Pará.
The city of _Santa Maria de Belem do Graõ Pará_, founded by _Francisco
Caldeira do Castello Branco_, in the year 1616, is situated on a low
elbow of land at the junction of the river Guamá with the river Pará,
and at a distance of about eighty miles from the sea.
A ship generally requires three tides, which run with a velocity of
about four miles to the hour, to reach the sea from the city.
Pará is not fortified, either by land or water. There is a very small
and inefficient fort situated on an island about five miles below the
city; but it is only armed with a few ill-conditioned field-pieces,
which do not command the channel. There is also a small battery in the
city near the point of junction of the two rivers; but there are no guns
mounted, and its garrison could be easily driven out by musketry from
the towers of the cathedral.
The harbor is a very fine one; it is made by the long island of Onças
in front, and at two miles distant, with some smaller ones further down
the river. There is an abundance of water, and ships of any size may
lie within one hundred and fifty yards of the shore. There is a good
landing-place for boats and lighters at the custom-house wharf; and at
half tide at the stone wharf, some five hundred yards above.
The corporation was engaged, during my stay, in building a strong stone
sea-wall all along in front of the town. This will make a new wide
street on the water-front, and prevent smuggling. Formerly, canoes, at
high stages of the river, would land cargoes surreptitiously in the very
cellars of the warehouses situated on the river.
The city is divided into the freguezias, or parishes, of Sé and Campina.
Nine other freguezias are included in the _municipio_ of the capital;
but many of these are leagues distant, and should not geographically be
considered as belonging to the city, or their population be numbered in
connexion with it.
The population of the city proper numbered, in 1848, (the last
statistical account I have, and which I think would differ very little
from a census taken at this time,) nine thousand two hundred and
eighty-four free persons, and four thousand seven hundred and twenty-six
slaves. The number of inhabited houses was two thousand four hundred
and eighteen; of births, seven hundred and eighty-five; of marriages,
ninety-eight; of deaths, three hundred and seventy-five; and of resident
foreigners, seven hundred and eighty-four.
Pará was a remarkably healthy place, and entirely free from epidemics of
any kind, until February, 1850, when the yellow fever was taken there
by a vessel from Pernambuco. It was originally brought from the coast
of Africa to Bahia, and spread thence along the coast. The greatest
malignancy of the disease was during the month of April, when it carried
off from twenty to twenty-five a day.
About the same time the next year, (the fever being much diminished,)
the small pox broke out with great violence. About twenty-five per cent.
of the population died from the two diseases. I imagine that the city
will now never be entirely free from either; and the filthy condition
in which the low tide leaves the slips, in which lie the small trading
craft, must be a fruitful source of malaria, and an ever-exciting cause
of epidemic.
The crews of these vessels, with their families, generally live in them.
They are consequently crowded; and, when the tide is out, they lie on
their sides, imbedded in a mass of refuse animal and vegetable matter,
rotting and festering under a burning sun.
Pará, however, is an agreeable place of residence, and has a delightful
climate. The sun is hot till about noon, when the sea breeze comes
in, bringing clouds with rain, thunder, and lightning, which cool and
purify the atmosphere, and wash the streets of the city. The afternoon
and evening are then delicious. This was invariable during my stay of
a month.
The rich vegetable productions of the country enhance much the beauty
of the city. In nearly all the gardens grow the beautiful miriti palm,
the cabbage palm, the cocoa nut, the cinnamon, the bread-fruit tree,
and rich green vines of black pepper. The rapidity of vegetable growth
here is wonderful. Streets opened six months ago in the suburbs of the
city, are now filled up with bushes of the _stramonium_, or Jamestown
weed, of full six feet in height. There are a number of almond trees
in various parts of the town, which are very ornamental. These trees
throw out horizontal branches, encircling the trunk at intervals of
five or six feet, the lowest circle being the largest, so that they
resemble in shape a Norfolk pine. Mr. Norris and I thought it remarkable
that, in a row of these trees planted before a house or line of houses,
those nearest the door were invariably the farthest advanced in growth.
This we particularly remarked in the case of a row planted before the
barracks, in two parts of the city. The tree under which the sentinel
stood, in both cases, was the largest of the row.
We saw, in a walk in the suburbs of the town, what we thought to be a
palm tree growing out of the crotch of a tree of a different species;
but, upon examination, it appeared that the tree, out of which the
palm seemed growing, was a creeper, which, embracing the palm near the
ground, covered its trunk entirely for fifteen or twenty feet, and then
threw off large branches on each side. It may seem strange to call that
a creeper, which had branches of at least ten inches in diameter; but so
it was. It is called in Cuba the parricide tree, because it invariably
kills the tree that supports it. (_Har. Mag. January, 1853._)
The most picturesque object, however, in Pará was the ruins of an old
opera house near the palace. The luxuriant vegetation of the country has
seized upon it, and it presents pillar, arch, and cornice of the most
vivid and beautiful green.
