346 



THE WAR OF THE CABANOS. 



English, and Portuguese vessels landed their marines ; but, disgusted 

 with the conduct of the President, withdrew them almost immediately. 

 The fire of the Racehorse, however, defeated Vinagre's attempt to get 

 hold of the artillery belonging to the city. 



On the 23d of August, the President abandoned the city to the rebels, 

 whose leader exerted himself to save foreign life and property, permit- 

 ting the foreigners to land from their vessels, and take from the custom- 

 house and their own stores the principal part of their effects. 



The rebels held the city until the 13th of May, 1836, when they 

 were finally driven out by the legal authorities, backed by a large force 

 from Rio Janeiro. They held, however, most of the towns on the river 

 above Para till late in the year 1837. They did immense mischief, 

 putting many whites to death with unheard-of barbarity, and destroying 

 their crops and cattle. The province was thus put back many years. 

 I think that the causes which gave rise to that insurrection still exist ; 

 and I believe that a designing and able man could readily induce the 

 tapuios to rise upon their patrons. The far-seeing and patriotic Pres- 

 ident Coelho always saw the danger, and labored earnestly for the pas- 

 sage of efficient laws for the government of the body of tapuios, and 

 for the proper organization of the military force of the province. His 

 efforts in the latter case have been successful, and, very lately, a good 

 militia system has been established. 



The city of Para is supplied with its beef from the great island of 

 Marajo, which is situated immediately in the mouth of the Amazon. 

 This island has a superficial extent of about ten thousand square miles, 

 and is a great grazing country. Cattle were first introduced into it from 

 the Cape de Verde Islands, in 1644. They increased with great rapid- 

 ity, and government soon drew a considerable revenue from its tax on 

 cattle. 



Before the year 1824, a good horse might have been bought in Ma- 

 rajo for a dollar; but about that time a great and infectious disease 

 broke out among the horses, and swept away vast numbers; so that 

 Marajo is now dependent upon Ceara and the provinces to the south- 

 ward for its supply of horses. I heard that the appearance of this 

 disease was caused by the fact that an individual having bought the 

 right from the government to kill ten thousand mares on the island, 

 actually killed a great many more ; and the carcasses, being left to rot 

 upon the plains, poisoned the grass and bred the pestilence, which swept 

 off nearly all. 



Other accounts state that the disease came from about Santarem and 

 Lago Grande, where it first attacked the dogs ; then the cajpiuaras, or 



