CHAP. IX.PROVINCE OF ST. PAULO.
Boundaries—First Settlement—Mountains—Mineralogy—Rivers and Ports—Islands—Phytology—Zoology—Bugre Indians, Dwellings and Customs—Character of the Paulistas—Division into Comarcas—Comarca of Curytiba—Towns and Productions—Comarcas of St. Paulo and Hitu—Towns and Productions.
Boundaries—First Settlement—Mountains—Mineralogy—Rivers and Ports—Islands—Phytology—Zoology—Bugre Indians, Dwellings and Customs—Character of the Paulistas—Division into Comarcas—Comarca of Curytiba—Towns and Productions—Comarcas of St. Paulo and Hitu—Towns and Productions.
This province, formed by the union of a part of the capitania of St. Amaro, with one half of that of St. Vincente, took the name which designates it in the year 1710, when John V. incorporating them with the crown lands by purchase, nominated a governor, with the title of captain-general, in the person of Antonio de Albuquerque Coelho, and the city of St. Paulo for his residence. It is confined on the north by the province of Minas Geraes, from which the serra of Mantiqueira separates it, and by that of Goyaz, from which it is divided by the river Grande; on the south by Rio Grande do Sul, of which the river Pellotas forms the division; on the west by the river Paranna, which separates it from the provinces of Goyaz and Matto Grosso; and on the east by the ocean, and the provinces of Rio de Janeiro on the northern part, and St. Catherina on the southern. Its territory is almost all within the temperate zone, between 20° 30′ and 28° south latitude, comprising four hundred and fifty miles from north to south, and three hundred and forty miles of medium width from east to west; and possessing much variety in the climate, soil, and aspect of the country.
John III. determining to divide the Brazilian coast into capitanias, at the period that Martim Affonso de Souza was in this new region, presented him, in 1532, with one comprising a hundred leagues of coast, and his brother Pedro Lopez de Souza, who had accompanied him, with another of fifty; but the letter of donation to Martim Affonso was not signed till the 20th of January, 1535, at the time when he had already taken his departure for India. It specified that this captaincy, which afterwards took the name of St. Vincente, should extend from the river Maccahe as far as twelve leagues to the southward of the island of Cannanea, where the bar of Paranagua is situated, excepting a certain portionof ten leagues, computed from the river Curupace, now called Jiquiriquere, to that of St. Vincente. The capitania of Pedro Lopez de Souza, which was denominated St. Amaro, included the said ten leagues. That of St. Vincente had scarcely existed forty years, when it was deprived of half its territory, for the purpose of creating the new one of Rio de Janeiro.
With the change of possessors, the southern limits of both capitanias disappeared, and the jurisdiction of the governors began to extend by degrees over the countries which now constitute the provinces of Minas Geraes, Goyaz, Matto Grosso, St. Catharina, and Rio Grande do Sul, where, through the adventures of the Paulistas, colonies were first planted.
The authority of Herrera would warrant the conclusion that there was a factory at St. Vincente in the year 1527. At all events, the licence which Martim Affonso conceded to Pedro Goes, on the 3d of March, 1533, for the purpose of exporting seventeen captive Indians, free of all duties which it was customary to pay, amply demonstrates that such an establishment had existed for some time previous to the latter year. Martim Affonso found here, as has been already observed, two Europeans, Antonio Rodrigues, and John Ramalho, whom Herrera imagined had escaped from some shipwreck upon the coast; but it would seem improbable that they could of themselves have constituted a factory; as establishments of that kind, formed amongst barbarians, necessarily require a considerable number of persons.
Mountains.—This province is not mountainous, if we except the eastern part, in the whole extent of which there is a general cordillera, running parallel to the coast, which occasionally receives the name of Cubatam. This serra is not universally of the same altitude, neither does it run uniformly at an equal distance from the sea. It has many broken parts, by some of which torrents descend to the ocean, and others wind into the interior. It abounds in verdant woods, being generally high towards the sea, and is the most elevated land of the province, with the exception of some dispersed mountains in the interior; besides, the largest rivers which irrigate this district have their origin in it, and run westward.
The serra Araassoiava, by corruption Guarassoiava, which signifies the eclipsing of the sun, alluding to the great extent of land obscured by its shade, previously to the sun’s departure. This mountain, which is ten miles in length, and of proportionate width, consists entirely of a pure mineral of iron, and is situated in the district of the town of Sorocaba.
The mount of Araquara, from which are frequent exhalations, and whichis reputed to contain gold, is situated upon the right margin of the Tiete, thirty miles below the embouchure of the Piracicaba. This mountain must not be confounded with a serra of the same name, which exists more in the centre of the province.
Near the head of the Jaguariquatu, is the elevated mount of Pirapirapuan, which is discovered at a great distance, and possesses gold. The mountain of Thaho, upon the margin of the Thajahi, is also high, and yields the same metal.
The serra Dourada is situated in the campo of Guarapuaba, to the west of the Tibagi. The serra of Apucaranna, is also in the plains of Guarapuaba.
