Villa Rica { Villa
{ Marianna
Rio das Mortes { St. Joam d’el Rey
{ St. Joze
{ Queluz
{ St. Carlos de Jacuhy
{ St. Maria de Baependy
{ Campanha
{ Barbacena
{ Tamandua
Sabara { Sabara
{ Caethe
{ Pitangui
{ Paracatu
Serro do Frio { Villa do Principe
{ Fanado
_Comarca of_ VILLA RICA.
The comarca of Villa Rica, otherwise Oiro Preto, (Black Gold,) which
is the least extensive, and the main part yet uncultivated, is bounded
on the north by that of Serro Frio, from which it is separated by the
river Doce; on the west by that of Rio das Mortes; on the south by the
province of Rio de Janeiro; and on the east by that of Espirito Santo.
It comprises one hundred and forty miles from east to west, and one
hundred and twenty from north to south.
MOUNTAINS.--The serra of Oiro Preto, which is a portion of the
Mantiqueira, its most elevated head, called Itaculume, (the Child of
Stone,) is considered the highest in the province. The serra of Oiro
Branco, (White Gold,) to the south of the preceding, the Serra Negra,
with mines of iron, and the Serra Lappa are both to the north of the
capital. Nearly thirty miles north of Marianna is the celebrated
Serra Caraça, so called from having a portion similar to an enormous
physiognomy. It is a dismemberment of the grand cordillera, with near
fifty miles of circuit at its base, being steep and craggy all around.
On a plain about three miles square, in a broken part of its summit,
there is a species of monastery, where various hermits dwell, some
drawn thither by devotion, and others from persecution; their habit
is a black cassock. They sustain themselves upon charity, and the
productions of the adjacent land, where they raise cattle and rye. The
edifice is of stone; the church of elegant architecture, and dedicated
to Our Lady May dos Homens (Mother of Men). In the garden there are
various European fruit trees, such as the apple, pear, plum, cherry,
quince, chestnut, olive, and walnut; also trees from the oak to the
yellow broom and furze. The land is watered by various rivulets, which
after uniting flow to the Percicaba. In its vicinity is the serra of
Itaubira, which terminates in two rocky pyramids. Between the river
Doce and the Parahiba, there is an extensive branch of the Mantiqueira
serra, from whence emanate many torrents; the Serra Frecheira is the
name of a portion.
RIVERS.--The Doce, which is the largest of the comarca, has its origin
in the serra of Mantiqueira. After flowing for a considerable space
to the north-north-east, under the name of Chopoto, it receives the
Piranga, which runs from the serra of Oiro Branco; afterwards the
Guallacho, formed by two streams of the same name distinguished by the
appellations of north and south, and which issue from the serra of
Oiro Preto. At this confluence it inclines to the east, and gathers
the Bombaca and the Percicaba, which flow from the west, and have
their sources in the Serra Lapa. Here it takes the name by which it
enters the ocean. A little lower it is united also on the left, by
the considerable river St. Antonio, which comes from the north-west,
traversing an extensive territory, abounding mainly in cattle. Of the
streams which form it, some descend from the Serra Lapa, others from
Serro Frio. Ten miles further, it is joined on the same side by the
Corrente, which flows from Serro Frio, with more than one hundred miles
of course. Thirty miles lower, it receives the large Sassuhy, whose
heads emanate from the serras of Serro Frio and Esmeraldas; its margins
are thinly inhabited. After it follows the Laranjeiras, in the same
direction, between woods abounding with wild beasts and savages. The
Cuyate, which runs north-east, is the largest of those which enter it
on the right; its mouth is a little below the preceding, and it gives
the name to an interior district inhabited by Indians. The Manhuassu,
(which some say is larger than Cuyate,) after flowing through large
woods north-eastward, and bounding the certam of Cuyate, is lost in the
Doce, a little above the Escadinhas.
Amongst others, the Doce has four remarkable falls: Escura, a little
below the mouth of the Percicaba; Magoaris, a short way below the
Corrente; Ibiturunas, a short distance above the Sassuhy; and
Inferno, between the confluences of the Cuyate and the Manhuassu. The
adjacent territory of this fine river is mostly of great fertility;
in some places the root of the mandioca grows to a prodigious size.
