R I O 



R I O 



fcarcely eat their flefh : the herbage of thefe paftures con- 

 fills chiefly of creffes, and confequently is fo fhort, that 

 though it may afford a bite for horfes and fheep, it can 

 hardly be grazed by horned cattle in a fufficient quantity 

 for keeping them alive. For other particulars relating to 

 the climate, productions, commerce, and inhabitants of this 

 province, fee Bhasil, and the next article. 



Rio de Janeiro, a city of Brafil, and capital of the above- 

 mentioned government, and alfo of the whole country, and 

 the Portuguefe dominions in America, fituated on a river, or 

 rather an arm of the fea, of the fame name. Formerly 

 Bahia dos Todos, or Santos, was the principal feat of go- 

 vernment, and chief mart for commerce in the Brafils ; but 

 the difcovery and improvement of the gold and diamond 

 mines, within about ioo leagues of Rio de Janeiro, and 

 communicating immediately with it, gave a decided pre- 

 ponderancy to the latter. The city ftands on a plain, clofe 

 to the fhore, on the W. fide of the bay, at the foot of feveral 

 high mountains which rife behind it. It is neither ill-de- 

 figned nor ill-built ; the houfcs in general are of ftone, and 

 two (lories high ; every houfe having, after the manner of 

 the Portuguefe, a little balcony before its windows, and a 

 lattice of wood before the balcony. Its circuit was com- 

 puted by lieutenant, afterwards captain, Cook, to be about 

 three miles, and it appeared to be equal in fize to the largeil 

 country towns of England, Briitol and Liverpool not ex- 

 cepted ; the ftreets are ftraight, and conveniently broad, in- 

 terfering each other at right angles ; moil of them, how- 

 ever, lie in a line with the citadel, called St. Sebaftian, 

 which ftands on the top of a hill, that commands the town. 

 The harbour is fafe and capacious, and very convenient for 

 commerce. Captain Mackintofh, from experience, recom- 

 mends to fhips bound for this harbour, after getting in with 

 cape Frio, inftead of fleering along fhore, to fhape their 

 courfe between S.W. and S.W. by W. for 1 2 or 14 leagues. 

 To this diftance the land wind extends. The forenoons in 

 general are calm, but almoft every afternoon a frefh fea- 

 breeze fets in from the S.W. It is proper to fleer, in a 

 direft courfe, from hence to the fmall iflands lying under 

 the great inclining Sugar-loaf on the weftern fide of the en- 

 trance into Rio harbour. From thefe fmall iflands the wind 

 will carry the (hip to the oppofite fide of the harbour's 

 mouth, where the fort of Santa Cruz is fituated, and which 

 may be approached within 50 yards, and from thence, fafely 

 and quickly, into harbour. The entrance of the harbour, 

 as fir Erafmus Gower obferves, will fhew itfelf by difco- 

 vering the caftle or fort of Santa Cruz, and a fmall fortified 

 ifland, called Fort Lucia, nearly abreaft of it. Between 

 thefe is the channel into the harbour, near a mile wide ; both 

 fhores are fteep ; that of Santa Cruz is perpendicular, there 

 being fix fathoms in the wafh of the fea. The narrownefs 

 of the channel caufes ftrong tides ; but as the fea-breeze 

 blows frefh, they do not impede entering into the harbour. 

 In going in it is belt to keep mid channel, or even nearer to 

 Santa Cruz. About four miles outlide the harbour's mouth, 

 the depth of water is 18 and 19 fathoms, which will decreafe 

 gradually to 8 or 7; and this, being the (hallowed part, 

 mav be called the bar, which is about two miles outfide the 

 fori. The water again deepens, on approaching to Santa 

 Cruz, to 17 and 18 fathoms, nor will lefs be found in the 

 fair way of the great road. Large fhips may moor in 

 ftioaler water, but that depth, or thereabouts, is more ad- 

 vifeable, as fuch a fituation affords the full advantage of the 

 fea-breeze, as well as that of avoiding the infedis, which are 

 very troublefome when nearer to the fhore. In the inner 

 harbour, formed by an ifland called " Ilheo dos Cobras," or 

 Serpent ifland, arc proper wharfs for heaving (hips down by ; 



but the mode of doing it alongfide hulks is now preferred. 

