In three hours we reached the summit, a plain of considerable extent,

the lowest estimated height of which is six thousand feet. The

surface is chiefly composed of quartz covered with sand. The sea,

though distant twenty miles, seemed to us as if it washed the foot

of the mountains; the level part of the coast and the port of Santos

below us came not within the angle of vision. While we enjoyed this

sublime prospect, we were refreshed by a cool breeze, which renewed

our strength and spirits, and enabled us to pursue our journey with

alacrity. Advancing about a mile and a half, we came to a part of the

road which was cut several feet deep through the rock, and observed

in this quarter many small streams, which, though contiguous to the

sea, all flow in a south-west course to an immense distance, and,

uniting, form the great river Correntes, which joins the Plata. This

circumstance will sufficiently explain the form of this mighty ridge

of mountains, namely, that the highest and steepest side fronts the

sea, and that the other shelves more gradually and with more frequent

outlets to the plains of the interior. This part of the road is lined

by fine trees and large thickets on both sides. The heavy rains of the

season (December) had damaged it in various parts; the readiest mode

of repairing these breaks is to cut down several trees, about seven

inches diameter, place them across, and fasten them down with hooked

stakes. The mules which travel these rugged declivities, though far

more hardy than horses, frequently fall victims to fatigue; we observed

some dead by the way-side. In the course of our route we passed

several parties of negroes and some of Indians, working at repairs

in the road, or making new branches from it. Some of them I noticed

with swellings in the neck, though very different from those I have

observed in Derbyshire and other mountainous countries. In the case of

these Indians there not only appeared that protuberance from the glands

commonly called a wen, but lumps, of from half an inch to three inches

in diameter, hung from it in an almost botryoidal form. Persons thus

afflicted are called in the language of the country _papos_.

After crossing several rivulets and passing a few houses we arrived at

a tolerable inn, belonging to an officer of militia, where we were soon

provided with plenty of milk, coffee, and fowls. It is distant sixteen

or twenty miles from S. Paulo, and may be considered as half-way

between that town and Santos. The owner, who was much surprised to

see Englishmen, treated us with every civility, and procured us a

change of saddle-mules. While they were preparing, he shewed us a

tract of land in front of his house, tolerably well cleared, where we

took an hour’s shooting. We then proceeded through a much more open

country, which bore the traces of former cultivation, and seemed of

late to have been much neglected. As we drew nearer S. Paulo, the road

improved, and was enlivened by a greater number of habitations in its

vicinity. We passed two convents, which had the air of convenient

houses, and were distinguished by large crosses erected before them.

The land was watered by several fine streams; in one part we observed a

quarry of ferruginous grit-stone, but we had not leisure to make much

mineralogical research. S. Paulo, although on an elevated site, is not

observed at any great distance in this direction. In its immediate

neighbourhood the river runs parallel to the road, which it sometimes

partially overflows, and covers with sand. To our left we saw a

large _estalagem_, or inn, where numbers of mules are unloaded, and

travellers commonly pass the night. It consists of a very large shed,

supported upon upright pieces of timber, with separate divisions for

receiving the cargoes or burdens of the mules, each traveller occupying

as many as his goods require; and there is a piece of ground of about

a hundred yards in circumference, planted with small upright stakes,

at ten or fifteen feet distance, to which the bridles of the mules are

tied while they are fed, saddled, and loaded. These _estalagems_ are

common in all parts of Brazil.

On entering the town, although we had expected much from its being the

capital of the district, and the residence of the governor, yet we were

struck with the neat appearance of its houses, stuccoed in various

colors; those in the principal streets were two or three stories high.

Having arrived an hour or two before sun-set, we walked to the house of

a gentleman, to whom we had a letter of recommendation; but he being

absent, we were obliged to pass the night at the _estalagem_, where our

mules had been put up. It was a miserable abode. The next morning we

breakfasted with our friend, and were conducted by him to the governor,

Brigadier General França Horta, who honored us with an invitation to

dinner, permitted a perishable cargo of my friend’s property, which was

lying at Santos, to be unloaded, and gave us a general welcome to his

palace. We had the good fortune to find that two of his Excellency’s

aides-de-camp, men of excellent character, had been educated in

England. They assisted us in obtaining lodgings, rendered us every

service that we stood in need of, and shewed an earnest desire to make

our stay as agreeable as possible.

CHAP. V.

_Description of S. Paulo.—System of Farming prevalent in its

Neighbourhood.—Excursion to the Gold Mines of Jaraguá.—Mode of

working them.—Return to Santos._

S. PAULO is situated on a pleasing eminence of about two miles in

extent, surrounded on three sides by low meadow land, and washed at

the base by rivulets, which almost insulate it in rainy weather;

it is connected with the high-land by a narrow ridge. The rivulets

flow into a pretty large stream called the Tieté, which runs within

a mile of the town, in a south-west direction. Over them there are

several bridges, some of stone and others of wood, built by the late

governor. The streets of S. Paulo, owing to its elevation (about 50

feet above the plain), and the water which almost surrounds it, are in

general remarkably clean; the material with which they are paved, is

grit-stone, cemented by oxide of iron, and containing large pebbles of

rounded quartz, approximating to the conglomerate. This pavement is an

alluvial formation containing gold, many particles of which metal are

found in the clinks and hollows after heavy rains, and at such seasons

are diligently sought for by the poorer sort of people.

The city was founded by the Jesuits, who were probably tempted by

the gold mines in the vicinity, more than by the salubrity of its

air, which, however, is not excelled by any on the whole continent of

South America. The medium of the thermometer here is between 50 and 80

degrees; in a morning I have observed it at 48, and even lower, though

I was not there in the winter months. The rains are by no means heavy

or of long continuance, and the thunder-storms are far from being

violent. The cold in the evenings was frequently so considerable, that

I was obliged to shut my doors and windows, put on more clothes, and

have a pan of embers in the room, there being no chimneys.

Here are several squares, and about thirteen places of religious

worship, namely, two convents, three monasteries, and eight churches,

the greater part of which, as well as of the whole town, is built

of earth. The mode of erecting the walls is as follows: a frame

is constructed of six moveable planks placed edge-wise, opposite

each other, and secured in this position by cross pieces bolted

with moveable pins. Earth is put in by small quantities, which the

workmen beat with rammers, and occasionally moisten with water to

give it consistency. Having filled the frame or trough, they remove

it and continue the same operation till the whole shell of the

house is completed, taking care to leave vacancies, and put in the

window-frames, door-frames, and beams as they proceed. The mass, in

course of time, becomes indurated, the walls are pared perfectly

smooth inside, and take any color the owner chooses to give them; they

are generally enriched with very ingenious devices. This species of

structure is durable; I have seen some houses thus built that have

lasted two hundred years, and most of them have several stories. The

roofs are made to project two or three feet beyond the wall, in order

to throw off the rain to a distance from the base; spouts might be a

more effectual preservative against wet, but their use is little known

here. They cover their houses with gutter-tiles, but though the country

affords excellent clay and plenty of wood, very few bricks are burnt.

The population of this place amounts to full fifteen thousand souls:

perhaps nearer twenty thousand[15]; the clergy, including all ranks

of religious orders, may be reckoned at five hundred. They are in

general good members of society, free from that excessive bigotry

and illiberality which is the reproach of the neighbouring colonies,

and their example has so beneficial an effect on the rest of the

inhabitants, that I may presume to say, no stranger will be molested

while he acts as a gentleman, and does not insult the established

religion. His Excellency the Bishop is a most worthy prelate, and were

the inferior orders in his diocese to follow his steps in cultivating

the sciences and diffusing useful information, they would command

greater respect from their flocks, and by that means further the

interests of the religion they profess. Priests, so ignorant, can

hardly escape contempt.

No endemial diseases at present prevail here. The small-pox formerly,

and indeed of late, made great havoc among the inhabitants, but its

progress has been checked by the introduction of vaccine inoculation.

Surgeons attended at a large hall belonging to the governor, to which

the public were invited, and the operation was performed gratis. It

is to be hoped that the credit of this preventative will make its way

among the people here, for they are not competent to enter into the

merits of that controversy which injured it in Europe.

Here are few manufactures of any consequence; a little coarse cotton

is spun by the hand, and woven into cloth, which serves for a variety

of wearing apparel, sheets, &c. They make a beautiful kind of net-work

for hammocks, which are fringed with lace, and form an elegant piece

of furniture, being slung low, so as to answer the purpose of sofas.

The ladies are particularly fond of using them, especially when the

heat of the weather disposes them to ease and indolence. The making of

lace is a general employment for females, some of whom excel in it.

The shopkeepers here are a numerous class, who, as in most colonial

towns, deal in almost every thing, and sometimes make great fortunes.

Here are few doctors, but many apothecaries; some silversmiths, whose

articles are equally indifferent both in metal and workmanship; tailors

and shoe-makers in great numbers; and joiners, who manufacture very

beautiful wood, but are not so moderate in their charges as the former

classes of tradesmen. In the out-skirts of the city live a number of

Creolian Indians, who make earthenware for culinary purposes, large

water-jars, and a variety of other utensils ornamented with some taste.

The greatest proportion of the inhabitants consists in farmers and

inferior husbandmen, who cultivate small portions of land, on which

they breed large stocks of pigs and poultry for sale. With these the

market is generally well supplied, and in the fruit-season is also

stored with pines, grapes, peaches, guavas, bananas, a few apples, and

an enormous quantity of quinces.

Esculent plants are grown in great profusion and variety. Here is a

favorite bulbous root called the _Cará_, which is equal to the best

potatoe, and even more farinaceous than many varieties of that plant;

it grows to about seven inches in diameter, and affords excellent

food, either boiled or roasted. Fine cabbages, sallad-herbs, turnips,

cauliflowers, artichokes, and potatoes are in abundance; the latter,

though very good, are little used: the sweet potatoe is in greater

request among the natives. Maize, beans, green-peas, and every species

of pulse florish amazingly. Fowls are cheap, we bought some at

three-pence and sixpence each; small pigs from one to two shillings;

and flitches of bacon, cured after the mode of the country, at about

two-pence per pound. Turkies, geese, and ducks are abundant, and

reasonable in price; the latter are of the Muscovy breed, enormously

large, some weighing ten or fourteen pounds. Here is a singular breed

of cocks; they resemble the common English in plumage and shape, but

they crow very loud, and continue their last note for 15 or 20 seconds.

When their voice is good, they are much esteemed, and are sent for

as curiosities from all parts of Brazil. The cattle are in general

good, considering that so little attention is paid to feeding them;

when their pastures are full of grass, they are tolerably fat, but

when otherwise they become lean. A drove may be bought at 24s. or

30s. a head; beef at about a penny or three-halfpence per pound. The

curriers have a singular method of blackening cow-hides and calf-skins:

when they have prepared them for that operation, they search for some

mud-hole at the bottom of a ferruginous stratum, a ditch for instance;

with the mud they cover that side of the skin required to be stained;

and they prefer this material to the solution of copperas, probably

with reason, as the sulphate of iron formed by the decomposed pyrites

acts more mildly in this state than when applied in the common way.

The horses are very fine, and in general docile; when well trained

they make excellent chargers. Their size is from twelve and a half to

fourteen and a half hands, and they vary in price from three to twelve

pounds. Mules, as we have before observed, are considered more useful

beasts of burden. The breed of sheep is quite unattended to, and mutton

is rarely or never eaten. Here is a very fine and large breed of goats,

whose milk is generally used for domestic purposes. The dogs are very

indifferent, and of no distinct race.

In my walks round the city, I had frequent opportunities of examining

the singular succession of horizontal strata, that form the eminence

on which it stands. They lie in the following order: first, one of red

vegetable earth of variable depth, impregnated with oxide of iron;

below that, sand and adventitious matter of different shades of color,

as ochre-red, brown, and dusky yellow, together with many rounded

pebbles, which indicate it to be of rather recent formation; it varies

in depth from three to six feet, or perhaps to seven, and its lower

part is uniformly yellow: under this is a bed of exceedingly fine clay

of various colors, but for the most part purple; the white and yellow

is the purest in quality; it is interveined with thin layers of sand in

various directions. Then succeeds a stratum of alluvial matter, which

is highly ferruginous; it rests on a variety of decomposed granite,

containing hornblende, the proportion of feldspar apparently exceeding

that of the other constituents[16]. The whole is incumbent on fine

grained granite. The sides of the mount are steep, and in some places

nearly perpendicular[17].

The fertility of the country around S. Paulo may be inferred from the

quantities of produce, with which, as I have stated, its market is

supplied. About a century ago, this tract abounded with gold; and it

was not until they had exhausted it by washing, that the inhabitants

thought of employing themselves in husbandry. As they did so more

from necessity than from choice, they were tardy in pursuing those

improvements which other nations have made in this noble art, and,

pining at the disappearance of the precious mineral, considered their

new occupation as vile and degrading. Indeed throughout the whole of

Brazil, the husbandmen have ever been considered as forming a class

greatly inferior in point of respectability to the miners; and this

prejudice will in all likelihood subsist until the country shall

have been drained of its gold and diamonds, when the people will be

compelled to seek in agriculture a constant and inexhaustible source of

wealth.

