Chapter I (6)

Here I was met by the discoverers of the reputed silver-mine, who came to conduct me to it. We set out on foot, and, after walking about six miles over mountains impassable for mules, fording rivulets, and passing thickets that left me scarcely a single article of dress untorn, we arrived at the miserable hut of these poor men; a perfect contrast to the neat dwelling of Father Thomas. Never in my life was I so exhausted by fatigue; I sat down, unable to go any farther, and rested about an hour, when, being somewhat recovered, I accompanied the men, along the edge of a beautiful stream, to the foot of the mountain, where they shewed me a hole which they had dug, about two feet deep, and informed me that the sand it contained at the bottom abounded with grains of silver. Having ordered a quantity to be taken out, I proceeded to examine the base of the mountain, which I found to be of granite-like gneiss, with garnets, and small crystals of pyrites. Near this place the margin of the rivulet contained rounded stones and sand, but no where was there to be found any metallic substance, except the one before mentioned. Indeed, the very idea of silver appearing here in dust or grains, as gold does, would be preposterous, and contradictory to every principle of nature, as, in such a state, it would probably have been attacked by the sulphur in the pyrites, so as to have assumed the form of a sulphuret.

I returned extremely wearied and much exhausted to Father Thomas’s, where, after some needful repose, I proceeded to examine the sand and stones I had collected at the supposed silver-mine, but no particle of metal was to be found. I then ordered the men to produce their samples, which I examined both by the blow-pipe and by acids, but no silver appeared. After equivocating very much, they acknowledged that they had rubbed and beaten substances to powder, and when they found specular iron ore they thought it was silver. In one of the samples there certainly was silver, but it appeared to have been filed probably from an old buckle or spoon, or rubbed on a stone and mixed with a pulverized substance. The farce could no longer be carried on: I charged them, in a most determined manner, with imposture, which, after some hesitation, they confessed: an officer who was with me would have secured them, but I restrained him; for, having obtained a confession, I was unwilling to bring them to punishment, or to render them more miserable than they already were, by having them sent to the army. Perhaps that would have been doing them a greater service than setting them at liberty; for they were too lazy to work, and would, no doubt, return to their old habits of prowling about, and subsisting on the credulity of the public by spreading fallacious reports about mines, precious stones, &c. Such impositions are not uncommon in South America: I have known instances in which copper-filings, mixed with earth, and afterwards washed, have been produced as samples, in order to enhance the value of land, or serve some other sinister purpose. A passion for mining is fatally prevalent among some of the lower orders of the people: by deluding them with prospects of becoming speedily rich, it creates in them a disgust for labor, and entails want and wretchedness upon them. Even among the few families of this district, I observed some examples of its effects; those who devoted themselves wholly to mining were in general badly clothed and worse fed, while those who attended to agriculture alone were well provided with every necessary of life.

Having concluded the affair, I took leave of Father Thomas, and returned to Canta Gallo, where I prepared my papers for a report respecting it, as the Conde de Linhares, had desired me. During the remainder of my stay I collected specimens of the different species of wood, which the neighbourhood produces. The following is a list of them:

_Tapinhoam Canella_—Hard, and excellent for sheathing ships.

_Venatico_—excellent timber.

_Cedar_—good and durable.

_Socupira_, also called _pao ferro_—hard and good.

_Olio_—very solid, and of a peculiar fragrance.

_Cubiuna._

_Jaracandá_—cabinet-wood, variegated, black and yellow—This is called rose-wood in England: but the best sorts, as it appears to me, have not hitherto been imported.

_Jaracatangá._

_Ubatanga._

_Palms_—many varieties, among which is the iriri, before described. Its wood, though small, is unrivalled for strength and elasticity.

_Garfauna_—the bark of which, as I was informed, affords a yellow dye.

_Embé_—a creeping plant. The stems are used instead of cords, and often made into bridles.

Many species of thorny trees.

Most of the above-named species of woods are of large growth, and well calculated for ship-building. It is remarkable that this district produces none of the dye-wood called Brazil wood.

Here are innumerable fruit-trees and shrubs which I have omitted to particularize. Tobacco is cultivated in some parts, and is always manufactured into roll by uniting the leaves with each other, and twisting them with a winch. By this operation the juice is expressed, and after a short exposure to the atmosphere, the color of the tobacco changes from green to black.

Of wild animals, ounces are the most common; they are met with of various colors, some black and brown-red. Tapirs or antas are not unfrequent, but I saw only the footsteps of some of them. Wild hogs breed here in great numbers, and also long-bearded monkeys; the latter, when asleep, snore so loud as to astonish the traveller. The most formidable reptiles are the corral snake, the surocucu, the surocucu-tinga, and the jararaca, all said to be mortally venomous, none of which I ever saw on the journey, except a small one of the former species.

The prevailing method of clearing and cultivating the land here, is precisely similar to that practised in the neighbourhood of S. Paulo. After the timber and underwood have been cut down and burnt (often very imperfectly), the negresses dibble the seed; in about six weeks a slight weeding is performed, and then the ground is let alone till harvest. The seed-time begins in October and lasts until November; the maize is ripe in four or five months. The next year they commonly sow beans on the corn land, which they then let lie, and proceed to clear new ground. It is not common to molest the land from which they have had two crops in succession, before eight or ten years have elapsed.

