1768. ROUND THE WORLD. 39 



woods, for we could get no intelligence of either of 

 them here. 



As to manufactures, we neither saw nor heard of 

 any except that of cotton hammocks, in which people 

 are carried about here, as they are with us in sedan 

 chairs ; and these are principally, if not wholly, 

 fabricated by the Indians. 



The riches of the place consist chiefly in the mines, 

 which we supposed to lie far up the country, though 

 we could never learn where, or at what distance; 

 for the situation is concealed as much as possible, 

 and troops are continually employed in guarding the 

 I'oads that lead to them : it is almost impossible for 

 any man to get a sight of them, except those who 

 are employed there ; and, indeed, the strongest curio- 

 sity would scarcely induce any man to attempt it, 

 for whoever is found upon the road to them, if he 

 cannot give undeniable evidence of his having busi- 

 ness there, is immediately hanged up upon the next 

 tree. 



Much gold is certainly brought from these mines, 

 but at an expense of life that must strike every man, 

 to whom custom has not made it familiar, with 

 horror. No less than forty thousand negroes are 

 annually imported on the king's account, to dig the 

 mines ; and we were credibly informed, that the 

 last year but one before we arrived here this number 

 fell so short, probably from some epidemic disease,, 

 that twenty thousand more were draughted from the 

 town of Rio. 



Precious stones are also found here in such plenty, 

 that a certain quantity only is allowed to be collected 

 in a year ; to collect this quantity, a number of 

 people are sent into the country where they are 

 found, and when it is got together, which some- 

 times happens in a month, sometimes in less, and 

 sometimes in more, they return ; and after that, 

 whoever is found in these precious districts, on any 



D 4 



