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.

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.