At the period when King John III. divided the Brazil into capitanias, Francisco Peyreyra Coutinho was in Portugal, having recently returned from India, where he had rendered important services to the state, in remuneration for which, the said King granted him a capitania of all the country which lay between the point of Padrao, (now denominated St. Antonio,) and the St. Francisco, giving him afterwards the reconcave of the bay of All Saints. He proceeded in person to colonize this donation, with an armament fitted out at his own cost, and disembarked at the point of Padrao. He fortified himself on the site where the mother church of Our Lady of Victory is situated, and preserved a state of amity with the Indians for some years. Cultivation began to extend, and the more opulent and powerful settlers had already established sugar works, when the Tupinamba Indians commenced an inveterate and unceasing warfare for the period of seven or eight years against them, carrying destruction and famine amongst the sugar works and new establishments. Coutinho, with the small force which now remained, discovered the impossibility of repairing the evils his colony had sustained, and, consequently, determined to withdraw from the increasing enmity and attacks of the Indians, which he accomplished in one caravel, conducting the remains of the colony to the capitania of Ilheos, where the Portuguese settlers were living in a state of profound peace with the Tupininquin Indians.
The Tupinambas were a powerful tribe, and other hordes of Indians who previously occupied the territory around Bahia, had been compelled to give way to them. They affected to feel the circumstances attending the departure and absence of the Portuguese, to whom they proposed terms of friendship, which were acceded to. Coutinho lost no time in re-embarking for the bay of All Saints, where, on arriving at the entrance of the harbour, they were assailed by a tremendous gale of wind, which drove them on the shoals off the island of Itaparica, and all those who escaped on shore from the wreck were devoured by the cannibal Indians, (also of the Tupinamba tribe,) excepting Diogo Alvez Correa, who had accompanied Coutinho in his flight. Caramuru saved his life from the circumstance of speaking the Tupinamba language. He acquired considerable consequence amongst the Indians, and was elevated to the rank of a prince. The chiefs offered him their daughters in marriage, and his distinction was marked by the grant of a plurality of wives. His offspring was numerous, and even at this day some of the inhabitants of Bahia trace their origin to him.
In consequence of Coutinho’s misfortunes, the territory of Bahia became devoluto, unoccupied; and the same monarch being informed of the beauties and advantages of this fine bay, and the fertility of its adjacent country, determined to found a city there, which should become the capital of all the colonies, in order to afford them every necessary succour against the Indians, who were at this period making universal progress in their attempts against the new settlers. An armament was accordingly prepared, of five ships, with six hundred volunteers, four hundred degradados, (criminals,) an abundant provision of every thing requisite for the foundation and defence of the colony, some Jesuitical priests, in order to catholicize the Indians, and many other sacerdotals for the administration of that faith. This important enterprise was intrusted to an illustrious individual named Thome de Souza, who had distinguished himself in Africa and India, and the jurisdiction of the Brazilian state, or New Lusitania, was conferred upon him under the title of governor general. By this measure the sovereign suspended and limited the power which had been given to the donatories of the different capitanias. Doctor Pedro Borges was appointed ouvidor general, to register the proceedings of all the capitanias. Antonio Cardozo de Barros, procurador of the royal treasury, (or attorney general,) and some servants of the king were to receive situations in the public offices.
The squadron left Lisbon on the 2d of February, 1549, and on the 29th of March, arrived in the port where the unfortunate donatory had been established, and a short distance from the place then occupied by Correa. The situation of Coutinho’s establishment did not appear to Thome de Souza to be well selected; and he commenced the projected city in the place where the chapel of Our Lady d’ Ajuda is situated, about a mile further to the north, against the votes of some individuals who preferred the site of Montserrat.
