1826.] Discovery of the Province of Minas Geracs. 261 



stituted authorities, gave new entrance to the Portuguese, consolidated 

 his measures, mside a division of the lands fit for mining, and retired, 

 covered with honour, to Rio de Janeiro, where he received from the 

 governor the most public demonstrations of gratitude. In consequence 

 of the representations of the governor to the court of Lisbon, the pro- 

 vince of Minas Geraes was annexed to that of Rio de Janeiro, and 

 Garcia was appointed Goarda Mor Geral de todas as minas e das agoas 

 mineraes, or Chief Inspector-General of all the mines and mineral waters 

 (waters used in mining). 



Amongst the attributes of this office is that of naming and suspending 

 the Goardas Mores of districts — a sort of justices of peace with the gold 

 miners. These magistrates are empowered to grant the virgin lands for 

 mining to whoever chooses to apply for tliem — also the waters used in 

 mining, and to verify the mensuration when any doubt exists in regard 

 to the limits : their decisions arc valid if tlie parties concur ; if not, they 

 appeal to the Superintendente do siro (superintendent of gold) who is the 

 auditor of the Comarca. 



Goardas Mores were named for all the existing districts, and for those 

 they newly created, and each miner was obliged to keep within his own 

 boundary ; the Goardas Mores assuring the crown's right of a fifth of each 

 discovery (as that of possession was assured to individuals), and the 

 power of granting new lands to persons rich enough to mine them. 

 Thus there are persons who have twenty, thirty, and more daltas — each 

 datta comprizing above three hundred quadi-atic cubits. 



Garcia proposed a regulation which was approved of by the court of 

 Lisbon, and differed very little from what I have stated. Fresh disco- 

 veries of gold were made daily, but they only mined when it was in 

 great quantities and easy to obtain ; and as gold appeared in all parts, 

 the district was called Minas Geraes, after the name of the province, the 

 capital of which is Villa Rica, lately changed into that of the imperial 

 city of Oiro preto by the emperor when he was proclaimed. 



The colony of Indians, Carijos, above-mentioned, soon ceased to 

 exist, by the captivity of some and the dispersion of others ; it is now 

 the village of Gueluz, and contains no Indians. 



A Bandeira of adventurers, hunters of savages, came to Rio Bom 

 Successo, where they found the influx of a river into that of the Fanado, 

 rolling in a bed of gold. At the sight of this treasure, and the proxi- 

 mity they supposed of Baliia, they proceeded across the forest to the 

 north, and at the expiration of thirty days reached that city, when they 

 presented to the viceroy the gold they had brought, requesting him to 

 furnish them with men for the purpose of digging those very rich mines. 

 A numerous party accordingly set out from Bahia for Minas Novas, fol- 

 lowed with considerable difficulty by two others, carrying on their 

 shoulders all the necessary iron tools, provisions, gunpowder and ball for 

 hunting, &c. In less than a year its population was increased to four 

 hundred persons ; the viceroy then called it Villa do Bom Successo, and 

 the king confirmed the colony with this name. With much labour they 

 transported there a foundery, also dies for coining money at Minas 

 Novas, which began to work in 1728, and continued for a long time. 



In the year 1734, a Bandeira that had left the Lavra where Villa do 

 Principe now is, to hunt the Porez Indians, arrived at the river Fanado, 

 and beheld the Povoa9ao of Minas Novas. The mutual surprise was 

 extreme ; and the people of Minas Novas were not a Uttle delighted at 



