Chapter XVI: Appendix

IN page 368 of this work, I have stated, that it was my intention to enquire into, and to make some observations on the present regulations relative to diamonds. These beautiful gems have been found in such abundance in Brazil, as to supply not only Europe, but Asia; as those of India are become extremely scarce, diamonds from Brazil have been often sent thither, and have usurped their name. The question we are at present about to examine is, how far it would be consistent with the interest of the Portuguese Government to permit the searching for diamonds, in the same way as for gold, under peculiar laws. The monopoly is ineffectual, because the diamonds are found in so many parts widely distant from each other, that it is impossible to prevent the searching for them. The attempt to preserve grounds known to contain these riches, by forming a _distacamento_, has not produced any good effect; and it is by no means improbable, that the best of these (supposed) preserved lands are already worked, therefore the soldiers are guarding the casket after the jewels have been taken away. How many places might be mentioned (out of the district of Cerro do Frio), where troops of negroes daily work! It has been stated, that government probably receive little more than a moiety of the gems found at their own expense; if so, it is certainly time to abandon a trade so exposed, or to change the system altogether. Is it the interest of Brazil to keep her enterprizing subjects in continual torture and fear respecting these precious gifts, which the bounteous hand of Providence has placed there? But indeed as his majesty’s subjects increase and become more enlightened, this severe monopoly will destroy itself and soon begin to give way to a wise and political government, which will prefer a rich and powerful population in the very heart of the colony to a few individuals. How happens it, that diamonds, in the hands of private persons, meet a more ready sale than those of government? Because they are better stones, and are offered in quantities more convenient for the purchasers: next, because they can be sold cheaper since they cost less. If diamonds were subject to pay a fifth, government would have such power as to enable them to command the market; and if they should become cheaper in Europe, the demand for them would become more general, therefore their price would not be likely to fall in Brazil; and, even if it did, is it not the blindest policy for the court to put such a yoke round the neck of her valuable subjects, who venture their lives in trackless deserts searching for mines, and exposing themselves to every danger? Would it have been possible for Portugal to colonize Brazil if there had been no gold mines to attract adventurers? To deny men the treasures with which nature has enriched the country, is to oppose one great check to its population; for the example of one adventurer becoming rich, is the means of inducing hundreds to follow him. Under the present system, there is so great a struggle between the temptation of becoming suddenly rich, and the fear of being ruined by detection, that when a man finds a diamond by accident, he knows not whether to appropriate it, or to surrender it to the government; even in the latter case, he has little prospect of reward, and runs the risk of being accused as a smuggler. Instances have not been uncommon of men having found diamonds, who have thrown them away[84] rather than involve themselves and their families in ruin, either by keeping them, or delivering them to government.

It has before been shewn, that Government are the greatest gainers by the diamonds which are sold clandestinely; and if individuals were allowed to trade in them, the state and the public would undoubtedly be benefited by it. For it is certain, that a Brazilian farmer or miner would prefer necessaries, such as iron utensils, clothing, &c. which add to his comforts and conveniences of life, to articles of ideal value, which in reality have come into his hands probably without difficulty or expense. Thus the peasantry would draw valuable produce from other countries in exchange for what cost them comparatively nothing, and, by enriching themselves, would augment the revenues of the state.

Is it not possible to make the diamonds liable to pay a fifth, either in kind or in value? In this case it is probable that there would be less smuggling: and that practice might be still more restrained, by something like the following regulation: every person finding diamonds should be obliged to register them; also, to take out a certificate authorising him to dispose of them in whatever manner he thinks proper. It would certainly add to their importance, to make them subject to a trivial duty[85], on being lawfully transferred from the buyer to the seller, by which means they would come into immediate circulation and represent real property: thus, after yielding a very small profit to each person through whose hands they passed, they would finally be exported; and, as long as diamonds continued an article of distinction, ornament, and elegance, Brazil would lay under tribute every court in the civilized world.

The Dutch were artful enough to poison the ears of the ministers of Portugal against the proposal of making diamonds a free trade, and assisted in the persecutions against those unfortunate sufferers who were detected in possessing them. But surely that narrow-minded and self-interested policy is now done away with; nor would it be credited in modern history, that the government of Brazil, for a trivial, pecuniary profit, should be the dupes of their own bank and a few interested strangers.

_View of the State of Society among the Middling Classes, employed in Mining and Agriculture._

We are naturally led to imagine, that, in a country where mines of gold and diamonds are found, the riches of the inhabitants must be immense, and their condition most enviable; the Portuguese themselves, who reside in the mining districts, encourage this supposition; and whenever they go to Rio de Janeiro, do not fail to make all possible show and parade. But let us view them in the centre of their wealth; and as a fair criterion of the middling classes of society, let us select a man possessing a property of fifty or sixty negroes, with _datas_ of gold mines, and the necessary utensils for working them. The negroes alone are worth, at the low valuation of 100 _milreis_, a sum equal to £1,200, or £1,500 sterling; the _datas_ and utensils, though of value, need not be taken into the account. Suppose this man to be married, and to have a family: What is the state of their domestic concerns, their general way of life? May I be allowed to describe them in the language which truth dictates, without exaggeration or extenuation? Their dwelling scarcely merits the name of a house; it is the most wretched hovel that imagination can describe, consisting of a few apartments built up to each other without regularity; the walls wicker-work, filled up with mud; a hole left for a frame serves as a window, or a miserable door answers that purpose. The cracks in the mud are rarely filled up; and in very few instances only have I seen a house repaired. The floors are of clay, moist in itself, and rendered more disagreeable by the filth of its inhabitants, with whom the pigs not unfrequently dispute the right of possession. Some _ranchos_, it is true, are built upon piles; and underneath are the stables, &c.; these are certainly a little superior to the former. They are built so from necessity, where the ground is uneven or swampy; but it may be easily conceived, that the disagreeable effects produced by want of cleanliness, must in these instances be increased by the effluvia from the animals underneath, which I have frequently found intolerable.

