Chapter I (7)

Resuming our route, we passed several small farms, and observed that the blight had destroyed all their bananas, and withered their coffee-trees. My thermometer at the time was not lower than 52°, but the damage had been done some days before by a sharp southerly wind. In some parts of the road there were very small inclosures of flax and rye. The country now appeared more open, and the wood-scenery lay at a greater distance. We rode by the side of a barren mountain, which was covered to an extent of three miles with quartz, and produced little or no herbage, except a species of wiry or windle grass, which was much parched by the sun. We descended a declivity tremendously steep, and full a mile in length, at the bottom of which we crossed the Rio das Mortes, here a small rivulet. On its further bank is an _estalagem_, or inn, called Registro Velho, (Old Register) having been originally built as a searching-office, to prevent the smuggling of gold. Proceeding hence, the eye is again relieved from confined wood-scenery by the prospect of a grand amphitheatre of mountains, which are bounded by others of amazing magnitude, covered with forests. On the side of one hill, which we skirted obliquely, I observed several crystallized masses, which, on examination, proved to be clusters of cubes of ferruginous quartz of a dark-brown color. We shortly afterwards arrived at a village called Barbacena, situated on a commanding eminence, in a most fertile country, and apparently containing about two hundred dwelling-houses. While we stopped to take some refreshment, numbers of the inhabitants came to look at us, having never before seen Englishmen, and being on the rack of curiosity to know the objects of our journey. At this place two great roads from the mining country unite, and form the main road to Rio de Janeiro. That to the westward leads from S. João d’El Rey, Sabará, and Cuiabá; the other from Villa Rica, Mariana, Villa do Principe, Tejuco, Minas Novas, &c. Being a sort of half-way station to the capital, and the last open place on the road, it is much frequented by people from different parts of the interior, and has a considerable traffic in various articles, particularly baizes, cotton goods, salt, and iron. Many of the shops were well stocked with English manufactures. The place is governed by an _Ouvidor_, or justice of the peace, and a military officer. In its neighbourhood there is a quarry of soft, whitish granite, from which mill-stones are made; but, from the specimens I saw of it, the material must be very unfit for such a purpose.

We arrived, about four in the evening, at a poor place called Resequinha, the owner of which made every provision for us which his scanty means afforded. He dispatched a negro to gather grass for the mules, which is here incredibly scarce; and killed us a fowl or two for dinner. The time previous to that meal hung heavy on our hands; there were no birds to afford us an hour’s shooting, and we had no source of diversion, except that which the lively fancy and inexhaustible humor of my companion afforded. We dined heartily about seven o’clock on stewed fowls and mandioca, which fully supplied the want of bread. That article is so extremely scarce in these parts, that even the populous village of Barbacena, though situated in the richest corn-district of the province, could furnish us only one rusk. Being overcome with weariness, we prepared for rest. One of our beds was placed on the table, the other on a dried hide stretched upon the clay floor. These were miserable accommodations; but sleep knows little distinction between the hovel and the palace, and a man thoroughly disposed may enjoy it as soundly in one as in the other. So it was with my companion; he was in a profound slumber within five minutes after he had lain down, in despite of the rough materials of which his pallet was composed. Mine prevented me from sleeping, and compelled me to sit up during most of the night; it consisted, as well as his, of the leaves of Indian corn crammed into a bag, with the mouth tied up; but the careless negro who performed that operation had neglected to pick out the core or pith from which the grain is rubbed, so that there was no finding an easy posture upon it. I sat musing on the absolute wretchedness of every thing around; a miserable lamp hung over our heads and threw a dismal glimmer about the apartment; the floor was uneven and broken into holes; the table, on which we had dined, consisted of one large plank of a quality not discoverable without the assistance of a scraper, as it had never been cleaned since it was made; there was not a chair or any thing resembling a seat, except an antique bench with a back to it, fixed at a distance on one side of the table, so that some of the guests had to take their repast standing. The very beasts in the out-houses were better provided for than the master, if we might judge from the healthy condition of those we saw, whose slothful apathy could be matched only with that of the swine they fed.

