105 



BRAZIL. 



BRAZIL. 



106 



harbours on the coast, but the most frequented is that formed l>y the 

 island of S. G'atharina. The island of S. Cathariua is above 30 miles 

 long from north to south, and from 4 to 8 miles wide ; its surface 

 presents a succession of hill and dale, and a great part of it is covered 

 with fine trees ; it abounds with water, and has some fine lakes ; the 

 climate is temperate, and the air salubrious, so that it Li sometimes 

 resorted to by invalids. It is separated from the mainland by a strait, 

 which in its narrowest part, where it is formed by two projecting 

 capes, is not more than 200 fathoms wide. These capes divide the 

 strait into two large ports, almost equal in size, and both very safe. 

 The north and larger port is 10 miles wide, and deep enough for ships 

 of war ; it is one of the best ports in South America. Noa Senhora 

 do Dttterro, the capital of the province, is on the west side of the 

 island upon a bay, a little to the east-south-east of the narrowest part 

 of the strait. It has about 4500 inhabitants, and contains the resi- 

 dence of the president of the province, an hospital, an arsenal, &c. 

 Some small manufactures of linen and cotton cloth, and of pottery 

 are carried on. Many spermaceti whales are taken in the strait, and 

 the oil is prepared in several places of the island and the adjacent 

 mainland. Layuna, population about 1000, on the continent, has a 

 harbour for coasting vessels, and exports grain, timber, and fish, 

 which abound along this coast. S. Francesco, near the boundary of 

 the province of S. Paulo and on an island, has also a harbour for 

 smacks, and exports grain and a great quantity of timber and cordage. 



3. 8. Paulo extends over the greater part of the plain of the 

 Parani, namely, that part of it which lies on the east of the Rio 

 Parana 1 , and over the Campos da Vacaria, and the sea-coast from the 

 l.' : " Sahy, to the bay called Angra dos Keys. On the table-lands 

 cattle and horses are raised in great numbers, and grain, mandioc, 

 and rice are cultivated and exported. On the coast, sugar, tobacco, 

 cotton, and a little coffee are raised. The west districts, along the 

 Rio Parana, from the mouth of the Rio Tiete to that of the Iguassu, 

 are still in possession of independent tribes. This province has many 

 harbours for coasting vessels, and some thriving towns along the 

 coast. lyuapt, population 7000, sta*nds on a good harbour ; it ex- 

 ports great quantities of rice and timber, ttantos, the port of the 

 town of S. Paulo, to which an excellent road leads over the moun- 

 tains, is on the north side of an island called S. Vincente, in the Bay 

 of Santos, and has a harbour capable of receiving men-of-war. It has 

 8000 inhabitants, and carries on a very considerable trade, especially 

 in sugar. On the same island, but on the south shore, is the town of 

 >'. Vinfentt, population 600, the first establishment of the Portuguese 

 in Brazil and long the capital ; it is now only inhabited by fishermen. 

 S. Sebastiao, farther to the east, is on the strait of Toque, which is 

 more than 2 miles wide, and separates the island of S. Sebastiao from 

 the continent. The town has a harbour for coasting vessels, 3000 

 inhabitants, and exports timber and grain. Besides the capital, 

 S. PAULO, which contains 12,000 inhabitants, there are four other 



lerable places in the interior, Itu, S. Carlos, Sorocaba, and 

 Corytiba. Itu, or ffitu, on the Tiete\ is the centre of the most fertile 

 and populous district in the province. The town contains two 

 churches, two convents, several schools, an hospital, Ac., and with the 

 surrounding district about 10,000 inhabitants. <S. Carlos, formerly 

 Campinas, is a large town situated on the border of the plains, and is 

 A principal station of the muleteers and others carrying on the inter- 

 course between the coast and the interior : population about 5000. 

