Paranagua is a town of some note, built of stone, and previously to
the year 1812 was the head of the comarca. It has three hermitages,
and a church of the Lady of Rosario. Its situation, unhealthy, and
presenting nothing agreeable to the view, is ten miles distant from
the sea, upon the southern bank of the bay from which it borrows the
name, and in front of the western point of the island of Cotinga. It
has a permutation or smelting house, a _Juiz de Fora_, and a
professor of Latin. The Jesuits had a college here, which has, since
their expulsion, been repaired at the cost of the treasury. Farinha,
rice, coffee, and other articles, with wheat, which is brought from
Curytiba, are its exports.
Guaratuba, (the real name of which is Villa Nova de St. Luiz,) situated
near a morro, upon the right margin of the southern arm of the river
Guaratuba, in front of the island of Guarazes, and seven miles from
the sea, is yet small, but stands advantageously for becoming more
considerable. It exports various necessaries of life.
Antonio enjoys an agreeable, and healthy situation, ten miles west of
the town of Paranagua, at the extremity of a bay, on a peninsula, and
in front of the embouchures of the Cachoeira and Nhundiaquara. It was
created a town in 1800. The mother church, deemed an embellishment, is
denominated Our Lady of Pilar. Its vicinity can boast of considerable
plantations of mandioca, the farinha of which root is exported, as well
as timber and cords of imbe. In its district is the aldeia of Morrete,
near a river, up which canoes advance to take in the productions
cultivated within its boundaries, and those conveyed hither from
Curytiba upon the backs of mules.
Cannanea, an inconsiderable town, and pleasantly situated upon a small
island, about ten miles within the bar of its name, and only separated
from the continent by a narrow strait, has a church dedicated to St.
Joao Baptista. Its inhabitants are agriculturists and fishermen; rice
is the principal article exported. At the entrance of the bar of
Cannanea, on the side of the continent, there is a stone of European
marble, with the royal arms of Portugal; and, although much defaced, is
ascertained to have been erected there in the year 1503.
Twenty miles south-west of Cannanea, is the aldeia of Ararapira, in
former times a villota of Christianized Indians, with its church
dedicated to St. Joze da Marinha, situated upon an arm of the lake or
bay of Cannanea, which prolongs itself between the General Cordillera
and another contiguous to the ocean.
Twenty-eight miles (or forty, following the winding of the lake) to
the north-east of the town of Cannanea, is the considerable town
of Iguape, situated pleasantly at the extremity of the lake, and a
little removed from the right margin of the river Assunguy, which is
generally designated by the name of the town. It formerly had a house
of permutation, and has a celebrated church dedicated to the Lady of
Neves. The exportation of rice from hence is considerable.
Castro, with a church dedicated to St. Amaro, is yet a small town,
but well situated at the point where the river Hyapo (of which it
originally took the name) traverses the royal road. In its vicinity are
found the most precious stones. After the subjugation of the savages of
Guarapuava, great expectations are entertained of its increase, as well
as of the cultivation of its extensive contours.
St. Joze, ten miles to the south-east of Curytiba, is agreeably
elevated above the surrounding campinha, and is one mile from the left
margin of the small river of its name, which, after a course of seven
miles further, incorporates itself with the Curytiba.
Forty miles to the west of the two last-named towns, there is a
register upon the margin of the Curytiba, where, in some years, thirty
thousand mules pass to Sorocaba.
Lages, otherwise Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres, is the most southern
town of the province, and was never considerable, in consequence
of its proximity to the savages, but is at present much reduced by
their invasions. It is situated upon what is denominated the royal
road, two miles north of the river Caveiras, and about one from the
small Caraha, which takes the name of a species of cane or bamboo
that grows in abundance upon its margins, and are the best of the
province; some have so peculiar a varnish upon them, that they appear
like the work of an able hand. There are excellent _amolar_, or
grindstones, in the same stream. The country surrounding this town is
of great fertility, is irrigated by many rivers, and has a temperate
and salubrious climate. Legumes, wheat, Indian corn, &c. with cattle,
are raised, and almost every species of fruit tree prospers; but the
people, besides diminishing in number, are poor for want of an outlet
for their productions. The opening of a good road, by which the farmers
might with facility transmit their surplus produce to the port of St.
