Villa Franca, originally Camaru, is a middling town, with some regularity, upon a lake, which communicates with the Amazons and with the Tapajos, from whose margin it is not far distant. It is fifteen miles south-west of Santarem. The church is dedicated to the Assumpçao of Nossa Senhora; and the inhabitants are mostly Indians, cultivating cocoa besides the necessaries of life.
Villanova da Raynha is a town of a similar kind, near the mouth of the Mauhes, in an advantageous situation for increasing. Almost all its inhabitants are Mauhe Indians, who produce the bestguarana, which is a composition made from the fruit of a shrub so called, and common in their territory. After being pounded, it is made into rolls like chocolate, and becomes quite hard: they attribute various beneficial effects to the use of it; the most certain, however, is driving away sleep!
Borba is a small town, with wretched houses, well situated upon elevated ground on the right margin of the Madeira, eighty miles from the Amazons and forty above the Furo dos Tuppynambaranas, and is a calling-place for those who navigate towards Matto-Grosso. The church is of St. Antonio, and its population is descended from the aborigines of various nations, with a few Europeans and Mesticos, also some negroes. Besides the common productions they cultivate some tobacco and cocoa; and, with the fishing for the tortoise, they supply the deficiency of cattle, which are at present very few.
This town had its commencement upon the river Jamary, from whence it was removed to the mouth of the Giparanna, afterwards to the site of Pancau, orParaxiau, and ultimately to its present situation, where it was in the year 1756, when King Joseph gave it the title of town. It always took the name of the situation where it stood, its various removals being caused by the persecutions which the inhabitants experienced from the Mura tribe.
Contiguous to this town there is a populous aldeia of unchristianized Muras, the descendants of those who formerly annoyed the first inhabitants: they have taken refuge here from the attacks of the Mundrucus.
Villaboim, yet very small, upon the left bank of the Tapajos, and eighteen miles from the Amazons, is a town well situated: its soil being susceptible of various lucrative branches of agriculture, affords a probability of its future augmentation. The inhabitants are Indians, and the church is dedicated to St. Ignacio.
Pinhel, a small town, and well situated upon the margin of the Tapajos, fifteen miles above Villaboim, has a church dedicated to St. Joze. Its dwellers, almost all Indians, cultivate what they deem necessary, and pursue hunting and shooting, and collect some of the objects of trade, which nature has produced in its fertile vicinity.
Villanova de Santa Cruz, ten miles above Pinhel and almost in front of Aveyro, is yet insignificant. The houses which form it are generally very miserable, and its Mundrucanan inhabitants are hunters, fishermen, and cultivators only of some necessaries, as is the case with all the places of this district. The increase of Europeans, however, would, with adequate industry, render its environs abundantly productive in every article of agriculture, the richness of the soil promising the utmost success.
At a considerable distance above Villa Nova de St. Cruz, upon the western margin of the Tapajos, there is an aldeia inhabited by another horde of Mundrucus, yet unchristianized, but having their plantations of Indian corn; while some are already partially clothed, and the women wear a species of dress also of cotton, called asayote.
A catechist, a blacksmith, a carpenter, acquainted with agriculture, and a woman-weaver are deemed sufficient to commence a povoaçao in this fertile country, which, with industry, will doubtless soon become flourishing and useful to the state.