Observations on Tejuco and Cerro do Frio.

IN the foregoing pages I have endeavoured to present to the reader a narrative of whatever I observed worthy of note in the Diamond District, and have related the several particulars in the order in which they occurred to me, reserving the task of general description for that period of my residence there when I might be supposed best qualified to perform it. This mode of proceeding will expose me to the risk of a few repetitions, for which my apology must rest on the peculiar circumstances under which I visited Tejuco,—on the continual journeys in which I was occupied from the moment of my arrival to the time when I was attacked by illness, and which left me no leisure for combining my actual observations with general views of the country.

The district of Cerro do Frio consists of rugged mountains, that have a northerly and southerly direction, and are generally allowed to be the highest in Brazil. What is termed the Diamond ground, extends about sixteen leagues from north to south, and about eight from east to west. It was first explored by some enterprising miners from Villa do Principe, a few years after the establishment of that town. These men proceeding northerly found an open country, watered by many small rivulets, which they tried for gold by washing: some of them engaged their attention for a short time, but not proving sufficiently rich, they continued their route, passing the places now called San GonÇalo and Milho Verde, until they arrived at a few streams that flow from the base of the mountain on which Tejuco is built. These rivulets were then washed for gold, and were considered as belonging to the district of Villa do Principe. No idea was at first entertained that the rivulets contained diamonds, although it is said that some were collected and presented to the then governor of Villa do Principe as curious bright stones, and were used by him as counters at cards. Soon afterwards a few of them found their way to Lisbon, and were given as pretty pebbles to the Dutch minister to send to Holland, which was then the principal mart in Europe for precious stones. The lapidaries, to whom they were presented for examination, pronounced these pebbles to be very fine diamonds. Information was accordingly sent to the Dutch consul at Lisbon, who did not fail to profit by the occasion; for he managed the affair with Government so well, that he contracted for the precious stones, at the same time that he communicated the intelligence. Government afterwards endeavoured to monopolize the diamonds, and made a distinct district of Cerro do Frio, placing it under peculiar laws and regulations.

The number of diamonds sent over during the first twenty years after the discovery is said to be almost incredible, and to exceed one thousand ounces in weight. This supply could not fail to diminish the general value of diamonds, as none had ever before been known to come from any other part of the globe, except India, whither the Brazilian diamonds were afterwards sent, and found a better market there than in Europe.

By stratagems and intrigues Government was prevailed on to let these invaluable territories to a company, who were under stipulations to work with a limited number of negroes, or to pay a certain sum per day for every negro employed. This opened a door to every species of fraud; double the stipulated number of negroes was admitted; and this imposition was connived at by the agents of Government, who received pay in one hand and bribes in the other. Presents were made to men possessing influence at court, by the contractors, who soon became rich; and they continued (subject to a few regulations) in possession of the diamond mines until about the year 1772, when, Government determining to take them into their own hands, these contracts were ended.

This was the time for reforming abuses, and for placing this rich district under the best regulations, but it was neglected; prejudice prevailed over prudence; and the management was entrusted to men who did not understand the real interests of the concern, or, what is more probable, who were so shackled in their authority, that they could not pursue them. From this time, affairs became worse, and the establishment was in debt to foreigners, who had advanced a considerable sum of money on the security of having all the diamonds which the mines produced. There were other incumbrances, which can be removed only by a total change of system. In its present state the establishment appears to produce much greater wealth than it actually does. During a period of five years, from 1801 to 1806 inclusive, the expenses were £204,000; and the diamonds sent to the treasury at Rio de Janeiro weighed 115,675 carats. The value of gold found in the same period amounted to £17,300 sterling, from which it appears that the diamonds actually cost Government thirty-three shillings and nine-pence per carat. These years were esteemed singularly productive; the mines do not in general yield to Government more than 20,000 carats annually[56].

