CEARA CONTINUED.
Reasons for delaying journey into the Interior—Visits,
meanwhile, different places in the Vicinity of Crato—Crosses
the Serra de Araripe—Reaches Cajazeira—Arrives at Barra do
Jardim—Description of that Town and Neighbourhood—Meets with
an interesting deposit of Fossil Fishes—Geological character
of the Country—Detects a very extensive range of Chalk
formation—First discovery of such Beds in South America—The
accompanying formation described—This range of Mountains
encircles the vast Plain comprising the Provinces of Piauhy
and Maranham—Arrives at Maçapé—Great Religious Festival
on Christmas Day—Meets with an Accident—Visits also Novo
Mundo—Discovers other deposits of Fossil Fishes near these
places—Vegetable productions along the Taboleira—Different
Tribes of uncivilised Indians in that Neighbourhood—Curious
account of the Fanatical Sect of the Sebastianistas—Their
extravagant belief—Commit human sacrifices—Their destruction
and dispersion—Returns to Crato.
I found on my arrival at Crato that it would be necessary to remain there
longer than I had previously anticipated, owing to the desert state of
the country, in the dry season, between it and Oeiras, the capital of the
province of Piauhy, at which time water and grass are so scarce, that
only those well acquainted with the country would undertake this journey:
I was, therefore, strongly recommended to defer leaving Crato till the
rains should set in, to which advice I was the more willing to listen,
finding that district a very good field for my botanical researches,
and knowing well, moreover, that a journey to Oeiras at that time would
yield very little. It was now the beginning of December, and the rains
were not expected to set in till the beginning of February. Having pretty
well exhausted the neighbourhood of Crato, I determined to visit in the
interim a small town about sixteen leagues distant, called Villa da
Barra do Jardim, being the more desirous to spend some time at that place
in order to search for a deposit of fossil fishes which were reported
to exist in the neighbourhood. My friend Capitão João Gonsalvez gave me
letters to his relation Capitão Antonio da Cruz, the principal person in
the place, and on the afternoon of the eleventh of December I left Crato.
The road for the first five leagues runs nearly eastward along the Serra
de Araripe, and after having accomplished four of them we halted for the
night, about eight o’clock, at a little village called Cajazeira; on
enquiring for a place where we might pass the night, it being then quite
dark, we were directed to a shed used for the preparation of farinha,
which, besides being open all round, was but indifferently roofed; this,
however, proved a better shelter than a large tree under which we first
thought of encamping, for about midnight we were awakened by a tremendous
peal of thunder that broke right over us. The storm continued with more
or less violence for nearly half an hour, and was followed by a very
heavy shower of rain, which caused me no inconvenience as my hammock
was slung under a comparatively well-roofed part, although Pedro and
the guide were soon obliged to change their quarters. On our arrival
we found the village illuminated with several bonfires, and there was
also much firing and other rejoicings, occasioned by the presence of the
Visitador who reached this place during the day, intending to proceed to
Barra do Jardim on the following morning. It was seven o’clock before
we could resume our journey, and in an hour’s time we reached the foot
of the Serra with the view of crossing it, but we first halted for a
short time in order to take some breakfast, being informed that neither
houses nor water were to be met with during the next eight leagues of
the journey. At a distance of half an hour’s ride from Cajazeira we met
a number of well-dressed horsemen, one of whom, finding on enquiry that
I was the English Botanist about to visit Jardim, told me that his name
was Gouvea; that he had heard of my intended visit from his friends in
Crato, to which place he was then going, intending to return in the
course of a few days. From him I also learned that his companions had
come to meet the Visitador, and escort him to Jardim; in half an hour’s
time they all passed us on their return, in company with the prelate, and
soon afterwards the Visitador’s troop overtook us, consisting of eight or
nine horses, one of which was loaded with water for the journey across
the Taboleira, as all elevated flat tracts are called in the interior.
