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108 



GOVERNOR OF RIO GRANDE. 



greatly diminished. I should imagine that six 

 or seven vessels might swing altogether in the 

 harbour. The bars of rivers that are formed, 

 as in this case, of sand, are, however, not to be 

 trusted to, without good pilots, as they soon 

 change their depth, and even their situation. 

 When the tide enters, the northern bank is 

 overfk>wed about one mile from the mouth ot 

 the harbour, and spreads over a considerable 

 extent of ground, which, even during the ebb, 

 is always wet and muddy, but never becomes 

 sufficiently deep to prevent passing. The 

 Governor was raising a road over this piece 

 of land, and the work was then nearly half 

 finished. The new road would be about one 

 mile in length. The captaincy of Rio Grande 

 is subject to the Governor of Pernambuco, 

 and those of Paraiba and Seara were formerly 

 in the same situation, but have of late years 

 been formed into independent provincial go- 

 vernments. 



The Governor, Francisco de Paula Cavalcante 

 de Albuquerque, is a native of Pernambuco, and 

 a younger brother of the chief of the Cavalcante 

 branch of the Albuquerques. His father, a 

 Brazilian also, was first an ensign in the Recife 

 regiment of the line ; he afterwards established 

 himself upon a sugar-plantation, and made a 

 fortune. The old man died, and left to each of 

 his sons considerable property j two remained 



