i86 
Toe DISCOP^ERT 
V incent^ this might be confidered as the very richeft 
Part of Brazil. The Fortugueze that are fettled here 
are quite a different Sort of People from thofe in the 
Bay of All faints ; for they are adlive, induftrious, well 
inclined to Foreigners, and fuffer the Indians., who live 
amongfl them, to enjoy as much Freedom as themfelves, 
which renders the Country a perfect Paradife •, and it is 
not eafy to imagine, what vail Cargoes were brought 
from the Rio Janeiro before the Gold Mines in that 
Country were difcovered. 
The City of St. Sebafiian., which is the Capital of this 
Country, ifands very commodioufly in 23 Degrees of 
South Latitude, on the Weft Side of the River, about 
two Leagues from the Sea. This City, which is very 
well fortified, is the Seat of a Fortugueze Governor, and 
a Bifhop’s See, Suffragan to the Archbifhop of St. Sal- 
vador there are likewife feveral other confiderable Towns 
on the Rio Janeiro., all of which have a large Share of 
Trade, as may appear from the Number of Ships, 
which compofe the Fleet fent hither annually from Por- 
tugal, which confifts of between twenty and thirty Sail 
of Veffels, of 500 Tons Burden, which are ufually ef- 
corted by two Men of War. The Commodities brought 
from hence are, generally fpeaking, the fame with thofe 
brought from the Bay of All-Saints, Diamonds only ex- 
cepted. After faying this, it may be naturally expedted 
that we ftiould give the Reader fome Account of the 
Diamond Mines here j which, however, is a Thing 
very difficult to do, there being very little known of 
them, with any Degree of Certainty ; but the few Cir- 
cumftances that we have been able to draw together, in 
relation to this important Article, are thefe. 
It is about forty Years ago, that fome precious Stones 
were brought to the City of St. Sehafiian, taken out of a 
fmall River lying Weftward of that City, which were, 
at firft, judged to be very fine Pebbles ; but it was not 
fo foon that they were brought over to Europe. About 
the Clofe of the laft general War thefe fine Pebbles were 
found in greater Quantities ; and we are told, that 
fome rich Planters began to employ their Slaves in dig- 
ging the black heavy Earth, on the Sides of the Moun- 
tain, from whence this River defcended, and then thefe 
Stones were found in greater Plenty ; fome of them 
were very large, but moftof them of a black or yellowifh 
Caft, which hurt their Luftre, and funk their Value •, 
yet notwithftanding this, many of the yellow Stones 
were brought to Lijbon, and fold for Topazes. 
Afterwards, the Crown of Portugal interpofed, and the 
working of thefe Mines was forbidden ; which, how- 
ever, did not hinder their coming in confiderable Qiian- 
tities i for fomctimes it was faid, they were found in 
this or that River, and not dug out of any Mine j 
fometimes they had other Names given them, and many 
of them were fent to St. Salvador, and from thence ex- 
ported to Europe, under a Notion of their coming by 
the Goa Fleet from the Eaji-Indies. This involuntary 
Fraud raifed their Value ; and, at laft, the Crown of 
Portugal became convinced, that fuch as pretended to 
great Skill in Stones had deceived them ; and that fome 
of thefe Brazil Diamonds were fcarce to be diftinguifhed 
from Oriental Stones : Upon this they altered their Mea- 
fures, and it was permitted to fend over rough Diamionds 
in the Rio Janeiro Fleet, under certain Reftridions ; 
which Licence making the Value of thefe Jewels ftill 
more and more apparent, the King of Portugal 
to put this Trade under a new Regulation •, which, as 
far as I know, has fubfifted ever fince. This new Order 
took Place in the Year 1740, when his Fortugueze Ma- 
jefty let thefe Mines to a Company at Rio Janeiro, for 
an annual Rent of one hundred thirty eight thoufand 
Crufades, which is twenty fix thoufand Pounds of our 
Money, upon Condition, that they employed no more 
than fix hundred Slaves at thefe Mines j which Condition 
plainly proves, that they are far greater and more con-, 
liderable than they have generally been efteemed to be. 