I shall attempt to describe the system of farming which at present

prevails in the neighbourhood of S. Paulo. It has been elsewhere

observed that, in this extensive empire, land is granted in large

tracts, on proper application; and we may naturally suppose that the

value of these tracts depends more or less on their situation. It

therefore becomes the first object of a cultivator, to look out for

unoccupied lands as near as possible to a large town; good roads and

navigable rivers are the desiderata next in point of consequence which

he attends to. When he has made choice of a situation, he applies to

the governor of the district, who orders the proper officers to mark

out the extent required, generally a league or a league and a half

square, sometimes more. The cultivator then purchases as many negroes

as he can, and commences his operations by erecting habitations for

them and himself, which are generally miserable sheds, supported

by four posts, and commonly called _ranchos_. His negroes are then

directed to cut down the trees and brushwood growing on the land, to

such an extent as he thinks they will be able to manage. This done,

they set fire to all they have cut, as it lies on the ground. Much of

the success of his harvest depends on this burning; if the whole be

reduced to ashes he expects a great crop; if, through wet weather, the

felled trees remain only half burnt, he prognosticates a bad one. When

the ground is cleared, the negroes dibble it with their hoes, and sow

their maize, beans, or other pulse; during the operation they cut down

any thing very much in the way, but never think of working the soil.

After sowing as much seed as is thought requisite, they prepare other

ground for planting cassada, here called mandioca, the root of which

is generally eaten as bread by all ranks in Brazil. The soil[18] for

this purpose is rather better prepared; it is raked up in little round

hillocks, not unlike mole-hills, about four feet asunder; into which

are stuck cuttings from branches of the plant, about an inch thick and

six or eight long; these soon take root, and put forth leaves, shoots,

and buds. When enough has been planted for the entire consumption of

the farm, the owner, if he is rich enough, prepares means for growing

and manufacturing sugar. He first employs a carpenter to cut wood, and

build a mill with wooden rollers for crushing the canes, by means of

water, if a stream is at hand, if not, by the help of mules or oxen.

While some of the negroes are assisting the carpenter, others are

employed in preparing ground in the same way as for mandioca. Pieces of

cane containing three or four joints, and in length about six inches,

cut from the growing stem, are laid in the earth nearly horizontally,

and covered with soil to the depth of about four inches. They shoot

up rapidly, and in three months have a bushy appearance not unlike

flags; in twelve or fifteen months more they are ready for cutting. In

rich virgin soil it is not uncommon to see canes twelve feet high and

astonishingly thick.

The Indian corn and pulse are in general ripe in four months or

eighteen weeks. The average return is two hundred for one; it is a bad

harvest when it falls short of one hundred and fifty.

The mandioca is rarely ready to take up in less than eighteen or twenty

months; if the land be suitable, it then produces from six to twelve

pounds weight per plant[19]. They grow very little indigo in this

neighbourhood, and what they have is of indifferent quality. Their

pumpkins are of enormous size, and small ones are sometimes served up

as table-vegetables, but more frequently given as food to the horses.

Melons here are scarcely palatable.

In no branch of husbandry are the farmers so defective as in the

management of cattle. No artificial grasses are cultivated, no

enclosures are made, nor is any fodder laid up against the season

of scarcity. The cows are never milked regularly; they seem to be

considered rather as an incumbrance to a farm than a valuable part of

the stock. They constantly require salt, which is given them once in

fifteen or twenty days, in small proportions. The dairies, if such they

may be called, are managed in so slovenly a manner, that the little

butter which is made becomes rancid in a few days, and the cheese

is good for nothing. In this essential department the Paulistas are

deplorably deficient; rarely indeed is there to be seen a farm with

one convenience belonging to it. For want of proper places in which to

store their produce, they are obliged to lay it in promiscuous heaps;

and it is not uncommon to see coffee, cotton, maize, and beans, thrown

into the corners of a damp shed, and covered with a green hide. One

half is invariably spoiled by mould and putridity, and the remainder is

much deteriorated, through this idle and stupid negligence.

They feed their pigs on Indian corn in a crude state; the time for

confining them to fatten is at eight or ten months old; and the

quantity consumed for the purpose is eight or ten Winchester bushels

each. When killed, the lean is cut off the sides as clean as possible,

the fat is cured with very little salt, and in a few days is ready

for market. The ribs, chine-bone, and lean parts are dried for home

consumption.

The farm-houses are miserable hovels of one story, the floor neither

paved nor boarded, and the walls and partitions formed of wicker-work,

plastered with mud, and never under-drawn. For an idea of the kitchen,

which ought to be the cleanest and most comfortable part of the

dwelling, the reader may figure to himself a filthy room, with an

uneven muddy floor, interspersed with pools of slop-water, and in

different parts fire-places formed by three round stones to hold the

earthen pots that are used for boiling meat; as green wood is the chief

fuel, the place is almost always filled with smoke, which, finding no

chimney, vents itself through the doors and other apertures, and leaves

all within as black as soot. I regret to say that the kitchens of many

opulent people are not in much better condition.

It may well be imagined that, in a country like this, a stranger finds

the greatest comfort and enjoyment out of doors. The gardens in S.

Paulo, and its vicinity, are laid out with great taste, and many of

them with curious elegance. The jasmine is every where a favorite tree,

and in this fine climate bears flowers perennially, as does the rose.

Carnations, pinks, passion-flowers, cockscombs, &c. grow in great

plenty; one of their most estimable shrubs is the Palma Christi, which

gives fruit the first year, and yields abundance of castor-oil, which

all families possess in such quantity, that no other sort is burnt.

Bees are by no means uncommon; they are easily domesticated, and, I

believe, are perfectly harmless. Their honey is pleasant; the wax,

particularly that generally sold, which is taken from their nests in

old forest-trees, is very foul, but might be purified by a very simple

process. The woods contain a great variety of animals of the monkey

kind, and also beasts of prey, some of which have tolerably good fur.

Among the latter may be classed a peculiar species of the otter.

Insects are numerous, but the musquitos are not so offensively so as in

the Rio de la Plata. The animalculum, called the niagua or jigger, is

troublesome; it beds itself under the nails of the toes, and sometimes

of the fingers, but it may easily be banished by extracting it and

its bag of eggs with a needle, and filling the cavity with calomel or

snuff, for fear any should have remained. Reptiles, I was told, were

very numerous, but I saw few, except toads, which, in the evenings,

crawl upon the foot-paths, and even infest the streets of the city. The

_sorocucu_ or _jararaca_ (serpents) are said to be very dangerous.

The woods produce large and durable timber, well calculated for

building. Of their trees, all of which retain their Indian names, some

yield very fine gums. The _jacarandá_, called in England rose-wood,

is here very common. Many of their shrubs bear beautiful flowers,

and are very aromatic. Among the innumerable creeping plants which

clothe the soil of their uncleared lands, there are some distinguished

as infallible antidotes to the bite of venomous reptiles; one in

particular, called the _coração de Jesus_[20], is universally esteemed.

Beyond the plain which nearly encircles S. Paulo, the country is

hilly, or rather mountainous. Had the period of my stay been longer, I

should have devoted some time to a geological tour in that district;

but having urgent reasons to hasten my departure for Rio de Janeiro,

I had leisure to make only one excursion of this kind. The governor

invited me to visit the old gold-mines of Jaraguá, the first discovered

in Brazil, which were now his property, together with a farm in their

vicinity, distant about twenty-four miles from the city. We travelled

along a tolerable, and in some places, fine road, in a southerly

direction, for twelve miles, and crossed the Tieti. This river is here

considerably larger and deeper than in the neighbourhood of S. Paulo;

it has an excellent wooden bridge, free from toll. On its banks there

are some situations truly enviable; fine rich virgin lands covered with

timber, and capable of producing, not only the necessaries, but the

luxuries of life, in a hundred-fold degree, if properly cultivated.

It was melancholy to behold a territory, which, for its teeming soil

and genial climate, deserves to be called a paradise, neglected and

solitary, like that of Eden after the fall; while its infatuated

possessors, like the offspring of Cain, hungering for gold, kept aloof

from the rich feast which nature here spread before them.

After travelling onward four leagues, we arrived at the ancient mines

of Jaraguá, famed for the immense treasures they produced nearly two

centuries ago, when at the ports of Santos and S, Vicente, whence the

gold was shipped for Europe, this district was regarded as the Peru of

Brazil. The face of the country is uneven and rather mountainous. The

rock, where it appeared exposed, I found to be granite, and sometimes

gneiss, containing a portion of hornblende, with mica. The soil is red,

and remarkably ferruginous, in many places apparently of great depth.

The gold lies, for the most part, in a stratum of rounded pebbles and

gravel, called _cascalho_, immediately incumbent on the solid rock. In

the valleys, where there is water, occur frequent excavations, made

by the gold-washers, to a considerable extent, some of them fifty or a

hundred feet wide, and eighteen or twenty deep. On many of the hills,

where water can be collected for washing, particles of gold are found

in the soil, scarcely deeper than the roots of the grass.

The mode of working these mines, more fitly to be denominated washings,

is simple, and may be easily explained:

Suppose a loose gravel-like stratum of rounded quartzose pebbles and

adventitious matter, incumbent on granite, and covered by earthy matter

of variable thickness. Where water of sufficiently high level can be

commanded, the ground is cut in steps, each twenty or thirty feet

wide, two or three broad, and about one deep. Near the bottom a trench

is cut to the depth of two or three feet. On each step stand six or

eight negroes, who, as the water flows gently from above, keep the

earth continually in motion with shovels, until the whole is reduced

to liquid mud and washed below. The particles of gold contained in

this earth descend to the trench, where, by reason of their specific

gravity, they quickly precipitate. Workmen are continually employed

at the trench to remove the stones, and clear away the surface, which

operation is much assisted by the current of water which falls into it.

After five days’ washing, the precipitation in the trench is carried

to some convenient stream, to undergo a second clearance. For this

purpose wooden bowls are provided, of a funnel shape, about two feet

wide at the mouth, and five or six inches deep, called _gamellas_. Each

workman standing in the stream, takes into his bowl five or six pounds

weight of the sediment, which generally consists of heavy matter,

such as granular oxide of iron, pyrites, ferruginous quartz, &c. and

often precious stones. They admit certain quantities of water into the

bowls, which they move about so dexterously, that the precious metal,

separating from the inferior and lighter substances, settles to the

bottom and sides of the vessel. They then rinse their bowls in a larger

vessel of clean water, leaving the gold in it, and begin again. The

washing of each bowlful occupies from five to eight or nine minutes;

the gold produced is extremely variable in quantity, and in the size

of its particles, some of which are so minute, that they float, while

others are found as large as peas, and not unfrequently much larger.

This operation is superintended by overseers, as the result is of

considerable importance. When the whole is finished, the gold is placed

upon a brass pan, over a slow fire, to be dried, and at a convenient

time is taken to the permutation office, where it is weighed, and a

fifth is reserved for the Prince. The remainder is smelted with muriate

of mercury, then cast into ingots, assayed, and stamped according to

its intrinsic value, a certificate of which is given with it; after a

copy of that instrument has been duly entered at the mint-office, the

ingots circulate as specie.

My attention was strongly engaged by the immense debris or refuse of

old washings, which lay in numberless heaps, and contained various

substances that gave me strong hope of finding some interesting and

valuable specimens of tourmalines, topazes, and other crystallizations,

and also a rich series of rocks, which form the geognostics of the

country. So strongly was I prepossessed with this hope, that I really

fancied I had within my reach some of the finest mineral products of

Brazil. Early one morning, before the sun became too hot for work, I

set out accompanied by two or three men, with iron crows and hammers,

whom I had engaged to assist me. We broke up immense quantities of

quartzose and granite-like matter in various stages of decomposition,

and others of a ferruginous kind, but after pursuing the operation for

three whole days, until my hands could no longer wield the hammer, I

was obliged to give up the search as fruitless; not a grain of gold

did I find, nor anything of the nature of crystallization, except some

miserable quartz, a little cubic and octahedral pyrites, and some very

poor maganese! In short the substances presented so little novelty, and

were in themselves so ordinary, that I hesitated whether I should carry

them with me to S. Paulo. This disappointment at the first gold mines I

had seen, not a little dejected me.

In company with the Governor and his lady, I now took a survey of the

farm; we walked and rode through extensive plantations, the productions

of which, as well as the mode of culture pursued, were similar to

those I have already described. Our next recreation was hunting the

deer. Let not the reader imagine that I am going to lead him a chase

through miles of country with a pack of hounds and a joyous company

of horsemen; the mode of hunting in Brazil affords no such diversion.