The water was carried in large leathern bags, and as I had not as yet
provided myself with such an apparatus, I was contented with purchasing
a number of oranges, and a few pieces of sugar cane, as very palatable
substitutes, and on a short journey easily carried. The Serra is scarcely
so high here as it is at Crato, but the ascent is very rugged, and in
several places very steep. About half an hour after we descended the
Serra we passed the Visitador and his party, all lying under the shade
of a large tree, eating the fruit of the Mangába which grew abundantly
around them: he kindly invited me to remain and partake of his breakfast,
for which he was awaiting the arrival of his troop, but I declined his
kind offer as I was anxious to cross the Serra without halting. It
occupied a ride of nearly six hours to traverse this table land, which
is perfectly level all the way; it is thinly studded with small trees,
which give it very much the appearance of an English orchard; the soil
was thickly covered with long grass, which was now dried up like hay;
in many places it had been set fire to, and large tracts burned, which
I afterwards found to be a very common practice in the open campos of
Brazil towards the end of the dry season, in order that after the first
rains a good crop of new grass may thus be obtained; it is, indeed,
astonishing to witness the rapidity with which it then springs up. The
vegetation on this Taboleira I found to be so very similar to that on
the top of the Serra at Crato, that with the exception of a single
specimen of a shrubby species of _Cassia_, I did not meet with anything
I had not before collected; on the ascent of the Serra, however, I found
a new species of _Rollinia_ in flower. It was not till we had reached
nearly the extremity of the Taboleira, that I came in sight of the valley
in which the Villa da Barra do Jardim is situated, from the rich and
verdant appearance of which it takes the name of Jardim, or Garden. The
Serra being lower on the south than on the north side, the descent is
much easier, and the road is also better.
On reaching the Villa, which is nearly a league from the foot of the
Serra, I found that we had passed the house of Captain Antonio da Cruz,
so that we were obliged to turn back half a league, and I felt annoyed
for not having sooner made enquiries, as our horses were greatly fatigued
after so long a journey, performed during the whole time under a burning
sun. On arriving at the house, which is attached to his Engenho, I met
with a kind reception from the Captain, as well as from his son, and the
lady of the latter, who was the daughter of my Crato friend, Captain
Gonsalvez, with both of whom I had been previously acquainted during
their visit to the latter place. My horses were immediately sent to
pasture, and dinner prepared, for which I felt an excellent appetite
after this long day’s ride. Aware of my intended visit, they had kindly
prepared an uninhabited house in the town for my reception, to which they
would not allow me to go till the following morning after breakfast.
The Villa da Barra do Jardim lies south from Crato, bearing a little
to the eastward, the valley in which it is situated being about a
league in length, and in its widest part about half a league broad;
the town is small, in the form of a large square, three sides of which
only are completed, and nearly in the centre of this square stands its
only church, also in an unfinished state. At the time of my visit the
surrounding country was very much burnt up, particularly towards the
south; but on the north side of the town, towards the bottom of the
Serra, there were many small plantations of cane, watered by small
streams which take their rise in the Serra; without these the valley
would then have been quite at variance with its name. Here, as around
Crato, cane is the principal article cultivated, but in the neighbourhood
of the Villa there are two or three very small plantations of coffee,
for which the place seems well adapted, judging from their vigorous
appearance, and the large crops they were said to yield; the quantity
raised in this neighbourhood is not, however, sufficient for its own
consumption, what more is required, and indeed the whole that is consumed
in other parts of the province, being imported from Rio de Janeiro.
Upon asking several of the proprietors of cane plantations why they did
not plant coffee in preference, seeing the much greater profit it would
bring them, they all replied that, being accustomed to the making of
Rapadura, they did not like to risk it for a system of cultivation with
which they were but imperfectly acquainted; but the principal cause, in
my own opinion, is their lazy and indolent habits, and the great horror
they entertain of anything like innovation on the customs of their
forefathers; were the country in the possession of an industrious people,
this would no doubt become one of the richest districts in the north of
Brazil.
Two days after my arrival I paid a visit to Captain Antonio da Cruz,
where I learned that on a rising ground between his house and the Serra,
there were often found rounded limestones, which when split exhibited
the remains of fishes; two of his sons accompanied me to the spot, where
I made a collection of several species more or less perfect. The place
where these were found was on the slope of a low hill about a mile from
the Serra,—the stone in which they occur being an impure dark-coloured
limestone: I found them of all sizes, but none larger than I could lift,
all were more or less rounded, having evidently undergone attrition.