We left Resequinha an hour after day-break, and entered on some clayey ground which caused our mules to come down frequently, as they were unshod. The day being Sunday we found some difficulty in procuring fresh mules, as they were all engaged in taking their masters to mass. After proceeding about a league and a half we arrived at the _fazenda_ do Gama, consisting of a good mansion and some out-buildings. The house, which is the residence of a major, stands on an eminence in a fine open country, beautifully interspersed with clumps of trees and small patches of wood, but wholly uncultivated and destitute of inclosures. The land appeared much burnt up, and ill supplied with water, but the vallies, we were told, abounded in numerous streams and rivulets. Having stopped at the door, we were saluted by the voice of a fine motherly-looking lady, apparently about forty, who invited us to alight, and we readily obeyed, having occasion to change our baggage-mule. Two young ladies, the daughters of the one whom we had first seen, came on the gallery to welcome us. As the morning was cool, they were covered with purple mantles of baize, which left only a part of the face exposed, but shewed us sufficient to prove that the females of this province, here called _mineras_, are above mediocrity in personal charms. This opinion was confirmed on entering the house, where these ladies appeared to much greater advantage; they were in the bloom of health, rather tall in stature, and in their air and gestures extremely graceful. We had just entered into conversation when in came our soldier to announce that the baggage-mule was loaded, and that the day was so far spent as barely to allow time enough to reach the next station before night. This honest fellow for the first time on our journey was the bearer of unwelcome news. I asked him why he did not bring us to this mansion last night, instead of halting at the miserable dog-hole of Resequinha. “Ah, Sir,” replied he, “the mules could travel no further.” “Then you might have told us of this delightful place, and we would have walked hither had it been double the distance.” How much more merrily we should have passed the evening, thought I, on observing two fine guitars hung up in a closet that was accidentally opened. The mother, who now came in, gave us an invitation to stop, regretting that her husband, being confined by illness to his bed, was unable to pay his respects to us in person. We expressed our disappointment at not being able to avail ourselves of this invitation, and again related how ill we had passed the night at Resequinha. “Yes,” observed one of the daughters very facetiously, “men alone make very insipid society; you would have been much better here, would not you?” Our soldier again came to say that the baggage-mule was out of sight, and that we should be in danger of losing our way. The mule, said I, may surely for once fall lame to accommodate us, or some lucky misfortune may occur to give us a pretext for prolonging our stay. We were at length obliged to yield to the pressing remonstrances of our soldier, and took leave of the good lady and her amiable daughters, promising to visit them on our return. We pursued our journey with reluctance, over a dreary tract of country, passing at intervals through small woods, where we shot a few wood-peckers, here called _carpinteros_, a name sufficiently characteristic of their peculiar habits. The incessant hacking which they make with their beaks may be heard at a considerable distance. No incident worth mentioning occurred in this day’s journey, which terminated at Bandeira de Coelho, where we arrived at sun-set. A more dirty and slovenly place, in a finer situation, we never visited. It was with great difficulty that my negro-boy procured us a pot of any sort to dress us a fowl and some beans for supper. The kitchen was a mere dirt-hole, blackened with soot and smoke above and all around, and covered with mud and filth below: the cooking utensil was a pot placed on three stones and heated by a fire of green wood. The owner was very assiduous in helping us, and heartily desired us to make free. He was reputed to be a man of considerable property, which he had accumulated by selling corn for the troops of mules which frequently stop here, and are generally better accommodated than his biped guests. We procured something in the form of a supper, and passed the night under the same sort of shed as that which sheltered our cattle, and on bedding very little superior in quality to theirs.

The experience of this night completed the catalogue of inconveniences to which we had been exposed since the commencement of our journey. I would advise every traveller who pursues the same route, to provide himself with a hammock and blankets, a stock of tea, sugar, candles, liquors, soap, and salt, two kettles, and a drinking-horn, (for in few places will he meet with any of these articles), as well as an umbrella, which can by no means be dispensed with. This equipage, (together with proper instruments), is necessary for a person who travels to make observations on the country, and will require two baggage-mules to carry it.

We set out next morning at six, without breakfast, not being able to procure either coffee or milk; and proceeding six miles, through a fine open country, arrived at a large village called Louza, containing full two thousand inhabitants. It is well built, but as I was informed, has much declined from its former consequence, which it owed principally to the rich mines in its vicinity, now almost exhausted. We procured a tolerable breakfast of coffee and eggs at a _vend_; and, while we partook of it, were much amused by the numbers of inhabitants, who crowded the door in eager curiosity to see us, asking a variety of questions of a political nature, and forming endless conjectures respecting the object of our journey.

Leaving this village about eleven o’clock, we proceeded along a range of mountains composed of argillaceous schistus, and passed a hill covered with micaceous iron ore: in one part of it there was a break that showed marks of stratification, which appeared vertical, or it was probably a strong vein of ferruginous matter, which traversed the mountain. I was not a little surprised to find that the road, for above half a mile, was covered with rich oxide of iron.

