Hunting a home in Brazil

by James McFadden Gaston

After breakfast the Baron joined us in a ride to the Salto of the Rio Tieté, four miles distant.

This is an irregular water-fall, making quite a cascade at one point of perhaps twenty feet. The entire fall of water is about fifty feet, and the site is well suited for machinery of any magnitude that may be desired. A large cotton factory might be located here with a prospect of being supplied with raw material from the country below; and much of it could ascend the river in canoes or boats to the foot of this fall. There has been a small mill here upon a site that would warrant extensive works, with command of any amount of water-power, and the investment would doubtless pay handsomely.

A public highway is projected from this place to Jundiahi, the present terminus of the railway from Santos; and this distance of thirty miles with wagons and mules would not increase greatly the expenses on the products of a factory.

Upon pricing a lot of horses and mules which passed over the bridge while we were at the Salto, it was found they could be bought from twenty-five dollars a head to forty dollars a head, but none of them were above medium quality and many quite inferior.

In passing through the city of Itu we were shown an establishment in which an eighteen-saw cotton-gin was moved by a portable steam-engine; and there was in the building a thirty-saw gin idle which might have been brought into operation by the same power. There was also a small press in use, and I counted ten hands of various sizes employed around these little contrivances.

Mr. Auburtin was much interested in this cotton-cleaning and packing, as he is desirous of getting information as to the extent and nature of the attention bestowed upon the culture and treatment of the cotton in this and the neighboring sections.

It is important for the railroad interest that cotton shall be successfully cultivated in this region of country; and this gentleman, with others connected with the company, have done much in placing seed in the hands of planters and in encouraging the growth of this staple. His visit now, so far as I learn, has for its object the ascertaining of the wants of the planters with a view to facilitating their growth of cotton; and, as Major Meriwether has given him the benefit of his large experience in growing this staple in the Southern States, he may be able to enlighten the people of Brazil somewhat in his next article.

A number of gentlemen, among whom were two brothers of the Minister of Agriculture, accompanied our party this afternoon to the quarry (lapidarea) of flagstone within a mile of the city. There is an inexhaustible bed of crude slate, of which the pavements of Itu present fine specimens; and it is so firm that horses pass along the side-walks without damage. The slabs in the quarry may be made of any proportions desired, from the tile of a house-top to massive steps and columns. It is so smooth and regular as to require no polishing. While at the quarry we saw a huge block raised from the mass beneath by simply inserting crow-bars between the adjacent lamina of the stone. Different strata present different thicknesses of these lamina, suited to different objects.

The city of Itu is made up to a large extent by the residence of parties who own planting interests in the country around, and many of them owning houses here spend most of their time upon their fazendas, so that the population is not usually proportionate to the number of the houses. The buildings upon the main plaza have a fine appearance, with iron railings in many instances to the second-story balconies, which are ornamented with tasteful figures, gilding, &c. I am informed that a good dwelling may be rented here, with garden, fruit trees, &c., for less than a hundred dollars a year; and the health of the location has a widespread reputation. The people seen about this place have a genteel look, and are generally neatly dressed, which bespeaks a favorable feature of the society and the character of the inhabitants.

Our old friend the Baron presented each of our party with ear-picks and tooth-picks made by himself from the native wood of the country, and showed us a very old plain knife which was the only instrument used in making them. This may be considered the baron’s amusement, and by giving them to his friends he establishes a very close link of association, as these two articles are more directly personal than almost any thing else we use.