184 



NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



The business on board was greatly facilitated by the care which we 

 had taken to cover the table with English cheese and porter ; two articles 

 for which the Brazilians have a strong predilection. The good cheer did 

 not, however, seem to operate very kindly, for, on our return, having 

 ventured to ask what their determination might be, I was told, with 

 more than the former stateliness and reserve, that such questions were 

 improper. On a hint given by one of the fiscal train, that certain fees, 

 on such occasions, were always proper and acceptable, the hint was 

 attended to ; and, in consequence, leave was formally given, the 

 following day, to dispose of what part of the cargo, and in what way 

 we pleased. 



Our cargo was one of the greatest variety which can well be 

 imagined as being on board a small vessel ; yet it soon became manifest 

 that most of the goods were brought to a wrong market, or absolutely 

 overstocked it. No one, used to the world, and unversed in the 

 modes of this particular part of it, can conceive how few are the wants 

 which the people appear to have, and how general is their indifference to 

 luxuries. It is true, as stated before, that some taste and demand for the 

 productions of our country were beginning to show themselves ; but 

 tiiey had made little progress, and had been met by preceding supplies. 

 Notwithstanding some favourable change with respect to a circulating 

 medium, there was still a great deficiency of Cash, and Bills of exchange 

 were unknown ; even retailers bartered for produce, and advanced goods 

 before it was ready for deliverance. The Government, aware of our 

 disappointment, and unable to conjecture how so much money as our 

 duties amounted to could possibly be raised, became alarmed. The 

 people, astonished at the extent of our stock, and confirming each other 

 in the persuasion that it must be disposed of at any rate, foretold our 

 ruin. Their prognostics might have been fulfilled had we not possessed 

 resources unknown to their rulers and to them. 



Many of our goods it was necessary to land ; by far the greater part 

 we determined to re-export, paying only the transit-duty required in 

 such a case. As to the former portion, every mode of disposing of them, 



