The towns of this province are—

Porto Seguro, a considerable town, and capital of the province, is situated at the mouth of the river Buranhen, upon an elevation on the northern side, with an agreeable aspect, enjoying salubrious air, and provided with good water. It has a church of Nossa Senhora da Penna, a house of misericordia, and an ex-Jesuitical hospicio, at present the residence of the ouvidors. The houses are of brick or wood, and the streets unpaved. The main part of its inhabitants frequent the fishing of garoupas, which form an important branch of their commerce. It has, as is usual, a royal professor of Latin. Its surrounding lands are appropriated to divers productions, none of which are superabundant except fruits. Porto Seguro, it is said, was once larger, but upon the occasion previously referred to was nearly dismantled by the Abatyras, and being rebuilt, again suffered much from the invasions of the Guerens, who, perhaps, would have annihilated it altogether if the celebrated Tateno, a cacique or chief from the river St. Antonio, who was a scourge to the other savages and a friend of the Christians, had not succoured them, in spite of the diseases under which he laboured at the time, and which did not permit him to move, except in a net or rede, carried upon the shoulders of his most robust comrades. The small povoaçoes of Pontinha, Marcos, and Pacatta, the whole upon the northern margin of the river, scarcely separated by small intervals, are so many other parts of this town.

Villaverde, originally Patatiba, is small but well situated, has a church dedicated to Espirito Santo, (Holy Spirit,) and a municipal house. It is eighteen miles above the capital, upon the southern margin of the same river, near a large lake. It has a profusion of fruits, and abundance of water from fountains. The soil is of great fertility, but is entirely left to the indolence of the Christianized Indians, amongst whom a white is scarcely seen. They export some timber and a little cotton.

Eighteen miles north of the capital, near the mouth of the St. Cruz, the parish of this name, formerly considerable, has decayed, in consequence of the invasions of the Guerens. It has a church, dedicated to Nossa Senhora of Conceiçao; and in the vicinity a tree is common, the fruit of which is called the quince. The proximity of Cabralia Bay, and the roads which are expected to be opened from divers points of Minas Geraes, will probably render this povoaçao a flourishing and considerable place.

Trancozo is an inconsiderable town, well situated, near the mouth of a small river; the church is dedicated to St. John Baptista, and its inhabitants, almost generally Indians, cultivate cotton and mandioca, and are also fishermen. It is fifteen miles south of Porto Seguro.

Prado, situated at the mouth of the Jucurucu, which was its primitive name, is forty miles to the south of Trancozo. A considerable quantity of farinha (flour of mandioca) is exported from hence, at present the only riches of its inhabitants. Its church is dedicated to the Purificaçao de Nossa Senhora.

Alcobaça, another small town, near the mouth of the Itanhen, of which it originally had the name, has a church dedicated to St. Bernardo. The population, generally Indian, and the agriculture, begin to increase, by the establishments of various farmers, who removed hither from Caravellas, in consequence of the woods or mattas remaining uncut in the immediate vicinity of the town.

Caravellas is a considerable town, upon the northern margin of the river of the same name, about five miles from the sea, and almost in front of the channel which communicates with the Peruhype. It consists of three streets parallel with the river, which forms a good port, capable even of receiving large vessels, if the bar were accessible. It is the most frequented of any other town in the province; has a church called St. Antonio, and royal masters of the primitive letters and Latin. Almost all its inhabitants cultivate mandioca, which is nearly three years in the ground before it reaches maturity; they can scarcely make two plantations of it, as already in the second the ants have accumulated upon it to a destructive extent. The lands overgrow with brushwood immediately the woods are cleared away. The water-melons, aboboras, bananas, and oranges, are very fine. There are places covered entirely with the jabuticaba tree. A great quantity of farinha is exported from hence. Various families, who escaped from the catastrophe which attended the destruction of the towns in the vicinity of the capital by the Indians, commenced this town, upon the right bank of the river, near the bar, from whence it was shortly afterwards removed to the situation which it now occupies. They are now labouring in the opening of a road or track, to communicate with that of Portalegre, which leads to Minas Geraes.

Villaviçoza, at first called Campinho, upon the southern margin, and four miles above the mouth of the river Peruhype, is yet small, with a church of N. Senhora da Conceiçao. Its inhabitants produce much farinha, and the vessels by which the superfluity is exported navigate commonly by the river Caravellas, and the channel before mentioned, in consequence of the little depth which the Peruhype has at the bar.