Travels in Brazil
by Henry Koster · English · Gutenberg #48960 · 1,142,620 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: Travels in Brazil
Author: Henry Koster
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRAVELS IN BRAZIL ***
TRAVELS
IN
BRAZIL.
BY
_HENRY KOSTER_.
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN,
_PATERNOSTER-ROW_.
1816.
Printed by A. Strahan,
New-Street-Square, London.
TO
ROBERT SOUTHEY, ESQ.
_POET LAUREATE_,
MEMBER OF THE ROYAL SPANISH ACADEMY, AND OF THE ROYAL SPANISH
ACADEMY OF HISTORY,
_THESE TRAVELS_
ARE INSCRIBED
BY HENRY KOSTER,
IN
MEMORIAL
OF
AFFECTIONATE RESPECT AND GRATITUDE.
PREFACE.
DURING my residence in Brazil, I had no intention of publishing any
account of what I had seen and heard in that country. Some time after
my return to England, I was encouraged to put together the information
which I might be able to impart. The reader will be more disposed
to excuse what defects he may find, when he is informed that I went
out young, that I did not gather any knowledge of the country in a
systematic manner with the idea of giving it to the public, and that
the idiom of a foreign language is perhaps more familiar to me than
that of my own. But among judicious readers the style of works of this
description will be regarded as of little importance. I have had the
advantage of Mr Southey’s advice and extensive library. I have to thank
Dr. Traill for his aid in preparing the Appendix; though as he did not
see the whole of it, if there are any errors they must be attributed
to me, not to him. The drawings for the plates were executed by a near
relative, from very rough sketches of my own, assisted by description.
The outline of the map is taken from Mr. Arrowsmith’s large map
of South America; and the names and situations of some places are
corrected, and others are inserted from my own knowledge. The plan of
the harbour of Pernambuco was furnished to me by an English gentleman
resident at Recife, who is indefatigable in the search of whatever may
contribute to the increase of knowledge.
CONTENTS.
CHAP. I.
DEPARTURE from Liverpool.—Arrival at Pernambuco.—The Town
and Harbour of Recife.—The Governor.—The Trade Page 1
CHAP. II.
Visit to the Governor.—The Climate.—First Ride into the
Country.—Residence at a Village in the neighbourhood of
Recife.—Olinda.—Holy Thursday.—Good Friday.—Easter
Sunday.—Profession of a Friar.—St. Peter’s Day.—Visit
to a Brazilian Family.—A Dance.—Another Visit to Olinda 12
CHAP. III.
The Government.—The Taxes.—The Public Institutions.
—Criminals.—Prisons.—Military Establishments.—The
Island of Fernando de Noronha 30
CHAP. IV.
Journey to Goiana.—Journey from Goiana to Paraiba, and back
to Goiana 42
CHAP. V.
Journey from Goiana to Rio Grande.—The City of Natal.—The
Governor 56
CHAP. VI.
Continuation of the Journey.—From Natal to Açu 73
CHAP. VII.
Continuation of the Journey.—From Açu to Aracati.—From
Aracati to Searà.—Indians.—The late Governor.—The Family
of the Feitozas 97
CHAP. VIII.
Return.—From Searà to Natal.—Sertanejos.—Cattle.
—Vegetable Wax.—From Natal to Recife 129
CHAP. IX.
Voyage from Pernambuco to Maranham.—St. Luiz.—Trade.—Wild
Indians.—The Governor.—Alcantara.—The Author sails from
St. Luiz, and arrives in England 164
CHAP. X.
The Author sets sail from Gravesend, and arrives at
Pernambuco.—State of Recife.—Journey to Bom Jardim with a
Capitam-mor, and return to Recife 186
CHAP. XI.
Residence at Jaguaribe.—Journey to Goiana.—Illness.—Return
to Jaguaribe 211
CHAP. XII.
Journey to Uninha.—Continuation of my Residence at
Jaguaribe.—Negro Brotherhood of Olinda.—Blessing the
Sugar Works.—Mandingueiras and Valentoens 235
CHAP. XIII.
Removal of the Author to Itamaraca.—The Island.—Conception
and Pillar.—The Festival of Our Lady of the Rosary.
—Journey to Goiana.—The Toque.—The Cowpox 258
CHAP. XIV.
Ants, Snakes, and other Reptiles.—River of Iguaraçu.
—Building a House.—Several Species of Timber Trees.—The
Pinham, Mutamba, and Gameleira Trees.—The Whale 285
CHAP. XV.
Recruiting.—Images.—Animals.—Maracàs.—Apollinario,
Mandinga, and Poultry.—Hieroglyphics.—Festival of Our
Lady of Conception.—Fandangos.—The Fort.—A Christening.
—The Intrudo.—The Author leaves Brazil 305
CHAP. XVI.
Agriculture.—Sugar Plantations 336
CHAP. XVII.
Agriculture.—Cotton 365
CHAP. XVIII.
The Free Population 384
CHAP. XIX.
Slavery 402
CHAP. XX.
Impolicy of the Slave Trade 445
CHAP. XXI.
The Treaties of Friendship and Alliance, and of Commerce and
Navigation between the Crowns of Great Britain and
Portugal, signed at Rio de Janeiro on the 19th February
1810 457
APPENDIX 475
DIRECTIONS FOR PLACING THE PLATES.
Plan of the Port of Pernambuco to face the References.
A Jangada page 3
Map of the Route 42
Crossing a River 53
A Sertanejo 87
Fishing Canoe 175
A Lady going to visit 188
A Cotton-carrier 194
A Sugar-Mill 336
A Planter and his Wife on a Journey 384
REFERENCES
TO THE
PLAN OF THE PORT OF PERNAMBUCO.
A. The bridge of Boa Vista.
B. The bridge of Recife.
C. Fort Bom Jezus.
D. Fort Picam.
E. Fort Brum.
F. Cross of Patram.
G. Fort Buraco.
H. The village of Arrombados.
I. The church of St. Amaro.
K. Jerusalem.
a. Houses and gardens.
b. The Carmelite convent.
c. The Church of Sacramento (parish).
d. The Franciscan convent.
e. The Treasury.
f. The Palace.
g. The cotton wharf (commonly called _Forte do Mato_).
h. The Madre de Deos convent.
i. The church of Corpo Santo (parish).
k. The Intendencia da Marinha (dock yard) and King’s wharf.
To enter the port, coming in from sea, keep Fort Picam and Fort Brum
in one, until you have the point of Olinda bearing N., then steer due
N., until the cross of Patram is in one with the coco-nut trees on St.
Amaro, then steer directly for the same cross of Patram, until you
open the inner part of the reef above water, with Fort Picam to the
southward, where you may come to anchor, or stand on to the southward
into the harbour of Mosqueiro.
To enter the channel for smaller vessels coming from sea, keep the same
mark, Fort Picam and Fort Brum in one, until you are within a quarter
of a mile of Fort Picam, then bring the two southern watch towers on
Fort Brum in one, you clearing the northern extremity of the reef above
water, and hauling short round the same, keep the reef close aboard
until you are in the harbour of Mosqueiro.
[Illustration: PLAN OF THE
Port of
PERNAMBUCO.]
TRAVELS IN BRAZIL.
CHAPTER I.
DEPARTURE FROM LIVERPOOL.—ARRIVAL AT PERNAMBUCO.—THE TOWN AND
HARBOUR OF RECIFE.—THE GOVERNOR.—THE TRADE.
IF my health had not required a change of climate, I should not perhaps
so soon have accomplished the wish I had often expressed of leaving
England for a short time. An immediate removal was judged expedient;
and as the ports of Spain and Portugal were either closed to British
subjects, or at least not in a state to be visited by an invalid, I
determined upon Brazil; to which my friends agreed.—I fixed upon
Pernambuco, because a gentleman, who had for many years been acquainted
with my family, was about to embark for that place, and from the
favourable reports of the people and climate which I had received from
several persons. On the 2d November 1809, I set sail from Liverpool in
the ship Lucy.
We had a very prosperous passage of thirty-five days, without any
occurrence worthy of particular notice.
I was agreeably awakened very early on the morning of the 7th December,
with the news that we were in sight of land, and likely to get into
harbour this day. We soon discovered two vessels, with all sail set,
making for us; these proved to be two English merchant-ships, bound
likewise to Pernambuco; they had never before been at this port, and
therefore wished to receive some information respecting it; they judged
that, from the manner in which our vessel made for the land, her
commander must be acquainted with it, which was the case, this being
the second voyage of the Lucy to Pernambuco.
The land is low, and consequently not to be seen at any considerable
distance; but as we approached it, we distinguished the hill upon
which stands the city of Olinda, a little to the northward; and some
leagues to the southward, the Cape of St. Agostinho; a nearer view
discovered to us the town of St. Antonio do Recife, almost a-head with
the shipping in front of it; the dreary land between it and Olinda,
which is one league distant, and coco[1] groves northward, as far as
the eye can reach; southward of the town are also seen great numbers
of coco trees, woods, and scattered cottages. The situation of Olinda
is the highest in the neighbourhood; and though not very high, is
still not despicable. Its appearance from the sea is most delightful;
its white-washed churches and convents upon the tops and sides of
the hill; its gardens and trees, interspersed amongst the houses,
afford a promise of great extent, and hold out expectations of great
beauty. The sands, which extend one league to the southward of it, are
relieved by two fortresses erected upon them, and by the ships in the
lower harbour. Then follows the town of Recife, with the appearance of
being built in the water, so low is the sand-bank upon which it has
been raised; the shipping immediately in front partly conceal it; and
the bold reef of rocks on the outside of these, with the surf dashing
violently against and over it, give to them the appearance of being
ashore; and as no outlet is seen, they seem to be hemmed in. The small
tower or fort at the northern end of the reef, however, soon claims
attention, and points out the entrance. We approached the land rather
to the southward of the town, and coasted, under very easy sail, at
a short distance from the reef, waiting for a pilot. It was not yet
noon, the sea was smooth, the sun was bright, and every thing looked
pleasant. The buildings are all white-washed; the sun shone upon them,
and gave to them a glittering silvery appearance.
[Illustration: _A Jangada._]
Nothing this day created so much astonishment on board our ship,
amongst those who had not been before upon this coast, as the
_Jangadas_, sailing about in all directions. These are simply rafts
of six logs, of a peculiar species of light timber, lashed or pinned
together; a large latine sail; a paddle used as a rudder; a sliding
keel let down between the two centre logs; a seat for the steersman,
and a long forked pole, upon which is hung the vessel containing water,
the provisions, &c. These rude floats have a most singular appearance
at sea, no hull being apparent even when near them. They are usually
managed by two men, and go closer to the wind than any description of
vessel.
A large row-boat at last made its appearance, doubling the end of the
reef near the small fort, which was declared to be that which brings
off the pilots. The _patram-mor_, harbour-master, in his naval uniform,
likewise came on board. A large launch followed the pilot, manned
chiefly by negroes, almost naked; the colour of these men; the state in
which they were; their noise and bustle, when certainly there was no
occasion for it, and their awkwardness, were to me all new. This very
first communication with the shore gave me an idea, for the moment,
that the manners of the country at which I had arrived, were still more
strange than they actually proved to be. These visitors were followed
by others of a very different description; two boats came alongside,
manned by Englishmen, and conveying several English gentlemen. The
former belonged to British ships loading in the harbour, and the latter
were young men who had come out to Pernambuco to settle as merchants.
The pilot placed himself near to the ship’s windlass; a Portugueze
sailor was sent to take the helm, but still the vociferation was
extreme; the man seemed to think that, by speaking very loud, he would
make the English seamen understand his language; and what with his
bawling to them and to his own people, and their noise, the confusion
was excessive; however, we doubled the fort in safety, and came to
anchor in the upper harbour. The reef is very perpendicular near to the
bar; and to one unacquainted with the port, there is every appearance
of the vessel being about to drive upon it. I then accompanied my
fellow-passenger; we left the ship and proceeded to the shore. Here
was a new scene indeed. We had taken the letter-bag with us; the crowd
of well-dressed persons upon the quay was great; they saw the bag, and
soon their anxiety for news overcame their politeness; the letters were
asked for, and at last we gave them up, and they were scrambled for,
each man seeking his own. We had landed at the custom-house wharf upon
a busy day, and the negroes too were all clamour and bustle. Their
hideous noise when carrying any load, bawling out some ditty of their
own language, or some distich of vulgar Portugueze rhyme; the numerous
questions asked by many persons who met us, and the very circumstance
of seeing a population consisting chiefly of individuals of a dark
colour, added to the sound of a new language, with which, although
I was acquainted, still I had not since very early youth been in a
country where it was generally spoken; all combined to perplex and to
confuse. I was led along by those who were accustomed to these scenes,
and we proceeded to the house of one of the first merchants in the
place. We were ushered up one pair of stairs into a room in which were
several piles of piece-goods, a table covered with papers, and several
chairs. There were four or five persons in the room besides the owner
of the house. I delivered my letter of introduction to him, and was
treated with the greatest civility. Our next visit was to a colonel,
who is also a merchant, from whom I met with the same behaviour.
As there are no inns or furnished lodgings at Recife, or at[2]Olinda,
an acquaintance of my fellow-passenger obtained some temporary rooms
for us, and supplied us with what we wanted. We are therefore at
last quietly settled in our new habitation, if I may be allowed to
call it quiet, whilst some twenty black women are under the windows
bawling out, in almost all tones and keys of which the human voice is
capable,—oranges, bananas, sweetmeats, and other commodities, for sale.
The town of St. Antonio do Recife, commonly called Pernambuco, though
the latter is properly the name of the captaincy, consists of three
compartments, connected by two bridges. A narrow, long neck of sand
stretches from the foot of the hill, upon which Olinda is situated to
the southward. The southern extremity of this bank expands and forms
the site of that part of the town particularly called Recife, as
being immediately within the reef. There is another sand-bank also of
considerable extent, upon which has been built the second division,
called St. Antonio, connected with that already mentioned by means of
a bridge. Yet a third division of the town remains to be mentioned,
called Boa Vista, which stands upon the main land to the southward of
the other two, and is joined to them also by a bridge. The _recife_,
or reef of rocks already spoken of, runs in front of these sand-banks,
and receives upon it the principal force of the sea, which, at the flow
of the tide, rolls over it, but is much checked by it, and strikes the
quays and buildings of the town with diminished strength. The greatest
part of the extent of sand between Olinda and the town which remains
uncovered, is open to the sea, and the surf there is very violent.
Buildings have only been raised within the protection of the reef. The
tide enters between the bridges, and encircles the middle compartment.
On the land side there is a considerable expanse of water, having
much the appearance of a lake, which becomes narrower towards Olinda,
and reaches to the very streets of that place, thus facilitating the
communication between the two towns. The view from the houses that look
on to these waters is very extensive and very beautiful; their opposite
banks are covered with trees and white-washed cottages, varied by small
open spaces and lofty coco trees.
The first division of the town is composed of brick houses of three,
four, and even five stories in height; most of the streets are narrow,
and some of the older houses in the minor streets are of only one
story in height, and many of them consist only of the ground-floor.
The streets of this part, with the exception of one, are paved. In
the Square are the custom-house, in one corner, a long, low, and
shabby building; the sugar-inspection, which bears the appearance of
a dwelling-house; a large church, not finished; a coffee-house, in
which the merchants assemble to transact their commercial affairs; and
dwelling-houses. There are two churches in use, one of which is built
over the stone arch-way leading from the town to Olinda, at which
a lieutenant’s guard is stationed. The other church belongs to the
priests of the _Congregaçam da Madre de Deos_. Near to the gate-way
above-mentioned is a small fort, close to the water-side, which
commands it. To the northward is the residence of the Port-Admiral,
with the government timber-yards attached to it: these are small,
and the work going on in them is very trifling. The cotton-market,
warehouses, and presses, are also in this part of the town.[3]
The bridge which leads to St. Antonio has an arch-way at either end,
with a small chapel built upon each; and at the northern arch is
stationed a serjeant’s guard of six or eight men. The bridge is formed
in part of stone arches, and in part of wood: it is quite flat, and
lined with small shops, which render it so narrow that two carriages
cannot pass each other upon it.
St. Antonio, or the middle town, is composed chiefly of large houses
and broad streets; and if these buildings had about them any beauty,
there would exist here a certain degree of grandeur: but they are too
lofty for their breadth, and the ground-floors are appropriated to
shops, warehouses, stables, and other purposes of a like nature. The
shops are without windows, and the only light they have is admitted
from the door. There exists as yet very little distinction of trades;
thus all descriptions of manufactured goods are sold by the same
person. Some of the minor streets consist of low and shabby houses.
Here are the Governor’s palace, which was in other times the Jesuits’
convent; the treasury; the town-hall and prison; the barracks,
which are very bad; the Franciscan, Carmelite, and Penha convents,
and several churches, the interiors of which are very handsomely
ornamented, but very little plan has been preserved in the architecture
of the buildings themselves. It comprises several squares, and has, to
a certain degree, a gay and lively appearance. This is the principal
division of the town.
The bridge which connects St. Antonio with Boa Vista is constructed
entirely of wood, and has upon it no shops, but is likewise narrow. The
principal street of Boa Vista, which was formerly a piece of ground
overflowed at high water, is broad and handsome: the rest of this third
division consists chiefly of small houses, and as there is plenty
of room here, it extends to some distance in a straggling manner.
Neither the streets of this part of the town nor of St. Antonio are
paved. A long embankment has likewise been made, which connects the
sand-bank and town of St. Antonio with the main land at Affogados[4],
to the south and west of Boa Vista. The river Capibaribe, so famous in
Pernambucan history, discharges its waters into the channel between St.
Antonio and Boa Vista, after having run for some distance in a course
nearly east and west.
Some few of the windows of the houses are glazed, and have iron
balconies: but the major part are without glass, and of these the
balconies are enclosed by lattice-work; and no females are to be seen,
excepting the negro slaves, which gives a very sombre look to the
streets. The Portugueze[5], the Brazilian, and even the Mulatto women,
in the middle ranks of life, do not move out of doors in the day-time;
they hear mass at the churches before day-light-, and do not again
stir out, excepting in sedan chairs, or in the evening on foot, when
occasionally a whole family will sally forth to take a walk.
The upper harbour of Recife, called the Mosqueiro, as has been already
said, is formed by the reef of rocks which runs parallel with the
town at a very small distance. The lower harbour, for vessels of 400
tons and upwards, called the Poço, is very dangerous, as it is open
to the sea, and the beach opposite to it is very steep. The large
Brazil ships, belonging to merchants of the place, lie here for months
at a time, moored with four cables, two a-head and two a-stern. If
precautions are not taken very speedily, the entrance to the harbour
of Mosqueiro will be choaked up, owing to a breach in the reef,
immediately within the small fort, which is called Picam. The port has
two entrances, one of which is deeper than the other. The tide does
not rise more than five and a half feet. The principal defence of the
town consists in the forts Do Buraco[6] and Do Brum, both of which are
built of stone, and are situated upon the sands opposite to the two
entrances. Likewise there is the small fort of Bom Jezus, near to the
arch-way and church of the same name; and upon the south-east point
of the sand-bank of St. Antonio stands the large stone fort of Cinco
Pontas, so called from its pentagonal form. They are said to be all out
of order. From what I have stated, it will be seen that the ground upon
which the town has been built is most peculiarly circumstanced, and
that the manner in which the harbour is formed is equally rare.
The town is principally supplied with water, which is brought in
canoes, either from Olinda, or from the river Capibaribe, above the
influence of the tide; it comes in bulk, and although the greater part
of the vessels are decked, still it is usually filthy, as too much care
is not taken in their cleanliness. The wells that are sunk in the sand
upon which the town stands only afford brackish water.
