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2513
·B97
THE
HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.

NIK
OF
PS Rel
CW
R.KNIGHT S
THE PAULO AFFONSO, KING OF THE RAPIDS, THE NIAGARA OF BRAZIL.

THE
HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
BY CAPTAIN RICHARD F. BURTON,
F. R. G.S., ETC.
43367
*****
Brazil is usually represented by a Tupy Woman.
VOL II.
LONDON:
1869.
MICH, UNIV.
02
TINSLEY BROTHERS, 18, CATHERINE STREET, STRAND.
[All Rights of Translation and Reproduction reserved.]
LIBRARY
EXPLORATIONS
OF THE
HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL:
WITHI
A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE GOLD AND
DIAMOND
MINES.
ALSO,
CANOEING DOWN 1500 MILES OF THE GREAT RIVER SÃO FRANCISCO,
FROM SABARÁ TO THE SEA.
BY
CAPTAIN RICHARD
F. R. G. S., ETO.
VOL. II.
>
1
F BURTON,
LONDON:
TINSLEY BROTHERS, 18, CATHERINE ST., STRAND.
1869.
[All Rights of Translation and Reproduction reserved.]
LONDON:
BRADBURY, EVANS, AND CO., PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS.
2-10-3S
D.F
CHAPTER.
I.—SABARÁ TO SANTA LUSÍA
Departure.Adieux.-The Raft, and what is in it.-The "Brig
Eliza."-The State of the River.
II.—SANTA LUSÍA TO JAGUÁRA
III.—AT JAGUÁRA
Macahúbas of the Nuns. -Hospitable Receptions.
CONTENTS.
Rides about the Place. -The Vegetation. -Excursion to Lagoa Santa.
Dr. Lund.-M. Fourreau.-What the Word "Cachoeira means.
""
IV.—TO CASA BRANCA AND THE CACHOEIRA DA ONÇA
K
The Country House.-The Country Gentleman.-Visit to Jequitiba.
-Ugly Rapids.
V.—TO THE FAZENDA DO DOM SUCCESSO
.
The Corôa, or Sand-bar.-Preparations to Visit Diamantina.—The
Pleasures of Solitude.
VI. TO THE CIDADE DIAMANTINA
-
VII. AT DIAMANTINA .
Paraúna River and Village of the Caboclos.-The Windy Rivulet.
The Serrra da Contagem.-Complete change of Country and Vege-
tation.-Camillinho Vegetation. -Gouvêa. -Dona Chiquinha.-
Solar Eclipse.-Bandeirinha. - Arrival.
[
K
M
•
City described. Society. Popularity of the English in the Brazil.
-The Diamond in the Brazil, its discovery, &c.-Value of exported
Diamonds.
V
Play
VIII. TO THE DIAMOND DIGGINGS OF THE SOUTHERN RIO DAS
PEDRAS, ALIAS THE JEQUITINHONHA .
The Ride.-Quaint Stones.-São Gonçalo of the Good Girls.-The
Serviço Mine described.-Expenses.-Want of Machinery.—
Minc.-The Maravilha
Plunder. Dr. Dayrell.-The "Lomba
Mountain. Return to Diamantina.
M
""
PAGE
1
11
23
38
56
72
94
109
vi
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER
IX. THE DIAMOND MINE AT SÃO JOÃO
X.-NOTES ON THE DIAMOND.
The Brant Family.- "Duro."-Ride out. -"Le Sport."--Different
Kinds of Deer.-Reach the Arraial of São João do Descoberto.-
Rapid Feeding. The Duro Mine.-The Barro Mine.-Engage
"O Menino," the new Paddle.
XI. FROM BOM SUCCESSO TO THE CORDA DO GALLO
XIV.-
datin
Diamantine Lands in the Brazil, where found.-Prospecting for
Diamonds.-Concession to work.-Perfection of the Diamond.-
Debated origin of the Stone.-Refraction, Tests, &c.-Where
formed.-Diamond grounds.---Diamond "Formaçoa," or Stones
that accompany the Gem. -Note from M. Damour.-Shape of
Diamond.--Its colour.-Its laws. --Its weights and price.-About
Boart."-Celebrated Brazilian stones.
pagpatay
XIII. TO AND AT GUAICUITY
XII. FROM THE COROA DO GALLO TO THE ILHA GRANDE
"Cachoeira da Escaramuga" (No. 10, and final). The delightful
temperature. —Vermin.-Eclipse of the Moon.The Howling Mon-
keys howl, and other signs of an approaching rainy season. The
Jacaré, or Brazilian crocodile.--Gulls, and noisy birds. Serpents.
-Last night on the Rio das Velhas.
The Saco or Porto das Burrinhos. -Independence Day. The "Cacho-
cira do Picão."--The Lapa dos Urubus.-The Burity Palm.-
Silent Birds.
""
Landing. The "Jiggers. -The great "Meeting of the Waters.-
Guaicuhy described, the Manga and the Villa. The Serrinha and
its View. The good "Delegate of Police, Sr. Leandro Hermeto
da Silva.
XV. THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO
·
TO THE RAPIDS OF THE PIRAPORA.
What "Pirapora " means. The name São Francisco explained.
-A new crew. The Pirapora examined. -- Diamonds. The Storm
and the "Bull's eye."-The barca, or yawl.-The "horse-boat
wanted.--The Barqueiro, or Waterman of the Rio de São Francisco.
His poetry, his improvisation, and his superstitions.
XVI.—FROM QUAICUHY TO SÃO ROMÃO
I
Pam L
""
-
C
Magy
The system of the stream. --Its source.-Direction.-Length.-Mag-
nitude. —Geology.-Glazed rocks.-Iron Deposits.Wealth of
Valley. The River considered in connection with colonization, and
as a line of communication. The rivers of the Brazil generally.-
Deplorable neglect of water communication. --Rivers versus
Railways.-The Rio das Velhas preferable to the Upper São Fran-
cisco. ---- Estimates for clearing the Rio das Velhas, by M. Liais.
Estimates for clearing the Rio da São Francisco by M. Halfeld. -
Estimates of M. de la Martinière. -The author's own estimates.
Steam navigation on the Rio das Velhas begun by M. H. Dumont.
Steam navigation on the Rio de São Francisco by the councillor
Manoel Pinto de Souza Dantas,-Creation of new province on the
São Francisco River.-General view of the great line of communi-
cation.Its benefits to the Empire.
Sa Mag
Aspects of the River.-Estrema Village. -Game.-The Otter.
The Cashew showers. Reach São Romão. Its history. -Giant
fig-trees. Actual state of the Town. - A Good Time coming.
G
""
P
PAGE
125
135
155
169
185
199
214
237
CONTENTS.
vii
CHAPTER
XVII.-FROM SÃO ROMÃO TO JANUARIA
XIX.
XVIII.-FROM JANUARIA TO CARUNHANHA
Kategor
Steam-boat Islands.-The Uracuia River.-The village As Pedras dos
Angicos.—Quixaba-trees. — The Ria Pardo.-Approach to the City
of Januaria.-Vegetation at Village of Na Sa da Conceição das
Pedras de Marin das Cruz.-Reach the Porto do Brejo do Salgardo.
The present city of Januaria.-Its history and present state.--
Danger of being swept away.-Reception.-Petty Larceny.
Civility of Sr. Manoel Caetano de Souza Silva.-The Pequizeiro.-
Missionaries and Missioners.-Walk to the Brejo do Salgado. -
Its actual state.-Romantic legend of the people's descent.
a
dag
The vile weather. Remains of the Red-skins.-The Hamlet and
large church of Na Sa Da Conceição dos Morrinhos. -Decay and
Desolation. The Manga do Amador settlement. -The song of the
birds.—The Rio Verde, a Salt Stream.-The Carunhanha River.
The Malhada settlement and its receivership.-Lieut. Loureiro.
Visit the Villa of Carunhanha.-Don Rodrigues.-Vile Night.
gg de
•
FROM CARUNHANHA TO SENHOR BOM JESUS DA LAPA
A Gooseless Michaelmas.-The Lugar da Cachoeira.-The Paratéca
Stream, and the disputed "Rio Ramalho."-Diamantine Deposits.
The Alligator now killed out. The Conde da l'onte.-The
Assassin Guimarães.-The Mountain of the Holy Cave described.
The Village.-The Holy Cave. The stout-hearted Vicar, Rev.
Francisco de Freitas Soueiro. —The
(( Uniformitarian envies the
"Catastrophist."
M
-
>>
XX.-FROM SENHOR BOM JESUS DA LAPA TO THE ARRAIAL DO
BOM JARDIM
The Rio do Corrente.-The Settlement "Sitio do Mato."— The
"Bull's Eye" and Storm.-Visit to the Villa de Urubú.-Urubú
will not be a Capital.--We resume work. Complete Change of
-
Climate and Aspect of Country.-The Settlement "Estrema.
Reach Bom Jardim.-Its Rivulet and fine Diamantation.-True
Itacolumite. Bom Jardim a good Site for a City.
pa
"
>>
XXI.- FROM THE ARRAIAL DO BOM JARDIM TO THE VILLA DA
BARRA (DO RIO GRANDE)
The Carnahúba, or Wax-palm.-Vintens offered to Santo Antonio.
First sight of the Arassuá Range.-The gull-fair. - Big Cranes.
The Toca, or Cave of Saint Anthony.-The thorns. The villages
of the Pará.-The leather-coat bird and the chameleon. -Ap-
proach to the Villa de Barra do Rio Grande, a proposed capital. -
The Rio Grande an important influent.-The Villa described.
M
XXII. FROM THE VILLA DA BARRA (DO RIO GRANDE) TO
THE VILLA OF PILÃO ARCADO
The sand-dunes.-Complicated approach to Chique-Chiquo.-The
settlement described. The Xique-Xique cactus. Good mutton.
-Hire animals to visit the Diamond Diggings.-The old freedman.
The Trees and Birds.-Breeding fazendas.--The grove of Carna-
húba palms.-Lakes.-Ascent of hills. --The serviço or diamond-
digging "do Pintorshino. The Village of Santo Ignacio. --Origin
of the Diggings, and other peculiarities. --Return-ride to Chique-
Chique.--Resume navigation. The portals. The storms. Reach
Pilão Arcado.
PAGE
251
269
283
294
308
324
viii
CONTENTS.
x
CHAPTER
XXIII. FROM THE EX-VILLA DO PILÃO ARCADO TO THE VILLA
DE SENTO SÉ
Pilão Arcado described. -Ruined by private wars.-Great iron for-
mations.Storms again.-Bad approach to the Villa do Remanso.
-The Town described.-Resume work.The great easterly bend
of the Rio de São Francisco-The Tucum palm.-Limestone. -An
iron hill, the Serrote do Tombador. -Shells.-The Minhocão
monster worm.-The willows.-Reach the town of Sento Sé.
XXIV.-FROM THE VILLA DE SENTO SÉ TO THE CACHOEIRA DO
SOBRADINHO AND THE VILLA DO JOAZEIRO
Sento Sé described.-Indolence of people. -The Porto.-The women.
-Long delays by winds.-Pretty Country.-Village near the Ilha
de Santa Anna.-We attack the Cachoeira do Sobradinho, the
first break after 720 miles. -Our Life on the River.-Precautions
for health.-Reach the Villa do Joazeiro.
XXV.-AT THE VILLA DO JOAZEIRO
XXVII.-
The Villa has a great name undeservedly.-The Villa described.
The lands about it.-Present prices of articles.-The vine.
Colonel Santo Sé and the steamer "Presidente Dantas."-Visited
the Ilha do Fogo.-The railways from Pernambuco and Bahia to
Joazeiro. --- Railways a failure in the Brazil.-Neglect of water
communication. The Bahian Steam Navigation Company and a
lateral tramway past the Rapids the true system for exploiting the
São Francisco.
XXVI.—FROM THE VILLA DO JOAZEIRO TO THE VILLA DA BOA
VISTA
General remarks on this travessia, the garden of the São Francisco.
The "two brothers."-The Cachoeira Jenipapo.-The Villa da
Boa Morte, anciently Capim Grosso. Its origin.-Its scanty civi-
lity. Resume work.-Pretty approach to the Villa da Boa Vista.
-The Canal proposed. Also another canal.-Arrive at the Villa.
The commandant superior.-Recruiting of the Conservatives.
Origin of the Villa. Its present state described. — Engaged a new
crew, the pilot Manoel Cypriano and the paddle "Captain Soft,'
Made now paddles for the Rapids.
""
D
B
Magg
FROM THE VILLA DO BOA VISTA TO VARZÉA REDONDA
The Rapids and the Smooths.
XXVIII. TO THE GREAT RAPIDS
APPENDIX.
Ad
Varzea Redonda described. Dismissal of crew and consequent
relief. The mulcteers of Pernambuco.-Great Rapid of the
Itaparica.
Categ
J
XXIX. PAULO AFFONSO, KING OF THE RAPIDS
·
PACE
342
355
369
380
393
432
443
459
THE
HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
CHAPTER I.
SABARÁ TO SANTA LUSÍA.
DEPARTURE.-ADIEUX.-THE RAFT, AND WHAT IS IN IT. THE BRIG ELIZA,”
-THE STATE OF THE RIVER.
*
M
((
"Messieurs les délicats voulez-vous vous embarquer pour vivre de telle
façon ? Comme ie ne vous conseille pas.”—Jean de Lery.
WEDNESDAY, August 7, 1867.—We walked down to the Porto da
Ponte Grande, where the ajôjo or raft lay. I never saw such
an old Noah's Ark, with its standing awning, a floating gipsy
66
pál," some seven feet high and twenty-two long, and pitched
like a tent upon two hollowed logs. The river must indeed be
safe, if this article can get down without accident.
All the notables of the place witnessed the process of embarka-
tion. Miss Dundas broke the bottle with all possible grace upon
the bows, and christened my craft the "Brig Eliza," and two
pair of slippers were duly thrown at my head. Many "vivas
were given and returned, and all embarked for a trial-trip-shall
I call it, with the Royal Geographical Society, a "tentative expe-
dition "—of a couple of miles. When the fifteen souls came on
board, they sunk the article some three palms, and deluged the
port platform, making the headman, or pilot, "Manoel de Assump-
ção Vieira," very nervous-already he began to predict swamping,
"going down in a jiffey," and being dashed to pieces by the rapids.
We shot past the Pedra Grande, a quartzose rock in mid stream;
* The upper landing-place at the Ponte Pequena Quarter is called "Porto do Gallego,”
from a stream and an old gold washing hard by it.
VOL. II.
19
B
2
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. I.
the Cámara has threatened for years to remove this obstacle ;
unfortunately no one here can fire a charge under water.
M
At the little "church village" of Santo Antonio da Roça
Grande, the animals were waiting to carry home the non-voyagers,
my wife-who was incapacitated for accompanying me by a bad
fall and a serious sprain-included. My hospitable and warm-
hearted escort stood-as the setting sun sank behind the moun-
· tains-and watched the raft turn the last corner, and float off into
the far mysterious unknown. What made me think of the Nile
story told by Mr. Curzon, of the white man paddled by dark
Amazons adorned with barbaric gold, down the streams unfre-
quented by the traveller? I confess to having felt an unusual
sense of loneliness as the kindly faces faded in the distance,
and, by way of "distraction," I applied my brain to the careful
examination of my conveyance.
(08
The ajôjo, or, as it is called in other places, the "balsa," here
represents the flat boat of the Mississippi, and of the Arkansas
"chicken thieves," in the days when, according to Mr. Nolte,
men spent a month between the mouth of the Ohio and New
Orleans, and then walked back. On the Rio das Velhas, how-
ever, it cannot yet be said to have become an institution, and I
am the only traveller who has yet passed down from Sabará to the
Rapids of Paulo Affonso. As explorers, frontier-men, and other
"pioneers of civilization" will have to use it upon the still unknown
branches of many a stream, including the Amazons River, a
detailed description of the craft may not be without use.
The usual ajôjo* is a bundle of two or three canoes, in the
latter case the longest occupying the centre. The best materials
are the strong and light Tamboril Vinhatico, and "Cedro," or
Brazilian cedar, about one inch thick; mine were of "Peroba,t
nearly two inches deep, and consequently too heavy. We drew
two palms, approaching a foot and a half (seventeen inches) even
without cargo. There is sometimes a helm, always fixed to the
longer or the longest boat; if not, the pilot poles or paddles,
standing or sitting in the stern. The canoes should be lashed
together by hide ropes, with an interval of six to eight inches,
not connected as mine were by iron bars joining them at both
* Or ajoujo. In Portuguese, as in
most of the Latin languages, the circumflex
often denotes crasis, or contraction by the
omission of a letter whose sound is or is
not retained.
A fine hard wood, formerly reserved
by government for ship-building.
CHAP. I.]
3
SABARÁ TO SANTA LUSIA.
stem and stern, and thus destroying all elasticity. Round or
squared poles fastened by leather thongs to the gunwales, support
the "soalho," or platform, which should fit tight to the sides,
otherwise the craft, when "broaching to," may be water-logged.
This boarding of ten planks, laid horizontally, projects laterally
into coxias, trampways eight to ten inches wide, where the men
work.* My canoes, thirty-three feet four inches long, and when
joined, six feet broad, formed a solid foundation for the standing
awning, a somewhat risky comfort. It was made fast by five
wooden stanchions, of which the two pair fore and the one aft,
were supported, besides being nailed, by strong iron knees, or
stays. The tent was of rough Minas cotton, protected in the
forepart, where I slept, by wax-cloth from Morro Velho; and it
was a kind of "pál," to throw off the rain. Facing the head,
and in the coolest place, was a tall deal writing-desk, which
rivalled the awning in catching the wind. Behind this, on each
side, stood a Giráo,† or boarded bunk, for sofa and bed, raised
on four uprights. Amidships was the table, a locked box of
provisions flanked by two stools (tamburetes). In the stern stood
the galley, a similar bench, but lined with bricks, and around it the
batterie de cuisine, iron kettles and pots, cups and goblets, of
course not forgetting the invaluable frying pan.‡ Two large jars
of porous earth (talhas or igaçabas),§ carried the supply of water,
*When the Ajôjo carries merchandise,
the platform is reduced to the gangway.
Coxía also means a stall, a corridor in a
hospital, a passage in a warehouse, &c.
The Girão or Jiráo, according to the
T. D. is properly a hut on piles, used as a
granary. Sr. J. de Alencar uses it as the
"horse," or small gallows-shaped frame of
the Jangada-raft. In the south it is
called "Noque." Generally in the Brazil,
Giráo is applied to various rude pieces of
furniture, shelves of wood or hide, a frame
work for smoking or sun-drying meat, and
so forth.
The provisions were jerked meat
(Carne seca), in Pernambuco called Carne
de Ceará, in other places Carne do Sertão
and Carne do Sol, when simply cut in
strips, hung in the air and sun dried, fine
coriaceous matter for pulling at with the
teeth. Lard (Toucinho) is never wanting
in these parts; and rice and beans can
generally be found. The men also received
a dram of rum (Cachaça) every evening.
For my own stores I had a box with a
lock it contained white salt and sugar-
the brown can be found everywhere-mus-
tard and black pepper; here they cannot
be bought, while cayenne grows wild. I
also had tea-it is no use to carry coffee.
The good Mr. Gordon had supplied me
with excellent salt beef in rounds, with
tongues and with bread, to relieve the
monotony of the Brazilian rusk; also, in
case of sickness, with a bottle of Cognac
and another of gin, which might take the
place of Pinga. Finally, a few tins of
beef, sardines, and potted meats, for a
"treat," were stored in the table-box.
Mr. James Smyth, of Morro Velho, gave
me a few valuable boxes of excellent Hava-
nahs, which were highly appreciated by
my hosts.
In Brazilian travel cigars are
soon exhausted, and it is the custom to pass
round the case.
§ Ygaçába is a Tupy word, generally
used in these parts. The first letter had
amongst the savages a dubious sound be-
tween "i" (or "y") and "u. Hence
the Portuguese wrote it in various ways, as
>>
(6
"ira" ΟΙ ora," honey, and una for yg,
una, a dark stream.
B 2
4
[CHAP. I.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
which was renewed every night, and allowed to stand for a day.
The President of São Paulo advised me not to drink liquid from
the stream, but all on board did so, and so did I. Mr. Gordon
had taken care to provide the raft with a stout boat-hook, with
an anchor in the bows, a standing wonder to the riverines, who
had never heard of Anacharsis the Scythian, and with strong
English ropes for "cordelling"*-these are of the greatest con-
sequence when swinging round the rapids.
The crew numbers three,t old Vieira and his sons, who are
to receive, besides food, 5000 per day.‡ Two stand in the
bows with poles, which they prefer, as being easier to use than
paddles. The former, called varas, and when large, varegões, are
stout elastic cuttings of the supple Peroba or Parahybuna wood,
fifteen to twenty feet long, by two inches in diameter. They are
shod with iron (ferrão), and, when not, the ends must be sharpened
before shooting a rapid. The points are of various kinds, the
Ponta de diamante" is a long pyramid, with a ring band; the
"Pé de Cabra" is cloven-footed, and the "Gongo" has, in addition,
a boat-hook to hold on by; whilst the Forquilha, which rarely
comes into use, is a hooked pole, that arrests the course by catch-
ing trees. The paddles (remos), used in deeper waters, are
artless articles, and vary in shape every few hundred miles; here
they are straight and flattened spatula. The next set will have
handles four feet long, ending in a blunt lozenge one foot broad;
its rowlock will be a lashing of hide rove through a hole in the
gunwale. This article has no leverage. At the junction of the
two streams I found fine elastic paddles of the veined and yellow
taipóca wood, which not a little resembled our ash. They were
six feet in length, and broadest at the lower end, which was
rounded so as to present a clean surface when used as a pole
against bank or tree, or ended with trimmed beams of a heavy
Cactus, which sinks in water like lead, and which is capable of
doing very hard work.
The men were mere land-lubbers, quite unlike those of the S.
Francisco. They feel, or affect to feel, nervous at every obstacle.
They have been rowing all their lives, and yet they know not how
* Locally called "Sirga.'
For the up trip six men are necessary,
and the work of one day down stream takes
three.
I carried Brazilian bank-notes, taking
t
care that they were new and of small
values, between 10000 and 1$000: be-
sides these, a small bag of coppers and of
silver pieces for especial occasions, was in
store. Total, 1:500$000.
CHAP. I.]
LO
SABARÁ TO SANTA LUSÍA.
to back water; curious to say, this is everywhere the case down
stream. They pull with all their might for a few minutes, when
the river is rapid, so as to incur all possible risk; and, when the
water is almost dead, they lie upon their oars and lazily allow
themselves to be floated down. Thus, during the working day,
between 7 A.M. and 5 P.M., very little way is made. They have
no system, nor will they learn any; it is needless to suggest
placing rollers under the canoes or stamping upon the platform
when we ground; they never saw such things done, and they
don't care to see them. All have the appetites of Abyssinians,
and suck sugar-cane like their "Indian" ancestry; they might
take for motto,-
Au boire je prens grant plaisir,
A viande frieiche et nouvelle:
Quand à table me voy servir
Mon esprit se renouvelle.
They are energetic only in performing upon the cow-horn, the
bozina de chifre, derived from the ancient savages;* with this
they announce arrival, salute those on the banks, and generally
enjoy the noise.
My sole attendant is a Morro Velho boy, named " Agostinho,"
lent to me by Mr. Gordon. He knows something of the river, of
gold washing, of diamond digging, and of rough cookery. Despite
occasional attacks of dipsomania, he proved very useful, and at
Rio de Janeiro he was returned into store with all the honours.
"Negra," the mastiff, wild eyed as an ounce, becomes very
savage when tied up, and barks as if under a waggon tilt. She
is the terror of those who see her for the first time, and she will
prove useful-in these parts all men travel with fierce dogs. I
have two passengers on board. One is a certain Antonio Casi-
* The Tupys called it "Mamiá," and
formed it of two pieces of wood joined toge-
ther with thread and resins. Ferreira,
writing in the last century, says of these
rude trumpets that, "played in the fore-
part of the canoes whilst travelling in the
interior, they serve to summon the Indians
before starting from the places where the
embarcations are moored. According to
Prince Max. (ii. 179), the Botucudos (whom
he will call Botocoudys, ") termed it
countchoun-cocann, and made it out of the
tail of the great armadillo (Dasypus gigas,
Cuv.). The more civilized Coroados used
horns to call one another in the forest. On
((
""
the Upper Amazons the horn is made of two
pieces of thin hollowed wood, joined toge-
gether by a lashing of twine and coated
with wax they are blunderbuss-shaped,
four feet long, with a red mouth-piece, and
a deep mellow sound. The Indians use
them to frighten away the monsters of
the deep, and, like Africans, to show
by their noise that they come as friends.
My men also enjoy the use of the "ban-
durra, or small viola, a wire-guitar, and
the Marimbão, a Jew's, or rather Jaw's
harp the name is distinctly Portuguese
Angolan.
11
6
[CHAP. I.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
miro Pinto, popularly called " Onça ;" by profession a fogueteiro,
or rocket-maker; he asked for brandy at once, and the pilot,
pointing to his fiery face, exclaimed, "Chupa muito," he sucks
(the monkey) much. We presently landed at a breeding estate,
where his son, the capataz,* or overseer, looks after some 2000
head. The other was a Southerner-immigrant, Mr. Hock; this
old pilgrim-father had brought with him a party of twenty souls,
all had been spirited away by the indefatigable "Sprat" of
Sabará, and like Rachel, he declines to be just now com-
forted. His present idea is to make a railway on condition of
receiving alternate sections of sixty square miles, or thirty on
both sides of the line. In the United States, where the contrac-
tors were satisfied with grants ten times less, the world predicted
their ruin; but the new lots attracted settlers, and paid remark-
ably well.
I would willingly see this system adopted in the
Empire, which now suffers from paying seven per cent. interest
upon vast sums extravagantly laid out. Mr. Hock accompanied
me as far as Jaguára.
Between Sabará and Jaguára the river line is officially twenty
leagues, 1,118,490 metres, the breadth is between forty-four
and seventy-seven metres, and the average slope 0m-4135 per
kilometre. This distance, about th of the whole length, was
partially cleared out for 6:000 $ 000, and this figure will be useful
in estimating the total required. The stream is deeply encased;
the reaches are short, and we seem to run at the bluffs, where
high ribs come down to the bed, and cut the bottom into very
small bends. As usual in the smaller Brazilian rivers, there is
hardly any breadth of valley; in places it is a mere ledge, hardly
to be called "dale" or "level" at the hill-foot. The banks, Į
often perpendicular, are of gravel, sand, or dark puggy clay, and
between October and January they are deeply flooded. The
pilots speak of 16 to 20 palms rise, and of small bayous, more often
flood-lagoons than filtration-lagoons, formed in the flats. The
* Formerly called Amo or Vaqueiro; he
receives a certain proportion of the stock
as pay, and has complete command over
the "Campeiros or "Moços," who are
mostly youngsters.
+ Of course the current greatly varies,
and in some places the water is almost still.
According to M. Liais, the river at Sabarà
stands in the dry season 695 metres above
sea-level, and at the confluence it is 432.3
>>
metres. The distance between the two
places is 666,080 metres, or 361-28 miles,
or 120 43 geographical leagues, and thus
the general declivity is 0.3941 per kilome-
tre. The slope of the Upper São Francisco,
between the Paraopéba River and the Rapids
of Pirapora averages 0m 4890.
Here called Barrancos or Barreiras do
rio, the classical Ribas or Ribeiras not
being used.
CHAP. I.]
7
SABARÁ TO SANTA LUSÍA.
bottom is of coarse pebbles and finer arenaceous matter, without
mud, except where deposited by influents; at this season there
are many shoal-islets or sand-bars, and bed-islets in mid stream.
We find a few rivers but no "Cachoeiras," or rapids, properly
so called. The most troublesome feature is the shallow (raseira);*
at places where the bed broadens we ground with unpleasant
regularity, and our crew has to tumble in. This part abounds in
snags, locally called "tocos," meaning tree trunks; the "sawyer"
is unknown, but there are galheiros (pronounced gayyeros), trees
with upright and projecting branches. Sometimes they appear
like poles, placed to stake the channel. The tortuous bed, never
showing a mile ahead, prevents anything like waves, though the
wind is in our teeth, and it will long continue so. Where there
is much depth, the water boils upt and spreads out, sometimes
the effect of a floor uneven with pit holes, and of the mid stream
flowing faster than the surface or the bottom, where it is retarded
by friction.
At this time we see the worst of the Old Squaws' River. The
"Sol de Augusto" is proverbially bad, especially between two and
four P.M. Heavy morning mists enforce idleness, and will last
till the opening of the wet season, in September to October.
There is a minimum of water and a maximum of contrary wind,
sometimes, but rarely, chopping round to the south, and blow-
ing with strong flows when the regular current ceases; this is
not the case during the rains. On the other hand it is the
"Moon of Flowers;" the poor second growth -virgin forest
is unknown-teems with the Flôr de Quaresma, with its bunches.
of purple beauty, and the hill tops are feathered by the tall Lico-
rim and the Guariroba palms.
After about three hours we passed the Pedra do Moinho, the
only really bad shoal, made worse by rocks on the left hand; the
first sight of human habitation was a little farm near the Lagoa da
Fazenda do Barao (de Sabará), a flood-fed pool. Opposite it, on
a narrow step of poor ground, was the baronial manor-house with
* M. Liais proposes to narrow the stream
artificially, between Sabará and Roça Grande
especially. But we came down easily in
the worst month, drawing, when loaded, at
least 20 inches.
+"'Sta fervendo," the men exclaim.
This must not be confounded with our
popular term "boiling water," that is,
when the wind forces the waves one way
and the tide checks them the other, thus
making them lose their run, rise, dance,
and bubble into points.
During the rains there is least wind,
and it does not always accompany even
thunder and lightning.
8
[CHAP. I.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
a queer green portico, like Mtoni, near Zanzibar City. Then
came sundry breeding fazendas and Retiros,* which sell fat and
good jerked meat for 3$000 to 3$500 per 32lbs. The cattle,
numerous but degenerate, stand in the water or bask upon the
sunny sand, and the horses gathering upon the grassy hill sides,
stare snorting at our awning. In rare places there are patches
(canaviaes) of stunted sugar-cane.
Near the house of José Corrêa, where the river forks to east
and west, inclosing a hilly island, we found the "Barque Jagu-
ára." She was loaded with the enormous secular logs for Morro
Velho. This large flat craft, 105 feet long by 24 feet broad, and
24 inches in depth (pontal), built of the hard Vinhatico and
Canella woods, with ribs of Páu d'Arco, and iron-plated bottom,
is triangular fore and aft. The weight is 32,000 lbs., of which
the greatest part is metal. Unloaded she draws four inches, and
increases one inch per four tons; she carries seventy-two tons
down the channel, twenty-two inches deep, between Macahubás
and Jaguára, and she makes Sabará in twelve days from the
latter place, returning in two or three. Evidently a steam-tug
will be a success here, without expending much money upon the
river bed.
"You'll never reach Trahiras!" cried the people on board the
barque, deriding the "Eliza." And indeed we seemed likely to
waste much time. However, if we crept on slowly, it was surely,
and the Morro da Cruz of Sabará, which early in the day was a tall
bluff to the west, presently gave us a parting look from the south-
south-west. As evening approached the weather waxed cool and
clear, and the excessive evaporation gave the idea of great dry-
ness; my books curled up, it was hardly possible to write, and it
reminded me of the Persian Gulf, where water-colours cannot be
used because the moisture is absorbed from the brush. The
first view of Santa Lusía was very pleasing; a tall ridge about a
mile from the stream, was capped with two double-towered
churches, divided by fine large whitewashed houses and rich
vegetation, with palms straggling down to the water.
*The Retiro (dim. Retirozinho) here
means a small breeding estate, where the
absentee landlord establishes a capataz.
(C
""
The desinences "-al" and "-edo,"
(plural -acs and "-edos," as Olival or
Olivedo, correspond in Portuguese with the
..
"C
Latin -etum, and the Tupy -tyba ΟΙ
-tuba," e.g. Indaiá-tyba, a place whero
the Indaiá palm abounds; Uba-tuba, a site
where the Uba reed is plentiful. It must
not be confounded with -uba, or -uva, a
tree.
""
•
CHAP. I.]
9
SABARÁ TO SANTA LUSÍA.
I landed at the "Porto de Praia de Vicente Rico," above the
bridge, and ascended a hill lined by hovels, with torn calico for
window glass; the path showed remnants of a slippery grass-grown
Calçada. The "Hotel," kept in the Rua Direita by a "Doctor "
Joaquim de Silva Torres, had broken its back, and attendance
might be defined as the power of clapping hands and ejaculating
"Pst" ad libitum. On the other hand, the bill was a mere
trifle.
A walk up town led to two churches, the Rosario and the
Matriz, the latter with its steps in ruins. I left my two letters.
of introduction, and heard no more of them for some time-the
recipients, of course, could not call before the next noon. The
Baroneza de Santa Lusía, who has a large house in the main
street, with a front all windows, was an invalid: the venerable
lady is the widow of Sr. Manoel Ribeiro Vianna, who founded the
"S. João de Deus de Santa Lusía," a hospital for sick paupers.
He died before the work was finished, and his relict magnifi-
cently dowered it with a house, furniture, and £3000.
The gold diggings which built Santa Lusía were of two kinds,
Cascalho and "Ouro de Barba," Gold of the Beard. The river
floods deposited particles upon the bank, the sods were cut* and
the grass was shaved off to be panned, hence the picturesque
popular term. Hard "
Marumbé" iron stone still abounds.
The Municipality, which in 1864 contained 22,980 inhabitants,
1915 voters, and 48 electors, might be rich with an improved
system of agriculture. The land supplies sugar in quantities,
a little coffee and "mantimento," rice and manioc, beans and
millet, the Ricinus plant, whose oil is chiefly used for lamps,
sweet potatoes (Convolvulus edulis), † and the Cará-tuber, together
* After catching the deposit of two
years the sods are sliced off one finger thick,
and 2 to 3 inches deep are taken up after five
years' rest. Lower down stream I saw the
cakes heaped on the bank.
† M. Renault, who has made an especial
study of the Cará and the Convolvulus
edulis, has obliged me with the following
information :-
The Carás belong to the family of the
Dioscoreacea, created from that of the
Asparaginæ, antl the genus Dioscorea bul-
bifera. There are six known species, of which
all, except No. 5, have a fecula superior to
that of the potato. The cultivator opens,
in a light soil by preference, large deep
holes, to whose proportions the root is
supposed to fit itself; these are filled
with dried grass to support the cuttings,
which are covered up with a little earth.
The root is cooked like the potato, and
is caten with or without sugar or sweet-
meats; its flour enters into cakes and
puddings:-
1. The ordinary Cará (D. sativa) pro-
duces a spheroidal tuber, at times attaining
the weight of 30 lbs.
2. The Cará de dedos, or palmated (D.
Dodecancura), resembles in shape a man's
hand.
10
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. 1.
with small timber; while the river is exceedingly rich in fish,
which finds its way to Morro Velho. To judge from the streets,
prostitution is the most thriving trade; but all assured me that
it was outdone by Cruvello, a city further north, and ten leagues
to the west of the main artery. Both of these are
"church-
towns," visited by the planters on Sundays and holidays.
The little Arraial became on July 8, 1842, the site of the acting
Presidency; and here on August 20 of the same year, ended the
revolutionary movement. The intrusive President kindly dis-
appeared at night, and the then good genius of the Conservative
party, General Barão (now Marquez) de Caxias attacked the
insurgents. The fight raged around the bridge, beginning with
early morning: the field was still doubtful at 3 P.M., when the
8th Battalion of Regulars occupied the highest point of the
village, and put the enemy to hopeless flight. The chiefs, Srs.
Ottoni, José Pedro, Padre Brito, Joaquim Gualberto and others,
were made prisoners of state, and since that day, to them dis-
astrous, the Ultra-Liberals have ever been called "Lusías."*
St. Lucy or Luiz, I may remind you, is the patroness of
the blind, and generally holds in her hand an eye apparently
gouged.
3. Cará Cobra (D. hyperfolia), supposed
to resemble a serpent.
4. Cará Mimoso (D. triloba); its small
roots produce a fine fecula.
5. Cará Tinga (D. alba) grows wild in the
Capoeiras of Minas, and is the least esteemed.
The spheroidal root is a little bigger than
an ostrich's egg, the skin is white, and
covered with small asperities, and boiling
water softens it but little; it is cooked
under ashes, and is eaten when a quill can
be thrust into it.
6. Cará do Ar (D. Peperifolia). This
species also produces climbers, sometimes
12 to 13 feet long, and as many as 40 fruits,
weighing 1 lb., in shape a rhomboidal tetra-
hedron. The climbers die after fruiting,
and reappear next year. This tuber is re-
produced from the fruit, and yields within
the first twelve months; whereas the other
five kinds are propagated by cuttings of the
stalk, to which are attached some of the
fibrous roots of the climber. This Cará do
Ar has no maladies nor enemies, and it
would be a boon to Europe. It requires
little care, once planted it lasts for many
seasons, it can be crowded without injury,
and it wants only a somewhat tall support.
A single stem yields ten times more than
the potato, and it would save much surface
by demanding very little ground.
There is also a (( Cará do Mato," the
tuberculous roots of a wild Cará much
eaten by the Indians.
The Carás, like the true yams and the
sweet potato, have often been confounded
with the Topinambours (vol. i. chap. 8),
because all are tuberous roots, and were
imported from America.
The sweet potato belongs to the family
Convolvulaceæ, and to the genus Convolvulus
edulis. Of this plant there are four well-
known species:-
1. Convolvulus edulis.
2. C. tuberosus.
3. C. esculentus.
4. C. varius (Martius).
* "Lusía" was opposed to "Saquaréma,
which some travellers call 66
Sagoarema.
It is a village and a water on the seaboard
near Rio de Janeiro, and being the head-
quarters of the "old Tory" party, espe-
cially the families of Torres (Itaborahy) and
Soares de Souza (Uruguay), it became a
noted name. The term "Cascudo," some-
what similar, is taken from the Rio Cas-
cudo, between Minas and S. Paulo.
M
22
""
CHAPTER II.
SANTA LUSIA TO JAGUÁRA.
MACAHUBAS OF THE NUNS.-HOSPITABLE RECEPTIONS.
Que se a abundancia à industria se combina
Cessando a inercia, que mil lucros tolhe,
Houverá no algodão, que alli se topa
Roupa com que vestir-se toda a Europa.
(Caramurú, 7, 48.)
AUGUST 8:-The morning was delicious, and the face of nature
was calm as if it could show no other expression. The sword-
like rays of the sun, radiating from the unseen centre before it
arose in its splendour, soon dispersed the thin mists that slept
tranquil upon the cool river-bed. We shot the Ponte Grande
de Santa Lusía, leading through Lagoa Santa, distant three
leagues, to Cruvello and the "backwoods." It was the usual
long crooked affair, with twelve trusses or trestles in the water
and many outside, showing that the floods are here extensive :
an older erection has disappeared. The girders are rarely raised.
high enough, and an exceptional inundation sweeps them away,
leaving bare poles bristling in the bed, and dangerous piles under
water. These must be removed before the stream can be safely
navigated.
About two miles below Santa Lusía the water becomes deeper,
and the country changes. The right or eastern side is rough
and hilly, with heights hugging the bed. Near the other bank
the land is more level, and the soil shows a better complexion,
by which both sugar-cane and timber profit. On the uplands,
extending to ten miles, the superficial formation is of four kinds.
The best is the rich ferruginous chocolate-brown alluvium,
based upon a mountain limestone, blue streaked with pure snowy
lines; the second is the red soil underlaid by the same
calcareous matter. The soft black alluvial loam, considered
12
[CHAP. II.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
A 1 in the Mississippi Valley, is here the third; and the worst
is the white sun-scorched ground without iron. On both sides
are saltpetre caves, and the produce is prepared at the mouths
by a simple process which we shall presently see.
I heard vague
reports of salt-diggings, which probably refer to the Salinas about
the Paracatú River described by old travellers.
After the first hour we reached the Fazenda da Carreira
Compridar of the Fonseca family: it supplies provisions and
Restilo or rum. The lands extend far up the hills, and the
"Engenho" or sugar house is on a ledge near the stream, which
loops to the south-east. It was working when we sped by, and
the music reminded me pleasantly of certain water-wheels in
Sindh, Egypt, Arabia-in these lands of the Future any sug-
gestion of the Past is a god-send. Establishments with water-
power motors pay 40$000 per annum, those driven by bullocks
half that sum, and upon the produce of both there is, when
entering towns, an octroi of 0$320 per barrel of thirty bottles.
It will be better for the people when circumstances admit of a
much heavier taxation.
This part of the river shows many contrivances for exploiting
a far more valuable industry, the vast shoals of fish which haunt
the waters. The usual weir (Gamboa or Curral, not Camboa
and Coral) is accompanied by the Jequí or Jiquí, a conical
crate of wild cane, bound with cipós two feet long, and attached
to stakes (estacadas). The Grozeira is a system of thin poles,
planted five to six feet apart, and connected by llianas, to which
hooks and lines are fastened. The Chiqueiro or hog-stye is a
tall roofless closet of cane, some two feet in diameter, and affixed
to the bank it has a perpendicular trap-door, which falls when
the fish pulls at a corn-cob. Another self-acting machine, a
favourite because a trouble-saver, is the "Linha douradeira,"
a hollow bamboo with cotton line, hook, and earth-worm
(minhoca). The Giráo is a perch on four piles, often planted
at the head of a sand bank, and the man who exerts himself upon
it with his cana or rod must be hungry indeed. He will, how-
ever, find a single take sufficient for the day and its appetite,
and the rest of the twenty-three hours and fifty-five minutes may
* "Of the long quarry;" it is said that
white lime is here found. I shall mention
only the principal Fazendas which struck my
-
attention; a completo list is given by M.
Liais.
CHAP. II.]
SANTA LUSÍA TO JAGUÁRA.
13
be expended in doing nothing. I can hardly persuade my crew
to throw a hand-line overboard when we anchor; the pretence is
that they have brought no hoe for digging out earthworms. But
,,* by
they can catch half-a-dozen sprat-like "piábas" or "piaus
heaving up a calabash full of water, and by throwing it upon the
bank; or they can shoot a bird or rob a nest, which will do
equally well for bait. A fish-gullet best fits the hook, and will
not come off, but they do not approve of this "new-fangled
fashion." Salt is here wanting, but sunshine is not, and two
days will extract all moisture from the fish-meat when cut thin
and hung in the air. For long journeys these can be fried and
potted with vinegar and spices. The flavour is preserved by
frying the game when quite fresh from the water; it can be
"warmed up" when wanted; fish-soup is invaluable, but it re-
quires too many ingredients for a traveller to succeed in making
it enjoyable. As a rule the people reject the scaly fish, because
they say the spines are dangerous.
Those who visit these streams should be provided with fishing
tackle, with the largest fresh-water hooks, and with the stoutest
running gear, or the "cats," sometimes weighing upwards of a
hundred pounds, will surprise them. On the other hand guns
are useless. The crew generally carry their shooting irons, the
locks guarded as in Africa by a sheath of monkey's skin; but
little game appears upon the banks; it was confined to a water-
hog, a single small deer, doves, and at rare intervals, a few
Penelopes. Wild fowl, especially ducks (Marecas, called by the
aborigines Jerere or Ierêrê), were sometimes seen, and cranes
were heard screaming from the bayous within the River Valley;
to get at these places, however, requires much marsh-walking
and nothing else to do. In the Brazil those streams which, like
the Tiété and the Paranápanéma of the São Paulo Province,
ignore the white man, even the squatter, and can be reached only
after a week of much travelling from the coast, afford magnificent
sport; not so those where the gun is well known. Sportsmen
*The Piau is a small fish, which has
given its name to the vast Province of
Piauhy. Gardner mentions the Piau
branco, one of the Salmonidæ, one to two
feet long, with large scales. It is taken
with the hook, and is held to be good eating.
On the Rio das Velhas the bait is a bola of
manioc flour. By night the Piau used to
jump into the tender canoe; the light slate-
coloured back and white belly reminded
my companion of the "silverside." We
heard of the Piau certia, a large species,
some white, others dark, and of the Piau
de Capim, a sea-fish which feeds on
grass.
14
[CHAP. II.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
visiting the Brazil will do well to bear this in mind; tapirs,
ounces, and anacondas are still found near the sea-board, but they
are exceedingly wild and troublesome to seek out, whilst the
climate is bad and the walking is detestable.
Another hour carried us to the Port and Fazenda of the Capitão
Frederico Dolabella, where we sighted the first cotton-plantation,
and right well it looked. It is mostly herbaceous, the seed having
lately been introduced; but still lingers the Brazilian "kidney-
cotton." This, after some years, becomes a tree fifteen feet high,
and thick as a man's leg, with large luxuriant foliage, red yellow
blossoms, and bearing a strong medium-staple lint, that covers
moderate-sized and naked black seeds. This is the "Gossypium
arboreum," of which travellers in this Empire speak-the more
exact limit the term to the "purple-blossomed, green-seeded,
short-stapled, small cotton tree of India."* There is a mine of
neglected wealth in cotton and fish, and the more we see of it
the richer we shall find it. The hills were clothed with thin
brown-grey grass, looking, in places, as if they were frosty with
hoar, and they were profusely tasselled with noble Macahúbas or
Coqueiro palms.
،،
The snags and "branchers" were bad as those of yesterday,
and we lost an hour by grounding at the Volta dos Pinhões, a
broad" and a bend in the river. Then we ran at the "Penedo,"
a tall fronting mass of bare stone, protruding from the trees
which straggled over it from base to summit; a little below it
was another hill, all forest, and between the two a pile of wood
awaited the "barque." On the right was the Rio Vermelho, a
little stream coming from the Arraial da Lapa, east of Sabará,
and allowing unloaded canoes to ascend it for a league. Pre-
sently another bend showed certain white lines between the
river fringe of trees, and a hill fronting west; this was the "Ma-
cahúbas das Freiras "of the Friaresses.
Before making fast to a "porto
porto" or gap in the clay bank, here
called a Port, I gave a passage across to a traveller from Lagôa
Santa. He wore a cow-skin hat, shaped like the Petasos of
* So says Major R. Trevor Clarke. Hero
the cotton has more lint than usual; 1200
lbs. will give 500 lbs. of cleaned fibre,
whereas in Alabama 1500 would be re-
quired. The people usually replant tho
shrub in its fourth year.
Thus all my informants. M. Liais
calls it "Rio de Macahúbas," and makes
it a stream of some consequence, with a
contingent of 20 metres per second, which
makes the Rio das Velhas of "great im-
portance," and gives it a debit of 62
metres.
CHAP. II.]
SANTA LUSÍA TO JAGUÁRA.
15
Mercury, a white shirt streaked with indigo-an old style still
lingering—a paletot of Minas cotton, and deer-skin riding-boots
built to reach the thighs, but falling below the calf as if he stood
in his carpet bags. An impure path, winding past cascalho-
heaps, by a dirty pond, and through offals of pig-sties, leads to
the high site of the Recolhimento or Recluse House. On both
sides of, and attached to, the church, are long double-storied
wings of whitewashed pisé, based upon the usual fine blue lime-
stone, and all the windows are jealously latticed and barred.
To the left is the Vicar's house, and at a lower level rise clay
and thatch huts, inhabited by slaves and porkers, fowls and
turkeys. All appears exceedingly foul, but the people declare
that with godliness, but without cleanliness, they live to a great
age.
As there was no Venda we went to the Tropeiro's Ranch, and
were surlily received by the housekeeper. This chattel of the
"Recolhimento" was making pots, of course without wheel,
out of a grey, iron-coloured clay; she refused to give coffee
before we declared our names. Such is the effect of a single
party of highly Protestant emigrants visiting so highly Catholic
a place. I at once sent my card and letter to the Rev. Padre
Lana, whose first cousin had been so kind to me at Itacolumi
of Ouro Preto. This amiable Mineiro, educated at the Caráça,
at once called upon us, ordered dinner, and carried us off to see
the lions.
The "Madre Regente," or Reverend Mother, rather a pretty
person, received us at the door, kissed the Padre's hand, and
led the way to the little college-chapel, white and gold with
frescoed ceiling. We visited the dormitories, which had nothing
new, and from the windows we could see the inner square, which
may not be visited without an order from the Bishop and his
coadjutors. The galleries are long; the rooms, large and airy,
reminded me, in their roughness of unhewed beams, of a Goanese
establishment which I described nearly a score of years ago.
The lecture "sála" showed a black board for "cyphering,
some old maps, and creditable specimens of caligraphy, em-
broidery, and artificial flowers. The Infirmary contained one
sister and four invalid girls. The thirty-six reverend women
are dressed in white veils, and petticoats with black scapulars in
front, and over all a blue capa or cloak. The twenty-five edu-
""
and
16
[CHAP. II.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
candas or pupils followed giggling in the steps of Galatea, con-
cerning whom it is written,
Et fugit ad salices, sed se cupit ante videri.
The grounds consist of six acres walled in, and producing an
abundance of well-watered "green meat;" here, however, the
brown scummy river, ugly to look at but tasteless, is generally
used; indeed, below Jaguára the people prefer it to that of the
Córregos. The vegetables, especially the salad, are excellent;
the vine, which at Sabará as at Barbacena bears fruit twice a
year, is a failure. For the first time in the Brazil I saw the
Coqueiro palm (Cocos butyracea) not wholly neglected; the
fruit-pulp makes good tallow for lamps, and the kernel gives a
medicinal oil;* besides which the "cabbage" is by no means.
despicable.
We then visited the church Na Sa da Conceiçao, and found
the Santissimo exposed and the nuns singing behind the grated
choir-cage, which, as usual, fronts the Seat of Honour or High
Altar. At the "
At the "Speak-House," where a grille allowed us to
address the unseen inmates, and where an upright barrel with
a stave or two knocked out, pivots in and out their humble
wants, we were allowed to take the Livro das Entradas; it
begins with an interesting paper dated July 18, 173-. After
collating it with the Claustro Franciscano (Frei Apollinario,
Lisboa Occidental, MDCCXL.), and lastly with the Relatorio of the
Vice-Director General, the Chantre José Ribeiro Bhering (Ouro
Preto, 1852), I compiled the following account of the oldest
religious house in Minas.
About 1710 two brothers, Manoel and Felis da Costa Soares,
"godly men and of a goodly house "-in those days the "vulgar"
colonist would hardly have dared to be better than his neighbours
came here from Pernambuco, in search of lands, bringing
sisters, nieces, and a widowed daughter. On August 12, 1714,
they began to build a secular house, which "had no meum and
tuum." This "Convento Velho" lay south of the present site,
and its ruins still show in the thin palmetum. Felis met on
St. Hil. (I. ii. 378), says that this
palm tree is very remarkable.
"Car, s'il
existe une foule de sémences oléagineuses,
l'olivier est, à ma connaissance, le seul
arbre dont le péricarpe ait été signalé
jusqu'ici comme fournissant de l'huile."
Yet he must often have seen the Elæis
guineensis, the Dendé of the Brazil, and
perhaps he had eaten "palm-oil-chop."
CHAP. II.]
17
SANTA LUSÍA TO JAGUÁRA.
the banks of the Rio das Velhas a hermit, habited in a garb then
strange to him, but which he presently found to be that of “Nª
Sa da Conceição de Monte Alegre;" the recluse mysteriously
disappeared-perhaps, said Padre Lana, it was a vision-and
the laic, being unmarried, resumed the garb minus only the hat.
Thus arose in the "Sitio de Mocaubas," the first convent of
the Recolhidas, dedicated to the "Immaculate Mother of God."
The Seraphic Order," then in lusty youth, came to its aid,
and soon raised for it by alms 60,000 crusados,-say £60,000 of
this our day.
"
The Sister Catharina de Jesus became the first Reverend
Mother-a fact about which there is some confusion in the Livro
das Entradas-and died in 1717. She was followed by Felis on
Oct. 11, 1737. The old convent suffered from a torrent, and
the present building was completed Dec. 25, 1745. D. Fr.
Manoel da Cruz made it a branch Third Order of St. Francis,
and it became a Mosteiro on Sept. 23, 1789. According to the
"Relatorio," a rule was given to it by Padre Antonio Affonso de
Moraes Torres, Superior of the Caráça.*
The Recolhimento receives nothing from the Government, but,
as will appear, much land has been left to it; it lives by agri-
culture and cattle breeding, and it no longer works the once rich
mining estate. Of late years the revenues have been simplified
by conversion into Government Bonds. Its object is to give
the "usual instruction required by the mother of a family," and
in 1851 a sister and a pupil were sent to learn, from the Sœurs
of Marianna, a better system of instruction and house manage-
ment. The hypercritical declare it to be a kind of "bush "-school,
and the confessor had never heard of the Bull Unigenitus. The
name of Professor Agassiz, who had been repeatedly quoted by
every journal in the Empire, was utterly unknown to him. How
many millions of men ignore, we may ask, such persons as
Alexander, Cæsar, and Napoleon, the great Triad, the mighty
Avatars of humanity?
Padre Lana accompanied us to the Venda, where we sat down
to a long conversation. Here we found a weak old woman,
* Even until very lately, throughout the
Brazil pious women have collected together
in houses, and have cohabited for devotional
purposes. The foreign ultra-montane
priests, who are here flocking like eagles to
VOL, II.
(C
">
the battle-field, reprehended the harmless.
and often beneficial practice, and forced
upon these sisterhoods the rules of
Europe, which are often nothing else but a
mere system of old Asiatic asceticism.
C
18
[CHAP. IJ.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
who had worked at the Morro Velho mine-the sisters will let,
but will not sell their slaves. I asked her how she had been
treated: "nunca apanhei "—" I never catched it " said the poor
nanny-goat voice. We bade an unwilling adieu to the excellent
Padre, who complained that I was paying him a "visita de
Medico," in the Brazil not so complimentary as our "angels'
visits." Mr. Hock, who complained that he had been stiffly
treated by a former vicar, that found him to be a "herege,"
asked me, with Ay-merican gravity, if I really thought that the
"sisters
were chaste; it is curious to see how these men, so
jealous of their countrywomen's honour, find "libertinism " every-
where. "What a sad (triste) race they seem to be," quoth
Padre Lana on his side, as he looked at the old man champing
in melancholy silence, behind his thin drawn-down lips, a huge
quid.
""
The moon and stars were unusually bright, and the night was
delightfully clear and cool. Before dawn in the next morning
I was aroused by the moan of the dove and the small piping of
the Saracúra-commonly called the Saracúla (Mr. Bates Serra-
cúra, Gallinula Cayennensis)-crane, that useful enemy of cock-
roaches; the cry of the Siriéma or serpent bird, which resembles
the whining of pups, and the gabbling of bubbly-jocks mingled
curiously. Land and water were obscured by a thick white fog,*
but the Eliza was not a Rhine steamer to be stopped by it. The
pilots consider it a sign of a still day, and presently it lifted,
showing a wondrously high vault, stretched with cirrus in long
curved brushes. †
-
Friday, August 9.-We set out at 7 A.M., and presently ran
down to "Coqueiros," a fine site for a house, a dwarf level at
the mouth of a gap between two hills, one grassy, the other
feathered and forested with palms. To-day the effect of a large
influent appears in reaches somewhat longer, there is less of
dead drift-wood lining the banks, and the bed now begins to
show "Remansos," still places in deep pools. We grounded
but three times, and only once our men were obliged to "tumble
in." The stream is admirably embanked, the bottoms are more
extensive, while the lands, higher and drier, are of superior.
* Popularly known as Neblina or Nor-
oega; this latter is probably an imported word,
often applied to a dark place where the sun
is little seen, e. g. "Catas Altas de Noroega."
† Generally known as Rabo de Gallo-
cock's tail.
CHAP. II.]
19
SANTA LUSÍA TO JAGUÁRA.
quality and less desert. Women washing upon the margin no
longer ran away unless we disembarked, and some asked with
a scream if we were making a "planta" (map). The negroes
were loading corn-cobs upon carts with plank floors, fenced
round the top with square wattles four feet high; sometimes this
woven work sloped backwards from a high front, like the
classical biga and the car of triumph. There is a scarcely per-
ceptible rapid called "das Alprecatas," near the mouth of the
Upper Ribeirão de Taquarussú, whose yellow and shallow waters
head some eight leagues away. Near this place are settled a Mr.
and Mrs. John Wood, whom I failed to find.
Near the Taquarussú influent the bed, which has formed a
neck, narrows, leaving a broad sandbank to the west; this in-
creases the swiftness of the stream from two to four knots, † and
the sharp turn and shallow water make the boatmen rejoice when
they have passed it. Huge blocks of stratified sandstone (lapa)
are tilted up at a shallow angle towards the river, forming gloomy
caverns, recesses and natural piers, which continue till near the
ruinous "Fazenda do Mandim "-of the Mandim or Snorter. I
The last time that I heard the song of the fish was in the port of
S. Paulo de Loanda.
Then the hills fall, and the low cultivable sides are those of
an English water, whilst Campo-ground appears in the distance
ahead. Fields of the liveliest colour, telling the richness of the
sugar-cane, contrast with the darker greens and wintry browns;
the Ubá § or arrow-reed, with lanceolate fan-shaped leaves and
whitish flowers, here grows twenty feet high, and forms impene-
* The Alparcátas or Alpargatas sandals.
†M. Liais calls the large sand-bar above
the Taquarassu "Proa-Grande," doubtless a
misprint for Corôa-Grande.
The Mandim (M. Liais writes Mandin),
called Roncador or Snorter, from its grunt-
ing noise, especially in the hot afternoons
before rain, was known to the Tupys as
Mandué or Mandubé. Some of the pilots
declare that the noise is produced by fric-
tion of the head upon the canoe bottom. It
is one of the Siluridae, and resembles the
Mississippi cat. The usual length is
from 18 inches to 2 feet, the yellow-brown
skin, with dark round spots, is scaleless,
the long barbacels give it the Anglo-Ameri-
can name, and the three dorsal fins are
dangerous. It keeps near the bottom,
bites voraciously, and, as it has few bones,
(C
">
the white meat is tolerable eating, at least
the otters find it so. There are many
varieties: Mandim-assu; M. Amarello; M.
Armado; M. Capadelho; M. Esquentado,
&c., and M. Halfeld remarks (Rel. 215)
that "all these qualities are diminishing.
"Roncador" is the name given to several
fish, especially on the south of the Villa da
Vittoria. (Prince Max. ii. 157.)
""
§ Gynerium parvifolium, Mart., Vubá
orArundo sagittaria(because the Indians used
it) of the System, and Saccharum Ubá of St.
Hil., who (III. i. 18) says that Luccock is
wrong to write "Uva." Yet Uvá is pre-
ferred by old authors. In S. Paulo it is
called Ubá, from the Tupy uy'bá, an arrow.
The Mineiros know it as (C
canna brava," or
wild sugar-cane.
c 2
20
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. II.
trable thickets. This Calamus seems almost independent of
climate, and enjoys the coast-levels as well as the Highlands of
the Brazil. Another narrow, where the drift-sticks hanging to
the trees mark a flood rise of at least fourteen feet, leads to the
first of the curious formations called "Lapa de Stalactite."
Here the limestone rocks on the left were hung in front with
long tongue-shaped lappets of thin stone, which have a strange
effect.
The next interesting point is the Ponte de Dona Ignacia.
Since M. Liais wrote, the tall weed-grown bridge has opened a
central gap of 30 feet, and people cross by the normal ferry, an
"ajôjo" of four canoes, with railed platform, worked by a chain
and pulley. Opposite the large white Fazenda and distillery, now
belonging to Lieut.-Col. Luiz Nogueira Barbosa da Silva, was
wrecked the first steamer that appeared upon these waters, or
indeed upon any of the island lines of the Brazil. M. William
Kopke, who came out as interpreter to the Cocaes Gold Mining
Company, and who obtained a concession to navigate by steam
the Rio de São Francisco, had the energy and enterprise to build
her at Sabará in 1833-4. Like Captain Fitzgerald, of Larkhana
in Sindh-who, by-the-bye, blew himself up-M. Kopke was
obliged to make the greater part of his own engine, and some-
times to use wood where metal was wanted. The experiment was
so far successful, but no farther-the steamer here went down
snagged."
66
On the right bank, a little below this place, is an Olho de Agua,
or pool, which they say communicates by a "sinker," with a lake
on the other side of the river. Bits of wood have been thrown in
and have been recognized on re-appearance; of course these
natural tunnels are possible in a limestone country. Presently
>>
*M. Kopke (or Kopque?) whom the
decree calls "negociante Hamburghese,'
losing his steamer, rigged up a boat and
visited the Paracata River. His brother,
Dr. Henry Kopke, is still at Petropolis.
After the first concessionist, whose permis-
sion to navigate the Rio des Velhas was de-
creed Aug. 26, 1834, and was extended to the
São Francisco November 14, 1834, M. Tarto, a
Belgian engineer, applied for the same ex-
clusive privilege, but did not obtain it.
The first steam-ship that ever plied in
the Brazil was built in 1819 at Bahia, by
Sr. Felisberto Gomes Caldeira Brant Pontes,
afterwards Marquess of Barbacena. She
ran to the then Villa of Cachoeira, and was
wrecked by a storm upon the Monserrato
beach. In 1822 a steamer was sent from
Rio de Janeiro to Santos, carrying a deputa-
tion of distinguished men, and the Desem-
bargador Joño Evangelista de Faria Souza
Lobato. They persuaded the patriotic José
Bonifacio de Andrada e Silva to accompany
them, and returned to the capital on Janu-
ary 16, 1822, a week after the Prince
Regent had declared that he would not
leave the Brazil.
Popularly called the "Sumidouro."
CHAP. II.]
21
SANTA LUSÍA TO JAGUÁRA.
the sun set, the cold made us gather round the galley-fire, and
the moon rose with low, uncertain light. The crew, not having
seen the bed during the last four years, became very nervous as
we swung round the Cachoeira de Jacú, with its swift deep cur-
rent impinging upon the right bank of the narrow bed. I felt
that a stick or a stone might spoil my whole journey, and I
allowed them to make fast at the "Porto do Bebedor."* We
scrambled up the steep bank to the house of Sr. Antonio
Lourenço, and were admitted to the strangers' room, as soon as
the key would turn, by the daughter of the house. D. Conrada,
still in her teens, was the mother of three children and the
widow of a tropeiro: she made coffee, warmed our beef, and sat
chatting with us till we slept-a rare and recordable incident of
hodiernal Brazilian travel in the Far West.
August 10.-The morning was mistless, and we set off early.
After nearly two hours we saw on the left bank a large and much
decayed square of white-washed and red-tiled building, backed
by a neat church-the Fazenda de Jaguára. At the " port"
* The "drinker;" a drain, not a drainer.
+ Some explain Jaguára to be the name
of the well-known ounce-puma or S. Ame-
rican lion. Others explain it by Jahú or
Jaú-guára. The "Jahu-fish (is here)
abundant.
""
، ،
،،
Jaguára, corrupted Jaguar, Iagoar, and
so forth, is properly Ja," we, us, and
>>
guara, an cater, a devourer (of us),
and was applied by the indigenes to all
man-eating beasts. Doubtless in the early
days of colonisation, when these large cats
knew nothing of the gun, they were dan-
gerous enough. At present their courage
seems to have cooled, and the Matador de
Onças--tueur d'onces-once so celebrated
in the Brazil, finds a large slice of his occu-
pation gone. Many travellers have seen
nothing of this king of the cats, except the
places where it sharpens its claws. I have
had experience of one live specimen, and
that too by night. The people still fear
them, especially at night, and have many
traditional tales of their misdeeds. They
are still very dangerous to dogs, monkeys,
after which they climb, to the Capyvara, an
especial favourite, and to the young of
black cattle. There are four large varieties
of these Felidæ :
"C
1. The Onça çuçuaranna, or çuçurana,
(Mr. Bates Sassú-arána, or the false
deer"), whence the barbarously corrupted
Cougouar," derived through the "Gua-
64
zouara" of Azara. It is variously termed
Felis Onça, or brasiliensis, or concolor,
the last term being the best name. It is
one of the biggest. I have seen a brown-
red skin 5ft. Sin. long, not including the
tail, yet it is the least dangerous. The
range of this puma, or red lion, appears to
extend throughout the tropical and tempe-
rate zones of the New World. It is evidently
the painter" (panther) of the United
States.
(C
-
2. Cangouassú or Cangussú, the largest
variety, with smaller rounded spots of a
lighter colour, on a dark brown-red skin.
Prince Max. informs us (iii. 138) that in Ba-
hia it is applied to a small animal whoso
pelage is marked with small blacker spots.
In
3. The Onça pintada (painted ounce), also
called the Jaguarété (true or great eater).
This "Felis discolor" is a very beautiful
animal, especially when the white field of
its macula has a light pink blush.
shape much resembling the "cheetah," or
hunting leopard of Hindostan, it is the
most dreaded; it does great damage to
cattle; it worries and destroys far more
than it needs, and after gorging itself with
blood, it returns at leisure to eat the flesh.
4. The "Tigre," or Onça Preta, is the
black Jaguar, a rare animal now in the
Brazil, but still found, I am told, on the
banks of the Upper Paraguay River. As a
variety it probably resembles the black
22
[CHAP. II.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
where the Ribeirão de Jaguára falls in, I was met by Dr. Quinti-
liano José da Silva, ex-President of Minas, and now here offi-
cially as Treasury Judge (Juiz dos Feitos da Fazenda Nacional).
He led me up to the house, introduced me to the mistress, D.
Francisca dos Santos Dumont, the daughter of our host at Ouro
Preto, showed me to the strangers' room, and lavished all the
hospitable attentions in which his countrymen are such adepts.
1
leopard of the Niger Valley; and the dark
spots upon a sable skin render it peculiarly
interesting.
I have seen good collections of these skins
on the Rio das Velhas. Here, however, as
elsewhere, they are expensive, and are soon
bought up for local use. All classes covet
them for saddlo-cloths, pistol holsters, tra-
velling bags, and even hunting caps. Of
course the spotted ounce is preferred; and,
as a rule, the skins are as thoroughly spoiled
as if they had been handled by negroes.
They are ruthlessly deprived of head, legs,
and often of tail. En revanche the leather is
well and carefully tanned.
CHAPTER III.
C
AT JAGUÁRA.
RIDES ABOUT THE PLACE. THE VEGETATION.-EXCURSION TO LAGôa SANTA.
DR. LUND.-M. FOURREAU.—WHAT THE WORD CACHOEIRA MEANS.
(C
A distant dearness in the hill,
A secret sweetness in the stream.
Canning.
""
Ar this hospitable house I spent five pleasant days, whilst
another crew was being engaged, and arrangements for my reach-
ing Diamantina were being completed. "Jaguára" has, in its
day, caused no little sensation in the Province, and the following
are the heads of information touching the "extincto vinculo "
the cut-off entail."
CC
G
Half a century ago, a certain Colonel Antonio de Abreu Gui-
marães amassed a large fortune with 750 slaves, and still more by
forgetting to pay the Government dues on diamonds exported
from Diamantina and other places. He held an enormous pro-
perty of 36 square leagues (427,504 acres), which was afterwards
divided into seven great estates. The first was Jaguára, con-
taining 1000 alqueires, (each 6 x 2 square acres): this was lately
bought, without the 200 slaves, by M. Dumont's father-in-law,
for 12 contos, 1200l. The next was the Mocámbo, actually
belonging to Colonel Francisco de Paulo Fonseca Vianna. Then
came the Bebida, including Casa Branca, Saco das Egoas, and
Saco da Vida. It once contained four square leagues, now it is
reduced to 1300 or 1350 alqueires, and it is to be sold for 30007.-
30,000l. with a total of 170 slaves:-we shall visit it down stream.
Number 4 was the Riacho of João Paulo Cotta; then ranked the
Pindahyba, now Ponte Nova, including the Tabóca, formerly the
property of Antonio José Lobo and Domingo José Lobo, nephews
of the Abreu, and afterwards purchased by Colonel Domingo
Diniz Couto. No. 6 was the Brejo of Francisco Fernandez
Matej
24
[CHAP. III.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
Machado and his brother; and lastly, the "Mello" was the
nucleus of the estate.
The old contrabandist, who had also farmed with exceptional
success the ruinous royal tithes, presently went to Lisbon, re-
pented him of his sins, and was ordered by his confessor to build
a church to Na Sa da Conceição; furthermore, by way of fire-
escape, he was directed to tie up (vincular) the greater part of
his enormous estate for the benefit of religious houses. He wrote
from Portugal to his brother, Francisco Martins de Abrêu, with
all directions to carry out his orders, and the latter, much against
his will, was compelled to sign all necessary documents by the
authorities of Sabará, who met him, they say, on the road, and
led him into an adjoining cave. The old man died in the Con-
vento da Cartuxa at Lisbon, some declare miserably poor, others
represent in miserly wealth, of which he had dropped but a small
portion.
The revenue of this vast estate was divided into five portions,
of which three were made over to the Misericordia of Sabará, one
was given to the Recolhimento of Macahúbas, and the fifth part
was distributed amongst the relations of the mortgager, the
families of Abrêu and Lobo. The Governmental administration
was placed under a Junta, or Commission, who levied the rents,
and paid them through the Juiz dos Feitos Provincial, into the
Provincial Treasury. It is needless to say that the revenue
declined; it gradually fell to 4$800 per annum. Decree No. 306,
of Oct. 14, 1843, "extinguished" the mortgage, and permitted
the sale of the property. Since that time it has fetched, they
tell me, some 40,000l. The seventh estate, called the Mello, is
still being surveyed for sale,* and this accounts for the presence
of the high officials at Jaguára.
Dr. Quintiliano kindly rode with me about the estate. There
is a garden close to the stream, on a fine ledge of rich, red-
brown clay (maçapé), which might be extended for many acres.
My companion was emphatic upon the immense fertility and
salubrity of the place, and truly, as the spring was setting in,
* The Mello contained 63 sesmarias (here
generally half a square league). Of these
10 were measured in 1865; 38 in 1866;
and 15 in 1867; leaving 63 for survey. It
has been bought since I left the river by
the Provincial Government for the benefit
of the American settlers.
Another estate, Páo de Cheiro, some
three leagues down the river, and belonging
to 7 or 8 proprietors, is held to be a sani-
tarium.
CHAP. III.]
25
AT JAGUÁRA.
and the birds were making love, and the trees were weaving their
new coats of many colours, the microcosm looked enchanting.
He showed me some dry sticks, which a few days before he had
planted in the ground with ashes of decayed wood, and upon
which he had turned a tiny stream: all had budded; the effect of
the subjacent limestone, the finest natural manure. The tene-
ments are in poor condition: the low, long walls, and the hollow
squares suggest the "Hishán" of the Arabs; these, however, are
white-washed and tiled. The out-houses are in a still more
tattered state; the owner cares more for the exploitation of the
Rio das Velhas* than for agriculture or horticulture. The only
part tolerably well preserved is a detached building, the Casa da
Junta, where the Commissioners met; the little church had been
lately repaired, but its congregation was mainly the "Sanharó," ‡
a fierce species of wasp, dangerous to other honey-makers.
Our next visit was to the lakelets and to the vast limestone for-
mations on the north-west of the estate. We passed a red digging,
an open cut from which much gold had been taken by the ancients.
Thence we issued upon a prairie of "spotty soil," here rich and
red, there white with gravel. No lack of good grazing ground,
and the cattle on the estate had, I was told, been worth 4000l.
The vegetation was that of the Campos about Barbacena, the
trees were hard gnarled Barbatimão, Patáro, Geão de Gallo,
Piquí, Tinguí, § and Sicupíra. Besides these, I remarked the
Sambahyba (Curatella Sambaiba, also written Sambaüva), with
valueless fruit, a rough leaf used for brushing cloth, and astrin-
gent bark, good for tanning and for dressing wounds; it has the
effect of iodine in resolving chronic inflammations. Another
common tree was the Cagaitéra (Eugenia dysenterica), an ugly
name, but a pretty growth, with white flowers and milk-producing
leafage: the Cagaita, or berry, is a strong drastic. Here grows
* I obtained a copy of a map survey of
the Rio das Velhas by M. Henrique Dumont,
dated October 1864. It agreed well with
the labours of M. Liais.
=
I found the Casa da Junta (B. P. 208° 80,
therm. 72°) 1807 feet above sea-level.
Pelissher's aneroid gave (29 46, therm.
64°) 543 feet. Mr. Gordon's observation
(29.44, therm. 74°) = 553 feet. All these
observations are curiously under-estimated.
The river is here about 646 metres above
sea-level (2120 feet), or 49 metres lower
-
than at Sabará.
It resembles the Pelopæus lunatus
described by Azara and Prince Max. (i. 139).
The latter makes it attach its pyriform nest
to trees as well as houses.
$ This must not be confounded with the
Tingi, Tingy, Tinguí, or Tiniury da Praya, a
kind of Iliana (Jacquinia obovata), which,
like the Paullinias, is used for intoxicating
fish. The branches are cut, bruised, tied
in bundles, and thrown into water whose
course has been arrested by a dam.
26
[CHAP. III.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
66
in abundance the stunted Acajú or Cajú, which we call Cashew
(Anacardium occidentale, Linn.; Cassuvium, Jussieu): amongst the
aborigines it was a growth of great importance,* they numbered
their years by it, they kept the nuts to remind them of their age,
and they made of it their most valued Cauim or wine. The
Goanese extract from it a neat brandy; here it is mostly made
into sherbets, and strangers have burnt their lips by eating the
dark reniform kernel that grows outside: the bitter gum called
by the Tupys Acajú-Cica (for "icica," resin), is used by book-
binders, and keeps off worms. In the lower sites there is a kind
of salsaparilla (Salsa do Campo and do Matto), which appears on
ant-hills under the trees. The root is large and white; the yellow
being preferred in Europe and the United States; the people
declare that it should be drunk with milk, to disguise its acridity,
and use it much, but with care, avoiding it for instance in the middle
of the day. The garden-grown salsaparilla is all cut at this
season, and the shops here ask 2 000 per lb. of the dry old twigs
sent from Rio de Janeiro.
The only birds were the Siriéma,† that hunted the serpents
from our path; its favourite "big brother" the Ema (ostrich)
which never gave a shot under 200 yards, and the pretty little
Tiribá paroquet, with cuneiform tail (Psittacus cruentatus,
Mart.), which shrieked as it passed us like an arrow. The
+
Campeiros," or herdsmen, wild as the Somal, were picturesque
in their leather wide-awakes, sitting loosely upon ragged nags
with wild equipments; huge spurs armed their naked heels, and
the wooden box stirrups which the cistus renders necessary in
Portuguese Algarves, defended their toes. They were wiry and
well-grown men; here it is remarked that even the slave-boys
*They called "Acajú acai piracóbá"
what the Brazilians term Chuvas de Cajú,
which fall in August to September, and
which injure the inflorescence of the Ana-
cardium. Southey (i. 181) confounds the
..
Caju" with the "Auati" (Olíi moquilia,
a Chrysobalan), a "Madeira reservada," or
hard-wood forest tree, of which there are
many species, some bearing a fruit that
yields an intoxicating drink.
The aborigines began their years with the
heliacal rising of the Pleiades. Their months
were called, like the moon,
،،
ya," we, or our, and
Like most savages, they had not learned to
Jacy," from
cy," mother.
}
،،
(6
convert the quarters into weeks.
The Cariama of Marcgraf. Prince
"'oiseau
Max. (iii. 115) describes it as an
défiant," but I have seen it tame enough,
especially as the people do not molest it.
It is easily domesticated. My friend Sr.
Antonio da Lacerda, jun., of Bahia, has or
had a specimen. It flies for short distances,
the wings being feeble, the body heavy, and
it may be run down where there are no
trees.
Described by Prince Max. (i. 103),
who was reminded of the "Croupion" (P.
erythrogaster) of the Berlin Museum.
CHAP. III.
I.]
AT JAGUÁRA.
27
who are mounted in early life, are much taller and stronger than
those bred in the house. This may partly be owing to their
abundant diet of milk and cheese, farinha, and sun-dried meat.
Here and there were scattered the huts of "aggregados," squatters
who are permitted to live upon the Fazenda, but who do not acquire
by residence any right to the soil.
The lakelets are of little importance: they are the Lagoa Seca,
then dry; the Lagoa dos Porcos, where porkers are bred and cut
up; the Lagoa de Dentro, which overflows, and leaves after retreat
a thick, short-piled carpet of soft sweet grass, and the Lagoa de
Aldêa, so called from an Indian settlement, which has now dis-
appeared. These pools, fed by rain-drainage, and sometimes by
springs, are scattered everywhere over the country: they are
natural vivaria, producing in abundance the "Trahira" fish.*
Presently crossing a wave of ground, we entered a small Mata
or patch of dwarf forest in the Bebida estate. The low-lying soil
is fine, as we are told by the Mutámba or Motámba tree
(Guaxuma ulmifolia),† which bears an emollient gelatino-saccha-
rine fruit, and whose gum refines sugar. The leguminous Angico
(Acacia Angico), delicately feathered, whose bark abounds in
tannin, is also a good sign. My attention was called to the
Maçela do Campo, whose yellow flowers, resembling immortelles,
are used to stuff pillows; to the Fruta Cheirosa (one of the Ana-
cardiaceae), with a large "baga" or berry, now green and milky;
and to the Almecegueira (Icica or Icicariba Amyris, Aublet), with
sweet-smelling wood, and perfumed resin used for a variety of
technologic purposes. ‡
I could not but observe how abundant was the antefibrile
element: the Formulary quotes 15 species, several of them
resembling those of Peru. In the denser growths was the Quina
*Gardner writes Traíra (Prince Max.
Traïra), and describes it as "rather slen-
der."
I found it short and thick, like a
doubled John Dory. It extends all down
the river, and has several varieties, Trahira-
assú, T.-mirim, and so forth. The flesh is
good, but too spiny to be eaten with plea-
“A almecega que se usa no quebranto.”
sure.
rat's teeth make the people call it Páu de
Negro-negro wood-and refuse to touch it.
The Trahira, like the Piabanha and the
Piau, is commonly met with in the rivers
that fall into the Atlantic Ocean.
"The
Its dark back, ugly mouth, and
gum
of mastic used for inner hurts,"
says the Caramurú (7, 51). On the coast
it acts like pitch; and the aromatic balm
is everywhere applied externally for internal
injuries, as hernias, ruptures, and so forth.
The word "Quebranto" classically means
'fascinatio," the evil eye.
+ Mutámba is an Angola word; the
Tupys knew it as Ibixuma.
--
In Portuguese Almecega is gum mas-
tic (Amyris); hence the Brazilian tree is
named.
é
28
[CHAP. III.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
do Mato (Chinchona Remigiana); and with it the "Poor man's
Quinine," a tree with bitter bark and sweet fruit, called by many
names, Páu Pereira (Geissospermum Vellozii), Ubá-assú, Páu
Forquilha, Páu de pente (comb-wood), Camará de bibro (for
bobbins), Camará do Mato, Canudo Amargoso or Pinguaciba.*
There is also an abundance of the Chá de Pedreste, or de frade
(Lantana Pseudo-thea). The giants of the forest are there,
especially the Jatobát (Hymenea, whose leaves are in pairs),
which in August yields a wine, said to be very pectoral; it bears.
gum animé (Jutay Cica), a good pottery varnish, and a copal
used by the Indians in making their labrets and other ornaments;
the flowers are enjoyed by the deer, especially that called Mateiro,
and the long chestnut-coloured pods that strew the ground supply
a flour of insipid taste, which serves, however, in times of
famine. The most beautiful growth is the Ipé Amarello, or Páu
d'Arco, "bowdarque" (Bois d'arc, a Bignonia), a tall thin trunk,
as yet without leaves, which will appear after inflorescence; its
trumpet-shaped blossoms, in tufts of yellow gold, would make the
laburnum look dull and pale.‡
Presently we came to the foot of the Pedreiras, where the land
wants water, a fatal objection in the present state of things. This
is a lump of naked, fine black-blue and stratified limestone,
weathered so as to resemble basalt from afar: it runs from north
to south, when it joins the forested Serra d'Aldea, also a calca-
reous formation, large enough to supply the Province for centu-
ries. The outcrop is marked with striæ and holes of dull, dead
white, from which spring trees, and especially Cactus, whose figs
* System (p. 95-97). In the Campos
are the several Chinchonacea, Quina do
Campo (C. Vellozii ?) with dark and spotted
leaves, and a sweet fruit upon which birds
feed. St. Ifil. (III. i. 229) mentions a
Quina do Campo or de Mendanha, which ho
found to be a Strychnos Pseudo-quina.
The other common species is the Quina da
Serra (C. ferruginea). Camará is the local
name of a plant called in Portugal "Mal-
mequer;" bibro (from "volvere") is
"fusus.
""
This fine feathery forest tree, which
prefers the dry woodlands, has many other
Tupy names, for instance, Jatahy (Jutahí
and Jutahí-Sica (Mr. Bates, i. 83), Jetahy,
Jetaíba, Abati-timbaby, Jatai-uvá (or
ubá). According to Sr. J. de Alencar Ja-
tobá" is derived from Jetahi, the tree,
((
oba," a leaf, and "a," augmentative,
alluding to the dense and beautifully domed
foliage. The bark was used to make the
native ubá," or coracle. The wine must
be drawn before the young leaves appear.
Of the Bignonias there are many kinds,
e.g., Ipcúna, whose heart supplied the
hardest and best material for bows; Ipé-
roxo with mauvo and purple blossoms;
Ipé-tabaco, so called because the heart con-
tains a fine powder of light green; the Big-
nonia cordacca (Sellow), with blossoms of
tender yellow; Ipé-branco, with large white
blossoms. On the coast the young foliage
of brown and burnished tinge, curiously
contrasting with its neighbours, is put forth
in early spring, at the end of August. In
these Highlands it is later.
((
،،
CHAP. III.]
AT JAGUÁRA.
29
are here appreciated. To the west of these "Bald Knobs," I
was told, flows a broad stream, arising near the hill-summit, a
cominon feature in Kentucky and other limestone countries.
After running 300 yards it disappears into an underground pas-
sage, from which it presently emerges. My American
informant told me that it could work any amount of machinery.
Hereabouts are caves which yield saltpetre, and where Dr. Lund
made some of his greatest discoveries.
""*
On our way back we passed by the Lagoa Grande, the largest
of the pools; around it was a Campo Novo-a "new," that is
a newly fired prairie; the bright green grass started up from
between the stones, which are supposed to defend it by pre-
serving the moisture. Here also were fair slopes of graceful
rounded forms, where the plough can act perfectly. From the
rising ground we saw to the north the long line of the Cipó
Range, limestone forested with Mato Dentro. To the north-
east was the box-like apex of the Serra do Baldim (pronounced
Bardim), and to the south-south-east the quoin-shaped and
cloud-crowned head of our old friend the Piedade near Cuiabá.
* Americano in the Brazil always means
a citizen of the United States.
"C
My next excursion was to the Lagoa Santa, in company with
Sr. José Rodriguez Duarte, whose amiable family we had met
at Ouro Preto. The path was southerly, hugging the left bank
of the Old Squaws' River. From the uplands before 8 A.M., the
Valley appeared a serpentine of dense white mist, clinging to and
curling up along the wooded bed: a suggestive spectacle, which
never loses its interest. Presently we passed the rich fish-pool,
Lagoa do Córrego Seco; its village of four houses boasted of an
Inspeitor de Quarterão, the humblest of police authorities,
facetiously called Juiz de Paz. After a total of an hour we
crossed the southern limit of the Jaguára estate, and at six
miles for head-quarters we sighted the "Sumidouro" or Sinker. ↑
This pool is said to be connected by a tunnel with the Olho
de Agua on the right bank. To the west lay the village, lazily
creeping up the wild slope, and much resembling a scatter of
termitaria.
The place alluded to by Southey, iii.
48. "From his (Fernando Diaz) head
quarters at the Sumidouro (or Swallow, as
those places are called where a river sinks
into a subterraneous channel) he explored
the Serra of Sabara Bussu.” The feature
reminds us of the subterranean river which
is supposed to run under the good city of
Tours.
30
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. III.
The next feature was the "Quinta do Sumidouro," a one-
streeted village with a brand-new chapel, Na Sa do Rosario; it
is mainly the work of an Italian, the Rev. Padre Rafaelle
Speranza, who, if half the tales told about him are half true,
has been left to live by a kind of miracle. Here men still re-
member a tragical episode in the eventful career of Fernando
Dias Paes Leme, one of the most adventurous of the Paulista
explorers. He was then seeking for "green stones" or emeralds,
near a pestilential water known as the Vepabussú or Great Lake,
and the hardships caused many of his Red-skin auxiliaries to
revolt. They were prompted by one of his illegitimate sons, to
whom he was greatly attached. When the mutiny was quelled,
the father took the first opportunity of asking the youth what
penalty was deserved by a man who had dared to rebel against
the king's majesty.
"He should be hanged," said the son.
*
"Thou hast pronounced thy own doom!" replied the father,
who, stern as the first consul of Rome, ordered the sentence at
once to be carried into effect." The old man died a few days
afterwards, "Vnhouzzled, disappointed, vnnaneld," on his way
from the Lagoa Santa to Sabará.
Sr. Leite, an intelligent store-keeper at the Quinta, which is
about half a mile from the River, assured me that the ground
had lately been subject to shocks, which were most frequent
about full moon; he seemed to fear for it the fate of Mendonça.
In this limestone region I could detect no sign of igneous action,
plutonic or volcanic; but the earthquake at Alexandria, and
another which I witnessed at Accra on the Gold Coast, prove
that sedimentary formations are by no means exempt from the
visitations of Ennosigæus.
The rest of the road was over wild and picturesque Campo,
where the bright little Ribeirão Jacques will some day be
valuable. Presently, after 3hrs 30m 12 miles, topping a long
hill, we saw below us a shallow basin, with a church and a
scatter of white and brown houses-the town of Lagoa Santa.
The streets were formed by the "compound" walls: tile-coped,
and protected by a few inches of taipú or pisé, resting on a layer
* Southey (iii. 49) recounts the story
nearly in the same words. St. Hil. (I. ii. 189)
places the scene of the "Octagenarian's"
adventure in the Province of Porto Seguro,
and declares that the "Vupabussú" was
afterwards called "Lagoa Encantada,"
because it could not be found.
CHAP. III.]
AT JAGUÁRA.
31
of rushes, which projects on both sides and defends the lower
part of the perpendicular mud. We rode up to the square,
"Praça de Na Sa da Saude, so called from the Matriz, to the
east of which is a fine fig-tree being rapidly devoured by the
'Bird Herb" (a Polygonea ?). The place, now so quiet and
sleepy, has seen wild times. Successful at Queluz (July 27, 1842),
the insurgents retired to the Capão de Lana, and, after a week,
when the "Oligarchy" rendered this position untenable, they re-
treated and entrenched themselves in the Arraial da Lagoa Santa.
An ambuscade of forty men wounded the loyalist colonel, Manuel
Antonio Pacheco, afterwards Barão de Sabará, and repulsed his
750 men.
The attack was renewed, the Revolutionists fought
stoutly, and an aunt of Adrianno José de Moura assisted them
by serving out ammunition; on the 6th August, however, they
were obliged to take to the bush. The conduct of the late Baron
was praised, even by his enemies; he was one of few who treated
the captured with kindness.
We rode up to some horse-posts (estácas) opposite a door,
over which was inscribed F. F., and, having heard of a French
hotel, we knocked. The house was opened by a very English-
looking dame, who proved to have been born at Malta; we asked
to see M. François Fourreau, and we were told to dismount.
After shaking hands and exchanging salutations in the "language
of Racine and Corneille," we ordered breakfast unceremoniously
enough; the host joined us, and we enjoyed an excellent soupe
and bouilli, not often eaten outside French walls. An old sous-
officier of the 16me Léger, he had been taken prisoner in the
Russian Campaign, and the result was that he, a très joli garçon,
set up a circus, and had travelled all about Western Asia. His
three stalwart sons, including "Bibi," were still conducting
the business at Diamantina; his daughter, a pretty ecuyère and
married, as "Pedrinho" proved, lived with her parents. The
good old soldier had bought considerable property at Lagôa
Santa, he lusted to escape from it, but he did not see the way
out. He was by no means one of that wretched race, which
belongs to France or to England, not to the world. We passed
the night with wine and jollity, and when I suggested the
، ،
addition," M. Fourreau laughed in my face. I am sorry to
say that Madame did likewise; yet I left them with regret.
On arrival we sent our cards to Dr. Lund, the illustrious
32
[CHAP. III.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
Dane, the hermit of science, who had spent a portion of his life
in the bone-caves of Minas Geraes. I was most anxious to ask
him about the "fossil man," or "sub-fossil man," as opposed
to the "primeval " or "prehistoric man." The term has been
prematurely decided to be "a misnomer, since the thing so
designated is of all things the most desired, the most sought
after, but perhaps the least likely to be found." Still the influence
of Cuvier! I was also desirous to know if the incisor teeth of
the fossils had naturally oval upper surfaces (not worn down),
and of longer antero-posterior diameter than transverse. Dr. Lund
has for years been prevented by consumptive tendencies from
living out of the Brazil; he has bought a house in the square
of Lagoa Santa, and, as might be expected, he has become bed-
ridden by rheumatism. He is said to live chiefly on Caparosa-
ptisane,* which combines theine with caffeine. We perforce
accredit others with our own feelings, and I felt sad when pic-
turing to myself the fate of so great a traveller, doomed to end
his days without a relation by his side, in the social gloom of
this gorgeous wilderness. M. Fred. Wm. Behrens, the savan's
obliging secretary, came over with many excuses and prayers
that we would wait till the next morning. We did so, but with-
out success. I suspect that our failure was caused by the nervous
fear of strangers, which often affects even strong men after a
long residence in the Brazil, and indeed in the Tropics generally.
Having heard many curious lake tales t about what proved to
be on inspection a vulgar feature, I spoke to M. Behrens, who
led me to his employer's lust-haus on the holy lake, launched
*
(4
Caparosa" is primarily our copperas
(sulphate of iron), also applied to verdigris,
and the shrubby tree got the name on ac-
count of the tender blue-green leaf. It is
known at once by the cut or torn part of
the twig turning dark and tarnished. Ac-
cording to the System it contains tannic
acid with a solution of iron, which may be
made into ink, and which supplies a black
dye. The abuse of its ptisane has, I was
told, been already fatal to some who have
followed the example of Dr. Lund. The
celebrated Paullinia Sorbites, better known
as Guaraná (from the Tupy Guarana-uva)
also combines theine and caffeine.
+ These lake superstitions are common
in the Brazil. La Condamine, Humboldt,
and others speak of the Lagoa Dourada.
Henderson mentions that of the Lagôa Feia.
Prince Max. records the fables of the Taïpe,
and heard of other traditions on the banks
of the Rio dos Ilheos and the Mucury. The
Parima or Parimó Lake of Guiana is equally
rich in legends. Connected with lakes of
golden sands was the city of Beni, Grão
Pará, Grão Pairiri or Paititi, alias El Dorado,
whose streets were paved with the precious
metal, and where the Emperor of the Musus,
the great Paititi or gilded king of the Spa-
niards, was smeared with oil as he rose in
the morning, and covered with gold dust
blown at him by his courtiers through long
reeds. Castelnau (vol. vi. 41) relates
those of the Boldivian "Opabusú." This
word, like Southey's Vepabussú, is a cor-
ruption of Ypabussú, ypaba in the Lingua
Brasilica meaning a lake.
CHAP. III.]
33
AT JAGUÁRÁ.
the boat, and struck out with the paddle. The piles and poles
which have been said to denote pfalbauten or crannoges, were
probably an old palisading now flooded. The length is about
one and a half miles from south-west to north-east bending east,
where a sangrador or drain, some eight to nine miles long, dis-
charges it into the Rio das Velhas, near the Fazenda called of
Dona Ignacia.* The southern side had greatly shrunk, and we
saw at once what causes the "bubbling surface." Here, during
the rains, is a Cabeceira or head stream, one of the many feeders
from the basin-sides, which gently rise to grassy Campo ground.
On the opposite margin of the little reservoir rises a pretty bit
of cockney forest, which has been pierced with toy paths. The
lake is said to be filling up, and the greatest depth in the centre
is three fathoms. The sides are overgrown with a fine pithy
rush (junco), of which mats are made; this is one of the local
industries; the others are fishing and rude pottery, glazed with
yellow and green. The poor almost live upon the Trahira, the
Curumatão, and the dreadful Piranha. The vegetation around
‡
is stunted; we are still in the lands of the plantain and the pine,
but the Araucaria is short and ricketty, evidently finding the air
too hot to breathe.§
Mr. Gerber's map makes it heart-
shaped, lying north and south, with the
apex to the south, and he drains it by a
greatly exaggerated "Rio Fidalgo." The
latter is the name of an estate belonging to
the heirs of the late Cirurgião Mór, Serafim
Moreira de Carvalho.
The Holy Lake was originally called Ypabussú (Vupubussu),
or Lagoa Grande; it owes its pretentious name to superstitions
*
†The name of this fish, one of the Salmo-
nidæ, is variously written by authors. Prince
Max., Crumatam; Pizarro, Corimata and Cur-
matan; St. Hil., also Curmatan; Gardner,
Curumatám; Halfeld, Cumatá or Curimatá,
and the Almanak, Curumatá-the latter
two neglecting the nasal sound which it
certainly has. I hesitate whether to write
Curumatão or Gurumatão, the first conso-
nant being doubtfully sounded. This fish
is about two feet long; it leaps like our
salmon, with its silvery scales glancing in
the sun, and it must be caught in drag-nets,
as it will not bite at bait. There is also a
salt-water fish of this name, soft and full
of spines. The savages shoot it with ar-
rows (Prince Max. ii. 137), Mr. Bates (ii.
140), "Caught with hook and line, baited
with pieces of banana, several Curimatá
VOL. II.
GA
D
(Anodus amazonum), a most delicious fish,
which, next to the Tucumaré and the Pes-
cada, is most esteemed by the natives."
-|-
The well-known Scissar fish, Piranha
in Tupy meaning scissars. Our authors
call it " 'devil fish." Cuvier named it
Serra Salmo Piraya, and unconsciously sanc-
tioned the vulgar Mineiro and Paulista cor-
ruption of Piranha to Pirayya (so Canáyya
for Canalha). The fish is common in the
Upper Uruguay and the Paraguay, as well
as in the São Francisco. Those that I saw
were from one foot to eighteen inches long
by about ten inches deep, flat but short and
thick. The carnivorous fish swims verti-
cally, and is supposed to turn on one side
when it bites; the serrated teeth bend
backwards; they casily tear off the flesh,
and a shoal will, they say, in ten minutes
reduce a bullock to a skeleton. I found
the meat dry, full of spines, and with poor
flavour. On the Lower São Francisco the
people refuse to cat it.
§ The Lagoa Santa proved to bo 2228
feet above sea-level (B. P. 208°·1, therm.
76°).
34
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. III.
which have now died out. In ancient days people made of it a
Pool of Bethesda, and a Dr. Cialli, in 1749, found that its waters
contained medicinal properties. The tale which Henderson re-
counts about its surface being filmed over with a silvery pellicle
like mercury, was unknown to all. They preserved, however,
the tradition that, "once upon a time," a woman used to be seen
hovering over the centre, whilst a silver cross arose from the
depths. Many a hardy fellow, doubtless in a pitiable state of
nervousness, paddled to make a prize of a precious metal, and
was sunk by a mysterious whirlpool, when, as the Arabs say, he
passed without loss of time from water to fire. The spirit was
exorcised—a common process in Hibernian legends-by some
holy man, whose name has fallen into unmerited forgetfulness.
Similarly in the Manitoulin Islands of Lake Huron, the Manitou
(popularly and erroneously translated "Great Spirit ") forbade
his children to seek for gold; the ore was supposed to be found in
heaps, but no canoe could reach the spot before being over-
whelmed by a tempest. All these have vanished :-
-
The intelligible forms of ancient poets.
Die alten Fabel-wesen sind nicht mehr.
and humanity is no longer sorely tempted upon the Holy Lake.
Disappointed, to Jaguára we returned, and I found it difficult
to tear myself away from the pleasant society of my new friends,
Dr. Quintiliano and Sr. Duarto. I little thought at the time that
the latter was so near his end: he had been treated for ulceration
of the leg; the wound was healed, but when he returned to Ouro
Preto he died suddenly. Hospitality is the greatest delay in
Brazilian travel. It is the old style of Colonial greeting; you
may do what you like, you may stay for a month, but not for a
day, and the churlish precepts and practices of Europe are un-
known.* At length, however, I found a pilot, Chico (i. e., Fran-
cisco) Diniz de Amorim, who had a farm near the Retiro das
Freiras he was described to me as very "fearful" (medroso),
meaning skilful and prudent. The others were Joaquim, the son
of Antonio Corrêa, overseer of Casa Branca: a useless shock-
B
*The Basque proverb says,-
zett, and
Arraina eta arroza
Heren egunac carazos, canpora deragoza.
"Fish and guests after the third day stink, and must be cast out of the house."
+
CHAP. III.]
AT JAGUÁRA.
35
""*
head, unable to work. I presently bought for 40000, a kind of
“Igára,'
a tender-canoe, and used to send him ahead to explore
the Rapids. The third was João Pereira, of the Rio de Jaboti-
catúba, a freedman of the late Padre Antonio: he was the hardest
worker of my five crews, but as fierce and full of fight as a
thorough-bred mastiff. We got on well together; I did not,
however, engage him for the Rio de São Francisco, lest his
readiness with his shooting-iron might get me into trouble.
These men were to receive 5$000 per diem, and 2$000 whilst
returning to their homes: they asked a couple of days to prepare,
and they caused no unnecessary delay. Usually, every excuse is
offered, the favourite one, both here, on the Rio de São Fran-
cisco, and on the Amazons, being that the wife is about to grow
another olive branch.
As far as Jaguára, the River has shown us mere broken waters
(Quebradas), tide-rips (Maretas), and runs, properly called
"Correntezas," "Corradeiras," or "Corredeiras," and "pontas
d'agua," when the stream swings swift around the points. The
traveller, however, will hear them denominated Cachoeira,t a
generic term, equally applied to the smallest ripple or Strom-
schnelle, caused by a sunken tree, and to the Paulo Affonso,
King of Rapids. The word, therefore, will be used for conve-
nience, without attaching to it any importance. To a certain
extent it is correct, the difference of levels in most of the rapids
is unimportant, and we shall not find a fall or drop (Salto) till we
reach the São Francisco. The little perpendicular steps in the
Cachoeira, or Correnteza, are called Corridas and Corredóças,‡
and especially occur in the scatters of rocks, known as 'Tai-
paba, a corruption of Itaipába. § On the other hand, the
"Canal" is the fair-way through the Cachoeira.
* This is the Tupy word from "yg,"
water, and "jara," lord. My "Lord of
the Water was of Mandim or Peroba
wood, twenty-five feet long, with average
breadth of nineteen inches. As usual here,
and the same is the case on the Mississippi,
in defiance of all the rules of displacement,
the dug-out was made leek-shaped, bulging
at the bows, with a head larger than the
body, under the raftsmanlike idea that
this facilitates progress. We can only com-
pare them with the "plough bows and
the "short bluff ships "which are now
figuring in our naval estimates.
})
+ Also written Caxoeira, which has the
"}
"C
same pronunciation. The word corresponds
in part with the Raudales of the Orinoco.
In Tupy it is aba-nheendaba," which
means equally a rapid (Cachoeira) or a cata-
ract (Cascata or Catadupa). In parts of
the Brazil, especially the Province of São
Paulo, Cachoeira means a rivulet, without
conveying the idea of rapids. Cachoeira
is a classical Portuguese word, scil. Cachão-
cira, a place abounding in
"cachões,
plural of cachão, derived by Constantio
from Coctio, boiling (water).
This is also a classical word, locally
--
小
​""
used in a limited sense.
§ The word is Tupy, "Ita-ipa" mean-
D 2
36
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. III.
The Cachoeira proper is a place where the river skirts a
hill, or breaks through a range which projects into it rocks
that cause rapids. Generally it extends from one side to the
other its diminutive form is the "Camboinha," a "Carreira,"
or a "Corredor." The upper strata in the Rio das Velhas
being mostly limestone, the obstruction is often a narrow wall
of loose stuff (pedras movediças) through which a few Irish-
men with picks would open a way in twenty-four hours; once
opened, the water laden with sand and gravel would not allow
it to close. Before this is attempted, I should advise, however,
the use of the diving-bell, or helmet, in each deep pool (fundão)
which precedes the break. These basins where the water slackens
(remansos, poços, aguas paradas), and which lie close above the
rapids, are in fact huge flumes and cradles where the gold
and diamonds washed down to the river-bed will be found to
have settled, whilst the rock-bars crossing the stream must pre-
serve the deposited matter from being swept away during the floods.
In the Rio de São Francisco the Cachoeira is much more serious,
because formed either of the hardest sandstone or of lumpy
granite, whose crest numbers feet when here we have inches.
The Cachoeira, like the "Pongo," or "Mal Paso" of the
Upper Amazon, is nearly always found at the mouth of a tri-
butary, a river, or a córrego or stream which brings down mud,
"creek-sand," and gravel. It causes inundations by arresting
the flow, and these floods would be easily remedied, whilst the
stream would not be injured by additional velocity. In rare
places it may be necessary to canalize across a neck of ground,
but the Brazil is not yet prepared for such expenses.† On the
Rio das Velhas there are generally houses near the Cachoeiras,
but, as a rule, in the dangerous parts the people know nothing of
the river a league above or below their doors: they use canoes
for fishing, crossing, and paying short visits, but they travel by
the roads along the banks.‡
""
(6
or
ing a stony reef. It is translated "Gur-
gulho
Pedragulho," coarse gravel.
Castelnau (i. 424 and elsewhere) mentions
upon the Tocantins River the "Eutaipava,"
probably a peculiar way of spelling.
* Two attempts have been made to turn
the bed of the Rio das Velhas; one was
below Santa Lusia, and the other was above
Jaguára. The success was partial, the
precious metal was found in quantities,
*
but after an enormous expenditure of
human labour, the floods came down and
the stream returned violently to its old
course. At present the people cannot reach
the bottom of the bed, and coffer-dams,
dragging machines, and diving bells are
equally unknown to them.
Upon this subject I shall offer some
observations in Chapter 15.
In the Brazil, as in British India,
CHAP. III.]
37
AT JAGUARA.
The bad "Cachoeiras" on the Rio das Velhas number ten,
and all will require more or less work before a tug can be em-
ployed upon the river. They are "wild rapids," Cachoeiras
brabas (bravas), the others being "meia braba" and "mansa,”
or tame. There is no rule for passing them. Sometimes the
raft must creep down the sides; at other times the pilot must
make for the apex of the triangle, whose base is up-stream, and
whose arms are formed by jumping water. In many of the tide-
rips there is a double broken line, containing a space smooth
as oil, which shows the deep bed. The rock or snag, on the
other hand, is known by the triangular ripple, with the base
down stream. The paddles should be taken in, and the raft
must be pointed down with poles (sobre vara): if the men are
lazy they will spare themselves this trouble, and they will pro-
bably come to grief. Where the current is very rapid, it is
advisable to diminish the pace by dropping down stern foremost.*
"Cordelling," stern foremost by a rope from the bows, is mostly
confined to the tail-end of islands, where there is a gate in the
rocks through which the raft that would otherwise be swept down
by the current, must pass. Of course, the seasons make the
greatest difference in the rapids; † some of them which are
formidable during the floods, are safe when the dries set in.
Generally they are most dreaded in the winter weather, when
I passed them: during the inundations between December and
March, a small steamer might pass over many of them without
knowing that they are there. The boatmen swim like ducks,
despite which many are drowned. A stranger without a life-
belt would have little chance of escape; it is therefore advisable
to prepare for accidents by attacking dangerous places en
chemise.
water communication, which should have
been first undertaken, has been left to the
last. I shall have more to say upon this
subject.
* Commonly called (virar or descida)
"de bunda," more prettily "de poppa;
opposed to the normal way "de bica" or
""
-
"de corrida."
M. Liais was on the Rio das Velhas
between April 10, 1862, and July 3, 1862.
His head pilot was one Clemente Pereira
of Tabatinga, in the Vinculo do Mello.
Hence the names of the Cachoeiras, and
other features, which are not all correct.
CHAPTER IV.
TO CASA BRANCA AND THE CACHOEIRA DA ONÇA.
THE COUNTRY HOUSE, THE COUNTRY GENTLEMAN.-VISIT TO JEQUITIBA,—
UGLY RAPIDS,
O echo do Rio que o trovão simula,
E lento se prolonga reboando.
Domingos José Gonçalves de Magalhães.
FRIDAY, August 16, 1867.-After a week at Jaguára, I packed
up my chattels by an effort of the will, and, accompanied to the
"Porto" by my kind hosts, embarked. We parted with many
hopes to meet again, and with long wavings of the hat: presently
I found myself, once more, like Violante in the pantry- alone.
M. Liais records in May from Jaguára downwards, a constant
depth of two metres, and no danger of grounding except from care-
lessness: this, however, was not my experience. During the ten
miles of to-day there was little to observe. We passed the bar of
the Rio Jaboticatúba,* and we shot through a broken bridge and
by a ferry raft with chain and pulley, belonging to the Fazenda
de Santa Anna of Sr. Antonio Martins de Almeida. After an-
other bend we sighted on the left a square of white and brown
houses with turreted entrance and private chapel. This place,
the head-quarters of the Casa Branca estate, lies below a plantain-
covered hill rising above the wild growth of the banks. The land
is of rich limestone, with a wealth of water; is rich in cotton and
sugar, maize and rice, haricots and the castor-plant; it breeds.
horses and mules, black cattle, and pigs; and on the river's
banks large granular gold in rusty quartz looking like iron is still
The name is that of a fruit, somewhat
like the common Jaboticaba (Eugenia Cau-
liflora);
but the tree is taller, the bark has
a different appearance, and the berries do
not grow so low along the trunk. Canoes
ascend the stream for five leagues; it heads
in the Serra do Cipó, and is navigable for
the smallest craft to the Ribeirão de Abaixo,
distant some twelve leagues. Further down
is the Córrego da Palma, whose bend, a
little below the mouth, is called the Roto da
Palma.
CHAP. IV.] TO CASA BRANCA AND THE CACHOEIRA DA ONÇA.
39
washed. The four square leagues may be bought for 300: 000 $ 000,
or less.
A small party of Anglo-Americans met me on the bank and intro-
duced me to the owner, Sr. Manoel Francisco (de Abrêu Guima-
rães). He was a fine, handsome, middle-aged man, Portuguese
by birth; about eighteen years ago he inherited half the estate of
his uncle, Major João Lopes de Abrêu. The manor house was
in the normal style, fronted by a deep verandah, from which the
owner can prospect the distillery, the mill, whose wheel informs.
us that sugar is the staple growth; and the other offices. At the
end of the verandah is the Chapel of Na Sa do Carmo, with her
escutcheon of three gilt stars upon a wooden shield painted blue ;
here there is chaunting on Sunday evenings. The Senzallas or
negro quarters are, as usual, ground-floor lodgings within the
square, which is generally provided with a tall central wooden
cross and a raised wooden stage for drying sugar and maize; the
tenements are locked at night, and, in order to prevent disputes,
the celibataires are separated from those of the married blacks.
These Fazendas are isolated villages on a small scale. They
supply the neighbourhood with its simple wants, dry beef, pork,
and lard, flour of manioc and of maize,* sugar and spirits, tobacco
and oil; coarse cloth and cotton thread; coffee, and various teas
of Caparosa and orange-leaf. They import only iron to be turned
into horse-shoes; salt, wine, and beer, cigars, butter, porcelain,
drugs, and other "notions.” There is generally a smithy, a
carpenter's shed, a shoemaker's shop, a piggery, where during
the last month the beasts are taken from the foulest food, and an
ample poultry yard.
The life of the planter is easily told. He rises at dawn, and his
((
Farinha de Milho" should be steeped
(molhado) for 24 hours; the manipulation.
is delicate, and especially the water must be
flowing, or the flour turns sour, and ac-
quires a nauseous taste (farinha podre). It
is then pounded (socado) in the stamps
(pilão) and sifted (penerado); the dough
(massa) is toasted by slow degrees, other-
wise it will be injured, in large pans of
tile stone or metal (Furnos de cobre, &c.)
fixed in masonry over the fire. Travellers
have used these articles for drying skins
and plants. This farinha is best when
eaten with milk. The people ignore the
corn bread of the United States. In making
manioc-farinha, the bag in which the raw
raspings were strained (tapety or tapiti, in
French colonies "la Couleuvre ") is sup-
plied by placing palm-leaves above and
below the massa when in the press (prensa);
the sediment of the juice that comes from
the mass is called tipióca (our tapioca), and
the liquid is thrown away. The Indians,
like the Dahomans, prepared a much roasted
and hard meal, which they called ouy-entan,
and the Portuguese know as Farinha de
guerra" (Prince Max. i. 116). In the
Brazilian forests there is a poisonous species
called mandioca brava; in Europeans it
produces fatal vomitings, but the wild
people are said to eat it after keeping it
for a day.
<<
40
[CHAP. IV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
slave-valet brings him coffee and wash-hand basin with ewer,
both of solid silver. After strolling about the mill, which often
begins work at 2 A.M., and riding over the estate to see that the
hands are not idling, he returns between 9 and 11 with his family,
and if a bachelor with his head men, to breakfast. The sunny
hours are passed either in a siesta, aided by a glass of English ale
there is often nothing English in it but the name-in reading
the newspapers, or in receiving visits. The dinner is between
3 P.M. and 4 P.M.-sometimes later; it is invariably followed by
coffee and tobacco. Often there is another relay of coffee before
sitting down to tea, biscuits and butter or conserves, and the day
ends with chat in some cool place. The monotony of this Vida
de Frade-Friar's life-is broken by an occasional visit to a
neighbour, or to the nearest country town. Almost all are excel-
lent sportsmen, good riders, and very fond of shooting and
fishing. They are also doctors, great at administering salsapa-
rilla and other simples, and at prescribing diet. In Gardner's
time Buchan's "Domestic Medicine," translated into Portu-
guesc, was the book; now the Formulary of Chernoviz must
have made a little fortune; it is part of the furniture, as was
"Guillim" in the country-houses of our grandfathers. Homœo-
pathy throughout the Brazil is in high favour, and generally
preferred to the "old school" and the "regular mode of practice."
The choice is the result, I presume, of easy action upon the high
nervous temperament of the race, and the chemist who deals in
the similia similibus, makes more money than his brother the
allopath.
We will now visit the Engenho, or sugar-house, the simplest
expression of a mill. In the more civilized establishments a
light wheel works by a cogged axle, the two iron or iron-banded
cylinders placed horizontally.‡ The old three perpendicular
* This is still the custom of Turkey,
Egypt, and Persia. On the Rio das Volhas
metal is preferred to the more frangible
material; for everywhere in the Brazil
negroes break whatever they handle.
The establisher of homoeopathy in the
Brazil, who corresponds with Dr. Samuel
Gregg in New England, was Dr. B. Muro,
a Frenchman, a most active and energetic
proselytiser, who worked the press with
unwearied energy. "You and I are the
only men who love homeopathy for its own
M
sake," Hahnemann said to him. He died
I believe on the Red Sea, riding his favou-
rite hobby-horse towards and for the benefit
of India. The Instituto Homeopatico do
Brasil" published his "Pratica Elementar,"
and it has reached several editions.
"Engenho de ferro deitado," opposed
to the ancient system of upright cylinders
called "Engenho do pán em pé." When
not worked by a water-wheel, a long lever
is carried round the walk by cattle.
CHAP. IV.] TO CASA BRANCA AND THE CACHOEIRA DA ONÇA. 41
rollers are waxing obsolete; and a hopper sometimes protects
in these days the slaves' hands from mutilation. There is
an utter absence of European chemical science and of modern
machinery: the vacuum-pan, the "subsider," and the "steam
evaporator," are equally unknown. Even the simple use of bone.
black and lime, to remove the albumen and the acetic acid of
the sugar, have not been adopted. The ripe stalk should be
ground as soon as cut: it is often piled in the yard for days, and
the accidental rents in the outside skin, hacked by the awkward
black, acidify the juice by admitting the air. The caldo or
garápa* is run right into the pans, which often are not thoroughly
cleaned; it is slowly boiled down in coppers exposed to atmo-
spheric action, and the laziness of the boilerman prevents his
skimming the juice with care. Hence, in this Land of the Cane,
those who prefer loaf sugar must send for it to Europe.t
The "American" party consisted of nine souls, including a
wife and three young children, white-headed, blue-eyed, red-
cheeked rogues, always blessed with health, restlessness, and
accidents; they are extreme contrasts to the slow, dull, whity-
browns of the land, and here the southern cross is uncom-
monly strong. They had been living for some four weeks in a
house assigned by the host, and during that time their united
66
*The word is, I believe, Indian it
properly means Caouy, or wine of sugar-
cane, or wild honey and it extends far.
It is simply the fresh cane-juice, which
the people are fond of drinking after the
Indian fashion, warm; to me it is much
more agreeable cold. Garápa is a favourite
beverage with Tropeiros, and it stands on
the shelves of every Venda, together with
Capillaire and other mixtures. For cattle,
and especially for horses, it is an admirable
fattening food.
The following is the rude system in
this part of the Brazil. The canes are
ground by the rollers, and the juice (caldo
or garápa, the Spanish huarapo) flows into
the boiling coppers (caldeiras) of these
there are usually three, worked by a single
negro. The trash (bagaço, in French ba-
gasse) is still rich it is good for animals,
especially pigs, it would supply fuel for a
steam engine, and it is excellent manure,
returning silex and saccharine matter to
the soil. Now it is generally piled in a
heap and left to decay. From the coppers
the juice passes to the cooler (resfriadeira),
where feculences and impurities subside,
((
""
"}
and the caldo crystallizes. It is then
placed in vats (formas) whose bottoms, half
the breadth of the tops, are pierced with
holes, and are provided with bungs. These
troughs are covered with brick-clay, never
animal charcoal: when the molasses (me-
lado) has drained out, the sugar is dried in
the open air, raked about by negro boys,
and allowed to become thoroughly impure.
Finally, it is stored in the sugar chamber
(Caixaõ de assucar).
For distillation the molasses from the
troughs is led by channels (bicas) to a large
canoe-shaped wooden cistern (coche). It is
then mixed with the scum from the boilers,
and reduced to about 11° Reaumur, in the
tank, for alcoholic fermentation (tanque de
azedar). It is then carried to the still
(alambique), an old-fashioned and rarely
cleaned machine like a retort. This usually
receives three feeds (alambicadas) in the
twelve hours: work being rarely done at
night. Finally the spirit is poured into a
square wooden bin containing some 500
kegs: this "tanque de Restilo" when hol-
lowed out of a single log is called "Paiol."
K
42
[CHAP. IV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
L
"venda bill," food included, had been only 26$ 000-say, 301.
per annum. A wonderful infirmity of purpose seemed to affect
them; the only reasonable cause of delay was a wish to try
the effect of a rainy season before squatting in the new Alabama.
Some liked the place, because it is above the difficult rapids, and
it is connected by land and water with Sabará the market, a sine
quâ non here. Others abused it; they held it unfit for the
plough, and objected to the Brazilian style of spontaneous pro-
duction, where the land is uncleaned, where the only implement
is a bill-hook at the end of a long handle used to lop off the
sprouts of the young wood springing from undecayed roots, and
where gathering is the only work and care. They naturally
enough objected to plant in the same field cotton and corn, beans
and Palma-Christi, the sole rude succedaneum for a rotation of
crops now known in the Brazil. The best lands are here sold at
15 $000-40$000 per alqueire of 6 x 2 square acres, and large
tracts may be purchased for much less. To work profitably,
however, they require stock and fifteen black hands-the latter at
present a very expensive article, ranging from 50l. to 100l. The
production per acre is of cleaned cotton, one bale of 500 lbs., worth
a minimum of 200 $ 000; 40 bushels of corn fetch from 40$ 000 to
80$ 000, and the same is the price of an equal quantity of beans
and ricinus seed.* The acre also produces 100 lbs. of tobacco,
worth 60$ 000, and the price will be raised by proper treatment.
Not being over-burdened with money, the colonists must rely
mainly upon time-purchases. I heard afterwards that they had
bought a raft, and descended the river to Trahiras. One of
them, Mr. Davidson of Tennessee, volunteered to accompany me
as adjutant-general; I liked the man, and gave him a passage to
the Rapids of Paulo Affonso.
،
The host was a bachelor, and the evening of my arrival was
ushered in by music and dancing; a "pagoda," however, not
a
fandango," nor the peculiar Congo style of saltation known as
the "batúque." I could not enjoy it, the sun had been over-
†
powerful, and the breeze had been too cool: my principal suffer-
ings were from cramps in the fingers, here, apparently, a common
* This mamona-oil sells at 1$200 per
alqueire-nearly 8 imperial gallons. The
Southerners are familiar with the plant,
but they rarely burn the oil, as is done in
this part of the Brazil.
+ Not batucca, as it is written by Prince
Max.
CHAP..IV.] TO CASA BRANCA AND THE CACHOEIRA DA ONÇA.
43
complaint. I had arrived on Friday, but the host would not
give me leave to depart before Monday, and then, also, not till
after breakfast. My raft was plentifully supplied by him with
fine "Restilo," or rather "Lavado," whose exceeding strength
provoked the wonder and admiration of the river. A single wine-
glass of this spirit before turning-in, especially when the wind
and rain rushed under the raft-awning, was a protection against
ague. Thus, Peter Pindar:-
"Would you, my friend, the power of death defy?
Pray keep your inside wet, your outside dry."
I found also a six-months' provision of fine, white, clayed Rapa-
duras sugar bricks, 9 × 6 × 2 inches. Sr. Manoel Francisco
accompanied me to the "Eliza," embraced me, and wished me
the best of voyages; I parted from him with regret.
August 19.-After two hours we passed on the right bank the
Paracátu influent,* a buttress of caverned rock ending a hill; it
was the first of three picturesque cliffs composed of calcareous
blocks, tufted with trees, and separated by shallow green hollows.
In front the distances were charmingly painted by the pink-blue
air of the Brazilian spring, which lasted us twenty-three days
longer, till we reached the Rio Pardo; the gauzy, filmy sky
blurred the outlines of the vegetation and rendered mirrory the
surface of the stream. The timber was small, the tallest growths
being the Jatobá and the Angico Acacia; the most spreading was
the Gamelleira or wild fig, that kindly gift of Nature, with dense,
cool, dark-green foliage, and "beard of wood" garnishing, its
widely-extending boughs. Clearings extended from the water to
the hill-sides, making brown patches of dead vegetation; and
oranges and bananas showed where the dwelling places lurk.
There was the usual beautiful variety of hue and form, so attrac-
tive to all who have an "eye for trees." The mauve Quaresma,
the chrysoprase of the young sugar, and the fan-shaped Arrow-
cane (ubá), here 14 to 15 feet high, tasselling the long, smooth
reaches, and a hundred tints of leek-green, gold-green, dark-
green, spinach-green, brown-green, pink-green, and red-green,
+
* This must not be confounded with the
Paracatú influent of the true São Francisco.
The word thus written means good (catu)
stream (pará); others hold it to be a cor-
ruption of Pira-catu, good fish (pira or
pyra).
+
---
arrow, and Uiraçaba, a quiver.
Barba de Páu or Tillandsia.
"Uira" is also in Tupy a shaft or
44
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. IV.
contrasted with the white flowerets of the Assa-peixe branco, with
the silver-lined leaves of the Sloth-tree, and with the coppery
foliage of the Copahyba.* Here rose a tall skeleton, blasted by
lightning, or slain by the annual fires; there a nude form enjoyed
the disrobing of the dry season before assuming the impermeable
of the rains; there a panachéd palm rose bending and rustling
in the wind. Now the trees shot boughs horizontally over the
stream and curled up or put forth secondary branches towards
the light; orchids were rare, but the lianas were as usual
rampant, and pendulous birds'-nests occupied the best places.
There half-cut trunks bent their heads into the water, whilst
others, inclining down the river in the teeth of the wind, showed
the force of the floods. Masses of vegetation rolled bulging down
the bank. We especially remark the massive digitations of the
Castor-plant, and the Tabóca Cabelluda (hairy bamboo), a
graceful, maidenly shape, but armed with angry thorns cockspur-
shaped, and disposed in threes. The Hibiscus, 10 to 12 feet
high, here known as the Mangui or Mangue,t will long attract
the eye by its yellow cotton-like blossoms, by the young cordi-
form leaves with velvety lustrous green, and by the dead infolia-
tion washed with faint vermilion, looking from afar like spangles
of red.
Below Paracatú is the Poço feio, or "ugly well," where a rock
projecting from the left bank caused the little whirls and regurgi-
tations here called, from their shapes, "panellas de agua,
>> or
water-pipkins. Three hours carried us down to Páu de Cheiro, ‡
thus long had it taken to coast this part of our friend's grounds.
The estate, belonging to half-a-dozen owners, is estimated at 200
alqueires, and may, they told us, be bought for 8 to 10 contos of
reis. A Californian who lately visited it, declared that he could
make 2$000 per diem by panning the gold which lies unworked
in the banks. Then we came to the Lapa, the longest and tallest
limestone bluff on the river. This "rupes præcelsa sub auras"
is broken into a thousand cracks and holes, whilst the cavern is
fronted by the most corpulent of stalactites. Here the Calcaire
is based upon an iron-stone grit, which stains the banks with
، ،
* The Copahyba, also written Copaïva, Co-
pauba (Copaifera officinalis, copaier, ca-
pivi" tree) will be mentioned in Chap. 6.
Arruda calls this Malvacea Guachuma
(Guaxuma) do Mangue (Hibiscus pernambu-
censis).
Literally "perfumed wood," a Lau-
rinea.
CHAP. IV.] TO CASA BRANCA AND THE CACHOEIRA DA ONÇA. 45
iridescent water and rests upon sand, evidently the old bed. In
many parts the slopes are frosted over with a curious incrustation,
which lasted to the mouth of the Rio das Velhas.
The crew
declared that it was the efflorescence of arsenical pyrites from
Morro Velho. We dissolved it in boiling water, strained it
through flannel, and made a hardish cake of uncrystallized
matter like impure sugar; the taste was that of alum and salt-
petre. The latter, as in Kentucky, often overlies a whitish-yellow,
arenaceous soil, whose pores act as strainers. The rest of the
surface was a rich soil some six feet deep, or double what satisfies
the farmer on the fertile Mississippi.
*
Now the currents are becoming rapids, and the bed is studded
with islets of calcareous stone, dangerous during half-flood. At
the Porto da Palma M. Dumont's navigation at present ends.
Four huts stand at the Barra de Páu Grosso, justly so called
from the huge timber of its banks. It is said to head near
the Rotulo estate, which was bought from a certain Marquez
(P. N.) of Sabará by the English Company at Cocaes, who
intended it to supply their miners with provisions. The survey
of this Fazenda extended over a year, and cost some 14001.
The overseer under the General Manager, Mr. J. Pennycook
Brown, is a Mr. Broadhurst, whose father, together with a son-
in-law, Manuel Simplicio, bought from Sr. Bonifacio Torres part
of the estate called "Cana do Reino." Mr. Broadhurst the
elder brought out English machinery for carding, spinning, and
weaving cotton; he was afterwards drowned in the Cipó River,
which runs out of a dip in the mountain. The same happened
to two or three other Englishmen-an accident charitably attri-
buted to the superior excellence of the rum. The Fazenda do
Rotulo has fine red and black soils, based on limestones, and in
two places saltpetre has been worked. It is to be sold for
50: 000000, but it has the disadvantage of being far from water
carriage. On the other hand, it is some six leagues long by two
broad, and it would support a little settlement of forty families.
At 5.10 P.M. we idly came to anchor off a sand-bank, the Praia
da Cançanção: it is backed by land bare of grass, and a few huts
*Or Porto das Palmas.
Rotulo moans a roll or label; it is
generally corrupted to "Rochelo."
"Of the nettle" (Jatropha urens). The
-|-
wild men, who were well acquainted with
and had given names to the medicinal
growths of their forests, used this plant in
local phlebotomy. They switched with it
46
[CHAP. IV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
are on the other side. We slept on board the
We slept on board the "Coffin," and
were pleasantly surprised to find no insects. The night was
still as the grave, and at times curious sounds from water, earth,
and air reminded me of those described by wanderers in the
Amazonian forests-the work of some night-bird or beast, or fall
of heavy fruit, or the plashing of hungry fish. At midnight, tall
distinct pillars of white mist, silvered by the moon, formed a
majestic colonnade slowly progressing down stream. At 4 A.M.
the hot humid air of the River Valley was clear; before sunrise,
however, a cold draught swept from the Serra Grande or do
Espinhaço on the east, and condensed the vapour into a thick
fog. During the day the breeze chops round to the north,
forming a head-wind which refrigerates the surface stream; the
fish will bite at midnight but not at noon. The evenings are
mild, serene, delightful.
*
August 20.-We resolved to set out betimes, but the vapours
kept us at anchor till long after sun-rise, and we had reckoned
without (including) our host. The country now assumes a type
which will last. In the offing is a grassy table-land or ridge
either with one or two distances, bristled with a few trees, and
rising high above the avenue of bush and forest, through which
the stream flows. After a couple of hours we paddled under a
split bridge which had been carried away in 1858: like that of
Casa Branca it should have been raised at least 50 instead of
32 feet (10.30 metres), a fair allowance for extraordinary floods.
The site is, as usual, badly chosen; instead of being divided into
two a little lower down, it runs like a causeway right across a
branch channel formed by inundations on the left bank. The
original cost had been 2:800 $ 000, and the holes made for plant-
ing the piers had yielded 4:400$ 000 of gold. An engineer
offered to repair it for 600l.-instead of 60%.-and the owner
therefore prefers a raft.
Just below it, to "larboard," is the pretty little village of
Jequitiba; here is a lakelet draining into the main channel
the part affected, and when sufficient in-
flammation was produced, they made a
great number of incisions with a stone or a
knife, a style of cupping inore barbarous
even than the African.
*This corresponds with the south-east
wind that blows at sunrise on the lower
Mississippi.
+ Or Gequitibá, a magnificent forest
tree (Couratari legalis, Mart. ; Pyxidaria
inacrocarpa, Schott.). The colossus is often
180 feet high, and its spreading shade
would shelter a small caravan.
CHAP. IV.] TO CASA BRANCA AND THE CACHOEIRA DA ONÇA. 47
further down. Opposite we sighted the Fazenda do Jequitibá, a
sugar estate belonging to Colonel, better known to the people
as Capitão Domingos Diniz Couto. It was impossible to pass
him, and the visit led to the expected result; a room was shown,
breakfast was ordered, and with difficulty I extracted a promise
for dismissal on the next day-after the early meal. One cannot
sympathise with the Northron's estimate of Brazilian hospitality.
Besides the fact that the guest has obligations as well as the
host, I always find in the Fazenda sufficient intelligence, espe-
cially on local matters, to make up for lost time. At Jequitibá I
was asked about the murder of the Baron von der Decken; at
Jaguára my name was shown to me in the "Revue des Deux
Mondes," a publication which, not having been salaried, persist-
ently abuses the Brazil, and consoles the Brazilians by its gross
ignorance of the subject which it maltreats.*
Colonel Domingos has a fine taste for good soil; people wonder
that he still works at adding acres to acres, but the process has
now become part of his existence. He has some forty square
leagues of land, and travelling down-stream for three days we
shall pass his estate. Besides this Fazenda he owns the Ponte
Nova on the Barra de Jequitiba, about six miles distant, the
Paiol with 100 head of negroes, the Bom
Bom Successo with
upwards of 300, and the Laranjeiras. He will sell any or all of
them, and from 1 pair to 500 pair of hands; he begged me to
publish this sporting offer, which I accordingly do.
We spent a pleasant day, and were visited by M. Bruno von
Sperling, a German engineer, married, and settled near Ouro
Preto; he is now surveying the Mello estate. A small Portu-
guese landholder told me that he had heard of coal in the neigh-
bourhood, but exact information was not to be obtained. As the
Colonel was suffering from cataract he sent Sr. Antonio Justino
de Oliveira, his kind and civil administrador, to show us his fine.
grounds. The place would be a Paradise with a steamer passing
by it once a month. The gardens, sloping down to the stream,
give a pretty view of the little Arraial on the opposite side, with
its chapel, backed by pink-blue hills in the far distance. The
many acres were planted with a few roses, cockscombs, and
* I refer especially to the "Review's "
articles upon the Brazilo-Paraguayan war.
Either it knows the truth, and conceals, or
rather travesties it; or it ignores facts, and
should seek information.
48
[CHAP. IV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
other flowers; the fruit trees were mangos, figs, Avocado pears
(Abacutis, Persea gratissima), and large Cuyétes or gourd trees.
(Crescentia Cujetè); the rest was sugar* and bananas. There
was a noble row of Jaboticabeiras (the well-known Eugenia cauli-
flora) with cupped or rounded summits, dense foliage, and
smooth myrtaceous bark, everywhere studded along bole and
bough with small yellow-white flower-tassels and young berries,
little larger than a pin's head. In São Paulo the tree bears fruit
only once a year in early summer, October and November: here
it is continually productive. I had looked forward to the myrtle
season as one does to the strawberries in England and the cher-
ries in France; the tree, however, is not found on the Lower São
Francisco-a great disappointment. Its fruit is one of the most
delicate, in size a little larger than the biggest gooseberry, with a
tough coriaceous skin like that of the Brazilian grape. The
flavour is lost when the Jaboticaba is brought to market; the
proper thing is to eat it off the trunk; a tree may be hired at São
Paulo for 10$ 000 per annum, and "andar à Jaboticaba "ten
famille is a very pleasant picnic.
August 21.-Having offered some parting advice to our host
touching a visit to some ophthalmist at Rio de Janeiro, before
couching became too late, we set out at 7 A.M., much condoled
with. The river was beautiful; its grassy bluff seemed to bar
the course, and the irregular lay of the heights told us what was
coming. At 1.40 P.M. our troubles began, they were to last for
five days. Our awning nearly came to grief at a sharp volta or
bend a little below the Barra do Diamante. Twenty minutes
afterwards we came to the Saco da Anta or d'Anta. The Saco
or Reviravolta here corresponds with the "Horseshoe bend" of
the North American rivers; the stream makes a sharp turn, at
times running almost parallel with itself, and the land on its
convexity becomes a quasi-peninsula with a narrow neck.
*I have rarely seen finer sugar-cane,
certainly none in the Brazil. It is the
Cayana quality, and the stalks when
cut are 10 feet long by 1 inch in dia-
meter. Such is the effect of the Maçape
soil.
"To go to Jaboticaba."
++-
Usually pronounced in Minas and São
Paulo "Vorta." The confusion of the "
and are as common as in China, and
I have heard a "University man
and a
Provincial Deputy call the Estrella da
Alva (the morning star) Estrera da Arva.
As has been said, many of the "Indians
cannot articulate the 7. Moreover, in
Tupy it is popularly asserted that f, r,
and are wanting. This, however, cer-
tainly does not appear in the Lingoa Geral,
which ignores d, f, h, l, and z.
"1
""
1
CHAP. IV.] TO CASA BRANCA AND THE CACHOEIRA DA ONÇA. 49
Here a grassy bluff on the right bank fends off and loops
the stream; the tall rock falls into the bed, throwing over a
ridge which causes the water to break nearly right across; the
material is lamellar shale, porous, and full of holes; it might
easily be removed by a small steam-hammer. The current, as we
can see, swings to the left, having a large sand-bank to the right,
bends in the latter direction under a tall bank and disappears ;*
the course is from west to east. Chico Diniz went down in the
tender carrying our damageable goods, and cut away some
branches dangerous to the awning. We then floated along
the bank to port under pole, and stern foremost, an occupation
which cost us eight minutes, and the preparations for it hálf-an-
hour.
After the "
Tapir's bend" we at once came to the Funil-here,
as in São Paulo, pronounced Funí. This name entonnoir, or
funnel-in land formations means a defile; on the Brazilian
rivers it is usually applied to rapids breaking across the head of
a long, straight reach that ends in a vanishing point. Here an
eyot or sand-bank, covered with gravel and pebbles, bisected the
upper entrance, and the course was from west to east. We
bumped down the island's right side, hugging it to escape bad
rocks on the river's bank to starboard; then we poled over,
always a delicate operation, to the proper left side, avoided the
brush," and made fast. Bag and box were sent down the left
branch in the tender, which ascertained that the rock-bed was now
too much exposed for the raft. Perforce we again bumped across
the stream below the heavy central break to the right bank, where
canoes, plantains, and a hut denoted the Fazenda do Funil.t
At 5 P.M. we prepared our dormida (bivouac) on the Praia do
Funil, a dry sand-bank to the left. The first step was building
the hearth, and this did not take long, fuel being found every-
where. I observed that, contrary to the African habit, my
people preferred the small fire, which was the practice with the
"Indians," who, to warm their naked bodies even in the wigwam,
and to defend themselves against wild beasts, used to make their
<<
* The total windings are south-south-
east, south-east, east, north-east, north,
and at last the general direction, north-
west. M. Liais, who descended the Rio
das Velhas, where the river must have been
somewhat fuller, shows nine detached rocks,
VOL. II.
five on the right and four on the left. This
obstacle would severely try the engines of a
tug going up-stream.
M. Liais shows a clear way between
the sand-bank on the left and three lumps
of rock dotted along the right bed.
F
50
[CHAP. IV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
women keep wood burning all night.* Carne Seca and fish, when
any is caught, are skewered and planted by the blaze. The next
operation is to make Angú, that almost universal dish; porridge,
hasty-pudding, stirabout, polenta, mush, and the ugáli of Unyam-
wezi. Fubá or maize meal is thrown little by little into boiling
water and moved with a stick, or it will be lumpy: it should be
eaten as soon as the whole is wetted.† The favourite national
dish, feijão floating in lard, ‡ is kept upon the fire all night so as
to be ready for the dawn-breakfast. The men pass the evening
chatting and smoking till ready for sleep, when they spread their
mats and hide well in the smoke-drift, and no wonder that they
so often suffer from Cadeira or lumbago.
The air was delightfully pure, and I sat for some time listening
to the voice of an old friend. "Pst"-the blow-" Whip-poor-
Will." This Caprimulgus begins to be vocal with the crepus-
cule, somewhat like certain owls, especially the Strix Aluco of
Europe, 8 and his loud and remarkable cry will extend, with
certain intervals, all down the Rio de São Francisco. His man-
* Like Africans, they used to light fires
by the side of newly made graves, not to
frighten away evil spirits or the devil (ac-
cording to travellers), but for the per-
sonal comfort of the defunct.
Another form is called Mingáu (not
Mingant, as Prince Max. i. 116); it is
made of manioc, farinha in water, and
sometimes with a little cinnamon. A third
preparation is termed Cariman, derived from
Caric to run, and Mani Manioc, “running
manioc." In old authors we find mingan
or "lonker," potage or thick "bouillic,'
made with salt, pepper, and manioc-meal,
Yves d'Evreux mentions a Norman inter-
preter named David Mingan. The Pirao is
farinha mixed with hot water, or better
still, with broth of fish or fowl; it is a fa-
vourite accompaniment with fish.
Popular writers inform us that fatty
and carbon-producing substances, so neces-
sary to the inhabitants of the Arctic regions,
lose their use as we approach the Equator,
and are supplanted by fruits, rice, and
similar light food. This is by no means
the case. The Italian consumes a quantity
of oil which would make an Englishman
sick. The Hindu swallows at a meal nearly
a tumbler full of Ghi or melted butter, and
few, if any, Northrons can eat his greasy
sweetmeats with impunity. The naked
negro, panting near the Line, saturates his
food with palm oil, and even at Bahia in
، ،
>"
""
Gard
the Brazil, where the "coloured cuss from
Africay" is comfortably clothed, where he
can buy meat in abundance and obtain any
quantity of ardent spirits, the oily and
spicy caruru and vatapá (palm-oil chop, &c.)
are eaten by all classes. Near the Equator,
the damp heat has much the same effect
upon diet as the cold of high latitudes
strong diffusible stimulants, port, sherry,
and stout are better than thin claret and
French wines, and meat is much more di-
gestible than vegetables. Practice is worth
all the theories or rather the hypotheses of
pscudo-theorists, and the habit of one writer
copying from the other without an attempt
at independent inquiry traditionalises a
variety of error.
§ Prince Max. mentions sundry other
Engoulevens. There is a larger species
than the common Whip-poor-will, which
Marcgraf calls Ibiyaou, and he (i. 267)
Baconraou. Another (described i. 370) is
the Caprimulgus æthereus, which soars
high in the air like a bird of prey. A third
is the Mandalua (C. grandis), white mixed
with brown and its sharp whistlings fill
the forest. The German ornithologist de-
scribed for the first time (iii. 91) the Cury-
angú, a day-bird which flies during the
light, and mixes with horses and black
cattle in the pasture; and the Caprimulgus
leucopterus (iii. 178), whose beak is like
that of C. grandis.
CHAP. IV.] TO CASA BRANCA AND THE CACHOEIRA DA ONÇA.
51
ners, as far as we observed, resemble those of the N. American
species, and we often saw by day a pair nestling in the sand.
The Portuguese call the bird" John cut Wood," and it is a curious
commentary upon the "ding-dong" theory that one race hears
Pst-Whip-poor-Will" and the other "João Corta Páu." By
mentally repeating the words I could produce either sound, but
the Latin version seems preferable.
August 22.-We were aroused at an early hour by the Coryangú
or Curyangú (not Criango) bird (Caprimulgus diurnus, the Na-
cunda of Azara), which seemed to say, "How well ye woke!"
This goat-sucker has a musk-coloured coat, with white spots and
bars on the wings. I often disturbed a quiet pair nestling by day
in the shade of rock crevices; the flight was that of our night-
jars, and it was always short and low. We set out at 6 A.M.
somewhat prematurely, and the "smokes" obscuring the river-
surface, nearly caused an accident; a tree on the left bank, which
could have been cut in ten minutes, drove us amongst the stones
of a
"rush."
CC
At 8 A.M. we shot the Saco do Barreiro (de Gado)* the Bend
of the Salt-Lick (of Cattle). These places abound on the Rios
das Velhas and de São Francisco; the banks of red, grey, yellow,
or dull brown clay are burrowed with lines of holes by the
tongues of beasts and the beaks of birds, which usually visit them
in early morning. As in the United States, the lick is often
saline only by name, and the practice must be compared with the
earth-eating disease of Africans in the New World. In parts the
breeders mix salt with the clay and throw it upon the stream-side
to produce an artificial glaisière, but as a rule it is not considered
sufficient to lay down salt, as the lick requires a peculiar sort
* M. Liais calls it "Cachoeira do Paó
Seco." Here the stream runs from south
to north, and is faced by three low blue
hills. We easily descended in four minutes,
crossing from right to left, and thus avoid-
ing the breaks on both sides.
According to Azara (i. 55) the “Indians,"
who ignored the use of pure salt, supplied
it by the saline " barro," which they do-
voured in abundance. Prince Max. remarks
(ii. 257): “La glaise du Brésil n'a pas le
goût salin, et je n'ai rencontré chez les habi-
tans indigènes de ce pays aucun mets salé.
A curious commentary upon the supposed
necessity of the condiment. It must, how-
ever, be observed that the Tupys were
")
S
eminently carnivorous, and thus they found
their salt in their meat. This of course
would not be the case with " vegetarians."
Earth eating is not unknown to the Bra-
zilians. I have shown that in Africa, as
amongst the Ottomac Indians, whom Hum-
boldt describes as intrepid geophagi, it
is eaten in large quantities without doing
injury. I cannot, therefore, with St. Hil.,
hold that the Ottomacs are the sole excep-
tion to the fatality of geophagism. He de-
clares that the Brazilians prefer the clay of
the termitaria; this is also the case in
Unyamwezi, where it is called sweet
carth.
(C
""
E 2
52
[CHAP. IV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
of clay. After two unimportant features,* we drew near the
Maquiné Rapids, which have a very bad name. No one could
explain the word; our pilot "guessed" that it was that of a huge
"kraken" like the "worms" of "strange dragons of vast magni-
tude" which haunted England in the "good old" days. It is
called the "Maquiné Pequena," to distinguish it from a creek lower
down the river.