The town is under the absolute government of the Intendant. The principal officers of the civil and military establishments are, an ouvidor or fiscal, a captain of cavalry, and a capitao mor. In the Diamond establishment there is a great number of officers, of whom the following are the principal: 1st, the Intendant, who is a judge, and intendant-general of the Diamond district (this office is one of the best in the gift of the crown): 2d. the Treasurer, whose situation is almost a sinecure; he receives 8,000 crusades per annum: and 3d. the Administrator-general, who has a salary of 6000. The book-keeper has 4,000; and three clerks, or key-keepers, have from 800 to 1,000 each. These officers are employed in whatever relates to the treasury, or to the general concerns of the establishment; they all reside in Tejuco, and are the most respectable of the inhabitants. The management of the different works is entrusted to eight or ten under-administrators, each having in his care two hundred negroes, called a troop; to which, besides a clergyman and a surgeon, are attached several overseers and subordinate officers, who have salaries of from 400 to 200 crusades. The privilege of employing a certain number of negroes in the works is common to all the officers, to an extent corresponding with their rank; the superior officers let to hire as many as they please, say forty, and sometimes upwards of fifty; the inferior officers are permitted to let out two or three, in preference to other individuals; a decidedly bad practice, as will be shown hereafter.

The Intendant holds a place of great trust: he is the superior magistrate, and his duty is to administer justice, and to see that the laws peculiar to the district are duly executed. He is of course president of the assembly, or juncta, and calls meetings whenever he thinks proper; he disposes of the military force of the district, orders roads to be made or stopped, and stations guards on them to examine travellers, and to detain suspicious persons. He has also the privilege of giving or refusing permission for persons to enter the district, or settle in it; and every one, however high in rank and property, who passes thither is supposed to have the Intendant’s express concurrence, which, as a matter of form, is sometimes dispensed with. He appoints officers, signs all papers, receives all reports that are made, and acts accordingly. To him solely the treasury is entrusted for the payment of the salaries of the officers, the negroes’ wages, tradesmen’s bills, and every incidental expense attending the establishment. He issues paper-money, and withdraws it from circulation whenever he thinks proper; for all which he is responsible to Government alone, and may be said to be almost absolute in his office.

In addition to these important functions, the present Intendant has assumed the whole direction and regulation of the mining concern, which none of his predecessors ever practically interfered with, it being the peculiar province of the Administrator-general. For this undertaking he is equally qualified by the superiority of his talents, and by the extent of his acquirements: he studied mineralogy many years under the celebrated Werner, by whom he was considered as one of his most enlightened disciples; afterwards he travelled through Hungary, and all the most interesting German states; and, lastly, made the tour of England and Scotland, where he resided two years.

The Administrator-general, to whom belong the management and direction of the works, ought to be equally experienced in mining and mechanics, particularly in hydraulics: he should be a man of general information, combined with great practical knowledge, relative to the locality of the district, so as to be able to ascertain the real value of every situation, and to direct the operations accordingly. He should have a mind fertile in resources, and prepared to meet every disappointment or casualty that can possibly occur, that the time of the negroes may not be employed in vain; he should also facilitate their labors by the introduction of machinery, and should be particularly attentive to their good treatment, since on them his success, and consequently his reputation, must in a great measure depend.

On this latter point humanity and policy ought alike to direct the attention of the superiors of the establishment. It is natural to suppose that negroes, when treated with harshness, ill fed and ill clothed, will be indifferent to the interests of their employers, and, perhaps, determined not to find diamonds, whereas, when subjected to milder and kinder usage, which might be done without relaxing in vigilance, they would become anxious to please, and would search more diligently in order to obtain notice and reward. It must be obvious that negroes rarely conceal diamonds for themselves; and yet custom has rendered the feelings of their real owners in Tejuco so irritable, on being suspected to encourage the practice, that if the word grimpeiro (smuggler) is mentioned in conversation, they shudder with horror and distort their features, calling on the Virgin to witness their abhorrence of a crime to which Government has attached the greatest disgraces and punishments.

Pure, honest souls! Being a stranger in the country, I conceived that these gentlemen really felt the sentiments which their words and gestures expressed; and, as persons of all ranks seemed to fear conversing on the subject, I thought at first that I should not see a single diamond in all Tejuco, except those in the treasury; but a little acquaintance with the town soon convinced me that I was a novice; for, on visiting a few friends to whom I had introductions, I found that diamonds were bartered for every thing, and were actually much more current than specie. Even pious indulgencies were bought with them; and surely no one could have suspected that the seller of His Holiness’s bulls would condescend to taste the forbidden fruits of Tejuco.