In the vicinity of the sea is to be remarked Mount Cardozo, on the left of the entrance to the bay of Cannanea. Mount Jurea, by corruption Judea, receives this name in consequence of its appearing like Judea to the travellers, who cannot pass the road leading over the summit without much fatigue. It is a few leagues to the north of the river Iguape, is high, commands an extensive view, and precipitates various torrents, amongst which the river Yerde is conspicuous, forming several cascades.
The serra of Jaguary, which is between the rivers Itanhaen and Una, near the beach, is in great part composed of stone, with trees of more than ordinary magnitude.
Mineralogy.—There are mines of gold, silver, brass, iron, brimstone, pumice-stone, flint, magnet, calcareous stone, granite,amolar, or grindstone, potters’ earth, rubies, diamonds, and a diversity of other precious stones.
Rivers and Ports.—None of the maritime provinces, with the exception of that of Para, present so many navigable rivers, notwithstanding the most important are incapable of conducting the productions of the central districts of the country to the ports of the sea, the whole flowing in a contrary direction to the westward, and are swallowed up by the Paranna; but even the produce of the western districts, if agriculture should at any future epoch flourish there, cannot descend by the Paranna, in consequence of the Seven Falls, (Setequedas). It might, however, be conveyed over land to the point where the river becomes navigable, and from thence to the ports, by overcoming other obstacles in the imperfect mode already practised in these parts.
The principal rivers of this province are the Paranna, the Iguassu, the Parannapanema, and the Tiete.
The Paranna takes this name at the confluence of the Paranahyba, which comes from the centre of Goyaz, and the Rio Grande, which issues from theinterior of Minas Geraes, both considerable. After a course of many leagues, and having gathered various streams by both margins, it forms a large and interesting fall denominated Urubu Punga, which is an insurmountable barrier to all sorts of fish; and, consequently, there are in its vicinity immense shoals of divers kinds, which may become a lucrative branch of commerce to the future dwellers near this magnificent cascade, which produces a loud murmur that is heard at the distance of many leagues.
A little below it, the river Cururuhy discharges itself, flows from the interior of Goyaz, and traverses the territory of the Cayapos. About ten miles lower, it receives the waters of the important river Tiete, in front of which embouchure there are two islands, each about ten miles long.
Seven miles further, the river Sucurihu enters it by the western bank, below the mouth of which there is a dangerous current, called Jupia.
Five miles lower, the island of Comprida (Long Island) commences, which is upwards of twenty miles in extent; and eight miles below its southern extremity, the river Aguapehi flows into the Paranna, on the left margin; and fifteen miles further, the Verde, on the western side, in front of its mouth, there are two parallel islands, neither exceeding a league in length.
Thirty-five miles below the preceding tributary, the small river Onca enters it by the same margin; and about fifty miles further, it is increased by the Pardo, which also enters on the right, and affords a communication to Camapuan.
Five miles below this confluence is that of the inconsiderable river St. Anastaçio, which flows from the east. Eighty miles further, the Parannapanema enters, opposite the mouth of which there is an island about seven miles in extent: four miles beyond its southern point, another commences, of ten miles in length; and a little below the latter, a third, which is nearly thirty miles long. Three miles further than the southern extremity of this island, the central mouth of the river Ivinheyma is discovered, which flows from the west.
The Paranna is here little less than seven miles in width, and contains a number of large islands. Near thirty miles below the Ivinheyma, the Ivahi discharges, flowing hither in a westerly direction, and six miles beyond its mouth, is an island near fifteen miles long; in front of its centre, the Amambahy contributes its volume to the Paranna, after a course from the westward.
In the vicinity of the last isle, is the island of Grande, or Large Island, not being much less in extent than seventy miles, and of considerable width; it terminates four miles above the Seven Falls. A little more than seven milesabove the southern point of this island, the river Iguatimy enters the Paranna on the western margin, in latitude 24° 40′; and in a little higher latitude the Piquiry. Ten miles to the south of the first, it receives, by the right bank, the small river Iguarei, nearest to the Seven Falls.
At the extremity of the Great Island, the current of the Paranna is much accelerated, and augments proportionably as its margins approximate; and from near four miles of width, which it retains in front of the Iguarei, it diminishes to fifty fathoms, its immense volume of waters being then divided into seven channels, formed by six small islands of rock, traversing the serra of Maracaju, with a current of indescribable fury and awful noise.
Besides the islands already mentioned in this river, there are a vast number of others, of a smaller size, in the great space that intervenes between the Setequedas and the fall of Urubu Punga. Its waters are turbulent, and ill adapted for drinking. The western margin is flat, in part consisting of a large white sand, with a variety of precious stones, for the space of many leagues without interruption. The eastern bank is generally a little elevated; and both exhibit continued and extensive woods. Without any considerable windings, it runs between the south and south-west, with a current generally slow and majestic; but, when strong winds prevail, the waves are as tumultuous as those of the ocean. It abounds with various kinds of fish, some of which are excellent.
