BRA 



throngh the Tiipique nation, which extendi from the fOurce 

 cf Rio St. Francifco in S. lat. 8"^ to that of Klo Docc in 

 ■S. lat. 30°, to Uahia Todo» os Santos, and Jlio de Janeiro, 

 where they fell tliem for 3 or 4 cniladoes a piece, (a cni- 

 •lado bcinj; in value about js. 8d. Ilerhng,) or exchange 

 t;>em for knives, hatchets, &c. or coarfe baize, for a yard 

 i.f which they will give a good bcall. Aii:ong its animals, 

 ve may rickon fcvtral fpccies of the armadillo or dafypiis, 

 the cat or fclis kind, the otter or Intra, the weaftl or inuf- 

 tcla, the opofTuni or didelpliis, ihe porcupine or hyf- 

 trix, the cavy, the fquirrtl or fciunis, the hare or Ic- 

 .pu'i the mulk or inofchus, the dter or cervns, the 

 ■hog or fns, occ. Among the fillies found on its coalls, and 

 in its rivers, arc fonie fpccies of the cachalot or phyfeter, 

 ■and the j;lobe-fi(h, bcfct with fpikcs like a hcdjre-liog, 5;c. 

 Many of its birds are curious and beautiful, particularly 

 fomc of the parrot or plittacus kind, the toucan or lam- 

 phalUis, the motmot or inomotus, tlic palamedca or an- 

 fiinga, with a lliong nail or fpur at each (Icxure of its 

 wing,<, and a htnn about 6 inches long growing from its 

 forehead. The fize and vivid line of the Howeis in the fo- 

 rclls, and the gaudy plumage of the birds, aie very iliikiiig. 

 Brafil breeds a variety of fcrptnts and venomous reptiles ; 

 among which are the Indian falamander, an iiifedl with 4 

 legs, whofe lling is faid to be fatal ; the ibibobuca, a fpc- 

 cies of icrpent, about 7 yards long and half a yard in cir- 

 cumference, ifec BoiGUACu); the rattle fnake of enormous 

 iiie ; and the liboya, or roe-buck fnake, which is faid to 

 extend to the length of between 20 and 30 feet, and to be 

 1 or ;5 yards in ciicumfercnce, and which is capable, as 

 fome authors have reported, of fwallowing a roe-buck 

 whole. The hiding noife of this large and formidable 

 fnake fets the heater on his guard, and they feldom, with- 

 out provocation, advance to an attack. 



The gold and diamond mines of Bralilwere 6rfl; opened in 

 i68l; andouiinfoimationconcerningthemisimperfcd. The 

 former are fituated in tlic mountains, from which flow various 

 ilrcams north and fou'Ji, which difcharge themfelves on one 

 lide intothe river Tocantin, and on the other into the Parana ; 

 but there are mines of gold, as far inland as the river Cuy- 

 aba, which runs into the Paraguay, and even near the river 

 Ytenas. Others are near the river Paixe and Saguitinhon- 

 ha, the Riacho-Fundo, and Guarapara in St. Paul's. One 

 fifth of the gold is exafted by goveninient, and the people 

 of Rio are prohibited from working up even the gold of 

 their own mines, and the tools and inllruments ufed for that 

 purpufe are feized and confifcated. 



The diamond mines are near the little river of Milhoverde, 

 not far from Villa Novade Principe, in the province of Seno 

 de Frio, S. lat. 17° according to La Cruz, and W. long. 

 about 44^ Thcfe diamonds of Brafil are not of fo finea water 

 as thofe of Hindoitan ; being of a brownifli and obfcure hue ; 

 and, fuppofing the weights to be equal, they are fold 10 per 

 cent, cheaper than thofe of the eaft. One of the largell dia- 

 monds that has been known, was fent from Brafil to the 

 king of Portugal. -It weighed 16S0 carats, or 12* ounces-; 

 and it has been valued at 511,787,^00!. Some ilvilful lapi- 

 daries, however, have fuggeltcd, that this fuppofcd dia. 

 moiid 13 only a topaz. All the diair.ond mines belong ex- 

 cluhvcly to ti'.e crown. The mines of gold and filver are 

 faid to have yielded above five millions fterling annually : 

 thofe of diamonds have been ufually farmed at about 30,oool. 

 yearly, which is thought to be fcaicely a fifth of their ac^ 

 tual produce. 