The sugar-cane and mandioca require from fourteen to eighteen months. Coffee, planted by shoots, bears fruit in two years, and is in perfection in five or six years. Cottons and palma Christi, raised from seed, bear the first year.

Transplanting is only practised with tobacco; engrafting is little known and rarely attempted.

The Indian corn is ground by a horizontal water-wheel, which acquires great velocity from the rush of water upon it. On the upper end is fixed the mill-stone, which makes from fifty to sixty revolutions in a minute. They have likewise a mode of pounding the corn into flour, by a machine called a Sloth. Near a current of water a large wooden mortar is placed, the pestle of which is mortised into the end of a lever twenty-five or thirty feet long, resting upon a fulcrum at five-eights of its length. The extremity of the shorter arm of this beam is scooped out, so as to receive a sufficient weight of water to raise the other end, to which appends the pestle, and to discharge itself when it has sunk to a given point. The alternate emptying and filling of this cavity cause the elevation and fall of the pestle, which take place about four times per minute. This contrivance surpasses all others in simplicity; and in a place where the waste of water is of no consequence, it completely answers its purpose.

POUNDING MACHINE.]

Commencing to grow & form Root.

Nearly full grown & appearance of the Root.]

Having finished my affairs at Canta Gallo, I set out on my return to the capital, accompanied for about a league of the road by the worthy governor, the captain, the treasurer, and almost all the inhabitants. During a residence of about fifteen days among these excellent men, my table had been sumptuously supplied without cost, and I had been treated with a degree of respect far exceeding my expectations or merits. I took leave of them with regret, wishing most sincerely that it might be in my power to be of service to them at court, by making representations in their favor.

I arrived at Morro Queimado at night, after a journey of thirty-four miles[32], and on the next day, in good time, reached the house of my worthy friend Captain Ferreira. Being now less pressed for time, I took a more leisurely survey of his establishment, particularly of his sugarwork and distillery, both which are very ill conducted. When I saw the furnaces for heating the coppers in the latter, I freely told the Captain, that they could not have been constructed on a worse plan, but I received for answer, that no better was known. It would, indeed, be extremely difficult to introduce improvements into this or any other parts of the distillery, for every thing is left to the management of the negroes. When I asked any question concerning the process, the owner professed his ignorance of it, and sent for one of the African foremen to answer me. With this man I reasoned respecting the excessive quantity of fuel consumed to no purpose, and proposed a method for saving it, as well as for correcting the disagreeable taste of the rum, caused by the empyreuma; which was, to redistil it with an equal quantity of water, taking care previously to clean out the still; but he only laughed at me, and signified that his certainly must be the best method, for he had learned it of an old sugar-maker. Thus it is, that from the indifference of the owners to their own interest, things are suffered to go on in the same routine, being left to the direction of men who shrink from a temporary increase of labor, even when it promises them a lasting advantage. This aversion to improvement I have often observed among the inhabitants of Brazil: when, for instance, I have questioned a brick-maker, a sugar-maker, a soap-boiler, or even a miner, as to his reasons for conducting his concerns in such an imperfect manner, I have been almost invariably referred to a negro for answers to my interrogatories.

Some parts of this estate are said to contain gold, and at the time of my visit, Captain Ferreira was negociating for permission from Government to work them. I presented to him a drawing of a plan for washing the _cascalho_ in a manner superior to that commonly practised, and explained to him the use of grinding or stamping those concrete masses frequently found in it, which generally contain particles of gold, but being too hard to be crushed by the hand, are thrown aside among the debris.

In this _fazenda_, as in most others, the conveniences for storing the produce, are so very poor and imperfect, that the weevil soon gets into the corn, and the cotton, coffee, and other produce are liable to be deteriorated in a thousand ways. The stabling, too, is bad, and the cattle are deplorably neglected; indeed, the only part of the live-stock that seems to be tolerably well attended to, is the swine. In the dwelling-house I observed a total inattention to domestic comfort; its general appearance confirmed a remark which I had often heard made, that the owners of estates here, dislike to live upon them, and considering their residence as only temporary, make shift with poor accommodations.

The tract of land belonging to the farm is full two miles square, and though still susceptible of great improvement, has not been wholly neglected; the parts already cleared have produced many valuable crops, and the rest will no doubt, in a few years, be brought to an equally promising state of cultivation.

Having staid two days with Captain Ferreira, I set out on the morning of the third for Porto das Caixas, where I arrived at two o’clock, after a journey of thirty miles, and was delayed some time, as the river was crowded with vessels, laden with ship-timber, for the capital. As soon as the navigation became sufficiently open, I embarked in a large boat, of about ten tons burthen, and rowing all night to the mouth of the river, sailed with a land wind, and arrived at Rio de Janeiro about noon. My first care was to inform His Excellency the minister of my return, after which I employed a few days in drawing up my journal for his inspection. He received it in the handsomest manner, and laid it before his Royal Highness, who was pleased to signify, that my description of the country, through which I had travelled, merited his approbation.