Forty miles below the Seven Falls, the river Jaguare enters the Paranna by the left margin; and sixty miles further the considerable Iguassu. At a considerable distance further, its direction is changed towards the west, and enters the Paraguay in the latitude of 27° 20′. From the mission of Corpus upwards, aboriginal nations alone possess the vast territory watered by this majestic river and its confluents.
The river Iguassu, which in the Brazilian language signifies “great water,” has its principal source in the small river St. Joze, and when it traverses the royal road of Lages to Sorocaba, is already considerable, and runs under the name of Curytiba. Its course is always towards the west, having few windings, forming many falls, which interrupt navigation; sensibly enlarging by those streams which unite themselves with it on one or the other margin, principally the southern, and limiting on the south the vast plains of Guarapuaba, inhabited by Indians. The borders are extensively wooded. The first large fall, denominated Cayacanga, is about fifteen miles below the above-mentioned road, and the largest ten miles above its embouchure, where it is one hundred and thirteenfathoms in width. This latter cataract is two hundred feet in perpendicular height; the margins of the river at this place are rocky, and the current furious. Acertanista, (a commandant of a troop proceeding into the certam or interior,) who descended by this river, says, that it is navigable, without embarrassment, from Cayacanga to the fall of Victoria; but he does not declare the extent of this interval, nor the names and situations of seven large falls, which he encountered to the confluence of this river with the Paranna. At the angle of its confluence, for some years existed the aldeia of St. Maria de lguassu, which disappeared in consequence of a famine.
What may be deemed the most remarkable object in this river, besides the large fall alluded to, is that part of its course known by the appellation of the Funil, in the centre of the country, where it runs rapidly, contracted between high and pointed rocks, in the form of a street of medium width. In its vicinity dwell a horde of Puri and of Guayanha Indians. The principal confluents of the lguassu, which unite themselves with it on the left, are the Negro, Varge, Bannanal, and St. Antonio, which joins it seventy miles above the last fall. Fifty miles above the river St. Antonio, the Jordao discharges itself, and about the same distance above the latter, the St. Joao, both by the right margin.
The river Parannapanema has its origin in the cordillera of the sea, to the west of the river Itanhaen. Its first considerable tributaries are the Itapitininga, which joins it on the right, and the Apiahy on the left, with the waters of which it becomes considerable and wide. Its margins are generally flat, and covered with large trees; in some parts plains or campinhas are seen, where are encountered, amongst other wild creatures, the emu ostrich and deer. The current is principally quick, in consequence of numerous falls. Malevolent Indians occupy the adjacent lands. Near the southern margin, in the vicinity of the mouth of the Tibagy, some years ago was found the remains of a dwelling, which renders it probable that the ancient Spaniards of the province of Guayra extended their establishments to this river.
Thirty miles above the embouchure of the Parannapanema, it is joined on the southern bank by the small river Pirapo, near the mouth of which, for many years, existed thereduçãoor mission of the Lady of Loreto, one of thirteen which formed the reputed provinces of Taiaoba and Taiaty, so inaptly described by the Jesuit Montoya, one of their founders, and which affords room to suspect that they existed in the vast territory which extends itself from the said Parannapanema northwards.
The river Tiete, formerly Anhemby, a name given to it by an Indian tribe, has its source seventy miles to the east of the city of St. Paulo, not far from which it passes; about four miles below it receives, on the left margin, the Pinheiros, which flows from the south-east with twenty miles of course. After forty-five miles more it receives, on the right, the Jundiahy, which flows by the town of its name. Near this confluence, the Tiete forms a large cataract, which impedes the further advance of fish; and fifty miles further the Capibary joins it, after having traversed an extensive wood of majestic trees.
Eight miles lower the Sorocaba discharges on the left margin. Originating in the serra of Cubatam, to the west of St. Vincente, it runs by the town of the same name.
Fifty miles beyond the preceding river, the Pirassicaba, which is considerable, enters it on the right, and is formed by the Tybaia and Jaguary, the heads of which are situated to the north-east of St. Paulo, and traverse a vast wood of immense trees, from the trunks of which, as well as those that grow upon the borders of the aforesaid Capibary, are constructed canoes of eighty palms in length, nearly eight in width, and five in height, which serve to navigate to Cuiaba, and carry four hundred arrobas of cargo, besides the necessary maintenance for eight men, and occasionally passengers.
A little below this confluence, where the volume of water is almost doubled, the Lancoes joins it on the left; and, after four or five days of voyage, the embouchure of the Jacare-Papira is met with on the right; and, somewhat lower, that of the Pipira, on the same side, almost as voluminous as the one which receives it. This river is formed by the waters of the Mugy, which originates in the skirt of the Mantiqueira and of the Jaguary-Mirim, which issues from Minas Geraes, both crossing the road from St. Paulo to Goyaz, thirty miles distant one from the other. They flow westward for a considerable space, uniting in the centre of a large wood, through which they continue in one important current, gathering various streams, that render it so considerable at the confluence mentioned.
