The premises bore traces of the industry and taste of the former occupants: there was a mud-wall round them, encompassing about an acre of ground, which, when perfect, must have given the whole a retired and comfortable appearance; but it was now partly broken down in ruins. The steps leading to the front door of the dwelling were of the lapis ollaris, or pot-stone, of which substance there is a stratum in the vicinity.
Our cattle being ready, we mounted about eleven in the forenoon, returning thanks to our host, and offering to pay for the accommodation we had met with; but the only compensation he required, was a promise, on our part, to pass a day or two with him on our return. The ladies, who had not appeared at breakfast, came out upon the gallery, and very pleasingly and politely wished us a good journey.
Resuming our route, we passed several small farms, and observed that the blight had destroyed all their bananas, and withered their coffee-trees. My thermometer at the time was not lower than 52°, but the damage had been done some days before by a sharp southerly wind. In some parts of the road there were very small inclosures of flax and rye. The country now appeared more open, and the wood-scenery lay at a greater distance. We rode by the side of a barren mountain, which was covered to an extent of three miles with quartz, and produced little or no herbage, except a species of wiry or windle grass, which was much parched by the sun. We descended a declivity tremendously steep, and full a mile in length, at the bottom of which we crossed the Rio das Mortes, here a small rivulet. On its further bank is an estalagem, or inn, called Registro Velho, (Old Register) having been originally built as a searching-office, to prevent the smuggling of gold. Proceeding hence, the eye is again relieved from confined wood-scenery by the prospect of a grand amphitheatre of mountains, which are bounded by others of amazing magnitude, covered with forests. On the side of one hill, which we skirted obliquely, I observed several crystallized masses, which, on examination, proved to be clusters of cubes of ferruginous quartz of a dark-brown color. We shortly afterwards arrived at a village called Barbacena, situated on a commanding eminence, in a most fertile country, and apparently containing about two hundred dwelling-houses. While we stopped to take some refreshment, numbers of the inhabitants came to look at us, having never before seen Englishmen, and being on the rack of curiosity to know the objects of our journey. At this place two great roads from the mining country unite, and form the main road to Rio de Janeiro. That to the westward leads from S. João d’El Rey, Sabará, and Cuiabá; the other from Villa Rica, Mariana, Villa do Principe, Tejuco, Minas Novas, &c. Being a sort of half-way station to the capital, and the last open place on the road, it is much frequented by people from different parts of the interior, and has a considerable traffic in various articles, particularly baizes, cotton goods, salt, and iron. Many of the shops were well stocked with English manufactures. The place is governed by an Ouvidor, or justice of the peace, and a military officer. In its neighbourhood there is a quarry of soft, whitish granite, from which mill-stones are made; but, from the specimens I saw of it, the material must be very unfit for such a purpose.
We arrived, about four in the evening, at a poor place called Resequinha, the owner of which made every provision for us which his scanty means afforded. He dispatched a negro to gather grass for the mules, which is here incredibly scarce; and killed us a fowl or two for dinner. The time previous to that meal hung heavy on our hands; there were no birds to afford us an hour’s shooting, and we had no source of diversion, except that which the lively fancy and inexhaustible humor of my companion afforded. We dined heartily about seven o’clock on stewed fowls and mandioca, which fully supplied the want of bread. That article is so extremely scarce in these parts, that even the populous village of Barbacena, though situated in the richest corn-district of the province, could furnish us only one rusk. Being overcome with weariness, we prepared for rest. One of our beds was placed on the table, the other on a dried hide stretched upon the clay floor. These were miserable accommodations; but sleep knows little distinction between the hovel and the palace, and a man thoroughly disposed may enjoy it as soundly in one as in the other. So it was with my companion; he was in a profound slumber within five minutes after he had lain down, in despite of the rough materials of which his pallet was composed. Mine prevented me from sleeping, and compelled me to sit up during most of the night; it consisted, as well as his, of the leaves of Indian corn crammed into a bag, with the mouth tied up; but the careless negro who performed that operation had neglected to pick out the core or pith from which the grain is rubbed, so that there was no finding an easy posture upon it. I sat musing on the absolute wretchedness of every thing around; a miserable lamp hung over our heads and threw a dismal glimmer about the apartment; the floor was uneven and broken into holes; the table, on which we had dined, consisted of one large plank of a quality not discoverable without the assistance of a scraper, as it had never been cleaned since it was made; there was not a chair or any thing resembling a seat, except an antique bench with a back to it, fixed at a distance on one side of the table, so that some of the guests had to take their repast standing. The very beasts in the out-houses were better provided for than the master, if we might judge from the healthy condition of those we saw, whose slothful apathy could be matched only with that of the swine they fed.
