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154 



LANDS, 



many. There are also capellados or chapel lands; 

 these estates cannot be sold, and from this cause 

 are sometimes suffered to decay, or at any rate 

 they yield much less profit to the state than they 

 would under other circumstances. The capeU 

 lado is formed in this manner : — The owner be- 

 queaths a certain part of the produce or rent of 

 the estate to some particular church, for the pur- 

 pose of having masses said for his own soul, or 

 for pious uses of a less selfish nature. On this 

 account the estate cannot, according to law, be 

 sold, so that if the next heir is not rich enough 

 to work the mill himself, he lets it to some one 

 who possesses a sufficient number of negroes. 

 The portion which is due to the favoured church 

 being paid, the owner then remains with the 

 residue of the rent as his share of the profit. 

 Now, lands, even with buildings upon them, are 

 let at so low a rate, that after the church is paid, 

 and the tenant has deducted what he has ex- 

 pended in repairing the edifices of the planta- 

 tion, but a poor pittance remains for the owner. 

 The engenho of Catu near to Goiana is placed in 

 these circumstances ; the owner lives in the 

 neighbourhood of the Great House or principal 

 residence, and the only advantage which he de- 

 rives from the possession of this most excellent 

 and extensive estate, is that of residing rent-free 

 upon one corner of it, and now and then receiv- 

 ing a trifling sum of money. "Whereas if it could 