A few leagues below the passage to Goyaz there is a fall in the Mugy, which arrests the further progress of fish, and, in consequence, at a certain period annually a numerous band of fishermen assemble here, withcargas(horse loads) of salt, which enables them to furnish the more distant places, from the abundant draughts with which they are here supplied.
Navigators compute two hundred and fifty miles from Port Feliz to the mouthof the Pipira, and as many more from this point to the confluence of the Tiete with the Paranna.
The imperfect methods of overcoming the natural difficulties which are presented, require twenty-six days to accomplish this voyage of five hundred miles. Its course is very winding; twenty-five miles are reckoned in a direct line from Port Feliz to the mouth of the Capibary, and nearly sixty by the river.
It is fifty miles from the mouth of the Jocoaquatu to that of the Pirassicaba, and only twenty in a straight line. The bed is principally stony, with a great number of islands and falls, the most important of those precipitations are denominated Avare-Manduava, Itaguassava, Pirapora, Bauru, Barery-Mirim, Barery-Guassu, Escaramuca, Utupanema, Funil-Grande, (the Large Funnel,) Guacurytuvussu, Aracanga-Mirim, Aracangavussu, Utupeva, and Utupiru. The labour requisite to pass these falls with canoes is very great. There are above sixty other places attended with difficulty, and half that number with considerable danger, but which, notwithstanding, are passed without unloading the canoes. The banks of this river are almost universally covered with superb timber. Amongst other fruit trees are thejabuticaba, quince,cipota,jatahi,nhandipapo, anduvacupari. From the bark of some trees the aborigines and the certanistas construct canoes for the purposes of navigation; and the resin extracted from them the Indians use for lights, and for ornaments for their ears and lips. Among other species of fish it affords thedoirados,saupes,pacus,piracanjuvas,surubins,piracambucus,jahus, andpiraquaxiaras, some of which weigh two arrobas, or sixty-four pounds.
It would be of incalculable advantage to the internal provinces of Brazil if the government would adopt some effectual mode of diminishing the numerous natural difficulties the Tiete presents to navigation. The voyage is also prolonged in consequence of the fogs, which almost every morning deter the canoes from departure till eight o’clock, when these mists usually disappear.
The river Tibagy, which originates to the west of Cannanea, runs to the north-west, traversing the campos of Guarapuaba, where it becomes considerable from many other streams which join it, principally on the right margin; among them are the Pitanguy, Yapo, Jaguaryhiba or Jocuriahy, and the Jaguaryquatu. The Cairussu is the largest among the few which it receives on the left, and passes near the serra Doirada. It is navigable near to its heads, and enters the Parannapanema about the middle of its course.
Between the Jaguariquatu and the aforesaid Apiahy travellers from Villa doPrincipe to Sorocaba pass, among other smaller streams, the Terere, Verde, and Taquary, which run universally towards the west, and increase the Tibagy, or the Parannapanema. The first and southern, when it crosses the road, is hidden by a high point of rock, formed by nature, and deemed one of the wonders of the province.
The Piquiry, having its heads in the centre of the campos of Guarapuaba, towards which it affords navigation for a very considerable space, runs westward into the Paranna ten miles above the Seven Falls. In the northern angle of its mouth, in an agreeable site, was situated Ciudad Real, otherwise Guayra, demolished by the Paulistas in 1631. The detachment of Fort Iguatimim attempted to rebuild it in 1773; but the undertaking was abandoned, in consequence of every individual employed having perished in a few days by a pestilential fever, which prevails here in January, February, and March.
The Ivahy, originally Ubahy, which rises also in the campos of Guarapuaba and near to the Tibagy, from whence some certanistas transport their canoes to it, is considerable, navigable nearly to its origin, and so well stored with fish, that it has also acquired the name of Rio do Peixe, (the River of Fish.) It runs between the west and north-west, traversing an extensive territory, peopled with savage Indians, and enters the Paranna.
The river Tinto, Bom, Soberbo, Capibary, and Thua are its principal branches. The first is the northern and the last is the southern. The ruins of Villa Rica, denominated Bannanal, are situated eight days’ voyage above its mouth, and was dismantled by the Paulistas upon the same occasion on which they demolished Ciudad Real. A road connected these two places, of which at the present day there is scarcely any trace.
The Pardo issues from the comarca of St. Joao d’El Rey, where it washes the arraial of its name; and after flowing through an extensive tract westward, and collecting, amongst others, the river Araquara, falls into the Rio Grande, much below the confluence of the Sapucahy, a considerable river, which travellers to Goyaz fall in with after they enter that province from St. Paulo.
The river Parahiba, after describing a vast winding, and irrigating many povoacaos of this province, returns towards that of Rio de Janeiro, where it has its origin and termination.
We will now describe the rivers which flow towards the ocean, and the principal ports. These are Santos, Cannanea, and Paranagua.