The place which they occupy is not above a hundred yards square, and in
this extent scarcely any other kind of stone is found, but beyond it the
ground is covered in a similar manner with rounded blocks of sandstone
of the same nature as that which forms the mass of the Serra. Similar
deposits exist along the base of the range, but all in isolated patches,
as in the present instance. I have purposely deferred till now making any
remarks on the geology of the district around Crato, but I must premise
that the substance of what is here stated is taken from a paper read by
me before the Glasgow Philosophical Society, in April 1843, and which has
since appeared in the Proceedings of that Society.
Nothing like chalk, with its accompanying flints, has yet been found
on the continent of North America; but in New Jersey Dr. Morton has
described a deposit which he considers to be equivalent to the lower or
green sand beds of that formation, and to which he has given the name of
“The ferruginous sand formation of the United States.” The fossil remains
which it contains prove the correctness of his opinion. As regards the
South American continent, it is asserted by Humboldt, that it contains
neither oolite nor chalk, from the fact that no traveller who has
hitherto written on the geology of that immense continent, has ever met
with either; it was therefore a source of no little satisfaction to me to
find that I had been the first to discover, in the new world, the entire
series of rocks which constitute the chalk formation, specimens of all of
which I did not fail to collect.
The Serra de Araripe, or that which runs between Crato and Barra do
Jardim, is only an eastern branch of an elevated table-land which
stretches continuously from the sea-coast, southward, and forms a
natural boundary between the two great provinces of Ceará and Piauhy.
It is generally elevated from 500 to 1,000 feet above the level of the
country to the east of it, but not so much above that to the west; to
this range the name of Serra Vermelha is given by the Portuguese, and
Ibiapaba by the Indians. Between the 10th and 11th degrees of latitude
it takes a westerly direction, and in about 47° of longitude takes a
northerly sweep, finally terminating at the mouth of the River Amazon,
under the equator, the country which it surrounds forming a valley of
great extent, including the entire provinces of Piauhy and Maranham. This
elevated range varies much in breadth, as many branches run off from it,
both to the east and to the west; the top is nearly perfectly level,
forming, as before mentioned, what the Brazilians call Taboleiras. The
great mass of the Serra consists of a very soft, whitish, yellowish, or
reddish-coloured sandstone, which in many places must be more than six
hundred feet thick; and in this rock exist the nodules which contain
the fossil fishes. The circumstance that first led me to suspect this
rock belonged to the chalk formation, was an immense accumulation of
flints and septaria similar to those of the chalk of England, which I
found on the acclivity of the range during a journey made along its
base to the north of Crato. I now began to inquire if anything like
chalk was found in the neighbourhood, when I learned there were several
pits in the Serra, whence the inhabitants obtained it for the purpose of
white-washing their houses; these pits I afterwards found to be situated
in a deep layer of red-coloured diluvial clay, which lies immediately
over the sandstone of the Serra. In a ravine near Crato I endeavoured to
ascertain the formation on which the sandstone rested, when I found it to
consist of several layers of more or less compact limestones and marls,
with a bed of lignite about two feet thick; upon what these rested I
could not at that time ascertain, but some time afterwards when I crossed
to the west side of the range, I found these limestones existing upon a
deposit of very dark-red coarse-grained sandstone, abounding in small
nodules of iron-stone. Thus we find that the structure of the rocks in
this locality is very similar to that of the chalk formation in England;
there is
1st. A ferruginous sandstone deposit, equivalent to the lower
green sand or Shanklin sand.
2nd. A deposit of marls, soft and compact limestones, and
lignite, equivalent to the English gault.
3rd. A very thick deposit of fine-grained, soft, variously
coloured sandstone, containing Ichthyolites, equivalent to the
upper green sand of England.
4th. The white chalk itself, and flints occurring in pits
partially covered by red diluvial clay.