The three compartments of the town, together, contain about 25,000
inhabitants, or more, and it is increasing rapidly; new houses are
building wherever space can be found. The population consists of white
persons, of mulatto and black free people, and of slaves also of
several shades.
The reef of rocks, of which I have before spoken, continues along the
whole coast between Pernambuco and Maranham, and in some parts it runs
at a very short distance from the shore; and in this case is usually
high, remaining uncovered at low water, as at Recife; but in other
places it recedes from the land, and is then generally concealed. It
has numberless breaks in it, through which the communication with the
sea is laid open.
Recife is a thriving place, increasing daily in opulence and
importance. The prosperity which it enjoys may be in some measure
attributed to the character of its Governor and Captain-General,
Caetano Pinto de Miranda Montenegro, who has ruled the province for the
last ten years with systematic steadiness and uniform prudence. He has
made no unnecessary innovations, but he has allowed useful improvements
to be introduced. He has not, with hurried enthusiastic zeal, which
often defeats its end, pushed forwards any novelty that struck him
at the moment, but he has given his consent and countenance to any
proposal backed by respectable persons. He has not interfered and
intermeddled with those concerns in which governments have no business,
but he has supported them when they have been once established. I here
speak of commercial regulations and minor improvements in the chief
town, and in the smaller settlements of the country. He is affable,
and hears the complaint of a peasant or a rich merchant with the same
patience; he is just, seldom exercising the power which he possesses
of punishing without appeal to the civil magistrate; and when he does
enforce it, the crime must be very glaring indeed. He acts upon a
system, and from principle; and if it is the fate of Brazil to be in
the hands of a despotic government, happy, compared to its present
state, would it in general be, if all its rulers resembled him. I love
the place at which I so long resided, and I hope most sincerely that
he may not be removed, but that he may continue to dispense to that
extensive region, the blessings of a mild, forbearing administration.
In political consequence, with reference to the Portuguese government,
Pernambuco holds the third[7] rank amongst the provinces of Brazil;
but in a commercial point of view, with reference to Great Britain, I
know not whether it should not be named first.[8] Its chief exports
are cotton and sugar; the former mostly comes to England, and may be
accounted at 80,000 or 90,000 bags annually, averaging 160 pounds
weight each bag. The latter is chiefly shipped to Lisbon. Hides,
cocoa-nuts, ipecacuanha, and a few other drugs, are also occasionally
sent from thence, but are exported in trifling quantities. These
articles are exchanged for manufactured goods, earthenware, porter, and
other articles of necessity among civilized people, and also of luxury
to no very great amount. Two or three ships sail annually for Goa in
the East Indies; and the trade to the coast of Africa for slaves is
considerable. Several vessels from the United States arrive at Recife
annually, bringing flour, of which great quantities are now consumed;
furniture for dwelling-houses, and other kinds of lumber, and carrying
away sugar, molasses, and rum. During the late war between the United
States and England, which interrupted this trade, Recife was at first
somewhat distressed for wheat-flour, but a supply arrived from Rio
Grande do Sul, the most southern province of the kingdom of Brazil.[9]
The quality is good[10], and I rather think that some coasting-vessels
will continue to supply the market with this article, notwithstanding
the renewed communication with North America.
CHAPTER II.
VISIT TO THE GOVERNOR.—THE CLIMATE.—FIRST RIDE INTO THE
COUNTRY.—RESIDENCE AT A VILLAGE IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF
RECIFE.—OLINDA.—HOLY THURSDAY.—GOOD FRIDAY.—EASTER
SUNDAY.—PROFESSION OF A FRIAR.—ST. PETER’S DAY.—VISIT TO A
BRASILIAN FAMILY.—A DANCE.—ANOTHER VISIT TO OLINDA.
THE numerous arrangements necessary on our arrival, prevented our
making immediately the customary visit to the governor; but on the
following morning we proceeded to the palace, situated in a small
square, with the guard-house on one side, at which is stationed a
captain’s guard. We were ushered up stairs, remained some time in an
anti-chamber with several cadets, and were then desired to enter;
we passed the secretary’s room, and were shown into a very spacious
apartment, in which the governor waited to receive us. He is a large
handsome man, with quite the manners of a gentleman; we all sat down,
and he asked several questions respecting affairs in Europe; I had some
English newspapers, which I left with him, and in about half an hour we
retired.
The first few days after my arrival were spent in delivering my
letters of introduction. I soon became acquainted with all the English
merchants, who live in a very respectable style, and have done much
good in establishing some customs which the Portugueze have had the
sense to follow, preserving at the same time those of their own, which
are fitted to the country and the climate.
As this was the summer season, great numbers of the inhabitants were
out of town; they remove to small cottages at Olinda, and upon the
banks of the rivers, to enjoy a purer air, and the amusement and
comfort of bathing, during the months most subject to hot, parching
weather. The heat is, however, seldom very oppressive; the sea-breeze,
during the whole year, commences about nine o’clock in the morning,
and continues until midnight. When exposed to it, even standing in
the sun, the heat is so much alleviated by its influence, as to make
the person so situated forget, for a moment, that in the shade he
would be cooler. At the time this subsides the land-breeze rises, and
continues until early in the morning, and the half hour in the forenoon
which occasionally passes between the one and the other, is the most
unpleasant period of the day. In the rainy season, just before the
commencement of a heavy shower, the clouds are very dark, dense, and
low; the breeze is suspended for a short time; there is then a sort of
expectant stillness, and the weather is very sultry.
One afternoon I rode out with several young men to a village in the
neighbourhood, for the purpose of delivering a letter to one of the
rich merchants. We passed through Boa Vista, and proceeded along a
narrow sandy road, formed by frequent passing and repassing; and along
the sides of this are many of the summer residences of the wealthy
inhabitants of the town, which are small, neat, white-washed cottages
of one floor, with gardens in front and at the sides, planted with
orange, lemon, pomegranate, and many other kinds of fruit-trees; some
few are inclosed partly by low walls, but for the most part they are
protected by fences of timber. About half way we came out upon the
banks of the Capibaribe; the view is exceedingly pretty; houses, trees,
and gardens on each side: the river bends just above, and appears
lost among the trees; the canoes going gently down with the tide, or
more laboriously forcing their way up against it, formed altogether a
delightful prospect. The river is here rather narrower than the Thames
at Richmond. Along the sides of the road, at this spot, are several
black women selling oranges, other kinds of fruits and cakes, and
canoe-men with their long poles, unable to delay, bargaining with them
for some of their commodities. This was the first time I had left the
town, and I was truly pleased with these first looks of the country of
which I had become an inhabitant. We again left the river, continuing
along the road, still bordered by cottages of a better or worse
appearance, until we reached a small village; through this we passed,
and soon afterwards arrived at the end of our ride. The situation is
very picturesque, upon the northern bank of the Capibaribe, and at the
foot of a steep hill clothed with wood. On our arrival at the house,
we entered immediately from the road into a hall with a brick floor,
of which the doors and windows are very large, so as to leave the
front very nearly open. We were received by the lady of the house, and
her husband soon appeared; they were exceedingly civil, and ordered
sweetmeats to be brought out.
Our English flat saddles created as much surprise to the people of
Pernambuco, as those of the Portugueze appeared strange to us. They are
high before and behind, which obliges the rider to sit very upright,
and the fashion is to be as stiff as possible, and to hold quite
perpendicularly a switch of most enormous length. The horses are taught
a delightful amble, upon which some of them can be made to proceed with
great speed.
The river Capibaribe is navigable during the whole year as far as
Apepucos, half a league beyond Monteiro, the village at which my new
acquaintance was now residing. It overflows its banks in the rainy
season, oftentimes with great rapidity. As the lands through which it
runs in this part of the country are very low, the floods are somewhat
dreaded, as they occasionally extend far and wide. The straw hovels
upon its banks are often carried away, and the whole neighbourhood is
laid under water: canoes have been known to ply between this village
and those of Poço da Panella and Caza Forte.
A Portugueze friend, with whom I had been acquainted in England,
having taken a house at the former of the two last-mentioned places,
I agreed to share the expence of it with him, and we immediately
removed to it, to pass the summer months. The village was quite
full; not a hut remained untenanted; and, as occurs in England at
watering-places, families, whose dwellings in town were spacious and
handsome regardless of inconvenience, came to reside here during the
summer in very small cottages. The Poço da Panella contains a chapel,
built by subscription, a row of houses running parallel with the river,
several washerwomen’s huts in front of them, and other dwellings
scattered about in all directions. Here the ceremonious manners of the
town are thrown aside, and exchanged for an equal degree of freedom.
Our mornings were filled up, either in riding to the Recife or to
some other part of the country, or in conversation at the houses of
any of the families with whom we were acquainted; and the afternoons
and evenings with music, dancing, playing at forfeits, or in dining
with some of the English merchants, a few of whom had also removed to
this place and its neighbourhood. At many of the Portugueze houses I
found the card-tables occupied at nine o’clock in the morning; when
one person rose another took his place; and thus they were scarcely
deserted, except during the heat of the day, when each man either
returned to his own home to dine, or, as is much less frequent, was
requested to remain and partake with the family.
On the last day of this year I was invited to visit Olinda, that I
might witness the festival of Our Lady of the Mountain. The city
is, as I have already observed, situated upon a hill, very steep in
front of the sea, and declining gradually on the land side. Its first
appearance, on arriving upon the coast, is so beautiful, that the
disappointment experienced on entering it is great; but still Olinda
has many beauties, and the view from it is magnificent. The streets are
paved, but are much out of repair; many of the houses are small, low,
and neglected, and the gardens very little cultivated; indeed the place
has been deserted for the Recife. However, one of the regiments of the
line is stationed here[11]; it is the residence of the bishop, and
the site of the ecclesiastical court, the seminary, which is a public
college of education, and some convents and fine churches; therefore,
it is by no means desolate, though its general aspect bespeaks
tranquillity, regularity, and a degree of neglect. The view to the
southward takes in a lake of about three miles in length, of which the
surface is covered with weeds and grass, and the opposite banks lined
with thick woods and some cottages; the Recife and the bay behind it,
formed by the entrance of the tide, extending to Olinda, but concealed
in places by low and thick mangroves are also to be seen. Olinda covers
much ground, but contains only about 4000 inhabitants. At this time
the whole city presented a scene of bustle and amusement. The church,
particularly decorated on this occasion, stands upon the highest point;
the assemblage of persons was great; the church was lighted up, and a
few individuals of both sexes were kneeling promiscuously in the body
of it, but the service was over.
This is the season of cheerfulness and gaiety, and we were likewise
to have our festival at the Poço da Panella. These festivals are
always preceded by nine evenings of hymn-singing, and music, in honour
of the Virgin, or the saint whose day is to be thus celebrated. On
this occasion the performance for the _novena_, or nine evenings,
consisted of a piano-forte played by a lady, the wife of a merchant,
and a guitar, and some wind-instruments, played by several young men
of respectability. The vocal music was also executed by the same
persons, assisted by some female mulatto slaves belonging to the
lady. I was somewhat surprised to hear the airs of country-dances and
marches occasionally introduced. However, on the day of the festival,
the performers were professional men, and in the evening fireworks
were displayed. Every house in the village was crowded this day with
people from all parts. My friend and I had several persons to dinner,
but before we had half finished, some of _their_ friends appeared,
and without ceremony came in and helped themselves; soon all idea of
regularity vanished, and things were scrambled for. In a short time
both of us left our own house, and tried to gain admittance to some
other, but all were in the same confusion. We were invited to a dance
in the evening, at which the Governor was present; and although he is
himself desirous of making every person feel at ease, still such is
the dreadful idea of rank, for I know not what else to call it, in
this country, that the behaviour of every one was constrained, and the
conversation carried on almost in a whisper.
I lost no Festivals, and amongst others, went to that of St. Amaro, the
healer of wounds, at whose chapel are sold bits of ribbon, as charms,
which many individuals of the lower orders of people tie round their
naked ancles or their wrists, and preserve until they wear out, and
drop off.
About the commencement of Lent, the villages in the neighbourhood are
almost entirely deserted by the white people, who return to town to see
the processions customary at this season in Catholic countries. The
rains also usually begin about the end of March. I did not leave the
Poço de Panella until the very last, but in the end found the place
dull, and followed the rest.
On Holy Thursday, accompanied by two of my countrymen, I sallied forth
at three o’clock, to see the churches, which are, on this occasion,
lighted up, and highly ornamented. The whole town was in motion; the
females, too, both high and low, were this afternoon parading the
streets on foot, contrary to their usual custom; many of them were
dressed in silks of different colours, and covered with gold chains
and other trinkets, a general muster being made of all the finery that
could be collected. The blaze in some of the churches, from great
numbers of wax tapers, was prodigious; the object apparently aimed
at was the production of the greatest quantity of light, as in some
instances mirrors were fixed behind the tapers. The middle of the body
of these churches is completely open; there are no pews, no distinction
of places; the principal chapel is invariably at the opposite end from
the chief entrance, recedes from the church, and is narrower; this part
is appropriated to the officiating priests, and is railed in from the
body of the church. The females, as they enter, whether white or of
colour, place themselves as near to the rails as they can, squatting
down upon the floor of the large open space in the centre. The men
stand along either side of the body of the church, a narrow slip being
in most instances railed off lengthways; or they remain near to the
entrance, behind the women; but every female, of whatever rank or
colour, is first accommodated.
On the following day, Good Friday, the decorations of the churches,
the dress of the women, and even the manner of both sexes was changed;
all was dismal. In the morning I went with the same gentlemen to the
church of the Sacramento, to witness a representation of our Saviour’s
descent from the Cross. We entered the church by a side door; it was
much crowded, and the difficulty of getting in was considerable. An
enormous curtain hung from the ceiling, excluding from the sight the
whole of the principal chapel. An Italian Missionary Friar of the
Penha convent, with a long beard, and dressed in a thick dark brown
cloth habit, was in the pulpit, and about to commence an extempore
sermon. After an exordium of some length, adapted to the day, he cried
out “Behold him;” the curtain immediately dropped, and discovered
an enormous Cross, with a full-sized wooden image of our Saviour,
exceedingly well carved and painted, and around it a number of angels
represented by several young persons, all finely decked out, and each
bearing a large pair of out-stretched wings, made of gauze; a man,
dressed in a bob wig, and a pea green robe, as St. John, and a female
kneeling at the foot of the Cross, as the Magdalen; whose character, as
I was informed, seemingly that nothing might be wanting, was not the
most pure. The friar continued, with much vehemence, and much action,
his narrative of the crucifixion, and after some minutes, again cried
out “Behold, they take him down;” when four men, habited in imitation
of Roman soldiers, stepped forwards. The countenances of these persons
were in part concealed by black crape. Two of them ascended ladders
placed on each side against the Cross, and one took down the board,
bearing the letters I.N.R.I. Then was removed the crown of thorns, and
a white cloth was put over, and pressed down upon the head; which was
soon taken off, and shown to the people, stained with the circular mark
of the crown in blood: this done, the nails which transfix the hands,
were by degrees knocked out, and this produced a violent beating of
breasts among the female part of the congregation. A long white linen
bandage was next passed under each arm-pit of the image; the nail which
secured the feet was removed; the figure was let down very gently, and
was carefully wrapped up in a white sheet. All this was done by word
of command from the preacher. The sermon was then quickly brought to
a conclusion, and we left the church. I was quite amazed; I had heard
that something of this kind was to be done, but I had no idea of the
extent to which the representation would be carried.
On Saturday morning we were saluted with the bellowing of cattle, the
grunting of pigs, and the cries of the negro slaves with baskets of
fowls of several kinds for sale; these were to be devoured after the
ensuing midnight, and many families, weary of their long abstinence,
impatiently awaited the striking of the clocks, as a signal for the
commencement of hostile operations, without mercy or scruple, upon
turkies, pigs, &c. and all the rest of the miserable tribes which have
been laid down as the lawful victims of our carnivorous nature.
On Easter Sunday I was invited by a physician to dine with him, and to
attend the christening of one of his grandchildren. At dinner the party
was small; the dishes, were served up two at a time to the number of
ten or twelve, of all of which I was obliged to taste. From the table
we adjourned to the church about four o’clock, where several persons,
likewise invited, waited for us; the ceremony was performed by a friar,
and each guest held a wax taper, forming a semicircle towards the
altar; from hence we returned to the old gentleman’s house to supper.
I met here, among others belonging to the same convent, the friar who
preached the crucifixion sermon. The members of this convent are all
Italians and Missionaries, but as no reinforcement has for a length of
time come out from Europe, very few now remain. A long table was laid
out, loaded with victuals. Several ladies were present, notwithstanding
which enormous quantities of wine were drank, until the whole company
began to be riotous, but still the ladies did not move. At last no
order was left among them, bottles and glasses were overturned and
broken in the vehement wishes expressed for the prosperity of the
whole family of our host, both old and young; when in the midst of
this, I escaped about nine o’clock, accompanied by a Franciscan friar.
We had a journey in contemplation for the next day, and thought it
high time to get away. Parties of this kind are not frequent, and in a
general way these people live in a very quiet manner. The old Doctor is
a native of Lisbon, and a great friend to Englishmen; he was young at
the time of the great earthquake, and says he shall never forget that
he was in part cloathed from the necessaries sent out by the British
government for the assistance of the Portugueze after that dreadful
calamity.
On the following afternoon, the friar, myself, and a servant, proceeded
to Iguaraçu, a small town distant from Recife seven leagues, for the
purpose of witnessing the entrance of a novice into the Order of St.
Francis. We arrived about nine o’clock at night at the gates of the
convent; the friar rang the bell three times, as the signal of the
arrival of one of the Order; a lay brother came, and asked who it was
that demanded admittance; he was answered, that it was brother Joseph
from the convent of Recife accompanied by a friend; the porter shut
the gates again, but soon returned, saying that the Guardian, the name
given to the principal of a Franciscan convent, allowed us to enter.
We were conducted up a flight of steps into a long corridore, at the
end of which sat the Guardian, to whom we were introduced; he directed
us to the brother who had the management of the accommodations for
visitors; this man placed us under the especial care of Frei Luiz, who
took us to his cell. Supper was served up, upon which the Guardian
came in, helped us once round to wine and made many apologies for the
badness of his cook, and also excuses for the want of ingredients at
this distance from Recife. The convents of St. Francis are all built
exactly upon the same plan; in the form of a quadrangle, one side of
which is appropriated to the church, and the remaining three to cells
and to other purposes; the former are above, and to be entered from a
gallery, which runs round the whole building. The beds with which the
friars supplied us were hard, but very acceptable after our ride.
The ceremony to be performed on the ensuing morning collected great
numbers of persons from all quarters, as it is now very rare. Formerly,
of every family at least one member was a friar, but now this is not
the custom; children are brought up to trade, to the army, to any thing
rather than to a monastic life, which is fast losing its reputation.
None of the convents are full, and some of them are nearly without
inhabitants.[12]
Early in the morning the church was lighted up, and about ten o’clock
the family of the person about to take the vows arrived to occupy the
seats prepared for them. Mass was then said, and a sermon preached;
about eleven o’clock the novice, a young man of sixteen years of
age, entered the principal chapel by a side door, walking between
two brothers, with a large cross in his hands, and dressed in a long
dark blue robe: there was then much chanting, after which he knelt
down opposite to the Guardian, received the usual admonitions, was
asked several questions relating to his belief in the doctrines of the
church, and then made the separate vows, of defending his religion, of
celibacy, and others of minor importance. The Guardian then dressed
him in the habit of the Order, made of very thick, rough, dark brown
cloth, which before lay stretched upon the ground in front of the
altar, covered with flowers; this being done, the young man embraced
all the brothers present, took leave of his relations, and left the
church. Many of the friars were laughing during the ceremony, and were
particularly amused at the Guardian accidentally saying, “Brother,
don’t be ashamed[13];” owing to the young man being much abashed.
