Continuing onward, the river Embahu is met with, which at its mouth is only eight fathoms wide, but it gradually increases to more than eighty fathoms; canoes can proceed up during a day’s voyage.
Two miles farther to the north is the point of Pinheira, which is followed by the gulf of the same name, being the southern entrance to the channel of the island of St. Catharina; its southern extremity is a league to the north of the said point.
Near six miles to the north of Point Pinheira, the Massambu disembogues, being thirty fathoms wide, and of considerable depth, but of short extent: Rio Dom Rodrigo was its first designation. After it follows a small bay, called Brito, and a little farther is the entrance of the river Cubatao, sixty fathoms wide, up which larger canoes proceed during two days’ voyage. In the proximity of this river there are various fountains of hot water, having different degrees of heat: the most distant one, situated five leagues up the river, possesses one hundred and two degrees.
After passing various small rivers, the river Maruhy is met with, as large as the preceding one, and navigable to the place denominated Guarda. Near this river is the bay of St. Joze. A little to the north is a straight, which divides the channel into two almost equal parts; and a little farther is the entrance of the river Biguassu, fifty fathoms in width, and up which canoes proceed for many leagues. The first discoverers called it the river of Patos, in consequence of its constituting a limit between the Indians of that name, who extended themselves as far as the St. Pedro, and the Carijos to the north as far as Cannanea.
The large bay of St. Miguel follows; afterwards, the point of Armacao; and, farther on, that of Ganchos, which lies east and west of the extremity of the island of St. Catharina, and is to the southward of the spacious bay of Tejucas, at the farther end of which the river of the same name discharges itself, being fifty fathoms wide, and affording two days’ navigation. The surrounding country of the bay of Tejucas is a morass or marshy plain in the winter, when its passage is attended with great labour and inconvenience.
To the north of the preceding is the bay of Guaroupas, open to the north-east, not so large, but sufficiently sheltered and capacious for the reception of a squadron of ships; the river Bupeba runs into it, as well as the two Pireques. The intervening land of those two bays is a peninsula, which extends to the sea, terminating in three points, and forming two small bays.
Proceeding northward, the next river is the Cambory-Guassu, rapid at its entrance into the sea, and being twenty fathoms in width. Nearly three leagues farther is the embouchure of the great river Tajahy, which is little less than sixty fathoms in width at the passage a short distance from the beach. It is the only river met with on the road from Portalegre to St. Paulo that flows towards the east; the sumacas proceed up only three miles, launches and large canoes navigate freely as far as the first fall. About one hundred and twenty yards above it becomes navigable for the space of three days, by towing, and as many more with the oar, to the next cataract. It rises between the river Negro and the Correntes, (which run to westward.) In its neighbourhood there are many small mountains. The principal confluents which enlarge it are the Rio de Luiz Alves (which comes from the north-west, runs near the mountain of Bahul, seen from the sea at a great distance, and is navigable for small canoes) and the Tajahy Mirim, which runs from the south-west, navigable for canoes about ten leagues. The whole flow through countries of great fertility.
Five miles farther to the north is the river Gravata, otherwise Iriri-Guassu, thirty fathoms wide, and navigable for canoes. It is followed by the spacious bay of Itapacoroya, where there is an establishment for whale fishing. Proceeding onwards, the Iriri Mirim and the Camboriu are met with, up which canoes also navigate with the aid of the tide. Near to the latter is the Tajuba, a river of a similar class.
Three leagues to the north of the Itapacoroya the river Itapicu disembogues, being fifty fathoms wide, and of considerable depth. Its origin is far back in the province, and affords navigation to small canoes for many leagues, without the interruption of more than one cataract, which is situated ten miles above the mouth. The agitated state of the sea at the mouth of this river does not permit the entrance of any description of vessel. Immediately beyond the bar it forms a lake, called Lagoa da Cruz, two leagues long from north to south, parallel with the beach, and very narrow. Among the rivers which enlarge it are remarked the Piranga, which is received by the left bank, and is navigable by canoes for a space of five leagues; the Upitanga, which joins it by the right margin, and is only navigable for six miles; the Itapicu Mirim, that comes from the north-west and admits of navigation for about fifteen miles; the Jaragua, which flows from the south-west, and appears capable of allowing small vessels to proceed as far as a situation about four leagues above its mouth; and the Braço, which descends from the north-west, and admits of canoes for the space of six miles. All these rivers run by winding courses among mountains and uncultivated territories, thickly wooded, demonstrating the natural fertility of the soil. The Itapicu is supposed to be the river of Dragons, which the discoverers placed to the south of the river St. Francisco in this district.
Five miles to the north of Itapicu is the island of St. Francisco, six leagues long, and in the form of a bow, the right line of which is nearest the coast; the channel which separates it from the continent is improperly called the river of St. Francisco. The southern entrance is denominated Aracary, is two hundred fathoms wide, has only depth for large boats, and on its outside are the three islands of Remedios and two of Tamboretes. The northern bar, called Babitonga, is fifteen hundred fathoms wide and deep enough for large sumacas.[19] At the end of the sixteenth century it was not known that the land between the bar of Aracary and Babitonga was an island; they were thought to be two mighty rivers, the southern called the St. Francisco and the northern the Alagado. The channel, or the pretended river St. Francisco, of a semicircular form, enlarges considerably from both mouths to the middle, where it is three miles wide, and contains a cluster of more than twenty islands. A great number of rivers empty themselves here. The nearest to the bar of Aracary is the Piraque, having a course of five leagues, five fathoms in width at the mouth, and affords navigation to canoes for three miles; next to it is the Pinheiros, still smaller; then the Paraty, which is thirty fathoms wide at the bar, two and a half in depth, and navigable for about a league. The little river Areas, narrow and deep, is navigable for two miles. The great river Areas, up which canoes proceed with the tide for some distance. The river Parannagua, whose origin approximates to that of the Pirango, an arm of the Itapicu: coasting vessels proceed up it a short way, large boats about two miles, and canoes nearly five miles. Next follow the Saguaçu; the two Erirys; the Cubatao Grande, twenty fathoms wide, three deep, and navigable for ten leagues to the high rock of Tromba; the Antonio Felis; the Ribeyrao; the Biguaçu; the Pyrabyréba; the Cavalinhos, by which canoes proceed for a space of ten miles; the Tres-Barras, so called in consequence of being the common embouchure of the three rivers of Furtaenchente, St. Joam, and Tres Barras, the second only being considerable, (its principal confluents are the Maria Bachaara and the Farinhas, which come from the serra of Curytiba, and afford navigation to canoes;) the Barrancos, Bacuhy, Lamen, Batuby, Fornos, Fernandes, Barboza, and the two Jaugarunas, the smaller of which is nearest to the northern point of the bar of Babitonga. The nine last, and several of the others are small, being only of any note during the spring tides. The whole of these rivers generally run tamely between low banks, of a marshy nature, abounding with considerable numbers of the beautiful scarlet guara bird, which delight the eye of the navigators. In some of these rivers are found seed pearls of various colours, also large pearls of an imperfect kind.