The furniture of the house is such as might be expected from the description above given. The beds are very coarse cotton cases, filled with dry grass, or the leaves of Indian corn. There are seldom more than two in a house; for the servants generally sleep upon mats, or dried hides laid on the floor. The furniture consists of one or two chairs, a few stools and benches, one table, or perhaps two, a few coffee-cups and a coffee-pot of silver; a silver drinking cup, and, in some instances, a silver wash-hand basin, which, when strangers are present, is handed round, and forms a striking contrast to the rest of the utensils.

The general diet of the family consists of the same articles which have already been particularized in treating of S. Paulo. The only beverage is water; and nothing can be more frugal than the whole economy of the table. So intent is the owner on employing his slaves solely in employments directly lucrative, that the garden, on which almost the entire subsistence of the family depends, is kept in the most miserable disorder.

In the article of dress, they do not appear more extravagant than in that of food. The children are generally naked; the youths go without shoes, in an old jacket, and cotton trowsers; the men in an old capote or mantle wrapped around them, and wooden clogs, except when they go from home; and, on those occasions, they appear in all their splendor, forming as great a contrast to their domestic attire, as the gaudy butterfly does to the chrysalis from which it springs.

It might be expected, that however penuriously the general concerns of the family were conducted, at least some degree of attention and expense would be bestowed on the dress of the females; for the test of civilization among all nations is the regard paid to the fair sex, on whom the happiness of domestic life depends. Yet the general poverty and meanness of their attire is such, that they reluctantly appear before any one, except the individuals of their own family.

In short, in all those departments of domestic economy, which to the middle classes of other civilized nations are objects of expense, the Brazilians exercise the most rigid parsimony. At first, I was inclined to attribute this disposition to a love of money, which prompted them to avoid all extravagance; but, on closer observation, I was surprised to find that it originated in necessity. They generally take credit for the few articles they have to purchase, and sometimes find it difficult to maintain their negroes. If they purchase a mule, it is to be paid for at the end of one or two years, and, of course, at double its ordinary price.

In such a family as that above described, the sons, as might be expected, are not brought up to industry; they are merely taught to read and write; rarely do they attend to the mining department; they learn no trade, nor are they instructed in any useful employment: perhaps an ensign or a lieutenant of militia, would think it a disgrace to put his son apprentice to a mechanic. Suppose the father of this family to die when the sons have just attained the age of puberty. They are now for the first time obliged to think of providing for themselves. With little knowledge of the world, ill educated, and poor, they have learned to think all occupations servile, and their own is generally hateful to them. If they agree not to divide the negroes, it often happens that they run into debt, and continue in wretchedness; if they divide them, each takes his course, and adventures for himself, and in a short time, they are generally obliged to part with their slaves, and exist in indigence. Every useful pursuit and every comfort is neglected for the sake of seeking hidden treasures which very rarely are found, and which when found are as rarely employed to advantage, but rather serve to increase the wants of the owners.

Few, very few of the numerous class of miners from which the above instance is selected are rich, few are even comfortable; how wretched then must be the state of those who possess only eight or ten negroes, or whose property does not exceed three or four hundred pounds.

Thus situated in one of the finest climates in the world, with rich lands full of the finest timber, abounding in rivulets and water-falls in every direction, containing, besides precious minerals, iron ores, and almost every other useful product, the inhabitants of Brazil, though secured from absolute want, remain in indigence. It is true, the miner procures his gold by great labor, but this need not preclude him from improving his domestic condition. Were his hovel converted into a house, his slaves better fed and lodged, and his family better provided for, his whole affairs would receive a new impulse, and every part of his property would become doubly productive.

_Negroes employed as Messengers._

One description of men whom I have omitted to mention before, are negroes employed as messengers by the various chiefs in the Capitania of Minas Geraes. The men selected for this employment are the most trusty and able-bodied that can be found. Their letters are locked up in a leathern bag, which they buckle round them, and never take off until they deliver its contents. They carry a gun and ammunition with them to defend themselves, as well as to provide themselves with food. Wherever they halt, they are sure of a kind and friendly reception, for nothing can exceed the cordiality with which the negroes welcome each other. These men are trusted on very important missions, and are despatched to every part of the Capitania. On urgent occasions, some of them have performed journeys with astonishing celerity. I was most credibly informed, that one of them had been known to travel seven hundred miles on a mountainous road in sixteen days, though that distance usually occupies twenty or twenty-one days. The men are generally tall, and of spare habit; they are accustomed to light food and long abstinence.

_Diseases peculiar to the Country._

Of diseases I did not hear of any that were contagious, except Psora, which sometimes prevails among the lower orders, who rarely use any remedy against it, nor will they hear of sulphur, as they believe it to be fatal. Colds, attended with fever, are the most general complaints; but consumptions are rarely heard of. Among the miners, I saw no symptoms of elephantiasis, though that disease is so common in many other parts of Brazil, particularly on the sea-coast. The sciatica which afflicts travellers after long journeys on mules, is attributed by the people of the country to the bodily heat of those animals, which is much greater than that of horses, and communicates to the loins of the rider, occasioning almost constant excruciating pain, which frequently becomes chronic, and sometimes incurable. Being, on my return from the diamond district, much tormented with this complaint, I was naturally led to make inquiries on the subject, and was informed, that a person in the house where I then resided, had returned from a long journey in the same predicament, and was about to undergo the mode of cure commonly practised in the country. I was desirous of inquiring the nature of it, and begged to be introduced to him. On conversing with him, I found that his symptoms were similar to mine; he complained of great pain in the os sacrum, and down the left thigh to the knee, which afflicted him most when in bed, where he could not bear to lie in any posture for half an hour together, but was obliged to rise and wait until the warmth was abated, when he lay down again. Thus he could get no sleep night or day. On asking if he had tried any external application as a stimulus, he replied, that neither that nor any other remedy was of the smallest avail, except the one peculiar to the country. The operation was as follows:—The patient lay down on a bench with his back upwards, and a youth, twelve or fourteen years of age, knelt upon his loins, and continued to trample them (as it were) with his knees for about the space of half an hour, until the muscles were entirely bruised. In a few hours afterwards, the part became highly discolored. If one operation had not the desired effect, another, and even a third, would be had recourse to. It must be confessed, that this remedy, in removing one evil, occasions another; but the advantage is, that the latter is of short duration, whereas the former endures sometimes for life, and gives continual affliction. In some cases the remedy has been applied with success, but in others it has entirely failed.

