Dec^fber. Pare“'a brava, and balfam capivi; both of which were ex-
1——v——1 'Cellent in their kind, and fold at a very low price. The drug
•trade is probably carried on to the northward, as well as that
o f the dying woods, for we could get no intelligence of
either of them here.
As to manufactures, we neither faw nor heard of any except
that of cotton-hammocks, in which people are carried
about here, as they are with us in fedan chairs ; and thefe
are principally, if not wholly, fabricated by the Indians.
The riches of the place confifts chiefly in the mines which
we fuppofed to lie .far up the country, though we could
never learn where, or at what diftance ; for the fituation is
concealed as much as poffible, and troops are continually
employed in guarding the roads that lead to them: it is al-
moft impoflible for any man to get a fight of them, except'
thofe who are employed there ; and indeed the ftrongelt cu-
riofity would fcarcely induce any man to attempt it, for
■ whoever is found upon the road to them, i f he cannot give
undeniable evidence of his having bufinefs there, is immediately
hanged up upon the next tree.
Much gold is certainly brought from thefe mines, butat an
■ expence of life that muft ftrike every man, to whom cuftom
lias not made it familiar, with horror. No lefs than forty
■ thoufand negroes are annually imported, on the king’s account,
to dig the mines; and we were Credibly informed,
that, the laft year but one before we arrived here, this number
fell fo fhort, probably from feme epidemic difeafe, that
twenty thoufand more were draughted from the town of
Rio.
Piecious Hones are alfo found here in fuch plenty, that a
certain quantity only is allowed to be collected in a year;
^ to colled! this quantity, a number of people are fent into the
7 . country
country where they are found, and when it is got together,
which fometimes happens in a month, fometimes in lefs and i---------
fometimes in more, they return; and after that, whoever
is found in thefe precious diftridts, on any pretence, before
the next year, is immediately put to death.
The jewels found here,-are diamonds, topazes o f feveral
kinds, and amethyfts. We did not fee any of the diamonds,
but were informed that the Viceroy had a large quantity by
him, which he would fell on the King o f Portugal’s account,
but not at a lefs price than they are fold for in Europe. Mr.
Banks bought a few topazes and amethyfts as fpecimens: of
the topazes there are three forts, of very different value,
which are diftinguiihed here by the names of Pinga d’agua
qualidade primeiro, Pinga d’agua qualidade fecundo, and
Chryftallos armerillos t -they are fold, large and fmall, good
and bad together, by octavos, of the eighth part of an ounce ;
the beft at 4 s. 9 d. All dealing, however, in thefe ftones is
prohibited to the fubjedt under the fevereft penalties : there
were jewellers here formerly, who purchafed and worked
them on their own account ; but about fourteen months before
our arrival, orders came from the court of Portugal,
that no more Hones fhould be wrought here, except on the
King’s account; the jewellers were ordered to bring all their
tools to the Viceroy, and left without any means of fubfift-
ence. The perfons employed here to work ffones for the King
are Haves.
The coin that is current here, is either that of Portugal,
confifling chiefly o f thirty-fix fhillings pieces; or pieces, both
■ of gold and filver, which are ftruck at this place: the .pieces
of filver, which are very much debafed, are called Petacks,
and are of different value, and eafily diftinguiihed by the
number of rees that is marked on the outfide. Here is alfo
Von. II. E a copper