Slaves are allowed to work on their own account on Sundays and holidays, not in the Serviços of their masters, but any where else, except on the royal preserves; and it was told me as a remarkable fact, that most of the largest diamonds obtained in this district have been found by slaves on these occasions; it is not, however, an unfair inference to conclude, that as the blacks are most expert thieves, some of those stones at least have been stolen. Better opportunities now exist for more readily disposing of diamonds thus obtained, than when the workings were entirely in the hands of the government. In those days they were mostly disposed of clandestinely to contraband dealers, many of whom used to hide themselves in the mountains by day, and at night visit the huts of the slaves, to purchase the stolen property; even the shopkeepers were deeply engaged in these illicit transactions. The Juiz de Paz, who was during the period of my visit one of the richest merchants in the city, owes his fortune to the following circumstance:—At the time Brazil still remained under the dominion of Portugal, he was the proprietor of a small shop, and occasionally made a journey to Rio de Janeiro to purchase goods. One evening returning from one of these long journeys, having retired to rest earlier than usual, he heard some one knocking at his door, to which at first he paid no attention, concluding it to be only some customer; but, as the noise continued, he at last arose, when he saw a slave who had come to offer a large diamond for sale, that weighed about two pennyweights and a third. The price asked for it was six hundred mil-reis, at that time equal to about £180 sterling; but not having so much money in his possession at the moment, he was obliged to borrow some for the occasion. Early next morning he set off on his return to Rio de Janeiro with his purchase, stating to his friends that he had forgotten some important business, which could only be settled by his presence. On reaching the capital, he found it necessary to use great caution in endeavouring to dispose of his prize, as all trade in diamonds was at that time contraband, any one found dealing in them being condemned to ten years’ transportation to Angola, on the coast of Africa, his property being at the same confiscated, and sold for the benefit of government. At last he was prevailed upon to dispose of it for 20,000 mil-reis, about £6,000, which amount was paid to him in hard dollars; never having seen so large a sum of money, he was perfectly astonished at its amount when it was brought to him, and after regarding it for some time, he asked with great simplicity if it all belonged to him. Shortly afterwards, the individual who bought the diamond sold it for 40,000 mil-reis, and when the Juiz learned its great value, and found that he might have sold it for at least a third more than he received, his mortification it is said was so great as to affect his mind. He has long, however, recovered from his chagrin, and is now one of the most active, as well as the most extensive, gold and diamond merchants in the district.
The temperate climate enjoyed by the inhabitants of this part of the country, renders them more healthy than those who live in the Sertão; the women are the most beautiful I met with in Brazil, and the men are also a finer race than those of the low countries, many of them having more the appearance of Europeans, than of inhabitants of a tropical climate. The diseases most common here are those induced by sudden variations of temperature, such as colds and inflammatory complaints; the slaves who are constantly working up to their knees in water, are subject to rheumatism; their diet, which is not of the most nutritious nature, consists chiefly of boiled French beans and Indian corn meal (fubá), which, with the addition of hot water, is made into a thick paste, called Angú; this gives rise to general debility, particularly in those addicted to the immoderate use of rum. It is not the slaves only who are given to this vice, but whites of both sexes, in almost all classes of society, indulge in it to a great extent; this is in some degree manifest, from the very great quantity of that spirit daily brought to market, for it is said, that for every troop that enters the city with provisions, another arrives with rum from the sugar plantations in the low countries. I must confess that I saw but few instances of intoxication in the streets, except among persons of colour.
As I arrived in the city without letters of introduction, I made very few acquaintances among the inhabitants. During my stay, however, I received great kindness from Senhor Antonio Gomez de Carvalho, the Juiz de Paz, and Major Luiz José de Figueredo, the President of the Camara Municipal, both of whom called on me the day after we reached the city. M. Auguste de St. Hilaire, who visited these provinces in 1817, speaks in high terms of the great hospitality of the inhabitants of Minas Geräes, but they do not now appear disposed to treat foreigners with the same familiarity as formerly; this may be attributed to their great intercourse with Europeans, particularly since the introduction of English mining companies, which has greatly tended to alter their character. In one of the houses where I occasionally visited, I met with Portuguese translations of Sir Walter Scott’s ‘Ivanhoe’ and ‘Guy Mannering,’ They had been sent from Rio de Janeiro to one of the daughters of the family by whom they had been read with the greatest admiration; she had received an excellent education, and composed verses fluently. I was rather surprised when informed that neither a bookseller’s shop nor a library existed in the city.
