Hunting a home in Brazil

by James McFadden Gaston

Wednesday, October 11, 1865.

Having enjoyed a comfortable bed for the night, we had a cup of coffee upon rising this morning, and afterwards joined Senor Vergueiro in making an examination of a very substantial and neat residence of sandstone, which has been recently erected on this place. The sandstone is procured from a quarry located upon the lands of the fazenda, and when dressed makes a very excellent wall. The general plan of the house was made by Senor Vergueiro, but the services of an engineer named Shelb have been called into requisition for the embellishments, and the result is very creditable to both. Although the building is not large, it has the lower story arranged for machinery, with a large water-wheel on the side of the house, but so covered as not to attract the attention of one taking an outside view of the building. This structure is an ornament to the place, and indicates progress in the architectural designs of the country.

We were shown here a plan of the lands belonging to this fazenda, which had been executed by the above-named engineer. It displays all the different kinds of soil, with the distinction of growth upon each; the campo lands having a very scanty and scrubby growth, the matto virgem being covered with the large original forest trees, and the capoeira with small trees that have sprung up on land which was formerly under cultivation. It is a large colored map, evidently made with great care, after a regular survey of the premises, made by contract with the proprietor.

After breakfast we rode out to take an extended view of the lands under cultivation, and the woodlands that lay convenient for observation. On the way, we passed the houses occupied by the colonists employed on this place, and I counted twenty-four double houses, making forty-eight tenements, for the separate families. Each family has a piece of ground attached to the house, or located at a convenient distance, so that corn and vegetables may be grown for their own use.

The contract with the proprietor only requires their services in gathering coffee from the trees, and for this labor they are paid what is considered to be one-half the value of the crude berries that are gathered. The estimate placed upon an alqueric—corresponding to our bushel—of the crude coffee berries, is seventy-five cents; and unless the crop is good, ordinary hands do not gather more than two bushels per day. Yet when the trees are very full, and the person is industrious and skilful, from five to eight bushels may be gathered in one day.

The lands planted in coffee at this place are not of the best quality, and yet the crop seems to have been fair, judging from those trees which have not yet been gathered.

The corn and beans being but little above the ground, no estimate can be formed as to what the crop may be; and the same in regard to rice which has been planted. But the general impression received from riding through the plantation was not particularly favorable to its fertility, nor does the ground lie favorably for cultivation.

We rode through a large body of woodland, which gave indications of a fair quality of soil, and lay very advantageously for cultivation. Yet it is not of that purple aspect which characterizes the best soil; and I do not see upon this place any of the terra rocha which abounds at Ybicaba. I was led to infer that this was perhaps the most favorable view which could be taken of the premises, as my proposition to traverse the territory in another direction, in the afternoon, did not meet the acquiescence of Senor Vergueiro, and yet he proposes to sell a part or the whole of this extensive tract of land. He does not make known his terms, and I don’t think that any portion of the vast area of this fazenda fulfils the conditions for a desirable settlement.

Captain Carvalho, an old gentleman of sixty-five years of age, is the administrator at Angelica; and seems to be treated with much respect by the proprietor. He is regarded as the best authority respecting persons or places within twenty miles of this fazenda, and has rendered us important service in these respects. His wife is a young, hale, buxom woman, who looks as if she might welcome another husband at the demise of this frail old man. She did not take a seat at the table with us, nor did she make her appearance often in the room. The women of this medium class of people have not usually presented themselves when we have visited their houses, nor are they ever seen at the table during meals.

I wrote a long communication from this place for the information of my friends, which was sent to my wife, along with a private letter to her.