CHAP. X.

_Permission obtained to visit the Diamond Mines.—Account of a pretended Diamond presented to the Prince Regent.—Journey to Villa Rica._

AFTER I had thoroughly recovered from the fatigues of my late journey, I solicited his Royal Highness for permission to go and explore the diamond mines of Cerro do Frio. This favor had never as yet been granted to a foreigner, nor had any Portuguese been permitted to visit the vicinity where the works are situated, except on business relative to them, and even then under restrictions, which rendered it impossible to acquire the means of giving an adequate description of them to the public. Through the kind friendship of the Conde de Linhares, the permission was granted, and my passports and letters of recommendation were speedily made out. Lord Strangford was much pleased at my being so highly favored, and willingly offered his service, and represented me favorably at court. I obtained admission to the archives, for the purpose of examining all the manuscript maps, and of copying from any of them whatever might be necessary to guide me in my route. It may here be proper to observe, that the most eligible mode of travelling in the interior of Brazil, especially on such an excursion as I had undertaken, is to procure orders from the government, and an escort of soldiers, who have a right, under such orders, to require proper relays of mules from all persons who reside on or near the road. The Conde de Linhares intimated to me, that I might select any two soldiers I thought proper, and while I was deliberating on the choice, a singular occurrence took place, which was the means of furnishing me with two men of the corps of miners, who were appointed to attend me, under an injunction on the part of His Excellency, that their future promotion would depend entirely on the report which I should give of their conduct after my return. I am happy to say that their services merited every commendation.

The occurrence to which I allude was this:—A free negro of Villa do Principe, about nine hundred miles distant, had the assurance to write a letter to the Prince Regent, announcing that he possessed an amazingly large diamond which he had received from a deceased friend some years ago, and which he begged he might have the honor to present to His Royal Highness in person. As the magnitude which this poor fellow ascribed to his diamond was such as to raise imagination to its highest pitch, an order was immediately dispatched to the commander of Villa do Principe, to send him forthwith to Rio de Janeiro; he was accommodated with a conveyance, and escorted by two soldiers. As he passed along the road, all who had heard the report hailed him as already honored with a cross of the order of S. Bento, and as sure of being rewarded with the pay of a general of brigade. The soldiers also anticipated great promotion; and all persons envied the fortunate negro. At length, after a journey which occupied about twenty-eight days, he arrived at the capital, and was straightway conveyed to the palace. His happiness was now about to be consummated, in a few moments the hopes which he had for so many years indulged, would be realized, and he should be exalted from a low and obscure condition, to a state of affluence and distinction:—such, no doubt, were the thoughts which agitated him during the moments of suspence. At length he was admitted into the presence; he threw himself at the Prince’s feet, and delivered his wonderful gem. His Highness was astonished at its magnitude; a pause ensued; the attendants waited to hear the Prince’s opinion, and what he said they seconded. A round diamond, nearly a pound in weight, filled them all with wonder; some ready calculators reckoned the millions it was worth; others found it difficult to numerate the sum at which it would be valued, but the general opinion of His Highness’s servants was, that the treasury was many millions of crowns the richer. The noise which this occurrence created among the higher circles, may be easily conceived; the general topic of remark and wonder, was the negro’s offering. It was shewn to the ministers, among whom an apprehension, and even a doubt, was expressed, that a substance so large and round might not prove a real diamond; they, however, sent it to the treasury under a guard, and it was lodged in the deposit of the jewel-room.

On the next day, the Conde de Linhares sent for me, and related all the circumstances which had come to his knowledge respecting this famous jewel, adding, in a low tone of voice, that he had his doubts about its proving a genuine diamond. His Excellency directed me to attend at his office in a few hours, when letters from himself and the other ministers to the Treasury should be given me[33], for permission to see this invaluable gem, in order to determine what it really was. Readily accepting a charge of so interesting a nature, I prepared myself, and attended at the hour appointed, when I received the letters, which I presented at the treasury to an officer in waiting, I was led through several apartments, in which much business seemed to be transacting, to the grand chamber, where presided the treasurer, attended by his secretaries. Having my letters in his hand, he entered into some conversation with me relative to the subject; I was then shewn through other grand apartments hung with scarlet and gold, and ornamented with figures as large as life, representing justice holding the balance. In the inner room, to which we were conducted, there were several strong chests with three locks each, the keys of which were kept by three different officers, who were all required to be present at the opening. One of these chests being unlocked, an elegant little cabinet was taken out, from which the treasurer took the gem, and in great form presented it to me. Its value sunk at the first sight, for before I touched it, I was convinced that it was a rounded piece of crystal. It was above two inches in diameter. On examining it, I told the governor it was not a diamond; and to convince him I took a diamond of five or six carats, and with it cut a very deep nick in the stone. This was proof positive; a certificate was accordingly made out, stating, that it was an inferior substance of little or no value, which I signed.

