A history of the Brazil

by James Henderson

Eight miles to the north-north-west is the parish of St. Gonçalo dos Campos, whose inhabitants are generally cultivators of the tobacco plant.

Maragogype, a considerable town, and advantageously situated near the left margin of the Guahy, a mile above its confluence with the Paraguassu, is ornamented, with a church of St. Bartholomew and four chapels dedicated to Our Lady, with the titles of Nazareth, Mares, Lapa do Saboeiro, and Lapa do Monte. It has royal professors of the primitive letters and Latin, a Juiz de Fora, a fountain of good water, tolerable houses, is encircled with hills and exports farinha, sugar, and tobacco. In the vicinity of this town there is armenian bole, and antimony.

The river Guahy, which brings the waters of the Capanema, is navigable for the space of ten miles.

The Paraguassu at this place is near two in width, and from it a branch runs north-east to the centre of the celebrated valley of Iguape, which is about five miles long, and of varied width; it is covered with plantations of the sugar-cane, for the growth of which it is deemed the best land that is known, being what is termed massapé, or a black and strong soil, which is, unquestionably, the most congenial to the cane. There are nearly twenty sugar-works within its narrow precincts, the proprietors of which are parishioners of Santiago, the church of which is a short way from the left bank of the Paraguassu, upon whose margin, not far distant, is also a convent, and novitiate-house of Franciscans.

Cachoeira, a flourishing and commercial town, is divided into two parts by the river Paraguassu; the largest, which is along the left or eastern bank, has the church of Our Lady of Rozario, a convent of slippered Carmelites, with a Terceira order subordinate to them, a chapel of Our Lady of Conceiçao, another of St. Pedro, a hospital of St. Joam de Deos, a fountain, and three small bridges of stone over two small rivers, the Pitanga, and Caquende, or Falleira, each of which has its sugar-works, but neither have a course of three miles. The municipal house is situated in the portion of the town, which has nearly ten thousand inhabitants. The western part, upon the right bank of the river, is traversed by two brooks, and has two churches, the one dedicated to Menino Deos, the other to St. Feliz, from which latter it takes the name, and contains about two thousand inhabitants. Both portions are increasing; their edifices are of stone, and the streets paved. Here is collected and embarked the greatest portion of tobacco and cotton that is exported from the capital. It has a Juiz de Fora, and royal masters of the description so often mentioned, in which appointments there is not much advantage beyond the sound. The main part of its inhabitants are much incommoded at the period of the highest floods. The tide advances nearly two miles above the town, at whose extremity the river, eighty fathoms wide, with a wooden bridge over it, begins to have reefs, which form currents of little depth, and impede navigation. It is fifteen miles above Maragogipe, and something more to the west-south-west of St. Amaro. About two miles to the east of this town was found a piece of native copper, which weighed one thousand six hundred and sixty-six pounds, and is now in the royal museum, at Lisbon.

Three miles to the north-north-east of Cachoeira is the aldeia of Belem, so called from a chapel, which is the remains of a seminary there established by the Jesuits. Five miles to the south-west of the same town is the arraial and parish of Murityba, in an agreeable though flat situation, refreshed with salubrious air, and possessing good water. The soil is fertile, and well adapted to the tobacco plant, coffee, orange, and jaca trees, which are abundant. It was formerly a flourishing povoaçao. Besides the church, dedicated to the Chief of the Apostles, there is another of Our Lady of Rozario, both of stone: the houses are built of a sun-dried brick.

The jarrinha, or basil root, is very common, and indigo, known here only by the name of lingua de gallinha, (the tongue of a fowl,) grows spontaneously amongst other wild plants to the height of two feet. All the inhabitants of this parish are tobacco planters.

Eighteen miles to the west of Murityba is the serra of Apora, a mountain of considerable elevation, more than twelve miles in circuit, and near the road of the certam: in its vicinity is a hermitage of St. Joze. Fifteen miles to the westward is the small arraial of Ginipapo, with a chapel of stone dedicated to St. Joze, upon the border of the same road. A lake supplies water to all the living creatures of its district.

Jaguaripe is a middling town, pleasantly situated upon the right, and seven miles above the mouth of the river of its name, and two miles above the confluence of the Cahype, which passes it at a short distance to the southward. It has a church of the Lady of Ajuda, houses of earth, streets paved with bricks, royal masters, and a Juiz de Fora, who is the same individual holding that situation at Maragogipe. The inhabitants are generally manufacturers of earthenware.

Fifteen miles above the Jaguaripe, along the left margin of the same river, is the large and flourishing parish of Our Lady of Nazareth. Large barks arrive here with the tide, and export farinha and other necessaries to the capital. The margins of the Jaguaripe in all this interval, have potteries for earthenware, which constitutes a considerable branch of commerce.