As I had the honor to reside at the house of the Intendant, I was considered by the people of the town as a person connected with Government, and therefore as one who ought not to be informed of the secret traffic among them; hence, when in company with the officers of the establishment, whenever the word grimpeiro was mentioned, I found it necessary to manifest the same feelings of disgust which they did; and, on expressing my surprise that any one could so far degrade himself as to be guilty of the crime of smuggling diamonds, it was tacitly agreed that no white man could stoop to such dishonor. The point was soon settled; for I found it best not to oppose general opinions, nor to enter too minutely on delicate subjects; and it was sometimes expedient for me to seem regardless of what I was most steadfastly looking at.

In Tejuco there are about nine or ten principal shopkeepers, to whom the establishment itself, and the officers belonging to it, are frequently indebted; indeed, these men receive the greater part of the money due to the various persons employed in the works, in exchange chiefly for English commodities of one description or other. The establishment is paid once a year, and for this purpose a sum not less than 300,000 crusades is sent from Villa Rica, to which may be added 60,000 or 100,000 more, found in the gold mines of the district. The greater part of this money flowing into the hands of the shopkeepers, as above stated, is immediately employed in a way injurious to the interests of Government; nor can worse policy be imagined than that of allowing so large an expenditure in a place which offers such temptations.

Some years ago many gold-mines were washed in this district, but as information was given that diamonds were found in them, they were ordered to be abandoned. At present more equitable measures are adopted, and the proprietors are commencing to work some of them again, under an agreement to give up whatever diamonds they find.[57]

There is a general order to work all the gold-mines which were formerly confiscated, and this measure will, it is hoped, increase the quantity of gold, and have a good effect in every respect.

If Government are obliged to hire negroes wherever they can obtain them, (which appears to be the case), it would be at least expedient to have a store to supply them, in order that the money paid in wages to them might return into the funds of the establishment.

The hiring of negroes to the diamond works is the favorite occupation of all ranks in Tejuco; rich and poor endeavour to engage in it to as great an extent as their property will allow. The pay of the slaves is trifling compared with the risk, their labor being heavy, their maintenance poor, and their treatment harsh; there must, therefore, be some temptation not openly seen, yet as well known as light from darkness. Numbers of persons are thus induced to reside in Tejuco under various pretexts, but with no other real view than to get their negroes into the service, and to live idly on their wages, and on what they conceal or pick up. Thus all fatten upon the pasture, except those in the extreme of indigence, and others who, from the neglect of economy, are always poor. There are a numerous class, from the age of seven years to upwards of twenty, who are without any visible means of earning their subsistence, and would remain idle even if manufactories were established; for though they are brought up from their infancy with negro-children, yet in the working department they would abandon their former play-fellows. The people in general are rendered more averse from habits of regular industry by the continual hopes which they indulge of becoming opulent by some fortunate discovery of mines; these fallacious ideas, which they instil into the minds of their children, strongly prejudice them against labor, though they all exist miserably, and not unfrequently depend upon donations. Their education is extremely limited: they are in general total strangers to the sciences, and are very scantily informed on any useful subject.

As the object of my journey into this district was to examine into the real state of affairs, and to give a true report of them on my return, for which purpose I was furnished with many privileges never allowed to any person before, and was thus enabled to see all that I desired, humanity requires that I should make some observations on the fate of those unfortunate persons who have been tempted to smuggle diamonds, and have been caught in the act. I even mentioned the subject to His Excellency, the minister, on my return to Rio de Janeiro; but as his occupations were great, and the state of my health required me to leave the country immediately, nothing more was said of it.

