£74 TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



years ago. They have not yet succeeded to make 

 a dairy in the European manner, and the king, who 

 possesses in his very neighbourhood one of the 

 finest herds of cows, must content himself with 

 Irish salt butter, which has performed a voyage of 

 several months. The advantages which such an 

 establishment would produce for the cultivation for 

 the whole province, if it were arranged so as to 

 serve as a model, are beyond calculation. The 

 greatest part of the cattle bred here, are derived 

 from such as were imported long ago from Portu- 

 gal, but no care has been taken to improve them, 

 by bringing others from Rio Grande do Sul, where, 

 in a state of perfect freedom, they attain an extra- 

 ordinary size and strength. These cattle, therefore, 

 are in general smaller and worse-looking than those 

 which we see grazing, half-wild, in the pastures of 

 S. Paulo, or driven in great herds from Rio Grande 

 to the north. They are for the most part of a dark 

 brown colour, the horns but slightly bent and not 

 large. It is certain that the cows, in hot climates, give 

 less milk than in ours, and it is therefore entirely 

 left to the calves, who suck for a long time. Even 

 European cows here gradually lose their milk; a fact 

 which is probably to be explained only by the pre- 

 dominant action of the cutaneous system and in- 

 creased perspiration. 



In order to improve the estate of Santa Cruz, 

 the late minister, Conde de Linhares, assigned 

 dwellings to a part of the Chinese colonists, who 



