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 comes, 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 
Rio. 
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 
