Chap. III. ^BRAZIL by the PORTUGUEZE. 
“ foreign Veflels entered that Port, unlefs it plainly 
appeared they were in fuch a Condition as not to be 
‘‘ able to keep at Sea; that therefore they were to have 
twenty-four Hours given them to confider whether 
they would come and anchor under the Guns of the 
‘‘ Fort in order to be examined, or to put to Sea with- 
out receiving any Relief at all. He added, that if the 
“ Cafe was fuch as our Agent reprefented it, he might 
‘‘ very freely enter the Port ; and, upon Examination, 
“ all the Care fhould be taken to alTift and fupply him, 
that he could defire ; but that he would do well to 
remember that the Portugueze were not to be impofed 
upon. 
“ As our Ship was really in fuch a Condition that we 
had no Reafon to fear any Examination, we made 
Sail immediately on the return of our Supercargo, and. 
came to an Anchor under the Fort. The next Day the 
“ Judge came on board, attended by feveral Secretaries 
and other Officers, all of them very grave fober-look- 
“ ing People, who examined every thing with all the 
Nicety and Striftnefs of an Inquifition. They called 
“ for our Journals, queftioned our Pilots, Mariners, 
and even the Cabbin-Boys, particularly as to this 
“ Point, Whether we had not formed a Defign of touch- 
“ ing at Brazil before we were in fuch Diftrefs ? They 
“ all anfwered in the Negative *, but ftill we had fo lit- 
tie Hopes, that every one in the Ship, who had it in 
his Power, made them fome Prefent or other, which 
“ they took indeed, but fcarce gave us Thanks. At 
laft they took their Leaves, and fent fomc Carpenters 
“ on board, to whom our Captains made fuch an Ap- 
“ plication, that they reported our Leaks to be fo 
“ dangerous, that the Crew were very much alarmed, 
and were afraid of finking before they got out of the 
Ship. 
As foon as this Report was made, we had Leave 
‘‘ to go on Shore, which was refufed us before ; and we 
had alfo Leave given us to take Lodgings where we 
“ thought fit in the City, but with ftridt Caution not to 
“ attempt any kind of Trade on Pain of forfeiting both 
Ship and Cargo. TheOfficers put on board the Vefifel 
talked the fame Language at firft, but feeing the Im- 
preffion it made, and that our People were very exadt 
in that Particular, they were fo kind as to explain 
“ themfelves the third Day, telling us that this was all 
“ a Farce ; that the Judges themfelves knew it ; that 
they underitood by our Prefents, we were a good fort 
of People, and, that we fhould have, every Night, 
Boats come off with all forts of Merchandize ; and 
‘‘ that they would take care we fhould run no fort of 
Rifk, either in buying or felling. The Boats came 
««• accordingly, and though at firft we were a little fuf- 
picious, yet in one Week’s time their Language was 
perfedlly underftood, and Trade went on brilkly every 
** Evening, as foon as it was dark. 
We imagined there would be no Difficulty in pro- 
“ curing Carpenters and other Workmen, if we gave 
them good Wages, but we were miftaken ; for none 
of thefe People durft take our Money till they had 
“ Leave, and that Leave was not to be had but by dint 
of Prefents ; which being properly beftowed the Car- 
penters came on board and went to work. It is lite- 
“ rally true in Brazil^ that Money will do all Things^ 
and that nothing is to be done without Money. We 
“ ftaid there four Months, and found few honeft Men 
except the Viceroy. 
“ He was the firft that ever had that Title, all the 
former Governors being called Captains-General ; 
“ and his Title v/as not only higher, but his Power much 
“ greater than theirs ; which v/as intended to redrefs the 
‘‘ many Corruptions and Iniquities that had crept into 
** the Government. The Nobleman graced with thefe 
Honours, was the Count de Villaverda^ one of the 
greateft Families in Portugal^ who had ferved as Ge- 
“ neral of Horfe in the laft War, and was in every re- 
“ fpedl a Man of as much Worth and Honour as his 
“ own, or any other Country, could boaft. He found it 
tt very difficult to execute his Inftrudtions, but he certainly 
^ fet ail his People a good Example; for in the eorrupteft 
Country in the World he behaved vfith tile gfeatefl 
“ Probity Man could do, and laboured all that was iri 
his Power to prevent the bad Effeds of a contrary 
‘‘ Condud in others. But it may be naturally expeded 
that I fhould give fome Account of this great City, 
“ and I fhall accordingly do it as exadly as I can : 
St. Salvador is fituated at the Entrance of the Bay of, 
All Saints^ and has a very fine Port, which might bO 
“ made ftill more commodious than it is, if Art and 
“ Induftry gave a little Affiftance to Nature : The pre- 
fent Viceroy has attempted this, and it is moft certain 
“ that if they execute his Defign in its full Extent, 
“ the Harbour of St. Salvador will become the beft in 
“ America. 
