PORTUGUESE.

THE dominions in South America, held by the small kingdom of Portugal, extend from the frontier of Dutch Guiana, latitude three degrees north, to Port St. Pedro, south latitude thirty-two degrees, being thirty-five degrees, or two thousand one hundred geographical miles: and the breadth, from Cape St. Roque to the furthest Portuguese settlement on the river of Amazons, called St. Paul de Omaguas, equals, if it do not exceed, that extent. This vast territory, rivalling the empires of antiquity, is still more unknown than the Spanish possessions, partly from the want of science and curiosity, partly on account of the thick forests which cover the expansive plains of the Maranon, and its auxiliary streams. Though long in strict alliance with Portugal, we have little precise knowledge of Brazil; and still less of the interior country so absurdly called Amazonia, but more justly by the Spaniards the Land of the Missions. The chief city of Brazil was formerly Bahia or San Salvador, which has since yielded to Rio Janeiro. The others are Para and Cayta near the estuary of the Maranon, with a few small settlements on that river; Parnamboco, Sergippc, Paraiba, Villa Grande, &c. the chief settlements of the Portuguese being only thinly scattered along the shores. The fanaticism of the Spaniards and Portuguese is an invincible obstacle to the population of some of the finest regions of the globe; while by the free admission of all sects, as in the territory of the United States, industry and population would increase with surprising rapidity.

Brazil, as is well known, derived its name from the wood so called, ' which is mentioned by Chaucer, and was known for centuries before. It is now divided into eight independent governments, besides that of Rio de Janeiro, of which alone the governor retains the style of Viceroy of the Brazils:* the discovery and improvement of the gold and diamond mines, about one hundred leagues to the north-west having secured to Janeiro a decided preponderance. "But all the provinces are growing fast into opulence and importance. They manufactured of kite several of the most necessary articles for their own consumption; and their produce was so considerable that the balance of trade began to be already in their favour; and remittances of bullion wtre

Staunton's Embassy to China, ii 204.

made to them from Europe, in return for the overplus of their exports beyond their imports." From the same account it appears that the Portuguese settlers have shewn repeated symptoms of revolt from the parent country. The population of this large portion of South America has not been accurately detailed; but it would seem that the Portuguese and their descendants cannot amount to half a million, while the natives may be three or four millionsf. The diamond mines belong exclusively to the crown: and one-fifth of the gold is exacted. There are also numerous taxes and impositions, which instead of enlarging the revenue are the grand causes of its diminution; and the expenses of government consume about one-third of the million sterling, which Brazil is supposed to yield to Portugalf.

Manners. The European settlers are in general gay and fond of pleasure; yet, as at Lisbon, extremely observant of the ceremonies of religion, or rather of the etiquette of the Virgin Mary, who is stuck up in a glass case at every corner. Cloaks and swords are generally worn by the men. The ladies have fine dark eyes, with animated countenances, and their heads are only adorned with their tresses, tied with ribbons and flowers. The convents and monasteries are numerous, and the manufactories rare. Labour is chiefly performed by slaves, about 20,000 negroes being annually imported; the price about twenty-eight pounds, while in the West Indies it is seventy; and even the monks and clergy keep black slaves. The indigenes are said to be irreclaimable savages, under the middle size, muscular, but active; of a light brown complexion, straight black hair, and long dark eyes They chiefly subsist apart, on the coast between Janeiro and San Salvador. Their language has not been investigated by the incurious Portuguese||, who seem destined by nature to cover the faults of the Spanish colonists, and to evince, that even European nations may be found destitute of knowledge and intelligence**.

Town Of Janeiro. The harbour of Rio Janeiro is capacious and excellent; and surrounded by a fertile country. It is protected by the castle of Santa Cruz, erected on a huge rock of granite. On the west is the city of St. Sebastian, commonly called Rio de Janeiro, built on a tongue of land, the hills and rocks behind being crowned with woods, convents, houses, and churchesff. On a small isle are a dockyard, magazines, and naval store houses; and there are several other isles in the harbour behind the town. The streets are generally straight

* Staunton's Embassy to China, i. 204.

According to Staunton, i. 195, all the whites in the Brazils were com puted at 200,000, the negroes 600,000. Probably the natives do not exceed one million.

Ib. 208.

The dialects of different Brazilian tribes or nations have been examined with some care. Some striking affinities between them and various North American, as well as Asiatic languages, have been detected.

B.

The ruling people in Brazil were the Tupinambas. See d'Acunha and Condamine. For the Mamaluks of St. Paul, a kind of Buccaneers, see Dobrizhoffer, i. 179. The language most widely diffused is the Quarantic, or

Guaranis. Ib. ii. 210.

†† Staunton, i. 175.

and well paved. Water is supplied by an aqueduct, on the Roman plan; for, notwithstanding the name, there is no river of any note. The shops were full of Manchester goods, and English prints. Yet the situation of this beautiful city is said to be unhealthy, owing to the exhalations from the primitive inland forests. There are manufactures of sugar, rum, and cochineal; and several districts produce cotton, indigo, coffee, cacoa or chocolate, rice, pepper, and the noted Brazilian tobacco. The red, or Brazil wood is the property of the crown. The natural history has been little explored: the circumjacent rocks are granitic, white, red, or deep blue, the last being of a close and hard texture.

MINES.

