_Boundaries--First Settlement--Mountains--Mineralogy--Rivers
and Ports--Islands--Phytology--Zoology--Bugre Indians, Dwellings
and Customs--Character of the Paulistas--Division into
Comarcas--Comarca of Curytiba--Towns and Productions--Comarcas
of St. Paulo and Hitu--Towns and Productions._
This province, formed by the union of a part of the capitania of St.
Amaro, with one half of that of St. Vincente, took the name which
designates it in the year 1710, when John V. incorporating them with
the crown lands by purchase, nominated a governor, with the title of
captain-general, in the person of Antonio de Albuquerque Coelho, and
the city of St. Paulo for his residence. It is confined on the north
by the province of Minas Geraes, from which the serra of Mantiqueira
separates it, and by that of Goyaz, from which it is divided by the
river Grande; on the south by Rio Grande do Sul, of which the river
Pellotas forms the division; on the west by the river Paranna, which
separates it from the provinces of Goyaz and Matto Grosso; and on the
east by the ocean, and the provinces of Rio de Janeiro on the northern
part, and St. Catherina on the southern. Its territory is almost all
within the temperate zone, between 20° 30′ and 28° south latitude,
comprising four hundred and fifty miles from north to south, and
three hundred and forty miles of medium width from east to west; and
possessing much variety in the climate, soil, and aspect of the country.
John III. determining to divide the Brazilian coast into capitanias,
at the period that Martim Affonso de Souza was in this new region,
presented him, in 1532, with one comprising a hundred leagues of coast,
and his brother Pedro Lopez de Souza, who had accompanied him, with
another of fifty; but the letter of donation to Martim Affonso was not
signed till the 20th of January, 1535, at the time when he had already
taken his departure for India. It specified that this captaincy, which
afterwards took the name of St. Vincente, should extend from the river
Maccahe as far as twelve leagues to the southward of the island of
Cannanea, where the bar of Paranagua is situated, excepting a certain
portion of ten leagues, computed from the river Curupace, now called
Jiquiriquere, to that of St. Vincente. The capitania of Pedro Lopez de
Souza, which was denominated St. Amaro, included the said ten leagues.
That of St. Vincente had scarcely existed forty years, when it was
deprived of half its territory, for the purpose of creating the new one
of Rio de Janeiro.
With the change of possessors, the southern limits of both capitanias
disappeared, and the jurisdiction of the governors began to extend by
degrees over the countries which now constitute the provinces of Minas
Geraes, Goyaz, Matto Grosso, St. Catharina, and Rio Grande do Sul,
where, through the adventures of the Paulistas, colonies were first
planted.
The authority of Herrera would warrant the conclusion that there was a
factory at St. Vincente in the year 1527. At all events, the licence
which Martim Affonso conceded to Pedro Goes, on the 3d of March, 1533,
for the purpose of exporting seventeen captive Indians, free of all
duties which it was customary to pay, amply demonstrates that such an
establishment had existed for some time previous to the latter year.
Martim Affonso found here, as has been already observed, two Europeans,
Antonio Rodrigues, and John Ramalho, whom Herrera imagined had escaped
from some shipwreck upon the coast; but it would seem improbable that
they could of themselves have constituted a factory; as establishments
of that kind, formed amongst barbarians, necessarily require a
considerable number of persons.
MOUNTAINS.--This province is not mountainous, if we except
the eastern part, in the whole extent of which there is a general
cordillera, running parallel to the coast, which occasionally receives
the name of Cubatam. This serra is not universally of the same
altitude, neither does it run uniformly at an equal distance from the
sea. It has many broken parts, by some of which torrents descend to the
ocean, and others wind into the interior. It abounds in verdant woods,
being generally high towards the sea, and is the most elevated land of
the province, with the exception of some dispersed mountains in the
interior; besides, the largest rivers which irrigate this district have
their origin in it, and run westward.
The serra Araassoiava, by corruption Guarassoiava, which signifies the
eclipsing of the sun, alluding to the great extent of land obscured by
its shade, previously to the sun’s departure. This mountain, which is
ten miles in length, and of proportionate width, consists entirely of
a pure mineral of iron, and is situated in the district of the town of
Sorocaba.
