The National Register. — London, England, 1821-01-07 00:00:00

MOM 7 5 Z=;;, i44-¶frt JL affon ck rgitittr+ Our &tins, Conatitution, anb ZaW4. No. 1,200.—V0L. XIV.] SUNDAY, JANUARY 7, 1821. Puiez 94''. SKETCH OF THE BRAZILS. I they are obliged to work to pay the expense of their passage, though it is pretended to be given to them gratis : thus, under the name of debtors, they remain slaves for six or eight years before they recover their liberty. In the states from Philadelphia to Charles town, and New Orleans, the yellow fever makes dreadful ravages, anti millions of Europeans' have there met a premature death. " Who has not lost friends or relations at the Havattnah, Jamaica, St. Domingo, Ike.? Merchants and sailors are carried off, not on attempting to reside, but merely by touching on the soit or these countries. But there is another inconvenience. Who has not heard of those storms, tempests, hurricanes, • or typhons, which tiom time to time destroy the laps of the cultivator ? In one night, in one hour, all the fruits of the labour of several years are annihilated, the fruit trees are uprooted, and the houses levelled in ruins. In Braz:l no con tagiour disorders are known, and the fertile lands are never ravaged by tempests. Both capitalists and colonists must therefore find the security and value of landed property greater in Brazil than in these countries, whether that property be acquired by purchase, or received gratuitously from the govern ment. " After what I have stated of Brazil, it may be perhaps supposed, that it is s land of promise, a ter restrial paradise, where every thing is to be found in abundance, anti where it is only necessary to put fiarth the hand, and receive a supply of every want. This idea, however, would be very fallacious. The inhabitants lead a hard life; products of the first necessity are scarce, and a multitude of difficulties are experienced. • " Above all, there is a want of hands. In general, the population and the number 'of the artisans are not in proportion to the extent of this kingdom, and the increase of its commerce god communications have not us yet been sufficiently facilitated by the establishment of public roads. " The Government has been at considerable ex pense in making a road through the mountains of Estrella, seven leagues from Rio Janeiro ; but, on arriving at the foot of this mountain, only 2 leagues from the bay of Rio Janeiro, the road is sometimes only passable at the risk of life. " In vain will proprietors endeavour to derive advantage from the fertility of the land granted to them gratuitously, while the government does not devote its attention to the making of roads, and the farmers cannot Beni their produce to market, except at the risk of the loss of the property, the mules that. carry it, and the lives of the conductor;. However productive die sJil, the poor peasant finds nu encou ragement to plant snore that is necessary for his own existence. He often has not enough to support his family. The lower class are in a wretched situation, and the inhabitants of a country overflowing with abundance are miserably poor, and badiy fed. " Notwithstanding these inconveniences, and many others, there are always persons desirous of settling in Brazil ; but on examining the subject with attention, it will appear that there are persons who act as erroneously in going there, as the governments ould in giving theta an encouraging reception. -••■•0.-- An interesting work on the above subject liss just been published. Our limits confine us to the fol.. • lowing extracts:— " The province of Rio Janeiro being situated on the confines and without the tropic of Capricorn, is, in genera, in onsequence of that situation, less warm than the countries which lie nearer the Line. The whole province of Rio Janeiro, extending 90 leagues in length and 35 in breadth, is mountainous, with the exception of the Goytacases, usually called Camnos. It is, therefore, naturally divided into high and low lands. In the latter the heat is us great as in the other countries between the tropics, and consequently we find cultivated there not only all the colonial productions, as coffee, sugar, cotton, indigo, cocoa, rice, tobacco, &c. but success has attended the planting of the most valuable trees of India, as the cinnamon, cloves,' pepper, &c. all the exquisite spiceries and delicious fruits of the east. The mango, the tea plant, the broad-fruit tree, from the islands in the Pacific; the camphirc of Japan, the ginger, the cardamum, and the casawa rine of New Holland, and, in fine, all the trees and plants of warm climates thrive excellently here. " On the mountains, which rise to the height of 3,000 English feet, which are covered to the summit with impenetrable virgin forests, and the smiling vallies of which are watered by limpid and delicious streams, the temperature is as dithwent as the pro ductions. The forests abound in game, and in every kind of wood for ornamental works. In the grounds newly cleared, the fruit trees and plants of Europe, the peach, the fig, the vine, the apple, the quince, and the strawberry, are cultivated wit h surprising success. In a word, the situation, the climate, and the productions—indigenous, or, introduced by cul- tivation—render this country the most happy and the most independent in the universe. ■" With regard to climate, there is no winter and summer. The heat is never excessive, and there is no sensible cold—the whole year appears a continual spring. Not a day passes on which the business of cultivation may not be carried on. The reaping rapidly succeeds the sowing; it is only necessary to consign the seed to the earth to secure a harvest. " I should expect to be taxed with exaggeration, were I to relate the extraordinary instances of the vegetation and fertility of the country which are known to me. I shall therefore merely mention common examples, which may be every day verified. Father C:irreia, settled in the Serra d'listrella, and one of the principal fanners of this province, has sown a nie..!:;;re of rice, and obtained more than 500 in return. The common return from maize is 120 or 130 to one. _ _ " The coffee plant is easily cultivated, and in favourable mills begins to bear fruit at the end of 20 months. This I have seen on the farm of Dr Lezesne, formerly an inhabitant of St. Domingo.