It is very probable, that the comiing of thefe Stones 
into Europe may fink the Price of Diamonds confider- 
ably •, but it muft, at the fame Time, be allowed, that it 
cannot but prove highly advantageous to the Fortugueze, 
fince it will operate very effedually in their Favour, in 
and CO N ^ ESP Book I. 
regard to the Balance of Trade ; for if they difpofe of 
thefe Stones to any Nation, upon whom they have 
already a Balance, they muft bring Money into the • 
Kingdom ; and if, on the other Hand, they can find a 
way to fell them, either to us, or to the Butch, this 
will lelfen the Balance in our Favour, and prevent the 
Exportation of Gold, which muft have been otherwife 
fent abroad, to pay that Balance ; fo that, take it either 
Way, the Difcovery of thefe Diamond Mines, is of very 
high Confequence, and, if wifely managed, may prove 
of prodigious Advantage to this Nation. 
But let us now proceed to wdiat little remains of the 
Hiftory of this valuable Colony. Southward from the 
Captainfhip of Rio Janeiro lies the Captainfliip of St. 
Vincent, v/Iiich I take to be the richeft Country in Bra- 
zil, perhaps in all South America \ and therefore I ftiall 
defcribe it more particularly. It is bounded on the 
North by the Captainfhip of Rio Janeiro % on the 
Eaft by the Ocean ; on the South by the new Cap- 
tainfhip, or that ftiled Bel Rey ; and on the Weft by 
the Mountains of la Plata and Countries inhabited by 
various favage Nations : It extends from the Latitude 
of 22 Degrees to 27 Degrees South ; and is in length 
from North to South, about three hundred Miles, and in 
Breadth, from Eaft to Weft, in fome Places, near one 
hundred and eighty Miles, but the greateft Part of it is 
not above half fo broad. 
The Town of St. Vincent is fituated on a very fine 
Bay of the Atlantic Ocean, or, as fome of the beft Maps I 
have feen reprefent it, on a kind of Peninfula, very well 
fortified ; a little to the North- weft lies the Town of 
Santos, which fome look upon to be the Capital of the 
Province j and which, as I have found, in the Memoirs ’ 
of a Spanijh Traveller, has as fine a Port as any in the 
tVeJi Indies, capable of holding the largeft Ships, and 
which might be fortified in fuch a Manner, as to be able 
to refift any Strength, that either in this Part of the 
World, or from Europe, could be brought againft it. 
The fame Writer, who was in thefe Parts, towards the 
End of the laft Century, has given us a very full Ac- 
count of them, with which I was furniftied by an inge- 
nious Gentleman, who thought it might be of ufe to 
me in the Hiftory of Spanijh America, which I was then 
writing, and which I fhali infert here, as in its proper 
Place ; the rather, becaufe I think there is no Part of the 
World lefs known, or which, therefore, it can be more 
agreeable to the inquifitive Perufer to find accurately 
defcribed. 
“ The Fortugueze, fays my Author, had not fliewn 
“ any great Concern, either for extending or improving 
“ their Territories in Brazil after the Expulfioh of the 
“ Butch, till a certain Statefmian advifed Don Pedro, about 
“ the Year 1685, to think of improving his American 
“ Dominions ; and more efpecially, the two Extremi- 
“ qA Brazil. That Minifter fuggefted, that the Cli- 
“ mate, at the Bay of All Saints, would fruftrate what- 
“ ever Endeavours might be ufed to render the People 
“ adfive and induftrious ; but that it was otherwife, 
“ both with the northern and fouthern Extremities of 
“ Brazil ; where a wife Government, and a little En- 
“ couragement, might render the Country of much 
“ greater Advantage to the Crown of Portugal, than 
“ hitherto it had been. This Advice was received and 
“ followed ; which gave Birth, on one Hand, to the 
“ eftablilhing the Fortugueze Forts and Settlements to- 
“ wards the River of Amazons ; and on the other, to 
“ the Improvement of the new Colony at Santos, which 
“ was then but very fmall. 
“ The Method taken for this Purpofe was fingular 
“ enough, moft of the Perfons made Choice of were of 
“ the mix’d Herd, or, as the Fortugueze call them, 
“ Meftices, who married Brazilian Women ; and the 
“ Perfon intrufted with the Government of thefe new 
“ Planters, were Priefts and Monks j but they were 
“ fent exprefly from Portugal, and Care was taken that 
“ they fhould be fit for the Purpofe. The Captain- 
“ General of Brazil, and all the Officers in the fou- 
“ them Captainflaips, had Orders to treat thefe People 
“ kindly, and to give them no Difturbance in their 
“ Meafures. It very foon appeared, by the Effedls, 
“ that 
