400 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



the dust. The usual coloui' of the 

 Sertanejos is a dark brown ; for 

 even those who are born white, 

 soon become as completely tanned 

 as the dress which they wear, 

 from exposure to the sun. 



The colour of the Sertanejos 

 varies from white, of which there 

 are necess.-uily few, to a dark 

 brown ; tl\e shades of which are 

 almost as various as there are per- 

 sons : two of exactly the same tint 

 are scarcely to be met with. Chil- 

 dren of tlie same parents rarely if 

 ever are of the same shade ; some 

 difference is almost always perceiv- 

 able, and this is, in many in- 

 stances, so gliiring, as to lead at 

 first to doubts of the authenticity ; 

 but it is too general to be aught 

 but what is right. Thcoifspring of 

 white and black persons leans, in 

 most instances, more to ime colour 

 than to the other, wlien periiaps 

 a second child will take a contrary 

 tinge. These remarks do not hold 

 good in the Sertam, but are ap- 

 plicubte to all the counti'y which I 

 had opportunities of seeing. The 

 Scrtanejo, if colour is set aside, 

 is certainly handsome; and the 

 women, whilst young, iiave well- 

 shaped forms, and many of them 

 good features ; indeed 1 ha\'e 

 seen some of tlie white persons 

 who would be aehnired in any 

 country. Their constant expo- 

 sure to the sun, and its great 

 power at a distance from the sea, 

 darkens the complexion more than 

 if the same i)ersons had resided 

 upon the coast : but this gives 

 them a decided dark colour, whicli 

 has the appearance of durability, 

 and is much preferable to a sallow 

 sickly look, thougli of a lighter 

 tint. 



THE INDIAN NATIVES. 



{Fi'om the same.) 



Tlie Indians of these villages, 

 and indeed of all those whicli I 

 passed through, are Ciwistians ; 

 though it is said that some few of 

 them follow in secret tlieir own 

 heatl)enish rites, paying adoration 

 to the maracci, and practising all 

 the customs of their religion, if 1 

 may use this word, of which so 

 exact a description is given in Mr. 

 Soutiieys History of Brazil. When 

 the Roman Catholic religion does 

 take root in them, it of necessity 

 degenerates into the most abject 

 superstition. An adherence to 

 superstitious rites, whetlier of 

 Roman Catholic ordination or pre- 

 scribed by their own undefined 

 faith, appears to be the only part 

 of tlieir character in which they 

 show any constancy. Each village 

 has its priest, who is oftentimes a 

 vicar, and resident for life upon 

 the spot. A director is also at- 

 tached to each village, who is sup- 

 posed to be a white man ; he has 

 great power ovei' the persons with- 

 in his jurisdiction. Ifaproprietorof 

 land is in want of workmen heap- 

 plies to the director, who agrees for 

 the piicc at which the daily la- 

 bour is to be paid, and he com- 

 mands hig chief Indians to take so 

 many men, and proceed with them 

 to tie estate for which they are 

 hired. The labourers receive the 

 money themselves, and expend it 

 as they please ; but the bargains 

 thus made are usually below the 

 regular jirice of labour. Each 

 village has two Juizes Ordinarios 

 or mayors, who act for one year. 

 One Juiz is a white man, and the 

 other an Indian ; but it may easily 

 be supposed that the former has, 



in 



