December. would grow here; notwithstanding which, the 1768. inhabitants import their coffee and chocolate from Lisbon. Moft of the land, as far as we faw of the country, is laid down in grafs, upon which cattle are pastured in great plenty; but they are fo lean, that an Englishman will scarcely eat of their flesh: the herbage of these pastures confists principally of creffes, and confequently is fo fhort, that though it may afford a bite for horfes and sheep, it can fcarcely be grazed by horned cattle in a sufficient quantity to keep them alive. This country may poffibly produce many valuable drugs; but we could not find any in the apothecaries fhops, except pariera brava, and balfam capivi; both of which were excellent in their kind, and fold at a very low price. The drug trade is probably carried on to the northward, as well as that of 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 these are principally, if not wholly, fabricated by the Indians. The riches of the place confift chiefly in the mines which we fuppofed to lie far up the country, though we could never learn where, or at what distance; for the fituation is concealed as much as poffible, and troops are continually employed S 3 December. 1768. employed in guarding the roads that lead to them: it is almoft impoffible for any man to get a fight of them, except those who are employed there; and indeed the strongest curiosity would fcarcely induce any man to attempt it, for whoever is found upon the road to them, if he cannot give undeniable evidence of his having bufinefs there, is immediately hanged up upon the next tree. Much gold is certainly brought from these mines, but at an expence of life that must strike every man, to whom cuftom has 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 fome epidemic disease, that twenty thousand more were draughted from the town of Rio. Precious stones are also found here in fuch plenty, that a certain quantity only is allowed to be collected in a year; to collect this quantity, a number of people are, fent into the country where they are found, and when it is got together, which fometimes happens in a month, fometimes in lefs and fometimes in more, they return, and after that, whoever is found in these precious diftricts, on any pretence, before the next year, is immediately put to death. The any The jewels found here, are diamonds, topazes of feveral kinds, and amethysts. We did not fee of the diamonds, but were informed that the viceroy had a large quantity by him, which he would fell on the King of 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 distinguished here by the names of Pinga d'agua qualidade primeiro, Pinga d'agua qualidade fecundo, and Chryftallos armerillos: they are fold, large and small, good and bad together, by octavos, or the eighth part of an ounce; the best at 4s. 9d. All dealing, however, in thefe ftones is prohibited to the subject under the feverest penalties: there were jewellers here formerly, who purchased and worked them on their own account; but about fourteen months before our arrival, orders came from the court of Portugal, that no more ftones 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 fubfiftence. The perfons employed here to work ftones for the king are flaves. The coin that is current here, is either that of Portugal, confifting chiefly of thirty-fix fhillings pieces; or pieces, both of gold and filver, which are ftruck at this place: the pieces of filver, which S 4 1763. December. 1768. December. which are very much debafed, are called Petacks, and are of different value, and easily distinguished by the number of rees that is marked on the outside. Here is alfo a copper coin, like that in Portugal, of five and ten ree pieces. A ree is a nominal coin of Portugal, ten of which are equal in value to about three farthings fterling. The harbour of Rio de Janeiro is fituated W. by N. 18 leagues from Cape Frio, and may be known by a remarkable hill, in the form of a fugar- loaf, at the weft point of the bay; but as all the coaft is very high, and rifes in many peaks, the entrance of this harbour may be more certainly distinguished by the islands that lie before it; one of which, called Rodonda, is high. and round like a hay-stack, and lies at the diftance of two leagues and a half from the entrance of the bay, in the direction of S. by W.; but the first islands which are met with, coming from the east, or Cape Frio, are two that have a rocky appearance, lying near to each other, and at the distance of about four miles from the fhore: there are alfo at the distance of three leagues to the weftward of these, two other iflands which lie near to each other, a little without the bay on the eaft fide, and very near the fhore. This harbour is certainly a good one; the entrance indeed is not wide, but the feabreeze, which blows every day from ten or twelve o'clock o'clock till funfet, makes it eafy for any fhip to of go 2 The 1768. December |