The great demand for these precious articles, and the facility of secreting them, have caused them to be searched for and carried away in violation of the existing laws of the country. Of the numbers who have engaged in this illicit traffic, from an eager desire to become rich at once, many have eluded the vigilance of the guards, and have finished their career with credit and opulence; others less fortunate have been detected, and have incurred the punishment annexed to the offence, namely, the surrender of their illegally acquired treasure, the confiscation of their whole property, and exile to Africa, or confinement, perhaps for life, in a loathsome prison. Mild as are the criminal laws of Brazil, the latter part of this sentence is an exception at which human nature shudders. Surely, when a poor wretch, who has been tempted to this offence, has atoned for it by the loss of all he possessed, he has suffered sufficiently without being subjected to the forfeiture of personal liberty, and to all the woes incident to hopeless captivity. Far be it from me to countenance any infringement on the laws which have been established for the protection of property, either public or private; to respect the institutions of whatever nation I may live in, I hope I shall always be among the first, and to encourage others to disregard them, the very last; for illicit trade of every description is a deceitful and dangerous pursuit, the sweets of which are ever attended with a counteracting portion of evils. The object of my reasoning is to shew that these degraded persons have been of service to the state, and may still be rendered useful to it. May it be permitted me to enquire who were the discoverers of perhaps all the diamond mines which have enriched the caskets of the royal family of Portugal beyond comparison with those of any other state, and which have not only augmented the revenues of the government, but have proved the source from which many respectable and enterprising individuals have derived their opulence? Adventurers, who, at great risk and with indefatigable toil, have penetrated unknown forests, and explored deep ravines among the haunts of the savage Anthropophagi, in search of gold-mines, and in them have by chance found diamonds. When a place of this description has been once discovered by these men, it seldom remains long secret; the agents of Government take possession of it, and either work it immediately, or guard it until a future occasion. The discoverer of course flies from the place; and if he have picked up a few stones, or robbed the earth of some of its most brilliant rarities, he will seek the best and safest means of procuring value for them. If he be a man of sufficient property, he will hire a few mules, load them with cotton, bacon, and other commodities, and proceed to Rio de Janeiro in regular form. On his arrival there, he enters some good house in which he has confidence, and disposes of his concealed treasure. His mind is then relieved from apprehension, and he begins to make preparations for his return. His first care is to lay out his money to the best advantage; negroes are his chief object, and these pay a duty to the state on their leaving Angola, and another of ten milreis each on entering the mining country. If they be employed in mining, Government obtains a fifth of the gold found, and if in agriculture, a tenth of the produce is exacted. The next object of the adventurer is to lay in a stock of woollens, and other English manufactures, which pay a duty of fifteen per cent. on being landed, and are subject to another, according to their weight, on entering the territory of the mines. Thus it really appears that most of the contraband property is divided between the state and the smuggler: but this is not all; the diamonds are sent out of the country, and real effects of value are received in return, leaving a balance entirely in favor of Brazil.

This illicit trade has been carried on to a very considerable extent: there is a strong presumptive authority for stating that, since the first discovery of the mines, diamonds to the amount of two millions sterling have thus found their way to Europe, exclusive of what the contractors accounted for. This has been owing to the ill management of the whole establishment, and to the total want of necessary regulations, which have prevailed so long, that it will not be easy to apply a remedy. Let us suppose for a moment the system to be changed; the two thousand negroes employed in the establishment to be the property of the crown (whom two years’ profit of the diamond mines would be adequate to purchase); these negroes to be supplied with every article for their support from a general store, and to be treated as mildly as possible; they would then form a society, and, knowing no other masters than their officers, would have only one common interest to serve. The contraband trade by this means, though perhaps not totally destroyed, would receive an irrecoverable blow, and would be reduced almost to nothing. Should such a change take place, the shopkeepers, and those persons who subsist by hiring negroes to the works, would find the source of their emoluments dried up, and, rather than remain at Tejuco, would migrate to situations more congenial to their interests: thus the district would be freed from that bane which has so long overrun it, and Government would reap the advantage of having the mines worked by their own negroes, whom it would be difficult for others to seduce.