The first symptom was a fragmentary ledge on both banks,
dark friable limestone tilted up at an angle of 40°; this is called
the Cabeceiras do Maquiné. We made fast to the left bank near
a fine cotton-field that runs up a gently sloping hill. Here we
could look down the straight reach, some 400 yards long; about
600 feet of smooth water separate the Upper from the Lower
Rapids, which are considered to be the worse. They are formed
by the bluff end of a short range, whose general course is to the
north-east, but which bends to the north-north-east, throwing the
stream from its main direction to north-east 25°. The limestone
base forms an oblique ridge from north-west to south-east, where
the water breaks right across, and even at this season only one
rock appeared well above the surface. The friable limestone,
split and stratified, is easily broken with the hand; before
approaching the narrow wall there is a fundão or hollow at least
ten feet deep, and thus nature would keep open the narrowest
road.
After reconnoitering, we embarked with the "trem or lug-
gage in the tender, which now drew 4-5 inches. Apparently
there was a fair way on the right, but it is not shown in the Plan,
and the pilots always prefer the left. We went to port of a
central rock-knob, and, safely crossing the broken water, we
made for the half-way house, a sand-bank on the starboard side
fronting the smooth that divides the Rapids. Hence we watched
the "
great ole barque" take her lumbering way; after two or
three chancy swings and half broachings-to she obeyed the pole,
and came down gallantly.†
Having rested till noon, we prepared to attack the Maquiné
*The Cachoeiras das duas Barras and
das Cabras.
M. Liais's plan shows a clear way in
the midstream, and two main obstructions.
The upper break is of two blocks of stones,
with the thalweg in the centre. Then after
""
the smooth, come three detached rock-
piers on the right, and opposite them a
corresponding formation, but smaller and
more broken. In this section there are
two stones, which must be removed from
the thalweg.
CHAP. IV.] TO CASA BRANCA AND THE CACHOEIRA DA ONÇA.
53
Abaixo or Lower Rapids. Fortunately, I left my books on board
the "Eliza.' We went to the left, grounded on the rock ridge,
which slants like the upper formation, and were whirled round
against the trees; I could save only my journals, somewhat
like, to institute a modest and uninvidious comparison, Cæsar,
Camoens and Mad. André (de la Mediocrité). Reaching the left
bank we viewed from the feathery shade of a charming Jatobá the
doings of the ark. A second portage had been made, each occu-
pying some two hours, and, thus relieved, she slid safely down in
her usual playful elephantine way. But she was assisted by
certain moradores of the neighbouring hamlet of Maquiné Pe-
queno, José Luiz de Oliveira, who, accompanied by his two
cousins, stripped, and lent a hand in lifting the "Eliza" at a
critical moment. They would take no reward, but a glass of our
fine cohobated Lavado and a few cigars seemed to content them.
After shooting this "Long Sault," the line, "barring
barring" the
easily avoided scatter of sunken rocks (pedras mortas), should
have been safe, but it was not so. My men had worked well,
but they had drunk still better. They dashed upon a limestone
rib near the left bank. They then bumped heavily and unneces-
sarily in two places; the tender was almost lost, and I felt by no
means comfortable as we approached the Cachoeira da Onça.
Probably from these adventitious circumstances, the Ounce Rapids
have left with me a more unpleasant impression than all the other
combined difficulties of the Rio das Velhas. *
After about two miles we turned to south-south-east and
entered a gorge already gloomy at 4 P.M. "'Sta gritando," it is
crying! said the men, giving anxious ear to the roar. Advancing
swiftly for a few yards we saw the Cachoeira, breaking across with
dangerous projecting rocks. We poled down the left side, and
by opening too much to starboard we struck heavily upon the
stones, and the water spouted up between the planks of the plat-
form. Having escaped this shock, we crossed the stream to a
smooth on the right and prospected it. The result was a stern-
I went down entirely by the left; the
stream, however, evidently runs at the
middle of the bed, and this, when opened,
will give a clear passage. In the Upper
Maquiné the detached rock or rocks must
be knocked away, and in the lower the wall
must be pierced. It would, I think, be
easy here to work a large hammer, not by
steam but by water power.
*Yet the Plan shows only a stone pier,
and two hard heads on the right, faced by
five scattered rocks which may easily be
removed. The danger is from the detached
stone upon which the current breaks im-
mediately below the upper "gate."
#
51
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. IV.
presentation, and we slipped down in eight minutes, narrowly
shaving to port a dark laminated stone, dipping 50°, which was
angrily throwing off the waters, and upon which the current
broke.
The crew was tired and out of condition; I resolved to avoid,
by an early halt, the risk of a bad accident. We found on the
left, opposite a clump of five huts called Jatobá, a few yards of
sand under a precipitous bank of yellow clay; the men termed
the place Praia da Cachoeira da Onça. The day had been
wearying work, we had nearly boxed the compass.
An angry mass of purple-brown cloud hung in the western sky;
my men, hoping that the stream would be swollen, prayed for
rain, which at this season sometimes lasts three or four days.
At night the view was suggestive. On our right was the ominous.
growl and the lurid flashing of the Ounce Rapid: from the left or
down-stream came the rattling babble of the Corôa braba, the
'Fierce Sandbar," whilst the sky was red with the last gleam of
day, and flashed with the frequent prairie-fire.* In front flowed
the stream, dark steely blue; the further waters were scolloped
with the black reflections of the trees, which rose high where the
Little Bear should have been.
And this desert stream will presently become a highway of
nations, an artery supplying the life-blood of commerce to the
world. The sand-bank upon which we lay may be the landing-
place of some wealthy town. The "Ounce Rapid" and the
Fierce Sandbar" will be silenced for ever. And the busy
hum of man will deaden the only sounds which now fall upon our
ears, the baying of the Guára wolf, and the tiny bark of
the little brown bush rabbit.
66
* St. Hil. (III. i. 202) declares that in
Western Minas cultivators fire the grass
only during the moon's wane (dans son de-
cours).
The word is G-u-ára-, a great cater,
very voracious. "G" is the relative,
¢u
is to eat, and -ára (in IIindostani
"wálá ") is the verbal desinence. Guara
(an eater) is intensified by the post positive
ã. The name is of the animal here called
wild dog or Brazilian wolf (lobo), the old
Ursus carnivorus being very well calculated
to mislead; the Aguara-guazu of Azara,
and the Canis mexicanus of Cuvier. I have
scen closely but a single specimen, which
""
much resembled the French wolf, except
that the coat was redder. This carnivor
especially favours the lands where forest
and prairie meet or mix. I have never
heard of its attacking man; but, on the
other hand, there are no snows to make it
ravenous.
There is also a swamp-bird called Guará
or Gara (an Ibis), a word derived from ig,
water, and ará, a parrot or parroquet:
water-parrot, " from its fine pink-red
("
colour.
As a desinence, guará means lord or
master; e.g. pyguara, a guide, literally lord
of the path or foot (py).
CHAP. IV.] TO CASA BRANCA AND THE CACHOEIRA DA ONÇA. 55
We are taught to dwell far too much upon what has been;
upon the apxń, the proem, the first canto of the grand Epos of
Humanity; we are too indifferent about what is to be, in the days
when the whole poem shall be unfolded. Rightly understood,
there is nothing more interesting than travel in these New
Worlds. They are emphatically the Lands of Promise, the "ex-
pression of the Infinite," and the scenes where the dead Past
shall be buried in the presence of that nobler state to which we
must now look in the far Future.
•
CHAPTER V.
TO THE FAZENDA DO BOM SUCCESSO.
THE CORSA, OR SAND-BAR.-PREPARATIONS TO VISIT DIAMANTINA.—THE
PLEASURES OF SOLITUDE.
The day is placid in its going
To a ling'ring sweetness bound,
Like a river in its flowing-
Wordsworth.
BEFORE Setting out it will be necessary to describe the "Corôa "*
feature, of which a neat specimen awaits us.
The "
crown" is the
is the "sand-bar" of North American rivers,
an island in the stream, but very unlike our holm," inch or
eyot. It is mostly, as we have observed of the Cachoeira,
at the mouth of some little stream where the influx of fresh water
slackens the flow, and it is often built upon detached stones or
upon rock-ridges. The current swings to either side, leaving in the
centre a bald convexity like the shaven pole of a Corôado Indian,
and of all sizes, from yards to acres. The water is shallow above
it, deep below, on both flanks, and in the baylets and concavities
where fish live to plunge and cattle to bask. When the formation
is very low the drift wood floats over it; otherwise, tree-trunks
are mostly found at the sides, and snags must be feared, especi-
ally about the head or up-stream. Often the Corôa is double, or
even treble; it is always elongated down stream by the current ;
never circular as in lake formations, and the edges are either flat
with the water, or stand up in dwarf precipices.
The surface is pebbly and gravelly-of all sizes, from an inch
* Pronounced C'rôa; it is the Latin
Corona, certainly not to be written with
Prince Max. "Corroa.' The feature is
opposed to Praia, a "sandbank," attached
to the side. The Tupys called the former
Iby cui' oçu,
"Coroa de Areia," opposed
، ،
to the latter Iby cui' praia; with them Cua
was the river plain (varzea) where liable to
inundation, and "Coára," literally a hole,
was a little bay (enseada) or river port,
where canoes can be made fast..
CHAP. V.]
TO THE FAZENDA DO BOM SUCCESSO.
57
""
to a foot; these scatters come from the banks, and are brought
down by the floods. The material is mostly of quartz in its pro-
tean forms, jasper, touchstone, pingas d'agua (Quartzum nobile),
crystallized, stratified, and almost always red or rusty with iron.
There is also an abundance of sandstone, limestone, and chlo-
rite, which may or may not contain gold,* together with bits of
cánga" or ferruginous conglomerate, the gift of the upper
country. In places the sand is very loose, admitting the foot to
the ankle. In the hollows where rain sinks there are large flakes
of mud three to four inches deep, and wherever the waters extend,
the pebbles in the dry season show a coat of indurated slime,
whose base may be either cascalho (rolled gravel), soft sand,
or hard mud. These Corôas pure and simple are haunted by
gulls and terns, hawks and kingfishers, ducks and herons, plovers,
sandpipers, and other birds which will be mentioned.
A scattered vegetation of stunted trees and verdigris-coloured
grasses and shrubs, forms, generally beginning with the end down
stream, and thus the sand-bar becomes wooded.
The typical growth is the Araça guava, with comparatively small
thin leaves, and an exaggerated strength of wood, self-adapted
to its locality. Another common shrub is the Ariuda, also called
"Alecrim da Corôa;" the leafage is smaller than that of the
Psidium, the stem and branches are as stout and tough, and it is
bent down stream by the force of the inundations; this plant also
appears upon the sands. In places the water-sides are edged
with a sedgy grass, whose blades average a finger and a half in
breadth. It is used for stuffing pack-saddles. Upon the Rio
das Velhas we shall not find the osier-like and broom-like growths
which we first observed in the Rio de São Francisco below
Remanso.
The sand-bar first forms under water, when it is called Areão,
or "big sand;" it rises by degrees, and where the annual floods
are not too violent it presently becomes an "Ilhota
Ilhota" or islet; a
"Carapùça" if cap-shaped; and if large, an "Ilha" or island.
Many of them, like the Mississippi tow-head, are partly timbered,
the wooded portion up-stream, the sandy below, or vice versa.
The feature is then permanent, and the figs and mimosas bind the
* From some, for instance the Coroa da gallinha, gold has been taken; the people dig
deep into the sand.
58
[CHAP. V.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
soil like the "cuttun woods" of the United States. Passing the Rio
Pardo we shall see another complication, where blocks of blue
limestone, thinly grown with sturdy shrubbery, cumber the sur-
face, and lower down on the São Francisco, a combination of tall
rock, timber, and sandflat.
G
M. Liais advises these obstructions to be removed by "dragu-
age." With diffidence I differ from him; but would not the
obstacles upon which they are formed themselves require drag-
ging? A single rock will, like a stick in the sandy desert, pro-
duce an accumulation of matter; the same
the same causes continue
to be in operation, and doubtless every flood would renew the
effects.
August 23, 1867.-The warm morning tempted us again to set
out at 6.30 A.M., half-an-hour too early. The course was from
east to west, and we found our babbling friend the Corôa braba
a complicated affair of stone and sand-bar. On the left was a
rock, then gravel, then another rock; to starboard rose the sand-
bar, upon whose dexter side we lost no time in grounding
heavily. We poled off with difficulty, and I did not like the
look of things. Luckily we met a ragged youth, punting a dug-
out towards the village, and, for a consideration, Herculano
Teixeira de Queiroz was persuaded to accompany us. He
landed, and presently returned a smart young waterman, in white
shirt and pants, with straw hat, and the inevitable bone-handled
sheath-knife strapped round his waist.
*This is apparently Ca fundão-here
(is) a deep place-fundão-where the pole
does not reach. Near the right bank there
is a sand-bar; on the left, and a little up-
-
After about three-quarters of an hour the "Eliza's" head was
turned to the north-east, thus describing a long horse-shoe with a
very narrow heel. In places the river is to the land route, 3:1, not
an unusual ratio; in others, 5:1. Before us rose the tall blue
broken wall of the Serra do Baldim, the "Baldoino" of M. Liais,
which bore north-east of Jaguára; it is said to contain deposits of
alum, like those which we found on the São Francisco. Half-an-
hour afterwards we passed the Cachoeira dos Paulistas, whose ledge
does not run right across; the Plan makes it part of the "banks
of Cafundó."* It became evident that the rapids were now waxing
less laborious and far more dangerous, with deeper water and
Ju
stream, is a hard gravelly sand-bank flanked
by two rock-piers, one above, the other
bolow it.
CHAP. V.]
59
TO THE FAZENDA DO BOM SUCCESSO.
narrow channels, likely to jam the raft. We hugged the right
point and then made the mid-stream, steering for the apex of a
smooth equilateral triangle strongly defined by borders of foam
or ripple broken against stocks or stones-here the usual guide to
the clear way.
Then came a complicated obstacle-a bold bluff of ferruginous
stone to port deflected the steamer to starboard, almost from
north-east to south-east. Avoiding two sand-bars and two rock
ledges, we went to the right, and nearly rounded the Corôa-
going with the sun-from south-east viâ east and north-east to
north-west. A couple of rock-piers in our way made us cross to
the left, and bending to the north we found a break formed by
detached lumps of limestone. This "Cachoeira da Barra do
Engenho de Manuel da Paixão" was an affair of eight minutes;
the deviations are risky, and, before a steamer can ply, the bed
must be cleared of rocks, after which the current will dispose of
the sand and gravel.
After winding some four miles, where a voice could be heard
across the neck of the loop, we saw ahead fine cotton-fields in full
bloom, and a tier-like succession of gently swelling hills in far
perspective. A field of plantains on the left bank, and four
huts, of which at least one was a Venda, told us that, contrary
to prophecy, we had reached Sta Anna de Trahiras.
This place
is on the highway of the Tropas, travelling between the Provin-
cial Capital and Diamantina;* it became a parish in 1859,
and it is now under the vast municipality of Curvello. In 1864
the population was computed at 4298. I was told 12,000, which,
as usual, doubles the probable number.
Here were two ferries, one with a chain and belonging to a
kind of company, the other with a civilised wire-rope, procured
from Morro Velho; the latter was the property of Sr. João Gon-
çalvez Moreira, to whom I had an introductory letter. He met
us on the bank, and showed me a tree marked by the water ten to
twelve years ago, 40 feet above the present stream level. On this
occasion the floods swept the riverine valley to the foot of the
Campo hills, and people were taken by canoes out of their
thatched roofs. In average years the inundation rises for a few
*The distances are by land, 25 miles
from Diamantina, 21 from Sabará, 24 from
Morro Velho, 9 leagues (24 by water)
from Casa Branca, 6 leagues (by the river
20) from Jequitibá, and 4 to our present
destination, "Bom Successo."
1
60
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. V.
days to the ferry chain. If foreign railway engineers in the
Brazil, which is everywhere subject more or less to these excep-
tional deluges, recurring with a somewhat vague periodicity, had
taken the advice of the natives, and had built their bridges and
drains accordingly, they would have saved themselves much
trouble and their employers more expense.
We walked to the village on the right bank; the ground was
somewhat stony, pebbly and poor. It was rich in the low shrub
with a leaf like the Mimosa, known to the Tupys as Tareroqui,
to the Brazilians as Fidegoso (Cassia occidentalis, sericea, etc).
The "stinkard's" root is a powerful drastic, homeopaths infuse
it in spirits of wine and employ it as quinine; the beans are
sometimes made into coffee, as maize is in the United States.
The village main square on the highest ground has two chapels-
Santa Anna and the Rosario, a few young palms and some
Vendas, especially the double store of Sr. Tóttó (i. e., Antonhico or
Antonio) Rodrigues Lima, and the apothecary's shop of the
Professor of First Letters, who, though his father was named
Custodio Amancio, has preferred to term himself "Emmanuel
Confucius of Zoroaster."
The houses may number 200 or 300 within church-bell
sound; all are one-storied, and mostly of the meanest. The
only thing that seems to flourish is the goat; the "Cabrito" is
here, unusually in Minas and São Paulo, favourite food. Our
kind guide led us about to the several Prud'hommes, who
invited us to pass the day. Sr. Antonio Gomez de Oliveira, a
relation of Colonel Domingos, asked us to breakfast, and gave
us some good English stout. His house was the neatest in the
place, a long building fronted by a bit of shrubbery; of course it
contained a shop.
Our temporary pilot had done work enough, and we sent to
invite two others, but without the least chance of an answer for
three days. Chico Diniz politely intimated his utter despair,
and we returned to the ferry. Sr. Moreira enticed us to his
home on the other side, and whilst he despatched a peremptory
message, introduced us to his wife, and showed us the garden, in
whose oranges and cabbages he took no little pride; here the
soil is an improvement upon that where the village lies. He
spoke warmly, evidently not believing a word, about the coming
Steam Navigation; to him the Cachoeiras were insuperable,
CHAP. V.]
61
TO THE FAZENDA DO BOM SUCCESSO.
and when we spoke of cutting away the obstacles we talked mani-
fest Greek.
In 1853 a Government engineer had spent six months at
the rapids above Trahiras; the people remembered his fusées
and mule-loads of tin cylinders for mine-charges; all agreed,
however, that he had not removed a single difficulty, and most men
opined that he had left the place worse than when he found it.
At last, worn out by delay, we bade a friendly au revoir to our
host, and we quitted Trahiras, satisfied that if the opening of
the Rio das Velhas be abandoned to men who receive public pay,
and to those who live upon passing mule-troops, the splendid
stream will remain long closed.
We set out shortly after noon, and the day was a succession of
sand-bars and rapids, with rocks on the right, on the left, and
in the central thalweg.* The first serious feature was the
Ribeirão da Onça, a rapid on the left of a triple "Corôa; " it is so
called from a little green-set rivulet up which canoes go for several
miles. Presently we came to a place where four men were loiter-
ing; we offered to pay for pilotage, but they refused. They did
not object, however, to assist us in cordelling down the Cachoeira
da Barra do Ribeirão dos Geraes, alias Cachoeira dos Geraes (do
Lamego). Whilst they held the tow-rope we hugged the left
bank, a drop of loose sand; the broken ledges of horizontally
stratified dark stone project from the right shore above the
rivulet-mouth, and deflect the stream to the left, thus doing
engineer's work. Above the rapids much gold has been dug.
A couple of hours carried us down to the Cachoeira do Lagedo, §
a small rapid formed by a porpoise nose of wooded bluff on the
right; from its summit, they say, the Piedade of Sabará may be
sighted. After sundry unimportant features, and passing the
*It began with two bluffs of rock, floor-
ing the hill to our north. At the Córrego
da Tabaquinha (the little Tabóca, Taquara,
or bamboo), a rock-outcrop from the left
bank intrudes upon and deepens the
stream.
The first name would mean the rapids
at the embouchure of the stream of the
General Lands, an influent from the right.
Geraes are mostly lands out of the reach of
the river, either Pasto, Campo or Mato,
and bearing general produce, cotton, to-
bacco, cereals, as well as breeding cattle.
St. Hil. (I. ii. 99) confines the use of the
word to pastures, and says that "Matos'
must be expressed when forests are meant.
I did not find this difference, nor did the
people ever employ "As Geracs
As Geracs" to mean
"As Minas Geraes."
19
In order to drive the stream to the
left, M. Liais proposes a
(( tunage avec
enrochmont on the right with a passage
through it for the streamlet; a gigantic
work.
§ In the Plan rocks are placed on the
right bank; in the description (p. 8) on
the left.
The Fazenda do Jardim belongs to the
62
[CHAP. V.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
Coroa do Jardim, almost an islet, and to us a new spectacle,
we anchored at the usual hour, shortly before 5.30 P.M.,
at the Praia da Ponte.* Below was a Corôa of the same
name, which made music for us all night. Behind the hole-
riddled bank were a few hovels with patches of sugar-cane
growing poorly in rough, scrubby soil, good only for ticks. A
few boors came up and stared at the menagerie; they would
neither eat with
with us
nor take anything but fire for their
cigarettes, and we were as formal as they were. I had been
warned to treat them with "agrado e gravidade "-civility and
gravity otherwise that they may become quarrelsome or lose
respect. They spoke of a pilot, and we sent for him; but, as
usual, he was ill. Two women bringing fowls for sale, squatted
near us with feet wide apart like Africans, and chuckled their
remarks to each other; nothing could be less like certain Buffalo
girls. At sunset all disappeared, touching their hats in the
deepest and gloomiest silence.
P
I felt saddened by this contact with my kind. It was the
Present in its baldest, most prosaic form; the bright kaleido-
scope of cultivated life here becomes the dullest affair of un-
varying shape and changeless colour. There is no poverty, much
less want; nor is there competency, much less wealth. There is
no purpose; no progress, where progress might so easily be; no
collision of opinion amongst a people who are yet abundant in
intelligence. Existence is, in fact, a sort of Nihil Album, of
which the black variety is Death. I prefer real, hearty barbarism
to such torpid semi-civilization.
August 24.-The cold night made the fog hang long over the
water, and we did not set out till 7 A.M. Two Corôas, neither of
them in the plan, gave us some trouble. Thence the river
entered a gorge, each side alternately being high ground,
-wooded above and stony below. Before the hour was finished
we were at the Cachoeira das Viólas; † but, instead of going down
•
widow of the Capitão Herculano; a
streamlet comes in from the right bank,
and below it there are two sand-bars: the
first with a clear way to starboard, the
second on the other side. Then came the
Saco de Pindahyba, where the river loops
to the south-west, and the Ribeirão de
Luiz Pereira on the left.
* A Ponte is the name of a córrego
which does not appear in the Plan.
† Or, da Viola; probably some one lost
his fiddle here. The stream runs north to
south; and the obstructions are two rock-
walls from the right; then one from the
left, and lastly detached rocks on the right.
I include this feature amongst the bad ones,
as it has done much harm in its day.
CHAP. V.]
TO THE FAZENDA DO BOM SUCCESSO.
63
the mid-stream, we took the left to avoid driftwood, and we bumped
like the bucking of a mule. A charming reach, with beautiful
woods, appeared ahead, and the material of the latest clearings
strewed the land; here the direction of the limestone (?) is north-
east, and the dip 12°-15°. After sundry unimportant features*
we left on the west a fine bit of land, the Fazenda do Boi,
belonging to Sr. Delfino dos Santos Ferreira. The people
crowded down the yellow bank to stare and to frighten us about
the Cachoeira Grande, a place of which we had already heard
ugly accounts. The dialogue was in this style :-
"Do you know the Rapids?" we inquired.
"We know them!"
"Will you pilot us?"
"We will not pilot you!"
"For money?"
"Not for money!
!"
"And why?"
<<
Why? Because we are afraid of them!
This was spoken as the juniors ran along the bank like ostriches
or the natives of Ugogo; they are beginning to lose the use of
their un-Latin "yes" and "no," and to answer by re-echoing
half your question-the true old Portuguese style.
Shortly before noon we landed on the right side and examined
a thick layer of Cánga or pudding-stone, probably auriferous,
and possibly diamantine. The almonds were dark, rusty quartz,
in the usual iron clay paste, and from this point downwards we
shall see large deposits of it. Further on, sandstone lay
facing the south-east in nearly horizontal courses, ready for
quarrying. The men crossed to an orchard on the left bank, and
brought back baskets of fruit and sugar-cane, which they tore
and chewed like Botocudos. They sounded the horn, but as no
one came they put off. Alas! they had robbed the church; the
ground belonged to Padre Leonil, and worst of all, his oranges
* As the general course of the river is
from north to south, I shall call the right
bank east, even when it is not, and so forth.
The obstacles here are a rock (os Pandeiros)
in the centre, which causes a break, and
allows passage on the left. Then to star-
board enters the Ribeirão de São Pedro
amongst rocks and sand-banks. Followed
the easy Cachoeira da Agua Doce near the
Fazenda of the Sr. Nicolao de Almeida
Barbosa. We swang with the stream to
the left, avoiding the thick shrubbery
clothing the bank, and finding a clear way
between it and the three detached rocks of
the Plan. Then a larger sand-bar than
usual led to broken water, and sent us
down by the right.
6-4
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. V.
were not worth eating.* This, however, is here a venial offence.
You may freely take from a plantation-a Roça cannot be robbed,
is the saying-but you must not touch, for instance, a little plot
of onions or other vegetables upon which the proprietor bestows
pains, such as entering it at dawn. For the former are as
feræ naturæ; the latter is a park or a poultry-yard.
Luckily for us-the Cachoeira Grande was no joke-we found
at the Saco Grande, on the right bank, a small crowd preparing
for a "Sámba," or to keep "Saint Saturday," and perhaps "Saint
Monday" with dance and drink. The men carried guns in hand,
and pistols and daggers under their open jackets-evidences that
they did not intend to be recruited. The women were in full dress
-brilliant as rainbows-with blood-red flowers in the glossy crows-
wing hair; but of the dozen not one was fairly white. After a
few words with Chico Diniz, the bow pole was taken by a certain
"Felicissimo Soares de Fonseca," the stern was occupied by a
yaller "-skinned elder with curly white beard, "Manuel Alves
Pinto," and his son Joaquim. This looked like business. The
new comers were men of few words; they saluted us civilly, and
they pushed off.
،،
The beginning of the end was the little Rapid of the Saco
Grande or "Big Bend," where the river bed turning sharply
from south-east to north-west makes parallel reaches. To avoid
the rock-pier on the left we floated stern foremost down along the
right bank, here a mass of ferruginous sandstone, striking to the
south-east and nearly plane (3°-4°). After bringing the boat
round, we left, on the right, two sand-bars and as many de-
tached rocks; upon the opposite side also was a mass of blue
stone, which must not be approached. This elbow is too
sharp for a tug-boat, and the obstructions absolutely require
removal.
W
""
*They were very like the Laranja da
Terra, the "indigenous orange," alias the
imported orange run wild. The taste is a
fade "mawkish sweetness ending in an
unpleasant bitter; I have, however, seen
the juice beneficially used in ptisane for
one of the severe catarrhs (constipacões or
defluxos) which abound in Minas and São
Paulo. I presume that, like the Laranja
Secca or juiceless orange, the "bitter
orange " is the effect of a high country,
rough soil, and other local conditions. St.
Hil. (i. 280) quotes Pizarro, who enumerates
three subvarieties, one sweet, another agro-
dolce, and a third very sour, and believes
that the Laranja da terra is a return to the
primitive type of the sweet fruit.
"Per-
sonne, he says,
"n'aurait probablement
songé à nommer un arbre qu'on aurait fait
venir d'Europe, oranger indigène." This ver-
bal argument is worthless; many productions
imported in ancient times are now called
by the Brazilians "da torra.
""
In parts of the Rio das Vellas it is
""
CHAP. V.]
65
TO THE FAZENDA DO BOM SUCCESSO.
Presently we turned to the cast-south-east, and faced the
dreaded Cachoeira Grande, which is formed by another sharp
bend in the bed, winding to the north-east. The obstacles are
six several flat ledge-like projections of dark stone on the right
bank, and four on the left, mostly awash, and cunning is required
to spiral down between them. We began by passing the port of
No. 1, then we made straight for No. 2, to the left; here, by
pushing furiously up-stream-had a stick broken we should have
been nowhere the "Eliza " was forced over to the right, was
swung round by main force of arm, and was allowed to descend,
well in hand, till within a few feet of No. 4, which rises right in
front. Finally leaving this wrecker to starboard, we hit the
usual triangle-head, with plenty of water breaking off both arms.
A single bump upon a sunken boulder (pedra morta) was the only
event. The descent occupied sixteen minutes. The Great Rapid
is more dangerous, but not so serious an impediment to naviga-
tion as the "Maquiné.” Any form of ram would easily knock
off the heads of the rock-piers, and open a way in mid-stream-
all that is wanted.
After many congratulations our friends made a show of taking
leave; all had some important business, which proved on inquiry
to mean "doing compliments." As the dangers were not over,
the keg of Restilo was produced, it was tasted and pronounced
"muito brabo" (very hot in the mouth); the Ma-a-jor (myself)
became so irresistible that all would accompany me to the Rio de
São Francisco or elsewhere, anywhere. The poles were twirled
and wielded with a will. We left to port broken water and an
ugly stone, a hogsback, known as the Capivára (Hydrochærus),
and then we crossed to scrape acquaintance with a sunken mass
in front. This place is called the Rapadura; it is a mere "cor-
renteza," but the many "dead stones" would render it dangerous
for a steamer.
D
The end was the Cachoeira das Gallinhas,* to which we pre-
sently came. We gave a wide berth to a rocky wall on the right
bank, and stuck to the left side of the Corôa, till we had reached
its tail down stream. Here is a narrow gate formed by two rock
impossible, without testing the rock, to
determine whether it be sand, clay, or
lime.
VOL. II.
*M. Liais treats it as a matter of little
moment; we thought it quite the reverse,
and evidently so did the pilots.
+
10
66
[CHAP. V.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
piers, projecting from the shores, and in such places "cordelling"
is always advisable. The men sprang into the water with loud
cries of "Hé Rapasiáda,"* and pulled at the hawser till the cur-
rent had put us in proper position; they then cast off and sprang
on board before we could make much way. We left to starboard
two blocks and one sunken rock of fine blue limestone, brushing
them as we passed. The "Rapid of the Hens" occupied us
nine minutes, chiefly spent in shouting. The right channel may
easily be cleaned: a mass of drift wood is all that obstructs
the left, and knocking away the rock walls would soon start
the "Corôa."
Now, my lads !
A second dram of the "wild stuff," and all our friends in need
ruled. They blessed us fervently but stammeringly: they prayed
for us somewhat the wrong way, and they unintelligibly invoked
for us the protection of the Virgin and all the saints. They
landed with abundant tripping and stumbling, carrying 1$000
and a bottle of the much prized restilo. I had every reason to
be grateful to them, for they had most civilly saved me an
immense amount of trouble; but, shortly afterwards, reports of
certain "little deaths" in which they had been actively con-
cerned, showed that they were not exactly lambs, except after the
fashion of Nottingham.
* ""
+ The "Embouchure of the small hedge
or paling (stream);" it is not named in tho
Plan.
By this time my men were "pretty well dead beat." I
anchored a little above the Barra da Cerquinha, t opposite the
Córrego do Paiol. The ground was sandy and unusually clean,
whilst the valley soil, apparently arenaceous only, produced
cotton in quantities. To-day the river, except where disturbed
by rapids, has been a vista of beautiful amenity. Mr. David-
son was in ecstacies, and began to talk of the Yazoo and to sing
something about "Down the O-hi'-o!" The grandly moving
stream, hardly broad enough to suffer from winds, is not too
narrow for vessels to thread their way up, while steamers could
easily turn in the fine reaches. At nightfall the sugar-wheel of
the "Paiol" creaked and sang in curious contrast with
the accompaniment of nature; the distant hum and the nearer
"
Properly a "bread-room," but often
applied to places where coffee, sugar, and
C
Ad
even rum are stored. This Paiol has been
mentioned as one of the estates belonging
to Colonel Domingos. I afterwards visited
it; the soil is fine, the water abundant,
and there is a large house, with the usual
chapel and sugar mill.
CHAP. V.]
TO THE FAZENDA DO BOM SUCCESSO.
67
cries of birds and beasts, frogs and toads,* and a noisy little
rapid fretting and snorting down stream.
We were now approaching a place of rest, and I contemplated
with satisfaction a fortnight of land-march, even on mules. Rapids
resemble in one point earthquakes-the more you see of them the
less you like them, and the stranger at first is disposed to look
contemptuously upon the prudence and precaution of the "old
soldier." Shortly after dawn we went down the small but ugly
Cachoeira da Cerquinha, between a bad rock on the right and a
stone ridge on the left, to which we inclined. It was followed by
another little break.
After two hours' work we turned from the main stream up the
Córrego do Bom Successo. Here we made fast the "Ajôjo,"
and the crew agreed to keep guard in it at night. As a rule the
riverines avoid sleeping in these places between the days of the
new year and of the St. John. The waters bring down much
earthy, decomposed matter: it is easy to smell the difference
of the branches and of the main line, and especially during the
Vasantes, or annual retreat of the waters; they dread the danger-
ous marsh fevers, remittent and intermittent, called the Malétas.
At Jaguára I had been warned that the Rio das Velhas below
Bom Successo required certain precautions, such as to eat much
pepper, to avoid the cold night damp after the day heats, not to
wash or bathe when perspiring, and not to drink coffee in the
open air.†
I could not, however, be troubled with so much
coddling," and we both found the climate perfectly healthy.
After making the necessary arrangements we walked up to the
Manor House; the air was crisp and dry, and the soil gravelly
but rich. The stunted Cashew everywhere grew wild, and there
was an abundance of the Jaboticabeira myrtle, justly called cau-
liflora, the aspect of the dark leafage being exactly that of an
enormous cauliflower. The other fruits were the Mango, Plan-
tains in a fine patch on the hill to the left: the Gabiróba ‡ and
66
Humboldt, on the Orinoco, heard by
night the sounds of the sloth, the monkey,
and the day-bird. This is not the case
here, at any rate at this season.
The two latter somewhat whimsical
precautions are general on the São Francisco
River, where the people, seeing an old
hydropathist bathe in a state of violent
perspiration, quietly remarked,
"You are
calling upon Death!" I have often known
Paulistas, even in the healthiest part of the
Province, refuse coffee out of doors.
In the System, "Guaviróba" is the
name of sundry Eugenias. The Tupy Dict.
writes the word Guabiraba. St. Hil. (III.
ii. 270) tells us that the small species of
Psidium "à baies arrondies are called
Gabiroba, opposed to Araça, those with
pear-shaped fruits. I believe this to be
}}
correct.
F 2
C8
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. V.
the Araticum,* of which all are so fond. At the tall gate we found
a fine fig-tree planted only fourteen years ago. The garden to
the north-east of the house contains vines, as usual trained to
lath tunnels; here Bacchus apparently refuses to live without
support. The flowers were, as usual, few. The Brazil has many
more of the wild than the tame.
I remarked the pretty white Beijo de Frade, or Friar's Kiss,
and the Poinsettia bracts, brilliant as the "flame tree," and
generally known as Papagaio, the parrot. There is also a
graceful tobacco (N. ruralis or Langsdorffii), with thin leaves
and pink flower: it is, I believe, the "Aromatic Brazilian,"
much admired in the United States, and there found to lose its
aroma after the second year. The Tropeiros learned from the
Indians, who used it for smoking, and in medicine, to clean with
its infusion their mules of the Berne-maggots. The traveller will
do well to remember that a leaf rubbed over his hands and face
will compel the greediest mosquitos to buzz harmlessly about
him. According to the System this Nicotiana grows spontane-
ously, and is a Brazilian indigen, local as the Missouri variety:
I have always found it a companion of man, and flourishing un-
planted about the houses and villages. The Coqueiro palms
were peculiarly fine, although here as elsewhere the reticulum
pendent about the throat, a kind of vegetable goître, is never
removed. The Jenipapeiro † (Genipa americana, L.; Jenipa bra-
siliensis), whose fruit is compared by strangers with the medlar,
but which appears to me even more nauseous, is a noble tree; its
fine white flowers had already fallen. Wheat will grow at Bom
Successo, but it is subject to rust, and the flour, which is made
into bread, is of a dirty-brown tinge.
pla
I introduced myself to Dr. Alexandre Severo Soarez Diniz,
nephew and son-in-law of Colonel Domingos; his family occupied
the Sítio, now the Fazenda of Andréqueicé, mentioned in 1801
by Dr. Couto. There is nothing to describe in the establish-
* Also written Araticú, and pronounced
"Articum." The name is given to many
Anonacea (A. muricata, A. spinescens, &c.).
Thus the fruits are distinguished from the
Anona squamosa, the custard apple of India,
here called pinha, fructa do Conde, and at
Rio de Janeiro by its Hindostani name,
Atta (for Ata).
This is the tree, le Genipayer, well
known to the "Indians," who painted their
bodies with its juice, yielding a dark
blue dye. The fruit is called Jenipapo,
Jenipabo, or Genipapo. Such is the gene-
ral rule in Portuguese, as Cajú, the Cashew-
apple Cajueiro, the Cashew-apple-tree.
At times, however, the former is used by
synecdoche, as grammarians call it, for the
latter.
CHAP. V.]
TO THE FAZENDA DO BOM SUCCESSO.
69
ment, which was the Casa Branca on a large scale. Here, for the
first time, Friday appeared honoured by fish and eggs. After
meals all stood up with clasped hands and prayed, ending with
crossing themselves. As is the custom of old Minas, the slaves.
in waiting did the same. I do not know why St. Hilaire was so
much scandalised by the anticipatory process. During the evening
the household and the field-hands sang a long, loud hymn, and
recited the "Christian Doctrine.' On Sunday the prayers were
more elaborate.
66
At Bom Successo, until four years ago, globules of free
quicksilver were found adhering to the cross-battens of the
bica" or race of raised troughs which feeds the overshot
wheel. Several bottles were filled, when suddenly the yield
stopped. Mercury is reported to have been discovered on the
Jequitinhonha River, and in other parts of the Minas Province;
but a suspicion arose that it came from ancient gold washings.
Here, however, all agreed that this could not be the case; we
therefore resolved to inspect the formation. We followed the
course of the Rego or leat which supplies the race. These
water channels, sometimes 12-13 feet deep, are of vital import-
ance to an estate, and are levelled by the eye, like the Kariz of
Belochistan, to great distances. An Irish ditcher, if he could be
kept sober, would soon make his fortune. The banks were green
with grama (Triticum repens) pricking up from between the
stones; the Herva do Bicho,* held sovereign for headaches; the
bamboos were the Tabóca de Liceo, and the Cambahúba, which
resembles the tasselled Criciúma. These gigantic reeds fatten
cattle well, but it is believed that the food affects the wind of
horses and mules. We were on the left of the Bom Successo
stream, which heads three leagues to the north-east, and in it we
found argillaceous shale, unelastic sandstone, slaty, talcose, and
laminated, fine blue limestone in bits and boulders, and quartz
of many colours-white and yellow, rusty and black, and especially
black and white-passing into one another. In the small creeks
feeding this main line scattered fragments of cinnabar appeared,
and a bit about the size of a nut was found in the leat.
"
* This well-known term is usually ap-
plied to the Polygonum anti-hæmorrhoidale,
the Tupy Cataiá " or "Cataya. This
Polygonea supplies a bitter peppery decoc-
tion, used to cure the discase known as
""
""
"O largo."
In fact, diamantine Itacolumite. There
are several diamond diggings about Bom
Successo.
70
[CHAP. V.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
After about four miles we reached the dam at the head of the
leat; here stakes were bent down-stream, and weighted with
stones, so that the floods might pass over them with as little
damage as possible. Evidently the metal came from below this
point; if not, it would have been deposited beyond the possibility
of being washed down, in the deep water above the weir. We
therefore thought it probable that, as has happened in Spain and
Austria, in Peru and California, the water or the pick had struck
the gangue of native mercury, and had set free the disse-
minated globules. The deposit in the earthy water would be
washed out and exhausted, and thus the ore would not appear
until another cavity may be laid bare.
Intending to visit Diamantina city, I had engaged at Jaguára
an old Camaráda and employé of Casa Branca, named Francisco
Ferreira. He had preceded me for eight days, acting as guide to
Trooper Manuel and to the four mules obligingly sent for my use
by Mr. Gordon of Morro Velho. Matters did not look pleasant;
the "
talkeey" elder reported with a hiccup and a stagger, that it
was aw right;" and landsmen and watermen at once engaged in
a general" drunk." It was in vain to take away the keg; in
these Fazendas liquor is always to be had gratis. Mr. Davidson's
health did not allow him to accompany me; and my three Calibans
Agostinho was to act page-cuisinier - would, without the
strictest supervision, be in a normal state of disguise.
On the other hand my old longing for the pleasures of life in
the backwoods-for solitude-was strong upon me as in Bubé-land.
I sighed unamiably to be again out of the reach of my kind, so to
speak-once more to meet Nature face to face. This food of the
soul, as the Arabs call it, or diet of the spirit, as Vauverna-
gens preferred-has been the subject of fine sayings, from the
days of Scipio to those of J. G. Zimmermann; it is the true
antidote to one's entourage, to the damaging effects of one's
epoch and one's race; it is like absence, which, says the proverb,
extinguishes the little "passions" and inflames the great; from
those who think with others it takes all power of thought, but the
"totus quis" comes out in it, and it largely gives to him who
wishes to think for himself. "Homo solus aut deus aut dæmon,'
is almost half true; Væ soli! is evidently professional, and
"O Solitude, where are thy charms ?" is a poetical study.
""
How unhappy is the traveller who, like St. Hilaire, is ever
((
CHAP. V.]
TO THE FAZENDA DO BOM SUCCESSO.
71
}
،،
bemoaning the want of "society," of conversation, and who, re-
duced to the society of his plants," consoles himself only by
hoping to see the end of his journey! "Une monotonie sans égale,
une solitude profonde; rien qui pût me distraire un instant de
mon ennui.”
‹‹*** Je finis par
This, too, from a naturalist,
me désespérer à force d'ennui, et je ne pus m'empêcher de mau-
dire les voyages." One understands the portrait which he draws
of himself, veiled, with parasol to ward off the sun, and a twig to
switch away ticks. It suggests a scientific Mr. Ledbury.
PARAÚNA RIVER AND VILLAGE OF THE CABOCLOS.-THE WINDY RIVULET.—THE
SERRA DA CONTAGEM.-COMPLETE CHANGE OF COUNTRY AND VEGETA-
TION.-CAMILLINHO VEGETATION.-BIRDS.—GOUVÊA.-DONA CHIQUINHA.—
∞∞ve A&D T
SOLAR ECLIPSE.-BANDEIRINHA.-ARRIVAL.
I SECURED a sober start from Bom Successo by sending
forward my Calibans to bivouac at a place beyond the reach of
liquor, and I followed them on the morning of Tuesday, August 27,
1867.
8.
9.
The cold windy night had hung the north with heavy blue
fleece-pack, outlying an arch of lighter and more scattered
CHAPTER VI.
TO THE CIDADE DIAMANTINA.*
1. Bom Successo to Burá
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
""
>>
Itinerary from Bom Successo to São João viâ Diamantina (approximately).
hours
1.15'
""
Hæc Boreas
Pulvereamque trahens per summa cacumina pallam,
Verrit humum, pavidamque metu, caligine tectus,
Orithyian amans fulvis amplectitur alis.
Ovid, Met. vi.
""
""
""
""
""
to Paraúna R.
to Riacho do Vento
to Contagem
to Camillinho
to Gouvêa
to Bandeirinha
to Diamantina City
to S. João Mine
time
""
""
">
>>
>>
""
""
}}
3.0
2.10
2.15
1.15
4.15
3.45
3.0
4.30
miles
distance 6
9
8
8
4
16
14/
10
""
""
,,
""
""
""
""
3:3
18
1st day,
23 miles.
2nd day,
28 miles.
3rd day,
24 miles.
(Generally held
to be 16.
Totals
25.25'
93 miles.
The Guides reckon ten leagues or forty miles between Bom Successo and Camillinho.
They place Diamantina sixteen leagues (forty-eight miles) from the Rio das Velhas, and
half that distance from the highest navigable point on the Paraúna River. From Band-
eirinha to the Datas Mines they lay down three leagues, and I rode from the São João
Mine to Bandeirinha (twenty miles) in four hours thirty minutes.
Diamantina is usually held to be fifty-six leagues (224 miles) from the Provincial
Capital, a distance which greatly requires shortening. The Mine of São João is placed at
thirty-two leagues (128 miles) from the Villa de Guacuhy, at the mouth of the Rio das
Velhas.
+
CHAP. VI.]
TO THE CIDADE DIAMANTINA.
73
vapour-signs of galey weather. Whilst the wind blows from
the north or east we shall find the road dusty, not muddy; vice
versâ, if it shift to south. Here the rains open in early October,
either with or without thunder-storms (trovoadas); if the 15th be
still dry, people fear for their crops. The grass-burnings (quei-
madas), began about 9th-10th August, and will last through
September the patches are fired in alternate years, so that
forage may never be wanting, and we shall sometimes see half a
dozen blazings in different directions. The custom is old and
poetical.
to fell the virgin wood,
To fire the second growths while young they grow,
To feed with fattening ashes all the field,
The grain in holes to hide.*
There is no doubt of the real injury, independent of the loss in
timber, which such romantic and picturesque practice entails
upon the woodlands. It must greatly affect the vegetation, and
kill out all but the strongest species. In these rugged Campos,
however, there is less to say against it; the grass sprouts at once,
and the potash is believed to be wholesome for cattle.
I fell at once into the Caminho do Campo, the western high
road to Diamantina City, on the occidental skirt of the Serra
Grande or do Espinhaço. It is separated by an interval of ten
to twenty leagues from the Caminho do Mato Dentro, on the
eastern flank, and via the Serra da Lapa: this latter is the
shorter, the more trodden, and the better, but still very bad; and
both are equally detestable during the rains.
*
The path runs over the crests and round the flanks of familiar
Campos ground, whose surface is sandy, gravelly, or pebbly, with
scatters of loose stones, bearing stunted vegetation, Cerrados,
Capoes † and " Matas," or dwarf woods, clear of underwood, like
the charming forests of France. The ground, strewed by the
fierce north winds with dry leaves, was over-rich in ticks. Water
gushes everywhere from a white or red clay, now compact, then
a silty dust; and the vile bridges are logs loosely laid over a
derrubar os virgens matos;
Queimar as Capoeiras ainda novas ;
Servir de adubo á terra a fertil cinza
Lançar os grãos nas covas.
(Gonzaga, Lyras, part 1, 26).
+ There are two principal Capoes, separ-
ated by two miles, the Capão das Moendas
(of the Mills), to which it supplies hard
wood, and do Padre (Antonio). Both are
near waters flowing to the Bom Successo
and thence to the Rio das Velhas. The
usual desvios mark the worst places.
7.4
[CHAP. VI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
pair of sleepers. There is very little of human life in view; on
the left is the "Rissacáda," * a Retiro, or shooting box, con-
sisting of a few poor huts, belonging to Colonel Domingos, and
after an hour's sharp riding I reached a similar place, the Retiro
do Burá-of the Burá bee. Here my Calibans and animals had
passed the night, and I was most civilly received by the honest,
burly feitor, Sr. Paulino.
The inevitable coffee duly drunk, we pushed on merrily over
broken ground at the foot of the hills, thick with copse, and
showing green grass sprouting from the ashes of the dead.
Where clearing was in process, the people worked off the reed-
like vegetation with a bill-hook at the end of a long handle.
Crossing the limpid streams,t and passing the Tapéra (da Maria)
do Nascimento, the ex-home of a defunct widow, where the
vultures were enjoying a dead bullock, we reached the Serra do
Burá, which divides the basins of the Bom Successo and the
Paraúna streams. Up this buttress, which is partly grassy,
and partly white and stony, with boulders of blue limestone
striking south, there are two steep windings divided by a step or
level.
From the summit we have a perfect command of the country
around us. We see in front the tall blue wall through which the
Paraúna breaks: in places the summit appears level, in others.
there is a feature locally known as Tapinhoacanga, § or Nigger-
head, a porcupine-like lump, with out-cropping ledges of dark
bare rock. Behind us the Campos roll as usual in flattened
waves to the blue horizon, a smooth ring except where fretted
with some solitary peak or notch of darker hue which suggests
the Koranic "W'al Jibalu autádän,"—a peg to pin down earth.
Everywhere in the Brazil the idea of immensity suggests itself,
and nowhere more than on the Campos.
Beyond the Burá Crest begins a yellow descent, rough with
gravel, soft laminated clay-slate, and porous iron-stone, like slag
* Translated "Bosque." In the dic-
tionaries Ressaca or Resaca is the French
ressac, the back drag of the tide.
The first is the Córrego da Rissacáda,
which at times swells and is dangerous;
the second, an unimportant feature, is
known as the Córreginho-the streamlet.
The Blackwater River, from "Para"
and “ una."
§ St. Hil. (III. ii. 103) derives the word
from Tapanhúna, which he says in the
Lingoa Geral means black; the latter, how-
ever, is Pixuna, Pituna contracted to Una.
The dictionaries give Abá (man) tapýŷn-
huna or tapyŷiuna contracted to Tapan-
húna or Tapanho, meaning a negro, and
acánga," a head.
..
-
-
CHAP. VI.]
TO THE CIDADE DIAMANTINA.
75
or laterite. This leads to the " Cerradão," a taboleiro or plateau,
about four miles in length; at first something sterile, but pre-
sently becoming a rich red soil with fair vegetation. The grass
is the Capim-Assú, whose grain, often compared with rice,
keeps cattle always fat, and amongst the dwarf woods are Palms
in abundance, the Licorim, delicate, with ragged leaves,* the
Indaiá,† and the Coqueirinho do Campo, which rises but little
above the ground. The plateau ends at the Olhos de Agua,
where a few huts gather near a Córrego that supplies pure water.
Below us, to the right, lies the Paraúna, a dull dark (turvo)
stream, running in snowy sand, with banks of white clay.
:
After three hours we reached the wretched little Aldea de
Paraúna, on the left bank of its river. It has a single straggling
street of some seventy mud hovels, including one large open
Rancho and eight Vendas: most of the tenements are tiled, few
are whitewashed, and many are in ruins. On the right bank are
six huts and a tilery. This old Indian settlement was once rich
in gold, it flourished in the days of the "Diamantine Demarca-
tion," which here began in 1801 it was an Arraial, with most of
its houses shut or fallen, and tenanted by a guard to prevent
precious stones being smuggled. It lives now upon its excel-
lent-stapled cotton, which fetches 2$500 to 2$800 per arroba,
and by supplying travellers. The people are famous for their
churlishness, possibly the effect of the moody Indian blood, and
a curious contrast to those further on. As we found no civility
at the house of a Caboclo shopkeeper, by name Sr. Tóttó, we
rode up-stream to the little Fazenda do Brejo, an Engenhoca
(small sugar-house) belonging to Manuel Ribeiro dos Santos,
better known as "Manuel do Brejo," Emmanuel of the Marsh.
When unable to visit it, I heard of a place called the Brejinho,
where there is a salt stream that might be utilized.
The Paraúna, whose mouth we shall presently pass, drains the
* The Licorim palm must not be con-
founded with the Aricuri (Cocos coronata),
which is common along the coast latitudes.
It grows twenty-five to thirty-five feet high,
with foliage like the true Cocoa-palm; the
fruit hangs in bunches, and each nut is
covered with a deep yellow and sweetish
pericarp. The Macaws are fond of these
Cocos de Licorim, and break the kernels.
with their powerful beaks.
Also written Indaja, and in places
}}
pronounced Andaiá. Prince Max. calls it
Coco Ndaïà assú, and describes it (ii. 30).
On the coast range and shore we may truly
say of this Attalea compta, "l'arbre est
majestueux; c'est un des plus beau palmiers
dans ce pays. On the Campos it is a
stunted growth, almost without bole. The
leaves are not eaten except by the hungriest
of cattle; the nut is small and exceedingly
hard, with an almond resembling that of
the Cocos nucifera.
76
[CHAP. VI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
o'
western slopes of the Serra Grande: it is a useless shallow
stream, here about 200 feet broad, full of rapids and choked by
drift wood: the banks are of hard, white, rain-guttered clay.
The valley, a flat of red and grey silt, edged by gravel and stones,
is narrow, and the lower vegetation at this season is browned by
the burning sun. The hill tops preserve their black verdure,
whilst the flanks are yellow, and dark clumps are scattered about
them. The ferry is six leagues by water, or four to four and a
half by land, from the Barra or Embouchure into the Rio das
Velhas. In opposition to the map-makers,* all assured me that
the Cipó stream, which is fed by the Serra da Lapa, falls into the
Paraúna, one league by water, or one and a half by land, above
this village. Eight leagues up-stream from the Ferry is the
Arraial de Paraúna, a place of no consequence. In 1801 Dr.
Couto declared that the Paraúna and its branches, as well as the
Pardo Major and Minor, in fact all the waters from the Great
Serra, would prove diamantine. This has lately been shown to
be the case, and there are now washings at the confluence of the
Cipó with the Rio das Pedras, near the south-west corner of the
Rotulo estate.
The ferry here belongs to Colonel Domingos, who lets it for
600$000 per annum and free passage for his tropas; the toll was
not tollendus, being only 0$500 for five mules and four men.
After the riverine valley on the right began the usual ascent,
winding round and up hills, whose tops and bottoms are earth,
whilst the sides are almost invariably ribbed with bare rock,
ledges of white grit, smooth as marble, and scatters of dark
blue sandstone.† These strike to the south-west, and are
raised at angles varying from 25° to 80°, giving a peculiar and
new appearance to the scene. The ascent of such places, often
made worse by tree-roots, is troublesome enough; the descent
is still more disagreeable.
From the crest of this dividing ridge, the Black River, still
in its snowy bed, showed the Cachoeira do Paraúna, with three
distinct flashes down a rock wall, backed by the Nigger-head
Hill. The vegetation, like the pure white sandy soil, was a
* Burmeister is one mass of confusion.
M. Gerber makes the Cipó join the Pa-
raúna close to the Rio das Velhas, and calls
the Junction "tres barras," the three
embouchures.
To avoid this sandstone break, a road,
or rather a path, has been laid out to the
left, up a brown dusty hill, not yet worn
down to the stone, and at present offering a
little shade.
CHAP. VI.]
77
TO THE CIDADE DIAMANTINA.
+
detritus of new "Itacolumite." For the first time in the Brazil,
I saw the Canelas de Ema, "Shank bones of Ostrich," the
Vellozias, or tree-lilies, peculiar to these uplands.† They
take the place of the heaths so common in Europe and Africa,
and of which Gardner remarks, "not a single species has
hitherto been detected on the American Continent, either South
or North." It is, like the tree fern, the bamboo, and the
Araucaria, an old world vegetation, suggesting the Triassic en-
crinitis, whilst the leafage was that of the Dragons'-blood
Dracæna. The field showed all sizes, from a few inches to ten
feet, the rough endogenous stems, mere bundles of fibres, were
quaintly bulged with abundant articulations, like those of a poly-
pus. This part of the plant contains resin, and the soft, high-
dried substance is prized for fuel where wood is scarce and
exceedingly dear. On the summit of each quaint stem was a
bunch of thin narrow leaves of aloetic appearance: as we brushed
through them, the mules snatched many a mouthful. In the
centre of the foliage was the lily-like flower, with viscid stalk,
quadrangular calyx, and blue and yellow stamens.
There was
a smaller variety showing lavender-coloured blossoms, which the
people called Painera. This must not be confounded with the
Paina do Campo, or da Serra,§ from whose fibres are made
horses' saddle-cloths: it is probably the Composita named by
Gardner, Lychnophora Pinaster, a narrow-leaved, stiff shrub,
rarely exceeding six feet in height, but much resembling a very
young fir, and giving a decided feature to the peculiar vegetation
of Minas. It will be found taller in the upper levels. The
Carahyba do Campo, with tortuous branches easily formed into
yokes, lit up the scene, as if points of gamboge had been scat-
tered over it: the naked form contrasted curiously with the well-
clothed Mimosa Dumetorum, one foot high, bearing a flower here
pink, there white, ten times larger than proportion requires, and
*So named from Dr. Joaquim Vellozo de
Miranda, Jesuit and botanist, born in
Minas Geraes.
They flourish, I believe, on the Serra
de Ouro Branco. We shall find them again
on the middle course of the São Francisco
River, where they clothe the western
counterslopes of the Bahian "Chapada.
"
I need hardly say that such is no
longer the belief of botanists. Australasia
alone has Epacrids instead of heaths.
I
§ St. Hil. (III. i. 247) mentions the
"Paineira" do Campo (Pachira marginata),
whose bark is scraped for bed stuffings.
also heard the name Paina do Cerro (or
Serro) applied to a palm which extended
over the higher levels as far as the end of
this trip. The trunk is thicker above than
below, the general aspect is that of a huge
Sago, and the leafage, which resembles the
Indaiá, is useful for making hats.
78
[CHAP. VI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
with the pink, white, and scarlet tassels of the Cravinho do
Campo, a shrublet whose root is a wild purge.*
declare that Arnica is found in the uplands:
medicine, none its plant.
The people
all know the
Early after noon I descended the white hill into a red hollow,
which grows a little coffee, sugar, and plantain fruit for the
household. This is the place called Riacho do Vento-Windy
Stream-a clean and well-wooded stream, flowing from the north.
A certain João Alves Ribeiro was increasing his ranch, and the
ground was strewed with timbers of the Aroeira, an Anacardium
of several species: the heart was mahogany-coloured, and harder
than any oak. The reception was not splendid, a tray turned up
served for a table, a quarter-bushel measure for a chair, the food
was as usual, and the dessert was snuff, either the coarse Rolão or
the finer Pó de fumo. En revanche the bill, including breakfast
and civility, was only 6$000.
I soon found out why my
"Camarade " had dissuaded me
from sleeping here. At sunset the east wind began to blow great
guns, threatening to carry away the tiles-truly the place justifies
its name. According to accounts the infliction is milder during
the first and second quarters; it sets in violently with the full, and
is most dreaded at new moon. It comes from the high and
bleak meridional range to our right, and easily accounts for
the regular morning gale on the Rio das Velhas. There
was no "pasto fechado," and these "taboleiros "
are pro-
verbial for causing mules to stray: ours began locomotion at
once, and were not found until sundown. They were neces-
sarily tethered for the night in an empty ranch, and the tinkling
of their bells proved that they were starved. Nor were the
men better off.
We were glad to mount at 6 A.M., though the gale still howled
overhead, and the stars were twinkling over hill tops, clearly cut
and silver tipped. Crossing the Windy Rivulet, we struck up the
Serra da Contagem,‡ or Range of the (diamond) tolls. This off-
* Probably a Myrtacea of this genus
several are called Craveiro da terra-native
clove-tree.
The Brazilians mostly mistake for
Arnica a Composite known to us as Eupa-
torium Ayapana.
+ These Contagens were established with
</«
the consent of the lieges in 1714, when,
it will be remembered, the capitation-
quints were raised. Dr. Couto tells us
(1801) that the Villa do Principe was one
of the four "Contagens dos Sertoes," and
says, "they call Sertoes in this Captaincy
the inner lands distant from mining villages,
CHAP. VI.]
TO THE CIDADE DIAMANTINA.
79
set from the Espinhaço runs from east to west, and acts as
buttress to the Rio das Velhas. Our course was to the north-
east, and we wound from side to side with the blast catching our
ponches, and doing its best to blow down man and beast. Three
ascents, not precipitous, but rough with rolling stones, and mostly
using the rocky beds of streams, led to the summit: they were
divided by dwarf levels (Chapadinhas), scattered over with grass
and trees: in places water-sank, and during the rains transit must
be desperately bad. The soil was mostly red, set in patches of
glaring white sand, the detritus of the rock; in some places it
was blackened with vegetable humus, in others it sparkled with
pebbles and fragments of quartz. There were slabs and sheets of
the white gritty Itacolumite, yesterday so abundant: in places
long ridges crossed the path like the rock-walls that form a
Cachoeira, and nothing could be quainter than the shapes: here
they were gigantic frogs and "antediluvian," i. e. Tertiary beasts,
Megatheres and Colossocheles, seen in profile; there were magni-
fied tombstones, erect or sloping, and there were fragments
pitched about as if in the play of giants.
After two slow miles up the south-western crest, we reached the
highest Chapada, and saw for the last time the plain behind us,
billowy with endless tossing of green-yellow waves. Here the
rocks and crags disappeared, and the compound slope was bisected.
from north to south by As Lages, a tree-clad stream, running
over a bed of smooth slippery slab-an "ugly" spot; nor much
better were the ribs of fast or loose stone on the farther side
beyond a patch of rich ferruginous soil. On the right, a charming
Capão, which seemed to be traced by the hand, divided shade
from sunshine; whilst cattle, with clean hides, browzed the juicy
and where there is no mineration." Under
it (Memoria, &c. p. 89) were,
Caité (Caethé) Merim, with an-
nual revenue of
Ribello
Inhacica (on
(on Jequitinhonha
River)
Pé do Morro
766 $400
781 $187
436 $ 887
452 $713
1:146$437
Contagem do Galheiro (of ant-
lered stag) to south .
Total 3:583 $624
The profits of all four were but 5:446$562
(say £544), without deducting the ex-
penses of barrack-repair, changing posts
and so forth. The author justly ridicules
a system which, for such paltry gain, did
so much harm. Those who farmed the
Contagens cared only for locating them
where they paid best; when a new mine
was discovered they surrounded it with a
belt of obstacles, and thus they lost all,
-like the husbandman who harvests be-
fore harvest-time. Of course the toll-gates
should have been confined to the frontier,
and collected from the imports; not inland
where imports paid twice, or where dues
were taken from those who had bought
country-made goods.
80
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. VI.
pasture. We then crossed a divide running east to west; the
path was broken, and near it was a rib or dyke of dark stuff,
which after rude testing appeared to be cobalt. The crest leads.
to the adjoining Limoeiro Basin, a formation similar to that
just traversed, and cut by three waters flowing to the south-
west.t
*
Two hours of dull riding placed us on the eastern edge of the
Chapada, where the view suddenly changed. From our feet fell
a long slope, or rather two slopes, a big one and a little one, of
velvety surface, curiously contrasting with the hedgehog rocks
around. At the base was a gleam of water flowing to the north-
east; we are still in the valley of the São Francisco River. Below
us, somewhat to the right, is a clump of oranges, spiky pitas and
wind-wrung bananas, showing where stood the old Contagem das
Abóboras, now desolate as the Inquisition of Goa. Further
down is the Bocaina, or Gorge, seen from afar; on the right the
Alto das Abóboras, and to the left an unnamed lump, form the
huge portals of the lowland-gate. Masses of white sandstone, in
places weathered to dingy blackness and queer shapes, and swept
clean of everything by the wind, strike to the west, where they
stand up in bluffs like river cliffs: the dip, from 70° to 90°, gives
a quoin-like aspect, whilst the eastern backs are of gentle slope,
frequently grass-grown. Scattered about are knobs, heads, walls,
and saws, a peculiarly wild and hard aspect, and we look in vain
for any correspondence of angles. Here Minas, always hilly,
becomes extra-mountainous; and writers declare that the for-
mation, generally arenaceous, turns to quartzose. In front are
the distant lowlands, apparently plains dotted with dark hills, but
really without half a mile of level, and the furthest distance is
another line of fantastic rocks.
We now enter the true diamantine land, which older writers
term the Cerro formation, thus distinguishing Diamantina of Minas
from the diamond grounds of Bahia and from Diamantino of
""
* I saw no sign of the berne or worm.
No one, however, breeds, and consequently
the herds are small.
The first is the Pindahyba, a muddy
bed into which mules sink even in the
"dries." An unpleasant path of white
sandstone, with a pole serving as parapet
to a precipice, leads to the Riacho da
Vareda. The latter word here means a
Campina" or dwarf plain. The stream,
coming from north to south, courses cold,
dark, and clear over a rocky and slippery
bed of sandstone, and on the left is a place
where the tropeiros encamp. The third is
the Limoeiro, dark and muddy, with a
dense Capão a little beyond it. As a rule
the water is of the best, a
pure vehicle
for forming the finest crystallizations." In
some places a white sand is spread over
the black mud, reversing the usual process.
(6
CHAP. VI.]
81
TO THE CIDADE DIAMANTINA.
Matto Grosso. The view strikes at once. It is a complete
change of scenery; everything is the image of bouleversement.
and aridity. The hills are no longer rounded heaps of clay, grown
over with luxuriant vegetation. Here we have a dwarfed and
pauper growth springing from the split rocks, a mean Campo
flora, or yellow thickets based upon scanty humus, and even the
hardy Coqueiro becomes degenerate. It is a fracas of Nature,
a land of crisp Serras stripped to the bones, prickly and brist-
ling with peaky hills and fragments of pure rock separated by
deep gashes and gorges; some rising overhead black and threaten-
ing, others distant with broken top lines, with torn blue sides,
striped with darker or lighter lines. Here and there, between
the stern peaks, lie patches of snow-white sand or a narrow bit
of green plain, confused and orderless, a fibre in the core of rock-
mountain. The land also is illiterate, and it is wild; fossils,
those medals of the creation, do not belong to it.
After the first view of this country, and inspection of its mate-
rial, I felt how erroneous was the limitation of the old men who
confined the diamond to between 15° and 25° of north and south
latitude, thus including Golconda, Visapur and Pegu, and making
Borneo and Malacca the only Equatorial diggings. I at once
recognized the formation of the São Paulo Province, in which
many diamonds have been found. My little trouvaille was that
we may greatly extend the diamantine, as we have the carboni-
ferous strata, and that the precious stone will be found in many
parts of the world where its presence is least suspected, and even
where the ignorant have worked the ground for gold.
But when, returning home, I looked at my newspapers, the
trouvaille had been made for me. In one I read, "There are
fifteen localities in California at which diamonds have been found
in the course of washing for gold." The Melbourne Argus
declared that "a small but very beautiful diamond had been
found in a claim at Young's Creek, near Beechworth: the stone
is perfectly white, and the crystallization well defined. It is the
* When clothed with sufficient humus,
degraded Itacolumite is a very fertile soil.
† M. Barandier, a French artist, found
a small diamond at Campinas in São Paulo.
I have seen the " formação," or stones
supposed to accompany the gem, in many
parts of the Province, in the valley of the
Southern Parahyba, and even near the city
of São Paulo. A fine specimen of the
VOL. II.
*
G
-
black diamond, perfectly symmetrical, was
taken from the Rio Verde, near the frontier
of the São Paulo and Paraná Provinces ;
morcover the Tibagy and other influents of
the Paraná are known to be diamantiferous,
and have supplied small specimens set by
nature in the Cánga rock.
4.
The "California diamond" was for-
merly a bit of rock crystal.
82
[CHAP. VI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
second diamond found on that Creek. Again, the Colesberg
Advertiser recorded the discovery of a diamond digging on the
farm of Dr. Kalk, and asserted that some gems had been washed
worth 5001.*
Old Ferreira, my comrade, used very hard words as he passed
the ruins of the Contagem das Abóboras, which he called the Con-
tagem do Galheiro. The senior was a kind of Mr. Chocks,
exceedingly grandiloquent till Nature expelled Art; he would call
heat a "temerity of sun," rich ore a "barbarity of iron;" he told
me to “charge to the right," meaning to take that direction; when
uncertain he declared that "it did not constate," and when he
ignored a thing, he was "not a great apologist of it." But, if
tradition do not mightily exaggerate concerning the "days of des-
potism," as the colonial rule is popularly called, his bad language
was justifiable. The soldiers and their commandant who occupied
yon stone ranch, now ruined, held all the passes and watched the
neighbouring Córregos, the only zigzags up which the Garimpeiro
or smuggler could travel. Travellers were searched, and muleteers
were compelled to take to pieces the pack-saddles where treasure
might be concealed. Extreme cases are quoted. Men who bathed
in the diamond rivers were flogged, and those found washing in
them lost their hands. The tradition here is that the obnoxious
system was abolished by D. Pedro I., that popular prince having
accidentally, when disguised à la Harun El Rashid, learned fromı
a mule-trooper all its evils and injustice.
From the white soil we passed to a wave of reddish yellow
ground, the "Mulatto" of the Southern States, and took the left
of the huge portal on the right. The descent was gentle, but at
the bottom came the usual troubles-tree stumps in the ground,
holes whence roots had been drawn, banks up which the mules had
to climb, a red soil forming puddle during the rains, and black
earth even now a rivulet. We met a few mules about 9 A.M.
Here the cold prevents an earlier start. Some carried for sale in
the backwoods "Pedras de furno," round slabs of white Itacolumite,
2 feet in diameter by 1 inch in thickness. For drying manioc
When travelling in Virginia, I had
heard of a true diamond picked up near
Richmond; it weighed some twenty-four
carats and cut to about half, and was
sold for a small sum as it wanted "water."
† The Galheiro is to the north on the
">
•
Rio Pardo Grando, six to seven leagues
north of the Rio Paraúna. There is now
a Fazenda do Galheiro, which belongs to
many owners; it is drained by the Riacho
do Vento,
CHAP. VI.]
TO THE CIDADE DIAMANTINA.
83
they are preferred to metal pans or plates, because they cost
3$000 to 5$000. The manufacture is easy. They are prized up
with levers, chipped into rounds or oblongs, and are ready for the
oven. For convenience of carriage they are sometimes divided
into semicircles. The quarry was shown-a mere dot on the hill
side, a drop in the ocean that could supply all the Empire. Fine
heavy soapstone is found in the torrent beds, and 1$ 000 procured
for me a specimen in the shape of a candlestick.
Presently we reached a miserable hamlet of tattered wattle and
dab huts, called Camillinho-little Camillus-after some "regulo
da roça" who first settled there. An honest Rancheiro, Luis
Monteiro, lodges man and beast. In his absence the wife gave
us coffee and food, whilst the mules were sent to a good closed
pasture hard by. Around the huts, which were jalousie-closed
towards the road, and swarming with hens, pigeons, and black
girls, grew a few coffee trees and wind-wrung bananas, whilst a
single rose, which had learned to be a creeper, curled over a
thatched roof.
From Camillinho we took a north-easterly course between two
lines of rock. The soil appears to be always red clay upon the
hill tops, with stony and ribbed sides, which sometimes throw lines.
across the road, and white or yellow tints in the lower parts. The
huge Esbarrancados are here a mixture of water-breach and sun-
crack; in places they cut up the country and cut off the roads.
They are mostly elongated crevasses, whose projecting and re-
entering angles correspond. Some form central islets, like St.
Michael's Mount in miniature. The favourite site is the side of a
hill, which will inevitably be eaten away, and often they moat the
heights like the ditches of Titans. The old formations are known
by their tarnish, and by the growth of trees in the lowest levels;
the new are fresh, and generally bottomed with mud or flowing
water. The whites and reds, yellows and purples, are lively as in
other parts of the Province, and the feature is picturesque with
light and shade, especially at times when the sun lies low. At first
sight they suggest artificial models; the brilliantly coloured sec-
tions which are supposed to represent the earth's interior. We find
even the "faults" and "dykes" which restrain percolation.
The line ran over sundry waves of ground, and wound round
the hill sides, white with their small, loose, glaring stones. The
descents and ascents were both bad, and led to and from waters
G 2
$4
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZÍL.
[CHAP. VI.
either grey-coloured or crystal clear, flowing to the right, that is
to swell the Paraúna River south-west. The huts appeared tem-
porary, like mining villages, and here and there a manioc patch
shows the capability of the soil. I presume that in many places
the land would bear the short and strong-stemmed hill-wheat of
Texas. The cool and shady wooded bottoms swarmed with the
Carrapato tick, and it was found advisable to send a man forward
by way of" drawing them off." We are now approaching spring-
tide, and the tints are prettily diversified. The pink Quaresma,
dwarfed by cold, hugs the damp places near water; the golden
Ipé, that local yew, also small, prefers the stony upland. In the
hollows there is a flower that reminds me of the purple Aster.
The stripped trees project their grey lean limbs against back-
grounds of lightest-green, middle-green, and darkest green, and
everywhere the bush is red, burnished with the new leaves of the
Páu de Oleo,* a leguminous celebrity which prefers dry grounds and
shuns stagnant waters.
The birds seem to be less bullied here than in most other parts
of the Province. I saw for the first time a peculiar pigeon which
extends down part of the Rio de São Francisco, and is found in
the Highlands of Bahia. The people call it Pomba Verdadeira, or
de Encontro branco, from the white marks on the wings. It is
probably a variety of the Columba speciosa found on the seaboard,
and its marbled neck and superior size suggest our blue rock. It
looked like a giant by the side of the Pomba Torquaz,† the largest
of the many doves (Jurity, Rôla, and others) which inhabit
"Oil-wood," Copaifera officinalis,
also written Copahyba, Cupaúba, and in
other ways. The Caramura (7, 51) de-
scribes it as,-
A Copaiba em curas applaudida―
Capivi which oft works a certain curc."
The Indians, who knew the medicine well,
collected it in sections of nuts, corked with
wax, and during hot weather it used
to sweat through the rude bottle, proving
its excessive "tenuity." In 1787, ac-
cording to Ferreira, a pot of nine Lisbon
canadas (cach two litres) cost 6000 to
6400, and "Capivi" was considered to
be an important importation, having credit
for many pseudo-virtues. Painters used it
for linseed oil, but not in places exposed to
weather, as it easily came off. Here it is
sold in the shops, but it is held to be a
،،
very violent remedy, and mostly confined
to the treatment of cattle sores. The
season for collecting the precious balsam
opens with the new moon of August; the
people say of the tree "Chora" (it weeps like
Myrrha) "tudo o mez de Augusto," and a
single trunk fills several bottles. The bark
is cut, and pledgets of cotton are placed to
drain the slit; the people have an idea
that the greatest yield is when the moon is
full, and that it gradually falls till the
wane.
")
†The word is the Latin "Torquatus,
and alludes to the ring round the neck ;
the vulgar corrupt it to Trocacs, and thus
we find it written by Prince Max. (i. 396).
Amongst the uneducated in the Brazil the
unfortunato letter is subject, amongst
other injuries manifold, to excessive trans-
position.
CHAP. VI.]
TO THE CIDADE DIAMANTINA.
85
these highlands. The Raptores are unusually numerous. There
is the Caracará, which ranks with the eagles, and behaves, the
degenerate aristocrat, vilely as a buzzard. A vulture (V. aura),
probably the Acabiray first described by Azara, is here called
Urubú Caçador, or the hunter. It resembles in form the vulgar
bird, but it flies high. The head is red, and the wings are black
with silver lining, like the noble Bateleur of Africa.. Prince Max.
(i. 75) makes the bird's head and neck to be gris cendre, which is
not the case; he also guides its distant course by smell, which I
vehemently doubt. Another hawk, known by the general name
Gavião, poises itself in mid air, and is said to be a game bird, self-
taught to follow and kill the Cadorna, or local partridge. If so,
there would be no difficulty in training it. There is also a tiny
raptor, hardly larger than a sandpiper. The first swallow seen.
during this year darted by in search of a warmer climate. The
Scissar-tail (tesoura) turns sharply in the air, opening and shutting
its forked tail; the pretty white and black Maria Preta, and the
crimson Sangre de Boi or Pitangui, disported themselves amongst
the stunted trees; while John Clay (João de Barros) hopped chat-
tering before us as if he had some secret to tell, and the Tico-tico,
tame as a robin, flirted with us like a little girl. At times the
sharp stroke of a file upon a saw, sometimes singly and sometimes.
in quick succession, was heard. We recognised the voice of
the bell-bird,* which has lately been introduced to England.
Ascending a slope after an hour's ride, we found a fresh change
of scene.
To the right, in a low, flat green bottom by the banks.
*A drawing of a specimen which reached
England lately appeared in the Illustrated
News. It is the Campanero or bell-bird
described in the last generation by Water-
ton, who makes its voice audible "at a
distance of nearly three miles." The
Chasmorhynchos nudicollis is popularly
known as Araponga, a corruption of Guira-
ponga, from Guira a bird, pong onomato-
poetic, and -a, what exists. St. Hilaire
(III. i. 26) derives it from Ara, day, and
pong, son d'une chose creuse. He
warns us not to confound it, like Mr. Walsh,
with the "ferrador" or blacksmith frog,
and, curious to say, for once Mr. Walsh
is right. The T. Dict. explains Guira-
ponga by ferrador-ave. Castelnau men-
tions the ferrador bird (i. 274) and (in i.
169) the ferrador frog, which Prince Max.
(i. 269) calls Ferreiro.
..
"}
The Procnias (a genus formed by Illiger,)
is called nudicollis from its thin green-
patched throat, so conspicuous in the snow-
white plume. It has no caruncle like the
bird figured in the illustration to "Kidder
and Fletcher," (edition of 1857) and called
Uruponga; the bird with a tubercle is the
white Cotinga, named Guiraponga
Ampelis Carunculata (Linn.). Prince Max.
has described other species of this re-
markable family, as, e.g., the Procnias
melanocephalus (i. 260), and the Procnias
Cyanotropes or ventralis, with blue green
reflections (i. 291).
or
The peculiarity of this winged Stentor is
the disproportion of the note to the size.
We hear the blow of a hammer upon an
anvil; we see a creature about the size of
the smallest turtle dove.
86
[CHAP. VI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
of the Ribeirão do Tigre, another influent of the Paraúna, lay
houses and dwarf fields; on the hill side was a tall black cross in
a brand-new enclosure, a cemetery lately built, and already in
active use.
Around was a kind of prairie, high and subject to
fierce winds, as the dwarfed Bromelias and the stunted Vellozias
proved: the grass was thick but brown in the upper levels, and of
metallic green below, suggesting fine pasture. The surface was
pitted with termitaria, of which many had been mined by the
Armadillo: mostly they showed annexes of a darker grey, clumsy
projections like modern additions to some old country house.
The prairie fires produced a dull glow in the sky, and the smoke
folds crossing the sun had the effect of a cloud, and in places
cast shadow upon the face of earth; we blessed the beneficent
gloom. Far to the north-east lay our destination, Gouvêa-we
are now about half-way--pointed out by its road, a red-brown
ribbon spanning the sunburnt turf. To its left rose a massive,
lumpy peak, streaked with horizontal wavy lines: on the right
towered a cloud-kissing point, which some called Morro das Datas,
and others Itambé.* The horizon in other places was bounded
with bluff cliffs, which seemed to buttress an immense imaginary
stream. Here and there was a "Pilot-knob," with strata regular
as if built up, but defying human hands to build it.
The hill sides here showed traces of ancient leats, and heaps
of clay stone grit which they had helped to wash. Within the
Contagem all the soil is reputed to be diamantiferous, and the
people delight to tell you that you may be treading upon precious
stones. This, indeed, appears to be their thought by day and
their dream at night. The surface was still disposed in waves,
with abrupt inclines of red and yellow ground, deeply gashed,
leading to three several waters,† which are struck perpendicularly.
The watershed is from north-west to south-east, discharging to
the Paraúna River. Mostly they are bright little streams, painted
St.
*Ita-mbé, the big stone or rock.
Hil. (I. i. 294) proposes as derivation,
yta aymbe, pierre à aiguiser. There are
two features of this name, as will prosently
appear.
The first is the Agoa Limpa, on whose
left bank roso a tall cliff, black as if vol-
canic-the effect of grass burning. Further
on to the right is a silvery lakelet, contain-
ing a knobby islet. The Ribeirão das
Areias spreads out wide, and has a rough
bridge of eight trestles, some sixty-three
yards long; at this season it is fordable.
The Ribeirão das Almas showed a thread of
pure water running along the main current,
which had been made a dirty slate-coloured
drain by washings in the upper bed. The
soil is mostly red as if rusty with oxide of
iron; it is fertile and produces oranges
(remarkably good) and Jaboticabas, besides
the normal coffee shrubs and bananas.
CHAP. VI.]
TO THE CIDADE DIAMANTINA,
87
M
pink-red with iron, and set off by golden sands and avenues of
leek-green trees. In the dwarf riverine valleys and the hill-sides
were fields and huts, some of them tiled, and near the Areias a
venda was being built.
We met on the way sundry parties of women coming from
some local festival, a few whites, dressed in straw hats and rain-
bow-coloured cottons, with blacks carrying their children. They
did not, as in many places, run away, and the tropeiros were
unusually civil, seeing that I was still a recruiting-officer. The
last divide led to the Córrego do Chiqueiro-of the Hogstye *-
which is deep and dangerous during floods. We are now one
league from our night's destination, and presently, after a long
ascent and a leg to the east, we saw over a dwarf peak the con-
spicuous church of Gouvêa.
Women, all with the Caboclo look, carrying wood, entered with
us as we passed the Cruz das Almas, which rose from a pile of
stones. This cross, which recalls the souls in Purgatory, is here
general. On the hill to the right was an unfinished building,
Na Sa das Dôres, undertaken by the vicar, Rev. Pe Francisco de
Paula Moreira, and Sr. Roberto Alves, Jun., the son of a wealthy
family. I thought that the grim, stone building, with what
appeared to be a single chimney, was a fort raised for some
inexplicable purpose; and it reminded me of the old Portuguese
fane-
"Half church of God, half castle 'gainst the Moor."
We passed the Rosario, a detached chapel with a single palm
tree, and rode northward, up a street of ground-floor houses and
open Ranchos, each with its frontage of stakes towards the
square, which apparently represented the town. After the sunny
ride, and the high wind, which promised a cold night, I looked
wistfully for a lodging, and saw none. Presently my guide
remembered Dona Chiquinha, the wife of a Diamantina merchant,
now at Rio de Janeiro: his name, Elizardo Emygdio de Aguiar,
is written as pronounced by his friends, Elizaro Hemedio. Here
began the civility of which I afterwards experienced so much in
this part of the Province. The Dona at once admitted me, her
* A poetical name not rare. Near Ouro
Preto is a place called Na Sa da Conceição
do Chiqueiro do Allamão (for Allemão).
-Our Lady of the Conception of the Hog-
stye of the German.
88
[CHAP. VI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
married daughter brought oranges, her little granddaughter orange
flowers, and her slaves coffee.
I presently walked out to view the place, and to escape being a
menagerie. The people stared like the negroes of Ugogo: they
could hardly gaze their full; they would, when tired, rest awhile,
and presently take another "innings.'
innings." The operations of shav-
ing and of using a tooth-brush seemed to produce a peculiar
edification. North of the town stands the chief church, Santo
Antonio, occupying part of the square, which is rather a bulging
in the street. It stands awry, having been built probably before
Gouvêa was founded; it fronts south-west, unpolitely presenting
to Jerusalem its dorsal region. On each side bits of Calçada line
the red soil, and these incipient pavements lie here and there.
About it are a few Casuarinas and Coqueiro palms, at this season,
they say, always mangy; they feed a large caterpillar (lagarta)
which presently becomes a "borboleta "moth or butterfly-
after which they recover. The square shows one sobrado, belong-
ing to João Alves, amongst the sixty-four houses east of the
church: the fifty-eight to the west have sundry half-sobrados, and
all the better sort are distinguished by shutters painted blue.
The holy building is crooked from cross to door, apparently the
people's eyes cannot see a straight line: it has four windows, and
two weather-cocked towers, with roof covers upturned: there are
two bells, and the eastern belfry has a bogus clock. Behind the
temple is the God's acre, quaintly adorned with corner-posts of blue
plaster, supporting rude and rusty armillary spheres.
(6
*The Curculio palmarum is relished
in Africa, and greedily eaten by the S.
American Indians." I have never tasted
it, but white travellers have informed me
that it has a delicate and even a delicious
*
The town is on a rough ridge, and water is scarce and distant.
On the east, far below, lies the usual Lavapés: nearer is the Rua
do Fogo,t a kind of chemin des affronteux, and in the distance is
the Morro de Santo Antonio, a noble stone-knob based upon an
earthen pedestal. No one has ascended it, yet it may be easily
climbed on the south-east. Westward is the Rua do Socego or
dos Coqueiros, with a few houses scattered and whitewashed, in
compounds defended by dry stone walls. The growth is the
Castor shrub, the Jaboticaba, the papaw, whose leaves are here.
flavour.
The Street of Fire, not an uncommon
village name in the Brazil, usually mean-
ing that in it liquor and consequently
quarrels abound.
CHAP. VI.]
TO THE CIDADE DIAMANTINA.
89
used for soup, the plantain, a few good oranges, and the sweet
lime with bitter placenta, called Lima da peça: the coffee looks
thriftless and starving, as usual it is crowded and untrimmed.
Provisions are excessively expensive, having to make the
journey which we have made, and maize costs 48000 per
alqueire.
On the next morning, when I called for the bill, the Dona
refused everything, even a gift; such was her hospitable habit,
and she declared that her sons also were wandering over the
world abroad. We mounted at 7 A.M., a light east wind rising
with the sun, whilst the sky was moutonné with clouds. Our
course lay north-east towards the pyramids of dull grey stone,
the smaller below the larger, and both sentinelling the richer
diamond lands. A slippery hill, gashed with water-breaches, led
to a wooded hollow, which sheltered a few thatched huts; to the
right was a Sitio, belonging to Roberto Alves. It had outhouses,
enclosures, and a coffee plantation, somewhat thin, but defended
from the blasts and superior to all rivals.
Here began the Pé de Morro, or ascent, which will last till near
Diamantina. The wheel-road winding round the western side is
easy the bridle-path to east seems made for goats, with its
loose stones and its ruts petrified in hard pink clay. Presently
the latter fell into the former line, and the slope improved. From
the summit we had a good back view of Gouvêa, but soon the
wind, chopping round to the north, drifted in our faces a thick
Scotch mist. Old Ferreira complained that the Corrubiana † got
into his bones and nearly made him lose the way.‡
The hill led to a plateau consisting of two plains divided by a
water and a prism of rock. One of them was about two miles
across; such an extent of level surface is here rarely seen. Cattle
fine and plump, despite the Carrapatos, and probably strengthened
by the highly ferruginous water, made it look like "
a pastoral in
a flat." The Capão, however, was not of the style "bonito," §
* In this country the alqueire of maize
regulates prices like the quartern loaf in
England. I have seen it at São Paulo, the
city, fluctuate between 2000 and 4$000
more exactly between 1$ 940 and
4$160.
This word is popular in Minas Geraes,
S
and also, I believe, in Rio Grande do Sul.
Some Caipiras pronounce it "Cruviána.
"
On the right hand a road sets off to
Datas, the property of Colonel Alexandre
de Almeida Silva Bitancourt; it reaches
the city, but after a very long round.
S The "pretty tree motte" is often seen
90
[CHAP. VI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
it was coarse and ragged, whilst the land was much burnt.
The road became excellent, broad, level, and fit for a carriage:
unhappily, like that approaching Agbome, it is a mere patch.
At 9 A.M. we descended to Barro Preto, the first diamond dig-
ging which I had seen at work. The site is a stream bed, the
head-waters (Cabeceiras) of the Córrego das Lages, which feeds.
successively the Corrégo das Datas (or the Cachoeira), the Cór-
rego da Grupiára and the Paraúna River. The surface showed
spoil-heaps of "saibro," clayey sand, varying in colour from
dirty white to milky white, like the detritus of quartzum lacteum,
turfy and vegetable matter, and pebbles mixed with fragments of
rock crystal. A little thread of muddy water trickled down and
served the "Serviçosinho."* We passed two huts and a half of
thatch-wattle and dark-grey dab, whence the negroes stared, the
dogs barked, the pigs grunted. The place, known for two to
three years, has been worked during the last eight months by
João and Manuel Alves, the sons of a centagenarian. It is said.
that they have several diamonds exceeding two oitavas (say each
=2801.), and there are vague rumours of a large stone which is
kept a profound secret. In these diggings all is mystery, and not
without reason; an exceptional diamond generally counts in the
wild parts at least one murder.
Pushing across the sterile diamantine land, where the wind-
wrung trees acted as anemometers, I again remarked the fantastic
forms of the sandstone, especially on the north-east, whence the
weather comes. Here were watch-towers and pyramids, there
were walls which no Cyclops could have raised; now we passed
peeled skulls, then mouldering bones. Between them the sur-
face was mottled, sand-patches white as kaolin, or stained with
humus and soil, yellow, purple, and dull crimson with ochre
and hæmatite, dotted the expanse of warm-red brown land; the
latter was comparatively fertile, and clothed with black ashes, from
which sprouted grass of metallic green, spiky as a stiff beard.
The expected eclipse came on, the sun diminished to a crescent,
but the mist was so thick that the effect passed away almost
in the Province of São Paulo, where the
grass, like the nap of yellow or green velvet,
sweeps up to the clump, which is of tall
and regular growth.
* A small Serviço. The latter is an old
name still applied in Minas Geraes and
Bahia to diamond washings worked by a
tropa or slave-gang under free-men.
CHAP. VI.]
TO THE CIDADE DIAMANTINA.
91
imperceptibly. No one paid any attention to it, nor would
they
Si fractus illabatur orbis ;
not because over-just or tenacious of things proposed, but from
mere incuriousness. Old Ferreira, it is true, remarked that it
might be the cause of the "confounded Corrubiana," but then,
he could think of nothing else.
†
Still ascending, we crossed three waters flowing to the west-
ward, and divided by bulges of ground. Near the first was a
clump of huts and signs of industry. A rough "Báco," or
three-sided trough of planks and sandstone-slabs, awaited the
rains to wash the heaps lying near it. After four miles of barren
soil we made "Bandeirinha," § a whitewashed house, surrounded
by a few trees, and a close pasture fronted by an open ranch.
Maria Augusta de Andrade, in the absence of her husband, José
da Rocha, miner, "merchant," Rancheiro, and so forth, rose up
shivering and prepared breakfast for us: the south-east wind had
blown for five days, and on my return, five days afterwards, I
found it blowing still.
Now remained only ten miles. In half an hour we ascended a
stony hill of red and white soil. This is the great dividing line
between the Rivers São Francisco and Jequitinhonha; from this
point it trends in a northerly direction, bending to the west. On
the left was a cross-road leading through the little villages O
Guíndú, the Brumadinho, and the Rio das Pedras to the Mine of
São João. In front lay a huge brown slope, patched with
snowy, glittering, dazzling sand, and here and there growing grass
of a lively green: in places there was an abundance of the
ground-palm, here called Coqueirinho do Campo, dwarfed by the
*
my
Perhaps this was the case.
On
return the mist tried to gather thick, but
was soon dispersed by the sun.
The first is the Córrego de João Vaz,
so called from an old settler whose descend-
ants still gamble in diamonds; they have
seven huts, one neatly whitewashed. It
flows to the Córrego do Capão, and thence
to the Rio Pardo Pequeno; during the
rains it is dangerous. The second is known
as the Braúna (Melanoxylon Grauna), a
rocky bed with the bulges called Caldeiroos,
and at this season a trickle of water, which
+
+
also feeds the Córrego do Capão. A single
house is built near its bank.
This trough corresponds with the ca-
noa used in gold-washing.
§ Dr. Couto, in 1801, mentions the
Sitio da Bandeirinha, the little Bandeira,
or Commando. Burmeister erroneously
writes "Bandeirinho." This and Bandeira
are common names in the Province of
Minas, dating from the days of the slaving
expeditions.
See Chapter 9.
92
[CHAP. VI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
gales. Near the horizon, scatters of tall stone, heads,
shoulders, knobs, piles and lumps broke the outline, and far to
the right rose the long blue wall which bears the majestic
pyramid Itambé.
Presently we passed, on the left, O Guindá, so called from a
broad, shallow, and sandy stream, once very rich, and still
worked it feeds the northern Rio das Pedras, the Rio do Cal-
deirão, the Biribiri, the Pinheiro, and the Jequitinhonha Rivers.
It is a miner-town, surrounded by red excavations, and looks from
afar like an ant-hill; has a single small square and large black cross,
sheds for tropeiros, and decent houses, hugging the left bank of
the water. Beyond it is the Brumadinho, a similar settlement,
but smaller. Presently we sighted, far ahead, a grim rocky
wall, with a white path winding up its darkness; this is the good
new road leading to Medanha on the Jequitinhonha River, and
thence to São Salvador da Bahia. Crossing the northern Rio
das Pedras, a crystal water-babe in a sandstone cradle, I crested
a hill, and saw to the east a big white house, garnished with a
few brown huts, and standing apparently on the edge of a pre-
cipice-the Episcopal Seminary.
Diamantina was within musket-shot, but a long northerly
detour was necessary in order to gain the main road. I forded
the Riacho das Bicas, so called from an old and rich gold mine
on the hill behind the Seminary: this Lavapés flows to the
east, and falls into a little Rio de São Francisco, south of the
city. The hollows were rich in the large and deeply digitated
Aroid with an edible fruit, known as Imbé, or Guaimbé, and in
Tupy, Tracuans (Philodendron grandifolium). It loves damp
places, and has an extensive range between sea-level and 3000
feet of altitude. A stiff ascent-the last-and a line of stunted
Araucarias, led to a hill-crest and the usual Cruz das Almas.
Here the traveller first sights the city, falling in perspective below
his feet. It is a Brazilian "Pangani "—a settlement "in a hole.”
The first glimpse suggests-
Dirarum nidis domus opportuna volucrum.
Yet sings of it its local poet, the late Aureliano J. Lessa-
Vês lá na encosta do monte
Mil casas em gruposinhos
M
CHAP. VI.]
93
TO THE CIDADE DIAMANTINA.
Alvas como cordeirinhos
Que se lavaram na fonte ?
Qual dragão petrificado
Aquella serra curvado
Que mura a cidadesinha ?
Pois essa cidade é minha
É meu berço idolatrado.*
*See'st thou upon yon slope of hill
A thousand houses grouped together,
White as the yeanling of the wether,
All freshly bathed in summer rill?
And see'st not in far background
Like to a serpent turned to stone,
The range in regular curving thrown,
That walls the little city round?
Behold my own dear walls arise,
The cradle which I idolize.
CHAPTER VII.
DIAMONDS.
AT DIAMANTINA.
CITY DESCRIBED.—SOCIETY.—POPULARITY OF THE ENGLISH IN THE BRAZIL.-
THE DIAMOND IN THE BRAZIL, ITS DISCOVERY, &C.-VALUE OF EXPORTED
"The temperate climate enjoyed by the inhabitants of this part of the country
renders them more healthy than those who dwell in the Sertão (Far West); the
women are the most beautiful I met with in Brazil."-Gardner, chap. xii.
THE site of Diamantina is peculiar : it is almost precipitous to
the east and south-west, whilst the northern part is a continua-
tion of the broken prairie-land. This incipient Haute Ville is the
best and healthiest locality, and here the settlement will spread.
The "
Cidadesinha" runs down the western face of a strongly
inclined hill to meet on the sole of the deep valley the Rio de São
Francisco, or Rio Grande; its water, draining the lowlands, feeds
the main artery of this basin, the Rio Jequitinhonha, distant three
leagues in a straight line, and five to six indirect.* The breadth
of the torrent-bed, here running from north to south, is patched
with red-brown soil and brilliantly green herbage: the middle is
white with cascalho heaps thrown up by the old diggers: a mere
thread of water now trickles down it, but after rain it becomes
dangerous: a dwarf bridge has been put up to save servile life
from the frequent inundations. The further side of the ravine is
a grim broken wall of grey rock, white under the hammer; the
rampart springs steeply from a base encumbered with spoil-
banks, washed many a year ago, and is raggedly clothed with
grass now brown.†
Viewed from the "Alto da Cruz," the city has a well-to-do
*The course is southerly to the Southern
Rio das Pedras; it then turns by cast to
north-east, and joins, or according to some,
forms the head waters of the great Jequitin-
G
honha.
It is advisable to walk up the new
Bahia road, which commands an excellent
prospect of the city.
CHAP. VII.]
AT DIAMANTINA.
95
and important look. It is much changed since 1801, when as the
"Arraial do Tejuco"-the village of the mud-hole, it had
nothing but wooden tenements; nor can it be recognised in the
pages of Gardner and M. Barbot,t who described it as it was
during the last generation. Below us lies a sheet of houses
dressed in many colours, pink, white, and yellow, with large
green gardens facing broad streets and wide squares, whilst public
buildings of superior size, and a confusion of single and double
church-steeples, testify to the piety of the place.
From the Alto da Cruz we make the Largo do Curral, the best
building-site in, or rather out of, the city. Formerly cattle were here
stabled and slaughtered; now a tall black cross has converted it
into a respectable square. Descending the good new Calçada of
the Rua da Gloria, formerly "do Intendente," we passed on the
left the Sobrado da Gloria, which began life as the Intendency of
Diamonds, then became the provisional Episcopal Palace, and
now lodges those Sisters of St. Vincent de Paul whom we met
upon the road near the Caráça. Inside the carpenters are at
work pulling to pieces timber still sound after a century of use:
an old-fashioned wooden verandah looks upon a large back-
garden of the richest soil, supplied with the purest water.
Opposite is the tall sobrado belonging to the Lieut.-Col. Ro-
drigo de Souza Reis, whose mine we shall presently visit.
The Gloria strikes at right angles a street called, no one knows
why, the Macáo do Meio. It must not be confounded with the
Largo do Macáo, where stands the Caridade Infirmary, a long,
broad, white building belonging to a "brotherhood." The
roughly paved Middle Macáo contains good shops, the "Hotel
Cula," and the Church of São Francisco, whose doors and win-
dows are set in a framework of very unpretty streaky red-here a
fashionable tint, supposed to resemble marble. A six-faced and
two-spouted fountain of Egyptian grotesqueness, set in the wall
and dated 1861, begins the normal Rua Direita. Straight
Street" is exceedingly crooked, steep, and badly paved. Most of
the houses are new and boast of windows: some preserve the
shutter, and one retains the hanging gallery and Rotula or
(C
The word is explained at length in
Vol. I. Chap. 10.
Traité Complet, etc., p. 218.
In full Sr. Herculano Carlos de Magal-
hacns Castro, a delegate of police. Break-
fast at 9:30 A. M., a table d'hôte (mesa
redonda), at 4 P. M., and 0$800 per meal,
96
[CHAP. VII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
lattice-work of dingy, chocolate-coloured wood. It will soon be
removed: these antiquities are very properly despised in the
Brazil: here Temple Bar would be photographed, and no longer
allowed to cumber the ground. The sooner the old Pillory
is demolished, the better for progressive Diamantina-let me
suggest.
In the Largo da Rua Direita or de Santo Antonio is the Town-
hall (Casa da Camara), a humble building, displaying the Imperial
Arms.* It has latterly been used as a Masonic Lodge. This was
forbidden, justly enough, because a Portuguese priest, Padre Luis,
became a brother. Opposite the Camara, and facing with the
Course of Empire, is the Matriz, whose " Orago" is Santo Antonio.
It is an "insula," with a raised platform towards the northern
slope of the hill. A stone wall shows the cemetery, to be banished
quam primum. The two-windowed front, with two rose-lights
pierced in the rude Taipa-conglomerate, is bound in neutral-tinted
sky-blue french-grey, whilst the doors and shutters are daubed
chocolate. All above the cornice is of board work, even to the
belfry, the first instance of the kind which I have seen in the
Brazil. The single window of the steeple shows a gilt bell. There
is a clock which, wondrous to relate, goes, but goes wrong, and
the finial is the usual armillary sphere with the normal extensive
weather-cock, more often a dragon than a cock. There is nothing
to be described in the interior of this or of any other Diamantine
Church, and the "lumber" work gives them generally a look of
instability.
We are in the heart of the city, the centre of business-circu-
lation. On the left of the Square is the Intendencia de Sousa
Reis.t Intendency" here means a substantial market shed, the
embryo of the Pisan Sotto borgo. Sousa Reis is private property,
and under the deep dark verandah are shops which sell everything,
from flour to snuff, required by the wild country. Below and to
the east is a large open square, the "Cavalhada Nova," as distin-
guished from the "Velha," further down and almost outside the
city. These clear spaces were so called from the Portuguese car-
rousels, which, like bull-fights, once accompanied every festivity.
They are obsolete in the Brazil, though they preserve vitality in
The lower story is not the normal
prison, which has been removed to a build-
ing near the theatre.
There are two other Intendencias, de
Sebastião Picada, and the Lages; the latter
has five stores,
CHAP. VII.]
AT DIAMANTINA.
97
Italy, in Portugal, and even in Anglicized Madeira. The last
"tournament" I saw was at the Island of Fogo, in the Cape Verde
group.
}
Crossing and leaving on the right the Rua da Quitanda, I found
the house of my host, Sr. João Ribeiro (de Carvalho Amarante),
on the northern side of the Praça do Bomfim. The ground floor
is laid out in a dry-goods store and an inner writing apartment,
where the diamonds are kept. The dining room and kitchen
affect the back part of the tenement, and above are the apartments
of the family. The hospitable Lisbonese freely confesses that he
began life with driving a few mules; he is now the wealthiest mer-
chant where all are merchants, and he supplies goods even to
Guaicuhy and Januaria.* At the Pé de Morro, near the Curu-
matahy influent of the Jequitinhonha, he owns a large fazenda,
where he breeds cattle, grows provisions, and manufactures sugar
and rum.
He is in trouble about his 50 slaves, and nowhere, as
far as I know the Brazil, are negroes so troublesome as those in
and around Diamantina. Many of them take to the bush and
become "Quilombeiros," black banditti, ready for any atrocity
which their cowardice judges safe. Here no one travels even by
day without having his weapons handy and without looking round
the corners. They are skilful as Canidia or Locusta, and much
addicted to the use of Stramonium.† A common symptom is an
intense pain in the legs, a medical man assured me, causing a
drawn and anxious countenance. Many a slave-owner has sus-
pected malingering, till undeceived by the sufferer's speedy death.
A case has lately occurred at Pé de Morro; the owner will pre-
sently visit it and make a terrible example of the poisoner. Thus
a threatened servile mutiny was summarily crushed in 1865 by
flogging and the galleys; nor did anybody meet with the fate of
Governor Eyre.
+
+
Sr. João Ribeiro consigned me to his bachelor guest-house in
the Rua do Bomfim, so called from a Church dedicated to Our
Lady of Good End. The street is a kind of ragged irregular
*See Chapters 13 and 17.
The System says that its alkaloid prin-
ciple is well known to the negroes, who pre-
pare from the plant their "philters," that
is to say, charms and poisons, love-draughts
and other devilries. May not the seeds of the
Stramonium have been brought from India
viâ Africa? St. Hil. (I. ii. 97) determines
VOL. II.
that the plant has here followed the foot-
steps of man from N. America.
++
The "Quilombeiros" of Medanha had
a Maroon settlement within a league of the
village, and threatened the suburbs of
Diamantina. When their stronghold was
attacked and taken, whites as well as
blacks were found in it.
H
98
[CHAP. VII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
square; it boasts of a good barber, a watchmaker, and an apothe-
cary. Of course all imported articles are sold at an extravagant
price, and considering the transport, this is not astonishing.* From
the Bomfim the Rua do Amparo, tolerably paved, runs to the east,
and strikes the Valley of the Rio de São Francisco. It passes by
the Church of Na Sa do Amparo-Our Lady of the Refuge. The
front was adorned with coloured glass lamps, and the Sunday
morning squibs told us that a Novena was in progress there. The
best drinking water is brought from the bottom of the ravine,
where a few houses and huts, plantations and fields, are scattered
about, leaving abundant building room. If not afraid of snakes,
ticks, and thorns, you may fight your way far down the Rivulet
banks.
My three days spent at Diamantina left upon me the most.
agreeable impressions of its society. The men are the "frankest,"
the women are the prettiest and the most amiable that it has yet
been my fortune to meet in the Brazil. Strangers everywhere in
these regions receive cordial hospitality, but here the welcome is
peculiarly warm. Perhaps the wealth of the place has something
to do with it. Where lodged I was at once called upon by some
young men from Rio de Janeiro, here popularly called Cometas.
Sensible, obliging, and well-informed, they had none of that offen-
siveness of the European Commis-voyageur, or travelling bagman.
The calling is honourable as any other. It may be said with
truth, and greatly to the credit of the Brazil, that no man feels
degraded by honest industry, however humble. Consequently
society ignores the mauvaise honte about professions which dis-
tinguishes the old world, where I have seen a man blush to own
that his father was a "doctor," and where Faraday was lauded.
because he dared to confess in public that his brother was a gas-
fitter.
My first evening was spent at the house of John Rose, a Cor-
nishman, originally a miner at Morro Velho, afterwards a diamond-
digger, carpenter, mason, architect; his last job was at the Bishop's
My test bottles having been broken, I bought--
3 oz. muriatic acid
3 oz. nitric acid
2 oz. tannin, in alcohol
At that time about one guinea.
Total
•
•
1$040
1$040
6$500
10$580
Kad
CHAP. VII.]
99
AT DIAMANTINA.
Palace. By sobriety and good conduct he has cleared some 5000l.,
and now he can amply enjoy his propensity for independence in
word and deed. Not so pleasant was another stranger, who at
once showed the cloven foot by loudly abusing the Brazilians, and
by declaring that they allowed none but themselves to thrive. I
will not mention his name, for, although he must have turned the
half-century, he may still find out that it is never too late to mend.
He is a well-educated man, knowing German and English perfectly,
Portuguese well, French tolerably; he can teach languages; he can
keep books; of course he has a gold mine; he has been a doctor-
still a popular character;* and he still practises homoeopathy. But
he prefers to "loaf about," borrowing 100 $000 from this and
160$ 000 from that acquaintance, whose charity he expends, not on
raiment but upon drink. When in liquor he is addicted to the free
use of knife and pistol. He attributes his habits of sleeping in the
streets to the infidelity of his spouse. He had left her at Rio
totally unprovided for, and she was persuaded to accept the pro-
tection of a Portuguese, who offered to, and who did, maintain,
educate, and settle her children. The latest little game of my
unpleasant acquaintance has been Freemasonry, to which he has,
for a consideration, admitted the least worthy aspirants. He pro-
posed, moyennant the payment of 51., to make me a P.M., and he
had the impudence to deliver a message from me to a certain eccle-
siastic, begging that Freemasonry might not be preached against;
it was necessary to call, and to explain the affair.
This man was a Hanoverian, consequently a Prussian, but he
called himself an Englishman. Britons in the Brazil are wont to
complain that they and the Portuguese are exceedingly unpopular.
The fact is that we frequently suffer not only for our own sins,
which are manifold, but for those of our European neighbours,
which are not few. Foreigners also exaggerate our unpopularity.
"Les Anglais sont détestés au Brésil; on regarde comme apparte-
nans à cette nation tous les étrangers chez lesquels des cheveux
blonds et une peau blanche indiquent qu'ils sont origaines du
* The Diamantists did not seem to me
satisfied with the gifts of their Esculapiuses,
as everywhere in the outer Brazil a stranger
is expected to be a medicine-man. I was
at once consulted for a simple hepatitis,
which the leech, after the normal treat-
ment of cupping and blistering, was attack-
ing with anti-spasmodics. In vain I
assured the patient that my favourite pro-
fession was rather to kill than to cure; he
seemed satisfied that he had already run
the very greatest risk of killing without
murder.
·
H 2
100
[CHAP. VII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
1
Nord," says, in 1815-1817, Prince Max. (i. 119). M. Dulot
(p. 62) speaks of "la brutalité traditionelle envers les faibles qui
fait détester partout l'Angleterre ;" and here he would be justified
if he alluded to the "Aberdeen Bill." St. Hilaire (III. i. 219) re-
marks that "grace à leurs compatriotes, Mawe, Luccock et Walsh,"
the English became unpopular in the land. And it is almost a
truism to say that if perhaps we hear too little good of ourselves
from others, we, like other nations, hear far too much good of
ourselves from ourselves. This puffery and clap-trap about our
own perfections is still held to be patriotism, and at last the " ge-
nial, broad-shouldered Englishman" has learned to bear without
a murmur gigantic weights of "Buncombe."*
The Brazil, also, like other people, has met with a small
amount of merited praise, and a large amount of unmerited
abuse. But the travellers of one nation have hardly been more
polite to her than those of the others.† The result of my
experience at present is that, despite the Aberdeen Bill and the
silly Abrantes-Christie affair, the Empire respects us, and even
likes us as much as, if not more than, her other visitors. It is
not pretended that strangers are favourites anywhere in the
Brazil; the country expected from them far too much, and they
justified considerably less than the most moderate expectations.
In our case they complain of the "insular manner," now hap-
pily waxing obsolete, as the Frenchman of Goldsmith and Sterne,
the coarse roughness of the uneducated, ‡ and the shy pride and
haughty reticence of their “ betters," are ever gall and worm-
wood to the Brazilian spirit. And we have lost esteem by the
Moll
* It has lately been judged advisable in
British India to consult high officials con-
cerning the appreciation of our rule by the
natives, not by ourselves. Many men,
myself included, have since 1850, written
and repeated in the plainest English, what
now comes before the public in a decorous
foolscap form. The only result was that
we were pronounced by the few who took
the trouble of reading us, to be either
ignorant or impertinent, and ignorance and
impertinence in such matters can expect
very little mercy.
Nor have the French tended to im-
prove the entente cordiale. The Comte do
Suzannet (Souvenirs, 1842), M. de Cha-
vaignes (Souvenirs, p. 160), the unjustly
treated M. Jacquemont, and MM. Biard,
Expilly, and D'Abbadic, may be quoted
versus MM. Reybaud, Ferdinand Denis,
and Liais. I cannot explain, except by the
influence of an outrageous nationality, how
St. Hilaire (III. i. 263), defends and
applies the terms "homme de beaucoup
d'esprit," to M. Jacques Arago, author of
the "Voyage autour du Monde," and one of
the most disgraceful charlatans that ever
appeared in the Brazil.
، ،
# This is a free country, and any man
therefore may take any freedom he likes
with any other man, and protest is simply
Quixotic. But we are a coarse people.
Thus writes a popular author, who has
never yet been called a "degenerate English-
،
"
man.
>>
-
CHAP. VII.]
101
AT DIAMANTINA.
great country's little wars, which began the dotage of a liberal
policy, and which led it to shirk the duties of its position, and to
retire from the business of the world. An Abyssinian Expedi-
tion benefits England as much in the Brazil as in Hindostan, and
may be pronounced to be worth the two-pence.
I paid a visit to the Rev. Michel Sipolis, at the Episcopal
Seminary, the staring white building with unfinished outhouses,
before mentioned. The Government assists the establishment
by paying salaries for the several chairs, and the three French
priests receive, per annum, only 400 000 for clothing and all
wants; this salary of £40 must raise them above all suspicion of
interestedness. At 1 P.M. the bell rang and we went to the
Refectory; there were twelve pupils, a considerable number
during "long vacation," and these young men spoke French
during the meal, and ended it with a long prayer. M. Sipolis
then led me to the Episcopal Palace, which is opposite the Carmo
Church, a white building picked out with blue, plastered concrete
below and boarding above. The diocese of Marianna formerly
extended here: Pius IX. created the bishopric by the Bull
"Gravissimum Sollicitudinis," June 6, 1864. The Exmo and
Revmo D. João Antonio dos Santos,* of the Council of H. I. M.,
is an old elève of the Caráça Seminary; he naturally patronises,
in preference to the Propaganda of Lyons and the Capuchins of
Rome, St. Vincent of Paul, who must find it hard work to
answer all the calls upon him. The Bishop was a man about
forty, with a gentle, feminine voice and manners: I found him
diligently engaged with M. Mirville on Magnetism (not Fara-
day's), and he did not take part with M. Sipolis when the latter
proved to me that table-turning and "rapping" are the works of
evil spirits.‡
From the Palace we passed over to the house of a fazendeiro,
at whose door an Agent de Police sat comfortably in the shade.
He had had with a neighbour some trifling dispute about a water-
* In the Brazil it is often impossible to
tell the family names of ecclesiastics, who
mostly adopt some technical or theological
cognomen, somewhat after the fashion,
though not quite in the style, of "Praise-
God-Barebones.'
})
Hero the Capuchins have assumed as
instructors the place held by the Jesuits.
I need hardly say that they have never done
so in Europe.
Nec deus intersit, etc. We may add
nec diabolus. As regards the spirit theory
I may again remark that, if after this life
my psyche or pneuma, or whatever it may
be, is to find itself at the mercy of every
booby who pays half-a-crown to his or her
medium, evidently the future state of
this person will be much worse than the
present.
102
[CHAP. VII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
course, which ended in a "shyuting," and he was expected to
purge himself before a jury. The antagonist having fired into
his side and mangled his thumb, which required amputation, the
wounded man cried out to his son, who discharged a barrel or
two into the hostile face, and then sensibly took to the bush.
Of course there was another and a contradictory account, which
declared that the fazendeiro had snatched the gun from his
antagonist, and that it had exploded, hurting his hand. I
could not but think of the true or apocryphal story touching
Sir Walter Raleigh and the "History of the World: " he would
have found it impossible to settle the rights of this little affair
at Diamantina.
Meanwhile the hurt man was in great pain, restless, and fear-
ing tetanus. Yet the room was darkened, the windows were shut,
the air was oppressive, five silent ladies sat pensively looking on,
and just outside the doors were half a dozen muttering male
friends. When a patient is held to be sick unto death, the
popular Brazilian idea-of course the rare sensible scout it-
is to visit and console and condole with him. Such an appa-
ratus would injure the most robust; surely it would be humane
to publish a Portuguese version of "Notes on Nursing." The
vile Caldo de Gallinha, or hen-broth, which it is indispensable
to swallow every two hours, is an infliction to be compared
only with the "beef-tea" of the old-fashioned priestess of Libi-
tina in Great Britain.
My last appearance in "Society was at a ball given by
a wealthy widow, the Sra. Da Maria de Nazareth Netto
Leme, in honour of the baptism of a grandson, the second
child of a very charining young person, wife of Sr. Joaquim
Manoel de Vasconcellos Lessa. When this pretty lady was
married, she was attended by twenty-four bridesmaids in
dresses from Paris; the merry-making was kept up for a fort-
night, and it is said that 750 bottles of Bass disappeared every
night. This rain of meat and drink at the City of Diamonds
is a great contrast to the ascetic "
to the ascetic "tea and turn out" of
Southern Europe.
""
The whole of the City of Diamonds was in accurate black
raiment before 3 P.M., the hour for the religious ceremony. As
evening approached, I accompanied Sr. João Ribeiro with the
most amiable Da Maria and his daughter up the Rua das Mercês,
CHAP. VII.]
103
AT DIAMANTINA.
so called from its church, to the Alto da Gupiara.* The rooms
were crowded, and many had sat down to a preliminary supper.
The toilettes were remarkably good, a contrast to the times.
described by Gardner, when ladies went abroad in men's hats,
and "black seemed the most fashionable." Every neck sparkled
with diamonds: the other ornaments were the solid and honest,
if not tasteful, jewellery of Diamantina. The ball seemed to be
a family party, infinite in merriment: here, as amongst the
Catholics of England, all are related or connected, more or less,
and those who are not, intend to be, or are gossips." The
dancing was chiefly quadrilles. I excused myself on the plea
that my last performance had been with Gelele, King of Dahome :
thus the proprietress of No. 14, St. James's Square wore for life
a glove upon the hand saluted by a former Prince of Wales.
Supper seemed never to end, and a stiff shower of rain only
added to the mirth within. The life of the party was
"O Dia-
mantino," curtly for Sr. José Diamantino de Menezes, son of the
late Barão de Arassuahy. I stole away at 2 P.M., leaving all
66 merry and wise." This is specified, because the country mice
around give the city mice a bad character, and declare that every
morning the ladies and their slaves sally forth to pick up their
husbands from the pavé, where "tangle-leg" had put them to
bed.
Of this I saw nothing.
..
* I have already explained Gupiara
(corrupted Grupiara), to mean the slope of
a tilted shed; hence in gold and diamond
diggings it is applied to a ledge projecting
caves-like over a stream. The Alto, scen
from the entrance of the city, is a con-
spicuous hill, crowned by a building that
resembles a fortress or redoubt.
This pro-
perty originally belonged to Sr. Luis Anto-
nio, and then passed to Sr. José Joaquim
Netto Leme, whilome husband of the pre-
sent proprietrix. It is still rich in gold,
Of course in a place where money is abundantly spent, and
where visitors flock in for pleasure, after the toils and the
dulness of the out-station, there must be some debauchery. The
many smiling faces, protruding from small casements, cheeks.
blooming with the juice of a certain Hibiscus and a squeeze of
lime, tell their own tale. But such things have nothing to do
with society. The "hell," moreover, that usually accompanies
the modern growth of mining cities, does not exist in these
which no one takes the trouble to dis-
turb.
The river rising about twelve leagues
cast from Diamantina, passing by Minas
Novas (do Arassuahy), and forming the
eastern gate of the Jequitinhonha. The
word is Araçu, a kind of bird, and -hy,
water. There was also a Baron of Dia-
mantina, of the Lessa family.
Here, as in Australia and California,
the miner is mostly poor, whilst the mer-
chant or storekeeper is rich.
104
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHIAP. VII.
regions, except when a stray Frenchman starts a roulette table,
and makes his fortune after a few months.
An Englishman, who had spent thirty years in and about Dia-
mantina, told me that of late years its prosperity had diminished.*
Formerly diamonds were easily washed from the surface diggings:
now the works are confined to capitalists. In early days the
stones were sold in the city, at present they are sent to Rio de
Janeiro,† and to Europe. The slaves have been traded off to the
coffee-growing Provinces, and the free man, white or black,
will not, or cannot work. Hence fortunes now average 4000l.,
whilst the highest may amount to 10,000l.; these figures,
however, represent very different values in Minas Geraes and in
England.
But so far from the diamonds being exhausted, I believe that
the true exploitation of precious lithology has still to begin, and
that it will extend 800 miles along the Serra do Espinhaço.‡
There are also rich gold-diggings, which men hardly take the
trouble to work; with gold they justly say you may be poor, with
diamonds never.§ When the rail shall have reached Sabará,
and the paddle-wheel shall connect the Rio das Velhas with the
great São Francisco, the immigrant may be expected, and the
Diamantine country will attain its full development. "The Lord
bring them!" say the mine-proprietors, alluding to the South-
erners of the Union, "and they will soon use up our useless
slaves!" || And whilst Golconda and Visapur have failed, and
the Cape of Good Hope, Australia, and California are but begin-
ning, and whilst men sink capital in the trash manufactured in
*The population in 1800 was about
5000;
in 1840, it was 6000; and now it
is not increased.
Diamond cutting was attempted with-
out success by a Sr. Carvalho, at Bahia.
There are three or four lapidaries at Rio de
Janeiro; the best is, I believe, Sr. Do-
mingos Moitinho (at the corner of the Rua
d'Ouvidor and the Rua dos Ourives). Some
of his workinen are descendants of the
artists brought from Portugal by D. João
VI. The machinery is driven by an engino
of five-horse power. The diamond is here
cut exactly as in Europe, and the Brazilians
ignore the flat slab-like shapes of Hindos-
tan. Of late years Boston has attempted
the industry, but it cannot, I am told,
compete with Amsterdam.
The portion which has been explored
W
begins at the Rio do Peixo, nine leagues
south of Diamantina, and extends to the
celebrated Serra de Santo Antonio, forty
to fifty leagues to the north, or between
N. lat. 16° to 19°. All was found to bo
diamantine, but not continuously so, as in
the Demarcation Proper.
§ According to Dr. Couto (p. 112), who
settled and died at "Tejuco," the city is
built upon slabs of red copper, and the
metal is found in the pavement and the
garden walls.
""
11 "The pride of man makes him love
to domincer. Wherever the law allows it,
therefore, he will generally prefer the ser-
vice of slaves to that of freemen. (Wealth
of Nations, iii. 2.) My experience is dia-
metrically opposed to this dogma of Adam
Smith.
CHAP. VII.]
AT DIAMANTINA.
105
Paris and Birmingham, the Brazil may still hope to do great
things in the "diamond-line."
The sounds of every city leave upon the traveller's sensorium
their own impression. At Diamantina my brain connects the
church-bell and the Araponga, or blacksmith bird. The sharp,
sudden cry, which to the stranger seems artificial, charms in the
dead silence of the forest alcove, tempered by the distance of the
tallest tree-top, and when the little white form is not visible in
the verdant gloom. Caged, and in a strect, the thing is quite
out of place. The situation of Diamantina, as has been seen,
renders the rumbling of the cart and the rolling of the carriage
impossible here, as at São João d'El-Rei, the hammock is the
only conveyance, and it is seen in the hall of every rich house.
As usual in the Brazilian interior, the city is guiltless of club,
café, Mechanics' Institutes, Christian Young Men's Association
and Mutual Improvement Societies, except for musical purposes;
the bands, however, are, all things considered, good. There is
neither library, literary cabinet, nor bookseller, but of course
there is a photographer. About three years ago, the only news-
paper "O Jequitinhonha," which was devoted solely to politics,
expired, and now the city does not contain a printer. Yet the
citizens—the Brazilian is a citizen, not a subject-are wild for
education, even for church education. The "Sisters" have
already had offers of 100, and have accepted 30 pupils.
The site of the city is one of the highest in the Empire,* and
to reach it we have ascended seven distinct gradients. The
coldest months are June, July, and August, when frosts are
common in the lower levels; they do not, however, prevent the
maturing of the Pitanga berry.†
The wet season opens in
October or November, with thunder storms from the north; the
heaviest downfalls came from the west, but sometimes the warm
south-west winds bring rain and hail. The fertilizing showers of
the dries, which abound in other parts of the Brazil, are here
*The altitude ranges, according to tra-
vellers, between 4000 feet and 1730
metres (5702 feet) above sea level. The
steps of ascent from the Rio das Velhas
are seven, viz., first, to the Paraúna stream;
second, to the Riacho do Vento; third, to
the Chapada; fourth, to the Contagem
summit; fifth, to Gouvêa; sixth, to Band-
eirinha; and seventh, to Diamantina.
*
The well-known Eugenia pedunculata
(E. Michelii, Linn.), whose quadrangular
red fruit ripens well at Madeira, and makes
good jellies. When raw it has a drug-like
flavour, which is disliked by strangers. In
this part of Minas Geraes it is rare, but it
flourishes at S. Paulo, 2200 feet above
sea level, though not so kindly as on the
coast.
106
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. VII.
rare. The east wind is the mildest and the most agreeable; the
north is cold and raw, causing sickness like our east. From
November to February is the hot season, and the annual range
of the thermometer is from 64° to 88°. Water of the best quality
is supplied by almost every hollow. In the clear, bracing air
European fruits and vegetables thrive; the soil is sometimes rich
and deep, and the abnormal expense of provisions would make
the neighbourhood an excellent market for an agricultural
colony.
66
Tejuco," the village in the Comarca do Cerro, became a
Freguezia September 6, 1819, a Villa Oct. 13, 1831, and the
Cidade Diamantina by the Provincial Law, No. 93 of 1838. It
owes its prosperity solely to the diamond. This valuable stone
was used, it is said, by the Indians as playthings for their chil-
dren.*
The first man who sent it to Portugal was one Sebastião
Leme do Prado, in 1725; he had washed certain brilliant octahe-
drons in the Rio Manso, an influent of the Jequitinhonha. They
found no sale, and the same happened to Bernardo (or Bernar-
dino) da Fonseca Lobo, who hit upon a large specimen amongst
others in the Cerro do Frio. There is a local tradition that the
latter was a friar who had been in India, and that about 1727,
seeing the curious, brilliant little stones used as counters at back-
gammon by the gold miners of the Jequitinhonha, he made a
collection of them and went to Portugal. Others attribute the
discovery to an Ouvidor or Auditor Judge, fresh from service at
Goa; the specimens were sent to the Netherlands, then the great
jewel-market of Europe.
The official account of the exploitation is that D. Lourenço de
Almeida, the first Governor of Minas Geraes (August 18, 1721-
Sept. 1, 1732), reported the new source of wealth to the Home
Government. Portugal at once declared the diamond to be Crown
property (Carta Regia, Feb. 18, 1730), and established the cele-
brated Diamantine Demarcation, forty-two leagues in circumfer-
ence, with a diameter of fourteen to fifteen leagues. Gold
It is generally supposed that in Europe
Louis Van Berghem, popularly written
Berquen (1456-1475), invented the prac-
tice of making diamond cut diamond, and
established a guild in Bruges. But the
Hindus must have been long beforehand,
and the working of diamonds in Europe is
mentioned in 1360. It is possible that the
industry had a little before the fourteenth
century drifted, like the cholera of modern
days, westward.
""
John Mawe's Map gives a sketch of the
"Diamantine Demarcation. It is an oval
of eight by sixteen leagues, and "Tejuco"
was nearly in the centre.
CHAP. VIII.107
AT DIAMANTINA.
]
.
digging was forbidden within the limits, and a tax of 20$000—
subsequently raised to 40$ 000 and 50 000-was placed upon
every head of negro. To arrest the many and repeated disorders,
an Order, dated Sept. 30, 1733, created the "Intendencia
Diamantina;" the washing-grounds were marked out, and no
one might enter without a licence. In 1740 (Henderson says
1741), the lands were farmed out, with great restrictions, for
138:000 000, but this first contract was much abused. In 1771
(1772, John Mawe), the great Pombal reformed, with character-
istic thoroughness, the diamond mines, by taking the management
into his own hands. He abolished ruinous leases, and governed
by an Intendant-General, under whom worked a board of three
Directors in Lisbon, and three Governors in the Brazil. The
scheme failed, and so energetic was action against the "extraria-
dores," that the place became almost a desert. In 1800 to 1801 the
gold supply began to fail, and the lands about the Villa do
Principe, where diamantine was mixed with auriferous matter,
yielded only 24 instead of 25 arrobas. Thus the Government lost
by reducing all industry to the diamond, and the people fled
because they could not afford to buy iron, steel and gun-
powder.
I have not been able to find out exactly at what period of Tejucan
history occurred the event alluded to by Sr. Joaquim Norberto de
Souza Silva : *
E o filho de Erin, que em duros ferros
Pagou seu pasmo por um novo imperio.
The name given in the foot note is "Nicolas George." He was,
we are told, of Irish extraction, and employed in the Junta of the
Arraial do Tejuco. Admiring the fertility, the wealth and the
vastness of the Brazil, he declared that her shores contained
everything necessary for a mighty Empire, and that she might
become free and independent as the United States. The senti-
ment made him share the pains and penalties of the "Conspira-
tors of Minas.'
""
* In the Cantos Epicos-a Cabeça do Martyr-
According to John Mawe, from 1801 to 1806, both years
included, the expenses incurred by the Government in exploiting
M
W
"And Erin's son who in the eating irons,
Atoned the purpose of a free-born realm."
108
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CIIAP. VII.
the district were 204,000l., and the diamonds sent to the Trea-
sury amounted to 115,675 carats. During the same period gold
was washed and valued at 17,300l. Thus, he says, the carat cost
23s. 9d. At length the Decree of Oct. 25 (1832) abolished the
monopoly with its Junta Administrativa dos Diamantes, and the
industry assumed its present form.
If the Portuguese doubted the existence of the diamond in the
Brazil, the English did the same. There is a difference in
specific gravity between the noble Vieille Roche of India and the
produce of the New World.* In the last century, Jeffries and
other lapidaries contended that the Brazilian were unformed
gems exported from Hindostan. The miners cleverly turned the
tables upon their scientific antagonists by sending their stones
to Goa, whence they were forwarded as true East Indian to
Europe.
According to John Mawe, during the first twenty years some
1000 oz. of diamonds were annually extracted from these diggings.
Castelnau (ii. 338), in 1849, estimates the total value of the Minas
Geraes exportation at 300,000,000 francs. The subject is also
treated by José de Rezende Costa, in the Memoria Historica
sobre os Diamantes (Rio, 1836). I will not trouble the reader
with details, as all such estimates are the merest guess-work, and
even the modern appliances of Custom-house collection and
statistics are powerless against the general rule of contrabandism.
The following table, however, taken from Mr. Nathan's annual
report (Rio de Janeiro), will show the
EXPORTS OF DIAMONDS AND ESTIMATED VALUE IN YEARS 1861 TO 1867.
Total Value.
Oitavas.
4,696
5,019
Price.
500$000+
2,348,000 $
2,509,500
5,824
2,912,000
4,861
2,430,500
2,481,000
2,847,500
2,852,000
18,880,500$+
Years.
1861
1862
1863
1864
1865
1866
1867
•
•
Total
•
•
4,962
5,695
5,704
36,761
Golconda (Indian).
White, spec. grav. 3·524
Yellow,
3.556
""
•
""
""
""
34
,,
در
* The difference of weight is attributed to the mineral oxides that colour the stone.
The following are the popular figures :
•
Brazilian.
3.442 (M. Barbot, 3·444).
3.520 (
3.519).
Lapidaries generally agree that the old or E. Indian diamond has more lustre and brilliancy
than the new or Brazilian.
""
This is too low.
+ £1,888,000.
CHAPTER VIII.
TO THE DIAMOND DIGGINGS OF THE SOUTHERN RIO DAS PEDRAS,
ALIAS THE JEQUITINHONHA.
OF
THE RIDE. QUAINT STONES.-SÃO GONÇALO OF THE GOOD GIRLS. THE SERVIÇO
MINE DESCRIBED.-EXPENSES.-WANT
DAYRELL.-THE "LOMBA " MINE. THE MARAVILHA MOUNTAIN.-RETURN
TO DIAMANTINA.
M
S
MACHINERY.—PLUNDER.DR.
Οὔ χειμὼν λυπεῖ σ᾽ οὐ καῦμ᾽ οὐ νοῦσος ἐνοχλεῖ,
Οὐ πείνη σ᾽ οὐ δίψος ἔχει σ'.
SHORTLY after my arrival I was introduced to a Brazilian gen-
tleman, Sr. Francisco Leite Vidigal, who lost no time in inviting
me to visit his "Serviço," known as the Canteiro or "pot-stand."
This season, the height of the dries, is the best for exploring the
diggings, which are now all activity.
We breakfasted perforce and set out late, although the sun is
hot, and we had four to five leagues of total work before us. We
rode down the Rua do Bomfim to the southern suburb, past a
very small post-office in the Largo do Rosario, and a fountain
with cocks sticking out of steatite faces. Here is a negro church,
as usual mean and gaudy, and a large unfinished theatre, a carcase
of timber and brown clay. A splendid Gamelleira fig, whose
natural grandeur did not set off the dwarfishness of the Art around
it, led us to a Calçada winding down a stiff descent. Here the
site of the city falls into the riverine valley, and the slope of fine
soil is rich in oranges, plantains, myrtlės, and trees that give
more shade than fruit.
Beyond the bank the place is called La Palha; here are the
large ranch, the venda, and the camping ground belonging to a
Frenchman, M. Antoine Richier. I failed to find him at home,
but the thumbing of his photographic manuals showed an interest
in something civilised. We then crossed a confluence where the
110
[CHAP. VIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
Poruruca or Pururuca,* translated "Stream of the sand and
gravel," flows from the west into the little Rio de São Francisco.
The banks were a mass of loose amygdaloid, pebbles of water-
rolled quartz; and they "paint gold," which no one cares to
work. In the evening my host showed me many oitavas lying
in the corner of his hut; they had not even been washed for
market.
We then ascended to Campo ground, and struck the highway
which leads to the Provincial Capital, viâ the city of Cerro, now
Cidade do Principe, distant ten leagues. Before us rose the
grand Peak Itambé, said to be 6000 feet above sea level. Its
head was in a cap of clouds, ever similar, never the same, and the
shoulders were clad in ruddy grass and gloomy forest. On the
eastern horizon rose the hilly mass called the Curralinho, and
held to be very rich in diamonds. Around us were outcrops of
the usual granular quartzose Itacolumite, hard and soft, finely
laminated or coarsely agglutinated, greyish outside, and over-
grown with lichens; the inside is snow-coloured or slightly yellow.
In places the masses are horizontal, forming regular walls; in
others they become ridges of slabs disposed at every possible
angle. During the day we saw a man in a liberty cap, a sphinx,
a frog-like labyrinthodon, an old mutilated lion, gravestones with
inscriptions, stones with hands, gaps, arches, circular holes, and
every variety of outlandish shape. The degradation of this grit
forms the frequent patches of snowy sand, which are of course
sterile, whilst here again the red-brown soils which separate them
are often exceptionally fertile.
The road proved to be especially vile, and at the most pre-
cipitous narrows we were certain to meet strings of horses or
unruly mules laden with large square boxes, generally labelled
"Louça," equivalent to "Glass, with care." How anything
ever reaches Diamantina unbroken is beyond my comprehension.
*The word is here applied to a largo
sand and pebbles, either water-rolled or
not; the formation is not agglutinated by
paste or cement (gomma), and has no
body (corpo). In the diamond mine it is.
more watery than the " desmonte," which
will presently be explained.
† St. Hil. (I. i. 330) says that Cerro is
more than ten leagues from Diamantina.
Dr. Couto (p. 1) makes it ten leagues to
the south-south-west. The people say it is
less, but their leagnes are of the longest.
A
B
Cerro (or Serro, perhaps a more modern
form) is a rare word applied to particular
places where there are lines of hills or
nountains. Originally it signifies a hillock
or rising ground; Constancio explains it
"Monte Alto;" and Moraes "Outeiro," as
well as "Monte Alto." The Cerro do
Frio, which is more usual than Cerro Frio,
is supposed to be a translation of the
Tupy Yviturui," from "Yvitu," wind,
and "tuy" cold.
..
CHAP. VIII.] THE JEQUITINHONHA DIAMOND DIGGINGS.
111
After fording sundry streams, we crossed by a neat bridge the
Ribeirão, called by the early travellers do Inferno on account.
of the difficulties which it offered. Its source to the west is
known as "As Porteiras," and the yellow rocks and blue skies make
it a "Rio Verde." Above the bridge were the "casas palhoças,
the poor thatches of sapé and walls of stick and clay that tell the
presence of miners.
*Not Taboleira coberta as Gardner wrote.
This "covered plateau, a modification of
the Campo, is thinly clad with gnarled
trees; the term is opposed to the Taboleiro
descoberto, a formation of greater altitude,
growing only the hardier shrubs and
Beyond the stream we found a few men tinkering up a very bad
ascent, and we remarked with indignation a mile-post which told
us that we had finished one league-such here are leagues-after
two hours of sharp riding. We then pricked across a taboleiro
coberto,* or wave of ground, beautified only by the view. In
addition to the fronting Itambé, we had now to the left or west
the Maravilha, or Marvel, a local Sugarloaf, just the place where
a Maharatha Rajah or an Abyssinian Dejaj would build his
Durg or Amba. The Ribeirão do Palmital, bridgeless, and roll-
ing its pellucid waters over a dwarf cliff of sandstone, veined,
dyked, and ribboned with lustrous-white quartz, dashed to meet
the Rivulet of Hell." Of course a house was near the ford ;
linen hung in the yard to dry, but no amount of shouting would
open the door. It was the same at the next bridge, although
near it was a large ranch and a staked camping ground.
CC
The hills resembled those about the Paraúna River, rough
above, whilst the lower folds were of earth, here light, there stiff.
On the flanks about half-way up were zones of stone piercing the
soil, weathered and trodden into ledges, gutters, and deep
hollows, whilst here and there lay loose rounded boulders. The
head was generally spread into a dwarf plateau of thin soil, with
more or less of vegetation. On cresting a summit we suddenly
saw across a long green valley traversed by the long red line of
highway, the church and village of the "Marriage-maker of
Old Women." The place is remarkable for its order and
industry; not a "lost girl," I was told, can be found in it, and
the inhabitants have many small industries. They do not care to
work, where diamonds are, a hill of rock crystals which lies near
their doors. When these six-sided prisms of pure silicic acid,
""
""
grasses.
+ Casamenteiro das Velhas, the title
which S. Gonçalo bears in the Brazil.
John Mawe, with his usual inaccuracy
about names, calls the village
Gonzales."
"San
112
[CHAP. VIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
terminating in hexagonal points, have unbroken pyramids, which
is rare after travelling, and when the interior contains the water
of crystallisation or heterogeneous bodies, the larger blocks are
valuable as museum specimens.
This wave of ground ended at the Córrego do Jacá (of the
Pannier),* which boasts a small bridge. Another ridge brought
us to the Descida do Córrego do Mel (the Descent of the Rivulet
of Honey). On the further slope the sandstone slabs were so
steep and slippery that my companion, a very light man, dis-
mounted from his good new mule. When a Brazilian does this
it is generally wise to follow his example. All the ground which
we have traversed is rich in diamonds, but it cannot be worked
for want of water; near the Córrego which feeds the Rio das
Pedras many white heaps were waiting to be washed during the
rains. The Gurgulhot or breccia, here sometimes so sharp
(gurgulho bravo) that it cuts the hands, is peculiarly rich in
stones, and about the bridge the torrent banks produce gold.
We then turned to the left, and made two miles of "picada"
or bridle-path. The country was as before rocky on both sides,
and poorly clad. The greenest and shadiest tree was the Canella
(Laurinen). I remarked also an abundance of the large-leaved
Congonha do Campo (Ilicinea), and a tree with green berries,
called by my friend "Mata Cavallo," a general term for all things
that bear "wild," that is to say poisonous, fruit. The herb
called Arruda do Campo, because supposed to resemble the Euro-
pean rue, scented or tainted the air.
The last descent led us to the Southern Rio das Pedras, here
running from the south. It is one of the head waters of the great
Jequitinhonhat River, a lesser rival of the Rio de São Francisco
*The Tupy Dict. explains Jacá by Costo
basket) de Cipós. It is more usually
made, I believe, of woven bamboo-bark.
>>
a
The word is pronounced like, but not
written, "Gorgulho,' which means
weevil (Curculio). It is described as a loose
or compact pudding of angular stones
mostly found in Campo ground, and thus
distinguished from the water-rolled Cas-
calho. Some apply the term to a colloc-
tion of Cascalho, others to a larger forma-
tion than Cascalho. An English writer on
precious lithology has followed John Mawe's
misprint, which corrupted gurgulho to
"burgalhao.'
>>
The name is written in many ways;
--
the old style is Gectinhonha.
Then came
Giquitignogna, Gigtinhonha, Goquitin-
honha, Jigitonhonha, and so forth. The
trivial and popular explanation of the
word is "Jequi tom nhonha," the fishing
crato has caught a nhonha fish. Jequi is a
Tupy word meaning a fish trap (arma-
dilha). Nhonha, according to some, in the
local dialect meant any fish; in the
Lingon Goral the word is Pyra or Pira.
St. Hil. (I. ii. 142) says it was explained
to him by une nasse (creel) pleine;
Juquia" being the masse. This reminds
us of such derivations as Capivarhy from
Capivara ahi, Arassuahy from Ouro só ahi
(gold only here), and so forth.
CHAP. VIII.] THE JEQUITINHONHA DIAMOND DIGGINGS.
113
(Maïor). It rises a mere torrent in the mountains to the north of
the Cidade do Principe. It is joined by many streams, amongst
which is the Lomba or Jequitinhonha do Mato; about two leagues
below the Canteiro it becomes the Jequitinhonha do Campo, and
finally the true Jequitinhonha. According to others, the Southern
Rio das Pedras is the Upper Jequitinhonha do Mato, which, after
receiving the Ribeirão do Inferno, is the Jequitinhonha, and
absorbs the Jequitinhonha do Campo. The course of this river,
which upon maps looks so well, is said to be much obstructed by
rapids. I have not visited it. At last it takes the name of Rio
Grande, divides into several arms, unites with the Rio Pardo, forms
a delta, and buries itself in the Atlantic about forty-five miles
north of Porto Seguro in the Province of Bahia.
After six hours' work we entered the little mining station of a
dozen huts, built upon a rough stubby slope that lines the left
side of the Rio das Pedras. Under the circumstances, a "Roxo
forte," or cup of café noir "laced" with rum, was excusable; this
taken, we went off without further delay to inspect.
We began with the beginning, a proceeding which, say the
Germans, we English rarely adopt. The descent to the mine is
a narrow unrailed path, winding down the precipitous left bank
of the Rio das Pedras. It was crowded with double meeting
lines of black and whitey-brown labourers, free as well as ser-
vile, whom the presence of the master had galvanized into a
momentary "spurt." Those ascending carried on their heads.
