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The imports hither from the River Plate, and from Rio Grande de St. Pedro, consist in immense quantities of dried beef, tallow, hides, and grain. Those from the United States are chiefly salt provisions, flour, household furniture, pitch, and tar. The North Americans generally send cargoes of these articles on speculation, and, as the market for them is fluctuating and not to be depended on, they frequently take them to other ports. Their provisions are commonly sent to the Cape of Good Hope. They bring European merchandize, which they exchange for specie wherewith to trade to China, and also take in necessaries on their voyages to the South Seas.

From the western coast of Africa, Rio de Janeiro imports wax, oil, sulphur, and some woods. The negro trade has been restricted to the kingdom of Angola by a decree of the Prince Regent, who has declared his intention of abolishing it altogether as soon as possible.

The trade to Mozambique is trivial; but, since the capture of the Isle of France by the British has cleared that coast from French privateers, it may be expected to increase. It affords many valuable products, such as gold-dust, brought from the interior, ivory, of which the prince monopolizes the largest sort, ebony, and other fine woods, drugs, oil, excellent columbo-root, and an abundance of various gums, particularly of the gum meni. The whale fisheries on the coast have proved a source of riches to many speculators.

The intercourse of this port with India, in common with Mozam

bique, has been much annoyed by the privateers of the Isle of France, and will therefore, in all probability, flourish equally by their suppression. A voyage thither and back is performed with great expedition: one large ship of eight hundred tons sailed, loaded at Surat, and returned within the space of seven months. A voyage to China seldom occupies a longer period. The trade thither will no doubt be revived, and it is not improbable that this port may at no great distance of time become an entrepôt for India goods destined for Europe.

Rio de Janeiro is conveniently situated for supplying a great variety of necessaries to the Cape of Good Hope and to New South Wales; indeed, of late years, English manufactures have been sold here so cheap that it has been found more advantageous to ship them hence for those colonies than from home. Ships going on the South Sea whale-fishery touch here, and lay in large stocks of spirituious liquors, wine, sugar, coffee, tobacco, soap, and live stock.

The imports from the mothercountry consist chiefly in wine and oil. From Sweden some iron is occasionally brought: it is preferred to English iron for mules' shoes, on account of its greater ductility.

The exports consist principally of cotton, sugar, rum, ship-timber, various fine cabinet-woods, hides, tallow, indigo, and coarse cotton cloths, in immense quantities, for clothing the Peons in the provinces of the River Plate Among the more precious articles of export may be enumerated gold, diamonds, topazes of tarious colours, amethysts, tourmalines (that are frequently sold for emeralds), chry

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soberyls,aqua-marinas, and wrought unfortunate sufferers were fre

jewelry.

VILLA RICA.

From the same.

The history of an establishment which, twenty years after its foundation, was reputed the richest place on the globe, was an object of considerable interest with me, and I made many inquiries respecting it from some of the best informed men on the spot. It appears that the first discovery of this once rich mountain was effected by the enterprising spirit of the Paulistas, who, of all the colonists in Brazil, retained the largest share of that ardent and indefatigable zeal for discovery which characterized the Lusitanians of former days. They penetrated from their capital into these regions, braving every hardship, and encountering every difficulty which a savage country, infested by still more savage inhabitants, opposed to them. They cut their way through impervious woods, carrying their provisions with them, and occasionally cultivating small patches of land to afford them food to retreat to, in case of necessity, as well as to keep up a communication with their city, St. Paul's. Every inch of ground was disputed by the barbarous Indians, bere called Bootocoodies, who were constantly either attacking them opealy or lying in ambush, and but too frequently succeeded in surprising some of them, or their negroes, whom they immediately sacrificed to their horrible appetite for human fresh. They believed the negroes to be the great monkeys of the wood. The bones of the

quently found exposed, shocking testimonies of the barbarity of their murderers, whom the Paulistas, roused to revenge, invariably shot, wherever they met them. These examples of vengeance answered their desired end; the Indians, terrified as well by the noise as by the fatal effect of the fire-arms, fled with precipitation, believing that the white men commanded lightning and thunder.