 In the fame harbour will (hips anchor, which are loading or 

 unloading goods, or want repairing ; but the outer is the 

 more healthy fituation. Rio is fituated in S. lat. 22° 54', 

 and W. long. 42 44'. The variation of the compafs is 

 4° 55' W. of the pole. The tide flows y± hours, and rifes 

 about 5^ feet perpendicular. Fahrenheit's thermometer, 

 during fir G. Staunton's (lay, was between 77°and 82 . 



The entrance into the harbour, from the fea, is bounded, 

 on one fide, by the leaning cone already mentioned, mea- 

 furing 700 feet in height, and by the huge mafs of granite, 

 fuppcrting the caftle of Santa Cruz, on the other ; and is 

 interrupted, near the middle, by the little ifland on which 

 Fort Lucia is erefted. On entering into the harbour it was 

 found to enlarge to a width of three or four miles, and to 

 penetrate, in feveral branches, farther than the eye could 

 reach. It is interrupted with many iflands, fome entirely 

 green, and fome covered with batteries or habitations. The 

 fhores of the harbour were diverliried and embellifhed with 

 villages, farms, and plantations, feparated by rivulets, ridge* 

 of the rocks, indentures of little fandy bays, or the (kirtings 

 of a foreft ; the whole terminated, in diilant profpecl, by 

 an amphitheatre or fcreen of mountains, rifing in a valt 

 variety of rude and fantaftic forms, but covered with trees 

 to their very fummits. 



Wi niles of the harbour's mouth is fituated, on 



the \V., the city of St. Sebaitian, ufually called Rio, built 

 on a projecting tongue of land ; but all the ground behind 

 it is broken into hills and rocks, with woods, houfes, con- 

 vents, and churches en their tops. A convent of Bene- 

 diftines, and alfo a fort commanding the town, are fituated 

 upon the extreme point jetting into the harbour ; oppofite 

 to this point is Serpent ifland, between which and the town 

 is a narrow channel, fufficiently deep, however, for the 

 paffage of the largelt fhips. Upon the ifland are, a dock- 

 yard, magazines, and naval ilore-houfes ; and round its 

 fhores are the ufual anchoring places for the (hipping which 

 frequent this port. Beyond the town the harbour begins to 

 widen confiderably, and refembles a large lake with many 

 iflands upon its furface. In the late improved ftate of the 

 town, the itreets are paved, with the addition of foot- paths, 

 and though fome of them are narrow, they are convenient in 

 a hot climate by the (hade which they afford. In the 

 fquares are refreshing fountains, which fupply the water 

 conveyed to them by an aquedutl of confiderable hfcgth ; 

 a circumilance of moment, as Rio has no river clofe to it of 

 any note. This aquedudl is carried over vallies by a double 

 row of arches, one placed above another ; and thus prefents 

 a ftru&ure that adds great ornament to the town. A guard 

 conftantly attends at the fountains throughout Rio, to re- 

 gulate the diftribution of the water, which is, probably, 

 (canty, as there are people who wait a long time with 

 buckets for their (hare. A fufficient proportion of the 

 water from the fountain upon the quay oppofite to the 

 palace, is allotted for the ufe of the (hipping, and is con- 

 veyed to the cades, remaining in the boat, by means of a 

 woollen or canvas tube, called a hofe, itretching from the 

 fountain to the cafk. Capt. Cook complained that the 

 water was not good ; but this circumftance fir Erafmus 

 Gower afcribes to fome accidental impurities that mull have 

 remained in the calks which he filled with it. 



The (hops of Rio, fays Staunton, were full of Manchefler 

 manufactures, and other Britifh goods, even to Englifh 

 prints, both ferious and caricature. A Portuguefe mer- 

 chant adverting to thefe fupplies of goods, and the advan- 

 tages gained by the country that furnifhed them, obferved 

 that the profperity both of Portugal and jts dependencies 



redounded 