A visitor who stood near to me in the gallery, from which there are
windows into the church, said, in a low voice to be heard only by those
immediately around him; “See your chief himself thus advises him to put
shame aside, which unfortunately you are all too much inclined to do;”
at this the friars who were within hearing all laughed. Great part of
the community and many other persons dined with the father of the young
friar, and I among the rest; there was much eating, much drinking, and
much confusion. In the evening fireworks were displayed, which ended by
a transparency, representing a novice receiving the benediction of his
Guardian.
It was determined that we should return to Recife this night, and
that the journey was to be commenced as soon as the moon rose. The
party consisted of five friars, several laymen besides myself all on
horseback; some palanquins with ladies, and a number of negroes to
carry them. We sallied forth about midnight; the moon was bright, and
the sky quite clear. The scene was very strange; the road made in
places abrupt turns, so as to give to those who were rather in advance,
on looking back, a view of the whole procession, at times appearing
and at times concealed among the trees; of this the friars formed an
extraordinary part, in their robes tucked up round the waist, and tied
with the long yellow cord of flagellation, and with their enormous
white hats. At Olinda several persons remained, and the rest arrived at
Recife about seven o’clock in the morning.
On the 10th of May I had a sudden attack of fever, which was
accompanied with delirium; however, with the assistance of a medical
man, the disorder subsided in the course of forty-eight hours, but it
left me in a very weak state, from which I was some time in recovering.
These fevers are well known in the country, but are not common, and
in general are preceded for some days by ague. I can only account for
this attack, from having suffered the window of my room, which had a
western aspect, to remain open during the night, and the land breeze
which rises about twelve o’clock is not accounted wholesome. A young
Englishman insisted upon my removal to his house, that I might not
remain in the hands of servants; he brought a palanquin for this
purpose, and made me get into it. With him I remained until my health
was completely re-established, and was treated by him with that sort of
kindness which can only be expected from a very near relation.
I dined with a friend on St. Peter’s day, the 29th June, and in the
evening I proposed walking to the church, dedicated to this saint.
As usual, the blaze of light was great, the congregation numerous,
and the whole affair very brilliant. After the service, we recognised
a party of ladies with whom we were acquainted, and one of them
requested us to look for a young priest, her son; on making enquiries,
we were desired to walk up stairs into a large room over the vestry,
in which were several priests, and a table covered with refreshments
of many descriptions. The young man came to us, and was soon followed
by others, who invited us to stay and partake, but we declined and
went down to the party we had joined; some of the priests accompanied
us, and persuaded the ladies to ascend, and have a share of the good
things; we were also requested to return, which we did. There were
great quantities of fruit, cakes, sweetmeats, and wine. We met with
the most marked attention from these ministers of the Roman Catholic
religion; greater politeness could not have been shown to any person;
even many with whom we had not been acquainted before, offered us
wine, and requested to be introduced to us. I mention the conduct of
these men more particularly, as I think it showed a great degree of
liberality, and a wish to conciliate, and more especially as there were
likewise several laymen present of their own nation[14]. About ten
o’clock we left the church, and taking one family of our party home,
remained with them until a very late hour.
We were invited to pass the following Sunday with this family, which
consisted of the father and mother, and a son and daughter; they
were all Brazilians, and though the young lady had never been from
Pernambuco, her manners were easy; and her conversation lively and
entertaining. Her complexion was not darker than that of the Portugueze
in general, her eyes and hair black, and her features on the whole
good; her figure small, but well shaped. Though I have seen others
handsomer, still this lady may be accounted a very fair sample of the
white Brazilian females; but it is among the women of colour that the
finest persons are to be found,—more life and spirit, more activity
of mind and body; they are better fitted to the climate, and the mixed
race seems to be its proper inhabitant. Their features too are often
good, and even the colour, which in European climates is disagreeable,
appears to appertain to that in which it more naturally exists; but
this bar to European ideas of beauty set aside, finer specimens of the
human form cannot be found than among the mulatto females whom I have
seen.
We went to them to breakfast, which was of coffee and cakes. Backgammon
and cards were then introduced until dinner time, at two o’clock. This
consisted of great numbers of dishes, placed upon the table without
any arrangement, and brought in without any regard to the regularity
of courses. We were, as may be supposed, rather surprised at being
complimented with pieces of meat from the plates of various persons
at the table. I have often met with this custom, particularly amongst
families in the interior, and this I now speak of had only resided in
Recife a short time; but many of the people of the town have other
ideas on these matters. Two or three knives only were placed upon the
table, which obliged each person to cut all the meat upon his own plate
into small pieces, and pass the knife to his next neighbour. There was,
however, a plentiful supply of silver forks, and abundance of plates.
Garlic formed one ingredient in almost every dish, and we had a great
deal of wine during the dinner. The moment we finished, every one rose
from the table, and removed into another apartment. At eight o’clock
a large party assembled to tea, and we did not take our departure
until a very late hour. On our arrival at home, my friend and I sat
together to consider of the transactions of this day, which we had thus
passed entirely with a Brazilian family, and both agreed that we had
been much amused, and that we had really felt much gratification, save
the business at the dining table. The conversation was trifling, but
entertaining; there was much wit and sport. The ladies of the house,
joined by several others in the evening, talked a great deal, and would
allow of no subject into which they could not enter.
It will be observed from what I have described, and from what I still
have to mention, that no rule can be laid down for the society of the
place in question; families of equal rank, and of equal wealth and
importance, are often of manners totally different. The fact is, that
society is undergoing a rapid change; not that the people imitate
European customs, though these have some effect, but as there is more
wealth, more luxuries are required; as there is more education, higher
and more polished amusements are sought for; as the mind becomes more
enlarged, from intercourse with other nations, and from reading, many
customs are seen in a different light; so that, the same persons
insensibly change, and in a few years ridicule and are disgusted with
many of those very habits which, if they reflect for a moment, they
will recollect were practised but a short time before by themselves.
On St. Anne’s day, the 29th July, two young Englishmen and myself
proceeded by invitation to the house of one of the first personages of
Pernambuco; a man in place, and a planter, possessing three sugar works
in different parts of the country. About ten o’clock in the morning,
we embarked in a canoe, and were poled and paddled across the bay, on
the land side of the town. On our arrival upon the opposite shore, the
tide was out, and the mud deep; in fear and trembling for our silks,
two of us clang to the backs of the canoe-men, who with some difficulty
put us down safe on dry land; but the third, who was heavier, for
some minutes debated whether to return home was not the better plan,
however, he took courage, and was, likewise, safely conducted through
this region of of peril. We then walked up to the house, which covers
much ground, and of which the apartments are spacious, and all upon the
first floor. The garden was laid out by this gentleman’s father, in the
old style of straight walks, and trees cut into shapes. A large party
was already assembling, as this was the anniversary of the birth-day of
our hostess; but the females were all ushered into one room, and the
men into another; cards and backgammon, as usual, were the amusements,
but there was little of ease and freedom of conversation. At dinner,
the ladies all arranged themselves on one side, and the men opposite to
them; there were victuals of many kinds in great profusion, and much
wine was drank. Some of the gentlemen who were intimately acquainted
with the family, did not sit down at table, but assisted in attending
upon the ladies. After dinner, the whole party adjourned into a large
hall, and country dancing being proposed and agreed to, fiddlers were
introduced, and a little after seven o’clock, about twenty couples
commenced, and continued this amusement until past two o’clock. Here
was the ceremony of the last century in the morning, and in the evening
the cheerfulness of an English party of the present day. I never
partook of one more pleasant; the conversation, at times renewed, was
always genteel, but unceremonious, and I met with several well-educated
persons, whose acquaintance I enjoyed during the remainder of my stay
at this place.
The rains this season had been very slight, and scarcely ever prevented
our rides into the country in the neighbourhood, to the distance of six
or eight miles; but we never reached beyond the summer dwellings of the
inhabitants of Recife. The villages are at this time very dull, having
people of colour and negroes as residents almost exclusively. However,
as I was fond of the country, I was tempted by the fineness of the
weather, to remove entirely to a small cottage in the vicinity, where
my time passed away pleasantly, though quietly, and in a manner very
barren of events. There stands a hamlet not far distant from my new
residence, called Caza Forte, formerly the site of a sugar plantation,
which has been suffered to decay, and now the chapel alone remains to
point out the exact position. The dwelling-house of these works is said
to have been defended by the Dutch against the Portugueze, who set fire
to it, for the purpose of obliging their enemies to surrender. A large
open piece of ground is pointed out as having been the situation upon
which these transactions took place. It is distant from Recife about
five miles, and the river Capibaribe runs about three quarters of a
mile beyond it. I met with few of the peasants who had any knowledge
of the Pernambucan war against the Dutch, but I heard this spot more
frequently spoken of than any other[15]. Perhaps if I had had more
communication with the southern districts of Pernambuco, I should have
discovered that the war was more vividly remembered there.
I had an offer of introduction to another Brazilian family, which I
readily accepted, and on the 7th August, I was summoned by my friend
to accompany him to Olinda. He had been invited, and liberty had been
given to take a friend. We went in a canoe, and were completely wet
through on the way; but we walked about the streets of Olinda until we
were again dry. The family consisted of an old lady, her two daughters,
and a son, who is a priest, and one of the professors or masters of the
seminary. Several persons of the same class were present, of easy and
gentlemanlike manners; some of them proposed dancing, and although they
did not join in the amusement, still they were highly pleased to see
others entertained in this manner. Our music was a piano forte, played
by one of the professors, who good-humouredly continued until the
dancers themselves begged him to desist. About midnight, we left these
pleasant people, and returned to the beach; the tide was out, and the
canoe upon dry land; we therefore determined to walk; the sand was very
heavy, the distance three miles, and after our evening’s amusement,
this was hard work. I did not attempt this night to go beyond Recife to
my cottage, but accepted of a mattress at my friend’s residence.
Three or four families are in the practice of having weekly evening
card parties, as was usual in Lisbon. I attended these occasionally,
but in them there was no peculiarity of customs.
The foregoing pages will, I think, suffice to point out the kind of
society to be met with in Pernambuco, but this must be sought for, as
the families in which it is to be found, are not numerous. Of these,
very few are in trade; they are either Portugueze families, of which
the chief is in office, or Brazilian planters who are wealthy, and
prefer residing in Recife or Olinda; or, as is frequently the case, a
son or brother belonging to the secular priesthood, has imbibed more
liberal notions, and has acquired a zest for rational society. As may
naturally be supposed, the females of a family are always glad to be of
more importance, to be treated with respect, to see, and to be seen.
The merchants, generally speaking, for there do exist some exceptions,
live very much alone; they have been originally from Portugal, have
made fortunes in trade, and have married in the country; but most
of them still continue to live as if they were not yet sufficiently
wealthy, or at least cannot persuade themselves to alter their close
and retired manner of living, and, excepting in the summer months, when
sitting upon the steps of their country residencies, their families are
not to be seen.
The gentleman, chiefly by whose kindness I had been introduced and
enabled to partake of the pleasantest society of Pernambuco, was
among the first British subjects, who availed themselves of the free
communication between England and Brazil, and he even already observed
a considerable change of manners in the higher class of people. The
decrease in the price of all articles of dress; the facility of
obtaining at a low rate, earthenware, cutlery, and table linen; in
fact, the very spur given to the mind by this appearance of a new
people among them; the hope of a better state of things, that their
country was about to become of more importance; renewed in many
persons, ideas which had long lain dormant; made them wish to show,
that they had money to expend, and that they knew how it should be
expended.[16]
It was the custom in Pernambuco, to uncover when passing a sentinel,
or on meeting a guard of soldiers marching through the streets. Soon
after the opening of the port to British shipping, three English
gentlemen accidentally met a corporal’s guard of four or five men, and
as they passed each other, one of the latter took off the hat of one
of the former, accompanying the action by an opprobrious expression;
the Englishmen resented the insult, attacked and absolutely routed
the guard. This dreadful mark of submission to military power was
universally refused by every British subject, and has been very much
discontinued even by the Portugueze. Another annoyance to these
visitors was the usual respect paid to the Sacrament, carried with
much pomp and ceremony to persons dangerously ill. It was expected,
that every one by whom it chanced to pass, should kneel, and continue
in that posture until it was out of sight; here Englishmen, in some
degree, conformed in proper deference to the religion of the country,
but the necessity of this also is wearing off.[17]
CHAPTER III.
THE GOVERNMENT.—THE TAXES.—THE PUBLIC
INSTITUTIONS.—CRIMINALS.—PRISONS.—MILITARY ESTABLISHMENTS.—THE
ISLAND OF FERNANDO DE NORONHA.
THE captaincies-general, or provinces of the first rank, in Brazil, of
which Pernambuco is one, are governed by captains-general or governors,
who are appointed for three years. At the end of this period the same
person is continued or not, at the option of the supreme government.
They are, in fact, absolute in power, but before the person who
has been nominated to one of these places can exercise any of its
functions, he is under the necessity of presenting his credentials to
the _Senado da Camara_, the chamber or municipality of the principal
town. This is formed of persons of respectability in the place. The
governor has the supreme and sole command of the military force. The
civil and criminal causes are discussed before and determined by the
_Ouvidor_ and _Juiz de Fora_, the two chief judicial officers, whose
duties are somewhat similar, but the former is the superior in rank.
They are appointed for three years, and the term may be renewed[18]. It
is in these departments of the government that the opportunities of
amassing large fortunes are most numerous; and certain it is that some
individuals take advantage of them in a manner which renders justice
but a name. The governor can determine in a criminal cause without
appeal, but, if he pleases, he refers it to the competent judge. The
_Procurador da Coroa_, attorney-general, is an officer of considerable
weight. The _Intendente da Marinha_, port admiral, is likewise
consulted on matters of first importance; as are also the _Escrivam
da Fazenda Real_, chief of the treasury, and the _Juiz da Alfandega_,
comptroller of the customs. These seven officers form the _Junta_,
or council, which occasionally meets to arrange and decide upon the
affairs of the captaincy to which they belong.
The ecclesiastical government is scarcely connected with that above
mentioned, and is administered by a bishop and a dean and chapter, with
his vicar-general, &c. The governor cannot even appoint a chaplain
to the island of Fernando de Noronha, one of the dependencies of
Pernambuco, but acquaints the bishop that a priest is wanted, who then
nominates one for the place.
The number of civil and military officers is enormous; inspectors
innumerable—colonels without end, devoid of any objects to
inspect—without any regiments to command; judges to manage each
trifling department, of which the duties might all be done by two or
three persons; thus salaries are augmented; the people are oppressed,
but the state is not benefited.
Taxes are laid where they fall heavy upon the lower classes, and none
are levied where they could well be borne. A tenth is raised in kind
upon cattle, poultry, and agriculture, and even upon salt; this in
former times appertained, as in other christian countries, to the
clergy[19]. All the taxes are farmed to the highest bidders, and this
among the rest. They are parcelled out in extensive districts, and
are contracted for at a reasonable rate, but the contractors again
dispose of their shares in small portions; these are again retailed
to other persons, and as a profit is obtained by each transfer the
people must be oppressed, that these men may satisfy those above
them and enrich themselves. The system is in itself bad, but is
rendered still heavier by this division of the spoil. The tenth of
cattle, as I have already said, is levied in kind upon the estates
in the interior of the country, and, besides this, a duty of 320
_reis per arroba_ of 32 lbs. is paid upon the meat at the shambles,
which amounts to about twenty-five _per cent._ Fish pays the tenth,
and afterwards a fifteenth. Every transfer of immoveable property
is subject to a duty of ten _per cent._ and moveables to five _per
cent._ Besides these, there are many other taxes of minor importance.
Rum, both for exportation and home consumption, pays a duty of 80
_reis per canada_[20], which is sometimes a fourth of its value, but
may be reckoned as from fifteen to twenty _per cent._ Cotton pays
the tenth, and is again taxed at the moment of exportation 600 _reis
per arroba_ of 32 lbs. or about 1¼_d._ _per_ lb. Nothing can be
more injudicious, than this double duty upon the chief article of
exportation from that country to Europe. The duties at the custom-house
are fifteen _per cent._ upon imports, of which the valuation is left
in some measure to the merchant to whom the property belongs. Here, I
think, ten _per cent._ more might be raised without being felt. A tax
is paid at Pernambuco for lighting the streets of the Rio de Janeiro,
whilst those of Recife remain in total darkness.
Now, although the expences of the provincial governments are great,
and absorb a very considerable proportion of the receipts, owing
to the number of officers employed in every department, still the
salaries of each are, in most instances, much too small to afford a
comfortable subsistence; consequently peculation, bribery, and other
crimes of the same description are to be looked for, and they become
so frequent as to escape all punishment or even notice; though there
are some men whose character is without reproach. The governor of
Pernambuco receives a salary of 4,000,000 _reis_, or about 1000_l._
_per annum_. Can this be supposed to be sufficient for a man in his
responsible situation, even in a country in which articles of food are
cheap? His honour, however, is unimpeached; not one instance did I ever
hear mentioned of improper conduct in him; but the temptation and the
opportunities of amassing money are very great, and few are the persons
who can resist them.
The only manufactory in Recife of any importance is that of gold
and silver trinkets of every description, and of gold lace, but the
quantities made of either are only sufficient for the demand of the
place. The women employ themselves very generally in making thread
lace and in embroidery, but the manufacture of these articles is not
sufficiently extensive to allow of exportation.[21]
The public institutions are not many, but, of those that exist, some
are excellent. The seminary at Olinda for the education of young
persons is well conducted, and many of its professors are persons of
knowledge and of liberality. It is intended principally to prepare
the students for the church as secular priests, and therefore all of
them wear a black gown and a cap of a peculiar form, but it is not
necessary that they should ultimately take orders. Free schools are
also established in most of the small towns in the country, in some
of which the Latin language is taught, but the major part are adapted
only to give instruction in reading, writing, and arithmetic. Neither
in these nor in the seminary is any expence incurred by the pupils. The
Lazarus Hospital is neglected, but patients are admitted; the other
establishments for the sick are very miserable. Strange it is, that
fine churches should be built, whilst many individuals are suffered
to perish from the want of a suitable building under which to shelter
them. But the best institution of which Pernambuco has to boast, in
common with the mother country, is the _Roda dos Engeitados_. Infants
of doubtful birth are received, taken care of, reared, and provided
for. Every person knows what the wheel of a convent is,—a cylindrical
box open on one side, which is fixed in the wall and turns upon a
pivot; near to this is placed a bell, to be rung when any thing is put
into the box, that the inhabitants of the convent may know when it
should be turned. One of these wheels stands ready night and day to
receive the child—the bell is rung and the box turns. Thus the lives
of many are saved—thus numbers are spared from shame. Never let it be
imagined that births of a secret nature will be more frequent, from the
consideration that this institution exists, but it removes all motives
for unnatural conduct in a mother, and it may sometimes produce reform
of future conduct, by the facility afforded of concealing what has
already passed.
The friars are not numerous, though they are far too much so. These
useless beings[22] amount to about one hundred and fifty in number
at Olinda, Recife, Iguaraçu, and Paraiba[23]. But there are no nuns
in the province, though of the establishments called _Recolhimentos_
or Retreats, three exist. These are directed by elderly females, who
have not taken any vows, and who educate young persons of their own
sex, and receive individuals whose conduct has been incorrect, but
whose characters are not notorious, and who are placed here by their
relations to prevent further shame. The number of churches, chapels,
and niches in the streets for saints, is quite preposterous; to these
are attached a multitude of religious lay brotherhoods, of which the
members are merchants, and other persons in trade, and even some are
composed of mulatto and black free people. Some of these continually
beg for a supply of wax, and other articles to be consumed in honour of
their patron. Almost every day in the year, passengers are importuned
in the streets, and the inhabitants in their houses, by some of these
people, and among others, by the lazy Franciscan friars. A Portugueze
gentleman refused to give money for any of these purposes, but after
each application, threw into a bag, placed apart for the purpose, a
5 _reis_ coin, the smallest in use, and in value the third part of a
penny. At the end of a twelvemonth, he counted his 5 _reis_ pieces,
and found that they amounted to 30,000 _reis_, about 8_l._ 6_s._ He
then applied to the vicar of his parish, requesting him to name some
distressed person to whom he should give the money.