Independently of the above obstacles, the Doce is navigable for a
great extent, and I was assured by an ouvidor, having a neighbouring
jurisdiction, that no very great expenditure on the part of the
government would render it the most important and certainly the best
medium of transit for the produce of the interior districts of Brazil.
The Maquipoo is one of its first tributaries received on the right, and
enters a little above the mouth of the Bombaca.
The Preto originates in the serra Ititiaya, a branch of the Mantiqueira
range, and runs eastward through the territory of the Ararys, bounding
the province, until it enters the Parahibuna, which latter rises near
the Chopoto, and flows into the Parahiba.
The Pomba, which as has been observed, is a tributary of the Parahiba,
waters an extensive tract on the southern part of this comarca, and
passes near the parish of St. Manuel, whose inhabitants are Coroado
and Crapo Indians, with some whites, principally raising Indian corn,
legumes, some sugar, and numerous hogs. The fertility of the country,
with the navigation of the river, promises it a future increase. Its
church is forty miles from the mouth of the river.
Villa Rica, antecedently Oiro Preto, was created a town in 1711, and is
large, populous, abundant, and flourishing. It is the capital of the
province, and the residence of the governor, at present Don Manuel de
Portugal e Castro; likewise of the ouvidor of the comarca, who holds
other offices, serving also as crown judge with jurisdiction over the
whole province. It has a Juiz de Fora, who is also attorney-general; a
vicar-general, and professors, I had almost forgot royal, of primitive
letters, Latin, and philosophy. This town is ill situated at the
southern base of the serra of Oiro Preto, amongst gloomy rocks, upon
very uneven ground, and frequently covered with fogs, which are said to
cause amongst the inhabitants continued colds or defluxions from the
head. There is a house of misericordia, founded by G. F. d’Andrade,
in virtue of a law of the 16th April, 1738; a smelting house; a
junta of the treasury, composed of four deputies, the ouvidor of the
comarca, the attorney-general, the general treasurer, and the auditor,
with the governor as president. It has ten chapels, of the Lord Bom
Fim, Almas, St. Anna, St. Joam, &c.; besides three Terceira orders
of St. Francisco d’Assis, Carmo, and St. Francisco de Paula, almost
all of which, with four bridges, are of stone. The palace, military
quarters, and municipal house, are considered to be handsome; the
latter has an annual revenue of about fifteen thousand crusades. It
has a fort with some pieces of ordnance, which are fired occasionally
on holidays; fourteen fountains of crystalline water, and a hospital.
Its inhabitants, principally miners and dealers, live in two parishes,
called Our Lady of Pilar and Conceiçao. This town is two hundred and
thirty miles north-north-west of Rio de Janeiro.
There are in Villa Rica twenty-five judicial appointments. The smelting
house has sixteen official situations; the office of _Intendente_,
which afforded annually five thousand two hundred and fifty crusades,
independently of perquisites, has been discontinued here as well as
in all similar establishments in the Brazil. In the treasury, besides
the deputies already mentioned, there are sixteen other situations,
the most lucrative of which is the _Escrivao Contador_, (the
auditor of the treasury,) having three thousand crusades annually; and
the smallest is that of _Continuo_, (a sergeant, or beadle,) not
having more than one hundred and fifty milreas (about thirty-seven
pounds.) There is also a tribunal entitled “Junta of the conquest
and civilization of the Indians and navigation of the river Doce,”
established in 1808. Its principal object is to promote agriculture
upon the margins of that river, which, however, advances very slowly.
The inhabitants of Villa Rica, and of six parishes within its district,
form two regiments of auxiliary cavalry, fourteen companies of whites,
seven of mulattoes, and four of free blacks.
Eight miles to the west of Villa Rica is the arraial and freguezia of
St. Bartholomew, famous for the large quantity of marmalade that is
exported from it.
Ten miles to the north-west of Villa Rica is the freguezia or parish of
Our Lady of Nazareth da Cachoeira, where the governors have a house of
recreation, occasionally passing some days there in the amusement of
shooting deer and partridges.
