We resumed our journey on the following morning, and after travelling about two leagues and a half, we halted to breakfast in an open shed, belonging to a house by the road-side, which was then uninhabited. The country through which we passed was hilly, and well-wooded with small trees and shrubs. The ascent and descent of the higher hills are much facilitated by the care bestowed on the formation of the roads, as they are well paved with large flat blocks of the schistose rocks, of which the mountains are composed. In many places, however, the pavement is beginning to give way, from the water flowing over it in the rainy season, and if not repaired, it will soon fall into a very ruinous state. A wooden bridge, also, which crossed a small river, and which appears to have been at one time of excellent construction, was now in such a decayed state, that no one could venture to pass over it; we were consequently obliged to ford the stream a little way below the bridge. In the bed of the river we saw several groups of people washing for diamonds. Early in the afternoon, we started for the Arraial de Mendanha, only half a league distant; the road led through a flat bushy valley, surrounded on both sides by mountains, those on the left rose to a considerable height, and presented the same arid rocky aspect as the mountains in the Highlands of Scotland. In the middle of this valley ran the Rio Jiquitinhonha, which we crossed to reach the village on the opposite side: this was easily accomplished over a well-constructed wooden bridge, of considerable span, on which is a toll-bar, the first we had yet met with in the country, and this afforded evidence that we were now approaching a more civilized part of Brazil than any we had yet traversed. At this bar, I had to pay forty reis for each loaded horse, and twenty for each of my men, which I did with much pleasure, as I well knew the labour and risk encountered in passing the luggage over rivers, when not provided with bridges.
On enquiring for a place where we might pass the night, we were directed to the public Rancho, but finding it a small place, extremely dirty, and occupied by a number of black Tropeiros, I could not think of taking up my quarters there. Ranchos are large sheds, generally open at the sides, and built near a venda, for the accommodation of travellers. This was the first I had seen since leaving the coast, but I afterwards found them very common on the more frequented roads in Minas, but particularly on the great highway between the Gold district and Rio de Janeiro. Rather than remain at the Rancho, I preferred hiring an empty house for the night, and obtained, at last, after some trouble, the keys of one that was newly built.
The Arraial de Mendanha appeared to be a flourishing little place, containing a population of about eight hundred persons, nearly every house being inhabited. The situation of the village, although romantic, is far from fertile, being on the bare rocky bottom of a high mountain, which nearly overhangs it, with little or no ground in its vicinity fitted for plantations of any description. The greater part of the inhabitants obtain an income by employing their slaves in mining for diamonds, or by keeping shops to supply the others with provisions and clothing, principally in exchange for diamonds and gold-dust, and were it not, indeed, for the diamond mines that exist in the neighbourhood, not a single house would have been erected in this place. Soon after leaving Mendanha on the following day, we began the ascent of the Serra, which bears the same name; it was about a league in length, and notwithstanding its steepness in many places, the excellence of the road rendered it comparatively easy. In nearly its whole extent, it is well paved with large flat blocks of the sandy schistose rock, of which the Serra is formed, taking a zigzag direction, where the ascent is steepest; the lower part of the Serra, particularly along a deep ravine, by the side of which the road leads, is pretty well wooded with small trees and shrubs, but towards the summit it presents the same bare alpine appearance as that we had crossed before reaching the little gold mine at Lavrinha. I walked up the greater part of the ascent on foot, botanizing all the way, and picked up several novelties. From the summit to Duas Pontes, which is a league distant, the road leads through a flat rocky and bushy country, with some elevated ridges on the left, covered with a very stunted shrubby vegetation. At Duas Pontes, where we halted to breakfast, we found two houses, being the only ones existing between Mendanha and the Cidade Diamantina, a distance of four leagues; the place takes its name from two bridges which exist near it, standing about a mile distant from each other, both very well constructed of timber. One of the houses was a small venda belonging to a negro, who informed me that he was a native of Africa, and had worked for many years as a slave in diamond washing, but that by the provident use of his privilege of working on his own account on Sundays and holidays, he had been fortunate enough to find as many diamonds as enabled him not only to purchase his freedom, but that of his wife and several children. Near this place I found a species of Rubus loaded with fruit, which forcibly reminded me of the days of my boyhood, and the bramble hedges of my native country. In open places, I met with a few specimens of a second species of Physocalyx, and a beautiful Andromeda, having large panicles of crimson flowers. We were now only two leagues distant from the Cidade Diamantina, a journey that might easily have been accomplished that afternoon, but not wishing to enter it by night, owing to the great difficulty a stranger always experiences in find accommodation, as well for himself as for his animals; under such circumstances, I resolved to take up my abode for the night, in an open campo on the top of the Serra, near a small stream of water, within half a league from the city. The country through which we passed on this short journey was almost entirely destitute both of trees and shrubs, consisting chiefly of large undulating grassy campos, in many places abounding in great blocks of rocks, similar to that of which the Serra is composed. Two miles before reaching the place where we halted, we obtained a most extensive view of the country to the eastward, which is perhaps one of the most rugged and arid regions existing in Brazil; as far as the eye could reach, nothing was to be seen but hundreds of bare hills, whose barren tops were whitened by the numerous Lichens with which the rocks were covered. Overlooking these lower ridges stood the lofty peak called Itambé, the top of which is upwards of 6,000 feet above the level of the sea. It was with great difficulty the men could find as much wood as would make a fire to cook our supper, and we were obliged, for the first time, to lay ourselves down to sleep without a large fire burning all night, at a time, too, when the cold was greater than any we had yet experienced.