The Holy Office or Inquisition has never had an establishment in
Brazil, but several priests resided in Pernambuco, employed as its
familiars, and sometimes persons judged amenable to this most horrid
tribunal, have been sent under confinement to Lisbon. However, the
ninth article of the Treaty of Friendship and Alliance, between the
crowns of England and Portugal, signed at the Rio de Janeiro in 1810,
has completely determined, that the power of the Inquisition shall not
be recognised in Brazil. It will appear surprising to English persons,
that in a place so large as Recife, there should be no printing
press or bookseller. At the convent of the _Madre de Deos_, are sold
almanacks, prints and histories of the Virgin and saints, and other
productions of the same description, but of very limited size, printed
at Lisbon. The post-office is conducted in a very irregular manner. The
letters from England are usually delivered at the house of the merchant
to whom the ship which conveyed them is consigned, or at the office of
the British consul. There is no established means of forwarding letters
to any part of the interior of the country, nor along the coast, so
that the post-office merely receives the letter bags which are brought
by the small vessels that trade with other ports along this coast,
and sends the bags from Pernambuco by the same conveyances, and as
there is not any regular delivery of letters, each person must inquire
for his own at the office. When the commerce of Brazil was trifling,
compared to its present state, a post-office managed in this manner was
sufficient, but in consequence of the increased activity of the trade
along the coast, and with Europe, some attention ought to be given to
the subject, to facilitate communication. There is a theatre at Recife,
in which are performed Portugueze farces, but the establishment is most
wretchedly conducted.
The Botanic Garden at Olinda is one of those institutions which have
arisen from the removal of the Court to South America; it is intended
as a nursery for exotic plants, from whence they are to be distributed
to those persons who are willing and capable of rearing them. Thus the
bread fruit tree has been introduced, the black pepper plant, the large
Otaheitan cane, and several others. I much fear, however, that the zeal
shown at the commencement has somewhat cooled. A botanist has been
appointed with an adequate salary. He is a Frenchman, who had resided
at Cayenne, and with this choice many persons were much dissatisfied,
as it was thought, and with good reason, that a Portugueze subject
might have been found, quite capable of taking the management of the
garden.
The sight, of all others, the most offensive to an Englishman, is that
of the criminals, who perform the menial offices of the palace, the
barracks, the prisons, and other public buildings. They are chained
in couples, and each couple is followed by a soldier, armed with a
bayonet. They are allowed to stop at the shops, to obtain any trifle
which they may wish to purchase, and it is disgusting to see with what
unconcern the fellows bear this most disgraceful situation, laughing
and talking as they go along to each other, to their acquaintance
whom they may chance to meet, and to the soldier who follows them as
a guard[24]. The prisons are in a very bad state, little attention
being paid to the situation of their inhabitants. Executions are rare
at Pernambuco; the more usual punishment inflicted, even for crimes of
the first magnitude, is transportation to the coast of Africa. White
persons must be removed for trial to Bahia, for crimes of which the
punishment is death. Even to pass sentence of death upon a man of
colour, or a negro, several judicial officers must be present. There
does not exist here a regular police; when an arrest is to be effected
in Recife or its neighbourhood, two officers of justice are accompanied
by soldiers, from one or other of the regiments of the line, for this
purpose. A _ronda_ or patrol, consisting of soldiers, parades the
streets during the night, at stated periods, but it is not of much
service to the town. Recife and its vicinity were formerly in a very
tranquil state, owing to the exertions of one individual; he was a
sergeant in the regiment of Recife, a courageous man, whose activity of
mind and body had had no field upon which to act, until he was employed
in the arduous task of apprehending criminals, and at last he received
special orders from the governor for patroling the streets of Recife,
Olinda, and the villages around them; he and his followers were much
dreaded, but at his death no one stepped into his place.[25]
The military establishment is much neglected. The regular troops
consist of two regiments of infantry, which ought to form together a
body of 2,500 men, but they seldom collect more effective than 600;
so that sufficient numbers can scarcely he mustered to do the duty of
the town of Recife, of Olinda, and the forts. Their pay is less than
2¾_d._ _per_ day, and a portion of the flour of the mandioc weekly,
and their clothing is afforded to them very irregularly. From their
miserable pay, rather more than one farthing _per_ day is held back for
a religious purpose. Recruits are made of some of the worst individuals
in the province; this mode of recruiting, and their most wretched pay,
account completely for the depreciated character of the soldiers of
the line[26]. They are formed chiefly of Brazilians, and people of
colour. Besides these regiments, the militia of the town sometimes
do duty without pay, and these make but a sorry shew. The militia
regiments, commanded by mulatto and black officers, and formed entirely
of men of these casts, are very superior in appearance; but these I
shall have again an opportunity of mentioning.
There is one political arrangement of this province which, above all
others, cries aloud for alteration; it is a glaring, self-evident evil,
it is a disgrace upon the government which suffers its existence. I
speak of the small island of Fernando de Noronha. To this spot are
transported, for a number of years or for life, a great number of male
criminals. No females are permitted to visit the island. The garrison,
consisting of about 120 men, is relieved yearly. It is a very difficult
matter to obtain a priest to serve for a twelvemonth, as chaplain
in the island. When the bishop is applied to by the governor, for a
person of this calling, he sends some of his ecclesiastical officers
in search of one; the persons of the profession, who are liable to be
sent, conceal themselves, and the matter usually concludes by a young
priest being literally pressed into the service. The vessel employed
between Recife and the island, visits it twice during the same period,
and carries provisions, cloathing, and other articles to the miserable
beings, who are compelled to remain there, and for the troops. I have
conversed with persons who have resided upon it, and the accounts
I have heard of the enormities committed there, are most horrible;
crimes, punished capitally or severely in civilized states, or which at
least are held in general abhorrence, are here practised, talked of,
publicly acknowledged, without shame, and without remorse. Strange it
is, that the dreadful state of this place should have so long escaped
the notice of the supreme Government of Brazil. But the evil ends not
here; the individuals who return to Pernambuco, cannot shake off the
remembrance of crimes which have become familiar to them. The powers,
likewise, conceded to the commandant, whose will is absolute, have
oftentimes proved too great for due performance; punishment seldom
follows. The most wanton tyranny may be practised almost without fear
of retribution. The climate of the island is good, and the small
portion of it admitting of cultivation, I have understood, from
competent authority, to be of extraordinary fertility. It does not,
however, afford any shelter for shipping.
The supineness of the ancient system upon which Brazil was ruled, is
still too apparent throughout; but the removal of the Sovereign to
that country has roused many persons who had been long influenced by
habits of indolence, and has increased the activity of others who have
impatiently awaited a field for its display. The Brazilians feel of
more importance, their native soil now gives law to the mother country;
their spirit, long kept under severe subjection to ancient colonial
rules and regulations, has now had some opportunities of showing
itself,—has proved, that though of long suffering, and patient of
endurance, it does exist, and that if its possessors are not treated as
men instead of children, it will break forth, and rend asunder those
shackles to which they have forbearingly submitted. I hope, however,
most sincerely, that the supreme Government may see the necessity of
reformation, and that the people will not expect too much, but consider
that many hardships are preferable to a generation of bloodshed,
confusion, and misery.
Freedom of communication with other nations has already been of service
to the country, and the benefits which it imparts are daily augmenting.
This shoot from our European continent will ultimately increase, and a
plant will spring up, infinitely more important than the branch from
which it proceeded; and though the season of this maturity is far
distant, yet the rapidity of its advance or tardiness of its growth
greatly depends upon the fostering care or indifferent negligence of
its rulers. Still, whatever the conduct of these may be, its extent,
its fertility, and other numerous advantages must, in the course of
time, give to it, that rank which it has a right to claim among the
great nations of the world.
CHAPTER IV.
JOURNEY TO GOIANA.—JOURNEY FROM GOIANA TO PARAIBA, AND BACK TO GOIANA.
I HAD much desired to perform some considerable journey into the less
populous and less cultivated part of the country. The chief engineer
officer of Pernambuco had intended to visit all the fortresses within
his extensive district, and had kindly promised to permit me to
accompany him, but unfortunately his projected journey was delayed
from some cause connected with his place, until the following season.
As I did not know how soon I might be under the necessity of returning
to England, I could not postpone my views for this length of time,
and therefore made enquiries among my friends and acquaintance, and
discovered that the brother of a gentleman resident at Goiana, was
about to set off for that place, and would, probably, from thence
proceed further into the country, with some object in view connected
with trade. It was my intention to advance as far as Seara. I applied
to the governor for a passport, which was immediately granted without
any difficulty.
On the afternoon of the 19th October, 1810, some of my English friends
accompanied me to my cottage at the Cruz das Almas, that they might be
present at my departure, in the course of the ensuing night. Senhor
Feliz, my companion, arrived in the evening, bringing with him his
black guide, a freeman. Preparations were made for proceeding upon our
journey, and about one o’clock, as the moon rose, we sallied forth.
Senhor Feliz, myself, and my English servant John on horseback, armed
with swords and pistols; the black guide also on horseback, without
saddle or bridle, carrying a blunderbuss, and driving on before him a
baggage-horse, with a little mulatto boy mounted between the panniers.
My English friends cheered us as we left the Cruz, and remained in my
quarters, the command of which I had given up to one of them during my
absence. That part of the road which we traversed by moon-light I had
already passed over a short time before, and subsequently from frequent
travelling, my acquaintance with it was such, that I might have become
a guide upon it.
[Illustration: Map of the Route]
We rode along a sandy path for three quarters of a league, until we
began to ascend a steep hill, of which the sides and the flat summit
are covered with large trees, and thick brushwood growing beneath
them. The hamlet of Beberibe stands at the foot of the corresponding
declivity; to this place several families resort in the summer, and a
small rivulet runs through it, of which the water is most beautifully
clear. Half a league beyond Beberibe we crossed another rivulet, and
immediately afterwards commenced our ascent of the hill of Quebracu,
which is in most parts very steep and very narrow, being inclosed on
one side by a precipice, and on the other by sloping ground covered
with wood. This ridge of hill is quite flat along the top, and the
path continues for half a league, between lofty trees and impenetrable
brushwood. We descended into the long and narrow valley of Merueira,
through which a rivulet runs, of which the water never fails. The hills
on each side are thickly cloathed with wood, and in the valley are
scattered several cottages, banana gardens, and mandioc lands, with a
large inclosed piece of ground in which cattle graze. The ascent, on
the opposite side of this beautiful vale, is very steep; the path along
the summit of the ridge is similar to that over which we had travelled;
we soon again descended, and on our arrival at the bottom, entered the
long, straggling village of Paratibe, with mandioc lands and plaintain
and tobacco gardens intermixed with the houses. The inhabitants are
mostly labouring free persons, white, mulatto, and black. The houses
are built on each side of the road at intervals, for the distance of
one mile. A rivulet runs through it, which in the rainy season often
overflows its banks to a considerable distance on each side. Beyond
this village the road is comparatively flat, but is still diversified
by unequal small elevations; several sugar-works are seen, and great
numbers of small cottages; the passing of the country people with
loaded horses, carrying cotton, hides, and other articles, the produce
of the country, and returning with many kinds of wares, salt meat and
fish from Recife, may almost be called continual.
The town of Iguaraçu, which we now entered, has been already mentioned
in a former chapter; it is one of the oldest settlements upon this part
of the coast, and stands at the distance of two leagues from the sea
upon the banks of a creek. The woods, that border the paths or roads,
are in parts so thick and close as to be impassable even to a man on
foot, unless he carries in his hand a bill-hook or hatchet to assist in
breaking through the numberless obstacles which oppose his progress. Of
these the most formidable is the _cipo_; a plant consisting of long and
flexible shoots which twist themselves around the trees, and as some
of the sprouts, which have not yet fixed upon any branch, are moved to
and fro by the wind, they catch upon a neighbouring tree, and as the
operation continues for many years undisturbed, a kind of net-work is
made of irregular form, but difficult to pass through. Of this plant
there are several varieties; that which bears the name of _cipo cururu_
is in the highest estimation, from its superior size and strength, and
likewise from its great flexibility. Several kinds of _cipo_ are used
as cordage in making fences, and for many other purposes.
Iguaraçu is partly situated upon a hill and partly in the plain below,
where a rivulet runs, and a stone bridge has been built, as the tide
reaches this spot, and would render the communication difficult[27].
The place plainly denotes that it has enjoyed greater prosperity than
it at present has to boast of; many of the houses are of two stories,
but they are neglected, and some of the small cottages are in decay
and ruin. The streets are paved, but are much out of repair, and grass
grows in many of them. It contains several churches, one convent, and
a _recolhimento_ or retreat for females, a town hall, and prison. Its
affluence proceeded formerly from the weekly cattle fair, which was
held upon a plain in the vicinity, but this has now for some years
past been removed to the neighbourhood of Goiana. Iguaraçu has many
white inhabitants, several shops, a good surgeon, who was educated in
Lisbon, and it is the resort of the plantations, to the distance of
several leagues, for the embarkation of their sugar chests, and for the
purchase of some articles of necessity. The town contains about eight
hundred inhabitants reckoning the scattered cottages in the outskirts.
The view from the tower of the principal church is said to be extensive
and grand. The only regular inn of which the country has to boast is
established here, for the convenience of passengers between Recife and
Goiana, and at this we intended to have stopped had not the early hour
at which we reached it, tempted us to push forwards before the sun
became more powerful.[28]
The road continues flat and sandy, and two leagues beyond Iguaraçu
we entered the village of Pasmado, which is built in the form of a
square; it consists of a church and a number of cottages, most of
them of mean appearance, containing from 300 to 400 inhabitants. We
proceeded through it, crossed the most considerable stream we had yet
seen this day, called Araripe, and entered the inclosed field attached
to the _engenho_, or sugar-works, of Araripe de Baixo, belonging to a
Portugueze. We expected to have obtained a dinner from this good man,
but after considerable delay, to the great discomfort of our stomachs,
we understood from our host, that his intended hospitality would
not be in readiness, until the day would have been too much broken
into by the additional delay; therefore we again mounted our horses
about two o’clock, with a broiling sun, ascended another steep hill,
passed several sugar-works and cottages, and crossed several rivulets,
traversing a most delightful country. We rode through the hamlets of
Bû and Fontainhas, at the former of which there is a chapel. From the
latter the road is chiefly over a sandy plain, almost without wood,
until the _engenho_ of Bujiri is discovered with its field of grass
and woods around. Immediately beyond it is to be forded the river
of Goiana, influenced by the tide as far as this spot. The wooden
bridge which formerly existed was now fast decaying and dangerous for
horses; we gave ours to the guide, who led them through the water,
riding upon his own, whilst we found our way across some loose beams.
This operation did not delay us long; we received our steeds from the
guide, with their saddles wet and themselves all dripping, and in a few
minutes more entered the town of Goiana, between four and five o’clock
in the afternoon. The distance from Recife to Goiana is fifteen leagues.
The road we had travelled over is the highway from the Sertam[29], by
which the cattle descend from the estates upon the river Açu, and from
the plains of this portion of the interior to the markets of Recife;
therefore the continued passing of large droves of cattle has beat
down the underwood and made a broad sandy road; the large trees still
remain, if it has so happened that any grew upon the track; these,
if of any size, brave the crowd of animals, and will remain either
until they decay from age and fall, or till regular roads begin to
be constructed in Brazil. Thus, if the ground is flat, the road is
not bad; but upon the sides of hills, instead of being carried round
the steepest ascents, the track has been made straight up and down or
nearly so, and the winter torrents form deep caverns and ravines, the
sides of which sometimes fall in and make the roads very dangerous; so
that, unless well acquainted with a hill, it is by no means safe to
ascend or descend by night, as one or two days of the usual rain of
Brazil may have made a great difference, and have rendered the road
impassable. In the course of this day we saw four or five large and
rudely constructed crosses erected by the road side, pointing out the
situations upon which murder had been committed.
I was received most kindly by Senhor Joaquim, whom I had before
had the pleasure of meeting at Recife, and he was not a man to be
long in becoming acquainted with. We sat down to dinner about five
o’clock, when his lady and two little girls, his daughters, made their
appearance. We had dishes cooked in Portugueze, Brazilian, and English
style.
The town of Goiana, one of the largest and most flourishing in the
captaincy of Pernambuco, is situated upon the banks of a river of the
same name, which at this spot bends so considerably, that the town is
almost surrounded by it. The dwellings, with one or two exceptions,
have only the ground-floor; the streets are not paved, but are broad,
and of these the principal one is of sufficient breadth to admit of
a large church at one extremity, and the continuation of a street of
considerable width on each side of the church. The town contains a
Carmelite convent, and several other places of worship. The inhabitants
are in number between four and five thousand, and it is an increasing
place. Several shops are established here, and the commerce with the
interior is considerable. In the streets are always to be seen numbers
of the _matutos_[30], countrymen, either selling produce or purchasing
manufactured goods and other articles of consumption. In the vicinity
are many fine sugar plantations. I suppose that some of the best lands
in the province are in this neighbourhood. The proprietors of these
occasionally reside in the town, and as daily intercourse often creates
rivalry among wealthy families, this necessarily increases expenditure,
and the town is in consequence much benefited by the augmented
consumption of luxuries. The planters have the advantage of water
carriage from hence to Recife for their sugar-chests, as this river
is one of the largest for many leagues to the north or to the south,
and is influenced by the tide even to a short distance above the town.
Goiana stands four leagues distant from the sea in a direct line, but
by the river it is reckoned to be seven. Above the town in the rainy
season the river overflows its banks to a great extent.
Goiana and its extensive district is subject in military affairs to
the governor of Pernambuco, but its civil concerns are directed by a
_Juiz de Fora_, a judicial officer appointed by the supreme government
for the term of three years, who resides in the town, and from his
decisions appeal may be made to the _Ouvidor_ of Paraiba.
We dined on one occasion with the proprietor of the Musumbu estate;
this gentleman and a few others, besides ourselves, dined in one
apartment, whilst the ladies, of whom we were not permitted even to
have a transient view, were in another adjoining. Two young men, sons
of the proprietor, assisted their father’s slaves in waiting upon us
at dinner, and did not sit down themselves until we rose from table.
The owner of the place is a Portugueze—it is among this portion of
the population, who have left their own country to accumulate fortunes
in Brazil, that the introduction of improvement is almost impossible.
Many Brazilians likewise, even of the higher class, follow the Moorish
customs of subjection and seclusion, but these soon see the preference
which ought to be given to more civilized manners and easily enter into
more polished habits, if they have any communication with the towns.
On the 24th of October, I delivered a letter of introduction which
I had obtained at Recife, to the Dr. Manuel Arruda da Camara. This
interesting person then lay at Goiana very ill of dropsy, brought on
by residing in aguish districts. He was an enterprising man, and had
always been an enthusiast in botany. His superior abilities would have
caused him to be caressed by a provident Government, when one of this
description is establishing itself in an uncultivated but improving
country. He shewed me some of his drawings, which I thought well
executed. I never again had an opportunity of seeing him; for when I
returned from Seara, I had not time to enquire and seek for him, and
he died before my second voyage to Pernambuco. He was forming a Flora
Pernambucana, which he did not live to complete.
