The inhabitants lead an easy kind of life, in a great measure free from the molestation of fiscal and municipal officers; they pay their tythes with great cheerfulness, in kind, specie being rarely seen. Their sole wants seemed confined to salt and iron; and it is much to be lamented, that from the distance of the nearest sea port, and the badness of the roads, these commodities are with difficulty procured. From the same causes, the improvements which this delightful country might derive from commerce have been retarded, and it is as yet very inadequately provided with the means of exchanging its superfluities, for articles of the first necessity.
The chain of mountains which bounds the plain of Coritiva, is washed at the base by a lagoon, communicating in a direct line with the fine harbour of San Francisco, where many merchant-ships have been constructed of the finest timber.
In this place, although rather in anticipation of the regular course of the narrative, it may not be improper to state, that, at the request of his Excellency the Condé de Linhares, I submitted to the Court a paper on the advantageous situation of Coritiva and the sea-port above mentioned. Among other points, I suggested that an establishment might there be formed for the joint purposes of rearing live-stock, and of salting and curing beef and pork for the royal navy; that the culture of wheat, and the manufacture of bread might be encouraged; and that a depôt might be formed at San Francisco, from whence grain with other articles of consumption might be shipped to any part of Brazil. Indeed no other part of the country offers such temptations to agriculturists; nor could a colony of them planted here fail to florish, if directed by common prudence and moderate industry. The climate is salubrious; the land consists of a beautiful diversity of hill, mountain, dale, ravine, and woodland, watered by numerous streams, which take their course, not toward the sea, but in an easterly direction, and flow into the great river Paraná. Here are beasts of burden in unlimited numbers, and a sea-port within two or three days’ journey. Here is land of the finest quality where a plough was never used; here are mules and horned cattle to be had on the cheapest terms; and yet the operations of making butter and cheese are either unknown, or are practised in such a slovenly manner, as to render the articles unpalatable. Here is the finest timber; here are fruits of every kind, except those peculiar to the tropical climates. What more then is wanted? An enlightened and industrious population to improve the blessings which nature has lavished on this district with so bounteous a hand. If agriculture, in the miserable way in which it is now practised, produces sufficient to exempt the people from want, what wonders might it not produce in Coritiva, if followed according to the improved system of Europeans! A numerous and industrious population would soon adopt this, and all the other useful arts of life; the silk worm would be propagated; the hidden stores of the precious products would be explored, and the interest of posterity might be excited by the exhibition of silk, gold, and diamonds, from the banks of the same river. Another luxury might be superadded; since, from what I have seen of the grapes grown here, there can be no doubt, that, where rocky lands occur, “the generous vine” would thrive in great abundance, and Coritiva might in no long period of time become the vineyard of this vast continent.
The cattle at Coritiva sell at various prices; oxen, much fatter and in better condition than those of the Rio de la Plata or of the Rio Grande de S. Pedro, may be bought for about 14s. or 18s. a head. The horses are in general finer than those of Buenos Ayres; mules for the pack-saddle sell at about 40s. and those for riding at from three to six pounds. There is, however great fluctuation in the prices, owing to the occasional scarcity as well as the occasional abundance of specie.
But to return from this digression to San Francisco. The chief occupations of the inhabitants are the cutting of timber, and other labors connected with ship-building. Vessels of large dimensions, and a number of small craft for coasters, have been built here by merchants of Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, and Pernambuco. When this trade is brisk, there is a great demand for the various classes of artisans whom it requires, and many negroes are employed. The wood used is so strong, and holds the iron so firmly, that ships built of it endure many years, and are in greater esteem with the Portuguese and Spaniards than those built in Europe. On this account, the harbour of San Francisco is likely to become of considerable value to Brazil; and as it is connected with Coritiva, the cattle of which have been found superior to those of Rio Grande, there is every probability, that at no distant period the Portuguese navy will be here supplied with salt provisions. This must, however, depend on the completion of the great road over the mountains, to which the present administration have laudably directed their attention, with a degree of zeal commensurate to the importance of the work in a national point of view.
