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west of the Salina de Almeida, in a large pool or marsh, called Pao- 

 pique, which runs to the south. 



The confluence of the Jauru with the Paraguay is a point of much 

 importance : it guards and covers the great road between Villa Bella 

 Cuiaba, and their intermediate establishments, and in the same man- 

 ner commands the navigation of both the rivers, and defends the en- 

 trance into the interior of the latter capitania. The Paraguay from 

 this place has a free navigation upwards, almost to its sources, which 

 are scarcely seventy leagues distant, with no other impediment than a 

 large fall. These sources are said to contain diamonds. 



The mark placed at the mouth of the Jauru is a pyramid of beau- 

 tiful marble, brought to this distant point from Lisbon. It bears in- 

 scriptions commemorative of the treaty between the courts of Spain 

 and Portugal, by which the respective territories, of which it stands 

 as the boundary, were defined. 



The lofty chain of mountains, which extends from the sources of 

 the Paraguay near its eastern bank, border the river opposite the 

 mouth of the Jauru, and are terminated seven leagues below it by 

 the Morro Excalvado in lat. 16° 43'. Eastward of this mount or 

 point all is marsh, and nine leagues below it there flows into the east 

 side of the Paraguay a deep stream or river, called Rio Novo, dis- 

 covered in 1786, which may hereafter afford a navigation to near 

 St. Pedro del Rey, when the aquatic plants that obstruct its channel 

 are removed. The most distant sources of this river are the rivulets 

 of Sta. Anna, Bento Gomez, and others which cross the great road 

 of Cuiaba to the west of Cocaes. In lat. 17° 33' the west banks of 

 the Paraguay become mountainous at the north point of the Serra 

 da Insua, which, three leagues to the south, makes a deep break to 

 form the mouth of the lake Gaiba. This lake extends westward, 

 and there is a broad canal of four leagues in extent, which comes 

 from the north, communicating from the above lake to that of Ube- 

 rava, somewhat larger than the Gaiba, situated exactly contiguous 

 to the Serra da Insua, on its north side. Six leagues and a half 



