TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



251 



Catete and Bota-Fogo, where large blocks lie ex- 

 posed. The negroes, who perform this work, pro- 

 ceed with a degree of slowness intolerable to a 

 European, making the holes for boring with long 

 iron rods, which they always let fall on the same 

 spot. With respect to the formation of the moun- 

 tains in these parts, the land rises along the coast 

 either gradually, and the granite in the whole 

 chain forms only gently rising rounded hills of 

 unequal elevation, or immense conical mountains 

 here and there rise immediately from the sea to a 

 considerable height, which, however, appears never 

 to exceed four thousand feet. They are almost 

 everywhere covered by a pretty thick stratum of 

 a red ferruginous clay ; which however we do not 

 venture to determine more precisely, and which, if 

 we may believe the assurance of many of the inha- 

 bitants, contains gold. As royal ordinances prohi- 

 bit washing for gold within twenty miles of the sea- 

 coast, no certain information can be obtained re- 

 specting the quantity of gold that might be found 

 in this tract. * 



* It may be proper to state that we have had no opportunity 

 of observing the numerous substances which (according to the 

 " Nachrichten von den K. K. Osterr, Naturforschern en Bra- 

 sihen," Briinn, 1820, p. 165.) occur in the granite of Rio, in 

 addition to its usual component parts, either admixed or im- 

 bedded in and on the rifts of this rock. But though no rose- 

 quartz, shorl, beryl, asparagus-stone, AndaJusite, dichroite, 

 titanium, sparry iron-stone, brown and yellow iron-stone, pyrites, 

 or molybdena have been noticed by us, we yet are warranted 