_On the Use of Mercury in the Mining Department._

The Government of Brazil would find it highly to their interest to promote the use of mercury in the gold district. The process of amalgamation is so simple, that there would be no difficulty in introducing it generally among miners; and it would save much time and labor in the last operation of washing, or what is called purifying.

Perhaps it may not be improper, in this place, to describe the method pursued in working the silver mines on the coast of Chili, which may be estimated to produce about a million of dollars annually. Some of these mines are full fifty yards deep; and we are told of one nearly as many fathoms. It is probable that they are sunk upon veins of ore; and they are so ill secured, that they frequently fill, and bury those within them. The metal is generally a sulphuret of silver with antimony, lead, and blende: it is brought up on the shoulders of wretched Indians, who descend and ascend by insecure posts with notches cut in them. They are total strangers to the operations of boring and blasting, and use only miserable hammers and wedges. The vein stuff with the metal is, in some places, reduced by means of a large stone, ill-constructed, rolling on its edge; in others, it is pounded by hand, and, when sufficiently fine, it is washed by several operations in a slovenly manner, until the metallic part alone remains, which is not unlike lead ore dust. This is formed into small heaps, perhaps about 100lb, to each of which are added about 20 or 25lb of muriate of soda[86]. This is triturated and worked both by hands and feet for three or four days. When the salt is judged to be sufficiently incorporated with the metal, mercury is used in the proportion of from five to ten per cent. and is triturated until it loses its globular form; to prove which, a small bit is rubbed upon a horn, or upon the thumb-nail, and if any globules appear, however minute, the trituration is continued until they totally disappear[87]. To this mixture the workmen frequently add filth, rags torn into small bits, &c. place crosses upon the heaps, and use many ridiculous ceremonies dictated by folly and a belief in necromancy. At length the mercury unites with the silver, and forms with it a paste-like mass separating itself from the remainder, which is thrown away. This mass is put into goat-skins, and, by twisting and squeezing, a great part of the mercury passes through, leaving a portion of nearly pure silver, which is afterwards melted. The remainder is sublimed by heat, and is condensed with more or less loss, according to the mode applied, and the skill of the operator. Some little gold is procured from some of the mines on this coast, by a similar process.

In this part of Chili, the state of society is wretched; gambling is a general vice, and assassinations are scarcely regarded as criminal. The greatest depredations are committed with impunity, nor do the crosses placed on the heaps protect them; so that, when a mine proves good, the hopes of the proprietor are often frustrated through the poverty and envy of his neighbours.

The copper mines of Guasco, Copiapo, and Coquimbo, are wretchedly worked, nor would it perhaps be safe to introduce other methods. The copper is smelted in a hearth with bellows and wood; and if, when it runs into cakes, it has the appearance of copper, they do not smelt it again, but if it is so covered and intermixed with slag as not to be known, it is broken up and undergoes a second smelting, when not unfrequently slag is placed so as to be in the centre. These, and other deceptions, have brought the trade into great discredit. The copper is sold from eight to eleven dollars per 104lb. It is considered a poor trade, though the Spaniards generally think the Chilian copper, and even the timber which serves for fuel, _to be full of gold_!!

Of the mines of Chili I have lately received a very particular account, from which it appears that they are not under any regulations, and are extremely ill worked. They are considered a very bad species of property; and almost every metallic vein hitherto discovered, whether worked or not, has numerous claimants, who are continually litigating with each other, so as totally to prevent their being worked to advantage. Chili contains abundance of copper, some lead, a little gold, a portion of silver, and a great quantity of iron, and would, in the possession of an industrious and civilized people, be, without doubt, very productive. The mines in Peru, on the contrary, are subject to regular laws, and the property is secured to its owner, particularly in Pasco, where they are now working to great advantage, under the control of liberal and enlightened men. It must be observed, that their proprietors are much richer than those of Chili, where numerous individuals claim what is scarcely worth being possessed by one. This state of things discourages adventurers; for who would erect an engine and free a mine, to be claimed by another? Society there is still in a wretched state; the miners are in the lowest state of indigence; and though paid for their work, it would be dangerous to prevent them from carrying some of the produce away as their own, thefts of this sort being very general in this province.

Several Cornish miners have lately been sent out, at very high wages, and under very flattering circumstances, but some disappointments have occurred in the undertaking to which they were destined. In the course of the year 1820, some Derbyshire miners, men of good character, were engaged to proceed to Chili for the purpose of instructing the natives in the various branches of their art. Since their arrival I have received very gratifying accounts from them, announcing that they have commenced their labors by clearing the mines of water, and that they have immense masses of silver to work upon, some lumps of which, weighing above 10lb. each, they have sent over as specimens.

THE END.

INDEX.

ABAITE, rivulet, diamonds found in, 344.

Alto do Morro, 231.

Alto de Virginia, 229.

Araguaya, or Grande, river, 409.

Arinos, river, 415.

Armaçao, village of, near St. Catherine’s, 67.
A fishing station, 68.

Asumpcion, city of, 439.

BAHIA, account of, 391.
Sugar plantations, 395.
Tobacco, 398.
Cotton, 400.
Indigo, 401.

Bandeira de Coelho, 228.

Barbacena, 224.

Barro e Castro, near Villa Rica, visit to the estates of, 258, 261,
268, 269.

Barriga Negra, journey to, 22.

Baugre, mode of fishing for the, 59.

Belmonte, 203.

Bertioga, harbour of, 123.

Borda do Campo, village of, 218.