Twenty miles to the south-east of Villa Rica is the considerable
arraial of Piranga, situated near the river of the same name, with
a church of the Lady of Conceiçao, and a chapel of Rozario. The
inhabitants cultivate the necessaries of life, and a large quantity of
tobacco, to which the soil is very favourable.
In the vicinity of the river Piranga, within the district of the parish
of St. Antonio d’Itaberava to the south of Villa Rica, is the large
arraial of Catas Altas da Noruega, with a chapel of St. Gonçalo.
Marianna, originally the arraial of Carmo, until 1711, when John V.
bestowed upon it a register of royal duties, and the name of Villa Leal
do Carmo, (Loyal Town of Carmo.) It was created an episcopal city in
1745, by the same monarch, with the name of his consort. It is small,
well supplied, and situated in a gently elevated country, near the
right margin of the Ribeiro, or stream of Carmo, with the chapels of
Our Lady of Rozario, St. Pedro, Santa Anna, St. Gonçalo, St. Francisco,
for the mulattoes, and Mercez, for the creolian blacks; also two
Terceira orders of Carmo and St. Francisco, whose chapel is elegant.
There are two squares, and seven fountains of good water. The streets
are paved, and the houses of stone. The municipal house is one of the
best structures, and has water within it; the cathedral, dedicated
to the Lady of Assumpçao, is more elegant than solid. The episcopal
palace is handsome; the seminary spacious, the chapter is composed of
fourteen canons, including the dignitaries of archdeacon, archpriest,
chanter, and treasurer-mor, with whom twelve chaplains, and four young
choristers officiate. The Juiz de Fora presides over the orphans and
the senate, which has eleven thousand crusades of annual revenue. He
fills other situations, and has, besides, twenty public officers under
his inspection. All the inhabitants of Marianna are parishioners of the
cathedral, and, with those of its surrounding twelve parishes, form
two regiments of cavalry, twenty companies of infantry, (all whites,)
ten of mulattoes, and five of free blacks. This city is eight miles
east-north-east of Villa Rica; the intervening road is paved in parts,
and bordered with many houses, having near it two arraials, and passes
three stone bridges.
Eight miles to the north-east of Marianna, near the arraial of Antonio
Pereira, (its founder,) in a rock at the end of a delightful valley, is
a grotto formed by nature, and converted into a small chapel, dedicated
to the Lady of Lapa, where every Sunday mass is chanted, and a festival
takes place on the 15th of August. The roof, which is of calcareous
stone, is overspread with stalactites, or crystallizations formed by
the filtration of the water.
Fifteen miles north of the same city is the arraial and parish of
Inficionado, which derived its name from the circumstance of the refuse
of gold in melting being at first excellent, and becoming afterwards
inferior, so that it acquired the name of Oiro Inficionado, (Infected
Gold.) It is the native country of the poet, who was the author of the
poem of _Caramuru_, “the Man of Fire,” a conspicuous character in
the history of Bahia. Its church is dedicated to the Lady of Nazareth.
The inhabitants raise the necessaries of life and cattle, and are
miners.
Catas Altas de Matto Dentro, (profound searchings within the matto, or
woods,) formerly a large and flourishing arraial, with a church of the
Lady of Conceiçao, has fallen into decay with the decrease of gold. The
deep mines, wrought for the extraction of gold, were the origin of its
name. It is about eight miles from the preceding, and the inhabitants
are agriculturists, including breeders of cattle and miners.
Nine miles from Catas Altas is the large, flourishing, and commercial
arraial of St. Barbara, near the stream of the same name, having
various religious structures, and promising considerable augmentation.
The occupations of its inhabitants are similar to that of the last
place.
Ten miles from St. Barbara is the arraial of Cocaes, with rich mines of
gold, in the district of the parish of St. Joao do Morro Grande.
_Comarca of_ RIO DAS MORTES.
The comarca of Rio das Mortes, so called from the river which washes
it, and equally known by the name of its head town, St. Joao d’el Rey,
is bounded on the east by the comarca of Villa Rica; on the north
by that of Sabara, from which it is separated by the serra Negra,
and by the rivers Lambary and Andayha; on the west by the provinces
of Goyaz and St. Paulo; and on the south by the latter and that of
Rio de Janeiro. It is computed to comprise one hundred and seventy
square miles. This comarca has many portions of land appropriated
to the culture of mandioca, Indian corn, and legumes; likewise to
plantations of sugar and tobacco, which are the most lucrative articles
of exportation; in some places the cotton tree prospers, and in some
of the southern districts considerable quantities of rye and wheat are
raised. Cows are generally abundant, also sheep and hogs. Pork and
cheese are important branches of export. There are auriferous grounds,
which occupy a great many people in the working of them.