We left Resequinha an hour after day-break, and entered on some clayey ground which caused our mules to come down frequently, as they were unshod. The day being Sunday we found some difficulty in procuring fresh mules, as they were all engaged in taking their masters to mass. After proceeding about a league and a half we arrived at the fazenda do Gama, consisting of a good mansion and some out-buildings. The house, which is the residence of a major, stands on an eminence in a fine open country, beautifully interspersed with clumps of trees and small patches of wood, but wholly uncultivated and destitute of inclosures. The land appeared much burnt up, and ill supplied with water, but the vallies, we were told, abounded in numerous streams and rivulets. Having stopped at the door, we were saluted by the voice of a fine motherly-looking lady, apparently about forty, who invited us to alight, and we readily obeyed, having occasion to change our baggage-mule. Two young ladies, the daughters of the one whom we had first seen, came on the gallery to welcome us. As the morning was cool, they were covered with purple mantles of baize, which left only a part of the face exposed, but shewed us sufficient to prove that the females of this province, here called mineras, are above mediocrity in personal charms. This opinion was confirmed on entering the house, where these ladies appeared to much greater advantage; they were in the bloom of health, rather tall in stature, and in their air and gestures extremely graceful. We had just entered into conversation when in came our soldier to announce that the baggage-mule was loaded, and that the day was so far spent as barely to allow time enough to reach the next station before night. This honest fellow for the first time on our journey was the bearer of unwelcome news. I asked him why he did not bring us to this mansion last night, instead of halting at the miserable dog-hole of Resequinha. “Ah, Sir,” replied he, “the mules could travel no further.” “Then you might have told us of this delightful place, and we would have walked hither had it been double the distance.” How much more merrily we should have passed the evening, thought I, on observing two fine guitars hung up in a closet that was accidentally opened. The mother, who now came in, gave us an invitation to stop, regretting that her husband, being confined by illness to his bed, was unable to pay his respects to us in person. We expressed our disappointment at not being able to avail ourselves of this invitation, and again related how ill we had passed the night at Resequinha. “Yes,” observed one of the daughters very facetiously, “men alone make very insipid society; you would have been much better here, would not you?” Our soldier again came to say that the baggage-mule was out of sight, and that we should be in danger of losing our way. The mule, said I, may surely for once fall lame to accommodate us, or some lucky misfortune may occur to give us a pretext for prolonging our stay. We were at length obliged to yield to the pressing remonstrances of our soldier, and took leave of the good lady and her amiable daughters, promising to visit them on our return. We pursued our journey with reluctance, over a dreary tract of country, passing at intervals through small woods, where we shot a few wood-peckers, here called carpinteros, a name sufficiently characteristic of their peculiar habits. The incessant hacking which they make with their beaks may be heard at a considerable distance. No incident worth mentioning occurred in this day’s journey, which terminated at Bandeira de Coelho, where we arrived at sun-set. A more dirty and slovenly place, in a finer situation, we never visited. It was with great difficulty that my negro-boy procured us a pot of any sort to dress us a fowl and some beans for supper. The kitchen was a mere dirt-hole, blackened with soot and smoke above and all around, and covered with mud and filth below: the cooking utensil was a pot placed on three stones and heated by a fire of green wood. The owner was very assiduous in helping us, and heartily desired us to make free. He was reputed to be a man of considerable property, which he had accumulated by selling corn for the troops of mules which frequently stop here, and are generally better accommodated than his biped guests. We procured something in the form of a supper, and passed the night under the same sort of shed as that which sheltered our cattle, and on bedding very little superior in quality to theirs.