The mount of Araquara, from which are frequent exhalations, and which
is reputed to contain gold, is situated upon the right margin of the
Tiete, thirty miles below the embouchure of the Piracicaba. This
mountain must not be confounded with a serra of the same name, which
exists more in the centre of the province.
Near the head of the Jaguariquatu, is the elevated mount of
Pirapirapuan, which is discovered at a great distance, and possesses
gold. The mountain of Thaho, upon the margin of the Thajahi, is also
high, and yields the same metal.
The serra Dourada is situated in the campo of Guarapuaba, to the west
of the Tibagi. The serra of Apucaranna, is also in the plains of
Guarapuaba.
In the vicinity of the sea is to be remarked Mount Cardozo, on the left
of the entrance to the bay of Cannanea. Mount Jurea, by corruption
Judea, receives this name in consequence of its appearing like Judea
to the travellers, who cannot pass the road leading over the summit
without much fatigue. It is a few leagues to the north of the river
Iguape, is high, commands an extensive view, and precipitates various
torrents, amongst which the river Yerde is conspicuous, forming several
cascades.
The serra of Jaguary, which is between the rivers Itanhaen and Una,
near the beach, is in great part composed of stone, with trees of more
than ordinary magnitude.
MINERALOGY.--There are mines of gold, silver, brass, iron, brimstone,
pumice-stone, flint, magnet, calcareous stone, granite, _amolar_, or
grindstone, potters’ earth, rubies, diamonds, and a diversity of other
precious stones.
RIVERS AND PORTS.--None of the maritime provinces, with the exception
of that of Para, present so many navigable rivers, notwithstanding
the most important are incapable of conducting the productions of the
central districts of the country to the ports of the sea, the whole
flowing in a contrary direction to the westward, and are swallowed
up by the Paranna; but even the produce of the western districts, if
agriculture should at any future epoch flourish there, cannot descend
by the Paranna, in consequence of the Seven Falls, (Setequedas). It
might, however, be conveyed over land to the point where the river
becomes navigable, and from thence to the ports, by overcoming other
obstacles in the imperfect mode already practised in these parts.
The principal rivers of this province are the Paranna, the Iguassu, the
Parannapanema, and the Tiete.
The Paranna takes this name at the confluence of the Paranahyba, which
comes from the centre of Goyaz, and the Rio Grande, which issues from
the interior of Minas Geraes, both considerable. After a course of
many leagues, and having gathered various streams by both margins, it
forms a large and interesting fall denominated Urubu Punga, which is
an insurmountable barrier to all sorts of fish; and, consequently,
there are in its vicinity immense shoals of divers kinds, which may
become a lucrative branch of commerce to the future dwellers near this
magnificent cascade, which produces a loud murmur that is heard at the
distance of many leagues.
A little below it, the river Cururuhy discharges itself, flows from the
interior of Goyaz, and traverses the territory of the Cayapos. About
ten miles lower, it receives the waters of the important river Tiete,
in front of which embouchure there are two islands, each about ten
miles long.
Seven miles further, the river Sucurihu enters it by the western bank,
below the mouth of which there is a dangerous current, called Jupia.
Five miles lower, the island of Comprida (Long Island) commences,
which is upwards of twenty miles in extent; and eight miles below its
southern extremity, the river Aguapehi flows into the Paranna, on the
left margin; and fifteen miles further, the Verde, on the western
side, in front of its mouth, there are two parallel islands, neither
exceeding a league in length.
Thirty-five miles below the preceding tributary, the small river Onca
enters it by the same margin; and about fifty miles further, it is
increased by the Pardo, which also enters on the right, and affords a
communication to Camapuan.
Five miles below this confluence is that of the inconsiderable river
St. Anastaçio, which flows from the east. Eighty miles further, the
Parannapanema enters, opposite the mouth of which there is an island
about seven miles in extent: four miles beyond its southern point,
another commences, of ten miles in length; and a little below the
latter, a third, which is nearly thirty miles long. Three miles further
than the southern extremity of this island, the central mouth of the
river Ivinheyma is discovered, which flows from the west.
