TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 223 



aromatic as the best kinds of Chinese tea, but 

 rather earthy and rough. This disagreeable pro- 

 perty must, however, be no discouragement in any 

 new branch of cultivation, for it is a natural con- 

 sequence of the plants not being perfectly accus- 

 tomed to the climate. Besides the tea shrub, we 

 were shown several other plants of India, such as 

 the cinnamon tree (^Laurus cinnamomum'), the 

 clove tree (Caryophyllus aromaticus), the pepper 

 plant {Fiper nigrum), the G72emon gneton, the 

 the nutmeg tree {Myristica moschata), the Averrhoa 

 carambola, the sour fruit of which has a very plea- 

 sant taste in soup, &c. Though some of them 

 were but a few years old, yet most of these trees 

 had already borne fruits All these plants will 

 become naturalised here when they have been cul- 

 tivated some years longer, for the new continent 

 appears calculated by nature to receive the pro- 

 ductions of all climates, and to bring them to the 

 same perfection as their own country. 



The powder manufactory near the botanical 

 garden is the only one in Brazil, except a little 

 private estabhshment in Minas, which has hkewise 

 obtained a royal license. The produce of these 

 manufactories cannot, however, boast of being so 

 well compounded as the gunpowder imported from 

 Europe, which is nearly prohibited here. This is 

 in all probability occasioned partly by something 

 not suiting the climate in the saltpetre, which is 

 brought to Rio from the Portuguese colonies in 



