210 



JOURNEY FROM THE RIO DOCE 



and provisions. She received us very hospitably, and gave us, when 

 we left her, a small hog and a large duck ; because, as she assured 

 us, we should find nothing to eat at Ponte do Gentio. 



We soon reached the river Alcoba^a, which is here very narrow, 

 and embarked upon it. We proceeded up it for a couple of hours in 

 the cool of the evening, past the fazenda of Mr, Munis Cordeiro ; 

 after which we came to the fazenda of the minister, situated on the 

 north bank. The colour of the river, in which there is abundance of 

 fish and many ;«c«re5, is dark. Its banks are entirely covered with 

 beautiful thick bushes and woods : in the water grows the aninga ( arum 

 liniferum, Arruda). Ponte do Gentio is <\ fazenda with a tract of land 

 belonging to it, which the minister has purchased of the heirs of the 

 Captain Mor, Joao da Syh a Santos, and M'hich was formerly in a very 

 flourishing condition. Its late possessor was an enterprising man, 

 who in many expeditions against the savages had shewn that he did 

 not fear them ; but always lived at peace with them on fazenda. 

 He was the first who sailed up the river Belmonte to Minas Novas. 

 After his death the estate went to ruin for M-ant of proper attention. 

 Instead of preserving peace with the savages they were provoked. A 

 negro shot in the forest one of the sa\ ages of the tribe of the Pata- 

 chos ; this incensed the savages, who, to revenge themselves, attacked 

 the negroes in one of the plantations, and killed three of them with 

 their long arrows. This increased the disorder, and the value of the 

 estate declined in consequence ; the minister bought it for a very 

 small price. Efforts are now making to restore peace with the sa- 

 vages, and improve the state of the fazenda. At present some In- 

 dian families reside here, with six families of Ilhores (inhabitants of 

 the Azore islands), nine Chinese, some negro slaves, and a Portuguese 

 as steward. The Chinese were brought by the government to Rio de 

 Janeiro, to cultivate tea there ; subsequently some of them were sent 

 to Caravellas, and others hither, to be employed as day-labourers ; 