Carumbés, or cedar-wood platters, about twice the size of soup-
plates, containing "desmonte,"* or the useless sand and gravel
which is washed down by the greater inundations of the year,
and which underlies and overlies the strata of true diamantiferous
Cascalho. Planks, rough ladders, and inclined planes, led to the
bottom of the long pit, whose southern extremity was 80 feet
deep by 19 to 20 broad. It was evidently the river bed in bygone
ages before the channel was filled up to its present height. Each
talhião, or rock-wall of the underground channel, was wonderfully
worked into pit holes and convex curves, regular as though the
latter had been used, by the grinding action of gravelly water. †
<<
* Desmonto is sand and gravel, with
more or less consistency (liga).
In gold
mining desmontar"—literally to un-
mount-is to remove the vegetation and
the humus from over the auriferous cas-
VOL. II.
Gal
calho. In Portugal it is synonymous with
"roçar" or "desmoutar," to clear the
I
land for cultivation.
+ We shall find many of those "pit-
holes" in the bed of the São Francisco Rivor.
114
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. VIII.
1
These are the richest pockets, and each may yield a hundred contos.
of reis. The hanging wall, and the loosened blocks on the sides,
were carefully timbered wherever a joint was inclined to open.
The negroes, watched by overseers stationed at every angle,
were removing, with the usual merry song, the valueless stratum
under which they expected to find the gem-bearing yellow
Cascalho. Some bored, others broke away the interfering rock
with huge pyramidal-headed crow-bars (alavancas). These
loosened the gravel with the almocafre, an oval-shaped, blunt-
headed iron, whose handle was about two feet long; those
scraped out of the fendas or fissures the likely sand, with an
"almocafre de frincha," a bent blade one inch broad by four to
six in length. I was shown in situ the curious formation called
Cánga preta," which is found in hundreds of pounds' weight,
though rarely of large size. At first it was mistaken for coal,
but it became red-hot in the fire without being consumed. It
looks fibrous, like asbestos, and in appearance much resembles
graphite. Here also are found loose fragments of polished sand-
stone, turned by the water into curious shapes. I saw a child's
foot perfectly imitated, and many leg bones and shoulder blades
were of monstrous size.
(C
All this work is going on far below the water level. A
strong dyke of ashlar and earth has been run out from the right
bank to the mid-stream of the Rio das Pedras, which here runs
from south-east to north-west, bending north. Above the pit
the waters are all collected into solid wooden launders, some 400
feet in length. The trough bifurcates below the mine; one fork
discharges its load of foaming yellow water into the lower
channel; the other turns a wheel which works the syphons and
drawing pump, t-a "sack" or wooden tube, with leather joints,
which should be replaced by caoutchouc. The mine, though
somewhat wet, is thus kept in order.
The name is "Caldeiroes," not "Caldrones,'
as John Mawe writes; he justly, however,
describes them as "les creux, qui étaient
auparavant des remous" (ii. chap. 2).
*Not Amocafra as written by Castelnau.
Tavernier mentions "little iron rods bent
at the end," and used to "draw diamond
sand and earth from the veins.
""
"
†The usual pump is called Bomba, the
one above mentioned is known as Buxa
de Saco.
In this part of the Brazil several
trees are supposed to be capable of
1787
supplying caoutchouc. In 1785
Ferreira noted the "India rubber" of the
Hancornia speciosa. "Resina elastica
e concreto succo lacteo arbor vulgo Man-
gabeiras-in hac observantur proprietates
ususque gummi elastici. The people
seem to think highly of this source of
caoutchouc. I do not.
""
M
CHAP. VIII.] THE JEQUITINHONHA DIAMOND DIGGINGS.
115
These works must be renewed every year. At the end of the
dries the moveable plant is taken down for use during the next
season. In November, when the rains set in, the dam is swept
away; the height of the inundation here averages twenty-five to
thirty feet, and has risen to forty. The uncertainty of the
seasons renders diamond mining far more precarious than any
other industry which depends upon the weather. Of course, the
longer the dries last the better; and miners gratefully remember
1833-4, whose prolonged drought followed closely the Anno do
Rato, or Rats' year, when those rodents appeared in swarms.
Usually the wet season ends in April; in 1867, however, showers
fell even in July. This incertitude, combined with many other
hazards, serves to explain the gambling nature of the pursuit.
"If I hit upon a pocket of diamonds," said an Englishman to
me, "I will go home next year." But the "if" points to a con-
tingency far less to be expected than breaking the bank at Baden-
Baden.
*
In former days, the diamond diggers, like the gold diggers,
contented themselves with washing the rich superficial Cascalho;
after which they removed to another place. It is but a short
time since "deeper winnings" have been commenced, and the
originators had to endure the usual amount of ridicule, in addition
to the great expense. They have now silenced the laugh by
winning the day: the "old school" revenges itself by predicting
that the "luck" cannot last. This Canteiro mine was held to be
exhausted, valueless, when Sr. Vidigal, who deserves to become a
Podre de Rico,t took it in hand. A most energetic and pro-
gressive man, he ventured £6000, here a fortune, before getting
the mine into proper working order. Some 6400 pounds of
gunpowder are annually expended in blasting. The outlay
during the last year was 25:000 $000, and the income was
80:000 $000; this year it may rise to 100: 000 $ 000.
My host employs during the digging season 300 slaves, worth
£120 to £150 per head. The hire of each hand, food included,
is about 1$200 per day, and the monthly expense is £750. As
is general amongst Brazilians engaged in any pursuit that
requires head-work, Sr. Vidigal complained bitterly of the servile
* In parts of the Brazil rats are sup-
posed to swarm every seventh year, when
the bamboo flowers.
+"Rotten with riches," an expressive
conversationalism.
I 2
116
[CHAP. VIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
labour-market; he wishes to dig by night as well as by day, but
the smallness of his gang compels him to begin at six A.M., and
to end at six P.M. Another especial grievance is the prevalence
of theft. Some mine owners go so far as to declare that almost
all the finest stones disappear. A receiver of stolen goods settles
near every new digging, as surely as a public-house follows the
Hydropathic Establishment; and here, as elsewhere, the broker
is generally richer than the diamond proprietor. President
Jefferson, of Virginia, desired that a sea of fire might roll
between Europe and the United States. Sr. Vidigal would
prefer, and justly, to see a tunnel or a bridge.
The desmonte which we have just seen carried up in platters
is disposed of in the readiest and most suitable way. When the
rich Cascalho,* or Cánga, t is struck, the labourers transport it
up the left bank, and dispose it in heaps (amontoadas) near the
Lavadeiro, or washing place. In this shed I at once recog-
nised the drawing familiar to my childhood, and copied from
John Mawe into every popular book of travels. I remembered
the long thatched roof of the Mandanga mine, with a stream
of water passing through a succession of lengthy boxes; the
four inspectors in straw hats perched upon the tallest of stools,
and armed with the terriblest of whips; whilst the white-kilted
sable washers, in a vanishing line, bent painfully to their tasks,
and one of them, in an unpleasantly light toilette, was throwing up
his arms, to signify "Eureka." It was written that when
a diamond is found weighing seventeen and a half carats (my in-
nocence did not remark that "half"), the negro is entitled to his
liberty-is crowned with flowers, and is entitled through life to
look for diamonds on his own account." How I used to sympa-
thise with that happy black person, little thinking in my
simplicity, as does many a philanthropist, that he was likely to
die an early death from a disease which may be described as con-
sisting mainly of want, drink, and debauchery!
(C
""
* Generally called "Cascalho corrido
(water-washed), opposed to Cascalho
virgem, the pudding stone. Its substance
is quartz of many varieties and colours,
clear as crystal, yellow-white, slightly
transparent, opaque and dark.
The Canga of Diamantina is a con-
glomerate of quartz, mica, and other com-
ponents pasted together with red-yellow
iron clay, and covered with the dark,
ཀ
ferruginous, shining, metallic coat which
gives to it a name. It is eminently diaman-
tiferous as well as auriferous. M. Sipolis
showed me a fine stone embedded in it, of
course the result of water washing. This
amygdaloid has always consistency or body
(corpo). When broken up it becomes
gurgulho de Cánga. For other par-
ticulars, see Vol. I. chap. 21.
""
"Cánga," in its agglutinated form, is
66
CHAP. VIII.] THE JEQUITINHONHA DIAMOND DIGGINGS.
117
+
The reality of the Lavadeiro is an open thatched ranch, built
"convenient” for the master's eye, and one end, which is slightly
depressed, is set off for the use of the panner. The total length
may be 35 to 40 feet by one-third of that breadth; but the size
is of course proportioned to the number of washers at the
Canteiro. One of the long sides is occupied by a line of nine
"bacos," three-sided troughs of rough wood; the poorer owners
make them of flat stones, clay slates, or slabs of the granular,
quartzose and laminated Itacolumite. The troughs are each four
feet long, three feet broad, and one deep; they open with a little
slope towards the inside of the shed, where the water is, and
there is a cross piece to arrest the heavier material.
As the Brazil borrowed her gold mining through Portugal from
the Romans, so she has taken her system of diamond washing
from Hindostan. There the season was in January when the
rains had ceased, and the rivers ran clear. The diamantine
earth was carried into an enclosure, surrounded by a wall from two
spans to two feet high, with little drains at the foot; this served
as a "baco " or
or "batedor." Water was added, and the mixture
was left for a day or two till it became mud. The mass was
again watered, and loaded with soil to press down the mud, after
which the drains were opened, and the earthy matter flowed off.
The residuum of gravel was again covered with water if not clean ;
when dry it was sifted in baskets like grain for the sand to drop
through. It was returned to the enclosure, spread out with a
rake, and beaten with long staves or wooden pestles; pebbles had
been used, but they flawed the stones. After this it was resifted,
spread out again, and collected in one spot, when the diamonds
were picked from it. I
The washing here begins with the rains about November. The
upper parts of the troughs are charged with Cascalho, and a hand
standing before the open end or at the side of each "baco "
dashes water from a shovel, often a bit of wooden platter, upon
the contents; he then stirs with the fingers the mass to relieve
it of the worthless earth, dust and clay, till the water runs
often applied, says Dr. Couto, to ochres of
copper. When Mr. Emmanuel writes
"Takoa Carza," I presume that he means
"Tauá," felspathic clay, and "Cánga.'
>>
*These in old or books are called Cuy-
acas; they seem to have been then made
larger, often three yards long by two
broad.
†The stone there occurred in soil,
gravel, and silicious grit (Itacolumite ?)
Dr. John Francis Gemelli Careri's
Voyage round the World. 1683.
118
[CHAP. VIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
clear, and this washing may be repeated. Thus a pocket of
diamonds is sometimes, but very rarely, hit upon. The fortunate
slave no longer claps his hands in the old style of signal. He
may receive his freedom after finding a stone weighing more than
an oitava and a half; not by law, however, but in order to
encourage the other labourers.
This preliminary ended, the Cascalho, now technically called
“arĉas” or sands, is made over to the panner. His implements
are two wooden basins like those used in gold-washing. The
peneira or sieve-pan is fitted at the bottom with a bit of tin
pierced with holes, averaging six to the inch, and arresting stones
of one vintem (half a carat); the sizes, however, vary as required.
The other is the common batêa with the central depression (pião)
into which the diamond, like gold dust, sinks by its superior
specific gravity.
The washing (lavagem) begins in the batêa. It is charged with
the rich Cascalho, mixed with sand and water to form a paste in
which the gem will sink; the usual rotatory motion is given to
the pan, the surface water is poured off and the upper useless.
matter is removed with the hand, more water is added, and the
operation continues. The next process is sifting (peneirar), the
pierced pan being held over the other batêa. After this the finer
sand which falls into the under pan is washed and becomes
"córte," from "córtar," to cut or stop. When washed once
more it is " recórte." The gravel may be thus treated a dozen
times or more, and precious stones, of course very diminutive,
will still be found in it. A good washer takes from half to three-
quarters of an hour in order to exhaust a single pan-full. After
sifting the sand is called no longer areas, but canjica grossa, and
the pieces are smaller in the latter than in the former.
Magnifying glasses are not yet in use, yet they would save
much trouble and prevent loss. The present rude system is very
severe upon the sight, which soon fails; past twenty-five few
eyes can be trusted, and children are always the best washers.*
It is during this treatment that robberies are mostly effected.
Few swallow the diamond, not because it is considered poisonous,
as by the Hindu,† but on account of the difficulty of doing so.
* Thus in Hindostan Tavernier tells us
that children were the best judges of the
water, weight, and clearness of the dia-
mond; he gives a pleasant description of
the boy purchasers and their boy principal.
The Hindus, it is well known, con-
sider powdered diamond to be a deadly
poison, and all old Indians remember the
CHAP. VIII.] THE JEQUITINHONHA DIAMOND DIGGINGS.
11
unobserved. In India the miner jerked the stone into his mouth,
or stuck it in the corner of his eye; twelve to fifteen overseers
were required per gang of fifty light-fingered men. The civilized
thief pretends to be short-sighted, and picks up the plunder with
his tongue-tip. A favourite way is to start as if frightened by a
snake, and thus to distract the attention of the superintendent,
who, if "clever," is wide-awake to the trick. Most of the stones
disappear by being tilted or thrown over the lip of the pan during
the washing, and are picked up at leisure.* They are easily sold
to the huckster, the pedlar, or the keeper of the nearest groggery.
Thus may be explained the number of slaves who have purchased
their liberty and taken to the bush. Even the white man has
owned that his first impulse is always to secrete the diamond.
In the evening I met Mr. Thomas Piddington, a Cornishman,
who, thirty-two years ago, came out as a miner, and who during
upwards of a generation has not seen his wife or children. Yet,
to do him justice, he always talks of returning "home," and
perhaps he might do so, but for an unhappy habit of being
generous to the extent of double his means. He has turned his
hand to and from everything between a pump and a bridge, and
he is generally consulted in their difficulties by the mine-owners
of all the country side. A fine-looking man, with straight features
and jovial countenance, he is still the model of a Britisher, and
he would hardly be persuaded that I was not an American; in
fact he probably still preserves his opinion. He urged me to
visit one of his chums, a Mr. Aaron, who is diamond washing
at Quebra Lenha near the Santa Cruz village, on the Jequitin-
honha River, twenty-three leagues from Diamantina. Time, not
inclination, was wanting to me.
The night was cold, the stream was dark and sullen, and heavy
clouds gathered in the north, making my host look glum; a few
showers at this season are sadly damaging to the owners of
diamond mines. On the next morning we arose early, for we
had hard work "cut out" for us. After coffee we rode down the
very rugged and troublesome left bank of the Rio das Pedras; a
shorter and better path runs along the right. Close to the Can-
case of the great Commissariat Agent who
came into court with a small packet under
his waist-shawl, determined to swallow it
if cast in his suit. It can only act mo-
chanically like coarse powdered glass, for-
merly given to dogs as an anthelmintic, by
J
abrading the surface which it touches.
I have known cases in which the latter has
been tried in the Brazil.
* Many a wager has shown that the
black can rob his master under the latter's
eyes.
120
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. VIII.
teiro is a smaller "Service," also belonging to my friend Vidigal;
at this season it employs about a score of slaves. Above it is a
good site for a house, with the essentially useful capability of
overlooking the work; but my host is a philosopher, satisfied
with his hut as long as it brings money; he will never have a
better building until it is built for him. The country here is
pretty, and the contrast of blue sky, white sands, and a profusion
of the purple Quaresma, which grows about in clumps, makes it a
Wady in the waste. The land, where not stony, is productive, as
was proved by the fields around the Fubá Mill. My guide
pointed out to me certain red cuts and spoil banks at the bottom
of a small Gupiára on the further side of the stream. Here, some
years ago, one José Joaquim da Souza saw the true diamond
formation thrown to the surface outside the nest of the large
plantation ant (Atta cephalotis, the Tao of the Tupys and the
Formiga da Roça of the Brazil). Before purchasing the ground
he cleared 150 oitavas (nearly four lbs.) of diamonds, and at his
death he left £6000.
After half an hour we forded the Rio das Pedras, a notoriously
dangerous stream: but lately it had drowned two boys. I readily
recognised from afar our destination. The house looked neat,
and the orchard-garden, rich in oranges and other fruits, was
prettily laid out; in fact there was some flavour of the old country,
pleasurable-when not too strong-in a new land. The most
curious growth is the Cipó Jiboia,* the "boa," or "snake"
creeper, so called from its form; the juice they say forms excel-
lent cement, and cracked china mended with it will, when thrown
on the ground, fracture in another place. This would be a boon
to many a notable house-wife.
J
Dr. Dayrell, my countryman, of Barbadoes family, originally
from Bucks, can correct Rokeby in the matter of his ancestor
"Wild Darrell" of Littlecot Hall, who burned the baby. After
taking a London degree and marrying, he came out in 1830 to
the Cocaes Company, and he can tell many a curious tale touching
the early mines. For the last thirty years he has been settled at
Diamantina, where a large family of sons and daughters has grown
up around him, and where, much to the detriment of his professional
prospects, everybody is now his "gossip." He has a house in
"(
* Or Giboia, tho boa constrictor, from "ji" or gi," an axe, and "boia" or
"boya," a serpent, because it is supposed to strike like a hatchet.
CHAP. VIII.] THE JEQUITINHONHA DIAMOND DIGGINGS.
121
the city, and a fazenda of some 1200 acres; all his sons have
found employment, and he looks with indifference even at the
prospect of becoming lord of the old manor-house.
Dr. Dayrell kindly consented to accompany us, threw his
holsters across the mule saddle, and whistled his dog, a half-bred
English mastiff of the Morro Velho breed, now unfortunately
becoming extinct. He had learned to be cautious, having been
twice shot at in the Serra de Grão Mogor, once by mistake and
once with malice prepense. We rode down the right bank of the
Rio das Pedras to a little Lavra where one of the doctor's sons,
Mr. Felisberto Dayrell, was working with a score of hands. The
property is hired and has produced daily 2$ 000 per head; with
industry and economy it may turn out well. The "Corrida" is
a miniature of the Canteiro mine; there is the dam, but of trifling
size, and the pit is still very shallow.
Beyond this point we found the road rough, and the river
valley much turned up. After about a league we reached the
Ponte de Santo Antonio, named after a rich Córrego, which has
caused the growth of an Arraial. The troughs worked last year
by Sr. Antonio Baptista still lay on the ground. The Córrego do
Mel joins the Rio das Pedras above this Devil's Bridge, and the
joint channel is hideous with jagged cruel rocks extending almost
across. The blocks are of the hardest crystalline Itacolumite,
showing a distinct cleavage: one kind is the green (Cabo verde),
whilst the other has a ruddy, purplish blush, the effect of iron.
Both glitter and sparkle with mica.
Accompanied by Mr. Carlos Dayrell, another of the scions, we
reached the Barra da Lomba Mine. This Serviço, worked by the
concessionists, José Bento de Mello, José Julião Dias Camargos
and others, deservedly enjoys a high reputation. During the last
year a single share yielded forty-one oitavas, or above five ounces,
worth £4000. The system was that of the Canteiro, but the
works are larger, the pit is deeper, and the labour is more dan-
gerous. The dam extended half across the Rio das Pedras, here
a much more important stream, and cut off the water from the
excavation on the left. I descended about 180 feet along a
slope of 45°-50°, and found the subterraneous part very narrow
and close, as the workmen were obliged to use lights, and those
lights were torches.
The Lomba was unwatered by a pump which John Mawe
122
[CHAP. VIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
sketched in 1801, and which Caldcleugh compared with the irri-
gators of China. This Caixão de Rosario, or Macácu,* borrowed
from the Hunde, or Hundslauf of Freyberg, is on the principle
of elevating-buckets: squares of wood disposed at intervals in
endless string, passing up a long narrow trough, which they fit
tightly, and working over the axle of a water-driven wheel, raise
the drainage. As I have before remarked, the only labour-saving
machine bequeathed by Portugal to the Brazil is the wretched
old Monjolo-mill, rudest of Oriental contrivances. The art of
mechanics is at as low an ebb as on the southern shores of the
Mediterranean, and we still recognise the appliances described by
Piso and Marcgraf in 1658. I found in the most civilized
diamond-diggings of Minas Geraes no trace of kibble, crane and
pulley, or rail, no knowledge of that simplest contrivance a
tackle; the negro was the only implement, and he carried as
much as a schoolboy would stuff into his pockets-a pair of
buckets would have done the work of a hundred such men.
Even the Hindus used great wooden wheels turned by hand
labour to work the steel plates upon which the diamond was
cut. Important improvements, however, can come only from the
example of a more constructive race. I was asked my opinion
about the system, and suggested a few of the simplest modifica-
tions; they were found to be unpractical, and did not meet with
favour. In this point many Brazilians resemble the phreno-
logical patient, who will swallow unmoved the largest draughts
of "soft sawder," but who makes wry faces when it is sug-
gested that a single organ may be "somewhat deficient in
development."
We breakfasted at the Lomba with new appetite. The meal
is usually eaten at a late hour by mine-owners and diamond-
diggers, who give the greater part of the forenoon to their work.
The style is very patriarchal. The head man sits at the top of
the table and drinks from a silver cup, whilst all his overseers are
ranged along the sides, and disappear immediately after coffee.
Despite the "difference" about machinery there was no want of
cordiality on the part of my hosts.
From this Serviço we made for Diamantina by a vile line some
*Former travellers describe the Ma-
cácn as a
"series of wooden cogs passing
up a square trough." Mawe, vol. i.,
French Edition, has given a sketch of the
machine.
CHAP. VIII.] THE JEQUITINHONHA DIAMOND DIGGINGS.
123
twenty miles long, leaving the highway on the west. Happily
for me I was mounted upon a mule as good for bad as it was bad
for good, roads-not an unfrequent case. The only bridge was
broken, and the muds were deep; the bridle-path was all up and
down, and the banks were unpleasantly steep. The vegetation,
Peroba and Copahyba, Monjolo and Braúna,* seemed to be as
hard and stony as the soil, here justifying the popular belief in
the concomitance-or perhaps I should say, the consequence.
We passed to the left of the Maravilha, or Wonder-Mountain,
which here appeared to be divided into two lumps. That to
the north-west had a sheer fall of immense height, a grim,
dark wall, up which only an insect could creep; from the
south-east the ascent is probably easy. At the base were
white holes and heaps awaiting the rains, and the summit
was feathered with vertical slabs of stone emerging from the
thin scrub.
Under a broiling sun we pursued our way over the barren hills
that bear the diamond. We passed sundry forlorn-looking
thatched hovels, at this season all deserted. The first stood
near the Ribeirão do Inferno, where certain wet-weather diggings
called Mata-Mata,† belong to Sr. José Juliano and Company.
The next were the washings on the tributary Ribeirão do Pal-
mital; they are the property of the Collector Sr. Venancio
Morão. Shortly afterwards we struck the southern highway by
which we had left Diamantina, and between the gloaming and the
mirk we found ourselves once more under the hospitable roof of
Sr. João Ribeiro.
+
After this experience of two days we may venture to set right
Mr. Harry Emanuel, who, in his carefully written book, almost
ignores the Diamantine formations of Minas Geraes in favour of
Bahia. Thus for the last three years the cotton of São Paulo
has, much to the disgust of the Paulistas, appeared in the London
market misnamed "Rio Cotton." § Minas began her labours
*Often written Graúna. The latter is
also the name of a bird with shining
black plume, from Guira (avis) and una
contracted from pixuna (nigra).
"Lorsque l'on découvrit des diamans
dans cet endroit, le peuple s'y précipita en
foule;
des rixes s'engagèrent, et de là
vient, dit-on, le nom de Matamata (Tue-
tue). St. Hil. (II. i. 64), from Spix and
Mart. Reise i. 452.
""
Diamonds and Precious Stones, by
Harry Emmanuel, F. R. G.S. London:
Hotten, 1865.
>>
S "Provinces like São Paulo, where a
foot of ground had never before been
planted with cotton, says Prof. Agassiz
(A Journey in Brazil, p. 508). But the
Province of São Paulo has ever been cele-
brated for her cotton cultivation.
124
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. VIII.
-
with the seventeenth century, and in 1732 the Lisbon fleet car-
ried to Europe 1146 ounces of precious stones. We read (p. 59)
"In 1754 a slave who had been working at (?) the Minas Geraes
was transferred to the district (?) of Bahia," and that thus emi-
gration set in and exploitation began. But the great Province
of Bahia commenced to work her Chapada or diamantine plateau
only in 1845-1846. In the same page we find "the most
productive district is at the present time the Province of Mato
Grosso, in the vicinity of the town of Diamantina." This must
refer to the city which we have just visited in Minas Geraes;
the Mato Grosso diggings are called (Rio, Arraial or Sertão)
"Diamantino."*
* Memorias Historicas (Pizarro, ix. 19, 20, 21, &c.).
CHAPTER IX.
THE DIAMOND MINE AT SÃO JOÃO.
THE BRANT FAMILY-" DURO.”—RIDE OUT.-"LE SPORT."-DIFFERENT KINDS
OF DEER.-REACH THE ARRAIAL OF SÃO JOÃO DO DESCOBERTO.-RAPID
FEEDING. THE DURO MINE. THE BARRO MINE.-ENGAGE "O MENINO,"
THE NEW PADDLE.
M
"C'est dans ces lieux sauvages que la Nature s'était plu à cacher la précieuse
pierre qui est devenue pour le Portugal la source de tant de richesses."—St. Hil.
II. i. 2.
MR. GORDON had supplied me with "recommendations" to the
brothers Lieutenant-Colonel Felisberto Ferreira Brant, and Major
José Ferreira Brant. The family is descended from an ancient
governor-at-arms of Bahia, and, as may be seen in Southey and
St. Hilaire,* has taken a prominent part in the exploitation of
diamonds. The Major has a store at Diamantina, and the
Lieutenant-Colonel, during the temporary absence of his son-in-
law, superintends the important digging of São João. It lies
north-north-west of the city. I was threatened with the worst of
journeys, but the reply was, "There is no good pasture or bad
road in the dries; there is no bad pasture or good road in the
rains."
200
About noon I set out, "convoyed" for a short distance by
Major Brant; M. Sipolis had half agreed to join me, when the
theft and flight of the negro slave-cook who fed the Episcopal
Seminary required his presence at home. Passing through the
Curral and by the Alto da Cruz, where the prospect was the
more enjoyable because now I understood its details, we struck
the high road to the west of the city. A party of young chas-
* Joaquim and Felisberto Caldeira
Brant, says Southey (iii. 624), were rich
miners of Paracatu. Under the Count de
Bobadella, the second became the Third
Administrator of Diamonds in Tejuco of
(C
Minas Geraes, and both were bound to
organise a Serviço" of 200 negroes to
work the two Diamantine Rivers of Goyaz.
Felisberto, accused of malversation, died
in prison at Bahia.
126
[CHAP. IX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
seurs, with guns thrown across their shoulders, was leisurely
sloping along. An over-love for "sport" has done as much
harm in the Brazil as the ridiculous "sparrow clubs" of a former
day threatened to do to England. I have mentioned the preva-
lence of the ant plague since the ant-eater has been killed out,
and the destruction of birds has increased the host of Carrapatos.
The scenery, too, has lost in artistic beauty; the brilliant birds,
as the Arára (Macaw), have disappeared from the coast, and taken
refuge in the Far West. It is to be desired that amateurs would
give ear to the sensible advice of Padre Corrêa, and attack vipers.
and jaguars, instead of slaughtering the Tanager and the Orpheus-
thrush.
The cantonnier is not abroad in this part of the Brazil. The
ascents and descents over the normal waves of ground, subtended
by streams in sandy or rocky beds, with pure water or current
dyed slate-colour by the washer,* were of the worst. The land
was by no means deserted; many little mining stations were
scattered about, and frequent snowy heaps denoted "Serviços."
At 2.15 P.M. old Ferreira and I crossed the Córrego dos Morrin-
hos, and halted for coffee at the nearest ranch. The mistress of
the house sat coiled up on her bed like a Hindostani woman, but
her extreme communicativeness, and an approach to what we call
"chaff," made up for want of graceful posture. The semi-Oriental
and old Portuguese reserve begins to vanish as we enter the
interior, and to a Northron the effect is decidedly pleasant. I
did not ask the names of host or hostess, as they openly told me.
that I was the Chief of Police from Ouro Preto, and they were
most anxious to know my business. They laughed to scorn the
idea of my being an Englishman. 'If this be true," they asked,
'how is it that you do not know 'Nicholas,' your countryman,
*The drainage is to the Rio Penheiro,
which falls into the Jequitinhonha, six
leagues below Diamantina. On the left
bank of the Ribeirao dos Caldeiroes is the
Serviço known as the Retiro de João Vieira.
The next important stream is the Córrego
da Prainha; then comes the Córrego da Sc-
pultura, an ill-omened name, common here.
Amongst the Southern Latin races
generally, and especially the Hispanian,
the individual is known by his Christian
name only; and as this must be taken
from some saint, and as saints are few,
nicknames are common. The family name,
which we use, is mostly neglected, espe-
cially in the case of northern strangers,
whose cognomens are so often unpro-
nounceable by southern organs; and thus
tho foreigner is perpetually in a fix.
Even neighbours who have known one
another for years often ignore all but the
prenomens. The practice is of old date.
(C
Quinti," puta, aut "Publi," gaudent
prænomine molles
Auricula.
The surname also was rarely used
amongst us in the days of the Plantagenets,
and until the last fifty years the Christian
name was that of the people in certain of
our rural districts.
CHAP. IX.]
127
THE DIAMOND MINE AT SAO JOÃO.
who is living within musket shot of us?" He was, they in-
sinuated to me, one of the "perdidos," the lost ones, a poor
wretch who spent his life in squalor and in liquor, when obtained
by some precarious job. However, they gave me a good brew of
coffee, and sent us on our way rejoicing.
We then crossed a long plain, a most likely place for game :
only one Campeira, or prairie deer (Cervus campestris), showed
at a considerable distance; giving good venison, it is much
hunted. Castelnau mentions the Campeiro, and Prince Max.
(iii. 109) suggests that it may be the Mataconi of Humboldt, the
Cerf du Mexique (C. mexicanus) of naturalists, and the Guazati
of Azara, who speaks of a white variety (albino ?). It prefers
plains to forests, and runs with frequent bounds. The size is
about that of the roebuck; the tail is short, and the coat is a
reddish brown. Here the people declare that it is the female of the
Galheiro, whose large antlers prevent it from entering the bush,
and whose flesh is fetid. It is the Çuçuapara* of the Tupys,
and the Guazupucu of Azara; according to the older writers, it
attacks man at certain seasons. This deer haunts the prairie and
the marsh. It is short tailed, and about the size of a yearling
calf. Its flesh is eaten in January, February, and March, after
which it is said to be offensive. The favourite form is "Mo-
quendo," roasted on the embers. The Mateiro, or forest deer,
the Guazupita of Azara, called by the Tupys "Cuaçu rete," or
"true deer," is of all the most common species; it is white
tailed, and stands about the height of a sheep; the dry, hard,
lean flesh much resembles that of the cow (Carne de Vaca),
especially the old cow. The Catingueiro, literally the Stinkert
(C. simplicicornis), the Guazubira of Azara, lives, like the pre-
ceding, in woods and well-clothed valleys. It is supposed to shed
* More correctly Çuaçú-apára, a word
applied to both sexes. The Tupy Dict.
declares that it has large horns, and feeds
in the Campos.
((
Amongst the Botocudos, bacan,
pronounced "bacoun," meant flesh, and
the Tupys had "mocaém," to toast in the
flame. In Tupy also, according to Sr. J.
de Alencar, Bucan was the implement with
which meat was roasted, and the origin of
the French boucaner. The indigenes
smoke-dried their meat-provision for
journeys or campaigns by hanging it upon
a little gallows over a wood fire, or by
suspending it to the fuliginous thatches of
>"
their huts. Hence is derived the Brazilian
CC
moquem and the verb Moquiar (St.
Hil. III. i. 269), synonymous with the
boucan of the buccancers. Moquem has
become the name of many country places
in the Empire.
"1
So the word was explained to me by
Dr. Alexandre. The Tupy Dict. writes
Çuaçu-caatinga, the deer of the second
growth (Mato rasteiro). St. Hil. (I. i.
337) makes the fetor proceed from uno
matière d'un vert noirâtre que remplit une
cavité profonde que l'on trouve entre les
deux sabots des pieds du derrière.”
((
128
[CHAP. IX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
its very short, straight, branchless horns; it is dock-tailed, and
the brown-coated body is apparently too heavy for the slight legs,
which are disposed at an angle fitting the animal for long high
buck-jumps. In shape it resembles the Pallah, or hog deer of
Sindh, and even the Brazilian rodent "Paca" (Cœlogenys Paca).
Besides this, I heard of a marsh deer (C. paludosus), the Çuaçú-
pucu), sometimes erroneously written Guaçu pucu, and the rare
Bíra, a small red deer which is said, when pursued, to leap upon
a tree branch. But the fallow deer mentioned by Mawe have not
yet been discovered, nor have the antelopes which Koster has
placed in the New World.*
Creeping up a bad hill, pitted with the deep gutters, and dotted
with the loose stones of the normal Itacolumite, we saw, far to
the left or west, amongst the peaks of the Cerro Frio group, the
curious formation known as the Tromba d'Anta, the Tapir's
trunk.t From this point it much resembles the Itacolumi of
Ouro Preto, a huge monolith raised at an angle of 50°. An-
other hill, and below us on the left was the large mining esta-
blishment known as the Chapada. Yet another long slope and
we struck a high grassy plain, where nothing taller than a foot
could face the fierce north wind, which caused the leaves to droop
in the lower levels, whilst the fiery sun made the wild flowers
shrink and wither. Here we sighted the Arraial of São João do
Descoberto, considered to occupy the highest site in the Munici-
pality.
The village lies in a shallow hollow close to the mines which
made it. To the west is the "Morro Redondo," a dwarf quoin
crested with a tall cross; eastward is the cemetery, also with its
cross. The single street boasts of a humble wooden chapel in
a dwarf square. The "Almanak" (1864) gives it 2000 souls and
300 houses, a figure which I should divide by two. The tene-
* I have seen a large red skin brought
from Rio Grande do Sul; the people had
no name for the beast but Cervo. The
Tupy Dict. gives as the native names of the
Cervidæ 1. Çuaçú-tinga (white), the
smallest. 2. Çuaçú Cariacu, so called
from its sleeping in the thickets, and
showing only its back. Ferreira explains
the word as Caa," foliage, "ri," many
or much, and "acú," that exposes itself.
3. Cuaca Anhanga, the devil-deer,
called because its flesh is held to be
injurious to those suffering from fever or
(6
SO
syphilis.
The Portuguese, who ignored the
Tapir, called it Anta, or buffalo (F. Denis,
Anta or Danta "buffle"): thus their
ancestors had named elephants Lucanian
bullocks. On the other hand, the Tupys,
never having seen black, called the bull
Tapy'ra oçu (big Tapir), and the calf
Tapy'ra Curumim Oçu (Pappoose of the big
Tapir). We have corrupted the word
Tapy'ra to Tapir; Brazilian purists prefer
Tapyr.
CHAP. IX.]
129
THE DIAMOND MINE AT SÃO JOÃO.
ments are the usual taipá, mostly whitewashed, of the door and
window order, very narrow and somewhat deep, roofed with
thatch or tile. Each has a large "compound" to defend the
vegetation from the rudest Boreas; the material is puddle or
dry stone, here and there eked out with stakes and other con-
trivances.
Turning to the right we made a crest our espigão mestre,'
whose watershed is north to the Jequitinhonha, and south to the
Rio das Velhas. On clear days it commands a view of about
eighty miles in diameter. To the west is a bald Campo, eastward
lie piles of jagged rock; in front, placed for shelter a little below
the hill, stands a long, low, single-storied house, with a small
chapel at one end, and looking upon a tall black cross, a pit
full of muddy water, and a vegetable plot enclosed to keep off
animals.
"
""
* Brazilians eat nearly as fast as tho
citizens of the United States. I have
met only one who "took time over his
meals; and indeed this is the rule of the
world. In the nearer East a man sits
down with a pious ejaculation, swallows
his quantum, ends with drinking water,
rises with another pious ejaculation,
washes his hands, and with frequent
eructations, applies to his pipe. Those
who amongst us write Manuals of
VOL. 11.
(6
CC
According to custom my Camarada had ridden forward with my
letters. The mistress of the house met me at the door, and
hospitably asked me to dismount. I found the host dining with
sundry men and youths, relatives and employés. The work of
refreshment soon over,* we repaired to the digging. It is known
as the Duro Mine, because when the diamond was first
the sinker had met hard ground-presently to become soft and
soppy as that of the neighbouring pit.
won
We found a large hollow, which at first glance suggested the
Esbarrancados, or water-breaches, so numerous in Minas Geraes.
The shape was an elongated horse-shoe, with the major axis.
disposed from south-west to north-east, and the heel draining
towards the Jequitinhonha River. The maximum depth may be
ninety feet, the breadth 300 yards, and the length about double.
The material is a hardened paste of clay, whose regular and level
stratification argues it to have been deposited in shallow water.
The eastern side of the gap is the more ferruginous formation
""
K
"}
Health"
never forget to dwell pointedly
upon the necessity of food being thoroughly
well insalivated before it is swallowed,
and they allow at least half an hour to
each meal. I presume that the necessity,
if it exists, arises from the artificial habits
engendered by civilization, and the prac-
tice of eating frequently and at regular
hours when the stomach does not call
aloud for another supply.
130
[CHAP. IX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
(terra vermelha); on the west it is mixed with beds of white
sand. Below one foot of brown soil the argillaceous matter has
the usual staining and marbling, glaring white like fullers' earth
with felspar and kaolin, chocolate-brown or rapé-coloured with
organic matter, blue-green with traces of copper, pink and rose-
purple and dark yellow with various oxides of iron, especially
hæmatite, and dark steel colour with oxide of manganese. Thus
old travellers describe the diamantiferous pits of the "Mustapha
nagar circar" as a peculiar fat white clay associated with iron-
stone.
We zigzagged down the easy slope of the eastern wall, which
everywhere bore marks of the pick. Here the "hydraulicking
of California, where a fall of water hollows out chasms 250 to
300 feet deep, might be applied with great advantage. The
richest lode (corpo) is No. 3, or the highest. The strike of the
ribboned clays is north and south, bending eastward. The lode
inclines towards the higher grounds, and thus the owner hopes to
find the gem-bearing strata spreading over the crest or watershed
ridge which forms his property. Through the ferruginous sand-
stone (borra) and the white felspathic matter run dykes and lines.
of fragmentary rock crystal, sometimes fibrous like arragonite,
and often finely comminuted. Large pieces of imperfect specular
iron and thin strata of quartz, yellow and brown at the junction,
thread the argile, and I was shown a specimen of fine sandy
conglomerate, blackened and scorified by the injection of melted
matter. The characteristics of this upper lode are a drier clay,
silica, a trace of copper, of iron-cement, and of Cánga in small
pieces; when the specular iron is in large pieces and abundant
the rock is rich in gems. Its "agulhas" are iron-like bundles.
of needles welded together by intense heat: some are double, the
fibres coming at obtuse angles. The "Agulhas Côr de Ouro "
have a burnished coppery surface, whence the name.* Through-
out all these corpos the diamonds are small, averaging perhaps a
little under one grain, or 64-72 per oitava; they are mostly
crusted superficially with a light green tinge.
Lower down we came to the middle or second body. Here the
tauá " (felspathic clay) was stiff and sandy, marbled with a fat,
blue, muddy marl, which leaves upon the fingers a greasy steely
""
The owner informed me that he had sent specimens of all his minerals to the
Institute of Civil Engineers, London,
CHAP. IX.]
131
THE DIAMOND MINE AT SÃO JOÃO.
เล
streak. It also yields a dark olive-green argile harder than the
rest; like all the others it has consistency in situ, but when
removed it crumbles to pieces after drying. Lieutenant-Colonel
Brant gave me from this corpo a fragment of hard large-grained
clay, reddish coloured with oxide, and showing a small brilliant
imbedded in it.
We then descended to the lowest formation. Here the clay
contains very little sand, and much stained; the colours are
white and blue, red and yellow, rosy, spotty, and in places dyed
as with blood. Here also are found the "Agulhas " in streaky
bundles of iron like asbestos. The sole of the pit is uneven with
working, and in places "horses," "old men," and long walls of
stiff clay have been left standing amongst the holes and gashes.
From this point the several lodes were distinctly traceable in the
walls of the basin. A deep draining trench divided the length,
and at the north-eastern end was a washing place, a shallow,
muddy pool, faced by two concentric circles of staked fascines, to
prevent the slime from falling in.
We then walked to the north-eastern end, and found traces of
Messrs. Rose and Piddington. Rails, 600 fathoms long, had been
laid down, and a white-washed towerlet denoted the engine-house,
where a raising pump of three-horse power enables the mine to
work throughout the year. The washing apparatus under the
neighbouring shed consists of a "batedor," or stone-faced pit,
eighteen feet long, nine broad, and eight deep; the clay tilted
in it by the "trolleys" is here first puddled. Thence a stream of
running water washes it down a succession of bolinetes or
bulinetes,* coffin-shaped troughs like Canôas, but much larger.
They are revetted with masonry, and each is provided at the
lower end, where the slope is, with a batten or cross piece of
wood to prevent the heavier substances from being carried down
stream. Very few hands were at work. Formerly the Duro
employed upwards of one hundred negroes, a number now reduced
to half, and looking very "small" amid the vast area.
In the evening the host discussed the celebrated Rabicho of
the Jequitinhonha River, seventeen leagues from Diamantina City.
The "
crupper" takes its name from a saco or bend, across
which a cutting of one mile would expose five miles of highly
* St. Hil. (I. i. 255) makes the diamond "bolineté, un canal de bois beaucoup plus
court et plus étroit que ceux dans lesquels on lave le cascalho,"
K 2
132
[CHAP. IX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
adamantine bed. A plan of this place has been made by Mr.
Charles Baines, C.E., and also a concession to exploit it has been
granted to the Commendador Paula Santos. Unhappily the law
in its unwisdom requires that companies for working diamond-
diggings must be composed of at least an equal proportion of
Brazilians to strangers. This is verily a relic of the old narrow-
minded colonial exclusiveness-it is not easy to see why the
diamond-coin should require an especial regulation.
Early on the next morning Lieutenant-Colonel Brant took me
to visit the Mina do Barro, belonging to Lieutenant-Colonel
Rodrigo de Sousa Reis, a wealthy mine owner, who is part con-
cessionist of the Caéthé Mirim. We gained the Espigão mestre,
the great "Wasser-schied," and found lying dos à dos with the
Duro, another similar quarry, but somewhat larger and deeper.
A narrow slip of land was preserved for a path between the two,
but this will probably soon disappear, as Lieutenant-Colonel
Brant's prospects are best in this direction. It was a strange
view to one standing on the crest, with the two painted pits yawn-
ing on either side, and stretching away into the distance. On the
further bank of the artificial ravine lay the owner's house; the
large, pale clay square of buildings, with courts and outhouses
enclosed, as if for defence, reminded me of a fortified village in
Ugogo. We found nothing new in the "Barro;" like the Duro
it was drained by a trench; the washing pit was prevented from
caving in by stakes and fascines. A few negroes were removing,
under an overseer, the clays, coloured and white (Jiz), which
serve as guide to the diamond formation; and there was a
steam pump of four-horse power, with a tall useless engine
turret.
-
C
This diamond digging was discovered at a time and place when
and where no one dreamed of looking for the gem. An old
woman, who was in the habit of panning Cascalho gravel in a
little trickle of water from the gap, found that the precious stones
extended into the blue argile (barro azul). About thirty-three
years ago the digging was begun with a will, and presently it
passed into the hands of the actual owner, who has employed as
many as two hundred head of slaves. Other similar diggings
came to light, and the wealth was such that sometimes an owner
would exclaim, "O my God, are you doing this to cause my loss?"
The Duro is the legitimate offspring of the Barro, begotten, seven
CHAP. IX.]
THE DIAMOND MINE AT SÃO JOÃO,
133
to eight years ago, by Lieutenant-Colonel Brant, who judged,
naturally enough, that if one side of a clay slope be productive,
so might be the other. As has been seen,
As has been seen, the progeniture has
thriven.
I left the Diamantine region, including the Duro mine, with
regret. Socially speaking, it is the most "sympathetic" spot in
the Brazil, according to the light of my experience. With an
"enemy in the fortress" traitorously urging delay, it was not easy
to escape from its hospitalities. My plea was the absolute neces-
sity of an Englishman being punctual; I had promised to be at
Bom Successo before the eleventh day, and the promise must be
kept. This requirement is universally recognized throughout the
Empire. Lieutenant-Colonel Brant accorded to me a reluctant
dismissal, and the amiable Senhora charged me to return, and
loaded me with kind messages to an unknown, and what might
have been a theoretical, or even a hypothetical wife.
Old Francisco Ferreira was in no hurry to take the road once
more. He was paid by the day-1000-and thus interest com-
bined with inclination to urge a little laziness. But neither
cough nor groan, nor euphuistic phrase of the old eloquent, nor
muttered anticipations of "Corrubiana in the bones," was of the
least avail. I struck the direct road viâ Guindú to Bandeirinha,
and on Thursday, September 5, 1867, after a day's ride of
forty miles upon jaded beasts, that now fell twice every twenty-
four hours, I found myself within the pleasant walls of Bom
Successo.
"
As my Jaguára pilots did not profess to know much of the
stream below this point, I engaged, with the assistance of Dr.
Alexandre, a third paddle. He answered to the name of Antonio
Marques, but was better known as "O Menino," the "Little 'un,
because he was peculiarly tall, broad, and raw-boned, "a long,
hard-weather, Tom Coffin-looking fellow;" moreover, he was
grim and angry-looking as a Kurdish "irregular cavalryman."
He had begun life in English employment at the Vão Mine, near
Diamantina, and he had mastered more than one northern habit,
such as drinking and brawling. He had learned the world, he
had travelled half-way down the São Francisco, and had struck
overland to Piauhy; he had run up north as far as Maranham,
and he had even seen a steamer. His price was somewhat exorbi-
134
[CHAP. IX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
tant-2$ 000 per diem, and he vainly attempted to instal himself
as pilot by ousting the good old "Chiko Diniz," who was worth
a dozen of him. He greatly preferred conversationizing to row-
ing, and drink to both. My temper was sorely tried by him, but
I kept it till we reached Varzéa Redonda.
CHAPTER X,
NOTES ON THE DIAMOND.
DIAMANTINE LANDS IN THE BRAZIL, WHERE FOUND.-PROSPECTING FOR
DIAMONDS.-CONCESSION ΤΟ WORK. PERFECTION OF THE DIAMOND.—
DEBATED ORIGIN OF THE STONE.-REFRACTION, TESTS, ETC.-WHERE
FORMED.—DIAMOND GROUNDS.-DIAMOND "FORMAÇAO," OR STONES THAT
ACCOMPANY THE GEM.-NOTE FROM M. DAMOUR.-SHAPE OF DIAMOND.-
ITS COLOUR.-ITS FLAWS.-THE WEIGHTS AND PRICE.-ABOUT BOART,"
-CELEBRATED BRAZILIAN STONES.
K
(C
S
"The substance that possesses the greater value, not only among the precious
stones, but of all human possessions, is adamas, a mineral which for a long time
was known to kings only, and to very few of them."-Pliny, xxxvii., Chap. 15.
DR. COUTO (p. 127) described the diamond diggings of
Bagagem which he visited, and named Nova Lorena, after
D. Bernardo José de Lorena, Count of Sarzedas, and eleventh
Governor or Administrator of the Minas Geraes captaincy. These
lands, he shows, are of greater antiquity than the countries near
the coast, as is proved by their degraded and water-washed forms.
They are also the easier to work, having more of plain ground
and larger rivers. The crystallisations of the Cerro or Diamantina
diggings have smoother facets and sharper angles, whilst the yield
is more regular and constant. On the other hand, the stones are
small; 1000 oitavas hardly produce a single gem of one oitava.
From Bagagem many stones, varying between three and six oitavas,
have been taken, but by jumps, as it were. The water is fine
and brilliant, but the shapes are more rounded and more deeply
flawed, the effect of longer weathering and more water-rolling.
Castelnau (ii. 231) describes, in 1844, the diamond diggings of
Goyaz, on the Araguaya or Rio Grande. We lack, however, a
modern description of the Diamantino diggings near Cuyabá, in
Mato Grosso, and of the Bahian Chapada. The latter Province
extends its wealth almost to the seaboard; gems have been found
136
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. X.
within one or two leagues of São Salvador, at the Engenho do
Cabrito, and at other places near the railway. The Caldeirinos of
Parahy, thirty leagues from the São Francisco River, and the
lands between Crato and Icó, in Ceará, require inspection. I
shall presently allude to the formation on the lower waters of the
great artery. In the Provinces of São Paulo and Paraná, the
rivers Parahyba do Sul, Verde, and Tibagy, have produced
diamonds, whilst the best indications are found near the coast
about Ubatúba.
Evidently the Brazil has a vast extent of diamantine ground
reserved for future generations to work with intelligence, and
especially by means of machinery.
Prospecting for diamonds is done as follows: The vegetable
humus, the underlying clay, and the desmonte, or inundation
sand, are removed with the almocafre, till the labourers reach the
gem-bearing "cascalho," or "gurgulho." This first work is
usually an open cut of a few feet square. The larger fragments
of quartz are then removed by the hand, the gravel is washed in a
"báco," "canôa," or "cuyaca," and, finally, the batên is used.
After the prospecting (provas) a concession to work diamantine
ground is directed to, and is easily obtained in these days from
Government. The applicant specifies the limits of the extent
which he proposes to exploit. The land is put up at public
auction, any one may bid, and it is knocked down to the highest
offer. The owner of the soil has the right of pre-emption, and
if only 0$200 per braça (Brazilian fathom) be called, the pro-
prietor can take it. After the death of the concessionee, the
digging is inherited by his wife, his children, or, in default of
other heirs, by his brother. For the use of the reach * in the
Rio das Pedras, 13,000 braças long, Sr. Vidigal pays a tax of
1000 per thousand, and Dr. Dayrell, within whose limits the
Canteiro is, might for that sum have exploited it had he so
pleased.
The diamond,† say old writers, unites all perfections: spark-
ling limpidity, lustrous brilliancy-the effect of its hardness-
* "Tiro do rio."
M. Caire (La Science des Pierres
precieuses, Paris, 1826,) observes that
the word is derived from adauas (in
Arabic and Persian, almas), indomp-
table”-nullâ vi domabilis, because not
to be conquered by fire,
This is true
((
only when the oxygen of the atmosphere
is excluded from it, and when the heat is
under 14° Wedgewood. He also notes
that our modern word "6 diamond, "dia-
mant," &c., by rejecting the alpha
privative," etymologically signifies the re-
"
((
verso.
CHAP. X.]
NOTES ON THE DIAMOND.
137
the accidental colours of the rainbow, reflections that come and go
with the vivacity of lightning; and, finally, it has "as many fires
as facets." The structure is of thin shining plates closely joined,
and thus it is easily split along the line of cleavage, which is
parallel with the planes of the octahedron or dodecahedron. *
The substance has been proved to be crystallised carbon, † but
the origin is still debated. Some believe that the vapours of
carbon, so rich during the sandstone period, may have been con-
densed and crystallized into the diamond. Newton, it is well
known, argued from its great refractive power that it is "pro-
bably an unctuous substance coagulated." For reasons which
will presently appear, it is evidently younger at times than the
formation of gold, and it is possibly still forming, and with
capacity for growth. Others have conjectured that the Itacolu-
mite matrix may have been saturated with petroleum which has
gradually disappeared from oxidation or otherwise, except where
the carbon has collected into nodules, and has formed the gem by
gradual crystallization.‡
As has been shown, the specific gravity of the diamond varies
from 3.442 to 3.556, quartz being 2.600, and water 1.000; hence
it is easily washed, and a practised hand distinguishes it by the
weight. The index of refraction or quotient, resulting from the
division of the sine of the angle of incidence in the vacuum by
the sine of the angle of refraction in the vacuum, is equivalent to
5·0,§ water and plate-glass being 150, sulphur 16·0, and bi-sul-
phide of carbon, the most refractive liquid at present known,
37.0. According to Sir D. Brewster it slightly changes the light
passing through it: older authorities remarked that it decom-
poses light into its prismatic colours, and shows a distinct phos-
phorescence after being exposed for some time to the sun,
imbibing luminosity even through leather. Rough or polished
it acquires by friction positive electricity, other precious stones
*Thus the test of striking with a
hammer, often applied by those who have
heard that the diamond is of extreme
hardness, has destroyed many valuable
gems. They were split with the grain
or in the plane of the crystals. That
shocking the diamonds (with iron
levers) causes them to be flawed" was
taught by the Hindús to Tavernier.
The
file roughly applied to the girdle or edge
is likely to chip it.
(C
""
† It was, and perhaps still is, believed
that a dissolvent of carbon is alone wanted
to make the artificial diamond.
I have seen it popularly stated that
flexible Itacolumite is the matrix of the
diamond, which is undoubtedly incorrect.
Nor I believe do any of the Itacolumites
contain petroleum.
§ It has been stated to be as low as
2.439 (Brewster).
138
[CHAP. X.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
being negative in the rough, and positive only in the polished
state.*
Old authors remarked that the gem when placed in the
magnetic line of the loadstone neutralizes the attraction to a
considerable degree. Most precious stones will scratch glass;
the diamond cuts it with a peculiar creaking sound, hence this is
a favourite test. Another is the peculiar shock of diamonds
rubbed together, which is more or less sonorous according to the
hardness of the stone: this, however, requires long practical
‡
acquaintance. It gives to the hand a sensation of cold, a pro-
perty shared with it by many other stones, and notably by rock
crystal. Finally it is said that the diamond is the only stone.
which can scratch the sapphire.
As regards the matrix of the diamond, many popular errors
are still afloat. It has been washed mostly in the "Cascalho
gravel brought down by streams and deposited either on the
banks or in the beds. Hence books have determined that "the
diamond is always found imbedded in gravel and transported
materials whose history cannot be traced." Others are of
opinion that the diamond was formed in the alluvial and arena-
ceous matters that accompany the Tertiary and Quaternary
epochs. The accurate M. Damour, who wrote two conscientious.
papers § upon the diamantine sands of Bahia, tells us (p. 11)
"Ces roches crystallines, servant autrefois de gangue au diamant,
ayant été brisées et en partie détruites par l'effet des commotions
qui ont remué et sillonné la surface du globe, à certaines périodes
géologiques, ne se montrent plus qu'à l'état de débris et de matières
arénacées.” Professor Agassiz (A Journey in Brazil, 501), is
prepared to find that the whole diamond-bearing formation is
glacial drift." This, however, is qualified by-"I do not mean
८८
* The electro-magnetic current strongly
affects the diamond. I spoiled a fine rose-
cut stone by allowing the ring to remain
upon my finger when using a Meinig's
chain. My attention was aroused by a
peculiar rasping sound, and I found the
corners of the diamond chipped and
ground off as if a rough file had been
applied to a bit of glass. Perhaps this
may prove a labour-saving method of
treating stones which require to be much
ent. The Odylic Sensitives" of Reichen-
bach see when "magnetized a brilliant
white light proceeding from the diamond ;
and hence probably the idea that precious
stones had specific virtues.
""
""
Diamonds, especially those with acute
angles, have been injured by violent
rubbing upon hard substances. Pliny's
process of testing them by anvil and
hammer may easily split them.
I have heard this asserted by some
diamond merchants and denied by others.
§ Bulletin de la Société Philomatique,
5 Février, 1853, and Bulletin de la
Société Géologique de Paris. 2e Série.
Séance du 7 Avril, 1856. It is regretable
that sands from other parts of the Brazil,
from the Ural, from Hindostan, and from
the Borneo have not been sent to this
savant.
CHAP. X.]
NOTES ON THE DIAMOND,
139
the rocks in which the diamonds occur in their primary posi-
tion, but the secondary agglomerations of loose materials from
which they are washed."
*
Many authors have mistaken the secondary for the primary
formation of the diamond. The gangue, about Diamantina at
least, is the white and red, granular and quartzose Itacolumite,
which has been weathered and worn down by geological commo-
tions. This was suspected by Dr. Gardner, who observed that
the matrix of the stone is not the "diluvial" gravelly soil, but
the metamorphic quartzo-schist rock. It is not unknown to the
people the general idea is that the hard sandstone "pissarra "
or psammitic grit bears diamonds when old, but not when new.
The fact is easily proved. All the diggings which are not near
or in rivers, lic at the base of some stony mass. Diamonds
have been found in the Itacolumite by several hands, and finally
I have sent to England a specimen embedded in Itacolumite.
Perhaps the day will come when the rock will be spalled, stamped,
and washed for diamond-dust as if for gold.
+
4.
According to miners in this part of the Brazil the best diamanta-
tion (to borrow the native term) is found in the gurgulho, breccia,
or loose pudding of angular stones. Wonderful tales are told of
its wealth, how the discovery of five or six gems was made by
pulling up a handful of grass-the picturesque detail has, since the
days of Potosi, become a favourite legend, and has ever been
carefully collected by the popular writer. The choicest specimen
of a digging of this kind is said to be "O Pagão," at the head
waters of the Caéthé-Mirim near São João. The next best
supply (Mancha de diamantes) comes from the "Cascalho,"
which has been compared with boiled beans of this the Rio das
Pedras is an instance. The third habitat which we have visited
at São João is the "barro" formation, which seems to contain all
the others, mixed and degraded. It must, however, be borne in
mind that the diamond grounds greatly vary in a country so im-
mense as the Brazil. §
:
*In the crystalline Itacolumite I have
not seen the diamond, but I can hardly
doubt that it exists there.
So Tavernier, speaking of the Gani
or Coulour Mine,. under the King of
Golconda, where 60,000 souls were em-
ployed, remarks, The place where the
diamonds are found is a plain situated
between the town and the mountains, and
the nearer they approach the latter the
larger stones they find.'
>>
Castelnau (ii. 323) declares of the
diamond-diggings of Diamantino (Mato
Grosso), “Il n'y a jamais de diamant
dans le gorgulho" (gurgulho).
§ Dr. Dayrell described it to me in the
140
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. X.
As various are the indices of diamonds (pinta em diamantes),
and almost every digging yields some novelty.* The chief signs
of many are here given in order of importance, and their name
united is the Formação Diamantina, Diamantine formation.
Cattivo (the Slave), of old called "escravo do diamante," and
supposed to accompany it, as the pilot-fish does the shark. This
includes at Diamantina bits of transparent, semi-transparent, or
rusty quartz, silex, rock crystal, and especially spinelle. The
latter is transparent or semi-transparent, octahedrous (Cattivo
oitavado), and with tolerably regular facets (facetas); it is dis-
tinguished from the diamond by its want of fire and inferior
hardness. The "Cattivo Preto," or black slave, is probably
Titaniferous iron, and the miners believe that when occurring in
quantities it betrays the presence of black diamonds. These
Cattivos in places are found strewed over the ground; they show
that the diamond may be there, not that it is there.
The same
has been said of quartz, the "flower of gold." The word is
applied to very different formations. Dr. Pohl translates it
"thonseisenstein," oxidised hydrate of iron or the limonite of
Bendant (St. Hil. III. ii. 144). A practical miner assured me
that at the Chapada of Bahia "Cattivo" includes zoned
Serra de Grao Mogor of Minas Geraes, a
lode of soft sandstone, one foot broad, in
containing walls of hard Itacolumite. He
gave me a specimen of sand from Brocotú
or Brucutú, near Cocaes, where spongy
nuggets of Jacutinga gold abound; it
contains a small diamond, a ruby, a
sapphire, and iron pyritiferous as well as
specular. The curious formation called
<<
Boart," and of which I shall have more
to say, is also local. At Diamantina of
Minas it is unknown, and Bagagem pro-
duces small quantities. It is found at
Sincorá, the Diamantine Chain of Western
Bahia, and the largest supply is from the
Chapada of the latter Province. I have
remarked that in many places gold ac-
companies the diamond. Plato believed
that the diamond is the kernel of aurifer-
ous matter, its purest and noblest pith,
condensed into a transparent mass. Thus
also we may explain Pliny's statement that
"adamas" is a "nodosity of gold." Itaco-
lumite is also the matrix of the topaz and
the ruby. A specimen of the latter was
shown to me it was a small square stone
of tolerable water, but too light in colour,
not the real "pigeon's blood" of Asia.
Garnets are found in handfuls, but they
are valueless.
* John Mawe (ii. chap. 2) describes
the diamond-accompanying substances as
"Un mineral de fer brilliant et pisiforme
(ferragem), un mineral schisteux silicieux
ressemblant à la pierre indiqué ‘Kiesel-
Schiffer' de Werner (?), de l'oxide de fer
noir en grande quantité, des morceaux roulés
de quartz bleu, du cristal de roche jaun-
âtre, et toutes sortes de matières entière-
ment différentes de celles que l'on sait
être contenues dans les montagnes voi-
sines." Castelnau limits the "forma-
ção "to three kinds-Cattivo do diamante,
Pedra de Osso, and Pedra Rosea, a
violet-coloured grit. According to Taver-
nier the Hindús judged the land dia-
mantine when they saw amongst it small
stones which very much resemble what we
call "thunder stones.
، ،
13
The Brazilian name of this crystal
is, I believe, "Saruá." Under this word,
however, are probably included the hexa-
hedrous fluor spar, corundum, and perhaps
also certain titanates. The chrysolite sug-
gests Pliny's description, never larger
than a cucumber-seed, or differing at all
from it in colour."
*C
CHAP. X.]
141
NOTES ON THE DIAMOND.
quartz, chrysolite, bits of magnetic iron ore, iron pyrites, and so
forth.
With Cattivo we must associate "Siricória," elongated prisms of
chrysolite (Chrysoberil, Werner, and Cymophane, Haüy), of a faint
yellow-green, sometimes almost white. Amongst the Cattivos on
the São Francisco River I found a large proportion of straw-
coloured topazes,* with sharp angles, and readily leading to error.
Pinga d'agua (St. Hil. I. ii. 6, "Pingo de agua ") "drop of
water." It is applied to rounded and cylindrical pieces of every
size from a pea to a pigeon's egg; some are white, others rusty;
the drops are transparent, semi-transparent, opaque, or zoned.
They include cornelian, white topaz, and more especially
quartzum nobile. The small diamond-shaped stones are the
most prized. With the Pinga d'Agua we must associate the balls
of quartz, called from their shape Ovos de Pomba, or "doves'
eggs," and the pedras de leite, "milk stones," rounded and water-
washed bits of silex calcedonius and agates. Both are clear and
diaphanous, dull and opaque, or zoned and prettily marked with
concentric undulations. †
Fava, a stone shaped somewhat like a broad bean, and varying
in size from a pea to two inches in diameter. As a rule it is
jasper, blood-stone, or one of the many varieties of white, brown,
and yellow quartz. Many "favas," however, are clay revetted
with iron, one-half to two lines deep. The fava branca and the
fava roxa are sometimes of pure silex or of crystallised quartz.
Several appear likely to supply good blood-stone for seal rings.
Feijão, a haricot-shaped stone, rounded and rolled. It is also
of different sizes, and is mostly of tourmaline (Schorl) or hyalo-
tourmaline, like that which accompanies the tin-mines of Corn-
wall. The colour ranges between dark green and black, and the
people believe it to have been glazed by great heat.§
*The Cattivos may be compared with
the Bristol or Irish diamonds so often
associated with bog-oak. They have been
frequently taken to Europe, but with
little profit. It is said that they break
when being cut.
† Mr. Emmanuel (p. 126) says, "These
topazes (i. c., of Minas Geraes), found in
rounded pebbles, are perfectly pure and
colourless, and are termed 'pingas d'agoa'
orgouttes d'eau ;' they are also termed
Nova Minas (?). The Portuguese call
them slave diamonds.'" Here there is
evidently a confusion between the quart-
CC
}"
zose pinga d'agua and the crystal
"Cattivo. The term "Minas Novas" is
taken from John Mawe (ii. chap. 3.)
Marumbé, or Pedra de Capote.
"the
*}
I believe that the feijao is sometimes
of jade, axe-stone, nephritis or nephrite,
because used by Hindús against
pain of the kidneys. The aborigines of
the Brazil employed it as labrets and other
ornaments, and made their hatchets of
this fine apple-green mineral, which is
known to be soft when first taken from
the quarry, and to become tough and
compact by exposure to the atmosphere.
""
142
[CHAP. X.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZİL.
Caboclo, mentioned by Dr. Couto (p. 64) as Pedras Cabocolas,
and explained to be Ferrum Smiris and rubrum, red with dark
stains (mesclas). This jasper or petrosilex takes its name from
the dull yellow tinge caused by oxide of iron. It is compact, and
feebly scratches glass. The surface is polished and lustrous, as
if it had been in contact with excess of caloric; the usual colour is
of dark or light yellow, opaque, and verging on brown; and there
is no peculiarity of shape except that the fragments are mostly flat.
There are many varieties of the Caboclo. The C. Oitavado is that
which has angles. The C. bronzeado, common in the Barra da
Lomba, is dark yellow. The C. Comprido is an elongated bit of
jasper. The C. Roxo is a compact red sandstone, possibly altered
by heat. The C. Vermelho, common in the Caéthé-Mirim, is
apparently cinnabar.
Esmeril,* in shape resembling the feijão, is mostly oxydulated
iron. According to the miners, some stones contain eighty to
ninety per cent. of metal. Of this stone, also, there are many
varieties. The Esmeril Caboclo has a dull yellow tinge. The
E. preto, in Gardner's opinion, is a kind of tourmaline. The
E. lustroso is almost pure iron, often welded by heat to a fine
breccia; it sometimes resembles a black diamond, but it is amor-
phous. The E. de agulha is a long, thin strip of iron-stone.
Ferragem, or Pedra de Ferragem, is either flat, bean-shaped,
nodular, or rounded like a bullet. It is mostly of oligistic or
specular iron, of dark purple or lustrous black. I have seen some
specimens which are iron pyrites, and others are bullets of silex,
making good touchstones of velvet-black colour.
Pedra de Santa Anna, squares and cubes of magnetic iron that
affects the needle. The name is also applied to copper pyrites,
and this is often found degraded to a mere sand.
Osso de Cavallo,t "horse's bone," which it resembles in appear-
ance and consistence. The shape is long or round like an
osseous fragment, and it appears to be pure sandstone (granular
Itacolumite ?) which has long been buried.
Palha de arroz, "rice straw," a fragment of light yellow sub-
lustrous chlorite, slate or hardened clay-slate, resembling a
cucumber-seed.
*Not Ismirim, as Castelnau writes (iii.
178). "L'oxide noir de fer, appelé ici
émeri," says John Mawe (i. chap. 12).
Spix and Martius explain the word by
Eisenglanz."
"C
-
+ Pedra de Osso (Castelnau, ii. 323).
66
""
This horse-bone must not be con-
founded with the "Pé de Cavallo"
"horse-hoof," a yellow jasper, which merits
or
its name.
•
CHAP. X.]
NOTES ON THE DIAMOND.
143
Agulha, or Agulha de Cascalho, Titanic iron, in bundles or in
single needles.
Casco de telha, cinnabar or reddish clay, yellow inside, and
showing mica and tale.
Pissarra folhada, schists of different colours,' varying from a
dull yellow white to black.
Pedra Pururucu, a light-coloured friable grit.
* The following note is taken from
the valuable paper of M. Damour (Soc.
Geol. p. 542, April 7, 1856), describing
the diamantiferous sands sent to him from
Bahia. The numbers show the formations
which occur most frequently.
1. Hyalin Quartz (the yellow is the
occidental topaz, the blue is the
occidental sapphire).
Jasper and Silex.
Itacolumite.
Disthene or Cyanite.
This substance
is easily distinguished; it is in-
fusible by the blow-pipe, consists
of little needles or thin-bladed
crystals, the edges are rounded by
rubbing, and the colours are pearl-
grey, light blue and pale-green.
Zircon or Hyacinth, also found in the
auriferous soil of California. This
silicate shows well-preserved crys-
tals more than a millimetre in
diameter it occurs in squares and
prisms ending in four-sided py-
ramids, with the angles and crests
sometimes modified. Some are
colourless, others are brown, yel-
low, violet, or clear red.
Felspar, in rare water-rolled fragments
of reddish matter, cleavable in two
directions, which meet at right
angles. It is not affected by acids,
but is fusible before the blow-pipc.
Melted with carbonate of soda it
proves to be composed of silica,
alumina, and a little oxide of
iron, with probably some alkaline
earth.
2. Red Garnet (almandine or precious
garnet).
Manganesian Garnet (spessartine or
deep red garnet). Density, 4·16.
In dodecahedral rhomboids, very
small bright crystals of a topaz yel-
low. The blow-pipe fuses it to
a glass which becomes black and
opaque in the oxidizing flame.
The glass made with salt of phos-
phorus (microcosmic salt), and
heated to redness with a little
nitre, shows manganese by assum-
ing a dark violet tinge.
Mica.
A
Tourmaline (green and black.)
3. Hyalo-tourmaline (feijão). Density,
3'082, scratches glass feebly.
Under the microscope it looks like
a number of small needles crossing
one another: the fracture is fibrous.
The dust is of greenish grey.
Heated in a glass tube it disen-
gages a little water: melted with
borax, it gives a reaction of iron,
and before the blow-pipe it swells
and fuses to a brownish black or
dark green scoria, which, after
being subjected to burning charcoal,
becomes slightly magnetic. The
scoria can be decomposed by boiling
in sulphuric acid; and burnt in
alcohol it gives a green flame, show-
ing boracic acid. Analysis also
yields silica, titanic acid, alumina,
magnesia, a trace of lime, soda,
water and volatile matter. It differs
from black tourmaline only by the
presence of water and titanic acid.
Tale.
1. Hydrous phosphate of alumina, or Wa-
vellite (Caboclo). Density, 3.14 in
Diamantina and Abaété, and colour
a coffee brown. Density, 3.19 in
Bahia; tint rosy or brick-red, and
shape rounded galets. Composi-
tion, phosphoric acid, alumina,
a little lime, barytes, oxide of
iron, and 12 to 14 per cent. of water.
Phosphate of white yttria, which M.
Damour previously called Hydro-
phosphate. Before the blow-pipe it
becomes white without fusing; the
lustre is the fat adamantine, and
the colour white or pale yellow it
scratches fluorine and is scratched
by a steel point. The irregular
and rounded fragments have a
double cleavage leading to a rectan
gular or slightly oblique prism.
One incomplete crystal showed a
pyramid with four faces, two large
→
144
[CHAP. X.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
W.
As regards shape the rule is that the smaller stones are the
most regular. The larger specimens seem to have no constant
form or crystallisation; they are round, flat, or elongated, and
generally truncated abruptly at one end, as if a piece were want-
ing. The facets, which when cut appear flat and even, are, in
the natural stone, concave, convex, or rounded: hence the Abbé
Haüy observed that the component molecules may be regular
tetrahedra. Wallerius (quoted by M. Caire) assigns to the diamond
three shapes, the octahedron, the plane, and the cube.* The
normal form of the diamond, here as elsewhere, is the regular
and clean with an angle of inci-
dence at the summit, amounting to
96° 35′; the two others, narrow
and mirrory (miroitantes), had
the angle of 98° 20′, whilst that of
the neighbouring facets was 124°
23′ 30″.
Phosphate of titaniferous yttria,
previously termed silicate of yt-
tria, silica having been confounded
with zirconium. Density, 4.39: it
feebly scratches glass; it is opaque
and of cinnamon brown. The
rounded grains are pierced with
surface holes ; it is also in
square-based octahedrons, with
facets like those of zircon. Boil-
ing sulphuric acid decomposes it,
leaving a white residuum. This
substance is found in the auriferous
sands of Georgia and North Caro-
lina.
Diaspore, or hydrate of
alumina.
Density, 3464; composed of bright
crystalline blades of greyish white,
resembling certain felspars. The
composition is alumina, ferric acid,
and water; when this is disengaged
by the blow-pipe, it becomes opaque
and milky white.
or
5. Rutile, in small rolled grains
quadrangular prisms, with striæ
along the major axis, ending in
a four-sided pyramid with modifi-
cations.
Brookite, differing from rutile in
having the crystal type. It is
entirely composed of titanic iron.
The only specimen examined was
a flat prism striated along the
major axis and ending in the
dihedron, like the formations found
in Wales.
6. Anatase (titane). Density, 406;
bright, octahedrous, transparent or
semi-transparent, and distinguished
from the diamond by inferior hard-
ness and reactions before the
blow-pipe. It becomes opaque,
brown and reddish after an epi-
gene, which converts it wholly or
partially to rutile. These trans-
formed crystals are hollow, and
composed of a multitude of needles
which cross in all directions.
Hydrated titanic acid; of this sub-
stance no quantitative analysis was
made. The whitish yellow con-
crctional matter crepitates strongly,
and disengages water in a glass
tube; and with salt of sulphur
it gives reactions of titanic acid.
Tantalate. Density, 7.88; it is a
black amorphous substance, which
scratches glass.
Baierine, or Columbite (Niobate of
iron); in flat striated and often
regular crystals; the dust is reddish
brown.
7. Iron, titaniferous. Density, 4.82.
Formula, 3 Fe 0+8 (Ti 03, Ta 03).
It scratches glass; the fracture has
a semi-metallic lustre, and the dust
dark olive-green. The black grains
are almost all water-rolled; a few
crystals show rhomboidal obliquo
prisms of 123°.
8. Iron, oxydulated (Esmeril.)
9. Iron, oligist (rhombohedral, six-faced
prisms).
10. Iron, hydroxydated.
Iron, yellow with sulphur.
Tin, oxide of.
Mercury, with sulphur; heated in a
glass tube it gives a black subli-
mate.
11. Gold, free.
* Mr. Emmanuel (p. 49) says, "The
Indian diamond is generally found in
octahedral, the Brazilian in dodecahedral
crystals."
CHAP. X.]
NOTES ON THE DIAMOND.
145
octahedron (Adamas octahedrus turbinatus of Wallerius), com-
posed of two four-sided and equilateral pyramids, springing from a
common base. This is called the Diamante de pião, and it loses
much in cutting. With this primary are found the modified
forms, the hexahedron or cube, the dodecahedron (twelve rhombic.
faces), the pyramidal hexagon (tetrakis-hexahedron of twenty-four
faces), and others. When the table and the culet of the funda-
mental system are worn down, the octahedron becomes a
decahedron; the abrasion of two other points or angles (quinas)
makes it a dodecahedron, a geometrically allied form, but
approaching the spheroidal, and when two other edges at the
girdle or base of the double pyramid disappear, it will number
fourteen facets. These rounded stones (tesselladas or boleadas,
Adamas hexahedrus tabellatus of Wallerius) are locally known as
the primeira formula, and they are preferred by the trade, as they
lose least by lapidation. There are all manner of derivations.
from the normal octahedron and dodecahedron, as the flat
and triangular hemi-hedral, or half-sided diamans hemiodres
maclés, the effect of secondary cleavage, called diamantes em
forma de chapéo (hat-shaped); these find no favour. The
tetrahedrons (four-sided) are pyramidal, little valued when the
vertices are acute. There are also diamantes rolados (water-
rolled stones, reboludos, M. Jay), which lose all their "pointes
naives;" these are held, when round and oval, to be a good form.
They may, when elongated, explain Pliny's "two cones united at
the base;" they are often covered with opaque crust, and rugged
like ground glass; in this state they are not to be distinguished,
except by their power of scratching softer substances, from the
Pinga d'agua. Some of the latter, on the other hand, especially
when of pure opaque quartzum nobile, so much resemble the
gem in its "brut" or rough state, that many an inexperienced
man has lost his time and his money.
L
-
-
The form of the diamond greatly influences the price, and thus
it is that the merchant makes his profit. He pays for size,
weight, and water; he gains by the shape. Purchasers on a large
scale have boxes of metal plates pierced with holes, and acting
as sieves (crivos). Those shown to me were in sets of nine-
teen, and bore upon them the mark of Linderman and Co.,
Amsterdam.
The diamond greatly varies in colour. Those mostly prized
VOL. II,
146
[CHAP. X.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
are nitid as silver plates, clear as dew-drops, lively and showing
the true diamantine lustre. All that are deeply tinted with
oxide are called "fancy" or coloured stones. A light yellow is
very common, and detracts from the value; the decidedly yellow,
the amber-coloured, and the brown are worse. The rose-tinted
are rare and much admired, the red are seldom seen. At
Diamantina I was shown a fine green specimen, but the price
was enormous.* The black or rather steel-coloured diamond
being very rare, and rather curious than beautiful, is valued by
museums; as the shape is often a good double pyramid, it should
be mounted uncut. The dead-white is not prized, and the same
may be said of all "false colours," especially the milky and
undetermined tints. The violet is still, I believe, unknown. I
heard of blue diamonds, and many of those brought from Caéthé-
Mirim are coloured superficially with a greenish-blue coating.
This and the various oxides of iron must be removed by burning
at a loss of about one per cent.‡ The "Duro" stones are
distinguished by a light green colour, crusting sometimes thickly
outside, but they cut white. Tavernier learned in India that the
colour of the diamond follows that of the soil in which it is dug;
red if it be ruddy, dark when the ground is damp and marshy,
and so forth. This has been copied into our popular books.
To discover the flaws so frequent in diamonds, the purchaser
has several simple contrivances, such as to breathe upon the
Mr. Emmanuel relates a caso of £300
having lately been paid for a diamond of
vivid green colour, weighing 43 grains;
had it been of the normal colour the value
would have been £22. "Until lately,
says Tavernier, "the people of Golconda
made no difficulty in buying diamonds,
externally of green colour, because when
cut they appear white and of a very fine
water.
))
""
>>
+ "One (diamond) was jet black, a
colour that not unfrequently occurs.
Thus says Mr. Gardner (chapt. 13), speak-
ing of the "Serro" formation. I havo
only seen one in the Brazil, and that was
brought from Rio Verde of São Paulo by
my friend Dr. Augusto Ticxoira Coimbra.
It came to a bad end: he dropped it from
his waistcoat pocket, and it was swallowed
by a fowl. In rich and new districts tho
crops of all poultry when killed are carefully
examined, and are often found to contain
diamonds----another proof, if wanted, that
the gem is not poisonous. Possibly this
may explain the fable believed by Marco
Polo in the middle of the thirteenth
contury---“Such as search for diamonds
watch the eagles' nests, and when they
leave them, pick up such little stones, and
search likewise for diamonds among the
eagles' dung. Hence too "El Sindibad of
the Sea"
(Sindbad the Sailor), whose ad-
ventures are a curious mixture of fact
distorted to fablo.
>>
At the Chapada of Bahia the gems
are placed with saltpetre in a crucible
which is closed and kept over the fire,
usually for about a quarter of an hour:
this, however, is a "kittle" point. When
sufficiently roasted to have lost the oxide
of iron or the earth colour, the stones are
thrown into cold water, and of course they
are found to have lost a littlo weight.
Heating the diamond and then throwing it
into cold water was a Hindu test of sound-
ness and freedom from flaws. These
crusted stones, according to John Mawe,
generally cut well.
CHAP. X.]
NOTES ON THE DIAMOND.
147
stone, when defects and deficiencies of colour appear; or to
place it in the palm of the hand, and to look through it towards
the light, turning it in all directions.* The Jaça (in French
Givre, or Gerçure) is a shallow line or speck, often of a dark
colour, such as is seen in crystallized quartz; it is also a semi-
opaque imperfection, which we call "milk," or "salt." The
Natura (glace) is a want of continuity, or a void where the planes
meet; the Racha is a fissure, or vein; and the Falha is a serious
fracture, where two flaws join as if cemented together. In cutting
these flaws they open out, and the diamond is split (estalado).
The "ponto." is a strange body which has entered into the
crystallization. Grains of sand have been observed in the
diamond by many writers. I heard of a stone which contained a
spangle of gold, and the same peculiarity has before been noticed.f
This formation shows the comparative date of the stone, whose
crystallizations of carbon, or protoxide of carbon, must have
arranged themselves round the metal; and favours their opinion
who believe with Brewster, that the diamond, like coal, is origi-
nally vegetable matter which has passed through Nature's
crucible. A stone was lately found at Bagagem, with a loose
piece nailed (cravado) as it were into the body of the gem; a
similar “ implantation of crystal" was suspected in that cele-
brated stone the "Estrella do Sul." The flawed diamond
generally is called "fundo." Possibly many of these defects
may be removed, and tradition dimly records that the Comte de
Saint Germain, and others who have displayed immense wealth,
had mastered the art.
The diamond-merchant in the Brazil still cleaves to the old
system of money-weights, introduced by the Portuguese in the
*The Hindus tried the goodness of tho
diamond by cutting one with another, and
if the powder was groy or ash-coloured, it
was held sufficient test, "for all other pre-
cious stones, except the diamond, afford a
white powder."-(A Description of the
Coasts of Malabar and Coromandel, by
Philip Baldæus, 1670.) They also exa-
mined them by night, and judged of the
water and clearness by holding them be-
twoon the fingers and looking through them
at a large-wicked lamp placed in a wall-
niche.
† "Nous y avons constaté des paillettes
d'or," says M. Charles Barbot (Traité
Complet des Pierres Précieuses). He calls
"}
the flaws caused by metallic molecules,
"crapauds. M. Damour, speaking of
boart," remarks, "Des paillettes d'or
sont quelquefois implantées dans les cavités
do certains morceaux de ces diamants.
Sir J. Horschel (Phys. Geog. 291) quotes
M. Harting, who in 1854 "describes a
diamond from Bahia, including in its sub-
stance differently formed crystalline fila-
ments of iron pyrites-a fact unique in its
kind, and, taken in conjunction with tho
affinities of iron and carbon at high tem-
peratures, likely to throw some light on the
very obscuro subject of the ultimate origin
of this gem."
((
""
L 2
148
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. X.
days of colonial ignorance. The Brazil has, like ourselves, an
especial diamond weight; but practically, and amongst miners,
one hears of nothing but "grain" and "oitava." Quilate, or
carat, is not popular. Thus, in selling "fancy" or coloured
stones, such as the blue, green, rose, or yellow-coloured, the old
French lapidaries said, for instance, "eighty grains," not "twenty
carats."
The following is a complete list of weights :-
Dezreis
Vintem
Meia-pataca
Meia oitava
Cruzado
Sello
Oitava
-
=
-
1 grain (0.892 gr. Troy). This is the lowest of all weights:
below this all becomes "fazenda fina," or diamond
dust.
2 grains (2.25 Portuguese)
= 20 reisa carat. The
Vintem (plural Vintens, not Vinteis as St. Hilaire
writes) is the unity of measure.
8 vintens.
160 reis
320 reis
400 reis (an old weight).
16 vintens.
16 grains
32 grains
45 grains
480 reis (quite obsolete).
*
****
=
=
=
-
= 64 grains (72 grs. Portuguese)
32, vintens = 16 carats.
******
* The Brazilian measures (found in books) are--
Lisbon lb.
233.81 grammes.
= 0.203
=
4 grains 1 quilate (carat)
6 quilates 1 escrupulo (scruple) = 1.218
Our diamond scale is-
•
=
3.
Above four vintens, the diamond is considered large. Many
miners have dug all their lives without finding a stone that
exceeds twenty vintens. The most useful size is probably six
vintens or three carats. The smaller stones are known in the
trade as ، ،
pedra de dedo," stone of the finger, because they can
be raised by pressing the tip upon them. The "cuberta is
when the lot consists of the larger gems; e.g., "Partida (parcel) de
diamantes que tem cuberta."
>>
16 parts = 1 grain = 0·8 grains Troy.
4 grains
= 3.2
""
1 carat
151.50 carats = 1 ounce Troy (8 oitavas, or 256 vintens).
16 ounces = 1 pound.
The word carat is derived from the
Arabic bl (Kírát), through the Greek
κερίτιον. It is the small, red, black-
tipped bean of the Abrus precatorius, a
tree probably indigenous to Hindostan, but
which has migrated to Eastern Africa,
where it grows wild. Mr. Emmanuel (p. 55)
says, "The origin of the carat weight is
640 reis 17.44 carats
Brazilian Custom-house lb.
= 458 92 grammes.
0.199
1.195
*******
=
from the Arabic word 'Kuara,' the name of
the seed of a pod-bearing plant (?) growing
on the Gold Coast of Africa" (?). The
"Kuara" of Bruce grew upon a region ad-
joining the Red Sea. The Hindu equiva-
lent is the Rati (Ruttee), which Tavernier
makes ths of the carat 3 grains.
Some make the oitava 60 grains
English.
=
CHAP. X.]
NOTES ON THE DIAMOND.
149
(C
""
Of late years, the price of diamonds all the world over has
prodigiously increased. In 1750-4, when David Jeffries wrote,
a perfectly white and spread brilliant of one carat was worth
£8; it now fetches from £17 to £18.* The reason is easily
found. The influx of gold has raised the price of stones.
The market has greatly extended; † in the United States, for
instance, these gems are eagerly sought by those who have made
money. And lastly, in unsettled countries, as the Orient has
long proved, and wherever political troubles threaten, the
diamond is used " en cas," or en tout cas; its extreme porta-
bility-the fact that its currency is nearly at par all the world
over-and the difficulty of destroying it, raise it to the category
of a coin of the highest value. In the Brazil, as in the Atlantic
cities of the United States, where every one that can afford
them, even hotel waiters and nigger minstrels, wear diamonds in
rings and shirt fronts, demand has produced the same result,
which is, moreover, exaggerated by the want of slave hands, and
by the exhaustion of the superficial deposits. Thirteen years
ago the oitava sold for 320 $000; now it fetches from 800 $000
to 1:000 $000, nearly three times its former value. § In 1848,
during the European convulsion, the price of brilliants at Bahia
was reduced to fifty per cent. ; but the market lost no time in
recovering itself. || Castelnau (ii. 345) predicts that at the end of
the present century the diamond will be worth only twenty per
+
* A "specimen stone" will rise to £20
or £21.
((
}}
+ Amid the sumptuous articles which
distinguish the Russian nobility, none,
perhaps, is more calculated to strike a
foreigner than the profusion of diamonds,'
says Coxe, writing in 1802. California,
after 1848, developed the demand for dia-
monds in the United States. During the
ten years following 1849 the various custom-
houses registered a rise from an annual
average of $100,000 to about $1,000,000.
The duty was kept as low as 4 per cent. to
discourage smuggling; but it was paid,
they calculated, by something less than
one-sixth of the importation. The stones
are mostly small, weighing under the half
carat, and jewellers ask 25 per cent. more
than in Paris. A good article on Diamonds
and other Gems" (Harper's New Monthly,
February, 1866) declares "it is doubtful
whether there is any diamond in the United
States of over twelve carats in weight." It
states that a marked advance in price took
place between 1863 and 1864, when gold
CC
rose above 200. Good diamonds of three
to four carats then sold for $3500 to $4000.
Finally, it assures us that "ninety-nine out
of every hundred diamonds sold in the
United States are what are called brilliants,'
as opposed to the rose, the table, and the
brilliolette.
""
Thus only can we explain the fact that
many noble but reduced families have sent
their diamonds from Hindostan, the very
home of the diamond, to Europe, and have
brought them back because they could find
a better market in the older country. On
the other hand, the general style of East
Indian cutting, making the gem lustreless
and glassy from want of depth, injures it in
public esteem. I have seen a fine stone
placed like a bit of crystal over a portrait,
and even thus it was valued at £1000.
§ In 1867-8 the fall of the milreis has
produced other complications in the dia-
mond trade of the Brazil. At the present
moment (July 28, 1868) the oitava may
average 1:000 $000 at Rio de Janeiro.
During the first French Revolution,
150
[CHAP. X.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
cent. of its value in 1800. I venture to say that, unless the
stone can be manufactured, the reverse will approach nearer to
the truth.
1
In producing the diamond, Nature preserves her regular pro-
portions; the small are comparatively numerous, and the larger
stones are progressively rarer. In rough diamonds, the ratio of
value more than doubles with the weight. Thus, supposing
a stone of one vintem to be worth 18$000 to 20$ 000; and one
of 16 vintens will fetch 400$ 000 to 500$ 000 when the oitava is
at 1:000$ 000. At Bahia the price is thus ascertained. Assuming,
for instance, the unworked stone to be worth £2 per carat, the
worth of a heavier diamond is known by doubling the square of
the weight (e. g., 2 carats x 2 = 4 × 2 = £8.) For worked
stones, double the weight, square it, and multiply by 2; for
instance, 2 carats × 2 = 4 × 4 = 16 × 2 = £32.
Lieut.-Colonel Brant gave me the following list of prices in
brute stones, showing that the value at Diamantina differs little
from that of England. Diamonds, I should remark, are divided.
for facility of pricing into first, second, and third waters.
Grain diamonds* 12 to 18 per carat
6
9
10-11
12-13
14-15
16-17
18-19
For single Stones.
1 to 5 grains
6-7
8-9
20 grains.
24 grains
10
12
16
20
""
در
45
">
""
""
8 carats †
""
""
""
""
ور
""
Gugg
83 shillings.
= 107
""
=120
=148
=160
=185
=195
=210
=220
=280
339
">
,,
39
""
""
"
""
""
panic and a want of demand sunk the value
of the gem 25 per cent. in the shortest
time, but the assignats assisted it to re-
K
75 shillings.
=77 shillings.
Paris, 1863.
96 francs.
125
145
*****
Mak
G
2500
4650
5650
7800
12,500
156
175
190
205
250
285
""
First water (defective) and 2nd water
Third do.
"",
""
•
""
115
""
""
>>
""
""
""
"
""
""
""
""
1st water.
Paris, 1866.
110 francs.
140
160
180
200
220
235
290
325
2750
5100
6200
8000
""
"9
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
cover. In 1848, "portable property" was
in requisition all over Continental Europe,
and the price of the diamond rose greatly.
* The Parisian table, March, 1853, gives-
First water, 25 to 30 to the carat, per carat, 72 francs.
Do. 18
""
""
78
60
45
90
""
Eight stones, per carat
""
The "Mêlés" in Paris are stones that weigh less than half a carat.
+ Abovo five carats the price can hardly be fixed; it depends upon the demand, the
ور
""
""
•
CHAP. X.]
151
NOTES ON THE DIAMOND.
The curious substance called by the English "boart "* and
"graphite," by the French "boort" and "diamant concre-
tionné,” that is to say having no cleavage, and by the Brazilians
carbonato," was formerly valueless. In 1849 it became worth
from one to two francs per carat, and now it fetches 56$000 per
oitava. It is supposed to be the connecting link between carbon
and diamond; its hardness is that of the true gem, and its
specific gravity ranges from 3.012 to 3.600. The granular amor-
phous mass appears under the microscope distinctly crystalline,
in fact an aggregate of granules or lamellas of diamond
analogous to a grit of quartzose sand. In some specimens
are cellular cavities like pumice, empty or full of sand, and geodes
lined with small regular crystals of colourless diamond. It is
black and lustreless, and when burnt it leaves a residue of clay
and other substances. This "diamond-carbon" accompanies the
diamond in sandstone and in cascalho; it appears in angular and
rounded galets; the irregular lumps being often as large as a
walnut. Castelnau speaks of a piece weighing more than a pound.
I have heard of 2:500$ 000 (£250) being paid for a single frag-
ment. When "boart" is of large size it is generally broken to
find if it be full or hollow. It is known by the great weight, by
its diamond-like coldness in the hand, by the sharp peculiar
sound when bits are scratched and rubbed together. The miners
sometimes steep it in vinegar, as we do lard in water, to augment
the weight, and it so resembles a piece of common magnetic or
pyritic iron ore that without great care the best judges are
""
circumstances of buyer and seller, and so forth. The larger stones often remain on hand
many years before they find a purchaser. I have heard of a Brazilian gentleman who
expended nearly all his property in buying a "great bargain," in the shape of a diamond,
of which he has never been able to dispose. The larger stones are always sold singly.
Tavernier gives the following rule for estimating their value :—
15 carats (imperfect stone)
15
15 carats (perfect stone)
15
225
150 (value of a single carat)
33,750 livres.
* Wonderful to relate, the diamond mer-
chants of Bahia could not agree upon the
meaning of "boart," which books apply as
in the text. One of the oldest and most
experienced insisted that it was the cheapost
and worst kind of perfectly crystallised
diamond, worn by attrition into spherical
globules, like shot grains. This kind is
225
80 (value of the single carat)
18,000 livres.
mostly unfit to be cut, and when crushed
the dust is used for polishing gems and for
engraving on hard stones.
Graphite is usually applied to the pure
debitumenised carbon found in the Lauren-
tian, and associated with anthracite in the
Cambrian systems. Its vegetable origin is
not thoroughly established.
152
[CHAP. X.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
!
deceived.* It is pounded and used principally in diamond cutting.
Drills pointed with this mineral have, I am told, been employed
with great success in driving tunnels through hard rock.
Of this little known substance three kinds are distinguished by
the trade. The worst is the "Carbonato;" a finer kind with
better formed crystals is the "Torre," which fetches 60$000 per
oitava; the best occurs in small rounded balls of shining metallic
appearance, and is therefore called "Balas," this may rise to
80$ 000 per oitava.† Some Chapadista miners have not yet
learned to sort the varieties.
本
​The Brazilian diggings have produced some large and valuable
gems, which have all been sent out of the country.
The Braganza diamond was worn by D. João VI., who had
a passion for precious stones, and possessed about £3,000,000
in value. Now amongst the crown jewels of Portugal, it was
extracted in 1741 from the mine of Caéthé Mirim. † Authors
differ touching its weight, § and no drawing of it has, I believe,
been published; it is supposed to be larger than a hen's egg, and
it has long laboured under the suspicion of being a fine white
topaz, a stone which in the Brazil, as elsewhere, often counter-
feits the diamond.
The boart or carbonato, however, has
no attractive power. It is tried by striking
it between two copper coins, and if it
breaks or does not dint the metal, it is
held valueless.
Dr. Dayrell gave me a specimen of
"boart" from Sincorá. It much resembled
pyritiferous iron-sand. The substance is
found in pieces varying from one grain to
half an oitava. I have heard it called
"bolo redondo," and was told that the
colour is sometimes of an opaque white.
M. Barbot specifies the place as the
little river "Malho Verde," in the vicinity
of Cay-de-Mérin."
1،
§ John Mawe and the Abbé Reynal
make the weight 1680 carats (123 French
ounces). Romé de l'Isle, who estimated its
value at 7 milliards 500 million francs,
gives 11 ozs. 83 gros. and 24 grains of gold
weight. M. Ferry says 1730 carats, esti-
mating the Brazilian carat at 0.006 less
than the European. Mr. Emmanuel gives
it 1880 carats in p. 78, and 1680 in p. 128,
the former being probably a misprint.
|| Mr. St. John (Forests of the Far East,
vol. i. 48) mentions a noble in Brunei who
for £1000 offered a diamond about the size
of a pullot's egg, which proved to be a
pinkish topaz.
In reading these two pleasant and in-
structive volumes I could not but regret
that the author had not given us an account
of the celebrated diamantation of Borneo.
In old authors we find that the sands of the
"Succadan" River produced fine stones of
white and lively water, but that the Queens
of Bornco would not allow strangers to
export them. We remember, too, that in
Borneo was found, in 1760, the largest
diamond known. The weight was 367
carats = 1130 grains. It caused a war of
nearly thirty years' duration, and it re-
mained with the original possessor, the
Rajah of Mattam. The island, with its
core of granite and syenite which protrude
in the vast mountain mass known as Kina
Balu, the "Chinese Widow," through the
secondary limestones and sandstones, much
resembles the Brazil. We read also of the
pot holes washed by sand-water, the gravels,
and the rocky streams which characterise
a diamantine country. There are curious.
resemblances in minor points. For instance,
the people of the Sulus Islands keep their
small stores of seed-pearls in hollow bam-
boos. These are the "Pequás," so well
known to the Brazilian mine-owner.
CHAP. X.]
153
NOTES ON THE DIAMOND.
The Abaété✶ brilliant was found in 1791, and the circumstances
of the discovery are related by John Mawe, M. F. Denis and
others. Three men convicted of capital offences, Antonio da
Sousa, José Felis Gomes, and Thomas da Sousa, when exiled to
the far west of Minas, and forbidden under pain of death to enter
a city, wandered about for some six years, braving cannibals and
wild beasts, in search of treasure. Whilst washing for gold in
the Abaété River, which was then exceptionally dry, they hit upon
this diamond, weighing nearly an ounce (576 grains = 144
carats).† They trusted to a priest, who, despite the severe laws
against diamond washers, led them to Villa Rica and submitted
the stone to the Governor of Minas, whose doubts were dissipated
by a special commission. The priest obtained several privileges
and the malefactors their pardon, no other reward being men-
tioned. A detachment was at once sent to the Abaété River,
which proved itself rich, but did not offer a second similar prize. ‡
D. João VI. used to wear this stone on great occasions attached
to a collar.
1
The "Estrella do Sul" brilliant was found in July, 1853, at
Bagagem of Minas Geraes by a negress. § In the rough state it
weighed 254 carats. The owner parted with it for 30 contos.
(£3,000); at the Bank of Rio de Janeiro it was presently
deposited for 300 to
to 305 contos, when it was worth
£2,000,000 to £3,000,000. After being cut by the proprietors,
Messrs. Coster of Amsterdam, it was reduced to 125 carats, and
now it belongs, I believe, to the Pacha of Egypt. Though not
perfectly pure and white, its "fire" renders it one of the finest
gems extant. ||
The Chapada of Bahia also produced a stone weighing 763
* M. Buril (427) calls the Abaété dia-
mond "O Regente.
,,
In some books the weight is given at
138 carats; in others it is made 213.
This stream has already been men-
tioned. The diamond was described by
John Mawe as octahedral in shape, weigh-
ing seven-eighths of an ounce Troy, and
perhaps the largest in the world. It passed
through the hands of the Viceroy, and was
sent in a frigate to the Prince Regent.
§ A story far too long to tell here belongs
to the Estrella do Sul, which appeared at
our Great Exhibition in 1851. Exception-
ally, for few diamonds with names can
make such boast, it has caused no blood-
shed; even the findor was not murdered-
only ruined, and died broken-hearted. Of
the score or two of persons who made for-
tunes by the discovery, Casimiro (de Tal),
whose uegress (not a negro, as the writer in
Harper's" says) brought it to him in
order to obtain her freedom, was the only
one disappointed.
66
K
M. S. Dulot (France et Brésil, Paris,
1857), p. 20, seems to confound the "Star
of the South," which was found in 1853,
with the "Braganza," dating from 1741.
Mr. Emmanuel (p. 61) rightly makes the
Estrella do Sul the largest found in "the
Brazils."
154
[CHAP. X.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
carats, and when cut into a drop-shaped brilliant it proved to
possess extraordinary play and lustre. It was bought by
Mr. Arthur Lyon, of Bahia, for 30 contos, and it is now, I am
told, in the possession of Mr. E. T. Dresden.
Briefly to conclude. As yet the Diamantine formations of the
Brazil have been barely scratched, and the works have been com-
pared with those of beavers. The rivers have not been turned,
the deep pools (poços or poçoes) above and below the rapids,
where the great deposits must collect, have not been explored,
even with the diving helmet; the dry method of extraction,
long ago known in Hindostan, is still here unknown. All is con-
ducted in the venerable old style of the last century, and the
fiend Routine is here more deadly than Red Tape in England.
The next generation will work with thousands of arms directed
by men whose experience in mechanics and hydraulics will enable
them to economize labour; and it is to be hoped that the virgin
gem-bearing waters will be washed up-stream. This was the
sensible provision of the old Diamantine Regulation. Unfor-
tunately it came too late, when the channels had been choked
with rubbish which was hardly worth removing.
CHAPTER XI.
FROM BOM SUCCESSO TO THE COROA DO GALLO.
THE SACO OR PORTO DOS BURRINHOS.-INDEPENDENCE DAY.-THE CACHO-
EIRA DO PICÃO."-THE LAPA DOS URUBÚS.-THE BURITY PALM.-SILENT
BIRDS.
"(
"Cette partie si importante de l'économie publique, en un mot demeure encore
livrée à un état d'abandon que le gouvernement ne peut trop s'empresser de faire
cesser."—(M. Claude Deschamps, of the French Rivers in 1834.)
"It is presumed the Brazil will not attempt to dispute the now well-settled
doctrine, that no nation holding the mouth of a river has a right to bar the way
to market of a nation holding (land?) higher up, or to prevent that nation's trade
and intercourse with whom she will, by a great highway common to both"
(Lieut. Herndon, p. 366.)
SATURDAY, September 7, 1867.-My letters were soon written,
the trooper Miguel and his mules were dismissed with good cha-
racters, and at 9.30 A.M., after embracing our kind host, Dr.
Alexandre, we pushed out of the creek "Bom Successo."
"O Menino," the new broom, swept, as happens for a short
time, uncommonly clean, naming every little break of water or
hole in the bank.* The rocks, sandstone abounding in iron and
laminated blue limestone, were all in confusion. The strike was
to the east, the north-east, the south-east, the west, the north-
west and the north, and sometimes within ten yards the strata
were anticlinal, nearly vertical, and almost horizontal. There
were slabs of clay, with perpendicular fracture dipping towards
the river, and here and there "Cánga" and "Cascalho."
After a few unimportant features, we left to starboard the
E.g. the Coroa do Nenné, so called
after the nickname of a man with a crippled
hand, and the Corda do Saco, both with the
main channel to the left. Then the Corða
do Poço do Gordiano and the Coroa do
Cedro, with the Ribeirão do Cedro falling
into the left bank; these have the thalweg
on the right.
+ Córrego do Bom Successo Pequeno on
the right bank, one league by water and
one mile by land from the Fazenda. Then
the Coroa do Saco do Cedro, grassy and tree-
grown, with a break above and below it.
On the right bank the Sitio of Antonio
Alves, with traces of cultivation.
156
[CHAP. XI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
Larangeiras stream and estate, belonging to Colonel Domingos.
Opposite it is the Barro do Maquiné Grande, a little "fishy
creek of clear water, which has a water-way of five leagues for
canoes, forming a Corôa (do Saco do Maquiné Grande), with a
clear way to the right.* In the Maquiné Fazenda there is, they
say, a cavern which gave fifteen days' work to Dr. Lund, and the
savant found there a "pia" or baptismal font of stalactite, which
would have commanded 400l. in Europe. Shortly after noon we
descended this day's first rapid, the Cachoeira da Capivara, which
has two channels, with a sandbank in the centre. The left is the
deep water-way, but rafts come to grief by dashing against the
bank where the pole cannot touch bottom. We therefore floated
down stern foremost, threw out a cord and hugged the Corôa.
The air was dense with bush-burnings, here producing an
"Indian spring," which corresponds with the "Indian summer "
in the north mostly Brazilians complain of the smoke, and
declare that it gives them difficulty of breathing. Nothing could
be more picturesque than the long lines of vapour like swathes or
veils, whose undulations overlay the hill-tops, and gradually dis-
persed in air.†
At 4 P.M. we passed the Rio de Santo Antonio, a pleasant little
stream which admits for two leagues tolerable-sized canoes, whilst
the small dug-outs ascend it about double that distance. It leads to
(Santo Antonio de) Curvello, a town so called after an ecclesias-
tical colonist; built upon the Campo, and the last in this region,
it is supposed to demarcate the "Sertão," or Far West. But
the inhabitants do not readily own to the soft impeachment; the
traveller is always approaching the Sertão, and yet hears that it
is still some days off. He remembers the lands of the tailed
nyam-nyams, which ever fly before the explorer, or, humbler
comparison, the fens of certain English counties which, according
* The next holm, Corda do Palo, which
sent us to the left, is not mentioned by M.
Liais.
""
After the Palo are the Porteira, so
named from a creek, and the Coroa das
Mamonciras, with the thalweg to the left;
neither of them is mentioned by M. Liais.
Then comes the Córrego das Canoas (Ribei-
rão das Canoas, Liais), exposing on the
right bank a mass of auriferous pudding-
stone, and beyond it the boulders dip 10°
to 30°. Here the Corda das Canoas blocks
up the right channel. On the left is a
perpendicular bank of brown clay six feet
deep, with red-leaved Copahyba trees grow-
ing from it. There is little to notice in the
Porto and Córrego da Anta or in the Porto
do Muricí, so called from a small edible
yellow berry.
Southey writes the word after the old
fashion, "Sertam," and declares (ii. 565)
that he does not know its origin. It is
nothing but a contraction of Desertão, a
large wild, and it is much used in Africa
as well as South America.
CHAP. XI.] FROM BOM SUCCESSO TO THE CORÔA DO GALLO.
157
to the pallid, ague-stricken, web-footed informant, are not honoured
by being his dwelling-place.
After passing broken water at the Coroa de Santo Antonio and
the Coroa and Corrida das Lages, at 5 P.M. we fixed upon our
"dormida." It was a sandbank in a bay called Saco or Porto
dos Burrinhos, of the Little Donkeys, and opposite it, on the
right, lay Boa Vista, still the property of Colonel Domingos.
The moon, that traveller's friend, a companion to the solitary
man, like the blazing hearth of Northern climates, rose behind
the filmy tree-tops and made us hail the gentle light. We have
not the same feeling for the stars, or even the planets, though
Jupiter and Venus give more light than does the Crescent in
England; they are too distant, too far above us, whilst. the Moon
is of the earth, earthy, a member of our body physical, the com-
plement of our atom. We did not forget a health to this, the
Independence Day of the Brazil. Within the life of a middle-
aged man she has risen from colonyhood to the puberty of a
mighty Empire, and history records few instances of such rapid
and regular progress. This notanda dies" also opens to the
،،
C
ships of all nations, the Amazons and the Rio de São Francisco;
a measure taken by Liberals, but, curious to say, one of the most
liberal that any nation can record. In spirit we join with the
rejoicings which are taking place on the lower waters of the
liberated streams.
Said to be the name of a fish and a
tree. M. Liais writes Landin.
The Coroa do Jatahy, but little above
water, and with a break to the right, shows
where Col. Domingos' property ends. Then
by the right of the low banks the Cordas
do Garrote and do Páu Dourado; by the
September 8.-Pushing off at 6:30 A.M., we passed the Porto do
Curvello with a ranch on the left, denoting the high road to Dia-
mantina. The rapid and shallow, known as Saco da Palha, sent
us first to the left and then to the right. Again the rocks are
quaquaversal, with dip varying from horizontal to vertical. The
banks at the beginning of the day were low, but presently they
became high and bold; forested hills on the right formed a hollow
square. The first rapid was the Cachoeira do Landim,* with its
"crown" and shallow; a line of stone, fractured in the centre,
stretches nearly across stream, and gives passage to the left.
Beyond this point are sundry minor obstructions,† not named
left of a third, where two sandbanks nar-
row the bed to fifty yards, and descend the
Saco da Varginha or Varzinha. Another little
nameless break, the course turning from
east to north, and backed by a hill-line
wooded to its flat top, and apparently cross-
ing the stream.
158
[CHAP. XI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
by M. Liais. He proposes, however, extensive "ameliorations
of the stream, "tunage," draguage," canalizing to suppress the
useless "chenal," and "attacking" the bank.
After the Varginha, a low sandbank which gave us passage to
the left, the Porte do Silverio (P. N.) sent us to the right. Here
a reef, at this season very shallow, nearly crosses the stream,
and (6
Marumbés" or iron-coated stone, began to glisten on the
bank. Next came the Saco and Cachoeira de Jequitibá, with
fields and houses on the left. We landed on the Corôa and
inspected this neat mill-dam, a broken ridge of ferruginous rock
-possibly derived from the Serras-extending right across
from north-north-west to south-south-east.
Canoes can creep
along the left side, but our ark gallantly plunged down the
middle, which a little hammering would easily open. We noticed
the magnificent sugar-cane, which exceeds in size that of Bom
Successo.
More small troubles* led us to the not very important Cacho-
eira da Manga. The word denotes a narrow lane, and a square
of rough rails leading to the water edge. Cattle are driven in,
and the pressure of those behind compels the foremost to set the
example of swimming the stream. A clearing ran up the neat
hill-slope on the right bank, horses and cows basked on the sands,
and men, squatting like Africans under shady trees, shouted
warnings of the dreaded Picão, and promised to pilot us if we
would wait a day. We expressed our gratitude chaffingly, modi-
fying the puppy pie and the lady in mourning.
Steering to the left of the Tronqueira break, and describing a
little circle to the right, at 3 P.M. we entered the Saco do Picão.
Here the stream, swinging to the left bank, works round from west
to north-east and east. At first a little break extending across
nearly home, and well provided with snags, made us present rear
and hug the right; the bank was hard and soft argile, quartz-
veined, and supporting Cánga, whose strike was east and dip
30° to 35°. Then passing to the left of an "inch we landed
on the right side to lighten the craft and to inspect the for-
mation.
""
* Barra do Breginho, with a turn to the
north-east; on right bank, huts and fields
with snake fence opposite. The Cachoeira
do Saco, a dam of ironstone, with narrow
gap to left, and grassy hill in front.
The
""
Cachoeira and Corda dos Tachos (Taxos, M.
Liais), with bad break over rock wall to
the right, passage on left, but two rocks in
the way.
CHAP. XI.] FROM BOM SUCCESSO TO THE COROA DO GALLO.
159
The Picão, or Pickaxe, deserves its ill-fame; it is perhaps the
worst obstruction on the Rio das Velhas.* A broad, broken band
of jagged serrated teeth dams the stream, besides which rocks and
sandbanks extend some two miles above and below it. The material
is a very hard blue clay shale, whose laminations easily split
apart it has a metallic ring, it does not effervesce under acids,
and it hardens in, without being otherwise affected by, fire; evi-
dently it will be valuable for building. The emerging rocks cause
the waters to groan and splash, to dash and swirl by them in little
rapids (Corradiças), averaging some nine feet per second. We
crept under the right bank, but now drawing sixteen inches, we
were soon aground, and required lifting by levers. Passing to
the right of a small sandbank below, we had a good back view;
the water-fall was between three and four feet, and there would
be no difficulty in opening the mid-channel.
At 5 P.M. we
crossed to the left and nighted on a sandbank, still in the Picão
Sack, opposite a hill, and a small cascade which resembled a
toy.
Here we enter the land best fitted for emigrants. We are
beyond the reach of the great planters who wish to sell square
leagues of ground, some good, much bad, and all, of course, at
the longest possible price. There are no terrenos devolutos, or
Government grounds, but the small moradores ask little. Here-
abouts a proprietor is ready to part with four square miles,
including a fine large Córrego, for 300$ 000 to 400$ 000, less
than I paid for my raft. The Geraes, or lands beyond the river,
are still cheaper, and generally where water runs in deep chan-
nels, land may be purchased at almost a nominal price; the
people have no appliances for irrigation, which the steam-engine
would manage so efficiently. The views are beautiful, the climate
is fine and dry, mild and genial, there is no need of the quinine
bottle on the breakfast-table, as in parts of the Mississippi
Valley. There are no noxious animals; and, except at certain
seasons, few nuisances of mosquitos and that unpleasant family.
The river bottom is some four miles broad, and when the roots.
are grubbed up, it will be easy to use plough or plow, whilst the
yield of corn and cereals is at least from 50 to 100 per cent.
(C
""
* M. Liais remarks of this Picão (p. 10),
..
une petite barque vide et à moitié portée
par des hommes peut seule passer tout contre
la rive droite, et en touchant souvent un
fond de pierres.”
160
[CHAP. XI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
There is every facility for breeding stock and poultry; besides
washing for gold and diamonds, limestone and saltpetre abound,
whilst iron is everywhere to be dug. Water communication will
soon extend from the Rio de São Francisco below, to the excel-
lent market of Morro Velho in the upper waters. Lastly, the
people are hospitable and friendly to strangers; my companion,
who had a smattering of engineering, could have commanded
employment at any fazenda.
Sept. 9.-The end of the Picão was a shallow break, known as
the Portão; it is formed by a ledge projecting from the high right
bank of red-stained limestone.* This was followed by a straight
reach, with fine bottom lands, wooded hills bounding them to
the left. After paddling for about two hours and a half, we
descended by the stern "as Pórteiras," the gates, and came to
the rapids known as Cancélla de Cima, and Cancélla de Abaixo,
the upper and lower barred gate. These unpleasant gratings were
not passed without abundant clamour and fierce addresses, begin-
ning with
"Homem de Deus." The river is shallower than
ever, we can see the water line below which it has lately shrunk,
and evidently the usual rains are wanting in the upper regions.
The marvellous dryness of the air continues to curl up the
book covers; at sunrise the breath of the morning deadens our
fingers, and incapacitates them from writing, though it ranges
between 55° and 60° (F.). At noon the mercury rises to 75°, and
at 1 P.M. to 85°. Presently a south wind will blow from the Serra
Grande or do Espinhaço.
At 11 A.M. the reach bent from north-east to north, and we
passed the mouth of the Paraúna River (Barra do Paraúna),
now an old friend. The breadth of this, the most important
of influents, is 90 to 105 feet, a mass of sand cumbers the left
*Further down was limestone on the
right bank, striking to the north-west, and
dipping 45°.
The upper Cancélla is formed by scat-
tered teeth of stone projecting from the
banks. We hung upon a detached rock in
the centre, and the poor canoe took in
much water; levered her off and found
Rest of
passage close along right bank.
run occupied by a ledge stretching from
north-west to south-east; touched again
and spent a total of twenty minutes before
Another dam
getting into deep water.
from left bank gives free passage to the
right; on opposite side a Barreiro de Gado
with huts, sugar-cane, and Jaboticabas. The
Cancélla de Abaixo has on the left bank a
grating composed of four long walls and
detached rocks, the passage is along the
right side, where there are two separate
stones and a pair of dam lines; here also
we struck, and lost twenty-five minutes.
+
M. Gerber places the Barra da Paraúna
in south lat. 18° 50' 0". M. Liais in 18°
30′ 19″9, at fifty-three direct miles from
Casa Branca, in 19° 23′ 45″; and eighty-
four from Sabará (in south lat. 19° 54′).
CHAP. XI.] FROM BOM SUCCESSO TO THE CORÔA DO GALLO.
161
jaw, and elsewhere there are stiff banks of brown humus, and
white and red clay. The position will make it a great central
station when a railway from Rio de Janeiro shall connect with
the steam navigation of the São Francisco.
At the Barra do Paraúna began new scenery. Hitherto the
mountains have been like crumpled paper; now they assume a
kind of regularity, and often lie parallel with the axis of the
stream. On the left there is a buttressed calcareous line through
which the Rio das Velhas breaks at its confluence with the Pa-
raúna: further south the same ridge is to the right, or east, and
flanks the Cipó river on the west. The Rio das Velhas widens
to 200 yards; the tortuous stream becomes comparatively
straight, with a general direction of north, 11° west, and the
slope is greatly diminished.* A "fancy country" showed itself,
the blocks of hill drew off, and the banks were gently sloping
ledges, with brown drift wood at the water edge; and yellow clay
and sand with rocks here and there in higher levels. Large un-
dulating ribbons of tender green, set in sun-burnt flanks, showed
the torrent-beds green-lined as those of Somali-land in the rains,
and here and there the thicket contrasted with tall scattered trees,
the remnants of an old forest. Cattle lay and sunned themselves
upon the damp Corôas, and we heard with pleasure the voices of
villagers and the barking of dogs.
At 1·30 P.M., we passed the Lapa d'Anta, a formation remind-
ing us of Páu de Cherro. The river runs to the north-east,
and its right bank is buttressed by a bold mass of limestone
bluff to the west, rising sharply from the sands and clays on
both sides, and forming a small bay with a graceful sweep. It
is the perpendicular face of a long range, extending from south-
east to north-west, and hemming in the river on the east; the
feature corresponds with that before noticed. The dip is 25°,
exposing only the edges towards the stream: the lower part is
a hollow of wavy, blue-tinged strata, whilst the upper half is an
overhanging mass of solid matter, looking as if crystallised,
stained red by the rusty clay, and curtained with black tongues.
apparently dyed by the cinders of the burnt soil above. From
the summit sloped backwards a brick-coloured hill, with leafless
* According to M. Liais, the slope be-
tween Trahiras and Paraúna is 0.4355
metre per mile. From the confluence of
VOL. II.
the latter stream to the débouchure of the
Rio das Velhas, it diminishes to 0.2735.
M
162
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XI.
trees, contrasting singularly with the metallic verdure of the
banks.
At 1·45 P.M. the river turned from north to west, and we passed
a similar formation. Here a cave, the Poço do Surubim or do
Loango,* faces south, and shows an arch of blue limestone with
soffit-like edges of brick, built as if by art, with their laminations
of dark chocolate embedded in a limestone resembling marble.
A little below, a sandbank, projecting from the left, contracts the
stream to half-size and makes it very deep. The prospect is
pleasant, hill piled on hill, and changing colour from brown-red
to blue as the lines recede.†
Presently we sighted the Lapa dos Urubús, a limestone bluff
like its neighbours; but rising some eighty feet in height: it is
crowned with green trees, and has grey vegetation above. It faces
to the west, the river running north to south and the strata are
horizontal, except where they had slipped down into the water.
On the right bank, and in front, lay a tapering point projecting
from a bushy hill, whilst the sand-ledge that banked the stream
was tasselled with verdure. A single splendid Jequitibá, with a
cauliflower-like head and a wealth of cool verdure, marked the
spot.
About 5 P.M. we landed and walked up to the Lapa. Beyond the
bank, some fifteen feet high, was a dwarf clearing (Roça), with
felled trees and a field of tomatos and Quiábos, or "Quingombos,"
(Hibiscus esculentus), mixed with the Cordão do Frade.‡ After
a few paces we reached a cliff from whose crevices trees sprang
and creepers hung down; here also the arches had a brick-like
"C
* According to the people, the Loango
is the male of the Surubim; others declare
that the Moleque is the male of the Loango.
The fish here supplies the Amazonian cod-
fish, the Pirurucu (Vastus gigas), and the
people will learn to salt and export it. It
is a kind of sturgeon, scaleless, spotted and
marbled, flat-muzzled and whiskered, like
the cats (Silurus), which drown the
negro boys fishing in the Mississippi waters,
and ugly as any "devil fish." It is often
five feet long, and attains a weight of 128
lbs., yielding two kegs of oil. Several
species are mentioned; for instance, the
Surubim de Couro. The people declare it
to be a cannibal like the pike; they net it,
and the wild men shoot it with arrows.
They split the body, sun-dry it, and sell it
""
in the Sertão. The meat is excellent, white,
firm, and fat. I have never tasted a finer
fresh-water fish; it has, however, the bad
name of causing skin disease.
Here occurs the Ilha Grande which
blocks up the right side. Then the Corôa
do Clemente with three sandbanks, one
tree-grown, the others sandy. Beyond
this is another large islet, which must be
passed on the right.
+
‡ Leonotis nepetafolia. From Ukhete,
in Eastern Intertropical Africa, I sent home
a specimen of this labiad, which grows
wild all over the low damp region of the
seaboard. The negroes use it to narcotise
fish, and probably it has been introduced
into the Brazil by the old Portuguese.
CHAP. XI.] FROM BOM SUCCESSO TO THE COROA DO GALLO.
163
appearance, and the tall organ-pipe Cactus hedged the foot. The
cave faced to the south, débris of rock encumbered the entrance,
and higher up was a large shield-formed slab, masking a dark
gallery some three feet high, and said to extend two miles. Here
was a shallow pit whence the saltpetre earth had been taken, and
we found nothing within but bats and "horse-bone limestone."
Sept. 10.-The night was cold, a chilly eastern breeze coursed
down from the Diamantine mountains, and the "Corrubiana" ap-
peared from afar in fleecy dark-lined clouds. After twenty minutes'
work we came to the Cachoeira das Ilhotas, an ugly place,* but
easy to be opened, as the crest of the ledge is narrow.
The sun
waxed hot, the east wind was exceptionally cold and high, and
my companions began to suffer. João Pereira was treating a
bruised arm with arnica, and was compelled to "lay up; a
serious matter with a small crew. The other men had for the last
two days complained of a sensation of malaise, headache and
want of sleep, without any apparent reason. I resolved to begin
a new system, and to halt during the greatest heats. Finding
the Eliza overweighted to starboard we pulled up a plank and dis-
covered that, in addition to the leak, the carpenter had not taken
the trouble to remove his chips. In the Bight of Benin none of
us would have escaped fever, and a few would have remained on,
or rather in, the banks.
""
* Rocks extend across the stream from
right to left, blocking it up in the latter
direction. We went to starboard, ground-
ing upon the dexter bank of the Corôa,
above the rocks on the right, and rounded
its lower end by cordelling. Then we shot
through a bad break formed by a rock pier
running from north to south, and made the
left side to avoid two similar formations, a
detached stone and a shallow. The second
After the Ilhotas we attacked the three Jenipapos. No. 1 is a
wooded islet defended by a dangerous snag; there are rocks in
abundance and the current swings towards them. We ran down
the left bank of the holm, and crossed water breaking over sunken
stones; here in June, 1866, they wrecked a canoe and implements
for sugar-making, en route from Sabará to Januaria.† Jenipapo
No. 2, where the stream runs to the north-east, has few difficul-
ties; there is sufficient water in the mid-stream. After this, for
some three miles, we made easting, and gained nothing. Then
we crossed the Redemoinho da Beija-mão, the "Whirlpool of
▪
islet caused us to hug its eastern side to
avoid a reef on the right bank of the
stream, and we ran the rapid, carefully
looking out for ledges below water. This
occupied half-an-hour.
Below it is another break, stones and
an islet, crossing the stream from north to
south; further down, the water dances and
flows over a newly formed bank; whilst,
lowest of all, there is a break of ironstone.
M 2
164
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XI.
Hand-Kissing." It is not even a Maëlström, but it may be
dangerous to small craft during the floods. The third Jenipapo
was a Corôa, which we skirted on the right, the rest of the water-
way breaking heavily. Shortly afterwards we passed the Ilha do
Hippolito with a saw of jagged rocks that barred the right
side.
At 2 P.M. we resumed work in the teeth of a strong north wind.
The right bank showed a bed of quartz-conglomerate four to five
feet high, and below it was the dry Córrego do Brejo with its
limestone outcrop. At the Váo da Carahybat there is a ford in
the dry season, and the Saco of the same name showed a rock to
starboard, not dangerous, for the channel on the left is well
marked. Here we followed three sides of a square, and a cut of
1.5 mile would save six. At 5 P.M. we passed the Porto de Arêas,
on whose right people were encamped. It was marked by a quaint-
looking Angico Mimosa, then leafless, and exposing a smooth
rhubarb-yellow bole. Another hour placed us at the Saco da
Manga, a sandbank 20 feet high, spangled with the Mangui
Hibiscus, and supporting fine rich soil eight feet deep. Here the
waters of the Rio das Velhas, probably affected by some influent,
were particularly dark and foul, with the peculiar smell of the slimy
African river where rain has not washed it. The pilots declared it
crystal compared with the waters of the wet season, when the upper
washings give it a blood-red hue. At night, however, the evil was
mitigated by a strong wind from the "Range of the Spine."
+
Sept. 11.-The dawn when we set out was clear, but as the
horizon waxed yellow, smoke columns began to rise from the
water till dispersed by the light breeze which became a strong east
wind. At noon the sun was fiery, and the afternoon waxed wintry,
but it was a winter in Egypt. It reminded my companion of a
"fall day" in Tennessee, when men begin to pick "cutt'n."
About eventide clouds like smoke-puffs flitted across the sky and
gathered in the north, whilst a purple haze in the west, and a
misty moon betokened, said the pilot, not rain but wind.
Sweeping round a corner we saw white sand-drift and tall trees,
which showed the Porto da Manga of the Rio Pardo. It drains
* M. Liais calls it "de San Hippolyto.
Also called Caraúba, Caroba (an error),
Caraïba, and Carahiba; we shall find it in
quantities upon the Rio de São Francisco,
where there are two species, one with pale
"}
golden brown, the other with a smaller
blossom of pleasant lilac colour.
The guides named it Páu Breu-pitch
tree.
-
CHAP. XI.] FROM BOM SUCCESSO TO THE CORÔA DO GALLO. 165
the western slopes north of Diamantina. The counterslopes
supply the Caéthé-Mirim to the Jequitinhonha. Canoes, after
two days, reach its Serra, distant only twelve leagues from the
City of Diamonds. The mouth was 140 feet broad, the main
stream being 650. The first hour saw us bumping down a shallow
formed by a break, and passing a jagged line of limestone slabs
with a western strike, and nearly perpendicular, like half-sub-
merged grave-stones. A little below it were limestone blocks,
with a south-eastern strike. Again the surface of the land dis-
plays extreme irregularity, caused probably by the meeting of
different systems of uplands which project their bands from both
banks across the stream. It is one of the peculiarities of this
Lower Rio das Velhas, and deserves attention.
Presently we shot at the Cachoeira do Gonçalvez,* an ugly
place with broken water. Shortly afterwards we struck heavily,
and hung for a time upon a sunken rock in midstream, under
surface all the year round, and not noted in the plan. Twenty
minutes led to a similar accident. On the latter occasion, how-
ever, limestone lumps emerged from the water near the bank.
These obstacles are dangerous to boats; the Cachoeira must be
cut through, and the rocks should be removed. At 9:30 A.M. was
crossed the mouth of the Curumatahy River, which heads north
of and runs parallel with the Rio Pardo. Here the pretty stream
is about 105 feet broad; its right bank is rich with tall trees, and
it curves gracefully out of sight.
The Rio das Velhas again alters its aspect. For some time we
had seen in front a long grey line, the Serra do Bicudo, so called
from a little stream entering the left bank. Now we make a long
westerly bend, compelled by the Serra do Curumatahy, a chine
rising some 1500 feet above the river-bed, and at this point
approaching within 300 yards of the stream. It is prolonged to the
north by the Serras do Cabral, do Paulista and da Piedade, whilst
opposite them on the left bank are the Serras da Palma and da
Tabuá. There is a remarkable correspondence in the lines. The
summits are grass-grown, and shrubbery appears in the damper
hollows. Here, as elsewhere, more rain falls upon the higher
* M. Liais, Cachoeira de Gonçalo. Two
separate lines of limestone on the right
strike south-east, and dip 75°; all below
is rugged, with scatters of rock. We went
down on the right, shaving a slab, made
for the left side, and then crossed to the
east.
165
[CHAP. XI
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
than upon the lower levels, but the former readily drain into the
latter. Between the southern chains, which appear to be the
boundaries of the old bed, is an average interval of four miles.
The ranges are composed of gently swelling hills, with a surface
of brown bush from which the timber has been removed, and with
scattered patches and gashed lines of green, denoting water. The
slabs of blue stone, probably lime, are said to form caves and
saltpetre. At the base are bayous and swamps (brejos) lying below
highstream level. The banks show a remarkable difference; on
the right is a fertile calcareous soil, based on a ferruginous argile*
used for whetstones. On the left, where sandstones and lami-
nated clays appear, the vegetation is poor and “scraggy.”
At noon we anchored for rest near a bed of conglomerate, six
feet thick, shaded by a noble Jatobá salaaming to the water. The
place is called the Brejo do Burity, and it bears a thin forest of
monocotyledons with a dicotyledonous undergrowth. The word
written by Pizarro and St. Hilaire "Bority," by Martins, Gardner
and Kidder "Buriti," and by the System "Bruti," is a vulgar cor-
ruption of the Tupy "Murity." This Mauritia vinifera is at once
elegant and useful, but I was disappointed with it when recalling
to mind the magnificent Palmyras or Fan-palms of Yoruba. The
people, however, declare that near the river it is an inferior
growth, attaining its full dimensions only in the high and dry
Geraes lands. They could not tell me how far it extends. Most
of them agreed that where the Carnahuba clothes the margins of
the middle São Francisco the "Burity" grows inland. Here it
flourishes isolated and in groups. I saw every size, from the
little ground-fan to the tall column crowned with sphere of leafage.
According to Leblond and Codazzi, a tribe of Guaraunos or
Waraons depended for life upon this palm, where they built their
aërial houses, and whose larvæ are still favourite food with the
"Indians" of the Orinoco. Here the leaves are woven into bas-
kets, and the fronds are cut, rafted down, and sold for fences.
The oily, reddish pulp between the fruit scales and the albumi-
nous substance of the nut is made with sugar into a massa
or lump, and carried bound in leaves to market. The people
relish this "doce," although it is believed that eating the fruit
* At 9.50 A. M. we passed in the river
and on the banks, ironstone, apparently
rich.
+ Some old travellers have "murichy."
‡ St. Hil. (III. ii. 344) says, "le tronc
est rempli d'une moëlle, dont on fait une
sorte de confiture." All assured me that
it was from the fruit.
CHAP. XI.]
FROM BOM SUCCESSO TO THE CORÔA DO GALLO. 167
stains the skin yellow. The brown-yellow fibre forms strong ham-
mocks, which last longest when the material is greased. On the
Rio de São Francisco they cost from 1$000 to 1$500. The
saccharine juice gives the most highly prized palm wine in the
Brazil, where, curious to say, that of the Cocoa nut, of all the
delicatest, is unknown. It is extracted, after the wasteful negro
fashion, by felling the tree; holes are cut with the axe half a foot
. long by three inches deep, at intervals of five or six feet, and they
are soon filled with the reddish liquor. As time advances a more
economical system will be tried. The "Buritizal" suffers much
from the large ant called Içá or Yçá.
At 2 P.M. we left the Jatobá shore, which seemed to be enjoyed
by flies and other pests as well as by ourselves. We made a
straight line of five miles between the parallel range, after which
the narrowness of the right-hand channel drove us to the left of a
Corâo. At 3·15 P.M. we passed an island wooded on the north.
The west bank was strewn with very loose Cascalho, and cut by a
limpid stream. Here the bed narrowed to 250 feet. A few "der-
rubadas," or clearings, contained dead trees encumbering the
ground, and little onion plots spoke of population. Half an hour
afterwards a sandbank squeezed the left channel, and drove us
down the right. Here we saw for the first time groups of lime-
stone rocks just above water, and overgrown with the woody
Arinda. The Cachoeira do Riacho das Pedras breaks in the
centre and shows the same features, calcareous blocks bare of
everything but shrub. Lastly we left on the right the Coroa do
Gallo, two bars of limestone almost à fleur d'eau; and at 5:45 P.M.
we anchored on the port bank, a tract of sand thinly covered with
scrub.*
This day we passed over immense wealth, of which, like philo-
sophers, we took no heed. The Rio Pardo, like the Paráuna,
drains highlands rich in diamonds and gold, whilst the bed of the
Rio das Velhas is a natural system of launders. In due time it
will be thought, perhaps, advisable to turn and lay dry certain
bends in this part of the stream, and there are several places
where such an operation suggests itself.
For the last two nights the "Whip-poor-will" and the "Cury-
* Opposite this place the map shows a
dwelling-house, "As Porteiras," but from
the stream we did not sight it. Porteira
1
(originally a porteress,) here means a barred
gate leading to a pasture, &c.
Wit
168
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XI.
angú" have been silent-they who so often had broken our sleep
with their complaints and responses, delivered from the thickets
along and across the stream. Men are certainly not numerous
enough to destroy them. Perhaps their favourite food abounds in
some places, not in others, and thus they may not inhabit the
banks continuously. Or again, the cold wind is, we may conjec-
ture, uncomfortable enough to interrupt the concert.
<<
CHAPTER XII.
FROM THE CORÔA DO GALLO TO THE ILHA GRANDE.
CACHOEIRA DA ESCARAMUÇA (NO. 10, AND FINAL). THE DELIGHTFUL
—
TEMPERATURE.—VERMIN,-ECLIPSE OF THE MOON.-THE HOWLING MON-
KEYS HOWL, AND OTHER SIGNS OF AN APPROACHING RAINY SEASON.-
THE JACARÉ, OR BRAZILIAN CROCODILE.-GULLS, AND NOISY BIRDS. -
SERPENTS.-LAST NIGHT ON THE RIO DAS VELHAS.
""
،،
o clima doce, o campo ameno
E entre arvoredo immenso, a fertil 'herva
Na viçosa extensão do aureo terreno.
(Caramurú, vii. 50.)
THURSDAY, Sept. 12, 1867.-We had been idle yesterday. I
had given an inch, and very naturally my men had taken the usual
ell. We began early with the best of resolutions, doomed, how-
ever, to be disappointed. Presently slack water prepared us for a
fall, called by M. Liais the "Cachoeira dos Ovos. Here a mass
of green-clad blocks and a break sent us first to the left and then
down midstream. Half an hour afterwards we reached O Desem-
boque-the disemboguing. A little further down an old Morador
put off from the right bank to buy twist-tobacco, which the "Me-
nino" had bought for seven and sold for twenty coppers per yard.
Yet the whole country is admirably fitted for growing the weed.
He gave us a terrible account of a rapid some seven miles down
stream, declaring the fall to be six feet high, and nothing would
persuade him to accompany us. Probably he had never seen it.
Presently appeared on the left the opening of the Rio Lavado,
or Washed River, so called from the diamond diggings in the
*The Menino " named it "Barra das
Pedras," and an old man on the bank
'Cachoeira do Ribeirão," from a little
stream on the right which we passed at
9.30 A.M.
In Minas Geraes there is a town called
Desemboque. M. Liais writes Desem-
*
borque and "Embórque " (p. 22), the popu-
lar pronunciation; there is, however, no
such word. Here a shallow tide-rip (ma-
reta) crosses the bed, the effect of rocks
extending from the right bank. We de-
scended, stern foremost, in ten minutes,
and took the right of a small Corôa.
170
[CHAP. XII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
upper bed. The gap, 150 feet broad, appeared to be choked with
green. We easily shot a small break garnished with three lumps
of stone, and went to the left of a Corôa and its shallow. Now a
reach and banks, regular and artificial dykes, backed by a fine
mass of blue Serra, prepared us for the Cachoeira de Escaramuça,
the tenth and last serious obstacle on the Rio das Velhas.
This rapid is formed by a broken wall extending nearly across
stream from north-west to south-east. The hard clay is capped
with iron, and the shapeless rocks are tilted up nearly vertically.
In the centre is the main drop, about three feet high, and here
the channel would easily be opened. * We went half way down
the shallow thalweg, close to the eastern bank, and after six
minutes we made fast near a patch of bright green "water grass,"
hardly sweet enough to be good forage, whilst the pilot went
ahead in the tender to prospect. Under the shady trees the rush
and bubble of the cool waters made pleasant music, and it was
interesting to see the old man balancing himself like a rope-dancer
upon his hollow log, tossed by the tide-rip.
Below the principal fall were three channels. That lying to the
right of the Corôa proved too shallow. Above the sand-bar was a
bad broken passage, rejected because of the rocks to leeward. Be-
tween them and the gravel-islet lay the clear way. The river was now
at its lowest, and the drift timber showed that it had lately fallen
two inches. The crew was obliged to clear away the rock-frag-
ments, and the Eliza was led like a vicious mare down the hand-
made channel. On the Corôa we found for the first time the
bivalve shells of a "river mussel," which extends all down the
Rio de São Francisco, and which is valued for fish bait.
-
After working nearly an hour we made for the left bank, and
anchored near the mouth of a small marsh drain, “S. Gonçálo das
Tabocas" (of the wild bamboos). Here the men changed their
dripping clothes, and guarded against the rheumatics with a dram.
At 2.20 P.M. we resumed work, passed sundry Corôas,‡ and ran
under the Serra do Paulista. At 4:30 P.M. we attacked the Cacho-
* M. Liais proposes to open the right
channel, but this portion would, I venture
to think, soon be filled up.
It is the No. 1 of my small collection.
According to the pilots this mussel, when
alive, keeps in deep water, and only shells
are found in the shallows.
The first was a small Corôa with a
break and snags; the right bank a little
below it showed heaps of black stone, in
which sand, and frequently the blue calca-
reous matter, reappeared. The next Corôa
was close to the Serra, which in the map
is placed one mile too far east.
CHAP. XII.] FROM THE CORÔA DO GALLO TO THE ILHA GRANDE. 171
eira das Prisoes-of the prisons. It is formed by a Corôa of
large pebbles between which spring tufts of grass. On the northern
end grew a clump of the largest trees yet seen. The right channel
being too narrow, we took the left, and bumped along the islet,
leaving the break to port. It was not easy to escape a snag in
the middle, where there are also many rocks. The Mandim fish
croaked like a frog and grunted like a pig under our bows.
This day's sun had been burning hot, and till 1 P.M. we had no
breeze. As we descend the atmosphere undergoes a notable
change, like the air of the Mediterranean after the English Chan-
nel. Nothing can be more delightful than this sensation; one
feels thawed; the "snow gets out of the eyes," the "ice leaves
the bones," and man is restored to the passive enjoyment of life
in the medium where he was first born to live. Hence our sea-
men, it is well known, prefer the West African Station, despite its
fevers and dysenteries. A "spell of cold" easily explains the
preference.
-
Nor can we complain of heat, remembering that we are in
S. lat. 17°, about the parallel of Mocha in Southern Arabia.
Here we have 85° (F.), there 105°. The climate is tempered by
the large area of sea compared with land, by the abundance of
water causing a regular ventilation, by the height above sea-level,
by the hours of darkness being nearly equal to those of light,
and generally by the shape of the continent. At times, however,
especially under the tree-shade, the vermin bite viciously. Of the
larger nuisances, I have not yet seen during my Brazilian sojourn
the centipede, or any but spirit specimens of the lacraia, or scorpion,
although Koster was stung by one, and in Patagonia the latter is
plentiful as in El Hejaz. Hence the term is sometimes applied to
the Bicho Cabelludo, or hairy caterpillar, called by the indigenes
Taturana. The Carrapâto tick and the jigger, except in huts, are
rare. We did not suffer from the Berne or blow-fly, nor from the
Marimbombo, the "Jack Spaniard" of trappers. The borrachudo
(Culex penetrans) which greatly affects cool and wooded Serras, at
times gives trouble. The bite draws a point of blood which must
be pressed out, and the place rubbed with ammonia, otherwise the
itching becomes intolerable. I never travel without a large supply
of "smelling salts," which are equally valuable against a snake or
a headache. In this arid atmosphere the mutúca or motúca
(which Southey writes "mutuça") gadfly is rare. The Mosquito,
172
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XII.
·
generally called mosquito pernilongo,* but here muriçóca or muri-
sóca (Morisoca, Koster), at times pipes a small song, in "la sharp,"
say the musically eared. The "bar," however, is as little neces-
sary as is the "fever-guard." The insect is not a large variety,
like the Vincudo of the coast, especially of the Mangrove rivers,
and its threat is worse than its bite. In February and March,
when the waters recede, and the banks, like those of an African.
river, are dressed in mire, the infliction is said to be severe. The
most troublesome is the diminutive dark sand-fly, known as Mu-
cuim (Muquim, St. Hil.) or polvora. The Maruim or Morúim
(Maroim, Koster; Miruim, St. Hil.; Merohy, Gardner), burns
like a "blister" of fire; it produces swellings, especially around
the eyes, even in those who do not suffer from the Mosquito, and
where swarms are found it is as well to wear gloves and a gauze
veil connecting head and body gear. The Carapana and a smaller
variety, the Puim, which delight in the Assacú (Hura Brasiliensis),
also bite by day.
At 5.45 P.M., after much labour, short and sharp, we were not
sorry to find on the left bank a clearing known as the Curralinho.
A little above was the Córrego do Negro, with a white-tasselled
Ingazeirat drooping over the water. A black morador sold us a
gourd full of eggs at the rate of five per "dump," copper or
penny. Here we saw fine sugar, castor plants 15 feet high, and
magnificent cotton. It was a fine study of wild life. The screams
of the wild fowl told us of a lakelet on the right bank, and as
the after glow deepened, flights of wild duck and the splendid rose-
tinted Colheireira winged their way across the stream. The
moon, nearly at the full, and almost obscuring Jupiter, rose
majestically above the misty wall, the Serra da Piedade, which
bounded the view to the left. The shadow of the vegetation upon
the far side, as the lunar disc tipped the tallest trees, was nearly
as well painted upon the mirrory waters as in the soft blue air.
The river seemed to sleep, and over its depths brooded unbroken
silence, except when a fish sprang to its prey. The stars and
Mosquito, both in Spanish and Portu-
guese S. America, is properly speaking a
"little fly," namely a sand-fly, and the
name which we have perverted is thoroughly
appropriate.
Not Angaseiro as Halfeld has it. The
name, Inga or Engá, is applied to Mimosas
of various species, some bearing an edible
legumen.