In the following year a galliot was ordered out, laden with European animals, commanded by Simon da Gama; and in the year 1551, the same succour was furnished by a squadron, of which Antonio d’ Oliveira was commander: he brought some young females of noble extraction, from the orphan establishment, strongly recommended by Queen Donna Catharina to the governor, in order that they might be betrothed in marriage, with certain portions, to the principal persons of the state. Similar assistance was annually continued, during the quadrennial government of the first governor and of his successor Duarthe de Costa. The Jesuits, at the head of whom was the celebrated P. M. Nobrega, pursued their purpose of civilizing and introducing Christianity amongst the Indians, through the imposing medium of ceremonies, parade, and pomp, with remarkable and continued success, up to the period of the general expulsion of their sect: and the colonists of Brazil, particularly those of this province, are indebted most materially for the reduction of many of the hordes of Indians who occupied the coast, to the great influence which the Jesuits acquired over them. Duarthe da Costa was succeeded in 1558, by Mendo de Sa, who obtained the government for fourteen years, during which period this province advanced considerably. He also afforded assistance to all the capitanias whose colonization was opposed by the Indians. This province is divided into three comarcas—Ilheos, Jacobina, and Bahia.
Comarca of the Ilheos.
This comarca, which extends from the river Jiquirica to the Belmonte or Jiquitinhonha, occupies the territory of the suppressed capitania of the same name, which at first took in an extent of fifty leagues of coast, from the embouchure of the Jaguaripe opposite the southern point of the island of Itaparica (afterwards from the island of Tinhare,) to the commencement of the capitania of Pedro do C. Tourinho. Its first donatory was George de Figueyredo Correa, a fidalgo of the King, and escrivam of the treasury (or chancellor of the exchequer.) The public situation which he held prevented his going personally to colonize it; he therefore nominated a Spanish cavalier, Francisco Rameiro, and intrusted him with the command of an armament equipped with every thing requisite for the purpose, and which arrived safe in the port of the island of Tinhare. Here Rameiro founded a town upon the morro of St. Paulo; but, becoming disgusted with the situation he had chosen, the colony was removed to the river of Ilheos, where a new town was commenced, and received the name of St. George, in honour of the proprietor. War was maintained against the Indians for a few years, but being a tribe of the Tupininquins, who possessed much more docility of character than any of the others, friendship was at last established with them; and the harmony which afterwards prevailed tended greatly to the augmentation of the capitania, and many rich men of Lisbon ordered sugar-works to be erected, which produced a rapid increase of population and commerce.
Jeronimo Alarcao succeeded his father, Figueyredo Correa, and shortly afterwards, by royal consent, he sold this capitania to Lucas Giraldes, who expended a considerable capital in its improvement, which was, however, rendered futile in consequence of the destruction occasioned by the Aimbores, who fell upon his people, killed a great many, and compelled the rest to retire to Bahia. Mendo de Sa went personally to succour the unfortunate colonists, and carried havoc amongst the Indians, about the year 1570.
One of the successors of Lucas Geraldes transferred this capitania to D. Ellena de Castro, for the payment of a debt; in the possession of which illustrious family it remained till the year 1771, when Joseph I. incorporated it with the crown lands, giving to Don Antonio de Castro, the last donatory, the countship of Rezende, and an admiralship, with a revenue of five thousand crusades. It is a mountainous country, almost universally covered with wild woods and forests, which produce a diversity of timber for building, cabinet work, and dye-woods. The frequent rains contribute much to the growth of the woods, which preserve the soil in a state of moisture. There is scarcely any situation where mandioca, the coffee tree, rice, Indian corn, the sugar cane, and cotton tree do not prosper. They are the principal articles of cultivation. The culture of indigo might be rendered lucrative, as well as cocoa and pechurim. Although the country produces them spontaneously, the latter is not so full grown as that of Para.
Mountains.—The serra of Aimores originates in this comarca, where it commonly receives the name of Itaraca, and sometimes Goytaracas, or Baytaracas; in many parts it is uneven and broken, in some it approaches the sea, and in others stretches far into the interior. Between the rivers Ilheos and Contas it is parallel with and very near to the beach. All the other mountains are ramifications of this; and almost all parts, particularly the Beira-mar, or sea-coast, are dressed in verdant woods.