Catharina; or perhaps better through the medium of the town of Laguna,
(the road terminating in that case at the port of Guarda, from whence
the Tuburao affords navigation to the said town,) would induce numerous
colonies to establish themselves in this fertile territory, rendered
more desirable by the fine temperature of the climate, when the
aborigines would be either compelled to retire, or to submit to some
mode of subjection. The many aldeias, which would necessarily be spread
over this fine district, affording plains for the extensive breeding
of cattle, could not fail to produce a rapid increase of the town of
Lages. In such a state of things it would become the head of a populous
and rich comarca.
Villa do Principe, originally St. Antonio da Lapa, is ten miles
southward from the before-mentioned register of Curytiba, near the
royal road. Its people are breeders of cattle, and cultivate wheat,
rye, Indian corn, and divers fruits.
Five miles north of the same register, and also upon the border of the
road, near a small river which contributes its water to the Iguassu, is
the arraial of Thauha, possessing a hermitage of the Lady of Conceiçao.
Curytiba, the name by which this district has been recently designated,
in the Brazilian language signifies _curu_, “pine,” and _tiba_,
“many.” It comprises almost all the comarca, or southern part of the
province, from the General Serra to the westward. The winter commences
in this part about May, and lasts till September, with a south, and
occasionally a south-west wind, which is colder than the first. The
most common trees are the Brazilian pine. These majestic trees form
extensive woods, abounding with the mountain hog, which go in herds, at
times, of one hundred and more.
The fruit trees of Europe prosper here better than the indigenous ones
of this continent, and amongst the former may be enumerated the fig,
pear, apple, plum, peach, quince, cherry, walnut, and chestnut. The
olive-trees are laden with flowers, but rarely fructify. Mandioca,
the banana, coffee, and cotton trees, as well as the sugar cane, only
prosper in some situations. The _matte_ grows spontaneously, and
is very common. The great consumption of a beverage made from this
tree in the province, and in those of St. Catharina and Rio Grande do
Sul, and also by many people in the metropolis, augurs favourably for
the addition of another branch of commerce to this comarca. Bunches of
grapes are frequently met with of upwards of five pounds weight; but
hitherto no good wine has been manufactured.
In the year 1812 a large quantity of divers plants of the vine were
sent here from Europe; and it is confidently expected that many will
succeed as well if not better than in their native soil; so that with
proper attention good wine may in time be produced.
The Curytibanos pass for the most powerful and robust people amongst
the Paulistas. They cultivate abundance of wheat and Indian corn, with
some rice; they breed cattle, horses, and mules, possess a great number
of cows, and make some butter and cheese. The cows are of a large size,
and afford the greatest quantity of milk in summer; that, however,
which they supply in the winter is the best; the portion which in the
first season yields four cheeses, in the winter produces eight. The
major part of the breeders of cattle give them salt; an animal which
is lean receives a greater ration, in order that it may fatten more
expeditiously. It is observed, that sheep begin to die after they have
pastured ten years, in whatever situation they may be. Immediately on
the first symptom of the disease, which is known by the retiring of the
animals towards the door of their dono, as if praying for a remedy, it
is requisite to remove them to another part, and when not more than a
league distant from their former pasture, the contagion will cease.
The northern division of this province comprehends the following towns,
viz.:-- In the comarca of St. Paulo:
St. Paulo
Santos
St. Vincente
Itanhaen
St. Sebastian
Villa da Princessa
Ubatuba
Parnahiba
Mugi das Cruzes
Jacarehi
St. Joze
Thaubate
Pindamonhangaba
Guaratingueta
Lorena
Cunha
Parahitinga
Jundiahy
Tibaya
Braganca
Mugi-Mirim
In the comarca of Hitu:
Sorocaba
Itapitininga
Itapeva
Appiahy
Hitu
Porto Feliz
St. Carlos
St. Paulo is a city in a state of mediocrity, but agreeably seated
upon land somewhat elevated at the angle of the confluence of the
Tamandatahi, with the Hynhangabahu, which washes it on the western
side, and the former on the eastern. It is nearly two miles from
the Tiete, which passes to the north, forty miles north-west from
Santos, which is its port; seven miles to the south of the Tropic;
and three hundred and fifty fathoms above the level of the ocean. It
is ornamented with a house of Misericordia, various hermitages, and
three hospitals; a convent of Benedictines, another of Franciscans, a
third of slippered Carmelites, two recolhimentos for women, a house
of permutation, various open spaces or squares, three good bridges of
stone, with others of wood, and divers fountains; however, the best
water is afforded by the rivers. Some streets are well paved. The
edifices are generally formed of what is termed _taipa_, which
consists of twofold wooden planks, constituting the frame, filled
in with earth, and white-washed. This city is the residence of the
governor of the province, and the ouvidor of the comarca, or district,
who fulfils also the duties of crown judge, &c. There is a Juiz de
Fora, who also executes the functions of an Attorney General, auditor
of the military, and deputy to the junta of the treasury. It has some
masters, who have the high-sounding denomination of royal professors
of the primitive letters, Latin, rhetoric, philosophy, dogmatical
theology, and morality. The inhabitants, in number from thirty-five
to forty thousand, are divided between two parishes, one being of the
cathedral, the chapter of which consists of fourteen canons, including
four dignitaries of archdeacon, archpriest, chanter, and treasurer-mor.