The society of Pará is also agreeable. The men, I am sorry to say,
seem to be above work. Most of them are _Hidalgos_, or gentlemen; and
nearly all are in the employ of the government, with exceedingly small
salaries. In the whole city of Pará, I am told, there are not a dozen
Brazilians engaged in trade of any kind. The women are simple, frank,
and engaging in their manners, and very fond of evening parties and
dancing. I attended a ball, which is given monthly by a society of
gentlemen, and was much pleased at the good taste exhibited in its
management. Full dress was forbidden. No one was permitted to appear
in diamonds; and the consequence was, that all the pretty girls of
the merely respectable classes, as well as of the rich, were gathered
together, and had a merry time of it.
But the principal charm of Pará, as of all other tropical places, is the
_Dolce far niente_. Men, in these countries, are not ambitious. They
are not annoyed, as the more masculine people of colder climates are,
to see their neighbors going ahead of them. They are contented to live,
and to enjoy, without labor, the fruits which the earth spontaneously
offers; and, I imagine, in the majority of cases, if a Brazilian has
enough food, of even the commonest quality, to support life, coffee or
tea to drink, cigars to smoke, and a hammock to lie in, that he will be
perfectly contented.
This, of course, is the effect of climate. There was a time when the
Portuguese nation, in maritime and scientific discoveries—in daring
explorations—in successful colonization—in arts and arms—was inferior to
no other in proportion to its strength; and I have very little doubt but
that the bold and ambitious Englishman, the spirited and cosmopolitan
Frenchman, and the hardy, persevering, scheming American, who likes
little that any one should go ahead of him, would alike, in the course
of time, yield to the relaxing influence of a climate that forbids
him to labor, and to the charm of a state of things where life may be
supported without the necessity of labor.
To make, then, the rich and varied productions of this country available
for commercial purposes, and to satisfy the artificial wants of man,
it is necessary that labor should be compulsory. To Brazil and her
political economists belongs the task of investigation, and of deciding
how, and by what method, this shall be brought about.
The common sentiment of the civilized world is against the renewal of
the African slave trade; therefore must Brazil turn elsewhere for the
compulsory labor necessary to cultivate her lands. Her Indians will not
work. Like the _llama_ of Peru, they will die sooner than do more than
is necessary for the support of their being. I am under the impression
that, were Brazil to throw off a causeless jealousy, and a puerile fear
of our people, and invite settlers to the Valley of the Amazon, there
might be found, among our Southern planters, men, who, looking with
apprehension (if not for themselves, at least for their children) to the
state of affairs as regards slavery at home, would, under sufficient
guarantees, remove their slaves to that country, cultivate its lands,
draw out its resources, and prodigiously augment the power and wealth
of Brazil.
The negro slave seems very happy in Brazil. This is remarked by all
foreigners; and many times in Pará was a group of merry, chattering,
happy-looking black women, bringing their baskets of washed clothes
from the spring, pointed out to me, that I might notice the evils of
slavery. The owners of male slaves in Pará generally require from each
four or five testoons a day, (twenty testoons make a dollar,) and leave
him free to get it as he can. The slaves organize themselves into bands
or companies, elect their captain, who directs and superintends their
work, and contract with a certain number of mercantile houses to do
their porterage. The gang which does the porterage for Mr. Norris, and
for nearly all the English and American houses, numbers forty. Each man
is paid about three cents to fill a bag or box, and four cents to carry
it to the wharf and put it aboard the lighter. It costs from one hundred
and fifty to two hundred dollars to discharge and load a moderate sized
ship.
I have frequently seen these gangs of negroes carrying cocoa to the
wharf. They were always chattering and singing merrily, and would stop
every few minutes to execute a kind of dance with the bags on their
heads, thus doubling their work. When the load was deposited, the
captain, who does no work himself unless his gang is pressed, arrays
them in military fashion, and marches them back for another load.
For carrying barrels, or other bulky and heavy articles of merchandise,
there are trucks, drawn by oxen.
Churches are large and abundant in Pará. The cathedral is one of the
finest churches in Brazil. Its _personnel_, consisting of dignitaries,
(_dignidades_,) canons, chorists, and other employés, numbers
seventy-four.
A large convent of the Jesuits, near the cathedral, having a very
ornate and pretty chapel attached, is now used as a bishop's palace,
and a theological seminary. The officers of the seminary are a rector,
a vice-rector, and six professors; its students number one hundred
and fifteen; its rental is about five thousand dollars, of which one
thousand is given from the provincial treasury; and it teaches Latin,
the languages, philosophy, theology, history, geography, and vocal and
instrumental music.