Another evil which such a change of system would be calculated to remove, is the following:—Every article of sustenance required for the establishment is purchased of farmers who reside a few leagues from Tejuco, or who have farms at a greater distance; and this absurd practice is the cause of much unnecessary intercourse. There are thousands of acres of excellent land in the vicinity of the diamond works, having choice of situation, and fit for the growth of every species of produce. How well might a part of the force above-mentioned be occasionally spared for a few days only, to be employed in the first operations of husbandry, which would be, to inclose a sufficient quantity of ground in various parts for the maintenance of the establishment. A certain number of negroes would be allotted, in proportion to the land under cultivation, and on particular occasions, as in harvest, an auxiliary force would be always at hand. This would be farming with double advantage; the plough would work instead of the hoe; after-crops would be sown to be eaten off the ground, which would thus be enriched and kept in good condition. Numbers of acres would be planted with artificial grass, subject to irrigation where that was practicable, and thus, contrary to the general practice, the cattle would be provided with subsistence in the dry season. Indian corn, wheat, mandioca, feijones, potatoes, &c. would be cultivated, and, under proper management, would yield crops equal to the most sanguine expectation. Storehouses, with requisite conveniences, would soon be erected, in which the grain might be kept without spoiling. Thus would the first principles of husbandry be introduced into the district, and prove a source of more lasting benefit to the state than mines either of gold or diamonds, for when the latter were exhausted there would remain an active and industrious population. It seems, indeed, to have been the purpose of nature, in distributing these precious substances in these remote and almost unknown parts, to allure civilized men to settle upon them.

From the circumstances which have been already explained, it will appear that, under the present system, the Government pay for all the diamonds that are found here, and probably receive little more than one-half; therefore it is evident that those conveyed through other channels can be sold to the public at a lower price than that at which the former are obtained. But the embarrassed state of the establishment is such, that the managers cannot lessen their expenses, being obliged to take credit for every article, and to hire almost any negroes that are offered. These evils have taken too deep root to be eradicated, even by the abilities of the present Intendant: had such a man been placed here forty years ago, empowered to act without control, and to govern the district as private property, on the principles above stated, he might have rendered it a province both rich and independent.

As all the diamonds found in these works belong to the crown, the royal family have been accustomed to select from the quantity annually remitted whatever stones they considered worthy their notice, which were generally those exceeding seventeen carats. They were formerly sent to Holland to be cut, the Dutch being the contractors of the diamonds, from the first discovery of the mines; but since the emigration of the court to Rio de Janeiro, that trade has been transferred to England, where these precious stones annually arrive, and are sold by private contract.

The collection of diamonds now in the possession of the Prince Regent is unequalled in number, size, and quality, by that of any potentate in the world; and I am credibly informed that it exceeds in estimated value three millions sterling.

This district has a direct communication with Bahia, and a few troops of mules are continually employed in going from one place to the other. The journey is much longer than to Rio de Janeiro, but the country is less mountainous; there are fewer ranchos or hovels on the road, and in one part it is requisite to carry fresh water for two days’ consumption. The commodities sent from Tejuco to Minas Novas are very trivial, consisting of smuggled gold, chrysoberyls, topazes, amethysts, and other stones; in return for which are brought English fine manufactured goods, particularly hats, printed cottons, stockings, and saddles, which have been much cheaper in Bahia than in England. Coarser articles are generally sent from Rio de Janeiro, the distance being, as before observed, much shorter.

Of navigable rivers we can say but little. The many small streams, that rise in various parts, join and form the Jiquitinhonha, which, as before observed, may be navigated to sea, without any impediment, in at most ten days’ time. How much would the country be benefited if a port were established at the entrance of this river, and vessels were allowed to load and unload; canoes would find their way from thence into the interior in the short space of twenty days, loaded with every article necessary for the consumption of the district. How superior would this mode of conveyance be to that of making roads through impervious woods, and over almost impassable mountains. How many thousands of crusades annually expended on mules would be thus saved to the public, and what numbers of men would thus be trained for the service of the marine, instead of those now employed as muleteers. With the advantage of such a communication, Minas Novas and Cerro do Frio would soon more than double their population, and it might be anticipated that the banks of these fine rivers, now lying deserted and useless, would bloom with every variety of vegetation, which this genial climate is capable of producing.

Under the present system Tejuco ought to maintain itself, and have the least possible intercourse with other places. Its commerce ought to be confined wholly to gold and precious stones; but should Government determine to make diamonds a free trade, then a contrary policy would be requisite. On this subject I shall, in the sequel, have some observations to make.