Flints are very common along the foot of the Serra, to the N.W. of Crato,
but none were found in any of the chalk-pits that I examined: I learned,
however, that at a considerable distance to the north of Crato, at a
portion of this mountain range, called the Serra de Botarité, both chalk
and flints are far more abundant than they are near the former place,
where they seem to have been almost entirely washed away, previous to the
deposition of the red clay in which they are now found.
Since the time when these rocks were first deposited at the bottom of
the sea to the present period, both they and the surrounding country must
have undergone various changes with respect to elevation; but before
making any observations on this subject, I will point out the various
places where I have met with traces of the chalk formation, besides that
just described. In 1838, during my voyage up the Rio de San Francisco,
which empties itself into the Atlantic between the 10th and 11th degrees
of south latitude, I obtained specimens of the rock on which the Villa
do Penêdo is built, and on comparison these proved to be identical
with those from the upper sandstone of Crato. In 1839, I found the
ferruginous sandstone of Crato extending westward thence about 500 miles,
and in the year 1841 I observed at Maranham, in 2° of south latitude,
and 44° of west longitude, a formation very similar to that at Crato.
The whole island on which the city of Maranham is built, consists of a
very dark-red ferruginous sandstone; on the main land to the westward,
the same rock was observed rising a little above the sea level, but
immediately upon it there exists a deposit, in some places more than 50
feet thick, of a yellowish and greenish coloured sandstone, very soft,
and of a marly nature.
From these data, then, I think there can be little doubt that the
whole of that immense shoulder which forms the more easterly point of
the American continent, has at one time been a great depository for
the chalk formation. The only other rocks that I observed in places
denuded of the deposits belonging to the chalk are, 1st, gneiss and
mica-slate, the layers of which crop out in nearly a vertical direction,
as was frequently observed on my journey from the coast, and during my
voyage up the Rio de San Francisco; and, 2nd, beds of grey-coloured
clay-slate, which I passed over about 18 leagues below Crato. The whitish
coarse-grained sandstone that I met with immediately afterwards, is
probably equivalent to the ferruginous sandstone found on the west side
of the range; from this it would appear, that between the cretaceous
series and the primary stratified rocks, there are no traces either of
the carboniferous or the oolite formations, nor in any part of Brazil
through which I afterwards travelled did I meet with any signs of them.[5]
We have already seen that the country, from the coast to Crato, is for
the most part level, large portions being covered with coarse white sand
or gravel of various sizes, which give it the appearance of the dried
up bed of an immense river; much of this gravel consists of flints, and
intermingled with them are numerous boulders of various sizes, more
or less rounded, consisting of granite, gneiss, and quartz. Whenever
these gravelly tracts cease to appear, the surface of the country is
covered with a deposit of the same kind of red clay which lies over the
upper sandstone of the table-land. To the westward of this table-land,
considerable portions are covered with the variously shaped iron-stone
nodules, found in the ferruginous sandstone, and which have accumulated
from the decay of that rock.
I have now to offer a few remarks on the changes of elevation which this
part of the continent has undergone since the chalk rocks were first
deposited; it is manifest that that deposition took place at the bottom
of a shallow ocean, and it admits of no doubt that at some subsequent
period it has been gradually elevated above the level of the sea; it
is evident that this elevation has been gradual, from the horizontal
position of the strata of which the deposit is formed; for had the
elevating cause been sudden and violent, their original position would
not have been so perfectly maintained. The first portion that emerged
from the sea was probably the long elevated table-land, which for a
period must have formed a neck of land separating the Atlantic Ocean on
the east, from the great bay which the immense valley to the westward
must then have formed.