Other boxes were now unlocked, from one of which they showed me two large slabs of diamond, each a full inch on the superficies, and about the eighth of an inch in thickness, of a very bad brown color. When found, they formed one entire piece, which, being amorphous, was not known to be a diamond, until the administrator or chief of the working party, after keeping it by him many days, had recourse to the old experiment of placing it on a hard stone and striking it with a hammer. The result of this experiment is, that if the substance resist the blow, or, separate in laminæ, it must be a diamond; the latter was the case in the present instance, and the man having thus made two diamonds from one, transmitted them to the intendant.

The river Abaité, from whence these pieces came, has produced one of an octahedral form, which weighs seven-eights of an ounce Troy, and is perhaps the largest diamond in the world. It was found about twelve years ago by three men who were under sentence of banishment for high crimes; but on presenting this valuable gem to the then Viceroy, they were pardoned and rewarded. It is now in the private possession of the Prince Regent.

I was afterwards favored with a sight of the remaining diamonds in the Treasury; they appeared to be in quantity about four or five thousand carats. The largest did not generally exceed eight carats, except one of a fine octahedral form, full seventeen. Among the few colored diamonds, one of the smallest was of a beautiful pink, one of a fine blue, and several were of a green tinge; the yellow were the most common and least esteemed.

Having now finished my business, I took my leave of the treasurer, with thanks for his polite attention, and on my return home wrote a letter to the Conde de Linhares, stating the result of my visit. It was no agreeable task to a stranger to have to announce that a substance which had been considered as an inestimable addition to the treasures of the state, was in reality, though singular in its appearance, of very trifling value, and this too in a letter which was to be laid before the Prince. His Highness, however, was prepared for the intelligence, and was too noble-minded to manifest any chagrin at the disappointment. The poor negro who had presented it was of course deeply afflicted by this unwelcome news; instead of being accompanied home by an escort, he had to find his way thither as he could, and would, no doubt, have to encounter the ridicule and contempt of those who had of late congratulated him on his good fortune.

When I had nearly completed my preparations for the journey, Mr. Goodall, a most respectable merchant, expressed a desire to accompany me to Villa Rica, which I readily acceded to, as he was a most agreeable companion. Lord Strangford having procured him passports from the ministers, he was enabled to join me without delay. On the 17th of August, 1809, we set out on a journey which no Englishman had ever before undertaken, nor had any ever yet been permitted to pass the barrier of alpine mountains that stretch along the coast.

Having embarked in a large market-boat with our retinue, which consisted of the two soldiers before mentioned, and my servant, a most trusty negro-boy, we made sail at mid-day with a sea-breeze, and ran down the bay about six leagues. We then passed the island of Governador and various others, one of which was the beautiful Cocoa-nut island. Proceeding along the strait, formed by it and another of similar extent, we crossed a fine open bay, and arrived at the mouth of the Moremim, a picturesque river which presents in its serpentine course a great variety of beautiful scenery. It was now sun-set; the weather was mild and serene, and we paused awhile to enjoy one of the finest rural prospects which we had ever seen in Brazil—a fine romantic fore-ground, enriched by the vivid foliage of the woods on the banks of the stream, and contrasted by the bold outline of the mountains in the distance, among which we noticed that singular chain of perpendicular rocks, called the Organpipe mountains, from their resemblance in form and position to the front of the instrument alluded to. Having advanced two leagues up the river, we arrived at a village on its margin, called Porto da Estrella, a place of great stir and bustle, on account of the hourly arrival of numerous droves of mules laden with produce from the interior. Here are some poor dwellings, and a number of large storehouses for the reception of the produce. The muleteers, being provided with bedding and cooking utensils, never leave their cattle, so that good inns are to them unnecessary. We were shewn into the best in the place, which was as dirty and inconvenient as can possibly be imagined. I shall forbear to detail the discomforts of the night, and merely observe that they were such as to make us early stirrers in the morning. Our soldiers procured us mules, but owing to the great bustle of loading and unloading, we were not in travelling order until ten o’clock. We now proceeded about three leagues along the low land, having the range of mountains on our left, and passing the village of Piedade entered on a beautiful plain at their base. We stopped at a house at which the Prince Regent had remained three nights for the benefit of the air; but not being able to procure refreshment there, we passed on and began our ascent along an excellent paved road, extending five miles on a very steep elevation along the sides and over the ridges of the mountains. Having rested awhile at the half-way-house, which we had been near an hour in gaining, we toiled on, relieving ourselves at times by turning to take a view of Rio de Janeiro, and the bay, which from this lofty eminence appeared to great advantage. With some difficulty we reached the summit, which, as I suppose, is four thousand feet above the level of the sea; the atmosphere was at least ten degrees colder than on the plain.