Brazil: arrival at St. Catherine’s, 57.
Description of the island, 58.
Arrival at Armaçao, 67.
Bay of dos Ganchos, 68.
Garoupas, 72.
Plain of Coritiva described, 75.
Port of S. Francisco, 81.
Santos, 82.
Journey to S. Paulo, 85.
Description of S. Paulo, 92.
Gold washings at Jaragua, 107.
Manners of the Paulistas, 113.
Character, 121.
Coasting voyage from Santos to Sapitiva, 122.
Journey to Rio de Janeiro, 130.
City described, 135.
Trade, 139.
State of society, 146.
Visit to Santa Cruz, 148.
Province of the Rio, 154.
Journey to Canta Gallo, 157.
Gold-washing of Santa Rita, 177.
Rio Grande, 183.
Reputed silver mine, 185.
Agriculture, 189.
Journey to the diamond mines, 195, 206.
A topaz mine, 233.
Arrival at Villa Rica, 235.
Its origin and present state, 243.
Notice on the Buticudos, 273.
Villa do Principe, 305.
Arrival at Tejuco, 311.
Diamond works on the river Jiquitinhonha, 313.
Account of Minas Novas and Paracatu, 337.
Of Tejuco and Cerro do Frio, 349.
Management of the diamond works, 353.
Return to Rio de Janeiro, 370.
General view of Minas Geraes, 376.
S. João d’El Rey, 384.
Sabara, 386.
Bahia, 391.
Pernambuco, 401.
Seara, 402.
Maranham, _ib._
Pará, 403.
Matto Grosso, 407.
Rio Grande do Sul, 442.
General observations on the trade with England, 450.

Buticudos, Indians, measures of the Brazilian government for
converting, 274.
A boy belonging to them described, 299.

Buenos Ayres, its population, 46.
Races composing it, 47.

CAMAPUA, river, 428.

Camara, Dr. his reception of the author at Tejuco, 311.

Camarro, 288.

Canta Gallo, journey to, 157.
Description of, 170.

Capao, topaz mine near, 232.

Cará, an esculent root, 97.

Carrapato, gold-work at, 323.

Cascalho, a species of gravel containing gold, 107.
And diamonds, 314.

Catas Altas, 289.

Cerro do Frio, 307.
Observations on, 349.
Diamond ground described, _ib._
Animals peculiar to the district, 368.

Chingu, river, 410.

Clara e Maria, farm of, 214.

Conceiçao, village of, 302.

Corgo do Inficionado, 289.

Coritiva, plain of, 73.
Its climate, 75.
Its advantages, 78.

Corolina, visit to a diamond work at, 333.

Cubatao, village of, 85.

Cuiaba, account of, 424.

DEVOLUTO, meaning of the term applied to land, 347.

Diamond District, entrance into, 307.
(See Tejuco).
Mode of washing for diamonds, 314.
A view of those deposited in the treasury at Tejuco, 329.
Observations on the diamond district, 349.
Illicit trade, 356, 360.
How to be prevented, 363.

Disperteros, a sort of birds so called, 111.

ENGORDA Cavallos, a species of grass, 335.

FARINHA de milho, mode of cooking, 280.

Felicio, Senhor, his mansion, 290.

Ferreira, Antonio, fazenda of, 212.

——, Capt. his plantation, 161.

Flax, culture of, in Brazil, 220.

GAMA, fazenda do, 225.

Garoupas, harbour of, 72.

Gaspar Soares, village of, 296.

Goyaz, account of, 405.

Grimpeiros, treated as smugglers, 170.

INDIAN Corn, mill for grinding, 190.

Inferninho, river, 69.

Itambe, 294.

JACARANDA, rose-wood, common in S. Paulo, 106.

Jaraguá, gold washings at, 107.
Mode of working, 108.

Jiquitinhonha, river, visit to the diamond works on, 313.

Juruena, river, 416.

LAGOS, village of, 297.

Lavras Velhas, 260.

Lichen, from Minas Geraes, containing coloring matter, 382.

MACHADO, farm of, 182.

Madeira, isle of, on the coast of Brazil, 129.

Madeiras, farm of, 211.

Mandanga, visit to the diamond works at, 312.

Mandioca, how cultivated, 101.

Mantiqueira, farm of, 217.

Maranham, account of, 402.

Mariana, city of, 257.

Marimbondos, insects so called, 191.

Mate, herb, of Paraguay, 27.

Mathias Barbosa, register of, 210.

Matto Grosso, geographical description of, 407.

Meni, a species of ground-nut, 162.

Minas Geraes, general view of, 376.

Minas Novas, account of, 338.

Monteiro, diamond work at, 323.

Monte Video, arrival at, 1, 3.
Confinement there, 4.
Adventure at the signal-house, 8.
Description of the town, 11.
Inhabitants, 12.
Trade, 13.
Climate, 15.
Vicinity, 16.
Farms, 17.
Fazendas, 18.
Breeding of cattle, 19.
Defective state of agriculture, 32.
Town taken by the British, 40.

Moremim, river, 202.

Morro de St. Anna, 288.

Morro Queimado, fazenda do, 165.

NEGROES employed in the diamond works, observations on, 358.

OURO Branco, 298.

PARA, account of, 403.

Paracatu, account of, 343.

Paraguay, river, 419, 434.

Paraibuna, river, 207.

Parana, river, 431, 441.

Pardo, river, 429.

Pecari, or pig of the woods, 38.

Peons of Paraguay, 28.
Mode of catching cattle, 29.
Their habits of life, 34.
Dress, 36.
Exploit of a female, 37.

Pernambuco, account of, 402.

Piabunha, river, 204.

Piranga, 276.

Plata, Rio de la, voyage to, 1.
Origin of the name, 441.

Porto Negro, near Ilha Grande, 128.

Pounding machine for Indian corn, 190.

Purpura, a shell of the murex genus, 70.

REGISTRO Velho, 222.

Resequinha, 223.

Rio de Janeiro, arrival at, 133.
Description of, 135.
Trade, 140.
State of society, 146.

Rio do Carmo, 250.

Rio Grande do Sul, account of, 442.

Rio Pardo, visit to the diamond works on, 330.

Rosina de Negra, 209.

