Arronches, which has for titular patroness the Lady of Humildes, is distant seven miles from the capital, towards the south.
The three last are Indian towns, with some whites and mesticos, who cultivate mandioca, cotton, rice, legumes, &c. The whole were founded in places selected for the establishments of Christianized Indians. They are all small but capable of becoming considerable, if their inhabitants were possessed of more activity and intelligence.
In the vicinity of the sources of the river Jaguaribe, are the parishes of St. Mattheus, in the district of Inhamuz; of the Lady of Paz, in the district of Arneyros, formerly a Christianized Indian town. Cattle and the necessaries of life are their principal productions.
CHAP. XXI.
PROVINCE OF PIAUHY.
Boundaries—First Settlers—Cattle Fazendas—Mountains—Mineralogy—Rivers—Towns.
This province derives its name from one of the rivers which water it, and was created in the year 1718, being till that period a comarca of Maranham, but did not begin to have governors before 1758. It is computed to comprise four hundred miles from north to south, and one hundred and seventy of medium width. Its form is almost triangular, having more than three hundred and forty miles on the southern side, where it is confined by the province of Pernambuco, and about sixty on the northern side, where it is washed by the ocean. On the east it is bounded by the province of Siara, from which it is separated by the serra of Hibiapaba, on the west by the river Parnahiba, which divides it from Maranham. The country is almost generally low and flat, interspersed with small hills and extensive plains, principally sandy, in great part destitute of trees, and also in places of shrubs. It exhibits herbage during the period of rains, or whilst the soil preserves any humidity, but it is soon shrivelled up on the return of the sun’s parching rays. This province has various streams all tributary to the important river Parnahiba. The winter commences in October, and lasts till April, accompanied with thunder and rain. The wind prevails at the beginning from the north, and afterwards passes round to the south. The climate is hot, and fevers reign in some districts. In the northern part, the days and nights are equal all the year, and in the southern districts of the province there is only a difference of half an hour. This territory was possessed by various nations, generally not numerous, whose reduction or repulsion did not consume much time or expenditure of lives, differing in this respect from many other provinces of much less extent, and arising from the concurring circumstances of the great deficiency of woods and serras, which in almost all the other districts served the savages for retreat and refuge. Those who afforded the greatest difficulty in subduing them, were a tribe living in the vicinity of the river Poty, commanded by a domestic Indian, who had fled from an aldeia of Pernambuco, and who animated them to a desperate resistance, until he perished in swimming across the Parnahiba. Mandu Ladino was the common name by which this chieftain was designated.
More than fifty years had elapsed without any intelligence of the existence of wild Indians within the precincts of the province, when, about the year 1760, on its southern side, a band appeared, who from that period have annoyed the colonists very much, and have compelled them to abandon a great number of fazendas for breeding cattle. The whites give this tribe the appellation of Pimenteiras, in consequence of there being a situation so denominated in the district which they occupy. They have their dwelling places between the heads of the rivers Piauhy and Gurguea, near the boundary of the province, being surrounded by the establishments of the Portuguese. Within their territory there is a large lake abounding with fish, near which they take up their residence for a considerable period of the year. It is conjectured that they were, or at least in part, descendants of various families who lived domesticated with the whites in the vicinity of Quebrobo, and from whom they deserted about the year 1685, in order to avoid marching under the banners of the forces equipped against their Indian brethren. Their hostilities commenced in consequence of a dog being killed in the vicinity of Gurguea, whither they had proceeded upon an occasion of hunting. In a frustrated assault which they made, eighty bows were found, from which it was inferred they had a considerably greater number of men capable of using that weapon. Domingos Jorge, a Paulista, and Domingos Affonso, from Maffra, in Portugal, were the first persons who began the conquest of this province. Towards the year 1674, the latter possessed a fazenda for breeding cattle on the northern side of the river St. Francisco. The great injury which he there sustained from the central Indians, and the desire of augmenting his fortune with similar possessions, urged him to undertake the conquest of the northern country, for which object he assembled all the people he could accumulate, and having passed the serra of Dois Irmaos, (Two Brothers,) towards the north, he, fortunately for himself, encountered the Paulista before mentioned, who was in the progress of reducing Indians to captivity, and they afforded mutual succour to each other. Having ultimately captured a considerable number, and caused the remainder to retire, the Paulista returned to his country with the greater part of the captive Indians, and the European remained master of the territory. Other companies made similar entries into this district, the said Affonso always remaining supreme captain of the whole, and the vast possessions thus acquired by the entrance of various parties, received the denomination of Certam. It is said that he established above fifty fazendas for the breeding of large cattle, and that he gave away and sold many during his life. It is however certain, that at his death, he left thirty, and appointed the Jesuits of the College of Bahia administrators of them, ordering the revenues of eleven to be appropriated for dowries to young virgins, to the clothing of widows, and to succour other necessities of the poor. With the rest they were to augment the number of fazendas, but it is said that they only established three more. With the extinction of this sect, the whole passed under the administration of the crown, and are preserved in the same state by the inspection of three administrators, each having eleven fazendas in his jurisdiction, with three hundred milreas of salary. They occupy the territory through which the rivers Piauhy and Caninde flow, from the boundary of the province to the north of the capital, in the vicinity of which there are some principal ones. The privilege of forming establishments within their lands is not granted to any one, where the slaves of the fazendas work alone for their subsistence and clothing. The cattle arriving at a certain age are conducted by the purchasers principally to Bahia and its reconcave. Those of the northern district descend to Maranham, others are driven to Pernambuco.
Mountains.—This province has no serras of any consequence, if we except the cordillera which limits it on the east, and that from whence emanate the divers branches of the Parnahiba. In the interior alone there are trifling hills, and some small morros, which even in the country have not acquired any names.
The serra denominated Dois Irmaos consists of two small mounts in the southern confines, between which the road passes from the capital to the river St. Francisco.
Mineralogy.—Gold, iron, lead, copperas, pumice stone, saltpetre, mineral salt, magnete, talc, grindstone, red lead, parget, potters’ earth, and abundance of calcareous stone.