_Contests with Indians--Conquest--Taken by the Dutch--
Restored--Extent--Sterility of Soil--Capes and Ports--
Mineralogy--Mountains--Zoology--Phytology--Rivers and
Lakes--Povoações--Island of Fernando de Noronha._
The conquest of this province, which is a portion of the capitania of
Joam de Barros, was commenced in the year 1597, by order of Philip II.
with the intention of impeding the exportation of Brazil wood by the
French, and of overcoming the Potyguaras, who destroyed the plantations
of the colonists of Parahiba, and interrupted the progress of that
colony.
D. Francisco de Souza, governor of the state, by orders which he
received, supplied what was requisite from the royal treasury. The
squadron which was prepared at Pernambuco, and carried with it a Jesuit
for an engineer, and a Franciscan to interpret the language of the
Indians, directed its course to the mouth of Rio Grande, which was the
port most visited by the Corsairs. The enterprise had its commencement
by the construction of a wooden fort, near the place where the Fort
dos Reys is now situated, and the first commandant of which, Jeronimo
d’ Albuquerque, had many obstinate combats with the aborigines for
more than a year, until the friendship which he established with
Sorobabe, (Great Island,) chief of the Indians, through the mediation
of a friendly one of the same tribe, afforded him an opportunity
of laying the foundation of the city of Natal, which received this
name in consequence of the inauguration of its mother church, in
1599, happening on the same day as the festivity of the birth of our
Saviour. The want of better ports, the quality of the land, which did
not encourage its colonization, and the Portuguese nation being then
under the dominion of the Castilian crown, as well as the inconstancy
of the Indians, equally unserviceable as friends, as they were fatal
when enemies, concurred to prevent this colony from acquiring any
considerable augmentation during thirty years.
The Dutch, after being established in Pernambuco, presented themselves
several times before the Fort dos Reys, (of Kings,) which always
resisted their attacks, until it was ultimately delivered to them by
the treason of a sergeant, a deserter from Bahia, who stole the keys
of the fort by night, the commandant being seriously wounded, and
communicated to Admiral Ceulio, that the garrison would deliver itself
up, according to the conditions offered to the commandant and rejected
by him. Ceulio perceiving at day-break a white flag hoisted, proceeded
immediately towards the fort, which made very little resistance, in
consequence of this traitor, and one Orteguera, also an enemy to
the commandant, vigorously counselling him to give it up. With the
possession of this fort, the Dutch became masters of the province,
which was restored with the others in the year 1654.
In the same year John IV. gave part of this province to Manuel Jurdao,
who perished by shipwreck at the point of disembarkation, and in
consequence of whose death the country reverted to the crown. This
province had for some time the title of countship, created in 1689,
in favour of Lopo Furtado de Mendonca. It is confined on the north
and east by the ocean, on the south by the province of Parahiba,
and on the west by that of Siara, from which it is separated by the
serra of Appody, which is about a league to the west of the river so
called. It lies between 4° 10′ and 6° 15′ south latitude; the days
and nights differ very little in length all the year. The climate is
hot and healthy. The winter, commonly not abundant in rain, continues
from April to June in the eastern part; in the western scarcely any
other rains fall, but those which accompany thunder, beginning usually
in January or February. It comprises one hundred and seventy miles
from east to west, in the greatest width, and one hundred from north
to south, on the western side. The face of the country is generally
uneven, and presents some mountains of considerable altitude, and also
woods, but they are rare, and of no great extent, the greatest portion
consisting of parched catingas. Notwithstanding the soil in various
parts is adapted to the plantation of the cane, its culture was never
considerable, and it gradually diminishes; cotton being substituted
for it almost in all parts, with less expense and equal profit to
the planter. Mandioca, Indian corn, legumes, and hortulans of the
country, are generally cultivated, as well as some rice and tobacco in
sufficient quantity for the population.
Negroes are not numerous in this province; the Indians, who were very
ferocious, have all been reduced many years, and their descendants,
through the medium of alliances with the Europeans and Africans,
have augmented the classes of whites and mulattoes, who for the most
part indulge in idleness, and improperly deem it a degradation to
apply their personal labour, with instruments of agriculture, for the
improvement of their country.
CAPES AND PORTS.--Cape St. Roque forms the angle of this
region to the north-east.
Point Pipa took its name from a stone, in a degree resembling a tunnel,
caused by the sea continually beating against it. A little to the south
of this point there are four abundant fountains of soft water upon the
beach.
Point Negra is seven miles to the north of the preceding, and almost as
far south of the river Tareyri.
Point Petetinga, Point Toiro, Point Tres Irmaos, Point Tubarao, between
the rivers Aguamare and the Amargoso, and Point Mel, which is between
the Appody and the Conchas, are all upon the northern coast of the
province. It has neither ports nor bays capable of receiving a squadron
of ships of much burden; there is, however, the Bay Formoza upon the
eastern coast, with seven miles of mouth, three of bay, and four
fathoms in depth at low water, but it is overspread with stones and
unsheltered.
MINERALOGY.--It has gold, minerals of iron and silver, flint stones,
calcareous stone, granite, amethysts, crystals, and argils of various
colours and quality.
MOUNTAINS.--The serra Estrella is in nothing comparable with that of
the same name in the province of Beyra.