The trade of Brafil, notwithttanding the reftiaints 

 and inr.politions to which it is fubjeft, is very extenfive, 

 •40d c, ntm jiilly incrcaCng. This commerce is of fuch 



BRA 



importance to the parent (late, that it could not fulj- 

 fift witliout it. The confluence of people who rcfort to the 

 Brafils from Portugal, and from other countries, has much 

 augnienied the imports of gold, and, what is much more 

 ini])ortaiit to Europe in general, the exportation of the ma- 

 nutafturea of this hemifphere. Great Britain fnpplies Bra- 

 fil with a variety of woollen manufaclures ; fuch as line 

 broad medley cloths, fine Spanifli cloths, fcarlet and black 

 cloths, ferges, duioys, druggets, fagathics, fhalloons, camb- 

 lets, and Norwich ilulfs, black Colcheflcr bays, fays, and 

 long ells, hats, ftockings, and gloves. Holland, Ger- 

 many and France, have chiefly exported thither, fine hoi- 

 lands, bone-lace, and fine thread ; filk iiianufadurcs, lead-, 

 block tin, and other articles are alfo fent from different 

 countries. England like wife trades with Portugal for the 

 ule of the Brafils, in copper and brafs, wrought and un- 

 wroiight pewter, and all kinds of hard ware. By this ex- 

 tenfion of its trade, Portugal, inftead of 12 (liips ufually 

 employed in the commerce with Brafil, employs at leaft joo 

 fail of large veffels, which are perpetually pafiing from ons 

 country to the other. Brafil alfo carries on a confiderable 

 trade with Africa in flaves, and thus Portugal occupies a 

 great number of Ihips. All thefe fhips, employed in dif- 

 ferent branches of t-rade, go and return at appointed fea- 

 fons, under the diredion of government, and under convoy 

 of a certain number of men of war ; nor can a fingle /hip 

 clear out or depart, without .the fleet, except by a fpecial 

 licence from the king, which is feldom granted. By thefe 

 re^lriaions, however, as well as by the infatuated pohcy of the 

 country, it fails to derive that advantage from this extenfive 

 conimerce, which it is adapted to afford. The fleets fail in the 

 following order, and at the following ftated periods : that def- 

 tincd for Rio de Janeiro fets fail in January ; the fleet to Ba- 



hia, in February; and the thirdfleet to Pernambucco, in March. 

 The duties which the agents of Portugal levy upon the 

 importation of goods from Lilbon and Oporto at Rio da 

 Janeiro ai-e 12 per cent., upon the value of each article, 

 i he chief duties paid at Lilbon, on the commodities of the 

 iiraWs, are as follow : upon gold, i per cent. ; coffee, 8 

 percent.; fugar, nee, and ildns, 10 per cent.; indigo, 12 

 ■ per cent.; planks, 17 per cent.; and rum, 4 dollars for 

 -every p,pe of ,80 gallons. All large fliip timber, as well 

 as the Brafil wood, 13 claimed as the property of the 

 crown. Yet, notwithilandir.g all monopolies, prohibitions, 

 ■and heavy taxes, the whole revenue from the Brafils is faid 

 not to be equal to^ miUion fterling, of which the expence 

 ot their, government confumes about a third part Th? 

 taxes areleverely felt, efpecially in the interior provinces, 

 where the carnage and tranlit duties increafe the prxe of 

 every article fo enormoully, that a bottle of port wL, for 

 mftance, cods los. fterhng ■to the confumer! The ha d- 

 flups thus impofed by the mother-country, e-xclte a fpSt 

 of general diflatisfadion and revolt. .Henc^ u happens, th" 

 Jioleofi^cers both civil and militaty, who are natives of 

 Portugal, and aho the ecclefiadics, foon change their orl 

 ginalaffedion for -the parent ilate, into an attachn u To 

 that where they are likely to foend their davs a ,d ir! 

 •■ ometimes tempted to facrifice to 'their own inter ft t at "1 



U^ An^ic. poLLlt^i^ -~-^^^Jcm.g 



Sa^-k" t: Ri:;rjr:r;.r^'"'°"^^°'^^"'^ ^-^ ^°-g» 



The population of this extenfive country has notbe-n ar 

 or 4 .,U,.«.. Accorfing ,„ C, G.'o,-,' S^^S'L! 



■^ CCUMt, 



