176 A VOYAGE TO 



staves^ and naval stores in general. We possess 

 many advantages for carrying on a kind of circuitous 

 trade with this country, as well as with other parts of 

 South America; first by disposing of our own produce 

 in Europe, purchasing French and German goods, 

 disposing of them in South America, and taking from 

 thence dried beef to the West Indies, or hides and 

 the produce of the south in general, to the United 

 States or Europe. It is not uncommon for American 

 vessels, after disposing of their cargoes at Rio, to go 

 down to Rio Grande, lay in a cargo of dried beef, 

 carry it to Havana, and there dispose of it for ar- 

 ticles suited to the American market. Of late years, 

 it is not uncommon for the people of the northern 

 states, to engage in these trading voyages. 



With respect to the government of Brazil, it of 

 course retains the leading features of that established 

 over the colony. At the head of each province there 

 is a captain-general, from which circumstance they are 

 sometimes called capitanias. The camarcas have 

 ouvidores, or judges, for civil affairs. The cities and 

 towns, have camaras, or a senate elected annually; a 

 sort of municipality to which the povasoas and al- 

 deas, are subject for their local concerns; but for their 

 military affairs, each camarcais divided into districts, 

 and has officers called captain-mohro. In civil mat- 

 ters an appeal lies from the camara or senate, to the 

 ouvidores, and from these to the supreme tribunals at 

 Rio Janeiro, called cassa da souplica§oes, when the. 

 subject matter involves an amount exceeding twelve 

 thousand dollars. Each province has also an ouvi- 

 dore for criminal matters, whose sentences must be 

 confirmed by the relaseoes, excepting in cases of mere 



