Villa do Principe, the head of the comarca, and residence of its
ouvidor, (who fills other offices,) is considerable, well supplied,
and possesses a church of the Lady of Conceiçao, a chapel of the Lord
of Matozinhos, another of St. Rita, three of the Lady of Purificaçao,
Carmo, and Rozario. It is ill situated, has only one good street,
and was erected into a town in the year 1714. It has a Juiz de Fora,
a royal professor of Latin, and a smelting house for gold, with the
same appointments as that of Sabara. This town is in the vicinity of
the serra Lapa, two miles distant from the river Peixe, (a branch of
the St. Antonio,) near one hundred north-east of Sabara, one hundred
and ten north-north-east of Marianna, and three hundred and seventy
almost north-west of Rio de Janeiro. The inhabitants are miners, and
cultivators of Indian corn, legumes, cotton, and sugar; the whites
constitute twenty-two companies of infantry, the mulattoes thirteen,
and the free blacks six. The revenue of the vicarship amounts to twelve
thousand crusades, and that of the camara to seven. In the whole of the
comarca there are two regiments of cavalry, one of eight, and the other
of nine companies.
Within the district of the last town, and at a distance of forty miles,
is the large arraial and parish of Conceiçao, in whose environs is the
serra of Gaspar Soares, abundant in iron mines, for the working of
which a royal establishment is forming.
Bom Successo, better known by the name of Fanado, created a town in
1751, is well situated on elevated land, enjoying a fine climate,
between two small streams that afford it the name, and uniting, enter
the Arassuahy, which passes six miles distant to the north. It has a
church dedicated to the “Chief of the Apostles,” chapels of the Lord
of Bom Fim, of the Lady of Amparo, for the mulattoes, of Rozario, for
the blacks, St. Anna, St. Joze, and St. Gonçalo; and a Terceira order
of St. Francisco. It possesses a Juiz de Fora, and a royal professor
of Latin. It has not one house of stone. The inhabitants follow the
same occupations as those of the last town, and some work for precious
stones. The general traders are the most independent. This place is two
hundred and twenty miles north-east of Marianna, two hundred and ten,
nearly in the same direction, from Sabara, one hundred and twenty-five
north-north-east of Villa do Principe, and four hundred and fifty from
Rio de Janeiro. In its extensive circuit there are various hermitages,
namely, Piedade, Mercez, Penha, St. Joao, Prata, and Barreiras. Their
numbers are expected to increase to the east and south as far as the
river Doce, when the projected roads to the ports of Porto Seguro are
made and frequented. The fertility of the territory, and the facility
which proper measures may create for transporting produce to the ports,
will most probably attract numerous colonies to this district, which,
unquestionably, will become the best in the province, when the Aimbore
Indians are subjugated.
Ten miles to the north of Bom Successo is the parish of St. Cruz da
Chapada, near the river Capibary. The inhabitants scarcely raise any of
the necessaries of life, but follow mining.
Fifteen miles to the north-east of the preceding, and twenty-five from
Bom Successo, is the arraial of Agua Suja, (Dirty Water,) near the
confluence of the stream of its name, with the Arassuahy, having a
church dedicated to the Lady of Conceiçao. The inhabitants cultivate
Indian corn, legumes, and cotton, and are gold miners. In its district
are the parishes of St. Domingos, and Conceiçao, near the Sucuriu,
whose parishioners raise the same articles, and work for gold and
precious stones.
One hundred miles north of Bom Successo is the considerable arraial of
Rio Pardo, at the confluence of the river from which it takes the name
with the Preto, each having a bridge. The houses are in great part of
adobe, and the church of taipa. Its inhabitants raise cattle, mandioca,
Indian corn, rice, cotton, and a variety of fruits.
Two hundred and ten miles north of Sabara, one hundred and thirty
west-north-west of Bom Successo, and one hundred and fifty
north-north-west of Villa do Principe, is the famous arraial and
julgado of Barra do Rio das Velhas, situated in a plain at the
confluence of the river of its name, from whose floods it sustains
considerable injury. It has a church of Bom Successo, and a chapel of
Lord Jesus of Matozinhos, has much commerce, is well supplied with
meat, fish, and fruit, and is the depositary of a large quantity of
salt that arrives from the salterns of the river St. Francisco. Fevers,
which reign here in the wet season, have driven away many inhabitants,
and prevent this place from becoming one of the largest povoaçoes in
the province. This arraial, that of Bom Successo, and others of the
comarca, belong to the archbishopric of Bahia.
Two miles distant is the arraial of Porteira, with a chapel of the Lady
of Bom Successo and Rozario. In it reside the vicar, and the officers
of justice, in consequence of being a healthy situation.
Twenty miles further to the north, upon the margin of the St.
Francisco, is the small and agreeably situated arraial of Estrema,
with a hermitage of Conceiçao. It abounds with fish and meat. The fruit
consists principally of oranges.