Our next halting place was a small village called Corgo Seco, situated in a most rugged and uneven district, with not half an acre of level ground in any part of its vicinity. Having taken some refreshment here, we proceeded to Belmonte, a beautiful spot, situated by the edge of a rapid stream, which washes the base of an immense mountain of granite on the left. We journeyed along this stream until we reached a station called Padre Correa, from the name of its owner. It consists of a house and chapel, with a handsome area in front. The Father maintains a large establishment of negroes, many of whom are employed in beating out mules’ shoes from the cool Swedish iron, after they have been forged into form. For these articles there is a considerable demand, as the unwrought material pays no duty on this side the river Paraiba, while on the other it is taxed full 100 _per cent_. which is also the case with salt. The great consumption of these necessary articles has probably induced Government to lay these heavy duties upon them, but certainly every principle of good policy furnishes an argument against the measure. Padre Correa received us very hospitably, afforded us an asylum for the night, and assisted us in regulating our baggage by supplying a pair of cane panniers for one of the mules, which proved very serviceable. Before sun-rise we were awakened by the clatter of hammers in the forges; the weather was dewy, and so cold that my thermometer was down at 46 degrees. We passed some time in viewing the garden, which was in tolerable order, and contained some fine peach trees in blossom. Our host informed us, that he had a good plantation a few miles distant, but his chief concern was the selling of corn and shoes for the use of the mules.

Leaving this station we skirted the Piabunha, a river abounding in falls, which flows into the Paraiba. Among the hills and dales which we traversed, we at times observed farm-houses and plantations; but the road, farther on, was quite confined by continual wood-scenery. After proceeding about twenty miles we reached Cebolla, a tolerable establishment, consisting of a house of two stories, a small chapel, and a sugar-engine, in an unfinished state, situated in the bottom of a valley. The owner, Captain Jose Antonio Barbosa, was a Portuguese of the old school; he seemed much vexed that His Royal Highness had permitted strangers to travel the country, and treated us with a constrained civility, which shewed us that he thought we were come about no good. His conversation ran continually against the operations of Government in laying taxes upon rum and other commodities; and though he tasted the sweets of office, being part-renter of the lucrative ferry of Paraiba, which post he obtained through the interest of a very worthy gentleman in Rio de Janeiro, yet he had all the acerbity of a disappointed place-hunter. His self-interested and narrow-minded views were but too plainly directed to one object, monopoly; the mere mention of the Prince Regent’s liberality in permitting strangers to reside in Brazil appeared to torture him, and in short, so much of the snarler did he display while discussing this topic, that no character could have more forcibly reminded us of the dog in the manger. It is, however, but fair to add, that while indulging in severe reflections on strangers, he did not forget the duties of hospitality; before we went to rest, he invited us to partake of a family supper, consisting of a boiled duck smothered in rice, and a stewed pullet, to which sat down eight people, including ourselves. Having thanked our host for his kindness, we retired to the apartments allotted to us. My bed was so uneasy that I was obliged to sit up during most of the night, having no alternative, for as the clay floor was neither boarded nor paved, I could not venture to throw the bed clothes upon it, and sleep there. Never did mortal hail day-break with greater satisfaction; but my agreeable feelings were soon damped by one of those little vexatious accidents which in some states of mind are more hard to bear than real misfortunes. I had placed my thermometer in a _wind-door_ or air-hole (for the aperture was not glazed); a stupid fellow, in fastening the bridle of a mule to one of the bars, threw down the instrument and broke it. Luckily I had another, therefore the loss was not so grievous.

Our soldiers having, with their wonted alacrity, provided mules, we set out at an early hour, and entered upon a much more level road than that of the preceding day. We passed along several valleys, the surface of which presented clay and decomposed granite, in some places more ferruginous than in others. There are numerous sheds all the way for the refreshment of travellers and their cattle. This day’s journey being only sixteen miles, we soon completed it, arriving about noon at the ferry of Paraibuna. This river, though as wide as the Thames at Westminster, is unnavigable, by reason of the large rocks which impede its course. The ferry-boat arriving, we went into it with all our mules, and were conveyed with oars and setting poles to the other side, where we found a Register for the examination of passengers, their passports, and property. The place is guarded by a few old soldiers, under the command of a lieutenant, who, though in ill health, shewed us every attention. Our soldiers got us a dinner cooked at a _venda_[34], kept by a young man originally from Oporto; we took tea and supped with the commandant, who assigned to us an apartment in the Register. He was very civil, and seemed highly pleased to see us, frequently exclaiming, “Os Inglezes são grande gente,” (the English are a great nation). We were gratified by this and other national compliments which he paid us, and not less so by the respect which every one who came to visit us testified for our country, as being in alliance with a Prince to whom they were enthusiastically devoted.

The Register is a substantial edifice of wood, built on posts to preserve it from the overflows of the river, which frequently inundate the sandy flat on which it stands. It contains a few rooms, which serve as barracks for the guards, and has a handsome gallery fronting the ferry. The station is low, and in summer is said to be very hot and unhealthy; a circumstance which, joined to the indolence and poverty of the inhabitants, may sufficiently account for the general appearance of debility observable among them. The little employment they have arises chiefly from the passengers who frequent this great thoroughfare, and from the numerous troops of mules which are continually arriving on their way to, as well as from, the interior. The barges of the ferry are as fine vessels as any I ever saw used for the purpose; and indeed they ought to be, for a considerable toll is paid, not only for every mule, or other beast of burden, but for every person crossing the river. The annual amount collected yields, no doubt, a handsome profit to the renters; but it might be considerably augmented if a regular road were opened to Canta Gallo, which is only eighteen leagues distant.