We passed a place called Alto de Virginia, where, as well as in the vicinity, to a considerable extent, there are gold-washings, which bear the general name of Lavras de Virginia. I examined the heaps of debris, but found in them nothing but rounded quartz and ferruginous matter. Journeying half a league further, we came to the gold-washings of S. Antonio do Ouro Branco, where hillocks of the same materials abounded; and we soon afterwards entered the poor and almost deserted village of the same name, containing about five hundred souls. We had an interview with the commandant, but could obtain nothing in the way of refreshment; indeed the few people we saw were so needy, that far from being able to supply our wants, they seemed to crave all we had to satisfy their own, and eyed us as if they expected we had brought them something. Glad to get away from this wretched place, we continued our journey through a succession of fine vallies, and arrived about four o’clock at the foot of a tremendous mountain, overhung with clouds. The ascent was so steep that, judging it in vain to attempt to ride, I dismounted; our soldier, who was a lighter man than myself, exchanged mules with me, and up we went in a zig-zag direction for half an hour, when we found ourselves immersed in a thick cloud, which for some time hindered us from seeing our way. We were at length able to proceed, and in many parts had to mount up ledges nearly two feet perpendicular, which we performed without alighting, as our saddles were secured from slipping off behind by a strong strap passing round the mule’s neck. It is considered very unsafe to dismount in these ascents, for the animals go much less steady when led than when ridden. At seven o’clock we reached the summit, where, though night was setting in, we found it necessary to rest half an hour, and then proceeded a league in the dark without our baggage-mule, which, being unable to keep pace with us, had been left in charge of two men and the negro-boy. We were under little apprehension for the safety of our property, though, as we afterwards learnt, the poor animal was down above twenty times in the course of the ascent. About eight o’clock we reached Alto do Morro, our baggage arriving about an hour after. Here we halted for the night in one of the best inns we had hitherto seen, the hostess of which soon provided us with a comfortable supper, of which we partook very heartily, and passed an agreeable evening. The good order and propriety which reigned in this inn confirmed an observation we had often made, that of all houses on the road those under the direction of females were managed with most ability, and certainly afforded the best accommodations. I may add, that there prevailed in them that evident disposition and wish to oblige which generally makes up for any deficiency, and by appealing to a stranger’s liberality makes him satisfied with whatever is set before him.

The land, through which we this day passed, appeared much burnt up, being in general very bare of vegetable soil, and having few trees to defend it against the heat of the sun. In the mountains we observed several slips or breaks, which presented abrupt and singular masses lying in all directions like confused heaps of architectural ruins, disclosing veins of soft talc, and some _cascalho_, poor in gold. The stratum was argillaceous schistus, very ferruginous, and friable. At the bottom of these slips, which appeared to be caused by the disrupture of one part of the mountain from the other (probably through the infiltration of water), there were small streams, which in rainy weather swell into torrents, and burst through their channels with great velocity.

The next day, it being our intention to reach Villa Rica before night, we set out at an early hour, notwithstanding the cold cloudy weather and the heavy dew which prevailed. We passed through a bare and uneven tract of country, presenting similar characteristics to those above described. Near a place called Capão, I rode down a hill covered with rich iron ore in such profusion, that tons might have been gathered from the surface. Proceeding a short distance farther, we arrived at a house, the owner of which, we afterwards understood, possessed a topaz-mine in the neighbourhood. The mention of a _mine_ of topazes excited my curiosity, as it gave me the idea of a vein worked under-ground, and containing those substances in the matrix as originally formed. On expressing to the owner my desire to see the works, he kindly undertook to accompany me to the spot. After walking about half a mile up the mountain just mentioned, I was shown two breaks or slips, in which my guide informed me were the topaz-mines. We entered one of them, which was in extent little short of two acres; the argillaceous schistus, which formed the upper stratum, appeared in a variety of stages, the greater part migrating into micaceous schistus. In one part I observed two negroes poking in the little soft veins, which the slips disclosed, with a piece of rusty iron, probably part of an old hoop; and on enquiring what they were about, I was informed they were the _miners_, searching for topazes. I took one of their instruments, and on using it as they did, found these veins to contain a very minute micaceous substance approaching to earthy talc, also some quartz, and large crystals of specular iron ore. I had the good fortune to find two or three topazes, which, as they had only one pyramid each, and appeared fractured, I judged to be out of their original place. It had hitherto been my opinion, that all the topazes which I had seen at Rio de Janeiro, or elsewhere, and which were of similar form to these, had been broken from the matrix by the miners; I now, therefore, fully expected to meet with some having double pyramids, but, to my great disappointment, all that I found were entirely detached. From a great quantity (at least a cart-load) of inferior topazes, which were afterwards shown to me in the owner’s house, (and any number of which I might have taken away), I could not select one with a double pyramid. They informed me that sometimes, but very rarely, topazes had been found attached to quartz, but even in these instances the quartz was fractured and out of its original place[36]. The topazes which were shewn me, were very imperfect, and full of flaws. The negroes employed in these works were superintended by two Creolians, who received what they found.

After I had collected a variety of specimens, we returned to our mules, continued our journey over bleak and sterile mountains, through roads covered with dust, and arrived about three o’clock in sight of Villa Rica. Though the town stands on an eminence rather steep and lofty, the approach to it is not noble or striking, neither is there any thing in a near view of it, which, to the eye of a traveller, corresponds with the grandeur of its name. The environs, unlike those of opulent towns in general, exhibited few signs of cultivation; not an acre of good pasture was any where to be seen, nor an inclosure of any kind. We arrived a little after four, and alighted at one of the first houses to the left, on entering the town; it had been recommended to us as one of the best inns, but we found, that, in point of cleanliness and accommodation, report greatly overrated it. The owner, being a priest, entrusted the entire management to a mulatto, who acted as if he was seldom under the eye of his master. Having ordered dinner, we walked into the town for about a mile; the streets were very irregular, and so badly paved as to give us no favorable idea of the opulence of the inhabitants. As night was coming on, and we felt fatigued, we postponed delivering our letters until next day, and returned to our inn. Our dinner, which was served up in as slovenly a manner as we had ever witnessed, even in the poorest _rancho_ on the road, consisted of some stewed beef and a fowl. The bread was tolerable, but dear. Being little inclined to sit up after our repast, we retired early to rest; our rooms, though destitute of almost every appropriate convenience, were better than those to which we had of late been accustomed.

