The province of Solimoes is bounded on the north by the river of the same name, or rather the Amazons; on the west by the Hyabary, which separates it from the Spanish dominions; on the south by the same dominions, the divisionary line between the two territories having been adjusted by the Portuguese and Spanish commissioners in the year 1751, and ratified in 1757; and on the east by the Madeira.

It is two hundred and fifty miles on the eastern side, from north to south, nearly six hundred miles from east to west, and lies between 3° 23′ and 7° 30′ south latitude. It is a country but little known excepting along the Madeira, and in the vicinity of the Amazons: it is occupied by numerous Indian nations, speaking divers idioms, and watered by many large and navigable rivers. It produces all the quadrupeds, reptiles, and birds of the provinces, eastward of the river Madeira; a vast variety of plants and trees known to be of great utility, amongst which are the clove, cupahyba, or capivi, cocoa, elastic gum, puchery, and cotton. It is well known also that the soil is highly adapted to the culture of Indian corn, rice, legumes, the cane, tobacco, mandioco, coffee, bahunilha, or vanilla, inhumes, (growing like potatoes,) potatoes, and a variety of fruits: however, these articles will not prosper equally in all parts. Domestic cattle are universally in small numbers, and their augmentation depends upon the Christian portion of population, which, at present, is very inconsiderable. Nothing satisfactory is known of the mineralogy of the province; but it appears natural that the minerals peculiar to the adjoining provinces should also be found here.

The five following large rivers, Hyutahy, Hyurba, Teffe, Coary, and Puru, which traverse the province from south to north, with the Madeira and Hyabary, divide it into six districts of unequal size, and almost of the same length from north to south: each one takes the name of the river that serves for its western limit. We will describe the above districts according to the following order:—

The principal povoaçoes, or towns, of these districts, four having only one each, another two, and the last three, were founded by the Slippered Carmalites. Condamine, the French writer, says, “Toute la partie découverte des bords de Rio Negro est peuple de missions Portugaises, des mêmes religieux du Mont Carmel que nous avions rencontres en descendant l’Amazone, depuis que nous avions laisse les missions Espagnoles.”

District of Puru.

Puru, which lies between the Madeira, and the river from which it derives its name, has been more explored than any of the contiguous districts, and enjoys the best situation for commerce. From its centre various other considerable rivers flow into the three which form its confines. The Capanna and the Uhautas are the largest amongst those which run to the Madeira.

The Capanna empties itself one hundred and forty miles above the town of Borba, after having traversed a considerable lake, which receives divers small streams, and from whence there is also an outlet to the river Puru. Its environs are inhabited by the Catauixi and Itatapriya Indians, who are great hunters and fishers.

The Uhautas, which has a course of fifty miles, discharges itself fifteen miles from Borba, and originates in a lake of the same name, which is vast and studded with islands that are overspread with the clove-tree.

From this lake, which is the receptacle of various small streams, two other rivers issue and flow to the Amazons; one of them enters it eight miles above the mouth of the Madeira, and the other, called Paratary, one hundred miles further to the west. Eighteen miles below the principal mouth of the Rio Negro is the lake d’El Rey, near the southern margin of the Amazons. The Purupuru Indians, who inhabit the central part of the country, give their chief the name of Maranuxauha.