The quadrupeds of Cerro do Frio are common to other parts of Brazil. Mules are the principal beasts of burthen, and are much dearer than in the districts more to the southward. Horses are not so numerous, but cheaper, being in very little request, and used only on journeys of pleasure. Horned cattle are bred at a considerable distance, and brought for the consumption of the place. Sheep are almost unknown; hogs and goats are more plentiful; of dogs there are but few, and the race is very indifferent. Ounces are very seldom seen; there are not many deer; the danta, or tapir, is not uncommon.

Of birds there are a few varieties, but in no great numbers; partridges are rather common; we shot several in our way to the different mines, which proved good eating. Domestic fowls are in tolerable plenty, but by no means cheap, being eighteen-pence to two shillings each.

Of serpents, I saw only one, and it was harmless: but I was informed that the rattle-snake and the jararaca, both equally venomous, are common in this district. Lizards are very numerous, and the cayman, or alligator, is found in most of the lagoons and rivers.

Fish are extremely scarce in all the streams, owing to the quantity of matter with which their waters are impregnated from the numerous washings.

This district is in general free from that troublesome plague, the mosquito, as that insect is peculiar to low and swampy places, and does not bite with such disagreeable effect in elevated and airy situations. Bees are but little attended to, and are scarcely known; were the management of them better understood and practised by the inhabitants, they might be much increased, and wax might even be exported.

In closing my observations on this district, I may be permitted to add some particulars relative to the capital. The families whom I had the honor to visit appeared to live in great sociability. They frequently form tea-parties. The dress of the ladies consists almost entirely of articles of English manufacture, cotton-prints, straw hats, artificial flowers, jewelry, &c. Owing to the distance of Tejuco from a sea-port, piano-fortes have not been introduced here, or they would probably be in considerable demand; for the ladies in general have a taste for music, and touch the guitar with great spirit and elegance. Dancing is a favorite amusement, and all appear much pleased and animated with the English country-dance. The ladies seldom go abroad, except to mass, and then they are usually carried in a chair hung with curtains and a canopy, and suspended from a pole borne by two men. The sedentary habits of the females I have often thought injurious to their health; but, since English saddles have been introduced, they begin to take airings on horseback.

Warm baths are very generally used, being considered of great efficacy in removing recent colds, to which all persons here are liable, on account of the peculiar nature of the climate. They are invariably offered at night to travellers, as a means of relieving the pains occasioned by the fatigues of the day.

A continuance of ill health obliged me to take leave of my friends in Tejuco, and to return to Rio de Janeiro with all possible expedition. It will not be expected that I should relate all the particulars of my journey thither, as I retraced my former route with a few occasional deviations; I shall therefore confine myself to whatever I saw worthy of interest which I did not observe on my way to Tejuco.

Dr. Camara did me the honor to accompany me as far as San GonÇal, and showed me a work a short distance from the establishment, near the margin of a river of the same name. As I staid here one entire day with this gentleman, I had leisure to examine this singular situation, where I, for the first time, found mountains of sienite, incredibly hard, composed of hornblende and feldspar. About forty years ago this excavation, which was of considerable depth, was suddenly filled up by the bursting-in of the side, for want of proper support to resist the pressure of the incumbent stratum, which falling in immense masses, totally destroyed the works; and they remained in this state until about two years ago. As the wings of vague report are in general much longer than those of truth, this place had the reputation of being extremely rich in diamonds, and the apparent impossibility of clearing it, added greatly to the credit which was given to it. Old inhabitants came forward to say that they had been employed in the works when the accident happened, and that the diamonds found in them excelled in number, size, and fineness those produced at any other place. These reports soon reached the ears of the Intendant, who, within a year after entering his office at Tejuco, formed a plan of clearing and excavating the works. Such a stupendous undertaking was calculated only for a man of his superior talents and enterprise. He stationed there four hundred negroes under the direction of the best officers on the establishment; inclined planes were formed, and pulleys calculated to lift immense weights were erected. As some of the masses of sienite were too large to be raised whole, and the substance was so hard that steel would not stand to bore it, they were obliged to contrive means for breaking them. Recourse was had to large fires, with which the rocks were heated, and cold water was thrown upon them from tubs suspended by long pieces of timber formed somewhat like cranes. After six months of very heavy and incessant labor, the place was cleared. Let us for a moment reflect on the sanguine expectations which had been formed respecting the size of the diamonds, their number and brilliancy, the honors that would be conferred on the officers, &c. and we may judge what must have been the general disappointment, when, after the very bottom had been scraped, not a diamond was found! Thus ended this serious trial, made at great expense, labor, and risk; like many other speculations, built on the delusive stories propagated by old miners respecting places formerly worked, by which new adventurers are generally tempted, and frequently ruined.