Notwithstanding the fatigue of the journey, which heartily disposed me to sleep, my mind was for some time occupied in reflecting on the place at which we had now arrived, and which had long been the theme of our wonder and conjecture. Villa Rica—the rich village! The capital of the province of Minas Geraes, and the seat of its government; a place which had for many years been reputed the richest in Brazil, as to it was brought all the gold found in the vast district around. Impatient to see some vestiges of that splendor which its name implies, I slept but little, and rose at an early hour. We, with difficulty, obtained our breakfast, consisting of coffee and eggs, with bread and English butter, after which we dressed and went to deliver our letters.

Our arrival being announced, we were directed to present ourselves at the audience-chambers, which form part of a large edifice, containing also the post-office and other public rooms for the transaction of Government business. We were introduced to the General of the Forces, and to Dr. Lucas Antonio Monteiro de Barras, Judge of the Supreme Court; the latter held the principal authority in the absence of the Viceroy, who was gone to Rio de Janeiro, another from Goyazes being expected shortly to succeed him. We were honored with a most handsome reception, and various houses were put in our choice, with a kind invitation to make use of any of them during our stay, but we preferred taking lodgings in the centre of the town, within three minutes’ walk of the Palace, in Rua Dereita, the very Bond Street of Villa Rica.

After our interview with the Judge, we devoted some hours to a perambulation of the town, and returned much fatigued to dine at our inn. In the evening I paid a visit to the vicar, who gave me a hearty welcome, and in the usual style of Portuguese compliment, told me his house was mine. The saying, had it been verified, would have put me in possession of one of the best mansions in Villa Rica. At tea the worthy pastor introduced me to several officers, among whom was the late governor of the Diamond district, who gave me much information concerning it, and shewed me an aqua-marina, which had been found in one of the washings. It was a perfect hexagonal prism, full seven inches in length, and three quarters of an inch in diameter, clear and free from flaws. After some hours of very agreeable conversation, the party broke up, and it being dark, I was conducted to my inn by a servant of the vicar’s, with his lantern. At the corners of the streets, along which we passed, there were groups of the lower order of people offering their prayers; in a niche above them was a figure of the Virgin, with tapers burning before it. A voice in a low solemn tone uttered the vespers, the responses were made by the multitude. I took off my hat as I passed, knowing that such a token of reverence is always expected.

The next day was occupied chiefly in removing our equipage to our new lodgings in Rua Dereita; to this service our soldiers were particularly attentive, and left us nothing to do which they could do for us. On the day following we were honored with visits from the judge, the general, the vicar, and many of the principal inhabitants, all of whom testified their respect for us in the most polite manner. Many of them afterwards sent me presents of fine sugar, coffee, sweetmeats, cheese, and some good bread. One gentleman, to give me a proof of the richness of the soil and salubrity of the climate, sent me a cabbage, full fourteen inches in diameter, when stripped of its outside leaves; a finer vegetable never was produced.

When our leisure permitted, we took excursions to view the town and its vicinity, sometimes on horseback and sometimes on foot, generally going and returning in a different direction. It is situated on the side of a large mountain, connected with others forming an immense chain, of which it is one of the highest. Most of the streets range, in steps, as it were, from the base to the summit, and are crossed by others which lead up the acclivity. It is most admirably supplied with water, which is conducted into almost every house in a most convenient and pleasant manner. In the streets are many fountains, which, though not to be compared with those of Italy in architectural taste, are well constructed. One cistern in particular contained water which tasted strongly of sulphate of iron; the natives consider it serviceable in the cure of cutaneous diseases, and frequently bathe in it. The town is divided into two parishes, and contains a population of about twenty thousand inhabitants, of whom there are more whites than blacks. The climate is delightful, and perhaps equal to that of Naples. Though the latitude of the place is only 20° south, yet owing to its elevated site, the temperature of the air is generally moderate. The thermometer never exceeds 82° in the shade and rarely below 48°, but its usual range is from 64° to 80° in summer, and from 48° to 70° in winter. The greatest heats prevail in January. Owing to its great elevation various changes from heat to cold prevail in the same day, and there are frequent showers of rain. Thunder-storms are common, but by no means violent. The sun is sometimes clouded by dews and mist so dense as not to subside until the forenoon is far advanced.