MOUNTAINS.--The principal are the serra of Lenheiro, in the vicinity
of the town of St. Joao d’el Rey; of St. Joze, near the town of that
name; of Lopo, not far from Cabo Verde; of Assumpçao, on the western
part, between the Rio Grande and the Pardo; of Parida, which serves as
a limit on the same side from the Rio Grande northward. In the southern
part there is the extensive Mantiqueira, in parts bare and rocky, in
others covered with wood. It contains the _Cachineze_ Indians, who are
inconsiderable in number, stinted in growth, and timorous, and confine
their hostility to robbing the neighbouring parishes of some cattle.
The serra of Juruoca, which is a branch of the preceding, takes the
name of a stone called _ayuru_, “parrot,” and _oca_, “stone,” and which
stands upon it where there is a cataract seventy yards in height. The
serra of Carrancas is situated between the Rio Grande and Verde. The
serra of Letras, (or Letters,) a branch of the preceding, derives
its name from a species of hieroglyphic, a natural curiosity, which
is observed in the interior of a vast and curious cave, formed of
divers eruptions or projections of a sandy stone, some of considerable
elasticity with various kinds of plants which grow there. The pretended
letters, owing their origin to ferruginous particles, are rude and
illegible, and no more than a superstitious hierography, arising in the
ignorance of the people, who attribute them to the hand of the apostle
St. Thomas. Near it there is a hermitage dedicated to the same apostle.
The serra of Vigia, so called from having served for a long time as
a watch-tower to the sentinels of a band of runaway negroes, who had
established themselves in that district, is twenty miles distant from
St. Joao d’el Rey. The serra Cachambu is between the river Jacare and
the Rio Grande.
RIVERS.--The Rio Grande, the largest of the comarca, dividing it into
southern and northern, and having its origin upon the serra Juruoca,
after gathering many small streams, flows at first northward, then
north-west for a considerable space, and receives the large river Das
Mortes, which rises in the serra of Oiro Branco, from whence it runs
west, becoming large with the currents that join it by both margins.
From this confluence, which is about seventy miles west of the town
of St. Joao d’el Rey, the Rio Grande continues its course westward,
increasing much to the boundary of the province, where it begins to
serve as a limit between the provinces of Goyaz and St. Paulo; it is
stored with a variety of fish.
The Sapucahy flows from the serra Mantiqueira, has numerous windings,
and is enlarged by many other rivers, the largest of which is the
Verde, that rises near the source of the Rio Grande, and, after having
watered an extensive territory, pastured by large herds of cattle, runs
north-west, and irrigates a similarly stocked and larger country in the
province of St. Paulo, where it has its junction with the preceding.
Near the margin, and not far from the origin of the Mozambo, a branch
of the Sapucahy, there are several wells of sulphureous water, some
warmer than others, which have been found beneficial in certain
diseases; and between the plains of the river Verde and Baepondy, near
a rivulet which falls into the Verde, there are various mineral and
vitriolic waters.
In this comarca originate the Pardo and Jaguary, which wash the
northern part of the province of St. Paulo, the Paraupeba, Para,
Lambary, Bambuhy, and the St. Francisco, which receives them: these are
the principal rivers in the northern part.
The Camanducaya is a branch of the Sapucahy. The Jacuhy, Jacare, and
Capivary are discharged into the Rio Grande, below the confluence of
Das Mortes. The Peixe and the small Das Mortes enter the large Das
Mortes; the latter twenty miles below St. Joao d’el Rey, and the other
still further. The _doirado_, _mandin_, and _pracanjuba_
are the best fish in those rivers.
