

ANECDOTE OF A MULATTO SLAVE. 



289 



thought that in so saying I had some sinister 

 views. 



I had not many opportunities of gaining in- 

 formation respecting the interior, but still I will 

 mention what I heard. The banks of the river 

 Itapicuru, of which I have already spoken, 

 though they are much cultivated compared to 

 what they were a few years ago, are yet very 

 wild, and there is space incalculable for new 

 colonists. The captaincy of Piauhi and the in- 

 terior of the State of Maranham abound in cattle, 

 and these parts of the country are not subject to 

 droughts. The town of Aldeas Altas *, which 

 is situated in the latter, and the city of Oeiras 

 in the former and further inland, are said to be 

 flourishing places. Great numbers of cattle are 

 annually driven from these quarters of the Ser- 

 tam to Bahia and Pernambuco. The proprietors 

 of the estates which are situated in districts so 

 far removed from the seat of government are at 

 times unruly, and a party of soldiers, which was 

 sent up to arrest one of these men, some time 

 before I arrived at St. Luiz, returned without 

 effecting its purpose. 



Among other anecdotes, I heard of a mulatto 

 slave who ran away from his master, and in the 



* An ouvidor has been appointed to Aldeas Altas, and 

 Piauhi has been raised to the rank of an independent pro- 

 vincial government. These arc improvements which show 

 that regular government i* gaining ground. 



VOL. J. U 