Concerning the celebrated mines of Brazil there is little information. They are situated in the mountains which give source to many streams that flow north and south into the river Tocantin, on one side, and the Parana on the other, but there are mines of gold as far inland as the river Cuyaba, which flows into the Paraguay, and even near the river Ytenas.* The diamond mines are near the little river of Milhoverde, not far from Villa Nova do Principe, in the province of Serro de Frio, south lat. according to la Cruz 17" about long. 4l° west from London. This singular substance is not certainly known to be produced in any other part of the world, except Hindustan, and chiefly about the same north latitude 17°; but the diamonds of Brazil are not of so fine a water, being of a brownish obscure hue. I» the northern provinces of Brazil there are numerous herds of wild cattle, which are slaughtered for the sake of the hides. The river of St. Francisco is remarkable for passing a considerable way under ground, alter it has attained a great size.f

Botany. The jealousy and inertness of the Portuguese government have effectually prevented any regular and scientific account of the natural productions of their vast and opulent dominions in South America; and the few scattered fragments of Brazilian botany are chiefly to be collected from the journals of those navigators who have touched at Kio Janeiro, and from the flora Luaitanica of Vandelli, which contains a few plants of Brazilian origin. The esculent plants are such as are common to all the tropical regions of America, among which may be distinguished the plantain, the banana, the cocoa nut, the chocolate nut, the yam, potatoe, casava, together with numerous species of melons and goinds. Of fruits the number is scarcely to be reckoned; the principal of them however, such as the pine apple, the mango, and the tamarind have already been repeatedly mentioned in the account of the botany of the East and West Indies, The warm aromatic plants that are found here in a truly indigenous state, and are much used by the inhabitants as condiments to their food, or the basis of various drinks, are the ginger, the turmeric, several species of pepper, American coffee, capsicum or Guinea pepper, and the wild cinnamon (Laurus canella). Several medical plants of high estimation, though not peculiar to Brazil, yet grow here spontaneously and in abundance; these are the important ipecacuanha (callicocca ipecacuan* Others are near the river Peixe and Saguitinhonha, the Riacho-Fundo, and Guirupara in Si. Paul's. M. S. Im".

Adams in Ulloa, Ln^lish translation, ii. S29.

ha), the contrayerva, the Indian pink, (spigelia anthelmia) the medio' acan, the jalap, the amyris yielding the gum elemi, and the guayacum. Woods for ornamental cabinet work, or for the use of the dyers, which are at present furnished by the more enterprising activity of the Dutch, French, and English colonists of Guiana and the West Indies, might be procured in equal peifection and variety from Brazil; such are the logwood, fustic, mahogany, ebony* Brazil wood, rose wood, sattin wood, and a multitude of others. The merely ornamental plants are almost wholly unknown, but the Brazilian myrtle, the scarlet fuschia, and the incomparably splendid amaryllis formosissima, compose a most promising sample of the hidden treasures of this delightful country.

FRENCH.

Cayenne.

THE French settlements in Guiana were first formed about the year 1635, and extend from the mouth of a small river called Amano, west, to another called Aracara east, though re cently the limit was attempted to be extended, at the expense of the Portuguese, to the estuary of the Maranon. On the south the line seems arbitrary; but the whole extent does not exceed 350 British miles in length, by 240 in breadth. The chief town is on a small isle called Cayano, whence the whole territory is commonly styled Cayenne. The soil and climate in general seem unexceptionable; but the situation of the town being ill chosen, in a swampy isle, its disadvantages have been laxly ascribed to the whole possession. In the town are about 1200 white inhabitants, exclusive of the garrison. This colony seems to have been always neglected by the parent country; and tho inland parts remain obstructed by thick forests and underwood; and during the rains many parts are inundated. The dry season is from June till October, and the heaviest rains in our winter months. The Cayenne pepper is a noted product of this country, and the inhabitants using it to excess, a considerable quantity is always imported from Peru. Other products are sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and indigo.

DUTCH.

THE Dutch possessions in Guiana commenced in 1663; bat four years afterwards they were expelled by the English, whose descendants form a part of the colony, resumed by the Dutch in 1676. Dutch Guiana is to the north-west of the French settlement, and is often called Surinam from a river of that name on which the capital is situated. The length south-east to north-west is about 350 British miles, along the shores of the Atlantic; but the breadth only 160. The chief towns are Paramaribo, on the west bank of the Surinam, also called the Zeeland river, and New Middleburg near the northwest extremity of the colony: Demerara is a settlement on a river of that name. The white inhabitants of the capital are computed at 1800. The largest river is the Esquivo north-west which receives the short stream of the Demarara. The Berbiz and Corentin are also considerable rivers. An American medical gentleman, who resided here for some years, has published an account of the natural history of Guiana; and captain Stedman, who was employed in reducing the revolted negroes in 1774, has added yet more largely to our knowledge.' But the restricted nature of this work will only admit a few brief hints. The wet and dry seasons alternate, each for three months. No mines have been discovered by the Dutch, who always prefer certain returns; and are far from being in sufficient force to contest the inland parts with the savages, and Spaniards. Yet from the river Esquivo there is no difficult access to the lake of Parima, the fatal object of the wishes of Sir Walter Ralegh.† Bancroft confesses that

• Bancroft's Natural History of Guiana 1769. 8vo. Stedman's Surinam, 4to. He attempted to penetrate by the river Caroni, which rises north of the lake and flows into the Orinoco. The sands of this lake were supposed to be of gold, and in the vicinity was the fabulous golden city Manoa del Dorado. Such fables display the imagination of the early Spanish writers, the natives of Guiana being mere savages who never saw a village, and even the scite of the supposed city is totally unknown to La Cruz. Near the lake of Parima are the high mountains of Mei. Bouguer mentions that the rocks in this part of South America often wear the aspect of towers and towns; and some such rocks of talc or micaceous schistus occasioned this romance, at which the fate of Ralegh's expedition, and of that learned commander, forbids us to smile.