Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1821-05-22

men: taxes ON the cause, which Pampers
mans appetite, and the drug that restores
him to health; on the ermine which de
corates the Judge, and the rope which
hangs the criminal; on the poor mans salt
and the rich mans spice on the brass
nails of the coffin, and the ribbands OF the
bride at bed or board, couchant or levant,
we must pay: The schoolboy whips his
taxed top; the boardless youth manages
his taxed horse, with taxed bride on
taxed road land the dying Englishman
pouring his medicine which has paid 2
per cent into spoon that has paid Is per
cent. filings himself back upon his chintz-
bed which has paid 90 per cent. makes
his will on an eight pound stamp, and OK
pires in the arms of an apothercary, who
has paid license of an hundred pounds
for the privilege of putting him to death
His whole propertyis then Immediately
taxed from Q to 10 per cent. Besides the
probate, large fees are demanded for bury
ing him in the chancel; his virtues are
handed down to posterity on taxed mar
BILE and he is then gathered to his fathers;
to be taxed no more.
This great country, which has lately
witnessed SO great Revolution in its po-
litical affairs, is less known than it ought
to be. The Chevalier Langsdorf, Rus
sian Consul General in Brazil, has pub
lished Memoir on Brazil for the benefit
of Emigrants. He describes it in some
respects almost as Paradise. The CHI
mate is most genial-neither summer nor
the heat is never excessive, and
there is no sensible cold" The whole
year appears, like the garden of Calypso,
a perpetual spring. "Not a day passes
on which the business of cultivation may
not be carried on" He describes its pro-
auctions as of the most variegated descrip-
roots and vegetables, the
maize, potatoe, banana, mandioca, and
various others of the first necessity "may
be planted and gathered every day of the
year in the mountains as well as in the
plain" I'VE quote the authors own
words) In its lower lands the heat is as
great as in other countries between the
tropics, and consequently they cultivate
there call the colonial productions, as
coffee, sugar, cotton, indigo, cocoa, rice,
sc. nay, the most valuable trees
of India, the cinnamon, cloves, pepper, all
the exquisite spiceries and delicious fruits
of the east"-the mango, the tea-plsnt,
the bread-tree. from the islands of the Pa
cifc the campfire of Japan, the ginger,
the cardaman, and the casawarine of New
Holland, may be made to thrive there.
The variety of fruits is astonishing. The
peach, fig, vine, apple, and strawberry,
will flourish in the newly cleared grounds.
while the plantain, orange, citron, lemon,
pomegranite, are indigenous to the coun-
try.
The air is SO humid, that rice will grow
On high lands. The common return from
maize is 100 OF $50 to one. The coffee
plant is easily cultivated, and in favorable
soils bears fruit in 90 months The orange
will raise fruit in three years from the
seed.
The Chevalier in his romantic enthusi
asm gives Brazil the preference to every
,ther country-over the United States,
over Cuba, Chill, &c. &C. The govern
nent is willing to grant considerable
ands to emigrants eXempts them for the
irst ten years from all duties, imposts,
Sc. and in renting lands to European
makes them present of a
considerable capital"
One is tempted to exclaim els this
hen really paradise" Not SO, says the
Chevalier "the inhabitants had hard
life; products of the first necessity are
scarce, and multitude of difficulties are
experienced How is this paradox re-
,onciied?-Principally because nature has
lone every thing for it, and man has done
little The public roads are infamous:
6 The caravans which transport the cot
ION from Minas Novas and Minas Gereas
On mules backs, along distance of more
than 200 leagues, have to encounter the
greatest difficulties near the gates of the
capital" "There is neither bridge nor
road at the distance of six leagues at
the capital. Negroes, mules, and mer-
chandize are lost close to the kings resi-
dence falling into marshes, or are swept
away by the rivers Houeuer produe-
toe the soil, the poor peasant finds no
encouragement to plant more than is ne
cessary for his o5pn existence" The
Chevalier points out other objections,
which are calculated to chill the enter
prize of adventurers, and to abate their
dream of romance. He gives them excel
lent advice, hoU they ought to proceed,
and on aohat spots they ought to.settle.
We confess his account of the extent
of Brazil transcends all our previous cal
culations. He states the province Of
Rio Jamsiro is nearly as large as France,