It does not appear that in exploring this territory they received any assistance whatever from the Aborigines; they followed the course of rivers, occasionally finding gold, of which they skimmed the surface, and continued to proceed until they arrived at the mountain which is our present subject. Its riches arrested their course; they immediately erected temporary houses and began their operations. The principal men of the party that first settled here, were Antonio Dias, Bartholomew Rocinho, Antonio de Ferrera (filho), and Garcia Ruis. It appears that they took the most direct way to the place, for the roads they then opened are the same which are still used.

The fame of their success soon reached the city of St. Paul's; fresh adventurers arrived in great numbers, bringing with them all the negroes they had means to purchase. Other adven turers went from St. Paul's to Rio de Janeiro to procure more negroes, their own city being drained; and thus the news of the lately discovered gold mountain being made known in the Brazilian capital, men of all descriptions went in crowds to this land of promise by the way of St. Paul's, which was the only route then known. The

first settlers might have prevented the exposure of their good fortune, had they been able to moderate their joy, and consented to act in concert; but as gold was in such great abundance, every individual appropriated a lot of ground, and thus became a capitalist. Each strove which should make the most of his treasure in the shortest time, and thus there was a continual demand for more negroes, more iron, &c. and, in the general eagerness to obtain them, the secret which all were interested in keep ing was disclosed. The Paulistas, independent in spirit, and proud of their wealth, were desirous of giving laws to the new-comers.; but the latter determining to oppose this measure, formed themselves into a party under the guidance of Manuel Nunez Viana, an adventurer of some consequence, who strenuously asserted their claim' to equal rights and advantages. Disputes arose on both sides, and were at length aggravated into hostilities, which proved unfavourable to the Paulistas, the greater part of whom fled to a considerable station of their own, and there awaited reinforcements. Viana and his followers, without loss of time, went in pursuit of their foes, whom they found on a plain near the site of St. Joao del Rey. The two parties met on the borders of a river, and a sanguinary battle took place, which ended in the defeat of the Paulistas, who after wards made the best terms they could. The slain were buried on the margin of the river, which, from that circumstance, took the name of Rio das Mortes.

The Paulistas, bent on revenge, but weakened by defeat, appealed

to the sovereign, King Pedro, de-. nouncing Viana and his followers as rebels who were attempting to take the district to themselves, and set up an independent government. The king's ministers,apprized of the state of affairs, and learning by report the immense riches of the country, immediately sent a chief, with a competent body of troops, to take. advantage of the strife between the two parties; which, in a country tenable by a few men on account of its numerous strong-holds, was a most fortunate circumstance.. The name of this chief was Albuquerque; a man of enterprize and perseverance, in all respects qualified for the service on which he was sent. His appearance at first occasioned much confusion and discontent among both parties; and though he was not openly op. posed, yet he was in continual alarm. The Paulistas now saw that the riches which they in conjunction with their rivals might have retained, were about to be seized by a third party which would reduce them both to subordination. Disturbances prevailed for some time, but reinforcements continually arriving from government, tranquillity was at length perfectly established; and in the year 1711 a regular town began to be formed; a government-house, a mint, and a depôt for arms were built. A code of laws was enacted for the regulation of the mines; all gold-dust found was ordered to be delivered to officers appointed for that purpose; a fifth in weight was taken for the king, and the remaining four parts were purified, melted into ingots at the expense of government, then assayed, marked according to their value, and deli

vered to the owners, with a certificate to render them current. For the greater convenience of trade, gold-dust was likewise permitted to circulate for small payments. Notwithstanding these strict regulations, a considerable quantity of the precious metal in its original state found its way to Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, and other ports, clandestinely, without paying the royal fifth, until government, apprized of this illicit traffic, established registers in various parts for the examination of all passengers, and stationed soldiers to patrole the roads. By these means, gold in immense quantities was seized and confiscated; the persons on whom any was found forfeited all their property, and, unless they had friends of great influence, were sent as convicts to Africa for life. The greatest disgrace was attached to the name of smuggler; and such was the rigour of the law against offenders of this description, that every person quitting the district was obliged to take a certificate stating whither he was going, and what he carried with him. This regulation is still in force, and is rigorously observed.