Senhor Joaquim had business at Paraiba, which he intended to have sent
his brother Feliz to transact; but as I offered to accompany him, he
thought it would be pleasant to go with me, and show the lions of
that city. We sent off his black guide and my servant with a loaded
horse before us, and followed the next day with his black boy. We
crossed the _Campinas de Goiana Grande_ about sunrise, and passed the
sugar plantation of that name, belonging to Senhor Giram, standing at
the foot of the hill, which carries you to the Dous Rios. The road
I afterwards followed to Rio Grande, is through Dous Rios, but the
road to Paraiba strikes off just before you reach it, to the right.
The road between Goiana and Paraiba presents nothing particularly
interesting,—the hills are steep but not high, and woods, plantations,
and cottages are, as usual, the objects to be seen. The distance is
thirteen leagues. We entered the city of Paraiba at twelve o’clock, and
rode to the house of the colonel Mattias da Gama, a man of property,
and a colonel of militia. He was an acquaintance of Senhor Joaquim, and
was about to leave the place for one of his sugar plantations, which he
did, giving us entire possession of his house, and a servant to attend
upon us.
The city of Paraiba, (for much smaller places even than this bear the
rank of city in these yet thinly peopled regions) contains from two to
three thousand inhabitants, including the lower town. It bears strong
marks of having been a place of more importance than it is now, and
though some improvements were going on, they were conducted entirely
through the means which Government supplied for them, or rather,
the Governor wished to leave some memorial of his administration of
the province. The principal street is broad, and paved with large
stones, but is somewhat out of repair. The houses are mostly of one
story, with the ground floors as shops, and a few of them have glass
windows; an improvement which has been only lately introduced into
Recife. The Jesuit’s convent is employed as the governor’s palace, and
the _Ouvidor_’s office and residence also; the church of the convent
stands in the centre, and these are the two wings. The convents of the
Franciscan, Carmelite, and Benedictine Orders are very large buildings,
and are almost uninhabited; the first contains four or five friars,
the second two, and the third only one. Besides these, the city has to
boast of six churches. The public fountains at Paraiba are the only
works of the kind I met with any where on the part of the coast which
I visited. One was built, I believe, by Amaro Joaquim, the former
governor,—it is handsome, and has several spouts; the other, which
was only then building, is much larger, and the superintendance of the
workmen was the chief amusement of the governor.
We waited upon this gentleman the day after our arrival; my companion
had been acquainted with him in Lisbon, when he was an ensign. His
parents were respectable people in one of the northern provinces of
Portugal; he was placed at some seminary for the purpose of being
educated for the church, but he escaped from thence, and enlisted as a
private soldier in Lisbon. One of the officers of the regiment in which
he was enrolled, soon found out that he was a man of education,—having
learnt his story, he was made a cadet, as being of good family. He
came over in the same ship with the Princess of Brazil, a captain
of infantry; married one of the maids of honour on their arrival at
Rio de Janeiro, and in about eighteen months, had advanced from a
captaincy to the government of Paraiba, and a commandery of the Order
of Christ. We next crossed to the other wing of the building, and
paid a visit to the _Ouvidor_, a very affable and good-humoured old
gentleman. His chaplain, a jolly little friar, and an old acquaintance
of Senhor Joaquim, made his appearance, and was afterwards very civil
to us during our stay. The prospect from the windows presents Brazil
scenery of the best kind; extensive and evergreen woods, bounded by a
range of hills, and watered by several branches of the river, with here
and there a white washed cottage, placed upon their banks, and these,
though they were situated on higher spots of land, were still half
concealed by the lofty trees. The cultivated specks were so small, as
to be scarcely perceptible.
The lower town consists of small houses, and is situated upon the
borders of a spacious basin or lake, formed by the junction of three
rivers, which from hence discharge their waters into the sea, by one
considerable stream. The banks of the basin are covered with mangroves,
as in all the salt water rivers of this country; and they are so close
and thick, that there seems to be no outlet. I did not follow the
river down to the sea, but I understand that there are in it some fine
islands, with good land, quite uncultivated[31]. Paraiba was the scene
of much fighting during the Dutch war, and I now regret not having
proceeded down the river, to the famous Fort of Cabedello. This war was
conducted upon a small scale, but the deeds which were performed by the
brave defenders of their country, may rank with those which any other
people have displayed in a cause of equal import to the actors.
The trade of Paraiba is inconsiderable, though the river admits of
vessels of 150 tons upon the bar; and when in the basin, opposite to
the lower town, a rope yarn would keep them still, as no harm could
reach them. It contains a regular custom-house, which is seldom opened.
Paraiba lies out of the road from the Sertam[32] to Recife, that is,
out of the direct way from the towns upon the coast further north. The
inhabitants of the Sertam of the interior, will make for Recife rather
than Paraiba, as the more extensive market for their produce. The port
of Recife admits of larger vessels, and has more conveniences for the
landing and shipment of goods, consequently it obtains the preference.
The houses of this place, which may be reckoned handsome from a general
comparison of the country, have been built by the great landholders in
the neighbourhood, as a residence during the depth of the winter, or
rainy season. The lands of the captaincy are, generally speaking, rich
and fertile, but so great a preference is given to plantations nearer
to Recife, that those of Paraiba are to be purchased at a much less
price. The sugar of this province is reckoned equal to that of any part
of Brazil.
I soon saw what was to be seen, and we had no society; time, however,
did not appear to hang heavy, for Senhor Joaquim was a man of
inexhaustible good humour and hilarity. We lived by magic, as the
colonel had ordered his servant to supply every thing for us.
The late governor, Amaro Joaquim, brought the captaincy into great
order, by his necessary severity. A custom prevailed, of persons
walking about the town at night in large cloaks, and crape over their
faces; thus concealed, to carry on their irregular practices. The
governor, not being able to discover who these persons were, gave
orders one night for the patrole to take into custody all who were
so dressed; this was done, and some of the principal inhabitants
were found the next morning in the guard-house. A man of the name of
Nogueira, the son of a black or mulatto woman, and of one of the first
men in the captaincy, had made himself much dreaded by his outrageous
proceedings; he had carried from their parents’ houses, the daughters
of some persons of respectability in the captaincy, murdering the
friends and relatives who opposed his entrance. The man was at last
taken; Amaro Joaquim would have had him executed, but he found this
was not to be done, from the interest which the family made for him,
and therefore ordered him to be flogged. Nogueira said, that being
half a _fidalgo_, a nobleman, this mode of punishment could not be
practised upon him. The governor then ordered that he should be flogged
upon only one side of his body, that his _fidalgo_ side might not
suffer, desiring Nogueira to say which was his _fidalgo_ side. He was
accordingly punished in this manner, and after remaining some time in
prison, was sent to Angola for life. The city of Paraiba still enjoyed
the good effects of Amaro Joaquim’s strict government.
[Illustration: _Crossing a River._]
I was acquainted with him at Pernambuco, before I set off on this
journey; his appearance and his conversation both bespoke a man of
superior abilities. When I saw him in Recife, he was on his way to
Piauhi, of which captaincy he had been appointed governor. He died on
board a coasting vessel, on the passage to Piauhi, of a fever.
Senhor Joaquim wished to return by the sea shore to Goiana, a distance
of twenty-two leagues. We set off at the time the tide was flowing, and
proceeded along the beach, until about eleven o’clock we reached the
house of a _Capitam-mor_, quite a first rate man in this part of the
world. It was a mud cottage, as bad or worse than that of any labourer
in England, situated upon the burning sands, with a pool of salt water
before the door, which is never quite dry, consequently, breeds insects
of all kinds. We crossed two ferries in the course of the morning; the
conveyances are small _jangadas_[33]; the saddle is placed upon it, and
the horse swims by the side, whilst the rider stands upon the raft,
and holds the reins. The ferryman either paddles across the stream, or
poles, if it be not too deep. About three o’clock, we found that we had
entered upon a considerable track of sand, inclosed by perpendicular
rocks, against which the water mark was at some height, however, the
tide was already on the ebb; we made our guide mount the horse, which
until now he had driven before him, and keep pace with us, whilst we
quickened ours. The tide was still very near to the rocks, and we found
that the water still reached one which projected further than the rest,
therefore as we were yet hemmed in, we left our horses, and climbed up
this rock. The guide, in the mean time, drove the loose horses into
the water, they fortunately leaned to the right, passed out far enough
to see the land on the other side of the rock, and made for it. I
was getting over the rock, missed my footing, and fell up to my arms
into a hole between two pieces of it; however, I succeeded in raising
myself, and leaped from it on to the sand on the other side, just at
the return of a wave, by which means I had an unintentional cold bath
up to my waist. We might certainly have waited to have allowed the
tide to retreat, but were afraid of being benighted, which after all
our exertions, did happen to us. The country, on the other side of
the projecting rock, is low, and sandy uncultivated land. At dusk, we
arrived upon the banks of a broad stream, so that by the light which
then remained, we could not see the other side; after several calls,
the ferryman did not make his appearance, and the night closed in.
I advised sleeping under the tree which then sheltered us; to this
my companion would not consent, but asked the distance to Abia, the
nearest sugar plantation; the guide answered three leagues,—we must
either sleep where we were, or go to Abia. We had already advanced
sixteen leagues, and Senhor Joaquim’s horse, a fine highly fed animal,
began to give way. The guide led, and we followed, through a narrow
path, very little frequented, as the bushes oftentimes nearly took off
our hats, and were continually brushing against us the whole way. On
our arrival at Abia, the house was quite deserted, as the steward was
from home, and we did not like to enter a cottage which stood near to
the principal house, when we found that the party in it was larger than
our own, and not likely to be of the best kind. We had now another
half league to go to Senhor Leonardo’s, a friend of my fellow-traveller.
He gave us a good supper, and hammocks, took good care of our horses,
and in the morning we set forth for Goiana, seven leagues. We passed
through Alhandra, an Indian village, containing about six hundred
inhabitants. This village is not so regularly built as many of the
others which I have seen; instead of a square, with houses on each
side, it is built in streets, and though the square is preserved, still
it is not the principal feature of the place. The Indians of Alhandra,
from their vicinity to Goiana, which is distant about three leagues,
are not so pure as those further from a large town; they have admitted
among them some _mamalucos_ and _mestizos_.
Great part of this extent of coast was uninhabited, but wherever
the land was low, and the surf not violent, there we found a few
cottages; the banks of the rivers were also not entirely destitute of
inhabitants. The two streams which we first crossed might be about
eighty or one hundred yards in breadth; they are deep, but do not
proceed far into the country. When the action of the tide ceases, all
these lesser streams become insignificant, and most of them quite dry.
The great river which we were to have crossed is the Goiana; it spreads
very widely when the tide enters, but is easily passed at the ebb, and
the channel becomes much contracted, and very shallow during the spring
tides. It is judged to be about a league in breadth, at its mouth, and
is much deeper immediately within the bar than upon it.
CHAPTER V.
JOURNEY FROM GOIANA TO RIO GRANDE.—THE CITY OF NATAL.—THE GOVERNOR.
I HAD entertained hopes of being accompanied by Senhor Joaquim, at
least as far as Rio Grande, but he changed his mind, and I began to
make the necessary arrangements for going alone. I purchased three more
horses, and hired a guide for the Sertam, who was a white man of the
country, and two Indian lads of about sixteen years of age. On the 3d
November, I again set forth, accompanied by my English John, Francisco
the guide, Julio, and the other boy, his companion. We only reached
Dous Rios the same evening, which is two leagues distant from Goiana;
we had left that place late in the day, and got on very slowly, as
the two loads upon the horses were not well divided and arranged. I
now found, on stopping for the night, that I had not provided as many
things as were necessary; that I wanted an additional piece of baize
to cover myself at night, that we ought to have brought more kitchen
apparatus, and that knives and forks were to be had very rarely. I had
with me a trunk with my cloaths, on one side of the pack-saddle, and
a case, with some bottles of rum and wine, on the other side, and my
hammock in the middle; these made one load. The other horse carried
in the _malas_, a kind of trunk, on the one side, our provisions, and
on the other, the cloaths of my people, additional ropes, and other
tackle. I was far from being well supplied, but afterwards provided
myself with more things as I went on, learning by experience. The
hammocks are all made of cotton, and are of several sizes and colours,
and of various workmanship. Those in use among the lower orders, are
made of cotton cloth, of the manufacture of the country; others are
composed of net-work, from which all the several kinds derive the
general name of _Rede_, a net; others, again, are knit or woven in
long straight threads, knotted across at intervals: these are usually
dyed of two or three colours, and are to be found in the houses of
wealthy persons. This species of bed has been adopted from the Indians,
and nothing more convenient and better adapted to the climate, could
possibly be imagined; it can be wrapped up into a very small compass,
and, with the addition of a piece of baize as a coverlid, is usually of
sufficient warmth.
I could not discover that there was any stream at this place, though
it bears the name of Dous Rios, or the two rivers. It is a large open
piece of land, with cottages upon the skirts, and attached to each is a
pen for cattle. The great weekly fair for cattle from the Sertam, for
the Pernambuco market, is held here.
From Dous Rios, we advanced the following day to the sugar plantation
of Espirito Santo, situated upon the banks of the river Paraiba, which
becomes dry in the summer, at a short distance above this estate. I had
letters to the owner of it, who is a member of the Cavalcante family,
and the Capitam-mor of the captaincy of Paraiba. I was received by
him in a very friendly manner. The house is in the usual style of the
country, having only the ground-floor, and no ceiling, the tiles and
rafters being in full view. Supper of dried meat, and the flour of the
mandioc made into paste, and called _piram_, was placed before me;
also, some hard biscuits, and red wine. I was not then sufficiently
a Brazilian to eat _piram_, and took the biscuits with the meat in
preference, which much astonished my host. Sweetmeats were afterwards
brought in, which are always good in the houses of persons of his rank
in life; the opulent people in Brazil taking as much pride in their
_doces_, as an English citizen in his table or his wines. The cloth
was laid at one end of a long table, and I sat down by myself, whilst
the Capitam-mor placed himself upon the table, near to the other end,
and talked to me; and some of the chief persons of his establishment
stood around, to see the strange animal called an Englishman. We
adjourned from the supper-room into another spacious apartment, and
each of us took a hammock, of which there were several in the room, and
swung and talked until we were half asleep. One of his men supposed,
that as I spoke Portugueze, either I must be an Englishman who did
not speak English, or that any Portugueze, on going to England, would
immediately speak the language of that country, as I did Portugueze.
The Capitam-mor seldom leaves his estate to go to Recife, or even to
Paraiba, and lives in the usual style of the Brazilian gentry, in a
kind of feudal state. He had several young men about him, some of
whom were employed by him; neither his wife, nor any of his children
appeared. The principal apartments of this house are two spacious
rooms, having a great number of doors and windows; in one, were several
hammocks and a sofa; and in the other, the long table upon which I
supped; there were a few chairs in each of them; the floors were of
brick, and the shutters and doors were unpainted. The owner of this
mansion wore a shirt and a pair of drawers, a long bed-gown, called a
_chambre_, and a pair of slippers. This is the usual dress of those
persons who have no work to perform. When a Brazilian takes to wearing
one of these long gowns, he begins to think himself a gentleman, and
entitled, consequently, to much respect.
The next day we advanced about seven leagues, and, for the first time,
I slept in the open air. We intended to have taken up our lodging
for the night at a neighbouring hamlet, but the huts were so small
and miserable, being constructed of the leaves of palm trees, that I
preferred the open air. We made for the rivulet which runs at a little
distance from these habitations; the horses were immediately unloaded,
and their pack-saddles taken off, that they might roll in comfort.
The next thing to be done, was to get firewood,—in most parts of the
country it is very plentiful, and as we were upon the skirts of a thick
wood, there was here no want of it. A light was struck, and two fires
made; we got an additional pan from one of the neighbouring huts, and
our dried meat was cooked. The meat is dried in the old Indian manner,
by laying it upon a platform of twigs, raised about eighteen inches
from the ground, and making a fire underneath. We discovered that not
far off, a field or piece of land, rather more cleared of wood than the
rest, was rented by a cottager, who would allow our horses to be put
into it for a _vintem_, about five farthings each, for the night, which
the guide thought I should consider dear, and therefore told me, it was
the usual price. As may be supposed, I made no great difficulties on
this score, and the horses were taken to the place by Julio, and his
companion. I now thought myself settled for the night, and therefore
ate my supper, sitting in my hammock, which was slung between two
trees, with the plate upon one of the trunks; having finished, I took
my segar, and sat down close to the fire; the guide lighted his pipe,
and placed himself on the opposite side, that we might have a talk
about our proceedings for the morrow. I returned to my hammock about
ten o’clock, but found the air very sharp, and consequently laid
down under the lee of the fire, upon a hide, of which we had two for
covering the loads in case of rain.
This was to me a new scene,—when I thought of the complete change of
habits which this kind of life required, and how entirely different
it was from any thing in England, I may almost say in Europe,—when I
looked round, and saw our several fires, for the cold air had, by this
time, obliged each person to have his own; the men all asleep, our
pack-saddles, trunks, and other parts of our baggage scattered about,
as it was taken from the horses,—when I heard the running of the
water, and the rustling of the trees; and, when I considered, that I
was entering among a people with whose habits I was little acquainted,
whose feelings towards my countrymen I was ignorant of,—I felt a kind
of damp; but this was soon removed, by thinking of the pleasure of
return, and of the accomplishment of what I was deemed incapable of
performing. I was cheered by my recollection of the knowledge I had of
the language, and by the determination I felt within me of conforming
to the customs of the people,—of submitting to their prejudices. I was
not old enough to have contracted any habits, too deep to be laid aside
when necessary. These thoughts were interrupted by the cry of “Jezus,”
which was repeated every half minute in a dismal voice; I called to the
guide, supposing it to proceed from some person in distress; he waked,
and I told him what had made me call to him,—he said, it was only
some person helping another “_a bem morrer_,” that is, that some dying
person, which I found was the usual custom, had a friend to repeat
the word “Jezus,” until the sufferer expired, that it might not be
forgotten, and, perhaps, to keep the devil off.
I dined the following day at the village of Mamanguape, situated upon
the banks of a dry river; it is a thriving place. These more modern
villages have been built in one long street upon the road, the older
ones in a square. It had then about three hundred inhabitants; but
I have since heard, that the number is more than doubled, and that
new houses are building. The river can scarcely be reckoned of any
advantage to the village, but the place forms a convenient break
between Goiana and Rio Grande for the travelling pedlars, a useful,
industrious, and, generally, honest set of men, as their resting-place
and head-quarters; from hence they make daily excursions to the
plantations, at a little distance, and return here to sleep. I passed
the night in the out-houses of some sugar-works; my guide was much
astonished at my not asking for lodgings at the _caza-grande_, or
owner’s house; but I preferred these kind of quarters to better ones,
where I might run the risk of being obliged to remain half the night
awake, for the purpose of giving news. The hospitality, however, of the
planters, is very great; and no recommendation is necessary, though I
had provided myself with a few letters.
The next day we proceeded to Cunhàû, the sugar-plantation of the
Colonel Andre d’Albuquerque do Maranham, the chief of the Maranham
branch of this numerous and distinguished family of the Albuquerques.
He is a man of immense landed property. The plantation of Cunhàû
extends along the road fourteen leagues, and the owner has since
purchased another large estate adjoining; his lands likewise in the
Sertam for breeding cattle are supposed not to be less than thirty to
forty leagues in extent—of those kind of leagues that sometimes take a
man three or four hours to get over one.
I had letters to him from some of his relations and friends at
Pernambuco; he was sitting at his door, with his chaplain and several
of his stewards and other persons employed by him, to have all the
benefit of the fresh air. He is a man of about thirty years of age,
handsome, and rather above the middle size, with genteel manners,
rather courtly, as the Brazilians of education generally are. He lives
quite in feudal state; his negroes and other dependants are numerous.