Eighteen miles to the north of the river Sahy Grande, a limit of the province, is the mouth of the considerable and rapid Guaratuba, formed by others thatdescend from the General Cordillera. This name is derived from the beautiful guara bird, which abounds upon its margins, and breeds upon a flat island, covered with mangroves, situated about seven miles from the sea, where, by a decree, no one has been allowed to kill them, otherwise these handsome birds would have long since been extirpated. Launches proceed up to the town of the same name. Its largest tributary is the river St. Joao, which, flowing a considerable distance through the pine woods, unites itself with the Guaratuba on the southern margin.
Twenty miles to the northward are the three entrances to the bay of Paranagua, formed by two islands. Ibupetuba, (or False Bar,) is the name of the southern, and Superagui that of the northern. The central and largest is five hundred fathoms in width. Mel is the name of the southern island, and Pecas the northern. This bay is twenty miles in length from east to west, more than ten at its greatest width, and of very irregular form. The most northern portion is called the bay of Pine-trees, to which the island of Pecas opens two entrances. The island of Cotinga, six miles long from east to west, and of small width, is the largest within this bay, where sumacas alone enter, and where a great number of rivulets and rivers are discharged. The most considerable is the Cubatam, which flows into it at the western extremity. The Guaraquissava is the largest that enters it on the northern side, where it also receives the Serra Negra, the Cachoeira, and the Nhundyaquara. The Gurgussu and the Almeydas are the largest which run into this receptacle on its southern side.
Twenty-five miles further, the river Ararapira disembogues, scarcely supplying depth for canoes.
Twelve miles to the north-east, which is the direction of the coast, is the bar of Cannanea. Near its northern point there is a small elevated island of the same name. In front of it, on the southern side, there is another island called Figueira, which is round; and further outward is that of Castilhos, small and of moderate elevation.
Forty miles in the same direction of north-east, is the bar of Icapara, the northern mouth of an inlet of the sea, forming an island of the intervening land. Its southern mouth is the before-mentioned bar of Cannanea. This island, hitherto unnamed, is flat, and of inconsiderable width, compared with its great length. It has some inhabitants, and the channel which separates it from the continent is narrow and deep, and is sometimes called a bay, at others a lake.Smacks enter by the bar of Cannanea; that of Icapara, having the same depth, is not navigated, in consequence of its dangerous windings.
Fifteen miles further along the coast is the large outlet of the considerable river Iguape, formed by a great number of large streams, generally serpentine, and watering a vast and mountainous country, having gold. This river is navigable for many leagues; and in the vicinity of the sea, describing large windings, forms many peninsulas, some of the isthmuses of which have been cut in order to shorten the navigation. It passes about two miles from the town of Iguape.
Thirty-five miles further are the two mouths of the river Una, up which canoes proceed more than fifty miles, to a place called Prelado.
Forty miles to the north-east is the entrance of the bay of Itanhaen, which is handsome, and takes the name of a small river discharged at its extremity.
The bay of Santos follows at a distance of thirty-five miles, to which the island of St. Vincente, and that of St. Amaro, originally Guahibe, each being fifteen or eighteen miles long, open three entrances. The southern is denominated the bar of St. Vincente, the central Barra Larga, (Wide Bar,) or the bar of Santos, and the northern, Bertioga, by corruption Buriquioca, which signifies a house or cavern ofburiquis, a species of monkey. It is the only port of the province capable of receiving armadas. Various small rivers, alone navigable with the tide, flow hither, and are discharged amidst mangroves.
Islands.—The two last islands are the principal; are elevated, and abound with water, timber, and good stone.
The island of St. Amaro has scarcely any inhabitants, and is almost entirely uncultivated, which, perhaps, is owing to its not having been granted at first in small portions to agriculturists capable of cultivating it.
About thirty miles to the east-north-east of St. Amaro, is the island of St. Sebastian, fifteen miles long, and proportionably wide, also high, with some inhabitants and roadsteads, being separated from the continent by the profound channel of Toque-Toque, a league in width.
Fifteen miles to the north-east from hence is the small island of Porcos, which is of a triangular form, with good anchorage in its vicinity, and inhabited.
In the same direction, and at an equal distance, the island of Couves is situated, possessing good water, and commodious anchorage on the side next the continent, from which it is distant three miles.
The Queimadas, consisting of three small islands, are situated twelve miles east of the entrance to the bay of Itanhaen.
Phytology.—This province possesses extensive woods, with a variety of trees well adapted for building and other purposes. The cedar is common in many parts, and the Brazilian pine abounds more than any other tree in many districts. It is of two sorts, the green, high and straight, and the white, which is not so compact as the first. Amongst other medicinal plants is thejarrinha, which is regarded as an efficacious antidote, applied externally, to the bite of a snake. The flowers of Europe do not degenerate much here; and fruit trees, transplanted from the same quarter, prosper equally with a great portion of those peculiar to the central provinces. The produce of the cotton tree is neither abundant nor of the best quality; common cottons, which are manufactured with it, constitute a branch of commerce. The agricultural productions are wheat, rye, Indian corn, rice, mandioca, legumes, coffee, potatoes, sugar, rum, and tobacco; these, with a large quantity of hides and pork, cattle, horses, mules, poultry, wax, precious stones, and drugs, are exported.