The "spoonbill," so called from its
chief peculiarity. The zoological name,
"Platalea Ayaya" or "Ajaja," is evidently
derived from the Tupy Ay' áya.
CHAP. XII.] FROM THE CORÔA DO GALLO TO THE ILHA GRANDE. 173
planets rose with no glimmering indistinct beams, as they appear
upon the horizon in northern lands; the rays strike the eye at
once in the full blaze of their beauty. At times a cold breath
came from the highlands to the north-east, soon to be followed
by a warm and violent gust from the north, which swept harm-
lessly over our sheltered raft. Then recommenced the persistent
clamour of the "Curyangú" and the complaint of "Whip-poor-
will," whilst in the distance the wolves bayed their homage to the
Queen of Night. What a contrast to the hum of civilisation and
the glaring of the gas!
September 13.—The morning was warm-65° F.—and we were
en route with the rising of the "fall-sun," whose smoke-stained
disk was harmless as in England. Presently we passed the Pie-
dade River, which heads far to the north-east.* Under its
influence the Rio das Velhas spreads out into a bay widening to
1500 feet and half a mile-my companion was reminded of the
Yazoo River. The flat benches and ledges of the banks, fifteen
to twenty-five feet high, show by their regularity the action of
water. Half a mile below the Piedade we found the Cachoeira
dos Dourados, † with rocks on the left; the channel to the east is
shallow, and a bottom of heavy pebbles causes a break. Below
the Corôa we poled across to the western side, shaving two large
trees in the stream.
At 7·15 A.M. we passed the Córrego de São Gonçalo, which
takes its name from an old village and chapelry on the upper
course. After making another channel by removing loose stones
and safely cordelling down a difficulty,§ we came to another
"Cachoeira do Desemboque," which M. Liais calls the most
dangerous point on the Lower Rio das Velhas. || It is a compli-
cated feature; at the north is a gravel islet covered with trees;
*The mouth is 110 feet wide, and the
left jaw is garnished with a green patch
and fine trees; the stream is said to be
full of fish, and, though shallow, it gives
passage to canoes as far as its Serra.
The Dourado, or gilt fish, the Aurata
of Dr. Levy, so called from its red yellow
belly and fins which flash in the sun, is
one of the Salmonidæ, found in salt water
and in streams where it cannot escape to
the sea. It resembles a trout in shape of
the body, not the head, and it grows to a
length of two to four feet. It readily
swallows bait and devours small fry. The
people consider it one of the best fish for
the table, and the head and belly are the
parts preferred.
M. Liais has called it Córrego de
Maria Grande.
""
S Below the Córrego was the "meio
brabo (half fierce) Cachoeira das Tabo-
quinhas of the little bamboos. Then
a long mass of black rock forms two distinct
ledges, the northern stretching from south-
east to north-west almost across the stream.
|| Here M. Liais has placed on the right
bank a tall block of hill, which does not
exist.
174
[CHAP. XII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
a white and sandy holm also well clothed, and below it a common
sand-bar. The brawling river-channel on the right has not water
enough for canoes. Here magnificent masses of green bulge out
towards the stream, and are set off by large bunches of rusty-
red yellow flowers, resembling from afar the autumnal and matu-
ring leafage of the sugar maple (Acer saccharinus). This Paú
Jahu,* when seen singly, is by no means beautiful; the Sertanejos
make tea of the blossoms, and the ashes are used for soap. We
took the left of the islet down a thalweg with a small sand-bank
and two breaks in the centre. The second was the more danger-
ous; a rock below the surface threw back the flood in white foam.
We then poled to the north of the Corôa and down the centre,
inclining to the right.
Followed a confusion of small sand bars, t while in front rose.
the "Serra do Brejo," trending from east-north-east to west-north-
west. The height is from 1300 to 1500 feet, and there are two
distances, the nearer forested, whilst the farther is dyed blue with
air. We halted for an hour at 1.30 P.M., when a high northerly
wind set strong in our teeth; it lasted till 4 P.M., when it fell to
the deadest calm. These breezes greatly retard progress, as the
men seem to disdain the shelter of the bank. A charming reach
then appeared, a long perspective of corresponding sides, some
ninety feet high, into which ran large blocks of stratified and
weathered stone. Below the small "Corôa da Carióca,”‡ (of the
white man's house,) the Rio das Pedras opens on the left a mouth
of ninety feet from jaw to jaw. It comes from a distance of ten
leagues, but at this season it is dry; such indeed is the case with
all but the very largest drains.
The Corôa-cum-Ilha do Cahir d'Aguia was the largest we had
yet seen; it took us fifteen minutes to run by it, and in England
it would have been a pretty little estate. The narrow right hand
channel is garnished with splendid forest-trees, faced on the left
The pilots called it Marmelo do Mato,
or wild quince. The Jahú is also the name
of a large Silurus, not found in the Rio
das Velhas, but abundant in the Rio de
São Francisco, the Upper Paraguay, the
Tiété, and other streams.
+ The first was a shallow break, the
"Cachoeira da Cannella;" it is just below
the "Coroa do Curral, a deep strong
current with the passage on the left. The
"Cachoeira do Cotovelo" (of the elbow)
"}
subtends a long island, and the "Coroa do
Cantinho" (of the little corner) is a double
islet, with dark rusty pebbles to the south
and tall trees to the north.
From Caryba, a "Carib," a white man,
a Portuguese, and "Oca," a house. "Car-
ióca was often applied to a small fort,
and hence the name of the suburb of Rio
de Janeiro. This Coroa has many snags
on the right, the swiftness of the streain to
the left sweeps them away.
""
CHAP. XII.] FROM THE CORÔA DO GALLO TO THE ILHA GRANDE. 175
by second-growth and scrub.* About 5 P.M. we anchored near the
left bank, at the "Porto da Palma," a peculiar formation. Pro-
jecting into the stream, and flaked and caked with the mud of the
last flood, was a natural pier 150 yards long by twenty deep, with
a dip of 5° and a westerly strike. The substance is the "Pedra
de Amolar," an argillaceous schist of greenish colour, sometimes
bare, more often capped with ironstone; the cleavage is in all
directions, the subaërial portion is very fragile, and the lamina-
tions vary from wafer thickness to a foot deep. A little below
on the right bank there is a sister formation.
We picked up
specimens of this clay shale; as whetstones they were too easily
broken.
The river plain on the left bank is baked to white mud and
sprinkled with silt, showing that it is regularly inundated; small
drains bear scattered lines of trees, and the rest of the vegetation
is mostly bitterish water-grass, which will not feed cattle without
salt. To the south-west the land, as the forest shows, is beyond
the reach of water; here the soil must improve. The flat had
lately been burnt, and the shrubby trees, well warmed, had put
forth the tenderest green leafage in lieu of the scorched brown
tatters that hung loosely to the twig tops.
This evening was the perfection of climate, fresh yet balmy.
The boys fished successfully; everything bit voraciously, even at
the bird-bait. Five douradinhost and eight mandins soon lay
crimped upon the ground, and when the line, nearly the thickness
of a little finger, was left in the water, it was cut, the pilot said,
by a piranha. Again the noise of water-fowl told us that a lakelet
was not distant. Clouds high in air flitted over the moon's full
disk, which threw across the water a pillar of tremulous fire,
and crested with red the ripples that rose from the inky surface
swirling under the further bank. The mobile physiognomy of
this river is not the least of its charms. Its expression is changeful
as that of the human face. Yesternight it was still and shallow
as a mountain tarn, now it is swift and deep, covering the back-
waters with flecks and curds of foam.
Presently the eclipse came on, and the dark shadow of our globe
creeping slowly over the disk of the old "harvest moon," was
*The left bank showed tolerable soil in it was not nearly so fertile as the other side.
the beginning of this day's work, but the Considered to be a small species of the
improvement was only temporary. As a rock
dourado.
176
[CHAP. XII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
* Mr. Buckle, whose first volume had
the good fortune to be designated by a
popular writer " a furrago of energetic
nonsense and error, remarks (i. 345)
"there probably never has been an ignor-
ant nation whose superstition has not been
excited by eclipses. Possibly in the New
World, where the operations of nature are
on so grand a scale, man is steeled against
shown by reflection in the new moon's arms; the gibbus of the
crescent, however, faced to the south. There were none of the
sinister appearances, rather appalling than imposing, which
accompany solar obscuration, the lurid copper-coloured air, the
slinking of beasts and the silence of birds, and in man the feel-
ing that even the sun is not above or beyond change. Here the
light slowly waned, the various voices of frogs and night birds
came from swamp and forest, bats flitted about, fireflies lit up
the copse, and the fish splashed merrily to catch the gentle
breeze. As might be expected, the human beings there present
hardly noticed the phenomenon by looking upwards; a comet
would not have roused their attention.* Then the glorious
satellite climbing the zenith finally emerged from the shadow, and
again shed silvery light and gladness over the nether world. By
way of anti-climax we "turned in."
September 14.-We set out at 6 A.M. in warm and perfectly still
air; foam was floating in lines down stream, and curdling near
the banks where the deep water lies. An hour's work took us to
the Ilha da Maravilha, where the Córrego do Lameirão† enters
the left bank. On the opposite side appeared a good "improve-
ment,” the soil was excellent, and a fence of stakes and poles had
been run down to the waterside. Presently we heard, for the
first time, from a tall Jatobá tree, whose fruits are its delight, the
hoarse roar of the Guariba monkey (Mycetes ursinus, or Stentor).
It is here known by the general words bugío, and barbado, the
bearded; the French colonists call it alouate. John Mawe
declares that it snores so loud when sleeping, that it astonishes
travellers; the enlargement of the larynx into a square bony box.
which causes the disproportionate noise, is now familiar to natu-
ralists. This brown monkey was eaten by the Indians, and in
wilder parts Brazilians do not disdain it. The pilot mentioned a
similar species with a long fine black coat, which may be the
Mycetes Beelzebub. He declared that the roaring of the guariba was
""
">
•
M
appearances which in other countries would
stimulate his imagination. Who that has
ever inhabited an earthquake country would
think of dreading an eclipse, unless at
least it be connected in the popular mind
with earthquakes?
"Of the big mud;" the pilot gave
this name to an opening in the right bank.
CHAP. XII.] FROM THE CORÔA DO GALLO TO THE ILHA GRANDE. 177
a sign of the Rainy Season drawing near, and noted a variety of
other small symptoms, such as the trooping of butterflies in moist.
places, the louder frog-concerts, the hum and chirp of the Cicada,
the biting of the sand flies, and the song of the Sabiá, that Prince
of the Merubida. During the last three days also, the soft and
balmy atmosphere had been disturbed by gusts of wind, vapours
here lay upon the ground, there accumulated into clouds, and dis-
tant sheet lightning flashed from the mists massing round the
horizon. The smoke of the prairie-fires rose in columns, and
they might have been mistaken for the fumes of a steamer; by
night those that were near glowed like live coals, whilst the more
distant gleamed blue. We prepared for an Ember week of equi-
noctial gales, but we hoped to be far down the São Francisco
River before the beginning of the wet summer, which usually
dates from the middle of October. As will appear, we had de-
ceived ourselves.
About 10 A.M. we passed on the right bank the Ribeiraõ do
Corrente; a small stream, which greatly swells during the inun-
dations, was trickling down it: the line is not navigable, but the
waters abound in fish, and these places will act as preserves when
life is driven from the main line by steamers. The embouchure
is marked by a columnar conical mass, which suggests an enor-
mous cypress formed by vines and creepers swarming up a broken
tree-shaft. Here a dog swimming across the stream showed little
apprehension of the "Jacaré" (Crocodilus sclerops), and the
people declare that those of the lakes are dangerous, whilst the
river-caymans are not. Lately, however, a woman was carried
off in the Ribeira de Iguape by this congener of the dreaded
African crocodile. It is said to prefer its meat "high," as does
its big brother, and before deglutition to break the bones of its
victims by blows with its ponderous head. According to Koster,
the wild people eat it, but the negroes will not touch the meat;
even the Gabams (Negroes of the Gaboon), who are believed to be
cannibals. Both on the Rio das Velhas and the São Francisco we
often saw the Jacaré protruding its snout from the water, basking
in the mud, or lurking amongst the drift wood. No specimen
exceeded five feet in length; in the Apuré and the equinoctial
* In old French, Caymand and Caymande
are equivalent to "faineant;" perhaps the
early travellers found the huge lizard un-
VOL. II.
willing to move. It becomes unwieldy
with age, but in youth it is very agile.
N
178
[CHAP. XII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
rivers it grows to four or five times that size. The negroes, it is
well known, use the crocodile gall in their philters and poisons;
the molars of the Jacaré are here hung round the neck as talis-
mans against disease. The musky smell of the meat must deter
any one but an "Indian" from using it, and the people ignore
the alligator-skin boots which Texas invented.
A lumpy hill, grassy above and forested below, and stretching
from north-east to south-west, strikes the stream at this point,
and bends it from a straight course to the south-west and the
north-east; this “ sack is seven miles long instead of one.
Presently we passed a large Fazenda on the right bank of perpen-
dicular clay, some thirty-five feet high; it belongs to Dr. Luis
Francisco Otto of Guaicuhy, and we begin to acknowledge the
odour of civilization. After a few obstructions,* we rested at
noon on the left bank, sheltered from the strong north wind;
here was a mass of bluish stone, which appeared to be finely
laminated calcaire when it was only clay shale.
Resuming our way, we passed to port the Córrego das Pedras
do Burity, where the great bend terminates, and two nameless
influents-I mention them, because they are "Corrégos de
Morada," where men have settled, and which afford a good "situa-
ção," giving value to the lands adjacent. At 4 P.M. hove in sight
a tall blue wall of mountains, denoting the line of the Rio de
São Francisco; the crew disputed about the name, and also
about a couple of Córregos further down.§
At 5 P.м. we made fast to the right bank of the Ilha da Tabua,
which the pilots called Ilha Grande. It has a large Corôa to the
south, with a mound of stiff clay, tree-grown and root-compacted,
extending from south-east to north-west. The left arm of the
river is here greenish in the centre, and beautifully clear under
the banks; on the other side we saw a farm with a line of
""
*
A sunken sand-bank (Areão) which
must be passed on the left, a Corda in the
bend called Saco do Jequi, and a double
tide-rip inclosing smooth wator; this is
formed by a beach (praia) on the right,
which narrows the stream to 120 foet.
†“Córrego grande dos Buritis. Liais.
One named it Serra do Jemipapo, and
another the Serra da Tabuá; it may have
been the Serra da Porteira (Liais) on tho
right or castern bank of the junction.
""
In the map "Córrego da Gamellcira "
Hi
((
""
and Córrego do Tamburil." The wild
fig here attains a great size, and sometimes
six stems spring up together. The Tam-
buril, pronounced Tamburi (M. Liais "Tam-
bury"), also called Vinhatico do Campo, is
a tall hardwood tree. The "Menino
insisted that the Tamburil influent
should be called the "Gamelleira," and
that it is "de morada," not navigable
but coming from afar. The mouth is eighty
feet wide from jaw to jaw.
>"
CHAP. XII.] FROM THE COROA DO GALLO TO THE ILHA GRANDE. 179
noble trees, whilst the north is a tangle of wood, thicket, and
grass.
For the first time we found the Corôa well stocked with birds."
The Urubú scavenger, regardless of the rifle, expanded his wings
to the sun, and looked as if he wore a silver back. Small Cha-
radriada hopped gleesomely about the sands, together with Ma-
nuelsinho da Corôa-little Emanuel of the Sandbar-a Scolopax
with red-stockinged stilts, much resemblng our sandpiper. The
South American plover (Vanneau d'Amerique, Vanellus cayen-
nensis, Neuw.), also with red stockings and pretty variegated
plume, followed the cattle tracks. Spanish America calls it after
its cry, Tero-Tero, the Portuguese prefer Quero-Quero (I want!
I want!) and Espanta boiada, "Startle Cattle:" its manners
are those of the peewit, it haunts marshes and pastures, it seems
never to sleep, and it is a great plague to the sportsman. In
remarkable contrast with its unpleasant vivacity, is the solemn
Acara, or heron with the long thin legs supporting a body always
delicately white and clean. A tern very like the Sterna hirundo,
looking snow-white against the slatey blue sky, fluttered in the
lower air with the rising and falling flight of the butterfly. The
Gaivota, or gull, which the Tupys term Atyaty, or Cará-caraí,
dark-backed and red-billed, reminded my companion of those
which show communication between Memphis and the Mexican
Gulf, one of the colonies which I saw upon the Tanganyika Lake.
The whole flock rose and with circlings and swoopings followed and
seemed determined to fight the dog Negra, occasionally varying the
exercise by feinting to assault the men. They were enraged at our
intruding upon their private property, and with proverbial stupidity
they told by screams the secrets of their ménage. We retaliated
by taking their eggs, which were about the size of a plover's, with
(6
splotches" of light and dark chocolate brown upon a dirty
cream-coloured ground. They revenged themselves by a persis-
tent "corrobory" round our camp-fire, which effectually banished
* The number, however, gradually in-
creased below the Parafina River.
Thus Sr. Ladislão dos Santos Titará
sings,-
Vão quero quero pelo ar soltando.
So on the lower Purûs, in July tho
eggs of the Gaivota may be picked up by
scores from the nests, round holes, four
inches across and three deep, in the sand-
P
-
banks, where an upper coating of mud
prevents the drifting of the wind; "the
eggs, three or four in each nest, are of a
dirty light green or brown, with patches as
of dried blood; when fresh they are very
good eating and much like puffins' eggs.
Ascent of the River Purûs, by W. Chand-
less. Journal Royal Geo. Soc., vol. xxxvi.
1866.
""
N 2
180
[CHAP. XII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
*
sleep, and they were viciously ready by early dawn to "see the
last of us with taunts and execrations.
""
•
The "Menino " found upon the sands the parallel lines which
might easily have been mistaken for cart-ruts; he declared it to
be the sign of the dreaded Sucuriú,* or Watersnake, whilst
Chico Diniz declared that the straightness of the trail showed a
small Jacaré. This hideous boa mostly haunts stagnant waters,
occasionally visiting rivers; it is amphibious, and when not dis-
turbed by man and prairie fires, it attains the enormous length of
thirty feet. I heard of one that measured sixty, and swallowed a
bullock; in old travellers we read of men sitting down upon a
fallen tree-trunk, which presently began-like the whale with the
fire on its back-to change location. The "Indians" eat the
Sucuriú which, like most serpents, is savoury and wholesome
food; the civilized confine themselves to eels. The skin used to
be tanned for boots and housings, now it is kept chiefly as a
curiosity.
At Maquiné, a morador threw into the river, before I could
secure it, a fine specimen of the Surucucú, or Çurucucú, first
mentioned by Marcgraf. It is the Lachesis mutus of Dandin,
the Crotalus mutus of Linnæus, the Bothrops Surucucú of Spix
and Martius, the Xenodon rhabdocephalus of my friend, Dr. Otho
Wucherer (Zool. Soc. London, Nov. 12, 1861), and the " great
viper" of Cayenne and Surinam, which is supposed to cause death
in six hours. The length of this trigonocephal varies from three
to eight and even to nine feet; its skin is of a dirty tawny yellow,
with dark brown lozenges on the back, and the broad head gives
it, to the connoisseur, a peculiarly vicious appearance. It is
reported to be attracted by fire, but rarely to injure travellers.
There are two species of this snake, the less common being the
"Sururucú bico de jacá."
The other serpents of which the people spoke were the fol-
(C
* The Boa Anacondo of Dandin (tho
Boa Murina of Mart., Cunectes murinus).
'Sucuriú," properly "Sucury," is derived
from "Suu" beast, and "cury" or "curu"
a snorer, a snorter, alluding to its sibilant
powers. According to Prince Max. (ii.
172) this boa is called "Sucuriú in
Minas, and "Sucuriuba on the Rio Bel-
monto. Pizarro prefers "Sucruyu." Some
write "Sucuruju" and oven "Sucuriuh,"
"}
")
and pronounco "Sucuriú." It is also
called "Cobra de Veado " because supposed
to be fond of venison, and Spix and Mar-
tius hoard from M. Duarte Nogueira that
it has attacked a man on horseback, and
has even swallowed an ox. A Brazilian
gentleman assured me that in Maranham
he had seen the terrible reptile swimming
across the stream with a pair of horns pro-
truding from its mouth.
M
CHAP. XII.] FROM THE COROA DO GALLO TO THE ILHA GRANDE. 181
lowing. The rattle-snake (Crotalus horridus), is known as the
Cascavel (not Cascavella, as some write), a "hawksbell," and
the Tupys called it "Maracá," a rattle, or boicininga, from
"boia," or "boya," a serpent, and "cininga,"
cininga," a chocalho, or
bell. It is well proportioned, in length between four and eight
feet, and brown grey with lozenges of lighter and darker colour.
It prefers stony and hilly ground, where it can easily sun itself,
and has a kind of domestic habit of making a home.
It is
very lazy and harmless, except when troubled; hence, probably,
its fame for listening most willingly to the voice of the serpent-
charmer. The rattles* soon give warning, and it may be killed
with a switch; cattle are often poisoned by it, but I have not
heard in the Brazil of a man dying by its bite. Possibly the
dampness of the climate may modify the venom. The fiercest
of the lance-headed vipers, and emphatically declared to attack
mankind, like the Cobra de Capello of the Guinea Coast, is
the Jararocá (Cophias or Viper atrox; Bothrops Neuwiedii of
Spix and Martius, alias Crespidocephalus atrox). It is of a
dirty dark yellow, turning to brown-black about the tail, and
although Koster gives it nine feet, it seldom exceeds five feet
in length, and the Jararacussu is the same reptile when full
grown and old. The Caninina often mentioned by old writers,
is a Coluber not much dreaded, and the papo-ovo or egg-eater
much resembles it. The Cobra Coral is so named by the people
from its resemblance to a necklace of mixed corals; the term,
however, is applied to four, five, or more animals of different
species. The common Coral, Elaps corallinus, called Coluber
fulvus by Linnæus, who saw it when the beautiful colours were
tarnished by alcohol, has black, carmine-red, and greenish-white
transversal rings upon a smooth thin body. All declare, both in
books and vivâ voce, that it is as venomous as it is charming;
but the fangs, though formed for offence, are so placed as to
be almost useless. Another Coral (Coluber venustissimus), is
also ringed with tricolor ornaments, but the head and gape are
larger than that before-mentioned. A third ringed snake is the
Coluber formosus, with an orange-coloured head, and not veno-
Lastly, there is the Cobra Cipó, or whipsnake (Coluber
mous.
* Dr. Renault of Barbacena declares that the rattle (sonnette), is perpendicular in the
male and horizontal in the female,
182
[CHAP. XII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
bicarinatus, the Cypô of Koster), with a line of carinated scales
on each side: it is often confounded with the Cobra Verde, a
fine, green, harmless Coluber. I have killed it in a tree despite
the prayers of the bystanders, who declared that it can project ·
itself like an arrow. The same tale is told of the Cananina, which
is mentioned as a "flying snake" by Koster.
*
When first visiting the Brazil, travellers come prepared to
meet serpents on every path, their minds are brimful of beasts,
every spider is deadly, they suspect the intentions of the cock-
roach, and a thorn-prick suggests a scorpion. Even the un-
fortunate Macaco fly, the African Millipede (piolho de Cobra), .
the Amphisbæna or Slow-worm ("Mãi das Sámbas"), the
innocuous "Dryophis," and the Gitaranaboia are capable of
dealing sudden death. Presently they find out that the rep-
tiles have retreated before man, either to the seclusion of the
maritime regions, or into the Far West. As in Africa, so here,
“snake” means something more or less fatal. I presume that
man's aversion to this harmless and maligned animal is partly
traditional, derived from the old Hebrew myth, and, to a certain
extent, instinctive; the brightness of the eye, upon which Mr.
Luccock could not look, and the form of the head, a curious
resemblance to humanity, being the most remarkable points. I
have heard, even amongst the educated, of an inherited horror of
the snake, but this must rank with the tales of the Serpent kings,
and with the "Indian" fancy that a man when bitten must not
look at a woman.
The Brazilians inherit from the old inhabitants † a sensible
way of treating snake bites, but their system admits of improve-
The savages applied above the wound a ligature, which
ment.
*This insect, of which the traveller will
often hear, is described as about two inches
long, with an oblong body, a snake-shaped
head one third of its total length, and
wings like those of the tree cricket (Cigarra),
but much longer. The proboscis folds
under the abdomen like the blade of a pen-
knife; this stylet is supposed to be thrust
forth like a bayonet when the insect flies
straight as an arrow, and as it is always
blind it victimises everything which comes
in its way.
And from the Africans. I could not,
however, find any traces of the "Mandi-
gueiro" or serpent charmer, who, according
to Koster, is the West Indian Obeah. But
the word is evidently a corruption of Man-
dingo, the old and incorrect form of
Mandenza, a Semi-Semitic Moslem race,
well known at "Sa Leone.
Să
Wonderful
tales are told of these "Curadores de
Cobra," how they could handle the most
venomous reptiles, cure the patient (curado
de cobras) by wrapping a tamed snake
round his head and shoulders, or by re-
citing magical words, or by the use of
contas verdes," literally "green beads,'
which were probably nothing but the blue
Popo bead of which every West African
traveller has left an account.
"C
""
CHAP. XII.] FROM THE CORÔA DO GALLO TO THE ILHA GRANDE. 183
prevents the blood reaching the heart for some time; the civi-
lized bind it so tightly that mortification of the limb has followed.
Both indulge in a butcher-like style of surgery, which has been
imitated by the scientific man.* They almost always admin-
ister as sudorifics spirituous drinks in large quantities, and this
is the secret of the cure; the action of the heart is restored,
the venom is expelled, and the brain returns to its normal
functions. When the patient, who mostly complains of a
"sinking" sensation, as in cholera, becomes intoxicated he is
safe. On the other hand they mix with the alcohol what is
either harmless, as lemon juice, or spirit in which a Cobra Coral
has been macerated, or what is positively injurious, as mercurials.
There are many simples in general use, such as the Herva
Cobreira, the Aristolochia, the leaves of the Plumieria obovata,
and the grease of the Teyu, tree-lizard,t whilst Aves and
Paternosters do the rest. "On dit que les sauvages guérissent
très bien les morsures des serpens, et l'on m'a même assuré
que parmi eux personne ne meurt de cet accident." Evidently
the civilized man ought not to die unless he delay too long to
apply ammonia, eau de luce, or the "whisky-cure."
+
Our last night on the Rio das Velhas recalled to mind the
words of an eloquent Brazilian writer. "I cast my eyes now on
the stream spanned by a line of fire reflected from the planet
Jupiter, then on the banks whose beautiful woods concealed
the rich champaigns. The river, a natural line of navigation,
despised by and despising art, rich in a thousand kinds of
produce, fertilizing in its sinuous course millions of acres, was
full of all but human life; to its silent banks here and there a
canoe was tied, and from its waters rose the log which the
solitary fisherman makes his perch; while at rare intervals a
* Thus M. Sellow records treatment by
scarification, repeated burning with gun-
powder, and peppering with Cantharides.
Labat, to mention no others, scarifies the
wound. Koster observes, "le rum est
aussi administré jusqu'à produire l'ivresse."
The Teiú or Teyu (Lacerta Teguixin,
Linn.), is black spotted with yellow, and,
including the tail, four feet long. Yves
D'Evreux writes Tyvu, Marcgraf Teiuguaçu,
M. Denis Tiú (Tupinambis monitor), and
declares with St. Hil. that the white,
savoury, and delicate meat is eaten by
Brazilians in good circumstances. This is
certainly not the case in the Sertão of these
days. Koster mentions the Tijaaçu, which
he believes to be the Teguixin; the Calango,
a smaller variety also edible; the vibra,
and the lagartixa, a house and wall lizard,
a vivacious little animal which destroys
flies and other insects. Some travellers
have confounded the Teiú with the Jacaré,
as the old Greek who wrote the Periplus
did at Zanzibar. The good missioner (Yves)
specifies the Taroüire as a grand lizard, but
his editor corrects him, and declares the
Taranyra to be smaller than the Tiú.
Prince Max. ii. 294.
184
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XII.
dwelling-place, and clearings that ignore civilized agriculture,
dotted the forest-shore. Such misery and so much want in the
Old World !-here such neglected wealth, and so much that
can make life happy! Lands that will fructify every manner
of plant and grain cast into their bosom, shoals of fish to feed
the poor, a wealth of precious stones and ores, a channel easily
connecting with the outer world! But the age shall come, and
the day has dawned, when men shall flock to these unknown
regions, when gardens, quays, and works of art, shall adorn the
river side, when town and village shall whiten the plain, and
when the voices of a happy people shall be heard where the
profound solitude and silence are now broken only by the moan
of the dove, by the scream of the night-bird, and by the baying of
the wild dog.
So be it!
CHAPTER XIII.
((
TO AND AT GUAICUHY.
GUAICUHY
LANDING.—THE JIGGERS."-THE GREAT MEETING OF THE WATERS.”.
DESCRIBED, THE MANGA AND THE VILLA.-THE
VILLA. THE SERRINHA
AND ITS VIEW.-THE GOOD DELEGATE OF POLICE, SR. LEANDRO HERMETO
DA SILVA.
(C
"A descripção das scenas de natureza deleita, a dos costumes instrue.'
(6
'Aquelle que só deleita toma se superficial, o que só instrue, aborrecivel;
casemos pois estas duas qualidades."--A. G. Teixeira e Souza.
""
A HOUSE on the left bank kept up during the night a red
fire, which shone through the dark trees, another evidence that
we were approaching a centre of settlement. After a few days of
traveller's life and liberty, of existence in the open air, of sleep
under the soft blue skies, of days without neck-ties, the sen-
sation of returning to "Society" is by no means pleasant; all
have felt, although, perhaps, all will not own the unamiable
effort which it has cost them. The idea of entering a town
after a spell on the Prairie or on the River, is distasteful to
me as to any Bedouin of the purer breed, who must stuff his
nostrils with cotton to exclude the noxious atmosphere. I
looked forward with little pleasure to breaking up my crew,
and to entering Guaicuhy.
The first of Ember Week (Sunday, September 15) showed
a warm cloudy morning with a north wind, contradictory signs.
We passed on the left the Córrego da Tabua, it comes from
the Serra of that name, a continuation of the Palma range;
about two miles from the mouth is an Arraialsinho, or little
village. Presently rose before us the peaky Serra do Jenipapo.
The uniform river-banks would in Europe be called a forest;
here they seemed utterly civilized, with their Coqueiro palms,
their huts and vegetable-plots, and their scatters of old and new
186
[CHAP. XIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
clearings. The river widened out and became somewhat shallow;
the sole obstacle was a sunken rock known as the Páu Jahú.
We "cleaned ourselves "-literally not funnily-and prepared
for delivering letters of introduction, which, being directed to
absentees, all proved useless. About 10 A.M. we made fast at
the Porto da Villa do Guaicuhy, the port being a rough clay
bank, covered with thicket, through which a path is cut to the
upper settlement. Presently we received a visit from the Dele-
gate of Police, Sr. Leandro Hermeto da Silva, and sundry
friends; he kindly detached a sergeant to find us a lodging at
the Porto da Manga, a few hundred yards down stream, and
close to the junction of the two great rivers, das Velhas and
de São Francisco. We were soon established in the house of
Major Cypriano Medeiro Lima, who had offered us its hospi-
tality at Diamantina. It was in the usual style, mud and wattle
walls, containing a well-ventilated room which boasted of a
table, a dark closet with a pair of "catres," or cots, one with
a bottom of cow-hide, the other with leathern thongs. A pas-
sage nearly blocked up by the big water-pot led to a kitchen
distinguished by thin stones upon the ground, and to a little
railed compound well calculated for the accommodation of beggars,
pigs, and dogs.
Here a mature old age ends the stream which we have accom-
panied from its babyhood for the last three months: this, how-
ever, is not a Thanatos, it is a Mokshi, an absorption. It was
impossible to contemplate without enthusiasm the meeting of
the two mighty waters which here lay mapped. The "River
of the Old Squaws" sweeps gracefully round from north-east to
nearly due west, and flowing down a straight reach about 550
feet broad,* merges into the São Francisco, which flows from
* M. Liais gives 167 metres. The figures
of the junction are as follows: the Rio
das Velhas discharges 209 metres per
second, and lies above sea-level, 2,365
palms (Halfield), or 567 metres (Gerber),
or 432 (Liais at the confluence). I made
the Manga 1774 feet high (B. P. 209°40,
temp. 45°). Before the confluence the
São Francisco is 359 metres broad, more
than doubling the Rio das Velhas, and the
debit is 446 cubic metres. The limited
discharge is 655 cubic metres per minute.
The Barra or mouth of the Rio das
Velhas, south lat. 17° 11'54', and west
-
long. (Rio) 1° 43′ 35", may be considered
almost in a straight line of prolongation of
Rio de Janeiro, Barbacena, and Sabará.
The distance from the arc of the great
circle uniting these points is only five geo-
graphical leagues to the west, although
the old maps placed it far to the cast. The
deviation from the direct line prolonged from
Rio de Janeiro to the Barra do Rio das
Velhas, is only 3800 metres, about half a
Brazilian league, or end of the total dis-
tance, 656 kilometres, or 5° 55′ 31 "4
(355 geographical miles).
CHAP. XIII.]
187
TO AND AT GUAICUHY.
the east to receive it. The right bank of the Rio das Velhas
is of stiff clay standing almost upright. On the other side is
a little Chácara with the plots of Castor-shrub which stretch in
blue-green tufts towards the water, backed by a clump of
oranges and bananas. Beyond it, at the point projecting into
the united rivers, is a matted forest of wild figs, Páu Jahú, and
other wild growth.
I remained at the Manga from the 15th to the 18th of Sep-
tember; the house, which had been long unoccupied, was well
tenanted by the Bicho do pé, and two of them chose to lodge with
me. It is a beast of many names, Pulex penetrans, P. subintrans,
or P. minimus. The old French Missionary Yves D'Evreux
(1613-14), calls it le Thon, and the modern Gauls speak of
“des biches "*—thus the neo-Latin tongues borrow from one
another, only changing the terminal vowels. I have also seen
Brûlot and "Pou de Pharaon," although Pharaoh was never in
America. The Tupys knew it as "Tumbýra." The Spaniards
chose Nigua and Chigua,t from which again the French took
Chique, and the term has descended to us in various forms:
Chigre, Cheger, Chegre, Chegoe, Chigo, Chigoe, Chigger,‡ and
finally the Jigger, thus immortalised by the Negro minstrel :
# (
Rosc, Rose, lubly Rose,
I wish I may be jiggered if I don't lub Rose.
This nuisance especially affects coffee-stores and deserted
abodes: § the old travellers bitterly complained of it, and carried
camphor in their boots, being careful never to go barefoot. "All
persons of whatever rank," says Southey, speaking of Santa
Catharina, the island (iii. 861), "carefully wash their feet every
night, as the best preservative against the Chiguas,"—which it is
not. A traditional naturalist, wishing to carry home a live speci-
""
"Bicho in Portuguese is a very
comprehensive word, as Sir Charles Napier
said of Hindostani; it applies to everything,
from a flea to an elephant, and even to a
steam-engine (bicho de fogo, bicho feio).
Koster pleasantly relates how, being a Pro-
testant, he was called in the out-stations
"Bicho."
*| "Chica" is also used, and M. F. Denis,
the editor of Yves D'Evreux (Notes, p. 416)
writes Niga.'
(C
""
The "Chigger" or "red bug" of the
Southern States of the Union, is, I believe,
a kind of tick which, like the Carrapato,
affects the woods. It does not hatch its
young in the body, but the result is a
painful pimple.
§ According to Koster (ii. xix.), it is not
found in the plains of the Northern Sertao,
and some people in parts badly infested
have been so much preferred by the insect,
that they were compelled to leave the
country.
188
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XIII.
men, would not be operated upon, induced mortification, and
became a (C
martyr to science." I have often seen boys with their
toes dotted over, as if pepper had been sprinkled upon them, but
no death has been recorded, and I have heard that careless
negroes have lost their feet by amputation.
The Jigger, seen under a microscope, has the appearance of a
small flea with well developed body, and of somewhat lighter
colour. It crawls more quickly, but does not jump so well as the
ordinary pulex; the popular belief is that the male is never
found. It burrows under the nails of the hands and feet, espe-
cially the latter; I have extracted as many as six in one day, but
never from the fingers. The sole is also a favourite place; in
fact the Bicho colonizes wherever the skin is thick-hence its
preference for negroes. Its proper habitat is between the cuticle
and the flesh, into which it does not penetrate, and where there
is not lodging room it falls off after drawing blood. Having en-
sconced itself bodily, the jigger proceeds to increase and multiply ;
the small dark point develops to the size of a pea, and can move
The light-coloured bag is enormously distended with
eggs of a slightly yellow tint, and after producing her fine family
the parent departs this life.
J
no more.
The small livid point which appears about the nails is generally
accompanied by a certain amount of titillation which old stagers
enjoy; they describe it as sui generis, and make it almost deserve
the name of a new pleasure. Men with tender skins easily feel
the bite, and remove the biter before it can penetrate. They
then send for a negro, always the best practitioner, and he pro-
ceeds to extract the intruder with a pin in preference to a needle.
Should the sack be burst, and the fragments not be all extracted,
the place festers, and a bad sore is the result; some sufferers
have had to wear slippers, and have walked lame for weeks. The
wound is finally cicatrized with some light alkali, even snuff and
cigar ashes are used, and a little arnica completes the cure.
If any place bear the stamp of greatness affixed by Nature's
hand, it is this Junction. It is the half-way house on the mighty
riverine valley; it has, or rather it can have, water-traffic with
Sabará, Diamantina, Curvello, Pitangui, Pará (or Patafugio),
Dôres de Indaiá, Campo Grande, Paracatú, São Romão, and the
other settlements on the São Francisco River. It links together
the Provinces of Goyaz, Pernambuco, Bahia, and Minas, and
CHAP. XIII.]
189
TO AND AT GUAICUHY.
before many years the steamer and the railway will connect it
with the Capital of the Empire. I shall ink more paper than
enough for the present settlements; thus, when my forecast of
their future greatness shall have been justified, the traveller may
compare his Present with my Past, and therein find another
standard for measuring the march of Progress as it advances, and
must advance with giant strides, in the Land of the Southern
Cross.
In early colonial times the Junction of the rivers and the
settlement near it were called Barra de Guaicuhy, and formed an
old Julgado, or Chef-lieu de Justice, extinct about fifty years ago.
The later generations translated the Tupy name into Barra do
Rio das Velhas. The district and the municipality were created
in 1861 (Provincial Law, No. 1,112 of Oct. 16) by taking in part
of Montes Claros, São Romão, Paracatú, Curvello, and Diaman-
tina, and the principal town took the name of Villa de Guaicuhy.
Afterwards were annexed to it Mumbuca and the new districts of
Estrema, Pirapora, and São Gonçalo das Tabocas, and now it is.
divided into four, namely, Guaicuhy, São Gonçalo, Pirapora, and
Estrema. The population is stated to exceed 15,000 souls, with
1200 voters and seventeen electors; the latter seldom exercise
their functions, as the College sits at Montes Claros, distant 120
to 200 miles of vile road from their several homes.
The settlement is divided into two Bairros, or Quarters. Near
the confluence is the (Arraial da) Manga, or the Cattle-ford,
popularly called the Port. The upper village is the Villa, for-
merly the Arraial da Porteira, so called from a neighbouring
range, also an old name. The municipality has a single parish,
the "Freguezia de Na Sa de Bom Successo e Almas da Villa de
Guaicuhy."
The Manga is a wretched decaying village, apparently doomed
to destruction. It is perched upon an almost upright bank of
white-yellow clay, twenty-nine feet six inches high, and the walls
of the tenements show a water-mark of more than six feet; thus
the total of the rise is between thirty-five and thirty-six feet, with
a weight which nothing can withstand. The river, as usual with
large streams, flows upon a ridge, and swings towards the north
side, which readily melts away; its course will be arrested only
by the Serrinha da Manga, or Muritibá, a long low lump of hill
to the north. The southern bank projects into the São Francisco
190
[CHAP. XIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
a long tongue of sand, with hardly five inches of water at this
season.
The Manga bank is painful climbing, as that of Angolan Kui-
sambi, and its rude attempts at steps, when greased by rain are
safe only to the semi-prehensile feet of the natives. The only
conspicuous building, upon whose tall, gaunt, sloping roof of tiles
the traveller's eye first lights, is the Bom Jesus de Matosinhos;
it fronts the meeting of the waters, or south, with a little westing,
and it now stands almost at the edge of the precipice. Built of
ashlar and lime, it shows that in Colonial times the place knew
better days; as usual it is half-finished, a "work of Santa
Engracia." The southern entrance has never been roofed, the
sacristy to the east is bare scantling, and the belfry is the normal
gallows of three timbers. Pilasters and pulpits of cut stone are
destined to remain in embryo, and a neat arch of masonry
intended to mark the high altar to the north, now the body of
the temple, is foul with weeds. Beyond the Bom Jesus is a small
rum-distillery, and further down stream the "bush."
Formerly the Manga had two thoroughfares, but in 1865 the
inundation swept away the most convenient portion, and only
part of "Water Street" shows a double line of blocks and huts,
numbering twenty-four. They are built upon flags of hard blue
sandstone, resembling lime, sometimes capped with iron, or
showing junction with reddish gneiss. The new thoroughfare to
the south, and running parallel with the former, has thirty-three
tenements which look upon a road ankle-deep in sand. These
lodgings contrast badly in point of comfort with Dahome, or
Abeokuta, in Egba-land: they are unwhitewashed cages of wattle
and dab, roofed with half-baked tiles. All have ground-floors of
tamped earth, except the Sobradinho,* belonging to Sr. João
Pereira do Carmo, merchant, and Juiz de Paz. In the Brazil
this official has conciliating powers, intended to spare appeal to
the Juiz Municipal. But in country places the servants of old
Father Antic, the Law, not unfrequently recall to mind the Scotch
saying about a far cry to Loch Awe.
Most of the houses have back-yards, green with bananas,
Cuietés or Calabash trees (Crescentia Cujete or Cuyete) and
*The Meio Sobrado is a single-storied
house upon a raised platform of masonry.
The Sobradinho is a one-storied house with
a single room above it, and the Sobrado is
a two-storied dwelling-a casa nobre when
well made.
CHAP. XIII.]
191
TO AND AT GUAICUHY.
oranges, which are exported down stream. The Settlement
abounds in manioc, and as wheat was not to be found, we laid in
a store of polvilho or Tipioca cakes (roscas de Tipioca)* and
fubá-meal, which is very expensive on the Upper São Francisco.
As in Africa, the housewives would not sell their eggs. Turkeys
thrive here, and cost 2$ 000 a head. About half that sum is paid
for fowls and for Guinea-fowls, which are exceptionally held to be
good food. The people do not readily part with their provisions,
and they are perniciously frugal. A month's work at manioc
gives them bread for a year. Moreover, much more is to be had
by barter than for money. All determined that we were mer-
chants, and offered cent. per cent. for tobacco. Had we known
this I should have invested heavily in the article, and thus made
myself a something intelligible. A fatted bullock costs 30 $000,
a cow 15$000, a pig from 10$ 000 to 16$ 000, and fine goats
and sheep, mostly four-horned, 2$ 000. Fish is, of course, cheap.
A fresh Curumata, weighing 4 lbs., is worth a halfpenny, and
a salted Surubim of 32 lbs., from 3$000 to 6000. The high
value of the latter is owing to the price of salt, which must be
imported from the lower river, and the plate of 4 lbs. or 5 lbs.
fluctuates between 0$800 and 1$320. Washerwomen and sewing
women gave their services at the cheapest possible rate.
At this season the Manga is tolerably healthy, but between
January and June, agues, typhus, and malignant marsh-fevers
(carneiradas) decimate the inhabitants. Many are chronic inva-
lids, paralytic, or suffering from ophthalmia and goître, which
below Guaicuhy will cease to offend the eye. The climate has
won for itself an enduring bad name;t but the blame attaches
*Our "tapioca" is a mere corruption.
I bought,-
•
Half a quarta of Manioc flour 1$000
4 lbs. of toucinho lard
1$280
32 lbs. of carne seca (sun-
dried beef)
3$840
Total
6$120
++ "Le long du Rio San Francisco, à
l'époque où le fleuve baisse, le pays est
affligé d'épidémies qui enlèvent beaucoup
de monde et deviennent surtout très
dangereuses pour les étrangers, ainsi que
pour les voyageurs qui ne sont pas ac-
climatés" (Prince Max. iii. 185). This is
repeated by many a writer, and is sensibly
""
modified by Lieut. IIerndon (p. 326).
"The mere traveller passes these places
without danger. It is the enthusiast in
science, who spends weeks and months in
collecting curious objects of natural history,
or the trader, careless of consequences in
the pursuit of dollars, who suffers from the
Sezoens. As a rule on the São Francisco
the fevers, though at times of malignant
type, are mostly "chills," and the people,
where unable to procure the much valued
Quinine, treat them with simples; such as
Sal Amargo, the antifebrile Quina, the pur-
gative Fidegoso, the bitter root Cipó de
mil-homens or de Jarrinha (a diaphoretic
and diuretic Aristolochia).
192
[CHAP. XIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
more to the dirty and dissolute habits of the people than to the
maligned river.* Drainage is absolutely unknown, and the worst
sites are preferred, because they are the most handy. The houses
are impure to the last degree. The pig lives in the parlour, and
"intramural sepulture" here survives. The diet,-fish and manioc,
manioc and fish,-assists the work of dirt; hence the sallow un-
wholesome look and the listless languor of the people. They
drink to excess new rum, the "Kill-John" of the Mediterranean.
On Sunday evening hardly a soul was sober, and two of my men,
the "Menino" and Agostinho, could hardly stand. Having little
else to do, their libertinism is extreme. They sit up half the
night chatting and smoking, playing and singing. Of course they
are unfit for work till nearly noon on the next day. Hence too
often poverty, misery, and churlishness.
The inhabitants are all more or less coloured, and as the yellow
skin denotes the Brahman, so here a light-tinted face is invariably
a token of rank. The genus Vadio abounds, and as these idlers
are not above a little stealing, we removed, by advice, the iron
grating of our raft's galley. On common days many of the men
are absent at their roças or are fishing with seines (Puças), f and
with long hand-lines. The street and a half shows here and there
a vagrant stretched upon a bench or on a mat to protect him from
the sand. Rarely a great man passes, with wooden box-stirrups
and ambling nag. The animals are like those of Pernambuco,
small for want of breeding, but showing original good blood in the
shape and carriage of the head. At times a Caipéra, mostly a
vagueiro or cattle driver, rides in leather-dressed cap-à-pié,
showing that he is a denizen of a thorny land. The slave boys
+
* Dirty not in person but in lodgings.
St. Hil. (III. ii. 37) remarks: "En général,
c'est là une des qualités qui distinguent
les Brésiliens; quelque pauvres
qu'ils
soient leurs chaumières ne sont presque
jamais sales, et s'ils ne possèdent que deux
chemises, celle qu'ils portent est toujours
blanche. He doubtless spoke as he found
matters, but he wrote much from memory.
My experience amongst the poor showed
me that they reverse the practice of the
Netherlanders, amongst whom I have seen
a woman whose arms required a bath-brick,
diligently scouring a door-step white as
""
snow.
+ The Puça is a bag-net of reeds which
two men drag along the bottom.
These leathers are best made at Janu-
aria, on the Rio de São Francisco. A
whole suit costs from 5$ 000 to 25 $000,
and it is far superior, softer and more
durable, than what a London tailor
supplies for £5. The preference is given
to the skins of deer, Veado, Sassuapara,
Catingeiro and Mateiro; an inferior kind
is made of the Capivara, here called
Caititú. Bullocks' brains are principally
used to soften the leather, which becomes
like casimir; this is a trick doubtless
inherited from the savages of the land.
The full suit consists of the Chapéo, a
billy-cock hat, sometimes flapped behind
like a sou'wester, the Gibão or jerkin, a
short jacket opening in front and with
pockets outside, the Guardapeito, an ob-
long piece of skin extending from throat
CHAP. XIII.]
193
TO AND AT GUAICUHY.
sit upon the cruppers of their lean garrons as the youth of Egypt
bestride their donkeys. On ass-back the seat is correct, not on
horseback. Nothing else is to be seen but birds, beasts, and
naked lads. The dogs and pigs are apparently in a state of
chronic civil war, and the only gymnastic of the citizen and the
citoyenne consists of "sticking" them.
Amongst these half-breeds respectable men are invariably civil
and obliging. Churlishness increases with the deepening tint of
the skin, and at times, when very dark, it indulges in the peculiar
negro swagger which speaks of a not unintentional rudeness.
When, however, the men are sober, they show nothing of the
ruffianism so common amongst the European uneducated. A
stranger would often look upon their manners as offensive, whereas
the offence proceeds not from intentional ill-will, but from a total
want of tact, incapability of discerning the decorous, and absence
of perception that they are giving offence. Men come to the
door, lean against the post, stare like the Ophidiæ, stare like the
gods of Greece and Rome, with eyes which never wink. They care
not whether the man in the den is eating, shaving, or bathing; they
intrude conversation, and they make viva voce personal comments
and remarks, as the Central Africans would do. In fact the
Realm of Bocchus by the Blackland Sea
is the best of patience-teachers. You there learn, and must
learn, to endure what the Englishman hates, perhaps, most. The
women enter uninvited, cigarette in mouth, and sit down for the
first time like old friends. We have a pretty neighbour, much
resembling the "Yaller Gal of New Orleens." The Sra Miner-
vina of Salgado loved, said the tongue of médisance, a soldier,
not wisely and not too well. Like the rest of her sex in this
region she carried one shoulder always bare, and she asked for
everything, valuable or valueless, which met her sight. The
to stomach, with a hole through which the
head is passed, and acting waistcoat, and
the Perneiras or tights, which reach the
ancles. Over these boots are drawn on the
feet, and protected by closely fitted sole-
less shoes, like the under slippers of
Egypt.
I soon adopted leather. Brazilian travel,
especially in the interior, wears out a pair
of overalls per month. Where the land,
VOL. II.
however, is not very thorny, the suit may
be limited to the breeches or even to leg
gings; some backwoodsmen here economize
the "seat. A modern author justly
praises the material for long lasting, but
he probably never tried what he describes
as "frais et léger." It is, as most of
Master Shoetic's brethren know, heavy and
cumbrous, hot in hot weather, cold in cold
wet in wet.
};
U
194
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XII
smallest trifle was thanklessly received, because 'better than
nothing. The women are here tolerably independent of the men.
I often saw them paddling themselves and their children across
the streams.
We took an early opportunity of visiting the Serrinha, behind
or north of the Manga. Beyond the fifty yards of river-ridge
lies a bayou-bed, mud-flaked and in parts still green; this partly
explains the fevers. On the damp margin grew a circle of
Crioulina trees, regular and domed like enormous oranges, with
thick trunks two feet high, and leafage like the myrtle of tenderest
pistachio-green; the perfume of the flower resembles vanilla,
and the small red berry is eaten by children. They contrast
strongly with the "Carrascos" and Cerrados of the broken
waterless ground further from the stream. This vegetation is
European rather than tropical in want of variety, and it pre-
sented anything but a gay prospect, this depth of winter in the
heat of the dog days. Many were leafless, like hazels in our
winter; some were dead, killed, according to the people, by the
heat of the sun; others said that frost was the cause. The
ground was rich in the black "formiga douda," or mad ant,
which loves the orange tree; it is so called because it moons
about as if mad or drunk. Wens of termite nests* throttled
the branches, and we were once pursued by a swarm of furious
Marimbondos or tree-wasps. This nuisance must be abated by
breeding birds; we found few of the feathered race, and orna-
mental rather than useful, with brilliant tints they lighted up
the dull and arid view. Passing a few outlying hovels, each of
which sent forth its barking cur, we began the ascent. Here
the land shows, where denuded, red and yellow sandstone, new,
shaly, and regularly stratified; perhaps it is the "Old Red,"
discovered in the Serra da Porteira by Dr. Virgil von Helmreichen,
the same who detected granite in the limestone near Gongo
Soco.t The dry grass was still burning in parts, for the future
benefit of the few cows, and the surface was cut by wet-weather
rivulets. On the higher levels, well swept by the cool breeze,
houses might be built beyond the range of malaria, but there
* The nest of the termes arborum is
called "panella," a pot.
Similarly on the Amazons River, older
observers believed the slaty rock and hard
Sandstone seen on the banks at Manaos to
be Trias or Old Red: Prof. Agassiz (p. 199)
determined both to form part of the "great
drift formation,”
CHAP. XIII.]
195
TO AND AT GUAICUHY.
is no surface water, and none but a madman would now dream
of laying down pipes.
The view from the summit delighted us. To the north the
riverine valley of the joint streams was broader than the eye
could estimate, and the least width was nine miles. To the east
is the crescent-shaped Serra da Porteira, * a long tongue of raised
land, convex towards the stream. Southwards the horizon was
broken by the high blue lines of the Serras do Rompe-dia and
do Saco Redondo. A little north of west stood the Serra do
Itacolumi, forming with the Jenipapo and the Varginha to the
south-west another half-moon, whose bulge faced the river. The
Jenipapo is said to bear a plateau on its head, and to
abound in gold. These western mountains have gaunt forms,
as if broken by volcanos, and there are two pyramids connected
by natural curtains, which make magnificent land marks. Below
the peaks there are gradings of horizontal lines, evidently formed
under water. The surface bore the growth of the great and
arid plains called Campos Geraes, and resembling the upheaved
"levels" of England and the "carses" of Scotland. Here it
was dull and grey, there the trees were donning their spring
dresses of liveliest green. ‡
Between these limits of the stream in days of yore, the Rio
de São Francisco winds up through its verdant avenue from the
south-east, spreading out into bays 1800 feet broad. Above
the thin confluence-point of trees and sand, its noble tributary,
the Rio das Velhas, serpentines from the south-south-east, and
shows a silvery lake on the left bank. Grand are the curves
described upon the lacustrine lowlands, the "straths" and
"dales" of our country, whose vast extent smokes like a battle-
field with prairie fires. During the rains the flats must become
a broken line of lakes. Below us lies the shallow line of village,
** M. Halfeld calls the northern part of
this Serra "da barra da Manga," and con-
nects it to the south with the Serra do
Rompe-dia. South of the confluence he
places the Serras da Tabua and do
Truichete.
Down stream, near the town of
Remanso, there is on the left bank a "Serra
dos Columis, " and a hill called "Ita-
columita is at the junction of the Rio
Preto with the Rio Grande.
"?
I
-+
The extreme breadth of the riverine
valley as determined by its tributaries,
lies between the Serra Grande or do
Espinhaço on the right (east) and the
highlands that divide Minas Geraes from
Goyaz, under the names Serra dos Piloês,
da Tiririca, dos Aráras and do Paraná
(called by St. Hil. Serra de S. Francisco e
do Tocantins). Thus its extreme breadth
would be 240 geographical miles from Rio
de Janeiro to W. long. 4° (Rio).
0 2
196
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XIII.
and scattered near the junction are plots of bright and luxuriant
sugar-cane.
I did not neglect to inspect the Villa de Guaicuhy, distant
from church to church about three-quarters of a mile. The path
wound along the right bank of the Rio das Velhas, which is
only partially subject to inundations; their limit is denoted by
green grass and thickly foliaged Almacegueiros (gum trees);
the prettiest feature is the Páu de Arco de Flor Roxa-the
red-flowered Bowdarque. This Bignonia, rich with mauve-coloured
trumpets, is used as an anti-syphilitic, and the cerne or heart
is made to do the duty of lignum guaiacum. In places there is
good ground for cotton grown annually, and "topping" would
turn its fibre to lint; here the comparative aridity of the soil
would save the trouble of cutting the tap root. The people
say that there is too much sand and too little water for coffee;
the "Cafezal" is an exception, and the best are in the Fazendas
of Rompe-dia, Bejaflor, Canabrava, Mumbuca. We crossed a
dwarf ridge of the usual shaly sandstone, and a fiuman now
dry; beyond it lay Campo ground, dotted with a few cattle.*
Two bulls eyed us curiously, but the novelist's pet animal is here
unknown.
Presently we crossed by stepping over stones the normal
bridge, the small Córrego da Porteira, which drains the crescent-
shaped Serra of the same name; other streams can be added
to it, and thus there will be a sufficient water supply for the
future city. Passing the Quartel or barracks, a more substantial
house than usual, we issued into the square, where the superi-
ority of the site at once became apparent. The floods reach
only to the lower portion; the upper part slopes gradually up
to the skirts of the stony hill, and affords a beautiful view of
the double distances which buttress the riverine plain. At
present the settlement consists only of the square, and the square
has a total of forty-five tenements, not including the church.
At present it supports itself by exporting provisions, and it
*In the true cattle-breeding countries,
such as Texas and the Argentine Repub-
lics, a few head turned out to graze and
completely neglected multiply exceedingly
in the shortest possible space. Hore, as in
the southern part of the São Paulo Pro-
vince, they do not, and the cause is hardly
apparent. The climate is excellent, and
the surface of the ground is favourable,
while forage, possibly not of the best de-
scription, abounds. On the other hand
the animals cannot live without salt, and
want of communication, by adding 400 to
500 per cent. to the price, greatly limits
the supply.
CHAP. XIII.]
197
TO AND AT GUAICUHY,
imports from Joazeiro salt and dry goods, and from Januaria
saltpetre, hides, and sole leather. The post reaches it twice a
month, on the 7th and the 27th.
The vicar, Rev. Pe Francisco da Motta, was confessing at
Desembrigo; I was sorry not to meet him, as all spoke highly
of his local information. The excellent Delegate insisted upon
giving us coffee and sponge cake (pão de ló); my companion
bought at his store a bit of cotton marked J. Bramley Moore;
full of starch, leucom, and dextrin, it contrasted badly with the
substantial home-made produce of Minas. Our friend led us
to the village school, which could easily be traced by the sound.
The Brazilians have facetiously described the vivâ voce system,
borrowed from the Arabs.* It should not, however, be con-
demned precipitately; it assists in forming pronunciation, it
fixes the subject upon the memory, and it teaches abstraction of
thought. My system of learning foreign tongues has long been
to "read out loud," and mentally to repeat whatever is said
to me. The process is tedious, but it masters the language in
three months.
The fault of every old settlement in the Brazil, beginning with
Rio de Janeiro, is the narrowness of the streets, and after a time
it can hardly be corrected. We advised the Delegate to lay out
the wide open space in regular parallelograms, with thoroughfares
at least 100 yards broad, and thus to make ready for the days
when, pace the manes of Sir John Shelley, tramways will become
universal. We visited the church in charge of a Sacristan, born
about 1796. Founded some 150 years ago, by the piety of an old
philanthropist, the Rev. Pe Nicoláu Pereira de Barros, it faces
the fair view to the setting sun. The stone front is pierced with
three windows, a door, and what by courtesy may be called a rose
light, and the material is taipa, armed with mail of broken
pottery wherever the rain strikes it. The bells depend from the
normal gallows outside, and of the two Sacristies one is in ruins.
Inside there is an organ-loft, and the two plain wooden pulpits
resemble magnified claret chests. The High Altar bears the
Patroness supported by São Miguel and by Na Sa Mae dos
X "Ouve se um concerto infernal e
monotono, uma especie de canto des-
compassado e confuso, composto de gritos
de uma modulação especial. Grita 0
mestre, grita o discipulo, gritão os moni-
tores, todos gritão, e finalmente ninguem
aprende."
198
[CHAP. XIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
Homens; it has been gilt, but I detected a bird's nest in a cosy
corner. On the left are two side chapels, one of Sto Antonio,
unfinished still, the other of Santa Anna, somewhat in the pier
style of Bahia, and gilt by a devotee in the olden day, João da
Rocha Guerreiro. Opposite Santa Anna is Na Sa do Carmo in
newer fashion, with pillars and capitals, the gift of Joaquim José
Caetano Brandão. The fourth is completely modern, columns
resting on consoles, the liberality of a Genoese, Antonio da Costa.
The worst part of the Matriz was its floor; the nave was paved
with loose boards, and the sanctuary with coffins and brass tacks,
forming dates and initials. The sacristy had the huge boxes de
rigueur, the waterless fountain, a spout projecting from a human
face, and the stool and sieve confessional.
Sr. Leandro lent me the last papers from Ouro Preto, and the
Presidential annual reports, together with the original description
of the São Francisco by M. Halfeld. He had travelled little,
and ignored even Rio de Janeiro, yet he had collected a
variety of information; his thirst for knowledge was unlimited,
and he often spent half the night in study. He was great upon
the education question, and as a moderate politician he deplored
the excesses to which zeal and interest led, appropriately quoting
the fable of the old man, his son and the ass, to show how difficult
it was to please even his own party. He wrote for me a variety
of introductory letters to his friends on the Great River; in the
Brazil generally the handwriting would have charmed Lord
Palmerston, but the Delegate's caligraphy was positively copper-
plate. We had every reason for being grateful to Sr. Leandro,
and I embrace the first opportunity of expressing to him my best
acknowledgments.
+
200
((
CHAPTER XIV.
TO THE RAPIDS OF THE PIRAPORA.
WHAT PIRAPORA MEANS. THE NAME "SÃO FRANCISCO" EXPLAINED.—A
NEW CREW.-THE PIRAPORA EXAMINED.-DIAMONDS.-THE STORM AND
THE "BULL'S EYE."-THE BARCA, OR YAWL.-THE HORSE-BOAT” WANTED,
-THE BARQUEIRO, OR WATERMAN OF THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO,-HIS
POETRY, HIS IMPROVISATION, AND HIS SUPERSTITIONS,
19
J
(C
And streams as if created for his use,
Pursue the track of his directing wand
Sinuous or straight, now rapid and now slow,
Now murmuring soft, now roaring in cascades.
Comper.
We were strongly advised to visit the Rapids of the Pirapóra,
which are said to be, after the Casca d'Anta at the beginning, and
the Paulo Affonso at the end, the important feature upon the
Rio de São Francisco. The word means a
"fish leap,"
"* and is
applied to places on more than one Brazilian river; it has, how-
ever, many significations. On the Tiété, in São Paulo, the
people translate it "Sign of fish," making "Póra" a corruption
of "Bora." With a flush of joy I found myself upon the bosom
of this glorious stream of the future, whose dimensions here-
abouts average 700 feet. I had seen nothing that could be com-
pared with it since my visit to the African Congo. In due time
the banks will be levéed, the floods will be controlled, the bayous
will be filled up, and the great artery will deserve to be styled a
"cœlo gratissimus amnis."
The author of the Noticias do Brazil (1589) informs us that
Pira, or pyra, a fish, and pora, salto,
a leap. Thus Colonel Accioli explains it,
"lugar onde o peixe salta." The word must
not be written with St. Hil. (III. ii. 213),
"Pirapora.'
""
+ The dictionaries explain pyra-pora by
"fish-inhabitant, a great fish which lives
-
،،
in the open sea-that is to say, a whale."
Bora," contracted from "Bor véra," is a
verbal desinence corresponding with the
Hindostani -wala in such expressions as
"Canheu-bora," which a Hindu would
render "Fujne-wala."
200
[CHAP. XIV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
1
as
the once numerous and now extinct tribes living near this river,
the Caétés, the Tupinambas, the Tapuyas, the Tupiáes, the
Amorpiras, the Ubirajaras, and the Amazonas-of course there
were Amazons-knew it "O Pará,” the sea. The old Portu-
guese explorers went down the coast with the Romish Calendar
in hand, and thus the Rio de São Francisco (de Borja) derived its
name from the Jesuit saint presiding over the 10th of October.*
So Varnhagen assigns the honour to the little squadron of five
caravels which, commanded by João da Nova, and bearing on
board as pilot the cosmographer Vespucci,t sailed from Lisbon
about the middle of May, 1501. It must not be confounded with
the little Rio de São Francisco in the Province of Santa Catherina,
a port also described by the author of the Noticias (chap. 66);
and it is as well not to suggest California by giving to it the
Spanish form San Francisco, instead of the Portuguese São or
San Francisco. The river soon attracted the attention of those
dwelling on the seaboard; like the Nile and the Congo, it floods
during the dry season, and vice versa-sufficient to excite, in
those days, the marvel-faculty.§ Adventurers who determined to
+
*Thus we find the Promontory of São
Roque first visited August 16; Cape St.
Augustim, Aug. 28; Rio de São Miguel,
Sept. 29; Rio de São Jeronymo, Sept. 30 ;
Rio de São Francisco, Oct. 10; Rio das
Virgens, Oct. 21; Rio de Santa Lusia (the
Rio Doce?), Dec. 15; Cape St. Thomé, Dec.
21; São Salvador da Bahia, Dec. 25; Rio
de Janeiro, Jan. 1, 1502; Angra dos Reis
(Epiphany), Jan. 6; Island of S. Sebastião,
Jan. 20; Rio or Porto da São Vicente (São
Paulo), Jan. 21.
Frei Gaspar Madre de Deus would attri-
bute the naming of São Vicente to the
fleet of Martim Affonso de Souza, who
touched there on his return from the Rio
da Prata, Jan. 22, 1532. But the port is
mentioned under the name of its saint in
the Diary of M. Affonso's brother, Pedro
Lopes de Souza, before the squadron in
which he commanded a ship reached it. It
is, moreover, found in the map of Ruysch,
1508 (Varnhagen, i. 425).
•
Sr. Varnhagen (i. 27) ably rehabili-
tates the name of Amerigo Vespucci, the
god-father against whom for many years
America, and even Europe, have been so
furiously raging. He quotes the Phisices
Compendium Salamantice, 1520 (eight
years after Vespucci's death), "Prima est
Asia, secunda Africa, et tertia Europa .
addenda tamen veteribus incognita
•
America a Vesputio invente quæ occidentum
versus," &c. Columbus did not complain
of him, and the fortunate Genoese died
convinced that he had discovered the
Eastern portion of the "Indies," to which
Castella added the term "Western." The
historian sensibly remarks (i. 27),
"And
the designation of West Indies' would
best perpetuate for us the work of Colum-
bus and his genius in perseveringly working
out a great idea. It will ever remind
human nature of the respect due to genius,
even where it greatly errs, inasmuch as
these errors often lead to the discovery of
truth, which in the exact sciences is reached
by setting out at times from gratuitous
hypotheses."
This inadvertently has been made by
stranger authors from Southey to Agassiz.
I know only one who has avoided it, Lieut.
Netscher, "Les Hollandais au Brésil,"
1853.
$ The same is the case with the Para-
guassú of the Bahian Mediterranean; in
fact, with all the streams which in these
latitudes rise west of the sea-fringing up-
lands; they flood during the dry season,
and they shrink when the coast rains set
The reason is simply that the dry
season of the coast is the rainy season of
the interior.
in.
CHAP. XIV.]
201
TO THE RAPIDS OF THE PIRAPORA.
solve this great mystery, and who probably had heard of the then
abundant "Brazil wood," and mines of gold and silver, ascended
as far as the Great Rapids in early days. The "protomartyr'
was one Sebastião Alvares, of Porto Seguro, who was sent to
explore by the second governor of the captaincy of Pernambuco,
Luiz de Brito de Almeida, who succeeded Duarte Coelho de
Albuquerque. After four years of travel he and his twenty men,
an insufficient force, were massacred-there has been many a
"Bloody Run" in these regions. Presently João Coelho de
Souza ascended more than one hundred leagues above the Rapids,
and published a Rôteiro, now curious.
*
Two new men were hired to guide us in the "tender" canoe,
which they described as very "violenta e banzeira," crank and
kittle. We eyed curiously the contrasts of the new stream with
that which we had lately left. Here the water was of a transparent
green, like the mighty Zaire; it is said to be "heavier," when
drunk, than that of the Rio das Velhas; the influents, often so
deeply embedded as to be now useless, were clear, especially when
they drained little bayous on the sides. The water seemed to
break even from the stiff clay, which was in places caving in.
The Corôas were either mere sandbanks, lines of gravel or lumps.
of boulder, or clothed with the Arindá, which in places grows
twenty feet high. Cattle, here the chief produce, made them
their favourite haunts. The barreiro, or salt lick, cribbled the
sides, but we lost the aluminous white rash which distinguished
the Rio das Velhas. The banks were cut and graded into steps
by the receding floods, and where not broken by "riachos," they
were above high-water mark. In places there were heaps of
decayed leaves crushed and pressed together; they formed layers
often 3-4 feet deep. At noon we passed on the left bank ledges
caked over with hard " Cánga;" water trickled from it upon the
loose Cascalho and the felspathic clay of the São João Mine.
This is a true diamantine formation. A natural pier projected
from the right side, hard clay deeply tinged with iron; and the
violence of the floods was shown by a tree root, weighing at least
*Here the Noticias para a Historia e
a Geographia das Naçoes ultramarinas
(March 1, 1859), which has a chapter
(No. 20), "On the Greatness of the Rio
de São Francisco and its Sources," seems to
be incorrect. Luiz de Brito de Almeida
about the end of 1573 governed the Cap-
taincy of Bahia. D. Coelho de Albuquerque
(the second Donatory, not to be confounded
with Duarte Coelho the First) became in
1560, third governor of Pernambuco.
202
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XIV,
a ton, and lodged in the fork of a fig, whose gigantic limbs were
distorted by the burden.
All this region is of the greatest beauty and fertility; when the
Rio das Velhas shall have been opened it will become the garden
of the land. On the banks were many clearings and small sugar
plots, with which the owners are ready to part. Beds of melons
show that the fruit has now grown to be a favourite, and will,
presently, become the daily bread; the Mangui Hibiscus and the
Castor shrub here stand thirty feet, and everywhere we saw
the broad-leaved Brazilian tobacco growing half wild; the people
prefer to pay heavily for the gifts of Baependy and Pomba. In
the patches of cultivation the women had stuck, as in Harar-land,
a cow's horn on an upright stick, to keep off the evil eye-por
olho da gente. Fishermen and boys appeared at times, and the
negroes and negresses washed by the waterside; here there is no
cause to fear the crocodile or the slaver. Before the banks were
sloped cuttings of sugar-cane, ready for planting in October if the
rains be early, if not in November. A fish hung lifeless, hooked
to the stern of a small canoe, whose beak was the wedge-formed
projection used in Africa as a handle; and the turkey buzzards
were hard at work upon a dead terrapin (Kagado), which infatuated
humanity in these regions will not eat.
During the ascent we hugged the left bank as closely as possible;
the descent was, till struck by the storm, viâ the "fio de agua,
or mid-stream, crossing to the headlands and points round which
the current swings. The distance was said to be five leagues,
and if so each league must represent six and a half geographical
miles. After nearly nine hours of hard work, we doubled a
wooded projection from the left bank, and sighted the Cachoeira
of the Pirapora. The break is now at its worst; like most others,
it is easier to pass during the rains, and the more water upon it
the better.
99
The Pirapora differs from anything that we have yet viewed; it
is a superior article in quality as well as in quantity. This is, in
fact, partly a true fall, divided into two sections; but we have
The fruit is of two kinds, the melancía,
or water melon, and the melão, musk
melon. The former is a great favourite
with the barquemen, who seem to have its
name ever in their mouths. Yet they de-
clare that it gives them "dumb chills,"
and the same is the belief in the Southern
United States: few will touch the fruit
when working in the sun.
It is about six leagues west of the Rio
das Velhas.
CHAP. XIV.]
TO THE RAPIDS OF THE PIRAPORA.
203
come a long way to see a small sight, and we tremble to think
what Paulo Affonso may really be. On the western bank rises a
lumpy hill, the Curral da Pirapora-some day it will be built
over-at whose foot is a narrow stony beach. The course of the
Rio de São Francisco is here from south to north, and the rocky
mass crosses it in ledges and scattered blocks, mostly disposed
diagonally. There are evidently several breaks, and southwards
the dark blue of the swift gliding river, backed by the light azure
of the Saco Redondo range, contrast with the boiling raging flood
that forms the "foreground."
Glad to stretch our cramped limbs we landed at the Porto da
Pirapora, on the right or eastern bank, and proceeded to inspect.
the Cachoeira from above. The path led through "Barandão," a
caricature of the Arraial da Manga; its principal features were
huge seines and large fish, split, hung on gallows to sun dry.
The people do not export this produce, but sell it only to passing
mule troops. Finding that we did not trade, and suspecting us
of being agents of Government, they were scantily civil, but they
offered for purchase their refuse "desmonte "-sand without
diamonds. The dogs were even more churlish than their masters.
Had we had tobacco and other small matters for barter we might
have been received in another way.
At first we walked over loose sand; the rest of the right bank
is a flooring of rock, which probably extends far under the
eastern bank. The natural course of the water is to this side,
and canoes prefer it during the floods. M. Liais opines that
canalization would here be easy; it is hard however to predicate
this until careful piercings shall have been made. M. Halfeld
proposes sluice gates, moreover, which the French authority does
not consider necessary.
There is no danger of the Brazil under-
taking any such work in the present generation.t
The stone platform is composed of slabs, some forty feet long,
and mostly narrow; the cleavage is perpendicular with the stream
*
* M. Liais makes the length of the
Pirapora obstacle a total of one kilometre,
and the difference of level 3.55 metres.
This would give a velocity of only 3 to 4
metres or yards per second.
The estimates for opening forty leagues are as follows:-
Canalizing up the Pirapora
To the Cachoeira Grande
To the Porto das Melancias
Total
•
1,400:000 $000
4,100 000$000
:
3,200:000 $000
8,700:000 $000 say £870,000.
204
[CHAP. XIV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
and the water-turned pot-holes and channels, cut a yard and more
in depth, show the effect of floods. The substance is generally a
hard compact gneiss (grauwacker sandstein, gris traumatico) of
light purple tinge, dotted with specks of mica glistening white.
We found also sandstones and impure calcaire which effervesced
but little under acids. From this point we could easily dis-
tinguish the two main steps separated by about 700 yards, a
length which makes the slope of the rock planes appear very
gentle. The upper rapid, six feet high, seemed more formid-
able than the lower of about seven feet. Near the right
bank these form catadupas, or true falls; they are also garnished
with escadinhas (little ladders), miniature cascades in gerbs and
jets, rushing furiously down small narrow tortuous channels,
between the teeth of jagged stone-saws, and tumbling over dwarf
buttresses. Thus the total height between the upper and the
lower "smooths" is thirteen feet; above the break the stream
narrows to 1800 feet, whilst below, at the Porto da Pirapóra,
where the serpentine arms, after crossing and dividing between
the boulders, unite, the bed broadens to 3500. During the dries
the fair way, if it may so be called, is a thin sheet of water near
the western bank; no ajôjo, however, can pass, canoes must be
unladen and towed up, and without a good pilot there is immi-
nent risk. At the present season it is broken by outcrops of
rock, and during the floods it has dangerous whirlpools.
The Pirapora is a serious obstacle. It is not insurmountable,
but it would cost more money, and take a longer time to remove,
than all the most serious obstructions upon the Rio das Velhas.
No work could be carried on in the rainy season, and the inunda-
tions would damage the labour done during the dries. Hands
would have to be sent here at a great expense, and even on this
most wealthy soil imported provisions would be required. Above
it also the Rio de São Francisco becomes a mass of rapids, and
when you clear one you are within hearing of another. Canoes
ascend with difficulty to the mouth of the Abaété.* M. Liais accu-
rately surveyed as high as the embouchure of the Paraopéba, and
he found that no expense would clear more than a hundred
leagues of its course.
Returning to the Porto, we visited the diamond diggings, which
* Etymologically, the true man (ábá,
man, and été, veritable), or hero. This is
GA
the stream which produced the celebrated
diamond in 1792.
CHAP. XIV.]
205
TO THE RAPIDS OF THE PIRAPORA.
are of some antiquity; formerly gold was washed, but this
industry has now ended. The gem, which comes, perhaps, from
afar, is found in the Cascalho arrested by the rocks. Most
probably the Caixão or hollow at the foot of each fall would yield
a better supply. About a dozen men raising "desmonte" from
a pot-hole (panella) between two boulders deeply channelled out
by the joint action of sand, gravel, and water. For small and
valueless stones they asked per vintem (two grains) from 12 $000
to 14 $000, something above the London prices.
This part of the São Francisco should be eminently diaman-
tiferous. On the east it drains the Cerro, which we have already
visited. To the west it receives the washings of the Rio
Bambuhy (of old Bamboi), which falls in south of the city Dôres
do Indaiá. Beyond it is the Rio Indaiá, or Andaiá, where in
May, 1800, Dr. Couto's party took from one hole forty-two
stones. Further north is the Ribeirão do Borrachudo, which also
gave one gem; and its neighbour is the Abaété, draining the old
Sertão Diamantino. These four streams, to mention no others,
issue from the eastern flanks of the great chain, whose western
counterlopes supply the diamonds of Bagagem. Further north
is the Serra da Gamelleira and the valley of the Somno, an
eastern branch of the well-known Paracatú. I will allude to these
rich diamantine deposits as we pass them.
During the last night a raw south wind had set in from the
mountains, and told us that rain had fallen there. It was the
beginning of the wet season, but the people called the showers
Chuvas da Queimada-of the bush-burning. Prairie fires are popu-
larly said everywhere to bring down water; they sublimate a vast
mass of humidity, the heat and steam rise, a cool draught supplies
their place, and thus the atmosphere cannot support the conden-
sation. In the temperate parts of North America, during the fall
of the leaf, the tree-trunks restore to the ground the juices which
spring injected into the wood-pores, and hence the phenomenon of
streams swelling without a drop of rain. Here, however, though
the dry season was just ended, the vegetation is assuming its
vernal green.
As we began the descent lightning flashed from the east,
the south, and presently from all the horizon, followed by low
grumblings of thunder. To the right hand appeared the Olha
de Boi, or bull's eye; it is not, however, the white patch under
206
[CHAP. XIV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
the black arch of the African tornado. Here the sign is a little
section of distant rainbow glistening in all its colours against the
slaty grey background of the discharging cloud, and showing that
a gale will blow up from the falling shower. Mostly we shall see
it in the east, meaning therefore in the afternoon, and when it is
accompanied by wind that sinks the thermometer 8° (F.), we shall
expect a patter of rain, and a storm like a charge of cavalry.
The people call it either simply or "com rabo de gallo "-accom-
panied by cirrus. Presently our cranky canoe was struck by
the gale (rajada de vento), one of the especial dangers of the Sao
Francisco. The east wind was heard roaring from afar; and, as
it came down upon the stream, white waves rose after a few
minutes, subsiding as easily when the gale had blown itself out.
In July, 1867, a white squall of the shortest possible duration
carried off the tiles from the roofs of Guaicuhy.
Our men preferred the leeward bank upon which the blast
broke, leaving the water below comparatively dead, and thus they
escaped the risk of falling trees. The surface of the central
channel being now blocked by the fierce wind, the side current, a
backwater during our ascent, bore us swiftly down. It was very
dark at 7.30 P.M., when we climbed the steep and slippery bank
of the Manga. Shortly the thunder growled angrily overhead,
and heavy rain fell, fortunately upon a tight roof. This was the
first wet weather which we had experienced since July 21, and it
began a season desolate as a fête-day in England.
At the Manga we saw for the first time the "Barca," which
reminded my companion of the Mississippi "yawl." It has been
introduced only during the last forty years; before that time all
the work was done by ajôjos and canoes. The shape is probably
taken from the Douro, but here the form is more in Dutch style,
round and spoon-shaped to suit the stream; it wants also the
immense Portuguese caudal fin, though by no means without a
large and powerful rudder. The planks are of the best woods in
the country, Cedro and Vinhatico, the keel is of Aroeira, and the
huge ribs (costellas or cavernas), together with the heavy cross-
pieces and gangways, are of the stout, tough Rosca. The average
length may be 45 feet by 14 broad, drawing 3, 4 to 5 feet when
*
Barco is the general term for large
craft, whilst Barca is larger. In this point
Portuguese agrees with the Italian, which
makes the feminine major than the mascu-
line; for instance, "trivella," the aug-
mentative form of "trivello." Some
authorities, however, make Barca the
smaller.
CHAP, XIV.]
TO THE RAPIDS OF THE PIRAPORA.
207
loaded, and carrying some 400 arrobas, reckoned by rapaduras or
sugar cakes, each about 4 lbs. At Salgado was built the Na S
da Conceição da Praia, now broken up; she was 81 feet
long and 6 feet in the water. These large craft are always flat-
bottomed (de prato) to work off shoals. Keels are dangerous,
as they cause upsets when the current carries them to the shal-
lows. The bows and stern are raised, as in the old caravel, and
the cargo is matted over or covered with hides in the centre,
leaving a narrow trampway of plank at each side. Above the
Paulo Affonso the toldo or standing awning is unwisely placed in
the stern so as to catch every puff of wind. The lower riverines
prefer the cabin in the bows, and diminish its dimensions. It is
made in tunnel shape, resembling the surf-boats of the Guinea
coast, and it is worthy of imitation by the dwellers on the upper
stream. The stern-cabin, which from 8 feet long sometimes.
takes up a quarter of the length, is of solid planking, in the poorer
sort arched and matted with fronds of the Indaiá or the Carnahúba
palm, or even with common grass; the ends hang over both sides
so as to carry off the rain. A rich trader assumes some fine
name, as the "Baroneza de Minas," displays a flag with a "Santa
Maria," and has doors and glass windows. His cabin, which is
also his shop, is fitted up with shelves for goods; he comfortably
swings a hammock, and he disdains to sit at table without a
table-cloth.
The crew of a moderate-sized craft may be ten men, the
extremes being six and fourteen. The pilot stands or sits at his
rudder on the raised stern. His men, dressed in white kilts,
and at times in tattered shirts, with hats of leather or straw, have
hard work. Their poles, 21 to 23 feet long, are much heavier
than those of the ajôjo, and like the Bedouin lance, require a
practised hand. They also work huge oars like sweeps, one man
pulling whilst another pushes. During the floods they must creep
up at the rate of two leagues per diem, wearing, as they say, holes
in their chests, and exposed to all the insects of the shore; hence
as a rule they make only one trip per annum, and at the beginning
of the rains they return home to cultivate for themselves or for
others.
I was surprised at the absence of sails; they were seen at only
two places, Pilão Arcado, and "Joazeiro;" and even there they
were limited to ferries crossing the stream. The people declared
208
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XIV.
that the channel, besides being studded with snags, was too
tortuous. This, however, is very far from being the case. They
also feared sudden gusts (Pés de Vento or Redemoinhos), which
would cause accidents. The chief reason is, doubtless, ignorance.
On the Lower São Francisco, where the sea-breeze from the south-
cast sets in regularly at 9 A.M., every barca goes up under sail and
at steamer pace.
*
The Upper São Francisco has its regular trade winds, which
vary with night and day, and still more with the seasons. The
east, sometimes veering towards the north, is called the Vento
Geral, and it often acts as a "soldier's wind," useful both ways.
By night in the lower parts of the stream it is followed by a
Terral or land-breeze from the west. Of this "vent traversier "
also the barca-men declare that with canvas their boats would be
driven out of the channel. During the four rainy months,
which of course are different in the different sections of the river,
and which as a rule follow the southing and the northing sun, the
trade shifts to south with westing, and thus blows down stream.
The regularity of the meteor suits admirably not only for sailing
but for all manner of simple and economical machinery.
In this portion of the Brazil, where the simplest labour-saving
contrivances are unknown, they have never heard of the "horse-
boat," now so common upon the streams of Continental Europe,
and still used in the United States. The machinery might easily
be adapted to the rafts and boats. A platform some seven feet
long, and raised at an angle of 20° to 31°, faces the stern, and the
animal is taught to walk up it. It is composed of some forty-two
slabs, each four inches square, and the hard, unelastic woods of the
country would supply the best material. Connected by vertical
joints of iron, which work loosely upon one another, forming an
endless band or chain, the platform is fastened to an "idler"
axle in the fore flooring and aft to the tranverse tree which works
the paddles. This portion is made fast to strong uprights,
and the diameter of the working wheel is about 3: 1 of the axle.
*The regular east wind of the Amazons
is also known as "Vento Geral" (Mr.
Bates, i. 213).
،،
The fault of the vessels navigating
the Amazon is the breadth of beam and the
want of sail. I am confident that a clipper-
built vessel, sloop, or rather ketch-rigged,
with a large mainsail, topsail, topgallant-
sail, and studding-sails-the last three
fitted to set going up before the wind, and
to strike, masts and all, so as to beat down
with the current under mainsail, jib and
jigger--would make good passages between
Pará and Egoás" (Lieut. Herndon, 262).
CHAP. XIV.]
209
TO THE RAPIDS OF THE PIRAPORA.
Thus it would be easy to get over thirty miles per diem with a
tithe of the present toil.
At the Manga I dismissed with the highest recommendations
to future travellers my good old pilot, Chico Diniz and his stout-
hearted companion, João Pereira. The expense was 190$000,
but on the Rio das Velhas wages are now at a fancy price; on the
São Francisco there is a regular demand and supply. Joaquim
volunteered to accompany me, but he was short-sighted and soft-
bodied. The "Menino " agreed to remain with me on condition
of being supplied with a return passage from Joazeiro. On the
great stream barquemen do not leave their beat; it is the custom.
to engage them per travessía or trip, of which, as will be seen,
there are eleven. I hired the cousins Manuel Casimiro de Oli-
veira and Justino Francisco da Conceição; both were very dark,
and the latter, 6 feet 3 inches long, reminded me of Long Guled
the Somal. They were well acquainted with the water, civil and
obliging, but they lacked the pluck and bottom of the Highlander
((
crew.
As a rule the worst hands offer themselves to the stranger, and
thus he may find himself in great trouble. All men are here
more or less amphibious; the canoe, as they say, is their horse.
The real barqueiro is a type as peculiar as the bargee of olden
days in England; he is also a free-born man; few traders like to
employ slaves. More handy than a sailor with us, like the Afri-
can, he is perfectly acquainted with all the small industries neces-
sary to his comfort; he can build his house or his dug-out, and
make his tiles or his clothes-arts which among the civilised
demand division of labour. Thus he is mostly inferior to those
of his own class in more advanced lands where society has split up
into thin strata. Here, as elsewhere, it is wonderful how little
foul language is used. The same has been remarked of the North
American backwoodsmen, and the aborigines of both countries
know, we are told, neither swearing nor abuse, "bad man" being
the worst reproach. The good specimen is quiet, intelligent,
tolerably hardy, and perfectly respectful to his Patrão, the pro-
prietor or hirer of the boat. He usually eschews drink altogether,
fearing the drunken quarrels to which it leads. The worst lot is
rough as its own barque, and desperately addicted to strong
waters and women, to the nightly Samba and Pagodi, the local
orgie." My last gang will be a good specimen of the bad.
VOL. II.
P
210
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XIV.
All are headstrong, a race of "autonomoi," who will have their
own way, and who do not like to be directed or contradicted. I
was advised to carry plenty of spirits and tobacco to prevent them
jumping ashore at every house. They have enormous appetites,
which come, they say, from the shaking of the barca. This is
probably an "Indian" derivation; the savages, we are told,
would sacrifice everything for food, and ate with the voracity of
jaguars. Although they know that it is injurious, the barqueiros
delight, like the Peruvians, in rapadura or Chancaca sugar; I
have seen a man eat 2 lbs. of it at a sitting. They have the usual
Portuguese and tropical horror of fresh milk; on the other hand,
the soured form, here called Coalhada, and in Hindostan "Dahí,"
has a high reputation; it certainly is antibilious. The rest of
the diet is Jacúba, which has been before mentioned, sun-dried
meat, water melons, and beans* with lard. Almost all smoke, a
few take snuff, and very few chew.
66
A characteristic of the barqueiro is his aptitude for mild slang-
ing and chaffing, the latter being a practice abhorrent to the
Brazilian mind in general. "O Senhor e muito caçuador "-a
great joker-means that you are not pleasant. He has also the
habit of the Hindu palanquin-bearer carrying a
griffin," and
will, if impudent, extemporise songs about his patron. The lan-
guage renders the rhyme easy, but the stranger is astonished by
the facility with which men and women squatting on their heels†
answer one another in Amabæan verse, made without a moment's
thought. Although we have had an Ettrick Shepherd, many
deride the pastorals wherein the swains prefer poetry to prose.
They should hear the barqueiro of the São Francisco River
capping verses with his "young woman," and making songs about
everything in general. Similarly the opera is held to be fictitious
and unreal because emotions and passions are expressed in music;
but the negroes of Central Africa show by chaunting when their
sorrow is deepest, and the South American Botocudos evince
excitement by singing instead of speaking. "Ils ne parlent plus;
ils chantent," says the traveller.
*This is an excellent food, not only for
cattle (70 per cent. of nourishment to 60
of oats). The principal species of these
Papilionacea are Feijão Preto (Phaseolus
derasus), Feijão Carrapato (P. tumidus and
sphæricus), and Feijão Mulatinho (P. vul-
garis). There are many others.
This position is usual in the wild parts
of the Brazil. The eye familiar with it in
Eastern lands is struck by it when the
squatter wears the garb of the West.
1
↓
I
TO THE RAPIDS OF THE PIRAPORA.
CHIAP. XIV.]
The
Naturally the subject matter is mostly amorous.
barqueiro delights in screaming "a largas guelas," at the top of
his voice, some such verse as
Hontem ví uma dama
Por meu rispeito chorar.
He eternally praises the Côr de Canella or brunette of these
regions, and he is severe upon those of the sex who dare to
deceive the poor mule-trooper or boatman.
*
Mulher que engana tropeiro
Merece couro dobrado
Coitadinho tropeiro coitado! (chorus).
He thus directs Mariquinha to put the kettle on :-
Bota o frango na panella
Quanda vejo cousa boa
Não posso deixar perder.
O Pilota (chorus).
Some of the songs still haunt my ears, especially one which much
resembled "Sam 'All." The more and the louder they sing the
better for the journey; it seems to revive them as the bell does
the mule.
The superstitions of the barqueiro are as numerous as his
chaunts. He believes firmly in the Duende or Goayajára, wizard
and witch, the Lobishomem or loup-garou of Portugal, the Angai,
the Anhanga,* the Alma or ghost, the Esqueleto or skeleton
apparition, the Gallo Preto, or bad priest turned into a black cock,
and the Capetinha or imp. They have curious tales about the
Cavallo de Agua and other fabulous animals. This beast is the
size of a small colt, round-hoofed, red-haired, and fond of brows-
ing on the banks. The "Menino " declares that he saw it in a
poção or kieve below the Cachoeira dos Geraes in the Rio das
211
>>
Angai in the "Tesoro de la lingua
guarani is translated "the evil spirit,"
also called Giropary, Jurupari, and Jeru-
pari. I presume that it was really applied
to that injured man or to some ghost that
had made itself notoriously unpopular.
Anhanga is Anglicised "phantom" (phan-
tasma) from "anho," alive, and "anga,
ghost, soul, spirit: thus it means soul
only soul without body. Of course,
"soul" and "spirit" are civilised terms
-
>"
""
applied to a barbarous idea. They denote
subjectivities which may be reduced to the
totality of central and nervous action. The
Alma is like Dr. Johnson's, or rather Mr.
Cave's " ghost something of a sha-
dowy being." Nobrega and Anchieta wrote
Anhanga, Yves D'Evreux, Aignan, Bar-
rière, Anaanh; and other forms used upon
the Continent and the Islands are Uracan
(hurricane ?), Hyorocan, Amignao, and
Amignan (F. Denis).
P 2
212
[CHAP. XIV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
Velhas, and that a youth fired at it. Perhaps it may be the
Lamantin, so well known in the Amazonas waters, but I am not
aware that the Peixe boi (Manatus Amazonicus) has been found
here. The Cachorrinha d'Agua or water-pup has a white coat
and a golden star upon the forehead; whoever sees it will com-
mand all the gifts of fortune. The Minhocão or large worm, the
Midgard, the Great Sea Serpent, the Dabbat-el-Arz of the Arabs,
plays a part as important as the Dragon in China. It is 120 feet
long by 2 in diameter, barrel shaped, scaleless, bronze-coloured,
and provided with a very small mustached mouth. The Minhocão
is a perfect "Worm of Wantley" in point of anthropophagy.
St. Hilaire (III. ii. 133) heard of it in the Lagôa Feia of Goyaz.
At first he believed it to be the Gymnotus Carapa, then a gigantic
Lepidosiren. Col. Accioli (p. 8) holds it to be an extinct monster.
Castelnau (ii. 53) speaks of it in the Araguaya. It was 30 to 40
metres in length, and the terrible voice resounded for many
leagues. Halfeld (Relatorio, 119) mentions that his men mistook
for it a tree trunk, and thinks it fabulous. Farther down we shall
pass a part of the bank which has been injured by the Big Worm,
and many educated men have not made up their minds upon the
subject. The superstition is evidently of "Indian" origin.*
All these legends have a taint of the Tupy, grotesque savage
who best adorned his person by spreading upon a coat of gum the
hashed plumery of gaudy birds, in fact who invented tarring and
feathering by applying it to himself; experimentum in corpore vili.
Classical, and worthy to rank with the Sea Fairy Tales, however,
is the Mãe d'Agua, a spirit, a naiad, a mermaid who aspires to
be a mer-matron, and who inhabits the depths of Brazilian
rivers. Of perfect form, utterly disdaining the fish-tail, and
clothed only in hair glittering like threads of gold, she is also a
siren. Her eyes exercise irresistible fascination, and none can
withstand the attraction of her voice. She is fond of boys, like
most of her sex, when arrived at a certain age, and she seduces
beautiful boatmen. Unlike the churlish Undines and Melusines
* Thus Lieut. Herndon (Chapter 8),
speaking of the Lake Country of the Upper
Amazons, remarks, "Many of these lakes
are, according to the traditions of the
Indians, guarded by an immense serpent,
which is able to raise such a tempest in the
lake as to swamp their canoes, when it
immediately swallows the people. It is
called in the Lengua Inga (Inca), 'Yacu
Mama,' or mother of the waters; and the
Indians never enter a lake with which they
are not familiar that they do not set up an
obstreperous clamour with their horns,
which the snake is said to answer, thus
giving them warning of its presence.
""
CHAP. XIV.]
213
TO THE RAPIDS OF THE PIRAPORA.
;
of Europe, when she proposes a change, she dismisses her lovers
with great wealth. Gonçalves Dias, the poet, has made of her a
malevolent pixy, a Lurelei, whose object is to drown youth; but
he takes away none of her charms.
Olha a bella creatura
Que dentro d'agua se vê!
CHAPTER XV.
THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO.
THE SYSTEM OF THE STREAM.-ITS SOURCE.-DIRECTION.-LENGTH.-MAGNI-
TUDE.-GEOLOGY.-GLAZED ROCKS.-IRON DEPOSITS.-WEALTH OF VALLEY.
THE RIVER CONSIDERED IN CONNECTION WITH COLONISATION, AND AS
A LINE OF COMMUNICATION.—THE RIVERS OF THE BRAZIL GENERALLY.
-DEPLORABLE NEGLECT OF WATER COMMUNICATION.
WATER COMMUNICATION.-RIVERS VERSUS
RAILWAYS.-THE RIO DAS VELHAS PREFERABLE TO THE UPPER SÃO
FRANCISCO. ESTIMATES FOR CLEARING THE RIO DAS VELHAS, BY M.
LIAIS.— ESTIMATES FOR CLEARING THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO BY M.
HALFELD.—ESTIMATES OF M. DE LA MARTINIÈRE, —THE AUTHOR'S OWN
ESTIMATES.-STEAM NAVIGATION ON THE RIO DAS VELHAS BEGUN BY M.
H. DUMONT.-STEAM NAVIGATION ON THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO BY THE
COUNCILLOR MANOEL PINTO DE SOUZA DANTAS.-CREATION OF NEW
PROVINCE ON THE SÃO FRANCISCO RIVER.-GENERAL VIEW OF THE GREAT
LINE OF COMMUNICATION.—ITS BENEFITS TO THE EMPIRE.
"One of the best gifts of nature, in so grand a channel of communication,
seems here wilfully thrown away."-Darwin, Naturalist's Voyage, Chap. vii.
LIEUTENANT MAURY is undoubtedly correct when he remarks
that the valleys of the Amazons and the Mississippi are commer-
cial complements of each other, one supplying what the other
lacks in the great commercial round. The geographical homo-
logy of the riverine formations in the Northern and Southern
divisions has also been remarked by many writers. The Amazons
represents the comparatively diminutive Laurentian system.*
The Rio de la Plata is the Mississippi, the Paraguay is the
Missouri, and the Paraná is the Ohio, whilst the Pilcomayo, the
Bermejo, and the Salado are the Plata, the Arkansas, and the
Red River.
The Rio de São Francisco has been trivially compared with
the Mississippi and with the Nile. It presents an analogy with
* The valleys of the Amazons and the Paraguay Rivers can easily be connected like
those of the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi.
CHAP. XV.]
215
THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO.
the African Niger, but none with those of North America. One
of many, it rises in the South, flows to the North with easting,
and near the end of its course it bends eastwards and disem-
bogues into the Atlantic. It is the external segment of sundry
similar sections of circles, bounded by basins draining north
to the Amazons, and west and south-west to the Parana-Plata :
the included arcs are the great Jequitinhonha and the Doce rivers.
Further South is the Parahyba do Sul, and South again the
Ribeira de Iguape.* Except the latter all these streams burst
through the barriers which more or less developed subtend this
part of the South American, as they do the corresponding portion
of the African, seaboard.
The oldest traditions (Noticias do Brazil, 1589) derived from
the savages, make the São Francisco rise in a "great and famous.
lake which it would be very desirable to discover." Luccock
(p. 530) remarks, "in the St. Francisco and the Paraná we beheld
the drains of an immense internal lake, bounded on the east by
the Serros Frio and Mantiqueira, on the south by that of Mara-
caná, and on the west by those which separate the Paraná from
the Paraguay, or lie beyond those streams. The waters of this
ancient elevated sea have burst their barriers in S. lat. 15° and
20°, and are still wearing their channels deeper at the Falls of
Pirapora in the north, and Setequedas in the south; just as the
Lakes Erie and Ontario, in North America, will, in all proba-
bility, be drained by wearing away the impediments which now
form the Falls of Niagara." M. Halfeld (Relatorio, p. 108)
is inclined to think that the Serras of "Ibyapába," + and the
Itacutiára, Bréjo and Itacaratu, with the minor features near
the Monte Escuro were of old the walls of an extensive salt-
water sea." He drains it off through the Rapids of Itaparica
(317 leagues ‡) which burst and formed the great future Paulo
Affonso. Salinas abound upon its line, the grits and calcareous
*This stream rise s to the cast or sea-
ward side of the great Serra do Mar,
which in the southern province of São
Paulo bends away from the shore. The
etymology is "yg," water, cua,” belt,
and "ipé," a place where. I reserve the
Ribeira for a future volume.
،،
Sr. J. de Alencar prefers to write
"Ibyapaba." Vieira translates it "Terra
aparada, and Martins explains it by
Iby," land, and "pabe,
pabe," all.
""
(6
"Iby
is often corrupted: thus the name of the
""
،،
W
celebrated Pytiguara tribe was originally
Iby-tiva-cua-jara, the lords of the land-
valley. According to M. Brunet, of
Bahia, the height of the range does not
exceed 2200 metres. Mr. Keith John-
stone has adopted Ibiapaba, and Gardner
informs us that the Portuguese name is
Serra Vermelha. M. Halfeld writes Hip-
piapaba.
M. Halfeld's first league was at the
Pirapora, and he places the junction of
the Rio das Velhas.
216
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XV.
marls contain an abundance of salt (chloride of sodium), and
Chilian saltpetre (nitrate of soda), * and as in the Valley of the
Indus the Sal da terra effloresces during the dry season.
I may
add that the presence of iodine would explain the absence of
goître, and the fact that the cocoa-nut palm flourishes at such
abnormal distances from the ocean.
The main source of the Rio de São Francisco is in the eastern
versant of the Serra da Canastra, the great central platform of
Minas Geraes, between S. lat. 20° and 20° 30′ and W. long. 3°
(Rio de Janeiro). "From the gap of a perpendicular rock more
than 1000 feet high," says the Baron von Eschwege, "bursts the
principal nascent of the São Francisco." The spot was visited
by St. Hilaire (III. i. 184), and "tore from him a cry of admira-
tion." He gives to the Casca d'Anta Cascade 667 feet of
altitude, and he remarks "qu'on se tâche de se représenter la
réunion de tout ce qui charme dans la Nature; le plus beau
ciel, des roches élevés, une cascade majestueuse, les eaux les
plus limpides, la verdure la plus fraiche, enfin des bois vierges
qui présentent toutes les formes de la végétation des tro-
piques."
The waters of the young river sweep from west to east for a
distance of about fifty-five and a half leagues, and are mere
mountain torrents. Before receiving the Paraopéba the breadth
of the united stream is 140 metres, and the maximum depth 3.25
metres, with a discharge of 130 cubic metres per second. The
direction is then from south to north with the Serra Grande or
Espinhaço on the east, and the Mata da Corda forming the
western wall. From the Paraopéba to the Pirapora Rapids the
line has been surveyed, it inclines at first to the west and then
to the east, the distance being forty and four-fifths geographical
leagues (226,845 metres). From the Pirapora to the Cachoeira do
Sobradinho, a distance of 239-240 leagues, the whole line is
ready for a steamer, and including the Rio das Velhas, a total of
508 leagues can be made transitable with little difficulty. Below
the Sobradinho there are twenty-nine clear leagues, followed by
forty-four which, though dangerous, are transitable to rafts and
canoes. From Varzća Redonda, twenty-five to twenty-six leagues
are unnavigable, and in this section occur the Great Rapids of
* See Chap. 19, where the nitrate of potassa will be mentioned.
CHAP. XV.]
217
THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO.
Paulo Affonso. Finally, below the line of rapids, forty-two
leagues, upon which steamers now ply, connect the Lower Rio de
São Francisco with the ocean. It is here unnecessary to enter
into details of direction or distance, as we shall float down the
whole way.
*
+
The Annuaire du Bureau des Longitudes de France assigns to
the São Francisco the fourth rank amongst the streams of South
America. It follows the Amazons (5400 kilometres †), until lately
held to be by far the largest river in the world; the Paraná-
Plata (3440 ks.) and the Tocantins (2300). But M. Liais has
shown that the São Francisco has been wrongly assumed to
represent 2100 kilometres: from its source to the mouth of the
Rio das Velhas is 800 kilometres, and 2100 from that point to
the sea the total, therefore, will be 2900. § Thus the cosmic
rank of our stream will be seventeen or eighteen. In Europe
it is surpassed only by the Volga; in Asia by the Yenissei, the
Yang-tse-Kiang, the Hoang-ho, the Oby, the Lena, the Amour,
and the Meï-Kong; in Africa by the Nile, the Niger, the Zam-
*We may briefly remark that it runs
north, with a little westing as far as
the Urucuia R. (30th league from the
mouth of the Rio das Velhas), north-north-
cast to the Bom Jesus da Lapa (106th
league); north, with a little westing to
the Villa da Barra (162nd league). This
meridional course is pleasant to the travel-
ler, who always regrets when he must east
or west, and thus catch the sun. Then
begins the long north-eastern bend, whose
apex is Cabrobó or Quebobó (278th
league). Thence the stream curves to
the south-south-east, and finally to the
south-east.
Lieutenant Herndon assigns to the
Ucayali-Amazon an uninterrupted navi-
gation of 3360 miles. He estimates in
round numbers the fluvial lines of the
valley for large vessels at about 6000 miles,
and he supposes that, including the
numerous small streams, the length would
swell to 10,000 (p. 280).
The Nile is rapidly rising in point of
length. My friend Mr. A. G. Findlay,
the geographer, says (June 3, 1867)—“If
the source bo near the Muxinga Range
the total course will be 3500
geographic or 4050 British miles, almost
unparalleled by any other river.'
"1
·
§ Professor D.T. Ansted (p. 34, Elementary
Course of Geology, Mineralogy and Physical
Geography) gives the São Francisco a total
direct length of 1000 British statute miles;
and of 1600, including windings, whilst he
sets down the area of drainage at 250,000
square miles. Sir John Herschel (Physical
Geography, p. 188) says "The basin of
the San Francisco includes the district (?)
of Minas Geraes, the great source of the
mineral wealth of Brazil. It includes an
area of 187,200 square geographical miles
in length to its source in the Sierra da
Matta da Corda (?)." It is regrettable
when any but professed geographers write
geography. Mr. Gerber makes the total
of the two hydrographic basins in the
Province of Minas to contain 20,000 square
leagues (180,000 square geographical
miles), and amongst these he places first
the São Francisco, to which he assigns
8800 square leagues, or 79,200 square
geographical miles.
|| M. Liais assigns to it the 16th place.
But at present it is very difficult to calcu-
late the area of the Zambesi and the Congo
Rivers. Assuming the former to rise in
E. long. 16° and to debouch in E. long. 36°
(and to extend between lat. 8° and 18°),
with the mean length of a degree of 58 472,
we have a greater direct course than the
São Francisco. The Congo is not to bo
estimated in the present state of googra-
phical knowledge: it will probably prove
itself equal to the Niger.
218
[CHAP. XV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
besi (?) and the Congo (?); in America by the Amazons, the
Mississippi, the Paraná-Plata, the St. Louis, St. Lawrence, and
the Mackenzie.
.
A late expedition has decided that the basins of the Piauhy
and the Amazons are identical, and that both are like the Missis-
sippi, cretaceous formations. Neither Professor Agassiz nor
Mr. Orestes St. John found marine deposits, but these may
have escaped the notice of a flying survey. They judged that
both were of fresh-water origin. During the cosmic winter the
- glaciers had moved down to the valleys, without, however, plough-
ing their soles, or leaving those "glacial inscriptions," furrows,
striæ, and burnishings which characterise ice-action. When the
frozen masses were raised by thaws, the triturations were depo-
sited at the bottom, and now form the underlying distinctly
stratified sandstones and the loose sands. Upon these rest the
clay formations, laminated, stratified, cross-stratified, and un-
stratified, with lines and waves of coarse gravel and pebbles,
whose material is quartz, often highly ferruginous. Capping the
whole is the sandy and once pasty clay, red with ochre, and
common to the Brazil and intertropical Africa. It overspreads
the undulating surface of denuded sandstone, following all its
inequalities, and filling up its furrows and depressions. The
breaking up of the geological winter, and the final disappearance
of the ice, formed a vast fresh-water lake. This, after a somewhat
complicated history, finally burst its seaward dyke, effected de-
nudation on a gigantic scale, and wore the land down to its
rock-core, except where the strata were hard enough to resist.
Professor Agassiz found distinct moraines, and shows that in-
stead of forming a Delta, the mouth of the Amazons has suffered
extensively from the encroachments of the ocean. In the case of
the São Francisco the river builds up faster than the sea can
destroy; and the denudation of the coast is not to be compared
with that further north. Its Delta does not equal in size those
of the Nile, the Niger, and the Zambesi, but it is distinctly
traceable.
M. Halfeld (Relatorio, p. 172) opines that the grès, or sandstone
grit, is the characteristic formation of the Rio de São Francisco.
The stream rises, as has been seen, from the great central plat-
form of Minas: its material is the Itacolumite or granular
laminated sandstone, which seems to compose the central and
CHAP. XV.]
219
THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO.
the newer portions of the continent.* Some would compare
these deposits with the vast Silurian beds of North America. At
present characteristic proofs are wanting. M. Chusin (Bulletin
de l'Académie de Bruxelles, viii. 5) found the print of a
univalve in the modern red grits of Minas Geraes. Travellers
and miners, however, are both agreed that hitherto the Brazil,
and even Southern America generally, resembles Africa in
the difficulty of finding organised fossil bodies, and thus it is
difficult to decide the geologic age of the immense grit deposits
in the Eastern and Northern plateau. This Itacolumite reap-
pears at Bom Jardim (138th league) and runs down stream
alternating with coast granite.
Below the gneiss and schist of the Pirapora, we find sand and
sandstones here brown, there of a deep ochre, often highly ferru-
ginous, rarely stratified, and more or less nodulous and porous.
This formation resembles the coast "drift," and once covered
continuously all the river valley; it is still superficial except
where the flood-mud has accumulated upon it, and in parts it
shows intervening layers of clay. It is also broken by outcrops
of hard, blue mountain-limestone, and by argilliferous or hy-
draulic limestones, compact or stratiform, and abounding in
silex.
Further down stream are close sandstones resembling ferru-
ginous quartzite and covered with a polished crust, either
chemical or mechanical. The rocks are blackened to the colour
of dark coke in places where the floods have less polishing
power and the presence of the mirrory glaze upon the brown,
yellow or red rock, sandstone, granite and syenite, readily gave
the high-water mark. In many parts it resembled magnetic
iron, and I tried it upon the needle without any effect. The
coating did not exceed wafer-thickness, and in places where the
softer material had yielded, glazed sheets, and surfaces partially
glazed, stood up detached. The people term these tinted rocks
Pedras de Marumbé, evidently believing them to be ironstones.
The glaze, however, is of three kinds; the darkest purple, which
* The same grit was found by Castelnau
on the Tocantins River, and on his route
from Goyaz to Cuyabá, in Mato Grosso.
Near Santa Cruz of Minas Geraes he also
mentions erratic blocks of a granite which
does not exist in the neighbourhood. That
traveller records the absence of fossils, and
believes that as a rule the low-lying and
hot portions of the South American conti-
nent are of much older date than the
Highlands offsetting from the Cordilleras,
and whose formations are placed regularly
as those of Europe.
220
[CHAP. XV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
appears black in the shade, another is plumbago-black (pedra
negra), while the third is a warm red-yellow, probably pure fer-
ruginous matter deposited upon boulders whose inner colour is
the same (pedra cabocla). * On the São Francisco the further
we went down the deeper became the tint, and the denser the
glaze, till in places above and below and about the Great Rapids,
the monstrous masses looked like castings of solid metal. This
would suggest that it is the work of the stream, but it is difficult.
to decide whether the waters carried it in solution, or whether
their friction had drawn it from the interior to the surface.
Analyses by Berzelius and Charles Konig made it to consist of
oxides of manganese and iron. The specimens from the Atures
†
proved to contain, besides oxide of manganese, carbon and super-
carburetted iron, but they blackened the paper in which they
were wrapped. Such is not the case here, nor do the people
attribute to them any noxious influence upon the atmosphere.
The subject was, I believe, first discussed by Humboldt. ‡ He
found that "whenever the Orinoco, between the missions of
Carichana and of Santa Barbara, periodically washes the granitic
rocks, they become smooth black, and as if coated with plum-
bago." On the Congo River I observed the thin shining black
crust, strikingly resembling the coatings of meteoric stones, to
begin at Boma, just below the narrows of the Zaire, and to
extend up to the Yellalah or Great Rapids, in fact where the
stream is most turbulent. Here it was first observed by the
expedition of 1816 under Captain Tuckey, and the specimens
were described by M. Konig. § In 1832 Mr. Darwin found near
Bahia, where a rivulet entered the sea, and where the surf and
tidal waves supply the polishing power of cataracts, coatings of a
rich brown like those of the São Francisco, and he justly remarks
that "hand specimens fail to give a just idea of these burnished
stones which glitter in the sun's rays." He could assign no
>>
*I never heard the people say, as on the
Orinoco, that "the rocks are burnt (or
carbonised) by the rays of the sun,
or that the rocks are black where the
waters are white.
(C
""
""
[C
I have sent to Europe specimens of
these curious rock-incrustations from the
São Francisco River. During the few
months since they were removed, the glaze
has become comparatively dull, and looks
as though it required renewal.
Sig
-
‡ Personal Narrative, vol. ii. chap. 20:
Bohn's Scientific Library, London, 1852.
§ That geologist (Appendix to Captain
Tuckey's Expedition, No. 6) argued from
the primitive rock-formations of the lower
Zaire the probability that the "mountains
of Pernambuco, Rio, and other adjacent
parts of South America, were primevally
connected with the opposite chains that
traverse the plains of Congo and Loango."
CHAP. XV.]
221
THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO.
reason why these coatings of metallic oxides always remained of
nearly the same thickness. During his second expedition Dr.
Livingstone (chap. ii; Zambesi and its Tributaries) remarks of
the rocks of the Kibrabasa Rapids, that "they were covered with
a thin black glaze, as if highly polished and coated with lamp-
black varnish." This was apparently deposited while the river
was in flood, for it covers only those rocks which lie between the
highest water-mark and a line about four feet above the lowest.
This appearance has also been remarked upon the Cataracts of
the Nile.*
In the river valley, running parallel with the glazed rocks, are
detached hills rising abruptly from the level surface, and divided
from one another by low spaces. † Some
Some of these piers, which
appear to be pinned down, as if they were segments of dykes to
control the stream, and to keep it from wandering, are composed
of almost pure magnetic iron; we ascended several of them, and
*M. Rozière pointed out to Humboldt
that the primitive rocks of the little cata-
racts of Syene display, like those of the
Orinoco, a glossy surface of a blackish
grey or almost leaden colour.
For the first few leagues below the
mouth of the Rio das Velhas, the São
Francisco runs between containing walls.
Thence to Urubú in the 127th league, it is
bounded by the scarps of ridges which
divide the secondary river-valleys. The
detached hills backed by "denudation
mountains " appear below Urubú.
-|-
This vast iron formation is not noticed
by M. J. A. Monlevade, who in 1854 ad-
dressed Sr. Diogo de Vasconcellos, then
President of Minas Geraes. He declares
the Province to be peculiarly adapted for
the industry, having a healthy temperate
climate, a vast expanse of virgin forest to
supply charcoal, and waterfalls which will
everywhere facilitate the application of
machinery. The united deposits contain
more iron than the whole of Europe, con-
sidering the richness of the gangue, which
gives 76 per cent. of pure metal. It is
principally martite, or magnetic ore almost
always accompanied by Jacutinga, oxydu-
lated iron, or protoxide of iron, with
layers of manganese and titanium in the
sandy state. The analysis by Dr. Percy of
the micaceous Itaberite gives 68 08 per
cent. of metal thus distributed-Sesqui-
oxide of iron, 97.25; peroxide of manga-
nese, 0·14; lime, 034; residue, silica, &c.,
1·88; a trace of magnesium and no phos-
phoric acid total, 99 61. Overlying the
rich ores is often Cánga, or hydrate of iron,
worked in Europe by air furnaces: it is
here neglected, because its yield is only
from 25 to 35 per cent. There are besides
huge scatters of mineral, five principal
ranges lying at a mean distance of eighteen
leagues east and west of one another on a line
perpendicular to their trend. The richest
diggings are associated with gold, which
occurs for the most part in the lower hills,
slopes, and valleys. The metalliferous
strata strike from north-north-east to
south-south-west, inclining to the east:
the breadth is one-eighth to one quarter of
a league, and the depth is unknown.
No. 1. Cordillera, beginning from the
east, extends from near Sacramento, Muni-
cipality of Santa Barbara, Parish of Prata,
crosses the Piracicava River vid S.
Domingos and Jequitibá, covers a vast sur-
face near the Ribeirão de Cocaes-Grande,
and after twelve leagues, is lost in the
forests. The land is everywhere wooded
on both versants, the soil is fertile, and
water abounds.
No. 2 is ten leagues long. It rises in
the farm of Professor Abrêu, 3 leagues
above the village of S. Miguel, and it
forms the left-hand wall of the Piracicava
River. "Morro Aguado" (Agudo ?), its
culmination, fronts the foundry of M.
Monlevade, and crosses his grounds for a
whole league.
No. 3, twelve leagues long, appears in
the "Capão," south of Ouro Preto, is rich
to the west of that city, prolongs itself
viâ Santa Anna and Antonio Pereira, forms
222
[CHAP. XV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
I reserve a further notice. The low lands are finely laminated
sands and clays with regular cleavage, where sun-burnt and air-
baked, and patched with a variety of colours, white and black,
blue and grey, pink and yellow, crimson and orange. The iron-
dotted levels are backed by ranges of denudation mountains,
which, from the stream, appear to be concave. Their smooth
table tops and terraces show that they were once continuous
walls, now isolated by weathering on a vast scale, and being
still degraded by tropical rains and suns. The superior hard-
ness of their ferruginous sandstone saved them from being worn
down to the low alluvial levels, and the laminated formations at
their base.
The great granitic formation of the coast reappeared about the
238th league, and continued with interruptions to the Rapids of
Paulo Affonso, where it passed into syenite. Approaching this
feature, and due south of the Araripe plateau, where Dr. Gardner
found, on argillaceous ground, the stone-cased fishes of the
cretaceous system, the end of the secondary epoch, appeared
signs of a remarkable correspondence with the Amazons. On
both sides of the river were arenaceous buttresses suggesting
gault. The coarser materials had invariably settled in the lowest
levels, and above were the fine grits known to the people as
"Pedras de Amolar," or whetstones. In this part he found
agates and an abundance of flint, with the coticular sandstone
re-occurring about Paulo Affonso and the Porto das Piranhas.
On the lower S. Francisco, after passing the rapids, about
Talhado (332nd league) in Alagoas, I saw the same sandstone
overlying granite and underlying limestone. Near the town of
Propiá (367th league) there is an outcrop of lime, and extensive
deposits of modern calcaire are met with on the lower courses of
the short broad streams which cut the coast line.
the Morro d'Agua Quente and the cross
chain of the Caráça, and is lost opposite
the mine of the Guarda Mór Innocencio.
No. 4, twenty leagues long, begins at the
south of the Caráça half a league from Ca-
panéma, and extending north vid Cachoeira
Morro Vermelho, Roça (Rossa) Grande,
Gongo Soco, Cocaes, Brucutú, and the
Serra da Conceição, forms the peak of the
Northern Itabira.
dang
No. 5, eighteen leagues long, begins
south of Itabira do Campo, which is com-
posed of pure oxide of iron, accompanies
the great Cordillera to Curral d'El-Rei,
crosses the Rio das Velhas at Sabará, forms
the Piedade Range, and probably reappears
far north at Gaspar Rodrigues, Candonga,
in the Serra Negra and in the Grão Mogor
-all places very rich in iron.
Evidently, says M. Monlevade, it wants
nothing but roads, which will save 7 $000
out of 8$ 000, and an import duty on
foreign iron of 25 per cent. A few model
establishments would soon give an impetus
to the trade.
CHAP. XV.]
223
THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO.
St. Hilaire (I. ii., 14), when describing the course of the São
Francisco, had remarked, "La rive gauche, plus élevée que la
droite, est généralement moins exposée aux débordemens." Col.
Accioli (p. 14) seems to confirm this observation, which was
probably only local. The great river, however, flows on a
meridian, and the result of the compound motion produced by its
northern course and the earth's revolution from west to east,
tends theoretically to withdraw the weight of water from the left
or western side, and to throw it against the right or eastern.
Thus it has been remarked, that on long lines of railways running
north and south, the wear is on the eastern rail. Practically I
did not find that this theory, which has been extensively discussed
in Russia, affected the São Francisco.
This stream is not a "holy river," caret quia vate sacro, but
its future will be more honorable than the past of the Ganges or
the Indus. The valley and the high dry Geraes which limit it
on both sides contain all the elements of prosperity required by
an empire. The population is now calculated at 1,500,000 to
2,000,000, probably nearer the latter than the former, and it can
support 20,000,000 of souls. As was said of the Upper Amazon,
"here the sugar-cane and the pine-apple may be seen growing by
a spectator, standing in the barley-field and the potato patch."
The uplands can breed in any quantities black cattle, horses,
mules, sheep, pigs and goats, while there will be no difficulty in
acę" natising the camel. Of mineral wealth, besides diamonds
and opals (?), agates, gold and iron, we find mentioned by M. E.
de la Martinière* and others, platina, argentiferous galena,
mercury, copper (near the Sete Lagoas), antimony, arsenic, man-
ganese, cobalt and various pyrites. Salt and saltpetre, sulphur
and alum have been found in large deposits. Of building materials
we notice marble, freestone and slate, lime generally dispersed
and hydraulic cement; silex, grindstones and potter's-clay are
also abundant. The land is admirably fitted for the silk-worm,
and for the cultivation of cotton, which will some day rival its
immense fisheries. The basin of the São Francisco is terres-
†
*Official Letter. Annexe N. to Presiden-
tial Relation of 1867.
The names of the fish not occurring
in the following pages, but mentioned by
M. Halfeld, and referred to by the people,
are -The scaly :
1. Camurupim (?), short and thickset.
S
2. Camurim, mirim, and assú (large and
small), white with dark stripes on both
sides.
3. Tubarana, dourada (yellow), and
branca, a large fish, lean up-stream, but
much admired below the rapids.
4. Bagre de Ouro. (?)
224
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XV.
trial not aquatic, and it is completely isolated by cataracts near
the source and above the mouth. The fishes, therefore, which
have Amazonian names will probably be found to be distinct.
The localisation of species lately found, even to a greater extent
than he expected, by Professor Agassiz, who remarked that the
main artery of the great northern basin was broken up into
distinct families, will be the case here. The riverines, who have
never attempted classification, or distribution, or limitation, can
generally tell whether a fish is or is not caught below certain
grounds. The naturalist who shall attempt the ichthyology of
the São Francisco will have before him the task of years. The
stupendous results obtained by Professor Agassiz, the revolution
of ichthyology of which he speaks, were effected by an immense
collaboration, public and private, as far as collection extends.
That savant may be said to have been assisted by the forces of the
empire.
The hop, and to a certain extent the vine, will flourish.
Amongst the cereals it produces a wealth of maize and rice,
whilst barley, rye, and probably wheat, will succeed in the Geraes.
Most of the fruits and vegetables that belong to the sub-tropical
and the temperate regions may be introduced. A sugar planta-
tion lasts ten years, although the cane is most inefficiently treated.
Coffee grows admirably; tea, congonhas (or maté), and the
favourite of North-Western Brazil, the guaraná (Paullinia sorbites)
will succeed in low, hot, humid spots. The tobacco is some of
the best in the Empire: salsaparilla and cochineal-cactus, aloes
5. Robalo, a kind of pike common in the
streams of the Brazil.
6. Pacamon and Pacamon de Couro,
which, says M. Halfeld, is a soft fish that
lives in mud. Gardner describes the
Pocomō as an ugly black fish, about two
feet long and covered with hard scales; it
keeps near the bottom, is easily netted,
and makes good bait, but is rarely eaten.
The Pacamum of the Amazons is described
as of a bright canary colour, and weighing
10 lbs.
7. Sardinha.
8. Sarapó.
9. Sibeirá or Aragú.
10. Cará.
11. Pirampeba, white and black, a
small flat fish with teeth like needles.
12. Lombia, about one foot long.
13. Sudiá.
The smooth-skinned are-
1. Niquim.
2. Cumbá.
3. Prepetinga.
I heard also of the Tamburé, about one
foot long and held to be good eating, and
the Piguri and Lambari, small fishes from
which oil is extracted, on the Upper Para-
guay River.
The Shark (Tubarão, Squalus
tubero, Linn.) has carried off people near
the mouth, and they speak of another large
fish, the "Meru," probably a Squalus,
which some say is anthropophagous, and
others not it is also found at the mouths
of the short disconnected tidal rivers which
drain into the east coast. Of course the
Manatu or Sea-Cow, that representative of
the Dinotherium, and the Porpoise of the
Amazons, are wanting in the upper waters
of the São Francisco.
CHAP. XV.]
225
THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO.
1
and vanilla grow wild. The lumber trade is susceptible of a vast
development; the Aroeira, the Braúna, the Candêa, the Peroba,
the Canella, and the fine hard-woods of the Brazil generally,
await exploitation. Oil-plants and tanning barks, basts and fibres,
drugs and gums, as the Jetahy-copal, the Balm of Peru, the
Copahyba and the Asafoetida, are yielded in abundance, and the
same may be said of beeswax and of the Carnaúba wax, which is
converted into candles at Rio de Janeiro. The dyes are
abundant, from indigo to the Páu Amarello, and of cabinet woods
a long list is headed by the Jacarandá and the Brazilian cedar.
In the presence of such vast and unexploited wealth awaiting
the distressed classes of Europe we may exclaim with Goethe,
"Who says there is nothing for the poor and vile save poverty and
crime?"
We will now consider the Rio de São Francisco in another
most important light, as a line of communication linking the
maritime and sub-maritime regions with the Far West, the north
with the south, facilitating commerce and colonization, obviating
scarcity by giving an issue to the surplus of the central regions,
especially when the irregular seasons of the coast injure agri-
culture, or when the seaboard may be blockaded. And thus will
be completed the strategic circle which the Empire, if it would
preserve its integrity, now greatly needs. I may here premise
that the streams of the Brazil between the Amazons and the Plata
are, like those of the great African peninsula, to be distributed
under two heads. The many are short and direct, rather
estuaries than rivers, surface-draining the ranges which subtend the
coast. The few are the long and indirect, like the São Francisco
and the included arcs before specified. The former are of limited
value, the latter may be extensively utilized.
The Brazil is emphatically the land of great, but as yet "un-
improved," rivers. They have, however, gained for themselves a
bad name; and water communication has been deplorably
neglected as in British India. Capital for railways being pro-
*
* I came to the Brazil prepared to
believe and to regret with Mr. Kidder
that, "notwithstanding the number and
vastness of the rivers flowing through the
northern and western portions of the
Empire, and finally mingling their waters
with the Amazon and the La Plata, there
is not one, besides the Amazon, emptying
VOL. IJ.
2
??
into the Atlantic along the whole Brazilian
coast, which is navigable any considerable
way from its mouth inland. But actual
inspection soon showed that the lower beds
of many streams can be joined by short
railways with the upper lines, which are
naturally adapted for communication, and
which have been completely passed over.
226
[CHAP. XV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
curable at heavy interest from England, the various modes of
communication have been performed in the reverse order of their
merit. Water communication, a vast and economic power, which
should have been first undertaken, will be the last; roads have
been limited to the use of the mule or the pack-bullock; and the
Empire is threatened with a railway system of marvellous inepti-
tude. In Europe, Italy is perhaps the only country which pro-
spected before breaking its ground. Here the want of a Topo-
graphical Commission on a large scale has made the Pernambuco
threaten to run into the Bahian Railway at Joazeiro, and the
D. Pedro Segundo cut across the Mauá line, and prepare a
campaign against the Cantagallo and the Santos and Jundiahy.
I shall reserve this important subject for future consideration.
Communication by the Valley of the São Francisco is still in
embryo. Dr. Mello Franco, Imperial Deputy, drew attention
about 1851 to the importance of the Rio das Velhas. As has
been seen, this stream drains the northern versant of the Minas
Plateau, whose culminating point is the Itacolumi. Its eastern
valley wall is the Serra Grande or do Espinhaço; and westward
it is divided by a long spine of many names from the Valley of
the Sao Francisco. More tortuous than the latter, its declivity,
as far as the junction, is less, being an average slope of 0.3941
per kilometre, to 0.4890. During the months of high water the
whole river is naturally navigable, and exceptional rises would be
dangerous for only a few days. In March, 1852, a respectable
Portuguese trader, Manuel Joaquim Gonçalez, whom I met at
Januaria, floated down the Rio das Velhas with three ajôjos, of
which one was lost. In 1862, when the Councillor José Bento
da Cunha Figueirado was President of Minas, the Imperial
Government ordered a survey under M. Liais and two assistants,
Lt. Eduardo José de Moraes and Sr. Ladislao de Souza Mello
Netto; and their admirable plans of the Rio das Velhas and the
Upper São Francisco are now well known to Europe.
This Commission preferred the Rio das Velhas as the line of
communication with the Empire, and apparently for the best
reasons. The opening of the Upper Rio de São Francisco
*
>>
*Thus the riverines truly observe "0
Rio de São Francisco faz barra (falls into)
o Rio das Velhas.' The discharge of the
former at the confluence is 446 cubic
metres per second, of the latter only 209.
But these proportions do not last long.
At the Porto das Andorinhas, sixty-two
leagues above the junction, the debit of
the São Francisco is but fifty-nine cubic
metres, and the Rio das Velhas has the same
CHAP. XV.]
227
THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO.
would be a gigantic work for which the country is not yet prepared;
the Pirapora Rapids alone would cost more to remove than all the
most important obstacles on the Rio das Velhas. In the thirty-
four leagues above this point, the São Francisco has as many
"Cachoeiras as the whole of its rival between Sabará and its
mouth. The ridges traversing the latter are mostly friable and
shaly; the bars rarely exceed six to seven yards at the summit,
whilst many obstacles are merely detached rocks or sand-bars.
In the former the material is of the hardest gneiss and sandstone,
and spread out horizontally sometimes forty to fifty metres. For
a description of other obstacles, such as the nine terrible leagues,
so fatal to human life, about the Porto dos Passarinhos, the reader
will refer to M. Liais. Trade, moreover, has preferred the former
between the mouth of the Paraopéba River; from above the
confluence hardly a dozen ajôjos descend per annum, whilst many
boatmen, fearing for their lives, refuse to hire themselves. The
small towns are sparsely scattered; and during the rains, when
Carneiradas drive the inhabitants into the interior, the banks are
almost deserted. *
""
On the other hand, it has been shown that a meridian, with a
small deviation, connects the metropolis of the Empire with the
line of the Rio das Velhas. Sabará is only sixty-four direct
leagues from Rio de Janeiro; the analogous point on the S.
Francisco would be ninety leagues-a weighty consideration
when looking to a Railway. This proximity, combined with
superiority of climate, will recommend it to colonists. Finally,
it is connected with more important places, such as Diamantina
and Curvello.
M. Liais also decides, I believe rightly, in preferring water to
land communications. Here again, as in British India, village
intercommunication has found no place in the system of public
works. "Nature's roads," the vilest paths made by the foot, and
never bearing the impression of the cart-wheel, run down both
banks of the Rio das Velhas and the São Francisco. Both are
bad, but usually one is worse than the other. Even in the dry
season the canoe is preferred, and during the rains these lines
are inevitably closed. There would be great difficulties in
Volume at 111 leagues from its embouchure.
The reason is that the former receives
more affluents in the lower, the latter in
the upper course,
All agree upon the subject of these
fevers, yet the plane of the Upper São
Francisco is higher than that of the Rio das
Velhas.
Q 2
228
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XV.
making, and even greater in preserving, a rolling road; and the
expense from Sabará to Joazeiro (244 leagues) would not be less
than 12,200:000 $000 (say £1,220,000), whilst the high tolls
would do away with all the benefit. A similar objection would
apply to tow-paths for tracking boats.
66
M. Liais divides the obstacles of the Rio das Velhas into five
varieties-stone-piers or detached rocks; whirlpools, with vertical
axes; sand-bars and shallow sharp curves, snags and timber
encumbering the bed. While greatly admiring his plans, I cannot
agree with his system intended "pour assainir la rivière:" he
wants to make of this wild stream a Seine or a Rhone; and my
experience of India and the United States suggests far more
attention to economy. He is too fond of mines and blasting
applied to soft stone, of "suppressing" boulder-piers, or marking
every rock, and even shoal, where an accident can happen. Here
un petit travail de canalization" is no joke, yet he would sup-
press channels; to prevent "échouage," alter the stream-bed ;
change its direction, rectify every abrupt détour, and canalize
even the shallows: doubtless the first flood would restore the
"status quo ante." Often, too, he would obstruct one half of
the channel and canalize the other, a precarious work. I have
alluded to his plans of draguage and tunage, either simple or
avec enrochements;" the removal of the Rapids will render
these costly works useless by increasing the current, and by
narrowing the bed where it spreads out in the dry season. He
wishes to "nettoyer" the stream of floating wood, which of
course will stick where it has stood. To obviate the deposit of
sands from the gold washings of and about Sabará, he would
compel proprietors to dig tanks, through which the muddy
streams would pass and deposit their burdens before entering the
river. But in the present condition of the Brazil such pre-
cautions would be impossible; nor would the profits derived from
gold-digging enable, as he supposes, mine-owners to make the
necessary disbursements. He would establish a water-police to
prevent trees being thrown into the stream; the policemen would
probably be the first to throw them. Finally, the key-note of his
estimates is that the channel should be made independent of
pilots, and offer no risk even to a mismanaged steamer. I need
hardly characterize these as works of supererogation.*
66
*The Brazil is already but too well
inclined towards "monumental works."
"Les ouvriers Minciros," says St. Hil.
(I. i. 394) "s'ils mettent de la lenteur
CHAP. XV.]
229
THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO.
A considerable portion of the labour could be carried on only at
dead low water-that is to say, for three or four months in the
year. Half water would suffice for another part. During the
floods (enchentes) from November to March nothing could be
done. About April there is often a small inundation called
Enchente de Paschoa, which would limit the season to six
months. Thus the swelling of the S. Francisco system is almost
synchronous with that of the Amazons, which begins in No-
vember, and lasts till May or June, the greater extent of time
being the result of its superior dimensions. Both streams have
the preliminary freshets, which will presently be described; and
in both the oscillations are known by the name of "repiquete."
During the retiring of the waters (vasantes) sickness must be
expected amongst unacclimatized workmen seduced from distant
parts by a rise of wages.
The following is the estimate proposed by M. Liais:-
200:000 $000
1,730:000 $000
195:000 $000
480:000 $000
Between Sabará and Macahúbas, to admit in the
dry season a vessel drawing 0m 60 (deeper
draughts would require a great increase of
outlay). Canalization of four places and
"suppression" of rock.
Between Macahúbas and Jequitibá, draught 1m.25.
Draguage, suppression of a ford, rectification
of Poço Feio, and removing rocks.
Between Jequitiba and Paraúna. This is one of
the worst sections. For same draught.
Between Paraúna and embouchure of the Rio das
Velhas, the finest part of the course; draught
1m.50.*
Total 2,605:000 $ 000 (say £260,000) between Sabará and the mouth, 120
leagues.
1,400:000 $000
4,100:000 $000
3,200:000 $000
The following are the figures for opening the Upper Rio de
São Francisco
opening the Pirapóra Rapids.
from Pirapóra to Cachoeira Grande included,
from Cachoeira Grande to Porto das Melancías.
Total 8,700:000 $000 (say £870,000) between Pirapóra and the Paraopéba
River, 41 leagues.
dans leur travail, au moins ils donnent
beaucoup d'attention à leurs ouvrages, et
je crois même qu'ils les finissent plus que
ne feraient les ouvriers européens.
""
* I need hardly observe that
draught is wholly uncalled for.
according to M. Claudel, on
Seine, empty boats drew on an
such a
In 1849,
the high
average
230
[CHAP. XV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
}
We will now proceed to the Rio de São Francisco.
M. Halfeld has made a detailed plan rather than a map; it
wants meridians, parallels, and the astronomical determination of
eight or ten points before it can be considered correct. The
letterpress describes every league of the stream; but as the dis-
tances are not checked by instruments, it is evident that one
league must often run into the other. And as any amount of
paper has been expended, it is much to be regretted that a place
was not given to enlarged plans of the Rapids and the obstructed
parts. This is one of the chief merits of M. Liais' publication.
The German engineer, with true Teutonic industry, probably
chained down the whole distance, and thus also he must have
ascertained the breadth; when the stream is very wide, no figures
are given. Moreover, he was engaged in this gigantic labour for
the space of only two years, which would be insufficient accurately
to lay down the topography of the complicated thirty-one leagues
between Boa Vista (269 leagues), and Surubabe (300 leagues).
From the details of a "désobstruction," which would convert
this enormous bed into a clear channel-a kind of canal-like
the Rhine or the Rhone, M. Halfeld proposes a total of
1,089:000 $000 (say £108,900). A considerable portion of this
expense is mere waste; removing rocks, building dams, applying
fascines (which suggest the proverbial tide and pitch-fork), clear-
ing of snags and timber, sloping banks, erecting quays and other
improvements-all these may be reserved for the days when
steam navigation shall have begun. I may observe that a total
of 12:900 $000 (say £1290) has been devoted to the stream
between Porto das Piranhas and the Villa de Piassabussú, a line
upon which steamers have plied since August 1867, without
expending a farthing. Strong objection must also be raised to
any attempt at a canal fifty palms broad at bottom, and extending
seventy-two leagues (206 geographical miles) between Boa Vista
and the Porto das Piranhas, the present terminus of steam navi-
gation. This can hardly succeed; the land is alternately sandy
and stony, deeply flooded during the rains, and subject to enor-
·
Um 27; on the Loire and Moselle 0m 22.
Steamers on the various streams of France
and Germany drew, say MM. Mathias
and Callon, between a minimum of 0m 36
(Ville d'Orleans, on the Loire) to a maxi-
mum of 1.23 (Bretagne, Basse Loire).
In the United States we find flat-bottomed
steamers drawing 22 inches, and a metre
suffices for sea-going craft.
CHAP. XV.]
231
THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO.
mous evaporation in the dry season. Evidently a line of light
rails will be the true system of communication.
Compared with the two preceding estimates, M. de la
Martinière is economical. Their united sum for the Rio das
Velhas and the Rio de São Francisco is £368,900. He reduces
it to 2,000:000 $ 000 (say £200,000); and for this amount, besides
clearing the channel, he builds bridges and workshops, boats,
slips, and five tug-steamers. But he runs only between Sabará
and Joazeiro. Other writers adopt the estimates of M. Liais for
the désobstruction of the Rio das Velhas, adding 2,400:000 $000
(£240,000) for clearing the channel between the Sobradinho and
Varzea Redonda; and 12,000: 000$ 000 (£1,120,000) for a road
round the difficulty of Paulo Affonso. This estimate represents
a total expenditure of 17,000:000 $ 000 (1,700,000) for a naviga-
tion of 476 leagues (1428 miles).
I will now propose my own estimates, simply premising that
the plan is not professional, and that I do not intend applying to
the Brazilian Government for the privilege of carrying them
out:
K
£55,000
40,000
108,000
£203,000
for the Rio das Velhas.
to remove the Sobradinho Rapid and the obstructions
above Joazeiro.
.
Railways and locomotives past the Great Rapids between
Varzea Redonda and the Porto das Piranhas, thirty-six
miles (at £3000 per mile, gauge 2 feet to 2 feet
6 inches).
K
a
With respect to the first charge, £4000 for twenty tons of
blasting powder, which, however, might possibly be made cheaper
upon the spot. The machinery would amount, transport in-
cluded, to £15,500-viz., two big sledge hammers, and two
smaller ditto; and two picks working in slot or cradle, with a
slot-joint adjustable to the piston, £1000; drags for the
Rapids, £2000; and five-horse-power engine mounted on
raft, £2500; first-class steam-tug, with donkey-engines to follow
and assist in working, £10,000. The wages and support
of the working hands may be set down at £30,000; and the
remainder for "contingencies," which in these lands demand a
large margin.
The second item I take from M. Halfeld, who proposes to
232
[CHAP. XV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
expend upon the correction of the São Francisco channel (240th
league) to Joazeiro (247th) the sum of 416:320 $000 (say
£41,632). This is the highest possible estimate; the work is
the only absolute necessity between the Rapids of Pirapóra
(league 1), and the Villa da Boa Vista (269th); and as will be
seen when we reach the place, Nature is doing there her own
engineering.
From the Villa da Boa Vista to the Porto das Piranhas, seventy
to seventy-two leagues (216 miles), the São Francisco can hardly
be called navigable. Rafts like my own, and canoes traverse even
in the dry season the first thirty-four leagues between Boa Vista
and Varzea Redonda, but with a thousand perils. The remaining
thirty-eight leagues (114 miles) between Varzea Redonda and
Porto das Piranhas are absolutely unmanageable. The minimum
of railway required will be £342,000; the maximum, £648,000.
If a marginal tramway be preferred, the expense will be reduced
to one-half; a cart road would cost about one-third. I rejoice to
hear that the Government of His Imperial Majesty has sent a
well-known German engineer, M. Karl Krauss, to ascertain the
levels which can connect the Lower with the Upper São Francisco.
As the great riverine valley becomes settled, the rapid drainage
will tend to increase the floods and corresponding droughts. It
will then be necessary to build dams on the main artery and the
tributaries, solid piers projecting from either shore throwing a
strong current into the centre, and creating sufficient depth of
water for navigation. Thus, combined with the removal of the
Cachoeiras, the lower valleys will be secured from inundations.