Three or four men go out armed with guns and attended by two or three

dogs; the men separate and wait in some open place; meanwhile the dogs

quest among the plantations and thickets; if they find, they drive the

game out, which the hunters immediately shoot. The deer are small, and

of the fallow kind; but their flesh is not esteemed.

The wild animals of this district are chiefly monkeys, sloths, a

variety of the porcupine, and opossums. These, and other predatory

beasts, make great havoc among the poultry. Of the feathered tribe

there are not many varieties; I shot several snipes and beautiful

lapwings[21] with red horns on each pinion, about half an inch in

length. Here are great numbers of parrots and parroquets.

The vampire-bat, so often described by travellers, is a most formidable

foe to the horses and mules. If he gets access to them in the night,

he fixes on the neck-vein, above the shoulder, and sucks it to such a

degree as to leave the animal almost covered with blood, fanning with

his wings all the while he retains his hold, in order (as it should

seem) to lull the pain caused by his bite.

The garden has a bed of fine potatoes, which were planted three or four

years ago by Mr. Quarten, from Gibraltar. They are suffered to grow and

reproduce themselves from season to season, none being taken up unless

when wanted for food. Cabbages and other vegetables for the table grow

in abundance.

This farm has the advantage of very fine timber in its neighbourhood,

and when the improvements, begun by the governor, are completed, it

will be well provided with water, brought from a distance of six miles,

in sufficient quantities to wash the hills, and to work the machinery

of a sugar-mill. On the estate were employed about fifty negroes, and

half that number of free Indians; the latter ate at their master’s

expense, and earned about sixpence a day; but they appeared far less

laborious and handy than the negroes. They were clearing grounds and

making walks in a wood, which when finished will render the place a

most agreeable summer retreat.

Among the many marks of kindness with which the governor honored me,

I must not omit his repeated assurances, that in the event of war

between our respective countries, which was then talked of, he would

not detain me. After remaining here five days, which were rendered

as agreeable as possible by the polite civilities of my host, we set

out on our return in the order in which we came: the governor and his

lady in a carriage drawn by four mules, his aide-de-camp and myself on

horseback, and six dragoons in front, the guard usually attendant on

an officer of his rank. We arrived at S. Paulo without any material

occurrence.

This city is seldom visited by foreigners. The passes to it from the

coast are so singularly situated, that it is almost impossible to avoid

the guards who are stationed in them, to inspect all travellers and

merchandize passing into the interior. Soldiers of the lowest rank

on these stations have a right to examine all strangers who present

themselves, and to detain them and their property, unless they can

produce passports. I and my friends in our way hither were thrice

obliged to exhibit our licence from the governor of Santos, which was

attested. Our appearance at S. Paulo excited considerable curiosity

among all descriptions of people, who seemed by their manner never

to have seen Englishmen before; the very children testified their

astonishment, some by running away, others by counting our fingers,

and exclaiming, that we had the same number as they. Many of the good

citizens invited us to their houses, and sent for their friends to

come and look at us. As the dwelling we occupied was very large, we

were frequently entertained by crowds of young persons of both sexes,

who came to the door to see how we ate and drank. It was gratifying to

us to perceive that this general wonder subsided into a more social

feeling; we met with civil treatment every where, and were frequently

invited to dine with the inhabitants. At the public parties and balls

of the governor we found both novelty and pleasure; novelty at being

much more liberally received than we were in the Spanish settlements,

and pleasure at being in much more refined and polished company.

The dress of the ladies abroad, and especially at church, consists

of a garment of black silk, with a long veil of the same material,

trimmed with broad lace; in the cooler season black cassimere or baize.

In the same veil they almost always appear in the streets, though it

has been partially superseded by a long coat of coarse woollen, edged

with velvet, gold lace, fustian, or plush, according to the rank of

the wearer. This coat is used as a general sort of undress, at home,

in their evening walks, and on a journey, and the ladies, whenever

they wear it, appear in round hats. The appellation of Paulista is

considered by all the females here as a great honor; the Paulistas

being celebrated throughout all Brazil for their attractions, and their

dignity of character. At table they are extremely abstemious; their

favorite amusement is dancing, in which they display much vivacity

and grace. At halls and other public festivals they generally appear

in elegant white dresses, with a profusion of gold chains about their

necks, their hair tastefully disposed and fastened with combs. Their

conversation, at all times sprightly, seems to derive additional life

from music. Indeed the whole range of their education appears to be

confined to superficial accomplishments; they trouble themselves very

little with domestic concerns, confiding whatever relates to the

inferior departments of the household to the negro or negress cook,

and leaving all other matters to the management of servants. Owing to

this indifference, they are total strangers to the advantages of that

order, neatness, and propriety, which reign in an English family; their

time at home is mostly occupied in sewing, embroidery, and lace-making.

Another circumstance repugnant to delicacy is, that they have no

mantua-makers of their own sex; all articles of female dress here are

made by tailors. An almost universal debility prevails among them,

which is partly attributable to their abstemious living, but chiefly

to want of exercise, and to the frequent warm-bathings in which they

indulge. They are extremely attentive to every means of improving the

delicacy of their persons, perhaps to the injury of their health.

The men in general, especially those of the higher rank, officers, and

others, dress superbly; in company they are very polite and attentive,

and shew every disposition to oblige; they are great talkers and prone

to conviviality. The lower ranks, compared with those of other colonial

towns, are in a very advanced state of civilization. It were to be

wished that some reform were instituted in their system of education;

the children of slaves are brought up during their early days with

those of their masters; they are playmates and companions, and thus a

familiar equality is established between them, which has to be forcibly

abolished when they arrive at that age, at which one must command and

live at his ease, while the other must labor and obey. It has been

said, that by thus attaching the slave to his master, in early youth,

they ensure his future fidelity, but the custom seems fraught with many

disadvantages, and ought at least to be so modified as to render the

yoke of bondage less galling by the recollection of former liberty.

The religious processions here are very splendid, grand, and solemn;

they have a striking effect, by reason of the profound veneration and

enthusiastic zeal manifested by the populace. On particular occasions

of this kind, all the inhabitants of the city attend, and the throng

is frequently increased by numbers of the neighbouring peasantry for

several leagues round. The balconies of those houses, which command the

best views of the spectacle, are crowded with ladies in their gala

dresses, who consider the day as a kind of festival; the evening is

generally concluded by tea and card-parties or dances.

We found very little difficulty in accommodating ourselves to the

general mode of living at S. Paulo. The bread is pretty good, and the

butter tolerable, but rarely used except with coffee for breakfast, or

tea in the evening. A more common breakfast is a very pleasant sort

of beans, called _feijoens_, boiled or mixed with mandioca. Dinner,

which is usually served up at noon or before, commonly consists of a

quantity of greens boiled with a little fat pork or beef, a root of

the potatoe kind, and a stewed fowl, with excellent sallad, to which

succeeds a great variety of delicious conserves and sweetmeats. Very

little wine is taken at meals; the usual beverage is water. On public

occasions, or when a feast is given to a large party, the table is

most sumptuously spread; from thirty to fifty dishes are served up at

once, by which arrangement a succession of courses is obviated. Wine

circulates copiously, and toasts are given during the repast, which

usually occupies two or three hours, and is succeeded by sweetmeats,

the pride of their tables; after coffee the company pass the evening in

dancing, music, or cards.

I may here observe, that neither in S. Paulo, nor in any other place

which I visited, did I witness any instance of that levity in the

females of Brazil, which some writers allege to be the leading trait

in their character. I allude to the custom which has been said to

prevail among them, of throwing flowers from the balconies on such of

the passers-by, as they take a fancy to, or of presenting a flower or a

nosegay to their favorites, as a mark of partiality. The circumstance

which seems to have given rise to such an ill-founded conjecture is

this: flowers are here considered an indispensable part of the female

head-dress, and when a stranger is introduced to a lady, it is nothing

more than an act of common courtesy for her to take one from her hair

to present to him. This elegant compliment he is expected to return in

the course of the visit, by selecting a flower from the profuse variety

which adorn the garden, or the balcony, and presenting it to her.

One singular custom I must not omit to notice, that of throwing

artificial fruit, such as lemons or oranges, made very delicately of

wax and filled with perfumed water. On the two first days of Lent,

which are here celebrated with great festivity, persons of both sexes

amuse themselves by throwing these balls at each other; the lady

generally begins the game, the gentleman returns it with such spirit

that it seldom ceases until several dozens are thrown, and both parties

are as wet as if they had been drawn through a river. Sometimes a lady

will dexterously drop one into the bosom of a gentleman, which will

infallibly oblige him to change his linen, as it usually contains

three or four ounces of cold water. On these days of carnival the

inhabitants parade the streets in masks, and the diversion of throwing

fruit is practised by persons of all ages. It is reckoned improper for

men to throw at each other. The manufacture of these missiles, at such

periods, affords no inconsiderable occupation to certain classes of

the inhabitants; I have been informed, that in the capital of Brazil,

many hundreds of people derive a temporary subsistence from the sale of

them. The practice (as I can testify) is very annoying to strangers,

and not unfrequently engenders quarrels which terminate seriously.

During our stay here an unpleasant report was circulated, that the

port of Lisbon was shut against the English, and that war was daily

expected to be declared between the two powers. Had it not been for the

kindness of the governor in offering to permit our departure before he

should receive orders to the contrary, we should have felt ourselves in

a very disagreeable predicament. But news soon arrived that his Royal

Highness the Prince Regent had left Portugal with all the court, and

that they were embarked for the Brazils, under the escort of a British

squadron, dispatched by Sir Sidney Smith. This intelligence was most

joyfully received by the Brazilians; they considered, indeed, that

the occupation of Portugal by the French, was a disaster very likely

to ensue, but they consoled themselves with the hope of receiving

a Prince, in whose praise every tongue was eloquent, and to whose

cause every heart was loyal. The Brazilian empire was considered as

established; and the worthy bishop consecrated the auspicious era

by ordaining daily prayers in the cathedral, to invoke, from Divine

Providence, the safe arrival of the Royal Family. News of their having

touched at Bahia arrived in about ten days, and was welcomed by every

demonstration of public joy, processions, fire-works, &c. Hoping, every

day, to hear of their arrival at Rio de Janeiro, I made all ready for

my departure, and devoted the few remaining days to a second excursion

to the gold-mines, and to some farewell visits among my friends in

the vicinity of S. Paulo. The governor and many of the principal

inhabitants gave us parting invitations, and by their urbanity rendered

the last hours we passed with them at once delightful and melancholy.

Some of the latter accompanied us two leagues on our way, and on

separating testified the warmest wishes for our welfare.

I never recal to mind the civilities I received at this city without

the most grateful emotions, in which those will best sympathize who

have known what it is to visit a remote city in a strange country,

where, according to the narratives of preceding travellers, nothing

prevailed but barbarism and inhospitality, and where they have been

agreeably undeceived. It may easily be supposed that I found it

difficult to reconcile the character of the Paulistas, such as I

beheld it, with the strange accounts of their spurious origin, quoted

by modern geographers. These accounts, founded on the suspicious

testimony of the Jesuits of Paraguay, and at variance with the best

Portuguese historians, have been of late most ably confuted by an

enlightened member of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Lisbon[22].

He fully exposes the inconsistencies of Vaissette and Charlevoix, in

ascribing the origin of S. Paulo to a band of refugees, composed of

Spaniards, Portuguese, Mestiços, Mulattos, and others, who fled hither

from various parts of Brazil, and established a free-booting republic;

and he satisfactorily shews that the first settlers were Indians of

Piratininga and Jesuits, and that the city, from its first foundation,

never acknowledged any other sovereignty than that of Portugal. The

veracity of this account is further supported by the predominant

character of the Paulistas, who, far from inheriting the obloquy, which

an ancestry of rogues and vagabonds would have entailed upon them,

have long been famed throughout all Brazil for their probity, their

industry, and the mildness of their manners[23].

CHAP. VI.

_Coasting Voyage from Santos to Sapitiva, and Journey thence to Rio de

Janeiro._

WE left S. Paulo at ten in the morning, and took the same road to

Santos by which we had come, there being no other, fit to travel. On

the following day, before noon, we arrived at Cubatão, where we were

detained by rain, until four in the afternoon. About seven we arrived

at Santos, and as we were provided with a letter of introduction to a

judge, and another to a merchant, we relied on a kinder welcome than

we had met with on our first visit, the more so as we came from S.

