occupies the country in the valley of St. Francisco, and on the heads of the Parana; it is estimated at six or seven hundred miles in length, and nearly the same in breadth. Its mines of gold and diamonds, are probably the most productive in Brazil; and with the mines of Cuyaba, to the westward, contribute chiefly to enable the city of Rio Janeiro to outstrip St. Salvador, the former capital. "The mining districts," says Mawe, "being most populous, required the greatest proportion of consumable goods, and in return, send the most valuable articles of commerce; hence innumerable troops of mules are continually travelling to and from those districts; their common burden is about three hundred weight each, which they carry to the almost incredible distance of fifteen hundred to two thousand miles." The province of Goyaz, still further west, occupies the valley of the Tocantine, and extends from six to twenty-one degrees, south. This province, like most of those in the interior of this immense country, is also possessed of valuable mines. Its distance from the coast enables it to carry on very little commerce; its agricultural produce being too expensive to be transported in any great quantities. They depend chiefly on the produce of their mines, which is usually carried to Rio Janeiro, to procure the articles they want, such as salt, iron, cotton prints, woollens, (particularly baizes,) hats, fire arms, powder and shot, and hardware of every kind. When they have any thing sufficiently valuable, over and above procuring these articles, they lay it out in the purchase of negroes, whom they make great exertions to proThis province, is, however, very little known, but has the character of being a fine country, possess

cure.

ing numerous rivers, especially towards the heads of the Tocantine; finely watered, the streams abounding in fish, and the earth covered with a variety of valuable woods. The cotton, sugar, and other products of this vast district, instead of being carried over by land across immense chains of mountains, to St. Salvador and Rio Janeiro, will pass down the river to the gulph of Para, as soon as this district of country becomes sufficiently peopled, and some great city, like NewOrleans, rises on its shores.

Matto Grosso, as has been said, embraces all the upper branches of the great rivers of Brazil, and is the most interior province. Its chief wealth consists in its valuable mines; its distance, at present, being too great for the transportation of heavy articles by land. It however possesses, naturally, the greatest facilities for carrying its produce to market by means of the Paraguay, or branches of the Amazon. From this province, however, as well as from Goyaz, cattle are sometimes driven to the capital. The merchant at Cuyaba, sometimes carries his ingots to Bahia, by the way of Goyazes, or to the metropolis by the same road, or by that of Camapyan; it is ascertained that a trade may be also carried on with the inhabitants of Gran Para, by means of the river Tapajos. A number of other communications may be opened; two to the last named port, one by the Chingu, the other by the Rio des Mortes and Araguaya. Two others may be opened to St. Paul and the metropolis; the first by the rivers St. Lorenzo, Piquire, Sucurui, and Tiete;* the second by land, across the Bororo

*It is worthy of remark, that nearly all the rivers of Brazil, are much obstructed by falls and cataracts. The Tiete has a great

má, and Coyaponia, crossing the Parana between the confluence of the Parana hyba, and the falls of Urubupunga, This road would be eighty leagues shorter than that pursued by the way of Villa Boa.

The foreign commerce of Brazil is every day increasing, in a proportion commensurate with the rapid advancement of the country. The principle articles of export have already been noticed. In cotton, rice, tobacco, and sugar, they are already our rivals in Europe; and lying more contiguous to the West Indies, will rival us in the trade of lumber and live stock. The province of Rio Janeiro, besides gold and precious stones, already exports ten thousand chests of sugar, four millions of pounds of coffee, some manufactured tobacco, and fifteen or twenty thousand bags of cotton, besides hides and rum.

Bahia exports twenty-eight or thirty thousand chests of sugar, of twelve or fourteen hundred weight each; thirty thousand bags of cotton, of five arrobas each; forty thousand rolls of tobacco in twists, and three thousand bales of leaf, averaging about five hundred weight. Also some coffee and rice, coarse earthen ware, and grass cables, besides salted hides, tanned leather, and rum.

Pernambuco exports sixty or seventy thousand bales of cotton, eleven to fourteen thousand chests of sugar, one hundred thousand salted hides; Maranham exports nearly the same quantity of cotton as Pernambuco, and four or five thousand chests of sugar, some rice and cocoa. Para exports cotton, rice, cocoa, and drugs, as also woods of various kinds.

number. Perhaps no country has so many cataracts and cascades, as the Brazil.

The province of St. Paul, whose trade is chiefly dependent on the metropolis, not being situated itself on the sea coast, exports sugar, coffee, cattle, hogs, &c. It also has a considerable trade with the interior provinces of Minas and Matto Grosso; it has some manufactures of cotton cloths.

Rio Grande exports beef, hides, and tallow, to a great amount, probably not less than three millions of dollars. The exports of beef and tallow, are however principally to Rio, Bahia, and Pernambuco. This province formerly exported, and supplied the others on the sea coast, with flour and wheat; but for the last two years, there has been no export of consequence, raising scarcely sufficient for the supply of the troops which have been thrown into the southern part of Brazil, for the purpose of keeping up the war with Artigas.

To speak of the different mines of Brazil, with the minuteness which their number and importance deserve, would require itself a volume. Next to the possessions of Spain, those of Portugal exceed all other countries of the world in mineral wealth. Immense sums have been drawn from the gold mines since their first discovery by the inhabitants of St. Paul, in 1557. They were formerly placed under great restrictions, but at present they are thrown open to every person who chooses to search for, or work them, on paying the established duty to the king. Mawe has given us much interesting information as to the manner of working the different mines. It appears that their produce has much diminished, at least there are none now worked that produce gold in such astonishing abundance as the mines of Billa Reca. They are

scattered over a prodigious extent of country, and are found chiefly imbeded in the sands of rivers. Notwithstanding the wonderful enterprise and activity of the Paulistas, who traversed so much of this country during the seventeenth century, in pursuit of gold mines and Indian slaves, it must be considered as still but imperfectly explored. One of the most extraordinary mines ever discovered in Brazil, remains at this day a subject of curious speculation among the inhabitants of that country; the discoverer, Buenos, an enterprising Paulista, on his return to it with imple. ments and negroes, was by various circumstances diverted from his course, when he accidentally fell on the mines of Goyaz where he remained. His son afterwards, with the assistance of his father's journal, endeavored to find the place, but in vain. The present produce of the gold mines is about five hundred arrobas, the arroba estimated at thirty-two pounds, each fourteen ounces, which may be considered equal to about three millions and a half of dollars; one fifth of which goes to the king. The diamond mines are entirely under monopoly and severe restrictions, being worked exclusively on account of government; their produce is estimated at seven or eight hundred thousand dollars. The diamonds of the king of Brazil are valued at three millions sterling; he has in his possession the largest in the world; but they are not supposed equal to those of the Indies in point of brilliancy. It is somewhat surprising, that no silver mines of any great productions have yet been discovered in his territories. Some silver, it is said, was found at an early period, in the possession of the Indians on the Parana, who being seen by the only