TRAVELS IN BRAZIL. 



181 



the whole year, and the air more salutary than in 

 the other provinces. The prevaiHng diseases are 

 mostly catarrh and rheumatism ; inflammations of 

 the throat and lungs, violent cholic, and acute rheu- 

 matism are the most frequent. The negroes are 

 observed to be particularly subject to elephantiasis 

 and a peculiar kind of leprosy {Mai de S, Lazaro) 

 of which we shall have occasion to speak in the 

 course of our narrative. 



Agriculture is not carried on to any consider- 

 able extent in the greater part of this mountain- 

 ous capitania for want of woods, and because the 

 stony soil in the unfruitful campos is entirely 

 exposed to the heat of the sun ; but, on the 

 other hand, the province possesses other treasures. 

 Almost every kind of metal is found here : iron- 

 stone, which produces ninety per cent., is met 

 with almost everywhere, and it constitutes, in a 

 manner, the chief component part of long chains ; 

 lead is found beyond the Rio de S. Francisco in 

 Abaite ; copper in S. Domingos, near Fanado in 

 Minas Novas ; chrome and manganese in Para- 

 opeba ; platina, near Gaspar Soares and in other 

 rivers ; quicksilver, arsenic, bismuth, antimony, 

 and red-lead ore, about Villa Rica ; diamonds, in 

 Tejuco and Abaite ; yellow, blue, and white to- 

 pazes, grass and bluish green aqua-marines, red and 

 green tourmalines, chrysoberyls, garnets, and ame- 

 thysts, principally in Minas Novas. But what 

 has chiefly contributed to the great influx of 



N $ 