On rising in the morning, the thermometer indicated 54°, Fahrenheit, under which temperature we were all shivering with excessive cold, so long accustomed as we had been to a warmer climate. In an hour’s time, after resuming our journey, we commenced the descent of the Serra, over a road constructed in the same manner as the ascent at Mendanha, but neither so long nor so steep; shortly after which, we came in sight of the famous Cidade Diamantina, or city of Diamonds. This capital of a rich province occupies the whole acclivity of a Serra, equal in height to that we had just descended, from which it is separated by a narrow valley. The traveller approaches the city so suddenly, that it almost appears as if called into existence by the power of magic; he is astonished at the sight of so great an assemblage of large white-washed houses, intermingled with many churches, rising gradually one above the other along the steep sides of the Serra, together with the numerous small plantations, by which the houses in the suburbs are surrounded, consisting of orange trees, bananas, and the usual productions of a tropical country; together with abundance of the compact growing Jabuticabeira, and many fine trees of the large grotesque Brazilian pine (Araucaria Brasiliana), which contrasts strangely with the rocky and absolutely bare country, that surrounds the city on all sides: it is, indeed, an Oasis in the desert.
Having no letters of recommendation to any person in the city, I went immediately on my arrival to the house of the Juiz de Paz, to present my passport, and learning from him that a small inn was to be found in the lower part of the city, I determined to put up there, until I could succeed in hiring an empty house for a few days; fortunately, the landlord had one to let, in the upper part of the city, whither we quickly removed, glad that we were not obliged to remain at the inn, where the accommodations were far from tempting.
This place, formerly known as the Arraial de Tijuco, was, in the year 1839, elevated to the dignity of a city, under the name of Cidade Diamantina, from its being the capital of the Diamond district. According to information which I received from the Juiz de Paz, its population amounted to about 6,000 souls; the streets are very irregular, and generally very narrow, as well as badly paved; both within the city and in the suburbs there are many fine houses, of two and three stories, and as there is abundance of excellent stone in the neighbourhood, nearly all are built of this material. They are constructed, however, at an enormous expense, owing to the great distance from which timber can be obtained; it is all dragged by bullocks from the Sertão, a distance of from four to sixteen leagues, over a rugged, hilly country, through which carts cannot pass; owing to the same reason, fire-wood is extremely dear in the city, and very bad in quality, as it is often brought for sale in a half green state. Many slaves are employed by their owners in cutting the large shrubs that grow in the ravines, within a short distance from the city, the branches of which are made up into bundles, and offered for sale from house to house; the stems of the large tree-lily (Vellozia) are also collected for fuel, particularly a kind that exudes abundance of resinous matter. The Tropeiros on approaching the city with their loaded mules, always bring with them, from the wooded countries, as many bundles of split wood as suffice them for the purposes of cooking till the period of their departure.
