° intangled in i t ; but, even in this cafe, the workmen break off the
rocks, and do not properly mine into them : and the great expence
in fubfifting among thefe mountains, and afterwards in feparatiug
the metal from theftone, makes this method o f procuring gold to
be but rarely put in praftice.
Theexamining the bottoms of rivers, and the gullies of torrents,
and the wafhing the gold found therein from the fand and dirt,
with which it is alwaysmixed, are works performed by (laves, who
are principally Negroes, kept in great numbers by the Portuguefe
for thefe purpofes. The regulation of the duty of thefe (laves is Angular
: for they are each of them obliged to furmlh their mafter
with the eighth part o f an ounce of gold per diem-, and if they
are either fo fortunate or induftrious as to colleft a greater quantity,
the furplus is confidered as their own property, and they have the
liberty of difpofing of it as they think fit. So that it is faid fome
Negroes, who have accidentally fallen upon, rich wafliing-places,
have the'mfelves purchafed (laves, and have lived afterwards in great
fplendor; their original mafter having no other demand on them
than the daily fupply o f the forementioned eighth, which, as the
Portuguefe ounce is fomewtat lighter than our troy ounce, may
amount to' about nine (hillings fterling.
The quantity of gold thus collefted in the Brazils, and returned
annually to Lifbon, may be, in fome degree, eftimated from the
amount of the King’s fifth. This hath of late been efteemed, one
year with another, to be one hundred and fifty arroves of 32/. Por-
taguefe weight each, which, at 4 1. the troy ounce, makes very near
700,000/. fterling; and confequently the capital, o f which this is
the fifth, is about a million and a half fterling. It is obvious, that
the annual return of gold to Lijbon cannot be lefs than this, though
it be difficult to determine how much it exceeds i t : perhaps we
may not be very much miftaken in our conje&ure, i f we fuppofe
the gold exchanged for filver with the Spaniards at Buenos Ayres*
■ and what is brought privily to Europe, and efcapes the duty,
amounts to near half’a million more, which will make the whole
annual produce of the Braflian gold near two millions fterling; a
prodigious fum to be found in a country, which a few years fince
was not known to furnilh a (ingle grain.
1 have already mentioned, that, befides gold, this country does
likewife produce diamonds. The difcovery of thefe valuable (tones
is much more recent than that o f gold, it being as yet fcarce twenty
years fince the firft were brought to Europe. They are found, in the
fame manner as the gold, in the guliies of torrents and beds of
rivers; but only in particular places, and not fo univerfally fpread
through the country. They were often found in wafting the gold,
before they were known to be diamonds, and were confequently
thrown away, with the fand and gravel feparated from it. And it
is very well remembered, that numbers of very large (tones, which
would have made the fortunes of the poffeffors, have palfed unregarded
through the hands of thofe, who now with impatience fup-
port the mortifying reflexion. However, about twenty years fince,
a perfon, acquainted with the appearance o f rough diamonds, conceived
that thefe pebbles, as they were then efteemed, were o f the
fame kind: but it is faid, that there was a confiderable interval between
the firft darting o f this opinion, and the confirmation of it
by proper trials and examination, it proving difficult to perfuade
the inhabitants, that what they had been long accuftomed to defpife
could be of the importance reprefented by this difcovery ; and I
have been informed, that, in this interval, a Governor o f one o f
their places procured a good number of thefe (tones, which he
pretended to make ufe of at cards, to mark with, inftead o f counters.
But it was at laft confirmed by (killful Jewellers in Europe,
confulted on this occafion, that the (tones thus found in Brazil were,
truly diamonds, many of which were not inferior, either in luftre
or any other quality, to tbofe o f the Eaft Indies. On this determination
the Portuguefe, in the neighbourhood of thofe places where
they had firft been obferved, fet themfelves to fearch for them
with great afliduity. And they were not without great hopes of
difcovering confiderable mafles of them, as they found large rocks
H 2 of