The Paranna is here little less than seven miles in width, and contains
a number of large islands. Near thirty miles below the Ivinheyma, the
Ivahi discharges, flowing hither in a westerly direction, and six miles
beyond its mouth, is an island near fifteen miles long; in front of its
centre, the Amambahy contributes its volume to the Paranna, after a
course from the westward.
In the vicinity of the last isle, is the island of Grande, or Large
Island, not being much less in extent than seventy miles, and of
considerable width; it terminates four miles above the Seven Falls.
A little more than seven miles above the southern point of this
island, the river Iguatimy enters the Paranna on the western margin,
in latitude 24° 40′; and in a little higher latitude the Piquiry. Ten
miles to the south of the first, it receives, by the right bank, the
small river Iguarei, nearest to the Seven Falls.
At the extremity of the Great Island, the current of the Paranna
is much accelerated, and augments proportionably as its margins
approximate; and from near four miles of width, which it retains in
front of the Iguarei, it diminishes to fifty fathoms, its immense
volume of waters being then divided into seven channels, formed by six
small islands of rock, traversing the serra of Maracaju, with a current
of indescribable fury and awful noise.
Besides the islands already mentioned in this river, there are a vast
number of others, of a smaller size, in the great space that intervenes
between the Setequedas and the fall of Urubu Punga. Its waters are
turbulent, and ill adapted for drinking. The western margin is flat,
in part consisting of a large white sand, with a variety of precious
stones, for the space of many leagues without interruption. The eastern
bank is generally a little elevated; and both exhibit continued and
extensive woods. Without any considerable windings, it runs between
the south and south-west, with a current generally slow and majestic;
but, when strong winds prevail, the waves are as tumultuous as those
of the ocean. It abounds with various kinds of fish, some of which are
excellent.
Forty miles below the Seven Falls, the river Jaguare enters the Paranna
by the left margin; and sixty miles further the considerable Iguassu.
At a considerable distance further, its direction is changed towards
the west, and enters the Paraguay in the latitude of 27° 20′. From the
mission of Corpus upwards, aboriginal nations alone possess the vast
territory watered by this majestic river and its confluents.
The river Iguassu, which in the Brazilian language signifies “great
water,” has its principal source in the small river St. Joze, and
when it traverses the royal road of Lages to Sorocaba, is already
considerable, and runs under the name of Curytiba. Its course is
always towards the west, having few windings, forming many falls,
which interrupt navigation; sensibly enlarging by those streams which
unite themselves with it on one or the other margin, principally the
southern, and limiting on the south the vast plains of Guarapuaba,
inhabited by Indians. The borders are extensively wooded. The first
large fall, denominated Cayacanga, is about fifteen miles below the
above-mentioned road, and the largest ten miles above its embouchure,
where it is one hundred and thirteen fathoms in width. This latter
cataract is two hundred feet in perpendicular height; the margins
of the river at this place are rocky, and the current furious. A
_certanista_, (a commandant of a troop proceeding into the certam
or interior,) who descended by this river, says, that it is navigable,
without embarrassment, from Cayacanga to the fall of Victoria; but
he does not declare the extent of this interval, nor the names and
situations of seven large falls, which he encountered to the confluence
of this river with the Paranna. At the angle of its confluence,
for some years existed the aldeia of St. Maria de lguassu, which
disappeared in consequence of a famine.
What may be deemed the most remarkable object in this river, besides
the large fall alluded to, is that part of its course known by the
appellation of the Funil, in the centre of the country, where it runs
rapidly, contracted between high and pointed rocks, in the form of a
street of medium width. In its vicinity dwell a horde of Puri and of
Guayanha Indians. The principal confluents of the lguassu, which unite
themselves with it on the left, are the Negro, Varge, Bannanal, and St.
Antonio, which joins it seventy miles above the last fall. Fifty miles
above the river St. Antonio, the Jordao discharges itself, and about
the same distance above the latter, the St. Joao, both by the right
margin.