I must not omit noticing another production in this district, which will rise in utility and value as the port of San Francisco improves. Toward the north there are woods of fine large pines, exceedingly hard, tough, and full of resin. They constitute a singular variety of the genus Pinus; the boughs branch off from the upper part of the tree only, and have tussocks of leaves at each extremity. A tree eighty feet high, for instance, will appear without branches to the height of about fifty-five feet; the branches there extend horizontally in every direction, with leaves at their extremities, the lowest and largest to a distance of fourteen or fifteen feet from the stem, and the higher ones gradually diminishing in length towards the top, which ends in a tuft of leaves, as a crown for the whole. These trees are very picturesque, and indeed beautiful; they grow to a sufficient size to serve as masts for ships of two or three hundred tons; I was told there were much larger ones to be found.
Resuming our voyage, we left San Francisco, and, passing the port of Cananea, arrived near the entrance of the harbour of Santos. The coast along which we sailed is low and flat, and on its verge are some poor fishing-huts, which rather add to the dreariness of its appearance. It is covered with lofty trees, which also fringe the mountainous scenery beyond it. Several rivers occur, of little note in geography, but highly advantageous to the settlers, as they pass the very doors of the dwellings, and afford easy means for the transport of produce from the interior. On nearing Santos, we passed several bold rocks, called the Alcatrazes, and a ledge or reef on which the sea broke furiously. The main land is very elevated and mountainous, so much so that the low grounds which extend from its base are scarcely perceptible from the heights next beyond them.
The harbour of Santos has a safe entrance, and is very secure; it is a strait, having the island of S. Vicente to the left, for the extent of half a mile, when it takes a different direction. Here is situated the port, which has good anchorage, with regular soundings towards the shore, which shoals gradually. The currents and eddies cause some inconvenience, and the high land occasions much variation in the winds, which perplexes mariners on their entrance into the narrows, but as the water is not deep, and the current far from strong, a ship is safe the moment her anchor is let go, and by means of a boat and kedge she may be placed in any situation the pilot chooses. The part called the narrows, is defended by two forts, on passing which there is a kind of lagoon of three or four leagues in length, almost full of mangroves, terminated by the town of Santos, one of the oldest European settlements in Brazil. In common with S. Paulo, it owes its origin to the first shipwreck on the island of S. Vicente. The river or lagoon has three or four fathoms water and a muddy bottom. Santos is a place of considerable trade, being the storehouse of the great captaincy of S. Paulo, and the resort of many vessels trading to the Rio de la Plata. It is tolerably well built, and its population, consisting chiefly of merchants, shopkeepers, and artificers, amounts to six or seven thousand souls. The situation is by no means healthy, as the country around it is low, woody, and frequently deluged with rain, by reason of the high mountains in its vicinity, which impede the passage of the clouds. Several rivulets flowing from the foot of these mountains intersect the land in various directions, and unite in one great river a little above the town of Santos. The rice of this district, which is grown in great quantities, is considered the best in Brazil, and the bananas are equally noted.
From this port the Spanish territories, as well as Rio Grande, receive several vessels loaded with sugar, coffee, rice, mandioca, &c. in return they bring chiefly hides and tallow, which are generally exported hence to Europe. The Portuguese send much of their produce to the Spanish colonies, and are generally ill paid, but the shortness of the voyage, and the want of other markets, tempt many young men to speculate, notwithstanding the heavy duties and the numberless petty obstacles with which their neighbours have impeded and encumbered this commerce. A Spaniard in his own country rarely allows even a shadow of justice to a Portuguese; he uses a thousand artifices for procrastinating the decision of a cause at issue between them, till the latter, when his patience is completely exhausted, finds that he is likely to derive nothing from the contest but immense piles of law-papers, frequently written on the most trivial points in litigation, and paid for at an exorbitant price. If he persevere after all this disappointment, it generally happens that another alcalde or judge is appointed, and then the business is laid on the shelf. The injured Portuguese, after so much waste of time and money, is threatened with worse consequences, and frequently is obliged to leave the country in ruin and disgust.
As Santos is the embarking port of S. Paulo, its intercourse with that town is very considerable. In the course of a day several hundred mules frequently arrive, loaded with the produce of the country, and return with salt, iron, copper, earthen wares, and European manufactures. For the traffic of it’s immediate vicinity, it has the convenience of water-carriage, its river being navigable about twenty miles, up to Cubataõ, where an officer with a guard of soldiers is stationed to receive the king’s duties for the repair of the roads and other public purposes.