From some of the foregoing observations it is obvious that the chalk
formation at one time must have covered a very great tract of the
surrounding country, and we may very reasonably conclude that it was
during the gradual elevation of the land, that the action of the waves
of the ocean as gradually destroyed the soft materials of which it had
been fabricated. But long after this had been accomplished, and at a
comparatively recent geological period, the whole country seems again to
have been covered with water,—not only the nearly level country between
the shores of the present sea and the elevated table-land, but even the
highest parts of the table-land itself. This is proved by the thick
stratum which exists on both, of a deep red-coloured diluvial clay,
similar to that which I have observed to cover nearly the whole surface
of Brazil, from the sea-shore to the summits nearly of the highest
mountains, and which is often more than forty feet in thickness. When
this is cut through it is found to consist of various layers of clay
and sandy gravel, in which are imbedded rounded stones of different
sizes. These have evidently been deposited from water; and in that part
of the country in which we are now speaking, this deposition of clay
must have taken place at a period subsequent to the inundation of the
country to the east and west of the table-land. This could only have been
accomplished by the sinking of the land again beneath the level of the
sea, which will account for the nearly total destruction of the white
chalk, as well as for those small cones of it which remain imbedded in
the red clay,—that deposit having been laid down before the whole of the
chalk could be washed away; since then this part of the continent must
have gradually emerged a second time from the bosom of the ocean.
Part of my collection of fossil fishes were sent to the care of my much
lamented friend the late J. E. Bowman, Esq., of Manchester, shortly
after I found them; these were exhibited by him at the Meeting of the
British Association at Glasgow, where they were seen by M. Agassiz, and
although no specimens of the rocks accompanied them, he immediately,
from their zoological characters alone, pronounced them to belong to the
chalk series. It is well known that this learned naturalist divides all
fishes into four great classes, from the nature of their scales; two of
these, the _Ctenoid_ and _Cycloid_, never make their appearance in any
of the rocks beneath the chalk, and it was from his knowledge of this
fact that he decided my specimens to be from that formation, as they
consisted chiefly of individuals of the _Ctenoid_ and _Cycloid_ groups.
The fishes are in a most perfect state of preservation, and, as I have
already stated, are included in an impure fawn-coloured limestone; the
blocks, however, in which they are preserved, are only nodules contained
in the yellowish coloured sandstone. They have in general somewhat the
form of the imbedded fish, and the carbonaceous matter was apparently
aggregated round them by chemical attraction from the sandstone while in
a soft state; these nodules being harder than the sandstone, have, by its
gradual decay, accumulated at various places along the acclivity of the
range, and I possess specimens both from the east and west side of it.[6]
On the evening of the 23rd of December I had an invitation from Lieut.
Col. João José de Gouvea, a gentleman to whom I brought letters, to
accompany him and the Visitador to a place called Maçapé five leagues
to the east of the Villa da Barra do Jardim, whither they were going to
pass Christmas Day. This I gladly accepted, having been already informed
that a large deposit of fossil fishes existed there. We started at eight
o’clock on the morning of the 24th, and as the Visitador was not to
return, he was accompanied for nearly a league from the Villa, by about
half a dozen of the most respectable persons in the neighbourhood, Senhor
Gouvea, his lady, and Senhor Machado, and I went on to Maçapé. At about
half a league from the Villa we entered a narrow ravine, wooded on each
side with large trees, the branches of which were bearded with the long
_Tillandsia usneoides_, and another large species of the same genus, but
I did not observe a single Orchideous plant. This ravine is nearly half
a league in length, and about the middle of it arises a spring yielding
an abundant supply of cool and limpid water, which lower down is applied
for the purpose of irrigation. As the ravine rises gradually, the ascent
of the Serra here is less steep than by the one we passed on the road
from Crato. Immediately on entering the Taboleira the vegetation changes,
none of the trees seen there being found below, but I did not perceive
any difference from those already observed on other parts of it. After
a very pleasant ride of four hours, we reached the opposite side of the
Serra, where a vast difference appeared in the vegetation, compared with
that of the vicinity of Jardim; here all was green and verdant, owing to
several heavy showers that had fallen a few weeks before; the trees on
the Taboleira are also larger than those nearer to Jardim, and everything
denotes it to be a more fertile country. From the top of the descent we
obtained a fine view of the undulating but uninhabited country to the
east and south. The Serra here is much higher than on the western side,
and the descent is far from being an easy one; at less than a quarter of
a league from it stands the Fazenda of Maçapé, which is the principal
house in that place. On our arrival we found two large flags waving
in the court before the house, and the Visitador was welcomed by the
discharge of about a dozen guns; shortly after our arrival numbers of
people, with children of all ages, began to assemble, and immediately
after dinner the Visitador commenced his duties of baptism, &c. Having
made enquiries for the place where the fossil fishes were to be found,
I went there accompanied by Senhor Machado; after walking about half a
league, we reached the spot which much resembled that near Jardim, the
stones occupying a limited space on the slope of the rising ground that
runs along the foot of the Serra. This site having lately been cleared
and planted with cane, we had little difficulty in procuring abundance
of stones, though few good ones, for after nearly two hours’ work, I
could obtain no more than three or four tolerable specimens, most of the
remains being very much broken. On our return we found an immense crowd
of people assembled, while more were arriving, chiefly for the purpose
of hearing the three masses that are always performed immediately on
the entrance of Christmas Day. At nine o’clock in the evening mass was
said under the veranda, at one end of which a small altar was erected,
brilliantly illuminated with wax candles, and surmounted by a figure
of the Virgin, about a foot and a half high, elegantly dressed, with
a gold chain round her neck, to which was attached a small toy watch.
