cunhAO. 



93 



Grande for the travelling pedlars, a useful, in- 

 dustrious, and, generally, honest set of men, as 

 their resting-place and head-quarters ; from 

 hence they make daily excursions to the planta- 

 tions, at a little distance, and return here to 

 sleep. I passed the night in the out-houses of 

 some sugar-works ; my guide was much aston- 

 ished at my not asking for lodgings at the caza- 

 grande, or owner's house ; but I preferred these 

 kind of quarters to better ones, where I might 

 run the risk of being obliged to remain half the 

 night awake, for the purpose of giving news. 

 The hospitality, however, of the planters is very 

 great; and no recommendation is necessary, 

 though I had provided myself with a few letters. 



The next day we proceeded to Cunhau, the 

 sugar-plantation of the Colonel Andre d* Albu- 

 querque do Maranham, the chief of the Maran- 

 ham. branch of this numerous and distinguished 

 family of the Albuquerques. He is a man of 

 immense landed property. The plantation of 

 Cunhau extends along the road fourteen leagues, 

 and the owner has since purchased another large 

 estate adjoining ; his lands likewise in the Ser- 

 tam for breeding cattle are supposed not to be 

 less than thirty to forty leagues in extent — of 

 those kind of leagues that sometimes take a 

 man three or four hours to get over one. 



I had letters to him from some of his relations 

 and friends at Pernambuco. He was sitting at 



