[92] I insert the following passage from No. 32d. of Dr. Thomson’s Annals of Philosophy, p. 138. It is given for the purpose of acquainting the supporters of our Lady of the O, that salt oozes from walls in an heretical, as well as in a Catholic country:
“The formation of nitre upon calcareous stones in certain situations has been long known, and advantage has been taken of it to procure that important salt in great quantities; though no satisfactory theory of the formation of the salt itself has yet been offered to the public. The present paper contains a set of observations on the appearance of an efflorescence of salt-petre on the walls of the Ashmole laboratory at Oxford, a large ground room, sunk below the area of the street. The walls are built of Oxford lime-stone, a granular floetz lime-stone, containing many fragments of shells, of vegetable bodies, and composed of 96 carbonate of lime, and 4 of ochrey sand. The salt formed was nearly pure, though it contained traces of lime and of sulphuric and muriatic acids. What was formed in winter contained most lime. The formation of this salt was most rapid in frosty weather; it formed slowly, and the quantity even diminished in moist weather after it had been deposited. Exclusion from the air did not preclude the deposition of the salt, though it diminished it considerably.” p. 70.—The paper, of which the above is an analysis, is by John Kidd, M.D. professor of chemistry in Oxford.
[93] Some time ago a wooden figure was brought up out of the sea in a fisherman’s net; it was deposited in a place of safety, and was on inspection, by some person who was judged competent to decide upon the subject, declared to be an image of St. Luke; it was removed to a church, and has taken its place as a representative of that saint. Now, I have heard it whispered, that this said St. Luke is no more than the figure-head of some unfortunate vessel which had been cast away, or that the figure had been broken off by a violent wave.
[94] I am not certain of the situation of the Monte das Tabocas, where one of the chief battles was fought between the Portugueze and the Dutch in 1645.—History of Brazil, vol. ii. p. 108. There is now a plantation called Tabocas, which is owned by one of the chiefs of the Cavalcante family; but as I was acquainted with him and several other persons of the same description, I think the circumstance would have been mentioned, if this had been the place.
[95] At the distance of twenty leagues or more from Recife, there resided formerly the Padre Pedro, upon the sugar plantation of Agua Azul, or the blue water. He had obtained a grant from the Crown, of the surrounding lands, of one square league in extent, and had fixed his dwelling upon a high hill, the summit of which was only to be reached by a serpentine road which he had made with great labour. The sugar works were likewise upon the hill, and the field around the eminence was inclosed by a deep and broad ditch, and a thick hedge on the outside. The situation was remote, and the adjoining country was in a very wild state; the woods were extensive, and almost impenetrable. The disposition of the priest was as wild as the country in which he delighted to reside. All deserters from the regiments of the line, and all persons who had committed crimes in supporting the insulted honour of their families, in quarrels and provocations exciting momentary violence of passion, were received by him; but he did not afford protection to the thief. The fellows who were harboured by him inhabited the woods around the field, and some of them had erected their huts upon the sides of the hill, thus forming a line of communication; so that with a whistle or a conch, soon were assembled at his door forty or fifty men, who were prepared to perform any service of whatever description he might name; because they well knew that if they were bereft of his protection, his aid would be given in the law’s support. To injure the priest or any of his satellites, was followed by destruction to the offending person. He was, however, in the habit of sending many presents to the chief persons in office, that no notice might be taken of his proceedings; for although the government might not be able to destroy his feudal independence, still it might have shaken his power. The priest was once sent for by a late governor of the province; he obeyed, and brought with him a considerable number of his determined followers; he dismounted, and ascended the steps of the palace, leaving directions to his people, who remained below, that no person should be permitted to enter after him. The governor complained to him of his avowed practice of harbouring deserters; to which the priest replied, that he thought his Excellency was aware of the inutility of speaking to him upon that subject; and having said this he immediately left the room, mounted his horse, and proceeded homewards without molestation.
Another anecdote of this strange man was communicated to me by a person who had witnessed the transaction. Two officers of justice or bailiffs, arrived at Agua Azul, and served a writ for debt upon him; the priest received them with great calmness, but shortly afterwards he ordered some of his people to take these two men and harness them in the mill (which was then at work) in the places of two of the horses, (eight of these are employed at the same time). He then ordered that the works should go on, and that a negro boy should sit above and make these unfortunate fellows assist in its movement; there they remained for some minutes, until half dead with fatigue and fear, he turned them loose, and told them to relate to their employer the manner in which they had been treated, threatening to do the same to him, if he could obtain possession of his person. The priest had a considerable number of blood hounds, which were usually unchained, and were lying about the house; thus rendering dangerous an approach to his dwelling. The animals were well trained, for a call from their master was sufficient to make them lie still, and allow of the advance of a stranger. This person died only a few years ago; but as I have already elsewhere said, the time for such characters in Brazil is fast going by.
[96] “Zacharias nam he ninguem.”
[97] Labat, in speaking of the Indians of Guyana, says, “Leurs plus grandes richesses consistent dans les colliers de pierres vertes qui leur viennent de la riviére des Amazones. C’est un limon qu’on peche dans le fond de quelques endroits de ce grand fleuve.” He continues his description of them, and then says, “ces pierres sont spécifiques pour guêrir l’épilepsie ou le mal caduc, ou du moins pour en ôter et suspendre tous les accidens tout autant de tems qu’on les porte sur soi, et qu’elles touchent la peau.”—Voyage du Chevalier des Marchais en Guinée, isles voisines et a Cayenne, tom. iv. p. 65 and 66.
The lower orders in Brazil make use of an iron ring round the wrist for this purpose.
I was informed that the Contas Verdes came from Africa, but some may have found their way from the Orellana, and been put into requisition by the Mandingueiros.