On the morning of the 28th we left Monte Caffé, and proceeded on our way to the Rio Parahyba, which was only about a league and a half distant. Mr. Hadley accompanied us for about a league, and while passing through a small estate called Santa Eliza, which adjoins Monte Caffé, and belongs also to the Brigadier, he informed us that about twenty years before, it was owned by a person who made use of the house as a decoy for travellers to and from Minas Geräes, and who, as soon as they fell into his snares, were robbed and murdered. His house is still standing, but is now uninhabited; the trap-doors which he employed for these diabolical purposes are still to be seen in the floor. We shortly afterwards came in sight of the river, and reached the banks at a place where the stream rushes with great force through a narrow, rocky channel. We expected to have been able to pass it here, but were told that we could not do so for want of a canoe, and were advised to go a league and a half further up to a place called Sapucaya, which we accordingly did. The road for nearly the whole distance runs parallel with the river, through a most magnificent forest, the trees being of great size, and in general with very straight stems, often rising unbranched to a height of upwards of one hundred feet.
In riding along I could not help feeling deep regret, that in these regions many square leagues of such forests were being cut down and burned, in order to make room for plantations of coffee. There are no means of conveying this fine timber to the coast, as the river, although of considerable flow, is not navigable for rafts, owing to its many rocky rapids. At this place, I observed the bed of the stream to be formed of thin strata of Gneiss rocks, cropping out vertically, and like the course of the river running from west to east.
Sapucaya is a small hamlet, consisting of a few houses of very recent construction, which owe their origin to their proximity to a new bridge, at this time in process of erection across the river, in connexion with Colonel Leite’s new road to the province of Minas Geräes. We here found a canoe, suited only for foot passengers; horsemen, we were told, seldom came this way at this season, owing to the swollen state of the stream, and the rapidity of its current rendering it dangerous to swim horses across. We were consequently advised to go another league and a half farther up the river, to a place called Porto d’Anta. At Sapucaya we gave our mules a feed of Indian corn, but we could find no refreshment for ourselves, excepting a few bananas and a little farinha de mandiocca, upon which we made our dinners. On the stems of the trees in the forest, I met with many fine orchideous plants, one of the most abundant, and certainly the most beautiful, being the Cattleya labiata. The country between Sapucaya and Porto d’Anta, which we reached about dusk, was somewhat similar to that observed lower down the river, but not so well wooded. At this place we were at length enabled to cross the river, there being a regular ferry-boat established for horses, consisting of three large canoes lashed together, planked over, and railed round. The river here was about the breadth of the Clyde at Erskine Ferry, but the current was much more rapid. The Barca, as the ferry-boat is called, was rowed across, but, in consequence of the current, the boatmen were first obliged to ascend the river a considerable way before they began to cross. We found a very good venda on the opposite side of the stream, where we put up for the night, and where we had in a short time a very excellent supper, and were provided with tolerable beds.
Next morning after breakfast, we went on to a fazenda, called Barra de Louriçal, belonging to Colonel Custodio Leite, whom I have before alluded to, as superintending the construction of the new road, and whom I had frequently met at Mr. March’s during my former stay there; this place is about a league and a half distant from Porto D’Anta, and we had again to descend along the banks of the river about a league, by a very romantic road that leads through a fine forest abounding in objects of great interest to the botanist, as well as the zoologist; we observed numerous monkeys passing along the branches of trees over our heads, particularly a large black howler (Mycetes), the females of which were carrying their young upon their backs. We then struck off to the north, and reached the fazenda early in the forenoon; we did not find the Colonel at home, but one of his sons received us very kindly. This is a very fine estate yielding annually about 10,000 arrobas of coffee. On the following day we went to pay a visit to Captain Francisco Leite, a brother of the Colonel, whose fazenda is about a league and a half farther north. We were fortunate enough to find him at home, when he showed us all that was worth seeing on his estate; he is a tall thin man, and although considerably advanced in years, is of a most active and lively disposition. He informed me he was a native of the mining districts, and began his career as a simple gold-washer, having been fortunate enough to acquire a little money, he left that occupation and purchased this estate, about twenty years before our visit, at a time when it was entirely covered with forest. He is now one of the most wealthy, if not the wealthiest individual in this part of the country; the cultivation of coffee having enriched most of the inhabitants of this fertile region. His estate yields him about 11,000 arrobas of coffee; and also a considerable quantity of cheese, sugar, and rum, which are chiefly sent to market in Rio de Janeiro. He was very desirous we should remain all night, but we were obliged to refuse his hospitality, having promised to return to the house of the Colonel, with the intention of resuming our journey early on the following day.
On the morning of the 31st we left Colonel Leite, and in the evening reached Porto da Cunha, which is six leagues further down the river; we had to travel more than eight leagues, having mistaken our road. Some parts of the country through which we travelled were very romantic, particularly by the side of the river, the banks of which were often rocky and well-wooded; the forests are, indeed, the most magnificent that it is possible to imagine. We passed a few small houses belonging chiefly to coloured people, but it was only towards the termination of our journey that we saw one or two large coffee plantations. About three o’clock in the afternoon, while we were passing through a very dense tract of forest country, we came upon a place about three or four acres in extent, that seemed to have been lately cleared, with a small house formed of stakes and palm leaves, standing in the centre. On arriving at the house, we found it belonged to an Indian family, consisting of a man, his wife, and four children. They were just collecting their crop of Indian corn, a good feed of which was readily obtained for our animals, but we could procure nothing eatable for ourselves. At some distance beyond this place, I found, in a rather open part of the forest, a beautiful arboreous species of Bugenvillea, quite distinct from any yet described; it forms a tree from twenty to forty feet high, with a stem more than two feet in circumference; unfortunately I lost all the specimens I collected, through the carelessness of my servant. In the deep forests, I found many different orchideous plants upon the stems of the trees, among which was the rare and beautiful Huntleya meleagris.