— It is not uncommon to find coffee trees, every foot of which yields five or six pounds of coffee a year. 1 have observed grafts from peaches form in two years trees from three to four inches in diameter, loaded with fruit. " From the description which I have given of the climate of !ti" Janeiro, its productions, and its fer tility, a very liwouruble idea will naturally be firmed of it; but before pronouncing an opinion, let us consider whether there are not other advantages, and what arc the difficulties which may discourage those inclined to remove to this country. " If we examine every other region to the south and the north of the Line, we shall nowhere find the same natural and political advantages as in Bra zil. Chili, on the opposite coast, and in the same latitude, c.:nnot be compared to it: though the vegetation and the fertility cf its soil are nearly equal to those of the Brazil, its natural productions are nut so varied. Nature is less beautiful there; there arc not so many forests, and the country rather resembles Europe. It is besides in a state of revo lution, and no advantages are granted to foreigners. " The United States, which now support millions of Europeans, have peopled their territory by colo nists, to whom lands have been sold on credit. The climate is cold, unhealthy, subject to foyers, and nut n kaLly Froductive. The colonists were, at the tommenecnient of their :cab:meta:, and :Ail' ale,. trait Totted some lilthald:i of Leagues inland, where " Every emigrant ought to have an object eon fimmable to his talents and his pecuniary means. The capitalist with the must considerable sums cannot succeed alone ; and the most skilful workman can do nothing without being employed by inter - mediate contractors, whether they pay him by the day, or lend hint money liar a certain time. I call adventurers persons who emigrate without the re quisite qualifications and information, and without the assistance either of the government or a con tractor, or some individual already settled in the country. The province of Rio Janeiro b e ing nearly as large us France, and the wl.ole of the brazil embracing an extent nearly to that of Europe, the planters and iirtisatts to whom the government generowly otters assistance, may choose any spot they think must convenient for their business, or the branch of industry they mean to pursue. " Emigrants who mean to devote themselves to husbandry should settle without the tropics, or in the upland Frovince. The soil of tnc.c provinces is bepides well adapted to the coitivution.ot tae vine. ladtr dues nut succeed so Rio Januiro, °a decOtillC of the excessive heat, which gives too great force sad rapidity to vegetation. " Cattle of a very large kind arc also raised in ' these provinces, and particularly in Rio Grande, - where the inhabitants kill their horned cattle solely for the value of their skins, which are sold to fo meets in their natural state, without any preps. ration. Some lime after, the same skins return filial • Europe tanned, prepared and worked into various amides of the first necessity, as boots, shoes, slip pers, &e. The beef is then dried, but it then sells less advantageously than it would if properly salted, and fitted ter the use of the seamen who sail from the ports of Brazil. " The Provinces of Bahia and Pernambuco are the best adapted for the cultivation of sugar. cot ton, tobacco, &c. and are the most advantageous ' for the settlement of persons who.wish to undo take the cultivatiop of these articles, and to estaL. lish manufactures from them : as, for instance, cotton-mills, saw-mills, tobacco•works, £c. • " The cultivation of rice ought to go to Maranhco, and establish mills after the manner of those in South Carolina. " The cocoa and spice trees thrive principally at Para and Scorn. Thus all the provinces of this vast country, which extentLs from the Equator to the Rio de la Plata, and from Cape St. Augustin to the frontiers of Chili and Peru, have each their 'arti cular advantages. " Several quarters—among others, the Abrolhos and the months of the river of the Amazons— abound in flesh ; and the fisheries in those parts present infinite resources for European industry.— Fish might be cured there in different ways, and the fishery of Newfoundland might in time be rivalled. " The making of isinglass has already been com menced with great success at Para. Manufactories of this kind will, doubtless, be seconded by the government; which must perceive that such un derstanding will be attended with the advantage of forming a nursery for seamen, " From these considerations it will appear that it is contrary to the interest of emigrants to firllow the first impulse which they may have received without reflection, and to fix themselves at once near Rio Janeiro; fur near navigable rivers, on the roist of of St. Catherine, at Porto Segura, at Curavellas, on the banks oldie beautiful river Moncouri, &c there are several thousands of square leagues which the benevolent government offers to those who wish to mak esettletaeats, and where less difficulty with respect to e.anotunications is experienced than in the neighbourhood of the capital. In conclusion,l must observe, that a poor peasant alone, and without assistance, can obtain no ad vantage from settling iu Ltr.zil ; but on the contrary a person of property, by choosing a suitable place, way easily doutile or qie his capital in .1 ti:w years, and contribute to the happiness of many dis tressed families who now vegetate in Europe. It is, at the same time, the interest of the Portuguese Government to facilitate as notch as possible emi grations to this best cylisiden maul fie.y. " Paris, Nev. 2fi. G. VoN. LANSDORPF." We are happy to learn, that with a view to the relief of the hop planters, the Lords of the Trea sury have taken into consideration the propriety of granting a drawback of the duty upon the exami nation of• Imps to foreign countries, anti that the Board of Excise have been instructed to take into their immediate consideration such regulations as • may be hest adapted for the security of tha revenue, in the payment of the drawback. It was on Thursday stated that Lora Castlereagh heti received advice of• the death of his venerable faiher the Marquis and Earl of Londonderry, by which the NtiOW Viscount would suceeed to titres, and to the iamplt estate,; but the t vent wool not occasion his removal to the House o f r e , EA , a. the late .Nlarviss was only one of the represemeiive Peers, anal nail no Britith title. One or thoza: natural curio:a:Les which some 4,4 1• roar Iliket to believe doas inn exist, co.led has strived oa board the Borneo, J. C. Rai., niil4:r, ,uoar lying in the Thames, from Bents:deo, ►• matra. It is o► u perfect human form front the head to tlt middle, anal the rest coasis.l of a tail of a fish''' . rtsenuiting a tio'phin. ,t4 O REIM . - ie. • • ...A - • • yow". - .~- __ .-w,_ _...w1. ...~ ~. - 1 ~_. kv./.m. • I. • I • t • `i F - S 4 k 2: to \