He commands the regiment of militia cavalry of Rio Grande, and has them
in good order, considering the state of the country. He came forwards
on my dismounting, and I gave him the letters, which he put by to
read at leisure, and then desiring me to sit down, asked me several
questions of my wishes, intentions, &c. He took me to his guests’
apartments at a little distance from his own residence, where I found
a good bed; hot water was brought to me in a large brass basin, and
every necessary was supplied in a magnificent style—the towels were
all fringed, &c. When I had dressed myself, I expected to be called to
supper, but, to my amazement, I waited until near one o’clock, when a
servant came to summon me. I found in the dining-room a long table laid
out and covered with meat of several kinds, and in quantity sufficient
for twenty persons; to this feast the colonel, his chaplain, another
person, and myself sat down; when I had tasted until I was quite tired,
to my utter dismay another course came on, equally profuse of fowls,
pastry, &c. &c. and when this was removed, I had yet a third to go
through of at least ten different kinds of sweetmeats. The supper could
not have been better cooked or handsomer, if it had been prepared at
Recife, and even an English epicure might have found much to please his
palate. I was not able to retire to rest until near three o’clock; my
bed was most excellent, and I enjoyed it still more from not expecting
to find one. In the morning, the colonel would not allow me to leave
his house, until I had breakfasted; tea, coffee, and cakes were brought
in, all of which were very good. He then took me to see his horses, and
pressed me much to leave my own, and take one of his for my journey,
that mine might be in good condition on my return, and he also urged
me to leave my pack-horses, and take some of his; but as mine were
still all in working order, I declined accepting his offer. These
circumstances are mentioned to show the frankness with which strangers
are treated. I could not get away before ten o’clock, and therefore
only advanced two leagues to dinner; I stopped by the side of a rivulet
under some trees, upon a most beautiful spot.
At a short distance from the estate of Cunhàû, is a hamlet of the same
name through which I passed in my way to the colonel’s plantation. This
hamlet, or the estate itself, was the scene of a massacre, which was
committed by the Pitagoares and Tapuyas from the Potengi in the year
1645. A battle was fought by Camaram, the Indian chieftain, to whose
prowess the Portugueze are so much indebted, against the Dutch, in the
following year, between Cunhàû and Fort Keulen which stands at the
mouth of the Potengi.[34]
The captaincy of Rio Grande commences some leagues to the southward
of Cunhàû, at a place called Os Marcos—a deep dell inhabited by
runaway negroes and criminals; the paths of the dell are intricate, and
when once a man has taken up his residence here, it is impossible to
dislodge him.
This season the crop of cotton had failed; it was one of those years
in which a great want of rain was felt. The colonel of Cunhàû had,
for the first time, planted a piece of land, from which he expected
to have gathered 10,000 _arrobas_, but in the end only gathered about
100; and he told me that he should keep to his sugar henceforwards. He
is lenient to his slaves; they looked fat and well, and he has the
character of not making as much of his plantation as he might, which
is one proof of his kindness to them. The estate of Cunhàû is one of
the largest, if not quite the most extensive, in these parts. There are
upon it about 150 negroes, and the lands belonging to it would employ
four or five times the number, but the colonel pays more attention to
cattle, by which his father increased his fortune very largely.
As usual, on our arrival by the side of the rivulet the horses were
unloaded, and my hammock was slung for me. I laid down in my cloaths,
but soon I started up, finding myself uneasy. The guide saw me, and
called out, “O sir, you are covered with _carapatos_.” I then perceived
them, and felt still more their bites. Instantly throwing off part
of my cloaths, but with the remainder upon me I ran into the water,
and there began to take them off. The _carapato_ or tick, is a small,
flat insect, of a dark brown colour; about the size of four pins’
heads placed together, it fastens upon the skin, and will in time eat
its way into it. It is dangerous to pull it out quickly, when already
fixed, for if the head remains, inflammation is not unfrequently the
consequence. The point of a heated fork or penknife applied to the
insect, when it is too far advanced into the skin to be taken out with
the hand, will succeed in loosening it. There is another species of
tick of much larger size, and of a lead colour; this is principally
troublesome to horses and horned cattle, that are allowed to run loose
in lands which have been only partially cleared. I have, in some
instances, seen horses that have had such vast numbers upon them, as
to have been weakened by the loss of blood which they have occasioned.
The insects of this species of _carapato_[35] fasten themselves to the
skin, but do not force their way into it. The hammock had fallen to the
ground accidentally when taken from the trunk to be slung, and had
thus picked up these unpleasant visitors. I had some trouble in getting
them all off, but was successful, as I had attacked the enemy in time.
We set off again about two o’clock; I had intended to have ridden until
sunset, and then to have put up near to some cottage, but a young man
overtook us, and we entered into conversation. He lived at Papari,
a village about half a league out of the road, and he pressed me so
much to accompany him to sleep at his place, that I agreed. Papari is
a deep and narrow valley, a most delightful situation. The whole of
the valley is cultivated, and principally this year, the lands were in
great request, as the rains had failed, and the high sandy lands had
proved barren. For, whilst every other part of the country appeared
dry and burnt up, this spot was in full verdure—it appeared to laugh
at all around it, aware of its own superiority. The inhabitants seemed
by their countenances to partake of the joyful looks of the land they
lived in. Papari yet enjoys another advantage; though it is at the
distance of three or four leagues from the sea, a salt water lake
reaches it, so that its inhabitants have the fish brought to their
own doors. The tide enters the lake, which is never dry, for although
the fresh springs which run into it might fail, still it would always
preserve a certain portion of water from the sea. The fishermen come
up upon their small river _jangadas_, which do not require more than
twelve inches of water. Papari is about five leagues from Cunhàû.
Senhor Dionisio introduced me to his lady; he is a native of Portugal,
and she a Brazilian. They possessed a small piece of land in the
valley, and appeared to be comfortably situated. Papari may contain
about three hundred inhabitants very much scattered. In the course of
this year, I afterwards heard, that many persons flocked to it from
other parts, owing to the absolute want of provisions. I went down to
the edge of the lake to see the fishermen arrive, the people of the
valley had all assembled to receive them; it was quite a Billingsgate
in miniature—save that the Portugueze language does not admit of
swearing.
We dined in Brazilian style, upon a table raised about six inches from
the ground, around which we sat or rather laid down upon mats; we
had no forks, and the knives, of which there were two or three, were
intended merely to sever the larger pieces of meat—the fingers were to
do the rest. I remained at Papari during one entire day, that my horses
might have some respite, that I might purchase another from Senhor
Dionisio, and on poor Julio’s account, whose feet had begun to crack
from the dryness of the sands.
Distant from Papari, from three to four leagues, is the Indian village
of St. Joze, built in the form of a square; this place might contain
about two hundred inhabitants, but it had evidently the appearance of
falling to decay; the grass in the centre of the square was high, the
church neglected, and the whole aspect dull. St. Joze stands upon a
dry sandy soil, and the severity of the season might have contributed
to its dismal look. This day we experienced the utter impossibility of
trusting to the accounts we received of distances, and my guide had no
very clever head for recollecting them, although he, like most of these
people, possessed a kind of instinct with respect to the paths we were
to follow. We were told that Natal was distant from St. Joze three or
four leagues, and therefore expected to arrive at that place by dusk,
but about five o’clock we entered upon the dismal sand hills, over
which lies the road to the city; the whole country is uninhabited, and
I may say uninhabitable, between Natal and St. Joze, consequently we
had very faint hopes of meeting any one to give us information of the
distance; but the guide said he supposed we could not be nearer to it
than from two to three leagues, from the recollection he had of these
hills, which when once passed over cannot be entirely forgotten. When
it was nearly dark, and when our horses were almost giving way, we saw
two boys on horseback, coming towards us: we asked them the distance,
they answered “two leagues, and all deep sand,” adding, that they
belonged to a party, which had come to make _farinha_, upon a spot of
land, half a league distant from where we were, upon which mandioc was
cultivated. They said, that to go on to Rio Grande the same night was
madness, that they were going a short way to water their horses, and
that on their return, they would guide us to their party. I agreed to
wait for them. When they arrived, they struck soon from the road, down
the side of one of the hills,—it was now dark; we followed, entered
some high and thick brushwood, and a considerable way into it, found
the persons to whom the boys told us they belonged. The implements
for making the _farinha_ were placed under a shed, which was thatched
with the leaves of the _macaiba_, and other palm trees. These persons
had fixed upon this spot, as there was a spring of brackish water hard
by, which was, however, only to be reached by descending a precipice;
the pitcher was fastened to a cord, and drawn up, and the person who
descended to fill it, ascended the precipice by means of the brushwood
which grows upon the side. I did not much like the party, therefore we
took up our lodgings at some little distance from them, and none of us
settled regularly for the night. I now much regretted not having a dog
with me. Our horses passed a wretched night, feeding upon the leaves of
the shrubs around us.
The next morning we continued our journey over the sand hills to Natal,
travelling at about two miles within the hour. The distance from Goiana
to Natal is fifty-five leagues. The sand hills are perpetually changing
their situations and forms; the high winds blow the sand in clouds,
which renders it dangerous to travellers; it is white, and very fine,
so that our horses sunk up to the knees at every step,—painful to
a very great degree, when the sun has had full power upon it. Poor
Julio had mounted upon the haunches of one of the loaded horses, and
occasioned our travelling still slower. All was desolate and dreary;
for the great lightness of the sand almost prevented vegetation, though
some of the creeping sea-side plants had succeeded here and there in
establishing a footing.
The track of country between Goiana and Espirito Santo, and indeed even
to Cunhàû, keeping at no great distance from the coast, is appropriated
for the most part to sugar-plantations; but many of the Senhores de
_Engenho_, sugar-planters, also employ part of their time in raising
cotton. The general feature is of an uncultivated country, though a
great quantity of land is yearly employed. The system of agriculture is
so slovenly, or rather, as there is no necessity for husbandry of land,
from the immensity of the country, and the smallness of its population,
lands are employed one year, and the next the brushwood is allowed to
grow up, giving thus to every piece of ground that is not absolutely
in use that year, the look of one totally untouched, until a person is
acquainted, in some measure, from practice, with the appearance of the
several kinds of land. He will then perceive the difference between
brushwood that will not grow because the land is of a barren kind, and
that which is left to rise, that the land may rest for another crop.
From this manner of cultivating their lands, a plantation requires
three or four times more ground than would otherwise be necessary. I
passed through several deep woods, and ascended some steep hills, but
I saw nothing which deserved the name of mountain; I crossed some flat
sandy plains, upon which the acaju, mangaba, and several species of
palm or cabbage trees grow; these are merely fit to turn cattle upon
in winter, and will only be brought into cultivation when lands begin
to be scarce in Brazil. _Varseas_, or low marshy lands, adapted to the
sugar cane, I also frequently saw. The _cercados_, or fenced pieces
of ground, attached to each sugar plantation, upon which are fed the
cattle kept for the work of it, are the only spots which bear the look
of fields; and even in these, the brushwood is not always sufficiently
cleared away, unless the proprietor is wealthy and has an abundance
of persons upon his estate; otherwise, such is the fertility of the
soil, that without great care, the _cercado_ will in time become a
wood. There are several hamlets upon the road, consisting of three and
four cottages, and these are built of slight timber, and the leaves of
the cabbage trees; others have mud walls, and are covered with these
leaves; and now and then, a house built of mud, with a tiled roof, is
to be seen,—this bespeaks a man above the common run of people. I
crossed several rivulets, which were much reduced by the drought; but I
did not see any great streams. The Paraiba was dry where I passed it,
as also was the river near Mamanguape. A rivulet, that runs into the
lake at Papari, was the only stream which appeared still to possess its
usual strength. The road from Goiana to Mamanguape is the great Sertam
track, and is similar to that between Recife and Goiana, excepting that
the plains of the part of the country I had just now traversed, are
more extensive, and the roads over these are dangerous, as they are
only marked by the short and ill-grown grass being worn away upon the
path; but as the cattle extend more upon a plain, and cannot be kept
so close, from the greater extent of ground over which they pass, each
part receives fewer footsteps, and the grass not unfrequently resists
their passing, and vegetation still continues; consequently, in an
imperfect light, an experienced guide is necessary, as on these plains
no huts are ever to be met with, being, for the most part, destitute of
water. These, the Brazilians call _taboleiros_, distinguishing them by
this name, from _campinas_; upon the latter, the soil is closer, and
they afford good grass. Beyond Mamanguape, the road is sometimes a mere
path, with breadth sufficient only for two loaded horses to pass, and,
in some places, it has not even the necessary width for this purpose.
The valley of Papari I have already mentioned, as being much superior
to the rest of the country. The trees in Brazil are mostly evergreens,
and the drought must be great indeed to make them lose their leaves;
but the green of the leaves of a parched plant, though still a green,
is very different from the bright joyful colour of one that is in full
health. This produced the striking difference between that valley and
the burnt lands above it,—besides, the misfortunes of other parts made
its good luck more apparent.
I arrived about eleven o’clock in the morning at the city of Natal,
situated upon the banks of the Rio Grande, or Potengi. A foreigner,
who might chance to land first at this place, on his arrival upon the
coast of Brazil, would form a very poor opinion of the state of the
population of the country; for, if places like this are called cities,
what must the towns and villages be; but such a judgment would not
prove correct, for many villages, even of Brazil, surpass this city;
the rank must have been given to it, not from what it was or is, but
from the expectation of what it might be at some future period. The
settlement upon rising ground, rather removed from the river, is
properly the city, as the parish church is there; it consists of a
square, with houses on each side, having only the ground floor; the
churches, of which there are three, the palace, town-hall, and prison.
Three streets lead from it, which have also a few houses on each side.
No part of the city is paved, although the sand is deep; on this
account, indeed, a few of the inhabitants have raised a foot path of
bricks before their own houses. The place may contain from six to seven
hundred persons.
I rode immediately to the palace, as I had letters of introduction to
the governor, from several of his friends at Pernambuco. He received
me in the most cordial manner. He asked me for my passport, which I
produced; it was scarcely opened, and he immediately returned it,
saying, that he only did this, that all necessary form might be
complied with. He said, that I should stay with him, and he would
provide a house for my people. At one o’clock we dined, and one of his
aide-de-camps was with us. In the afternoon, we walked down to the
lower town. It is situated upon the banks of the river; the houses
stand along the southern bank, and there is only the usual width of
a street between them and the river. This place may contain from two
to three hundred inhabitants, and here live the men of trade of Rio
Grande. The bar of the Potengi is very narrow, but is sufficiently deep
to admit vessels of 150 tons. The northern bank projects considerably,
and for this reason, it is necessary that a ship should make for it
from the southward. The entrance to the reef of rocks, which lies
at some distance from the shore, also requires to be known, so that
altogether the port is a difficult one. The river is very safe, when
once within the bar; the water is deep, and quite still, and two
vessels might swing in its breadth; but it soon becomes shallow, and in
the course of a few miles is greatly diminished. I should imagine, that
six or seven vessels might swing altogether in the harbour. The bars of
rivers that are formed, as in this case, of sand, are, however, not to
be trusted to, without good pilots, as they soon change their depth,
and even their situation. When the tide enters, the northern bank is
overflowed about one mile from the mouth of the harbour, and spreads
over a considerable extent of ground, which, even during the ebb, is
always wet and muddy, but never becomes sufficiently deep to prevent
passing. The governor was raising a road over this piece of land, and
the work was then nearly half finished. The new road would be about one
mile in length. The captaincy of Rio Grande is subject to the governor
of Pernambuco, and those of Paraiba and Seara were formerly in the
same situation, but have of late years been formed into independent
provincial governments.
The governor, Francisco de Paula Cavalcante de Albuquerque, is a native
of Pernambuco, and a younger brother of the chief of the Cavalcante
branch of the Albuquerques. His father, a Brazilian also, was first an
ensign in the Recife regiment of the line; he afterwards established
himself upon a sugar-plantation, and made a fortune. The old man died,
and left to each of his sons considerable property; two remained upon
their estates, and still live upon them; this third son entered the
Olinda regiment, and was much beloved by the men. The regiment had
then only one company, of which he became the commander, and large
sums of money taken from his own purse, were expended by him for their
good equipment. He went to Lisbon on some business relating to his
company, and whilst he was there a _denuncia_, a private accusation,
was given by some enemy to the family—that the brothers were forming
a conspiracy against the government. He was obliged to leave Lisbon,
afraid of being put under an arrest, and fled to England, where his
reception was such, that he has ever wished for opportunities of
shewing kindness to persons of that nation. His brothers suffered
much in person and in property, but matters were at last cleared up,
as the accusation was proved to be false. Francisco was immediately
promoted to a majority, and soon afterwards sent to govern Rio Grande.
He is a man of talent, and of proper feelings in regard of his
duties,—enthusiastic in wishing to better the condition of the people
over whom he was placed. I am grieved to say, that he has been removed
to the insignificant government of St. Michael’s, one of the Azores or
Western Islands.
When he was appointed to Rio Grande, there was scarcely a well dressed
person in it, but he had succeeded in persuading one family to send for
English manufactured goods to Recife—when once these were introduced
they made their way—one would not be outdone by another, and, in the
course of two years, they had become general. We visited the church in
the evening—all the ladies were handsomely dressed in silks of various
colours, and black veils thrown over the head and face. A twelvemonth
previous to this period, these same persons would have gone to church
in petticoats of Lisbon printed cottons, and square pieces of thick
cloth over their heads, without stockings, and their shoes down at the
heels.
The military establishment consists of one hundred and fourteen
men—one company—which were in much better order than those of
Pernambuco, or Paraiba. The captaincy of Rio Grande enjoyed perfect
quietude from robberies through his exertions. The governor promoted
the building of a large house, which was going on very fast, and for
which he had subscribed largely; the rent of it was to be appropriated
to the support of the widows of the soldiers of the captaincy. This
work has, I am afraid, been laid aside since his removal. The situation
of the prisoners was very miserable; he wished to better it, and
requested that the principal persons of the place would take it in turn
weekly to carry a bag round to all the inhabitants, that each might
give some trifle to assist in their support; for some time this went
on well, but after a few weeks it was neglected. He, therefore, took
the bag himself, and, accompanied by one of his aides-de-camps, called
at every house. He said, that this was the most comfortable week the
prisoners had ever passed since their confinement, as more was given
by each person than was usual, and the excellent arrangement was again
taken up with ardour, by the same persons who had neglected it.
A British vessel was wrecked near Natal, and I have always understood
that the proprietors were perfectly satisfied that every exertion
possible had been made use of to save the property.
The drought of this year had caused a scarcity of the flour of the
mandioc—the bread of Brazil—and the price was so high at Recife,
Goiana, &c. that those persons of Rio Grande who possessed it, began to
ship it off for other places; this the governor prohibited; he ordered
it to be sold in the market-place, at a price equal to the gain the
owners would have had by sending it away, and if all was not bought he
took it himself, again giving it out when necessary at the same price.
These anecdotes of him I had partly from himself, but principally from
persons of the place, to whom I was introduced. When he left the city,
on his appointment to St. Michael’s, the people followed him to some
distance, praying for his prosperity.
CHAPTER VI.
CONTINUATION OF THE JOURNEY. FROM NATAL TO AÇU.
THE governor did all in his power to dissuade me from proceeding
further, the drought being so great as to render it not quite prudent;
but as I had come so far, I was resolved, at any rate, to make the
attempt. If I had been certain of being able to undertake the journey
at a future period, it would have been better to have returned, and
to have waited until a more favourable season; but I am rejoiced that
I went at that time, as, otherwise, I should most probably have been
under the necessity of foregoing my plan altogether. Some of the
disagreeable circumstances which I met with, certainly proceeded from
the rigour of the season.
