THE BRAZILS. 123 
markets of Europe at reasonable prices, than it thought pro- 
per to impose on them an export duty of 20 per cent., which 
operated as an immediate check on the growth of this article. 
When the cultivation of the Indigo plant had been consider- 
abl}' extended, and the preparation sufficiently understood, 
so as to enable the colonists to meet their competitors in the 
markets of Europe, this article was assumed as a royal mono- 
poly. Among the valuable plants, whose cultivation if not 
much encouraged Avas at least allowed, is the cotton shrub. 
Large cargoes of raw cotton wool, consigned to the merchants 
of Lisbon, found their way into the manufacturing markets 
of Europe. L^nluckily for the colonists, the warehouses of 
Lisbon were filled with this article at the very moment when 
Portugal submitted to negociate with France for the price of 
its neutrality. Not having money to offer, the rapacious 
ao-ent of France proposed to take merchandize. The cotton 
from the Brazils was ppinted out for this purpose ; and the 
Portugueze government directed it to be delivered to the order 
of the French, without any stipulation as to the price or time 
of pa3aTient. The growers in the Brazils were of course dis- 
gusted with such a. proceeding, and will be cautious in future 
how they consign any more of this article to the merchants 
of Lisbon. The exclusi\'e privilege of collecting gold dust 
and diamonds is farmed out as a monopoly of the Crown, 
which gains, however, quite as little by this assumed right as 
the colonists lose by the restriction. 
The same spirit of discouragement which reniscs them iiie 
free use of salt, though a spontaneous product of nature, has 
positively forbidden them to make any wine even for llieii- 