There are but two convents in Pará—one of the order of St. Anthony, and
one of Shod Carmelites.
I attended the celebration of the festival of the Holy Cross, in
the chapel of the convent of the Carmelites. There was a very large,
well-dressed congregation, and the church was redolent of the fragrance
of sweet-scented herbs, strewn upon the floor. There were no good
pictures in the church, but the candlesticks and other ornaments of the
altar were very massive and rich. In the insurrection of the Cabanos
the church property was spared; but I am told that, though they have
preserved their ornaments, the priests have managed their property
injudiciously, and are not now so rich in slaves and real estate as
formerly.
I imagine that the priesthood in Brazil, though quite as intelligent
and able as their brethren of Peru, have not so great an influence in
society here as there. This is seen in an anecdote told me of a rigid
_Chefe de Policia_, who forbid the clergy from burying one of their
dignitaries in the body of the church during the prevalence of the
yellow fever; but compelled them, much against their will, to deposit
the body in the public cemetery, and accompanied the funeral procession
on horseback to see that his orders were obeyed. It is also seen in the
fact that the provincial assembly holds its sessions in a wing of the
Carmelite convent, and that a part of the church of the Merced is turned
into a custom-house and a barracks.
There are forty-one public primary schools in the province, educating
one thousand and eighty-seven pupils. This gives a proportion of one
for every one hundred and six free persons in the province. Each pupil
costs the State about seven and a half dollars.
In the four schools of Latin, one person is educated in every five
hundred and sixty-four, at a cost of twenty-six dollars.
In the College of Pará, called "_Lyceo da Capital_," the proportion
educated is one to two hundred and eleven, at a cost of sixty-two
dollars.
There are two capital institutions of instruction in Pará—one for the
education of poor boys as mechanics, who are compelled to pay for their
education in labor for the State; and the other for the instruction
in the practical business in life of orphan and destitute girls. I
think that this education is compulsory, and that the State seizes upon
vagabond boys and destitute girls for these institutions. There is also
another school of _educandos_ for the army.
The province also maintains three young men for the purpose of complete
education in some of the colleges of Europe.
There are several hospitals and charitable institutions in the city,
among which is a very singular one. This is a place for the reception
of foundlings maintained by the city. A cylinder, with a receptacle in
it sufficiently large for the reception of a baby, turns upon an axis
in a window; any one may come under cover of night, deposit a child in
the cylinder, turn the mouth of the receptacle in, and walk away without
being seen. Nurses are provided to take charge of the foundling.
Though I pumped all my acquaintances, I could get no statistics
concerning this institution, or whether it was thought to be beneficial
or not. I judge, however, that for this country it is. Public opinion
here does not condemn, or at least treats very leniently, the sins of
fornication and adultery. This institution, therefore, while it would
tend to lessen the crime of infanticide, would not encourage the above
mentioned sins by concealment; for where there is no shame there is no
necessity for concealment. In speaking thus, I do not at all allude to
the higher classes of Brazil.
The executive and legislative government of the province is in a
president and four vice presidents, appointed by the Crown, and in a
legislative assembly.
The provincial assembly meets once a year, in the month of May. The
length of its sessions is determined by itself. It elects its own
presiding officer. It is a very inefficient representative system.
The people in the districts elect electors, who choose delegates and
_suplentes_, or proxies. Most of these proxies belong to the city; they
have little knowledge of the wants, and no sympathy with the feelings,
of the people they represent. Each delegate (at least this is the
case, in the province of Amazonas) is allowed one dollar and sixty-six
cents per diem; and the salary of the President of that province is one
thousand six hundred and sixty-six dollars and sixty six cents; it is
probable that the salary of the President of Pará is greater.
The police of the province is under the direction of a _chefe de
policia_, with delegados for each comarca, and sub-delegados for the
termos and municipios. These officers issue and visée passports, and
the traveller should always call upon them first.
The judiciary consists of _Juizes de direito_; three for the comarca
of the capital, and one for each of the other comarcas of the province,
besides _Juizes municipaès_, and _de orfaôs_. The Juiz de direito holds
a singular office, and exercises extraordinary powers; besides being
the judge, he presides over the jury, and has a vote in it. An appeal
lies from his court, both by himself and the defendant, to a higher
court, called the Court of _Relacâo_, which sits in Maranham and has
jurisdiction over the two provinces of Maranham and Pará. There are
three or four such courts in the empire, and an appeal lies from them
to the Supreme Court at Rio Janeiro.
Persons complain bitterly of the delay and vexations in the
administration of justice. I have heard of cases of criminals confined
in jail for years, both in Peru and Brazil, waiting for trial. It is
said also, though I know nothing of this, that the judges are very open
to bribery. I think, however, that this is likely to be the case, from
the entire inadequacy of the salaries generally paid by the government.