Again, the droughts of winter can be avoided by deriving supplies
from artificial lakes and reservoirs constructed on the secondary
streams. This plan has been proposed for the Mississippi, whose
area of drainage is a million and a quarter of square miles, and
whose navigable lines are ten thousand miles. Such bold and
magnificent schemes have been proposed and partly carried out
in the New World,* whilst the engineers of Europe have had a
chronic fear of "meddling
meddling" with great rivers, and have pro-
pounded the theory that these were made to make canals. It is
only a question of time when the Brazil will follow the example
of the United States.
* Ellet "On the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers," Philadelphia, 1853.
CHAP. XV.]
233
THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO.
Steam exploitation of the Rio das Velhas is upon the point of
commencing. On June 25, 1867, the President of Minas Geraes,
Councillor Joaquim Saldanha Marinho, entered into a contract
with Sr. Henrique Dumont, C.E. The Provincial Government
bound itself to pay before June 30, 1867, the sum of 4:000 $000
(£400); before July 15, 33:000$ 000 (£3300); 19:000 $000
(£1900), when a tug-steamer of not less than twenty-five horse
power should reach Rio de Janeiro, and make up a total of
75:500$000 (£7550) after the vessel's first satisfactory trial-trip.
Counting from June 25, 1869, the engineer was to have for ten
years the use of the steamer, after which it is to be handed in
good condition to the Provincial Government. The latter also
undertakes to solicit admission free from duty of all imported
articles, such as steamer, boats, tools, and machinery required
for clearing the channel; or should the application fail, to take
upon itself the expenditure. The désobstructions of the bed were
to be carried out according to the estimates of M. Liais; and the
report was that £160,000 would at once be devoted to the work.
M. Dumont, on the other hand, bound himself, under
penalty, to place within two years after date of signing, a steam-
tug at Sabará. The vessel to make per mensem two passages,
going and coming (viagens redondas) over the portion of the
channel which would permit, and at the rate of ten leagues per
day. The passage money to be 18000 per league; and for
goods, 0$100,* while Government employés were to pay only for
rations. The contractor to keep the steamer in good order, and
to be responsible for its injury or loss (except by act of God, or
unavoidable accident), till it should belong to the Provincial
Government. The stream between Sabará and Jaguára to be
reformed, according to the plans of M. Liais; and to be rendered
navigable, as the public purse shall permit, to its confluence with
the Rio de São Francisco. †
* The public at once began to complain
of these conditions. From Sabará to
Jaguára the passenger will pay 20 $ 000;
and each arroba (32 lbs.) of merchandize
2 $ 000. But the same distance may be
done for 4 $000 by a mule carrying six to
seven arrobas. Time of course is never
taken into consideration.
M. Liais calculates that a poling-boat
drawing three palms (2 feet 18 inches),
with a crew of 10 men working 8 hours per
diem, and spending 15 days between
Sabará and the mouth of the Rio das
Velhas, would carry 4000 arrobas (50 to
60 tons). At present this would be done
by 340 mules and 42 men in 36 days.
The ascent of the boat would demand treble
the time and double the crew, yet it would
have a great advantage over transport by
animals.
On the other hand, a small steamer of
20-horse power, burning wood, which is
everywhere plentiful, would tug the same
load, working twelve hours a day, in five days
234
[CHAP. XV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
Sr. Dumont lost no time. In March, 1868, he brought from
Bordeaux to Rio de Janeiro the sections of the "Conselheiro
Saldanha and ،،
Monsenhor Augusto." The steamers are of
forty and twenty-horse power, and their speed will be about eight
miles an hour, upon a draught of ten inches. About the begin-
ning of the next year they will begin operations upon the Rio das
Velhas. I have already alluded to the horse boat, with inclined
planes working paddle-wheels, and it is to be hoped that this
improvement will soon follow the appearance of steamers.
As early as 1865 His Excellency the Councillor Manoel Pinto
de Souza Dantas, then President of the Bahian Province, pro-
posed to place a steamer upon the Rio de São Francisco. The
little "Dantas," ninety feet by fourteen, and of about ninety-four
tons, was built by Mr. Hayden at the Ponta d'Arêa Works, oppo-
site Rio de Janeiro. The plates and machinery had been taken
to pieces, and were sent numbered, with a model and detailed
drawings, by land to Joazeiro. The road, however, was found
unfit for wheel vehicles; of 346 bullocks sixty had died in the
shortest time, and there had been an equal loss of horses. It is
regrettable that the fine timber of the Rio de São Francisco had
not been preferred to iron plates, and that local jealousies, of
which I shall have more to say, had delayed the execution of a
great project.
Of late years there has been a revival of an idea first suggested,
I believe, in 1825 by a certain Colonel Joaquim de Almeida, and
which, since 1832, had fallen into oblivion. This is to erect the
valley of the São Francisco into the twenty-first province of the
Empire. The main object is to remedy the social, commercial,
and political evils which arise from the isolation of the settle-
ments; these are often 150 leagues distant from their provincial
capitals. The only objection of which I am aware is the trifling
increase of expenditure; it would, however, soon reimburse itself.
""
down, and in eight days up stream, with
five hands for the tug and two or three for the
boat. The expense of descending, including
commander and engineer, would be
100$000; of ascending, 160$ 000. Doubling
this sum for time lost in taking in and dis-
charging cargo, and adding per trip 100 $000
for wear and tear of machinery, we have a
total outlay of 600 $000 for each descent,
and 900 $000 for the return. Thus the
arroba should pay a maximum of 0$150
from Sabará to Guaicuhy, and 0$225 from
Guaicuhy to Sabara.
*"I find that most of the gentlemen of
the lower Province are disposed to sneer at
the action of the Government in erecting
the Comarca of the Rio Negro into a pro-
vince; but I think the step was a wise
If the country is to be improved
at all, it is to be done in this way" (Lieut.
Herndon, 329).
one.
•
CHAP. XV.]
235
THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO.
Foreigners, who are accustomed to view the Brazil with the most
superficial glance, have represented to me the evils of increasing
an official staff already far too large. They seem not to be aware
that the highly constitutional government, which has been well
described as a republic under the disguise of an empire, requires
to be strengthened as much as it legally can be, and that good
"appointments" (as they are called in India) form the readiest
and most practical mode of strengthening it. And if the Brazil
cleave to number twenty, she may borrow from her northern sister,
the United States, an admirable system "of territories" which
are there States, and would be here Provinces, in statu pupillari,
educating for self-rule.
On the Rio de São Francisco, where the subject of No. 21 is
perpetually ventilated, every city, town, and village is prepared
and resolved to be the capital. The great rivals are Januaria in
the south, and to the north Joazeiro; both would, I believe,
remain as they are than accept a subordinate position. The
desiderata for a chief settlement are many: a central site, facility
of communication with the seaboard and the interior, a healthy
climate, and, if possible, rich and fertile lands. As will be seen,
I would award the palm to Bom Jardim, or to Xique Xique.
The new province or territory might embrace the whole valley
of the São Francisco River. The south would borrow largely from
Minas, the Serra de Grão Mogor, Minas Novas, Montes Claros
and Formigas, on the east; to the west the valleys of the streams
Paracutú, das Egoás, Urucuia, Rio Pardo, and Carunhanha. From
Bahia it would take the western watersheds of the Serra das
Almas and the Chapada Diamantina, and from Pernambuco the
western river valley north of Carunhanha. It would extend to
the Rapids of Paulo Affonso, and communicate with the sea by a
railway or a tramway, and the steam navigation now upon the
lower river. And when population and wealth shall increase, it
may admit of further subdivision into a southern territory, with
Januaria for capital, and a northern, in which Joazeiro would com-
mand. Each of these would own about 500 miles of river, and
both are more worthy of provincial honours than the unimportant
Provinces of Alagoas and Sergipe, which are crushed like dwarfs
between the two giants Pernambuco and Bahia.
The direct distance between Rio de Janeiro and Sabará is
3° 12′ 39″ or 192 geographical miles, and the usual calculation for
C
236
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XV.
the length of railway lines is 276 miles. Of this, however, a
portion has been covered by the D. Pedro Segundo. For steamer
navigation we have down the Rio das Velhas 366 miles, and down
the Rio de São Francisco, from the mouth of the Rio das Velhas
to the Villa da Boa Vista, 792 miles, perfectly clear, save at one
point. From Boa Vista to the Porto das Piranhas, the railway
or tramway will run for 216 miles, and from the Porto das
Piranhas to the mouth of the São Francisco, in south latitude
10° 27′ 4″, and west longitude (G.) 36° 21′ 41″, there are 129 miles
of good navigation.
Thus we have the segment of an immense circle, whose arc
numbers 1779 geographical miles, exceeding the average breadth
of Russia. Of these by railroad are only 492, the rest (1287)
being water communication, which is usually considered to be
ten times cheaper.
(N
Communication even by steamer will not create population,
except by attracting colonists; on the other hand, it will, like the
railway, benefit the country by collecting and centralising the now
scattered homesteads. This route of nearly 1800 miles, connect-
ing the heart of the Brazil with its head, the metropolis, and
placing its richest Provinces in direct communication with the
outer world, will be the most important step yet taken. The
opening of the Rio de São Francisco will not only benefit directly
the Provinces of Minas Geraes, Bahia, Pernambuco, Alagoas, and
Sergipe, and indirectly those of Goyaz, of Mato Grosso, of
Piauhy, and of Ceará―it will contribute potently to maintain the
integrity of the Empire.
ASPECTS OF THE
CHAPTER XVI.
XVI.
FROM GUAICUHY TO SÃO ROMÃO.
FIRST TRAVESSIA, 24 LEAGUES.*
RIVER.-ESTREMA
OTTER. THE
CASHEW SHOWERS.-REACH SÃO ROMAO.-ITS HISTORY.-GIANT FIG-TREES.-
ACTUAL STATE OF THE TOWN.-A GOOD TIME COMING.
VILLAGE.-GAME. THE
Ma
Montanhas vimos, campos mil patentes,
E hum terreno nas margens tão extensa,
Que poderá elle só neste hemisferio
Formar com tanto povo hum vasto imperio.
((
*The word Travessia is written by
Koster (i. iv.) Traversia, and translated by
M. Jay Traversée." It is probably_a
local form of Travéssa, a passage. In
Spanish South America "Traversía" is
applied to a land stage. This Travessia, or
trip, begins normally at Pirapóra, and thus
((
))
Cara., 6, 27.
THE Pirapora had been on the São Francisco my terminus ad
quem, and now it was a quo-the rest of the voyage lying down.
stream. The weather was still surly from the effects of the last
night's scold, but the air was transparent, cleaned of atoms,
spores, and molecules, whilst increased humidity, as in England,
rendered it still clearer. The books no longer curled with
drought, as in the Rio das Velhas, and an increased reference to
the quinine bottle was judged advisable. The Vento Geral, or
Eastern Trade, set in, but we were evidently at the break of the
rainy season.
Wednesday, September 18, 1867.—Ember Day. Of course delays
were numerous; the new crew had to shake hands with the
villagers. It was noon before the Eliza was poled off from the
bank of Guaicuhy, and turned "head downwards" into the Great
Stream.t We left on the right the Ilha do Engenho, upon which
people were congregated; canoes were made fast to the alluvial
M
numbers thirty leagues. I have heard the
boatman, when we crossed the stream under
difficulties, call it a Travessa braba.'
"
"Navegar cabeça abaixo," in the dia-
lect of the river, is opposed to
(C Cabeça
acima," going up-stream.
"}
1
238
[CHAP. XVI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
banks, rising in regular steps or grades; this side of the island is
sandy, and fir-trees rise from the banks. The Ilha do Boi led to
the Barra do Jatobá, a stream coming from the west, and this we
shall find to be the rule of almost all the great affluents. Its
waters, called "seizoentes," "sesonarias," "pestiferas," breed,
they say, chills. A little below it were detached rocks, Pedras do
Agato ; *these the pilots did not expect to pass, as the head
wind, especially during the afternoon, often waxes fierce there-it
did not offer let or hindrance. Passing "A Barreira," where
there was a clearing and a few huts on the right bank, we saw
large deposits of the iron-revetted amygdaloid "Cánga." Beyond
it was the mouth of the Jequitahy stream, breaking the right
bank with a gap of some 150 feet, and gracefully curving through
the low trees. On the opposite side is a remarkable point, the
Pedras de Bura do Jequitahy, horizontal strata of stone from
which blocks and boulders have been washed into the stream.
As soon as the air became dusk we looked about for a nighting
place; here the working hours are from sunrise to sunset. Boat-
men will not travel in this part by night; even with the full moon,
they cannot see the "Maretta," or ripple caused by snags below
surface. Our men preferred the exposed left bank, which supplies
wood; the right affords more shelter from the east wind, and from
the storms which sweep up from that direction. In the river
tongue, the latter is known as Banda da Bahia, the Bahian side,
the western being the Banda de Pernambuco. These are old
names, dating from the days when the captaincy of Pernambuco
covered part of the present Minas Province.
This portion of the São Francisco, and, indeed, we may say
the whole course, is more civilised, tamer, and less picturesque
than the Lower Rio das Velhas; we passed hardly a league of
land without sighting huts or improvements. Making fast at
5·30 p.m. to a sandy "praia," and climbing up the steep clay
bank, we found a small tenement, surrounded by a dwarf field of
manioc, poor bananas, and first-rate cotton, which seems to
flourish everywhere. The maisonnette turned its back upon the
* Or Agatho, probably a P. N.
M. Halfeld calls it "Barreira dos
Indios," a name given to a place further
down stream.
+
Or "Gequitaly," a considerable stream,
120 direct miles long, heading in the western
counterslope of the chain that discharges
eastwards into the Jequitinhonha. It is
navigable for canoes, which ascend it three
leagues in the dries, and twenty-eight
during the rains,
CHAP. XVI.]
239
FROM GUAICUHY TO SÃO ROMÃO.
west, the rainy quarter, and some trouble had been taken to build
it. There was a kiln constructed in the river bank, a circle four
feet in diameter by two deep, a clay floor pierced with holes,
separating the fire below from the material to be fired: the latter
operation appears very insufficiently effected both in pots and tiles.
The Western Valley is bounded at a distance of about five miles
by the Serra do Itacolumi; the mists, however, robbed us of the
view. On the opposite side was the Povoado do Olho d'Agua, a
few thatched sheds, buried in orange trees and Jaboticabeiras.
To-day the stream has averaged some 1200 feet in breadth, and
in places has widened to 1600 yards. The banks to which the
flood swings are eaten below, and rise perpendicularly, whilst the
opposite side assumes the natural angle. The height varies from
25 to 36 feet; the material is a base of white or reddish sand,
supporting hard "taúa," and the surface is rich humus, mixed
with silt. The supply of wood will last for years, but the vegeta-
tion is uninteresting after the magnificent avenues of the Rio das
Velhas. The surface is composed of swells and waves of ground,
in whose hollows are Alagadiços, or stagnant waters. Now, also,
begins the Ypoeira, which partly corresponds with the Igarapé,*
or canoe path of the Amazons and the Lower São Francisco.
When the bayou is considerable, it retains its water through the
year, and is drained to the level of the dries by a Sangradouro.
These little creeks carry a quantity of sand; they are mostly
disposed perpendicularly to the stream, and they assist in unwater-
ing the waves of ground which are not reached by the inunda-
tions. In many places there are lumpy hills, forested or cleared,
and on both sides the divides of the riverine valley are well
marked with heights which will disappear a few leagues down
stream.
September 19.-We effected an unusually early start, but our
men are paid "by the job." The right bank showed a mass of
building material, argillaceous schistose sandstone in horizontal
*
Igarapé is derived from yg, water-
jara, lord (.c. a canoe), and ipé, where
(it goes). Of the Ypoeira feature I shall
have more to say further down stream,
when it becomes important. It is what
Lieut. Herudon calls Caño on the Upper
Amazon, a natural arm of the main river,
opposed to the "Furo" (small mouth) and
the "furado," an artificial (but sometimes
a Nature-made) cutting. That traveller
also remarks, “Igarapé is the Indian name
for a creek or ditch, which is filled with
'back water' from the river; and the
term Paranamiri(m)—literally, little river
-is applied to a narrow arm of the main
river running between the main bank aud
an island near to it."
240
[CHAP. XVI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
slabs; on the other side was "As Lages,
"As Lages," a clearing with
bananas and oranges. Presently rose before us the Morro da
Estrema, a terrapin-shaped buttress, disposed perpendicular to
the stream, high above the floods, well wooded, and with good
improvements below. The little village of the same name was at
the bottom of a sack, formed by the river sweeping to a projec-
tion of the opposite left bank. It is built upon an inner ledge of
rising ground, and a few poor tiled huts clustered about the little
church, Na Sa do Carmo.
At noon we halted for rest on the Pernam side, below the
hamlet known as Serra da Povoaçao.*
The hills of that name
form a meridional line of scattered lumps running parallel with,
and rarely three miles distant from, the stream. At the Serra or
Serrote do Pé de Morro, they impinge upon the banks; the little
crescent is called by the people Serra do Salitre, as it contains a
saltpetre cave, and they declare it to be a north-eastern branch of
the great Mata da Cordat range. Opposite it the Barra do
Pacuhy forms the usual Corôa; a little below, on the left, we
were shown a sand-bar, where a pleasure party of seven had come
to grief some eight years ago. They were returning from a
festival at Estrema, a little place of great debauchery; the "dug-
out" struck a snag, and all were drowned.
Passing the Riacho da Fome, an ill-omened name now not
uncommon, we anchored before sundown at the mouth of a San-
gradouro, called the Cachoeirinha, from an adjoining village.§
The clay wall of the river is here some thirty-two feet high, and
the streamlet draining a bayou is about a mile in length. The
Mandim fish had awaked, and grunted like a gurnard, and his
hunger in the afternoon suggested to the pilots that he foresaw
rain. Presently a cold east wind arose, the clouds gathered in
heaps, and the horizon gleamed lurid with the reflection of field
fires, easily to be mistaken for electrical "weather lights."
During the early night there were raw and violent gusts, and
they presently induced a downfall whose steadiness promised per-
sistency.
*Serrote da Povoação (M. Halfeld).
Forest of the Cord, so called from its
long, narrow line.
This stream runs almost parallel with
the Jequitaly, and drains the Montes
Claros de Formigas. It has no mines, but
the lands are good for pasture and agri-
culture.
The Pacú, according to Castelnau, is the
genus Characinus of Artedi, and sub-genus
Curimata of Cuvier. The carp-like body
averages two to three palms in length, and
is considered good eating; the Pacú ver-
melho being held to be the best.
There is a Cachoeira hamlet on the
right or opposite bank.
CHAP. XVI:]
241
FROM GUAICUHY TO SÃO ROMÃO.
This day showed us a more than usual quantity of animal life.
A Jacaré (cayman) stared at us from the bank, with the short
round muzzle protruded in curiosity, and another lay dead upon
the stones. Jacús (Penelopes) chattered on the tree-tops, and
afforded fine practice, but the bush was too thick for bagging,
although we worked like men for the pot. A large otter plunged
close to us, and at times we heard their whistling cries, which the
pilots compared with the quarrelling and scolding of old fishwives,
and the frequent ejaculation of "diabo." There are two kinds,
the Lôntra, or common species (Lutra brasiliensis), and the
Lôntra grande, also known by its Tupy name, Ariranha. This
animal is said to attain a length of six feet; the colour is a lighter
brown than in the smaller variety, and a white ring encircles the
neck. This species may have given rise to the Mãe d'Agua, or
water fairy; it bites terribly, and dogs fear to attack it when it is
making its escape over the rocks. The otter has an extensive
range in the Brazil, it is frequent upon the streams of the sea-
board, and if the "main d'oeuvre" were cheaper, its skins should
reach the markets of Europe. The people of the São Francisco
destroy it because it is so injurious to fish. It lives in families,
tunnels into the river bank, and drives a breathing shaft (suspiro)
to the surface. The hunter stops both holes for a time, and then
opens the entrance, the inmates rush out to take the air, and then
they are killed ad libitum. Often, also, they are shot in the
rivulets, and their bodies are found floating after some hours.
The skins are of a comparatively high price, I bought none under
2 $000.
September 20.-Ember Day again. In the morning the men
looked like turkey buzzards during a heavy shower: they were so
benumbed that we had some difficulty in avoiding the snags and
a dangerous sunken rock, said to be of silex.* After two hours'
work we passed on the left bank the Paracatú de Seis dedos,
which M. Gerber has located on the right. The pilots praised
it for good water (rio bonito), but none could explain how it
came to have six fingers. Near its mouth was a hamlet and
clearing on the finely-wooded banks, and the creaking of the
water-wheel spoke of molasses and rum.
One league below that point we halted for breakfast on the left
*The pilots called it Pedra de fogo (of fire), or de Espingarda (of the gun).
VOL. II.
R
242
[CHAP. XVI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
bank of the great Paracatú River.* Its dexter jaw showed a point
or shoal which drove it to the other side, the centre was garnished
with dangerous chevaux de frise of embedded timber, and the
course, bending like a Turkish scimitar, was painted with the
red Páu Jahú. The sides, despite their height, are flooded in the
wet season, and the sandy ground, mixed with humus and clay,
slopes to bottoms where the trees show a water-mark of eight feet.
There was little undergrowth, and the surface was strewed with
dead leaves it was cut in all directions by tracks and paths; the
cattle fled from us, and the ticks soon caused us to beat a retreat.
:
Yesterday we had seen but a single bark creeping up the right
bank. To-day we find two ajôjos anchored at the mouth of the
Paracatú. The owner, a stout, healthy man, whose appearance
spoke well for the climate, was taking provisions to Capão
Redondo, a "Garimpo," or small diamond-digging up-stream.
In former days hundreds of arrobas of gold were sent from this
valley; he declared the bank-diggings to be now exhausted, but
the bed to be still rich. M. Halfeld tells us that in his day the
active and energetic riverines supplied flesh and cereals to the Lower
São Francisco, even as far as Joazeiro, distant nearly 700 miles.
Our informant stated that the staple industry of the land was
stock-breeding, although agriculture still thrives, and the fine
Maçapé soil will produce any quantity of fruits, especially
mangos. He ended by predicting that we should not reach
São Romão that night, as he himself would probably not have
done. Of course we resolved to give him a practical démenti,
and we now thought little of discouraging reports which had
begun at Rio de Janeiro, and which will end there.
After receiving this "formidable tributary," the São Francisco
widens and shallows. At 11 A.M. we passed on the left hand side
a remarkable bluff, the Ribeira da Martinha, which drives the
course nearly due east. Before reaching it the land was low and
*Dr. Couto and other old writers prefer
Piracatu (pyra-catú), or good fish river,
opposed to Parahyba (Pira-ayba), the bad
fish river. This important stream drains
2° 30' of latitude by 3° of longitude. Its
northern branch, the Rio Preto, breaks
like most of the great western influents,
through the frontier chain of Goyaz, the
Serra de Tauatinga, which sets off the great
northern versant, the Serra dos Pyrenéos.
The mouth is about 1500 palms wide, the
normal breadth of the stream is 600 feet;
twenty-eight falls and rapids encumber the
bed, and it is navigable, after a fashion,
nearly 260 miles, to the Porto do Burití.
† Or Ribanceira (bluff) da Martinha
(P. N. of a Moradora, the proprietrix).
The up-stream end is the Barreira da
Martinha proper; the centre, Ribanceira
de Amancio José; and the eastern, or
down-stream, Ribanceira da Martinha.
CHAP. XVI.]
243
FROM GUAICUHY TO SÃO ROMÃO.
thickly-wooded like an old river bed, possibly that of the Para-
catú.* The Barreira is the butt-end of a ridge cut off by the
stream: the material is compact argile of many colours, white
and brown, pink and yellow, surfaced with thin humus; it stands
up stiffly to a height of some eighty feet, and at the base it has
fallen into the usual slope. After a total length of some 440 yards
it thins out into "Cánga," and terminates in woodland. Below
it the bank became sandy, and showed the usual huts and improve-
ments which argue the approach to a place of some importance.
Beyond this Barreira the river is a mass of shoals, sand-banks,
and sand-bars, whilst the stream varies from 0.87 to 1.28 miles
per hour. The "remanso," or sluggish current, is dreaded by
barquemen, and usually the General Trade forms a troublesome
head wind. For some hours the low dark clouds, dissolved by
the cold breath of the north, which in this section promises a
continuance of wet weather,† had indulged us with a slow, steady
rainfall: it began at 10 A.M., and lasted, with rare intervals, till
An ajôjo is certainly not a pleasant place during the
"Cashew Showers:" on the other hand the heavy discharge from
above silenced the gale.
4 P.M.
At 1·15 P.M. we grounded in the narrow channel of hard gravel
between the left bank and the Ilha do Jatobá: the men were
obliged to take foot, i.c., to tumble in, and to shove us off.
Here the total width of the river, including the island, is some
1600 fathoms, and wonderful to relate, M. Halfeld proposes to
block up the western channel with "stakes and fascines." The
Jatobá is the normal type, an elongated lozenge with the side
angles shaved off, and outlines of sand in all directions, except
where the bank is highest. At this season it is double: up-
stream there is a small, well-wooded clay formation, which a long
flat sand-bank connects with a similar and larger feature to the
north-east, and the latter boasts of a few inhabitants. Further
down there is a "Pedra Preta," black blocks and green Arindá
shrubs, as on the Lower Rio das Velhas, which drives the stream
almost at a right angle to the west. The next turn is to the
+
+
The pilots denied this, but their reason
was that they had never seen the stream
here.
The cause is the cold wind setting in
after a few days of hot sun and still, damp
air. The people call these showers, which
are normal in August, Chuvas de Cajú (of
the Cashew nut), a term evidently derived
from the Indians. They declare that the
wet season does not begin till November;
but this year they are manifestly out of
their reckoning.
Tomar pé, to find deep water by
wading.
R 2
244
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XVI.
north, and presently after thirty-six miles we reached our desti-
nation for the night.
São Romão, or to give it the name in full, "Villa Risonha de
Santo Antonio da Manga e de São Romão," (the riant (?) town of
St. Anthony of the Cattle-ford, and of Saint Romanus)-takes its
nom de baptême from the holy martyr, St. Romanus, who pre-
sides over the 9th of August, and who is, I believe, generally
ignored by the English faithful. Two Paulista explorers, the
cousins Mathias Cardoso and Manoel Francisco de Toledo,
having killed an Ouvidor-judge, fled with their families and
slaves to the Sertão do São Francisco. The date of their
journey is not positively known, but it is supposed to have been
between 1698 and 1707. They were driven upon the islet oppo-
site the town, and having beaten off the Indians they settled here
for a time, and then resumed their voyage, finally establishing
themselves at Morrinhos and Salgado. Between 1712-13 the
Bishop of Pernambuco, hearing that the Indians were of peculiar
savagery, sent the Padre Antonio Mendes to catechize them.
Before 1720 S. Romão was a Julgado belonging to the Comarca
of Sabará. The district was presently subjected to the arron-
dissement of Paracatú, a city then newly settled, and distant 200
miles-only. On August 16, 1804, the Bishop D. José Joaquim
da Cunha sent its first parish-priest (parocho), the Rev. Feli-
cianno José de Oliveira. A chapel was dedicated to Santa Anna
and São Luis at a place above the confluence of the Japoré with
the São Francisco; this was removed to S. Romão on his own
day and the invocation became Santo Antonio. The settlers
throve; São Romão, in 1804 a freguezia, rose in 1831 to the
honours of township.
I shall describe at some length this God-forgotten place, not
for what it is, but for what it will be. Many travellers have men-
tioned it, and most of those who have visited it left with the
worst impressions. The last was a naturalist sent down the
river by Professor Agassiz; he got into trouble by carrying
weapons. There is absolutely no reason why the settlement
should be so miserable, the people so barbarous. A good build-
ing-site is close at hand, the surrounding country is admirably
* St. IIil. (I. ii. 428) regretted "de
n'avoir pu visiter la Justice de S. Rumão;"
and he defines the symbol of a "justice
-
as "le poteau surmonté d'une sphère."
The Monsenhor Pizarro had previously
given a detailed account of it.
CHAP. XVI.]
245
FROM GUAICUHY TO SÃO ROMÃO.
fitted for agriculture, and the town is well placed for the carrying
trade. The day I hope is not distant when some wayfarer shall
pass through São Romão and find my description of the São
Romanenses utterly obsolete.
Near the town the stream, nearly 1300 yards broad, runs to
the north, and hugs the left bank; it is broken by the island of
São Romão, about four miles long by 400 paces broad, densely
wooded, uninhabited, and still private property. At the "port
one canoe was drawn up, and about half a dozen were in the
water; the only "ship-yard" is on the top of the bank. Staked
to the side was a fine barca flying the Imperial flag. The crew,
including the pilot, numbered seven, and the tonnage was 4000 to
5000 "Rapaduras,"-20,000 to 25,000 pounds.
We swarmed up the steep bank, some thirty feet high and but-
tery with rain; the lower part was yellow clay much mixed with
silt and sand above. On the summit appeared a remarkable
feature, a line of six enormous Gamelleira figs,* like those de-
scribed upon the Tocantins River. At the point where the
stream deflects a little to the east, a decayed stump shows that
there was a seventh, and two of the giants are likely soon to be
washed away. The pair to the south raise their majestic crowns
of stiff and burnished ovoid leaves, and overhang the stream with
an admirable umbrella of verdure. The trunks, instead of being
as usual, low, thick columns, are bundles of compacted trees,
five or six feet high, and of the horizontally projected branches,
one, not the smallest, measured 100 feet. The birds had settled
in colonies amongst the boughs, and but few epiphytes had
sprung from the bark. In one of the two which front the
landing-place time had dug a chamber used as a dwelling-place;
the idea must have originated in Central Africa, where the
bulbous Calabash acts alternately home and water-cistern.
*The Brazilians term the Gamelleira
either Preta or Branca, chiefly from the
colour of the bark. Koster (ii. 11) makes
the latter useless, and the former distil,
after incision, a gummy juice, which is
taken internally for dropsy and cutaneous
""
Immediately beyond this ridge with its colossal growth, the
land droops towards a bottom flooded during the rains, and
thinly covered with bush; it must be a hot-bed of miasma during
the retreat of the waters, and the sun must raise it well to the
diseases. According to the System, the
acrid milk of the white fig (Figueira branca,
or Ficus doliaria) is an anthelmintic, but it
adds that many other figs have the same
properties.
246
[CHAP. XVI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
level of the local face. The swamp is subtended by a rise cor-
responding with the lay of the ridge running parallel with the
stream, and facing the east. Here is the Rua do Alecrim, con-
sisting of a dismantled hut on one side, faced by seven poor
tenements, of which one, by affecting a square box as an upper
story, ambitionizes the title of "Sobradinho." Beyond this
thoroughfare of flowery name, and lying side by side with it, was
the Rua do Fogo, a higher and drier site. Here we counted
fifty-four tenements, mostly with roofs of coarse tiles and mud
and wicker-work walls,* slightly washed with Tauatinga; the
large compounds are either railed or enclosed with pisé, coped
with thatch. The most pretentious show attempts at orna-
mentation, white scrolls of plaster on azure ground, doors striped
with blue, and windows with small lattices instead of the shutter
or the cotton cloth. Amongst them were three Vendas, the
main of whose occupation is to sell spirits; and the blacksmith
in his leathern apron, suggested the village Vulcan of Negroland.
The wealthier houses had wooden steps leading to the raised
floors, the poorer logs of wood above the level of the puddly
thoroughfare, by courtesy called a street. To the south some of
the tenements were propped up with stays and others were in
ruins; not a few had a closed room attached to the unwalled
tile-roof which the Tupys called Copiar or Gupiára, and some-
times Agua furtada. In this place the traveller is allowed to
swing his hammock and to cook his meals.
W
Going northwards we passed the Quartel, or barracks, hung
inside with carbines, and tenanted by eight soldiers, who on paper
appear as a battalion. These black-brown men in Kepís and hol-
land blouses looked somewhat more surly, as in duty bound, than
the rest of the citizens; they eyed our patent leather waist belts
curiously, but they did not interfere with us. Beyond the Quartel
was the Lago da Cadêa, a tiled roof and an open scantling,
suggestively representing the future prison. João de Barro had
derisively built his domicile upon the cross beams, and upon not
a few of the wooden crosses profusely scattered about the settle-
ment.
Beyond the northern end of the Rua do Fogo, and surrounded
by bush, was the old Rosario Church, definitively broken down.
The citizens declare that they have no stone, when the river bed is a quarry,
CHAP. XVI.]
FROM GUAICUHY TO SÃO ROMÃO.
247
Turning to the left we ascended the Rua Direita, an embryo
thoroughfare which numbers twelve houses, including a farrier's.
It rises gently from the river to a cemetery, denoted by a cross,
from which half the instruments of the Passion had been
abstracted. This village of the dead was fronted by a support of
rough stones, while the rest was wholly unwalled; the surface
was cumbered with timber, and littered with graves which lacked
monuments. In the centre of High Street was the square of the
new Rosario, a white-washed temple with three shutters, a very
model of meanness.
To the west of this Rosario is the Rua da Boa Vista, the
aristocratic quarter, numbering thirty houses; it commands a
pretty view of the stream, the islet, the reaches above and below,
and the low blue hills on the Bahian or Eastern side. I sent in a
card to the Delegate, Sr. João Carlos Oliveira e Sà. He had
probably never seen that civilised instrument, for he left us in the
rain till a friend beckoned to us from the window to come in, and
after eyeing the pasteboard much as a crow inspects a dubious
marrow-bone, he returned it to me with a little weary sigh.
Unwilling to accept defeat, I produced my Portaria or Imperial
passport: he glanced over it and restored it in dead silence. My
desire for information was likely to catch cold, when fortunately
a decently dressed man walked in, and did not prove so chillingly
uncommunicative. I told my tale all down the river, where men
agreed in giving a good name to the Delegate; it is therefore only
fair to suppose that he was exceptionally suffering under the
influences of Sao Romão.
Resuming our walk after this episode, to the south of the Boa
Vista we found a second church, the Na Sa da Abbadia; it
boasted of the usual white-washed and two-windowed face, wearing
a mutilated, noseless look. To the west or inland of this line
are a few straggling huts, whose enclosures are hedged with the
organ cactus. Here is the highest and healthiest ground, where
the villa should be built; unfortunately it is too far from the
business quarter, the river side. Therefore, as in our West
African "convict stations," men will not move; they would
rather see the floods walk into their windows. At times ex-
ceptional inundations put them all to flight. In 1838 the water
rose in places five feet above the floors, and in 1843 the lowest
street was nine feet under water.
248
[CHAP. XVI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
The trees scattered about the town show the excellence of the
soil. The Almecega or Mastich grows to the largest size. No-
where in the Brazil have I seen finer tamarinds, the natural
corrective of liver complaints. The Imbuzeiro (Spondias
tuberosa) is a magnificent rounded growth; the juice of this
myrobalan, tempered with milk and sugar, makes the favourite
"imbusada" of Pernambuco and Bahia. There is an abundance
of fruit, limes and oranges, papaws and bananas. In the higher
levels, where the thorny mimosa and acacia flourish, cotton grows
taller than the houses, and in the lower parts sugar-cane flourishes.
Behind and above the town the vegetation is that of the campo,
excellent for cattle-breeding. In the streets we saw a few small
horses, the goats and poultry were tolerable, the pigs and sheep
much wanted breeding. An idea of the popular apathy may be
formed from the fact that whilst the river flowing before their
doors produces the best of fish, and while salt may be brought
from a few leagues, if indeed it cannot be washed from the ground,
the townspeople eat the hard, dry, and graveolent "bacalhão," or
codfish, brought in driblets from Newfoundland.
In 1822 Pizarro gave to S. Romão 200 houses and 1300 souls.
Gardner, in 1840, reduced the number to "not above 1000
inhabitants." M. Halfeld (Relatorio, pp. 27-28) numbers 220
houses and 800 souls. The Almanak (1864) assigns to the
municipality 8676 inhabitants, 723 voters, and 17 electors.
According to my informants, in 1867 the houses, or rather
hovels, amounted to 200, and the tenants to 450. When Saint
Hilaire wrote,* the "village of S. Rumão" monopolised the
carrying trade of salt between the river and Santa Lusia of
In
Goyaz: it also exported a considerable number of hides.
those days it had its "richards," Major Theophilo de Salles
Peixoto, the late Lieutenant-Colonel Ernesto Natalista Amaral de
Castro, the Capitão José Jacob da Silva Silveira, and others.
A relic of the good times is the vicar, Padre Antonio Ferreira de
Caires hearing that he was a "curioso," rich in local informa-
tion, I called upon him; unfortunately he was at his Fazenda,
and the Sacristan assured me that there was no such thing as
a Livro do Tombo, or parish register.
* III. i. 216 and 359.
+ St. Hil. (III. i. 104) remarks, "le
mot curioso répond dans notre langue, à
celui d'amateur; mais il a un sens moins
limité."
In the Brazil, "afficcionado " is
an amateur, and curioso also includes the
non-professional expert.
CHAP. XVI.]
249
FROM GUAICUHY TO SÃO ROMÃO.
About ten years ago the diamond-diggings at Santafé* and on
the Paracatú River have caused a small exodus, hence partly the
falling off of the census, and the exceptional number of old men,
women and children. The fevers have greatly increased; we
could read ague legibly written in the yellow skins, emaciated
frames, and listless countenances of the people who suffer terribly
during the retreat of the waters between May and July. The
fomentors are, as usual, poor diet, excess in drink and debauchery,
late hours and extreme filth, not of person, but of habitation. In
this point they seem to have borrowed from the indigenes of the
land, who bathed several times during the day, but allowed them-
selves to be littered out of their "carbets" (wigwams) by moun-
tainous collections of offal.
C
+
The São Romanenses did not affect me pleasantly. I did not
see a single white skin amongst them; they were a "regular
ranch" of bodest and cabras, ‡ caboclos and negros. The lower
orders-if there be any in this land of perfect equality, practical
as well as theoretical-were in rags; the wealthier were dressed
in European style, "boiled" shirts and velvet waistcoats, but
their lank hair and flat faces recalled the original "Indian."
They are devout, as the wooden crosses of squared scantling
affixed to the walls show: scant of civility, they have barely
energy enough to gather in groups at the doors and windows, the
men to prospect, the women to giggle at the passing stranger.
Some of the older blacks plied the primitive spinning wheel, but
the hammock, despite the raw chilly weather, was in more general
requisition.
*This place was described to me as a
little village, with the rudiments of a
church in the municipality of S. Romão.
In the Brazil, "bode," or he-goat, is a
slang term for a mulatto.
St. Hil. (III. ii. 272) makes the
Cabra (she-goat) a mixed breed between
the Red Man and the Mulatto, and synony-
mous with the Peruvian "Chino." Here
it is applied as a general term to those who
are neither black nor white; addressed to
a man, it is grossly insulting, but I have
heard a boatman facetiously apply it to
himself.
São Romão, I have said, is well situated for trade. A good
road, some sixty leagues long, runs up the valley of the Rio Preto,
the northern branch of the Paracatú. A little beyond the settle-
(C
">
The wild men, I have said, gave the
name macáco da terra ("country monkeys")
to the African. Yet travellers have stated
that they were fond of such monkey's
meat, and all agree that their women had
un goût très-vif pour les nègres. Some
have advised, by way of saving the "Red
Man," to mix his blood with the black.
This is indeed unanthropological.
is no need to preserve a savage and inferior
race, when its lands are wanted by a higher
development; and, in this case, the artifi-
cial would be worse than either of the
natural races.
There
250
[CHAP. XVI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
ment, called Os Arrependidos, it crosses the Serra of Goyaz,
which here offers no difficulties. Thence it bends north to the
old Villa dos Couros, now Villa Formosa da Imperatriz. Herc
there is communication with the great Tocantins tributary of the
Amazons, viâ the Rio das Almas, the Corumbá,* and the Rio
Paranan, which bears canoes.
At night-fall we returned to the Brig Eliza, lighted the fire,
drew down the awning, and kept out as much of the drifting rain
and cold shifting wind as possible. It was not easy to sleep for
the Babel of sounds: here the dark hours are apparently the
time
When man must drink and woman must scold.
The Samba and Pagode seemed to rage in concert with the
elements, the twanging of instruments and the harsh voices
screaming a truly African chaunt, suggested an orgie at Unyan-
guruwwe. Evidently much reform is here wanted, and it will
come in the form of a steamer.
* Men of information at Januaria, as
well as São Romão, mentioned the Corum-
bá stream and village. I hope that they
have not confounded it with another Co-
rumbá, the great northern influent of the
Southern Parnahyba, Paranahyba.
Usually, traders embark at the Villa das
Flores, or the Paranan, or Parana (St. Hil.,
Parannan), the eastern head water of the
Tocantins. Castelnau (ii. 196) declares,
01'
""
"Le Parana peut être descendu en canot
jusqu'au Pará. My informants described
the river as very "bravo" above S. João
da Palma, at the junction of the Araguaya,
or great western fork, and some have spent
six months in ascending it. Hence they
say goods worth 0$700 at Pará on the sea-
board, sell at the Villa das Flores for
5$000, and a bottle of wine bought for
0$500 fetches 4000.
CHAPTER XVII.
FROM SÃO ROMÃO TO JANUARIA.
SECOND TRAVESSIA, 26 LEAGUES.
STEAM-BOAT ISLANDS. THE URACUIA RIVER. THE VILLAGE AS PEDRAS
DOS ANGICOS.-QUIXABA-TREES.-THE RIO PARDO.-APPROACH TO THE
CITY OF JANUARIA.—VEGETATION AT VILLAGE OF NA SA DA CONCEIÇÃO
DAS PEDRAS DE MARIA DA CRUZ. REACH THE PORTO DO BREJO DO
SALGADO.-THE PRESENT CITY OF JANUARIA.—ITS HISTORY AND PRESENT
STATE: DANGER OF BEING SWEPT AWAY.-RECEPTION.-PETTY LARCENY.
-CIVILITY OF SR. MANOEL CAETANO DE SOUZA SILVA.-THE PEQUIZEIRO.-
MISSIONARIES AND MISSIONERS.-WALK TO THE BREJO DO SALGADO.-ITS
ACTUAL STATE.-ROMANTIC LEGEND OF THE PEOPLE'S DESCENT.
1
outro se engrossa
De São Francisco, com que o mar se adoça.
atabang tumatala
S
* M. Halfeld calls this pretty spot
"Povaodo," or Village do Porto Alegre.
His villages are mostly termed by the pilots
'fazendas here, meaning tracts culti-
vated by a number of settlers. The next
""
Caramuru.
Saturday, September 21, 1867.-The ceaseless drenching rain
reduced the men to a manner of torpid hybernating state. After
a start under difficulties we threaded the long line of shoals and
islets. In some places as many as six sand-bars were in sight;
all were of finely sifted material without the gravel of the Coroas
in the Rio das Velhas. Passing the Roça do Porto Alegre and
other clearings we came to the first of many features which will
last till we reach Remanso. It is a long, narrow bank of stiff
sand, sharp fore and aft, and shaped like a river steamer in the
United States; in places bushes formed the paddle-boxes, and
strata the lines of caulking. We called them Steamboat Islands.
The vegetation was generally of yellow-green, showing want of
fat humus.
*
A head wind, driving misty blue clouds, drove us to the right
K
was the Barra do Brandão, a long, low
clearing on the right. The bank also shows
improvement, but it must be extensively
inundated.
252
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XVII.
-bank. The mercury showed 71° F., but we trembled with cold;
such is the effect of air in motion, which seems to despise a sun
nearly overhead. Furling the awning we made a good "lick" to
the entrance of the great Uracuia_stream.* The right bank was
wooded with a truly magnificent vegetation; it showed for the
first time the Carahyba de flôr roxa, a tall tree with lilac-coloured
blossoms, which will presently become common, and here we
observed that every great western influent brings down with its
waters a new growth. The mouth of the Uracuia is about 315
feet broad, and behind the woodland the low bank of yellow clay
bears only thicket.
A white-washed house, now a novelty, appeared on the Bahian
side, and presently we took the left of the "Ilha do Afundá,”
which is interpreted to mean that the water is deep; its material
is a pure yellow and easily melted sand. The upper part of the
islet is well clad with various growths. We then ran in mid
stream past the second Afundá, t and, after eleven hours of hard
and comfortless, dull and eventless work, we came to anchor at a
praia on the left bank.
September 22.-The north wind which had raged all night
blew itself out about dawn, and we set out with alacrity. The
banks were dead flats, in places splendid with tall sugar-cane and
tree-cotton, but generally showing second growth where magni-
ficent forests had been. Passing on the left the little Acary
tributary, we found another high white bluff about a mile long,
+
* Also written Aracuia, which means,
say the people, fartura, or plenty,
alluding to the fertility of its upper banks.
It drains the southern slopes of the Chapa-
dão (big plateau) do Uracuia, and is
divided from the Paracatú Valley by the
Serra do Rio Preto. Its area of drainage
is latitudinally 2°, and longitudinally,
1° 30'. The stream, though broken by
many rapids, is navigable for rafts and
canoes as far as Campo Grande, 102 miles
from the mouth.
((
""
† M. Halfeld calls this Ilha das Cara-
hibas, and elsewhere spells the word
Caraibas.
According to the pilots, the true Acary
is further down-stream.
++
The name of this fish (a loricaria of many
species) is also written Acari and Acarehy.
The Tupy name was Acará, with the ter-
minations, -apuã, -assú, -tinga, and
-peixuna. In this river we find the A.
de Pedra, A. de Casca (or Cascudo), A. de
Lama, and A. de Espinho. It is the
Juacaná which Marcgref saw at Pernam-
buco and the Cachimbo, or Cachimbáo, of
Ilheos. A species is probably the Acará
bandeira (Mesonanta insignis, Gunther) of
which Mr. Bates (ii. 140) gives an illus-
tration. It grunts like the Mandim, and
the pilots say that when eating the mud
and weeds from the canoe-bottom it rubs
its bluff head against the wood, and pro-
duces the peculiar sound. They declare
that it lives in holes along the banks;
many deem it poisonous, and it is generally
thrown away on account of the trouble of
cooking it. Both the black and the white
kinds have hard, spiny skins, with longi-
tudinal lines of points, highly dangerous
dorsal fins, and hooks above the caudal
fins. Another well-known loricated and
(C
The
grunting" fish is the "Cascudo," which
abounds in the rivers of the interior.
people praise it, but I found the white
meat soft, tasteless, and full of thorns.
CHAP. XVII.]
253
FROM SÃO ROMÃO TO JANUARIA.
and divided into two sections, the Barreira do Indio (do Honorio,
M. Halfeld), and the Barreira Alta. Here we remarked the
abundance of the Angico Preto acacia, on this part of the stream
an ugly tufted tree; its timber is too dry for use, but the gum is
given to consumptive patients; the bark abounds in tannin, and
the ashes in potash.
"
About noon, entering S. Lat. 16°, we came to a new feature,
as Pedras" (dos Angicos), and we landed on the right bank to
inspect it. Here a wall some forty-two feet projects from a
shallow sag, fronts to west and drives the river to the north-west;
it runs nearly a mile down-stream, and is found in a hollow, to
the north-east of the little village. The outcrop is evidently the
base of a bulge of ground observed on the east. The floor near
the water was a hard bluish limestone, effervescing kindly under
muriatic acid; above it was a stratum of laminated, friable clay-
shale, capped by a bluer calcaire, with dislocations, broken blocks.
and horizontal bands, varying in thickness from three inches
to three and a half feet. Water drops appeared upon the
exposed slabs on the summit, which is always six feet above.
water, and it was revetted in parts with iron clay, whilst to one
block is attached a small portion of quartz conglomerate. This
is one of the many places which will supply admirable hydraulic
cement.
The bank and the village showed a scatter of noble Quixabeira
trees, huge bouquets of verdure, whose aromatic flowers and
perfumed shade attracted hosts of bees.* The little chapel of
São José, the brago of the place, is about nine feet above the
floods, and yet boasts of a stone foundation. Walking up the
sandy street, perpendicular to the stream and showing traces of
pavement and bottom, we found the usual hollow parallel with
the ridge and periodically under water. In the loose free soil,
cotton, essentially a sun-plant, grows neglected, fifteen feet high,
and the castor shrub twenty. In "Water-Street," whose houses
and ranches were superior to those of São Romão, appeared three
Vendas, with men sitting outside the counters, or using them as
card-tables. Two shoe-makers and a dry-goods store seemed.
* Also written Quichabeira, one of the
Sapotaceæ, a tree which covers large tracts
on the Rio de São Francisco, above and
below the Great Rapids. It resembles the
Zizyphus, produces an edible berry, and
affords a fine shelter for cattle. The
System mentions the Quijaba and the
Catinga branca (here called Catinga do
Porco), as leguminosa abundant in stryph-
num.
254
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XVII.
to be doing a thriving business. South of the village were three
canoes selling fine water-melons. Under an old angico hung with
dark moss stood the frame-work of a barca, very solidly built of
cedar.* On the northern waterside washerwomen were plying
their trade, whilst their bantlings swam about, or played on carts
with wheels of one piece some eighteen inches high. Horses and
mules were resting after being ferried across the river, and a
little caravan appeared upon the opposite bank. This at once
explained the prosperity and the civility of the place. The Dele-
gado had at once sent to procure lodgings for us.
municates with the Acary River, where, at the distance of ten
leagues from the mouth, are diamond diggings. São José das
Pedras dos Angicos now numbers ninety-five houses and a popu-
lation of 500 souls; we left it convinced that it has good things
in store for it.
It com-
+
Resuming our way in an exceedingly hot sun, we presently
passed on the left the Barra do Acary, which breaks its way
through a sandy Corôa. Below the mouth are three "steamboat
islets" of the same name, and the Ilha do Barro Alto, a wooded
holm. Then came the mouth of the Rio Pardo ‡ about 140 feet
broad; here began the magnificent bosquets (capoês) of cedar,
vinhatico and balsamo (a myrospermum) found in every river and
rill. Opposite this point we nighted. The air had become
"muggy," damp and tropical, like Western India, and, for the
first time after leaving Rio de Janeiro, we began to disuse the
blanket. I need hardly say that we recalled to mind with regret
the charming accidents of the Old Squaws' Stream; the clear
limpid air rich in oxygen, the splendid forest scenery of the
wild banks, the music of birds and beasts, even the song of the
rapid and the fall, and the cheerfulness of nature in general.
September 23.—After an hour's paddling appeared the Barro
Alto, a high bank of white clay on the right side where the bed
is embayed. We landed a little below it, at the mouth of a
Córrego known as the Braúna; it puts forth an under water ridge,
extending from south-west to north-east, and ending in what the
*The smaller barcas here cost 200 000;
those of moderate size, 500 $000; and the
largest (45 × 14 feet), 1:600 $000.
This Acary stream is not mentioned by
M. Halfeld, nor is it in M. Gerber's map.
The mouth is about 150 feet broad; the
high left bank of yellow clay is garnished
with grass and low trees, and on the oppo-
site side the vegetation rolls almost to the
water's edge.
The Rio Pardo drains the Southern
slopes of the Chapadão de Santa Maria.
Its length is 1° 30′, but it is navigable for
canoes only twelve leagues.
CHAP. XVII.]
255
FROM SAO ROMAO TO JANUARIA.
Here
crew called a "batida," a low sand-bank flaked with mud.
we found the true diamantine "formação," the Cattivo, the Siri-
cória, in fact all the symptoms, but not the gem. These evidences
appear at scattered intervals; the people declare them to be
apparently arbitrary, that is to say, the source from which they
come has not been investigated.
Beyond this point the stream showed on the left heaps of stone;
on the right, thrown out in a relief of bare or blurred line against
the blue sky, rose the Serra do Brejo, which from this point
appeared a slope, a broken saddle-back and a lump swelling
above the trees and sands. To starboard we passed the Riacho
do Peixe, near whose mouth is the small Fazenda of a German
settler, Doctor Otto Karl Wilhelm Wageman; further down is the
Riacho dos Pandeiros, † whose winding course admits canoes for
some five leagues; nearly opposite it the Riacho do Mangahy.
The northern limit of the S. Romão municipality showed at the
mouth a clump of magnificent trees, and, a little below, a large
bed of Cascalho. In front rose the remarkable table-mountain
known as the Itabirassába, corrupted to Piassaba; ‡ the word is
translated "Monte de Fogo." We are evidently approaching an
important place; the primitive vegetation disappears, nature
begins to look drilled and disciplined, there are kilns, the huts
are whitewashed and tiled, and the people offer fish for sale.
+
After a few features of no great importance,§ we reached a
place which we had long seen in the shape of a lumpy line on the
right bank, and we ascended a flight of steps cut out by the
retiring waters. Here there is a bed of the finest white limestone
some 10 feet thick. The place is known as Na Sa da Conceição
das Pedras de Maria da Cruz, and the first edition of the little
chapel was built about 1725 by the Paulista Miguel Domingos,
after the defeat at the Rio das Mortes in 1708. The mound that
*Brejo do Salgado, which we shall
presently visit.
The Pandeiro is a gipsy kind of instru-
ment--a bow and calabash, derived from
Africa. The wild men, as might be ex-
pected, greatly enjoyed its music; hence
the name has been given to many places in
the backwoods. Near this Pandeiros a
man lately died said to be 107 years old.
The head man declared, and with
truth, that this saddle-back was the Serra
do Brejo to the north-east of the former.
$ At noon we passed three islets near
the Pernam. bank, and an hour afterwards
we saw the Ilha das Pedras, a sandy and
shrubby formation, with small clearings
and barking dogs. On the bank opposite
to it were ledges of Cánga; beyond it
appeared, upon a base of light-coloured
stiff clay, a wall of ferruginous argile,
black and red, pudding'd with pebbles,
varying in thickness from one to nine feet,
and thinning off from north to south.
■
256
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XVII.
supports it had an old and remarkably good "ladrilho," or tile
pavement, which commands a magnificent view. The river,
broken by sand-bar and island, sweeps nobly from south-west
to west, and at this point trends nearly due north. The wavy
bank in front is clothed with immense trees, and about eight
miles distant the western horizon is closed by the quaint-shaped
Itabirassába, towering high above its chain.
The population of the little hamlet was scattered about in low
huts of wattle and dab, thatched or tiled. Some of the women
working the old pillow-lace were hardly clad with decency, and on
the bank was a yellow girl with unveiled bosom, as if she had
been in the Bight of Biafra. All, however, are more or less
tinged, and here, as elsewhere, the brown buff simulates dress.
Goats wandered about the bush, and seemed to enjoy the shiny,
succulent leaves of the gigantic croton shrub, which grows to an
abnormal size. This Jatropha Curcas * of many names supplied
the physic nut for the Lisbon lamps, and thus for a time pre-
served certain of the Cape Verde Islands from starvation. It has
an extensive range. I have seen it at altitudes between the sea-
board and 3000 feet. The Guinea negroes administer with
excellent effect the green seeds together with the pulp; the dose
is, I believe, a quarter of the nut boiled in water, which is drunk.†
Half-dram doses used to be given in the Brazil, but the "physic-
nut" is now neglected, as it is a dangerous, and has proved a
fatal, drastic. As the rains begin, everywhere sprouts a pretty
pink flower somewhat like a primrose, solitary, and capping a
thin and fragile stalk about one foot high; the people call it
"Cebolla brava," or the poison-onion, and declare that cattle will
not touch it. I On the higher banks, where the floods do not
extend, grows the Solanaceous Juá, still bearing the last year's
blackened berries; the organ cactus; the Pitombeira (Sapindus
edulis), a large tree with an edible fruit; the Pinguí, here called
Imbárú, and the shady Aroeira de Minas, also known as Capicurû.
The latter resembles the Melia Azadirachta of Hindostan, but
the leaves are not bitter.
* Here it is popularly known as
"pinheiro de purga, or "pinhão do
Paraguay. The Tupy dictionaries give
"Mandubi-guaçu " (the great ground-nut,
or Arachis), a mixture of African and
American terms. Labat has "Medicinier"
or "pignon d'Inde," and when describing
its effects, he offers sensible advice to tra-
"}
"
vellers-namely, not to eat unknown fruits
which birds refuse.
In Africa the unripe pulp, duly pre-
pared, is, I believe, also taken as a strong
medicine.
In other parts cattle are, they say,
poisoned by it.
CHAP. XVII.]
257
FROM SÃO ROMÃO TO JANUARIA.
As we advanced, the long reach, running nearly due north, bent to
the north-east and showed in the far distance a whitewashed chapel
and three large double-storied houses. On the left was the Ilha
do Barro Alto, a long "steamboat island." We were obliged to
round the large, flat sand-bars before we could make the Porto do
Brejo do Salgado, the channel above the town not admitting even
our raft. This is the most important place on the Upper Rio de
São Francisco, and its only rival is Joazeiro, distant 190 leagues
down-stream. The site is a dead flat on the left bank, distant
four to five miles from the Serra do Brejo, a broken line to the
north-west and north. A certain Maciel, of whom more pre-
sently, here built a chapel of brick and lime, the people assembled
round it, and the Bishop of Pernambuco sent a curate, the Padre
Custodio Vieira Leite. The principal settlement however was
inland, at the base of the hills, and this povoação or hamlet on the
river side took the name of Port of the Salt Swamp, abbreviated
to "O Salgado," "the Salted," and this the people insist upon
retaining. Of course the two settlements were rivals and enemies.
In 1833 the Port became the "Villa da Januaria," christened.
after the sister of the reigning Emperor; in 1837 the honour was
transferred to the Brejo inland; in 1846 it was re-transferred to
the Port; in 1849 it again moved to the Brejo; and finally, in
1853, it settled upon the Stream.* The water side objects to the
hill side that it is too far from the seat of trade; the hill side
retorts that at least it is in no danger of seeing even its saints
swept into the river. The municipality, which is large, and con-
tains a considerable extent of uncultivated land, numbers five
districts, namely, the City, the Brejo, Mocambo,† Morrinhos, São
João da Missão, and Japoré, the latter distant about 20 leagues.
We had to fight hard against the strong current, which now
shows signs of incipient flooding. We passed the tall sobrado of
the Capitão José Eleutherio da Souza, fronted by a dozen stunted
and wind-wrung palms, and a slope of Capim ussú (the big
grass) stretching down to the stream. The herbage is of a
metallic green, like young Paddy. It is not destroyed by the
* According to the Almanak, the parish
was created by Royal resolution of January
2, 1811, and the Port was made the Chef-
lieu by Provincial Law No. 288 of March
12, 1846.
Much of the land in the Mocambo has
no proprietor, and its admirable fertility
VOL. II.
suggests colonisation. Here the best land
is worth at most 500 $000 per league, not,
however, a square league, which would be
nine geographical miles, but half a league
each way.
In these matters there is no
regulation, and each man adopts his own
system.
S
25S
[CHAP. XVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
inundations, and cattle will eat it. The Port is formed at this
season by two sand-bars fronting the left bank. It has been pro-
posed to remove them, but the best authorities are agreed that
they defend the side, to which a strong flood swings during the
rains. The river is now upwards of 3000 feet in breadth, and
the weight of water does far more damage than the superficial
washing. It will not be easy to save the place; about twenty
years ago half of the Rua do Commercio, the "water street,"
became the stream-bed. A few stakes have been planted to act
as grains, and a stockade of tree trunks defends the sloping bank
of sandy clay, perilously near whose edge runs a line of low,
whitewashed, and red-tiled tenements. The principal danger is
above the city, where a small channel admits a vast influx of
flood water. Here it would be easy to throw up one of those
levées with which we dyked the Indus near Hyderabad.*
We found in port a number of canoes and eight barcas made
fast to the usual poles. The praia, as the bank is here called,
at once recalled to mind the African market, and the monotonous
chaunt of the negroes measuring beans did not diminish the
resemblance to the scenes of distant Zanzibar. Women, now
far more numerous than men, washed at the water-side, or carried
their pots to and fro; the boys, more than half-nude, squatted
on the sand-bars on tree trunks, or in their dug-outs, bobbing for
daily bread. The dark boatmen, clad in the sleeveless waistcoat
(Jalé or Camisola), and the cotton-kilt (Sayote) of the Guinea
Coast, stroll about or lie stretched upon the slopes playing with
the splendid and majestic Aráras, which they have brought
from down-stream, and whose plumes glittered in the sunshine.
On the more level ground were planted seven shed huts of poles,
mats, and hides. Here the merchant who disdains to hire a
house exchanges his salt and cloth for provisions and supplies.
* In making these levées, it is well to
dig a trench, and carefully to remove tree
roots, and everything that can assist per-
colation. The dyke should have a base
of 3 : 1.
+ Ará, I have remarked, is a parroquet,
or parrot; the augmentation ará-ará con-
tracted to arára in the large psittacus. It
is regrettable that we have not adopted
this pretty onomatopoeia, instead of the
grotesque half-bred Spanish macaw, and
vulgarized the scientific "Araina.
""
The common wild varieties here are the
Araruna (Ararauna) and the Arary, also
termed Canindé, or Arara Azul. The
former (Psittacus hyacinthinus), as its name
denotes, a black, or rather a dark-purple
bird, of smaller size than usual; it flies in
pairs high, with loud screams, like the
parroquet. The Arary (Psittacus Ararauna)
is the well-known and magnificent bird,
with a coat of the brightest blue, and a
golden waistcoat. St. Hil. (I. ii. 376)
notices the error of Marcgraf, who gave the
name Ararauna, which means black or
dark macaw, to the wrong bird.
CHAP. XVII.]
FROM SÃO ROMÃO TO JANUARIA.
259
When we had slipped into place I sent up my card and intro-
ductions to Lieutenant-Colonel Manoel Caetano de Souza Silva.
Januaria showed her civilisation by crowding to inspect us with
extreme avidity. A very drunken youth, with teeth chipped
into feline shape-here fashionable-addressed Agostinho as
"moleque "-small slave boy-very offensive to a big slave boy,
and a 66 "row" of the mildest nature ensued. Another stole an
'Engineer's Pocket-book," and offered it for sale to a Portuguese,
who at once returned it to us. The police authorities took no
notice of the theft, perhaps because the robber was half silly with
liquor, and consoled us with the intelligence that we might expect
to be extensively plundered down-stream. This, however,
not the case; Januaria was the only place where anything of the
kind was attempted.
66
was
We were soon rescued from the situation by Sr. Manoel
Caetano, who, accompanied by some friends, invited us to inspect
the city. I greatly enjoyed the view from the bank summit. To
the west the purpling hills were faint as clouds floating upon a sea
of ruddy haze, the last effort of day. In front lay the River
Valley, at least twelve miles broad, and suggesting a vast expanse
of water during the floods. About two leagues distant rose the
Morro do Chapéo, curiously shaped like a Phrygian cap; it is an
outlier of a long broken wall extending from north-east to south-
west as far as we can see. This Serra dos Geraes de São Felipe
is exceptionally rich, and supplies the river with lard, tobacco, and
maize-flour. Its remarkable points are the Urubú peak, from
this point a regular pyramid, the Serra das Figuras, the table-
shaped Morro da Boa Vista, and the three round heads known as
the Tres Irmãos.
a
The Na Sa das Dôres is rather a chapel than a church, and at
times, they say, fish have been caught in it; the building is
fronted by a tall cross, enclosed in a dwarf square of short wall.
At the other end of the settlement is a Nª Sª do Rosario blown
down by the wind, and still unrepaired. The streets are floored
with sand, and in places there are strips of trottoir, slabs of the
fine blue limestone from the Pedras dos Angicos. Trees require
a soil less lean; each house has its "compound," walled or
staked round, but the largest growth is the papaw, and a palm
here called the "Gariroba; "it is a tall, dull-brown stick bear-
*Or Guariroba (Cocos oleracea, Mart.), a palm commonly found in the stunted
growths of the Sertão.
S 2
260
[CHAP. XVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
ing small ragged fronds and a raceme of edible fruit about the
size of an egg. The thoroughfares are straight, but as usual too
narrow; their names are carefully inscribed upon the corners,
showing that the Camara does its duty, and the tenements are
numbered. The Praça das Dôres contains the jail, with barred
windows, where guards and sentinels loll and loaf, and near it
the humble Guildhall. A hospital is much wanted; we met in
the streets many cripples.
The total of houses may be upwards of 700, of which at least a
fifth are Vendas. In 1860, the famine-year of Bahia, the popu-
lation numbered 6000 souls; five years ago it declined to 4000,
and now it may be 5000, slaves included. For some time past
the serviles have been traded off to Rio de Janeiro, and, only
lately, thirty head were sent down country. The city is sup-
ported by brokerage and the carrying trade. The Quattro-Maõs *
of the backwoods bring in a very little cotton, a quantity of sugar
and rum, excellent tobacco and provisions, especially hill-rice
and manioc, which flourish on the table-land beyond the riverine
valley. Fine canoes of the best Vinhatico and Tamboril,† forty
feet long here, cost 100$ 000, and are sent down-stream, where
large trunks are rare. The imports are chiefly viâ Joazeiro,
which the people place at a distance of 220 to 240, instead of 190
leagues; they are chiefly dry goods and salt. Those who have
not visited the inner Brazil will hardly imagine how necessary to
prosperity is this condiment. It must be given to all domestic
animals, cattle, mules, and pigs; they convert into "licks" every
place likely to supply the want, and even crunch bones to find it.
Without it they languish and die; in fact, here the desert may
be defined as a place where salt is not. A popular succedaneum
is oil and gunpowder, and even this is found better than nothing.
In 1852 the mule load of eight arrobas from Rio de Janeiro (200
leagues) viâ Diamantina, paid 45$ 000; it has now risen to
15$000 or 16$ 000 per arroba, nearly three times the price.
Consequently the capital sends only "notions" and "objects of
luxury." Bahia (186 leagues) adds hides and salt, pottery,
ammunition, and iron-ware; the price of conveyance varies from
12$000 to 14$ 000 per thirty-two pounds. Goyaz, like the
* Quadrumana: here the word is used
in the sense of Caipíra, country bumpkin.
A large leguminous tree. St. Hil.
(I. ii. 331) writes the word "tamburi,'
according to the pronunciation of the
""
Sertanejos.
The distances are those given to me
by my friends at Januaria. They made
Diamantina 70 leagues distant, and Lençoes
76 to 80.
CHAP. XVII.]
FROM SÃO ROMÃO TO JANUARIA.
261
Geraes* lands on both sides of the river, supplies stock and
provisions, "doces," cheese, and a little coffee and cotton; some
of them produce a small quantity of wheat. "Colossal fortunes,"
says the Almanak, are rare," but there are men worth upwards
of £4000, and money here breeds safely 24-36 per cent. per
،،
annum.
Our host was a distinguished "Liberal," who prefers politics to
trade or farming; he is made well known throughout the country
by a greater generosity than is usual. He offered us the novel-
ties of absinthe and cognac, he compelled us to sup with him,
and he placed his house at our disposal. For liberty's sake I
preferred the raft, also to escape from the screams of the children,
which, throughout the Brazil, form the terribly persistent music
of the home. The mothers, I presume, physically enjoy being
noisy by proxy, the fathers do not object, and thus the musicians
are never punished. Indeed you are considered a "brute "if
you object to losing a night's rest by a performance, which could
be settled in a second. The only place where the shriek of
woman and the scream of babe are silent is, I believe, the Island
of Madeira.
Sr. Manoel Caetano gave an invitation to visit him at his
fazenda, where he intended to sleep, and promised to send animals
at daybreak on the morrow, but apparently the light at Januaria
dawns after 9 A.M. We, therefore, set out on foot under guid-
ance of Sr. Candido José de Senna, ex-Professor of First
Letters. The path led to the north across an inundated flat,
which appears likely to disappear, and a line of mist showed the
Corrégo Secco, that requires the levée. During the rains it is a
flood, now it retains water-pits (poçoes) frequented by washer-
women. Ahead, and a little to the left, lay the table mountain,
up which men have ridden; at its foot is the fazenda of the
Capitão Bertoldo José Pimenta, and near the summit, they say,
is a natural well.
After walking a mile we made rising ground, and exchanged
white sand for ruddy soil rich with humus. Here even the floods
of 1792-93, which rose thirty-eight and a half feet above the mean
level of the stream, did not extend. In 1843 there was another
inundation, when a Surubim was caught in the church, followed
* In these parts the Geraes are generally named after their streams; e.g., Geraes
das Palmeiras, do Borachudo, &c.
262
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XVII.
by a third in 1855. In 1857 the citizens took refuge here, and
spent several days in picnics and jollity. It is called the Piqui-
zeiro,* from the abundance in former times of the wild Caryocar
tree, and it will probably become the left bank of the Rio de São
Francisco. Evidently this is, even now, the fittest place for the
settlement, which a line of wooden rails would easily connect
with the Port; the air is cooler and healthier, water abounds,
there is plenty of building-ground, and the soil behind it is loose
and red, excellently adapted for cotton and sugar.
A scatter of huts is springing up around the Piquizeiro, where
a new cemetery has been laid out. Our host dug a leat to
supply the builders with water, and the place is strewed with
adobes and fine slabs of blue limestone. A tall cross of cedar
bears a little cross and the legend "Salus. P. R. G. C. 1867.”
This was lately set up by Fr. Reginaldo Gonçalvez da Costa, a
vicar detached on a missionary campaign from his cure near
Montes Claros by the Bishop of Diamantina. He collected a
copper from the poor and a testoon from the rich. Some 6000
souls, mostly feminine, strewed the plain as he doled out the
Bread of Life, and the fireworks which ended the day are de-
scribed as having the effect of a volcano in full blow. Januaria
had lately been visited by a convert, pervert or divert Spaniard,
in the pay of a certain Bible Distribution Society. When I was
there he had left to raise more grist for the mill at Rio de
Janeiro; and he had bequeathed to a Portuguese clerk the work
of conversion, perversion, or diversion. The priests down-stream
were much scandalized by the distribution of "false Bibles," and
I could not but sympathize with them, knowing how easily in
these countries the local mind is unsettled by a small matter.
Surely it will be time to Protestantize the world when it shall
have been Christianized. Similarly the missioner † and the mis-
*
""
According to Arruda, the "Acanta-
carix pinguis ; the tree prefers the sandy
soils of the Taboleiros and Chapadas, where
the growth deserves all encouragement. Its
height is fifty feet, with proportional girth;
the timber is good for boat-making; and
the fruit, as large as an orange, supplies an
oily, farinaceous, and very nourishing pulp,
much enjoyed by the people of Ceará and
Piauhy (Koster, ii. pp. 486-7).
The Saturday Review, when noticing
a book which I wrote after my return from
Dahome, remarked the use of the word
"1
"Missioner. The Reviewer did not re-
member that of late years "Missioner "has
been adopted by the (Roman) Catholic, in
contradistinction to the Protestant "Mis-
sionary. Perhaps it would be more an-
thropological to call the former the phase of
faith at present adopted by Southern Europe,
opposed to the young Church which belongs
to Northern Europe, and to the Greek
Church, as old as the oldest which prevails
in semi-Oriental Eastern Europe. Similarly
we observe in El Islam that certain un-
important articles of belief- unimpor-
""
CHAP. XVII.]
263
FROM SÃO ROMÃO TO JANUARIA.
sionary, Jesuit and Church of England, have been let loose upon
Abyssinia, whose church dates from the third century, and
doubtless resembles the primitive form far more than those of
Rome and London. A few massacres have been the direct, and
an Abyssinian campaign the indirect, result of the merciful inter-
ference. Meanwhile, until quite of late years, the Galla accolents
have been left in full enjoyment of their savage fetishism.
Revenons! After a walk of four miles we reached an admir-
able grove of mangos, perhaps the finest that I have beheld in
the Brazil, lining the approach to our host's property, the Fa-
zenda de Santo Antonio do Brejo do Salgado. It is on the right
bank of the Salgado, or Salt Rivulet, which rises in a pretty plain,
the Fazenda da Carahyba, and which feeds the São Francisco a
little below the settlement, to which it gave a name. Here it
breaks through the Boqueirão, a gap in the Serra do Brejo,
where it acquires a cooling and salt-bitter flavour, which argues
saltpetre. When floods in the main artery block up the mouth,
it can be ascended by canoes, showing that the channel could be
converted into a canal. The people avoid drinking the water, as
it is highly laxative; and after using it strangers must check the
effects with an orangeade made of the sweet, fade and medicinal
"laranja da terra."* In two years it has deposited on the
wooden watercourse which turns the turbine, a coat of calcareous
matter about three inches in thickness. Its lime and salts give
a wondrous fertility to its little valley, the richest spot that we
have yet seen on the Rio de São Francisco; and during the whole
journey we shall see few that equal it.
Amongst the Mangos I detected by its circular crown of fronds
an old friend in the other hemisphere, the Cocoa-nut, here called
Coco da Praia. It was a fine tall and lusty specimen of the
Cocos nucifera, hung with sixteen nuts. The tree is plentiful
along the coast from Rio de Janeiro to Pará; † except, however,
tant because neither the Koran nor Tradi-
tion has pronounced upon them are
adopted by one school of divinity because
the rival school has preferred another view.
"Ragban l'il Tasannun "-in hate against
the Sunnis-is the Shiah reason for adopt-
ing some of its minor usages.
*The perfumed flower of this country
orange is much admired by the humming-
bird. I was here told that the fruit be-
comes bitter or tasteless, unless periodically
refreshed by grafting, and they showed me
orange-trees six years old, but still barren.
— —
""
St. Hil. (III. ii. 409) says of Salgado,
"Cette bourgade doit son nom à l'un de
ses premiers habitans, et non, comme on
pourrait le croire, à la qualité, un peu
saumâtre, de ses eaux. This is, I believe,
a mistake. Pizarro has explained the
origin of the term correctly; he remarks
that the waters are stomachic, deobstruent,
digestive, and capable of healing or dimi-
nishing goitres.
It must be remembered that the Cocos
nucifera was not found in the Brazil by the
earliest explorers.
264
[CHAP. XVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
upon the river sides, it wanders but a short way inland, justifying
the popular belief that it requires sea air. Here a bee-line to
the Atlantic measures 350 miles, and we shall find it extending
in patches all the way down-stream. The largest plantation is
at the Lugar da Aldea do Salitre, seven leagues south-west from
Joazeiro; the fruit is exported by Dr. Joaquim José Ribeiro de
Magalhaes, who preferred farming and road-making to being a
Desembargador in the Relação of Maranham. Both these places
have saline or saltpetrous waters. The Coco da Bahia, as it is
also called, is found, however, in many spots where the ground,
possibly an old sea-bed, supplies the want of sea air.
The host led us into his garden, and showed us, embedded in
the soil at an angle of 45°, a semicircular fragment of "Cavitaría,"
the true white and black granite of Rio Bay, two feet broad, two
and a half long, and three deep. The sides had been chipped,
and the face had been used as a grindstone. An old Quattro-
mão declared that the Geraes had whole hills of such rock, but
no one believed him. It had probably been brought from down-
stream, and about Joazeiro we found the formation common.
The energetic Netherlanders, it will be remembered, built a Fort
Maurice at the mouth of the São Francisco, and plundered
Penedo; it is more than probable that during their Thirty Years'
War in the Brazil, they visited the upper stream. So M. Hal-
feld remarks that the floods of 1792 laid bare in the river bank
several tiles more than a foot long each way, and five inches thick.
He believes them to date from the age of the "Hollandezes."
The plague of the garden is the "Cupim," and nothing but
the plough will remove it from the rich fat soil. The coffee
planted under the shade of the mangos or luxuriant jack-fruit
trees, appeared to be subject to the caterpillar; not so the leaves
exposed to the sun. We saw a single tree dating from 1828, and
were told that during its best days it had borne fifteen pounds per
annum. The sugar-cane was remarkably fine, and once planted
it lasts almost through a man's life. The arrowroot (a Maranta)
grew well; the Guandú pea was common, and there was a large
grass whose dried root much resembled patchouli. The flowers
were the perfumed "Bougarim," suggesting a white rose, lilies,
gigantic snowy jasmines, and the "bonina," a kind of "pretty-
by-night."
To the north-east we saw the solitary steeple of Na Sa do
Rosario gleaming against a green hill. South of it were the tiled
M
CHAP. XVII.] FROM SÃO ROMÃO TO JANUARIA.
265
roofs of the Barro Alto, a fine plantation, and behind them lay
the "Boqueirão" estate, as well as gap, where the Church of
Santo Antonio, built by Maciel, the Adelantado, lies in ruins.
To the west-north-west peeped the summits of the Matriz do
Amparo, the mother of Januaria city. And the background was
the Serra do Brejo, pillared with cactus, capped with thin bush,
and walled with banded grey cliffs of a stratification so regular as
to resemble art, and stained here and there with a bright ferru-
ginous red.
We then visited the sugar-house,* which had poor machinery,
but an excellent article to work upon. Instead of troughs there
were Jacás, cones of bamboo, each containing four bushels, and
purging into pits below. Good mules were straying about the
grounds; the natives cost 30$ 000, and those driven from the
Province of Rio Grande do Sul, viâ Sorocaba and S. Paulo, a two
years' journey, fetch 50$ 000 to 60 $000. A "Jack" showed that
breeding is here in vogue; further down the river asses become
common. Flesh is not plentiful, and a cow of the small Raça
curaleira, which gives good meat, commands 8$000 to 10$ 000.
The "Curios
Curios" shown to us were broad-brimmed hats of the Imbé
Vermelho, an Aroid used like the African "tie-tie;" its fibre takes
a good colour; the leather clothing was soft as cloth; there were
stout cottons, and woollen stripes and checks, worked by the
women of Tamanduú, and stained with indigo, and a powerfully
drastic cucurbitaceous plant known as the Bucha dos Paulistas.†
We breakfasted at the usual bucolic hour, 9 A.M., preferred to
Lisbon wine the "Minas wine," i.e., Restillo, and the peculiar
cheese Requejão, which here always accompanies coffee. We
ended with Januaria-made cigars; the tobacco came from the
hilly Geraes three leagues to the north-west of the city, and the
* The whitest sugar in Januaria came
from Pitangui (120 leagues). It would
easily have been crystallised, and moulded
into loaves. I suggested the use of animal
charcoal; but who will take the trouble to
make it when clay is found ready made?
Literally, the gun-wadding of the
Paulistas. The specimen showed to us was
a fibre containing dark oleaginous seeds.
About one square inch of it is steeped in
water over night, and drunk in the morning
as an emetic, &c., by those who suffer from
paralysis ("ar, ΟΙ stupor") induced
by river fever. The System asserts that in
<<
S. Paulo it is known as the Purga de João
Paes (Momordica operculata), and alludes
to its various uses. We also heard of a
smaller variety, said to be even more vio-
lent in its action, and the plant was
described as resembling the Passion-flower.
It is probably the Buchinha, or Luffa
purgans, whose extract is used as the
coloquintida.
In making Requejão, the milk is
curded, as if for cheese, and butter and
cream are afterwards added. It lasts for
two years, and is still soft.
266
[CHAP. XVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
leaf costs 3$000 per bushel; the cigars are retailed at a half-
penny each, and they are better than many " Havannahs."
Finally, we mounted neat nags, and taking the western road,
which goes to Mato Grosso, visited the venerable Arraial do Brejo
do Salgado. It lies at the eastern foot of the Serra, which gives
the air some similarity to the breath of a hothouse, and the curious
limestone blocks were reeking with heat. The hamlet now con-
sists of a sprinkling of houses round a square, whose centre is the
Church of Na Sa do Amparo, remarkable for nothing but red
doors of solid timber, with tall bosses. Adjoining is a stone box
with barred windows representing the jail, and a tall tiled roof,
wanting the finish of walls, showed that it did not need enlarge-
ment. The people were yellow from eating fish and manioc.*
Amongst them was a Polish Jew, Moses Mamlofsky, who did not
speak in flattering terms of his new home; he had been in part-
nership with a German co-religionist, Samuel Warner, who called
upon us at Januaria. The latter called himself a New Yorker;
unfortunately he could not speak English; twenty years ago he
settled in these parts, made money, and spent it.
The glory of the Brejo was the Conego Marinho, before men-
tioned as the historian of the movement of '42. He was equally dis-
tinguished as a liberal, an orator, and a statesman. We called upon
several of the notables, who exhorted us strongly to visit the Lapa
de Santa Anna, distant two leagues. Here the old conquerors
found, or by vivid fancy thought that they found, stone crosses
cut by the "Indians," statues of Saint Anthony, and so forth.†
We heard, also, of another cave, in which a rocket could be fired
without striking the ceiling; perhaps some more leisurely tra-
veller may find it worth his while to inspect these places. At the
Brejo we were told the romantic tale of its origin. When Manoel
Pires Maciel, the Portuguese explorer, was descending the river,
he attacked, on the Pandêiros influent, a powerful kinglet, who
governed 120 miles of country between the mouths of the Urucuia
and the Carunhanha streams. The redskins fled hurriedly, and
the chief's wife hid her babe under a heap of leaves, as the
*They are not, however, a short-lived
racc. Our host's father, aged 81, rides
like a man of 40, and the vicar, Padre
Joaquim Martins Pereira, is still vigorous
at the ripe age of 77.
† I will not positively assert that all was
fancy. The Eastern Coast of South Ame-
rica, long before the age of Saint Columbus,
was doubtless reached by Europeans and
Africans, possibly by Christians, even as the
western shores had Asiatics occasionally
driven to them. I shall reserve the grounds
of my conclusion for a future volume.
CHAP. XVII.]
267
FROM SÃO ROMÃO TO JANUARIA.
cayman is said to conceal its young. The Conquistadores' dogs.
found the pappoose, who was christened Catherina, brought up as
a Christian, and finally married by her capturer. She bore to
him two daughters, Anna, who settled with her husband João
Ferreira Braga, upon the Acary River, and Theodora, who became
the wife of Antonio Pereira Soares. The name of Maciel has
been merged into that of many Portuguese houses, Bitancourt,
Gomes, Morenas, Proenças, and Carneiros. Catherina's issue
now forms a clan of 4000 souls, whose coal-black hair, brown
skins, and sub-oblique eyes, sometimes "bridés," still bear traces
of this Brazilian Pocahontas.
We returned to Januaria delighted with our visit, but justly
anticipating some trouble in collecting a crew. The Guaicuhy
men positively refused, despite liberal offers, to proceed; they
were, doubtless, anxious to look after their wives. Sr. Manoel
Caetano and his brother-in-law walked with me all about the city,
and found that six of the barcas desired to start, but wanted
hands. Many of the barqueiros had been carried off to the war,
others had fled their homes, and some declined to leave the city,
lest they might be enlisted in a strange land. Moreover, this is
the season, as we were warned by the fiercely howling wind, which
swept up the water from the Bahian shore, when the fields must
be made ready. Finally, there is no actual poverty in this part
of the world; the pauper has at least a cow, and a mare to ride,
with unlimited power of begging or borrowing food from his
neighbour; consequently, he will not work till compelled by
approaching want. Those who did consent coquetted, demand-
ing, at least, three days' delay, and one fellow, free, but black as
my boot, could not start without his boiled shirt.
From Januaria to Joazeiro the hire of a barca is 1$ 000 per
diem, and the barquemen are usually paid 14 $000 a head, a poor
sum, but the diet is some consideration. It was vain to offer
20$000, of course including tobacco, spirits, and rations. At
last I closed with a pilot and a paddle-man, who demanded
35$ 000 and 30$ 000. My excellent friends had sent on board
everything necessary for the long journey,* and we determined to
*The provisions bought at Januaria
were:
32 lbs. roll tobacco
20 Rapaduras
Demijohn of Restillo
Lard
。.
6$000
2$400
1$800
3$500
Farinha
6 medidas of rice
5 lbs. meat
Quarta of beans
•
Total
•
•
1$280
1$920
0$600
2$000
19$500
268
[CHAP. XVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
set out at once. There was an ugly frown upon the forehead of
the western sky, thunder growled, and lightning flashed in all
directions. The new crew shook their heads, and I began to fear
the loss of, at least, half the next day. However, they took heart
of grace, and we pushed off, to make fast a few minutes afterwards
near the ruins of the Rosario.
We shall miss the frank and ready hospitality of Januaria as we
advance, and going farther we shall fare worse in the little matter
of reception. The change will make us think more often of the
kind-hearted and obliging Lieutenant-Colonel Manoel Caetano de
Souza Silva; of his brother-in-law, Capitão Antonio Francisco
Teixeira Serrão; of the Promotor Publico, Luis de Souza Ma-
chado; of Gonçalo José de Pinho Leão, and others who took so
much interest in the passing strangers.
CHAPTER XVIII.
FROM JANUARIA TO CARUNHANHA.
THIRD TRAVESSIA, 30 LEAGUES.
THE VILE WEATHER. REMAINS OF THE RED-SKINS.—THE HAMLET AND LARGE
CHURCH OF NA SA DA CONCEIÇÃO DOS MORRINHOS.-DECAY AND DESOLA-
TION. THE MANGA DO AMADOR SETTLEMENT.-THE SONG OF THE BIRDS.
-THE RIO VERDE, A SALT STREAM.—THE CARUNHANHA RIVER.—THE
MALHADA SETTLEMENT AND ITS RECEIVERSHIP.—LIEUT. LOUREIRA.—VISIT
THE VILLA OF CARUNHANHA.-DON RODRIGUES.-VILE NIGHT.
Ergue-se sobre o mar alto penedo,
Que huma angra á raiz tem dos náos amparo,
Onde das ramas no intrechado enredo,
Causa o verde prospecto hum gesto raro.
Caramurú, 6, 18.
Ir was an abominable night. The storm, as often happens in
the Brazil, assumed the type of a Cyclone, passing round from
north viâ east to south, and about the small hours I thought
that the "Eliza's " awning would have been beaten down by wind
and rain. The new men, both now and afterwards, proved them-
selves real watermen; they talked much, but they worked more,
and better still, neither of them drank, nor had "sarnas.
"* The
pilot, José Joaquim de Santa Anna, officiates in a black coat; he
is silent and dignified, rarely consorting with the barquemen. Of
very different temper is Manuel Felipe Barboza, who rejoices in
the cognomen "das Moças," or " Barba de Veneno;" he sings, he
roars, he improvises Amabæan verse; he chaffs like a bargee,
and the fluency and virulence of his satire have made this
"repentista" celebrated as "the Poison beard." Yet he has
* The "Indians," from time immemo-
rial, used to treat their "6 sarnas" by ex-
tracting, with a pointed thorn, the Acarus
(an Arachnid) which produced it. The
psoriasis is very common amongst the boat-
men of the São Francisco, but they have
never adopted the wild system of healing it.
Some are loathsome objects, with blotched
and mottled skins, even after the sores
have become scars. As on the Lower Congo,
the disease is highly infectious, and very
difficult to cure; in fact, many declare it
to be incurable.
An improvisatore. I need hardly say
270
[CHAP. XVIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
not ignored the main chance, and he expects to make money by
investing capital in water-gugglets, straw-hats, and bricks
(tijolos) of orange and other sweetmeats, which he will sell
down-stream.
Thursday, Sept. 26, 1867.—The evil weather produced a start
at 5 A.M. After passing some uninteresting spots * we were on the
parallel of the Mocambo, which has been mentioned as one of
the districts of Januaria. Beyond it,† on the left bank, rose the
Morro do Angú, and its long sandy and partially cultivated
island; the heights are apparently an offset from the Serra do
Brejo, a scrubby lump with scarped walls of grey and red-
stained limestone. Presently the rain and thunder, coming from
the north, drove us for refuge into a narrow channel formed by a
"steamboat island," near the right bank. The hurricane proved
a mere "peta" or feint, and after losing half-an-hour, we re-
sumed the way and presently anchored on the Praia do Jacaré,
opposite a small Arraial of the same name. We are now careful
to take the windward or Bahian bank, and to avoid the vicinity
of tall trees. To its north rose the Pico do Itacaramby,‡ a term
which none could explain; early in the day it had appeared to us
like a tall blue pyramid. Here we found it to be the southern
buttress of a line of scattered hills that trend to the north with
easting. The low cone presented a curious appearance, the
colour was somewhat darker than the slaty back-ground of low-
ering sky, and it seemed to vomit grey puffs of heavy mist,
which formed conducting lines of electrical vapours girding the
nimbus cloud.
Sept. 27.-The new moon brought with it for a time heavier
that the practice comes from Portugal,
where the "justa," or trial of strength, is
still popular amongst the peasantry. Here
it met the "Indian" blood, which had
also the habit of making impromptu
chaunts.
*The Ilha da Boa Vista on the right;
the Ilha de Rodeador, fronted by houses,
and the Vendinha islet, on the left.
The Barra do Páu Preto, a small yel-
low stream from the right; the Fazenda and
large island of Amargoso; and the Var-
ginha, which showed a tiled house. After
noon we passed the Ilha do Jatobá, a but-
tress lying to the left of the stream; at
the bottom of the sack, the Arraial do
Jatobá, fronted by canoes, and composed of
mud and tiled huts, faced the river, which
here must flood the banks.
St. Hil. (I. ii. 24) mentions a Fazenda
de Itacorambi, and derives it from "ita,
a stone, and "and carambui," small and
pretty; certainly not applicable here. A
better explanation is that given to him by
a Spaniard of Paraguay, well versed in
Guarani: "itaacâbi," a mountain divided
into two branches. Pizarro believes that
this place was discovered in 1698 by the
Paulist Captain Miguel Domingos: St.
Hil. (I. ii. 303) attributes it to Fernando
Dias Paes.
"}
CHAP. XVIII.] FROM JANUARIA TO CARUNHANHA.
271
weather, and the air was wet and soppy. Presently the west
bank showed a broad sandy ramp, the road to São João das
Missões (or dos Indios), distant from the river three leagues, and
the object of a great Patron (Romaria) on its Saint's-day. Here,
removed eighteen leagues from their old home-the beautiful Brejo
do Salgado, a savage paradise-are villaged the remains of three
great tribes, the Chavantes, still powerful on the head waters of
the Tocantins; the Chacriábas (Xicriábas), and the Botucudos or
"bung-lipped" races, an indefinite general name. Of old the
Geraes hereabouts were held by the Acroás, vulgarly known as the
Corôados or tonsured people, the Cherentes, and the Aricobís,
who were dangerous till 1715. Now the nearest of the wild
"Red-skins" are about Moquem,* in Goyaz, distant some 125
leagues.
-
After a succession of the usual features,† at 1·30 P.м. we saw
Cascalho on the right bank, and washerwomen, the usual
approach to a town. We ascended a natural ramp, and fell into
a kind of street much broken up by the waters; thence turning
to the right we made the large square with its tall central cross, the
beginnings of a second. Here the inundations have never ex-
tended. On the north there is a Casa da Camara, whose shutters
are shut, and a jail whose grating is open. The twenty-one houses,
including two ruins, are of the humblest, and down-stream are
two parallel lines of thirteen to fourteen huts. The eastern side
of the square is occupied by Na Sa da Conceição dos Morrinhos,
which gives a name to the place. It is a "delubrum miræ magni-
tudinis,” which enjoys a wide reputation, and which makes the
stranger inquire how it came here. It owes its origin to the piety
of a certain Mathias Cardozo, before mentioned, who, with his
sister Catherina do Prado, married in São Paulo to a Portuguese,
settled in the wild, and for his services against the "Indians "
obtained the rank of Mestre de Campo, a dignity to extend
through three generations. He, and after him his son Januario,
built, of course by the sweat of "Indian" brows, the fane,
and the latter sent to Bahia for masons and carpenters.
I have explained this word (and its
verb moquear), which the author of the
Caramurú defines as follows:
Chamão Moquem as carnes que se cobrem,
E á fogo lento sepultadas assão.
This is our grushen." The term, how-
ever, is also applied to meat smoked or
slightly exposed to the flame.
The Ilha do Capão, where M. Halfeld
places a village; opposite it, on the left
bank, the Fazenda da Barreira (H., As
Barreiras). Then the sandy islet and Fa-
zenda da Resaca (H., Resacca) made us take
the left side.
272
[CHAP. XVIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
The temple, facing a little north of west, rises from a platform
of fine bricks, 1 span 4 fingers long, and 2 inches thick; these and
mortar compose the building.* It might easily have been made of
stone, as massive calcareous blocks appear bald-headed above
the ground. The façade has the usual pediment, protected by
eaves with three rows of tiles, an attempt at a rose-light, and
shuttered and railed windows above and below. Between the
two latter is the gate, with massive doors, strengthened by large
round-headed nails; it is apparently never opened, and signs of
fire appear near the floor,-bits of crosses, strings of beads, and
decayed scapulars hang about it. The towers are massive, and
capped with whitewashed pyramids like those of São Bento
in Rio de Janeiro. The brickwork, however, is falling from
above the windows, and poles planted against the front show that
repairs are in prospect. On the northern and southern sides are
fragments of cloisters, arches supported by six large square
piers; both end towards the east in rooms intended as sacris-
ties. Outside the mortar is green with damp below, and stained
red by the ochreous earth above. Inside, the northern cloister
is heaped with sand and goat-dung; opposite it the bulges of
red clay dotting the floor betoken graves, a bier also lies under
the arches, and a broken coffin is propped against the wall.
We had some trouble to procure the keys; at last appeared
the sacristan with the normal "tail." The interior was worse
than the exterior; the ceiling was partly stripped of its cedar
boardings, the choir was ruinous-here decay generally com-
mences, and the pulpits were likely to fall. The four side-
chapels in the body of the church resembled portable oratories.
A bold and well-built arch, revetted with fine wood and railings
of turned Jacarandá, led to the high altar, which did not show
any signs of gilding or whitewash. Below it a broken slab of
slate from Malhada, bore inscribed :-
*
AQVI IAS
JANVARIO C
ARDOZO DE
ALMEIDA.
The date had been forgotten, and the sacristan could only tell
((
Not templo de pedra," as M. Halfeld has it.
CHAP. XVIII.] FROM JANUARIA TO CARUNHANHA.
273
us that at Morrinhos had lately died, aged 113 years, a man who
said that the tomb was there when he was born.
We ascended the little hill at whose western foot the fane lies.
The substance is blue limestone, in places banded with hard
quartz, and capped with agglomerated sandstone;
sandstone; the soil
stained with oxide of iron produces the red blots which marble
these lumps. Formerly the Morrinho supplied saltpetre; it is
now either exhausted or neglected. From the thorny sum-
mit we ascertain that the left bank is of similar formation,
and even more subject to floods. Here we count four
knobs of ground, the Morros da Lavagem, do Salitre, and so
forth.
The smoky mists rising above a floating tree that left foam
in its wake, formed a phantom-ship, which startled us by its
resemblance to an expected steamer.* Descending on the right
of a long island, the Manga do Amador, we saw the village of
that name, advantageously situated upon the "Pernam side."
It is the first unflooded settlement which we have seen on the
high Sao Francisco, and the superiority of site will tell in
future years.
Two barrancos or bluffs rise at least 100 feet
above the brown tree-dotted bank, and are divided by a deep
gulley, draining a bayou behind the village. The colour is a
deep red earth-the finest of soils-extending down to the white
clay of the water-side. I counted seventeen doors on the
northern summit, and the settlement though young was not
without ruins.
After a last hour's work we found anchorage ground near the
Ilha do Carculo. Towards night we viewed the stars and planets
like the faces of long-absent friends. The "wander-lights" t
flashed through the darkness of the trees, the gull screamed at
our intrusion, the bull-frog (Sapo boi), and the Cururu (Rana
ventricosa), croaked like the wheel of a sugar-mill being set in
motion; and again we heard the complaint of Whip-poor-Will, and
of the Euryangú, which brought to mind the delightful wilds of
the Rio das Velhas. The raw damp became mild and balmy, the
lightning sank to the very horizon, and the north cleared to
Chapter 25 will tell how we were dis-
appointed.
M
Vaga-lumic, the firefly, also known as
perilampo, and Cacafogo (Elater noctilucus),
VOL. II.
These specimens will show that the Portu-
guese language has some of the prettiest
and the ugliest of descriptive expressions.
T
274
[CHAP. XVIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
a dull blue. In fact, Hope visited us once more, and very
deceitfully.
Sept. 28.-We set out at the normal hour, 5 A.M., despite the
heavy shower, and, after three hours' work, we landed on the
right bank to inspect the mouth of the Rio Verde Grande.
This stream flows from the northern slopes of Montes Claros;
coming from the south it receives the Verde Pequeno, which
drains the western Serra das Almas, a branch of the Grão Mogor
range, and a counter versant of the great Rio Pardo that inoscu-
lates with the Jequitinhonha, the two uniting and bending to the
north-west from the frontier of the Minas and Bahia Provinces.
The stream is ascended by canoes, some thirty leagues from the
embouchure.
(6
At the mouth of the Rio Verde Grande is a broad "praia
which causes the stream to flow along the right bank of the São
Francisco. Upon the water-side, which is caked with mud, we
found, as might be expected, a finer diamantine "formação.”
The higher parts of the beach were occupied by a negro family,
whose hut was in a little garden of beans and water-melons. Here
the latter thrive upon sand, almost pure of humus, and where
corn" is short and wilted. They sold to us for three coppers
five melancias, very cheap compared with what the fruit will be
further down. Bees were busy among the flowers, the pink
Crísta de gallo, like our "cockscomb," and the thorny-leaved,
yellow-blossomed dog-rose-like Sarrão (Argemone mexicana)
called "Cardo Santo," or holy thistle, from its real or supposed
medicinal properties.* From this point we shall see its grey-
green glaucous leafage all down the river. Another plant with
white flower, pink stigma, long stamens, delicate leaves which
curl up in the sun, and viscous stalk, will show its dull verdure
in damp places near the settlements. The people call it Mus-
també, and Mr. Davidson, after trial of the taint, declared it to be
the "stink-plant" of the Mississippi valley. The Tiririca rush, so
common on the streams of the Brazil, resembles papyrus, and towers
over the Capim Amargoso (bitter grass), a large broad flag much
loved by cattle. We saw but few animals on the banks, as the
owners had begun to drive them inland. A few years ago one of
"Azara (i. 132) mentions its use in
fevers; Prince Max. (i. 391) refers to it as
a remedy for snake bites. The word sug-
""
gests the Carduus Benedictus of the old
world, concerning which we may ask, "Be-
nedictus! why Benedictus?"
CHAP. XVIII.] FROM JANUARIA TO CARUNHANHA.
275
the breeders lost 300 head by the sudden flooding of the Green
River.
The Rio Verde discharges through a bending avenue of fine
timber a considerable stream about 150 feet broad. The water
was of a dirty muddy green, "heavy," as the crew remarked, and
sensibly salt, without, however, the taste of saltpetre. These
saline influents on the Upper São Francisco were remarked by Dr.
Couto; they attract swarms of fish, who enjoy them as beasts do
the "salt-licks." From this part of the valley downwards we
heard of many similar formations: the Riacho do Ramalho, ten
leagues below Carunhanha; the Riacho dos Cocos, falling into the
northern Rio das Egoas, and others. They are worth explora-
tion; salinas or deep deposits of sea-salt would be better than
gold-mines, and open a fount of wealth to some enterprising man.
The water might be treated like saltpetre, made into lye, and left
to sun in pans or troughs. At present salt must be here im-
ported from the Villa da Barra do Rio Grande, and even from
Joazeiro; consequently it costs per quarta 8$ 000 to 12 $000.
*
On the low right bank beyond the Green River there is yet more
cultivation. We were charmed with the soft and amene scenery
about the Fazenda das Meláncias, backed by the Serra da Mal-
hada, a north-eastern offset from the Montes Altos, the further
wall of the Rio Verde Pequeno. Presently we passed the mouth
of the Japoré, a considerable stream draining the Geraes massed
together in our maps as the Chapadão de Santa Maria; the
confluence is known as the Barra do Prepecé, which the pilots
could not explain. I believe it to be the name of some Indian
chief. The next influent, also from the left, was the Riacho do
Ypoeira. Mr. Halfeld translates this Indian term "lagôa," or
"tanque d'agua," but it is temporary, whereas the "lagôa
is perennial. It is becoming a constant feature, found where the
banks are flat, and have not, as above Januaria, waves of high ground
perpendicular to the main artery, and dividing the tributaries from
the east and from the west. We here miss these heights, which often
extended to the water, rising above all inundations, and forming
a natural dyke to contain the channel. The low lands subtending
the river-ridge are periodically filled by the floods, which are thus
""
*The old "Broaca" of 24 pratos (cach
4 lbs.) is no longer mentioned. The smaller
measure is the medida of 4 lbs. ; 20 medi-
das to 32 (at Joazeiro), or from 80 to 128
lbs., make the "quarta," which everywhere
varies.
T 2
276
[CHAP. XVIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
prevented from extending far, as on the upper stream.
The
swamps afterwards dry up or become "nateiros," i.e., slimes.
Wonderful draughts of fish, especially the Surubim and the Tra-
hira, are taken from the Ypoeiras, and some parts of the valley are
literally manured with fin. A boat-load is caught by dragging
branches along the waters as they dry up, and the denizens may
be caught with the hand.
We ran quickly past the Pontal da Barra do Rio Carunhanha,*
a large western influent which drains the Serra da Tauatinga, and
is a counter versant of the Paraná or Paranan, the eastern head-
water of the Tocantins. It is navigable for some twenty leagues.
up to the Serra or dividing ridge, through which it breaks; then
it becomes a succession of rocks and rapids. Large timber,
especially cedar, is here felled; made into balsas or rafts, and
floated down for sale. Seen from the south the low sole appears
overgrown with trees, a view from the west discloses a river about
300 feet, curving through grand vegetation, and it has probably
shifted south-westwards or up-stream. The left jaw is a mass of
sand, disposed in waving lines; a little further down, and forming
a dark line, is a deposit of fine purple slate in slabs or layers. It
is not wholly neglected. I saw several pieces two inches thick
and twenty feet long, and smaller sizes were cut into round and
oblong tables; they were without stains or signs of pyrites.t
The Carunhanha is the western frontier between the Provinces
of Minas Geraes and Bahia, and at the Pontal or Ponto do
Escuro a guard was stationed, and duties upon goods were
levied. It was deserted on account of the malignant typhoid
fevers, called "Carneiradas," which butcher men like sheep
(carneiros). Since 1852 the receivership has been transferred to
the right bank.
We made for the "Malhada," or to give it the full name,
Na Sa do Rosario da "Malhada," i.e., a shady place where cattle
gather during the hot hours. Here the São Francisco broadens
to 2650 feet, and turns to the north-east; the Carunhanha pour-
ing down the left channel strews the main stream with snags and
branchy trunks, and forms a sand-bar, and a shoal which extends
some way down. We were obliged to round the northern end of
* It is thus generally written; other
forms are Carynhanha, Carinhenha, Carun-
henba, and Caronhanha (preferred by Dr.
Couto); it is supposed to be a corruption of
G
Arinhanha, the large otter.
M. Halfeld notices this quarry, and
calls it Phyllado or argillaceous schist.
CHAP, XVIII.] FROM JANUARIA TO CARUNHANHA.
277
the latter, and to bring the "Brig Eliza's " head up to the south-
east. The shore being exposed to the south-west wind, which
came on heavily, yeasting the stream, I sent the craft to em-
bay herself (ensaccar-se) leeward of the Corôa da Malhada,
above the settlement. The single barca which was at anchor
followed her example, but the canoes remained staked to the
shore.
The Porto is a bank of sand and clay cut in steps by the ebb
of the floods, grown with a few weeds, but bare of trees. A few
horses and mules lingered over a scanty meal, and boys were
fishing and bathing near a sandspit, where the water is too shal-
low for the dreaded Piranha. The settlement faces a little to the
north of west, the houses on the bank are of mud and tile, one
only being whitewashed; the long ends, of which the greater part
is occupied by the door, fronts the stream, and the rails of the
compounds are used as "horses" for drying clothes. The
settlement consists of a water-street and two parallel thorough-
fares, with a central square. Here is the Rosario Church, a
ground-floor fronted by a deep sheltering porch; before it stands
a rude black cross, bearing amongst the instruments of the
Passion a very rude cock, and planted round with the Barba de
Barata, or "cockroach's beard."*
The houses show a water-mark three feet high. Above the
Malhada is the Sangradouro de Santa Cruz, which every year
for about a week in January or February, permits the floods
nearly to surround the settlement. After that the flow is sur-
rounded by stagnant water, in places so deep that a boat-
pole does not touch bottom. Of course this evil might
easily be remedied, but who will undertake the cure which is
"everybody's business?" To the east the land becomes sandy,
and produces good cotton and sugar, the castor shrub, and the
ever-green Joazeiro-tree, † a gigantic shady umbrella for man and
beast. The level here begins to rise above all floods, towards the
Serra de Yúyú, or Iúyúy, ‡ distant six leagues. It is a segment
+
*This is the Poinciana pulcherrima, a
brilliant leguminous shrub, supposed to
have been brought from Asia. According
to the System it is rich in "stryphno," the
astringent principle.
+ Zizyphus Joazeiro" (Açeifafa Joa-
zeiro), a species of Jujube tree; an ally to
the hawthorn (Prof. Agassiz). According
.
<<
to the System, its acrid, bitter, and astrin-
gent bark promotes emetism. Here, as in
the Sertão of Ceará, it preserves during the
dry season its foliage, which is eaten by
cattle.
This is a Tupy word, which no one
could explain. The range is also called
Serra da Malhada.
278
[CHAP. XVIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
of an arch extending from east to south-east, and opposing its
concavity to the river; there is apparently a projecting elbow or
a buttress which forms an apex fronting to the west. It is said
to be calcareous, and to abound in saltpetre. The western bank
of the São Francisco is a vast level; the nearest range is distant
about fifteen leagues. This Serra do Ramalho, more generally
known as "A Serra," is also calcareous and off-sets from the
great dividing ridge between Bahia and Goyaz.
I had a letter for Lieut. Silverio Gonçalvez de Araujo Lou-
reiro, Administrator of the duties payable to the Provincial
Treasury of Minas Geraes (Administrada da Cobrança do The-
souro Provincial da Provincia de Minas). We called upon him
at his house in "Water Street," and sat there talking over
coffee. He hails from Ouro Preto; and having spent twelve
months in this vile hole, where of his escort, a sergeant and four
men, all but one are dead or absent, he purposes to leave it as
soon as possible.
Lieut. Loureiro gave me a printed paper, dated October 19,
1860, and showing that the several "Recebedorias" collected a
total of 600l. to 800l. per annum.* Here imports and exports are
both taxed, and only salt going up-stream does not pay. Three
per cent. are taken on cotton, minor articles of provisions, worked
tobacco (including Pixuá, a kind of Cavendish prepared for
chewing), clothes, pottery bowls, canoes and woods for furniture;
hammocks, whips, saddles, and so forth. Coffee is rated at three-
and-a-half per cent, and six per cent. is recovered from grain,
raw provisions, including poultry, which is the best thing in this
place; hides, ipecacuanha, quinine, and precious stones, the
diamond only excepted. The horse, valued at 5l., is taxed
3 $160; the native mule (87.), 4$960; the São Paulo mule,
5$000, and black cattle, 0$600. These animals are driven to
Bahia by a vile road which their hoofs made; it crosses difficult
Serras without bridges or any "benefits," and the distance is 130
leagues.
A white man walked in whilst we were sitting with Lieut.
Loureiro, and astonished us by his civilised aspect, amongst all
this Gente de Côr; he was introduced as Dr. (M.D.) João Lopes
Rodrigues, who had graduated at Rio de Janeiro, and had settled
* In 1852-54 M. Halfeld makes the
exports reach a value of 21, 2007.; imports,
34,5007.; balance in favour of the latter,
13,8007.
CHAP. XVIII.] FROM JANUARIA TO CARUNHANHA.
279
at Carunhanha. No one had the indecency to ask him the reason
why; he complained of the Preguiça do Sertão-the idleness of
the wild country-and of stimulus being totally wanted, except
when a stranger happens to pass.
I have heard the same in
Dublin society; possibly Dr. Rodrigues, like a certain Abyssinian
traveller, found "making up his mind" a severe and protracted
process. He had suffered from the climate of the River Valley,
always cold-damp or hot-damp, so different from the dry air
and sweet waters of the sandy table-lands on both sides of,
and generally at short distances from, the river. He had none of
the pretentious manner and address usually adopted by the
Bahiano, who holds himself the cream of Brazilian cream, and
he readily accepted a passage in the raft to his home, about two
miles down stream.
The denizens of the Malhada have a fever-stricken look, and
their lips are bistre-coloured as their faces. Yet within the
houses we heard singing and clapping of hands, after the fashion
of Guinea; and, as we embarked, a little crowd of women col-
lected to prospect us. The dress was a skirt of light chintz or
calico, a chemise or rather a shirt, generally a shawl, and above
and below comb or kerchief, and slippers.
* M. Halfeld remarks that the right
channel is low and full of shallows. The
•
We dropped down the still fierce stream, here treacherous and
much dreaded. The strong up-draught often keeps craft in port
for fourteen days; they load heavily, and the waves are likely to
damage the cargo. The weather looked especially ugly, but our
companion consoled us by declaring that we were fast outstrip-
ping the rains. Here showers had begun to fall only five days
ago, and were called "chuvas de enramar," of branching. The
wet season will not set in till November, when the Vento Geral
will shift to the south, the normal quarter. We escaped swamp-
ing with some difficulty, and presently reached the head of the
Ilha da Carunhanha, which splits the stream into two channels of
about equal depth.* The course of the river is here to the north-
east, and the western arm is apparently widening; formerly
children could swim across it. The islet is about two miles
long, sandy, but of admirable fertility. It grows fine cotton, and
as upon the São Francisco, lower down, manioc planted during
the Vasante Geral (March and April), produces a large root
castern bank is only half the height of the
western.
280
[CHAP. XVIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
fit for farinha before the flood-time in November and December.
Here is a good site for a bridge to connect Minas with
Goyaz.
At the landing-place are large blocks of Pissarra or Saibro do
Rio, a felspathic clay, yellow-tinged with iron; this bank is 55
to 75 feet high, or 5 to 25 feet high above the annual rise. It
is, however, much cut up by a surface drain, now an Esbar-
rancado, but a Córrego during the rains, dividing it into waves of
high and low ground, and loudly calling for a levée. São José
da Carunhanha is a larger place than it appears from up-stream;
there are some 450 houses,* none double-storied, and mostly
flanked by the Gupiára or Agua furtada. Though noble timber
is here, the wood-work is mostly sticks. Young cocoa-nut trees
grow well in the court-yards, and the produce of the adult in
this saline nitrous soil is 200 nuts per annum.
In the north of the town we found an enormous square, the
Largo do Socavem; it has a cross and symptoms of a chapel.
Beyond the settlement a Sangradouro with a sandy bed, based
on hard reddish clay, breaks the bank with a gap some fifty
yards broad, and the floods form a back-water which does
not extend far. The best houses are in the southern square,
where fewer people squat on logs before their doors; there is
a Camara and a prison; in the latter our Januaria man
found a friend who had been resident for nearly four years,
after kniving a brother boatman in a drunken quarrel. The
Matriz of São José da Carunhanha suggests nothing but an
old termitarium, yet it has a bell which sounded for us the
Angelus.
It now becomes difficult to collect local information. The
great Province of Bahia is behind most of her rivals in popular
topographical works, and those which she possesses are too cum-
brous and discursive for the traveller, whilst Minas Geraes has
her Almanaks, and São Paulo has two handbooks. Carunhanha,
dismembered from the Villa da Barra, rose to township thirty
years ago, and is now capital of the Comarca of Urubú in the Bahia
Province. Its municipality formerly extended to the Rio das
Egoas, the western branch of the Paracatú; here, however, a
villa has lately been established under the name of Na Sa da
* In 1852 there were 265.
† It is the name of a town in Portugal,
but none of the Carunhanha people knew
what it meant.
CHAP. XVIII.]
FROM JANUARIA TO CARUNHANHA.
281
Gloria do Rio das Egoas. This municipio still numbers about
10,000 souls, of whom 1000 to 1200 are in the town; slaves are
rare, and few fazendeiros have more than 40 to 50 head. The post
arrives three times a month,* and each side of the river has a
fair-weather road to Januaria-distant thirty leagues. The prin-
cipal imports are from Joazeiro, and include salt and dry and wet
goods. There are no rich men, and the chief people breed
cattle for export. They also send "sola"-leather, hides-
here worth each 1$ 250, and at least double below Joazeiro-
a little sugar and dried fish. The land would produce rice
and cotton in abundance. Hereabouts also the Geraes grow
a medicinal root known all down the river as Calemba or
+
Calunga. ‡
Dr. Rodrigues led us to his house in the square, and offered
us the luxuries of sofa and rocking chair, wax candles, and a
map of the war-moreover he gave me his photograph. I sent
an introductory letter to the Delegate of Police, Capitão Theo-
tonio de Sousa Lima. That young man did not even return a mes-
sage; possibly he, a Liberal, had seen us walking with the doctor,
a Conservative. Again the stranger was tempted to exclaim,
"Confound their politics!" Unfortunately for us, the Juiz de
Direito of the Comarca, Dr. Antonio Luis Affonso de Carvalho,
was on leave at Bahia; all spoke well of this distinguished
"Curioso."
We reached the raft in time to prepare for a night of devilry
let loose. A cold wind from the north rushed through the hot
air, and precipitated a deluge in embryo. Then the gale chopped
round to the south, and produced another and a yet fiercer down-
fall. A treacherous lull and all began again, the wind howling
and screaming from the east. The thunder roared and the light-
ning flashed from all directions; the stream rose in wavelets,
* The 5th, the 15th, and the 25th are
the days appointed, and this tri-monthly
delivery is the rule of the river. Of course
punctuality is not to be expected.
The reaches will now become straight,
and the land routes, which everywhere
connect, are but little shorter than the
water lines.
Probably the word is taken from the
African Colombo or Calomba (Cocculus pal-
matus), which gives the radix Colombo.
It is mentioned by St. Hil. (III. i. 164-5).
The System (p. 93) calls it herva amargosa
(Simaba ferruginea or Pichrodendron Ca-
lunga). The bark of the root and trunk of
this Rutacea, which is much valued as a
simple, has an unpleasant, bitter, acrid,
and astringent taste; it is stomachic and
anti-febrile. I heard it everywhere spoken
of, but no specimen was procurable under
a couple of days' delay.
282
[CHAP. XVIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
which washed over the "Eliza" and shook her by the bumping
of the tender-canoe. At last, just before day-break, the crisis
took place, and we snatched a few minutes of such sleep as hot
heads and cold feet, and dogs persistently baying at the weather,
would permit.
CHAPTER XIX.
FROM CARUNHANHA TO SENHOR BOM JESUS DA LAPA.
FOURTH TRAVESSIA, 24} LEAGUES.
A GOOSELESS MICHAELMAS. -THE LUGAR DA CACHOEIRA.—THE PARATÉCA
STREAM, AND THE DISPUTED RIO RAMALHO."- DIAMANTINE DEPOSITS.
-THE ALLIGATOR NOW KILLED OUT. -THE CONDE DA PONTE. THE
ASSASSIN GUIMARÃES.THE MOUNTAIN OF THE HOLY CAVE DESCRIBED.
-THE VILLAGE. THE HOLY CAVE. THE STOUT-HEARTED VICAR, REV.
FRANCISCO DE FREITAS SOUEIRO.-THE UNIFORMITARIAN" ENVIES THE
66 CATASTROPHIST."
((
.
S
(6
lapa que esconde alto mysterio.
Caramurú, 7, 8.
MICHAELMAS DAY found us gooseless, worn out and cross; the
song was hushed, and silenced was the voice of chaff. After a
couple of dull leagues we reached the Lugar da Cachoeira, famed
for pottery. The clay is made into neat talhas (jars) and quar-
tinhas (gugglets), ornamented with red tauá, placed upon the
naturally yellow groundwork before burning. What is here bought
for two coppers fetches six at Joazeiro; our men made a small
purchase, and the prospect revived their spirits. The Cachoeira
took its name from a ridge of rock forming a diagonal rapid across
the stream. A sand-bar has now been thrown up, and we passed
over the place ignoring its old break. On the left bank, which
rises above the floods, and which is drained by two "bleeders,'
there are a few huts. Further down is the Fazenda dos Angicos,*
where the yellow variety of Acacia is common.
We halted at noon on the left bank near the Fazenda do
Espirito Santo; it has a large grove of Joazeiro or Jujube trees,
whose bark is sold for tanning. The straight reaches, some twenty
*M. Halfeld, I have remarked, calls
villages (povoaçoes) what the pilots speak
of as fazendas. The words are here nearly
synonymous; the fazenda is a breeding
>>
or agricultural establishment, often con-
taining a little chapel and a dozen huts
belonging to as many proprietors in part-
nership.
284
[CHAP. XIX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
miles long, and the narrowness of the stream, 1460 feet, greatly
increase its flow, which averaged three knots an hour. The morn-
ing rain had diminished to a spitting, but a strong wind came up
from the south and played about the west. Here the people do
not shout
-
Honor be to Mudjekeewis,
who is also of the Pau-puk-Keewis family. These signs and
symptoms induced the men to caulk the port canoe, which had
scraped bottom till the cracks formed a leak. At 3 P.M. we had
to repeat the operation on a large praia to the right, opposite
the Fazenda das Pedras. Here we found bits of pure saltpetre,
and a trunk of Braúna tree almost lignite, while the diamantine
"formação" appeared under water, between wind and water, and
above water. About 5 P.M. we "knocked off work" at a long
beach near the mouth of the Paratéca; * called a river, it is a
mere streamlet, a fillet of water now coursing down the right
bank, and even during the floods it admits canoes for only two
leagues. A barque and sundry dug-outs were being repaired by a
dark carpenter, who told us five lies in three minutes, and who
apparently would have ridden twenty leagues to unburden him-
self. He pointed to the "finest place on the São Francisco,"
the Barra da Ypoeira on the Pernambuco, as the boatmen still
call the now Bahian bank. It was the usual high bluff, red above,
white below, with sand up-stream and bush down-stream. The
neat huts upon the level ground reminded me by their small size
and "
natty" look of the pretty one-street villages on the Old
Calabar and the Gaboon Rivers.
Sept. 30.-During the night rain fell again. At dawn, low,
mist-laden clouds lay heavy where Carunhanha was, and lighter
vapours coursed from south-east to north-west, but far behind us.
Presently the climate became that of Malabar, and before 8 A.M.
the pilot actually removed his black coat. About noon a strong
southerly breeze swept through the well-washed atmosphere.
There was nimbus to the south as well as to the north, but we
were not molested, and the weather was peculiarly comfortable
and good for work. It was a "dies notanda," this our first fine
day upon the Rio de São Francisco.
*This stream also shows signs of diamonds in its sandbanks.
CHAP. XIX.] CARUNHANHA TO SENHOR BOM JESUS DA LAPA.
285
We set out at 5 A.M., and, after passing the usual features,* we
landed at 7.30 below the Sangradouro da Volta de Cima to
inspect the large R. Ramalho, which in Mr. Keith Johnston here
enters from the west. Nothing appeared but a mere ditch, a
Riacho. Most men agreed that the Rio do Ramalho is a branch
of the Rio do Corrente, further down stream. Hence, possibly,
the confusion in our maps, which give a Rio Corrente entering
the imaginary Ramalho, and to the north a Rio Correntes, which
is the true Rio do Corrente. The beach again afforded good
sign of diamonds, including the cattivo, the crystal, and the
cánga-stone. Barboza, "Barba de Veneno," picked up a wax
foot, some votive offering that had remained here en route to the
Bom Jesus. He forgot to leave it at the shrine, and thus all
our little accidents and evils were chaffingly attributed to him.
We passed in succession the Barra do Riacho das Rãas, from
the right, and the Pitubinha and Pituba, formerly Fazendas. The
Rio das Rãas, also on the east, is a mere rivulet, whose waters are
said to be fetid. The opposite side showed a regular and tabular
bank of soft greensward, adorned with tall trees. At the Ilha da
Corôa Grande, a sand-bar and clump of vegetation, there was a
shallow and a tide-rip. We took the right channel, and both
abound in snags. Of this part M. Halfeld says,
"there are many
caymans (Jacarés), of ashen-brown colour, and one with a yellow
throat, called the Ururáu, which is the Crocodile (!) Frightful
numbers appeared, and my boats were surrounded by more than
thirty." He also mentions Capivaras, which similarly have
"made tracks."
About the "Frogs' River" we sighted a long blue range per-
pendicular to the stream, and extending far inland.§ At its
mouth was the Ilha da Batalha, a memento of some forgotten
struggle with the wild men. At 3.30 we passed the Ilha da Boa
Vista, a sand-bar in mid-stream.
On the left bank was the
* A green islet on the Pernam side
leads to "As Barreiras," a red bluff, wavy
in outline with projections and bays; the
central depression is the only part subject
to the "tip over" during floods. Then
appeared the Ilha da Volta de Cima, where
the stream bends to the east-north-east ; it
is a strip of yellow-green vegetation, with
its ruddy bluff a league long, and its San-
gradouro.
Some authorities told me that a little
Ramalho Rivulet exists near Pitubinha. M.
Halfeld shows a drain, but does not name
it.
This is probably the Jacaré de papo
amarello (yellow-throated cayman), which
is supposed to be more dangerous than the
common Crocodilus sclerops. I do not know
whether there be, as has been suspected,
any specific difference between the two.
Mr. Keith Johnston's map places along
the stream a range which does not exist.
286
[CHAP. XIX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
Fazenda of the same name. Here in old colonial times began
the enormous property of a Portuguese, known only as the Conde
da Ponte; the family has long left the river. The Fazenda da
Boa Vista afterwards belonged to the "Assassin" (Antonio José)
Guimarães, who sixteen years ago murdered his brother, the
Commandant Superior José Guimarães. He was afterwards killed
in Goyaz, it is said by a party of mule-troopers. A canoe was
fastened to the bank, and we counted twenty huts, faced by a tall
thin wooden cross. The men indolently stretched under the
trees, replied gruffly to the extempore songs and bawling chorus
of my crew. Here they are contented with a curral or fenced
enclosure for their animals when driven from pasture, with railed-
off plots of manioc and corn, melons running over the sand, and
in rare places with a few stems of arboreous cotton. The furni-
ture of the tiled hut is a giráo or cot, a sleeping-hide, a few
benches, riding apparatus, wooden bowls and cooking pots, whilst
the gun and the line never allow them to see the face of hunger.
These are humble comforts, but they far exceed those attainable
by the dwellers about the Great Rapids. The wigwam was as
well furnished, even to the wooden ferule for thrashing the women,
which hung to the ceiling.
Near the Fazenda da Volta de Baixo, on the right bank, we
heard the dash of falling water, and at 5.30 P.M. we landed for the
night upon one of the three "Ilhas do Campo largo." The clear
dry minute sand crunched with a peculiar chipping sound, like
snow under foot-friction; and here again diamantine deposits lay
in lines parallel with the water. We are now in about the
latitude of the Serra das Almas, whose eastern horn, the Serra
de Sincorá, is one of the richest diamond districts in the Brazil.
And it is evident from the state of the sand that it has floated
from afar.
*
Oct. 1.-During the night the water fell, and we had some
delay in pushing off. Observing the cirrus and cirro-cumulus
high in air, the pilot quoted a proverb similar to our
own.*
The channel between the sand-bar was very foul with timber.
On the right was the head of the Ypoeira or bayou, which spreads
out into a little lake about its central course, and returns to the
J
Céo pedrento,
Ou chuva ou vento,
Ou mudança de tempo.
A stone-paved sky, rain or wind high,
or change to dry.
CHAP. XIX.] CARUNHANHA TO SENHOR BOM JESUS DA LAPA.
287
main artery above the "Lapa." Below it is the Ilha do Medo-
of Fear-another reminiscence of the dark and bloody days. As
we bent to the right, or north-east, the Serrote da Lapa rose tall
and abrupt over the vegetation based on the river sand. Above
them was a slight central depression, and a yellow gash noted
the position of the mysterious cave. Below it ran diagonally to
the stream a thick avenue of Jacaré * and other trees, showing
where the bayou re-enters the parent stream.
As we advanced northwards, the Serrote viewed from the west
changed its form to that of a headless sphynx, or a crouching
lion, the popular comparison. And now we could distinguish the
peculiarities of a scene, whose novelty has raised it to sanctity.
It is the mere skeleton of a mountain, disposed with a north-east
to south-west trend, and lying lone upon a dead level. It is
remarkable for perpendicular lines bristling against the air, with
ribs which resemble finials or pinnacles. The sides, fretted and
jagged like the flying buttresses of a Gothic temple, are cut up
into salient angles, and are sharp-pointed by weathering. It has
cleavage rather than stratification; deep black cracks, at altitudes
varying from ten to thirty feet, run horizontally, forming gigantic
courses of masonry. On the north-eastern side these courses
are slightly dislocated, dipping towards a bushy depression in the
centre. The south-western end is a vertical precipice, with a
long broad yellow stripe, where the stone had been removed.
The colour of the mass generally is grey-slate, breaking blue,
with fine crystals of the whitest calcaire.t
A few tiled roofs, and one white-washed house, rising in their
line at the hill base above the trees and shrubs, directed us to
the Port. We landed on the right jaw of the bayou, which
during the floods becomes a harbour of refuge. A tall bank,
much water-washed, led to a plain grown with grass, shrubs, and
tall trees; one of the latter, an acacia, with golden blossoms,
emitted a heavy cloying scent. Deep pits, cut for adobes, showed
the nature of the ground, sand and clay, with scatters of lime-
stone. Hence cultivation here flourishes; the people plant garlic
and onions, melons and water-melons, pumpkins-especially the
So called from its rough scaly bark;
the word is possibly a contraction of Jacaré
ihuá (or igá, a canoe ?), which supplied the
"Indians" with dug-outs twenty to thirty
feet long.
† Colonel Accioli calls it a granitic for
mation; it is, however, all limestone.
288
[CHAP. XIX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
Girimú-haricots, and the castor bean, Quiábos or Hibiscus ;
rice, and a little maize, sweet potatos, and excellent cotton. We
also passed a well-railed field, whose freshly-cut grass preserved
the aroma of hay.
Presently we entered the settlement, which is detestably situa-
ted; even the African avoids the vicinity of great rocks. Here
eighteen houses, disposed in arch-shape, front towards an un-
finished church, which stands at the base of the great stone pile.
They are all of the ground-floor order, built upon foundations of
rough limestone; and one is solidly made, with attempts at
pilasters. The total of the tenements may number 200, and, as all
are inhabited, the population cannot be less than 1000 souls.*
We found fresh meat, and bought tipioca cakes, whilst every
vendor applied to us for medicine. We can hardly wonder that
they suffer from psoriasis, cutaneous eruptions, terrible fevers, and
inflammations of the spleen (opilacoes). Besides the limestone
reverberator, they have the full benefit of a large Ypoeira swamp.
Thus the stone raises the temperature of the air, and the heavier
marsh poison rushes in to supply its place.
At the crescent a party of pilgrims were mounting their
animals, and were being dismissed with a "Bom Jesus da Lapa
guide ye!" We walked to the south-west, noticing in the
occidental face of the buttress several ogival entrances, doubtless
natural. In the higher levels, wherever the rock had been
degraded to soil, trees displayed the filmy light-green foliage of
spring; the most conspicuous were the Joazeiro, the Angico, and
the delicate Pitombeira myrtle. The stone was clad with lichens.
and air-plants grey as itself. At the south-western end is the
tallest bluff, which contains the grotto. Here a huge column,
horizontally fractured in three places, and separated from the
main wall by a perpendicular fissure, threatens to fall. At the
cliff-foot is the Ypoeira channel, and here large fragments of
limestone, cut into curious shapes by the water, block up the
ledge which once allowed a path.
Six rough steps of blue limestone lead up to the Lapa, which
faces west. A stout wooden door, with ponderous lock, and
above it two shuttered windows, with "rose-light" and drain
* M. Halfeld says 128 houses and 250 souls, a very unusual proportion, except
where absenteeism is the rule.
CHAP. XIX.] CARUNIIANHA TO SENHOR BOM JESUS DA LAPA. 289
pipe, are flanked by thin pilasters of the burnt brick and lime
composing the entrance. Inside, ten steps of brick, placed
edgeways, and dangerously narrow for crippled devotees, admit to
the body of the Holy Grotto. I looked in vain for aught to
justify the vivid imagination of Rocha Pitta, which saw here an
entrance large enough for a city, a stone bell made by Nature's
hand, marvellous columns of stalactite, and a high altar with
collateral shrines ready for human use.
The Cavern, a very vulgar feature, bends to the right, and
extends forty paces in depth, widening from ten to twenty paces.
at the far end. The floor is of tamped earth, which, being like
all the Serra, miraculous, is collected by coloured people to be
used as medicine. It is the sovereignest thing for a headache.
Near the entrance the ceiling is flat, water-worn, and smoke-
blackened; over the shrine it is somewhat arched. Down the
length of the blue limestone runs a light-yellow band, forming
truncated stalactites. In the vicinity of the steps there is a
stalagmite resembling a Hindoo "lingam." The narrower end,
and both sides of the grotto, are supported with masonry. On
the left of one advancing towards the altar, wooden steps lead to
a box covered with red silk, and lace fringed with cloth. The
awning of this pulpit is a projecting ledge of stone. Further on
is a shallow recess in which some hermit has been buried. Op-
posite it, at the broadest part of the tunnel, projects the varanda
or balcony, a natural opening in the wall. Here, upon a bench,
lounged a few idlers, chiefly negroes, enjoying the fresh draught
from the green-avenued bayou below. The atmosphere reminded
me of Yambú, yet the thermometer showed only 85° (F.) †
The high altar is at the further and broader end of the Cave.
It is approached by a raised platform of dislocated wooden
oblongs, showing old graves. The shrine is fronted by a tall
central arch, between two of smaller size, all three lined with
painted wood, and hung with ex-votos. That to the right opens
upon a narrow passage behind the adytum; the ascent is bad,
the boarded floor threatens to fall, and there is an odour of
death-perhaps the calcaire may be of that kind vulgarly called
* Meaning, I presume, a thin plate of
stone, which could be used like a gong.
The only bells now are two small articles,
hung to the usual wooden gallows, and pro-
tected by a small tiled roof.
VOL. II.
M. Halfeld found it 95° (F.), nearly
blood-heat. The bats of which he com-
plains have disappeared, leaving no sign,
and the dead are no longer buried within
the cave.
บ
230
[CHAP. XIX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
،،
stinkstone." The left archway is the mouth of a recess heaped
up with heads and faces, arms and legs of beeswax, and other
offerings which commemorate the sanative powers of the spot.
In the highest part, under the central arch, and protected by a
wooden tunnel ceiling, stands the Senhor Bom Jesus da Lapa.
The little crucifix is, to judge by the ghastly style of the colour-
ing, modern. A polite devotee assured me that it had been found
here, and that, despite many attempts, no one had ever been able
to remove it.* Upon the ledge at its feet are statuettes and two
candles burning. On the altar below there are more images, and
six lights, whilst a massive and expensive silver lamp, bought at
Bahia, hangs from the ceiling outside. Beyond the railings of
painted wood stand portable chapels of Nossa Senhoras, each
about ten feet high, sentinelling the shrine. Also, most impor-
tant of all, a strong box of iron, labelled in the largest letters,
"Papel-Cobre," catches the first glance.
This place of pilgrimage has the highest possible reputation;
devotees flock to it from all directions, and from great distances,
even from Piauhy. Sometimes there may be a crowd of 400
visitors.t The average daily receipts, I was told, amount to
20$ 000, and on Sundays to 50$ 000. The "esmolas" are paid
to a certain Lieut.-Colonel Francisco Teixeira, who is the Pro-
curador of the shrine. My crew when exhorted to visitation,
lest they should call their employer "herége," pleaded "who
prays, pays." They went, however, and the pilot gave fourteen
vintens, the rest two. I left something at the foot of the crucifix;
the old Sacristan did not readily find it, and he hurriedly sent a
message, asking the amount of my alms.
We left the fane very little impressed, except by the damp
heat. Our next step was to the Porto, on the right bank of
Ypoeira. This is the seat of trade. We found a few houses,
half-a-dozen sheds, one barca and five canoes. The principal
industry is making saltpetre, which is here found in quantities
at the south-eastern side of the Serrote. It is a constituent of
all these calcareous soils, the effect of atmospheric air decompos-
ing the limestone. The process of extracting it is a mere
* Thus, at Cairo and in other Moslem
cities, tombs are seen let into the walls of
the domiciles. This is where the bier-
bearers have been unable to contend with
an obstinate corpse, which insists upon
choosing its own sepulture, and becomes so
heavy that none can carry it.
From Januaria the best road is on the
castern bank of the river.
CHAP. XIX.] CARUNHANHA TO SENHOR BOM JESUS DA LAPA.
291
lixiviation; the chocolate-coloured earth, mixed with stone, is
thrown into a bangue or strainer. This is generally a square
pyramid of boarding, with the base upwards, equally useful for
extracting saltpetre or soap-lye. The poorer people use a hide,
supported by four uprights, and both act like jelly-bags. When
exhausted with hot water, the nitrous particles find their way,
duly filtered, through a tube leading to a "Coche" or trough,
often a bit of old canoe. The "decoada," as it is now called,
is a thin greenish liquid, which must be boiled in a "tacho," or
metal pan, like that used for sugar. This "tacho" is sometimes
mounted upon an ant hill. It is purified by repeating the pro-
cess, and it appears in regular six-sided columns of yellow-white
colour. The price is here six coppers; on the Upper Rio das
Velhas it sells for 10$ 000 per arroba. In the Sertão saltpetre is
used medicinally for nitre. My specimens were unfortunately lost,
and I cannot decide whether the material is or is not the nitrate
of soda like that of Chile, which though usefully employed in
composts and nitric acid works, attracts so much damp, that it is
of little value for making gunpowder.*
We introduced ourselves to the Vicar, the Rev. Francisco de
Freitas Soueiro, a native of Lamego, near Douro. He spoke
with great reserve about the miracles of the place, and declared
that the image must be some 100 years old. The Lapa Sanctuary,
however, dates from 1704, and was founded by a Lisbonese, the
Padre Francisco de Mendonça (alias da Soledade), a man of con-
siderable property. He set up the figures of Na Sa da Bom
Jesus, and Na Si da Soledade, and the Archbishop D. Sebastio
Monteiro da Vide,† after sending to it a Visitant, made the Lapa
a chapel, and the Padre its priest.
By no means so reticent or so sensible was the Padre Baldoino
of the Villa da Barra, who was calling upon the Vicar. He
gravely assured me that all the Serrote was blessed by Heaven,
and consequently that it must contain gold and diamonds. The
crucifix, he said, was at least 367 years old-about the date when
the Brazil was discovered-and was worshipped by the wild
people before it was found by Christians. His red face became
* Contraband gunpowder has, however,
often been made with saltpetre brought
from Minas, even in the days when the
former was a royal monopoly; the latter
in 1816 sold for 4$600 per arroba at Rio
de Janeiro. A lately-made analysis of the
brown Bahian saltpetre gives a fair account
of it.
This ecclesiastic issued the "Consti-
tutions" of Bahia in 1707.
V 2
292
[CHAP. XIX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
redder when I asked him if another would not do as well. He
declared, with various inuendoes, that the efficiency resides in
that particular figure; that it was the work of a miracle; that it
was formed by a miracle, and that by a miracle it remains. Sub-
stitute for it anything else, and all virtue departs from the Lapa.
I afterwards heard that this reverend was once a person of fair
attainments, but that his devotion to Bacchus had dislodged part
of his intellect.
The Vicar had lately recovered from an abscess in the leg,
which, despite Lanman and Kemp's Salsaparilla, had nearly
killed him. When we spoke of ascending the Serrote, he con-
cealed his ailments, and offered to guide us. He proved himself
a good man, and actually climbed up in his slippers. At the
base of the hill began a thin grove of Xique-Xique, here a kind
of Cansanção or Jatropha urens. This is a tall shrub, with
patches of sharp and venomous thorns radiating from common
centres. It extends to the summit in clumps, and is much feared
by the people. Another unpleasant growth is a small Bromelia,
with cruel serrations. In the lower part I found sundry young
shells of a pink-lipped Achatina (No. 2), which here grows to
a large size.
John Mawe (i. Chap. 12) records his astonish-
ment at seeing the eggs laid by this "new variety of helix."
The air was perfumed with the odour of peppermint from a bright
blue floweret, which seemed to have no name. We ascended the
wooded central depression on the western side, behind the main
bluff, and a steep rough path had been worn by the fuel-seeker.
In the shade the thermometer was 94° (F.) The small red ant
stung viciously, and huge iguanas eyed us as if the lazy things
disdained to run away. We found adhering to the lime a hard
red sandstone, with black spots like syenite, and silex with a
conchoidal fracture, which had the tint and the compactness of
Rosso Antico.*
Reaching the summit of the gulley, we started flights of urubús,
which had whitened the pinnacle tops. Here there is no soil
except where the rock is resolved into its original elements. The
jagged surface is like the waves of a cross sea, and in places it
looks as though rain-drops had splashed upon a soft substance.
*This appeared to be a sign of igneous
action; our glasses could detect no signs of
shell in the linestone; and the glazed iron
stone and conglomerate scattered about the
base suggested exposure to heat.
CHAP. XIX.] CARUNHANHA TO SENHOR BOM JESUS DA LAPA. 293
A rude triangulation from below had given 150 feet, a total of
about 180 above the stream.* Between the thorns we enjoyed a
noble view of the São Francisco, whose inundations extend in
places three leagues across. The broad band which glittered in
the sun with silver and gold winds in majestic sweeps round the
Island of Bom Jesus, the well-cultivated "Canabrava," and the
"Itaberáva," or Shining Stone.† On the north is a blue knob,
the Brejo de São Gonçalo, beyond the Rio do Corrente, and to
the north-east a long purple line, the Serra do Bom Jardim, and
the two low domes, near Urubú. Nearer is the Fazenda of
Itaberáva, where only the stream-edge is flooded; its green
pastures are rich in horses and black cattle. And at our feet lies
the village, with its three small streets branching from their
nucleus, the square.
66
In this grand lump of limestone there is sign of convulsion
or catastrophe. The growth or upheaval must have been so
gradual, that the long horizontal lines are still hardly broken.
It is greatly to be desired that some catastrophist, writing upon
geological dynamics," would state precisely the ground upon
which he believes that the ancient oscillations, dislocations, and
inversions of strata are not wholly explicable by existing phe-
nomena, with the Hindu ages and the Tropical and glacial epochs
behind them. And when the Uniformitarians shall have won the
day and I presume that the believers in continuity, in the
"orderly mechanism" of slow and long-continued movements
broken by periodical paroxysms, will win it, seeing how much
they have already won it is to be hoped that they will do
better than the Cosmos, which includes under vulcanism, or
vulcanacity, "crust-motion," together with earthquakes and
volcanoes. Archeus has been proposed for the honour of naming
that slow growth which belongs to the earth as to other inanimate
things; so has Ennosigæus. We want something which does not
hail quite so far back.
* M. Halfeld gives 240 palms (=172
feet).
Itaberáva or Itaberába
pedra que
luz," is, according to Rocha Pitta, the
name of the whole Lapa. The Fazenda
formerly belonged to the Conde da Ponte.
In the beginning of the present cen-
tury, M. Boubée and others explained the
appearance of aerolites, erratic blocks, and
similar problems," by supposing that the
+
(C
..
earth had dashed to pieces some minor star
or planet. This is but a modification of
that semi-barbarism which sees in the
world-plan disorder and destruction, the
work of offended deities. Buckle (i. 800)
complains, with feeling, that many men of
science are still fettered in geology by the
hypothesis of catastrophes; in chemistry,
by the hypothesis of vital forces.
i
CHAPTER XX.
FROM SENHOR BOM JESUS DA LAPA TO THE ARRAIAL DO
BOM JARDIM.
FIFTH TRAVESSIA, 26 LEAGUES.
"BULL'S
THE RIO DO CORRENTE. THE SETTLEMENT "SITIO DO MATO."-THE
EYE"
AND STORM.-VISIT TO THE VILLA DE URUBÚ.—URUBU WILL NOT
BE A CAPITAL.-WE RESUME WORK.-COMPLETE CHANGE OF CLIMATE AND
ASPECT OF COUNTRY.-THE SETTLEMENT "ESTREMA."-REACH BOM JAR-
DIM. ITS RIVULET AND FINE DIAMANTATION.-TRUE ITACOLUMITE.-BOM
JARDIM A GOOD SITE FOR A CITY.
Os tres reinos aqui que a opulencia,
E bases são da humana subsistencia,
Em Minas e animaes e vegetantes,
Tão uberrimos são e tão patentes,
Que não resolve a subida subtileza
Por onde mais pendeo a natureza.
Frei F. de S. Carlos Assumpçao, Canto 6.