The more respectable portion of the audience seated themselves on the
ground within the veranda, while the remaining men, women, and children
were squatted in a similar manner on the area of the court in front
of the house; altogether not less than a thousand persons were here
assembled. After the conclusion of the ceremony we partook of a supper
of fresh fish, and at ten o’clock the Visitador retired to his hammock
to enjoy a little sleep, prior to the commencement of his midnight
labours; I followed his example, but slept so soundly that I did not
awake till after the conclusion of the mass, notwithstanding that my
hammock was slung in the same confined room as that of the prelate,
and the upper half of the door, which opened into the veranda, was
open. No observations were made upon my apparent neglect, but I have
no doubt that I was set down as a perfect heathen. In the morning mass
was again celebrated, and when breakfast was over the Visitador resumed
his labours. During the day the place had all the appearance of a fair;
European goods, jewellery, provisions, rum, &c., were on all sides
exposed for sale, and in the evening, dancing was carried on in the open
air until a very late hour.
The following day I returned with my friends to Jardim, the Visitador
going in another direction about two leagues distant. When about half way
across the Serra, we alighted at a spot where Mangába trees abound, in
order to collect some of the fruit, which is not considered good to eat
until after it has fallen to the ground; on this occasion Senhor Gouvea
let go his horse’s bridle, when the animal, finding itself at liberty,
set off at a round pace on the road towards Jardim. I therefore instantly
mounted with the intention of intercepting it, and in the act of turning
round, struck my head with considerable violence against the branch of a
large tree, which in an instant felled me to the ground. I could remember
nothing that subsequently occurred till we were within half a league of
Jardim, when I awoke as from a sound sleep, and found myself on horseback
proceeding along at a pretty quick rate behind my companions. I felt much
sickness, and a considerable pain in the lower part of my forehead, but
worse than all I found my memory almost gone, for after many attempts I
could not recollect in the smallest degree where I had been, or where I
was going. I recognised my companions perfectly, but could not remember
their names, and though often spoken to felt no inclination to answer. In
this state of darkness and confusion I rode on in silence, unconscious of
where I was going, and under the impression that I was just roused from
a long sleep. It was dusk when we reached the town, and though aware of
having been there before, I could not remember its name, nor did it occur
to me that it was then my place of residence. On parting with my friends
I should not have known where to go had not Pedro been waiting for me at
the end of the street, for all my recollection of places was completely
obliterated. Immediately on reaching home, feeling myself very unwell, I
lay down and soon fell fast asleep, and on awaking late on the following
morning, found myself still labouring under a severe headache; a confused
recollection of where I had been now came over me, but I could not yet
remember the name of the place, and had only a faint reminiscence of
having fallen from my horse. I learned, however, from Senhor Machado, who
called to enquire after me, that upon falling to the ground I remained
there some time in a state of insensibility, but that after a while I
arose, and without speaking to any one mounted my horse, riding behind
my companions all the way to the town, and answering nobody when spoken
to; many days elapsed before I felt myself perfectly recovered from this
accident.
Understanding that a very large deposit of fossil fishes existed at a
place called Mundo Novo, about three leagues to the west of Barra do
Jardim, I determined on making an excursion there prior to my departure.
