150 



JOURNEY FROM VILLA DE ST. SALVADOR 



lake; but all around are gloomy lofty woods, behind which rocky 

 mountains bound the horizon. Villa Nova de Benevente was founded 

 on the river Iritiba, or properly Reritigba*, by the Jesuits, who here 

 collected a great number of converted Indians. Their church and the 

 convent immediately adjoining it, still exist : the latter, which was 

 assigned for our lodging, is at present applied to the purpose of the 

 Casa da Camara. It stands on an eminence above the town, and 

 affords, especially from the balcony on the north side, a delightful 

 prospect. The sun was just sinking into the dark blue ocean that lay 

 before us, and changed its expanded surface into a sea of fire. The 

 convent bell tolled for the ave-maria, and all who heard it took oft" 

 their hats to repeat their evening prayers ; stillness reigned in the wide 

 plain, and nothing but the voice of the tinat?ms, and other wild ani- 

 mals, on the other side of the river, interrupted the solemn silence of 

 the nocturnal scene. 



We saw several neat little brigs at anchor in the harbour of Villa 

 Nova, which led us to the erroneous conclusion, that a considerable 

 traffic must be carried on here; but we were soon convinced of our 

 mistake. There is very little trade, and these vessels had merely 

 sought shelter from the unfavourable wind. The Jesuits had origi- 

 nally collected six thousand Indians here, and founded the largest 

 aldea on this coast : but most of them were driven away by the hard 

 service exacted for the crown, and by the slavish manner in which 

 they were treated ; they dispersed into other parts, so that the whole 

 district of Villa Nova, including the Portuguese settlers, has not 

 above eight hundred inhabitants, of whom about six hundred are 

 Indians. Though the population has so much decreased, yet com- 

 merce has since improved : for only tM^enty years ago, the exports did 



• In Faden's map the river is called Iritibu, in Arrowsmith's Iritiba : the Villa is not 

 marked in either of these maps. 



