Phytology.—The cedar, which is of various sorts, the páu d’arco, (bow wood,) sassafras, with many other trees of fine timber for building; the pine tree, and those which afford a resin denominated the blood of the dragon, and the oil of cupahiba; the ipecacuanha, jalap, rhubarb, and other medicinal plants; the opuncia, pine-apple, orange, banana, and mamoe, of which last tree there are male and female; the male bears no fruit but only flowers, the female bears fruit and no flowers.
The vegetable matte is a large shrub or bush, with leaves similar to an orange tree, and tastes of mallows; it is said the serra Maracaju produces the best. It is usual not to wait for the leaves falling, but they are plucked, and then dried by some of the most approved methods, generally upon hides between two fires. This plant is taken almost like tea, and the use of this beverage has prevailed from time immemorial amongst the Indians of the northern part of this province. It was they who introduced it amongst the first inhabitants of Assumption.
Zoology.—This province is prodigiously abundant in cattle, horses, and mules; sheep are numerous, but goats few. There is a sufficiency of hogs for the consumption of the inhabitants. Amongst the wild quadrupeds are remarked the ounce, the deer, the monkey, the fox, the rabbit, the cat, the tamandua, quaty, zorrilha, or squash, the tatous, or armadillo, paca, cotia, and the boar. Of birds, the emu ostrich, the seriema, jaburu, cegonha, garca, mutun, jacu, colhereira, urubu, tucano, rola, troquaze pigeons, the parrot, codornize, or quail, beija-flor, or humming-bird, the guiraponga, and the partridge. There are also a diversity of wild ducks and geese.
The principal povoações are, Assumpçao, or Assumption, Correntes, Coruguaty, and Villa Rica.
Assumpçao, an episcopal city, is in a state of mediocrity, possessing some commerce. It is the capital and the residence of the governor, and is situated upon the margin of the Paraguay, which daily washes away a part of the ground upon which it is built. It is ornamented with a hospital, with convents of the Dominicans, Franciscans, Mercenarians, Recoletos, (rigid friars,) and a seminary which was a Jesuitical college. This city has no regularity nor fine edifices; the greater part of the houses are built of earth, and many of the inhabitants of its three parishes are descended from the Portuguese. From hence is exported tobacco, imbe, timber, and a prodigious quantity of matte to Buenos Ayres, where it is afterwards packed in hides, and distributed over various Spanish districts, being a beverage universally used amongst them, as well as by the Portuguese in the southern parts of Brazil. In its environs are bred numerous herds of large cattle. There are plantations of cotton and the cane. Honey and wax are abundant. They cultivate also, as in other parts, aipim, or pompim, as it is called here, which root, after being scraped, chopped, and dried in the oven, is cooked with meat, serving for bread. The maize, or Indian corn, after it is boiled, and beat in a pestle, is passed through a sifter, kneaded with milk, and baked, when it receives the name of chippa.
The bishop is a suffragan of La Plata, otherwise chuquissaca. The chapter of the church, as in all other ultramarine cathedrals of the Spanish states, is composed of twelve canons, including the moderator of the Inquisition, five dignitaries, the dean, archdeacon, chanter, treasurer-mór, and master of the college; also six petty canons to sing the Evangelists, and as many more half petty canons for the Epistles, whose vestments differ little from the others. The canons of theology, doctorial, magisterial, and penitentiary, only give graduates, and that by competition. The revenue of the suppressed canonship is destined for the expenses of the tribunal of the holy office.
There are two tribunals, one called the Junta Decimal, for the public disposal of the decimos, and consisting of two canons, a royal fiscal, a minister clothed with a toga, or gown, an accountant, and an escrivao, or scrivener. The other denominated Meza Capitular, for the collection and distribution of the proceeds of the decimos, is formed of a provisor, or vicar-general, a canon, acting at times as a fiscal, the contador-mor, or chief accountant of the treasury, and another accountant to make the distribution or rates.
All the produce of the decimos is appropriated to the church. In calculating this, the chief accountant of the treasury divides it into nine equal parts; one and a half, under the name of noveno e medio, belongs to the crown, and is destined for the repairs and other necessities of the church; and which the sovereign, as patron, gives by way of succour. Of the other seven and a half parts, one-half is for the bishop, whose duty is to relieve the necessities of the diocesans, especially the poor ones, collected in the house erected for their habitation, because none of them are permitted to solicit alms pelas portas, at the doors.
The residue is divided into three equal fifths, one for the dean, the remainder subdivided anew into three, two are distributed amongst the other dignitaries and the canons, with arithmetical proportion. The part remaining is portioned equally amongst the petty canons, and the half petty canons, or chaplains. The priests of the cities are denominated reytors, or rectors, and those of the towns, vigarios, or vicars. The padres only of the Indians have revenues, (congrua,) drawn from the coffers where the produce of the Indian lands that are sold, and the rents of the emprazadas, (persons paying an annual fine for lands bought,) are deposited. They receive nothing from the parishioners, except for the solemnization of burials.
The priests of the churches of the whites (brancos) alone have the altarage, (or free offerings of the people made at the altar,) and the productions of the patrimonies with which they were founded.