Paulo. We were, however, deceived. The judge received us coldly, and

when I asked him where the person lived to whom our other letter was

addressed, he seemed quite rejoiced at the opportunity for shewing us

out of his house. The merchant was as frigid as the judge, and made

us a paltry excuse. We then repaired to an apothecary, from whom we

had experienced some acts of urbanity, and who had attended one of

our friends, who, having left S. Paulo in a bad state of health, had

waited here three weeks for a passage to Rio de Janeiro. After telling

him our situation, and stating that the wet weather prevented us from

passing the night in our canoe, he kindly offered us his shop-floor

for a lodging, it being the only place under cover he had to spare. We

commissioned him to offer four dollars to any of his neighbours who

would admit us for the night, but he said it would be of no avail, as

the people of Santos were proverbially notorious for their want of

hospitality. The great influx of strangers and renegadoes from all

nations into this and other towns on the coast, had completely steeled

the hearts of the people against those claims on their good-will, which

the inhabitants of the interior, less frequently imposed upon, are ever

ready to acknowledge and to satisfy.

Thus disappointed, we resolved not to wait at Santos for a ship, but to

proceed to Rio de Janeiro, along the coast, in a canoe. Having hired

one we embarked, and after rowing all night in a strait between the

continent and the island of S. Thomas, which forms one of the passages

to Santos from sea, we arrived by sun-rise at Bertioga, situated at the

north end of that island. It is a village, consisting of some tolerably

good buildings, erected for the convenience of the _Capitão Mor_ and

his attendants, who superintend a fishing establishment here, similar

to that near St. Catherine’s, and belonging to the same company, but

very much inferior in extent and capacity. At both places the most

expert of the negroes are employed in dressing whalebone, which is a

considerable article of commerce, though smaller and less valuable

than that of the Greenland whale. Along the coast which we passed,

are several fine bays, where, in the best times of the fishery, large

quantities of whales were annually caught. The buildings for boiling

the blubber and storing the oil were conveniently situated.

The fine harbour of Bertioga is well sheltered from all winds, and the

town itself, being situated at the foot of a hill, is protected from

the inclemencies of the weather, and is at times inconveniently warm.

The basis of the hill is primitive granite, composed of hornblende,

feldspar, quartz, and mica. Fine springs of water, bursting from

various parts, give variety to the scenery, and an agreeable freshness

to the air. Though the place bore the appearance of poverty, we

observed no signs of want; the sea affords great plenty and variety of

eatable fish, and the soil produces pulse, of various sorts, and rice,

quantities of which we saw loading in boats for Santos. The people with

whom we had to treat used us civilly, and seemed anxious to anticipate

and to gratify all our requests. As the _Capitão Mor_ was ill, he could

not render us any assistance in procuring a passage for St. Sebastian;

we were therefore obliged to hire the canoe to go forward.

A strong current setting in-shore detained us until midnight; we then

took advantage of a calm which succeeded, and rowed away for a headland

to the eastward, near which we arrived about sunrise, after a most

laborious passage. The shore was quite solitary, with the exception

of two very miserable huts, at which we could procure no better a

breakfast than muscles. The face of the country is low and sandy,

covered with underwood and groups of trees, and watered by rivulets

from a range of mountains apparently about two leagues distant.

A breeze springing up about mid-day, we again embarked, but after

contending with both elements for four hours, we were obliged again to

take to our oars, in order to reach Porto d’Una before sun-set, which,

with considerable exertion, we effected. At this place we observed a

large plantation, belonging to a religious society at Santos, who hence

derive a great part of their maintenance. After waiting till two in

the morning for a change either of wind or current, we got out of port

and proceeded on our voyage to Rio de Janeiro. We rowed against the

wind till day-light, and then found ourselves near a bluff headland

with steep rocks, forming a good harbour for boats, called Toque Toque,

where we arrived about nine o’clock, having passed several conical

islands, which are not laid down in any chart that I have hitherto

seen. Off the point of Toque Toque, extends the fine island of St.

Sebastian; the strait between it and the main affords an excellent

passage, and a good harbour for ships of war.

The wind still blowing fresh against us, we rested awhile, and were

amused by watching some fishermen haul their nets ashore with large

draughts of _cavallos_ in them. These fish weigh from fifteen to

twenty pounds each, and are caught in great numbers along this coast.

Passing point Toque Toque at noon, we entered the strait of St.

Sebastian. Its width is about two leagues; the land on both sides is

bold and steep, and being well cultivated has a very grand and rich

appearance. The varied foliage of the trees, and the different shades

of verdure in the enclosures, combined with the romantic situations of

the houses dispersed among them, presented a view worthy the ablest

pencil; we had full leisure to enjoy it, for the wind being still

adverse, our progress depended on the toil of our wearied boatmen.

Several vessels, going the contrary way, passed us in full sail,

the crews of which added to our chagrin by ironically wishing us a

pleasant voyage. At four in the afternoon we arrived at the town of St.

Sebastian, situated on a low tract of ground about three hundred yards

from the beach. The inhabitants, amounting to two or three thousand,

are an indigent and not very industrious people; they subsist chiefly

on fish, which was the only food we could procure during the three

days we staid among them. There are some inconsiderable plantations in

the neighbourhood, where a little indigo is made, and some tolerably

good tobacco is grown. This town is noted (and formerly was much more

so) for its very large canoes scooped out of the solid timber; some of

them I have seen of almost incredible dimensions. The civil government

is entrusted to a _Capitão Mor_, whose authority is supported by a

garrison of ten or fifteen soldiers under the command of an ensign.

At the house of the latter we took up our abode, while waiting for an

opportunity to hire a large canoe to carry us to Sapitiva, near Rio

de Janeiro. The people with whom we had to bargain, used every petty

means to thwart and impose upon us, and our host shewed no disposition

to protect us against their chicanery, so that we encountered many

vexatious delays ere we could accomplish our purpose.

This place is by no means a desirable, or indeed, a tolerable residence

for a stranger; it is exposed to all the inconveniencies peculiar to

low and sandy situations; the hot unwholesome weather, seldom refreshed

by a breeze, tends to multiply the immense swarms of mosquitos, which

constitute one of the plagues of the torrid zone. The neighbouring

island, on the contrary, being more elevated, has the advantage of a

freer air, and is therefore less annoyed by these troublesome insects.

It has the reputation of producing the best sugar, rum, and pulse, as

well as the finest cattle in all Brazil, and these advantages, joined

to its convenient situation, must render a plantation upon it highly

valuable. In common with the opposite shore, and the rocks observable

in various parts of the straits, the island appears to be composed of

the same variety of granite I have before described. Near the town of

St. Sebastian’s, I found some large pieces of green-stone, which,

when struck, emitted a very clear sound; fragments of limestone were

abundant on the beach, but these probably were part of some vessel’s

ballast, which had been thrown overboard in the bay, and washed ashore.

Having at length hired a canoe, we embarked for a village about five

miles distant, called Bayro, where we arrived safe, and staid all night

at the house of a fisherman, who undertook the charge of our navigation

until we should arrive at Sapitiva. Bayro is a pretty but poor village,

built near the beach, and is chiefly noted as being the place where

most of the earthenware, used at Rio de Janeiro, is made. The clay

appears to be formed by the decomposition of feldspar. Here is a large

convent, well built, and finely situated, fronting the bay and near the

sea.

About nine in the morning, we embarked in our canoe, which was forty

feet long, covered with an awning, and rowed by six men. In the

afternoon we arrived at Porcos, a fine, bold, conical island, with good

anchorage, but no port. Its coasts abound with excellent fish. Here

was stationed a guard of soldiers to prevent contraband trade, and to

give information respecting it; the officer, an ensign, made us welcome

to all he had, and treated us with great kindness during our short

stay. Leaving this place at two in the morning, we rowed through an

archipelago of islets, and arrived at Porto Negro, within four leagues

of Ilha Grande, and the morning following reached a bay in that island.

The land is, in general, very high and irregular; in the interior it

is well wooded, and contains some excellent iron ore, which is very

little known. Its coasts are but partially inhabited. The strait, which

separates it from the main land, is an excellent harbour in all its

extent, and was the rendezvous of some English privateers during our

war with Spain. The country, in its vicinity, is well clothed with

large timber, and appears very fruitful, but is thinly peopled by a

set of men, whose manners and pursuits denote them to be outcasts

from society. In the evening we entered a fine bay, and procured some

refreshment at a house on the beach, where we intended to pass the

night, but a plan had been laid to rob us, and we were obliged, on

discovering it, to re-embark before day-break, much rejoiced at having

narrowly escaped the loss of our property and our lives. Pursuing our

course among the many islands, with which this part of the coast is

studded, we passed the beautiful and fertile island of Madeira, and,

at noon, crossed two wide bays. A favorable breeze now, for the first

time, sprung up, which lasted until we arrived at Sapitiva, and here

ended our romantic canoe-voyage.

I would strongly impress on every traveller, pursuing a similar course,

the expediency of providing himself with a soldier commissioned to

attend him, and to protect his person and property against the

evil-minded persons, who prowl about the coast in search of plunder,

and greedily seek every opportunity of securing, by fraud or force, the

property of defenceless passengers. We had more than once occasion to

rue the neglect of this precaution.

At Sapitiva, we met with excellent accommodations. The owner of the

house at which we put up, furnished us with a plentiful supper of

fish, fowls, coffee, and excellent sweetmeats, which we relished

the more from having, for eight days, subsisted wholly on fish. Our

lodgings were tolerably comfortable, and were rendered more so by the

earnestness with which every one in the family strove to please us.

At sun-rise next morning, after diverting myself with shooting a few

horned plovers on the beach, I took a survey of the romantic scenery

around. Here are a few poor houses, and some plantations of indigo,

sugar, and pulse. The beach is lined with fine aloes, and presents

an interesting view of several islets in front of the bay, the most

conspicuous of which is Madeira, before-mentioned. In another direction

is seen that of Ilha Grande. Four leagues distant from Sapitiva is

Santa Cruz, formerly the property of the Jesuits, and now the royal

farm of the Prince Regent of Portugal, of which I shall have occasion,

in the sequel, to speak more at large.

After settling with our host, we hired mules to carry us to Rio de

Janeiro, distant forty miles. Owing to the weight of our baggage, we

travelled but slowly: this, however, we did not regret, as the fatigues

of our coasting-voyage rendered us rather averse to violent exertion.

Proceeding through a low sandy country, covered with wood, for about

three leagues, we skirted the boundary of the Prince’s farm, which

encloses some of the finest and most fertile plains in South America,

and gives employment to upward of fifteen hundred negroes. We soon

afterwards reached the main road, which in general is very good, but

the lands about it are little cleared, and seem almost destitute of

cultivators. In the course of twenty miles, we saw only one house that

deserved the name of a plantation; the only dwellings by the way-side

were miserable huts and dram-shops, exhibiting deplorable symptoms of

sloth and poverty. Before sun-set we halted at a kind of inn, where our

mules were turned out to grass, and a supper was provided for us of

fowls, milk, and coffee. The house, though pleasantly situated on an

eminence among orange-groves and coffee-trees, was miserably deficient

in those conveniences which its exterior had announced. The room where

we supped was lighted by a small poor lamp, (here being no candles,)

and the floor was so uneven, that our table stood on only two of its

four legs. Tired with this cheerless gloom, we ordered our beds to be

unpacked, and retired to rest. The want of candle-light is a serious

inconvenience to travellers in all parts of Brazil, and no one ought

to undertake a journey without an ample provision of candles, with the

necessary implements for using them. Snuffers are articles of luxury,

very rarely to be met with, except as curiosities. I need not add that

beds are an equally indispensable part of a traveller’s equipage.

We resumed our journey at an early hour next day, along an excellent

road in the middle of a valley, formed by lofty mountains. After

travelling about three miles, we came to a house, called the _Padeira_

(bake-house), which is reckoned half way between Sapitiva and the

capital. From this place the road gradually becomes more enlivened by

dwellings and plantations, (but many of the former, are wretched hovels

erected for the sale of bacon, corn, liquors, &c.) and by numbers of

countrymen bringing produce from every part of the south-west, even

from the far districts of Goyazes, Coritiva, Cuyaba, S. Paulo, and

Mato Grosso. It is not uncommon to see eight hundred or a thousand

mules passing and repassing in the course of a day, besides numerous

droves of fine cattle for the use of the city. Our heavy-laden and

weary mules travelled so slowly, that we did not come within sight of

Rio de Janeiro, until about three in the afternoon. On reaching the

eminence, which commanded the first prospect of this fine city, our

joyful sensations banished every feeling of fatigue. One of the party,

who had advanced a few paces, rode back as fast as his mule could go,

exclaiming, “the English flag.” We hastened onward, and beheld one

of the most welcome sights that ever greeted the eyes of a traveller,

with a remembrance of his native country—a squadron of our men of

war at anchor in the bay, which had recently escorted the court of

Portugal to an asylum in their own dominions, beyond the reach of their

foes. We no longer felt uneasy at the thought of entering a large city

inhabited by strangers; we knew that the name of Englishman would be a

passport among them, and we anticipated something of that delight which

is connected with the near prospect of home. I, who had for eighteen

months lingered in exile, and beheld each setting sun close another

day of almost hopeless captivity, enjoyed this evening-scene with

indescribable emotion; it was here, that, for the first time since my

landing in South America, I had just reason to promise myself a night’s

repose in freedom, safety, and peace.