Zoology.—Amongst other species of wild quadrupeds, thecapibara, ounce,anta,tamandua,guara,preguica, boar, deer,paca, monkey, rabbit, wild dog, andariranha, are common. European animals are sufficiently numerous, with the exception of the goat. A portion of salt is generally given to every species of cattle as aliment; and probably no other province produces such a prodigious quantity of hogs.
The eastern part of this province was possessed by two nations, denominated Carijos and Guayanas; the latter dwelt northward of the first. The western districts are yet in the power of the native barbarians. The Paulistas give the appellation ofBugresto those which inhabit the territory that extends from the river Tiete to the Uruguay. The northern part is at this day occasionally visited by the Cayapo tribes, whose dwelling places are on the other side of the Paranna. The Bugres, amongst which there are some whites, with beards, are divided into four nations; one of these hordes perforate the under lip, some shave the head in the form of a crown, and others ornament their faces with dyes. The men go entirely naked, and use no other arms but the bow and arrow. The women wear a girdle reaching nearly to the knees.
Although they have fixed residences, and cultivate some vegetables, with feijao, and three sorts of Indian corn, white, violet, and another, which the Paulistas denominateperuruca, they wander about a part of the year in pursuit of game and wild fruits.
Their houses are of considerable length, and are formed by two ranges of an equal number of poles, the flexibility of which admits of their junction at thecentre, and being intertwined with twigs, constitute a simple structure, which is finished by theguaricanga(a species of palm tree) as its ultimate covering, with a narrow entrance at one extremity. Fires are made in file along the middle of the building, the inhabitants sleeping upon the ground with their feet extended towards them, and many families constituting the inmates of one dwelling.
Their instruments of agriculture are rudely constructed of wood, with tools of stones; and they make certain vessels for the fermentation of inebriating beverages, which they frequently partake of to excess.
They domesticate some indigenous animals, such as thequatyandcotia; and of European quadrupeds only the dog for hunting. They prefer the flesh of the horse and mule to that of the ox. On all occasions where any friendly intercourse obtains between them and the Paulistas, they appear to regard iron alone as an article of any value. Their natural ferocity has prevented the Portuguese from extending themselves or cultivation to the westward.
Amongst other numerous species of birds, remarkable for their size, plumage, and rarity, are the emu ostrich,colhereira,caroe,tabuyaya,tayuyu,jacu,mutun, macuco partridge,tucano, parrot,araponga,guraputepoca, the troquaze dove,rola, heron,inhuma, whiteurubu,soco, wild goose, &c.
The Paulistas (inhabitants of St. Paulo) are at present esteemed the best people of the state, although various accounts would warrant the belief of their being formerly of a very different character; but these representations must be received with caution. It is evident that their valour and enterprise have, on many occasions, been very conspicuous. Vosgien, the most moderate of all the writers against them, says, that the city of St. Paulo was a species of republic, independent of the Portuguese, and formed of bands from different nations, the whole ill regulated, and consisting of freebooters and thieves, who paid a tribute of gold to the King of Portugal, till they were subjugated by that crown. This is in opposition to the Portuguese authorities, who affirm that they were always faithful subjects of Portugal, from the foundation of the capitania.
From the period of Philip II. becoming possessed of Portugal, and having, in consequence, some controul over its colonies, till the day of acclamation, which restored the crown to John IV. the Paulistas did not deem themselves under the jurisdiction of the Castilian court, but opposed the Spaniards who were in possession of the rich lands to the south and west of the Paraguay; andhad begun to approximate to the centre of the continent with their establishments. This induced the Paulistas to enter upon a secret expedition in 1631, in order to interrupt their progress. Having traversed, with eight hundred men, the certâms, or interior, the rivers Parannapanema and Tibagy, they fell upon Villa Rica, and Ciudad Real. The town of Xerez, situated near the heads of the river Mondego, experienced the same misfortune; also thirty-two aldeias that constituted three small provinces.
The Paulistas, although they did not designate the domestic Indians by the appellation of captives, or slaves, but by that ofadministrados, disposed of them as such, giving them to their creditors in payment of debts, and by way of dowry on occasions of marriage.
The Jesuits, who possessed or had the controul over a great number of Indians, and under whose power they received the denomination ofadministrados, without any consequences of slavery being attached to the term, declaimed against the abuses practised by the Paulistas, and demonstrated to them the impropriety of usurping a right to dispose of the liberty of the Indian.
The Paulistas, who were opulent, and owed all their wealth to the arms of their numerousadministrados, determined to expel the Jesuits, in order that the truths which they promulgated should not militate against their interest.
The reciprocal opposition of two families, each wishing to have the entire administration of the government, led them, with their respective partizans, to open warfare, which would have conducted to the most disastrous results, if the prudence of some ecclesiastics had not disarmed them on the field of battle, by persuading the chiefs to a compromise, by which an equal number of the contending families, from thence forward, were to enter upon the functions of the government.