The river Parannapanema has its origin in the cordillera of the sea, to
the west of the river Itanhaen. Its first considerable tributaries are
the Itapitininga, which joins it on the right, and the Apiahy on the
left, with the waters of which it becomes considerable and wide. Its
margins are generally flat, and covered with large trees; in some parts
plains or campinhas are seen, where are encountered, amongst other
wild creatures, the emu ostrich and deer. The current is principally
quick, in consequence of numerous falls. Malevolent Indians occupy the
adjacent lands. Near the southern margin, in the vicinity of the mouth
of the Tibagy, some years ago was found the remains of a dwelling,
which renders it probable that the ancient Spaniards of the province of
Guayra extended their establishments to this river.
Thirty miles above the embouchure of the Parannapanema, it is joined
on the southern bank by the small river Pirapo, near the mouth of
which, for many years, existed the _redução_ or mission of the
Lady of Loreto, one of thirteen which formed the reputed provinces of
Taiaoba and Taiaty, so inaptly described by the Jesuit Montoya, one of
their founders, and which affords room to suspect that they existed in
the vast territory which extends itself from the said Parannapanema
northwards.
The river Tiete, formerly Anhemby, a name given to it by an Indian
tribe, has its source seventy miles to the east of the city of St.
Paulo, not far from which it passes; about four miles below it
receives, on the left margin, the Pinheiros, which flows from the
south-east with twenty miles of course. After forty-five miles more
it receives, on the right, the Jundiahy, which flows by the town of
its name. Near this confluence, the Tiete forms a large cataract,
which impedes the further advance of fish; and fifty miles further the
Capibary joins it, after having traversed an extensive wood of majestic
trees.
Eight miles lower the Sorocaba discharges on the left margin.
Originating in the serra of Cubatam, to the west of St. Vincente, it
runs by the town of the same name.
Fifty miles beyond the preceding river, the Pirassicaba, which is
considerable, enters it on the right, and is formed by the Tybaia and
Jaguary, the heads of which are situated to the north-east of St.
Paulo, and traverse a vast wood of immense trees, from the trunks of
which, as well as those that grow upon the borders of the aforesaid
Capibary, are constructed canoes of eighty palms in length, nearly
eight in width, and five in height, which serve to navigate to Cuiaba,
and carry four hundred arrobas of cargo, besides the necessary
maintenance for eight men, and occasionally passengers.
A little below this confluence, where the volume of water is almost
doubled, the Lancoes joins it on the left; and, after four or five
days of voyage, the embouchure of the Jacare-Papira is met with on
the right; and, somewhat lower, that of the Pipira, on the same side,
almost as voluminous as the one which receives it. This river is
formed by the waters of the Mugy, which originates in the skirt of the
Mantiqueira and of the Jaguary-Mirim, which issues from Minas Geraes,
both crossing the road from St. Paulo to Goyaz, thirty miles distant
one from the other. They flow westward for a considerable space,
uniting in the centre of a large wood, through which they continue in
one important current, gathering various streams, that render it so
considerable at the confluence mentioned.
A few leagues below the passage to Goyaz there is a fall in the Mugy,
which arrests the further progress of fish, and, in consequence, at a
certain period annually a numerous band of fishermen assemble here,
with _cargas_ (horse loads) of salt, which enables them to furnish
the more distant places, from the abundant draughts with which they are
here supplied.
Navigators compute two hundred and fifty miles from Port Feliz to
the mouth of the Pipira, and as many more from this point to the
confluence of the Tiete with the Paranna.
The imperfect methods of overcoming the natural difficulties which
are presented, require twenty-six days to accomplish this voyage of
five hundred miles. Its course is very winding; twenty-five miles are
reckoned in a direct line from Port Feliz to the mouth of the Capibary,
and nearly sixty by the river.