 Sorocaoa, situated on a hill to the west of S. Paulo, has 10,000 

 inlri'iitants, and considerable trade in cattle and grain. Coffee and 

 tobacco are cultivated to some extent in the vicinity. In its neigh- 

 bourhood is the Morro de Arasoyaba, which is several miles in circuit, 

 and consists entirely of iron-ore. Corytiba, on the north skirts of the 



<>B da Vacaria, with the surrounding district, has a population of 

 12,000 mostly dependent on agriculture ; some coarse woollens are 

 manufactured : it sends the produce of that country to the coast. 



4. Rio Janeiro, comprehending the coast between the western extre- 

 mity of the bay, called Angra dos Rey, and the mouth of the Rio 

 L'abapuana, extends from 50 to 60 miles inland. To it belongs the 

 greatest portion of the Serra do Mar ; and the Serra de Mantigueira 

 stretches along its western boundary. It is mountainous, but contains 

 also extensive valleys. The grains of Europe do not thrive in this 

 province ; but rice, mandioc, and maize are extensively cultivated. 



is raised to a greater amount than in any other province, and 



i is also largely raised. It has some excellent harbours, especially 



those of Rio Janeiro and of Angra dos Reya. The latter is formed by 



two islands, Ilha Grande and Marumbaya, lying in a parallel line with 



the coast, and contains some excellent roadsteads. Two of its three 



entrances are from 5 to 8 miles wide, with a depth of about 30 



f;ithorns. The port-town of Anyra dos JReys, on the mainland opposite 



the Him <!i;ii!.lr, was once a more important place than at present. 



i tains three churches with convents attached, and about 3500 



inhabitant*. Paraty, near the mouth of the harbour of Angra dos 



Reys, is a small town, but is a somewhat busy place, being the port 



1 'In; singularly fertile plains of Paraty-Merim, Banana), and Mam- 



Hi which are exported the finest sugar, coffee, and fruits. 



Tin; town is regularly built, and contains three churches. Distilling 



is carried on largely. The town and suburbs contain nearly 10,000 



i : i '' tl 'I lli- |'p.\ ltl>'.- .]...- ' IIM Ijt'JM ;m V "tll-T ' olMi.l.'J-ilM'; 



town except Uio .T;im:iro, tl< r i pit. il of Brazil. [Uio JANEIRO.] 



5. Espirito Santo extends from the Rio Cabapudna to the Rio 

 Belmonte along the coast, and from 60 miles to above 100 miles inland. 

 Some districts are hilly, but the greater part of the province consists 

 of extensive low plains. A small portion of it is under cultivation, 

 and produces sugar, cotton, rice, mandioc, and maize in abundance. 

 Fish abound along the whole extent of the coast. The west districts 

 are occupied by the independent aborigines, among whom the Boto- 

 cudos are distinguished by their bravery and cannibalism. Along 

 the coast are the islands called the ABROLHOS. There are some har- 

 bours, but only fit for trading vessels. Victoria, or Nossa Senhora de 

 Victoria, the capital of the province, is on the west side of an island 

 15 miles in circumference, in the large bay of Espirito Santo, which 

 is deep enough for frigates, and has safe anchorage. The town con- 

 tains 6000 inhabitants, who carry on an active commerce in the pro- 

 duce of the country. Cararellas, the most commercial town of 

 Espirito Santo, is opposite the Abrolhos, on the river Caravellas, 

 which is only an arm of the sea extending 10 miles inland, of consi- 

 derable width and very deep ; but the entrance is only accessible to 

 small vessels. The town, which contains above 3500 inhabitants, 

 exports chiefly mandioc-flouri rice, and fish, the garoupa being taken 

 in great numbers near the Abrolhos and the reef extending cast of 

 them. Porto Seguro, near the mouth of the small river Buranhen, is 

 a considerable place, with a good but not deep harbour. The town- 

 house was once a Jesuits' college ; its church is one of the oldest in 

 Brazil. Its inhabitants are principally occupied in the garoupa 

 fishery. 