Being informed that our next day’s journey would be an arduous one, on account of the hilly district through which we should have to pass, we retired to rest betimes, and were stirring at an early hour. We mounted fresh mules, and proceeded along a good road through a rugged and thinly peopled district; in the course of five leagues, we passed over seven very high granite mountains, and eight smaller ones, and at length reached the ferry of the Paraiba, a river considerably larger than the Paraibuna. At the Register belonging to it, which is more extensive and better guarded than the former, all goods are examined and weighed, paying duty according to their weight, whatever be their kind, quality, or value. This regulation bears very unequally upon different articles; salt, for instance, pays nearly _cent. per cent._ iron and lead about the same; while woollens, cottons, and other light goods do not, on an average, exceed eight or ten _per cent._

The commandant of the Register offered us every assistance, and was kind enough to provide us a fresh mule for our baggage. The short time we staid here did not allow much leisure for observation; and, indeed, there was little of novelty to observe. The situation of the Register is pleasant; the country around is well wooded and fertile, though mountainous. The river is almost destitute of fish.

We proceeded about a league and a half farther, through thick woods, and arrived at a place named Rosina de Negra, where we halted for the night. Our next day’s journey presented the same varieties of hill and ravine as those we had already passed. In one part of the road we observed a kind of barracks, consisting of an _estalagem_ and some _ranchos_ or huts, where an officer and about twenty horse-soldiers are stationed; they patrole the road, and are authorised to stop travellers, and make the strictest search of those whom they suspect of having gold-dust or diamonds concealed. Proceeding two leagues, we arrived at the Register of Mathias Barboza, situated in the midst of an almost impervious wood. It was built about sixty or seventy years ago, by the gentleman whose name it bears, and who was an ancestor of the noble family of Sousa.

This Register is a large oblong building, with two great doors at each end, through which all travellers, with their mules, are required to pass. On entering, they stop, and deliver their passports to a soldier for examination by the commander, who, if he judges that a correct account is given of the property, suffers them to proceed: but if any grounds of suspicion occur, the mules are unloaded, and all the contents of their cargoes are examined with the strictest scrutiny. In these examinations it not unfrequently happens that a negro has been suspected of swallowing a diamond; in which case, he is shut up in a bare room until such time as the truth can be proved. The command of this station is entrusted to a major. The inner part of the building consists of apartments for the officers, _ranchos_ for the soldiers, cells for the confinement of suspected persons, and stabling for the mules. In the yard there are numerous posts, to which the cattle are tied while loading or unloading. There is also a _venda_ for the accommodation of travellers.

Leaving this place, we proceeded through an extensive tract of wood, in which we occasionally observed a few deer, but no birds, except now and then a green parrot or a wood-pecker. The road, as far as the eye could reach, was bounded on each hand by close continuous thickets, and rarely enlivened by traces of habitation. Those persons who live by the way-side are commonly of the lowest order, who settle there with the view of selling refreshments to travellers, and corn for the mules; they are in general an idle, gossipping race: the more respectable classes reside at a distance from the public road.

We arrived about four in the evening at a farm-house called Madeiras, belonging to Captain José Pinto de Sousa. The situation is cold and salubrious, the vicinity well-watered, and abounding in fine tracts of arable and pasture land, but deplorably neglected. The owner seemed to prefer ease, with inconvenience, to labor, with comfort; and, satisfied with the spontaneous bounty of nature, cared little about improving it by industry. The house itself was miserably out of repair: its walls, which consisted of lattice-work plastered with clay, were full of holes and crevices, and its roof was in a very crazy and shattered condition. We fared but poorly, and passed a very indifferent night; often reflecting on the apathy and listless indolence of the people: who, thought we, in a cold climate would live in a dwelling full of cracks and air-holes, when a few dashes of mud might render it comparatively comfortable!

From this place, which is an hundred miles from Porto da Estrella, we continued our route next day over a chain of mountains, among which we encountered other falls of the Paraiba nearer its source, and, traversing a tract of close woodland, arrived at a station called the Fazenda do Juiz de Fora. Here we procured fresh mules, and proceeded for a considerable distance on the ascent, when we met with two planters from Minas Novas, who were going to Rio de Janeiro with forty-six mules loaded with cotton, packed in raw hides, each beast carrying two packages. They had been nearly three months on the road. We availed ourselves of their kind offers to carry intelligence to our friends in the capital, and gave them letters for that purpose.

The remainder of our day’s journey afforded few incidents worth notice. We observed several pines of a singular species, which yielded abundance of resin. In one part of the road I shot a most beautiful bird, the name of which I could not learn, but was informed that it flew about much in the night. In another part, we noticed a beast of prey, which was crossing the road before us, and fled at our approach. I killed a small water-snake with two fins near its vent.

