36 



Prince Maximilians 



de Janeiro, was inhabited by the powerful race of the Tupinamhas 

 and TamoyoSy who, in Leary\s time, were united with the 

 French against the Portuguese. Sal em a attacked them at Cabo 

 Frio in 1572, and defeated them ; whereupon they withdrew to 

 the interior of the country. The Portuguese afterwards settled 

 here. In the latter half of the 17th century, a small number of 

 them lived here ; the village too of S. Pedro was then built ; a 

 small fort was, according to the account in Southby's history of 

 Brazil, almost without garrison. 



On the invitation of a capitam living here, to see his sugar- 

 works, we embarked early on a Sunday with him; our host, Mr. 

 Carval.to, and a clergyman, accompanied us. They laid, as usual, 

 reed mats {esteitas)^ on the bottom of the canoe to sit upon. The 

 old Tupinamhas and the races related to them, made use of this 

 kind of craft ; the Portuguese have only preserved them. They 

 are hewn out of a single log of wood, particularly light, and the 

 Indians know how to manage them. They have them of different 

 sizes; some are so small, that one cannot move much, without be- 

 ing in danger of upsetting the canoe ; others, on the contrary, are 

 hewn from such immense thick logs, that they are pretty secure 

 even in sea, if it be not too rough. The man who governs the 

 canoe stands upright, and keeps his equilibrium so well, that by 

 his motions he does not cause the slightest shaking. The rudders 

 h'ave in front a shovel of an oblong form, and are managed by the 

 mere hand in small canoes, a few clever canociros are capable of 

 pushing along such a light vessel as swift as an arrow. We 

 found the water of the Lagoa of small depth, and so clear, that 

 we could plainly perceive the white sandy bottom with its coral 

 beds ; this shallowness made us often sticfc fast. Gulls, sea-swal- 

 lows, white herons, and strand snipes swarmed around the Lagoa. 



Two kinds of cormorants are here very common ; the greyish 

 brown cull *, and another bird very similar to our cormorant ; both 

 are fishing here in the waters, and approach very near the 

 houses of the villa. The fazenda of the capitam, surrounded by 

 his negro-huts, is built upon a green hill, and has a beautiful situ- 

 ation. Mountains and heights covered with woods and bushes are 

 seen all round, which, contrasting with the shining bright green of 

 the sugar plantations, form an agreeable interchange of colour ; on 

 the left, several mirrors of water, friendly dwellings, and distant 

 blue hills, enliven this landscape. We saw the sugar manufactory, 

 which appeared to be very well managed. They pour a strong- 

 lie on the sugar-juice, from which they intend to make rum, in 

 order to thicken and purify it. They obtain this by the infusion 

 of vw^rm water on the ashes of a certahi kind of polygonum^ which 

 is called aataya in the Indian languiige, but herva de bichu by the 

 Fo^tuguese. This plant has a very bitter peppery taste, is used 

 * Vethw^^&is peüißu de Ca^nr. JB^r. pi. 973. if*el%canu$ parvti*.) 



