B R A S I L. 





keys, the viceroy another, and the assayer of the 

 .il treasury the third. This casket is enclosed in 

 d by the throe persons above-mention- 

 ed, and which contains the three k"y* <l the first. 

 The viceroy has not the power of visiting its con- 

 tents. He only consigns th \\ii..le to a third strong 

 cofier, which he --end.; to l.i'.hun, after having 

 his seal on the luck. They aro opened in the pre- 

 sence of the king who chooses what diamonds he 

 pleases, and pays the price to the undertakers at tiie 

 rate lixed by their agreement. 



The undertakers pay to his most faithful majesty, 

 the value of a piastre Spanish money, each day, for 

 every slave employed in searching for diamonds ; and 

 the number of these slaves nr-iy amount to eight 

 hundred. Of all kinds of contraband trade, that of 

 diamonds is the most severely punished. If the of- 

 fender be poor, it costs him his life ; it he has wealth 

 sufficient to satisfy the law, besides the confiscation 

 of the diamonds, he is condemned to pay twice their 

 value, to one year's imprisonment, and is afterwards 

 banished for life to the coast of Africa. Notwith- 

 standing this severity, there is a great contraband of 

 diamonds, even the most beautiful ; the hope and ease 

 of concealing them being increased by the small size 

 of the treasure. 



The gold drawn from the mines cannot be carried 

 to Rio Janeiro, without being first brought to the 

 smelting houses established in each district, where the 

 right of the -crown is received. What results to pri- 

 vate persons is remitted in bars, with their weight, 

 mimbor, and the royal arms. All this gold has been 

 assayed by a person appointed for this purpose, and 

 on each bar is imprinted the standard of the gold ; so 

 that afterwards in the coinage the operation neces- 

 sary to estimate their due standard may be easily per- 

 formed. 



These bars- belonging to individuals are registered 

 in the factory of La Praybuna, thirty leagues from 

 Rio Janeiro. In this station are a captain, lieute- 

 nant, and fifty men : here is paid the right of fifths ; 

 and besides a toll of a real and a half per head on men, 

 cattle, and beasts of burden. Half of the product 

 of this duty belongs to the king, and the other half 

 is divided between the detachment according to rank. 

 As it is impossible to return from the mines without 

 passing by this office, all persons are there stopped, 

 and searched with the greatest severity. 



Individuals are afterwards obliged to carry all the 

 gold in bars, which belongs to them, to the mint of 

 Rio Janeiro, where the value is given in coin, com- 

 monly in half doubloons, each worth eight Spanish 

 dollars. Upon each of these half doubloons the 

 king gains a dollar, by the alloy and the right of 

 coinage. The mint of Rio Janeiro is one of the most 

 beautiful which exist ; it is furnished with every con- 

 venience to work with the greatest celerity. As the 

 gold arrives from the mines at the same time that 

 the fleets arrive from Portugal, it is necessary tv/ ac- 

 celerate the work of the mint, and the coinage pro- 

 ceeds with surprising quickness. 



The arrival of these fleets renders the commerce of 

 Rio Janeiro very flourishing, but chiefly that of the 

 Lisbon fleet That of Poito id oi.ly lad'-n with 

 wines, brandy, vinegars, provisions, and coarse cloths, 



VOL. IV. V<UIT n. ' 



.ictured in that city or its environs. Soon after 



nval ot th" !1 < is, ..11 tin- merchandise br 

 is taken to the custom-h mv, w'n.-Ti: it pay. ; 

 i':' lit. I.) the k:ng. it li to be observed, that at pre- 

 sent the communication of the colony of St Sacra- 

 mento with Buenos Ayres being severely prohibi- 

 ted, these rights must experience a considerable di- 

 minution. Almost all the moat precious articles were 

 sent from Rio Janeiro to the colony of Sacramento, 



they were smuggled to Buenos Ayrcs into 

 Chili and Peru ; snd this fraudulent commerce was 

 worth every year to the Portuguese more than a mil- 

 lion aad a half of dollars. In a word, the n\ 

 Brazil produce no silver ; all that the Portuguese 

 possess is acquired by this contraband trade. The 



trade was also an immense object to them. It 

 is impossible to compute the loss occasioned by the 

 almost entire suppression of this branch of conn 

 trade. It occupied alone at the least thirty vessels 

 in the coasting trade from Bra/.il to La Plata. 



Besides the ancient right of ten per cent, paid to 

 the royal custom-house, there is another of two and 

 a half per cent, imposed under the title of free gift, 

 since the disaster at Lisbon in 175.3. It is paid 

 immediately on leaving the custom-house, whereas a 

 delay of six months is granted for the tenth, on giving 

 good security. 



The mines of St Paolo and Parnagua yield to the 

 king four arobas for the fifths every year. The 

 most distant mines, as those of Pracaton and Quiaba 

 (Cuyaba,) depend on the captaincy of Matogroso. 

 The fifth of the aboe mines is not received at- Rio 

 Janeiro, but that of the mines of Goyas is deducted. 

 This captaincy also possesses diamond mines, which 

 are forbidden to be worked. 



The whole of the expense of the king of Portugal 

 at Rio Janeiro, for the payment of the troops and 

 civil officers, and for the charges of the mines, the 

 maintenance of the public buildings, the careening of 

 vessels, amounts to about six hundred thousand dol- 

 lars. The expenses of building ships of the line and 

 frigates there stationed are not included. 



Recapitulation, and the amount of the average of dif- 

 ferent objects of royal revenue. 



Dollars. 



A hundred and fifty arobas of gold, the 

 average produced by the royal fifths, 



are in Spanish money 1,125,000 



The duty on diamonds . . ., 2i< 



The duty on coinage 40. > 



Ten per cent, from the custom-house 350,000 



Two and a half per cunt, of free gift 87,000 



Right of toll, sale of employments, offi- 

 ces, and generally all the profits of the 



mines 22.5,000 



Duty on slaves 110,000 



Duty on fish oil, salt, soap, and the tenth 



on the provisious of the country . . . 130,000 



Total 2,6fi7,000 



Krj.il. 



From which, deducting the abore expenses, it will 

 be seen that the king of Portugal draws from Rio 

 3l 



