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This city is the chief mart of Brazil, and especially of the pro- 

 vinces of Minas Geraes, St. PauVs, Goyazes, Cuyaba and Corritiva. 

 The mining districts, being most populous, require the greatest pro- 

 portion of consumable goods, and in return send the most valu- 

 able articles of commerce, hence innumerable troops of mules are 

 continually travelling to and from those districts ; their com- 

 mon burden is about three cwt. each, which they carry to the 

 almost incredible distance of 1500 or 2000 miles. Their homeward 

 freight consists chiefly of salt for the consumption of the cattle, and 

 iron for the working of the mines. 



No colonial port in the world is so well situated for general com- 

 merce as Rio de Janeiro. It enjoys, beyond any other, an equal con- 

 venience of intercourse with Europe, America, Africa, the East 

 Indies, and the South Sea islands, and seems formed by nature as a 

 grand link to connect the trade of those great portions of the globe. 

 Commanding also, as the capital of a rich and extensive territory, 

 resources of immense amount and value, it seemed to require only 

 the presence of an eflicient government to give it political import- 

 ance, and this advantage it has now gained by becoming the chosen 

 residence of the court of Portugal. The benefits resulting from this 

 great event had but just begun to display themselves at the period 

 to which this narrative refers, and the commercial relations of Rio de 

 Janeiro, though considerably augmented, were still but in their germ. 

 I shall proceed to state them according to the best information I 

 was then able to procure. 



The imports hither from the River Plate, and from Rio Grande de 

 St. Pedro, consist in immense quantities of dried beef, tallow, hides, 

 and grain. Those from the United States are chiefly salt provisions, 

 flour, household furniture, pitch, and tar. The North Americans 

 generally send cargoes of these articles on speculation, and, as the 

 market for them is fluctuating and not to be depended on, they fre- 

 quently take them to other ports. Their provisions are commonly 