It is fifty miles from the mouth of the Jocoaquatu to that of the
Pirassicaba, and only twenty in a straight line. The bed is principally
stony, with a great number of islands and falls, the most important
of those precipitations are denominated Avare-Manduava, Itaguassava,
Pirapora, Bauru, Barery-Mirim, Barery-Guassu, Escaramuca, Utupanema,
Funil-Grande, (the Large Funnel,) Guacurytuvussu, Aracanga-Mirim,
Aracangavussu, Utupeva, and Utupiru. The labour requisite to pass
these falls with canoes is very great. There are above sixty other
places attended with difficulty, and half that number with considerable
danger, but which, notwithstanding, are passed without unloading the
canoes. The banks of this river are almost universally covered with
superb timber. Amongst other fruit trees are the _jabuticaba_, quince,
_cipota_, _jatahi_, _nhandipapo_, and _uvacupari_. From the bark of
some trees the aborigines and the certanistas construct canoes for
the purposes of navigation; and the resin extracted from them the
Indians use for lights, and for ornaments for their ears and lips.
Among other species of fish it affords the _doirados_, _saupes_,
_pacus_, _piracanjuvas_, _surubins_, _piracambucus_, _jahus_, and
_piraquaxiaras_, some of which weigh two arrobas, or sixty-four pounds.
It would be of incalculable advantage to the internal provinces of
Brazil if the government would adopt some effectual mode of diminishing
the numerous natural difficulties the Tiete presents to navigation. The
voyage is also prolonged in consequence of the fogs, which almost every
morning deter the canoes from departure till eight o’clock, when these
mists usually disappear.
The river Tibagy, which originates to the west of Cannanea, runs to
the north-west, traversing the campos of Guarapuaba, where it becomes
considerable from many other streams which join it, principally on
the right margin; among them are the Pitanguy, Yapo, Jaguaryhiba or
Jocuriahy, and the Jaguaryquatu. The Cairussu is the largest among the
few which it receives on the left, and passes near the serra Doirada.
It is navigable near to its heads, and enters the Parannapanema about
the middle of its course.
Between the Jaguariquatu and the aforesaid Apiahy travellers from
Villa do Principe to Sorocaba pass, among other smaller streams, the
Terere, Verde, and Taquary, which run universally towards the west,
and increase the Tibagy, or the Parannapanema. The first and southern,
when it crosses the road, is hidden by a high point of rock, formed by
nature, and deemed one of the wonders of the province.
The Piquiry, having its heads in the centre of the campos of
Guarapuaba, towards which it affords navigation for a very considerable
space, runs westward into the Paranna ten miles above the Seven Falls.
In the northern angle of its mouth, in an agreeable site, was situated
Ciudad Real, otherwise Guayra, demolished by the Paulistas in 1631. The
detachment of Fort Iguatimim attempted to rebuild it in 1773; but the
undertaking was abandoned, in consequence of every individual employed
having perished in a few days by a pestilential fever, which prevails
here in January, February, and March.
The Ivahy, originally Ubahy, which rises also in the campos of
Guarapuaba and near to the Tibagy, from whence some certanistas
transport their canoes to it, is considerable, navigable nearly to its
origin, and so well stored with fish, that it has also acquired the
name of Rio do Peixe, (the River of Fish.) It runs between the west
and north-west, traversing an extensive territory, peopled with savage
Indians, and enters the Paranna.
The river Tinto, Bom, Soberbo, Capibary, and Thua are its principal
branches. The first is the northern and the last is the southern. The
ruins of Villa Rica, denominated Bannanal, are situated eight days’
voyage above its mouth, and was dismantled by the Paulistas upon the
same occasion on which they demolished Ciudad Real. A road connected
these two places, of which at the present day there is scarcely any
trace.
The Pardo issues from the comarca of St. Joao d’El Rey, where it washes
the arraial of its name; and after flowing through an extensive tract
westward, and collecting, amongst others, the river Araquara, falls
into the Rio Grande, much below the confluence of the Sapucahy, a
considerable river, which travellers to Goyaz fall in with after they
enter that province from St. Paulo.
The river Parahiba, after describing a vast winding, and irrigating
many povoacaos of this province, returns towards that of Rio de
Janeiro, where it has its origin and termination.
We will now describe the rivers which flow towards the ocean, and the
principal ports. These are Santos, Cannanea, and Paranagua.