I believe that the Brazilian code is mild and humane, and I am sure that
it is humanely administered. The Brazilians have what I conceive to
be a very proper horror of taking life judicially. They do not shrink
in battle; and sudden anger and jealousy will readily induce them to
kill; but I imagine the instances of capital punishment are very rare
in Brazil.
The police of the city is excellent, but, except to take up a drunken
foreign sailor occasionally, it has nothing to do. Crime—such as
violence, wrong, stealing, drunkenness, &c.—is very rare in Pará.
Probably the people are too lazy to be bad.
The province covers an area of about 360,000 square miles, and has a
population of 129,828 free persons, with 33,552 slaves.
Much as it needs population, it has suffered, from time to time,
considerable drainage. It is calculated that from ten to twelve thousand
persons were killed by the insurrection of the Cabanos, in 1835. Since
that time ten thousand have been drawn from it as soldiers for the
southern wars; and the yellow-fever and small-pox, in one year, carried
off between four and five thousand more.
The war of the Cabanos was a servile insurrection, instigated and
headed by a few turbulent and ambitious men. The ostensible cause was
dissatisfaction with the provincial government. The real cause seems to
have been hatred of the Portuguese.
Charles Jenks Smith, then consul at Pará, writes to the Hon. John
Forsyth, under date of January 20, 1835:
"After the happy conclusion of the war on the Acará, this city has
remained in a state of perfect tranquility, until the morning of the
7th instant, when a popular revolution broke out among the troops, which
has resulted in an entire change of the government of this province.
"The President and the _General-das-Armas_ were both assassinated at the
palace, by the soldiers there stationed, between the hours of 4 and 5
a. m. Inglis, Commandant of the _Defensora_ corvette, and Captain of
the port, was also killed in passing from his dwelling to his ship. The
subaltern commissioned officers on duty were shot down by the soldiery,
who, placing themselves under the command of a sergeant named Gomez,
took possession of all the military posts in the city.
"About fifty prisoners were then set at liberty, who, in a body,
proceeded to a part of the city called Porto de Sol, and commenced an
indiscriminate massacre of all the Portuguese they could find in that
neighborhood. In this manner about twenty respectable shop-keepers and
others lost their lives.
"Guards were stationed along the whole line of the shore, to prevent
any person from embarking; and several Portuguese were shot in making
the attempt to escape."
A new President and General-das-Armas were proclaimed; but they
quarrelled very soon. The President, named Melchor, was taken prisoner
and murdered by his guards; and _Vinagre_, the General-das-Armas took
upon himself the government. In the conflicts incident to this change
about two hundred persons were killed. The persons and property of
all foreigners, except Portuguese, were respected. Many of these were
insulted, and some killed.
Vinagre held the city, in spite of several attempts of Brazilian
men-of-war to drive him out, until the 21st June, when, upon the arrival
of a newly-appointed President, he evacuated it. During these attempts
the British corvettes _Racehorse_ and _Despatch_, a Portuguese corvette,
and two French brigs-of-war, offered their services for protection to
the American consul.
On the 4th of August, Vinagre again broke into the city. The English
and Portuguese vessels landed their marines; but, disgusted with the
conduct of the President, withdrew them almost immediately.
The fire of the Racehorse, however, defeated Vinagre's attempt to get
hold of the artillery belonging to the city.
On the 23d of August, the President abandoned the city to the rebels
whose leader exerted himself to save foreign life and property,
permitting the foreigners to land from their vessels, and take from the
custom-house and their own stores the principal part of their effects.
The rebels held the city until the 13th of May, 1836, when they were
finally driven out by the legal authorities, backed by a large force
from Rio Janeiro. They held, however, most of the towns on the river
above Pará till late in the year 1837. They did immense mischief,
putting many whites to death with unheard-of barbarity, and destroying
their crops and cattle. The province was thus put back many years.
I think that the causes which gave rise to that insurrection still
exist; and I believe that a designing and able man could readily induce
the tapuios to rise upon their patrons. The far-seeing and patriotic
President Coelho always saw the danger, and labored earnestly for the
passage of efficient laws for the government of the body of tapuios,
and for the proper organization of the military force of the province.
His efforts in the latter case have been successful, and, very lately,
a good militia system has been established.
The city of Pará is supplied with its beef from the great island of
Marajo, which is situated immediately in the mouth of the Amazon. This
island has a superficial extent of about ten thousand square miles, and
is a great grazing country. Cattle were first introduced into it from
the Cape de Verde Islands, in 1644. They increased with great rapidity,
and government soon drew a considerable revenue from its tax on cattle.
