NOTES ON BRAZIL. 497 



Emerging from this narrow track, we entered again upon a dry, 

 uninteresting region, where the waters flowed Westward, until having 

 passed Sicara, a small village of four or five houses only, ten miles from 

 Villa Rica, we reached Boa Vista. This place, in addition to double the 

 numbei%)f houses just mentioned, has a small church, standing by the 

 road side, on a point of land higher than any, which we are afterwards 

 to reach. The view towards the West and North- West is wonderfully 

 extensive and magnificent. Its principal feature is a high, distant, finely 

 shaped, conical mountain ; on the right is the aspiring Itacolumi. 



On this ridge the Minerals lie scattered in the most singular confu- 

 sion ; with forms and attributes essentially differing from whatever I 

 had previously seen. Copper is said to be abundant ; Iron-stone and 

 Schist alternate frequently, the latter gradually prevailing, as we ad- 

 vanced, and exhibiting great variety of colour and appearance, being 

 blue, black, brown, and sometimes brilliant. Near Chapon we passed 

 over a mass of rock, laminated, ponderous, and with metallic splendour ; 

 a specimen of which I still possess, retaining its brilliancy, even in our 

 moist climate. It is said, however, to contain no metal of any kind, 

 although Mawe calls it rich Iron Ore. 



At Chapon, we visited the Gold and Topaz Mines, the possessors 

 of which are reported to be wealthy ; but if they are so, it is in the midst 

 of such a want of comforts as would make a Briton, not over delicate, 

 completely miserable. They produced a large quantity of real Topazes, 

 and endeavoured to convince me that a cubical mass of yellow transpa- 

 rent spar, though differing so widely from the usual form, was a stone 

 of that description : when closely pressed, however, they wished to 

 insinuate, that it was composed of parts truly prismatic. W e ought to 

 distinguish between precious stones and such Spars as these, which abound 

 in the country, are of various colours, and though of almost as little 

 intrinsic value as pebbles, are made to imitate the Topaz, the Emerald, 

 the Amethyst, and even the Diamond, and as such are frequently passed 

 off to inexperienced purchasers. The appearance of the imitative Topaz 



is often more imposing than that of the real one of South Americai for 



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