SABARA, account of, 386.
Gold-washing, 387.

Santo Antonio, farm of, 182.

Santa Cruz, royal farm of, 148.

St. Catherine’s, isle of, voyage to, 55.
Arrival, 57.
Description, 58.
Trade, 59.
Its parishes, 61.

St. Francisco, river, described, 346.
Harbour of, 73.

San Gonzal, diamond work at, 371.

S. João d’El Rey, account of, 384.

San Jose da Barra Longa, 272.

San Paulo, 90.
Described, 22.
Population, 94.
Manufactures, 96.
System of farming, 100.
Manners and customs of the inhabitants, 115, 118.

St. Pedro d’El Rey, settlement of, 425.

Santa Rita, gold washing at, 177.

Santos, harbour of, 82.
Its intercourse with S. Paulo, 84.
Voyage from, to Sapitiva, 122.

Sapitiva, arrival at, 129.
Journey from, to Rio de Janeiro, 130.

Savages, measures of the Brazilian government for converting, 274.

Seara, its trade, 402.

Sebollati, river, 23.

Serpents, large, in Minas Novas, 339.

Silver-mine, account of a reputed one, 185.

Sorocaba, 74.

Sugar, process of making, in Bahia, 395.

Sumidouro, river, 415.

TAPAJOS, River, 413.

Tapinhoa canga, 303.

Tejuco, capital of the diamond district, arrival at, 310.
Description of, 326.
Visit to the treasury, 328.
Observations on, 349.
Civil and military establishments at, 352.
Mode of preventing illicit trade, 363.
State of society in, 369.

Thomas, father, his farm, 184.

Tiete, river, 431.

Tigreno, river, 69.

Tocaya, advantages of its situation, 341.

Topaz mine near Capao, 232.

Toque Toque, harbour of, 125.

URUGUAY, river, 447.

VAZ, hamlet of, 292.

Vermelho, river, 429.

Villa do Principe, a pretended diamond found at, 196.
Arrival at, 305.

Villa Rica, arrival at, 235.
Description of, 238.
Its origin and present state, 244.
Visit to the mint, 252.
Visit to the estates of Barro e Castro, 258.
Revisited on returning to the capital, 375.
Military establishment there, 377.

WOODS, species peculiar to Brazil, 188.

ZURILLA, description of that animal, 38.

FINIS.

_W. M’Dowall, Printer, Pemberton Row, Gough Square._

ERRATUM.

Page 411, line 13, and note, for _Sutâo_, read _Sertâo_.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] NOTE. Of the objects in the lower compartment of this plate, the Pine is mentioned at p. 81; the Aloe at p. 130; the Cara is described at p. 97, and the Mandioca at p. 101.

[2] Here I found mint, caraway, balm, wormwood, and many other aromatic herbs, growing wild in the greatest luxuriance. The stratum of vegetable earth was at least two yards thick.

[3] At a small town called Minas, ten leagues from Maldonado, I was informed that there was a lead mine in limestone. A piece of that substance was sent to me; it was flesh-colored, granular, and close in texture.

[4] The people of Paraguay are a more inactive and listless race than any I ever met with. They seem to be conscious of no wants beyond those of mere animal existence, and these they choose to supply at the smallest possible expense of bodily exertion. Their supreme enjoyment is to remain at home in a state of quietism or rather torpor, leaving to the negroes the little agricultural toil that is required. They are reserved, slothful, and patient, yet, with all their apathy, they are friendly and somewhat courteous to strangers, provided they be not required to go much into society or to bear an active part in conversation. Commerce is almost unknown among them, and there is very little specie in circulation. To a stranger, who has mingled in the busy scenes of life, they seem absolutely weary of existence as of a burthen. Blest with a fine climate and a land flowing with milk and honey, they are unable to appreciate and turn to advantage the bounties which divine Providence has lavished upon them; and from these and other causes the population is very scanty compared with the extent of the country. Such is the native land of the Peons of Monte Video and Buenos Ayres. The state of society in that remote region is deteriorated by the admission of refugees from Europe, who here find shelter from justice, and propagate, in safe obscurity and with perfect impunity, their vices among a people too much predisposed by indolence for such contaminations, and unfitted by the same failing for receiving any tincture of civilization, which a more lively and apprehensive race of men might imbibe from foreign settlers, however dissolute in morals. The Peons, who migrate southward to seek employment, soon acquire a taste for ardent spirits, and thus heighten, sometimes to an uncontrolable degree, the ferocity engendered by the habit of torturing and killing cattle. They have no strong sense of danger to deter them from crime, but, on the contrary, are aware, that on any breach of the law they can elude its penalties by galloping three or four hundred miles into the interior, where their crimes will be unknown, and where they can bid defiance to pursuit or detection.

In some parts of Paraguay timber grows in abundance; it is cut, and floated down the river to Buenos Ayres, not in rafts but in single trees.

[5] A platted lash, about twenty yards long, with an iron ring at one end, through which the other end being passed forms a noose.

[6] Such indeed is their excessive propensity to gambling, that they frequently carry cards in their pocket, and, when an opportunity occurs, form parties, and retire to a convenient place, where one of them spreads his _poncho_ or mantle on the ground, in lieu of a table. When the loser has parted with his money, he will stake his clothes, so that the game generally continues until one of them goes away almost naked. This bad practice often leads to serious consequences. I once observed a party playing in the neighbourhood of a chapel after mass had been said, when the clergyman came and kicked away the cards in order to put an end to the game. On this, one of the Peons rose up, and retiring a few paces, thus accosted the intruder: “Father, I will obey you as a priest; but” (laying his hand on his knife) “you must beware how you molest our diversion.” The clergyman knew the desperate character of these men too well to remonstrate, and retired very hastily, not a little chagrined.

On another occasion a Peon was gambling with a Spanish corporal in the prison-yard, when a dispute arising, the latter drew his sword on his unarmed antagonist, and wounded him so severely in the arm, that he was obliged to undergo amputation the day following.