We soon reached the suburbs, which are very large and pleasant, being

agreeably interspersed with gardens and pleasure-grounds. About five

o’clock we halted in the vicinity of Campo de Santa Anna, at an inn,

or rather hostelry for cattle, whence, having secured our baggage in

the miserable stall allotted to us, we sallied forth in search of the

friends who left us at St. Catherine’s. Accustomed, as we long had

been, to rude and solitary scenes, we were forcibly struck with the

opulence of this city, displayed in its magnificent buildings and

regular streets. While engaged in anxious enquiries after our friends,

we accidentally met one of them, who, with unspeakable joy, conducted

us to the rest; and the evening was passed most agreeably in relating

our several encounters, and in asking and answering innumerable

questions. Returning to our inn at midnight, we remained with our

luggage until morning, when we carted it up to the house of our friends

in Rua dos Pescadores.

During our journey from Sapitiva to Rio de Janeiro, we had not much

leisure for geological observation. The stratum, in the course of the

route, appeared to be generally granite, like that before described.

In some parts we observed large stones, approximating to green-stone,

and in other parts we found fine clay. Nearer to the capital,

and particularly in the environs of St. Cristovão, the Prince’s

country-palace, the stratum has a gneiss-like appearance, and produces

some fine specimens of feldspar. In the precincts of the city, there is

an extensive flat, covered with mangroves, and overflowed by the tide.

At the foot of the mountains which bound it, are quarries of granite,

large blocks of which are raised for building purposes, as well as for

paving the streets of the city.

CHAP. VII.

_Description of Rio de Janeiro.—Trade.—State of Society.—Visit to

the Prince Regent’s Farm at Santa Cruz._

RIO DE JANEIRO has been so often described by former travellers, that,

were I to confine myself to the supply of what they have omitted, or

to the correction of their mis-statements, my task would be speedily

performed, but, as I have uniformly chosen to write freely from my own

observation rather than follow the track of others, I shall trespass

on the reader with a more detailed account than he might perhaps

require. It will, however, be recollected that the period at which I

visited this capital, being a political æra in the annals of Brazil, is

sufficiently interesting to excuse, if not to justify me in the attempt

to improve upon descriptions of an earlier date, though at the risk of

a little repetition.

The finest view of the city is from the harbour[24], whence its

lofty eminence crowned with convents, and the hills in its environs,

interspersed with villas and gardens, have a rich and magnificent

appearance. The royal palace skirts the beach, and is seen to great

advantage from the principal landing-place, which is within sixty

yards of its doors. This palace, though small, is the residence of the

Prince Regent and the royal family: the mint and the royal chapel form

parts of the structure. Parallel with the beach runs the main street,

consisting of noble buildings, called Rua Dereita, from which the minor

streets branch off at right angles, and are intersected by others at

regular distances.

Some idea of the extent of the city may be formed from the population,

which, including the negroes, (its most numerous portion,) is estimated

at a hundred thousand souls: the dwellings, at the out-skirts, are

generally of one story only.

The numerous convents and churches are well built, and rather

handsome; the church of Candelaria, now finished, is in a superior

style of architecture. The streets were formerly incommoded by

latticed balconies, which had a very heavy appearance and obstructed

the circulation of the air, but they have been taken away by order

of Government. The greatest nuisances now remaining are those which

arise from the custom of persons of all ranks on horseback to ride

on the foot-paths, and from the preposterous hanging of shop and

house-doors, which all open outward into the street, to the great

annoyance of foot-passengers: I may also add the frequent pools of

stagnant water, which, from the lowness of the site, cannot without

much labor be drained away, and which, through the heat of the weather,

often emit the most putrid exhalations. Water for the use of the city

flows from the hills through aqueducts, and is distributed to several

fountains in various public places. It is to be regretted that there

are not more of these for the supply of the inhabitants[25], numbers of

whom live a mile distant from any of them, and are obliged to employ

persons continually in carrying water: many of the poorer classes earn

a living by selling it. The fountains in dry weather are frequently

so crowded, that the carriers have to wait for hours before they can

be supplied. The water is good, and, when kept in large jars, drinks

cool and pleasant. The inns and public houses are almost destitute of

accommodations, and so very uncomfortable that a stranger will not

reside in them if he can find a friend to take him in. House-rent,

after the arrival of the Royal Family, became equally high as in

London, owing, it should seem, to the dearness of building materials,

and the high price of masonry. Timber in particular is unaccountably

scarce, considering the quantity which grows in almost every part of

Brazil; even firewood is dear. Provisions are in general plentiful, but

not very choice in quality: the beef is very indifferent, and indeed

bad; the pork is better, and, if the feeding were properly attended to,

might be rendered fine; mutton is almost unknown, as the natives will

not eat it[26]; the poultry of every description is excellent, but it

is very dear. Pulse and vegetables of all kinds are very abundant, and

the fish-market is not ill supplied. Turtles are frequently caught, as

well as a great variety of fish; there are abundance of very fine large

prawns. The oysters and muscles, though not equal to ours, are very

tolerable.

Owing to its low situation, and the general filthiness of its streets,

Rio de Janeiro cannot be called healthful. Improvements are now

making which will in part remedy these evils; but other causes tend

to increase the insalubrity of the air, and to spread contagious

distempers, the principal of which are the large importations of

negroes from Africa, who commonly land in a sickly state, the

consequence of close confinement during a hot voyage. It is much to be

regretted that the city was not originally built on the plan of those

in the Netherlands, with canals for brigs and small vessels, which

might then have been unloaded at the doors of the warehouses: such

an improvement would have also greatly tended to the cleanliness and

salubrity of the town.

The police is by no means ill regulated; and, from the attention which

has been paid to it since the arrival of the court, there is every

hope that it will be placed on a footing equally respectable with that

of any European capital. The prisons are loathsome, and require the

benevolent genius of a Howard to reform them altogether. One great

step in favor of humanity has been gained: the inquisition has been

abolished, and with it the spirit of persecution, so that no one can

now be offended for his theological tenets, unless he openly insult the

established religion.

This city is the chief mart of Brazil, and especially of the provinces

of Minas Geraes, S. Paulo, Goyazes, Cuyaba, and Coritiva. The mining

districts, being most populous, require the greatest proportion of

consumable goods, and in return send the most valuable articles of

commerce, hence innumerable troops of mules are continually travelling

to and from those districts; their common burden is about three hundred

weight each, which they carry to the almost incredible distance of 1500

or 2000 miles. Their homeward freight consists chiefly of salt for the

consumption of the cattle, and iron for the working of the mines, and

goods of all descriptions.

No colonial port in the world is so well situated for general commerce

as Rio de Janeiro. It enjoys, beyond any other, an equal convenience

of intercourse with Europe, America, Africa, the East Indies, and the

South Sea Islands, and seems formed by nature as the grand link to

connect the trade of those great portions of the globe. Commanding

also, as the capital of a rich and extensive territory, resources of

immense amount and value, it seemed to require only the presence of

an efficient government to give it political importance, and this

advantage it has now gained by becoming the chosen residence of the

court of Portugal. The benefits resulting from this great event had

but just begun to display themselves at the period to which this

narrative refers; and the commercial relations of Rio de Janeiro,

though considerably augmented, were still but in their germ. I shall

proceed to state them according to the best information I was then able

to procure.

The imports hither from the River Plate, and from Rio Grande de St.

Pedro, consist in immense quantities of dried beef, tallow, hides, and

wheat. Those from the United States are chiefly salt provisions, flour,

household furniture, pitch, and tar. The North Americans generally send

cargoes of these articles on speculation, and, as the market for them

is fluctuating and not to be depended on, they frequently take them to

other ports. Their provisions are commonly sent to the Cape of Good

Hope. They bring European merchandize, which they exchange for specie

wherewith to trade to China, and also take in necessaries on their

voyages to the South Seas.

From the western coast of Africa, Rio de Janeiro imports wax, oil,

elephant’s teeth, gum, sulphur, and some woods. The negro trade has

been restricted to the kingdom of Angola by a decree of the Prince

Regent, who has declared his intention of abolishing it altogether as

soon as possible.

The trade to Mozambique is trivial; but, since the capture of the Isle

of France by the British has cleared that coast from French privateers,

it may be expected to increase. It affords many valuable products, such

as gold-dust, brought from the interior, ivory, of which the Prince

monopolizes the largest sort, ebony and other fine woods, drugs, oil,

excellent columbo-root, and an abundance of various gums, particularly

of the gum _meni_. The whale fisheries on the coast have proved a

source of riches to many speculators.

The intercourse of this port with India, in common with Mozambique, has

been much annoyed by the privateers of the Isle of France, and will

therefore, in all probability, florish equally by their suppression. A

voyage thither and back is performed with great expedition: one large

ship of eight hundred tons sailed, loaded at Surat, and returned within

the space of seven months. A voyage to China seldom occupies a longer

period. The trade thither will no doubt be revived, and it is not

improbable that this port may, at no great distance of time, become an

entrepôt for India goods destined for Europe.

Rio de Janeiro is conveniently situated for supplying a great variety

of necessaries to the Cape of Good Hope and to New South Wales; indeed,

of late years, English manufactures have been sold here so cheap,

that it has been found more advantageous to ship them hence for those

colonies than from home. Ships going on the South Sea whale-fishery

touch here, and lay in large quantities of spirituous liquors, wine,

sugar, coffee, tobacco, soap, and live stock.

The imports from the mother-country consist chiefly in vinegar,

hardware, coarse linen, hats, silks, wine, and oil. From Sweden some

iron, also pitch and tar are occasionally brought: it is preferred to

English iron, particularly for mules’ shoes, on account of its greater

ductility.

The exports consist principally of cotton, sugar, rum, coffee, rice,

ship-timber, various fine cabinet-woods, hides, tallow, indigo, and

coarse cotton cloths, in immense quantities, for clothing the Peons in

the provinces of the River Plate. Among the more precious articles of

export may be enumerated gold, in chains and other ornaments, diamonds,

topazes of various colors, amethysts, tourmalines, (that are frequently

sold for emeralds), chrysoberyls, aqua-marinas, and wrought jewelry.

This market has been greatly overstocked with English manufactures,

in consequence of the sanguine speculations to which our merchants

were incited by the late emigration. The supply exceeded the demand in

a tenfold degree, and the excess gave rise to auctions, where goods

were sold at unprecedentedly reduced prices. In proportion as English

merchandize lowered, that of Brazil rose in value; and so great was the

demand for it, owing to the numerous vessels waiting for cargoes, that

within a year after the arrival of the Prince Regent, the price of

every article of produce was doubled. Gold quickly disappeared; for the

monied Portuguese, perceiving the avidity and impolitic eagerness with

which the English forced their goods upon them, cautiously withheld

their specie, and, by the alternative of barter, got rid of their own

produce at a very high price, and obtained our merchandize almost at

their own valuation. The losing party in this unequal traffic, though

they had chiefly to blame their own imprudence in engaging in it, were

loud in their complaints and remonstrances against the Portuguese

merchants. A treaty of commerce was concluded, by which the duties

on English merchandize were fixed at fifteen_per cent_. while other

nations were to pay twenty-four _per cent. ad valorem_. A judge was

appointed to attend solely to the concerns of the English, and to

see justice done them: he was entitled the _Juiz Conservador_ of the

English nation. The person who now fills this important office is one

of the most enlightened and upright of men; his official conduct, of

which I have seen much, has secured him the respect of all parties, and

has done credit to the choice of the Prince Regent, confirmed by the

approval of his Excellency Lord Strangford. Further to cultivate and

extend the interests of commerce, his Royal Highness has established a

Board of Trade, in which are some experienced and intelligent men, to

whose consideration every particular case, and every new regulation,

is referred. One of the members of this Board, Dr. José da Silva

Lisboa, has greatly distinguished himself by his zeal for the English

nation, displayed in various publications on commerce, particularly

in one dated May 1810, which contains a fund of solid argument on

the principles laid down and acknowledged by our most celebrated

statesmen and political writers. It is to be hoped that the diffusion

of views so liberal, under the auspices of ministers, will banish that

narrow-minded jealousy with which certain opulent individuals of the

Brazilian capital regard the English merchants, whom they stigmatize as

intruders; and that the general interests of commerce in this thriving

colony will gain, through fair competition, what they have heretofore

lost through overstocked markets.

The business of the custom-house, although still shackled with many

troublesome and tedious regulations, especially with regard to small

articles, has been considerably simplified; and in all cases, where a

stranger finds himself at a loss how to proceed, he is sure to have

every difficulty explained, and every obstacle removed, by appealing

to the judge who presides over this department. The liberality and

disinterestedness of this excellent officer are the more generally

felt and acknowledged, from an apprehension of the inconveniences with

which his situation might enable him to embarrass the trade, if he were

inclined to a more rigorous execution of the laws.

