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intfoduced for cabinet use, that from the East Indies excepted. I 

 do not say any thing of indigo, as it is in general inferior. Rice of 

 excellent quality is cultivated to great extent. Tobacco, it is to be 

 hoped, will be better cured, to suit the English market ; for no where 

 can a soil and climate be found more favourable to the production 

 of that plant than in Brazil. 



Since the emigration of^the court from Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro may 

 be truly called the mart of South America, and is likely to become a 

 general depot of goods from the four quarters of the globe : yet its 

 commerce to Africa, to India, and the islands in the Indian sea be- 

 longing to the crown of Portugal, as well as its intercourse with 

 China, has scarcely been entered into. So many disappointments, 

 caused by the political events in the mother-country, and so unex* 

 pected an influx of goods from England, occasioned such a stagna- 

 tion in commercial dealings, that the opulent merchants were deter- 

 mined not to speculate, and other great capitalists, from the heavy 

 losses they have sustained, were unable. Thus the monopoly that 

 was hitherto exercised by the former class of merchants ceased ; the 

 English took their place, and sold goods to the public in the best 

 manner they could. Numbers of public auctions were established, 

 and goods of all descriptions were sent thither to be disposed of in 

 the best way possible, wholesale or retail, in barter, or for money. 

 Thus little was done by private merchants in comparison with what 

 ■was sold at auctions, which indeed appeared the only possible mode 

 of vending a great variety of goods. Residents in Rio de Janeiro, 

 and persons from the country in great numbers, attended the sales ; 

 the general desire was to buy cheap, without any regard to quality. 

 From this source branched numerous smaller streams ; for many 

 persons who bought at these sales immediately parcelled out the 

 goods in smaller assortments, and gave employment to walking shop-! 

 keepers, who were daily occupied in going from door to door, fol- 

 lowed by negroes, bearing on their heads tables-full of various arti? 



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