The serra St. Cosme, with a hermitage, St. Domingos, St. Joze, Camelo,
with eighteen miles of length, and Pannaty, at the heads of the
Pinhanco; Bonito, from whence a small torrent descends, denominated
Aguaboa, (Good Water;) Camara, Pattu, with a hermitage of the Lady of
Impossibilities, and in its skirts another of the Lady of Griefs; Luiz
Gomez, covered with large woods, and where the best necessaries of life
and cotton are raised; that of Cabello-naotem, so called in consequence
of being entirely bare, having gold; Regente, now called Portalegre,
since a town of that name was founded upon it; Campo Grande in the
vicinity of the preceding, and whose inhabitants belong to the parish
of Pau dos Ferros, two miles distant; Martins, which has ten miles of
length, and a hermitage on the summit, near a lake, that overflows
its margins with the thunder showers. It is affirmed, that at the end
of the last century there was already upon the serra four thousand
persons belonging to the communion. Serra Borborema is in the eastern
part of the province.
ZOOLOGY.--Cattle are bred, and some mules; also sheep and goats. Hogs
are not so numerous as in the adjacent provinces. In the woods the
same quadrupeds are met with as in the surrounding districts. The emu
ostrich, _seriema_, _guiraponga_, _tucano_, _zabele_, torquaze-pigeon,
and parrot, are well known; also the _beija-flor_, or humming bird,
_sabia_, _cardal_, canary, _cabore_, _carrica_, and _papeyro_. On the
margins of the rivers and lakes are the heron, _jaburu_, _colhereira_,
_galleiroe_, _socco_, and various sorts of the _macarico_. The
_jucurutu_ and the _macauhan_ are destroyers of snakes.
PHYTOLOGY.--The cocoa-nut tree is abundant in many situations near
the beach. In the interior there are many species of the palm. In the
woods are divers trees of excellent timber, and some resinous. The
cedar is not unknown in all the districts. Amongst fruits are the
cajue, _jabuticaba_, _ambuzo_, _aracaza_, and occasionally groves,
almost entirely of the _mangaba_ tree, are met with; there is also the
cupahyba tree, and a variety of other vegetation used in pharmacy.
Lights are universally made from the oil of mamona and bees-wax.
RIVERS AND LAKES.--Rio Grande, originally Pottengy, comes
from the centre of the province, increasing with the waters of various
others, generally inconsiderable, and discharges itself fifteen miles
to the south of Cape St. Roque. The margins are in great part covered
with handsome mangroves as far as the tide advances. Large barks
proceed up for the space of near forty miles, from thence upwards only
canoes.
The Appody has one hundred and thirty miles of course, formerly
denominated Upanema, a name which at present is appropriated to another
smaller river that unites it, on the right, ten miles above its mouth.
It runs almost wholly through a flat country, where there are various
lakes, which by degrees restore to it the waters introduced into them
by its floods.
The waters of those lakes, amongst which are the Apanhapeixe, (Catch
Fish,) about four miles in circuit; Pacco, a little less, and Varges,
six miles long and narrow, totally disappear in years of drought.
Large canoes advance up this river to the arraial of St. Luzia,
situated upon the left margin, twenty miles from the sea. From this
situation downwards the famous salterns of Mossoro are met with, the
salt of which is as white as snow; they have tended to the increase of
population, as well as occasioned the river to be visited by a great
number of small craft, which convey it to different parts.
The Aguamare runs northward, like the preceding, and is discharged
twenty miles to the west of Point Tres Irmaos by two mouths, formed
by a small island that produces salt; large canoes proceed up it some
leagues. Its entrance is pointed out by two mountains, called Cambujys,
of unequal elevation, both in the form of a sugar-loaf, and seven miles
distant from the sea.
The Gunepabu, also called Siara Mirim, after having irrigated an
extensive country, with many small aldeias, is discharged three miles
north of the Rio Grande, with considerable width and two fathoms in
depth.
The river Cunhahu, otherwise Crumatahy, which enters the ocean
five miles south of Point Pipa, waters the establishments of many
fazendeiros, gathers various small rivers, and affords navigation to
canoes for some leagues.
The Tareyry, which is the outlet of Lake Groahyras, discharges itself
twenty miles south of the Rio Grande. This lake, ten miles long,
communicates with two smaller ones, is well stored with fish, and at a
certain point is only one mile from the sea. The Guajehy empties itself
four miles to the north of the bay of Marcos.
The Piranhas (spoken of in the province of Parahiba) is here the most
considerable river, and its largest floods are in March and April. It
is discharged by five mouths, the principal of which are the eastern,
called Amargozo, the Conchas the western, and the Cavallos the central,
being the most voluminous, and twenty miles to the west of the
Aguamare; large barks proceed up to Villa Nova da Princeza. Upon its
margins are the abundant salterns of Assu, the primitive name of the
river. A great portion of the salt is consumed for salting fish, the
main part of which is sent to Pernambuco.
The Serido, which has one hundred miles of course, and the largest
confluent of the Piranhas in this province, enters on the right eighty
miles above its embouchure. An imaginary line drawn north and south
from the point of Tres Irmaos divides this province into two parts, a
little unequal.