We arrived towards evening at the _fazenda_ of Antonio Ferreira, formerly a good house, but now almost in ruins. The owner was not at home; but his old negro-servants provided as handsomely for us as we could have expected them to do if he had been present. We made a tolerable supper of stewed fowls, with the addition of a fine wild turkey, which I had killed in the vicinity. I may here observe, that a traveller in this country should neglect no opportunity of providing for himself with his gun, as he is never certain of palatable fare at the places where he alights.

The surface of the country is in general good strong clay; all the rocks are of gneiss and granite, in the composition of which hornblende predominates. We this day passed the site of the first gold-washing, which is very small, and has been many years abandoned. The rivulets have a great deal of oxide of iron in small grains mixed with the sand in their eddies. In some places the granite is in a decomposing state, and there are large nodules of what the Germans call grünstein, which appear not unlike basalt. The air in these elevated districts is fresh and cool, except from two to four o’clock in the afternoon, when I found it rather hot. In the evening, while amusing ourselves with shooting, we observed a man in a friar’s habit, with a box bearing a picture of the Virgin, fastened to his waist by a belt. His face was overgrown with hair, and his whole appearance exceedingly wild and uncouth. On inquiry, we were informed that this extraordinary figure was a hermit; and that he had embraced this austere life by way of doing penance for some great crime.

Having pursued our diversion while day-light lasted, we returned to the house, where, for the first time since our departure from Rio, we partook of a comfortable meal, and regaled ourselves with a bottle of excellent Madeira, which my worthy companion by good fortune had brought with him.

We set out next day by sun-rise, and proceeded some miles along a tolerable road. The vallies as we advanced were wider, and more easy of cultivation, but the mountains were excessively steep. On even ground our general pace was three or four miles an hour, but on the acclivities we proceeded slowly, and were obliged to observe every step of our mules, and to balance ourselves accordingly. This action of the body produces no perceptible consequences for the first few days, but afterwards it begins to torture the loins with a species of lumbago.

After a journey of twenty-eight miles, which occupied nine hours, we found ourselves at six in the evening at a small farm-house called Fazenda de Dôna Clara e Dôna Maria. These two good ladies honored us with a more polite reception than we had hitherto experienced on the journey. It being the festival of St. Bartholomew, a great holiday among the Brazilians, they had prepared a more sumptuous dinner than usual, of which they kindly invited us to partake. We were the more sensible of this act of hospitality, because it evidently proceeded from sincere good-will; and, like the widow’s mite, derived additional merit from the smallness of the store which supplied the means of performing it. Their establishment seemed barely provided with necessaries; and the house in which they lived was ill built and scantily furnished. We could not but smile at the earnestness with which one of these worthy ladies complained of the hardness of the times; they paid, she observed, a moidore every three years in taxes. How happy, thought we, would our English spinsters of slender incomes deem themselves in being so lightly assessed!

We passed the evening tolerably, having provided ourselves with candles, which we found very necessary both here and in other places on the road; for the rooms in general are lighted only by a glimmering lamp, which rather augments than diminishes their melancholy gloom.

In the morning we were informed that the mules which had been provided for us over-night were taken away from the stable. This so enraged our soldier, that he immediately rode in quest of them, brought them back, and pressed others for our service. We here saw the convenience of travelling under official orders: had we not been so provided, we might have been exposed to a most vexatious delay. These military requisitions of cattle may be considered by the owner as a grievance; but he generally indemnifies himself by high charges to other travellers, and by impositions in the way of trade.

Being now within the province of Minas Geraes, (a country famed at Rio de Janeiro for its excellent cheese), I expected to see some improvement in the condition of the country,—some establishment worthy of being called a farm,—some dwelling, constructed not merely for shelter but for comfort. I hoped to remark among the inhabitants that air of health and animation which springs from the invigorating occupations and cheering pursuits of husbandry; but no such pleasing change was perceptible: the same want of exertion prevailed here as in other parts of the country; the people seemed to act as if the tenure by which they held their lands was about to be abolished; all around them had the appearance of make-shift; their old houses, fast hastening to decay, bore no marks of repair about them; wherever a bit of garden-ground was inclosed, it appeared overrun with weeds; where coffee-trees, planted in former years, still existed, the present occupiers were too indolent to gather the fruit; no inclosures were made for pasturage; a few goats supplied the little milk that was consumed; and cows’-milk was rarely to be procured. On observing these deplorable consequences of the apathy of the inhabitants, I could not but reflect on the advantages which might accrue from the introduction of the English system of agriculture among them. The example of a single farm, conducted on that system, might go far towards rousing the people from their slothful state; and, when they once felt their faculties awakened, they would be ashamed to lounge about as they now do, under an old great coat, for days together, burthens to themselves, and objects of contempt to all strangers who see them.