It was quite dark when we reached Porta da Cunha, where we could find no place of accommodation; we were first referred to a venda a little way further down the river, but on arriving there, we found it to be a new house in an unfinished state, and not yet inhabited, so that it offered no accommodation for man or beast. From this place we were directed to a small village about half a league still further down the river, called San José, but at the same time we were informed, that about half way to the village, we should see a small fazenda belonging to an elderly widow, who sometimes gave shelter to travellers; we accordingly made application at this place, and were received for the night. The house had certainly a very miserable appearance, but we were glad to find any sort of quarters. The old lady, whose name was Dona Custodia, was, however, rather suspicious of us, perhaps from our arriving at so late an hour, for looking over the balcony, she asked us why we did not go to different houses she mentioned; but, on replying that we were strangers, and had no acquaintance with those individuals, she then told us to dismount. Corn was immediately ordered for our animals, and in a short time supper was sent to us, consisting of a little fried salt beef, and several dishes prepared from the Indian corn meal, which though a very poor substitute for a meal, afforded us, as we were hungry, a hearty dinner and supper at the same time. Shortly afterwards, we were shown into our bed-room, a little closet with two camp bedsteads in it, on one of which a miserable black man was sitting, who also appeared to be a traveller; the other we were told was at our disposal, and we had no alternative but to make use of it; a hide was spread on the floor for the servant, and in this small room, which was scarcely large enough for two persons, four of us had to pass the night. To crown all, the roof was so bad that we might have studied astronomy through it; and the window, which was not glazed, and without a shutter, looked into a pig-sty, by the inmates of which we were aroused early in the morning. If, however, the accommodation was bad, the charge made for it next morning was but a mere trifle, amounting only to one shilling and eight pence in all, including, besides, a cup of coffee in the morning, and another feed of corn to the mules. I gave her about double the sum, with many thanks besides for her kindness, with which she was not a little pleased. She had once, she told us, been in better circumstances, in the mining district, but had lost her money in some unfortunate mining speculations, and had come down to this place with her son, to endeavour to gain a livelihood by making sugar and rum, which they dispose of chiefly in the adjoining village.
From Dona Custodia’s, we went on to the Arraial de San José, in the hope of getting a comfortable breakfast, but in this we were disappointed, as nothing was to be had there. We then returned to the Porto da Cunha, where we were equally unsuccessful, but were informed that a breakfast might be had at a venda on the opposite side of the river. There is a ferry at this place, which is in the hands of the provincial government of Minas Geräes, and a sergeant is stationed here, who levies the passage money, as well as the duties payable on such articles as are sent out of the province; as it was our original intention to re-cross the river at this place, we lost no time in accomplishing it, the conveyance being exactly the same as that at Porto d’Anta. When we went up to the venda, we found, to our astonishment, that they could give us nothing to eat; but the lad who kept the venda, and who was a most uncivil wretch, at last told us that he had some salt fish and rusks, which we might purchase, but that he would not cook the fish for us; this, however, we contrived to do ourselves, at a fire which our servant kindled outside.
Leaving Porto da Cunha, we went out in an easterly direction, it being our intention to visit a small town, called Cantagallo, which at one time was a famous place for gold washing. Very shortly after we started, we passed through a large coffee estate belonging to the celebrated Brazilian deputy, Carneiro Leão, and about a league further on, came upon the Rio Paquequer grande, down the south banks of which we went a considerable way through some fine forests. Towards dusk, while we were pushing on without knowing where we might find quarters for the night, we met a young man who had been out hunting, and by him we were informed that there was a fazenda only a little further on to which he belonged, where no doubt we should be welcome to spend the night. We also learned from him that we were not on the right road to Cantagallo, although it would take us to it, but by a worse and more circuitous route. Arrived at the fazenda, we were shown into a well furnished apartment, and immediately after, the owner came to bid us welcome. Learning that we came from Mr. March’s fazenda, he came up, shook me by the hand, when I recognised him to be a Dr. Saporiti, who about a month before stopped a night at Mr. March’s, on his way from the city: he expressed himself greatly delighted to see us, ordered coffee, and told us we should shortly have supper. In the mean time, he introduced us to his lady, whom we found to be more refined in her manners than the generality of the wives of fazendeiros, no doubt from her having resided many years in Rio de Janeiro. The young man who conducted us to his house, we found to be her son by a former husband. Dr. Saporiti is an Italian by birth, but had been upwards of twenty years in Brazil. About ten o’clock we sat down to an excellent supper, and altogether the evening passed away most agreeably, from the enlivening conversation of our host and hostess, the latter in particular amusing us with the pictures which she drew of rustic life in the distant province of Mato Grosso, of which she is a native. Next morning breakfast was prepared early on our account, as we wished to start in good time.
Owing to the bad state of the roads, it was six o’clock in the evening before we reached Cantagallo, though the distance was only four leagues; the country is thickly wooded, and in general rather level. On the descent of a high hill, we passed through a large coffee plantation which had been abandoned, in consequence of the cold being too great to allow the berries to come to perfection. Between this, however, and Cantagallo, we saw some very extensive plantations, both the soil and climate being admirably adapted for the growth of the coffee plant.
The villa of Cantagallo is situated in a narrow valley, bounded on each side by rather high hills; it consists principally of one long street, and a large square, of which only two sides are completed; the houses are mostly well built, and on the whole it has a neat and clean appearance. Formerly there were many gold washings in the neighbourhood, but now scarcely any one occupies himself in searching for this metal. The great article of produce is coffee, with which immense tracts are planted: it is conveyed by mules to the head of the bay, and then shipped for Rio.