Diamond district in Brazil. 243 



ing them in all their extent, by employing 600 negroes, was 

 farmed for four years by two Portuguese noblemen, Fernandez 

 de Oliveira and Francisco da Silva, for the sum of 230,000 

 reis (about L. 63 Sterling) for each slave. This contract was 

 renewed at different times, and the value of the farm rose by 

 degrees to 450,000 crusados (about L. 56,250 Sterling.) 

 The farmers took advantage of this augmentation, to work 

 with a greater number of negroes than their contract allowed 

 them, and the enormous profits which they made enabled them 

 to establish a system of corruption, by means of which they 

 assured themselves of impunity. 



In 1772 the king resolved to regulate the working of the 

 diamond mines. It was at this time that the district of Teju- 

 co was transformed, so to speak, into a state within a state^ 

 and a royal administration was charged with the exclusive 

 management of the working of the diamonds, from which in- 

 dividuals were prohibited. The Marquis de Pombal took up- 

 on himself the management of this establishment, and appoint- 

 ed three directors resident at Lisbon, three administrators resi- 

 dent in Brazil, and an intendant-general of the district of dia- 

 monds, invested with the most extensive powers. The direc- 

 tion of all the works necessary for the extraction of the dia- 

 monds, the administration of justice and that of police, were 

 confided to the latter. He was authorized to banish from the 

 district every inhabitant that was even under suspicion, and 

 to confiscate all his property if a single diamond was found in 

 his possession. Assisted by the diamond Junta, which was 

 subordinate to it, this body determined without appeal all civil 

 and criminal cases. 



After the establishment of this new order of things, a census 

 was taken of the inhabitants of the district. Every person 

 who could not prove his origin was sent away, and if he tried 

 to introduce himself clandestinely, he incurred for the first of- 

 fence a fine and six months imprisonment ; and in the event 

 of repeating it, he was transported to the coast of Angola for 

 the term of six years. Even the slaves were registered, and 

 subjected to a severe surveillance. If a slave was discovered 

 whose name was not enrolled in the register, the master to 

 whom he belonged was condemned to transportation for three 



