The bay of Santos follows at a distance of thirty-five miles, to which the island of St. Vincente, and that of St. Amaro, originally Guahibe, each being fifteen or eighteen miles long, open three entrances. The southern is denominated the bar of St. Vincente, the central Barra Larga, (Wide Bar,) or the bar of Santos, and the northern, Bertioga, by corruption Buriquioca, which signifies a house or cavern of buriquis, a species of monkey. It is the only port of the province capable of receiving armadas. Various small rivers, alone navigable with the tide, flow hither, and are discharged amidst mangroves.
Islands.—The two last islands are the principal; are elevated, and abound with water, timber, and good stone.
The island of St. Amaro has scarcely any inhabitants, and is almost entirely uncultivated, which, perhaps, is owing to its not having been granted at first in small portions to agriculturists capable of cultivating it.
About thirty miles to the east-north-east of St. Amaro, is the island of St. Sebastian, fifteen miles long, and proportionably wide, also high, with some inhabitants and roadsteads, being separated from the continent by the profound channel of Toque-Toque, a league in width.
Fifteen miles to the north-east from hence is the small island of Porcos, which is of a triangular form, with good anchorage in its vicinity, and inhabited.
In the same direction, and at an equal distance, the island of Couves is situated, possessing good water, and commodious anchorage on the side next the continent, from which it is distant three miles.
The Queimadas, consisting of three small islands, are situated twelve miles east of the entrance to the bay of Itanhaen.
Phytology.—This province possesses extensive woods, with a variety of trees well adapted for building and other purposes. The cedar is common in many parts, and the Brazilian pine abounds more than any other tree in many districts. It is of two sorts, the green, high and straight, and the white, which is not so compact as the first. Amongst other medicinal plants is the jarrinha, which is regarded as an efficacious antidote, applied externally, to the bite of a snake. The flowers of Europe do not degenerate much here; and fruit trees, transplanted from the same quarter, prosper equally with a great portion of those peculiar to the central provinces. The produce of the cotton tree is neither abundant nor of the best quality; common cottons, which are manufactured with it, constitute a branch of commerce. The agricultural productions are wheat, rye, Indian corn, rice, mandioca, legumes, coffee, potatoes, sugar, rum, and tobacco; these, with a large quantity of hides and pork, cattle, horses, mules, poultry, wax, precious stones, and drugs, are exported.
Zoology.—Amongst other species of wild quadrupeds, the capibara, ounce, anta, tamandua, guara, preguica, boar, deer, paca, monkey, rabbit, wild dog, and ariranha, are common. European animals are sufficiently numerous, with the exception of the goat. A portion of salt is generally given to every species of cattle as aliment; and probably no other province produces such a prodigious quantity of hogs.
The eastern part of this province was possessed by two nations, denominated Carijos and Guayanas; the latter dwelt northward of the first. The western districts are yet in the power of the native barbarians. The Paulistas give the appellation of Bugres to those which inhabit the territory that extends from the river Tiete to the Uruguay. The northern part is at this day occasionally visited by the Cayapo tribes, whose dwelling places are on the other side of the Paranna. The Bugres, amongst which there are some whites, with beards, are divided into four nations; one of these hordes perforate the under lip, some shave the head in the form of a crown, and others ornament their faces with dyes. The men go entirely naked, and use no other arms but the bow and arrow. The women wear a girdle reaching nearly to the knees.