NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



who kept the house, poured many hearty curses on his head ; assuring 

 me that he had already furnished to this harpy of power, so many articles 

 as nearly to ruin himself, and that he was utterly hopeless of any recom- 

 pense. He added, that the whole neighbourhood was infested with this 

 kind of plunder to such a degree, that he and others must be obliged 

 to place themselves further from the seat of Royalty. The King cannot 

 authorise such practices, yet are they notoriously common, and prac- 

 tised under the sanction of his name. In vain would the sufferers under 

 such oppression remonstrate; power, in all its ramifications, is absolute; 

 there is no accountability, no appealing to the public, nothing by 

 which the mischief can be counteracted, but superior influence or 

 bribery. 



My object being to examine the country, its productions, capa- 

 bilities and manners, rather than to see palaces, — though this last Royal 

 House has presented an occasion to note a strong trait of national 

 character, — I took up my abode for a short time, together with a few 

 companions, at Sepetiva, a small place about seven miles from Santa 

 Cruz, and close to the sea. 



The man at whose house we lodged, like others of his rank, was 

 rough, active, and shrewd. Some Englishmen, having landed at this 

 spot, had procured from him horses to convey them to the city. 

 The sight of people and manners new to him, seemed to have inspired 

 a wish to know more about them. Accordingly he encouraged 

 our countrymen to visit Sepetiva ; and as he had no objection to a 

 recompense for the accommodations which he afforded, though too inde- 

 pendent to make a charge, his visitors felt themselves at liberty to 

 pursue their own objects. The house was a low thatched building, 

 with a varanda in front, and two small rooms, which were appropriated 

 to strangers. As we depended, in a great measure, on our guns for 

 daily provision, we often and early explored the neighbouring marshes, 

 which abound with wild Geese, Ducks, Snipes, Spoonbills, and Herons. 

 Some of the latter are as large as those of Rio Grande, and as shy. All 

 the game which we procured was dry and insipid. For traversing the 