Within this comarca is the mountainous diamond district, fifty miles in
diameter. The beautiful stones found here by Bernardo da Fonseca Lobo,
in 1730, on being discovered to be diamonds, afforded this part of the
comarca its designation. The value of these stones not being at first
known, the district remained free till 1734, when an ouvidor of the
province, who had resided at Goa, and had there acquired a knowledge
of this most precious article, coming from Golconda, pronounced them
diamonds.
J. F. d’Oliveira and F. F. da Sylva had the diamond contract in 1741,
for three years, at the sum of nine hundred thousand crusades. By a
letter of the 3d of April, 1743, the king ordered the provedor of the
treasury of Villa Rica to superintend the diamond contract, with a
sum not to exceed two hundred thousand crusades per annum. Some time
having passed, the contract was publicly sold to some persons of the
name of Caldeyras, who, in their operations, met with copious and rich
supplies. The opulence thus acquired, led them to perpetrate crimes for
which they were sent to Limoeiro, where they ended their days, their
property being confiscated by the crown. This contract was granted
anew, to J. F. d’Oliveira, with whom it remained till the end of 1771.
On the 1st of January, 1772, the diamond district came under the
immediate management of the government. But diamonds alone do not
constitute the riches and celebrity of this district; other precious
stones concur in rendering it important, such as sapphires, emeralds,
aqua-marinas, chrysolites, topazes, &c. All these stones are produced
in the serras, from whence they descend to the rivers, with the waters
of the copious thunder showers. This district also possesses mines of
all the metals, the extraction of which is rigorously prohibited on
account of the diamonds.
Around the diamond district there are various military detachments, to
prevent the plunder of those stones, or of gold; and also to exact the
duties paid upon entrance. Amongst those stations may be enumerated,
first, Milho Verde; and, next in rotation, Pirahuna, Gouvea, Rio Pardo,
Chapada, Arraial, Hinhahy, Rio Manço. The diamond demarcation, afar
off exhibits a black perspective, swelling into a thousand rugged and
uneven serras; on one hand are elevated mountains of one single stone,
cut by nature into precipices that raise their heads to the clouds;
on the other, are extended serras, composed of detached rocks and
stones, accumulated on each other in chaotic piles, covered with a
grey moss, and sparingly dressed in creeping brushwood. A thousand
pure and crystalline rills warble across its rude tracts formed by
the miner, and roll into his _gamella_[25] their rich offerings.
The waters of some are dashed over the sides of mountains, others
descend divided between broken rocks to the base of the serras, from
whence, accumulating, they flow in serpentine courses in search of
larger rivers, running sometimes tamely and tranquilly between spacious
banks; at others, precipitated amongst approximating and steep serras,
with loud and interesting murmurs. For a time they often disappear
altogether from the sight, are again visible, flowing on in foaming
fury. The crystallizations of diamonds are obtained near the surface
of the earth. Their form is triangular, round, pointed on one side,
with the face always smooth; this proves that the crystallization is
dispersed and solitary.
In the centre of the diamond district, one hundred and thirty miles
north-north-east of Marianna, one hundred and ten from Sabara, one
hundred south-west of Bom Successo, and twenty-eight north-north-west
of Villa do Principe, in a broken part of Serro Frio, to the west, and
not far from the river Jequitinhonha, is the flourishing arraial of St.
Antonio do Tijuco, situated upon an amphitheatre, with a church of St.
Antonio, which has the brotherhoods of S.S., of Pasos, and of the Lady
of Terco, a chapel of the Lord of Bom Fim, with a fraternity of black
creoles; four of the Lady of Amparo, with a brotherhood of mulattoes;
of Carmo, with a Terceira order; of Rozario, with a fraternity of
African blacks; and Mercez; another of St. Francisco, handsome, and
with a Terceira order; a recolhimento of Donzellas, or Virgins, with
their little chapel, dedicated to the Lady of Luz; and a house of
misericordia, whose chapel is called St. Isabel. It has quarters for
troops, abounds with excellent water, and is rendered particularly
wholesome by salubrious mountain breezes. The buildings are generally
of taipa, few being of stone.
Here reside the tribunal, or diamond junta, composed of five deputies,
namely, a _disembargador intendente_, (the intendant judge, or
governor,) who is the president, with an exclusive jurisdiction in
the diamond demarcation, and a salary of eight thousand crusades per
annum, besides other very considerable emoluments; _um corregedor
fiscal_, (a civil magistrate,) with 5000 crusades; _um primeiro
caixa_, (a first book or chest keeper,) with 8000; _um segundo
caixa_, (a second book or chest keeper,) with 6000; _um inspector
geral_, (an inspector general,) with 4000.
There is an _escrivao_, or accountant of diamonds; and a
_merinho_, or officer, for apprehending persons. The governor has
an _escrivao_, who attends the civil and criminal proceedings.
There are upwards of six thousand negroes to work for diamonds, and
two hundred inspectors, who are whites and subordinate to the junta.
In some years there have been found from four to five thousand oitavas
(five hundred to six hundred ounces) of diamonds, and amongst them,
some stones from one-eighth to five-eighths of an ounce. No one is
allowed to enter this district without an express licence.