Before the year 1824, a good horse might have been bought in Marajo for
a dollar; but about that time a great and infectious disease broke out
among the horses, and swept away vast numbers; so that Marajo is now
dependent upon Ceará and the provinces to the southward for its supply
of horses. I heard that the appearance of this disease was caused by
the fact that an individual having bought the right from the government
to kill ten thousand mares on the island, actually killed a great many
more; and the carcasses, being left to rot upon the plains, poisoned
the grass and bred the pestilence which swept off nearly all.
Other accounts state that the disease came from about Santarem and
Lago Grande, where it first attacked the dogs; then the _capiuaras_, or
river-hogs; then the alligators; and, finally, the horses. It attacks
the back and loins; so that the animal loses the use of his hind-legs.
Government sent a young man to France to study farriery, in hopes to
arrest the disease; but the measure was productive of no good results.
The disease still continues; and, ten years ago, appeared for the first
time in the island of _Mexiana_, not far from Marajó. Within the last
year, nearly all the horses on this island have died. I believe it has
never attacked the horned cattle.
Beeves are brought from Marajó to Pará in small vessels, fitted for the
purpose. They are frequently a week on the passage; and all this time
they are on very short allowance of food and water; so that, when they
arrive, they may almost be seen through.
The butchering and selling are all done under municipal direction; and
the price of beef is regulated by law. This is about five and a half
cents the pound. Gentlemen maintain horses and milch cows in Pará, or
its neighborhood. These are fed generally on American hay. Some small
quantity of grass is to be had from the _roçinhas_, or small farms, in
the environs of the city; and a tolerably good food for cattle is had
from a fine flour, found between the chaff and grain of rice. This is
called _muinha_, (_quim, in Maranham_,) and is very extensively used,
mixed with the chaff.
The island of Marajó is very much cut up with creeks, which, in the
rainy season, overflow the low land, and form marshes, which are the
graves of a great number of cattle. The cattle, at this season, are also
crowded together on the knolls of land that are above the waters in the
inundation, and many of them fall a prey to the ounces, which abound
on the island. These creeks are also filled with alligators. Mr. Smith,
former consul at Pará, told me that he had seen the carcass of one there
which was thirty feet long.
I saw a number of curious and beautiful animals in Pará. Mr. Norris had
some electric eels, and a pair of large and beautiful anacondas. I had
never heard a serpent hiss before I heard these, and the sound filled
me with disgust and dread. The noise was very like the letting off of
steam at a distance. The extreme quickness and violence with which they
darted from their coil (lacerating their mouths against the wire-work of
the cage) was sufficiently trying to a nervous man; and few could help
starting back when it occurred. These animals measured about eighteen
feet in length, and the skin, which they shed nearly every month,
measured eighteen inches in circumference. They seldom ate; a chicken
or a rat was given to them when it was convenient. They killed their
food by crushing it between their head and a fold of their body, and
swallowed it with deliberation. I imagine that they would live entirely
without food for six months.
Many gentlemen had tigers about their establishments. They were docile,
and playful in their intercourse with acquaintances; but they were
generally kept chained for fear of injury to strangers. Their play,
too, was not very gentle, for their claws could scarcely touch without
leaving a mark.
Mr. Pond, an American, had a pair of black tigers, that were the most
beautiful animals I have ever seen. The ground color of the body was a
very dark maroon; but it was so thickly covered with black spots that,
to a casual glance, the animal appeared coal black. The brilliancy of
the color—the savage glare of the eye—the formidable appearance of their
tusks and claws—and their evidently enormous strength—gave them a very
imposing appearance. They were not so large as the Bengal tiger; but
much larger than the common ounce. They were bred in Pará from cubs.
Electric eels are found in great numbers in the creeks and ditches
about Pará. The largest I have seen was about four inches in diameter,
and five feet in length. Their shock, to me, was unpleasant, but not
painful. Some persons, however, are much more susceptible than others.
Captain Lee, of the _Dolphin_, could not feel at all the shock of an
eel, which affected a lady so strongly as to cause her to reel, and
nearly fall. Animals seem more powerfully affected than men. Mr. Norris
told me that he had seen a horse drinking out of a tub, in which was one
of these eels, jerked entirely off his feet. It may be that the electric
shock was communicated directly to the stomach by means of the water he
was swallowing; but Humboldt gives a very interesting account of the
manner of taking these eels by means of horses, which shows that they
are peculiarly susceptible to the shock. He says:
"Impatient of waiting, and having obtained very uncertain results
from an electrical eel that had been brought to us alive, but much
enfeebled, we repaired to the _caño de Bera_ to make our experiments,
in the open air, on the borders of the water itself. To catch the
gymnoti with nets is very difficult, on account of the extreme agility
of the fish, which bury themselves in the mud like serpents. We would
not employ the barbasco. These means would have enfeebled the gymnoti.