The other has a church called Santa Efigenia. The Jesuits commenced
this city, in the year 1552, with the foundation of a college, in
which they celebrated the first mass on the day of the conversion of
the apostle with whose name it was consecrated in 1554, and which
afforded the subsequent name of St. Paulo to the town and province.
This structure now constitutes the palace of the governor. Senhor Joao
Carlos de Oainansen at present fills that situation. Six years after
the first establishment of the Jesuits here, St. Paulo acquired the
denomination of a town. Its first inhabitants were a horde of Guayana
Indians, with their cacique or chief called Tebireca, who lived in the
aldeia of Piratinin, near the small river of the same name, not far
from the new colony, which, in consequence, took the appellation of
St. Paulo de Piratininga, and retained it till the year 1712, when it
was dignified with the title of city, and in 1746 was further honoured
by being made the seat of a bishopric. The Indians were soon augmented
by a great number of Europeans, whom they called _Emboabas_, in
consequence of their legs being covered, and which conveyed to the
minds of the Indians a resemblance of certain birds with feathered legs
so called by them. The alliances of the new settlers, with the Indians,
soon produced a third class of people, to whom they gave the name of
_Mamelucos_, with which the establishment received a considerable
increase; and the city at this day comprises upwards of four thousand
houses, with the number of inhabitants previously mentioned, one half
of which are computed to be whites. The salubrity of the climate, and
the abundance and moderate value of all the necessaries of life, give
it the decided preference for the foundation of an university, if the
views of the government become enlightened enough to promote such an
establishment in the Brazil. The body, and consequently the mind, of
the student would here have more vigour for literary application, than
in the warmer or more northern climates of this region, and books or
libraries would receive less damage from the destructive prey of
insects. St. Paulo is considered a most healthy situation; and I have
known the valetudinarian of Rio de Janeiro, contemplate a change to
its moderate and invigorating climate, as exceedingly desirable. There
are a great number of quintas or shacaras in its suburbs. Among the
fruit trees which embellish them, the _jabuticaba_ is not rare,
affording a fine and excellent fruit. The oranges are not of good
quality, and the tree sustains considerable injury in years of much
frost. The same may be said of the coffee and banana trees, as well as
of mandioca and the sugar cane.
Santos, considerable, populous, commercial, and advantageously situated
upon the northern side of the island of St. Vincente, was erected
into a town in 1545, and possesses a house of Misericordia, which is
the most ancient of the Brazil, a Franciscan convent, an hospicio (or
entertaining house) of Bentos, another of slippered Carmelites, and
various chapels; the ex-Jesuitical college of St. Miguel, after being
much dilapidated, was renovated for the military hospital. A Juiz de
Fora presides over the senate. The houses are solid and of stone; and
the female part of their inmates are celebrated for making excellent
lace. This town was sacked by the Dutch, and upon another occasion by
the English. Its port, the entrance to which is defended by various
forts, is capable of receiving large ships, and it is the depositary
of much sugar, rum, coarse cottons, coffee, hides, and bacon, which
articles constitute its exports. The produce of rice and coffee are
alone abundant. The winter is always a very rainy season.
Seven miles to the south-west, on the southern coast of the same
island, upon the entrance of the bar of its name, is situated St.
Vincente, the most ancient town of the province, in former times
flourishing and famous, but now sunk into insignificance, in
consequence of Santos being better adapted for commerce, to which it
has removed from this town. Its inhabitants are mostly fishermen.
Fifteen miles to the west of Santos is the small arraial of Cubatam,
upon the northern margin of the river which affords its name, and from
which it sustains great damage at the period of the greatest floods.