The gardens here are laid out with great taste, and from the peculiarity of their construction present a curious spectacle. As there is scarcely a piece of level ground, even ten yards square, on the whole side of the mountain, the defect has been remedied by cutting spaces one above another at regular distances, and supporting them by low walls, the top of one being on a level with the base of that next above it. An easy flight of steps leads from one level to the other. These terraces seemed to me to be the very kingdom of Flora, for never did I before see such a profusion of delicate flowers. Here were also excellent vegetables of every kind, such as artichokes, asparagus, spinach, cabbage, kidney-beans, and potatoes. There are many indigenous fruits which might be much improved by a better system of horticulture. The peach appears to be the only exotic fruit which has been hitherto introduced; it florishes amazingly. I have frequently seen the branches of the trees so loaded as to require perpendicular support.

The town is of considerable extent, but by no means so well peopled as when the mines were rich. Few of the inhabitants have any employment except the shopkeepers, who are indeed a numerous class. English woollens were by no means dear, superfine cloth being at 30s. to 35s. per yard; coatings, &c. nearly as cheap as in England; common cotton prints at 1s. 6d. to 2s. per yard; hats, handkerchiefs, kerseymeres, and Manchester piece goods in great plenty. There seemed, indeed, to be a glut of English merchandise and produce of all sorts, except earthenware, hams, porter, and butter, which were dear on account of the risk of carriage. Common Figueira wine was 3s. 6d. the bottle. The shops that sold the produce of the country were few in number and very indifferent. There were a great many tailors, shoe-makers, tin-workers, and venders of hardware, some smiths, and no inconsiderable number of saddlers. In a country where every one is a horseman, this trade must, one would imagine, take the lead of most others. The saddles that were shewn me here, were of a much superior make to those which I saw in Rio de Janeiro. I was surprised to find no workers in gold in a place so renowned for the production of that precious metal, but I was informed that the trade was prohibited by law, to prevent the gold from being worked before it was permuted.

The market of Villa Rica was but ill supplied, notwithstanding the fertility of the district around it. Pulse and vegetables for the table were scarce, even grass was an article in great demand[37], and milk was as dear as it is in London. Poultry sold at from 3s. 6d. to 4s. 6d. per couple. Beef of a tolerable kind, but by no means good, might be had at 1-1/2d. per pound. Pork was very fine: mutton was utterly unknown. Tallow was exceedingly dear, and candles were more than double the price at which they sell in this country.

Though our arrival in the town excited some surprise, as we were the first of our nation who had visited it, yet the people did not regard us entirely as strangers, many of them having seen Englishmen in their frequent intercourse with Rio de Janeiro. My worthy companion had letters to some of the principal shopkeepers, which we took an early opportunity of delivering. When we spoke to them of the richness of the country, and of the quantity of gold with which it was reputed to abound, they seemed glad of the opportunity of telling us, that they believed the gold was all sent to England, adding that their capital ought now to be termed Villa Pobre, instead of Villa Rica. Indeed we were surprised to observe the comparative poverty which prevailed among them. Of above two thousand habitations, which the town contained, a considerable proportion was untenanted; and the rents of the rest were continually lowering. Houses were to be purchased at one half their real value; for instance, a house built a few years ago at one thousand pounds cost, would not now sell for more than five hundred pounds.

The mountain on which the town stands, appeared to me in length from eight to nine miles, in every part narrow and almost insulated, being surrounded by deep ravines. In riding over it in various directions, I observed it to be composed of argillaceous schistus in almost every gradation, migrating from the compact blue slate into micaceous schistus. In some parts it lies in regular strata, in others it appears in confused masses. The slate is sometimes, but not very generally, used for paving, roofing, and other similar purposes. In some parts I noticed a few slender, confused, and irregular quartzose veins of little consequence, a large proportion of ferruginous accumulations and stalactitic aggregates, together with pyrites, and a considerable quantity of quartz pebbles of all sizes. That side on which the town is built presents many small hills, which form a number of gulleys in narrow ravines. Numerous streamlets flow down from the springs in the mountain in various channels, and in rainy weather swell into cascades; they form a rivulet at its base called Rio do Carmo, which in its course from hence is joined by many others, and changes its name first into that of Rio S. Jose, and then into Rio Doce. Of the latter I shall have occasion in the sequel to speak more at large.

CHAP. XI.

_Origin and present State of Villa Rica.—Account of the Mint.—Visit to the City of Mariana.—Excursion to the Fazendas of Barro and Castro, belonging to His Excellency the Conde de Linhares._

THE history of an establishment, which, twenty years after its foundation, was reputed the richest place on the globe, was an object of considerable interest with me, and I made many enquiries respecting it from some of the best informed men on the spot. It appears that the first discovery of this once rich mountain was effected by the enterprising spirit of the Paulistas, who, of all the colonists in Brazil, retained the largest share of that ardent and indefatigable zeal for discovery, which characterized the Lusitanians of former days. They penetrated from their capital into these regions, braving every hardship, and encountering every difficulty which a savage country, infested by still more savage inhabitants, opposed to them. They cut their way through impervious woods, carrying their provisions with them, and occasionally cultivating small patches of land to afford them food to retreat to, in case of necessity, as well as to keep up a communication with their city S. Paulo. Every inch of ground was disputed by the barbarous Indians, here called Buticudas, who were constantly either attacking them openly or lying in ambush, and but too frequently succeeded in surprising some of them, or their negroes, whom they immediately sacrificed to their horrible appetite for human flesh. They believed the negroes to be the great monkeys of the wood. The bones of the unfortunate sufferers were frequently found exposed, shocking testimonies of the barbarity of their murderers, whom the Paulistas, roused to revenge, invariably shot, wherever they met them. These examples of vengeance answered their desired end; the Indians, terrified as well by the noise as by the fatal effect of fire-arms, fled with precipitation, believing that the white men commanded lightning and thunder.