St. Joao d’el Rey, antecedently Rio das Mortes, is the head town of
the comarca, and the residence of its ouvidor, who acts in other
situations, and is also crown judge. It is one of the largest, and the
most abundant places in the province, and is agreeably seated in a flat
country, about two miles from the river that gave it the primitive name
till 1712, when John V. gave it the present name and the title of a
town. It has a church of the Lady of Pilar; two chapels dedicated to
the Lady of Dores and Mercez; one to St. Pedro; others to St. Antonio,
St. Caetano, St. Francisco, administered by the blacks; two Terceira
orders of the Lady of Carmo and St. Francisco. The chapel of the
latter is the finest in the whole province, and stands upon a large
_praca_, or square. It has also an hospital, and two bridges of
stone over the small channel of Tijuco, which divides the town into two
portions; a Juiz de Fora, who is also head of the orphan establishment;
an attorney general; a royal professor of Latin; a vicar-foraneo; and
a smelting-house, with the same appointments as that of Villa Rica,
excepting the _abridor dos cunhos_, (engraver of coins.) The
judicial appointments are also the same.
This town has tolerably good houses, with paved streets. All the
necessaries of life of the country are cheap. There are here white
_tangerina_ oranges, which are not met with in any other part. The
road, which leads to the Rio das Mortes, upon which there is another
large bridge of wood, is bordered by _quintas_, or country houses.
About the middle of this interval is the arraial of Matozinhos, with a
chapel of Espirito Santo. In its suburbs are cultivated the cane, much
Indian corn, some rye, a little mandioca, and cotton; and at a greater
distance cattle are bred. Mining is the general occupation.
There are twelve chapels in its extensive environs, generally provided
with chaplains, who are, with as many more coadjutors of the vicar,
privileged to administer the sacraments in his jurisdiction. This town
is nearly eighty miles to the south-west of Villa Rica, about the same
distance south-south-west from Sabara, and upwards of two hundred
north-west of Rio de Janeiro.
Eight miles to the north-north-west of St. Joao d’el Rey, and near the
right margin of the Rio das Mortes, is the middling town of St. Joze,
with the handsomest church in the province, dedicated to St. Antonio,
a chapel of the Lady Rozario, and another of St. Joao Evangelista: it
abounds with the necessaries of life, and is provided with good water.
The inhabitants, and those of its wide district, who are well supplied
with Catholic places of worship, raise much Indian corn, some barley, a
diversity of fruits, cattle, and numerous herds of hogs, its principal
riches. Some are miners.
Barbacena is a middling town, having a beautiful aspect, well situated
in the proximity of the serra Mantiqueira, and three miles from the Das
Mortes, with a church of the Lady of Piedade, a chapel of St. Francisco
de Paula, two of the Lady of Rozario and Boa Morte. In its environs
is the Brazilian pine; and the olive tree fructifies in some parts.
The inhabitants raise cattle, and cultivate the most substantial lands
with the most useful articles; some search for gold, and others are
occupied in various branches of industry, with advantage to the place.
It is thirty-five miles east-south-east of St. Joao d’el Rey, and fifty
south-south-west of Villa Rica.
Quelluz, otherwise Carijos, is a town finely situated about thirty
miles south-south-west of Villa Rica, fifty north-east of St. Joao d’el
Rey, and three from the Congonhas, near the skirt of the serra of Oiro
Branco. It has a church of Our Lady of Conceiçao, two hermitages of St.
Antonio and Carmo. Cattle is the wealth of its inhabitants.
Tamandua is a middling town between two small streams, which are
branches of the Lambary. It is well supplied with the provisions of
the country, and has a church of St. Bento, two chapels of Our Lady
of Mercez and Rozario, another of St. Francisco de Paula, with a
fraternity, whose brothers enjoy extraordinary privileges. It is nearly
ninety miles west of Villa Rica, fifty north-west of St. Joao d’el Rey,
seventy south of Pitangui, and seventy west-north-west of Sabara. The
inhabitants and those of its district are cattle breeders, farmers, and
miners.
Campanha, properly the town of Princeza da Beira, is in a state of
mediocrity, situated in a plain twelve miles from the Verde, with a
church of St. Antonio do Valle de Piedade, (St. Anthony of the Valley
of Piety,) two chapels of the Lady of Rozario and Dores, one of St.