I received from the governor a letter of introduction to Aracati. He
also insisted upon my leaving my own horse, that he might be in good
condition when I returned. I was to sleep at a place from which Rio
Grande is supplied with _farinha_ during the drought; but, in usual
years, it is too wet to be cultivated, unless it was drained, and
of this operation scarcely any notions are entertained. At Natal, I
purchased another horse. I crossed the river in a canoe, and the horses
and men upon _jangadas_; we were landed upon the new raised road, and
immediately beyond it overtook some persons who were going to the
_Lagoa Seca_, or dry lake above-mentioned, where I was to purchase
maize and _farinha_, for crossing the tract of country through which
runs the river Seara-meirim. We left the usual road, and turned down
a narrow path, which leads to this lake; it was overhung with trees.
I struck my head against a branch of one of these, and found that I
had disturbed a large family which had taken up its residence upon
it; my shoulders were quickly covered with small red ants, and I did
not get rid of them without feeling some of their bites. We arrived
at the dry lake about six o’clock in the evening, and put up at one
of the cottages. In the course of the following morning, I made known
my principal errand, and that I likewise wished to purchase another
horse. The people who were residing here, had removed from high lands
which had on this season proved barren; they had erected small huts,
some of which had not been finished, and the family, therefore, lived
in public; these huts had only a roof to shelter their inhabitants,
who expected that the first heavy rain would drive them back to their
usual habitations, as these lands, after violent rains, are laid under
water. Each man possessed his small field of mandioc and maize. I left
John’s horse here in charge of one of these men, as it began to give
way, and I proceeded with four loaded horses; two as before, and one of
_farinha_, and another of maize. I had provided myself at Rio Grande
with leathern bags, for carrying water, and several other necessary
things which I had not been instructed to bring, but which experience
had taught me the necessity of possessing.
We remained at this place during one entire day, and the next morning
set off, intending to sleep at a hamlet, called Pai Paulo. We rested
at mid-day near to a well, and in the afternoon proceeded. Wells are
generally formed in these parts by digging a hole in the ground, to the
depth of two or three feet, until the water appears; if a person in
the neighbourhood of one of them, who takes water from it, should be
nice about these matters, a fence is made round it, but if not, as is
oftener the case, the well remains open, and the cattle come down to
drink at it. These pits or wells are called _caçimbas_. The grass was
much burnt up, but still there was plenty of it. In the afternoon we
passed over some stony ground,—it was the first I had met with, and
it was very painful to the horses which had come from the sandy soil
of Pernambuco; but we soon entered upon a long though narrow plain,
bounded by brushwood, over which the road was clear, and the grass
burnt up entirely on each side. We overtook a white man on foot, with
twelve loaded horses, and a very small poney which carried a saddle;
the loads were all alike, each horse carrying two skins or bags of some
kind of provisions. I was much surprised at the circumstance of this
man having the management of so many horses, because generally, the
number of men is nearly equal to that of the beasts. I observed that
his horses began to spread upon the plain, and seemed inclined to take
to the brushwood; I called to my guide to ride to the right, whilst I
did the same to the left, and go in quickly between them and the wood,
to prevent the animals from separating. The man thanked me, which
brought on further conversation; he asked the guide where we intended
to sleep, and was answered, “at Pai Paulo.” The wells at Pai Paulo,
he told us, were all dried up, and the inhabitants had deserted their
houses. What was to be done: he said, that he intended to remain upon
a plain two leagues distant from where we then were, that no water was
to be had there, but that for our party and himself, his slave would
bring a sufficient quantity, who had remained behind to fill a skin at
a well which we had passed. There was no alternative; to remain here
was impossible, for there was no grass. Therefore I ordered Julio and
his companion to let our horses and those of our new friend remain
together, and to look to them equally. The slave soon joined us with
the water, gave the skin to my guide, and went on to assist Julio,
whilst I advanced very slowly, that I might have some more conversation
with the owner of the _comboio_, or convoy, which we had thus joined.
He was the son of a man of property, who resided upon the banks of
the Açu, and possessed several cattle estates in those parts; the old
man was a colonel of militia, and he with whom I conversed, was the
major of the same regiment. The drought had been so severe with them,
that they feared a famine, and he had been sent down to the coast to
purchase _farinha_ for the family, which the skins contained, with
the exception of one load consisting of maize for his horses. After
he had purchased his _farinha_ he heard of the prohibition of the
governor respecting it, and understood that a guard of soldiers was
to be sent down to the lake to take it from him; he had, therefore,
stolen a march, and that nothing might be suspected, he had left all
his people, excepting this one slave, and had even left his cloaths.
His saddle horse carried a heavy load, and he set off a day before he
had intended; the animal upon which he had placed his saddle was a colt
and too young to bear any further weight. Thus was this major, in true
Brazilian campaigning style, in his shirt and drawers, his _alpargatas_
or sandals, upon his feet, his musquet upon his shoulder, his sword by
his side, hanging from a belt over one shoulder, and his long knife in
his girdle. He was a stout, handsome man, about forty years of age, and
where his skin was not exposed, it was as white as that of a European,
but his face, neck, and legs were of a dark brown colour. This man, who
at other times enjoyed all the comforts that his country affords, who
was respected for his rank and wealth, was obliged to make this journey
absolutely to save the lives of his family. True it is, that he is not
to be considered as we should persons of his situation in Europe; like
most of these people, he had been from his infancy daily accustomed to
what men in a more civilised state would account very great hardships.
The _alpargatas_ are pieces of leather, of a size rather larger than
the soles of the feet of the person for whom they are intended. Two
loops are fastened in front of each, through which two of the toes are
placed; there is a ring of leather round each ankle, through which are
drawn and tied two thongs, which proceed from each side of the hinder
part. These are the shoes of the Brazilians, who live removed from
great and improving towns. Julio was now provided with a pair of them,
else I hardly know how he could have proceeded.
We halted at the place appointed, upon an immense plain; the grass was
all gone, and even the hardy trees, the acaju and mangaba, seemed to
feel the want of water, for their leaves had begun to fall. The two
parties took up their stations under separate clumps of trees; but
upon these plains, the trees scarcely ever grow sufficiently near to
each other, to enable the traveller to hang his hammock between two of
them. The poor horses were taken to a dell at some distance, to try
to pick up what they could find, that had escaped the drought and the
traveller. Our allowance of water was not large, and therefore we were
afraid of eating much salt meat; we did not pass the night comfortably,
for the wind rose, and scattered our fires, nor did we sleep much, and
at four o’clock the horses were fetched to give to each of them a feed
of maize. One of them refused to eat his portion.
The following morning we advanced to Pai Paulo, three leagues further,
still crossing the same plain, at the extremity of which we first
approached the Seara-meirim, and on the opposite side from that on
which we were, stands the village of Pai Paulo, upon rising ground.
This was, without exception, the most desolate place I ever beheld;
the roofs of some of the cottages were falling in, the walls of others
had fallen, but the roofs remained. The course of the river was only
marked by the depth of its bed, for the soil around was a loose sand,
destitute of any covering, and nothing differing from that in the
channel of the river. The trees had mostly lost their leaves. I had now
entered upon the Sertam, and surely it deserves the name. We passed Pai
Paulo, and about noon reached an open well of brackish water, dug in
the bed of the river; our Pernambuco horses at first refused to drink,
but the dirt was cleared away, as much as possible, for them, and the
water left to settle; however, even then, they did little more than
taste it. Here we were to rest, and to give our horses some maize, for
there was no grass. The same horse again refused his feed; the guide
said that he supposed he was not accustomed to it, and therefore must
be taught to like it, otherwise he could not possibly get over this
barren track of country. The first operation was to soak the maize
in water, until it softened,—then the guide forced some of it down
the animal’s throat, closing forcibly its mouth. Whether this had the
effect, or hunger, I know not; but at night he performed his part
pretty well, taking rather more time than the others to finish his
feed. I drank a small portion of the water, mixing it with lemon juice
and sugar, which I had with me. We carried some of this water on with
us, for at night we should find none. The country presented the same
appearance; we crossed the Seara-meirim several times, which in some
parts had large rocks in the centre of the bed. At night I was not
much inclined to eat, but I made up by smoking. We found a sheltered
place behind part of the bank of the river, and slung our hammocks
upon sloping ground, as the wind rises about eleven or twelve o’clock
in these parts, and renders shelter very requisite; it sometimes blows
hard: it is a dry wind, but healthy.
The following day, we proceeded again in the same manner. I had by
this time fully entered into the custom of smoking early, and as we
could never get any thing cooked until twelve o’clock, I found that
this prevented any unpleasant sense of hunger. My people could not have
any thing to eat early, as it would have caused delay, therefore it
would not have been proper for me to show a bad example. I had become
very intimate with my friend the major—he learnt from me that we had
horses, and cows, and dogs in England, and he liked me the better for
this; at first, he wondered how it happened that I could ride; he
thought I must be an apt scholar to have learnt since I had gone over
to Brazil. He was also much surprized to hear that we had churches in
England, which he had never understood before. He said he should not
believe henceforwards that the English were _Pagoens_, heathens. I told
him that one chief point upon which our religion differed from his,
was in ours not enjoining us to confess; he thought confession a great
annoyance, but he could not doubt its propriety.
We reached another dirty pool or well of water in the river, which we
had again crossed several times. Our resting-place at mid-day afforded
no shelter, excepting what could be obtained from one small shrub,
which was in full leaf. The leaves or branches of it reached to the
ground. I lay down upon the sand, and pushed my head in among them,
covering the rest of my body with a hide; this was a hot birth, but
better than to be completely exposed to the sun. I was astonished
at the appearance of this shrub. There are two kinds of trees in
certain parts of the Sertam, which are called Pereiro and Yco; both
seem to flourish most when the seasons are the driest, and both are
particularly dangerous to horses; that is, as they do no mischief to
the wild cattle or wild horses, they may be supposed not to possess
any pernicious qualities if the animals which eat their leaves are
not overheated and fatigued; the latter of these plants kills the
travellers’ beasts, and the former has the effect of appearing to
produce intoxication, and sometimes also proves fatal. The major said,
that this part of the country abounded in these trees, and consequently
our horses were tied to those around us, and to each was given a feed
of maize. The plant, of which I have spoken above, was very beautiful,
the green of its leaves was bright and healthy, and I afterwards saw
many more of them upon this _travesia_ or crossing. I particularly
observed them on this track of country, as other plants had lost all
appearance of life.
We were less unpleasantly situated at night, as the water though
brackish was comparatively clear.
The following day we had still the same country and river to cross.
The consciousness of having advanced upon our journey alone caused the
knowledge of a change of situation, so exactly similar was the face of
the country. At mid-day we had again no shelter from the sun. The water
was little different from that of the preceding day. I laid down under
the shady side of a rock, which afforded sufficient shelter until the
sun began to decline, and throw its rays into the quarter under which
I had taken up my station. We had often seen cattle about the pools
or wells—on this occasion, one miserable cow came down to drink; the
major happened to be near the pool at the time. He looked at the mark
she bore, and knew it to be that of the cattle upon his own estates.
“How can this animal,” he exclaimed, “have strayed so far from its
own home?” The want of water had made it stray at least one hundred
leagues. This day we overtook a party of Sertanejos, as the inhabitants
of the Sertam are called, likewise going our way. They were at the
mid-day resting-place, and one of their horses was, at the time of our
coming up, tottering from having eaten of the Yco; they were trying to
give it maize, in the hope of recovering it, as this is said to have
the effect, if it is taken soon after; but at the time we left them,
the animal, when he fell, was with difficulty raised, and the major
said that he thought him too far gone. I never heard whether these
persons returned, or still advanced after this misfortune. I observed
in the afternoon several heaps of rocks in the bed of the river, which
must form beautiful falls of water when the stream is rapid.
Towards evening my guide began to try me. I found that there had
been some conversation between him and the two Indians respecting
the journey, and now he sounded me about returning. I told him I had
perfectly determined to go on, and that I would most certainly shoot
the man who attempted to go back, and that even if he then escaped
me, I would follow him until I overtook him. He had not said that he
would return, but had hinted at the danger of the undertaking at this
season, and that the two lads were afraid of proceeding, but I knew him
to be the mover. At night he could not have found his way back, as the
only mark of a road that was to be perceived, proceeded from the sand
being more worn away, and the banks of the river being broken down at
the proper crossings. In fact, the marks were such, that even in the
day-time, a man accustomed to this description of road could alone find
it out—therefore I was certain that desertion could only take place in
the day-time, which was almost impossible, as I always rode in the rear
of the whole party. The guide had no fire-arms of his own; besides he
never would have made any attempt to murder me, as he knew how little I
slept, and that my pistols were always with me in my hammock, besides
any thing of this sort could only have been done in concert with Julio,
who, in the sequel, proved worthy of the greatest confidence. I found
more necessity to be on my guard in returning, when John was no longer
with me; however, although this man had sufficient courage he had no
watchfulness. The summary manner in which I threatened to treat the
guide, can only be justified by the necessity of the case, for had he
returned, the two Indians would most probably likewise have deserted
me. If a man suffers himself to be trifled with, he cannot possibly
succeed under circumstances such as these; however, I made the threat
under the conviction of that being sufficient.
We carried water from the resting-place at mid-day, and, as usual,
fixed our quarters at night upon the banks of the river.
The next day we advanced again exactly in the same manner, but at
noon, to our dismay, there was no water; the pool had dried up, but
we rested the horses for a short time, notwithstanding this dreadful
disappointment. My thirst was great, for I had not drank the night
before. We had still some lemons left, which were distributed, and
these afforded much relief. In the afternoon the major told me to
follow his example, and put a pebble into my mouth, which was the usual
resource of the Sertanejos on these occasions. I did so, and certainly
found that it produced considerable moisture. This was a dismal day,
and we knew not whether we should be able to reach a well before some
of our horses failed. One of those belonging to the major, already ran
loose among the others, as he was weak, and his load had been changed
to the horse which had carried the maize, the remainder of this being
distributed in small portions, that it might be carried by the rest.
My horses bore it very well, as those which had been loaded with
provisions were, of course, in part relieved, and the largest load,
that of my trunk and case of bottles, was carried by each of them in
turn, that the hard work might be equally divided. This day we passed
some deserted cottages. Our night was very miserable, for some of the
horses refused to finish their feeds of maize; the danger of their
failing prevented our thinking so much of our own inconvenience—my
spirits were kept up by the necessity I felt of keeping up those of
others. John was not quite well, and this made me uneasy, as it was as
much as we could do to carry ourselves; indeed, had any of the party
fallen sick, I know not how we should have proceeded.
The next morning, about nine o’clock, we reached a well to our great
joy, but, fortunately for us, the water was so bad, that we could
not drink much; it was as usual dirty and brackish, but of the first
draught I shall never forget the delight;—when I tried a second, I
could not take it, the taste was so very nauseous. On looking round,
we saw some goats, Julio went towards them, and then discovered some
fowls, proceeded a little farther and found an inhabited cottage. He
came and gave us the joyful intelligence; we determined to remain here
to rest, if the people could give us any hopes of food for our horses.
I found an elderly woman and her two daughters in the hut; the father
was not at home. The old woman seemed quite astonished to hear that
we had crossed the Seara-Meirim; she said, she did not know how soon
she and her family might be obliged to leave their cottage, as many
others had done. She directed the major and my people to a dell at some
distance, where dry grass and leaves might perhaps still be picked
up; she said, that it was the last place which could have any, for
travellers did not in general know of it, and she and her husband made
a point of not discovering it. But I paved the way, by making her a
present of some _farinha_, throwing maize to the fowls, and by pouring
in an immense number of _minhas Senhoras_. I had purchased a kid and
a fowl, and laid down the money immediately. Persons circumstanced
as these were, are sometimes robbed in a most unpardonable manner by
travellers, who take advantage of their houses, eat their poultry, and
leave them without paying; but considering the entire non-existence
of law in these regions, I am only surprized that greater enormities
are not committed; however, every man feels it to be his own case,
if he has a house and family; he is aware that on going from home,
those he may leave are in the same helpless state. These persons
and their property were at the mercy of any travellers; if they had
been murdered, and the cottage from being deserted began to fall, it
would have been supposed that its inhabitants, like many others, had
decamped, and no enquiry would be made about the direction they had
taken, such is the rambling disposition of the people in general, and
the state of this part of the country, at the period of which I speak.
They have nothing to make them remain upon one spot, neither comfort
nor security.
In the afternoon we advanced as usual, and passed some deserted
cottages, but towards the close of the day arrived at some that were
inhabited, and at dusk put up near to two or three that stood together,
after having crossed the Seara-Meirim for the last and forty-second
time. This river takes its sources from the mountains to the northward,
in the same direction as those of the river Açu, of which I shall
have occasion to speak. The Seara-Meirim falls into the Potengi, and
perhaps some branches of it bend their course as far as the Paraiba.
The face of the country presents one continued flat, from Pai Paulo
to the place at which we left the river; the soil is a loose sand,
which is sometimes, though rarely, intermixed with black earth. The
trees are thinly scattered, and, at the time that I travelled, were
without leaves. The river winds like the coils of a serpent, to have
followed them would have been endless; it sometimes fills after heavy
rain, in the course of a very short time, the water coming down in a
torrent, delayed only by the inequality of the depth of the channel,
and the walls with which the rocks in some parts oppose its progress.
The sand in the bed of the river is little different from that of
which the banks are composed, being however on the whole thicker, and
approaching nearer to gravel. The water which oozes from it, on digging
into the sand, is in all parts brackish, and in some places is too salt
for any use to be made of it. This is not, however, peculiar to the
Seara-Meirim, for I found that all the beds of the rivers which become
dry in the summer contained more or less salt; at best, the water taken
from them was never quite sweet.
The place at which we had arrived is reckoned to be distant forty
leagues from Natal; the league of the Sertam is never less than four
miles, and is often much more; there are _legoas grandes_, _legoas
pequenas_, and _legoas de nada_, or nothing leagues, which I have
found quite long enough, notwithstanding their encouraging name.
Pai Paulo may be about eight or ten leagues from Natal, which makes
the _travesia_ or barren-crossing, thirty or thirty-two leagues.
We advanced at about three miles within the hour or rather more,
and travelled from half-past five to ten in the morning, and in the
afternoon from two, or half-past two, to six o’clock.
We had now reached again the habitations of man; there was still
the same burnt-up appearance, but the wells were taken care of,
the water was better, and grass, although it was dry, was still to
be had. I intended to accompany the Major, part of the way to his
home, or the whole, but it was necessary that I should be guided
by circumstances,—by the accounts we heard of the state of the
country;—we advanced in our usual manner, resting more at mid-day,
traversing a dead flat, and passing two or three _Fazendas_, or cattle
estates, each day, of which the live stock was looking very miserable,
and the people half starved.
After being with the Major four days, since we had left the
Seara-Meirim, I saw that it would not be prudent to proceed farther;
the accounts from the interior were bad, and we arrived at one estate,
of which the cattle were all dying, and the people intending, if there
was no rain very soon, to leave their houses. I now judged myself to be
distant from the coast not less than two hundred miles. We had advanced
northward and westward, and were therefore not far to the southward of
Açu, but were to the westward of it. I now resolved to make for it,
for my horses might fail, and all the country was in so bad a state,
that we might not have found others in a proper condition to go on with
us; in fact, as I was not acting from orders, but merely for my own
amusement, and as the guide was afraid of proceeding, I did not think
I was authorized in persevering; if I had had orders for the purpose,
the case would have been altered, and I must have run all hazards.
Here, also, desertion was easier in the night, as the country was
comparatively inhabited towards Açu—the difficulty was in advancing,
and not in retreating.
Each cattle estate has a tolerably decent house, in which the owner or
herdsman resides, and usually a few smaller habitations are scattered
about upon the plain around it. The pens stand near to the principal
house, and enable the travellers to distinguish immediately, although
at some distance, the site of a _Fazenda_.