The Indians, therefore, told us that they would 'fish with horses,'
'_embarbascar con cavallos_.' We found it difficult to form an idea of
this extraordinary manner of fishing; but we soon saw our guides return
from the _Savannah_, which they had been scouring for wild horses and
mules. They brought about thirty with them, which they forced to enter
the pool.
"The extraordinary noise caused by the horses' hoofs makes the fish
issue from the mud, and excites them to combat. These yellowish and
livid eels, resembling large aquatic serpents, swim on the surface
of the water, and crowd under the bellies of the horses and mules. A
contest between animals of so different an organization furnishes a
very striking spectacle. The Indians, provided with harpoons and long,
slender reeds, surround the pool closely, and some climb upon the trees,
the branches of which extend horizontally over the surface of the water.
"By their wild cries, and the length of their reeds, they prevent the
horses from running away and reaching the bank of the pool. The eels,
stunned by the noise, defend themselves by the repeated discharge
of their electric batteries. During a long time they seem to prove
victorious. Several horses sink beneath the violence of the invisible
strokes, which they receive from all sides, in organs the most essential
to life; and, stunned by the force and frequency of the shocks, they
disappear under the water. Others, panting, with mane erect, and haggard
eyes, expressing anguish, raise themselves, and endeavor to flee from
the storm by which they are overtaken. They are driven back by the
Indians into the middle of the water; but a small number succeed in
eluding the active vigilance of the fishermen. These regain the shore,
stumbling at every step, and stretch themselves on the sand, exhausted
with fatigue, and their limbs benumbed by the electric shocks of the
gymnoti.
"In less than five minutes two horses were drowned. The eel, being five
feet long, and pressing itself against the belly of the horse, makes
a discharge along the whole extent of its electric organ. It attacks,
at once, the breast, the intestines, and the _plexus cœliacus_ of the
abdominal nerves. It is natural that the effect felt by the horses
should be more powerful than that produced upon man, by the touch of
the same fish at only one of his extremities. The horses are probably
not killed, but only stunned. They are drowned from the impossibility
of rising, amid the prolonged struggle between the other horses and the
eels.
"We had little doubt that the fishing would terminate by killing,
successively, all the animals engaged; but, by degrees, the impetuosity
of this unequal combat diminished, and the wearied gymnoti dispersed.
They require a long rest and abundant nourishment, to repair what
they have lost of galvanic force. The mules and horses appear less
frightened. Their manes are no longer bristled, and their eyes express
less dread. The gymnoti approach timidly the edge of the marsh, when
they are taken, by means of small harpoons fastened to long cords. When
the cords are very dry, the Indians feel no shock in raising the fish
into the air. In a few minutes we had five large eels, the greater part
of which were but slightly wounded."
The shops of Pará are well supplied with English, French, and American
goods. The groceries generally come from Portugal. The warehouses are
piled with heaps of India-rubber, nuts, hides, and baskets of annatto.
This pigment is made from the seed of a bur, which grows on a bush
called urucu in Brazil, and achote in Peru. In the latter country it
grows wild, in great abundance; in the former, it is cultivated.
The seed is planted in January. It is necessary that the ground should
be kept clean, the suckers pulled up, and the tree trimmed, to prevent
too luxuriant a growth, and to give room, so that the branches shall not
interlock. The tree grows to ten or fifteen feet in height, and gives
its first crop in a year and a half. It afterwards gives two crops a
year. Each tree will give three or four pounds of seed in the year,
which are about the size of No. 3, shot, but irregular in shape. They
are contained in a prickly bur, about the size and shape of that of the
chincapin.
The burs are gathered just before they open, and laid in the sun to
dry, when the seed are trodden or beaten out. The coloring matter is
a red powder covering the seed, the principal of which is obtained
by soaking the seed in water for twenty-four hours, then passing them
between revolving cylinders, and grinding them to a pulp. The pulp is
placed in a sieve, called _gurupema_, made of cotton cloth; water is
poured on, and strains through. This operation is repeated twice more,
and the pulp is thrown away. The liquor strained off is boiled till
it takes the consistence of putty. A little salt is added, and it is
packed in baskets of about forty pounds, lined and covered with leaves.
It is frequently much adulterated with boiled rice, tapioca, or sand,
to increase the weight. The price in Pará is from three to five dollars
the arroba, of thirty-two pounds.
An examination of the following tables will give the best idea of the
commerce of Pará. The first is an official report furnished to the
provincial assembly by the President of the province.
------+------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------
| | Importation—Value. | Exportation—Value.
Years.| Places. +-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------
| |Relative to|Relative to|Relative to|Relative to
| |each place.|each year. |each place.|each year.