Sebastiao, and another of St. Francisco de Paula, with a brotherhood
subject to the town of Tamandua. It has a Juiz de Fora, who is head of
the orphans, a royal professor of Latin, and a vicar, and is nearly
eighty miles south-west of St. Joao d’el Rey, and one hundred and
fifty south of Pitangui. The inhabitants and those of its environs are
miners, farmers of rye, wheat, Indian corn, tobacco, some mandioca,
cotton, and sugar, and raise many cattle and hogs. In some situations
are cultivated flax; and generally coarse woollens and cottons are
manufactured.
St. Maria de Baepondy is yet a small town. The church is dedicated to
Our Lady of Conceiçao, and the wealth of its inhabitants consists in
tobacco, for which the soil is well adapted. It is fifty miles east of
Campanha, and was created a town by a law of the 19th of July, 1814,
when to its civil government were added two ordinary judges, one of
orphans, three magistrates, two regulators of the market, two public
scriveners, judicial and notarial, the first filling also the offices
of escrivao of the town house, excise, and market, the other the office
of escrivao of the orphans; there is also an alcaide and his escrivao.
St. Carlos de Jacuhy is situated near the origin of the river which
lends it the name, has a church of the Lady of Conceiçao, and was
created a town by the same law as Baepondy, with the same civil
officers, to whom the parishioners of Cabo Verde became subject. It
is near the boundary of the province of St. Paulo, and is abundant in
cattle.
In this comarca are the following parishes:--St. Anna de Sapocahy,
twenty-five miles from the river of the same name; the inhabitants
cultivate legumes and are gold miners. Conceiçao de Camanducaya,
fifteen to the right of the Jaguary; it exports hides. Carmo de Cabo
Verde, near the river from which it takes the name; its parishioners
cultivate cotton, some wheat, are miners, and export hides. St.
Anna d’Itajuba, where wheat, rye, and Indian corn are cultivated.
Pouzo-Alegre, whose inhabitants are agriculturists. St. Pedro
d’Alcantara Oiro Fino, where there are hot springs; it is fifty miles
from the town of Bragança, and cattle and wheat are its productions.
Conceiçao das Laoras do Funil, sixty miles from St. Joao d’ el Rey;
the inhabitants are agriculturists. Conceiçao de Pouzo Alto, fifty
miles from the town of Campanha, where cotton and wheat are raised.
Conceiçao da Juruoca St. Gonçalo, formerly a large and flourishing
arraial, near twenty miles from Campanha; the inhabitants are miners
and agriculturists.
_Comarca of_ SABARA.
This comarca is bounded on the north by the province of Pernambuco;
on the west by that of Goyaz; on the south by the comarca of Rio das
Mortes; and on the east by that of Serro Frio. It is three hundred and
fifty miles from north to south, and more than two hundred and ten from
east to west. It is watered by many rivers, the whole tributary to the
St. Francisco, which traverses its southern part and separates it on
the north from the comarca of Serro Frio. It abounds in pasturage and
large herds of cattle, and has mines of various metals, diamonds, and
other precious stones. It produces Indian corn, mandioca, rice, sugar,
tobacco, legumes, cotton, various fruits, and in many parts plenty of
game.
MOUNTAINS.--The serras of Marcella, Christaes, and Tabatinga, are
the most elevated portions of the cordillera which limit it on the
west. The serra of Jinipapo is in the vicinity of the confluence of
the river Velhas; the serras Quatys and Araras in the centre of the
western part. The serra Negra separates it from the comarca of Rio
das Mortes for a considerable space, and is almost entirely of stone,
having mines of good gold. The serra Lapa follows that of Oiro Preto
to the north. The serra of Piedade extends nearly northward. Those of
Saudade and Itucambira run north and south for a great extent, and at a
considerable distance from the river Velhas, serving as limits between
this comarca and that of Serro Frio.
RIVERS AND LAKES.--The river St. Francisco, which is the largest of
the province, and receives a great part of its other rivers, rises in
the vicinity of the serra of Canastra. After flowing a considerable
space towards the north-east and gathering various small streams on
both sides, it receives on the left the Bambuhy, which flows from the
boundary and brings with it the Perdiçao, that originates in the serra
Marcella: this is the first considerable stream that enlarges the St.
