294 



NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



who possess a small capital, which they invest in slaves, cultivate a larger 

 portion of land, and pay their rent sometimes in money or by labour, 

 more commonly in produce. If the article raised be Sugar-cane, the 

 most profitable culture in Brazil, half the produce usually goes to the 

 landlord, for which he not only furnishes the soil, but crushes the 

 tenant's share of the cane, distils the syrup, or converts it into sugar, 

 according to the wish of the individual. Such a bargain is considered 

 as advantageous to a man, who possesses land without much capital, 

 because he is hereby enabled to construct Sugar-works adapted to his 

 whole estate, and to keep them more fully employed. The tenants are 

 bound also to plant a certain quantity of Cane on additional pieces of 

 ground, and to crush the produce at the Mill belonging to the estate ; 

 and these minor Farms fall successively into the owner's hand, and add 

 to the value of his property. At the same time many of the tenants 

 improve their own condition, become advanced in the scale of cultivators, 

 and ultimately proprietors of land. 



These two classes comprehend by far the greater part of those agri- 

 culturists of the country who live on the property of others. Almost 

 every land-owner is himself a planter, and, for the most part, occupies 

 his own estate. Some, indeed, own lands, and let them entire ; but 

 their number is small, and confined to the immediate neighbourhood of 

 the city. 



The laws respecting Landlord and Tenant are very much in favour of 

 the latter. If he have built a house, planted fruit-trees, or in any other 

 way benefited an estate, beyond the terms of his contract, he does not 

 on removal lose what he has laid out ; appraisers are appointed to ascer- 

 tain the value of the improvements, and the landlord must pay for 

 them, whether useful to him or not. Indeed they can hardly be consi- 

 dered, in any case, as useless ; for, when an estate is sold, these Bemfei- 

 torias, as they are called, are always valued separately, and paid for in 

 addition to the sum agreed upon for the purchase of the land and the 

 woods. The operation of these laws is as beneficial to the public as to 

 individuals, not only saving them from oppression, but gradually spread- 

 ing them over the country, when they begin to acquire property. And 



