334 A VOYAGE TO Book IX. 



all the modern geographers. All thofe which I have 

 fearched are, however, filenc as to any remarks on this 

 place. 



The next place on this coaft is Kio Camamu, a 

 large river, about twenty-five leagues to the ibuth- 

 ward of Bahia ; here are numbers of fmall towns and 

 villages, and the banks oí this river are the beft inha- 

 bited of any part of the Brazils. There are not lefs 

 than three or four hundred fmall veficls employed by 

 the inhabitants to convey their commodities to Bahia 

 and Rio de Janeiro. The Jefuits formerly held a great 

 traffic with this place, and fent a large frigate loaded 

 from thefe parts to Paraguay, but with what goods I 

 could never learn ; the fource of this river is in the 

 centre of the gold mines, from which circumftance it 

 is eafy to guefs at fome part of their cargo. 



From hence to the Ilheos is a bold fliore, afterwards 

 very rocky and ihoaly, till you get to the fouthward of the 

 Abrolhos. Off the mouth of Rio Grande there is not 

 above 6 or 7 fathom water at the diitance of 10 leagues 

 from the land. On this coail there are many litde iiar- 

 bours, and rivers whofe borders are well inhabited ; 

 the chief of which are des Contas, los Ilheos, Rio 

 Grande, and Porto Seguro j but their entrances are 

 very dangerous without a ikilful pilot, and their trade 

 the fame as at Camanu. I proceed, therefore, to Rio 

 dos Caravellos, into which the Abrolhos forbid an en- 

 trance without the affiilance of a Ikiltul pilou On the 

 banks of this river are feveral litde towns and villages, 

 at one of which they build vefiels of one hundred 

 tons burthen ; this river was well known to the Je- 

 fuits, and the moll convenient place ihey could have 

 thought of, if they had had a mind to finger any of 

 the gold before it came under the infpeftion of the 

 king's officers j for molt of the Bandeiras, or com- 

 panies that go in fearch of new mines, or to feek for 

 gold in the torrents between the inland mountains, 

 aiccnd this river as far as they can in their canoes, 



and 