Every thing that descends from the serra above, and destined for the
town, is here embarked. A project of uniting this island with the
terra-firma has been proposed by means of a calcada, or paved way,
across the channel of St. Vincente, which, if carried into effect, will
prevent many shipwrecks. At the bar of Bertioga there is an armaçao, or
establishment for whale fishing.
Itanhaen, a small place, erected into a town in 1561, possesses a
Franciscan convent, and is situated near a mount, upon the northern
margin of the bay from which it borrows its name, and which it
frequently exchanges for that of the Lady of Conceiçao, the patroness
of its church. Farinha, rice, and timber are exported from hence.
The town of St. Sebastian, so called from the patron of its church, is
yet inconsiderable, with indifferent houses, and streets of sand. It
is seated upon the straight of Toque-Toque, in front of the island of
its name, near the embouchure of a small river, and at the commencement
of a fertile plain, where agriculture might be rendered flourishing
in all its branches, and which was for many years almost abandoned,
in consequence of the farmers being prohibited from exporting their
productions to those places where they would have derived the greatest
advantage from them. About three miles to the east, in an agreeable
situation, there is a Franciscan convent, and near to it an arraial,
denominated Bairro. The women are occupied in potteries, the men in
fishing, and in the culture of various necessaries of life.
Villa da Princeza, so created in 1809, is situated upon the northern
coast of the island of St. Sebastian, near the chapel of Nossa Senhora
of Luz, which for the present serves as its mother church, as well as
for all the inhabitants of the island. This island is appropriated to
the culture of the sugar-cane and tobacco, which are esteemed the best
of the province, and their exportation is considerable. On the eastern
part of the island there is an armaçao for whale fishing.
Ubatuba, a small town, with a church, and a chapel of the Lady of
Conceiçao, is situated near the mouth of an inconsiderable stream,
on the verge of a fertile plain, irrigated by various torrents. Its
inhabitants are fishermen, and cultivators of mandioca, rice, and
coffee. It is nearly thirty miles to the north-east of the town of St.
Sebastian, and near the boundary of the province. Between this town
and the afore-mentioned arraial of Bairro, is the bay of Flamengos,
also that of Inquiriquere, both of which are capable of receiving many
ships. Into the latter, which is the most westerly, the river of the
same name discharges itself, and affords a disembarrassed navigation
for only three miles.
Paranahiba, an inconsiderable town, is situated upon the left margin
of the river Tiete, about twenty miles distant in a westerly direction
from St. Paulo. It has a church, and an hospicio of Bento Friars; and
its inhabitants, with those of the adjacent districts, breed large
cattle, and raise a diversity of the necessaries of life.
Mugi das Cruzes is a considerable town, abundantly supplied with the
necessaries of life, and enjoys a good situation, about two miles
from the Tiete, thirty-five east-north-east of St. Paulo, and forty
north of Santos. It has a church, dedicated to St. Anna, a convent of
shod Carmelites, a hermitage of Bom Jesus, and a Terceira order of
Carmo. The houses are of taipa. The inhabitants breed cattle, and form
extensive plantations of the coffee tree, the produce of which, with
some rum, constitutes their wealth.
Near thirty miles to the north-east of Mugi das Cruzes, the small town
of Jacarehi is situated, upon the right margin of the river Parahiba,
with a church. The passage across the river here is much frequented.
The town of St. Joze is ten miles to the north of Jacarehi, takes the
name of the patron of its church, and is situated near the Parahiba,
upon land which constituted part of a fazenda of the Jesuits, its
founders.
Thaubate is one of the most considerable and best situated towns of the
province. It is upwards of one hundred miles to the north-east of St.
Paulo, seventy from Mugi das Cruzes, forty from Jacarehi, and three
from the Parahiba, near a small stream. Besides the church dedicated to
St. Francisco, it has a convent of the same saint, a Terceira order,
and the chapels of the Lady of Pilar and Rosario. Almost all the houses
are of taipa, and few with one story. Its inhabitants, whose ancestors
were antagonists of the Piratiningans of St. Paulo, cultivate the
necessaries of life and tobacco, raise pigs and poultry in considerable
quantities, and sugar cane in small plantations. They manufacture
handsome mats and hand-baskets, which are sent to different parts.
Near the embouchure of a small river, and close upon the margin of the
Parahiba, is the inconsiderable arraial of Tremembe, with a chapel of
Bom Jesus. At the distance of from ten to fourteen miles is the parish
of Cassapaba, a new dismemberment of the preceding town.