Villa Rica soon enjoyed a considerable trade with Rio de Janeiro; the returns were negroes, iron, woollens, salt, provisions of various kinds, and wine, all which at that time bore amazingly high profits.

About the year 1713, when Dr. Bras de Silvia was appointed governor, the quantity of gold produced was so considerable that the royal fifth amounted to half a million sterling annually. The mountain became pierced like a honey-comb, as the miners worked

every soft part they could find, and penetrated as far as they could, conveying the cascalhao which they dug out to a convenient place for washing. In rainy weather the torrents of water running down the sides of the mountain, carried away much earthy matter containing delicate particles of gold, which settled in the ground near its base. When the waters abated, this rich deposit gave employment to numbers of the poorer sort of people, who took it away and washed it at their convenience.

Antonio Dias, the person already mentioned as one of the leaders of the Paulistas, who discovered the pace, having become extremely rich, built a fine church, and dying soon after, bequeathed to it con siderable funds. It still bears his name. Five or six others 'were begun and soon finished, as neither wood nor stone was wanting, and the inhabitants were all ready to contribute a share of their property, and to employ their negroes in furtherance of these pious works. A law highly creditable to the wisdom of the Portuguese government was now enacted, to prohibit friars from entering the territory of the mines. What treasures were thus saved to the state, and what a number of persons were thus continued in useful labour, who would else have become burthensome to the community!

The town now underwent many improvements; its streets were more regularly built, and some parts of the side of the mountain were levelled to afford more convenient room for the construction of houses, and the laying out of gardens. Reservoirs were formed, from which water was distributed

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this period the inhabitants amounted to twelve thousand or upwards; those who possessed mines were either the first settlers or their de scendants, and as the best part of the district was occupied, the new adventurers who continued to arrive from time to time were obliged to enter into the service of the existing owners until they had learned their methods of working, after which they generally went in search of fresh mines, proceeding along the water courses and ravines, where they sometimes discovered new sources of wealth. Between the years 1730 and 1750 the mines were in the height of their prosperity; the king's fifth during some years of that period is said to have amounted to at last a million sterling annually.

The mines which produced this immense wealth at length became gradually less abundant; and, as the precious metal disappeared, numbers of the miners retired, some, to the mother-country, load ed with riches, which tempted fresh adventurers, and many to Rio de Janeiro and other sea-ports, where they employed their large capitals in commerce.

Villa Rica at the present day scarcely retains a shadow of its former splendour Its inhabitants, with the exception of the shopkeepers, are void of employment; they totally neglect the fine country around them, which, by proper cultivation, would amply compen

sate for the loss of the wealth which their ancestors drew from its bosom. Their education, their habits, their hereditary prejudices, alike unfit them for active life; perpetually indulging in visionary prospects of sudden wealth, they fancy themselves exempted from that universal law of nature which ordains that man shall live by the sweat of his brow. In contemplating the fortunes accumulated by their predecessors, they overlook the industry and perseverance which obtained them, and entirely lose sight of the change of circumstances which renders those qualities now doubly necessary.

DIAMOND MINE.

From the same.

The continual fatigues, and want of accommolation on the journey, had rendered me very unwell, and I was therefore desirous of resting a week at Tejuco before I proceeded to the diamond mines; but, learning that I had been expected for the last two or three days, I sent one of my soldiers up to the house of Mr. Fernando de Camara, the governor, to announce my arrival, and to state that I was prevented by indisposition from personally paying my respects to him. He immediately came with a few friends to visit me, gave me a most hearty welcome to Tejuco, and staid with me at least three hours. I

delivered to him my public and private letters, passports, and other credentials, which he perused with great satisfaction, observing to the Ouvidor and his friends, that I possessed the same privileges which_

they

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