The next place we visited, after quitting the residence of these old ladies, offered every requisite for making the experiment above alluded to. It was a _fazenda_ called Mantiqueira, situated in the largest plain we had hitherto traversed, consisting of rich land watered by numerous streams. The establishment was in a fit state to begin with: the house was falling to ruin, and the grounds about it were overrun with weeds and brushwood. What more desirable situation, exclaimed I to my companion, could an English farmer select! Here cattle of every description are cheap; cows and oxen at two years old may be purchased at 30s. or 40s. per head; excellent horses from 60s. to £8. each; and pigs, poultry, and other live-stock, at a price too trifling to mention. Here is land which, under the influence of this genial climate, is capable of yielding two hundred-fold; here is wood in abundance for every purpose; excellent clay for making bricks; and water at command. Yet all these advantages are lost to the present occupiers, who consider them too cheap to be valuable; and, perpetually hankering after the precious minerals, seem to think that the only standard for estimating the gifts of nature, is the difficulty of obtaining them.

Having passed the hamlet of St. Sebastian, we arrived late in the evening at Borda do Campo, a village consisting of about twenty houses, the best of which is that of Captain Rodrigo de Lima, who, on learning our situation, kindly took us in for the night. While supper was preparing, we had some conversation with him respecting the agriculture and produce of the neighbourhood, in the course of which he paid much attention to our observations, and promised next day to shew us the system he pursued. At the repast, which was speedily announced, he introduced us to his wife and daughter, and a lady who was then on a visit to them. This was an unexpected act of politeness, and one which had never yet been exercised towards us by any master of a family in the whole course of our journey. The few females we occasionally saw at any former place generally secluded themselves on our arrival and during our stay; and, when they came near us by chance, they commonly ran away in as much apparent alarm as if they had been accustomed to be frightened at the name of an Englishman. The ladies appeared in very neat dresses of English manufacture, with a profusion of gold chains about their necks, which are always worn on receiving or paying visits. Their conversation was gay and enlivening; they were very inquisitive respecting the costume of English women, and seemed quite astonished at hearing that they wore caps, it being never the custom among the Brazilian females to cover their heads until advanced in years. They ornament their hair with combs, frequently of gold, and very richly wrought. Wine was introduced, of which the ladies could not be prevailed on to partake: they gave our healths by putting the glass to their lips. After supper, the table was covered with delicious sweetmeats; when, being desirous of paying the lady of the house a compliment, I spoke highly of their excellence, and presumed that the fruits were preserved under her immediate direction; but she assured me to the contrary, and observed that her negress did all that sort of domestic work. I perceived, or imagined, that she was rather offended at my remark, and therefore apologized by saying, that it was not uncommon for the ladies in England to interest themselves personally in the concerns of housewifery. The remainder of the evening passed off very agreeably.

On looking out of my chamber-window the following morning, I was surprised to see two small and very neat inclosures, in one of which flax was growing, and in the other wheat. The latter, which apparently had been sown about seven weeks, was very poor and unpromising: the ground had too much water, and seemed of late to have been flooded. Our host regaled us with a breakfast of stewed fowl, excellent coffee and milk, and a dish of _feijones_, with mandioca and buttered toast; after which he conducted us to his inclosures.

The flax was very healthful and strong: he told us he cut[35] it three or four times a year, and that it was dressed, spun, and woven in his own house. He grew but little, having occasion for no more than what answered his domestic purposes. The wheat, he told us, was blighted. He shewed us a sample of last year’s growth, which was very poor, coarse, and foul. The mills are of similar construction to those used at Canta Gallo, but I did not observe a pair of stones fit for the grinding of wheat.

I now expressed a wish to see his dairy, which the good gentleman immediately complied with. Instead of an apartment, such as I expected to find, fitted up and kept in order for that sole purpose, I was shewn into a kind of dirty store-room, the smell of which was intolerable. The present, I was told, was not the time for making cheese, as the cows gave milk only in the rainy season. I begged to see the implements used in the process; and, on examining them, found, to my utter astonishment, that neither the vats nor cloths had been washed since they were last used; and the milk-pails, &c. were in the same condition. This sufficiently accounted for the offensive smell which I had perceived on entering the place. When I asked to see the utensil used for making butter, an apology was made, by stating that it was not in the way: they had observed my disgust at the other vessels, and probably thought that this was equally unfit to be inspected. I did all in my power to inform our worthy host of the manner in which English dairies were conducted, and gave him several directions, which he wrote down, but seemed quite indifferent about adopting them. On enquiry, I found that no provision was made for the cows; there were no houses erected for milking, and that operation was frequently neglected, and at all times badly performed.

The premises bore traces of the industry and taste of the former occupants: there was a mud-wall round them, encompassing about an acre of ground, which, when perfect, must have given the whole a retired and comfortable appearance; but it was now partly broken down in ruins. The steps leading to the front door of the dwelling were of the lapis ollaris, or pot-stone, of which substance there is a stratum in the vicinity.

Our cattle being ready, we mounted about eleven in the forenoon, returning thanks to our host, and offering to pay for the accommodation we had met with; but the only compensation he required, was a promise, on our part, to pass a day or two with him on our return. The ladies, who had not appeared at breakfast, came out upon the gallery, and very pleasingly and politely wished us a good journey.