It does not appear that in exploring this territory they received any assistance whatever from the Aborigines: they followed the course of rivers, occasionally finding gold, of which they skimmed the surface, and continued to proceed until they arrived at the mountain which is our present subject. Its riches arrested their course; they immediately erected temporary houses and began their operations. The principal men of the party that first settled here, were Antonio Dias, Bartholomo Rocinho, Antonio Ferreira (_filho_) and Garcia Ruis. It appears that they took the most direct way to the place, for the roads they then opened are the same which are still used. The fame of their success soon reached the city of S. Paulo; fresh adventurers arrived in great numbers, bringing with them all the negroes they had means to purchase. Other adventurers went from S. Paulo to Rio de Janeiro to procure more negroes, their own city being drained; and thus the news of the lately discovered gold mountain being made known in the Brazilian capital, men of all descriptions went in crowds to this land of promise by the way of S. Paulo, which was the only route then known. The first settlers might have prevented the exposure of their good fortune, had they been able to moderate their joy, and consented to act in concert; but as gold was in such great abundance, every individual appropriated a lot of ground, and thus became a capitalist. Each strove which should make the most of his treasure in the shortest time, and thus there was a continual demand for more negroes, more iron, &c. and, in the general eagerness to obtain them, the secret, which all were interested in keeping, was disclosed. The Paulistas independent in spirit, and proud of their wealth, were desirous of giving laws to the new-comers; but the latter determining to oppose this measure, formed themselves into a party under the guidance of Manuel Nunes Vianna, an adventurer of some consequence, who strenuously asserted their claim to equal rights and advantages. Disputes arose on both sides, and were at length aggravated into hostilities, which proved unfavorable to the Paulistas, the greater part of whom fled to a considerable station of their own, and there awaited reinforcements. Vianna and his followers, without loss of time, went in pursuit of their foes, whom they found on a plain near the site of St. João d’El Rey. The two parties met on the border of a river, and a sanguinary battle took place, which ended in the defeat of the Paulistas, who afterwards made the best terms they could. The slain were buried on the margin of the river, which, from that circumstance, took the name of Rio das Mortes.

The Paulistas, bent on revenge, but weakened by defeat, appealed to the sovereign, King Pedro, denouncing Vianna and his followers as rebels, who were attempting to take the district to themselves, and set up an independent government. The King’s ministers apprised of the state of affairs, and learning by report the immense riches of the country, immediately sent a chief, with a competent body of troops, to take the advantage of the strife between the two parties; which in a country tenable by a few men, on account of its numerous strong-holds, was a most fortunate circumstance. The name of this chief was Albuquerque; a man of enterprise and perseverance, in all respects qualified for the service on which he was sent. His appearance at first occasioned much confusion and discontent among both parties; and though he was not openly opposed, yet he was in continual alarm. The Paulistas now saw that the riches which they in conjunction with their rivals might have retained, were about to be seized by a third party, which would reduce them both to subordination. Disturbances prevailed for some time, but reinforcements continually arriving from Government, tranquillity was at length perfectly established; and in the year 1711, a regular town began to be formed; a government-house, a mint, and a depôt for arms were built. A code of laws was enacted for the regulation of the mines; all gold-dust found was ordered to be delivered to officers appointed for that purpose; a fifth in weight was taken for the King, and the remaining four parts were purified, melted into ingots at the expense of Government, then assayed, marked according to their value, and delivered to the owners, with a certificate to render them current. For the greater convenience of trade, gold-dust was likewise permitted to circulate for small payments. Notwithstanding these strict regulations, a considerable quantity of the precious metal in its original state found its way to Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, and other ports, clandestinely, without paying the royal fifth, until Government, apprised of this illicit traffic, established Registers in various parts for the examination of all passengers, and stationed soldiers to patrole the roads. By these means, gold in immense quantities was seized and confiscated; the persons on whom any was found, forfeited all their property, and, unless they had friends of great influence, were sent as convicts to Africa for life. The greatest disgrace was attached to the name of smuggler; and such was the rigor of the law against offenders of this description, that every person quitting the district was obliged to take a certificate stating whither he was going, and what he carried with him. This regulation is still in force, and is rigorously observed.

Villa Rica soon enjoyed a considerable trade with Rio de Janeiro; the returns were negroes, iron, woollens, salt, provisions of various kinds, and wine, all which at that time bore amazingly high profits.