WE bade adieu to the good Vicar and resumed our journey,
although it was already late. Presently a bad storm followed the
sultry "Mormaço," or stillness of the atmosphere, and came rush-
ing up from the south. The lightning, seen through the rain,
appeared a white fire, whereas it was remarkably pink in the dry
air. Dripping with wet, and anything but merry, we made fast,
at nightfall, to the Sitio do Mato, a well-cultivated island; we
fed and we "turned in," to "bless the man who invented sleep."
Mixed with the sounds of mankind, the cry of the night heron
resembled that of the ounce, and the fish splashed a treble to the
grim bass of the falling banks.
Wednesday, October 2, 1867.-Cirrus again and "mackerel's
back" prepared us for more bad weather. We set out, however,
at 4:45 A.M., and ran down the island which had sheltered us;
it thinned out and showed an even richer cultivation than above.
At the bottom of a high bank on the left, came in the Rio do
CHAP. XX.] SENHOR BOM JESUS DA LAPA TO BOM JARDIM.
295
Corrente,* so called from the swift currents which sweep round
the salient angle. We crossed the mouth, some 500 feet broad,
of this great stream, which here runs from west to east; its right
jaw projects in a long sand-bar, and a dark avenue in its left
cheek shows the line of an affluent, the Riacho da Barra.
Below the port, which is flooded, the bank rises 35 feet,
driving the main stream to the north-east. The high ground is
divided into two waves, and, in the hollow between them, is the
manga or kraal for cattle, communicating with the ajôjo raft,
which passes them over for Sincorá and the Bahian Chapada.
Above rises the village Sitio do Mato, running nearly north and
south, a line of mud huts and three whitewashed tenements.
We landed below it upon Tauá, a stiff white clay, underlying a
steep, sandy ramp. Opposite was the flash house-roof-corners
adorned with pigeons of white plaster and so forth-belonging
to a cattle breeder, Theodoro Antonio de Oliveira. He turned
his back to us, as we were walking past him, and, of course, he
"cabra" or a
or a "bode," probably the latter. Further to
the north is a tiled shed covering, a portable chapel and a cross,
with its sudarium; behind it lies the railed cemetery, and a heap
of adobes, intended for a mortuary sacellum, whose beginnings
were washed away in 1860.
was a
Inland, the bush extends up to the settlement, and the out-
lying lands are said to be good for cotton and castor. West-
ward, and not in sight, rises a range known as "A Ribeira;" f
between it and the village are many lakelets and ypoeiras, which
do not recommend the "Sitio do Mato" for a future capital.
The village proper is to the south; here the floods enter between
the waves of ground, and extend to the habitations behind the
"manga." The small industries are cotton-spinning and making
soap-lye; we shall now find the "bangue" everywhere; the
animals are barking curs, and pigs, and poultry, especially
turkeys. When we wanted to buy fish, the fisherman refused to
sell, saying that he had a large family; and under a shady
Joazeiro tree we found, in excellent repair, the good old
*This great influent drains the meri-
dional spine that separates Bahia and Go-
yaz.
Boats navigate it, despite snags, as
far as the Porto de Santa Maria, 28 leagues
from the mouth; the banks are said to be
grandly forested, and, in places, to be cul-
tivated. One of its many tributories is the
northern Rio das Eguas, and this again has
a considerable influent, the Rio Acanhuão.
The right bank showed a long blue
range which the people called de Sant'
Inofre (Onofre or Onofrio).
296
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XX.
tronco,"
""*
or village stocks, which have but lately disappeared
from rural England. Here they are two long boards, planted
upright, and pierced with ten holes, accommodation for five men,
64
in log," as the Africans say. At times it is used as a pillory,
but the offence must be very grave.
(C
Pushing off from the Sitio do Mato, we found the water
so deep that the pole would not touch bottom. The effect of
the Corrente River is a great sack to the left, and then to the
right. The eastern shore is only nine feet high, and the interior
is still lower; during the rains boats cut across country to the
Villa de Urubú, despising the risk of submerged trees, and the
annoyance of insects. On the side is the Fazenda da Bandeira,
and below it, a section of the eastern shore, the large island of
Santo Antonio,† from which another cross-cut, setting off north-
east to Urubú, joins the other. An ostrich appeared, pacing
along the shore, but the people have not yet learned to kill it for
its feathers. I
At 1:30, as we were going north with easting, opened up a
full prospect of what we had dimly sighted for five hours, and
which prepared us for a change of country and climate. On the
left bank appeared a "neat's-tongue," projecting in regularly
shaped treeless mounds of brown-red hue. This is a spur of
the Serra Branca, which, according to M. Halfeld, is a calcareous
range; the specimens shown to me were sandstone grit revetted
with quartz.§ Behind the Serra begins the plateau known as
the Alto do Paranan, rising almost imperceptibly towards the
heights which feed that stream. Along the southern side of this
neat's-foot begins the highway to Goyaz city, which is here said
*Trunco in St. Hil. (I. ii. 42 and III.
ii. 101), who describes it minutely, but
makes it like the "Tornilho," a military
punishment, and refers to the neck being
placed in the pillory. The invention is
probably due to the Arabs, whose
"Ma-
kantarah has extended to the Zanzibar
coast in East Africa.
})
"C
"}
+ Mr. Keith Johnston places on the right
bank, about half way between the Lapa and
Urubu, the town of 'Santo Antonio,'
which is a mere fazenda or Sitio fronting its
large island.
The Welsh colony in Patagonia are
buying, I am told, Ema feathers for three-
pence per pound, and expect to sell them
in England for thirty shillings. In these
civilized days, when no head requires to wear
the colours which Nature gave it, surely the
grey plume of the American bird may, by
bleaching and dyeing, learn to pass off as an
African.
§ The citizens of Urubú declare that
from this Serra an old Minas negro, who
was prospecting for gold, brought rounded
steely grains, which in the cupel proved
refractory. The discoverer died, and the
discovery was lost on the road to Bahia.
Platinum, of which the people have seen lit-
tle and heard much, is naturally suspected.
The country lying to the west of the
city, is one of the few which the Brazil
still offers to the explorer, as opposed to
the traveller.
CHAP. XX.] SENHOR BOM JESUS DA LAPA TO BOM JARDIM.
297
to be distant 150 leagues. The road is described as being safe,
and abounding in game and water; the sole inconvenience is a
desert tract, 30 to 40 leagues broad, where provisions must be
carried. On the right bank was the second distance, a straight
blue wall, the Serra do Boqueirão, three leagues beyond Urubú;
and the third, still further east, consisted of a saddle-back, a
ridge and two lumpy heads, parts of the Geraes attached to the
Boqueirão.
·
* To prevent the waves washing over
these shallow rafts, the pilots have the
sensible practice of cutting off the heads of
Shortly afterwards, the left side, red above and white below
showed the Povoado do Mangal, and its Rosario church, with
falling front. Beyond its island the stream bent to the north-
east, and already, behind a large central holm of vivid red, we
descried the white dottings of a town. But now the effects of
"mackerel's back" declared themselves. Boulder clouds surged
up from west and south, hiding the hills with hangings of rain
sheet. To the east appeared the ominous "Olho de Boi," or
section of Iris that promised a "temporal." We made, with
might and main, the windward bank, where at 4:15 P.M., the
roaring gale compelled us to anchor, and to bush the Eliza.* We
passed a night of scanty comfort. The guinea-fowl clucked in
the village till dawn, and there was another nuisance. Hitherto,
we had slept near Corôas or Praias to avoid insects, which are
very properly termed "immundicities." Here the weather com-
pelled us to roost under a ridge, with a fall inland, a mere
cattle-trail, and a rich breeding-ground for a small and almost
minute mosquito, whose sting was like a needle-prick. As a rule
the river has been wonderfully free from insects as from snags;
this part, however, is an exception. When we least wanted a
calm, the gale fell dead, and when light was worthless, the stars
hung like lustres from the cloudless sky. The pilots declared
that we had escaped from the rains to fall into the power of the
wind; it will be seen that they were right. Our course was
against the sun, which will presently bring up, with him wet
weather, but the heavy showers, now falling behind us, must
increase the evaporation, and open a way for the cool dry
Trade.
Oct. 3, 1867.—At earliest dawn began angry puffs from the red
young trees or leafy branches, which, fast-
ened alongside or to the bows, act as
screens.
298
[CHAP. XX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
•
eastern sky, which was striped with cirri of a dull vermilion, and
was mottled with clouds, standing out hard and solid as if cut
in dark grey paper. This appearance will soon become familiar,
and cause many an impatient sigh. The stream turns nearly
due east, so every capfull was a head-gale. On the left bank
rose the Povoação de Pernambuco, a hamlet of dingy huts nest-
ling below the Ponto do Morro, the south-eastern buttress of the
Serra Branca. Here the stream is broken into two arms. by the
rich and fertile Ilha do Urubú, a mass of grass, bush, and trees,
one league long, and shaped like a leg of mutton, with the
knuckle-bone down stream. The left channel is the broader,
the deeper, and the straighter; we took the right, upon which
the town is built, and at once grounded upon a sand-reef. Both
sides are low and liable to floods; on the right, at a "port,"
denoted only by women with water-pots, is the mouth of the
Sangradouro, which, during rains, admits canoes to the Sitio de
Santo Antonio.
،،
Presently we landed to inspect the town of Urubú, the
"Gallinazo," the turkey buzzard. The riverine plain is here
low and caked with mud, soon trodden to impalpable silt. A
bush of the " Araticum " Annona-here the people mention three
varieties of the shrub-shows the limits of the floods. Beyond
it begins the vegetation of a dry and sterile land. I saw, for the
first time, the "Favelleiro," that arboreous Jatropha, with
sinuate leaves, described by Gardner. It varies between the size
of a blackberry and an apple tree, and the stiff, quaint look at
once attracts the eye. The leaves, resembling those of the oak,
but dangerous to touch on account of their cruel, poisonous
thorns, are, as often happens amongst "Campo" plants, only
terminal, not axile, and planted in tufts at the end of fat twigs.
The leaves are used to narcotize water, and to catch birds; the
fruit, described as resembling that of the castor plant, supplies oil
for the table. The rhubarb-coloured gum, with a faint perfume, is
compared with gum arabic, and the wood is made into spoons. The
Aloe family musters strong, especially the "fedente babosa,'
which Liliacea can only be rendered "fetid slabber chops;
the leaf-juice, mixed with oil, and called "Azeite de babosa," is
used to correct baldness. A flock of dirty-white sheep, whose
fleeces were torn to rags by the thorns, wandered about, seeking
what they could devour.
""
""
CHAP. XX.] SENHOR BOM JESUS DA LAPA TO BOM JARDIM.
299
A walk of 200 yards leads to the town, which is the usual
long, shallow line, fronting to the north-west. The items are
chapels, adobe houses, palm-frond huts, railed compounds and
rude gardens, in which the cocoa-nut, with its rounded tuft, rose
conspicuous. The main street, the Rua de São Gonçalo, runs
along the whole length, and is raised above flood level. Two
houses displayed the civilization of glass windows, amongst
shutters, lattices, and squares of calico; of those twain one was a
Casa Nobre.* I sent in my letter to the Juiz de Direito, Dr.
Joaquim Rodrigues Seixas, who asked us in, gave us coffee, and
gallantly exposed himself to a well-furnished fire of questions.
The judge complained that he had lost his memory by living in
such a hole, and I can readily believe him. The climate, as so
often happens in dry places, unpleasantly close to damp situa-
tions, is dangerous. Fevers, or rather "chills," are mild,
yielding easily to native practice, tartar emetic and quinine ;†
they generally, however, end in spleen diseases. About August,
pleurisies are dangerous when treated with the popular simples,
fatal when exposed to scientific practice of "lancers and
leechers," copious blood-letting, tartar emetic, heavy doses of
nitre, and ptisane of a certain emollient Hibiscus, ‡ the only harm-
less part of the "cure."
+
Santo Antonio de Urubú was formerly known as the Urubú de
Cima, the upper turkey buzzard, opposed to the nether turkey
buzzard (Urubú de Baixo), a pleasant name now changed to
Propiá or Propriá, on the Lower Rio de São Francisco. Accord-
ing to the citizens, this place began the diamantine discoveries,
which presently spread to the Chapada Diamantina, then in the
district of the Villa do Livramento do Rio das Contas. It may
be remarked, however, that in 1755, gems were discovered at
Jacobina, on the eastern flank of the Bahian Chapada, and that
the Prime Minister, Pombal, forbade the working of the vast
buried treasures, for fear of injuring agriculture. The effect of
these days of ignorance endured till 1837.
*It belonged to Sr. Gualteiro José Gui-
marães, a merchant who at the time of
our visit was pilgrimaging to the Lapa.
+ Sulphate of quinine is much used in
the Brazil, and with little prudence by the
people; thus while it relieves one disease,
it often brings on another. Homeopathy
has done much good by preaching against
the abuse, and by substituting pilules for
doses of six to ten grains.
+ Cozimento de Althéa, which Moraes
translates Malvaisco (Hibiscus). The System
(60) also gives Alcéa, and describes the use
of the Sida althæifolia.
300
[CHAP. XX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
The judge congratulated himself upon the fact that, under his
jurisdiction, there had been only four murders in four years.
The municipality contains only 3051 voters; in 1852-54, M.
Halfeld gave the district 731 fires, and 7204 of all sexes and
ages. The town cannot contain more than 300 houses, and
when full 1600 to 1700 inhabitants. They live and die in the
greatest ignorance. I was astonished at the absence of all
progress in these western outstations of the great Bahian Province,
whose chief city was once the metropolis of the country, and
whose seaboard is now one of the most prosperous and populous
portions of the Empire. Everything that we see denotes
poverty, meanness, and neglect; a Fazenda in the interior of
São Paulo or of Minas is equal to a town here; and whilst the
majestic São Francisco flows before these hovels, and there are
excellent lines for routes both to the seaward and to the interior,
the people have wholly ignored their communications. This is
at once the cause and the effect of their semi-barbarism; they sit,
calling upon that Hercules, the Imperial Government, but they
will not put shoulder to the wheel.
Urubú will not be a capital. The port is bad, the lands are
deeply flooded every year, and the Serra do Boqueirão is too far
to be utilized. I heard, however, of olhos or water pools, which
possibly exist in it, and these metamorphic formations may be
found to be rich in minerals. All vaunted the fertility of the
inner country to the east and to the south-east; they declared
that four shrubs give three pounds of uncleaned cotton, formerly
an item of export to Bahia. The so-called "Irish" potato is
small but very good, and onions grow from their own and not from
imported seed. In addition to the usual list, the soil produces
cucumbers, ground-nuts (Arachis hypoga, here known as Man-
dubi, Mundubi, or Manobi), and oriental Sesamum (Gergelim or
Jerxelim). Oranges and limes* grow, and the tamarind,
though stunted, produces an abundance of fruit, which the
Africans know how to prepare, while the Bahians do not. I
also heard of soils in which the "Mandioca brava," the poisonous
manioc, spontaneously becomes Aipim" or "Macaxeira,"
the sweet kind. The Judge and Juge de Paix, Dr. Claro Fran-
(C
*The sweet lime (Citrus Limonium) is
known as limão doce; the sour lime or
Gu
limetto (C. Limetta) is simply limão or
lima.
CHAP. XX.] SENHOR BOM JESUS DA LAPA TO BOM JARDIM.
301
cisco Negrão, also assured me that they had seen three colts got
by stallions out of she mules, adding that the offspring was a
most unsightly animal.
The principal" curio" shown to us was a bit of compact uncrys-
tallized alum from Mocahubas,* a town fourteen leagues to the
south-east. It is said to appear like stalactites in the caves which
riddle the Serra do Machichi, and, as we were floating down
stream to the north-west, the pilot pointed out a white mark
which he declared to be the mine in a range right behind us.
The people ignore the easy art of purifying their " pedra hume."
The ruddy resin of the Angico Acacia, which here forms their
forests, was vaunted as a pectoral and an expectorant; and the
yellow gum of the Jatobá, light as amber, serves to caulk
boats. The chief of the small industries is weaving hats, for
which the Aricuri palmt supplies material; here they are worth
0 $ 200, and they sell down stream for 0 $ 500.
We walked up the Rua da Palha, which runs parallel with and
inland of the São Gonçalo; two lines of very humble houses led to
the large square behind the Matriz of Santo Antonio. This fane
is built of brick, mixed with boulders (rolados) from the opposite
Ponto do Morro, and with iron-stone from the river banks; as
yet the belfries are wanting. There is a Casa de Camara, a
detached jail and a vicar-general's house, but no such things as
parish registers or public documents. Here the dry, sandy, and
silty plain is covered with the Quipá, a dwarf cactus, about eight
inches high, with fine, hair-like, but sharp thorns, radiating from
white spots.
Its flat plates contrast curiously with the tall
organ," the five-sided chandeliers (C. candelabriformis), the
short, thick cylinder (C. brevicaulis), and the serpent cactuses
around it. My friends showed me upon the Quipá what appeared
a white web, but after crushing it, the fingers were stained with
a rosy-pink juice. This is the indigenous cochineal-insect, and
it extends throughout the dry riverine regions. It is looked
upon, like most unknown things, as a magnificent mine of wealth,
but years must pass before it can be made useful in commerce.
I told the bystanders about Tenerife, which had imported from
(6
* In Mr. Keith Johnston's map, (C 'Ma-
caúba.
""
Commonly spelt "Ouricury," also
written Aliculi, Aracui, and Arari (Cocus
schizophylla). According to the System,
the juice is used in Bahia for curing oph-
thalmia.
302
[CHAP. XX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
Mexico the large succulent nopal, and the fat insect. They man-
fully supported their fellow-country growth, the Quipá,* which
was juiceless as a shoe-sole, declaring that during the rains it
swells to thrice its present size. Here, as elsewhere in the
Brazil, men hold the "esprit du mieux ennemi du bien;" to
advice they are untameable as flies; their minds must grow, like
those of infants or "Indians," by example rather than by pre-
cept, and though intelligent and imitative, they always require
improvements to be subjected to the faithful eyes.
Our friends "convoyed us a bit," gave us oranges and limes,
and saw us off at 11 A.M. The north-east wind, cold in the
burning sun, blew in strong blasts (refegas), frequently repeated till
3 P.M., and hindered progress. And now we noticed that a com-
plete change of soil and formation, climate and physiognomy, had
taken place the frontier being Urubú, and its portal of hills.
The limestone country, with its great productive powers, and the
rich Maçape clay, have passed into sandstone, and the wooded
banks have altered to a "Carrascal," or low bush. This ground
in places produces the small maize, but agriculture and breeding
flourish only in the "Geraes," or inner lands. The river, which
before could spread far over its wide, flat valley, is now narrowed,
and the overflow is checked by bounding ridges, through which
the larger tributaries must twist; the eastern wall will last with
breaks till near the Great Rapids, the western till the Villa da
Barra. There is no general name for the range, each place.
christens its own section; that to the right is usually spoken of
as "A Serra," while near Urubú the opposite wall is the Serra
Branca; it then becomes Serra de Santa Catharina, the O Furado
(or Serra Furada), the pierced, and so forth. The effect of these
containing walls is to form a funnel, up which the Trade, now to
be our deadly enemy, blows violently; the greatly increased
evaporation is carried up due south, hence the lands on the
higher stream are drenched, where here all is bone dry.
These Serras are disposed in straight and in slightly waving
lines, which viewed from the stream appear to be great lunes and
crescents, approaching and diverging. The regularity of their
shape, the flatness of the summit-line, and the steps and benches,
which run in straight course along them, suggest that they were
*The fig of this cactus is eaten, but it is full of seeds.
L
CHAP. XX.] SENHOR BOM JESUS DA LAPA TO BOM JARDIM.
303
formed under water, and that presently they rose to be river
branches. As the bed, whose general course is from south to
north, winds between them, the ridge of one side is often con-
founded with that of the other. From the plains connecting
their feet with the stream-banks, rise detached and mound-like
knobs, here single, there in groups, now perpendicular to, then
running diagonally from, the bounding Serras; in places they
form bluffs, striking the bed at right angles. The material of all
the heights is sandstone, in places revetted with quartz, and con-
taining, according to the people, gold; we often see the strata
exposed in the precipitous flanks facing the river. Further down
we shall find iron in the lowland lumps. The surface of these
formations is a poor, shrubby growth, chiefly thorny, and here
the giant Cactus, the Acacia, and the Mimosa are kings.
About 3 P.M. we touched at Estrema on the right bank, which,
though high, is swept by great floods; here was a whitewashed
house, a few huts, and various "timber," post and rail, and
snake-fence. We had been told that the owner had a goat for
sale; he was absent, and we were disappointed. At sunset we
made fast to a corôa, opposite a little hamlet, the Riacho das
Canôas. The crew was living upon a bit of dried “bacalháo, or
salted cod, whilst the fish leaped and splashed in all directions ;
they had no bait. Ashamed for them, I made the youth,
Agostinho, arm a hook with a bit of meat, and in a few minutes
we had enough for a day's food. The worst was the Curuvína;*
the Matrincham† is not bad, and a kind of Pirát bit freely.
Oct. 4.-Sunset and sunrise had both been red, nothing could
be more delightful than the dawn, but we felt that, as in Hindos-
tan, the noon and the afternoon would make us do unlimited
penance. The gusts and raffales which blew at times during the
night, fell into a fitful slumber, which, however, did not in any
way delude the watchful suspicions of the pilot. Here the river
itself offers prime conditions to the breeze; it will broaden to a
* Gardner writes Curvinha, M. Halfeld
has Caruvina. The fish is about two feet
long when full-grown, scaly, with pale,
soft meat, anything but delicious. The
head contains a white bone, which is
pounded and administered for various
diseases.
Gardner writes the word "Matrixám;"
it is one of the Salmonidæ, smaller than
the Dourado, and very common in the
"
upper waters. Yellow and scaly, it grows
to the length of three to four palms, and is
a favourite food with fishermen.
+
+
Also called Tamanduá; it is a long-
headed fish, with light-blue tinge, about
two feet in length, and tolerably good eat-
ing. One variety is the Pira de Couro,
another the Pira-pitanga (M. Halfeld, Pri-
petinga). There is also a sea-fish of this
name.
304
[CHAP. XX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
mile and a half, and split into channels, often of equal depth, and
both filled with stranded trees and snags. The river islets
greatly increase in size; we shall presently pass one about a mile
in breadth, and five miles long. These formations are mostly
of sand, covered with thin humus, 'green with grass, in places.
cultivated, and bearing tall trees, amongst which the Grão de
Gallo is conspicuous.
، .
After a few minor features,* and a prudent halt at an espera "
on the Bahian side, we sighted at the bottom of a "big bend,"
the Arraial do Bom Jardim. Tiled huts appeared on the right
bank, a wave of higher ground offsetting from the Serra; they lay
some five miles behind or to the east. This range was patched
with green, suggesting that it is better watered than the hills
about Urubú, and the nearer surface appeared as if the bush
had been burnt, or that a cloud was fitfully shading it in patches.
Dark streams and sheets, apparently spread by an eruption,
invade one another, alternate and strive for mastery; at last,
puzzled, I ascended a hill side, and found the gloom to be pro-
duced by a matted aromatic shrub, with leafless twigs of umber-
brown, and growing between stones, set off by the light of golden
yellow grass.
The left bank opposite Bom Jardim is a lower level, a mass of
tangled forest, cut by many an ypoeira, and nothing but an em-
banked causeway could render it passable. The bend is fronted
by the western containing ridge, Serra Furada, a tall and regular
line, running north and south; here it is some seven miles distant
from the stream, but below only about a league. On the water-
side appeared the hamlet, Passagem (do Italy or Bom Jardim),
with its ruinous chapel, Na Sa do Bom Successo. Where piles
can be fished out of the stream, no one thinks of planting them
under their floors, and of thus securing ventilation and escape
from the floods.
We landed at the Riacho de Santo "Inofre," above the set-
4. After one hour we passed the large
green Ilha do Saco, and on the left bank,
when the thalweg is to the right, rises the
Fazenda (II., Povoado) do Saco do Militão.
A rugged line in front, apparently on the
Pernambucan, really on the Bahian side,
presently shows peaks and distances, and
in the pure clear air it seemed to be at no
distance. Another hour brought us to the
Ilha do Gado Bravo (II., Ilha do Barreiro),
some two miles long. We took the normal
line, the western channel, and facing to the
north-east, we were compelled to anchor
by a head wind, which, meeting a current
like a mill-race, produced an angry tide
up.
In Mr. Keith Johnston the "R. S.
Onofrio" is marked with dots, and made to
CHAP. XX.] SENHOR BOM JESUS DA LAPA TO BOM JARDIM.
305
tlement. It rises to the south-east, draining, with the aid of its
affluent, the Boqueirão, the north-western face of the Serras das
Almas de Sincorú and dos Lençoes;* the eastern slopes forming
the great Paraguassú. Small canoes ascend it for some leagues,
during the floods, to the Vargem de Na Sa da Guia. During the
hot season it is nearly dry, but leats and courses would readily
create reservoirs in the lower levels. The mouth of the green
avenue is about forty feet broad, the left jaw is a sandpit, the
right is a stony platform, composed of ferruginous. cánga"
and pebbly conglomerate, pasted with hydrate of iron. In time
it will become a steamer-pier; the stream swings to it, always
allowing a deep-water approach; it is flooded for a few days
during the year, but a levée higher up would, if necessary,
obviate the inconvenience. At present it is used only as a
ground for washing linen. The shallow pits and pot-holes sup-
plied the finest sign of "diamantation; " the people, who leave
it unworked, declare it to be brought down by an eastern influent,
the Riacho do Pé da Serra, where they still dig gold.
،،
Below the mouth of the stream lies the little arraial. The
water froths against pure pottery-clay of dull, dead white, worn
into holes by the tongues of cattle; in the upper levels it is
mixed with sand. The settlement consists mainly of a single
line, whose railed backyards extend to the river-brink. There
are scatters of houses inland of this line, including a ranch for
travellers. The total may be forty, whereas in 1852-4, there
were 300 inhabitants under 103 roofs. The people live by
breeding cattle, by agriculture, and by fishing. We bought a
three days' provision of the fine Caçunetet for ten coppers
(0 $ 400). Behind the village lies a sandy plain, about 100 paces
broad, with thin pasture, and showing symptoms of flood.
Beyond it the ground, thickly bushed over, rises high above
all inundations, and here will be the site of the settlement. At
present it is occupied by the vicarless church, Na Sa da Guia, whose
windowless front had been freshly whitewashed. Like the hamlet
A heap of torrent-rolled
it faces to the west with southing.
come from the western versants, which send
to the Atlantic the Rio das Contas.
* In a map lately published by the con-
cessionees of the Paraguassú Valley line, the
"Paramirim is the main western drain
corresponding with the Paraguassú to the
VOL. II.
last. The details in the text were supplied
to me by the people of Bom Jardim, and
therefore are open to doubt.
A fish with few spines, highly prized,
and supposed to be a kind of Surubim.
X
306
[CHAP. XX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
-
stones (pedras de enxurrada) lay at the wall-foot, and at once
showed the origin of the diamonds and the gold. There
were large pieces of laminated quartzose sandstone, in fact, true
Itacolumite. Mostly it was reddish, like a half-burnt brick, ex-
ceedingly compact, and streaked and dotted with finely dissemi-
nated mica; other specimens were purely white, and their
coarser texture showed the grain distinctly. The formation is
found upon the hilly Geraes, three to six leagues to the north-
east of the river's right bank, the strata are often too thick and
solid for use; it supplies, however, the country-side with the
slabs for flooring massive ovens, and it equalled in size those
"Pedras de Furno," which I had seen near Camillinho of
Diamantina.
Bl
We were much prepossessed by the general appearance and
the capabilities of the land; even the phlegmatic German ex-
claims, "É esta uma das mais agradaveis paragens à beira do Rio
de São Francisco." The people appeared comparatively healthy
after the wretched pallid faces of Urubú, and even the horses.
seemed better bred. The prospect is charming, and this
must always form a great consideration, when estimating the
future value of a place. The channel is narrow, compact, and
unencumbered with shoals, while the current is not too rapid;
sweeping to north-east, and frequently to north-west, it throws
its main current against the bend, whilst the general wind, being
casterly, and blowing over a high and dry country, the evils
which might arise from ypoeiras, bayous, lakes, or lakelets in the
low riverine valley are corrected. Building-room is endless,
material abounds, and in the vicinity are hills which will allow
change of climate.
Bom Jardim, a name of good augury, is the only site yet seen
which deserves to become a city, or which can pretend to be the
capital of the long-expected province or territory. In some points,
especially as regards river-navigation, it is better than, in others
it is inferior to, its rival down-stream, Chique-Chique. The posi-
tion is central, about equi-distant from Januaria on the south,
and from Joazeiro to the north. It is nearly due west of
São Salvador, metropolis of the opulent commercial province of
Bahia; it is nearly due east of Palma, one of the most important
cities, in agricultural and cattle-breeding Goyaz, where the navi-
gable Paranan or south-eastern branch unites with the Rio
CHAP. XX.] SENHOR BOM JESUS DA LAPA TO BOM JARDIM.
307
Maranhão to form the grand Tocantins. It thus connects with
the Atlantic by two roads, more and less direct. The water-way
is down the Rio de São Francisco. The land route is via the
line of the Paraguassú River, which passes by Cachoeira city,
the head of Bahian steam navigation. I will say nothing about
the steam tramway, which proposes to run along the southern
valley of that stream, as the ground is absolutely unknown to me
beyond Cachoeira. A glance at the map, however, will show
that this has the advantage of a riverine plain, whereas both the
Pernambucan and the Bahian Anglo-Brazilian main-trunks are
distinctly "cross-country." Meanwhile it has been strongly
advocated by Mr. John Morgan, of Bahia, who has had the
advantage of a thirty-five years' residence; and the works have, I
am told, commenced under every advantage.
Finally Bom Jardim connects by land and water with that
Brazilian Mediterranean, the Amazons; and we may safely pre-
dict for it high destinies, of which it is at present naïvely
unconscious.
X 2
CHAPTER XXI.
FROM THE ARRAIAL DO BOM JARDIM TO THE VILLA DA BARRA
(DO RIO GRANDE).
SIXTH TRAVESSIA, 291 LEAGUES.
THE CARNAHUBA, OR WAX-PALM.-VINTENS OFFERED TO SANTO ANTONIO.-
FIRST SIGHT OF THE ARASSUÁ RANGE.—THE GULL-FAIR.-BIG CRANES.—
THE TOCA, OR CAVE OF SAINT ANTHONY.-THE THORNS.-THE VILLAGES
OF THE PARÁ. THE LEATHER-COAT BIRD AND THE CHAMELEON.
APPROACH TO THE VILLA DA BARRA DO RIO GRANDE, A PROPOSED
CAPITAL. THE RIO GRANDE AN IMPORTANT INFLUENT. THE VILLA
DESCRIBED,
Onde a natureza
Bella e virgem se mostra aos olhos do homem
Qual moça Indiana, que as ingenuas graças
Em formoza nudez sem arte ostenta.
(Poesias B. J. da Silva Guimarães.)
As the wind fell we put off, and presently landed on the right
bank, below Cachoeirinha. At this point a short projection of
stone makes the water dash and murmur, but in no way injures
the thalweg. We broke through the tangled bush and found a
sandy plain between the stream and a knob of thickety sandstone
hill, distant about 100 paces. The surface sloped away from the
river-ridge to a hollow paved with flakes of mud; it must be
a water-course during the rains. All the ledge was cut by paths
leading to the various settlements, cattle grazed the thin grass,
and the sheep besides being fat, were woolly and not hairy.
Amongst the Angicos and the Myrtaceæ, one of which was mis-
taken by the "Menino" for a Jaboticabeira, now alas! no more,
we observed a white-blossomed bush, much resembling in per-
fume and physiognomy, English "May." And here we saw for
the first time in situ the beautiful wax-palm known in the Brazil
as Carnahúba (Carnauba), and Carnaíba (Corifa cerifera, Arrud.
Copernicia cerifera, Mart.), the Caroudaï of Spanish America.
Its habitat is the riverine land upon the streams of the Pernam-
CHAP. XXI.]
300
BOM JARDIM TO VILLA DA BARRA.
buco, Parahyba do Norte, Ceará and Piauhy; during the last
few years it has been introduced into gardens near the coast.
The Carnahúba, when first appearing, is a mere bunch of fronds
projecting above the ground. As it advances the trunk is clad
in a complete armour of spikes. The fronds, as they fall off,
leave their dull brown petioles in whorls or spirals winding round
with or against the sun. When not higher than a man the
youngster's pith or heart yields, when crushed in water, a fecula
somewhat like tapioca, white as manioc, and useful in times of
drought or famine. At a more adult age it puts forth a thin
shaft, smooth, clean, and grey, like dove-coloured silk, which con-
trasts strangely with the six feet of corrugated chevaux de frise-
the magnified thistle-which protects its base. After the fifth
year it assumes its full beauty, the cruelly-thorned leaves dis-
tinctly fan-shaped, and with long rays rising from a spindle which
attains a maximum of thirty-five feet, are peculiarly picturesque
In old specimens the trunk is raised, after the fashion of palms,
upon a lumpy cone of fibres or aërial rootlets, a foot high. Some
eccentric individuals have narrowings and bulgings of the bole,
others encourage creepers to form in masses upon the frond-
petioles below, and suggest the idea of a tucked petticoat. The
vitality of the tree is great, it resists the severest droughts, and I
have seen instances when the trunk lay upon the ground and the
upturned head was still alive, fighting to the last. It grows to a
great age; people mostly decline to mention the number of its
years.
-
The Carnahúba is justly considered, both for man and beast,
the most valuable palm of the Sertão. Its gum is edible and the
roots are used as salsaparilla. The mid-rib is rafted down the
streams for fences, the fibre is worked into strong thread and
cordage. The leaves are good food for cattle,* they form excel-
lent thatching, and the fibre is made into "straw-hats," ropes,
and cords, for nets and seines. The fruit is in large drooping
clusters of berries, which in places strew the ground. When
green the nut resembles a small olive; it ripens to a brilliant
black, and attains the size of a pigeon's egg. The pulp, boiled to
remove its astringency, becomes soft like cooked maize; it is con-
sidered good and wholesome, especially when eaten with milk, and
* I have read of, but have not seen this: the part usually given to cattle is the
miolho, or pith of the young tree.
310
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XXI.
animals readily fatten upon it. The ripe berry is usually eaten
raw.
The most notable property of this palm, according to Koster,
was discovered in 1797, by the Portuguese naturalist, Dr. Manoel
Arruda da Camara;* the latter communicated it to Frei Jozé
Marianno da Conceição Vellozo, who published an account of it
in the "Palladio Portuguez." The leaves of the young tree,
when two feet long by about the same breadth, are cut and dried
in the shade. They then discharge from the surface pale grey-
yellow dusty scales, which, melted over the fire, become a brown
wax. Cereous matter is also procured by boiling the unripe
berries,† and chiefly by scraping the central spike, which prolongs
the tree. The wax occurs mixed with heterogeneous substances,
bark or fibre, and it loses considerably by sifting. The material
is tasteless and soft to the touch; the smell has been compared
with that of newly made hay. Its chief fault is its brittleness;
this, however, is remedied by mixing with three-parts of vegetable
one-part of animal wax, or 1-8th to 1-10th of tallow. Carna-
húba candles are made upon the seaboard; but I saw only one
“dip" upon the Rio de São Francisco, where, a little, lower
down, the palm is found in forests. The colour was that of rhu-
barb, yellow or brown sugar, and the light was not to be com-
pared with the worst "Paraffine."‡
*He published at Rio de Janeiro in 1810
two brochures, which were analysed by
Koster. Appendix, vol. ii.
This also is from books. I do not
believe that the fruit is used to extract
(
Another league placed us at the head of the Ilha da Pedra
Grande, the largest yet seen, and where the river contained a
greater breadth of land than of water. We took the right-hand
channel, although the left is marked in the plan; perhaps the
crew did not wish to land at the cave of Santo Antonio in a rock
lump (Morro da Imagem de Santo Antonio), near a remarkable
wax.
++
‡ Koster tells us (quoting vol. xxxi. p.14,
Trans. Philos. Soc. 1811) that the Count of
Valveas (the minister Pombal, Count of
Veiras) sent from Rio de Janeiro to Lord
Grenville a specimen of the "carnaubaa "
wax as an article of export, produced be-
tween N. lat. 3° -7°. The brown-yellow
colour of the dust was attacked with weak
nitric acid, and exposure to air on glass
G
plates. After three weeks it became a
pale yellow, with a surface almost white.
The same change was effected by reducing
it to thin plates, and dipping them into an
aqueous solution of oxymuriatic acid.
Made into candles, with properly propor-
tioned wick, it burned uniformly and with
perfect combustion. It was found to differ
from other species of vegetable wax, such
as that of the Myrica cerifera, lac and
white lac. The latest authority upon the
subject of this palm "Notice sur le palmier
Carnauba, was published at Paris, 1867,
by Sir M. A. de Macedo, 1 vol. 8vo.
""
CHAP. XXI.]
311
BOM JARDIM TO VILLA DA BARRA.
buttress, the Morro do Pichaim. They contented themselves with
throwing a vintem into the water, reminding me of my Beloch
escort and their slender gift to the holy but angry Shaykh, who
lies upon the banks of the Pangani River. We cheated the
mosquitos by anchoring upon a sand-bar below the Fazenda do
Barro Alto, and were regaled with the music of song and drum,
which extended into the smallest hours.
October 5, 1867.-Appeared in the yellow of dawn a pretty
site, the Limoeiro Fazenda, backed by the Serrote do Limoeiro,
an assemblage of sandstone heaps and hills, here and there tied
and compacted with ribs and ridges; its containing wall vanished
to the north-west. From the Fazenda Grande further down, a
man put off, bringing for sale a neat new saddle, like the Egyp-
tian donkey pad, and priced at 8$000. At "the Carahybas" a
boat-load of the last night's revellers greeted us with shots, and
we returned shouts. The hierarchy of the river formerly was
established with a certain rigour which, however, is fast disap-
pearing before the "levelling tendencies of the age." The canoe.
was expected to halt and compliment the raft, by trumpeting or
blowing the conch; the raft showed the same deference to the
barque, and the saluted craft passed proudly on without deigning
reply.
Shortly before noon, as we passed the islands do Meleiró and
do Sabonete, the wind fell to a dead calm; all Nature seemed to
take a siesta, the air was cloudless, and the long level in front
showed a silver plate of water narrowing near the horizon to a
thread. Behind lay a charming prospect, strata of golden sand
supporting emerald bush, a warm ruddy buttress flying from the
back-ridge of sandstone, a mound of purple distance, and a far
perspective of sky-blue peaks. About noon we opened the Riacho
das Canôas; this is the half-way house for the pilots of Joa-
zeiro, as is the Villa da Barra for those of Januaria, and thus the
boats overlap.
The stream, now bending east, showed a brown saddle-
back, apparently on the left bank, and quite close; it was the
Morro do Pará, on the right shore, and distant. At its foot
* Mr. Keith Johnston gives the "R.
Canoas," making it head near the Rio do
Corrente to the south-west. It is a brook
of little importance. At the mouth is
Passagem," a small well-situated settle-
(6
ment on a wave of ground; it lives appa-
rently upon a ferry-raft used by passeners
and animals, bound to the Bahian Dia-
mantine range and to the provincial
capital.
312
[CHAP. XXI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
seemed to nestle the Penedo da Tóca, above yellow with dry
tufty grass, and below dark, with water-glazed sandstone. The
far distance was bounded by a broken blue range, on the Bahian
side by a tall ridge with a pyramid peering above it, a central
saddle-back connected by a low wall, with a lion couchant on the
left. This is our first view of the "Serra de Arassuá."
As we approached the Penedo buttress, the sudden curve made
the stream run swiftly, and form, near the left side, an eddy and
a boil, which the pilots called a "Remanso."
"Remanso." A sand bank to
the right showed a kind of gull-fair. The larus and the sterna,
essentially wandering and restless birds, may have been trooping
preparatory to a jaunt during the approaching rains. Amongst
them the rosy Spoon-bill (Platalia Ajaja) gathered in patches
forming a flower bed; and the Guara, or red Ibis (Ibis rubra, or
Tantalus rubra),* with still brighter plume, reminded me of fla-
mingo-companies. Amid the variety of gloomy divers and snowy
herons, large and small, stood aloft the Jaburú (Jabirú),† here
also called Tuyuyu (or Touyouyou, Mycteria americana, Linn.),
about four feet tall, with a bare jet-black head capping its purely
white plume. It haunts the banks and sand-bars, where it passes
the time in fishing; hence the people do not eat it, declaring
that it tastes of fin as much as of feather. We shall often see it
all down-stream, especially in the morning, when it wings its way
in regular triangles, flying low enough to be shot down; and
amongst the chatter and the screams of the smaller birds its loud
hoarse voice sounded "like the chaunting of a friar." Mr. David-
son compared it with the sand-hill crane of Florida.§ I could
not but remember the "adjutant-bird" of old.
We paddled to the left bank, were swept down-stream by the
eddy, and poled up to the landing place, at the base of the rock.
A rough cross to the east directed us to the "Tóca de Santo
*This ibis was of importance to the
'Indians," who used its fine plumes in
their full dress. There are several kinds,
the white and the green (Tantalus Cayan-
nensis), which the Tupys called Garaúna,
blue or dark Ibis, and which was corrupted
to "Carao.
""
،،
Mr. Bates (i. 282) mentions the Ja-
bura-Moleque (Mycteria americana), a
powerful bird of the stork family 4 feet
in height.
200
Prince Max (iii. 146) heard that it
was a bird of prey which devours other
volatiles. This the pilots deny.
Lieut.
Herndon found the Tuyuyú grey on the
Amazons; the pair "which he succeeded
in getting to the United States were
white.' He also mentions a (C
large white
crane, called Jaburú" (p. 229).
""
Ş Other common species are the white
Courica (Ciconia americana). A Tanta-
lus albicollis, with white and black plume,
and loud harsh voice, is mentioned by
Pisen and Marcgraf. The Garça real (Ar-
dea pileata, Lath.) has a black head and a
yellow-white coat.
CHAP. XXI.]
313
BOM JARDIM TO VILLA DA BARRA.
Antonio-holy caves are now becoming banal. This tunnel,
seven paces long and six feet broad, opens to the south a mouth
eight feet high. The ceiling is pierced with a natural shaft; the
floor is of dry caked mud, and the highest water-mark is ten feet
high at the entrance. We found inside a flight of bats, whose
perfume was the reverse of pleasant, and a taper of the usual
brown bees'-wax, curled up like the match of a matchlock, was stuck
up against the wall. The formation is a hard, red, laminated Ita-
columite, with dots and particles of mica; the dip is nearly
vertical.
Seen from the stream in front, this "penedo" appears a sharp
roof-ridge of stone, somewhat like a cocked hat, tapering to the
north-west. Externally the profile has a strike nearly north and
south, and cleavage lines dipping 45°, split by other fissures nearly
at right angles. We failed to ascend the eastern wall, which was
worse than precipitous. Where it thins out, however, the slope
is easy.
The summit, 100 feet above the plain, bristled with
slabs serrated and set almost on edge. The Itacolumite was
striped with broad bands of white quartz, and the junction may
be the birth-place of the diamond. The stone would readily have
cooked a beefsteak, yet it sheltered the goatsucker, which rose in
pairs, flitted past as if thrown from the hand, wheeled suddenly
above ground, and hid itself nestling a few yards from our feet.
On these rocks also the coney had his refuge. The brown Mocó
(Caira rupestris)* peeped out of its home, stared curiously from
side to side, and, scenting danger, sprang back with the action of
the rabbit. The riverines hunt this animal, and declare the flesh
to be excellent eating. It is a congener of the tame variety
which, preserving its voice, changed its coat during the process of
domestication, and deceived the world by calling itself Guinea pig
and Cochon d'Inde. I was simple enough to ask, when in
Guinea, whether it was at home there.
Santo Antonio has not been so successful with the thorns as
was St. Peter with the frogs. We scraped unpleasant acquaintance
with the Macambíra, a Bromelia whose thorns, shaped like a
bantam's spurs, are sharp as awls. The gregarious Quipá Cactus.
*It was called Kerodon by M. Fréd.
Cuvier, and is mentioned by every traveller
in the Brazilian interior, from Koster to
the present day. In the Sierras of Peru
Lieut. Herndon (chap. 4) seems to have
found a dish of stewed Guinea pigs very
good.
1
314
[CHAP. XXI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
did its little best to sting. The ugliest customer of the nettles by far
was the Urticacea which the men here called Cansanção bravo
(Loasa rupestris), a poison nettle. The tall stem was garnished
with short sharp bristles which seemed automatous, finding
their way through the air. Worse than any Dolichos, they
penetrated the skin in dozens, caused a violent itching, and
raised an eruption, which disappeared only after suppurating.
The only non-spinous tree that grew upon these rocks was a
stunted and silvery Cecropia. Thus the ancient "Indians"
found growing together the two shrubs, large nettle and the
sloth-tree, which supplied fibre-thread for their thick, heavy, and
enduring cloths.
The rock top gave a fine view of the glorious river-plain below.
The stream, dotted and patched with islets, made a long sack
from south to east and north. The Morros do Pará and da Tor-
rinha, on the right and left, seemed planted to keep it in place.
To the north-east the Arassuá range displayed its huge folds and
slopes, and far to the south-east giant ramps stretched between
earth and cloud. Between the blocks was a dead level which,
according to some informants, extends as far as the northern
breakwater of the great Paraguassú valley.* The riverine plain is
populous and well cultivated. It showed the usual features, hut
clumps, bright green clearings, dark green woods, and yellow
grass, which four several prairie-fires canopied with a long purple
awning of smoke.
Once more shooting across the eddy, we reached the elbow
upon whose right bank stands the Povoação do Pará; where
“Barboza of the Girls" struck up the "riling" ditty-
Não me querem bem, não me querem máu
Pará e longe, não vou lá.
–
The mouth of the Para-mirim, or, as the pilot called it, Parana-
mirim,t opened with a line of green to the south of the settlement,
and formed a sand-patch upon which cattle basked. The houses
of red clay, and ashen grey thatch, set off by a few domes of fresh-
foliaged trees, ran in lines at the south-western foot of the umbre-
*The road passes by a town, known as
N. S. do Bom Caminho: despite which, many
informants complained that it was in a
desperately bad state.
This is the Paramirim which in Mr.
John Morgan's map encloses the Riacho of
Bom Jardim. According to the people it is
of no importance, and certainly the mouth
does not argue a long course.
CHAP. XXI.]
315
BOM JARDIM TO VILLA DA BARRA.
coloured hill. The next feature was the Morro da Torrinha, a
stony ridge beginning at the water-side and forming a double
tongue, the more distant lump being the higher. At the point were
tall trees, and above rose brown bush. This is the Fazenda laid
out by the Commendador Antonio Mariani, and the ten huts and
houses to the water front are so disposed that the people can fly
from the floods to the knob-top. Passing sundry islands, all more
or less inhabited, we anchored at night-fall near a low sand-
bar below the Ilha do Timbó. Our visit disturbed hundreds
of water-fowl, and again at night we heard a concert of drums
and voices. There is no want of "jollity" here. Yesterday,
however, a blind white had begged alms with the true drone and
whine of the professional "asker"-an event rare enough to be
chronicled.
Oct. 6.—At night, the Vento Geral gave way to the westerly
land breeze, and the sensation was of unusual cold. When we
awoke the river had risen some eighteen inches, floating away one
of our paddles, and placing us at some distance from the sand-
bar.* These "repignetes," as the barquemen call them, are
swellings and subsidings preliminary to the flood of the year;
according to the pilots they occur three or four times in succes-
sion. The morning was pleasant, but it showed distinct signs of
wind. As the sun, between 6 A.M. and noon, warms the earth
and water, the cold breeze comes up with puffs, and blows hard
till about 2 P.M., when the equilibrium of the atmosphere is
restored. Then by slow degrees succeeds a calm, which often
lasts till evening. Near Remanso we shall have alternately one
day of wind and another of rain.
Setting out at dawn, we presently sighted, from a distance of
four to five miles, the Serra do Brejo, or western containing-
ridge, trending to the west, and bending north; it is faced by the
Assarauá, rising like a gigantic insulation, and capped by a high
white cloud, like a second storey of island in the light blue sky..
The near banks were flat, grassy ledges, producing an abundance
of the hard, gnarled, and dark-barked Jurema Acacia. The
* We had, I have said, an anchor with
us, and this proved of no little use. Gene-
rally rafts, and even barques, are made fast
to upright poles, and many an accident has
taken place from their breaking loose. The
men work hard, especially if they wish to
reach a town in time for some fête, a watch
at night is never set, and the craft would
be amongst the rapids before the sleepers
would awake.
This Acacia was first noticed about
Malhada and Carunhanha, where it is sup-
*
316
[CHAP. XXI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
trees were tasselled at the branch ends with nests two or three
feet long, bags of dry and thorny twigs, opening with a narrow
entrance at the upper end, and comfortably lined with soft grass.
Probably, like the clay hut of João de Barro, it receives an
annual "
Here the tenant is called Casaca de Couro,*
or "leather-coat."
annexe."
We had to battle with the winds and the wavelets, which rose
as by magic; and off the "Angical" Fazenda the enemy had the
best of the affair, and kept us at halt for three hours. This is a
large breeding estate in a sack on the right bank, which is sandy
and produces fine Cocoa-nuts, Carnahúbas, and Quixabeiras.
From a point a little below this, canoes during the floods make a
short cut across country to the Ypoeira of Chique-Chique. Ap-
proaching the Ilha do Camaleão,† of the Chameleon, we saw
ahead, the white houses of the settlement, attached to a huge
pile, projecting over the green left bank. The northern approach
to the Villa da Barra do Rio Grande is by the narrow
"Corre-
deira," or channel, formed near the western side by the long thin
island-ship, the Ilha do Laranjal; to the east is the main line of
the São Francisco, a mass of sand-bars and beaches.
The course
is then across the mouth of the Rio Grande, which here runs to
the east with northing, and discharges into the São Francisco.
Its right jaw pushes out from inundated thickets a clay point
thinly covered with bush, and in the centre there is a shrubby
island. The current at the confluence, where 1200 feet of breadth
rush to meet 6100 feet, strikes heavily upon the Pontal, or pro-
jection which faces to the south-east, and separates the two rivers.
The material, fortunately for the town, is a perpendicular bank
posed to give the finest charcoal. It will
become more abundant as we approach the
Great Rapids. The people speak of two
qualities (species ?), the Jurema (alias
Gerema or Geremma, Acacia Jurema), and
the Jurema Pesta. The ample growth of
Acacias and Mimosas Angico, barbatuirão
and Ingá, combined with the saline soil of
this part of the valley, prove how well-
fitted it is for camel-breeding.
* It may be the same as the Gibão
de Couro (leather-jacket), a gobemouche
(Musicapa rupestris): I did not see the
bird. Prince Max. (iii. 95) described a
similar nest of the Anabatis rufifrons, or
Sylvia rufifrons, with an opening at the
lower end he found the bird in the upper
storey, and below it a kind of bush-mouse
(Rat des Catingas, Mus pyrrhorhinus).
The author of the Caramurú asserts
(vii. 58) that the Camaleão feeds upon wind.
In the Brazil, however, the Chameleon is a
lizard (Lacerta iguana), which changes a
little the colour of the skin, but which
cannot be compared with the true chama-
leones. This animal in the wilder parts
of the Sertão is considered to be more deli-
cate than the chicken; but the people are
not particular, they devour the ounce, the
cayman, the wild cat, the Siriema-bird,
and other strong meats.
CHAP. XXI.]
317
BOM JARDIM TO VILLA DA BARRA.
of hard clay, strengthened with hydrate of iron, at this season
six feet above the water; it extends some leagues down the left
side of the Rio de São Francisco. From the mildest of heights.
we can see the low-lying valley of the Rio Grande winding up
from the south-west, where there is a break in the blue curtain
which subtends the plain. It is a flat Delta of dense vegetation,
at least twenty miles across in a bee-line. These confluence
towns run a double risk, from the main artery and from the
influent; the heavy downfalls of rain are often local deluges,
and thus one stream may do damage when the other is peacefully
inclined. During the last night the Rio Grande rose several
inches, when the São Francisco fell: the people declared that
they never saw this happen so early, and began to predict that
water would be wanted when most required.
The town runs from west to east, along the northern bank
of the Rio Grande,* beginning about a mile up-stream, and
extending to the Pontal." It has a mean look, the houses
are low and small, with roughly railed courts on the water-
side, where the floods prevent building, and sundry are un-
finished, mere tiled roofs without walls. Here and there, on
the higher levels, is a platform of rough stone and lime brought
from Porto Alegre, six leagues down stream; it supports a
whitewashed back wall or a tenement half-white, half-yellow,
set off with pea-green shutters. The Porto,t a dirty landing-
place of sand and clay, is the common sewer; in the mornings
it becomes a fish-market, during the day seines hang on poles
to dry, children pelt the dogs, the asses, here a "feature," and
the long-legged pigs, ducks and fowls, wander about in com-
*This great influent has been surveyed
by M. Halfeld, who devotes to it three
charts. Well deserving the name, it drains
the eastern side of the northern dividing
range of Goyaz. The mouth is in (approxi-
mately) south lat. 12° 10′, and west long.
(Rio) 1° 3'. It is navigable for 45 leagues to
the Villa do Campo Largo, where it is still
350 wide; its depth is about 4 metres,
the current 0.77 per second,. and the dis-
charge about 190 cubic metres, or nearly
double the Seine at Paris. Beyond this
point there are difficulties, but small
'dug-outs go 20 leagues further to
Limoeiro. The Rio l'reto, its great north-
western fork, gives a navigable line of 32
((
})
leagues rit Santa Rita to Formosa; but
this is a troublesome journey. From these
lands are exported rice, farinha, maize,
legumes, rapadura, and other provisions:
some salt is also made at the Barra do
Boqueirão, 16 to 18 leagues from the em-
bouchure of the Rio Grande. The Rio
Preto is the stream whose waters Lieut.
Moraes would throw over the mountains
into the Parnaguá Lake. I have alluded to
this wondrous project in Chap. 26.
C
+I do not understand what M. Halfeld
means by este porto parece ser artificial."
It is rare to find anything more wretch-
edly natural.
318
[CHAP. XXI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
""
:
pany with half-tamed cranes, white and ash-coloured, and the
women wash in company. Water for household use must be
brought from up-stream: here it is dark, foamy, and tainted.
A number of canoes and barcas ride at anchor attached to their
poles, and a favourite conveyance appears to be the "balsa,"
or raft of "Burity" fronds. The long bundles are lashed to-
gether in five or six places, and are kept in position by cross-
pieces; they rise about one foot above water, and, being elastic,
they are less likely to be injured by shoals and rapids. They
carry down the river huge "pipas," or hides full of grain, and
similar "trem:" at their destination they are broken up to
make posts and rails, which are tolerably durable.
This is a great "festa," the peculiar day of the Padroeiro,
or patron saint, "S. Francisco das Chagas." As we approached
the town, we saw the F. F. in accurate black, riding small
horses and smaller mules, along the unclean Praia to join in
the office. The rest of the crowd was in hats of sorts, chimney-
pot, Burity-straw, or felt, and in brown or white cotton clothes.
There was the usual grotesque old negro, wearing a caped cloak
of the thickest blue broadcloth, in an atmosphere of 98° (F.).
The women are all in church till the ceremony ends, and the
men cluster at the door like a swarm of bees. Presently the
ended with a discharge of fireworks-it was still
broad daylight-which seemed to administer much spiritual
comfort. A procession issued to perambulate the streets, and
the dignitaries, by their red and white "opas," or short cloaks,
caused no little sensation. Girls dressed in the brightest
coloured stuffs, and small youths in the lightest of clothing,
and very little of it, charged wildly about the place, dodging
round the corners to "catch another sight." I visited in the
evening the little chapel of Bom Jesus, which has stumps where
towers should be a man in uniform without epaulettes. The
illumination was not brilliant, but it showed me that the femi-
nine element predominated: the principal duty seemed to be to
kneel down before a table, and to kiss the Saint's very dimi-
nutive feet-the principalest to deposit a few coppers upon
an adjoining table. The night showed not a few of the
scenes which one expects to see at a commercial port on festal
occasions.
CHAP. XXI.]
319
BOM JARDIM TO VILLA DA BARRA.
I
M. Halfeld speaks with enthusiasm of the townspeople.*
found them civil and courteous, as indeed is the rule of the Brazil,
but the Bahiano did not shine after the Paulista, or the Mineiro.
My letter of introduction to the Lieut.-Col. Joaquim Francisco
Guerreiro was not followed by any results; on the other hand,
the Lieut.-Col. Carlos Mariani, the grandson of a Corsican who
had emigrated to the Brazil, "in the days of the Genoese Re-
public," came at once to see me, led me to his house, and showed
me all his curiosities. He had octahedral pieces of magnetic
iron (ferragem), which is found scattered about the fazendolas
(little estates), and on the Vareda do Curral das Egoás, beyond
the western containing-ridge. His rock crystals came from an
eastern Serrote; whilst the Tauatinga Range and Natividade in
the Tocantins Valley supplied red sandstone with attachments of
quartz, showing at the junction regular lines of free gold, and
diffused traces of copper. He informed me that a wandering
German had lately been robbed of some opals, which are sup-
posed to be found near the Villa de São Domingos, en route to
Cuyabá in Mato Grosso.
I spent the main of my time wandering about the town, and
trying to detect its latent merits. Beginning at the east and
walking round by the north, we find that the site is a great
Varzea, or river plain, raised 18 to 20 feet only above the low
level of the stream. The land immediately behind the town
is flooded six feet, and even more; to the north there is a large
swamp-bed, which has its own drain to the east. Many of the
houses in this direction show a water mark of 3 to 4 feet in
height; and some have sunk twenty-four to thirty-six inches into
their sopped and sandy foundations. It is probable, however,
that this may be accounted for by the deposit of the inundation;
the Mississippi, in some places, leaves annually a coat of mud and
sand two or three feet thick. On the north-west is a whitewashed
cemetery, and beyond it another of clay. In this part also is
the Tezosinho (little rise) da Conceição, a "Retiro," where the
townspeople huddle together when their houses are under water;
it is the resisting bluff which prevents the plain being swept
*
"The noble and loyal character of the
inhabitants of the Villa da Barra, espe-
cially the higher classes, evinces, in all
their acts, civil and religious, cordiality,
the most gentlemanly politeness, and in
social life an extreme delicacy of manners
which rivals the most civilised Courts."
320
[CHAP. XXI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
*
away. At the west end we find the origin of all these evils.
Here is the tip-over, the "transbordamento," where the waters
of the Rio Grande enter, form an Ypoeira, and, with the assist-
ance of the swamp, convert the site into an island. The
bayou-head can hardly be embanked, it is too broad and the
soil is too loose and silty to form a levée. Lime being expensive,
clay is used in its stead, and the deep holes dug for this material
form, under a sun that burns at 6:30 A.M., another fomenter of
marsh disease. The only remedy is to remove to a better place,
but the question is where to find it.
The town is in the usual long narrow form, with silty and
sandy thoroughfares, all bearing names, none boasting pave-
ments. Behind, or north of Water Street, is the Rua do
Santissimo; behind it the Rua do Rosario has at the west end
a Praça, a huge cross, and a two-windowed ground-floor chapel;
still northwards is the Rua do Amparo, a wild suburb, and
beyond it the "Retiro." These long lines are connected as
usual by Travessas or cross streets. There are a few sobrados
and meio-sobrados, fronted by the usual bits of brick-edge trottoir,
and proudly displaying glass windows. Most of the houses are
small, with large projecting eaves under-boarded; many, even
in the highest parts, appear half interred. There are a few shops
of dry goods, and a photographic establishment, which sells
cartes de visite at the rate of 8$ 000 per dozen; a butchery sup-
plies tolerable meat, and a host of Vendas sell spirits and rapad-
ura, onions and garlic.
The nucleus of the settlement is about the Largo da Matriz.
The people determined to show their spirit by building to São
Francisco a church of the grandest description. Such things.
begin vigorously in the Brazil. The Provincial Government
gave £400, which alms and contributions raised to £2400.
Bahia was applied to for a plan and an architect; the person
chosen was a German, Herr Heinrich Jahn, who brought with
him his family. The first stone was laid on Oct. 4, 1859. The
building is, or rather will be, 100 feet long by fifty broad,
double towered and with a clerestory. The material is brick
* Since the little deluge of 1792 the
town has often been threatened with de-
struction, especially in 1802, 1812, and
1838. In 1857 the Villa da Barra escaped
better than Januaria; the latter, as well
as Urubu, was not so fiercely visited as the
former in 1865.
CIIAP. XXI.]
BOM JARDIM TO VILLA DA BARRA.
321
and lime upon a foundation of ashlar. The front has the usual
three entrances and five windows, and the graded pediment has
introduced a little change into the popular monotony of façade.
In the interior party walls set off two sacristies, which seriously
diminish the space. At present all is scaffolded with Carnahúba
palms, and the works are stopped by lack of funds. The whole
affair is out of place and size, and the Villa da Barra looks like
an annexe to its Matriz.
On the south-east of the church square is a detached Casa
da Camara, with a bell and six windows above, and a grating
which shows the jail below. At times the floods have rendered
it necessary to save the archives in canoes. The prisoners
appeared, like the rest of the people, "jolly," and here they
need never sing with the starling, "I can't get out." The
military force, paid by the Province, consists of one sergeant
and ten men, whose duties seem principally to sound the bugle.
The sentinel at the door leans against the wall; he has neither
collar nor shoes, his only weapon is a bayonet, and he much
reminded me of the items which composed a certain corps on
the Gold Coast, now disbanded. The last of the public build-
ings is the Hospital de São Pedro. The Government assisted
with funds a Brotherhood, which subscribed 1$000 each per
mensem, and continued to do so for a short time. The house
still remains, but the inmates are at most two, and the good work
may be said virtually to have been dropped.
، ،
The Villa da Barra dates from 1753-4. Its municipality
contains 10,000 to 12,000 souls. There is only one freguezia-
São Francisco das Chagas. In 1852-54, the houses in the
town numbered 660 and the population 4000; neither had in-
creased in 1867. Its connection with the seaboard is very
imperfect. The road to the city of Lençoes (sixty leagues, each
of 3000 braças), was a mere picada" in 1855—a line of river
fords, muds, and mountains barely passable, but passable. The
best road to Bahia is through the old town of Jacobina (seventy-
five leagues), a long leg to the east. It is described to run over
a plain with three "jornadas" or stages of twelve to fourteen
leagues cach, waterless during the dries; the mule troopers,
however, accomplish each one in the twenty-four hours; then
comes the Serra do Tombador, leading to the town, a stony
ladeira or ascent, for which, however, the mules are unshod,
VOL. II.
Y
322
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XXI.
and lastly from Jacobina to Cachoeira City all is comparatively
level.
The people of the Villa da Barra breed cattle and a few mules ;
their chief occupation, however, is the carrying trade,* and, like
the West African seaports, they act as brokers between strangers
and the people of the interior. We are now on the outskirts of
the great salt formations, which, however, does not prevent
the condiment being imported from the coast viâ Joazeiro. The
saline matter is deposited by water chiefly in the vicinity of
streams, and rock salt (sal gemma) has not yet been found. We
visited further down several places where salt had been "planted,"
that is to say, mixed with the soil, with the view of making it
spread and, as it were, breed. The "Salineiros" collect and
make it between the months of July and October. It is treated
like saltpetre, strained in bangués (coffers or hides), evaporated
over the fire, and allowed to crystallize. Sometimes it is exposed
in "coches or huge troughs to solar action only, and this
simple operation would pay better if done on a grand scale.
What it chiefly requires is purification, and the separation of
the other salts, magnesia, for instance, which are equally dis-
agreeable and deleterious. Some of it is white and fine like
sea salt; often, however, it is bitter and brown (amargoso e
trigueiro), fit only for beasts. Finally it is packed for exporta-
tion in hide-bags called Surroês (Surons). †
The Villa da Barra do Rio Grande has a high and unmerited
reputation. I soon found how it had risen to fame. The
Mineiros wish to see Januaria the capital of the new Province.
The Bahianos prefer Carunhanha on the Villa da Barra, and
the cause of the latter has been ably espoused by the ex-Minister
and Senator, João Mauricio Vanderley, the Baron of Cotigipe.
""
*The following list of my purchases will show the prices then current at the Villa
da Barra:
1 Garafão (4 bottles) of country rum
2 lbs. salt
10 lbs. beef
16 lbs. lard
10 lbs. rice
•
1 string (resta) onions
quarter of farinha
1$600
0$100
0$800
. 7$130
The measure varies everywhere; here the Surroe is of 24 pratos, say 50 lbs.
Total
0$500
0$130
•
1$000
3$000
CHAP. XXI.]
BOM JARDIM TO VILLA DA BARRA.
323
This influential Conservative is a "son" of the place, and has
a filial regard for its prosperity. My conviction is that the
Villa is one of the worst sites that I have yet seen, and that it
is fitted only to be a port or outpost for Bom Jardim or Chique-
Chique.
Y 2
CHAPTER XXII.
FROM THE VILLA DA BARRA (DO RIO GRANDE) TO THE
VILLA OF PILÃO ARCADO.
SEVENTH TRAVESSIA, 29 LEAGUES.
COMPLICATED APPROACH TO CHIQUE-CHIQUE.-THE SET-
TLEMENT DESCRIBED.
MUTTON.
GOOD
THE XIQUE-XIQUE CACTUS.
HIRE ANIMALS TO VISIT THE DIAMOND DIGGINGS. THE OLD FREEDMAN.
-THE TREES AND BIRDS.-BREEDING FAZENDAS.—THE GROVE, OF CARNA-
HÚBA PALMS.-LAKES.-ASCENT OF HILLS. THE SERVIÇO OR DIAMOND-
DIGGING DO PINTORSINHO."-THE VILLAGE OF SANTO IGNACIO.-ORIGIN
OF THE DIGGINGS, AND OTHER PECULIARITIES.-RETURN-RIDE TO CHIQUE-
CHIQUE.-
PILÃO ARCADO.
RESUME NAVIGATION.
-THE PORTALS.
THE STORMS.
STORMS.-REACH
THE SAND-DUNES.
—
66
G
g
M
E
J
Ma
"Ce beau pays peut se passer de l'univers entier.”—Voltaire.
We did not pass a pleasant night. The air during the early
hours was still and sultry (82° F.). Then the cold land-wind set
in. At first a long monotonous song made the hours unpleasant ;
afterwards came the lively splashing of Piranha, the "devil-fish,"
and the muffled growl of the stream, which seemed to be mis-
chievously inclined.
Below the Villa da Barra the São Francisco broadens, the con-
taining ridges retreat, and the riverine valley is a dead flat. The
heat greatly increases, although the channel trends between north
and north-east, the direction of the Vento Geral. Boats must
sometimes remain embayed for days near the low ragged sand-
bars, and the crews congratulate themselves on having a dozen
clear working hours. Accidents are so common that there is
hardly a boatman who hereabouts has not been wrecked at least
once. Suddenly, in the clearest atmosphere, the breeze dashes
down upon the wide surface, the waves rise, and the canoe or raft
is swamped. The greatest care is given to observing the premo-
nitory symptoms, especially the "redemoinhos," columns of sand
sixty to seventy feet high, which career whirling over the plain.
CHAP. XXII.]
325
VILLA DA BARRA TO PILÃO ARCADO.
Boats creep along the windward or sheltered bank and make ready
for the refuge-place before the "vendaval" or squall bursts.
We could not set off before 9:30 A.M. The wind began early.
The first league showed on the right a blind channel, the "Ypo-
eira funda," which, during the floods, gives direct communication
with Chique-Chique. A little beyond Cajaseira* of the Capitão
José Vicente is another bayou also impassable at this season, con-
verging to its southern neighbour. These should be carefully
examined. The narrow opening, made practicable to admit craft
at all times, would greatly assist navigation to Chique-Chique, and
relieve the latter place of its main difficulty, direct approach.
The channel, it is said, would be easily managed. We shall pre-
sently skirt it when riding inland from Chique-Chique. On
the other hand it must be taken into consideration whether such
opening will not throw the thalweg to the right and greatly increase
the amount of flooding. Fazendas and fazendolas were scattered
in all directions over both banks. We landed on the right side to
examine a place reported to contain limestone. It proved to be a
mere "barreiro." After we had passed sundry cultivated spots,†
and Carnahúba groves standing up like huge palings, the furious
wind compelled us to anchor at the head of a little sand-bar, the
Ilha do Mocambo do Vento. This "Maroon village of the wind,"
an ill-omened and appropriate name, is considered one of the
worst places. The channel bends to the east and the south-east.
The bed is unusually broad, and the stream flows in the teeth of
the Trade. Upon the Corôa we found diamantine crystals, and a
scatter of acary, the armour-plated fish, had been thrown away
from the scines. The spiny outer skin had been mummified, and
the attitude was still that of the death-throe.
Tuesday, Oct. 8, 1867.-The wind, after a fierce struggle
through the night, made a feint of falling. It rose, however, with
the sun and filmed over the Corôa with a gauze of sand which
reminded me of the Arabian wilds. Even at 1 P.M., when we set
out, advance was difficult. The left bank was dotted with small
detached hills, and between Areia branca and Hycatú‡ we entered
*Probably from Acaya or Acajá (Spon-
dias venulosa, in Tupy ybamétara), a
Burseracea resembling the Imbu or Imbu-
zeiro.
+ Sambahiba, a little village with red
milho hanging to dry upon a Varão, or
three-poled gallows. The Arraial do
Porto Alegre, near a fine wooded rise of
Carnahúba and Caatinga on the left, and
so forth.
The "good water."
326
[CHAP. XXII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
a land of "lençoes," or shrouds, as they were called by the old
Portuguese explorers. Sheets and heaps of the whitest sand, the
degradation of Itacolumite, glittered in the sun, like the patches
that lie about Diamantina. Here and there it was dotted with
black points, dark green tufty shrubs, which at times the mirage
converted into tall forests. In parts the substance becomes yellow,
and resembles even more the low dunes lining an ocean shore.
The underlying rock is probably limestone, and the formation
will extend for many leagues down stream, especially on the left.
Nothing could be more picturesque than this bit of the Sahára,
especially when backed by a gloomy pall in the northern sky-
here a sign of wind, not of rain-and when fronted by the steely
stream, damascened by the golden glories of the setting sun.
The main channel runs far to the north-west of Chique-Chique,
and there was not water enough to float us over the direct line,
about two miles long, passing to the south of the Ilhas do Gado*
and do Miradouro. We were therefore compelled to skirt the
whole western shore of the latter, which in length is at least seven
miles, with four miles of extreme breadth. At its north-eastern
extremity the navigable channel, a continuation of the blind
Ypocira, doubles back to the south-west in order to reach Chique-
Chique. It is at least eight miles long, not including the nume-
rous windings. This is the "Barra da Picada," so called from a
small place at its mouth. There is yet another passage, at times
practicable, between the main stream and the Ypoeira, the "Barra
da Esperança," which passes between the smaller Ilha do Gado
and the Miradouro. This portion of the São Francisco is exceed-
ingly complicated, and the network of channels can hardly be
understood without a map.
The great artery widens to upwards of a mile, and is marked
by snowy sand-heaps, set in the darkest verdure, opposite the
mouth of the Barra da Picada. This channel begins with a
breadth of 500 feet between terra firmâ and the Miradouro, which,
at its north-eastern extremity, fines off to a swampy point, the
Ponta da Ilha. It presently narrows to 200 and 150 feet, and
where it joins the Ypoeira to the north-east of Chique-Chique it
* This is the lesser "Ilha do Gado," to
the west of the great Miradouro Island.
The larger "Ilha do Gado" is the spaco
included between the blind Ypoeira and
the main channel: it is south of the Mira-
douro, and it is insulated only during the
floods.
CHAP. XXII.]
VILLA DA BARRA TO PILÃO ARCADO.
327
widens out to 700 yards. At first it makes a long "horseshoe-
bend" to the west. After that its course is direct. The depth
will admit boats at all seasons, and the breadth is hardly sufficient
to allow waves to form. Its tranquillity, especially enjoyable
after the roughness of the great river, reminded me of those West
African lagoons which subtend the shores of the boisterous sea,
and which aid so much the loading of slave ships. The low banks.
on both sides, the dense bush, at times broken by a bare talus, and
the little patches of spinach-green fields with their rough fencing,
vividly brought to mind the features of Dahoman Whydah.
We passed a few tiled huts on the proper right bank of this
quiet channel, and the whitewashed chapel and hamlet of Santa
Anna do Miradouro* on the eastern margin of its islet. We then
entered the broadening mouth of the Ypoeira-at this season a
backwater, and found a safe anchorage where the gusty north-
wind can do little damage. At the port were a number of canoes
belonging to fishermen and melon vendors. A barca had been
stranded, and another was being caulked upon the beach. Above
us rose the town, which was not less "jolly" than its neighbours.
Drum and song, dance, laughter, and shouts of applause, pro-
longed till dawn, showed that, despite the absence of festival, the
'folía" was not wanting.
The next day opened so badly with the wind-clouds that I
determined to rest the crew, and to indulge myself in a short visit
to the nearest diamond washings. We began by inspecting Chique-
Chique. The "porto" along the eastern bank is formed by a
natural pier, a dwarf cliff, at this season some four feet above
water. The material is a silicate of white-grey lime, in places
granulated with iron stone and puddinged with large and finely
disseminated quartz. Containing silica and a considerable pro-
portion of clay, it will make the best hydraulic cement. This
and the Lapa are the principal lime quarries. Chique-Chique
annually sends up and down stream, between the Villa da Barra
and Joazeiro, 1500 to 2000 alqueires. On the beach were canoes
full of the finest water-melons. Horses were being groomed by
the usual process of dashing water upon them from a large cala-
*In Mr. Keith Johnston's map "S.
Anna de Miradouro" is made a small town
upon the eastern bank of the São Fran-
cisco.
Ordinary hydraulic limestone contains
15 per cent. of argile, the good, 16; and
in those which make the best cement the
proportion rises to 25 and even 30 per
cent.
228
[CHAP. XXII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
bash. Lads in naturalibus were preparing to bathe, and washer-
women and carpenters plied their trades. Spoonbills (platyrhyn-
chus) stalked amongst the dug-outs, which had brought for sale an
abundance of fish. The birds were not improved by civilization,
and their delicate pink plumage had turned grey with mud.
Upon the bank-top we found a large space open to the stream,
with a central cross supported by a heap of stones. At the bottom,
facing to the west-north-west, is the Chapel of N. S. Bom Jesus
do Bomfim.* It is a poor, mean pile of brick and lime upon a
stone foundation. The usual preposterous front was four windows,
and no belfry-towers. The interior, anciently a burial ground,
displays a blue and gold high altar, with frescoed ceiling, and two
side-chapels where swallows had nested. The walls show a single
miracle paper, dated 1804, and the congregation consisted of three
old women, two in uniform black, the third girt with the white
cord of St. Francis. The town extends on both sides and behind
the church, thus forming a truncated cross. The tenements near
the creek show a water-mark two feet high. They can easily be
raised upon platforms. The floods do not extend to the higher
parts, and the people boast with justice that their "assento," or
site, is the best upon the river. The heavier rains begin to fall
in October, and continue with breaks till May. The inundation
lasts five months, from November to April. Already there is a
freshet of six palms, and the indirectness of the water-course here
makes a rise of one foot to four or five in the true São Francisco.
There is some excitement in visiting and describing these
places, now the most wretched of "rancheries," but destined to
become the centres of mighty States. Chique-Chique runs nearly
north and south; as usual the long straight streets are parallel
with the creek, and here they are almost sufficiently broad. Pave-
ment is as yet unknown, but scatters of ironstone upon the hard
ground render dust and mud equally impossible. A triangular
"square," south-east of the church, surrounds a detached Camara-
cum-jail, and the iron-bars of the latter are fixed into wooden
frames. Farther to the east there is a neat, whitewashed ceme-
tery, with incipient catacombs. One Casa Nobre, with a balcony
of quaintly painted wooden railings, and a few half-sobrados, have
been built. The rest are ground-floor tenements, each with its
* Na Sa do Bomfim (M. Halfeld).
CHAP. XXII.] VILLA DA BARRA TO PILÃO ARCADO.
329
large compound and little "hanging-garden" of geranium, basil,
and lavender (alfazema),* of onions and choice vegetables; the
latter is mostly a trough or a bit of canoe, raised on poles beyond
the reach of ants and pigs. The tenements may number 180,
but many of them are opened only on fête-days, when 1500 souls
find lodgings.
The country behind the town is a field of various Cactaceæ, which
form contrasts. The dwarf of the family is the Quipá, with its
large crimson fig, so much enjoyed by the parrot (Psittacus cac-
torum) that the beak is stained red. Another pigmy is a bulb
nearly a foot in diameter (Melocactus, or Echinocactus), ribbed
like a melon, and guarded at the angles by terrible thorns; upon
the top is an inflorescence, like a Turkish fez, and the people know
it as the friar's head (cabeça de frade). Horses learn to like the
soft spongy substance, which the plant takes so much care to
preserve; it keeps them in condition, and they fetch a higher
price than those who refuse it. The people declare that riding
animals and black cattle learn to open the armed exterior by
striking it with the hoof. There is the common flat Opuntia and
the "Xique-Xique," which is planted in hedges, and gives its
name to the settlement. According to M. Halfeld, this is a kind
of cactus which, roasted and peeled, has the taste of a batata or
sweet potato. The almost general word is differently used in the
several places. Here it is applied especially to a tall "Organ-
Cactus," which is almost a tree; the angles vary with its years,
in youth it is many-sided, and it ends life almost cylindrical.
The shape also varies; here it runs serpent-like along the
ground, there it stands stiffly upright. One kind has a fleshy
white flower resembling wax-work; another (C. mamillaris) is
patched with white fleece, as though it had robbed a sheep, and
almost conceals its dark-red blossom. We shall meet with other
forms further down the São Francisco.
I was surprised to see about a place so rich in Cactus, goats so
small and stunted, whilst here were the finest sheep of the Brazil,
and mutton is justly preferred to beef. Hardly any pasture,
except thorns, was upon the ground, yet a perfect assimilation of
*The women are fond of these per-
fumed herbs, and ornament their hair with
the flowers.
+ Gardner writes Shuke-Shuke, as the
word is pronounced. I have preferred the
form "
Chique-Chique" for the settlement,
Xique-Xique" for the plant; but the
distinction is not recognised by the people.
، ،
330
[CHAP. XXII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
food, as in the Somali country and on the Western Prairies of
North America, kept the animals in the highest condition. The
lambs wore a thick fleece, which disappears from the adult; some
are white, others are brown, all are thin-tailed, and not a few are
bearded. No trouble is taken to breed them; the owners, how-
ever, have sense to pen at night the flocks, numbering thirty to
forty. The usual price is 2$ 000, or 3 $ 000 when the animal is
very fat. Horses, small but hardy, and with signs of blood, cost
60 $000; good riding mules, which make Jacobina (sixty short
leagues,) in four days, rise to 80$ 000 or 100$ 000. The cattle.
is neat and sleek, apparently untroubled with ticks or "bernes."
Besides stock-raising the country supplies, every year, 1000 to
2000 alqueires of salt to the Upper São Francisco; manioc planted
after and taken up before the rains, gives good farinha; maize
and excellent tobacco are brought from the Assuruá Range.
The people boast that their land is one of the richest, if not the
richest near the river; it produces gold and diamonds, fish and
salt, and the wax-palm grows in vast forests.
After some trouble about conveyance I hired for 3 000 each,
a horse and a mule, with the owner as guide. Cyriaco Ferreira.
was a tall, thin, old black, with a preposterous masticatory appa-
ratus, and a scanty, scowling brow. He consulted me shame-
lessly in the presence of his wife concerning a certain "Gallica ;"
here even white men talk about it before their families as if it
were a cold in the head." The frequent mutilations which
now begin to meet the eye doubtless proceed from the use, or
rather the abuse of mercurials, to which are added the ignorance
and the recklessness of the patient, who, even when the facial
bones are attacked, will drink spirits and take snuff.
Our negro had been a good man and true as a slave; a false
idea of charity had emancipated him, and with freedom appeared
all the evils of his race. Fawning as a spaniel to those who knew
his origin, he was surly as a mastiff to us; recalcitrant as a mule,
he would loiter when we wished to advance; he "trod upon our
toes" at all opportunities, and with the real servile style he pro-
ceeded to give his orders. Travellers who have even a constitu-
tional aversion to a row," are forced into it at times. When it
is thrust upon one the only way is "to go into it," tooth and
66
(C
* The Brazilian variety, called on the Amazons " sheep of five quarters," was not
seen here.
CHAP. XXII.] · VILLA DA BARRA TO PILÃO ARCADO.
331
nail. This was done; a few rough words, and clearing decks for
action, soon brought back the old slave, but at times it yielded to
a passionate outburst of the new freedman.
Riding down the Rua das Flores, we struck out into the open
country, towards a long blue rock with a table-top summit, south-
east of the settlement. This Serra do Pintor will be conspicuous
for several days down stream; it appears a frustum of a cone, a
second distance rising above a long sloping ridge. Cotton of
smaller than usual size grew in the suburbs; and the district
beyond it, the Praia Grande, was clay strewed with iron pyrites,
which unless neutralized by underlying lime, must produce in-
jurious sulphuric acid. Our path lay along the left bank of the
great Ypoeira Funda, which bulging out forms a lake round a
wooded central islet. Higher up the bed, it sends to the south-
east a canal or navigable arm, which we shall presently sight.
The Fazenda da Prainha was built upon the most unfertile soil,
which produced only dwarf thorns; attached, however, to the
ranch was a large stockade of palm-trunks, and wandering about
the fold were the fattest of sheep. Few people were on the road,
all were armed, and most of them were talking about a late murder
in three acts—a drinking bout, a stab, and a shot. An old pro-
prietor rode by with two immensely long pistols projecting far
above his holsters, and the attendant slave followed with a gun
slung over his shoulders. A typical sight was a woman on
foot and a man on horseback carrying the baby. The tropeiros
mostly drove horses; here, however, we are getting into the
country of the pack-bullock. These men boast that they travel
all day, not only till noon, like the muleteers of the Southern
Provinces, and that thus they cover an umber of leagues. But
almost all were mounted upon pads supported by two broacas,*
which carried their salt and grain; moreover the leagues are
short, and it is easy to walk over two in an hour and a half.
My companion could not travel without wanting to drink water,
which greatly amused the Brazilians. For this purpose we
halted at the Fazenda de Suassíca, one of the many breeding
establishments-tiled huts, ranches, and large folds-scattered
at short distances. Two youths, the sons of a neighbouring pro-
prietor, who with half a dozen whitey-brown lookers on were
* These square saddle-bags, with the hair outside, are now generally known as "Surroes
de Couro."
332
[CHAP. XXII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
playing dominoes in a clay room hung with hammocks, came to
the door and asked us to dismount. When coffee was finished
came the usual query, "Pois, que trouxerão de negocio ?" The
inevitable reply puzzled every brain; they must have thought
that they had entertained unawares "díabos"-government men
on no angelic errand-but they preserved their courtesy to the
last, and held our stirrups when we remounted.
Beyond Suassíca the land became a deep sand of ruddy colour,
and presently passed, as the house-walls showed, into a blood-red
clay; it was scattered with lime, and it is doubtless exceedingly
fertile. The Favelleiro (arboreous Jatropha,) stunted near Chi-
que-Chique, is here a tall and goodly tree. The thorny Mimosas
and Acacias are hung with golden and silver blossoms, and the
charming Imbuzeiro perfumes the air. Here the growth is low,
drooping its flower-laden branches almost to the ground, and forming
a shady bower, like the wild figs on the banks of the Lower Congo
River. Many trees have the smooth barks and straight spindles of
the Myrtaceæ, especially the Páo branco, which supplies the hardest
wood; they contrast curiously with the gnarled Imburana* (Bur-
sera leptophlocos, Mart.), whose bole is hung with burnished yellow
rags, the peeling off of the cuticle that exposes the green-blue
cutis beneath. This tree yields a greenish-yellow gum or balsam,
resembling turpentine, and the scent is a favourite with the wild
bee, as is proved by the many places cut away by the hatchet to
reach the combs.
These strips of forest support, chiefly on the outskirts, a
variety of birds. Plovers course across the opens, large green
paroquets rise screaming from the boughs, and Aráras of the
usual two species, the red and the black, appear to us for the
first time in a wild state. The "Encontro branco," or large blue
and white winged pigeon of Diamantina, here called "Pomba
Verdadeira," is a visitant from the hills; it apparently prefers
Itacolumite formations. The "Alma de Gato," a large, light-
brown Coprophagus (?), seeks lizards and such small cheer. On
the topmost twigs, especially of the shrubs, balances itself a
snow-white bird with black wing-feathers, probably a Muscicapa ;
we see it now for the first time. High in air wheels the Urubú
* St. Hil. (I. ii. 105) explains Imbu-
rana by the Guarani "ibirañae," meaning
baril, sébille, tirvir. But the termination
(C
-rana in the Lingua Geral, equivalent to
the Portuguese "bravo" or CC bravio,"
means poisonous.
21
CHAP. XXII.] VILLA DA BARRA TO PILÃO ARCADO.
333
Caçador, or hunting vulture, with crimson head and silver-lined
wings.
We rode slowly through this interesting tract of wood, and
presently we came upon a bit of African scenery; hedges of
Cactus fencing a large field, whose "black jacks were about
three years old. This is the Fazenda do Saco dos Bois, with
the little chapel of Na Sa do Amparo, and a scatter of huts,
inhabited by the proprietors in partnership. We were civilly
received by a man who was lying stratus in umbrâ, under a
thickly leaved and now blossoming Juá.* The site is high
ground, never inundated, although within a few yards of the
Canal," the south-eastern arm of the Ypoeira, which we passed
near the Fazenda da Prainha. The back water was then flowing
up it towards the Assuruá lakelet, which it floods during the
rains, and drains during the dries; it was covered with water-
fowl, but the fluid was so muddy and impure that our beasts
refused to touch it. The civil agriculturist, peasant I cannot
call him, advised us to lose no time; the hills, formerly blue
walls, now looked near, and we could distinguish slips of white
rock and patches of sun-burnt grass. But distances are deceptive
in this unsmoked air; the heat was unusual, and heavy storm-
clouds were surging up from the west, the especially rainy
quarter. The hills must attract every mist within their range,
and wet weather comes from every direction. All were praying
for the Chuvas de Mangába" (Hancornia) or de Puça.
(Mouriria Pusá, Gard.), § the showers which accompany the
fruiting of these trees.
(C
""
This is a local name of the thorny
Joazeiro or Zizyphus.
According to others, the north-east is
the rainy quarter by excellence.
‡ St. Hil. (II. ii. 215) mentions two
簇
​Leaving the Saco at 4 P.M., we fell at once into deep sand,
with a labyrinth of paths running through the stunted blades.
of grass.
A few yards led to the northern edge of a great
Carnahúbal, some four leagues long from north-east to south-
west, and large enough to supply the whole river with candles.
Every shape and age and size of the palm is here, from the
chubby infant a foot high, to the tall thin ancient, whom a breath
may fell. The panache gives tremendous leverage, and in parts
the trunks lay prostrated by the north-eastern hurricanes, like
species of Mangába, the M. speciosa
(Gomes), and the M. rubescens (Nées and
Mart.)
§ This shrub produces a small dark
plum.
334
[CHAP. XXII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
the long thin alleys which canister cuts through a column of
men. In other places water lingered upon the black muddy
ground, and the spikey bases of the trees, catching the floating
weeds, showed the amount of rise; this has a curious effect when
the palms are numerous. Much of the Carnahúbal during the
great floods of the year must be crossed in canoes.
*
After two hours' ride the Carnahúba began to be mixed up
with strangers; the Bahú tree, the Mureçi (Byrsonima verbas-
cifolia), the Puça, and the Mangába. Presently it ceased
altogether, and we saw on the right the "Lagoa do Pintor,"
a green-margined tank, about 200 yards across, with a central
islet of lush aquatic plants. During the floods, it is connected
with the south-eastern branch of the Ypoeira, and at times it is
almost dry. Amongst the trees beyond the water line are a few
huts, whose inhabitants seem little aware of the wealth before
them. This pond receives from the mountain slope a number
of small diamantine streams, and the gems must settle in it.
Artificial draining, however, is required, and such operations
are far beyond the reach of the present occupants of the land.
??
Presently we arrived at the hill-foot, cumbered with large and
small blocks of stone, which have rolled from the upper heights.
This is the western counter-slope of the Serra do Assuruá, a
meridional range that prolongs the diamantine formation of
the Bahian Chapada. The "ladeira or ascent was a succession
of steps, loose stones and slabs, between which the sandy soil
appeared. Reaching the summit of the hog's back, we turned
to prospect the "taboleiro" over which we had passed; the large
"Salinas," that supply salt to the river, lay upon it in glistening
patches, and the Lagoa de Assuruá, about one league in length,
was surrounded by snowy heaps of sand, like the "Shrouds " of
the São Francisco. This water drains the Serra do Pintor,
and its village "Itaparica " takes from it every year £300 worth
of fish, here not an inconsiderable sum. The people speak of
immense shoals which await exploitation.
Descending the counterslope of the ridge, we saw below us
a small Serviço, with a single house and a few thatched huts
on both sides of a narrow stony gulley. This Riacho do
Pintorsinho flows, like the neighbouring waters, from north-east
* Also written "Murusi;" the bark yields a black dye.
CHAP. XXII.] VILLA DA BARRA TO PILÃO ARCADO.
335
to south-west, and feeds the Lagoa do Pintor. We had no
letters of introduction, but we rode up to the doors and intro-
duced ourselves to the owner, Capitão José Florentino de
Carvalho, who, after the labours of the day, was reposing under
the shadow of his own fig-tree. The fig, by the bye, was a wild
Brazilian, which lately took only eight days to cover itself with
dense verdure; such is the exceptional fertility of these Ita-
columite soils in the rare places where they are fertile. The
Capitão and his amiable wife have been diamond washing in
this ravine since 1864. He gave us some excellently cooked
Surubim, with the usual trimmings of "pirao" and pepper
sauce; the Dona sent a cup of aromatic coffee, the hammocks
were slung in a room under the fig-tree, and we should have
slept like tops but for the heavy rain about midnight, and the
tremendous snorting of Sr. Cyriaco Ferreira. I cannot call it
snoring, the sound was that of ripping up the strongest new
calico. When he did not snort he coughed, and—the place was
somewhat close-as the leopard cannot change his spots, so the
negro skin, even in a freed man, remains negro. Contubernation
with the Hamite does not prepossess one in his favour.
The next morning was warm and pleasant, but it spat, and
it seemed to promise rain for the afternoon. Our ungracious
guide was salt or sugar, so we resolved to visit Santo Ignacio
alone. The cross-path lay over a wonderfully rugged succession
of hills, forming prism-shaped ridges, whose crystal waters,
delightfully clean and pure, discharged into the Assuruá Lake,
and where Itacolumite showed in all its grotesqueness. There
were shapes of strange beasts, colossal heads and masques;
arches, tunnels, and funnels, worked and turned by wind and
rain; huge portals, towers, and cyclopean walls, to leeward
smooth and solid, on the weather side seamed into courses of
masonry, that showed an imposing regularity. The granular
quartz was not so finely laminated as the Cerro formation; some
of it was hard, white, and polished like blocks of marble, and
at first sight it might have been easily mistaken for limestone,
which, as the river bed shows, here and at Diamantina of Minas,
underlies the sandstone. It was also more generally stained
with oxide of iron, and it had large veinings of quartz, which
sometimes formed external layers. Crystallized quartz and
ferruginous matter, externally vulcanized, lay about in scatters.
336
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XXII.
The characteristic feature, also remarkable in the Bahian
Chapada to the east, is a bouldery, not pebbly conglomerate,
which resembles that of the Scottish Old Red. The huge blocks,
many of them weighing several tons, contained proportionate
pebbles, some rolled, others angular, here entire and there
split, like the halves of almond kernels. The hard paste of
sandstone, with nestings of many-coloured porphyry, will be cut
into slabs of remarkable beauty.
We crossed the Riacho Largo, a narrow gully heading in a
high bluff; its delicious water, the prerogative of the Itacolumite
lands, feeds a tiny patch of green grass. Beyond it were three
places where the rock wastes to a dazzlingly white sand, and
this, in the lower levels where thorns grow, passes into soil,
brown with a slight admixture of humus. Then we reached
the highest divide; a broad sheet of sandstone shows hollows
and holes like the hoof-prints of horses. The vegetation was
that of the Cerro, the dwarf Mimosa, and the Ostrich Shank
(Vellozia) a few inches high, whereas in Minas Geraes we
counted it by feet. On the right the eye plunged into the sandy
plains which bore signs of floods, and where other salinas
glittered; to the left was an old diamond-washing, from which
the people had taken the sand arrested by the big boulders.
In front and below us lay the little village of Santo Ignacio,
upon the left bank of a Córrego, whose narrow valley was
bounded on the further side by a wall of jagged stone, disposed
in courses, piles, and peaks. The yellow-green vegetation told
the poverty of the soil.
We entered on foot the little mining village, much to the won-
derment of its denizens. It had a Rua Formosa, a widening
called a square, a miserable chapel, by courtesy termed a church,
and men in "Panama" hats, black coats, and white overalls.
Every Monday there is a fair, frequented by people from far and
wide, and some 150l. or 2007. may change hands. The prices are
high what costs on the coast 0$100 here commands 1$000.
We found the shop of a Mineiro from Formiga, who appeared
exceptionally civilised amongst the "atrasado," arriéré, race of
the Province which still boasts of being the Ecclesiastical Capital
of the Empire. The little booth dealt in notions and provisions,
red japanned tins of English gunpowder, pots, pans, and bowls;
onions, garlic, sardines in cases, and rum in demijohns. The
:
CHAP. XXII.] VILLA DA BARRA TO PILÃO ARCADO.
337
wife being unwell, we could not breakfast, but we drank coffee and
ate biscuits under the eyes of brown-faced men, whose principal
office in life seemed to be expectoration. This habit is general,
as in the United States: perhaps the climate of the New World
has tended to preserve it from abolition. Brazilians have told
me that it preserves them from obesity.
As far back as 1803, gold was known to exist in the Arassuá
Range, and it was worked in 1836. Diamond washing began in
1840, at Santo Ignacio, which was then transferred from the mu-
nicipality of Urubú to that of Chique-Chique, and the first dig-
ging, near the Pedra do Bode, a little down the Córrego, has not
been exhausted. In 1841, the Chapada do Coral, some twenty
leagues to the south, was found to contain "Cascalho," from
which pieces of gold weighing four pounds were taken. In
1842-3, Mucujé, in the Comarca of the Rio das Contas,* be-
came Santa Isabel do Paraguassú, the chef-lieu of its own arron-
dissement. Presently diamantine deposits were found at Lençoes,
so called from the sheet-rocks in the little stream of the same
name, the western head-waters of the great Paraguassú River.
The place was then a country hamlet, in the Municipality of the
Rio das Contas. The discovery was claimed by M. Fertin, a
Frenchman, afterwards established at Bahia. It is reported,
however, that before 1844 a party of slaves had collected in
twenty days some 700 carats, which they offered for sale. These
garimpeiros" were put in prison, but they refused to show the
diggings; they were then let loose, watched, and caught working
at midnight. In 1845, Lençoes which had been in the munici-
pality of the Rio das Contas, was made independent. Presently
a rush of 20,000 souls took place there, and the city rose to im-
portance. M. Reybaud, Consul de France, Bahia, calculated
from the date of discovery (August 1, 1845), a produce of 1450
carats per diem, and a total of 400,000 carats = 18,300,000
francs.
CC
On return, we walked up the Córrego to visit our kind host's
"lavra." The lower part of the bed belongs to another pro-
prietor, who, having water handy, can wash all the year round.
* Generally written Rio de Contas, which
is, I believe, a corruption.
+ It also became the chef-lieu of the
Repartição, or Diamantine Department.
The papers (bilhetes) issued to the "fais-
VOL. II.
>>
cadores were charged annually, at first
0$020 per square braça, now 2$000.
They give permission to establish the
"garimpo."
Z
338
[CHAP. XXII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
Here we found the rock-crack forming the rill converted into a
"canôa," or "batador; " the "Cascalho" is thrown in, and the
diamonds are arrested by cross-pieces. Following the left bank,
we came to a pit some twenty feet deep, where the owner, seated
in an arm-chair, with book and snuff-box, was superintending the
hands, who, should he happen to go away, lie down to sleep, if at
least they find nothing to thieve. Two men, armed with alavanca
(crow-bar) and hoe, were loosening a bit of boulder, and were
scraping up the desmonte, or inundation sand, which was carried
up the pit side by a black girl, a youth, and a boy. The Cascalho
must wait to be washed in the rains, and here great inundations
or scanty showers are prayed for. The host complained that the
increased rate of wages prevented all profit, nor did I wonder:
deep works on so small a scale cannot pay. The formation (for-
mação) is here called Pé de Batêa, small dark stones, like iron
filings, which settle at the bottom of the pan; there are also the
fava, the ferragem, and fragments of light or dark-green clay,
unprettily termed "Bosta de Barâta." The Capitão showed us
in a Pequá,* one little yellow stone. The gems are mostly small,
the largest yielded by this pit was the half-vintem, one grain, or
a quarter-carat. The Riacho do Pintorsinho has produced a
stone of two vintens, and a neighbouring Córrego four vintens.
A diamond of half an oitava (eight carats) had been washed in
former years, and the result was a "difficulty," ending in a
murder, and in the disappearance of the prize.
We bade adieu to our hospitable host, the Capitão and the
Dona, and returned to Chique-Chique with all possible speed.
This short excursion had proved that " Cactus-town" has around
it lands of immense fertility, salubrious mountains, which as
yet have only been scratched and played with for diamonds and
gold, and, briefly, all the conditions requisite for a capital. It is
connected to the east with the coast viâ Jacobina, Lençoes, and
Caiteté, and to the west with the Piauhy and the Goyaz Provinces.
*The Tupy word Pequeá, meaning wood
generally, is applied to a bamboo-tube a
few inches long, from which the stones
can be turned out without letting them
fall. Castelnau (ii. 343) describes Picoi,
"Sorte d'étui fait d'une écorce très flex-
ible.' The miners have sundry supersti-
tions about theso articles.
Alias Villa do Principe. The word,
written in a variety of ways, e.g. Caitetó
and Caïteté, is a corruption of Coa-été,
virgin forest, and is thus synonymous with
Cacthé. In the days of Spix and Mar-
tius its neighbourhood was famed for
cotton.
CHAP. XXII.] VILLA DA BARRA TO PILÃO ARCADO.
339
We may easily predict that, despite the satirist, some one will
presently be proud to—
Ser barão de Xiquexique.
Oct. 11. We easily ran down the Barra da Picada, which is,
however, more tortuous than it appears in M. Halfeld's plan, and
after three hours we made the main artery. The left continued to
show the containing mounds, here dark with vegetation, there
patches of white or yellow sand, and this feature will extend some
eleven leagues down-stream. The land is everywhere arid, and the
principal features are the "Carrascal" and the Salina. In the
afternoon we passed the Arraial da Boa Vista das Esteiras (of the
mats), a little chapel-village with some fifty huts on the right
bank; and we presently anchored at a Corôa, known as the Ilha
da Manga, or da Porta. Here a rich diamantine "formação "
abounded, and the gull, everywhere impatient of man's presence,
screamed through the night, justifying Agostinho's epithet "bicho
aburrido," disgusting vermin.
Oct. 12.—We are about to enter a Porteira or funnel, where
the stream, after spreading out to five times that breadth, is com-
pressed to 1500 feet. On both sides high lumpy ridges, some
bare, others rising umbre-coloured from the green lines of water-
shrubbery, either fall into the stream, or form bluffs that face it.
for some distance. Running down the sand-bar shore we passed
with infinite trouble through the first gate. On the right bank is
the little village "Tapéra da Cima," with its broad ypoeira.
Opposite rises the Pedra da Manga, projecting southwards into
the stream a ridge like that of Santo Antonio, prism-shaped,
about 100 feet high, by half that breadth, red above and dark
below. Here commences the great gisement of magnetic iron,
the Itaberite or Jacutinga which we have already visited at Sabará
and Gongo Soco; no examination for gold has yet, I believe,
been made. The strike of the metal is north with westing and
south with easting,† and it is prolonged on both sides of the São
Francisco.
daddy g
The word is originally Aborrecido,
abhorred, hateful, disgusting, the strongest
expression of dislike; it is contracted to
aborrido, which is pronounced by the
Caipira aburrido, which, if it significs
aught, means donkeyfied.
J
+ In M. IIalfeld's plan, the strike is laid
down nearly due north and south.
I am
probably in error: these formations so
"disorient" the needle, that peculiar pre-
cautions are necessary.
7 2
N
[CHAP. XXII.
340
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
Below this first portal the river, flowing to the north-east,
widens out considerably. The Vento Geral, which had been
fitful and fractious at dawn, presently brought a cold wind and
violent rain, which made us shiver, though the mercury showed
73° (F.), about the temperature of a comfortable East Indian
Club. We made fast to a Corôa till the storm had spent its rage,
and then we attacked the second gate. Here again the bluffs on
both sides correspond, and both have similar ports, sandy beaches
a little down-stream. To the north were the few huts of the
Tapéra de baixo, backed by a hill-knob; and on the south, "As
Pedras (do Ernesto)." We landed at the latter, a short row of
hovels, and a single block with whitewashed walls. Here the
rock chine, prolonging high ground behind, trends to the north-
west; it is broken into blocks, and shows cleavage as well as
stratification. Pieces picked up by chance drew the magnetic
needle round the compass card, and the substance appeared harder
and closer than what we had seen in Minas Geraes.
Again the channel bulged out, as we emerged from the second
portal, which ends in a cliff of yellow sandy water on the left
bank. And again the grey nimbus in the purple northern sky
sent forth howling blasts, and a slanting rain which compelled us
to anchor thrice. The pilot determined at last that this is the
wet season, and somewhat regretted that he had left home. We
presently made fast to a sand-bar in the stream, and prepared to
night. Far to the west was a blue crest fading in the distance.
We are now nearly on a parallel with Paranaguá of Piauhy, on
the southern head-water of the great northern Paranahyba River,*
and this may be an offset from the dividing ridge between the two
valleys, called in maps Serra dos dois Irmãos, and here the Serra
do Piauhy.
Oct. 13.-As work was not to be done by day, we deter-
mined to try the night in places of minor interest; the moon
also was nearly full, and robbed the snag of a few terrors.
Again, the yellow muddy colour of the margin told us that the
São Francisco had fallen to the extent of six inches, and we
""
* St. Hil. (III. ii. 250) explains Parana-
hyba as a corruption of Pararayba, "rivière
allant se jeter dans une petite mer. Sr.
J. de Alencar supplics the true derivation:
"Para," the sca, 'nhanha," to run, and
"hyba," an arm, "running arm of the
(6
sea," that is, tidal river. Three words in
the Lingua Geral are easily confounded,-
hyba (hiba), an arm; ayba (aiba), bud; and
hybá, ibá, ybá or iná, a tree, especially a
fruit tree, and often used as a desinenco.
CHAP. XXII.] VILLA DA BARRA TO PILÃO ARCADO.
341
jealously watched every symptom, wanting as much flood as
possible, with an eye to the Rapids. At 3.10 A.M. there was a
mist, or rather a thin rain, the first "Garôa "-fog since quit-
ting the charming Rio das Velhas, and under its influence the
river showed a sea horizon. At 7 A.M. we saw over the dark-
green right bank the Serrotinho (M. Halfeld's Serrote do Rio
Verde), with its two heads of the lightest leek-colour. A little
to the south of it enters the Lower Rio Verde, whose mouth is
about 230 feet broad, and whose line admits of scanty naviga-
tion. Like its namesake, the water is distinctly salt. On the
north-east was the Serra do Boqueirão, a long vanishing line
of buttresses, forming three distinct bluffs. Upon the left bank
rose a little hill upon whose crupper sits the Villa of Pilão
Arcado, the end of this highly interesting Travessía.*
* In Mr. Keith Johnston's map, the
dotted line of the Rio Verde is placed at
some distance below "Pilau," whence it
enters the São Francisco, about two miles
above Pilão Arcado.
CHAPTER XXIII.
FROM THE EX-VILLA DO PILÃO ARCADO TO THE VILLA DE
SENTO SÉ.
EIGHTH TRAVESSIA, 31 LEAGUES.
PILAO ARCADO DESCRIBED.-RUINED BY PRIVATE WARS.—GREAT IRON FORMA-
TIONS.-STORMS AGAIN.-BAD APPROACH TO THE VILLA DO REMANSO.—
THE TOWN DESCRIBED.-RESUME WORK. THE GREAT EASTERLY BEND OF
THE RIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO. THE TUCUM PALM.-LIMESTONE.-AN IRON
HILL, THE SERROTE DO TOMBADOR.-SHELLS.-THE MINHOCAO MONSTER
WORM. THE WILLOWS.-REACH THE TOWN OF SENTO SÉ.
S
"The Missouri and the Mississippi Rivers, with their hundred tributaries, give
to the great Central Basin of our Continent its character and destiny."
Mr. Everett, July 4, 1861.
،،
PILÃO ARCADO is still a mere hamlet; the original settlers here
found a crooked wooden mortar, hence the corrupted name.* A
natural pier of iron-revetted clay projects to the north-east, and
throws the stream to the right bank, where it forms a sack; the
channel then sweeps to the north-west. The beach shows con-
glomerate, based upon soft green shale, which is traversed by
quartz veins.
Three nameless or unnamed streets, running
parallel with the water, contains about 200 houses, including a
casa nobre with wooden shutters. The Church of Santo
Antonio is a mere "tapéra" of bare wattle. The rising ground
behind the settlement shows brown soil, growing tolerable cotton,
and cactus in quantities; higher up it is scattered with quartz,
white and rusty, and with fragments of various-coloured Itaco-
lumites. Here M. Halfeld places the beginning of the gneiss,
""
* Properly "Pilão arqueado."
The
terms do Pilão, or dos Piloes, are often
added to the names of streams, mountains,
and new settlements in the back-woods.
Either a coarse wooden mortar used by the
aborigines was found upon the ground, or
the neighbourhood had peaks, needles, or
cheese-wrings, which the new comers com-
pared with pestles and mortars.
CHAP. XXIII.]
EX-VILLA DO PILÃO ARCADO TO SENTO SÉ.
343
or gneiss-granite," which will presently pass into true
granite.
In former days Pilão Arcado washed gold from its hills, made
sugar, which was dark but tolerably heavy and well flavoured, and,
being the centre of the Salinas, supplied salt to the settlements
up and down-stream.* It became a villa, the chief place of a
termo, and the residence of a Juge de droit; presently it lost the
privilege-desvillou-se-which was transferred to "Remanso,"
distant sixteen leagues. The principal cause of its decadence was a
private war which lasted for some generations, and which remind
us of the days of the Percies of Northumberland. Such things
were in former times common all over the Brazil as they had
been throughout Europe, and traces of the Montague and Capulet
system are still to be found in many towns of the interior. Here
the rival houses were those of the Guerreiro and the Militão
families, names that suited well with their fierceness. The head
of the former, in late years, was Bernardo José Guerreiro; whilst
the latter were "Captained" by the Commendador, Militão
Placido de França Antunes. This distinguished "valentão" for
nine or ten years defied the power of the Imperial Government,
here perhaps a unique feat, and he appears to have been like the
dreaded "Defterdar" of Egypt, a man of peculiar personal "grit."
At the Villa da Barra I saw one of his victims who had lost both
hands, and I heard of another whom for a greater offence he had
caponized. He died in 1865,‡ aged sixty-two, and, as was said
of a certain St. Paul of Scotland, that Militão merited the epitaph,
"Here lies he who never feared the face of man." Since the
death of this energetic person, who will long be remembered as
the "Brigador Militão"-Militão the Fighter-Pilão Arcado and
the neighbourhood have known quiet days. It showed as a novelty
sails applied to a large ferry boat.
Resuming our work, we found the river trending generally to
the north-east, but often breaking to the west, whilst a multitude
of islands and sand-bars rendered the course very devious. The
channel, in places two miles broad, contained much more dry
،،
* St. Hil. (HI. i. 293) mentions the Sal
do Pilão Arcado, corrupted to Piloes Ar-
cados, from the Province of "Fernambom,"
now Bahia.
11
† I need hardly warn the reader that we
must not say, as in the French translation
of Koster's Travels, "le valentoens s'age-
nouilla."
M. Halfeld (Relat. pp. 105-111)
speaks of this brave as one who had de-
parted life.
344
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL. [CHAP. XXIII.
land than water; the branches were often bigger than the Rio das
Velhas, and in parts, especially on the left bank, a narrow natural
canal, the "Paranamirim" of the Amazons River, had been laid
off by long, thin tracts of insulated ground. A little above the
Upper Remanso (Remanso do Imbuseiro), the stream winds sud-
denly from north-east to east, with southing. The line now
becomes populous, and on the left bank the fields are fenced in.
The waterside abounds in a lush growth of Capim Cabelludo or
hairy grass, and above it is a wooded wave of ground topped by a
blue-green cone. On the other bank is the Serra do Boqueirão,
the northern extremity of the Serra de Assaruá. The blocks,
separated by low ground, where the drainage passes, were well
defined by the cloud-shadows, and faced the river like cliffs
fronting the ocean. Near the summit are long white lines of per-
pendicular wall, regular as if fortifications had been thrown up by
the Titans; below them the reddish-brown ramp, apparently
clothed with dwarf bush, slopes at the usual angle. The material
is Itacolumite, based, according to M. Halfeld, on granite or
gneiss (schistose granite).
""
At the Boqueirão Grande, or Great Gap, between the bluffs, the
river again bends to the north-east, and a little below, off the
Fazenda da Praia, there is a bad rock in mid-stream. Presently
we passed on the left Carauá,* the large white house and
tiled out-houses of the old "Brigador Militão." A
A "bull's eye
glared fiercely at us from the east, and an African rain-sun had
warned us to be prudent. We made fast to the north of a Corôa,
called Ilha do Bento Pires, from some huts on the left bank;
and here we found a large barca moored in expectation of the
temporal." This squall did not come on till dark; en revanche
it lasted through the night.
<C
October 14.-We proceeded cautiously down the channel, which
is here shallow and bristling with crags. The valley is watered
on the east by the Serra do Boqueirãosinho, a prolongation of the
Boqueirão, and on the summit there is a "taboleiro alto," with
fine fertile lands. At 11 A.M. we landed near the Serrote do Velho,
*M. Halfeld writes this word Carná.
In Tupy, however, it is Carauá and Carauá-
ta; hence corrupted to Caroa, Caroata,
Caragoata, Gravatá (in the Bay of Rio de
Janeiro), and (Bromelia) to Karatas by the
botanist. In a future volume I shall have
something to say about this most important
genus, whose edible fruit gives spirits and
vinegar, and whose fibre, valued for ham-
mocks and nets, is current as coin in parts
of the Brazil.
CHAP. XXIII.] EX-VILLA DO PILÃO ARCADO TO SENTO SÉ.
345
the most southerly of three trunnion-shaped buttresses, which
we had seen from early dawn looking blue and small. The nar-
row ledge supported a few pauper huts and bore poor bush upon
a red clay, too ferruginous to be fertile without lime. Crossing
a foul backwater behind the settlement we ascended the hill-slope;
it is scattered over with red Itacolumite, cut and cloven by quartz
veins, and with magnetic iron, the hardest possible Jacutinga,
black and amorphous. As fuel here abounds, and transport
as well as water-power are at hand, it may some day prove
valuable.
From the hill top we had a good view of the river, which here
narrows, and the gut is rendered dangerous by snags, shoals, and
a large central rock. Here again M. Halfeld would control the
stream by fascines-a hopeless task. We crossed to the left
bank a stony floor remarkably rich in shells (No. 3), which are
now common on the river, and which will extend to the Great
Rapids; those lying upon the sand-banks were empty, and the
animal seems to prefer shallow water near the edges. The storm
had now worked round to the south, and the scene looked
(C
*
ugly" as the mouth of the Gaboon River before a tornado.
The sky was hung with purple black, white-grey cottony mists.
lay upon the earth, and the water gleamed with a sickly yellow.
Two men were placed at the helm, and presently the fierce.
"rebojos" were down upon us, driving on the "Eliza" with
furious speed, and tearing to pieces the surface of the stream.
We were compelled to paddle across-always a risky process, as
"broaching-to" swamps the raft; tufts of shrub emerging from
the water showed where a Corôa had lately been. A bow-shaped
ripple to the right hand denoted the bank upon which we
grounded; all sprang into the water till the "Eliza," vigorously
pushed and shoved, sloped over to the safe side. At the bottom
of the reach which runs from south to north, we had seen
"Remanso;" the site is a wave of ground gradually sinking to
the deep still water † which gave the place a name; from afar the
appearance is striking, but a nearer prospect shows little to
admire.
A single barca was being built upon the clay bank, where
*The Rebojo is a gale like the Pampero
further south; in the plural it is synony-
mous with refegas, raffales, gusts.
At the time when I passed it the
"}
remanso in front of the town had be-
come a strong stream.
(C
346
[CHAP. XXIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
several craft lay decaying. The Villa do Remanso, which till
eight years ago was an Arraial or village, extends along stream
from north to south. The houses straggle down towards the
water, and the suburbs wander over the higher land. It is fronted
by a large flat island, and below it the channel is narrowed by
sand-bars and shoals. To the west, a lumpy blue rise projects
from the dividing ridge between the valleys of the São Francisco
and the Paranahyba,* while down-stream are the Morro do Marco
and the picturesque Serra do Sobrado, whose crooked cones,
quoins, and plateaux form an outline like a crested sea rushing
to the north-west.
The houses of the new Villa may number 300, and many of
them show a water-mark two feet high. The rains had deposited
big puddles in every street, and the damp heat reminded me of
Zanzibar. A ragged square to the north still bore the platform
of poles erected to hail the return of July 2nd-the Provincial
Independence Day. There is another open space to the south, and
the Chapel of Na Sa do Rosario, which appeared so grand in the
offing, was a bald little chapel, with its ruined sacristy to the
north.
The people number about 1500, more or less. Here men are
so incurious that after living thirty years in a hamlet of fifty
houses they have never taken the trouble to count roofs or noses.
We met with, however, some signs of animation; the tailor was
at work, and beer-everywhere the test of civilization-was for
sale in the shops. Salinas and good breeding grounds lie on
both sides of the stream. The popular complexion, however,
shows sign of dyscratia, and a French "Commis-voyageur," col-
lecting the debts of his Bahian employers, complained of fever,
and declared that life at Remanso is "heute roth morgen
todt." The "curandeiros" have given some dietetic ideas,
and have taught the sick to use bitters rather than sweets.
Lieut.-Col. José Cirino de Souza, who acknowledged by a visit.
my introductory letter, was astonished to see M. Davidson.
devouring sugar, more Americano, after suffering severely from
ague.
At 4 P.M. we set out, and having run a league down-stream, we
* The ridge cannot be of importance, as
it does not produce any but the smallest
influents.
—
We here caught the first carrapato-
tick since leaving Urubú.
&
EX-VILLA DO PILÃO ARCADO TO SENTO SÉ.
CHAP. XXIII.]
347
anchored at a Corôa opposite the Serra do Sobrado. Here we
seemed likely to rue the night of
Mali culices ranæque palustres ;
and, in addition to the gnats, the mosquitos, which during the
day had comfortably housed themselves under the awning and in
the nooks of the ajôjo, began to sing and sting. The latter, how-
ever, after a few minutes rose and departed; only a few unusually
pertinacious passed with us the night. Presently, as the sun
disappeared, hosts of large ruddy bats (noctiliones) wheeled with
their jerking flight, aud skimmed the surface of the stream. The
thermometer speedily fell to 68°-70° (F.), and the high wind
combined with the saturated atmosphere made us tremble with
cold. At the same time it effectually silenced the frog concert.
Oct. 15.-This furious weather is, they say, the effect of the
full moon, and the wind shows no sign of weariness. On the
right bank a block of mountains rise suddenly from the "Baix-
ada," or plain, and prolongs itself down the stream. To the left
is the abrupt Sobrado, with cones and outliers. The upper parts
were brown, and the lower skirts were already turning green; the
hasty drainage probably causes this exceptional phenomenon.
M. Halfeld makes the material "Itacolumite with hydrate of iron
and pyrites," the sign of auriferous formation. The name is
derived from a feature which will be common further on, a tall
pile of white stone, emerging from the bush, and not unlike a two-
storied house. As we approached (7.25 A.M.) the low and sandy
Ilha da Tapéra (do Muniz) an "olho de boi" drove us across the
waves, which swept over the raft platform, and in a few minutes
we found shelter amongst the shallows to the left. Here we
passed the day, imprisoned by the north-east wind. Happily I
had with me a few pocket classics, the woe of my youth, the
neglect of my manhood, and the delight of my old age, and with
Hafiz and Camoens, Horace and Martial, occupation was never
wanting.
Beyond Remanso the channel bends round directly to the east,
and runs in long reaches, with more or less of northing, but
seldom trending towards the west. The wet weather will now
cease; the rainy season will break in mid-November, and last
only four months; and the showers, which in other parts begin
and end the true rains, are often absent. The skies will be clear
348
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL. [CHAP. XXIII.
ultramarine, and the evaporation excessive; book-covers will
again curl up, and ink will dry in the pen. The sensation was at
first that of a St. Martin's summer,* and, though we had been.
threatened with all manner of sufferings from the sun, I judged
the climate to be very healthy. On the other hand we are enter-
ing a funnel, a fine conductor of wind, and barcas sometimes take
fifteen days to cover the 108 miles ↑ between this and Joazeiro.
The gale will sometimes last even through the night, and I find
in my journal that every day's Trade is worse than the day before.
The draught increases because the land becomes more sandy, and
there are frequent tracts of rich Jacutinga. Below Remanso also
we miss upon the Corôa the diamantine "formação," and this
suggests that sometimes the supply of the upper bed is not washed
from a great distance. Of the granite and carbonate of lime I
will speak when we reach their limits.
+
Oct. 16.-Despite the head wind we set out at dawn. Passing
the Ilha Grande do Zabelé, a monster of an island, we saw in the
stream lumps of whitish rock, which proved to be pure limestone. ‡
After two hours we were driven to take refuge on the right bank.
Here the land is inundated, and the short manioc must be taken
up before the floods. The plots were defended against cattle with
a wealth of timber. The marshy soil produces the largest and
spiniest "Tucums;" the stems were at least thirty feet high,
double the normal size, and the thorns were strong enough to
pierce a cow's hide. This Palm (Astrocaryum tucum)§ is so unlike
a palm that Sellow would not admit it into the family, and at first
sight the stranger feels disposed to agree with him. It is found
growing upon the seaboard, and extending to altitudes of 1000
*Tho pilots, indeed, called it tho ve-
ranhico," which breaks the rainy season
about December or January. In Peru it
happens about Christmas; honco it is
called "El Verano do Niño "-the Summer
of the Babe. The Spaniards, bo it re-
marked, are far more poctical in thought
and feeling than the Portuguese; it is the
Arab versus the Roman. On the other hand,
the Portuguese have produced far better
poets than the Spaniards.
Tho pilots who, I have said, always
cxaggerato distance, mako 40 instead of
36 leagues from Remanso to Joazeiro, and
18 instead of 16 to Sento Sé.
M. Halfeld (Relatorio, p. 117) calls
them "Rochas Vivas," whatever that may
moan.
§ This is the Toucoun of P. Yves d'Ev-
reux (1613). It is mentioned by Piso
and Manoel Forroira da Camara (Descrip-
çam fisica da Comarca dos Ilhcos). Ar-
ruda (Cent. Plant. Peru.) has a poor opinion
of the fibre, and his description has been
analysed by Koster (Appendix, vol. ii.).
John Mawe attempted it, and was duly
criticised by Prince Max. (i. 118). In tho
Compendio da Lingua Brazilica, by F. R. C.
de Faria (Pard, Santos e Filhos, 1858), we
find that the Tupys called the fruit of tho
Tucum, "Tucuma; Mr. Bates (i. 124)
writes Tucumá; and the Peruvians call
it "Chambira.
""
-
CHAP. XXIII.]
EX-VILLA DO PILÃO ARCADO TO SENTO SE 349
feet, where it prefers shady ground. Usually the “frêle palmier”
is from twelve to sixteen feet in height and five to six inches in
diameter. The hard black nut produces an edible almond; the
fibre is drawn by folding the foliole and pulling out the nervature
of the parenchyma with a peculiar knock. The novice who
ignores the twist is sure to break the leaf before the threads are
drawn out naked, and a practised hand makes only one-eighth of
a pound per diem. The practice is, doubtless, derived from the
"Indians," who make their bow-strings of " tucum" fibre, cotton,
or Bromelia-bast. Maceration was tried and failed, as the leaf
decayed at the end of a week. On the Brazilian seaboard Tucum
thread is used for fishing-nets, and bales of the greenish yarn pass
as money, with the average value of 2$ 000 per pound. On the
São Francisco River the Tucum is also valued by seine-makers.
The leaves when young make good mats and baskets, and when
old, thatch. We cut down many of these prickly palms for
walking-sticks. They are strong, heavy, and elastic, polishing to
a fine dark colour, like those of the Brejahúba palms (Astroca-
ryum Ayri).
Here we struck upon and followed a cattle path leading west.
The surface was sandy, with platforms of slabs or lumps, compact
or scattered, of carbonate of lime, almost marble, ready to make
a shell road. Nothing could be finer than the soil, which in
places was flooded by the late rains. We were charmed by the
vegetation. The "Ingá" Mimosa was hanging itself about with
soft white balls, whilst the Juá (Zizyphus) and the Favelleiro in
bud gave out the most grateful odour. The Páo Pereira* (a Cas-
suvia) bore apple-like flowers; it gives wax; the bark is used for
fevers; and an extract of it kills, like mercury, the "bernes" that
appear in the wounds of cattle. The leguminous "Páo de Colher"
(Spoon-tree), a congener of the far-famed "Brazil-wood," turns
up its holly-like leaves, as the frizzly fowl does its feathers. The
Convolvulus displays especial beauties, and the species of Big-
nonia (?) known by the general term "Açoitá Cavallo," or " Switch
horse," overrun the trees, forming splendid canopies with delicious
perfume. One bears trumpet blossoms of the finest mauve colour,
and the other, silver-gold with leek-green leaves, is a delight to
the eye. We shall often see them down-stream. Many of the
* Or Pereiro: it is mentioned by the System.
350
[CHAP. XXIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
growths had a spicy odour. The Cactus was everywhere, from
the Turk's Fez to the tall Chandelier, nor were the Bromelias less
in force. The aloe-formed species (Vellozia Aloifolia) was putting
forth long spikes of deep-pink flower, tipped with purple and light
blue. Another, called by the general term Carauá (Bromelia
variegata), had whitish-green transversal rings upon the dark-
green surface, and a terminal spur, sharp as a scorpion's sting,
which reminded me of the "Hig" of Somali-land. This species
produces the best white fibre for hammocks, and it is stronger
when not macerated in water.
Presently we reached the base of the "Serrote do Tombador."
It is a detached buttress, now a common feature, and, from
different points of view, it appears circular, pyramidal, or cunei-
form; it looks higher than it is for want of comparison. The
material is magnetic iron,* of which traces are found in the
clay of the river bank: and it is based upon limestone, its
natural flux. The ore was almost pure, and large fragments
might have served as anvils; it broke into rhomboids, glittering
with finely diffused mica, and it was banded with the whitest
quartz, and here and there faced with a paste of pudding stone.
The needle was so much affected by it, that we were compelled
to take the sun for our guide. Rock crystal, the "flower of
silver," was scattered about, and quartz seamed with black mica
glittered like galena.
A sharp ridge, striking east and west, crested the hill, which
may be 250 feet high; the northern flank is precipitous, but it
is easily ascended from the south and from the south-east.
The Mimosas and thorny trees become rare as we ascend, and
presently disappear, the Bromelia dwindles to three or four
inches in length, without, however, any abatement of its inju-
rious thorns; the cylindrical cactus is mostly in decay, and from
the irregular cleavage of the hill-top, the Macambira raises its
tall flower spikes waving in the air. Iguanas and lizards, real
salamanders for sun-heat, had here made their homes. We
passed the earths of the little Môcô coney, and bleached shells
(No. 4), rare below, above common. At this season, unfortu-
nately, all are dead, and the young race will not appear till the
rains set in. A pair of fine pearl-grey hawks, with white waist-
* Ferro Oligisto, M. Halfeld (Rel. p. 118).
CHAP. 351
·
XXIII.] EX-VILLA DO PILÃO ARCADO TO SENTO SE.
coats (Falco plumbeus ?), screamed at us, hovered over our heads,
and seemed prepared to do battle: probably the nest was near.
These birds have a rapid flight, and are said to be good
hunters.
From the summit we had a view which disclosed at first glance
the gigantic scale of the denudation.* The yellow stream flowed
in a broad band at our feet, through a plain subject to floods,
and with a minimum breadth of six leagues. It was buttressed
by a number of deceptive cones, like that upon which we stood;
some grey-coloured with limestone, others dark with oligiste, and
their superior hardness had preserved them from the common
destruction. Both sides of the valley were highlands; to the
north the forms were less regular, and the softer portions had
been worn away.
On the south appeared three long terraces
curving into several bays; below the horizontal surfaces of the
upper heights long white lines of perpendicular wall, like sea
cliffs, capped their slopes, regular as if laid out by the hand.
Descending the hill, we found the wind breaking the current
into backward-rolling yellow yeast. Occasionally taking shelter
under a Giráo of four posts with fascined top, we collected the
zebra'd snail-shells scattered over the fields. They were met
with chiefly in the Maníba, † the dwarf manioc, which ripens in
six or seven months. At 2:30 we embarked, but shortly after-
wards an opalescent "Olho de boi," crowning a thin column of
rain which was falling in little sheets all around, drove us to an
anchorage under "As Queimadas." Here the bank, twenty-two
feet high, is cut into broad steps by the floods which spread two
miles into the country. The people attribute the extensive
caving in of the side, where, by-the-bye, the river forms a gut,
to the gambols of the monster" Minhocão" in the days that were.
No one, however, would affirm that he had seen the "Worm."
The little settlement contains about fifty thatched huts, the
people fish, breed cattle, sheep, and long-legged pigs, cultivate
"They reminded me of Mr. Bates'
description of flat-topped hills between
Santarim and Pará, in the narrow part of
the valley near Almeyrim, rising 800 fect
above the present level of the Amazons."
Usually "Maniba," or Maniva," is
the stalk of manioc, the root is man-
dioca," the juice is "manipuera," and the
leaves are (( manisoba." The latter is pro-
(C
(C
bably the "manacóba" which Gardner
applies to a large species of the Jatropha.
The root was the staff of life to the Bra-
zilian "
Indians," and the civilised race
has inherited from them an immense ter-
minology descriptive of the plant: a vo-
lume might easily be filled with it.
*f-
"Desmoronamento." M. Halfeld (Rel.
p. 119) also heard this legend.
352
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL. [CHAP. XXIII.
maize and manioc, and send to Remanso fruits, oranges, and
limes, grown upon the other bank. Despite the sunset of purest
yellow gold, the high east wind blew all night, and lowered the
mercury to shivering point, 68° (F.). The repose was not com-
fortable, the tender-canoe bumped unceasingly against the "Eliza,”
and the latter rocked like that great ship which admitted the cow
into the ladies' cabin; the village drunkard periodically visited us,
asking for fire till the small hours, and the dog Negra received
him with furious barkings.
Oct. 17.-A fine sky and heat-promising sun were perfect con-
ditions for a gale. We passed on the right bank the Fazenda do
Monteiro, a clearing with tiled huts. Behind it is the Morro do
Monteiro; it is a cone seen from the west, from the east a saddle-
back with smaller adjunct; the colour is grey, and we picked up
only sandstone and ferruginous quartz. After three hours of vain
struggling, we anchored at Trahiras on the southern bank; here
also is a Morro, which yielded Itacolumite and quartz.* On the
opposite side, the Serra do Pico with the conical Morro do Chifre
form a segment of an arc, whose hollow is to the stream. It is a
low mass with "flancs tourmentés and cups which, due to
weathering, suggest parasitic craters; a large ypoeira flows past
its southern base.
""
Resuming our task in the afternoon, we were soon driven to
the Fazenda do Oliveira, six leagues from Sento Sé. The place
swarmed with negrolings and poultry, amongst which were a
tame Jacú (Penelope) and a peacock, which surprised us with
its melancholy cry. A fine fat pig (capado) was offered for
10$ 000. The proprietor, Lieut.-Col. Antonio Martins, stalked
about the premises, but did not address us as we brought no
introductory letter; had he been a Paulista or a Mineiro, we
should have seen more of the inside, less of the outside, of his
house.
October 18.-An awful stillness at dawn was a bad sign.
The river had greatly fallen during the night; we grounded
heavily at the outset, and we had hardly turned the point when
the cuttingly cold east-wind set in, and drove us ashore, whilst
the deep blue cloud-bank threatened to keep us "in quod."
All our attempts to break prison were unavailing till the after-
* IIere M. Halfeld found veins of chlorite and pyrites.
CHAP. XXIII.] EX-VILLA DO PILÃO ARCADO TO SENTO SE.
353
noon, when the increased heat produced flows shifting to the
south. We passed the thatched huts, with here and there a
tiled house, called "As Areas" and "dos Carapinas,"* backed
by high waves of white sand. After working five hours to cover
nine miles, we were driven to the right bank, near the Povoação
da Lagôa.
A swamp behind it swarms with water-fowl, and
on the northern or opposite bank is a little stream, the Barra das
Itans.†
cone.
October 19.—This day's weather reflected that of yesterday.
We set out at 5 A.M., and were soon forced to lay up under the
shelter of a Corôa. On the northern bank, rising from chocolate-
coloured bush, was a white-capped dome with a bald ridgey head,
and further to the east, the Pico de Santarem, a sharp little
Here the crew sold part of their stock to a stout young
fellow, the main of whose dress consisted of a bit of leather.
He can always catch fish and sell it when caught, and he
professed the profoundest indifference for anything but straw hats
and sweetmeats. The sands supplied us with an abundant col-
lection of live and dead shells (No. 3).
At 1:40 P.M., when the fiercest gusts had blown themselves out,
we again began to wind between the island, sandbanks, and
shoals, which rendered steering a difficult task. The right bank,
populous with villages and farms, was very rich land; canoes
were fastened to the beach, and piles of wood, cut and squared,
stood ready for sale. Here the stream was overhung with a
shrub, whose homely form we had but lately remarked. The
people call it Mangui (here Hibiscus); it is, however, a dwarf
willow, which grows in beds, and supplies strong and supple
withes. The leaves are spiny at the edges, somewhat like the
holly, but by no means so well armed; the rest of the shrub
reminded me of the Amazonian Salix Humboldtiana (Willd.),
according to Mr. Spence the only species of true willow known in
the hot equatorial plains.
As we advanced the river showed a clear channel, and we
* (C
Carapina" in the Lingua Geral is
translated Carpuiteiro; it is possibly an
"Indian" corruption of the latter word;
but it is popular in Minas Geraes and on
the São Francisco.
Also written Itans and Intanhas.
Itán in Tupy means a shell generally.
VOL. II.
(Journal, p. 90, R. Geog. Soc., vol.
xxxvi. of 1866.) Mr. Davidson remarked
that everything is thorny in these lands,
even the willow.
I did not neglect to
collect specimens of this curious shrub:
unfortunately they were lost.
A A
354
[CHAP. XXIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
""
passed on the right bank the barras or mouths of two streams,
"da Ypoeira," and "de Sento Sé.' The former drains a
lagoon to the west-south-west, and the latter is fed by the
southern highlands. At 4 P.M., after again wasting five hours
over nine miles, we came to an anchorage-the Porto de Sento
Sé.
* In Mr. Keith Johnston's map we
find below Sento Sé the mouth of a long
dotted line, the "R. do Salitre," which,
with a course of some 35 leagues, drains
the western counterslopes of the "Serra
Chapada Diamantina. The people assured
me that the stream falling in above Sento
""
Sé is of very limited extent; and, as will
be seen, the Riacho do Salitre enters the
main artery close above Joazeiro. Here
the influents greatly diminish in number
and importance: the flanking ranges
approach the river valley, and render it very
different from the higher stream.
CHAPTER XXIV.
FROM THE VILLA DE SENTO SÉ TO THE CACHOEIRA DO
SOBRADINHO AND THE VILLA DO JOAZEIRO.
NINTH TRAVESSIA, 18 LEAGUES.
SENTO SÉ DESCRIBED.-INDOLENCE OF PEOPLE. THE PORTO.-THE WOMEN.-
LONG DELAYS BY WINDS.-PRETTY COUNTRY.-VILLAGE NEAR THE ILHA
DE SANTA ANNA.-WE ATTACK THE CACHOEIRA DO SOBRADINHO, THE
FIRST BREAK AFTER 720 MILES.—OUR LIFE ON THE RIVER.—PRECAUTIONS
FOR HEALTH.-REACH THE VILLA DO JOAZEIRO.
O prospecto, que os olhos arrebata
Na verdura das arvores frondosa,
Faz que o erro se escuse a meu aviso
De crer que fora hum dia O Paraiso.
Cara. 7, 75.
* M. Millivet (Geog. Dict.) has grammati-
cized and nonsensed the word to "Santa Sé,"
which has been adopted by Mr. Keith John-
ston. M. Halfeld, following the pronuncia-
tion, writes it indifferently Santocé, Sentocé,
Centocé, in the Map Sento Sé.
There are
KĖ
THE "Porto de Sento Sé”* consists of fishermen's huts in a
row, separated by a tall wooden cross; a few of the tenements
are tiled, most of them are thatched, and the walls show a water-
mark three feet high. All have small compounds grown with
shrubs, especially the Castor-plant. The soil is white and sandy,
and the floods penetrate deep into the land. It is difficult to
understand why the first dwellers did not prefer the opposite
bank, where, a few yards higher up, the channel is clean, and
there are two undulations which the waters can never reach. We
walked to the Villa de Sento Sé, about a mile (1550 yards) to the
south-west. The poor dry plain, now coarse yellow sand,
becomes during the rains a stream bed: we saw the weeds of the
last floods adhering to the shrub-stems. It was sprinkled with
many similar names on this part of the
stream, as Uruçé and Prepeçé (before
noticed). Sento Sé, like Sabará, was the
name of an Indian Cacique to whom the
lands belonged, and I have followed the
spelling adopted by the Sento Sé family.
A A 2
356
[CHAP. XXIV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
the Carnahúba palm, which seems to delight in these situations of
extreme wet and excessive aridity. On the left of the path was a
bit of water which, with its neat border of trees and its central
islet, looked artificial; the silent spoon-bill paced away in his
delicate rosy coat, and the noisy harlequin plover fled screaming
as we approached.
The Villa is at the margin of this "dry swamp;" to the south
and west the horizon is fringed with Carnahúbas, showing the
course of the stream. About half a league behind it are two
lumpy hills gashed into red and grey quarries, and lined and
patched with white quartz and sandstone. Here they form cliffs
and walls, there they are detached buttresses; the general colour
is that of the sunburnt flat, and they seem to reek with heat.
This Serra do Mulungú * is, apparently, an offset from the Serra
do Brejo, which up-stream showed its white cliff-walls, and which
now bends from south-west to north-west. The material is
granite piercing through the sandstones and secondary forma-
tions; we are fast descending to the rock-floor, the core of the
land, and we begin to know without being told that we must be
approaching a succession of Rapids.
The entrance to the Villa was viâ the prison, a tiled roof, lath
and plaster walls (páo a pique), and iron bands nailed to a
window frame. Opposite it stood the Church of S. José, remark-
able only for its excellent bricks, and for the "Cantariá" quart-
zose granite, with spots of black mica in the blue-grey matrix ; †
with the exception of the wandering block shown to us at the
Brejo do Solgado, it is the first upon which we have lighted
since we left the coast ranges. Hence it will extend at intervals
all down the São Francisco.
By the side of the church, facing north-west, and raised above
the floods, are half a dozen tiled and white-washed houses;
behind is a scatter of palm-thatched huts, and the only neat
tenement is that of the Vigario. The travelled "Menino " bit-
terly scoffed at this attempt at a Villa, where we found fresh
meat and rum, but could not buy even the pepper of the country.
* Mulungú (probably an African word)
is the name of a thorny leguminous tree
with beans of a lively red and black like
(but much larger than) those of the Abrus
precatorius. They are mashed and applied
to the wounds of animals when the "bicho"
-
has entered.
""
M. Halfeld (Rel. 124) calls the rock
gneiss-granite, and declares that he
found in it pyrites which may prove auri-
ferous.
(6
CHAP. XXIV.]
357
VILLA DE SENTO SÉ TO JOAZEIRO.
Signs of a smithy appeared upon the ground,* but no symptoms
of an oven; here they prefer the Pão de Milho, an unleavened
"Seven days' bread," of maize-flour kneaded with boiling water.
Other favourite dishes are "faróffa," or "passóca," pounded meat
mixed with farinha, fubá, or even bananas.
The life of these country places has a barbarous uniformity.
The people say of the country "e muito atrasado," and they
show in their proper persons all the reason of the atraso. It is
every man's object to do as little as he can, and he limits his
utmost industry to the labours of the smallest Fazenda. These
idlers rise late and breakfast early, perhaps with a sweet potato
and a cup of the inevitable coffee; sometimes there is a table,
often a mat is spread upon the floor, but there is always a cloth.
It is then time "ku amkía," as the Sawahilis say, to “
drop in
upon neighbours, and to slay time with the smallest of small
talk. The hot hours are spent in the hammock, swinging,
dozing, smoking, and eating melons. Dinner is at 2 P.M., a
more substantial matter of fish, or meat, and manioc with vege-
tables at times, and everywhere, save at Sento Sé, with pepper-
sauce. Coffee and tobacco serve to shorten the long tedious.
hours, and the evening is devoted to a gentle stroll, or to "tomar
a fresca," that is, sitting in a shady spot to windward of the
house and receiving visits. Supper ushers in the night-fall, and
on every possible occasion the song and drum, the dance and
dram are prolonged till near daybreak. Thus they lose energy,
they lose memory, they cannot persuade themselves to undertake
anything, and all exertion seems absolutely impossible to them.
At Sento Sé the citizens languidly talk of a canal which is to be
brought from the Rio de São Francisco at an expense of £1680.
But no one dreams of doing anything beyond talking. "Govern-
ment" must do everything for them, they will do nothing for
themselves. After a day or two's halt in these hot-beds of indo-
lence, I begin to feel like one of those who are raised there.
9
Returning to the Porto we amused ourselves with prospecting
the people. We heard of two elders who could give information,
both however were absent, and the nearest approach to manhood
in the place was a youth in a suit of brown holland and a wide-
awake of tiger-cat skin. We hunted up, however, an intelligent
* The iron, we were told, is brought from the neighbouring Fazenda de Sento Sé
of João Nunez, upon the stream of that name,
358
[CHAP. XXIV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
old Moradora (habitantess) who did her best to enlighten us.
The washerwomen, officially called white, worked nude to the
waist: the subsequent toilette was a shift that exposed at least
one shoulder, and displayed the outlines more than enough, a
skirt and a bright cotton shawl often thrown over the head. The
feet were bare, but the hair, which was admirably thick and
glossy, was parted in the centre and combed out straight to below
the ears, where it fell in a dense mass of short stiff ringlets, re-
minding one of Nubia. Some women and many of the children
had erect hair, a "Pope's head," a fluffy gloria standing out
eight inches, like the "mop" of a Somal, or a Papuan negro.
One girl had taken for her pet a leaden-coloured, hairless dog,*
whose naked skin had a curious effect when compared with the
head of its mistress. The only trace of occupation was the
twanging of a Jango, or African music-bow, which, in the hands
of a boy, produced a murmur which was not unpleasant.
