BRAZILIAN MONEY 



285 



water. A stretch of wild rocky uninhabited coast was 

 before us, and we were fairly within the Tapajos. 



Some of my readers may be curious to know how I 

 managed money affairs during these excursions in the 

 interior of the South American continent : it can be ex- 

 plained in a few words. In the first place, I had an agent 

 in London to whom I consigned my collections. During 

 the greater part of the time I drew on him for what sums 

 I wanted, and an Enghsh firm at Para (the only one in 

 the country which traded regularly and directly with 

 England) cashed the drafts. I found no difficulty in the 

 interior of the country, for almost any of the larger Portu- 

 guese or Brazilian traders, of whom there are one or two 

 in every village of 600 or 700 inhabitants, would honour 

 my draft on the English house ; they having each a corre- 

 spondent at Para who deals with the foreign merchants. 

 Sometimes a Portuguese trader would hint at discount, or 

 wish me to take part of the amount in goods, but the 

 Brazilians were generally more liberal. At one period, 

 when I was obliged to wait for remittances from England,^ 

 I sometimes ran short of money ; but I had only to say 

 a word to one of these generous and considerate men, and 

 the assistance was given without interest to the extent 

 I required. The current money on the Amazons varied 

 much during the eleven years of my stay. At first, 

 nothing but copper coins and Brazilian treasury notes, 

 the smallest representing 1000 reis (25. ^d.), were seen ; 

 afterwards (1852- 1856), with the increase of the India- 

 rubber trade, a large amount of specie was imported, — 

 American gold coins, Spanish and Mexican dollars, and 

 English sovereigns. These were the commonest medium 

 of exchange in Para and on the Lower Amazons, until 

 India-rubber fell suddenly in price, in 1855, when the gold 

 again quickly disappeared. About the year 1857, new 

 silver coin, issued by the Brazilian Government, was 

 introduced ; elegant pieces of money of convenient 

 values, answering nearly to our sixpenny, shilling, and 

 two shilling pieces. Neither gold, silver, nor paper, how- 

 ever, was of much use on a journey like the one I had now 



^ I take this opportunity of mentioning my obligations to 

 Mr. George Brocklehurst, of the Para firm, by whom, during 

 the latter years of my travels in the interior, my wants were 

 attended to in the promptest and kindest manner. 



