Rio „de.
Janeiro* in the enjoyment of boundless freedom ; and; nourishing,,
probably, an hereditary: and implacable; antipathy to
the invaders of:their country, they shunsand withdraw
from theicon siderable setdements o f the Portugiieze; but
massacre individuals, without remorse, wherever they
are. found scatteredior unprotected. Much of thmcsast
between Rio and Bahia.was still inhabited:or frequented
by them, whiehi circumstance prevented! any regular
communication, by land, -between thosedwo places/h
In the vicinity of the town of Rio the roads were not
passable many 'miles for carriages. Inu an iexcur-sion
from thence to the westward' by Mr.. Barrow land two
other gentlemen of the Embassy,- accompanied iby a
Portugueze inhabitant of Rio, it appeared;that littlein-.
dustry was exerted thereabouts in the cultivationsof the
soil, or improvement of the country. It^onsisfedehiefly
in raising garden vegetables for the whites,and-rice and
manioc for the Blacks. Wheat was found to- gro,w in
other parts of the Brazils, with an iricreasefreyond what
is known in Europe.: The corn mill, used by- them,
was of a simplicity of construction 'worthy of being de-
scribed. One of them happened toifre ,erfeqt@don a
stream close to the. forest, which the gentlemen of
this party meant to penetrate: a wheel* a few feet.only
in diameter, was placedf horizontally, mwch-Fbelowr.fehe
current of a stream,., as it fell from a steep bank, and
was received in hollows, ten or twelveUn number, sp
oblaqnelyScollopedtihtdtthe upp^rim of the-jwheel, a«
to impel it to. a quick rotateay .motibmiwhile'its'upright =
shaft,'^passing th-fcoughsanropening in the centre o f an
immoveable' milfetdhfe' - above'! t-h enwheel; but of a har?
rower diameter*iwas fixed* to; a smaller millstone-s-which;
forced found with the motion' of th’ecwheel *atodjdep,enr
dent 1'sh^ft; ofra^aedc between it and th|ife#gee;;si3ne
beneathj^thedgrain insinuated between*; them ( from a
hopper; Thus thafeeffect‘was;pKodweed;i by the means
of-'one wheel only,i whicfels ^generally ihe result, of a
mu'dh more expensivfiand '-'GoinpHbated’ ma©hin,er>y| ^ It
is said that a similar mill is in u-s’e'in the CripaeQ^lir>
The forest, already’mentioned, was found tOpabaund
in pal-ms and mastic; - woody’ also mangoe <and |jgpuyava
trees, and ferns growing to the size oftre.es, beside many
other vegetables,nnever 'bbscrvedt before1 by thcSsewho
were then travelling* through it. Of these!^> it- jsf to; be
hoped that,- a full - description will s©oh- appear in a bo-
tani|ihl#b|kv upon the plants ofthistcqun try, promised
by a Francisc'an-friar who resided lorigtin-Rid, and giy§&.
quaintly enough; the name of Flom ‘Fluminensis to- hjs intended
publications The ipecacuanha plant, growing
;at Sti; Oatharine’s withiii th4,!goviemmenfr^of Rio, will
theresals© probably be' described. Abpresent, tho {($$$&£
bath-been so lon^ in use, as!a valuable aftiple in medicine^
to what class, orrkind, orr spSei'es; in the bdtanicalfsystem
it belongs; is mot yet accurately kno^n:."- At the reqil©^:
Rio de-
Janeirp.