150 



TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



principally in the massy parts of the quartz veins 

 of the mountain Lenheiro, which consists of white 

 elastic quartz. The fruits of this labour having 

 now become uncertain and trifling, less regard is 

 paid to it ; and only the poorer people now conti- 

 nue to wash gold dust from the gravel of the stream, 

 in order, by the sale of it, to provide the most 

 urgent necessaries for their subsistence. The greater 

 part of the gold dust which is melted into bars by 

 the smelting house here, comes from the Villa de 

 Campanha, and the neighbouring S. Joze ; in both 

 w^hich places it is washed from the loam which 

 abounds there. Instead of the gold mines, it is 

 now the inland trade which daily increases the pros- 

 perity of this little town; we were told that the 

 comarca was formerly indebted 40,000 crusadoes 

 to Rio de Janeiro, but that since the arrival of the 

 king it had not only discharged this old debt, but 

 had put out to interest there a large capita] of 

 its own. What a brisk trade is carried on here 

 appears from the fact, that four constantly em- 

 ployed caravans, each of fifty mules, annually go 

 backwards and forwards to the capital, conveying 

 thither, bacon, cheese, some cottons, beaver hats, 

 horned cattle, mules, fowls, and gold bars, for 

 sale ; and bring back, in return, European goods, 

 chiefly Portuguese and Enghsh, such as calicoes, 

 handkerchiefs, lace, iron-ware, wine, porter, li- 

 queurs, &c. Here, as everywhere in Minas Geraes, 

 the rich people are very obliging to strangers. 