Pindamonhangaba, a town in a state of mediocrity, is well supplied,
particularly with fish, and advantageously situated in a plain, on the
right margin of the Parahiba. It possesses a church of the Lady of Bom
Successo, and a hermitage of St. Joze. It is more than ten miles to the
north-north-east of Thaubate; and its inhabitants, who are considered
prudent and industrious, cultivate every article of subsistence
peculiar to the country, and breed large cattle.
Guaratingueta, situated upon the right bank of the Parahiba, which
affords it an ample supply of fish, is a considerable town, about
twenty-five miles to the east of Pindamonhangaba, embellished with
a large church, dedicated to St. Antonio, a chapel of the Lady of
Rosario, and another of St. Gonçalo. The houses, similar to those of
St. Paulo and other places, are constructed of _taipa_. Its
inhabitants cultivate much tobacco, and breed hogs and large cattle.
Cotton cloths and sugar are the principal branches of commerce. About
two miles distant from it is the famous and much visited chapel of the
Lady of Apparecida.
Lorena, a middling town, upon the right margin of the Parahiba, ten
miles east of Guaratingueta and seven above the mouths of the Imbauhi,
which flows from the Mantiqueira mountains, and of the Bocaina, which
comes from the south, is situated at the passage to Minas Geraes
denominated Porto do Meyra, and has a church called Piedade: Guaipicure
was its primitive name.
In the district of Lorena, where legumes and rice grow abundantly, and
large quantities of hogs and poultry are bred, the parish of St. Anna
das Areas is situated. It has been recently dismembered of that portion
of territory now constituting the parish of Bannanal.
A league below Lorena there is another passage to the province of Minas
Geraes, called Porto da Cachoeira.
Cunha, formerly Facao, is yet an inconsiderable town; but, from its
advantageous situation upon a serra in the vicinity of the Jacuhy,
and about twenty-five miles north of Parati, is susceptible of much
improvement. It has a church, of which the Lady of Conceiçao is the
patroness. The climate is salubrious, and the nights of June and
July are fresh, and even the natives feel them cold. Hitherto the
flowers and fruit trees of Europe have prospered better here than in
any other situation of the torrid zone. In its environs there are
extensive groves of majestic pines, and the inhabitants raise the
common productions of the country, abundance of Indian corn, and large
quantities of poultry and pigs. An indifferent road or track connects
this town with Parati, and would, if made equally easy and secure with
those of the arraial of Cubatao, for the transport of its productions
to St. Paulo and Santos, become a flourishing district.
Parahitinga, a medium town, and well situated upon the left bank of the
river which affords it the name, is seven miles above the embouchure
of the Parahibuna and forty north of the town of Ubatuba. St. Luiz is
the patron of its church, which, with an extensive bridge over the
river that bathes it, are the only objects worthy the observation of
the traveller. The inhabitants breed a great number of hogs, which
constitute the principal branch of their commerce.
Jundiahi is a middling and flourishing town, one mile distant from the
left bank of the river from which its name is borrowed, thirty-five
miles to the northnorth-west of St. Paulo, and the same distance
to the east-north-east of Hitu. It has a good church of Our Lady
of Desterro, an _hospicio_ of Benedictines, and a bridge over
the river, which is stocked, amongst other fish, with those called
_jundias_, from which it derived the name. Its inhabitants raise
cattle, mules, horses, and large quantities of the sugar cane, and have
for the extraction of its juice various _engenhos_, or works;
also abundance of legumes and Indian corn, with which they furnish the
caravans passing from Goyaz.
Tibaya, or Atibaya, situated near the river of the same name, has
a church called St. Joam, is yet small, and is thirty-five miles
north-north-east of St. Paulo, an equal distance east of Jundiahi, and
as far west of St. Joze. The inhabitants raise feijao, Indian corn,
wheat, and hogs.
Bragança, which is ten miles to the north-east of Tibaya, is yet
inconsiderable, but the inhabitants are said to live in abundance,
raise pigs in large quantities, wheat, Indian corn, and legumes.