About the year 1713, when Dr. Bras da Silva was appointed governor, the quantity of gold produced was so considerable that the royal fifth amounted to above half a million sterling annually. The mountain became pierced like a honey-comb, as the miners worked every soft part they could find, and penetrated as far as they could, conveying the _cascalho_ which they dug out to a convenient place for washing. In rainy weather the torrents of water running down the sides of the mountain, carried away much earthy matter containing delicate particles of gold, which settled in the ground near its base. When the waters abated, this rich deposit gave employment to numbers of the poorer sort of people, who took it away and washed it at their convenience.

Antonio Dias, the person already mentioned as one of the leaders of the Paulistas, who discovered the place, having become extremely rich, built a fine church, and dying soon after, bequeathed to it considerable funds. It bears his name. Five or six others were begun and soon finished, as neither wood nor stone was wanting; and the inhabitants were all ready to contribute a share of their property, and to employ their negroes in furtherance of these pious works. A law highly creditable to the wisdom of the Portuguese government was now enacted, to prohibit friars from entering the territories of the mines. What treasures were thus saved to the state, and what a number of persons were thus continued in useful labor, who would else have become burthensome to the community!

The town now underwent many improvements; its streets were more regularly built, and some parts of the side of the mountain were levelled, to afford more convenient room for the construction of houses, and the laying out of gardens. Reservoirs were formed, from which water was distributed by means of conduits to all parts, and public fountains were erected in the most convenient and central situations. The mint and smelting-houses were enlarged, and rendered more commodious for the transaction of business. About this period the inhabitants amounted to twelve thousand or upwards; those who possessed mines, were either the first settlers or their descendants, and as the best part of the district was occupied, the new adventurers who continued to arrive from time to time, were obliged to enter into the service of the existing owners until they had learned their methods of working, after which they generally went in search of fresh mines, proceeding along the water-courses and ravines, where they sometimes discovered new sources of wealth. Between the years 1730 and 1750, the mines were in the height of their prosperity; the King’s fifth, during some years of that period, is said to have amounted to at least a million sterling annually.

The mines which produced this immense wealth, at length became gradually less abundant; and, as the precious metal disappeared, numbers of the miners retired, some to the mother-country, loaded with riches, which tempted fresh adventurers, and many to Rio de Janeiro and other sea-ports, where they employed their large capitals in commerce.

Villa Rica, at the present day, scarcely retains a shadow of its former splendor. Its inhabitants, with the exception of the shopkeepers, are void of employment; they totally neglect the fine country around them, which, by proper cultivation, would amply compensate for the loss of the wealth which their ancestors drew from its bosom. Their education, their habits, their hereditary prejudices, alike unfit them for active life; perpetually indulging in visionary prospects of sudden wealth, they fancy themselves exempted from that universal law of nature which ordains that man shall live by the sweat of his brow. In contemplating the fortunes accumulated by their predecessors, they overlook the industry and perseverance which obtained them, and entirely lose sight of the change of circumstances which renders those qualities now doubly necessary. The successors of men who rise to opulence from small beginnings, seldom follow the example set before them, even when trained to it; how then should a Creolian, reared in idleness and ignorance, feel any thing of the benefits of industry! His negroes constitute his principal property, and them he manages so ill, that the profits of their labor hardly defray the expenses of their maintenance: in the regular course of nature they become old and unable to work, yet he continues in the same listless and slothful way, or sinks into a state of absolute inactivity, not knowing what to do from morning to night. This deplorable degeneracy is almost the universal characteristic of the descendants of the original settlers; every trade is occupied either by mulattoes or negroes, both of which classes seem superior in intellect to their masters, because they make a better use of it.

During my stay here, I paid frequent visits to the mint, and was liberally permitted by the officers to see every process performed there. In the smelting-house were eight or ten small blast-furnaces, in form much resembling blacksmiths’ hearths. The fuel used is charcoal. When a quantity of gold-dust is brought, (no matter whether large or small), say, for instance, six ounces, it is first permuted, and a fifth taken for the Prince; the rest is put in a Hessian crucible, about three inches in diameter, which is immediately placed in the furnace. A quantity of corrosive sublimate is then put to it, which, on being heated, exhales very strong fumes; the scoriæ, if any be formed, are taken off with a pair of tongs, and more sublimate is added if required. Ebullition sometimes occurs, in which case the crucible is covered with a bit of common tile. As soon as the mercury is evaporated, the gold is poured into an ingot-mould, previously rubbed with animal fat; it is afterwards turned out into a tub of water. The ingot generally, in some part or other, has mercury attached to it, (which it seizes immediately), and the part of the gold thus affected assumes the appearance of lead[38]. To remove this, they hold it in a strong fire with a pair of tongs until the mercury is evaporated. It is afterwards sent to the assay-master, who first compares it on the touchstone with gold bars of different alloys, ascertained and marked, and then assays it. The two methods being found to agree, the assay-master stamps upon the ingot its degree of fineness, (called _toque_), also its weight, its number, the name of the place, and the year. It is then registered in a book kept for that purpose, and a copy of the entry is made out on a slip of printed paper, in which the ingot is wrapped, and delivered to the owner for circulation. The operation of melting a given quantity seldom occupies more than ten minutes or a quarter of an hour; that of cupelling about double the time: but I have seen men deliver their gold-dust, and receive it in a circulating form in less than an hour; so that little delay takes place, and, as there are six furnaces, the bringers of gold have seldom to wait for their turn. The pale color and low quality of various bars of gold are always imputed to the silver, platina, or other metal contained in them. I have seen some as low as sixteen carats, and others as fine as 23-1/2 carats, which is within half a carat of what is denominated pure gold. Twenty-two is the standard, and gold exceeding that receives a premium according to its fineness.