------+------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------
1846 |Great Britain | $160,050 | | $117,813 |
|France | 52,924 | | 107,791 |
|Portugal | 87,608 | | 123,156 |
|Hanse Towns | 19,993 | | 42,693 |
|United States | 235,105 | | 182,742 |
|Trieste | | | 3,818 |
|Genoa | | | 26,202 |
|Spain | 2,627 | | |
|Baltic ports | | | 12,188 |
|Belgium | 1,995 | $560,302 | 5,649 | $622,052
1847 |Great Britain | 211,442 | | 116,881 |
|France | 131,347 | | 162,546 |
|Portugal | 108,431 | | 128,548 |
|Hanse Towns | 20,519 | | 18,959 |
|United States | 230,531 | | 171,577 |
|Trieste | | | 17,182 |
|Genoa | 2,577 | | 22,705 |
|Belgium | 6,032 | 710,879 | 8,551 | 646,949
1848 |Great Britain | 149,774 | | 93,508 |
|France | 85,856 | | 114,701 |
|Portugal | 113,496 | | 146,933 |
|Hanse Towns | 9,576 | | 30,012 |
|United States | 219,777 | | 145,366 |
|Austrian dominions| 2,686 | | |
|Genoa | | | 11,609 |
|Denmark | 7,638 | | 10,205 |
|Belgium | 483 | 589,286 | 12,547 | 564,881
------+------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------
Here are tables furnished by Mr. Norris, United States consul at Pará:
American Commerce at Pará for 1850.
---------------+--------+-----+-----------------+-------------------
No. of vessels.|Tonnage.| Men.|Value of imports.| Value of exports.
---------------+--------+-----+-----------------+-------------------
33 | 5,452 | 275 | $420,186 | $522,293
---------------+--------+-----+-----------------+-------------------
British commerce for 1850.
---------------+--------+-----+-----------------+-------------------
No. of vessels.|Tonnage.| Men.|Value of imports.| Value of exports.
---------------+--------+-----+-----------------+-------------------
16 | 3,375 | 276 | $199,790 | $291,950
---------------+--------+-----+-----------------+-------------------
Commerce of Pará for 1851.
-----------+----------+----------+------+-----------+----------
| No. of | | | Value of | Value of
| vessels. | Tonnage. | Men. | imports. | exports.
-----------+----------+----------+------+-----------+----------
American | 30 | 4,574 | 226 | $425,484 | $476,210
English | 14 | 2,732 | 139 | 275,000 | 335,000
French | 10 | 536 | 99 | 122,830 | 188,699
Portuguese | 19 | 3,666 | 312 | 231,457 | 215,142
Hamburg | 2 | 510 | 18 | 27,500 | 131,000
Belgian | 2 | 320 | 20 | 5,250 | 16,250
Dane | 2 | 480 | 22 | 4,750 | 34,000
Swede | 2 | 420 | 22 | ····· | 28,500
-----------+----------+----------+------+-----------+----------
| 81 | 14,238 | 858 | 1,092,271 | 1,424,801
-----------+----------+----------+------+-----------+----------
I am indebted to Mr. Chaton, French consul at Pará, for the following
table, showing the mean yearly value of the articles of export from the
city of Pará.
-------------------+-------------------+-----------
Products. | Quantities. | Value.
-------------------+-------------------+-----------
India-rubber | 92,000 arrobas. | $552,000
Cocoa | 230,000 " | 270,900
Cotton | 6,126 " | 10,583
Cinnamon (rough) | 600 " | 1,633
Vegetable wax | 457 " | 69
Tonka beans | 80 " | 600
Isinglass | 998 " | 15,968
Piassaba rope | 42,192 " | 42,192
Gum-copal | 634 " | 634
Bones | 2,000 " | 640
Brazilian nutmeg | 1,020 " | 3,060
Rice (shelled) | 108,543 " | 65,126
Annatto | 7,210 " | 36,050
Sugar | 21,350 " | 36,012
Sarsaparilla | 3,897 " | 35,073
Nuts | 28,208 alquiers. | 18,952
Tapioca | 2,000 " | 3,000
Rice (in the husk) | 12,800 alquiers. | $6,400
Carajurú | 400 pounds. | 388
Green hides | 406,900 pounds. | 20,345
Guaraná | 3,450 pounds. | 1,500
Cattle | 300 | 4,500
Wood—Bardages | 349 | 614
De fer | 113 | 1,084
Madriers | 1,535 | 1,534
Planches | 52,217 feet. | 1,468
Dry hides | 15,000 | 19,445
Tiger skins | 228 | 456
India-rubber shoes | 192,000 pairs. | 38,400
Molasses | 2,888 pots. | 2,888
| +-----------
| | $1,171,514
-------------------+-------------------+-----------
To this sum is to be added the value of 7,338 canadas of balsam
copaiba, worth when I was there three dollars, now worth seven and a
half dollars; besides that of pots of oil made from the turtle, the
alligator, and the andiroba-nut, which M. Chaton has not included in
his list. These last, however, are inconsiderable.