In mentioning the advantages which have resulted to the English

merchants from the liberality of the persons in office, I ought not to

omit stating that much has been effected through the exertions of the

British minister, who, while pursuing that conciliatory and moderate

line of conduct, which gained him the esteem of the Prince Regent, ever

firmly upheld the interests of his nation; and in all deliberations

concerning them, reserved to himself the casting vote. With respect

to individuals, it is true that he declined to be troubled on every

trivial occasion, and scrupulously discountenanced every covert

attempt at monopoly or peculation, from whatever quarter it came; but

in great questions he acted with promptitude and decision; nor was he

averse to use his influence in favor of a private individual, when

a candid and manly appeal was made to him. Considering the peculiar

circumstances attending his embassy, and also the jarring interests he

had to reconcile, Lord Strangford conducted himself in a way highly

honorable to his talents and character; and in continuing to merit the

confidence of his own court, secured that of the Prince Regent and all

his ministers. The treaty of commerce is a proof of the harmony which

subsists between them, and may be regarded on our part as the most

advantageous that, in the existing posture of affairs, could have been

procured.

The harbour is easy of entrance and egress, generally speaking, at all

times, as there is a daily alternation of land and sea breeze, the

former blowing until about noon, and the latter from that hour until

sun-set. Ships find here every conveniency for repairing, heaving down,

&c. but it is to be hoped that docks will soon be formed, which will

render the latter troublesome and dangerous operation unnecessary.

There is an anchorage-duty paid, which forms an item in the bill of

port charges.

Of the state of society in Rio de Janeiro, what I have to observe

differs little from the description of the Paulistas given. The same

habits and manners prevail at both places, allowing for some slight

variation, caused by the greater influx of strangers to the capital.

The Portuguese are in general rather punctilious and reserved in

admitting a foreigner to their family parties; but having once received

him, they are open and hospitable. The ladies are affable and courteous

to strangers, extremely fond of dress, but less proud than those of

other nations. In their mixed assemblies the utmost gaiety prevails,

and is seasoned by that finished politeness for which the Portuguese

are generally distinguished. The conversation of the best bred men,

however, is more lively than instructive; for education is here at

a low ebb, and comprehends a very limited course of literature and

science. It is proper to add that, since the arrival of the court,

measures have been adopted for effecting a thorough reform in the

seminaries, and other institutions for public instruction; and that

the Prince Regent, in his solicitude for the good of his subjects, has

zealously patronized every attempt to diffuse among them a taste for

useful knowledge. Under his auspices, the college of S. Joaquim has

undergone considerable improvement: a lectureship on chemistry has been

instituted, to which our countryman, Dr. Gardner, has been nominated by

his Royal Highness; and it is to be hoped that from this appointment

may be dated the introduction of experimental philosophy in that

establishment.

Resuming my narrative, I am bound in gratitude to state that the

reception I met with here exceeded my most sanguine hopes, and far more

so any individual pretensions on which I could ground them. I must

attribute it to the letter of introduction to the Viceroy, with which

the Portuguese minister in London honored me on my departure thence,

and which I presented to his noble relative, the Conde de Linhares,

minister for foreign affairs. This distinguished statesman shewed me

every attention, and granted me every privilege I could ask, so that,

through his kind condescension, all went well with me. I may state

this without incurring the imputation of vanity, since it is only one

among the numerous proofs he has given of his disposition to serve the

English by every means in his power.

A few weeks after my arrival, I solicited permission of His Excellency

the Conde de Linhares to work an iron mine at Guaraceaba, representing

at the same time the immense advantages which might accrue to the state

from such an experiment, by opening its own resources for the supply of

that useful metal. He in part assented to the proposal, but expressed

a wish that I should previously devote a few days to an inspection

of the Prince’s farm at Santa Cruz; and on my return make a report

of the state in which I found it. While preparing for my journey, it

was intimated to me as the Prince’s particular desire, that I should

endeavour to establish a dairy on the principle of those in England,

and direct the people in the management of it, to which I readily

assented. Being provided with horses and a soldier to attend me, I set

out on the journey accompanied by a gentleman named Paroissien, whose

amiable disposition and scientific pursuits rendered him a very useful

companion. After about fifty miles hard riding, we arrived at the farm

about six in the evening, much fatigued. The accommodations we met

with, fully explained to me the motive of His Royal Highness’s minister

in enquiring into the state of his domain. Having presented my official

letters, I was obliged to wait until ten o’clock before the slightest

refreshment could be procured; not a dish of coffee was to be had; the

only fare set before us was some lean beef half-boiled, certainly the

worst I had ever tasted in Brazil. The mulatto who attended us engaged

to have breakfast ready by seven next morning; we were in readiness at

the hour, and though told it was coming immediately, we waited three

hours, when just as we were ordering out the horses to Rio to avoid

being famished, the repast was announced, with an excuse that it could

not come sooner, because no milk could be procured.

I then took a survey of the establishment and rode over the grounds.

The house, I was informed, was once a convent of Jesuits, who possessed

also the extensive tract of land attached to it, which they managed

much better than their successors, if we may judge by the remains of

their undertakings. The edifice is neither large nor grand: it is built

in a quadrangular form, with an open court in the centre, and galleries

inside to the first and second floors. The apartments are thirty-six in

number, very small, having been adapted to the use of the brotherhood,

and since their departure only in a slight degree altered and decorated

for the reception of the Royal Family, as their summer residence. In

front of the house, to the southward, extends one of the finest plains

in the world, two leagues square, watered by two rivers navigable for

small craft, and bounded by fine bold rocky scenery, embellished in

many parts with noble forest trees. This plain is clothed with the

richest pasture, and supports from seven to eight thousand head of

cattle. A considerable part of it lies low, and abounds with bogs,

which might easily be laid dry and rendered susceptible of cultivation

by proper drainage. The park occupies in its entire extent upwards of

one hundred square miles, a territory almost as large as some of the

principalities of Italy, and capable, by its proximity and connection

with the capital both by land and water, of being rendered one of

the most productive and populous in Brazil. Under the present system

of management it is in a progressive state of deterioration; two

small corners, the best of the land, one about half a league square,

and the other more than a league square, have been already, through

disingenuous artifices, sold off, and the rest may in no long time be

sacrificed to men whose cupidity stimulates them to depreciate its

value, unless proper means are used to thwart their nefarious designs.

The negroes on this estate, including all descriptions, amount to about

fifteen hundred in number. They are in general a very excellent class

of men, tractable and gentle in their dispositions, and by no means

deficient in intellect. Great pains have been taken to enlighten them,

they are regularly instructed in the principles of the Christian faith,

and have prayers publicly read to them morning and evening, at the

commencement and close of their day’s labor. Plots of ground, at their

own choice, are assigned to each, and two days in the week, besides

the incidental holidays, are allowed them to raise and cultivate

produce for their own subsistence; the rest of their time and labor

is devoted to the service of His Highness. The system of management,

however, is so bad, that they are half-starved, almost destitute of

clothing, and most miserably lodged; their average earnings do not

amount to a penny per day each. A reform in the establishment might

have been easily effected on the arrival of the Prince Regent, but it

will now be very difficult, as the abuses have been tacitly sanctioned

by the indifference of those whose duty and interest it was to correct

them. In this extent of fine ground scarcely an inclosure is made; the

cultivated lands are full of weeds, and the coffee-plantations are

little better than a mere coppice-wood, in which the wild shrubs grow

higher than the coffee-trees. The cattle are most deplorably neglected,

and there is not upon the whole premises a horse fit for the meanest

beggar to ride. Such was the state in which I found this rich and

extensive district, which seems to have been destined by nature for the

introduction of improvements that might produce, through the influence

of high example, an entire change in the agricultural system of Brazil.

A short time after I had taken up my residence at Santa Cruz, the

Prince came down, and on the day succeeding his arrival honored me with

a visit, after which I frequently rode out with His Royal Highness. He

one day did me the honor to express a wish that I would undertake to

govern the farm; this proposal I begged leave to decline, on the ground

of my inability to render such an employ compatible with my other

concerns, suggesting at the same time the superior service I could

render by working the iron mine. Notwithstanding this, the Prince, on

the day following, gave me a paper, containing an offer of the whole

direction of the estate, and stating the terms. The repetition of the

proposal not a little embarrassed me; I was aware that, by refusing,

I might probably debar myself from the prospect of any future favor,

yet I anticipated enough of difficulty in the undertaking to make me

decline it at all events. This dilemma occasioned me much uneasiness,

and in order to remove it I applied to Sir Sidney Smith, who was then

on a visit to Santa Cruz, requesting him to explain to His Royal

Highness the circumstances which rendered it impossible for me to

settle in Brazil, and to tender him the offer of my services during my

stay. After some further deliberation, however, I was induced to accept

the appointment, by way of trial, for a few months, under the express

stipulation that I should act without control. On entering upon my

charge I began by making such new arrangements as appeared conducive to

the end for which I was appointed, but I soon perceived that instead of

being principal intendant, I had a superior, who held me accountable

to him for my proceedings, and manifested a fixed determination to

thwart them, as innovations on the established course of things.

But this was not the only inconvenience; it was expected that I

should purchase whatever was wanted on my own credit; but I quickly

discovered, that instead of being reimbursed, according to agreement,

I was trifled with and at length in part defrauded. The person here

alluded to, was one the managers of the Prince’s household; he could

not bear that a foreigner should interfere in a concern over which

he claimed authority, and hold a situation where real services might

induce a comparison unfavorable to those which he contented himself

with rendering. A detail of the artifices and insults which this man

employed to disgust me with the situation, when he found I would not

submit to be his servile drudge, would be tedious; suffice it to say,

that, perceiving no chance of obtaining that discretionary power, which

alone could enable me to be essentially useful, I peremptorily refused

to act any longer. Alarmed at this determination, he at first strove to

overawe and then conciliate me, but I had seen too much of his conduct

to be duped by this stratagem, or to suppose that any cordiality could

in future subsist between us. Imagining himself armed with royal power,

he attempted to play the tyrant, but the reception he met with quickly

forced him to resume his natural character. I did not hesitate to send

in my resignation, and he had the mortification to find that the means

he had employed to embarrass and enslave me, restored me to liberty.

In the letter which announced my determination to give up the employ, I

thought proper to omit stating to His Excellency the Conde de Linhares,

the reasons that led me to this step. Had that nobleman been apprised

of the disagreeable circumstances in which I was placed, he would, I

am confident, have done his utmost to remove them.

On my return to Rio de Janeiro, the Prince sent for me, and desired

me again and again to return to Santa Cruz; I contented myself with

a simple excuse; for that was not a time, nor was I in a place to

enter into explanations. It is well known, that a system of intrigue

prevailed near His Royal Highness’s person, which often tended to

counteract representations on matters of the greatest importance.

In this place, I shall take leave to introduce some remarks on the

province of Rio de Janeiro, from the pen of my friend, the Baron Von

Langsdorff, His communication is dated November 20, 1820.

“The province of Rio de Janeiro, being situated on the confines, and

without the tropic of Capricorn, is in general, in consequence of

that situation, less warm than the countries which lie near the line.

The whole territory extending 90 leagues in length and 35 in breadth

is mountainous, with the exception of the district of Goytacazes,

usually called Campos. It is therefore naturally divided into high

and low lands. In the latter the heat is as great as in the other

countries between the tropics, and consequently favorable to the

culture of coffee, sugar, cotton, indigo, cocoa, rice, and other

colonial productions, as well as to the growth of the most valuable

trees of India, and of its exquisite fruits and spiceries, many of

which have been introduced with success. The mango, the tea-plant, the

bread-fruit tree, from the islands of the Pacific, thrive well here,

as well as the camphire of Japan, the ginger, the cardamum, and the

casawarine of New Holland.

“On the mountains, which rise to the height of three thousand English

feet, which are covered to the summit with impenetrable virgin forests,

and of which the smiling valleys are watered by limpid streams, the

temperature is as various as the productions. The forests abound in

game, and in every kind of wood for ornamental work. In the grounds

newly cleared, the fruit-trees and plants of Europe, the peach, the

fig, the vine, the quince, and the strawberry, are cultivated with

surprising success.

“The fruits of the country are remarkable for their variety as well

as their abundance. Here are bananas, plantains, guyapas, onenas,

oranges, citrons, lemons, pomegranates, many delicate species of the

genus _Eugenia_, as the pitangas, jambas, and cromischamas; besides

an infinite number of other plants, still in their natural state,

which require only the industry of man to improve and add them to the

comforts of civilized life.

“In short, by its situation, its climate, and its products, indigenous

as well as exotic, this country claims distinction as the most happy

and naturally independent, on the face of the globe.

“With regard to climate, there is no winter or summer. The heat is

never excessive, and there is no sensible cold. The whole year appears

a continual spring. The uninterrupted verdure, the vivid and varied

color of the flowers which cover the highest trees of the forests,

and which, appearing to change their form and aspect every month,

constantly surround us with a new world, and fill the most insensible

minds with astonishment and admiration.

