BRA 



tlius acquired ftvcn out of the fourteen provinces into wluch 

 Brafil was divided, they expetled foon to conquer the other 

 fcven, virhen Portugal recovered its independence by the 

 elevation of the family of Bragan/.a 'to the throne. 1 he 

 Dutch, then, as enemies to the Spaniards, became friends 

 to the Portuguefe, who were hkewife the enemies ot the Spa- 

 niards. They agreed, therefore, to leave that part of Bralil 

 which they had not conquered to the king of 1 ortuga , 

 who alfo agreed to leave that part which they had conquered, 

 as a matter not worth difputing about with fuch g(H>d allies. 

 But the Dutch government fooii began to opprefs the 1 or- 

 tuguefe colonills who, inftead of amufing tliemfelves with 

 complaints, took up arms againll their new mailers, and by 

 their own valour and refolution, with the connivance, in- 

 deed, but without any avowed alTiftarice from the mo- 

 ther-country, drove them out of Brafil. The Dutch, there- 

 fore, finding it impoffible to keep any part of the country 

 to themfelves, were contented that it (hould be rellored to 

 the crown of Portugal ; to which it has hnce belonged, 

 o-ivinir title to the prefumptive heir. 



Gto<n-aphers are not agreed as to the number of provinces 

 or captamlhips r.ito which Brafil is divided. Some have dif- 

 -tribufed it into three grand divifions^ I. The northern, con- 

 taining eight provinces, viz. Para, Maragnon, Siara, 1 ata- 

 cues, Rio Grande, Paraiba, Temara, and Pernambueco. 2. 

 The middle divifion, comprehending five captainfliips, vr/.. 

 Seregippe, Bahia, or the bay of AU-Saints, lllicos Porto 

 Secruro, and Splrito Sanfto. 3- The fouthern divilion, in- 

 cluding three eaptaiulhips, viz. Rio Janeiro, 6t. Vincent, 

 nnd Del Rev- Others reckon fifteen provinces, viz. Para, 

 Maragnon, Siara, R.o Grande, Paraiba, Temara, Pernain- 

 bucco, Seregippe, Bahia, Porto Seguro, Sp.rito Sanfto, 

 Rio de Janeiro, Angra, St. Vmcent, and Del Rey. By 

 others again the whole of the Brafils is divided into eight 

 independent governments, befide that o R.o de Janeiro of 

 which the governor retains the name only ol viceroy of the 

 Brafils. The ethers are thofe of Para or Amazons, Marag- 

 non, Pernambucco, Balua, Santo Paulo Matto Gn>ffo 

 Minas Geraes, and Minas Goyaves. l^he reil are fiefs 

 srranted to fome of the nobility, m recompence ot their 

 Extraordinary fervices, who do little more than acknow- 

 kdge the fovereignty of the king of Portugal, and his 

 repTefentative the%-iceroy of Peru, who aas botn in a 

 civil and military capacity, and maintains the ftate and 

 grandeur of a fovereign prince in the city of St. Salva- 

 dore. Formerly Bahia dos Todos os Santos, or St. bal- 

 vadore, was the principal feat of government and chief 

 mart for commerce in the Brafils ; but the difcovery and 

 improvement of the gold and diamond mines, withm about 

 lOO leagues of Rio de Janeiro, and communicating im- 

 mediately with it, gave a deemed fuperiority to the latter. 

 On the coaft are three fmall iflands, where ihips touch for 

 provifions on their voyage to the South Seas , viz. ler- 

 ^ando, St. Barbaro,^nd St. Catherine's. The bays, h a i- 

 bours and rivers, are the harbours of P-"^f -^;' ^1 " 

 Saints, Porto Seguro, the port and harbour of R^o de Ja- 

 ne o, the port of St. Vincent, the harbour of St. Oaoriel 

 and he port of St. Salvadore, on the north fhore of the 

 rWer La Plata. "AH the provinces of Brafil,' fays fir 

 George Staunton (Embaffy to China, vol. i. P- '^^^O 

 « a°e growmg faft into opulence and importance. 1 bey 

 mant^aaure of late feveral of the moll neceffary articles- 

 rrtS-owuconfumptlon; and their produce was- fo cor>. 