I heard of a strange custom existing in these parts of the country
that are so thinly inhabited, which arises from this state of things.
Certain priests obtain a licence from the bishop (of Pernambuco,) and
travel through these regions with a small altar constructed for the
purpose; of a size to be placed upon one side of a pack-saddle, and
they have with them all their apparatus for saying mass. Thus with a
horse conveying the necessary paraphernalia, and a boy to drive it, who
likewise assists in saying mass, and another horse on which the priest
himself rides, and carries his own small portmanteau, these men make
in the course of the year between 150 and 200_l._—a large income in
Brazil, but hardly earned, if the inconveniences and privations which
they must undergo to obtain it are taken into consideration. They stop
and erect the altar wherever a sufficient number of persons who are
willing to pay for the mass is collected. This will sometimes be said
for three or four shillings, but at other times, if a rich man takes
a fancy to a priest, or has a fit of extreme devotion upon him, he
will give eight or ten _mil reis_, two or three pounds, and it does
happen, that one hundred _mil reis_ are received for saying a mass,
but this is very rare;—at times an ox or an horse, or two or three,
are given. These men have their use in the world; if this custom did
not exist, all form of worship would be completely out of the reach
of the inhabitants of many districts, or at any rate they would not
be able to attend more than once or twice in the course of the year,
for it must be remembered that there is no church within twenty or
thirty leagues of some parts; besides, where there is no law, nor real,
rational religion, any thing is better than nothing. They christen and
marry, and thus preserve these necessary forms of religion, and prevent
a total forgetfulness of the established rules of civilised society; a
sufficient link is kept up to make any of these people, if they removed
into more populous districts, conform to received ideas.
I left the Major[36] to pursue his journey homewards, whilst I
retreated, or rather advanced, in a contrary direction, but a retreat
it was from this inhospitable region. We found no change during that
day, and if we had not met with a good natured herdsman, should have
fared very badly for want of water, unless we had seen some other
person equally well disposed. I asked him the way to the nearest
estate, which he told me, and then I made enquiries about water, to
which he answered, that unless I was acquainted with the place, I
should not find the well, and this part of our conversation ended by
his turning back to show it to me, regardless of thus increasing his
journey four or five miles. I asked him when we arrived at the well to
stay and dine with me, for although I had no great dainties to offer,
still he carried only what provision his _boroacas_ contained. These
are small leathern bags, one of which hangs on each side of the saddle.
He would not, however, dismount, and immediately turned his horse and
went his way. My guide had remained behind, as his horse was rather
lame, and now he joined us. We passed over some stony ground, and the
well itself was situated among rocks, between two of which the horses
passed and descended to it.
[Illustration: _A Sertanejo._]
I may give some description of my friend, who turned back to shew me
the well, and this may be taken as the usual appearance of a travelling
Sertanejo. He rode a small horse with a long tail and mane; his saddle
was rather raised before and behind; his stirrups were of rusty iron,
and his bit was of the same; the reins were two very narrow thongs. His
dress consisted of long pantaloons or leggings, of tanned but undressed
leather, of a rusty brown colour, which were tied tight round his
waist, and under these are worn a pair of cotton drawers or trowsers,
as the seat is left unprotected by the leather. He had a tanned goat
skin over his breast, which was tied behind by four strings, and
a jacket also made of leather, which is generally thrown over one
shoulder; his hat was of the same, with a very shallow crown, and small
brim; he had slip-shod slippers of the same colour, and iron spurs upon
his naked heels,—the straps which go under the feet prevent the risk
of losing the slippers. A long whip of twisted thongs hung from his
right wrist; he had a sword by his side, hanging from a belt over one
shoulder; his knife was in his girdle, and his short dirty pipe in his
mouth. Fastened to his saddle behind, was a piece of red baize, rolled
up in the form of a great coat, and this usually contains a hammock
and a change of linen,—a shirt, and drawers, and perhaps a pair of
nankeen pantaloons; his _boroacas_ hung also on each side of the back
of his saddle, and these generally contain _farinha_ and dried meat
on one side, and on the other, a flint and steel, (dried leaves serve
as tinder) tobacco, and a spare pipe. To this equipment is sometimes
added, a large pistol, thrust partly under the left thigh, and thus
secured. The usual pace of the Sertanejo’s horse is a walk, approaching
to a short trot; so that the horses of these people often have acquired
the habit of dragging their hind legs, and throwing up the dust. The
usual colour of the Sertanejos is a dark brown; for even those who are
born white, soon become as completely tanned as the dress which they
wear, from exposure to the sun. The annexed print will give some idea
of the Sertanejo, as he is daily seen in Recife. The colour of the
leather, as it is represented in the print, is brighter than that of
the dresses which are usually to be met with, which is owing to the
drawing having been made from a dress that had not been much used.
At one of the estates I heard an anecdote, which is illustrative of
the neglect or the impossibility, on all occasions, of conforming to
religious duties. A priest, on passing, was requested by the wife of
the owner of the place to stay, for the purpose of baptizing her son;
he consented to this, but after waiting some time, said, that he wished
to proceed upon his journey, and therefore desired that the child might
be brought to him; the woman answered, “Pray, wait a short time longer,
as the boy has taken the horses to water, and will soon return.” The
priest was surprised, but was still more astonished, when he was
required to christen a fellow of thirteen or fourteen years of age.
The next day we still proceeded over the same sort of ground, in parts
stony, and where stony, it was rather hilly; but not sufficiently so
to form a decided ridge of hills. John was, at night, taken suddenly
ill; he had drank too much water, and would not mix any spirit with
it, neither would he smoke. I considered smoking as almost absolutely
necessary for the preservation of health on these occasions; it is
generally practised among the people of the country, and indeed many of
the women are as fond of it as their husbands. Towards the morning, the
man recovered.
The following day we reached, at ten o’clock, the estate of St.
Luzia; it is situated upon a wide plain, similar to those upon which
we had been travelling for many days. This is a _campina_, and not a
_taboleiro_. There were no trees upon it, excepting a few near to the
well. The sight of this place raised our spirits, for there was no
want of water, nor of grass, though it was completely dry. The lots,
_lotes_, of mares came down to drink, all in fine condition, followed
and protected by the master horse of each lot; the cattle, the sheep,
and every other living thing, seemed to enjoy and to be conscious of
the abundance of which they were reaping the advantage. We unloaded
near to the well under the trees. The house of the chief herdsman stood
before us, distant about one hundred yards, upon rather higher ground;
it was a low white washed cottage, with the stables, pens, &c. on each
side. About twelve o’clock, I saw some men employed in milking the
goats; I sent Julio with a half-gourd for some milk, desiring him to
offer payment; the guide cautioned me not, but still I ordered Julio
to present the money. The milk came, but the money was not taken, and
soon afterwards, three of the men, came down towards us; I thanked
them for the milk; and they addressed me saying, that they wished to
know if I had intended to insult them, by offering payment, as such
things were not customary in their country:—the guide had told me I
should affront them, and therefore I had brought this upon myself; but
I put them into good humour by answering that they would pardon my
mistake, when I told them, that I belonged to a country, in which we
were obliged to purchase the sand with which we scoured our houses.
They then said, that the boy, on going for the milk, had mentioned that
there was an Englishman in company, whom they wished much to see, as
it was a _bicho_, an animal, they had never seen. I said that he was
gone with the horses, and would soon return. I meant John,—however
the guide soon told them that I was an Englishman. Their countenances
shewed much disappointment, when they were persuaded that this was
true; they had expected to see some strange beast. John soon came, and
he certainly was a curiosity, for he did not speak Portugueze; and when
any thing went wrong, he swore away in English, at which they were
all astonishment: they said, “He speaks the negro language[37].” They
sat upon the ground near to my hammock, and asked me of the news from
Pernambuco, for they cared about nothing more distant. I was acquainted
at Recife with the owner of the place, which I made them confident was
the case, by describing his house and garden, and they asked me after
him, &c. The conversation concluded by an offer of horses to proceed,
and, on their return to the house, a present of dried meat was sent.
Thus I was in the end a gainer, by offering to pay for the milk; but I
was more careful ever after.
From St. Luzia, we proceeded across the plain, expecting to reach a
lake, of which the guide had some recollection; but when the night had
already closed in, we were still upon the same endless plain, over
which the track was only marked by the sand upon it being more worn
away, consequently, it might easily be lost at night. The lake at which
we had entertained hopes of arriving, never becomes entirely dry in
the summer; but there was only one place at which it could be crossed,
therefore it would be dangerous to reach its borders in the dark. The
plain presented no tempting lodging; there were several rocks upon it
of different sizes, but no trees, and the wind blew hard. The guide
dismounted, to feel if there was any of the long dry grass where we
were; on not finding any, he walked to the left of the road, but was
not successful; he then tried to the right, and found some. We only
discovered his situation by the sound of his voice; he called, and
we answered, several times, until at last we joined him; he had also
discovered a large rock, under the lee of which we unloaded, and then
lighted our fire, and fettered the horses to feed. We soon found, that
to cook any victuals was impossible, for the wind scattered our fire,
which was only formed of the branches of the small shrubs and briars
that grow upon these plains. Water we had by accident, as the guide had
brought a small skin of it, in case he should be thirsty during the
afternoon, for we had made ourselves quite certain of reaching the lake
by night. I slept upon two of our packages, under the lee of the rock,
and the whole party did the same, sharing, as equally as possible, our
scanty means of accommodation. This afternoon I had seen many rocks of
remarkable forms; one, particularly, struck me as extraordinary: it was
placed upon another, of much smaller dimensions, and the resting-point
was so small, as to render its removal apparently easy; but, on trial,
it had not the slightest motion. The discomfort of this night was
great, caused chiefly by the violence of the wind; we had, at last, no
fire,—all was dark around us, and we could scarcely make ourselves
heard. The horses seemed to feel as much as we did, the unsheltered
situation; they were near to us during the whole of the night.
On continuing our journey the following morning, we discovered that we
had halted within half a league of the lake. The water was all gone;
but the ground was boggy, and not to be crossed, excepting at the
place over which is the usual path. It extends to the right and left
to a considerable distance, but is not broad. If the mud was cleared
away, it might, perhaps, afford an inexhaustible source of water to
the neighbourhood; but Brazil is not in a state for such works; hands,
in these parts, are not yet sufficiently numerous. In the afternoon,
we crossed some stony hills, and passed by two _fazendas_. This day, I
observed, at some distance, a high hill, of a circular form, standing
quite alone, and unconnected with any other high ground. Its sides
appeared to be too steep for horses to ascend; and I much regret not
being so situated as to be enabled to delay, for the purpose of taking
a nearer and more exact view of it. The guide was surprised at my
curiosity about it, and told me that horses could not go up its sides,
that there were snakes upon it, &c. All this might be true; but it was
evidently said, to prevent any intention I might have had of delaying
to see it more correctly. The plain appeared in many parts, as if the
sea had at some time covered it;—the dead flat, the sand in places
mixed with particles of a substance which looked like broken shells,
and the rocks worn away in such parts, as, from their situation, could
not have been acted upon by rain. We slept this night at an estate,
where there were several houses forming a hamlet, having passed through
a considerable quantity of wooded land.
The next morning we again proceeded over some lands that were covered
with wood; and, near twelve o’clock, reached the town of Açu. Oh, the
joy of again seeing a church! of the sight of a regular village, and
civilized persons; if even these can be called civilized, according to
European ideas.
The country I passed over from Natal, never can, in any state of
civilization, or from any increase of population, be rendered a fertile
track; but it might be, without doubt, much improved, if proper wells
were sunk, reservoirs made for rain water, and trees planted; much
might be done. The plains I crossed are of three kinds; those of which
the soil is a loose sand, producing the acaju, the mangaba and several
kinds of palm or cabbage trees; upon them the grass is short, and
of a kind which is not reckoned nourishing; in these situations are
likewise produced several creeping plants, similar to those growing
upon the common lands, near the sea-shore, in England, and the trees
are thinly scattered. The fruit of the acaju or cashew tree, and of the
mangaba, are most delightful, and are doubly acceptable in crossing
the sands upon which they are to be met with. The former has been
often described; the latter is a small round fruit, and is not unlike
a crab-apple in appearance, but it is sweet, and is unfit to be eaten
until it drops from the tree; the pulp is fibrous but soft, and three
seeds or kernels are contained in it, of which the taste approaches
that of almonds. The palm or cabbage trees[38] also afford fruits,
which are eaten when other food fails; but these are insipid.
These plains are the _taboleiros_, of which there exists also another
kind, which are covered with brushwood, of stinted height, from the
nature of the soil, but it is close and higher than a man on horseback.
The road lies, in many places, through it; but as it does not afford
any shade, and prevents the wind from alleviating the intenseness of
the heat; it is here that the power of the sun is fully felt. This
brushwood is, however, not too thick to prevent cattle from breaking
their way through it, and feeding among it. The third description
of plains are those of a better kind of soil, which produce good
nourishing grass, but upon these no trees grow; small shrubs and
briars alone are to be seen, and oftentimes not even these. They
are, in parts, stony, and have rising ground upon them, which is not
sufficiently high to deserve the name of a ridge of hills; but is
enough to break the ocean-like flatness and immensity which these
plains sometimes present to the traveller; after proceeding for hours,
the same distance still seems to remain for him to traverse. These are
the _campinas_. I passed over some spots covered with high trees, which
in our own country would be called woods of considerable extent; but in
Brazil, they could not be accounted of sufficient magnitude to compose
a distinguishing feature in the naked regions which I traversed. The
impression which a recollection of this portion of land left upon my
mind, is of a flat uncovered country.
I heard very little of beasts of prey; they had removed to better
districts, I suppose; nor were we much troubled with snakes. But my
people never failed, in taking up our quarters, to look well around,
which proves their frequent appearance, else this cautious behaviour
would not have become habitual with them. I merely say, that they are
not plentiful in this barren part; for elsewhere, near lakes and large
pools of water, in fertile districts, the rattle of the snake, of which
this is the distinguishing mark, is often heard. We saw a small kind
of rabbit, near rocky ground, which is called _moco_. The _carapato_
or tick, and the _chigua_ had entirely disappeared, since we left the
dry lake, near Natal. The _chigua_ has been so often described, that a
minute account of it in this place is unnecessary; it is a very small
insect, which lodges itself principally under the nails of the feet. In
the country, bordering upon the sea, it is to be found most abundantly
in sandy districts; and yet, although the plains of the Sertam appear
to be formed of the same kind of sand, the insect is not to be met with
in the whole track of country between Natal and Aracati.
We arrived at Açu on the 1st December, having travelled about 340
miles in 19 days. The continual anxiety in which I was kept, prevented
me from keeping any regular journal of my proceedings. From Açu to
Aracati, I have preserved the names of the places through which I
passed. The country is more inhabited, and I was nearer to the coast;
I travelled also with more ease; but, between Natal and Açu, excepting
the deserted Pai Paulo, I did not pass any settlement which deserved
even the name of village; single cottages, much separated from each
other, and often uninhabited, contained the whole population of this
district. It is a miserable, desolate country.
The town of Açu is built in a square, and consists of about three
hundred inhabitants; it has two churches, and a town-hall and prison,
at that time building; the governor was the promoter of the work. The
place stands upon the great river of Açu, where it runs in two channels
for a short distance; it is situated upon the northern bank of the
smaller branch. There is an island of sand between the two branches,
and the distance from whence the river is divided to where it is again
united, is about two or perhaps three miles. We crossed their dry beds,
and entered the square, which is not paved, and the sand is deep. Many
of the inhabitants were at their doors, for all travellers are objects
of curiosity, and our appearance increased it. I rode upon an English
saddle, and this particularly attracted the notice of an equestrian
people. The houses have only the ground floor; some of them are
plastered, and white-washed, but the mud of which others are composed,
remains in its natural colour, both within and without, and the floors
also are of earth; so that in spite of the greatest care, when water
is scarce, their inhabitants cannot keep themselves clean. Though the
lower class of Brazilians, of all casts, have many dirty customs,
allied to those of savage life, still they are remarkably clean in
their persons; one of the greatest inconveniences of a situation, when
a Brazilian complains of the place he happens to reside in, is the want
of a river or pool of water in the neighbourhood, for the purpose of
bathing.
We enquired for the house of a man of colour, a saddler by trade, with
whom my guide was acquainted. This person, like many others, had come
to his door to see the travellers; he soon recognised his friend, and
came forwards to speak to him. He procured a house for us during our
stay; it was a small place, upon which neither plaster nor white wash
had been bestowed, with two rooms, one opening to the square, and the
other to the river. When we were a little settled, and I had dressed
myself, I sallied forth to visit the vicar, who resided in the best,
or rather least miserable looking habitation in the town; it was about
the size of the cottages of labourers, or small farmers in England,
but not nearly so comfortable, though the floors were bricked. It is
true, that this climate does not demand, as much as those of bleaker
regions, that necessary of an English dwelling, of English growth,
that undefinable something, called comfort. I told him, I had called
upon him, as the first person of the neighbourhood, and that I should
always be happy in my proceedings to have the prayers and good wishes
of his order, and particularly his, as the governor had spoken so very
highly of him. Some further conversation passed between us; but I did
not stay long, for I was much tired. I made arrangements for sending my
horses towards Piatô, where grass was to be had, and the green stalks
of maize, sugar cane, and other plants; but the guide recommended that
we should not stay here longer than was necessary. He said, that whilst
the horses continued on their journey, they would bear up very well;
but if they were suffered to rest, they would become stiff, lose flesh,
and be rendered entirely unfit for service, for a considerable time. I
did not then quite believe him, but as there was no object in staying,
I desired Julio to return with them to Açu the next day at two o’clock,
that we and they might have, at any rate, a rest of twenty-four hours.
I afterwards learnt, by experience, that the guide was quite right
regarding the horses; that regular work is better than a rest of more
than one whole day.
Our friend, the saddler, among other stories, mentioned having passed
over the same ground which we had traversed from St. Luzia, only a
short time before us. He was in company with another man and a boy, and
had also a dog with him; they had put up for the night under shelter of
one of the rocks, in the vicinity of the lake of which I have spoken.
His companion had taken the horses to some little distance to graze;
the boy and the dog remained with him; he had made a fire, and was in
the act of preparing some dried meat to be cooked, when the boy called
out “where is the dog,”—the man answered “here he is, why what is
the matter?” the boy said, “what eyes, then, are those?” pointing, at
the same time, to the corner of the rock; the man looked, and saw the
eyes, for nothing else was to be seen; he called to the dog, took up
his fowling-piece, and fired, whilst the dog started up, and darted
towards the spot. A jaguar rushed out, and made off; it had been partly
concealed under the rock, which, with the dazzle of the fire had
prevented its body from being seen; it had crouched, and was ready for
a spring, when every thing was quiet, and unprepared.
I learnt, that there are some extensive salt-works at the mouth of
the Açu, and that small craft come from different parts of the coast
occasionally, to carry away the overplus.
I took an additional guide here, as the man I had brought with me from
Goiana was not acquainted with the remainder of the road; but I kept
him with me, for although he was not a person I liked, still he was
master of his employment; he managed the horses well, for they had,
through his attention and knowledge of this business, all arrived here
without sore backs, which I found, from the surprise expressed by all
those who saw them, was not a usual piece of good fortune, or good
management. He was, however, a great bully, when we quartered ourselves
in the houses of poor people, with whom he found he could so act
with impunity: he was also continually reporting, that I was a great
personage, that he might increase his own importance. Of this I said
nothing; but on our return, whilst I was unwell, he gave himself out as
the chief of the party, which I once caught him in the act of doing;
I disconcerted him, by threatening to turn him out of my service; and
when I recovered, he took care to draw in, and be more careful who
overheard him. The additional man I took with me, was a dark-coloured
mulatto, young and stout; his father lived at Açu, and this son had a
fair character. He brought
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