Eighteen miles to the north of the river Sahy Grande, a limit of the
province, is the mouth of the considerable and rapid Guaratuba, formed
by others that descend from the General Cordillera. This name is
derived from the beautiful guara bird, which abounds upon its margins,
and breeds upon a flat island, covered with mangroves, situated about
seven miles from the sea, where, by a decree, no one has been allowed
to kill them, otherwise these handsome birds would have long since
been extirpated. Launches proceed up to the town of the same name. Its
largest tributary is the river St. Joao, which, flowing a considerable
distance through the pine woods, unites itself with the Guaratuba on
the southern margin.
Twenty miles to the northward are the three entrances to the bay of
Paranagua, formed by two islands. Ibupetuba, (or False Bar,) is the
name of the southern, and Superagui that of the northern. The central
and largest is five hundred fathoms in width. Mel is the name of the
southern island, and Pecas the northern. This bay is twenty miles in
length from east to west, more than ten at its greatest width, and
of very irregular form. The most northern portion is called the bay
of Pine-trees, to which the island of Pecas opens two entrances. The
island of Cotinga, six miles long from east to west, and of small
width, is the largest within this bay, where sumacas alone enter,
and where a great number of rivulets and rivers are discharged. The
most considerable is the Cubatam, which flows into it at the western
extremity. The Guaraquissava is the largest that enters it on the
northern side, where it also receives the Serra Negra, the Cachoeira,
and the Nhundyaquara. The Gurgussu and the Almeydas are the largest
which run into this receptacle on its southern side.
Twenty-five miles further, the river Ararapira disembogues, scarcely
supplying depth for canoes.
Twelve miles to the north-east, which is the direction of the coast, is
the bar of Cannanea. Near its northern point there is a small elevated
island of the same name. In front of it, on the southern side, there is
another island called Figueira, which is round; and further outward is
that of Castilhos, small and of moderate elevation.
Forty miles in the same direction of north-east, is the bar of Icapara,
the northern mouth of an inlet of the sea, forming an island of the
intervening land. Its southern mouth is the before-mentioned bar of
Cannanea. This island, hitherto unnamed, is flat, and of inconsiderable
width, compared with its great length. It has some inhabitants, and the
channel which separates it from the continent is narrow and deep, and
is sometimes called a bay, at others a lake. Smacks enter by the bar
of Cannanea; that of Icapara, having the same depth, is not navigated,
in consequence of its dangerous windings.
Fifteen miles further along the coast is the large outlet of the
considerable river Iguape, formed by a great number of large streams,
generally serpentine, and watering a vast and mountainous country,
having gold. This river is navigable for many leagues; and in the
vicinity of the sea, describing large windings, forms many peninsulas,
some of the isthmuses of which have been cut in order to shorten the
navigation. It passes about two miles from the town of Iguape.
Thirty-five miles further are the two mouths of the river Una, up which
canoes proceed more than fifty miles, to a place called Prelado.
Forty miles to the north-east is the entrance of the bay of Itanhaen,
which is handsome, and takes the name of a small river discharged at
its extremity.
The bay of Santos follows at a distance of thirty-five miles, to which
the island of St. Vincente, and that of St. Amaro, originally Guahibe,
each being fifteen or eighteen miles long, open three entrances.
The southern is denominated the bar of St. Vincente, the central
Barra Larga, (Wide Bar,) or the bar of Santos, and the northern,
Bertioga, by corruption Buriquioca, which signifies a house or cavern
of _buriquis_, a species of monkey. It is the only port of the
province capable of receiving armadas. Various small rivers, alone
navigable with the tide, flow hither, and are discharged amidst
mangroves.
ISLANDS.--The two last islands are the principal; are elevated, and
abound with water, timber, and good stone.
The island of St. Amaro has scarcely any inhabitants, and is almost
entirely uncultivated, which, perhaps, is owing to its not having
been granted at first in small portions to agriculturists capable of
cultivating it.
About thirty miles to the east-north-east of St. Amaro, is the island
of St. Sebastian, fifteen miles long, and proportionably wide, also
high, with some inhabitants and roadsteads, being separated from the
continent by the profound channel of Toque-Toque, a league in width.
Fifteen miles to the north-east from hence is the small island of
Porcos, which is of a triangular form, with good anchorage in its
vicinity, and inhabited.