Many of the shops are quite equal in appearance to those in Rio de Janeiro, and are provided with nearly the same articles, the difference in price seldom exceeding twenty per cent. All European goods, with the exception of a few from Bahia, are brought from Rio on the backs of mules, which are daily to be seen arriving in troops, sometimes of a hundred at a time. With the exception of the few vegetables grown in the gardens around the city, every product consumed here as food is brought from a distance of from ten to twenty leagues, and sold in large market places, called Intendencias. These products consist chiefly of farinha de mandiocca and Indian meal, the latter being much more extensively used in the province of Minas, than in the northern provinces; also dried beef, sugar, pork, cheese, Indian corn, french beans, rice, and castor-oil, which is used to burn in lamps. The city contains three or four handsome churches, one called Nossa Senhora da Rosaria, belongs to the negroes from the coast of Africa, and where, over the high altar, is seen the figure of a black virgin. As we lived closed to this church, I attended on several evenings the celebration of one of its festivals, and found not only the blacks who usually attend the church, but many of the most respectable male and female inhabitants of the city. Every thing was conducted with the greatest propriety, and on one evening I heard a very excellent sermon preached by one of the priests belonging to the city. During our stay a Novena was held in another of the churches, Nossa Senhora das Mercês, where I attended several times; on all these occasions I was particularly struck with the different mode in which the ladies dressed here, from that I had observed in other parts of the interior. In the large towns I had previously visited, I remarked that a greater number of ladies attended church during the Novenas than at any other time, when both the more respectable, as well as the poorer classes, were always dressed in their best attire. In Cidade Diamantina, although the churches on such occasions were equally well attended, the most respectable ladies were not so well dressed as usual, and were it not that the superior classes avail themselves of the privilege of squatting on the floor before the altar, they would not be distinguished from the poorer individuals who take their station behind them. They all appear in the same kind of dress, which consists of a dark coloured cloth cloak, with a large cape, in which they muffle themselves; and a white handkerchief which is tied round the head, surmounted by a man’s hat. During the three weeks I remained in the city, I never saw a lady walking abroad in any other kind of hat; some few were white, but black seemed the most fashionable.
The most elevated portion of the city is about 4,000 feet above the level of the sea, and the climate is consequently mild. During my stay in the month of July, the thermometer ranged from 54° to 60° at noon, a temperature we had long been unaccustomed to, and we suffered not a little from the cold. As a fire could only be kindled in the kitchen, we used all to get as close to it as possible, particularly in the morning; it was however during the night that we suffered most, for our bed-clothes were too light for this climate, and my stock of money had now become so far reduced, that I could not afford to purchase additional blankets either for myself or my men. It was necessary to devote the little that I had to the purchase of a stock of provisions, for the continuation of our journey; there was no one here to whom I could apply for money, and we were still far from any of the English Mining establishments, where alone I could expect to obtain cash for bills on my agents in Rio de Janeiro. The coldest months in this region are May, June, and July; the hottest months are those of November, January, and February, during which period the thermometer ranges from 74° to 88°, but mostly only reaching 84°. During the early part of the warm season, thunder storms are very frequent, which always come from the north. For a few days after our arrival, the air was clear and bracing, but a cold drizzling rain soon set in, which lasted nearly a week. The houses have generally a small garden attached to them, in which I observed most of the common European vegetables, such as potatoe, cabbage, pease, lettuce, parsley, &c.; as well as many of the flowers that are ordinarily cultivated in the gardens of Europe. Some of the European fruit trees are also found in the gardens, such as the apple, pear, peach, fig, and quince. The city is abundantly supplied with excellent water, from springs that take their rise in the mountain on which they are situated. These streams are conducted into several of the houses, and many families are by this means supplied with one of the greatest luxuries that can be enjoyed in a warm climate, at a very small expense; there are also several public fountains in different parts of the city.
The privilege of diamond washing, formerly a monopoly of the government, is now accessible to any individual who chooses to risk his time and capital in this labour, a privilege only conceded since Brazil has declared its independence; all that is required is that the adventurer should give notice to the Camara municipal, of the exact spot where he intends working, a notice demanded in order to protect some of the virgin tracts still preserved as royal property. The greater portion of the inhabitants of the Cidade Diamantina who possess a few slaves, employ them in the washings, which are generally chosen in places where the Cascalho is near the surface, and near the beds of the little mountain streams, which are so numerous in the adjoining locality. Many free blacks also work on their own account, and thus obtain a precarious livelihood. The persons engaged in these adventures are generally a very improvident race, for even those who carry on the most extensive Serviços, as the workings are called, often run deeply in debt after a rich washing has been exhausted, before they succeed in finding another productive spot. I was assured by one of the most extensive miners in the district, that the excitement produced by this kind of life is like that of a gambler: whoever enters upon it, never renounces it. The district which gives rise to this curious source of industry, is comprised within the space of fourteen leagues square, and it is beneath the mark to state that 10,000 individuals subsist entirely upon the product of diamonds and gold extracted from its soil. It is not, however, so much the miners as the shopkeepers who reap the greater share of profit from this source of industry, all of whom trade more or less in diamonds and gold-dust, which they take from the miners in exchange for the supply of their own wants, and those of their slaves. It is rare to meet with a miner, who is not in debt to some shopkeeper, to whom he is bound to give in payment the product of his washings, at a lower rate than he could obtain, if he had the advantage of offering them in an open market to the highest bidder. The life of a shopkeeper, although not so exciting as that of a miner, is one, however, less subject to risk; he generally soon grows rich, while the poor miner struggles on in poverty, his greatest source of happiness existing in hopes that are seldom realized.