DEC. 1768 GOLD AND GEMS 39 



pear, which are very insipid, and one peach also proved 

 very bad. 



Though this country should produce many and very 

 valuable drugs, we could not find any in the apothecary's 

 shops except Pareira Brava and Balsam Capivi, both of 

 which we bought at excessively cheap prices, and very good 

 of the sort. I fancy the drug trade is chiefly carried on to 

 the northward, as is that of dyeing woods ; at least we could 

 hear nothing of them here. 



For manufactures, I know of none carried on here 

 except that of cotton hammocks, which are used by the 

 people to be carried about in, as we do sedan-chairs. 

 These hammocks are made chiefly by the Indians. But 

 the chief riches of the country come from the mines, which 

 are situated far up the country ; indeed, no one could tell me 

 how far, for even the situation of them is concealed as 

 carefully as possible, and troops are continually employed 

 in guarding the roads that lead to them ; so that it is 

 next to impossible for any one to get a sight of them, 

 except those who are employed there. No one at least 

 would attempt it from mere curiosity, for everybody who is 

 found on the road without being able to give a good account 

 of himself is hanged immediately. From these mines a 

 great quantity of gold undoubtedly conies, but it is purchased 

 at a vast cost of lives; 40,000 negroes are annually im- 

 ported on the king's account for this purpose, and notwith- 

 standing this the year before last they died so fast that 

 20,000 more were obliged to be drafted from the town of 

 Eio. 



Precious stones are also found here in very large 

 quantities, so large that they do not allow more than a 

 certain quantity to be collected in a year. A troop of 

 people is sent into the country where they are found, and 

 ordered to return when they have collected a certain 

 quantity, which they sometimes do in a month, more or less ; 

 they then return, and after that it is death for any one to 

 be found in the country on any pretence whatever until the 

 following year. Diamonds, topazes of several different 