Before night a small fleet of barcas, which had been weather-
bound, and which the little raft had beaten, came in racing, and
regulating by horn and song the measured dip of their long
sweeps. During the floods they can drop down from Remanso
to Joazeiro in twenty-four hours, now they will have spent nine
days. This is the last trip of the year, and all are anxious to
end it. Most of the barcas had women on board in toilettes as
simple as those ashore. The patrão on the other hand often
wore old clothes manifestly of French build, a sign that we are
nearing civilisation.
October 20.-We set out at 3 A.M., when the barcas were all
asleep; the thermometer showed 78° (F.), which encouraged us
to expect Mormaço, clouded and windless weather. We were not
disappointed in a good working day. On the right, and lying
from south-west to north-east, was the Serra da Cumieira, t
shaped like a vast pent-roof; two days ago we saw distinctly its
snowy-white cliff walls resembling "Palisades" of dolomite,
and terminal ramps slightly concave. It is prolonged by the
Morro do Frade, a similar formation, which takes its name from
a single pike or organ-pipe standing out from the abrupt preci-
* Prince Max (i. 219) informs us that
ho never saw a specimen of these hideous
canines, which are now not uncommon at
Bahia. He refers to Humboldt (Ansichten
der Natur, p. 90), who mentions thom in
Spanish South America.
From Cume, a top or ridge-boam, thus
we say the Comb of a hill. The Cumicira
(M. Halfold, p. 126, Comioira) is opposed
to the "Caibros or rafters, which sup-
""
CHAP. XXIV.]
359
VILLA DE SENTO SÉ TO JOAZEIRO.
*
pice. The shapes of the mountains now change to the plateaux
and quoins, the ledges, bluffs, and uptilted cliffs of a granitic
country; these are probably ramifications from the primitive
ranges nearer the coast. The river is of noble breadth, 4870
feet, and its right bank about the Sitio da Gequitaia was plea-
sant to look upon. Near the water-side, plentiful as Hibiscus
on the higher stream, rose in bushes of tender, velvety verdure,
dotted with decayed leaves of dull gold, the large trumpet-shaped
and mauve-coloured flowers of the Sensitive Canudo, which, how-
ever, with all its beauty serves only to poison cattle. On more
elevated ground, and sprinkled with the Carnahúba, were fields of
the dwarf Maníba-manioc and hay, where ate their fill unusually
fine horses and asses. The fences of the wax-palm frond effec-
tually keep out the destructive water-hog (Capivara) and extend
to the stream-brink, with passages here and there left open to
the water. The countryman is evidently more industrious than
the townsman, and I was surprised to see so many evidences of
civilisation, where all is supposed by Rio de Janeiro to be a
barren barbarism.
Since morning dawned we observed outcrops of rock in mid-
stream, and on both sides; they are probably limestone, which
M. Halfeld calls "Pedras Vivas." Near Encaibro is a deposit of
calcareous matter to a certain extent quarried. Further down,
where we landed for breakfast, the bank was red with iron and
mottled with pyrites; along the brink lay bits of calcareous tuff,
water-washed into curious shapes, thigh-bones, knuckles, circles,
bulges, and spinal processes. Nearly opposite us was the Riacho
da Canôa, said to flow near a rich Salina; hence probably the
neighbouring chapel, neatly tiled and white-washed like a bride-
cake, towards which parties of people in Sunday garb were pad-
dling their canoes.
Buy
The sun, nearly overhead, waxed hot, and it stung. Yet under
the flimsy awning the heat tempered by the breeze never ex-
ceeded 87° (F.), and on shore 90° (F.). At 2 P.M. we saw on
the left bank the Casa Nova, a large white and tiled house near
the left jaw of its "riacho." It was fronted by a long sandbar,
port the "ripas or thin longitudinal
strips under the tiles.
*M. Halfeld writes Giquítaia, and trans-
lates it (Rel, 126) "pimentasoccada com Sal."
+ Above Casa Nova Mr. Keith John-
ston places the "R Casa Nova," which ho
makes the frontier line botween Bahia and
""
My
Mark
Pernambuco, running about twenty leagues
from the great river, nearly due west to
the long dividing range between the Valleys
of the São Francisco and the Paranahyba.
As will be seen, the frontier is in the
241st, not the 234th league. M. Halfeld
has laid it down correctly.
360
[CHAP. XXIV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
104
which the waters had partially covered, and a dwarf vegetation
grew apparently from the depths. Below it the bank was green
with the sweet Capim Cabelludo: the Capim d'Agua; the
Taquaril, a thin bamboo used for small pipings and fireworks,
and the Zozó, or Sosó, a kind of Pistia, like the P. stratiotes
of the Central African lakes. The pebble-banks and the sand-
bars are grown with the Angari, also called Járamatáia or Ja-
rumátaia, which springs up even when nearly covered with water;
this stiff and woody shrub, resembling a strong osier, will extend
as far as the Great Rapids. The wild Guava (Araça) is familiar
to us since the mid-course of the Rio das Velhas. About sunset
the São Francisco was a grand spectacle, of immense breadth,
smooth as oil, and reflecting, like a steel mirror, heaven and
earth. The typical formation now appeared clearly developed
on both sides; we no longer see the rule of rolling, rounded
hills and waves that characterise the Highlands of the Brazil;
yet there are ridges that continue in many parts to be stone-
faced and white-banded above. In front a distant block, the
Serra do Capim, showed behind it a dwarf rounded block which
glittered like snow in a Swiss summer. Again, off the Fazenda
do Mathias on the right bank, we sighted a low Serrote, lumpy
as a camel's back.
This day we had accomplished thirty-three miles in nine
hours, an unusual feat, and at sunset we anchored near the left
bank above the Ilha de Santa Anna. We prepared for pleasant
repose, when the north-east came down upon us, and swept the
wavelets over what we called our deck; the only change was from
bad to worst viâ worse, and vice versâ till nearly dawn.
October 21.-The wind was damnado," as the pilots ex-
pressed it, the stream again fell, and, despite the increased
velocity of the current, we made no headway. We therefore
anchored once more on the left bank, and went forth to "hunt"
provisions, which are now becoming scarce with us. The margin
showed scatters of granite and lime, with a strew of broken
shells, and some good specimens of massive laminated quartz of
the purest white. The surface of the river plain is sandy; and
the heavy rains last but four months with two of light showers;
yet the soil, enriched by the calcareous matter below, supports
flocks of sheep and goats. Here the convolvulus with fleshy
* This useful growth is unknown to the higher stream: it derives its name from
the roughness of the stem and of the under surface of the loaf.
CHAP. XXIV.]
361
VILLA DE SENTO SÉ TO JOAZEIRO.
leaves, and pink trumpet-flower (Ipomoea arenosa), was a remi-
niscence of the African coasts. We soon struck upon a bush-
path leading to a couple of huts, where good cotton was growing
in a fenced field. Yet the people were in rags; and rags, though
we think little of them in England, here startle the eye: the
women had not taken the trouble to weave the tree wool almost
within hand-reach of their doors. There was a Giráo-garden of
lavender and geranium for decorating the hair, but no one had
planted oranges or melons, bananas, or vegetables: not even rice
was to be had. The country can produce all the wants of life-
it bears nothing; the people should be well off-they are in
tatters. I compared their state with those a few leagues higher
up, and can explain their inferiority only by some difficulty of
communication.
After walking 400 yards we crossed the inundated low land,
and reached what may be called the true coast. Here the rise
was strewed with water-washed "cascalho" and angular "gur-
gulho" in regular lines. The soil was drier than usual, and
amongst the Cactaceae towered high the Mandracurú, or Manda-
curú (C. brasiliensis, Piso). It is a singular growth, often thirty
feet high with two of diameter, and the huge limbs, garnished
with stiff thorns, stand bolt upright. The wood is a bright
yellow colour with longitudinal white streaks; it is excellent for
roof-rafters (Caibros), and further down it makes the best pad-
dles. The weight, however, renders it unwieldy, and the newly-
cut wood falling into the water sinks like lead.
In the evening-anything for a change!-we dropped two miles
down-stream to the Santa Anna village. Here it is proposed,
during the dry season, to station the steamer which, during the
floods, will lie at Joazeiro, nine leagues distant. At present it
is a lump of pauper huts raised but little above the bank, whose
iron-stained and water-rolled pebbly beds accompany us some
way down. For four patacas (1$140)* we engaged a pilot for
the Rapids, called do Sobradinho or de Vidal Affonso.† During
the last 720 miles we have seen nothing but a wind-ripple; this
is the portal of a new region, and the river will offer ever-increas-
ing difficulties, culminating in an impossibility. We examined
* Barcas pay 4000, and when lost
nothing.
++ "Sobradinho" is rock-boulder, ge-
nerally crowning a hill, and of smallor
size than the Sobrado. Concerning the
old name,
"Vidal Affonso, at present
found only in books, I cannot offer the
least information.
362
[CHAP. XXIV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
carefully the lay of the land and stream. Opposite Santa Anna
is the Ilhote do Junco, a mere sandstrip, backed by the Ilha do
Junco, or de Santa Anna, an inhabited and cultivated island
nearly four miles long, by one and a half broad. The channel
running from west to east, trends at the end of the Santa Anna
island to the south-east, and breaks over scattered rocks for
about one league, rendering the whole of the right-hand channel
unnavigable. On the left bank the Serras da Cachoeira and do
Sobrado approach the stream with a lay from north-east to south-
west. Upon the opposite side the Serrote do Tatauhy springing
from the south-east completes the head of a broad arrow with
the Serra da Castanhern * from the south-west. The latter has
a roof-ridge outline slightly bent in the middle, and near the
stream projects a white knob, the Serra do Capim. The reefs
are nothing but the subaqueous prolongations of these aërial
granitic lines.†
Oct. 22.-Despite wind and sun, and "solemn warnings,"-the
people caution us against accidents, and I "take blame,"-we
shipped the pilot Jacinto José de Souza, and set out at 2 P.M. to
attack the Cachoeira do Sobradinho. Running in an hour down
the smooth water to the north of the Ilha de Santa Anna, we
came to the head of the Ilha da Cachoeira-a thin strip of well-
wooded island-about four miles long, with a narrow channel
between it and the left bank. The main stream, still flow-
ing on the right, is broken by a number of tufty islets; the
pilot declares that it would be suicide to attempt this gridiron
of reefs trending from north-east to south-west, forming the
Cachoeira do Junco, and ending in the fierce Cachoeira de
Tatauhy.
The navigable Chenal on the left is called the Braço da
Cachoeira or do Sobradinho; the upper mouth, 200 yards broad,
presently narrows to half that width, and the general trend is
south-east, with shiftings to the south and east. Here the
smooth water ends, and the current greatly increases, never,
however, exceeding six miles an hour. The first obstacle was
‡
*M. Halfeld calls it the "Serra do
Sacco do Meio."
Behind this broad arrow, and forming,
as it were, its shaft, is the Serra do Salitre
or do Mulato, which resembles in gentle
brown ramp and upper white bluff tho
Serra da Cumicira below Sento Sé. When
-
approaching Joazoiro, the highest part of
this range seems to be capped by a bonnet,
like the Pintor of Chique-Chiquo.
((
"}
Of course I mean at the time when
wo passed it. Even then the six miles may
be diminished to an average of four miles an
hour.
CHAP. XXIV]
363
VILLA DE SENTO SÉ TO JOAZEIRO.
a pyramid in mid stream, with a platform of rock "en cabochon,'
projecting from the left bank. The material is a large-grained
brown-grey granite, often iron-stained and veined with quartz ;
it has large holes, in which the salt-maker evaporates the saline
water which he has obtained by straining the mould.
* M.
Halfeld calls this part the
"Caixão:" he makes it 5.70 to 7.1 foot
broad, and in the dries almost too narrow
for barcas to pass through. The greatest
height of the rock above water is 8.60
foct; the current is 4.17 miles per hour,
and the height of fall 36 foot.
Hore M. Halfeld's barque, the Princeza
do Rio, suapped her tow-rope, and was nearly
lost. We read in the Relatorio (p. 132)--
Immediately below the pyramid, the canal is again split by two
islets, the Ilhotas da Cachoeira. The upper is of low vegetation ;
the lower supports trees;-and in these places the Joazeiro and
the Jatobá, the only growths of any importance, are nobly de-
veloped by the exceedingly damp air. In 1857 the head of the
second Ilhota was cut off by the current, which also washed away
a slice of the left shore proper, upon which were four houses.
Unless arrested by the granite, it will go still further, and thus
Nature will be her own engineer. The clear way leaves to the
left the upper Ilhota, whose head is garnished with lumpy rocks,
and strikes, as usual, the apex of a triangle: here two small
breaks, passed within four minutes, make the water eddy and boil
on both sides. The largest stones are on the right, where an
islet is forming, and they might easily be removed by blasting.
Below the second Ilhota is the true Cachoeira do Sobradinho,
denoted by a fine clump of "Cupped" trees on the long island to
the right; the left bank shows houses and fences extending all
the way down. This chief obstruction is a wall built across
stream, with a central breach* where the water breaks in two
places. Here barcas prefer cordelling; they are assisted by the
willing country people, who stand upon a low rock on the left
side; but accidents are by no means unfrequent. We turned
stern on, and changing paddles for poles, took, the wind being in
our teeth, the left side of the breach. The gap between the two
rock slabs, worn into pot-holes, and channelled by water, was so
narrow that we almost scraped sides. The sunken stones below
this point were easily avoided.
After two hours' work we came to the Cachoeira do Bebedor,
19
"They informed me that the pilot who
guided my vessel during its descent of the
rapid perished in the same place." They
assured me that Manuel Antonio, the pilot
in question, had fallen out of his canoe,
and had been drowned in smooth water, of
course after liquoring up." Nothing
but the greatest carelessness can cause an
accident at the Sobradinho.
364
[CHAP. XXIV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
opposite the hamlet of that ilk; here again the snags and rocks.
offered no difficulty. The next was the Cachoeira Críminosa, of
which the worst part is the name; here, however, the blind rocks
are hard to thread, and necessitate frequent passing from side to
side. We are now at the south-western foot of the Serra do
Sobrado, a remarkable formation which has long been in prospect.
Seen from Santa Anna, to the south it is a quoin-shaped mass,
with snowy lines sloping to the stream; and it appears to be on
the right, whereas it hems the left bank compressing the channel.
A nearer view shows the lower three-quarters, invested with tall,
thick bush, which dwindles in stature as it ascends; below the
crest are two nearly parallel bluffs of bare rock, inclining towards
the water, and separated by a thicket-grown level. In the under-
cliff appeared the dark mouth of a cave; and further down there
is, they say, a larger tunnel.
The mass wears the look of limestone, based upon the granite
which outcrops in the river.* The peculiarity of aspect has
supplied it with sundry legends. According to the people, a
"corrente," or large chain, has been found extending from top
to bottom. Our pilot, not an imaginative man, derided the
chain; but declared that, at times, especially near the rainy
season, the mountain made
made" estrondos," or loud rumbling
sounds, adding that the last had been sufficient to frighten him.
As I have remarked, tales of roaring hills are common in the
Brazil; perhaps in places the mysterious noises may be caused
by the sudden elevation or depression of the mountain.
At the foot of the Sobrado we avoided, by traversing to the
right, a succession of small breaks. A little jump was the last
obstacle, and at 4.25 P.M. we came to the Boca do Braço, where
the south-eastern end of the Ilha da Cachoeira projects a few
outlying blocks into the main stream of the S. Francisco, now
clean and narrow. Thus we had expended upon the Sobradinho
2 hours 45 minutes, but the wind had always been against us. We
landed Jacinto José da Souza on the left bank, and thanked him
heartily over a parting "tot:" he is a good man, careful and
dexterous, and, wonderful to relate, he works without noise.
This obstruction is in its present state, and at this season, fatal
to steamer traffic; during the floods, the only obstacle must be
*The pilot declared the material to be
marble. M. Halfeld (p. 133) describes it
as "Itacolumite alternating with strata
of talcose schist and quartz, running
south-south-west to north-north-east, with
westerly inclination."
CHAP. XXIV.] VILLA DE SENTO SE TO JOAZEIRO.
365
the rush of water. Canalising through granitic rock is not likely
to pay, and the state of civilisation is here hardly sufficiently
advanced to keep up sluice gates. Removing the scattered rocks
and bars will draw the water into the central thalweg, and make
a safe passage which, when once made, is not likely to be choked.
M. Halfeld estimates the expenditure at £39,000, which is, per-
haps, the minimum, if at least the three miles are to be rendered
navigable for tug-steamers throughout the year. Altogether, the
Cachoeira do Sobradinho, this furthest southern outlier of the
Great Rapids, is equally interesting to the engineer and to the
geographer.
We ran down the line, which narrows from two miles to a
quarter of that width, and presently we came to another symptom
of rapids, the first rock-islet sighted in the São Francisco. This
"hog's-back" amid-stream is the prolongation of a Serrote on
the north bank; amongst the broken slabs of the lower part, half
masked by tufty growth, is a cavern with a bad name. The
novelty of the appearance has, as usual, bred fables; the boat-
men, however ugly, will not sleep here for fear of the Siren with
golden hair, who lies in wait for them. They know it as the
Ilha da Mãe d'Agua; but "serious persons," who "disapprove
of" Melusine de Lusignan, call it de Santa Rita, a saintess to
whom the impossible is possible; and who, little known in Eng-
land, is festivated (July 12) in the Brazil with novenas and
rockets which render the day detestable. At sunset we anchored
off the sandbar do Lameirão: we are now within some 9° 20′ of
the Equator; the great light is almost overhead, and yet the
weather is cold and gusty. Five small huts within sight on the
left bank marked the Páo da Historia, the frontier (divisa)
between Bahia on the south, and the Pernambuco Province to the
north.
Oct. 23.—After an hour and a half of paddling, the wind, from
misty clouds, drove us to anchor on the right bank. Here a
clump of wild figs, tufted with the mistletoe-like Herva de passa-
rinho (Polygonum), and springing from a bed of soft, short, and
green Graminha, the local Bahiana grass, shaded our mats more
pleasantly than any tent. These delays were inevitable, and the
only remedy was to extract from them as much enjoyment as
possible. The prospect lent powerful aid. The lustrous blue
sky deepening through the dark fleshy leaves, was the "glazing :
""
366
[CHAP. XXIV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
*
the picture was a grand flood, flavous as Tiber, coursing behind
the gnarled trunks and the buttressed roots of the Gamelleiras.
Life and action were not wanting to the poem. Humming birds,
little larger than dragon-flies, red-beaked, and with plumage of
chatoyant green, now stared at the stranger as they perched
fearlessly upon the thinnest twig, then poised themselves with
expanded tail feathers and twinkling wings, whilst plunging their
needle-bills into the flower cup, or tapping its side; then darted,
as if thrown by the hand, to some bunch of richer and virgin
bloom. Compared with the other tenuirostres of the Brazilian
grove, which are, however, more dainty and delicate than the
tiniest European wren, they were Canova's Venus by the side of
the Sphinx. And the little bodies contain mighty powers of love
and hate-they fight as furiously as they woo; and no unplumed
biped ever died of "heimweh" so readily and so certainly as the
humming bird imprisoned in a cage.†
،،
Our day is as follows:-We rise before dawn, and after a
"merenda" of coffee and biscuits, or rusks, apply ourselves to
writing up journals, and to arranging collections. The crew eat
bacon and beans at 7 to 8 A.M. : I reserve the process till 11 A.M.,
when the neck of the day's work has been broken. The bow of
one of the canoes is a good place for a cold bath, and there is no
better preparation for the hotter hours. After noon the labour
becomes lighter; and the little industries learned by African
travel now come into play. For instance, the manufacture of
rough cigars with the "fumo de tres cordas," the "three-twist,"
brought from Januaria. Reading up" is decidedly more
pleasant than writing in a rickety raft upon the mattress stuffed
with corn-glumes, which acts table, and the scene-shifting of the
river and of the mountains, combined with the subtle delights of
mere motion, is an antidote to ennui. When the breeze becomes
a gale, we explore the valley for shells and metals, or climb the
hills to enjoy the scenery; or should the demon of Idleness get
the upper hand in his own home, we stretch ourselves beneath
the trees, enjoying the perfumed shade, and a life soft as moss,
an approach to the "silent land." About sunset, we feed in the
humblest way, upon rice when there is any, and upon meat or fish
* I havo often found the hill fuchsia
pierced in the lower part of the cup.
Iero the people universally believe
that the humming-bird is transmutable into
the humming-bird hawk-moth (Macroglossa
Titan). Upon this subject Mr. Bates has
treated (i. 182).
CHAP. XXIV.]
VILLA DE SENTO SÉ TO JOAZEIRO.
367
under similar restricted conditions. When the night-birds begin
to awake from their day-sleep, we choose some well-exposed place
where immundicities will not trouble us, and "turn in."
It is a
life of perfect ease, the only fear or trouble is lest the dark hours
should be too cold, or the sun too hot, or the wind troublesome;
the spes finis is, and should be, the last thing dwelt upon.
During nearly four months' travel down the Rio de São
Francisco, with alternations of storm and rain, cold wind and hot
wind, mists and burning suns, I had not an hour of sickness.
Mr. Davidson, it is true, suffered from "chills; but he had
brought bad health to the river, and he improved in condition as
we went. On the other hand, it must be remembered that we
did not travel in the bad season, which is here, as elsewhere,
near Brazilian rivers, the drying up of the waters.
The pre-
cautions which I adopted were few, and mostly comprised in my
old rule to alter diet as little as possible; it is my intimate
conviction that, although the sojourner in foreign lands to a
certain extent may, the traveller must not attempt to conform to
the "manners and customs of the people." As regards drinking-
water, the only necessary care is to wash all the jars every night,
and to allow the deposit to settle, which it readily does without
alum or almonds. Coffee keeps up the vital heat, and lime-juice
corrects that scorbutic tendency which often accompanies the
loosened state of the waist-band. On raw mornings, and every
night, I "made it twelve o'clock," with a wine-glass of spirits,
good cognac (so called), when procurable-Cachaça when there
was nothing else. We religiously avoided stimulants, even wine
and beer, during the day; and two grains of quinine readily cor-
rected nervous depression. My chief thought was to be warmly
clothed when sleeping, a precaution learned from the Arabs of
East Africa. The walk and talk were essentially parts of hygiene;
but, above all, activity of mind, "plenty to do," contentment, and
again, no " spes finis."
""
Oct. 24.-The night was of a stillness so deep, that an unpro-
tected candle would have burned out. Not so the next morning.
We passed on the right the Barra do Riacho do Salitre. The
small brackish stream can, during the floods, be ascended for
some leagues by canoes. Here the bank is tall, and white with
*
* Mr. Keith Johnston places a stream far above Joazeiro and another far below it,
but none near it.
1
368
[CHAP. XXIV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
blocks, layers, and scatters of the finest limestone; the land is
well fenced in, and even the Carnahúbal is hedged with dry
thorns. Below it we found a labyrinth of rocks sunken and
above the surface; no improvements, however, are here neces-
sary. After being nearly swamped more than once, we passed to
port the Ilha do Fogo, and found quarters in a baylet* at the
eastern end of the "Villa do Joazeiro," defended by a low bush
projecting into the stream. Traders usually anchor further
west.
* Here called the Ressaca or Resaca.
CHAPTER XXV.
AT THE VILLA DO JOAZEIRO.
THE VILLA HAS A GREAT NAME UNDESERVEDLY.-THE VILLA DESCRIBED.-
THE LANDS ABOUT IT.-PRESENT PRICES OF ARTICLES.—THE VINE.-
COLONEL SENTO SÉ AND THE STEAMER (6 PRESIDENTE DANTAS."--VISITED
THE ILHA DO FOGO. THE RAILWAYS FROM PERNAMBUCO AND BAHIA TO
JOAZEIRO.-RAILWAYS A FAILURE IN THE BRAZIL.-NEGLECT OF WATER
COMMUNICATION. THE BAHIAN STEAM NAVIGATION COMPANY AND A
LATERAL TRAMWAY PAST THE RAPIDS THE TRUE SYSTEM FOR EXPLOITING
THE SÃO FRANCISCO.
Encrespava-se a onda docemente
Qual aura leve, quando move o feno ;
E como o prado ameno rir costuma,
Imitava as boninas com a escuma.
M
Curamurú, 6, 44.
I HAD long heard of this place as the future terminus where
the great lines of rail were to meet; on the higher São Francisco
it had been spoken of as a centre of civilization, a little Paris,
and the Provincial Government of Bahia actually ordered a
detailed plan of the place to be made and deposited in its archives.
So much for the imagination. Now for the reality.
Joazeiro has a family likeness to the Villa da Barra do Rio
Grande. It is a long line of houses fronting the river, which,
here some 2500 feet broad, flows in a straight line from west to
east. The banks are raised 21 to 25 feet above low-water level,
but many of the tenements show flood-marks. The citizens all
declare that M. Halfeld was in error when he wrote (Relatorio,
p. 140), "the greatest rise in 1792 was of 45 palms" (upwards of
32 feet) "over the usual height, so that on this occasion the
church was flooded 11 palms deep, and so, more or less, were all
the habitations." In 1865, they assert, the inundation equalled
that of '92, and, although it reached the cemetery, it was two or
three palms below the church and the main square.
VOL. II.
BB
870
[CHAP. XXV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL,
Some of the houses front the stream, especially in the more
civilized western quarter; the centre shows a ruinous flight of
broad stone steps, and here the abodes turn their backs and their
yard-walls to the water, which has washed off the plaster and
exposed the skeleton of adobe, or palm-wattle, and dab. The
sandy soil requires a foundation of the limestone or the freestone,
of which the country is a quarry; the streets, however, are
totally destitute of pavement, and only the best tenements are
subtended by an embryo bottom of brick. A few trees, under
whose shade salt is sold, and small transactions take place, are
scattered over the beach, which is strewed with pebbles, pudding-
stone, and iron-cemented quartz, in the lowest levels. The Villa
has but one sobrado, belonging to some fourteen proprietors, and
even this has not a sign of glass windows.
At the western end there is a cemetery, with whitewashed and
tile-coped walls, including a dwarf chapel. Thence runs the Rua
do Mourão, which fronts the river. Behind this thoroughfare lies.
the Rua do Açougue, "Shambles Street," and, inland of all, the
Rua da Recoada, both ragged lines of poor huts, mostly thatched.
These streets have the pretension to hoist the white hand and
extended forefinger of Rio de Janeiro, directing carriages which
way to go, when there is not a carriage within 300 miles.
*
About midway in the long shallow line is the Praça do Com-
mercio, whose loose sand, spread ankle deep, forms an excellent
reflector for the sun: the chief use appeared to be that of an
arena for fighting turkey cocks. Attempts have been made to
line it with tamarinds, which are now stunted, and with the fleshy-
leaved "Almendreira," or Persian almond, about eight years old,
but poor compared with those further inland. Here are the
principal stores; before 1857 there were fifty-two, but many
failures reduced the number to fourteen-not noticing the twenty-
five "Vendas." That civilization-gauge, the Post-office, is. also a
dry-goods store; the shopboy permitted me somewhat super-
ciliously to inspect the "dead letters," which reposed in a lid-less
Eau de Cologne box. The correio is supposed to go out on the
3rd, the 13th, and the 23rd of each month, and to come in on the
2nd, the 12th, and the 22nd; to-day is the 24th, and it gives no
* I have never seen the flower or fruit of
this tree, which resembles the Sterculiæ.
It thrives in the hot humid atmosphere of
G
Pernambuco, and was planted possibly by
the old Portuguese on the East African
Coast about Kilwa (Quiloa).
CHAP. XXV.]
AT THE VILLA DO JOAZEIRO.
371
sign, and who cares? Here is a single pharmacy, and the Capitão
who keeps it prescribes his own drugs; there is no doctor, and,
consequently, there is little mortality. The people are by no
means a healthy race; the height above sea level does not exceed
1000 feet, yet catarrhs and pleurisies, fevers and pneumonias, not
to mention other diseases, abound. One of the citoyennes had a
nose prolonged like the trunk of a young elephant, and an eye to
match; the hideous affection was called Cabungo, or erysipelas.
The head of the square is occupied by the new Matriz of Nª
Sa das Grutas, of stone, burnt brick, and lime, of course un-
finished. I had supposed that want of funds was the cause, the
citizens declared that such was not the case; probably it is
"politics." Very mean is the original temple, said to have been
built by the Jesuits and their "Indian" acolytes. Above are two
open windows, or rather holes; below is a similar pair, railed with
thin wooden posts; the belfries, as in Sienna of the Earthquakes,
are mere walls, with openings in which the bells are slung, and
the quaint finials suggest donkey's ears erect in curiosity. Be-
yond the church is the Rua Direita, a slip of a street running off
into space. Here the river is faced by the Rua dos Espinheiros,
whose small huts and vendas drive a trifling trade; a large half-
tiled shed, sheltering huge wooden screws and new waggons of the
oldest style, represents the docks, where the steamer will be
launched-when she arrives.
Joazeiro was disannexed from Sento Sé, under whose tutelage
it became a freguezia, and was created a villa on May 18, 1833.
It is now the head-quarters of the arrondissement (Comarca), and
the residence of a Juge de Droit, and of a "Superior Com-
mandant"; it has also a town hall and a jail. The municipality is
tolerably populous, exceeding 1500 voters. The townspeople
were 1328 souls in 1852, and are now about 2000, of whom a
quarter is servile, whilst the houses, which have not increased,
number 334, subject to the tax known as the Decima Urbana.
The situation of Joazeiro is, commercially speaking, good—
a point where four main lines meet-the up stream, the down
stream, the great highway to Bahia, and the road to the Northern
Provinces. This central site will secure for it importance in the
proposed Province of São Francisco; of course it expects to be-
come the capital, but what is the use of a capital close to the
frontier? The position will be that of a great outpost, transmit-
B B 2
372
[CHAP. XXV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
ting to the seaboard the produce of Southern Piauhy and of
Eastern Goyaz. It had of old considerable traffic with Oeiras
(eighty leagues), formerly capital of Piauhy, and this continues
even since Theresina, ninety leagues further, became the metro-
polis. I found in port only two barcas, and the expense of trans-
port greatly injures trade. The "
The "Viagem Redonda," on going
and coming to and from Cachoeira city, at the head of steamer
navigation in the Bahian Reconcavo, has lately risen from 15$000
to 25$000, and even to 30$ 000 per mule, carrying at most
seven arrobas-about 10s. per 32 pounds. The down journey,
via Villa Nova da Rainha, occupies ten to thirteen days, the fast
travelling being eight leagues per diem; and it is said that a line
properly laid out would reduce the distance from ninety-two to
seventy leagues.
The lands immediately about Joazeiro, especially on the Bahian
side, are poor, hard, and dry; the rains last from the end of
October till March, and the fertilizing showers of the dry season
are wanting. The price is somewhat high, two square leagues
can hardly be purchased for less than £2000. A little is done in
the way of breeding horses and mules, black cattle, sheep and
goats, pigs and poultry, especially turkeys. Salt and saltpetre,
limestone and sugar with a saline taste, are supplied by the
Riacho do Salitre: this stream rises about Pacuhy, receives the
tributes of the Jacobina Nova and the Jacobina Velha, and feeds
the São Francisco after a course of forty leagues. A place called
the Brejo, distant about four leagues to the south-west, is the
local "celleiro," or granary, and, as this is small, provisions must
be imported from up stream. It produces in abundance pumpkins
and water-melons, especially at the beginning of the rains; the
orange is here small and green, like the wild variety, it does not
find a proper climate, and below Boa Vista it ceases to grow; the
limes are juiceless, and half pips. Cochineal is unimproved, and
there is no tobacco, for which the nitrous soil is well adapted. I
was strongly advised, even by a youth who had lately come up in
three days from Boa Vista, to lay in a stock of beans and manioc,
rice and maize, as nothing was to be found in the starving settle-
ments between Joazeiro and the Great Rapids. The precaution
was taken "
on the chance," but, as will be seen, it was quite un-
necessary; moreover, it gave considerable trouble. Not a pound
of husked rice was to be bought, the price was high, and the
CHAP. XXV.]
373
AT THE VILLA DO JOAZEIRO.
Fish was
article was coarse and red, fit only for a Kruboy.*
abundant, and the Surubim, the salmon of the river, was hawked
about by boys. Some complain that the increased flow of the
stream, the rocky bottom, and the broken waters, are bad breed-
ing conditions, and that the São Francisco is no longer a Missis-
sippi, a father of fish. Others declare, and with truth, that fisher-
men, not fish, are wanting, that a net is never thrown in vain, and
that the pools, bayous, and ypoeiras produce large shoals.
On the opposite or northern side is the Porto da Passagem do
Joazeiro, of late called Petrolina de Pernambuco.
It was a
little chapel, Na Sa de Tal, and half a dozen tiled houses fronting
the stream, backed by a few huts, and a wave of ground higher
and healthier than the right bank. The two are connected by a
ferryboat which makes use of the "vent traversier," and carries
twenty-five to thirty head of cattle. Each passenger pays per trip
0$080, horse or mule 0$ 400 (the load and trooper going free), and
1 alqueire beans (in 1852, 11$500)
1 alqueire farinha of manioc (6$400)
1 alqueire salt (12$000) = 24$000.
1 arroba (32 lbs.) of lard (7 $680)
it was nearly 1s. 3d. too much.
1 arroba wheaten flour (0$240) 14 000 to 16$ 000.
* In the following list of prices it must be remembered that here the alqueire is four
times larger than that of Bahia :—
1 arroba biscuit (10 $000) = 16$000.
1 arroba country wax (5 $000)
6 $400.
-
ܚ
==
1 arroba Carnahúba wax (5000). It is not made now.
6 $ 000 to 7 $000.
2$000.
1 arroba Carne Seca (3$400)
1 arroba cotton uncleaned (2$560)
1 arroba cotton, cleaned
1 arroba sugar (7 $000)
1 lb. steel 0$400.
1 lb. bar lead or shot
0 $400.
0$080.
0$320.
=
1 lb. saltpetre
1 lb. sulphur
1 vara (yard of 43 inches) cotton cloth (0$320)
1 vara twist tobacco
-
=
=
=
20$ 000.
12 000.
-
=
=
10$000. This was the price which I paid, but
Honey is also cheap and plentiful.
8 $000.
4$000 to 5$ 000.
0$160.
1 sugar brick (rapadura) of Januaria (0$240)
0$160.
==
1 sugar brick (small and saltish) of the R. do Salitre
Tin sheet (folha de Flandres)
Plank, wooden (1 $600)
1 bottle common Barcelona wine (0$640)
1 bottle port
0$240.
2$000.
2$500.
1 bottle vinegar (0 $320) = 0$800.
1 bottle corn brandy (of Jacobina, poor)
1 bottle corn brandy (Sto Amaro, the best)
1 bottle Ricinus oil
0$240.
1 bottle sweet oil (1$000)
=
1$600.
Per cóvado (cubit of 26 inches) of Chita cotton cloth averages = 0$230.
2$800 to 3$000.
Raw hide of an ox or cow (1$280)
Calf, according to size, from 0$800.
Sheep or goat's skin
0$320.
==
wandendicecomm
=
0$400.
=
1$ 000.
0$200.
0$500.
-
0$080.
374
[CHAP. XXV.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
black cattle 0$300. Matters had changed little since 1852, when
M. Halfeld rated the annual movement at 7500 to 8000 souls,
10,500 head of black cattle, and 1300 horses and mules, wild and
tame, old and young, intended for the Bahian market.*
My introductory letter was duly sent to the Superior Com-
mandant, Lieut.-Col. Antonio Luis Ferreira, who did not deign.
to take the slightest notice of it. I then called upon Sr. José
Vieira, a young merchant whom we had met up stream: his store
was in the Rua do Mourão, or western water street, fronted by a
black wooden cross on a pedestal of brick and lime. Of those
assembled there none could give me any local information, even
the names of the streets. Fortunately I made acquaintance with
the Capitão Antonio Ribeiro da Silva, junior, the son of a Portu-
guese, and born in the place: he had travelled in Europe, and he
at once invited us to dinner and chat.
The Capitão spoke of a Gruta, which he described as having a
descent to the mouth like the Mammoth Cave; it extends three
to four miles, and is distant nineteen up the bed of the Riacho
do Salitre. Here are old legends of silver mines near Sta Anna,
and copper at the Fazenda da Carahyba, eighteen leagues to the
east-south-east. Our host had found a diamantine formation,
covering at least twenty square leagues, in the rich agricultural
and coffee country, of which Jacobina Nova is the centre. He
gave us some excellent "doce" of the sweet potato, which is here
a red variety like beet-root, banded white. His garden contained
fine vines four to five years old, trained to a tunnel-work, but
almost able to support themselves. This is a grape-country, and
nearly every house has its paneiral or arboury: the vines produce
all the year round an "Uva durecina," which sells here for 0$240,
and at Bahia for 1$ 000 per pound. Much has been written
about the Brazil being capable to produce her own wine. This,
I apprehend, will be hardly possible in those climates where the
hot season is also that of the rains. The same bunch will contain
ripe, half-ripe, and unripe berries, which make a good vinegar.
Nor is there any cure for the evils endured by this
Non habilis Cyathis et inutilis uva Lycao.
On the other hand, where the wet weather begins with the northing
*The ferry dues are received by the Villa da Boa Vista, which we shall visit
down stream.
CHAP. XXV.]
375
AT THE VILLA DO JOAZEIRO.
of the sun, and where the summer of the southern hemisphere is
dry and sunny, the grape, I believe, is fated to do good service.
My next visit was to Sr. Justino Nunes de Sento Sé, a native
of the town whose name he bears: this gentleman introduced me
to his wife and his fair daughters, who after three months'
experience of Joazeiro, much preferred Bahia, their birth-place.
The father had been chosen by H. E. the Councillor Manoel
Pinto de Souza Dantas to superintend the steamer which was
proposed, even in 1865, to plough the waters of the Upper São
Francisco. Unhappily for the project, Sr. Dantas took the port-
folio of agriculture and public works, whilst his successor, the
Provincial President, was by no means earnest in carrying out
the plans of a predecessor. Sr. Sento Sé complained much of
private opposition. A Joazeiran proprietor, Lieut.-Col. Domingos
Luis Ferreira, had offered for £1600 to receive the vessel from
the hands of government at the Porto das Piranhas, the present
terminus of steam navigation on the Lower São Francisco, to carry
up the sections on horse and mule-back past the Great Rapids, and
then to embark them on barcassas, or lighters. His friends
resented the rejection of his proposal, and spread a report that
the candidate preferred had wasted £6200, that the fragments of
the "Presidente Dantas" were scattered about the Bahian road,
and that an engineer sent from Rio de Janeiro to set up the
machinery had, after four months' waiting in vain, returned in
July, 1867.
Then the steamer, which the papers had made to reach Joazeiro,
and which His Excellency expected to begin work not later than
September, 1867, was, in fact, nowhere. Sr. Sento Sé appeared
to be thoroughly tired of the business, and spoke of raising a
private company for steam navigation of the São Francisco. It is
lamentable to see a great thought thus hopelessly frittered away in
detail by private jealousies and by petty individual interests.
Much as I deprecate the employment of foreign engineers in this
Empire, where natives can be found, there are cases when the
appointment of a foreigner will not raise up against him a hundred
enemies, as will assuredly happen to the native.
We were delayed at Joazeiro until the two men hired at
Januaria agreed, for a consideration, to place me at Boa Vista :
here the people have by no means the best name, and various
tales are told about barquemen robbing their employers, and
376
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XXV.
،،
leaving them in the lurch." They drink, and they are dan-
gerous therefore the men below Boa Vista are always preferred
to them. José Joaquim and Barboza, "Barba de Veneno," had
always won my gratitude by keeping themselves below: not so the
Menino, who at night had returned to the Eliza on all-fours, like
one of the lower animals, whilst Agostinho, the slave, was succes-
sively drooping with "sca-sickness," and unpleasantly surly. It
was a weary time, as are all those enforced halts near towns. The
nigger boys splashed in the water around us, and the mulatto
youth came to cheapen and wrangle about straw hats, gugglets, and
orange conserve. We were anchored amongst the washer-women,
who were grotesque objects. One defended her head with a
calabash, forcibly reminding me of that Triton song by Camoens
(vi. 17) he was very ugly,
And for a casque upon his head he wore
The crusty spoils whilome a lobster bore.
In no part of the Brazil had I seen such an excessive display of
shoulder: it exceeded the high mode of the Bahian Quitandeira,
or black market woman, and it was truly remarkable after leaving
the Province of Minas Geraes.
When tired of shoulders I visited the Ilha do Fogo, that small
St. Michael's Mount, which we had passed hard above the Villa.
It is an interesting feature, and the first of its kind yet seen, a
composite river-island of rock terminating down stream in a long
sandspit the level parts were bush-clad, and a splendid Jatobá
tree added not a little to their beauty. The northern arm into
which it divides the São Francisco is, though navigable, dangerous
with sunken rocks: hence probably Joazeiro preferred the right
bank.
We landed amongst the blocks and boulders of the western end.
The material was a gray granite, coated in places with purplish
glaze, like iron that had been exposed to great heat: there were
various masses of amygdaloid and veins of quartz, but pyrites did
not appear.* It was easy to scale the tower of broken slabs
about eighty feet high; certain enterprising sightseers had cut a
path through the Niacambíra Bromelias, and had cleared off the
Quipá Cactus. The summit commanded an extensive view of
* M. Halfeld describes the rock as quartz-veined granite: he found tale, manganese,
and pyrites.
CHAP. XXV.]
AT THE VILLA DO JOAZEIRO.
377
the São Francisco, a panorama of plain studded with low hills and
dwarf ranges, offsets from the great walls of the riverine valley.
East of the Fire-island main heap are two minor outcrops of the
same rock, emerging from the thorny brush.
Joazeiro, I have said, is the proposed terminus of two Anglo-
Brazilian Railways, that of Pernambuco and its junior the Bahia.
Both were offsprings of the law of June 26, 1852, decreeing the
concession of the line D. Pedro II. A guarantee of seven per
cent. (five from the Imperial and two from the Provincial Govern-
ments) easily opened the purses of the shareholders. The reports
of a rich and fertile interior, waiting only to be tapped by the
Rail, determined the direction from the coast towards the Rio de
São Francisco. Works were undertaken with a recklessness
characteristic of great expectations. No general commission
was organised to arrange the system upon which the great trunk
road should proceed. A staff should have been appointed to
make serious preliminary studies of the ground: this was ne-
glected, and in the Brazil I have seen calculations for cuttings
and embankments based upon a flying survey, whose levels were
taken with the Sympiesometer. The result was what might be
expected. The lines were laid out and built with almost every
conceivable defect; they began at the wrong places, and they ran in
the wrong directions; they were highly finished where they could
have been made rough; they were dear where they should have
been cheap; they had tunnels where the land was to be bought
for a song.
Thus the estimates were shamefully exceeded,
and the seven per cent. became a snare and a delusion. The
branch roads and feeding lines were not made: hence complaints
and recriminations; the shareholders were losers, and the Govern-
ment found itself saddled indefinitely with a huge debt, which it
had calculated to pay off by the increased yield of the railways.
Here, and here only, has the steam-horse assisted in uncivilizing
the country by unsettling the communications which before were
bad enough, and are now worse. Here, and here only, the mule
can successfully contend against machinery: anti-Brazilian
writers compare the progress of the country with that of the
sloth, and truly at this rate it will be behind even Canada.
Finally both these main trunks stopped short within a few miles.
of the Provincial capitals, where they had commenced and built
their last stations, either in the virgin forest or in Campo ground,
378
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XXV.
little more productive than the favoured regions about Suez. At
this moment railway enterprise in the Brazil may be said to
stand still, and the Empire has suffered in the money market of
Europe for a maladministration whose blame attaches chiefly to
foreigners.
On the other hand, steamer navigation has prospered, and
from Joazeiro downwards, we shall find that the weekly arrival of
a little craft at the Porto das Piranhas* has galvanized the whole
country as far as Crato in Ceará, a radius of 270 miles. Leather-
clad men, who would never have left their homes, are now loading
their animals with cotton, and are making purchases of which a
few months before they would not have dreamed. In 1852 M.
Halfeld remarked, "by reason of the great rapids on the São
Francisco, both above and below the town of Cabrobó, fluvial
traffic has been little developed." The description is obsolete in
1867, showing how vitalizing, even in these thinly populated
regions, is the effect of improved communication. I hope to see
the Bahia Steam Navigation Company (Limited) † increase her
*The first commercial steamer left Penedo, August 3, 1867, and reached
Porto das Piranhas, August 5, 1867.
This Company was organized in 1861. Its Articles of Association were approved by
the Imperial Government in 1862, and it dates its proceedings as an English Company
from June of that year. The capital is £160,000, of which about £150,000 has been
paid up.
The subsidies granted by the Imperial and Provincial Governments amount
to £20,000 per annum, equivalent to one-eighth, or 12 per cent. on the whole capital.
The contract actually in force extends till 1872, and an Imperial Decree (No. 1232 of
1864) authorises the Government at the end of the above period to revise and extend the
convention and the subsidies for a term of ten years. The obligations of the Company
comprise communication with the chief ports on the Brazilian sea-board, extending north-
wards from Bahia to Maceió, and south to Caravellas or São Jorge dos Ilhéos ; likewise
the internal navigation of the Reconcavo, from the provincial capital to the cities of
Cachoeira, Santo Amaro, Nazareth, Valença, and Taperoa, touching at the intermediate
villages; thirdly, the navigation of the Rio de São Francisco, from Penedo to the Porto
das Piranhas; and, fourthly, the navigation of the Lakes Norte and Manguába, in the
Province of Alagoas. The floating property is represented by the following sixteen
steamers, six of which are employed in the coasting navigation, and ten in the internal,
or bay and river navigation :-—
1. S. Salvador
Dantas
Gonçalves Martins
Sinimbú
5. Santa Cruz
Cotinguiba
""
•
São Francisco .
Dois de Julho
Jequitaia
10. Santo Antonio
Boa Viagem
Itaparica
Lucy
Victorina
15. (building)
16.
registered tons, 280; horse power, 150
295
165
126
126
103
103
60
50
60
40
40
30
12
3
75
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
298
312
178
195
153
261
250
153
153
. 62
30
3
200
200
""
??
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
""
1-1-
1313
75
· CHAP. XXV.]
AT THE VILLA DO JOAZEIRO.
379
small fleet of sixteen to fifty vessels. She has taken the right line,
and with energy and economy she must prosper.
As regards fixed property, the Company possess at the city of Bahia workshops, &c.,
for the repair of the fleet, and suitable stores for materials and coals. At the city they
have recently completed the new landing-piers and receiving-houses for cargo, and they
have constructed suitable landing-places at all the Bay Ports.
This information was given to me by Mr. Hugh Wilson, of Bahia, the energetic and
progress-loving Superintendent. I have only to hope that his views will be adopted with
its usual liberality by the Imperial Government, and that a tramway will presently connect
the Porto das Piranhas with Joazeiro. Evidently this should have been the step first
taken; but should it be the last, we shall not complain.
CHAPTER XXVI.
FROM THE VILLA DO JOAZEIRO TO THE VILLA DA BOA VISTA.
TENTH TRAVESSIA,* 22 LEAGUES.
GENERAL REMARKS ON THIS TRAVESSIA, THE GARDEN OF THE SAO FRANCISCO.
-THE TWO BROTHERS."-THE CACHOEIRA DO JENIPAPO.-THE VILLA DA
BOA MORTE, ANCIENTLY CAPIM GROSSO.-ITS ORIGIN.-ITS SCANTY CIVI-
LITY. RESUME WORK.-PRETTY APPROACH TO THE VILLA DA BOA VISTA.
-THE CANAL PROPOSED.-ALSO ANOTHER CANAL.-ARRIVE AT THE VILLA.
-THE COMMANDANT SUPERIOR-RECRUITING OF THE CONSERVATIVES.--
ORIGIN OF THE VILLA ITS PRESENT STATE DESCRIBED.-ENGAGED A NEW
CREW, THE PILOT MANOEL CYPRIANO AND THE PADDLE
،، CAPTAIN SOFT."
-MADE NEW PADDLES FOR THE RAPIDS.
66
Q
Terra feliz, tu es da Natureza
A filha mais mimosa; ella sorrindo
N' um enlevo de amor te encheu d'encantos.
(Poesias B. J. da Silva Guimaraes).
We now enter a country which has left upon me the most
pleasant impressions. Between Joazeiro and Boa Vista is the
lower garden of the São Francisco, perhaps a finer tract
than that about the Pirapora. The stream becomes swift,
averaging four knots an hour, and though the sunken rocks
present some risk, the travelling is much more pleasant, and the
swirling and boiling of the water show that it has a considerable
depth. On both sides there are farms and fields, each with its
scarecrow frightening the capivaras and the robber birds, and
there is no drought, though the air is intensely dry, the effect of
evaporation. The dew is heavy, and the dry winds carry off the
watery particles to form rains on the higher bed. The sloping
banks are all green with manioc, maize, beans and wild grasses.
The valley is studded with pyramidal hills, of which as many as
five are sometimes in sight; they are backed by waves of ground
covered with thick or thin bush; these Catingas Altas † will con-
*Formerly this Travessia extended
twenty-nine leagues to the extinct town of
Santa Maria (276th league), the terminus
of barca navigation down stream; it is
now reduced to Boa Vista (269th league).
During the floods boats run down from
Joazeiro to Boa Vista in twenty-four hours.
†The term is applied to the ground, as
well as to its vegetation.
CHAP. XXVI.] VILLA DO JOAZEIRO TO BOA VISTA.
381
tinue till Varzea Redonda. The Cajueiro and the Cajú Rasteiro
are now common;* the principal growths are the cactuses, the
gigantic Mandracuru, the Facheiro (faxeiro), whose dry wood
serves for torches; the echino-cactus, Cabeça or Corôa de Frade;
the Xique-Xique, or cylindrical plant, the common flat band nopal,
and the dwarf Quipá. The bush or undergrowth is chiefly the
Araça (psidium), and the Tinguí (Magonia glabrata, St. Hilaire).
The larger growths are the Páo Pereira (Aspidospermum); the
leguminous Carahyba, whose large green bitter pods are loved by
goats and deer; the leguminous Catinga de Porco† whose leaf
resembles the Barbatimão acacia; the Salgueiro, and the Páo
Preto, whose black trunk appears scorched with fire. § In many
parts fuel is wanting near the stream. We have left behind us
the diamantine "formação" and the iron fields; here we find
pyrites, traces of gold and large outcrops of limestone. The
winds are furious at the present season, but they will have no
power below Boa Vista; here the trees and grasses are bent up
stream by their persistency and power. We were told to expect
windy nights, and hot still days; we shall have wind night and
day, cold and furious by night, hot and furious by day. The
mornings are cold and cloudy, but the sun begins to sting at
10-11 A.M. and lasts till late in the afternoon.
Friday, October 25, 1867.-We managed to set out at 11 A.M.,
and dropped past Joazeiro Velho on the right bank; the place.
has become superannuated since its desertion by the channel.
The trade wind was moderate, but tourbillons of sand and dust-
devils (Redemoinhos), coursing over the broad river-plain, made
us furl the awning. Of the five hills in sight only one block,
white and bushy, approached the river, which the many islands,
sand-bays, and islets divided into sundry independent streams,
never less than two. Red and purple glazed rocks scattered in
the bed, again gave the familiar sound of the Cachoeira.|| We
grounded once by hugging too fondly the left shore, and for a few
The tree when I went down the river
was not yet in fruit.
+ It has a powerful smell, which, how-
ever, hardly justifies the harsh name "pig-
stink.
}}
+
It produces a useless fruit the
strong hard wood is applied to the "Ca-
vernas," or ribs of barcas.
$ The wax exuded by the bark makes
candles which are exceedingly hard, and if
a melted drop fall upon the hand, it
removes the skin.
M. Halfeld would remove them at an
expense of £340 and £500, and in three
others £680, £170 and £720, or a total
of £2,410 in twenty miles.
This may
be done in due course of time; at present
it is useless to expend one milreis. A good
pilot can steer clear of the difficulties,
and we went down safely with men who, if
they ever knew this part of the river, had
quite forgotten it,
J
382
[CHAP. XXVI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
minutes we hung poised upon the crest of a sunken rock which
gave no sign. The banks were green with the spiky Capim
Cabelludo, which is planted for dry season fodder; if not drowned
by the floods it lasts, they told me, twenty years.
After sunset we anchored off the huts of Mato Grosso on the
right bank. Here the course of the São Francisco is north with
a very little easting, and the bed is no longer so broad as above
Joazeiro. Opposite us, or nearly due west, is a fine landmark,
the Pico da Serra do Aricorý, or Ouricorý,* attached to a lumpy
line, whose trend is north-west. Though distant five miles the
features are clearly distinguishable.
October 26.-The crew, eager to advance, began work at 5 A.M.,
and we shot rapidly past the Ilha da Manisóva † and other unim-
portant features; we were, however, driven to anchor from 9 a.m.
to 1.30 p.m. whilst the world was airing and warming. The third
league showed us the Fazenda do Pontal; here on the right or
southern bank a line of scattered cones drives the stream from
north-east to south-east. Opposite it enters the Riacho do
Pontal, and below it stretches the remarkably long island of the
same name. Further down the Bahian side bears the little
Arraial da Boa Vista and its chapel of Na Sa dos Remedios. For
many an hour we saw in front the peculiar Serrote dos dous
Irmãos, twin pyramids with gentle, regular and equal slopes on
both sides; their cliff facings of white stone were thrown out by
the now greening "bush;" and, after sunset, a shadowy grey
colour stole over them. When the gloaming began we sped by
the Cachoeira da Missão, an unimportant break to starboard, and
presently we landed on the Pernambuco bank, at a place called the
Pontalinha, opposite an islet of the same name.
I had given a
passage from Joazeiro to a young fellow whose home was here ;
three women came down to the landing-place and carried off, on
their heads, with much coquettish recusancy, the few bricks of
sugar and the dozen greybeards of gin which he had brought as
* Also written Aricori and Ouricori (the
name of a palm): in the Lingua Geral the
terminations "i" and "y" are equivalent
and are used indifferently, as Tupi or Tupy,
Guarani or Guarany.
This is doubtless the Manacóba or
large Jatropha of Gardner. Generally
Maniçóba is the Seringa or Caoutchouc-
tree. The minor features are the Fazenda
de Paulo Affonso and a few rocks at the
Barra do Vieira, which do not require
removing.
"Pontal," like "Começo," is applied
to the head of an islet, especially when the
point is bluíf. The Riacho do Pontal
comes from the Catingas Altas, and though
much broken, it is ascended by canoes
during the floods. My informants gave it
a length of thirty leagues. Mr. Keith
Johnston makes the "R. Pontal" drain
the dividing ridge.
CHAP. XXVI.]
383
VILLA DO JOAZEIRO TO BOA VISTA.
a stock in trade. They were wild-looking beings, their very
small faces were set in a frame of hair, and their beady eyes
peeped out from the profusion of unkempt, witch-like locks.
*
October 27.—Passing the Two Brothers we were driven to
anchor at the Começo da Cachoeira do Jenipapo, a small break
some eight miles above the main feature of that name. Delayed
between 7 A.M. and 2 P.M., we saw at 3 P.M., on the Bahia side,
the Barra Grande do Curaçá; the mouth is about 230 feet broad,
and the right jaw projects into the main artery a large dome of
stone. The view up-stream discloses a pretty vista of lively
verdure. About three miles below it is the Cachoeira Grande do
Jenipapo, with houses on the right side and rocks dotting the
stream; we found, however, a clean central way. Far to the
north-east appeared a lumpy hill range with a brown, green and
white-streaked surface; the bank to starboard showed, alternating
with grey granitic schists, large snowy blocks of laminated lime-
stone, whose scatters we repeatedly mistook for human habitations.†
At the Barrinha, a little stream and village further down, two
broken reefs of projecting rock run parallel with each other along
the bed from south-west to north-east. The wind tossed us
about fiercely, the current ran very fast, and we were nearly
dashed against a hard head by the pilot. He complained of ague,
attributing it to the rising and falling of the stream; the fact is,
he was suffering from over coffee and Jacúba.
As the sun sank low we sighted from afar, on the right bank, a
picturesque village, the Villa do Senhor Bom Jesus da Boa Morte,
whose vulgar neighbours persist in calling it Capim Grosso-big
grass the old original name. Fronting to north-west and
towards the stream, a white-washed and red-tiled church in the
Bahian fashion, with pinnacles instead of towers, and a façade
sparkling with imbedded fragments of glazed pottery, displayed
itself upon the crest of a ground-wave. Along the river were two
Sobrados and a line of white houses backed by brown huts. The
field-fences extended to the water side, and on the sloping bank
* Mr. Keith Johnston ignores it, and I
do not think that, despite its fine name,
the stream can claim any importance.
+ M. Halfeld (Rel. p. 147) says that the
rock is white and ash-coloured, with block
veins traversing the strata in wavy bands
(bichas onduladas) of primitive forma-
tion resembling marble, and as their
(C
""
breadth is sufficient for the saw, they may
serve for works of taste, tomb-stones, &c.
Those which I examined were an excel-
lent building material.
These are the features which gave rise
to the common local names for hills and
mountains, "Sobrado " and "Sobradinho."
381
[CHAP. XXVI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
·
were two tall shady trees* which looked gigantic by the side of the
thorny shrubs. Half way up the range, and high and dry since
many a day, was an old barca, there beached by the last floods.
We anchored in a sheltered place below the rock-pile fronting
the church; here however the river is broken by two islands, the
Ilha do Torres to the south and the Ilho do Giqui (Jequi) hard
by the left bank. We had scarcely made fast, when a report
spread that a steamer had arrived. Rushed down the bank a
posse comitatus of notables, mostly "bodes" and "cabras," in
black coats, paletots (a word which here becomes "pariatóca"),
and white etceteras. Only one man approached whiteness; he
was probably the Professor of First Letters, and he squatted,
Hindu-like, upon a stone, washing his face with both hands, and
towelling it with his pocket handkerchief. The disappoint-
ment caused by the "Ajôjo" elicited peals of laughter, and the
smallest jokes bawled in the loudest and coarsest of voices. I
seemed to hear once more the organ of African Ugogo. Excep-
tionally in the Brazil all ignored the presence of strangers, and
they made unpleasant remarks about the certainty of such a
craft never reaching Varzéa Redonda. I have, however, been
threatened with drowning ever since leaving Sabará. Presently,
hearing that a bullock was to be slaughtered, all rushed away,
eagerly as a flight of turkey-buzzards.
Capim Grosso, which deserves to be entitled Villa Grosseira,
was, till 1853, an Arraial; it rose to township by the Sup-
pression of Pambú (283rd league). The houses may now
number 70 and the souls 350. The broad streets are not badly
laid out, and the thoroughfare running parallel with the river is
cumbered with hard talcose slate and quartz-banded granite,
which will readily supply building material. The prison, crowded
with recruits for the war, peering from behind its wooden grating,
was guarded by four soldiers, and the Cámara was denoted by
the papers pasted to the door. The church, of burnt brick upon
a foundation of gneiss, was out of all proportion to what met the
view. In the usual square we found a few shops, and an “Aula
Publica Primeira." We then walked along the deep, sandy path
to the little cemetery and its shed-chapel behind the settlement.
Hereabouts began the thorny Catingas Altas, where, however,
""
*They are called by the people "Moquem :
them.
this is all that I could learn about
CHAP. XXVI.] VILLA DO JOAZEIRO TO BOA VISTA.
385
cotton seemed to flourish. The ground was strewed with pebbles
and quartz-blocks of all sizes and colours, and the stone appeared
to be auriferous. This place commands a fine view of the Serra
do Roncador on the other side, where the wind is said to "snore"
furiously. About a league and a half to the east is the Serra da
Capivara, a long broken lump, which all declare to contain gold,
although the metal has never been worked. Hence, probably,
the auriferous pebbles.
(C
Capim Grosso is the wildest place that we have yet seen; it
did not show a trace of hospitality, or even of civility. Yet the
people seemed tolerably "well to do." Many of them were on
horseback, the saddles were made "country fashion," with strong
cruppers and poitrels for riding up and down hill. The Caipiras
wore, for protection against the sun, ugly "Sombreiros," and the
swells cocked up one side of the broad brim, and the flap fastened
by a large metal button made a three-cornered hat. These
Chapéos de Couro" are of goat, sheep or deerskin; the latter
is the best, but any will serve, and they look like the "babool-
stained" leathers of Western India. The women greatly out-
numbered the men. We had inadvertently made fast near their
bathing-ground; after dark they disported themselves in the
water all around us, and debated, giggling, about the advisability
of doffing the innermost garment. The site of Bom Jesus da Boa
Morte is nature-favoured, but this was the only merit that we
recognised in the place. I hope that the next travellers may be
justified in giving a better account of it.
October 28.-The Januaria men here found relatives, and this
delayed us till 6 A.M. After about two and a half leagues we
came to a break, the Cachoeira das Carahybas; the river had again
risen, the water had become exceedingly clear, and we easily
found the safe line near the natural stone jetty on the right.
The rains at this point are expected soon to break; the weather,
however, has been dry since September when there was a short
and copious fall.* On the left was the Serra do Curral Novo, re-
markable for its rounded summits, platform and high demi-pique
saddle-back. The lands on both sides of the stream were of
exceeding fertility, presenting a most amene and riant appearance.
At the Fazenda de Goiaz, a neat tiled and whitewashed house,
the river began to turn from its northerly course to due west-
*Here called "Manga," or (C repiquete de Chuva."
ΤΟΙ. II.
сс
·
386
[CHAP. XXVI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
east. On the left bank at some distance appeared the Pedra
Branca, a wave of bushy highland with a block of white limestone
conspicuous upon its flank. Below it was a brother formation,
the Morro da Boa Vista,* apparently two hills, but really three
lumps disposed in a triangle with the base towards the stream.
The nearer rise was capped with white near the stream;
the further was thinly clad with Catingas Altas, like a head
becoming bald. At the south-south-west of the latter rose the
Villa da Boa Vista, our destination.
On the left, and about half a league above the town, we passed
the Ilha do Icó. The bank, a "baixada," or low land, is broken
by the Barra Grande da Boa Vista. Here M. Halfeld (Rel. 149
—150) would begin the great canal proposed by Dr. Marcos
Antonio de Macedo, and other "educated men." The waters
of the São Francisco are to be drained through a channel to the
Riacho dos Porcos which falls into the Riacho Salgado, an influent
of the Jaguaribe River, traversing oriental Ceará from south-
south-west to north-north-east. It is a "gigantic project:" it
would effectually lay the horrible plague of famine, and awake
from their profound lethargy the people of inner Ceará and their
neighbours of the Parahyba and Rio Grande do Norte provinces.
Unfortunately, at a distance of some forty leagues, the line is cut
by the Serra do Ararípe, the dividing line between Ceará and
Pernambuco. M. Halfeld highly approves of the idea if a pass
(baixada) can be found through the range. The people of Boa
Vista had never heard of Dr. Marcos or of his canal, and
when I read out to them the Relatorio, they laughed. The pro-
jector still lives, it is said, at Crato, in his native province of
Ceará, which should be truly grateful to him for his good inten-
tions. Even were the canal to fail, the strong current of cur-
rency which would be generated even by the attempt would
doubtless bear fruit.
+
+
As I am speaking of canals, it is as well to say that others
have been proposed. Perhaps the boldest idea is that which
* Alias "Dos Dous Irmãos," although
there are three the people ignore this
name.
The Icó or Ycó (Colicodendron Icó),
which gives its name to a city on the
Jaguaribe River of Ceará, and which will
become common on the São Francisco, is a
shrubby tree with an edible fruit, the
latter resembling the common Ameixa or
yellow plum of the Brazil, where it has
long been naturalised. The leaves are
injurious to cattle, producing inflammation
of the intestines and of the kidneys.
The System refers to kitchen salt and castor
oil as remedies.
This name is mentioned by Gardner:
I do not know if it be the same person.
CHAP. XXVI.] VILLA DO JOAZEIRO TO BOA VISTA.
387
+
owes its origin to Lieut. Eduard José de Moraes. This officer
was apparently encouraged by "M. Emmery's" report on the
Hudson River and the Lake Champlain Canal, and by the bril-
liant picture of prosperity which M. Michel Chevalier portrays
as the result of canalisation in the United States. He would
simply take the waters of the Rio Preto, the main affluent of the
Rio Grande,* and throw them into the Paranaguá, or Parnaguá
lake, near the city of that name on the headwaters of the Gurgeia t
River, the great central affluent of the Northern Paranyba.
The distance between the streams is only twenty leagues, which,
it is reported, might be reduced to fifteen; but unfortunately
the dividing line bars the way. This difficulty is most naïvely
alluded to, and it is confessed that "le Rio-Gurgeia n'ait pas
encore été exploré." "Un inconvénient (!) se présente cependant
dans le tracé de ce canal, c'est l'existence d'une chaîne de mon-
tagnes entre la vallée du San Francisco et celle du Parnahiba,
et qui a été pour cette raison appelée das Vertentes § par le
Baron d'Eschwege, qui la trouve la moins élevée de tous les
autres systèmes de montagnes du Brésil. Il est donc naturel
de penser qu'une partie de ce canal pourrait être souterraine,
cependant rien ne vient prouver ce fait puisqu'une reconnais-
sance n'a pas encore été faite dans ce sens; peut-être existe-t-il
une gorge, une dépression où l'on pourra le faire passer même à
ciel ouvert." And to attempt such chimeras as these, the
author would tax the English gold-mining companies in the
Brazil, which have never yet been able to support the smallest
impost.
Compelled to cross from the right bank, through a little break
above the town, we were nearly upset by the violence of the
"raffales." We succeeded, however, in making fast behind a
rocky projection, and I sent without delay my introductory
letter to the Commandante Superior Sr. Manoel Jacomi Bezerra
de Carvalho. He at once called upon us and undertook to find
a pilot and paddle-man. We talked of the railroad projected
from this point to the Porto das Piranhas, thereby defeating all
R.
* See chapter 21.
In Mr. Keith Johnston, "Grugcia
>>
Rapport, &c., p. 29.
§ The "Serra das Vertentes" is some
1260 miles to the south we passed it at
Alagoa Dourada. The Rio Preto is sup-
posed to arise in the Serra dos Pyrenéos,
which M. Gerber and others extend from
the headwaters of the Tocantins to the
western valley of the São Francisco.
CC 2
388
[CHAP. XXVI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
the Rapids; our visitor declared that the line was sandy and
without hills, whilst its tortuous length can be reduced from
seventy to sixty leagues. Neither he nor any of his friends had
seen the neighbouring Niagara; they have often when riding
down to the port passed it within a few miles. The latest news-
papers dated from early September, and yet we are here only 200
miles from steamer navigation. The Commandante presently
left us in a prodigious hurry, having to superintend the ironing
of ten whom he called twenty recruits. They were sent to head-
quarters at Tacaratú, and we met the returning escort of four-
teen muskets who had escorted them. They were wild-looking
fellows, servile as well as free, and only the chief man had a
horse; the dress was old-fashioned shirts and tight smalls of
strong homespun cotton, leather hats, waistcoats and sandals.
In the evening I saw a wretched" Conservador" pursued through
the bush by mounted men who presently captured him for the
war. No wonder that these places look like the ruins which the
slave wars have made on the Lower Congo.
The Fazenda da Boa Vista, some five leagues down-stream,
and belonging to the Commandante's grandfather, José de Car-
valho Brandão, was originally an Aldea, or settlement of Indians,
and the head-quarter village of these parts. Presently a church
was here built, and the huts gathering round it took the name of
"Arraial da Igreja Nova," which is still preserved by the rive-
rines. In 1838 it became the Villa da Boa Vista, the head of a
Comarca, and the residence of a Vigario, a Juiz de Direito, a
Juiz Municipal, and other requisites for self-rule. Its two fre-
guezias, Santa Maria da Boa Vista, and the Senhor Bom Jesus
da Igreja in the Povoação da Cachoeira do Roberto on the left
bank of the river, number 6000 souls, an estimate founded upon
the fact that a single parish has 1000 voters.* The town may
contain eighty-five houses, and, at festivals, 500 inhabitants.
They support themselves by breeding cattle, and agriculture, and
they want but little here below; we found fresh meat for sale, but
absolutely nothing else, not even a water-melon. Many spoke to
us of the Serra Tallada, distant some fourteen leagues from the
* A rough but ready way of estimating
the population in these outstations is by
the number of voters, which every onc
knows. In some parts a tax is paid upon
doors and windows, but this again leads to
crrors in counting roofs, or as households
are still termed in wigwam phraseology,
"fires."
CHAP. XXVI.] VILLA DO JOAZEIRO TO BOA VISTA.
389
left bank. It is said to contain alum and saltpetre, but not a
single specimen was to be procured. One man brought me a
match-box full of iron pyrites, which being bright and brassy
was for sale as gold: it is said to come from the western
country.
The town has, as may be expected, little to show. We visited
the natural pier at the western end which fronts south-west and
runs back to the north-east. The substance is talcose slate, con-
taining much quartz distinctly stratified, with cleavage lines
trending from east-south-east to west-north-west, or nearly per-
pendicular to the direction of the beds. The harder parts can
supply large blocks ready cut for building; in places it is soft
and is worn down by the footpath which descends it in steps.
Further to the west large fragments have slipped into the stream.
At the eastern end there is another outcrop with strike to the
south-east and dip north-west 35°; and in parts it is spread
without regularity over the steep bank of stone, sand, and stone
dust. It is mostly banded with white quartz, and has embedded
lines of amygdaloid. Near the stream its surface is revetted with
a coat of the darkest chocolate, the usual ferruginous glazing ;
here, however, iron is not found, and must be brought from
down-stream. The highest floods, even those of 1857 and 1865,
the worst on record, did not extend half-way up the pier. The
general belief is, that the inundations are diminishing, and with
them the fevers.
We visited the church of Na Sa da Conceição, a typical shape,
tall, narrow like the people; its only charm is its site, a rocky
platform forming the highest ground in the settlement, and front-
ing up-stream. A whitewashed cemetery appears to the north
or inland, separated by a depression, into which the floods enter
without, however, insulating the settlement. South of the church
is the town showing a single row, the Rua da beira do Rio.
With the usual unwisdom here customary, the people have
fronted their houses towards the glaring temple and the hot
stony hill, whilst their back-yard compounds and plots of pome-
granates and flowers enjoy the charming view, and the breezes
floating up and down stream. Looking south the Serras da
Capivara and the Curral Novo break the horizon, and the broad
river, with rocks above surface and rocks below water, serpentines
through its subject valley. To the south-east are the Serras do
390
[CHAP. XXVI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
Piriquito and do Estevão; of the four pyramids one is remark-
ably acute-angular, whilst further east three knobs denote the
Serra dos Grós. There are no glass windows even in the richest
tenements, and the jail, at the eastern end, is a house like the
other houses.
Boa Vista is the terminus of barque-navigation; at this season
only ajojos and canoes go to Varzéa Redonda. Here I dis-
missed, with an additional gratuity for extra service, the pilot
José Joaquim de Santa and Manoel Felipe Barboza, aliàs das
Moças, aliàs Barba de Veneno, and of late usually known for
shortness as "Manoel Diabo." The latter, having quarrelled
with an angry father, had fled his family, settled a few leagues
down-stream, and had not seen it for fourteen years. He con-
tented himself with writing a letter from Boa Vista, and he set
out contentedly with his friend in a small canoe which will take
at least a month to make Januaria. We separated well satisfied,
I hope, with one another.
There was no difficulty in finding men.* The Commandante
directed the pilot Manoel Cypriano to hold himself in readiness :
the tariff is 25$ 000-not bad for five days' work in these regions,
and the new man presently came to see us. He was a dark
senior, dating from 1817, but looking at least sixty-five; he
declares that his premature old age has been brought on by a fast
life, and that he has long passed the time when men begin to
die. He has a queer dry humour, he delights in chaffing the
people upon the banks, he twangs the guitar, he takes snuff as
most boatmen do, but requires a snuff-pocket like our grand-
fathers, and he has a private bottle of country rum wrapped up
carefully as if it were a baby. He never works except when half
seas over, and I should fear to trust him when dead sober; he
is slow to excess, taking five minutes to don his coat and to slip
his feet into his ragged slippers. Yet he is the only real pilot
that I saw upon the river, he knows it thoroughly, he will be
master on board, and he slangs a recusant paddle with the
unction of an Oxford coxswain-in my day. Certainly no beauty
was M. C., but he was stout-hearted and true.
We soon
learned to confide in his nerve, force and precision.
There was
* M. Halfeld (Rel. p. 61) says that here
it is hard to find watermen for rafts and
canoes, on account of the Rapids. The
sole obstacle is the extreme laziness of the
people. It is, however, only fair to confess
that I lost but a single day.
CHAP. XXVI.] VILLA DO JOAZEIRO TO BOA VISTA.
391
something more interesting even than beauty in his danger-look,
when, working his paddle like the tail-fin of a monstrous fish and
firmly planted in the stern canoe of the rocking and tossing raft,
he bent slightly forwards, steadily eyeing with straining glance
the grim wall upon which we were dashing at the rate of twenty
knots an hour, and, by a few ingenious strokes of the helm at the
exact moment, brought round the bows and almost grazed the
reef.
66
I gave Manoel Cypriano carte blanche to choose his oarsmen,
and this was a prime mistake. Like almost all his countrymen,
he had a certain amiable defect, a constitutional inability to say
No," which is often worse than a moral incapacity to use
"Yes." Thus when he was set at in due form by one José Alves
Marianno, he objected faintly, he held with him long palavers
lying on the bank, and he ended by engaging him. All this
time he knew the man to be a noted skulk, whose nickname on
the river was Capitão Molle-Captain Soft-and whom no one
would engage.
گی
Marianno is, he tells us, a son of Petrolina, by no means a
good locality. His immense curly head-mop of jetty colour,
proves an African maternity, and the legal saying partus
He sings
sequitur ventrem" is true in more ways than one.
well, he has an immense repertoire, and, as a repentista, he
is known to local fame. Ergo, I presume, he has taken the
poetical and Arcadian name Mangericão (Ocymum basilicum)
which he pronounces "Majelicão," and which soon becomes
Manjar de Cão-dog's meat. He is hopeless, he drinks like a
whirlpool, he eats like an ogre, he pretends to faint if pushed to
work, and, if undue persistency be applied, he loses some of the
tackle. He loves to "put on
put on a spurt" where the stream is
swiftest, so as to make a bump fatal: in still water he lolls back,
snuffs, chats, chaffs, or chaunts. The worst is that I cannot be
seriously angry with the rascal; he is abominably good-tem-
pered, and he seems to look upon himself as the greatest fun
in the world. Yet it was a relief when he received his 16$000
and showed us his back.
The next day was a forced halt. The Escrivão of orphans,
Sr. Felipe Benicio Sà e Lira, kindly allowed me the use of his
house and his desk, which made the hours move more nimbly
than they otherwise would. The wind blew strong and contrary,
392
[CHAP. XXVI.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
The pilot had paddled away to his house down-stream, and was
laying in small stores. We wanted large paddles; yesterday the
only carpenter in the place had been engaged in ironing the
recruits, and till that important operation was concluded he could
not go to the bush and cut down a Mandracurú-cactus. These
paddles look something like action, rude and heavy, but strong
and pliant: they are perfectly straight, five feet long, and with a
leverage of 2: 1-the little paddles used up-stream are nearly
equally divided, and the effect is like using a large kitchen-ladle.
When the work was done, he asked about four times its worth,
and he took the opportunity of offering for the Eliza 100$ 000.
Had he paid as he charged, he would have said 1:000 $000.
CHAPTER XXVII.
FROM THE VILLA DA BOA VISTA TO VARZÉA REDONDA.
ELEVENTH TRAVESSIA, 45 LEAGUES.*
THE RAPIDS AND THE SMOOTHS.
"Les Brésiliens avant la conquête de leur pays par les Européens étaient au
dégré le plus bas de la civilisation."--Prince Max, ii. 396.
SECTION I.
THE GOOD RAPIDS TO CABROBÓ.
A LITTLE below Boa Vista, the river, after a short and tolerably
clear northern sweep, returns to the eastern direction, and
enters upon that Cordilheira of breaks and rapids which will last
for some thirty leagues. Earth here begins to show her giant
skeleton bare. The bed broadens in many places to a league,
and is worn down to its granitic floor; it is a mass of islands and
islets, all bearing names, of reefs and rocks sand-scoured, cut and
channelled by the waters, which glaze them to a grisly black.
a rule, the bed is too winding for the winds to form high waves,
but this is by no means always the case. The rocky quartzose
highlands, disposed apparently without any system, approach the
channel and throw across it broken walls of stone. The Cacho-
eiras offer some risk to those descending, but more during the
ascent.† There are many and sundry triangles of water, and the
old rule of the Rio das Velhas, namely, to make for the single
apex, will hold good here; in some places we must get into broken
water to avoid sunken stones, and sometimes we must run straight
towards a rock, and rely upon helm and current to escape it.
* M. Halfeld, by some curious oversight
(Rel. p. 6), makes this eleventh Travessía
thirty-eight leagues, and reckons the dis-
tance from Santa Maria, instead of from
Boa Vista. The pilots stretch the distance
to fifty-two leagues; namely, sixteen to
Cabrobó, and thirty-six to Varzéa Redonda.
The people declare that accidents never
take place, but we shall find two wrecks en
route.
394
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XXVII.
The only really bad part will be passed on our sixth day ;* it has
nine rapids, two whirlpools, and two shallows, which form, during
the space of five leagues, obstructions as serious as the whole
course of the Rio das Velhas. Here a committee of pilots could
point out the best line, which might be cleaned, marked,† and
rendered passable; it would be far better, however, to abandon
all this part of the stream, and to run a tramway to the Porto
das Piranhas, distant 70-72 leagues along the channel.
The beauty of the banks still continues, and houses, farms,
and fields extend down the whole way. Gold cascalho, talcose
slate, and quartz, frequently appear on both sides. At this
season the vegetation is much burned, and the finest trees are
upon the comparatively damp islands. The nearly total absence
of palms gives to the scene a look of the temperate regions.
Agriculture and stock breeding are the main resources of the
people, but where the stream is low sunk, they have no idea of
the Persian wheel or the windmill. The banks, especially the
right, are much broken by Alagadiços or swamps, and by Ypoeiras,
which here take the Tupy name Igarapé, or Ygarapé. The
influents, known by the bright green grass at the mouths, are mere
nullahs, owing to the increased narrowness of the river valley;
at this season their short narrow courses are either dry or slow
strings of pits and pools (Caçimbas and Poções), during the rains
they roll terrible torrents.
We were told that during the windless nights a candle might be
used naked; this was the case only once. The Serras to the
north-cast, Araripe and Borborema, obstruct to a certain extent
the thorough draught. The Trade changes with the direction of
the stream, and at this season it invariably comes up-stream. In
the morning we have catspaws, the wind blows strongly during
the sunny hours, and woolpack gathers in the afternoon. There
is an immense evaporation, causing a constant thirst, and crum-
bling tobacco to dust: the whole of this section is a laboratory
that distils a copious stream for the higher river. The rains are
mostly from the north, sometimes from the south; showers,
violent only in March and April, extend between November and
January, further down they are fiercest in February and March.
* Between the 295th and the 300th
league of M. Halfeld.
+ "The channels are so intricate that we
find, at the bifurcations, bits of sail-cloth
"}
hung on the bushes to guide the navigators
on the route to Pará (Lieut. Herndon, p.
333).
CHAP. XXVII.] BOA VISTA TO VARZÉA REDONDA.
395
We now enter the head-quarters of the extinct Jesuit missions,
a land of ruins strange in a country so young; and we see with
astonishment that more than a century ago the neighbourhood
was much more advanced than it is at present. The company, it
will be remembered, was denaturalised, and departed with confis-
cation of property from the Portuguese dominions by the cele-
brated law of September 3, 1759. The Jesuits-abstraction faite
de leurs institutions vraiement nuisibles, et du mal résultant de
leur domination-certainly taught their converts the civilisation
of labour, and now the "Aldeâdos," or villaged Indians, have
allowed their chapels to fall, and are fast relapsing into savagery.
Finally, the place of the old Fathers has been but poorly filled by
the Italian and other missionaries, who, of late years, have been
thinly scattered amongst these out-stations.
Wednesday, October 30, 1867.—With infinite trouble we managed
to set out at 11 A.M. The old "Menino" was drunk, and well
nigh incapable, and the new paddle, "Herb Basil," after a very
short spurt, began to droop in all save in the matter of singing.
We dropped down between the left bank and the large Ilha
Pequena; it shows fenced fields and thatched roofs on four poles,
under which the shepherd shelters himself from the broiling sun.
The sheep and goats are poor and lean at this season, and the
owners ask 1$ 000 for a bag of bones. On the bushy hills to the
north are many sobrados, the usual house-like lumps of white.
limestone; below are scattered tiled huts, with here and there a
large tenement, and the negroes are singing over the task of busli
clearing. The banks are of fine quality; from the raft we see no
bottom to the soil, and the tap-root strikes straight down.
This Roça channel, which we have taken to avoid the furious
Cachoeira do Ferrete on the right hand, recalls to memory the
Rio das Velhas below its confluence with the Paraúna stream.
Presently we find on the right the Ilha da Missão (Nova), and its
broken fane, one of the most southerly establishments of the
Jesuits. It runs west-east, with a convexity to the north, and it
is at least three and a half miles long. Sundry islets rise between it
and the left bank; there are few breaks, but the many sunken rocks
require careful piloting.* The Serrote do Páo Torto on the left
""
* Probably M. Halfeld surveyed this
part of the stream when it was low. Ic
talks of sundry Cachoeiras and "Cachópos
(shoals here called baixios, or bancos de
Arêa), which are mere Corridas," or
(C
runs.
Between the Ilha Pequena and the
bank he places the Cachoeira do Fuzil,
which, when I passed, can hardly be called
a rapid.
396
[CHAP. XXVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
gave us a taste of its quality; further down the Morros dos Grós,
the three hillocks seen from Boa Vista, form a bluff, and
approach the channel, which is compressed still more by the
Serra do Estevão* on the other side. Both banks project natural
piers of rock, which make the stream dark and swirling. Above
the village "Os Grós" is a lump of stone; from this enchanted
ground the barquemen have often heard the sound of the drum and
the song, and tramp of crowds passing along. As the dangers
of the bed increase, so will grow the belief in things unseen, till
at last almost every bluff will have its own superstition.
At this point we turned from east to north, and passed between
the left bank and the Ilha da Missão Velha. It contains a ruined
chapel, Na Sa da Piedade, fronted by a cross; formerly it was
populous and cultivated, now it is inhabited by only one Morador.
"Captain Soft" determined that he had worked enough for that
day-it was then 3 P.M.-and as I declined to put into the left
bank, where he had friends, he neatly let slip the new paddle of
Cactus, and managed, perforce, to effect a halt. It was useless
to attempt the rapid which we heard roaring down-stream without
all our gear perfect. I made him dive-he swam like a fish-but
the current was strong, and the heavy timber was, doubtless, soon
rolled far down-stream.
We halted on the left side, opposite the Missão Velha, and
Manuel Cypriano set out at once to cut down a Mandracurú.
Huts and clumps of noble Joazeiro and Quixaba trees gave the
bank a pleasant aspect. The Zozó, or Pistia, formed bright beds
in the water, especially at the mouths of creeks, and in places the
tall Ubát was apparently planted by the people. Ledges some
two feet square upon the water slopes, were laid out with onions,
mint, that made excellent juleps, and the Merú, an edible tuber,
with an Arum-like leaf; whilst the forks of low trees bore pots of
lavender and flowers for the women's hair.
We were presently hailed by a familiar voice from above, and
we recognised, despite certain borrowed plumes, the jolly face of
"Manoel Diabo." His brothers, hearing that he had left Boa
Vista without visiting his home, indignantly pursued him, and
brought him back, nolentem volentem, to receive his mamma's
blessing. He had "loaned" his friend the pilot's black coat and
*M. Halfeld calls it the Serra do In-
hanhum, from the large island at the bend
of the bed.
This Saccharum is probably the "fre-
cheira," or arrow-cane, of the Amazons
River.
CHAP. XXVII.]
BOA VISTA TO VARZÉA REDONDA.
397
:
slippers, and he cast them both off when he led us about the
"Fazenda." Here the bank is flat, and subject to an excess of
droughts and floods. It is backed by a grey hill of talcose slate,
veined with and passing into quartz below. The cotton shrub
grows admirably, and each "foot" is said to produce thirty
pounds; a little has been exported, but the old "lavrador" com-
plained of a blight which had lately appeared: the plant probably
wants new land. Most of the cottages here have looms, which
are, however, superior in nothing to those of Unyamwezi. Cattle,
sheep, and goats looked tolerably thriving, and the crew found
abundance of birds; the flights of wild pigeons are described to
resemble those of the United States. In the evening the fatted
calf was killed, men and women complimented the truant in
extempore verse, to which he replied with interest; and the drum
was not silent till sunrise. We heard for the last time the Whip-
poor-Will, his wrongs are taken up by another volatile, who ever
complains, like the West African bush-dog, that the fire has
gone out.*
October 31.-The old pilot worked hard at his carpentering
under a shady tree, and even "Majelicão" bore a hand-I had
deferred breakfast till the paddle was ready. At 10:30 A.M. we
shook hands all round, and pushed off towards the spot whence
the roaring came. This upper Cachoeira da Panella do Dourado, †
the first below Boa Vista, has been descended by barcas even
during the dry season, but it is perfectly capable of doing damage.
We ran to the north of the Ilha da Missão Velha, and, poling up
against a strong current, we passed between it and its northern
neighbour, the Ilha do Serrote. Then turning poop on, we
dashed down the usual channel, with the Angicos Island on the
right, and the Cabras on the left, and we escaped without any-
thing more serious than a long graze. It was a wild and haggard
scene, a series of rivers within a river, a tortuous labyrinth of
currents formed by seven large and a multitude of smaller rocks,
through which the "eau sauvage
eau sauvage" ran straight as an arrow. The
broom-like shrub, Jarumataia, or Angari, brown below and green
* The cry is supposed to say, "Fogo
'pagou" (apagou).
The rapid of the pot-hole of the
Dourado," a fish of this species having
been caught in some "boil" by the first
travellers. "Panella" signifies either a
pot-hole worked by the water in the rock,
or a small whirlpool, a conical swirling
depression in the surface.
There is another channel to the right
of the Ilha do Serrote, but it appeared to
me very dangerous.
398
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XXVII.
above, grew in clumps upon the islets and in the shallower waters,
and heaps of drift-wood were thrown upon the convenient corners
and ledges. The rocks, banded with snowy quartz, glazed like
the pigeon's wing, ruled in straight lines by the several levels of
the water, and in places bored into basins, appeared singularly
characteristic. Further down, where the flood reposes in depths.
studded with foam, and where the current wheels round in lazy
circles, we came to the cause of all this disturbance. On the left
bank, without correspondence on the other side, a Serrote 80-90
feet high, and projecting to the north-east, sent a rib of rock clean
across stream from north-west to south-east. The bluff showed
strata of hard sandstone striking to the south-west, and split into
brick-like cubes by the perpendicular cleavage; the face was lined
with thick and thin ramifications of snowy white quartz,* which
everywhere lay in fragments upon the surface. From the south
it assumed a quoin shape, with a bushy hog'sback declining to
the west.
Beyond the Ilha das Marrécas we fell into the main stream. We
had not seen it united since we coasted the Ilha Pequena, and now
we found it flowing like Arar "incredibile lenitate." On the left
of this reach, some four miles long, opened the mouth of the
now dry Riacho do Jacaré and its island down-stream. Below
it the channel passes between the right bank and the Ilhota do
Serrotinho, a spine of hard sandstone and white quartz raggedly
covered with trees; the tail end has clearings and cultivation.
Presently we turned almost due east, and sighted ahead another
mass of obstructions. They are caused by a number of stony cones
on the right bank, and on the left by the Serra das Carahybas. This
is a block and outliers of rock, with waves of bushy ground
(Catingas Altas), which, contrary to rule in the Brazil, show no
tree fringe on the top. At 1·30 г.м. we passed the Ilha Grande,
where M. Halfeld gratefully inserts the residence of his pilot,
Cyriaco, whose dexterity and courage he greatly praises. Curious
tales are told of the old man, who seems to have inherited from
his "Indian" ancestry a coolness of head, a clearness of vision,
and a strength of arm and will quite exceptional. The boatmen
* M. Halfeld makes the bluff to consist of
quartz, chlorite, mica, iron, and titanium.
† According to the pilot, it comes from
As Queimadas, distant thirty leagues. M.
Halfeld shows a very narrow embouchure.
In Mr. Keith Johnston it drains the eastern
slopes of the western dividing ridge, head-
ing near the sources of the Caniudé, the
river of Ociras in Piauhy.
CHAP. XXVII.]
399
BOA VISTA TO VARZÉA REDONDA.
declare that he knows every stone in the river, and that he can
travel by night over the wildest dangers, especially when "tomado,”
or slightly "sprung." We shot down a rocky run between the
Ilha Grande and the "Ilha de Villa da Santa Maria," formerly
the end of the tenth and the beginning of the eleventh travessía.
Two ajôjos, laden with salt bags, and raised hardly four inches
above the water, were painfully poling up-stream.
We landed on the island to inspect a ruin which we had seen
from afar. The soil is of immense fertility:* it bore cotton in
small quantities; manioc wherever men had taken the trouble to
plant it; the pinhão bravo, or poison croton-nut, which feeds the
tenantry of the landshells; and fields of Icó trees, whose ances-
tors were probably planted here by the Jesuit Fathers. The
people, with lank hair and broad yellow faces, showing indigenous
blood, were better clad than those up-stream, and inhabited the
same miserable huts. After a walk of a few hundred yards to the
south-west, we came upon the temple fronting west towards the
right bank and up-stream, where is the finest view. Monastery,
church, and chapel were all a mere shell, and the latter bore
inscribed upon the entrance
RESVRGE
NT IN NO
VISSIMO DIE
1734.
The material was the finest brick, and the maximum size was two
feet square. It was almost as durable as the ashlar of talcose slate
with which it was mixed, and the chunam, probably shell lime, was
of the best quality. One of the belfries had fallen, and cactus
grew upon the walls where roof and ceiling had been. The dimen-
sions of the church were 100 × 25 feet. There were remnants of
an arch under the throne (for the Host), and a line of stout, square
piers forming an aisle or sacristy to the north. The lizard and
the pigeon were the only inhabitants of the grim old ruin. I left
it in sadness. There is something unpleasantly impressive about
these transitory labours, upon which the lives of men have been
* Below Sta Maria the lands will become
sandy, less light and rich.
Hence the pilasters are called by M.
Halfeld (Rel. 156) Columnas de Pedra. He
remarks, "In the above-mentioned church
they still inter the defunct, but with so
little piety, that the corpses, hardly covered
with loose earth, exhale an insupportable
fetor." The hint has been taken, and we
had not to complain of the atmosphere.
400
[CHAP. XXVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
wasted. The whole scene reminded me of the once renowned
City of Wari (Warree) in the Kingdom of Benin.
Resuming our way, we ran down the Island of Santa Maria,
and presently we came to another great stone-river coursing
through the roots of the Serra do Orocó. These hills form a
hollow crescent between the Serra das Carahybas and the water.
The appearance is made peculiar by two knobs, which a curtain
connects, and an outlier, the Upper Orocó proper,* approaches
the left bank. The stream flowed like a sluice, and in the
Cachoeira de São Pedro, where, despite the manful slanging of
the pilot, the paddles preferred looking behind them to working,
we struck heavily. We then threaded our way down the mid
stream, though a land of islands.† On paper the channels look
like the blue fissures of a glacier. The Ilha de São Miguel
showed a deserted temple on a knob of ground. The Ilha de São
Felis disclosed through its dense trees a whitewashed and tiled
church, with belfry and two terminal towers; here the saint still
resides.
+
As we emerged from this "belt" the water fell smooth as a
metal plate; but the prospect was not less wild. On the right
bank the Serra do Aracapá crouched like a sphinx with jubated
neck, and from down-stream the head will seem distinctly traced.
We then paddled between the Aracapá Island and the left bank,
where enters the Riacho da Brisoda (Brigida). The back water
flows up the green mouth for about two leagues, and the rest of
the bed at this season is a string of pools. We found good
anchorage ground at the Porto do Aracapá, near the Fazenda of
that name fronting the island. The people here breed horses,
mules, and black cattle for the Cabrobó market, and a good ox is
sold for 20$000. It was a still, quiet evening, favourable for
mosquitos. The hoary eastern clouds at nightfall threatening
There is an Orocó debaixo on the left
bank, about two miles down.
To starboard were successively from
west to cast, the Ilha das Almas, do Juá,
de S. Miguel, and da Piedade, with a mass
of others, especially the Ilha Comprida,
between them and the right bank. To
port lay the Ilha de São Felis, which the
pilot called "de São Pedro:" it had about
midway a hillock (outeirinho), upon which
the Chapel is built, nearly due north of the
rising ground that supports the ruins of São
Miguel. Between S. Felis and the left
bank is the Ilha da Tapéra; east of S.
Felis is the Ilha do Aracapá, about four
miles long. Its channel is much broken,
and Cascalho appears upon its left bank.
Here the broadest part of the river is nearly
two (geographical) miles.
Mr. Keith Johnston calls it "R.
Bregido," and makes it drain, correctly,
I believe, the southern slopes of the di-
viding range between Pernambuco and
Ceará.
CHAP. XXVII.]
401
BOA VISTA TO VARZÉA REDONDA.
wind, and the jacaré splashed around us, while the flute and the
song came loud from the shore.
Nov. 1.-We set out at 6 A.M., but the gale soon drove us to
take refuge on the western side of the Aracapá Island, where we
found a few huts belonging to moradores and fishers of the
Trahíra. The low lands are often flooded, but there is a dorsum
of higher ground to which the people can retire. I utilised the
delay by engaging another paddle. The liveliness and the free,
swift motion of the rapid after the smooths above were rather
enjoyable than otherwise; but the process seemed somewhat a
tempting of Providence" in the now crazy Eliza, manned by a
crew that would not work. The pilot, who knew the dangers
better, was far more anxious than we were; and he presently
returned with a barqueiro who, moyennant 10$ 000, agreed to
accompany us. Antonio was a stout, dark youth, with a heavy
shoulder and muscular arms. He justified all the good things
said about the people of the river below Joazeiro. Having
received a small advance, he crossed the stream to fetch his
sheepskin, and he took his paddle at 11.30 A.M., the old
Menino" being placed in the stern to amuse himself with
his kitchen ladle.
((
*
We coursed down the end of the wild Aracapá Channel, passing
an islet on the right and the Ilha do Taboleiro to the left. Pre-
sently we shot through a gate formed by several rocks to port, and
to starboard by an enormous block which had assumed the domed
form into which granite masses are so often weathered. The
colour was cinereous brown above, and below it was japanned to
the semblance of a meteoric stone. Here, as elsewhere, the
colouring matter does not penetrate the surface except through
fissures. The coat varies but little in thickness, and when broken
with a hammer the fragments show that the glaze is easily to be
removed from the stone. I have before alluded to this pheno-
menon of coloration, which is common to both hemispheres.† A
long series of observations is required before we can answer the
question-"Does the river hold the oxides suspended like sand
and other earthy substances, or are they found in a state of
chemical solution ?”
Beyond the gate with its grisly tower was a remanso, half boil,
* In M. Halfeld's map it is called the Ilha dos Bois.
VOL. II.
+ Chap. 15.
D D
402
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XXVII.
half dead water, which taxed the paddlers' arms. We then flew
through a "violent rapid" formed by rocks between the eastern
end of the Aracapá Island and the left bank. It is known by the
descriptive name of Desataca Calçoes "—loosen your breeches-
which is all that requires to be said of it. We then passed on the
left bank the Serrote da Ponta da Ilha da Assumpção, where an
ypoeira setting off to the north-east insulates a tract of ground
three and a half leagues in length by five-eighths of a league in
extreme breadth, more than double the width of the river water.*
The Serrote is a lumpy, half-bald hill, with grey bush scattered
over a whitish surface. The upper part is banded with scattered
rocks of lighter tint running parallel with the bed, and tailing off
down stream.
Perforce we took the main channel to the right or south of
Assumption Island. The bank is mostly of sand based upon hard
clay, and its "Cascalho" extends to the water edge. The low-
lying land has Catingas Altas, where the people fly from the inun-
dations. They remember in 1838 an exceptional flood, which
rose 32 feet. The soil is said to be good; horses are bred in the
island, and black cattle are said to have run wild. The mountains
of the “terra firma" in front form a picture. The broken line of
the Serra do Milagre contrasts with the lumpy mass of the Serra
da Bananeira, upon which is said to be an "Olho de Agua;" and
whilst the valley is bone-dry, its highlands are fed by rain. Far
to the left two pyramids, regular as if cut, breed reminiscences of
Cheops and Cephren in a certain valley of the Old World. Seen
from the south-east, these hills lose their venerable appearance,
and become a saddle-back, banal even as is its name,
"Serrote
do Jacaré."†
At 2 P.M. we entered the "spuming rapid" of Cachauhy, called
da Assumpção to distinguish it from two others down stream. It
is formed at the end of the Ilha das Vaccas and other complications
by the Serrote do Salgado, a knob on the right bank. We went
down the breaks where the water danced about the dots of rock,
* We shall ascend the casternmost part
of this ypoeira to make Cabrobó. The
direct route would be by the west, but at
this season it is impassable. The principal
rapids, going down the line, arc: 1. Bom
Successo; 2. Cachauhy ; 3. Tucutú; 4.
Camaleão; 5. Urubú; 6. Cauam, or
Cauan; 7. Fouce; 8. Catarina; and 9.
The Cachoeira do Gavião, or do Portão.
The latter, about half a league above the
town, is described as a drop (despenhador),
which can be passed only in the height of
the floods.
None of these names is given by M.
Halfeld. The Jacaré appears to be his
Serra do Bendó.
CHAP. XXVII.]
403
BOA VISTA TO VARZÉA REDONDA.
1
and safely accomplished the always delicate operation of crossing.
We landed on the Island of Assumption to see the church, part
of whose brickwork cumbers the shore in large masses. Nothing
can save it. In 1852-54 it was 51 feet from the stream, which
has now laid bare the southern side. It was built in 1830 by a
citizen of Cabrobó, whose name is already forgotten; and the
style as well as the material are a long way behind those of the
Jesuits. It is to be hoped that the next traveller will find a little
more attention given to the dead who are buried in the roofless
enclosure.
The people collected to see us.
Apparently inclined to be
saucy," they came with knives and small bird-bows and arrows.
The old savages have all died off, and these are mostly a mixed
breed, whose curly hair comes from Africa. The pure blood
showed the well-known signs-big, round Kalmuk heads, flat
Mongol faces, with broad and distinctly marked cheek-bones;
oblique Chinese eyes, not unfrequently bridés, rather brown than
black, and dwelling upon objects with a fixed gaze; dark and
thick eyebrows; thin mustachios fringing the large mouths full
of pointed teeth; and small beards, not covering the long, massive
chins. The hair, brought low down over the forehead, was that
of the Hindú, jetty and coarser than in the pure Caucasian. The
nose had an abominable cachet of vulgarity, small and squat, with
broad fleshy nostrils; in fact the feature was all that an Arab is
not. They were well-made men, except that the trunk appeared
somewhat too long and large for the legs, and the shoulders seemed
to project horizontally just below the ears. The extremities
showed that delicacy of size and form which has passed so
remarkably into the Brazilian blood, and the skin was brown-
yellow and ruddy only where exposed to the light and air.
A glance down the river from the tall bank discloses a grisly
sight. There was the rich golden glow of the unclouded sun now
slanting west, and many a silvery line of stream to suggest
Den Silberbach in goldne Ströme fliessen.
(C
.
L
But a purple nimbus with a long grey lappet ahead threatened a
gale of wind, and the richly tinted surface was fanged with mur-
derous black stones. Here the Serrote da Lagoa Vermelha * runs
Some call it the Serra do Milagre; others the Serra da Lagoa Dourada.
<
DD 2
404
CHAP. XXVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
parallel with the right bank, and extends to it many a hill spur
that reefs the stream. We easily traversed the bed, and stumbled
through the Cachoeira da Pedra do Moleque, which breaks and
boils right across; but at the next place we nearly came to grief.
Here the channel bends to the south-east, and dashes at a hill
of stone and red clay. This Alto da Lagoa Dourada deflects it
almost at right angles to the north-east. The water flows down
hill, and we distinctly feel and see the angle formed by the raft
platform. It is a violent torrent, pouring at a rate of 10 to 12
knots an hour over the rocks, swirling around them, and pro-
ducing a complication of currents. In the runs there is a visible
convexity of surface, the waters being heaped up as it were by the
compression of the sides; and between the torrents are smooth
boils which seem as though produced by underground springs.
As we were entering the worst part, the strong east wind struck
us, and in a minute we were thrown helpless upon a rock. I had
taken the precaution to secure everything on board with ropes;
had not this been done the surges which swept us as we heeled
over would have cleared the deck. The pilot exerted himself
desperately; the men kept their presence of mind, and the
current, in whose power we were, beneficently sent the Eliza's
head down stream, with no further injury but a scrape and graze.
Enough for one day. The storm set in with fury. We managed
to pass the Serrote da Lagoa Vermelha, and we anchored on the
right bank, a little below the extinct town of Pambú.
This place of unintelligible name lies in a sack of the southern
bank, and to the east of its unimportant Riacho. The site is a
level at the feet of a thicket-clad ridge. The offset from the high
wall to the south-west and the huts may number a maximum of
thirty-five. The church, built and dedicated to Santo Antonio
by a rich proprietor of Cabrobó, has indulged itself in an archi-
tectural eccentricity. The façades are double, whitewashed in
the rear, brown clay in the front, and the effect is that of a man
with two heads.
We passed the night at the Pedra do Bode, fronting Pambusinho
Island, which was backed by the great Assumpção. A clean
patch of sand was dotted with the Oití da Praia (Pleragina
odorata, Mart.), a bush here considered useless; with the wild Icó,
bending under the weight of its fruit; and with the Piranha, a
scaly tree, which is green and lively above, whilst the lower parts
CHAP. XXVII.]
405
BOA VISTA TO VARZÉA REDONDA.
supply good dry firewood. Behind the beach rose the rocky and
clayey hill, scattered over with quartz pebbles and red silex that
resembled Rosso Antico. Passing through the bush we were
attacked by a carrapato-tick, now a novelty, but none the more
agreeable.
Nov. 2.-We ran down half a league to the tail of Pambusinho
Islet, and then turned north-westwards into the Braço do Tucutú,
the channel parting the mainland of Pernambuco from its subject,
the Ilha da Assumpção. The latter is here kept in position by
lines of rising ground, which face to the east and to the south.
It was a delicious morning; the air was sweet and rain-washed,
and the temperature that of Cairo in the cold season. How
much would be paid for such a day at such a season upon the
banks of the Thames! All creation looked its best, and the birds,
unusually numerous, sang gaily in the bush, especially the tame
and familiar red-headed songster of many names. The ashen-
grey maracaná † with the long cuneiform tail, was trooping from
the forest to plunder whatever maize was to be found; and the
fine large blue alcedo, a king amongst the kingfishers, crossed
the stream with his "vol saccadé," or sat upon the spray of pale-
green glaucous verdure, looking out for what he could devour.
The brown-black nimble plotus shot swiftly past us; the ichthyo-
phagous crauna, § with dark plume and yellow beak shaped like
the curlew, heavily flapped its long wings; and the Socó boi
(Ardea virescens), so called from its bull-like bellow, looked
twice at us before it would take the trouble to fly. Plundering
seems here to be the fashion; even the pigs were necklaced with
wooden triangles to temper their love of manioc.
At this season the lower channel is clear; but during the
height of the dries the Cachoeira da Boa Vista, alias da Boca do
Braço, must be troublesome. The scenery was the usual pistia
and hairy grass near the water, thin Mimosa growth higher up,
and plantations upon the more elevated lands. Fish was plenti-
>>
* It is called Cabeça Vermelho, Gallo
Campina, and Tico-Tico Roi. The "Me-
nino declared that he had sold for
10 $000, at Rio de Janeiro, a pair (casal)
of these birds, which are prized for their
song.
+ There are two species: Psittacus
Macayuanna and P. Guianensis (Linn.).
The people call it "Socó," and de-
clare that it is fat and good eating.
(C
§ The word is doubtless a corruption of
Guaraúna," the "blackbird;" but it is
pronounced as above, and many places
upon the river are named from it.
The
people praise the flesh of this bird, after it
has been fried in fat.
Locally called Canga (a yoke), or
Cambão, a rustic Portuguese word.
406
[CHAP. XXVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
ful, but the fishermen asked for it exorbitant prices. After four
hours of very lazy poling we turned a corner from south-west to
north-west, and came upon a clump of huts and a large compound
wall facing towards the stream. A little above was the Porto, where
a ferry plies between the island and the main. It is a broad green
boat, with a short mast made fast to a bench stepped in front.
Here we found the usual scene- -women washing, men filling
their "odres" (water-skins), and "borrachas" (leather bottle-
bags, with wooden corks), and children splashing and catching
the Piaba and the Piau. There were many horses, and the clean-
limbed cattle fed upon the heaps of cotton-seed which had been.
thrown upon the banks. The other live objects were very lean
pigs, prowling dogs, and poultry, which here includes turkeys
and guinea-fowls.
Inde
Ascending the bank I found unexpectedly a large place without
any of the sleepiness which had characterised Joazeiro and Boa
Vista; the site is the mainland, in the Comarca of Boa Vista,
Province of Pernambuco. At present it is a very dry land, the
evaporation curls up the leaves of the orange tree, whilst the tall
stout papaws seem to enjoy the temperature. And at times it is
very wet; the floods enter the settlement, deluging its floor of
sandy clay, and driving the people to the Catingas Altas, which
we see scattered about. The main of the town, which may con-
tain 125 houses and 700 souls, is formed of a large street, or rather
square, running north to south, and containing the dismantled
church of Na Sa da Conceição. The houses are unusually low
and massive, and they use shutters instead of glass windows,
declaring that the road to Bahia is 140 leagues long, and that
many of the stages want water. On the north of the settlement
is the cemetery. The centre shows the new Matriz and inevit-
able cross, the work of a rich devotee, D. Brigide Maria das
Virgens, whose husband built the now ruined fane on Assumption
Island; both are in the same style, and this bears the date
1844. The interior is unfinished, showing a ceiling of naked
rafters; there are, however, two pulpits, an organ loft, and
carpets upon the floor, which show that it is in use.
The Vigario
recites mass every morning, and all the "respectables" of both
sexes are "expected" to attend with a regularity which reminded
me of the Mosque. Here and there are some decent shops, and
I bought without difficulty meat and poultry, rice and water-
CHAP. XXVII.]
BOA VISTA TO VARZÉA REDONDA.
407
melons, salt and liquor. A tiled shed represented the market-
place, which was crowded with leather-clad men from the interior,
chaffering over their cotton bales* and broacas of rapadura and
farinha, which will here be exchanged for wet and dry goods.
Here, after some months, I again saw "the Eagle zin" at
work; the material comes from the inner highlands to the north,
where yesterday's rain fell. This is a country of great fertility,
and extends north to the Serra de Ararípe,† distant from Cabrobó
thirty leagues. The range is described to be a succession of
mounds of rich red clay, across which there is an easy road,
whilst behind it is the stony Serra de Borborema, which inosculates
with the Ibyapaba Range, separating Ceará from Piauhy. At the
southern foot of the Araripe is "Ixû," whose Villaship has been
transferred to "Granito." On the northern counterslope are
Crato and the Villa da Barra do Jardim. In this chalk range
Dr. Gardner first found the Ichthyolites which now go by the
name of "Penedo Stones." The nodular and rounded lumps of
impure fawn-coloured limestone, when split down the middle,
display the skeletons of the Mesosaurus, and fishes belonging to the
recent Cretaceous epoch. The people know of their existence,
and some are still sent to the coast as curiosities.
+
We at once see the cause of prosperity at Cabrobó. The land
road between the Villa da Boa Vista and the Varzéa Redonda runs
by it, and is met by the highways from Ouricory, Crato, and the
Cairirys§ to the north and north-east. The cotton bales are
embarked on rafts or carried down by horses, to the Porto das
Piranhas, distant along the river 55 leagues (165 miles). Then
after long wandering they find a steamer which ships the exports
*The bales averaged five to six arrobas :
they were unpressed, but made up neatly
enough with tie-tie."
(C
Gardner has described this chalk for-
mation. The name Ararípe has been wholly
omitted in Mr. Keith Johnston. Sr. Can-
dido Mendes de Almeida has not forgotten
it he does not, however, show it backed
by the Borborema, which, properly speak-
ing, includes the two Cairirys.. Of the
latter more presently.
Recent cretaceous fishes have been
lately found by that excellent traveller,
Mr. William Chandless, on the Rio Aquiry,
an affluent of the Great Purus. Most of
them, according to Prof. Agassiz, occur
between S. lat. 10° to 11°, and W. long.
(Gr.) 67° to 69°, in localitics from 430 to
650 feet above sea-level. Here the latitude
of Ararípe is about 7° south.
§ This name is locally applied to the
country about Crato and Jardim. Cairiry,
also written Cariry (Carirys), Cariri, or
Kiriri, was the name of a Tapuya tribe,
the ancient possessors of Itaparica Island,
in the Bay of S. Salvador. In 1699 a
Jesuit missionary, P. Luis Vincencio
Mariani, published at Lisbon his
"Arte
da Grammatica da Lingua Brasilica da
Naçam Kiriri." Many places hereabouts
bear the name of Cairirey; they were
doubtless localities to which the old savages
emigated. There are two principal ranges,
the Cairirys Novos, in the Province of
Parahyba do Norte, and the Cairirys Velhos,
in Pernambuco.
408
[CHAP. XXVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
to Bahia. In 1852-54, I have said, all was languishing, where
now we find life and energy. A good rolling road, but more
especially a tramway, would give a mighty impulse to trade by
facilitating it; and the many men relieved from the carrying trade
would at once become producers.
I called upon the civil young Delegado Sr. Bertino Lopes de
Araujo of Parahyba do Norte, who had married and settled in this
place six years ago. During that time he did not remember a
single assassination, although, of course, quarrels had taken place.
Neither he nor any of his neighbours could explain the word
"Cabrobó," also written "Quebrobó;" all they knew was that the
old Indian name had been given to a Fazenda which presently
became a Villa. The Delegate warned me, as others had done, to
make everything snug on board the Eliza, as we were soon to be
in difficulties.
SECTION II.
THE BAD RAPIDS TO SURUBABÉ.
Nov. 3.-After manifold delays-the Delegate was writing
letters for us, the pilot attended mass, and "Majelicão " hid him-
self in the nearest brothel-we ran down the narrow arm, safely
passed its central "Camboinha," and, after an hour's work,
sighted the Banco d'Arêa,* on the Bahian side below Pambú.
At this point the Rio de São Francisco begins the great south-
easterly trend, which it will keep, with a few insignificant varia-
tions, to the end of its journey. The north-eastern Vento Geral
now becomes a side wind, and sometimes blows almost from
behind. The sun is decidedly hot, clouds gather to the east and
to the west, we see from afar symptoms of a "repiquete," or
violent shower, and we therefore expect a gale, if not a rain-
storm.
On the left side a sandy islet hid from us the mouth of the
Riacho da Terra Nova, or do Jequi (Giqui), a nullah of some
importance. Beyond it we entered the Passagem do Ybó, the
* It is a clump of huts above a large
sand-bar or beach, known as the Coroa do
Bom Jesus.
+ It is said to head about 30 leagues
from its mouth in the Araripe Range, near
G
the place called "Cairirys Novos." Mr.
Keith Johnston calls the north-eastern fork
"R. Terra Nova," and the north-western,
"R. S. Domingos."
CHAP. XXVII.]
BOA VISTA TO VARZÉA REDONDA.
409
narrowest part of the São Francisco, where people can talk from
side to side. The formation is a deep gorge in the valley line,
which, however, shows no especial features; the banks are sandy,
the right is not flooded, whilst the left is swept, and a low rib of
loose rock stands up in mid-stream. The water, at this season
95-100 feet deep, swirls in palpable domes, and foams in shallow
"pots." A little below the Fazenda do Ybó, and a point project-
ing from the right bank, the 770 feet of stream spread out to
more than a mile. The total breadth of the river below the
narrows is three-quarters of a league, but the greater part of it is
occupied by the Ilha da Vargem, fronted by the main artery, and
backed by its own little branch of the São Francisco. Well
inhabited, and with fertile soil, this island, shaped like the letter
L, with the angle pointing south-west, is one of the largest, each
limb being about a league and a half long.
Easily passing the narrows, we ran along the left bank between
it and the Ilha do Estreito.* This is the only line passable.
Beyond this island the left bank projects a rounded point towards
the concavity of the L, and fills the river with rocks and rapids;
the heights are apparently limestone, and again we see along the
brink iron conglomerate in dark ledges. At the apex begins the
Cachauhy de Antonio Martins, the second of the name. The
roar of this rapid is worse than its bite; the foul channel, how-
ever, is compressed on the right by the Ilha do Cachauhy, and
further down by the high and sandy Ilha do Caruá.
""
We then crossed the river from west-north-west at the tail of
the Ilha da Vargem, to the "Largo do Brandão" on the east-
south-east, a long reach of deep smooth water which appeared a
"Remanso after the swift stream higher up. A gaunt island,
the Ilha dos Brandoes, † here defends the bed from the rocks of
the left bank, whilst the right bank protects us from the wind.
Opposite the head of the island, and on the Bahian shore, is the
mouth of the Riacho da Vargem, which is
leagues from a height called the Tombador.
its borders, and boys were pelting the greedy birds with loud cries
of "diabo." At 4 P.M. the pilot said that we must anchor, as
said to run twenty
Rice fields were on
*The Ilha da Boa Vista in M. Halfeld's
maps.
On the left bank are three Fazendas,
called Brandão, probably from some family
An
that first settled here. At the Brandão do
Meio there was a neat white house and a
clump of cocoa-nut trees.
410
[CHAP. XXVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
there is no safe ground amongst the Rapids, which will extend
ten leagues down stream. This is by no means the case, but
Manuel Cypriano's eyes are not now of first-rate quality, and he
does not like to pass broken water either in early morning or in
the evening shades.
We made fast below the Fazenda do Abarê,* opposite the head
of the Ilha Grande, a thin strip about two and a half leagues long,
immediately succeeding to that of the Brandoes. The bank is
here lined with nodules of lime. The little settlement of tiled
and tattered houses had its chapel, and we met no difficulty in
buying a pig and poultry. The crew reproached me for not
having killed a harmless water-snake, and amused themselves
with bullying an unfortunate frog of large size, which is popularly
supposed to swallow sparks of fire. The boatmen have tales of
the "Sapo" getting to Heaven by the aid of the birds, and the
animal seems to hold in these regions the position of the spider
on the coast of Guinea.†
Nov. 4.-This is the critical day-the acme of our rapid-
troubles; we shall pass nine bad places in 6 to 7 leagues. The
breadth of the stream is a constantly varying quantity, but
generally it is unusually narrow, the effect of increased slope.
The left bank is a long line of little hills, whilst the right side is
mostly flat and bushy. The profile of the bed is an inclined plane
of rock and gravel, divided into sections by level spaces. Long
islands and short islands, rocks and reefs, sandbars and shoals,
cumber the bed, and the former bear bits of noble forest. There
is something majestic in the aspect of the São Francisco, whose
turbid waters, here building up, there lieing low, now flowing
in silent grandeur, fanned by the gentle breeze, and reflecting
the gold and azure of the sky, assume an angry, sullen, and relent-
less aspect when some obstacle of exceptional importance would
bar its mighty path.
Rising with the dawn, but not pushing off till 7 A.M., we took
the channel formed by the Ilha Grande to the north, and pre-
* A little below this point is the Bar-
rinha do Abarê. Both are reminiscences
of the Jesuits, one of whom was called
Abarê bébé, the "flying father," because
he was always on the move. They, as well
as the Prelates, took the title of Pay Abarê
Guaçu, the Pope being known as Pay Abarê
oça etê (biggest of all). The friars of Saint
Anthony were called Abarê tucúra, father
locust or grasshopper, because the hood
reminded the savages of the "gafanhôto.
""
+ M. Halfeld (Rel. 215) mentions the
Calborge, a singing and amphibious toad,
which covers itself with froth. It has also
its legends.
CHAP. XXVII.]
BOA VISTA TO VARZÉA REDONDA.
411
sently scraped over the shrub-grown stones as we passed down
through the middle of the great "Tubarana" Shoal. Its site is
at the head of the Ilha da Missão, where this landstrip, also long
and thin, lies parallel with the Ilha Grande. On the right was
the Barra do Tubarana, alias da Fazenda Velha, another nullah
with a pooly bed. At 10 A.M. we coursed down the middle of the
Cachoeira do Imbuseiro, formed between highland in Bahia,
fronted in three tiers by the islet "do Meio," and the islands da
Missão and Grande.
Twenty minutes then took us to the "impetuous Cachoeira of
the Rosario." This is a break right across between Bahia and
the head of the Ilha do Serrotinho. We hugged the right bank,
and shot an incline of water, which made us sit back in the raft
as upon a horse landing after a leap. The channel is smooth,
lucent, and visibly lower-now a general feature-than the
stream, which breaks with a railway rush on both sides. A heavy
bump was the only damage done; here the rule is a bump and a
scrape at least once a day.
After the Rosario we took the narrow channel made by the
right bank and the Ilha da Barra, a lumpy island, one of a
group of three disposed in unicorn-the others being the Ilha do
Meio and the Ilha da Patarata. Near an affluent, known as
the Barra do Mucururé,* the awning was taken down, and the
thermometer showed in the sun 114° (F.), which made my com-
panion suffer; even the black boys on ashore crouched and
cowered under their little awnings of yellow straw. At the tail of
the Ilha da Barra was a narrow presently "flaring out" into a bay.
Looking back through a gap to the north-west, we saw the white-
washed Church of Belem-another missioner name-upon a dried-
up plain, backed by a range of wavy hill.
11 A.M. brought us to our third trial, the "furious Cachoeira
of the Cantagallo." It is a "long Sault" of half a mile, with
two distinct breaks. The lower is by far the worse. We rolled
down the mid stream through boiling glassy water, fringed by
rows of surge flowing noisily. At the bottom we shaved the left
bank of the Ilha do Cantagallo, a pyriform plain of sand, with a
small rocky" Serrote." On the right of the channel is the third
* M. Halfeld calls it Barra do Tarraxi. It is said to rise at a place called the
Imburanas, at the Ponta da Serra, and to measure forty leagues.
412
[CHAP. XXVII,
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
Cachauhy (do Pianoro, P. N.), * which is always avoided. The
river, obstructed in its course, there breaks into waves which
dash with thundering violence against the broken reef, and rush
between the jags of rock in sluices of dazzling velocity.
We have now a clear league ahead without rapids, but requiring
great care. Stones, shallows, and many little runs which the
pilot calls simply Pedras, stud the bed. On the left bank is the
Serrote do Papagaio, which has been visible since leaving the
Ilha da Barra. The profile, seen from the west, is the "Phrygian
bonnet," generally known in the Brazil as the "parrot's beak;
from the stream opposite it is a vertical ridge of bare rock. †
Here begins the upper break of the second Cachoeira da Panella
do Dourado, which the pilot facetiously calls O testo da Panella,
the pot-lid. Below is the "famous whirlpool and rapid" of that
name; the only sign of a maelstrom was cross-waves from the
left or north-west, but on the downward side of a rock-lump by
which we ran, we were struck full on the beam by a current flying
rather than flowing, and we were once more nearly, but only
nearly, swamped.
""
After a short halt for baling, we resumed. Number 5, the
Cachoeira do Boi Velho, was not of much importance; it gives a
fair way to the right, leaving the heaviest break on the left.
Again the stream became clear, and the banks were lined with
settlements; prairie fires, a symptom of expected rains, and
burnings for new "roças " appeared all around; but they were of
small extent, as the people want grass for their stock. The air
becomes even more arid than before, and the surface of the land
is mere dust.
The right shore showed the Arraial da Missão de
São João Baptista de Rodellas, more curtly called "As Rodel-
las;
it was a village of "Caboclos," pauper huts gathering
about a large and well-washed church, backed by a wave of high
ground. In 1852 the temple was in ruins, but a Capuchin
Missioner, Frei Paulino de Lusione, collected alms, and recon-
structed it. The pilot told me an ugly story about some ghostly
man, here stationed, who showed a pronounced propensity for
"Caboclas" (the feminine), under the age of twelve. One of his
* M. Halfeld gives at this place a
Cachauhy de Cima and a Cachauhy de
""
Baixo.
+ In the Relatorio (p. 168) it is called
Serrote da Pedra; the trend is made from
north-east to south-west, and the material
is stated to be "gneiss granite" (unstra-
tified gneiss), granite and quartz.
CHAP. XXVII.]
413
BOA VISTA TO VARZEA REDONDA.
victims ran away, and complained to the Delegate of Police, who
at once imprisoned, and finally compelled the Reverend to quit
the country. There were other tales of debauchery, cloaked
by sanctity, especially one of holy water, which proved to have a
pestilent taste of gin; true or not, they prove that the moderns.
do not secure the respect paid to the ancient Jesuits.
We rested on the left bank opposite Rodellas, and the boat-
men bathed to prepare for the finale, an ugly stretch of two
leagues. The channel widens out, for the last time, to nearly
three-quarters of a league, and bending from the south-west
almost to the south, becomes a mass of islands. Of these eight
are considerable tracts of wooded ground. *
I
At 3.15 we put off from shore, and easily passed through the
Cachoeira do Urubusinho, which is some hundred yards in length.
On the right was the hill-island do Urubú, a kind of Careg-
Luzem-Kuz, which from up stream appears like a monstrous
elephant, with white ear and head partly averted, lying down
amongst the trees; its spine is a bristling crest of bored and
hollowed stone. † To the left of this "hoar rock in the wood
lay the long thin Ilha da Viúva; hence we passed directly into
the "furious Cachoeira of the Fura-olho," or gouge-eye.
confess to having felt cold hands at the sight of the infamous
turnings, the whirlpools which the Relatorio calls the terror of
navigators, and the pot-holes some fifteen inches deep in the
water. Head on, we dashed at the rocks-here bare, there shrub-
clad-and more than once we prepared for the shock; often, too,
the pilot giving the raft a broad sheer with the sweep of his
heavy and powerful paddle, carried us safely through places
where we could almost touch death on either side. It was a wild
scene; the Eliza swayed and surged to and fro, as she coursed
down the roaring, rushing waters that washed the platform; the
surge dazzled the eyes when it caught the sun, and on the smooth
depths the beams were reflected as by a mirror. Shout, boys,
shout!" cried the old man, in his Cachoeiran element; "I love
66
* The islands, beginning from above,
are-1. Ilha do Cuité; 2. Ilha da Viuva,
or dos Cubaços, the latter name confound-
ing it with a smaller feature to the south;
3. I. da Tucurúba; 4. I. do Jatobá; 5.
I. de São Miguel; 6. I. da Crucira (sic in
map, Cruzeira?); 7. I. do Espinheiro; and
8. I. do Surubabé, in the Relatorio called
""
"Sorobabé and Zorobabé."
(C
Besides
these the Plan shows some thirty-five islets
of larger or lesser size, not including rocks.
† M. Halfeld (Rel. 169) says that the
formation is granitic, and he places the
channel on the right, whereas we passed to
the right of the "Elephant Islet.'
""
""
414
[CHAP. XXVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
→
to hear the shout in these places! "Hé Fura Olho!" they
exclaimed, with their glapissant voices, calling upon Nossa
Senhora, and crying, “Ó bicho feio!
"Ó bicho feio!" to the whirlpools and the
ugly-headed, black rocks, whose faces glistened like the hippopo-
tamus fresh from the deep, and whose necks were cravatted with
bands of rushing white water, a thin and semi-transparent gauze.
We managed "Gouge-eye" in fifteen minutes, and pronounced it
very pretty shooting-when it was ended.
The ground-swell below, not a little like the "Gallops Rapids"
of Canada, bore us down between the Ilha da Tucurúba,* and its
outlying rocks on the north-west, to the Pernambuco bank. We
now enter upon the 299th league, which is said to be the worst upon
the river, but we found it less formidable than that preceding it.
The course begins with a stony break between the left shore and
the Ilha dos Espinhos; t a mass of Mimosa tasseled with pink
flowers, and well-armed with thorns. Presently it passes a small
nameless river-holm on the left, then the line hugs the bank
to avoid sunken rocks and shallows; once more it winds amongst
the islet-rocks, above the head of the Ilha do Sorobabé; and,
finally, it returns to the left side. The tide flowed like a mill
race, and in parts the speed would have distanced any steamer ;
but we had often to hang back, and the total of two miles.
occupied us twenty minutes.
Then, as the sun began to slope behind the Imbuseiro trees, we
heard just ahead the roar of Surubabé, the ninth and last trouble,
where ends this upper Cordilheira of Cachoeiras, which preface
the Great Rapids. Manuel Cypriano, whose motto certainly
should be festina lentè, proposed reserving it for to-morrow, but
the day was only 4.40 P.M. old, and for old reasons, I at once
negatived the measure. During the floods between December
and May, which, however, are very uncertain, Surubabé is shot
by canoes, and even by small barcas, the only danger being the
rapidity of the run, which dashes them to pieces if they touch.
During the dries a portage for merchandise is always made.
The river has now risen from five to eight palms, and thus our
difficulties are greatly lessened.
* On the left bank the Riacho da Tucu-
rúba, a mere nullah, falls in.
+ Others called it "do Espinho." M.
Halfeld's plans naine it the I. de S. An-
""
tonio.
afe
At Varzea Redonda the people de-
clared that it was four to five fathoms
above low-water level.
CHAP. XXVII.] BOA VISTA TO VARZÉA REDONDA.
415
The Surubabé, also called the "Cachoeira do Váo,"* began with
our ugly rapid between its island and terra firma. Here the São
Francisco "fervet immensusque ruit." Passing this, we landed
on the left bank of the island, above the great obstruction, a wall
of granite, extending right across from east-north-east to west-
south-west, which might easily be opened. The greater part of
it has a clear fall of two feet, and a reconnaissance determined us
to attempt the right side of the ledge, where the shoot slopes like
the places to which we have been accustomed. The chief danger
is the impetus which drives the craft upon the "Váo," or granite-
bed just below and in front of the fall; the dashing water curls
back in waves two or three feet high, and would bury the in-
truder.
The pilot and two men out with their poles, whilst four of us
manned the rope, making use of the trees where the tow-path was
foul with slippery water-grass, dry shrubs, and tough fig-roots.
Down went the raft headforemost, dipping deep her platform,
and grazing a boulder on the right side. When she had reached
the bottom of the fall, Manuel Cypriano and his men stopped
progress with their poles, we sprang on board, punted to the left
of the "Váo," poled back to the island, and, after another little
difficulty, which also required cordelling, we exchanged poles for
oars, we ran to the left bank, and landed at 5.15 p.m.
Our day's
work had covered twenty-seven miles instead of fourteen, the
average since leaving Boa Vista.
Then we passed out of the gloom and torment of the Rapids
into the calmly flowing stream, whose light blue was stained with
the gorgeous red of the western sky. Thus satisfactorily ended
all my troubles with cachoeiras upon the Rio de São Francisco,
and the sensation was certainly one of great relief. We passed a
pleasant quiet night upon the water-grass and the iron-stained
Cascalho that banked the smooth channel; under a "dome of
steel lit up by the stars;" and within hearing of the dead
monotonous crash of the Rapids-perhaps my prejudiced ear did
to it injustice-underlying the music of the breeze. There was
not a trace of dew, which partly explained the burnt-up look of
the land.
* Of the ford, or shallow. M. Halfeld gives Vão, which means an empty place, or
desert.
;
416
[CHAP XXVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
SECTION III.
THE SMOOTHS.
PARROT HILL.-CHALK FORMATION SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE AMAZONS RIVER.
-DIAMANTINE DEPOSITS.-ROCK INSCRIPTIONS HITHERTO NEGLECTED.—
END OF RIVER TRAVEL.
After the "Thousand Islands" and their accompanying
terrors, the São Francisco is a sightly stream; here, in the pilot's
phrase, you may fasten a branch to the bows and float safely
down stream to Varzéa Redonda. The scenery somewhat
suggests the valleys of the Nile and the Indus when they reach
the dry country; but the artificial glories of the far richer
Brazilian river are all to come. The area of drainage is narrowed
by mountain-ranges on both sides; there are few influents, and
none of importance; the breadth of the bed greatly diminishes,
an immense evaporation ever sucking up the waters, and reducing
their volume where we expect to see it increased. On the other
hand the depth is more considerable, and the flow if not swift is
steady, making up for want of size. Hence the ypoeira becomes
an unimportant feature, and we miss the long chain of island and
islet, built up by the waters in the shallower portions. The
climate becomes exceedingly dry, and the three-months' rains do
not suffice for the sandy thirsty land, rich only in thorns. It
wants, however, only water to become fertile as Sindh, and the
canalization of Egypt will be much facilitated by the compound
slope of the lands about the stream. Agriculture, and even
population, are confined to the banks, where the crops thrive by
capillary attraction through the porous soil; not a gourd of water
is ever bestowed upon the growth, and digging a deep trench,
with a dam to preserve the supply during the dry season, is far
beyond the power of the present generation.
Here we change the wild, stiff, upright scenery of a granitic
country for the soft, amene, and rounded lines of the sandstone
and cretaceous formations. The right side shows "Catingas
Altas" at a short distance, and at times dwarf bluffs facing the
stream; the left is low, and excepting a few scattered lumps, it
stretches uninterrupted to the Serra de Ararípe, not visible from
this point. The water margin, as far as Varzéa Redonda, is
CHAP. XXVII.]
BOA VISTA TO VARZÉA REDONDA.
417
(C
frequently lined with "Cascalho" of all sizes; some of fine
conglomerate, which fractures easily, others of jasper and the
various forms of silex, mossed with black lichen, or stained with
iron, and giving, when struck, a metallic sound. Here and there
the formation shows points of gold, and the people know it as
Gurgulho brabo." We shall spend three days over the fourteen
to fifteen leagues along the river which separates us from Varzéa
Redonda. The São Francisco makes a great bend to the north,
covering seven leagues, when across the heel the line is hardly
five miles. I had no reason to lament the loss of time; this
section unexpectedly proved itself the most interesting part of the
voyage.
Nov. 5.-We found the united stream to measure only 300
fathoms (braças), and its comparative narrowness was set off by a
dorsum swelling on the right side, here a normal feature. I was
surprised to see so many signs of labour, cultivation extended to
the water side, and long lines of hedge ran down the gently sloping
bank. It was a peaceful pleasant scene, where nought jarred
upon the senses, save only an old negro who was paddling a
broken canoe, and cursing like a Celt, because he had lost his
hat. Wherever there is irrigation, maize and sugar can thrive,
onions and ground nuts yield abundantly, and the sweet potato
attains an unusual size. The peach-tree abounds, but here as
elsewhere in the Brazil, as far as my experience extends, it is
hard and tasteless, fit only for stewing. As on the uplands of the
Rio das Velhas the characteristic colour of the flowers is a
laburnum yellow; even the Carahybeira now changes its mauve-
coloured trumpets for gold.
On the left bank we passed the little influent known as Riacho
do Páo Jahú,* and presently we struck the great northerly bend.
This round turn in the bed is subtended by the Serra do Penedo, t
a long and regular ridge with outlines of sandstone grit. On the
north side a dwarf cliff buttressed the stream: the material is
coarse arenaceous matter, almost horizontally stratified with per-
pendicular fracture, tinted red and yellow, and in places black
with iron glaze; it was riddled into holes by the water, and
displayed long straight lines of imbedded conglomerate, which
* At present it has no stream, and
only water wells are in the bed. The
people declare that it drains the northern
dividing ridge. M. Halfeld (Rel. 171)
VOL. II.
writes the word as it is pronounced, Pajaú.
Mr. Keith Johnston does the same, and
makes it a considerable stream.
M. Halfeld gives "Serra do Penedinho."
EE
418
[CHAP. XXVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL,
seemed to have been deposited in a calm lake. Our Manuel
Cypriano, who had complained of fever during the night, was not
himself to-day, and we humoured the laziness of the men by
dropping down in mid-stream. A fierce wind presently came up
from the north-east, raising the waves in a few minutes, and
nearly lost us in the safest part of the journey, not an unfrequent
accident with shipping, British and other.
After some difficulty we made the left shore and baled. Here
the tall bank was white with marl, and in the upper levels cotton,
all unheeded, spread the ground with snow. When the gale had
somewhat abated we struck across stream to the Serrote do Pico,
whose regular dorsum and sliced cliff suggested rapids, but none
were found, the bed being too deep. This lump rises abruptly
out of a sheet of sand crumbled from itself; the height is about
110 feet, and the material is the now normal coticular sandstone,
iron-glazed below, and of brick-red and grey-yellow in the upper
parts. The summit is a bluff, and about the middle the slope
assumes the natural angle, growing a few trees; the strata dip
easily to the north or up stream, and the perpendicular fracture
forms at the corners columnar blocks. As we climbed its knee-
cracking sides, the little Mocó-coney came out of his home to
stare and bolt back. From this point offsets the direct road to
Itacutiára, an hour or two's ride, whereas the stream-way will
require from us three days.
We took the right of the Ilha da Tapéra, the only island as yet
seen below the Rapids; flat, green, and wooded, it was remarkable
near the arid red ground, and the thin dry bush of the bank.
Farther down the Bahian side showed us the Povoação da Tapéra
do Valentão-the "Village of the Ruins of the Ruffian." The
pleasant name is descriptive of the old inhabitants, a race of
bullies muito "enthusiasmados"-as the pilot magniloquently
expressed himself. The tall well white-washed and belfry-
boasting church, that does not set off the little hovels, is said to
be a deception, tumble-down inside.*
Dust-devils flew about in front of us, and sheets of distant rain
gave us a hint to take the bank; we made fast in the "nick of
time." Whilst everything around us, even the pinnate leaves,
was profoundly calm and still, rose the roaring of a mighty wind
* M. Halfeld (Rel. 173) speaks of it as a
“vistósa igreja.”
CHAP. XXVII.]
419
BOA VISTA TO VARZEA REDONDA.
from the north-east, and columns and mists of brown-yellow silt
came charging down upon us as though we had been in the Valley
of the Indus. Then the gale tore through the woodland, plough-
ing the smooth surface of the water and rushing violently up-
stream. The meteor, which brought with it only a few thin drops.
of rain, appeared to be, like the African tornado, merely local.
An independent squall was seen further down. It took an hour
to work round, again striking us from the south-west at 4 P.M.
We were then, however, securely embayed in a shallow bight pro-
tected by reeds, near a little settlement called Sabuicá. The night
brought wind and violent rain, which kept the mosquitoes quiet ;
our crew, however, seemed to fear them less than the "Besouro
Grande," a large black and yellow insect like our bumble-bee,
and they declared that its sting causes fever. To-day we saw
for the first time under the Gurgulho bravo, agates and onyxes,
banded with red and yellow.
.
*A"
Nov. 6.-We resumed our way down the right bank, which
was lined with ledges of dark Cascalho. Presently the stream
began to bend from north-east to east, the effect of ground
waves on the left bank, especially the Serrote do Ambrosio, whose
white ridge and light greenery, seen through the morning mist,
were easily to be mistaken for a giant tree. We then made a
"travessa braba,"* rendered fiercer by the sunken rocks, to the
Riacho dos Mandantes on the left bank; the dry nullah at whose
mouth the grass had been cut for fodder, becomes an ypoeira
during the rains. Here the channel bends gradually from east
to south-south-west; the cause is the Serra do Papagaio, a
block through which the stream appears to have broken, and
which was formerly continued to the Serra do Penedo, passed
yesterday. From up-stream the "Parrot's Range" looked like a
"Castle Hill," with a tall, ruined tower on the right, connected by
a curtain with a smaller donjon to the left, and trending from east-
north-east to west-south-west. We went down cautiously under
pole, and presently landed to examine the chain; at the same time.
a furious south-easter came up and rendered progress impossible.
At the foot of the Castle Hill is a nullah flowing in from the
east, and formerly it supplied the banded stones (pedras lavra-
dinhas), for which the place is celebrated; now, however, it is
dangerous crossing."
C
E E 2
420
[CHAP. XXVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
choked with sand. We walked to a stony slope further north,
and found on the riverward face, specimens of flint and coloured
quartz that soon filled our bags. The most common form was
the red and yellow-banded pebble, like those so common about
Cambay in Western India; a few were striped white and black.
There were also well-stained blood-stones; onyxes fit for cameos;
cats'-eyes, as in the streams of Ceylon; "water-drops" (quartzum
nobile); crystallized quartz, fragments of rock crystal, and a
coarse opalline formation.* Formerly the valued stones were in
great abundance, but for years they have been carried off, and we
met a rival collector in the shape of a Brazilian youth.
I then worked my way to the Castle Hill, crossing sundry
ridges that were crested with upright slabs, like the vertebræ of
monster snakes. The broken surface bore nothing but stones
and thorns, the usual species of Cactus and Bromelia. The
ascent of the lower tower gave us some trouble; even Shakspere's
Mark Antony, in matters of physique the beau-idéal of a traveller
as of a soldier, would have complained of shaky knees and short
breath after a two months' diet of manioc, rice and fish. The
material is a friable grit, breaking almost with the hand, pierced
by small holes, as if worm-eaten, and too coarse for whet-
stones; in the higher parts the particles are smaller and more
closely disposed. Lines of harder material ramify over the surface,
and rise in alto-relief, forming irregular compartments; but even
these crests can be knocked off with a stick. The soft places
have been weathered into pot-holes and caverns that from afar
resemble a dove-cot. The lower part shows a slightly green dis-
coloration, which at once suggests our upper greensand overlying
the stiff blue "gault;" and the higher walls are grey, red and
yellow, doubtless a ferruginous tint; in fact, signs of iron every-
where appeared. Lightly imbedded in the arenaceous matter,
and evidently deposited by still waters, were horizontal bands of
pebbles, smaller sized than those strewn below; hence, doubtless,
comes the diamantine "formação" which we shall find in such
abundance further down.
Approaching the summit, where the goats had trodden a smooth
* I have already alluded (chap. 21) to
existence of the opal, the only gem which
as yet art has not learned to imitate.
José Bonifaccio (Viagem Min. p. 29)
found near Ipanéma of S. Paulo, the
common opal very like those of Tel-
cobania in Hungary.' I have not yet
scen in the Brazil the quartz with the
harlequin play of prismatic colour, which
is still so valuable.
"(
""
CHAP. XXVII.]
CHA
BOA VISTA TO VARZEA REDONDA.
421
path upon the friable grit, I worked across the crumbling curtain.
The latter is a "facão de Morro," a narrow spine with a fall on
both sides, and in process of rapid degradation, soon to be level
with the plain. It ends in the taller donjon, where a large,
upright, and striated block of sandstone, whiter than usual, looks in
the offing like a quartz "dyke." The cold, damp sea-breeze
and windy clouds interfered with the prospect from the summit;
it showed, however, that the lowlands were sandstone flats, from
which rose many little buttresses similar to that upon which I stood.
This formation we first noticed at the narrows of Ybó. Down-
stream I could see on the left bank the Serrote dos Campinhos,
a sister block; and the substance extended with outcrops of
granite and alternation of limestones to the city of Penedo, on
the Lower São Francisco. It was noticed by Gardner at Crato in
Ceará, and vestiges of the cretaceous period have been traced
from Maranham to the Upper Amazons.*
Nov. 7.-From the Serra do Papagaio a road strikes south-
east towards Varzéa Redonda, distant four leagues by land
and seven by water. The pilots calculate respectively five and
eight, the normal exaggeration of distance, which is measured by
the laziness of the crews and the pace of the wretched nags. We
set off at 4 A.M. in a dark, cold drizzle, at times lighted by the
gusts, and, after a league, we passed on the left bank the Serrote
dos Campinhos (de Baixo); here the sandstone rises bare and it
forms outlying single pillars, weathered to cheese-wrings, and
sometimes resembling "logan stones." The place is known by an
ugly two-headed rock projecting from the river. The next feature
is Icó on the left bank, backed by its Ypoeira, which is said to
breed shoals of fish. † High in front rose on the right bank the
Serra da Itacutiára, backed by "Catingas Altas," and fronted
by a similar formation, the "Guixaba" on the opposite side.