This compact, accomplished in the year 1654, continued until the middle of the following century, when a cavalheiro, not related to the privileged families, was elected for a judge, which appointment was protested against by them, and finally settled in their favour at Rio de Janeiro, about the time when this individual had completed the term of his jurisdiction. The ability with which he had discharged the duties of the office, convinced the Paulistas that personal merit ought, in conducting the government, to be preferred to the old system.
The antipathy that existed for a long period between the Thaubatenos and Piratininganos, and produced so many duels and disasters; the fatal campaign of 1631; the revolutions caused by the mutual enmity of the two families alluded to; the civil war between the said Paulistas and the European Portuguese,at the commencement of the mining adventures in Minas Geraes; with other animosities, may be regarded as the foundation of the exaggerated charges of want of loyalty, with which many writers have charged this people.
They have a provincial trait which characterises them on their visits to other places. They always wear a sort of capote, or cloak, called aponche, with an aperture in the centre, through which they introduce the head and neck.
The serra of Jaguary, on the Beira-Mar, or sea-coast, and the river Terere, from the serra above, divide this province into northern and southern, each constituting a comarca, or ouvidoria, designated by the head town, which, till recently, were Paranagua in the south, and St. Paulo in the north.
By a law of February, 1812, the former was changed for the town of Curytiba, where the ouvidor has since resided; and it is the head of this division, denominated the comarca of Paranagua and Curytiba. The other was divided into two comarcas, and the new one was denominated Hitu.
The longest day of the year, which is in December, comprises nearly fourteen hours in the southern part of the province, at which period the inhabitants of the margins of the river Grande, the northern boundary, have not thirteen hours and a half of day.
The comarca of Paranagua and Curytiba, comprises the following towns:—
CurytibaParanaguaGuaratubaAntoniaCannaneaIguapeCastroSt. JozeLagesVilla do Principe.
Curytiba, a considerable and famous town, now the head of the comarca, and ordinary residence of the ouvidor, (head magistrate,) is well situated upon the left margin of a small river, which has a bridge for the accommodation of its inhabitants. It has a magnificent church, called Our Lady da Luz, the hermitages of the Lady of Terco, Rosario, and St. Francisco de Paula, and a Terceira order of St. Francisco de Assis. All its structures are of stone or brick, and the streets are paved.
On Stone by C. Shoosmith from a Sketch by Jas. Henderson.Printed by C. Hullmandel.A PAULISTA AND A BRAZILIAN MENDICANT.
On Stone by C. Shoosmith from a Sketch by Jas. Henderson.
Printed by C. Hullmandel.
A PAULISTA AND A BRAZILIAN MENDICANT.
Paranagua is a town of some note, built of stone, and previously to the year 1812 was the head of the comarca. It has three hermitages, and a church of the Lady of Rosario. Its situation, unhealthy, and presenting nothing agreeable to the view, is ten miles distant from the sea, upon the southern bank of the bay from which it borrows the name, and in front of the western point of the island of Cotinga. It has a permutation or smelting house, aJuiz de Fora, and a professor of Latin. The Jesuits had a college here, which has, since their expulsion, been repaired at the cost of the treasury. Farinha, rice, coffee, and other articles, with wheat, which is brought from Curytiba, are its exports.
Guaratuba, (the real name of which is Villa Nova de St. Luiz,) situated near a morro, upon the right margin of the southern arm of the river Guaratuba, in front of the island of Guarazes, and seven miles from the sea, is yet small, but stands advantageously for becoming more considerable. It exports various necessaries of life.
Antonio enjoys an agreeable, and healthy situation, ten miles west of the town of Paranagua, at the extremity of a bay, on a peninsula, and in front of the embouchures of the Cachoeira and Nhundiaquara. It was created a town in 1800. The mother church, deemed an embellishment, is denominated Our Lady of Pilar. Its vicinity can boast of considerable plantations of mandioca, the farinha of which root is exported, as well as timber and cords of imbe. In its district is the aldeia of Morrete, near a river, up which canoes advance to take in the productions cultivated within its boundaries, and those conveyed hither from Curytiba upon the backs of mules.
Cannanea, an inconsiderable town, and pleasantly situated upon a small island, about ten miles within the bar of its name, and only separated from the continent by a narrow strait, has a church dedicated to St. Joao Baptista. Its inhabitants are agriculturists and fishermen; rice is the principal article exported. At the entrance of the bar of Cannanea, on the side of the continent, there is a stone of European marble, with the royal arms of Portugal; and, although much defaced, is ascertained to have been erected there in the year 1503.
Twenty miles south-west of Cannanea, is the aldeia of Ararapira, in former times a villota of Christianized Indians, with its church dedicated to St. Joze da Marinha, situated upon an arm of the lake or bay of Cannanea, which prolongs itself between the General Cordillera and another contiguous to the ocean.
