1822.) 
and this strongly induced me to con- 
sider him as an amiable character: he 
left us for the camp of Petrosky. The 
fire had now caught all the Russian 
shops, and the wounded officer and 
myself resolved to go to Petrosky on 
the following day, and demand a 
safeguard. . 
(To be continued. ) 
— 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
OBSERVATIONS on BRAZIL, by BARON 
LANGSDORF, RUSSIAN CONSUL-GENE- 
RAL in that COUNTRY. 
OTWITHSTANDING all the 
advantages of a residence in this 
country, it has also its disadvantages. 
The living in the capital and its 
immediate vicinity is expensive, the 
necessaries of life are even scarce, 
and a thousand unexpected inconve- 
niences will be found. 
There is a want of hands; the popu- 
lation of the country, and the wants of 
the capital, bear no proportion to the 
mechanics, tradesmen, and farmers, 
and the size of the kingdom and its 
daily increasing trade. The govern- 
ment has paid too little regard to 
benefiting internal trade by means of 
roads, &c. Inthe whole country there 
is scarcely a regular high road; the 
caravans of mules, that bring the cot- 
-ton upon their backs from Minas 
Novas to the capital, a distance of 
more than 200 leagues, have to en- 
counter the greatest difficulties of the 
road almost before its very gates. 
Goods that have from this distance 
successfully arrived within seven 
leagues of the metropolis, have to 
cross through marshes, morasses, and 
rivers; and not unfrequently the goods, 
mules, and drivers, perish in sight of 
the royal residence. As long, there- 
fore, as government in this respect re- 
mains inactive, so long as the farmer 
cannot easily bring his produce to 
market, and the merchant can only 
send his goods with the risk of lives, 
the cultivator will labour in vain to 
profit by the land that government has 
allotted to him. The poor farmer will 
hardly grow more than is necessary for 
his support. He neglects his planta- 
tions so much, that at last he will 
suffer want with his family. Thence 
it is that the lower classes lead such a 
wretched life ; and that, in a country of 
abundance, many thousands of its in- 
habitants fall a prey to poverty. 
Europeans, especially those who 
from their infancy have been accus- 
Present State of Brazil; by Baron Langsdorf. 
13 
tomed to bread, wHl find themselves 
often disappointed. Except in the 
southern province of Rio Grande, St- 
Paul and Minasgeraes, people in ge- 
neral eat but little bread; instead of 
which, they use the mendioca or maize 
flower, dried beans and bacon. Both 
maize and beans are usually sown and 
reaped twice a-year; the bread-root, 
or mendioca, may indeed be planted 
every month, but must remain in the 
ground from at least twelve to fifteen 
months, before it will yield the proper 
flour. The preparation itself, how- 
ever, is easy, and the flour both 
pleasant and wholesome. Beef dried 
in the air, and sprinkled with a little 
salt, with dry beans, bacon and flour 
of bréad root, or maize, constitute the 
usual food of the negroes and country 
people. 
Although there are no infectious 
diseases in Brazil, yet many persons 
are seen suffering under various casu- 
alties, among which swelled legs are 
the most prevalent. This particular 
disease is of a scorbutic nature, and 
only attacks the poorer classes, negroes 
as well as whites, and arises from neg- 
lect, filth, and poor living. 
Wens are as commonin some of the 
inland provinces, as in some moun- 
tainous districts of Europe. The 
earth, or sand, flea, which is likewise 
found in the West India islands, as all 
over South America, is also here very 
troublesome. They are a kind of 
small flea, which chiefly keep in the 
sand and dust of dirty and unfre- 
quented rooms, and insandy districts. 
This insect fixes itself on the toes, or 
any other naked part of the body, and 
eatsitself intothe skin, under the nails, 
&c. As the negroes always work 
barefooted in the field, they are natu- 
tally most exposed to them. It is 
therefore the duty of every master to 
have the feet of newly purchased ne- 
groes frequently examined, particu- 
larly as they have no knowledge of this 
plague in Africa. When the insect is 
picked out in time it produces no bad 
consequences; but there are people 
who, partly from ignorance, partly 
from idleness, do not anticipate the 
evil, and who then suffer from long 
sores. The best means of getting rid 
of the breed altogether is by the appli- 
cation of calomel ointment. 
In the metropolis strangers may 
feel themselves rather annoyed by 
musquitos and gnats, but I have neyer 
seen any in the country. 
It 