Mugi-Mirim, situated on the road of Goyaz, upon the river of the same
name, which a little below unites itself with the Mugi-Guassu, is
in a state of mediocrity, and well supplied with the necessaries of
life, particularly fish and meat. It has engenhos of sugar, farms of
cattle, and only one church, dedicated to St. Joze. Upon the northern
bank of the Mugi-Guassu, where this river traverses the road to the
town of Mugi-Mirim, is the arraial and parish which takes its name,
with a church of the Lady of Conceiçao. Its inhabitants are farmers of
mandioca, feijao, and Indian corn, and breeders of cattle and hogs. The
parish of Franca is the most northern of the province; the inhabitants
extend themselves to the margin of the Grande, breed cattle, and
cultivate those necessaries which the territory best affords. The
church is dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Conceiçao.
Sorocaba is situated where the river of its name traverses the royal
road of Curytiba to the capital, from which it is distant sixty miles
to the west. It is a flourishing and considerable town, ornamented with
a church of the Lady of Ponte, a recolhimento of women, an hospicio
of Bentos, and a hermitage of St. Antonio. Its actual population is
composed of seventeen hundred and seventy-seven families, of which
two-thirds are whites; they breed cattle and horses, and cultivate
cotton, sugar, and Indian corn, with the most common necessaries of the
country, but their principal profits arise from trafficking in cattle,
which come from the southern districts. In its environs there are
calcareous stone and good flint stone. The royal fabric of Hipannema,
distant about seven miles, and established near a small stream of the
same name, for the reception of the produce of rich mines of iron
in the serra Guarassoiava, will tend to render this town still more
considerable. Many years ago a mine of silver was discovered in the
district of Guarassoiava, which was abandoned, in consequence of its
poverty and difficult extraction.
Itapitininga, yet an inconsiderable town, and well situated in a vast
and delightful plain near the royal road, is two miles from the right
bank of the river from which it has the name. It is embellished with
a church of the Lady of Merces, is well provided with water, and is
about forty miles to the south of Sorocaba. The people who inhabit
it cultivate wheat, legumes, and abundance of Indian corn. The peach
and grape are plentiful and of good flavour, and, as in most other
cultivated districts of this province, the breed of cattle is numerous.
Itapeva, situated near the royal road, or _estrada real_, as
it is denominated, in the vicinity of the Verde, is at present
inconsiderable; it has a church, dedicated to St. Anna.
Appiahi, a town of the same class as the preceding, is at a great
distance from the road, near the source of the river from which it
derives its name, and in the vicinity of a morro, from whence, at its
origin, much gold was extracted. It has one church.
Hitu, a large and flourishing town, is the head of the comarca of its
name, having a church of the Lady of Candellaria, a Franciscan convent,
an hospicio of slippered Carmelites, an hospital of Lazars, with its
hermitage, others of Bom Jezus, the Lady of Patrocinio, and Santa Rita.
All its buildings are of _taipa_, and some streets are paved. It
has the usual royal professors, and is situated twenty-five miles to
the north-north-east of Sorocaba, sixty to the west-north-west of St.
Paulo, and two from the left margin of the Tiete, which forms at this
situation a large and interesting fall, by the name of which this town
is designated. Excessive heat is experienced here in the summer months.
The soil in the environs is peculiarly adapted to the culture of the
sugar cane, of which there are extensive plantations, constituting the
riches of its inhabitants, who also raise cattle and divers necessaries
of life.
Porto Feliz, formerly called Araritaguaba, is a moderate town, with
houses of wood, seated upon the left margin of the Tiete. It has a
church of the Lady May dos Homens, (Mother of Men,) is nearly eighteen
miles to the west of Hitu, and twenty-five to the north-north-west of
Sorocaba, and is the port of the navigators to Cuiaba. The inhabitants
are cattle-breeders, and cultivate the cane, feijao, and Indian corn.
St. Carlos, now so named from its church, but originally called
Campinas, is situated near a small stream, something more than a league
from the Tibaia, and six to the north of Hitu, and does not at present
surpass mediocrity, but is well supplied and enjoys facilities for
becoming more considerable. It is a land abounding with waters and
wood, consequently well adapted for the culture of the cane, of which
there are at present some rich plantations, also of wheat, feijao, and
Indian corn. It is upon the road from Jundiahi to Mugi-Mirim; from the
latter it is eight leagues distant in a direct line. Its district is
bounded on the west by the new parish of Percicaba, whose church is
situated in a delightful plain that terminates in a small hill upon
the southern margin of the river that affords it the name, and near a
beautiful cascade of great height, which presents a barrier to further
navigation. Rich in majestic woods, and of great fertility, it is
favourable to various branches of agriculture, particularly the cane,
of which there are plantations and engenhos.