“Culinary vegetables and roots, as cabbages, radishes, turnips,

cucumbers, melons, French-beans, potatoes, maize, mandioca, bananas,

and various other products of the first necessity, may be planted

and gathered every day of the year in the mountains as well as in

the plain. As heat and humidity exist here in the most favorable

proportions, it will be readily concluded that vegetation must be

extremely rapid. Of this there are extraordinary instances. Father

Correia, one of the principal farmers of this province, settled at

Estrella, has sown a measure of rice, and gathered more than 500 in

return. The writer of these remarks was astonished at seeing rice grown

on high lands which had not been inundated. It appears to be sufficient

that the soil be humid, and that the rains do not fail. The common

return for maize is 120 or 130 for one. The coffee plant is easily

cultivated, and in favorable soils begins to bear fruit at the end of

two years and a half. It is not uncommon to find plantations of coffee

trees, which yield from ten to fifteen pounds of coffee a year. Grafts

from peaches form, in two years, trees from two to three inches in

diameter, loaded with fruit. Baron Langsdorff saw orange trees loaded

with fruit, raised within three years from seed. In the government

nursery at Lagoa de Tristes, may be seen alleys of _mimosa lebbeck_,

_black wood_, the seeds of which were brought from the Isle of France.

Within three years the trees grew to the height of from twenty to

thirty feet, and in thickness from eight to ten inches in diameter.”

The description extends into a multitude of details; but enough, it is

presumed, has been given, to afford an idea of the fine climate, the

fertile soil, and the richly varied products of this province of Brazil.

CHAP. VIII.

_Journey to Canta Gallo._

SOME time after my return from Santa Cruz, a circumstance of a singular

nature took place, which occasioned me to undertake a journey to a

district called Canta Gallo, distant about forty leagues from the

capital, and one of the latest discovered in this part of Brazil. Two

men reported that they had there found a mine of silver, and brought

to the mint a quantity of earthy matter reduced to powder, from which

was smelted a small ingot of that metal. This report being officially

laid before His Excellency the Conde de Linhares, I was solicited to go

to Canta Gallo, and investigate the business on the spot, the two men

being ordered to meet me there. Before I proceed to relate the result

of my inquiry, I shall briefly describe whatever I observed worthy of

note in the course of the journey.

Being provided with a passport, and also a sketch of the route, taken

from a MS. map in the archives, I departed from Rio on the 10th

of April, 1809, accompanied by Dr. Gardner, the gentleman already

mentioned as lecturer on chemistry at the college of S. Joaquim. Having

to pass to the bottom of the harbour, towards the north, we embarked

in a small vessel, and being favored with a strong sea-breeze, ran

down to the entrance of the fine river Macacu, which we reached after

a five hours’ sail. The wind then dying, our boatmen took to their

oars, and proceeding up the river, we reached a house called Villa

Nova, where numbers of market-boats for Rio, were waiting for the

land-wind and the turn of the tide. After taking some refreshment here,

we rowed onward until the river became so narrow, that the vessel

frequently touched the bank on each side, and the men were obliged to

push her along with poles. At day-break we reached Porto das Caixas,

a place of great resort from the interior, being the station where

the mules discharge their loads of produce from the many plantations

in the neighbourhood. The town consists of several poor houses, and

of stores where goods are deposited for embarkation. The stratum

hereabouts is primitive granite, covered with fine strong clay.

Leaving this place, we proceeded for some distance and came to a large

swamp, which we navigated in a canoe, with very little difficulty, and

shortly afterwards arrived at the village of Macacu. It stands on a

small eminence in the midst of a fine plain, watered by a considerable

stream, over which there are two good bridges. Though almost at the

base of the chain of the mountains that forms a barrier along the

coast, the neighbourhood affords some fine situations; the land, in

general, consists of a strong clay, but appears much worn out. The

commander, Colonel Jose, to whom I introduced myself, gave me a very

polite reception, as did also the brethren of the convent, to whom I

paid a visit. I passed the night at the house of the _Escrivão_, a

worthy gentleman, whose hospitality I still remember with peculiar

gratitude, because it seemed to proceed, not from a cold sense of duty,

but from the impulse of a warm and generous heart.

On the following day, being accommodated by the colonel with a horse

and guide, I proceeded along the winding banks of the river, which, in

many places, present most beautiful views. Here was more cultivated

land than I expected to see; but the sugar-plantations, and, in

general, the low pasture-grounds, are quite neglected. We passed

several farms belonging to convents, which, from their apparent

condition, and the accounts we received, do little more than maintain

the negroes and incumbents upon them. There was rarely a milch cow to

be met with: pigs and poultry were equally scarce. The population of

these fine valleys is deplorably thin and poor; there was a general

sickliness in the looks of the women and children, which may be imputed

to their miserable diet and inactive life. I ought to state that the

manners of the people here are mild and gentle; we were every where

treated with civility, and all our enquiries were answered with the

most friendly marks of respect and attention.

The air, as we drew nearer the mountains, was fresh and indeed cold.

Towards evening we arrived at a farm belonging to a convent of nuns

in Rio de Janeiro, where we were kindly accommodated for the night.

This place is most agreeably situated, and might, under skilful and

industrious management, be rendered a paradise. It has excellent clay,

fine timber, a good fall of water, which forms a beautiful rivulet,

and runs into a navigable river within one hundred yards of the house;

a fine extent of arable land, and a still finer of pasture, which

peculiarly qualifies it for dairy farming. It is distant only one day’s

journey from Porto das Caixas, where there is a navigable communication

with the metropolis. What a scene for an enterprising agriculturist!

At present all is neglected: the house, the out-buildings, and other

conveniences, are in a state of decay, and all the people who manage

the land appear, in common with the animals that feed upon it, to be

half famished.

The next morning we proceeded eastward, and crossing the stream, which

was at least sixty yards broad and full three feet deep, rode along the

farther margin, which is rather more elevated, and presents a view of

some fine plains, stretching from thence to the base of the mountains.

Journeying in that direction we reached the fine plantation of Captain

Ferreira, who received us very politely, and shewed us every attention.

This place, bounded by the alpine ridge behind it, is the extreme point

to which the river Macacu is navigable. It is six or seven leagues

from the village of that name. The estate maintains about one hundred

negroes, who are chiefly employed in raising sugar, cotton, and coffee;

but to me the situation appeared much better calculated for growing

grain and feeding cattle, as the weather is at times cold, the evenings

are often attended with heavy dews, and owing to the proximity of

the mountains, there are frequent rains, accompanied by thunder and

lightning. Numbers of fine springs burst forth from various parts of

the hills, and form rivulets with falls, which, as here is plenty of

fine timber, afford every means for working machinery. The owner lives

in opulence, and is so humane and liberal to his people, that they

seem to revere him as a father. We were much pleased with the air of

domestic comfort and contented industry, which we observed among them

on visiting their dwellings in the evening. Some of the negro-children

were at play; others of more advanced age were assisting the women to

pick cotton; and the men were scraping and preparing mandioca. Their

cheerfulness was not at all interrupted by our approach, nor did they

betray any uneasy feeling of constraint in the presence of their

superiors. In lieu of candles, which are seldom to be met with but in

the capital, they burn oil, extracted from the bean of the palm, or

from a small species of ground-nut, here called _meni_.

About noon, on the following day, horses being provided, and a soldier

appointed for our guide, we left the _fazenda_, accompanied by its

hospitable owner, Captain Ferreira, who conducted us half a league on

our way. The river, along which we passed in an easterly direction,

bursts through vast masses of rock with great force, and in some

parts forms considerable falls. The Captain, ere we parted, led me to

a water-course, in which were found pieces of granite covered with

manganese in a botryoidal form. After crossing the river twice, we

arrived at what is called the first register, or searching-house,

distant about two miles from the _fazenda_. This station is guarded

by a corporal and a private soldier, who are charged with the receipt

of various tolls, and are empowered to search passengers, in order to

prevent the smuggling of gold-dust. After shewing my passport, I took

leave of Captain Ferreira, who made me promise to pay him a longer

visit on my return.

We had been warned of the badness of the roads, and were by no means

agreeably deceived in them, for we were nearly four hours in going the

next six miles. At the close of day, after a laborious and dangerous

passage through abrupt ravines, and along the sides of steep hills, our

guide announced that we were in sight of the second register, where it

was proposed that we should pass the night. On arriving we found it

a most miserable place, inhabited by five or six soldiers under the

command of a serjeant. This good man gave us a hearty welcome, and

with the assistance of his comrades, cooked us a supper of fowls, and

regaled us with whatever else their scanty store afforded. We were not

without music to our repast, for the house is built on the edge of a

roaring torrent, which, bursting through a ravine, has washed away

every thing except some huge masses of rock. A bit of ground, about

ten yards square, is all the garden these poor people have, and even

this is much neglected, for the guards here are so often changed, that

no one thinks of adding to the comforts and conveniences of an abode,

which others are to enjoy.

At day-break, we found that our mules had strayed into a wood

adjoining, but as the road was stopped, we were under no apprehension

of losing them, for the thickets on each side were impervious. This

occurrence gave me an opportunity of seeing more of these remote

regions; and certainly the imagination of Salvator Rosa himself never

pictured so rude a solitude. On one side rose the great barrier of

mountains, which we had yet to cross, covered to their summits with

trees and underwood, without the smallest trace of cultivation; on

the other lay the broken country, between this ridge and the plain,

presenting the same wild features of sylvan scenery. The miserable

hut at which we lodged, partook of the savage character of the

neighbourhood, and seemed formed for the abode of men cut off from all

intercourse with their fellows. On our return we were provided with a

breakfast of coffee and eggs; as to milk there was no possibility of

procuring any; a cow would have been considered here as an incumbrance,

nor would any one of the six idle soldiers have given himself the

trouble of milking her though they all had been dying of hunger.

On resuming our journey, we entered on a road still more steep and

rugged than that which we had passed. We were often obliged to dismount

and lead our mules up almost perpendicular passes, and along fearful

declivities. In some places, the thick foliage of the trees, and that

of the underwood, which grew higher than our heads, sheltered us from

the sun, and indeed scarcely admitted the light. Not a bird did we see,

nor the trace of any living thing, except some wild hogs. We passed

several bare granite rocks of a gneiss-like formation.

In journeying to the next station, we observed nothing worthy of note,

except a small saw-mill, worked by an overshot wheel, of very clumsy

construction. The frame, which contains a single saw of very thick

iron, moves in a perpendicular direction; at every stroke, a boy brings

the timber up, by pulling a cord attached to a crank that moves the

cylinder on which it rests. How readily, thought I, would the meanest

Russian peasant improve this machine!

We proceeded on our way up an ascent so precipitous, that we were

obliged to walk more than ride; after two hours toiling along the side

of a granite mountain, in which we observed some beds of fine clay,

we reached the summit, from whence we saw the bay of Rio de Janeiro,

the sugar-loaf mountain, and the city itself, to all appearance,

not more than four or five leagues distant from us, though, in

reality, more than twenty. At this elevation, which we may state to

be at four or five thousand feet above the level of the sea, the

air was sharp and keen; the thermometer stood at 58°. Continuing in

a north-easterly direction, we passed two poor solitary farms, and

entered upon a range of scenery tremendously grand, composed of bare

abrupt conical mountains, with immense water-falls in every direction.

At the close of the day, we arrived at a farm-house, called _Fazenda

do Morro Queimado_, the manager of which received us hospitably,

and accommodated us for the night. The weather was so cold, that a

double supply of bedclothes scarcely produced sufficient warmth; in

the morning the thermometer was at 48° Fahrenheit. After the heavy

dew had cleared away, we took a view of the grounds, in company with

the manager; they appeared well-suited for a grazing-farm, but the

temperature of the atmosphere is too severe for growing the common

produce of the country; particularly cotton, coffee, and bananas, which

are frequently blighted. I was informed that some wheat has been grown

here, though the people are quite unacquainted with the European method

of farming. Indian corn, for the feed of hogs, is the staple article.

This plantation is infested by ounces, which, at times, prey upon young

cattle; the manager, who is a great hunter, keeps dogs, though of a

poor race, for the express purpose of destroying them, which is thus

practised:—When the carcass of a worried animal has been found, or

when an ounce has been seen prowling about, the news is soon proclaimed

among the neighbours, two or three of whom take fire-arms loaded with

heavy slugs, and go out with the dogs in quest of the animal, who

generally lurks in some thicket, near the carcass he has killed, and

leaves so strong a scent, that the dogs soon find. When disturbed he

retreats to his den, if he has one, the dogs never attempting to fasten

on him, or even to face him, but, on the contrary, endeavouring to get

out of his way, which is not difficult, as the ounce is heavy and slow

of motion. If he caves, the sport is at an end, and the hunters make up

the entrance; but he more commonly has recourse to a large tree, which

he climbs with great facility; here his fate is generally decided,

for the hunters get near enough to take a steady aim, and seldom fail

to bring him down, one of them reserving his fire to dispatch him,

if required, after he has fallen. It generally happens, that one or

two of the dogs are killed in coming too near, for even in his dying

struggles, a single stroke of his paw proves mortal. The skin is

carried home as a trophy, and the neighbours meet and congratulate each

other on the occasion.

