88 



PROVINCE OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 



of Europe to the Brazil, for the purposes of agriculture ; the principal hitherto 

 are French, and I conversed with some of that nation recently arrived at Rio, 

 with the view of forming coffee-plantations, but their expectations appeared 

 to be much moderated, from the system they found existing. To go far into 

 the interior, a man must be expected to sacrifice all idea of society, and to 

 reside amongst a class of people who are strangers to the agreeable intercourses 

 of civilized life, to which he may have been accustomed. The French are 

 understood however to assimilate themselves to the habits and usages of the 

 country with more facility than any other European emigrants. The remains of 

 an unfortunate colony of Swiss emigrants arrived at Rio in the month of October, 

 1819, having sailed from Hamburgh in ships badly provided for their reception; 

 nearly eighty died during the voyage, including their medical attendant. The 

 King, previously to their departure from Europe, had given them promises of 

 land and encouragement ; and those who escaped the fever amounting to about 

 two hundred persons of both sexes, were to proceed, soon after I left Rio, to 

 Canto Gallo, a very fine district, where they would receive an ample donation 

 of land to settle upon ; and it is possible that, if the good intentions of the King 

 are not frustrated by intrigue, they may form a valuable and flourishing colony. 

 Their known habits of industry and morality would warrant the most favourable 

 expectations from them. The Brazilians were condemning this measure 

 very much, and intimated that the government might find plenty of their own 

 nation to bestow those lands upon ; but the wise policy of the King, in manifest- 

 ing this encouragement towards these worthy Swiss emigrants, will be demon- 

 strated in the example of industry which they will furnish by their own personal 

 exertions for the improvement of their property. The Portuguese do not labour 

 in the field, but every thing is done by slaves ; and, if they were capable 

 of investigating the state of their country, the inference would be, that they 

 ought to hail the arrival of any class of individuals who would promote its- 

 improvement, rather than feel a mistaken jealousy of them. Surely there is 

 abundant scope for all their exertions in a region containing nearly two millions 

 of square miles, the sixtieth part of which is not in a proper state of cultivation. 

 The mountains would universally produce cofFee-trees ; a Mr. Mawke and a 

 Mr. Le Sange have planted them with success in the vicinity of the Tejuca, the 

 cascades of which place present one of the most interesting objects near Rio. 



I accompanied a party fi-om Bella Fonta to visit them. We passed the Pedra 

 Mountain and proceeded through that part of the valley called Grande et pe- 

 quena Andrahi ; the road was good, adorned with neat white houses, and 