The roaring wind again arose and drove us for shelter to the
left side; on the bank women smoked their long reed pipes, with
* Dr. G. S. de Capenéma, a Brazilian
savant, was of opinion that Gardner's
discovery of immense cretaceous deposits
about the north-eastern shoulder of the
South American continent, might be re-
duced to 'Tauatinga,' or degraded fel-
spar. The journey of Professor Agassiz
has, however, set that question at rest.
The signs of the cretaceous period aro
ferruginous sandstone deposited upon il
(6
>>
C
lower greensand; marls and limestones
soft and compact; thick beds of a finer
grained soft and coloured sandstone; and
lastly, a great dissemination of chertz,
silex, and true flint. It is apparently
barren in organic remains.
In this part of the river fish is caught
easily during the dry season, and especially
about the rapids. The people shoot, as
well as net and hook, the prey.
422
[CHAP. XXVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
2+
small clay heads, and fetched water, whilst the men scraped fish,
which they refused to sell. None were in rags as about Joazeiro.
The popular skin was yellow rather than sallow; the features were
regular and sometimes handsome, the hands and feet were well-
formed but large, showing Portuguese blood, and the long, lank
hair was "Indian," whilst the pointed teeth probably came from
Africa. All were armed, and some carried pouches of the Mara-
cajá, a wild cat spotted like the ounce, and very destructive to
poultry and kids. Those who passed by on horseback had shoes
with long front leathers, over which the spur strap ran; they used
halters and not bridles, and the stirrups were provided with
swivels above the instep. They were not uncivil, but independent
as their ancestry of the wild, and, perniciously frugal, they
ignored the wants of civilization. Yet the land is good, pro-
ducing in abundance maize and manioc, beans and ground-nuts,
sweet potatoes, pumpkins and onions, melons and water-melons,
sugar-cane and rice, in the places where it is not flooded by the
stream, whilst cotton rotted, as usual, on the uplands.
Upon this "praia," at the turn of the stream from south-west
to south-east, we again recognized for the first time after an
interval of ninety-three leagues, the true diamantine formation.
Along the water were strewed lines of the white and black
cattivo, the jetty ferragem, the square Santa Anna, the Agulha,
here very large, the snowy Ovo de Pomba, the straw-coloured
Siricória (chrysolite or white topaz), and the feijão, the fava and
the many kinds of polished "caboclos," whose bright lustre is
held to be a good symptom. Further down stream we met with
it after turning up the large pebbles (gurgulho brabo), and under
the superficial humus it is also spread in a thin sheet. These
deposits will continue as far as the Cachoeira da Itaparica, eight
leagues below, and there it will again be noticed. The people
have never beheld a diamond, and their cattle tramp over what
may prove to be a mine of wealth. When they saw us picking
up shells and pebbles they lamented their "backwardness," but
in the present state of things, exploitation is hopeless. The
place is only 90 to 93 miles from the highest station of the
steamer, and it is my conviction that it should be carefully
examined.
Ne
GRE
Two young fellows, Rufino Alves de Sà, and Francisco Maria
de Sà, of the Engenho Novo lands, were loitering about and
CHAP. XXVII.]
423
BOA VISTA TO VARZÉA REDONDA.
asking us the usual questions, e.g. if the English had a King.
I examined them upon the subject of a "letreiro," or inscription,
of which we had heard up-stream; they declared that they knew
the place, and the sight of a Milreis note casily persuaded them
to become my guides. They shipped on board the raft and
assisted us across the Itacutiará break, which can hardly be called
a rapid.
Here the river, sweeping round to the east, passes between
the long dorsum of the Itacutiára hills and the bluffs of the
"Guixaba;" the two connect by a ridge of iron-glazed sand-
stone. On the right is a clear channel up and down which
boats can pass even by night; in the centre is a peculiar mush-
room-shaped rock, and between it and the left bank the bed is
very foul. As we approached the reef, and were rushing at full
speed with the water, "Captain Soft " let slip the lashing of his
paddle, fell upon his back, and remained there grinning like an
idiot. The strangers prepared for a cold bath by loosening the
band which held their short cutlasses; fortunately, however, the
old pilot, furiously working the stern paddle, and using the while
language of the most energetic description, drove us safely through
the upper break.
We landed on the right bank at the Sitio da Itacutiára to the
north of the hills, and walking through a manioc field we reached
a sandstone wall, locally called a "Talhada." It bears south-
south-west of the upper break, and forms an angle whose arms.
face to the east and the south-east, thus obliquely fronting the
stream. The material is coarse sandstone with lines of conglo-
merate, reddish-yellow above and below, glazed as though the
river had once washed it. Between six and seven feet from the
ground there is a roof-like projection, and above it the rock is
piled up in blocks. The highest strata in the mountain mass
are cut for querns and whetstones. Under the roof the whole
wall is covered with characters, varying in size from a few inches
to two feet in length, and they extend about twenty feet on each
side from the apex of the angle.
I was delighted with my trouvaille, the first of the kind which
I made in the Brazil, and which here has not before been
noticed.* Jacinto Barbosa da Silva, the farm-owner, declared
The Relatorio does not refer to its existence. I shall recur to these inscriptions
at the end of the present Chapter.
424
[CHAP. XXVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
that it was a roteiro or guide pointing out where treasure is con-
cealed, and such is the general opinion touching these inscrip-
tions. An Italian traveller in the days of our interlocutor's
grandfather had found that it directed him to a hole in a neigh-
bouring nullah, and by dropping stones they found the cavity to
be deep. Slaves were sent to work at it, but presently the waters
came down and the spot was lost for ever.
We then resumed work, and easily finished with the Itacutiára
break. On both sides there are little settlements called Ao
Pé da Serra:"* opposite these there is a heavy swirl and a
string of small whirlpools which have a dangerous look. A clear
channel, however, is on the right, and boats go down a hollow in
the water with raised rims and strong lateral shoots. A little
below on the Bahian bank is a cliff of red-yellow sandstone, a
"written rock," resembling, but somewhat smaller than, that
first visited; it projects across the stream a similar dark ledge,
much grooved and turned by the floods. There must be some
risk in ascending as well as descending this break when the
winds are violent; and we observe upon the banks that the Cana-
fistula trees, bent almost at a right angle up-stream, rest for
support their leeward branches on the ground. At the Pé da
Serra of Pernambuco, a line of red sandstone bluffs faces the
river with outlines of pillared fragments and rocking stones,
whilst a low plain of their own wastage separates them from the
bank.
:
K
Ch
The next feature of importance is called Morros do Sobrado,
because supposed to resemble a house. On the left bank below
a large Corôa of sand, thicket and stunted trees, extending
across three quarters of the bed, are twin bluffs, tall and yellow,
separated by a sandstrip, 400 yards long. Stratified and with
cleavage they show "lócas" or caverns of unusual size, whose
black mouths look as if iron faced; they are favourite nesting
places for birds, especially the large grey-coloured hawk (F.
plumbeus ?) which does so much damage to the young of the
flocks. Large blocks have fallen into the water, and have re-
ceived, like the granites, a coat of glaze. On the right bank a
mass of glistening black Marumbés runs into the stream like
a bed of fresh lava, contrasting strongly with the red hills, the
loose yellow sands, and the brown Catingas Altas.
66
""
*Thus we have Saint Magnus ad pedem pontis, &c.
CHAP. XXVII.] BOA VISTA TO VARZÉA REDONDA.
425
Presently turning to the north-north-east we sighted one of
the most picturesque reaches in this picturesque valley. The
river, now of noble dimensions, bulges out and narrows with
graceful curves, and the view down-stream is closed by the long
low ridge of Tacaratú. The banks, gently shelving, have their
slopes divided by hedges of dry thorn, and bear upon the ridge-
tiled houses; here they are sandy, there they are green with
grass and corn. To the right is the hamlet of Casa Nova, con-
sisting of some twenty houses, and faced by three magnificent
Cashew trees, whose domed heads of verdure extend their leafy
locks almost to the ground. On the opposite side is the Porto
de São Pedro Dias da Varzéa Redonda *—our destination. The
thundering roar of a rapid below tells us that we have now
finished our voyage.
Here then is the great terminus of navigation on the mighty
Rio de São Francisco, down which we have floated some 309
leagues, nearly thrice the length of England. I felt the calm
which accompanies the successful end of a dubious undertaking,
whilst the beauty of the site and the splendid future which awaits
it, supplied the most pleasing material for thought.
I now return to the inscription.
66
These written rocks appear to be common on the Lower
São Francisco. In this part they are found at Icó of the
Ypoeira, at Itacutiára, and at the Pé da Serra. Below this I
heard of them at Salgado, two leagues from the Curral dos Bois.
ferry (320th league); and upon the Brejo, a breeding Fazenda
belonging to the Capitão Luis da Silva Tavares, opposite the
Porto das Piranhas and distant six or seven leagues. The
people have stories of "Estrondos " and superhumanities which
wait upon these indications of buried treasure; at the Brejo
there is an "Olho d'Agua" where the clashing of steel rods is
heard.
""
66
Such inscriptions were known to the old travellers. Yves
d'Evreux, speaking to an acolyte, said of "Sainct Barthelemy,"
Tien, voila ce grand Marata qui est venu en ton pays
c'est luy qui fit inciser la Roche, l'Autel, les Images et Escri-
tures qui y sont encore à present, que vous avez veu vous
* All writers, including M. Halfeld,
call it Varzem Redonda.
I can only say
that the people do not. Varzem and
Varzea, however, are synonymous, signify-
ing water meadows or land occasionally
flooded.
426
[CHAP. XXVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
autres." His editor, M. Denis, refers to the "grand voyage
pittoresque" of M. Debret (i. 46), which does not want a certain
interest; the rocks are upon the mountain do Anastabia near
the Rio Yapurá, in the Province of Pará. Long before him
Koster (ii. Chap. 3)* mentions "a stone in the Province of
Paraïba upon which were sculptured a great number of un-
known characters and figures, especially that of an 'Indian
woman.' The rock, which was of great size, lay in the bed of a
nullah, and the people who saw the draughtsman at work told
him that there were many similar features in the environs, and
named the localities. The Count de Castelnau copied inscrip-
tions from rocks on the Araguaya River which were pointed out
to him by the Capitão Mór Antonio Rodrigues Villars: the
found them (v. 113-114) at Serpa, i.e. "pierre gravée,"‡ on the
Lower Amazons, and he alludes to the carved figures on the rocks
of the Rio Negro, and to the rock inscriptions of the rivers
Orinoco and Essequibo. On the Upper Paraguay the huts of the
“Indians” and the neighbouring tree trunks were covered with
"singular hieroglyphs" of very varied form, but the traveller
could not determine whether they were mystical writing or
merely copies of marks which the people had found upon stolen
cattle. H. I. M. D. Pedro II., a most diligent student of Bra-
zilian antiquities, has collected all the current information upon
the subject of these "incised rocks," and told me that he held
them to be the work of Quilombeiros or Maroon negroes.
cannot accept this view, as the African at home ignores every
species of inscription.
The glyphs found upon the São Francisco were much less
European in form than those published by the Revista Trimensal
of the Brazilian Institute.§ The symbols show considerable
monotony, the most remarkable forms being the hand, the hoof
*
He had his information from a priest
who had visited a friend in the Parahyba
Province; and he was prevented from
copying the sketch by his leaving Pernam-
buco more hurriedly than he had expected.
Southey alludes to this inscription.
They were seen in 1774 during an
exploration by the Ouvidor Antonio José
Cabral de Almeida. Cunha Mattos (Itine-
rario de Rio de Janeiro ao Pará) would
trace the inscriptions to the Jesuits.
According to Mr. Bates (i. 308) the
Đ
<<
name of Serpao in the Tupí language,
'Ita-couatíara," signifies striped or painted
rock, from the prettily variegated Tauatinga
clay and conglomerate.
The reader will find in the Appendix
a translation of this curious document.
Its allusions to the Great Rapids of Paulo
Affonso are evident, but the tale of the
deserted city is popularly supposed to be a
romance. A Babian Padre dedicated him-
self for a score of years to the re-discovery,
and died before he effected it.
CHAP. XXVII.] BOA VISTA TO VARZĹA REDONDA.
427
•
with a vertical line or lines bisecting it, and the old Gothic
double-looped OO. My kind friend Dr. (D.C.L.) A. Moreira
de Barros, President of Alagoas, and M. Carl Krauss found
other characters upon the Rio da Agua-Morta at the village Olho
d'Agua do Casado, near the Porto das Piranhas, and about one
direct league from the São Francisco River. The site is a grot from
three to five metres in breadth, with perpendicular walls of hard,
massive granite (syenite ?), from which the mica has almost dis-
appeared, and dyed red by oxide of iron. M. Krauss believes
that the inscription was made with iron tools. I would remark,
however, that the jade hatchets of the natives were with savage
perseverance capable of dinting the hardest stone.* Mr. C. H.
Williams, of Bahia, who ascended the Panema influent of the
Lower São Francisco, found, two leagues up the bed, characters
traced in red paint upon the under part of a rough granitic slab.
It is much to be desired that all these ancient remains may be
photographed before they are obliterated; at present every
Caipíra, instinctively it would seem, digs his knife-point into
the "letreiro" as if in revenge, because it will not betray its
secrets. The interpretation will light up a dark place in the
pre-historic age of the Brazil, and the mere mention of them.
shows that the traveller is wrong to assert "Au milieu des
rochers et des arbres gigantesques de ces forêts qui défient les
siècles, il ne se trouve pas d'hieroglyphes ou aucune espèce de
signes gravés sur la pierre."
"" +
+
*It is not easy to understand how the
savages worked refractory substances. Al-
most everywhere, however, man has in-
vented the rudiments of a file by means of
sand adhering to a gummed thread. In
India nephrite was treated with corundum
or diamond dust.
†The inscriptions on the following pages
are those found by Sr. Moreira de Barros and
M. Krauss, to whom my gratitude is due.
Prince Max. in 1815-1817 (ii. 314).
In this as in letter A, the arrow points
This inscription, twenty to thirty metres up stream, shows only about half of what was probably the original size.
along the stream, and seems to indicate a certain point under the sands where possibly there may have been old diggings. It is certain that gold was taken from this
place in old times. M. Krauss found nothing there, but his visit was hurried. He considers this carving to be a plan of the stream.
Y

X
I
=
The straight line shows a fissure in the rock.
x
с
BC
CC C
2th of the actual size.
CHAP. XXVII.]
429
BOA VISTA TO VARZÉA REDONDA.

A. HORIZONTAL PROJECTION.
Y
O+
IGREJINHA.
(Caldeirão).
Rio Agoa Morta.
These characters are found at the bottom of a natural Caldeirão or pot-hole, which
the people call Igrejinha (little church). It is about 3 metres in diameter, 4 deep, and
2 above the actual bed of the stream.th of the actual size.
B.
M
D. HORIZONTAL PROJECTION.
~~
Glyphs found upon the
perpendicular wall of the
grotto, 1 metre above the
stream bed.
th of the actual size.


YD
This is also judged to be half the original size. It is at the bottom of a little
cave whose plane is some two metres above the stream, and which can conceal two
persons.―th of the natural size.

430
[CHAP. XXVII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
R.Agoa Morta
SAMINDAN
Site
of
the
Grotto
(enlarged
scale).
B
A
D
Riacho da Agoa Morta.
*
PLAN OF THE SITE.
Olho d'Agoa do
Cazado.
Anciently called Ouro
Fino (finely dissemi-
nated gold).
Place where the characters were found,
about of a kilometre from the village.
Morro do Pico
@YWORD}} {{ULL} {{Tr
JUM
الله
nin.
MOVIE?
Sa d'Olha d'Agoa
//\\\\ x 2 + + + ****
Small Chapel.
N
τα




CHAP. XXVII.]
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
431
"
Mr. C. H. Williams favoured me with a copy of the
characters, which he traced upon the "Panema," and these are
the most remarkable forms.


رف)
7
}
JE
The subjoined are the normal types of what I observed at the
Itacutiára.
Jaros

Siz
? FJD A1 WWW N
()
CHAPTER XXVIII.
TO THE GREAT RAPIDS.-PAULO AFFONSO.
VARZÉA REDONDA
DESCRIBED. DISMISSAL OF CREW AND CONSEQUENT
RELIEF. THE MULETEERS OF PERNAMBUCO. GREAT RAPID OF THE
ITAPARICA.
"Then " (when 'Brazil's best customer and most natural ally,' Uncle Sam,
sends a few thousands of his energetic children) "might Brazil, pointing to the
blossoming wilderness, the well-cultivated farm, the busy city, the glancing
steamboat, and listening to the hum of the voices of thousands of active and
prosperous men, say with pride and truth, Thus much have we done for the
advancement of civilization and the happiness of the human race.'"-Lieut.
Herndon, p. 372.
I LOOKED at Varzéa Redonda for a city, or for a thriving town,
and at best I found only a wretched Quarteirão, which may contain
a score of houses. The population is confined to a slip of ground
along the river, and for want of water, with millions of gallons
flowing within cannon-shot, the uplands are utterly neglected.
The whole of the left bank, from the Serra do Papagaio to the
Varzea Allegre, belonged three generations ago to a Brazilian
landowner, Manoel da Souza. When he died, the eleven leagues'
length was split up into the various fazendas do Atalho, da
Varzea Redonda, and further down, da Varzéa Allegre. All
are still occupied by the multitudinous descendants of the original
proprietor. The law of genesis, or development, is here carried
out with a peculiar vigour; the sole métier is apparently père de
famille—a man who has not his dozen is considered a poor devil.
The women bear per head from ten to twenty-five children, and
rare is the hut that does not show a great-grand-parent. The
effect is due to a healthy climate, abundant, though coarse pro-
vision, scanty occupation of the body, and yet scantier of what
is popularly called the mind. And I must notice, that even as
Bahia was found inferior, as regards social life, to Minas Geraes
CHAP. XXVIII.]
TO THE GREAT RAPIDS.
433
and S. Paulo, so the interior of Pernambuco lay arear of Bahia,
whilst Sergipe and Alagoas will be behind all. The latter two,
indeed, might easily be thrown into one, but for the political
necessity of keeping up as many "government places "as possible.
After arrival I called upon Sr. José Manoel da Souza, ex-
justice (inspeitor de quarteirão), who lives at the Porto do Atalho,
a few yards above the main landing. He freely offered us the use
of his house, but wishing to make some last arrangements before
paying off the crew and dismantling the "Brig Eliza," I wished
to sleep on board, and regretted my resolution. The night was
furious, and the wind raised waves that nearly beat the old raft to
pieces. My men having reached the end of their work, had the
usual boatman's " spree," hard drinking, extensive boasting, trials
of strength, and quarrelling, intermixed with singing, shouting,
extemporizing verses, and ending in the snores and snorts of
Bacchic sleep. "O Menino " swore that we could not, and
should not, advance a step further without him, which ensured
for him the "sack." "Majelicão " complicated matters by steal-
ing all the provisions, metal, and loose woodwork that came
handy. Next morning my ruffians shed tears of contrition, and
cane-rum. The former received 150$ 000 for his two months
of work-shirking, and, complaining that he feared alone to face
the fierce strangers, was permitted to take with him the dog
Negra, who had also ended the voyage. The brute combined the
unpleasant qualities of cowardice and savageness. It could not
be trusted near children and small animals, whilst it would fly
from the charge of an angry porker. Another sensation of deep
rest followed the last glimpse of my crew's backs as they disap-
peared en route for Boa Vista. The only face which we regretted
to see fade in the afar, was that of the good old pilot. I would
earnestly recommend him to the future traveller.
E
The ex-justice showed us the country round about, and our
first walk was down stream. The banks near Atalho are a better
site for a settlement than those below, where the Ypoeiras pro-
duce extensive insulation, and whose levées can hardly remedy
the evil, especially when the streams fall in from the hills. There
are extensive scatters of Cascalho, that yielded gold some years.
ago. The experiment, however, was not repeated. We saw a
few agates and a hepatic-coloured silex, here known as figado de
gallinha-hen's liver-which is hard enough, they say, even to
VOL. II.
F F
434
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XXVIII.
wear away steel. Amongst the usual Catingas Altas appeared
the Shady Mariseiro tree, whose fruits were scattered upon the
ground; * the Quina-Quina, with convolvulus-shaped flower and
pointed leaf, and the Embira, whose bark is used for fibre, and
whose ashes make good brown soap. The country, according to
our host, is full of game, ounces, deer, and wild pig (peccari).
We had the usual tales of the man who single-handed slew the
tiger" with his clasp knife, and of the "Cabolláda" that eat
everything, hawks and lizards.
،،
The higher parts of the bank showed us on the opposite, or
Bahian side, "Olho d'Agua," pronounced "Oìdá "-a fine hill-
block some 800 to 900 feet above sea level. To the south, and
on the left side, is the Serrote do Brejinho, here called the Serra
da Itaparica. It is distant three to four leagues along the
stream. A mile and a half below the Porto do Atalho begins the
second and the greater Cordilheira of Rapids, which will extend
over some twenty-five leagues. I The Cachoeira da Varzéa
Redonda, the portal of the unpassable region, is formed by stony
hills on both sides of the stream. Black rocks appear on the
right of the bed, and boats have passed it, but in great and lively
fear of the panellas, or little whirlpools.
+
Close to this rapid, and on the left bank, is the Varzéa Re-
donda proper; its small chapel, under the invocation of São
Pedro Dias, bears the date 1862. It is a ground-floor affair,
with a verandah and two shuttered windows, pointing to the west.
The Vigario resides at Tacaratú, five leagues to the east-south-
east. This is a market-town, which supplies Varzéa Redonda
with provisions. A fair is held there every Saturday, and the
country-people visit it from afar, riding in to make their pur-
chases and to attend the next day's mass. It is also connected
by a good road with Bahia, the metropolis, said to be distant
110 leagues.§
In 1852, Varzéa Redonda boasted only of eight to ten houses:
the number has now trebled. Nothing is easier than building.
The river bed gives the best materials for tiles, and hard woods
* The fruit, when boiled, is said to taste
like almonds.
It is on the Bahian side, and belong-
ing to the Freguezia of Curral dos Bois.
The people speak highly of it, declaring the
soil to be excellent, the water abundant,
-
and the air healthy.
The muleteers stretch out these 75
miles to 27, and some to 30, leagues.
$ That is 90 to Alagoinhas, and 20 by
railway to S. Salvador da Bahia. Many
still prefer this line to the steamers.
I
CHAP. XXVIII.]
TO THE GREAT RAPIDS.
435
are abundant. Sandstone, of which every hill is a quarry, splits
up into natural bricks, ready-made ashlar. The finer kinds
are good whetstones. I saw many specimens, in which a thin
stratum of sparkling grey-green colour was contained in two
layers of brown ironstone: the latter, which soon wears down
tools of steel, is readily knocked off with the hammer. About
eight leagues to the north, at a place called Poço Cercardo, lime
is sold at the rate of 2$ 000 per alqueire. Thus, here again, the
calcareous overlies the arenaceous matter.
The climate of Varzéa Redonda is famed for salubrity. We
have again slept in the wind and moonlight, in the rain and dew,
with rather improvement of, than injury to, health. Here, as we
approached that vast ventilating machine, the Paulo Affonso, the
wind comes from all quarters. The north brings tornados of
thunder and lightning; the south, "inverno," i.e. wind and rain;
the east, light showers, which are considered desirable, and the
west is a dry draught. The rainy season opens with storms in
October and early November; and the heaviest downfall is about
the close in February and March. This is also the rule at the
head of the lower Rio de São Francisco, whereas, as I have
remarked, the coast rains of the same latitude begin when here
all is drought.
I dismantled the "Brig Eliza," which had now been "home"
for the last three months. The planks were given away to our
host. The anchor from Morro Velho was left in his charge,*
and the two canoes bought from the Piaba of Sabará, were here
sold for 120$ 000 to the host's uncle. The next step was to
procure animals, which were then rare, being, we were told,
engaged in transporting cotton. The charge for making the
Porto das Piranhas by the Tacaratú road, was properly 6$ 000 a
head. I vainly offered 8$ 000, and was asked 10$ 000 instead of
7 $000 for the journey along the stream to Piranhas. The fact
is, the ex-justice, remembering that blood is thicker than water,
determined that we should come to terms only with his cousins.
Neither he nor they, nor any of the neighbours, liad seen aught
of the Great Rapids, save the mist-cloud which canopies it, and
the uncle had told me that it was all a "peta," or
"do."
*The iron was of excellent quality, and
much valued by the people. The ex-justice
promised to remit the value to Bahia, but
I have not heard that he has done so.
FF 2
436
[CHAP. XXVIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
Curiosity here cannot overcome the obstruction of a few hours'
ride. The muleteers were not ready till the third day.
The party consisted of the worst men, the worst beasts, and
the worst equipments that I had seen in the Brazil; and the
disappointment was the greater as Fame has long spoken loudly
in favour of the "tropeiros" of Pernambuco. If these be fair
specimens, two of them are not worth one Paulista, or Mineiro;
and, during the march, there were many unavailing regrets for
the troopers Miguel and Antonio, and for the well-fed mules of
Morro Velho. The horses were more stubborn and headstrong
than mules; they lagged behind; they strayed to enjoy grass
and shelter; they rushed forward to prevent being the hindmost,
and sometimes they lay down with their loads. Hence some of
my collections were lost; hardly a bottle remained unbroken, and
the best water-proofs were pierced by the villanous packsaddles.
The only attempt at correcting the hoof was to place it upon a
plank and to cut down with a formão or chisel. The overcloths
of the saddles were loose, and the stirrups just admitting the
toe tips, rendered mounting anything but a pleasure. The
quadrupeds were weak from want of forage, and the owners would
not buy grain for them. Moreover, they were barbarously treated;
and for the first time I saw cruelty done to animals by a
Brazilian.
The human beings were two and a half, the moiety being
represented by a small boy, known as Niger Quim, short for his
name, Joaquim Gomes Lima. He looks like twelve, but claims.
fourteen years of age; and his gruff voice is in his favour; a
strange mixture of man and his father; he carries tobacco, flint,
and steel; he knows all the local chaff; he is "up to" every
adult vice; he offers drink to women thrice his date, and yet he
plays with wild fruits, and he climbs up the cruppers of the
horses as young Bedouins mount their camels in play. The
adults Ignacio Barbosa da Silva, and João, popularly known as
"João Caboclo," combine almost every fault of the trooper—
intoxication excepted. The difference between them is that
Ignacio has a merry eye, which does not belie his nature, whilst
very vile is the temper of the Caboclo.* Both are extra lazy.
In the morning I have to turn them out of their hammocks, and
* Mofino como Caboclo (poor devil as a Caboclo) is an old Brazilian proverb.
CHAP. XXVIII.]
437
TO THE GREAT RAPIDS.
they sleep in the bush when they should be collecting their
animals. During the first night they allowed (as if they had
been Somal) a dog to plunder their meat-bag, rather than take
the trouble to hang it up. They must drink water after every
two hours; they rest after three; they put their head into every
cottage, and they halt to chat with chance-comers on the road.
They squabble about carrying half a pound of each other's
cargoes, and they use foul language, here by no means a common
practice. The principal amusement is to couch the staff like a
lance at rest and to dash at the cattle feeding near the path, this
"making a fox," always produces a scamper that is ever enjoyed.
On the morning after our start, the Caboclo found his temper,
and loaded his two beasts to return, demanding, when he knew
me to be at his mercy, an additional sum before he would con-
tinue the journey. His beard was in my hand after we had
reached our destination, but I contented myself with making him
yellow with fright for the benefit of those to come, and with not
paying the money unjustly claimed. A similar proceeding at the
Island of Zanzibar, after my return from discovering the Lake
Regions of Central Africa, proved strongly to me the absurdity
of "public spirit." Yet mere calumny will never deter me from
doing what I there and then did. Travellers will never be well
treated as long as their predecessors act upon the principle-or
rather non-principle of forgive and forget at the journey's end,
because it is the journey's end.
*
*
*
*
The cream of the expedition was now to be tasted, but the
enjoyment began with a succession of bitters.* Payment by the
host's uncle delayed departure till noon; we could not be allowed
to go fasting, and the sun neared the horizon as we mounted
our wretched nags, and cast a last loving glance upon the grace-
ful curve, and the "cupped trees" of the fair "round reach."
The path lay southwards along the left bank down the old
riverine basin, over which the waters were wont to spread as far
as the rolling-ground on either side. It was deeply cut by
""
""
Xe
* The approximate distances of the march were as follows:-
1. Nov. 10, Varzéa Redonda to Itaparica,
2.
11, Itaparica to Barra do Moxotó
3.
12, Barra do Moxotó to PAULO AFFONSO
*
""
time 3h. 30', miles 9, in the 317th league.
6h. O'
2h. O',
15,
5,
324th
326th
Total 11h. 30', miles 29
""
""
*
>>
""
""
""
""
438
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XXVIII.
"tip-overs," which during the rains form islands; these must
resemble the higher sites in the Egyptian valley, when " pingui
flumine Nilus" floods.
floods. Between the waters are dwarf table-
lands, sterile enough, except where the stream has flaked the
sand with hard-baked mud; the richest parts are the Brejos and
Brejinhos, little swamps which produce an abundance of cane,
cereals, and oil-seeds.
The violent "Vento Geral," here much deflected from the
north-east, struck full in our faces. I blessed it for the first
time since the beginning of the last month. During this portion
of the journey, it generally rose with the moon, and blew itself
out after a few hours. The climate suggested that which Bruce
called the "hottest in the world," 61° (F.) at sunrise, 82° at sun-
set, and at 3 P.M., 114°, rising even to 120° in the shade.
When the moon hung high in the air, we reached the "Bre-
jinho de Baixo," and were well received by the owner, Manoel
Victor da Silva. His little sugar-mill stands near a swamp,
which feeds an old but still luxuriant clump of cocoa-nut trees; the
fruit was in the best condition for drinking, and the pleasant sub-
acid and highly cooling milk revived memories of Fernando Po.
In front of the house rose the Serra da Juliana,* with a pro-
minent knob called Nariz Furado, or pierced nostril; this is the
eastern limit of the ancient bed. We passed an unusual sight
within hail of a rapid which we had not shot, and which we were
not to shoot.
-
Before the shade had cleared away, we were aroused by the
local alarum, the cry of the Papanshó bird, and as the Rosiclér, or
morning light, dawned over the hill-tops, we went with our host
to examine the rapids of the Itaparica. Here the stream, whose
glossy smoothness we had yesterday admired, falls suddenly into
a convulsion; a little bay on the Pernambuco bank shows where
canoes find the "ne plus ultra," and a few yards beyond it, the
São Francisco dashes at a grim ridge of black rock and, splitting
into three foamy white lines, disappears from sight. The gate
is formed by a rounded hill, the Serra do Padre on the left or
""
* So called from an ancient Moradora.
Morador," I may remark, does not always
mean "habitant isolé; here it is mostly
applied to a class for which we have a
name, "peasant-proprietor," but whose
existence is sadly wanted.
This name also may be an ornitholo-
gical index; in the great bay of S. Sal-
vador (Bahia), the Long Island is called
،،
1)
Itaparica.
--
M. Halfeld (p. 178) calls this staple
the Serrote do Brejinho.
CHAP. XXVIII.]
TO THE GREAT RAPIDS.
439
north-eastern bank: and on the opposite side by the Serra da
Itaparica, a long, straight curtain of bluffs, disposed almost per-
pendicularly to the bed. In former times they were parts of a
dam, which, intercepting the stream, contained a lake; the
waters found a "soft place," burst through the wall, and formed
the present Cachoeira.
The material of the ridge is sandstone, lined and pudding'd
with large and small water-worn quartz pebbles, often passing
clean through the blocks. On the banks are found iron-pasted
cánga, and large blocks of amygdaloid and boulder conglomerate.
The base is a fine, pink syenite, like that of the Nilotic Cataracts.
Where the violence of the waters extends the rock is iron-plated
with the usual glaze; it is black, as if coated with tar, and the
aspect is grizly in the extreme.
On the right, or Bahian side, the channel has a perpendicular
fall,* which has dashed to pieces all the rafts and canoes drawn
into it by accident; this feature would be best seen from the
slopes of the Itaparica bluff. A tall, longitudinal hogsback, of
dark and slippery sandstone conglomerate, rises between the
south-western and the central channel. The latter is divided
from the third or north-eastern branch by a "mal-paiz" of
polished black rock, radiating heat and fire afar, not unlike a
lava-field. During the depth of the dries, the jutting-stones
approach one another, and a man with a leaping-pole might cross
dry-footed the whole Rio de São Francisco.t At such times,
also, the site is excellent for a bridge; but in the floods the
whole bed becomes a furious, dashing torrent. The rocky ridge.
extends to some distance on both sides, and here it becomes plain
that lateral canalization should not be attempted. It will be
plainer still when travelling along the stream, whose banks,
alternately rocky and sandy, here dry and there much inundated,
will drive the tramway to the skirts of the northern containing
ridge.
Nowhere had I seen such gigantic "caldeirões," pans and pot-
holes, turned by the water-lathe; some of them were fifteen feet
*The height of the drop varies, accord-
ing to season, from 6 to 32 feet: the united
altitude of the fall, within half a mile, is
not less, during the dries, than 55 feet.
All the Brazilian rivers which I have
visited show these extraordinary narrows,
when the water, after having spread out
for perhaps a mile in breadth, is compressed
to the dimensions of a brook.
Of course
they are always fatal to navigation.
M. Halfeld justly deprecates a line of
72 geographical leagues, mostly cut in the
rock, and requiring 108 flood-gates; at an
expense of about 100,000,000 francs
410
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL. [CHAP. XXVIII.
deep by half that diameter, and the sides and surface were jetty as
the Itacolumite rock turned into a hole. Mr. Davidson, whom the
guides used to call "old lizard" (lagartixo velho), from the ease
with which he swarmed up the smooth ridges, and stopped upon
the wall-crests, where they would not venture, found in these
natural wells the finest crystals and the best diamantine forma-
tion. Many similar cavities are doubtless covered over with
thin slabs of rock, easily broken into by crow-bars. These
places should be carefully searched for gems, and some favourite
of fortune will probably make a "pot of money" in a few
months. The only use to which at present the open cauldrons
are applied is for tanning, their lips are white, and the pits are
full of tainted liquid.
I then walked to below the rapids. Here the syenite, the
proper material for sphinxes and obelisks, crops out of the white
and tree-scattered sands in smooth, bold, and rounded heaps.
This point shows the meeting of the waters, which, spuming and
whirling from the prison-walls of iron, rush roaring into one
another's arms. There is nothing of grace and little of
grandeur in the spectacle; all is dark and lurid as a river of the
"Inferno."
Tudo cheio de horror se manifesta,
Rio, Montanha, troncos e penedos
*
M. Halfeld (p. 180) calls it the Riacho
do "Murro," and in his map, "Muro;" he
makes both to be corruptions of Morro. I
give the popular pronunciation. In the
Claudio Manoel da Costa.
The first six miles after the Itaparica led over a land like that of
yesterday. Then we came to the Riacho do Mouro,* where hill-
spurs, abutting upon the stream, afforded us only road, narrow
gullies, with steep walls, and gutters paved with rolling-stones-in
fact a "Caminho perigoso." This bad bit may, I was told, be
avoided by following the "Desiro do Bom Querer," about half a
league away from the stream. After working for two whole hours,
the troopers would halt under a tree, ragged as are all on this
bank, at the Porto opposite the Passagem do Jatobá. The river
now becomes generally repulsive, it narrows to the size of the
Upper Rio das Velhas, and the dull, yellow waters sullenly
swirl, boil, and foam around and against central and side jags of
Brazil, Mouro or Moor, and Mourería, a
"Moorery," mean a gipsy, and the quar-
ters of the cities or towns to which they
were confined by law.
CHAP. XXVIII.]
TO THE GREAT RAPIDS.
441
rock, whose black or tawny skins contrast unpleasantly with
patches of chalk-white sand. The
The "Passage" is comparatively
safe, and there is a ferry to the Curral dos Bois, on the highway to
Bahia. Some fine trees appeared upon the far side, sheltering
the village, which showed a scatter of huts,* with a chapel dedi-
cated to Santo Antonio da Gloria. The ferrymen sat and stared
at us, bare-footed and half-savage beings in foul leathers, and
chaplets suspended to their necks. All held, disdaining the
support of a belt, sheathless, plate-handled knives, equally ready
for a friend or an ounce; formerly the ecclesiastics of these
regions never went abroad unweaponed. An "Eu sei ?" long
drawn out, as by an Essex boor, was the question that answered
every query, and "Au shé,"-Oh, pshaw!-was the token of
dissent.
We resumed the march under what Sr. Ignacio was pleased to
call "sol macho," a "male sun" of ungentle beams. The road
was now deep and sandy, better for man and worse for beast, cut
by dry nullahs, scattered with pink quartz and silex superficially
streaked and banded; and obstructed by blocks of syenite and
porphyritic granite-the Olho de Sápo, or toad's eye, of São
Paulo. Trees which up-stream bore fruit three weeks ago, were
here in flower awaiting rain, and the river presently resumed
the dimensions which it had at Pirapora; the depth, however,
was great, and this, combined with its swiftness, and the great loss
by evaporation, explains the shrunken dimensions.‡
(C
The moon had risen when we descended the vile bank, and
threaded the stagnant pools of the Moxotó or Mochotó, a stream
which rising near Cairirys Velhas" to the northwards, divides
the provinces of Pernambuco and Alagoas. Opposite its mouth
is a miserable village, which boasts of the last ferry above the
Great Rapids. We slept in the bush, and I felt all that depres-
sion with which one approaches a long looked-for object, whose
fruition appears so fair from afar. At Varzea Redonda they had
compared Paulo Affonso with the Itaparica, which certainly did
not reward 1500 miles of such travel, and all had agreed that the
former is grand only between June and September, when the
* In 1852 there were 45 houses, with
180 to 200 inhabitants.
+ "How the do I know?" Em-
phasis is given by the tone as in that most
useful phrase "Pois não."
These places seem generally to have
suggested to the older geographers that part
of the water disappeared through subter-
ranean passages.
442
[CIIAP. XXVIII.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
water is at its lowest. I saw no smoke-columns, after hearing that
they were visible from the Serra da Paricornia in the Matinha da
Agua Branca, twenty-four miles off; and after reading Colonel
Accioli, who declares that when condensed by the morning cold,
they may be seen from the Ararípe Range, distant thirty leagues.
Nor could I distinguish within two leagues of our destination the
"Zoadão," or thunder, which, they affirm, is audible at the Serra
do Sobrado, thirty-nine miles along the stream.
Apparently I was doomed to a bitter disappointment.
Resuming on the next morning our melancholy way through
the province of Alagoas, we could not but remark the nakedness
of the land. The huts, almost destitute of side-walls or divi-
sions, were mere "tapéras,"* ragged as the population, and from
the bridle-path we could see through them. In the immediate
vicinity of the Great Rapids there is not a hovel, and at the last
house on the left bank, near the Riacho do Corrêa, we asked our
direction from its owner, Manuel Leandro de Resende. He
returned a civil answer, saddled his horse, and accompanied us.
I liked his manner, and engaged him as a guide. Hereabouts
the semi-barbarians are inclined, like the savages of the Congo,
dwelling near the "Yellalahs,'
"Yellalahs," to force services upon the
stranger visiting the "Cachoeira." I need hardly say that a
guide, unless he be the rare bird of the right species, often
destroys all the pleasure of the spectacle by his condemnable
attempts to be "agreeable."
4 'Ce mot seul de Tapéra, qui designe
une maison abandonnée, montre que cet
établissement n'existe plus." (Castelnau,
v. 50.) We shall presently see that this is
not always the rule.
CHAPTER XXIX.
PAULO AFFONSO, KING OF RAPIDS.
wie ein Wassersturz von Fels zu Felsten brauste
Begierig wüthend, nach dem abgrund zu.-Faust.
PRESENTLY we heard a deep hollow sound, soft withal, like the
rumbling of a distant storm; but it seemed to come from below
the earth, as if we trod upon it: after another mile the ground
appeared to tremble at the eternal thunder. Sr. Manuel Leandro
led us off to the left of whence came the Voice, and began un-
loading the mules at the usual halting-place. I looked for the
promised "Traveller's Bungalow," and saw only the stump of a
post, sole remnant of the house run up to receive His Imperial
Majesty of the Brazil, who visited the place in October, 1859.
The site is a bed of loose sand, which in the height of the floods
becomes a torrent. We shall afterwards find where it falls into
the main stream. Our rude camp was pitched under the filmy and
flickering shade of a tall Carahyba mimosa whose trunk, in places
peeled of bark, showed many a name; apparently, however, the
great Smithian Gens has been laughed out of cutting and carving
its initials and date-here all were Brazilians.
-
I should advise those who visit Paulo Affonso in the dry season
to make at once, with the aid of plan and guide, for the Mãi da
Cachoeira, the "Mother of the Rapids," where all the waters that
come scouring down with their mighty rush are finally gathered
together. To see cataracts aright, it is best, I think-though
opinions upon this point differ-to begin with the greatest
enjoyment, the liveliest emotion, and not to fritter away one's
powers, mental and physical, by working up to the grandest feature.
Moreover, this one point displays most forcibly the formation
444
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XXIX.
which distinguishes Paulo Affonso from all his great brethren and
sisterhood.
Stowing my note and sketch-books in a "Muchíla," or horse's
grain-bag, and hanging it over the guide's shoulder, I struck
across the left bank of the river; here a lava-like "Mal-paiz,"
resembling that of the Itaparica. The stones, polished as if they
were mirrors, or marble-slabs, glittered and reflected the burning
sun-beams: in places the ridges are walls of turned and worked
rock that looks like mouldings of brass, bronze, or iron. Many of
the boulders are monster onyxes, or granite banded and ribboned
with quartz: they are of an infinite variety in size and shape, in
make and hue, rough and smooth, warm-red, rhubarb-yellow,
dull-black and polished jet.
Chemin faisant we crossed an Eastern Channel, at this season
almost dry, a thread of water striping the bottom. It forms with
the main body a large trapèze-shaped Goat Island, which presents
its smaller end down stream. Paulo Affonso differs essentially
from Niagara, whose regular supply by the inland seas admits
little alteration of weight, or size, or strength of stream, except
in the rare winters when it is frozen over. About December, as
the floods run high, this tiny creek * will swell to an impassable
boiling rapid, ending in a fine fall about the "Vampire's Cave."
Upon this "Goat Island," where if there are no goats the walk-
ing is fit for them only, are short tracts of loose sand alternating
with sheets of granite, and of syenite, with here and there a
"courtil" of greener grass. The walk leads to a table of jutting
rock on the west side, where we cling to a dry tree-trunk, and
peer, fascinated, into the "hell of waters" boiling below.
G
The Quebrada, or gorge, is here 260 feet deep, and in the nar-
rowest part it is choked to a minimum breadth of fifty-one feet. It
is filled with what seems not water, but the froth of milk, a dashing
and dazzling, a whirling and churning surfaceless mass, which gives
a wondrous study of fluid in motion. And the marvellous dis-
order is a well-directed anarchy: the course and sway, the wrest-
ling and writhing, all tend to set free the prisoner from the prison
walls. Ces caux! mais ce sont des âmes: it is the spectacle of a
host rushing down in "liquid vastness" to victory, the triumph
(
G
In M. IIalfeld's plan the creek is much larger than it appeared when I visited it: his
journey was probably made later in the year.
CHAP. XXIX.]
PAULO AFFONSO, KING OF RAPIDS.
445
of motion, of momentum over the immoveable. Here the lumi-
nous whiteness of the chaotic foam-crests, hurled in billows and
breakers against the blackness of the rock, is burst into flakes
and spray, that leap half way up the immuring trough. There
the surface reflections dull the dazzling crystal to a thick opaque
yellow, and there the shelter of some spur causes a momentary
start and recoil to the column, which, at once gathering strength,
bounds and springs onwards with a new crush and another roar.
The heaped-up centre shows fugitive ovals and progressive circles
of a yet more sparkling, glittering, dazzling light, divided by
points of comparative repose, like the nodal lines of waves. They
struggle and jostle, start asunder, and interlace as they dash
with stedfast purpose adown the inclined planc. Now a fierce
blast hunts away the thin spray-drift, and puffs it to leeward in
rounded clouds, thus enhancing the brillancy of the gorge-sole.
Then the steam boils over and canopies the tremendous scene.
Then in the stilly air of dull warm grey, the mists surge up,
deepening still more, by their veil of ever ascending vapour, the
dizzy fall that yawns under our feet.
The general effect of the picture--and the same may be said
of all great cataracts-is the “realized” idea of power, of
power tremendous, inexorable, irresistible. The eye is spell-
bound by the contrast of this impetuous motion, this wrathful,
maddened haste to escape, with the frail stedfastness of the bits
of rainbow, hovering above; with the "Table Rock" so solid
to the tread, and with the placid, settled stillness of the plain
and the hillocks, whose eternal homes seem to he here. The
fancy is electrified by the aspect of this Durga of Nature, this
evil working good, this life-in-death, this creation and construc-
tion by destruction. Even so, the wasting storm and hurricane
purify the air for life: thus the earthquake and the volcano,
while surrounding themselves with ruins, rear up earth, and
make it a habitation for higher beings.
The narrowness of the chasm is narrowed to the glance by
the tall abruptness, yet a well-cast stone goes but a short way
across, before it is neatly stopped by the wind. The guide
declared, that no one could throw further than three fathoms,
and attributed the fact to enchantment. Magic, I may observe,
is in the atmosphere of Paulo Affonso: it is the natural expres-
sion of the glory and majesty, the splendour and the glamour of
446
[CHAP. XXIX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
the scene, which Greece would have peopled with shapes of beauty,
and which in Germany would be haunted by choirs of flying
sylphs and dancing undines. The hollow sound of the weight
of whirling water makes it easier to see the lips move than to
hear the voice. We looked in vain for the cause of cataract
we saw nothing but a small branch, the Cachoeira do Angi-
quinho-of the little Angico Acacia-so called from one of the
rock islets. It is backed on the right bank by comparatively
large trees, and by a patch of vividly green grass and shrubbery,
the gift of the spray drifting before the eastern sea-breeze. This
pretty gush of water certainly may not account for the muffled
thunder which dulls our ears: presently we shall discover whence
it comes.
I sat over the "Quebrada" till convinced it was not possible to
become "one with the waters:" what at first seemed grand and
sublime at last had a feeling of awe too intense to be in any way
enjoyable, and I left the place that the confusion and emotion
might pass away. The rest of the day was spent at "Cara-
hyba Camp," where the minor cares of life sooh asserted their
power. The sand raised by the strong and steady trade wind was
troublesome, and the surface seething in the sun produced a
constant draught: we are now at the very head of the funnel, the
vast ventilator which guides the gale to the upper Rio de São
Francisco. Far to seaward we could see the clouds arming for
rain. At night the sky showed a fast-drifting scud, and an angry
blast dispersed the gathering clouds of blood-thirsty musquitos.
Our lullaby was the music of Paulo Affonso; the deep, thundering
base produced by the longer and less frequent vibrations from the
Falls, and from the Rapids the staccato treble of the shorter
wave-sounds. Yet it was no unpleasant crash, the deeper tones.
were essentially melodious, and at times there rose an expression
in the minor key, which might be subjected to musical annota-
tion. I well remember not being able to sleep within ear-shot
of Niagara, whose mighty orchestra, during the stillness of
night, seemed to run through a repertoire of oratorios and
operas.
We will now apply ourselves to the prose of the Great
Rapids.
The name, as mostly happens in these regions, is a disputed
point. Some make "Paulo Affonso" a missioner-shepherd,
G
CHAP. XXIX.]
447
PAULO AFFONSO, KING OF RAPIDS.
some
..
who was hurled down the abyss by the wolves, his "Red-skin"
sheep. Others tell the story of a friar, who was canoeing along
the river, when the Indian paddle-men cried, in terror, that
they were being sucked into the jaws of the Catadupa: he bade
them be of good cheer, and all descended whole.*
"Such
reverends are now-a-days rare," observed Sr. Manuel Leandro
with an unworthy sneer. Similarly in the Province of São Paulo,
the Tiété river has a fierce Rapid, known as "Avaremandoura
-Cachoeira do Padre, or the Rapid of the Priest. Here, accord-
ing to Jesuit legend, Padre Anchieta, one of the multitudinous
thaumaturgi of the Brazil, was recovered from the water
hours afterwards, alive and reading his breviary with a light in
his hand." More sober chronicles declare that the poor man
was dragged out half drowned. † The gigantic cataract of
Tequendama," we may remember, has also its miracle; it
was opened by the great Bochica, god of New Granada, a bar-
barous land, that had hardly any right to have a god. Others
pretend that Paulo and Affonso were brothers, and the first
settlers, who gave their names to the place. I would, however,
observe, that on the right bank of the stream, opposite the
Ilha da Tapéra, one of the many that break the river imme-
diately above the upper break, is a village of fishermen and
cultivators, whose name, "Tapéra de Paulo Affonso," shows
that it has occupied the site of a ruined settlement, probably
made by the colonist who, happier than Father Hennepin, left
his mark upon the Great Rapids near which he squatted. The
"Tapéristas" are still owners of the right bank: the left belongs
to one Nicoláo Cotinguiba, ‡ of the Engenho do Pinho, and near
"Carahyba Camp" two properties meet. The Cachoeira is
in the Freguezia of the Mata da Agua Branca.
+
The locale of the Paulo Affonso has been very exactly mis-
represented by geographers who write geography for the people. §
*M. Halfeld (Rel. p. 184) thus gives
the legend: "Even they relate that a
friar, whilst crossing the river above the
Rapid, was sleeping in the canoe which
carried him the pilot, who was an Indian,
being unable to manage the craft, and
being drawn into the stream, went down.
He was never seen again" (a moral, I sup-
pose, pointed against careless pilots, here
as common as idle apprentices).
the friar, who neither woke nor felt the
"But
*
""
least inconvenience, floated ashore below
the Rapids, and was found still sleeping.
When aroused by the people, he remem-
bered nothing of what had happened.'
Quadro Historico da Provincia de São
Paulo, per J. J. Machado d'Oliveira (p. 58).
P. N. of a place.
4-
es-
•
S § "The San Francisco River
capes through a break between the Sierras
Muribeca and Caryris, between which latter
and the Atlantic run the other chains,
448
[CHAP. XXIX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
This sudden break in the level of the bed, this divide between
the Upper and Lower São Francisco, is not formed by a pro-
longation of the Serra da Borborema, nor by the Chapada das
Mangabeiras, nor by Ibyapaba "fim da terra," nor by the Cairirys
old or new, nor by the Serra da Borracha, alias Moribéca, so
imminent in our maps. * The humbler setting of the gem is
a rotting plain brown with stone, scrub, and thicket, out of
which rise detached blocks, as the Serra do Retiro, about three
leagues to the north-west, and to the west the lumpy Serra do
Padre. On the south-western horizon springs, sudden from the
flat, a nameless but exceedingly picturesque rangelet of pyra-
midal hills and peaks, here and there bristling in bare rock, and
connected by long blue lines of curtain.
(C
Though our prospect lacks the sublime and glorious natural
beauty of Niagara, tempered by the hand of man, and though
we find in Paulo Affonso none of the sapphire and emerald tints.
that charm the glance in the Horseshoe Falls, still it is original
and peculiar. In "geological" times, the stream must have
spread over the valley; even now, extraordinary floods cover
a great portion of it. Presently the waters, finding a rock of
softer texture and more liable to decay, hollowed out the actual
Talhadão," or great fissure, and deepened the glen in the
course of ages. We have also here the greatest possible diversity
of falling water; it consists, in fact, of a succession of rapids
and cauldrons, and a mighty Fall ending in the Mãi da
Cachoeira, upon whose terrible tangle of foam we have just
looked down. If Niagara be the monarch of cataracts, Paulo
Affonso is assuredly a king of rapids; an English traveller who
had seen the twain, agreed with me in giving the palm to the
latter, as being the more singular and picturesque of the two,
which are both so wondrous and so awful. He had not visited
preserving an exact parallelism with it"
(p. 141, Physical Geography, from the
Encyclopædia Britannica, by Sir John W.
F. Herschel, Bart. Edinburgh, Black.
1861). The geography of this most emi-
nent astronomer is frequently at fault: he
reminds us of the prophets and the in-
spired writers of bygone days, who knew
everything about heaven, and very little
about earth.
* They mostly make the north-eastern
extremity of the Moribéca Range hug the
Rapids. There is no such line visible, and
the people have forgotten even the name
of the old explorer who is mentioned in
documents dated 1753-4. Col. Accioli
(p. 14) refers to the mountains, and says,
I know not upon what authority, that they
contain silver and copper. In the Appendix
to this volume, the reader will find allu-
sions to Moribéca.
The fullness of the stream alters, I am
told, the shape of the Rapids, but not of
the Falls.
CHAP. XXIX.] PAULO AFFONSO, KING OF RAPIDS.
449
the Itaparica, that foil whose grimness so well sets off its majestic
neighbour.
Nature is not in her grandest attire, yet the vestment well
suits the shape. Spines predominate. There is the Favelleiro
or arboreous Jatropha, with its dark-green oak-like leaves
terribly armed; and the Cansanção Maior (Jatropha urens),
a giant nettle, whose white spangles of flowers are scattered in
mimicry of snow-flakes upon the sombre verdure. The Cactus
is in force; we see the common flat Opuntia, the little Quipá,
with its big red fig, the Turk's-head (Cabeça de frade) Melo-
cactus, with the crimson fez, whilst amongst the rocks project
half-domes of a foot in diameter (C. aphananthemum). Some
have flowers quaint as orchids, others are clothed in flue, and
the rest are hairy and bald, angular and smooth, giant and
dwarf, lorded over by the immense Mandracurú (C. brasiliensis),
a tree, but strangely different from all our ideas that make up
a tree. The Bromelias are abundant, especially the Carauá,
banded like a coral snake, and the Macambira with needle thorns
and flower-spikes three feet tall; it is loved by monkeys who,
they say, make pic-nics to eat the leaves. The feathery
elongated Catingueiro, now tender green, then burnished brown,
is remarkable near the dense clustering verdure of the rounded
Quixabeira, and the Imbuzeiro with the horizontal boughs, a
bush twenty feet high. The Carahyba is the monarch of the
bush, and its leek-coloured leafage, hung with long bitter pods,
and with trumpets of yellow gold, gains beauty seen near the
gay red blossom and the velvety foliage of the "Pinhão bravo,"
and the whitey-green catkins of the thorny Acacia, known as
the Jurema preta. We also remark the black charred bole of the
Paó preto, by the side of the sweet-scented Imburana, hung
with flakes of light burnished bronze. The scrub is mostly
the hard Araça-guava with its twisted wood, and the Bom-nome,
whose "good name," I presume, results not from an inedible
berry, but because it is found useful for spoons. The cattle
straying about the bushes toss their heads, snort, and with
raised tails dash through the thicket as we approach; they are
sleek, clean-limbed,-much more like the wild animal of the
African Gaboon than the European model of bull and cow.
Thanks to the drift, they find in the dwarf "courtils" more
succulent fodder than usual; they suffer, however, when not
VOL. II,
0 0
450
[CHAP. XXIX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
penned for the night in the Cahyçára,* from ounces and vam-
pires, and they are sometimes poisoned by the pretty, pink, and
innocent-looking blossom, here known as the "Cebolla brava."
Finish the picture with clouds of spray and vapour, rising from
the abyss, and pouring to leeward an incessant shower of silvery
atoms; with the burnished stones, here singularly gloomy,
there mirroring the dazzle of the sun-beam; and with gay troops.
of birds, especially the Tanager, the hyacinthine Ararúna, and
the red and green parroquet, darting and screaming through the
air, whose prevalent hue is a thin warm neutral tint.
My next visit began at the beginning, and thence we followed
down the left bank, stepping from slippery stone to stone, and
approaching the channel when possible. Here the São Francisco,
running swift and smooth out of the north-west, escapes from the
labyrinth of islands and islets, rocks and sands, blocks and walls
which squeeze it, and receives on the left a smaller branch, sepa-
rated from the main by a dark ridge. The two, leaping and
coursing down a moderate incline of broken bed, burst into
ragged, tossing sheets of foam-crested wave, and tumble down
the first or upper break, which is about thirty-two feet high.
This kind of "Rideau Fall" is known as the "Vai-Vem de Cima”
-the "upper go and come." The waters are compressed in the
central channel by the stone courses rising thirty to fifty feet
above them, and are driven into a little cove on the left bank.
The mouth of a branch during the floods, now it is a baylet of the
softest sand hemmed in by high japanned walls, and here the
little waves curl and flow, and ebb again, with all the movement
+
Also written "Caïssara," and by Sir J.
de Alencar Caiçara:" he derives it from
<<
((
Cai," burnt wood, and "Çara," a thing
possessing. Thus it means the stakes with
fired ends thrust into the ground and form-
ing a cattle "kraal," where careful owners
shelter their beasts, and where the careless
brand them with the iron once or twice a
year.
The formation of Paulo Affonso renders
it a Protean feature changing with every
month. I visited it in mid-November,
when, according to the guide, the water
had risen three to four fathoms above the
lowest level.
The arithmetic may be briefly taken
from M. Halfeld. The left bank of the
gorge, called Mãi da Cachoeira, is 365 palms
(261 feet, 7 inches) high, and the depth of
the "kieve," or hollow dug by the falls,
is 120 palms (86 feet). The narrowest
part of the chasm is 72 palms. The first,
or Upper Rapid (Vai-Vem de Cima), is 792
palms, 1 inch (=567 feet, 8 inches) above
sea level and the lowest Rapid (Vai-Vem
de Baixo), opposite the Vampire's Cave, is
426 palms, 6 inches (=305 feet, 9 inches).
The united height of Rapids and Fall is
365 palms, 7 inches (=261 feet, 11 inches).
:
The Horseshoe Fall of Niagara is 158
(some say 149) feet high, with a width of
1900 feet, and a discharge of 20,000,000
cubic feet per minute. The American Fall
is 162-164 feet high, with a breadth of
908 feet. The total breadth of the bed is
3225 feet, and of the water 2808 feet.
-+
Of these Vai-Vens (also written Vae-
vens) there are, as will be seen, two,
CHAP. XXIX.]
451
PAULO AFFONSO, KING OF RAPIDS.
of a tide in miniature. I timed and felt the pulse of the flux and
reflux, but I could detect no regularity in the circulation. The
place tempts to a bath, but strangers must bear in mind that it is
treacherous, and that cattle drinking here have been entangled
in the waters, from which not even Jupiter himself could save
them.
The waters then dashing against the left or south-eastern
boulder-pier, are deflected to the south-west in a vast serpentine
of tossing foam, and form, a few paces lower down, a similar
feature; called by our guide "Half go and come." Here insu-
lated rocks and islands, large and small, disposed in long ridges.
and in rounded towers, black, toothed, and channeled, and wilder
far than the Three Sisters or the Bath and Lunar islands of
Niagara, split the hurrying tossing course into five distinct
channels of white surge, topping the yellow turbid flood. The
four to the right topple over at once into the great cauldron.
The fifth runs along the left bank in a colossal flume or launders,
high raised above the rest; meeting a projection of rock at the
south, it is flung round to the west almost at a right angle. Here
the parted waters spring over the ledge, and converge in the
chaudière which collects them for the great fall. When the sun
and moon are at the favourable angle of 35°, they produce admi-
rable arcs and semicircles of rainbows in all their prismatic tintage
from white to red. These attract the eye by standing in a thin
arch of light over the mighty highway of the rushing "burning "
waters; guides to cataracts, however, always make too much of
the pretty sight.
The third station is reached by a 'rough thorny descent, which
might easily be improved, and leads to the water's edge, where
charred wood shows that travellers have lately nighted in the
place. Turning to the north-east we see a furious brown rapid
plunging with strange forms, down an incline of forty-nine feet in
half a dozen distinct steps: the flood seems as though it would
sweep us away. At the bottom, close to where we stand, it bends
westward, pauses for a moment upon the billow-fringed lower lip
of the Chaudière that rises snow-white from the straw-coloured
break, and then the low, deep, thundering roar, shaking the
ground and "sui generis" as the rumbling of the earthquake and
the hoarse sumph of the volcano reveal the position of the Great
Cataract. The trend is southerly, and the height is calculated to
G @ 2
452
[CHAP. XXIX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
be 192 feet. The waters hurl themselves full upon the right-
hand precipice of the trough-ravine, surge high up, fall backwards,
fling a permanent mistcloud in the air, and like squadrons of white
horses, rush off, roaring and with infinite struggle and confu-
sion, down the Mãi da Cachoeira to the south-east. The latter
is the grandest point of view which we prospected from the table-
rock overhanging the fracture.
سے
Paulo Affonso is always sketched from our third station,* where
we "realize" an unpleasant peculiarity of his conformation; he
has here permitted the eye of man to see the main cataract. A
little further down, there is a partial view from above; but the
normal central mistcloud curling high and always ascending above
the lower lip of the cauldron, veils the depth, and we are not
satisfied till we have sighted a Fall from its foot. Now much is
left to the imagination, and the mystery is so great as to be highly
unsatisfactory. In the depth of the dries it is, they say, pos-
sible to climb down a portion of the left wall, and to overlook the
cataract. I carefully inquired whether it was visible from the
right, or Bahian bank; all assured me that a branch stream
allowed no approach to the trough-ravine, and all were agreed
that from that side nothing is visible.t A moveable suspension-
bridge, not, I hope, like that of Montmorenci, could be made to
span the chasm; wire-ropes fit to bear cradles, could be passed
across; or ladders might be let down and act as the winding
staircase which leads to the Horseshoe Fall. At present Paulo
Affonso is what Niagara was in the days of Père François
Piquet and we can hardly look forward with pleasure to the
time when it will have wooden temples and obelisks, vested in-
terests, 25 cents to pay, and monster-hotels.
The next station is that with which I have advised the stranger
to begin. Thence he must retrace his steps, the trough up is too
rough and broken to be followed. We again crossed the eastern
boulder-channel, and walking to the south-east reached, after a
*From this point also the photographs
are taken, and they afford but a poor idea of
the original. M. Halfeld, besides his vig-
nette, gives two lithographs, the first from
our third station, and the second from tho
Paredão, opposite the Angiquinho, a place
which we shall presently visit.
+ Travellers with more leisure than I
had, will not take this assertion on trust.
The distance from the Porto das Piranhas,
where the steamer stops, is only 12 leagues,
oasily done in two days. And if the
"Bahian side" be practicable, it is evi-
dently the place for a flight of steps, cut in
the rocky wall of the trough.
CHAP. XXIX,] PAULO AFFONSO, KING OF RAPIDS.
453
few hundred yards, a descent formed by the waters which, in
flood-time, sweep over the hollow "Carahyba Camping ground,”
and course down a stony incline to rejoin the parent flood. We
found the bed bone-dry, a slippery surface of bare rock, dark and
bright after many a freshet, with here and there steps and deep
There are stagnant pools and corrie-like holes,
green with Confervæ, and rich in landshells. These hollows
long preserve the rain-water, and though covered with scum-like
aquatic growths, they are during the dries, a great resource for
cattle. The hands must be used as well as the feet in descend-
ing, and the noonday sun will peel the palms.
crevasses.
The zigzag led down to a Ressáca or bulge in the left bank of
the river. Here the torrent is less terrible, but still violent, as
it dashes against the south-eastern wall of the trough. The light
colour of the precipice, not grown, like the rest of the trough,
with moss, Bromelia, and thorn bush, shows that, despite the
exceeding hardness of the stone, some part has slipped, and more
will slip. Sr. Manuel Leandro assured me that it has not changed
since the days of his grandfather and his grandmother.
At the trough-foot we reach a baylet formed by the lower "Go
and come" (Vai-Vem de baixo), another back-water of the
great rushing tide. People fetching water have fallen into it,
but have managed to extricate themselves. No Maid of the Mist,
however, will in these ages be able to ascend the line of maël-
ströms. Now the water recovers from the plunge and dive in the
abyss beneath the cascade, it continually rebounds, and as we
often noticed in the Cachoeiras of the upper bed, there is no
really level surface; the face seems a system of slightly bulging
domes.
M
The little inclined ramp of loose stones at the bottom of the
wall is strewed with lumber and with wood brought down by the
last floods; its grinding sound and its crash when floods are
high, have been compared with the creaking of the ice at the end
of a Canadian winter. Light as pumice-stone, the fragments are
rounded off and cropped at both ends by the bruising process,
and the working takes curious shapes, cheeses and shuttles, nine-
pins and skittles. Our guide picturesquely called the heaps
"Cidade de Madeira," a city of wood, and in them I recognized
canoe planks and scantling from the Imperial shed.
The slope ends in a cave opening to the west, and known gene-
454
[CHAP. XXIX.
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
rically as the "Casa de Pedra," specifically as the "Furna do
Morcego," or Vampire's Grot. Its appearance is singular. The
entrance, instead of being low, after the fashion of caverns, is a
tall parallelogrammic portal leaning a little to the south. Hence
it has its Saintess (uma Santa), who shows herself at times, and
the people have heard martial music, and singing which did not,
they judged, proceed from mortal wind-pipe. The arch is
formed by a thick table of hard, close-grained granite, spread out
as though it had been lava, and a cleavage-line extends to the
southern corner. Its walls are sandstone, here hard and compact,
there soft and mixed with ochreous iron-stained clay, easily cut
in the days when the now shrunken and sunken stream filled the
trough-ravine with its débâcles.* At present the inundations
extend only half-way up the floor, where an "old man" is in pro-
cess of degradation. The level sole is strewed with bat's guano,
and with ashes where the people have attempted to smoke out the
blood-suckers. The greatest height is about 90 feet. The eastern
wall overhangs, and the honey-combed upper part shows other
branch caves still forming, whilst the western retreats at the easy
angle of 8°—9°. I saw no bats in this "Cave of the Winds," this
"Devil's Hole;" but the hour of visit was early afternoon, and
the plague was probably enjoying its nap. The mouth of the
vault has a singular look-out. The fleecy, seething, snow-white
torrent, disposed in vorticose-lozenges and ridges, with its spray
glittering under the sun like myriads of brilliants, strikes upon a
shoulder of polished and intensely black rock, whose parallel and
much inclined bands wall the right side of the crevasse. This
mass deflects the boiling rapid at nearly a right angle, and sends
it roaring between the cliffs of its deep-narrow chasm adown the
abrupt redoublings which end its course in the world of waters to
the east.
* M. Halfeld gives the dimensions 80
palms (57 feet, 4 inches) tall, × 40 palms
(28 feet, 8 inches) wide, and 444 (318 feet,
2 inches) long. The entrance to the smaller
Eastern fissure is 30 palms (21 feet, 6
inches) high, broadening to 60 palms (43
feet) inside. That surveyor elaborately ex-
plains the formation of the "Furna. Its
line, he says, presents many veins of cal-
carcous spath, of fleshi-coloured felspar, and
of quartz varying from of an inch to
5 inches in breadth, causing the granite to
lose compactness: moreover, it is sometimes
>>
saturated with muriate of soda, from which
a little salt is made. The granite shows,
it is true, many dykes, some raised above,
others sunk below, and others level with
the surface; but their thickness is trifling.
The rocks also contain lime, hence the quan-
tity of landshells which, dead at this season,
strew the ground. But the cave is evi-
dently hollowed out in the sandstone grit,
which on the left side of the Lower São
Francisco, forms hills and ridges, and which
further down alternates with or overlies
limestone.
–
CHAP. XXIX.]
455
PAULO AFFONSO, KING OF RAPIDS.
Our last station is upon the "Paredão," lower down than the
Vampire's Cave, at the place called "Limpo do Imperador"-
the bush having been cleared away for the Imperial visit. There is
no shade, and water is far off. A tent and barrels, however, would
make all things easy, and a traveller encamped upon this Bellevue
would have beneath his eyes by night as well as by day the most
beautiful if not the grandest scenery of Paulo Affonso. Here he
stands on a level with the stream above the Upper Rapids, and on
300 feet of perpendicular height over the water, which dashes
curdling and creaming below. To the westwards the vision strikes
full upon the small but graceful Angiquinho branch, which is the
American Falls compared with the Horseshoe, and which reminds.
the traveller of the tall narrow Montmorenci.* This offset is the
furthest line on the right side of the river, in which, about the
Tapéra of Paulo Affonso, a mass of long islands precedes the nar-
rows and the rapids. It encloses an "Iris Island," a crag which
may easily be confounded with the mainland. It is, however,
capped with tree and grass, kept green as emerald by the ceaseless.
drift, and made remarkable by the brown plain forming the dis-
tance. Here again the still and silent picture around heightens
the effect of the foaming, rushing water. The flood rolls headlong
over its own shelf of brown based on jet-black rock, seen in the
walls which here jut out and there retire. Dashed to pieces by
the drop, it shows about the centre, with the assistance of a pro-
jecting rock, at this season clearly visible, a fall within a fall.
Puffs of water-douche, looking as if endless mines were being
sprung, rise to half its height, and the infinite globules, "spireing
up" in shafts, repeat the prismatic glories of solar and lunar rain-
bows. At its foot, from the spectator's right hand, or from north
to south, a section of an arch represents the terminal part of the
mysterious cataract, whose upper two-thirds are hidden by a
curtain of rock. This, the main stream, impinges almost perpen-
dicularly upon the right-hand wall of the trough-ravine, and the
impetus hurls it in rolls and billows high up the face to be thrown
back shattered, and to add a confusion more confused to the suc-
ceeding torrents. But, subject to the eternal law of gravitation,
a sinuous line perforce undulates down the crevasse, which gradu-
ally widens, and which puts out buttresses from the right and left.
* The height of Montmorenci is about 250 feet by 50 feet of breadth.
G
C
456
THE HIGHLANDS OF THE BRAZIL.
[CHAP. XXIX.
Calmed by the diminished slope, it meets the tall cliffs upon which
we stand, and wheeling from north-west to south-west, it eddies.
down the windings of the ravine, which soon conceal it from the
sight. The effect is charming when the moon, rising behind the
spectator, pours upon the flashing line of cascade and rapid full in
front, a flood of soft and silvery light, while semi-opaque shadows,
here purple, there brown, clothe the middle height, and black
glooms hang about the ribs, spines, and buttresses of the chasm-
foot.
Not the least interesting part of Paulo-Affonso is this terminal
ravine, which reminded me of the gorge of Zambezian Mosiwa-
tunya, as painted by Mr. Baines. It has given rise to a multitude
of wild fables, especially to the legend of the under-ground river,
an Alpheus, a Niger, a Nile, that favourite theme with the "old
men.”*
The black sides, footed by boulders which the force of
the flood has hurled in heaps, and in places cut by small white
streams, preserve their uniformity, and wall in the stream as far
as the Porto das Piranhas, forty-two geographical miles below the
cataract.† Moreover the elevation profile shows below the
actual cataract, a kieve or deep hollow, and a long succession of
similar abysses, prolonged to the same point, and gradually
diminishing in depth, the effect of a secular filling in. Niagara
undermining the soft shales that support a hard structure of lime-
stone some ninety feet thick, has eaten back seven miles from
the escarpment known as Queenstown Heights. It is supposed to
have expended 4000 years in reaching its present position, and
to be receding at the rate of a foot per annum. Here we find a
similar retreat of the waters. According to the guides, a huge mass
of stone above the Chaudière formed an arch under which birds
built their nests. This disappeared like the old original "Fall
CC
*The Noticias Ultramarinas of 1589
(Chap. 20) makes the Sumidouro, or sink,
80-90 leagues above the Cachoeira, which
was then apparently not named. The clas-
sical geographical romance soon spread afar.
Frei Rio Giuseppe de Santa Theresa (Istoria
delle guerre del Brazil) wrote dopo de
aver corso diciotto giornate di paese dentro
di cui si nasconde per lo spazio di dodici
leghe." Southey (III. i. 44) borrows from
the Patriota and Cazal with reasonable
correctness, he alludes to the "rapids and
falls.
one of such magnitude that the
spray is visible from the mountains, six.
•
leagues distant, like the smoke of a confla-
gration.
""
It is found with breaks to the Pão de
Assucar, distant sixty-three miles. Of
course these are rude estimates, which may
have an error of two miles. From Paulo
Affonso to Porto das Piranhas, the perpen-
dicular and inclined walls that hem in the
fiercely-dashing stream, are often 800 palms
(570 feet high). At the Cachoeira da Gar-
ganta (of the Gorge), nine miles below the
cataract, the breadth of the stream is only
85 palms (61 feet), and the height of the
trough is 350 palms (250 feet).
CHAP. XXIX.] PAULO AFFONSO, KING OF RAPIDS.
457
Rock" about ten years ago, and since that time they say the
Zoadão, or roar of Paulo Affonso, has not been so loud. Apply-
ing, therefore, the rule of the Northern Cataract, we cannot assign
to the King of Rapids an age under 2400 years.
*
*
*
*
*
My task was done. I won its reward, and the strength passed
away from ine. Two days of tedious monotonous riding led to
the Porto das Piranhas. The steamer had just left it, but a
hospitable reception awaited me at the house of Sr. Ventura José
Martins, agent to the Bahian Steam Navigation Company. My
companion hurried away to catch the American mail at Pernam-
buco. I descended the lower Rio de São Francisco more leisurely,
under the guidance of Sr. Luis Caetano da Silva Campos of
Penedo, whose amiable Senhora made me feel at home. Whilst
delayed at "the Rock" I met my excellent friend Dr. A. Moreira
de Barros, then President of Alagoas, and visited him at his
capital, Maceiò. Thence, with the aid of Mr. Hugh Wilson, I
found my way to Aracajú and Bahia, and finally I returned viâ
Rio de Janeiro to Santos (São Paulo), alias Wapping in the
Far West.
19.
INDEX.
ABAETE brilliant, discovery of the, ii. 153
Abobóras, Serra das, i. 43
Acacia, varieties of, on the Campos, i. 76;
the Angico, medicinal uses of the resin
of the, ii. 301; the Jurema, ii. 315
Acaju or Caju, wine made from the, ii. 26
Acary, the armour-plated fish, ii. 252n., 325
African slave squadron, a useless expense,
i. 7
Agave americana, uses of the, i. 35 n.
Agriculture, rudeness of, i. 59
Air-plants, a feature of the Brazilian forest,
i. 295
Aj◊jo or raft, the, described, ii. 2
Alagoa Dourada, village of, i. 146; in-
scription on cottage at, i. 147; scanty
accommodation at, i. 147; Feast of St.
John at, i. 147-149; remarkable situa-
tion of, i. 149; laying the first chain of
railway at, i. 152; gold diggings at, i.
153; grand dinner at, i. 154
Aldea de Paraúna, excellent cotton at, ii.
75; inhabitants famous for their chur-
lishness, ib.
Almecegueira, medicinal uses of the balm
of the, ii. 27 n.
Alum, found in caves in the Serra do Ma-
chichi, ii. 301
Amador, Manga do, village of, ii. 273
Amazons River, vegetation of the Cisandine
Valley of the, i. 292; length of the, ii.
217
Augari shrub, the, ii. 360
Anglo-Brazilian Gold Mining Company, i.
334
Animal life in the Brazil, i. 56
Ant, nests of the, i. 56; foes of the, i. 57;
the mad, ii. 194
Anthony, St., the Cave of, described, ii. 313
Anthropology of Minas Geraes, remarks on
the, i. 389
Anum, abuse of the word, i. 56 n.
Araça guava, common on sand-bars, ii. 57
Aracapá, Serro do, ii. 400
Araponga, or blacksmith bird, the, ii. 105
Aráripe, Serra de, ii. 407
VOL. II.
Arassuá, Serra de, first view of the, ii. 312
Araucaria, seen only near settlements, i. 76
Araxa, derivation of the word, i. 145
Architecture, ccclesiastical, in Minas Ge-
raes, sketch of, i. 120
Argemone mexicana, medicinal properties
of, ii. 274
Ariuda shrub, the, ii. 57
Armadillo, varieties of the, i. 290
Arraial, meaning of the word, i. 109 n.
Aroeira tree, uses of the, i. 77; tumours
in the joints from sleeping under the, ib.
As Pedras dos Angicos, the village, ii. 253
Assassin, hired, not yet extinct in the
Brazil, i. 180
Assumption, Island of, ruined church on,
ii. 403; inhabitants of, ib.
Astrocaryum Tucum, fibre of the, ii. 349
Australia, diamonds found in, ii. 81
Avalanches, earthen, i. 73; in the British
islands, i. 73 n.
BAAL, feast of, i. 147; various forms of
the word, ib.
Bahia, Province of, wealthy in diamonds,
ii. 135; analysis of diamantiferous sands
from, ii. 143 n.; has no popular topo-
graphical works, ii. 280
Bahia Steam Navigation Company, contract
of the, ii. 378 n. ; vessels belonging to, ib.
Baldim, Serra do, ii. 29
Bamboo, varieties of the, i. 40; food for
cattle, ii. 69
Bananeira, Serra da, ii. 402
Baptism, remarks on, i. 341 n.
Barbacena, i. 68; inn accommodation at,
i. 69; civility of Dr. Renault of, i. 80;
climate of, ib. ; population of, i. 81;
revolution at, i. 82; churches at, i. 83-
86; cemetery of, i. 86; jail and hospital
at, i. 87; campos of, adapted for cattle
breeding, i. 92; dulness of, i. 98
Barca of the Rio de São Francisco described,
ii. 206
Barque Jaguára, description of the, ii. 8
H H
1
466
INDEX.
Barqueiro, or waterman of the São Fran-
cisco River, described, ii. 209; facility
in versification of, ii. 210; superstitions
of the, ii. 211, 396
Barra, Villa da, approach to, ii. 316; festa
at, ii. 318; civility of Lieutenant-
Colonel Mariani, ii. 319; the town de-
scribed, ii. 320; trade of, ii. 322; prices
of provisions at, ib.; a bad site for a
capital, ii. 323
Barro diamond mine, visit to the, ii. 132;
discovery and value of, ib.
Barro Preto, diamond diggings at, ii. 90
Barroso, beauty of the village of, i. 101
Bat, the Vampire, i. 107; man bitten by,
i. 107 n.
Batata, or sweet potato, productiveness of
the, i. 93
Batea used in gold washing, described, i. 133
Batêa, Serra da, i. 315
Bauhinia forficata, the, i. 164
Beggars in the Brazil, i. 136; ii. 315
Bee-hives, produce of, i. 95
Bell-bird, the, ii. 85
Big Face Mountain, features of the, i. 309
Bignonias, many kinds of, ii. 28 n.
Birds, gaudy plumage of the, i. 40; of the
Corða, ii. 179; of the forest, ii. 332, 405;
nests of the Leather-jacket, ii. 316
Births, relative proportion of, in Pará, i.
115
Blacksmith bird, the, ii. 105
Boa Morte, Serra de, i. 165
Boa Morte, Villa da, described, ii. 384;
scanty civility at, ii. 385
Boart, remarks concerning, ii. 151; three
kinds of, ii. 152
Boa Vista, Fazenda da, former owners of
the, ii. 286; Villa da, origin and pre-
sent state, ii. 388
Boatmen of the São Francisco, ii. 390, 433
Bom Jardim, Arraial do, arrival at, ii.
304; fine diamantation of, ii. 305; a
good site for a city, ii. 306
Bom Successo, Fazenda do, visit to the, ii.
69; itinerary from, to S. João, ii. 72 n.
Boqueirão, Serra do, ii. 297
Borborema, Serra de, ii. 407
Bougainvillea, the, i. 66
Braganza diamond, discovery of the, ii.
152
Bramidos, or subterranean roarings, i. 437
Branca, Serra, supposed deposits of plati-
num in the, ii. 296 n.
Braut family, exploitation of diamonds by
the, ii. 125
Brazil, works on the, mostly those of spe-
cialists, i. 9; a terra incognita to Eu-
rope, ib.; exports to the, ib.; imports
from England, i. 10 n. ; list of works on
the, i. 13—18; yellow fever in the, i.
30; road rollers, and road locomotives.
in the, i. 35; smuggling in the, i. 47;
pigmies in the, i. 59; gipsies in the, i.
63; national debt of the, i. 91; mone-
tary system of, i. 92; probable extinc-
tion of slavery in the, i. 269; hopeful
prospects of the, i. 374; population of,
in 1866, i. 369 n.; climate of the, i, 30;
foreigners unpopular in the, ii. 99; ex-
istence of the diamond in the, formerly
doubted, ii. 108; diamantine lands in
the, where found, ii. 135; remains of
the red-skins in the, ii. 271; railways a
failure in the, ii. 377.
Brejo, Serra do, ii. 174
Brewery at Congonhas de Sabará, i. 196
Bridges, primitive, i. 111 n.; suspension
bridge in Minas, i. 428; on the Rio das
Velhas, ii. 11
,
Brig Eliza, christening and departure of
the, ii. 1; description of, ii. 2; crew of
the, ii. 4; provisions for the voyage, ii.
3 n.; passengers on board, ii. 5; dis-
missal of crew of, ii. 433; dismantling
of, ii. 435
Bromelia, species of, ii. 350, 449
Broom, golden, i. 163
Brumado, Rio, i. 146
Bucha dos Paulistas, a powerfully drastic
plant, ii. 265
Buckwheat, hardiness of, i. 93
Burá, Serra do, ii. 74
Burity palm, uses of the, ii. 166
Bursera leptophlocos, gum yielded by, ii.
332
Buzzard, the Caracará, i. 56; a tick-eating
birl, i. 160
CAATINGA, meaning of the word, i. 61n
Cabbage palm, the, i. 55
Caboclos, wars of the, i. 110; meaning of
the word, i. 110 n. ; village of the, on the
Paraúna, ii. 75.
Cabra (she goat), application of term, ii.
249 n.
Cabrobó, town of, described, ii. 406
Cachaça, how made, i. 189; two kinds of,
ib.
Cachoeiras, meaning of the word, ii. 35;
often easy of removal, ii. 36. On the
Rio das Velhas de Jacu, ii. 21; da
Onça, ii. 53; Grande, ii. 65; das Gal-
linhas, ii. 65; da Cerquinha, ii. 67; do
Laudim, ii. 157; das Ilhotas, ii. 163;
do Gonçalvez, ii. 165; do Riacho das
Pedras, ii. 167; da Escaramuça, ii. 170;
das Prisoes, ii. 171; dos Dourados, ii.
173; do Desemboque, ib. On the São
Francisco de Sobradinho, ii. 363; do
Bebeda, ib.; do Jenipapo, ii. 383; das
Carahybas, ii. 385; da Panella do Dou-
rado, ii. 397, 412; de São Pedro, 400;
the impetuous Rosario, ii. 411; the
furious Cantagallo, ib.; de Boi Velho,
INDEX.
467
ii. 412; do Urubusinho, ii. 413; of the
Fura-olho, ib.; the Surubabé, ii. 415.
Cachoeira, Lugar da, pottery of the, ii.
283
Cachoeira, Serra do, ii. 362
Cactus spinosus, indigenous, i. 94; the
Xique-Xique, ii. 329; varieties of, ii.
301, 329, 449; cochineal insect on the
Quipa, ii. 301; wood of the Mandracurú,
used for roof-rafters, ii. 361
Caçunete fish, the, ii. 305
Caethé, definition of word, i. 291 n.
Caieiro, Rio, i. 100
Caipira, orthography of, i. 186 n.
Caladium esculentum and sagittifolium, i.
93
Calemba, a medicinal root, ii. 281
California, discovery of diamonds in, ii. 81
Camarada, definition of the word, i. 297 n.
Campeiros, wildness of the, ii. 26
Campos or prairies, description of the, i.
70; vegetation of the, i. 74, 76; medi-
cinal plants of the, i. 78; exhilarating
air of the, i. 78; frequently a network
of paths, i. 156
Canals, projected, ii. 386
Candles made from the wax of the Carna-
húba Palm, ii. 310
Candonga, Morra da, i. 138
Canga, meaning of word, i. 203 n. ; compo-
sition of, ii. 116 n
Cannibalism, was a necessity with the Zea-
lander, i. 115 n.
Canninha, cheapness of, i. 189
Canteiro diamond mine, visit to, ii. 113;
expenses and income of the, ii. 115;
number of slaves at, ib.; prevalence of
theft at, ii. 116; washing at, ii. 117
Caparosa-ptisane, ii. 32n.
Capim Angola, the, i. 101; Cabelludo, ii.
360; Gordura, i. 55
Capital, field for, in the Brazil, i. 218
Capivi, uses of, known amongst the Indians,
ii. 84
Capoeiro, or second-growth forest, deriva-
tion of the word, i. 65 n.
Caprimulgus, varieties of the, ii. 50 n.
Capyvara or wild hog, derivation of the
word, i. 43 n.; habits of the, i. 44 n.
Caraça, Serra do, grotesque features of the,
i. 309; meaning of word, ib.
Carahyba do Campo, the, ii. 77, 419
Carandahy, Rio, i. 145; derivation of
name, ib.
Cará-tuber, varieties of the, ii. 9 n.
Carat, derivation of word, ii. 148 n.
Cardo santo or holy thistle, medicinal pro-
perties of, ii. 274
Carnahaba, or Wax Palm, habitat of the,
ii. 308; value and uses of the, ii. 309;
candles made from the wax of the, ii.
310; grove of, ii. 333
Carrapato tick, varieties of the, i. 158; a
general nuisance in Minas and São
Paulo, i. 159; attacks cattle and horses,
ib.; habitats of, i. 160; remedy for
the bites of the, ib.
Carrasco, meaning of the word, i. 61 n.
Carunhanha, São José da, town of, dc-
scribed, ii. 280; trade of, ii. 281
Carunhauha River, slate quarry on the, ii.
276
Casa Branca estate, visit to, ii. 38; hospi-
table reception by Sr. Manoel Francisco,
ii. 39; sugar house at, ii. 40; party of
Americans at, ii. 41
Casa de Pedra, near São João, description
of, i. 139 n.
Cascalho, composition of, ii. 116 n.; deriva-
tion of word, i. 203n
Cashew-nuts, use of, amongst the Indians,
ii. 26
Cashew showers, cause of, and explanation
of term, ii. 243
Cassareep, recipe for making, i. 225 n.
Castanhera, Serra da, ii. 362
Cata Branca, gold mines of, i. 181; failure
of, i. 183; Serra de, i. 182
Catas Altas de Mato Dentro, hotel at, i.
312; poverty of, ii. 313
Catingueiro or Stinker, the, ii. 127
Cattle-breeding on the Rio das Velhas, ii.
8; campos of Barbacena adapted for, i.
92; the favourite industry at São João
del Rey, i. 134
+
Cattle, death of, from eating poisonous.
plants, i. 426; bamboos as food for, ii. 69
Cauím, or wine made from the Sapucaia,
derivation of word, i. 120 n.
Cave of St. Anthony, visit to, ii. 313
Cecropia or Candelabra tree, i. 283; uses
of the, i. 284
Cedrella odorata, superstition respecting,
i. 32 n.
Cereals, Brazilian, i. 93
Cerro, definition of word, ii. 110 n.
Cervus campestris, or Prairie deer, ii. 127;
C. simplicicornis, ib.; C. paludosus, ii.
128
Chácara, meaning of the word, i. 45 n.
Chafariz, derivation of word, i. 46 n.
Chameleon, the Brazilian, ii. 316 n.
Charcoal burners at Morro Velho, i. 426
Cheese, inferior quality of Brazilian, i. 92.
Chinchonacea of the Campos, i. 78; C.
Remigiana, ii. 28
Chique-Chique, complicated approach to, ii.
326; the town described, ii. 328; the
Xique-Xique cactus at, ii. 329; fino
sheep at, ii, 330; the diamond digging
"do Pintorsinho," ii. 336; possesses
every requisite for a capital, 338
Cigarette manufactory at Registro Velho,
described, i. 68
City, ancient, discovered in 1753, account
of, 459-463
1 1 2
468
INDEX.
Clergy in the Brazils, remarks on the, i.
406; an educated class, i. 407 n.
Climate of the Brazils, i. 30; effect of on
race, i. 391
Coach stages from Juiz de Fóra to Barba-
cena, i. 54; Barbacena to Morro Velho,
i. 99 n.
Coach travelling in the Brazil, i. 34
Coal formation, the, i. 64; mine at Ague
Quente, i. 316
Cocaes, Serra de, i. 306; gold mines at, i.
441
Coche d'Agua, i. 187; origin of name, i.
188
Cochineal, attempted exportation of, i, 94 n.
Cochincal insect, indigenous, i. 94; on the
Quipa cactus, ii. 301
Cocoa-nut trees plentiful on the coast, ii.
263; produce of adult trees, ii. 280
Coffee shrub in the Doce District, i. 6;
poorness of the, at Petropolis, i. 39
Coinage of the Brazil, i. 90; no gold in
circulation, i. 90
Comarca, definition of a, i. 114n.
Comargos, tea-plantations at, i. 321
Commerce, homage paid to, i. 410
Congonha, application of term, i. 167 n.
Congonhas de Sabará, i. 194; brewery at,
i. 196
Congonhas do Campo, first view of, i. 165;
a Mineiran Loretto, i. 167; oratories
and church at, i. 169
169; growing stone at,
i. 172; College at, ib.; healthy situa-
tion of, i. 173; old gold diggings at, i.
174
Contagem, Serra da, ii. 78
Contagens, establishment of, ii. 78n.; pro-
fits and expenses of, ib.
Copaifera officinalis, balsam of, ii. 84
Copal, large deposits of, in Minas and São
Paulo, i. 126; lip ornaments made of,
i. 127
Coral Snake, varieties of the, ii. 181
Corda or sand-bar, description of, ii. 56
;
birds and vegetation of the, ii. 57, 179;
remarks on the removal of, ii. 58
Córrego, Serra do, i. 138
Corrente, Rio do, navigable for 28 leagues,
ii. 295
Costume, an Englishman's travelling, i. 95
Cotton, cultivation of, less profitable than
sugar, i. 6; a source of wealth, i. 94;
plantation on the Rio das Velhas, ii. 14;
the valley of the São Francisco adapted
for the growth of, ii. 223; fine, grown
at Carunhanba, ii. 279
Cotton-spinning at Morro Velho, i. 242
Crambambali, a native brûle, recipe for
making, i. 155 n.
Crane, the Brazilian, i. 38; the Saracura,
ii. 18; big, ii. 312
Cravinho do Campo, the, ii. 78
Crooulo, meaning of term, i. 18n.
Crimes, official list of, in Minas, i. 399;
ratio of, to population, 403
Crioulina tree, the, ii. 194
Crocodile, the Brazilian, ii. 177
Crops, rotation of, unknown, ii. 42
Cuiabá, visit to the gold mines of, i. 439
Cuisine, the national, i. 95
Culex penetrans, troublesome bite of the,
ii. 171
Cumieira, Serra da, ii. 358
Cupim, nests of the, i. 56; enemies of the,
i. 57
Curassoa, the, i. 38
Curral d'El-Rei, Morro do, i. 424
Curumataby River, the, ii. 165; Serra do,
ib.
Curumatão fish, various names of the, ii.
33 n.
Curuvina fish, the, ii. 303
DAMOUR, M., analysis of diamantiferous
sands by, ii. 143 n.
Dantas (the Councillor M. P. de Souza),
proposed steam navigation on the Rio de
São Francisco by, ii. 234
Datura, poisonous seeds of the, i. 198
Debt, national, of the Brazil, i. 91
Deer, varieties of, ii. 127
Dentists, numerous in the Brazil, i. 394
Desmonte, composition of, ii. 113 n.
Diamantina City, first glimpse of, ii. 92;
description of, ii. 94; agreeable society
at, ii. 98; the Episcopal Seminary at,
ii. 101; a shooting affair at, ii. 102;
ball at, ib.; declining prosperity of, ii.
104; climate of, ii. 105; early history
of, ii. 106
Diamantiferous sands from Bahia, analysis
of, ii. 143 n.
Diamantine lands in the Brazil, where
found, ii. 135; concession to work, how
obtained, ii. 136
Diamantine deposits on the São Francisco,
ii. 284, 286, 339, 374, 422; of Boin
Jardim, ii. 306
Diamond cutting at Rio de Janeiro, ii.
104 n.; smuggling, prevention of, ii.
82.
Diamond mine at Barro Preto, ii. 90; tools
used, ii. 114; gambling nature of mining,
ii. 115; the Canteiro, ii. 113; the
Lomba, ii. 121; the Duro, ii. 129; the
Barro, ii. 132; of the Pirapóra, ii. 204 ;
at Santo Ignacio, visit to the, ii. 336
Diamonds found in California and Austra-
lia, ii. 81; will probably be found along
the Serra do Espinhaço, ii. 104; tradi-
tions respecting the discovery of, ii. 106;
declared Crown property, ib.; diaman-
tinc demarcation established, ib. ; exis-
tence of, in the Brazil doubted, ii. 108;
exports and value of, in 1861-7, ib.;
INDEX.
469
powdered, considered by the Hindu as
deadly poison, ii. 118 n. ; prominent part
taken by the Brant family in the ex-
ploitation of, ii. 125; derivation of the
word, ii. 136 n. ; prospecting for, ii. 136;
perfections of, ib.; debated origin of, ii.
137; index of refraction, ib. ; tests of,
ii. 138; where formed, ib.; strongly
affected by the electro-inagnetic current,
ii. 138 n.; formação, or stones that ac-
company, ii. 140-143; shape of, ii. 144;
colours and flaws of, ii. 146; weights of,
ii. 148; price of, ii. 149; about "Boart,
ii. 151; celebrated Brazilian, ii. 152,
153
>>
Doce, Rio, preferred by emigrants, i. 5
Dog, hairless, common at Bahia, ii. 358
D. Pedro Norte del Rey Gold mine, i. 321
Dourado fish, the, described, ii. 173 n.
Drunkenness, prevalence of, in the interior,
i. 404
Duarte (Sr. José Rodriguez), excursion to
the Lagoa Santa with, ii. 29; death of,
ii. 34
Dumont (M.), steam navigation on the Rio
das Velhas begun by, ii. 233
Duro diamond mine, visit to the, ii. 129
EARTH, doctrine of a central fire in the, i.
251 n.
Earth-eating not unknown to the Bra-
zilians, ii. 51 n.
Earthquakes at Jaguara, ii. 30
East Del Rey Mining Company, sketch of
the, i. 435
Eating, fast, remarks on, ii. 129 n.
Eclipse of the moon, ii. 175
Education, religious, in the Brazil, i. 332;
attention paid to, i. 412
Ema, South American or three-toed, i.
52 n., ii. 296; derivation of the word, i.
52 n.; price of feathers of, in Patagonia,
ib.
Embira, bark of the, used for fibre, ii. 434
Emigration, the remedy for overcrowding
in England, i. 7; lands on the Rio das
Velhas suited for, ii. 159
Engenho, or sugar-house, description of a,
ii. 40
Entre Rios, railway station at, i. 41; un-
healthiness of, i. 42
Epiphytes, a feature of the Brazilian forest,
i. 295
Esbarrancado, derivation of the word, i.
73 0.
Espinhaço, Serra do, i. 62
Estalagem, the, described, i. 103
Estrella do Sul brilliant, the, ii. 153
Estrema, settlement of, ii. 303
Eugenia dysenterica, the, ii. 25; cauli-
flora, fruit of the, ii. 48
Euterpe edulis yields the finest cabbage
of all the palms, i. 55 n.
Expectoration, a prevalent habit, i. 51
Eye, diseases of the, use of the green juice
of the young branches of the Aroeira in,
i. 77 n.
FABBRICA da Ilha, visit to the, i. 304
Farinha de Milho, treatment of, ii. 39 n.
Farm-labourers, demand for, i. 7
Fazenda, a, defined, i. 44 n.; interior of a,
i. 301
Fernam Paes, estate of, i. 193
Ferns, varieties of, i. 27; tree, i. 296
Fête of St. John, celebration of the, in the
Brazil, i. 148; superstitions associated
with the, i. 149
Fevers, treatment of, ii. 191 n. ; prevalence
of, in the Forest regions, i. 293
Field labour, on the employment of women
in, i. 392
Fig, the Gamelleira, i. 158; ii. 245
Fire-balls frequent in the Brazil, i. 119 n.
Fire-fly, the Brazilian, ii. 273
Fish, contrivances for catching, ii. 12; the
Pian, ii. 13 n. ; varieties of the Mandim
or Snorter, ii. 19 n.; the Trahira, ii. 27 ;
the Curumatão, ii. 33; the Piranha or
Scissar, ii. 33; the Loango, ii. 162; the
Dourado, ii. 173 n.; of the Rio de São
Francisco, list of, ii. 223, 224; the
Acary, ii. 252 n.; wonderful draughts of,
ii. 276; the Surubim, ib. ; abundance
of, in the São Francisco, ii. 303-373;
the Curuvina, ii. 303 n.; the Matrin-
cham, ib.; the Pira, ib. ; the Caçunete,
ii. 305; fossil, ii. 407
Flowers, number and variety of, in the
Brazilian Forest, i. 291; odours of, i.
295
Fogo, Ilha do, visit to, ii. 376
Forest, road-rollers in the virgin, i. 35;
scenery of the, ii. 43; impenetrable
nature of the Brazilian, i. 294; number
and variety of flowers in, ib.; dangers.
of the virgin, i. 297; unpleasantly rich
in the smaller life, ib.; Brazilian, birds
of the, ii. 332
Free labour, superiority of, i. 115 n.
Fruits, list of, i. 93
Funil, Fazenda do, bivouac at, ii. 49
Furnarius, mud-huts of the, i. 120
GALLINACEA of the Brazil, i. 37; accli-
matization of the, i. 38
Gamella, the, a bowl for domestic use, i.
103 n.; used in gold washing, i. 209 n.
Gamelleira fig, the, i. 158; giant, ii. 245
Game in the Brazil, i. 44; scarcity of, on
the Rio das Velhas, ii. 13; on the Rio
de São Francisco, ii. 241
Garápa, a favourite beverage, ii. 41 n.
Garimpeiro, definition of word, i. 210 n.
470
INDEX.
Gavião hawk, the, ii. 85
Genipa americana, juice of the, used by the
Indians as a dye, ii. 68
Gipsics in the Brazil, i. 63; numerous in
Minas, i. 163
Giráo, application of term, ii. 3 n.
Gitaranaboia insect, the, described, ii.
182 n.
Glacial theory, application of, to the
Brazil, i. 39, 71 n., 293 n. ; ii. 218
Goître, attacks cattle as well as men, i.
395; hereditary nature of, i. 396
Gold currency withdrawn, i. 90
Gold dust, circulation of, prohibited, i. 89
Gold formation, popular scientific error
respecting, i. 202
Gold-mining Companies in the Brazil, i.
215; causes of failure of, ib.; "how
to get up," i. 216
Gold-mines St. John Del Rey, i. 133,
230-235; in Minas Geraes, i. 200,
203; at Alagoa Dourada, i. 153; at
Congonhas do Campo, i. 174; Casa
Branca, i. 181; Morro da Gloria,
i. 192; Morro de Santa Rita, i. 192;
Morro Velho, i. 197, 220, 245; Morro
Vermelho, i. 285; Rossa Grande, i. 288;
Gongo Soco, i. 299; Santa Barbara, i.
307; D. Pedro Norte del Rey, i. 321;
Morro de Maquiné, i. 334; Morro de
Santa Anna, i. 337; Passagem, ib.;
S. Vicente, i. 417; East Del Rey i.
435; tools used in, i. 438; Cuiabá,
i. 439; Cocaes, i. 441; at Santa Lusia,
ii. 9.
Gold Troop at Morro Velho, i. 260
Gold weights, table of old Portuguese, i.
205 n.
Gongo Soco, rainfall at, i. 286; Gold
Mining Company, history of, i. 211-
214; gold mine at, i. 299; Fabbrica da
Ilha at, i. 304
Gongo River, various names of the, i. 300
Gonzaga, pastorals of, i. 364n.; sketch of
the life of, i. 367; remarks on, i. 370
Gordon (M.), superintendent of the Morro
Velho gold mine, hospitable reception by,
i. 199
Gossypium arboreum, ii. 14
Gouvêa, hospitable reception at, ii. 87;
vegetation at, ii. 88
Grande, Rio, survey of the, ii. 317 n.
Grass burning, vegetation killed by, ii. 73
Grass, Capim Gordura, i. 55; of the
Campos, i. 77
Grape, vintage of the, i. 93; excellent
brandy made from the raisins, ib.
Guaicuhy, junction of the Rios das Velhas
and São Francisco at, ii. 187; arrival at,
ii. 187; early history of, ii. 189; cost
of provisions at, ii. 191; bad climate
of, ib.; free manners of inhabitants,
ii. 193; the Serrinha and its view, ii.
194; the Villa de, ii. 196; Sr. Lean-
dro, the Delegate of Police, ii. 197
Gualaxo, Rio, i. 320
Gulls, Brazilian, ii. 179; a gull-fair, ii. 312
Gupiara, meaning of word, ii. 103 n.
Gurgulho, definition of, ii. 112 n.
Guyana, rock-inscriptions in, i. 12 n.
HAIR, effect of climate on human, i. 393;
oil for, used in the Brazil, i. 393 n.
Halfeld, M., estimate by, for clearing the
Rio de São Francisco, ii. 230
Hats made from the Aricuri palm, price of,
ii. 301
Hawks, the Gavião, ii. 85; grey, ii. 350
Heat, internal, of the earth, remarks on, i.
251 n.
Helianthus tuberosus, hardiness of, i. 93 n.
Heron, the Jaburu, ii. 312
Hibiscus, the Mangui, ii. 44
Homœopathy, in high favour in the Brazil,
ii. 40; establishment of, ii. 40 n.
Hop-plant, climate and soil adapted for
the, i. 94
Horses, thrive on the melocactus, ii. 329;
price of, at Chique-Chique, ii. 330
Hotels, expense of, i. 95; menu of a Bra-
zilian, i. 103
Humming-birds, beauty of the, ii. 366;
transmutable into the humming-bird
hawk-moth, ii. 366 n.
Hydrochorus Capybara, Indian name of, i.
43 n.
IBIS, varieties of, ii. 312
Ibitipoca, Serra da, i. 66
Imburana (Bursera leptophlocos), gum
yielded by the, ii. 332
Imperial Brazilian Mining Association,
history of, i. 211-214
Inconfidents, rebellion of the, i. 346—353;
leaders of the, i. 347; trial and sentence
of the leaders, i. 350; execution of Tira-
dentes, i. 352
Indigo, grows wild, i. 94; exportation of,
attempted, i. 94 n.
Inficionada, villagers at, i. 318
Inhanu (Caladium esculentum), the, i. 93
Inquisition, a tale of the, i. 135
Inscriptions at Congonhas do Campo, i.
169, 170; rock,i423-431; known to
the old travellers, ii. 425
Insects, sufferings of horses and cattle from
Lites of, i. 159
Introductions, value of, i. 99
Ipé Amarello, beauty of the, ii. 28
Ipecacuanha, i. 164; derivation of word,
i. 164 n.
Ipomoea arenosa, the, ii. 361
Iron foundry of M. Monlevade, i. 298
Iron, occurrence of magnetic, ii. 339, 345,
INDEX.
471
350; deposits of, on the Rio de São
Francisco, ii. 221 n. ; at Gongo Soco, ex-
cellence of, i. 306
Itabira do Campo, the Stone Girl of the
prairie, features of, i. 179; meaning of
word, i. 179 n.
Itacolumi Peak, visit to, i. 376; vegeta-
tion of, i. 377; definition of word, i.
378; altitude of, i. 380; geological for-
mations of, ib. ; view from, i. 381
Itacolumi, Serra da, i. 378
Itacolumite, composition of, i. 378
Itaparica, rapids of the, ii. 438; Serra da,
ii. 439
JABOTICA BEIRA, fruit of the, ii. 48
Jaboticatúba, Rio, ii. 38 n.
Jacaré, or Brazilian crocodile, the, ii. 177
Jacubeiros, meaning of the term, i. 140
Jacutinga, constituents of, i. 132, 301;
gold in the, i. 302; richness of, i. 301
Jacutupé, description of the, i. 93 n.
Jaguára, derivation of word, ii. 21 n.;
varieties of the, ib.; value of skins of
the, ii. 22
Jaguara, Fazenda de, hospitality of Dr.
Quintiliano José da Silva, ii. 22; de-
scription of the, ii. 23; revenues of the,
ii. 24; vegetation of the, ii. 25; birds
of the, ii. 26; excursion to Logoa Santa
from, ii. 29; hospitality of M. Fourreau,
ii. 31
Januaria, city of, history and present state,
ii. 257; danger of being swept away, ii.
258; reception at, ii. 259; vegetation
of, ii. 264; difficulty of collecting a
crew at, ii. 267; price of provisions at
ib.; civility of Sr. Manoel Castano da
Souza Silva, ii. 268
Jararocá viper, the, ii. 181
Jatoba, uses of the gum and pods of the,
ii. 28
Jatropha urens, medicinal use of, ii. 45 n.;
cercas, uses of the, ii. 256; species of,
ii. 449
Jenipapeiro, nauseousness of the fruit of
the, ii. 69
Jequitiba, Fazenda do, hospitality of Col.
Domingos Diniz Couto at, ii. 47; fine
sugar-cane at, ii. 48
Jequitinhonha River, ii. 112; various
forms and meaning of word, ib.
Jequitinhonha diamond mines, ii. 113
Jigger (Pulex), various names of the, ii.
187; description and habitat of, ii. 188;
painful bite of, ib.
Joazeiro, Villa do, has a great name unde-
servedly, ii. 369; the villa described,
ii. 370; the lands about, ii. 372; prices
of articles at, ii. 373; vines at, ii. 374;
the proposed terminus of two railways,
ii. 377
Juiz de Fóra, description of, i. 49; popu-
lation of, ib.; fête day at, i. 52
Juliana, Serra da, ii. 438
KITCHEN middens at Long Island, i. 23 n.
LABOUR, field for, in the Brazil, i. 263
Lagoa Santa, excursion to the, ii. 30; hos-
pitable treatment at, ii. 31; Dr. Lund
at, ii. 31
Lake superstitions, ii. 32 n.
Land, small extent of, under culture, i.
42; benefits from the subdivision of, i.
47; produce of, per acre at Casa Branca,
ii. 42 price of, on the Rio das Velhas,
ii. 159; price of, at Joazeiro, ii. 372
;
fertility of the, on the São Francisco,
ii. 380
Landed property, value of, dependent on
altitude, i. 106
Landslips in the Campos, i. 73; vivid hues
of the, i. 74
Languages, foreign, how to learn, ii. 197
Lapa, Sr. Bom Jesus da, visit to, ii. 288;
unhealthiness of settlement, ib.; the
Holy Cave described, ii. 289; average
daily receipts at, ii. 290
Lapa, Serrote da, form of the, ii. 287;
vegetation of, ii. 293; view from, ib.
Lapa dos Urubús, the, ii. 162
Larceny, unknown amongst the Tupy tribes,
i. 404
Lavado, Rio, ii. 169
League, the old Brazilian, i. 100 n.
Leather, excellence of Brazilian, ii. 192`n.
Leather-jacket bird, nests of the, ii. 316
Leguminosa of the Campos, i. 76
Leme, Fernando Dias Paes, episode in the
life of, ii. 30
Lenheiro, Serra do, i. 112
Leprosy, common in São Paulo, i. 395
Liais, M., estimate by, for clearing the Rio
das Velhas, ii., 229
Life, little safety for, in Minas, i. 402
Lightning, danger of, i. 118
Lime quarries at Chique-Chique, ii. 327
Lingot d'or, the, i. 89, 98
Lizard, the Teyu or tree, described, ii.
183 n.
Lliana, the Murderer, i. 40; varieties of,
i. 296
Loango fish, the, ii. 162
Lomba diamond mine, visit to the, ii. 121;
defective machinery at, ii. 122
Longevity in the Brazil, ii. 266 n. 273
Lunar action in the Tropics, i. 248
Lund, Dr., researches of, ii. 32
Luso-Latin tongue, richness of the, i. 136 n.
MACAHUBAS das Freiras, hospitable ro-
·
472
INDEX.
ception at, by the Rev. Padre Lana, ii.
15; visit to the Recolhimento, ib.
Macahubas, Rio, i. 436
Macela do Campo, the, ii. 27
Machichi, Serra do, occurrence of uncrys-
tallised alum in caves in the, ii. 301
Machinery in the Brazil, rudeness of, ii.
122
Maize meal, preparations of, ii. 50 n.; fluc-
tuations in price of the alqueire of, ii.
89 n.
Maize leaf, use of, for cigarettes, i. 68
Malhada Settlement and its receivership,
ii. 227; visit Lt. Louveiro at, ii. 278;
value of duties levied at, ib. ; bad
climate of, ii. 279
Mamía, the, how made, and uses of, ii. 5 n.
Mandim or Snorter Fish, varieties of the,
ii. 19 n.
Mandracurú Cactus, wood of the, excellent
for roof-rafters, ii. 361
Mangarito (Caladium sagittifolium), the, i.
93
Manioc, the, i. 163
Mantiqueira Range, the, i. 60; vegetation
of the, i. 61; altitude of, ib.; deriva-
tion of the name, i. 62; legends of the,
i. 63
Maquiné Gold-mine, i. 337
Maquiné Rapids, shooting the, ii. 52
Maracána, species of, ii. 405 n.
Maranhão, Rio, i. 165
Maravilha Mountain, the, ii. 123
Marianna, Rio, i. 337, 356
Marianna, pillory at, i, 323; inn at, i.
324; early history of, i. 326; situation
of, i. 327; the bishop of, i. 328; semi-
nary at, i. 330; Sisters of S. Vincent de
Paul at, i. 331
Marriage, aversion to, in the Brazil, i. 384;
early age of, i. 397
Martinière, M. de la, estimate by, for
clearing the Rio de São Francisco, ii.
231
Mateiro or forest deer, the, ii. 127
Mato, Sitio do, tronco or village stocks at,
ii. 296
Matosinhos, Arraial de, i. 109, 174;
massacre of the Paulistas at, i. 110; fête
of Corpus Christi at, i. 111
Matrincham fish, the, ii. 303 n.
Mauá Bay, i. 24; supplies Rio with oysters,
i. 24
Mauá Railway, opening of the, i. 25; trip
on the, ib.
Medicinal plants of the Campos, i. 78
Melocactus, the, relished by horses, i.
329
Melons, water, cheapness of, ii. 274
Menu of a Brazilian hotel, i. 103
Mertensia dichotoma, a pest of the Brazil,
i. 27 n.
Mesmerism, extraordinary cases of, i. 391 n.
Midsummer Day at Alagoa Dourada, i. 152
Milagre, Serra do, ii. 402
Mil-reis, depreciation in value of, i. 91; a
financial error, i. 91 n. ; subdivisions of
the, i. 92
Military rank, commonness of, in the
Brazil, i. 67
Minas Geraes, province of, area of, com-
मै pared with England, i. 4; duties on
imports into the, i. 44; diamond mines.
of, ii. 109; sketch of ecclesiastical
architecture in, i. 120; large deposits
of copal in, i. 126; gipsies numerous in,
i. 163; gold mining in, i. 200, 211;
no protection for Englishmen in, i.
278; rebellion of the Inconfidents in,
i. 346–353; insurrection in, i. 385;
anthropology of, i. 389; leprosy and
goître in, i. 395; official list of crimes
in, i. 400; frequent murders in, i. 402;
newspapers of, i. 413
Mimosa dumetorum, ii. 77
Mineiro, meaning of the term, i. 86 n. ;
honesty, i. 260; the, historically viewed,
i. 383; the typical man in the Brazil;
ib.; peculiarities of the, i. 392; dress
of the, i. 398; morality of the, i. 399;
a religious man, i. 406; ceremonious-
ness of the, i. 411; dialect of the, i.
412.
Miner, high estimation of the, by Bra-
zilian writers, i. 201; the Brazilian,
rudeness of his system, i. 211; the white
and the brown, i. 262
Mineral waters of Baependy, analysis of,
i. 138
Mineral wealth of the Valley of the São
Francisco, ii. 223
Mining, reckless expenditure in, i. 184;
remarks on Brazilian, i. 208--211
terms, defined, i. 210 n.
Mirage, the, a frequent phenomenon, i. 162
Missionaries and missioners, remarks on,
ii. 262
Missionary labours on the coast of Africa
a useless expense, i. 7
Mocó coney, flesh of the, excellent eating,
ii. 313
Monetary system of the Brazil, i. 92
Monkey, the Guariba, ii. 176
Monvelade's, M., iron foundry at São Miguel
de Piracicaba, i. 298
Moon, eclipse of the, ii. 175; influence of
the, in the Tropics, i. 248
Mormonism, remarks on, i. 115
Morrinhos, Na Sa da Conceição de, hamlet
of, ii. 271; ruinous condition of temple
at, ii. 272
Morro da Gloria Mine, i. 192
Morro d'Ague Quente, village of, i. 314;
discovery of coal at, i. 316
Morro de Santa Anna gold mine, i. 337
Morro Velho, hospitality of Mr. Gordon at,
INDEX.
473
i. 199; life at, i. 220, 236; buildings at,
i. 221; unhealthy situation of, i. 222;
rainfall at, i. 223; Casa Grande, i. 224;
horticultural society at, ib. ; library, i.
226; water power at, i. 227; religious
services at, i. 227-229; muster of the
blacks at, i. 236; rewards to slaves,
i. 237; negro entertainment at, ib.;
payment for progeny, i. 238; hospital
at, i. 239; mortality amongst the negroes,
i. 240; state of morals at, i. 241; cotton-
spinning at, i. 242; theatre, i. 243;
itinerary from, to Ouro Preto, i. 279 n. ;
villages of Boa Vista and Timbuctoo at,
i. 423; charcoal burners at, i. 426
Morro Velho gold mine, i. 197; description
of the minerals of the, i. 205-208;
amount of ore raised at, i. 207 n. ; descent
into, i. 245; accidents rare, i. 246;
woods used in, i. 247 n. ; great size of, i.
250; pureness of the atmosphere, ib. ;
miners at work, i. 252; spalling and
stamping, 253-255; concentration pro-
cess, i. 255; amalgamation process, i.
257; melting and casting in ingots, i.
260; number of English workmen at, i.
263; free Brazilians at, i. 266; slaves
at, i. 273; routine of work at, i. 274;
manumission of negroes at, i. 276 n.; dis-
cipline at, i. 277; has no parallel in the
Brazil, i. 278
Morro Vermelho, notices respecting, i. 285
Mortes, Rio das, i. 108
Mosquitos, how to keep off, ii. 68; varieties.
of the, ii. 172; stings, ii. 297, 347
Mountain tarns, frequent occurrence of, i.
66
Mulatto households, remarks on, i. 268
Mulberry trees, thrive in the Brazil, i. 94
Mules, cost of hired, i. 96; a necessary
evil, ib.; not hardy, nor sagacious, i. 97;
price of, ii. 265
Mule troops, the ships of the South Ameri-
can desert, i. 36
Murders, frequency of, in Minas, i. 402
Mutton, popular prejudice against, i. 36
[
NAMES, remarks on Brazilian, i. 286 n.
National Brazilian Mining Association,
works of, at Cocaes, i. 441
National Guard of the Brazil, i. 67 n.
Negro, cannot live in presence of the white
man, i. 277
Nettle, great irritation caused by a poison,
ii. 314
Newspapers of Minas described, i. 414
Nicotiana ruralis, dislike of mosquitos to
the, ii. 68
OATS, wild, occurrence of, ii. 77
O Guinda, the miner town, ii. 92
Oil, use of, as food in warm countries, i
50 n.
Old Squaws' River, origin of name, i. 178
Oleander, luxuriance of the, i. 137
Olive tree, African, i. 126
Oliveira, Fazenda do, incivility of the pro-
prietor, ii. 352
Oranges, Brazilian, i. 52; ii. 64 n., 372
Orange wine, recipe for, i. 88 n.
Orchids, varieties of, i. 295
Organ Mountains, derivation of the name,
i. 24 n.; altitude of the, ib, i. 71
Orocó, Serra do, ii, 400
Ostreiculture, remarks on, i. 25
Ostrich, South American or three-toed, i.
52 n., ii. 296.
Otter, two species of, ii. 241; high price
of skins, ib.
Ounce, varieties of the, ii. 21 n.
Ounce Rapids, the, ii. 53
Ouro Branco, Serra de, i. 164
Ouro Preto, Serra de, i. 321
Ouro Preto, situation of the city, i. 343; de-
scribed, i. 344; climate of, i. 345;
churches at, i, 355, 363, 371; popul-
tion of, i. 358; educational establish-
ments at, ib.; public buildings at, i.
360-362; the poet Gonzaga and Marilia,
i. 364; party feeling at, i. 373
Oysters, on the culture of, i. 25
PADRE, Serra do, ii. 438
Paina do Campo, uses of the, ii. 77
Palm, the Cabbage, i. 55; fruit of the
Licorim, eaten by the macaws, ii. 75 n. ;
the Indaia, ib.; the Burity, ii. 166;
hats made from the Aricuri, ii. 301;
Tucum, uses of the, ii. 349
Palmatorio, description of the, i. 277 n.
Papagaio, Serra do, ii. 419
Papansho bird, the, ii. 438
Paper currency of the Brazil, i. 90; effects
of, i. 91
Papyrus, the Brazilian, i. 25
Para, village of the, ii. 314
Paracatú, Rio, ii. 242
Parahyba, derivation of the word, i. 40 n. ;
River, i. 41
Parahybuna River, i. 42; derivation of
the word, ib.; no longer worked for
gold, i. 44
Parana-Plata River, length of the, ii. 217
Paratéca River, signs of diamonds in the,
ii. 284
Paraúna River, the, ii. 75, 160; ferry on
the, ii. 76; diamantine, ib.
Parrots, rare in the Matro Dentro, i. 297
Passagem Gold Mine, history of, i. 338;
visit to, i. 339; workmen at, i. 340
amount of ore raised at, i. 340; burial
service at, i. 341
Passagem, the village of, i. 342
Passion-flowers, indigenous, i. 47
47-1
INDEX.
Paulo Affonso, King of Rapids, journey to,
437-442; difficulty of procuring horses,
ii. 435; wretched muleteers, ii. 437;
advice to visitors, ii. 443; description
of the Falls, ii. 444-457; origin of
the name, ii. 447; legend respecting,
ib.; position of, misrepresented by geo-
graphers, ib.; height of, ii. 450 n.; pro-
bable age of, ii. 457
Pedra da Fortaleza, the, i. 43
Pedras, Southern Rio das, ii. 112; diamond
mines of the, ii. 113
Pedras de furno, manufacture of, ii. 83
Penedo, Serra do, ii. 417
Pepper, varieties of, i. 103 n.; an excel-
lent stomachic, i. 104 n. ; native names
of, i. 104 n.
Petropolis, altitude of, i. 28 n.; healthy
situation of, i. 31; abounds in mineral
springs, i. 31; population of, i. 33
Philodendron grandifolium, range of, ii.
92
Piabanha, Rio, i. 39
Piau fish, varieties of the, ii. 13 n.
Piedade River, the, ii. 173
Piedade, Serra di, i. 425; altitude of the,
i. 437
Pigeon, peculiar variety of, ii. 84
Pigmics in the Brazil, i. 59
Pilão Arcado, hamlet of, described, ii. 342;
ruined by private wars, ii. 343
Pillory at Marianna, i. 323
Pinho, Rio do, i. 64
Pintor, Serra do, ii. 331
Piquizeiro tree, the, ii. 262 n.
Pira fish, varieties of the, ii. 303 n.
Piracicava, Rio, i. 318
Piranha fish, the, ii. 33
Pirapóra, meaning of the word, ii. 199;
Rapids, visit to the, ii. 203
Piumhy, Serra do, meaning of the word, i.
150 n.
Planter, life of the, ii. 39
Plants, medicinal, of the Campos, i. 78;
death of cattle from eating poisonous, i.
426
Plata, Rio da, i. 184
Platinum, found in Minas, i. 161; a lost
mine of, i. 165; supposed deposits of,
in the Serra Branca, ii. 296 n.
Ponya, a generic term for Ipecacuanha, i.
164
Poinsettia, the, i. 101
Polygamy, a necessity in the carly history
of mankind, i. 115 n.; morally justifiablo
in new countries, i. 406
Ponche, uses of the, i. 147 n.
Pork, a favourite food in young lands, i.
104
Portugal, the most Roman of Latin coun-
tries, i. 208
Postal delivery, unknown at São João, i.
125
Potato, the American, i. 93
Pottery, Barbacena hand-made, i. 88; of
the Lugar da Cachoeira, cheapnoss of, ii.
283
Poultry, breeds of, i. 37; diamonds often
found in the crops of, ii. 146 n.
Ponso, the, described, i. 101
Prairies or Campos, description of the, i.
70
Prata, Rio da, i. 177
Prescription, a valuable, i. 126
Preto, Rio, i. 45
Prickly pear Cactus, the, i. 91 n.
Procnias, species of, ii. 85 n.
Prostitution at Santa Lusia, ii. 10; not so
prevalent as formerly, i. 410; in New
York, i. 410 n.
Provisions, price of, at Guaicuhy, ii. 191;
at Villa da Barra, ii. 322 n.; at Joazeiro,
ii. 373
Psittacus, varieties of, ii. 258 n.
Psoriasis, successful treatment of, i. 47;
common amongst the boatmen of the São
Francisco, ii. 269 n.
QUICKSILVER, discovery of, at Bom Suc-
cesso, ii. 69
Quilomba, application of the term, i. 145 n.
Quilombeiros, or black banditti, ii. 97
Quinine, the Poor Man's, ii. 28
Quipa cactus, cochineal insect on the, ii.
301; edible fig of, ii. 302, 329
Quixaba tree, the, numerous on the São
Francisco, ii. 253
RAFT employed on the Rio da São Fran-
cisco, described, ii. 2
Railways in the Brazil, a failure, ii. 377;
at Alagoa Dourada, laying the first chain
of, i. 152
Rainfall in São Paulo, i. 27 n.; at Gongo
Soco and Morro Velho, i. 286
Rainy season, symptoms of the, ii. 177
Ramalho, Rio, confusion respecting the, ii.
285
Rancharia, application of the word, i. 46 n.
Rancho, the, described, i. 102
Rapadura, peculiar to South America, i.
105
Rapids on the Rio das Velhas, not always
dangerous, ii. 37; das Alprecatas, ii.
19; the Maquinó, ii. 52; the Ounce, ii.
53
Rapids of the Pirapóra, visit to the, ii.
203; a serious obstacle to navigation, ii.
204
Rapids of Paulo Affonso, described, ii. 443
Raposos de Sabará, parishry of, i. 281
Rattle-snake, habits of the, ii. 181
Recolhimento or Recluse House at Maca-
húbas, visit to, ii. 15; object of the, ii. 17
INDEX.
475
Recruiting, evils of, ii. 388
Redondo, village of, i. 164
Red-skins, remains of the, ii. 271
Registro Velho, Rio do, i. 68
Remanso, Villa do, bad approach to the, ii.
345; the town described, ii. 346
Repuxa Estate, a field for mining opera-
tions, i. 287
Restilo, the popular drink in Minas, i.
190; a protection against ague, ii. 43
Retiro, meaning of the word, ii. 8
Revue des Deux Mondes, ignorance of, on
Brazilian subjects, ii. 47
Rhamphastus, the large-beaked, i. 40
Rheumatics, use of decoction of leaves of
the Aroeira in, i. 77
Rio Bay, scenery of, i. 20; bird's eye view
of, i. 28
Rio Piabanha, i. 39; Parahyba do Sul, i.
41; Parahybuna, i. 42; Preto, i. 45;
do Pinho, i. 64; do Registro Velho, i.
68; Caieiro, i. 100; das Mortes, i. 108;
de São João, i. 112; Carandahy, i. 145;
Brumado, i. 146; Maranhão, i. 165;
da Prata, i. 177; da Plata, i. 184; das
Velhas, i. 191; Gongo, i. 300; Piraci-
cava, i. 318; Gualaxo, i. 320; Mari-
anna, i. 337; Macahubas, i. 436; Ver-
melho, ii. 14; Jaboticatúba, ii. 38;
Paraúna, ii. 75, 160; Southern Rio das
Pedras, ii. 112, 174; de Santo An-
tonio, ii. 156; Curumatahy, ii. 165;
Lavado, ii. 169; Piedade, ii. 173; São
Francisco, ii. 214-236; Paracatú, ii.
242; Pardo, ii. 254; Verde, ii. 275
Carunhanha, ii. 276; Ramalho, ii. 285 ;
do Corrente, ii. 295; Grande, ii. 317
Rio de Janeiro, official list of immigrants
into during 1867, i. 6; viewed from the
Bay, i. 22; diamond cutting at, ii. 104 n.;
return to, ii. 457
Road-rollers, French, in the virgin forest,
i. 35
Roads, badness of the, i. 57, 63, 100, 137;
costs of repairing, i. 58; difficulties of
making, ib.
Robberies at the diamond mines, ii. 118
Róça or Rochado, meaning of the word, i.
45 n.
Róça Grando, Serra do, i. 286
Rock formations of the Mantiqueira Range,
i. 64
Rock-inscriptions in Guyana, i. 12 n.; at
the Sitio da Icutiara, ii. 423–431;
known to the old travellers, ii. 425
Rocks, colourod, ii. 401
Rodellas, village of, tales of the Jesuits at,
ii. 413
Rossa Grande Gold Mining Company, i. 288
Rotulo, Fazenda do, described, ii. 45
Rubiacem, poisonous to cattle, i. 426
Rush, the Tiririca, common on the streams,
ii. 274
Rye, hardiness of, i. 93
SABARA, distant view of, i. 428; description
of the city, ib.; high temperature of,
i. 429; local industries, ib.; history of,
i. 431; population of, i. 432; victory
of, ib.; a future for, i. 433
Saddlery, a specialty of Prados, i. 139 n.
S. Bartholomeu, Serra de, i. 282
St. John, Feast of, i. 147; Tree of, i. 148;
bonfires on the, ib.; superstitious
associated with the, i. 149
St. John Del Rey Mining Company, sketch
of the, i. 132, 214
St. John Del Rey Gold Mine, past and pre-
sent of the, i. 230; carly workings of,
ib. ;*improved prospects of the, i. 232;
gold produced by the, during the years
1837-1866, i. 232 n., 235 n.; declara-
tion of dividend, i. 235; fire at, ib.
Salgado, Arraial do Brejo do, its present
state, ii. 266; romantic legend of the
people's descent, ib.
Salitre, Serra do, ii. 362 n.
Salsaparilla, the, ii. 26
Salt, largely imported, i. 134; a necessity
in the Brazil, ii. 260; value of, ii. 275;
purification of, ii. 322; formation of,
at Chique-Chique, ii. 330
Salt-licks on the Rios de São Francisco
and das Velhas, ii. 51
Saltpetre, caves of, on the Rio das Velhas,
ii. 12; process of extracting, ii. 291;
price of, ib.
Samambaia, a pest of the Brazil, i. 27
Sambahyba, medicinal uses of the, ii. 25
Sand-dunes on the São Francisco, ii. 326
Sandstone, flexible, i. 378
Santa Barbara Gold Mining Co., history of
the, i. 307
Santa Lusia, first view of, ii. 8; gold dig-
gings at, ii. 9; fight at, ii. 10
Santa Maria, Ilha da Villa da, ruined
church on, ii. 399
Santa Rita gold mine, mortality of negroes
at, i. 192
Santo Antonio, Serra de, i. 170, 176; Rio
de, ii. 156
Santo Antonio da Casa Branca, i. 416
Santo Antonio do Rio das Velhas, Arraial
of, i. 191
Santo Ignacio, visit to the diamond diggings
at, ii. 336; origin of the diggings, i.
337
São Francisco, Rio de, opening of to the
merchant ships of all nations, i.4; junc-
tion of, with the Rio das Velhas, ii. 187;
name of explained, ii. 200; early ex-
plorers, ii. 201; vegetation of the, ii.
202; diamantine deposits of, ii. 205,
284, 286, 339, 422; trade winds of the,
ii. 208; the horse-boat wanted on, ib. ;
476
INDEX.
the Barqueiro of the, ii. 209; source of
the, ii. 216; direction and length of
the, ib.; geology of the, ii. 218; glazed
rocks on the, ii. 219; iron deposits of
the, ii. 221; wealth of the valley of
the, ii. 223; fish of the, ii. 223, 224,
303; considered as a line of communica-
tion, ii. 225; estimate for clearing the,
ii. 229-232; steam navigation on the,
ii. 234, 375, 378; proposed creation
of a new Province on the, ib. ;
.. steam-
boat islands" on the, ii. 251; storms
on the, ii. 294, 297, 345, 404; acci-
dents common on the, ii. 324; legends
and superstitions of the, ii. 365;
life on the, ii. 366; immunity from
sickness on the, ii. 367; the true system
for exploiting the, ii. 378; boatmen of
the, ii. 390, 433; the good rapids on
the, ii. 393; fertility of land on the, ii.
380, 399; bad rapids on the, ii. 408 ; the
smooths on the, ii. 416; rock inscrip-
tions on the, ii. 423
São Gonçalo of the Good Girls, ii. 111
São João d'El-Rei, introduction to Dr.
Lee and Professor Copsy at, i. 113; the
city described, i. 114; census of, i. 115;
uncentral position of, i. 117; revenue
of, ib.; Municipal Palace, ib.; Public
Library of, ib. ; literary men of, i.
118; the Externato, ib. ; smaller
schools, i. 119; Santa Casa de Miseri-
cordia, account of, ib.; church of the
São Francisco, visit to, i. 121–124;
l'ost Office at, i. 125; atrocious paving
of, i. 128; abundance of water in, ib. ;
the Igreja Matriz, i. 130; Na Sa de
Carma, church of, ib.; its industry at
a low ebb, i. 133; exports and imports
of, i. 134 n.; beggars at, i. 136; itine-
rary to, from Bom Successo, ii. 72 n.
São João, Rio de, i. 112; Serra de, i. 131
São João de Descoberto, Arraial of, de-
scribed, ii. 128
São João do Morro Grande, parishry of, i.
306
São José, Serra de, i. 139
São José d'El-Rei, Matriz of, i. 140
142; early history of, i. 142; popula-
tion of, i. 142 n. ; failure of gold mine
at, i. 143; trade of, ib.; José Basilio da
Gama born at, ib.
São Paulo, rainfall in the Province of, i.
27 n.; large deposits of copal in, i. 126;
gipsies rare in, i. 163; increase of popu-
lation in, i. 396
São Romão, early history of, ii. 244; de-
scription of the town, ii. 246; population
of, ii. 248; well situated for trade, ii.
249
São Vicente, village and mine of, i. 417
Sapucaia tree, the, i. 120; danger of sleep-
ing under, ib.
Schinus terebinthifolius, decoction of leaves
of, used in rheumatic pains, i. 77
Scissar fish, the, ii. 33 n.
Seasons in the Brazil, i. 21 n.
Sento Sé, Villa de, described, ii. 356; in-
dolence of people at, ii. 357; the women
at, ii. 358
Serpents, Brazilian, ii. 180
Serra dos Orgaõs, i. 24; das Abóboras, i.
43; do Espinhaço, i. 62; da Ibitipóca,
i. 66; do Lenheiro, i. 112; de São João,
i. 131; do Corrego, i. 138; de São José,
i. 139; das Taipas, i. 149; de Ouro
Branco, i. 164; da Boa Morte, i. 165;
de Santo Antonio, i. 176; de Casa Branca,
i. 182; de S. Bartholomeu, i. 282;
Roça Grande, i. 286; de Cocaes, i. 306;
do Caraça, i. 309; da Batĉa, i. 315; de
Ouro Preto, i. 321; da Itacolumi, i.
378; da Piedade, i. 425; do Baldim, ii.
29; do Burá, ii. 74; da Contagem, ii.
78; do Curumatahy, ii. 165; do Brejo,
ii. 174; Branca, ii. 296; do Boquei-
rão, ii. 297; de Arassuá, ii. 312; do
Pintor, ii. 331; da Cumieira, ii. 358;
do Cachoeira and do Sobrado, ii. 364;
da Castanhera, ib.; do Salitre, ib.; do
Oroco, ii. 400; das Carahybas, ib. ; do
Aracapa, ib.
Sertão, origin of word, ii. 156 n.
Servants, demand for house, i. 7
Sheep, poorness of, i. 36; breeding of, at
Chique-Chique, ii. 330; price of ani
mals, ib.
Silk-cotton-tree, the, i. 157
Silkworm, indigenous species of, i. 94;
the Valley of the São Francisco adapted
for the, ii. 223
Sincorá, Serra de, one of the richest diamond
districts in the Brazil, ii. 286
Siriéma or Serpent bird, i. 57; ii. 26
Slate quarry on the Carunhanha River, ii.
276
Slave labour, inferiority of, i. 115n. ; the
Southern States could not have been
cleared of jungle without, ib. ; probable
speedy extinction of, i. 269; statistics
respecting, i. 272 n.
Slaves imported in the years 1847-1851,
number of, i. 5 n. ; importation of, pro-
hibited, i. 5; humane treatment of the,
i. 270; have many of the rights of
freemen, i. 271
Sloth or candelabra tree, a noticeable
feature in the woodlands, i. 283
Smuggling in the Brazil, i. 47
Snakes, varieties of, ii. 181; bites of, how
treated, ii. 182, 274 n.
Sobradinho, Cachoeira do, estimated ex-
pense of making navigable for steamers,
ii. 365
Sobrado, Serra do, ii. 364
Society in the Brazil, divisions of, i. 262
INDEX.
477
Soil, richness of Brazilian, i. 55
Solanaceæ of the Campos, i. 77
Solitude, pleasures of, ii. 70
Songs, specimens of Brazilian, i. 154
Southerners, immigration of, into the
Brazil, i. 5, 419; pluck and spirit of, i.
420
Spinning wheel, common in Minas, i. 157
Spirits, ardent, large consumption of, i.
405
Spirit rapping, remarks on, ii. 101
Sponsors in the Brazil, i. 80
Spoonbills, not improved by civilization, ii.
328
Sport, over-love for, in the Brazil, ii. 126
Statuary, excellence of wooden, i. 124
Steam navigation of the Rios das Velhas
and São Francisco, ii. 233, 234, 375,
378
Stink-plant of the Mississippi Valley, found
on the São Francisco, ii. 274
Stocks, village, at the Sitio do Mato, ii.
296
Storm, signs of an approaching, ii. 206; on
the São Francisco, ii. 294, 297, 345, 404
Stone Age in the Brazil, i. 178
Stones, quaint, ii. 110
Stramonium, alkaloid principle of, well
known to the negroes, ii. 97 n.
Suasuhy, i. 162; orthography and deriva-
tion of word, i. 162 n.
Sugar, culture of, supplanting cotton, i. 6;
manufacture of, on the Rio das Velhas,
ii. 41 n.
Sumidouro or Sinker, the, ii. 29
Sunstroke, freedom from, in the Brazil, i.
58
Superstitions, lake, ii. 34; of the barqueiro,
or waterman of the São Francisco, ii.
211, 396
Surubim fish, the, plentiful in the São Fran-
cisco, ii. 276
Suspension bridge, primitive, i. 111 n. ; in
Minas, i. 428
Swamps, variety of plants in the, i. 72
Sweet potato, varieties of the, ii. 10 n.
TAIPAS, Serra das, i. 149
Tauatinga, meaning of the word, i. 62 n.
Tea plant, the, formerly cultivated, i. 94;
plantations at Comargos, i. 321
Teixeira, incivility at, i. 180
Tejúco, etymology of word, i 112 n.
Theatres, number of, in the Brazil, i. 194
Therma de São José, temperature and com-
position of, i. 138
Tick (Ixiodes), varieties of the, i. 158; a
general nuisance, i. 159; attacks cattle
and horses, ib.; habitats of, i. 160;
remedy for the bites of the, ib.
Tiradentes, the leader of the Inconfidents,
i. 346; execution of, i. 352
Tobacco, excellence of Brazilian, i. 68, 94;
aromatic Brazilian, ii. 68; price of, at
Januaria, ii. 266
Tocantins River, length of the, ii. 217
Tombador, Serrote do, an iron hill, ii. 350
Trahira fish, numerous in the São Francisco,
ii. 27 n., 276
Trahiras, Santa Anna de, ferries at, ii. 59;
the village described, ii. 60; vegetation
of, ib.
Travellers in the Brazil, former, i. 1-3;
how to make comfortable, i. 187
Travessia, meaning of word, ii. 237
Tree-ferns, extensive range of, i. 296
Tropics, influence of the moon in the, i.
248; depressing influences of life in the,
i. 342
Tubers, abundance of, i. 93
Tucum Palm, uses of the, ii. 349
Tupys, larceny unknown amongst the, i.
404
Turf, process for compressing, i. 66
Tzetze, grub of the, cattle attacked by, i.
36; death caused by, i. 37 n.
UBA or arrow-reed, the, ii. 19, 43
União e Industria road, i. 35
Urubú, the town of, dangerous climate of,
ii. 299; unfittel for a capital, ii. 300;
vegetation of the country near, ib.
Urumbeba (Cactus spinosus) indigenous, i.
91
VAMPIRE BAT, the, i. 107; mode of attack
of the, i. 108
Vanilla, indigenous, i. 127; artificial fe-
cundation of, i. 127 n.
Vanella cayennesis, the, ii. 179
Vapour bath, rule form of, i. 78 n.
Varzea Redonda described, ii. 432; healthy
climate of, ii. 435
Vegetation of the Cisandine valley of the
Amazons River, i. 292; in the tropics,
i. 32, ii. 380; killed by grass burning,
ii. 73
Velhas, Rio das, headwaters of the, i. 177;
derivation of the name, i. 178; embark-
ation on the, ii. 1; troublesome fea-
tures of the, ii. 7; cattle breeding on
the, ii. 8; bridges over the, ii. 11, 28;
saltpetre caves on the, ii. 12; fish in
the, ib.; scarcity of game on the, ii.
13; cotton plantation on the, ii. 14;
wreck of the first steamer on the, ii. 20;
attempts to turn the bed of the, ii. 36;
shooting the Maquiné Rapids on the, ii.
52; the Ounce Rapids, ii. 53; cordelling
on the, ii. 61; behaviour of boors on
the, ii. 62; the Saco do Picão on the,
ii. 159; cheap land on the, suited for
478
INDEX.
emigrants, ib.; estimate of M. Laias for
clearing the, ii. 229
Vellozias or tree-lilies, the, described, ii. 77
Venda, the, described, i. 102
Verbena virgata, used as a cure for snake
bites, i. 137
Verde, Rio, a salt stream, ii. 275
Vermelho, Rio, ii. 14
Vermin, Brazilian, ii. 171, 187
Vespertilio Naso, sufferings of cattle from,
i. 107
Vespucci, Amerigo, note respecting, ii. 200
Vidigal's (Sr. Francisco Leite) diamond
mine, visit to, ii. 109
Vines, produce and ripening of, ii, 374
Vulture, the Urubú, i. 56; ii. 85, 292,
333
WASHERWOMEN, grotesque, ii. 376
Water, abundance of, in the sea-range of
the Brazil, i. 27
Water-hog, the, i. 43; flesh of the, i. 44 n.
Wax-palm, habitat of the, ii. 308; uses
of the, ii. 309; candles made from the
wax of the, ii. 310; grove of, ii. 333
Weights, old Portuguese gold, table of, i.
205 n.
Wheat, liable to rust, i. 93 n.
Willow, occurrence of a dwarf, ii. 353
Windy Rivulet, the, ii. 78
Wine, orange, recipe for, i. 88 n.
Wolf, the Guára, ii. 54 n.
Women, on the employment of, in field
labour, i. 392: live in semi-seclusion, i.
408; treatment of, in various countries,
ib.; toilettes of, at Santo Sé, ii. 358
Wood age in the Brazil, i. 178 n.
Worm, the Minhocão monster, ii. 351
XIQUEXIQUE cactus, venomous thorns of
the, ii. 292
YELLOW Fever in the Brazil,'i. 30; effect
of altitude on, i. 31 n.
Ypoeira, the, described, ii. 239
THE END.
BRABBURY, EVANS, AND CO., IRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS.
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