This farm, in the hands of an experienced and skilful agriculturist,

might be managed so as to produce amazing returns. Its soil is wet,

adapted to the growth, not only of Indian corn, but of wheat, barley,

potatoes, &c. and it is so well irrigated, by numerous mountain

streams, that the pastures are always luxuriant. Here are fine falls of

water, and abundance of excellent timber, so that corn-mills might be

erected at little more expense than what would arise from the purchase

of mill-stones. Connected with the nun’s farm below, this establishment

might be rendered one of the most complete and advantageous in Brazil.

Leaving _Morro Queimado_ at noon, and descending on the other side of

the ridge of mountains, we passed through an unequal tract, formed of

hills and ravines. Onward the land appeared finer, and the timber of

a superior growth, but there were few cultivated spots, and not many

houses. The first extensive _fazenda_ we reached was that of Manoel

Jose Pereira, a native of the Azores, who managed his agricultural

concerns much better than the other farmers whom we visited. We were

shewn a large field of Indian corn, ready for cutting; the quantity

that had been sown was about eleven _fangas_, or bushels, and the

produce was estimated at fifteen hundred bushels, about one hundred and

fifty for one. This was an ordinary crop; in good years the harvest

yields two hundred for one. The corn, as before stated, is chiefly

consumed in the fattening of pigs; the quantity requisite for this

purpose is six or seven bushels each, and the time, ten or twelve

weeks. The curing of bacon is performed by cutting all the lean from

the flitches, and sprinkling them with a very little salt. This food

has the peculiar effect of giving greater solidity to the fat, which of

itself is not liable to putrefaction.

Though the owner of this farm has occupied it not more than five years,

and has had only the assistance of his two sons, and six negroes, he

has brought it into a very fair state of cultivation. In his coffee

plantation we observed five thousand trees in full bearing, and the

rest of his grounds were in an equally prosperous condition. His

expenses, indeed, are light, and the only difficulties he has had to

contend with, have been the bad roads, which are now much amended. The

example of this man, it is to be hoped, will stimulate the emulation of

his neighbours; for it has fully shewn the unbounded liberality with

which nature here crowns the labors of the agriculturist.

On our way hence to the place of our destination, we passed through

some forests of fine full-grown trees; one, which had fallen, I had

the curiosity to measure; it was full seventy-six inches in diameter,

at the thick end, and above twenty-five yards in length. Such a piece

of timber I had never before seen. Within about three miles from

Canta Gallo, we arrived at an excellent farm belonging to the _Senhor

Tenente_, or treasurer of the district, who treated us very hospitably,

and invited us to visit him on our return. Our reception at Canta Gallo

was highly gratifying; the Governor, and all the principal inhabitants,

overjoyed to see Englishmen in these remote parts, treated us with

great cordiality and friendship; a dinner was provided, at which they

testified to us the great respect they entertained for our nation, as

being the great ally of a Prince whom they adored.

CHAP. IX.

_Description of Canta Gallo.—Of the Gold-washing of Santa

Rita.—Account of the supposed Silver-Mine._

CANTA GALLO, though so near the seat of government, was not known

until about twenty years ago. It is situated in the midst of a

fine well-wooded country, abounding in springs, and intersected by

narrow valleys and ravines. The bottoms of some of these ravines

formerly contained gold, which was accidentally discovered by some

_grimpeiros_[27] from Minas Geraes, in the course of their searches

about the great river Paraiba, and the Rio Pumba. The richness of these

beds of gold, and the fertility of the circumjacent country, attracted

numbers of adventurers, who placed themselves under the direction of

an able chieftain, named Mão de Luva, on account of his having lost

one hand, and his wearing a stuffed glove in its place. The band soon

amounted to two or three hundred persons, who washed every part in the

neighbourhood worth washing, before they were discovered. Being very

determined men, they lived free of control, and bade defiance to the

laws. It was not until about three years after their first settlement,

that the existing government was apprised of them; when, alarmed at the

report of their numbers, which was doubtless exaggerated, they sent out

spies to discover their rendezvous. This, after much time and great

difficulty, was effected; the spies, in wandering through the solitary

woods and fastnesses in the neighbourhood, were attracted toward the

place, by the crowing of a cock:—hence the name of Canta Gallo, which

was subsequently given to it. They introduced themselves as smugglers,

who wished to belong to the fraternity, and after living there some

time, found means to give information to government, at Rio de Janeiro,

who issued proclamations, offering pardon if the whole body would

surrender. This measure was ineffectual; the _grimpeiros_ were well

provided with fire-arms, and determined to defend themselves as long

as any gold could be found. In a year or two afterwards, the washings

began to fail, and thus the great bond of interest which united them

being loosened, some deserted the place, and the rest became less

vigilant in taking measures for their defence. The government seized

this favorable opportunity for reducing them; a considerable force was

assembled in the vicinity, with orders to make an attack at a certain

fixed day, which was known to be celebrated by the _grimpeiros_ as a

festival in honor of some saint. At the expected time, while they were

engaged at a great banqueting, and too much occupied with their wine

to think of their arms, which had been laid aside, (the flints having

been secretly taken out), about a hundred soldiers rushed in among

them; those who were sober enough flew to their arms, exclaiming, “We

are sold! we are betrayed! treason! treason!” The contest was short;

the soldiers seized the ringleaders, who were either sent to Africa,

or imprisoned for life; of the rest, some were taken prisoners, others

fled, but were pursued for years afterwards, and a few fell in the

attack.

The Government, having thus become masters of this territory, and

imagining it to be as rich in gold as when the _grimpeiros_ first

settled there, issued many injudicious regulations, oppressed the

natives beyond example, built registers in various parts, to prevent

contraband, and filled the whole neighbourhood with guards. The

numerous settlers, whom the supposed richness of the place afterwards

attracted, soon found that the cream had been skimmed by the smugglers,

and by degrees turned their attention to agriculture, a less precarious

source of subsistence than mining. So little gold is at present found,

that His Highness’s fifth scarcely pays the officers and soldiers

appointed to receive it. There are some situations alike favorable to

mining and farming; with a small capital, a man may here turn both

pursuits to account, if he can bring himself to conform to the customs

of the place. The land is strong and good; its various inequalities

present spots adapted to the growth of almost every description of

produce. In the valleys, and on the sides of the mountains, the soil,

in some parts, consists of strong clay, but more generally of a fine,

rich, vegetable mould. The rock, or solid stratum, which appears at

various depths below it, is granite, composed of feldspar, hornblende,

quartz, mica, and frequently garnets. When found in a decomposing

state, it is denominated _pizarra_. No metallic substances, except

gold and oxides of iron, appear; the former, which is found in the

interjacent bed of _cascalho_, exists only in grains; I examined a

considerable quantity, but could not discover a single particle in a

crystallized state.

The country appears to be very poorly stocked with cattle; no cows are

kept for milking, nor is any attention here paid to the production of

an article of diet, so essential to the subsistence of a poor family;

a few goats are kept, and the only milk used is that which they yield.

The common food of the inhabitants is as follows:—for breakfast, a

kind of kidney beans, called _feijoens_, boiled, and afterwards mixed

with the flour of Indian corn; for dinner, _feijoens_ boiled with a

little fat pork and some cabbage leaves, and a sort of pudding, made

by pouring the water from the pork on a plate of the _farinha_, which

is eaten with the hand, and much relished; for supper, some poor

vegetables, also boiled up with fat pork. Fowls, which are bred here

in great numbers, are generally cut to pieces and stewed for table.

Wine is rarely used, even among the higher ranks; but here are fruits

in great abundance, particularly bananas and oranges, which form a

considerable part of the general diet.

Very little sugar is grown here: the principal articles of produce sent

to the capital, are Indian corn, and pulse of all kinds, bacon, fowls,

_jaracandá_, or rose-wood, ipecacuanha, and a small quantity of gold.

In many parts of the neighbourhood is found a tree, the bark of which

has been successfully used as a substitute for the quinquina of Peru.

In one of the frequent excursions I took in the neighbourhood of Canta

Gallo, previous to my journey to the reputed silver mine, I obtained

some information respecting the half-civilized aborigines of the

district, from a man who employs himself in procuring ipecacuanha,

and is a kind of chief among them. They reside in the woods, in a

most miserable condition; their dwellings, some of which I saw, are

formed of boughs of trees, bent so as to hold a thatch or tiling of

palm-leaves; their beds are made of dry grass. Having little idea of

planting or tillage, they depend for subsistence almost entirely on

their bows and arrows, and on the roots and wild fruits which they

casually find in the woods. The chief above-mentioned brought about

fifty of these Indians to pay me a visit, which was not a little

gratifying to me, as it afforded an opportunity of examining their

features, and of conversing with the few among them who could speak a

little of the Portuguese language. The dress of the men consisted of a

waistcoat and a pair of drawers; that of the women, of a chemise and

petticoat, with a handkerchief tied round the head, after the fashion

of the Portuguese females. They bore the general characteristics of

their race, the copper-colored skin, short and round visage, broad

nose, lank black hair, and regular stature, inclining to be short and

broad set. Being desirous to see a proof of their skill and precision

in shooting, of which I had heard much, I placed an orange at thirty

yards distance, which was pierced by an arrow from every one who drew

his bow at it. I next pointed out a banana-tree, about eight inches in

circumference, at a distance of forty yards; not a single arrow missed

its aim, though they all shot at an elevated range. Interested by these

proofs of their archery, I went with some of them into a wood to see

them shoot at birds; though there were very few, they discovered them

far more quickly than I could; and, cautiously creeping along until

they were within bow-shot, never failed to bring down their game. The

stillness and expedition with which they penetrated the thickets, and

passed through the brushwood, were truly surprising; nor could any

thing have afforded me a more satisfactory idea of their peculiar way

of life. Their bows are made of the tough fibrous wood of the Iriri,

six or seven feet long, and very stout; their arrows are full six feet

long, and near an inch in diameter, pointed with a piece of cane cut

to a feather edge, or with a bone, but of late more frequently with

iron. They are loathsome in their persons, and in their habits but one

remove from the Anthropophagi; a woman was gnawing at a half-roasted

parrot, which was spiked on a stick, with the feathers scarcely burnt

off, and the entrails hanging out[28]. They are not of a shy or morose

character, but have a great aversion to labor, and cannot be brought

to submit to any regular employment. Rarely is an Indian to be found

serving as a domestic, or working for hire, and to this circumstance

may be ascribed the low state of agriculture in the district; for as

the farmers, when they begin the world, have seldom funds sufficient

to purchase negroes at Rio, their operations are for a long time very

confined, and frequently languish for want of hands. What benefits

would result to the state, and how much would the general cause of

humanity be served, if these Indians were civilized and domesticated! A

tribe of idle and unsettled savages would be converted into useful and

productive laborers; the whole face of the district would be improved;

the roads, which at present connect it with the capital, would be

cleared of the thousand inconveniences which now encumber them, and new

ones[29] would be opened for the more expeditious conveyance of its

produce.

During my stay at Canta Gallo I undertook a journey to the gold-washing

at Santa Rita, distant about five leagues, in a north-east direction.

After passing the uneven country in the immediate neighbourhood of the

village, we arrived at the Rio Negro, a considerable stream formed

by many rivulets, which empties itself into the Paraiba; on crossing

it[30], we entered upon a fine open country, the fertility of which

was evident from the luxuriant growth of the tobacco and other plants:

but it lay in a state of almost total neglect, and the families thinly

scattered upon it appeared in the lowest condition of indolence and

misery. We proceeded a league farther, through a tract entirely

destitute of inhabitants, and arrived about two in the afternoon at

Santa Rita. The proprietor of the works received us very kindly, and

conducted us through them while dinner was preparing. The washing is

in a deep ravine, bounded at one end by an abrupt hill, and open at the

other to the plain. The vegetable earth appeared extremely rich, being

clothed with luxuriant verdure, and the hills on each hand covered with

trees of all sizes. The stratum of _cascalho_, which lies under a bed

of soil four or five feet deep, is very thin and uneven, being no where

more than two feet thick, and in many parts not more than seven or

eight inches. The incumbent soil is removed at great labor and expense,

being dug out and carried away in bowls; and the _cascalho_ is conveyed

with great care to a convenient place for water, where it is washed by

the most expert among the miners, in a way similar to that practised at

the mines of Jaraguá. The proportion of gold produced was moderate: I

was informed that it paid the master the rate of from fourteen pence to

two shillings per day for each negro, which is a large profit, as the

daily subsistence of one costs somewhat less than a penny.