Francisco. Twenty-eight miles lower it is joined on the right by the
Lambary, which waters the extensive district of the town of Tamandua;
as much further to the north it receives on the left the Marmellada,
that flows from the serra Quatys. Eighteen miles lower the considerable
river Para is incorporated with it, after running more than one hundred
and forty miles from the south-east and passing the town of Pitangui.
The Paraupeba follows, whose course is not less than two hundred and
ten miles, its origin being near the town of Quelluz. The country
through which it flows abounds with cattle.
Twenty-five miles below the confluence of the Paraupeba is that of
the Andaya, which comes from the boundary, running along an extensive
and moderately elevated cordillera, (whose southern portion is called
Saudade and the northern Quatys,) and bringing with it the Funchal.
This river, one hundred miles long, abounds with precious stones,
amongst which there are many diamonds.
A little lower the Borrachuda, discharged also on the left, is not much
inferior to the preceding, and runs like it along the western side of a
cordillera called the serra Araras, which is parallel with the former.
Eighteen miles below, the considerable Abayte discharges itself on the
same side, and is formed by two streams of the same name, that unite
much above its mouth, whose origins are more than one hundred miles
distant from each other; one comes from the south-west, the other from
the north-west, and brings the waters of the small river Chumbo, that
passes the base of a morro where there is a rich mine of lead, from
which it takes the name. The intervening territory of the origins of
the Abaytes is a wood, denominated the Matta da Corda, which invites
the agriculturist, having various intervals of campinhas, where
numerous herds of cattle graze, their owners living at a great distance.
Fifty miles further is the grand cataract of Pirapora, and fifteen
beyond it the confluence of the large river Das Velhas, (Old Women,)
originally Guaycuhy, which in the language of the aborigines signifies
the same, and whose origin is in the vicinity of St. Bartholomew,
six miles to the west of Villa Rica. It has a great number of falls,
windings, and more than two hundred miles of course. The Parauna, the
Pardo, and the Curmatahy, which unite with it on the right, and the
Bicudo on the left, are its largest tributaries.
A little lower, the St. Francisco receives on the right the Jequetahy
and the Pacuhy. Their adjacent lands are pastured by large cattle.
Further on, the large Paracatu enters it on the left, the principal
heads of which are the Escuro and the Prata, incorporated with the
Arrependidos, which limits for some distance the two provinces. These
rivers unite themselves a few leagues above the Corrego Rico, (Rich
Channel) that passes near the town of Paracatu. Here it takes this
name. Its largest tributary is the Preto, which issues from lake
Feia, near the arraial of Coiros, in the province of Goyaz, and after
having gathered a great number of small streams, joins the Paracatu
on the left, almost at an equal distance from the confluence where it
takes and that where it loses the name. A little below the Preto, on
the opposite side, the Paracatu receives the Sonno, rich in precious
stones, which brings the waters of the Almas, that joins it on the
left. The Paracatu is navigable to a little below the Corrego Rico, and
its crystalline waters are so light, that they float a considerable way
above those of the river which receives them. Its lateral lands are
abundant in cattle.
Twenty miles to the north, the St. Francisco receives, on the same
side, the large Urucuya, navigable for a considerable distance. It
originates on the boundary of Goyaz, is narrow and deep, having clear
waters, which flow with such rapidity, that, on entering the St.
Francisco, they at all times roll across, sensibly affecting the lands
of its eastern margin. The St. Rita, joining on the right, and the
Claro on the left, are its principal tributaries, both traversing
sterile lands possessing cattle.
It is followed by the Acary, Pardo, Pandeiro, Salgado, Pindahyba,
Itacaramby, and the Japore, the whole entering by the western margin.
The Pandeiro has fine water, an extensive course, and traverses large
woods of excellent timber with many cedars, where numerous colonies
might be advantageously established, for the cultivation of their
fertile soils.
A few leagues below the Japore, the important river Verde enters on
the eastern side; and about the same distance further, the Carinhenha,
which is large and navigable for a considerable extent. It rises in
the chapadas of Santa Maria, near the limits of Goyaz; its crystalline
waters, having a rapid current, flow for a considerable way without
mixing with those of the St. Francisco after entering it.
