ALACRAKEB. 



ALAOOAfl 



1M 



I* wflfal murder, and a* *aoh punishable with death ; member* of the 

 l*sililj. oAotn of government, civil and military, and 



i -law. are required to uke the duelling oath. 



i. The uuiMtltutiun declare* that " ichooU and the meant 

 of Juialltm ->"" for erer be encouraged in thU state." By an act 

 of UM CtaiMie** of the United Btetea, in 1819, one Motion of land 

 (040 term) wa* grant*! to the inhabitant* of each township in the 

 state (br UM oat of nbooU; and TS MeUoM, or two entire townships, 

 for the support of . seminary of learning, which wan vested in the 

 legUature of the etate, to be appropriated olely to the u*e of nioh 

 ssjiiiiMij by the a*id legislature." In oonfortnity with the above 

 grant, UM State Unirerefty of Alabama wu founded in 1831. The 

 fovmor of the state is, er of tin, preatdent of the board of trustee* 

 of UM institution, who hold their office for three yean. All the 

 university lan.U are Tatted in theee trustee* to be sold by public 

 HlUm. or to be let on rent. The fond* of the university consist of 

 the utoouAi at then lands. The university U located about one mile 

 Ml of Tnaealoosa, in a fine healthy actuation. In 1862 it had 9 pro- 

 fcaion, US student*, and a library containing 8000 volume*. There 

 are in UM KM* alao U Orange College, belonging to the Methoduta, 

 with professors, WJ students, and a library of SUO volume. ; Spring 

 HH) CoBeM. belonging to the Catholic*, with 20 professor*, 80 students, 

 and TOOO volume* ; and Howard College belonging to the Baptuta, 

 with 6 piufcator*. 88 students, and MOO volumes. Howard Theological 

 lstHuUou (Baptist) had 1 profeesor, 18 students, and a library of 1000 

 volumes in 1851 Beside* the echooU in each townahip then are 

 uaMTOu* academic* and grammar-*ohools in the state. 

 ALACRANKS vv] 



VQOAH, a province of Knuil, which, up to about 1840, wai a 

 OJPlikl. or comarca, of the province of Pernambuco ; but, on account 

 of iu iaaraMh**. population and wealth, wa formed into a Mparate 

 province, which U under UM administration of iu own governor. It 

 U feated between ' and 10* & lat, 86* and 38" 80' W. long. It 

 bnrden on the aouth on the province of Seregipe del Key, from which 

 it u separated by the Kio de San Francisco, along, the northern banlu 

 of which it extend* to the great cataract, called Cachoeira de Paulo 

 Aflbnso. On the weet and north it is mirrounded by the province of 

 Pernambueo. from which it U separated for a considerable ipace by 

 the Rio fan*. The Atlantic washes iU eastern ride. In length, from 

 ait to weat, it extend* about ISO miles; it* avemge width probably 

 doe* not exceed 80 miles. The area U about 9000 square miles. 



Two-thirds of this surface are covered with mountains. They form 

 the southern declivity of the elevated and hilly table-land, wln.-h 

 occupies nearly the whole of the country, and project* into the Atlantic 

 between S* and 9* S. lat These mountains come close up to the river 

 San Francisco a* far east a* the mouth of the Rio Sacare, and terminate 

 in Alagoa*, at a distance of about 30 milea, or little more, from the 

 seal Thin region is almost entirely covered with wood, and contains 

 many high timber-trees, which afford a considerable article of expor- 

 tation. The valleys and more gentle slopes of the mountains exhibit 

 a considerable degree of fertility. Along the eastern base of the 

 mountain* extends an undulating or rather hilly tract, which occupies 

 about lialf the country between the declivity ancl the mo. Itislikewise 

 wooded, and has a light soil, very fit for the culture of oottan, which 

 U rapidly extending. The country along the sea-shore, and at a distance 

 of about 10 mile* or somewhat leas from it, is low, level, and covered 

 with a thick alluvium, which ha* been brought down by the numerous 

 Ban river* that rise on UM eastern declivity of the mountain-region, 

 ad deposited long the edge of the undulating tract This soil is of 

 UM best quality/and At for the cultivation of every kind of intertropical 

 A considerable portion, however, of this tract is still 



4 to 



d with swamps, and the tide, which rises along the coast from 

 6 feet, enters the mouths of the rivers, and ha* 



. i. mg >i '. 

 The most considerable of these 



adjacent low countri** into lagunea. 

 bfiines U UM Uke of Mangumba. from which the river Alagoa* runs 

 to UM * in aouthern direction. It is stated to be 30 miles long, 

 end about S mil** wide at u average, and consist* of two lagunes 

 united by s *tr*M. The northern is called Ugoa do Norte, and the 

 southern Ugoa do 8uL Iu water i* salt Only canoe* can navigato 

 UM river Alaguas. which carries it. water to the sea. The rich planta- 

 tions situated around the Ugoa do Bui carry their produce to the 

 northern lake and UM town of Alagnas, whence it is transported to the 

 harbour, of Taragua and Pajswara. Farther *outh is the Ugoa do 

 Hiauiba, which i* 15 miles long from north to south, with an average 

 width of 8 milea. A river of UM name name run* southwards to 

 UM am. 



Though all UM riven which disembogue along this coast are small, 

 and have ban at their mouth*, with so little water on them that sea 

 vesMb of even UM smallest sis. cannot enter them, UM province ha* 

 a few harbour. .unVientiy deep for v**iU of moderate magnitude. 

 The most northern are UM harboun of Paja*ar and Taragus. 

 are do** together and separated by a low tongue of land. The port 

 of Taragua I* the Utter of UM two. Men handiw disembarked at 

 Uu port U transported by land three mile* to UM Ugoa do Norte, 



oMUte* JI.OIO am, la sU Eaf lisa or America* mile. jusr., 

 s4 Is saMl.kM late lhlrir.u equl dlTUfcmi or squirt mile., by linr. 

 niilu sack etker at rltalaaflOT: that dlviaien* an tailed tteUoos ; each 



.:, :. ::. 



and there embarked on canoe* for Alagoa* and other town*. Cururippe, 

 which ia farther aouth, is harbour of moderate sixe, formed by a 

 reef extending to a distance of 800 yards from the shore, which break* 

 the fury of the sea. The harbour may be entered by two breaks in 

 the reef, but the anchorage is not generally good. The river which 

 falls here into the aea bean the same name, and U navigable for canoes 

 for several mile*, but has very little water on the bar at it* mouth. 



The only river which here deserves to be noticed is the San 

 Francisco, which enters Alagoai at it* western extremity at the great 

 cataract of Paulo Alfonso, where it i* said to descend 50 feet in 

 perpendicular height. It then runs for nearly 50 miles to the Aide* 

 do Caninde, forming several rapids and smaller catapults, between 

 rocky bank* several hundred feet high, and extremely rugged. Many 

 rocks occur in the bed of the river, and it is not navigable. At 

 Caninde the width of the river increase* to half a mile and more, and 

 the navigation to it* mouth U not interrupted. It* bank* are of 

 moderate height a* far down as Penedo. Below Peuedo the river 

 enter* the alluvial tract, in which it divides into several branches, 

 forming a great number of islands, generally low and abounding with 

 woods. They have a fertile though partly sandy soil, where rice, 

 maize, mandioo, sugar, and vegetables are raised in abundance. In 

 the rainy season they are overflowed. The branches of the river 

 unite again, and it disembogues by two mouths of different site. 

 The northern is the larger, being nearly 3 mile* wide, but ha* so little 

 depth that smacks can enter it only at high-water, and must there 

 wait for the full tide to go out. They can sail as far up * Penedo, 25 

 milea from the mouth. Farther up the navigation is solely by ajojos, 

 '. ., two or more canoe* moored together with cross-piece* of timber 

 above. In ascending the river sail* are always used, a* the wind from 

 eight o'clock till the following morning's dawn blows always from the 

 ait The ajojos always descend the river with the current, which 

 i* rather rapid. 



The climate i* warm and humid. The heat in the rainy season i* 

 frequently oppressive, except along the coast, where it ia moderated 

 by sea-breezes. It is less hot in the dry mason, and also more healthy. 

 The wet season occurs from November to March, and then the rains 

 are very abundant, but showers are not rare in the dry season also. 



Tobacco was once the staple article of this province, and was 

 especially sent to the western coast of Africa. But since the abolition 

 of the slave-trade this branch of agriculture has continually been 

 decreasing, and ha* been replaced by sugar and cotton, which at 

 present constitute the staple articles, the first being raised in the 

 alluvial and the second in the undulating tract*. As food are raised 

 mandioc, maize, rice, plantains, beans, and some roots, as yam*, sweet 

 potatoes, Ac. The most common fruit-trees are oranges, pine-apple*, 

 jack-trees, cocoa-nut*, and palm*. The mamona-tree is carefully cul- 

 tivated in some districts on account of ita oil, which affords an article 

 of exportation. Alagoas has extensive forest* of timber-trees, even in 

 it* lower district*, and affords the best timber in Brazil. It is exported 

 to Bahia and Recife ; and many small vessels are built in the province. 

 Some of these timber-tree* are very durable, especially those named 

 SuiMipira, Pao Roxo, Vinhatioo, and Tatahy, but their wood affects 

 the iron, and the bolt* become loose in a few yean, which Is ascribed 

 to the great quantity of tannin contained in the wood. The forest* 

 bound also in several kinds of wild fruit-trees, and there are also the 

 trees which produce dragon's blood, maatic, ipecacuanha, copaiba, and 

 caoutchouc. Other wood* are used a* dye*, among which Brazil-wood 

 is the most prized. An inferior species of quinine, or Jesuit's bark, in 

 not rare. 



The European domestic animal* are far from being numerous, 

 except asses and mule*. The ounce exist* at present only in the 

 mountain-districts. The most numerous animals are deer and mon- 

 keys of different kinds, and also ant-eaters, armadilloea, and < 

 The tapir and peccary are rather rare. Alligators abound in tli,- 

 lakes and riven ; land-tortoises are numerous. The number and 

 variety of birds are very great, especially of parrots. Honey and wax 

 are obtained from wild bee*. Several kind* of fiih abound in the 

 lakes and lagunea, and on the sea-coast, and they constitute one of the 

 principal articles of food for the lower clame* and the Indiana. The 

 luvr Sun Francisco is noted for the abundance of it* fish. Several 

 kind* of snake* are poisonous. 



It .lorn not *ppear that any kind of metal is found ; none at least 

 is worked. 



The population was stated more than 20 yean ago to amount to 

 nearly 100,000 ; and it ia supposed that at present it hardly falls short 

 f 'Jin i.OOO, u cultivation has greatly increased in late years. But this 

 number i* very unequally distributed over the surface. More than 

 120,000 probably inhabit the low and hilly tracts, which may com- 

 prehend 8000 square mile*, so that in theee regions there are about 40 

 persons to a square mile. No part of Brazil, with t!i< of the 



Reouncave of Bahia, i* so populous a* this portion of Alagoas. The 

 number of negro slaves may amount to nearly one-fourth of the 

 population. The greater portion of the mountain-region is still 

 the haunt of some native tribe*, who mainly depend on the produce 

 of the chase for their subsistence. Several families of Acconans, 

 Carapote*, and Cayriris, have been converted to Christianity, and live 

 in the pariah of CoUegio, on the banlu of the Son Francisco, where a 

 tract 3 mile* wide and 6 mile* long has been given to them for purpose* 



