
fall off, and become ugly; their figures are seldom well shaped.
Deformity is rare among the Indians; I do not recollect to have seen
an individual of this race who had been born defective; and the
well-informed persons with whom I conversed were of opinion, that
the Indians are more fortunate in this respect than any other race
with whom they were acquainted. All the Indians of Pernambuco speak
Portugueze, but few of them pronounce it well; there is always a
certain twang which discovers the speaker to be an Indian, although the
voice was heard without the person being seen; many of them however do
not understand any other language. The Indians seldom if ever speak
Portugueze so well as the generality of the creole negroes.
It must be perfectly understood, that although there may be some unfair
dealings occasionally of the director towards the Indian, still this
race cannot be enslaved; the Indian cannot be made to work for any
person against his inclination, he cannot be bought and sold. An Indian
will sometimes make over his child, when very young, to a rich person
to be taught some trade, or to be brought up as a household servant,
but as soon as the child is of an age to provide for itself, it cannot
be prevented from so doing; it may leave the person under whose care it
has been placed if it be so inclined.
Two Indians presented themselves at the gate of the Carmelite convent
of Goiana, and requested and were permitted to see the prior. They put
into his hands a purse containing several gold coins, saying that they
had found it near Dous Rios; they begged that he would order a number
of masses to be said in their behalf, which were to be paid for from
the contents of the purse. The prior, admiring their honesty, asked one
of them to remain with him as his servant, to which the man agreed. The
friar was in the habit of going into the country to a friend’s house to
shoot. On one occasion, after the Indian had served him for some time,
he left the convent and took him on one of these expeditions, but when
they were about half way, the friar discovered that he had forgotten
his powder-horn; he gave the key of his trunk to the Indian and desired
him to fetch the powder whilst he proceeded. In vain he waited at his
friend’s house for his servant, and on his return to the convent in
the evening he heard that he was not there. He went immediately to his
cell, supposing that he had been robbed of all his money, and whatever
else the fellow could carry of; but to his joy he discovered on
examination, that the man had only taken the powder-horn, two silver
coins of about 4s. value each, an old clerical gown, and a pair of worn
out nankeen pantaloons. This story I had from an intimate friend of the
prior.
One of the days of my stay at Searà we passed upon the borders of a
lake, which is between two and three leagues distant from the town, for
the purpose of shooting. This lake was nearly dry. The general feature
of the country about Searà is arid; the captaincy produces no sugar,
but the lands are adapted for cotton, of which however the crop this
year was very trifling. So excessive had the drought become, that a
famine was feared, and great distress would have been experienced if a
vessel had not arrived from the southward laden with the flour of the
mandioc. The usual price of it was 640 _reis per alqueire_, but the
cargo of this vessel was sold at 6400 _reis per alqueire_; a fact which
proves the scarcity to have been very great. Formerly considerable
quantities of beef were salted and dried here, and were exported to
the other captaincies, but from the mortality among the cattle, caused
by the frequent dry seasons, this trade has been unavoidably given up
entirely, and the whole country is now supplied from the Rio Grande
do Sul, the southern boundary of the Portugueze dominions. But the
meat which arrives at Pernambuco from the Rio Grande do Sul, still
preserves its name of Searà meat, _carne do Searà_. The country to the
northward and eastward I understood to be much superior to that in the
neighbourhood of Searà. The captaincy of Piauhi, which lies in that
direction, is accounted fertile, and is not subject to droughts.
Many were the praises which I heard of the late governor of Searà,
Joam Carlos, who was appointed to this province before he had arrived
at the age of twenty years, and who was at the time I visited Searà
captain-general of Mato Grosso. His administration of justice was in
general summary, but on one occasion he waved his usual severity; he
was informed, whilst playing at cards at the house of Senhor Marcos,
which is near to the palace, that a soldier was robbing his garden. He
answered, “Poor fellow, great must be his hunger when he runs the risk
of entering his governor’s garden—don’t molest him.” Some persons
were in the practice of taking doors off their hinges, and other tricks
of the same sort, during the night; the governor had in vain attempted
to discover who they were, and he resolved at last to wrap himself up
in his cloak and to apprehend some of them, if possible, with his own
hands. A young man, with whom I was acquainted, had met the governor on
one of these nights, he demanded his name and, on discovering who it
was, admonished him to be at home at an earlier hour on the following
evening.
The family of the Feitozas still exists in the interior of this
captaincy and that of Piauhi, in possession of extensive estates,
which are covered with immense droves of cattle. In the time of Joam
Carlos, the chiefs had risen to such power, and were supposed to be so
completely out of the reach of punishment, that they entirely refused
obedience to the laws, both civil and criminal, such as they are. They
revenged their own wrongs; persons obnoxious to them were publicly
murdered in the villages of the interior; the poor man who refused
obedience to their commands was devoted to destruction, and the rich
man, who was not of their clan, was obliged silently to acquiesce in
deeds of which he did not approve. The Feitozas are descendants of
Europeans, but many of the branches are of mixed blood, and perhaps
few are free from some tinge of the original inhabitants of Brazil.
The chief of the family was a colonel of militia, and could at a short
notice call together about one hundred men, which is equal to ten or
twenty times the number in a well-peopled country. Deserters were well
received by him, and murderers who had committed this crime in the
revenge of injuries; the thief was not accepted, and much less the man
who for the sake of pillage had taken the life of another.
