KEPORT OF M. GUILLKMIN. 11 



mountain famed for its gold mines, and passed two days in 

 exploring this celebrated locality, and then visited the Colonel 

 Anastosio on my way back to St Paul. These plantations 

 are in the most prosperous contlition, situated on a sloping 

 and well-manured tract behind the habitations. The shrubs 

 are generally kept low, and frequently cut, so as to make 

 them branching, by which the process of picking the leaves is 

 rendered easier. There may be 60,000 or 70,000 plants, but 

 a third of them were only set a year before. Every arrange- 

 ment is excellently conducted here; the pans kept very clean, 

 though perhaps rather thin from long use and the fierceness 

 of the fires. But the general good order that prevails, speaks 

 much in favour of the Tea produced in this neighbourhood. 

 The colonel showed me his warehouse, where the Tea is 

 stored in iron jars, narrow-necked, and closed by a tight- 

 fitting stopper. I ventured to put some questions to Colonel 

 Anastosio respecting the sale of the produce. He gave me to 

 understand that he was by no means eager to sell ; but con- 

 fident of the good quality, he waited till application was 

 made to him for it, as the Tea is thought to improve by time, 

 and the price is kept up by there being a small supply. 

 With respect to the cost of its production in Brazil, he said, 

 this was so great, that to make it answer to the grower, a 

 price of not less than 2,000 reis, about 6 francs (5s.) must be 

 got for each lb. The whole labour in Brazil is done by 

 slaves, who certainly do not cost much to keep, but who on 

 the other hand, work as little as they can help, having no 

 interest in the occupation. The slaves, too, bear a high 

 price, and the chances of mortality with the exorbitant value 

 of money in Brazil, augment their selling value. 



The Major da Luz kindly presented me with 300 young 

 Tea plants, which he had caused his negroes to pull up for 

 me, and in an adjoining farm, where an immense tract 

 planted with Tea, is now allowed to run to waste, being no 

 object of value to the proprietor, I was permitted to take all 

 I could carry away ; and in a single day's time, M. Houlet 

 and I, aided l)y some slaves, succeeded in possessing ourselves 