We will finish the description of the noble St. Francisco when we
treat upon the province of Pernambuco, which is bounded by this river
from hence to the ocean. This very extensive river, as well as those
mentioned which enlarge it, abound with fish, of which the _doirado_,
_sorrubin_, _mandin_, and _piranha_, are the best.
Near the right margin of the St. Francisco, and eighteen miles below
the confluence of the Bambuhy, is the lake Feia, of a circular form,
about three hundred yards in diameter, of dark green water, and
inhabited by the _sucury_ and _sucuriu_ snakes, and the alligator. No
reptile or even bird approaches to drink its waters. About two miles to
the north, there is another called Lake Verde, narrow, six miles long,
and the haunt of the same horrible creatures. Both lakes are discharged
into the St. Francisco. The _sucuriu_ and _sucury_ differ only in
colour; the first is of a blackish hue, and the other grey: they have
two large claws, or talons, near the extremity of the tail, with which
they secure themselves to roots or the points of stones under the
water, when they wish to seize any animal. The teeth are sharp pointed,
and inclined towards the gorge, so that the prisoner cannot escape,
although the monster wished to withdraw its hold. _Sucurys_ have been
killed twenty yards long. These snakes are supposed to be a species of
the _sucuriuba_ of other provinces.
Villa Real do Sabara, (Royal Town of Sabara) is the head of the
comarca, and ordinary residence of its ouvidor, who also acts in other
situations. It stands near the right margin of the Velhas, where this
river receives the small stream that affords the town’s name, in a
low situation, surrounded with mountains, and is large, flourishing,
well supplied with meat, fish, and the common necessaries peculiar
to the country. It has a church of the Lady of Conceiçao, a chapel
of Our Lady of O, another of Rozario, and a numerous fraternity of
blacks, two Terceira orders of Carmo and St. Francisco. There is a
Juiz de Fora, who is head of the orphan establishment; a vicar; the
usual professors of the first letters and Latin; and a smelting house
for gold, the expenses of which are forty thousand crusades annually,
having the same appointments as that of Villa Rica, with the exception
of the engraver of stamps for coining, and the third founder. This
town has a good fountain of excellent water in the street of Caquende,
and four entrances from the cardinal points, all but one having wooden
bridges; the eastern and southern are over the Sabara. The judicial
officers are the same here as in the capital of the province; the
annual revenue of the camara, or municipal body, is nine thousand
crusades. The heat is here more intense in the hot months than in
any other povoaçao in the province, arising, most probably, from its
reflexion from the circumjacent mountains. A register for receiving
the royal duties was, in 1712, established in this place, which is
thirty-five miles north-north-west of Marianna, seventy north-east
of Tamandua, near one hundred south-west of Villa do Principe, and
seventy-five north-north-east of St. Joao d’ el Rey. The inhabitants,
and those of six parishes within its district, (viz. Rio das Pedras,
St. Antonio, Curral d’ el Rey, St. Luzia, Congonhas, and Rapozos,)
comprising altogether forty-six thousand three hundred persons, are
miners and farmers, and form two regiments of cavalry, one with eleven,
and the other with eight companies, all whites; twenty companies of
infantry; a regiment of eleven companies of mulattoes; and another of
seven companies of _forro_, or free blacks. In the year 1788,
the population of Sabara consisted of seven thousand six hundred and
fifty-six persons, and eight hundred and fifty houses. In 1819, its
inhabitants did not exceed nine thousand three hundred and forty-seven.
This comarca, which is nearly as large as England, does not, exclusive
of the district of Paracatu, contain more than one hundred and thirteen
thousand, three hundred and sixty-four souls. Senhor Gama, who was
recently its ouvidor or governor, collected materials, during his
triennial government, for a map of the comarca, which he presented
to the minister of state at Rio de Janeiro, in expectation that his
labours would at least have received some approbation; but the subject
was treated with indifference. Senhor Gama subsequently made me a
present of the map, an exact copy of which is here introduced. The
signal of a standard upon the map points out those places rich in
diamonds, which, by a strange policy, are rigidly preserved untouched
as a resource for the government; and whenever they are worked, if
the proceedings are conducted upon the same principle as the diamond
grounds of Tijuco, will certainly not be a source of much revenue to
the state.
[Illustration: _Mapa da Comarca do_