Extracts of letters from Henry L. Norris, esq., United States consul at
Pará, to the Department of State:
"Merchandise, the produce of this country, is usually bought for cash,
or in exchange for the products of foreign countries by way of barter.
There are no allowances made by way of discount, nor is brokerage
paid for purchasing. Cash usually has the advantage over barter on
the price of produce to the amount of from five to ten per cent. The
American business is done chiefly for cash, while English, French, and
Portuguese, is chiefly for barter; dry goods, &c., are sold on long
credit, and produce taken in payment. With the latter the profits of
trade are on the outward cargo; while with the former, the profit, if
any, is with the homeward.
"There are no bounties or debentures of any kind allowed here.
"The usual commission for the purchase and shipment of goods is two and
a half per centum, and is the same on all descriptions of produce.
"The American trade, with few exceptions, is conducted either by
partners or agents of houses at home; consequently brokers are never
employed to buy produce, and no brokerage is paid. When foreign goods
are sold at auction, the commission paid is one per cent. on dry goods,
and one and a half on groceries.
"Merchandise is brought to market altogether by water, and is usually
delivered into the storehouses of the purchaser or on board the
shipping.
"Export duties are as follows:
"Meio dezimo, (for the church) 5 per cent.
"Exportacão, (for the government) 7 per cent.
"Vero pezo, (weighing) ½ per cent.
"Capitazia (paid for labor) quarter of a cent the arroba, on all kinds
of merchandise.
"These duties are levied on the custom-house valuation, which is made
at the beginning of each week, and not on the cost of the produce; as
in that cost is included a duty of five per cent. which is paid on some
articles when they are landed at the port of exportation. This last is
a provincial tax, which is levied on India-rubber, tapioca, and farinha.
"Produce coming from an interior province—such as dry hides—does not
pay the _meio dezimo_ of five per cent., as it is paid at the time
of embarking at the place of production; and this duty, together with
freight, labor, &c., enters into the cost price of the merchandise at
this port, which is the only shipping port for the provinces of Pará
and Amazonas.
"There are no dock, trade, nor city dues to be paid at this port.
"Lighters are hired at two dollars per day; they carry from forty to
fifty tons.
"Porterage is done by blacks, who place the cargo in the lighters at
prices varying, according to the distance carried, from three to four
cents per bag of cocoa, India-rubber, &c., and from six to eight cents
each for barrels and boxes.
"Nuts and rice in husk are delivered alongside the vessel at the expense
of the seller.
"Packages—such as boxes, barrels, and bags—are imported from the United
States, and with the exception of barrels, which come filled with flour,
pay a duty of thirty per cent.
"The cost of cooperage is eight cents per barrel. All local imports or
taxes are paid by the producer, and are included in the selling price
of the article. The purchaser receives with the merchandise a receipt
that the provincial duty has been paid, which receipt is demanded at
the time of exportation to a foreign country or to another province.
"There is so little intercourse with the States bordering on this
province, that there are no laws in force regulating the transit of
merchandise from Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, &c., but all merchandise coming
down the Amazon is considered as the produce or manufacture of Brazil.
"By a law of Brazil, the estate of any foreigner who may die in this
country is subject to the jurisdiction of the _Juiz dos Ausentes e
difuntos_. A will is no protection to the property, but it must be
'recovered, availed, and deposited in the public depository by a juiz
competente.' The getting hold of the property by the heirs to an estate
is a tedious and expensive process; and when the inheritance consists
of real estate, about twenty per cent. is consumed by taxes of various
kinds, and in some cases, by the collusion of the officers entrusted
with settlement, it has disappeared entirely. The French by treaty are
exempted from this.
"Not long since, at Maranham, a guard of soldiers was placed around
the dwelling of a foreigner about to die, and who was supposed to be
possessed of a large amount of personal property. A similar case also
occurred here, which has created alarm amongst those of our countrymen
who have property invested in this country; for should it be made to
appear that, upon the death of one or more of the partners of any of our
large mercantile houses, the affairs of the concern must pass into the
hands of a 'juiz competente,' it would have a serious effect upon the
credit and standing of all the citizens or subjects of those nations
which have no treaty with Brazil on this subject."
It remains for me but to express my grateful acknowledgments for
personal kindness and information afforded by many gentlemen of Pará,
particularly by Mr. Norris, the consul, and by Henry Bond Dewey, esq.,
now acting consul. These gentlemen were unwearied in their courtesy,
and to them I owe the information I am enabled to give concerning the
history and present condition of the province and the city.
On May 12th, by kind invitation of Captain Lee, I embarked in the United
States surveying brig Dolphin, having previously shipped my collections
on board of Norris's clipper barque the _Peerless_.