Considerable quantities of arsenical pyrites, said to be cobalt, were brought to me: I examined some specimens with the blow-pipe, but found no vestige of that metal, as the substance in no stage imparted a blue color to borax or glass. Iron pyrites is found about three miles from the town, where there is a very strong vein of it in quartz. Antimony was brought to me from some distance, and also a few bits of copper much oxidated, which were said to have been found in the washings at a place called Caldeiroens, but this I had great reason to doubt. Not a few impositions respecting the discovery of copper were attempted upon me. One man brought a rounded piece of jasper, about an ounce in weight, and with it half an ounce of copper, of the form and about the size of a duck-shot, which he told me had been produced by a smelting stone similar to the jasper then before me. I with much difficulty persuaded him that the person who had performed the operation for him had dropped a copper coin into the crucible. I was astonished to find that many persons, even gentlemen of some consequence, had a notion that almost every red-colored stone in the pavement of the streets was copper. One fellow had circulated a report that he possessed several pieces rich in that metal; but, on being sent for, and questioned closely, he stated that he had lost them in removing to another house. It is not surprising that tales of this kind should gain easy credit among persons stimulated by avarice and blinded by ignorance, and that the artful men who invent and propagate them, should be tempted by success to repeat their impositions, and corrupt others by their example. The rich iron ores with which the district abounds, and of which I saw many specimens, might furnish employment much more profitable than washing for gold, or following other idle and chimerical speculations.

During the first few days of my residence here, my soldiers procured me a quantity of the finest porcelain clay I have ever seen; that used in the manufactory at Sèvres, near Paris, is inferior to it. This clay is found at the foot of a mountain of argillaceous schistus, called S. Antonio, near Congonhas do Campo, in a vein accompanied with quartz and specular iron ore.

A week after my arrival here, I was invited to go to a pottery about three miles distant. Crossing a bridge over the Rio do Carmo, at the foot of the town of Villa Rica, we ascended another steep mountain, on the summit of which I found iron ore in great quantities. Though not very rich, I have no doubt it would produce 25 _per cent._ of metal. The want of wood, which is here complained of as an objection to working it, might be remedied by planting; for this summit is a fine plain, which proper cultivation would render highly productive. At present, though so near the town, it lies totally neglected, without a single inclosure upon it. The pottery, at which we soon arrived, has been but recently established. The clay is used in its native state, without any admixture, and is cleared of its coarse particles by washing. After the water has been let off and evaporated so as to leave it of a sufficient consistency, it is put on the wheel and formed into plates, mugs, jars, &c. which are bulky and heavy, but by no means strong. They are rendered less fragile by being covered with an excellent thick glazing. The furnaces have no chimneys, but consist merely of a low arch in which are several vent holes. The glazing furnace is reverberatory, but it is so ill constructed as to destroy much fuel and produce little heat. Throughout the whole district there is good coarse clay, for bricks, tiles, &c.

I was here invited to taste some wine, made from grapes grown on the spot, which was excellent. A more happy situation than this vicinity affords for the growth of fruits of every kind can scarcely be imagined. The pear, the olive, and the mulberry would thrive here equally well with the grape, if proper pains were taken with them. A skilful agriculturist would with great ease, I am certain, bring it into such a state of improvement, as to serve the double purpose of a corn and dairy farm; excellent wheat might be grown, and a certain quantity of the land kept under artificial grasses for cutting. A fine stream of water runs through the whole, with a sufficient fall to turn mills.

The principles of husbandry seem as little understood here as in any part of the territory through which we had hitherto travelled. Perhaps there is no country on the globe where the vicissitudes of plenty and scarcity do not prevail, and where human experience has not shewn the necessity of laying by a store in time of abundance, as a provision for a season of famine; but here this salutary practice is almost wholly disregarded. The cattle are turned out on the uninclosed tracts[39], and left to subsist on whatever they can find. In the summer months, when the grass throughout the wide extent is burnt up, they flock to the margins of the rivulets as their last resource, which soon fails. Numbers of them die of famine, and those that survive the season are so exhausted and weakened, that they seldom thoroughly recover.

A small mount in the vicinity of this pottery presented much ferruginous matter, and a heavy substance that appeared to me barytes in a botryoidal form, a specimen of which I took with me. Since my return to England it has been proved, by analysis, to be Wavellite, without fluoric acid.