150 



TRAVELS IN BRAZIL 



is SO little felt here, that the library is not much 

 frequented. To the same cause, and to the little in- 

 clination hitherto felt here to advance with the spirit 

 of the sciences, it may be attributed that the only 

 literary journal. The Patriot, which was published 

 after the arrival of the court in Brazil, continued 

 only a few years, though, by the variety of its con- 

 tents it was calculated for extensive circulation. 

 But a literary publication which deserves honoura- 

 able mention is Father Casal's Corografia Brasilica, 

 printed at Rio, in two volumes ; a work which, it is 

 true, has many imperfections with respect to order 

 precision, and correctness, especially in treating of 

 subjects of natural history, but, as the first compen- 

 dium of a general geography of Brazil, is of great 

 use, and has been almost literally translated inta 

 English.* At present only two newspapers are 

 published in the whole kingdom : in the capital, 

 the Gazeta do Rio de Janeiro ; and, in Bahia, a 

 paper under the title of Idade de Ouro do Brazil. 

 But even these few journals are not read with ge- 

 neral interest.t The inhabitant of the interior, in 

 particular, enjoying the lavish bounties of nature, 



* Corografia Brasilica ou rela9ao historico geografica do 

 Reino do Brazil composta por luim Presbitero secular do Gram 

 Priorado do Crato. Rio de Janeiro, 1817. 4<to. Vol. 1, 2. A 

 history of the Brazils ; comprising its geography, commerce^ 

 colonisation, aboriginal inhabitants, &c. by J. Henderson, 

 London, 1821. 4to. 



•f The number of journals has been much increased since 

 Brazil declared itself independent. Trans, 