The experience of this night completed the catalogue of inconveniences to which we had been exposed since the commencement of our journey. I would advise every traveller who pursues the same route, to provide himself with a hammock and blankets, a stock of tea, sugar, candles, liquors, soap, and salt, two kettles, and a drinking-horn, (for in few places will he meet with any of these articles), as well as an umbrella, which can by no means be dispensed with. This equipage, (together with proper instruments), is necessary for a person who travels to make observations on the country, and will require two baggage-mules to carry it.
We set out next morning at six, without breakfast, not being able to procure either coffee or milk; and proceeding six miles, through a fine open country, arrived at a large village called Louza, containing full two thousand inhabitants. It is well built, but as I was informed, has much declined from its former consequence, which it owed principally to the rich mines in its vicinity, now almost exhausted. We procured a tolerable breakfast of coffee and eggs at a vend; and, while we partook of it, were much amused by the numbers of inhabitants, who crowded the door in eager curiosity to see us, asking a variety of questions of a political nature, and forming endless conjectures respecting the object of our journey.
Leaving this village about eleven o’clock, we proceeded along a range of mountains composed of argillaceous schistus, and passed a hill covered with micaceous iron ore: in one part of it there was a break that showed marks of stratification, which appeared vertical, or it was probably a strong vein of ferruginous matter, which traversed the mountain. I was not a little surprised to find that the road, for above half a mile, was covered with rich oxide of iron.
We passed a place called Alto de Virginia, where, as well as in the vicinity, to a considerable extent, there are gold-washings, which bear the general name of Lavras de Virginia. I examined the heaps of debris, but found in them nothing but rounded quartz and ferruginous matter. Journeying half a league further, we came to the gold-washings of S. Antonio do Ouro Branco, where hillocks of the same materials abounded; and we soon afterwards entered the poor and almost deserted village of the same name, containing about five hundred souls. We had an interview with the commandant, but could obtain nothing in the way of refreshment; indeed the few people we saw were so needy, that far from being able to supply our wants, they seemed to crave all we had to satisfy their own, and eyed us as if they expected we had brought them something. Glad to get away from this wretched place, we continued our journey through a succession of fine vallies, and arrived about four o’clock at the foot of a tremendous mountain, overhung with clouds. The ascent was so steep that, judging it in vain to attempt to ride, I dismounted; our soldier, who was a lighter man than myself, exchanged mules with me, and up we went in a zig-zag direction for half an hour, when we found ourselves immersed in a thick cloud, which for some time hindered us from seeing our way. We were at length able to proceed, and in many parts had to mount up ledges nearly two feet perpendicular, which we performed without alighting, as our saddles were secured from slipping off behind by a strong strap passing round the mule’s neck. It is considered very unsafe to dismount in these ascents, for the animals go much less steady when led than when ridden. At seven o’clock we reached the summit, where, though night was setting in, we found it necessary to rest half an hour, and then proceeded a league in the dark without our baggage-mule, which, being unable to keep pace with us, had been left in charge of two men and the negro-boy. We were under little apprehension for the safety of our property, though, as we afterwards learnt, the poor animal was down above twenty times in the course of the ascent. About eight o’clock we reached Alto do Morro, our baggage arriving about an hour after. Here we halted for the night in one of the best inns we had hitherto seen, the hostess of which soon provided us with a comfortable supper, of which we partook very heartily, and passed an agreeable evening. The good order and propriety which reigned in this inn confirmed an observation we had often made, that of all houses on the road those under the direction of females were managed with most ability, and certainly afforded the best accommodations. I may add, that there prevailed in them that evident disposition and wish to oblige which generally makes up for any deficiency, and by appealing to a stranger’s liberality makes him satisfied with whatever is set before him.
The land, through which we this day passed, appeared much burnt up, being in general very bare of vegetable soil, and having few trees to defend it against the heat of the sun. In the mountains we observed several slips or breaks, which presented abrupt and singular masses lying in all directions like confused heaps of architectural ruins, disclosing veins of soft talc, and some cascalho, poor in gold. The stratum was argillaceous schistus, very ferruginous, and friable. At the bottom of these slips, which appeared to be caused by the disrupture of one part of the mountain from the other (probably through the infiltration of water), there were small streams, which in rainy weather swell into torrents, and burst through their channels with great velocity.