148 TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



ley that the Paulistas once, quarrelling from lust 

 of gold, destroyed each other in a sanguinary 

 contest, from which the river has derived its name. 

 The Morro de Bom-fim is very steep, and there- 

 fore very difficult of ascent for beasts of burthen ; 

 it consists of strata of flexible quartz, and on its 

 bare, broad, long-extended ridges, has an abund- 

 ance of fragments of quartz. From its summit 

 there is a noble prospect over the whole valley 

 of the river; and as soon as we descend at the other 

 end of it, of the Villa de S. Joao d'El Rey, formerly 

 Villa do Rio das Mortes, which lies at the foot of 

 the bare mountain Lenheiro, only half a mile from 

 the river from which it derived its former name. 

 The many mountains by which this little town is 

 surrounded, the numerous dazzling white houses, 

 and the little river Tijuco which flows through 

 the middle of it, and is often nearly dry, give it 

 a pleasant romantic appearance. A great number 

 of country houses, scattered on the declivity, 

 lead to the solid stone bridge, which is thrown 

 over the abovementioned river, and unites a part 

 of the town lying along the eminence with the 

 larger portion in the plain. The stranger, espe- 

 cially after such long privations on a journey in 

 the interior, is rejoiced to find himself in a little 

 commercial town. Paved streets, stately churches, 

 adorned with native paintings, shops well stored 

 with all European articles of manufacture and 

 luxury, various work-shops, &c., announce the 