The City is divided into the Upper and the Lowers 
‘‘ We will begin with the fecond, in which live all thO 
“ Merchants, and People of Bufinefs ; and perhaps 
“ there is not in the World , a Place, for its Size, of 
‘‘ greater Hurry or greater Trade : It lies at the Foot of 
“ a Hill which is not very high, but exceflively fteep. 
“ There is in it a royal Arfenal, befides the King’s Ware- 
“ houfes and Magazines ; which are large, well filled; 
“ and kept in excellent Order. There is likewife a very 
“ fine Yard for building Ships ; and it is very wonderful, 
“ that the Policy of the Portugueze^ in this refpecft, is 
“ not imitated by other Nations that have Colonies in 
“ America \ for Ships are not only built here, at a much 
“ eafier Rate than in Europe^ but are likewife better, and 
‘‘ more ferviceable, becaufe the Timber is excellent in 
“ its Kind, and incorruptible in its Nature, fo that the 
“ Worms, which in the Mediterranean and the Wejl Indies, 
“ make a fwift and certain Deftrudlion in all our 
“ Veffels, how well foever they may be fiieathed, are 
“ not able to penetrate thefe. The fame Thing isi 
“ pradlifed in almoft all the other Parts of Brazil, 
“ which is certainly a very wife, and a very profitable Re- 
“ gulation. And as, on the one hand, we may be 
“ very well furprized, that other Nations have not imi~ 
“ tated the Portugueze in this refpedt^ fo, on the other 
“ hand, there is no lefs Reafon to be aftonifhed, that a 
“ Nation fo prudent and politic in this Particular, fcarce 
“ adls with common Senfe in any other. 
“ The upper Town is feated on the Summit of the 
“ Mountain ; the Houfes are large enough, and fome 
“ are pretty convenient •, but the Inequality of the 
“ Ground on which they ftand fpoils their Appearance, 
“ and renders the Streets very difagreeable i The grand 
“ Place, or great Square, is in the Middle of the Town; 
“ and the Viceroy’s Palace, theTown-houfe, the Mint, 
‘‘ and other public Buildings, occupy four Sides, 
“ which are handfome enough, but have only this fingu- 
“ lar in them, that they are built of Stone brought from 
‘ ‘ P or tug al, for in all this Country they have none fit for the 
“ Purpofe : The Jefuits College is, beyond all Difpute, 
“ the largeft, faireft, and moft finifhed Building in the 
“ City, more efpecially the Sacrifty, which is lined 
“ throughout with the moft beautiful Tortoife-fhell, 
“ wrought and fixed together in the moft elegant 
“ manner, fo that nothing can be conceived more agree- 
“ able to the Eye, or more fatisfadtory even to the 
“ niceftTafte : There are feveral other fine Churches; 
and that of the BenediSiine Abbey, which is now 
“ building, will rival, if not exceed; the Church of the 
“ Jefuits ; but the Cathedral, which without doubt 
“ ought to be the nobleft Strudture; and which really 
“ feems to be fo at a Diftance,- is however far from ap- 
“ pearing either neat or regular when one comes to 
“ examine it ; yet, if the Richnefs of Gilding may 
“ entitle a Church to be thought fine; this muft be ac- 
“ knowledged to furpafs not only all the Churches here; 
“ but throughout the greateft Part of America. 
“ There is alfo amongft the Convents in this Capital, 
“ one very remarkable of the Order of St. Clare, and 
another; deftined to the Ufe of fuch young Girls as are’ 
“ expofed and abandoned by their Parents. It is amaz- 
“ ing to fee how much thefe Foundlings are confidered 
“ in this Country ; the Kings adopts them all, and the 
“ Ladies of the firft Quality frequently take them 
Home, when at a proper Age, and breed them up as 
their 