During my residence in this place, news arrived that produced a great sensation; the young Emperor, Don Pedro the Second, had been called upon to assume the reins of government, contrary to the wish of the regent, before he had attained the age provided by the Legislature; a proceeding that seemed to be highly approved of by the greater part of the inhabitants, and rejoicings were consequently made on the occasion. In the afternoon, high mass was celebrated in the Matriz church, at which were present all the members of the town council, as well as the whole body of the national guard. In the evening there was a general illumination, and the national guard, after firing several volleys in front of the house of the commandant, paraded through the principal streets, with the band playing, accompanied with the town council, and all the principal inhabitants of the city. I walked along with the council, having been invited to do so by the president, and had thus a good opportunity of witnessing the whole proceedings; every now and then a halt was made before the house of some respectable citizen, where generally five or six persons recited verses, composed during the day in honour of the occasion, while the ladies of the house, from the balconies, were showering down flowers perfumed with Eau de Cologne; and occasionally the crowd below was honoured by a song from one of the fair ones. This was repeated for three successive nights; many of the verses produced on this occasion were extremely appropriate, but a greater part consisted of the most fulsome adulation of the young Emperor, which was perhaps as unmeaning and ephemeral, as that bestowed on his father, who when he proclaimed the independence of Brazil, received honours from these same people, little short of those bestowed on a Deity, but after a propitious reign of ten years, was suffered to abdicate in favour of his infant son, without any expression of regret on their part. On the contrary, they appeared to rejoice in a measure that tended to the consummation of those republican views, which at that period seemed likely to draw the Empire into one general vortex of anarchy and confusion. Happily, however, for the country, the greater portion of the community had the good sense to resume its attachment to those monarchical institutions that seem well adapted to the habits and manners of the Brazilian people, and I had now the good fortune to witness the exuberant effusions of an enthusiasm, which I hope will prove more lasting than that exhibited by them on a former occasion towards the illustrious founder of the Brazilian Empire.
When we arrived in the Cidade Diamantina, my horses were in bad condition, owing to the long and fatiguing journey they had just accomplished, and the bad pastures on which they had latterly been obliged to feed. I found, however, to my regret, that the pasturage here was still worse, and I feared that by the time I was ready to leave, they would not be in a condition to resume the journey. The only pastures here are to be found on the top of the Serra above the city, in a region very arid, and particularly cold at this season, whence indeed it derives its name of the Serro do Frio. Although they were fed twice a day with Indian corn, they grew thinner and weaker after the setting in of the cold rain, so that notwithstanding all our care and attention, eight of them died in the course of a few days. Finding the remaining ten were totally unfit for service, I thought it better to dispose of them at once, for a mere trifle (70 mil-reis), rather than see them die off one by one. The person who bought the horses immediately removed them to the Sertão. As this occurred at a time when my stock of money was almost exhausted, with no immediate hope of being able to renew it, I was brought nearly to a stand; with the money I received for the horses I was enabled to hire a troop of mules to convey us to Cidade do Serro (formerly Villa do Principe), which is ten leagues distant from the Cidade Diamantina, on the road towards Rio de Janeiro, and having made the necessary arrangements, I prepared for my departure.
CHAPTER XIII.
CIDADE DIAMANTINA TO OURO PRETO.
Leaves the Cidade Diamantina—Reaches As Borbas—Passes the Arraial do Milho—Tres Barras—Arrives at the Cidade do Serro, formerly Villa do Principe—The Town described—Passes Tapanhuacanga—Retiro de Padre Bento—N.S. de Conceição—Description of an Iron Smelting Work at Girão—Vast abundance of Iron Ores in this District—Reaches Escadinha—Morro de Gaspar Soares and two other Iron Smelting Works and Forges—Ponte Alta—Itambé—Passes Onça—Ponte de Machado, where frost was seen—And arrives at Cocaes—Visits the large Establishment of the Cocaes English Mining Company—The author’s unkind reception by the Director of that Establishment—Reaches S. João do Morro Grande, part of the Mining Establishment of the English Gongo Soco Company—Hospitable reception and visit to the Gold Mines—Its Workings described—Geological structure of the Mines, and the surrounding Country—Leaves Gongo Soco and passes Morro Velho-Rapoza—And reaches the Establishment of another English Mining Company at Morro Velho—The author’s delight on receiving letters after two years’ absence—His kind reception and abode there—Village of Congonhas de Sahara described—Attached to the Gold Mines of Morro Velho—Account of those Mines—Mode of Working and extracting Gold from the Ore—Visits the City of Sabará—Mining Establishment of Cuiabá—Serra de Piedade—And Serra del Curral del Rey—Leaves Morro Velho—Reaches the Villa de Caëté—Passes S. José de Morro Grande—Barra—Brumado—Serra de Caraça—Catas altas—Inficionado—Bento Rodriguez—Camargos—And reaches San Caetano—Visits the City of Mariana—Passes the Serra de Itacolumi—Arraial de Passagem—And arrives at the city of Ouro Preto, formerly Villa Rica—City described—Its Population—College—And Botanic Garden.
Before leaving the Cidade Diamantina, I made several excursions to the valleys, the ravines, and the mountain tops in its vicinity, which yielded me many acquisitions; having made all the necessary preparations for our departure, we left early in the forenoon of the 15th of August. We made a journey of about three leagues, and remained for the night at a place called As Borbas, encamping in an open grassy spot, not far from the only house there, that belonged to a blacksmith. The road by which we travelled is the high way leading to Rio de Janeiro, and is perhaps the worst in the country, notwithstanding the great traffic here carried on, not only to the capital of the Diamond country, but also to that large district to the N.E. called Minas Novas. The numerous ascents and descents are very rocky and full of large stones, the last ascent, of greater extent than the others, about a league from the city, leads to an open flat grassy country, the summit of the Serro do Frio. To the left we passed some higher ranges, one of which is the elevated Serra de Itambé; it was a very arid desolate tract, the few shrubs which grew on it being two or three species of Lychnophora, called Candeia by the inhabitants, and the grotesque Lychnocephalus tomentosus, together with a few occasional clumps of Vellozia. Shortly before we reached As Borbas, we gradually descended to a considerable extent, by a rocky path, and entered a broad valley, which, though more wooded than the plain above, was still very arid in its appearance.