Joam Carlos had received from Lisbon secret instructions to secure the
person of this chief of the Feitozas. His first step was to inform
the colonel, that he intended on a certain day to visit him at his
village, for the purpose of reviewing his regiment. The village is not
many leagues from the coast, but is distant considerably from Searà.
Feitoza answered, that he should be ready to receive His Excellency on
the appointed day. The time came and Joam Carlos set out, accompanied
by ten or twelve persons; the colonel greeted him most courteously, and
had assembled all his men to make the greatest possible shew. After the
review, the colonel dismissed them, fatigued with the day’s exercise,
for many of them had travelled several leagues. He retired with the
governor to his house, accompanied by a few of his near relations. At
the time all the party was preparing to settle for the night, Joam
Carlos, having arranged every thing with his own people, rose and
presented a pistol to the breast of the chief, his followers doing the
same to the colonel’s relations and servants, who were unable to make
any resistance, as they were unprepared, and not so numerous as the
governor’s men. Joam Carlos told Feitoza, that if he spoke or made the
least noise he should immediately fire, though he well knew that his
own destruction would be certain. He conducted him to the back door,
and ordered him and all the persons present to mount the horses which
had been prepared for them. They made for the sea-shore, and arrived
there very early in the morning; _jangadas_ were in waiting to take
them on board a smack, which was lying off and on near to the coast.
The alarm was given soon after their departure from Feitoza’s village,
and as the governor reached the smack, he saw the colonel’s adherents
upon the beach, embarking in _jangadas_ to try to overtake them, but
it was too late; the smack left the land, and the next day made for
the shore, landed the governor, and then proceeded on her voyage.
Feitoza was supposed to be in the prison of the Limoeiro at Lisbon when
the French entered Portugal, and either died about that time or was
released by them[45]. His followers still look forwards to his return.
The loss of their chiefs broke the power and union of the clan, and
they have had disputes among themselves. Brazil is likewise undergoing
a change of manners, and emerging rapidly from semi-barbarism.
A young man of Searà had been, a short time before my arrival, to
the distance of thirty leagues into the interior, accompanied by two
constables, to serve a writ upon a man of some property for a debt;
they rode good horses, that they might perform their errand before he
could have any knowledge that they were going, and might attempt, in
consequence, any thing against their lives. It is a dangerous service
to go into the interior to recover debts. The Portugueze law does not
allow of arrest for debt, but by serving a writ any property which was
sent down to the town to be shipped might be seized.
I was received at Searà most hospitably; the name of Englishman was
a recommendation. In the morning I generally remained at home, and
in the afternoon rode out with three or four of the young men of the
place, who were much superior to any I had expected to find here, and
in the evening a large party usually assembled at the house of Senhor
Marcos; his company and that of his wife and daughter would have been
very pleasant anywhere, but was particularly so in these uncivilized
regions. Parties were likewise occasionally given at the palace, and
at both these places, after tea and coffee, cards and conversation made
the evenings pass very quickly. The palace was the only dwelling in the
town which had boarded floors; it appeared at first rather strange to
be received by one of the principal officers of the province, in a room
with a brick floor and plain white washed walls, as occurred at the
house of Senhor Marcos.
This gentleman had delivered to me a crimson coloured satin bag,
containing government papers, and directed to the Prince Regent of
Portugal and Brazil, and he gave me directions to put it into the hands
of the post-master at Pernambuco. I obtained, from being the bearer,
the power of requiring horses from the several commandants upon the
road. To him it was convenient, as with me its chance of safety was
greater than if it had been forwarded by a single man on foot, which
is the usual mode of conveyance. The men employed for this purpose are
trust-worthy, but must of course sometimes meet with accidents.
I had in my journey from Goiana to Searà seen Pernambuco, and the
adjoining provinces to the northward, in almost their worst state—that
of one whole season without rain; but extreme wretchedness is produced
by two successive years of drought; in such a case, on the second
year, the peasants die by the road side; entire families are swept
away, entire districts are depopulated. The country was in this
dreadful state in 1791, 2, 3, for these three years passed without any
considerable fall of rain. In 1810, food was still to be purchased,
though at exorbitant prices, and in the following year the rains came
down in abundance, and removed the dread of famine. I had, I say,
seen the provinces through which I passed upon the brink of extreme
want, owing to the failure of the rains; I had myself experienced
inconvenience from this cause, and in one instance considerable
distress from it; now in returning, the whole country was changed, the
rains had commenced, and I was made to feel that great discomfort is
caused by each extreme; but the sensations which the apprehension of
a want of water produces are much more painful than the disagreeable
effects of an immoderate quantity of it—heavy rains and flooded lands.
I was obliged to stay at Searà longer than I had at first intended,
owing to an accident which I met with in bathing; this confined me
to my bed for some days. As soon as I was allowed to move I made
preparations for my return; I purchased four horses, one to carry my
trunk and a small barrel of biscuit, a second for _farinha_, a third
for maize, and the fourth for myself. Senhor Lourenço sent for three
trusty Indians from one of the villages for the purpose of accompanying
me, and on the 8th January, 1811, I commenced my return to Pernambuco.