In the same direction, and at an equal distance, the island of Couves
is situated, possessing good water, and commodious anchorage on the
side next the continent, from which it is distant three miles.
The Queimadas, consisting of three small islands, are situated twelve
miles east of the entrance to the bay of Itanhaen.
PHYTOLOGY.--This province possesses extensive woods, with a
variety of trees well adapted for building and other purposes. The
cedar is common in many parts, and the Brazilian pine abounds more
than any other tree in many districts. It is of two sorts, the green,
high and straight, and the white, which is not so compact as the
first. Amongst other medicinal plants is the _jarrinha_, which
is regarded as an efficacious antidote, applied externally, to the
bite of a snake. The flowers of Europe do not degenerate much here;
and fruit trees, transplanted from the same quarter, prosper equally
with a great portion of those peculiar to the central provinces. The
produce of the cotton tree is neither abundant nor of the best quality;
common cottons, which are manufactured with it, constitute a branch of
commerce. The agricultural productions are wheat, rye, Indian corn,
rice, mandioca, legumes, coffee, potatoes, sugar, rum, and tobacco;
these, with a large quantity of hides and pork, cattle, horses, mules,
poultry, wax, precious stones, and drugs, are exported.
ZOOLOGY.--Amongst other species of wild quadrupeds, the _capibara_,
ounce, _anta_, _tamandua_, _guara_, _preguica_, boar, deer, _paca_,
monkey, rabbit, wild dog, and _ariranha_, are common. European animals
are sufficiently numerous, with the exception of the goat. A portion
of salt is generally given to every species of cattle as aliment; and
probably no other province produces such a prodigious quantity of hogs.
The eastern part of this province was possessed by two nations,
denominated Carijos and Guayanas; the latter dwelt northward of the
first. The western districts are yet in the power of the native
barbarians. The Paulistas give the appellation of _Bugres_ to those
which inhabit the territory that extends from the river Tiete to the
Uruguay. The northern part is at this day occasionally visited by the
Cayapo tribes, whose dwelling places are on the other side of the
Paranna. The Bugres, amongst which there are some whites, with beards,
are divided into four nations; one of these hordes perforate the under
lip, some shave the head in the form of a crown, and others ornament
their faces with dyes. The men go entirely naked, and use no other arms
but the bow and arrow. The women wear a girdle reaching nearly to the
knees.
Although they have fixed residences, and cultivate some vegetables,
with feijao, and three sorts of Indian corn, white, violet, and
another, which the Paulistas denominate _peruruca_, they wander
about a part of the year in pursuit of game and wild fruits.
Their houses are of considerable length, and are formed by two ranges
of an equal number of poles, the flexibility of which admits of their
junction at the centre, and being intertwined with twigs, constitute a
simple structure, which is finished by the _guaricanga_ (a species
of palm tree) as its ultimate covering, with a narrow entrance at one
extremity. Fires are made in file along the middle of the building, the
inhabitants sleeping upon the ground with their feet extended towards
them, and many families constituting the inmates of one dwelling.
Their instruments of agriculture are rudely constructed of wood, with
tools of stones; and they make certain vessels for the fermentation of
inebriating beverages, which they frequently partake of to excess.
They domesticate some indigenous animals, such as the _quaty_ and
_cotia_; and of European quadrupeds only the dog for hunting.
They prefer the flesh of the horse and mule to that of the ox. On all
occasions where any friendly intercourse obtains between them and the
Paulistas, they appear to regard iron alone as an article of any value.
Their natural ferocity has prevented the Portuguese from extending
themselves or cultivation to the westward.
Amongst other numerous species of birds, remarkable for their size,
plumage, and rarity, are the emu ostrich, _colhereira_, _caroe_,
_tabuyaya_, _tayuyu_, _jacu_, _mutun_, macuco partridge, _tucano_,
parrot, _araponga_, _guraputepoca_, the troquaze dove, _rola_, heron,
_inhuma_, white _urubu_, _soco_, wild goose, &c.
The Paulistas (inhabitants of St. Paulo) are at present esteemed the
best people of the state, although various accounts would warrant the
belief of their being formerly of a very different character; but these
representations must be received with caution. It is evident that their
valour and enterprise have, on many occasions, been very conspicuous.
