PORTUGUESE AMERICA. 545 



linen and laces of Holland, France, and Germany ; the silks of France 

 and Italy ; silk and thread stockings, hats, lead, tin, pewter, iron, 

 copper, ana ail sorts of utensils wrought in these metals, from Eng- 

 lanu ; as well as salt fish, beef, flour, and cheese ; oil they have from 

 Spain ; wine, with some fruit, is nearly all they are supplied with from 

 Portugal. England is at present most interested in the trade of Por- 

 tugal, both for home consumption and what they want for the use of 

 the Brasils. 



Brasil is a very wealthy and flourishing settlement. The export 

 of sugar within forty years is grown much greater than it was, though 

 anciently it made almost the whole of their exportable produce, and 

 they were without rivals in the trade. The tobacco is remarkably 

 good, though not raised in such large quantities as in the Uuited 

 States. The northern and southern parts of Brasil abound with horn- 

 ed cattle ; these are hunted for their hides only, of which no less than 

 twenty thousand are sent annually to Europe. 



Government. ...Brasil is now divided into nine governments, each 

 of which has its particular chief. Of these the governor of Rio Ja- 

 neiro alone has the style of viceroy. They are appointed for three 

 years, which term is prolonged at pleasure. Each district has a par- 

 ticular judge, from whose decision there lies an appeal to the supe- 

 rior tribunals of Rio Janeiro or Lisbon. 



Revenue.. ..The revenue arising to the crown of Portugal from this 

 colony, amounts, according to some writers, to two millions sterling 

 in gold, besides the duties and customs on merchandise imported 

 from the country. This, indeed, is more than a fifth of the precious 

 metal produced by the mines; but, every consequent advantage con- 

 sidered, it probably does not much exceed the truth. 



Religion. ...The religion of Portugal, or the Roman-catholic, is 

 established here. Six bishoprics have been successively founded 

 under the archbishopric of Bahia, or St. Salvador, which see was 

 established in 1552. 



History. ...This country was first discovered by Amerigo Vespuc- 

 cio, in 1498; but the Portuguese did not plant it till 1549, when they 

 fixed themselves at the Bay of All Saints, and founded the city of St. 

 Salvador. They met with some interruption at first from the court 

 of Spain, who considered the whole continent of South America as 

 belonging to them. However, the affair was at length made up by 

 treaty; and it was agreed that the Portuguese should possess all the 

 country lying between the two great rivers Amazon and Plata; which 

 they still enjoy. The French also made some attempts to plant colo- 

 nies on this coast, but were driven from thence by the Portuguese, 

 who remained without a rival till the year 1580, when, in the very 

 meridian of prosperity, they were struck by one of those blows which 

 generally decide the fate of kingdoms. Don Sebastian, the king of 

 Portugal, lost his life in an expedition against the Moors in Africa; 

 and by that event the Portuguese lost their independence, being ab- 

 sorbed into the Spanish dominions, 



The Dutch, soon after this, having thrown off the Spanish yoke, 

 and being not satisfied with supporting their independence by a suc- 

 cessful defensive war, but flushed with the juvenile ardour of a grow- 

 ing commonwealth, pursued the Spaniards into the remotest recesses 

 of their extensive territories, and grew rich, powerful, and terrible, 

 by the spoils of their former masters. They particularly attacked 