Twenty-eight miles (or forty, following the winding of the lake) to the north-east of the town of Cannanea, is the considerable town of Iguape, situated pleasantly at the extremity of the lake, and a little removed from the right margin of the river Assunguy, which is generally designated by the name of the town. It formerly had a house of permutation, and has a celebrated churchdedicated to the Lady of Neves. The exportation of rice from hence is considerable.
Castro, with a church dedicated to St. Amaro, is yet a small town, but well situated at the point where the river Hyapo (of which it originally took the name) traverses the royal road. In its vicinity are found the most precious stones. After the subjugation of the savages of Guarapuava, great expectations are entertained of its increase, as well as of the cultivation of its extensive contours.
St. Joze, ten miles to the south-east of Curytiba, is agreeably elevated above the surrounding campinha, and is one mile from the left margin of the small river of its name, which, after a course of seven miles further, incorporates itself with the Curytiba.
Forty miles to the west of the two last-named towns, there is a register upon the margin of the Curytiba, where, in some years, thirty thousand mules pass to Sorocaba.
Lages, otherwise Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres, is the most southern town of the province, and was never considerable, in consequence of its proximity to the savages, but is at present much reduced by their invasions. It is situated upon what is denominated the royal road, two miles north of the river Caveiras, and about one from the small Caraha, which takes the name of a species of cane or bamboo that grows in abundance upon its margins, and are the best of the province; some have so peculiar a varnish upon them, that they appear like the work of an able hand. There are excellentamolar, or grindstones, in the same stream. The country surrounding this town is of great fertility, is irrigated by many rivers, and has a temperate and salubrious climate. Legumes, wheat, Indian corn, &c. with cattle, are raised, and almost every species of fruit tree prospers; but the people, besides diminishing in number, are poor for want of an outlet for their productions. The opening of a good road, by which the farmers might with facility transmit their surplus produce to the port of St. Catharina; or perhaps better through the medium of the town of Laguna, (the road terminating in that case at the port of Guarda, from whence the Tuburao affords navigation to the said town,) would induce numerous colonies to establish themselves in this fertile territory, rendered more desirable by the fine temperature of the climate, when the aborigines would be either compelled to retire, or to submit to some mode of subjection. The many aldeias, which would necessarily be spread over this fine district,affording plains for the extensive breeding of cattle, could not fail to produce a rapid increase of the town of Lages. In such a state of things it would become the head of a populous and rich comarca.
Villa do Principe, originally St. Antonio da Lapa, is ten miles southward from the before-mentioned register of Curytiba, near the royal road. Its people are breeders of cattle, and cultivate wheat, rye, Indian corn, and divers fruits.
Five miles north of the same register, and also upon the border of the road, near a small river which contributes its water to the Iguassu, is the arraial of Thauha, possessing a hermitage of the Lady of Conceiçao.
Curytiba, the name by which this district has been recently designated, in the Brazilian language signifiescuru, “pine,” andtiba, “many.” It comprises almost all the comarca, or southern part of the province, from the General Serra to the westward. The winter commences in this part about May, and lasts till September, with a south, and occasionally a south-west wind, which is colder than the first. The most common trees are the Brazilian pine. These majestic trees form extensive woods, abounding with the mountain hog, which go in herds, at times, of one hundred and more.
The fruit trees of Europe prosper here better than the indigenous ones of this continent, and amongst the former may be enumerated the fig, pear, apple, plum, peach, quince, cherry, walnut, and chestnut. The olive-trees are laden with flowers, but rarely fructify. Mandioca, the banana, coffee, and cotton trees, as well as the sugar cane, only prosper in some situations. Themattegrows spontaneously, and is very common. The great consumption of a beverage made from this tree in the province, and in those of St. Catharina and Rio Grande do Sul, and also by many people in the metropolis, augurs favourably for the addition of another branch of commerce to this comarca. Bunches of grapes are frequently met with of upwards of five pounds weight; but hitherto no good wine has been manufactured.
In the year 1812 a large quantity of divers plants of the vine were sent here from Europe; and it is confidently expected that many will succeed as well if not better than in their native soil; so that with proper attention good wine may in time be produced.
The Curytibanos pass for the most powerful and robust people amongst the Paulistas. They cultivate abundance of wheat and Indian corn, with some rice; they breed cattle, horses, and mules, possess a great number of cows, and make some butter and cheese. The cows are of a large size, and affordthe greatest quantity of milk in summer; that, however, which they supply in the winter is the best; the portion which in the first season yields four cheeses, in the winter produces eight. The major part of the breeders of cattle give them salt; an animal which is lean receives a greater ration, in order that it may fatten more expeditiously. It is observed, that sheep begin to die after they have pastured ten years, in whatever situation they may be. Immediately on the first symptom of the disease, which is known by the retiring of the animals towards the door of their dono, as if praying for a remedy, it is requisite to remove them to another part, and when not more than a league distant from their former pasture, the contagion will cease.
The northern division of this province comprehends the following towns, viz.:— In the comarca of St. Paulo: