I02 



THE TOCANTINS 



of the province of Para. The productions of the district 

 are cacao, india-rubber, and Brazil nuts. The most re- 

 markable feature in the social aspect of the place is the 

 hybrid nature of the whole population, the amalgamation 

 of the white and Indian races being here complete. The 

 aborigines were originally very numerous on the western 

 bank of the Tocantins, the principal tribe having been 

 the Gamut as, from which the city takes its name. They 

 were a superior nation, settled, and attached to agri- 

 culture, and received with open arms the white immi- 

 grants who were attracted to the district by its fertility, 

 natural beauty, and the healthfulness of the climate. 

 The Portuguese settlers were nearly all males, the Indian 

 women were good-looking, and made excellent wives ; 

 so the natural result has been, in the course] of two 

 centuries, a complete blending of the two races." There 

 is now, however, a considerable infusion of negro blood 

 in the mixture, several hundred African slaves having 

 been introduced during the last seventy years. The few 

 whites are chiefly Portuguese, but there are also two or 

 three Brazilian families of pure European descent. The 

 town consists of three long streets, running parallel to 

 the river, with a few shorter ones crossing them at right 

 angles. The house are very plain, being built, as usual 

 in this country, simply of a strong framework, filled up 

 with mud, and coated with white plaster. A few of them 

 are of two or three storeys. There are three churches, 

 and also a small theatre, where a company of native 

 actors at the time of my visit were representing light 

 Portuguese plays with considerable taste and ability. 

 The people have a reputation all over the province for 

 energy and perseverance ; and it is often said, that they 

 are as keen in trade as the Portuguese. The lower classes 

 are as indolent and sensual here as in other parts of the 

 province, a moral condition not to be wondered at in a 

 country where perpetual summer reigns, and where the 

 necessaries of life are so easily obtained. But they are 

 Hght-hearted, quick-witted, communicative, and hospit- 

 able. I found here a native poet, who had written some 

 pretty verses, showing an appreciation of the natural 

 beauties of the country, and was told that the Arch- 

 bishop of Bahia, the primate of Brazil, was a native of 

 Cameta. It is interesting to find the mamelucos dis- 

 playing talent and enterprise, for it shows that degeneracy 