6. Bah in extends from the Rio Belmonte to the Rio S. Francesco 

 about 480 miles, and on the average about 200 miles inland. By far 

 the greater part of its surface is mountainous. With regard to its 

 climate and productions it may be divided into three districts of very 

 unequal extent. The first, comprehending the southern coast up to 

 point Mutta, or the Bay of Camamu, and extending inland about 90 

 miles, is called the Beira-Mar, and has an abundance of running water 

 with a fertile soil, on which mandioc, rice, maize, sugar, cotton, and 

 coffee flourish ; but the climate is humid and unhealthy. In this 

 part there are few European settlements. The inhabitants are mostly 

 of the mixed races, but there are some native tribes. Rice is the 

 chief article sent to Bahia. The Beira-Mar contains immense forests 

 of valuable timber, ai yet almost untouched by the woodman. The 

 second district, known as the Reconcave, lies north of the former ; it 

 extends round the Bahia de Todos os Santos, or All Saints' Bay, to 

 Cape S. Antonia, and from 20 to 30 miles inland. The climate of 

 the Reconcave is healthy, the soil is fertile, and there is abundance of 

 water ; and these with its commercial advantages have rendered the 

 Reconcave the most populous district of Brazil. Villages and farm- 

 houses are frequent, and there are between 20 and 30 small towns. 

 The capital of the province, BAHIA, lies near the northern entrance of 

 the bay around which the district is situated. Between the entrances 

 to the bay lies the island of Itaparica, which in 23 miles long from 

 north to south, and 10 miles across in the widest part. The soil of 

 the island is fertile ; and it is planted with cocoa-palms, mangoes, 

 jacas, vines, which bear three times a year, oranges, quinces, and other 

 fruits of the south of Europe. It has also a whale fishery, cord 

 manufactories, and distilleries ; and about 16,000 inhabitants, of whom 

 nearly half live in and around the port-town of S. Ooucalo. The 

 surface of the Keconcave is hilly or gently undulating, with wide open 

 plains, watered by the Paraguacu, the Itapicura, the laguaripe, and 

 several smaller streams. Great quantities of sugar, tobacco, and 

 cotton are raised for shipment from Bahia. Rice, maudioc, and 

 numerous fruits and vegetables nourish ; and along the coast aro 

 whale and other fisheries. The third district, which is very different 

 from the other two, consists of the mountains, and the sertoes, or dry 

 open pip ins on the backs or between the ridges of the mountains. 

 These plains afford in ordinary seasons rich pasturage, but they are 

 subject to occasional droughts which cause much mortality among the 

 cattle. In the narrow valleys maudioc, fruits, vegetables, and some 

 cotton are raised, and a few villages have been built; but the larger 

 part of the district is only inhabited by Indian tribes. As has been 

 seen, the soil of this province is extremely fertile, and a good deal of 

 care has been bestowed upon its cultivation. The principal products 

 have been enumerated. In indigenous trees and plants it is very rich. 

 Timber trees affording wood of great beauty and value are very 

 abundant, as well as those whose wood is used in dyeing. There are 

 numerous palms, some of which attain a prodigious size : the cocoa- 

 palm and the passaiba, the bark of which supplies cordage and cables, 

 are among the most valuable. The cashew-nut, and the nayha-tree, 

 which yields a sweet nut, are very abundant. Among medicinal 

 plants are ipecacuanha, Jesuit's bark, jalap, tamarinds, Brazil-root, 

 curcuma, and betony. Among trees producing gums are the 

 copal, dragon's-blood, mastic, and copaiba. The metals once 

 formed a considerable portion of the wealth of this province, but 

 they are now of very little importance. Mines of gold, silver, copper, 

 iron, and antimony exist, but they are not worked. Saltpetre occurs, 

 but it is not collected. The capital, BAHIA, is noticed under its 

 title. Cackoeira, on the Paraguacu, is a busy and flourishing town 

 situated in the midst of the chief tobacco district of the Reconcave; 

 some coffee is also grown in the neighbourhood. The population of 

 the town and district is about 16,000. Near this town copper mines 