It is usual for a Peon who has been fortunate at play, to go to Monte Video and clothe himself anew in the shop of a slop-seller. While the shopman is looking out the articles he calls for, he deliberately places his dollars on the counter, in separate piles, assigning each to its destined purpose. He then retires to a corner, and attires himself; an unfortunate comrade invariably attends him, who examines his cast clothes, and, if better than his own, puts them on. After passing a few days in idleness, he sets out on his return home, where he appears in his new dress.

[7] Among the many daring and active feats performed by the Peons, one of the most extraordinary of late years, was the capture of a tiger by a female of that tribe. She was a mulatto-woman, brought up in the vicinity of Barriga Negra. She was accustomed at an early age to ride horses, and prided herself in doing offices which belonged to the stronger sex, such as catching cattle with the noose, killing them, &c. Her form was masculine, and she became so inured to men’s work, that she was hired as a Peon, and fulfilled that office much to the satisfaction of her employers. She was noted for selecting spirited horses, and for riding them at full speed. One day on her return from labor, as she was passing a rivulet, she observed a large tiger at no great distance. Surprised that the animal did not steal away, as is generally the case when he sees a person mounted, she drew nearer, still keeping her horse’s head from him, so as to be ready to gallop off if he should make a spring. He was still inattentive and motionless; the woman observing this, and thinking he ailed something, after some minutes’ pause backed her horse until she came within twenty yards of him, loosening at the same time her noose from the saddle, which she threw most dexterously over his neck, and immediately galloped away with him to a considerable distance. Whether maimed or not before, she knew he must now be dead; she therefore alighted, flayed him, and carried home the skin as a trophy. The animal was above the ordinary size, and not smaller than a calf six weeks old. This exploit was long the talk of the neighbourhood, and I have heard the woman herself relate the adventure.

[8] _Sus Tajassu._—Lin. _Tajaçu._—Buffon.

[9] One mode which they adopted for displaying their triumph over their late conquerors was singular enough; they collected all the sign boards belonging to the English warehouses and shops, and made a bonfire of them. A great quantity of these boards was from the _pulperias_, the masters of which had been obliged to have on them the following inscription, painted in large characters, “Licensed to sell liquor.”

[10] The fishery of the _baugre_ here is very considerable, and the mode of catching the fish, by means of a curved line of boats, by night, (from each of which is held a flambeau of straw to scare the fish toward the shore), is singularly picturesque, and might remind the imaginative spectator of a crescent of wild fire dancing on the waves. The fish is called at Rio de Janeiro the _mulatto velho_; the negroes eat it during Lent, and on Fridays and Saturdays.

[11] This very rarely happens.

[12] Forty years ago they caught a whale a day; but they now catch only one in the course of a month.

[13] The oil, in consequence of not being well refined, is black and _sooty_.

[14] Three leagues from Sorocaba, which is twenty leagues distant from the capital. S. Paulo is the famous mountain of Varessoiba. It contains such an abundance of iron, _solta e á garnel_, (loose or in heaps), that ten foundries, each melting 10,000 quintals _per annum_, would not exhaust it in a century; and it has wood for charcoal, which the same number would be unable to consume in that space of time. A company of Swedish miners was established here in 1810, but the undertaking was frustrated by intrigue.

[15] According to a statistical report, dated 1811, the city of S. Paulo contains 4017 houses, (_fogos_, hearths); 5219 whites (males), 6319 whites (females); 377 free negroes, 485 free negresses; 1967 male, and 1914 female captive negroes; 2394 free mulattoes, 3279 free mulattas; 745 male, and 896 female captive mulattoes; making the whole population 23,764. In this year (1811), the births were 1301, the deaths 785, the marriages 233.

[16] Probably the coloring matter arises from the decomposition of the hornblende; I have frequently observed a mass of granite having its surface decomposed into a red clay, in which the particles of mica were hardly perceptible, while the compact rock below contained a very fair proportion. These granites contain hornblende with mica.

[17] In one part of the town is found a beautiful species of decomposed granite, consisting of extremely white feldspar, quartz, and very little mica.

[18] Mandioca requires a dry hot soil, of a sandy nature.

[19] This generous root requires but little preparation to make it serve as a substitute for bread. When taken out of the ground they wash and scrape it clean, and then rasp it on a coarse grater of iron or copper, press the juice from it, and place it on a hot surface, a shallow copper-pan for instance, four or five feet in diameter, or a clay one, with a brick fire underneath; while drying it is constantly stirred, and when the moisture is completely evaporated, it is immediately fit for use. If preserved from wet, it will keep good a long time. In broths and soups it becomes gelatinous, and affords rich nourishment; it is particularly good when eaten with cheese. The wild or spurious mandioca, called _Aipim_, is little inferior, when roasted, to fine chesnuts. The Portuguese introduce it at table, boiled as well as roasted.

[20] Its leaf is shaped like a heart.

[21] The _Spur-winged Plover_. In the Spanish territories they are called _disperteros_ (awakeners), on account of the noise they make when disturbed in the night. A flock of them in any plantation answers the purpose of an alarm-bell against thieves.

[22] Fr. Gaspar da Madre de Deos.

[23] I may also add their public spirit in resenting injuries done to individuals, and in supporting the cause of the oppressed; a singular instance of which I have often heard related. Some seventy years ago, one of their governors, who was a nobleman, had an intrigue with the daughter of a mechanic. The whole town espoused the cause of the injured female, and compelled the governor, at the peril of his life, to marry her.

[24] Had I approached this city by sea, I might have been enabled to give a more animated description of its aspect; but I feel it incumbent on me to adhere to veracity, the first duty of a traveller, and to describe the impression made on my mind by the view as I approached by land on my route from S. Paulo.

[25] Several have been established since the time when this narrative was written.

[26] By way of experiment, I had some fat ewes killed, and the mutton was acknowledged to be excellent; but the male lambs are never prepared for the table.

[27] A name given to those persons who go about the country seeking gold-washings, and do not give notice, or solicit a grant when they discover any. They are considered and treated as smugglers.

[28] Ere they departed, I saw an instance of that dangerous excess to which the passions of savages are liable when once excited; for, on presenting a few bottles of liquor, there was a general strife for them, and the person, man or woman, who first obtained one, would have drank the whole of its contents, had it not been forcibly taken away. It is very unsafe to give them ardent spirits, for when intoxicated it is necessary to confine them. If preference is given to one, the rest are insolent and unruly until they obtain the same mark of favor.

[29] I was well informed that a few hundred pounds, judiciously employed, would defray the expense of making a good road from Canta Gallo to Porto das Caixas, which loaded mules might travel in two days.

[30] The mode of crossing a river with horses or mules in these parts, is to tie one to the canoe, and drive him into the water; the rest follow.

[31] The little lime which they use here is made of shells, and is brought from Porto das Caixas.

[32] In one part of the road we passed a nest of insects (called _marimbondos_), which are extremely troublesome to cattle, and cause the mules to be very violent and unruly. They attack with great pertinacity, and pursue to a considerable distance; we took a devious route to get rid of them, but I was followed by some which stung me as painfully as an irritated wasp could have done. There is a singular variety of them, having a horny pointed proboscis, with which they pierce most keenly and give intolerable pain.

[33] No person can be permitted to see the diamonds in the Treasury without a joint order from the ministers to that effect.

[34] This name is given to what we should call a huckster’s shop, where various articles, such as liquors, Indian corn, and sometimes sugar, are sold. Though they profess to answer the purpose of inns, they are destitute of conveniences; travellers who carry their beds and cooking utensils with them, generally prefer lodging in a _rancho_ or _estallage_. Shelter from rain and night air is the only convenience which a lodging in these districts can be expected to afford.

[35] In this country the practice of cutting flax is attended with great success, and is preferred to that of pulling it, which prevails elsewhere. The fibres, though cut, are considered sufficiently long to be spun and made into good common linen. The old roots produce fresh shoots incredibly soon.

[36] They also informed me that green topazes were sometimes found, which I very much doubted. If any substance of that color, resembling topaz, did occur, it was most probably _Euclase_. It is now known that Euclase is found with topazes.

[37] Our mules required at least six penny-worth each per day, exclusive of their corn.

[38] In England I once knew an instance in which an ingot with mercury adhering to it, in the possession of a person ignorant of metallurgy, was sold at a reduced price, as if the discolored part had really been lead; the purchaser also supposing that to be the case.

[39] The finest parts of these tracts, in the best season, are by no means so rich in grass as an English meadow.

[40] This species of sublimation on a small scale interested me greatly. Could it proceed from any glimmering of science in the minds of the negroes, or was it merely an accidental discovery?

[41] This substance contains fine-formed octahedral crystals of magnetic iron.

[42] An owner of mules, who travels with a number of them, carrying goods for other persons, as well as on his own account.

[43] _Canga_ is the name of ferruginous quartz, fragments of which abound in this town, and are used for paving the streets.

[44] Four _vintens_ are nearly equal to a shilling of our money. When this rivulet was first washed for gold, the quantity produced by each _gamella_ amounted in value to that sum. As the _cascalho_ then lay near the surface, and required very little trouble to get at, one washer could clear about twelve bowls-full per hour, which was considered a comparatively rich return.

In the mines they have two methods of estimating the quantity produced: for example; _Quatro Vintens_, here mean four _vintens_ of gold, which is equal to eight of copper; whereas, in Rio de Janeiro, the same expression implies four _vintens_ of copper.

[45] In order to insure the vigilance of the overseers, these chairs are constructed without backs or any other support on which a person can recline.

[46] The negroes employed in these works are the property of individuals, who let them to hire at the daily rate of three _vintens_ of gold, equal to about eight-pence, Government supplying them with victuals. Every officer of the establishment is allowed the privilege of having a certain number of negroes employed.

[47] The negroes are constantly attending to the _cascalho_ from the very commencement of the washings, and frequently find diamonds before this last operation.

[48] Probably fugitive negroes, who subsist in this remote district by plunder and smuggling.

[49] It was then in seed, of which I collected a small quantity; since my return, I have sent part of it to the Agricultural Society, and the remainder I have distributed among gentlemen who endeavoured to promote its growth in this country, but without effect. It is rather a hardy grass, as it grew in situations which were all so cold, that the bananas and coffees were frequently blighted.

[50] The ladies particularly wished to have the cheese of a fine color, like that sent thither from England; and I was at no loss for an ingredient for tinging the milk, as the tree, which produces the seed from which annatto is made, grew spontaneously in the neighbourhood.

[51] On the road there are numerous farm houses, which afford sufficient accommodation for a traveller. They in general belong to persons resident in Tejuco, where their produce is sold.

[52] In some of the low swampy tracts large serpents are not uncommon. At Tejueo I was shown the skin of a young one, of the Boa Constrictor genus. It was twenty-four feet in length, and about twenty inches in circumference. These formidable reptiles have been killed forty feet long! The strength of such a serpent is not easily to be imagined; they have an undulating motion, and carry their head erect four or five feet from the ground; their jaws, &c. are capable of inconceivable dilatation.

[53] Since my return, His Excellency the Conde de Funchall, ordered a model of a ballast-lighter, which I got constructed for him, and which will one day or other be found extremely useful.

[54] It may become useful at Villa Rica; but the quantity required there at present is so trivial as scarcely to merit attention.

[55] If salt were cheaper they might be cured, and would become an article of commerce, particularly during Lent.

[56] Exclusive of this amount there is a vast quantity smuggled.

[57] One Sunday morning during my stay, an owner of a washing came to the house of the Intendant, and brought him two miserable diamonds of bad color, which did not weigh together above five grains, and these, he said, were all which his ten negroes had found in six weeks. In the course of conversation, the Intendant observed that all the smugglers were either imprisoned or dispersed, when the man immediately assumed an appearance of great disgust at the mention of persons of so vile a description, and was liberal in his epithets of abuse on them. If I durst have enquired how it happened that his negroes in six weeks could find only two _bad-colored_ diamonds, what emotions would this immaculate miner have manifested!

