The country around Villa do Principe is very fine and open, being free from those impenetrable woods, which occur so frequently in other parts of the province. Its soil is in general very productive, and the climate mild and salubrious.
At a washing about six leagues distant, a lump of gold was found of several pounds weight. From the same place I procured some above two ounces, and obtained the large crystals now in my possession, one of which is considered unique.
I quitted Villa do Principe about noon on the day following, after making my acknowledgments for the polite attentions of the governor, who kindly sent a servant to attend me the first league of the road. This man I commissioned, under a promise of pecuniary recompence, to collect for me land-shells and insects, against my return, which I expected would take place in two or three months; and, from the aptness with which he received my directions, (joined to the prospect of emolument), I had little doubt but that he would attend to them.
As we journeyed on, I perceived that the country bore an aspect entirely different from that in the neighbourhood of Villa do Principe: its surface, consisting of coarse sand and rounded quartz pebbles, was almost destitute of wood or herbage. One hillock near the road exhibited perpendicular laminæ of micaceous grit, which, on alighting from my horse and examining, I found to be flexible. My soldier, hearing me remark that the country bore characteristics which I had never observed elsewhere, exclaimed, “Senhor, we are in the Diamond District.” This circumstance, which I had not before thought of, fully accounted for the change. We travelled over a very sterile country for the first four leagues, and passed several high mountains. Towards the close of the day we reached an eminence, from which we beheld a most romantic cluster of dwellings, resembling a labyrinth, or a negroes-town in Africa. We descended the hill, and approached the place; when, it being nearly dark, I was conducted to a house much larger than any of the others, where I learnt that the establishment was a diamond-work called San Gonzales, the first which occurs in the Serro do Frio. It has been some time on the decline, and employs about 200 negroes. The intendant, a very intelligent man, had been apprised of our coming by a letter from the governor at Tejuco, and gave me a very friendly reception. While engaged in conversation with him, I observed (it being now moon-light) some fine cows in front of the premises, and concluded that they were come to be milked, but this I understood was not the case. They were licking the doorposts and sides of the houses, with much apparent eagerness, and, on enquiring what this signified, I was told that they wanted salt. They were so tame and gentle that, on holding out my hand, they licked it; when, being desirous to see the effect which salt produced on them, I procured some, and gave them a handful: but they became so very unruly for more, that had I not immediately desisted and retired, their fury might have produced serious consequences. This article is so necessary for the support of the cattle, that their very existence depends on it, yet it is encumbered with a heavier duty than any other article of import, iron alone excepted. Surely, when it is considered that vast herds are daily sent from this province to Rio de Janeiro, each paying a toll of nearly twelve shillings on crossing the river Paraibuna, the impolicy of this duty must be self-evident, because, in raising the price of the commodity to an excessive degree, it checks the breed of cattle, and thus ultimately defeats the purpose for which it was imposed.
The next day, before we left this romantic place, I devoted some time to an examination of the refuse-hillocks contiguous to the diamond-works, but found nothing among the heaps of quartzose stones, which had been washed when this place was more in repute. I here noticed a thin stratum below the roots of the grass, which I had elsewhere seen, but never so distinctly characteristic. It is called bergalhão, and consists of quartz pebbles, generally angular, and not unfrequently large beds of solid quartz not more than four or five inches thick. This stratum does not appear to have been formed at the same time, or by the same means as the cascalho, from which it is invariably separated by a stratum of vegetable earth unequal in thickness; it has more the appearance of a thin bed of quartz subsequently shattered into innumerable fragments.
Having taken leave of the administrator, I proceeded through a continuation of mountains and sterile country, very thinly inhabited. I stopt at one of the best of the few miserable houses on the road to procure some refreshment. There was a half-starved cat in the door-way, the sight of which plainly evinced to me what I had to expect. Poor animal, thought I, the habitation in which thou existest, will not afford maintenance for a mouse, much less for thee! While musing on this picture of distress and famine, a poor meagre woman came to the door, of whom I requested a little water, which she brought me, and while I was drinking it she began to implore charity. Her countenance had already expressed what her tongue now uttered: I gave her the few provisions my soldiers had with them, together with a small piece of money, and took leave;—the last words I heard from her were those of gratitude.
Ere we arrived at this place, we had seen Tejuco at full twelve miles’ distance, and were now much nearer. We crossed two rapid rivulets, one of them called Rio Negro, the waters of which were of a very black color, and afterwards passed a guard-house, or register, called Milho Verde, situated near a stream of the same name, formerly much noted for diamonds. Here a band of soldiers are stationed, who are always on the alert, riding after and examining passengers. The country is extremely rough, and destitute of vegetation, covered in all directions with grit-stone rocks full of rounded quartzose pebbles. We rode two miles along the Corvinho de St. Francisco, which runs through the ravine at the foot of the mountain on the side of which Tejuco is built, presenting much the same appearance as Villa Rica. I entered the town, and took up my abode at the best inn, which contained some neat rooms, and afforded tolerable accommodations.
This was Sunday the 17th of September, being one month since my departure from Rio de Janeiro, during which period I had been almost continually on horseback; for the time I remained at Villa Rica was principally occupied in journies to various places in the neighbourhood.