To effect this object it was necessary to cross a branch of the Serra
de Araripe, at a point where as on the road to Maçapé, the ridge tends
north and south; it is here, however, only about two leagues and a half
broad. On my way I found two or three trees quite new to me, one being of
large size, the _Copaifera nitida_, Mart., then covered with a profusion
of small white flowers; its trunk yields an abundance of oil, which is
employed in the cure of ulcers, and for frictions in cases of rheumatism.
After crossing the Serra, I found the country still more dried up than
at Jardim, the sides of the mountain exhibiting only a few green trees;
along the foot of the Serra some fine large trees were seen, but as they
were then destitute of both leaves and flowers I could not ascertain
to what tribe they belonged; they are called Braúna by the natives,
and afford an excellent timber, which is both hard and durable, being
employed in the construction of sugar-mills, particularly for rollers. I
also now saw for the first time, the remarkable _Chorisia ventricosa_,
Nees et Mart., called Barriguda by the inhabitants, from the shape of
its stem, which swells in the middle to five times the diameter of its
upper and lower portions. About half a league to the N.W. from the foot
of the Serra, we reached the first habitation on the way, which belonged
to the person to whom I was recommended; he received me very kindly, and
invited me into the house, which was little better than a mere hut; upon
learning the object of my visit, he kindly offered to accompany me to
the spot. After partaking of breakfast we started, and in about half an
hour reached the place; as in all the instances I had before met with,
it occupied an isolated spot of considerable extent on the gentle slope
of a low ridge, which runs along the base of the Serra: here also, as
in other places, almost every stone contains the remains of a fish in a
more or less perfect condition; most of the smaller ones, that were only
four or five inches long, were perfectly entire, but the larger ones,
some of which measured fully six feet,[7] were always in fragments.
After three hours labour, I collected many tolerably perfect specimens,
but no species different from those already obtained in other places.
On returning with my companion to his house, an excellent dinner was
prepared, for which he refused any recompense. The kindness I received on
this occasion was indeed greater than could be expected from a person in
his poor circumstances; I was glad, however, to have an opportunity of
returning his civilities in town on New Year’s Day, and in presenting him
with several useful articles: assuredly I shall never forget the kindness
of Antonio Martins of Mundo Novo.
There are two small tribes of uncivilized Indians living within the
district of Barra do Jardim, but their numbers are fast diminishing: the
one consisting of eighty individuals called Huamaës, generally reside
seven leagues to the south west of that town: the other, called Xocos,
amounting to about seventy persons, have their usual place of abode
thirteen leagues to the southward. Though generally inoffensive in their
disposition, they had a short time previous to my visit been detected in
robbing cattle from the neighbouring farms; they have occasionally made
their appearance in the Villa, and are said to be dirty in their habits,
and that when in want of better food, they will devour the rattle-snake
and other serpents.
In various parts of Brazil, I met with many individuals belonging to that
remarkable sect called Sebastianistas; they take this appellation from
their belief in the return to earth of King Don Sebastian, who fell in
the celebrated battle of Alcazarquebir, while leading on his army against
the Moors. Those who profess this belief, are said to be more numerous in
Brazil than in Portugal: on his return, they say, that Brazil will enjoy
the most perfect state of happiness, and all that our own millenarians
anticipate will be fully realized.
During my stay in Pernambuco, there occurred in connexion with this
belief, one of the most extraordinary scenes of fanaticism which modern
times have given birth to, and were it not well authenticated, would be
almost incredible. Although much the subject of conversation in Brazil
at that time, I am not aware that any public account of it has reached
Europe. The following letter which is translated from the “Diario de
Pernambuco” of Monday the 16th of June, 1838, was officially addressed to
Senhor Francisco Rego Barros, then President of the Province:—
“Comarco de Flores, 25th May, 1838.