 ■fiderab e, that the balance of trade became to be already m 

 Sf vour ; and remitta^ces of bullion were made to them 

 tom Europ , in return for the overplus of their exports be- 

 yond thei, imporu." It appears, from the account, of this 



BRA 



wrlrfr, that the Portucuefc fettlcra have manifeaed repeated 

 fymptoms of revolt from the parent country. It appears 

 alfo, that dnrlng the adminiftration of the marquis de 1 om- 

 bal, fo long prime roiniller in Portugal, thefe colonies were 

 delivered from fome monopolies and reftraints, which hafl con- 

 tributed to dcprefs them ; and, moreover, that the project 

 of removing the feat of the Portuguefe government to the 

 Brafils was onee, in faa, ferioufly in contemplation with th« 

 miniller, when that country was invaded by the bpanilH 

 forces in 1761, and that calculations were made, and pro 

 cautions taken, as to the number of yeffels necena,7 to 

 tranfport acrols the Atlantic the royal family, with the 

 principal officers of the court, and their feveral attendants. 

 But the projea vanidied with the danger that occalioncd .1;, 

 and the Brafils continued to be confidered as a colony, del- 

 tined, exchifively, to enrich the parent ilate. 



The climate of Brafil has been defcribed by two crnmenl 

 natnral.lls, P.fo and Margrave, who oblerved it with ph.- 

 lofophlcal accuracy, as temperate and mild, when compared 

 with that of Africa. This they chiefly afcr.be to the re- 

 freihin'T wind, which blows continually from the fea. 1 he 

 air is not only cool, but chilly through the night, mio- 

 much that the natives kindle fires every evening in their 

 huts. Nieuhoif, who refided long in Brafil, confirms their 

 defcrip'lon. The rivers in this country annua.ly ovcrllow 

 then- ba-,ks, and, like the Nile, leave a fort of Ihmc upon 

 th- lands; fo that the foil, efpecially in the v-cinity 

 of' the rivers, is extremely rich. The northern provinces 

 are fubiea to heavy rains and ftorms ; but thole oi the 

 fouth are more temperate and fertile. Among the vegetable 

 produaions of this country, we may reckon Indian corn, 

 wheat, rice, manioc, fugar canes, coffee, cocoa or choco- 

 late, indigo, pepper, caaus, on which is bred the in eft 

 furuilhing cochineal, and the noted Brafilian tobacco. 1 he 

 red or Brafil wood, imported into this country, tor the 

 purpofe of dyeing, is the property of the crown, lo the 

 clafs of efculeut plants, we may refer thole that are commoo 

 to all the tropical regions of America, fitch as, befides the co- 

 coa and chocolate nut, the plantain, the banana, palms, the 

 yam, potatoe, ci.fava, together with many fpecies ot me- 

 lons and gourds. The principal fruits are the pine apple, 

 ,h. mango, and the tamarind. The warm aromatic phi.ts 

 fcuind here in a truly indigenous ftate, and much ufed b> 

 the inhabitants as condiments to their food, or as the bans 

 of various drinks, are the oranges and hmes, the grapes, 

 jringer, the turmeric, feveral fpecies of pepper American 

 coffee, capficum or Guinea pepper and the wild cinnnmo., 

 (lanrns canella.) Several medlcmal plants ci high elhma- 

 tiou enow herefpontaneoufiy, and in great abundance, fuch 

 a.-e the contrayerva, the Indian pink, the meehoacan, the 

 ialap, the amyris which yields the gum elemi, and the gui- 

 icum. Befides the Brafil wood, this country furmOies for 

 ornamental ufe, or for the purpofe of dyemg, ^-^.^^■°f'J^^' 

 tic, mahogany, ebony, rofe wood, fattin wood, and many 

 others. Among its ornamental plants are the Br^fihan myr- 

 tle, the fcarlet fufchia, and the amarylhs formofifl.ma. 

 Brafil abounds with horned cattle, which are hunted mere V 

 for their hides, of which 20,000, it is faid are annually 

 fei t to Europe. Thefe cattle are taken and kdled, more 

 for the fake of their hides and tallow than their fltlh 

 though great quantities of the latter are applied to the uie 

 of fuch fliips as fail from Pernambucco, Bahia, Todos os 

 Santos, and^io de Janeiro, to Guinea. 1 he places which 

 are chiefly frequented for procuring thefe "ttle are Rio 

 Grande and Rio Paraiba, lying to '^e northward ot Per- 

 nambucco; and they are inhabited by Indians, calhd Ta- 

 puyes ; many of whom fend annually large droves of cau^ 