Vosgien, the most moderate of all the writers against them, says,
that the city of St. Paulo was a species of republic, independent of
the Portuguese, and formed of bands from different nations, the whole
ill regulated, and consisting of freebooters and thieves, who paid a
tribute of gold to the King of Portugal, till they were subjugated by
that crown. This is in opposition to the Portuguese authorities, who
affirm that they were always faithful subjects of Portugal, from the
foundation of the capitania.
From the period of Philip II. becoming possessed of Portugal, and
having, in consequence, some controul over its colonies, till the day
of acclamation, which restored the crown to John IV. the Paulistas did
not deem themselves under the jurisdiction of the Castilian court,
but opposed the Spaniards who were in possession of the rich lands to
the south and west of the Paraguay; and had begun to approximate to
the centre of the continent with their establishments. This induced
the Paulistas to enter upon a secret expedition in 1631, in order to
interrupt their progress. Having traversed, with eight hundred men,
the certâms, or interior, the rivers Parannapanema and Tibagy, they
fell upon Villa Rica, and Ciudad Real. The town of Xerez, situated near
the heads of the river Mondego, experienced the same misfortune; also
thirty-two aldeias that constituted three small provinces.
The Paulistas, although they did not designate the domestic
Indians by the appellation of captives, or slaves, but by that of
_administrados_, disposed of them as such, giving them to their
creditors in payment of debts, and by way of dowry on occasions of
marriage.
The Jesuits, who possessed or had the controul over a great number
of Indians, and under whose power they received the denomination
of _administrados_, without any consequences of slavery being
attached to the term, declaimed against the abuses practised by the
Paulistas, and demonstrated to them the impropriety of usurping a right
to dispose of the liberty of the Indian.
The Paulistas, who were opulent, and owed all their wealth to the
arms of their numerous _administrados_, determined to expel the
Jesuits, in order that the truths which they promulgated should not
militate against their interest.
The reciprocal opposition of two families, each wishing to have
the entire administration of the government, led them, with their
respective partizans, to open warfare, which would have conducted to
the most disastrous results, if the prudence of some ecclesiastics had
not disarmed them on the field of battle, by persuading the chiefs to a
compromise, by which an equal number of the contending families, from
thence forward, were to enter upon the functions of the government.
This compact, accomplished in the year 1654, continued until the
middle of the following century, when a cavalheiro, not related to
the privileged families, was elected for a judge, which appointment
was protested against by them, and finally settled in their favour at
Rio de Janeiro, about the time when this individual had completed the
term of his jurisdiction. The ability with which he had discharged
the duties of the office, convinced the Paulistas that personal merit
ought, in conducting the government, to be preferred to the old system.
The antipathy that existed for a long period between the Thaubatenos
and Piratininganos, and produced so many duels and disasters; the fatal
campaign of 1631; the revolutions caused by the mutual enmity of the
two families alluded to; the civil war between the said Paulistas and
the European Portuguese, at the commencement of the mining adventures
in Minas Geraes; with other animosities, may be regarded as the
foundation of the exaggerated charges of want of loyalty, with which
many writers have charged this people.
They have a provincial trait which characterises them on their visits
to other places. They always wear a sort of capote, or cloak, called
a _ponche_, with an aperture in the centre, through which they
introduce the head and neck.
The serra of Jaguary, on the Beira-Mar, or sea-coast, and the river
Terere, from the serra above, divide this province into northern and
southern, each constituting a comarca, or ouvidoria, designated by the
head town, which, till recently, were Paranagua in the south, and St.
Paulo in the north.
By a law of February, 1812, the former was changed for the town of
Curytiba, where the ouvidor has since resided; and it is the head of
this division, denominated the comarca of Paranagua and Curytiba. The
other was divided into two comarcas, and the new one was denominated
Hitu.
The longest day of the year, which is in December, comprises nearly
fourteen hours in the southern part of the province, at which period
the inhabitants of the margins of the river Grande, the northern
boundary, have not thirteen hours and a half of day.