X^KAVE THE ISLANU* 



Date palms were very numerous in the vicinity 

 of tlic town, hut (lid not a|i|)eiir to attain any 

 high degree of i^erfectioii, or bear frnit, and 

 were used, for what they alone seemed fit, as 



Tlie troops were decently clad, dlid ^Oiadfited 

 of al)out five hnndrod, principally negfoes aad 

 midattnes, ofliccrcd l>y Europeans, 



All arrangements having been completed, we 

 tlt6 m fk^ evening, with a fine tmth- 

 aast trade htmz^^ 



was BOOR plaeed among die regalia of the Spanish crowii. 

 This excited tW «t^t$o)): of th^P^lligaese, who collected 

 it witliout restriction in the Cupv de Verd Ishinds, Madeira, 

 Porto >Sai\t,o, and die Azores. In tiie yaav 1730, the Jesuits 

 of King Johii T* 1^ pfivilege of cotlecti&g^ the 

 Jlervinha secea; but the crown took the advantage into its 

 own haqd§> and tinned the right of collecting it. At a hiter 

 p^iM tfa& licheft ce^ed td fhig hi^^CSallie company of 

 i^mSL Vsiik and Maranhao ; and, lastly, In the^^ 1790, the 

 gOTcmment again took this branch of commetCie under its 

 own care, because it had dechned considerably mider the 

 bad management of tlie company. At present the exporta- 

 tion is small ; but more considerable, however, iruni the 

 Cajje de Verd Isles. (See h Da Silva Fcijo, in tlie Memorias 

 Mm^mm da Acad, ^ l^jait v. 1^.^^ 



Sjpxn m4 MarHm Tr&n^ is^ MrnUi vol* i. p IS^. 