[58] From all accounts relative to the Indians, either by the officers employed against them, and better acquainted with their habits than other men, or from any of the settlers who live near the coast, it does not appear that they have the smallest knowledge of gold or of precious stones; hence they can in no degree have contributed to the discovery of those treasures in the district.

[59] At a place called Caldeiroens, near to Ouro Branco, I received two bits of this metal, but they were so small and disfigured, as to leave strong doubts respecting their being natural; the more so, by reason of the many impositions that were attempted to be practised upon me by false specimens of copper-ores, silver, &c.

[60] A part of the lichen which I brought home with me I presented to a gentleman who was fond of chemical experiments: he obtained from the small quantity of three grains as much coloring matter as imparted to an ounce of fluid a deep purple, sufficiently strong for every purpose of dying.

The following are the results of some experiments which he did me the favor to make:

White sewing-silk, put into an alcoholic solution only once, received a fine strong purple.

Part of a skein of the same material, was put into a solution of potash, which produced a purple deeper in hue than the former.

Cotton thread and worsted yarn, immersed only once in the same solution, produced very nearly the same colors.

The part of a skein of silk died in the alcoholic solution was immersed in a solution of muriate of tin, which produced a beautiful lilac, approaching to dove-colored blue. The same substance died in a solution of potash, and immersed in a solution of muriate of tin, became a few shades darker, and rather more of a pink hue. These are not unfavorable results from a quantity so minute; and I feel confident that this substance may be rendered a very valuable article of trade.

A few weeks ago, I received another sample of excellent lichen, very full of color, which I hope may be turned to some advantage.

[61] In many parts of the coast, the plant which produces the barilla would probably florish abundantly, if introduced, and would form an excellent article of commerce, not only for exportation, but for home consumption.

[62] There are several rivulets in various parts that bear this name.

[63] If necessary, another channel might be made at a convenient distance from the first.

[64] It cannot be too much recommended to Government to introduce the process of amalgamation generally throughout the mines.

[65] _Bucking-irons_, are pieces of cast-iron with wood handles, used at the lead mines, to break the ore from what it adheres to.

[66] A lixivium of strong ashes is made, and a quantity of lime is put into it: or sometimes the ashes are mixed with a larger proportion of lime, and the clear fluid running from the mixture is added to the juice in various quantities, at the discretion of the negro who manages the process: respecting this _temper_ various opinions prevail. Every negro has his peculiar mode of making, mixing, and applying it.

[67] In skimming, lading, and managing the syrup during the operation, the negroes display great dexterity.

[68] Large trees are cut into planks of these dimensions for making the cases, which are preferred to hogsheads.

[69] The West India sugars are not clayed, consequently much stronger and fit for refining and making loaves.

It is much to be desired that the very excellent work, written by Bryan Edwards, upon sugar making, and distilling rum, was introduced in Brazil.

[70] It is considered bad policy to subject the raw material, as cotton, to a heavy duty, and very discouraging to planters, who must have large capitals employed, and who are greatly exposed to loss if the crops fail. Too much stimulus cannot be given to the growers; and they ought to be encouraged by a premium, rather than to pay a tax on the unmanufactured article.

[71] During the past few years, the Governors of Matto Grosso have used every effort to shorten the distance from these remote provinces to the sea ports, by making roads, cutting down woods, and forming establishments to accommodate passengers, so that canoes, &c. may be transported over land, and make straight-forward communications from one river to another, which has shortened this journey at least two months.

[72] Sutaò. This is a place understood to be uninhabitable for Europeans, being the residence of uncivilized Indians, and covered with almost impenetrable woods.

[73] So called, because they abound with these animals.

[74] This river being the grand channel of communication from Rio de Janeiro, Santos, S. Paulo, and other places, to the interesting districts of Cuiaba, Matto Grosso, the whole of Paraguay, the river Plata, Potosi, Chiquisaca, and a great part of Peru, I have preserved the particular detail given in this paper, of its numerous falls, and the difficulties of its navigation, as it is now well known, and there is great reason to suppose, that it will soon be much more frequented.

[75] The labor of dragging the canoes over-land to avoid the cataracts might be much lessened (where the finest timber is in such abundance), if Government were to order rail-ways to be made, upon which loaded canoes might easily be drawn on wheels. This would more facilitate the intercourse than any other measure, and, from the present enterprising spirit and wisdom of his Majesty’s ministers, we may soon hope to see it put in practice.

[76] The Silver from Potosi, which some years has exceeded twenty millions of dollars, came down the Rio de la Plata to Buenos Ayres.

[77] Some English settlers, disappointed in the river Plata, went to Rio Grande to establish concerns for curing beef, refining tallow, &c. which they soon abandoned from the want of practical knowledge.

[78] Almost every vessel brings a greater or smaller number of negroes, it being the practice at Rio de Janeiro to ship off all those who are ill-disposed and troublesome for Rio Grande, whence, if they continue refractory, they are frequently sold into the neighbouring colony.

[79] It has been found, however, from modern surveys, that those rocks are by no means so dangerous as they have been represented.

[80] In Brazil and the Plata the bridle is made of sufficient length to serve the purpose of a whip.

[81] Delicate connections were soon formed, and females of the obscurest class appeared dressed in the most costly extreme of English fashion.

[82] An _arroba_ is equal to 32lbs. avoirdupois.

[83] Cotton of third quality is manufactured in the country into coarse cloth for bags, negroes’ dresses, &c. and exported to the Spanish colonies in large quantities.

[84] Formerly, if any diamonds were found in a gold-washing, the owner was obliged to desist from working it, and the ground was appropriated by government. This law is now no longer in force.

[85] It is reasonable to suppose, that few persons would hazard the penalty incurred by dealing in diamonds clandestinely, when, by paying a duty, they could bring them fairly into circulation.

[86] Bay salt.

[87] It would be interesting to enquire, in what manner the salt acts upon the ore containing silver, for without it the mercury has no effect.

End of Project Gutenberg's Travels in the interior of Brazil, by John Mawe