104 



Prime Maxirmlian'^s 



of wild beasts on the sand, and in a waste the Remirea littoralu^ 

 a sort of grass : at the approach of night we erected a large 

 hut made of cocoa-tree leaves, and hoped to pass the night in 

 repose, but the multitude of musquitos, which tormented us 

 excessively, rendered it impossible to sleep; a tremendous 

 tempest raged at the same time, and we found ourselves des- 

 titute of water, and scarcely any thing left to eat. To our 

 mortification also, next morning we had to seek our beasts 

 which had strayed back to the place where we had so very 

 opportunely discovered the spring of M-ater, by which we lost 

 half a day before we could bring them back. At evening we 

 arrived at S. Matih(Bus, an inconsiderable river, the banks of 

 which were most agreeably ornamented by Conocarpus and 

 Avicennia bushes; on the north side lay the Pouoacoa, which is 

 called Barra de S, MattlicBus, consisting of about twenty-five 

 houses ; the river rises in the woods, and is navigable about 

 nine leagues upwards for sumaccas. On its banks grow the 

 fruitful Comarca, to which the abundance of ants in this place 

 very frequently do great mischief; and in the woods grow Ja- 

 caranda, Vinhatico, Putumuju, Cergeira, and other useful 

 wood. Several small rivers flow into this, the Rio de S. Anna, 

 Rio PretOy or Mariricu, and St, Domingo are the most worthy 

 of notice ; our troop arrived late at this spot, and were com- 

 pelled to bivouac ; but they were provided with fuel, woollen 

 clothes, and store of provision, and a good spring of pure 

 water. At the small village of St. Matthew we were conducted 

 to the Venda of Capitam Regente, our papers, and the recom- 

 mendations of the ministers, procured us every where a favour- 

 able reception. 



The barra of the river St, Matthew is laid down in the 

 chart by Arrowsmith at ]8i degrees, and by others 18°. 50'; 

 which latter appears to be most correct, because at the spot 

 given by the other, the river Mucuri falls into the sea. 

 About eight leagues higher is the Villa of St. Matthew which 

 lies in an unhealthy swamp, it contains about a hundred 

 houses, and there are three thousand whites and men of 

 colour by computation in this district. Amongst the latest 

 villas which have been built, the most flourishing are Comarca 

 and Porto Seguro. About eight leagues above the Villa de 

 St, Matthews, is the Quartel de Galveyas sl cultivated spot ; 

 about half a league from the Barra, upwards, is the Indian 

 Village of St. Anna, which contains about twenty Indian 

 families living together, and of whom seventy heads pay tribute. 

 Soon after we left St, Anna a Botocundo was killed^ he was 

 an aged man he had in his ears and in the upper lip large 

 pieces of wood for ornament. Mon, Freyreis who again visited 