“Most Illustrious and most Excellent Sir,
“In this first letter that I have the honour to address to
your Excellency on the state of this Comarco, which is at
present tranquil, I have to lay before your Excellency the most
extraordinary, terrible, and cruel circumstance ever heard
of, and one which is almost past belief. It is now more than
two years since a man, called Joäo Antonio, an inhabitant of
Sitio de Pedra Bonita, a place about twenty leagues from this
town, surrounded by woods, and near which are two large rocks,
called together the people, and told them, that within those
rocks there was an enchanted kingdom which he was about to
disenchant, and that immediately afterwards King Don Sebastian
would make his appearance at the head of a great army, richly
adorned, and that all who followed him would be happy. He went
on beautifying this place till the month of November of last
year, when at the recommendation of the Missionary Francisco
José Correa de Albuquerque, he made a journey to the desert
(Sertäo) of Inhamon, whence he sent back one Joäo Pereira, a
man of the worst passions, who on his arrival at Pedra Bonita
proclaimed himself King, and began to instil superstitious
notions into the minds of the people, telling them that for
the restoration of the enchanted kingdom it would be necessary
to immolate a number of men, women, and children; that in a
few days they would all rise again, and remain immortal; that
riches would abound among all classes, and that all those who
were either black or of a dark colour, would become as white as
the moon herself. In this manner he brought over many of the
ignorant people to believe in his false assertions and evil
doctrine, so much so that some fathers delivered over their
children to the knife of the sanguinary tiger.
“On the fourth of the present month, he began his present
sacrifices, and, in the course of two or three days, not
less than forty-two human beings gave up their lives under
his hands, twenty-one being adults, and twenty-one children;
he also married every man to two or three women, with
superstitious rites in accordance with his otherwise immoral
conduct, this also being part of his idolatry; the result,
however, was lo him melancholy, for Pedro Antonio, brother
to Joäo Antonio, the promulgator of these ideas, becoming
impatient of this madness, or perhaps ambitious of becoming
King himself, determined on assassinating him, which he carried
into effect on Friday the seventeenth. It was on this day that
the inhabitants, flying from place to place, gave notice of
the proceedings to the Commandant Manoel Pereira da Silva, who
immediately collected a small force of twenty-six national
guards and countrymen, and setting out the following day, they
met near the place, Pedro Antonio crowned with a wreath of
flowering creepers, taken from his predecessor, and accompanied
by a group of men and women, who cried aloud—‘Come on, we
do not fear you, we shall be assisted by the troops of our
kingdom.’
“They then advanced upon them with the bludgeons and swords
they carried, killed five soldiers, and wounded five more;
but being briskly attacked, twenty-six men and three women
were instantly killed; and three men, nine women, and twelve
children were made prisoners. The remainder, many of whom were
wounded, fled to the woods. It was only on the evening of the
eighteenth, that I just had notice of these disturbances,
when I immediately got together forty men, and marched off at
the head of them, but on my arrival, I found every thing had
been quelled in the manner above related. The prisoners were
conducted by my troops to this town, and the twelve children
will be taken care off till the orders of your Excellency
arrive respecting them.
“God protect your Excellency.
“Francisco Barbosa Nogueira Paz.”
The district of Flores lies considerably to the south of the Villa do
Crato, near the Rio de San Francisco, and in the province of Pernambuco.
The occurrence was much spoken of during my stay in the neighbourhood of
Crato, and I have conversed with the relatives of some of those who fell
victims.
On the 31st of December, a very heavy thunder-storm occurred at Barra do
Jardim, followed by about two hour’s rain, the first that had fallen that
season, and the same again happened on the 2nd of January, indicating
that the period of the rains was on the point of setting in; I observed
that in the confidence of this, the inhabitants had commenced their
plantations of rice, and therefore lost no time in making my arrangements
for returning to Crato in order to prepare for my journey into Piauhy. My
departure from Jardim was fixed for the 3rd, for which purpose my horses
were brought the night before from the pasturage and tied securely to
some orange trees, with abundance of fresh grass, on which they could
feed till morning, but at daybreak two of the animals had disappeared; at
first, I was apprehensive they had been stolen, but I despatched Pedro
in search of them, and was glad to see him return, bringing the missing
horses which had escaped to their old pasturage. Without any further
delay I therefore started about noon, after taking leave of my friends,
and reached Crato the following day.