NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



511 



other things were placed to intercept and collect the gold. The first 

 English blankets sold by me in Rio, were employed in this way. 



While looking at this spot, and listening to the rapturous accounts, 

 which the people gave, of the quantity of gold here collected, I was 

 led to ask, once more, what is become of all this treasure ? where are its 

 fortunate proprietors ? where the permanent marks of their success ? 

 The only ansAver was, — they are gone, and nothing remains. The 

 grandfather began the work, and seemed to flourish ; in the hands of 

 the son it declined ; the grand-children ase sunk into poverty ; the estate 

 has been olFered for sale, and no one will buy. In the name of common 

 sense then, I replied, what have these people been doing? they have 

 washed into yonder river, all that was most valuable of their ground, 

 and left it a bare rock. Would it not have been better to have cultivated 

 the soil, and by improvements rendered it more and more productive ? 

 In that case, the family might still have been wealthy, and their 

 descendants might have contirmed so for ages to come, — After all, how 

 superfluous this appeal ! a search for gold becomes a mania, and is 

 generally incurable. 



Our first view of Marianna, once the village of Carmo, now 

 exalted to the highest civic honours, on account of its Loyalty, was 

 through the chasm, gradually extended into a steep-sided valley, in 

 which the river flows. The eff*ect is uncommonly pleasing, for between 

 barren rocks, whose sides produce a telescopic effect, a fine plain is 

 discovered beyond them, bestrewed with houses and churches. As we 

 advanced, the view naturally closed, until we ascended a hill, forming 

 one of the sides, from the brow of which it again opened upon us in a 

 more expanded form. Just at hand, was an unfinished church, dedicated 

 to St. Peter, and three hundred feet below us, the plain, on which the 

 city stands ; its churches crowned the small knolls, and projections of 

 the surrounding hills, the Bishop's palace and gardens adorned the pros- 

 pect on the right, and the college, together with its offices, stretched 

 be3^ond them. 



The dty of Marianna, being placed five hundred feet below the 