I continued my former route, visiting the same friends who had received me on my journey to Tejuco, until I arrived at Cocaes. In the vicinity of this place are found fine amethysts and crystals, through which titanium is interspersed. Proceeding from hence, I took a more easterly route to Bromada, distant about five leagues. A great part of the road was covered with rich iron ore. I passed through the village of St. John, and entered a fine valley, through which ran a little rivulet, called St. Antonio;—a more delightful place cannot be imagined: the grounds, which lay in gentle elevations, were capable of every kind of cultivation, and appeared calculated amply to repay the farmer for any labor he might bestow on them. In addition to these advantages, and that of a fine climate, this vicinity yet contains some places extremely rich in gold. At the end of this valley we crossed the rivulet over a good stone bridge, and passed through a pretty hamlet called Barra; proceeding a league further, we arrived at the house of Captain JosÉ Alvarez, who received me with great kindness. This being Sunday, many of the neighbours were on a visit to his house; a sumptuous dinner had been provided, and the evening passed in very interesting conversation relative to the mode of mining in that neighbourhood. Next day I went to visit the gold-works belonging to this gentleman, the principal of which was situated near the summit of a mountain of decomposed granite, one part of which seemed to have slipped from the other, leaving a cleft of twenty feet perpendicular. The face of this cleft appeared of different colors, some more red or brown than others; the parts esteemed most rich in gold had the appearance of irregular cavities, filled by a stalactitic substance in decomposition. This mountain has produced a great quantity of gold, and continues yet rich: it may be truly called auriferous; for I directed negroes to bring me specimens of earth from every part of the cleft, from the roots of the grass to the bottom, all of which I found to contain gold. At this place stamps are used to reduce the more indurated substances, but they are so ill constructed as to produce but little effect. After a most pressing invitation to stay, and advantageous offers of land to a considerable extent, which I found it expedient to decline, I took leave of the owner of this establishment, and passed a very large house belonging to Capitao Mor Penha, a very opulent miner, who has a large establishment of negroes, and extensive lands. I continued my route five leagues through an auriferous country, passed the village of St. Barbara, and arrived at Cantas Altas. From hence I proceeded to Villa Rica, without observing any thing worth notice.

I was here received with the same attention and respect which I had experienced on my first visit. Finding it necessary to remain a few days to recruit my health, I examined a variety of substances that had been collected for me during my absence, but was not fortunate enough to meet with any thing very interesting. The theatre being open, I passed two evenings there, and was much gratified to find that the rational amusement of the drama had superseded savage bullfights. The theatre and decorations were neat, and the performances tolerable; were they better encouraged, the public would receive greater gratification. They have ever been under the control of the governor, and are generally so fettered as to be obliged to perform such pieces only as his caprice may dictate.

Leaving Villa Rica, I continued my journey to the capital, where I arrived about the middle of February 1810, in a most exhausted state, from the combined effects of fatigue and an indisposition which continual exertion and want of rest had increased in a considerable degree. I informed His Excellency the Conde de Linhares of my arrival, and, in a few days afterwards, had the honor of presenting to him a report, stating the particulars of my journey. I was afterwards introduced to the Prince, who did me the honor to express his approbation of my account of the country through which I had travelled, and requested me to publish it. He was graciously pleased to make both my attendants inferior officers, in reward for their good conduct; and when I expressed my thanks for this mark of his attention, he replied, that it was too trivial to notice, and desired me to name in what manner he could testify the sense he entertained of my services. At this moment my health was so extremely precarious, that I could not think of remaining in Rio de Janeiro, where I found myself daily getting worse; otherwise I have not the smallest doubt that the generosity of the Prince would have amply repaid me for the fatigues I had encountered.