334 



PROVINCE OF BAHIA. 



Menino Deos, the other to St. Feliz, from which latter it takes the name, and 

 contains about two thousand inhabitants. Both portions are increasing ; their 

 edifices are of stone, and the streets paved. Here is collected and embarked 

 the greatest portion of tobacco and cotton that is exported from the capital. 

 It has a Juiz de Fora, and royal masters of the description so often mentioned, 

 in which appointments there is not much advantage beyond the sound. The 

 main part of its inhabitants are much incommoded at the period of the highest 

 floods. The tide advances nearly two miles above the town, at whose extremity 

 the river, eighty fathoms wide, with a wooden bridge over it, begins to have 

 reefs, which form currents of little depth, and impede navigation. It is fifteen 

 miles above Maragogipe, and something more to the west-south- west of St. 

 Amaro. About two miles to the east of this town was, found a piece of native 

 copper, which weighed one. thousand six hundred and sixty-six pounds, and is 

 now in the royal museum, at Lisbon. 



Three miles to the north-north-east of Cachoeira is the aldeia of Belem, so 

 called from a chapel, which is the remains of a seminary there established by 

 the Jesuits. Five miles to the south-west of the same town is the arraial and 

 parish of Murityba, in an agreeable though flat situation, refreshed with salu- 

 brious air, and possessing good water. The soil is fertile, and well adapted 

 to the tobacco plant, coffee, orange, and jaca trees, which are abundant. .It 

 was formerly a flourishing povoa9ao. Besides the church, dedicated to the Chief 

 of the Apostles, there is another of Our Lady of Rozario, both of stone : the 

 houses are built of a sun-dried brick. 



The jarrinha, or basil root, is very common, and indigo, known h€re only by 

 the name of lingua de gallinka, (the tongue of a fowl,) grows spontaneously 

 amongst other wild plants to the height of two feet. All the inhabitants of this 

 parish are tobacco planters. 



Eighteen miles to the west of Murityba is the serra of Apora, a mountain of 

 considerable elevation, more than twelve miles in circuit, and near the road of 

 the certam : in its vicinity is a hermitage of St. Joze. Fifteen miles to the 

 westward is the small arraial of Ginipapo, with a chapel of stone dedicated to 

 St. Joze, upon the border of the same road. A lake supplies water to all the 

 living creatures of its district. 



Jaguaripe is a middling town, pleasantly situated upon the right, and seven 

 miles above the mouth of the river of its name, and two miles above the conflu- 

 ence of the Cahype, which passes it at a short distance to the southward. It has 

 a church of the Lady of Ajuda, houses of earth, streets paved with bricks. 



