Hunting a home in Brazil

by James McFadden Gaston

Though it was Sunday morning, and though the service was for the church, several negroes were employed in carrying baskets of brick upon their heads, from the base to the top of this mountain, and moved up without any great inconvenience under their heavy burdens. How they undergo such labor with such weights upon their heads is a mystery to me, but it seems to be the favorite mode of transportation by the negroes here and at Rio de Janeiro.

If these darkies, however, are strong in proportion to the aroma of their persons, they ought to accomplish wonders, for the scent was overpowering as they passed us.

Dr. Shaw and Major Meriwether joined me to-day at dinner with Mr. Wright, and concurred in my very favorable estimate of his accomplished and modest wife.

It was ascertained to-day from Senor Urcezina Antonio Ferreira that arrangements would be effected for us to leave here to-morrow morning in company with him, to make the voyage to Conceicão. But from the various modifications of the plan and the changes of time for leaving, I feel considerable misgivings about setting out with this man, and have requested Mr. Wright to let Mr. Clinton W. Jackson, the book-keeper in his store, accompany us on this trip as interpreter. He has consented to this, and upon returning to the hotel with a view to a final understanding, our escort not meeting us at the hour fixed, Clinton was under the necessity of going in search of him. He brought him round in a short time, with an explanation of the delay, and we were told that every thing was arranged for us to leave at five o’clock next morning in a diligence to proceed to São Vincente. This is a distance of eight miles, and thence other means are provided.

Being impressed here with the difficulty of procuring means of transportation, I telegraphed Senor Street, and wrote a note to Mr. Bennaton to arrange animals for proceeding on the 9th instant from São Paulo.

Monday, December 4, 1865.

We made an early start from Santos in the diligence, accompanied by Senor Ferreira, and reached São Vincente in good time for breakfast.

Here was the first settlement of civilized man in this region, Martin Affonso having landed at the port near by, in 1532, and as a preliminary step erected a fort to protect his people from the Indians who then held possession of the country. There were various tribes of Indians throughout the country, and through the intervention of João Ramalho, a Portuguese who had been left upon this coast by a vessel early in that century, a portion of these tribes became friendly to the newcomers, and the town of São Vincente was established. A church and a school soon sprung up here, and there was a prospect of an increasing population by accessions from the mother country. But the hostile tribes of Indians made frequent incursions, in which great outrages were committed, and the sense of insecurity prevented any material advancement in the place. The obstruction of the harbor ultimately by sand prevented the entrance of vessels, and the present site of Santos became the port, and business was transferred to that place.

The villa of São Vincente has perhaps been stationary for over a hundred years as regards population; and it seems to be the residence of a lazy, listless gang of very ordinary people. There is a large church and a number of houses, perhaps in all, fifty, which form one short street. The inn at which we got breakfast and a few shops do all the business.

Taking our carpet-bags in our hands we set out at 8 o’clock for the canoe-landing, and crossed the Bertioga to the main land in about half an hour. Again we proceeded on foot, with a rain falling that drenched us thoroughly; and the ground being flat was soon covered everywhere with water, so that walking was attended with much difficulty. It was expected that a walk of three miles would take us to the beach, where a cart was to be in waiting. But not finding any conveyance it became necessary to travel on foot four miles farther. Here, however, we had the firm sandy beach, and apart from the rain, the operation of walking was not disagreeable.